Three Years Old

"It's my birthday!"  Ace screamed with excitement this morning.  Yes it is dear one!  You are three today.  It is a special day!  All of your third year of life was special.   There's so much to review.

Newness in the last six months since our last update:  a move to Mississippi, a couple of inches, knowing the alphabet, singing on his own, playing music on his instruments, school with mom, and a love for pirates!

Ace continues to love the outdoors.  He loves to play in water, run around, go to the park, take walks with his dad and collect a rock walk each time, and get the mail.   He also loves to hear the music play (the national anthem play during the retreat of the flag every weekday at 5pm) and run outside and put his hand over his heart and patiently stand there thru the end of the song. 

Smarts! First let me say that he just really is extremely intelligent.  I know all parents say so, but we are truly amazed out how well he retains information, observes and processes things on his own, and retains details from ages ago and recalls them without prompting.  He can identify almost anything we point to and we are so proud of him. 

Lots of absorption of information, language, and education has taken place these last six months.  He rarely says something not in a full sentence.  He still says "I'm are" which I cling to as his toddlerhood slips quickly away... and he has the funniest accent for the word 'world' - I hope I can get it on video.  He can say the whole alphabet song,  he can recognize all the capital letters and a few of the lower case ones.  Shapes and colors are second nature to him and he's doing great to teach his sister now.  :)    He knows the days of the week and is working on the months of the year.    He's growing up so fast. Ace has started to enjoy 'school' as taught by mom.  He gets so excited to learn new things and loves to have the 1 on 1 time of just the two of us learning... although he doesn't mind if his sister is around to explore with him.   

He is a great big brother!   He loves to hold her when allowed, is happy to help calm her down and asks us to put Kokomo on for her.   He didn't revert too much upon her arrival, he does get very happy to 'recall'  "When I was a baby I..."   and it isn't meant as a desire to return, just as a relating to his sister.    He does still occasionally get hyper and act out if Dad is providing more attention to Mae than him, but in general those moments are rare.

Ace still takes his tiger where ever we go (mostly at mommy's behest) and it sleeps in his bed every night, but he rarely acknowledges unless I hand it to him when he's scared in his bed.  Other toys that are favorites right now include: duplos, his kitchen, swords of any variety,   Favorite movies right now are The Incredibles  and Shrek movies.   He also rotates in the Toy Story movies, Tangled, and Cars... and every now and again Mary Poppins.  :)   TV wise he's really enjoying Super Why on PBS.    His favorite book for most of his third year was 'Cuddle'  in the last couple of months he moved onto 'Don't Let the Pidgeon Drive the Bus' and most recently he has a special place in his heart for the David and Goliath story.   We have a book and if we don't read that, he wants us to tell him the story - every night.     Ace's imagination has also really started to get off to a great start - from pretending back in April to let elephants into the house through the front door and leading them to his room to the other day playing in the park with his dad and crushing aliens with his bare hands (his dad was merely shooting them at a safe distance.)

Illness wise it wasn't such a bad year - I'd say pretty average.   He managed to overcome the C. Diff with that medication and then in September had a week off/on with a stomach bug, another in November and then only a few sniffles in February.   March was the worst of his 3rd year of life and he got pneumonia.  He was pretty sick for a week, but after some antibiotics was back to his spunky self and was happy as can be.   Injury wise he did very well considering how fast of a runner and busy boy he is.     He injured his ear by spinning in circles and then running...straight into the coffee table... and Ace suffered his first (and second) skinned knee upon arrival to Mississippi.   No ER trips required and we consider that a success!  :)

Nap wise - we are still going on about 90 minute stretches sometime around 1pm (which is exactly what we were doing this time last year.)  I only pray that it continues for a while longer!   Sleeping at night has improved leaps and bounds from where we were a year ago and even six months ago.  He sleeps in his own bed exclusively.   Does not wake us up in the middle of the night hardly at all (if he does it requires no intervention on our part)  and while night terrors do still happen on occasion (as they did last night)  they usually are for a short cycle for a few hours in the night and then he drifts into a deeper sleep.   He is waking earlier and we implemented the rule of not getting out of bed before there is a 7 on his clock, but he's gotten smart and simply wanders quietly around the house and waits for me to wake up on my own.  Often he'll come and sit in the bedroom hallway and will make just enough rustling noise that I awake.    It's cute most of the time. ;)

To be fair it's not all roses all the times - in the last six months Ace really has started to exhibit some of the classic signs of 'terrible twos/threes'  and while the moments are rarer than the good ones, they are still battles of control, independence and frustration.   He seems to like to do a revolving fashion show just for him after we say good night - this latest round resulted in the removing all of his pjs from his room.  What he does is wait until we say good night and then he starts the show of changing his pjs over and over.    He's done this off and on for over a year, but it was getting to a point of nightly disobedience and staying awake for well over an hour after we said good night just being spastic and changing his outfits... so one day we might return the pjs to his room - but not any time soon.    Back talk also has arrived and it isn't so much of a  simple "no" as it is just opposition and explanation on why he doesn't need to be doing that or why he thinks he won't be doing it.   It doesn't often work out well for him and usually still has to comply with our wishes.   He SIIIIGHS - what three year old does that?     He'll comply but he'll sigh.   It would be funny if he wasn't mine.     He also puts his hand up in your face when he wants you to stop talking... um no.   All of these things we are obviously on top of and working to help him change his attitude, and overall he is a very respectful and loving kid.   But I didn't want to skew the blog post that he was a complete angel.  He's not, he's normal.  ;-)

Ace's stats aren't exactly known - he is about 37" tall and last weighing was 29lbs.   He has all twenty of his teeth in - two of which are fused together, he has a chip on two of them, and there is ZERO room for anything else... so he will be a cash-cow to orthodontics down the road.    He's doing great and is growing and developing so well.

Overall, this has been a great year with a lot of changes for Ace.   He did experience a lot of growing pains and change from his dad being away for six weeks of training, a brand new sister, a brand new state and home to live in and through all of that he did tremendously well for a little guy his age.   I'm very proud of all he accomplished, learned, and experienced this last year and I can't wait to see what he'll do in this next one.   Happy Birthday, Bear!  Mom and Dad love you so much and are so thankful you're growing up so well!

And now that he is three (I probably could have started this last year, but I forgot, so I'll start now.) I plan to ask him these questions every year (yes I'm swiping the idea and questions from my friend Lori.)

1. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE T. V. SHOW? I don't know... um Seasame Street (that's what's on tv at the moment... turning off the tv) umm I think Super Why.

2. WHAT DID YOU HAVE FOR BREAKFAST? I think I ate... the first time mom? When you were sleeping mom?  (um sure) umm... cheese! (That is what he's eating during this interview.)

3. WHAT IS YOUR MIDDLE NAME? You could spell it.  (Um close!, but no.)
4. FAVORITE FOOD? Um well... let me see what I like to eat...I think... I think... but why cannot I turn on the tv right now? (FOCUS!) Cheez its!

5. WHAT FOOD DO YOU DISLIKE? Food that is spicey

6. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE COLOR? Blue (same answer he gave when I asked a couple hours ago, it must be true)

7. FAVORITE LUNCH? Nuggets!  (this is the first answer he answered quickly, without question!)

8. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE THING TO DO? Help sister (sweet, but she was starting to fuss in the moment, so I think that influenced his answer)

9. IF YOU COULD GO ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD ON VACATION, WHERE WOULD YOU GO? I would go to the park! (Um ok)

10. FAVORITE SPORT? Soccer, I like playing with dad.

11. WHEN IS YOUR BIRTHDAY? Today, its my birthday! (ok, fair enough.)

12. ARE YOU A MORNING PERSON OR A NIGHT PERSON? A morning person. (sadly true.)

13. PETS: Nope.  I think we had two kitties, why can't they live here? (Sad, why did I ask this question... he was quickly distracted.)

14. ANY NEW AND EXCITING NEWS YOU'D LIKE TO SHARE WITH US? Um... I don't... (stuffing cheese into his mouth) know.  (Asking again) No.

15. WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP ? I want to be nothing. I don't know what to be.  I just want to be a person.   (Well that's fair.  I've attempted this question before and he always says 'nothing'  I am hoping his aspirations increase over time.)

16. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CANDY? Do we have any candy?! 

17. WHERE IS THE FURTHEST YOU'VE EVER BEEN FROM HOME? A little bit away... all the way.  Sometimes the movers come here and it took a long time.   (Yes, I suppose 'home' is a bit confusing right now to him.)

18. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE BOOK? The Velveteen Rabbit (It is true that he does like that one read to him a lot during the day, but since it was the one on the floor and he's over this interview I'd like to answer for him and say David and Goliath.)

19. WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF? I think I'm proud of...well... books and well... knowing the whole alphabet.  (Neat me too!)

20. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE MOVIE? The Incredibles!  (In the last 3 weeks I'd have to agree.)

21. WHICH CAME FIRST, THE CHICKEN OR THE EGG? The Chicken (there was a massive struggle in that little mind of his, you could see it in his mind...then he asked...)  What chicken, mom?

Mae's First Bonks

With mobility comes bruises and scrapes.  It's just the way of the world of a mobile baby.   However, the first bonk is always memorable - at least the firsts of my children were.  Neither were terribly traumatic for them, but still sad for them and their mommy.    Ace's was a simple run in with the rocking chair.   To her credit Mae managed to survive obtaining a good bruising bonk for a lot longer than her sibling... I wonder if that is gender related?  :)   I digress.

Yes Mae a week ago had her first bonk.  While crawling and attempting to get out to the backyard where her big brother was playing she rammed her head into the door frame.   She was none too happy and a little bruise formed on her head above her right eye.    

Now while she might not be a boy and have that genetic disposition for danger - she does have an older brother that she adores and loves to follow.   Now a week after receiving her first official bonk, and well after that small bruise had healed and been forgotten... she received another.

Earlier this week, I had the audacity to go to the bathroom, leaving two mobile children alone for less than a minute (it's true, anyone that knows me can attest to my speed in that department.)   In this time, Ace had opened the front door, opened and locked open the screen door (pushing that little slide over so it won't shut) and gone outside.   That's ok he's allowed to do that... Mae however wanted to follow her brother (you see where I'm going with this?)  and as quick as she is - followed him right on out, unaware of the consequences of the step down to the porch... and her nose, mouth, and chin met the concrete unhappily.  I come out of the bathroom to find my little one's legs sticking up in the air still half 'in' the house and the rest unhappy on the ground.  I pick her up and dust her off and she only fussed for a few more seconds... sheesh baby girl!  Her battle wounds have already healed even though she did this on Tuesday... but her little chin was pretty red the rest of Tuesday night.

As you can see (or not really see)  the wounds are extremely superficial, certainly already forgotten in her little mind as life continues on and she continues to toddle around the house without a care in the world.  She's fearless and while I applaud that - it makes me nervous.   Stay safe little girl!

Fat Lip

Dear Son,
When you were four months old in the throws of teething one time shoved your finger so far up my nose I swore it was bleeding profusely. In reality, it just hurt a lot. You were in a lot of pain and weren't doing anything malicious other than trying to run away from the pain, flailing limbs and all. Then when you were nine months old you drew your first blood when you somehow smacked your mouth on your crib. Ouchie! A painful but inevitable first in your rambunctious life.

However, this first in your growing life at the age of twenty-nine months, I could have passed on... (ok I could have passed on the other two as well...) and certainly hope not to repeat. Deal? You see in recent days you've been expressing frustration in not being heard getting your way... perhaps it's a little bit of both. Often resulting in meltdowns of epic sad proportions that really are quite silly for the injustice you are protesting. But such is the life of a toddler at times.

So what happened you ask? Well, after brushing your teeth (the start of your bedtime routine) you had it in your head that you had been allotted "5 more minutes" of playing downstairs. Alas the assumption was wrong and you collapsed onto the floor in weeping heartbrokenness. You weren't mad, mostly just over-tired and stalling. In my attempt to show you some grace and leeway I tried to lean down and comfort you and distract you... at the same time that you decided to jump up full force to go from crying to frustrated and angry... right into my canine tooth. You hit my tooth with your head so hard I swore you had a hole in your head from my tooth. Your crying went from tears of protest to legitimate tears of pain. I moved you from the hallway to our bed to assess the damage. Your dad came up to assist. We established no holes in your head, but that I was bleeding. Ultimately the damage was my tooth went through my lip in two places on the inside. We basically pierced the inside of my lip. Super, but not what I was looking for.

You were very concerned for mommy. In fact you asked to pray for mommy's lip with both mom and dad during bedtime prayers and you have asked every morning since the incident if mommy's lip feels better. After three days, I'm happy to reassure you that it is almost nearly healed. :) Your concern and remorse are heartfelt and make me proud of you. I am so happy that you care, remember, and ask about the well being of those you injure. ;-) However, let's work on keeping injuries (personal or inflicted on others) to a minimum, deal?

All my love,

Your forgiving mommy

Ace's 2010

2010 has been quite the year for our family and especially Ace. We went from a co-sleeping family to adults only again in our bed. We went from a 20 word talker to a 10-12 sentence opinionated talker. We went from have a walker to a runner, climber, jumper, daredevil.

It was a year of growing up for Ace. He has accomplished so many things in this past year and it has been a joy to experience all of them. As I mention many many times - he is a kind and sweet spirited boy - who loves others and isn't a selfish kid. I truly hope that his kind heart continues as he gets older, sister arrives, and he continues to grow and flourish into his third year of life. 2011 certainly won't be boring for him or us!

So how has Ace's year been? Well let's hit the major areas:

I think out of everything sleep has been our greatest challenge - one area that is still not mastered but is leaps and bounds beyond where we started 2010. On January 2nd we converted his crib to the toddler bed. From this point forward he went to sleep in his own bed at night. Usually with mom nursing him to sleep. Ace never slept for longer than 4(ish) hours at a time and always came into our bed after that first waking. We had some early success after transitioning him to the toddler bed... and some set backs as well. The night he slept for an epic 11 hours with only one waking was a party moment for us! Ace weened from nighttime breastfeeding around March and by mid March experienced a (late! at 19 months) first: he slept through the night! Yipee!

From March-September sleeping went in waves, he had pockets of regression and would wake and come to our bed at 1am, other times he'd sleep till nearly 4am and then come to our bed. Sleeping through the night was a RARE activity and only did a handful of times over the next six months. In September, Ace got a new bed that had magical powers helped him sleep better. Within the first few days of this new bed he was sleeping longer and even through the night a few times. It was then that I decided to create an incentive program to continue this excellent trend. So in late October, Operation Stickers was introduced. For every night that he slept through the night and/or stayed in his OWN bed (even if I had to go in and lay with him for a few minutes) he got a sticker on his calendar the next morning. From the moment we started the sticker program - with only 3 exceptions (one of which was him getting sick) he stayed all night in his bed. While sleeping thru the night is still a hit or miss wonder - if he does wake up it isn't a very long drawn out ordeal - it's a moment or two to go in and reassure him he's safe and to go back to sleep. I hope in 2011 that we will be fully sleeping through the night on a regular basis!

In the beginning of 2010 Ace had about 20 words that he was working with... and in fact it was in his 19th month that he uttered his first phrase that he enjoyed using regularly with enthusiasm! "I did it!" Whether he was feeding the cats or just turning the page in a book - he was excited to say it. Words began to pour out of his rapidly after that. Having read to Ace since he was still in the womb, he has always had a natural love for books and so always wants to read more and more stories throughout the day. He also loves to look at pictures on the laptop and his memory is chalked full of past things we've told him, he's heard, or observed - and they flow from him at any moment he can seem to connect them to something we're in the middle of doing.
Talking

A lot of times Loving Husband and I will look at one another and say 'we're in trouble!' :) Ace isn't quite ready to read books, or even terribly interested in learning his letters. However, he is extremely good at repeating after us when we read a book to him and has a good foundation for pattern matching in general, so I think reading will be on an early horizon for him in 2011. Ace also has been trying out his chops with singing. It's adorable to hear him sing a beat behind us (or even with us) 'Jesus Loves Me' or around Christmas time 'Jingle Bells' - we occasionally will hear him singing to himself - and he also enjoys making up songs. I love it.

Illness
Ace like all kids had his rounds with colds and flues in 2010. In March he experienced the flu for the first time - it was an all day affair and a relatively unhappy boy. However, he rebounded from that just fine. In the spring he had a runny nose or two, nothing to sneeze (ha!) over and then summer rolled around. Right as Ace turned 23 months old, he had another night with vomit. We thought another stomach virus - but as the days and symptoms at random persisted the common diagnosis of 'stomach virus' was looking less and less likely. Eventually, Ace was diagnosed with Clostridium Difficile Infection, he was placed on a 10 day antibiotic to be taken 4x a day and he slowly recovered. A month later he had a clustering of viruses that resulted in 3 separate days within a week of having more vomit. Mommy was frightened and convinced the C. Diff bacteria had not been eradicated. As it turns out it had and ultimately Ace recovered from that round of viruses. November, we saw another stomach bug and a few colds and it looks like we'll be able to close out December illness free! Let's continue to hope that the rest of winter when his sister is tiny, he remains healthy and happy!

Bonks
It's always curious to document your child's injuries in one centralized location. Makes ya' wonder if there is some CPS worker trolling the blogs looking for neglectful parents to cause havoc with. I'll take my chances for the sake of remembering and being able to explain later where he got 'that' scar from. Just kidding - to date no scars have been formed. His skin is still in that awesome - repair itself at all costs - phase and so he's doing a-ok! In early February Ace experienced his first true 'injury' - the first to require a trip into the doctor. Ace while playing in the playroom backed into the space heater that was on and caused a 3rd degree-1st degree burn. Meaning that it was still a 'superficial' burn but the worst of those kind. The doctor wasn't too worried, we kept it moisturized and it never blistered so there was no real chance for infection because of it. While he was sad in the moment - overall he was fine and he doesn't have to explain any fish-scale scars to his friends later in life. His leg healed and there isn't a trace of them left.


Other injuries in 2010 included a decent scrape on his back from playing in his car and two fingers that got mild blistering on them due to him touching the burner of a coffee machine. Ironically, he obtained both of those in his 23rd month. Overall for 2010 - 12 months with a toddler, that ain't half bad. Toss in a few bruises, rug burns, and the occasional scratch and Ace had a pretty unscathed year!


Ace started off 2010 still making mommy nervous with his eating habits. There were many days that I would count calories and be nervous for him at how low the numbers really were. Ace continued to breastfeed until just past 19 months, however the doctor said she was never worried about his growth. Between his 18 months appointment and his 24 month appointment he dropped off the scale entirely. However, by 24 months he was back on the scale... still in the bottom 10% for weight, but he was on it! Someone has to make up that bottom percentage! In February he weighed 20.6lbs (1.29%) and by August he weighed 23lbs. When he went back in October after that cluster of viruses - he had gained another pound! Impressive considering his otherwise slow rate of increase. As the remainder of the year has gone forward he continues to feel heavier - and on Christmas on Pop Pop's scale he weighed 26.1lbs (clothed.) Height wise at his 2 year appointment he was 34.5" and he is probably closer to a solid 36" now.


His eating habits are better than they were at the beginning of the year. I no longer feel I have to count his calories. There are some days he eats very little and others he scarfs down a ton of food that even surpasses my ability. He ceased using the high chair this summer and is now fully enjoying the excitement of sitting like a big boy at the table. He uses a 'big boy' cup at meals, while still using a sippy cup throughout the day and in bed. He for the most part is capable of feeding himself and does well with spoons and forks. Although if we're looking for a more speedy meal -mom and dad are still the experts at shoveling it all in! Appetite wise he will eat a variety of flavors and foods. He loves to go get Thai food with dad, he'll eat chips and salsa like a pro, and he loves spicy nacho dorritos. He isn't yet too into sweets and while he will ask for a piece of candy - he doesn't want to eat a massive pile of it yet - I think our days are numbered in that department. :) Since having the C. Diff we have had him on probiotics every day since mid-September. They are a powder that we put into a cup of milk and refer to them as his 'vitamins' nearly every morning he enjoys himself a banana and his vitamins first off. We plan to keep him on them through the winter and then we'll only utilize them during times of illness after that. Ace loves oatmeal and cereal, turkey, nuggets, and as mentioned Thai food. He will happily eat vegetables and likes to dip his food. Thus far he's a pretty good eater and his manners are slowly coming. We're working on the 'don't walk with your mouth full' at the moment.

As I said - it's been a busy and exciting year for us. Ace learned he was going to be a big brother and has embraced that role with enthusiasm thus far. He loves to talk to sister, bring her toys, 'rock' her, and even sing to her. He is going to go from the only child to one of two - and while many survived this transition just fine - I hope and pray that he has an easy time with it. We all are looking forward to what 2011 has to offer Ace and his busy-self.


Eating
Growth
Sleep

Twenty-Three Months Old

Tick tock, tick tock... two is just around the block... I know, I know. Cheesy... but I have a toddler - rhyming and silliness is currently what I'm 'majoring' in so you'll have to bear with me.

Ace had a great 23rd month - more new things to experience and firsts. Ace learned to jump! He loves it and hops all over the place when reminded that he can. It's pretty adorable. Ace also is very into the phrase "I gotta ____" He's gotta drive, he's gotta pick 'em, he's gotta go to the store. It's adorable and I will miss it when it's gone.

Speaking of picking Ace had several new adventures with picking berries this past month. He picked strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries this past month and my goodness what fun he did have. :) He ate his weight at each picking adventure - and had a blast. Now every time he eats berries he says "I picked 'em" or if he sees them in a picture, or in the store he says "I gotta pick 'em"

His vocabular is extensive and his understanding is mindboggling. He is quick to repeat any word, no matter the syllabal count ... so we certainly have to be more careful of what we're talking about while he's around. He retains EVERYTHING.

Ace also has taken an interest in wanting his picture to be taken. He will carry the camera over to momma and say 'Pictures, please' and so I will take his picture... he also will take his picture with me and follow the 'commands' of 'smile' or 'stick out your tongue' it's a lot of fun.

Bumps and scrapes... Ace had a few this month. On one he scraped his back on his car - pretty deep cut on his lower back - he was not a happy camper - and he really hates bandaids. He did get to experience neosporin for his first time - and that he seemed to do ok with. Ace also experienced his first burn on his finger - due to touching the coffee pot burner. Complete accident, but he did get two small blisters on his fingers - they healed without issue and never broke.

In the sickness department - the night before Ace turned 23 months old - he woke up around 3:30 in the moring and for 90 minutes off and on continued to throw up his raspberry and yogurt snack he had before bed. He wasn't happy at all - but when he woke the next morning he was a happy camper as if nothing was wrong. Mom and Dad were perplexed but continued on life as normal... long story short I took him in on Tuesday to double check that it was merely a stomach virus - and the doctor felt he was fine and if there was any left in his system that it was normal and would work itself out. I'm glad that he wasn't feel bad, aside from when he did throw up. He is far from a fan of that.

Ace continues to love to floss. Every night. His dentist would be so proud. Brushing his teeth, he doesn't seem to care one way or another - but we don't have fits about it - but he doesn't run in there to brush his teeth. He will run in there to floss though... silly boy!

He is a joy, a blessing, and an all around good kid. He certainly has started to venture into tantrums but they never last long and are often corrected and he says he's sorry. He loves to say prayers - sometimes he'll ask to say them in the middle of the day 'Prayers' or 'pray to Jesus' it melts my heart and I know that we're so far doing pretty good with this kid.

Our Own Rudolph

Yes it's true, in true Christmas spirit in spite of his best efforts while we were outside this past Sunday hanging the Christmas lights on the house Ace obtained his first scraped face smack on his nose. I'm not even really sure how it occurred as I was standing right next to him and there was no tripping involved, but nevertheless it did in fact occur and now just in time for Christmas our little man is now our little Rudolph.

The pictures were taking the afternoon it had occurred and I should have gotten pictures the next day because it was far more prominent after the scabbing really set in - and even more so when he roughed it up again a day later. He's a trooper though, hardly phased him at all.

Piggy Flu & Bonks

Ace and I are quite the travelers these days. We headed to California and then back again. Two trips on the airplane and all the while in the back of my mind I was worried about little piggys coming to infect us... or something like that. I'm not typically a germ-a-phobe and in fact I think most dirt and germs are good for my little boy to be exposed to, so that he can fight of the really bad germs. We are not an antibacterial every 10 minutes household, but on the same note I don't let him lick floors in public places.

All that to say him and I came home on a plane on Tuesday night; and by Wednesday night him and I both were running fevers. All day Wednesday I was chilled and feeling blah. I cancelled a business call I was supposed to have because my brain was mush... and Ace required a dose of baby drugs to curb his fever in the middle of the night. My fever broke in the middle of the night and in the morning felt as good as new (albeit, still extremely sleep deprived) Ace's fever was gone, but he still had a cough and a few sneezes.

The cough persisted through the weekend, so I thought I'd better take him in. I wasn't in the mood for repeat of June. When we arrived they handed me a mask... to put on Ace... hahaha right. I tried and the results were expected. So we were banished outside. Seriously. So we waited for 30 minutes outside and then we were called and a room was ready. Ace was met with nurses in duck masks (or at least they looked like a duck beak) and then by one nurse in a biohazard attire. Literally. She was draped like she was prepped to perform surgery with a welding mask over her duck mask to boot. Overkill? Maybe. She positioned me on the table with my son's head in my lap, with me holding his head and the other nurse holding his arms. Then biohazard nurse swabbed with a tiny mascara brush (or so it looked) the inside of each nostrils. The tears were big for my little guy. He didn't like it one bit.

The doctor came in to see him and within 10 minutes the biohazard nurse peeked her head in to annouce that the test was positive. Ace has H1N1. Dun dun DUN!!!!!!! So while I was not tested the doctor is pretty certain I too have now had it. So what does it mean?! It means neither of us will require the vaccine for H1N1 -- well that's good since I wasn't planning on getting it or giving it to my son, so we save ourselves disapproving looks from his medical care workers.

So how has the piggy flu affected our lives? Probably the best scenario you could have during the piggy flu season. We had a fever and for the most part that was the worst of it. We didn't see anyone on Thursday and you're only contageous 24 hours after the fever breaks (or so they think) and even today Ace's cough is gone. All is well in light of our brush with the piggy flu.

Yesterday though, after my stubborn boy refused to take an afternoon nap, was running (literally) ragged and ran head first from our sunken living room into the wood landing. Needless today he has his biggest welt to date on his noggin' - poor little guy. We kept him up for a bit, and checked on him every hour after that. It was a really big bump. :( Today it is a beautiful shade of purple.

Enjoy this picture, Ace's nose looks like it has a tad side effect of the piggy flu in this picture ;-) and his bump is quite visible as well - but he's as happy as ever... piggy nose and all. hehe

Cold Turkey

I have allergies. The one that I currently find most obnoxious and problematic is my allergy to pineapple. You see it isn't a common food allergy. No one is going to get slapped with a multi-million dollar lawsuit if they fail to acknowledge pineapple is in something. Dairy, nuts, whey..... all of these gems that cause terrible side effects are well documented on labels. Pineapple, not always. Often? Yes. Always? No. And so I was struck by the evil fruit (which ironically used to be my favorite fruit, stupid late onset allergies!) about a week ago. I had some coconut rum that had it in there, because by nightfall of drinking it, my entire top lip inside and out was erupted in cold sores and canker sores. DELIGHTFUL! I did my very very best to avoid my son with my mouth or my hands if they had been near my mouth. No sharing food, nada. We had managed to avoid any previous potential catastrophe earlier this year when I was exposed by an jelly belly! Who knew jelly bellys contained REAL pineapple?! Siiiigh.

Today we awoke to see a little red dot on our son's lip. Oh no. Now he had fallen the evening before and busted open his lip very near where this dot was. However, the blood yesterday was on the inside near the top of his bottom lip and this dot was on the outside at the bottom of his bottom lip. Could it be a bruise? It seemed to be circular - a blister didn't seem to be there exactly, but (while we could hold him still) it did appear to have a white dot.... Oh no! So we took him to the walk in clinic. The doctor was of little help. Not so much to his own failures of medical knowledge but because the red dot didn't really have much of a blister - he said it could be a cold sore, it could be a clogged pore due to the heat, it could be from where he cracked his lip the night before. Siigh. He took a swab but was not confident that since there was no real blister to speak of that it would yield a positive result. He said if a blister did form over the weekend to bring Ace back in and he'd simply swab it again - no appointment or waiting required.

Also while we were there Ace got to stand on the big boy scale for the first time ever. He did very well ... until he tried to step off while mommy was answering the nurse's question and stumbled into the wall as he toppled over. However, we did find out that he weighs 19.2lbs now. Then while Loving Husband and I were waiting with Ace in the room, Ace busted the other half of his bottom lip open trying to retrieve Nemo who had fallen to the floor. The step to get up onto the table caused said resistance to his lip. Poor kid, take him to the doctor to get better and ends up with a bonk on the head and a fat lip.

The doctor decided that since there is a chance, albeit a slim chance, to spread cold sores to a nipple that breastfeeding was out of the question until we got a) the negative results back or b) the cold sore goes away. Excuse me?! No breastfeeding? Do you understand this is my son we are talking about? The no bottle, barely solid food boy? Are you MAD?! In addition to that my last few experiences with pumping have been a struggle. GREAT! Now to Ace's credit he has been in the last few weeks taking a bottle every now and again and in the last two weeks has been enjoying some goat's milk out of them. So I'm glad he's finally gotten on the bottle train or today would have been a real nightmare.

Yes, my son had to go cold turkey from the boob. After leaving the doctor's office, we went to BRU to purchase some formula. Worried that my pumping problem would persist (say that 3xs fast!) we thought it best to have it on hand. As it turns out - Ace HATES formula, he drank maybe an ounce and would not touch it after that. However, goat's milk was a decent alternative most of the day. He drank about 7oz. of goat's milk and solid food on his regular schedule. The only real challenge was nap time. I put him in the Ergo carrier and the poor boy tried to root around on my chest, there was about an hour of fussing and sadness, but eventually taking the bottle and conking out on me for his standard 45 minute nap. Not the most comfortable for mommy, but it was ok - it was a special time for him and I.

The whole potential pumping problem? Not so much of a problem after 10 hours. Yah since Ace's last nursing session was 7am - come 5pm I HAD to pump. Since I am hoping that this is only a temporary cold turkey situation and that I can continue to nurse after the sore is gone, I am not wanting my milk to dry up. I want Ace to naturally wean - this is not natural for him or me. This might very well be how we transition from nurse all day to early morning/night only though in the long run - but for now I'd like to still produce the same amount that I currently am. Considering that's only really occurring in one side. Yes in less than 20 minutes I pumped 12oz... out of one. An impressive feat. Ace enjoyed 6oz over the course of the rest of the evening and the other bottle ready for the nighttime wakings. I pumped again at 10 and gathered an extra 6oz in case he's super hungry in the night. Then we'll revert back to goats milk for a while in the morning.

Overall, Ace is doing ok with the cold turkey. He's been sad a few times and his dad had to get him to sleep tonight without me because it broke my heart. Tonight will be the first time when my little boy wakes up sleeping next to me that I will not simply roll over and let him nurse. It breaks my heart and it hasn't even happened. Perhaps tonight will be the night he sleeps through the night and I don't have to deal with watching his semi-sleeping-self root around desperate to find his midnight snack and instead being meet with a bottle. Perhaps in a few hours the 'cold sore' will disappear and merely be a bruise from the first fat lip he receive and I can pull my baby into my side and let him nurse till our hearts are content.

I hate you pineapple. I really do.

First Blood

Dear Son,

Yesterday you cracked your mouth on your crib and caused your mouth to bleed. You took such a deep inhale before your ulimate wail I thought you were never going to take a breath again. I think that scared me more than the blood. How you managed to make the gums behind your tooth bleed, I do not understand the physics of. All I do know is that mommy and dad were very sad for you. You immediately sucked on a cold wet wash cloth provided by dad, as I rocked you in my arms.

There wasn't that much blood - I'm sure as you get older there were be much more. You are a very active, squirmy, on the go boy and I don't see one ounce of fear in those eyes. There certainly will be more cuts and scrapes along the way, I've resigned myself to this already. But yesterday you were so sad after the bonk, cut, bang? I was standing right there and I still don't understand how exactly you hit, cut, or banged against against the crib and caused that part of your mouth to bleed.

Ultimately the most tramautic part for mommy and dad was the time when the other one of us wasn't holding you for comfort. Yes we went back and forth comforting you (and ourselves) holding you. You're a tough guy. It didn't take long before you were back crawling around and being busy. To be safe though we exchanged your hard toys (blocks, cars, etc) and put out some softer toys for you to chew on if you were so inclinded while your little pallet healed.

Today it's like it didn't even happen. Your tooth looks fine, we were a little worried about it, and is snug in its socket and your lip shows no sign on a bruise - so while you shed just a tiny amount of blood you seem to have faired quite well. However, please in the future please refrain from chewing on your crib, headbanging with your mouth, or whatever it was that caused the loud bang followed by a short cry and the inhale that lasted faaaaar too long before the wail. Thank you, son.

All my Love,

Mommy

Baby bonked...

Yep that's what happened today. Ace is enjoying tumbling all around on the floor these days and so he's becoming quite independent. He is also quite determined. Also he's kind of bossy. While on the floor scooting around he is yelling at his toys to fall in line (or something like that.) Yes, my son yells at his toys. I wish we had a translator to explain to me what exactly he's saying to them. Sometimes his yelling is hard to distinguish between frustration. I am not the mommy to instantly rush and pick up their child as soon as he gets frustrated (no judgment if you are that mommy) I usually let him work out his frustration, if possible, by allowing him to roll over, etc...

During his playtime I was taking this time to use two hands to do some blog-commenting! So my eyes were not permanently pasted to my child. I glanced up a few times to ensure his frustrations were well within his control and continued to type. At the time I saw him nearing his giraffe at the edge of the blanket. He really was trying to get himself over to his giraffe. He seemed to be traveling to it just fine - until the frustration started - I didn't look up immediately and I think that resulted in a few bonks before the meltdown. Yes, my baby hit a roadblock and being the determined ::cough:: stubborn child-of-mine he is he tried to break through that roadblock to the detriment of his head. Yes he was stuck from reaching his giraffe by the rocking chair - he was banging his head against the foot of the rocker - ouch! He had a big red spot where he had bonked his head and he had big tears and wails to accompany it.

It was very sad and in addition to the pain it was almost nearly nap time, so our expression of pain was even more dramatic. He eventually calmed down and nursed himself to sleep... the picture is after his nap so the dramatic red is gone, but there is a mark above left eye closer to the hair line. I think it is a bruise for him because he wimpers when he touches it. This is the first of what I'm certain is only the beginning of many bangs, bruises, cuts and scrapes for my inevitably active boy.