9 Months In the Belly and Now 9 Months Out

Saturday Caden turned 9 months old. I can't believe he spent 9 months in the belly and now he has been outside of it for 9 months.  It still sometimes seems like yesterday I found out I was pregnant or he was born.  Other times if feels like he's always been with us. 

Praise God he is feeling better. The nurse told me that Caden did have Three Day Fever - a high fever that lasts for 3 days followed by a rash. It's similar to Fifths Disease which some kids at church ended up having too.  They found a high amount of protein in his urine so we're going to have to take him back in a few weeks for another urine sample.  Poor little guy!

Caden's 9 month well baby appointment went really well.  Our doctor told us Caden is above average physically and mentally.  There's a long survey we had to take and do all these activities with him.  He was able to do everything and responded very well to the games.  He's still a big baby but seems to be slimming down.  He's still pretty tall for his age.  Here are Caden's biometrics from his 9-month well baby appointment.

Weight: 22lb 1oz or 10.01kg - 80% range

Height: 29.92in or 76cm - 96%

Head circumference: 17.91 in or 45.5cm - 63%

Here are some of Caden's new achievements and favorite things to do:

- He is a growing boy and so much fun to be with. Some of his favorite things right now include cruising (walking from one object to another). He would rather stand and "walk" than crawl or sit for any long periods of time unless we're reading a book. He also loves to just stand. It's scary when he's standing holding onto something and then lets go. Although his balance is getting better he has taken a few falls.

- He is sleeping for about 11 hours at night and takes two naps per day. He sleeps from 8pm-7am. His morning nap is usually for 20-45 minutes around 11am and his afternoon nap is usually about an hour from 3-4pm.

- He can now clap his hands and does so with lots of excitement.

- He can wave.

- He says daddy and dada all the time. Dada is his favorite word at the moment. He also says "hi Dada" to everyone. It's funny.

- He loves walking in his walker and is getting pretty fast at it. He can move in all directions and seems to love it. I love how I can sit across the room from him and he'll smile and laugh as he walks to me.

- He loves books. His favorite books at bedtime are Good Night Moon and Bible Stories for Bedtime. During the day his favorite books are flip books, Dr. Seuss books and other books that rhyme, and finger puppet books.  He also likes books with sounds.

- We bought him some puppets and he loves watching us make a puppet show for him.

- He loves to "sing" and babble.

- He loves to play ball.  We have several different size balls that we roll back and forth with him.  He has great aim and was able to roll the ball back to us pretty quckly.

- His favorite food is Cheerios. He also likes most vegetables and fruits. He does not like anything with meat in it unless it's grilled fish. He only drinks breast milk and water.

Here are some cute pictures of our cute little guy.

In his walker by the big window upstairs

Caden just got this new toy.  He can walk and push it.

He can also sit and ride it, what fun!

Here's Caden playing with Mom's exercise ball

Sick Baby and Scared Parents!

Tuesday, March 16th, we went to Caden's well baby appointment. He actually turns 9 months on the 20th, but we can't make appointments early so we basically get in to see the doctor when there's "space available." We thought 4 days isn't too off. I'll give the details of that appointment in another post.

The next day Caden went from his normal happy, smiling self to cranky, crying, not interesting in doing anything but crying and being held. In the afternoon he felt very hot so I took his temperature with our ear thermometer. It said he had a 100.6 temperature. I called the appointment line at the pediatrics office. I told the operator what was going on and she thankfully had an appointment available the next morning.

Caden continued his sad spell throughout the evening and his fever went up. Collin came home and we took his temperate rectally. His fever had gone up to 102.8. We started praying. He was still uncomfortable and cranky. He seemed to be in a lot of pain. We tried everything we could do to comfort him.

We got him to sleep at 8pm and he slept until midnight. We had barely laid down to sleep when Caden woke up screaming. We went in there and his diaper had flooded with pee. His back and bed were warm. Collin cleaned him up and gave him to me while he changed his sheets. Meanwhile Caden cried and cried and cried. We took turns walking him, rocking him, talking to him, reading to him, nothing we did seemed to help. We took his temperature again, still high. We considered going to the KinderKlinik (children's hospital) it was that bad. We decided to wait it out and give him some baby Tylenol and see if he would calm down. Finally at 3:30 I decided to breastfeed him. I really don't like doing this in the middle of the night because it misses up my milk supply. Anyway, that seemed to help. However, since I no longer give night-time feedings I ran out milk pretty fast. When that happened he started crying again. I asked Collin to take him downstairs and get him some oatmeal because I thought he was still hungry. We don't have any formula since I breastfeed him. I think we're going to go ahead and buy some just in case we need it, if you have a brand you suggest, please let us know. I had to lay down, my legs were so weak and I was so tired from carrying him around earlier that day. Collin was a HUGE help. He mainly held him and finally got him to sleep around 5:40am and came to bed. Our alarms went off at 7am and the sleep deprived parents got ready to take Caden to the doctor.

We ended up being at the doc's office for 7 hours. Because of Caden's high fever they did a lot of tests. While we were waiting for the doctor they brought some medicine for him to take to help reduce his fever. It was a generic medicine similar to Tylenol and he ended up throwing it up and the little bit of food he ate earlier all over the floor. Poor kiddo! This caused him to cry even more! They ordered some suppositories and later the nurse administered one of those which helped a lot.

After waiting an hour and a half before seeing the doctor we asked if there was another doctor available to see him sooner. Our doctor was super busy! Thankfully someone saw us not too long after we made the request. The doctor heard a wheezing sound in his chest so she sent us across the street to have x-rays done. Before that they gave Caden a breathing treatment and took a snot sample. He seemed to like the breathing treatment but hated getting his snot removed.

The radiologist technician asked Collin to go back there with Caden because it wouldn't be good for me to be exposed to the radiation. They put Caden on a baby bicycle looking thing and had Collin raise Caden's arms. I heard him crying from the waiting room. Poor baby!

After the x-rays we went back to the doctor's office. The doctor ruled out the flu or a common cold based on the results of the snot sample. She told me they needed to take his blood and put a catheter in him for a urine sample - ouch! I asked if all this was really necessary. I didn't want to see him go through tests he did not absolutely need. She told me yes and that if they don't and it's something serious he could be hospitalized. She said it's best to find out what he has within the first 24-48 hours. This made me sad and scared.

While we were waiting for the nurses to get set-up I had Collin ask the head nurse what her opinion was on getting these tests. Again, I wanted to make sure they HAD to do these tests. The thought of them sticking a catheter in my baby was painful and same with getting a blood sample. The head nurse pretty much said the same thing the doctor said. They needed to check for a bacterial infection or a more serious viral infection.

It was so hard to watch. This is the first time he's experienced any like this. We won't know what he has until Saturday when they get the results back from the lab.

When we got home last night his temperature was still 102.9. We gave him some medicine and he thankfully slept for 11 hours! He was one tired baby! Collin and I got close to 8 hours which was nice. This morning his temperature has gone done. God answers prayers. He seems to be doing better today. He's still not eating much but at least he's wanting to play a little and his fever has gone down. Please keep us in your prayers. We'll let you know what the test results are once we get them. Thanks for reading this long post!

Parent Tipster

As if caring for my almost 9 month old isn't enough, I have now taken on the position as an Imperfect Parent Tipster. I am the Family Vacations Tipster. Basically I write travel tips geared toward families traveling with kids. I will also comment on travel related news stories as well. In college I was a columnist for the University Star and loved it. Please drop by and read my articles when you get a chance. http://imperfectparent.com/tipsters/familytravel/

In addition to this blog, I started another blog last November that focuses more on life as an expat. I wasn't sure how much I was going to put into it based on how little time I have but would like to share that with you as well. It's less personal in the sense you will not find any Caden updates there.  However, some of the blog posts are similar to the ones here.  Please join me there as well.
http://www.ladyexpatblog.com/

Caden's German Friends

Our friends Hendrik and Kathi came to visit us Friday on their way to Switzerland.  They brought their two boys, Jakob and Mathis.  Mathis is just two weeks older than Caden and it was their first time to meet.  The last time we saw them was at the zoo last spring when Kathi and I were both pregnant.

Caden enjoyed playing with Mathis. Jakob had fun for a little while but got kind of bored since he's four and didn't have toys for his age. They all laughed when Collin tried to do a puppet show in German. We had a nice visit with them and look forward to seeing them again.

While they were visiting, Caden crawled over to his baby gate and climbed up to standing.  It was cute but a little scary!  Lately I've spent much of my day holding his hands and walking him around the living room.  He loves standing and walking.

Mathis and Caden.  It's the only picture I got of them both looking at me.

Saturday we went to see our good friends Gary and Lisa. Their jobs transferred them about an hour away from us. We got to see their awesome house (it's new and very nice) and to catch up with them. Lisa made Caden a very nice soft blanket. Caden wanted to play with their little dog, Missy, who was not sure what to think of him. We went to lunch at a TexMex restaurant (it's the closest one to us!) and then later Collin, Caden, and I went to the mall out there. We had a great time.

Barcelona Highlights

Barcelona was amazing and interesting!  Before you read on, animal lovers and those with queasy stomachs beware!  There are a few pictures that might be disturbing but I wanted to share with you the whole experience.  Well, almost. 

We spent three nights and three days in Barcelona.  I do not recommend our hotel unless you are on a tight budget.  It was a nice 4-star hotel, however, it was a bit far from the city center, about a 30 minute bus ride.  We stayed at Hotel FrontAir Congress.  The only benefit besides the cost is they offer free airport transfers.  They also had a nice Turkish bath, swimming pool, and spa.  Other than that you'll spend a great deal of time commuting into town. I would recommend staying somewhere close to Las Ramblas, especially if you have limited time in Barcelona. There was a mall next door to our hotel with a grocery store that had some interesting meat for sale.  PETA would not be pleased with this display.  Since I had never seen anything like this, I took a picture.

Some people like to buy their pork attached to the hoof. Maybe it makes it more natural? No thank you! Collin, however, has had Iberian ham before and said he likes it! Not surprising if you know my husband, who is willing to try just about anything. Ask him about the jello-like meat he had in Bad Duerkheim. Sorry Sweetie, we're not having hoof for dinner, EVER!

Our first full day we strolled the streets of Las Ramblas.  We saw a lot of street performers and enjoyed all the interesting pet store stands and markets.  We spent a few hours strolling the street and stopped for coffee and dessert like a good European does.

One of the markets in the Las Ramblas district displayed something that reminded me of my high school biology class.  So sad.  After visiting Barcelona I seriously reconsidered becoming a vegetarian.  I mean seriously, does this really help them sell their pork?  I also now wonder if the animals they were selling on the street were for pets or to eat.  They did sell live chickens and roosters in a few booths.

I guess these little piggies went to market...and stayed!

While we were walking to get on the cable car we saw a man riding his bike totally naked. Scroll down to see the picture.  Just kidding.  I did not take a picture!  That's something you don't see in Texas, at least we never have!  We took the cable car across the Barcelona Port (Transbordador Aeri del Port) and saw amazing views of the city.  The cable car dropped us off on Montjuic Mountain.  There is a second cable car on top of Montjuic but we didn't ride it.  We got some ice cream and it started to sprinkle on us so we decided to head off the mountain. 

View of Las Ramblas from the cable car

Monument of Christopher Columbus built at the site he arrived in 1493 after he discovered America

They say if you drink from this fountain you will return to Barcelona.  Collin tried to turn it on but it was broken.  I guess we won't go back to Barcelona.  =(

We also stopped at a park and let Caden play.  This was his first time to swing on a swing and go down a slide.  He had a great time!  I look forward to the weather getting warmer in Germany so I can take him to the park here.

On our way to the cruise ship we took a taxi from our hotel and drove past the other side of Mount Montjuic and passed an interesting cemetery.  The Montjuic Cemetery is quite impressive and has graves on all levels of the mountain and is the oldest cemetery in town.  We have never seen anything quite like it.

Our last full day of Barcelona we took the metro to Park Güell.  I have never seen a park like this.  The park was designed by Gaudi and is built on a mountain.  There was a musician playing music, some entertainers, beautiful views, and lots to explore.  It's a nice place for adults and children.  Some say Gaudi's work inspired Dr. Suess.

Next we went to see Sagrada Familia.  This church was designed by Gaudi but was never completed.  It is amazing!  It was getting late, we were tired and it was cold, so we did not get to go inside the church but wish we did. 

  

If you've ever been to Barcelona, please share what you thought of the city. It was a very unique city and we enjoyed our visit.

Casablanca, Morocco - Mediterranean Cruise

Casablanca, Morocco - Feb. 28, 2010

The five of us took a taxi tour in Casablanca.  We took the ship's shuttle into town and decided to take a taxi for what we thought would only be 10 Euros to the Hassan II Mosque.  Well, we ended up doing a 2 hour tour with the driver.  We were all a little suspicious after he removed his taxi sign after we got in his car and were ready to get back to the ship once he was pulled over by the police. Thankfully we got to see all of Morocco we ever wanted to see and do not feel the need to go back.

First we went to Hassan II Mosque, which is the second largest Mosque in the world - largest religious monument after Mecca. We could not go inside because we are Christians. Which was fine. It was an impressive monument.  Our driver then drove us through Anfa (a wealthy part of town), past Rick's Cafe, the Royal Palace, we stopped at Andalusian Gardens and we saw the old and new Medina. We also drove through the United Nations' Square where the police pulled over our taxi driver. Our driver got out and argued with the police, got back in the car, told us they were giving him a ticket for speeding, and then immediately our driver took us to a strange park and told us to get out of the car and wait while he went to take care of his police issues.  The park was filled with lots of locals  and we were not sure if he was going to come back for us or not. Thankfully none of us were alone.  We just watched our pockets and stayed together.  Our driver did come back to get us.  He then wanted to drop us off at a pharmacy to see a spice demonstration and a theater. But after he dropped us off at the strange park we just wanted to get back to the ship.  I'm glad we made out of Morocco safely because we later found out that most taxi drivers pack guns and will sometimes drive people to secluded places and hold them up for ransome.  Scary!!

Here are some pictures from our day in Casablanca.

Hassan II Mosque

Cab driver sitting in the back seat talking to Collin and Cathy while Dad and I looked around at one of the places we stopped.  Look closely and you'll see there is no Taxi sign on top of his car, yikes!

United Nations' Square before we were pulled over by the police

Rick's Cafe

Casablanca from our balcony

Agadir, Morocco - Mediterranean Cruise

Agadir, Morocco - Monday, March 1, 2010

We decided not to do a tour Agadir. I really wanted to ride a camal but that would not be possible with Caden, so we just got off at the boat but didn't do anything in the city.  We left Caden on the boat with my parents.  This is the day we played tennis with my dad.  The port area was not pretty but we enjoyed a game of tennis.