Bad word

John has started saying "No," or rather, "No, no, no, no."
It had to start sometime, I guess.

A poll about REAL life as a parent

What music I listen to, movies I like, or condiments I use don't reveal my real day-to-day life as a mom, so I put together a list of questions that just seem more pertinent to being a parent...

What does you car smell like?
-chicken nuggets
-febreeze
-dog and toddler
-you don't want to know

What's the grossest thing you touched today?
-the worm that your child picked up from a puddle on the street
-a week old sandwich from under the couch
-snot
-baby poo

At the end of a typical week, how do you measure how busy it was?
The number of ...
-conversations you had with your spouse that weren't via cell phone or email
-baskets of clean laundry waiting to be folded
-times you went to the gym
-days you skipped a shower

What's the last thing your child threw on the kitchen floor?
-a half empty bowl of milk and cereal
-a spoon
-himself

Your number one top parent worry is ...
-your child's health
-your child's behavior
-your child's college fund
-all of the above and more

What comprises the list in your head that you have yet to write down?
-unfinished house projects/chores
-things you forgot to get at the grocery store
-your child's Christmas list
-all of the above and more

What is the last thing you did online?
-posted something about your child on your blog
-looked up the words to a kid's song
-looked up symptoms of a childhood illness

What is the last song you sang out loud?
-the latest tune you downloaded on your iPod
-something from the 1980s, sung while you were in the shower
-a lullaby
-anything that had a farmer in it

Your hair ...
-is overdue for a trim
-is best seen under a baseball cap
-is turning gray as we speak

What is the last thing you skipped that you probably shouldn't have?
-breakfast
-your last cardio workout
-a shower

What is the thing that makes the stress most worth it?
-watching your baby sleep
-a hug from your spouse and child at the same time
-when your toddler says "Bagel"
-all of the above and more

What a difference a year makes

This video was taken on October 21, 2006.
So John was 2 days shy of 4 months old.




This video was taken on October 18, 2007.
Just 5 days shy of 16 months.

Where's Daddy?

So Tony's trip to Hilton Head this weekend seemed to be the first time John was aware that Daddy was not around. He often asked for "Dada" (and the "Buh" - bus). Other times it hadn't occurred to John that Daddy wasn't around. We met Tony at TGI Friday's in Greenville for dinner and John was very excited to see him.
I'm just proud that I made it through without too much desperation! I guess I'm growing up just like John. However, check on me next Sunday night, because Tony will be gone again... to Louisville this time, leaving before bedtime on Thursday night and not getting home until late, late Sunday night. I'm trying to line up activities now!

The Flour Video

The Bagel Tape

Ok, this is my only successful attempt at getting video on here.
Sorry for all the extraneous YouTube stuff...

International Economics

Fun stuff I bought for John



Fun stuff I bought for John
that DIDN'T come from China.

Pictures of the Backyard Playground

John has yet to venture into the back corner, and lately he just clings right around us in our lawn chair, but it's nice to have him clinging in a new, outside locale!
Thanks to Grandpaparazzi and Grammie Gail for helping to spread the play-chip mulch!

One Mom's trash is another Mom's treasure

Ok, didn't think I would ever do this, but I pulled this great Little Tikes wheelbarrow out of our neighbor's trash pile! Free is even better than eBay or Goodwill, right?

Best Nickname for Pacifier Ever!

"Smokes."

This is what our friend Kerri and her husband Mark call their son James' pacifier. "Hey James, got your Smokes?"

Love it!

Flour

Inspired by Jenny's AmigoNet post about Naomi dragging her chair to the kitchen to let Mommy know that it was Play-doh time, I put John on our front step with two mixing bowls, two measuring cups, two measuring spoons, and some flour.

He had a blast!

Bagel update

John ate lots of bagels this weekend, and his pronunciation of the word has evolved into "B'gaaw!"

Medical Update

WARNING: This falls into the TMI (too much information) category

So, John is still having discomfort when he urinates. We took him back to Feiste's office on Saturday. (Apparently they now how morning office hours on Saturday, although it was just the Feisternator himself, no nurse practitioners, poor guy!) I had found a lump right where John's leg meets his body that seemed tender, and I'm thinking "kidney stone." Turns out it is a lymph node, and not even a swollen one. Although John is feeling much, much better, much more like his normal vivacious self, he's still having that pain (grabbing his crotch occasionally and crying out and making a face). We did finally start getting some wet diapers again. Although it sort of seems like he is saving all his pee for nighttime.

Feiste said he would schedule an ultrasound for John, just to be sure. They took a urine sample (with a catheter) on Friday, which was "negative at 24 hours," and which "looked great," so it's not a urinary tract or kidney infection. John had a small reddish patch on the underside of his penis, and Feiste told us how to treat that, it's getting better, but we're not sure if that's the whole problem...

So, lots of tempest in a teacup, but still not sure why he's having pain. It's hard to just live with the "it may just be one of those things" diagnosis, which is why I'm mostly glad he will be having an ultrasound.

The whole thing kills me, because it I can't tell if it's something really wrong, or just temporary. On Saturday, I drove Tony crazy because I always feel like I'm "bothering" the doctor when I have to go back (three days in a row) and they can't really say what's wrong. Should we go or not go? Should we wait and see? Feiste spends as much time reassuring me as he does on anything else. Saturday he asked me if I wanted a Prozac.

Kefir

Our local Bi-Lo finally got a slightly larger organic-health food section, so now we can get Kefir (a sort of yogurt smoothie).

And, John likes it a lot! It has LOTS of protein and calcium, which is good, since he's not a big milk drinker.

Feiste

John had his 15-month well baby visit yesterday. It went very well. We love Feiste!

John is still in the 3rd percentile in weight and the 50th in height. Those numbers are good with me. "He's never going to be a big eater" is one of the things Feiste said, and I have to remember that. I'll remember that when he's 15 and our food bill is larger than the mortgage!

We talked a lot about ear infections and the visit to the ENT. He said if you go to a surgeon, he's going to tell you to have surgery. And we are not ready to take that step, since he's only had two ear infections. He gave us a steroid, to reduce swelling, and a slightly larger dose of antibiotic. We're all four happy about this way to go.

John also got 4 shots. 3 immunizations and a flu shot. He hated them of course, but recovered very quickly. I really think the doctor kit practicing paid off. He still started to cry at each new step in the process, but he recovered more quickly. It's only logical, because rehearsal and preparation instill confidence!

It was wonderful to see Feiste, I missed him a lot over this past three months. I always feel a mixture of relief at being reassured from a qualified professional, and guilt at spending so much of his time being reassured! Ah, my folly is close to me all the time!

John's waking up now, talking to himself. Up in time to see the bus! Yea!

Talk

In response to comments from grandpaparazzi and Aunt Jessica:
John does often talk himself to sleep, and he did last night. Among his gibberish, I caught "bagel" and "Buh-bye." I do remember Jessica talking and singing herself to sleep also. Hee.

I fear that we are inciting an obsession in John. Since "Bus" is one of the only words of his that we can understand, our conversations often focus on buses. I am looking forward to more words so that we can expand our list of topics.

BTW: I never knew how often I saw buses each day. Yesterday, we saw seven.

Newest word

John's latest (and cutest) new word is "bagel." It sort of sounds likes a cross between "bagel" and "beagle" with a "k" sound for the g, and he usually says it three times in a row. So more like "beekgle, beekgle, beekgle."

Visit to the heart doctor

Today was John's 6-month check-up with Dr. Malpass the cardiologist. It went well. The VSD (small hole which causes a murmur) is GONE! Yea! It wasn't really a big problem, and the doctors thought it would fix itself, but it's good to know it's gone.
John's pulmonary blood pressure is only slightly elevated, peaking in the elevated range, but his mean is in the "normal" range.

Dr. Malpass took some time to re-explain to us about the looming surgery, again reiterating that around 4-5 years old is when they'll do it. He told us about the great surgeon, Dr. Bradley, and how Dallas Children's Hospital tried to (unsuccessfully) woo him away from MUSC (Medical University South Carolina). He also gave a little more detail about the surgery itself, and reassured me that John's physiognomy is good.

John's weight was 20.2 (clothes on) and height 31 inches.

I purchased a kid's doctor kit on eBay last week, and we have been "practicing" for the doctor visits this week. His favorite is the thermometer you put in your ear. But today, I saw it pay off when we were able to get a blood pressure reading on one attempt!!! He fell apart halfway through the echo cardiograph, but they got what they needed anyway. I'll have to practice that one for the May visit.

We'll see how it goes for the Feiste 15-month well-baby visit on Thursday. I have a toy bus in reserve for that one!

Hooray! John went to school today!

He slept great last night and had lots of YoBaby yogurt this morning, so I sent him to school. According to the illness rules of The Growing Place, he only has to stay home if he throws up TWICE in a 24 hour period! I guess you get one free one!

Poor Little Guy

Oh, John. A sweet baby with a seeming multitude of (relatively small) problems.

We went to the doctor yesterday for a follow-up for the second course of antibiotics for his ear infection. The sweet, new nurse practitioner Dawn said his ears are "not bulging" and "not shiny" but they are still red. No danger of rupture (!), but something chronic is going on, so she put in a request for a visit with the ENT (Ear-nose-throat specialist). Sigh.

And today, immediately following dinner, he threw up everything. I think it's a stomach virus, Tony thinks it might be just a one-off. Regardless, he has Tony's gift of elegant timing, because he threw up straight into the sink while Tony was washing his hands! And of course, tomorrow is Friday, so he has three days to recover before daycare!

He perked up a little at bath time and was quiet during reading time, and settled down pretty quick to talk himself to sleep around 7pm.

I sure hope he feels better soon, and can have a whole week of non-sickness sometime soon. Next week is his 15-month well baby and his checkup with Malpass (the cardiologist), so next week is out...

Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out.
Anton Chekhov

Our Blog Title

I came up with the "ScreaminJohn" name at Christmas last year when we had to pick a name for the PlayStation Guitar Hero game. We actually used "Screamin'John." John was still at the stage when he would cry all the time if you put him down, so it was a reflection on my perception of him at the time. One of those memories that makes me feel like a mean mommy, but the name was just too funny to me to let go.

I recently discovered that this also happens to be the name of a rock guitarist in Louisville, KY. What a coincidence. He's on MySpace as "Screamin'John," but I for some reason I can't embed links here...

BTW, Grandpaparazzi, I need a picture of the Julie-John two-headed Guitar hero monster for this post, if you have it. I don't think we do.

Out of the 3's and into the 4's

WARNING: This post may fall into the "Too Much Information" category for some folks.


Well, John suddenly and finally grew out of his size 3 diapers yesterday in dramatic fashion. I noticed his pants were wet, mostly because his diaper had come off inside them. I tried to put another size 3 on him and it would not stay on! Just another sign that he IS in fact getting bigger, even though I can't see it most of the time!

We happened to have some size 4's because our friend James had outgrown his, into size 5's. This is a little galling because he is 2 and a half months YOUNGER than John. I know, I know, all kids grow at their own rate.
I'm just trying to hang on until our 15-month visit with Feiste next week, so that he can reassure me.

Funny John