Four Months Old!

Henry is four months old, and he tried baby oatmeal this afternoon for the first time.  He loved it.

Here are Henry's updated statistics from the doctor today:

Height: 24 1/4 inches (25th percentile)
Weight: 14 pounds, 11 ounces (45th percentile)
Head Circumference: 41 cm. (19th percentile)

The doctor is pleased with his growth, and suggested that we start him on cereal right away. She said not to wait, even though he's not feeling too well, because the cereal might cheer him up. It did!

Henry opened his mouth up just like a little bird.

Everyone in our home is now sick. Nick, while over the croup, still has a very bad lingering cold. Greg has a sinus infection and a bad cough. Henry has an upper respiratory infection that the doctor says isn't the croup. . . yet. We will wait to see if it turns into a barking cough.

Henry's regular well visit was today, but it turned into a sick visit because Henry started running a fever yesterday afternoon, and has had low grade fevers ever since. Last night he was up to 101.5, and the poor guy just wants to be held. He's also coughing and has a bad runny nose. I stayed home with the boys today because Henry's fever was too high to go to daycare.

I am sick, too, but mommies don't get time to take care of themselves. I did pop over to my G.P. to get checked out, and I have bronchitis and the beginnings of a sinus infection. They take this stuff seriously with me because I have asthma and a history of allergies and chronic bronchitis, so I'm on about seven prescription and non-prescription medications for my various illnesses. I'm taking a nebulizer treatment as I type this, in fact.

But even as I wheeze, I am smiling, because check out this video.

I absolutely love seeing my two boys together like this. 

Ten Weeks Old!

Today Henry is ten weeks old. Laughing and smiling and cooing, this little man has stolen my heart.

Here he is at his doctor's appointment. My boy weighs 11 pounds, 3 ounces, and is now 22 1/4 inches long. He's hanging around the 25th percentile, so he's not hefty. Henry sure feels bigger, though! It's hard to believe that just ten weeks ago, I was walking (no, waddling!) into the hospital to have him.

Our pediatrician said that Henry was perfectly healthy, with no concerns. That felt really good to hear. Henry enjoyed the doctor's appointment and was happy as a little cuddly clam until the shots came. Then, such a look of betrayal came onto his face. It was like his whole idea of the world was destroyed in an instant, and he was deeply saddened. I cuddled him for a long time after his shots.

Henry had to get his shots so he could start daycare. He started Monday. Both boys are doing a great job both at daycare and with my mother-in-law. They are thriving.

This was my first week back to work, and I'm exhausted. I've been a lazy blogger lately, but I certainly haven't been a lazy person. I started teaching graduate school last week, and I'm struggling to learn Blackboard, the online program that is used to teach some portions of my class. At the same time, I'm helping my grad students, who are struggling to learn both Blackboard as well as the content of the class! I'm sure it will be easier in a few weeks, but for now I've been working nonstop.

In between all of this, I've been trying to set aside some quality time for my boys. I spent a good 40 minutes reading books to Nick. I held Henry for several hours and patted his back to make his tummy feel better. I'm doing my best.

A Checkup for Henry

Henry had his one month pediatrician appointment today. He'll be six weeks old on Thursday, but this was the earliest appointment I could get. Anyhow, he did very well. Doesn't he look pleased? Well, that's about as pleased as Henry ever looks.

Here are his stats:

Weight: 9 pounds, 8 ounces. That's in the 25th percentile. (He was 6'14" at birth.) Strangely enough, I was 9'14" at birth, so I was larger as a newborn than Henry is at almost six weeks old. Crazy.

I'm not surprised that Henry gained so much weight. He has been chowing down regularly.

Length: 22 inches. (50th percentile) Henry was 19" at birth. That means he's pretty tall for his weight.

Head Circumference: 36.9 cm (15th percentile). I can't remember his numbers from birth, but his percentile hasn't changed.

Henry thought that he'd be getting his first shots today. . .

But then the doctor said they would wait until his two-month well visit for those.

15 Month Doctor Visit

Today was Nick's doctor 15-month doctor visit. Nick was playing with a little boy in the waiting room before our visit who was 9 or 10 months old but was taller than Nick and easily outweighed him by 8 pounds. However, Nick was running circles around the tall little fellow, who just stood there in awe at Nick's amazing skills. (He pushed all the children's chairs across the room, including the table.)

He loved the opportunity to wander around in only his diaper. Good thing I didn't try to sit him in my lap--we had to wait over a half hour. In that amount of time, Nick moved the furniture, tried to open all the drawers, pulled on the exam table paper and shredded it, listened to a story, dumped his clothes all over, and was amusing himself by spinning in circles when the doctor finally walked in. Hey, at least he can entertain himself.

The closer to naked he is, the more cheerful his mood. He especially loved pushing around the doctor's stool. Nicholas only cried for a minute when they gave him three shots. But he yelled when I tried to get him dressed. I guess clothes are worse than getting pricked, at least for him. Here are the stats:

Weight: 22 lbs., 3 ounces (22nd percentile)
Length: 29 inches (2nd percentile)
Head circumference: 45 1/2 cm. (8th percentile)

So he's short. We already knew that. He's doing better than many toddlers because he's been completely off the bottle for months now, and he can already drink out of a straw. Also, he eats anything--literally anything, and so we merely feed him healthy food and he eats it. (I know, that sounds simple, but for many kids, every bite is an argument.) The doctor was pleased at how well he sleeps--Nick goes to bed like clockwork at 8 pm. and wakes up around 7. He also usually takes two good naps during the day. I am fully aware of how much luck it takes to get a kid who both eats and sleeps well.  :)

Nick is also right on target with his gross and fine motor skills. He's a little ahead in the way he can turn the pages of books and point to the characters when asked. Nick does not, however, talk much. Besides the word "tree" at Christmas time, all other words have been temporary and prompted. Oh well, I guess all kids are ahead in some ways and behind in others. I was encouraged tonight by the way I asked him, "Do you want a story?," and he would bring me one book after another, until I had read him eleven books in a row. Usually he tires out around eight. At one point I asked him to get a particular book, and low and behold he brought it to me. Coincidence? Perhaps, but it made me feel better about him not talking.