Duke, Part 1

Let me begin with the fact that I have been avoiding writing this blog post because I want my otherwise healthy little boy to be just that - completely healthy. Unfortunately, Lucas is not completely healthy and it is a medical mystery what might be wrong with him. So, we went to Duke University Hospital last week to begin the journey down the diagnostic road to figure out why his bloodwork is awry. When Lucas was 3 weeks old he was hospitalized for poor weight gain (due to his tied tongue and inability to latch properly to eat) and a virus. Since that visit we have been doing monthly bloodwork (sometimes more often) to monitor those pesky liver enzyme levels that just won't go down. We were hopeful that the pediatric gastroenterologist would look at Luke and his bloodwork history and say, "He looks healty, these elevated liver enzyme levels must be normal for him, no need to worry, sorry you wasted the gas coming to Duke". Oh we were wrong.

So...we have done more bloodwork and a repeat abdominal ultrasound and are patiently waiting for all of the results. This is not a game parents like to play...wait and see. Especially because Duke has an online patient information and we can see his bloodwork results as they come in but have little idea what they mean. The Dr. did tell us to proceed as normal and hopefully we will get some answers at his next appointment.

Proceeding as normal....here is a little video of Lucas eating his first meal of rice cereal. He didn't like it :/

Fun weekend!

My mom came to visit this weekend...actually she came to "hold Lucas" because it had been about 2 months since she had seen him and she was missing him. The fact that Ross and I were there was just an added bonus when Luke was sleeping :) We had a lot of fun playing, shopping, and gabbing. I sure do miss living near my mom!

Sitting up supported

As you can tell from this picture, Lucas has been working very hard to master sitting up while also being supported. This is great because it gives him a new perspective of the world around him :) Hopefully he will continue to improve this ability and soon be sitting up in his high chair so we can feed him some rice cereal!

Isn't it amazing how flexible babies are? This is something our Mommy and Me yoga instructor pointed out during class once and I can't help but be amazed whenever I am watching Lucas hang out. He can even get his feet into his mouth and actually has been using his feet to pacify himself lately. I'm no longer surprised when I go to pick him up and his toes are soaking wet!

#13 Make and Drink a Pomegranate Martini

This was our first Valentines Day as parents, so, we decided not to battle the throngs of lovers at the restaurants and movies opting instead for a nice meal at home. I made twice baked potatoes and red velvet cake while Ross was at work...and pumped enough milk so that I could enjoy a drink or two ;-) Ross researched the ingredients for a pomegranate martini and made me my first cocktail for the evening. Then while he grilled up some steaks and asparagus, I completed #13 from my 30 before 30 list and made my second martini! I don't know why pomegranate flavoring has seemed to dominate the grocery the past few years. This proposed super food can be found flavoring yogurt, juice, and salad dressing to name a few places it has appeared. Whatever the reason, I LOVE it almost anywhere I find it! A pomegranate Martini is no exception - it provides just the right amount of tartness to offset the strong flavor of vodka. Here is the version we made - you can adjust the amounts to your liking (or your tolerance level). I think it is better when you add the Champagne after you shake it to retain the bubbly.

Pomegranate Martini

4 oz Pomegranate Juice

1 oz Vodka

1/2 oz Triple Sec

1/2 oz Champagne

Lemon juice and sugar garnish

My Valentines

5 months

It's official, Lucas is 5 months old and is a very happy baby if I do say so myself :) He does not have a well baby check up this month so I can't fill you in on his current stats; however, I can tell you he has grown out of a lot of his 3-6 month clothes because he is sooooo long! My mom told me this is exactly how my sisters and I grew.

You might remember my debate about whether or not we should schedule Lucas's eating/sleeping...well he currently has a routine (a term the other mothers in my Mommy and Me Yoga class prefer - and so do I). I tracked his eating for a few weeks and then set a loose guideline for his feedings that would hopefully curtail the hungry fussy monster. And it worked. He eats 6 times a day at roughly the same time and he is generally less fussy. I also learned that having a routine is great for mommies too because I have a better handle on what he is trying to tell me when he cries. I can also go about my life a little more carefree :)

His social development is going great...he will look for his mommy or daddy if he hears us from across the room, he smiles in response to a smile, laughs in response to a laugh, laughs when he farts (oh boy), and will try to entice you to laugh or smile at/with him. He usually sizes up a stranger before giving them the smile that could melt their heart (and usually does). He even smiles at the dogs and laughs at books.

His physical development is also right on target...he can raise his chest up supported by his arms, reach for objects, grasp things, keep his head level with his body when pulled to sitting, bear weight on his legs, and sometimes he will roll over.

But the biggest news is....he has a tooth! I just can't believe it! As exciting as this is, whenever I tell people about it they always feel the need to make a comment like, "ouch! that's gotta hurt" or "I guess he is going to move to solid foods now!" or some other reference to my nipples. It's not entirely unlike the inappropriate tummy touching or weight comments from when I was pregnant. Hello! This is my body! Please don't reference my nips again, thank you!

Pictures

Here are some pictures of what Lucas has been up to!

Pushing way up and smiling for the camera

Teething

Working on those fine motor skills by bringing the tips of his fingers together

Showing interest in food

Lacing his fingers together

Tendonitis...

Holy bajoly... apparently having a mom body means more than a flabby belly and dark circles under your eyes. It also means you are at risk for tendonitis from holding your baby too much. How rude is that?!?!? I started having difficulty opening jars and wringing out dishrags but didn't think too much of it - when I casually mentioned it to my dr., she referred me to an orthopedic surgeon's office (what?!?!?!?!). And it turns out tendonitis is very common for new moms. The PA I saw mentioned that she had it with her first child so bad she couldn't even open a door! So now I get to sport this oh so cool wrist stabilizer. Interesting enough more people try to offer me assistance now. I guess I look a sore sight when I am out juggling a million things :) Other things to note in the above picture - Lucas has only one sock on. I think one foot has grown quicker than the other and now he perpetually is missing a sock. Also, I am wearing my favorite jeans from pre-pregnancy! I actually was able to fit into them a few weeks ago but decided not to blog about it until they passed the freshly washed test. Yay!
This is how I found Lucas the other morning. He may look like his daddy everywhere else but he has McConnell feet!