It's a milestone I had hoped to avoid, but alas, our luck ran out. Baylor has suffered what many believe is a childhood rite of passage, a busted chin. He was playing outside, slipped on a step, and WHAM...a big bloody mess resulted. Once again, we were very lucky to have Anh at home and armed with liquid stitches to close the wound. I'm telling you, we should probably buy stock in that stuff with two active boys!
Thankfully, the gash (and any potential scar) is located under Baylor's chin, and while Baylor does have a tendency to obsess over the tiniest boo-boos, he's handling this injury like a champ. After some initial tears, he was relatively cooperative during the repair process, and a lollipop worked wonders to improve his spirit. Of course, that doesn't stop him from pointing out his wound to anybody and everybody. My boy knows how to work the sympathy angle!
Showing posts with label Baylor's Health. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Baylor's Health. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Monday, May 24, 2010
Here's to Good Health
While they can be a handful at times, Anh and I are extremely lucky to have two happy & healthy little boys. That thought was confirmed yesterday by our new pediatrician, Dr. M. The visit came just in time for Baylor's 2-year old check-up and Jax's required Kindergarten physical.
First, let's get the stats out of the way. Not much has changed. As usual, Jax landed squarely in the 50th percentile for both height (42.5 inches) and weight (41.5lbs). Baylor is still an overachiever when it comes to his weight (32lbs) and landed in the 97th percentile. However, he's slacking a bit when it comes to his height (35.25 inches) and ended up sliding to the 75th percentile. All in all, both boys fall into healthy ranges, and that's all that really matters.
After going over the boys' medical histories with Dr. M, I was instructed to stop listing that both boys had once been diagnosed with heart murmurs. At this point, Baylor's murmur appears to be completely gone. While Dr. M could still hear Jax's murmur, he agreed with the cardiology report in Jax's records and labeled it completely innocent. When I pressed for more info on whether it would become a concern if it was still present at a certain age, Dr. M reassured me that the murmur is just a characteristic of Jax. It's just a part of who he is & how his little heart sounds. It's in no way a defect and should just be considered normal. Good to know!
When Dr. M asked whether I had any other concerns, I mentioned my worries about Baylor's communication and Jax's "allergies." Dr. M reassured me that Baylor may be struggling a bit with communication because he's hearing both English and Vietnamese, but that his language skills are not so lacking that we should be worried. Dr. M offered to refer Baylor for speech assessment if it would ease my worries. I haven't decided yet, but I may take him up on the offer in the future.
With Jax, I mentioned that we worried about his frequent throat clearing. I explained that the best we can tell it seems to be seasonal and related to what we assume are allergies, but that the over the counter allergy medications we've tried haven't been able to provide relief. Dr. M's advice was to purchase hypo-allergenic pillow and mattress covers. It seems Jax could be reacting to dust mites. If we don't see improvement with that change, then we'll move on to trying prescription Singulair. Taking pills daily does not sound pleasant. So, I'm crossing my fingers that the pillow & mattress covers do the trick.
I think we made an excellent choice in Dr. M. He has a great bedside manner and clearly has experience with anxious mothers that tend to over analyze minor details when it comes to the children's health. I'd say that makes him perfect for us!
First, let's get the stats out of the way. Not much has changed. As usual, Jax landed squarely in the 50th percentile for both height (42.5 inches) and weight (41.5lbs). Baylor is still an overachiever when it comes to his weight (32lbs) and landed in the 97th percentile. However, he's slacking a bit when it comes to his height (35.25 inches) and ended up sliding to the 75th percentile. All in all, both boys fall into healthy ranges, and that's all that really matters.
After going over the boys' medical histories with Dr. M, I was instructed to stop listing that both boys had once been diagnosed with heart murmurs. At this point, Baylor's murmur appears to be completely gone. While Dr. M could still hear Jax's murmur, he agreed with the cardiology report in Jax's records and labeled it completely innocent. When I pressed for more info on whether it would become a concern if it was still present at a certain age, Dr. M reassured me that the murmur is just a characteristic of Jax. It's just a part of who he is & how his little heart sounds. It's in no way a defect and should just be considered normal. Good to know!
When Dr. M asked whether I had any other concerns, I mentioned my worries about Baylor's communication and Jax's "allergies." Dr. M reassured me that Baylor may be struggling a bit with communication because he's hearing both English and Vietnamese, but that his language skills are not so lacking that we should be worried. Dr. M offered to refer Baylor for speech assessment if it would ease my worries. I haven't decided yet, but I may take him up on the offer in the future.
With Jax, I mentioned that we worried about his frequent throat clearing. I explained that the best we can tell it seems to be seasonal and related to what we assume are allergies, but that the over the counter allergy medications we've tried haven't been able to provide relief. Dr. M's advice was to purchase hypo-allergenic pillow and mattress covers. It seems Jax could be reacting to dust mites. If we don't see improvement with that change, then we'll move on to trying prescription Singulair. Taking pills daily does not sound pleasant. So, I'm crossing my fingers that the pillow & mattress covers do the trick.
I think we made an excellent choice in Dr. M. He has a great bedside manner and clearly has experience with anxious mothers that tend to over analyze minor details when it comes to the children's health. I'd say that makes him perfect for us!
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
A New Hobby
I'm sure some of you were beginning to think that Anh & I decided to stay in Vegas to pursue new careers as professional gamblers, but my absence was not due to anything quite that glamorous. Nope, the lack of blogging is because we returned home to 2 very sick little boys. I'm not sure of the diagnosis, but both have horrible chest congestion, runny noses, and fevers. They were symptom free when we left town last week. Well, Baylor did have a runny nose, but that's it. My oh my, things changed almost overnight.
Aunt Nguyen reported that both boys were miserable by Saturday evening. Evidently by Sunday, Jax was having mild hallucinations thanks to a lack of sleep resulting due to night sweats and the inability to breathe thanks to his horrible phlegm. Neither of the boys had much of an appetite, but thankfully, their moods stayed relatively pleasant. Although, I doubt Aunt Nguyen would rat them out either way.
My fingers are crossed that we'll see a big improvement ahead of this weekend's excitement, The Daytona 500 race. Like Grandfather, Jax has been looking forward to this race since the moment last year's race ended. I won't deny him the chance to go, but it would be nice to know that he'll actually enjoy himself & be able to breathe while enjoying the sights from the grandstands.
Who am I kidding? He's going to have a blast regardless of his health. It's the Daytona 500 & he's a car-obsessed 5-year old boy going to the race with his car-obsessed best friend, Grandfather. Guaranteed good times!
Aunt Nguyen reported that both boys were miserable by Saturday evening. Evidently by Sunday, Jax was having mild hallucinations thanks to a lack of sleep resulting due to night sweats and the inability to breathe thanks to his horrible phlegm. Neither of the boys had much of an appetite, but thankfully, their moods stayed relatively pleasant. Although, I doubt Aunt Nguyen would rat them out either way.
My fingers are crossed that we'll see a big improvement ahead of this weekend's excitement, The Daytona 500 race. Like Grandfather, Jax has been looking forward to this race since the moment last year's race ended. I won't deny him the chance to go, but it would be nice to know that he'll actually enjoy himself & be able to breathe while enjoying the sights from the grandstands.
Who am I kidding? He's going to have a blast regardless of his health. It's the Daytona 500 & he's a car-obsessed 5-year old boy going to the race with his car-obsessed best friend, Grandfather. Guaranteed good times!
Monday, November 23, 2009
18 Month Check-up
Friday was rough. We love Dr. N, but I think Friday's appointment has convinced me that it's time to find a pediatrician closer to home. It's a decision I've been struggling with for a while because Dr. N is about the best pediatrician you could ask for, but the 2-hour round trip drive has just turned into such an ordeal. I don't think I can do it anymore. Regardless of how great our doctor may be.
Aside from the drive, the visit went relatively well. I was pleased to discover that the waiting room wasn't packed with sick children. Jax and I were probably the ones that made everyone nervous with our coughing since we are still dealing with chest colds. Luckily, we were called back pretty quickly, and all of the other mothers were able to breathe a sigh of relief, literally.
Baylor was cooperative while the nurse checked his measurements. His noggin falls into the 85th percentile, and he landed squarely in the 95th percentile for both height and weight. Dr. N seemed pleased that he was at least on the growth chart, since for a while there he was skyrocketing off!
Once we made our way into the exam room, it's like a switch was thrown. Baylor immediately decided that he was not interested in being there anymore. I strongly suspect that he's now old enough to remember what happens when he visits Dr. N...shots! As soon as Dr. N came into the room, Baylor became combative, refusing to let her examine him. He was running a temperature when they checked him which wasn't a surprise. I thought he felt warm when I picked him up out of the crib that morning. My first thought was, "Great! I hope this doesn't prevent him from getting his flu vaccines. If I drive 2 hours and don't end up with him vaccinated, I'm going to be pissed." Luckily, the fever wasn't an issue.
However, Dr. N did want to thoroughly check his ears, nose, and throat to rule out any infections. Like I said before, Baylor wasn't having any of it. I did my best to pin him to the exam table, but clearly, I need to lift some weights or something because he easily overpowered me. Out matched by an 18-month old. I should be ashamed! After a 15-minute struggle, Dr. N was able to rule out any obvious signs of infection.
Weary from the battle, I put Baylor down on the floor while Dr. N explained which 18-month vaccines Baylor would be receiving and also outlined what symptoms would be considered warning signs of complications from the flu vaccines. I did my best to listen, but I was distracted by Baylor who was trying to completely dismantle the exam room in record time. Dr. N asked me whether I had any concerns that I wanted to discuss, and I said no, but explained that Anh and I both suspected that Baylor may be going through the "Terrible Twos" early. Dr. N just looked at me with an expression that clearly said, "Gee! Ya' think?!?!"
With that, Dr. N was out the door and on her way to see the next patient. I can't say I blame her. I would have run screaming from the room too, what with 2 out of the 3 people coughing their lungs up and the 3rd behaving like a nightmare. So, while I may be sad that we won't be able to continue to see Dr. N, I have a sneaking suspicion that she's not going to miss us quite as much.
Aside from the drive, the visit went relatively well. I was pleased to discover that the waiting room wasn't packed with sick children. Jax and I were probably the ones that made everyone nervous with our coughing since we are still dealing with chest colds. Luckily, we were called back pretty quickly, and all of the other mothers were able to breathe a sigh of relief, literally.
Baylor was cooperative while the nurse checked his measurements. His noggin falls into the 85th percentile, and he landed squarely in the 95th percentile for both height and weight. Dr. N seemed pleased that he was at least on the growth chart, since for a while there he was skyrocketing off!
Once we made our way into the exam room, it's like a switch was thrown. Baylor immediately decided that he was not interested in being there anymore. I strongly suspect that he's now old enough to remember what happens when he visits Dr. N...shots! As soon as Dr. N came into the room, Baylor became combative, refusing to let her examine him. He was running a temperature when they checked him which wasn't a surprise. I thought he felt warm when I picked him up out of the crib that morning. My first thought was, "Great! I hope this doesn't prevent him from getting his flu vaccines. If I drive 2 hours and don't end up with him vaccinated, I'm going to be pissed." Luckily, the fever wasn't an issue.
However, Dr. N did want to thoroughly check his ears, nose, and throat to rule out any infections. Like I said before, Baylor wasn't having any of it. I did my best to pin him to the exam table, but clearly, I need to lift some weights or something because he easily overpowered me. Out matched by an 18-month old. I should be ashamed! After a 15-minute struggle, Dr. N was able to rule out any obvious signs of infection.
Weary from the battle, I put Baylor down on the floor while Dr. N explained which 18-month vaccines Baylor would be receiving and also outlined what symptoms would be considered warning signs of complications from the flu vaccines. I did my best to listen, but I was distracted by Baylor who was trying to completely dismantle the exam room in record time. Dr. N asked me whether I had any concerns that I wanted to discuss, and I said no, but explained that Anh and I both suspected that Baylor may be going through the "Terrible Twos" early. Dr. N just looked at me with an expression that clearly said, "Gee! Ya' think?!?!"
With that, Dr. N was out the door and on her way to see the next patient. I can't say I blame her. I would have run screaming from the room too, what with 2 out of the 3 people coughing their lungs up and the 3rd behaving like a nightmare. So, while I may be sad that we won't be able to continue to see Dr. N, I have a sneaking suspicion that she's not going to miss us quite as much.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Contagious
This week has been a bit of a struggle. Jax and I have both fallen victim to an evil cough, but it has affected us in very different ways. While my cough is dry, it is constant and has lead to some horrible irritation in my chest and throat. Jax's cough is the exact opposite. His is only occasional, but it sounds terrible because he's horribly congested.
Today, we are all headed to see Dr. N, but Baylor is the only official patient. Jax and I are just along for the ride as Baylor receives his scheduled 18 month vaccinations, as well as the seasonal flu and H1N1 vaccines. The poor boy is going to feel like a pin cushion!
I suspect that during our visit, Jax and I will be asked to model the latest fashion accessory, a face mask, and honestly, I hope they're available because these coughs are anything but pleasant. I don't want to pass them along to anyone. Especially, with Turkey Day right around the corner. Hopefully, that doesn't scare anyone out of coming to our house! I've already made out the menu, and the food will be worth the risk. Trust me!
Today, we are all headed to see Dr. N, but Baylor is the only official patient. Jax and I are just along for the ride as Baylor receives his scheduled 18 month vaccinations, as well as the seasonal flu and H1N1 vaccines. The poor boy is going to feel like a pin cushion!
I suspect that during our visit, Jax and I will be asked to model the latest fashion accessory, a face mask, and honestly, I hope they're available because these coughs are anything but pleasant. I don't want to pass them along to anyone. Especially, with Turkey Day right around the corner. Hopefully, that doesn't scare anyone out of coming to our house! I've already made out the menu, and the food will be worth the risk. Trust me!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
