Upper GI Scan

Daddy took Nicky for his upper GI scan today. After the crazy Saturday we experienced with Nicky (tantrum city & time-out central) I feared for Kris' sanity while they were at the hospital. Well, my fear was ill-founded - Nicky was the model patient once again! He drank the barium with gusto & asked for more! What the?! We can't get him to eat his dinner, but serve up some barium & the kid's all over it! The testing took a few hours, as they had to x-ray the barium as it made it's way through his upper "guts". Nicky sat quietly, watched tv and played with his puppy "Marley" (which he received after being a good patient during the barium enema)(he took him to this appointment too - that's him in the picture above). The radiologist told Kris that everything appears to be normal, which is great! However, that means we have a long road ahead of us trying to figure out what all the explosions are about! :( The doctor did run some blood tests, but we're still awaiting those results. We'll know more of what our game plan is when we visit with the doctor next week. But for now - we're thrilled that his little guts aren't twisted in knots and he's otherwise healthy!

The Johnson Week in Review

There isn't really anything major to talk about this week, but I thought I would jot down a few things.

1. We've now been home for 3 1/2 months and have run the gamut of emotions. We had a lovely "honeymoon" period followed by a less than exuberant period of him yelling at us, throwing tantrums & hitting us. Then we had a nice breather, where things were nice and almost relaxed at the house. We're back to the wonderful hitting & screaming of the word "no" and constant tantrums. I recently read an article in Parents Magazine that said the average toddler will argue with his parents between 20-25 times an hour! Well, they must've been a fly on the wall in our house when they did that study! Even though the word means the same thing, I kinda preferred it when he still said "nyet". I don't quite know why I liked it better...maybe because then I could still think "poor little guy, he's still adjusting" or something along those lines. Now, it's just "typical 2 1/2 yr old" behavior.


2. Nicky's little GI issue has not gotten any better. He was sent home from school on Tuesday for having 3 explosions within and hour & a half span of time. That made 4 for the day, only to be followed by 2 later in the evening/overnight. Now, that could've also been a touch of a little stomach bug that was floating around, but who knows! His doctor ordered some blood work and he will be having an upper GI scan on Monday - they won't put a scope down his throat like we originally thought, thank goodness. We're praying that they don't find anything serious. I'm inclined to think that some of the problem is that he's a "withholder", because he will at times tell us he needs to go, but other times will go in his pants & when asked if he did so will always reply "no"! Oy vey! Very frustrating! Hopefully, the doctor will be able to help us regardless of the issue.


3. The Christmas holiday is almost here and I'm getting nervous as to how Nicky will react to all the hoopla. I'm afraid of overwhelming him and am thinking that we might start bringing out a few of the toys (that were supposed to be coming from Santa) this weekend. I think we'll limit the number of presents he opens on Christmas day and will give him his stocking, but we'll try to be more low-key about the whole thing. He doesn't really understand what the whole thing is about anyway, so this year can be our dry run & next year we can go crazy!
   
4. Last item actually pertains to a couple that we are friends with. They had their baby last night, very prematurely, and I ask that you pray for his health and well-being. He's just a little guy and has a tough road ahead of him!

Here are a few fun pictures of Nicky. He might act crazily at times, but man is he cute!

Nicky & his SSN card...more & more American every day!

Nicky trying on momma's glasses

Nicky getting ready for bath time...can't get his shirt over his big noggin! (that means he must be super-smart since his head's so big!)

To Stitch Or Not To Stitch...

...That was our question Saturday afternoon. We chose the latter...not to stitch. Now, I'm sure you're wondering "stitch what, exactly?" Well - Nicky's lower lip, that's what. Nicky & I were heading up the stairs after lunch and we had a little accident. Nicky was upset with me because I wouldn't let him play with his lunch - how dare I actually want him to eat it! I told him he could eat or it was nap time. Although Nicky's decision wasn't nap time, it also wasn't to eat, therefore, up the stairs we went - with Nicky rebelling the whole way. As we continued up the stairs, Nicky slipped and down he went...on his face. He screamed out and when he tilted his head back, I saw his mouth quickly filling up with blood. There was so much, I couldn't tell exactly where it was coming from, so I rushed him to the kitchen sink and tried to determine the extent of the damage. What I found was a big gash along the inside of his lower lip on the left side. Even though I was shaking and freaking out internally, I managed to stop the bleeding and called Kris to get his professional opinion & to beg him to come home. Momma's not so good with the sight of blood and I wasn't sure whether or not we should rush him to the hospital. Kris came home and checked it out and we decided that Nicky would survive without stitches (he would probably pick at them & pull them out anyway). Nicky is doing much better today, although he has a nice fat lip and cut on the outside of his mouth. He's such a little trooper - he's acting as if it never happened! But, you bet momma won't forget & I was monitoring each step he took on the stairs when we went up for today's nap!

Happy Belated Birthday Great Granny!

We love and miss you and hope you had a wonderful birthday!

Perfecting the Drop-Off

It finally happened! A full week of drop-offs sans crying and tantrums!!! Nicky's been in school for 2 months now and this is the first week that he didn't seem to be as upset when we left him in the mornings. He is usually fine until we get into his classroom and herd him to the table so he can eat his breakfast. We've had a few days here and there that were better than the others, but never more than 2 consecutive days. We usually leave with him screaming and trying to clutch onto us as long as he can; there have even been a few days where he's thrown himself on the floor kicking and screaming. We know he settles down soon after we leave, but it still makes for a stressful drive into work. Funny thing is, even on the most difficult mornings, he is never ready to leave school when we come to pick him up! Lately, they have been playing "Mr Potato Head" in the afternoons and this seems to be a new favorite of his. And half the time he's just carrying the head around, without the features that accompany him! I guess it really is the little things that amuse kids. Let's just hope this week wasn't a fluke & instead it means we're getting more settled into our routine.