Being sick stinks

Sorry for the new posting drought! Just means that I have more to talk about... ;)

Tim went back to the doctor's on Wednesday and hit 8lb 4oz! Woohoo! The next day at the cardiologist's, he hit 8lb 8oz! Just one ounce off his birthweight for those of you keeping score at home! All those naysaying doctors can stick that in their stethoscopes and smoke it! :)

I must admit I'm a little (OK, maybe more than a little) frustrated with doctors lately. I obviously want the best for Tim, but I also think they're overreacting just a bit - the cynical part of me can't help but think that each time we bring Tim in for a weigh in is another chance they have to bill us... OK, now that I see that in print, it really really is cynical, even for me. But I am still frustrated.

For those of you whose hearts stopped when you read the word 'cardiologist,' his doctor heard a murmur and wanted to have it checked out (especially since she seemed to consider him a 'failure to thrive' baby). Turns out he has a tiny hole in his heart that is *nothing* - and I repeat *nothing* - to worry about (we go back in a year, if that tells you anything). Just an ordinary thing that happens sometimes but that isn't anything worth fretting about.

Nick and I went to story time at the library that morning. I evidently forgot all the nursery rhymes/songs I knew as a kid (I was the retarded guy in the front mouthing along so it looked like I knew what was going on). We did however see some wild turkeys out the back window which distracted most of the class away from me. Phew.

Unfortunately, when we got home, we soon discovered that Nick had contracted some kind of stomach thing. We then spent the rest of the day (and most of the next) on the couch laying on a towel, watching videos and catching the occasional nap. I read a book on JavaScript coding (don't ask) and caught the odd vomit. Not the best day either of us has had. Tim appears to have escaped the stomach bug (a big thanks out to God, Buddha, Allah, or whoever) but did catch a little bit of a cold.

New camera arrived, so we have plenty of new pictures (see below). Actually, *both* new cameras arrived since we also elected to replace the point-and-shoot camera we use most of the time. Both blow our old camera out of the water. Didn't realize how much the old camera was pissing me off until I got the new ones. Old one might meet with a demise much like the 'PC load letter' printer from Office Space if it isn't careful (sorry if the pop reference is too obscure - it's funnier if I don't explain it).

Other stuff: I may be going back to work next week so Amy can ease into dual-kid living (blech); Aunt Amanda and Uncle Kevin stopped by with an awesome swing for Tim (yeah Amanda and Kevin!); and the free food brigade has (successfully) completed their mission with a very tasty chicken pot pie from Katie (yum!).

Pictures:

Nick collecting acorns down by the stone wall:



A closeup of his boots (I just like this picture for some reason):



A very cute closeup of Tim:


The brothers:


Nick and his friend:



Nick hanging out in the garden (now if we can only get him to weed it...):

Tim's first playgroup

Let's see, where to start...

This past weekend was pretty slow. Nick and I played in the yard on Saturday morning (yeah, the snow's almost all gone!) and then threw a tennis ball for Greta. We then went on poop patrol around the driveway. Sort of a stinkier version of an easter egg hunt to get Nick warmed up for the real thing. Aunt Amanda and Uncle Kevin came over later for a quick visit and Greta spent the entire time asking to be let out so she could sniff at the puppies in Amanda and Kevin's car (Koki and Keto are a bit too hyper for Gretz lately so they stay locked up). Nick had a great time playing football and basketball with Uncle Kevin while Aunt Amanda kept Mommy and Tim company on the couch and Daddy got some chores done.

Sunday morning we spent a bit of time watching the small herd of deer in our yard - we counted at least seven of them. Nick was very excited about them and spent the rest of the day asking 'where did the deer go?' Greta, ever the capable watchdog, never even figured out they were there. Took a couple of pictures to prove they were there, but our camera is acting up. Lost a few other good shots as well. Sigh. I've ordered a fancy new digital SLR just like Pepere's. We'll see if it can improve my lame photography skills ;)

We then went to the dump and to the store (the fun never stops around here) and went to Grandma and Papa's for the first barbeque of the season (yeah, the snow's almost gone!). Uncle Kevin is apparently chomping at the bit for his little one to arrive - although looking at Amanda he won't have too long to wait! - and held Tim for almost all of dinner.

This morning Mommy - brave woman that she is - took Nick and Tim for a playdate at Tyler's house. Sort of a trial run for after Daddy goes back to work after paternity leave. Nick evidently had a grand time and was very well behaved right up to the end when it was time to leave. Tim slept through all of it. All in all a very successful outing.

Only a couple of pictures due to the camera flaking on me:

The world's simplest (best?) pacifier:



Nick's amazing rocket ship (good imagination on this one):


That's all for now. Remember that comments are welcome (and encouraged!)...

2 weeks

Tim had his check up this afternoon and he passed with flying colors. He gained a couple more ounces since his last visit. The only concern they have is that he isn't gaining weight quickly enough. Our take on it is that he's just a 'banana body' type (as Dr. Sears puts it) who just doesn't gain weight quickly. He might get that from his dad...

In other news, Grandma has been spending her week off helping Mommy take care of Nicholas while Daddy goes back to work. Nick has decided that telling Grandma she's "bad bad" and that she should "get out of the family room" (or whatever room they're in) is fun. We're not particularly enjoying this latest "game" - we think he likes the attention he gets when he does this. Sigh. Did we happen to mention that he's 2 years old? And a mischievous little imp? I mean, little boy.

Amy's mom's group has been continuing the meal brigade this week - a big thanks to Danielle, Val and Heidi for the food! We're forgetting how to cook!

I think that's about it, so I'll sign off with some more pictures.

Anne Geddes, eat your heart out:



Grandma and the kids:


The artiste at work:

Papa's birthday

We spent yesterday celebrating Papa (Grandpa Sidell)'s birthday at our house. Aunt Amanda and Uncle Kevin came over to join in the festivities. Grandma and Papa brought food (thanks Grandma and Papa!) as well as presents for Tim, Nick, Mommy and Daddy (thanks again!). Mommy got some nice soap. Nick loved his airplanes. Not sure what Tim thought of his present. Daddy hasn't drunk his present yet, but will soon (wine, yum!)

Tim got weighed again today. He's still going up, just slowly, so he's due back again on Thursday. We're getting to know the staff at the pediatrician's very well.

Greta's still hanging in there. The week we found out about her cancer we thought we were saying goodbye, and so we've been spoiling her rotten (ham for dinner, roast beef 'snacks', lots of couch time, etc). Seems that's what she's been looking for all these years and now that we're giving it to her she's decided to stick it out. We're glad to have the additional time with her.

We've also had people from Amy's mom's group bringing us food all week! Awesome! We've had a delicious roasted chicken with potatoes, chicken pot pie with biscuits, and stuffed shells. Many thanks to Kristin, Rachel, and Sara!

Obligatory pix:

Amanda, Kevin, and Timothy:


The family:



I love my Daddy!

Lazy day

Lazy day here. The nor'easter that came through last night is still here, but has changed from snow to rain (should be fun when the temperature drops). Since we don't have anywhere to go we're just hanging out. Amy, Tim, and Nick all had naps. I got a little laundry done (the downside of cloth diapers) and watched TV while Tim snoozed in my arms.

Tim got weighed yesterday and his weight is back up a bit. Still nowhere near his birthweight, but heading the right direction at least. We think it's a combination of the St. Pierre high metabolism, a bit of laziness on Tim's part, and his high palette. That last one is a bit of a guess, but might explain why he isn't getting as much as he needs - evidently it can make it harder for babies to get the milk out. We go back Monday for another weigh-in.

Got a few good pictures to share as well.

Awwww....



Proof that we are really relaxing today:



Thanks for the iPod Nana:


I've never been so proud:


Cute shot from yesterday of Tim in his carseat:



Happy St. Patrick's day!

One week old

Actually, a week and change - didn't get to write anything yesterday.

I took Tim in for a weigh-in yesterday morning. He lost a little more weight (a couple of ounces), so they recommended we start augmenting with formula or pumped milk. Tim's still peeing and pooping a good amount so he's certainly been getting something; he just may have the St. Pierre metabolism. Amy's also noticed that Tim seems to be a lot crankier when she's eaten something with soy before feeding him. She's going to try cutting out soy to see if that help. In any case, he has another appointment this afternoon. I'll update the blog with more info as we get it.

Nick and I went to the children's museum agai. He really loves it there - we play with balls and boats, run through tunnels, play with the giant lite-brite and erector set, and just generally have a grand old time. Not always easy to get him to leave (he had a meltdown on the way out).

That's about it for news here. Only other thing is that most of our snow has melted this past week. Of course, this being Maine in March, we're getting a nor'easter this evening (10-14" of new snow).

One new picture of Nick playing with his cool new toy with Papa:

Day 6

We're on day 6 with Tim already! Holy cow, almost a week already.

Things are still pretty quiet. I think we're all starting to settle into a routine. Nick is still great with his little brother - he held him on the couch again this morning and keeps offering him toys and snacks. I think he's looking forward to when he can really play with his kid brother (he asked him to play basketball this morning).

No real news aside from wet/poopy diapers (we're actually glad to see these 'cause it means he's getting enough to eat). So in lieu of more blathering from me, I'll post a few new pictures:

Look at those peepers!


Now ya gotta admit that's cute:



The brothers:

Quiet day

Another pretty quiet day here at the homestead. Tim had his second visit to his doctor. No weight gain since yesterday, but no weight loss either, so the doctor seems fine. We're scheduled to go back in Thursday morning so we'll see what happens.

Tim had a little bit of a rough evening last night. We think he had a bit of gas and his umbical cord was bothering him - it was almost entirely off, but had hardened enough that it was scratching him. We ended up clipping it off when I handed him off to Amy at midnight and he then slept well the rest of the night. Amy was downright perky this morning!

Nick is still doing great with the baby, although he's a bit pissed off at Mom and Dad. Mom's getting the cold shoulder and Dad's getting punched and kicked at times. We're trying to be patient and to include him as much as we can and we're hoping he'll work through this soon.

Haven't taken any pictures yet today, but will try to when Tim and/or Nick are being cute (so should be easy). Check back later...

First visit to the doctor's

Today was Tim's first visit to his doctor.

Things look good, although his weight is down a little bit more than they'd like (12%). Of course, he also lost 2/10ths of an inch in length, so could also be partly due to differences in measurements. We also went through this at first with Nick, and he's obviously thriving. Amy's milk has also come in which should help a lot.

Nick is still <strong>very</strong>interested in his brother although he is getting a little possessive of things he thinks are his (he's just reminding us that he is in fact two). We spent a bit of time at lunch telling him that it was OK for the baby to sleep in his (Nick's) bouncy seat and that the baby isn't quite ready for juice yet (we did encourage the sharing however).

Obligatory pictures:



Food coma!



What a helpful big brother!



And a picture for Nick fans out there. Who can resist a shot of a toddler playing basketball with slippers on his hands?

Here's a picture I took of Tim sleeping in his car seat. Isn't he cute? Not the best picture of him, but still pretty gosh darn cute.

Not much in the way of news. First full day at home was pretty uneventful (which is great). Grandma came over to hold the baby while Mom slept, Nick and I went to Target to count the big red cement balls outside in front and to pick up some stuff for Mommy and the baby, and I updated the website while Nick took his nap. Amazing how quick the day goes.

Nick is still doing great with his baby brother. He is very interested in him and really understands the need to be gentle. Still has a tendency to want to point to the baby's eyes - which sends my and Amy's hearts into our throats - but so far so good. He also really likes the new toy that Tim brought him.

Posting pictures this way is much easier than manually updating the website, so I think I'll be doing a lot more of these quick pictures. Hope that works for everyone.

More to come...

- Greg

Welcome to our blog!

Hey everyone!

I'm trying the blog thing again - sort of forgot about doing it with Nick, but figure we'll give it a whirl for Tim.

Tim's birth was great - much less stressful for all of us than Nick's was. He's a beautiful baby. Looks a lot like Nick, with some differences. His face is rounder, he has less hair, and his features are just different enough to make him his own person.

I've posted pictures to the main site at http://www.stpierrefamily.org/tim. Site is still Nick-centric. I'll rework things when I get the chance.

- Greg