Virus Update

It has been a very long week.  I am so ready for everyone in my household to not be sick.

Sawyer is feeling better since contracting RSV.  His fever finally broke.  He still has a nasty cough and a lot of congestion.  I have to flush his system every morning with saline drops which he abhors.  Sawyer is starting to sleep better, but is still having coughing fits in the middle of the night.  He will cough and cough and cough but sleep right through all of this coughing.  Andrew and I get to hear all this wonderful coughing at night since he is still sleep in our room.  I'm hoping to move him back into his crib with another day or so.

Jackson's cold is slowly starting to dissipate.  He still has a runny nose, but it's getting better.  Cullen seems like he is at the tail end of whatever got him.

I have been disinfecting the house like a crazy woman.  I have bleached toys, scrubbed doorknobs, floors, counters, bathrooms, and anything else I could think of.  I still probably didn't get everything clean, but I tried.

As for Andrew and I, it seems we might have escaped this time.  The only thing we are up against is serious lack of sleep.  And I am going stir crazy in the house.  I can't take Sawyer anywhere because he's still sick, and I am about to contaminate anyone.  I'm not that person.  Unfortunately since Sawyer is housebound, the other boys have to be housebound as well.  I wish I could take them to the park or something, but I don't want Sawyer out in this crazy weather sick.

Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers during this time.  I truly appreciate it.  I am extremely appreciative of our pediatrician's office and all the concern they have had with Sawyer.  It's not often a doctor calls you to check to see how your infant is doing.

Trip to the Emergency Room

This weekend started out with a bang!  As in a bangin' 4 hour trip to the Emergency Room at Dell Children's Hospital after being at our pediatrician's office for an hour.

Sawyer started having a wet cough on Tuesday.  I brought him to the doctor Wednesday morning.  I was told it was being caused by congestion, and his lungs sounded clear.  The doctor said if Sawyer started to sound wheezy or have difficulty breathing to bring him back.

Thursday, Sawyer sounded the same but the cough was less often.

On Friday, the tide had turned.  Sawyer woke up extremely cranky and crying.  He refused to eat, and when we finally got him to eat, it was an ordeal.  If he wasn't crying and screaming, he was sleeping.  After a couple hours, his breathing didn't sound normal.  I called the doctor and made an appointment as soon as I could.

At the pediatrician's office, the doctor was concerned about Sawyer's breathing and fever.  He had a fever of 102.2.  The doctor didn't like how his breathing sounded.  Although his lungs sounded clear, he was making a moaning and wheezing sound every time he took a breath.  He was given half of a breathing treatment with albuterol.  After the treatment and discussing possible options with the doctor, it was decided Sawyer should be taken down to Dell Children's Hospital Emergency Room to check if he had pneumonia or any other issues and complications.

While en route to the ER, I called Andrew with an update.  Since we didn't have anyone else to watch the boys at that time (it was about 3pm), he stayed at home.

I ended up staying at Dell Children's Hospital for about 4 hours.  I didn't have to wait very long to get a room, especially since my doctor called ahead for me.  The entire hospital staff were extremely nice.  Of course, I would have liked a name tag or something because everyone and their brother was calling me 'Mom' and it was just a little creepy after awhile.

The doctor ordered a flu test, chest x-ray, and a urinary tract test.  For the chest x-ray, the techs sat Sawyer in this little chair, then held his arms up while they put a tube structure around his torso to hold his arms up.  Of course, he was less than thrilled about this, and I couldn't help but laugh.  It was the most absurd looking contraption that I had to laugh.  But the x-ray turned up negative for pneumonia, so I was happy.

Sawyer ended up being diagnosed with RSV.  RSV is a nasty virus for little ones to get because it can cause so many complications.  It causes a lot of mucus and snot to be produced which clogged Sawyers entire system.  There isn't anything the doctors could do accept let the virus run its course.  They expected fever for 2-3 days, and the entire virus should be out of his system in 7-10 days.  I was extremely glad to be discharged and sent home.

Andrew and I have had a long weekend taking care of Sawyer.  I will be very glad when everyone in my household is healthy again.

On a side note, it is a completely different experience for me to be the parent in the emergency and not the person getting treated.  I had plenty of emergency room visits when I was younger.  Being on the other side of this trip, I can tell you I didn't like it.  I was worried, concerned, and still continued to keep calm so Sawyer wouldn't pick up on my concern.  Add on to that, Andrew wasn't with me, and it did not make for an experience I want to have again.

It's now Monday.  Sawyer is feeling a littler better.  We went back to our pediatrician's office this morning for a check.  The virus is progressing as expected.

As for me, exhausted doesn't even begin to cover how I feel.  Andrew and I have gotten about 4 hours of sleep every night.  We are hanging on by a thread.  I'm completely disinfecting the house.  It has been a long weekend and the week is starting to look like its going to be the same.  Prayers are needed Sawyer starts feeling better, and everyone else in our house holds up.

Week Recap

It has been a busy week in our household.

1)  The kids were off of school on Monday for MLK Day.  Since Andrew still had to go into work, the kids and I ran a few errands.  First, I ran over to Ulta because I was completely out of shampoo.  Next, we headed over to the shoe store to return a pair of shoes Andrew had bought which turned out to be two different sizes when we came home.  Ironic, seeing as I watched the sales lady take her jolly old merry time checking them, and yet we still ended up coming home with shoes that were two different sizes.  After our shoes adventure and since the boys had been really good, I took them over to the park to run around.  I ran into a former coworker of mine who has kids around the same age.  We chatted and caught up.  Its always nice to run into people that you know.

2)  Tuesday I took on three kids to the grocery store because we were almost out of food.  I normally go when Jackson and Cullen are in preschool, but it just couldn't be helped with the holiday weekend.  I will not be taking all three kids grocery shopping again unless I can't avoid it.  Not that they were bad, but it is serious work.  Jackson and Cullen were fighting about who could hold my purse or my list or anything else they deemed necessary to fight over.  Sawyer was strapped to me and ended up falling asleep.  Emptying a cart full of groceries with a baby strapped to you is definitely not ideal.  Especially when said baby is over 12lbs now.

2)  On Wednesday, I had to bring Sawyer over to the pediatrician's office.  He developed a nasty sounding cough on Tuesday, and I wanted to make sure it wasn't anything serious.  After learning it was just due to congestion he has, I was relieved.  He picked up the cold from Cullen, whose nose has been running for a few days.  That afternoon I ended up spending an hour working with Jackson on tracing his letters.  I didn't mean to take this long, but he was having so much fun.  Cullen was coloring and playing with stickers while Sawyer snoozed away in his bouncer.  Its nice when all three kids seem to be behaving at one time.

4)  Thursday morning, I took the boys to Lowe's to pick up a few supplies we needed for the house.  With Sawyer strapped to me, I found another two-seater cart, and we were off.  With everyone being good, I took Jackson and Cullen back to the park to play.  We ended up there for an hour.  I was tired and ready to go.  The boys started complaining they were hungry (it was only 11am).  Off we went back home.  The afternoon consisted of playing inside and out while I tried to keep up with them.

5)  Today has started out hectic.  Sawyer seems to only want to sleep or scream and cry.  There seems to be no in between.  And he wants to be held all the time, so he can fall asleep.  But don't put him down cause then he will wake right back up.  And he doesn't have an appetite.  I am bringing him back to the pediatrician this afternoon.  We'll see if anything has changed.  My arms are killing me from holding Sawyer all morning, and I've barely touched the cleaning and housework I need to do.  The joys of having a sick baby.

After this long week, Andrew and I deserve to relax tonight.  We'll have a drink, watch a movie or just chill out on the couch.  I'm looking forward to it.

Nothing like a Good Compliment!

I have no idea how this started or why it started.  All I can say is I'm grateful.

Nothing makes my day like Jackson running in on me getting ready for the day and saying, "Wow Mommy!  You look really pretty!"  Then he gives me a big hug and runs away to play some more.

That just makes my day!  And makes me feel pretty good too!

Watch out ladies!  I've got a sweet talker on my hands.

What a Day!

Yesterday, I decided to take all three boys to the playground at a local park.  We haven't been able to get outside much due to the weather, and it turned out to be a really nice day.  After hustling everyone  around to get dressed, brush their teeth, get shoes and socks on, as well as jackets, we headed out the door.  We couldn't head out the door immediately because Jackson insisted on wearing a hat which means Cullen had to wear a hat, so we spent a few minutes finding their hats.

Finally at the park, I unload everyone and tell Jackson and Cullen to go play.  Sawyer stayed in his car seat which I snapped onto a snap and go stroller.  The boys had a blast especially since there was work going on in the park, and they got to see a bulldozer.  (Every construction vehicle is a bulldozer to them.)

After running around, sliding down slides, and swinging, I suggested we take a walk along the path.  The boys were all over it since they get to explore.  We start walking and come to the bridge that goes over a creek (with water in it this time!).  Jackson and Cullen are  loving it, and I'm taking pictures.  Sawyer is happy to be moving.  When we finally crossed the bridge, there is a little sitting area bordered by large rocks.  It also acts as a border for the overhang with a 20ft+ vertical drop.  Jackson decides to jump on the rocks and stand by the edge to look down.  I go get him down, while Cullen decided to find the small gap between the rocks and end of the bridge.  He's over there, standing next to the edge looking down, and keeps tiptoeing closer to get a better look (or something of the sort).  While I'm going to get Cullen, Jackson starts pushing Sawyer's stroller down the the path.  Jackson gets distracted and lets go of the stroller which continues going down hill.

I swear the next part happened in slow motion.  I see the stroller going down the path and heading straight to the edge because the path turns.  As I'm yanking Cullen back from the edge of cliff, I'm running to the stroller as I'm seeing it roll down, hit the edge, and start falling over.  Somehow (God only knows how I did it), I caught the stroller when it was about a third of the way to hit the ground and pulled Cullen away from the cliff's edge.  And this whole time I hear Jackson saying, "Look Mom!  A fish!  Take a picture!"  Sawyer didn't even get upset at the whole event.  He just stayed chillin' in his car seat.  Gotta love my tough boys!

After this incident, I decided we had walked enough, and it was time to go home.  If it hadn't have been before 11am, I probably would have had a drink when I got home.  All four of us calmly made it to the car without another incident.

At lunch, Cullen decided he didn't want to eat the last bite of sandwich I was trying to feed him.  He starts leaning away and away and away.  Next thing I know, he loses his balance in his booster seat and starts a head dive down to the floor.  Luckily, his legs got pinned between the table and his booster seat which slowed him down.  I see all this happening and grab his arm.  Unfortunately, I didn't grab him soon enough.  He landed on the side of his face.  I go into 'Holy Shit!' mode, pick him up, and start checking for injuries.  He ended up busting the inside of his lip open and bleeding all over my shirt.  Thank goodness for Oxiclean!  Cullen was fine, but I could have done without that incident directly following the park walk.

Later in the evening, I was cooking dinner, and Andrew was running late.  I was filling up a pot of water for pasta while flipping meatballs when my phone started ringing.  It was Andrew, and we talked for a couple of minutes before I realized I couldn't successfully flip meatballs while on the phone.  I hung up and proceeded with the flipping when I hear Jackson say, "Mom, it's spilling."  I look at him and ask, "What's spilling?"  He points to the sink.  I look over and see my pot of water overflowing all of the counter, down the cabinets, and onto the floor.  I slam the faucet off, grab the pot (which I spilled more water out of and onto myself), throw it into the sink, and clean up my mess.

I was super excited to see Andrew come home at that point.  I was doubly glad to go exercise my day out later that night when the kids went to bed.

Cold Days

Last Thursday, Friday and Saturday, it was so nice outside.  We were able to ride bikes, wear short sleeve shirts, and just enjoy being outside.  It all changed Saturday night/Sunday morning.  A cold front blew through, and it got cold.  Cold enough where it was just too cold to go outside.  The wind would just blow through the layers of clothes we wore, no matter how many we wore.

Because of the cold weather and lack of playing outside, the boys and I came up with a new way to get out the extra energy.

So I have an awesome picture or two to go with this post, but Blogger is not allowing me to upload them.  I've been trying for several days and am just beyond frustrated.  I even sent them a complaint, and it still hasn't been fixed.  I just decided to post the words.

Pretty much, the boys were jumping off a small set up steps we have upstairs.  They were high flying and jumping over their respective brother laying on a step below.  They had a blast!  I really wish I could put a picture up, but it still won't work.  I'm hoping I can get one up soon.

 

 UPDATE:  So I have no idea how I just did it, but I got the pictures up.  Go me!

Things my kids will never experience

Andrew and I started talking about somethings we did or experienced growing up that our kids will never know about.  At this point in time I can't remember exactly what it was, but it got me to thinking.  So in my geeky way, I started mentally making a list and decided to write it down.

1)  Cassette tapes and vinyl albums.  Now my parents had, and still, have vinyl albums my brother and I used to play on the record player.  Yes, I know how to work a record player, and I am oddly proud of that.  Now, cassette tapes are obsolete although I still have a few.  I'm hanging onto my Beach Boys tape since it was the first one I ever bought with my own money.  My kids will never get to experience a cassette tape or all the wonders that went with it.  Rolling the tape back in if it somehow got snagged and unwound.  Stopping, hitting the rewind wind button, then play, then rewind, then play until you get back to the beginning of the sound you wanted to listen to again.  No more recording off the radio where you get the tail end of the DJs voice to record a song on a mixed tape.  Ahhh, mixed tapes.  I remember spending hours making them in the quiet nook of my room using my two tape player boombox (lets not forget boomboxes!).  And there's no forgetting the portable cassette player which weighed ten pounds and made your shorts hang down when you wore it.  But you were cool because you were portable!

2)  Blowing into a Nintendo cartridge game if it was fuzzy the first time you put it into the game console.  No one ever really taught us this.  It was just some inane ability we all knew would work (and it did!).

3)  Payphones.  I don't even know the last time I saw a payphone.  I remember having to use one outside my high school to call my parents a few times.  There used to be one on every block around DC.  No one could get in touch with you at the drop of a hat.  You lived off grid and the world didn't end because you someone couldn't get a hold of you.  That was really nice and the main reason I conveniently forget to pull my cell phone out of my purse half the time.  Sometimes you just want to be unavailable.  And don't forget using a phone with a cord still attached.  I'm not even sure if they still make those.

3)  Dial up internet.  Yes, spending the time to dial in to the internet line which took a good 5-10 minutes depending on how busy the system was.  Slow as molasses internet.  My freshman year of college, I still had dial up in my dorm room.  My friends and I literally spent hours sometimes trying to get onto the internet just to check email.  Once one of us was on, everyone hopped on that computer because you never knew when you would get bumped off because the system got too busy.

4)  Dewey decimal system.  If you don't remember this, you are young.  I know my librarian hounded me because I didn't have it memorized and always had to look stuff up in the index of the library.  You know the actually drawers of the library where index cards of all the books were stored.  My kids will never know the joy of finding the card, then running around the library like a mad fool looking for the book.

5)  The age of not having spell check.  Yes, looking things up via the dictionary and thesaurus.  Handwriting papers that had to be legible without the aid of Word.  Googling it wasn't invented yet, so we had to turn to the good ol' hard backs.

6)  And on that same note, not being able to do research for research papers via the internet.  I had to go into the library, looking up several books and encyclopedias, and read them.  Gasp!  I remember my teachers specifically saying we weren't allowed to use the internet for research because it gave false information in high school.  In graduate school, my professors would tell me where in the library intranet system to find the correct catalogs to do my research.

I'm sure there are a bunch more that I'm not thinking of.  These were just off the top of my head.  It's funny and odd to think my kids will most likely not experience these things.  It almost makes me feel old.  At least I can say, I'm young at heart!

Sawyer's 2 month Stats

I took Sawyer for his two month well check on Friday.  Here are his stats.

Weight: 11lb 1.5oz (25%)
Height: 22.5 inches (25%)
Head measurement: 37cm (5%)

Sawyer gained just about 5lbs and grew 2 inches since his 2 week well check.  He's a healthy little bugger.  He's doing great!  He took his 3 vaccination shots and oral vaccination like a champ!

I am on constant alert with Sawyer, Jackson, and Cullen.  So far, he's been tripped over, stepped on, picked up by a three year old, dragged across a room by a two year old, has had several pacifiers shoved in his mouth, has been sat on, and is still whole, alive, and well.  All this and he's only two months old!  I think Sawyer will be the most hearty of the three with all he has gone and will continue to go through with two older brothers.

Text Message

My phone went off as I was leaving the house yesterday morning to bring the boys to preschool.  When I stopped at a stop sign, I pulled my phone out to see a text message from Andrew.

"Mea dropped a turd in my car"

I started laughing so loud in the car Jackson asked why I was laughing with a very confused look on his face.  I quickly called Andrew to get the full story.

Apparently, Mea was very excited to being traveling to get a haircut and pinched off some in the car.  I couldn't stop laughing, and Andrew was definitely less than amused at my finding this hysterical.  I was quick to point out that if had happened to me, he would be laughing.  I finally heard the smile in his voice when he agreed.

What a way to start a day!

Sleep, Blessed Sleep

I have been wavering when to share this news.  I didn't want to share it too early.  I was afraid I would jinx myself.  I believe it is finally safe to say...

Sawyer is sleeping through the night!

Sawyer has actually been sleeping through the night for over two weeks.  He started midweek the week before Christmas.  I believe it was right around the time Jackson and Cullen's preschool let out for the holiday break.  He's always been good sleeper from the start, but he started a full night's sleep before either of his brothers did.  Clearly, mom's current favorite because of this.

I can't even describe how ecstatic Andrew and I were the first time.  It was as though a chorus of angels starting singing when we woke up after 7 solid hours of sleep.  I swear I woke up in a little cocoon wrapped up on the bed finally rested, not deliriously sleep deprived.  It was wonderful!  Of course, Cullen getting right in my face saying, "Mama! Mama!" to wake me up could have been better, but I'm not complaining.

Sawyer's bed time is at 8pm when the other two go down.  He then gets a dream feeding at 10pm, and he will usually sleep until 7-8am.  I only wish I could sleep as long as he does.  Oh how I miss the days before kids and I could just sleep until my heart's content.

It's funny to hear from my friends who don't have kids.  They complain how tired they are and how construction or something else woke them up at 8am or 9am on a Saturday.  And how they need to sleep at least until 10am to feel rested.  When I hear this, it takes all self restraint not to smack them upside their heads and say, "8am!  I would kill to sleep until 8am!  10am is a long lost dream for me.  Are you kidding me?  Boo hoo! Get over it!"  But I refrain myself, somehow.  Seriously, that's like dangling a big fat cheeseburger to someone on a diet.

Anyway, Sawyer is also no longer in our bedroom.  He has moved to the upstairs room and has a little of his own space right now.  It is very nice to have our bedroom back as well.

Andrew and I are getting more and more sleep.  Cullen is still randomly waking up at night.  There is no rhyme or reason to this, so we just put him back to bed.  I'm determined to stay positive because it could be a whole heck of a lot worse.  The fact my 2 month old is sleeping through the night makes me happy.

Come on Preschool

I have really enjoyed spending the last 2 1/2 weeks with my boys.  I truly have, but I am definitely ready for preschool to start back up.  My pantry is empty, my house needs cleaning, and my mental health needs a slight break.  And, my wine, beer, and liquor need to be restocked.

Those 12 hours a week Jackson and Cullen are at preschool are definitely well worth it.  It's difficult to get anything done with I constantly hear, "Mommy! So and so did this" or "Mommy! I'm hungry" or "Mommy! I want to (insert activity here)."

I'm also tired of saying "No!" and "Stop hitting each other" or "Do not take toys away from your brother" and "Share!" and "Do NOT jump over Sawyer!" and "No jumping off the furniture" and my personal favorite "I told you not to do that because you were going to get hurt.  Next time listen to me."  Oh the joys of being a mom!

As much as I loved spending time with all three boys and Andrew, I am grateful for part time preschool.  I need a couple of hours of quiet.  Plus if Jackson argues with me one more time about having school today, I might lose it.

Preschool teachers, you are worth your weight in gold!

Baby Books Done!

I started this tradition with Jackson, and I am keeping it up with Cullen and Sawyer.  I made a photo book of the day they were born and other various infant pictures.  It is a little sad I am just getting to do Cullen's, but life gets in the way.  Although, Andrew and I refuse to be those parents who forget their other children after the first is born.  Every gets a baby book in this family.  It is done along with Sawyer's book.  Take a look see!  My boys are handsome little devils!  I'm a very proud and happy mom!

Cullen's Baby Book

Click here to view this photo book larger

Sawyer's Baby Book

Click here to view this photo book larger

Happy New Year!

Goodbye 2012... Hello 2013!

Our New Year's Eve was pretty sedate.  Andrew's parents came into town to watch the LSU vs Clemson game.  We lost in case you didn't know.  Jackson and Cullen enjoyed seeing their Grannie and Papa.

After the game ended and I fed Sawyer his night time feeding, being the party animals we are, Andrew and I went to bed.  Yes, we didn't even stay up to see the ball drop.  It is a matter of survival and the choice between watching the new year ring in or getting a decent night's sleep.  Sleep won hands down.  No matter what time we put the kids down, they will wake up at the same time.  Instead of having sleep deprivation, we opted to get a full night's sleep.

Andrew's parents left New Year's Day.  As for us, Andrew, Jackson, Cullen, Sawyer and I just relaxed.  I woke up and went to work out first thing in the morning.  The gym was empty which was so nice!  The boys played with their toys and went for a bike ride in the afternoon.  It was good to relax and enjoy time with just each other on Andrew's last day of vacation.

As for resolutions, Andrew and I decided to try and carve out more couple time this year.  How are we doing this?  I have no clue!  I figured we will muddle our way through this and just continue to enjoy each other's companionship and love.

I hope you have an excellent 2013!  Happy New Year!