Fischer loves playing on his tummy--but it sure is exhausting!
This past week began with a relaxing barbecue at George, Joess & Nina's house. Sunday was the last 80 degree day, they say, until April, so we were outside enjoying it. In fact, several of us, including Fischer, were over-dressed and had to change clothes! Good food, good company and good conversation combined with good weather made for a Great Sunday! There's a short video of Fischer lounging in the grass with his sunglasses on.
Monday, Fischer was scheduled to have his 4 month checkup and shots. But when we arrived at the clinic, the receptionists said they had tried to contact us: the doctor had called in sick. In preparing for the day, I had already put our bags, including my purse and cell phone, in the car. I was bummed because I'd spent the weekend preparing myself to hear my little guy scream like he did at his 2 month shots, not to mention, I had arranged to go into work late that day for nothing. Oh well, doctors can get sick, too, I guess! So we rescheduled for Thursday. In the meanwhile, we finished that nasty amoxicillin that seemed to only give poor Fischer tummy troubles and diarrhea, even though it cleared up his goopy eyes. We had taken a break from rice cereal, too, because he was reluctant to open his mouth for fear of receiving another dose of pink yucky antibiotics!
Tuesday, we had our Halloween Open House at Bright Beginnings. It's one of 3 after-hours events during the year when families come to take part in all kinds of fun activities we put on throughout the center. It gives them a chance to take their time and enjoy being at the center and talk to other parents without the pressure of getting to work in the morning or getting back home in the evening. Every summer we have an ice cream social that also serves as BB's birthday party (we opened in July of 2000), and every December, we have a Christmas Open House with Santa. For the ice cream social we try to have everyone on staff dress with a certain theme in mind--past years it's been Luau or Crazy Dress. For Halloween, we've done themes in the past--Halloween Fright Prom Night comes to mind--but really just want everyone to show their "team spirit" and wear costumes. No theme won out this year, so everyone was something different. Joe and I dressed as nerds...kind of a precursor to our own Halloween party theme for next weekend.
Fischer arrived at daycare dressed in mouse costume, but quickly got too warm in it and spent the rest of the day dressed "normally" with his little nose, whiskers and eyebrows still markered-in.
For the Open House that night, Joe and Fischer arrived after I had to be there, and Fischer had on his lion costume. It was extra cute, because he was snoozing in his carseat upon arrival, and Joe was quietly singing, "The Lion Sleeps Tonight." Fischer did wake up in time to enjoy most of the party. The lion costume was also toasty, so it wasn't long before he had to take that off, too.
Thursday, we went to Fischer's check up. His doctor was feeling better :) She told us he's 26 1/2 inches long (90th percentile), he weighs 15 lbs. 7 oz. (50th percentile--he'd lost half a pound on the dang medicine!), and his head circumference is 43 centimeters (50-75th percentile). So he's consistent from check up to check up with his percentiles--still tall and thin, but as Dr. Hoyer put it, "He looks wonderful." While he was on the exam table with all of us talking over him, he was trying his darndest to roll from his back to his tummy. The doctor said all he has to do is figure out how to get that bottom shoulder out of the way and there'll be no stopping him!
We discussed our visit to urgent care with her. By this time, he was coughing more, too. She took a look in his ears and said they're perfectly clear, and said his throat looked great, too. When she listened to his lungs, she said he was wheezing. It was good, she told us, that he's not struggling to breathe--with his chest caving in or his nostrils flaring. She said that colds evolve, and she couldn't have said what Fischer's lungs sounded like 10 days ago when I took him in, but that little children don't get bronchitis--which is an inflammation of the larger branches in the lungs. She said Fischer has brochiolitis: inflammation in the tiniest branches, where carbon dioxide is exchanged for oxygen, and where the phlegm has settled. She suggested we give him a breathing treatment with a nebulizer (a machine that turns the liquid medicine into a breathable vapor) and some albuterol (the same med, although in a much smaller dose for Fischer, that is in an asthma inhaler). So, although she couldn't say what his lungs sounded like when the other doctor examined him, we got the impression that he shouldn't have been put on antibiotics :(.
After the breathing treatment, Dr. Hoyer was able to listen "behind" the wheezing to determine that the albterol would help Fischer get some of that phlegm out of his lungs by dilating the little branches. Otherwise, he wouldn't have enough "oomph" to loosen the goo on his own. We had to schedule his third appointment in 3 weeks to get his shots, because Dr. Hoyer wanted him to do the breathing treatments 2 times a day for 5 days or so. This way, if his cold changed again, we would know it was his cold and not a reaction to his shots. So we'll return yet again on Thursday the 23rd for the dreaded shots.
Late this week, we began giving Fischer rice cereal again. He prefers it mixed with breastmilk instead of water--so I've been saving a little of what I pump for his cereal. Otherwise, I'm sure it tastes quite blah. The doctor gave us the ok to add a tiny bit of apple juice to sweeten it up a bit if that would help. Since the amoxicillin is no longer part of his diet, Fischer's pretty willing to open his mouth for cereal again. It helps if he's got his own spoon or another toy to occupy his hands.
This seems to also be a good trick for diaper changes, which have gotten pretty WIGGLY since he's been trying to roll over!
Fischer absolutely loves his Jumperoo--which he gets pretty wild in. At first when we were trying it out, he kind of just hung out it in with his legs relaxed. Now, he's really found his legs and gives them a good work-out, bouncing and jumping and exclaiming sounds of joy! He's really interested in toys, now, and everything gets put in his mouth to explore. This makes changing his clothes fun, too, as we usually have to pry his fingers free from inside his sleeves and try and keep his shirts out of this mouth so he doesn't get them slobbery before he's even dressed! Fischer continues to be very social and loves people. He's quick to smile and insists on being a part of whatever's going on.
He sleeps in his crib at night--but still wakes once or twice. At least one of those times, after I've fed him and think he's passed out again, he just won't stay asleep once I put him back down! Then I call upon Joe to give him "Daddy's Magic Touch." Joe puts Fischer against his chest and wraps his "big shirt" around him, walks around the house a few times, and soon Fischer is overcome by the warmth and is sound asleep (so is Mom by this time!). It's been so nice to be able to take a team approach to getting the boy to sleep. I thank Joe every morning! It's nice to share the sleep-deprivation, too, ha-ha!
Saturday morning, we had the neighbors and our friend Steve over for donuts and coffee. Fischer enjoyed showing off his social skills during some tummy time.
Fischer's growing again before our very eyes. Yesterday, as I was in the bath with him, I noticed that he's gotten even bigger since I gave him a bath last. He gets a bath with Mom or Dad every-other day. He enjoys kicking his legs and chewing on his fingers while he relaxes in the tub. His 5 month mark is right around the corner!!!! Can you believe it?!
There are also a couple showing Fischer "finding" his feet this past month...
...and hanging around with Daddy...
...and Jumperoo-ing so much at daycare that he tuckered himself right out!
Fischer is still battling chest congestion, cough, and now nasal congestion! He's not sleeping the greatest at night, and today it's been affecting his appetite, too. So, Daddy's taking him to the doctor for the 4th, yes fourth, time this month. Hopefully we can get to the bottom of this cold or whatever, so we can concentrate on teething...which seems to be right around the corner. Fischer's been munching on everything he can grasp--which often turns out to be his thumbs, which get pretty bright red from so much chewing!
In this photo, Fischer sneezed just as I snapped the shot...
Caleb had a similar punkin sprout jack-o-lantern suit, and Maxim was a blue bunny, and Hailey was a Dalmaitian--soo cute!
There are more photos, because we got some group shots--I just want to be sure I have everyone's permission to go on the blog. Just wait until you see Collin's batman costume!!
The whole Enz family showed up--including "Ed", Mother Earth, Dorothy, and a Bag of Jellybeans.
