Update on all four of us

I'll start off with the kids' update. All good news. Then I'll talk about Pablo and I which is all bad news.

Simon - he had his 3 year check-up with our wonderful family doctor. He is a healthy 41 pounds and 37 inches tall. Doc says she wouldn't be surprised if Simon ended up as tall as his father (6'4''). At the rate he eats, that is NO surprise. He's talking up a storm and we can now have nice conversations with him.

Isabella - she has two loose teeth. Her first ones. Both are on the bottom in the middle. She is beyond thrilled and wiggles them often.

Me - I need to make an appointment with our wonderful family doctor because I think I have gallbladder issues. I've been ignoring the symptoms for some time but the headaches, stomach aches and especially the pains on the right side under my rib cage, are getting worse.

Pablo - he's been feeling like crap for a few weeks. Weird, tingling, numbness sensations all down his left side. Waking up all disoriented and forgetting where he is....basically, seizure like symptoms. When he mentioned all this to the doctor at Simon's appointment today, she did some quick strength and balance tests and quickly concluded that there is something wrong. She then revoked his license, sent him for bloodwork, scheduled an appointment with his neurologist, and sent an emergency request for an MRI which she wants within 24 hours. Since Pablo can't drive, I have to take him back to the doctor's tomorrow so she can look at the bloodwork results.

Bloody hell.

Simon - 2 year stats

Simon had his 2 year check-up the other day and thankfully it was an appointment that didn't require any immunizations (although Simon never cries when he gets a shot). The doctor noticed that Simon has an overbite - not surprising since I had braces and every other associated contraption for years and years. The doctor asked us if we had any concerns and we said that Simon still isn't really talking but he is phenomenal at getting his point across despite not being vocal. We then said that he probably isn't saying much because it's hard for him to get a word in because his father and sister talk non-stop. The doctor agreed that this could be slowing down his verbal progress. We have to make an appointment to take Simon to a 'First Words' screening clinic where he'll be assessed.

Here are Simon's two year stats:

Length: 92 cm, 36.2 inches, 2.9 feet
Weight: 32.3 pounds
Head circumference: 51 cm, 19.9 inches

Today at the doctor's

Simon had his 18 month visit with 'the' family doctor today. 'The' family doctor who is looking after Pablo, me, and everyone else in my family. After Simon's appointment was done the doctor spent some time with Pablo and he's on some new meds (Valproic Acid and Oxycocet) to hopefully make his days more tolerable.

First, Simon.

His 18 month stats are:
length - 88 cm / 2' 11''
weight - 30 lbs
head circumference - 50 cm / 19.7''

He had 2 more vaccinations and AGAIN, didn't get upset or cry. He still doesn't talk besides 'mama' and 'dada' which he's been saying for awhile so the doctor asked if his hearing appears to be fine and we said yes. She also asked how much Isabella talks and Pablo and I started laughing. We explained how Isabella talks non-stop from the moment she gets up till she goes to sleep so maybe Simon figures she's talking enough for the both of them...LOL. We need to be very repetitive with words when we're talking to Simon and keep on top of it for the next little while. If he gets to his second birthday without talking then we'll have to figure out what the problem is. He's just such a chilled out kid that I think he's just not quite ready yet...

Moving on to Pablo...

(this part was written by Pablo and edited by yours truly)

On Sunday night was the first of an 'episode'. My right leg gave out in the backyard at the in-laws and I had a hard time making it into the house, where at that point I could not even lift my arm above my shoulder. I also felt like someone was sitting on my chest, making it difficult to breathe. Then my head felt like it was floating away from my body which made me feel very disoriented. All of this lasted intensely for only minutes but remained stagnant for a couple hours.

Tuesday: while at Julia's work, the same symptoms as on Sunday started happening, and continued. Both of these episodes have been declared seizures from my family doctor and surgeon, and if I even begin to feel like that again, I am to go straight to emergency.

New constant symptoms: hearing my heartbeat clicking in the left side of my head. Body tremors from my ankles to my neck, especially while trying to fall asleep. If the wind blows into my left ear it feels like its swirling around inside my head. Spot specific headaches. Right on the top, feels like someone is taking a butcher knife in and out of my head, with piercing pains. The original pulsating headaches in the back left of my head have come back. These two headaches take turns, and one or the other seems to be on an hourly basis.

I've come off of alot of pills since Sunday. Painkillers, Sunday night and the steroids on Monday. This has lead to the worst pains and uncomfortableness since the surgery itself. I am physically drained 24 hours a day now, and have a hard time walking around the block with the family, although tonight got a few blocks in. I can feel fatigue coming on about half an hour before needing to pass out, due to the joint and muscle pain and the dull full body pain. After sleeping anywhere from half an hour to two hours, getting up is even harder and more painful. The worst feeling since the headaches the two days following the surgery. They (the internet) say this should only last another 5-7 days, which seems like a lifetime right now. My blood work for the anti-seizure medication came back way too low at 22 (40-80 is the therapeutic range). I will be tested again next Tuesday as the dosage was bumped from 300 to 400mg a day. I must add too, that after doing my homework, I am slightly leaning towards the radiation route then having them go back in and remove that part of the brain. GO BRAINS GO!!!

Simon - 17 month update

Last week, Simon had a checkup at the doctor’s.

Here are his stats at 17 months:

                Weight: 31 lbs

                Height: 85.5 cm (33.6 inches)

He had to get some vaccines and ONCE AGAIN, didn’t even flinch. He amazes me.

And now some Simon facts:

Simon has been wearing size 6 diapers for about 2 months now. Crazy. Hard to believe that a kid can go from size 1 to size 6 diapers in 15 months (he never did fit into newborn diapers - just like his sister)…

In the last month or so, Simon went from having two naps a day to only one. I was hoping that this would help him sleep through the WHOLE night and it seems to have worked somewhat. If he does wake up in the night it is only once and I can usually just lay him back down, cover him up and leave the room. Also, his morning wake-up time has gone from 6am to anywhere from 6:30 - 7:30.

Simon is very independent and Isabella often drives him nuts because she'll want to play with him and hold his hand and he just wants to be by himself. The other day he was pulling all the books off the bookshelf in the basement and I was telling him no. He kept doing it and I kept saying no and putting them back. This was annoying him so he grabbed a book, walked over to the nearest chair, sat down and started flipping through the book. Mr. Independent.

The boy is so darn clever too...he was at my parents' place and was playing in my mom's pot drawer. He took a pot out of the drawer, put it back and tried to close the drawer, but the handle was sticking out. Without hesitating, he opened the drawer and turned the pot so that the handle was inside the drawer and the drawer could close properly.

Simon has a thing for pancakes – actually, crepes. I make them quite a bit for the kids and my mom too. The other day he ate 6 of them for breakfast. I also recently found out that he quite enjoys caramel popcorn and ice cream sandwiches. He has a thing for broccoli (YES!).

Simon still doesn’t really talk besides VROOM VROOM when he sees anything with wheels and DADA when he sees Pablo. He is a pro babbler although I just wish I could understand the babbling sometimes…

Love ya Simon, my goofy nut (the proof is in the photos below)!!!

12.5 month update for the boy

Simon went to the doctor today for his 1 year check-up and shots. My mom took him since we figured Pablo should stay home and I was at work today (thank mom!).

Simon weighed in at 27 lbs, 3 oz
and his length is 32 inches

He got 2 shots and didn't make a peep during either....just like when he got his H1N1 vaccine. Amazing.

The doctor said he needs a second dose of the H1N1 vaccine. Yippee.

*** At Isabella's 1 year doctor's visit, she was 26 lbs and 34 inches

BIG FEET

A few weeks ago I went to the mall with my mom and the kids. My mom bought the kids their winter boots (thanks mom!) and once again I couldn't believe the size of boots we had to buy.

Isabella's boots are a size 13!...13! and she's only 3!
Simon's boots are a size 7! And he isn't quite 1 yet...INSANE!

Isabella filled day

Isabella had her 3 year doctor's appointment today. She is 40 lbs and 3 feet 5 inches tall. The doctor asked if she gets mistaken for a 4 year old. I said no that she gets mistaken for a 5 year old. LOL. Oh my large children...

At the doctor's, we were asked if we have smoke detectors at our house and we said yes and Isabella was quick to add, "The smoke detector went off when mom burned the toast!" And it did LIKE A WHOLE MONTH AGO. This kid forgets NOTHING.

After the doctors appointment, we went to see Isabella's new cousin Blue (who is almost 2 weeks old). He is so darn cute and little and cuddly. Isabella wouldn't leave him alone. We were driving over a bridge to get to his house and Isabella exclaimed, "I can see for miles!"

We were driving home and Isabella kept saying 'chicken breast' and would then laugh out loud. An Isabella random act of weirdness.

I'm at my parents' place right now and during dinner Isabella said to my mom, "Ask me how my doctors appointment went." So my mom asked her.
Isabella's response was, "The doctor said I'm a healthy little girl!"

Simon stats

Simon had his 9 month checkup this morning. As always he is proportionately big. He isn't off the charts like Isabella was but I think he is in the high 90th percentile for height, weight and head circumference.

Simon weighed in at 25 lbs, 1 ounce and he is 31 inches long.

(I checked Isabella's records and at 9 months she was 24 lbs and also 31 inches long.)

Simon is so big...

that he fell out of his Bumbo and landed on his stomach next to it

that when I try to lift him out of the Bumbo, the Bumbo comes with him

that his exersaucer is set to the highest setting and he can practically bounce himself out of it

that he has graduated to wearing size 5 pampers...and they only go up to size 6

that he is the length of his changetable and I need to retire it

that he was awkwardly laying on the baby scale at the doctor's today...limbs hanging over the sides

that he almost looks too big for his crib...almost


Anyhoo, here's a couple more cute shots of my boy.

Scary revelation

My 8 month old is the same weight and just about the same height as the 18 month old girl three doors down.

Huge. But at least he is proportionately huge.

Stats

Isabella at almost 3 years old is now wearing a size 11.5 shoe. OMG her feet are enormous.

Simon coos and babbles ALOT. He is a pro at touching his toes now and is quite good at sitting up by himself.

Isabella LOVES to be outside - especially at Nonna and Nonno's house. She really enjoys gardening (? - she definitely didn't get that from me). The hunt is on to find child size gardening gloves.

Simon (at one week shy of 7 months) is comfortably wearing 18 month clothing. I am not sure his shoe size but his feet are huge too (even a salesperson at a children's clothing store couldn't believe how big his feet were the other day).

Isabella is wearing size 5/6. It is rare that any piece of clothing makes it past one season. Poor us ($$$).

Simon loves to stand up (with help of course) so maybe he will skip the crawling phase like his sister did.

Isabella can make Simon laugh no matter what she does. She can fart and he finds that the funniest thing ever. He never takes his eyes off her.

I got Isabella to eat a couple bites of broccolli and green beans the other night (that would be 2, yes 2 green vegetables). It took some bribery (okay alot) but who cares as long as I was able to make the miracle happen.