Teething after an infection...

must hurt really bad :( Mr. J has been grabbing at that mouth and whining alot lately. His iron levels are finally back up and his gums are slowly reaching the normal pink color again (as opposed to a red crayola!)and he had lab work done at the Dr that showed that his infection has cleared. The Dr was concerned, however, with the pain that J would go through with these new teeth coming through since his gums were still tender. So he put J back on his pain meds. What an awesome Dr. I only give him the meds before meals so that he can chew without crying if needed. I've heard so many reasons for why J developed stomatitis. The old pediatrician, who admitted J, told me that it was from his iron levels being low. Then a nurse told me it was from contact (meaning J touched another kid's mouth who had the infection). Then another nurse told me that J was put in isolation b/c it's airborne....UM, WHAT?!?! So, finally Tricare got their stuff together and we were able to see J's new pediatrician for his check up. The Dr was so concerned about J. He asked about everything they did in the hospital to make sure that he was properly treated. Then he vowed to never send us to THAT hospital again should J need to be hospitalized, b/c the staff was simply ridiculous. And that's putting it nicely. The Dr told me that he believes J's low iron was a result of the infection. He also checked J's hands and feet b/c he said stomatitis could have been a result of the hand, foot, and mouth syndrome. He also said that stomatitis is similar to chicken pox, only it's contained in and around the mouth. He said he doesn't think J will get it again, but some kids do get it more than once. But he was impressed with how well J was doing so soon after being discharged. As am I :D It's the worst feeling in the world to see your child sick. It's like a lost an entire week in my life, including my birthday. But I'd give up many more weeks just to be sure my baby feels good!

Our holiday was pretty laid back. It was also J's 19 month b day so we took him to watch the fireworks. He was a little scared at first of the loud bangs but he tried his hardest to keep those eyes open to see the colorful fireworks! And of course we heard "Ooooooo Wow!!!!" several times that night. He posed for the camera, pointed to the sky, ran from lap to lap, and just had a good ole time.

19 months is pretty fun. He's becoming more independent each day. He loves to count to 10 (with a little help that is!). He can say 1, 2, 3, then we say 4, 5, 6, 7, and he shouts 8!!! then we say 9 and he shouts 10, YAY!!!! Love it!!

3 weeks until Disney!!!