another acronym I do not like...

I was told on Tuesday that London had a cold...and on that day he did. However, as the week progressed he started to get way worse and Kary and I both knew something just wasn't right. His nose was completely stuffed full and he could barely breath because of it. He also had a very bad cough and would turn bright red during coughing attacks. When I came home Wednesday he looked awful. By Thursday morning, (at our cranial tech) appointment he was bad but still had a little life in him, by Friday he was not the same baby at all.
Thursday night London slept in his bouncy seat in our room because he could not lie on his back without choking and we didn't know what else to do. Friday morning as I was getting ready to go to work, London woke up and was burning up. Kary undressed him down to his diaper and held him as he moaned and could barely even cry. We gave him some tylenol and I called into work. We were super scared and were going to take him to the emergency room but after about 20 minutes the tylenol kicked in and he was doing a little better, but still awful. We waited impatiently for the new pediatrician's office to open at 8am so we could take him in to see what was going on. We all fell back asleep and at 8am I was able to get him in for an appointment at noon. He did not want to eat and slept the entire time. Around 11:30 Kary had him on his lap napping and as he started to stir he began to convulse a little and Kary came running upstairs with him in his arms. He put him on our bed and tried to wake him. For a few seconds he did not respond and then came to with a very weak cry and was really burning up now...we took his temp and it was around 103. I called the doctor and asked if we should take him to the ER and they told us to bring him in to their office now.
When we got there the triage nurse took us in quickly and she took his temp...a bit over 103. She administered some tylenol and it was thick and red and smelled disgusting. He spit most of it out and the doctor taught us a trick to blow in his face and he'd suck it back in...it worked! The doctor was super awesome and calmly explained to us that London most likely had RSV (Respiratory syncytial virus)They did a nasal suck and tested him and sure enough he had it. At this point he started making weird grunting noises and she had the nurse bring in the breathing machine and we gave him a treatment. He was a little pitiful sight as he took the treatment and sat so perfectly and even fell asleep. The doctor tested his oxygen to blood level and said it did not look good. We stayed there for about an hour and a half so he could be observed but it did not seem that long. They never once left us for more than 2 minutes and kept us informed and a constant eye on him. Around 1:30 she had us go fill his prescription (he also had an ear infection) and then come back around 2pm to see whether or not she felt comfortable enough with his levels for him to go home. He slept the entire time and by the time we returned he was a much better baby. The tylenol kicked in and he was even smiling at the doctor. She said he was going to be ok but if we did not feel comfortable he could stay in the hospital on oxygen. We decided to take him home and she suggested we put a towel under his mattress to elevate it and that we sleep on his floor to keep a very close eye on him.
We had a great set-up in his room and he was so happy to have us there. He even started sucking down bottles but still wouldn't let me nurse him :-( I think his nose was too plugged.
I brought him back in the next morning at the main office for a re-check and he looked good. That doctor was great too. He is still coughing and is getting breathing treatments every 6 hours and an antibiotic (he hates!) every 12 hours. He has been throwing up a lot due to the meds and lost a litte weight...but that is no problem for him...haha. I put the baby monitor right by his face last night so I could hear every breath. He did great and has been napping comfortably (for once) this morning. I am so grateful for the new pediatrician and am taking him back in a week to make sure everything is good and the ear infection is gone. Oh yeah and most likely London has asthma :-( but they can't diagnose until he's about 18 months. Poor little dude but with Kary and I as parents I knew he was destined to be high maintenance...and super cute! haha

D-band Bound...we hope

London had his evaluation at "Cranial Technologies" on Thursday and just as we suspected, they strongly recommend he get treatment. The place was very nice and the staff and other parents were super friendly and helpful. There was a little boy checking out and he had just gotten his d-band off for good and there was a little boy with a few more weeks with his and a little girl about to get hers. The babies looked super cute in them!
The appointment was comprised of a photo shoot and an evaluation meeting with a technician. The photo shoot was adorable and the photos look like a baby mug shot. London got to play with a bunch of cool toys as mommy and daddy distracted him to get different angles. He did great though and he was even sick during the shoot.
After the photo shoot we met with a super nice lady named Mary. She explained to us that London actually has plagiocephaly and brachycephaly. She said it most likely started in utero and the vacuum at delivery did not help. But she did say that we did everything we could to prevent it from being worse. She said it was not caused by us leaving him on his back too much...so suck it! haha. Some people have teased us about that. The technician said his case was severe and hopefully that would get through to the insurance company...but I knew our future with BCBS was going to be bleak. Of course, they only cover maybe $600 if we're lucky and they will only reimburse us after the fact. Cranial Tech. said they'd give us a "discount" of $2500 and we could break it up into payments of like $600/ something for 4 months....wow, so that is not an option for us. So we have to figure something out because they won't even see us again until we pay $625. It is quite ridiculous. I am super pissed how suck-ass my insurance is. They seem to believe that my baby's head shape for the rest of his life is "cosmetic" and not important. I am going to try to fight it and even if I just get the chance to ream out one their reps I will feel a little better. They said he'd hopefully only need it for about 8 weeks and we could get started now but the $ is the hold-up. We'll see what we can figure out and hopefully he'll be rockin the D-band very soon (the sooner the better) and on his way to a perfect head shape to match his perfect little face (even though I think he's always been perfect) anything for my little boo :-)

Sick Baby Blues :-(

London got his first "cold" this week and in one word the experience has been hell. It started Sunday night when we noticed he was coughing a bit when he slept. Then Monday night he was up all night and Kary and I maybe got 3 hours of sleep. He would wake up super stuffed up and scream. Finally around 5am we put him in our bed and I then had to get up for work. Kary took him to the babysitter Tuesday for a few hours and then I took him to the doctor that day after picking him up after work. We waited to see the doctor for 2 hours. He was so good in the waiting room and the poor little guy was coughing and snotting all over...but still happy. The doctor said it was not in his chest and just a cold. She said to try some vicks and some apple juice to clear up the mucus. I got some apple juice and he does not like it...which is super weird considering Kary and I are obsessed with it. We've been drinking it...haha
Tuesday night was better. He only woke up once. We ran his humidifier and used "little noses" like crazy and sucked out his boogers hourly.
When I came home Wednesday he was a wreck. His nose was red, he was coughing his head off and fighting to breath. My brother came into town but I kept him home because he was so sick. Wednesday night was absolutely horrible. I too was sick and London was up every half hour from 1am-6am...he had an appointment the next morning and I took a half day and thank god I did because I was a wreck by the morning. I hate seeing him sick and am hoping this goes away soon! It is so hard when you can't help your baby :-( I am sure it is just the beginning of what London will face...just was hoping he'd hold off on getting sick a few more months...

Life with London...

Life with London is crazy! I have managed to lose all my baby weight and I can see why. I am constantly on the move and never sit down. I do have some serious toning to do though before summer. After I eat, I look about 4 months pregnant.
London is now grabbing objects and putting everything in his mouth. He can hold small objects (straw) and keep a good grip. He can sit up on his own for a few seconds before tipping over. He also recognizes his bottle. He'll yell at it from across the room and try to feed himself. He hasn't quite mastered that but sure tries. He also buries his head in my chest and hugs me. He gives me this adorable smile and nuzzles...best feeling ever!!
He is becoming more and more independent every day. He is now about the size of a 6 month old (chunky monkey) and can sit in his stroller like a big boy. I have also been carrying him into stores instead of carrying his super heavy carseat. He is so good in stores and just checks everything out. He is really starting to hate his carseat. He figured out how to try to escape and straightens out his body while he's getting strapped in. It's cool how he's independent but kind of annoying when we're trying to go somewhere...haha. He also is obsessed with making this elephant noise thing with his mouth. He grunts a lot too. It cracks me up because he'll make this crazy noise for like a minute straight.
We've tried rice cereal but he's not much of a fan. He spits it out and prefers milk. Were going to wait on baby food until about 6 months. We put rice cereal in his bottle at night and it's been helping him sleep a little better but he still gets up 2-3 times a night...lucky me...haha
On Friday Kary brought London in to school to have lunch with me. My students went nuts when he came into the cafeteria. They all kept wanting to touch him. He stared at them in amazement but kept a straight face the whole time. It was hilarious. The girls all circled him at recess and were singing and cheering and he didn't crack a smile. I think he was freaked out...haha.
We have an appointment for London on Thursday at Cranial Technologies. They are going to evaluate him for a Doc Band and hopefully he can get it on (and off) soon. The sooner, the better. We are going to rock it out with stickers. We hope he'll adjust easily. He also is scheduled for surgery in a few months...another thing we wanna get behind us!
London has had a cough today. We got him a frog humidifier and are hoping he feels better soon. Uncle Josh is coming this week so he's gotta be ready to chill :-)

Baby's 1st Valentine's Day ♥

I got my first real hug from London today and what better day than Valentin'e Day. When I came home from work he nuzzled into me and even had a valentine's card waiting for me. He even signed his name (thanks grandma). He also got a card from his nana and papa in PA. It has monsters on it and he thought it was pretty cool. He put it in his mouth instantly of course.
Unfortunately Kary is working late this year but at least I have my tiny little valentine. We are spending our evening cuddling and playing. He is just the most adorable little creature I have ever seen (Im a bit partial) HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!

4 month check-up

London had his 4 month check-up on Thursday. He now weighs 16lbs 12 oz and is 27 in tall! He is still in about the 90th percentile for both. BIG BABY...so cute! He was being shy with the pediatrician and stingy with his smiles. She was impressed with his excellent head and neck control. He had to get 2 shots and cried hysterically again which made me super sad. The doctor did say that his head is quite flat and gave us some info on some cranial specialists to look into the D-band. We decided to wait it out for another month and then see if there is any improvement. Insurance does not cover any of it and he'd probably need 2 as his head grows and I really don't want him to wear that thing for most of his adorable baby stage. We'll see what happens. We are trying to massage it and stay hopeful that it will round itself out. We are thinking of switching doctors. She does not seem that knowledgeable and doesn't really say much. We are going to call some places this week and get him in somewhere else and get another opinion on his head.
London got the ok to try rice cereal. When we first tried he was cranky and not having it. But a little later he ate a bowl. I tried again last night and today and he is really not into it. He'd rather eat his bib and still prefers a bottle. We may try a few more times and see how he does. He is so cute in his bumbo while he eats and he gets it all over his face.
London said "mama" the other day. It was an accident but I like to think he is a genius :-)
Last week London was not feeling well. He was really stuffy and was throwing up and had diarrhea on Monday. I came home to him rosy-cheeked and really upset. He had cried that whole day. I took half a day the next day and we cuddled all afternoon. He seemed to be doing much better. On Wednesday he was still pretty upset and missing me so grandma gave him my bear to cuddle. He nuzzled up and made cooing sounds and passed right out. I came home to him cuddling "Snowey Joey"...super cute!
London is doing great and laughing and grabbing and sitting and playing. He is amazing!

Happy 4 Months Baby London!

London is now 4 months old! wow time has gone by so fast. He got a new bouncer jumper thing from grandma and he is such a big boy when he plays in it. He pushes buttons and chews on all the toys hanging off it. He also is sitting in his bumbo like a big boy.
I have been so busy with work and it has been really hard. I am so sick of saying, "Hold on baby, mommy's gotta...." I feel like I am always working at home and am never caught up! I really don't get any down time. I am with kids all day and I hate that London gets a sleepy version of me. But, things are starting to slow down and I am getting excited to spend the summer with my baby. London has his 4 month appointment on the 10th. We'll find out his weight and height and see what's going on with his flat head :-( we really don't want him to have to get a D-band but we'll deal with it if we have to.
Kary and I went out for the first time on a weekend without London. We saw an awesome play. It was very cool to be out but of course I missed London like crazy and was pretty bummed I didn't get to put him to sleep. That was the first time ever. But he was up a bunch that night so we got good cuddle time in. London is learning so fast and can do new things every day.