Owen & Ella's Check-Ups!

Last week was Owen and Ella's yearly check up. Of course it was at a time where I had to take all 4 of the kids with me. The biggest bummer was the hospital where I take them doesn't have valet parking anymore. This was a huge blessing to have and I'm so sad it's gone now! 

Because I'm used to there being valet we got there just a few minutes before the appointment and then I realized I had to go to the parking garage and find a spot. Thankfully we found one on the first floor and then went up to the skybridge to get inside the building. We literally waited in the waiting room for all of 1 minute before it was time to go back. 

All of the kids wanted to be weighed, but Zeke. Owen is 8 years old and a whopping 47lbs! Jack is 6 1/2 and 44lbs and Ella is 5 and 42lbs. 

Owen has come up in the percentile charts, but he's still only in the 10% for his weight. He's perfect though....he's just like his daddy! 

Ella Grace is very proportionate she is in the 50% for her height and her weight. The best part for this trip was NO SHOTS! Yahoo!  

Show Me Those Pearly Whites!

About a week and a half ago it was time to take the bigger boys in for their dentist appointments. I was supposed to take them in back in December during Christmas break, but then we all got the flu so that didn't work out. The boys were totally bummed and couldn't wait to go. They love getting new toothbrushes and a token for the toy machine in the lobby!

Jackson is getting so big. He wasn't nervous at all this time around. I even left him and spent a bit of time with Owen in the other room and he was fine. 

Owen got to get xrays of his whole mouth...you know the machine that goes all the way around your head. It was so cool so see all this adult teeth just hanging out up in his skull just waiting to come down when it's time. 

Ella and Zeke were very good waiting for their siblings to get finished. They did go back and forth between Owen and Jack's room, but the hygienist didn't mind. They even gave got new toothbrushes and tokens as well! 

Zeke loves the big wall decals! 

Ella said don't forget me mom! 

Jackson getting worked on. See how high he has to sit up in the chair. When the hygienist pulled him up higher his pants ended up coming down. It was so funny! Later when the dentist came to check out his teeth he had to be pulled up again and I had to remind him to hold onto his drawers!!! The only thing that we do have some concern about is Jack's front permanent teeth that are coming in. He has such a small mouth so those teeth are coming in almost completely sideways. They look like little doors that are almost open. She wants to keep an eye on it so in 6 months we'll reevaluate if we need to pull the two teeth beside them to give them more room and once he gets his first 2 permanent molars she might be able to anchor braces to those permanent teeth to then straighten out his front two teeth. The dentist has always been pretty straightforward in saying that Jack would need braces so this isn't a surprise!  

Owen is totally a pro at this...no worries at all. The best thing is he's doing so much better at brushing his gums so they didn't bleed nearly as bad as the last time! 

Picture proof he is a total and complete stinker...look at that face!! 

Allergy Testing!

About 6 months ago Zeke went from a happy baby all the time to a pretty grumpy baby that wanted to be held all the time. At his 2 year appointment I talked with his pedi about seeing if he had any food allergies. Mainly because he is such a horrible eater! He usually eats a good breakfast and then an okay lunch and then he refuses dinner. I was curious if maybe he was allergic to something that he was eating throughout the day and by the time he go to dinner his stomach just hurt too much to eat. 

I was warned that this appointment would take 3 hours so I came prepared with snacks and entertainment! 

Here is Zeke's back after the poke test. He did so well! The first couple of pokes he didn't even flinch, but then he really started to cry. I felt so bad, but knew it was going to be good to know one way or another! 

Bringing the portable DVD player to doctor appointments is by far the best thing ever! The appointment ended up being almost 2 hours, but without McQueen I think it would have been much worse! 

I don't think I blogged about Jack's appt. This was a trip I was dreading. 5 kids stuck in a tiny exam room...not my idea of a good time. Anyways the night before it dawned on me....I have a portable DVD player. So I brought that and Ninjago and the kids did great! 

The results from Zeke's test was he has no allergies! Yahoo! He does still have to have a blood test for a few things they don't check with the poke test, but the doctor was pretty sure he wasn't allergic just based on his symptoms. He is concerned about Zeke's eating habits and in his words...."I can't fix food allergies, but we can fix behavioral issues!" So he wants me to take Zeke to Mary Bridge for a food eval. He has some texture issues and absolutely refuses to try new foods so this might be just the thing he needs to overcome these behavior issues.  

Forward Facing!

The day I took Zeke in for his 18 month checkup I turned him forward facing.  I was planning on turning him earlier but then he broke his collar bone and I didn't want him to have to support the weight.  He's collar bone is fine now. At his checkup we found out he's a whopping 22lbs! 

Just for my records here are the words Zeke is saying right now...

Mama, dada, Ella, wawa (water), uh-huh, mah (more), yum-yum, bapple (apple), babee (baby), ah oh & dadon (all done).

He knows the signs for... more, please, milk, all done, help & thank you. 

He can also make the noises for a dog, cat, car, bear & horse.

Look Mom...No Cavities!

Last Thursday I took the kids to the dentist for their check up...I remember when I was just taking Owen and Jack it was so stressful, but now I can take 4 kids and it's a breeze. I was wanting to take the kids to DQ afterwards and have a little mid-morning date with Daddy, but I forgot that they can't eat or drink for 30 minutes after they get fluoride on their teeth. I ended up having to nurse Zeke in the van right after the appointment and then by the time we got home it had been over a half an hour.

Thanks to some free McFlurry Monopoly pieces I got 2 McFlurry's for all of use to share. The Rolo one is AMAZING!!!

 

 

Jack did fabulously....he even let them take 3 xrays...they couldn't quite get the last one since he has such a good gag reflex. It was so neat seeing his permanent teeth on the xray...just knowing they are down there waiting to pop up.

 

 

Logan and her Mommy got to have a little mid-morning date while we were at the dentist...they went for a stroll at the beach!

 

 

Ella is still super nervous about anything medical so she would not sit in the dentist chair. They did have a cute pink little kid chair so she sat in that. The hygienist literally was swatting as low as she could so she could clean her teeth. Cute little particular girl!

 

 

Owen did great, but we found out that he hasn't been brushing his gums well enough...they were really inflamed and bleeding. So we have to help him to make sure he gets them well enough.

 

 

"Hey...where's my ice cream!"

Zeke's 2 Month Check-Up!

On Monday I took Zeke in for his 2 month check-up. This cutie is now weighing in at 10lbs 9.5oz! He also grew an inch and is now 22 inches long!

Zeke was great and loved kicking around on the exam table. He didn't even cry when Dr. Apostol listened to his heart. He did get a bit upset when he looked in his ears though.

Ella came along with us while the older boys stayed at home. Miss Kim came over with Andrew & Josiah so they could play together.

While we were waiting for the doctor to come in Ella drew, and we played the 'Where is Zeke's nose and every other body part' game. We also read a few books too. I hate waiting for doctors!

Ella came with us because she was being seen too. She's had this funny rash on her chin and it's not going away. She is a thumb sucker so I was wondering if it had anything to do with that. At first I thought it was just the normal teething spit rash that all my kids get, but it's just sticking around. He's having me rub Nystatin on it so hopefully it will be gone soon. If not we'll try another cream!

Poor Zeke Man had to have 3 shots and 1 oral med. The oral med he did great with...he was hungry! The shots made him cry and I mean he had his first tears cry! Broke Mama's heart! He only cried for a bit though and then he was fine. Later in the afternoon was another story though. He was absolutely beside himself when he woke up from his nap. His legs were so sore from the shots he couldn't even nurse since it would put pressure on his legs. He just laid there crying and crying. I ended up giving him some ibuprofen and then pumping for his next feeding. Thankfully it didn't impact his sleeping and he slept from 9pm - 6:30am when I woke him up.

One Month Check Up!

Last Tuesday I took Zeke in for his 1 month check up. He weighed in at 9lbs exactly and was measuring at 21 inches. Cute growing boy!

As you can see from the picture this cutie has a terrible case of baby acne. Poor guy! He also has a bit of craddle cap too. We've been rubbing baby oil on his face and then brushing it with a soft brush to get the excess flaky skin off. I've also been rubbing Cedaphil lotion on it twice a day too and that seems to help. Thankfully it doesn't seen to bother Zeke and the doctor said it would clear up by the time he's 3 months old.

Since Zeke is bigger now the doctor said I can let him wake up when he wants to at night now. Before he would just sleep and sleep and sleep so I would set my alarm and wake him up to feed him at night. The first night of letting him wake himself up I couldn't make it...I was in so much pain I woke him up just so he could relieve my engorded breasts. However, that turned out to be a huge mistake! He wasn't all that hungry so he was a lazy eater and swallowed a bunch of air...can you say gas! It ended up turning into a 2 hour ordeal! Lesson learned! The next time I let him wake up on his own and it was much better! On average he sleeps for 4 - 5 hour stretches at night. A couple times he's gone as long as 7 hours!

He is having more awake time, but I wouldn't necessarily say it's happy awake time. He's happy for a little while and then he wants to be held or wrapped up in his blanket and snuggled. He LOVES to be wrapped...not tight, but he does love having the blanket around his torso and up by his face. He thankfully loves any and all baby contraptions - bouncing chair, swing, boppy, playmat and car seat...all of it! PTL! He would sleep all day in his swing if I let him.

The newness of him hasn't worn off with the kids. They all still love to kiss him and hug him. Owen is particularily fond of him and wants to touch his face and nuzzle him. Sometimes when Ella gets hurt or is crying she will say, "I need Z!" and then she has to hug him. As for Jack he doesn't feel the need to love on him as much, when he does want to hold him it's so funny because it last all of 2.5 seconds!

First Family Outing!

On Wednesday May 30th we went on our first family outing.

Our 4 blessings all buckled in. You might notice there has been a change since the last time I blogged about our seating arrangement. Yeah...Ella needed to be moved away from Owen. She is such an instigator and she is super ornery so we decided to make our car rides more pleasant she was getting moved. It really has made traveling in the van much easier!

Jack is over the moon that he gets to sit next to Zeke. He kept saying..."Mommy he's holding my hand!"

Cute nerdo!!!

Lookin' good with her shades!

Zeke did great at his appointment. He had gained some weight going from 6lbs 9oz to 6lbs 14oz!

I totally forgot to bring things for the kids to do, but I found some paper in my purse and a pen so Ella sat down and drew.

The boys listened to Daddy read a book.

Then my back started to hurt so it was my turn to sit down. Don't you just love those long waits at the doctor's office...I don't think so!

Then I mentioned to the kids it would be fun to surprise Dr. Apostol so Owen hid behind the exam table.

Jack and Ella hid under the table waiting to jump out and say surprise. Unfortunately the doctor was running so behind that Michael ended up having to take the kids out before he came in. Overall they did really good having to wait so long in such a small space. Another sad thing was right after this picture was taken my camera battery died so I don't have pictures of the rest of our outing. After the doctor's visit we took the kids out for some lunch and playtime at McD's! We don't normally get Happy Meals for the kids we just get a 20 piece nugget and Michael shares with the kids, but right now they have all the Madagascar toys for the new movie so couldn't pass it up. We also told Jack that part of his birthday present is getting to go see the new movie. Then we asked him if he wanted to go see it will just Mommy and Daddy or if he wanted Owen and Ella to come too. I was sure he would say he wanted Owen and Ella to come since he likes to include everyone, but he was very specific he just wants to go with Mommy and Daddy. I did tell him that Zeke would have to join us too, but he didn't seem to mind. I think it will be great to have special one on one time with him...can't wait for the movie to come out now!

5 & 2 Year Check Ups!

I love the fact that our 4 children are kind of split into 2 sets of 2 in regards to their birthdays. Owen and Ella's birthdays are so close I can schedule their check ups at the same time and I'll be able to do the same thing with Jack and Baby Z. I don't know about you, but if I can spend less time at the pediatrician I'm a happy gal!

 

These cuties are so doing great!

Owen is now 35.5 lbs! That's SO good for him. He's in the 12% now and I'm pretty sure he's never been in double digits for his weight percentage before. He's in the 50% for his height and according to their chart if he continues growing at this rate he'll be around 5ft 10 inches tall. Not bad! Owen also had his hearing and his eyes checked and they are just fine. One of the fun things was he got to show off his skills like writing his name for the doctor.

Ella weighs 27 lbs and is in the 50% for both her height and weight. The doctor is a little concerned about her vocabulary...with her Hydrocephalus the communication part of her brain was impacted so she's trying to catch up now. He gave me the number to Birth - 3 so I'm going to call and see if I can get Ella in to have an assessment. Another thing we need to keep an eye on is her legs and feet. Her right leg especially turns inward and so does her foot. It's been tripping her up a lot lately. The doctor said that it should correct itself naturally by the time she's 3, but if it doesn't we'll look into some options to correct it. Ella had to have one shot, but she did great. Of course she cried, but just for a bit and then it was over.

One thing that was nice about the whole trip to the pediatrician was to just get to spend time with just Owen and Ella. Miss Kim was watching Jack and Logan for me and it was fun to get to focus on just the two of them.

She's A Mess!!!

Here's the little princess this morning! She went to bed last night around 7:45 and slept all the way until 8am. I was really kicking myself for not waking her up and giving her her meds in the middle of the night though. She was in SO much pain this morning that she was shaking and inconsolable when I was just changing her diaper. After I gave her her meds we snuggled and she fell asleep on my chest for about an hour and then was her happy self.

This picture is from the hospital, but I liked how it showed the incision on her belly. If you're wondering why they cut into her stomach it was so they could thread the catheter from her skull to her abdominal cavity. In this picture you can see the steri stripes that are holding it together from the outside....there are stitches on the inside though.

I mention the steri stripes because later on in the day she was laying in my bed when I noticed her messing with her belly. Then I said, "Ella don't itch your belly!" then she hurried up and picked something up and put it on her belly....yep the steri stripes....she had just ripped them off! Seriously girl!

So off to the doctor we went! We were the last appt of the day and of course they were running late. Her appt was at 5:20 and we didn't leave until 6:20! All for a couple steri stripes to be reapplied! Ugh! She's so worth it though! I must say she was not having it! She hated every moment that we were there. In fact the only way I could keep her calm was to snuggle her, pace and sing! I think I probably did that for at least 15 minutes straight.

Here's a closer picture of her incision. It's bigger than I thought would be, but hopefully with some Maderma scar cream it won't be that bad. She's now down for the night, but I will definitely be getting her up once in the night to give her some meds. Hopefully tomorrow she'll start eating better!

Time For A Check-Up!

Last Friday I took all the kids to the dentist. Thankfully not all at once though! My friend Jen lives near our dentist so she watched Ella and I took the boys. Then I came and dropped off the boys and took Ella. It really worked out well!

 Owen is a total pro at the dentist! He just hops up in the chair and doesn't even need me there. They even got really good x-rays and they scrubbed off the stains on his front teeth too.

Jack did better this time. He gets really nervous, but he sat on my lap and let her clean and floss his teeth. She was also able to get x-rays for the first time. The only part he didn't like was when they put the fluoride on his teeth.

Ella was quite shy and I don't blame her with all the trauma she experienced with dentists earlier in the year. She did let the hygienist clean her teeth and then the dentist got a good look at the inside of her mouth and her wound is all healed!!! She also didn't like the fluoride treatment. All in all the kids did great and there were no cavities!

Updates!

It's been a while since I did an update on the kiddos so here goes...

Owen is turning into a little adult! He is quite opinionated and likes things to be done a certain way...mainly HIS way! Lately he has been pushing the boundaries and he is finding that they are still there. He has gotten a bit more freedom though...the bubble IS getting bigger, but it's not gone! Right now Owen is quite challenging for me. He is not really good at keeping himself entertained and his idea of entertainment is TV or the computer. I try to limit those so it gets frustrating when he asks to play on the computer or watch a movie about 30 times a day. Really it's exhausting! We are looking into more outside of the home activities to keep him entertained...maybe that will help. He's just like me when I was little...I could not entertain myself at all!

The biggest update on Jack is he's currently going to Occupational Therapy. When I took him in for his 3 year check up I told the Dr about some concerns I was having with him not being able to do some things. Things like...opening a door, putting on or taking off his clothes, opening the frig, preferring to eat with his hands and so on. So we've gone twice now to OT and he's already improving. He is now opening the frig and putting on and taking off his clothes with more ease. He just needs to get a little more self confidences and he needs to build up and learn to use his muscles in his hands and arms. In regards to potty training...I have just given up! He is potty trained, but at the same time he's not. He totally understands what he's supposed to do he just chooses not to do it. He wears undies all day and chooses to pee in them. I've gotten to the point where I just refuse to change him out of the undies. I only get one pair of undies and pants a day so that's all he gets. At nap time he wears undies and can keep them dry. At night time he wears a Pull-Up because he's such a hard sleeper. I ask him if he likes wearing wet undies and pants and he says, "yeah!" Oh my goodness!!!

Ella Bean is turning into an even bigger drama queen. In fact on Sunday at church she had her first meltdown in public. I just let her lay on the floor until she was ready to get up and then she took my hand (she was refusing too...hence the meltdown) and we walked out of church. At her check up last week she weighed in at 23lb 13oz, by far the biggest of all my babies at this age. She is still loving food and sleep. After I wrote that huge post about our daily lives she started scaling back to one nap more often. Most days she will take a short nap in the morning and then a longer one in the afternoon. Ella isn't speaking much, she says a handful of words, but she really is using her sign language so that does help with her frustration level.