Mooo!

Sorry for the lack of posts. Our phone hasn't been working and our internet is down. It's been actually raining in Lima and leaking in our house and somehow the water has found it's way to our phone lines... Therefore, we haven't been able to post.
I'm at school so can't write much. Our doctor's appointment last week went swimmingly - Maximo is at 25 % for both height and weight for his actual age and he doesn't have an appointment for TWO months! Wow! Therapy is down to one time per week and we don't see the pediatrician for two months, we're going to have so much free time on our hands!
Dr. Zegarra told us to slowly start introducing cow's milk to Maximito... So, he had one bottle on Saturday and one on Sunday and he seems to like it, though he likes it warm. (Such a delicate little boy). ... more later...

Good Times

Today we went to the park to watch the Nike "Human Race" 1ok. It was a gorgeous day (the second in a row). We went and played in the park then watched the sea of red bodies (about 8500 of them) pass us. What's really nice is that Maximo is easier and easier to take out. He loves watching people and since he's a crawling machine, he'll just play in the grass or the sand at the playground. It's a lot nicer going out and not having to hold a baby the whole time we're out. It's great now too that he's eating people food. It doesn't take as much planning to leave the house.
For Max's birthday, we went to the Hoiseth's house to celebrate his, Robb's and Carol's birthday. Maximo had his first pizza - and loved it, but he didn't quite make it to birthday cake. Thankfully, his appetite has returned. It was really strange. for two weeks he really didn't eat much at all, then it came back. There were no new teeth, nothing else major going on, so who knows? He's really into feeding himself now, so I've had to become creative with his foods. He's starting to eat more snacks now - water crackers, string cheese, graham crackers, and even apple and pear cubes. I made veggie pancakes this week - with the help of Bisquick batter with shredded zucchini, carrots and broccoli and curry powder. He LOVES them. He devours them. Tonight I made chicken and potato "meat" balls. He seemed to enjoy those too, so as long as he's feeding himself, he's eating...
He's growing by leaps and bounds, changing daily. He likes to copy us all the time. He fake laughs and coughs if anyone around him does either one. Lately, he's totally cracking us up.
He's cruising around the house like crazy and is more interested in walking, so he grabs for our hands and moves off the furniture.
I'll post an update after this week's pediatrician's visit.

A Letter for Maximo

Dear Maximo,
Happy Birthday! I can't believe you're a year old. By the time you're old enough to read this and appreciate it, I'm sure you would have heard your birth story 1,000 times. I'm not even sure I can put how I truly feel into this little letter to you. You are everything to your dad and I. From way before I even felt you kick or we knew what your name was going to be, I was in love with you. As soon as you came into this world, your dad and I fought for you, even when we didn't know which way was up, what was going to happen or how even how to be parents. Instantly, we did everything we could to make you well and to get you to come home with us. That first month was so hard not having you in the house with us. You were no longer in my belly and the house seemed so empty at night. Everyday we'd get up and come see you and hold you close to our bodies to help you gain strength. When you finally came home, we felt like we were stealing you from the hospital, but were so excited to be parents to you at home twenty-four hours a day.
Over the next few months, you were getting bigger and bigger, enduring doctor visit after doctor visit, but taking it all in stride, only crying when you were hungry or tired. You were so tiny that the few preemie clothes we had didn't even fit and all the regular clothes we had hung off of you, so for at least the first three months, everything you wore had rolled sleeves and pant legs.
We are in awe with how much you've changed in just twelve months - watching you fatten up, stretch, lose and regrow hair, babble, laugh, eat, roll over, crawl, and stand up. We're starting to learn your personality - your need for sleep like me, but you sleep lightly like Dad. You love the water, you love books, you love food (well, up until about two weeks ago). You love to be outside, you love to be around other people, and you adore your cat, Flavius. You like to bite and throw things like a true boy, lucky for you they are still cute habits; they won't be forever.
All I can say is that we're so proud to be your parents. I'm so proud of how strong you've been this year and how resilient you've been. You bring such happiness to us. The second I leave you all I can think about is when I can be back with you. We rush home everyday to spend as much time as we can before you go to bed. Making you laugh is one of our favorite things to do - and once we've done it, we'll do whatever it was a hundred times over, just to keep you giggling. We really enjoy being your parents - we love playing with you and exploring the world with you.
So, happy first birthday, my love. I hope all your wishes come true.
Love,
Mom

Times Have Changed

"Ya know, I'm going to cancel the doctor's appointment for tomorrow."
It has taken me one year to even think these thoughts, let alone say them out loud. For a year, we have lived by doctors' appointments and hung on their every word (okay, the 85% we could understand;). We have scheduled our lives around check-ups, scans, evaluations, and therapy. Sure, Maximo is worth it. But it was really nice to actually call the doctor's office and reschedule for next week.
After all, it is his birthday tomorrow. Even though we're not going to have a party for his birthday (much to the chagrin of everyone else in Peru), really, should anyone unnecessarily go to the doctor's office on their birthday? We were invited to dinner to celebrate two other Roosevelt birthdays, so we're going to go. It's nice to not worry too much. It's comforting to know that we all persevered this past (crazy) year. For once, we're not saying, "No, sorry, we can't come, we have a (fill-in the specialist)'s appointment."
Just today, Maximo came up to school so we could go to his other doctor's appointment, and it was nice to pass him off to our students who just oohed and ahhed over him. For so long, we had to be cautious about germs; for so long, we couldn't even leave the house.
It's nice to breathe and enjoy our son.
I'm looking at the clock right now. Last year, at this time, my water had broken, I just got off the phone with my mom for the second time , the doctor left for the night, I received a shot of steroids to help with Maximo's lung development and I was hooked up to a fetal monitor, knowing our teeny tiny baby was going to be born the next day. My heart still does flip-flops like it was yesterday.

Upgrade Number Two

Little man is getting mobile... No more putting him down and turning our backs, even for a second. He's fast, he's agile, he'll follow the cat anywhere - even down a flight or two of hardwood steps.
We have an extra wide stairwell, so none of the pre-fab plastic ones would fit - we were even planning on lugging one back from the states if we could find the right size. Luckily, for us, anything can be custom made in this country. So, one call, 3 days and $50 later we have a beautiful, sturdy baby gate that perfectly matches our wood floors.

The Upgrade

We are living in a beautifully refinished house here in Lima. Unfortunately, there are no bathtubs - not a one in four bathrooms. Bathtubs are not rare in Peru, I just don't think our landlady really thought about them while she was renovating the house and making the bathrooms more modern. We didn't really notice that there were no bathtubs when we were looking at the house. But, we've come to learn that it's a big deal when you've got a little one in the house. So, for the past almost year, we've used the countertop baby tub. It's worked fine, but in the past couple of months, Maximo has been obviously cramped, and it's a bit dangerous balanced between our two bathroom sinks; when he splashes, he soaks the whole bathroom (and us). For the past couple of weeks, we've been on the hunt for something else to use while we're here. I was envisioning a plastic tub you may put a keg of beer in. It took us a while to find, but we found something close, though it's a bit large. John drilled a hole in it and glued and sealed a drain (complete with rubber stopper) in it. It's definitely big enough for Maximo now, but it's still a bit cumbersome to bathe him at night. But, he's happy in it... and as he gets older, he definitely gets dirty during the day, so bath time is no longer just a relaxing ritual before bedtime, it's a necessity.

Anticipating the "Sit Down"

When I was about 21, I was scolded for being the "bad parent" for the first time by a doctor. I was at the vet with my cat who was a bit overweight (understatement) and the vet lectured me about how unhealthy my cat was and how I was the cause of the problem. I was embarrassed and hurt. And now I feel like we may be walking into another disappointed doctor's office.
We're a bit anxious about our doctors' visits this week, especially the one on Thursday for Max's 1 year check up. Max's size has always been a concern, since he was born so small. He was catching up, now, well, we're not sure. About 2 weeks ago, his appetite totally disappeared. He used to eat so well, and now he's eating like a bird. Taking a couple of bites of even his favorite dishes, then snapping his trap closed and shaking his head back and forth.So now, dinner begins with a few options, most of which he can eat my himself - tonight he had broccoli and chicken. I also made veggie pancakes for him - using Bisquick with shredded cooked carrot, zucchini and broccoli (the Almighty Web said it was a good food for picky eaters). I even went as far as spreading butter on top - to make it more tasty and for a few more calories and fat. He enjoys feeding himself, so I put it on his tray and let him go at it. At first, we waited with baited breath - bite, chew, chew, chew, another, chew, chew, chew, another, chew, chew, chew... then it was chucked on the floor. So then we get a little desperate, so I start scrounging around the kitchen - string cheese, graham crackers and of course, Cheerios - all of which gets mixed together on his tray.I even started hiding food sandwiched between two Cheerios - I would squish some pancake in between - r-i-d-i-c-u-l-o-u-s!
He's happy and seems healthy, so we're not too stressed. I stopped reading baby development books (i.e. What to Expect in the First Year) a long time ago. He definitely doesn't look starved. I've read that kids go through a finicky eating stage, but it's closer to 18 months and he's never been ahead of schedule on anything. So, we'll just go with it, and expect to be scolded at the doctor's office.
Really, the only negative effect of Maximo eating less during the day, is that he's waking up at 5 am, rather than 6, because he's hungry. But, he's still making it through the night...
Can a baby survive on Cheerios alone? We may soon find out!