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.