Garrett's Stats: 2 Years Old

Since his last check up @ 18 months, Garrett grew 2 and a half inches and gained 2.4 pounds. Looking at his percentile, he is a tall skinny thing!

Comparing Jackson at age 2 to Garrett at age 2:

• Jackson was 6 ounces bigger
• Garrett is 1/2 inch taller

Looking back at previous blogs, their weight is becoming closer, but Garrett continues to be 1/2 inch taller. I always like to compare their stats because they both weighed 7 pounds at birth and Jackson was 1/4 inch taller than Garrett.

Everything went good at Garrett's checkup. She was concerned about his vision screening for his left eye. He didn't fail it, but there was just one number that concerned her. She said the test only shows that there may be a problem, not that there is a problem. She wants me to bring him back in September when Jackson has his 4 year check up and they will screen Garrett again. If it is the same result, he will then see an eye doctor. I really don't feel like anything is wrong. I have never noticed him struggling to see or a wondering eye.

He was great at his doctor appointment. He was so calm and serious and for the first time in history, he didn't cry when he got his shot!!! That's a first! He used to cry when they rubbed the alcohol on his leg.

My Mom.

My mom has had bad luck these past few months.  I know that some of you may know bits and pieces of this, but I wanted to blog about everything going on just so everyone is informed.  Blogging the facts one time is much more accurate than me repeating everything a thousand times while messing up the proper medical terms. 

When my parent’s house flooded back in April, the bad luck came with it.  Since April, my mom has been diagnosed with arthritis and fibromyalgia.  Her hands seemed to be what bothered her the most.  Do you ever get sympathy pain?  Your child has an ear infection and all of a sudden your own ear starts to hurt so you understand their pain more?  I remember one day I was driving and my hands started to cramp up in an abnormal way.  My hands really hurt, but I still had to drive.  It lasted maybe an hour 5 minutes, but it was painful and annoying.  It made me realize what my mom was going through day after day, while still accomplishing daily tasks. 

Then my mom found a spot on her face, which turned out to be skin cancer, her 4th skin cancer.  It was a basal cell carcinoma which required mohs surgery and 15 stitches on her face.  Her face is healing great, but like anyone would be, she was down in the dumps while worrying about how her face would heal. 

Five shorts weeks after her mohs surgery, she was in a car accident and rear ended twice.  Yes, twice…..by the same truck.  Mom was sitting at a red light, was rear ended, apparently the mans foot slipped and he rear ended her a second time. 

After the accident, my mom insisted she would be okay.  My sister, Dad, and I felt differently, so I took her to the doctor.  As a few hours went by, her pain increased.  Overall, everything checked out okay when her doctor examined her, but her doctor ordered an x-ray.

Long story short – x-ray and MRI later….here are the results (with some medical terms)-

Back Issues:

• Scoliosis
• Disc bulge at L4 & L5
• Disc protrusion on L5 & S1 that is the worst spot, as it is pinching a nerve
• Cyst about a centimeter in size, which normally wouldn’t be too much to worry about, but it is pressing on her sciatic nerve
• A lot of arthritis and degenerative stuff

Neck Issues:

• 2 bulging discs

Of course, some of this has been there for a while and some was exasperated in the accident.  Regardless, whatever was there before the accident, wasn’t painful or an issue.  Mom is on several medications, yet her pain is getting worse each day.  Some days her pain brings her to tears. 

She went to a specialist Wednesday, and is now going to a pain management doctor for epidural steroid injections and to physical therapy.  They’ll try to avoid surgery if possible.

So that’s that!  Luckily (probably not the best word choice) that’s the end of the news.  Just pray that the pain management will make her pain go away.  Yes, we know things could be worse.  There are many other horrible diseases and illnesses people face, however that doesn’t make her pain go away.  It’s there and it needs to go away, so my mom can be back to herself again.

Things will get better.  They have to.

Jackson’s 3 Year Check Up & Garrett’s 18 Month Check Up

The boys had their well check up Monday morning. Let’s start with the stats:

Jackson

Height: 37 in. = 50 percentile (grew 2 inches in a year)

Weight: 32 lbs. 6 oz. = 70 percentile (gained 5lbs. 2oz. in a year)

Garrett

Height: 33 in. = 70 percentile (grew 1 inch in 3 months)

Weight: 24lbs. 4 oz. = 30 percentile (gained .38 of a pound in 3 months)

The doctor was concerned with Garrett’s weight gain, or should I say lack of weight gain. She asked if he was eating okay. For those of you that have ever seen Garrett eat, will understand why that made me laugh. Eating is his favorite thing to do! She asked a few more questions, then noticed Jackson’s growth chart and realized the issue. Genetics! Their growth charts were almost identical. Comparing both boys between 15 to 18 months, Jackson gained .4oz and Garrett gained .38oz. She said they both just started out big and then leveled off. So….no worries! I do find it rather shocking that Garrett is only in the 30th percentile for his weight. That means that 70% of kids his age weigh more than he does. I never thought that would happen.

And now……comparing. Something I know you are not supposed to do, because it really doesn’t matter, but I like to do this since their height and weight have been following the same path.

Jackson @ 18 months vs. Garrett @ 18 months:

• Garrett is 1/2 an inch taller
• Jackson weighed 1.4 more

Other issues and concerns:

• For awhile now I have been slightly concerned with Jackson’s speech. At the age of 3, kids should speak in 3 to 4 word sentences. Jackson consistently speaks much longer sentences than that. His vocabulary is great, but I worry about his articulation for some sounds. If I remember correctly, our doctor said at the age of 3, strangers should be able to understand 65% of what he says. She said from listening to him, she feels he is most likely fine, however to ease my mind I could contact our school district and they would test him. She said why not….it’s free, gives me a peace of mind, he may have fun being tested, and if there was a problem he would receive pre-school speech through the district. I would just rather be proactive and I know early intervention is best! Testing doesn’t hurt! What’s the worst that will happen? They will say “He is right on track!” or “Let’s get him started in preschool speech.” The thought of having him tested gives me a little anxiety. I fear hearing the results that his speech isn’t where it should be. However, he just turned THREE. He will almost be SIX when he starts kindergarten. We have plenty of time to intervene. The easy thing would be to put it off, but I am his mom and if I don’t decide to get him tested, who else will.

I have contacted our school district and he will be tested Friday, October 9th. The speech therapist was super friendly and informative, so I feel comfortable with everything. Now, a part of me is saying “He doesn’t need to be tested. He is fine!” while a part of me is saying “If he needs help, let’s get it before he loses his confidence and becomes frustrated.”

I mean…..check out this confidence:

• Jackson’s speech was my main question for this appointment. I didn’t have any questions about Garrett. However – I thought that was quickly going to change. Jackson passed his vision screening….. Garrett passed his vision screening. Jackson passed his left ear screening….. Garrett passed his left ear screening. Jackson passed his right ear screening……Garrett didn’t. WHAT? Did the screening again. Same result. The nurse brought in another “ear tester thingy” (Can you tell I made that word up?) and tested for something else. She then said “I will print off the results and have your doctor go over them with you.” WOW. Not really what I was expecting. If the doctor is going to go over them with us, he clearly didn’t pass. Come to find out, Garrett has an ear infection. I wouldn’t have ever known. The boys and I all have colds right now, but I thought Garrett’s snotty nose was his worst symptom. Anyways, she put him on an antibiotic and hopefully all will be well in a few days.
• Since mid-August Jackson has been coughing after he has been in bed for awhile. He rarely coughs during the day, but will wake up gagging because he is coughing so bad. His lungs are clear, so there shouldn’t be any reason for the coughing. She wants him to take Zyrtec for about 3 weeks to see if it helps. After 3 weeks, if the cough goes away, stop taking Zyrtec, if the coughing returns we will know it is just an allergy issue.

We have the results....We have answers...

Aaron finally received all the results from his MRI and Nerve Study. He has Carpal Tunnel which makes perfect sense.

Some key points from Webmd.com that I found interesting because it explains Aaron perfectly -

What is Carpal Tunnel?
Carpal tunnel syndrome is pain, tingling, and other problems in your hand because of pressure on the median nerve in your wrist.

What causes carpal tunnel syndrome?
Pressure on the median nerve causes carpal tunnel syndrome. This pressure can come from swelling or anything that makes the carpal tunnel smaller.

I know carpal tunnel doesn't cause swelling, however Aaron does have swelling in his fingers. In fact, he no longer can wear his wedding ring. His ring is a 9 and he now needs a 10.5 - that's a big difference considering he is still the same weight as he was when we got married.

Things that can lead to carpal tunnel syndrome include:
(one that I feel relates to Aaron....think about Aaron working on sprinklers)
Making the same hand movements over and over, especially if the wrist is bent down (your hands lower than your wrists), or making the same wrist movements over and over.

What are the symptoms?
Carpal tunnel syndrome can cause tingling, numbness, weakness, or pain in the fingers or hand. Some people may have pain in their arm between their hand and their elbow.

Aaron was sent home with 2 handsome wrist arm splints. The doctor said it would be great if he could wear them 24 hours a day, but knowing that won't happen....he said he must sleep in them. The more he wears them, the more they will help. He also prescribed him an anti-inflammatory to relieve pain.

Surgery is another option if Aaron ever decides to go down that route. Surgery is recommended when symptoms are so bad you cannot work, so he may decide on the surgery sooner rather than later. However.....I am really.....really.....really....hoping they may consider doing one hand at a time. I already have 2 boys in the house I have to take "personal" care of if you get what I am saying.

I am just glad we have an answer. After we heard from his Uncle that the MRI was normal, we were extremely happy, but still questioned what in the world was going on. Our fear was that the nerve study would show nothing was wrong as well, when we knew there was something. I know it sounds weird to hope the test shows something, but when you know there is something going on, it is nice to have confirmation of what it is.

Results are....

Uncle David said, "MR Cervical Spine Exam is normal!!!!!!!" YEA!!

So, we still don't know what is going on, maybe the nerve study will show something, however we believe the MRI would have shown anything major. So yippee!

No News Yet....

It is 3:50 on Friday and I am just updating you all to let you know there is still no update.

Aaron did have his nerve study this morning, but we won't know those results for a week.

So again - we are extremely grateful for Uncle David! I will post with hopefully good news as soon as we hear from him....which will hopefully be any time now!

What a Day.

Today was Aaron's MRI. Aaron mentioned to the doctor the other day that he has issues being in small enclosed areas, so the doctor prescribed him an anxiety medication called Lorazapam. Last night Aaron had to go to work and it was my understanding that he was going to drop the prescription off on his way to work and we would pick it up today on our way to his MRI.

Here's our day - (sorry for the length of this blog!)

7:00: I get up, shower, feed boys, get ready quietly so that Aaron could catch up on some sleep, while feeling as though I could throw up any moment.
I knew I was worried, but I knew we may be facing THE results today.
"What news would we have going to bed tonight? Would it be good news? Would it be something that requires major surgery? If so, I would have to go back to work because Aaron wouldn't be able to work. A teacher's salary doesn't cover Aaron's salary, so where would I work? This has to be an injury. It would make perfect sense. But, does something like a tumor ever make perfect sense? What if we go to bed tonight with news that Aaron only has 3 months to live. No, No...Aaron is too young for that bad of news. Too young? What about all the babies who get cancer?" You get my point?? I wanted to throw up!

8:30: Decided to wake up Aaron so he could get ready to go.
K: "Aaron, did you take your prescription in to be filled so we can pick it up on our way?"
A: "No, we can just drop it off on our way."
K: "Aaron! It takes awhile for them to fill it." (Oh my...what if he doesn't take anything??)
A: "Alright. I'll run to Wal-Mart right now."

9:10: (We need to leave at 9:30) Aaron is back, gets ready real fast, Dianne gets here to watch the boys, and we are out the door.

9:45-10:20: Aaron runs in to pick up his prescription. They said he needed to eat with the medication, so he buys a bag of trail mix as well. Aaron takes the meds and begins eating his trail mix like a normal person. Within a few minutes, I start noticing that he is very chatty with me. Random things. Then I notice he is basically throwing handfuls of trail mix into his mouth (yes, Aaron always eats fast and a lot....but doesn't normally THROW from hand to mouth) He asked me if I wanted some, I took a few, then he went on and on and on about how he thought I would want more because they are salty and sweet just like I like. He then shoves the trail mix bag into his pocket.....something Aaron would NEVER do. Crumbs in Aaron's pocket is a no no. Normally he would have folded up the bag and put it in my cup holder.

He then decides it is time to sing.....me, still wanted to throw up, but I never wanted him to know that. So....Aaron sings...and sings. I drive. We have never been to this place. I knew it was on Galloway and since the other day Aaron said he knew where it was, I never looked it up. However, it wasn't where Aaron thought it was and at this point I felt like I was dealing with a intoxicated 5 year old.

10:25 (appt. at 10:30): I am trying to call his doctor for directions. I tell Aaron to call information. His doctor went to voicemail, so I am trusting Aaron to get an address. The place is called Galaxy Treatment or something like that. Aaron said to information "I need the number to Galaxy MRI" and he thought that was the funniest thing ever.
They give us an address and Aaron, very casually, informed me that it would be on the other end of Galloway down by the hospital. At this point his appointment is in about 1 minute. He goes back to singing....no worries....and tells me "Kelli, we will get there. Galloway is short. Don't you remember cruising it in high school?" and then starts telling me old cruising stories of things they would do. Seriously!! Who is this guy. Why does he not care that his appointment is in about 30 SECONDS and we don't even know where the place is. Why am I the only one stressed?! Oh yeah....because he took meds.!

At appointment: I didn't get to go in the room, but I got to sit right outside his door. Every time the tech went in, I could see Aaron and talk to him.
Aaron first went in for about 25 minutes, in which he fell asleep. Then, they had to inject dye into his veins....which took forever to find a good vein in his hand....Aaron is telling them that sometimes when they let him squeeze a ball it really helps. The way Aaron was saying it was cracking me up. I think Aaron thought this was some new wonderful discovery. He described the ball to the tech.

Finally they get it and Aaron goes back in for about 15 minutes. This time I knew Aaron was awake because I could hear the tech say "Aaron, I need you to be really still. We are going to have to redo that one." So, that 15 minutes turned into much longer.

After everything was done, they said his doctor would have the images in 2 days....so this would mean we wouldn't know anything until Monday or maybe even Tuesday. However, luckily Aaron's Uncle David is a neurologist in Austin and wanted them to put the MRI on a disk for him to review. We have some helpful professions in our family!!

Lunch: At this point, Aaron was pretty calm and what I thought to be kind of normal. He suggested going to Chili's and I agreed. This lunch was not too pleasurable to say the least. The hard part was the fact he really felt like he was being normal. At times he was being funny in his conversation, but at others....wow. Looking around the restaurant smiling at people with a silly smile....etc. When he said "I'll be back, I have to go to the restroom" I just froze and told him if he sees anyone he knows, just please act like you don't see them. I didn't know how he would be able to explain everything in the "state" that he was in. When he got back, I asked him if he saw anyone. He said, "No, I didn't look at the tables....I just looked ahead with a smile on my face!" Yikes.

Aaron thought it would be a wonderful idea to go to Academy, in which I had to put my foot down and say "no, we are going home." Since Aaron had NO WORRIES (aka: no budget) - I knew a store filled with things he loves wouldn't be a good idea....not to mention he would probably think it would be okay to play a game of chase or hide and seek throughout the store.

Going home: He passed out.

Home: He pretty much said hi to his mom and went straight to bed. I heard him on the phone a few times, so please forgive him if you talked to him and he didn't make sense.

4:00: I have to go to the post office so I can overnight the CD to Uncle David. 4:30 is pick up, but Aaron is still sleeping. I would bring the boys with me, but Garrett is taking his nap as well. I wake up Aaron and tell him I have to run to the post office really fast if he could just sit on the couch and watch Jackson and listen for Garrett to wake up. He was groggy, but was trying to wake up. I made sure he was okay and I left.

I was gone maybe 10 minutes....when I walked in the back door, I heard Jackson saying in a soft, sweet voice, "Daddy....open your eyes. Daddy....time to get up. Open your eyes Daddy." I am pretty sure Aaron was asleep the whole time I was gone. Luckily it was only Jackson he was watching. I asked Jackson what Daddy was doing while Mommy went to the post office and he said "Oh, Daddy just sleeping."

Around 5:30: I am cooking dinner and Prince Charming decided to wake up. He walked into the kitchen like a normal day. He was THANKFULLY back to normal!

Tonight I remembered that medicines tend to have an larger effect on Aaron than the average. Dianne once told me about bringing Aaron home from having his wisdom teeth removed. Aaron really wanted to jump out of the car and walk home. Then when he had to have the biopsy on his lip (from dipping) a few years ago. They put him under for the procedure, he went to recovery to wake up and they said he should be back to normal within the hour. Oh no....Aaron was out all day long....and when he spoke, it didn't make any sense. So, I have finally realized Aaron and any type of pain medication, relaxer, etc. don't mix well.

What's the News?: Uncle David should have the MRI images by noon Friday. He will review them and let us know. Aaron also has the nerve study test Friday morning, but I guess we will hear those results from his doctor. Luckily we have Uncle David to give us the MRI data ASAP!

Aaron

I have been debating with myself tonight about posting this blog or not. Hopefully it is not anything serious so I don't want to alarm anyone, but if we find out it is something serious, I feel like I won't want to blog all the details from the beginning after hearing bad news and I will have friends and family wondering "why didn't she say anything?"....so I am possibly doing myself a favor by posting details that we know as of today.

Aaron has been complaining about his hands a lot lately. They tingle, feel numb, hurt, etc. For a few weeks now, we just kind of blew it off because, honestly, he hardly ever has a day off of work, therefore who wants to go to the doctor on their day off work? We just blamed it on the fact that he uses his hands a lot at the railroad and working on sprinklers, so we were sure that when summer is over and his sprinkler business slows down, the issue would clear up on its own.

However, over the past week or so, it has become worse and worse. This morning he and I both got up around 7am. Aaron was quiet while we made the boys breakfast and I could tell something was bothering him. He said his hands and up to his elbows were numb and tingled. At 8am we called a general practice doctor and he was able to fit Aaron in this morning.

Here's where the details are kind of unknown to us. The doctor did several tests on Aaron's hands with some type of sharp rolling thing (I wasn't there so pardon my description). There were different places on Aaron's hands where he didn't feel the sharpness and other places where he could. He then checked out Aaron's neck, etc.

The doctor feels there is definitely something going on. Aaron is scheduled for an MRI Thursday morning and Nerve Condition Study Friday morning.

I am trying my best not to read too much about it on the Internet. It is so easy to think the worst. Being that the doctor believes something in the neck/head area is causing the problem with the nerve, is there something sitting on the nerve? What could be sitting there is our biggest fear and would be the worst news. Better, but still not good news, would be a pinched nerve, nerve damage, herniated spinal disk, etc....(trying not to search the Internet)

Like I said, it could be something minor that is nothing to worry about. From this moment until we have the results from the MRI, that's what I will tell myself. It's nothing. Hopefully that will be the case, but if not, I will live in my fantasy "it's nothing" world until the results tell us differently.

I'll keep you all posted.

15 Month Check Up.

How does Garrett measure up at 15 months?

Weight: 24.02lb (50th percentile)

Height: 32" (75th percentile)

Head Circumference: 48.6cm (88th percentile)

Let me take a moment to point something out for those of you that still say Garrett is a big baby. See where I put 50th percentile next to his weight??? That means he is right in the middle....out of all 15 month old babies, half are bigger than Garrett and half are smaller.

I just find that interesting since I still hear what a big baby he is. THEN, if you consider that height adds weight and Garrett is in the 75th percentile for height...he is really thinner than some of the babies that actually weigh less than him? Do you follow me??

And now, because I like to do this.... Comparing Garrett @ 15 months to Jackson @ 15 months

Weight: Jackson: 25.4lb., Garrett: 24.02lb. = Jackson weighed 1.38 more

Height: Jackson: 32.5", Garrett: 32" = Jackson was .5" taller

Head: Jackson: 48.5cm, Garrett: 48.6cm = Garrett's head is .1cm bigger

At this point, Jackson weighed more, but he was also a little taller. They are still pretty darn close in size. Thanks to their PawPaw (my dad) and Grandpa Jordan (Aaron's dad, Melvin), they both have big heads!

As for his check up, everything looked great! Garrett is a healthy, happy 15 month old!

Our next appointment is in September and it will be a "double." Jackson for his 3 year and Garrett for his 18 month. I remember our first "double".... Jackson was 18 months and Garrett was a newborn. Time sure does fly.

Pearly Whites.

Jackson had his first dentist appointment today. I have been discussing it with him lately so that he knew what to expect. While telling him good night Sunday night, I reminded him that when he wakes up, we will eat breakfast, and then we will be heading to the dentist.

This morning when Jackson woke up he found me in the kitchen. Normally he is my alarm clock, but this morning I was already dressed and ready to go. This must have reminded him that we had somewhere to go because he said, "Mommy! You up? We going to the dentist today?" When I said "yes" he started running around like crazy! He was so excited!

I was scared when he first sat down. I wrote on his paper work that he was sensitive to red dye, so as the dental hygienist went to switch some things out, Jackson watched a little girl who was screaming! She was probably around 3. Bless her mom's heart. I know, I should probably say "bless HER heart," but I felt worse for the mom.

*I didn't want to take too many pictures for the fear of scaring Jackson (or other kids...), so I apologize for not having the greatest pictures.



Jackson was very calm. I could tell he trusted and liked the dental hygienist, but I knew by his face he was still a little unsure about the whole situation. He was wonderful!!



We got a great report on his teeth. Everything looked perfect and we survived!

Tonight when I was putting him to bed, I told him I was proud of him for doing so well at the dentist today. He said "I opened my mouth like this for the dentist - ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh."

Garrett's Stats.

Garrett had his 12 month check up Monday and everything is peachy! He looks good and is developing like he should be.

He is now allowed to eat anything (within reason...) except for peanuts and shellfish. I am so excited that he can finally have eggs and berries...and Garrett is excited that he can have chocolate!

Here is where he was, at 9 months -
Weight = 21.1 (70 percentile)
Height = 29" (70 percentile)
Head = 46.8 (80 percentile)

Here is where he is now, at 12 months -
Weight = 23.3 (60 percentile)
Height = 30 3/4" (75 percentile)
Head = 48 (89 percentile)

Basically, he is getting taller and thinning out as she predicted he would since he was/is a big baby.

Of course when we got home from Garrett's appointment (and our little "Mommy and Me" date), I pulled out Jackson's baby book to compare. Even though people always say that Garrett is a big baby, I still always felt like Jackson was bigger.

Here is where Jackson was at 12 months -
Weight = 23.14 (60 percentile).....Garrett weighs .16 more
Height = 31 1/4" (90 percentile)....Jackson was 1/2" taller
Head = 47.5 (80 percentile)....Garrett's is bigger by .5...which shocks me!

So, they are pretty darn close to one another. I find that interesting since I carried Jackson 37 weeks and 4 days and carried Garrett 37 weeks and 5 days (only 1 day apart), they were both exactly 7 pounds at birth, and Jackson was only 1/4" longer than Garrett.

So, based on this information, I would predict they will be about the same size when they are older....Jackson may be a little taller. However, I know their eating choices and lifestyle could change that...

While we were at the doctor, I only had 2 questions for her -
#1: Garrett sucks his thumb when he is going to sleep (or if he is mad...normally at Jackson for taking a toy:) I asked her what suggestions she had for getting him to stop. I know that everything is easier done the younger they are, so I didn't know if we should try to break the habit. She said she is not worried at all and that I should start seeing it less and less which I already am.
He has his little blue security blanket and then for his birthday he got a blabla monkey (which I love! Thanks Marla!), so I am hoping between the 2, he will one day find enough comfort in those to not need the thumb.
So...since our wonderful pediatrician isn't worried, either am I!

#2: Jackson wasn't at the appointment, but she said I can always ask questions about him since he only goes once a year. I have been a little concerned about his speech. Jackson talks A LOT and uses LONG sentences, however he isn't as clear as some kids I have heard that are around his age. I know kids develop at different stages, but I just don't want to miss anything. I asked her what is expected of a 2 1/2 year old and when/if I should be worried?

She went through the % questions -
What percent do I understand?
What percent do close friends and family understand?
What percent do strangers understand?

Based on this, I shouldn't be concerned. Since he does talk so much, we know that his hearing is fine and that it's just his articulation. She said most kids all even out when they are 3 and she feels it is actually better that he has the quantity over the quality. Things should be fine, but if not we will "take action" when he turns 3.
She also said that her daughter was telling clear, long stories at the age of 2. She said as her mom, she was patting her own back because she was so proud of her daughter and thought "my child is going to be better than the rest" like we all want to think. However, by the time her daughter turned 3, she was just like all of the other kids. So....they just all even out!

I think he is fine - and if not, it will be okay! I went to speech as a child and look at me....I am like a rocket scientist! haha, maybe that was a little stretch. Just a little...

9 Month Check Up.

Garrett had his 9 month check up and he is growing like he should be.

Here is where he was at his 6 month check up -
Weight = 19.9 (80 percentile)
Height = 27 3/4" (88 percentile)
Head = 45.5 (90 percentile)

Here is where he is now, at 9 months -
Weight = 21.1 (70 percentile)
Height = 29" (70 percentile)
Head = 46.8 (80 percentile)

He didn't have to have any immunizations today...WAHOO!! It was a pretty boring appointment since I didn't have any questions for her. Jackson must of thought it was boring as well, because he thought today would be a fantastic day to show that he is in his terrible twos. Wow. He is going through a major phase (I hope it is a phase) right now. We have been going, going, going with the holidays, birthdays, weddings, etc., so his schedule has been out of whack. Aaron and I didn't think terrible twos were so bad, until now. He is really testing us, but we are holding up our guard...although today I wanted to crawl in a hole. Hopefully after everything settles down, he will back to his normal 'ole self....hopefully.

We are getting ready to leave for Mexico for Shelly's wedding. I thought I was ready, but all of a sudden I feel like I have tons of stuff to do. I have to get the boys packed and ready to go to my parents house, pack myself, and get all of our documents ready to go! (oh yeah, I have to pick up my bridesmaid dress. Can't forget that!) Aaron and I are getting very excited. This is my first time EVER to leave the boys. I had to leave Jackson when I was in the hospital after having Garrett, but that was it. So....hopefully I won't drink to much wine and talk about how much I miss my kids. Jackson is not okay with us going. I didn't think he understood, but now he is saying "Mom and Daddy in plane anymore!"....which means - he doesn't want us on the plane. They will both be fine at my parent's house and they will have a great time! I will miss them, but I won't worry one bit.

Doctor Appointment

We were waiting for them to come in with the shots. That's why Jackson doesn't have shorts on.


Jackson and Garrett went to the doctor on Monday and everything went great!

Jackson -

Weight = 27.4 (40 percentile)

Height = 35" (70 percentile)

Head = 50 (80 percentile)

Garrett -

Weight = 19.9 (80 percentile)

Height = 27 3/4" (88 percentile)

Head = 45.5 (90 percentile)

Two things I find interesting about these numbers....

1) Jackson is now only in the 40th percentile for weight. I don't think he has ever been below the 80th percentile. He is still taller than 70% of kids his age, so you would think the extra height would add extra weight....but that is not the case for him. His doctor is not concerned. She thinks since he was such a big baby that he is just leveling out now.

2) Jackson and Garrett are only 7.5 pounds apart. How crazy is that??

Garrett has mastered eating rice cereal and all the vegetables, so his doctor gave me the go ahead with fruit. Last night we started with pears. I thought he would be so excited about this, but he made a sour face with every bite. He wasn't really crazy about them. He actually started spitting them at me towards the end.

Their shots went overall well. Right before the nurse came in to give them shots, Aaron and I talked to Jackson about the shots. He is old enough now to understand it. We asked the nurse to do Jackson's shots before Garrett's. We KNEW Garrett would cry, so I didn't want that to scare Jackson. Jackson laid on the table and held Aaron's hands. Jackson did not cry AT ALL. We were completely shocked!! Then it was Garrett's turn. If you remember, Garrett is NOT good with shots. Last time he cried when they rubbed the alcohol on his leg. Same thing this time.....he SCREAMED and SCREAMED. Jackson was actually the one that helped settle him down. The bad thing is, since Garrett is only 6 months he could only have 1/2 of a flu shot. He has to go back a month later for the other half. I will be sure to bring Jackson along to help coach Garrett through it.

Another thing I thought was funny was that at every check up appointment, they give you a print out of "Normal Development" for what your child's age range should be doing. It is broken up into sections. I found the emotional development for a 2 year old a little funny/scary. These are normally pretty positive, but for a 2 year old....looks pretty negative to me!

Emotional Development: easily gets upset and impatient, shows anger by crying, becomes frustrated when not understood, wants own way, asserts self by saying "no" to everything, reverts to baby behavior at times, gets upset when daily routine changes, shows sharp mood changes. I just typed that whole section. There is not one positive thing.

Needless to say, I am glad time out is working in our house. Jackson is understanding consequences more and more each day. Just saying the word "time out" is like magic.

Everything is going great at our house! I am LOVING the weather! We got the swing set at the perfect time of the year. I love being able to get outdoors now. We went on a walk this morning and I actually had to put a little blanket on the boys legs.

4 Month Check Up

Gosh, I am tired tonight, but I must blog real quick since Garrett went to the doctor today! God bless you working moms...I don't know how I would be able to be a wife, mom, and work with 2 kids as young as mine. I am very proud of my husband for busting his butt with TWO jobs so I am able to stay home with the boys. Garrett's appointment was at 4:30 and I got home around 6:45. Just being gone that short amount of time throws me off of schedule with things that need to be done at home.

But I must blog tonight before shutting my eyes....

4 Month Check Up:

Weight: 16.12 - 85 percentile (Jackson was 19 pounds at 4 months)

Height: 27 inches - 97 percentile

*First Question for doctor: Skin rash

I was worried about his skin. He always gets rashes. On his back, stomach, arm pits, every part of his skin that the diaper touches, etc. It is like patches of really red, irritated skin. I was worried about my little WHITE boy. :)

Doctor said: We are going to start using Aveeno Baby Wash for babies with sensitive skin, use Eucerin lotion, and mix in hydrocortisone.

*She commented on his BIG BLUE eyes. I asked if she thought they would stay that way. She said she shouldn't say anything, because nobody can say for sure...but they look like they are going to stay blue. Normally she would see little brown speckles in them if they were going to change, but Garrett's are just blue. So, we may have one child with dark hair & dark eyes and one child with light hair & blue eyes. How weird is that? Garrett looks just like Aaron, so don't start with the Milk Man stuff!! haha! Although, the UPS man does have a thing for me....right Kristy?! Even Aaron said that!

Here is a picture of those BIG blue eyes in the waiting room....

By the way - today was Garrett's last day in the isolated newborn to 4 month waiting room. At his next appointment he will sit out in the normal waiting room. awwwww.....pretty soon he will be going to kindergarten.

Here is a short video I took while we were waiting for the doctor. This isn't the best video, but he gets so excited when he makes the paper make a noise.

Next doctors appointment: Jackson's 2 year check up AND Garrett's 6 month check up. Same day, same time, same doctor, 1 little room......a room that Jackson now has learned to hate because of the mean ladies with the needles.

By the way - Garrett cried when they touched his leg with the alcohol BEFORE the shot. He knew what was coming. He does seem to be doing better with this round of shots compared to the last.

Happy Friday! Stay out of the heat!

Germs at the Jordan's

So.....I now have an ear infection as well. Good times, Good times...it just keeps getting better!! Aaron went to work for the Railroad last night at midnight and went straight to an irrigation job today. He has now been working for 22 hours...still going. Luckily he has tonight off from the railroad, so we will actually get to see him tomorrow. Poor Jackson, he misses his "Dad-tey."

Thanks to my mom! She came over today so I could go to the doctor. She even brought me soup and 7 Up! She stayed here to help me out until I put Jackson to bed. Even though I am a Mommy now, it is still nice to have my Mommy when I am sick. She was a big help and even tucked me in with a blanket before leaving. :)

"Yee-Ha" With Grammy

I don't really want to type this because I am scared it will make it stop happening...but Garrett is sleeping later and later every night. Last night was (drum roll please!) 5:45!!!!! That is big...huge!!!!!!! At 5:45, the news from TODAY is on. It is not the "Previously Recorded" news that I had been watching in the middle of the night. I had in my head that he would/should be sleeping through the night by 12 weeks. He is 11 weeks today, so we are doing good!

Look at Jackson holding his hand! I know, that's how the germs spread. But, how could I tell him not to do that!?

"Ummm, who would you like me to make this check out to?" I swear, he watches everything that I do.

House full of Germs and 2 Pointless Drives

Jackson is getting better, but it is taking forever for all the crud to go away. His nose is constantly running and he is still congested. Now, I have no voice. I never lose my voice, but of course I lost it this time. It is hard to have a toddler and not have a voice. I am exhausted from just trying to talk to him. I think Garrett must have what I have. He doesn't have a temperature, but his cry sounds horse. Luckily, Aaron has been working a lot and isn't around us enough to catch it. Who gets sick in June!?!?

This week I had to make 2 pointless drives to "a school district I worked in this year"...no names. (I am still out on "maternity leave"....for about five years though...) My Principal e-mailed me last week and said I need to make an appointment to go to the administration building to have a meeting about "business details" since I am leaving the district and I needed to call the school to make an appointment to have a meeting with her. (yeah, we have to have appointments to meet with our Principal)
I made an appointment at the administration building for Monday at 2:00, then tried to make my appointment at the school for around the same time so I could get it all done in one day.....considering cost of gas and having my mom come over to watch the boys. But no, one appointment was Monday at 2:00 and then one was Tuesday at 1:30.
So these must be important meetings right?? No! I had to drive all the way to the administration office to sign a paper that said "We do not need to discuss insurance because I don't use the schools insurance" and I need to take an ONLINE exit interview AT HOME. I was seriously there for about two minutes.
Well okay, maybe my Tuesday meeting at the school was going to be the important one. Nope, it was just to turn in my keys and badge. (Yep, gotta turn in your badge. Don't want anyone acting like a teacher and getting a discount at the movie theatre or walking into a school and pretending to be a teacher when your really not????) Could I not have dropped this stuff off on Monday when I was in town? Nope, got to have an appointment to do that! I can't help but laugh. Oh Aimee Lewis, how I miss you!
Oh and I thought maybe I would hear a "YIPEE ON YOUR TAKS SCORES!!! You are one of the teachers with the most 4s in the whole district!" ummmm, no....
The conversation went like this -
(no expression) "Have you seen yours TAKS scores?"
(Big smile on my face) "YES!" :)
(no expression) "They were good."
The end.
Seriously?! Maybe I am just use to seeing Aimee run down the hall congratulating her teachers!

First Ear Infection

No not Garrett....Jackson. We went TWENTY months without an ear infection.

He has had a fever and a snotty nose all week. I called the doctor and they said it will probably go away within 72 hours, but if it doesn't they would need to see him. Well, it didn't. He woke up from his nap today burning up. I called the doctor and they said to bring him in. A few hours and tears later, we found out it was an ear infection. He has such a bad cough and his little voice is raspy. This is his first time to really be sick.

He was sweet when we were walking around Walgreens waiting for his prescription to be ready. (Garrett was at home with Aaron) We walked down the baby aisle and every picture we saw of a baby, Jackson would say in his little snotty, raspy voice, "Bubba." As soon as we got home, he walked over to Garrett and gave him a kiss. He missed his little brother while he was at the doctor.

So.....what will we be doing next week? Taking care of Garrett, because you know he is going to be sick next. Hopefully not....

Garrett is doing well! He has been teasing us at night with his sleeping. Three nights in a row he woke up only ONE time. We thought we were making some progress, but now he is back to 1:30ish and 4:30ish.

Christy....Shut up! I know little Miss Corlee has been sleeping through the night for awhile now. I had bad thoughts about you a few nights ago when Garrett was wide awake from about 1:00 to 4:00. It was a very pleasant night! I should have called you. Your daughter may be sleeping through the night, but look what the UPS man brought us the other day for FIFTEEN DOLLARS!!!

That's a 3 month supply! And when it is gone....I will get a refill for $15 more dollars. How freaken awesome is that?! One can normally cost $25, but with Aaron's wonderful insurance, we get 12 cans for $15. I was so excited about this I built a little formula tower! :) (Don't worry Christy, you know me...they are now nicely stacked in our pantry)

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! We are packing my classroom this weekend. Fun stuff!! :)

Poor Garrett...

I just slowly sat down on the couch holding sleeping Garrett in my arms, making sure he did not wake up. We are on pins and needles tonight. Garrett had his 2 month shots today and he did not agree with them. He has been SCREAMING tonight. It is so hard when your child is crying out of pain and there is not anything you can do to help. I feel so bad for him. This is new to me, Jackson never had a problem with shots....however, Garrett did have to get FIVE shots today. That's A LOT on his skinny little legs. We are giving him Tylenol every 4 hours, so hopefully it will help. Poor guy! Needless to say, since I finally got him to fall asleep, Aaron said sit on the couch, don't lay him down, and don't move until we feed him before we go to bed and give him more Tylenol. Aaron said he was going to start a pot of coffee to prepare for the night. (He is kidding...I think)

On a positive note - Garrett's check up went great! He weighs 12.13oz (75 percentile) and is 24in. long (80 percentile). Everything is perfect and he is a healthy little guy!

Aaron was off of work today and got to stay home with Jackson while I took Garrett to the doctor. When Garrett and I got home, I showed Jackson Garrett's band-aids on his legs. Then, I asked Aaron where the baby Tylenol was at. (I know, I wasn't a very good second time mom....I FORGOT to give him Tylenol BEFORE the shots) Jackson went into the bathroom and walked out with the first aid kit. How does he know these things?! We never really even use the first aid kit (Sorry if you are the one who bought me that at a shower)

How cool is this sign? My parents' wonderful neighbor bought this for Garrett. I love it! I walk around now looking for things that look like letters.

(Picture: On the way to the doctor...thinking about crying)
Garrett had his 2 weeks checkup yesterday and he is doing great! He now weighs 7 lbs 9 oz and is 21 1/4 inches long. His weight is the 20 percentile and his length is the 75 percentile. He is long and skinny! Seriously, is this really my child? He is tall and skinny with light hair!? Good thing he looks just like Aaron or people might be questioning a few things!! haha.
He is doing well. He is starting to stay awake a little more...but still sleepy. He really is a good baby. It seems like he may be getting into a little routine at night. Some nights are better than others, but we are starting to get some sleep. Nights would be more pleasant if Aaron remembered that Jackson did this too. Men just forget! After we were home for a few nights, one morning Aaron said "Why do you think he is not sleeping at night? Do you think we need to search it online?" Ha! Yeah, something must be wrong! Our newborn baby doesn't sleep at night! Call the doctor immediately! :)
(King of the Crib...the flash always makes his eyes close or makes them BIG!)

Happy Half Birthday Jackson! (March 27)

Jackson is a year and a half today! We had his 18 month check up today and everything is well. He hasn't grown much, but it is nothing to worry about since he was such a big baby. He is just leveling out now. All is well and he is healthy!

Here is a picture of how he fell asleep last night with his blankie. We thought it was pretty funny! Don't worry...we fixed the blanket so it wasn't wrapped around his neck all night.





Here is Jackson waiting for his doctor to come in.