Bennett's first trip to the ER!

All's well. Bennett had been coughing Friday and Saturday nights, and I thought perhaps he had allergies. As the day went on Sunday, though, he got more and more clingy and sensitive, and was coughing more and more. He crashed for a nap at 6PM, shortly after we'd called the pediatrician to report that he had a productive cough and a fever of 100.0. At 7:30 he woke up with a barking cough, crackly breathing, and was sort of gasping for air after coughing and crying fits. He had a fever of 101.6, so we called the pediatrician's office again and were told they were done seeing patients for the day, so it was off to the ER.

They were really quick getting us triaged, and heard a slight bit of wheezing in Bennett's lungs. A respiratory therapist was in our room very shortly to give him a breathing treatment, croup was diagnosed and a chest x-ray was ordered. I was handed two syringes - one of Motrin and one of Tylenol - to give him by mouth. I don't think he got any of either - he spit most of it out amidst much screaming and gagging, and then vomited the rest on me. Good times!

So, since the oral medicines were such a fantastic failure, the doctor ordered the oral steroid be given as a shot. More screaming, but at least we know he actually got those meds.

The chest x-ray was "questionable" as to whether Bennett had pneumonia or not, so we were sent home with a prescription for antibiotics. Oral, liquid antibiotics, to be squirted in his mouth. Right.

The doctor told us to pick up fever-reducing suppositories, but there were no suppositories for the antibiotics! She also said that he'd be find no matter what, just try to get the antibiotics in him.

So I've spent the day trying every suggestion from pretending to take them myself, to blowing in his face, to putting a teensy bit in yogurt, to putting the stuff on my nipples.

I've succeeded in dicouraging him from drinking from his sippy by putting the meds in there, discouraging him from nursing by putting the meds on my nipple, and making a lot of sticky messes. He has been refusing solids for a few days, so the yogurt was a bust entirely.

He's definitely feeling better, though. He's coughing up lots of mucous and spitting it out wherever he happens to be standing, and he's not quite as clingy. He's back to his normal, refusing-to-nap self!

He's got it all figured out...

Bennett has entirely figured out the bath time routine.

I should start by explaining the first bit. We've been putting Bennett on a potty at almost every diaper change since he was about 8 months old. We don't consider it potty training, per se, but more like getting him used to the potty and also giving him some time to air out. He sits on his potty and we read books with him. For awhile, it was the ONLY place he'd sit still and read. I got the idea from a book called Diaper Free Before 3, which I highly recommend. In any case, the first day we tried it, I had said to Matt, "there's no way he'll sit still. I expect to put him on it and for him to immediately get up and crawl away, which is fine. Whatever." Well, we've gone through STACKS of books with him sitting there. And he actually pees with some consistency - especially right after naps. And when we got to the "grunting" stage of poops, we started whisking him away to the potty and getting his diaper off quickly so he can poop there (which, by the way, is MUCH easier to clean up than a poopy diaper!).

So, anyway. Bath night. Daddy gets his pants and diaper off and puts him on the potty. He pees within SECONDS and then pops up and walks right over to the bath tub. Daddy turns the water on and Bennett looks at him and raises his arms. No. Not to be picked up. To have his shirt taken off! He then "helps" Daddy take his shirt off before banging on the side of the tub as if to say "LET ME IN!!!"

He's done this a couple times now. Hilarious!

One Year Old!!

I can't believe it. Bennett is a whole YEAR old!

I've been playing the "this time a year ago" game for about 2 months now. At 10:07PM on Sunday, March 29, 2009, Matt once again yelled, "It's a BOY! Hi, Bennett!" Just for the heck of it this time, though.

So, on Sunday we had a playdate/party in celebration of Bennett's first birthday. We had about 30 people here! 10 or so were under the age of 3. Matt made crackers, sourdough bread, and a yellow cake with orange lemon butter cream frosting. I made a sugar-free carrot cake with sugar-free cream cheese frosting. And, no, I didn't use Splenda :-)

Bennett enjoyed his birthday cake, as you can see in these pictures.





We had such a wonderful time with our friends, and Bennett was a wonderful host, despite his refusal to take a nap all day! It is just so amazing to see how all of our friends' kids are growing and changing - alongside our own changing son. Bennett and the kids really close to his age are starting to (sort of) play together.

Oh, and we neglected to get a picture of him in his Team Carlson birthday shirt before we set him up for cake (you can see a little of it in the pictures above....it got pretty messy!). Oh well! He has at least 6 months to wear it before he outgrows it. And there will be another one next year!!

The cold remedy I think I have to start endorsing

Many of you know that when I get sick...I get REALLY sick. I get hit with colds really hard. I always have.

Well, nursing brought with it concerns over everything I take - and decongestants were a concern in that they can lower supply. So I tried everything I could find on the internet that was a breastfeeding-safe cold remedy.

I ate hard-boiled eggs. Didn't work, as far as I could tell.

I made Matt think a poopy diaper was somehow left in his office (he seriously said that) when I boiled apple cider vinegar so I could inhale the fumes. It burned my nostrils and brought very brief relief.

I tried snorting stuff up my nose. And I tried pouring it through my nostrils with a neti pot. Works well for allergies...the various solutions just get stuck when you're really congested...

So, we have this book called Smart Medicine for a Healthier Child. I am soooo psyched because Bennett has really been too young to use the remedies, but most of them can be used at a year and when he's regularly drinking from a cup (we're getting there) because they're given in the form of drinks and whatnot. Since he's never been the greatest about a bottle, I didn't even want to try giving him any of these things.

Anyway. During my last cold and the one I currently have, I was able to really keep the symptoms to a minimum. I've done this by taking zinc for 3 days - a lozenge every few hours - starting as SOON as I notice symptoms in either me or Bennett. Then I take this liquid form of echinacea and goldenseal - it's disgusting. Seriously gross. You put some of it in water, hold your nose, drink it, and if you don't vomit afterwards I swear it helps!

The fact that my husband made it possible for me to sleep in after I was up frequently with a coughing baby helps too :-) And I just picked up some stuff for Bennett to take...as soon as he wakes up from the nap he started in the car. I can't believe he hasn't woken up from any of the several coughing fits he had!

Oh, and he has really fat feet. We went to get him a couple pairs of hard-soled shoes just now. 6s are a little long, but I can get his sausages in there. 5s are the right length, but I'd have to remove a toe or two to get them on him!...or at least shave a little off the top of each foot.

Lastly, we need to get some recent video of him walking for posterity. He walks so well now! And the way he is moving has changed so much in the month he's been walking.

He tries to run now. He can't control his feet when they go that fast, though...and he falls EVERY time!

Legos!

We have these gigantic fake Lego blocks. They're "Mega Blocks."

Well, Bennett can put them together! He's combined nesting with stacking and put the "single" block on other blocks. So cool! He's done it several times...but seems to refuse to do it for his dad -- and his dad is probably more excited about this particularly ability than anyone could imagine!

Dad comes to see, and he's not interested in putting anything ON or TOGETHER....only pulling stuff apart!

Also. He freaking loves carrots and applesauce (which I put puffed millet in because it's the only way I can get him to eat it...and we have lots of it!).

I'm pretty sure he ate a cup of applesauce after eating some onions and beans tonight.

Yet he won't really eat anything for lunch and he hardly eats anything for breakfast. Dinner is the big mealtime for Bennett!

Quick note - our pictures have moved!

Matt had decided to use Picasa instead of Photobucket. So now you can view his sometimes-updated photo collection at http://picasaweb.google.com/MattTomCarl/Bennett#.

Fun stuff!

Bennett is now officially a walker. He much prefers walking to crawling - he'll crawl to get over to something so he can pull up (he hasn't realized yet that he *is* actually capable of simply standing up wherever he is), but that's about it.

Anyhow, here are some pictures from the last couple weeks!

Bennett and his friend Noah crashing Bennett's car. So irresponsible!

Bennett looks a little concerned about Noah's driving...

Millet and Apple Sauce: A perfect pairing!

Dried mango -- YUMMY!

This past weekend I took Bennett for a run/walk on a 40-degree afternoon. He was pissed about having to wear something on his head - we had to use his jacket's hood because he instantly will rip a hat off. Anyway, he fussed about it before we left. This is when we returned. I have to say, he generally has this look on his face when in the stroller. He looks angry...but his dad's neutral face is a scowl, so perhaps that's the case here? He doesn't make a PEEP when he's in the stroller. He hardly moves. I think he's just chillin' out...

Close-up.

Bennett is obsessed with the dogs' food and water. Mainly, we think, the water. He just loves water. He puts his hand in their water bowl, and he's been known to dunk his shoe in (while not wearing it). So, this weekend we decided to give him a bowl of water sanctioned for play and see what happened. First he put his penguin pirate in (it's a bath toy he's been wandering around the house with lately), and then it seemed necessary to stand in it with his right foot. Repeatedly. It was serious business!

And a video of the occasion:

Wetfoot. He's pretty cute.

After dinner last night, during which Bennett smeared food in his hair, he got a bath. We let him stay in there for quite awhile...at least 30 minutes...and he still didn't seem to want out! (And he was rockin' quite the bath 'do.)

This is such typical Bennett. As he's getting ready for bed, he wants some hard toy. I've tried to get him interested in a few teddy bears and plush toys, but he could not care less about them! Last night he had a Valentine's Day bucket from Grandma Joan and half a toothbrush case (the toothbrush case is a favorite. He gets ahold of that thing almost every day and has even fed it with a spoon.)