The last time I updated was August. I guess you could say we've been overwhelmingly busy since then!?!? It seems things are starting to slow down, slightly, just in time for the hectic holidays. I'll try my best to recount the last 3 months - but honestly the story is probably better told by the pictures/captions.
The Latest News:
Nick - In the past 3 months, Nick has gotten 4 new teeth, had his first ear infection and antibiotics, had Hand, Foot & Mouth disease, and had his first big boy hair cut.Nick was a pirate for Halloween. His best bud at daycare is Kyler.
Nick is currently in 18 month clothes, shoe size 5.5. He's 32" long / 21lbs.
Marlee - In the past 3 months, Marlee started 4K at Spruce Street school in Sauk City, played 8 weeks on a soccer team in Baraboo, had her 5th birthday and birthday party, and also had her 2nd and 3rd ear infection (her first was at 18 months!). At Parent-Teacher conferences, we were told that Marlee is bright, bubbly and loves school. She has many friends but also butts heads with some kids in her class. She's bored with the program, so the teacher contacted her kindergarten teacher for next year and is working with her on reading. She was Supergirl for Halloween.She has 4 loose teeth!
Marlee is a size 6, shoe size 10. She's 40" tall and 38 lbs.
Tim and Sam - In the past 3 months, we celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary, celebrated Tim's 30th birthday (thank you for helping with the surprise), went to Brux's, worked a lot, spent a day at the spa with mom, read a lot of books, stocked our pantry, spent a lot of time worrying about the economy, voted for President, caught a lot of colds, took a road trip to Mankato, MN, hung out with friends, etc etc etc.
Hope this finds everyone well and happy!
Love you!
Sam, Tim Marlee and Nicholas
Here's what's going on with our family in theupcoming weeks:
November 15th: Chula Vista
November 21st: Home Garden Party
November 22th: The moms and I are going on a date - Twilight, the Movie!!
It's been a while since my last update. I've been procrastinating because so much has happened in the last month I don't think I'll be able to remember it all! The kids have both had some pretty phenomenal things happening. We're alright too.
Here is a video I put together of the kids playing:
Pictures of the kids
Click on the photo below to see all the pictures from June and July.
Make sure you click "Download this photo" or right-click, save as if you want to save any of them for yourself.
Kiddo news:
Nick continues to excel and grow and learn new things every day. In the past month he's hit some pretty big milestones. He talks in small phrases and sleeps through the night. He is going through a bout of major separation anxiety, even at home. It's Mama 24/7. He is so funny and has a great sense of humor. He also has a little bit of the devil in him and he likes to hit, mostly to see what your reaction will be. He also learned to say "NO!" and throws food and cups from his highchair. F-U-N. His favorite food is bananas.
Nick is teething his 1 year molars slowly. He has the two bottoms in fully and is working on the upper two. This means sometimes all he eats is milk and Popsicles. This also means he is crabby, grouchy and mean. I can't wait till this part is over.
Nick likes to ride in Marlee's Jeep with her now. He used to take one look at it and shriek and run for the closest adult. Now a lot of times he'll jump in the passenger seat and wait patiently for her to come out and drive him around. He also loves to drive around on Tim's 3 wheeler and lawnmower, and actually gets upset if he isn't offered a chance to do so. He's still deathly afraid of the push mower and any jets that fly overhead.
He loves to hang out with Daddy. His favorite thing to do is hang out in the garage pushing a broom or carrying tools around. He absolutely loves to play "chase" and "peek-a-boo" and wrestle with Marlee. He also likes to swing and be outside. He loves the beach, playing in the sand, and is getting used to being in the water. He can point to eyes, ears, nose and mouth. His favorite books are picture books, animal books and a book called Air Patrol.
Nick's OT and COTA (therapists) consider him to be a success. He's overcome a lot of his issues though they warn me they come and go. Since we started with his oral therapy he's started talking more and eating more, which contributed to him sleeping through the night (if it hadn't been for those darn teeth)! He also acting more appropriately and his tantrums are not violent and less prevalent. He's still receiving therapy every other week for the next few months.
His current vocab is: 8 months – Mama, Dad-Tee 11 monhs – Marlee (Ma-eee) 12 months – Hi, Boom, Yummy, Done, Boo! Bye 13 months – no, owie, oh-ooh (oh-oh), whoah, MOM, DAAAD, All done (first sentence same as Marlee’s!) 14 months - I got ya, achoo, danku (thank you), up, down, Baba (bottle) ta-da, wow, ball, cheese (eeeeeeehse when taking a picture) Signs: All done and Eat.
15 months: Out, I love you, Down, Up, Icky, Peek-Boo
16 months: Mine, Baby, Thank you (perfectly!!), Oh Oh, What did you do? Where did it go? Shoes, Apple, Meow, What's that? Here you go, Nuh-Nigh, milk, woof-woof, book, Banana (nana) (What's a fishy say?) pupupupupupupu He'll pretty much try to say whatever you ask him to.
Nick is currently in 12 month outfits. He's 30" long / 20lbs.
Marlee is proving to be a very typical almost 5-year old. She's sassy and snotty, but extremely smart and funny. In the past month she learned how to read books and she's been doing great at simple math. We got a letter from her t4K teacher in the mail and we'll be attending "Welcome Day" at the school August 26th. We get to meet her teacher and bring all her supplies to school to get ready for the big first day. We registered her for Kindergarten on July 24th and got her first ever school portrait taken. We also registered her for Soccer that starts in September.
Marlee also taught herself how to swim. She can barely float but can go a few lengths in the pool swimming on her front and wants me to teach her how to swim on her back. I guess it saves us on swimming lessons. She's in the pool as often as possible - she's a water bug.
Marlee wants to be a teacher, and a ballerina. NOT an astronaut, because the sky isn't real. It's just space, mom. I said to her, "You talk a lot." "Yeah I do! Talking is my favorite!" She also randomly says to me "Smell my breaf, mom."
Marlee likes to go on long bike rides on the road with her bike. Though she recently got grounded from her bike for a wholeweek because she took off in the opposite direction without telling me and then didn't listen when I asked her to stop. Listening is and has been our biggest problem with her. Now we also have her saying "No, I don't want to." When we ask her to do something. It's very frustrating. Especially when you have two kids saying no. She's also picked up a baby-talk habit that we're hoping to break very soon.
Marlee had a dentist appointment and they told me she would likely be getting her frenulum cut around age 8. I've been bugging every doctor and dentist she's ever seen to have that darn thing cut but they all said to "wait and see". Apparently, just like I suspected, if we never get it cut, her teeth will be permanently gapped in the front. I wanted them to do it right away but they said I will have to take her to an orthodontist in 3 years. Also in big news, her two bottom teeth are LOOSE and they think she could loose them by Christmas (or a year from now). I can feel them. They aren't all wiggly, but they definitely are loose.
Marlee is very excited about her upcoming birthday party on September 20th. She could use some back to school items - books for beginning readers, math for beginners, leapster games, and winter boots/hats/gloves and snowpants. Her coat this year is bright/lime green. We will be getting her a bigger bike for her birthday.
UPDATE 8/4: I forgot to include that Marlee was in a photoshoot for a mailer for Demco - see her here:
Marlee is a size 5. She's 39" tall and 41 lbs.
US news:
In June, Tim went to Rochester, MN on the Hot Rod Power Tour. Unlike the previous year, he didn't have a breakdown or major malfunction. On the other hand, at home, I was dealing with storms and flooding. The worst of the storms passed through on Thursday, June 12. The roads near our house were completely underwater and the shoulders were mostly washed away. We had water in our backyard up to our patio. Luckily no lasting damage.
We took the kids to the Sauk City Fly-In - they had tons of kids activities. We also took them to Oschner Park in Baraboo where Marlee got to see a the bear.
Grandma Dodie came to stay with the kids for a few days while our daycare was closed and things went very well for her and the kids! We loved having her (and miss her cooking).
In July we celebrated the 4th with our good friends, Chris, Tracy and Mady Behm. We also took the kids to the Sauk County fair and went to Tim's family reunion at Castle Rock. We left the kids off with Mom and Grandma Dodie so we could play tourist in the Dells for a day. The following day we took the kids to Noah's Ark and they had an absolute blast. The weekend after that we went to the Relay For Life in Mauston and stayed the weekend with the family. It was such a great time! Despite the mosquitos and clingy toddler.
Next month we'll be going on a Family Vacation with the Behms and our other friends, the Vests (Ayden's mom and dad). We will be staying in a 3 bedroom condo somewhere near the Dells. I am apprehensive of how the kids will manage - we'll all be sharing a room with Mr Nicholas who will hopefully be over his sep. anxiety and teething issues by then.
Here's what's going on with our family in theupcoming weeks:
August 1st: Camping at Merrymacs with the kids
August 9th: Warrell Pig Roast Belinda and Jimmer's BBQ Rocky Z's birthday
August 15th - 17th: Family Vacation with the Vests and Behms
I had a hard time finding the motivation to update this month. Not sure if anyone even reads this anymore? If you do, I'm sorry it's been so long since the last update. If you missed last month please check here for the past updates.
Much has happened since I last updated! So much for Spring. It feels cold like fall but we're busy like summer.
June
So I updated last month but never sent out a reminder. Now it's June. And June is busy. Very busy. We are camping with the kids at the end of the week. Tim leaves for the Power Tour in Rochester in a little less than 2 weeks. It's finally getting nicer out and I was able to get all my flower beds done and looking nice.
Pictures of the kids
Click on the photo below to see all the pictures from April and May.
Make sure you click "Download this photo" or right-click, save as if you want to save any of them for yourself.
Kiddo news:
Nick is talking up a storm. He currently says about 20 words or so and picks up new things every day. The cutest thing he does is imitate sneezes. After someone sneezes he giggles and yells "Achoo! Achoo!" Sneezing is very funny in our house. His current vocab is: 8 months – Mama, Dad-Tee 11 monhs – Marlee (Ma-eee) 12 months – Hi, Boom, Yummy, Done, Boo! Bye 13 months – no, owie, oh-ooh (oh-oh), whoah, MOM, DAAAD, All done (first sentence same as Marlee’s!) 14 months - I got ya, achoo, danku (thank you), up, down, Baba (bottle) ta-da, wow, ball, wow, cheese (eeeeeeehse when taking a picture) Signs: All done and Eat. He doesn't sign as much as Marlee used to and I think he's rather frustrated with communication in general. His favorite form of communication is still a gigantic screaming meltdown. Though they are becoming fewer and farther between. There have actually been several days in the last few weeks where has has not cried at all or hardly cried. It's something to note! Nick is seeing an Occupational Therapist every two weeks at our house. He really loves the OT and spends a lot of time engaging her and playing with her. He has an appt next month for his 15 month checkup. We still haven't vaccinated him and are planning to wait until he is 2 or 3 to catch him up totally. Nick's sleeping is still a mystery. He slept through the night for the first time when he was 13 months old. He continued to do this for 6 or 7 nights, then began teething the first of 8 teeth and was waking up miserable every few hours. Now, he's back to his old self - waking and eating. Two of the 8 teeth have come through. He is still working on massive molars. The OT seems to think he is still not eating enough during the day to get through the night, despite our every attempts to offer and fill him up. It is something we will be working on in the next few months. I tried to wean him off his reflux meds but he got all urpy and uncomfortable again so I refilled it. Maybe next month!
June: Nick has been all smiles lately. Less tantrums, less fidgety, less crying. Almost NO crying! He's also been much more accepting of people and situations, acting less clingy and anxious. I think OT has a lot to do with his transformation. He seems to be enjoying life! He loves to play outside and LOVES to be on the boat. He is SO well behaved. He sits still while we're cruising around (probably because his life vest makes it impossible to move) and plays well on the floor when we stop.
The other day he fell asleep on the floor in the family room and stayed sleeping there for over two hours.He ended up having a fever and being really sick for a few hours so it was just a fluke (he's teething a gigantic molar right now).
We took Nick and Marlee to a pool party this past weekend and they both had a great time. The water was only 65 degrees but both kids got in the water - Nick for 30 seconds. Last night Nick ate CHEESE for the first time. And he lived. No rashes, no diarrhea, and no eczema flare ups. Hopefully this means I can start feeding him yogurt or cheese in small amounts - you never realize how simple and convenient dairy is as a snack or diet until you can't use it. :)
Also, last night in the grocery store, a lady told me "Well isn't he a happy boy!" Nick was waving and saying hi to everyone in the store. It seems sort of insignificant but no one has said that about him before. He's noticeably happy. :) He has developed a very funny personality - he's a joker.
Nick is currently in 12 month outfits. He's 30" long / 20lbs.
Marlee is going to be a model! Our friend Belinda asked if she could shoot her for the cover of her company's catalog. Marlee wants to be America's Next Top Model. The photo shoot will be around June 18th. I'm very excited for her! Marlee is so independent. She is always playing alone in her room now with her Barbies and dolls and cars. She plays very well but I miss her bugging me around the house and Nick is mad because he can't play in her room. She's also always driving her Jeep around the house and her bike. She's gotten very good at bike riding. Good enough that we are looking for a bigger bike to get her for her birthday. Her current bike is a little too small but the next size up is a little too big. Hopefully she will grow by then. She wants to have a "WonderWoman" themed birthday this year. I think we will go with a general "SuperHero" theme. Come dressed as your favorite super hero!! Marlee is a great big sister and is always taking care of Nick. She's a natural.
June: Marlee decided on a Hello Kitty theme for her birthday and can't wait to have all her friends over to help celebrate. She also loves boating and swimming. It seems like there's not that much to say about her, but Marlee is a very smart and well behaved little girl. She's just as dramatic as she always has been. She's more involved with her barbies and dolls than us lately. She keeps asking for this toy for her birthday and we have to laugh because she says it's called Braid n Fig. Supposedly it's a Barbie that you can both color and braid her hair with some tool... but try Googling Braid n Fig Barbie. I still laugh about all the thing she says incorrectly and don't bother to correct her because I'll miss them too much when she learns to say it right - just like Bish.
July will bring registration for 4K Kindergarten and soccer registration - this is the first year Marlee is eligible to play, if she's interested. Marlee also has her second dentist appt next month, and her photo shoot is this month.
Marlee is a size 5. She's 39" tall and 41 lbs.
US news:
We have been very busy! We took the kids to Milwaukee and drove around on the Milwaukee Speedway racetrack. It was nerve-wracking at first but very fun. They enjoyed it. We've also started car-show season and almost every weekend have something fun to do with the kids. We like carshows because they are great family activities and a good excuse to strap the kids in the stroller and get outside. This past weekend we went to the show in the Dells which was a lot of fun. The previous weekend (mother's day) we took the kids mini-golfing and walked around the Dells strip. The kids played in a fountain and ate funnel cake - it's so nice not having to be SO careful about what Nick eats.
June: This weekend we are going camping at Merry Mac's . We've been there several times before but a new manager took over and remodeled the place, so it's like the Chucky Cheese of camping now. Marlee is so excited and is making us count down the days (How many days far away is it now, muma? LOL)
This past weekend we went to a pool party at a friend's house. The water was freezing and the place was packed, but both kids had a blast. Nick was super well-behaved and even went in the pool for a few seconds. Marlee took a few minutes to be convinced to swim, but she got in and stayed in the pool until she had hypothermia, was blue and shivering and had to be dragged out. We spent a lot of weekend and week nights out in the boat - which both kids love and are really good while we're getting in, cruising, sitting and even when we're pulling out. Our summer will consist of much of the same: boating, car shows and camping.
Spring is in the air! We are throwing open the doors and windows and clearing our some of these germs and enjoying the sunshine. We are more than looking forward to upcoming car shows and boating season!
So far April has been a very busy month. ETA - so much for staying healthy! The kids woke up sneezing and stuffy again... this makes virus #379 for those who were counting! UGHHH!
Pictures of the kids
Click on the photo below to see all the pictures from March. This month the pictures really tell a story:
Make sure you click "Download this photo" or right-click, save as if you want to save any of them for yourself.
Kiddo news:
Nick continues to grow and grow. At his 12 month appt he had grown an inch taller,making him 30" even. He did go down in weight again, however, with no explanation. His doctor, Michele, is not worried about him this time, so I just keep offering food and hoping he'll take it. Nick's usually too busy to eat, I suspect that has a lot to do with his current weight of 20lbs. He is fitting into his 12 month outfits and the 18 month outfits from his birthday will be perfect for the warmer months ahead. We have successfully added some new foods to Nick's diet, including bananas, pears, peppers, chicken, tomatoes (Gramma's spaghetti sauce!). It appears he may be growing out of his reflux - I'm excited and nervous to even consider it. I still haven't been brave enough to try applesauce or apples since they provoked the worst reactions. I have been adding small amounts of dairy into my diet (butter, baked goods, tiny, tiny amounts of Parmesan cheese) and Nick showed no gastro-distress - however his eczema flared up badly on his face and continues to be a problem. Yes, we're still nursing. No, I don't know when we'll stop. He's just a baby still! Nick had an evaluation done by Birth-Three. Developmentally he is at an 18 month level, which is averaged by physical, social and verbal skills. He's just amazing and funny. His assessment showed he'd benefit from speech therapy and occupational therapy to help him get over things like his food aversions and separation anxiety and help him deal with sensory integration like pain/touch/etc. You can ask me more about this but it's honestly NOT a big deal - Nick is very normal and obviously very ahead of schedule. It never hurts to have a little extra help! Every day I get closer and closer to sleep training Nick. If I felt like he was actually receptive to the crying-to-sleep method, I'd do it. He cries and cries and cries, sometimes for 2+ hours without giving in. He usually goes down for bed and naps without a peep, falls asleep easily on his own. But wakes every 2-3 hours through the night still. We've gotten into the horrible habit of giving him a bottle to get him to go back to sleep (because it worked!) but he no longer needs to eat at night and he's leaving some bottles completely full. He's just using it to fall back asleep. We tried subbing a bottle of water in for the formula and it works 25% of the time. I hope someday this just "clicks" with him. I pray each night that tonight is the night he sleeps 5 or 6 hours.
One of Nick's funny things to do right now is "talk" on the "phone". He picks up any toy and puts it up to his ear and says "Hi, bshibishishihshizz". I remember when Marlee used to do the same thing. It's SO darn cute. He also loves to "vacuum" the house with his toy vacuum and his ball popper. He is pretty thorough. I'm ready to hand over the real vacuum! He also likes to tunnel in blankets and play Monster.
Nick is currently in 12 month outfits. He's 30" long / 20lbs.
Marlee learned to whistle... that's a big deal to her. She's been trying to learn to whistle for a few months now. She continues to excel at spelling, writing letters and reading. I am amazed by her, I remember thinking she would NEVER learn to recognize her letters and here she can read at 4.5. She's a pro at 3-letter words and getting much better with 4 and 5 letter words. Her new favorite hairstyle is two braids. She's growing out her hair and it's getting so long! Her favorite toys are still her Leapster and Barbies. She has a bad case of Spring Fever! I went to an informational meeting regarding the 4K program that Marlee will be attending in September in the Sauk Prairie school district. One of the major concerns of all the parents was transportation. The school district is expecting the preschool children to get on the regular bus routes -meaning Marlee will be picked up at 7:05am, ride the bus with K-5th kids for an hour, and then be dropped at school at 8:00am for her 2.5 hour program. Otherwise the program is play-based, very age appropriate and the best option for Marlee.
Marlee is super excited about going to school. She also likes to do "big girl" things like style her own hair, brush her teeth in the sink by herself, and pour her own milk. Monster is one of Marlee's favorite games that we all play, along with Puppy Piles. She's already started talking about what theme she wants for her birthday party - not Barbies! She wants to be WONDER WOMAN. She says she'll be SuperGirl, and then Wonder Woman. She wants two parties. LOL! Marlee is a size 5. She's 39" tall and 41 lbs.
US news:
Things in our house are finally settling down with the end of the remodeling project and settling into our new family room/office. We moved my desk down next to Tim's so I actually have a workable work space. Tim's 30th birthday was a bust. The snow put a damper on our plans, unfortunately. We did nothing but eat cake. A yummy, beautiful cake! I made it myself with a little help from Marlee:
A flu/cold bug also stifled our Easter plans, again we stayed home and did nothing. The kids had a little Easter egg hunt inside instead and then we all took looooong naps.
Tim interviewed with another engineering firm and is considering taking the job with them: Henneman Engineering. There's a good number of pros and cons to the switch. Thinking about change sort of makes my eye twitch, but perhaps it's time to take life by the horns! This change is expecially exciting for Tim who was dubbed a "lifer" where he currently works as he's been there 10 years next month. The new place claims they will work with Tim's current part time schedule so we can still carpool. We're just waiting on the formal offer letter before making a decision. ETA - the offer letter came in this morning. It was an insult. Looks like Tim will be staying at AEI a little longer.
As for me, I did agreed to take on a freelance designing job for Bunbury and Associates (Realtors). I go back and forth on my validity - I am hoping that what I lack in technical knowledge I can more than make up for in creativity and ingenuity. I will be helping design direct mailing pieces like postcards as well as handouts for trade shows and open houses. No clue what the work load will be like yet. Our dealership called yet again and would like us to take a look at SUV's... we are hesitant for so many reasons but it's very possible in the next few weeks you'll see us driving up in a bigger vehicle! Our biggest concerns are safety features, gas prices, more space, towing capabilities, and making a worthwhile investment. Nothing we can take lightly. Tim and I would like to take a vacation to Chula Vista in the next few weeks (maybe early May). We're thinking of taking the kids with us to stay on a Friday night, then dropping them off in Mauston and spending Saturday night there by ourselves. If anyone is willing to keep the kids for the night please let me know. Hopefully Nick's sleeping situation will have improved by then. Upcoming we have the Automotion car show in the Dells May 19th, and the Power Tour in early June.
Hope this finds everyone well and happy!
Love you!
Sam, Tim Marlee and Nicholas
Here's what's going on with our family in the upcoming weeks:
We are working toward a formal diagnosis for Nicholas. We don't know if it's the actual disorder, or if he just has specific sensory issues. At at his most recent assessment, his case worker admitted to me that she saw signs of Sensory Processing disorder in Nicholas and considered him to be what they call “A-Typical behavior.”
What that means is Nick is “mostly” normal, even developmentally ahead, but still suffers from sensory overload. SPD often accompanies or overlaps other disorders such as autism, ADHD, Learning Disabilities. Nick’s case worker observed that he obviously has no characteristics of any of those.
I am reading a book titled “The Out-of-Sync Child” by Carol Kranowitz. I suggest, if you’d like to learn more about SPD, or even more about Nicholas, pick up this book. I’ve gone through the book twice already – once with a highlighter so I could highlight all that pertains to Nick. If you’d like to I could send you my copy.
Some of the most fascinating details I’ve picked out so far: * SPD is a physical problem, not a neurological problem. The problem stems from a poorly functioning central nervous system. * SPD children have “disorganized brains” and may have good days and bad days. * Medication will not help a child with SPD, only therapy (occupational, speech, physical etc) but the problem IS treatable. * Early intervention provides the best results.
*SPD causes problems with: -Self regulation (fussiness, self comforting, over reacting, transitioning – may be “with it” one day and “out of it” the next -Sleeping (falling asleep, staying asleep, waking up) -Eating, digestion and elimination, as well as recognizing signals of thirst, hunger, and fullness. -Social and Emotional function (resists new people, minor changes to routine upset child, significantly attached to one or two people and is fearful when apart from them) -Allergies (SPD co-exists with allergies, specifically casein in dairy and wheat)
Causes of SPD may be: -Genetics -Prenatal circumstances -Prematurity or low birth weight -Birth trauma -Postnatal circumstances -Unknown reasons
It is not a new disorder. It is fairly common (10-15%) and often misdiagnosed. OT’s report that 80% of those diagnosed are boys. From time to time we all experience problems processing sensations. Identifying that the child has SPD is a positive step. The outcome of understanding, support, and early intervention will be developing into a self-regulating functioning adult. Without treatment, the child will not outgrow SPD, they will grow into it.
Make sure you click "Download this photo" or right-click, save as if you want to save any of them for yourself.
Kiddo news:
Nickenjoyed his birthday party! He had a great day and loves all his gifts. The day after his party we went to a birthday party at Chuck E Cheese and he had a great time there also. He's definitely getting more comfortable around people. Nick had his allergy testing on March 11.
He showed no antibodies to dairy!
However I am still confused on some issues. The doc didn't really tell me much other than it was negative. He said to wait a few months to intro dairy because they can still have gastro reactions with a negative result. He said he may just need a little more time and to work with the GI on the other issues with fruit etc. He tested him for grains and the only one that was "borderline" was oats. He thinks he just needs more time on that one.
I'm still so confused about the actual testing though...the doctor was like "this is a 2, this is a 2, this is a 0.4, this is a 6 or 7" and I don't really know what was what. He just told me dairy had no antibodies and I was thrilled - however skeptical. He told me I do NOT have to limit dairy in my diet. I asked a fellow "allergy mom" what to think and here is her response: "
Originally Posted by CMT
As others have said, the skin tests (and the blood tests) are NOT even close to 100 percent accurate in kids. Not all allergies are IgE mediated - and frequently those with GI reactions don't have IgE mediated allergies (e.g., eosinophilic disorders).
Other things I'd be pushing for testing on would include celiac disease and CF.
I'd think you'd want a GI and allergist working in concert to figure out whether there are eosinophilic issues. Otherwise, it's just a matter of avoidance and occasional trials to see if things are improving . . . . "
Something strange happened during the testing, they pricked him three times the first time for diary, something else , and control (histimine) and then left for 15 minutes and came back to check the test spots. All along his spine along the waistband of his pants there was a line of hives! The doctor freaked out because they couldn't figure out why it happened. I told them he just has really reactive skin and always has. AND I completely forgot to tell them about the peanut butter reaction though... stupid!!!
Right now Nick has the flu, diaper rash and is teething something awful. He hasn't been sleeping well (which is even worse than normal). He's been getting really high fevers and not eating very much. Poor guy.
Nick is currently in 12 month outfits. He's 29" long / 21lbs.
Marlee has some very exciting news:
She is going to 4 year old kindergarten this year! I got a pamphlet in the mail. There is a 4 year old program in our district that runs Monday-Friday 8:05am - 10:35am. It's strictly for 4 year olds. She'll be picked up at Sheila's and dropped off there when she's done. I am VERY happy that she has the opportunity to go to school this year because she's so eager to learn. She's already reading and does math (without a calculator)! She read her first book the other day. I got her some learn to read book sets and she made it through the 2nd book of the first set. "Dot has a dog." was her first sentence. :)
She asked me if I would be able to ride the bus with her :( She's a little anxious about that part, but her friend from daycare, Barrett is also going, so they can ride the bus together and she already has a friend at school that way. EXCITING.
We're on sick watch for Marlee - hoping she doesn't get what Nick and I have.
Marlee is a size 5. She's 39" tall and 35 lbs.
US news:
Tim 's 30th birthday is this Friday. We're planning to spend a weekend at Chula Vista to celebrate (sometime in the next month) so if anyone is available to either stay with or keep the kids, please let me know so we can start planning. We haven't picked a date!
IThe latest remodel pictures are up. So far everything is mostly done. The bathroom still needs to be trimmed out but otherwise everything came together just in time for Nick's party. THANK YOU for everyone's help for the party - it went over very well.
Right now I am dying of the flu. I'm at work today but still really dizzy and spacey and tired of being sick all the time. Some immune function would really be appreciated. WARM WEATHER will probably help!
Tim is planning on going on the Power Tour again this year in June. It ends in Madison so he and Craig and Chris will be driving Iowa or somewhere to "jump on" a few days before the end of the tour.
Hope to see you all for Easter!
Here's what's going on with our family in the upcoming weeks:
March 21st: Tim's 30th Birthday
March 28th: Nick's 1 year check up
These updates are cataloged at this blog site, in case you want to reference past updates:
January was a huge month. The kids both had some big things happen and we started remodeling. If you didn't catch the video of Nick's first first steps, see below.
Make sure you click "Download this photo" or right-click, save as if you want to save any of them for yourself.
Kiddo news:
Nick started walking at the beginning of January. He's gone from wobbly walking to running almost overnight. He's still pretty clumsy so he has lots of bumps and bruises these days. In the past few days he's been talking a lot. He says Mama and Daddy and a few random imitations of words.
We finally figured out his diet, his medications and he's been like a different baby. His diet is limited to just sweet potatoes, squash, carrots, turkey, green beans and pasta. He's off of the Prevacid and back on the Zantac twice a day. He's also been sleeping a lot better too. He still wakes every few hours to eat, though. But this is the first predictable sleep schedule he's had since he was born.
Last night was Nick's first weight check since his last appt. Seems like the diet modification and meds are working - he's up to 21 lbs!!!! In the waiting room I set Nick down on the floor. He saw a few kids playing in the toy area and walked over to start playing with them. It was pretty cool - it was the first time he's voluntarily left my side in a public place.
Nick's new doctor is pretty cool. She said that we have to keep feeding Nick when he wakes at night even though he's waking 4-5 times and that's not typical for a baby his age. She said we just have to encourage him to eat more during the day but until then he is getting the majority of his nutrition at night. We're now supposed to feed him three large meals a day and two snacks, instead of letting him snack throughout the day (which is how we feed Marlee) so that will be a hard one to change. We're supposed to keep him nursing and on formula and on his medications until he's at least 15 months. She suggested we get in to do the RAST testing as soon as possible after his first birthday - which is rapidly approaching! I have to schedule his 1 year doctor appt, photo appt and his allergy appt.
Nick is currently in 9-12 month outfits. He's 29" long / 21lbs.
Marlee has reached the "otherside" of 4 years old - everyone told us 4 was hard but 4.5 was better and it's true. She's been very sincere and polite these days. She's had an eventful month as well: She saw the dentist for the first time and is learning to read! She was very good at the dentist. The hygienist Hannah counted her teeth and polished them with grape toothpaste and the dentist checked all her teeth over and said they were beautiful and perfect. They both commented on how "gappy" they were and said they love to see that - means no crowding when her adult teeth come in. She needed no scraping and no x-rays. The dentist said she was an excellent patient. Now she goes every 6 months just like us.
Since getting her Leapster Marlee's been learning to read 3 and 4 letter words by recognition and sounding it out. She can at least attempt to sound out any word on sight. I took her grocery shopping and standing under a sign she started sounding out "Bread" and "Meats". That was pretty exciting for both of us.
As for Ice Skating... that was a huge disappointment. We showed up at the rink for registration only to find out that the director of the program flaked out and someone new was running it now, but class was already full and we wouldn't be able to participate until next October. Marlee is more excited about skating than ever, but now she wants to play HOCKEY instead of just figure skating. I was impressed that my "girly girl" wanted to do something so physical and aggressive! I definitely can't wait till October to see how she does in skates.
Tumbling registration is coming up next week and Marlee is excited to take the class again. Hopefully she'll be in class with some of the girls who took it last time.
Marlee is a size 5. She's 39" tall and 35 lbs.
US news:
Tim started working on a remodeling project in our family room. He tore down the walls of the bathroom and laundry closet and will be building it into one room. Hard to describe so I'll let the pictures do most of the talking. The big things that need to get done is tiling the bathroom floor, building the walls and getting the new carpet in the family room. We ordered the carpet and it should be installed in 4 weeks - doesn't give us much time before Nick's party. The kids have been cordoned off to the living room. Nick is all out of sorts and for the first week he just walked around and cried all day. Now he's getting used to playing in a smaller area. The kids are destroying my upstairs living room. And I can't wait to have my "space" back. I hate remodeling projects!
In the meantime I am just preparing as much as possible for Nick's party and trying to get my spring cleaning done too. Tim's 30th birthday is coming up and I keep trying to plan something for him but he's not being very cooperative. I guess if something comes up I'll let you know.
, and control (histimine) and then left for 15 minutes and came back to check the test spots. All along his spine along the waistband of his pants there was a line of hives! The doctor freaked out because they couldn't figure out why it happened. I told them he just has really reactive skin and always has. AND I completely forgot to tell them about the peanut butter reaction though... stupid!!!
