Little Tidbits

If you didn't notice the update below (I added it on later): James doesn't have another appointment with his surgeon until March 16th. We will find out then if the surgeon thinks he is ready for surgery. Because surgery is at least a month away and James has his flu shot now, we are going to get back to church (but still avoid the nursery). I'm excited about that. We were just starting to get to know some really nice people when James came home in October.

We are looking forward to all the company that we are planning over the next several weeks. A couple of Dave's friends from Chicago are making the trip over first. Then my parents are coming while Dad's on Spring Break from IUK. My sister and her family are coming while the kids are on break. Finally Dave's parents plan on making it over here too. No one can go too long without a James fix!

James and I are keeping busy around the house. I made banana bread for the first time the other day and it actually turned out pretty good. I was going to make a turkey breast last night for dinner, but it was still frozen so maybe tonight. Whenever we have a sunny day lately (not too often in the winter), I put James in his sling, throw Daddy's coat over the both of us and go for a short walk. I think today might be another day for one.

Our camera is on the fritz. The screen is all fuzzy and I can't figure out how to fix it. If you have any suggestions, let me know. We are looking into new ones also. Don't want to wait too long and miss a big moment of James'. If I can't figure it out by this weekend, I'll probably head up to Best Buy and see what they have. Right now we have a Sony Cyber-Shot and we like it, so I might just get the newer model of that. There's a Nikon that's similar, though, for about $50 cheaper. Any opinions on brands?

Time to get the laundry finished before James' nurse and occupational therapist arrive. Fun times ahead.

Just Waiting...

James had his 6-month check-up last Wednesday. It went well. He weighed in at 18 1/2 pounds...into the 60th percentile now. He is 26 inches long now, which is in the 30th percentile. Since James is now 6 months old, he was able to get his flu shot. He also got his monthly synagis shots and a combo with DTap, Polio, and Hep B. He was due for 2 other shots as well, but the doctor decided to put them off to next month since he was already getting 4 shots. He took them like a trooper, as he always does. He's getting so big!

I put off this post because I was hoping to have a surgery update to write about. The surgeon said he would be in touch after James' 6-month check-up but we still haven't heard anything despite numerous messages left at his office (the nurses always call back to tell us they delivered the message). Apparently a lot of babies are in need of his expertise! The surgeon put off the surgery in January because he wanted James to be over the 50th percentile in weight. Now that he's past that point, we are anxiously awaiting to hear what the next steps will be and when. I will let you know when I do.

*Update: The surgeon's office called today (Wednesday). The surgeon wants to see James before he thinks about scheduling surgery. The first available appoinment he has is March 16th. So we will be seeing the surgeon then and maybe scheduling surgery, but we don't know for sure. The good news is that since surgery is still at least a month away and James has had a flu shot, we are going to get back to church! We will become hermits again for the week or so before the surgery date...whenever that is.

6 Months and Counting

James was officially 6 months old on Thursday. On Friday he weighed in at 17 pounds 11 ounces. His official 6-month check-up is on Wednesday. Then we will talk to the surgeon and see if we can get a timeline set for James' surgery. Right now it could be anytime between now and August. James is doing great! He eats like a horse, but that's what Iversons do. We're going to start mixing rice cereal into his formula to get him more calories so he can keep growing. We have to talk to the surgeon about what else we're allowed to give him through his tube. He's not sitting up yet, but he loves to grab his toys and other things around him, like mommy's book that she's trying to read when he's in my lap. James smiles every day now, but I'm still not very good at capturing it on camera. No teeth yet, but I have a feeling they might be on the way. He's been exceptionally crabby for the last week.

Everything is good with Dave and I too. We tried to go out to eat for Valentine's day, but James wasn't having it, so we got take out. We all got a little something new for the occasion anyway. Dave got some shoes, I got a sweater, and James got a couple of shirts. Dave's work is going well and he still likes his job. I still like being home with James, but I will be very excited when cold/flu season is over so James and I can get out more. I want to sign James and I up for Mommy & me swim lessons, but he can't get in a pool until after his surgery so we're waiting, hopefully patiently. We still love visitors...don't let the 30 inches of snow on the ground deter you. It's great for sledding!!!

Real Smiles!

Play time with Daddy.

Posing in his Valentine's outfit from Aunt Abby.

Visitors Are So Much Fun

Aunt Denise and soon-to-be Uncle Chris came to visit us in good 0l' Pittsburgh over the weekend. [Side note: they are getting married October 2nd in what's going to be a beautiful fall wedding!] We had a great time and even made it out of the house! Dave and Chris enjoyed watching hockey and golf (men!). The Pro-Bowl was on ESPN and since we only have network TV, they had to miss that one. Denise and I made it to the movies. We saw "When in Rome." It was cute and made me desperately want to go to Italy! -- So many places I want to travel...it's a good thing I'll have eternity in Heaven to see all the places I don't make it to this time around.-- We also played some Scategories, Apples to Apples and Scene It. I didn't win at all...everyone else must have cheated! A very good weekend for us all! I hope everyone else out there had a great weekend too!