Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Appetizers and Private Parts

I've had this blog post typed up since last Thursday and I haven't posted it because I was waiting to put pictures on.  As I said, Doug has recently stolen all of the pictures.  Okay, so really my computer is full.  Here are some - I will post more soon.
Cameron has a middle name... David.  It is my mom's dad's name and I like it.  Doug held out for Ozzie for as long as possible, but when I went to the hospital for Cameron's second PKU, I filled in the birth certificate paperwork.
Last Tuesday, so at 10 days old, Cameron was 8 lbs. 3 oz. and still 21 in.  He's already growing too fast for me.  He is starting to get chubby cheeks and little rolls on his thighs.
Cameron went back at 16 days for his hearing screening and passed right away in the right ear, but after about 10 tries, still failed in the left ear. I have emailed the audiologist the other boys see in Anchorage and we have a plan of action.  I doubt he has a loss at this point (he is my first to fail a newborn screening), but Doug and I have kind of decided to go ahead and have a CT at about 6 months and just find out then if he has enlarged vestibular aqueducts like Brenden and Ethan.  It is a progressive loss, so it's just something we would be constantly watching for and it would put our minds at ease to just know.
Nolan set up his tent just for Cameron
Nolan is funny.  One night when Cameron was crying, Nolan said, "He needs his appetizer... (thinks for a second)... what's it called again?"  Pacifier.  He is the best big brother in the world and is the one that constantly wants to hold the baby and talks to him and gives him kisses.
 This afternoon Nolan asked me if dad was at work.  "Yep."  "Why does dad have to go to work?"  "So that we can live."  "What does live mean?"  "Pay for our house, food, that kind of stuff."  "So when we have enough money at home, Dad won't have to go to work anymore."  Notice it's a statement, not a question.  Oh, the innocence of children.  I called Doug and told him that.  His response was, "Tell him someday... but by then he'll have a wife and children of his own."
Nolan is an aspiring photographer
On the other hand, Nolan has become the class clown at school and gets everyone all worked up so no one can learn.  This week I have received a note home one day and a phone call on another.  I made him verbally apologize one day and tell his teacher he would think before he acted.  Another day I even made him write his teacher an apology letter and he told me he would try his best to be good.  His very best is not very good, evidently.  That day was his worst day yet.  He even had to sit at a completely different lunch table than the rest of the class.
This is Nolan's old cast, but he wore all the way through it and now it is covered in camouflage.
In other news, Nolan's cast comes off on the 20th and then we will find out how the healing is progressing.  We decided that perhaps he had a vitamin D deficiency, as many people in Alaska do, so we have been giving him an adult dose of supplements everyday.
Brenden brought home a school assignment last week and it said:
(click to read)
I always tear up a little when he talks about it.  I know he thinks about it - a lot.  For it to come home written on a school assignment took me a little by surprise.  He wants to know why he has to be deaf when all of the other kids can hear.  He didn't like my most recent answer about Doug needing glasses because he can't see.  Brenden pointed out that Doug isn't completely blind like Brenden is deaf.  Very true.
I sometimes have to think twice when Brenden comes home and announces that he "made it to third base today!"  I have to think for a second before I remember that it is their classroom behavior reward system.
I saw Brenden's friend walking through the yard Saturday while I was nursing and asked Brenden to get me a blanket.  He got the blanket and then whispered, "Why do we have to hide the baby?"  I told him I wasn't hiding the baby, I was hiding me and my private parts.  He opened the door for his friend and announced, "Don't look over there, my mom has private parts."
Doug's mom left last Monday and Doug went back to work on Wednesday.  It took Ethan a whole 10 seconds to figure out I can't do anything when I'm nursing and he can do whatever he wants and get away with it.  The up-side is that the kids have been in bed early every night.  As early as I can justify.
Saturday Cameron was crying while I was making dinner, so I took him and laid him by Brenden and Nolan, who were sitting on the couch.  They both tried the pacifier with no luck and were finally yelling at me to come feed him.  (Why is it that every male in this house seems to think that's the answer to every cry?)  Ethan came to me and told me he needed to hold the baby.  I put Cameron on his lap and he sat there with him and let him cry himself to sleep.  We were ready to eat dinner, so I went to take Cameron from Ethan and he told me he wanted to hold the baby more.  He held him, asleep, on the couch for half of dinner.  I never thought I would see a nurturing side of Ethan.  He's kind of evil.
I can't believe that I wondered if I wanted another child.  Doug's brother and his family stayed with us for 8 weeks this summer.  They came with a 3 month old (and left with a 5 month old).  During that time, I always felt like I should have been thinking, "Oh, he's so cute!  I can't wait to hold my baby!" but in reality, all I thought was, "I really don't want to do this again."  When I was about 5 months pregnant, I walked into Babies R Us and had a little panic attack as I looked around at all of the things involved in having a baby... and I had forgotten about so much of it.  I can't believe how much I can love a little boy that I wasn't sure I wanted.

3 comments:

The Porter Family said...

I can honestly say I completely understand about realizing just how much you can love an unexpected little miracle. :) And it's so great to see your kid's sweet and nurturing sides come out, too. :) I love Cameron's middle name! Good choice. ;) And CUTE pictures! Keep 'em coming!

Amy said...

Brenden is cracking me up. I especially got a kick out of the classroom reward system...who's idea was that?
I hope that one day he can be at peace with his deafness. He's such a smart little guy, I hope he doesn't let it hold him back.

Koren said...

Some of those pictures of Cameron look just like Dustin did, and some others look just like Nolan. At least we know he came to the right family!