Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Small Updates

Wow, it's been a while. I honestly haven't had time to update these days.

Here is what is going on in our household:

* Jack has another cold, but he doesn't appear to have an ear infection. We are watching him closely just in case.

* My little man said "Dada" with intent the other day. I say with intent because Jason came into the room and Jack said it twice to him.

* I think I need an increase with my medication. Counseling is going well, but I am slipping back into a funk. I don't know why, but I am just not very happy right now. Jack is doing great, my family is great, work is stressful (what's new), but nothing out of the ordinary is going on. Oh well, time to call my doctor I guess.

* Jack is going to visit work this Friday. All the unit's kiddos are coming in to work dressed up in their Halloween costumes. Guess what Jack is going to be? You will need to check back for pictures. Trust me, he looks friggin' adorable.

* Sleep is the same. 3-4 times a night the little man is waking up to eat. Last night, it finally happened: He threw up in bed. He drank a bottle, coughed and then yakked. The coughing must have upset his stomach enough to throw up. He was fine. All the puke ended up on me. I changed him and myself all while Jason changed the sheets. After that, Jack thought it was play time and wouldn't stop babbling and jumping. We were awake until 3:30. Jack was fine this morning but this momma needed an extra cup of coffee.

* Jack still is a slow eater, but he takes after his momma and likes his carbs. He has tried pancake and bread and loves both.

* Last week, our regular child care provider (Karen) wasn't available so Jack went to a fill-in sitter. She was recommended to me by a friend and she was great! Jack did great and loved playing with the other kids. I will definitely keep her in mind if I ever need a fill-in again.

That's about it on our front. Not a whole lot other than being BUSY!

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Full Disclosure

I took this idea from someone else's blog (thanks Kristal!). Although I consider myself a really good mom, I sometimes have a few "fail" moments. Here is my full disclosure post about some of my not-so-perfect moments.

* I still swaddle Jack for naps and for his first "put down" of the night. Ummmm, he's 8 months old. In my defense, I one-arm swaddle him and he's seriously like trying to tame a tazmanian devil. I might stop soon. Or not.

* We give Jack Costco brand formula. That stuff is way cheaper than the $20 a can elsewhere. His reflux is all but gone and he eats more consistently now.

* Sometimes, I just need to eat. I don't do it often, but I have put Sesame Street on and plunked Jack in front of the television so I can eat a meal. He loves Big Bird.

* I am really good about tuning out his fussing. He fusses all.the.time. You get good at ignoring it after a while. If I know he's not hungry and just fussing to be held or fussing to fuss, I will continue on with my folding laundry or dishes. He isn't going to die.

* Jack's new annoying thing is to crawl into our pantry and play in the cat's water bowl. I pull him out all the time. Today, I was just finishing up my morning coffee and I didn't stop him. What's the worst that could happen? He gets a little wet. I needed to finish my coffee. NEEDED to.

* If I change Jack a few minutes (or sometimes up to a half hour) before his bath and the diaper is still dry, I reuse it. What? Is that gross? He hasn't peed in it. Diapers are friggin' expensive.

* I don't wash his toys as often as I should. Immunities right?

* I don't make any secrets that I sleep with my child. He sleeps better that way. On the weekends, I take full advantage of this. I will often take naps with him on the couch. He sleeps for up to 2 hours that way instead of his regular 30 minutes. And Mommy gets some rest too.

Reading back over this, I don't sound as bad as I thought I would. 90% of the time, I am a good mom. But sometimes, I just need a break and end up slacking. There you have it. Not so awful right?

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

I Was Wrong

I will admit it. I was wrong about Jack's ears not clearing up. They are clear. Which is a good thing.

I think my Mommy Intuition might be off. Which displeases me.

Monday, October 4, 2010

In a Funk

All should be happy and well today, but it's not. I am in a funk. I took the day off of work so Jack could have a follow up visit with the pediatrician for his ears.

That is why I am in a funk. I don't think his ear infection is cleared up. This is going on a month now, two rounds of antibiotics (one a very strong, bacteria resistant kind), and many painful, sleepless nights.

Jack has been pulling on his ears all weekend, and his sleep is once again affected. I have had many people try and say "Oh he's fine, I am sure his ears are just draining". I want to scream at these people because I know my child. He doesn't wake up in the middle of the night squirming and crying for no reason. His ears aren't just draining and itchy. Something is wrong.

I hate to say this, but should we take bets? I have a feeling his infection(s) is not gone. If that is the case, I am not sure what other course of treatment they can take. Maybe a shot of high dose meds? Tubes possibly? I can't stand seeing my baby in pain. I want it to be gone so he can be happy and sleep well. I will do anything I can for him to feel better. If there was a way that I could take his ear infections away and give them to myself, I would.

I will update after his doctor's appointment. Maybe I am wrong, but I don't think I am. I want this funk to go away and I want to be wrong.

Saturday, October 2, 2010

8 Months

Happy 8 months my sweet boy! I cannot believe how different this post will be from last month. It seems that in the span of four short weeks, you grew up. This makes me excited, but also sad. I sometimes mourn for my tiny little baby, but then I remember that you have so much more personality now.

* You are crawling like CRAZY! Daddy and I will put you down on the floor but we absolutely cannot leave the room or turn our back because if we do, you are already in another room or fiddling with something on the shelf or playing with the knobs on the receiver.

* You have a fascination over the books on our shelves in the living room. You would happily sit for hours and rearrange them and take them off the shelves if we let you. I call it "redecorating" but most people would probably call it "destruction".

* Anything adult piques your interest. You want everything and anything that Mommy or Daddy has. The tv remote, our cell phones, the water bottle, Mommy's laptop (even as we speak you are reaching for it). We gave you your very own keyboard to bang on so Daddy's wouldn't have to take the brunt of your wee hands.

* Goodness gracious do you love to jump! You are constantly jumping on our lap, on our floor, when we are holding you. The other night, you were even jumping in your sleep. It made for a long night for me, but you certainly didn't seem to mind.

* You officially are standing. I caught you standing up in your crib for the first time the other night. Time to lower the mattress!

* You have two teeth, both on the bottom. You have now had two ear infections back to back, you are wearing size 3 diapers and 6 month clothing (although your pants are getting too short).

* Food is finally becoming more the norm. You are taking to solids pretty well. Even though you should be up to three meals by now, you started late and we are taking our time with you. Your favorites are carrots and green beans! Applesauce is your least favorite. I always though babies LOVED applesauce? If we try and give you chunks of food when you are not hungry or it's later in the evening, you usually get sick. Your gag reflex takes over and Mommy will get thrown up on. We learned pretty quickly that we shouldn't feed you after 6:00. Sort of like a Gremlin right?

* You babble like crazy even though it usually sounds more like "bababababab" or "mamamama"

* Can I mention your reflux? It seems to have gone away! When you got your first ear infection, we had to stop giving you the Prevacid for your tummy. After your ear infection went away, your stomach miraculously seemed better! You have been off your medication now for almost a month and you are eating more on a schedule and throw up less than before. Halleluah!

Jack Emmett, you are so much fun. Mom hardly ever gets a break, but you make me smile so much every day that it's worth it. Showering, eating and cleaning are rare these days, but as long as you are happy, I don't care. I love you Buggy! Your Daddy loves you too!

Keep growing big boy!