Rain, Rain, Go Away!!!

This rain is really putting a damper on our newfound freedom.  On the upside, it is washing away the icky pollen.  We had to postpone our field trip this weekend due to the inclement weather, but found new ways to play indoors.  We went against all the advice in the baby books and splurged on two new toys Friday - a walker and jumper.  They supposedly cause the most deaths and injuries, but we like living dangerously! :)  Besides, they come in handy on rainy days.  I think we've officially reached maximum capacity with baby junk.  At least all the toys serve a purpose.  Dax is very high maintenance these days... everything has to be a constant circus or amusement park ride.  He wears us out.  He has also found his outside voice and loves to be sure you can hear him.  If you're not paying close enough attention, he won't hesitate to let you know.  The hospital stay definitely spoiled him.  He doesn't like to sleep through the night any more... Bert and I spent a near sleepless night Friday so we decided to go back to swaddling him for a few nights and then slowly wean him off again.  Thankfully, it worked and he slept all the way through last night.  Also, I have yet to find the Rogaine Dax must have stashed away; however, his hair seems to be growing back at a rapid pace.  Most of the little he had left fell out in the hospital, but at this rate, he'll have a full head of hair again by Easter and can go back to giving the granddads and uncles a hard time.  

I made some pears and apples for him today which we will try this week.  I can't wait till he has tried enough that we can start mixing.  That will be fun.  He's not crazy about the green beans, but I bet he'll like the sweeter stuff better.  I think next I'll try sweet potatoes, squash, or bananas.  

We had many visitors this week.  Minal stopped by Thursday and Grandma and Grandpa watched Dax Friday and Saturday night while Bert and I had a quiet dinner at Horseradish Grill Friday and met up with friends Saturday.  We had fun catching up with our friends Jay and Kristina Saturday night at Atmosphere and enjoyed having our friends Josh and Anna over for brunch Saturday morning.  Aunt Lala and Tom stopped by for a surprise visit Sunday evening.  They were looking at a house around the corner... know what that means if they buy... built-in babysitters!  Grandma Terry gave us a much needed break Saturday by taking over for the day.  Yeah for Grandma!  She rocks!!!  :)  

On the agenda the first part of this week is a cardiologist appointment Tuesday and maybe the zoo Wednesday, but the weather is not looking promising.  Hopefully next weekend will be better.  

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Can I Get High Five?

Daxton weighed 11lbs 12oz at the pediatrician's office yesterday, meaning he gained back most of what he lost during surgery, which surprisingly wasn't much.  The most exciting news of yesterday was that we got the green light to begin making baby food.  Hallelujah!  He can try it twice a day, but he still has to get 500-550 calories via formula.  Boo… but hey, at least it's a start.  Dr. Koenig said to introduce one new food every 4-5 days.  I decided to begin with green beans since I read or heard somewhere that beginning with something sweet like fruit sometimes causes them to avoid the veggies!  Conveniently, we received another baby food maker in the mail from Aunt Donna and Aunt Phyllis Monday.  Thanks ladies!  This one, called a Beaba BabyCooker steams AND processes the food which is very handy.  My first attempt making green beans was a success and Daxton even seemed to somewhat like it/know what to do, although most of it still ended up on his face!  You have to check out the videos below, especially the high five.  I froze a whole ice tray of green beans to use until he can try the next concoction.  Next up is either pears or apples.  I haven't decided which so I bought both.  I'm going to alternate between introducing veggies and fruits until he's tried all the stage one foods.  In the bottle department, after slipping somewhat yesterday, he came back with a personal best of 577 calories today.  It's still a pain in the you-know-what to feed him, but it has definitely gotten better.  

Daxton got high praise from his surgeon this morning during the post-op follow-up.  Upon removal of the steri-strips and sutures, Dr. Kanter declared his incision and chest punctures were healing well and that he looked fantastic.  He too was very pleased with the results the post-op echo conveyed.  The best news of the day is that he gave us permission to get out and about more!  No more just walking around the neighborhood or driving to the doctor/hospital.  We are still to avoid sick people, but that's just common sense with any baby, right?  We are so happy… Dax babbled all the way home about all the places he wants us to take him.  His first outing was with me to Target today which was not very exciting, but necessary.  I'm thinking beer on an outdoor patio tomorrow and the zoo, aquarium, or botanical gardens this weekend.  So much to do, so little time!!! :)  

We have a follow-up with the cardiologist next Tuesday who will hopefully take Dax off the Lasix.  I have a feeling he'll eat even better once he's off that nasty stuff which is currently removing excess fluid from him.  

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Broke 500 Calories & Gained Another Playmate

Daxton is supposed to get between 500-550 calories/day.  He finally met this requirement with a whopping 520 calories today... yeah!  And that was in only 5 feedings, as opposed to the usual 6.  This makes me very happy.  Instead of spending 6 back breaking hours a day feeding my little man, I now only have to spend about 2.5 enjoyable hours.  What am I going to do with those extra 3.5 hours a day?  I can think of a million things, but I'm most excited about getting to enjoy more time playing and teaching Dax all sorts of things, not to mention exploring the city together very soon.  So this is what it's like to have a baby who likes to eat, huh?  Well, I can't say Dax exactly likes to eat yet... willing to tolerate it might be a better term for it.  In any case, I'll take it.  

I finally finished stringing Daxton's beads of courage tonight.  He's so courageous the necklace could wrap around him twice!  He is sleeping now, but I will try to get a picture of him wearing it soon.  What a neat souvenir he will get to show off in the future!    

In other big news, Dax gained another playmate today.  Our good friends Chris and Kim Swenson, welcomed daughter, Katelyn Ashley this afternoon.  We are thrilled for them and can't wait to get the kids together once Chris and Kim get over the initial shock and awe phase.  :)

Coming up this week... pediatrician post-op follow-up Tuesday and surgeon post-op follow-up Wednesday.  We're hoping the pediatrician will give us the green light to start solid foods!  Dax wants more bananas!

Hope everyone has a great week!  I will post again once we follow up with the doctors.

XOXOXO!

Happy 5 Months!!!!!

So much to smile about today... my cheeks hurt.  Dax is doing well and is 5 months today!  He ate slightly better... now if I could just get him to sleep like he used to.  My best friend Stella got engaged to our good friend Tom, and we found out our friends Chris and Kim are being induced tomorrow.  Can't wait to meet their precious baby girl.  We enjoyed a nice walk this morning to the park again with Grandma and Grandpa.  June and Hank got groomed and  Dax napped in the big bed, but that didn't last long.  

Stella and Tom came over tonight and we celebrated.  Aunt Lala showed off her ring to Dax, and he was mesmerized by the bling!  :)  We even walked to a local bar and enjoyed the super "Perigree" full moon on the way (see below if you don't know what this is - I didn't).  It's been a long time since Bert and I went to a bar just to have drinks and we had fun with the young love birds!  

"The Super "Perigee" Full Moon lit the sky Saturday night, appearing the largest it has in almost 20 years.  The Perigree full moon appears 14% larger and 30% brighter than the average full moon.  This all due to the moon's orbit which puts one side of the moon, the perigree side, almost 50,000 km closer to the Earth." - Universe Today

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Making Up for Lost Time

I took the day off yesterday in honor of St. Patrick's.  We were too busy enjoying the great outdoors again in the beautiful weather we're having.  Grand Mouse is here and we've been having fun.  We took Dax and the dogs to the neighborhood park to feed the monster koi, turtles, and geese.  The size of the koi put many of the bass I've caught to shame.  June went nuts over the geese as usual as you can tell by the pic below.  Hank could care less.  Neither could Dax since he was napping.  

Grandma Terry came over for a traditional corned beef and cabbage dinner Grand Mouse made.  Yummy!  It was so nice we ate on the deck.  We even listened to some Irish pub tunes.  Dax even took a whole bottle for the first time since the surgery, but unfortunately ended up yacking it all up after dinner.  :(  Oh well, at least he tried.  His little tummy just needs to stretch back out.    

Grand Mouse, Dax, and I spent most of the day on the porch drinking.  Beer for me and Mom, and same old nasty formula for poor Dax!  He is definitely going to be an outdoorsman.  He loves the fresh air and missed his walks while in the hospital.  Feedings have been so-so, although he has improved everyday since we got home.  We're very happy he's headed in the right direction.  He even slept better last night although he still woke up a few times.  We're trying to teach him to sleep on his side and he's not quite thrilled about it.

Grandpa Bob and Grandma Terry came over tonight to help Grand Mouse watch Dax while Bert and I went out to dinner at Oceanaire.  Luckily for them, we came back on time as promised.  :)  While at dinner, Bert and I schemed over all the places/vacations we want to take Dax soon.  We are foaming at the mouth to go somewhere.  Perhaps we'll start with the mountains and I'm thinking beach in May or June.  So many places to go, people to see, things to do... we need to make up for lost time!!!

Thanks to our friends Ken & Holly for the beautiful flowers and Kevin & Mary for the cute fuzzy puppy!  We really appreciate the kind gestures.

Love,

K,B,&D         

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Home Sweet Home

It's so nice to be home!!!  I can't even begin to tell you how happy all three of us (actually, all five of us including June and Hank) are.  It's so quiet and comfortable, and we are all relaxed.  The past week is already starting to fade into a bad dream.  One with a very happy ending I might add.  I swear you would never know Dax had open heart surgery 5 days ago if it wasn't for his chest.  He is a little more sleepy, but that's also due to the Tylenol which is the ONLY pain med he is on now.  Can you believe it???  Craziness!  We played this afternoon and he took a big nap with us in our bed.  We are spoiling him absolutely rotten. Grand Mouse came and she brought him a St. Patrick's Day balloon which he absolutely loved playing with.  Both grandmothers joined us for dinner and we had the fattest steaks to celebrate.  (Bert went a little overboard as you can see from the picture.  Dax got a bath, ate dinner, and is about to fall asleep.  It will be interesting to see how long he sleeps tonight with no one messing with him.  I hope till morning, but we'll see.  Goodnight and sweet dreams! :)

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The dogs are thrilled!

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