Stir Crazy Activities

Poor Caleb, he is literally going stir crazy being at home so much.  He runs to the door about a handful of times a day and waves bye bye.  He is just like me, and he like to be on the go.  I am trying to find fun activities to change things up for him.  I have seen this idea posted around blog world, and I thought I would try.

Basically, you can use anything you want.  I think some have used rice, some have used beans, our choice was egg noodles.  All you need is a couple of bowls, shovel, cup, bucket, and egg noodles.  This entertained him for about an hour, and he even brought all the bowls into the kitchen on his own when he was finished.  Without being asked I should add <3.  (ignore the dirty shirt, I am pretty sure he spilled more of his applesauce on him this morning than he actually ate.) 

FYI, I found an amazing blog about toddler boredom.  You have to check it out.  She has so many amazing ideas, and she has truly inspired me.  Here is the link. 

Praying for Reflux???

I never ever ever in a million zillion years thought that I would be praying for my sweet bundle to have acid reflux.  I mean I have heard so many awful things about it, and quite honestly I am clueless in my knowledge regarding it.  However, on Wednesday, I and basically everyone I know was praying hard that sweet bundle had just that. 

Here is the story:

Since birth bundle has had her fair share of gas issues.  She has literally screamed and screamed after eating, has pushed gas out for what seems like forever, and has had her share of exorcism throw ups.  She recently has started pulling away from the breast, holding her breath, and then screaming after she swallows her milk.  This has made feedings painful for both she and I.  Her main problems seems to occur between the hours of 7 pm to midnight, and at those times she is so uncomfortable.  We have had some good days, but for the most part we have been dealing with these issues for the past month.  I had brought my concerns up to my doctor, and he told me to first try mylocin drops and if those did not help to bring her back in.  Tuesday night was just awful at my mamas bible study.  Bundle was refusing to eat, but was hungry. She kept pulling away from the breast, spitting up, and crying.  I felt so bad for her.  Some veteran reflux mamas that were there informed me that she was showing the same signs their babies did when they were diagnosed with reflux.  With all that being said, we made and appointment to see her pediatrician on Wednesday.

Caleb, Mckinlee and I arrived at the pediatrician around 2 on Wednesday, and I was fully prepared with my list of questions/symptoms etc to speak with the doctor about. He arrived in the room, I started explaining everything and he started taking a look at little miss. He pushed on her belly, and then informed me that he wanted to get her checked for a pyloric valve enlargement before he diagnosed her with reflux. He basically said that he felt a little enlargement at the bottom of her stomach, and he wanted to rule this out first.  He said that sometimes the pyloric valve in infants can become enlarged and begin pushing food back out of their stomach.  If left untreated it can continue to enlarge and keep them from getting any nourishment.  Then he said the scariest sentence I have heard yet in my life as mama, "If it is an enlarged pyloric valve she will have to have surgery to fix it".  My heart stopped right there, and tears immediately filled my eyes.  My sweet little one month old baby having surgery scared the living poo out of me.  The doctor saw my tears, reassured me that he thought it was probably okay, but that we had to have an ultrasound performed just to be safe.  He then scheduled an ultrasound at Childrens Hospital for two hours later.

We left the office that day, and I was actually calmer than I expected to be. I was trying not to allow my fear to take over until we knew for sure that was what it was.  I called hubby, and apparently did not give him enough info over the phone because he was a nervous wreck when he got here. He basically heard, enlargement, surgery, and childrens.  Poor guy.  Anyway, he came and we traveled to have her ultrasound performed.  In the meantime I had everyone I know praying that the ultrasound came back clear, and that we were just dealing with acid reflux.

Thank God our prayers were answered.  Mckinlee was a champ during her ultrasound, and everything came back normal. We revisited the doctor the next day, he informed me that it could have just felt a little enlarged because she was so small, and he prescribed medicine for her reflux. She is also a little congested so he checked her for RSV and other respiratory issues before we left the office, and all came back clear. 

With all that being said I have a sweet bundle with congestion (blah), and acid reflux, but I am thanking my God that there is nothing else wrong with my sweet angel.  (Here are some not so flattering sleeping newborn pictures. Gotta love them).

She has her ear bent in a crazy way with that headband.  (FYI, I do try to keep socks on her feet, but they are so tiny they always fall off)

This morning we spent about an hour in the bathroom with the shower running to break down congestion.  She is wearing her brothers hand me down sleeper, and looks exactly like him.  She looks like such a boy in this pic, but she rocked it.

Mckinlee 1 Month

It is so crazy for me to begin to fathom that my lil bundle is already one month old.  Seriously?? It is a true bittersweet experience to watch your children grow up.  Every new age brings more joy and love, but time is so fleeting, and before I know it they will be grown.  It seriously seems like yesterday that I was writing Caleb's one month post, and I was so upset about how fast time was flying. I remember a friend of mine said "He is only one month", but boy time sure did fly.  I am trying to take in all of bundles newborn time.  I know soon it will only be a distant memory, and I am trying to treasure every moment.

Mckinlee, you have changed our life for the better.  We are so in love with you sweet girl, and every day I fall more and more in love. 

At one month you are:

Eating:  You are generally eating every 2 hours from one breast at a time.  You have recently started eating from both at certain feedings during the day.  We are still trying to figure you out though. You will act completely full, and then sometimes about 30 minutes later you will want to nurse again for about 5-10 minutes. You are your most hungry at night between 8-12.  You like to cluster feed. I have started pumping a bottle for this time period, and you have taken as much as 6 ounces at one time.  You wake up at 3, 6, and 8 to eat during the night.  You have some gas issues that we are still trying to figure out. Almost every time you eat you will tighten up in pain, and you will pass so much gas.  It hurts me to see you in pain so we are trying to figure out what all we need to do to help.

Sleeping:  You still sleep almost all day.  Your wake time is between 8 pm-12 am.  You are always so alert during this time.  You are sleeping in between your feedings at night in your bassinet.  You have been a belly sleeper since you were born, and we are slowly trying to transition you to sleeping on your back. You will sleep on your side now.  We thankfully have the angel care movement monitor so it gives me a little peace of mind.

Size:  You are 8 lbs 3 ounces now, and 20 1/2 inches.  You have grown so much in the last two weeks and I am so proud of you.  Just for my memory you dropped to 6 lbs the week after birth, then you weighed 6 lbs 5 ounces, then 6 13.5 by 2 1/2 weeks and now at four weeks you weigh 8 lbs 3 ounces.  You are still wearing newborn clothing, and you are filling them out now.  Your onsies are starting to get a little short on you. You can wear some 0-3 but it is still a little roomy.  Your feet are as tiny as Caleb's were and no socks will stay on you.  You are wearing size newborn diapers. 

Exciting New Things:

• Everything is new so the list could go on and on.
• You are so strong. You hold your head up, and look around like it is nothing. 
• You try to push up from our legs to standing when we are holding you.
• You are a very easy going baby except for your gas issues.
• I am pretty sure you smiled at me yesterday.  I will just keep telling myself you did because it was so cute.
• When you stare at the light you make the cutest faces. My favorite is the blue steel face.
• You are a total mama's girl.  I am the only one who can calm you down when your upset 90% of the time.
• You hate your mam binkys. I am thinking of trying tommie tippie binkys since that is what bottle you take. 
• You sometimes try to use me as a pacifier, and I do not want you to do that. 
• You love to bed carried in my moby wrap, and you have been to the park 2 times with us in it.  You have actually already been down your first slide while in mama's wrap.

I love you sweet bundle...try to never grow up k? :)

19 Months

Caleb, today you turned 19 months.  I can not get over how fast this past month has flown by.  I just reflected on your 18 month post that was written the night I went into labor.  I can not believe that you are a whole month older, and a big brother now.  I love you so much my sweet angel.  Watching you this month with your new sister has truly melted my heart into a million pieces a million times over.  The love that I have for your both is so beyond words that I can not even begin to describe it. I am so blessed to be your mother. 

At 19 months you are:

Sleeping:  The week that Mckinlee came home you regressed in terms of sleeping in your toddler bed.  After about 4 days of you failing to stay in your bed and go down for a nap we brought out the pack n play.  You are now on a set schedule for nap and bedtime, and I am going to start transitioning you slowly back into your toddler bed.  You go down for a nap around 12 and you generally sleep 2-3 hours.  You have started going to bed around 8-8:30 now and you sleep until around 8 am.  You still come in our room in the morning to drink your milk, but you are no longer big on snuggling, and you refuse to go back to sleep at that time.

Eating:  You eat ALL THE TIME.  No exaggeration.  You are always signing "more", running to the fridge or pantry and pointing at food.  You love to stand inside the fridge and pick what you want to eat or drink.  You eat at a big boy table, and you always sit in your chair, and put your feet up on the table.  Probably not the most polite thing, but definitely the cutest.  In the morning you always sit and eat your breakfast and watch a cartoon with dada while mama sleeps or feeds Mckinlee.  You drink your milk 2 times a day, and you have had a sippy of my breast milk this month and you loved it.

Size:  You are 26 lbs and 32 inches.  50% for both height and weight.  18-24 month clothing, size 4-5 shoe, and size 4 diapers.

Speech:  You have learned a few new words this month, your favorite being fish.  You are starting to try to mock us more, but most of your words are not clear as of yet.  You do however, sign more, all done, and hurt regularly.  Whenever you hurt yourself you run up to me doing the sign, and you point to what is hurt so I can kiss it. 

Exciting New Things:

• You are a big brother now!! You love to hold Mckinlee, pat her back, and kiss her head.  You give her about a million slobbery kisses daily.
• You have claimed the baby swing and bouncy seat as your own, and you will rarely share with Mckinlee. 
• You try to give Mckinlee her binky when she is crying.  The other day she was in her car seat crying, and I was putting my shoes on.  You ran into my room with her binky crying, and starting running back to her.  It was like you were saying "Mama she is upset, take care of my baby".
• You have a blankie that you cling to now. 
• You love to give Bella kisses, and she is one of your favorite playmates now.
• You actually play with other kids now.  It is so cute to watch. 
• You love your tunnel, and it has taken permanent residence in my living room. If I try to fold it up you always bring it back out.  You love to play "That is my binky" with dada and  I in it.
• You stand in your soccer chair, look out the window, and wave to dada when he leaves now.
• You run to the coat closet and pull your own jacket out when I ask you if you wanna go bye bye now.
• You try to undress yourself when it is time for bath.
• You always try to put your mouth on my boob when I am feeding Mckinlee, and after I am done feeding you have to smack my boob for some reason. Not sure what that is about.  It is hilarious though.
• You help me pump, and if I leave a pump piece laying around you put it on your boob like you are pumping.
• You know all of your body parts excluding (chin, shoulder, knee, elbow, ankle). 
• You have had 2 awful diaper rashes. One due to your antibiotic for pneumonia (magic butt cream cured that).  The second was from Huggies wipes.  You are for sure allergic to them, and they basically gave you a 1st degree burn on your butt.  We are treating if with polyosporin, but when we have to wipe you, you always sign hurt and cry.  It is so sad. 
• I say this every month, but you seriously understand everything we say to you, and it is amazing.
• You have a new laugh that is the funniest thing. You always bend down and cover your mouth with your hands when you do it.
• You like to sit in the tub until the water runs out after bath, and then you like to clean the tub with your washcloth.
• You play "Where is Caleb" a thousand times a day.
• You love to color now. Mama or dada always has to color with you. You bring us a crayon (it is the only one we can use), and you tell us which seat to sit in.  You like to color with only the white or purple crayon, or the color wonders marker. You always lay your head on your arm when you are coloring, and it is so adorable.
• You love to stack blocks.
• We took you to an indoor water park last week, and you loved the water slides. You only wanted to go down the big kid water slide, and you had zero fear. 
• You love to play air hockey at Meemaw's. 
• You are still addicted to the binky, and I am okay with that. We will try to break it at 2.
• You always pull at your diaper when you poo now.

You amaze me more and more every month little man.  I love you beyond words. 

Lessons From Seuss

I love love love Dr. Seuss books.  I love how all of his books in a silly kind of way have a life lesson within, and I love reading those lessons to my babies.  In honor of Dr. Seuss's birthday I thought I would write down a few of my favorite Seuss lessons for my wee little ones to remember.

• "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."
• "You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams."
• "You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go..."
•  "Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You."
• "A person's a person, no matter how small."
• "Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, Nothing is going to get better. It's not."
• "I meant what i said and i said what i meant. An elephant's faithful one-hundred percent!"
•  "You're off to Great Places! Today is your day!
  Your mountain is waiting,
  So... get on your way!"
• "Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try!"
• "Only you can control your future."
• "I’m glad we had the times together just to laugh and sing a song, seems like we just got started and then before you know it, the times we had together were gone."
• "You'll get mixed up, of course, as you already know. You'll get mixed up with many strange birds as you go. So be sure when you step. Step with care and great tact and remember that Life's a Great Balancing Act. Just never forget to be dexterous and deft. And never mix up your right foot with your left."
• "The storm starts, when the drops start dropping
  When the drops stop dropping then the storm starts stopping."
• "Just tell yourself, Duckie, your real quite lucky."
• "Oh, the thinks you can think!"