Straight Leg

We've moved into our new place, just emptying boxes now. It will take a couple weeks to be able to re-learn everything, like where the plates or glasses are now. But we have more room, and hopefully we won't feel the urgent need to FILL those spaces too quickly.

Our son seems to have gone through the transition pretty smoothly. He's finally over his cold and latest ear infection, and it has brought out more of his personality (just as I had hoped). He loves laughing at funny noises and has started to mimic our silly mouth sounds, like the "raspberry." It makes him spit and drool everywhere, but it's a riot to see/hear.

Also, lately he has even started sleeping better, maybe from finally being over all that sickness. Instead of waking up four or more times after putting him down around 7PM, last night he only woke three times. Doesn't sound like a big deal, but it's far better than him waking every hour after midnight like he has done in the past. He's beginning to eat more, which also could be attributed to him sleeping better. Where we used to give him four ounces at a time, we now start with at least five ounces in the bottle. He might not finish the entire bottle every time but at the end of the day he's still taking in more altogether.

Saturday night, however, our son started really screaming in pain when he was put down on his back, and he stopped kicking or grabbing his left leg/foot. We were at a loss trying to figure out what could be the cause. We had a babysitter over that day, a young girl that was recommended to us, and he was fussy most of the day with her, too, but not screaming in agony at any time. He did fall asleep that night but woke up often and uncomfortable. We were sure his leg could be fractured or his something happened to his hip. He could move the leg and his foot, so I didn't think that was the issue. But I felt his quad muscle, however, and it was really tight/hard compared to the other leg's muscle.

The next day he still wouldn't bend the leg even though he wasn't crying when laid down. My wife decided to take him to Urgent Care at a local hospital and find out what was the matter. The helpful pediatrician there felt the problem could be a fractured femur or a sterile abscess. Earlier in the week he had gotten four shots of vaccinations (two in each leg) at his four-month doctor visit, one of which may have caused the abscess. At that time my wife decided against X-rays because of the risk of radiation to our son's testes, so no more definitive answers could be given.

On Monday my wife took the boy to our regular pediatrician and he recommended the X-ray to be sure what was going on. My wife did allow it, as the doctor said X-rays aren't as harsh as they used to be and his "daddy sac" would be covered (see photo). The doctor analyzed the pictures and deduced it was not a fracture, thankfully, nor any other bone separation. It was figured that one of the shots given had nicked a blood vessel causing some internal bleeding that feels like a deep tissue bruise. He should hopefully be over it in a few days...

A couple days later and he still won't bend his left leg at the knee, keeping it stiff when we try to bend it for him. He doesn't seem to mind weight on the leg, like when we hold him standing up, but he still won't kick the it like he usually enjoys. Some ice and perhaps massage should help out. In any case, he isn't too upset about it anymore, and has been a pleasure lately, making us laugh and smile even more than we do to him. Hopefully soon we will get a few days with him being "normal" (no illness or injury), if that even exists.

More of the Same

The past several weeks have been a test in same-ness, at least when it comes to the well-being of our son (and us). Last week he was diagnosed with his THIRD ear infection, riding fast on the heels of a very snotty cold (which he lent to me for a week). He has received antibiotic shots and grape-flavored medicine to relieve the ear infections, but it just keeps recurring. He has had some sort of sickness for the past six weeks, though the past couple of days have shown some improvement. We go in today for his four-month check up with the pediatrician, and I'm hoping he has some decent news on the state of our kid's health.

Besides the stop/start sleeping, the unwillingness to eat and some crabbiness, our son has a pretty good demeanor and has shown he is putting up either a good front or he's giving it the good fight. Most times during the day he is quick to smile and the past few days has gotten his laugh back (he had sore throats that seemed to have made him clam up -- and not eat). He loves silly sounds and laughs easily to them. He's also gotten really good at reaching for things, including his feet which he can limberly put into his mouth (drives me nuts...). Drooling is non-stop now, as well as sucking on his fingers/hands, as well as the aforementioned feet.

What I'm trying to say is, "I wonder what his personality would really be like if he wasn't sick for so long." Would he sleep better? Would he be even more developed than he already appears to be? There have been times during the past one-plus months that were very frustrating because I knew the situation probably would be different had he not been ill. I am really looking forward to enjoy the "real" him when finally/hopefully gets over these ailments.

As much as I'd like to see it differently, we are blaming his entry into daycare for the sicknesses. Almost immediately after starting the daycare, even part-time, did he start feeling the effects of being around about a dozen kids. We've witnessed more than a few runny noses in the place, which obviously leads to being contagious. This could have happened anywhere, but we (as new parents) are a bit paranoid that the day care might not be as hygenic as it could/should be. We even have taken steps to get on a waiting list or two at other facilities, mainly because they appear cleaner (among other things).

To add to our "misery" we are also moving out of our apartment into a duplex, which will afford us more space and other perks (in-home washer/dryer, garage, lots more storage). Plus, at the end of the month we travel back East to visit my family. We have been thinking of doing some "Ferber-izing" with our son to get him to sleep longer, but the move and travel may put that goal off a few weeks.

Suffice it to say, it has been a long few weeks. The wife started work full-time last week, too, and likes to get home early to be with the boy. That is nice but because of that she often has to do some work after he goes to bed. Apparently this is life... I'm not complaining, seriously, but I am still waiting for all those "rewards" I heard that come with having a child. I admit I am easily won over by my son's smile, even when he breaks it out while in his crib when he should be sleeping. Again, I am very excited to meet my real son when he gets over his illnesses and finally reap those rewards!