Family Photo Shoot

I was planning on getting your 1 year old pictures done, plus the holidays coming up, so we went to Old Poway park and did a photoshoot with Vanessa. It was actually a super hot November day... go figure? Middle of November and it's 90 degrees out and it was windy, but after a little while you got used to everything and were a trooper. We got some really beautiful shots of you and all of us. Thank you so much Vanessa! Here is a sneak peak. 

This one is definitely one of my favorites, you were so mesmerized by the leaves and everything around you it was tough to make you look up, but I am so glad you finally did!

Happy Super baby!

Kisses, Kisses, and more Kisses

In your adorable Birthday dress - a gift from our friend Khanh

It's a wrap!

Ok... more pictures later!

Pushing a Walker

Vesicoureteral reflux

Here is the definition from Wikipedia:

Vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) is an abnormal movement of urine from the bladder into ureters or kidneys. Urine normally travels from the kidneys via the ureters to the bladder. In vesicoureteral reflux the direction of urine flow is reversed (retrograde).

So we've been busy going to Children's hospital for the last 2 weeks and it has been the hardest few weeks since you were born. You've been diagnosed with the above condition after we went in for an ultrasound and a VCUG test. On a scale from 1 to 5, your reflux is about a 3/4 on one side and 4 on another which is pretty severe. This of course explains why you've now had 2 UTI infections in the last 5 months. So we went to a pediatric urologist for a consult and it looks like for now you'll be put on a prophylactic dose of antibiotics and we now hope for no breakthrough UTI infections. There is a high chance that you may grow out of this condition by the age of 5 or 6, as many children do especially in the lower grade reflux. However if you still get UTIs even though you're on antibiotics, we'll have to explore the option of surgery. We are of course hoping to not have to worry about surgery since you are still so little and it would be so hard to have to put you through something like that. The VCUG test alone took a lot out of me, it was so hard to watch you cry. They had to put a catheter in so that they can insert the dye into your bladder and then take X-ray to monitor where the dye would go. You had no idea what was going on, and I am sure you were pretty scared as you had two sandbags hold your arms down and a nurse hold your legs to make sure you didn't move too much while they were taking a X-ray. I am sure that was pretty traumatic, although you recovered quickly, just as soon as I was able to pick you up. Then you fell asleep on the way home, whimpering every now and then.

Meanwhile we're just adjusting to the fact that we have to give you medicine daily. You've done very well with Keflex for the last few weeks, but we're switching the antibiotic today, and I am hoping that you will still be ok taking it... I know it would make it a lot easier on us and you.

11 Months

At 11 months you are doing all sorts of things:having 3 solid food meals a day, and now refusing your bottle at night, so only getting two 6-7 oz bottles a day and just water at night. Two days ago you pulled up to standing on your own, but it was on the bed, I haven't seen you do it on a hard surface yet. You're able to balance on your own for a few seconds before you plop back on the floor. You are pretty independent most of the time. I can leave you in your play area (aka jail) that's fenced in our living room and you are quite happy playing with your toys. In the evening time you're more restless and don't like to be left alone much. Your fun thing to do is pull up while holding our hands and then pull our hands back and forth like you're dancing. You're now pulling up to standing much easier, one second I see you sitting, and another you pulled up next to a wall.

It's taken me a while to try and do your 11 month pictures. I must say that I had the hardest time! I couldn't get you to sit still at all, I crawled after you all over the place. It was totally exhausting oh and I didn't get any good pictures either. Here is what it was like. The first shot was pretty much all I got, and then you went wild... a total trouble maker, crawling all over, pulling up, playing with the outlet... you name it, you tried it. It was a work out just to keep up with you, by the end I was totally exhausted.
It went like this:

Got you sitting still for about 2 seconds

Trying to escape already

Is that camera for me to play with?

Well if I can't play with the camera, then how about the electrical outlets?
Ok... I'll sit and pose for another second, but that's it!

A few nights ago, about 30 minutes before bed time we could not get you to settle down, you were just all over the place, we've never seen you have this much energy. So once it was time for bed, you once again refused any formula, drank some water and I put you in the crib. It took you over an hour and a half to finally calm down. You were up, then down, then talking, then playing... you were constantly messing w/the video monitor so we had to go in and fix it. It was nuts, you did not want to settled down and sleep. At least you didn't cry... It was a bit better the next night, but still took a lot longer than usual. May be your last nap is running a bit too late and you just still have too much energy at 8pm to go to bed.

Your birthday is just around the corner... I can't believe it!

Baby Talk

One week - 3 more teeth

First the two front ones showed up pretty much at the same time, and then the side one came out a few days later to even out the tooth that came early last month.  I had a big chunk of watermelon yesterday and you now bite off pieces of it and you make chewing motions as well. Toothy little munchkin.

The one thing that you do which I don't like is you've started to grind your teeth together. Mostly it's the earlier one against the two lower teeth. I am not sure how to break that terrible habit, hopefully you'll just stop. :)

While we were gone ...

A quick recap, you got 2 of your front teeth, you got sick and went to Children's hospital only to be tested and sent home, and the next day your fever got so high that you went to Children's in an ambulance... our poor little munchkin.

It seemed like the longest week of my life... I wasn't even sure if I should write about this because I bet every time I read this I will get upset...here goes...

We left you with grandma on Friday night and flew to Boston. Saturday you seemed fine, but Saturday evening you started to run a fever and were pretty much up most of the night with my mom and sister. Sunday they took you to the hospital and took a urine sample because last time you had the same symptoms, high fever, smelly urine, and very fussy. They put a catheter in and took a sample. It returned negative for a UTI and they sent you home with a virus diagnosis and gave you Motrin and Tylenol to keep the fever down. Meanwhile the sample got sent to the lab for further 24 hr testing and cultures. The next night was very tough as well. By 3pm the next day, your temperature shot up to 105 and you started shaking and Tylenol/Motrin were not working, you got to the hospital by ambulance and the doctor checked the the test which was taken a day and half ago of course showed that you indeed had a UTI. Ugh... and no one called to let us know that, they had the results before hand.

Fortunately they were able to get your temperature down and you got a shot of antibiotics before returning home. I had no idea about any of this until the evening you returned. I had a feeling something was wrong from a couple of conversations I had w/my sister and mom, but they didn't tell me about the previous day because they thought it was nothing serious and didn't want to spoil our trip, but I kept trying to call the house and it was pretty late in the evening by then and no one was picking up... until of course they got home and were able to talk to me.

The next day your fever was under control and by the evening you were off Motrin and slept through the night. The important thing is that you were ok and getting better. The upsetting thing is that if not for the negligence of Children's hospital the whole 2nd trip to the ER could have been avoided along with the scary fever which caused what they called a "seizure". I can't even imagine this, and when I do my eyes swell up in tears. Neither I or daddy were even there to comfort you and for that I feel horrible. Of course you were in great hands with my mom and sister and my dad and thank god there were there, but I can't help but feel awful. I don't think we'll be going on any more trips without you, or at least not in the near future.

Now we need to go to a follow up appointment and have an ultrasound done and possibly other tests to see what might be causing this reoccurring problem. For now you are taking antibiotics and I was also told that you will keep taking antibiotics for a while to make sure it doesn't happen again, but I'll have to find out what "a while" really means.
We are of course in hopes that it's nothing serious.

On a happier note, you're growing so much. You are starting to refuse formula, not sure if it's too early to start mixing it with whole milk. You hardly ever finish your 5 or 6 oz bottle which you only get 3 times a day. Also you've gotten pretty picky with a few things that I feed you, mostly vegetables. To get you to eat them, I disguise them with kefir/yogurt and cottage cheese which you love, sometimes you totally figure out that I am tricking you and get upset, but other times I manage to get you to finish it all.

You pull up on practically everything you possibly can, and you're getting stronger and stronger on your feet. Your 3 teeth I mentioned before have come through as well. Your hair is getting super long and you're absolutely adorable.

I cannot stop taking pictures of you, because of all the wonderful moments I want to freeze in time. You are growing so fast that I sometimes wish I could just freeze time altogether. I cannot believe you are almost a year old already!

I love hats, and babies in hats

Another silly hat, and you attempting to stand on your own

Actually it was more like falling into daddy's arms after he let go

Up and down, up and down... enough energy for all!