Oh POOP!

Poor Kade went through his first constipation experience! Poor guy...I was suspicious something was going on when we didn't get any "presents" on Saturday/Sunday. Well on Monday afternoon while we were shopping, he started getting really upset for no reason. Well when I changed his diaper I quickly found out why as he had rock hard poo poos. For the rest of the night he screamed in pain and then would fall asleep. Here daddy "made everything better" and napped on the floor with him while I finished supper dishes.

I "again" called the Dr. and she suggested I go get prune juice and mix 1oz w/1oz water and give that to him along with a suppository. So I ran to the store and got the goods...by the time I got back, he had passed the biggest hardest poo ever. Chad didn't know how he even got that out of him?? Ouch!! So we decided to not do the suppository (not pros in that area) and I fed him the prune juice. Um, Kade doesn't like prune juice, found out. He did finally end up getting it down but stained his white shirt pretty good with all of the juice he spit out. He had mommy up most of the night doing "rockie rockie" in our chair, so mommy is a zombie today.

So that brings us to today (Tuesday)...he was good in the am but I called to check in on him at daycare and he was throwing up all his formula and crying in pain most of the day. So Chad took him to the Dr. (again). So what does Kade do? He laughs and smiles the whole appointment...geez kid, he's making us look bad. We come to find out his soy is plugging him up and we (again, seeing a pattern?) changed his formula. He gave us some samples and lots of pedialite to keep him hydrated. Tonight he was smiley and giggley and then would start crying...the Dr. suspects he has the flu bug but said it doesn't last long. I put him to bed about an hour ago, he ate 5oz of milk (and kept it down) so we will see how tonight goes. I think he's doing pretty good, we give him LOTS of love and kisses and snuggle him to pieces!!

Memorial Day Weekend

Kade had an awesome memorial day weekend! Lots and lots going on and he did so good.
#1 Saturday was Kade's first birthday party that he was invited to! Kale Okeson turned 1 and we were there to help celebrate. Kale's dad is Justin, who is a long time friend of ours dating all the way back to Wheatland WY...yikes! Shawn also met us at our house and we all drove up (they live just a little ways out of town...ok a lot of ways). Kade was far from the only infant to show up, there was also a 1 week old (sorry wouldn't of seen me there @ that point) and a 3 month old. Come to find out the 3 month old eats 8oz at a time and Kade only eats 4oz! BUT Kade likes to eat every 2 hours, I think he's pulling the wool over mommie's eyes. The best part of the party was watching Kale eat his very own 1st B-day cake. O MY...there was icing in his nose and everything, he had full reign to grab at the cake with his bare teeny fingers and I laughed so hard I cried. Kade got Kale a Tonka truck that he can sit on and scoot around, it has a blinker and rear view mirror and of course a horn that makes LOTS of noise.

#2 Sunday brought us to Kade's first day at the lake! I could just slap myself for leaving the camera in my purse (which was at the dock in the car). We went out with Devin and Amanda on their new boat and spent the day cruising the waters. You should've seen him (I will recreate the moment at some point and take pics of him) he had a bright yellow life vest, which his head poked out the top and all you saw was a head, legs, and arms holding the vest. He also had a big floppy hat and sunglasses too! He was such a good sport about the whole thing. I guess the rythm of the water zonked him out and he slept almost the whole time. Amanda held him most of the time, while mommy enjoyed an "adult beverage". He was really good when he was awake and just sat there and watched the scenery go by. At the end of the day, we stopped by our favorite bar/grill to have supper but a band was going to start so reality hit and we had to go home as "parents" and leave the supper behind. O'well, he was such a trooper all day and Amanda ended up making supper for us when we got back into town-THANKS Amanda!!

#3 Monday we ended up going shopping all day. #1 on our list was a VIDEO CAMERA...Yay! That means I can now start blogging video of my little guy, isn't that awesome? I just have to figure out how to do it now...hmmmmm. Also we (again) replaced Kade's wardrobe. I just LOVE shopping for baby clothes. We bought him some carpenter pants and cool shirts and shorts. The little bugger is in size 6/9 months now!!! We officially put away all his 3 months and most of his 3/6 month clothes.

Well there was a lot going on this weekend, but we all had a blast. I just am so MAD I didn't get 1 picture....GGGGrrrr!!!!

4 month check up

Kade had his 4 month check up this week. Both Chad and I went since we were curious to see what the Dr. had to say about his ear infection since the chiropractor. Well........NO ear infection what so ever!!! What a miracle, we are so thankful. Kade has since gotten a cold, so its the whole "if its not one thing its the other". Nothing earth shattering, just a cough and a stuffy nose. He actually shared it with mommy, how nice of him huh?
Kade's stats at his visit: 16 pounds (80th percentile) & 26 inches (90th percentile). This kid is tall and big, nobody is going to mess w/him at the playground that's for sure. He has almost doubled his birth weight...right on track buddy!
We did also get a new doctor. His old one was not friendly w/kids so we didn't want Kade scared of the Dr., plus he scared me too. Chad like him and said he was very informative but agreed, he was not personable with the kids. His new Dr. is a very nice lady who took time with us and was very good with Kade. She almost died when she heard how many antibiotics his former Dr. gave him. I feel really good about the change.
I thought his Dr. would start him on cereal but she wants us to wait until 5-6 months to prevent the possibility of food allergies. Darn! I already bought the cereal, bowls, and spoons and can't wait for the first bite. I'll be patient, I guess it is super simple for feeds right now and he slurps down a bottle and that's that. No spitting food in my hair or throwing it across the kitchen...I will indulge in my peace and quiet for the moment but am looking forward to his expressions with his first bite off of a spoon!!!

Week 17

Visitors at the Fischer family were Grandma Nancy and Jim. Grandma brought dinner for Chad and Cherie's 9th wedding anniversary. Sound like the Stanton news??? I don't mean for Kade's blog to turn into the gossip section of the small town newspaper, but week 17 was definitely exciting for us all. Grandma Nancy and Jim came all the way from Bismarck to babysit Kade on Friday. Chad and I actually went out on a "baby free" day to celebrate our 9th anniversary. We used the day to take our new boat to the lake and Grandma was w/Kade ALL day. Technically this is Kade's first babysitter! We missed our little guy but was nice to head out on a long trip and not worry if he is going to start crying in the back seat. Mom arrived here on Thursday night. Leave it to her and Jim to bring turkey filet mignon w/bacon, seasoned potatoes, salad, corn on the cob and my FAV a Dairy Queen ice cream cake!! I love it so much, had to get a picture..ha! Just a delicious dinner...thanks Mom & Jim!!


On Friday we headed out and mom captured these pics of Kade:

Can you believe he is already playing in his excersaucer? Thanks to Maynard and Melissa for giving us the one their kids played in! His feet already reach the bottom, but we use towels to prop him up.

This is our nightly ritual. Kade eats his bottle and is immediately "out", once the burping begins. I typically can't get a burp when its sleepy time, he just likes the pats on the back.

Kade lifted his feet almost all day on Friday. Here he is trying to take off his socks...what a stinker!

Again, grabbing his toes (sorry no socks to get off)...he was giving Grandma big smiles on his changing table. Look how big he is getting...WOW

Grandma got Kade ready for bed and she is feeding him in his turtle jammies. I got home just in the nick of time before he went to bed. Grandma wrapped him up perfect and he slept from 8 to 4:20 before wanting a snack.
Kade is already an avid TV watcher, here he is w/Jim taking in a pretty important program I'd assume, ha!

The day ended with this beautiful sunset out our back patio door. Somehow my reflection was caught in the glass, so mom made me post this one.

Week 17 was a good week and Chad & I are convinced that the chiropractor is working wonders on Kade. We will find out Thursday if he has an ear infection but as of today, there are no signs. He is slightly congested, but we all are as it is dry in the house. Also Kade is spitting up a lot less, actually barely at all and this is also due to the chiropractor. The chiro is pushing his tummy down to where it should be and it is relieving all the spit up issues we've had.

These are a few of my favorite things

This is one of Kade's first smiles. He loved looking at the lights on his bouncy chair!

Kade loves his car seat...instantly puts him "night night". Here is a picture of his first day of day care.

Kade is excited to play with his new horse "Chipper". Auntie Doris, who is holding Chipper, made him for Kade. Chipper has two other horses that he has left behind that belonged to cousins Casey and Tony. Chipper is the name of Great Grandpa Bernhardt's horse and was Grandpa's favorite!

Kade loves his swing. He likes to swing and watch mommy & daddy eat supper. What a good boy!!!! Looks like he is doing "peace" with his fingers-ha!

Of course he loves "Mommy Kisses"! Chad has to be quick about the kisses or Kade will lick his whiskers!

Kade was an avid breastfeeder, a pro from the very start! He latched on right from the get go. He was a "baracuda" baby though and decided to feed 24/7...the Dr.s said he was using me as a human pacifier. Kade would get really mean too when he decided he needed to eat. He would wake up, close one eye, look at me, and actually grunt (almost like a growl) when we were behind schedule. He almost looks like he's due to eat in this picture, he'd get very concerned!
He would eat so much that I'd stare at him when he was asleep and think "don't get up yet"!! I wanted to run for the hills somedays-Yikes!!

Kade loves his "binkie", before leaving the house we need the "Binkie, Bankie (blanket) & Burpie (burb cloth). We never forget the "3 B's"!

Kade Melvin

Kade was named after his Grandpa Mel. Kade never got to meet his Grandpa because he passed away from cancer on May 1, 2002. Shortly after dad's passing, my baby clock started ticking very loudly & I had to listen to it for another 5 years before getting my little guy.

To me it was clear that my first born son would get the name of my dad, who I am so proud of and miss so dearly. Now I look at him and think of him as my little Melvin! I hope he has as good of a relationship w/Chad as Chad and Mel did.

I will have many stories of Grandpa Mel to tell Kade and will tell him how Grandpa would be honored that he took his name. Grandpa was about as laid back of a guy that you could find. As long as the people around him were happy, then he was happy. He would give you the shirt off his back and the food off his plate; just the most generous person you'd ever know. Grandpa Mel was always trying to get people to laugh and had quite the sense of humor. I will always remember the image of him with a "Kools" cigarette out of the side of his lip, a "cocktail" in his hand, and laughing "Her, her, her", while squinting his eye from the burn of the smoke. He literally could do this while fishing, hunting, or driving around the farm. You would always see him with a smile and he loved giving "Nance" guff while joking around with her.

I will miss seeing him giving Kade buckets of candy and pop when we visit the farm. He would be so proud of Kade! I can envision Grandpa letting him sit in the back of the orange pick up while they drove up west to look for deer or pheasants. Kade will grow up listening to George Jones and the Casey James Band. those would be Mel's favorites today.

Chad will teach Kade to hunt and fish like he and Grandpa Mel did. Chad & Mel were inseparable for 5 years and things haven't been the same since he's gone. We are looking forward to our new future with Kade Melvin Fischer and hope he grows up proud of his name!

Week 16

Wow we are at week 16 already! Kade has been a little fussier than usual due to his congestion and ears. Still its not that bad and we are so lucky to have an easy going baby. (Fingers crossed that I don't eat my words!)

Kade likes to fight with daddy and he plays dirty. Here you can see him pulling dad's lip off! Good thing we are done nursing, God only knows what he'd do to me-ha!

Here is a picture of him in Grandma Nancy's pooh outfit-6 month size and he is already expanding the fabric!

I snapped a picture of him in his carseat on his way to daycare the other day...just because he is so darn cute!

Tonight he has discovered the toy on the top of his swing that turns and moves up & down. It has a mirror on the top that he has noticed and makes him smile. I snapped a pic of him staring at it (he was smiling but not when the camera came out).

Chiropractor

We are continuing our quest to dry up Kade's ears and get this kid back to normal. So on Tuesday we took the little guy to the chiropractor. We've read and heard from other people that their alignment and nerves can prevent fluid from draining from his ears. Chad took him and I met them at 5:30. When I got there, they had started already and there was my little boy all sprawled out on his tummy...getting his back aligned. It was so cute!

The chiro said that his hips were out of line as well as some other joints. She said it was from his "hard birth", where we had to suction him out in a hurry and he became disaligned from it. Kade was pushing his shoulder against the cord so whenever I pushed, we had some serious problems that could've developed. They suctioned him out in a hurry. Tomorrow (Thursday) we are going back in to see if her alignments held. We are hopeful for some relief within the week, as the chiro is expecting. She also showed us how to massage his sinus passages (which she thinks are infected also) and behind his ears. This will help drain the fluid and relieve his pressure.

Chad is pretty skeptical, but I remain hopeful.

I have changed Kade's primary physician so we will see another ped. on May 22nd. I am looking forward to another opinion on his ears and can't wait for his 4 month checkup. We will start discussing SOLIDS...oooohhh how exciting!!

Ear, Nose & Throat Specialist

Our trip to the ENT on Monday was basically a bust. The Dr. looked in Kade's ears and said he was fine and there was nothing we could do. He looked at us and said "First time parents, huh?" He was really rude and didn't do anything for us. He wasn't concerned that Kade had fluid for over 3 months and is starting to experience some pain.

Chad asked about pain meds and the Dr.'s response was "He's young yet, he won't remember the pain...if it were my kid, I wouldn't give him anything". What a jerk! At the end of the appointment he rudely grabbed the phone in the room we were in and looked at us sharply saying "We are done here". So we had to grab all our crap and put everything back together in the waiting room. Typically THEY leave the room so you can get the baby back in the carseat and dressed/changed etc... Um...Nope. It was just a bad experience all around.

My First Blankie

Grandma Penny got Kade this cute little blanket w/a bear head. Kade loves to chew the nose. He's really been snuggling it lately.

Reflection~1st Holiday...Valentine's Day

Thanks to Grandma Penny for the Valentine's outfit! He was such a cupid. Ok, he laid around and slept all day but was a little lover, non the less!

Week 14

Kade had a really good week and went out to eat on Saturday night! Kade loves to hit the town and go shopping and eating (Thank you Lord!) We will enjoy it for now and see what happens in the future. Here are some pics of Kade's Aunt Mandie and Uncle Devo and a family Kodak moment.

Ear Infection-con't

It is now week 15 and Kade still has an ear infection! I have an appointment on Monday May 5th with an Ear, Nose, & Throat specialist. It has been 12 weeks now with fluid in his ears and I just don't trust that antibiotics is going to fix it.

Please send positive thoughts our way as we pray this will be our answer. Kade is still in good spirits about it and doesn't seem to be in pain.

He has been on antibiotics for most of his life now and I'm just nervous that it isn't good for him. I'll have to post an update next week with what we find out.

Reflection Week #1 ~Grandmas!

Wow! Did we get hit by a baby freight train after Kade arrived! Chad & I had the attitude that we wouldn't need any help and we could do this on our own after coming home from the hospital. Um...nothing could've been further from the truth! All I can say is "Thank God for Grandmas!"

My vision of coming home had me walking in the door with my precious bundle of joy, placing him in the crib, & hugging Chad while we looked over our blessed miracle. Oh how happy we were to be parents (& I was back to my pre-pregnancy weight mind you).

WHAT REALLY HAPPENED:

Kade HATED his car seat and screamed bloody murder all the way out of the hospital. The instant we walked in the door, I was running up the stairs to breast feed as my "bundle of joy" was what they call a "barracuda baby" and nursed constantly. I sat in my rocking chair for the next eleven weeks straight, cringing w/each painful swallow he took.-Ouch! Oh and I still looked 6-7 months pregnant by the way.

We couldn't have been happier to see Grandma Nancy show up minutes after we got home. She was more than eager to hold the little guy and we were more than eager to let her at the time. Without her help, we wouldn't have been able to eat a meal or take a shower, or really do anything at all. Thanks to Amanda who made meals and delivered them out to our house, it was the perfect gift! Poor Grandma Nancy even kept me company for hours upon hours as I fed Kade and learned all the do's and don'ts of breastfeeding.

Grandma Penny (Grandma from Montana) blessed us w/her presence in week #2 and we even were able to go to Wal-mart and stock up on some groceries.

Now don't get me wrong, we love the little devil...but sad to say my "idea" of our homecoming wasn't happening. Sigh!

I wanted to post a pic of Grandma Penny w/Kade but I don't have one on our camera....ggrr!!