Bye Bye Babyhood...

(I have some catching up to do...so bear with me)

On November 19th, Ben took his final voyage in the infant carseat.  I don't know why but it seemed somewhat monumental to me.  I may never again have a baby in a little baby carseat.  And, Ben will definitely never be small enough to fit in one again.  Sad, really.  It seemed like one of the first steps in leaving this first year behind.

11 Months

Oh Benny Boo Boo...

I simply cannot fathom that you are only a month away from turning ONE!

I really want you to stay a baby forever.

And yet, I am looking forward to hearing your little voice...

At 11 months, this is what you are up to:

Sleeping:  This is a BIG one.  You are FINALLY sleeping through the night (by my definition).  For the last few weeks, you have been sleeping 8p-8a.  It is heavenly. You are still taking 2 naps during the day.  But you are definitely shortening them up a little bit.  Your morning nap is barely 2 hours long, and your afternoon naps is usually right over 2 hours (sometimes a little longer).

                       

Eating: For the last month, you have been eating 3 meals a day and breastfeeding 6 times a day.

We are really starting to work with you on eating more "real" food and less pureed food.

You also seem like you're probably getting ready to drop a BFing session during the day before your morning nap.

Teeth:  You have 4 teeth.  But your two front teeth are literally white pushing on the gums.  

They will be busting through any day now.  These teeth have made you the most noticeably cranky and clingy.  For your sake and mine, I hope it happens sooner rather than later.

Words:  You are still pretty much sticking with mama, dada, haven't heard much ja-ja this last month, with an occasional ni-ni.  You are also concentrating on g sounds and t sounds. You are signing more, all done, eat, and milk pretty consistently in response to questions or sometimes of your own will to let us know what you want.  The other day when I asked you if you wanted more breakfast or if you were all done, you not only signed more, but you said "mo".  

Skills:  You have gotten to be a little master cruiser.  You love going around the table in circles.  You have also gotten really good at standing solo. But the last few days you have really started working on taking more and more steps.  You took your very first one right before 10 months, and now at 11 months, you can take a few steps at a time.  Your best so far has been about 6-7 in a row.  You are starting to do it more and more without prompting.  I imagine we are right on the verge of full blown walking.  Just need a little more practice under our belt!

Clothes:  You are completely in 12 months clothes now.  I went ahead and put all the 9 month ones away.  You wear a size 4 shoe.  You still easily wear a size 3 diaper at daycare, and you haven't really changed your settings at all on the cloth diapers at home. 

I don't really let or encourage you to watch TV...but with your brother in the house, it's a given that it catches your attention occasionally.  The one thing you can't turn away from appears to be Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  

You weren't sick at all this last month (woo hoo).  And we had no doctor's visits for you.  Which is fantastic...but I'm sure it won't last.  You still put EVERYTHING you find in your mouth.  You can't hardly function if something isn't in your mouth (perhaps I should let you have your pacifier out of your crib after all, now that I think about it).  Hoping you stay healthy though for our trip out east in a couple weeks at the very least!!

Weight: 19lbs 4oz (24%)

Trigger Released

So yesterday was the "big" day...

I waited until Monday to tell Jack that he was having surgery the next day.  

I had been told the week prior that he was to get IV sedation, so I prepared him for getting an IV and being taken to an operating room away from us, etc.  He was really pretty fine with it.  Not looking forward to a 'needle' but he's pretty good with stuff as long as he knows what's coming.

We had to be at the hospital at 6:30 Tuesday morning.  Since Poppy stayed over to watch Ben the next morning, we let Jack sleep in our room (which meant he was about the only one who slept).  He was a bundle of energy the next morning.  Telling everyone that it was his first time at the hospital.  He had NO fear. He was excited to get into his hospital attire...a shirt, pants, and fun red socks.

He then asked the nurse when she would be putting the needle in his arm (I certainly had explained it better than this, but clearly this was the key point he remembered).  She said that if he got one at all it wouldn't be until after he was asleep...and he just looked at me with a little smirk like 'ha ha...I don't have to."

After he got dressed and got vitals, then it was really just a matter of waiting around until the hand surgeon and anesthesiologist came in.  Dr. K (the surgeon) came in and went over the procedure again, and made his "x marks the spot" on the appropriate thumb.

Then, Ryan, the anesthesiologist came in and said he had no plans for any IV just a little laughing gas (plus, some other inhaled drug I can't remember) since the surgeon was doing a nerve block anyway to take care of the pain and because it was so short and there was no need to intubate.  Fantastic!!!  I explained all this to Jack and he quickly resumed listening to his tunes on the ipad with his new headphones.  No worries for him.

A few minutes later the nurse from the OR came to take Jack back to the room.  This was the moment I had been dreading.  In my head, I had it all worked up for Jack to be screaming and crying as he was dragged away from me.  As you can see below, this was not the case...

Jack, willingly, started to bounce out of the room without so much as a hug and a kiss for us (we stopped him and got one of course).  But he was truly happy and content to walk back with a "stranger" with the promise of pushing all kinds of fun wall buttons and whatnot.  

He walked back at 7:50 and by 8:20 we'd already talked to the surgeon and were just waiting to be allowed back in recovery.  About 8:35, we got called back. This is the face we walked into...

Man he is such a trooper.  The nurse said he had been asleep and then he woke up and was just wide awake, talking and smiling.  Seriously, this kid was not the least bit stressed.  

After we saw him, Bob ran to the pharmacy to get his Tylenol with Codeine (not like we've needed it)...and he told me he had to go to the bathroom.  Once we were in the bathroom alone, Jack started getting really tearful, then crying just holding onto me.  I asked him what was wrong...and if he'd been scared and he said yes (I have since asked him if he was scared in that OR and he was not, he says he was upset because he couldn't go potty). Once back in the room, he became clingy, then standoffish, and kind of irritable, then back to himself.  The nurse said moodiness was actually normal after surgery so I guess that's maybe what that was about.  

Every single person that encountered him said he was the perfect patient and that they couldn't believe he was so at ease with all of it.

We were headed home by 9:15.

He has no bad recollections about anything that happened.  He says he was never scared in the operating room.  He remembers trying to pop a big red balloon (I'm guessing this is something the anesthesiologist told him when he was breathing into the mask).  And he came home with as much energy as ever and an appetite to boot.  He has been adamant that he's not in any pain.  Not even once.  I can't get him to keep his arm elevated.  A regimen of wiggling his fingers is pointless because he's using his hand like nothing is wrong with it (except for the bulky green dressing...which is the only difficult part of all of this).  

I am so glad it's over.  I'm glad no tears were shed on my part. I'm in awe of this brave little boy that continually teaches me how to be so much stronger than I am. I am happy that there seems to be no pain.  I'm beyond thankful for an incredible staff...from the registration person who started if off fun by letting Jack stand on her desk to put his arm bracelet on his ankle, to the nurses that were so friendly, an anesthesiologist that made going to sleep fun and not scary, and a surgeon that quickly did a rock star job.  I wasn't expecting a kid-friendly experience outside MY favorite hospital, but we got one, and I am so grateful. 

It's impossible...

...to get a good picture of this kid.  

...something in his mouth

...mean face

...blurry

...Jack is determined to be in the picture too

(love him, I do, but he wasn't helping my cause here)

...and the story continues...

Teething

Ben is finally getting his front teeth.

(At least it appears that they are really really close)

He is a drooly, cranky mess.

You will never catch him without something in his mouth.

He's always gnawing on whatever he can find.

I'm hoping these little chompers break through soon.

A Sandwich

Jack saw a kid on the Disney channel making a "turkey sandwich" with his dad.

He was determined that he also wanted to make his own turkey sandwich, all by himself.

Then he was going to eat it.

He successfully made the sandwich all by himself.  

And, I guess he ate the majority of it, but after the first couple bites, he decided he didn't love it after all.

Choo Choo

Yesterday, Poppy and TT came over for a visit and ran some errands with me. 

While I shopped, TT rode the train with Jack.