And now for the month's recap: Leo is doing great! He had another follow-up with his kidney doctor including an ultrasound. And all systems are looking good. The kidneys have grown very nicely, his blood work is all good, no infections. And she doesn't need to see him again for six months. Woot! He's still got a little bit of calcification on one of his kidneys, which basically means he's got a stone. So we're upping his total liquid intake each day in an effort to flush it out. And apparently upping his milk intake is not a problem as he's happily guzzling down 8 oz bottles a few times a day.
Leo is also squarely in the world of solid foods now. He seems to be enjoying my homemade purees and tolerating the different tastes. His favorite is sweet potatoes...anything with sweet potatoes in it, in fact, he loves. I think we're going to start protein later this month, perhaps with a Thanksgiving puree of some sort.
It's hard to believe he's almost 8 months old! He's soooo teeny tiny compared to a regular 8 month old but to us he's a big 'ol chunk. He's up over 15 lbs and around 25" long. He's sitting up in his high chair really well and getting close to sitting up on his own. He loves to stand up and gets closer every day to rolling all the way over - he rolls onto his sides freely and with reckless abandon. He's grabbing toys, putting them in his mouth (along with his hands which he cannot keep out of his mouth) and laughing up a storm. I think he's also in the early stages of teething because the cheeks are flush (no fever), he's drooling and he's constantly gnawing on his fingers/hands. I think I felt something on his upper gum line this morning. We shall see. His physical therapist is happy with his progress and believes he'll meet all his milestones...just on a slightly lengthened schedule. And while Jay and I sometimes fall into the trap of comparing him to other babies and worry about the milestones, I think we're doing a good job of ignoring all of that for the most part.
This month also brought a reminder of how fragile things are as our friends from the NICU landed back in the hospital with their little boy who had caught a nasty virus of some sort. He was doing great too, thriving and growing. Happily, he's home now and recovering nicely. But it was a reminder to us that these little guys are simply more at risk for serious illness plain and simple. So Jay and I are loading up on our flu shots and pertussis vaccinations and keeping our fingers crossed as we head into winter. Don't be alarmed if you visit our home and are met at the front door with Purell...'tis the season!
Some really happy things happened this month too...aside from hearing Leo giggle and laugh out loud on a regular basis...which is pretty much the greatest thing ever. I had a wonderful birthday and celebrated with not one but three date nights with the hubs! Our friends welcomed their little boy into the world and they are settling into their new life together. He's beautiful, Mom is a champ, Dad is keeping it all together, and we're so excited for Leo and Palmer to get to know each other. On a totally unrelated and rediculously happy note, a dear friend of mine who was battling life-altering health issues this year has settled into a place of recovery and health - and while she was at it fell in love! He's a wonderful man, I've never seen her so filled with joy and it's been a lovely reminder that life can throw us a curve ball and sometimes it's the most awesome curve ball imaginable. It's also reassuring to see good things happen to nice people. Yay love!
So now we're heading into the holidays and I'm so looking forward to this year's festivities. Leo's first turkey day, christmas, snow (hopefully!) and celebrating with family and friends. This is my most favorite time of year and it'll be a challenge for me to not go completely ape-sh*& with baking and decorating madness. Weeee!
We need a Leo update!
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