Okay, now, as this is apparently my 100th post since I started this blogging habit, and I have successfully staved off doing housework, paperwork, paying my bills, and bathing my children so I am able to sit on my behind a few minutes and update all 4 of my readers about the ins-and-outs of our lives and what happens to be really irritating me at the moment. So now I'm making a request of you, my 4 readers. I want to know who you are (anonymous stalkers accepted), a little about yourself, and how you found my blog or what makes you keep reading it, or what you want to see more or less of. It'll just give me a little motivation for writing (other than my mother complaining that, even though I have already told her all our news on the phone, she wants to see it in written form.)
So that's your job. Please don't leave me hanging; I'm looking forward to learning about you guys!
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Pics of my boys at Katie's birthday party
Daddy snuggling with the Demon... Who was especially sweet that day.
Daddy stealing kisses
The funnest part of the pool party was bouncing the booty into the water. It was great fun!
And of course, Dax's other favorite activity, hanging out with older chicks.I'm a whiner
The NICU reunion is coming up soon, and an ungrateful mother (that would be me) was complaining to her son's nurse (that would be Beth) about how she just wants her son to be doing something fun and exciting for the reunion so we can show off. Wah, wah, wah.
The nurse gives the ungrateful mother a reproachful look, and says, "He's breathing."
Oh yeah. Crap. He is. And that is pretty awesome.
Sometimes you just need someone to smack you on the back of your head with some perspective. Thanks, Beth
The nurse gives the ungrateful mother a reproachful look, and says, "He's breathing."
Oh yeah. Crap. He is. And that is pretty awesome.
Sometimes you just need someone to smack you on the back of your head with some perspective. Thanks, Beth
Friday, September 4, 2009
Overdue updates on the boys
Okay, so I'm behind. Not just with blogging, with everything. At this point in time, I feel like, at the end of the day, I am a success if both my children are alive and the house hasn't burned down. That being said, my updates have taken the back burner... As have lots and lots of other things. Oh well, I wasn't going to win any housekeeping awards, anyway.
So, this is my plan. I have tons of things to update on, but the idea of sitting down to do one big update is a little daunting right now. Aren't you lucky? That means you'll get a few smaller updates. It's like a win-win for everybody :)
So this update is on the kiddos...
I'll start with the recent addition, which despite how tacky and terrible it is, has been labeled as "The Demon" and it has stuck. Before you go off on what a bad mother I am, consider my family history... I have a 20-year-old brother who is still referred to in some circles as "Oops." So at least it comes honest.
At any rate, The Demon has been much more angelic lately... He's eating and sleeping and feeling better and we're really starting to like him ;P I guess we'll be keeping him! We're starting to get the occasional smile out of him, too. Very sweet. He was 5 weeks old yesterday, and currently weighs in at 10 lbs 7oz and is 21 inches long. In case you're keeping score, that translates to him growing FAST. The Chunky Monkey has officially been dethroned.
And The Toddler Formerly Known as the Chunky Monkey (who is currently in search of a new nickname) is doing great. He's now weighing in at 21 lbs 3 oz, and is 28.25 inches long. We had a cardiology appointment last week that went FANTASTIC. His echocardiogram, sans supplemental O2, looked great. The cardiologist gave us the go-ahead to continue with room air trials since being off his oxygen is not making his pulmonary hypertension worse. And even though he is bigger now, she is not increasing his Viagra dosage, simply because his hypertension is so well controlled now that increasing it is unnecessary. That's HUGE. So today we had an appointment with the pulmonologist, and that appointment also went extremely well. We're continuing with our room air trials now in hopes of getting Dax off his oxygen while he's awake, but still wearing it when he sleeps. This will be extremely helpful as Dax tends to weave spiderwebs in and out of his toys with his tubing until he hangs himself with it.
As far as the brotherly love, there may be small improvements? Maybe? Could be wishful thinking. I have Dax help me pat Ty's back to burp him, but I think Dax thinks he's getting away with hitting him. Also, Dax likes to grab Ty's toes, so we play "This Little Piggy," but, again, I think he thinks he's just getting to twist his toes. Oh well, Ty doesn't seem to mind, and if he keeps growing like he is then he'll be bigger than Dax soon.
Okay, so that's the bulk of the boy updates... Will update soon about my latest medical supply company... Until then! Love you guys!
So, this is my plan. I have tons of things to update on, but the idea of sitting down to do one big update is a little daunting right now. Aren't you lucky? That means you'll get a few smaller updates. It's like a win-win for everybody :)
So this update is on the kiddos...
I'll start with the recent addition, which despite how tacky and terrible it is, has been labeled as "The Demon" and it has stuck. Before you go off on what a bad mother I am, consider my family history... I have a 20-year-old brother who is still referred to in some circles as "Oops." So at least it comes honest.
At any rate, The Demon has been much more angelic lately... He's eating and sleeping and feeling better and we're really starting to like him ;P I guess we'll be keeping him! We're starting to get the occasional smile out of him, too. Very sweet. He was 5 weeks old yesterday, and currently weighs in at 10 lbs 7oz and is 21 inches long. In case you're keeping score, that translates to him growing FAST. The Chunky Monkey has officially been dethroned.
And The Toddler Formerly Known as the Chunky Monkey (who is currently in search of a new nickname) is doing great. He's now weighing in at 21 lbs 3 oz, and is 28.25 inches long. We had a cardiology appointment last week that went FANTASTIC. His echocardiogram, sans supplemental O2, looked great. The cardiologist gave us the go-ahead to continue with room air trials since being off his oxygen is not making his pulmonary hypertension worse. And even though he is bigger now, she is not increasing his Viagra dosage, simply because his hypertension is so well controlled now that increasing it is unnecessary. That's HUGE. So today we had an appointment with the pulmonologist, and that appointment also went extremely well. We're continuing with our room air trials now in hopes of getting Dax off his oxygen while he's awake, but still wearing it when he sleeps. This will be extremely helpful as Dax tends to weave spiderwebs in and out of his toys with his tubing until he hangs himself with it.
As far as the brotherly love, there may be small improvements? Maybe? Could be wishful thinking. I have Dax help me pat Ty's back to burp him, but I think Dax thinks he's getting away with hitting him. Also, Dax likes to grab Ty's toes, so we play "This Little Piggy," but, again, I think he thinks he's just getting to twist his toes. Oh well, Ty doesn't seem to mind, and if he keeps growing like he is then he'll be bigger than Dax soon.
Okay, so that's the bulk of the boy updates... Will update soon about my latest medical supply company... Until then! Love you guys!
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Friday, August 21, 2009
Enough with the madness for a while
At last report from Payton's mom, Levi is apparently feeling better but still awaiting test results. Please keep on praying! And Tiffany is still on bedrest and Salem's sitting tight. 21 weeks now! Keep on praying she holds that baby in a few more months!
I haven't updated much on my heathens lately, so I guess I should. It's 7AM and they're both asleep, Shep's left for work, and I'm lying in bed unable to go back to sleep after Thing #2's 5:30 feeding, so I guess now is as good a time as any :)
And since we've already mentioned Thing #2, we'll start with him...
Mr. Ty is growing like a weed! I've completely given up on him going to Boobtown at this point, so I still pump and he still takes his bottle. He's 3 weeks old now, and I'm going back to work at 6 weeks, so there's really no use in boobie-training him now just to switch back in less than a month anyways. Or at least that's how I'm rationalizing it to make myself feel better!
At any rate, he does great with a bottle and he's (currently) taking around 3-4 oz every 2.5-4 hours. I say currently because 2 days ago, and likely again tomorrow, it was more like 1 oz every 1 hour... We've had some tummy issues and thrush, but hopefully those will resolve and we can get on, and stay on, a normal schedule.
Our poor baby... On days when his tummy bothers him, he can burp and fart louder than any 40-year-old trucker I know. I had no idea that much noise could come out of both ends of a baby! (I also had no idea how much "stuff" could come out of both ends. He's a pooper, and he's a spitter. With great kidneys. You can't hold the child without taking away a souvenir somewhere on your shirt!)
And then there's the thrush. Poor kiddo!
Other than that, he's a happy, healthy little boy. We'd had to visit the ped his 1st week home for a jaundice check, but we avoided the bili lamps. By that weekend he was finally a pink boy... (Whoo hoo, our first pink baby!) By our 2 week check-up he was up to 7lbs 13oz, and I haven't weighed him at home yet, but I can tell he's putting on weight pretty steadily.
The PT has commented when she's out seeing Dax that Ty is already super strong for a newborn... He's lifting up off his chest some using his elbows and forearms and has decent head control for a bobblehead. How lucky we are to have two big strong boys!
On to Thing #1... Dax is doing fantastic :) He's still pulling up on everything and is now attempting to let go when he's feeling brave. We've seen him stand hands-free about 2-3 seconds before his butt hits the floor, and he's so proud of himself! Still no unassisted steps, of course, but he cruises everywhere and crab crawls all over the place with his little booty stuck high in the air. We finally put up the kiddie prison gates, so he is safely secured in the living room the majority of the day, which is not such a bad thing when you see that our living room looks like Toys R Us threw up in there. (Although the funnest toys remain the dog's chew toys. Go figure.)
As for brotherly love, last weekend Dax pulled up twice on my leg while I was holding Ty, and when Ty cried Dax laughed and patted him on the face like a puppy dog. Other than that, very little progress. The jealously kicks in the worst if Dax's nurse picks up Ty... Dax bites her and cries and grabs her arms to attempt to keep her from patting the baby. With me he's not so bad, but who am I kidding? Dax likes the nurse better than me!
As for me, I had a terrible bladder infection that kicked in pretty soon after we came home from the hospital. Got on some drugs and it finally cleared up, but for a few days there I felt pretty crappy. It didn't take very long for my soreness from my delivery and stitches to subside, and I finally last week felt that maybe all my "innards" would stay "innards," even if I sneezed. Now if I could just get my "out-ards," especially this big ole belly, to get back where it's supposed to be.
Shep and I are adjusting slowly to life with a healthy newborn. I'd say it's like learning to swim by someone throwing you off a bridge... We've had to gasp for air a few times, and it's been a struggle! We're grateful he's a healthy baby, but the sleepless nights and screaming have been hard. My mom told me once that every parent thinks about abusing their children... The difference is that some parents follow through with it, and others don't. And as I lie trying to sleep on the stairs (Yes, the stairs... Made sense at 2AM) the other night as I let Ty cry it out... again... I whispered obscenities under my breath, and thoughts popped in my mind that I hope Ty never knows about. Admittedly, he was much cuter and sweeter after I got some sleep.
And I'm betting whoever bought him on Ebay would have sent him back anyways, and it would have ruined my perfect feedback score! And throwing him out the window would have been pretty messy... (But maybe we should move the nursery to the 1st floor in case of colic, just to be on the safe side...)
Anyways, screaming baby... Hope you're all doing well, and thanks for all the continued prayers and support for us and our friends...
I haven't updated much on my heathens lately, so I guess I should. It's 7AM and they're both asleep, Shep's left for work, and I'm lying in bed unable to go back to sleep after Thing #2's 5:30 feeding, so I guess now is as good a time as any :)
And since we've already mentioned Thing #2, we'll start with him...
Mr. Ty is growing like a weed! I've completely given up on him going to Boobtown at this point, so I still pump and he still takes his bottle. He's 3 weeks old now, and I'm going back to work at 6 weeks, so there's really no use in boobie-training him now just to switch back in less than a month anyways. Or at least that's how I'm rationalizing it to make myself feel better!
At any rate, he does great with a bottle and he's (currently) taking around 3-4 oz every 2.5-4 hours. I say currently because 2 days ago, and likely again tomorrow, it was more like 1 oz every 1 hour... We've had some tummy issues and thrush, but hopefully those will resolve and we can get on, and stay on, a normal schedule.
Our poor baby... On days when his tummy bothers him, he can burp and fart louder than any 40-year-old trucker I know. I had no idea that much noise could come out of both ends of a baby! (I also had no idea how much "stuff" could come out of both ends. He's a pooper, and he's a spitter. With great kidneys. You can't hold the child without taking away a souvenir somewhere on your shirt!)
And then there's the thrush. Poor kiddo!
Other than that, he's a happy, healthy little boy. We'd had to visit the ped his 1st week home for a jaundice check, but we avoided the bili lamps. By that weekend he was finally a pink boy... (Whoo hoo, our first pink baby!) By our 2 week check-up he was up to 7lbs 13oz, and I haven't weighed him at home yet, but I can tell he's putting on weight pretty steadily.
The PT has commented when she's out seeing Dax that Ty is already super strong for a newborn... He's lifting up off his chest some using his elbows and forearms and has decent head control for a bobblehead. How lucky we are to have two big strong boys!
On to Thing #1... Dax is doing fantastic :) He's still pulling up on everything and is now attempting to let go when he's feeling brave. We've seen him stand hands-free about 2-3 seconds before his butt hits the floor, and he's so proud of himself! Still no unassisted steps, of course, but he cruises everywhere and crab crawls all over the place with his little booty stuck high in the air. We finally put up the kiddie prison gates, so he is safely secured in the living room the majority of the day, which is not such a bad thing when you see that our living room looks like Toys R Us threw up in there. (Although the funnest toys remain the dog's chew toys. Go figure.)
As for brotherly love, last weekend Dax pulled up twice on my leg while I was holding Ty, and when Ty cried Dax laughed and patted him on the face like a puppy dog. Other than that, very little progress. The jealously kicks in the worst if Dax's nurse picks up Ty... Dax bites her and cries and grabs her arms to attempt to keep her from patting the baby. With me he's not so bad, but who am I kidding? Dax likes the nurse better than me!
As for me, I had a terrible bladder infection that kicked in pretty soon after we came home from the hospital. Got on some drugs and it finally cleared up, but for a few days there I felt pretty crappy. It didn't take very long for my soreness from my delivery and stitches to subside, and I finally last week felt that maybe all my "innards" would stay "innards," even if I sneezed. Now if I could just get my "out-ards," especially this big ole belly, to get back where it's supposed to be.
Shep and I are adjusting slowly to life with a healthy newborn. I'd say it's like learning to swim by someone throwing you off a bridge... We've had to gasp for air a few times, and it's been a struggle! We're grateful he's a healthy baby, but the sleepless nights and screaming have been hard. My mom told me once that every parent thinks about abusing their children... The difference is that some parents follow through with it, and others don't. And as I lie trying to sleep on the stairs (Yes, the stairs... Made sense at 2AM) the other night as I let Ty cry it out... again... I whispered obscenities under my breath, and thoughts popped in my mind that I hope Ty never knows about. Admittedly, he was much cuter and sweeter after I got some sleep.
And I'm betting whoever bought him on Ebay would have sent him back anyways, and it would have ruined my perfect feedback score! And throwing him out the window would have been pretty messy... (But maybe we should move the nursery to the 1st floor in case of colic, just to be on the safe side...)
Anyways, screaming baby... Hope you're all doing well, and thanks for all the continued prayers and support for us and our friends...
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Another request...
I swear, sometimes real life would make terrible fiction. If I'd read it in a book I would find it difficult to swallow, but I guess the "real life is stranger than fiction" cliche is true... Real life is stranger, and more cruel.
They buried Baby Payton yesterday after a beautiful service honoring her short life. Baby Levi, who is almost a year old and is suffering from cancer, was there with his mother. His mother and Payton's mother have become very close over this past year. While at the service, Baby Levi became ill and had to be life flighted to Vandy and remains critical at this time.
I do not know Levi or his mother or any of the details of his illness, but I ask that you all keep him and his family in your prayers at this time, too.
They buried Baby Payton yesterday after a beautiful service honoring her short life. Baby Levi, who is almost a year old and is suffering from cancer, was there with his mother. His mother and Payton's mother have become very close over this past year. While at the service, Baby Levi became ill and had to be life flighted to Vandy and remains critical at this time.
I do not know Levi or his mother or any of the details of his illness, but I ask that you all keep him and his family in your prayers at this time, too.
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