Happy Halloween

Nicholas has recovered from his pneumonia and double ear infection but continues to battle a bit of a stuffy nose; that time of year. He still gets an occasional nebulizer treatment. As you can see, he's so used to it he's giving them to himself. Last week at the Pediatrician, he weighted in at 16lbs 10 ounces. He's now in 6-12 month clothes. We bought some of the 12 month clothes awhile ago thinking it would be forever until he fit into them. Wow, how kids grow. He is moving through the developmental milestones, which is great. He sits with little support and now rolls from his stomach to back. We're having a tough time getting his tummy time in as he instantly rolls onto his back.

As you can see, Nicholas's first costume was a pumpkin. He didn't seem to thrilled with our choice in costumes but luckily, he can't express his opinion just yet :)! We had about 60 kids come for trick-or-treating. Nicholas helped hand out candy in his costume. He seemed to enjoy seeing all the kids in their costumes.

We were able to see the Badgers beat the Hawkeyes last weekend. What a game! Nicholas enjoyed seeing his great aunt Judy and uncle Dave. It was his first over night trip to a house other than his own, and he did great. He stayed at home for the game with some great babysitters (a PICU nurse and a nursing student) while the Moms went to the game. It was nice knowing he was in great hands. Nana and Papa Rasmussen visited this weekend along with Great Grandma Ivalou and Great Aunt Ann. Nicholas loved the extra attention and not having to take all his naps in his crib. He looks forward to seeing Grandma and Papa Mancuso next weekend. Everyone is getting their visits in before the first snow fall.

We hope you all had a safe and fun Halloween!

Denise, Denise, and Nicholas

More than a cold

Well, turns out Nicholas had a bit more than a cold. His cold got worse and he wasn't drinking his bottles well, so, we decided to take him in to see his pediatrician. Turns out he had a double ear infection and some suspicious spots on his right lung (they took a chest x-ray given the way his lungs sounded), so, they put him on a high dose of a broad spectrum antibiotic and some albuterol aerosals to help clear up both the lungs and ears. He started his antibiotics on Thursday and seems to be feeling much better.

Ir was in the mid 80's this weekend and the fall colors are beautiful. We used the weather as an opportunito get some fall pictures of Nicholas to share with all of you.

First Cold

Nicholas is doing well, overall. He saw his pediatrician last week and is 16 pounds and 26.5 inches long. He is eating ok and we even tried a sippy cup. He's interested in it but chews on it rather than sucking. He'll learn soon enough. He saw ophthalmology last Tuesday and Nicholas has astigmatisms in both eyes. Babies eyes change a lot in the first year to year and a half, so, they want to see us back in a year to see how things look then. While astigmatisms won't go away and are most likely hereditary, we'll be able to tell if Nicholas needs glasses at that point. They had to dilate his eyes, hence, the sunglasses.

Nicholas started coughing on Wednesday and it has turned into a full cold. He's being a trouper and we hope it will resolve soon. Tis the season, I guess. He will get a flu shot once his cold has cleared up. Because he has never had the flu, he'll get two doses, one followed by another a month later. Nicholas will also get synagis, which helps prevent or lessen the effects of RSV. RSV is something we definitely want to avoid given Nicholas's sensitive lungs. While he's off the oxygen, he still has preemie lungs, so, we'll try to prevent him from getting sick as much as we can. We see a lot of movie nights at home during the winter season.

Nicholas loves to read. There are a couple of pictures of him looking at his book and the Wicked Playbill. Wicked was in town and we snuck out to see the show. What a great musical. We highly recommend seeing it if you have a chance.

Take Care!
Denise, Denise and Nicholas