Second child syndrome

I keep joking about how second child syndrome... so here's an example:

Sofi has been a little bit fussier than usual/maybe a little bit sick over the last couple of weeks. I've chucked it up to her maybe having a cold/being almost two, and have been pushing for her to toughen up and work through it.... Well, tonight, as she was crying in my arms asking to nurse (which I was just brushing off as just another needy almost-two-year-old moment), I realize that she has a molar - a huge ass molar that has clearly been there for a while, which means that some of that past fussy-ness was probably teething and I didn't even realize it!

(In my defense, she has two top teeth and three bottom teeth, and I've been paying attention to that fourth bottom teeth, just waiting for it to pop out... But (unsurprisingly), Sofi is on her own schedule, and not doing things the way one would expect!

So that was just a little reminder that I need to stop waiting for things to be a certain way with her :) 

Updates that I promise are coming up: Sofi's first weeks at Kids' Place (not great), Christmas with the kiddos (adorable), Sofi's talking and climbing and singing talents (some cute, some heart-attack-y), and conversations with my three year old (adorable & exasperating) <3

Conversations with a three-year old

While I'm changing Sofi's diaper, and she's trying to play with her feet:
"Good job holding your feet out of the way Sofi. I'm so proud of you."

When I was dropping him off at daycare:
"Have a nice day at work mami! And if you get hungry make sure to eat some candy! Or a donut!

Beautiful boy. Beautiful smile.

Driving to drop off Sofi in the morning, and we're stuck behind someone at a stop sign:
"Some people just don't know how to drive."

In a sing-songy voice:
"I love my Hootie (new nickname for Sofi?), but she is tootie

Post-bath selfie. 

"I was coming to sit here with you cause you were all by yourself."

Talking about being in the hospital with Sofi:
"Remember when we were in the hosibility?"

Sleeper

So this happened

I've been gone for a while, and it's one of those things where so much time had passed that I wasn't sure where I should pick back up. But then something happened, and I need somewhere to put it down in an attempt to move past it.

Three weeks ago on Thursday Sofi woke up with a stomach bug that Nico had had the week before. No big deal. I left her with Diana and went to work. When I got home, I was sitting on the couch, talking to Diana, and nursing Sofi when she went stiff in my arms, eyes rolled back, and stopped breathing. She was having a seizure. What happened next happened so fast that I don't really remember the order of events... Diana jumped into nurse mode, grabbed Sofi upside down trying to get her to breath. I had a phone in my hand and was calling 911. Diana took a blue Sofi to the dining room table (where Nico was eating a snack!). Diana gave her mouth-to-mouth. By the time the paramedics arrived her seizure had stopped, she was breathing and no longer blue. It lasted less than three minutes.

The paramedics checked her out, and she seemed fine. They suggested that it's not uncommon for kids to have a seizure when they spike a fever. Only problem: Sofi didn't have a fever. So we took her to the ER to have her checked. Other than the fact that she was throwing up they couldn't find anything wrong (blood work, chest x-rays, urine sample) so they sent us home and told us to follow up with our pediatrician in the morning. Friday morning we went to the clinic.We were waiting for the doctor after we saw the nurse, Sofi (after having spent the morning looking out of it) was looking relatively lively, and then it happened again - Matt saw her eyes rolling back and was able to grab her before she fell off the chair. I screamed and the doctor came in, and he was incredibly calm, just monitoring her - it was oddly calming and desperately unnerving. She turned blue again, and the doctor wasn't worried; apparently it's normal for kids having seizures to not breath for extended periods of time and be fine! And then it stopped. But it's not normal for children to have random seizures like this without a fever, so the doctor had her admitted to the hospital (the ICU) for observation. Apparently an EEG was needed but not available in Walla Walla...

We spent the day in the hospital, with Sofi mostly being out of it - normal for a kid that had a stomach bug, but still concerning given the circumstances. And then Friday afternoon seizure #3 happened. But it wasn't like the other ones; this time she started throwing up, her heart-rate dropped, and she coded. After watching the calming demeanor of the doctor that morning it was so scary to watch the nurse's reaction and how quickly that little hospital room filled up with hospital staff when they called the code. They gave her CPR, and she started breathing again, and her heart rate came back. But we couldn't just sit around waiting to see what happened next. So we asked to be taken to Seattle Children's' Hospital.

Loading up on the plane.

After some back and forth (apparently it takes some preparation to transport a medical patient) Sofi and I flew to Seattle in the middle of the night. We flew with a team of two paramedics who were ready to provide any care she might need during the trip. Sofi slept practically the whole time - she woke up in the ambulance in Seattle, freaked out when she couldn't see me (I had to sit in the front), and cried until we got to the hospital.

Transport to Seattle Children's... She looks so tiny.

I didn't sleep that night. I was too afraid to let myself relax. Fortunately Sofi didn't have that problem and rested surprisingly well. And Saturday morning I was grateful to be in Seattle, where I had my aunt who came over with breakfast and to keep me company, my dear friend Brooke who brought me all the things she knew I was going to need and had so much knowledge about the hospital, and my cousin who also came to visit. I was so grateful for their company & support. And while Matt, Diana & Nico drove over from Walla Walla, Sofi had the EEG that the doctors recommended.

Getting ready for the EEG

Everything came out normal, which was incredibly reassuring, but it didn't provide any answers.

A very patient patient.

Post-EEG hair.

It was also incredibly reassuring that despite the anxiety everyone around her was feeling, Sofi was (for the most part) in really good spirits.

Acting like nothing!

After the third seizure the medical team gave Sofi some anti-convulsion medicine that was supposed to last at least 24 hours. So even though the medical team in Seattle didn't seem too concern, they kept us there for observation long enough for the medicine to wear off and give her body a chance to do what it was going to do. Finally, on Monday morning, after no more seizures and no signs of concern, Sofi was released from the hospital. We stayed in Seattle one more night, just in case, and then drove back to Walla Walla.

Since getting back Sofi has just continued to improve - it's like those five days never happened.

But it hasn't been that easy for Matt & I... Not sure that's something you ever really recover from: watching your child stop breathing, turn blue, code... For a few nights Matt & I took turn sleeping in the bottom bunk in the kids room. And even though we've stopped doing that I still have a hard time relaxing, sleeping, resting. Not sure when that's going to change.

Selfie boy

But like I said, it helps to see Sofi doing so well. And the constant distraction of our little Nico. I've been playing catch-up since we got back (with work and with school), but I've also been making an effort to pay extra attention to Nico who was incredibly patient and sweet throughout this whole ordeal.

Walla Walla Balloon Stampede

Helloooooo... Anybody out there?....

Today I had lunch with this cutie at his daycare, and it was the best - he was thrilled to have me come visit and I loved having this special time with him (even if it meant sitting in the tiny uncomfortable chairs). I'll admit I had been avoiding doing this since he started daycare (two years ago!) because I was worried about him dealing with me leaving after lunch (since Sofi was born he does fine when Matt drops me off, but melts down when I do the drop off...). Well, turns out I had nothing to worry about! He said he didn't want me to leave a couple of times, but we talked about it, and when it was time for me to leave he gave me a big hug and waved happily from the window.

I'm looking forward to doing this again! Not just because I had fun with this little treat that we got to share, but because it's become clear that he is struggling with not having my full attention. Fortunately he loves his sister, but sometimes his calls for attention come out in over-expressions of love for her (read: flattening her in a hug). Don't get me wrong, it's kinda cute... but Sofi doesn't enjoy being flattened, and we've been working on structuring those boundaries.

Little artist.

And that's just one of the few reasons why I've been MIA lately... The last couple of months have been a whirlwind of being overwhelmed by a puppy that's no longer ours, busy grad school schedule, applying and starting a new job, and trying to stay sane with two kiddos while maintaining a healthy lifestyle. 

This weekend we are celebrating Sofi's birthday (I can't believe she'll be ONE on Monday!), and I promise to post pictures and more of an update on how the kiddos are sometime next week.

Have a great weekend!

Good things always come in threes

At least that's what we used to say with my sorority sisters in college. Unfortunately, it would seem, not so great things also come in threes...

It all started two weekends ago. On Sunday we discovered that Sofi's first tooth had made an appearance (Hurrah!), which explained the fussiness and restlessness the night before. That night we discovered she had a little fever, but with the teething thing, I didn't think much of it - gave her some ibuprofen and we went to sleep. Monday she spent the day with Grandma and they had a good day, until the time I got there to pick her up -- her fever had spiked to a toasty 102.6. Since she was starting to act a little bit out of it we decided to take her in to the clinic (fortunately they had the last appointment open!). We got there, and her fever was up to 103. Quick check: raging ear infection -- strike #1.

Visiting mami's office

We got a prescription for amoxicillin and a recommendation to keep administering ibuprofen for 2 more days if necessary. When we gave her a bad that night her fever was up to 104.2. Freaking scary. But she was acting fine, which the doctor said not to worry unless the behavior changes. It was not an easy night, but all things considered we slept decently -- she spent most of the night sleeping on me which wasn't great for me, but she rested.

Tuesday and Wednesday were uneventful. Her fever stuck around - even with the ibuprofen it seemed to stay at a stead 101-102, but she did not seemed bother by it, and other than not eating or drinking much she had a regular day.

Thursday her fever finally broke and she had a great day with Allison and Charlie, and she was back to eating somewhat normally. When we got home I was playing with her and Nico when I noticed a little redness in the back of her neck; I pulled her shirt back and discovered a rash that covered her entire chest and back. She was acting normal, so I calmly took a picture and sent it to Diana. "Should I be worried?" Her immediate response: "Call doctor now." And then I panicked -- strike #2.

But the doctor wasn't worried. Since she was otherwise acting normally they told me it was probably just an allergic reaction to the medication, they changed my prescription, and told me to come in the next morning for a check up. But it's kind of impossible not to worry when your 9-month old has an allergic reaction to a penicillin antibiotic.

So Friday morning we went back to the clinic. I was told that given the symptoms it could be an allergic reaction to the amoxicillin (and we won't know if she's allergic until we give it to her again some day -- that's something to look forward to) or Roseola, and there's no way to know. By now the rash is (mostly) all gone, she hasn't had a fever since Thursday, and I'm hopeful that the antibiotics cleared the ear infection. So not a terrible thing.. but still not great.

Happy, despite the rash.

And then Tuesday morning as I was getting in the shower, half asleep still, I looked down, and realized that I was missing the diamond from my grandmother's ring. I have torn through every corner of the house looking for it. It's gone and I am heartbroken -- strike #3.

I know... it's just a material thing... and it's nothing compared to what others lose every day, but it's still the sentimental value attached to it. And it was the thing that happened after several other things that weren't great, and I'm exhausted, and Lola is driving me nuts (more on that another day), and it just pushed me over the edge.

But this little angel is doing better, and we're all (mostly) healthy otherwise, so despite everything, things are good.

Good sleep.

Sofi now

It's amazing how different the growth and development of one child is from an older sibling's. It's not that long ago that we went through some of these changes and milestones with Nico, and yet they have been so different with Sofi. I guess I shouldn't be surprised considering how different they are from each other.

I know it has a lot to do with personality, but I think it also stems from the fact that she's a second child - constantly motivated by an older brother that gets to run around and do things, and she wants to participate and get to do all those things too!

Samurai ponytail

She is a talker. While Nico has always been pretty content sitting back and observing things, Sofi wants to participate and tell you what she thinks. She "talks" in her crib, in the car, while she plays, in the bath, while she eats... all the time! It's a constant chatter, with different intonations, and I can't wait for her first words so I can hear what she has to say. For now, there's a lot of "mamamama" and "dadadadada."

Her curiosity for Lola seems to come and go, but when she's interested she really wants to be able to touch her -- especially her soft ears. Lola doesn't seem to mind.

Cuddling with Lola

She's a pretty good sleeper for the the most part, but she's not the easiest baby to put down. Of course my only point of comparison is Nico, who was super easy, having learned to put himself to sleep from a very young age. Sofi is all over the place - sometimes she wants to be swaddled, other times she gets pissed if you swaddle her; sometimes she wants to nurse before you put her down, other times she wants to fall completely asleep in your arms before you put her in the crib; sometimes she wants her mobile turned on, other times the mobile is the worst thing in the world. It's hard to keep up with her.

Fortunately, once she goes down, she sleeps pretty well at night. She'll sometimes wake up in the middle of the night, but after a quick diaper change and a quick nursing session, she falls right back asleep and transfers to the crib easily (no fuss then!). Sometimes when she wakes up later at night/close to our wake up time, she gets to stay in bed and cuddle with us -- something that I absolutely love, even if I don't get to rest as well.

Sleeping with daddy

She is fearless - I think when she grows up she'll be my roller coaster riding buddy. She loves to the bounced around, thrown up in the air, dipped backwards... you name it. And she loves the swings!

Like I said, having an older brother makes her want to move - and so she started crawling around 7 months. The first couple of weeks were kinda slow and there was a lot of flopping around, but now she is very secure in her movements. And she is fast - especially if she's trying to race me to the dog water bowl.

Crawling monster

Two weeks ago we had to lower her crib when I came downstairs to find this happy greeter.

I'm awake!

She is now pulling up on EVERYTHING and loves the fact that she can get to things and play standing up just like brother.

Standing!

And, not surprisingly, she is cruising all over. It really amazes me. I expected the cruising on coffee tables & couches -- it's what Nico did; but she pulls up on walls and just goes, kinda holding on the wall. She is so determined - if she wants to get to something she'll figure out a way to get to it. And she is so eager to walk, getting braver and braver as she lets go of something (like a table) and reaches for something else (like the wall!).

and cruising

Still no teeth, but that doesn't stop her from wanting to eat stuff with texture. She is not at all impressed with any kind of puree - she tolerates yogurt and applesauce, but loves to feed herself any little chunks of food from mama's plate. So without really planning it, we're doing more of a baby led weaning thing with her, which I have to admit is kinda nice cause it means that she feeds herself while I get other stuff done (even if it's messier).

Hard to believe that she's almost 9 months old!

Nico now

Life lately has been hectic... Between kids, work, Lola (surprise! we have a new (crazy!) dog), and school work (which I'm barely getting done right now) I haven't had time for much else.

Last month, Nico turned three -- how crazy is that? My little peanut is growing up so fast, and I love him more and more every day (even when he's driving me bonkers).

He was so thrilled and proud of his flower blooming.

He loves spending time with Grandma and looks forward to his "Grandma days" when he gets second breakfast, they go on scooter rides to the park, have late lunches, and naps on Grandma's bed.

His love for cars and trucks hasn't gone away, but he also loves to explore other toys and games. He's really into puzzles right now and building (usually trucks) with his duplos or garages (for his cars) with his magna-blocks.

Silly face

After we got Lola (and with the whole turning three thing), he went through a bit of a rebellious face of not listening, but it's gotten better. He definitely continues to push boundaries and is always trying to figure out how close to the line, he can get, but he is such a good kid. 

He enjoys listening to music (usually the same song over and over again) and is getting more comfortable singing by himself. He loves listening to Baby Beluga (by Raffi) and Trencito del Oeste (by Piero), and sings Twinkle Twinkle and ABC's all the time.

He can be a little bit shy when he first meets people, but once he gets comfortable he loves to chat. He understands everything in Spanish, but only talks in English (unless I ask him to specifically repeat a word or phrase in Spanish). I worry that I don't speak enough Spanish to him (I try to stick to it, but when everyone around us is talking in English I sometimes have a hard time with it), but the fact that he understands everything is reassuring. And he has stopped saying "I don't speak Spanish" any time I talk to him in Spanish (something that he learned from Grandma when he would ask her to read any of our Spanish books).

His vocabulary really amazes - not that I think he's more advanced than most three-year olds, it's just that it's crazy to think that just two years ago he was barely blabbing a couple of syllables. His "l"s sound like "y"s right now... so our dog's name is actually Yoya :)  but  he's very easy to understand.

Three-year-old boy

His love for Sofi continues to amaze me. It's not the fact that he loves her that amazes me, but the fact that not once have I heard him be negative about her. I kept thinking that things would change when she started moving and grabbing his things, but he just tells her no and then re-directs her. Even when she's pulling his hair (because, you know, you need to hold on to something when you're standing), he screams for help, but then turns around and gives her a hug.

He wants to cuddle with her and is always eager to help when it's time to get her dressed or change her diaper. He brings her toys and makes sure that she doesn't crawl into the dog water bowl (one of her favorite places to play). He feeds her at the table (being careful that it's only soft mushy stuff that she can have), and sings to her when she's crying.

Cuddle beans

He has his moments, but for the most part, he continues to be a great sleeper. He's been a little resistant of going to bed at night, but it's just that rebellious attempt at pushing the boundaries. We do our usual bedtime routine and (fortunately!) he still asks to cuddle with mama every night - one of my favorite parts of the day. And then after I leave, he inevitable comes out of his room a minute or two later. "I'm not tired." Well, you still need to stay in your room. Two minutes later, it's "you forgot to take all the monsters and bears out of my room." "I'm thirsty." "I need to go potty." The list of excuses is unending... eventually we end up confiscating enough toys that he decides he's not getting his way and he goes to sleep, but it's a struggle. And some nights I'm more patient than others.

Peaceful sleeper

He still smells his sleeve for comfort, loves touching fabrics (he often helps me decide what to wear based on the texture of my shirts), and always sleeps with a soft animal friend. When he was little he loves either his bunny or his monkey, but now he likes to rotate his options.

He loves taking showers and baths and playing in the water, but hates washing his hair and getting water in his face. It's been a while since we've done swim lessons, so we'll see what happens when we return (planning on re-starting later this month). He can spend hours playing with Aba on Facetime, and loves calling her so that she can show him all her cars (that she's saving for him, of course).

Loving anything with wheels that goes vroom-vroom.

Lately he doesn't like Kids' Place, but only because it means that he's not with mama and daddy. He loves his friends and teachers there, but drop-off is sometimes hard (when it's me, not Matt), because he wants me to stay. He always has to put his lunchbox next to his best friends' Malcolm's lunchbox, and then he makes sure to run to the window where he can wave and blow kisses as I leave - sometimes with a smile, sometimes with tears.

He tells me that he can't wait til Sofi goes to Kids' Place with him, and he also can't wait til they get to share a room. I'm eager for that change too, but nervous about how the transition will go.

Silly goose

He is still enjoying his balance bike, and has also started pedaling his tricycle, which is pretty exciting. He loves going on the bike trailer with Matt (especially because they try to go by some construction sites), and he still loves going in Bob, especially when we go to "the Benning Lake" (aka Bennington Lake).

He is turning into a goofball, and loves telling jokes. When he hears us laughing, he likes to join in and fake laugh, so he can be part of the group. 

Even with all his changes and growing up, he continues to be a loving, sweet boy. I love him to pieces.