Sock Monkey Attack!

Frankie & Sock Monkey 2
Originally uploaded by silverzephyr.

Frankie Close Up

Frankie Outside Close up
Originally uploaded by silverzephyr.

Sorry, kid, you got your momma's ears.

Cat!

Frankie & Malcolm
Originally uploaded by silverzephyr.

Frankie goes for a handful of fur from an unsuspecting Malcolm.

Hell Week

College students, competitive athletes and Navy SEALS have their own “hell week.” We just had ours. Frankie’s first major illness – the evil, the dreaded, the vomit-y BRONCHITIS. Out tale of woe began on Easter Sunday when Dave and I returned from a night out alone in Houston to a very sick little guy. Within ten minutes of our arrival, he threw up on my shoulder, only a hint of what was to come. We left Grandma and Grandpa’s early, hoping to get to Austin before his fever increased, fearing we may need to head to the nearest hospital. A nurse at our doctor’s office 24-hour hotline (we are SO new parents) assured us that it was safe to make the drive and we really didn’t need to be worried until the fever hit 104 degrees and stayed.

The next week was a torturous haze, with Frankie coughing, moaning, pooping and spewing everything as the virus quickly overtook his system. The details of each day are faint – most likely my brain’s defense mechanism attempting to erase its nightmare-inducing horrors. This incident reminded us of the fact that although his weight is average, Frankie is still very susceptible to infections, particularly those of a respiratory nature.

Here’s what I remember: Monday and we went straight to the doctor without an appointment when they opened. I demanded an appointment. The woman at the desk offered us something later in the day. I asked her why it was possible for me to take my cat to the vet and get immediate treatment, but not my child. Dave shooed me away to deal with the situation with more finesse. The doctor recommended breathing treatments with a nebulizer, which Frankie, of course, *hated*. Wednesday, Dave returned with Frankie to the pediatrician’s office where they surmised that he might be developing pneumonia and claimed to have seen a mass on his lung in an X-Ray. They prescribed antibiotics as a precautionary measure. Frankie pooped so much in the pharmacy, Dave had to rush him to the car, then home to repair the damage. One outfit and a towel were sacrificed.

Things took a turn for the worse on Thursday when I had to come home because Dave had food poisoning and couldn’t (literally!) stomach taking care of Frankie. After the most terrible 24 hours I’ve had since June 28th (as you may or may not recall, the day I went into premature labor), I returned with Frankie to the doctor’s office Friday morning with concerns about possible dehydration. The doctor agreed that a trip to the ER might be the safest and we headed to Austin Children’s. There, they did a blood test and another chest X-Ray (I had to leave the room for that one) and determined that he was neither dehydrated nor did he have any sign of pneumonia. Dr. Adams was the first person to explain to us the nature of Bronchitis and how long it would take Frankie to get better and what to expect at each stage. If we had known this information from the pediatrician in the first place, we would have had a better understanding at the get-go. I liked Dr. Adams’ non-overmedicating approach and her Long Island accent. We at least left feeling like Frankie was not in imminent danger.

Saturday, Frankie’s mood started to improve and though he was still hurting, coughing and throwing it up, it was with less frequency and he seemed happier and more playful. We started getting a little smarter about laying him on towels and blankets at all times, resulting in significantly less sheet changing (yes, because he still sleeps in our bed). Sunday, he continued his improvement further and each day after that has been marked by a notably happier baby. At this point, Thursday, we’ve gone a full 24 hours without puke and last night Frankie slept remarkably well. We’re happy to see this phase called “First Frankie Sickness” coming to a close. And we’re thankful that after this, he’ll never get sick again. Right???

Quote of the Week

Me: “I never knew parenting involved such copious amounts of puke.”

Guy at My Work: “You can’t call yourself a parent until your child vomits in your mouth.”

A New Seat For Frankie

This weekend, we reached an important turning point. We dispensed with the infant car seat and purchased a convertible variety. We were reaching up the upper weight limit on the infant seat and Frankie did seem a bit squished. Well, he just hates being strapped into anything on principle, but he is definitely more comfortable overall. While this may seem minor at the outset, it completely changes how we travel anywhere with the boy. This seat straps right into the car, not a base, so there’s no more carrying him inside a restaurant while still in the seat. We’re moving into high chair land. We have to abandon those few precious, glorious times when he slept in his seat while we ate. Now, he sees and wants to touch it all. He wants to eat your chips, drink your margarita, fling your salsa. At stores, he’s now strapped into the cart (safe inside his floppy seat, though we need to use a towel to help him sit up, as his size and self-stabilization skills have not quite meshed) leaving his curious little hands free to grab, grab, grab! We also purchased a little $20 umbrella stroller, which makes wheeling him around small spaces easier and he did very well at the nursery while we were buying roses and pepper plants.

In other news, Frankie’s stomach problem seems to have eased somewhat and the poop is less frequent, though we’re still not back to our usual habits. Teething continues with a vengeance and results in some rotten 2am crying fits. I’ve mistakenly called our bedroom Frankie’s Room a few times now because he sleeps in there, not his nursery. But really, isn’t every room his room these days?

Malcolm n' Angus

Malcolm On Changing Table
Originally uploaded by silverzephyr.

Both love to sleep on the changing table. Eww.

Malcolm In Crib

Malcolm In Crib
Originally uploaded by silverzephyr.

Malcolm & Monkey

Malcolm & Monkey
Originally uploaded by silverzephyr.

I submitted these photos to a blog I read regularly, Cute Overload, because of their obvious adorable factor. Can you believe they weren't considered cute enough? Bah!

The Frankie Chronicles Continue...

Frankie has a stomach virus. What this means, for those of you not familiar, is that he poops all the time…morning, noon and night. How we long for the days of the single, large poo. So stable, so predictable, so much less disgusting then these new, frightening, multi-colored disasters.

Grandma and Grandpa were in town for almost a week and just left yesterday. They valiantly changed LOTS of poopy diapers and did not complain. Frankie has been in good spirits, more or less, throughout the ordeal.

At the doctor yesterday, a weigh in revealed Frankie is 19 ¾ pounds which is…exactly average for his age. We often talk about how big and fat he is and he’s right in the middle. Of course, that’s for a normal kid, not a preemie. So I guess he is ahead in some ways. Three more pounds and he’s out of his “infant” car seat and into one built for a toddler.

Other than that, we are still in heavy teething mode, with possible new growth upcoming in the upper left region.

Our plans for April include two trips to Houston – one for Easter/Rockets game and one for Grandma’s last Company Picnic (she retires this year).

Stay Away From My Cookie!

Stay Away From My Cookie!
Originally uploaded by silverzephyr.

Frankie loves him a cookie, yes indeedy.