Friday, September 30, 2011
Watching for Trains
I have been wanting to get pictures of Keifer on the rail road tracks for months now but it has been way too hot! With the weather cooling down the past few weeks (meaning not in the 100's) I decided to go ahead and get his pictures made. The last time I had his pictures done he was 6 weeks old and now he is 4.5 months so they are long over due. I called Mike from Michael's Photography. He is a family friend and the one who does ALL of our photos and he was more than willing to meet me at the rail road tracks and get some pictures for Fall. Mike did an awesome job as always and I can't wait to see the rest of the pictures and get them sent out.
Crossing the Border
This past weekend my mom, Uncle Roy, Kefier and I drove out to New Mexico. My Granny lives there and was in the hospital so we all loaded up early Friday morning and headed west. This was a last minute unplanned trip so we didn't plan anything to do while we were there. Packing for Keifer for 4 days was like packing to go cross country. I had to rent a little SUV just to accommodate all of his luggage. That being said it was a tight squeeze and I didn't even pack our camera. I was worried about how Keifer would do in the car for 13 hours and staying in an unfamiliar place for that long but he did better than I ever could have asked of a 4.5 month old. He was able to stay on schedule (even switching time zones) and just napped and played in the car. By the time we arrived Friday night it was time for him to go to bed for the night and he fell right asleep. We all got up Saturday and planned to go visit Granny in the hospital. With as young as he is I didn't feel comfortable taking him in so I sat in the car him while my Mom and Uncle Roy went in to see her. Then after about 45 minutes Mom came out and watched Keifer for 30 minutes while I went in to visit her. Keifer did pretty good waiting in the car that long but it was past time for his nap and he had a hard time falling asleep in the car. So the rest of the trip I decided to stay home with him and let Mom and Uncle Roy spend time with Granny.
We didn't really do anything other than stay at Granny's house and clean up for her but here are a few exciting things about Kefier this past weekend.....
1. He got to meet his Great Uncle Roy for the first time and Keifer sure did like him. Keifer always smiled at his Uncle Roy.
2. Keifer got to see the mountains for the first time.
3. Keifer got to visit his first state outside of Texas.
....and last but not least on Saturday night September 24th Keifer rolled over from his back onto his stomach for the first time. Keifer rolls side to side all the time and scoots really good but this was his first time to roll all the way over onto his tummy and push his chest up with his hands.
All in all it was a pretty good trip and nice to just relax and visit. Like I mentioned before I didn't bring my camera but here are just a few pictures that I took of him on my phone while we were there.
We didn't really do anything other than stay at Granny's house and clean up for her but here are a few exciting things about Kefier this past weekend.....
1. He got to meet his Great Uncle Roy for the first time and Keifer sure did like him. Keifer always smiled at his Uncle Roy.
2. Keifer got to see the mountains for the first time.
3. Keifer got to visit his first state outside of Texas.
....and last but not least on Saturday night September 24th Keifer rolled over from his back onto his stomach for the first time. Keifer rolls side to side all the time and scoots really good but this was his first time to roll all the way over onto his tummy and push his chest up with his hands.
All in all it was a pretty good trip and nice to just relax and visit. Like I mentioned before I didn't bring my camera but here are just a few pictures that I took of him on my phone while we were there.
Being a good boy waiting in the car at the hospital
Picture I took of him after he rolled over Saturday night
Keifer and his NayNay waiting in the car
It was so cold at night so NayNay bought Keifer this parka to keep him warm at night
it did the trick!
He wakes up happy no matter where he is : )
Playing around while I was trying to get him ready for bed in the car
Welcome to Keifer's Party
There are times when I put Keifer down for his naps or sometimes even down for bed when he is just NOT ready to go to sleep. I can rock him to try and relax him but that doesn't work. I have tried for about a month now to record him "playing" instead of sleeping in his crib and I finally got a video of it.
Fan for Life
This is not a big story just one night the Ranger's were on TV and Jason was watching them. I caught Keifer watching them with him and it was too cute not to snap a picture. I've noticed TV always gets Keifer's attention but for some reason whether it be the colors or the fast motion, his favorite thing to stare at is the Ranger's game.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Now I see....
For everyone who has been around Keifer you have seen his watery eyes. For those of you who have not, both of Keifer's eyes have watered and backed up constantly since he was born. When he was about a week old it was getting pretty bad. It was constantly yellow buildup coming out of his eyes and sometimes there was so much that it would dry on his eyelashes and "glue" them shut. So one night while rocking him I got on my phone and googled watery eyes. Once again I was surprised at how common this was and I love having google to turn to. : ) I felt much better to know this was common and not a serious problem. All the things I read was a few drops of breast milk will clear it up. I thought that was a little strange and I was hesitant to put breast milk in his eye. One or two days after I read that a friend of mine, Kristi, came over and told me her daughter had the same thing and to just put breast milk in his eye. Being the second time I heard it I tried it. Talk about multi-purpose, it cleared his eyes right up. The bad thing was just for a few hours at a time. I talked to Kristi again and she said that sometimes if it is a little worse then you might have to get eye drops from the pediatrician. That next week we were going to meet with the pediatrician for the first time so I decided to ask her about it. She explained it was clogged tear ducts and very common. I told her I had tried the breast milk and it only worked temporarily so she said it was time to try eye drops. Jason and I were not too happy about having to already use a "prescription" on our 2 week old but decided his eye was not something to mess with and didn't want to cause him permanent damage.
Well after putting one eye drop in each eye four times a day and not too much improvement I was starting to wonder if the eye drops were even worth it. It was time to take Keifer in for his 2 month appointment so we brought up the eye issue again with the doctor. She said if the eye drops didn't work then the next step was to wait and see if they unclogged on their own or take a rod and stick it down in his eye to break loose the "clog." Well all I could tell you was that was a big negative from the moment those words touched her lips. So we decided we went wait and let his little body clear it up on it's own like God intended it to. After another 3 weeks or so his right eye had completely cleared up and the left one had gotten to the point where it just watered like a tear and no more color in the drainage and it didn't do it all the time. So I assumed the left one would be clearing up on it's own soon like the right. Was I wrong! At 3 months his eye was still watering and starting to get red all around his eye, swollen, and hot like it had a fever. That's when I started to get a little worried and realized we have to do something. I knew the pediatrician's next step and that was not even an option for me so I tried some natural approaches.
I tried getting his cranial adjusted, massaging the inside of his eye and apply a hot washrag on his eye. All of these things worked but just like the breast milk only temporary. My sister in law, Amy, gave me the number to Dr. DeVore in McKinney who is a another chiropractor who had done some laser therapy on both of her children and it worked great. I was so excited to give him a try that I called him that day and he was able to get me in within 2 hours. He had done some muscle testing on Keifer through me and found that it was a viral infection in his eye. That was what I thought. I told Jason before I took him that the redness, swelling and fever in that eye had probably turned into an infection from the buildup. Dr. DeVore did some cold laser work on his eye and gave me a supplement to take for a viral infection so Keifer could get it through my breast milk. This was on a Thursday and he said if it wasn't cleared up by Monday to bring him in on Monday or Tuesday. His eye looked a lot better and was to the point that it only watered at night. Unfortunately, Wednesday it was starting to get bad again. Dr. DeVore had already told me he was going to be out of town the rest of the week so I had to wait for the following week to schedule another appointment. He was able to get him in that next Tuesday so we went in for a second treatment and no luck. The next day it had only gotten worse. I hadn't finished taking the whole bottle of supplements yet so I waited to see if that would clear it up before I tried anything else. Again, no luck and at this point his eye watered constantly to the point I had to have a burp rag close by at all times to wipe it.
I met with a friend, Stephanie, who is a nutritionist and has helped during my pregnancy. One thing she told me to do was eat 3 cloves of garlic a day. I wasn't super excited about that cause I knew I would stink and NO ONE would want to be around me if I ate that much garlic. However, if it would have helped him I would have done it without a second guess. Luckily she told me that maybe that wasn't that good of an idea because it could change the flavor of my breast milk and he might not take it. Phew... I got lucky on that one. Her next idea was to spray colloidal silver on his eye. (a liquid germicide that kills viruses and bacterias and many other uses) I was suppose to meet her the next day to get the colloidal silver and she was going to make some phone calls to see if she could find out any other options. So I loaded him up to go see her. (It just so happened that it was the day he turned 4 months) Stephanie gave me the colloidal silver and also told me to steep 3 bags of chamomile tea into 8 ounces of water and absorb the tea with a washrag and do heat compresses on his eye three times a day and then one spray of the colloidal silver after. She told me to do this for one week and if it wasn't better we would look into some other options. I was hopeful but didn't want to get my hopes up. After all we had been dealing with this for 4 months and multiple other things have failed me.
Well after putting one eye drop in each eye four times a day and not too much improvement I was starting to wonder if the eye drops were even worth it. It was time to take Keifer in for his 2 month appointment so we brought up the eye issue again with the doctor. She said if the eye drops didn't work then the next step was to wait and see if they unclogged on their own or take a rod and stick it down in his eye to break loose the "clog." Well all I could tell you was that was a big negative from the moment those words touched her lips. So we decided we went wait and let his little body clear it up on it's own like God intended it to. After another 3 weeks or so his right eye had completely cleared up and the left one had gotten to the point where it just watered like a tear and no more color in the drainage and it didn't do it all the time. So I assumed the left one would be clearing up on it's own soon like the right. Was I wrong! At 3 months his eye was still watering and starting to get red all around his eye, swollen, and hot like it had a fever. That's when I started to get a little worried and realized we have to do something. I knew the pediatrician's next step and that was not even an option for me so I tried some natural approaches.
I met with a friend, Stephanie, who is a nutritionist and has helped during my pregnancy. One thing she told me to do was eat 3 cloves of garlic a day. I wasn't super excited about that cause I knew I would stink and NO ONE would want to be around me if I ate that much garlic. However, if it would have helped him I would have done it without a second guess. Luckily she told me that maybe that wasn't that good of an idea because it could change the flavor of my breast milk and he might not take it. Phew... I got lucky on that one. Her next idea was to spray colloidal silver on his eye. (a liquid germicide that kills viruses and bacterias and many other uses) I was suppose to meet her the next day to get the colloidal silver and she was going to make some phone calls to see if she could find out any other options. So I loaded him up to go see her. (It just so happened that it was the day he turned 4 months) Stephanie gave me the colloidal silver and also told me to steep 3 bags of chamomile tea into 8 ounces of water and absorb the tea with a washrag and do heat compresses on his eye three times a day and then one spray of the colloidal silver after. She told me to do this for one week and if it wasn't better we would look into some other options. I was hopeful but didn't want to get my hopes up. After all we had been dealing with this for 4 months and multiple other things have failed me.
So step one: Steeping the tea
Keifer just patiently waits while I put the rag on his eye. He doesn't try to fight me, he is such a sweet baby!
I had to go buy chamomile tea so I didn't get to start this process until Saturday. By Sunday his eye looked so good and didn't water once. I wanted to make sure that this wasn't one that temporally took it away and brought it back so we continued. We only have two days left of this and his eye has never watered or turned red once since Saturday. I'm so happy we found something that worked and so thankful for friends with wonderful knowledge to keep our little boy healthy in a natural way!
I'm proud to say at 4 months and 1 week my little boy has two good eyes. : )
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
4 Months
Another month has past and I have fallen more in love with this little guy. He is getting to become so much fun and becoming more interactive with us. He smiles when he hears Jason or I talking and lights up when he sees our faces. A few fun facts about Keifer this past month....
As I wrote in the 3 month post he was starting to put his own pacifier back in his mouth. Well now he takes his pacifier out and puts it back all the time on his own. At 4 months he is finally in 0-3 months and still in size 1 diapers. However as little as Keifer is, there is one thing on him that is outgrowing his age... his feet! He is wearing size 6-12 month socks. Keifer defiantly takes after me with his long legs and big feet. He is getting so good at holding things with his hands. He grabs things, plays with toys, and holds his stuffed animals and blankets. When he sleeps he likes to pull his blanket over his head and if you pull it off he just pulls it back up. He loves to blow bubbles out of his mouth. He will just sit there and smile and blow bubbles. He has found his feet and loves to lift his legs in the air while holding his feet and roll back in forth side to side. One sad thing is he does not like to be held like a baby or to lay with his head on your shoulder. If I rock him he has to be sitting up in my lap. I was really surprised at how fast he grew out of that. Just the same as when he was born he continues to be so alert and pays attention to everything around him. Keifer will give you this look like he is really trying to figure out what you are doing or saying. It is so amazing how each month has such milestones in his growth into becoming independent. I thought I would be sad when he grew up and wasn't a "baby" anymore but I am having a blast with him and love being his mommy.
At 4 months Keifer is weighing in at 11lbs. 13oz. putting him in the 3rd percentile. Height 25.5 inches putting him in the 58th percentile and head circumference is 16 inches putting him in the 7th percentile. I love my small guy and think he is perfect in every way! : )
After I took his tie off he was being silly and talking so I got a few pictures of him
As I wrote in the 3 month post he was starting to put his own pacifier back in his mouth. Well now he takes his pacifier out and puts it back all the time on his own. At 4 months he is finally in 0-3 months and still in size 1 diapers. However as little as Keifer is, there is one thing on him that is outgrowing his age... his feet! He is wearing size 6-12 month socks. Keifer defiantly takes after me with his long legs and big feet. He is getting so good at holding things with his hands. He grabs things, plays with toys, and holds his stuffed animals and blankets. When he sleeps he likes to pull his blanket over his head and if you pull it off he just pulls it back up. He loves to blow bubbles out of his mouth. He will just sit there and smile and blow bubbles. He has found his feet and loves to lift his legs in the air while holding his feet and roll back in forth side to side. One sad thing is he does not like to be held like a baby or to lay with his head on your shoulder. If I rock him he has to be sitting up in my lap. I was really surprised at how fast he grew out of that. Just the same as when he was born he continues to be so alert and pays attention to everything around him. Keifer will give you this look like he is really trying to figure out what you are doing or saying. It is so amazing how each month has such milestones in his growth into becoming independent. I thought I would be sad when he grew up and wasn't a "baby" anymore but I am having a blast with him and love being his mommy.
At 4 months Keifer is weighing in at 11lbs. 13oz. putting him in the 3rd percentile. Height 25.5 inches putting him in the 58th percentile and head circumference is 16 inches putting him in the 7th percentile. I love my small guy and think he is perfect in every way! : )
It's getting harder to take pictures of Keifer because he is getting so mobile and always wants to move around but these are the best pictures I was able to get!
After I took his tie off he was being silly and talking so I got a few pictures of him
Bumbo
Keifer has gotten to the point where he ALWAYS wants to sit up and look around. When I lay him on his bobby or in his carrier he tries to lift his head and back up into a sitting position. So I decided it was time to try the bumbo chair and let him sit up like a "big boy." So just shy of his 4 month birthday we put him in the Bumbo for the first time. He seemed to really enjoy it!!!
Friday, September 9, 2011
Laundry with Dad
This weekend was Labor Day so Jason had a 3 day weekend. It was so nice having him home with us an extra day and spending time as a family. Today was Monday, Labor Day. Yesterday was our Sunday of his first nursery experience and later that evening I had a girls night with my two sister in laws, Amy and Abby and Kevin's girlfriend, Emily.We went to Olive Garden, shopping, and to the movies to see The Help. We had such a great time but I got home late! I ended up not getting in bed until 2:30 and Keifer woke up at 4:30 to eat then woke up at 8:00 for good. I was so tired so Jason was nice enough to get up with him and get him dressed and let me sleep a little bit longer. When I woke up Jason had started doing laundry. I got dressed and then went into the kitchen to clean up so we could all go eat lunch. After I got the kitchen cleaned I walked back into the bedroom to let Jason know I was ready to go eat lunch.
This is what I walked in to find...
Keifer was wearing all white and he blended in perfectly with the "whites" that Jason was folding. He was such a big help to his Dad! I'm so blessed to have a wonderful husband that helps me out so much. Kefier and his Daddy are so good to me!
First Day in the Nursery
Since Keifer was born we have only missed one Sunday of church. He has always just sat in service with Jason and I slept or if he wasn't asleep he would just sit in our laps quietly. Well for the past month or so he no longer sleeps during church and no longer sits in our laps quietly. He never cries but he talks or makes noises which still interrupts service. So Jason or I have to leave and go sit in the lobby with him and one of us ends up missing the service.
The Sunday before my sister in law put her son in nursery for the same reasons. He is younger than Keifer so I figured if he can do then so can Keifer. So before we left the house today I took pictures of Keifer before his big day.
We arrived at church at Jason and I walked over to the nursery and I got him all registered. Jason took my purse and Bible to save seats and I walked in to drop him off. The lady in the nursery went on and on how cute he was and took him out of his car seat and sat down in the rocker with him. I knew that she would take good care of him. I got my pager and joined Jason in the sanctuary. We got to BOTH sit together and listen to the sermon together. It was nice to be able to focus completely on what the Pastor was saying again. Keifer did great the whole service and my pager never went off. So I went to pick him up and the nursery lady had nothing but praises to say about him. She told me how cute he was, how he smiled and talked the whole time (like he always does) and said he is so small, how much did he weigh? I was happy that our first nursery experience was a success and I know he will enjoy playing with the other babies and being able to talk and laugh like he wants to!
Keifer's First Report Card
The Sunday before my sister in law put her son in nursery for the same reasons. He is younger than Keifer so I figured if he can do then so can Keifer. So before we left the house today I took pictures of Keifer before his big day.
Daddy and Keifer before we left!
Keifer's First Report Card
After church we came home and ate lunch while Keifer napped. When he woke up he was a happy boy and we took a few more pictures to finish out the day!
such a happy baby...
...and a happy mommy!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)