Crazy Eight!

18lbs, 27.25 inches long

This month has been both the worst and the most eventful of them all!

We started the month by welcoming 2 teeth, within 2 days of each other. That explains the late night wake ups, fussiness, diaper rash and puddles of drool. I'm glad for both of us that that is over with -- for now!

Next up, sitting like a big boy in the shopping cart! Not only did you like this, but mommy did too! I have a feeling we'll be doing this a lot more often.

You have mastered the 'scoot' and are working on perfecting the crawl. You put yourself on all fours from the sitting position and love rocking back and forth. You are so close to grasping the concept of crawling. It's just a matter of time!

We have a talker! You love your 'dada' and you aren't afraid to say it! Now, let's work on 'mama'.

You continue to be a great eater. You have mastered finger foods. Raviolis, chicken terrazini and ham and pineapple are new on the menu this month. You also got table food for the first time this month -- Saturday morning pancakes and you loved them! Nursing came to an end this month during your hospital stay (more on this below). We were down to 2 nursing sessions a day (morning and night), and it was just too much for mommy to worry about pumping, etc. while in the hospital and taking care of you. This was bittersweet for mommy - while she was sad that bonding time had come to an end, she was happy to have been able to do it for 7.5 months, and was glad it wasn't a decision she had to make on her own. She is also excited to be able to have some drinks and not have to 'pump n' dump'! :)

This past month has been life changing for us. On 11/22, our worst nightmare came true - you were diagnosed with a cancerous Wilm's Tumor on your right kidney that mommy found. On 11/23, you had major surgery to remove the kidney and a 2/3 lb. tumor. Doctors were very pleased with the outcome of surgery and were fairly confident that the tumor was completely encapsulated and that chemotherapy would not be needed. We spent 4 days in the hospital recovering and went home on 11/27. Two days later, pathology reports confirmed Stage I Wilm's Tumor, in which doctors felt chemotherapy was not needed, and close observation would be the best course of treatment. We have never felt so relieved and thankful! You will be monitored by University of Michigan's Department of Pediatric Oncology and Children's Oncology Group every 3 months for the next several years. This is a huge relief to mommy and daddy (and everyone else for that matter) and will help minimize our worry with recurrence or relapse knowing that you are being closely monitored.

The doctors and medical professionals at U-M were outstanding and were everything we could have hoped for during your care. And the support team we had behind us pulling for you -- WOW!!! There sure are a lot of people out there that love us. And while the onset of this tumor was nothin' but bad luck, we sure got lucky with the best possible outcome!! Mommy and Daddy are so proud of you for being such a strong, brave little boy!

1st day home, happy as can be!

Nine days post surgery, you had your first vomiting episode. This scared mommy. Since this was new to us, mommy called the pediatrician who suggested we call the pediatric surgeon at U-M who performed the surgery to let them in on our status. Little did we know they'd tell us to come in, but they did, so to Ann Arbor we went. An x-ray showed constipation, blood work showed risk of infection and urinalysis showed dehydration. Thankfully the CT scan crossed out possible infections, but being that you are a renal patient who just underwent major surgery, they wanted to monitor you. 2 days later we were sent home.

So here we are, 2 weeks post surgery and one would never know what you've been through. They say babies are so resilient and you proved them right. We have our happy, playful, smiley baby back!

And we're ready for the holidays! We have so much to celebrate this year. :)

Likes:
puffs
yogurt melts
Daddy
pancakes
peek-a-boo
reading books
taking your socks off

Dislike
blood pressure cuff
being tired
sippy cup

8 month photos - despite everything you've been through, you're nothin' but smiles!