Four-year well visit

Just after his birthday, we had Hayden's well visit scheduled with the pediatrician. As he tends to do, Hayden got sick right around the same time. I appreciate that he gets sick at the same time, only to avoid a 2nd copay. Way to help out, buddy.

This time it was ear infections in both ears. Poor kid! But he takes meds like a champ, and after one dose he was feeling better already. The doc checked out his hearing and vision, weight and height, listened to all his vital organs and even had a little tickle party. He's 42 3/4 inches (3 feet, 6 3/4 inches) and 42 lbs. So, square like his 40x40 at his three year visit. To me, he seems far taller and even heavier, especially if I'm carrying him to bed after he's fallen asleep in mine.

This time around we got the "kindergarten shots", the ones he can't go to Kindergarten without. Because of his age, he'll wait a year for kindergarten so he'll be five-turning-six when he starts. A year and a half away, but it goes by SO fast. I'm not ready! The shots did NOT go well, but luckily he won't need anymore until he's 11. Try telling that to your screaming, sad toddler. Not happy. But he got stickers and toys, bandaids and chocolate milk after we left, but he's still talking about it.

9 month check up

Lila had her nine-month check up today! This is a fun check up because there are no shots (other than the flu shot). She weighed in at 17.4 lbs and was a whopping 28 inches long. Now we know where all that food is going!! She gained nearly 2.5 inches from her six-month visit, and is holding steady at 70th percentile for height. She's still petite, in the 28th percentile for weight. And her head is right there in the middle at 43.7 cm. She got to play with the empty roll from the table-paper, but shows great resistance to being on her back and held down. My wiggle worm does not like to be restrained! Or changed, re-diapered, etc. Doc was glad she's sleeping through the night, using a cup, eating table food, etc. We go back in 30 days for her other flu shot (at her age, they split it into two doses) and then not until after her 1st birthday in January. Where does the time go??

4 months old!

Time is going by too, too fast. How is Lila four months old already? She is developing such a personality and is just dying to be mobile. She's also paying a lot of attention to what we eat and how we communicate, and is doing her best to talk back to us!

We had her four-month check up and this time, the shots were a little harder on both of us. I was nursing her to help calm her down afterwards, but she's so wiggly and jerky that, everytime she'd get good and calm, she'd whack herself in the leg right where they put those mean ol' shots and start hysterics all over again. Bless her heart.

She's growing like a little weed, and is long and lean just like Hayden was. The doctor gave us the okay for solid foods, but I think we'll wait until the 6 month mark just like we did with Hayden.

Doctor Appointment

Today I had a quick check-up to see how mom and baby were doing! Quick pee-in-a-cup, weight and blood pressure, then to the exam room. A swift check with the heart rate monitor and baby was strong and steady at 138 BPM. Talked to the doc about a few things, talked about our next appointment and then I was done!

It's nice that it's quick, but still a good monthly reminder that baby is growing like he or she is supposed to. In 20 days, we'll go back for another appointment for an ultrasound! Less than three weeks til we (hopefully!) find out if baby Rogers is a boy or a girl!

Check ups all around!

Hayden's two-year check up was on Tuesday, the day after his actual birthday. He was very reluctant to let the doctor touch his belly and was really shy when she needed to take a look inside his pull up. I guess it's good that he's uncomfortable with strangers messing with his baby parts! Everything looked good, except his little ears. He's been battling an ear infection that's been lingering since about September, and just can't seem to shake it. We are trying another, stronger antibiotic to see if it that will knock it out for good. It's hard since Hayden doesn't have a fever and doesn't seem to be in pain. Let's hope it works!

Oscar also needed a check up before the flight, so we went today. He needed one shot and an intranasal vaccine, which proved to be pretty difficult. Oscar has lost TWENTY pounds in the past year, so his svelte body makes him more limber and wily. I ended up having to sit on him, backed in the corner while holding his head up just long enough for the vet to put his nose vaccine in. He passed all his tests and his weight loss makes him run around like a puppy again: he is so full of energy! He definitely knows something is up, and I'm nervous for the flight with him on Saturday. But the good news is that we only have to do it once!

One year check up

We took Hayden to the doctor for his one-year check up on Monday morning. Jay got to go with us, and he always finds good parking so I was not surprised when he found one right in front of the door. Good thing, too, since it was raining and yucky out! We only waited a few minutes before we were called back for his weight and height. Hayden is 22 lbs, 3 oz and 30.5 inches long! He has nearly tripled his birth weight and is in the 75th percentile for height but only 50th for weight. He's long and lean! Some days he definitely feels more than 22 pounds.

The doctor did some motor skills testing and checked him out. Luckily his cough is just some congestion and nothing more serious, so we got him some nose drops to alleviate the stuffiness and he has been sleeping better already! The cough seems to have subsided and we are grateful it wasn't anything more. The German doctors are definitely more laid back than American doctors, which seems to suit our family style. We asked a few questions and were out the door in a half hour. Not bad!

Because of when he got his six month shots, we actually have to wait about 2 weeks before we can get his next round of immunizations to make sure they're spaced correctly. I don't mind putting them off; they're definitely the worst part! But our little boy is developing right on track and always brings a smile to his doctor's face so we're happy.

9 month check up

On Thursday, we packed up and headed out to Hayden's doctor's appointment. I hadn't been in three months and was going by myself, and downtown parking can be tricky so I left 30 minutes early. I figured that would give me time to get there, find a spot and get upstairs with a few minutes to spare before our appointment. Usually we have little development questionnaires to answer, and I thought I'd get there a few minutes early to speed things up. When I started driving, I realized since I've been doing some exploring downtown I thought I knew a faster way so I took it. My new way, plus the road construction downtown actually had us out front of the doctor's office in less than ten minutes! And as luck should have it, there was a FREE parking spot right in front of the door waiting for me. That never happens, you never get free parking in Germany! We got out and headed in.

Normally I make his appointments in the morning to avoid the eventual backup doctors have by the end of the day, but they had to change his appointment at the last minute to an afternoon one. Imagine my surprise when we walked in to a nearly empty office! This time there was no paperwork to fill out, and Hayden was big enough to actually play in the toy room. We were called back shortly and Hayden was measured...19.2 lbs and 28.7 inches long. He's growing and developing well! He met with the other pediatrician, who is male, and the difference was noticeable. He's very nice, but Hayden definitely took a few minutes to warm up to him. He just stared while the doctor was listening to his heartbeat, and after a few minutes (and some toy bribery) he was just fine.

The doctor was very impressed with Hayden's motor skills and verbal abilities. It should go without saying that I do a lot of talking to Hayden, and apparently it's paying off! This time we didn't need shots, and Hayden was rewarded with a pretzel (which he enjoyed). Our next appointment isn't until after his birthday, but I can't believe how old he is already!

Doctor's Appointment and stomach bug

Well we had a fabulous weekend as usual! We went to our friend Misty's softball game, had Hayden's six month pictures taken, went bowling and had a barbeque at our house. It was my first time grilling, and it was fairly successful! We had a ton of people at our house but Oscar and Hayden didn't seem to mind all the extra bodies. Hayden was a little sniffly and stuffy, so I kept giving him saline and wiping his nose (much to his dismay). He woke up super sniffly on Monday but I knew we had a doctor's appointment Tuesday so I didn't worry much.

Last night I went in around 11 to check on him, just to see how he was breathing with all the stuffiness. Imagine my surprise to find the crib covered in vomit, and my baby, sleeping soundly, completely soaked head to toe in said vomit. It was EVERYWHERE. Which meant waking up my peaceful baby, stripping him and his bed down, a second bath of the evening, washing everything in the crib and hanging out with Hayden, who seemed to feel much better. He was smiley and happy, despite the mess he'd made in his sleep.

Today we went to the doctor, and Hayden seemed to be feeling fine. He weighs 16 lbs, 7 oz and is 27 inches long. Man is he growing! His bug was a 24-hour deal (we hope) and neither the doctor nor I were too worried about it. He's right on track with development and entertained the doc's office with his tippy-toe push ups. I took pictures, but I let a friend borrow my camera cord so they'll be up soon! We've also moved on to oatmeal after all the veggies passed with flying colors (no pun intended) and we'll test out the fruit by the weekend. Just in time for Jay to come home!

One of these days, I'm going to sit down at the computer and write, "Well we haven't updated because nothing has been going on." That will not be today!

We survived all the field time, and Hayden was probably as excited as I was to see Jay when he came home. Hayden knows who daddy is, and recognizes him easily when he walks in the door. He is developing so much personality, we don't know what do with all of it! He has started sleeping longer at night, 3-4 hours at a time which is a welcome relief from two hours! He is also outgrowing the swaddling and only likes it to put him to sleep. When he wakes up for feedings, I unwrap him and he happily goes back to sleep with his puppy, all stretched out in his crib. He is also starting to go a little longer during daytime feedings, which means we can get more done.

He can't sit up on his own yet, but is good at holding his head up so we've tried out his exersaucer here and there. He loves the toy that spins and makes noise, and recently discovered the mirror. His jumperoo is on the way to us, so we're going to break down some of his other toys that he doesn't use as much. Our house is overrun with baby entertainment items, so we have to downsize a little!

This weekend Hayden was very cooperative for our painting project and road trip to Ramstein. We painted the kitchen and dining room yellow, and have a good teamwork system down so it went pretty quickly. We have a few more rooms to do, but we were painted out by the end of the weekend so those will have to wait for this coming weekend. We went to Ramstein AFB on Saturday and bought Jay new golf clubs. And, of course, ate at Chili's! To our surprise Sugarland was playing that night as part of their USO tour, which means it was pretty busy on post. We didn't go to the concert but are hoping they make their way a little closer to us. Jay and I saw them in 2007 with Kenny Chesney and they put on a great show.

Hayden went to the doctor on Monday for his four-month check up. He is 14.5 lbs and 25 inches long! The doctor said everything is going well, and is impressed that he can roll over already. In Germany, they skip the rice cereal route and just start babies on vegetables at about five months. Since there isn't much nutritional value to rice cereal, we're going to keep chugging along with the nursing and worry about vegetables in about a month. Part of our deciding factor was that Hayden and I have booked our tickets to come home in April! We'll be home April 13-27 and hope to see as many friends and family as possible. I have my Salem Reunion April 17-19 and am going to Virginia to see Jay's family the other weekend, so let us know if you want to see us and we'll work you in! We figured trying to throw in "solid foods" with all that was a bit much for our little buddy. Originally we were going to try to fly home Space Available through the military but in the end, decided that commercial tickets would be a lot less stressful for mommy! Hayden has his own seat so I don't have to hold him for nine and a half hours. It's a direct flight to Charlotte, so no changing planes for us! We can't wait.

We tried to get his four-month shots but were five days early based on the last time we got his shots, so we have to wait until next Monday. Bummer, since Jay won't be with us like he was for the doctor appointment. But we did it on our own last time, so I'm sure we'll be fine this time.

Yesterday was St. Patrick's Day, and Hayden's first visit to the Child Development Center (CDC) on post for daycare. I had a doctor's appointment, so Hayden spent two and a half hours in the care of some very nice ladies. He was the youngest in the "small hourly care" room, as it is from 6 weeks to 2 years. Most of the kids were closer to two years old, so Hayden looked small. Neither of us cried, I'm happy to report :-) I got back about fifteen minutes early to pick him up, and they were out on a walk. Six kids in two triple strollers, with Hayden sleeping soundly in the "backseat" of the stroller...those ladies are brave! But he did well, and that makes me feel better about taking him next week for my dentist appointment!

We had a fundraiser yesterday that Hayden and I had signed up to help at, so we headed to where Jay works for lunch. We sold hot dogs, chips, drinks and green baked goods to tons of soldiers and spouses. Hayden got to hang out with his Aunt Megan, and got to see daddy at work for a little while. It was chilly out, which means no one got to see his St. Patrick's Day onesie under his coat! Rest assured no one pinched him.

Today we're hoping to get lunch and do some scrapbooking with Jenn and Addie. The sun is out for the second day in a row, and spring is hopefully just around the corner.

2-month check up

This morning was Hayden's 2-month check-up. He woke up early, around 7 and wasn't quite ready to go back to sleep so we headed downstairs. We watched a little Sports Center, and I realized little man needed a diaper change. I picked him up and found that he had leaked out a bit, so I took off his onesie and changed his diaper. I put him in his bouncy seat in his diaper and socks so I could wash my hands. By the time I came back, he was fast asleep! Silly boy.

We went to his doctor's office, which is in the hospital where he was born, just around the other side. We checked in and headed to the VERY full waiting room. There were about 12 kids in there, so Jay headed outside and around the corner to get a doner (our favorite downtown snack, sort of like a gyro). We waited about a half hour before they called us in. Hayden is up to 12 lbs 8 oz, 22 inches long and had a normal temperature. She poked and prodded, squeezed and examined, and he's good to go! He's holding his head up well and his reflexes are all appropriate for his age. They are definitely matter-of-fact here in Germany, which is maybe why Europeans don't seem to have the same sense of entitlements and whatnot that Americans do. They didn't tell me his percentiles, which they do at the clinic, but everyone wants to brag about numbers it seems in the states. As for Hayden, he's healthy and normal, and that's all we need to know! He doesn't seem to mind the rectal thermometer but throws a fit when you look in his ears. I could have told her that, we fight when I clean his little outer ears after a bath. Picky boy.

Next up, shots! No one is excited about them. I did decide for his next check up I want to take him in a bubble. So many germy little kids! For the most part the kids looked pretty healthy, but they were all over the floor and playing in toys, hands in mouths and whatnot. And there was one kid who kept scratching his head pretty furiously so I was certain he had lice. But Hayden seemed to come through just fine, in fact, he slept through the loud wait and didn't wake up until I took him out of his car seat to be examined.

We're still working on the sleep thing, but he did sleep about five hours the other night without waking up to be fed. For a baby that wakes up every two to three hours to eat, this was a welcome surprise! He seems to be going a little longer between feedings now, but still growing so I think we're getting the hang of it.

The woes of living overseas

This is what a sweet baby looks like after a bath. He's all lotioned and baby-powdered up, hair brushed and new 'jamas, and his hair hasn't had time to stand up yet. He looks more and more like his daddy every single day.

Anyway, it's nearly time for Hayden's two month check up, so I called the clinic last week for an appointment with Dr. Garde. She is unavailable. There are 11,000 people in this community and we have one pediatrician. So she literally only has time to see the 2-week appointments (so she can at least meet the babies and moms) and the sick kids. So we have to get a referral to a pediatrician on the economy, much like my OB care. I went to the nurses' office yesterday to get a referral. I waited 20 minutes (not bad for our clinic) and headed in. Their computers were down, so it took 20 more minutes to get a piece of paper saying Hayden can have a referral. However, I was unaware of the new system for referrals. Now instead of waiting for hours, you sign up for an appointment. When I got down there, at 2pm on Monday, I got THE last appointment for the week, which is Thursday afternoon. So now I have an appointment to make an appointment. Hilarious.

The other side of it is that we can't get his immunizations until he sees a doctor. Apparently you have to have a healthy baby before you pump him full of diseases. This time around he'll get three shots and one oral vaccine. I'm not looking forward to it, but it'll be over soon, and it will DEFINITELY hurt him more than it hurts me.

The good news is that Dr. Garde has personally met and interviewed all the pediatricians to which she refers us, and said if she were a civilian, she would want to work in all of their private practices. So hopefully we'll find one we like on the first try. Interviewing pediatricians in Germany isn't an easy process, and we're limited in choice, so I'm going to hope Dr. Garde has done her homework and done it well!

Hayden's first doctor's appointment

Yesterday I took Hayden to the clinic for the Army's first look at him. He's gained almost a pound in two weeks, so he's up to 9 lbs, 8 oz! So apparently nursing is working out for us. They measured his head and his length (he's proportionate!), and we met Dr. Garde, the pediatrician on post. Unfortunately there's only ONE pediatrician, so for our next appointments we may be going off-post. But we'll wait until January to see!

Dr. Garde checked his heartbeat and breathing, his belly button and abdomen, his circumcision site, and basically poked and prodded all over while he slept the sleep of babies (especially the ones who have just been fed, burped and changed). I learned we have to get another "heel stick" because the American standard is to check for about 22 disorders and issues, while the Germans only check for about half of that. We also have to get a shot of Vitamin K, because in the states it's administered as a shot and here in Germany it's given at birth as drops, which aren't absorbed as well. We would have gotten both of those done yesterday, but the lab and immunization section were both closed from 1200-1300 and of course, our appointment was over at 11:45. She also gave us some vitamin D drops, which are given to breastfed babies. We've been giving him the tablets that the german hospital gave us, but you have to dissolve them in water and they're a terrible pain, so we'll see how this goes.

I asked lots of questions and Dr. Garde assured me Hayden's development is all "perfectly normal" and that he's doing well. No immunizations until his two-month check up, so I have from now until then to steel my nerves for that. We'll be going back tomorrow for them to stick his heel and give him his shot, and then running about a million errands to get lots of paperwork done. I spent an hour yesterday getting his German birth certificate, which we'll need for his passport, only to find out I also needed the International birth certificate in order to enroll him in the Army's system. Bummer! So tomorrow we'll be going back for that as well, and possibly taking his passport photos. There's lots to be done to get him all squared away, and not a lot of time to do it, so wish us luck!