We had our most recent weight check yesterday, Oct 26, and Nathaniel gained 1/2 pound last week!!! He is eating a bit more every day and drinking less of the supplement when he eats more, so it is finally a good sign that something is sticking somewhere. We are continuing the acupressure massage 1x/day, but haven't been giving him the herbal supplement. I'm just glad he is asking for food more often (sometimes as a stall tactic - my little smartypants and manipulator) and eating well again. Let's keep the weight gain up.
On the other side of things, he is still as active and busy as ever. He is constantly cleaning the house with his vacuum or duster/swiffer. He is constantly on the go whether he's playing, cleaning, or sleeping. I don't know how he has so much energy and I wish I could steal some from him about now. He eats a few bites of something and suddenly is bursting with even more energy. The best part though is that he is so curious so everything he is doing helps him learn more and more about his world and he is learning more than I could have ever expected all the time.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Week Off With My Little Man
I had the past week off work and while I did go in to so an assessment on Monday and spent good portions of Nathaniel's naps on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday doing paperwork, it was a wonderful week of time spent with my little man.
Monday we went with my mom, sister, and nephew to get my nephew's 1 month old pictures taken. Nathaniel and I spent time at the playland at Rosedale and also checked out all the chairs and couches in the "Home" section at JCPenny.
Tuesday was spent with a trip to the dentist. Nathaniel was a little scared of the moving chair and wouldn't open his mouth for Auntie Cherie (our hygenist), but did like his new toothbrush.
Wednesday was spent hanging out at home. Nathaniel is suddenly very interested in playing with little people and animals. He was busy finding places for everyone in the barn, zoo, airport, and manger scene.
Thursday we got to take the train downtown to see daddy's work. He was super shy around all the people at daddy's work, but enjoyed walking around downtown, seeing the farmer's market, eating lunch at the restaurant, and riding on the train.
Friday we took Oma and Opa to the carpet store to pick out new carpet for their hallway and stairs. We also visited with Grandma Betts.
The week just seems like a blur now. Saturday was fun because we were all home together for a while. Nathaniel went with daddy to Trader Joe's to get new pumpkins since the squirrels ate the ones we got from the pumpkin patch. They brought home some flowers for me as well :)
Nathaniel had his first experience digging the guts out of the pumpkins and mommy and daddy carved them out. Can you tell we have a 2 year old in our house? He was excited to see them with the candles in and the lights out. He got to spent the evening and night at Grandma and Grandpa Betts's house while mommy and daddy went to the Stars Championship Game (the first leg at least). He must have had fun because he didn't want us to come this morning to get him.
One busy week and only time to blog once. Yikes I am busy. One last picture for the week of our little man wearing his "band" (headband) at Grandma and Papa's house. Papa showed him the headband when we was diggging through the drawer for brushes and combs the other day.
Monday we went with my mom, sister, and nephew to get my nephew's 1 month old pictures taken. Nathaniel and I spent time at the playland at Rosedale and also checked out all the chairs and couches in the "Home" section at JCPenny.
Tuesday was spent with a trip to the dentist. Nathaniel was a little scared of the moving chair and wouldn't open his mouth for Auntie Cherie (our hygenist), but did like his new toothbrush.
Wednesday was spent hanging out at home. Nathaniel is suddenly very interested in playing with little people and animals. He was busy finding places for everyone in the barn, zoo, airport, and manger scene.
Thursday we got to take the train downtown to see daddy's work. He was super shy around all the people at daddy's work, but enjoyed walking around downtown, seeing the farmer's market, eating lunch at the restaurant, and riding on the train.
Friday we took Oma and Opa to the carpet store to pick out new carpet for their hallway and stairs. We also visited with Grandma Betts.
The week just seems like a blur now. Saturday was fun because we were all home together for a while. Nathaniel went with daddy to Trader Joe's to get new pumpkins since the squirrels ate the ones we got from the pumpkin patch. They brought home some flowers for me as well :)
Nathaniel had his first experience digging the guts out of the pumpkins and mommy and daddy carved them out. Can you tell we have a 2 year old in our house? He was excited to see them with the candles in and the lights out. He got to spent the evening and night at Grandma and Grandpa Betts's house while mommy and daddy went to the Stars Championship Game (the first leg at least). He must have had fun because he didn't want us to come this morning to get him.
One busy week and only time to blog once. Yikes I am busy. One last picture for the week of our little man wearing his "band" (headband) at Grandma and Papa's house. Papa showed him the headband when we was diggging through the drawer for brushes and combs the other day.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Weigh-Ins and Feeding Clinic
We've been having weekly "weigh-ins" since Nathaniel's second birthday, basically. He's been weighed all too often for a child so young. He thankfully knows the drill. Check in, wait to be called back by "one of the ladies" (usually purusing Car and Driver or Motortrend Magazine while we wait), walk back to the scale, take shoes and jacket off, step on the scale and wait for a reaction, step off, put shoes and jacket back on, go get a sticker, and then leave for Oma and Opa's house for the day. For me it's the anxiety of will he have gained, lost, or stayed the same, always hoping it is anything other than weight loss.
This week he was back up 4 ounces - hooray. Then we went to feeding clinic this morning and he was down 1/2 pound on their scale from yesterday. There is so much variability from scale to scale and week to week apparently. No wonder I feel nuts.
Feeding clinic went well this morning. He ate for the "ladies". He was his normal self. His low facial tone was evident and we have some strength things to work on (which I was aware of) and his sensory aversions are not major. It felt validating to know that we're doing a good job and on the right track. On an even better note today Nathaniel ate really well all day, asked for snacks several times, and showed none of the toddler behaviors we have been dealing with at meals today.
Let's just hope the next couple of months continue in this positive direction with a weight curve of about the 3rd percentile.
On a semi-related note, how can one gain weight when you are as active as he is all the time. His newest activity choice is vacuuming. He cleans everything up (which is usually a lot of toys) and then proceeds to vacuum our entire first floor. My busy cleaning bee.
This week he was back up 4 ounces - hooray. Then we went to feeding clinic this morning and he was down 1/2 pound on their scale from yesterday. There is so much variability from scale to scale and week to week apparently. No wonder I feel nuts.
Feeding clinic went well this morning. He ate for the "ladies". He was his normal self. His low facial tone was evident and we have some strength things to work on (which I was aware of) and his sensory aversions are not major. It felt validating to know that we're doing a good job and on the right track. On an even better note today Nathaniel ate really well all day, asked for snacks several times, and showed none of the toddler behaviors we have been dealing with at meals today.
Let's just hope the next couple of months continue in this positive direction with a weight curve of about the 3rd percentile.
On a semi-related note, how can one gain weight when you are as active as he is all the time. His newest activity choice is vacuuming. He cleans everything up (which is usually a lot of toys) and then proceeds to vacuum our entire first floor. My busy cleaning bee.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
His Father's Son
I am the first to admit that Nathaniel gets a lot of his traits/personality/etc from me, but Thursday was another sign he may be more of his father's son. Nathaniel just turned 2 years, 3 months old and Thursday for the first time he didn't nap at all. Anthony has told me that he stopped napping at an early age. I really hope that this is not a sign that naps will stop soon. He appears to still need them, so I would hate to have him give them up so early.
A few other things that Nathaniel has been up to lately that remind me of his dad include:
- Constantly being on the go. The other day my grandfather said that he must have run back and forth from the kitchen to the living room "checking out the road" 50 times in the morning alone.
- Love of all "things that go". He loves cars, trucks, trains, tractors, daddy's transformers, etc. I hear Anthony had the same loves as a child.
- Memory for facts that others don't often know. Anthony's misc fact knowledge is much more misc than Nathaniel's at this point, however Nathaniel knows and remembers things that Anthony and I aren't often aware of in the environment.
- They are both total sensory seekers. Anthony seeks movement and oral input. Nathaniel also seeks movement and some oral input, but he also seeks tactile (touch) input. On the flip side of that Nathaniel has sensory aversions to a few things, which he gets more from me.
I am frequently annoyed by some of their sensory seeking behaviors. However, I work on making our daily routines a "sensory diet" for both of them in various ways. Some days they are probably grateful and happy to have me as their wife and mom, while on others they probably wish they could do their own thing without me getting in their way. Last weekend we went to the apple orchard and pumpkin patch. It was daddy's idea. They both enjoyed it and while allergies got in the way for all of us, we didn't really notice because it was the perfect mix for all 3 of our unique sets of sensory needs.
A few other things that Nathaniel has been up to lately that remind me of his dad include:
- Constantly being on the go. The other day my grandfather said that he must have run back and forth from the kitchen to the living room "checking out the road" 50 times in the morning alone.
- Love of all "things that go". He loves cars, trucks, trains, tractors, daddy's transformers, etc. I hear Anthony had the same loves as a child.
- Memory for facts that others don't often know. Anthony's misc fact knowledge is much more misc than Nathaniel's at this point, however Nathaniel knows and remembers things that Anthony and I aren't often aware of in the environment.
- They are both total sensory seekers. Anthony seeks movement and oral input. Nathaniel also seeks movement and some oral input, but he also seeks tactile (touch) input. On the flip side of that Nathaniel has sensory aversions to a few things, which he gets more from me.
I am frequently annoyed by some of their sensory seeking behaviors. However, I work on making our daily routines a "sensory diet" for both of them in various ways. Some days they are probably grateful and happy to have me as their wife and mom, while on others they probably wish they could do their own thing without me getting in their way. Last weekend we went to the apple orchard and pumpkin patch. It was daddy's idea. They both enjoyed it and while allergies got in the way for all of us, we didn't really notice because it was the perfect mix for all 3 of our unique sets of sensory needs.
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| Nathaniel and the pumkin he picked |
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| Peeking out from the train |
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| Busy driving the train |
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| Enjoying the "bumpy ride" through the orchard on the tractor trailor |
Sunday, October 2, 2011
No G-Tube Yet :)
I haven't posted in a while. Work is consuming my time. But good news needs to be posted.
Nathaniel was up 12 ounces 2 weeks ago, another 4 ounces last week, and another 4 ounces yesterday. He is almost up to his end of the NG tube feeding weight and at the 3rd percentile. We have gotten the green light to keep up what we are doing and monitor his weight weekly and go back to the GI in another 2 months.
Nathaniel is doing well otherwise. His development is changing all the time. He drinks his higher calorie boost supplement, continues to love his vegetables and fruits, and is tolerating his new herbal supplement drops three times a day. I also get to stop being the OT in a couple weeks when we go to the feeding clinic for an evaluation. One of my former colleagues will be assisting in conducting his evaluation, so I know he will be in good hands. I don't know what new ideas will come our way, but I will be happy to have someone else directing his "therapy". Let's hope the weight gain continues and our 2 month check-up keeps him at at least the 3rd percentile with steady gain and developmental gain and no tube yet again.
Here's a picture of our little man in the spotlight dressing up for the photo booth at Anthony's cousin Ryan's wedding a couple weeks ago.
Nathaniel was up 12 ounces 2 weeks ago, another 4 ounces last week, and another 4 ounces yesterday. He is almost up to his end of the NG tube feeding weight and at the 3rd percentile. We have gotten the green light to keep up what we are doing and monitor his weight weekly and go back to the GI in another 2 months.
Nathaniel is doing well otherwise. His development is changing all the time. He drinks his higher calorie boost supplement, continues to love his vegetables and fruits, and is tolerating his new herbal supplement drops three times a day. I also get to stop being the OT in a couple weeks when we go to the feeding clinic for an evaluation. One of my former colleagues will be assisting in conducting his evaluation, so I know he will be in good hands. I don't know what new ideas will come our way, but I will be happy to have someone else directing his "therapy". Let's hope the weight gain continues and our 2 month check-up keeps him at at least the 3rd percentile with steady gain and developmental gain and no tube yet again.
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