Happy Holidays!

Greetings to you this very fine December! We are very excited for the Christmas season and had a great Thanksgiving with friends and family. I think the total of T-day and preT-day dinners tally 6 that Timothy and I attended. He likes turkey from a drumstick! We did find a bit of disturbing news... My late grandfather's property that was in the family sold to a builder who built an enormous house plus a detached 4 car garage where there used to be a corral, haybarn, paddocks, detached garage, small house and several fruit trees on many acres of grass hay fields. It was quite a shock that Timothy wasn't going to know the hours of fun that barn can be. All of the days of creating hay forts, running in between the horses' legs, chasing cats and jumping into the mud pits in the corrals that the draft horses made. I loved Grandma and Grandpa's house. All that's left is the old mail box, but that's not quite the same. It's no longer lined with lush flower boxes, the wagon wheel or have shade from the trees.. I decided to preserve what I could with pictures of Timothy next to the mailbox, being sure not to include the monster house in the background.. I walked from the mailbox to my aunt's house where we have celebrated our traditional Thanksgiving day , potluck style. This year was the 39 year anniversary they have hosted ever since they moved next door to my grandparents. The pies lined the laundry room; 17 in total. Three turkeys, two hams and a vat of mashed potatoes.. Man, I missed that the year before, however, the food was still amazing last year. Timothy has two distant cousins born within a few months of him with one more on the way from another second cousin of mine. Hand me downs work well in my family. We have two boys older than Timothy and one younger to pass down hand-me-downs. There are several things I chose to keep for keepsakes. Most of them are handmade items given to him by his grandma, Kathleen, distant family in England and a few friends that knit. From my family gathering, I joined my friends for an east coast transplant Thanksgiving, of which I am not eligible to attend if it weren't for Timothy's charisma.. He gets invited to the best events! Here is where we discovered his love for the ping pong ball and a paper towel roll center.. I showed him once how to roll the ball through the roll center and he entertained, explored and learned for a half hour, chasing the ball, placing it back through and playing a healthy and accurate game of 'catch'. He bounces the ball to you and expects you to return it.. It's brilliant. I showed Jesse and now he has added problem solving skills with a tool to dislodge the ball if it sticks within the tube from littel hands squashing the tube by accident.. At home, Timothy greets my roommates kitties with a kkthhh sound that has now turned into two sylables and clear 'kitty' word... His vocab is developing. He says 'yeah!' when excited, 'nana' for banana, 'mama' when upset and pulling on my pantleg, 'da da' for bye bye, with a waving motion. He freely gives hugs and lays his head on you. He giggles and expects to laugh with you everyday. He appreciates books when he can turn the page. Timothy also loves the little walker he can push around the room. I honestly think he's more proud of his accomplishments than anyone (but me) and he shouts out with glee with every new discovery.. He's absorbing so many great things right now.. Love and Light!

Sandra and Timothy!

We have hit the rainy season here, which means I crave kayaking. I manage to get out about twice, sometimes three times a month right now. A good friend of mine is back in town and loves to spend time with Timothy and I drag him along to spend time hiking and walking around with Timothy. Logistically, it doesn't make sense for Grandma or Auntie to watch him if I am just an hour east of Portland.

I bought a hiking pack with intention to hike with Timothy on the weekends, but it truly helps with trips to Costco. He seems to like being perched so high above his normal stature! The short hikes I take breaking it in have been very nice and as soon as I feel good enough to take him for the entire day, we will hit a trail from a book my friend purchased for me.

Update on Timothy: We had a check up the other day and he has his first ear infection. It's in both ears. He is fairing well so far. He weighs 18# 8 oz, His head circumference is in the 71 percentile, yet his overall weight is 12 percentile. He's a bit top heavy. :)

Timothy is so curious with his surroundings since becoming more mobile. He crawls very well, and took two fulls steps without help. Sheila made him a duck costume Halloween. We walked a few of the blocks in her neighborhood. I'm surprised at the amount of candy I, I mean he, got from each house. I even asked for only one piece from each of them and they insisted on the handful they unloaded on us.. We recycled a good amount of it back at the house to other trick or treaters. I suspect many cavities in his future unless he continues to be attached to his toothbrush. I can't get him to set it down! He has four teeth on his top row coming in at the same time, as well, so it is good training for him to chew on the toothbrush..


My friend Kristen hand knit a blanket for me and it seems like this one in particular is now his woobie. No other blanket makes him squeal with delight when he sees it! It's truly amazing.

I received the boxes of hand me downs from the east coast, and I thank you! He is still a slight bit behind the proper sizes for his age and so things seem to last longer. For that, I am happy! Thank you so much for those!

Here are some pictures for your enjoyment!

Cheers and until next time!

Sandra

Recent Pictures

 

Timothy set out to meet and visit his family members in August. His trip took him to Connecticut where he met two uncles and an aunt. He spent time with Grandma and Grandpa Etherington. His favorite moments include: being fed in his chair outside at the patio table, walks around the yard with Grandpa and checking out the beach on the east coast.

Although he had a fair amount of trouble readjusting to the time zone when we arrived back in Portland, it has not stopped him from reaching new developmental heights. Three milestones are accomplished as of the last month:

· Pulling himself to a standing position (very dangerous! Too close to full mobility..)
· Taking his first crawl step (8/21)
· Action/reaction, cause/effect relationship (banging a spoon against a metal bowl, etc.)
· Full fledge crawling, standing, and baby steps with my help as of three weeks ago.

He also has developed a few babbles. Uhdudududa, thu thu, and a few other screechy sounds, yet still keeps from the piercing screams. He continues to motor boat, which is highly entertaining!

Timothy officially started on solids. He eats a variety of items that I boil or bake down and puree. I am proficient at the process to make his baby foods and confident he is getting the best available without purchasing expensive, prepackaged foods. His solid food list consists of carrots, butternut squash, green beans, apples, plum, broccoli, cantaloupe and cereal. Juices are a little difficult, but we continue to work with Timothy with what he will drink. I buy regular juices and he turns his nose to most except for some flavors of room temperature Gatorade, Prune, or Apple/Cranberry juices.

My favorite new toy for him is a wooden rattle in the shape of a frog. I have been a frog fan for many years and this bright green wooden rattle jumped out at me. It’s small enough to promote a more exact motor skill for grabbing and loud enough to keep his attention. Yet his favorite toy remains anything that makes noise when he shakes it.

A few toys I have made recently include taking a small canister, similar to a Pringles can, covering it with solid and striped paper, adding dry noodles and plastic caps. Viola! The can rolls across the floor and rattles when he picks it up. This is the perfect item for him! When he misses his reach, it rolls just out of his reach forcing him to move toward the object. What a great inexpensive invention from the Healthy Start counselor that meets with us once per week!

I’m putting together a little video with his stages soon. Expect it within three weeks or so. I uploaded a great amount of video last night.

Love you!

Six month photos

Here are some shots we took in the backyard with Dianne once again! I'm so pleased with them!

Her Blog



Happy Viewing!!

-Sandra

Timothy Lunges!

It's been a short road to mobility.

Timothy picked up rolling quickly and now he is onto a downward dog into a full lunge forward!

Last night, while picnicking in the park, he practiced several yoga moves on the blanket and to all of our surprise, thrust himself forward by a good couple of inches. What a fantastic feat for our little guy!

I'm getting ready to run after the squirt. There will be a bit of adjusting to do in our room. First and foremost, locks on the rest of the cupboards for the bathroom.

I'm Six Months Old!

I'm happy to report:

15# and 10 ozs. 24' long and Timothy is learning to eat solids.

Our first adventure in eating any solid was this last Sunday night while sitting at the dinner table. Timothy sits in his high chair as we converse and share our meals. He imitates us with his plastic, kid sized utensils and empty bowls. He tests gravity with any toys from the astounding height of three feet.

My roommate razzed me a bit, asking why I was teasing Timothy, teaching him how to use a spoon with NOTHING on it. It spurred me into action, finding natural applesauce in the cupboard, I added some to the bowl we were playing with. Without a doubt, Timothy enjoyed every bit of apple sauce I placed on the plate... The next day, I bought the standard fare: rice cereal.

We tried the rice cereal and he certainly exceeds my expectations with how well he is swallowing all of it!

I do lay him down for naps in his crib, however, in the evenings I have been placing him in the crib. When he stirs around feeding time, I snuggle with him for the rest of the night. At six months, I had a goal to place him in his crib for the entire night. Our first night of sleeping in the crib all night also went well. I checked on him every couple of hours, waking to any and all sounds coming from his crib. The slightest thrashing through a dream or heavy sigh woke me. Sometimes no sound at all elbowed me hard enough to wonder if he was still breathing.

I enjoy him sleeping with me. I enjoy waking with him next to me smiling. I read posts regarding children who never ween from their parent's beds and hooray for Timothy's even keeled demeanor and ease into the crib. I will still have him sleep with me on occasion, but it is beautiful to sleep alone once in a while.

Enjoy the latest pics!

Memorial Day Wenatchee Camping

A few of my friends and my mom drove to Cashmere to play in the sun and boat a bit. My main goal was to get on the Big Air Ramp they made, but I was saddened to see it was built off scaffolding and it frightened me to try it. I decided not to compete and spend that day with my mom in Leavenworth and on Icicle Creek.

Timothy had an amazing time and met some more friends from the Seattle area. Our camping trips have been successful so far!

Check out this link..
http://www.jacksonkayak.com/articles07/article.cfm?article=200806012

Here are some wonderful picks from the several photos we took!

Our First Camping Trip!

The weather turned beautiful and hot for the weekend of the Upper Clackamas Whitewater Fest, which is located just an hour down the road. It was my first attempt at camping before heading hours away from the house. We picked up Jessie and Dave, carpooled out to the festival and began my competition. I did really well again this year, but this time I wasn't in the throws of morning sickness and generally feeling weak.

We pitched our tent and sacked out with the occasional sleepy feeding. We all slept in a bit longer and it certainly was wonderful to know that Timothy is laid back enough to camp.

I learned just how useful a stroller is. I used it for the second time in a week. (First was Timothy's first baseball game) Thank you, Shane and Carrie! I love you both!

Timothy Goes to Texas

For my first Mother's Day and my birthday, I traveled to Texas with Timothy to meet his only great grandmother, more aunts and uncles and remeet his grandparents. I was a bit apprehensive with the flight and received some great advice from other parents on how to fly with a young one. I heeded that advice, prepared for complete meltdowns and hoped for the best. Jessie was kind enough to drop us two off at 5 am. I was quite tired from the night before with preparing for the trip and discovering that it truly takes three hours to do what used to take 45 minutes. That shouldn't surprise me, afterall, I'm notorious for thinking something will be quick.

Our trip was wonderful! I enjoyed my time with my family and I sure miss every one of them.

I'm four months old!

I grab things with my hands, talk to people when they talk to me.
I get excited when I recognize people.
I can roll from my stomach to my back.
I know where my toes are. My hands are AWESOME!
I get kisses from doggies and kitties rub against me and purr.
I play in the grass and love to touch soft blankets.
My favorite toy is a dragonfly with a bell in it. I can hold it with both hands.
I like the dancing stars and moons lamp that someone gave me.
I giggle in the bathtub and in the pool!

My lungs are still congested, my eyes get goopy. But I am strong.

Some more videos!

Dad, here is the video that validates my theory of whooping cough.. Timothy coughs for a couple of minutes. It's diturbing to feel so helpless, but we've turned the corner. Yay!

A Bit of Fresh Air!

Last week, Timothy was placed on steroids to help open his air passages. Still, the doctor will not recognize him as having whooping cough. I am switching doctors to someone who will take me seriously. I have a video of one of the fits he had that fits exactly the symptoms of whooping cough. The doctor prescribed some fresh air and away we went to hang out with friends at the kayaking event I raced in last year. The sun was out, or Timothy would not have been! My friend power boated a group of us on flatwater to the race sight. We weren't able to see the finish line like we had hoped but I wasn't willing to take TAEE any further than the rock we landed on. The terrain was too steep and the power boat didn't want to strike the prop on rock at the next outcropping.

We had a wonderful time anyway. Timothy was introduced to a handful of friends that hadn't met him yet. He wore his sunglasses his Aunt Jessica bought and mailed to us. What a fantastic present!

It's Thursday night and he hasn't had a coughing fit with me all night! It's a blessing that he is getting better. He is now 14 weeks old and weighs less than he did when he was 8 weeks, which is exactly when this all started..



And here's what I did on Sunday.. First time back since November and within the first 50 feet, I huck myself off a ledge again and again... I dropped it 7 times with the guideance of James. Worked on technique and timing. Only landed it poorly once.. Ah, I'm a happy girl!

Whooping Cough

Timothy is being treated for Whooping Cough with antibiotics, however this is his second dose and he had a coughing fit last night that lasted over twenty minutes. He threw up four times, mostly phlegm. I'm calling the advice nurse to see at what point he needs to be admitted to the hospital. He seemed to have been getting better. Yesterday, he turned a bit and I am not sure if he is passing it to me and I'm passing it back, or not.

I will be scheduling a follow up appointment to see if his lungs have cleared out. The pnuemonia may not be resolved.

The pnuemonia is a complication of the Whooping Cough. Luckily, with all of his coughing fits, we have been proactive to get him to breathe again.

I would say this is a very serious issue and I'm monitoring him closely to see if he needs to go to the hospital again.

Our First ER Trip

Since, well, close to his shots, Timothy has been fighting a cold. His congestion worsended by last friday. I became increasingly concerned with his health. Upon my sister's suggestion, I took Timothy to the emergency room in Salem.

We had chest xrays that came back negative for any fluid in the lungs, however, the rattle was distressing.

Conclusion: Upper respritory infection.

Saturday and Sunday, his symptons were the worst of colds, sore throat, achy. But my sister helped me by giving me a few hours to myself. I came back to the same sick little one. Along with all of these routine complaints was a refusal to eat. By Monday, he had only eaten a recorded two ounces all day. He refused to eat when I visited on my routine lunch feeding. That night, as I worked around the house, I decided he was showing too many signs of dehydration. I drove to an urgent care facility where I was turned away. They require someone younger than four months to go straight to a hospital.

Once at the hospital, we were taken up to a room where I tried to feed once again. He latched on this time and within five minutes of eating, he threw up. He was prepped to be admitted for IVs, but this hospital requested to do another set of chest xrays and they found him to have pnuemonia. His dehydration was from the original cold he acquired. Another few hours went by and we tried to feed again, thinking it was all of the coughing that aggrivated him and led to him throwing up. This time, he kept everything down. We monitored him and he seemed to do a little better.

So, with that, they sent me out the door requiring me to follow up with my doctor. We got to the grocery store and he then threw up all of what he had eaten.

We visited the doctor yesterday and we are on a regimen of one ounce of fluid force fed once an hour. So far, he has kept most of his small meals down. If he doesn't, he will have to be admitted into the hospital and monitored for several days with IVs for fluid.

I am currently off work at home force feeding the little bit I can. The medicine for his pnuemonia will be finished within four days. He has had two wet diapers and has eaten, thrown up and eaten some more. But his sore throat is almost gone and he seems anxious to feed. I believe we are on the mend.

Pnuemonia has been developing quickly from the colds going around this year in healthy adults.. We are very lucky to have caught it so early in our little man!

Signing out...

Talkative

Here's a small video of Timothy talking away last weekend at home. He is doing well, however we are all sick at the house. He's the most chipper one of us all.

His last appointment was a four dose vaccination and the next day, I met a lady who has twins that were strong and healthy until their first shots. They are both now autistic... Luckily, TAEE has seemed pretty normal after his fever broke and the swelling in his legs subsided.

Visual Growth

We can assume TAEE is getting bigger, but when you can visually compare with pictures... It puts it all into percpective..


Love and Light
-Sandra and TA

Silly Little Video

Something to giggle at...

I'm ten and a half pounds now!!

Centerfold Shots

Timothy Update

It's been a while since I have posted for you all across the States. Timothy has been doing well for a three week old. He is also telling me when he is overwhelmed and then can't calm down. He doesn't know exactly how to calm himself if he melts down. Fourth trimester is underway and we are working on calming him based on a book called The Happiest Baby on the Block.

He is over his first cold. His diaper rash is finally under control, thanks to warm water spray downs, lanolin products for healing cracked skin and diaper rash creams. Did I fail to mention cloth diapers are helping with this as well? It's more breathable than traditional disposable diapers and with his sensitive little butt, we needed to try anything and everything. I really am an ameture at being a mother, but with the proper guideance, we will all step up into our roles.

Timothy is starting to track you and is very interested in men's beards. My friend, Mike, held him for a half hour and nearly the entire time, Timothy was enthrawled with his facial features. Then in the distance, heard a familiar friend's voice and turned to listen intently. Lisa spent a lot of time in my prep class and talking to my stomach here and there. And since he can pick out familiar voices now, he looks around much more in the direction of familiar things. Very cool to watch!

I visited a chiropractor and my sacrum is completely shifted and pulling the muscles on my left side from my neck to my knee. Therfore, I am in need of a little assistance.. I was referred to a woman right down the street from my office and she worked on me yesterday for two and a half hours. I do feel better, but now I'm bruised and swollen from her!

Enjoy some of the new pictures I took the other day under the same link! I update it every so often.

Love and Light!
Sandra

Pictures

Here are some pictures at random times during the last week. Can you believe he is already a week old?

Tomorrow is the first official day of just he and I relaxing at home, getting to know one another and then a round of friends are coming down for dinner and to meet their new 'nephew'.

Yay, I have a name!

I'm here and I'm healthy