New Sounds

Alex has been making many new sounds recently. He can make a "pffft" sound blowing through his lips. He says a lot of "bah" "uh" "boo" "aboo" "ca" "du" (etc.) plus two and three syllable combinations. He also knows his own name well and will look when someone says his name.

Today, Alex visited his friends Gabe and Charlie, two other babies around his age. He had a good time and was probably a bit jealous of Gabe's great toys.

Alex's menu has expanded to pretty much all the traditional baby foods. Yesterday, he was enjoying some pureed broccoli. We then gave him bananas to try for the first time. Below is his surprising reaction (he did not like the bananas).

Avocado & Playdoh

Today Alex played with playdoh for the 1st time. His teacher made it and the babies loved feeling the unique texture. Alex liked to put it in his mouth. Alex also tried avocado for the 1st time. We aren't sure if he liked it. So far, the only food he really likes is sweet potato and the only one he might not really like is squash. He is definitely having teething pain again, unfortunately.

Alex had a doctor appointment today to check up on his breathing. Everything looks good. His weight was only 15 lb 13.5oz but we're sure he'll gain back what he lost quickly. He had 2 dinners tonight already.

Recovered?

Alex seems nearly fully recovered from the RSV virus. He has a slight wheeze when he breathes, but that seems to be it. Dad had a holiday yesterday so he stayed home with Alex. They visited the doctor in the morning. Alex had dropped from 16 lbs., 9 oz., last Tuesday to 16 lbs., 0 oz. on Monday morning. But, the doctor said he looks like he is doing well otherwise.

On Monday, Alex restarted solid food after over a week. He was up to about half of his milk volume. On Tuesday, Alex seemed to be feeling nearly 100% better. He went in for a full day of school and everyone was glad to see him back. He had both solid foods and a full volume of milk. At night, he played with Dad and Mom and ate more solids.

On Monday and Tuesday, he was very very happy and laughing a lot. His laugh has changed over the last few days (probably longer, he was not laughing much in the hospital). We tried to get it on video, but did not quite get it. We will try again soon. Here is the attempt.

Still Getting Better

Alex's first 24 hours back at home from the hospital were tough. His threw-up the last bottle he took in the hospital and he had no interest in milk at home. He was very tired and did not move very much. By Saturday afternoon, he was very dehydrated and lethargic again. He would not let a bottle get close to his lips. Mom packed him up in his carseat with the door open all ready to go back to the hospital. Mom tried one more bottle with Alex in the carseat. He took the bottle, maybe guessing that he was going back to the hospital otherwise.

He took a few more bottles Saturday and only threw-up one of them. So far on Sunday, he has held down all his food and has a little more energy and interest in his toys. He has also started smiling at Mom and Dad again. On Friday, the doctors estimated another week for a full recovery and that seems like the pace he is on.

Back Home

Alex came home this afternoon! His breathing is better. He isn't eating much yet, but enough that it was safe to come home. They think it'll be another week til he's back to full strength, so we'll take it easy until then. Like most sick people, Alex is enjoying naps, watching TV, and being waited on by Mom and Dad. We're very happy to have him home.

Jan. 14-18, Bronchiolitis and the Hospital

Alex had a fever of 102.4 F last Sunday. He stayed home from school sick on Monday. By Tuesday, he was working very hard to breath, he was refusing milk (since Sunday), and he was very dehydrated. Mom and Dad took him to see his doctor early Tuesday His doctor recommended that he check in to the hospital to at least get some fluids and some more tests done.

The hospital (Valley Medical Center) gave him a saline IV on Tuesday and he started feeling a little better. They diagnosed him with 'bronchiolitis' caused by the RSV Virus with a positive test for RSV. Below is some information about bronchiolitis.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/bronchiolitis/DS00481

Since Tuesday, Alex has been in a hospital bed on a blood oxygen saturation monitor and with an IV for fluids. He has never needed supplemental oxygen, but he is on the monitor just in case. He is awake more than normal because of his bad cough and because breathing is so much work. His fever subsided on Wed. Wed. and Thurs. he has started to take milk again, but not full amounts yet. He almost went home tonight (Thursday), but we decided to err on the side of caution and spend one more night in the hospital. Mom has stayed with him every single night on a little cot next to his bed (Dad stayed the first night in the hospital). As of Thursday night, he is still working hard to breath and is still wheezing a little bit. We expect he will be coming home on Friday and back to normal in a few more days.

Alex has been a real trooper through his sickness. The hospital is a scary and frustrating place for a 7-month-old with strangers coming in to poke and prod him every few hours, but he has taken it in stride. We hope to have better news tomorrow.

January 12

The last few days, Alex has been sitting up on his own, he ate broccoli for the first time, and he has been in a very happy mood in general. He likes to play with his new toys from Christmas. He did errands with Dad and Mom around town today and he gave many strangers big smiles to brighten their day.

Full Menu

Alex has quickly expanded to a full menu of baby foods with no signs of allergies. He has now had squash, sweet potatoes, apples, carrots, oatmeal, and rice. Peas and rice cereal with bananas are scheduled for this weekend. He has not shown a clear favorite so far. All the foods seem to be his favorite. He is very excited at meal time and he is upset when the food runs out.

His teachers say that he is doing great at school. He loves finger painting, playing with toys, going outside on walks, and watching the older babies who are already crawling. He is very observant and almost always cheerful and social.

New Bath and More New Foods!

Alex graduated from the newborn tub to the inflatable tub today. He really enjoyed playing with his bath toys and he mostly sat up on his own with only a few catches from mom. He also went swimming today at the Bellevue Club. The pool was very crowded and Alex was fascinated by the other kids and all the splashing. He likes to be pulled on his belly and he does some kicking at the same time. He's not as keen on his back. Alex also had a quick visit from Grandma and Grandpa Felton as they dropped off his Christmas gifts. And he tried apple for the first time. He had it mixed with carrot and he loved it. He seems to love all foods and only gets upset when they're all gone.

New Foods!

Until Friday, Alex had only eaten milk and rice cereal. On Friday, Alex had oatmeal for babies as well as rice cereal. Today, Alex had his first vegetables. He had two servings of fresh carrots that Mom made for him. His appetite has been enormous the last few days and he has been waking up at night again wanting more food. Maybe he is going through another growth spurt.

Back Into A Groove

Alex has settled back into a routine since getting back to Seattle. He is back to going to school every day, eating rice cereal and playing at night. His teachers at school were amazed at how much he grew over the break. He got promoted from crib sleeping to mat sleeping at school. He has been doing a lot more tummy time. Mom and Dad have their first "parent/teacher" conference scheduled for next week.

Alex has started teething. He likes to suck on frozen mini-bagels and his toys to relieve the pain. No teeth yet.

Christmas (part 2) in the desert

After Minneapolis, Alex visited Grandma & Grandpa Felton and Uncle John & Aunt Ann in La Quinta. He was happy to see the sun and happy to see John and Ann again. He also likes playing with the presents.

He also enjoyed playing tennis with Grandpa.

And he liked watching football with Dad.

And he liked hanging out in his cute new jeans.

We also visited our friends Kelly, Darren, and Wyatt. It was fun to catch up with them, see their new house, and see what a 2 year old is like. Unfortunately we didn't take any pictures.