14 Months

Looking over the menu...

It seemed that things slowed down just a smidge this month thank goodness.  Overall, we are all happy and healthy now.  We had a set back concerning Monty and he developed glaucoma and went blind in his left eye with in 24 hours.  He has since had the eye removed because the pressure was still elevated and painful.  He seems to be almost back to his old self again.  We are working very hard to save his good eye for as long as possible but with glaucoma apparently it is just a matter of time before he loses vision in his good eye as well.     

Vocabulary:   This month has been relatively quiet as far as vocabulary.  He says “hot” and will point to the pellet stove.  He also says “ket” when he wants his blanket.  Sometimes it sounds more like his “dat” but he is usually very persistent when he wants it and will say “ket” over and over and over pointing at or walking around with one.  We have been working a lot more on vocabulary and trying to get him to say stuff or repeat after us instead of just saying “dat” for everything he wants or sees.  He seems to understand what we are saying more and more and basic commands/requests but doesn’t have many new “words” this month.  One of his new favorite games is to mock sounds.  In the car, I will squeal and change the pitch of my voice up and down and then he repeats.  Then I change it slightly and he repeats.  He thinks this is all absolutely hilarious. 

Multi-tasking with his cup and play time

Some more of the things he can identify:  When playing with cars or trucks, he makes a vroom sound.  He now knows where his ears and belly button are but when you ask where his nose is he points to his mouth so we will have to work on that one a little more.  He claps when you say yay or sing “If you’re happy and you know it…” or when any other song ends.  He is getting very good at his toys that have shape sorters and will usually get the correct shape in the correct hole.  When asked if he wants some milk or a drink, he will walk to the fridge and bang on it… I guess that means yes!

Teeth:  Grant now has 7.  His lower, left lateral incisor popped through and his lower, right lateral incisor is cutting and will be through any day now.  I know those molars aren’t far behind!

More teeth... all the better to gnaw on ribs with

Illnesses:  On February 22^nd we found out he had C Diff for the 4^th time (see my C Diff post).  We are determined that we are not going through this again and the day after we found out we made an appointment with his pediatrician to talk about an action plan.  I was going to insist she refer us to Children’s Hospital in Milwaukee but she beat us to the punch.  Before we arrived, she took it upon herself to call a pediatric GI specialist there and present Grant’s case.  Dr. Kohlmeier (our pediatrician) was just as flustered as we were and has never seen anything like Grant’s case.  The GI doctor suggested that we try a different method for Grant’s medication this time around.  He went back on vancomycin for 5 days at full strength went off for 5 days and is now back on it for 30 days but we are using a taper method.  For the first week, he takes it 4 times a day, then 3 times a day for a week, 2 times a day for a week, one time a day for a week, and then once every other day for a week.  According to the GI doctor, what happens in recurring cases is the C Diff bacteria is killed off by the initial dose of meds but they sometimes leave spores behind in the intestines and colon which in turn hatch after several days to weeks and the cycle starts all over again.  5 days on will kill off all of the bacteria, 5 days off will allow those spores to hatch, and 30 days on will allow any remaining bacteria and spores to be killed off for good!  I have a really good feeling and high hopes that we will nip this in the bud once and for all this time around!   

Mode of transportation:  Grant is walking 100% of the time and has taken to running.  He is by no means coordinated when doing so and we just sit back, watch, and wait for the crash to happen.   On some nights, he is bouncing off the walls and buzzes round and round and round the loop from our living room to kitchen to dining room. 

Mr. Fix It just like his daddy

Funniest thing this month:  On our way home in the afternoons, Grant will say dog over and over and over as we get closer to the house.  As soon as we are in the door, he walks directly to the basement door and pounds on it until I open it and we go down stairs to let them out of their kennels.  He adores his puppies! 

He played so hard he fell asleep on Monty.

Just relaxing with his puppies

Grant has also taken to pushing buttons with his feet.  He will brace himself on the table or couch and lift his leg so he can reach the buttons on his toys and push them over and over with his toes. 

Biggest change this month:  Grant officially moved up to the one year old classroom.  He has done pretty well with the transition overall but has resorted to biting on several occasions again.  Honestly, it is extremely frustrating and we don’t know what else to do.  We have tried several different approaches and nothing seems to get through to him. 

Firsts:  On February 18^th, Grant had his first night over night at Grandpa and Grandma Fisher’s.  We had tried on other occasions but something always came up or Grant ended up sick.  It worked out well and Matt and I got a snowboarding trip in to Wausau and Grant handled it like a champ and was so good (or so they say). 

The boys taking a nap

Personality:  I swear he is one of the only children at daycare that when I drop him off he takes off running in the opposite direction and doesn’t cry or cling to my leg.  Also, when I pick him up he sees me and runs away!  Talk about a blow to the ego sometimes but he is definitely a social butterfly and loves his friends even though he bites them.

This month we also had a playdate with Addison Galle and Ari Evert.  All went well except for when Grant tried biting Ari and then he melted down for the group picture because it was way past his nap time!

Grant and Addie before Ari and Sara arrived

Grant melting down during the group picture...

Ari and Addie keeping the party going.

Approximate weight and height:  At the appointment we had about his C Diff on February 23^rd, Grant had a naked weight of 22lbs 5 oz!  He’s up finally!  Since his one year check up, Grant has gained 11 oz which is the first positive trend on the scale since he was 9 months old!  According to our scale, he is 22.6 pounds and roughly 31 inches  He will move up to size 4 diapers as soon as this box of 3’s are gone and he has grown out of some size 4 shoes.  I am having to pack away more and more 12 month clothes and work in more 12-18 month clothes.