I am a US citizen now!

On November 26th I had my Oath of Allegiance Ceremony. It was scheduled for 9:15 am. My husband picked up his Mom the night before so she could join us for the ceremony. Our friend Ananth & Gerritt's godfather has also decided to share this special day with us. I thought the ceremony will begin at 9:15 am & be over in about 1 hour - plenty of time to get back home for Gerritt's morning nap. How wrong I was! We stood outside in a long line in freezing cold for about 25 minutes waiting to go through the security check point. Unfortunately, my hubby's Mom was not allowed to go inside since she forgot her ID. Ananth had to take her back to the parking lot so she could wait for us in the car. Once inside we still had to wait for what it seemed like forever. Finally, the ceremony began at 10:45 am. By that time Gerritt was fussy & clingy. I was required to sit in a separate area with other future US citizens, however, once Gerritt saw me there was no way he was staying in the family area with Daddy. So I had to hold him on my lap & watch him while he crawled around between the rows of sitting people. I don't think I've heard the word of the ceremony. I just remember watching a video about the first US immigrants & the Mayflower ship, listening to the introduction speech & then taking the Oath of Allegiance. There must have been over 100 people in the room that day so it took a while for me to receive my Naturalization Certificate. By that time Gerritt was inconsolable, yelling at the drop of a hat. We've decided to take off without me singing the National Anthem & hearing the closing words. All in all the day didn't turn out to be as special as I had hoped. We should have taken Gerritt to his daycare so we could be fully present for the ceremony. Oh, well, no one anticipated it to be so long & drawn-out... On the day after the ceremony both Gerritt & I got a cold that lasted for about a week. Probably a combination of freezing outside & being in a crowded place.
It feels great to be a citizen! I can't explain it - just this wonderful feeling of belonging & being at home. I have never felt like an outsider except in the very beginning of my arrival to the US, but now the last barrier has been removed.
We had Thanksgiving celebration with my hubby's Mom & our friends Ananth & Lan Lan the following day. We grilled cornish game hens & made baked sweet potatoes, steamed brussel sprouts with caramelized onions & bacon bits, stuffing, cranberry sauce & pecan pie. Gerritt had his first taste of the cornish game hen & really enjoyed chewing on a drumstick.
The day after Thanksgiving we went to shop at Ikea & bought a new bedroom set. I got tired of sleeping on the floor & the queen-size bed we used to sleep on was too crowded with baby & a dog (sometimes several dogs when my hubby's Mom visits). Plus it was too high of the floor for Gerritt to get on & off safely. I could just imagine him getting older & sneaking out of his bedroom at night to be closer to us. I really wanted the lowest bed possible, king-size, with a new, more firm, mattress. I had been having constant back & neck aches from our old mattress sagging & not providing enough support. We bought a new bed, a mattress, 2 bedside tables, a dresser & a cuddly soft dog for Gerritt - all for under $1500! We've assembled the bed on the same night - we could hardly wait to try it! The investment has definitely paid off. We both get much better sleep & rest & wake up in the mornings feeling refreshed. There is plenty of room for Spike & 2 kids if they want to join us in bed on the weekends.
A lot has happened over the past month again. Spike got neutered. We paid a little extra for the surgery so his incision was made with a laser rather than a scalpel = less pain & faster recovery. He did have to wear a diaper for 4-5 days afterwords to prevent him from licking his incision constantly. Otherwise his recovery was fast & uneventful.
I worked my last day in Marysville Clinic last Wednesday & had an interview for a nursing position at the Evergreen Medical Center the next day. The interview went well. I was really impressed with the Evergreen's nurse-to-patient ratio, RN scheduling & availability of assistive personnel to make RN job easier. Also the facility is new, beautiful, bright & well-designed ergonomically facilitating more productive patient care. I will hear the final word after my references are checked. The tentative starting date is December 15th & I can hardly wait! Who knew I would miss nursing this much? I had an interview at UW short-stay unit scheduled later on the same day, however, decided to cancel after learning some insider information from a friend. It turns out the shift I was applying for has had problems for a long time & the staff were unhappy - not a good place to work for someone who's pregnant.
I have also finished an online Advanced Pathophysiology course. I was thinking of going back to school for my post-Master's degree in Women's health, so this course was a requirement. I don't know how I did it - somehow I fit my studying in between baby's naps & in the evenings. I will be taking another academic leave for a year though since we can't afford my school right now. We can, but between me working part-time, another baby coming & house remodeling, money is tight.
I will be 18 weeks pregnant in 2 days. The baby has been moving a lot. I have finally started to look pregnant about 2 weeks ago. I am feeling well & so far able to keep up with Gerritt. We will find out the baby's sex in 2 weeks - seems so far away! I can hardly wait!!! It is as special & as much of a surprise as finding out baby's sex during delivery. We are hoping for another boy so he & Gerritt can grow up together, however, I'll be happy no matter what the baby's sex is. I would be shocked to have a girl, I just don't know what to do with little girls. Oh well, I didn't know much about little boys either & learned gradually. I have had no special dreams or intuitions, so have no idea who to expect... I've been craving orange juice, milk (I now have a glass before bedtime), salad greens (especially arugula), pomegranates, & kefir. All in all, I haven't had much time to think about this pregnancy. I haven't even thought about baby names yet.

Almost a US citizen!

One of the major news since my last posting is that I successfully completed my US citizenship interview today. I have applied last March & after 2 sets of fingerprints I was finally invited for an interview on November 17th. It was set for 7:20 am so I was up at 5 am - just in time to feed Gerritt, change his diaper, have breakfast & review my US civics & history lesson book. The interview didn't take very long - about 25 minutes. The written English test consisted of me writing one sentence in English "I am too busy to talk to you." The conversational English was assessed during the interview itself since no test was administered. Lastly I was tested on the US history & civics: What do stripes on the flag mean? What were the original 13 colonies of the US? Who said "Give me liberty, or give me death?", What was the 1st holiday the pilgrims celebrated? What is the highest judicial institution in the US? How many times can a senator be re-elected?" The woman who interviewed me was very nice. I was waiting for this moment for so many years & it was over all too quickly. After making copies of my hubby's passport & naturalization certificate, I was free to go. I was told to return for the Oath of Allegiance ceremony on November 26th at 9:15 am. I can't believe I am going to be a US citizen in less than 2 weeks! The US citizenship is an unattainable goal for so many people in the world, it almost seems like a dream. It too bad I have to wait another 4 years to vote for a president. I wish I could have participated in this historic election when the 1st African American, Barack Obama, was selected to be the next president of the US.
These past few weeks have been busy again. I gave my 1-month notice to resign at Planned Parenthood in Marysville with my last day there being December 3rd. The commute from Bellevue has been too long & occasionally dangerous (in times of heavy rain). I can't even imagine what would happen if the roads were icy or it was snowing. I've been looking for a new job for a while now & it hasn't been easy. Most of the Nurse Practitioner jobs are full time & everyone wants experience. I have almost a year under my belt but it's in women's health. Ideally, I would love to work 3 days a week in rheumatology or dermatology practice. I haven't left PP completely, however, and will be working in the U-District on Saturdays (only 4 hours in the morning). I have worked there a few months ago & really enjoyed it. All in all it's a great place to work with the exception of anti-abortion protesters standing outside pretty much every Saturday. Good news is that they don't know whether I work as a massage therapist, acupuncturist or real estate agent since there are so many other offices in this building. I never wear my white coat or have a stethoscope around my neck while outside so I can remain anonymous.
I even thought of going back to floor nursing while I look for a good NP job. I had an interview at Overlake Medical Center last week for what I thought was a short-stay/outpatient procedure unit (3 days a week). Since I am pregnant & will only get bigger from now on, I have no desire to do heavy lifting & be on my feet all day long. It turned out the position involved regular general medical-surgical patient care (meaning I may have to take care of a 500-pound gastric bypass patient, a quadriplegic, or an elderly patient with uncontrollable diarrhea). No, thanks! Plus, Overlake is not as advanced as UWMC. Most of the patient charting is still done on paper. When I asked the manager what strategies are in place to prevent back injuries for nurses, he stumbled & had to call one of the charge nurses to ask. In contrast, UWMC has a lift team available for getting heavy patients in & out of bed & transfers. So I am back to looking... I've applied for a per diem nurse position on a short-stay/outpatient unit at UWMC. I used to float there in my other professional life, so I know the patient population well. I have also applied for a public health NP position. The recruiter called me & told me they had to eliminate some of their NP positions due to economy/lack of funding, so she wasn't sure what positions would be available in a month or two. She said she'll keep my resume on file for the next 6 months & let me know if anything part-time becomes available.
My belly is getting bigger by the day. I haven't gained much weight though since I am so busy chasing Gerritt & some days I don't eat as often as I should. I felt the baby move last week so he or she is growing. I will be 15 weeks pregnant this week. I am planning on asking my midwife Sally for another ultrasound referral to determine the sex of the baby around December 10th or a little after when I'll be around 18 weeks along. I can't wait to find out! I will be holding my breath & my heart will be beating fast during the ultrasound. For me it's just as special to find out the baby's sex early as it is during the delivery.
Gerritt has been busy, busy, busy! He is cruising around the house (walking while holding on to furniture), opening the kitchen & bathroom cabinets & getting everything out every chance he gets. One of his favorite drawers is full of tupperware that he likes to bang & if it's large enough to put on his head. He also loves the dishwasher & can easily spend 30-40 minutes reorganizing the dishes & the silverware. I have to watch him carefully since once in a while he attempts to climb in it. We also have one empty kitchen cabinet that Gerritt loves to climb into & play peak-a-boo with one of us. Gerritt enjoys feeding our toy poodle Spike & throws dry dog food all over the kitchen floor during Spike's dinner time. Gerritt is fascinated with water & loves to dump dog's water dish every chance he gets. He is now tall enough to reach for things on our kitchen table so we have to be on constant alert for hot liquids/foods or heavy/sharp items. I am still Gerritt's favorite person, so when I take a shower, he finds me in the bathroom & peaks his head from behind the shower curtain to check on me. Usually he is busy emptying one of the bathroom drawers so I have a few minutes to relax. Gerritt likes to bathe except washing his hair. Water got into his eyes a couple of times in the past so he screams loudly if I put even a drop of water on his head. So I wash his hair once every 2 weeks now & it's a 2-person effort.
My husband & I have been sleeping on the mattress on the floor ever since our move so Gerritt loves to climb on top of it & throw himself back onto fluffy down pillows & blanket. He has so much fun, he squeals with excitement. He is such a smart boy because he came up with a way to get off the mattress safely after falling off & hurting himself a couple of times. When it's time to get off, Gerritt lays on his tummy with feet pointing toward the floor. He slowly & gently lowers one, then the other foot until they are both firmly on the ground. It is so funny to watch! For this reason I try not to be too protective & allow him to get hurt sometimes. As a result, he learns how to do a task better next time.
Gerritt still naps twice a day for the most part (between 10 am and 12 pm and 3 and 4:30-5 pm). Lately, he has been refusing to nap until he is absolutely exhausted. There is just too much stuff for him to do & to see, he doesn't want to loose even 1 hour. He is on his best behavior in the mornings so all of my errands & doctor's appointments are usually scheduled before noon.

Our move to Bellevue

Thankfully, one of the craziest months is almost behind us... It was probably the most stressful time for us since we got married. In late August we lost our dog Charlie, then 2 days later my Mom came to visit from Russia for about 5 weeks. While she was here we bought a new house & sold our old house. We also found out we were pregnant, which is a stressor although a happy one. We enjoyed having my Mom here but 5 weeks was too long. We still had our jobs during the day & at night we would spend our time packing, cleaning & being with Gerritt. My Mom would spend all day watching Gerritt so at night she wanted some adult interaction & maybe to go out somewhere, however, I had no energy for any of that whatsoever. I could barely get something ready for dinner, play with Gerritt, get ready for the next day & drag myself to bed. My husband was tired of having to come home to 2 Russian-speaking women & felt like he lost me for the entire time of my Mom's visit. Such lengthy visits are definitely hard on our family life so I doubt we'll do it again. I've had 2 colds over last 2 months so my body is letting me know I am doing too much.
My Mom left back to Russia on October 7th. We got up around 3:30 am & were at the airport around 4:30 am. She was tired of her long visit as well so there were no tears this time for us when saying goodbye. To be honest, it was such a relief to walk to my car alone after my Mom's plane took off. No more lengthy explanations of when, how & why we do things the way we do. No more defending of our family and parenting styles. My husband & I can make decisions alone without my Mom's unsolicited opinion & advice. When I got home I waited for Gerritt to wake up, then took him to his daycare so that I could sleep. I slept for about 3 hours & it wasn't enough. I felt so achy & exhausted (mostly drained emotionally) I could barely move. However, there were a million things to be done to get ready for our move the following day.
On Wednesday, October 8th, I went to work after tending to the last-minute details in the house & loading up my hubby's car with fragile & valuable items. Unfortunately, he had to move without me. Wednesday was our only day to move since we closed on Tuesday & had only 3 additional days to get all of our stuff out. I worked till 7:15 pm that day & didn't get home until about 8 pm. It was our 1st night at the new house. I packed a box of essential items beforehand (formula, diapers, laptop, personal hygiene items, toilet paper, etc.) so we only had to open one box that night. The next day I took Gerritt to daycare & went back to our old house in Mountlake Terrace to clean & pick up left-over things. There were more things than I expected so it took 3 car-loaded trips during the day & 1 trip that evening for a house to be completely empty. I vacuumed the floors, cleaned out the freezer & refrigerator, dusted, got rid of the recycling & garbage, emptied the shed, and cleaned the bathrooms - too much! Mu hubby told me not to do any of it but I didn't feel right leaving a messy house to an 8-month pregnant woman & her husband. I wouldn't want to move into a dirty house so cleaning felt like the right thing to do. That Thursday we called our buyers & told them the house was theirs & we didn't need the full 3 days to move out after all.
On Friday, October 10th, I drove Gerritt all the way to Everett to the Snohomish County Health District for his mumps vaccine. There is so much controversy about the MMR vaccine out there, I've decided to give the MMR vaccine components to him separately (1 month apart). There is a shortage of mumps vaccine because Gerritt got the last dose they had (good thing I called 1 week in advance of our appointment & reserved it for him). Gerritt also got the flu shot that day. We are going back in 1 month for a Rubella shot & another flu shot (since 2 shots 1 month apart are necessary for young children). The measles vaccine has been back-ordered since June of 2008 & it is not known when it would be available. On Saturday, October 11th, Chris & Gerry came to visit us but left after a few hours since most of our stuff was still in boxes & they couldn't help much. I think they saw how stressed out were were & didn't want to be in our way.
We spent the next week unpacking & fixing things here & there. Our new house is livable but needs a lot of fixing (complete remodels of both bathrooms, guest room & kitchen, new paint inside & out, and redesign of landscaping to start). We've also started painting our living room to change the color from awful turquoise to oatmeal (the color we had in our Mountlake Terrace house). On Thursday, October 16th, I took Gerritt for his 1st dental check up with pediatric dentist Dr. Thomas. The doctor spent a lot of time discussing tooth decay prevention & showed me how to brush Gerritt's teeth. We've already been brushing twice a day since his first teeth appeared so it wasn't new to me. However, we did form a plan to wean Gerritt off the bottle-feeding for naps & night time. I am supposed to keep him awake after feedings (if one can separate the feeding time & bed time by even 15-20 minutes while the saliva is still being produced the chance of tooth decay decreases significantly) & then brush his teeth, which means I would have to put Gerritt to bed while he is still awake. Easier said than done... Dr. Thomas didn't see any decay on Gerritt's teeth & said whatever we were doing was working.
On Friday, October 17th, I took Gerritt for his 1 year check-up with Dr. Carol Doroshow at the Kids Clinic. Gerritt weighed 24 lbs 6 oz (75th percentile) & was 31.5 inches tall (75th percentile). His growth has definitely slowed down now that he so physically active. The bad news is that we need to see a pediatric urologist for Gerritt's foreskin that hasn't healed properly after his circumcision. I suspect there may have been too much foreskin left & when the scar tissue formed it constricted leaving most the glans penis covered. Poor baby! I wish I would have left his penis alone & let him make the circumcision choice when he was older. I didn't want to do the circumcision in the first place, however, I was too fatigued & in pain after my C-section to argue with my husband who wanted it done. The 1st available appointment with the urologist was on January 7th so we have to wait until then.
On Saturday, October 18th, I've asked my husband to take Gerritt to his Mom for the whole day so that I could organize our new house. It was just a nightmare to get anything done since there were boxes & things everywhere & Gerritt was getting into everything he could get his little chubby hands on. I was spending most of my time chasing him around, feeding him, putting him to sleep for naps, etc. (the usual daily activities) to have much time left for putting things away & unpacking. I really wanted to paint the living room because the color was too depressing. I think I painted from 10 am until 8 pm when mu hubby & Gerritt got back. It wasn't just painting that took so much of my time, it was all of taping prior to painting, waiting for paint to dry, then taking the masking tape off, unscrewing the curtain rods & taking the curtains down, unscrewing all of the light switch face plates off & then putting them back on, unpacking boxes, vacuuming & cleaning along the way. When my husband got home, he was shocked how nice our living room looked, however, I was so tired I couldn't lift my arms. It wasn't a surprise to me that I got another bad cold the next Monday. I barely made it through work on Monday sneezing & blowing my nose every 15 minutes. I took a day off on Tuesday to sleep & rest while Gerritt was at his daycare. I think the stress of moving, now long commute to work (about 1 hour each way instead of my usual 25 minutes), looking for a new daycare for Gerritt, & taking care of 4 dogs (Ardie, Spike & 2 dogs we agreed to babysit for 2.5 weeks for a friend prior to our move) among other ongoing daily stressors took their toll. One of the hardest parts has also been not to be able to rest as much during this pregnancy since we have to do something every single day. Chasing a busy toddler around has not helped matters. I've been nauseous starting at about 2 weeks of my pregnancy & it's been difficult to pull myself together to do errands & house organization when all I want to do is sleep.
On October 23rd I've finally had my 1st prenatal visit with my midwife, Sally Avenson. I was supposed to see her last week but missed her since she was at labor. She checked my weight & blood pressure & I've heard baby's heart sounds for the 1st time. Sally recommended I take 1800-2000 IU of vitamin D per day. Those are the latest guidelines. It turns out vitamin D acts as a hormone in the body targeting over 1000 genes in the body. I found some great info on Vitamin D Council. Since I was past 11 weeks pregnant, I also got referrals for 1st trimester OB ultrasound & blood work. I wanted to repeat the nuchal cord translucency screen to rule out Down's syndrome. I was able to get the ultrasound appointment today, October 24th, & mu husband was able to join me. He didn't see Gerritt's 1st ultrasound so I really wanted him to be around for this one. The baby was about 5 cm long & active. We took a few photos home - I can't tell the difference between Gerritt's & this baby's ultrasounds. They look so similar at this stage!
Gerritt has been battling a cold since Tuesday. Poor baby! He can hardly sleep. His nose is so congested he can only do mouth breathing. His mouth often gets dry & he wakes up crying. It is his 2nd cold over last 2 months. I got sick first but then passed it on to him since I am his main caretaker. So it's back to Simply Saline nasal spray, bulb syringe for nose suctioning, Eucalyptus essential oil & hot mist vaporizer. No other medications are recommended for children under 4 years old now, so no decongestants for him. It seems that Gerritt has had a cold every 1.5-2 months ever since he was a baby. I am definitely planning on starting him on vitamin D drops!
For the last 2 months Gerritt has really grown attached to his blanket. It is a small soft green blanket I bought at a Goodwill store when I was pregnant. I used to wrap Gerritt in it when he was just born. Now he takes it everywhere with him - to eat, to fall asleep for naps & at bedtime & into the car. He even drags it with him on the floor when crawling or playing with his toys. It is really funny to watch... Don't even try taking it away - a major tantrum! When we get ready for bed I give it him & he grabs it with both arms, puts it close to his body & buries his face in it. I should find a Teddy Bear or some other soft toy instead... I have to wait until Gerritt is asleep to wash it. It is convenient for the night time though because when Gerritt wakes up he snuggles with his blanket & goes back to sleep instead of waiting for me to come in & hold & rock him.

Gerritt is one year old!!!

On October 1st Gerritt turned 1 year of age. Time has flown by too quickly! We were looking through old photos & videos & he was so tiny just a few months ago. The first year of baby's life is a time of such rapid & significant changes. We've celebrated Gerritt's birthday 3 days early - on Sunday, September 28th. Gerritt's uncle Ananth hosted the party in his Bellevue home & my hubby's Mom did a lot of her delicious Korean cooking including Korean BBQ. The party was small, about 12 people. We didn't want to repeat the 100-day celebration experience where Gerritt was too overwhelmed & tired. That Sunday he took his morning nap from 10 am to 12 pm. My Mom, Gerritt & I arrived to Bellevue around 1 pm. Gerritt was in such happy mood & smiled a lot. He really enjoyed the attention from others. Around 3:30 pm he fell asleep while drinking his bottle of formula & slept until 5pm. Perfect! I could not have asked for a better timing. Adhering to Gerritt's home schedule made the party so much more pleasant & easier on him & us.
We've ordered a large carrot cake from Costco with a big rainbow on it. We lit up a candle in shape of a number one. While my husband & I were blowing it out Gerritt managed to get some cake frosting on his little finger. He took a couple of licks & that was the extent of his dessert that day. My husband's Mom brought some of her famous homemade goulash for Gerritt, so he had a large serving of it. Before eating my husband, Gerritt & I all dressed up in traditional Korean outfits & posed for photos. My hubby's Mom has had some of the outfits at her house & some she brought back from her last trip to Korea. I wore a beautiful turquoise-colored gown & Gerritt wore an outfit of a little general. How fitting! That is Young's favorite name for Gerritt - our little general. Even though Gerritt fussed a little while being dressed, he was very responsive to all the clapping & funny sounds people made to elicit his smiles. Luckily for us, he smiled for most of the photos. Our friend Grace was so generous to spend her Sunday afternoon taking professional photos of Gerritt & everyone at the party.
Today I am 8 weeks & 2 days pregnant. According to babycenter.com the baby still has webbed fingers & toes & he is about the size of a kidney bean. The genitals haven't developed enough yet to reveal his sex. I am feeling well with the exception of fatigue, mild nausea & frequent hunger. I was only nauseous for about 2 weeks while pregnant with Gerritt, so I am a little disappointed that nausea is hanging around longer this time. On a good note, I may be carrying a girl this time since "girls make you really sick" according to some people. I've gone through a stage of craving everything sour - kimchi, lemons, sour apples, orange juice and, my favorite, kombacha. I've been fortunate to be able to nap frequently while my Mom was here. I am a little worried how I am going to pick up Gerritt & rock him to sleep with a big belly in a few months. My plan is to teach him falling asleep on his own (like he used to do a few months ago) & I've got to wean him of his middle of the night feeding somehow (especially since he doesn't need it biologically). Some homework for me...

The rest of September

It has been busy, busy, busy! Ardie has been with us for a few weeks now & he is starting to open up more. He is so used to sleeping with us he can't imagine any other way to sleep. After my husband takes him out for a walk early in the morning, Ardie can't wait to return to bed to snuggle with me. We found out he can bark. Usually he barks when he sees his own reflection in the window at night. He was so quiet for the 1st two weeks at our house we thought we couldn't bark. I was surprised to find out he likes to roll on his back with his feet up in the air when he's feeling happy, especially after waking up or after eating. Ardie attempted to chew on a boney & squeezed a squeaky toy a few times, however, no real play yet.
On September 6th we drove to Pyallup & bought another doggie - a 6-month-old toy poodle we named Spike. He is black now, however, will turn gray as he grows up. Spike is a typical puppy - playful, high-energy & mischievous. Ardie has been jealous of Spike & marking in the house occasionally even though he knows how to use the doggie door well. I have to be on a constant urine spot watch so I can clean up before any major damage is done. One of Ardie's spots hasn't been found until the next day, so now we have a yellow spot on the hardwood floor in the dining area. Thankfully, the buyers of our house intend to redo the floors so it is not a problem. Ardie has been growling at Spike at various occassions such as when Spike is jumping on or in front of him while greeting us home or if Spike gets too close to Ardie in bed. It seems Ardie is so afraid to lose our affection, he is overprotective. Hopefully, Spike & Ardie will become friends in time.
My Mom has really been enjoying her visit & time with baby Gerritt. We had Gerritt's crib in our bedroom for the 1st week after her arrival to give her time to recover from a long flight & a time-zone change, however, we transferred his crib back to his room upon my Mom's insistance after that week. My Mom wanted as much time with the baby as she could get including taking care of him at night.
Gerritt is changing every week. He is trying to stand up more frequently while holding on to the furniture or our arms. When he wants to eat he opens & closes his mouth rapidly until we get the hint. If one of use is eating something, Gerritt crawls up to us & watches us intently as if wanting a bite. Gerritt has mastered the sippy cup & drinks water regularly. He still falls asleep with a bottle of formula, so we need to transition him to a full-time cup soon. Gerritt is trying to talk more saying new words like ba-ba (grandmother in Russian), bebe (baby) & ba (sobaka or dog in Russian).
He loves bath time: splashing in water & playing with bath toys. He is such a fun baby! He loves to play with us (especially acrobatics - being thrown up in the air, being turned upside down for a few seconds, & spinning while being held close), to read books & to look outside the window (he almost jumps out of our arms if he sees a car or truck passing by). We've been playing the game of hide & seek for a few months now. Now Gerritt often initiates it by putting a blanket on his head & then taking it off suddenly while awaiting our response. When I leave to go somewhere or when my husband is coming home from work, Gerritt loves to look for us from inside the house. Whoever is outside usually hides below the window only to reappear suddenly. Gerritt's laughter can be heard even through a thick window glass. Gerritt also loves to play with the doggie door. He usually sits by the door waiting for Spike or Ardie to go inside. When one of the dogs attempts to go in, Gerritt puts his hands through the door scaring them off. That makes Gerritt laugh. He often teases Spike with the dog bone until they pull it back & forth for a while. Watching Gerritt play puts smiles on our faces daily.
We are starting to discipline him. When he does something we don't like (e.g., getting into the garbage container or attempting to spill dogs' water dish), we say, "No, Gerritt!" He'll usually look at us & crawl away to do something else. If he persists, we say the same in more serious tone of voice, "Nooooo, Gerritt, noooo!" That's his least favorite part. As soon as he hears the long "Nooooo" he starts bawling, like his whole world has come crashing down. We feel sorry for him, but it is so funny at the same time! Usually once Gerritt starts crying one of us holds him & we redirect his interest elsewhere. Whenever Gerritt does something new (like touching a new object or opening a new set of drawers), he looks at us for approval. If we don't say anything or say "It's OK, Gerritt", he continues. He is such a smart little boy...

A whirlwind month

I can hardly catch my breath - so much is happening! We took our first vacation by ourselves to Orcas Island on September 1st - 3rd. We stayed at the Buck Bay Farm Inn and Lavender Fields. We were planning to stay there for 3 days, however, we missed Gerritt & Ardie too much & came back 1 day early. My hubby was also not used to the quiet serenity & was slightly bored. I loved it, however, & spent one of the afternoons reading the book Peony in Love (a great Chinese historical novel). We've also enjoyed petting the sheep, picking fruit, & cutting lavender to dry for gift bouquets to take back. One of the mornings we hiked at the Moran State Park. I really enjoyed just vegging out & being away. The high count thread sheets, soft fluffy down pillows & a silk robe was just what I needed to feel pumpered.
Last week my husband decided to advertise our house on Craig's list. It was just too much to continue living in the house where Charlie died. We were contacted by a real estate agent who introduced us to a young couple really wanting to buy our house. They loved it from the start. They also have 2 dogs, so our fenced yard was a perfect bonus. We've almost declined the couple's offer due to the agent wanting a 3% selling commission. We bought this house via a sale by owner & we intended to sell it the same way. Thankfully, the couple liked our home so much that they have increased the offer by 12K to pay the real estate agent's commission fee. We needed to accept or decline the offer by 5 pm last Friday (September 5th). We drove to Bellevue & Lynnwood that morning to look at a couple of homes for sale. I didn't really want to accept the offer until we had something solid in mind. The idea of living out of the boxes for a month or longer didn't really appeal to me. I didn't like 5-bedroom, 3-bath Lynnwood home due to multiple stairs (the house had 3 levels) & poor location (no place to walk outside & too close to a busy street). Bellevue was depressing since many fixer-uppers were around high 300s - $400K range. After looking for a while we've visited our friend Ananth to refresh & use his internet to search for more homes nearby. My husband found a nice-looking 3-bedroom, 1.5-bathroom house in St. Ives area of Bellevue. We immediately drove there. The owner happened to be home & allowed us to look inside. We fell in love with the place right away. A coy pond, beautiful landscaping, a nice deck & a fully fenced yard were all we needed to make up our minds the same day. We called the couple wanting to buy our house & told them we accepted their offer around 4:30 pm & then wrote the offer to buy the place in Bellevue later that evening. The seller accepted our offer the following afternoon. I can't believe we are going to live in Bellevue! I loved the house & its location including its close proximity to my hubby's work, major shopping & business areas, middle & high schools, & parks. Also the street is quiet & has a low volume of traffic. I am not looking forward to my long commute to work in Marysville but, hopefully, I will find a new job in Bellevue at some point. I really don't want to take Gerritt away from his daycare in Lynnwood (he loves it so much), but I will need to find a daycare for him eventually, especially once I get a new job in Bellevue.
And last, the most exciting news of all... I took a pregnancy test (just for kicks) on the day my period was due (September 4th) & got a faint positive. I repeated the test that night & the next morning just to be sure & got a faint pink line both times. We are going to have another baby! My husband & I have been trying for about 4 months now. We even started to stress a bit that it wasn't happening even though we had sex at all the right times. Gerritt is going to have a little brother or sister! I am definitely pregnant: I am irritable, tired & hungry most of the time. I find if I don't eat every 3-4 hours, I get shaky. I am slightly nauseous when my stomach is empty, however, it is very mild. According to the first day of my last menstrual period, baby's due date is May 12th. Perfect time of year to recover & gather my strength. We are so happy & can't wait to find out little peanut's sex - in December (when I am between 18-20 weeks pregnant).
Yesterday (September 6th) we've added another poodle to our family. We picked him up all the way from Pyallup & named him Spike. He is 6 months old & very playful & energetic. He is black now, but will turn gray with age according to his breeder. While we were driving home with Spike my Mom called us frantically saying that Ardie has escaped. Apparently, she left the front door wide open to get the stroller out & he took off. She tried to catch him outside but he just ran faster since he is afraid of her. She left the baby inside the house & made multiple circles around the church looking for him, all without success. By the time we got home around 2:30 pm, Ardie has been missing for about 3 hours. We were so worried & sad. We just couldn't imagine loosing another dog in less than a month. Upon getting home we immediately went outside to look for Ardie everywhere. After about 30 minutes of looking my husband had a breakthrough when he noticed Ardie sitting low on the ground next to church's fence behind our house. He was scared & trembling. I called his name but he was too shy to come. I was so relieved I bawled my eyes out. It was so great to hold Ardie in my arms again when we were so close to loosing him!

11 months old today!

Gerritt has turned 11 months old today. He is such a big boy now! He is crawling everywhere & trying to stand up while holding on to furniture. He often stands up in his crib while holding on to the bars. We've moved his crib into our bedroom due to my Mom's visit & it is the best alarm clock in the mornings to see Gerritt's head peaking out of the crib & hear him call "Mom! Mom!" I say "Mommy is here. Good morning, baby!" & he smiles broadly. He wants to be picked up immediately & gets upset if I linger in bed.
Gerritt is a great eater. Anything goes... The only time he gets upset if I am not fast enough while getting his food ready or I run out of food before he is full. If one of us is eating something, Gerritt immediately stops whatever he is doing, crawls up, & pulls on one's pants wanting a bite. He is too adorable for words!
Gerritt loves dogs & often attempts to put his head on Dingo's or Ardie's fur or opens his mouth wide to kiss or to taste them (we never find out because we intervene before either one happens).
My Mom has arrived from Russia on Monday night (August 25th) & amazingly enough Gerritt remembered her. She walked into our bedroom to say hello to him when he woke up on Tuesday morning. Gerritt studied my Mom's face looking serious for about 15-20 seconds & then smiled. She picked him up & he didn't cry at all. My Mom fell in love with Gerritt all over again!
Gerritt now shares objects. For example, he grabs the glasses off my nose, then puts them on my husband's face, then back on mine - all while laughing. He loves to be thrown in the air & riding his toy car fast! He is such a busy boy, he gets bored quickly & needs new activities often.
Gerritt is still waking up at least once a night. Usually he just wants reassurance & holding & goes to sleep quickly after I rock him. He doesn't like to fall asleep in my arms anymore or by being left alone in the crib to fuss for a few minutes. He just yells louder & louder. What Gerritt loves instead is laying on his left side & falling asleep while getting a back rub. I just rub his back & back of his head gently & he drifts away after about 5 minutes. If I stop too soon Gerritt whimpers softly so I have to resume the back rubbing until he is fully asleep.
This past Saturday Gerritt used his potty chair for the first time. He went poo-poo while sitting in it right after breakfast. I was so proud of him, I wanted to take the photo of the deed until my husband stopped me. Pee-pees are more difficult to catch, but it is never late to start the potty training.

Ardie

After Charlie's passing both my husband & I took a day off work to grieve his loss. The emptiness & the quiet at home were just unbearable for us so we've decided to look for another poodle. I've read it is a good idea to take some time off & to grieve the loss of one's pet before getting a new one, however, we both needed a dog in our house again to help us heal. My hubby found a website called Ginger's Pet Rescue & we saw a photo of a sad grey miniature poodle Ardith. Ardith was about 4 years old & lived all of his life in a puppy mill. We filled out the application, took the photos of our yard & house, were approved & drove down to Tacoma to Ardie's foster mother to meet him on Monday night. Although Ardie was scared & stiff (he hasn't been picked up or cuddled much), I immediately fell in love with him. He was rescued around August 16th & arrived to Seattle on Saturday evening of August 23rd (around the time Charlie died - coincidence?). After his rescue Ardie was neutured, treated for fleas, had dental work done & received required immunizations as well as groomed (not professionally). We went to the bank & after obtaining money order for $450 drove Ardie home. Luckily we were able to schedule a grooming appointment at Petco on the same day. I just wanted to even out Ardie's coat & clean his ears which were full of wax. We've put Ardie into our bed with us that night. He was obviously not used to it & spent much time sitting & being stiff.
Ardie has been with us for 1 week now & he has certainly improved. After peeing all over Gerritt's toys & pooping in Gerritt's bedroom & our living room, Ardie has been doing his business outside for the past 3 days. He still does not know to relieve himself on the grass & only goes on the concrete. He has mastered the doggie door, however, he doesn't always make the connection to pee/poo outside. I have to watch him closely & when he gets restless & walks around the room in circles or is looking for a spot, I take him outside immediately. We've also been careful to take him outside first thing in the morning, after eating, etc. or at least every 3 hours. Ardie has gotten used to the leash, however, he walks very close to me so I have to be careful not to step on him. He is afraid of cars, he doesn't sniff or look around, he doesn't mark on trees & posts like other dogs & relieves himself only if he really has to go. Ardie weighs only 12 lbs (miniature poodles are usually between 15-17 lbs), he is all skin & bones, & eats like there is no tomorrow. Ardie has never seen a dog toy or bone & he certainly never tasted a chicken jerkey. It took my husband several tries to have him taste it. Ardie does not know how to jump on or off furniture, he has never walked on stairs or been inside a car. I am looking forward to showing him the new & happy dog world. He must have been a very lonely boy because he follows me around everywhere even to the bathroom (he sits on a cold tile floor waiting for me). He gets visibly anxious when we have to separate. I completely understand - I am probably the first person he has ever experienced attachment to. It is difficult to believe people would treat a dog this way - keep a highly social creature who loves companionship in a lonely cage for years. I am so glad Ardie came into our lives & I am sure he's going to be very happy with us. All he needs is time... Once in while there is a glimpse of real Ardie. I've heard him bark a few times (I am so relieved he wasn't "debarked"), seen him rolling on his back on his doggie bed, running around the back yard in circles after his poo-poo & briefly grabbing & shaking Gerritt's squeaky toy. I am looking forward to Ardie's blossoming & I am so privileged to be a part of it!

Goodbye Charlie

Yesterday our beloved dog Charlie was killed by a car right in front of our house. It's 6:30 am & got up to write since I couldn't sleep. I don't know what else to do... I've cried so much my eyes are swollen & I cry every time I wake up. There is a big hole in my heart & I am trying to take it one day at a time. Charlie would have been 4 years old in September. His loss is the most painful experience of my life.
Charlie had his teeth cleaned with 3 being surgically removed due to gingivitis on Friday. He was slightly groggy on Friday afternoon & on Saturday was almost back to normal. I gave him a doggy Ibuprofen in the morning & he was his happy self rolling around in Gerritt's blanket & even trying to chew on his boney. I stocked up on soft dog food since Charlie couldn't have dry food for about 7 days. My husband & Gerritt were in Tacoma during the day on Saturday & when they got back home around 7:30 pm Charlie was so happy they were home & wanted to run outside to greet them. I let Charlie out of the door & then I saw a big dog walking on the opposite side of the street. I thought, "Oh, no!" & yelled, "Charlie! Charlie!" But is was too late. Charlie took off running towards the dog & was hit by a passing car. It happened so fast... We ran towards Charlie laying on the ground as the car drove off. He just layed there motionless. He had a glassy look in his eyes & I knew instantly he was gone. I put my hand on his belly to see if he was breathing & just felt quivering all over his body. I was hoping against hope that he was alive, but at the same time hoping he wasn't because if he was alive he would have been in a horrendous pain. I stood on the street screaming & crying in agony. My husband wrapped Charlie in his doggie bed (the one I hand-made him in Winter of 2006) & took him to the emergency vet who pronounced him dead.
Charlie has always ran after other dogs. He just couldn't help it - cats, dogs, squirrels - anything was a fair chase. He ran to the other side of the street many times before & we've always got lucky except yesterday. I can't believe he is gone forever... The house is so quiet without the sound of his little paws, his favorite spot on the couch is so empty & every time I look at his dog dishes I cry. His loss feels as real & as painful to us as loosing a family member.
Charlie became a member of our family in February of 2006 (our 1st Valentine's Day as a married couple) not long after we bought our first house together. We always knew we wanted to get a dog & my husband saw a perfect opportunity when he read an ad on Craig's list about a 1.5-year toy poodle looking for a new home. He drove to Olympia without ever seeing Charlie's picture to pick him up. When he brought him home, Charlie was a mess - dirty & full of fleas from lack of care. He was so dirty I thought his color was apricot. I vividly remember Charlie's first night at our house. He was scared & shivering. I wrapped him up in a blanket & held him close. When we went to bed that night Charlie walked around our bed whining since he wanted to sleep next to us, however, we didn't allow it. He slept on a doggie bed at the foot of our bed. The next day Charlie got his first grooming session after we had to call numerous places since many of them wouldn't take a dog unless we had proof of the rabbies vaccine. I was pleasantly shocked when I picked Charlie up - he was white! He only weighed 9 lbs & looked malnourished. The first few days at home were rough since I was working & going to graduate school. Charlie was at home by himself. We were afraid he would have an accident, so we put him in a utility room with a doggie gate up. Both days when I returned home I found Charlie sitting on a window sill of our kitchen shivering & whimpering. Apparently he jumped over the doggie gate, jumped up on a small table, then on the kitchen counter & sat on a window sill all day waiting for us to come home. Needless to say, after 2 days we thought the doggie gate was useless & creating more potential harm than good & just left Charlie in the house. I would rush home at lunch to take him out & to check on him. We didn't get the doggie door & fence installed for another couple of weeks. During the following months Charlie blossomed. After trying to have him sleep in his doggie bed over & over Charlie finally warmed his way into our bed permanently. We had 1 week of power struggles: we would put Charlie into his doggie bed, cover him up with a blanket, turn off the lights, then hear him walk around our bed & whimper & eventually jump on top of it. We would put him back into his bed, cover him up, have him jump back on our bed, then repeat x 10. Charlie wanted to be as close to his new family as possible so he kept trying until we gave up.
I remember taking Charlie for a walk outside for the first time. He got used to the leash right away, but was afraid of cars. Every time a car went by, Charlie would jump away. He got used to the cars fast & started to look forward to his walks. All I had to do was say the word "Walk!" & he would jump high in excitement.
Charlie was a special dog. He had many quirky & funny behaviors unique to him:
- He was so attached to me from the start he would wait outside the shower & whimper until I came out. Then he would proceed to lick the water off my feet & legs helping me to get dry. It took about 1.5 years for this behavior to go away. Charlie would still lick my husband after his shower but only because he got a piece of chicken jerky every time. It was funny because Charlie got lazy & would do only a couple of licks - just enough to get the jerky. :-)
- Charlie loved to lick my hands & feet. He just loved us so much it was his way of comforting us & making us feel good. The licking is not for everyone, but I believe it lowered our blood pressures & stress levels considerably.
- He loved to sit behind my back when I was working on a computer. He just wanted to be close at all times.
- Charlie loved walks outside & especially finding pine cones. He would see one laying on the ground & chase after it. Sometimes he would carry a pine cone in his mouth all the way home wanting to bring it inside.
- He loved chasing cats, other dogs & squirrels. All I had to do was to point & say "Charlie, where is the kitty? or "Where is the squirrel? Go find it!" to send him chasing around the bushes & trees. He didn't know his small size & would take running after big dogs. He came on strong, but all he wanted to do was to exchange a few sniffs.
- Charlie loved sleeping with us & especially between us & underneath the covers. It didn't matter how many times we moved him to our feet or to the side, when we woke up he was always between us. Sometimes he made a letter "H" (no wonder we ran out of room!) & others he would be sleeping on his back with his paws up in the air. It always made us laugh to see his back legs sticking out from underneath the covers. Charlie was a big snuggle bunny & stayed in bed as long as I was there even if it meant sleeping until noon.
- He loved playing with his toys. He would chase anything we would throw, however, he wasn't good at retrieving. He would run after the toy down the hall & then disappear into baby's room to chew on it without being interrupted.
- Charlie knew many simple words especially "Mommy" & "Daddy". All I had to do was to say "Charlie, Daddy is home!" & he would run barking to the window to check if it was true then to the door to run & greet him outside. Or if we saw another dog walking outside we would say "Rufff!" & Charlie would run to the window barking. If we said the word "Jerkey!" he would freeze temporarily (almost in disbelief he heard it right) & then make a mad dash to the kitchen to get the treat.
- He loved many of Mommy's favorite foods including cottage cheese, yogurt, salmon, fruits & vegetables (especially raw carrots). Charlie was a great beggar & I would often find his nose an inch away from my plate when eating in the armchair in the living room.
- Charlie loved going places with us, but unfortunately, he wasn't a good car rider. He would get car sick after being in a car 25-30 minutes. Poor thing, he just hated being inside his kennel throwing up.
- He was very affectionate & would often lick our faces especially after a prolonged absence. He was so loyal that he would sit on top of the armchair & wait for us while looking out of the living room window for hours on end. He never ate or went outside to go potty while we were gone.
Charlie brought so much joy to our lives & taught us about unconditional love. The world was so much brighter when he was around. No matter what happened during the day his happy smiling face would always cheer us up. Charlie has been with us through many of life's milestones including Gerritt's conception (yep, he was there on our bed), my water breaking & early labor (he was sleeping next to me when I was listening to my hypnobirthing CD during contractions) & Gerritt's first 10 months of life. From the time we brought Charlie to our home, we've rarely been separated. When I came home from the hospital after delivering Gerritt Charlie hasn't seen me for 3.5 days & was so happy to get me back. He was jumping up & down & squealing with excitement. I will always remember when I was learning to breastfeed Gerritt or had him sleeping in my arms, Charlie was so desperate to be close to Mommy he would jump up & lay on the buppy pillow, so I had Gerritt on one side & Charlie on the other.
Charlie's untimely passing reminded us not to take our loved ones for granted & to cherish every day together because you never know when you may lose them. He will be missed greatly...

Nice recovery

After his illness with Roseola Gerritt didn't drink or eat much for about a week. He drank about 2-4 oz about 3 times a day. I even took him to his pediatrician since I was worried he wasn't getting enough nutrition & liquids. His diapers were pretty dry. I would change him about 3 times a day & they were barely full. The pediatrician recommended watery fruits (e.g., watermelon) and trying various ways to get liquids (a regular cup, a sippy cup, bottle caps, a cup with a straw, whatever I could think of). She said Gerritt was probably traumatized by forced feedings during his illness & it may take a little bit of time for him to go back to his normal schedule. Sure enough, after that worrisome week Gerritt started eating & drinking well again.
He turned 10 months on August 1st & the big change this month has been his crawling. He doesn't just scoot around in circles while sitting on his bottom any more, he is really crawling on his hands & knees alternating both arms & legs. He started doing it last week & perfected the technique this week. I just look at him in amazement. I still remember propping him with pillows for sitting not so long ago... Our house is a lot more messy now since Gerritt crawls up to all of the cabinets & opens doors taking everything interesting out. On Tuesday he emptied the dog water bowl 4 times - I was laughing too hard to get upset. He also got a taste of Charlie's doggie food. I had to pull the dog food out of his mouth due to the risk of choking, which he didn't like. Too funny! Gerritt follows me around now to the kitchen, computer room & bathroom, he just wants to see what I am up to. He is getting better at standing for short periods of time. His knees used to buckle after standing just for a few seconds; now he can stand up to a minute at a time with my support.
Gerritt is a really good eater. I feed him pureed vegetables, fruits, meats & yogurt. He loves to feed himself! His favorite snack is puffs (they melt in his mouth). Once I put him into his high chair & he knows he's going to be fed he can be pretty impatient licking his lips & crying. So the puffs buy me some time while I get his food ready.
I am still his favorite person in the world, which can be tiring sometimes. However, I wouldn't change it for anything. When he puts his arms out for me to pick him up, laughs at my jokes, or smiles broadly & kicks his legs from excitement when seeing me at the babysitter's - I just melt.
Gerritt has adjusted to his new daycare well. He doesn't cry anymore when I leave him to go to work. He still clings to me & hugs me tight when I am about to drop him off, but at least no loud crying. He just looks sad, the corners of his mouth go down & his chin quivers. :-( I can tell he really likes it though because when I pick him up he acts like he had so much fun. One time I came & he was riding the plastic tricycle & laughing. When we leave other children usually wave bye-bye to Gerritt & he loves all of the attention. He is the youngest one there. I definitely think it is good for him to be around older children. He is more motivated now to crawl & walk. Gerritt had so much fun riding the bike at his daycare, Shon & I went to a garage sale a couple of weeks ago & got him a similar one. Now Gerritt rides it daily. He sits on a bike with our support & rides down the hall & back laughing because we push it fast saying "Wheee!".
My job at Planned Parenthood is going well. I am working 3 days a week (Monday, Wednesday & Thursday). When I started I wasn't sure I liked being a Nurse Practitioner, however, it's slowly growing on me. It helps that I quit my per diem nursing job at the UW last month (I was working one 8- or 12-hour shift almost every weekend) and my schedule at the clinic was lightened after I almost quit. In fact, I am thinking of going back to school to become certified as a Women's Health NP. After my certification I would be able to provide care to healthy pregnant women. My dream job would be working in an infertility clinic. Planned Parenthood is great but I really miss doing primary care.
On Monday (August 25th) my Mom is arriving from Russia for another 1.5-month stay. I can't wait to show off Gerritt to her. Last time she's seen him he was not even sitting on his own yet & he was Mr. Baldy (the black hair he was born with fell out & the new hair has barely grown in). Just 3 more days! I will be taking Gerritt to Marina's again on Friday so I can clean the house & get everything organized.

The virus has a name!

Well, I've diagnosed Gerritt's viral illness today. I was changing his outfit before bedtime & noticed a red rash covering his chest, tummy, back & neck. It wasn't there yesterday. He has Roseola! Yes, the symptoms fit exactly:

- Most common between 9-12 months (it's most common cause of fever in this age group)
- The virus causes 3-7 days of high fever (often > 103). Some kids get runny nose, cough, ear pain, vomiting or diarrhea
- The fever ends abruptly (yes, Gerritt's temperature was back to normal on Tuesday morning)
- A flat or bumpy red rash appears AFTER the fever breaks
- The characteristic of Roseola is that infants don't seem very sick & act almost well when the high fever comes down
- The incubation period is about 10 days

Roseola is caused by the human herpesvirus type 6 or 7. The treatment is mostly supportive: treating the high fever & preventing dehydration.
Now when I think back I am pretty sure Gerritt caught the virus at the Gymboree class. I remember seeing a little crawling girl when we were there. She was drooling all over the place & I was thinking about her saliva being picked up by other playing kids. It makes sense: we went to the Gymboree class on July 15th & Gerritt got a sudden high fever on July 26th (11 days later). No more Gymboree classes for us, thank you. I will have to keep Gerritt away from all of the big stuffed animals in the malls too. There are probably over a hundred kids playing with those toys daily & I can only speculate at the number of pathogens being passed around.
Gerritt's appetite is still not back to normal. It took me about 45 minutes to feed him 4 oz of formula before bedtime today. However, something new happened as well. In my quest to increase Gerritt's hydration I gave him a sippy cup with some diluted apple juice in it. He held the cup with both hands & took 4 real sips from it by tipping it upward. I was amazed!
Another crisis averted...

Tough 3 days

We've had rough 3 days... On Saturday afternoon Gerritt woke up from his nap feeling really hot. His face was flushed & he was very fussy. He didn't sleep well on Saturday night waking up multiple times. He threw up twice that night & early on Sunday morning right after eating. I was exhausted after tending to Gerritt all night, so my husband took him to visit his Korean grandmother while I rested during the day on Sunday. Gerritt was not himself during the day on Sunday, eating very little - some solids & only 5 oz. of formula while at his grandmother's from 8 am till 4:30 pm. He slept ok that night waking up only once to eat (about 1.5-2 oz. of formula) after being given both Tylenol & Ibuprofen. On Monday morning I went to work & Gerritt went to his daycare at Marina's. He wasn't lively & didn't play much during the day. Again he ate only about 5 oz for the whole 9 hours there. This whole time I was assuming Gerritt was teething again since he didn't want to put anything into his mouth & would point his little finger to his lower gum occasionally. When Gerritt was still refusing to eat (no eating or drinking from about 3 pm on Monday until 6 am on Tuesday) & his fever reached 101.7 F on Monday evening I started to suspect something viral going on. According to the sources I've checked it's normal to have a mild fever when teething, however, it usually does not rise above 101 F. Gerritt was definitely sicker than could be attributed to teething alone. Gerritt didn't wake up to eat during the night on Monday & his diapers were barely soaked. I started to really be concerned about dehydration. I woke Gerritt up on Tuesday morning & all he wanted to do was to go back to sleep, so I've made a decision to force-feed him a solution of half apple juice/half water. He didn't like it at all crying & resisting loudly & pushing my hands away. After giving Gerritt about 3 oz of juice & putting him back to sleep without any resistance I called the Microsoft 24-hour Health Line to speak with the Registered Nurse on call. I was so worried about Gerritt I've started to sob. She suggested I have a house visit from a doctor through the program sponsored by Microsoft. When I spoke to the doctor on the phone he suggested I take Gerritt to the Children's Hospital ER for possible IV rehydration. I've decided to try to rehydrate Gerritt at home using a little tube & a syringe left over from my breastfeeding days. I slipped a tube into his mouth & slowly pushed water giving him additional 2 oz. Right after that Gerritt had a large liquid foul-smelling bowel movement. By about 9 am his fever had resolved on its own (no Tylenol or Ibuprofen since 9pm last night) & at 10 am he ate 2.5 oz of formula from a bottle. Once his fever subsided & he started eating again I was so relieved. I knew he was out of the woods. Gerritt & I slept from 10 am until 1 pm & he ate another 1.75 oz of formula upon waking up. He was talking, laughing & wanting to play again. My little boy was coming back! I am so happy we didn't have to go to the ER & have Gerritt pocked & prodded. I am definitely convinced that Gerritt picked up a virus from one of the kids at his new daycare. There are 5-7 kids there at any given day, so he was bound to catch something. This illness wasn't as worrysome as the flu Gerritt had last winter, but it was sure close. I am thankful the virus was short-lived this time.

First bye-bye

Yesterday (July 21st) Gerritt spent another day at Marina's daycare. He slept & ate well & really enjoyed being around other children. When I came back to pick him up he started crying the minute he saw me. He often does this because he is so happy I am back. He calms down & even smiles as soon as I hold him. I had a big shock as Gerritt waved bye-bye to the other 2 children as we were leaving. He did it again on Tuesday morning as my husband was leaving for work. I couldn't believe it! He is so smart!
We all went to a yearly event - Microsoft picnic - on Sunday. Gerritt behaved really well the whole time even though he missed his morning & afternoon naps (he slept in the car a little but I am not sure that counts). We brought our 3-wheeled runner with us. It sure came handy as we were navigating all of the attractions. There were animal petting zoo, a pony ride, a train ride, water baloon fights & so many other fun activities. It's going to be at least another 1-2 years before Gerritt would be able to enjoy any of them. We still had fun just walking around.
Gerritt is now scooting around so much better. Once in a while he'll crawl. He says "mama" (mom), "bebe" (baby), "dada" (dad) & "baba" (doggie or sobaka in Russian). He loves to squeal with excitement especially when my husband puts him on his chest or elevates him onto his legs while laying on the floor to play "airplane."
Today we did some grocery shopping at PCC Natural Market and then visited my old professors at the University of Washington's School of Nursing. 3 of them happened to be there & they have enjoyed meeting Gerritt. I was about 5 months pregnant when I graduated with my Master of Nursing degree so they got to see the end result so to speak. The director of my program was even sweet enough to give Gerritt a touch-and-feel book, a cute outfit and a puzzle. Gerritt had his 1st taste of ice cream while at shopping at PCC. I was eating an ice cream sample when I saw another mother feeding it to her baby (8 or 9-month old). The baby was so excited, he was trying to grab the spoon & if the mother was too slow with the next bite he protested loudly. I just took one look at Gerritt & decided he should have an ice cream tasting as well. Needless to say, a minute later he was the one grabbing my spoon & wanting more. :-)

First professional photos

Today Gerritt had his first professional photo shoot. He did pretty well although he didn't smile as much as I wanted him to. The photo place's policy was to stay within the arm's reach of the child at all times, so I couldn't face Gerritt & make smiley faces & loud noises. The girl taking pictures did just that AND tickling Gerritt with a feather - all to no avail. He had a half-smile or a serious look during the whole photo session. All in all I am happy with the result. It should only improve from here. I am planning to take another set of photos around Gerritt's 1st birthday.
After posing for the photos, Gerritt had his 9-month check-up at his new doctor's office. He now weighs 23 lbs 8 oz (80th percentile) and is 31 inches tall (> 95th percentile). It looks like he is tall for his age, however, his weight gain is slowing down. Gerritt got his first Polio vaccination & stayed pretty calm throughout the visit chewing on the doctor's stethoscope. Next check up is around his first birthday!
Yesterday Gerritt spent his first day at his new daycare center. I got tired of hearing "he slept all day" or "he wasn't hungry & ate only 1 bottle" from Anna, so I've decided to transfer him to a new caregiver starting this week. Shon & I have visited the daycare last Friday & met with Marina & her husband who run it. We were pretty impressed. There are about 6-7 kids at any given day ranging from 2 to 13 years old, so Gerritt would get a lot more interaction & learn social skills. All of the kids are on the schedule. There are meal times, nap time, music hour, story time, & outdoor fun. Marina & her family have moved to the US from Ukraine 2 years ago, so Gerritt would hear only Russian when he is with her. I dropped him off at 8:30 am & picked him up at 5:30 pm. He did really well for his first day there. He ate & slept well & even played with another little boy. Marina said he cried every time he heard the door bell ring. I guess he thought I came back. :-(
On Tuesday I took Gerritt to a 30-minute Gymboree class for babies. There were 2 other babies there & he really enjoyed trying to catch soap bubbles, singing songs, playing baby football & other fun games. I think I will take him there again one of these days.