Picture of the Day: 4/30/12

My shirt says Heavy Metal with a picture of a Robot! YAY!

I love Socks!!

This is my new Drum.

Lovin' Lime

Picture of the Day: 4/27/12

Batman!!

Finally, an End to the Goopy Eyes

Newborns don't shed tears because their tear ducts haven't fully formed. After a couple months, their tear ducts are usually in working order but about 50% of babies have 'clogged ducts' for some period of time. Clogged ducts is the completely confusing medical jargon way of saying that the drainage part of the tear ducts, the little tubes that go from the inside bottom corner of the eye to the sinuses, haven't opened up. Usually they aren't actually clogged with something so much as the little valves that are in the duct to prevent nose stuff from coming out the eye (gross!) are stuck shut or there is a little membrane over the duct that hasn't broken open yet. Fixing the problem is as simple as just showing the valve how to open or breaking the thin membrane. About 90% of babies clogged ducts clear up within the first 12 months because they rub their own eyes. In fact, the initial 'treatment' for clogged ducts is for parents to rub the babies eye (and to squirt some breast milk in there to help prevent infection). 

Around his first month we noticed Simon had clogged ducts.  In February (~7 months) his left eye finally gave in and the ducts opened up on their own, but the right side has remained clogged. This is bad because tears and mucous normally secreted by the eye don't have a drainage path. This causes extra tearing, but in Simon the big problem is that his eyes get goopy with big eye boogers and when he's sleeping his eye gets crusted shut. It makes his little cheek chapped from the constant tears and us wiping away the goop and waking up with an eye that won't open is scary. Sometimes his eye also gets red and irritated with a little infection. 

The risk of doing nothing and leaving the duct to clear itself is that an infection could cause real damage. There is a surgery that opens the valves, it's really simple if done before 12 months. Surgery to open clogged ducts after the one year mark becomes much more complicated and the success rate drops dramatically the longer the surgery is delayed. While surgery is never really desirable, the general practice is that if the baby's ducts haven't opened on their own by 9 to 10 months they see an eye specialist with a goal of doing a surgery around the 11 month mark. That gives the eye as much time as possible to unclog on its own but still is within the high success rate of surgery under 12 month mark. For the surgery up to a year, a small wire is inserted into the tear duct to open it up. It's that simple and takes about 5 minutes tops. The only complicated thing is that the baby has to be under anesthesia. 

We have scheduled the surgery for Simon's right eye for Wednesday May 2nd. He'll be 10 and a half months old (so big!). It is an out patient surgery so we'll be home on Wednesday afternoon. We'll let you know how it all goes, but I expect it to be straightforward.

Pictures of the Day: 4/25/12

Good morning!

Did you know that I love my piano!?

My piano is so much fun!

So is my Baby Jail that Auntie C got for me.
Best part might be the door. I can open and close it!

I know this yellow thing does something important,
Just need to figure it out.

I can go in!

Rattles make fun noises and taste delicious.

I can chew my way out... wait, I'm already out..

Park fun!

Classy baby

Target lounging

Next Door Under Construction

The house to the right of ours was bought by a developer. He took possession on April 2nd and immediately tore it down. The soon-to-be new place went on the market that day with a finish/move-in date of August. (SO FAST!) It sold already and I met half of the couple that will make up our neighbors when I came home from Boston on April 5th. They are about our age and they are expecting their first child in September/October timeframe.  We'll keep you updated with pictures!

Picture of the Day: 4/16/12

At 10 months, Simon know what he wants. He is not really in the mood for 'Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb' .

Picture of the Day: 4/15/12

Tuesday playdate

Simon drug this book around with him all day yesterday at Lucy' s house!!! He loved it!!

interrupted his reading to steal her toy, haha :)

so cute!!

Easter photos!

BIG trucks!!

Easter Bunny and food poisoning

Colleen, Jenn, Simon and I went to see the Easter Bunny on Friday. Simon didn't exactly love him, as you can see. Jenn took some other pictures so hopefully there is one of him looking a little less startled. We went for Indian afterward and sadly my food got me really sick. Luckily Alan took excellent care of both me and Simon while I puked my guts out all afternoon and night ... and day and night again. Two days later and I'm still only about 75%, but not throwing up any more thank heavens. And no one else got sick, more thanks to heavens.

Colleen came by this afternoon and cooked a great and mild Easter dinner for us all, then cleaned it up too. Thank you again Colleen!

lazy food day!

Back: Spinach, tomato, corn

Middle: Red pepper, carrot, tomato, and quinoa

Front: Peas, quinoa, and cheese

YUM!!!!! :)

Playdate!

Lucy came over to play today at the house because it was supposed to rain all day but it ended up being beautiful so after some snacks and playtime we ended up at the park....swinging of course!
They even matched! :)
Happy dance!

Simon searches on the bookshelf

We used to keep video games and DVDs on the low set of shelves in the living room, but Simon had a different vision of how that shelf should be organized.  Last week we ended up moving all of the games and movies downstairs and turning the shelves completely over to him.  Here's a video from a few weeks ago of him rearranging the shelf for us before we cleared it off.

Mimicking

Simon started imitating us and initiating games!

Reflecting on 9 months

I look back on the pictures of Simon over Christmas and in the hospital and am blown away that only three short months have passed (pictures at the end of the post).  In these past three months he has started rolling over, gained a ton more control of all his motor skills, started sitting up on his own and then quickly moved to pulling himself up to a standing position. He crawls like a little racer and has started to go over/under obstacles, which is much more fun than going around even if he does 'get' that going around them is possible. He has started really understanding cause and effect and will pick up on new games (peak-a-boo, a sound (buzzing and moving fingers) then response (tickle!), and even sneaking up on him around the sides of the island) quickly. He has started to figure out the baby signs we are using and will regularly tell us that he wants 'more' when he is still hungry.  The sign is often associated with crying, but he gets that he's telling us something. He is so good natured and still very patient with us. He rarely cries unless there is a reason - he is hungry, dirty or just too tired - and if one of those things is wrong and you pick him up, he'll stop crying because he trusts you to fix it. He is very serious when exposed to new things, he spends some time quietly observing and adjusting. He loves new people, but has to spend a few minutes checking them out before he gives them his irresistible four toothed smile. Once he is comfortable his babbling starts.  Usually it is just fun noises sliding through different notes, but occasionally his chatting sounds like real words though no meaning is behind it yet we still love it. He does imitate noises which is a terrific game for everyone within hearing distance. My very favorite is growling. Give a little growl to Simon and he'll look at you, smile, then give you the most adorable mini-growl that you've ever heard.

Way more after the jump, including pictures and a height/weight chart...