NICU Reunion 6/5/10

The Barroso family attended the NICU Reunion this past Saturday, and it was quite fun. We got to see some of the nurses and doctors that helped take such great care of Syler while he was in the NICU/CCN. They were all so happy to see him and so excited to see how far he has come.

Just driving to the hospital, parking in the parking lot, and walking into the building, brought back so many feelings, emotions, and memories; feelings, emotions and memories that we will someday share with Syler. There are not enough thank you’s we can say to the staff to show them just how much we appreciate everything they did for Syler.

Syler and Sam. They were CCN mates.

Syler enjoying a bottle during the presentation and raffle.

Daddy and Syler.

The Bullett Family (Aimee, Brendan, and Sam). There son was in the NICU/CCN for almost 2 months.

Sam... So CUTE!!!!!!!

Trip to the farm!

Last weekend, Syler and I went to Adams to visit my dad for his birthday. Ever since Syler has been born, my dad has been anxiously waiting to take Syler to the farm to show him the animals. Here are a couple picks from Syler and Dziadziu’s farm adventure.

Feeding the chickens.

Looking at the cows.

Dziadziu telling Syler that the next time he comes to visit, he will get to ride the tractor.

Dziadziu & Syler

Being Syler's 1st trip to the farm and really his first time seeing animals other than Max and the cats, he really didn't know what to make of everything.

10 months old!!!!

10 months old!

This month has FLOWN by! I can’t believe that I am already writing Syler’s 10 month old update. I feel as though I just wrote his 9 month yesterday. So my little munchkin is 10 months old!!!!!!!!!! A lot has happened this month in the sense that he has grown so much; developmentally and physically.

What are Syler’s likes right now at 10 months? Well I’ll tell ya.
- Watching daddy mow the lawn. He loves it and gets excited when I first bring him outside to watch. Once he is outside, he just stares at Miguel walking back and forth across the lawn. And, every once and a while he will get this burst of excitement and he will scream and dance.
- Cars, trucks and wheels. (or pretty much anything on wheels) Syler loves to watch cars drive by. He has this fascination with wheels. If I put his umbrella stroller next to the wheel of my car and put him in the stroller, he immediately starts to touch it and examine it. When I move him away he stares at it. He will also stare at the wheels on his umbrella stroller. As he is being pushed, he will just lean over and stare at them. He tries to touch them, but can reach.
- Sitting. If it is not nap/bed time, Syler wants to be on the move.
- Speaking of being on the move, Syler is like a nascar driver when it comes to him being in his walker. Miguel and I wear sandal around the house because it HURTS when Syler runs our toes over with his walker.
- Trying to play with Max, or should I say, chase Max while Syler is in his walker. Max on the other hand does not like this very much and runs away.
- Tummy time!!!! Finally!!!!!!!! Syler will stay on his stomach for extended periods of time now, which is wonderful. In addition, he has started to army crawl.
- Toys, Toys, Toys or anything that he can put in his mouth, shake or bang with his hands.
- Exploring! Syler is constantly exploring and looking for new and interesting things. He especially likes the frig and dishwasher. Once we open the door, he flies towards it and grabs onto a shelf before we have the opportunity to close the door. Oh, and the dishwasher. His fascination with this makes the duty of doing dishes very difficult because he is always trying to do anything from eat the door to pulling dishes out.
- Reading. I have always said that Syler enjoys books and reading, but now when he is read to, he actually sits attentively and listens. He looks at the book, watches my mouth move while I read and grabs and studies the pages. Sometimes he tries to eat the books too ☺
- I mentioned this in my last post and it is still the same. Talking and screaming. More often than not, there is some kind of noise coming out of Syler’s mouth. The noises range from mama and dada to, which is a new sound, chirping or a short, high-pitched scream. He sounds like a little baby bird.
- Pulling hair. Syler absolutely loves this, and I absolute don’t like this… Since Miguel doesn’t have any hair, Syler likes to bang on his bald head.
- Sticking tongue in food. This is a recently new thing. When Syler is getting close to being done eating, he will, first, press his lips again the spoon, then, stick his tongue in the food. Once he has done that, he will eat the food.
- Playing pee-a-boo. SO cute! He enjoys pulling his blanket over his face then pulling it off waiting for me to say pee-a-boo!! He smiles every time.
- Max. I think Max and Syler’s love for each other is growing… Max allows Syler to touch him more and Syler lets Max lick him more. Max also tries to get Syler to play with him when Syler is walking around.



Dislikes:
- Same as last post. Syler HATES, simply hates, having his face cleaned after eating. As soon as I take off the bib, he starts to cry, hide his face and try his hardest to avoid the process all together.
- When we say no or take something away from him that he wants to play with but can’t.



New:
- Walking… Even though he is too unstable to walk on his own, he will gladly walk while holding your hands. It is quite funny because sometimes his feet don’t move as fast as the rest of his body and he will topple over.
- I mentioned this earlier, but army crawling. Syler has all the motions/movements to crawl; he just needs to put them all together. But for now what he does is this. Once he is placed on his stomach, he will walk his feet up as high as he can, which causes him to stick his butt high in the air. At this point, he will army crawl his arms out until he is flat on his stomach again. He will repeat this until he has reached his destination or got the object he want.
- Mimicking. Syler will mimic noises and facial expression you make at him. It’s quite cute!
- We are hearing all sorts of new 2 syllable, 2 letter words.
- Protesting/tamtruming… If Miguel or I take something away from him that he is not suppose to have or prevent him from getting into something he is not suppose to, he will scream, cry, protest, tamtrum
- Make the association with mama and dada. I think he is starting to associate me with mama and Miguel with dada…
- Oh, and still no teeth.
- I am starting to plan Syler’s 1st birthday party.. HOLY COW!!!! ALREADY!!!!!!

Moment of the month:
There is not a day that goes by that Syler doesn’t make me smile. I LOVE that! ☺

9 months old!!!!!!!!

I waited to do this post because Syler had his 9 month Child Wellness visit today. Well, his visit went great! He is weighing in at 20 lbs, which puts him in the 50%-ile. Syler is measuring 29 inches long, which puts him in the 75%-ile. His head circumference is also normal. Syler didn't receive any shots today, but Syler did have his blood drawn, which he did not like. He did cry through the process and gave the phlebotomist a look of death a few times, but he did a good job otherwise. The doctor is very happy with his development and health.

So, on May 2nd Syler turned 9 months old!!!!! I can’t believe that in 3 months we will be throwing his 1st birthday bash!!!! It has been pretty amazing month because he is constantly changing, developing, and learning.

*Likes*
~ Sitting. This child hates to lay down, especially to have his diaper changed. We have to give him a toy of some sort to keep him occupied while we change his diaper. I think that if he had his choice, he would sleep sitting up.
~ Mr. Bear (safari teddy bear) or as Auntie Melissa likes to call him, Me Bear. I know I have written about him in other blogs, but he still is a constant toy for him. He goes everywhere with Mr. Bear and falls asleep with Mr. Bear’s paw in his mouth. There has been 2 separate occasions when Miguel and I have almost lost him. Both times we were at a mall and both times we were able to retrace our steps and find him. But, if by chance we do lose Mr. Bear, Miguel and I have purchased 4 more bears. So, we should be good until about age 5.
~ His walker!!! This kid flies around the house as if he is in a nascar race. There are even times he will get a running start, pick up his feet then just soars the rest of the way. Oh, and don’t get in his way because you just may loose a toe or get smashed in the ankle. He also gets really frustrated if he gets stuck, but he will continuously adjust the walker until he is able to get through.
~ Panting like a dog, which is something he learned from Max. Syler will stick his arms straight out, open his mouth really wide, scrunch his nose, furrow his brow and just pant, hard. This is something we will have to get on video because it is quite funny.
~ This isn’t a like. This is a LOVE. Syler absolutely LOVES his dada. He always wants to be with him and stares at his all the time.
~ I can’t stay this is a complete 100% like, but Syler doesn’t seem to mind being on his tummy and doing tummy time. We have been pushing more tummy time to work on crawling. Crawling hasn’t come yet, but he does a really good job pushing up and even sometimes pushes himself backwards.
~ Toys!! Syler loves playing with his toys. He had this one toy ball that dings every time you hit it. So, Syler repeatedly bangs the ball against his chest to hear it ding. I also think this is his way of seeing if the ball will make the same noise every time he hits it against his chest.
~ Talking and screaming!!! There are times where Syler will just look at you and give this high-pitched scream. We are also hearing a lot of new sounds.



*Dislikes*
~ Syler continues to HATE having his face and nose cleaned. He starts to whine, cringe and turn his head as soon as he seems you coming with a towel.

*New*
~ No teeth yet!
~ We have officially switched Syler to formula. He didn’t like Similac or Enfamil, but he does like the generic kind from Walmart.
~ We have begun swimming classes. We are 2 weeks in and Syler loves it. He is the youngest in his class and may not get the songs we sing, but enjoys being in the water.
~ You may see Syler in a commercial or in a magazine. Syler has been accepted into a modeling agency located in Boston. A special ed. Supervisor of mine suggested that we submit some pictures. So, I did the research, we sent some pictures with a ‘resume`’ and waited to see what would happen. We sent in his pictures with the attitude of if it happens it happens, if not, no big deal. So, we were a little surprised when we received a letter saying he was accepted. Now we wait and see.
~ While Syler is in his walker, he likes to pick the whole thing up.
~We have also practiced walking. We will stand him up, hold his hands and he will just start walking.
~ Eating more solids and feeding himself. It is so cute when he tries to feed himself. He will pick up a puff, shove his whole hand in his mouth, but when he pulls out his hand, the puff is still stuck to his hand or it falls out of his mouth. Its kind of funny.
~ Facial expressions. The amount of facial expression Syler has developed has just exploded over this past month.

* *Moment of the month**
I absolutely LOVE walking into Syler’s room first thing in the morning and being greeted with such a happy smiling face. No matter what, it happens every morning, and it just melts my heart!

8 months old!!!!!!!

Syler turned 8 months old!!!! Here’s what is going on.
~ Syler is now a champ when it comes to walking in his walker. Just recently he started going forwards, and will walk towards you if you squat down, stick your arms out and say come to me.
~ Syler is holding the bottle more, but still hasn’t mastered the idea of tilting it up to get the milk.
~ Syler is eating more solids.
~ Syler has mastered the skill of sitting up. He doesn’t really need a spotter anymore, and tips over every once and a while. He is also great at catching himself or correcting himself when he feels himself tipping over.
~ There was one day where Syler said “Dada” on 3/18/10, but he hasn’t said it since..
~ He is more interested in looking at and listening while you read a book to him.
~ Syler reaches now. If you hold toys above his head or if you stand above him while he is in his walker and put your arms out while saying up. He will stand on his tippy toes and stick his arms straight out. SO cute!
~ Syler has developed a great attachment to his Safari teddy bear. He loves having it at bedtime. It has become a security blanket for him.



~ Syler has developed a new feeling/emotion: frustration. He gets frustrated if a toy is just out of reach or gets stuck while in his walker.
~ It is so cute. When Syler is falling asleep, he will play with his hair with his left and while using his right hand to push his right ear forward (only if he doesn’t have his bear)
~ Syler hates having his nose and face cleaned!!! Hates it. He starts to whine when he sees you walking toward him with a wet towel. He really hates having his nosed cleaned. He will shake his head back and forward, making it very difficult to clean his nose.
~ We continue to work on his pincher grasp by giving him cheerios or Puffs.
~ We have heard a new sound from Syler. The new sound is “Lalala”
~ Syler recently (3/26/10) rolled from back to tummy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YAY!!!
~ We have also been working on crawling. Syler will stay on his tummy for a while now, which is a huge improvement for him. We will put him on his tummy and put a toy just out of his reach. He will reach for it and kick his legs but doesn’t go anywhere. So funny! But, he will kind of move himself in a circle.



~ No doctors appointments recently. His 9 month appointment is in May. Miguel did measure him the other day and Syler measured at 28 inches. He is not getting any shots at that appointment, but will have blood drawn.
~ Sleeping difficulties. Ever since day light savings time, Syler has been having difficulty sleeping. He wakes up multiple times during the night, but still naps well. We have tried to come up with other reasons on why his sleeping pattern would change and day light savings is the only thing we can come up with. We thought maybe a tooth was breaking through, but NOTHING. This kid has been ‘teething’ since he was 3 months old and nothing is coming in.
~ Miguel and I have recently started transitioning Syler to formula. My ability to produce milk is close to being done. I am not really producing enough to get him through the day, and we have used the last of our frozen supply of breastmilk the other day, so we are working in formula. How is he doing you ask, not good. If we give him a bottle of just formula, he spits it out as soon as he tastes it and refuses to take the bottle. If we mix it with breastmilk or rice/oatmeal cereal, he seems to take it better. So we will keep you updated on this situation.
~ I have been looking into different programs for Syler, and I have found a swimming class at one of the local YMCA’s. So, Syler and I will be signing up for that swimming class. There are a few different programs at the local libraries, but those programs are usually held in the morning, so we have to way until summer vacation to really get involved with those. But, we will attend a couple during Spring break.

Fun in the sun!

This past Saturday was so nice, Miguel, Syler and I decided to meet up with some great friends, Jen (Miguel's cousin) and Shannon (Jen's partner) and have lunch in Northampton. We met Jen and Shannon at the Northampton Brewery, which is known for its homemade beer and great food, and then we did some window shopping before getting some very delicious homemade ice cream at Herrell's. It was nice enjoying a weekend day with my husband and catching up with some great people. Here are some pictures of Sy throughout our day.


Once we left the restaurant we started walking around, and after a few minutes we decided to check and see how Syler was doing. This is how we found him.



A close up!


Hellooooo!!!!


All tuckered out after some fun in the sun!

Favorite Toys

Here are a few of Syler's favorite toys.

1. Eric Carle Developmental Elephant


2. Baby Einstein Take Along Tunes


3. Infantino Car Seat Buddies


4. Harmonization Fascination Station


5. Fisher-Price Stack & Roll Cups


6. Infantino Jittery Jungle Pals - Lion & Elephant

*Syler doesn't have any of the ones pictured. His is an orange deer with dangly legs. *

7. Infantino Peek, Rattle and Teether


8. Tiddliwinks Safari Bear Blanket Satin Lion Cream White


9. Monkeys Swing on Banana Ring by Sassy

* Syler has the one with a green, red, and purple moneky, and his monkey's don't have rings on them*

10. MiYim Organic Cotton Lovie Blankee - Monkey


11. Baby Signing Time Videos: