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.

Growing up fast!

On July 1st Gerritt had his first taste of meat. I ground up some cooked organic beef for him. He threw up after his 2nd bite - too dry, so I learned to mix the meat with pureed veggies.
We visited Chelan this past weekend. We left on Friday afternoon & returned on Sunday mid-day. Gerritt did better on this trip than the last time, however, it wasn't great. He refused to take naps again or napped for only 30 minutes at a time. It was like as he was afraid of being left alone in an unfamiliar place. It took over an hour to put him to bed at night & he fell asleep at 10:30 or 11 pm instead of his usual 8 or 8:30 pm. He didn't eat well either. It wasn't much of a vacation for us (it's almost impossible when baby comes along), but it was nice to see Chris & Gerry & Katie & Ed who happened to be visiting.
Yesterday (July 13th), Gerritt slept on his tummy for the first time. We got back from Wenatchee around 1:30 pm. Gerritt was so tired that he passed out (as we call it) from 5:30 pm until 8 pm. Then he watched the Miss Universe with us for a little bit & then fell asleep again at 10:30 pm. He was one tired baby! He so mobile now that he never stays in the same position I leave him in. He usually moves around all over the crib: side to side, on back, on the tummy, sitting up. He just happened to be on his tummy when the sleep set in. Too cute!
Last Friday morning we all went shopping at Ikea. We bought wooden ring tower, wooden puzzle box & abacus for Gerritt. These toys are probably for older children, however, I couldn't help myself. The Ikea trip was fun. We got a lot of ideas on decorating our home & had lunch (the Swedish meatballs with lingonberry sauce are my favorites!).
For the past week Gerritt has been insisting on sleeping while sitting up. He bends at the waist, lays his head at his feet & sleeps. I've tried to put him on his back, side or tummy multiple times, however, each time I do that he wakes up & goes back to his now favorite position. Gerritt is also starting to crawl. He rocks back & forth while being positioned on both knees & hands. It's not a true crawl yet, more likely he scoots. He will see an interesting object, lie down on his tummy to reach it, then roll onto his back & sit up. He has been doing the same move sequence over & over. So funny to watch!

9 months old today!

Another month has gone by... Gerritt is 9 months old today! My biggest task now is to plan his meals. At 9 months of age he can eat lamb, veal, tofu, beans, cheese, egg yolk, and poultry. I need to do some grocery shopping, fast!
The most delightful change over the past week has been Gerritt's ability to say "mama." Ever since learning the word, he has been saying it frequently, especially when he wants me near him. I just hear "ma-ma-ma-ma-mammmm." When I come, Gerritt smiles. Must feel good to be able to communicate & influence your environment even a little.
Today he did something new again. I put him down into his crib for a morning nap at 10 am. He fussed for a few minutes as usual, then everything went quiet. I was assuming he was sleeping. When I checked on him 15 minutes later, he WAS sleeping, however, not on his back. He fell asleep while sitting, with his face burried in a blanket covering his feet. So funny! I gently lowered him onto his back.
Gerritt now gives really great hugs. He leans into you & molds to your body. It feels great! He does a lot of hugging when he really missed me (like when I pick him up from his babysitter). :-) Gerritt doesn't really like to play with his toys as much as he likes to play with household items - plastic containers, cups, spoons, cereal container, paper - anything goes. We might as well save money & not buy him any more toys since he gets bored of them quickly.
Thanksfully, we've survived the heat wave we've had in Seattle for the past 3 days. It is sure great to have an air conditioner! Gerritt was sleeping only in his onesie. We've put the AC in his bedroom, so my husband & I had to suffice with blowing fans.
My Mom is planning to visit us from Russia again at the end of August, so we've been busy planning a get-away trip for ourselves. We are thinking of visiting San Francisco for a week while Gerritt stays home with my Mom. It is going to be our first real get-away since Gerritt's birth. We are sure ready to recharge!