Porter Update: State of the Weight

Well, it had been just over a month since the dude's last "official" weight check at the pediatrician. I must say, I was pretty proud of myself for holding off on scheduling another appointment as long as I did. (If they weren't $20 a pop, I might just have been dropping in on them a couple times a week!) We went back in today, and truth be told, Mommy was not overly confident that the numbers we'd see would be too encouraging. For the last few weeks, Porter's appetite has been seriously lacking, and every mealtime has been a battle. Not fun at all, and especially not with the additional pressure we're under here. So, you can imagine my surprise/joy when I placed my baby on the scale and watched the digital screen settle on 18 pounds 4 ounces! (That's 2 pound 6 ounces heavier than our last weight check, and makes a total gain of almost 4 pounds in 6 weeks!) He'd also grown about half an inch and was measured at 27 1/4 inches long.

 Way to go, Champ!

Kathy came in with a big smile on her face asking where the chubby boy was. :) She was excited to show me that...drumroll please...Porter is now back on the growth charts! Today's measurements put him at the 5th percentile for both weight and height. Still a tiny bug, but we're making progress! Once again, she reaffirmed her belief that there were no more serious underlying problems. (We still go back in to the pediatric endocrinologist in a couple of months for follow-up, just in case.)

During our time together, I talked Kathy's ear off about how, despite his good numbers, it's been far from sunshine and roses for us at home. Some days have been better than others, but feeling like I have to force my child to eat has worn. this. girl. down. I truly dread every mealtime, and feel a sense of defeat when I finally have to give up after he's only eaten a small portion of what I expect him to. It's been the cause of many mommy meltdowns as of late. Kathy was encouraging, and when I asked for her advice on how much to push, she said to try to relax a little bit and let Porter determine how much he wants/needs to eat. I know this makes sense, but it's been so hard not to worry about him consuming as many calories as possible in order to get his weight up!

Another thing we discussed was Porter's iron supplements. I don't think I've had a chance to mention, but the bloodwork we had done a few weeks ago came back showing that Porter is anemic. We had to start giving him drops twice a day to boost his depleted iron levels. Simple enough, right? WRONG. First off, he despises them (and I can't blame him; they totally taste like metal!), and even when mixed with apple juice (which is recommended, as the vitamin C helps iron absorption), he wants nothing to do with it. Folks, I literally have to grab his helmet, tilt his head back, and force him to drink from his sippy cup. Sometimes he even gets choked up. I hate, hate, hate it! Add to that the fact that iron stains the teeth. Yes, that's right, and you can imagine that his trying to spit it out helps with that issue a lot! So, for the last couple of weeks, my poor pathetic boy has been flashing a gray grin. Now, fortunately, I tried giving the former pearly whites a scrub with baking soda this afternoon, and it seemed to take away most of the stain. After talking with Kathy, we decided I'm going to try squirting 1 mL of iron mixed with 1mL of apple juice down his throat with a syringe, in order to make the process quick and try to avoid the staining problem. He'll be tested again at one year old to see how much his levels have increased, but most likely will have to remain on the iron supplements for six months. Needless to say, I'm super pumped about that! But, you gotta do what you gotta do.

In the end, it was a good appointment. Kathy is always helpful, encouraging, and complimentary of the boys. She was so impressed with how well Kaiser behaved and stayed quiet that she told him to get two stickers on our way out! We'll see her on October 24th for Porter's one year visit, but she told me if at any point I the need to check in before then, to call her or schedule another weight check. I told her not to be surprised if she saw us again at the end of the month. You know, just for this worrywart's peace of mind. :)

Considering the strides he's made, I'm not sure just one picture of him from the doctor's office today is enough. In fact, just one Porter may not be enough...

 Triplets!

"Who are these handsome devils?"

He was making out with himself. :)

And, for that matter, his (usually) patient, (mostly) loving big brother deserves a little blog face time, too.

"Seriously? Paparazzi even in the dressing room?"

We've got a day off from appointments tomorrow, but I'll be back with another Porter update after our big visit to the orthotist on Friday. Stay tuned...

Oh, We Love Oma!

I can't believe it's been nearly a week since I last blogged. That's a significantly long stretch for me! :) As you may or may not have guessed, the Bralys have been busy enjoying time my mom, who came from St. Louis to the Burgh late last week. What fun her grandsons (and of course, her daughter and son-in-law) had during her visit!

Oma flew into town on Thursday around noon. The boys and I picked her up from the airport, then stopped at IKEA on the way back to eat lunch and do some shopping. 

Trying to get a slightly grumpy Porter to smile.

Tough audience.

Picking up a play kitchen -- an early Xmas gift from Oma and T-Pa!

We didn't finish up at IKEA and get back home until after the kiddos' normal naptime, so it was straight to bed with them for a couple of hours. While they rested, I ran back out to the grocery store to pick up a few necessities and whipped up some dinner. The boys woke up from nap ready for some serious playtime with one of their very favorite ladies!

Kaiser giving Oma a digging lesson on his construction site.

Daddy got home from work right around eatin' time, and then we were all entertained by the musical stylings of Mr. Porter Knight.

Sing us a song...

...you're the piano man.

That night, after the babes were tucked in, we got busy putting together the kitchen set. It was a team effort and took some time, but the end result was definitely worth it!

So cute!

While we were working late, Kristen stopped by and stayed to visit for a bit. Earlier that day, Brett and I had been invited by one of his attendings to a fancy schmancy gala for the Ladies Hospital Aid Society on Saturday night; upon receiving word of these plans, I immediately flipped out when I realized I had not a thing to wear to a black tie (optional) event like this! I proceeded to text a couple of girlfriends to beg for help. Kristen was so, so sweet and offered to bring me several of her beautiful cocktail dresses to try. Thank God for friends with fabulous taste!

Friday morning Oma and I were excited to wake up Kaiser and show him his (well, his and Porter's) brand new toy! He was thrilled, and the little chef got right to work cooking up something delicious to eat.

"Breakfast is comin' right up!"

His sous chef.

After some playtime with Oma, Porter laid down for his morning nap. While he rested, I snuck out to Kacia's (another friend with cute taste) to raid her closet for cocktail dress options, too. I stayed to chat with her for a while, then rushed back home with dresses in tow, thinking I'd find a baby who was already wide awake. Well, apparently the boy really needed some shut-eye; he slept so hard that I had to wake him up a bit before 11:00!

Pooped.

Rise and shine!

We got lunch ready and fed the boys at home, then afterwards headed to the playground to let Kaiser run around for a bit before afternoon naps.

Food = Energy.

Gettin' his climb on.

Back and forth across the bridges.

Using my legs as a tunnel.

"I can play on the big equipment, too!"

A little game of peek-a-boo.

Oma is such a great playmate!

Soon it was time to hurry back home and get the boys down so Mommy could run out to get her hair cut and colored. This was scheduled strategically, of course, and I'm so grateful that my mom could be home with the kidlets while I had some relaxing alone/pampering time at the salon! Brett got home from work and I finished up and got back right around the end of naptime. Then the five of us drove to Waterworks to eat at Burgatory. Unfortunately, the wait there was far too long for a party with two hungry babies, so we hopped over to Walnut Grove, where we could be seated immediately, and had a nice dinner there, instead.

Tired again already?

Seriously sippin' on his water.

Forgot his bib, so we rocked the cloth napkin bandana-style.

How come I can't get a good smile out of both of them at the same time?

Daddy doing his "Kaiser" smile.

Porter holding on for dear life on the way to the car.

"Take me home and put me to bed!"

Once we got back to the house, Brett took over with cleaning up and laying down Kaiser and Porter so that Oma and I could rush to the mall in search of shoes and a clutch for the next evening's gala. Fortunately, we had luck finding both items at Macy's, and finished up just before they closed for the night. I breathed a huge sigh of relief once I knew that my outfit was complete!

Saturday the forecast called for more gorgeous weather, so we thought a trip to Station Square and then up to Mt. Washington would be a great idea. Brett had to go in to round that morning, but was done fairly early and was able to come out with the rest of us.

Opening up one of many "special surprises" Oma brought along. 

Ready to head out!

Tickling Porter while we wait to board the incline.

Loves attention from Big Brother!

Going up...

3/4 of our fam.

Once we got to the top of Mt. Washington, we enjoyed a stroll and the spectacular view from several of the lookout spots. We couldn't believe that, despite her coming to see us several times in the 3+ years we've lived here, we hadn't had the opportunity to show Oma the city from this awesome vantage point!

This kiddo had a new appreciation for it since our last trip up.

With my beautiful momma and boys.

Bralys in the Burgh.

"I can dig living here for two more years!"

Lots of "walking by hisself".

Pointing out the "upside-down cone" that is the Science Center.

Waiting to hop on the incline and head back down.

Sat in the front of the car this time!

"It's gettin' hot in here..."

"Any day now..."

Peeking out the window at the cables as we worked our way down the mountain.

Once we were back in Station Square, we decided to stop at Bar Louie to eat lunch. It was completely dead, which was kind of nice, so we had an entire section of the quiet restaurant to ourselves to enjoy our meal.

Sipping on Oma's water.

Watching the fountain show outside while waiting for Daddy to pull the car around.

Again, the boys went down quickly after we got back home. While they rested, Brett went out to shop for clothes for that night, while I did all the necessary "girly" things to prep myself. We were so thankful, especially considering the short notice we had, that my mom was here and more than happy to spend the evening with her grandsons while we had a night out on the town! My hot date and I left the house around 6:30, and of course had to pose for a picture before we said goodbye. I ended up in a little black number with beading on the front, courtesy of Kristen. (Many thanks to K & K for coming to their friend's rescue in her hour of need!)

We clean up well, right?

Not used to seeing Mommy and Daddy look this niiiice!

Oma loves kissing on Porter's helmet-less head.

"You guys go on to your party. We'll stay here and have our own!"

Honestly, I was not as excited as you'd think I'd be about the LHAS gala. I was kind of intimidated, was worried I would feel totally out of my league, and joked with Brett that if anyone asked, I would tell them I was just there to "fill a table". Ha! Fortunately, my hubby had a much more positive attitude, and between him and the other residents/spine fellows and their wives with whom we shared a table, I felt surprisingly comfortable. It really was a lovely evening -- fantastic decorations, delicious food and drinks, a huge band playing great dancing music. And dance we did. :) They also had a couple of photo booths with fun props, which we made sure to utilize a couple of times during the night. Another one of Brett's attendings and his wife even hopped in with us on our second round. 

We were far too busy having fun to take too many pictures of our own, but we did ask our friend Dave to snap one of us "lounging" during a break from the dance floor. 

Clearly "Let's do a serious one" means different things to us!

A bit after 11:00, the four of us who still remained from our table decided we were exhausted and should call it a night. As Brett had promised, we had such a fabulous time. I've got my fingers crossed that we score another invite to the LHAS shindig next year!

Sunday morning I was happy to see my baby boys after our night away. Kaiser couldn't wait to see Oma, who was still sleeping, and tried to get her to come up from the basement by using her cell phone to give her a wake up call!

"Wanna come up and eat some bwekfast?"

Trying on the pearls Mommy got at her party.

They really help dress up the diaper.

Daddy got home from work plenty early to join us for the second service at church. Before we left, I realized all my dudes were dressed in blue and asked them to pose for a picture for me. (As if I needed that excuse!)

Handsome X 3.

Watching cars as we walk down Forbes.

Unfortunately, my attempt to leave Porter in the capable hands of the nursery volunteers (one of whom was Amy) failed yet again, so I came back down to fetch him during service. Kaiser, meanwhile, was content as can be, and busy playing with his buddy Tavin. 

"Bein' silly wit Legos."

Swinging with Daddy and Oma on our way back to the car.

That afternoon, while the boys rested, my mom and I went out to do some shopping at Sam's and Target. When we got back home, Brett cooked some chicken I'd marinated for us to eat that night.

Watching Daddy work the grill.

Stopping to say hi.

Putting together puzzles while waiting on dinner.

Happy eating the special "chocolate rocks" Oma got him for dessert.

Duets before bath time.

Kaiser was thrilled when we suggested that we have a movie night and watch Toy Story (which I'd bought on our shopping trip) together. Though he's somewhat familiar with Woody and Buzz from puzzles, books, etc., he'd never seen it. We got Porter settled into bed, laid blankets and pillows on the living room floor, and started the movie.

When asked to pose, he grabbed the box and yelled "Video case!"

Lasted through the whole thing...even when Oma and Daddy didn't.

Judging from the number of times I've heard "To infinity and beyond!" in the last couple of days, I think it's safe to say that Kaiser enjoyed our impromptu movie night. :)

Monday we didn't have any definite plans. For a good part of the morning, the boys just hung out in their diapers playing with some boxes Oma and I had brought home from Sam's the day before. 

 Taking Porter for a ride.

Room for one more?

 Kaiser takes the driver's seat.

 Pit stop at the fridge to play with magnets.

After Porter took his nap, we swung by the library to return (and borrow) some new DVDs, then headed to North Park for some time on the playground. After he finished his lunch, Kaiser enjoyed running around and showing Oma how to climb up on all the big equipment.

 "I did it aw by mysef!"

"Are you sure this slide is safe?"

Double the fun!

 My bow-legged cowboy.

Someone likes to swing!

Brett ended up having a super heavy load at work that day, so it was just the four of us that evening for dinner, playtime, bath, and bedtime. I'm used to doing it solo, but of course it was such a treat to have Oma there to help out with the boys!

 Convincing a less-than-willing Porter to eat his beans.

 "Satisfied?"

 Doggie tent time in the basement!

Clean-up/kick-the-balls.

 Big Bear fun before bed.

Crazy kids!

"This is wearing me out!"

After the kidlets were down, my mom and I watched The Prestige (a loaner from the library) and she graciously offered to fold a large load of baby clothes for me. Brett didn't make it home until well after 9:00 and was wiped, so he only hung out for a little while before going to bed. The girls finished the movie, stayed up a little later to talk about what a nice visit we'd had, and then headed in the same direction.

Today we had to bid our beloved guest farewell. :( Oma's flight left at 12:20, so she got a few hours to play with her grandsons in the morning.

 Hijacking Oma's and Kaiser's game with Thomas.

 Reading Franklin Is Lost for the 827th time. :)

One final pic before leaving for the airport.

I was really, really (really) sad to see my momma leave. Kaiser kept making reference to doing things "tomorrow" with her, so I know he'll miss her, too. Fortunately, the boys and I will be making a trip to St. Louis to see her, T-Pa, and their great-grandparents (Porter hasn't yet met Papa and Nana!) in November, so we have that to look forward to. Just 2 1/2 more months...

Mom/Oma, thank you for taking time off of work to travel here to spend time with us. Your visits are always so special, and it is very hard to let you go! Thank you for the wonderful toys and goodies that you and T-Pa bought for K & P, and even more for the hours you spent playing with, reading to, feeding, and taking care of them during your stay. Thank you for the love, support, and encouragement you give to their mommy, too. Don't know what we'd/I'd do without you! Love you muchly.