Here are some photos and updates since last month:
Health and Medical Update
We had one quick pediatrician appointment since the last update. He got his first round of immunizations and did pretty well with them. His herniated belly button has gotten much smaller and looks to be going back to normal on its own!
He is definitely starting to take after Jamie in his size! He has gone from the scrawny little baby we brought home from the hospital whose weight and height were in the 14th and 17th percentile, to now being in the 50th percentile in weight and 90th percentile in height! He is going to be a big boy, for sure!
No cardiology appointments until September, but everything seems to be doing fine. We haven't heard anything from the electrophysiologist after his monthly pacemaker tests, which is good. No call means all is well!
We have a fourth month check up in a couple days. So far we are really loving our pediatrician. The only issues that we are having is getting CHLA to send his cardio records after each appointment to the pediatrician... but he says that they always have that issue with Children's. I learned that each time I will have to do a medical records request in order to get those sent. Now I know...
Firsts and Milestones
They told us from the very start that babies with CHDs may tend to have some developmental delays and may reach milestones a little late than their heart healthy friends, however (knock on wood), this doesn't seem to be the case with Joey so far. He has hit all of his milestones, a lot of them earlier than expected. His neck is really strong and he has great control of his head when being carried or sitting up. He started to grab things this month, and he definitely knows all about his hands. He has rolled over both ways with a little bit of help, either with a small incline, or with something for him to grab onto and pull himself over. He still has trouble getting his arm out from under him when he rolls onto his stomach, though.
He is super active and loves to kick and wiggle. Its amazing how much he can move, when you put him down on his playmate for a while. He has been known to rotate 180 degrees or shimmy himself all the way across his mat.
Our little patriot celebrated his first Fourth of July this year. He went to Grandpa and Grandma's house and swam in the pool. Everyone loved to hold him and he got to meet a lot of new friends and family. His cousin Mason can't wait until he is bigger and can actually play with him!
Likes and Dislikes
It is very rare that you will find something that Joey dislikes... I joke that he has a bad case of FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) and that is why he gets so cranky when he needs to go to sleep... he just doesn't want to miss anything!
He continues to like TV. We put on animated nursery rhymes and play songs and he kicks and kicks until he gets too tired. His favorite right now is the song about the monkeys jumping on the bed. He also really likes The Office theme song, as mommy has been working her way through all the seasons on Netflix again.
He loves to smile and the easiest way to get him to smile is to make fart noises (yes, he is a true boy). He also loves daddy's funny faces and how he flies him around like an airplane. Joey is sooo close to giggling, he tries, but only a big breath of air comes out. I can't wait for those little giggles!
Grandma recently bought him a jumper and although he doesn't dislike it... he just doesn't know what to do in it. Most of the time he just leans to one side which causes him to swing around in a circle until he gets all twisted up. But he will get the hang of it pretty soon!
Joey also loves going on walks to catch Pokemon! He is really good at finding them!
Joey's First Fire
Early in July Joey experienced his first wildfire and he even helped grandpa evacuate! My parents' house was pretty close to the Fish Fire a few weeks ago, but all is well. My dad was evacuated for a couple days and had to sleep on our couch (mom was out of town), but everything turned out just fine!
Family Update
I went back to work at the end of June. (WAAAaaahhhHH!) But Joey transitioned pretty easily to me not being there. About three days a week Grandma and Grandpa come over and watch him(Grandpa even started changing diapers!), and the rest of the time he is at home with Daddy. I love getting pictures and videos of him while I'm gone. I also love to see what outfit Jamie has chosen for him on the days that he is home, its always a surprise! :)
Joey loves his days with Daddy because he usually gets to go out to lunch and see Grandpa. Jamie says that no matter where they go, the waitresses go crazy for him! Everyone loves his blue eyes!
Scruffy still howls whenever Joey cries. But I'm now starting to think that they are in on it together! We think Joey cries sometimes to hear Scruffy howl! Veronica got a great photo of Scruffy during one of Joey's fussy times!
The craziest thing happened this month as well... I learned that my manicurist has a son that was born with TGA as well! He is four now and doing great. Such a small world! Even though 1 in 100 kids are born with a CHD, only about 5-7% of those babies are born with TGA (.05% total), and it just so happens that we came across each other without even trying.
Coming up is the Sbicca Family August birthday celebration, and Joey can't wait to see everyone and go swimming, of course!
Thanks to everyone that continues to check in on the blog! Hopefully these updates allow you to see just how well Joey is doing!
See you next month!
