Gabe's tongue is healing quite nicely. I have a friend that assured me the tongue can take a beating; she pierced her's twice and was amazed at how quickly the hole closed up! So, he is doing good. He caught some beach volleyball on TV briefly on Sunday afternoon with Craig and didn't you know, he started pretending he was serving with his soccer ball! Man, those baby brains are sponges, lol.
He still likes to walk around, holding on to one of our fingers, and can stand well alone, but hasn't taken any more independent steps like he did a week ago. I know he is making progress and will walk when he is ready.
The eating situation is improving. The gagging has lessened a lot. Ironically, after biting his tongue, his appetite increased. Yogurt is probably his favorite food right now, but he ate a whole container of YoBaby yogurts in one sitting last week; he's never done that before. He will now eat what I give him, IF he likes it. We started giving him mostly Stage 3 Gerber stuff, and he has started getting used to the chunks! He will eat some, and then start spitting some out. Vast improvement over not knowing what to do with it and gagging, right? What I do sometimes, is mix some applesauce with a chunky meat food and he really likes that. Sweet and savory can go good together, yum.
Still pretty cautious on finger foods, but he will lick and suck on stuff if he likes the taste.
In other news, I've changed the name, focus and location of my other blog, "Chronicle of a News Junkie". It is now "The Cafe au lait Chronicles", located here, and the new post there explains the reason for the change.
That's all for now!
Monday, August 31, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Gabe bites his tongue (literally!)
Monday, while I was filling his juice/water bottle, Gabe was crawling towards the living room on the hardwoods. I guess he tripped or something because he landed on his chin somehow and bit into his tongue very badly. I glanced at him and heard him start to cry at about the same time and knew that it was not a normal cry. I picked him up and there was blood that seemed to gush out of his mouth (and probably a good amount of drool, but still). At first, I thought he busted his teeth out, but after not seeing any teeth on the floor, I realized he must have bitten his tongue.
Anyway, functionally, outwardly, I was trying to stop the bleeding and comfort him. Inside my head, I am like, "Aaaaack!!!" The bleeding stopped in less than 2 minutes, after 10 minutes, he forgot about it and was wanting to play. However, I had to a) check to see if he bit through his tongue and b) check the wound to see how bad it was.
Meanwhile, I called his Dr. and they told me (his own Dr. had left for the day, I talked to another) that if the bleeding stopped and he had not bitten through his tongue, to leave it be and skip the ER. After getting a good look at it, I determined that it was bad, but it was not an emergency since he indeed did not bite through his tongue and was not bleeding like it was when it first happened.
After things settled down, I told Craig at work. When he got home, he got worried, especially when he saw some spot bleeding still. So both of us were trying to determine if we needed to take him to the ER anyway. The problem was that the wound was trying to clot and heal, but through various means, he kept re-opening it, i.e., putting his hands in his mouth, gnawing on toys, etc., totally oblivious. We figured that after he went to sleep, and let it clot over during the night without interruptions, the wound would be closed enough by the morning to not be reopened as easily.
So that was the case. By Tuesday morning, it already started turning white (wounds in the mouth turn white as they heal). Here is a pic:
After reading online about the many children and adults that bite their tongues, I found that mouth wounds heal pretty quickly and rarely get infected because of the rich blood supply and saliva is apparently antiseptic, antibacterial or something to that nature. I will still watch him, but even today, Wednesday, it is looking even better.
Stressful start to the week!
Anyway, functionally, outwardly, I was trying to stop the bleeding and comfort him. Inside my head, I am like, "Aaaaack!!!" The bleeding stopped in less than 2 minutes, after 10 minutes, he forgot about it and was wanting to play. However, I had to a) check to see if he bit through his tongue and b) check the wound to see how bad it was.
Meanwhile, I called his Dr. and they told me (his own Dr. had left for the day, I talked to another) that if the bleeding stopped and he had not bitten through his tongue, to leave it be and skip the ER. After getting a good look at it, I determined that it was bad, but it was not an emergency since he indeed did not bite through his tongue and was not bleeding like it was when it first happened.
After things settled down, I told Craig at work. When he got home, he got worried, especially when he saw some spot bleeding still. So both of us were trying to determine if we needed to take him to the ER anyway. The problem was that the wound was trying to clot and heal, but through various means, he kept re-opening it, i.e., putting his hands in his mouth, gnawing on toys, etc., totally oblivious. We figured that after he went to sleep, and let it clot over during the night without interruptions, the wound would be closed enough by the morning to not be reopened as easily.
So that was the case. By Tuesday morning, it already started turning white (wounds in the mouth turn white as they heal). Here is a pic:
After reading online about the many children and adults that bite their tongues, I found that mouth wounds heal pretty quickly and rarely get infected because of the rich blood supply and saliva is apparently antiseptic, antibacterial or something to that nature. I will still watch him, but even today, Wednesday, it is looking even better.
Stressful start to the week!
Friday, August 21, 2009
Gabriel's Check-up
We're trying out a naturopath for Gabe's pediatritian and this is our second visit. So far, she is great.
We asked her of she could check to see if he had a ear infection because within the last few weeks he's been touching his ear and head a lot. Not everyday, but often enough to warrant addressing. His ears were clear, so we're thinking that teething is the culprit. We got confirmation when she felt his gums and his molars are making their way down, with one almost trying to break through on top. His gums have been very swollen for weeks, so this is no surprise.
His molars might also be part of the reason why his appetite for solids have been nil. He has his favorites which are any flavor of yogurt, Whole Foods 365 applesauce, banana, strawberry combo, and any type of smoothie. Once he ate up several bites of guacomole. All other foods, including finger foods, he either licks or plays with. Or he tries to feed it to us!
I was getting concerned about him handling chunkier foods because he gags a little whenever they make their way into his mouth. Now, he gagged a LOT worse when he was between 9-12 months old. So he has actually improved. But he is not super into chunky or finger foods. Now, I am not so concerned because I think once he starts eating more of those kinds of foods, he should be fine. But right now, he's just not interested and the Dr. said once his 1 yr. molars come in, there is a good chance his appetite and interest in chunky/finger foods will increase. She said while some kids are happy to gum their foods, others may not feel comfortable chewing their foods before their first molars come in.
And of course, we know that after 1 year, most kids slow down on the growth and just don't require as much food as we think.
Gabe is starting to really want to feed himself, too, so I just set him up with a bowl of food, 2 utensils and try to get a few bites in myself. He does show interest in our food, but only to play with it. This of course ends up being pretty messy, and I end up spending a good part of the day cleaning up and bathing him if he has gotten irredeemably messy.
Gabe is not walking alone yet, but he can walk assisted with one arm free and one hand holding on to your finger. And he can cruise along furniture and the wall just fine. I hope he will be walking by the end of the year, we'll see.
So, that's the update!
We asked her of she could check to see if he had a ear infection because within the last few weeks he's been touching his ear and head a lot. Not everyday, but often enough to warrant addressing. His ears were clear, so we're thinking that teething is the culprit. We got confirmation when she felt his gums and his molars are making their way down, with one almost trying to break through on top. His gums have been very swollen for weeks, so this is no surprise.
His molars might also be part of the reason why his appetite for solids have been nil. He has his favorites which are any flavor of yogurt, Whole Foods 365 applesauce, banana, strawberry combo, and any type of smoothie. Once he ate up several bites of guacomole. All other foods, including finger foods, he either licks or plays with. Or he tries to feed it to us!
I was getting concerned about him handling chunkier foods because he gags a little whenever they make their way into his mouth. Now, he gagged a LOT worse when he was between 9-12 months old. So he has actually improved. But he is not super into chunky or finger foods. Now, I am not so concerned because I think once he starts eating more of those kinds of foods, he should be fine. But right now, he's just not interested and the Dr. said once his 1 yr. molars come in, there is a good chance his appetite and interest in chunky/finger foods will increase. She said while some kids are happy to gum their foods, others may not feel comfortable chewing their foods before their first molars come in.
And of course, we know that after 1 year, most kids slow down on the growth and just don't require as much food as we think.
Gabe is starting to really want to feed himself, too, so I just set him up with a bowl of food, 2 utensils and try to get a few bites in myself. He does show interest in our food, but only to play with it. This of course ends up being pretty messy, and I end up spending a good part of the day cleaning up and bathing him if he has gotten irredeemably messy.
Gabe is not walking alone yet, but he can walk assisted with one arm free and one hand holding on to your finger. And he can cruise along furniture and the wall just fine. I hope he will be walking by the end of the year, we'll see.
So, that's the update!
Friday, August 7, 2009
Mom's Birthday
I took my mom to the Lavender Tea Room for her birthday today. It's located in Sherwood, Oregon and I said yesterday that the ride was about 30 minutes, it ended up being a little over 40. We got there just in time for our appointment.
We were by ourselves for most of the time (two other women came in about 15 minutes before we left). We had the "Lavender Tea" that included scones with clotted cream and jam, fruit, and tea sandwiches (two cucumber with cream cheese and two mozzarella with tomato and basil). Dessert was (and these were all very small) lemon bar, brownie tart, cream puff and white chocolate dipped strawberry with almonds. The tea we had was good; but I cannot remember the name. I only remember some of what was in it: lavender, cinnamon, spearmint and some other stuff.
Well, my mom loves tea houses so it was the perfect gift for her.
And my new favorite food: clotted cream. Very popular in the UK, very hard to get here commercially. So I think I may try to make some myself!
We were by ourselves for most of the time (two other women came in about 15 minutes before we left). We had the "Lavender Tea" that included scones with clotted cream and jam, fruit, and tea sandwiches (two cucumber with cream cheese and two mozzarella with tomato and basil). Dessert was (and these were all very small) lemon bar, brownie tart, cream puff and white chocolate dipped strawberry with almonds. The tea we had was good; but I cannot remember the name. I only remember some of what was in it: lavender, cinnamon, spearmint and some other stuff.
Well, my mom loves tea houses so it was the perfect gift for her.
And my new favorite food: clotted cream. Very popular in the UK, very hard to get here commercially. So I think I may try to make some myself!
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
The Big Chop
My mom cut my dreadlocks late Sunday. This was about as short as my hair was when I first cut the relaxed part off 9 years ago.
I don't miss them at all! This will simplify my life considerably and I won't have to spend 3-4 hours doing my hair once a month. In fact, I can wash it everyday if I want to (although I will co-wash if I do that and shampoo every few weeks).
So, here is my pic! FYI, I am not keeping it this short. I'm letting it grow out. And of course, the longer it gets, the more work it will take to maintain. But, my hair won't be that long for a few years (especially considering it shrinks up like 50 percent of its length when it dries!). As short as my hair was after the cut, it amazes me how much tangled hair came out during my shampoo. My hair is so dense and thick.
In other news, my mom and brother are here visiting from Philadelphia for two weeks. They haven't been here very long, just two days, so we haven't done much yet. We might drive to the beach for the day (will have to rent a car, if Craig's mom comes along), go to the rose garden (though the roses are probably burned up from all this crazy heat), go to Powell's Books, etc. And of course, relaxing, too.
My mom's birthday is Friday and I am taking her to a tea house in Sherwood, Oregon (just a 30 min. drive from where we are now). My mom really liked this tea house I took her to when we lived in Walla Walla, so I thought I would find one here to take her to. I'll let you know how it was!
I don't miss them at all! This will simplify my life considerably and I won't have to spend 3-4 hours doing my hair once a month. In fact, I can wash it everyday if I want to (although I will co-wash if I do that and shampoo every few weeks).
So, here is my pic! FYI, I am not keeping it this short. I'm letting it grow out. And of course, the longer it gets, the more work it will take to maintain. But, my hair won't be that long for a few years (especially considering it shrinks up like 50 percent of its length when it dries!). As short as my hair was after the cut, it amazes me how much tangled hair came out during my shampoo. My hair is so dense and thick.
In other news, my mom and brother are here visiting from Philadelphia for two weeks. They haven't been here very long, just two days, so we haven't done much yet. We might drive to the beach for the day (will have to rent a car, if Craig's mom comes along), go to the rose garden (though the roses are probably burned up from all this crazy heat), go to Powell's Books, etc. And of course, relaxing, too.
My mom's birthday is Friday and I am taking her to a tea house in Sherwood, Oregon (just a 30 min. drive from where we are now). My mom really liked this tea house I took her to when we lived in Walla Walla, so I thought I would find one here to take her to. I'll let you know how it was!
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