Itchin' and a Scratchin'

The weather has been wonderful lately and the kids have LOVED playing outside.  Unfortunately the insects outside have LOVED Colin. :(  Last week he had been hiding in the bushes in the yard and came inside with multiple bug bites on his arms and legs (picture 1).  After using one of Chris' derm creams and giving him some Benedryl that night, he looked pretty good the next morning.  Fast forward five days...we played outside with some neighborhood and ward friends for visiting teaching on Monday morning.  Colin had his afternoon nap and by the evening had many new bites/spots on his body.  Had he been bitten by something again?  Was it outside?  Did he have something in his bed?  Spots kept appearing all over his body!!  I vacuumed and cleaned his crib and room like crazy and put him to bed again that night with Benedryl and itching cream.  All good right?...WRONG!  He woke up crying the next morning (which is unusual for him) and he was COVERED in red, swollen, and very itchy spots!!  There is no better way to describe my reaction except, I FREAKED OUT!! I called and woke up Chris in Seattle and sent him a picture from my phone (picture 2).  Chris gave me the name of a Dermatologist to call and go see ASAP!! The doctor's office fit us into their schedule that morning and I anxiously waited to hear what the doctor would say. (picture 3...Colin and Lindsie waiting to see the doctor)  The doctor walked into the room, took one look at Colin and said to his assistant..."Yep, it's Urticaria."   The following is from the internet.  It's a much better description than I can give. :)
Urticaria is the medical term for hives. Hives are raised areas of the skin that itch intensely and are red with a pale center. Hives develop when there is a reaction that activates immune cells in the skin, called mast cells. When activated, these cells release natural chemicals. One important chemical is histamine, which causes itching, redness, and swelling of the skin in an area: a hive. 

So, after lots of questions from the Dr about Colin's behavior and general health we came to the conclusion that the hives must be a reaction to his series of bug bites?  I was warned that it would get worse before it got better, and take possibly a week or more to clear up.  :(  Poor kid!  He takes children's Zyrtec every morning and then Benedryl every 4 hours, as well as a steroid cream on his hives twice a day.  Today is day 4 and he is still our little "polka dot boy".  Spots that were there yesterday have disappeared and new spots have appeared in areas that were once clear.  Despite all the medicine and crazy itching, Colin has been a trooper!  He still wants to be outside to play, but knows now NOT to play in the bushes!!  I COVER him in bug spray and have bought a fogger to spray the yard (crazy I know, but hoping it helps even just a little).  

Picture 1: bites (or hives?) last Wednesday Sept 14th

Picture 2: Morning of Sept 20th...calling this day 2.

Picture 3: Doctor's office

Post Doctor's office purchases

Lunchtime, day 2 and beginning new medicine regimen.

Day 3: New spots all over his face and arms  :(

Day 4: today

He has itched and scratched so much in some places that he makes himself bleed and on his lower back the hives have become a large red mass. :(  I hope this starts to clear up soon.  I hate to have him in such discomfort and in a "fog" from all the medicine.  We'll keep you posted...

Two

Colin turned two in July!  We celebrated his special day all weekend long and he loved being the birthday boy!!  I think we ate cupcakes and blew out candles at least three times over the weekend...including on the beach while boating.  :)  His birthday gifts were ALL Boy!! (trucks, tools and things that move) He was more than thrilled with EVERYTHING he got!

My favorite part of his birthday was hearing him sing the happy birthday song.  SO adorable!!

Colin's two year stats...
Height   35"     66%
Weight  26#4oz     38%
The doctors description of Colin..."tall and skinny."  Well, I agreed with the skinny.  The kid is definitely skin and bones...but tall?  He only seems tall when he stands next to my nephew Carter, so I was really surprised.  :)
We absolutely LOVE this TWO year old!  He is such a joy to be around and is a very happy boy!!

20 months

Colin is now 20 months old....the same age Lindsie was when he was born.  This is so crazy to me!  I can't believe she was such a baby and yet I needed her to act and be such a BIG girl!  Many times I feel so bad for forcing her to grow up so quickly during that time.  Yet, it was necessary for my survival and sanity with 2 babies to take care of!!  I am grateful to have experienced that time in my life and the lives of my kids, but hope none of them will need therapy for it in the future. :)
At his 18 month check up Colin was 32.5" tall (54%), and weighed 24 pounds (23%).  He is such a BOY! He loves balls, trucks and cars, and all the noises that go with them.  It is amazing how he just "knew"to love these things despite all the princess, barbie, and girly things that were around him.  :)  Colin is growing up so quickly, yet will always be my baby.  He can say quite a few words and loves to make lots of sounds and noises.  He loves dancing with the girls, especially to "The Time" by The Black Eyed Peas.  It is hilarious and darling too!

On the Hogle Zoo train with Daddy

Saying "cheese" while waiting to see Whitney dance

Crazy BOY!!!

Happy Birthday!!

What a difference a year makes!  I am amazed at how much babies grow, change and learn in their first year.  It seems like only yesterday when Colin was so small and peaceful like this...

And now today...active, vocal, and only still when he's sleeping. :)

We decided last minute on Sunday to have a "party" and cupcakes for Colin's birthday.  The girls were very excited to celebrate and give him presents.  He loved his car, firetruck tent, trucks and train! (and so do the girls :D)  He enjoyed eating his cupcake...and making a mess.  Harley enjoyed all the cake on the floor too!

Colin is such a sweet and happy kid...We just love him to pieces! Happy Birthday Baby Boy!  I look forward to watching you learn and grow. xoxo, mommy

His 1yr well check is later this week.  Stats and Dr's report to come later...

UPDATE

**July 16th 1 year stats...

Height 30"   57%

Weight 22 lbs 6 oz   43%

Colin: 9 months

I can't believe my baby boy is 9 months old! He is growing up so fast and reaching many new milestones. He now has four teeth, is "army" crawling EVERYWHERE, loves to stand up with help, and is such a happy and care free little kid (as long as he's not tired or hungry). Now if I could just get him to sleep through the night!!  :D
Here are his stats from his Dr visit today...

Height: 28".....40%
Weight: 19.8 lbs.....32%
Head size.....43%

The best part of our doctor visit...NO SHOTS! Yeah! All caught up on his immunizations! Lindsie was thrilled (she hates that part), but LOVES to have Colin's sucker when we're done. :)

 

Milestones

This is just a quick post to help me keep track of Colin's milestones until I actually have time to scrapbook. (As if that will ever happen!!)  Early February he was sitting up with help...

By Valentine's Day he could sit on his own for a short time before falling over...

Now today, he can sit on his own for quite awhile and is even doing the "army crawl" across the room to get things that are NOT his. 

We had a good laugh watching him "grunt" his way across the family room toward Lindsie's baby stroller.  Guess all this movement means that it's time to put up all the gates too?  He is growing SO fast and we are enjoying all his BIG accomplishments! 

Colin 6 Month's

Colin turned 6 month's old in January.  He is such a fun and happy little kid...smiling all the time!  He learned to roll over both directions at Christmas time and is now eating baby food.  Aside from a few minor issues with his sleeping and eating habits, he is a GOOD baby.  Most importantly, he is HEALTHY and such a blessing to our family.  Here are his 6 month stats...
Height:  26.5 inches.....48%
Weight:  16 pounds 1 ounce.....20%
Head Size:  17 inches.....30%

4 months

Yep, time is flying by...Colin is 4 months!  He is such a cute little stinker!  He's finally learning to like laying on his back to play with his toys, enjoys sitting in the Bumbo to watch both his sisters play, and he sucks on his fingers and hands till they are slobbery and sometimes raw. 
Today we tackled Colin's 4 month check up with Lindsie's 2 year.  Yikes!  Makes me tired again just thinking about it.  :)  Luckily my Mom agreed to come with me to help...things could have been a whole lot crazier!  Thanks Mom! 

Here are Colin's stats for 4 months...
Height 25 inches.....54%
Weight 13 lbs 9 oz.....23%
Head size 16 ".....16%

Lil' Rock Star

Whitney loves playing photographer and posing Colin for pictures

Tongue Tied

About 4 or 5 weeks ago I noticed that Colin could not stick out his tongue or move it very well.  Chris and I talked about it and decided that I should mention it to the doctor at his 4 month check up.  Well, I couldn't wait that long.  It was driving me crazy!  I felt frustrated for the poor kid.  He was tongue tied!  All sorts of thoughts went through my head about him not learning to talk and speak correctly, lick an ice cream cone, etc.  Was this the reason that he wouldn't suck a binki well or sleep through the night???  I started researching on the internet and found this definition and picture.  "The medical term for the condition known as tongue-tie is "ankyloglossia". It results when the frenulum (the band of tissue that connects the bottom of the tongue to the floor of the mouth) is too short and tight, causing the movement of the tongue to be restricted."

"To tell if your baby is tongue-tied, look at him and stick out your tongue. Even tiny babies will imitate you. If he is unable to extend his tongue fully, or if it has a heart shaped appearance on the tip, then you should have him evaluated by his doctor."
This totally described Colin's tongue!!  I called his pediatrician the next day and they referred me to an ENT. 
At the appointment (Oct 14th) the doctor began the visit by explaining the condition to me and telling me that most of the time nothing needs to be done.  He said he usually gives parents the option to clip the frenulum or to leave it and see if it will correct itself over time.  After taking a look at Colin's tongue, he said it was attached at the very end of his tongue and that the frenulum was quite thick.  No choice necessary...it needed to be clipped!!  The doctor made the comment that he had not seen a tongue this attached in a long time and that he was surprised he was latching on to nurse as well as he had been.  I was surprised as well, especially with all that I had read online about tongue tied babies and all their troubles with nursing. 

So, after a quick clip with the scissors (and lots of bleeding and crying) Colin's tongue was free.  The doctor had me apply some pressure for a few minutes and then left the room so that I could nurse him to clot the bleeding and calm him down.  The doctor checked it again one last time before we left to make sure it looked good and gave me instructions on what to watch for during the healing process. 

Wow! Mouth sores heal fast! It looked like this for 2-3 days and then totally normal. 

His tongue is free!!  But, it will take him some time to learn how to use it and stick it out. :) 

It's now a little more than a week later...he is sucking his binki MUCH better (we don't have to hold it in anymore), he is moving his tongue around and smiling like crazy, and I can definately tell a difference in his latching on and nursing abilities.  Wish we would have discovered it earlier, but still...Life is good!! :)

Colin with his "My Mom ROCKS" binki

Colin's Blessing

I know I'm almost 3 weeks late, but I'm finally finding time to post about Colin's blessing. 
Colin Christopher Fry was blessed on Sunday, September 27th, 2009 by his dad.  Chris did a wonderful job and I was so happy that Colin didn't cry during the blessing.  The chapel and both overflows were full...not for us...but because we also got a new bishopric that day.  We did however have lots of family and friends there to support Colin, and then we had everyone over to our house for lunch.  A big THANKS to everyone for being there and for your contributions to our yummy lunch!  Love you all...
Here are some pictures from that day, plus some I had taken of Colin and the girls too in their white dresses.  Never again will I have a child baptized and one blessed in the same year, so I just had to document it with pictures. 

Thanks to Heather Allen for the beautiful photos. http://www.heatherallenphotography.com/