Half Birthday!

I know I say it every month, but I truly cannot believe that Joey is six months old!  He is growing, chatting, rolling and eating.  We also had a cardiology and pacemaker checkup.

Get your monthly dose of Joey updates and photos below!

Health and Medical Update

At the beginning of September, Joey had some scheduled checkups for both cardiology and electrophysiology at CHLA.  It had been three months since our last checkup with our cardiologist and he hadn't seen the pacemaker doctor since being released from the hospital, so we were anxious for the updates and to learn about his progress.  We were also nervous about how he would behave during his various appointments.  We arrived for our cardiology clinic at about 10:30am, we only waited for a few minutes before being called back for his time with the nurse.  They took his weight, height, and checked his blood pressure and pulse ox.  His pulse ox varied from 96%-99%, which they weren't concerned with.  He measured in at the same height as he did at his pediatrician appointment last month, so one of the measurements must have been slightly off, and he is gaining weight steadily.  

We went back to the waiting room and waited to be called for his echocardiogram.  We had a technician that we never had before, but he was very nice and patient.  I warned him that the last time Joey had an echo he was still in the sleepy baby stages and we weren't quite sure how the scan would go today.  We had a bottle and some toys ready, Elmo was playing on the TV in the room, and we swaddled up his legs.  His legs are only ever still when he is sleeping these days so I rested my hand over his legs to try to minimize the kicking.  Everything started out really well.  He was a little squirmy throughout and always wanted to grab the technician's hand or the wand, which we all laughed at.  He started to get a little bit fussy and because the tech was checking a very high point under his chin at that time, we couldn't give him the bottle to calm him down, so Daddy did his very best distraction noises and toy squeaks, and it worked!  Joey remained squirmy, but he was able to get all of the images he needed after about 30 minutes, which was perfect timing, because Joey was definitely over it by then!

We moved back out to the waiting room again after the echo and then got called back to see Dr. Kung.  As we were waiting in the exam room, the pacemaker nurse, Stacey, came in and had a few minutes to do her check up.  They put a few leads on him and the pacemaker monitor over his belly and ran their tests.  They look at the rhythm, check the battery life, and run through some different levels to find out what his heart is doing naturally without the pacemaker.  I can only imagine that it would feel funny or weird to Joey as they are changing his heart rhythm around artificially, so he started to get pretty fussy.  Jamie stood up and held him on his shoulder and once he got a glimpse of the TV in the room, he calmed down completely and could not take his eyes off of it.  At that point Dr. Kung had joined us in the room and we all laughed at how glued he was to the TV.  

At the end of the tests we learned that Joey's pacemaker battery life range is 3.25-5.5 years.  It is such a large range because it depends on how much the pacemaker is actually working.  Because Joey's heart is being paced 100% of the time, it may end up being closer to the 3.25 year range.  But whenever it happens, they will assess whether or not the leads to the heart are still good and if they are then it will be a tiny little incision just to replace the battery and they will leave the pacemaker where it is.  If the leads look like they need to be replaced they may think about moving his pacemaker up to his chest, depending on how big he is at that point.  But luckily, we won't have to worry about that for a few years.  

The way Joey's heart and pacemaker work is that his upper chambers beat on their own, but there is no communication to the lower chambers, so the pacemaker analyzes what the top is doing and makes the bottom match.  One of the tests that they do during these checkups is to back the pacer off almost completely to find what his escape rate is.  This is how fast the lower chamber beats naturally, because even in complete heart block, there is still the escape rhythm present, but it is usually very low.  Joey's escape rate was 50bpm, which is very low, but in the normal range for complete heart block.  A heart healthy baby his age can have a resting heart beat of 120-150bpm.  This all means that if his pacemaker were to malfunction his heart would continue to beat at about 50bpm and it would be very noticeable to us that something was wrong.  He would have physical signs of extreme fatigue, fainting, etc. and when he got older he would be able to notice and communicate that he felt sick or "off".  During this test to find the escape rate Joey definitely was agitated and fussy, but they test so quickly that he doesn't feel any significant stress.  

Although we hoped that his heart would become less dependent on a pacer, we are glad to know that the pacemaker is doing exactly what it needs to be doing to keep Joey healthy.  

At the end of the tests the electrophysiologist, Dr. Hill, came in to check in and she was happy to see that everything looked great.  And after a quick examination from his cardiologist, Dr. Kung, she explained that everything is looking great with his heart.  The small leaks that he has between the atria were getting smaller, and although he was squirmy she said that the views she got of arteries showed little to no narrowing than what was present post-op.  Both Dr. Kung and Dr. Hill cleared him for six months! Our next appointment is on the books for one week before his first birthday! That is crazy to think...

Firsts and Milestones

Although Joey has known how to roll since his last update, he has recently learned that rolling can get him from one place to another and is a great mode of transportation.  He rolls to get his toys and over to the couch or the side of his crib so that he can kick something and make noises.  He pushes his upper body up really high with his arms and tries to get his butt up in the air to crawl, but can't quite put the two motions together to get up on his hands and knees quite yet.

We are currently working with Joey on sitting and staying up without being assisted.  He still isn't quite strong enough to do it but we practice every day sitting him on the floor with his hands on the ground as a support.  It is rather funny to watch him slooowly fall head first into his own lap and then over to one side.  Even in his high chair he always ends up leaned over and slouched to one side.  :)

And speaking of high chair.... Joey got to eat his first foods this month! We started with pea puree and he loved it.  The second food we made for him was sweet potatoes, and although that is what I craved during my whole pregnancy, I think he likes the peas more.  Next up on the list will be avocado, banana, pears, apples, and squash.

He is a little more gassy than usual because of the addition of fruits and veggies, but all in all he is taking to the baby food pretty well!  Most of the time he tries to eat his fingers along with the food off of the spoon, so bath time usually follows his night time feedings!  (Or Scruffy licks his face and hands nice and clean!)

Likes and Dislikes

This month we discovered Badanamu on YouTube.  So we are giving Pink Fong's Baby Shark and Little Baby Bum a break and watching Badanamu nonstop now!  The animations and songs are so cute and Joey loves watching them! 

Joey's grip has improved a lot lately so he is now able to hold onto his toys better and he loves putting them in his mouth.  Not to mention he also loves to grab (and never let go of) hair, necklaces, earrings fingers and sometimes just neck meat! Now I know why so many moms get the "mom cut"; it's so that their children don't pull out all of the hair on their head.

Nakey time, peek-a-boo, and checking out the baby in the mirror are three of Joey's other favorite activities!

Grandma got Joey a big picnic blanket that we put on the floor that he rolls all over and we recently put the "big boy seat" on the stroller so that when we go on walks he doesn't have to be in his carseat anymore.  He loves looking around, chewing on the straps, reclining, putting his feet up on the footrest and he loves all of the attention he gets from everyone that can see him.  He even got a quarter for his piggy bank from a very sweet WWII veteran at the street fair!

On most days he still dislikes going down for naps. If only kids knew how much they would miss naps when they got older... I would gladly take Joey's naps for him if I could!

Family Update

As a lot of you know, Jamie has two days off each week and on those days Joey loves going out with his Dad and Grandpa to lunch.  He gets to walk around with his dad in his big boy stroller seat, catch Pokemon and get some fresh air.  Sometimes he also gets too take his puppy for a walk too.

On the days that both Jamie and I are at work, Grandma and Grandpa come over to watch Joey.  But last month Grandma had a job in Pittsburg for an entire week, which meant that Grandpa Dan was all by himself!  All of Grandpa's training paid off and both Grandpa and Joey escaped the week unharmed!  In fact, he did so well, that he is going to do it again next week while Grandma is in Boston.  The only thing that will be new will be that Grandpa will now have to feed Joey in the early afternoon.  And for anyone that knows my dad, you know that anything involving food not on a plate or in someone's mouth grosses him out!  He still can't watch the "little piggy" mashed potato scene with Randy in A Christmas Story, so hopefully Joey will really like the food that we give him next week so there won't be too much gagging, from Grandpa.  Maybe we will try banana so that Grandpa doesn't have to deal with anything green or orange all over Joey's face and hands!

Phew!  At the start I thought this would be a quick update... Oh well!  Happy Half Birthday to our sweet baby boy!

Cinco!

We have a five month old!  The time is going by so fast.  Joey continues to get bigger and bigger and he is hitting all of his milestones.  He is now a little rollie pollie!

Here are some photos and updates since last month:

Health and Medical Update

Joey had his five month check up today. He weighed in at 16lbs 12oz and 28 inches, which puts him in the 60th percentile for weight and 97th for height.  His pediatrician was pleased with everything that is going on with both health and development.  He finally got Joey's file from CHLA, and he said he enjoyed the "light read".  And when he listened to his heart, he said everything sounded good but that he still had a "Maytag washer in there".  Which means that he was still hearing extra blood flow between the chambers of his heart where the holes were not fully repaired.  I gave up trying to listen to Joey's heart after the first time I tried at home because his heartbeat does not sound normal, but that is just his normal, for now. We will see what the cardiologist says next time!

At our last appointment, his doctor was little concerned with the shape of his head and how anterior one of his ears was because he always favored his head to one side, so this month we were diligent about making his head go the other direction while laying on the floor playing or sleeping.  He was very happy with the shape of his head this time around, so we have avoided the need for a helmet, for now. :)  He did show a little concern with Joey's right eye not being as strong as the other, so we will try playing some more tracking/following games with him in order to strengthen the muscles on the weaker side.

Grandma got to come with us to the doctor this time and although she didn't like to see Joey get his shots, she couldn't stop cracking up when he was hiding from the doctor underneath his blanket and wouldn't stop playing with the paper on the table while the pediatrician was teaching Mommy about feeding food.  

We still have not had any cardiology check ups, but we have cardio clinic, an echo, cardiology and electrophysiology appointments right after Labor Day.  Fingers crossed that everything is looking good and that they schedule his next check up at least three months away.  It feels like forever since we have been to CHLA, but I guess that is a good thing.  I wonder if I'll remember how to get there...?  (haha, yeah right)

Firsts and Milestones

This time last month Joey was barely rolling over, and if he did roll over, he would get his arm stuck underneath him and he would cry. Now it's a little bit different.  He would roll all the way into the kitchen if we let him!  We put him on the floor and in a minute or two he has already rolled into the couch. And now we put him in his crib facing one way and when we go in to check on him he has done a complete 180!  During tummy time, he loves to wiggle his butt up in the air, so I know that once his arms are stronger, we will have a crawler!  I guess its time to start thinking about baby proofing the house.  

To all of the other parents out there, what is one baby proofing product or method that you couldn't live without?

Joey has also found his feet this month.  He loves to grab them and pull his socks off.  He can't quite get his toes in his mouth yet, but he tries!

Although its still a little early for baby food, last month the pediatrician suggested that we start to feed him some runny rice cereal, not necessarily for the nutrition, but to practice eating from a spoon and swallowing.  Sometimes he likes it, sometimes he doesn't.  More recently he has seemed more interested, in chewing on the spoon mostly, but he is making progress.  We can start feeding him pureed fruits and veggies in September.   I have already made and frozen batches of peach and plum baby food, so that I could take advantage of them being in season now.  We will now have a few weeks to get ready for all of the eating fun.  The high chair is ready, and Joey even helped Grandpa put it together!

Likes and Dislikes

We have definitely found Joey's favorite song this month!  He loves the Baby Shark song, which is by Pink Fong on YouTube.  He also likes the songs from Dave and Ava and Little Baby Bum.  (BTW, there are a lot of weird nursery rhymes that I was unaware of until now... "Johnny, Johnny, yes Papa" anyone?)

Joey is definitely a MORNING PERSON. He is so happy, smiley and playful right when he wakes up each morning!  He loves to play and talk in his crib before we get him up for the day, and then during his morning playtime he rolls all over the place!  So much that we have to create a "baby cage" with and upside-down fitted sheet on the floor with corners wrapped around things that hold the elastic edges up off the ground.  This is the only thing that prevents him from rolling onto the hardwood floor! 

Last month the jumper was just a way for Joey to hang and spin around in a circle, but now he is finally getting the hang of it!  Well, at least he can touch the ground now.  He will get the jumping part of it soon, I know it!

Our little guy has spent a lot of the last two weeks watching the Olympics and cheering on the USA!

Until now, Joey hasn't really been into toys, but he can now reach for and grab his toys.  They immediately go into his mouth, but that's okay!  

Joey has done pretty well with his sleep and nap training.  It's still hard to put him in his crib and listen to him cry, but he usually settles down on his own and he loves his snuggling up to his blankey.  Sometimes he falls asleep with his face completely covered up by his blanket.  (Don't worry, it's one of those really thin and lightweight bamboo swaddle blankets!)

Family Update

Mom and Dad are doing great.  Definitely getting more sleep, and getting into the groove.  We try to do some family outings when we are both off work and we still like running around and chasing Pokemon throughout Monrovia.  

Joey got to see his Sbicca side of the family for the August birthday celebration, and he had so much fun in the pool with everyone! He can't wait for the other little ones that will be joining that side of the family in a few months! 

Grandma and Grandpa continue to watch Joey about three days a week when both Jamie and I are working, and we are so grateful for their help.  Next week, Grandpa is on his own because Grandma is going out of town for work!  I can't wait to see the outfits Joey will get next week!

Joey is happy that his Grandpa Don is doing better after his recent back surgery!  He likes to go visit him and go out to lunch on days that Daddy has off.  

Scruffy continues to howl when Joey cries or is in a chatty mood.  Luckily, he does not howl when Joey cries in his room or crib, which is great since sleep and nap training would be nearly impossible if he did.  Scruffy recently had to get one of his toenails removed after he cracked it and bled all over.  But after hobbling around for a few days, is all better now!

Next month we will let you know how our first rounds of veggie feedings have gone and we will see if Joey has any new favorite songs!  See you soon!

Four Months

Today marks four months for little Joseph James! He smiles all the time and he loves everyone that he meets.

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!