Updates

So....where does one begin updating when one hasn't updated in too long a time? By month? By person? Eeek!


Let's go by person. Oldest to youngest. Sound fair? Good. Here we go:


AARON

One word to sum up Aaron Chandler these days? Busy. Very, very busy. He's playing a ton, working a ton, taking care of us a ton, and then still makes time to watch football. (Go Saints!) :) Just before Thanksgiving, there was chaos at the music store (I think I'm putting that mildly enough). I won't give you the dirty details, but Aaron is now commission-only and is expanding his own business from home, ACME Trombones. Website is being developed now, and we'll be sure to share just as soon as it's ready to be looked at! And if you have a trombone that you love, please send it to Aaron -- I don't really know what voodoo he does to them, but trombone enthusiasts sure do love it!

ERICA

One word for me? Busy. (Ha!) I'm still working, although have (finally) arranged for my hours to be reduced to 36 per week. Know that doesn't sound like a lot, but it does allow me to stay at home in the mornings until the boys leave; whereas before, I was leaving before they were even up a lot of the times. Still looking for some way to go part time, while still having insurance and, you know, paying the bills, but, for now, am as happy as I can be.

MILO

One word for Milo Guy? Hmmmm. How about big? That boy is growing up -- as he is very quick to remind us -- every day! Getting so darn big and tall and smart. He really is very funny and has a great sense of humor! He can count to 10 on his fingers, knows how to recognize and write his name (even if it is backwards sometimes), loves to sing songs by his Daddy's band (favorites are "Palm Court Strut" and "When I die (nice, right?)...you better second line"), has had a blast at soccer class, asks to go back to the beach at least 5 times a week, loves his "family" (which, btw, does not include Aaron, Hank and I -- it is his aunts and uncles and cousins), and is really, REALLY looking forward to swim class in a few weeks. He also loves preschool, and is really flourishing there.

HANK

One word for Hankers: Busy. That boy does NOT stop moving! He's walking -- and almost running -- everywhere, climbing, screaming, talking, kissing, splashing. Boy! To have just 1/10 of his energy would be great! At his one year check-up last week, he was just shy of 25 lbs (75%) and 30" (50%). He has close to 15 words (at his age he should have 2), and loves to engage whoever's near in peekaboo or mimicking noises. In the fall, the poor little guy had 5 ear infections in 7 weeks. It was miserable for all of us! But he got tubes in early October, and has been perfection since. And he had his second round of MRI and developmental testing for the autism study at Wash U that we're participating in this past week. He was the first baby ever to lock himself in the office. True story. And I didn't even panic! ;)

So, that's us for now. And I'm going to work on uploading photos from all the fun we've missed sharing: playing in the leaves, Milo's 4th birthday, Christmas, Hank's 1st birthday. Where, oh where, does time go?!

Love to all!

Sleepless Nights

NEVER DID GET PICTURES UP, BUT THOUGHT I'D GO AHEAD AND POST!

*Yawn* That's what you hear around the Chandler home these days. A lot. For 2+ weeks, Hank has not been sleeping. Our good sleeper, the one -- from birth -- you could lay down and would go to sleep all on his own, has been waking 3 and 4 and 5 and 6+ times a night. And, Lord, I am weary.



Rewind a couple of weeks, Hank started at the new sitter (she whipped him right into a schedule, btw) and was kind of fussy in the evenings and wasn't sleeping great. We thought it was just adjusting to the change. Then that Friday, Milo woke from his nap crying and saying his ear hurt. Put 2 + 2 together, and got both boys to the pediatrician that afternoon. Sure enough, BOTH of them had ear infections in their right ear.



Both got prescriptions for amoxicillin -- Milo bounced right back; Hank not so much. By Day 3 of amoxicillin and Hank getting worse, he got a new prescription for omnicef and both boys got an adjustment at our friend's, the chiropractor's, office. Fast foward one week, and here we are still not sleeping.



But Hank went back to the pediatrician today. No more infection, but the doc thinks he probably still has fluid in his ears that's causing pressure and pain when he lays down. So Benedryl and Motrin it is (which, btw, we've been doing -- and he's been waking up anyway!!!). Also, the doc thinks Hank's teeth are bothering him. He hasn't cut any yet, but they could still be an issue.



Oh, and Baby Boy is still husky. ;) 24 lbs, 9 oz. And the Big Boy is now 39" and 37 lbs. Getting bigger, these boys.



Anyway, let's talk fun. Two weekends ago (the weekend of the ear infection discovery), we all trekked out to St. Charles for Festival of the Little Hills, a huge craft and food event. Great fun was had by all (especially as evidenced by Hank), and we even got a little Christmas shopping accomplished.



And this past weekend, we had our first-ever yard sale. We're calling it a success -- made enough to buy our family a Wii (I was overruled -- I thought we should be practical and buy a new mattress for Milo's bed. But whatever.), and sent the rest to Goodwill. Not that this was actually *fun*, but it was a good thing to rid our house of all the useless junk....ahem, *priceless treasures*...that we didn't need to hang on to.



Gramme, Milo, Hank and I did have fun yesterday, though, as we headed to Grant's Farm after church. (Which Milo keeps calling "Transform" as in "Transformers".) ;) We rode the train, a carousel, watched part of 2 shows, fed baby goats and geese and swans and llamas, and enjoyed the beautiful weather. Some pictures for proof:

Life's a Picnic

I must say, this week has been an improvement over the past couple for the Chandlers. Updates all around:

Hank has another ear infection -- this time on the right side. However, between a new script for Omnicef and a visit to Auntie Dr. Chickie (aka, our good friend Christine Dunsworth Nix of Dunsworth Specific Chiropractic) who gave him a little adjustment, he's vastly improved since Wednesday. Hank has also been enjoying the good old exersaucer, or as we call it in our house, The Sphere of Neglect. And I believe the replacement motor for his swing should be here today. See? A good week all around. ;)

I also just enrolled Hank as a control subject in an autism study through Washington University. They're looking for two groups: people with an older child diagnosed as autistic with an infant under 12 months (not us), and people with a normally developing older child and an infant under 6 months (us).

At 6 months, 12 months, and 24 months, Hank will go in for developmental testing (2 hours at 6 months; 3 hours at 12 months; 2 days at 24 months), and also receive an MRI while sleeping. There is no medication, sedation, radiation, etc. And should they find any abnormal results, they will immediately refer us to the correct specialist. Aaron and I both feel like it's a very good cause, and if we might make even the tiniest advancement in the understanding of the cause and development of autism, it'll be worth it. Hank's first MRI and developmental testing is scheduled for July 9-11.

Finally, we've started Baby Hank on food! First, rice cereal, of course, which he likes. Then oatmeal, which he hates and spits out every time. And now sweet potatos -- they're a hit!

Milo had his preschool picnic on Thursday, and rode a horse! Well, a pony. But still, this is a HUGE step for a little boy scared of most things furry. And he rode on a donkey-drawn carriage.

See? It's totally a donkey, although the kids were calling it the "little horsey". (The other two kids in the picture are the sitter's boy, Alec, and the other girl she watches, Samantha.)

He and I also had a date night last night -- we went to a preview of the Disney/Pixar movie Up. I thought it was just OK, but Milo seemed to enjoy it. He says he likes the "little guy" (aka, Russell, the little boy) and I like the "big guy" (aka, Carl, the old man). Really, I thought Doug the Dog was the funniest. But whatever.

Not sure we ever announced our final decision on preschool. We have enrolled Milo in Lindbergh's Early Childhood Education program. He'll be attending 4 full days each week beginning June 2. It came down to realizing that we want more for him than he's currently getting. And since he has to be somewhere during the day, he might as well be educated by degreed professionals while being allowed the leeway to have fun, too. We're really excited!

What else? Oh! We just broke down and bought the boys a wooden playset for the backyard. I'm sure Aaron has many hours of enjoyment to look forward to as he puts it together. Ha.

And I'll leave you with a funny Milo story. Tuesday night we enjoyed a meal at the Old Spaghetti Factory with my parents. Just outside the doors, they have horse-drawn carriages lined up for rides around The Landing. Milo was DYING to go on a carriage ride. That's all he talked about the entire meal. And we were trying to discourage him, as we knew it was expensive ($25 for 2 people). I finally told Milo we just didn't have enough money to ride. And here's how it went from there:
Mama, you don't has monies? No?
Daddy, do you has monies? No?
Gramme, do you has monies? No?
--pause--
Papa, I know you has monies. Where your monies is, Papa?

Smart kid. However, Papa was saved when Milo got too scared as we got closer to the horses. They were just too, too big. Although now that he finally rode that pony, we may be in real trouble...

Bring It.

OK, seriously. Life has thrown it all at us this week. But we're still standing. Bruised and battered, maybe, but standing nonetheless. You hear that, Life? Haven't taken us down yet!

Here's a rundown:
1 - The preschool debate raged on. But we made a decision. We've enrolled Milo in the Lindbergh Early Childhood program 4 days a week: http://pages.lindberghschools.ws/education/school/school.php?sectiondetailid=85 We should get his orientation letter next week, and then he begins on June 2.

2 - Baby Hank's sleep has been crap. But took him BACK to the pediatrician Monday afternoon. Verdict: ear infection. Antibiotics started. (He hates it.)

3 - Sitter's boy gets a fever Wednesday morning. Pick up our boys and take them back home. This is after I was *just* at her house to drop off bottles. Sent milk for Hank, but no bottles.

4 - Milo gets a fever Thursday afternoon. 103 until Motrin kicks in each time.

5 - Aaron hurts his toe. Has to go to a podiatrist Thursday afternoon. In the meantime, hobbling around.

6 - Aaron's mom had to be taken from the nursing home to the ER to get a boil lanced on her back.

7 - Hank STILL getting up average of 2x each night. Usually around 3am and 5am, which KILLS when I have to be up for the day by 5:45am at the latest.

8 - Especially when checking on Milo at 4am in between there, who then wakes up at 5:20am crying. :(

9 - Milo's fever gone, but he's complaining that his mouth and head hurt.

10 - Get Milo into the pediatrician (a fete in itself, as their office is switching to an electronic system so only have half the appointments they normally do). Quick swab for strep negative. Could still be that, or Hand, Foot & Mouth, or a viral throat infection. Antibiotics started just in case.

I think that's it. I'm just waiting for Baby Hank to get whatever it is that Milo has. And who knows what else is coming? But whatever. Bring it on.

The Country Music Connection

We Chandlers are weary. Tired and weary. But, keep on keeping on, right?

Poor Baby Hank has his first ear infection. :( Started amoxicillan and Tylenol last night, so he slept a bit more. But getting up 3 and 4 times a night is just draining. Poor kiddo.

Anyway, last week we started Baby Hank on cereal. A few days shy of 4 months, but we figure he's the size of at least a 6 month old (OK, that's generous. Really a 12 month old+.). He likes it OK. Not great, but OK.

And our sitter also figured out how to get Hank to take a good nap in the afternoons. Milo has always gone to sleep with a classical music CD playing. Even as an infant, if he was fussy in the car and we blasted a classical music station, he'd quiet down. Not Hank. No, classical didn't work. Not even normal AC radio. Nope, Hank likes country.

I told Aaron this was his doing -- he's the one that wanted to name the boy after Hank Williams, Jr, after all. ;)

Decisions, Decisions

This week has been eventful for the Chandlers -- especially the youngest. Poor Hankers has gotten progressively more congested again. And (sorry for tmi) with runnier and more explosive poos. Even more, he's had tiny bits of blood in his poo again.

So, Monday I took him back to the pediatrician. Pause here to wonder at his fatness. This baby is now 15 weeks and 21 pounds, 1/2 ounce. Yes, I said 21 POUNDS. Back to business. Due to the blood and his congestion, the doctor and I both suspected another food sensitivity or allergy (I'm still off dairy) and/or that Hank was reacting to the cats at the sitter's house. So, he suggested we take Hank to see an allergist, but warned us that this is prime season for allergies, so it would be a while before we could get in.

On the way home, I called three allergists that our doc had suggested. The first didn't answer. The second said there were 5 people in the phone cue ahead of me; could I call back tomorrow. And the last...well, they had a cancellation and could get us in Tuesday (the next day!!!) at 3:30pm. Miraculous!

To the allergist we went, and although skeptical of a food allergy because Hank has no skin issues (like eczema) that typically go along with it, he tested Hank for reactions to milk, soy, wheat, egg, peanut, and cat. Not that Hank or I eat cat, but that was a bonus test just to make sure it wasn't an environmental reaction. ;) And the result? Negative. Totally negative to all of it.

So, while certainly a praise that the Baby Boy has no allergies right now (not that they couldn't develop down the line), we still don't really have an answer. The next step would be to take him to a pediatric GI -- not a pleasant trip by any means, as it would either involve drinking something for upper GI or a barium enema for lower GI. Yikes.

So, on the recommendation of our pediatrician, we're waiting to see what happens and if it will improve on its own. In the meantime, though, they suggested we go ahead and call GI to make an appointment, as it normally takes a couple of months to get in. I called yesterday, and guess when they could get Hank in? Yup. Today. (I swear, this child is luckier with appointments than I don't know what!) However, I passed on that one and got the next available -- July 27.

And, although I hate to admit it, my mom just may be right. She'd done some research online and found this site -- which, for the record, I have looked at umpteen times, but not paid much attention to: http://www.llli.org/FAQ/oversupply.html Of the 13 symptoms listed, Hank fits the bill on at least 7 of them. Not to mention that babies tend to gain weight very quickly with this issue (21 pounds, anyone?). The best part? The "cure" is mostly just to nurse only on one side (instead of both) at a feeding. I swear, if I've given up cheese for 9 weeks for nothing....but we'll see.

As for Milo, he's good. We're struggling with preschool decisions for next year. Our choices are to leave him at the preschool he's in now (2 half-days each week), or to go to a neighboring school district's Early Childhood Education program (up to 4 full days each week). The latter is, of course, more expensive, but we're wondering if he'd actually benefit from more structure. But he will only be 3-1/2, so we have 2 more years of preschool before Kindergarten. Do we keep with Preschool-Lite, or do we dive in to Early Childhood Ed? Any educators or childhood experts out there have any advice?

Our First Road Trip

Week 7 and counting, and we're all here and surviving. Hank had his 6 week check-up last week and -- drum roll, please -- now weighs in at a whopping 15 lbs, 6.5 oz. That would be off the charts fat. Literally. He's also 21.5 inches -- 50th precentile -- with a rather large head -- between 75th and 90th percentile. I think we're going to have to move him up to Size 3 diapers already!


A little, well not *bad* news, but not great. Our pediatrician suspects that Hank has a milk allergy. This is actually an allergy to cow's milk protein, not actual milk, and is different than lactose intolerence. There have been a lot of signs of this since his birth -- constant stuffiness, diaper rash, gassiness, and trouble pooping -- but the biggest indicator was some blood found in his poop. (Sorry for TMI.) The solution is for me to cut all dairy from my diet. That means no milk, yogurt, cheese, cream, etc. And you'd be surprised at what foods hide dairy ingredients -- I have yet to find a loaf of bread or some deli meat that doesn't have some form of milk in it (yet, strangely, Oreos do NOT have any dairy). Let me just take a moment here: Oh, how I miss you, cheese. And my graham crackers just aren't the same without you, milk.


However, the majority of babies that have this milk allergy outgrow it within a year or two. And I've talked to a lot of moms who were able to add dairy products back in their diets when the baby was 6-7 months old. I'm holding out hope that will be the case for us, too. But all for the greater good, right?


The biggest event of the past week was our big road trip to Arkansas -- Gramme, Milo, Hank and I hit the trails to Little Rock and Aunt Barbie's house. (Thanks again Barbie!) It was fabulous seeing so much of our family (thanks again for making the trip!) -- even if I did manage to lose every.single. game of Hand & Foot that we played. Milo had a blast playing with his cousins, and both kids travelled amazingly well. I'll post pics separately since we have so many. Enjoy!

Best laid plans...

Poor Milo is sick. On Halloween Eve. The day of his preschool Halloween party. And Kirkwood Halloween walk. :( He's been throwing up since about 3am....or at Noon yesterday, if you count him putting too much food in his mouth and throwing it up (according to the sitter). he kicks it soon and can still catch trick or treating at Gramme & Papa's tomorrow night and/or Trunk or Treat at church on Saturday.

One thing to be thankful for, though -- he has had no fever and doesn't act *sick*...at least between sessions of heaving.

Poor kiddo.

Come On Summer!

Boy, oh boy, are we D-O-N-E done with Winter and illness and bleh. Unfortunately, I don't think the viruses are done with us. Poor Milo has been battling a temp, throwing up, weird spots, and diarrhea -- one different symptom each day since Sunday. The good news (?!) in all of this is that he's acting completely normal in between weird sickness spells. And we got good naps out of him this past weekend. Who knows?

The Boy is trying to be more verbal here lately. Several times he's brought over a bag of goldfish or graham crackers and said "cach-ker", which we will take to be the genious child's version of "cracker". Same with "cukh-kee" (cookie), "shuh" (shoe), and "buh-un" (button). Espeically since he's either holding or pointing to these objects at the time he speaks them. :) "Mom-mom", "Diddy", "bye-bye-bye" (hmmm, didn't know he was a fan of *NSYNC), and "uh-oh" are also still in play. He's getting there.

We've been going to the playground almost every day, and Milo loves the slides. Not the short, safe slides. No, he only wants the tall, big boy slides. By himself. We've done such a good job of teaching him to turn around and climb down the stairs backwards, he gets to the top of the slide, turns around, and slides down feet-first on his tummy. Silly boy.

Oh, and he's walking full time now. We've been laughing because he's even walking with his arms down at his sides instead of up in the air. Won't be long until he's at a full run and we can't catch him!

We're hoping to update and post photos very soon. Hang with us!