My "little" baby is 18 months old!!!

I wanted to try to do this every few months.  But well, things never turn out like they are supposed to.  So I will attempt to make it up. 

18 Month Stats:
31 in tall
11.2 kg
10 teeth..2 top, 3 bottom, 2 bottom molars and 1 top molar

Saying:
Momma, Daddy, Daisy, Bama, PeePee (short for PeePaw), Nan (Short for Gran), Nag Nag (what he calls Kyle's mom), Papa, BooBoo, DooDoo, Ball, High chair, Strawberry, Lady Bug, Goose, Horses, Tricycle, Fish, Swing, Num-Num, Bite-Bite, Cookie, "these" (what he says when he wants teething tablets), Truck, Deer, Kiki (kitty), Butterfly, Tractor, Apple, Hat, Baby, Circle, NoNo, Bubbles (bath), Cheep cheep (bird), Tree, Book, Bah (short for daddy's dip can, his favorite toy), Get it, Mean, ByeBye

How's a _______go?
Cow: Boooooo
Chicken: Boc boc
Sheep: Baaahhh
Deer: snorts thru nose
Daisy/Puppy: rah, rah ,rah
Grandma: Nag nag nag
Pig: makes a noise
Goat: Beeeeeee
Frog: Rib (he shortens the bit part)
Bunny: opens and closes mouth with a mean face


Other things you say:
Who's Gran's baby?.....pats himself and says me, me ,me
Not I said the duck/goose/pig..........really sounds like Naaaaahh IIIIIII duck/goose/pig
A big fat hen........sorta sounds like it, but not really, that's what he means anyway


Books you read:  Big Red Barn, Color Book, Brown bear Brown bear, baby animal book

Things you do:
Dance....shakes head up and down, bounces on butt
Jumpy....... starts "dancing" when he wants to get in his jumpy seat
Get it........points and says get it when he wants something
How big is Brayden?.................raises arms over head
No...........shakes head No when he knows he isnt supposed to do something or if he is asking if its okay
All kids are "babies"
Will wear your mask in the hospital.
Loves to swim
Gets violent and throws things when he gets sleepy
Want a punch in the nose?.........leans forward so you can punch him
Mean as a snake........makes a mean face and says ssssssssssssss
Knows where eye, ear, nose, mouth is


Motor skills:
PT twice/week
Crawling everywhere
Pulls to stand on anything
Walks around the table and couch
Can crawl up stairs

Speech/Eating:
Goes to Rene once a week.  Now Parker is there with him. 
Will drink water from a straw, sometimes Pedisure
Plays in pudding, likes chocolate best
Will eat some oreo pieces
Will eat a few bites of marshmallow
Loves teething tablets "these"..I have started changing them out with small pieces of soft peppermint


Meds and medical stuff:
Labs once a week
Malagon once a month
Had 1 visit to inpatient for Diarrhea and low K, got IVF and came home next day
4 cans of Pedisure (changed from Nutren Jr because of K content) with 1.5 tsp of baking soda
750 cc of Hydrating solution at night (1 quart water, 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt)
Prograf 1mg 6a-2p-10p
Prevacid 15mg 2xday
Zantac 22mg 2xday
Prednisone 3mg daily
Iron 1ml daily
Bactrim 2.5ml M-W-F
Stopped Valcyte because of bone marrow suppression and multiple negative CMV/EBV
Cellcept on hold for bone marrow suppression (WBC down to 2, H/H down to 8/27)


Life is good.  He is progressing faster than every before.  He is the joy of our lives.

I am begining to think about starting to plan a Kidney Mom Convention for next year so that all of us mom's that love and know each other so well can actually meet in person and get to meet "our other kids". 

Here is a video that shows off some of his "talents"

Sometimes I just like to read

I have recently been guilty of reading other blogs of other peoples kids and other people and their medical issues. Why? I'm not completely sure but I think that it has to do with the fact that our life is no longer "medically interesting". Not saying that I don't love that fact but it is what we have lived since I was 20 weeks pregnant. I find myself being increasingly interested in Cyctic Fibrosis. I was touched by a mom (who's blog I read daily) that spent the last 7 years of her life fighting for her son's life. Conner had CF and a mild Prune Belly- this made it extra hard for him becuase he didn't have the abd muscles to cough good to get the junk out of his lungs. Anyway, Conner lost his battle 6 Thursdays ago. That's how his mom measures time- in thursdays- I can remember a time when I measured everything in tuesdays. That was when he was born, when he had several surgeries, when his nephrology appts were, the day he was transplanted. Sarah,Conner's mom, wrote the most amazing tribute to her sons life. It was gruesome to live his last day thru her eyes. I cried my eyes out reading her post because I could have been there. I still could be there one day. Do I want to think about that,No, but it does remain in the back of my mind.

So why am I rambling on and on about other people? I'm really not sure. Maybe because I almost miss that stressful part of my life, maybe mom's like me and so many others I know need that bit of stress to feel "normal". I know that I have always thrived on a moderate amount of stress but I understand now what the psych people tried to tell me before transplant. They said- depression is common after you donate an organ- I wasn't worried about it and still am not depressed but do see how someone could get depressed after surgery. Its a life changing event- our super busy lives we changed to a "normal" busy life! I sorta felt like this change was comparible to when I left hawaii and came home. Nothing was the same and I had to releatrn things all over. Its the same with Brayden, I have had to learn to not worry so much, not have my brain so tied up with med schedules, calories, dialysis, ultrafiltrated and labs. I now only have to worry about getting formula and meds ready for the grandparents and playing with my newly transplanted-full of energy- learning new things everyday baby.

My life has changed. It is for the good but it is change and change is wierd.

Night people