The Ramblings of Jenn: Simon

One more month and Mr. Simon will be a year and a half old... crazypants!

What has Simon been up to the last month? Well, the last month has been sickness crazy in our house. It all started with me getting a stomach bug, Simon got a milder version of it, only throwing up once, but Dan and I both got it full force. Then Simon's nose was runny, and we ended up having to take him to the pediatrician... turns out he had an ear infection - his first!

Nebulizer!

Then a couple of weeks later we had an incredibly rough night of sleep... Simon could not get comfortable... the most he slept that night was two hours. I could not sooth him, I tried all my old tricks, rocking him, singing to him, bringing him to our bed - he just fussed and whined. The scarier part was his breathing was so quick. I debated all night about calling the exchange and/or taking him to the ER, but I didn't end up doing that. In the morning Dan got up and I laid down for an hour or so before he went to work. Dan called and made an appointment and I took him in. I was concerned it could be something like RSV. Luckily he tested negative for both RSV and the flu. He did have some wheezing and both his oxygen level and breathes per minute were within the 'normal' range, but not in the good part of the normal range. In the end they decided to give him breathing treatments with the nebulizer. This made all the difference! We kept up with the treatments at home over the next week. He went back into the pedi and looked all better. The very first treatment in the doctor's office was a bit painful as he fought me and I basically had to pin down his arms, thankfully every one after that Simon did great with and would just sit there while it happened. We battled a runny nose and a cough all month, but things are getting back to normal... finally.

Whew... enough sickness talk! All throughout the sickness he still remains a pretty happy dude... although he gets cranky when tired he usually is laughing and smiling.

The weather has been unseasonably warm so we've been spending a lot of time outside. He loves exploring the yard, playing with balls, going 'jeeping', climbing around and watching the dogs.

Due to all the sickness he has turned into quite the picky eater which is pretty annoying. A lot of the normal things he'd eat (mac and cheese, grilled cheese, toast, etc) he would refuse. He only wanted the sweet things - yogurt, applesauce, and fruit! Simon loves fruit, I'd say bananas are his favorite. Sometimes even bringing out the fake banana will get him upset. And although I've fought it with Dan (and will continue to) Simon loves chocolate milk, he will drink it so fast. Simon does always want to be eating what we are... and hounds us for bites... which we give.

Loves climbing into that chair by himself and then climbing down between the air gaps

Simon loves the animals. He laughs so hard when Bella gives him kisses, he will lay his head on Daddy and we've been working on being gentle and petting Daddy. He loves watching Quina and wants to touch her so bad and he's mesmerized by the cats.

The not-so-great things... because we know there's some, kid isn't perfect haha. He likes to throw things, toys, his sippy, etc. And throw it hard. He also throws fits sometimes when we have to go inside or if he's having too much fun at the sitter's and doesn't want to leave. He really likes to explore the kitchen and has started getting into the container with the dog food. He also likes to get into the container we keep Quina's food in as well.

Working on a Valentine for mommy and daddy at daycare

Simon has been so sweet lately opting to lay on my lap, or lay his head down on me. He also gives us the best hugs and biggest smiles when he see us. I don't think Simon really have a preference for Dan or me... he loves us both and at times he likes one of us more than the other. With how our schedules are now he is able to get alone time with each of us which I think helps keep the preference pretty equal.

Simon doesn't really say words yet... mom and dad (I think he says mom more) but past that nothing. We are waiting for it all to click. He will speak in his own language to you quite a bit and will get so animated with his hands while talking like he has big things to say.

His shyness is fading some which is great. Sometimes he still is stuck to us b/c he's shy, but he warms up a lot quicker. It's a lot easier to leave him with a sitter when we have to.

Simon still takes a binky... he loves that thing, but we don't really give it to him during the day (except at naps). If he finds one though, he goes right in his mouth. Simon also has this really weird habit of taking off his socks and chewing on them... weirdo! He also really likes playing with his shoes, and if he doesn't have any on he'll bring us some to put on him.

He also knows certain things signal an action... for instance when he's hungry, but we haven't fed him yet he will go to his highchair and start pulling/pushing it. He's brought us his sleep sack when he's tired and he's also brought us his towel when we aren't getting him in the bath quick enough. He hates diaper changes and wouldn't mind walking around without pants most days.

Another observation - he's skinny... not unhealthy or malnourished, but he's a skinny kid. When I see other kids his age they always have some junk in the trunk, but Simon has such a tiny butt! With all the times at the doctor recently I've seen his weight a bunch and it's always around 22lbs. Maybe he'll take after my skinniness... and he's bound to be tall... right?