CRACK!

It's been awhile since I posted about B-Boy going to see one of his favorite doctors... and so I made sure to snap some pictures so that the update would be more interesting for you!

B-Boy went back to see Dr. Crack. It had been a while, so he wasn’t very happy to be there. Fortunately, Dr. Crack has two kids of her own, and knew just what to do to help him relax. She said “Hey B-Boy, do you still like Elmo?”

B-Boy paused in his crying to consider what she said.

“Let’s see if we can find Elmo on the computer.”, she said.

He then seemed to forget that he was upset, walked over to her desk and said “Elmo computer?”.

She then found an episode on YouTube of Elmo with the New York Jets. He watched from her lap, totally oblivious to the fact that she was manipulating his neck.

Elmo!!!

That tickles!

Oh look, Elmo is playing FOOTBALL!

After she adjusted him, we told him he would watch more the next time. He wasn’t too happy to leave Elmo before it ended… but he was fine when I said “Let’s go!”.

The next time we went to see her, B-Boy didn’t waste ANY time… he ran right over to her desk and said “Elmo Computer!”. It was slightly embarrassing when he started banging on her keyboard… but she didn’t miss a beat.

“Let’s see if we can find you an Elmo”… and she did. The adjustment went quickly and without tears.

We are so lucky to have a doctor who gets him!

18 month check-up

It's official. B-Boy is 18 months old. Tell me, where did the time go?

This milestone also meant that it was time to go for the 18 month check-up. You might remember that we have been struggling with B-Boy's food... not quite sure what has caused his digestive issues. He has been off dairy for a few weeks once again, and since he really hadn't had a solid soiled diaper since our trip to Florida in December, I demanded that the doctor do some more advanced testing.

This meant two blood draws (once from his finger, and once from his arm). He did really well with the arm one, I was so proud. He cried but did not fight or squirm. It was really hard for me to hold him through that, but we both did really well. We decided to forgo any shots at this appointment, since he had just had those draws, so B-Boy was pretty happy during this visit.

We got the results during the 18 month appointment. Turns out, there were no issues with dairy! (Which now means B-Boy can have cheese again! YAY! It's been a challenge feeding him side dishes without using cheese. You try it for a week, you will see what I mean!)

All the things we thought might be an issue were not. Dairy was fine. Wheat was fine. Corn was fine. There may be a slight issue with eggs, so we will have to keep an eye on those. We still don't have a firm answer on what is going on with him, but we have an appointment with the pediatric gastroenterologist at Duke in mid-May, so I hope to have more information soon.

Ok, enough of the yucky stuff. Now for the fun parts.

We filled out a lot of paperwork, answering lots of questions about what B-Boy is doing right now. One question was does he say 8 or more words other than Mama and Dadda? I wrote them down and was surprised the answer is YES!

His words: Up, Cereal, Kitty, Kitty Cat, Shoes, Bye-Bye, Bubble, Ball, Quack, All Done and GA!

One of the questions that the doctor liked my answer to was "Do you understand what your child communicates to you?" My response?

B-Boy is in full on babble mode. He is definitely trying to tell us something! He will repeat the same cadence of babble to you, sometimes stopping and looking you in the eye as he repeats it to be sure you get what he is telling you. He then may start a different sounding babble with someone else. But when he repeats himself a few times, the cadence (sound) is always the same with each repeat. He clearly is trying to tell us something, and knows EXACTLY what that is, even if we don't.

And now the part you have been waiting for... Weight and height! B-Boy is still off the chart with height, coming in at 35 and a half inches long! (Can you believe he is almost 3 feet tall????)

They weighed him with his diaper and clothes on because he was so upset. (I think he was expecting to be given another shot!) He weighed in at 28 pounds and 7 ounces. Personally, I think he is closer to 35 pounds!

B-Boy finished the visit in good spirits as the doctor had him take of his shoes and chase a red ball in the hallway. She wanted to watch him walk and run to see if there was anything to be concerned about. B-Boy had fun doing that, and fortunately, there were no issues to cause concern.

All in all, things are good!

1 Year Check Up

B-Boy went back to the doctor for his one year checkup. He had to get two more shots for immunizations and he also got his first flu shot. Since it was his first he has to go back for one more in a month. He did really well with getting them, and bounced back pretty quickly.

He also got his ears and eyes checked- all the fun poky stuff that doctors like to do.

Where are you going to put that?

Um, Dad? Why is Mommy documenting this with a photo?

Cuz that's what she does son. Get used to it.

B-Boy is right where he should be developmentally. YAY! The doctor says we should not be concerned that he doesn't say much verbally, since he is growing like a weed, and is obviously developing in other ways. His vocabulary at this point is made up of

• Kitty
• Kitty Cat
• Dada (although we don't think he gets that it means Daddy yet)
• Nu-uh
• Uh-oh

Oh yeah, he gets uh-oh means something fell, but doesn't get that it means it is unintentional. Why do I say that? Because he will stand in his crib, look at me and say Uh-Oh... and then throw his paci onto the floor below. Nice.

But back to the doctor's appointment. I know you are wondering what his stats are now, and so without further delay- here they are.

He was 27 pounds and 33 inches long.

Yep, you read that right. Is it no wonder that he is wearing 2T (and sometimes 3T) shirts and size 18 month pants and shorts? Baby boy is a healthy boy, who is way too tall for our own good. Child proofing continues on a rapid pace!

B-Boy's six month checkup

B-Boy went to the doctor again on Wednesday. But not because he was sick... it was time for his six month checkup!

He got weighed and measured. He is 20.2 pounds and 28.5 inches long! I think he would have been heavier, but he was eating half of what he had been while he was sick... Incidentally, he is much better now!

Neb played with him while we waited to be seen. He was trying to see if B-Boy would be interested in a small object, and if he would try to pick it up. It is a milestone skill and was on the evaluation we needed to fill out. And guess what? He can! It was really cute to watch!

Hey Mom, look at me sitting up!

Oh, you have pincher thingies too!

He got 2 of his 4 shots and 1 liquid vaccination. He wasn't happy but after a quick bottle and snuggle, life was good again!

Who are you? Who, who... Who who?

Rock week continues in the B-Boy shirt department. In honor of the great halftime show at the Superbowl, B-Boy sported a cute The Who shirt yesterday. Neb couldn't resist playing with him, and B-Boy ended up in a fit of giggles. We videoed some of it, and I'll be sure to share it soon.

Look, I'm FLYING Daddy!

Yeah, you should hide your daughters...

Also, B-Boy went back to the chiropracter yesterday. She was amazed at how BIG he was (she hadn't seen him for two weeks). She showed me how he is losing some of the baby reflexes now that he is growing up. Babies have several reflexes that they are born with, like flailing arms, a fencing position refex, keeping thier hands in fists, and a few more. She showed me how he does not have the first two... he still does the fists, but it won't be long before that reflex is gone. This is a nice milestone to celebrate, especially the flailing arms... because that can keep him up at night. We currently swaddle him to prevent that, but he is a wiggle worm, and doesn't stay in it long. Since this reflex is waning, we might survive removing the swaddling soon, when we have no choice.

She did some pressure work on his sinuses on his face, and B-Boy would not stop smiling... almost as if saying "Ahhhh, FINALLY someone is giving me some relief!" He looked so content and funny that I HAD to take a photo. He looked like he was wearing a mask made of fingers... of course, he stopped smiling as soon as I whipped out the camera. :) Typical B-Boy, who started smiling as soon as the camera was put away.

And then he once again burst into giggles with the doctor! Me, I get nothing. She and Neb, giggle heaven.

Oh well, at least I get the BEST baby snuggles EVER. He loves his Mama holding him.