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| Loving his first boat ride! |
Archer kicked off Summer by taking his first long road trip to visit Grandma and Grandpa Kumfer's house in Missouri! He was able to meet his cousin Lucinda, great-Grandpa Frank, and some other family members in person for the first time too. He had a great time bowling, shopping, and swimming, as well as going to a baseball game, the lake, the playground, and the zoo. Archer enjoyed having Lucinda read stories to him, and he especially loved visiting Grandpa's horses! Whenever we would go outside he would point to the barn wanting to see the animals.
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| driving to Missouri, Grandpa Frank, riding the tractor, bowling |
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| visiting the horses, looking at fish at Bass Pro, running outside |
Archer fell in love with the goats on a recent zoo trip too (probably because he could pet them without them running away). He has had a lot of fun with water this summer as well; he loves riding on boats and splashing in water tables, pools, or splash pads. Other summer activities have included checking out new parks and festivals, going to story time at the library, and eating lots of ice cream and popsicles. Archer even had his first day of "school." He started a class once a week through our Early Intervention program where toddlers and a guardian enjoy free play, an art project, music, a snack, and story time.
When we returned home from Missouri, Archer had another follow-up with his pulmonologist where we returned to the discussion about allergies. Throughout April and May, Archer had trouble breathing occasionally and often sounded like he needed to clear his throat. He was constantly itching his eyes and developed an eczema-like rash around his eyes and mouth that would come and go. The pulmonologist recommended a blood allergy test rather than putting Archer through a more traumatic skin prick test. The doctor also suggested investing in a doctor's kit and playing pretend at home since Archer gets very anxious and defensive during doctor's visits. He started crying and thrashing when the nurse just tried grab his toe or finger for a pulse ox reading, and it's always a struggle to take his measurements, look in his ears, or listen to him. Needless to say, the blood draw a few days later was not easy, and of course the first vial was not enough, so it required a second poke. To our surprise, the results of the test showed that Archer didn't suffer from any of the seasonal allergies they tested for, but he is mildly allergic to peanuts, egg whites, and cats. We do have to carry an EPI pen and he can't have peanut butter, but Archer can still have foods with eggs unless he seems to be reacting strongly, then we just need to hold back for a while. We now need to make sure he washes his hands any time he touches the cat, and the cat is not supposed to be in the room that Archer sleeps in. Luckily, it's pretty manageable, but we still suspect he may have other allergies or sensitivities because the itchy rash keeps showing up seemingly randomly.
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| cut above his eye, unhappy after blood draw, tunnel fun, important phone call |
Archer also had his 18-month well check at the end of June, and he has finally hit the chart for his actual age! At 31 inches, he was in the 10th percentile for height! He was 18 pounds, 8 ounces, which is still below the chart but creeping closer. His top canine teeth finally poked through as well. Archer also enjoyed going back to the to visit some of his favorite NICU nurses and staff next door!
This growing boy can now almost reach the door handles and higher shelves and is getting more and more ornery each day. He laughs when we tell him "no" or try to talk to him sternly and enjoys pulling the cat's tail, throwing things in the trash can, pulling everything out of the cupboards, playing in the toilet, and washing his hands in the cat dish. When we try to get him settled down for bedtime by turning off the light in his room, he'll walk over to the window to open the curtains and blinds so he can still see to play.
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| riding Daddy's tricycle, wanting to climb up himself |
After running Archer to the potty a couple of weeks ago when we knew he had to go, he seemed to show an interest in using it. When coming home the next day, he pointed to the bathroom and then went in and peed! We started casually potty-training, with few hopes of actually being successful this early, and he did well for about a week. Archer's interest in sitting down for a few minutes to go seems to have waned a bit now, though now he often tries to pull his diaper down.
Current favorites:
snacks, grapes, water, phones, books, cars, ball pit, tunnel, Peek-a-boo or chase, pretend cooking/eating, swinging, slides, playing with tools and workbench, climbing, putting things together and taking them apart
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| First day of "school" |
