Alex is progressing VERY quickly. 2 weeks ago he sat up on his own and since then he has crawled and pulled himself to a standing position. This video catches all 3.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Sunday, September 21, 2008
He crawled!!
Last night we went to Ms. Doris' for Uncle Vincent's birthday dinner. Nan and Uncle Chuck were there too. Alex really wanted either my flip flops or the plant and he turned around and crawled, coordinating his hands and knees. I didn't bring my camera so I don't have it on film...shocker, but I'll get some footage today...I hope.
Our First Trip to the E.R.
Thursday night I thought I noticed a little wheezing from Alex. He didn't have fever, diarrhea, vomiting, and he was acting totally normal. So I put him to bed. Friday morning he was fine. Friday afternoon I picked him up from daycare and I noticed him wheezing. Friday night, I was feeding him dinner and it got worse...louder and closer together. I called the dr. and the on call nurse said "Pick your hospital because you have to bring him in." So, we picked Children's. We got there at 6:40pm Friday night. The nurse checked Alex and said she heard wheezing the first time then didn't the next time, but "hopefully the dr. will hear it." The dr. came and didn't even take out his stethoscope at first, he wanted to observe Alex's chest and belly. He noticed labored breathing. Then he checked him with the stethoscope. He heard wheezing, ordered an xray and breathing treatments.
The xray didn't show pneumonia so the dr. said he just had bronchitis. We asked if he had asthma and he said at this age they don't diagnose that and it's more of a family history diagnosis. No one in our families (that we can recall) has or has had asthma but I have horrible allergies and Patrick has horrible sinus problems, so poor Alex inherited one, if not both issues.
After the Xray, Alex fell asleep. 6pm was his bedtime and now it was after 7 and he was so tired. A lady came down to give him a breathing treatment and he did so good with it. Next, someone came to suction snot out of his nose with a high powered syringe. It was a hose hooked up to air on the wall. Alex and mommy did NOT like that. They were going to test his snot for RSV and other illnesses. The RSV test came back negative.
The dr. came back to check on him and said the breathing treatment helped so he ordered another one. They also gave him a dose of Orapred (steroid) to help with inflamation.
In addition to the bronchitis, Alex also has an ear infection and a throat infection. He's on amoxicillin for those.
We left Children's at 9:45ish and Patrick and I were starving. Neither of us had eaten since lunch....and ya'll KNOW I was starving if that's the case. So we bring his rx's to Walgreens and then go to Taco Bell for dinner. I get a large Sierra Mist and as we pull off I taste the drink and it's 90% carbonation. Yuck! Then we get to Walgreens and the girl said insurance didn't cover the rx's because his birthdate was wrong. So really long story short on that one. The girl was new and didn't notice the "RX" sign on the card. Our rx don't go through our normal company they go through a prescription company. The next day I brought in a statement from Humana with Alex's correct birthday on it and the new set of workers at Walgreens caught the error and I got a refund. Yay! But, add the rx mistake with my gross Sierra Mist and it was not a fun night.
We got home at 10:45 and were in bed by 11.
Then we had to- or I- woke up to check on Alex's breathing at 3am. He was fine, but he woke up at 4am so I had to feed him since he didn't eat a lot yesterday. Then after the crying he needed a treatment. Then he went back to bed.
The xray didn't show pneumonia so the dr. said he just had bronchitis. We asked if he had asthma and he said at this age they don't diagnose that and it's more of a family history diagnosis. No one in our families (that we can recall) has or has had asthma but I have horrible allergies and Patrick has horrible sinus problems, so poor Alex inherited one, if not both issues.
After the Xray, Alex fell asleep. 6pm was his bedtime and now it was after 7 and he was so tired. A lady came down to give him a breathing treatment and he did so good with it. Next, someone came to suction snot out of his nose with a high powered syringe. It was a hose hooked up to air on the wall. Alex and mommy did NOT like that. They were going to test his snot for RSV and other illnesses. The RSV test came back negative.
The dr. came back to check on him and said the breathing treatment helped so he ordered another one. They also gave him a dose of Orapred (steroid) to help with inflamation.
In addition to the bronchitis, Alex also has an ear infection and a throat infection. He's on amoxicillin for those.
We left Children's at 9:45ish and Patrick and I were starving. Neither of us had eaten since lunch....and ya'll KNOW I was starving if that's the case. So we bring his rx's to Walgreens and then go to Taco Bell for dinner. I get a large Sierra Mist and as we pull off I taste the drink and it's 90% carbonation. Yuck! Then we get to Walgreens and the girl said insurance didn't cover the rx's because his birthdate was wrong. So really long story short on that one. The girl was new and didn't notice the "RX" sign on the card. Our rx don't go through our normal company they go through a prescription company. The next day I brought in a statement from Humana with Alex's correct birthday on it and the new set of workers at Walgreens caught the error and I got a refund. Yay! But, add the rx mistake with my gross Sierra Mist and it was not a fun night.
We got home at 10:45 and were in bed by 11.
Then we had to- or I- woke up to check on Alex's breathing at 3am. He was fine, but he woke up at 4am so I had to feed him since he didn't eat a lot yesterday. Then after the crying he needed a treatment. Then he went back to bed.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Friday, September 12, 2008
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Saturday, September 6, 2008
New Pictures
Here are pictures from evacuation. Alex turned 8 months and belated giraffe pictures are in there as well.
http://share.shutterfly.com/share/received/album.sfly?sid=0BaM2zRy2YsWGX&startIndex=0&fid=5d3a2c976b94fc62cf4ab00f16ca9e1e
http://share.shutterfly.com/share/received/welcome.sfly?fid=4da066c49deb5862d33ce936de451066
EDITED:: I don't know what's going on with shutterfly. I hope these links work...they're the same pictures but different links. It has added pictures of our first family trip to the Aquarium of the Americas. Alex loved watching the sharks and penguins.
http://share.shutterfly.com/share/received/album.sfly?sid=0BaM2zRy2YsWGX&startIndex=0&fid=5d3a2c976b94fc62cf4ab00f16ca9e1e
http://share.shutterfly.com/share/received/welcome.sfly?fid=4da066c49deb5862d33ce936de451066
EDITED:: I don't know what's going on with shutterfly. I hope these links work...they're the same pictures but different links. It has added pictures of our first family trip to the Aquarium of the Americas. Alex loved watching the sharks and penguins.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
We're home
This trip took the normal time. We didn't have traffic but we were with many cars on the road. Everyone went the speed limit and it was fine. We drove through some showers.
On the return trip it was just me, Patrick and Alex. Ms. Doris (Great Grandma) left with Ms. Debbie (Granny) earlier in the day. Patrick and I didn't decide until later on that we would return home. Knowing we wouldn't be able to wash dishes, take showers or flush the toilet until possibly tomorrow was better than having 2 adults, a baby, 2 cats, and a dog and our luggage in one small hotel room. We have electricity so we can microwave the meals we bought in Alabama. We stocked up on food and water before we came home so we don't have to go out and wait in lines like most everyone else.
The trip was about 6 hours. We left around 12pm and got home around 6pm on Thursday. We had to stop for gas and to feed Alex. Alex slept the first 3 hours of the trip so we made good time then. After he was up he needed to eat twice. The second feeding was done on the side of some neighborhood off I-12.
So, we're home safe and sound. The pets are happy, the baby seems happy and the parents are happy.
DirectTV was not working so Patrick set up the bunny ears. One must NOT miss the first regular season game of football.
On the return trip it was just me, Patrick and Alex. Ms. Doris (Great Grandma) left with Ms. Debbie (Granny) earlier in the day. Patrick and I didn't decide until later on that we would return home. Knowing we wouldn't be able to wash dishes, take showers or flush the toilet until possibly tomorrow was better than having 2 adults, a baby, 2 cats, and a dog and our luggage in one small hotel room. We have electricity so we can microwave the meals we bought in Alabama. We stocked up on food and water before we came home so we don't have to go out and wait in lines like most everyone else.
The trip was about 6 hours. We left around 12pm and got home around 6pm on Thursday. We had to stop for gas and to feed Alex. Alex slept the first 3 hours of the trip so we made good time then. After he was up he needed to eat twice. The second feeding was done on the side of some neighborhood off I-12.
So, we're home safe and sound. The pets are happy, the baby seems happy and the parents are happy.
DirectTV was not working so Patrick set up the bunny ears. One must NOT miss the first regular season game of football.
Monday, September 1, 2008
Hurricane Gustav
Long story short:
We left home at 4:30am on Sunday morning. We arrived at our final destination at 11:30pm Sunday night. To save you from math that's 19 hours.
Long story:
We made plans to leave at 4:30am and after those plans, JP announced that they would start contraflow at 4am. Because we didn't know if Alex would wake up at night we didn't want to push up the leave time. We had no problem on the WBank Expy or the CCC. When we got to I-10 we hit traffic. From there we went 90 miles in 10 hours. We didn't get out of Slidell until 3:30pm. I-10 was blocked off going East so EVERYONE who wanted to go to the coast of MS, AL, FL, or GA had to go up I-59. The traffic was absolutely a nightmare.
Ms. Doris entertained and fed Alex in the backseat. He was an angel. He didn't cry at all.
Patrick found some shortcuts in MS so we didn't have to sit in I-59 traffic more than we already were. We stopped to eat and that took about 30 minutes. Around 7pm Ms. Debbie started getting tired so we tried our hardest to find a closer hotel. Nothing was available. Then I remembered that my cousin Tracy was in Tuscaloosa and I called her to see if her hotel had an opening. They did....one room. So Ms. Debbie and Ms. Doris stayed to sleep while Patrick, Me, and Alex continued on another 2 hours to our hotel.
7 miles from our hotel exit Alex started crying. It got worse. There was nothing I could do so I was going to wait it out. At 3 miles from the exit, he vomited and gagged from crying so much. I pulled over to take care of him and console him. I was scared to death someone was going to hit me because there were no lights on that stretch of highway and cars were going upwards of 70mph. Finally, I had to put him back in his seat and listen to crying for 3 miles. When we got to the hotel I took him out and held him for the rest of the night. We arrived at 11:30pm and finally got to bed around 1am.
This morning Patrick woke up early to get his mom and grandma and about 20 minutes later he called to tell me the Tuscaloosa hotel had a room. So he came back home. We packed up and decided to drive the 2 hours again. At least when we go home it SHOULD be a shorter drive. Personally I'd like to wait for the bulk of the people to return home so we can avoid traffic again but money will be an issue and we'll have to leave when we can come back.
I'm not looking forward to returning!
Patrick and I are finally getting to take showers....48 hours later. I think we'll burn our clothes. We're in our new hotel room now.
I need tires too. As soon as we pulled in to the Tuscaloosa hotel parking lot my tire rolled over something and began losing air. Then Patrick inspected my tires and we decided it would be safe if I got all new tires. So that's a pretty penny too.
If there's any more, I'll add it down here....I think that's all, I'm pretty sleep deprived. I have driven 21 hours in 2 days and had 6 hours of sleep...and anyone who really knows me, knows I need more than 6 hours of sleep.
Just thought of this so I'll add it. I'm so glad and LUCKY that Alex was so good. When I say he didn't cry until 7 miles from the hotel, he really did not cry. I couldn't believe it. I know he reached his limit of spending time in the car seat. Heck, I reached my limit of driving around the 4 hour mark. At least I know if need be, I can drive 19 hours straight....but I'll never do it again unless I absolutely have to. I'm so proud of my little man.
We left home at 4:30am on Sunday morning. We arrived at our final destination at 11:30pm Sunday night. To save you from math that's 19 hours.
Long story:
We made plans to leave at 4:30am and after those plans, JP announced that they would start contraflow at 4am. Because we didn't know if Alex would wake up at night we didn't want to push up the leave time. We had no problem on the WBank Expy or the CCC. When we got to I-10 we hit traffic. From there we went 90 miles in 10 hours. We didn't get out of Slidell until 3:30pm. I-10 was blocked off going East so EVERYONE who wanted to go to the coast of MS, AL, FL, or GA had to go up I-59. The traffic was absolutely a nightmare.
Ms. Doris entertained and fed Alex in the backseat. He was an angel. He didn't cry at all.
Patrick found some shortcuts in MS so we didn't have to sit in I-59 traffic more than we already were. We stopped to eat and that took about 30 minutes. Around 7pm Ms. Debbie started getting tired so we tried our hardest to find a closer hotel. Nothing was available. Then I remembered that my cousin Tracy was in Tuscaloosa and I called her to see if her hotel had an opening. They did....one room. So Ms. Debbie and Ms. Doris stayed to sleep while Patrick, Me, and Alex continued on another 2 hours to our hotel.
7 miles from our hotel exit Alex started crying. It got worse. There was nothing I could do so I was going to wait it out. At 3 miles from the exit, he vomited and gagged from crying so much. I pulled over to take care of him and console him. I was scared to death someone was going to hit me because there were no lights on that stretch of highway and cars were going upwards of 70mph. Finally, I had to put him back in his seat and listen to crying for 3 miles. When we got to the hotel I took him out and held him for the rest of the night. We arrived at 11:30pm and finally got to bed around 1am.
This morning Patrick woke up early to get his mom and grandma and about 20 minutes later he called to tell me the Tuscaloosa hotel had a room. So he came back home. We packed up and decided to drive the 2 hours again. At least when we go home it SHOULD be a shorter drive. Personally I'd like to wait for the bulk of the people to return home so we can avoid traffic again but money will be an issue and we'll have to leave when we can come back.
I'm not looking forward to returning!
Patrick and I are finally getting to take showers....48 hours later. I think we'll burn our clothes. We're in our new hotel room now.
I need tires too. As soon as we pulled in to the Tuscaloosa hotel parking lot my tire rolled over something and began losing air. Then Patrick inspected my tires and we decided it would be safe if I got all new tires. So that's a pretty penny too.
If there's any more, I'll add it down here....I think that's all, I'm pretty sleep deprived. I have driven 21 hours in 2 days and had 6 hours of sleep...and anyone who really knows me, knows I need more than 6 hours of sleep.
Just thought of this so I'll add it. I'm so glad and LUCKY that Alex was so good. When I say he didn't cry until 7 miles from the hotel, he really did not cry. I couldn't believe it. I know he reached his limit of spending time in the car seat. Heck, I reached my limit of driving around the 4 hour mark. At least I know if need be, I can drive 19 hours straight....but I'll never do it again unless I absolutely have to. I'm so proud of my little man.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Final post before we leave
We're evacuating early Sunday morning. We have a hotel room in Northern Alabama. We've packed (or should I say I) so much more. I have a whole rubbermaid container for pictures and Patrick doesn't understand why. Since we're on the westbank and the news is saying we're so vulnerable, I'm prepared to lose the house. It's very sad to know that's a possibility. With Katrina, I don't think anyone ever thought it was a possibility but we've had 3 years to deal with people with loss and it's sunken in.
I'm not looking forward to doing bottle and nipple stuff in a hotel sink. I'm not looking forward to being quiet in the room while Alex naps. I'm not looking forward to taking the dog out for walks instead of letting him roam free in the yard. But I'm looking forward to the fact that we will have electricity, food, and water.
To those of you who choose to stay. I hope that things go well for you. I have many people that I LOVE who are choosing to stay and I wish they wouldn't. But they don't live on the westbank and could be safer.
As Gustav is a category 4 now, I don't see how anywhere in his path will be safe. But that's my opinion.
I'm sure I'll post when we reach our hotel and tell about our joyous adventure of evacuating with an 8 month old baby. BTW, tomorrow Alex makes 8 months.
I'm not looking forward to doing bottle and nipple stuff in a hotel sink. I'm not looking forward to being quiet in the room while Alex naps. I'm not looking forward to taking the dog out for walks instead of letting him roam free in the yard. But I'm looking forward to the fact that we will have electricity, food, and water.
To those of you who choose to stay. I hope that things go well for you. I have many people that I LOVE who are choosing to stay and I wish they wouldn't. But they don't live on the westbank and could be safer.
As Gustav is a category 4 now, I don't see how anywhere in his path will be safe. But that's my opinion.
I'm sure I'll post when we reach our hotel and tell about our joyous adventure of evacuating with an 8 month old baby. BTW, tomorrow Alex makes 8 months.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
HE SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT!!!!!!
This used to be a regular occurance, pre-teething. Last night he slept from 6pm-...he's still sleeping at 640am.
Maybe the virus is going away and the formula is what he needed.
YAY.....I hope this continues.
Maybe the virus is going away and the formula is what he needed.
YAY.....I hope this continues.
Monday, August 25, 2008
OMG he's still sick
Today I made a dr. appt. The dr thinks Alex has lactose intolerance so he told me to switch to soy formula. Try that until he has normal poo and for a week after that. Then give him regular formula and see if he gets diarrhea again. If he does, then Alex is lactose intolerant.
So, on to the fever mystery and all that sleeping. Alex has coxsackie virus. It's quite gross. That's the reason he had fever, whiny, snotty nose, cough, sleepy, etc. They took a blood test and the virus is in his body full force.
Poor baby. Hopefully tonight he will sleep through the night. Last night Patrick was up with him from 1230am to 330am. I hope the new formula makes a difference.
So, on to the fever mystery and all that sleeping. Alex has coxsackie virus. It's quite gross. That's the reason he had fever, whiny, snotty nose, cough, sleepy, etc. They took a blood test and the virus is in his body full force.
Poor baby. Hopefully tonight he will sleep through the night. Last night Patrick was up with him from 1230am to 330am. I hope the new formula makes a difference.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Video
In this video, Alex was very sleepy. Patrick was trying to put him to sleep but he kept popping his head up. Then once I took out the camera he put on even more of a show.
In this one, everytime Patrick would sniff his nose, Alex would get startled and pop up. Before this video Alex was doing raspberries on Patrick.
Alex's fever is gone today. He took a nap from 930am until almost 1pm. He woke with a temp of 97.2. Let's hope it stays away.
In this one, everytime Patrick would sniff his nose, Alex would get startled and pop up. Before this video Alex was doing raspberries on Patrick.
Alex's fever is gone today. He took a nap from 930am until almost 1pm. He woke with a temp of 97.2. Let's hope it stays away.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
sick baby part 2
So last night Alex woke up so much. He had 101.4 fever last night and this morning, and then it went down to 100.8, and then around 3:30pm today it went up to 103.3. He was lethargic, clingy, and sleepy. All he wanted to do was cuddle and whine. I called the dr., they said give him Tylenol and if the fever gets to 104 to call them back. They also said to give him a bath to cool him down and give him some water to drink.
Since then he's been much better and he's playing and laughing and talking. He has had some gross diapers but not as many as he's had in the past week. I'll probably still be taking him in on Monday to get his poop tested if he keeps having these loose poops.
He had a gross loose, but not diarrhea diaper today.
Here are some pictures of our visit with Lulu today and our first and probably only picture of Aramis with Alex. Aramis is never near Alex....ever. So this was a special occasion.
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0BaM2zRy2YsWFo
Since then he's been much better and he's playing and laughing and talking. He has had some gross diapers but not as many as he's had in the past week. I'll probably still be taking him in on Monday to get his poop tested if he keeps having these loose poops.
He had a gross loose, but not diarrhea diaper today.
Here are some pictures of our visit with Lulu today and our first and probably only picture of Aramis with Alex. Aramis is never near Alex....ever. So this was a special occasion.
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0BaM2zRy2YsWFo
When baby ain't happy, ain't nobody happy
For the past 2 weeks, Alex has had diarrhea. It started 2 Fridays ago. I called the dr. office and they said to have him come in on Monday for stool cultures. This morning he had a regular bm. So I guess I'll wait and see on Monday if diarrhea starts and then I'll call back.
Last night Alex woke up very often. Patrick took care of a few wake ups before 11pm. At 11pm I got up and Alex was burning up. I took his temperature and he had a 101.4 fever, which the dr. says is an uncomfortable fever but not one to worry about. So I gave him Tylenol and he was up a few more times in the night with gas and such. At 530am, bright and early, he was up. He still had a fever of 101.4 so I gave him more Tylenol. I'm so tired...I just want to sleep in.
Patrick was up with him yesterday from 4am until 530am when he had to wake me. We had to tag-team on a diarrhea diaper....this involved the shower head and a bath, oh, and a stripping of his bed. Since Patrick did yesterday I have today :( How much are live-in nannies? j/k
I love the time I can spend holding him since I am back at work. When Alex gets home from daycare he has about 2-3 hours and then he's asleep. So I love the weekends even though I can't sleep in.
Last night Alex woke up very often. Patrick took care of a few wake ups before 11pm. At 11pm I got up and Alex was burning up. I took his temperature and he had a 101.4 fever, which the dr. says is an uncomfortable fever but not one to worry about. So I gave him Tylenol and he was up a few more times in the night with gas and such. At 530am, bright and early, he was up. He still had a fever of 101.4 so I gave him more Tylenol. I'm so tired...I just want to sleep in.
Patrick was up with him yesterday from 4am until 530am when he had to wake me. We had to tag-team on a diarrhea diaper....this involved the shower head and a bath, oh, and a stripping of his bed. Since Patrick did yesterday I have today :( How much are live-in nannies? j/k
I love the time I can spend holding him since I am back at work. When Alex gets home from daycare he has about 2-3 hours and then he's asleep. So I love the weekends even though I can't sleep in.
Monday, August 18, 2008
The new look in baby wear
I was letting Oreo in from outside and he tore through the living room. Well Alex was on the ground and he started screaming. I scooped Alex up and checked all over to see if I saw paw marks. I took his clothes off and he was ok. I guess he just cried because Oreo scared him. Well a few minutes later I noticed a scratch on his arm. Oreo did hurt him. I called the dr. and they said to put neosporin and a long sleeve shirt. Since it's so hot I cut the sleeve off one side....thus, the new picture.
My friend Connie has a baby blog and she inspired me to give a mini update on Alex.
For the past almost 2 weeks Alex has had diarrhea. We're changing about 10 diapers a day, 8 of them being poo. Yesterday he went through 4 outfits. Since he has diarrhea, he has been on bananas to "clog" him up. Now when we feed him anything but fruit it's a challenge to get him to eat. Last night he was up every hour from 9pm-3am. I guess it was because of the Peas I had him eat. Tonight he refused to eat his Garden Vegetables but he ate up all the bananas.
He loves daycare. He's happy when I drop him off and when I pick him up.
He's teething and it's not fun. He's so cranky and fussy. Over the weekend he got Motrin a few times. He chews everything, drools on everything and gnaws on his pacifier rather than sucking. I try to find the tooth but he starts to eat my finger and I can't see anything.
So far Alex is sitting up unassisted. He is getting on all fours and rocking but then falls flat like a pancake. He hasn't picked up how to crawl from daycare yet. We're hoping it comes....but then hoping it doesn't. If you know what I mean.
Alex loves petting Domino. Oreo and Aramis really want nothing to do with him. Oreo, at least, comes by Alex. Aramis is never seen. All pictures I have with him in the pets it's just Domino and Oreo...no Aramis.
Well, gotta go. Alex is crying. There's probably some poop in store for me and he needs a bath.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Oh the joys of daycare
Alex started daycare last Monday. Since then he had vomiting on Wednesday, I had the same plus diarrhea on Friday, then Alex started with diarrhea Saturday. Today he had it so bad it came out of his clothes.
Can someone tell me what else I have to look forward to? I already know...chicken pox, the flu, ringworms, stitches, busted lips, etc.
Can someone tell me what else I have to look forward to? I already know...chicken pox, the flu, ringworms, stitches, busted lips, etc.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Monday, July 28, 2008
New Pictures
Fun with Aunt Meggie, Mimi, Uncle Evan, Great Grandma, Emma, Kylee and Bella.
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0BaM2zRy2YsWFK¬ag=1
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0BaM2zRy2YsWFK¬ag=1
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