We Have a New Skill!!!

Clapping!!! Full claps twice today. HURRAY! Very exciting. Will try to get video of it soon.

We went to the eye doctor today...

To have Rogan's eyes and vision checked. When Rogan looks at someone through the very top of his eyes they don't look up parallel. And this had me concerned. People think it's hilarious and part of his personality, and yes, some of it is. But the more I looked, I noticed the asymmetry more and more. He doesn't do this often, and he does it usually when prompted to, kinda a monkey-see monkey-do situation. But better to check than worry. Good news, his vision is great, his hand eye coordination is great, and he moves his eyes great straight ahead, side to side, and down. There did seem to be a slight difference in muscle strength when he looked up. Enough to pull one eye up higher than the other. So that kinda sucks, it wasn't my imagination. But the good news is that it seemed very minor, doesn't need any treatment, and will not cause and noticeable loss of vision. It may go away with time, it might be something he always has, but I'm glad it's nothing serious.

we'll go back in 6 months for a follow up, but I will definitely sleep easier now that know what it is. That's the news for now. Night all.

Update:

Doc yesterday recommended alternating between motrin and tylenol, and to use motrin for high fevers. So we gave Rogan motrin for the first time last night around midnight, and it broke his fever! When he woke up this morning he was totally normal. hurray! He slept last night from 4:45pm - 6:20am, WOW. I got him up for 30 mins at 7pm for a diaper change and bottle (which he wasn't too thrilled about). He woke up at midnight (prolly hungry) and needed more meds. Then I accidently woke him up at 5:20 when I got up... I went in to check on him... whoops. But thankfully he went back to sleep.

So he's back at daycare today. Hurray!!! Fingers crossed for a healthy boy for a while.

OH! and today he is 11 months old! countdown to his birthday!!

Yep... Sick again.

Poor boy cant catch a break. He had a fever yesterday afternoon, around 101. I was getting frustrated since he's been sick so often lately, so Ryan stayed home with him this morning and called the nurse, who agreed we should come in. I thought his ear infection returned, wrong. Ears are clear. He has a cold, but his lungs are fine. His throat is red, which explains why he grabs at it, but nothing worth needing antibiotics. They said if he still has a fever after 72 hours to call back, and until then just push fluids and Tylenol or motrin. So now it's just wait and see until Thursday. If he's not better we will go back.

His fever is under control with meds, and he's been drinking juice and formula like a champ. He ate breakfast for Ryan, and some late lunch/early dinner for me. But this is the first time in his life he's been lethargic. He didn't want to play or even crawl, just wanted to snuggle. Today he played a little more, but still very snuggly.

Hoping the fever breaks tonight, he's been sleeping a ton, I know his body needs it.

But as much as it is an inconvenience for Rogan to be sick, I'm truly grateful he is as healthy as he is. I read another family's blog, the father swam with ryan at siu, their son was born 12 weeks early, and at 5 months old is still battling his 3rd round of bacterial meningitis. The woman who writes that blog posts frequently and is very open, and my heart goes out to them, and then I say a prayer in my mind for their child and thanking God for my healthy happy boy. Not everyone gets this pleasure. Not everyone gets to hold their child at 3am and rock him back to sleep, or crawl all over the house chasing each other on a sick day instead of crunching numbers at work. As I write this Rogan is sleeping, the heat is up in the house for him so I'm sweating, and there is spit up on my shirt from his bedtime bottlle... I wouldn't have it any other way.

A Few Pics of our Sick Days:

Sometimes lounging on dad, having a bottle, is the best place ever.

STATIC!!! Proof his hair is growing, I guess.

I know the angle is off here, but notice that he's taking steps and only being supported by one arm. This was a new skill for this day, so he grew tired of it fast and got fussy, but he did it!

OUR NEW COFFEE MAKER!!

Friends and co-workers have raved about this little machine. I saw it in action and loved it... it's a Keurig Coffee Maker for anyone who's curious. It brews your choice of 2, 4, 6, 8, or 12oz of coffee or tea in about 60 seconds. Perfect for a mom who's always hurrying to get out the door in the morning.

Stomach Bug: Day 2

Last night going to bed Ryan mentioned he wasn't feeling well. He was right. He probably got up at least once an hour throughout the night. He says it's the worst night he's ever had. Rogan seemed good this morning, but I kept him home cause I needed proof he was back to normal... Poop wise... Gross I know, but turns out he was still off, so he still had the virus, and sall 3 of us stayed home.

Rogan did throw up today, once around 11. He hadn't thrown up in over 24 hours, was keeping applesauce, rice, and yogurt down, so I let him have a corn puff and a bite of vegetable baby food... And that didn't go well. Whoops. Sorry baby, too soon. For the rest of the day we stuck to what we knew worked, and we were good. He had good naps (he always sleeps great after a bath, which he got after he puked) and he drank pedialite and played with me all day. He still didn't want to snuggle much... He wants to play. But he was in a better mood and veery giggly we had a great time. If he's no worse tomorrow morning he's going to go to day care. I think it's run it's course.

Ryan slept until 8 or so, then migrated to the basement, where he stayed until a little after 1. He lived off of gatorade most of the day and slept. He needed it. He also was running a 101 degree fever this afternoon. Some Tylenol and another nap and it was down to mid-99s tonight and ate some soup. He's going to stay home again tomorrow. This hit him hard, he hasn't been sick like this in 15 years, so he's not too pleased.

As for me, I'm doing ok. Yesterday was worse than today, cause Rogan was worse and we had to travel to the doc in the middle of the day. Yesterday I felt so defeated by the end of it. Rogan would throw up, he would be screaming at me while I'm stripping him down in the sink. I'd get him bathed, dried, changed... Only for it to come out the other end the minute we were finished. And regardless of how icky he feels, he will NOT sit still for a diaper change. So I am wrestling my baby (and losing) tying to get a diaper on him and get him redressed. I get this accomplished and then he's off... Crawling toward the kitchen... NOO!!! It's still a hazardous waste area. And since he won't let me away from him, I do what I can with 1 arm and barricade him away from the area as bet I can. Luckily then he takes a nap. So nice. I then get to properly clean the throw up zone, get his (our) soiled stuff into the washer, take out the last round of previously soiled stuff out of the drier to be folded and fall on my awesome oversized couch with Bella until he wakes up.

I really am going to work tomorrow. Need to catch up, I'm very lucky to work at a firm that understands illness, and they had no problem with me being out. But I want to get back to it. I have things to do. So I'm showered, in bed, alarm set for 5am... Hope to be out the door by 5:30. 'night.

Rogan Sick Again

Yep. The ear infection is gone, but now a nasty stomach virus came to play. He started throwing up yesterday afternoon, and couldn't keep anything down. He's basically been a dirty mess for the past 24 hours. I feel so bad for him. He's definitely not feeling well. He's sleeping very lightly and is really fussy when he's awake. I was able to get some pedialite and bananas in him this afternoon so hopefully that turns things around.

Taking care of a sick crawler is no joke! I feel like i worked my butt off today. I'm up to my neck with laundry, he's gone through 6 outfits and pjs, 2 changes of bedding, and lots of towels from all the baths.

I hear all these stories of moms staying home with their kids and snuggling and watching movies all day... Not my kid. Despite his ickiness, he still insisted in climbing, crawling, playing, exploring... Why can't we just sit and read a book? So I chased him all over the house... Paper towels in one hand and a cup of pedialite in the other. Whew!

I did what I could to work from home today. Consequence is I have to go in super early tomorrow. But I'm glad I was able to be there for Rogan when he needed me. I should go to bed early tonight....

Quite a Day

Note: Ryan was ice fishing this weekend with his college buds... Another post will be devoted to his endevours this weekend.

6:35am: first sounds from Rogan's room. THIS WAS AWESOME. Considering he typically starts waking between 5:30 and 5:45... I loved this extra time asleep. Now time for morning bottle.

Then morning playtime and breakfast! Played all over the house, upstairs, downstairs, crawling, walking (with help), dancing.

8am... getting a little sleepy... put down for a nap.

8:45am... he falls asleep. 45 minutes of rolling around talking, laughing, whining, but not crying.

9:15am... wakes up. WHY! 30 minutes?? that's it? c'mon. and now he's grouchy. ugh. wanted to go to the Children's Museum this morning before lunch, guess not. We'll go on a coffee run and to Target instead to test him, cause if he's a mess at least I can leave Target without being mad I just paid money to get into the Museum.

11am... home from Target, he did fine, a little bit more playing, afternoon bottle, and lunch.

12pm... nap. he's totally sleepy. we go in his room, turn out the lights, turn on music, head instantly on shoulder, ready for a nap. he still takes about 20 minutes to fall asleep. argh.

1:15pm... up again! he slept almost an hour. alright, he seems rested and happy, I'll take it. off to the museum we go!

1:45pm - 3:15pm Dupage Children's Museum. It was a lot of fun. Most of it is designed for 3+ kids, but there are 3 areas for toddlers and babies. Rogan had a lot of fun. A few kids stole his toys, he didn't seem to mind. He crawled OVER a few kids, they didn't seem to mind. I think we'll be going back there before his birthday at least.

3:45pm... home, snack and water, time for a nap... PLEASE. I want one too!

4:45pm... up, hungry. FEED ME MOMMY!! dinner time for Rogan.

5:15pm - 6pm... Evening playing. This is part of our everyday routine. I pick him up from daycare, we come home, have dinner, then run around the house playing until Ryan gets home or bedtime.

6:15pm... rubbing our eyes. Ack! too early! Stay up til 7?? please? No. The tired whine (it's very high pitched) commences, and he wants nothing to do with his toys. time for bedtime bottle. he's not interested, just wants to sleep.

6:30pm... out like a light.

WHEW! so that's it. for anyone who's curious about life Rogan. Now time for me to go clean... when we're home all day the house gets so much dirtier than during the week when we both work and Rogan is at daycare! Hopefully it takes 30 minutes or so to get things organized... then maybe an on demand movie.

Pics from the museum:

New Family Room...

Our family room is small. Well it's not that it's small, it's that our fireplace takes up a wall, and I foolishly gave into the fad and got oversized furniture when I moved into the apartment on my own. (But let it be known I LOVE the couch. It's big, it's comfy, it's the perfect napping place for Bella and I the past almost 5 years, and thanks Mom for the graduation gift.) So, back to the family room...

It's where we spend most of our time. A lot of Rogan's toys are there, the tv, it's where I fold laundry, relax, keep an eye on dinner, etc. But with Rogan and his toys there just wasn't enough space the way it was. (sorry I don't have a BEFORE picture... but a lot of you have been in our house, so you know). So with a little furniture re-arranging, and a few new items: a wall lamp, new white storage cubbies for Rogan with toddler friendly cloth cabinets, and a very small end table it looks like a new room. YAY!!


As you can see... Bella helped throughout this process. If only I could teach her to hand me the screwdriver! This picture is a prime example of the purpose of this room... on the couch are Rogan's clean clothes waiting to be folded.

More basketball...

Rogan does a happy dance when the music comes on.


Cheering with the crowd!!

Sick Day

Ryan took the morning off from work, then I came home from work at lunch, and we switched places. Despite having a fever, Rogan is doing very well. As long as I'm right there with him he's perfectly content. But lookout if I go get a tissue, a drink, or anywhere that is more than 3 feet away from him. You'd think his world was over. (It's really cute). We've had a good time, so I thought I would try to get video of his new favorite activities: playing basketball, and pushing his walker (ryan calls it mowing the yard).

Sick Day

Sick little boy

Rogan and I made our first trip to immediate care today. He woke up this afternoon with a 100+ fever, and I saw him tug at his ear a few times, so a little tylenol and off we went. He was great at the clinic, he let the doc look in his ears and listen to his chest. And he sat in my lap and we read books while we waited. His fever was down to 99 but he does have the beginnings of an ear infection in the left ear. So we have 5 days of antibiotics with Tylenol for the next 36 hours for pain relief. Poor guy. He was feeling so icky tonight. I'm pretty sure he will wake up in the night, but that's fine. We will go rock and sleep in the chair like we did when he was only weeks old.

I also asked the doctor about "the look" his gives people. He puts his head down and looks at you through the top of his eyes. He did it while we were there so she saw what i was talking about. She didn't seem too concerned about it, but mentioned getting his eyes checked. He doesn't do it all the time, and he's more than capable of seeing little food bits and picking them up to eat. He ate white mozzarella cheese off his white tray with no problem. But I would rather get him checked out to be safe. I am going to call his pediatrician tomorrow to let him know about todays appt, they will probably want to see him in a week or so, so whenever we go in next i'll ask about a pediatric eye dr in the area.

Here's hoping for a quiet night, and that Rogan gets the rest he needs.

Rogan NoNo... YAY!!

That's what we say around here now... A lot. Rogan is into everything now. And most of me is thrilled. He's a normal curious little boy who wants to see and do everything possible. But things like electrical cords under the computer desk, mom and dad's piping hot food, the trash, and of course the stairs, he gets told no, followed by us trying to entice him with one of his toys. Most of the time it works... Sometimes he gets upset he can't do what he wants... Sigh. Ryan took him to run a few errands this afternoon. Bella and i had a nap on the couch like old times, it was great. The house was quiet. I need to thank ryan again for today, he was awesome with cleaning and errands and rogan.

The other thing we say a lot now is YAY!!! Since he's learning new things everyday we definitely praise him often. He's great at feeding himself YAY!! He's starting to let go of furniture for a second or two and stand on his own YAY!!! He is still trying to clap, but doesn't get his hands together so he looks like he's flapping wings, but still YAY!!! And when he falls down and looks to us, to hold off tears we clap and say YAY!!! So he's not scared. Most recently I've noticed he knows buttons DO something. And he purposefully pushes them to see what happens. Rather than before, where he would hit every toy he has and randomly he was bound to hit a button for light or sound. It's really fun to watch. Of course, this makes him even more interested in the tv remote... But that's fine, Im getting very accustomed to watching the on demand menu... Sometimes on mute, sometimes full blast. :)

Going to bed early tonight. Ryan's downstairs playing xbox, i'm surfing channels and websites. Hopefully we can get to the early church service tomorrow. Rogan usually likes to nap during that time, but maybe we can push it. Regardless, we will enjoy another mellow day at home.

HELLO 2011!!

Pictures will be uploaded later, but a quick note now that 2011 is here. The three of us had a BUSY holiday, and we learned 2 things this past week:
1) we have the best, most well mannered, laid back, smiley son ever.

Rogan was AWESOME! We left Tuesday night, slept Tuesday night in St Louis at Ryan's mom's, Wednesday we were off to Kansas City, Thursday back to Ryan's mom's, Friday Ryan and I celebrated NYE downtown without Rogan, and Saturday night we stayed at Ryan's dad's. So if you're keeping track Ryan and I never stayed any one place for more than one night at a time. And Rogan stayed 2 nights in a row at Cheryl's, but the second was without US. And he was wonderful. He didn't mind the car (thanks to special agent oso episodes and games with either ryan or me), being passed around and playing at different houses were no big deal. his naps were off, his meals were off... but he had a smile the whole time (with the exception of a few naps where he was mad we were laying him down when people were having fun elsewhere). I really could not have asked for him to behave any better.

2) we need a bigger car to support trips like that
oh little nissan murano... you just aren't big enough. packing for the 3 of us for FIVE days is a lot of stuff anyways. Rogan alone requires 8 outfits and 8 pj's (in case of accidents), a portable crib, bedding, his nightime stuffed animals, nightime CD and player, bottles, formula, jarred baby food, applesauce, yogurt, juice, sippy cups, spoons, bibs, rags, DIAPERS, wipes, rash cream, and toys. the list goes on and on!! so much stuff for such a (not so) little person!! Then Ryan and I pack was essentials we needed, (Ryan was awesome, I still overpacked as always). And with that the trunk was 75% full. Throught the next 5 days, with 3 separate bouts of present opening, Rogan got some VERY COOL presents (we did too), and somehow we made them all fit in our car. but barely. Ryan said we aren't doing that again until we get a Navigator or an Expedition... which is a long time from now. haha.

So now the car is back to normal, and Toys R Us has thrown-up all over our family room, and all of our suitcases are waiting by the laundry room to be washed. That will be tackled tonight.