"We don't have to think up a title 'til we get the ... book written." — Carl Sandburg
I wanted to start a blog to share stories about my son with family and friends. I spent hours brainstorming a blog title that works for my 1-year-old and that will still work when he is 8 or 15. It is so amazing to realize that as much as I love this child, I barely know the person he will become. His future is so full of possibilities.... And so we won't limit him with a title on his blog.
Tyler is making good progress with his OT for his feeding difficulties.
On Sunday, Brian shared some bacon off of his hamburger. When we were out of bacon, I offered Tyler little pieces of hamburger and he ate several pieces. He then reached for my french fry, so I gave him a small piece. He chewed it up and ate it!! He asked for more, and he put another piece in his mouth, but he didn't like it. He made a face and pulled it back out of his mouth. But he put it on his tray and didn't throw it in the floor!
Yesterday, when we were playing with peas, he smooshed with with a great flair. Then I said, "Can you hold it in your hand?" When we first started this a week or so ago, I had to hold his hand and put a pea in his hand. He hated it and shook the pea out of his hand as soon as he could. Yesterday, he picked up a pea with his right hand. He stared at his left hand and turned it palm up. He put the pea in his palm and looked at me, grinning.
Today at therapy, Tyler ate two small pieces of apple. He also ate teeny tiny pieces of egg and pea off his fingers and he stuck a Jell-O-covered finger in his mouth. He had Jell-O all over himself, his therapist, me and the wall. It would've been hard not to get some Jell-O in his mouth!
The GI specialist agrees with the radiologist that Tyler's Upper GI X-rays look normal.
We've now scheduled the OPMS for March 31. This is where they take a video X-ray while Tyler swallows different textures so they can tell where he's having the problem.
In part, I was worried about taking Tyler for his X-rays this morning.
Tyler didn't sleep much either. I'm not sure if he was worried about the X-rays or if it is that pesky fourth molar trying to push its way in.
The morning went much better than I expected. We had a very brief wait before being taken to a room with X-ray machines. Tyler was behaving very well despite being hungry and thirsty.
He looked so cute (but pitiful) in the teeny-tiny hospital gown.
He seemed to like the technician who fed him barium so the X-rays would clearly show his esophagus... at least he liked her before she held him down and made him drink that stuff.
He went to her willingly, although I think he had second thoughts when she laid him on the metal table.
Anyway, there were lead blankets under his head and his legs. The radiation comes up through the table and they were limiting his exposure as much as possible. The technician he liked held his head still and fed him the barium solution. Another person held his legs still. The radiologist watched the skeletal-looking image of Tyler's little body on a computer screen. Brian and I were behind her, so we could see the screen, too.
When he swallowed the barium, we could see a little cloud of black run down his throat and into his stomach.
Of course, he cried and cried. But it was fussing and not all-out panic, and he didn't get so upset that he threw up.
When they let him sit up and turned the lights on, we realized his little face was covered with the white barium solution. That was when he looked the most pitiful: little hospital gown, little red & tear-soaked face covered with white chalky stuff. And he was just so tiny in that large room next to the huge X-ray equipment.
We gave him some Pediasure to drink and he calmed right down. And that was that.
The radiologist said she didn't see anything wrong as she took the X-rays. She'll study them closer and forward them to our GI doctor. He should call us tomorrow or Friday and let us know if they see anything upon closer examination.
Explanation: Tyler's Paw-Paw (one of his great-grandfathers) gave him a Spiderman riding toy that has all kinds of buttons. Each button has a different sound. The horn honks. Other buttons bring about lines from various Spiderman characters.
One button elicits this very evil voice that says, "I used to be Eddie Brock. Now I'm Venom."
And Tyler grins and tries to repeat the last half of the line.
Why can't he try to say, "I'm your friendly neighborhood Spiderman, and this city is under my protection"?
Or "Mama"? Can you believe he's trying to say "venom" before he tries to say "mama"?!
We got real snow this weekend! Click here to check out our pictures.
I was such a great mama: I called my mama to find out how to make snow ice cream. Early in the day, I mixed 1 cup of half & half, 1 cup of sugar and 1 tablespoon of vanilla. I heated it on the stove just long enough to melt the sugar and then I put that in the fridge. I put out three pans to collect clean snow. Later in the day, we mixed it all together. What a great mama, right?
Tyler refused to try it and Brian didn't like it.
But that is okay. I loved it!
And we all had a great day, playing together inside and outside in the snow.
When we went to Tyler's first OT appointment, Stephanie (the therapist) taught Tyler to squish peas with his finger. And then we played with pieces of an apple.
Tyler doesn't like anything that squishes or sticks to his hand. So he doesn't really like peas. At the time, he didn't like apples either. I assume he doesn't like the wet cold feeling.
At his second appointment, he played very well with the apple. And when Stephanie asked him to "Kiss the apple," he obligingly made little kissing noises by smacking his tongue against the top of his mouth but he didn't put the apple anywhere near his mouth.
A little embarrassed, I explained that he once mimicked me when I made kissing noises at him.
Brian and I loved that he would sort of blow us kisses, so we went with it. We taught him that was a "kiss."
"Can I have kisses?" I'd ask. "Give Daddy kisses," I'd say. He'd grin and *smack, smack, smack* at us.
Well as soon as we got home from therapy, I started teaching Tyler to give a "real kiss." I would kiss his toy and say "real kiss." And then I'd say, "Tyler's turn! Give it a real kiss." And I'd push the toy to his mouth.
When Brian got home that night, he got a real (slobbery) kiss on his cheek.
This evening, when we were playing with peas (our OT homework), I was teaching Tyler to brush off the "pea crumbs" that stuck to his hand. He still felt some imaginary evil pea juice on his finger and he held it out for me to clean it off.
I just kissed his finger and then put my finger to his lips for a kiss.
He held out his finger again, and I puckered up again and leaned forward.
Instead of pressing his finger to my lips, he put a chubby little hand on each side of my face and pulled me forward. He leaned as far forward as the high chair tray would allow and he pressed his sweet little open mouth against my lips.
It was the best kiss ever, except that I got a little pea juice in my ear!
I had asked him if he wanted some yogurt and he ran to the fridge. When I opened the fridge, I realized we were out of YoBaby yogurt. But I saw the Jell-O pudding and thought it was worth a try. (Not necessarily the healthiest snack, but it does have calcium -- and anything new is good!)
He tried it even though it was from a container he's only seen when we play with regular Jell-O for therapy exercises. (He's been known to refuse foods based on the container/packaging.)
He had a hard time with the first bite. I think it is thicker than his baby foods.
But he adjusted quickly and finished off the whole thing. He looked cute with his little chocolate goatee!
We took Tyler to Chattanooga last weekend. While we were there, we rode the carousel. Tyler was a pro. He didn't seem fazed by the up-and-down movement or by the speed of the carousel. Brian and I were both dizzy!
I never did find the puppy Tyler saw, but he kept doing the puppy sign. (He's "saying" "puppy" when he pats his chest in this video.)
Yes, we count flurries as full-blown snow here in the South!
By the time I found Ty's hooded sweatshirt, thick sweatpants, waterproof jacket and pants, socks and shoes, and mittens — not to mention my sweatshirt, jacket, shoes and the camera — it had almost quit snowing!
Tyler didn't pay any attention to the snow to begin with. But the mittens freaked him out a bit. (And they are really hard to put on a child who doesn't know what the word "thumb" means!)
By the time Brian got home the snow was really coming down and Tyler started noticing it. It was also sticking to the grass, so we had a great time. Tyler started trying to catch snowflakes, and Brian helped him catch them. Tyler then tried to eat them off his mittens!
I just threw away four perfectly good Cheerios. Well, they weren't perfect. Each was shaped like a C rather than an O; therefore, Tyler would not eat them.
I probably should have pushed the issue. I can understand texture issues, but a Cheerio is a Cheerio. And it would probably be a very good lesson to learn that a half Cheerio tastes just like a whole Cheerio.
But he was so sweet: he handed each one to me with an adorable look of disdain.
I was so proud he handed them to me rather than throw them on the floor. In fact, he didn't throw a single Cheerio on the floor and he must've eaten a half a cup of Cheerios. So I figured today I would praise him for not throwing food on the floor. Maybe tomorrow I'll try to convince him a C tastes just as good as an O.
Some of you guys have asked if we're still counting when we put Tyler in "time-out." We are.
I do think it is working. Sometimes Tyler even listens the first time I tell him "no."
He has only touched my glasses once since last week when I put him in time-out three times for the serious offense of yanking my glasses off my face.
He had gotten into the habit of throwing things down the stairs every time I was putting detergent in the washing machine or flushing a dirty diaper. At first, my philosophy was, "At least he's not throwing it in the toilet as I'm flushing the dirty diaper." But when I was carrying 15 books and 3 laundry baskets back up the stairs at the end of the day (or worse, letting them stack up at the bottom of the stairs for days at a time), I realized what a bad habit it was.
Now we're down to about one book a day and the occasional laundry basket. Usually I hear the first book go down the stairs and I make Tyler sit for a count of 20. I can usually trust him for about 2 minutes while I finish whatever I'm doing.
We've seriously cut down on the throwing of toys. I wish I'd counted how many times I counted the day I made that a priority! Tyler loved to hoist heavy toys over the banister that separates the kitchen from the living room and over the gate that fences off the fireplace. He just likes to hear them crash on the other side. He still throws the occasional toy over, but it isn't constant. And a time-out or two convinces him to find something else to do.
He really tested me on the kitchen boundaries a couple of days ago, though. Before time-outs, I'd say, "The milk stays in the kitchen" as he'd walk toward the living room or the hall. He wouldn't even slow down. I'd grab the straw cup and use it to lead him back to the kitchen saying firmly, over and over, "The milk stays in the kitchen." He would turn and walk back out of the kitchen.
After a few time-outs, he started walking backward toward the "boundary" of the kitchen. I'd remind him "The milk stays in the kitchen." If he kept walking backward, I'd stand up and he'd run back into the kitchen. If I didn't offer the reminder fast enough, he'd turn and run as soon as he hit the boundary as if he were home free. I'd count through a time-out. We must have gone through this process for 20 minutes one afternoon.
Since then, I do still catch him in another room with his milk. I really think he might just forget. He is still a baby. But if I see him walking out of the kitchen and remind him, he usually comes right back. And a few times, he's set his milk on the floor and then walked out of the kitchen!
Now, for those of you who have kids that are about Tyler's age, let me assure you that he still throws his milk. He lays the cup on the side and rolls it around the kitchen. I find it on its side, leaking all over the floor. He often throws it down from the high chair.
And that reminds me, the high chair makes the time-out thing difficult. He's already sitting! But I hold his hands together and count so that he knows he's in trouble. Tonight, he wouldn't stop grabbing the tablecloth at the restaurant. We counted a few times and then Brian and I were able to eat our meal in relative peace while Tyler snacked on chips, with just a few reminders not to touch the tablecloth. At least the counting worked well enough that all the food stayed on the table. That hasn't always been the case when Tyler gets too close to a tablecloth!
We had an appointment with the pediatric gastroenterologist today. The doctor and his nurse took a full history of Tyler's spitting up and gagging problems while Tyler ran circles around the exam room.
The doctor seems inclined to believe Tyler's problems are behavioral and that the occupational therapy will help. He mentioned putting Tyler on medicine for reflux. However, once we clarified that Tyler does not throw up or spit up if we avoid the foods that we know cause him to gag, he said that reflux is probably not the problem.
Just to rule out the possibility of some physical problem, such as a narrow esophagus, the doctor wants us to set up appointments for two tests:
The first one will involve X-rays of Tyler's upper GI tract. We should be able to schedule this one within a few weeks.
The second is called an OPMS (or Oropharyngeal Motility Study or Barium Swallow Study). For more information on this test, click here and here. This test is done by a radiologist and a therapist who specializes in feeding issues. This test may take months to schedule. Sigh. Maybe the therapy will solve all of Tyler's problems before we even schedule this test.
Depending on the results of these two tests, Tyler may have to undergo an endoscopy, where they put a camera down his throat. However, the doctor does not seem to think this test will be necessary.
I never thought "time-out" would work on a young child. I earnestly believed Tyler would pay attention to me when I popped his hand and told him to stop playing with the trash can. When he laughed in my face, I was shocked. I tried popping his hand harder. It only upset him if he was very tired. Otherwise, he didn't pay me much attention.
But how do you get a 16-month-old child to sit still for a time-out?! Well, I started counting. The first day, I made him sit down and he cried while I held his hands and counted to 20. The second day, he just stared at me while I counted to 20. The third day, I didn't even have to hold his hands and he knew that he could get up when I said "twenty."
Last night, Brian and I decided that it is time to put a stop to the throwing of toys. The next time Tyler threw a toy over the gate at the fireplace, I said, "No, don't throw your toys." He immediately picked up another toy and walked to the gate. He threw it as I was saying, "No." So I made him sit down and I counted to 20. He picked up another toy and walked to the gate. I said, "No, don't throw" and took a step toward him. He walked off in the other direction as if he wouldn't even think of throwing a toy.
About 10 minutes later, he walked behind the sofa (where I couldn't see him) and threw a toy over the gate. As soon as I heard the toy hit the floor, I jumped up and said, "NO, don't throw your toys." He looked at me and promptly sat down, waiting for me to count to 20.
[For those of you that see this as a sign the method is not working, please know that I can now wear my glasses and Tyler doesn't even touch them. He pulled them off my face three times on Tuesday and we counted through a time-out each time. That was all it took. I call that success!]
We went this morning for Tyler's weight check. (Remember, he'd lost 4 oz. at his 15-month checkup, which was one month ago.)
He gained 1 pound and 1 ounce in the last 34 days. That is half an ounce per day! The doctor was thrilled with his progress. I was a little concerned we'd been overdoing the supplements (adding heavy cream to his milk, adding Carnation instant breakfast to his milk, giving him regular juice instead of diluting it with water, and adding Polycose to his baby food three times a day) but his doctor said he's right on track and to keep doing everything the same. Tyler's weight is just above the 25th percentile.
I wish they'd checked his height. I know he's grown in the last month. Just this past week we've had to start locking the buttons on the ice and water dispensers on the refrigerator!
The doctor and Tyler's occupational therapist, who is helping with his feeding difficulties, have recommended that we see at gastrointestinal specialist because Tyler was gagging and throwing up liquids like Motrin and yogurt when he was sick last week. From what I understand, they will look to see if there is anything physically wrong with his stomach and his throat/esophagus. I'll keep y'all posted on that.
And now, do you want to see the cutest little belly ever?
Isn't he precious?! He didn't do it for this video, but sometimes, he'll yank his shirt back down. We'll ask "Where'd it go?" and he'll lift his shirt back up and grin like he's a magician making his belly button appear and disappear!
Dec. 15 - Evan (Tyler's uncle) graduated. We all went to the ceremony. Tyler wasn't willing to sit still for the celebration. He and I spent an hour or so roaming around. But he loved the reception and having lunch at Mick's afterward.
Dec. 16 - Christmas festivities with Denise's nieces and nephew. The house was full, with five children under the age of 5. And they all got along really well! We had such a great time. I really wish we could all get together more often.
Dec. 21 - Christmas festivities with Terry's family. Last year, Tyler slept through this party, but he made up for it this year. He ran up and down the hallways with the older kids (Danielle and Payton are 4 and Lily is 3.) And he took toys away from 7-month-old Zach. He banged his puppy all over the newly remodeled kitchen, and he threw peas all over the floor. The only thing that slowed him down was Lily. She wanted so badly to hold Tyler. (Click here to see a picture of Lily beside Tyler. She doesn't look intimidating, does she?) I walked into the living room once and Lily was laying on her back on the floor and Tyler was on top of her -- she was holding on to him for dear life even though it looked like she couldn't breathe! And he was looking at his daddy and doing the "down" sign for all he was worth. Brian helped them get untangled and Tyler ran off with puppy to see what else he could get into! Brian and I were exhausted at the end of the evening, but we had a great time.
Dec. 22 - We had Christmas with Denise and Terry (Brian's parents). We'd spent the night at their house. Tyler actually slept in since we were up so late the night before. Denise fixed yummy cinnamon rolls for breakfast, and we opened presents. This was when Tyler started getting the hang of unwrapping presents. He would tear off a piece of wrapping paper and take it to his daddy, who was trying to film Tyler opening his presents! We must have great video of Tyler charging across the living room to give Brian a scrap of paper! We finally got into his presents. He loves both his singing alphabet snail and his giggle-vibrating cow now that we are home. While we were at Denise and Terry's house, though, he only wanted to climb the stairs and throw empty boxes back down the stairs. Grandma Denise and Grandpa Terry were so sweet to let him do this over and over. He had a blast!
Dec. 23 - Tyler's Aunt Jennifer arrived with her crew (Uncle Dave, cousin Travis and cousin Carolyn). This is where things get a little blurry because everything was a little hectic the rest of the week!
Dec. 24 - We had Christmas dinner with my daddy's family. Tyler was thrilled to see Gracie (Uncle Randy's puppy) and of course all the aunts and uncles and cousins as well as Nanny and Paw-Paw. I think Brian must've spent much of the evening chasing Tyler around because I can't remember what he got into! He loves dancing with the Santa on Nanny's table, and he loves trying to climb on the glass coffee table! Paw-Paw is so sweet: he dug through his cereal to pick out the mini chocolate chip cookies to share with Tyler. And then Tyler threw them on the floor. But we brought some home for Tyler to enjoy!
Dec. 25 - Santa Claus visited us in Monroe. Tyler got a battery-operated 4-wheeler. He preferred standing on it Evel Knievel-style rather than riding it, but we're working on that!
We spent Christmas afternoon with my mama's family. My grandma fell just before Christmas and hurt her back, so we were grateful that she felt like having company even though she wasn't able to get around very well. All the kids were so great, even though they were tired. Tyler got a huge fire truck from Aunt Linda. I can't wait 'til he's old enough to be trusted around it because he loved pushing the siren button on it! In the meantime, he's loved playing with his new cell phone and bath toys, and I can't wait until summertime so he can wear his adorable flip flops!
And a Christmas miracle: Jenn and Brian got Tyler to eat French fries!
Dec. 26, around 1 a.m.: Tyler woke up with a fever. The fun begins. Grandma and Grandpa were wonderful helping me take care of him two nights in a row since Brian was at home. (And poor Grandpa is still sick.) Tyler's fever came back every time the Motrin wore off for two and half days. I'm sure his throat hurt because it was difficult to get him to eat or drink. And to complicate matters, he tended to throw up more easily. We had to dilute the Motrin with water or Pedialyte so he could swallow it without gagging. He couldn't eat his dried fruits or Cheerios. He even gagged on yogurt once. He lived off of baby food and Carnation Instant Breakfast for a few days.
Dec. 30 - Tyler finally got to try out the present that Santa left here at home for him:
Please note: Brian wants me to tell you all that we don't listen to the "Macarena" song all the time — at least not by choice. Tyler has a toy turtle that plays it, but you can't see the turtle in the video.
