Articles from September 2011

September 30, 2011

I'll Feed Myself, Mom!

I'll Feed Myself, Mom!
                He's pretty much ready to move out...
September 29, 2011

Henry's Issues Updates: Acid Reflux

Henry's Issues Updates: Acid Reflux
And after three days, we have finally made it to the end of the "issues." But I have saved the most frustrating issue for last. I've mentioned Hen's reflux in a ton of posts, but the main story is here . So it turns out acid reflux is a bitch to control in babies. It just plain blows. We have pretty much had to deal with reflux continuously since Henry's initial diagnosis and my first post. It seems that as soon as we think we have it under control something changes and we are right back to where we started. When I last updated, Henry was taking a 1/4 of a teaspoon of Zantac twice a day. This medication/dose actually worked pretty well for a couple of weeks. But there was two problems with Zantac that we quickly learned about. One, Zantac's effectiveness is tied to a person's weight. For an adult that isn't rapidly growing this isn't an issue, but for a baby (who at that time was gaining between a 1/2 pound and a pound every couple weeks) its a
September 28, 2011

Henry's Issues Update: Poop

Henry's Issues Update: Poop
Haha. Anytime you can have the word "poop" in your blog title you know you're having a good day. Yes, I'm still laughing. ::mature adult mother alert:: All funniness aside, Henry has had a pooping issue since he was born. I don't think I've mentioned it too much in awhile, but you can find the back-story here , here , and here . Basically, Henry wasn't born knowing how to poop, and was so uncoordinated that he couldn't figure it out. It was a problem I never knew babies could have, but I've actually since met people who have had the same issue (which is nice to know!). Also, at the time Henry was also having blood in his poop which we attributed to straining. We were told that Henry should outgrow the problem by 3 months old. Flash-forward to today. Henry is just over 6 months old and is FINALLY!!! pooping pretty normally! Over the last 3-4 weeks we noticed that it was just getting easier and easier for Henry to go. There was less screaming,
September 27, 2011

Henry's Issues Updates: Motion Sickness

Henry's Issues Updates: Motion Sickness
Here is part one of my issue updates , on Henry's motion sickness. While I haven't dedicated a past post to Henry's motion sickness before, I've mentioned it in passing a few times in his monthly updates. A little back-story; since Henry was about 2.5-3 months old he would scream and scream every time we would drive in the car. If the car stopped, so would the screaming. I've also mentioned several times that Henry hated his swing, and can barely stand his stroller. Well, we mentioned all these symptoms to Henry's doctor at his 4 month appointment and her best guess was motion sickness. The only thing we could do was give Henry some Benadryl, which has an anti-nausea medication in it, on long trips and deal with the screaming on short ones. We were never 100 percent sure about this diagnosis until a couple of weeks ago. We were driving to Eau Claire to stay with Morgan's parents. We gave Hen a half-dose of Benadryl (the full dose makes him l
September 27, 2011

Henry's Issues Updates

Henry's Issues Updates
Finally, I've gotten around to updating the few issues Henry has been dealing with. I know I have frequently mentioned them in passing, but I haven't dedicated a post to them in awhile. Putting them all in one giant post got really overwhelmingly long, so I've decided to make it a three (four if you count this post) part series. I'll dedicated each post to one of the issues Henry has been struggling with. First Hen's motion sickness, then his pooping problems, and finally I'll end with the major issue of acid reflux. And I'll add a few pictures of Henry to keep you interested along the way. So look for the posts over the next few days. Henry's reaction to peaches - clearly not a fan.
September 23, 2011

Early Fall Weather...Where are you?

Seriously, where is the early fall weather? You know what I'm talking about. The 70's. The kind of weather where you can wear t-shirts and jeans. If winter has to come, can't it at least do it slowly? This week has been stuck in an mid-October rut. Its been cold, rainy, windy. Blah. If you thought I wasn't ready for fall...then you know, I really really wasn't ready for late fall. I kinda like those days of fall where the sun still feels warm, and you can be outside and not freeze. But, here I am, on the first official day of fall bundled up...and I hate it. Its even too cold for the dogs to want to be outside. Bottom line. Come back early fall weather. And happy first official day of fall. (I'll just be in the corner crying until winter's over). PS: I know this is an annoying post about the weather...Its true, everyone in Minnesota loves to talk about the weather. Its a sickness, and I've caught it. PPS: Yes, I'm labeling this "Winter
September 22, 2011

The Lost Month of Augtember

The Lost Month of Augtember
Augtember: Defined as the second half of August and first half of September. *LOST: The month of Augtember. It is warm, summery, and includes Labor Day. It also includes people wearing shorts, and daylight until after 8pm. If found, please return to Nicole, ASAP. Reward.* I somehow seem have completely lost the entire month of Augtember. I'm honestly not sure how it is already the 21st of September. Where did the last few weeks go? ::Nicole's camera fills everyone in:: Duluth Trip/Wedding: Trip to Cloquet, MN to see Morgan's Grandparents.   Then to Duluth, MN for the Zinsli Wedding   State Fair: Oh yeah, you already covered that. Eau Claire Trip: They matched at the farmer's market.        Science Museum/Reck Visit: Dana, Paul, and the three little ladies came for a visit. Science Museum fun. Attacking Playing with a puppet. ::Camera finishes:: OK, camera, I owe you a reward. Thanks for the reminder - r
September 19, 2011

6 Months Old!

6 Months Old!
Henry is 6 months old! Happy Half Birthday Henry!! It is so amazing to be this little boy's Mama. I cannot express how amazing he is, or how much I love him. In a funny high chair. He loved the shiny metal tray. Henry loves to watch Morgan mow the lawn. Life with Henry is finally getting easier. He is having more and more happy days and fewer meltdowns. Morgan and I were just saying to each other that we finally feel like he is not always on the edge of a meltdown when we are out and about with him. This month has been a really busy one around here. This month Henry has continued to grow and has gotten huge. We now call him a "sack of potatoes" because he is just a thick, strong baby. Today at his doctor appointment he weighed 17 lbs 3 oz and was 27 inches long! He wears mostly 6-9 month clothes, but some 9-12 month clothes. He is moving to size 3 diapers this week. Henry is making Lexi look really small again. Developmentally, Henry is lea
September 13, 2011

State Fair 2011

State Fair 2011
It's that time of year! For 10 days, the entire state of Minnesota is obsessed with the State Fair. And I understand why, its pretty awesome. Get it - "Champion Hen" This year we decided to break from our normal go-at-night-during-the-week routine and try an early Saturday morning with Henry. I like our old routine better, but we still had a great time. That morning started out chilly but quickly got really hot (read - the jeans I wore were a bad choice). It was also much more crowded than I'm used to. When you go at night it starts out warm and crowded and as your patience starts to wean it gets less crowded and cooler, its the perfect system. During the day its the opposite, which is a challenge for someone with very little no patience. But going during the day was the best option for Hen, so we made the best of it.    This year was also a little different in that we spent much less time eating/wandering around and more time in the animal barns. Henry
September 07, 2011

September Blues

September Blues
Guys, guys, its September..its after Labor Day...the days are getting shorter...days are getting colder...my life is falling appppppppppart...summer's all over...winter will be here...I'm pretty sure its snowing outside right now... Alright, that's a tad dramatic, but its how I'm feeling. Truly, I am feeling really depressed that summer is winding down. That we have to start gearing up for the long road to spring. But Morgan said I cannot be depressed yet, so instead of writing a long post about all the reasons I hate winter, how terrible it is, how awful Minnesota can be, and how much I want to move - I'm going to force myself to think of some good things about this change in season. So here it is...a list of things I like about the cooler weather... Our energy bill should be cheaper...no A/C, no heat. We wont have to mow our lawn as often. The trees look pretty. Henry has some cute warm outfits that I want him to wear before he gets too big. I like wearin
September 06, 2011

A Mind-Blowingly Awesome Post on Peppers

A Mind-Blowingly Awesome Post on Peppers
Remember our tiny baby peppers ? Well now they look like this...   :: Your.Mind.Blown. :: PS: They were really yummy. And we have a bunch more that are almost ready! Now if only our other plants had been successful...
September 02, 2011

Lazy Bones

Lazy Bones
I promise to update soon. Very soon. Expect mind-blowingly awesome posts on peppers, Henry's poop, the state fair, and the depression that the beginning September has set in. I bet you can't wait. Just to keep you coming back, a picture of Henry...