Yesterday I had one of those tough moments as a mom, where I had to sit and listen to my baby scream and cry-- knowing that it's the best thing for her & going to make her feel better, yet still very hard to remain the strong one when there's nothing I can do to comfort her. Leah somehow got an infection on her bottom (probably a staph infection from poop that got into an open cut) that turned into a full-blown absess. It was red and hard to the touch, and for a day or two she kept saying "my boo boo hurts..." It had gotten to the point where she didn't even want to sit down or have me hold her. She screamed every time she had to get her diaper changed. Finally I called the dr. and got her in yesterday afternoon. They had to use a knife and cut it open to let all the blood & puss drain out (I know, gross!). It had apparently gotten really deep so he had to really get in there & cut it. The whole procedure took maybe 5 minutes but I had to hold her on my lap the whole time as she screamed and cried.
Brett asked me later how I was able to do that, and I just answered that it was something that had to be done. I didn't think about it, I just did it, because I knew it would help her feel better. Now I have to give her a warm bath twice a day (or when she poops) and keep the area covered in a waterproof dressing. She is also taking an antibiotic (which, though she doesn't mind the flavor, she has to take a lot at one time, so it's hard for her to get it all down). She had a pretty high fever last night but was so exhausted she slept in till almost 8 today. She definitely was not herself all evening, but today she seems to be back to normal, although she still says, "my boo boo hurts." Hopefully the procedure took the infection away and we will not have to go through something like that again!
I must add, I was really impressed with her dr.'s office. Not only were they able to get me in within 2 hrs. of me calling, but they handled everything so calmly and treated Leah very well. They even got the nurses to hold Andrew while Leah was screaming, since he started to cry as well. And Leah got a little stuffed animal when she was all done.
I know my children will have to go through difficult and painful things, but I wish I could protect them from days like yesterday. I wish I could take the hurt away from them so they wouldn't have to suffer. Yet I also know that God uses days like those to grow us and make us all the more excited about eternity in a place where we won't have to deal with pain and suffering.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Sunday, November 28, 2010
New Food for Andrew
Even though he's just barely four months, we decided to give Andrew a shot at his first solid food on Thanksgiving Day. His dr. said anytime was fine, and I thought maybe it would help him sleep through the night. He didn't do half bad! He seemed to like it, though he didn't really know what to do with it and he didn't really get much in his belly at all. We'll keep trying it every day, though-- I've never known a boy who didn't like to eat, so I'm sure he'll improve!
Thanksgiving 2010
What a fun weekend we had with Grandma & Grandpa for Thanksgiving! Andrew & Leah were both great little travelers on the 4-hour trip there. (They were not, however, great sleepers-- Leah didn't nap all weekend, Andrew was up about 4 or 5 times a night & both were ready for the day about 6:30am.) Andrew got his first beach experience (and he loves being outside!) and Leah actually didn't even think twice about walking on the sand this time (as opposed to just six short months ago when she wouldn't step foot on it)! She loved the beach! We had a great dinner and relaxing family time Thursday and then Friday we got to see Grandpa's "big truck" at the fire station! Of course Leah and Andrew both got in lots of snuggles and kisses from their grandparents.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Andrew @ 4 months
* He weighs 15 lbs., 14.5 oz. (75th%) and is 26 inches long-- he gained only 2 lbs. since his last appt. but also about 2 inches in length-- so he's even-ing out! He fills out every bit of his 3/6 month clothes.
* He is still eating every 3 hours or so, sometimes shorter, sometimes longer. After much trial & error with bottles, he will finally take one! And what do you know, the one he likes the best is el-cheapo Gerber plastic bottle. He only has bottles when I'm not around, usually, but it's been so nice these past two weeks to be able to do things like-- go to church!-- without having to worry about leaving early to feed him. Generally when he has one, he's hungry again shortly after, and I may just need to fill his bottles more full, but we're working up to that.
* He still has not managed to sleep through a night. For awhile he was sleeping until 4am, but the past week or so he's been waking earlier and earlier, 11:30 or 12:30 and then again around 3:30 or 4. He'll wake up for the day around 7 or so but sometimes I can turn the monitor off when I hear him start to whimper and he'll go back to sleep another 30 minutes or so. He takes very short daytime naps, as well-- usually 3 or 4 45-minute to 1-hour naps. He almost always falls asleep in the car if we take a ride longer than 15 minutes, but usually wakes up when we get wherever we're going & thinks naptime is over! 4 months seems like a good time to start "sleep training" so I may soon begin to try to drop that middle-of-the night feeding and just let him cry.
* He obviously likes his Exersaucer a lot more now. He'll play in it sometimes up to 30 minutes at a time. He has even started reaching out for the toys & figuring out how they work. He is interacting with toys much more now & will pull one to his mouth if you put it in his hand.
* He laughs a lot more now and seems to be happy almost all the time. He is ticklish on his neck, so he giggles when I pull a shirt over his head. He loves to stand up in my lap & watch Leah jump around. It gets him giggling every time. In fact, almost anything she does makes him giggle. I love to see their growing adoration for each other!
* Many nights just before bed, he has a "scream-fest" where he will just start crying for no apparent reason. Usually he cries a good 10 minutes or so before he can be consoled. Typically he only does it when it's just me at home, or just Brett & usually it's while we're trying to bathe Leah or put her to bed (attention hog!). And usually it makes him sleep really well!
* He is still eating every 3 hours or so, sometimes shorter, sometimes longer. After much trial & error with bottles, he will finally take one! And what do you know, the one he likes the best is el-cheapo Gerber plastic bottle. He only has bottles when I'm not around, usually, but it's been so nice these past two weeks to be able to do things like-- go to church!-- without having to worry about leaving early to feed him. Generally when he has one, he's hungry again shortly after, and I may just need to fill his bottles more full, but we're working up to that.
* He still has not managed to sleep through a night. For awhile he was sleeping until 4am, but the past week or so he's been waking earlier and earlier, 11:30 or 12:30 and then again around 3:30 or 4. He'll wake up for the day around 7 or so but sometimes I can turn the monitor off when I hear him start to whimper and he'll go back to sleep another 30 minutes or so. He takes very short daytime naps, as well-- usually 3 or 4 45-minute to 1-hour naps. He almost always falls asleep in the car if we take a ride longer than 15 minutes, but usually wakes up when we get wherever we're going & thinks naptime is over! 4 months seems like a good time to start "sleep training" so I may soon begin to try to drop that middle-of-the night feeding and just let him cry.
* He obviously likes his Exersaucer a lot more now. He'll play in it sometimes up to 30 minutes at a time. He has even started reaching out for the toys & figuring out how they work. He is interacting with toys much more now & will pull one to his mouth if you put it in his hand.
* He laughs a lot more now and seems to be happy almost all the time. He is ticklish on his neck, so he giggles when I pull a shirt over his head. He loves to stand up in my lap & watch Leah jump around. It gets him giggling every time. In fact, almost anything she does makes him giggle. I love to see their growing adoration for each other!
* Many nights just before bed, he has a "scream-fest" where he will just start crying for no apparent reason. Usually he cries a good 10 minutes or so before he can be consoled. Typically he only does it when it's just me at home, or just Brett & usually it's while we're trying to bathe Leah or put her to bed (attention hog!). And usually it makes him sleep really well!
Monday, November 15, 2010
Little Screamer
Andrew "found his voice." Although, I don't think he ever lost it...
Does it remind you of another certain someone when she was about his age?
Does it remind you of another certain someone when she was about his age?
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Big Sister
This goes under the heading: "Remember This Later When Your Little Brother is on Your Last Nerve"
(Notice his reaction at the end. I don't think Andrew shares her love of Cinderella!)
I'm not sure if I posted this one before or not-- it's from way back around Leah's 2-year-old birthday, but I thought it would fit nicely here. She kept trying to put his paci back in his mouth. I'm pretty sure he thought it was a game.
(Notice his reaction at the end. I don't think Andrew shares her love of Cinderella!)
I'm not sure if I posted this one before or not-- it's from way back around Leah's 2-year-old birthday, but I thought it would fit nicely here. She kept trying to put his paci back in his mouth. I'm pretty sure he thought it was a game.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Pumpkins
I had high expectations for cute photos in a pumpkin patch-- drove 20 minutes to get to one, and once we got there, Leah cried almost the whole time. I don't know if it was because she wasn't feeling well, if she was afraid of the bigger pumpkins, or if the wind was bothering her... She didn't want me to put her down. I did manage to coax her to see the small pumpkins for a minute or two, and then she loved our pumpkin when we brought it home. (To top it all off, when we got back in the car, Leah said "That was fun. I yike pumpkins..." and has talked about the big inflatable pumpkin they had there for days now!) Nevertheless, here's what we ended up with:
When it came time to carve the pumpkin, she was excited, mostly because she got to go outside & we were making a big deal out of it. At first she didn't want anything to do with the pumpkin guts, but eventually, she got into it, first playing with her spoon and then, finally, getting her hands dirty. She was still a little scared of the finished product (I'm starting to see a theme with this kid), but has talked about the pumpkin non-stop.
Many more pictures will soon be on the photo site-- there were too many good ones to choose from!
And for an added bonus-- can you tell who's who?
When it came time to carve the pumpkin, she was excited, mostly because she got to go outside & we were making a big deal out of it. At first she didn't want anything to do with the pumpkin guts, but eventually, she got into it, first playing with her spoon and then, finally, getting her hands dirty. She was still a little scared of the finished product (I'm starting to see a theme with this kid), but has talked about the pumpkin non-stop.
And, a fun video from the day:
Many more pictures will soon be on the photo site-- there were too many good ones to choose from!
And for an added bonus-- can you tell who's who?
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