Dr. Kim, The Dentist

from April 15, 2011

As I previously mentioned, Dylan loves brushing his teeth.  Every morning, he literally begs to brush his teeth: "Mommy please please brush teef?".  He really doesn't brush them for more than 10 seconds - he smiles, stares at his teeth, and just sucks the water off the toothbrush.   Since Ryan was due for his next cleaning at the dentist, we decided to make an appointment for Dylan too.   It was decided that Dylan would go first and as soon as he saw the room, he hopped up on the chair.

Dr. Kim, like she did with Ryan, showed Dylan all of her tools and he was mesmerized.  She also brought out a big, stuffed alligator with teeth and asked Dylan to help her brush the alligators teeth and help her count them.   He happily said ok, grabbed the toothbrush and got to brushing. 

Once they were done doing everything to the alligator, it was Dylan's turn.  The doctor turned on an episode of Dora the Explorer on a tv in the ceiling to get him to lay back and distract him, but Dylan was amazingly cooperative and totally interested in what the dentist was doing.  To start, the dentist told him to open his mouth, which he did as wide as can be and said "aaaaahhhh"

Dylan did a fantastic job!!! He looked adorable in the chair and was very patient - he didn't try to get down at all , did everything the dentist asked and didn't even try to bite her, lol.  His teeth look great, he has no cavities and aside from having teeth that are close together (which is not a problem except they are hard to floss), they are perfect. 

Ryan went second and also did a great job - no cavities and nice, clean, healthy gums.

At one point, I thought that Ryan might fall asleep.  He tucked his arms behind his head like he does at night, and didn't move or make a peep.  Finally, I said "Ryan are you ok"  and he said "Yes, just watching tv and relaxing" lol

I am so glad that the boys like going to the dentist and have had positive experiences so far.  Our next visit is in six months.

First trip to the dentist

Today was Ryan's first trip to the dentist and he and his teeth did a great job! I was a little nervous about how he would do since he really is not a big fan of brushing his teeth or me helping him but he seemed excited about going and was happy to jump right up in the chair.

Dr. Kim was terrific and took a lot of time to explain to Ryan all of her tools and what she would do with each one. First, Ryan got to pick out which sunglasses he wanted to wear so the bright light wouldn't hurt his eyes

Then she gave him a small mirror so he could watch what she was doing and he held it up and watched for almost the whole exam. When it was time for the exam to begin, Dr. Kim reclined his chair and asked him if that was ok to which he responded "That's ok, I like rides. When I went to Disney, I went on lots of rides and they went really fast"

Then it was time to count Ryan's teeth, make sure there were no cavities, and to give the teeth a good brushing.

Every once in a while, the dr. would stop to ask Ryan if he was doing ok and each time, he would have a story to tell her. The way the office was set up, I could see down the hall to where Elizabeth was waiting with Dylan and she and I would just look at each other and laugh. Among the stories:

**"I ate an egg sandwich today because sometimes if you eat a jelly sandwich, you look like you have cavities. Sometimes when I am at Grandmas house, I eat cherries and they make my teeth look red"

**When Dr. Kim asked if he brushes his teeth everyday - "I brush my teeth everyday. Sometimes I tell mommy I don't want to brush them today and she says ok, you can brush them tomorrow" thanks for ratting me out Ryan

** When the Dr. was telling me things Ryan shouldn't eat because they are bad for his teeth, he said "Excuse me Dr., but some times my brother Dylan likes to eat things so I need to clean up all over the floor, like when there are pennies and other small things or else he is going to eat them and get really sick"

When Ryan finally stopped talking, he got a cotton-candy flavored fluoride treatment and then got to look at his pearly whites for one final inspection.

The dentist said that everything looked great and we should come back in 6 months for another check up. On the way out, Ryan got to pick something from the Treasure box (he picked Spiderman stickers and a bouncy ball) and got a new toothbrush and toothpaste. He was so excited to get them and couldn't wait to show Jay, but has since declared he doesn't like the new brush or new paste. Oh well - I guess good dental health will continue to be a work in progress in our house but we are happy to report no cavities!! Keep up the good work Ryan.

Rice Cereal

(from September 15)

On Sunday, Jay, the kids and I went over to Michael's apartment to watch the Jets game with him and Jasmine and my parents. We were waiting for Dylan's 6 month birthday to feed him his first real food (at our pediatricians recommendation) but since we were all going to be together, we decided to let him try some rice cereal a few days early. Dylan seemed very interested in trying the food and even tried grabbing the spoon out of my hand:

Unfortunately, the cereal was not a huge hit. I am pretty sure Dylan was even thinking "I waited 6 months for this??

And for those of you who like the videos, here is some documentation that our second attempt with the cereal was as unsuccessful as the first.

Next up: Bananas. Hopefully he will like those better

Geographic Tongue

**Warning: Crazy Photos Included**

Ryan has a Geographic tongue. Yes, it sounds totally made up and we had never heard of it until we told the pediatrician that we thought Ryan's tongue looked funny at his 3 month appointment. It was then that she told us about Geographic Tongue. She explained that the top of the tongue is covered in papillae. When someone has geographic tongue, their tongue had red patches on the surface of the tongue bordered by grayish white. The papillae are missing from the reddish areas and overcrowded in the grayish white borders (I had to look in wikipedia for a good explanation). It is common and true in Ryan's case that the small patches may disappear and reappear in a short period of time (hours or days), and change in shape or size. Geographic tongue does not go away, but in the case that it someday does, I started to take some pictures of Ryan's to show him when he is older. The doctor promises me that it doesn't bother him at all but sometimes, it looks so horrible, I don't see how it doesn't hurt. Here are some pictures just from the past month:

When I ask Ryan if it hurts him, he always says no and matter of fact, he thinks that it is funny to look in the mirror and check out his "circles". It would figure that my wild and crazy boy has such a crazy condition. Well, I guess he will always have a good answer to "Tell me something unusual about you"

4 months

4 months - man, the time has just flown by. My little baby, although he was never that little really, is now 16 pounds 7 ounces and is 26 1/4 inches- the ped. said that is near the 90th percentile for both. Dylan is so tough - he had to get 4 shots this time and didn't even cry for the first 2. The doctor said he looked great and couldn't believe how blue his eyes still are.

Ryan, who came along for the appointment, had a pretty funny interaction with the pediatrician when she first came in the room:

Dr. P: "Hi Ryan, who is that, your brother?"
Ryan: "yes, that my bruda"
Dr. P: "What's his name?"

Ryan: "Dylan"

Dr. P: "Do you love him?"

Ryan: "I love him SOOOOOO much"

haha, it was so adorable.

Dylan has really changed a lot in the past month. Very recently, he started cooing more and is even starting to have a little laugh. Also over the past month, Dylan has been rolling non-stop!! As soon as he lays down on his back, he tries to roll over. Over the past week, he has even started to try crawling!!! He tucks his legs under his body, picks his butt up in the air and tries to push off. He has moved a little bit a few times but once he figures out how to use his arms too, I will be in big trouble - time to start cleaning up the toys on the floor I guess. For the time being though, he seems to enjoy being in his exersaucer which we recently took out of the closet. Of course, it needed to be tested out first by the original owner :-)

(and for old times sake, here is a picture from the first day that Ryan used it 2/24/06)
When Dylan finally got his turn, he had to listen to instructions from his brother how to use each attachment, although he seems to like the things he can put in his mouth best. It is now one of his favorite places to hang out :

3 months

Dylan had his 3 month appointment today and when the doctor came in to see him, she looked at him, his chart and then said "You know, I saw a dozen 3 month olds today and yours is the biggest by 3 pounds". Oh my gosh!!!! He is now 16 pounds and 25 1/2 inches tall - near the 95th percentile for both. Dylan looks more tall than he does big and he is already wearing 6-9 month clothes because 3-6 month pants are too short on him.

While we were at the appointment, Dylan was lying on the table and started to try and roll over and the doctor said "You better watch out, he is probably going to roll soon" and two minutes later, he rolled over on the table. He hasn't rolled too much more since the appointment but I have a feeling that he is going to be a rolling machine soon.

2 months and 2 1/2 years

On Friday, both boys had to go to the pediatrician - Ryan for his 2 1/2 year appointment and Dylan for his 2 month appointment. Grandma came to help so that she could entertain one boy while the doctor and I spoke about the other

Ryan went first and did a great job. He weighs 32 1/2 pounds (65th percentile) and is 36 1/2 inches tall (50th percentile).

The dr. said Ryan's language and comprehension were great for his age and was impressed at the wide variety of foods that he eats. When the Dr. said she was finished with Ryan, Ryan turned to Grandma and said "Gamma, your turn. Take off your clothes" and tried to pull her shirt off. He was standing there in his t-shirt and pull ups and the Dr. said "Ok Grandma, Dylan is going to get his shots now so you can take Ryan out" and my mom said ok, picked Ryan up and ran at the door saying "Come on, we will put your pants on outside" -LOL. I guess she really didn't want to see Dylan get his shots.

Next, it was Dylan's turn. He now weighs a whopping 13 pounds which is around the 75th percentile and is an amazing 24 3/4 inches tall, which is close to the 90th percentile.

Dylan had to get 4 shots and took them like a champ - his legs seemed a little bit sore for a few hours, but was his typical happy self all day. Just like Ryan, Dylan is turning out to be one tough little boy with the big muscles and legs to prove it.

When we got home and Ryan saw Dylan's band aids, he said "Dylan have booboo? I make it better" and kissed him on both of his legs. Ryan then got up, went in his room and came back with 2 pillows and 2 blankets and said "I nap with Dylan" and made me put Dylan on one of the pillows. He then covered him up with a blanket, laid down next to him and covered himself up and put his arm around Dylan. It was absolutely adorable, even if Ryan only stayed there for 2 seconds.

Dylan's next appointment is at the end of June and Ryan's is in October. Anyone want to predict what Dylan will weigh? If you have a guess, please put it in the comments section - whoever is closest without going over will get a little something from Dylan next month.

1 Month

Dylan is a month old and is doing great! He had his one month appointment today and is now 10 lbs. 14 oz. (which is the 75th percentile for weight) and is 37 cm long (which is the 90th percentile for height). When other people see him, they can't believe that Dylan is only 4 weeks old since he is so big, and while he was bigger than most babies at birth, we are lucky that he also is a great eater.

The three main milestones kids should reach in the first two months are raising their heads, responding to voice, and smiling. The pediatrician said he looked fantastic and thought he did great picking up his head during tummy time. The dr. also confirmed that Dylan was right on track for responding to voice. She does believe, however, that most smiles before 2 months old are caused by gas, not a conscious response to stimulus. While she could be right, we don't think so - Dylan already seems to be smiling in response to silly voices and faces.

Dylan continues to be a really great, happy and content baby. He really doesn't cry unless he is hungry, tired or gassy and makes the loudest burps I have ever heard. He is a pretty quiet baby and it does not take much to get him to go to sleep. He really doesn't like sleeping in the pack-n-play but we are working on it - for now, he seems most comfortable sleeping in his swing or papasan chair. Dylan is one of the most alert babies I have ever seen and stays awake, eyes wide open for hours at a time, just looking around and seemingly taking it all in. Amazingly, he has already grown out of some of his clothes and is starting to get a little pot belly that is absolutely adorable, just like everything else about him.

The Little Boy - The first two weeks

After the first two weeks with Dylan, it is already hard to imagine our family without him. We had his first doctors appointment on the 24th and it went wonderfully. We had a small scare in the hospital because Dylan failed his hearing test in his right ear, however, he passed the re-test in the doctor's office and we could not be happier - I even cried out of relief when we were told he passed. When we left the hospital, we were told that Dylan weighed 8 lbs. 5 ounces and Jay and I were very surprised to hear that since it is highly unlikely he gained almost a pound in the 36 hours we were in the hospital - we were even more surprised when the pediatrician told us that Dylan now weighs 8 pounds 14 ounces and grew 1/2 inch in height!! He has been doing great eating but our pediatrician is pretty sure that Dylan's birth weight was wrong and that he really weighed over 8 pounds at birth.

We go back to the pediatrician when Dylan is a month old and I can't wait to see how much he weighs then!

**Update: My ob was not on call the weekend Dylan was born and I recently went to see him. While I was there, he was asking about Dylan and I mentioned that Dylan's birth weight made no sense. He offered to call the hospital to find out what the correct birth weight was because apparently, all babies are weighed not only in the delivery room but also in the nursery. If the weights are different, they are supposed to weigh the baby again and make the change on the birth record. Although they did not change the birth record, it ends up that when he was weighed in the nursery, Dylan weighed 8 lbs. 12 oz!!! We knew 7 lbs 9 oz made no sense and I am glad to finally know the correct birth weight. **

Dylan is a great baby. He has slept more in the past 2 weeks than Ryan did in his first 2 months and while he seems to have his days and nights confused, each day we seem to get closer to a normal schedule. When he is awake, Dylan is a nosy-body, just like his brother was. He has huge blue eyes and he constantly is looking around, probably looking over his shoulder to make sure Ryan isn't going to drive a train on his head.

He has already started trying to hold his head up, and even though I know it is just because of gas, I love when he smiles - I can't wait until he starts smiling for real.

Without a doubt, I have taken more pictures of Dylan in the past two weeks than most people take in a year and I think he is getting cuter by the day.

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He is so huggable and kissable and has the most delicious baby smell. We love him so much and even Ryan seems to love having him around. I really am lucky to have such a great life and family.