Birthday Boy

Abe just had his 1st birthday. I mailed out 1st birthday photo cards. Can you believe that this 2.2 pounder is now over 17 pounds and 27 inches long? He did not want to wake up so early that day and was a little cranky all day until he saw his doctor and the OB nurses at Naval Hospital. He has a little cold and so do I. I think mine might be a sinus infection. Medical status update: He started PT this week and seemed to click well with her. We have to drive 20 miles there and 20 miles home but it is a nice place. His doctor recommended this office. He saw neurosurgery last week. CT scan is stable, no need for shunt replacement at this time and brain growth. Next neurosurgery appt. 3 months, CT scan 6 months unless he has some issues. He will see urology for an undescended testicle this month. He also sees endocrinology. Growth/development: he is losing a little weight but is getting taller, I had him on the play mat today while doing dishes and when I glanced over he had moved positions without assistance, he is trying new sounds and still takes the spoon from me while he eats. He still has vision problems. We are supposed to have a vision evaluation from someone at the local school. I canceled his home OT appointment because he was sneezing, coughing, runny nose and just not himself. Social update: Glenn left to MI until May. The day after he left we did not have any hot water. The neighbor looked at it and it has to do with the exhaust venting outside the house. Right now I can't run the furnace and hot water heater at the same time due to the risk of carbon monoxide build up in the house. The neighbor does heating/cooling for a living so hopefully he will follow up soon. We do have working carbon monoxide detectors in the house so mom don't worry. Oh a different note I have learned that not all baby products work in all situations. The Moby wrap is great for small babies but kills the back for bigger/heavier babies. The Ergo baby is better and easier to use for bigger babies. I guess you have to try stuff out to really know if it will work well for you or not. The Moby worked great when Abe was smaller and did not move as much. One word advice for those expecting a new baby, read on-line reviews of infant items because most of them are pretty accurate. This will assist with deciding what items you will need and get the most use out of. Some items will have reviews: it rips, it is heavy to lift into the car, takes too long to figure out, ect.