Busy Thursday

Austin had his EEG and his spinal X-rays this morning.  Prepping a normal child for an EEG was work.  I couldn’t imagine how some of you do it with your mentally challenged children.  Knock on wood, we haven’t had to do one with Matthew or Rachel.  Austin was done with both tests by 10:30 this morning.  He was exhausted.  He wanted to sleep for 24 hours.  He didn’t but I think he was pretty happy they were done and they were painless.  We’ll probably get results at the end of next week.Kevin called me at work at about 11ish.  Before my surgery my boss gave me two free movie tickets and a gift certificate to Fuddrucker’s.  Kevin asked if I felt up to an afternoon date with him.  Shoot yeah!!  Anytime I can get some one on one time with my man, I’m all over it!! 

 After I got off of work, I met him at the mall.  We had a nice peaceful lunch.  Well, sorta peaceful.  The neighbor girl was there, with her mom, helping to raise money for the school drama club.  My hubby also saw a friend from work there.  I can’t take my hubby anywhere without him knowing a poo load of people.  Once we got done eating we still had an hour to before the movie started.  We tried to walk around the mall and window shop but my tummy didn’t want any of that.  So we got to the movie 30 minutes early.  It was nice to have a theater all to ourselves for a while.  Kevin rested his eyes while I chattered.  We are like old people.

We watched Vantage Point.  Kevin said that some people that he knew had hated it because it kept going back in time to show each individuals vantage point of an incident.  But we loved it.  The third or fourth time of it going back in time we kinda got annoyed but the pieces fell together so well that the feeling passed.  It was definitely a great pick for a date movie.

We came home and have just vegged the rest of the evening.  Rachel went to her dad’s for the night.  Lauren invited a friend over.  We always seem to lose one and gain one. 

In other news, I’m getting back into work pretty well.  Earlier in the week I was nervous about going full-time next week.  But now I am feeling a lot more confident about it.  I’m still avoiding the stairs and moving too much.  I have to create this balance where I’m not sitting too long and I’m not walking around too much. 

One huge thing that I have noticed since I had my hysterectomy is that my blood pressure has gone up.  Before the surgery it hovered around 90/60.  The last two appointments it has been around 120/90.  I was a little worried.  I have never had one of those numbers above 100.  NEVER!!  Kevin said it is because those organs are gone now so the blood flow is not going there anymore.  And where my blood pressure is at is where it should have been.  So maybe with it being normal it will have some positive effects on my health.  We will see.     

The First 6 Months with Matt

This is the continuation of the FX Memories series.  I left off two weeks ago with moving into my first apartment with my 16 day old son.  I was a single mom and would remain that way for some time.  I just didn’t know that yet.  I didn’t get to go back to my job at the police department.  The budget just wasn’t there.  I was living on welfare in low-income housing.  And I was very happy.  Go figure!

Everything seemed to go pretty smoothly the first couple of months.  Matty seemed to be progressing okay.  He was underweight but he was gaining weight so there was no worry.  Then one day he just stopped peeing.  He started running a slight fever.  He had already had one urinary tract infection due to his hypospadias.  I assumed that was what was going on.  I took him in to see his pediatrician.  Dr. H admitted him into the hospital that very moment.  He was terribly dehydrated.  All that eating but not getting anything finally caught up to him. 

My baby was put in this horribly ugly rainbow onesie.  He was attached to all these tubes and things and then put in a hospital crib…with no baby bumpers.

My mom knew the struggle I was having with breast feeding.  She had suspected that maybe he was eating so much that he was throwing up.  She was right but we didn’t know it yet.  Matt was on both sides of the coin.  He either couldn’t get the suction reflex going right and he would get milk but it would spill out of his mouth.  Or he would get the suction reflex right and eat and eat and eat until he ate way too much and threw it all up.  My poor baby was starving but no one knew it.

My mom called the hospital to inquire on Matty.  After the nurse gave her the report, she asked her about her suspicions.  The nurse flipped out on my mom.  She told her to never mention that to me.  I had to breastfeed my baby and there was no way that a baby could overeat until it vomited. 

They got Matty hydrated and sent us home late the next day.  I was told not to change a thing on feeding him.  So I didn’t.  He wound up there again about two months later.  Once again he was released the next day with no changes.  No one ever questioned it.

*  *  *  *  *  * 

What Matty could and couldn’t do in those first six months.  Green means good to go and Red means that he couldn’t do it.

Taken from NNCC Infant Development Center   

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

BIRTH TO SIX MONTHS

      At birth, infants cannot control their body movements. Most of their movements are reflexes. Their nervous system is not fully developed.

      For the first few months, infants can see clearly objects that are about 10 inches away from their faces. By 6 months, their vision is more fully developed.

      By 4 months, most babies have some control of their muscles and nervous system. They can sit with support, hold their head up for short periods of time, and can roll from their side to their stomach.

      By 5 months, most babies can roll over.

SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

BIRTH TO SIX MONTHS

      They begin to develop trust as their parents and providers meet their needs (for example, feeding them when they are hungry, changing their diapers when needed, or holding them when they cry).

      When frightened, infants cry and look surprised and afraid. They cry to express hunger, anger, and pain. It is their way of communicating.

      They are easily excited or upset.

      They need to be cradled and comforted.

      It seems as if they cannot tell where their bodies end and someone else’s begins.

      Infants smile in response to a pleasant sound or a full stomach. At about 6 weeks, they smile in response to someone else. By 4 months, they smile broadly and laugh when pleased.

      They learn to recognize faces and voices of parents and providers

INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENT

BIRTH TO SIX MONTHS

      Infants can focus on and follow moving objects with their eyes.

      They cry in different ways to express hunger, anger, and pain.

      They babble, coo, and gurgle.

      They turn to locate the source of sounds.

      They study their hands and feet.

      They forget about objects that they cannot see.

      They explore things with their mouth. They put anything they can hold into their mouth.