The Pulmonologist and a 6 Month Old

It seems like time always gets away from me after I post.  Before I know it, over a week has passed.  I wish there was more time in the day for blogging because I rather enjoy it.

**Beginning of boring medical stuff**
Our visit at the pulmonologist last week was O.K.  They took a CBG (a blood test) and his CO2 was 31 without him wearing the oxygen (that's really good.)  However, getting that blood was an absolute nightmare.  The nurse came in and stuck his heel the first time....no problem.  He didn't cry when she pricked him or when she squeezed his heel to get the blood out.  He was bleeding really well too but it took her too long to get the sample and it clotted in the tube (meaning it was pointless.)  So she came in again and re-stuck him.  He was somewhatly irritated but not bad......but she couldn't get enough blood out of his heel to make it worthwhile.  She left and Samuel fell asleep (exhausted from being messed with.)  About 10 minutes later, she brought in an older nurse and that nurse stuck his toe and my goodness, Samuel had HAD ENOUGH.  He screamed the entire time.  I really wanted to punch someone.  SIGH.  I have no tolerance for mistakes like that because....1. I know exactly how it feels to be poked a thousand times because of someones incompetence....2. I was spoiled with the awesome nurses at ACH who ALWAYS got it right the first time.

Anyway, the pulmonologist didn't have a lot to say that I didn't already know.  She said that his lungs were damaged and that they would get better when he grows new lung tissue (as he gets older.)  She prescribed an inhaler called Flovent.  I'm a little wary of it because of what I've read online (inhibits growth and may cause some serious mood swings.)  I'm hoping that we only have to give it to him for a short time.  Essentially it's supposed to protect the good lung tissue that he is developing.  She also wanted me to put him on a half of a liter of oxygen at night and leave him there (which goes against everything I've been working toward the last 6 months.)  It doesn't look like coming off the oxygen is in the near future....
**End of boring medical stuff**

As each month passes, I enjoy Samuel more and more.  In fact, I have no idea how we made it through the first 4 months alive!  I know people say that I will miss those little baby days....but nope.  I won't.

*Samuel sleeps through the majority of the night now.  We give him a bottle around 10:30pm and a bottle around 4:30am.  We hope to be able to stretch that out in the next couple of months, but for now, he has to have those ounces. 
*He takes four 30-45 minute naps a day.
*He used to be a morning baby, but he's consistently happy throughout the day now. 
*He eats a small amount of baby food three times a day and likes pretty much everything except peas and meat.  His favorite thing to eat is 'pears, cinnamon, and oatmeal.' 

*Samuel loves to be held but spends about half of the day on the floor working with momma.  Right now we are working on rolling from back-to-front.  He's getting close.  He rolls from front-to-back and back-to-sides.  He also can sit up on his own.  He will play with toys while on his belly (it doesn't last long though since he likes to roll over.) 
*His favorite toy right now is a wooden spoon that he uses to bang on things.
*Just recently, he's developed some stranger anxiety...it's really quite funny but may not stay funny. 
*Babbling is finally emerging.  The last couple of days he has started saying strings of sounds 'goo-goo-ga-gee-ga' and sometimes even manages to get out a 'da.' 
*Being naked continues to be his favorite activity.  I strip him down and he wiggles, kicks, and rolls all over the place. 

*His least favorite thing is his bottle.  MAN, DO I WISH HE WAS READY TO LOSE IT!  He does not willingly take it unless he's alseep or hasn't eaten in 5 or 6 hours.  The sippy cup days need to come quickly. 
*The kid drools all the time.  He has a tooth coming in....we just aren't sure when it will make it's actual appearance.
*He only has hair on the top of his head....which, unfortunately, makes it look like he has a mohawk.  He has a little bald spot on the top right where he had to have the scalp ivs when he was really sick.  I'm not sure that it will ever fill in.
*He's wearing 3-6 month clothes and his diapers are size 2.  He weighs 16 pounds and is 24.5 inches long.  His head circumference is 17.5 inches (the only part of his body that can be charted on the growth chart for his actual age.)

When discussing the growth chart for Samuel's weight and height yesterday (how far behind he is), Michael says "Yeah, but he started out way behind on cuteness too and look at him now!  He's WAAAY ahead of the curve."  I thought that was the sweetest thing he could have possibly said.  And I agree.  Samuel is rather cute (I think I've mentioned that before right?)