Chuck updated iPhoto for me today so that I could easily upload photos to the website again. So, I just put a WHOLE BUNCH of them up, from the beginning of December! Now that we’ve updated, though, I should be able to keep up with things a little bit more nicely. Enjoy our photos!
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I took Nicky to see Dr. Shin yesterday for a check-up. Here are his latest stats: Height: 33 and 1/2 inches Weight: 23 pounds 15 ounces So, he grew an inch and almost two pounds since his visit 3 months ago! I knew there was a reason for the feeding frenzy! Dr. Shin was impressed with how well Nicky’s doing as far as his vocabulary and knowing his letters, numbers, colors and shapes. It was a pretty quick visit, then he got 3 shots. He’s just about done with all of them now, thank goodness! His next visit will be in six months. I haven’t been feeling well lately, so I’ve not been blogging as much. Here are some things that have been going on with Nicky lately:
Hopefully, I’ve turned the corner and will start feeling better soon, so I can have a little more time to jot these things down. The baby book only goes up to a year, and then has a page for each birthday, so there’s nothing to really encourage me to keep track of all of this, and I know I’ll want to remember it. We recently got iLife ’09, and it’s made some changes to iPhoto, mostly good. But, they took away the easy way of uploading to our photo gallery, so I’ve been having trouble figuring out how to upload photos the new way. However, I did figure out how to upload one photo at a time, so I have placed two new photos around the site, but I won’t say where. It’ll give you something fun to do if you’re bored… My mom came to visit today, and we took Nicky back to Dr. Friedman, his allergist for follow-up testing. I can’t believe it’s already been 8 months since went the first time! He had the same skin test as before (in his leg), but neither the nurse or I held his leg and he got a couple of scratches from the needles as he jumped. Really, the test should have been repeated, but we could still see the results pretty clearly. Nicky is still allergic to milk and has now developed an allergy to both egg yolks and egg whites as well. As far as his diet is concerned, nothing really changes. We’ve been avoiding all potential allergens since we knew about the milk allergy in the first place. He’s been able to have eggs (both yolk and white) right along, as long it’s baked in to something, like cookies or cake, because they’re cooked to a hot enough temperature to denature the protein that causes the allergy. He’s not been allowed to have freshly cooked (for example, scrambled) eggs since they’re not cooked to that temperature. The allergist said that there’s really no data out there to show one way or the other if complete avoidance will make the allergy go away faster or not, so it was my decision whether or not to continue the same thing we’ve been doing, which we will. Same as last time, she said nothing will change in the next six months, so she’ll see him again sometime between six months and a year. I had really been hoping that, even if he didn’t outgrow the milk allergy yet, we could still move on in hs diet with things like fish and freshly cooked eggs. He’s such a good eater and I want to take advantage of that! But, nothing new for right now, except that he can have strawberries. Apparently, he could have had them from the beginning and the nurse gave me incorrect information; the allergist said that they give some people hives, but it’s not an allergic reaction and they’re not sure what it is. So, he’s not necessarily more likely to have a reaction to strawberries just because of the milk and egg allergies. We have some frozen ones, so maybe he’ll try one for dessert and see how he does tonight. Better luck next time! It’s been six months since our last visit to the dentist, so we went this morning. I had my turn, then Chuck came with Nicky. He sat on Chuck’s lap and did really, really well! Last time, he wouldn’t even open his mouth; this time, he showed the hygenist how he brushes his teeth and let the dentist look around his mouth with the mirror. He said everything looks great! He’s got 16 teeth right now, so he’s only got four more due until he’s about six years old. Those will probably be here soon; they’re apparently called “two-year molars”. We’re all set for another six months now. Nicky says two cute things now:
I still think I like “badder-dah” (battery) the best! I decided to take a hiatus from cloth diapers in order to strip my entire batch. This removes buildup from laundry soap and fabric softner, which can decrease the absorbency of the diapers. (I don’t use fabric softner on the diapers, but I still sometimes use it on other loads in the dryer, which can still leave residue on the diapers after they go through the dryer.) What a difference! He leaked through the disposable the first night, and the diaper pail smelled SO BAD with the disposables in it…I couldn’t WAIT to get back to my cloth diapers! I’d never have thought that in a million years before I started doing this. A friend of mine asked for some insight into cloth diapers, so I sent her an e-mail with what I’ve learned. In case anyone is interested, I’m going to post my response to her here: There are about a million different types of cloth diapers. Lots of websites explain it well, so here’s my quick interpretation: Prefolds and flats – what you think of when you think of cloth diapers; they use diaper pins and need a cover Fitted diapers – probably the next step up, these are the cotton/bamboo that are fitted to the baby and include snaps or velcro or whatever but still need a cover AIO – all-in-one diapers – similar to a disposable except that you wash it; very easy to use, but lots of layers and take a long time to dry; all of the parts are in the diaper (no cover needed since the outside layer is waterproof) Pockets – a waterproof layer sewn to a fleece or flannel (wicking moisture from the baby) layer that has an opening for a cloth insert. This way, the parts come apart for a thorough cleaning and pretty quick drying time. Can use specific stuffers that come with many brands, or prefolds, or apparently making your own is pretty easy (I’ll let you know!) This is what I prefer. Something else that I prefer is a one-size diaper. To me, it makes no sense to buy lots of them, all different sizes. A few extra snaps in the front and you’ve got a diaper that transforms from a newborn size all the way up to a toddler size. They’re a little more expensive but well worth it, in my opinion. Here are some brands that I’ve tried (all are pockets except for the last two): Happy Heinys – among my favorites! TONS of great colors and designs, and I love the sizing. We only have the velcro kind; they recently came out with ones with snaps that I’d love to try if they weren’t so expensive. The velcro comes apart easily and sticks to everything in the wash, but I love them still. bumGenius 3.0 – among my favorites! Not a ton of colors, but enough for variety. Love the sizing, and they wear well through the wash. The velcro tabs don’t come undone like the Happy Heinys. They fit well, too. Swaddlebees – not available in a one-size diaper, so not for us, but fit nicely Mommy’s Touch – have a velcro one that I don’t love, but I got a snap one as a second that’s great. Also, a ton of colors and designs and my friend has an AIO by them that’s really similar to a pocket in that the insert is sewn to the diaper. Haute Pockets – I have two of these with snaps, and they’re available as seconds from the clearance place. Breathable, so not great for overnights, but I like them and will probably get more seconds. Wahmies – got one with a latch system as a second and love it – nice lining and it’s a pain to get on, but also a pain to get off (for those of us who like to take them off during naptime Kushies – AIOs, under $40 for 5 of them shipped Site-to-Store at walmart.com (This is about $80 at amazon.com!) Not my favorites, but definitely worth the price. I don’t love the sizing on them; they get fitted to him well but are very bulky. Baby Beehinds – fitted diapers, so we had to get covers to go with them, but we found two sites that had them on clearance so we got a few to try because a friend highly recommended them. They’re made of bamboo, so super-absorbent and a renewable resource. These fit nicely and have two inserts that snap in and out for easy laundering. The website from which I ordered just about all of my diapers is: The customer service is highly recommended. I’ve always received my orders quickly. And, there’s free shipping on all pocket diapers, and even diapers that don’t come with manufacturer inserts come with ones made by Nicki’s. A great site! They’ve also got a site for clearance items and seconds: http://www.clothdiaperclearance.com Seconds are diapers that have slight manufacturing defects but are still completely usable. They generally do not come with inserts if they’re pocket diapers and there are no returns. I have ordered several and love them; it’s a great way to save some money and get great (new!) diapers. Another way to save money is to order used diapers. Here’s a site: You can get all levels of used diapers here, sometimes even new ones for cheap! (It’s also a great site for trading information about anything kid-related: cloth diapering, breastfeeding, babywearing, potty training, etc.) Buying diapers like this is not right for me. I’m willing to spend the extra money to know where the diapers came from, how they’ve been washed and that they’ve been taken care of properly. Here are a couple of other sites I’ve ordered from with luck (I’d order from there again): http://www.thestorkwearhouse.com/ Here are two local sites (to Rochester, NY) that I don’t think have storefronts: http://www.timetochangethediapers.com/ This place is in Ithaca, and a friend recommended them to me: http://www.jilliansdrawers.com/ For someone who’s never tried cloth before, I’d recommend getting a starter package. I got one from Nicki’s Diapers, but I wish I’d known about Luvaboos, ’cause theirs looks awesome and cheap! They have LOTS of kinds to try and they let you try accessories, too. I have to end this thanking Margaret, once again, for helping me get so good at this! Chuck taught Nicky how to snap his fingers the other night. All he did was show him a couple of times, and he did it by himself; it was incredible! I also wanted to add that I have a new favorite word that Nicky says: battery. It comes out “badder-dah” and it’s adorable! I forgot to add to the last post that Nicky now says “thank you”, and usually on his own at the appropriate times! It comes out “tek yu” and it’s so cute! |
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