...10 weeks...

This was a weekend of juggling balls of time. Painting the kitchen during naps, taking a trip to a fantastic new spot on the river, taking walks to occupy a tired baby and bored dog, etc. Some milestones though... Alder made it to 10 weeks old on Saturday and during his afternoon nap he found his thumb. This put him to sleep as well as anything yet. He hasn't found it again since then but we expect he may. Also, on Alder's tenth (week) B-day he slept through the night, as he always has, but this time for 10 hours!! And perhaps the most amazing thing we discovered this weekend is that Alder fits in a 6 - 9 month sized onesie, proving that even the most adorable babies look like living hell in UT orange. Here are some shots...

Dog sitters

Jason's bother, Travis, and his wife, Ana, dog-sat Tsuga while we were in Louisiana last week. They did such a super job by taking him on many field trips to the park and interacting with him to do tricks.

They even let him drink some beer...

and then pass out in the back yard...

We think that Tsuga had such a good time that he may even love them more than us because when we told him to "load up" to go home, he walked to their back yard wooded area and laid down as if to say, 'nah, I am staying here'. Ever since Alder arived, Tsuga has certainly gotten less attention and he appears to be a bit saddened by it. So, a week with his aunt and uncle were just what he needed. Thanks T & A for taking such good care of him!!

It is really interesting how Tsuga seems to really love Alder though, despite the fact that he has stolen the spotlight from Tsuga. Alder, on the other hand, has some jealousy towards Tsuga as you can see from this comment he made earlier today:

Smiles!!

Well, he is finally smiling consistently enough to capture on film! Here are a few shots building up to a big smile. All we were doing was talking to him and smiling. It is so much fun to see!!

I finally put the jogging stroller to use this week as well. Here he is passed out after we got home. He is not suppoed to ride in it until he is 5 months old, but I think he fit in it fine (he actually really fills it up!) and we did not go over any rugged terrain where his head would bob around too much.
Chilling on the couch...

First Vacation

We went to Rocky Mount and Greenville, NC to see Jason's family and then flew down to Baton Rouge and Grand Isle, LA to see mine. It was great to take a full week off (for Jason) and to get away (for both of us). Alder handled the plane ride very well. He did fill up his diaper and soil his clothes such that I had to change him in the tiny airplane bathroom...the adventures of being a mom...I am going to Birmingham in a few weeks to see my family again and I wonder how I will do it alone!!

Alder met his Great Granna Helen in Rocky Mount:

We had a great time in Grand Isle. Granna was great to babysit on several occasions so that Jason and I could go fishing together and birdwatching one morning at the state park...we saw our first painted bunting!! What a gorgeous bird!

Granna with Alder

The three of us

We celebrated two birthdays on July 9 - Jason is now 31 and Marilynn is 2! Marilynn got a new pair of boots and a tricycle and Jason got a trip to Grand Isle:)

It was neat to watch Alder with Marilynn. He would watch her very intently and smile as she sat next to him and talked/played. Here is Alder with Lindsay and Marilynn.

Here is the entire gang:

Thank you Drs. Tuten and Ponseti!

It is so amazing to see the difference! Four casts and one very minor surgery has completely changed the appearance of Alder's feet and in only a matter of weeks. Dr. Tuten is our doctor and Dr. Ponseti is the man who developed the Ponseti method of correction for clubfeet. Before this method, and in some cases still today by doctors unaware of this procedure, children's feet were corrected by major surgery and the outcome was often not great (feet still deformed and much pain into adulthood). The Ponseti method, on the other hand, has a success rate of > 95% and the outcome is feet just like a 'normal' child and adult! All we have to do now is be diligent about wearing the brace to prevent a relapse and Alder will be crawling, walking, and then running like any other kid. Amazing! For more information, see the links to the right at the top of the blog.

Consentido en la hamaca

Translated as "spoiled in the hammock". Our great friends Ana and Alex are from Merida, Mexico. Ana gave me a hammock last year and I am so slack that I had not yet hung it...and we have a perfect spot. They came to visit for the last few days and we had a super time. We had not seen them since March so they were very excited to meet Alder and visit a new part of the U.S. Alex and Jason hung the hammock after they told us how babies in Mexico love them. With as much as Alder likes to look up at the trees, I knew this would be a great thing for him. Indeed, he really did like it and I plan to use it as much as the heat and mosquitoes allow. It was perfect, cool weather for July the past few days...Ana gets cold easily so don't let the sweatshirt fool you...it is not THAT cold!

We grilled out on the back porch to show them a traditional 4th of July!

So sweet passed out in the boppy:

Freedom, Fresh Air, and Crumpled Toes

No more casts! It is so amazing to be at this point in Alder's Ponseti treatment. It is wonderful to see his knees, as red and scaly and odd as they look right now. He was VERY upset to have his casts removed - they had to be kind of rough with his legs because there were three thick layers to cut through and pry off (cotton, plaster and webbing).


He is not too happy with the brace either. He cries every time he moves his legs, but it is hard to tell if it is frustration from not being able to move both legs independently or if it just hurts to move them at all. It seemed that at first the discomfort was the result of really sensitive skin. His thighs-to-toes were really red with dead skin sloughing off and he didnt want to be touched. The padding under the casts had to be peeled from his tender skin. As time went on, after an hour or two, it seemed that the discomfort was more related to movement, or perhaps muscles, tendons, and ligaments stretching for the first time in a long while. For whatever reason, it makes sense that it would hurt considering that he has not moved his ankle and knee joints since he was 4 days old! I bet they are a tad bit stiff! Regardless, he was able to fall asleep on the way home. His carseat is no longer a good fit...thank goodness I bought it on craigslist for cheap!

Fashionable little sandals aren't they

We were able to adore his smooshed up toes for an hour or so while we were at the orthotist waiting on his brace. And it was amazing how fast the color changed to match the rest of him. There are some purplish patches still on his legs - bruises and abrasions from the casts??? And an old blister that formed broke and heeled over the past three weeks on a big toe.

He has a nastly little blister on his left foot from the casts...I wonder when he was crying due to this bit of discomfort??

The best part is being able to give him a real bath... truly submerged in water. While he was uncomfortable with pressing feet against Mommy and such, he was very striken by the feeling of warm water surrounding him and being poured over, keeping an amazed look on his face.

Two more days...

On Tuesday, Alder will get his casts off for good! He has had them on since he was 4 days old and is now 6 weeks! It is a good thing because he has had these casts on for 3 weeks and they are getting a bit small as you can see from his toes growing out the end and his thighs bulging around the tops! He toes are still pink and we can still fit our fingertips into the tops so we know they are not too tight, but he is certainly a growing boy and needs to get them off! There are some other fun pics of him as well...he has been kinda fussy here lately so I thought I should add in craying pic to let you all know that he is not always the sweet little boy we depict on the blog....