Why I am thankful- no words needed!

Happy First Thanksgiving, part two

The top two pictures are from the drive to Irvington, where my aunt and uncle live.  Irvington is on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, and it is a beautiful little town.  The first picture is a window display of a knitting* store.  It's hard to tell from the picture, but there is a knitted dress behind the glass.  The colors are amazing, though a little unflatteringly placed.  The second picture is from The White Fences Vineyard (I think), and their entrance gate has two massive cork screws by either side.  Look at the dwarfed farm house in the distance for a scale reference.  (Doesn't it remind you of Pink Floyd's "The Wall"?)  

Those table/ turkey shots barely do the meal justice.  The food was absolutely divine!  Blogger needs to add a scratch and sniff feature.**

The bottom photo of Miles was snapped at the end of dinner.  He was more stuffed than the turkey had been.  That three mile stare says it all.  My granddad is famous for packing away the Thanksgiving food.  He would eat numerous plates, get sweaty, and then moan, "ohhhhhhh- I'm gonna die."  I think Miles did him proud yesterday.  

*I have recently started knitting again- think it might be hormonal.  Typically, I abhor repetitive activities.  In the past 3 years, I have managed to complete only one scarf.  In two weeks, I also completed the same feat.  A much more calming to do than I remember... 

**If they do, I promise never to post any Diaper Genie shots.

Happy First Thanksgiving, part one

The first Thanksgiving for the Pilgrims was nothing compared to the feast Miles sampled yesterday.  Luckily, many Thanksgiving dishes are already prepared to a baby food consistency.  Little Man chowed down on some sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes and gravy, rutabagas, cranberry sauce, a few licks of a sweet pickle, green beans, and a few tiny tastes of stuffing!  More amazing than my son's bottomless stomach is the fact he sat at the table for the entire meal.  In between bites of delicious food, Miles had spoons to bang and many "dadada's" to sing out.  He was a true holiday champ!  Needless to say, he was conked out for the entire 90 minute drive back home.  Many thanks to my Aunt Carolyn and Uncle Bill for inviting us.   

Five Days of Thanks- starting tomorrow

Tomorrow is the first day of my 5 day weekend.  I don't we've ever had this much time off for Thanksgiving- not that I am looking the Thanksgiving horse in the mouth.  I'll take it, and I've earned it.  Kids act especially squirrely in the eve of a vacation.  Gone are the in-school movie days of yore; now we must teach up until the last minute of the day.  NCLB has is pluses, but it has also zapped a fit of our fun.  Regardless- the time to "chillax" has arrived.

And how did I celebrate the start of the holiday season?  By going blond!  Pictures to follow.

Now we wait

Miles was a star patient this morning.  He didn't mind having to wait another thirty minutes- a polite infant who had to wait until 9:30 for his first bottle- amazing.  Nor did he mind being strapped to board and rotating around- that part was especially fun.  But the most mind boggling event of the morning- our supremely picky eater downed 2 ounces of barium without a peep.  It was only when they tried to feed him while he was hanging completely upside down did he express a complaint.  

Jesse helped the doctor and tech during the procedure.  I was stationed behind the glass partition watching slide by slide.  A few of the first shots focused on his chest wires- he permanent bow ties are in place, like he's ready to go to six formal dances in a row!  I sat patiently, pretending that I understood everything I saw.  We never saw a big eruption from the tummy.  The barium went down and stayed down- until we were in the waiting room- where my sweater got hosed.  Does this mean it will glow in the dark?  

True to form, I've got a new worry.  What if the UGI doesn't detect GER?  Should I have walked my sweater back to show them as evidence?  Now we are waiting for a call from the GI specialist.  After the UGI, we stopped by her office (in the same children's hospital) and picked up some new formula to try.  The GI doc wants us to try hypoallergenic formula.  She sent us with a particular brand, which she referred to as the Cadillac of all formulas.  To me, that must mean its very expensive.

I am also waiting for the infamous white poop to surface.  I wonder which one will happen first-a call from the doctor or me changing a chalky diaper.  My money is on the poop.  

Tomorrow

Miles' stomach has been in overdrive for the past 48 hours.  Last night he was so mad by 6:00, we just put him down for the night.  I tried to get a few ounces of food down his gullet, but little man screamed bloody murder at the slightest whiff of soy.  Pure exhaustion from his tantrums bought us a solid night of sleep.  Miles awoke bright eyed and starving around 7 this morning.  The spit-up didn't kick in until around noon.  Since then, it's been a puke party that nobody wanted to be invited to. . .

Laundering has reached an all time high for our house.  I am constantly washing spit-up staining clothing for all three of us.  I'm sure the dogs will eventually get sprayed if they keep nosing around.  Friday night I was so worn out that I went and picked up our delicious pizza (Greek pizza- a feta fest for the mouth!!!), I reeked of baby bile.  Miles hosed my sweater and jeans right as I was leaving the house, and darn it- I couldn't muster the energy to be embarrassed.  In fact, I wore my stains as medals of honor, rights of passage, and as tiny souvenirs of my son.   

More than anything, I want to get Miles feeling better.  He's already been through so much, and it makes me angry that when things started settling down from his heart surgery other problems started to surface.  Please let there be a quick fix: a prescription, a change in diet, a secret handshake to use with the GI specialist, anything that will help him feel better.  We are soooooo overdue for a good stretch, especially Miles.  How can someone so small be so brave?  Every day I trace his scar with my fingers, that pinkish reminder of his by-pass surgery.  And as I look woeful, he giggles because it tickles.  To him, tomorrow will not be a big deal.  It's just a chance to flirt with more nurses, share smiles and have extra attention.  I'll try to keep the same perspective, just minus the flirting. 

Miles- turned all the way to 11!

He did this for almost two hours.  A real wild man.  I wonder which parent he takes after.  (Did y'all get the Spinal Tap reference?  He is really that loud.)

Bad case of the what-if's

Has anyone ever used Thick It?  We have used Thick It (2) in Miles' bottles all week, on the recommendation of his GI specialist.  I didn't think it was possible, but he is even angrier at night.  Last night, during his final feeding (sounds a little like Sea World here) for the night, he would scream any time I brought the bottle near.  This new level of agitation only arrived on the heels of the Thick It's debut.  So Thick It (2) got the ax last night.  

Thank goodness the Upper GI is scheduled for Monday.  Little man is in some serious pain, and we haven't been able to make him feel any better.  To be honest, I have some serious worries linked to the procedure.  Not to the test itself but more to what might be discovered.  Everything I've ever read about GER says it surfaces either from week 1 to week 6.  Miles never had nary a spit up prior to his heart surgery, nor did he have any issues tolerating breast milk and milk-based formulas.  Fast-forward to September, during the post-op phase, all of these food and GER problems appear.  What if his pain is linked to his surgery?  That something was sliced that shouldn't have, that there is new hole to contend with. . .Ugh!  I've always been prone to negative "what-if" thoughts, like my worst-case scenario thoughts have their own channel.  Now that I am a parent, that channel is now broadcast in HD. 

Ears, wonderful ears!

No ear tubes are needs.  And Miles scored beautifully on his hearing test today.  Our new ENT said we could follow up with our pediatrician or keep seeing him.  This doc is such a cool guy.  He's the one who was wearing a Batman costume on our first visit.  Did I mention that it was Halloween?  Anyways, Jesse emphatically said we are come back to him, and I am in total agreement.  

The upper GI is slated for next Monday, at 8 am , in hospital that is over an hour away.  Many thanks to the person who scheduled this appointment.  What a fun morning we'll have, especially since Miles can't eat anything 6 hours prior to the procedure.  Here's hoping the drive keeps him knocked out!

Retaliation for the avocados

That spoon eventually made contact with one of my knuckles.  I'm going to wait a bit before trying this dish again.

The Big Chill is getting old!

The appointment with the geneticist went very well for Miles.  Little man is doing beautiful on both growth charts- the standard chart and the chart for DS.  On one hand, it's nice to see that Miles is making progress by "normal" standards, but 3rd percentile is still a little hard to swallow.  However, the DS chart has my critter smack dab in the 50th percentile- that's music to my ears.  

There was a slight cloud over my parade, and it came when the doctor told me to chill out and not to worry so much.  Being told to mellow out is getting really old, and I've only been doing this for 6 months.  I'm bound to snap one day and Binky-whip some poor, unsuspecting person in a lab coat- someone not a doctor, but who plays one on TV.  Social graces aren't my strong suit- if I am mad, my flushed checks always give me away.  For my son's sake, I have tried very hard to control my knee-jerk reactions, but these doctors are getting my ire up.  I made sure that I was super polite and friendly during the entire visit because I know I can get pretty intense when discussing his health.  Even that hour wait in the examining room didn't ignite my temper.  The problem must be that I have many questions that need to be answered thoroughly.   

Having my thoroughness and concern belittled by a professional is not appropriate.  Doctors joking about me doing too much research and worrying too much always comes across as passive aggressive.  Should I start handing out a "I'm not trying to do your job" disclaimer when I make to co-pay?  Better yet, don't tell me to calm down; give me solid information- that's what will make me "chill out."  

To the doctor's benefit, an apology was given (and accepted).  

For Christmas, I am asking Santa for thinker skin.

Riddle me this, Batman

We just (as in 10 minutes ago) found out that Miles needs to have an Upper GI done.  So...how does one convince an infant to drink barium, especially when said infant snubs juice?  I am not looking forward to this and neither is Miles.

Doctors, doctors, doctors

This has been the month of specialists.  First we met our new ENT- who greeted wearing a Batman costume.  Technically, it was Halloween.  Technically, the doc won many cool points with Jesse.  Next, we had an appointment with our new GI specialist, and she thinks I am a high-strung and uptight mother.  Actually, I was pretty mellow during the visit- I just had a lot of questions and knew what I was talking about.  Surprising that my preparedness would be off-putting.  Jesse seems to think that she was trying to be funny, like she really didn't mean for me to "chill out." But that is what she said- and I swear I caught an eye roll, too.  In my classroom, rolling of the eyes buys you lunch detention, or least a lecture.  It's not about having my students like me; it's more about having my students respect me.  (And learning this lesson is a separate story.)  My policy goes both ways; I am respectful of my students.  Therefore, I expect the same treatment from them.  My feathers get insatiably ruffled when adults don't apply the same common courtesy to each other.  In fact, my 8th grades outclass many an adult these days.  But I digress.  Additionally, I am willing to give this doc another shot.  For the next appointment, I will make sure that I am sugary sweet.  Heck, I'll bring cookies.

Tomorrow we return to the geneticist for a follow-up appointment.  She'll review our (parents) karyotypes.  Since we already know that inheritance was negative, I'm not stressing our visit.  Maybe she'll be able to shed some light on Miles' tummy issues.  The GI specialist wanted to wait things out. . . Miles isn't waiting so patiently.  Acid Reflux is wicked.  I'll post a summary of our visit, especially if we learn anything new.   

On a random note: When you run spellchecker, karyotpye always comes out as "carryout."  That makes me laugh.

Give it to Miles; he'll eat anything...

Except avocados!

More sunrise snaps

Nature makes art sooooo easy.

Nags Head, the artsy photos

Thank you, magical iPhoto!  The sunrise shoot was courtesy of Miles' early morning wiggles.  Remember- we had to share our bed with him!

Nags Head, part 2

More pictures from our weekend getaway...just a small sampling of all the new family members Miles met this weekend.  Photo 3 shows where Miles slept Friday and Saturday night.  The pack 'n' play we brought for him to sleep in wouldn't set up.  One side remained collapsed.  So, we built a pillow fortress around the little man, and he stayed safely snuggled for two great nights of snuggles.  I'm hoping he doesn't mind crashing in his own crib tonight.  Though I will miss the symphony of snores- Miles and Dada had some great nostril harmonies!  

Nags Head, part 1

We arrived around midnight on Friday.  We left around noon on Sunday (today).  Brief but beautiful!  Grandma Jewel's family hold their annual reunion in Nags Head, NC.  We are a quick two to three hour drive away.  This was Miles' big debut.  And I think he was a smash hit!  Those are his tootsies touch ocean water for the very first time.

Elmo vs. Rajah- Elmo 0, Rajah 1

This is like the Coke-Pepsi challenge, and Rajah wins the taste test.  Literally!  You'd think my son was made of Snasausages the way Rajah goes after nibbles.  He isn't- but I am sure his cheeks are chicken & sweet potato-flavored (lunch).  

The walker Miles is cruising around in was meant to buy Jesse and me a little more free time.  Apparently, all I needed to do was hide so treats in Miles shirt, and the job would have been done.  Miles loves the dogs so much; he loves to grab their tongues and fur, rub their ears between his tiny, chunky fingers.  And the dogs are brilliant about tolerating infant exploration.  Especially, grump ol' Rajah.  Miles is his favorite toy in the entire house!

Fat Tuesday is now Fat Friday, aka, Halloween

 Kids like choices, right?  This year, thanks to my father-in-law (now Grandpa G), I was able to offer our trick-or-treaters a choice between candy or authentic Mardi Gras beads.  On  one hand, I balanced a heaping bowl of gummy Crabby Patties and Sour Worms.  In the other hand, a teetering bowl of brilliant plastic baubles, a prize for any barracuda worth his weight in scales.  What did the children, all decked out as pirates, cheerleaders, witches, and robbers, choose?  Both, of course!  I decided to let Miles test drive one of the options.  Seeing that he still has no teeth and has yet to taste the sweet glory of candy, he got to swing and smack the beads under close parental and camera supervision.  I'm surprised he didn't lift up his onesie for more beads- just kidding!