Winter's "Cold" Season

The "cold" season has hit our house hard this year. In the past two and a half months, not a day has gone by without someone having an ear infection, fever, hacking cough, pink eye, sinus infection, etc... you get the picture. Our vaporizer is working on overtime, and I'm pretty sure we should have invested in Tylenol, Claritin, & Nyquil stocks. I, for one, am hoping that Spring arrives soon!

March is also the start of many, many appointments for us. Robby's tonsils & adenoids have been scheduled to be taken out at the end of the month. He also has appointments w/ the Sleep Clinic & doctor (only 8 days until my baby turns 3 - wow!). While toliet training has definitely taken a back-seat lately, he asked about going to "playschool" - got to love Calliou. I told him they only allow kids who are toliet trained go - I think I'll be playing that video often now :)

Andy just had his 6 month check-up. He's 75% for height, 50% for weight, & 90% for head (this is up a bit from their other measurements, but I figure we can only compare the neuro's numbers for consistency sake). His pediatrician is extremely pleased that he can sit unassisted, and that he can pull himself to a crawl position. Future appointments include: urologist (w/ kidney ultrasound), neurologist, Mary Free Bed Clinic, Mary Free Bed physical therapist, ENT (he just finished double ear infection again - may be heading towards tubes), and weekly PT appointments.

Tom's yearly snowmobile trip was canceled due to him getting the flu. He had/has severe sinus infection & had to have a CT scan done today. The headaches are becoming increasingly worse & his doctor was hoping the infection did not travel into the brain. We're thinking on the positive side here & hoping for the best.

So yes, I'm hoping for spring. Warmer weather, less colds, hopefully more sleep, and a brighter outlook. We'll keep you posted on the outcomes of the appointments. Cute pictures to come - for some reason they wouldn't load tonight.

Making Progress

Thanks to Andy's weekly physical therapy and our daily work with him, he has made great progress during the last couple of weeks. Here's his photo update for 5 1/2 months. It will be interesting to see/hear what his doctors think in March.

Andy can now sit up by himself for short periods of time... then he either flattens into a yoga position or falls over until someone rescues him.

Andy is capable of rolling over in both directions, but he doesn't like to. His stubborness shows through when he fights you by resisting the entire time to roll. Here he's pushing up for a better view. Instead, he has opted for scooting backwards or performing 360 turns on his belly.

Lately he has amazed us as he pulls his legs up beneath him (indicating that his hamstrings have ability)! This gives us great hope for crawling!

Sleep Talker Becomes Sleep Walker

Sleep issues are very common in our family. Both grandpas have sleep apnea, and I suffer from hyper insomnia (the ability to literally fall asleep in under 30 seconds). Unfortunately, Robby didn't inherit the exact same type of sleep issues as me. As many of you already know, we suffered through his first year of living with little sleep. Shrugging this off, we thought the 2nd year would be better. After two years of having less than 10 nights of total sleep, we were finally granted a sleep study at DeVos. True, I had to talk my way into an earlier appointment, but none the less, we found out that Robby had a heart murmur, restless leg syndrome, and sleep apnea. This week we may have added to the list.

Thursday night I awoke to weird sounds at 3:30am. This was about the 3rd time I was up that night, so I simply rolled over (Robby refuses to sleep in his own room not to mention a bed of any type) to check on him. Instantly I became alarmed when he wasn't there! After scanning the bedroom to see if he rolled to another spot (which often happens), panic sunk in. Robby is terribly afraid of the dark as well, and only a little night light in our room shone through the pitch, black house. Calling out to him while trying to not wake Andy, I was quickly rewarded with a 2 1/2 year old walking back up the stairs w/ tools and paperwork in his hands. When asked what he was doing, he simply said, "I was seeing if Grammie was here yet, so I got my tools ready to help her." Five seconds later he was fast asleep. Me on the other hand, couldn't calm my brain back down. Yes, this was our first case of sleep walking. While he's done sleep talking, I've a new appreciation for dead-bolt locks.

This week has brought on yet another virus as well. I've pretty much decided that sleep will always be over-rated. Robby and I took shots of Tylenol last night and throughout today as we battled his 103.9 degree fever. Feeling bad, I let him take a nap this afternoon since he truly didn't feel good. Now I'm in for the long haul as he makes it to probably around 11:30 before he'll fall asleep. And where is Tom during all of this you might ask... usually fast asleep, but tonight celebrating with a long time grade school friend at his bachelor party. For some reason I don't foresee sleeping in in my future as well. To all of you who enjoy your seven, eight, or even more hours of sleep each night, remember how lucky you are!

The Baby w/ a Scar

Sick of being sick... that about says it all for this household. The boys and I started out the new year (mainly the entire 2 weeks of winter break) sick w/ a virus. Andy had double ear infection, and Robby quickly followed w/ an ear infection as well. Tom joined the happy crew on Christmas Eve & we finally all made a recovery just in time for us to go back to work on Jan. 3rd. Low and behold, that didn't last long. Once again the boys and I came down w/ a new virus a week later & the sinus pressure, endless coughing attacks throughout the night, and yet again another ear infection for Andy appeared. Needless to say it is 18 days into the new year, and I am sick of being sick and having sick children. The pediatrician said if Andy has one more ear infection we are headed to the ENT - I feel tubes will be in our near future.

Today Andy had his monthly head ultrasound and neuro. appointment. I saw the new children's hospital as well - it's beautiful! We are so lucky to be so close to an awesome facility! Andy's ultrasound looked great. His head size has grown, but when considering he has also put on some weight (now 16.5 lbs), it was still within his growth curve. The neuro. doctor said he looked great; he calls him the "baby w/ a scar" because at this point that is the only sign of SB that is visible. True, this may change once we witness how much Andy will be able to do w/ his legs.

New tricks... Andy has decided his toes are a tasty treat :). While this may not seems monumental to most parents, the fact that Andy can actually raise his legs to his mouth is huge! He now rolls over in both directions (although this has slowed a bit), pushes himself 360 degrees around on the floor, and loves to sit up. He can maintain head control & body control by holding onto one of our fingers. The PT hopes he will be able to sit upright by himself by 6 months; we're on the right track. Best of all, he has the most beautiful eyes, eye lashes, and smile that will melt hearts in a minute.

Robby has also been a great big brother. He too has joined in the spirit of making Andy one of the family as he eagerly awaits until Andy will be able to rough-house with him. In fact, he has already begun his lessons. The other day Robby wanted to help Andy w/ his therapy (yes, he actually calls it physical therapy - his vocabulary continues to amaze us). He quickly pulled off Andy's socks and said it was time to do joint compressions. He grabbed his feet and started pushing on them until we could grab him. His response - "What? I was just helping." Later Robby decided to help Andy practice his rolling, so he grabbed his body and whipped him over onto his belly. Yes, Andy will grow up to be strong and hold his own. We eagerly await the day that he will be able to fight back. Is that wrong to say? Nope - not in this house. He'll definitely learn how to hold his own :)

Now weighing in at 15lbs!

Now weighing in at 15lbs.... Andy's 4 month checkup went well yesterday.

Here are his lates stats:
Weight - 15 lbs - 50th percentile (seriously... I thought he would be way higher - he weighs a ton!)
Height - 23" - 60th percentile (let's hope he's taking after Tom's genes here)
Head - 43 - 75th percentile (still on the same curve as his 2 month which is a good thing)

The doctor was pleased by Andy's leg movement, and she was shocked to see that he can roll in both directions (which is apparently early for his age). We now begin to add prune juice to his daily diet in hopes of keeping constipation at a minimum (that just sounds disgusting but after one dose of 5 day consitpation already - I'll do anything to help that little guy). The doctor is hoping that he will outgrow his spitting up in the next few months (for now we change burp cloths and bibs after nearly every feeding) since he isn't losing any weight.

The bummer of the appointment was discovering that once again Andy is following Robby's lead and has double ear infections! This is his second ear infection since he was born. Amoxicillin - here we come!

I also had her check Robby's ears as well since all three of us were there w/ stuffy noses and coughing. While he currently does not have an ear infection, one may be coming. For now, we battle the endless nights of hacking and coughing as I attempt to keep both boys upright (not that easy w/ Robby's restless body syndrome of tossing and turning).

I'm hoping that the New Year will bring us positive health updates for Andy, more sleep, and less ear infections!

Starting New Traditions

Making Christmas traditions is a bit harder than following them... this I discovered as we decided to try and make our own traditions this year instead of playing the insane game of running from one party to the next. Between work, doctor appointments, and attempting to lesson the ever growing laundry pile, we haven't had a ton of time to enjoy the holiday season. Now that Robby is nearly three (and has a memory of an adult - scratch that - a better memory than me), I'm trying to take time out of our crazy schedule to start our own traditions.

Making Christmas cookies was definitely a treat! I'm not quite sure which part he liked best... his precision cutting skills using the cookie cutter, smashing handfulls of sprinkles onto the frosting, or trying to shove an entire cookie into his mouth at once. You be the judge :)

Andy has taken a more laid back approach to Christmas this year; he figures next year will be his turn to find trouble.

We opted to not put up the 7 foot tree this year after watching Robby's love and obsession with "decorating" the smaller tree. The small white stepladder remains a fixture in our living room, as he works away, and the tree has never looked so .... lovely. (Can you believe that Tom seriously put this in the back ground of our family Christmas picture without fixing it? Oh well, it has character... I guess - see I'm working on letting things go.)

Yes, we have many things to be thankful this year. We have been blessed by two wonderful boys that bring smiles to our faces each and every day. Our family and friends have been so supportive. We both have jobs (and more importantly health insurance). So, as I attempt to make new traditions this year, I figure as long as we're together life couldn't be any better!

Merry Christmas to you from the Mathews!

Raving Results from the Doctors

The doctors' results are in... both boys are doing wonderfully!
This week brought on my first full week of teaching (well - almost - I had to take off Thursday for Andy's doctor appointments). Both boys are adapting well to the early to bed and early to rise schedule. One thing is for sure - days truly fly by and so do the nights. Robby has started to wake at 5 am to spend time w/ me curled up in his blankies under the heat lamp in the bathroom while I get ready for work. While I wish he would keep sleeping, it is really cute and comforting to hear him suck on his passy and cuddle in the heat. We are two of a kind - we both love to be comfy, cozy :)

Here's the doctor info:
Robby's ENT said his ears look great & tonsils aren't that big, so he doesn't have to go back until spring! Let's hope this is an ear-infection-free winter! No word yet if his restless leg syndrome is better - poor little guy. He moves around so much during the night; he's constantly hitting one wall or another as he rolls.

Andy's first trip to the urologist went well. The doctor is new to the office, but he seems very knowledgeable & happy to answer any of our questions. Andy's kidneys look awesome - this is something we have to keep an eye on. Children w/ SB tend to develop bladder infection quite often & reflux can occur where the urine backs up into the kidneys. He has to have ultrasounds done of his kidneys every 3 months to ensure everything is okay. As long as bladder infections don't start occurring, this should be an easy appointment for us. There will be no way of knowing if he will be able to control his bladder / bowels until he is potty training age, so for now we can only assume the best!

Andy's PT (physical therapy) appointment at Mary Free Bed was an ordeal to say the least. They rescheduled twice and when I showed up at the scheduled time, the PT never showed up to do his evaluation. Staying calm was a bit difficult for me, but you all would have been proud as I calmly demanded that he still be evaluated since I took the day off of work w/ no pay to have the evaluation done. An hour & a half later, we got wonderful news. Andy is doing wonderfully. He's kicking his legs, maintaining good head control, beginning to roll over, and showing little need for intense therapy at this time. He will continue his weekly PT with Early On, but we do not have to go back to Mary Free Bed until March!

It truly is a time to be thankful at our house! We have wonderful boys that continue to amaze us daily. Robby has become an extreme Christmas tree decorator. We decided to let him decorate our mini tree this year. He's been working on it (literally) for two weeks now. Each day he asks for the step ladder, climbs it, proceeds to use his tools to drill, saw, and "fix" the tree. It now has bolts, nuts, pieces of play wood, tractors, and construction equipment all over it. However, if this free entertainment keeps up, I might just leave the tree up all year! This has been the best way to capture his attention I have found yet!

This week brings on another head ultrasound and neuro. appointment. We're praying for the best (shunt free), and we'll keep you posted!