2moms2dogs2babies: January 2017

Eeeep! Sorry Logan. Just like that you're nearly 1. This kid is such a bright light in all of our lives. Happy belated 9, 10 and 11 months little dude :)

November 10th, 2016

December 10th, 2016

January 10th, 2017

He's everywhere! He's been on the move for months now. He is a speedy little crawler and an expert cruiser. He loves using his walker as well. He gets around so well, so it will be interesting to see when he chooses to walk. He's extremely determined and will take risks (ie. climbing over stools/boxes, through tunnels, into laundry bins!) in order to explore something that he finds interesting. He never stops moving. Even when he's sitting on a lap, his legs are kicking away. Diaper changes cause me to break a sweat, as I try to distract him or hold him down and get the diaper on at the same time. He's strong and very solidly built.

At this point, he has tried everything in the food department. I generally stick to nutrient dense fruit, veggies, legumes, meat and nuts/seeds. He has had some cow's dairy (grass-fed plain yogurt) and goat and sheep's dairy (yogurt and goat cheese), but as a household, we limit cow's dairy products. He loves almond butter and has tried peanut butter numerous times. I add grass fed butter or coconut oil to his food (the fat helps his body assimilate protein and absorb vitamins and minerals). He seems to like almost everything he tries and still prefers foods that are less sweet. I usually spice up his food quite a bit -- he loves curried lentils (mild curry powder, garlic, turmeric, onions and other veggies). I'm breastfeeding on demand, so it's tough to say how often or how much he is drinking. He absolutely loves his milk and still seems to prefer it over solids. Being #3 and not having time to worry about it, I'm just taking his lead with food. Stress-free for all of us!

He's a chatterbox! He babbles and talks to us constantly. When he sees or hears me, he will now say "mamamama". He will point to Teagan, Quinn, the dogs, my Dad (Grandpa), my mom (Atty) and Jenn and I when asked. He also says "da" for the dogs and will point out dogs in a book. He shakes his head 'no', but at this point, he seems to do it because he loves the reaction that he gets from others. The girls tend to be quite loud with him (which he loves), so he frequently shrieks and (happily) screams. He does understand some simple commands (ie. "come here"), but clearly chooses to ignore it when he is doing something more fun! He will often wave to someone when I say, "say hi to __". He will also wave and point to things that interest or excite him. Given his hearing loss, language acquisition is on our radar and frequently discussed. At this point, he is hitting all of his milestones.

He usually gets upset when I come home because he realizes that I've been gone. He has started to develop separation anxiety when I'm around as well. He will often cry when he is passed over to someone he doesn't know or when he's tired and wants me. He is left with our babysitter twice per week for a couple hours when I take the girls to their hockey and swimming class, but is comfortable with her now.

Sleep, or lack thereof, is the reason that I haven't been writing. I've decided that he is just a sh*tty sleeper. We have tried it all. He's a good-sized baby (20lbs) so he should easily be able to sleep for 12 hours without a feed. I do still feed him when he wakes at about 3/4am. There is no consistency to his night wakings, despite a consistent bedtime and nap routine. Some nights he will wake just once around 3am and then again for the day between 5:30-6am. On many other nights, he will wake 2-4x between 8pm-4am. I do not feed him in the late evening hours and we only go in to briefly soothe him if he is hysterically crying (otherwise, we let him settle himself). The sleep deprivation is depressing quite honestly. He is a happy and healthy baby and there really isn't a reason for the wakings.

The testing to determine his candidacy for a cochlear implant is nearly complete. After his MRI, we will need to make a decision. He has a hearing aid that he never wears. It frequently fell off, got pulled off or got eaten. His hearing loss is also so severe that the aid is likely not helping very much. He is essentially deaf in his left ear. It is clear to me that he has trouble localizing sound, but other than that, you would never be able to tell that he can't hear out of one ear.

He has surgery scheduled next week to repair his hypospadias. The surgery will take about 2 hours. They will need to reconstruct his urethra with his own tissues and move the hole of his pen!s to the correct spot. I'm feeling anxious about it, but know that he is in very good hands at Sick Kids. I had a call with the pre-anesthesia nurse this week, who explained our options for putting him under. I will be happy once it is finished and Logan is on the mend.