18 Month Update

I don't think he likes swinging.

Nope.  Not at all.

It has been awhile since a true update on the Wee T's eating and milestones.  No time like the present.

Following a rather long hiatus, T2 is back at Kids At Play Therapy with Amanda.  He seems to have plateaued on his eating and gross motor skills, so we do not want to lose any more time.  The good news is, he already seems to be back on the improvement trajectory.  He is taking more volume by mouth, translating to more calories of course.  Still, he takes such a small amount when compared to the goal of 1000 cals/day. On a great day, he probably still only eats somewhere around 400 calories.    

FAVORITE EATS

YoBaby Peach Yogurt

Cheese...the sharper the better!  

Veggie Pirate Booty...Aaarrrrr!!!

Goldfish

Teddy Grahams

Graham Crackers

Blueberries

Pineapple

Peaches

There is a definite lack of meat and veggies.  He'll eat small amounts of peas and seems to like all meats...for about a day.  Then he will chew them up really well and cough the chewed up wad out...often right at mommy.  We aren't really sure why he does this.  Frustrating really.  

Major skill we are focusing on right now is biting pieces off the whole item, and, though I cringe to say this, chewing with his mouth OPEN!  Crazy.  He still tries to dissolve a lot of foods rather than using all those chompers he has.  I mean, you did see that mouth full of teeth in the picture above right?

Our biggest obstacle between now and the day we stop using that tube is Tiernan's aversion to drinking anything but water.  He does water like a champ.  But what kind of crazy kid refuses any and all juices?!  Even more than juice, I want him to drink milk.  Whole milk.  We are working with him on this using a special little cup.  

We can get him to drink milk from this if using Teddy Grahams as a bribe.  But that little cup only holds 3 Tablespoons.  So that isn't a huge coup so to speak.  Still, it is better than where we were prior to using this cup so, as Dori says, "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming...."

Once he is drinking his calories with milk, we can begin to move away from the tube feeds.  

SPEAKING OF TUBE FEEDS

The tube really doesn't interrupt everyday life too much these days.  He still has his bolus feeds four times per day following each major feeding.  Other than that, he has continuous feeds from 10pm to 2am and then just water until 6am to keep him hydrated.  So thankfully, we do not have to put the backpack on him at all anymore and only have the iv pole in his bedroom overnight.  Significantly improved lifestyle!

COMMUNICATION

Tiernan is 18 months (as of the 19th) and still does not speak.  While I am not overly concerned about this, his primary care physician, Dr. Hernandez, has been since around month 14.  And now Amanda (OT) is concerned enough that we have him scheduled for a hearing test tomorrow.  Now, we know he hears.  This child follows verbal directions with no difficulties.  (Better than big bro, actually.  Perhaps we should get Big T in on the deal. Two for one?  Anyone? )  But perhaps there are some specific tones he can't hear and that is contributing to this mild delay.  Or maybe it is a muscle tone issue, stemming from his lack of oral stimulation early on.  Whatever it is, we will most likely be adding a Speech Therapist to our circle of special friends.  I will update fully next week after tomorrows appointment.  Stay tuned.

As for now, he is actually in a vocabulary explosion in spite of his lack of spoken words.  Tiernan is becoming quite proficient in the baby sign arena.  His repertoire includes:

Eat

Drink

More

Again (signed differently from more, and he actually differentiates!)

Up

Please

Down

All Done

Cheese

Book

Car/Truck

Train

Yes (head nod...super adorable!)

No (shakes head...not as adorable, but necessary)

Bird

He is working on

Balloon

Brother

Don't Like (again, kind of don't want to teach him this, but it is good for him to know how to say it rather than grunt or cry)

I have a longtime interest in sign language so this is an exciting process for me as well.  Tristan is also getting into the act.  He enjoys looking up new words and helping to teach them to Tiernan.  

SSSHHHHH.  BABY SLEEPING.

as I type this Tiernan is sound asleep.  In.  His.  Crib.  AND he slept all last night.  

He has been sleeping much more soundly at night for a few weeks now, though he often wakes once or twice for short snuggles or if his tube has leaked.

But last night was significant for the following reasons:

 He started crying sometime between midnight and 1am.  Full crying.  But before I had even gotten my glasses on and myself out of bed, he had stopped and gone back to sleep.  I sat there staring at the video monitor, mouth gaping wide in shock, for a full minute I think.  But then I recovered and quickly went back to sleep...  

...until the pump alarm went off.  So I went in to find him still sleeping.  I dealt with the pump and started pouring the water in for the second half of the night feeds.  

About halfway through that, he: 

Sat up. 

Looked at me.  

Flopped back down on his pillow.  

Went. Back. To. Sleep.  

My jaw.  On floor.  Again.  

Who is this kid?  

Never mind.  Don't care.  Keeping him.

So, suffice it to say, things in the sleep department are definitely improving.  

And thanks to the HOURS upon HOURS of sleep I got last weekend due to Flu Fest 2011, I actually feel more rested than I have in...

multiply by 4...carry the 2...

...let's say 20 months.  

(I have to count that last month of pregnancy induced insomnia in the tally as well)

However, at this moment, he is beginning to stir, so this will have to be the end of my post.