Repeat X-rays

I took Brian back to his pediatrician this morning because his limping has not improved. His pediatrician ordered repeat x-rays just to be sure and the x-rays showed a fracture of Brian's distal tibia. We are scheduled to see the pediatric orthopedist on Friday morning. I am not sure what they are going to do for him, but I will find out on Friday. I will update once I know what the Orthopedist decides to do.

Current Events

No change on the limping issue. I called the doctor again today and she wants me to wait through the weekend and call her on Monday if he is still limping. I took matters into my own hands and took Brian to an Osteopathic Manipulation Doctor and had him take a look at him. He couldn't find much wrong, but fixed what was out of place. Hopefully it help with Brian's healing. I wish I knew what was wrong with him.

On another note, Brian FINALLY has some more teeth. He got his first two teeth about 3 months ago and then nothing. In the past two days he has busted 2 more through the top of his mouth with 2 more on the way. He has been quite miserable between his leg, his teeth, and the little allergy/sinus attack he's having (runny/snotty nose, throat drainage, and congestion). I think it's allergies because they have showed up two night ago - the same night we started sleeping with the windows open since its cooler outside. I think I have gotten up at least once every night since last Friday to rock him for 5 or 10 minutes to go back to sleep. He's just so miserable. I hate it.

We have an exciting weekend planned and I can't wait. Tomorrow we are going to go hang out with Brian's Nana and Papa and go to Nana's hospital's pediatric fair. Jason and I are hoping to maybe go see a movie sans Brian in the afternoon. Then Sunday we are going to go to Boo at the Zoo which I am totally excited about. Brian has never been to the zoo before and he is learning his animal sounds. He knows: elephant, dog, cow, duck (which he confuses a lot with dog I guess cause they sound a lot alike), lion, chicken, horse, and a few others. If he doesn't know what a particular animal makes he usually just says 'moo'. It's cute. We are working on frog, cat, and buzz for bugs. I'm excited to see how much he loves the animals. It's going to be a great family event. I will try and post pictures asap.


On a side note - to those of you who got Brian something for his birthday - I have ordered the Thank You cards and you should be getting them early next month. Sorry it has taken so long. It is worth the wait (the cards are AWESOME! - I am SO excited).

Gimpy Toddler

So on Friday evening I noticed Brian was walking with a slight limp. He has been walking now for almost 3 months and the limp is a new development. At first I just chalked it up to him being so sleepy. I also didn't think much of it because he hadn't fallen recently and there was no swelling, no redness, and no bruising. Fast forward to Monday - he is still limping. Monday evening he was limping pretty badly. Badly enough for Jason to make a comment about it (which kind of freaked me out). So the doctor in me started moving all his joints and comparing legs and what not (stuff doctors do). Again, there was no bruising, no redness, no swelling. There was no difference between the two legs and all joints seemed to move freely and to the same degree on both sides. There was nothing in his feet, no cuts, no scrapes, no blisters. But he was still limping. Now toddlers don't just limp for no reason. As I started watching him closer it became apparent that he was favoring crawling over walking (something he hasn't done since he learned to walk), and he was asking to be carried a lot more often than usual. He was also fussier than normal and would whine while he was walking. Something was definitely wrong. I started doing some research online and came across something called a "toddler's fracture". Basically, its a low impact fracture that can happen if a toddler falls and twist their leg while falling. (Go here if you want more information on a "toddler's fracture".) Jason and I talked it over. I really wanted to take him to the doctor (mostly for peace of mind). Jason wanted to wait a few more days and said he didn't want me turn into an over-reactive mom. I agreed and told him I would wait. The next morning (Tuesday) I changed my mind and made an appointment at the doctor's office (after asking Jason). The doctor sent us to get x-rays and then we waited. I just heard back from the doctor and all the x-rays are negative. Good thing and bad thing. It's good because he most likely doesn't have a fracture, but it's a bad thing because we still don't know what is wrong with him. Right now we are treating him with ibuprofen. The doctor said that if he hasn't improved at all by tomorrow afternoon I have to take him back in. There is still a small chance of a toddler's fracture (sometime they take up to a week to show up on x-ray), but it's unlikely. I just wish I knew what was wrong so I could try and help him. I have lost a lot of sleep in the past few days worrying about him. I will let you know if anything changes.

Pictures at the Park

Saturday evening we went to the park to let Brian roam around and play. Here are a few pictures.

Static electricity!

"I can do it!"

"A tire swing mom!"

He's just so big!

The best part - the slide!

All the pictures for your viewing pleasure.

Brian's First Haircut

So on Saturday we took Brian to get his first haircut. I didn't want to get it cut and wasn't ready to see all those cute curls go, but I couldn't win the fight with Jason any longer. He didn't want Brian to look girly and thought that he was reaching that point (especially with all the curls).

We took him to the barber that has been cutting Jason's hair since he was a baby. From the very get go Brian was weary of the whole situation. Even while we were in the lobby awaiting our turn Brian was uncharacteristically snuggly and clingy. As soon as we sat him in the chair the tears started and they didn't stop until he was firmly in my arms again. He cried his poor little head off the whole entire time.

I felt bad for the haircutter cause he seemed a little stressed and I know he was rushing to try and get done. Brian did sit still the whole time, he just also cried the whole time. The haircutter (Sabino) was very patient and did as good as could be expected for the situation.

I wasn't so sad to see the curls gone because he is still cute as a button, but the finished product turned out pretty awful in my opinion. The front is totally uneven and there are some chucks out of the top and back. Its look terrible, but it will grow out and it doesn't bother me enough to make Brian go through the stress/trauma again so soon. Here are some finished pictures (it's hard to see ho uneven it is because it is styled).

Here is the slideshow of all the pictures in case you would like to look at them

Fort Worth Alliance Air Show

So Jason, Brian, and I went to the Fort Worth Alliance Air Show last weekend on Saturday. This is the 3rd year in a row that Jason and I have gone and it has become somewhat of a family tradition. Last year when we went Brian was only about 2 weeks old. Time really does fly.

We always make it a full day event and left the house at about 8:30am. The weather was absolutely gorgeous all day long and we had front row seats that were a perfect view of everything. Brian had a blast and loved getting to walk all around outside.

Brian did really well with all the noise and excitement. He never cried once - even when the F-18s flew by at just under sonic speed. As the day went on and the jets got louder he got better and better at leaving his ear-protection on.

For the less noisy airplanes, we didn't make him wear the ear-phones. At first he would flinch a little and snuggle up against me or Jason, but by the end of the day he would point and get excited and say 'airplane' (which sound nothing like the word we know as airplane). He would clap and laugh and get all excited when one flew by. It was so fun.

Halfway through the day the poor guy was so exhausted that he fell asleep in Jason's lap while watching the planes. We were able to transfer him to his stroller and he actually slept for almost 2 hours. (He fell asleep with his headphones on).

By the end of the day we were all sweaty and grimey - especially Brian. (Notice the hair).
Overall, it was a really fun day. Long and exhausting, but fun. Brian thoroughly enjoyed it and I am looking forward to making it a yearly trip for our family.


PS - thanks to Hillary, Jay, and little Jackson for the awesome onesie top that was perfect for the festivities of the day!

Sleepy Head

So last night was a highly unusual night.

Brian usually goes to bed every night around 8pm and gets up between 7am and 8am (if I don't have early class). Last night he went to bed at 7pm and didn't wake up until 10am! I wish I could say I had a very productive morning, but I can't. I did enjoy the alone time though. It was wonderful and he has been in a great mood all day. Maybe this will become a regular occurrence - I doubt it, but I can wish right?

Birthday Party Pictures

One Year Doctor's Visit

So we went to see the doctor on Wednesday for Brian's One Year Old visit. The doctor said that everything looked great and that Brian seemed to be ahead of the curve developmentally.

Brian weighed in at just under 21 pounds (20 lbs and 14 ounces). That put him in the 20% for his weight. His height was measured at 30.5 inches which puts him between 50% and 75%. Who would have thought he was tall and skinny?

The doctor reported that Brian's heart murmur was still present and she even felt that it had gotten louder. Most likely this means that the hole has gotten smaller. (A smaller hole creates more turbulent blood flow which presents as a louder murmur.) We never got around to going back to the cardiologist because of insurance problems, but we should be able to go before Brian turns 2 (we have to be on this insurance a year before we are covered). Anyway, it's nothing to be concerned about at the moment.

Brian got three immunizations and they had to draw his blood too to check for anemia and lead levels. He was a trooper. Cried his little heart out during the shots, but was fine as soon as everything was finished and I picked him up. We have to go back in a few weeks to get three more immunizations and we also need to get his flu shot done too. I hate doing all this to him, but I would much rather put him through this now than have him get really sick later.

Wednesday evening (after his horrible day of torture), Jason and I took Brian to a new park I found by my school. He had a blast and we got a few cute pictures I will try and post later.

I am also working on getting pictures posted from Brian's birthday party. I am also trying to get out Thank-You cards. It has been a long week with an exam and quite a few quizzes.

We are all going to go to the Fort Worth Air Show this weekend and also try to go to the Texas State Fair. I will try and get pictures posted from that too as soon as I can.

Love and Kisses

Just quick little story...

This morning after letting Brian play in his crib for about 15 minutes (his normal routine when waking up) I went and got him out. I changed his diaper and headed toward the kitchen (with Brian in my arms). On the way to the kitchen we ran into daddy and so I stopped to let Brian say good morning to Jason. While we were all three standing in the middle of the hallway Brian forcefully spit out his pacifier, made a kissey sound with his mouth, and leaned in and gave me a huge kiss! I melted! It was wonderful that he voluntarily showed his affection to me. Usually I have to ask for kisses. I ate it up. What a wonderful way to start my day!

Walking, Talking, and Signing

So it's been quite a while since the last time I updated, but that seems to be the trend with my busy schedule. I will do my best to quickly get everything up to speed.

Brian took his first independent step on August 2. He was just over 10 months old. Within 2 short weeks he was independently taking 5 to 10 steps here and there, but still preferred crawling to walking. By the end of August Brian was walking all over the place and preferred to walk much more than crawl.

With the walking came LOTS of climbing. Brian will climb anything and everything. At about the same time, he also figured out how to open all the cabinets in the kitchen. He also loves to open and close doors around the apartment. He is too short still to reach the door-knob which is good and bad. It's good in that he cannot "escape", but it's bad because he very often closes himself into rooms and then cried until someone comes and lets him out.

Also around the beginning of August, Brian started using sign language pretty regularly. His most prominent sign is 'please'. He will sign it when he wants something, most of the time food. There was a night when it was about 15 minutes past his normal dinner time and he was whining and I asked him what he wanted and he signed 'eat' then 'please'. I was so excited!!!! He know (and uses) 'please', 'eat', 'all done', 'milk', and 'more'. He can also claps to say 'yay' and waves for both 'hello/hi' and 'bye-bye'. We are working on adding to those. Right now it is a slow process - he wants to use the same sign for everything. It won't be long.

It is amazing to me how everything seems to happen all at once. Practically overnight, Brian started communicating on a regular basis. He can already speak probably 15 to 20 words. He will bring toys to me if he wants me to help him and he will wait for me to follow him so he can show me what he wants (if he wants something). He can say (and knows what it means): mama, dada, nana, papa, bye-bye, baby, bear, duck, dog, car, moo, whoa, uh-oh, night-night, book, and several others that I can't think of right now. He also now understands and follows simple commands. I can ask him for a kiss now and he will give me a kiss - I LOVE IT! I can tell him to go get something and he will look for it and if he finds it he will get it and bring it to me. It is so fun watching him learn and communicate.

Brian is also starting to imitate behaviors. He 'talks' on his toy phone all the time and loves to give me or Jason the phone and have us talk on it too. He also knows what a brush and comb are for and tries to brush his hair and my hair. He sees Jason and I put things in the kitchen trash can, so he tries to put things in the kitchen trash can. We really have to watch him on that one. I am sure we have lost at least one pacifier that way. He also recently figured out how to work all the light switches and always wants us to pick him up so he can the lights on and off. I never know what new thing he is going to learn today.

His development is just starting to take off and I love it. I love being able to communicate with him and I love that he is learning to communicate with me instead of just crying or whining. It is so fun watching him learn new things and to see his little mind put all the pieces together. His world is just growing and growing and I am loving every second of it.



I will post details, pics, and maybe video from his first birthday party later. He also has his 1 year doctor check-up next week and I will do my best to let everyone know how that all goes.