Tag Archives: family

Grandparents Weekend (9m)

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Kieran had the best weekend with his Grandparents and Great Grandmothers this past weekend.  Grampa John and Great Grandma Cat came out to visit, and Grampy Tom, Grammy Jeanne and Great Grandma Nonny came over on Saturday afternoon to say hello.

Kieran was happy to show off his new skills of standing up and toddling with assistance, as well as accepting all the hugs and kisses his grandparents were willing to give.

See Grampa, you mash on the buttons like this...Grammy Jeanne gives good tummy raspberriesGrampy Tom is such a goof.

On Sunday, we went to the park to celebrate the start of the 2011 Baseball season.  Grampa was proud to see his grandson in Dodger Blue from head to toe.

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It was a really fantastic weekend for everyone.

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But especially Grampa’s Little Dodger.

Ears, Nose and Butt Update – part II (8m1w)

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What a difference a week makes!!  Last weekend was a blur of temperatures, Tylenol, cold bottles and worries.  This weekend was relaxed and full of hanging out at home, playing on the living room floor while Daddy was at work installing a new server.

Ears: The procedure on Wednesday went GREAT.  Other than having a hungry, fussy baby in the pre-op area, there was no troubles at all.  In and out in about 25 minutes.  Kieran was awake and happy to see us when we got back into the post-op area (which happened to be the same as the pre-op area) and nommed his bottle like a good boy.  The doctor described Kieran’s left ear as “a terrible mess” and his right as just completely full of fluid, but not nearly as infected.  He said the powerful antibiotics we’d been giving Kieran were just “barely holding things at bay.”  So we’re very glad we went ahead with the procedure, even with as young as Kieran is.

He’s doing great now.  He obviously hears much better – he spent all day Thursday in wide-eyed fascination of EVERYTHING.  There’s been a tiny bit of drainage from his left ear, but that stopped already.  He finished out his Cefdinir oral antibiotics, and is still getting ear drops for a few more days.  We don’t need to worry about getting water in his ears now – although I’m not 100% clear if we’ll always need to have ear drops on hand in the future or not.  I’ll be sure to confirm that with the ENT at our follow up appointment on the 17th.

Nose: Still congested, but not nearly as much as he was.  I don’t know if it actually has anything to do with getting his ears drained out, but I’d like to think the general pressure in his head has been reduced.  We haven’t had to suck out his nose since Wednesday morning, so I’m calling this a success as well.

Butt:  Kieran was still on the Cefdinir, but diligent use of the new, gentle diaper care products has produced amazing results.  Plain water with baby washcloths, the California Baby Gentle Diaper Wash spray, and when dry, a spritz of the Boudreaux’s Rash Protector.  The damage from the fire poos has been abated, and I think the probiotics that Dr. Meghan recommended have worked their magic, as the fire poos themselves seem to have abated as well.  We’ll be back to our regular Up & Up  sensitive skin wipes in another few days I’m sure.  But it’s nice to have a go-to regimen to clear things up in the future.  The Boudreaux’s Rash Protector really was great in place of diaper cream – nothing to rub/wipe onto red, irritated skin.

Again, thanks to everyone for their kind words, prayers, good thoughts and suggestions over the last week or two.  Paul and I are so grateful to have such amazing friends and family.

Ears, Nose and Butt Update (8m)

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Ears:  Kieran’s surgery is scheduled for 8:30 tomorrow morning.  (March 2.)  We have to check in between 7:00 – 7:15am.  Kieran can have food until midnight, formula until 1:00am and clear liquids (in our case, Pedialyte) until 5:30am.  We’re excited and anxious for tomorrow – but we’re convinced that Kieran will reap such huge benefits from this procedure that we’re eager to have it done.  (His teacher told me this afternoon that he had a rough day of patting at his ears.)  I just want my baby to feel better.

We should be home by noon or so tomorrow, I assume.  We will be updating on Facebook before, during and after I’m sure.  Prayers for Kieran’s health, our peace, and focus and calm for the doctors would be appreciated.  I know this is supposed to be a super simple procedure, but it’s still scary as heck to this first-time Mama.

Nose:  Kieran is still SUPER congested – two months and counting.  The anesthesiologist wasn’t happy to hear it this evening when I spoke with him, but it shouldn’t be a problem.  He even agreed to try to suction out Kieran’s sinuses while he’s under tomorrow.  (We’re hoping that once the pressure equalizes inside his little head, that Kieran’s sinuses will finally drain as well.)  In the meantime, the snore wafting up from the crib matches the one rumbling from Paul’s side of the bed in tone and pitch, if not volume.  On the whole, it’s quite adorable.  (That said, I’ve had quite enough of having a literally snot-nosed kid, and I’m sure he’s sick and tired of me attacking him with the battery-powered nose sucker.)

Butt:  I asked my friends and family on Facebook for suggestions today on how to deal with Kieran’s little bum, having suffered through a month of progressively stronger antibiotics.  He looks like a little baboon, and screams like a Banshee during diaper changes these last few days.  I’m frustrated that all diaper rash creams seem to be geared towards protecting his bum from moisture – but nothing seems to address the honest-to-goodness pain my little guy is in until the antibiotics stop and he stops pooing fire. * After wading through a plethora of great suggestions, Kieran and I hit up Target this evening and made a few purchases.  (The top three creams I was looking for are apparently hard to find locally:  Mustela, L’il Goat’s Milk, and Triple Paste.  I called around to several places looking.)

So I ended up with a gentle diaper area wash spray from California Baby (with calendula, witch hazel, and aloe vera – all of which I was hoping to find in a gentle cream or something) and a spray rash protector from Bourdreaux’s.  I really like that both of these are sprays, limiting the amount of touching/rubbing/applying necessary.  I’m using cotton cloths and cool water with the spray wash, and once dry spraying the protector.  So far, one diaper change down – and no tears.  I picked up a little plastic bin to make a baby sitz bath with some baking soda as well.  We’ll put that to use tomorrow if necessary – but Kieran was so sleepy when we got home this evening, that I didn’t want to put him through it.

So THANK YOU to all my friends and family who answered the call of Kieran’s red butt:  Tricia, Claudia, Nina, Heather, Kelly, Grandma Dee, Patrick, Cousin Glenn, Linda, Kym, Cousin Eowyn, London, Jessica, Rachel, Teri, Aunt Nita, Barb, Kelley, Mia, Amy, and Kristy.  It takes a village sometimes.  I am grateful for your willingness to offer suggestions, if nothing else.  :)

*  At the suggestion of family friend and pediatrician, Dr. Meghan – Kieran is taking probiotics with this course of antibiotics.  The diarrhea isn’t as bad as it has been with some of the other meds, so I assume they’re helping.  Dr. Meghan has been such a blessing to us this past week, calming Paul and I as Kieran cruised through last weekend with a nearly 104 degree temperature while on the max dose of tylenol.  So if you’re reading this, THANK YOU again Dr. Meghan.  <3

Swingin’ (7m2w)

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I'm gonna get you Mama!!Today after my (early) birthday brunch at Hash House a Go Go, we took Kieran to the park on the way home.  He had a ball on the swings.  (Turns out what we thought was just a very tired baby after playing for a little too long was a sick kid – 3 hours later Kieran would be registering a 102.6 fever.  Poor little man.)

But he enjoyed himself immensely on the swings!  Click the pic to see more Swinging Kieran!

Sixes and Sevens (7m)

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This last month has just FLOWN by!!  I can’t believe that Christmas was just over a month ago.  (I’m still trying to get my thank you cards done!!  ack!)  But so much has happened in the last month too:

  • This. Every time we change his diaper. Roly Poly kid.Kieran continues to do wonderfully at Daycare.  (We call it School.)  His teachers are really getting to know him, and he has made friends in his class.  Most mornings, he barely notices when Paul kisses him goodbye because he’s already engrossed in playing!  He’s still the biggest diva in the class, but he’s slowly learning to be patient and to entertain himself.  (He just really really likes company – he doesn’t like to feel like he’s alone.)  Watching the other kids is really helping Kieran grow and learn – he wanted to get up in the high chairs at lunch time, which lead to him having his biggest solid meal each day at school.  He’s starting with Cheerios this week after watching the other kids with theirs.  (His teachers are great about helping him try these things in a very safe way.  Paul and I trust them completely.)
  • Kieran is rolling over from front to back and back to front.  He can log-roll around if he wants to.  He doesn’t seem to want to do that very much yet though, mostly because it would mean rolling away from whoever is on the floor with him.  When he topples over on his play mat, we don’t rush to help him up anymore.  And he’s all over the place in his crib.  We’ve had to move all his stuffed animals out from the far end because he’s actually moving around in there now!
  • Kieran likes to play on his belly now too.  He’ll push himself up on his arms while on his playmat and laugh and laugh.  He does a flippy/spin thing on the changing table that would be amazing if it weren’t quite so annoying during a diaper change.  He’s always trying to roll over during a diaper change, so keeping a hand on him is vital these days.  (No, we don’t think his cloth diapers make it any harder at this point really – he’s be just as squirmy with disposables too.  But we are all the more glad that we don’t have to deal with sharp diaper pins though.)
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