3 Months Old...and LOTS more!

WARNING:  This post will be even longer than my usual (long-ish) posts.

Let's start where my last post left off...Monday morning after the Saints won the Superbowl (!!!), David Scott and I both woke up with stuffy noses.  Mine went away after a few days; he still has his, but it's getting better every day.  The daycare apparently has an annual cookie sale fundraiser where all the kids sell cookie to help raise money for new toys, fun days, etc. for the daycare.  We love his teachers and the daycare itself, so of course we're doing our best to solicit sales.  If any of my faithful readers want info on the cookies, we only have about a week left to submit orders, so let me know if you want more details.  With a salesman like this, who could resist???

By Friday, the weather had turned bad down here in Baton Rouge, so schools got cancelled, which means daycare was closed, which means that Mama stayed home with David Scott for the day.  On Saturday, we went to have DS' 3-month pictures taken.  It was a disaster.  He was cranky, whining, crying.  I tried everything to get him to cooperate -- not that there's much that you can do with a 3-month old -- even fed him the emergency formula bottle that I keep in the diaper bag for instances such as that when I haven't prepped a bottle for him in advance.  For the record, I didn't think he'd need or want it since he still had two hours til he ate again.  Anyway, we got enough good pictures in the first outfit, got him changed to Outfit #2, when all of a sudden -- ERP! -- yep, he spit up all over it.  At this point, he's resumed the crying again and is in Major Meltdown Mode.  He was done.  Over it.  We made plans to come back on Fat Tuesday when I was off work so that we could try to get more pics in oufits 2 and 3.  This time I would bring in the  reinforcements:  Scotty.  If I had to go through the stress of pictures, so did he.  Mimi arrived later on in the afternoon on Saturday.  She was so happy to see her "little dumpling," and I know David Scott was happy to see her, although he still seemed to be a little cranky.  While we were visiting, we realized that the baby had not pooped since Wednesday.  Hmmm...  Mimi and Uncle Lee kept DS while his Daddy and I went out for a nice Valentine's Day dinner at Sullivan's.  Yummy. Mimi left on Sunday and DS and I lounged around the house while the other boys played golf.  It was great, but still no poop.  I was starting to get concerned about this lack of excrement.  Tuesday morning, I called the doctor's office b/c he still had not "gone."  They gave me a few "home remedies" to try to get his bowels moving.  Nothing.  We went for Round 2 of David Scott's 3-month photos.  He did great and having his daddy there was such a big help.  Still no poop.  On Wednesday, we went to the doctor.  His normal pediatrician wasn't in, so we saw another one in the practice.  Dr. Schwartzenberg checked him out and determined that there wasn't a problem, there just wasn't much there for him to poop out.  His body was absorbing everything that was going in which made sense b/c I thought DS was going through a growth spurt and Dr. S confirmed it.  Whew!  He also said that the baby still had a little cold (duh) and that he should be over it soon.  We're still doing the breathing treatments from his RSV diagnosis and will probably keep doing them for another couple of weeks.  So today, David Scott finally went #2.  As I type this sentence, Daddy is changing his third dirty diaper of the evening.  Today was a very big day -- He finally had a Code Brown after 8 days of nothing, he turned 3 months old, and his future girlfriend was born (!).  Before I get to his stats, I'd like to tell you about little Stella Grace Holloway.  She is the daughter of one of my very best friends, Betsey and her husband Everett.  Just before 1 p.m. all 8 lbs, 15 oz (!!!) of Stella Grace entered the world.  Mama and baby are doing well.

Now, David Scott -- today you are 3 months old!  You are doing so many new things.  It seems like you're mastering some new skill every day.  Here are your stats:

• 12 lbs., 4 oz
• 23 1/4 inches long
• You are wearing Size 1 diapers, but will be wearing Size 2 as soon as we finish off the remaining 1s
• In the last week or so you've started sucking on your  hand.  I showed you how to do your thumb (hitch-hiker-style) so you could suck on it rather than trying to fit your entire fist inside your mouth.  This morning, I saw you sucking on your thumb all by itself as we were on our morning commute to work/daycare.
• You are rolling over more and more from your belly to your back.  You can roll to either side and love to kick your feet once you're on your back. 
• You are holding your head up all the time.  Really.  100%.
• When you're on your belly, you can prop up and hold yourself so steadily.  You're so strong.
• You are becoming more verbal and continue to "talk" to those who speak to you.  You do the same with your beautiful smiles.  You just melt my heart every time I look at you.
• Your big eyes are still BLUE!  And gorgeous doesn't even begin to describe them.
• You're eating about every 3 1/2 to 4 hours each day and taking 2 7 oz bottles while you're at daycare.
• You usually sleep about 3 hours or so during the day, usually comprised of a couple of cat naps and a longer nap during the afternoon. At night you've slept through til 5 a.m. a couple of times; however, most nights you wake up about 2:30 and then again when I get up at 5:45. However, for the last week or so, you've been getting up twice a night -- around 1 a.m. and then again around 4 a.m. I'm hoping this recent development is a result of your growth spurt and not a new sleep trend.

Daddy and I are loving every day with you. We pass you back and forth taking turns holding you and playing with you from the moment we get home from work until we go to bed. You're such a little sweetheart and seeing your smiling face can make the worst of days seem like nothing. "Family" is so important to both Daddy and me; we are so blessed to have you in ours. We are both better people as a result of your having been born.

Love, Mama

Who Dat!?!

They did it!  The Saints are Superbowl Champions!  David  Scott experienced his very first Superbowl.  And what a game it was!  The days leading up to the game were quite surreal.  Everywhere we went, EVERYONE was wearing black and gold.  David Scott's daycare even had Black and Gold Day the Friday before the Superbowl:

Obviously, David Scott was not happy with having to take a picture so early in the morning.  He got over it quickly. 

We had a few friends (and family -- Lee) over for the big game.  A good time was had by all and at the end of the night, all the  boys toasted a stellar season and David Scott, the good luck charm.  :)

David Scott remained in the spirit of celebration by also sporting his Saints attire on Who Dat Monday:

(That's Ms. Katie, one of his teachers, in the background.)

We almost have enough Saints outfits to clothe him for a week!

Anyway, besides preparing for the big game, not much else has been going on around here.  We did go back to the doctor last Tuesday for a follow-up for the previously diagnosed RSV.  David Scott made much improvement and wasn't wheezing at all anymore.  Dr. K said we could cut back on the number of days we were doing the breathing machine, so we did 3 times a day for several more days, then cut it down to twice a day for a few days.  However, DS started getting a stuffy nose again during the night on Sunday (but so did his daddy and me), and then when I went to get him from daycare yesterday (Wednesday), they said he'd coughed some and they'd hear him wheeze a little.  Ugh!  Back to doing the breathing treatments 3 times a day.  But they didn't hear him wheezing today, and his coughing was less and his nose sounded better, so obviously the breathing treatments are working.  I figure we'll  be completely through with the machine in 2 or 3 more weeks.  Of course, that assumes that this weather doesn't keep on being warm one day and cold the next which I know is a huge assumption to make since this is Louisiana.

We got to see Papa D (David) on Friday night as he was in town for a class/test, so he stayed with us. And on Saturday, we're going to get David Scott's 3-month (!) pictures made.  I hope he cooperates with the photographer and she gets some great pictures.  Also, Mimi is coming down on Saturday to watch DS for the night.  She said it's so that Scotty and I can go out to eat for Valentine's Day; but I know better than that -- she wants some quality David Scott time!   We don't go back to the doctor (fingers crossed) until David Scott is 4 months old.  I'll do a recap of what he's doing these days next week on his actual 3-month birthday.

First Illness...

Our little man is sick.  It started out simple enough -- nasal congestion towards the end of last week.  But then on Sunday, David Scott developed a cough.  Sniffles, we could handle; it was the cough that had us concerned.  So, off we went to the doctor first thing Monday morning.  Diagnosis:  Common Cold.  However, Dr. K told me to watch for fever, wheezing, or a general escalation of his current symptoms.  With RSV going around our daycare, she said things could quickly get worse.  She prescribed Albuterol by mouth to help with DS' cough.  So on to daycare we went.  Then, Tuesday morning (like 5 a.m.), DS had a fever over 101.  Because of the fever, I knew that he couldn't go to daycare; we were concerned that perhaps he was getting RSV.  So, back to the doctor we went; his temperature was back to normal, but he was still sick.  Diagnosis:  An Ear Infection in his left ear.  Dr. K put him on Amoxicillin (the yummy pink medicine we all took as kids) and we went back home to snuggle:

Now, we're up to two visits and two prescriptions in two days.  Not the way I wanted to begin my second week of returning to work and DS in daycare -- especially since you still have to pay for it even if they're not there. 

Wednesday morning, we got going, and after giving David Scott his two medicines, and literally 10 minutes before we usually walk out the door, he puked.  All over our bed, where I'd set him so that I could finish getting dressed -- I was trying to avoid him spitting the pink medicine all over me.  What foresight.  Fabulous.  Throw-up on my baby and throw-up on my bed.  I quickly changed him and took the comforter off the bed and threw it in the washer.  Note to self:  If this happens again, take the time to look at the tag to see if the garment is Dry Clean Only.  Don't just throw it in the washer or the colors will bleed together and ruin the duvet cover that you love so much.  Love, Me.  Anyway, Dr. K warned me that the meds, mixed with his phlegm/stomach juices, could cause him to vomit.  And since the fever (long gone) seemed to be related to the ear infection, and I could explain the up-chucking, on to daycare we went. This was the first day that David Scott did not get a "good" or "great" report.  He was very fussy, coughed a lot, had started wheezing, and just an hour before I picked him up, my little lovebug projectile vomited.  Phenominal. I made a mental note to call the doctor first thing in the morning.  Scotty and I closely monitored Sir Wheeze A Lot, and continued giving him the medicines prescribed earlier in the week.  As we were going to bed last night, I had DS laying on my chest for really close monitoring of the wheezing and breathing.  He coughed, spit up a little, and just as I had gotten us both up out of the bed, puked.  All.  Over.  Both.  Of.  Us.  So now he's covered in vomit and crying; I'm covered in vomit and want to cry.  The only good thing about this was that there was no vomit on the carpet or on the bed -- just on our clothes which we promptly changed. 

We went to see Dr. K first thing this morning (3rd visit in 4 days).  As I was explaining about the wheezing, the vomiting, the "liquid gold" dirty diapers (4 in two hours at daycare yesterday), and the fact that just this morning, he didn't seem as interested in eating, the diagnosis that we'd been trying to avoid was finally handed down to us:  RSV.  David Scott rec'd two breathing treatments at the dr's office AND he got a shot of antibiotic since something was disagreeing with it in his tummy. Although he still wasn't running any fever, Dr. K thought it would be best for him to be out of daycare today and tomorrow.  We have to do breathing treatments every 4 hours through tomorrow when we're able to resume the antibiotic by mouth.  Then, on Saturday, we can start doing them every 6 hours through Tuesday, which is when we'll go back to the doctor for a follow-up.  Here's DS doing his first treatment at home:

You can see how much he enjoys it.  (Insert sarcastic look here.)

Dr. K said he may sleep more since he can breathe better after each treatment.  So here he is, elevated and loving his paci (yes, that's a monkey on the end of it).  If he's not running any fever and his breathing is better, Dr. K said David Scott can go back to daycare on Monday.  Although the littlest (that looks funny spelled out) Rainwater has been in pretty good spirits all week, last night and this morning, he has been fussy.  After getting the breathing treatments and the shot earlier in the day, his sweet disposition and sweet pink cheeks have returned.  We're keeping our fingers crossed and saying a little prayer for a quick recovery and a good, unexpectedly long weekend. 

Conversation with David Scott...

Me:  David Scott, do you think the Saints are gonna win today?

DS:  Hmmm...let me think about it...

DS:  Mama, of course we're gonna win.  Geaux Saints!

2 Months Old!

David Scott,
I cannot believe that you are already 2 months old. I'm sure this won't be the last time I say that.  Well, not the 2 months old part, but you understand.  As your Aunt Boo pointed out in her blog, time is flying by. 

Baby Boy, you are currently:

• 11 pounds
• 21 inches long
• Wearing a Size 1 diaper
• Smiling back at anyone who smiles at you almost every single time.  Love it!!!
• Cooing/"talking" to us
• Reaching at/holding on to things
• Holding your head up all the time; your head control gets better every day.
• Following us pretty consistently with your eyes.  This morning, you discovered Lola.  I can't wait to watch this relationship unfold!
• Letting us (read: me) get about 5 hours of (uninterrupted, glorious, much-needed) sleep each night before you wake up about 3:30 a.m. to eat again. 
• Taking a bath nightly and loving it
• Eating about every 3.5 - 4 hours throughout the day

Here's your "official" 2-month photo:

And yes, Scotty pointed out to me after I was ready to post this that I had the year wrong.  I've waited a few days to post this in the hopes of finding the time to stage some more photos with the correct date.  No such luck.  :)

And another that we just happened to catch:

It looks like you were trying to say, "Who" as in "Who Dat?"  At some point, once I have a few more funny-face pictures, I'll do a blog post with funny faces and captions.  We'll save that for one day when I have nothing to really write about but still want to write a post.

We had a huge milestone on your two-month birthday:  Daycare.  Monday was your first full/official day at daycare.  It also marked my first day back at work.  I cannot lie, as I was getting ready to leave you with Ms. Nora (your "teacher"), I started tearing up.  And although I really, really wanted to just pack you back up and go back home and pretend that you weren't growing up too fast, I knew that it wouldn't be fair to any of us if I did that.  I thought about you all day long, but I resisted calling and checking on you.  Why?  I knew if I could make it through the first day without hounding the daycare, things would be fine.  And they were.  I made an appointment to go by a client's office at the end of the work day, so I was able to pick you up a few minutes early.  When I arrived in your "classroom," Ms. Nora told me how well you'd done.  You didn't take much of a nap at any point during the day, but you also didn't cry all day long either.  Furthermore, she also told me that you smiled often and were very vocal.  I know that they probably can't say "advanced for his age," but I know that's what she meant.  :)   

Because you did so well on Day 1, I didn't shed any tears when I dropped you off on Day 2.  Our decision to send you to daycare was affirmed when I picked you up at the end of the day.  Your teachers told me that you'd had a great day and were such a happy boy.  Yay!  I think you're going to be a social butterfly and enjoy being around lots of people as you seem to have transitioned well to the daycare scene.  Daddy and I fall more and more in love with you with every day that passes.  You are such a cool little dude and we are so lucky to call you our son.

Love,
Mama

Dr's Visit and Such...

David Scott had his 2-month pediatrician's visit earlier today.  Despite getting 4 shots -- 3 with needles and one vaccine orally, he did great.  Our little guy only cried when they poked him and for a minute or two afterward. 

Dr. K said DS was great.  I'll include his stats in my official 2-month old recap on the 18th.  Here's David Scott lying on the table at the doctor's office looking at himself in the mirror:

I've figured out that I can put DS in his "boppy" pillow in the bathroom while I get ready every day.  This is a huge improvement from just laying him down in his cradle (or just on the bathroom mat alone) and listening to him cry while I'm in the shower.  And since I'll be going back to work next Monday, this solution came just in the nick of time.  Most of the time, he's on the floor looking around at me and at other stuff in our bathroom.  However, if he gets fussy while I'm doing my make-up, I will put him on the counter in the boppy.  Don't worry -- I'm right there practically on top of him while I do my make-up.

You'll note the genuine smile happening in this picture.  While this wasn't his first smile, I thought it was a cute pic.  His first smile happened at our early morning feeding on New Year's Eve when I smiled at my baby boy just like I had been doing every day.  This time, though, he smiled back at me!  I couldn't believe it.  It took me several more times smiling at him and have him smile back at me before I truly believed it was a real smile and not just gas.  But as you can see in the picture above, you can see it on his whole face, so...not gas!

Stay tuned for another update next Monday to recap my first day back at work/DS' first day at daycare AND his 2-month old recap. 

Christmas

Shocker -- I'm a little late in posting this.  Oh well.  We had a wonderful Christmas and hope you did too.  David Scott received way too many gifts, but who am I to deny him educational toys and gifts given from the heart.  I think it's pretty common for new parents to skimp on gifts for baby's first Christmas -- they don't know the difference anyway, right?!?  So I was rolling along, pre-Christmas, with zero gifts for my firstborn child.  Scotty, in starting David Scott off on the right foot financially, found an LSU football-shaped piggy bank, and that's the only present we had for our child as of December 23rd.  Don't get me wrong, we know that Christmas is about the little baby born in a manger many, many years ago and not about the presents we give and receive.  However, as the day wore on, and after much nudging from my baby daddy, I went to the store and purchased a few more small gifts for our child -- a hooded towel, plastic car keys (a must-have toy for kids), a rattle thingy, and a set of rubber frog bath toys. And although we didn't leave out any cookies and milk for Santa, he still stopped by and left a few things for DS -- pajamas, a mirror for his crib (to help with vision development), a mirror for my car so that he and I can look at one another, and another rattle thingy (to help with hand-eye coordination).  Oh looky here, it's one of Santa's elves sacked out after a long Christmas Day:

We spent the week surrounding Christmas in North LA traveling between Scotty's family in Monroe and my family in Ruston/Winnsboro.  David Scott adapted well to being in a variety of environments with different people and family passing him back and forth.  Scotty and I both have traditions with our families that we don't want to break away from.  My family has always spent several hours around lunchime on Christmas Eve down at Sue Sue's house; she raised all three of us Anders children, so she and her family are like family to us.  We traditionally have a semi-formal-ish (eating on our fine china) Christmas Day lunch with my family (this year it was at my sister's house).  Scotty's family has always had a fun get together Christmas Eve evening, which in recent years, has been at his mom's house.  On Christmas morning, the Wrights/Rainwaters have always had a pancake breakfast.  Food and fellowship -- why would we want to give up the opportunity to do either of these things!  So this year, it got me thinking about what traditions Scotty and I could start with our own children now that we have little David Scott.  For the forseeable future, we intend on continuing Christmas in North LA, but at some point, I'm sure we'll begin having our own Christmas at our own home.  The first year we were married, Scotty and I went to a Christmas tree farm near our house.  That was fun, but the thrill was kind of lost with it just being the two of us.  So for the last three Christmases, we've gotten our trees from Lowe's or Home Depot.  I think, however, that we will bring back the Christmas tree farm experience next year and let that be our little tradition for "our" family.  What Christmas traditions do you have?  My mom lamented this year that she wished we'd been taking an annual family Christmas pic.  So this year, we set the timer and captured DS' first Christmas in a picture, family style:

We also took several photos with Scotty's family, but I haven't received those yet from my mother-in-law.  I'll post those asap.  And, yes, my child IS making an awful face in the family photo.  However, I thought it would be hilarious to look back at these pics and see the look on his face.  PLUS, how do you get a newborn to smile at precisely the right moment when the photo is being taken with a timer...

Finally, David Scott is 6 weeks old today.  He's getting stronger and bigger with each day that passes.  We are thoroughly enjoying every day we spend with our little boy.  Here's a picture I took earlier today.  Enjoy!