Good nap...

Dear Nicky,

This morning you took a brief nap, then had some OT, which you did okay with; more because of your OT rather than anything you did, and by that I mean, I think she was a little lackadaisical. Then you had a few lentils for lunch, followed by an avocado, then a yogurt shake. Afterward you took a nice long nap. Around 2 in the afternoon, you went to sleep, and Junie was asleep, and I figured I might take a little catnap myself. So I go lie down, close my eyes and relax, then I hear your granny calling my name from downstairs. Seems she came over and let herself in. So much for my nap. She hung out for a while, then bounced. For dinner I gave you some ravioli with stew meat. You ate it very well. Then Mom gave you your yogurt and put you to bed.

Love,
Dad

A nice day...

Dear Nicky,

As usual, it was hard getting your shoes on this morning. At Stones, it was just us and a little girl from the other half of our group. You did well in PT and OT. Sometimes it's a gamble if your mood will remain good for the whole time we're there, but today it did, which is great. On the way home you fell asleep so I carried you in and put you to bed where you took an hour and a half nap or so. When you woke up, your nanny gave you an avocado and a yogurt shake. Combined, that's about 500 calories. Later you had some pasta with stew meat in it and a yogurt. But that was only after you worked with your home PT. I don't know if it's just wishful thinking on my part, but you seem to be getting better at walking. Man, I can't wait for that day...

Love,
Dad

Snow...

Dear Nicky,

This morning we woke up and it had snowed outside. It was our first snowfall in our new house. Everything was covered in a soft blanket of white. When you're a kid, this is fun stuff. When you're an adult, it's a pain in the butt. I had to clean off the Honda and do the driveway, and the deck, and the steps. Then I dusted the steps with ice melter. You were basically in a pretty good mood all day. You ate well, and you took a bit of a nap. You did well with your PT, who good you to walk the length of those walking bars twice by yourself. You bit me really hard on the chest, and I yelled and made you cry. Sorry. Tomorrow, we go back to Stones. You haven't been there for a week.

Love,
Dad

Chocolate cake...

Dear Nicky,

In our neverending quest to get you to eat, Mom gave you some devil's food cake this afternoon. You loved it. You also had some beef stew. And you're doing the "all done" sign totally appropriate. You whined your way awake a little while ago, but I gave you some water and you were better. Now I'm gonna go have some cake!

Love,
Dad

Haircut...

Dear Nicky,

Today we went and got you a haircut. We went to the usual places, Carmen's down on Springfield, but our usual barber, Diana, wasn't there. I debated whether or not to let this sort of laconic dude cut your hair. I eventually decided to go ahead. He actually did a very good job. You were a little nervous, but overall you were quite well behaved and allowed this guy to do his thing. I think it was the electric trimmer that made you a little anxious. Can't blame you for that. And he might've nicked you a little, or maybe it's just little irritation, but you're okay. The end result is that you have a great haircut.

Love,
Dad

Papou's birthday...

Dear Nicky,

Today was my father's birthday and I called to wish him well. He loves you so much. Today was another super cold day. You've still got quite the head cold, it seems. Your sister was fussier than usual today, possibly due to teething. The Pepcid might really be working on you; you've been sleeping through the night for a few nights now. And you're also sleeping later in the morning. I wish we'd tried this earlier, but the docs were all like, no no. I was the one that pushed for it. We're simpatico, you and I.

Love,
Dad

A week off...

Dear Nicky,

Hi, pal! You've had a cold all week, which was croupy a couple of days, so we've canceled all your therapies and Stones sessions this week. At first blush, it might seem excessive, but you know what? You work harder than anybody I know, all the time and without complaint, and you deserve to have some time off when you're not feeling great. It's no setback. It's more beneficial for you to get some rest. You slept beautifully this morning, by the way, till 7:30. For you that's unheard of. Mom and i were trying to figure out the reason. Were you tired from being sick? Is it the Vicks Vaporub and the Sudafed vapor soother? The air humidifier? The protein powder? Perhaps it's the pepcid finally kicking, ameliorating some of your reflux symptoms, making it easier for you to go to sleep and stay asleep. We like it, whatever it is. Now if only your sister would stay asleep. Seems she's gotten into the habit of rolling onto her stomach late at night, then waking herself up when she can't roll back. So she howls. It's killing us. Talk to her about it, willya?

Love,
Dad

Protein powder...

Dear Nicky,

We tried some protein powder on you today, in your cereal and in your yogurt. No negative reactions, which is always a plus. We just worry that you're not eating enough, because you tend to be fussy, frustrated, or tired, quite honestly. You're a baby so of course that's how you're gonna be, but man, when my kid doesn't eat it drives me crazy! Your croup is gone, but you still have quite a snotty cold. No OT for you today. Maybe no Stones or speech tomorrow?

Love,
Dad

Steroids...?!

Dear Nicky,

Well, last night you were pretty miserable. Your croup kept waking you up. I don't know which infuriated you more, the cough/discomfort of breathing irritations or the fact that you couldn't get any sleep. I hate it when you're sick, pal. It makes me insane with worry. I don't know why this should be so, but it is. Must be biochemical. Anyway, the last time you had croup it went from being bad one night to being even worse the next, and neither Mom nor I wanted you (or us) to go through that again. So this morning we went to Doc Mock's office and had you looked at. I asked about a nebulizer, which basically vaporizes medicine for inhalation to open breathing passages. But since your irritants aren't in your lungs but your throat, you merit an easier, more system approach: the oral consumption of the steroid Prednisone. And by golly it seems to have worked wonderfully. It really busted up that barking cough. I gave you a snoot this afternoon. You get another tomorrow, then you're done. I was a little concerned, because they say steroids will stunt one's growth, but the doctor assured me that's only if taken in large amounts for a long period of time. You're sleeping comfortably right now. You were exhausted from last night. When we got back from the docs, you slept till about 1:30, over three hours. You never do that unless you need it, so I guess you needed it. So hopefully tonight you'll sleep deeply and comfortably and get plenty of rest so you'll be on the mend in a big way tomorrow.

Love,
Dad

Croup again...?

Dear Nicky,

You've got a bad cough again, the barking kind. I hope it's not croup again. It comes on, gets worse, then abates, but it's terrible while it's here. It's scary to see you not being able to breathe easily. I got your back, though, my boy.

Love,
Dad

Fussy...!

Dear Nicky,

I with there were some way to get you to nap during the day. You hardly ever take a nap, so by the end of the day you're exhausted and incredibly irritable. You'll be hungry, but you'll be too tired and impatient to eat. I'm sure it's as frustrating for you as it is for us. I swear, if you napped as much as June does you'd be twice your present size. You got to stop fighting it, pal. You need more rest!

Love,
Dad

IOU 11...

Dear Nicky,

Sorry, pal, I've got to owe you another one.

Love,
Dad

Sorry, again...

Dear Nicky,

Once again I must be brief because I'm so tired. You did well with all your therapies. I went to a bunch of stores while your nanny took care of you. Then this evening when I tried to feed you, you'd barely eat a thing. Gave you Pepcid for the first time. Hope it works.

Love,
Dad

IOU 10...

Dear Nicky,

Too tired to think straight. I owe you an entry.

Love,
Dad

Winter's finally here...

Dear Nicky,

It's just gotten colder all day. Now it's below freezing outside. I had some guys come over and clean our rain gutters, our fireplace, and our dryer vent. They all really needed it, especially the dryer vent. You did really great at Stones today, possibly saying the word "monkey" even. At home you took a two and a half hour nap, then woke up to eat, get patched, and work out with your PT, who made you a new set of therapy bars for you to practice walking with. You worked out well in the afternoon too. Tomorrow I think we'll stay home. It'll probably be too cold to go running around for babysitting and stuff like that.

Love,
Dad

MLK Day, 2007...

Dear Nicky,

Not much going on today. Mom took you guys over to Granny's for the afternoon. Your girl cousins wore you out, and you were asleep when Mom brought you home, and woke up reluctantly to do your PT. It's a credit to your character and good nature that you still performed pretty well. But then, you are an amazing kid. Even when you're hard to feed or hard-pressed to sleep.

Love,
Dad

Dreary Sunday...

Dear Nicky,

It was damp and white out all day today. Cold and gloomy. Mom had a major project to work on, so I had you guys pretty much to myself all day. Not much went on. We all went for a drive this afternoon. You ate okay, I think. And that's about it.

Love,
Dad

More quantum leaps...

Dear Nicky,

Well, you continue to pull to a stand and now you're doing some four-point creeping. Your jargon/babble/talk is continually increasing, and your comprehension is most impressive. We're so proud of you!

Love,
Dad

Upright...

Dear Nicky,

Today you finally pulled up to a stand all by yourself, and not an awkward or strange one, but a good one! We praised you so much you did it over and over again. Fantastic!

Love,
Dad

Food tantrum...

Dear Nicky,

You did well at Stones today and well with your personal OT. After your nanny left, I tried to get some chicken in you. You did okay till your realized you had a plug of chicken crammed into the roof of your mouth. When I tried to get it out, you bit me, then you really went bananas. I put you to bed, and you were still hysterical. Kid, give me a break!

Love,
Dad

Back to daycare...

Dear Nicky,

After a long absence, I took you back to your Wednesday afternoon daycare class from 12 to 2:30. Mom and I think it's good for you to hang out and maybe socialize with other kids. Anyway, this morning you didn't eat so well, and of course you didn't nap so well either. You finally fell asleep just as it was time for your OT. Later after I picked you up, we went to Radio Shack and got a new router and a USB hub for Granny. When we got back you were out so I put you in your crib, but you didn't stay asleep for long, and whined for most of the rest of the afternoon. Finally around dinnertime I managed to cram some food in youl, but only after you deigned to eat it. Thanks, pal; I can always use more gray hair.

Love,
Dad

Eyes closing...

Dear Nicky,

Both of us are pretty tired right now, so let's just say good night.

Love,
Dad

Not much...

Dear Nicky,

Not much went on today. Maybe tommorrow.

Love,
Dad

Very uncomfortable...

Dear Nicky,

We don't know what's bothering you today. We don't think it's anything too serious, maybe your teeth, maybe growing pains, but man, you've been angry and whiney all day. It's worn us out. I don't think it's an ear infection, but we might have to go check it. You don't want to sleep, you don't want to eat. It's very frustrating.

Love,
Dad

72 degrees, in January...?

Dear Nicky,

Today was amazingly nice weather. It was around 72, which I'm pretty sure is some kind of record. This morning, Mom went off and got a new carseat for June, since she's outgrown her old one. Then I set it up when she got home. Then we all had something to eat. The little girl from across the street came by to take orders for Girl Scout cookies. Then we got into the van and drove down to Pt. Pleasant to walk on the boardwalk. It was a nice day to go. Considering the time of year, it was an amazing time to go. When we got there we walked around for a while, then got something to eat. I got a sausage and peppers and onion sandwich. You an Mom had a slice of pizza each. Yeah, you ate almost a whole slice. June had pureed peas. So we ate outside, then strolled around, then we got some funnel cake for me, which was just okay but not great. Then more strolling, then we left. We had a fine drive home, fed you guys, and another day was done. A very nice day.

Love,
Dad

Junie's 6-month...

Dear Nicky,

You started off this morning not really wanting to drink your milk. Your mood was pretty good overall, however. This afternoon we took your sister for her medica checkup at Doc Mock's. She's very healthy. And big. She got a bunch of shots, too. We may order her a flu shot with no thimerisol.

Yesterday was a good day at Stones (parents had group; can't get a word in edgewise in these things). You did well in PT and speech, and ate using a spoon with a little help. Good for you. Later, you would do well with your speech therapist.

Love,
Dad

IOU 9...

Dear Nicky,

I'm just too beat today, pal. I'll catch up with you tomorrow.

Rough day...

Dear Nicky,

Today was rough for your old man, meaning me, because you kids just ran me ragged with your total resistance to sleep and your whininess. Boy, you guys wiped me out.

Love,
Dad

Good overall...

Dear Nicky,

Even though today was marred by your Synagis shot causing you pain, everything else went well. You did well at Stones, you did well at home eatingwise, and you did well with your home PT, so there you go. Your therapists all think you're doing very well. You're the best, and the bravest, and the nicest-tempered little boy in all the land.

Love,
Dad

New Year's Day 2007...

Dear Nicky,

Today was rainy and foggy all day, but it was really mild temperature-wise, so it made it feel like the Pacific Northwest out here, which is really great, because Mom and I love the Pacific Northwest. You had some scrambled eggs for breakfast, then a light lunch, and then we all went over to Granny's where Mom gave you a big lunch of grownup food: ham, cauliflower, black-eyed peas and rice, and mac and cheese. You really pounded it. We hung out there for a while, it was a nice mellow afternoon. Then we came home and put you guys to sleep shortly thereafter.

Love,
Dad