I'm very thankful that I don't have to take 2.0 to the doctor's office very often. He's only been sick enough to need a doctor visit three times in a year. I've been told that's pretty good but since this is my only child, I wouldn't know the difference.
We arrived at Dr. Omar's office bright and early at 8AM. I love being there that early since we are alone in the waiting room and 2.0 is the first patient of the day. He got to play with the toys in the waiting room (wearing his new Spiderman sneakers that light up when he walks) and he held my hand to walk back to the exam room. He weighed in at 22 lbs and 5 oz (45th percentile). His length is 30.5 inches (70th percentile). He's walking already (a little earlier than expected from Dr. Omar's reaction), but not talking a lot. His heart and lungs sounded good and his ears and throat looked good. 2.0 is a picture of health.
Dr. Omar talked to us about starting 2.0 on whole milk now. He also gets to eat more table food, including eggs. I mentioned the nasty diarrhea that lead to a very painful diaper rash over the weekend and Dr. Omar looked at the rash, telling me that it was okay to go back to using the Desitin cream now that it was healing. The diarrhea was attributed to the cake and ice cream 2.0 had over the weekend and the change in his diet. We're going back to what he's been used to and limiting his sugar intake for now.
2.0 went to the lab for a finger stick to check his hemoglobin and lead level. He also got a PCV innoculation and a Hep. B booster. I remember the first shots he got and how he cried. This time he cried, but not a tear ran down his cheek. He took the finger stick very well at the lab too.
Our next appointment is in three months for his MMR and wellness check. Hopefully he keeps doing well.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Monday, February 27, 2012
The Toddling Toddler
I tried to put the video of the actual event on this post for you to see, but I just can't get it to work for me. :( But life moves on...
Two days after his birthday, 2.0 started walking. It was an epic event.
There was very little warning. He's been taking tentative steps for a week or so now and he's been cruising (walking while holding on to either furniture or the wall or the entertainment center or anything else he can hold on to) since he was about nine months old. It was only a matter of time.
Saturday we had a lot of visitors. My grandmother came up with my uncle, aunt, and 13 year old cousin, my mom came out for the weekend, and my brother and sister-in-law drove three hours to see 2.0 for his birthday. If you're keeping track, that's ten people in my two bedroom apartment. We then had 2.0's honorary aunt Kelly come out to see him as well. That's eleven. Thank goodness I had cleaned like a crazy person the day before.
We're all sitting around talking and playing with 2.0 when he decides to walk from his grandma to his daddy holding on to Grandma's hands. Then he just...let's go. And keeps walking. Then he turns around, laughing and screaming excitedly, and walks back. Then back to his daddy. Then to his great grandma. Then to his great uncle. Then to Auntie Kelly. Then to his mother. Then he stuck his finger in the air like it was the days of disco, threw his head back, struck a pose, and fell to his butt. We got all five minutes of it on tape.
The next day, he did it again. Today he did it again. I guess it's the real deal. My son is a toddling toddler.
Now I have to re-baby proof everything.
Two days after his birthday, 2.0 started walking. It was an epic event.
There was very little warning. He's been taking tentative steps for a week or so now and he's been cruising (walking while holding on to either furniture or the wall or the entertainment center or anything else he can hold on to) since he was about nine months old. It was only a matter of time.
Saturday we had a lot of visitors. My grandmother came up with my uncle, aunt, and 13 year old cousin, my mom came out for the weekend, and my brother and sister-in-law drove three hours to see 2.0 for his birthday. If you're keeping track, that's ten people in my two bedroom apartment. We then had 2.0's honorary aunt Kelly come out to see him as well. That's eleven. Thank goodness I had cleaned like a crazy person the day before.
We're all sitting around talking and playing with 2.0 when he decides to walk from his grandma to his daddy holding on to Grandma's hands. Then he just...let's go. And keeps walking. Then he turns around, laughing and screaming excitedly, and walks back. Then back to his daddy. Then to his great grandma. Then to his great uncle. Then to Auntie Kelly. Then to his mother. Then he stuck his finger in the air like it was the days of disco, threw his head back, struck a pose, and fell to his butt. We got all five minutes of it on tape.
The next day, he did it again. Today he did it again. I guess it's the real deal. My son is a toddling toddler.
Now I have to re-baby proof everything.
Friday, February 24, 2012
Birthday Fun!
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| This Is So Yummy! |
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| I Love Cake! |
He hasn't had any presents yet (we're waiting until Sunday for his party). He hasn't spent any time with family yet (they're coming tomorrow and Sunday). Yesterday it was just him and us. It was awesome!
Here's the plan for his birthday party weekend:
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| Can I put cake on the ceiling fan? |
-Tomorrow, 2.0's grandma (my mom), great grandma (my mom's mom), great aunt and uncle and cousin, and Aunt Carole and Uncle Brian will be here. They're all coming around noon and staying until probably 430 or 5. He hasn't met his cousin or his great-aunt before. His great grandma and great uncle haven't seen him since he was 4 days old. It's going to be very fun.-Sunday is his birthday party after church. He's going to see friends and family and smear cupcake all over his face. It's going to be awesome!
So until Monday, these are the pictures you can enjoy from the party of three. :)
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
The Wait Is Over
My son is a year old tomorrow.
I never thought I'd say that in my life. I never thought this day would come. After so many years of heartache and a wait that seemed like forever, I looked in on my napping child a moment ago and my heart swelled. He made it a full year. We haven't had to say goodbye to him like we did to the sibling before him. One whole year has passed...it seemed like a blink of the eye.
Thinking back to a year ago today, I remember what I was doing. I was on maternity leave after having strong contractions for two weeks. Yes, you read that correctly. I was in labor for two weeks. The contractions would be consistent for five to eight hours, then taper off for four hours only to come back for another five. I wasn't able to sleep longer than four hours between the contractions and the urge to pee. My whole body hurt. I was not having a good time.
Finally we were at the finish line of the pregnancy. I was going to be induced the next day because my blood pressure was too high and I had protein in my urine. I was thankful to God and to my OB to finally see this little person who was moving around inside me for so long. Nate and I went out for our last date as a twosome and I insisted we buy milk because we were out and I was not going to come home with a baby and not have milk in my house. Coco was being picked up and taken to a friend's house while we were at the hospital. Everything was set.
Then my water broke on the night of February 22, 2011. And my nice night of relaxation before giving birth was destroyed.
I was admitted to the hospital even after I asked the nurses to let me go home because I was coming back the next morning for my scheduled induction. I was given pitocin and an internal monitor, which effectively strapped me to the bed to writhe in pain until I had been given enough fluids to stabilize my blood pressure for the epidural.
The epidural was supposed to take 20 minutes. It took an hour. Longest hour of my life.
Then blessed pain relief and sleep finally at 4am. Two hours of sleep and some cherry jello later, I was uncomfortable again. By 8am I was pushing. At 9:01 am, my son burst into the world. And life was never going to be the same again.
Since then, he has started smiling and laughing, crawling and cruising. He points to what he wants and tries to take food off my plate. He went from breastfeeding to eating baby food to now picking up chunks of chicken breast and shoving them in his mouth. He grew from just under 9 pounds to 22 pounds. He knows who his Mommy and Daddy is and will look for us when someone asks "where's Mommy?" or "where's Daddy?".
The wait was finally over. And it was worth every single tear, every single prayer, and every single crack to my heart to get to this point right now.
Hopefully we'll get to do it all over again later this year. Hopefully baby #2 won't make us wait another 5 years. But if that's what it takes, I'm okay with that. I have my little boy and he's precious and completely enough.
I never thought I'd say that in my life. I never thought this day would come. After so many years of heartache and a wait that seemed like forever, I looked in on my napping child a moment ago and my heart swelled. He made it a full year. We haven't had to say goodbye to him like we did to the sibling before him. One whole year has passed...it seemed like a blink of the eye.
Thinking back to a year ago today, I remember what I was doing. I was on maternity leave after having strong contractions for two weeks. Yes, you read that correctly. I was in labor for two weeks. The contractions would be consistent for five to eight hours, then taper off for four hours only to come back for another five. I wasn't able to sleep longer than four hours between the contractions and the urge to pee. My whole body hurt. I was not having a good time.
Finally we were at the finish line of the pregnancy. I was going to be induced the next day because my blood pressure was too high and I had protein in my urine. I was thankful to God and to my OB to finally see this little person who was moving around inside me for so long. Nate and I went out for our last date as a twosome and I insisted we buy milk because we were out and I was not going to come home with a baby and not have milk in my house. Coco was being picked up and taken to a friend's house while we were at the hospital. Everything was set.
Then my water broke on the night of February 22, 2011. And my nice night of relaxation before giving birth was destroyed.
I was admitted to the hospital even after I asked the nurses to let me go home because I was coming back the next morning for my scheduled induction. I was given pitocin and an internal monitor, which effectively strapped me to the bed to writhe in pain until I had been given enough fluids to stabilize my blood pressure for the epidural.
The epidural was supposed to take 20 minutes. It took an hour. Longest hour of my life.
Then blessed pain relief and sleep finally at 4am. Two hours of sleep and some cherry jello later, I was uncomfortable again. By 8am I was pushing. At 9:01 am, my son burst into the world. And life was never going to be the same again.
Since then, he has started smiling and laughing, crawling and cruising. He points to what he wants and tries to take food off my plate. He went from breastfeeding to eating baby food to now picking up chunks of chicken breast and shoving them in his mouth. He grew from just under 9 pounds to 22 pounds. He knows who his Mommy and Daddy is and will look for us when someone asks "where's Mommy?" or "where's Daddy?".
The wait was finally over. And it was worth every single tear, every single prayer, and every single crack to my heart to get to this point right now.
Hopefully we'll get to do it all over again later this year. Hopefully baby #2 won't make us wait another 5 years. But if that's what it takes, I'm okay with that. I have my little boy and he's precious and completely enough.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Sleeping Through The Night
Anyone who says that babies sleep through the night by the time they're 6 or 8 months old is telling you a lie. At least that's how I feel.
My soon-to-be one year old does NOT sleep through the night. I can count the amount of nights that he has (9 if you were wondering). Otherwise, he gets up at least once in the middle of the night.
Now I know what you're going to say. "Don't go pick him up in the middle of the night and he'll sleep better." That's not true either.
Our night time routine is that after his bottle, 2.0 is rocked until he's drowsy. Not asleep, just drowsy. Then I lay him down in his crib, turn on his My Pal Scout for 5 to 10 minutes of bedtime music, and out the door I go with a gentle "goodnight" and "I love you". About half an hour to an hour after he goes to bed, I go to bed.
Then it gets ugly. About three hours after he's laid down, 2.0 is up again. I lay in bed for about five to ten minutes, listening to the type of cry, before I decide to get up or not. If it's a panicked cry, I'm up immediately. If it's a whiny cry or simple yelling to get attention, I don't get up for awhile. What normally happens is the whiny cries turn into panicked cries. I get up, rock 2.0 for about five minutes, then lay him down (awake or not) and go back to bed.
I toss and turn for about two hours before finally going back to sleep. It seems like ten minutes after I get back to sleep, the ugly routine starts all over again. And again. And again until about 5AM. Then 2.0 gets up for the day between 730 and 8 in the morning.
He doesn't get a bottle in the middle of the night. I don't change his diaper in the middle of the night (something I'm thinking about changing in the routine as for the last three mornings his diaper has leaked). I simply get up, rock him, and put him back down.
There are nights when he only gets up at 430AM. I blame the upstairs neighbor for that since that's when someone up there gets up and starts walking around. But lately it's gotten worse, back to the every two hour routine. I don't have a newborn anymore and I'd really like to get some sleep.
I'm trying to make sure that 2.0 gets his naps at the right time, that he's getting enough to eat and getting enough activity throughout the day. I'm also trying to make sure it's quiet when he goes to bed for the night. But I guess some kids just aren't good sleepers. *yawn* I guess I'll get used to it.
My soon-to-be one year old does NOT sleep through the night. I can count the amount of nights that he has (9 if you were wondering). Otherwise, he gets up at least once in the middle of the night.
Now I know what you're going to say. "Don't go pick him up in the middle of the night and he'll sleep better." That's not true either.
Our night time routine is that after his bottle, 2.0 is rocked until he's drowsy. Not asleep, just drowsy. Then I lay him down in his crib, turn on his My Pal Scout for 5 to 10 minutes of bedtime music, and out the door I go with a gentle "goodnight" and "I love you". About half an hour to an hour after he goes to bed, I go to bed.
Then it gets ugly. About three hours after he's laid down, 2.0 is up again. I lay in bed for about five to ten minutes, listening to the type of cry, before I decide to get up or not. If it's a panicked cry, I'm up immediately. If it's a whiny cry or simple yelling to get attention, I don't get up for awhile. What normally happens is the whiny cries turn into panicked cries. I get up, rock 2.0 for about five minutes, then lay him down (awake or not) and go back to bed.
I toss and turn for about two hours before finally going back to sleep. It seems like ten minutes after I get back to sleep, the ugly routine starts all over again. And again. And again until about 5AM. Then 2.0 gets up for the day between 730 and 8 in the morning.
He doesn't get a bottle in the middle of the night. I don't change his diaper in the middle of the night (something I'm thinking about changing in the routine as for the last three mornings his diaper has leaked). I simply get up, rock him, and put him back down.
There are nights when he only gets up at 430AM. I blame the upstairs neighbor for that since that's when someone up there gets up and starts walking around. But lately it's gotten worse, back to the every two hour routine. I don't have a newborn anymore and I'd really like to get some sleep.
I'm trying to make sure that 2.0 gets his naps at the right time, that he's getting enough to eat and getting enough activity throughout the day. I'm also trying to make sure it's quiet when he goes to bed for the night. But I guess some kids just aren't good sleepers. *yawn* I guess I'll get used to it.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Stay At Home Mom
I don't really think of myself as a SAHM or Stay At Home Mom. I think of myself more as a WAHM or Work At Home Mom. But to be a WAHM, you probably should be bringing in some kind of financial contribution to the household and as of right now I'm not doing that. So SAHM it is.
When people outside of my family or circle of close friends find out that I'm a SAHM, they probably think that I sit on my rump and eat bonbons all day. That is sooooo far from the truth.
Here's what I do (not all in one day mind you):
-Take my husband to work. He has keratoconus (more on that in a later post) and doesn't see well enough to drive anymore. We also only have one vehicle, so it makes sense for me to have the main form of transportation in case of emergencies.
-Feed 2.0
-Change 2.0
-Housework. This includes washing dishes (a seemingly endless pursuit) by hand as I do not have a dishwasher that works, gathering laundry (to be washed on my husband's day off so I don't have to take the baby to the laundromat anymore), running the vacuum, taking out the trash, cooking, picking up toys (over and over and over again), and anything else that has to be done around the house.
-Run errands. This means going to the library, getting groceries, paying bills, going to doctor's appointments or any other appointments that I have scheduled at any given time, and anything else that requires leaving the house and driving somewhere. Now when I say getting groceries, I mean running to three or more grocery stores to save money on food. We shop around a LOT.
-Work in physical fitness somewhere in my day. I'm trying to walk a mile every day and do sit ups during the day. 2.0 thinks it's a really strange game of peekaboo.
-Take care of Coco, the dog. As I no longer trust a groomer to take care of her, that means I shave her and bathe her and cut her nails and clean her ears. I also take her outside to do her business, feed and water her.
-Play with 2.0. This takes up a good chunk of my time. 2.0 is gradually becoming more and more mobile, which means that the amount of time he can be left to his own devices has become smaller and smaller. So we play with all his toys to wear him out, practice walking around the room, chase after Coco. We also read books and play games.
-Put 2.0 down for his nap twice a day.
-Maybe, if there's time between everything else, while 2.0 naps I start writing. More often than not, I'm planning meals, downloading recipes, or putting something together for church.
-On Saturdays, I drive down to the church and spend about a half hour or so setting up my classroom for Sunday school. I teach second and third grade and I love to have fun things for the kids to do. That means during the week I'm putting together crafts or lesson props that I can make at home. Otherwise I raid the 'craft closet' at church and put it together Saturday night.
-Starting the first Tuesday of March I will be attending a Bible study with other women.
-Wednesday nights I have accountability group with three other Godly women for two hours. 2.0 attends with me and gets to play with another little boy named Nate who is 6 months older than him.
-Eventually I do pick my husband up from work.
I know it doesn't seem like a lot. But trust me, it's enough.
I don't get sick days (as I've learned from recent experience. However I did have help that day), I don't get paid in anything other than my son's laughter and smiles, and I don't get a day off. I'm on call 24/7 and I don't get much sleep anymore. But this job is the best one I've ever had in my entire life.
When people outside of my family or circle of close friends find out that I'm a SAHM, they probably think that I sit on my rump and eat bonbons all day. That is sooooo far from the truth.
Here's what I do (not all in one day mind you):
-Take my husband to work. He has keratoconus (more on that in a later post) and doesn't see well enough to drive anymore. We also only have one vehicle, so it makes sense for me to have the main form of transportation in case of emergencies.
-Feed 2.0
-Change 2.0
-Housework. This includes washing dishes (a seemingly endless pursuit) by hand as I do not have a dishwasher that works, gathering laundry (to be washed on my husband's day off so I don't have to take the baby to the laundromat anymore), running the vacuum, taking out the trash, cooking, picking up toys (over and over and over again), and anything else that has to be done around the house.
-Run errands. This means going to the library, getting groceries, paying bills, going to doctor's appointments or any other appointments that I have scheduled at any given time, and anything else that requires leaving the house and driving somewhere. Now when I say getting groceries, I mean running to three or more grocery stores to save money on food. We shop around a LOT.
-Work in physical fitness somewhere in my day. I'm trying to walk a mile every day and do sit ups during the day. 2.0 thinks it's a really strange game of peekaboo.
-Take care of Coco, the dog. As I no longer trust a groomer to take care of her, that means I shave her and bathe her and cut her nails and clean her ears. I also take her outside to do her business, feed and water her.
-Play with 2.0. This takes up a good chunk of my time. 2.0 is gradually becoming more and more mobile, which means that the amount of time he can be left to his own devices has become smaller and smaller. So we play with all his toys to wear him out, practice walking around the room, chase after Coco. We also read books and play games.
-Put 2.0 down for his nap twice a day.
-Maybe, if there's time between everything else, while 2.0 naps I start writing. More often than not, I'm planning meals, downloading recipes, or putting something together for church.
-On Saturdays, I drive down to the church and spend about a half hour or so setting up my classroom for Sunday school. I teach second and third grade and I love to have fun things for the kids to do. That means during the week I'm putting together crafts or lesson props that I can make at home. Otherwise I raid the 'craft closet' at church and put it together Saturday night.
-Starting the first Tuesday of March I will be attending a Bible study with other women.
-Wednesday nights I have accountability group with three other Godly women for two hours. 2.0 attends with me and gets to play with another little boy named Nate who is 6 months older than him.
-Eventually I do pick my husband up from work.
I know it doesn't seem like a lot. But trust me, it's enough.
I don't get sick days (as I've learned from recent experience. However I did have help that day), I don't get paid in anything other than my son's laughter and smiles, and I don't get a day off. I'm on call 24/7 and I don't get much sleep anymore. But this job is the best one I've ever had in my entire life.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
The Last Of The Firsts
Yesterday was 2.0's first Valentine's day. It's the last 'first' holiday he'll have. This is rather sad for me.
He had his first St. Patrick's Day and first Easter. I celebrated my first Mother's Day and Nate celebrated his first Father's Day. We had our first 4th of July. We had an amazing first Thanksgiving and first Christmas. 2.0 got to attend his first New Year's party and saw his first Tournament of Roses parade. Yesterday was the last of his firsts before his birthday.
It's hard to realize that he's going to be one. A whole year old. Where did the time go? I honestly feel like I blinked and he went from my newborn baby to my toddling little man and I missed it.
Part of this is the fear I have that I'll never have another child. When you deal with infertility like Nate and I have, it's a real fear. I think that a lot of moms feel the same way. 'What if this is the only time I get to experience this?' has been the thought I've had over and over since I found out I was pregnant. I think about the time I had with a tiny baby sleeping in my arms and I miss those days so much.
But then I look at my smiling little giggle face and watch him stand for a few short moments on his own in preparation for his first steps. I see him attempting to blow kisses at his father. I sit on the floor with him and we push his ball back and forth on the floor and I laugh as he claps his hands and squeals in excitement.
That tiny baby who would sleep for hours in my arms is gone. He's been replaced with a little ball of energy that finds the world to be a big place with so many things to see and do. His last 'first' holiday is over. But there are so many more holidays to come and so many more milestones in his life to experience.
I'm going to enjoy today with my little boy instead of wishing for my baby boy to come back again.
He had his first St. Patrick's Day and first Easter. I celebrated my first Mother's Day and Nate celebrated his first Father's Day. We had our first 4th of July. We had an amazing first Thanksgiving and first Christmas. 2.0 got to attend his first New Year's party and saw his first Tournament of Roses parade. Yesterday was the last of his firsts before his birthday.
It's hard to realize that he's going to be one. A whole year old. Where did the time go? I honestly feel like I blinked and he went from my newborn baby to my toddling little man and I missed it.
Part of this is the fear I have that I'll never have another child. When you deal with infertility like Nate and I have, it's a real fear. I think that a lot of moms feel the same way. 'What if this is the only time I get to experience this?' has been the thought I've had over and over since I found out I was pregnant. I think about the time I had with a tiny baby sleeping in my arms and I miss those days so much.
But then I look at my smiling little giggle face and watch him stand for a few short moments on his own in preparation for his first steps. I see him attempting to blow kisses at his father. I sit on the floor with him and we push his ball back and forth on the floor and I laugh as he claps his hands and squeals in excitement.
That tiny baby who would sleep for hours in my arms is gone. He's been replaced with a little ball of energy that finds the world to be a big place with so many things to see and do. His last 'first' holiday is over. But there are so many more holidays to come and so many more milestones in his life to experience.
I'm going to enjoy today with my little boy instead of wishing for my baby boy to come back again.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Unabashedly Christian
If you know me and my family very well, you know that we are Christians. We don't rub it in anyone's face, but we try to live a life that is God-honoring in every way. We attend a wonderful church and are very active in ministry there. We don't miss very many Sundays (2.0 went to his first service at 1.5 weeks of age and he saw his first service when he was 4 days old on the internet (more about that later)), but every now and then life happens (childbirth, illness, things like that). Thank goodness we can watch online and not miss anything on Sunday.
Our pastor, a man I am thankful to call my friend, has been teaching a series about raising kids and I haven't missed a word (until today since we are all still recovering from the horrible stomach bug. But I will be able to say I got up and tried to go and if I can't do it, we will be watching online) and one of the things my pastor teaches has to do with kids in church.
My husband and I are part of the kids ministry. I teach 2nd and 3rd grade Sunday School and my husband works security (we've had custody issues and no one wants our kids to not be safe). When we work on Sunday, 2.0 goes to the nursery. Otherwise, he's in service with us. He doesn't get a choice in the matter. He won't ever get a choice in the matter until he's old enough to live outside of our house.
Here's how I look at it: he won't get a choice about going to school will he? If someone said "I just think that my child should be able to choose whether or not he or she attends school and that it is a very personal decision", you'd look at them like they're crazy right? Same principle.
When my son decides on eternity, I want him to naturally choose Christ. I want him to be so confident of that choice that it's not an issue for him. I want to raise him to be a responsible adult and a contributing member of society. That means he's raised in the church. His godparents go to our church, most of our extended 'adopted' family go to our church. 2.0 knows my pastor and his wife as 'Uncle T' and 'Aunt Steph'. He's being raised by a village of Christ followers.
It's very true that it takes more than the parents to raise a child. It takes a family. I'm so thankful that I have so many wonderful people in mine.
Our pastor, a man I am thankful to call my friend, has been teaching a series about raising kids and I haven't missed a word (until today since we are all still recovering from the horrible stomach bug. But I will be able to say I got up and tried to go and if I can't do it, we will be watching online) and one of the things my pastor teaches has to do with kids in church.
My husband and I are part of the kids ministry. I teach 2nd and 3rd grade Sunday School and my husband works security (we've had custody issues and no one wants our kids to not be safe). When we work on Sunday, 2.0 goes to the nursery. Otherwise, he's in service with us. He doesn't get a choice in the matter. He won't ever get a choice in the matter until he's old enough to live outside of our house.
Here's how I look at it: he won't get a choice about going to school will he? If someone said "I just think that my child should be able to choose whether or not he or she attends school and that it is a very personal decision", you'd look at them like they're crazy right? Same principle.
When my son decides on eternity, I want him to naturally choose Christ. I want him to be so confident of that choice that it's not an issue for him. I want to raise him to be a responsible adult and a contributing member of society. That means he's raised in the church. His godparents go to our church, most of our extended 'adopted' family go to our church. 2.0 knows my pastor and his wife as 'Uncle T' and 'Aunt Steph'. He's being raised by a village of Christ followers.
It's very true that it takes more than the parents to raise a child. It takes a family. I'm so thankful that I have so many wonderful people in mine.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
The Stomach Bug
Ugh. Being sick is no fun.
I've had stomach bugs like this one before (where you can't keep anything down or inside your body for very long) and it's exhausting. I've never had one like this as a mom though. This was interesting.
Thursday, I went to the mall with 2.0 so we could do our walk. As we were leaving the mall, he got sick all over everything. Now my husband had been sick Tuesday night, but we thought it was food poisoning and didn't think anything of it until the baby got sick too.
I called the doctor after the second bout of sickness and was told that if 2.0 threw up one more time, he needed to go the ER since he's still under a year (barely) and it's very easy for babies to get dehydrated and they can be admitted to the hospital for dehydration. I really didn't want that to happen, so after the next bout of puking, off we went to the ER. After a dose of Zofran (an anti-emetic drug) and some pedialyte, we were sent home just in time for the bug to get me and I spent the night in my bathroom.
Yesterday was spent on the couch under a blanket as we both ran a fever and slept most of the day. My apartment is desperately in need of a cleaning, but I just didn't have the energy to manage it. I don't have a lot of energy today either, but I'm much better than I was yesterday. 2.0 is getting into everything and crawling around on the floor, trying to walk and causing trouble. He's keeping jello down (he loves jello now apparently) and I think I'm going to give him some rice cereal and bananas today. We all seem to be on the mend.
Now I just have to work up the energy to get off this couch. 2.0 threw up all over his winter weather gear and it's subzero wind chills today. *sigh*
I've had stomach bugs like this one before (where you can't keep anything down or inside your body for very long) and it's exhausting. I've never had one like this as a mom though. This was interesting.
Thursday, I went to the mall with 2.0 so we could do our walk. As we were leaving the mall, he got sick all over everything. Now my husband had been sick Tuesday night, but we thought it was food poisoning and didn't think anything of it until the baby got sick too.
I called the doctor after the second bout of sickness and was told that if 2.0 threw up one more time, he needed to go the ER since he's still under a year (barely) and it's very easy for babies to get dehydrated and they can be admitted to the hospital for dehydration. I really didn't want that to happen, so after the next bout of puking, off we went to the ER. After a dose of Zofran (an anti-emetic drug) and some pedialyte, we were sent home just in time for the bug to get me and I spent the night in my bathroom.
Yesterday was spent on the couch under a blanket as we both ran a fever and slept most of the day. My apartment is desperately in need of a cleaning, but I just didn't have the energy to manage it. I don't have a lot of energy today either, but I'm much better than I was yesterday. 2.0 is getting into everything and crawling around on the floor, trying to walk and causing trouble. He's keeping jello down (he loves jello now apparently) and I think I'm going to give him some rice cereal and bananas today. We all seem to be on the mend.
Now I just have to work up the energy to get off this couch. 2.0 threw up all over his winter weather gear and it's subzero wind chills today. *sigh*
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Fitness With 2.0
Before I got pregnant, I lost 43 pounds in 4 months. I did Zumba twice a week, watched my diet like a hawk, and took Advocare supplements. I loved the results I was seeing and thought it was only a matter of time before I got the body I wanted and hit my goal weight...
...then I got pregnant. I also admit that I was rather naive when 2.0 was born. I thought I'd take 6 weeks to recover and after that, go right back into my weight loss regimen of exercise and diet restriction and I'd love the weight so easily. Now I look back and think of how stupid I was.
My supplements were not safe to be taken while nursing a baby. Those were out. If you don't eat enough calories while breastfeeding, you don't make enough milk. So dietary restrictions were out. And when I did Zumba, I burned so many calories that I had trouble making enough milk for my baby. So Zumba was out for awhile too. Add to that the exhaustion from dealing with a kid who won't sleep through the night and you get a recipe for weight gain.
I gained all 43 of those pounds right back. And I think a little more (but that might just be from the weight accumulating in a different place on my body than before).
Since I'm no longer breastfeeding (but still eating a lot of calories I shouldn't be), the weight is just going to keep piling on, making it harder and harder to lose.
But I have a plan to get my body back. Now that 2.0's first birthday is approaching, it's time to get my (rather large) butt in gear. Here's the plan:
Monday-Friday: Walk one mile.
Saturday: Walk one mile plus Zumba class from 930-1030.
Sunday: Day of Recovery
Now should I be sore the next day after any of these days of exercise, the next day will be a recovery day since dealing with injury makes exercising harder. I'm also adding sit ups to each day because they amuse my child (not full sit ups as I'm too heavy to do actual full sit ups. Instead I crunch what I can). I'm also trying to watch what I eat (no more sugar!) and only take in the calories I took in before I got pregnant. That's proving a little harder to do with the need for my food to be easy to prepare (hard to cook when an 11 month old is getting into everything). I'm making it work though.
I'm drinking a lot of water, no more pop, no more fast food, and working more veggies and fruit into my diet.
Now to stick to it...
...then I got pregnant. I also admit that I was rather naive when 2.0 was born. I thought I'd take 6 weeks to recover and after that, go right back into my weight loss regimen of exercise and diet restriction and I'd love the weight so easily. Now I look back and think of how stupid I was.
My supplements were not safe to be taken while nursing a baby. Those were out. If you don't eat enough calories while breastfeeding, you don't make enough milk. So dietary restrictions were out. And when I did Zumba, I burned so many calories that I had trouble making enough milk for my baby. So Zumba was out for awhile too. Add to that the exhaustion from dealing with a kid who won't sleep through the night and you get a recipe for weight gain.
I gained all 43 of those pounds right back. And I think a little more (but that might just be from the weight accumulating in a different place on my body than before).
Since I'm no longer breastfeeding (but still eating a lot of calories I shouldn't be), the weight is just going to keep piling on, making it harder and harder to lose.
But I have a plan to get my body back. Now that 2.0's first birthday is approaching, it's time to get my (rather large) butt in gear. Here's the plan:
Monday-Friday: Walk one mile.
Saturday: Walk one mile plus Zumba class from 930-1030.
Sunday: Day of Recovery
Now should I be sore the next day after any of these days of exercise, the next day will be a recovery day since dealing with injury makes exercising harder. I'm also adding sit ups to each day because they amuse my child (not full sit ups as I'm too heavy to do actual full sit ups. Instead I crunch what I can). I'm also trying to watch what I eat (no more sugar!) and only take in the calories I took in before I got pregnant. That's proving a little harder to do with the need for my food to be easy to prepare (hard to cook when an 11 month old is getting into everything). I'm making it work though.
I'm drinking a lot of water, no more pop, no more fast food, and working more veggies and fruit into my diet.
Now to stick to it...
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Impending Toddlerhood
My son is going to be one. *tear*
He's had his first stomach flu, his first cold, taken his first antibiotic and had his first blood draw for labs. He's seen snow and caught a snowflake on his tongue (only after watching his daddy do it over and over again) and he's starting to understand the difference between spending time with Mama and spending time with Daddy. He knows who his aunties are and he knows who Uncle Tony is (my pastor). He knows Grandma (my mom), Grandpa and Gammy (my in-laws), and he smiles at me whenever I say "Grandma" "Grandpa" or "Gammy".
It seems like yesterday he looked like this:
 |
| 24 hours old |
He definitely doesn't look like that anymore! Now he looks more like this:
 |
| Christmas 2011 |
So much has changed in almost a year. I think back to what was going on at this time last year and I was in the beginning of a very long early labor phase (two weeks of actual contractions before my water finally broke!) and now I'm planning his first birthday party.
My little guy is crawling now like a pro, pulling himself up to stand, walking while holding on to either the wall or the entertainment center or my hands. He stood up all alone today (after he pulled himself up) and actually took a step on his own! He has two teeth (soon to be four teeth I hope), he feeds himself finger food, and he's saying my name (Mama!). He laughs as he crawls after his sister (his furry four legged doggy sister) and he pushes his ball back to me.
 |
| Hey! It's snowing! |
He's not my baby anymore. He's my toddler. For some reason, that makes me horribly sad and incredibly proud at the same time.
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