Big Brother

Most of the cereal made it into Sammy's mouth

So that's what I look like when I feed Sammy -- LOL
Note the gaping mouth and how they are playing footsies ... aww!

Sammy holding the table up

Johnny is very interested in helping out with Sammy, and actually does a really good job. Johnny loves to feed Sammy and honestly, I think Sammy really enjoys it too. Not just from a calorie standpoint, but they crack each other up and there are always lots of smiles and laughter during the meal. I pray that they always retain their mutual admiration society and grow up to be as close as they are now.

Johnny had his 9 month checkup today and is healthy as a horse. No allergies, immune system is great, in exceptional physical health (finally!) and physically is developing wonderfully. Sammy seems to be more focused on physical development than verbal, but he does say mamamama and dadadada ... although I doubt he attaches the correct meaning to them. Sammy does recognize his name and responds when it is called ... he stands up and sits down with complete ease, pushes himself up to a seated position, crawls on his hands and knees like traditional crawling, walks all over the house while holding onto chairs, toys, boxes, walkers or whatever he can get his hands on and easily climbs up stairs. I don't know exactly what he is supposed to be doing at this age, but I will say he seems ahead of where Johnny was at this age. This is of course pretty typical for a baby with an older sibling to imitate and try to keep up with. Sammy has way more teeth than Johnny did at this age ... a whopping 7! Obviously, Sammy has no trouble in the eating department and does the best on a 3 meal a day schedule (with a periodic snack before bedtime if he got an early dinner). Sammy is 22 1/2 lbs. now (75-90th percentile), is in the 75th percentile for height and 95th percentile for head. Uh oh, another big headed boy! He's going to give Johnny a run for his money for the biggest skull!

Anyway, as is so common with moms, I could ramble on endlessly about my children, but I'll stop. ;)

Sammy's Changing Fast

Johnny helping Sammy walk ... not that he needs it


Sammy frustrated because the wall is in the way

This last week has brought a lot of changes for Sammy who is now 9 months old. At the beginning of this week, I discovered that Sammy had cut two more top teeth, which brings him now to having six little chompers. A few days ago, Sammy very easily demonstrated that he knows how to push himself up into a sitting position from lying on his belly. He did it so quickly and easily, I suspect he learned this skill a while before I discovered him doing it. Last night Sammy was walking all over the house using his little walker toys. I had kind of forgotten about the walkers and should have tried them out sooner because he was obviously ready. I'd put him down on one side of the room and before I knew it, he would have walked over the other side of the room by holding onto various toys or pushing one of his activity tables across the floor. Sammy very easily pulls himself up to a standing position now using whatever he can grab onto. I will say that Sammy has a temper and it can be seen flaring when his walker runs into something like a wall or a piece of furniture. While he's walking he cackles and laughs and is all smiles but almost instantly when his walker runs into an obstacle, he starts to throw a full blown tantrum hollering and crying. When he has gotten obviously tired and is getting too frustrated, I have taken his walker away from him which has resulted in some pretty unhappy fits. Oh well, not only is he going to learn to walk, but he's going to learn patience and perseverence. Sammy is still a fatty, the week before last he weighed 22 lbs 4 oz ... but I suspect this will start to change now that he's getting a lot more exercise.

Smiling, Standing and Sand

I faked Johnny out to get this photo

Johnny finally agreed to let me take his picture

Hiding from the camera

Sammy's first time in the sandbox

He likes it!

Fatty and Skinny

Sammy is very eager to take his first unassisted steps

Johnny is going through a frustrating phase of never wanting his picture to be taken. I explain how important photos are to me and he just hides his face and runs away. After getting a whole bunch of photos of the back of his head from him turning and running away, I finally pretended that the camera was slower than it was. I would get his picture and then when he ran away I would frustratedly exclaim "Oh, I missed it again ... you're too fast Johnny ... I can't get your picture!" I got several good photos this way. I guess sometimes you have to outsmart your kids to accomplish your goals.

I filled the sandbox with brand new sand after the neighbor cat wrecked the last batch when the lid was left off one night. I put Sammy in the freshly scrubbed out sandbox and he had a great time! Surprisingly, he didn't try to eat the sand. Sammy chewed on the toys and ended up getting some sand in his mouth, but it was minimal. Roughage I say. ;)

The neighbor mentioned that Johnny looked like he had lost weight, and I had also noticed at the pediatrician last week that he was noticeably taller than he was several months ago. I measured his height and it appears that he grew 3 inches in the last 4 - 5 months. No wonder he looks skinnier ... he stretched! I think Johnny is having some growing pains as he complains of leg pain, often after he has been sleeping. My friend's pediatrician said that is the most common time for growing pains as growth typically happens while kids sleep. Sammy's not slacking off in the weight department and was 22 lbs. 4 oz. at the doctor's last week. He's not even 9 months old yet!

Sammy is getting closer to walking on his own. He cruises all over the house holding onto chairs, walls, toys, boxes or whatever else is around to grab onto. Sammy has made many attempts to let go, but invariably topples over. Today, I was pretty impressed as he was holding onto the leg of his high chair with one hand out to the side and he took about 5 steps toward me while moving the chair along side him. What was different about this time was that he wasn't leaning his weight onto the chair while pushing it in front of himself, but his arm was straight out to the side just using the chair for a little balance. I think he decided to go for it and let go of the chair leg at which point he toppled over immediately and fell down. Sammy is such a good sport, he never cries when he falls down unless he falls hard enough to end up with a bruise. I think he's going to be a tough little kid.

HVAC Retrofit and Our Health

Johnny dressed up for Rodeo Day at school

Sammy on the nebulizer again

Filthy, nasty, moldy brown funky dust

This is the air we have been breathing for the last 3 years

Another view inside old plenum

Well, a picture is worth a thousand words. Let me just say that nasty brown moldy dust looking funk you can see on the inside of our old plenum was coming out in chunks from our ceiling vents and periodically appearing on the floor of Sammy's bedroom and our master bathroom. I was horrified when I saw the inside of our furnace system and ducts, as it was filled with this nasty toxic looking crud. We had all of the exposed ductwork and the plenum replaced yesterday, as well as having the furance coil completely cleaned and the whole system sealed up and made airtight. I think the air in the house already smells cleaner and fresher. I can't believe what awful condition the inside of our HVAC system was in and it is no wonder that I have felt "allergic" to our house since we moved in. I pray that drastically cleaning up the air inside our house will have a positive impact on our health ... how can it not? Sammy has such notable breathing trouble whenever he gets sick ... which seems to be constantly ... I really have hope that this will help change all that.

Sammy is back on antibiotics for an ear infection and back on the bronchodialating medication through the nebulizer until he stops wheezing. As soon as he is healthy enough, I am having his immune system tested and food and environmental allergy testing done. The trick is actually getting him healthy so we can go get the labwork done. Sammy has been sick for the last month straight and Johnny has been sick for almost three weeks with nasty rattling coughs and perpetual runny noses. Unfortunately, I thought Johnny was almost better and now he has taken a turn for the worse and is totally sick again. The funny thing is, I had no intention of taking Sammy to the doctor as I thought he was on the tail end of this illness and was just checking with the doctor thought to see if he was healthy enough to get the labwork done. Good thing the doctor insisted I bring him in for a recheck because I had no idea he had an ear infection and I am so used to the sound of his wheezing, I didn't think there was anything I needed to be doing about it. Poor Sams!

Anyway, stay tuned for future posts boasting of good health and strong lungs! I pray for our health every day, load everyone up on vitamins and keep faith that God will see us through this challenging season.