He's still got it...

Carter's ears STILL look bad after a course of Omnicef, followed by a course of Zithromax. We have been trying to clear this last ear infection for a month now. Dr B said his ears would have had to look "perfect" yesrterday in order for us to avoid going to the peds ENT. Sooo...we have a referral and will be taking him in to see about getting him tubes. Unfortunately, the doctor is booked until July 20th! Hopefully, we will be fine until then.

On a brighter note, Carter is starting to use the potty!!! We have been talking about it & sitting on it off and on for a couple of months, but he is finally starting to show interest in using the potty. (I'm sure the M&M's we're using for bribery are helping some.) So far, he has gone pee-pee a handful of times...no #2, yet. I have mixed feelings about potty-training and am not looking forward to the messes and the rush to find public restrooms when we're out & about. However, my hope is that if Carter is driving the learning process & we follow his lead, it will not take forever to get him into big-boy undies. I was anticipating him working on this well into age three, so if we get it done sooner---great! I'll keep you posted!

Six months old!

Davis turned SIX months old on Saturday. I can't believe how fast the time is flying by! We had his well-check on Thursday and he is doing great developmentally...he is at or above-target on everything, which is always reassuring to hear. Davis is sitting on his own now and I will try to post some pics later this week. He actually enjoys rolling over now and has started chomping on his toes. No teeth, yet but he is a little drool monster! His growth stats are posted in the sidebar. Dr B was really pleased with his size and said he is sticking to the growth chart just as he should!

The bad news is that Eczema continues to be a problem for our little guy. His skin gets bad so quickly if he gets too warm or is in the car seat too long. (I just ordered Carter a new car seat, so Davis will get the hand-me-down as soon as the new one arrives.) We are still doing nightly baths, followed by our Desonide ointment and Aquaphor ritual. That certainly helps a ton, but it is a constant battle every day. We have a referral for a peds dermatologist, but Dr B, said we could wait a few weeks to see if moving out of the Winter weather into Spring/Summer helps it clear naturally.


I posted a photo comparison for your viewing pleasure...

12.22.2009 (one month old)



Posing with Mommy on my 1/2 birthday!

Davis, Carter & Mommy!They look like trouble to me!

Awww...brothers. Love my boys!

another one

We found out today that Carter has another bilateral ear infection. The only reason I took him in was that yesterday he was guarding his left ear when I went to put sunscreen on him. He has had a cold the past few days and didn't go to "school" on Monday, but kept denying that his ears hurt & he hasn't had a fever.

This is his third infection in six months, so we are starting to talk tubes. I'll take him back in two weeks to see if it has cleared on the Omnicef, but even still our Pediatrician thinks it is worth considering the tubes. She thinks he may just be used to his ears hurting so often that he has been compensating for it longer than we realize. Plus, I would rather do the tubes than have him build up a resistance to the antibiotics we are needing to use so frequently. Anyway, it won't hurt to have an Ear/Nose/Throat consult and see what they think. We will wait to make any decisions until our follow up appt.

I just feel so badly for him, it has to be miserable to be hurting like that (according to Sean who had a ton of ear infections as a child). He is such a good boy at the doctor's office and always sits still during his exam, never cries & then politely asks for a sticker (the nurses have spoiled him) when we leave. I am so proud of him--what a big boy! Side note: Dr. A was impressed by Carter's vocabulary and clarity of speech for a 2 1/2 year old. I held back from bragging to her that he has known the alphabet for months now & can count to 20 & knows how to use a Phillips head screwdriver better than I do...because I'm sure she gets tired of those moms! :-)

he's sensitive

We are certainly getting our money's worth out of our HMO...today was yet another trip to the Pediatrician's office. Davis's sensitive skin has become increasingly worse over the past few weeks. It hit a low-point over the weekend when his dry/red/flaking scalp started to weep (clear drainage) and then this week, bleeding. Oh yes, it was as lovely as it sounds.

Long story short, he has some serious Eczema. We have a new plan of action to heal his angry skin & keep it calm: 1) daily baths with either NO soap or Aquaphor baby bath only
(no substitutions). 2) pat skin dry. 3) prescription, super-strength steroid cream to affected areas, then 4) Aquaphor or Eucerin cream all over (which we were already doing). If we cannot get the boy dry with diaper on and steroid and other creams applied within two minutes then we are to put him back in the bath & start all over. I'm up for the challenge! I posted some pics from tonight's bath. Obviously, he's not suffering too badly.

We have 2-3 weeks to see if this works, otherwise Dr. B is sending us to a pediatric dermatologist. Wish us luck!

Bath time is supervised by Carter...

So happy!

Four month update

Yesterday was Davis's WCC and everything looks great! The big news is that he has gained 3 lbs in two months! Because of his big appetite/growth spurt, he is now waking up for 1-2 feedings during the night (he had been consistently sleeping 7-10 hours at a time). The pediatrician wants us to start him on rice cereal now in an effort to get him full enough that he will sleep better. This should not cause any problems with his multiple allergies, per the MD. We are going to try it before bedtime for now & see how it goes. We will still wait until six months to start other solids.

Other than that, my only other concerns were his super-dry, super-sensitive skin. Unfortunately, he probably gets that from my side of the family. Not much we can do that we are not already doing. I switched out the laundry detergent & already use fragrance-free baby wash and lotion on him. He is drooling a ton now, which doesn't help his skin. Poor guy! I will be interested to see if he cuts teeth soon, like Carter did at four months.

Developmentally, he is right on-target...he is able to roll over, bring toys to his mouth (but prefers his fist), track objects & people, smiles and laughs all the time and "talks" to us. He loves spending time in his jumperoo and exersaucer & Bumbo seat, so he can see what's going on. He is also starting to show signs of wanting to sit up. According to the pediatrician, it may take him longer to accomplish this due to his head size, but he'll get there!

His official stats are:

Weight-14lbs 11 oz (50%)
Length-25 inches (50%)
Head circumference-17 1/4 cm (90%)

We go back at six-months...hopefully we are sleeping again by then!

spoke too soon...

Seems that things have changed since my "two-month" update post (I typed it on Tuesday but didn't post it until yesterday). We took both boys to the pediatrician this morning (it's turning into a weekly routine for us). The good news is that Carter's ear infection is finally GONE after being treated with three antibiotics! The bad news is that Carter has another cold and now, so does Davis. Davis started coughing yesterday & his appetite started to taper off yesterday evening & overnight he only took about one ounce per feeding, instead of his usual four ounces every 3-4 hours. Our pediatrician did a nasal swab out of precaution and unfortunately, he tested positive for RSV. He does not have a fever, is still breathing fine (lungs are clear) and eating enough to not get dehydrated so we are going to watch him closely and hope that things don't get worse. If he starts having difficulty breathing (from increased secretions) or gets dehydrated, we will have to take him into the ER since our docs don't have weekend office hours.
I was going to work a couple of shifts before "officially" coming back from Maternity leave on Feb. 12th, and of course tonight was going to be one of those nights! So...I called in sick since I am the only healthy one here to take care of the baby. (Sean called in sick today and has been feeling crummy all week, but it was helpful to have him around this morning.)
Please keep the boys in your prayers for a speedy recovery. RSV is pretty common this time of year and not dangerous for most people, but can be scary in infants and those with compromised immune systems. Hopefully this will run its course over the weekend and we will all be feeling better by Monday!

pediatrician x2

I took both boys to see the pediatrician this morning, no small task. Carter was seen for a follow-up after treating the same ear infection for a month now. He still has an infection in the left ear (the right ear was almost completely cleared up) and we are now trying a third antibiotic. If that does not work, we may be looking at tubes in his ears.
Davis was seen for goopy eyes, for which we now have an antibiotic eye ointment and follow-up for the allergy issues he's been having. We started him on hypoallergenic formula almost two weeks ago and it seems to be helping. He still has some fussy moments at night, but they are few and far between and he is thriving. In fact, he now weighs 11 pounds, 6 ounces! That is a gain of 1 lb, 10 oz in less than a month! I had to start putting him into his 3-6 month sized clothes over the weekend. What a big guy!
We will go back in another week to follow up with Carter's ears and do Davis's two month well-child check. Wish us luck!