Niall's 4-month update

Niall is four months old!

He:

- weighs 13lbs 14 oz (15%) with an 85% head!

- still has dimples and cute big, gray eyes

- he is a good breastfeeder; he will take 3-4 oz of breastmilk at a time via bottles when I'm at work, and nurses every 1-2 hours when I'm home (currently at least 3 times at night). He still spits up with most feeds. We're going to try to introduce peanut powder/snacks to him in the next month or so, due to having a sibling with a peanut allergy (with evidence that early, as in at four months, introduction to peanut products may reduce the incidence of an allergy).

- is watched at home by Kelvin's mom while we're at work

- is in cloth diapers during the day and size two Pampers at night; blow-outs are a frequent occurrence in this house.

- wears 3- and 3-6-month clothes.

- is almost rolling. We've seen him make it to his side, but he doesn't love tummy time either. 

- sits up with assist and loves being carried around facing the world.

- likes (and sleeps well during) stroller walks.

- transitioned to the crib (in our room) this week for naps and nighttime. He was sleeping in a bedside bassinet, but (now unswaddled) was waking himself up with hitting the side mirror and was majorly sleep regressing from his 3-month glorious schedule, sometimes waking 4 or more times and taking an hour to go back to sleep in the middle of the night (:(). He generally goes to bed around 8 p.m. (wearing a sleep gown and sleep sack) and wakes somewhere between 11:30 p.m. and 1 a.m. to nurse briefly, and then usually again at 3 or 4 (I try to avoid feeding him then) and again sometimes between 5-6  a.m. (then back to sleep until 6:30 or 7).  I feel like I don't sleep after about 1 a.m. and am usually up for the day at 5 a.m., which is not very sustainable (the good sleep was SO  good while it lasted!).   We are hoping he goes back to the 5- or 6-hour stretch with one (or fewer subsequent) wakings soon. We're not sure how sleep training with a rooming-in child goes (I need some better earplugs!), but we're determined to do it sometime between 6-9 months if he isn't naturally sleeping well on his own by then. We're also hoping to move Niall into Iver's room at some point, but can't see that working if one (or both) aren't sleeping through the night.

- he naps usually for 30-60 minutes midmorning, 1-2 hours midday, and about 30 minutes around 5:30 or so p.m., but sometimes all naps are cat-naps in the 30-40-minute range

- loves his hands and sucks or chews on them constantly and has copious drool (but no teeth). He uses the pacifier occasionally for sleep but not during the day.

- loves getting his diaper changed and staring at the safari mobile above the changing station

- he likes to look at bright objects, Sophie the giraffe, the ceiling fan, and Iver's froggie blanket

- smiles, laughs, and squeals with glee especially when papa dances with him and when big brother talks to him

 Here is what Iver was doing at 4 months.

Here are some recent pictures of our smiley, growing boy (big brother Iver often insists on being in the photos, too)!

sporting a cute outfit from Kenn/Lisa

outfit change!

 

"standing!"

Playmat fun

tummy time

 

 almost ready for the high chair!

Brotherly love

McKinleyville library

The "Rocket brothers in bed" series

Giving little bro his shots!

Happy four months, Niall!

AnnIVERsary

Yesterday, Monday, June 11th was Katherine (my very special sister-in-law) and Eddie's second wedding anniversary.  We celebrated their wedding with them in 2016, when Iver, then 18 months old, got to be a ring bearer.

 

Iver (their nephew and godson) wanted to wish them a happy day-- check out the video!

And check out his not-bad-for-age-three writing (he's very into scrap paper!), where he noticed that his name can be found within the word Anniversary!

Happy AnnIVERsary to a special couple!

Playing the Doggie Doc

When you belong to a two-family-doctor household, you think you have special medical powers and can even treat your dog. Sometimes this is a nail, and sometimes it's a fail. Thankfully, Pepper is a very healthy dog, which we attribute in part to never feeding her anything other than dry high-quality dog food and keeping to a pretty good routine, so we rarely have to take her to the vet for a sick visit.

When she joined our family at a little over a year old, not yet spayed (and in fact, on her period!) and soon after she had her hysterectomy, I removed her sutures at home.

When she seemed tachypneic one day, I tried to listen to her lungs with my stethoscope (which was not particularly helpful for diagnosis) but figured that she'd have appear more sick if she really had pneumonia.  She got better.

When her floppy ears started to get a bit smelly, we googled shih-tzu dog ear infections and felt comfortable preparing our own homemade ear concoctions including a topical steroid, anti-yeast azole and antibiotic ointment (and a maintenance flushing solution with vinegar). When we learned that pulling ear hair can help prevent ear canal infections, we borrowed some work hemostats to pluck it at home. (Of note, I have not and will never milk anal glands).

When once, a few years ago, she became rigid, incontinent and a bit dazed, we suspected that she'd had a generalized seizure, but because the post-ictal state didn't last long and it never recurred (and she was a young dog), we didn't take her in because we figured there was not much to be done (we did call the emergency vet line for advice, though!).

When she had what appeared to be doggie eczema, we treated with topical steroids (but ultimately had to take her in for worsening symptoms that required some oral canine prednisone).

I remembered that my dad once tried to treat one of our dog's arthritic condition with an ibuprofen, which caused severe gastrointestinal upset, so while Pepper hasn't really hasn't ever seemed particularly in pain to where an NSAID would even be a consideration, at least I know not to use human Motrin on our dog!

I take her in for regular annual checkups in the fall and keep up to date with the recommended vaccines and stool tests, but occasionally I'm one of *those* doggie parents that declines routine bloodwork (i.e. chem panels and I skipped heartworm last year) as she's an asymptomatic and relatively young (well, now middle-aged at eight) pup and lab tests are expensive (does anyone get pet insurance or think it's worth it?)! We brush her teeth at home because we don't feel it's particularly cost effective to spend $500 for a cleaning under anesthesia, which my parents also are convinced contributed to the decline/death of one of their dogs.

I had scheduled a veterinary appointment for today as Pep's scaly elbows/eczema didn't seem to be improving on twice daily topical ointment, as well as because her left ear seemed particularly stinky despite our ear drops. However, additionally, yesterday she had frequency of urination three times on her midday walk, and had had an indoor accident on Sunday when we were returning from out of town (which we had just attributed to the stress of our house- and dog-sitter, Kelly, having just left and her feeling like she'd been abandoned, not knowing if/when we'd return). I immediately was trying to figure out if she had a doggie UTI.

So, on Wednesday, I found myself googling the best ways to collect a urinalysis in dogs! I read about cystocentesis, where a sterile needle and syringe are used to obtain a sample from the bladder through the abdominal wall (like a suprapubic catheterization in humans); alternatively, the bladder can be catheterized through the urethra like we sometimes do in (preferably anesthetized) humans. These seemed way too invasive for our little 13-pound pup, so I thought I would attempt a midstream urine catch.

I wasn't very confident I'd be successful in my endeavor; however, during her lunchtime walk, I held a sterile urine container under her stream when she squatted (not even getting my hands wet! Yes!) and then later brought it to the vet's office, where, when I disclosed what I'd done, the front desk staff informed me that they generally use a soup ladle! Genius!).

All in all, one long hour and $250 later, Pepper was diagnosed with a bacterial ear canal infection for which she will need twice daily antibacterial drops for two weeks, and we were given an antibiotic foam to use if her skin/eczema appears super inflamed or infected (to reduce the frequency of chronic steroids).

But as for the urine (the collection of which I was so proud!)? The vet ended up doing a point-of-care bedside ultrasound to rule out stones (which apparently are common in this breed), and did in fact perform a cystocentesis because she felt my collection was not going to be uncontaminated enough. There didn't appear to be evidence of a UTI or bladder stones (good news).  But it appears and I was a bit peeved, frankly, that I stuck my hand under my dog's urine stream for no good reason (but it was my own fault for trying to play doctor, I guess).

We like vets. Vets are better than family doctors than treating dogs. But I do appreciate having basic medical knowledge, and I'm pretty sure we'll try to continue preliminary home treatments in the future.

The loss of a mother

 

When a healthy young woman dies unexpectedly hours after childbirth, it shocks and shakes obstetric care doctors, midwives, nurses, staff, family members, patients, new parents, and a whole community, as it surely has ours.  Please remember that carrying and delivering a child can be extremely dangerous, and while participating in deliveries generally brings all much joy, there are also many tears as we witness and endure some sad (but, thankfully, rare) outcomes of babies (and moms) that sometimes don't make it.  If you have the means, please consider donating to this young woman Coral's memorial and baby's fund so that her fiance, Eli (an unexpected single father), and their healthy newborn daughter, who will never have the opportunity to know the loving and strong mother who carried and delivered her before leaving this world, can know some financial security after this very sudden and devastating loss. Please pray for Coral's family and her new baby, and hold your loved ones very close today.

Vichy Springs

To break up the 6-hour return drive from Pleasanton, we decided to check out  Vichy Springs Resort in Ukiah on our way home on Sunday.

We'd passed the signs for this historic and famed resort (which dates from 1854 and was a favorite spot for Jack London) numerous times on our drives on the highway 101 but never found a good time to stop for a visit (we were either trying to make good travel time or had our dog Pepper with us); now, we realize a stop midway on our trip is good for all of us (especially the kids).

The naturally carbonated, alkaline, and warm (supposedly 90-degree although, on a warm summer day, it did not feel quite that warm) water is almost identical, chemically, to that in Vichy, France, and soaking in the tubs is supposed to help the skin and rheumatologic system (and consuming the water is supposedly also healthful, although we didn't try it).

There are outdoor (which were continuously occupied by other guests) and indoor coffin-like mineral water "tubs" for soaking and floating.  There is also a 104-degree outdoor Jacuzzi and a seasonally open outdoor Olympic-sized swimming pool (which felt frigid in comparison!), along with hiking trails and spa services.

Iver, a big fan of "hot pools," really enjoyed the warm tubs! He noticed the tiny bubbles and asked, "Why is your skin sparkly?!"

He was also very preoccupied with getting the bugs out of the large pool.

Niall chilled in the shade

We most definitely coordinated these "supermen" outfits!

While I'm not sure I need to go back to these particular springs to re-experience the warm-ish water, it was a great place to stop on a summer day (before we got back to 60-degree McKinleyville). The biggest win was that both kiddos fell asleep in the car for nearly the rest of the ~170 miles home and there was no screaming!