Fall decorations are out...we have pumpkins on our front porch and a shiny black spider (that we have decided is a friendly spider and not a scary spider), and the pumpkin family is back out on the mantle this year, with the addition of another little pumpkin boy;). Last year, G was fascinated by our pumpkin family...so much so, that after I had taken them down, they were in our guest bedroom for a couple of weeks until I had the time and energy to pack them up in the garage, and I would find him in there just looking at them and very gently touching them. It was so funny. He likes all of the pumpkins...I feel like we have bought a new one at the grocery store every time we go...with intentions of painting it or making it into a "pumpkin jack"! Here is G on a "huge" pumpkin at whole foods...one morning daddy and G went and he wanted to take a picture of himself on it "for mommy". Now, every time we go, he goes and sits up on it and tells me when he took a picture of himself with daddy!
We can't decide what he is going to be for Halloween...right now he is very particular about what he wears. I am hesitant to put much time or money into a costume that he very likely will not put on when it is go time. Our first idea was a Tickle Monster...if you have been around G, you know that this would be very fitting because tickling people is one of the ways he says, "Hi. I like you!" I threw out the monster part, and he quickly added the tickle part. But not too many days after, when asked by someone what he was going to be for Halloween, he very definitively said, "Santa." This is funny because Grady has had a pretty serious obsession with Santa since last Christmas. He was NOT scared of him at all last year, loved to talk about him, loved the movie and book Polar Express (yes, we did let him watch it and he LOVED it!), still makes Santa beards in the bathtub, and still says that Santa is on the airplanes that we see up in the air (prompted by a story John told him one time last year). And a cowboy is also in the running. Stay tuned to see what actually makes the cut in a couple of weeks...
Henry is good...As of Friday, he weighs 13lbs. 9oz. This is still hovering just under the growth charts, but it is at least going up at a consistent rate that follows the curve almost perfectly. He is in the 50% for height. He has not been nursing very well...I am trying to figure out how to make this still work without the stress that it is causing these days. He did get his first meal of tasty rice cereal this weekend and he loved it! Hardly even a sour face, and gladly took it off the spoon. Even smacked his lips as if he were chewing it! I have started putting him in the little door jumper some, for a change of pace and to help strengthen his little legs and back. He isn't jumping quite yet, but likes to be vertical watching G.
We went to the Cardiologist on Friday. There is no change in the size of his heart and no improvement in the function. Again, this is very hard and disappointing news for us, but we continue to be hopeful and positive. Dr. Patel encouraged us to keep focusing on how great Henry looks...he continues to be pleased with his demeanor, his growth, and his development. We started a new medication, Carvedilol. It is a beta blocker and used to block things that would stimulate the heart, keeping it from working too hard or fast. It is newer in its usage on pediatrics, but all of the doctors we have consulted seem to agree that Henry should try it. He is on a super low dose now, and we will increase it in two weeks. It takes a little while to actually start working, so we are not expecting overnight results.
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| Grady's new "special house" |
A few funny things that G has said in the past couple of weeks...
- "I do like____."
- "Rogging rocos" = logging locos! Took me several attempts to figure this one out! He doesn't say his L's very well, so this was a funny one!
- When he goes down for his nap or at bedtime, he asks what everyone is doing..."What's mommy doing?" We answer. "What's daddy doing?" We answer. "What's Henry doing?" We answer. "What's Belle doing?" After he knows that everyone else is going to have some down time too, it is ok for him to lay down.
- A couple of weeks ago, he started saying, "Yeah" instead of "yes". Though annoying at times, it sometimes sounds very cute!
- Out of the blue, his new go-to answer is, "Nofing." = nothing
- "Nana's house is...dill waiter!" At one point, he asked if he was going to Nana's house, and I answered, "No not till later." He started repeating me, and the way he said it was so funny, that John and I started laughing. He now thinks it's a funny joke to say, "Nana's house is...dill waiter!" He says the first part normal, and then revs up, dips his chin, and draws out the dill waiter. Then laughs out loud at himself.
- He is obsessed with The Big Bad Wolf....anything wolf...he knows all of the books/stories and likes to pretend that the Big Bad Wolf is around. He also likes to say to people that The Big Bad Wolf is going to blow their house down.
