Big Boy Bath

I was talking to a friend from church on Sunday (we were actually at their house for our youth meeting) and telling her how we were planning on putting Aidyn into the actual tub for his bath that evening instead of his tub in the real tub.

We've been using his baby tub, but placing it in the actually bathtub because of the amount of water he likes to kick and splash. She was telling me about a "bath ring" that she had if we wanted to borrow it and use it. I remember using the same sort of thing when my brother and younger cousins were small. I said sure!

It's a little seat with suction cups on the bottom so stick to the tub. Then just 3 little "legs" that serve as the leg seperators...if that makes any sense. Aidyn REALLY seemed to love this! We filled the tub up with about 2-3 inches of water and then put him in. We left the water running to fill up at little more and he sat and played with the running water until we finally turned it off.

I knew if we kept letting it run, the ring would not do it's job and he'd topple over.

He loved his "big boy" bath! After I cleaned him all up and let him play, I picked up and had Ben take out the ring. Next, I just let him sit in the tub of water and play. He splashed and had a great time. He only fell over once that he actually got his face into the water. He couldn't figure out why his darn toys kept floating too far away...so when he'd reach for them, he'd fall over.

I don't think I'll be sitting him in the tub without the ring for a while, unless ofcourse we're sitting there like lastnight. But...he definately enjoyed his new bath.

I can't wait to take him swimming and to the beach and lake next summer! I know he's definately going to love it!

Guns, Motorcyles, and Golf

....well, actually Putt-Putt.

This past Saturday, we our youth group from church over to our house for dinner. We had planned to go out to eat and then play Putt-Putt. Unforunately, the weather didn't seem to be cooperating. Since I had a turkey in the fridge that HAD to be cooked, we ended up cooking dinner for them instead of going out. (MUCH cheaper by the way!) We had an early "mini" Thanksgiving dinner...turkey, mashed potatoes, corn, rolls, and peanut butter pie. Yum!

Afterwards, since it was raining, we went to a play called Fun Expedition. They have indoor/outdoor go-carts, bumber cars, laser tag, indoor Putt-Putt, batting cages, mini-bowling, a rock climbing wall, arcade and more. This worked out pretty well since we didn't have to worry about the weather.

Since we were taking Aidyn, we decided to take the Baby Bjorn backpack. Here are just a few pics of Aidyn enjoying his first trip to Fun Expedition.

"Here we go!"

Aidyn learning to shoot guns...great.

Driving the motorcyle with his daddy...nothing like an early start!

Every time Ben would bend over to putt the ball, Aidyn would get so exicted that he'd begin kicking and "jumping" like crazy. I think Ben's thighs were totally bruised after 18 holes. It was halarious!

We had a good time and Aidyn enjoyed all of the new sights, sounds, and people. He did really well in the backpack and didn't get fussy or complain until the very end of the night. I was very proud of him!

Christmas in...

August?

Apparently Aidyn found the wrapping paper the other day and decided he'd rather unroll it and crumple it all up instead of play with his toys.

That seems to be his newest favorite toy...paper and magazines. It's definately cheaper than buying actual toys, and easier to clean up as well (throw away!). I just hope he doesn't eat it like he tried doing at church on Sunday. Oooops!

Hmmm....

Even though my mom has given Aidyn some bananas once or twice, we tried them at home for the first time this past weekend. Aidyn was not real sure what to think.

We have tried them a few times since, but I'm beginning to think he isn't too fond of them... just like his mother. For whatever reason, I cannot stand the taste or even smell of bananas. I try smiling making "happy" faces when I feed him, but I don't think I'm too convincing. Oh well.

Crawling?

Aidyn is 7 months old and still not crawling.


He has learned how to lay on his tummy, spin himself around to get facing the the direction he wants, and then he squirms and rolls until he gets where he needs to be.

He wants too bad to crawl, I think by watching this video, but he always plops to his tummy and kicks as though he's trying to go swimming. I'm hoping (even though I'll probably be regetting my words, hahaha) that he's crawling by the end of September. We'll see!

Terrible!

I'm such a terrible mother!

Alllllllll week I've thought, "Oh, I can't wait until Thursday. Thursday will be Aidyn's 7-month birthday." And would you know...it was Wednesday! I already didn't realize I had the wrote date in mind. How terrible is that?!?!?!

I guess as long as I don't forget his "real" birthday I'll be alright...right?
So, here's his "7-month" birthday shot...2 days late. Doesn't he look so big??? He's all grown up like a big boy!

And check out those chunky legs...

There are days when I feel like he just doesn't eat enough. And then I see pictures like this and figure he's must be doing ok. :)

Sour...but good!

Aidyn has now been eating veggies for several weeks. He eats butternut squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, peas, and green beans. I recently fed him some of my baked potato (plain pieces close to the skin with no salt, butter, or cheese) and he loved it! Last weekend, we started fruits. I decided to start with apples since the dr recommended feeding him applesauce when he had his sore throat a few weeks back.

He loves the apples. At first, I didn't start my video (like I always do for his "firsts"...Ben makes fun of me). But after the faces he was making, a picture just wasn't going to be worthy. He cracks me up...and still, a week later, he is doing the same thing. It's like he can't get the apples quick enough, but then it's so tart or sour, he smacks his lips and gums together. Hahahaha, he' so funny!

New Play Pen

Now that Aidyn can sit up on his own for quite a good while without falling over, I started just sitting him the floor with some toys to play if I'm in the office or downstairs in the kitchen.

The other night, while I was trying to laundry and start dinner, he kept trying to lay down in the kitchen floor...and then he got annoyed. Finally, I picked him up and put him in the empty clothes basket. It worked perfect!

I added a few toys and things for him to play with...and he occupied himself for almost 20 minutes while I got dinner going and folded a few clothes.

Unfortunately, I turned around to check on him at the end and he had managed to pull himself up on the side and was sitting on his knees ROCKING the basket. I was SOOOOO glad I had turned around when I did. I'm not sure how much longer he would have made it before tipping it over and smashing into the tile floor face first! I never would have let myself live that down...

What bath?

After giving Aidyn is Saturday bath last weekend, it was time for his bedtime bottle. He took his bath, got a clean diaper and fresh "jammies" on, and sucked the bottom out of his bottle. So, I thought, he must sitll be hungry. Maybe he'll eat some cereal or veggies. I decided on veggies. Not sure why...

Luckily, I had his sleeves rolled up and a BIG bib on him. Thank goodness I was able to take the bib off, wash his face, and put him to bed nice and clean. Whew!

First Football Game

Last Friday night, Aidyn went to his first football game...the Unicoi County Blue Devil's High School football game. Ben, Aidyn's daddy, has always helped with the football and basketball programs in Unicoi Co (Erwin, TN).

This past year, the Devils got a new coach, Jerad. He is a great guy, a friend of ours, and also attends church with us. If you scroll down my blog a little ways, you'll see Aidyn in his cowboy "attire". He got that while at a birthday party for Lincoln, Jerad's son.

But anways. The staff and players have worked their tails off to try and turn the program around. They hadn't won a game since August 2007. Last week was their first game and everyone was pumped up and excited about it. Even Aidyn...


Luckily, we live right below the stadium. We literally walk through our backyard, through our neighbor's yard behind us, and we're there. My dad came over and went to game with us. This was our first time using our Baby Bjorn Backpack. Aidyn seemed to enjoy it ok, ha...he didn't complain, but he sure didn't look to comfortable. I think I need to tighten the straps on my shoulders and try to lower the part on his chest.

Aidyn enjoyed the players, all the action, everyone around him yelling, screaming, and clapping, and even the band. However, once halftime rolled around (at 9pm), he was more than ready for bed. So...we walked home and he went to bed.

Unfortunately, they lost that game. Everyone...the players, staff, parents, fans, friends, etc. was disappointed. But, the REDEEMED themselves tonight! They won their 2nd season game tonight 28-7. Yea!!!!!

Since I live so close, I just now watched the buses pull into the stadium escorted by police cars and flashing lights. From 2 streets away and windows closed, I could STILL here the boys hooting and hollering. I'm so happy for them...they deserve it! They've worked hard. Wish us (them) luck next week!

Play Mat

If you've been following my blog for a while...(since before Aidyn was born)...you may remember a post about one of my showers. My mom made Aidyn a baby blanket to play on. It's a football stadium and field. The players are all pictures of Ben. Ben played in high school. So she took a picture of a home game and copied enough to make all the players on the offense. Then she took a picture of Ben at an away game and copied it enough to make the opposing team. Next, she took pictures of me in a cheerleading Halloween costume, and made enough copies to have cheerleaders.

Isn't she creative?

Well, it's been at our house folded up in the office since Aidyn was born. And HONESTLY (really, Mom!) we kept forgetting it was up here. So, the other night while she kept Aidyn for us at our house, she got it out and let him play on it.

We now placed it in his room where he plays on it daily!

"Thank you, Mom-mom! I love my blanket thiiiiiiiiiiiis much!"

Mmmm....

The other night, I was eating dinner at my mother-in-law's and Aidyn was getting fussy. All he wants to do lately is chew on EVERYTHING. We keep thinking he's going to be getting a tooth soon...but we've been thinking that way for atleast 2 months now.

She decided to cool off a piece of corn-on-the-cob and give it to him. Now...I know that babies aren't supposed to eat corn because it takes a while to digest. Be assured that he didn't actually eat any of it, he just chewed on it with his gums.

He seemed to really like it. Several people, that I've talked to since, has suggested next time just giving him mine after I finish it and then we can be sure he won't actually get any of it. Great idea!

It's Me Again

....back to the doctor.

On Wednesday evening, August 12th, we were at church sorting a mountain of school supplies that had been donated by our church members. That following Saturday, August 15th, we were having a free community movie night and giving away school supplies to all students (2yrs-college).

Aidyn was getting fussy, so we decided to put his shoes on him and let him play in the church walker. At that time, he didn't have socks or anything on....and his feet looked fine. This was probably around 7:30pm.

The next day, Thursday, August 13th, when I picked Aidyn up from my mother-in-law's...his feet were covered in little blisters that almost looked like big misquitoe bites. Well, until you saw his left foot and noticed that it was a straight line like a burn. Weird! He had gone to bed Wednesday night with socks on. (Since he always ends up kicking his blanket off, I like to put to bed in footed PJs or socks.) So anyways, I didn't think to check his feet Thursday morning. I just left the socks on and sent him on his way.

Apparently, late that afternoon, when the babysitter took his socks off so that he could get some traction when playing at her house in the walker, she noticed the spots also. She thought bug bites as well...until she pulled the other sock off and saw the stripe. Then she also thought burn.

I ended up calling the dr and they were able to fit us into a "walk-in" appointment at 7:00pm. Great, I guess. We only waited about 15 minutes in the waiting room, since I was early, and that was just enough time for Aidyn to eat his bottle. However...since there is only 1 dr oncall in the evenings, it takes forever to be seen. Aidyn was WONDERFUL in the little room while he waited. We played with everything in his diaper bag and my purse. We played with all of the books and magazines in the room. He ate his squash, ha (anything to keep him occupied). We played with the camera...as you'll see. And after waiting in that room for an HOUR, and no fussing at all, he began to get annoyed.

As you can tell, he wasn't hurting or bothered by the "blisters". And he definately was having fun when I pulled the camera out to play. He knows what to do as soon as you hold it up! hahaha

Luckily, we knew the nurse working that night (her son attends our youth group) and she allowed us to go back out into the waiting room and roam the halls. By this time it was 8:15pm and the only people out there were the janitors. It was almost our turn, and so when it was, the dr came and got us. I was glad they let us walk around. He had been so good.

But, to make a LONG story short, we never came to any conclusion of what the spots were on his feet. He isn't walking, so he didn't step on anything. He isn't EVER near anything hot to be burned...and if he was, wouldn't he have screamed and cried? It wasn't anything from a bath because it was Thursday night and we had forgotten his Wednesday night bath...so he hadn't bathed since Saturday. (Terrible parents, I know! ha) And it wasn't new laudry detergent because we also hadn't dont laundry in over a week, haha. It's a wonder he wasn't nasty when we went, haha.

The dr was just as a baffled as we were. But, she ended up giving us this ointment-like cream to put on his feet twice a day. By the next morning, the spots were clearing up already. Within a week, they had totally cleared except for a small dot (like a zit) on the bottom, but it was clear. Strange. The spots are completely gone now and we still have no idea what it was.

Due to his skin, not eating, and feet...that was our 4th appointment within 3 weeks. Luckily, that has been 2 weeks and we haven't been back yet. Although, we do go for his dermatologist appointment this coming Thursday about his skin. Hopefully (like I keep saying) I'll remember to take some pictures before we go.

It's about Time!

Here you go....

For all you that have been checking and wondering...I FINALLY got my blog updated. It's definately much SHORTER than normal, but short and sweet is good. Right??? Not as much for me to type and you to read! ha

I started back to work last week (teaching 3rd grade). Getting up at 5:30am and then not getting up until close to that time has been a real killer! It's funny how with each "stage" in my life, I become more appreciative of others that have gone before me. Sometimes I just don't know how people to do it. What on earth will I think when I have teenagers? Aaahhhhhhh!

So, read, watch, look, and enjoy my updated pictures and events....even though they are much shorter than they normally would be.

*Quick update about Aidyn's skin:
We finally got our dermatologist referral appointment set for September 3rd. Wouldn't you know that his spot on his stomach is almost gone, one on his back almost gone, and the other 2 starting to look somewhat better. My luck, they'll probably clear up before our appointment and then come back afterwards. I keep meaning to take pics but haven't. Sorry. :(

Show Off

Aidyn has finally learned that he loves the camera, for whatever reason I'm not sure. I don't know if it's because of the silver shine it gives off, the bright lights, the fact that everytime I pick it up someone is making silly faces at him or what. But...regardless...he gets so excited when he sees it that he starts to smile - like he knows that's what he's supposed to do.

My parents came by tonight and I was showing them how he loved the camera. As soon as I picked it up, this is the reaction we got.

Can you see him starting to smile? He's so silly!

Reading!

Did you know that Aidyn is reading already?

He is!!!! See....

...just like his daddy! :) He actually was just crumpling it up and tearing it into tons of pieces. But we won't tell anybody that part. :)

Rubber Duckies

I couldn't resist these mini-rubber duckies at BabyRus the other day.

Aren't they cute? Basketball, football, and baseball. Ofcourse, Ben liked them. ;)

And ofcourse Aidyn still loves his bath and all his new bath toys he gets to play with. I also bought him some bath-time finger puppets. Ben or I neither one use them as finger puppets. But, they're soft like a wash cloth and so Aidyn loves playin with them as well. As you can see, he really likes to chew on his octopus puppet.

I hope he always loves his baths! I normally wash him up and then just let him sit and play for a few minutes. What a cutie!

Stick 'em Up!

Aidyn went to a birthday party (cowboy themed) this weekend for our friend Lincoln. He turned 2 years old and is obsessed with cowboys. His dad works with Ben and is the new football coach for the varisty team here in Erwin where we live. His parents also attend church with us.

But anyhow, all of the kids got to take home a cowboy hat and water gun. Ofcourse, I couldn't resist a picture when we got home of Aidyn all dressed up, haha.

He actually just has the hat on, but he's pretty handsome, huh? hahahahahahaha This picture just makes me crack up. Love him!

"On the roll again..."

...Aidyn just can't wait to roll again!


Instead of crawling, I think Aidyn's decided he just wants to roll to get where he needs to be.

*Sorry for the glare down the middle*

He cracks me up doing this, but I sure hope he learns to crawl soon! Meg (who I only know through blogging...you can find her blog under my blog list on the right)...her son, Dominick, is only 3 days older than Aidyn has been crawling for like 2 weeks now. Aaaaand, he has 2 teeth! I am so jealous!

I definately don't want to "wish away" the time, becaus Aidyn is growing up too fast already, but I'm so jealous he isn't crawling or displaying any teeth yet. ;)

Green Beans

Aidyn moved on to another green vegetable...green beans. He seemed to REALLY love them! After trying Gerber beans for several days, my grandmother called to see if I wanted some from her garden for Aidyn. Ofcourse I said sure!

Well, this video is his Gerber beans. After picking, stringing, breaking, and cooking some fresh from the garden green beans...wouldn't you know he won't eat them! I'm ready to kill him, haha. I LOVE fresh out of the garden beans. I ate 2 bowls and pureed the rest for Aidyn. Now what am I going to do with them? ;)

My 2nd Family

Every year, our school system has a huge system-wide inservice the day before school starts back. And....each year some of the schools do something goofy. Usually, that means the staff all wear something silly, do a silly dance or cheer for the principal, or you can just imagine. This year, since we are currently in the process of having a new school building built, we wore construction hats.

The "only" problem was this...haha...we had hats from 2 companies but wanted a picture for each. So, I had the "smart idea" of having everyone turn them around backwards so we could just take one large picture to send a thank you note to each company. My idea stunk and this is how our picture turned out. At least we tried...

No no!

Aidyn LOVES to roll over...in his stroller! Here is a picture of his new latest skill...

He's fine as long as we're moving. But once you stop, it's like he thinks he's supposed to be going somewhere of his own. I haven't yet figure out how to tighten the straps on his stroller, and so we have used them (or needed them) until now. I need to figure that out quickly! The last thing I need is Aidyn "crawling" out the bottom of his stroller!

Feel'n Better Already

After taking Aidyn to the dr 2 weeks ago for not eating, he slowly began to feel better again. Here he is playing in his bouncer just a few days later. Can you tell he was beginning to feel much better?


He likes for people to sit infront of him while he bounces so he can "talk and play" with them. However, as you'll notice...a few minutes is all I can take before I usually feel like I'm going to be sick. I've yet to figure out what keeps him from making himself sick. :)

Are you sick yet?

Where is Everybody?

Aidyn was napping in his pack and play the other day, like usual. However, this time...after waking up, he somehow managed to grab ahold of the side and pull himself up to the sitting position. It's like he was trying to figure out where everyone went.

Couldn't you just eat him up? Love that face!!!

Ben Stein

I got this as a forward in an email from my Dad. Just thought it was interesting and that I'd share...

************************************

The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary.

My confession:I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees, Christmas trees. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are, Christmas trees.It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, 'Merry Christmas' to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu. If people want a creche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.I

don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from, that America is an explicitly atheist country.

I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went to.

In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.

Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her 'How could God let something like this happen?' (regarding Hurricane Katrina). Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, 'I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives.. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?'

In light of recent events... terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK.

Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.

Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave, because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide).

We said an expert should know what he's talking about. And we said okay.Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.'

Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell.

Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says.

Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing.

Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.Are you laughing yet?

Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it.

Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us.

If you discard this thought process, don't sit back and complain about what bad shape the world is in.

My Best Regards,
Honestly and respectfully,
Ben Stein

Dr visit AGAIN!

I ended up taking Aidyn BACK to the doctor once again this afternoon. He normally eats around 20-28 oz of formula a day, PLUS cereal in the morning and veggies at all of his other feedings (except before bed). However, since last Saturday and Sunday when he started acting all yuckie, he has only been averaging about 14 oz per day. Sometimes a little more, but not usually much. Since he normally eats a 7oz bottle, that means he is basically eating only 2 times in the 12+ hours that he's up. Not good! Luckily, he sometimes will still eat his cereal and/or veggies.

On Monday, when we went for his skin, the dr suggested trying apple juice with water, just water, or Pedialyte...anything cool basically that might taste good and soothe Aidyn's throat. However, since apparently he has learned to associate the bottle with pain, he turns his head and cries when he sees it coming! When he totally refuses it, we just skip ahead to the cereal or veggies. On some days, he'll eat later during the day or early evening...but I think it's because he's just starving. He's also started waking up in the middle of the night again (fun!) because he's hungry. So, ofcourse I feed him...I'm just glad he's eating something and he usually eats the entire 7 oz then as well.

So, anyhow, today he got up at 7am and by 5pm he had only eaten 4 oz and 3-4 cubes of squash. That's it...in 10 hours!!! I decided to go ahead and call back and see if I needed to bring him back in or not. Not for his skin this time, but because he won't eat. And, as you can tell from the title of this post, we went back in at 3:15pm.

We saw Dr.Taylor, again. Part of me wanted to see someone differently for a 2nd opinion, but then since he knew how his skin and throat looked previously, I was kinda glad it was him.

I explained the eating and that Aidyn has cut his intake in half (liquid and solids) and that he just hasn't been himself. The nurse wanted a weight check, and I'm glad we did. On Monday, Aidyn weighed 17 lbs 3 oz. Today, only 2 days later, he weighed 16 lbs 13 oz...that's a loss of 6 oz in 2 days. You can probably imagine how this freaked me out. On the way to the dr, I had told my mom that I was hoping maybe he'd lost an ounce or two so that maybe the drs would take me/him more seriously. I DID NOT anticipate 6 oz though! Ugh!

I asked if maybe he had an ear infection...nope, ears looked great. I asked if the sore spots were thrush...nope, the coloring, location, and "intensity" was not the same. I askd if he had strep...nope, they did a test and it came back negative. So, I asked how the sores got on his throat and what they were. This time, Dr. Taylor let me look at his throat. The sore spots (on Monday) were more yellowish and almost puss-like according to the dr. Today, they had gone down in size and were not as big. Not better, but not worse. Aidyn's throat was very red and just raw looking. Dr.Taylor said it's just sore but will improve within a day or two. I hope he's right!

Now, you can imagine that at this point I started crying and said, "So he's gonna be ok?" I couldn't take it anymore. As soon as I said that, while the dr was holding Aidyn (like he was standing on the exam table), wouldn't you know that Aidyn started laughing, smiling, and kicking his feet like he wanted to dance. And I'm in tears, haha...go figure. The dr just turned to look at me and said, "Look, mom, he's happy and fine. He's just got a sore throat and that's why he doesn't want to eat. There's a big difference in a sick baby and a baby that just doesn't feel well, and he just doesn't feel well. You don't need to worry." And then he continued to fuss at Aidyn for making his mommy worry. ;) And I was able to dry myself up and regain composure, ha.

I explained to him that we have tried cool milk (formula), water, juice, and Pedialyte but it's like he knows the bottle will hurt and so he refuses it. The dr agreed that he's associating the bottle with pain and so it may take some "convincing" for Aidyn to realize there's cold, yummy stuff in the bottle that will help his throat. Even when he is better, it may take a few days for him to realize the bottle "doesn't hurt" anymore. In the meantime, we are to feed him WHATEVER he'll eat...cold (slushly like) veggies, applesauce, infant yogurt (sparingly), juice, jello, cold formula, cereal, etc. The important thing is getting SOMETHING in him, not what the something is necessarily.

Now that I realize he IS going to be ok (I hope...right? ha), I'll try to stop worrying and realize that he'll eat when he's hungry and hopefully his throat will clear up soon enough.

Now, for the "crazy" part... (yep, you just thought this was a long post already!)

Dr.Taylor still isn't satisfied with how Aidyn's dry skin patches (1 on his shoulder, 2 on his back, and 1 on his tummy) are, or aren't, healing. He agreed that it is looking better, but not as quickly as it should. If we don't get it cleared up soon, he's afraid it may get infected and cause more issues...and we DEFINITELY don't want that. When he stepped out of the room to ask the nurse to do the strep test, he saw Dr.Pearson (another dr in the group). He came in, checked his throat and skin, and agreed with everything we'd already discussed and decided upon. He, just like Dr.Taylor, felt like we need to go ahead and take Aidyn to a dermatologist (skin specialist) to see if we can get everything cleared up.

Since there aren't any pediatric dermatologist (PDs) in the area, we had to get a referral to an adult dr that works with the Pediatrician's office. The peds office should call me back soon about setting up an appointment. HOWEVER, if that doesn't work or they can't get anything figured out or "fixed", then Dr.Taylor suggests we visit a PD in...get this...Nashville or Cincinnati. Nashville is a 4.5-5hr drive west from our house and I don't even know how far Cincinnati would be. I'm going to try and not think about that!

So, for now...
We're continuing his Prevacid for reflux twice a day. I want to start weaning from it (I don't think he needs it much anymore), but we want to wait until his throat clears up and he's back to feeling 100%, or close to it.

We're continuing baths only twice a week (to help his skin from drying out), medicated ointment on the dry patches twice a day, and thick Aveeno baby cream as many times as possible on the rest of his body.

We're now adding Omoxycilin (sp?) twice a day, for the next ten days, to help his throat feel better and maybe the dry skin...I'm not really sure on that one.

Aaaaaaand, Tylenol or Motrin as he seems to be "hurting" and needs it. I have been trying to use these VERY sparingly unless he seems uncomfortable. Today, he had T in the morning at the sitter's and then M tonight before eating and going to bed.

Yes, I said he ate! After only eating 4 oz from 7-5pm today and a few squash, he ate an entire bottle at 5:30pm (I think he was starved) and 4 additional oz before going to bed at 9:30pm.

So, there you have it. I hope I answered or responded to everything I could think of, questions I asked today, and what the drs said. If you think of something I didn't address, feel free to leave a comment here or on my Facebook wall...and if you've read this far...God bless you! :)

Back to the Dr

Usually, examination tables aren't worthy of having their picture taken. I actually haven't ever taken Aidyn's picture at the doctor...until today. Check out the AWESOME table he got to play on today!!!

Aren't you jealous? I know I am! Why didn't my dr ever have anything so cool?!?

Aidyn's follow-up went OK today. Even though he hasn't been eating well, he has not lost any weight, so that's good. Dr.Taylor said his skin IS beginning to look better. Ben and I didn't really think it was, which is why I took him back today. The dr said if his skin isn't MUCH better (like basically back to normal looking) within a week, we have to call back and get a referral to see a dermatologist. Great...that's what I want to be scheduling on our first week back to school. I pray it gets better.

The dr said to continue putting a good layer of the medicated ointment on his dry spots twice a day and the thick baby cream (like lotion, but thicker) on as many times a day as possible. I think a good rule of thumb will be just to reapply each time his diaper is changed. Looks like we better stock up on baby cream.

I also explained how Aidyn has not been eating. He'll act hungry, grab the bottle, drink like crazy for a few seconds, and then turn his head and cry. The dr checked his throat and said he has 2 sore spots. It isn't strep, "just a sore throat". After asking all of my questions/concerns I had written down, and Aidyn's becoming more and more irritable since it was nap time, I didn't even think to ask why or how the spots would have appeared. So...your guess is as good as mine.

He hasn't had a fever, rash, or anything else, so hopefully we're headed downhill from all of these issues. His throat "should" be better within the next few days and Aidyn "should" be back to eating. I sure hope so! I'm SO TIRED of going to the dr.

We've actually been so much that today, Gloria (the lactation specialist in the office) said, "Hey Whitney! Gosh...what's going on? You guys have been in here waaay too much lately!" I wanted to say, "No kidding!"

Remember the fire?

Anytime Aidyn gets fussy to the point of "no return" (hahaha), we like to put him in the stroller and go for a walk. Yesterday, after having a good day and him eating all of his bottles and veggies, I decided to take him for a walk as a treat. ;) Aidyn LOVES being outside and especially going for walks. This time, though, he INSISTED on sitting up. So, we went very slowly. To walk 5 blocks and back it took us almost an hour! The sidewalks in town are NOT in great shape, or atleast most aren't, and I didn't want to hit a bump and Aidyn go flying foward.

We live in Erwin, where Ben grew up, and it's a very small town. It's bigger than some "small towns", but it isn't much bigger. Here is just a glimpse of the downtown area that's down the street from our house.


Side note: I have to admit that when we first bought our house and I realized I'd be living in Erwin, I was NOT excited. It was too small for me, 20-25 minutes from Johnson City where everything is and where I grew up, and...NO walmart! haha However, now that I like to get out and walk with Aidyn all the time, I LOVE it!!!! I would not be able to walk and go so many different places with a baby and stroller if we didn't live here. It's funny how things change.

But anyways...back in March (or maybe April...around Easter) there was a VERY HUGE fire about 4 blocks from where we live. Remember this?

As Aidyn and I were out on our long, slow stroll yesterday, I decided to walk up by the fire location and get some after shots. Here is a pile of bricks, all that's left from the building...

...and the empty, grassy lot where the building once stood.

And incase you were wondering, haha, you can also purcahse one of the "original" bricks at a home furniture store across the street! Aren't you glad? hehehe

Howevere, there's only two left (so it seems)...so you better move quickly if you want one! And it appears they're on sale, too! ;)

6 Months Old

Really?!?! I cannot believe Aidyn is 6 months old...wow!


Aidyn trying to pick up his new bucket of toys...

and dropping his new bucket of toys...Uh-oh!

As much as I like to think he doesn't do that on purpose, I'm beginning to realize that he probably does. He's gotten to where he LOVES knocking things off of his highchair, walker, and the cabinet when he sits in his Bumbo. Luckily, all he usually has within reach are plastic toys or a paci. See that smirk on his face? He definately knows what he's doing!

Organic Teethers

You can't get much more "natural" than this:


Since Aidyn's been feeling bad, I can't decide if it's because of teething, a stomach bug, his reflux, the 6 month shots, etc. Because of this, we're headed BACK to the dr this afternoon.

But, when I was trying to come up with something I could give Aidyn (if it was teething issues), a friend suggested giving him a carrot to chew on. He doesn't have teeth and carrots don't "dissolve", so I figured we'd give it a try. To my surprise, he LOVED it! (Thanks, Aimee!)

I tried the net teethers first, but he wasn't a fan. Instead, I went back to the kitchen and got the rest of the carrot, washed it, "peeled" it, and just gave him the whole thing. And as you could see in that top picture, he went to town on it!


We keep a bowl in our refridgerator of teethers and now we've added a carrot! Once he starts on fruits, I plan on putting some apple pieces in the nets...or anything else that he can chew on and won't turn to total mush. I don't think I'll be putting a banana in there...maybe in the bathtub one night, haha.

Family 5k Roadrace

The local UCHS Varisty Football team, that Ben helps coach, had their first 5k Roadrace fundraiser Friday evening. Since Ben is one of the coaches, he had to work the race instead of run or walk. My parents agreed to come and walk with Aidyn and me. 5k is a little over 3 miles.

Aidyn stretching his legs and preparing for the race:

The race started at 7pm and we (my parents, me, Aidyn, and two other friends) finished at 7:50pm...but we did cheat. Yes, I hate to admit it, but we did, haha.
I had on the wrong socks and a huge blister was forming on my heel. It was getting time for Aidyn to eat, and he was getting tired of riding in the stroller.

Our friends that were with us had their dog, Harley. He kept trying to lay down in shady spots and rest, ha. So...as we came around a corner and realized that we were not supposed to turn down a specific road like we thought, but instead continue on...well, we turned down the road anyways, haha. It's horrible I know! However, it was only 1 block "too soon". So, even though we finished in 50 minutes, it probably really should've been 60 min.

Aidyn crossing the finish line...0:50:51

Oh well, haha. Who's counting?

Yuckies

Since Aidyn went for his shots on Thursday, he has NOT been feeling well. He had acted a little whiney on Wednesday, but nothing too bad that I thought anything of it. While we were waiting (in that teeny tiny room) for the dr on Thursday, he started pitching a fit. We tried rocking him, bouncing him, and even walking around the room...but there's only so much "walking around" you can do in an 8ft x 8ft room.

They must have gotten tired of hearing him scream, because the nurses FINALLY came in and gave him his shots. Then they said, "We'll check back in about 10-15 minutes and then you'll be free to go." What?!?! 10-15 minutes? Oh no! And so here started the crying again. I think it was probably only 5-10 minutes when they came back, said everything looked ok, and let us leave. Thank goodness! Within 5 minutes of leaving the dr office, Aidyn was quietly sleeping in his carseat.

His fussiness has continued since Thursday evening. We've followed the doctor's orders of giving him Tylenol every 4 hours for 24 hours. I'm not sure if he's teething or not (and doesn't have a fever), so I hate to keep giving him Tylenol because we "think" it's teething pain.

So, since Thursday afternoon, Aidyn's done lots of fussing and napping. On Friday he woke up at 7am. He then napped from 9-11am. He laid down for another nap at 1-1:30pm. At 4:30pm, I had to go upstairs and wake him up to eat! We were participating in a 5k walk/run roadrace for the local Varisty Football team.

On Saturday, Aidyn also napped on and off pretty frequently. He woke up at 10am and ate, would not eat at 1pm (except for sweet potatoes), but then ate well at 4pm. He would not eat at 7pm, nor 10pm when we got home from a friend's house. He woke up at 3am lastnight and ate, but once again...would not eat this morning. I FINALLY was able to get 5oz of formula in him through his cereal. Now, he is napping again and I just hope and pray that he eats at his next feeding.

If I could just get him to drink water or juice, even that would be better than nothing. I worry he'll become dehydrated if he doesn't eat. We're going back to the dr tomorrow since his skin isn't cleared up (per the dr's orders) so hopefully we can figure out what's wrong with his appetite also.

Our original plan was to take Aidyn to the sitter's everyday this week until about lunch time. This would help us all get into a "morning routine" since school starts back next week. Maybe we'll be able to get Aidyn feeling better and can continue with our plan (if not Tues, than Wednesday at the latest).

6 Month Check-Up

Aidyn went yesterday, 3 days early, for his 6 month check-up.

2 weeks ago, I found a knot on the back of Aidyn's head, behind his left ear. Then, early last week, we found 3 more. A second next to the first, and two additional knots behind his right ear. Freaking out, I called and moved his appointment up a week to this Thursday. The nurses said the knots sounded like lymph nodes. After schedulng his appointment, I posted on Facebook for prayers about the knots. By the end of the day, many people had posted comments in response about their child(ren) having the same thing and it being lymph nodes. The dr agreed and said everything seemed fine.

Aidyn's check up went well. Dr.Taylor said everything looked well...except for his dry skin. We left with a "strong" prescription of cream to put on his dry skin spots twice a day. The dr said if he isn't improving or looking better by Monday, we need to come back for a re-evaluation.

I asked about cutting back Aidyn's Prevacid (reflux) to once a day instead of twice. He said sure. So, I think we'll finish out August and then try going down to once a day and see how Aidyn does. When he was born, we were told he "should" outgrow the reflux by 6-7 months. But as we all know, not every baby does as they "should".

Aidyn will also continue eating every 3 hours. Most books say that by 6-7 months, babies should be eating every 4 hours, about 4 times a day. Sometimes Aidyn does good to make it to the 3hr mark, and then other days (like today) he won't eat for 4 or 5 hrs. Even though we try our hardest staying on a 3 hr schedule, Aidyn has good days and bad. He should've eaten at 11:15am this afternoon. At 11:30am, when he woke up from his nap...he wouldn't eat. We continued trying until 12pm and then put the bottle in the fridge. After I showered, I tried feeding him again. It's now 2:00pm and he's only eaten 3 oz since 11:30am and some peas. He's now taking another nap. Hopefully when he wakes up this time, he'll eat. Some days he'll eat around 28oz total, plus his cereal and/or veggies. Then, on days like today, it seems we'll be good to make it to 20oz. We'll see.

Here are Aidyn's 6month stats:
Weight - 17lbs 1oz (50th percentile)
Height - 26.25 in (50th percentile)
Head - 43.7 cm (50th percentile)

So...Dr.Taylor said, "Well, looks like he's found his "curve." For Aidyn's past 2 appointments, he's fallen on the 50th percentile mark for EVERYTHING. So as of right now, it seems as though he's going to be average height and weight. The dr said he seems to be doing very well and everything seems right on target...except for his dry skin. I hope it's cleared up by Monday or we'll be going back, again.

Future Homerun Slugger

Last Christmas, before Aidyn was born, Ben's grandfather bought Aidyn a toy. It's a mini-tball stand with a mini-baseball bat. Now, ofcourse Aidyn isn't coordinated enough to play with the bat and ball. But, he does like to sit in the floor and play with it. The ball sits on the mini-t and when he pulls it towards him, music plays or other sounds can be heard.

Here is just a quick clip of Aidyn enjoy his baseball toy that his Great-Poppy bought him. This morning was the first time he heard the music (we were out of batteries), and you'll notice his sweet smile everytime he hears it doing something different.

Thanks, Poppy!

Peas

We introduced peas into Aidyn's diet this week. He's now eating cereal in the mornings (on most days) and then vegetables throughout the day. Each of these "meals" also includes his normal bottle, or at least what he'll eat of it.

We started with butternut squash, then sweet potatoes, and now peas. I plan on doing carrots next and then green beans. The reason I skipped carrots is because I wanted to get some fiber into Aidyn's diet to hopefully help "regulate" him. Oh yeah, we've also introduced prunes for the exact same reason.

So far, he seems to really like them all. After doing 3 days of Gerber peas, I'm not ready to go buy a big frozen bag and make our own. To be sure that Aidyn doesn't have any allergies, I start with the Gerber foods, and then if he does ok...I buy and make a huge bulk. I'd hate to make 70+ servings of something and then realize he's allergic, ha.

Aidyn enjoying his peas:

You may, or may not, notice that Aidyn always has the same bib on in his eating pictures. When doing new or "messy" foods, I place one of those large, plastic-lined bibs on him. As much as we don't care for them, they are SO HANDY when feeding by the spoon. I guess I need to purchase atleast one or two more. Since we only have the one, after a day's worth of meals, it tends to be pretty nasty.