Can't Catch a Break

The cold wintery weather is holding on as long as possible this year which means these winter germs aren't backing down at all either. Everyone has been fighting off a cold these past few weeks and it finally caught up with Charlie a few days ago. Started with the sniffles and then he developed a cough. Unfortunately it became evident that we were dealing with more than the common cold when he got a fever that just kept climbing and wouldn't go away despite regular motrin. Poor thing was miserable with tons of congestion and mucous making him cough pretty much nonstop and gag regularly.

I brought him to the pediatrician's Tuesday morning after his breathing became obviously labored and he wasn't making any improvements at all. Turns out his cold had developed into an ear infection and a rattling in his right lung that might be another round of pneumonia. The NP who saw us didn't want to expose him to another chest xray unnecessarily, so he prescribed an antibiotic that should be able to handle the ear infection and whatever is going on in his lung.

So after two days of antibiotics and no improvement at all, we went back to the pediatrician this morning. Our poor pitiful little boy has literally spent the bulk of this week on the couch requesting movies, cuddling, and sleeping whenever his cough allows him a break. The NP was obviously concerned. We ended up getting a CBC, nebulizer treatment, chest xray and inconclusive diagnosis. There is no sign of pneumonia, but they did detect irritation in his bronchioles.

The thought is that Charlie caught a cold, the cold aggravated his reflux, and his reflux has irritated his lungs. Because of the fever there is some infection somewhere, so they are being aggressive. He was given an antibiotic injection in the office and we were given a script for a new antibiotic for the next 10 days and are hoping this does the trick!

Today was CDH Awareness Day and we will be putting together a special post in honor of today as soon as things settle down here a little... and by settle down, I mean not being forced to sit on the couch and watch Elmo and Thomas for hours on end while trying to convince Charlie to drink more juice and water. :-)

Where does the time go....

More than a month since my last post and I have no idea where the time went! Following his birthday, Charlie had a couple appointments - 2 year physical and his regularly scheduled check up with the surgeon. Charlie has taken huge steps backwards in terms of his anxiety level at the doctor's office. It is a struggle to keep him even remotely calm at all. At his physical he cried and fought so hard while getting his vitals that he fell asleep in my arms while waiting for the pediatrician to come in (a blessing in disguise!). He has never been completely at ease at the doctor's, but we were making some progress before he got sick last month. That appointment with feeling completely miserable, having an RSV test, a breathing treatment, and a chest xray while confined in that stupid Pigg-o-Stat contraption put him right over the edge.

Luckily the technician we had at the hospital for Charlie's chest xray prior to seeing the surgeon does not believe in putting children old enough to communicate and remember things in the Pigg-o-Stat. Though the trauma he suffered the time before was obvious and it took 4 xrays to get 2 clear views because he was in a melt down. Dr Ratner was happy with what he continues to see on the xrays though and has said we only need to come in once a year from here on out for checkups. His only concern was the fact that everyone believes the pneumonia in the beginning of February was caused by his reflux and aspirating something into his lungs. He wants us to see a GI specialist to get their input and make sure someone is keeping closer tabs on where things stand with his reflux. That appointment is in a couple of weeks. Sadly, this was our last time seeing Dr Ratner because he will be retiring this summer. He is an amazing doctor and person and we were so lucky to have him on our team these past 2 years.

Other than doctor office drama, Charlie is amazing. He speaks so clearly and (when he is not screeching in temper tantrum mode) he communicates really well. His latest thing in pretend playing. He sleeps with a few stuffed animal friends and many times I have heard him in his crib role playing with his friends, having full on conversations, playing hide-and-seek under the blankets, putting them to sleep... its so cute! He has also mastered the art of manipulation. We went to put him to bed the other night and he said, "no Daddy...want to watch basketball with you..." Of course Daddy let him stay up after that! He knows how to play the system!

We are looking forward to spring and warm weather. Charlie is just itching to get outside and insisted (in the aftermath of a major meltdown) that he wanted to sit out on the porch and swing. It was a bit chilly, but still light out, so we bundled up with blankets and swung on the porch swing for more than a half hour. Hopefully he will always want to just sit on the swing with us from time to time.

Truck/Train/Vehicle infatuation still going strong!

Seeing this made me seriously wonder if he has too many toys...

He created himself a "bed" with all the pillows and blankets

on the floor and then added every single stuffed animal

within reach and all of his books. He then proceeded to "read"

to the stuffed animals. All without any prompting from anyone!

Momma made play dough!

Don't know why I bothered to make different colors

because they all just got smooshed together into a

greenish brownish swamp color by the end...

Throwing stale bread out for the birds and squirrels

He loves to color!

Thomas!

And this is what I came back to find at the dining room table

after walking away to get something. Who knew bologna and

cheese could stick to your face so effectively?! :-)

Can't Believe You're Two Years Old!

Looking back at the information we shared here about you as a 1 year old, it is hard to believe how much you have grown up in just 12 months! No one was lying when they said cherish everyday because they are gone in a flash... You have become a little boy right before our eyes!

Charlie, here are some of your current stats, loves, and special times:

Physically:

-25lbs 12oz (though I think this is inaccurate and should be a little less - you would not sit on the scale at all and when I said you had no reason to be freaking out you proceeded to repeat over and over, "I'm freaking out! I'm freaking out!") This weight puts you in the 20th percentile which is a drop from where you were 6 months ago.

-35.5 inches tall -This puts you in the 80th percentile for height and is an almost 3 inch growth from 6 months ago!

-2 year molars are in on the bottom, but not on the top.

-Still walking on your toes too much, so we have to keep working on stretching those ankle tendons out.

-Still on medication for your reflux. Prilosec taken before bed seems to be working for now.

Developmentally:

-You run and jump and dance all over. You can be a bit of a clutz (especially when it comes to socks on the hardwoods!), but have not done any permanent damage yet! :-)

-Your language is amazing!!! You have full conversations that, for the most part, are completely understandable! Many people have commented on how clearly you speak and some of the things you come out with shock even me! (Such as your diatribe on broccoli being "gross" at dinner the other night...)

-We've tried potty training here and there over the past few months, but you really are not into the idea. Even the prospect of an M&M reward or Thomas the Train undies isn't enough to entice you!

-You sleep 10-12 hours a night and even if you wake up early, you just play contentedly in your crib. You also take one nap a day, about 2 hours long. You still let me cuddle you and rock before your naps sometimes.

-You can walk up and down the stairs holding someone's hand and do so really well!

Eating:

-You eat fairly well, though you go through definite phases (ie: the Only Things Crunchy Phase, the Sprinkle Cheese Phase, the Ketchup Dipping Phase)

-You typically will eat three meals a day with some snacking in between. Honestly, breakfast seems to last all morning sometimes for you, as you graze from one thing to another.

-After switching to sippy cups completely in the fall you never drank as much milk as you once did, but we have at least started getting some into you again as long as there is some chocolate syrup added... a boy after his Mommy's heart!

-You love drinking your juices and will drink water well too.

Favorites:

-Food: Kix and Cheerios, Wheat Thins, unsalted mini pretzels, pizza, fruit (especially blueberries and strawberries), greek yogurt, "circle cheese" (sliced provolone), hotdogs

-Toys: anything Thomas the Train, anything Sesame Street, blocks, play food and kitchen, trucks and cars

-Comfort Objects: paci (we have been trying to break this habit!), Rhino, Mooney (stuffed gorilla), Bess (teddy bear), Blair (your blanket/bear), jungle music box (the one we bought to duplicate the one you had in the NICU so that there would be something familiar when you came home... you still request that we push the button every time you go to sleep!)

-Books: Goodnight Moon, The Velveteen Rabbit, Little Blue Truck, anything Thomas or Sesame Street or Dr Seuss, any of the Give a Mouse a Cookie books

Health Hurdles Crossed:

-RSV in January 2010

-an allergic reaction to something... still not quite sure what!

-ongoing reflux issues that we are always trying to keep in check

-multiple colds and sniffles

-a stomach bug in January 2011

-pneumonia brought on by aspirating something just this past week

Things We Did This Past Year:

-trip to Florida in June

-trips to the zoo (Rosamond Gifford, Buffalo, and Lowry Park!)

-camping at Southwick and Green Lakes

-first swim lessons

You LOVE:

-going to Grandma and Grandpa's for dinner every week and playing with Riggi while you are there

-Aunt Dee!!! She is always at the forefront of your thoughts and you are always so excited to see her

-going to pick up Emanuel at school and seeing his teacher Ms Carm (The other kids all love you too!)

-saying "hi" to people in the grocery store. Heaven forbid they don't answer though... You make it your mission to get a "hi" in return!

-playing at the playground

-getting blueberry muffins for breakfast before we go grocery shopping in the morning

-having books read to you

-chasing (and tackling) Chester

-giving Chloe treats

-helping put the dishes away

-showing off to ANYONE who will pay attention to you!

We could not be prouder of you or possibly love you any more than we do... though that love does seem to grow more and more every day. We love to see you all snuggled up in your bed every night before we go to bed. And seeing you play and make believe with your toys is amazing. We don't always know what we are doing, but you seem to be making out just fine regardless. Cannot wait to see what this coming year has in store for us as we continue to watch you grow.

Farm animals

Charlie talking about his birthday

Feeling Better in time to Party!

This past week started with Charlie getting a little cough. Nothing to slow him down; just an annoyance. By Tuesday evening, however, he was laid out on the couch feeling miserable. The cough had worsened and he was running a fever that we couldn't seem to control. So, Wednesday morning I called the pediatrician and they got him in right away.

I fully expected another "his lungs sound fine - its just a cold - fluids and rest" kind of diagnosis. That seems to be what happens when I get over anxious about him coughing or not acting quite right. But the pediatrician definitely heard something in his left lung and was concerned. They ran an RSV test (that came back negative) and gave him a breathing treatment in the office. She listened to him again and sent us to get a chest x-ray. Luckily our pediatrician's is located within a medical center that has a radiology office so I was able to just scoop him up and carry him down the hall. He was so miserable he was fighting every step of every procedure he was subjected to. It was heart wrenching. They did see something in the "upper section of his lower left lobe" and diagnosed it as pneumonia. Since he had no symptoms leading up to this, the guess is that he aspirated something into his lungs that caused the pneumonia. He had choked during dinner right before this started, so we don't know if that is when it happened or another reflux episode. They put him on a five day antibiotic and breathing treatments every four hours and thankfully he bounced back fairly quickly. By Thursday afternoon he was able to get off the couch and play a little bit, though he got winded easily. And he has just continued to improve since then. He still has a cough and gets short of breath here and there, but is basically back to normal!

Which is good since we had a big weekend planned! Friday was Charlie's 2nd birthday! :-) On his birthday we brought him out to a diner by our house for dinner then over to the pet store to pick out his present...... a cute little goldfish! Mommy and Daddy are not exactly "fish people" but Charlie has taken a liking to goldfish thanks to Elmo's pet goldfish, Dorothy. We thought he would name his after her, but instead he chose to name him Nemo. He gets so excited to feed him every morning and it seems to have been a good choice in presents since he certainly didn't need any new toys! He requested a blue birthday cake with Elmo, so that was what he got and he was quite pleased! Grandma and Grandpa joined us for cake and it was a great day all around.

On Saturday we had a birthday party at our house with our friends and family. He has been looking forward to this party for weeks and was so excited. I have a video of him talking about his birthday that I have to figure out how to post (it is on my phone and I cant quite figure out how to get it here...) We stuck with the Sesame Street theme and it all came together really well. Charlie loved seeing everyone (including the Olmsteads with Charlie's special girl, Kayla!!!) and soaked it all in! He completely bathed himself in Elmo red frosting making for some pretty messy picture moments. It was a great time and we are so lucky to be able to surround ourselves with such an amazing group of people to who love us and Charlie in particular.

Big boy insisting on holding the nebulizer mask himself.

Blue birthday cake with Elmo and M&Ms :-)

trying to blow out the candle

cake time!

He is trying really hard to get Elmo with his fork!

the next morning: learning how to feed his fish

(lesson learned: 2 year olds need to learn by example.

Do not put the food in his hand and expect him to

know what to do because you will end up with fish

food being thrown at the tank rather than sprinkled into it!)

cupcakes ready for the party!!

the birthday boy (with a mouthful of goldfish crackers)

enjoying cupcake #1

For some reason a frosting facial

sounded like a great plan to him!

And cupcake #2

Much damage was done

(Can you guess which Muppet this used to be???)

Goodbye hugs for Kayla Mae

so sweet!!!

Everyday fun

Charlie's newest infatuation is lining up all his vehicles just so.

While picking up toys the other night after he had gone to bed

we found this line up. Couldn't bring ourselves to put them away!

The line up at the bottom of the stairs a few days later luckily

did not end in any disasters! Not quite sure how the Hulk fits in!

Charlie "helping" mommy make pizzas for dinner.

This included picking at the crust and shoveling

pepperonis into his mouth as quickly as possible. :-)

Sweet boy hoping to bring SU some luck by sporting some orange.

It didn't work. :-/

Such a big boy! Studying his words... :-)

An M&M treat with cousin Eman.

(On a side note, Charlie had a really difficult time laying

on his belly comfortably - not sure why. Kept trying though

because he so wants to be like his cousin!)

Big smiles out playing in the snow!

Starting to get a little chilly...

Poor Chloe wondering why we were still outside in the cold :-)