Nate's Big Adventure: Part II

Yesterday morning Nate and I headed out to Women's College Hospital to meet with a doctor who specializes in both pediatrics and sports medicine. I got a call last week to let us know about the appointment, and although I knew it had something to do with Nate not being able to sit unassisted at 15 months (now 16 months), the details were a little sparse.

Backtracking a little: our pediatrician is away from her practice for the next two months and was unable to find someone to cover for her in her absence. Her office closed before I was able to get Nate to Sick Kids for his x-ray, and I had initially thought she was planning to wait for the results before possibly putting through a referral to a physician that deals with sports medicine. So I wasn't sure if she somehow had received the results from her sick-bed and decided it was such an emergency that she somehow dialed this one in (her leave btw was due to a medical situation that required a surgery and lengthy recovery), or if she'd had a change of heart and decided to send the referral in anyway, OR if I'd possibly misunderstood something in the wake of Mommy-panic at finding out Seth has a heart murmur. Reception for the new doctor at WCH did nothing to clear any of that up, so we showed up rather blindly.

On with the visit then!

Here we are taking the elevator up to the 10th floor. Nate wasn't too cooperative about looking at the camera, but thanks to the magic that is mirrors...

We see you Nate!

Also seen: me looking a sweaty mess. It was HOT outside yesterday – I think 40+ with the humidex? More like 45 when you have an equally sweaty toddler attached to you.

We filled in some requisite paperwork when we got to our destination and were shown into a room promptly. It was made clear that this was a pants-off* affair for Nate. Normally no pants = awesome, but I think that only applies at home. The fun times go out the window at the doctor's office.

Before his exam however, Nate managed to make a new friend: 

– Well hello there. You is an interesting fellow. *touch* 

– Your Mommy needs to feed you a sandwich though.

Sadly, this is where the photo journey ends. And by sadly, I mean things got sad. And by things that were sad, I mean Nate specifically. 

Although the doctor appeared to be a very pleasant and mild-mannered sort and had yet to address anyone much less begin an examination, Nate decided he wasn't having any of it and commenced with full-on meltdown mode. 

It was epic everyone!

And it almost made me feel less Mommy-guilt about taking this picture the other day just so you all would have a point of reference.

Well, more like a starting point of reference.

I did say it was epic, right?

We all did our best to soldier on. I had Nate on my lap for most of our visit while the doctor checked his range of motion and declared it within the scope of normal. Just to be clear:

• Feet on backwards? Normal.

• Legs at a 90° sideways angle to the body? Normal.

• This? Totally normal.

I know. I was pretty surprised too.

For the last part of the exam, the doctor wanted to see Nate walking. We tried the Mommy-release-to-Daddy-down-the-hall and the Daddy-release-to-Mommy-down-the-hall, but it was just not happening. In a last ditch effort (at the doctors suggestion) we tried Mommy-and-Daddy-down-the-hall-with-much-hated-doctor-doing-the-release. It was a decent idea in theory – the reasoning being that Nate would want to move away from the doctor as quickly as possible.

Nate however wasn't interested in logical approaches at this point and promptly crumpled into a puddle of misery on the floor. Recovery at this point was futile.

The remainder of the appointment was relatively brief, but in a nutshell:

• Nate's hip x-ray came back clear. His hip joints are perfectly normal.

• His extreme range of motion everywhere may lessen as he grows. Or he may end up with some neat party tricks later in life.

• My concern about Nate's spine is likely not significant. I did bring this photo and the doctor could see what I was concerned about**, but said that although it might be a slight curvature, it might also just be the way Nate was standing/slouching. Also a spinal curvature less than 20° is within the range of acceptable.

• In lieu of an obvious physiological problem, the doctor feels that this is something Nate will outgrow in time and nothing needs to be done on my part for now in terms of encouraging sitting in the more standard way.

The doctor would like to see us again in 4 months for a follow-up however just to be on the safe side.

In the meantime I will do my best to put my Mommy worries aside and let Nate sort this one out in his own time.

He looked rather pensive about it all on the way home:

I just wondering if 'dis hat show off my curls at the back
in ways that make you swoon a little.
Oh, and thinking about stinkeroo visit too, of course.

- L.

*Why yes, that is a disposable diaper Nate is sporting. While we still cloth diaper at home, I have come to my senses on the convenience of disposables when toting a toddler plus gear on my back. Not only are they space-savers going, but you can throw them away after use which means they are also space-savers upon return. And I'm 100% certain my fellow public transit takers appreciated one less odor to ponder as well.

**Humorous highlight of our otherwise miserable visit: the doctor's assistant was most curious about how I managed to stick all those dots on Nate before I took this photo:

Hold still, Nate. Mommy has to put stickers on you.

... and he genuinely seemed befuddled when I said Photoshop. I think he actually thought I took the time to somehow apply dot-shaped stickers while Nate (and Seth too) somehow remained entirely motionless.

Nate's Big Adventure

Yesterday morning Nate and I took a trip to Sick Kids Hospital to have an X-ray taken of his hip joints. This was the first time I've used my Ergo Sport carrier instead of a stroller since we had to take transit to get there. To be honest, wearing a 23 lb. toddler felt a lot like being pregnant all over again – complete with not being able to see my own feet, and coupled with a persistent ache that rapidly formed somewhere in my lower spine. Combined with all the requisite gear I had strapped on my back just getting there definitely qualified as a work-out and then some.

You can see Nate looks pretty thrilled too. 

Nate and Daddy in the Radiology waiting area. I loved the creative paintings on the walls that reflect the nature of the different departments. Every hospital should look like this one.

Nate post-X-ray. Don't worry, it didn't make him grow an extra ear or start melting. My camera setting accidentally found itself on some kind of long exposure setting. 

Even with the top of his head morphing into vapor, you can't miss that sad little face. X-rays are scary when you are too small to know what's going on, even when Mommy and Daddy are right there with you.

Our chariot approaching for the ride home. It was also Nate's first time on a streetcar, and the Touching Finger was out in full force once we were aboard. The window screws were especially fascinating. 

Me and my sweet boy heading home. I'm not sure I'm a fan of the baby carrier overall, but I definitely like the non-stop cuddle factor. 

And lastly, a little souvenir from Nate's big adventure. I let him wear it for the rest of the afternoon. He didn't even seem to mind that someone spelled his name wrong.

•   •   •   •   • 

Mommy note: I last wrote about where things were at with Nate still not sitting unassisted towards the end of this post. Since then I've continued to try to get Nate interested in sitting with either legs out in front or campfire-style. Campfire style was recommended by our pediatrician who clearly doesn't get that a boy who is unwilling or unable to sit isn't going to appreciate the added joys of being turned into a little pretzel. And although I take time to incorporate both styles into our daily activities, I'd just be happy for Nate to sit comfortably unassisted any way he chooses.

At this point, I'm convinced that sitting is causing Nate actual discomfort. It is not a position he will move himself into voluntarily and one that he quickly wriggles out of when placed that way. When moving away isn't an option – sitting in a high-chair at meals for example – he leans back and lists to his left for the most part.

Of course while I was explaining all of this to the pediatrician Nate decided it would be a good time to sit up on the exam table.

On his bum.

With his legs out in front.

As though it was no problem at all.

And even though I know why he was suddenly able to do that – the pedi positioned him that way and then brought out her penlight and stethoscope (very exciting and distracting btw!) – I'm sure I looked like a bit of a loon.

The thing is, I can get Nate to sit briefly too if there is something super distracting going on, but it's pretty difficult creating that level of super-awesome distractibility on a daily basis. And it's impossible to create and sustain a level of distraction for any longer than a few minutes. I know this because we go through this every day.

In the end, Dr. C. wrote a referral for Nate to have a hip X-ray done at Sick Kids. She did (again) note that he has an unusual degree of rotation in his knees and ankles, but I think an equal share of her motivation might have been just to get me out the door. I think she thinks we are just not trying hard enough, and she thinks I don't believe her when she says nothing is wrong.

And she's right about the last part anyway. I don't believe this has anything to do with a lack of motivation, except in the way we all might not be motivated to do something that causes us discomfort.

Whether Nate's hip turns out to be the problem or not I hope at least we are on the road to getting some answers. For what it's worth, I'm a bit dubious about his hip being the problem, but given the extra rotation in that area (as well as many of his other joints) I don't think it's necessarily a bad idea to see what's going on in there for its own sake. The degree of flexibility he has in his ankles, knees, shoulders, elbows, and thumbs is bound to have an effect on Nate at some point since all of these areas will likely be more prone to injury as a result.

I've mentioned before that I do have a concern about Nate's spine. The listing and leaning back while seated are one reason, but the other reason is this photo I took awhile back.

When I look at it, I see this: 

Dr. C is 100% confident that there is nothing wrong with Nate's spine and while I trust her as Nate's pediatrician, I plan to bring this as well as other related photos along to our next appointment. At the very least, maybe she can at least explain to me what I'm seeing.

Either way, it will be interesting to find out what, if anything, the X-ray turns up.

In the meantime, we wait.

- L.

Well... What Have We Here?

There are times when I poke my head into the nursery during playtime to take a peek at everyone (particularly if it gets a little too quiet in there) and am typically greeted thusly:

Two heads whipping around in unison with the most innocent of expressions on their faces that clearly say, "we wasn't up to anything mommy – honest!". Of course, I'm usually suspicious but can never prove anything. Until yesterday morning. Yesterday morning my guys were definitely up to something.

That's right – Nate and Seth have some new tricks to show you all!

Here's Seth showing off the Discovery Wagon by Haba™.

It's meant to help babies who are taking their first steps, but it's got so many gadgets and fun things on it I had hoped they would enjoy it right away. It didn't get a lot of fanfare the first couple of days – the stacking cups and hammer balls stole the show – but on Sunday Seth took an interest and pulled himself up to a kneeling pose by balancing his hands on the little blue seat. There's a mirror on the back of the chair and he had a grand time up on his knees chattering at himself.

And yes, of course there's a video. But before you run off to check it out, you should know that Nate also had some tricks up his sleeves. 

Not to be outdone by his brother, Nate busted out a serious crawling pose over in the Jungle Gym – and a pretty decent "downward dog" yoga move as well. And yes, there's video of that too.

Enjoy!

- L.

Rolling With The Punches

If you have babies, then you know that plans can (and often do) change on a moments' notice. For example, yesterday I decided to take the babies out for a stroll. It was a nice sunny day – a little warmer than expected – but still, I wanted to bring along the cute new hats Gamma Rita knitted for Nate and Seth, thinking that maybe I could take a few cute pics in natural light while enjoying a beverage on the patio at Starbucks (I even brought along my new macro lens to try out, but I'll get to that in a bit).

So, now you know what my plan was: cute babies, cute hats and cute pics while enjoying the nice weather.

I got everyone dressed to go, put the hats, camera and lenses by the door, turned around to grab Seth and saw this:

Oh, Seth.

He's been at it again and somehow gave himself a fine scratch/welt/bruise in the time it took me to make a single trip up and down the stairs. I think it's a personal record.

I still tried in vain to get some cute pics with the hats, but I ended up with a series of shots like this: 

They both look like a couple of dock workers after a hard shift and some brawling. Well, Nate looks a little scared actually but Seth looks like he's up for some action. 

Seriously, would you mess with this baby?

I rest my case. 

So I scratched (pun intended) my plans for pics in the hats and tried out my new macro lens instead. 

I think I can almost make out the Starbucks logo on the signage in this close-up.

Oh, and can you guess what Nate is working on here? You might recognize this face from previous posts.

He's been very busy lately trying to figure out how the latches on the 5 point harness work. Yes, the ones that keep him from falling out of the stroller. Oh, Nate. Honestly, I'm a little in awe of his dexterity and ability to concentrate and problem solve for a 7 month old baby – and a wee bit scared too. He's a little too good at it for one so small.

And lastly, the other thing I've been meaning to show you all are these awesome Dapper Snappers™ that I found at bynature.ca. They are great for long, skinny babies like Nate and Seth who suffer perpetually from pants that are too big in the waist while fitting otherwise. Can you tell which skinny baby is which by the way?

The makers of the Dapper Snapper™ even have an instructional video which I've favorited on our YouTube™ chanel. I'm a fan for sure since it makes all their pants fit. Pretty affordable too considering they appear very durable and go with everything.

Yay – no more droopy drawers!

- L.

PS. Give yourself a point if you guessed Seth in the first pic and Nate in the second. 

A Couple Of Characters

It's become painfully clear over the past couple of weeks that Nate and Seth have long outgrown their baby towels – and with the cooler weather here having arms and legs hanging out after a warm bath was not a good thing, so the boys finally got some new towels that came very highly recommended from Pottery Barn Kids earlier this week. There's more than enough terry to go around, they're super soft and they're cute in the bargain. 

Nate after a bath in his new dragon towel:

Seth, also post-bath, in his new duck towel (don't forget to check out his little duckie feet!): 

- L.

We Love Our Joovy!

Two out of two babies agree: the Joovy Room 2 Play Yard is a decidedly good thing – and their mommy agrees too! The Joovy is 10 square feet of fun as well as a safe place to play. Nate and Seth have been having a blast rolling around in their with their toys and each other. They really enjoy their playtime together, even with the occasional foot in someone's face. You can tell they're best friends already. 

– Hi everyone! Here we is in our Joovy.
– Our Joovy is yellow. We look good in yellow.

– 'Dis our action shot.
– Do you think we has enough toys everyone?

For more Joovy action, head over to our YouTube™ page to see the boys hard at play.

- L.

Gearing Up For The Big Day

Now that Nate and Seth are almost 6 months old, the big day when we'll be feeding them solids for the first time is fast approaching. Don't worry – I'll be sure to catch every goopy detail with my camera, but in the meantime you can let us know precisely which goopy detail you'd most like to see the babies eating wearing by VOTING in the poll at the top of the upper left column.

As part of getting ready for the big event, we ordered 2 of the coolest highchairs I've ever seen: the HiLo chair from Age Design. Each converts from a high chair to a seat for kids simply by flipping the seat around and is suitable from 6 months to 6 years. It also comes in some pretty hot colors and of course, we got the red ones.

M. picked them both up Saturday afternoon and set the first one up as soon as he got home. Here it is:





Pretty cool, huh? We absolutely loved it (still do!), but...

When M. went to set up the second one that evening I heard him say "uh-oh" all the way from the other end of the house. Uh-oh indeed.

The second chair is made of completely different wood and it's not even the same colour. I'm not sure how this happened really because the company only makes the chair in natural beech and dark wood (according to their site) and yet the wood second chair is made from looks like oak.

I took some pics (of course). The lighter wood in both these shots is from the chair we had already set up:





This shot is a sideview of the legs and you can see that not only is the type of wood not the same, but one is made from pressed board (on the right), while the one on the left is solid wood.



Weird.

The thing is I probably wouldn't have even noticed anything was wrong if we'd only ordered one chair – but since we need two it would be nice if they match. I called the store we picked up the chairs from on Sunday morning, but for some reason they handle their online orders online only so I've emailed their order center but I have a feeling I won't hear anything until today at the earliest. Kind of frustrating that we couldn't just take it back to the store yesterday and switch it for one that matches the chair we already set up, but hopefully it will all be resolved swiftly. We're kind of on a deadline here. ; )

And just in case you thought I was going to leave you with another wordy post with only some product shots, fear not! I couldn't not put the babies in the chair to see what they thought of it and I also couldn't not have my camera handy when I did so.

Seth had a fine time modelling as usual.





And then I tried it out on Nate...



... who apparently found the new chair to be the MOST EXCITING THING EVER! He had this look on his face for at least 5 minutes. I thought his eyes were going to pop right out of his head – it was hard to stop laughing long enough to take a picture.

Then he kind of got over it and that's when I nabbed this video:



Nom!

And um, yeah. It was hard to keep the camera steady(ish) since I was holding back the laughs here too. In all fairness though, I did tell him the chair was "for eating".

- L.

The Bath Saga

A few weeks ago it became obvious that it would soon be time to transition Nate and Seth's bath time from the kitchen sink to their baby bathtub, especially if I was going to be bathing the babies by myself. Even babies that really like their bath in the kitchen sink are surprisingly squirmy and at 12+ lbs. each it was just too much to hang on to a wet slippery baby with one hand and wash said baby with the other.

For whatever reason I decided to try the tub we purchased by myself for the first time a couple of weeks ago. It seemed like a pretty standard tub and our babies have always been pretty calm at bath time so I figured it would be no big deal. I have to tell you, even in a worst case scenario I didn't expect SO MUCH SCREAMING. They both hated it. So. Very. Much.

Like, a whole lot – and my words aren't doing this justice. I don't think Nate cried as hard when I nearly dismembered his wee toe, just to give you an idea.

Both Nate and Seth hated it so much that we went back to bathing them in the kitchen sink while I scrambled trying to find a tub they would hate less. I thought part of the problem was that the basin of the tub we had originally bought was quite shallow when filled with water and left more of the baby exposed than covered – which had not been the case with the kitchen sink.

For your reference, this is the tub we originally bought. Looks pretty standard, no?

In the end, after much research, reading of user reviews and thinking about how much I didn't want to face Round 2 with the original baby bath, I broke down and purchased this instead:



Yep. It's a bucket.

Well, a bucket meant for bathing your babies in that is. It's a spa bath. Pretty fancy, huh?

There are various models that range from $30 to $50. Which one did I get? Oh, the $50 one of course because it could be delivered and none of our local retailers carried one. La-dee-dah!

Since the babies hated the bucket less than the baby bathtub I was at least able to get a few pictures so you can gauge for yourselves how it was received.

Well, OK. I've added a little commentary. ; )



– Well, dis is new. I wonder what I think of it?



– Oh, right. I hate it!



– I'm with you brother. Dis is stinkeroo! Why mommy? Why???

My poor babies!

In the end, it wasn't as miserable as the other style, but no one liked it either. I will say that I had an easier time bathing them in the bucket though, so I'll give the new tub a few points for that at least.

*sigh*

- L.

Summer Is Here!

And it's time for Nate and Seth to model their cute new summer togs!



– How cute are we Nate?
– Oh, 'bout this cute I'd say.



– Mine has a whale.



– I like dis whale a lot!
– Dat's pretty neat Seth. I look like I'm holding my breath for some reason.

I also thought I'd try to take some pics of the boys trying out their new Bumbo seat. It got mixed reviews though as you can see:



– I think I like this.



– I do not like this at all!

So I snuck in a few more shots after they fell asleep.







Don't forget to check out Nate's chubby little wrists! I can't believe how my little guy has turned into my big guy. Remember when he looked like this? He was mostly all eyes back then and now he's my chunky little monkey. I never would have guessed when we brought them home from the hospital that Seth would end up being the skinny one!

- L.