Toe Update

Kendrick's toe is healing fast and the boot has not slowed him down in the least.  He has gotten lots of attention from it and hasn't been to bad for him.  For the rest of the family, he's a bit grimey from lack of a full bath and we all have bumps and bruises from him "accidentally" using it against us. 

Last Friday before the Ranch we went to see Dr. Campbell and she took a look at everything.  It was healing nicely she said and decided to take the stitches out this past Monday after the Ranch weekend.  (Kendrick took this picture at the first post-op appointment with my phone while they were trying to get the bandages off the wound.)

He still has the boot and we all hope to get rid of it at our next appointment on Monday.  Thank you to all for the prayers and concerns!  

Cavett's 5 Year Old Check Up

Cavett went to the Doctor today for his 5 year old check-up. He was so grown up about it answering the checklist of questions that the nurse asked him. Things like: What is your address? Phone number? Do you know about 911? Do you know your alphabet?

My favorite was when he asked, "Do you ride a bike?" Cavett's response was, "I ride my Spider Man bike with training wheels and that is just fine." He used the most adult hand gestures and it was just too funny.

He is 42" tall--40% and 41.5 lbs.--60%. BMI of 80%, but she was fine with that, he is not fat at all. He will be having surgery on his herniated belly button sometime during the next year though.

She said he's ready for Kindergarden. Let's hope I am.

The Pediatrician Circus

Not thinking I scheduled Cavett's 4 year old check up and Kendrick's 18 month check up for February 16th not realizing it was after a holiday weekend and it was President's Day. The appointment was 3:00 in the afternoon. Kendrick had his nap earlier in the afternoon and after picking Cavett up from school we headed to the park to wear off some energy.

When we arrived at the doctor's office, the waiting room was packed. I knew this was not good. Kendrick was not into holding still or reading books and the movie playing was the "Emporer's New Groove," not the best movie. After chasing them and apologizing for them for 45 minutes our names were finally called.

The patient room was no different. I had 2 naked monkeys jumping all over the place. Even though it was tough, we had a great time singing "Hey, hey look at me." I really wouldn't have it any other way. I am blessed with healthy children. They checked out fine with Cavett in the 75th percentile for height and Kendrick in the 9oth percentile. Both of them were 50th percentile in weight.

Cavett received his 4 booster shots. We talked about the shots for a couple of days and he was ready to be brave and brave he was. Not a tear was shed. I was so proud of him. We also discussed his herniated belly button and that he would need surgery soon, probably late spring. The funny part was that he got it confused and thought that the shots would cure the belly button issue. After the shots were completed, he looked at his belly button and said, "But my belly button is still out!"

Sorry there were no pictures. I'm just not up to par yet.

Playing Doctor

One of Cavett's most prized gifts came from Isabela on New Year's Eve. She gave him and authentic hospital gown, Hot Wheels Band-Aids and a book called "The Bad Case of the Stripes." Cavett LOVES to play doctor, especially with Isabela. Maybe it is becuase he went to one of the doctor's appointments last year or maybe becuase he knows how delicate she is. But, he is ultimately concerned for her and that is what he always wants to play.

He had a set of scrubs and a doctors kit, but there was never anything for the patient, thus the patient was always topless. As parents, it becomes a bit concerning eventually, especially if you have a girl. But Cavett is loving the gown, it brings the role-play to a whole new level.

He has said twice without prompt how much he enjoys it. The first comment was, "This gown is such a cool gift!" And today it was, "We need to write Isabela a thank you note."

Today, both Kendrick and I took turns being in the "patient" role. For Kendrick, it was his eyes that were hurting and for me, it was my tummy. At one point Kendrick had Band-Aids covering both of his eyes. I love how much it shows his caring personality that he wants to make everyone feel better. Maybe he will follow in Stephen's footsteps.

Hosted by: Cecily and Mama Geek

Stats

Monday was doctor day for Kendrick. Last week we wanted to take him in for the lingering cough, cold, rash, virus-thingy, but the doctor advised against it seeing as how everyone in Sugar Land was there to get in that last visit before the holidays.

Come to find out, he had an ear infection. Now, really, I'm not a bad Mom. This virus didn't slow him down, he never had fever and he didn't pull at his ear. How was I to know? The rash also stumped the doctor, but she said keep hydrocortizone on it and let's see what happens. We also received Amoxil.

He is a pciky eater and it showed on his stats. We have a tall one here!

Height: 33" in 90-95%

Weight: 21 in 5-10%

Head: 18 1/2" in 50%

Overall, he is well. She was amazed at his vocabulary already saying "All done" and "Thank you". But, he can't help that. He is around Cavett most all the time.

Kendrick's Check-Up

After dropping Cavett off at school today, Kendrick and I headed to the pediatrician's office. He is perfectly perfect.

Height: 29 1/8" 50%

Weight: 21 lbs. 10 oz. 50%

Head: 18" 50%

As the doctor was leaving he did the sweetest "bye-bye" and waved. Unfortunately for her, she walked out the door before he was able to blow her a kiss. What a heart melter! He also received 4 shots. He doesn't take as well to pain as Cavett does. He cried quite a bit. I almost cried this time too. After some lunch and some Tylenol, he's now snoozing.

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

9 Month Check-up

Kendrick went for a check-up today and a follow up visit for his ear infection. We have the all clear and he is growing and developing perfectly. We are so blessed to have such happy, healthy children. Here are the stats:

Height: 28 3/4" (75%)

Weight: 19 lbs. 7 oz. (40%)
Head Circ.: 18" (50%)

We mainly discussed his eating habits. She encouraged me to not give as much milk and to push more self-fed food. So, for lunch he had macaroni and cheese, hot dog, grapes, and of course his favorite Cheerios. Lately, he's had to have Cheerios in front of him to even open his mouth for anything else. I've had to put Cheerios on his plate mixed in with other things just so that maybe he'll pick up a bite of something else on accident and like it. Hey, what ever works. He decided he really liked the grapes and finally tolerated the hot dog and mac and cheese. Afterwards, he got a sippy cup of half the amount of formula he normally gets. He wasn't terribly interested, but did have some of it.

Also, this afternoon has been one of the best naps ever. He went down at 1:00 and I haven't heard a peep from him yet! (It's 3:30.) Knock on wood.

The Stats

Kendrick's doctor's appointment went well today. No news. Just a perfect baby.

Height: 27" 75th%
Weight: 16 lbs. 11 oz. 50th%
Head Circumfrence: 17 1/4" 50th%

Doctor's Visit

It's official. "He's a little boy," said the pediatrician. No longer a toddler. She was quite impressed by his language as they started the visit off with a huge conversation about the ride in the elevator and the birthday party.

Vitals: Height 36 1/2" --25th percentile (I guess he has my height gene.)

Weight 32 pounds --50th percentile (even though he skips meals. Yesterday all he had was breakfast!)

Everything else is developmentally appropriate. She still said to wait until age 5 for his hernia in his belly button. She claims it should go away on its own by then.

Next visit--Kendrick, age 6 months (Feb. 29)

He who has ears, let him hear!

Today was Kendrick's fourth hearing test. Usually this is done in the hospital before a newborn goes home. We had it done in the hospital too, but Kendrick did not pass. They say it might have been because of fluid in his ear from birth. Two days later, we went to the pediatrician and tried again. This time, the left ear passed and the right ear failed. Two days after that, we tried again with the same result and the doctor referred us back to the hospital. I really didn't feel like he couldn't hear. God gave me a peace about it. He was startling and last Friday he began smiling at us. But, it was still scary.

So, we traipse down to the Medical center and try to find this place within Methodist Hospital--Kendrick in his sling and Cavett with a back pack full of books and his Leap Frog. This test is best done when the baby is sleeping. Therefore, I left plenty of time for us to find our way and have time to nurse just before our 11:15 appointment. Things were going fairly well in the waiting room for the first 30 minutes. I was even able to take Cavett to the bathroom and nurse at the same time!

About 11:45, the audiologist finally showed up when Kendrick was becoming cranky. We go back to the room and wait for him to fall asleep or at least be quiet. Finally, I tried nursing again, since I forgot the pacifier in the car. Of course, Cavett had to go to the bathroom again. The Audiologist sent him out and the receptionist had to take him tis time! This time she was able to get a good reading on the left, but still nothing on the right. We wait some more. By this time, Kendrick is really fussing and Cavett is asking,"Read me the book, Mommy!" The audiologist says that we will have to do another test later. Over the crying and whining, I was able to hear enough that really freaked me out- "Sedation, 3 hours, Probes and Brain Stem." I'm not really sure what the actual test was but I must have given her a look of utter desperation. She left the room. When she came back, luckily Kendrick had fallen asleep and she brought the senior Audiologist who also brought some senors. They attached one to Kendrick's forehead, one just in front of his ear and one on the back of his neck. They did the test again and he passed.

Hallelujah! Praise God! Sometimes we take it for granted that we have healthy children. We are so blessed. May they grow up not only hearing His word, but doing as well.

P.S.- After we got home, I found on the web it is called "auditory brainstem response" test.