(incog)NEAT-O!

OK, I might have just created my new favorite Sweetish Baby item.  

Before now, I think the Mom and Dad tattoo shirts were my faves-

But now, I think it's this (incog)NEAT-O t-shirt that I made for Dax to wear to school tomorrow!!!  It started out as just the shades.  Then a friend suggested a mustache.  Then I had some accidental space left at the top after embroidering it all, and couldn't resist the ridiculous pun!!!

Funnies

Remember this picture of Dax posing nude on Ada's new chair?

Well, here is Dax hanging out on his own new chair!  Also nude...

Remember Casey in Dax's sunglasses from the last post?

Here is Dax in some ridiculous glasses of his own...

These are Mr. Potato head glasses.  He found them, put them on himself, and wore them around the house for quite a while!  It was after this declaration of love for eyewear that I began putting his blue sunglasses on him - he thinks he is hot stuff in those things!

Daddy's Triathlon!

Casey has been training for the CapTex Triathlon (1mile swim, 25 mile bike, 6 mile run) in Austin for 2 months or so- so this weekend we packed up the kids, got a hotel in downtown Austin, and made a family fun trip out of it!  We had an awesome time, and we are so proud of Daddy!!!

Cool kids along for the ride on Sunday getting Casey registered and his bike dropped off.

 Then we headed to the Austin Zoo-

We hit up the choo-choo train!

Cutie pie.  Who know what's all over that face...

Their little zoo was pretty great- they had things from roosters and turkeys roaming free, to wild hogs, to wolves, tigers , and lions! However, the most fascinating thing to me was the peacock.  Look at those feathers!  Gorgeous.

 Back to the hotel for some pool time-

The Hyatt had an AWESOME outdoor eating area outside of the lobby restaurant.  The kids were exhausted, hungry, and restless- so I think we could have enjoyed it a little more. But it was still nice!

Favorite pasttime- pushing chairs.

Bahaha!

 After dropping $50 on dinner, and the kids eating very little- we scrapped our plans of trying to watch the bats fly out from Congress St Bridge at dusk- and tried to catch it from our room.  

(Where the kids ate their weight in junk food and snacks from home.  Figures!)

Not sure what happened to this picture- but this is the bridge. By the time the bats were flying out it was far too dark to see, and our kids were being far to wild to leave unattended any longer!

This is what they did as Casey and I waited for the never-to-be-seen bats.  Dax twirling Ada in the desk chair.
Around and around and around.

Time for bed!  Trying to settle everyone down with a good bedtime story... 

 The next day- time for the race!!!!  Ready to trek around Austin watching for Daddy!

 Trying to spot Daddy swimming-

Making puppy friends while we wait for Daddy to finish the swim-

We saw him get out of the water and run to his bike!  I didn't get many shots of him during the race because I had enough on my plate with he kiddies- but here's a good one of him starting the bike! 

He's in the blue top-

Making more puppy friends-

Stopping for a snack after watching Daddy finish the bike portion! We have a bit before we need to get over to see him running.

We made it to the running portion to see him once (where we distracted him and he almost tripped on a trashcan in the middle of the road!)- but then we were on the verge of a double meltdown and had to head back to the room to clean up, pack up, and wait to congratulate him there.  What an adventure!

I feel like I have run an Olympic Triathlon, too- after dragging around, entertaining, keeping safe and alive, and mediating arguments between the 1 and 3 year old; while trying to make it to checkpoints to find Casey.  Pat myself on the back!

The most stressful part of the weekend, though- was running out of wipes this morning!  Yikes!!

Congratulations, Casey!  We're so proud of you!!!  Can't wait for the next race and family road trip!  :)

Tubes Take 2 (5 weeks later)

Daxy Bear got his left tube replaced yesterday (remember it fell out 2 weeks after getting it)- he was such a trooper with the fasting, waiting (Dr. Duncan was over an hour late, per usual), and anesthesia. 

The combination of being suctioned out, the fresh tubes (they ended up just re-doing both, to be safe.), and taking an antibiotic that *finally* seems to be working is making him feel SO MUCH better.  He was a different kid as soon as we were home and the anesthesia wore off!

7:20am- Waiting!

Entertaining himself wandering around the waiting room.

Entertaining himself with his surgery paperwork.

Entertaining himself by abusing MiMi.  Thank you SO MUCH for coming, Mom!! Definitely couldn't have done it alone.

Entertaining himself by eating the hammer.

Entertaining himself by climbing up and jumping on tables in the waiting rooom.

Entertaining himself by begging other children in the waiting room for food.  He followed this kid around for a good 15 mintues giving him the puppy dog eyes, trying to get him to offer him some goldfish.  Poor baby.

Entertaining himself in pre-op by trying to completely shut himself inside of the wagon.

 Cute story- while we were waiting in the pre-op area where a nurse was taking his vitals and discussing his current medications, she let him hold her thermometer.  He successfully turned it on and swiped it across her forehead, taking a nearly accurate temperature! 

He is destined to be a male nurse.  :)

Another cute pre-op story. 

Dr. Duncan came over to explain the procedure (again), and Dax stared at him intently, nodding very seriously the entire conversation.  As if he were comprehending every word Duncan was saying.  It was so darn cute!

Not quite as fooled by the fun red wagon this time - getting a little apprehensive.

Since tubes alone is such a quick surgery, he didn't have nearly as much anesthesia this time (not even an IV!  Yay!)-
he was MUCH more peaceful and agreeable while waking up this time.  He was being such a snuggle bug!! 
I loved it- can I get some over the counter anesthesia to occasionally use at home!?!?

So, here we are again.  2 fresh tubes. A successful antibiotic (fingers crossed).  Almost summer.  I think this boy has a shot at a good, healthy few months ahead!  He deserves it. 

He is such a precious (sometimes stinker) trooper!

We go for his check up and hearing test in 2 weeks- praying for no hearing loss!!?? 

Is that even possible after 5 burst ear drums in one ear?

Naked Posing on Pottery Barn Chairs

We ordered the kids some Pottery Barn chairs (PB Teen actually- they're a little larger, and I thought they might last longer!)- so Dax and Ada no longer need to fight over the single tiny little "kid" chair we currently have.

Dax LOVES them.  His is a bright blue- and this is him trying out Ada's while she was playing outside.  MiMi caught him posing.  Nude.  And I just could not resist posting it.

Dax's ER Visit and Immune Deficiency

Last Monday night started out innocent enough.  I fed and bathed the kids, and put everyone down.  Dax had his typical runny nose, sporadic cough, and ear tugging- but he was happy as a lark. 

This was him in the bathtub.  He kept pointing to the faucet and saying "More. More. More." so I would turn the water back on.  Look how high the water level got before he let me keep it off!  

I began working on Sweetish Baby, and 2 hours later checked on him to find him breathing VERY rapidly and BURNING UP.  I took his temperature- 104.4, and counted his breaths per minute (normal for his age is 40/min, he was at 70/min).  I gave him a hefty dose of Tylenol, and contacted the on-call nurse. 30 minutes later his breathing was still in the 60s, and his fever was 104.6.  

Nurse said get to the hospital. So at 11pm we were on our way.

My miserable boy.

He was so hot and having trouble getting his fever down, they gave him this nifty little hospital gown with clowns all over it to wear instead of his jammies.  I thought it was SO cute!  

Obsessed with this stackable toy in the room.  It played music each time a ring was placed on the pole- I think we played with it for 45 minutes.  (This is after his 2nd dose of Tylenol kicked in!  We're down to 102.1 here)

Not crazy about the toe oxygen monitor.

Feeling better and wrestling with Mom!  We made a total scene in the waiting room laughing and screeching.  You have a nice view of the chipped teeth in this picture, too.  

I took this picture because my hair was in a slicked back bun when we got to the hospital- this is what he did to me, ha!  There's shark tooth again....

Playing with the phone.

 He ended up with a pretty nasty sinus infection and ear infection (surprise!), that was spreading to his chest. The ER doctor put him on Amoxicillan- which is a total amateur antibiotic that didn't even work for Dax at 4 months old.  I begged her to do something different, but she begged to differ.  

They also suctioned his sinuses out.  That was not fun.  

Machines, high pressure, tubes, screaming baby boy.

Pretty much pulled an all nighter on Monday, and on Tuesday we headed up to my classroom to get my room ready for a sub at 7am, then to Target pharmacy.
Only to find we were an hour early to get any prescriptions filled!
Oh well, we shopped.

We went home planning on resting all day-but I wasn't able to nap.  Too much on my mind, I guess!
I'm still exhausted and not recovered yet...

 We had a follow up consultation with the allergist that I love 2 days later.  Dax was no better (she also thought the ER doctor was an idiot for prescribing the Amoxicillan), his ear drum was on the verge of bursting (which it eventually did 2 days later- 5th perforated ear drum for this poor guy.  We are getting his tube replaced this Thursday, thank God), and she said he "sounded like he was drowning" with each breath.  So he's on a better antibiotic and breathing treatments and steroids and the list never ends.

His bloodwork also came back.  He shows no allergies (neither does Ada- yay!)- but his Vitamin D is low.  So that's an easy thing to focus on.

He also has REALLY low IgG antibodies.  That's an immune system thingamajig.  He has some other low things that showed up, so Dr. Dickens officially diagnosed him with an immune deficiency.  Transient Hypogammaglobulinemia in Infancy.  

She said he will almost 100% grow out of - usually between the ages of 2-6.  She also took a culture of his sinus to see if we can get a hold on what type of bacteria is invading this poor baby's respiratory system.  

She thinks it's resistant to common antibiotics. 

So now we have some more thinking to do about me working next year.  Casey caved a few months ago and said the decision was mine.  I decided to continue working- and have been excited about saving money, possibly buying a larger SUV, and enjoying the lifestyle that we currently have.  

But now I'm not sure how responsible it would be to send Dax to daycare with an immune deficiency.  I need to make a decision soon, so I will keep you all updated!  

I'll be nervous about being a stay-at-home-Mom if that's what happens...

A little illness and immune deficiency can't keep this boy down, though!  He's still running-and-gunning like usual.  I thought these pictures were cute after bath time tonight-