Baby stats

I have a nurse who comes to visit at my request just to see that things are going well.

She measured my little tiny today and come to find out he's not so little or tiny.

He weighs 10 lbs. 11 oz. (8 lbs. 1 oz. five weeks ago)

and he's 23 inches long (21 inches five weeks ago)!

Yeah, I'd say he's eating well. :)

Ten Random Things

I just realized I was tagged for this... I actually love these!
Ok, ten random things about myself.... hmmmm...

1. I don't like my haircut at the moment. It was one of those I loved at the time but then it grew out and now it just looks dumb.

2. I've been avoiding the bills and dishes all day.

3. I bought some socks at Walmart the other day - Pirates of the Caribbean socks for $.50/each.

4. My toe nails need serious TLC at the moment. I haven't painted them since before my fake-out hospital visit.

5. I'm a control-freak.

6. I take tooth picks from restaurants in large quantities and keep them in my purse.

7. I counted 7 bruises on the backs of my legs this morning. (no clue what that's all about)

8. I'm not a phone person.

9. I spend WAY too much time on the computer.

10. I'm SOOOOO done having kids!

One month already?

Actually, he'll be five weeks tomorrow. Can't believe it!

I haven't blogged about anything because, well, I said I wouldn't. BUT, he's actually been doing better, a little everyday. He eats 4-5 oz. every 4 hours, sleeps (for the most part) 7pm-ish to 7am-ish only waking twice for feedings. I didn't stay on that formula my doctor told me to try because I didn't see the point. I did, however, switch him to a formula I felt would benefit him and so far, he's doing well. He still has fussy moments, which we're surviving. I think he'll get even better when he starts napping better during the day. Right now he cat naps. Very frustrating. He'll grow out of this, right? We're trying for good naps, I swaddle him (in his swaddling blanket, which we both love) and put him in the swing or carseat and rock rock rock to keep him asleep. I just remember how well my other two napped and seem to think we just did that from the beginning... not so. I keep getting little memories of how we had to work for that and other things and I just tell myself we survived then, I'll survive now. He'll be six weeks next week, and the older he gets hopefully the happier he'll get. Right?? ;)

31

I had to be reminded 3 times it was my birthday today. LOL

I was going to do a list of 31 great things about myself, but you already know all that. ;) SO, I decided to do a list of 31 things I've learned over my 31 years of life, starting with my younger years... maybe. Or just random things. Whatever.

I've learned:
1. Two ways to tie my shoes.
2. Parents are just as human as the next guy.
3. Being the oldest rocks.
4. Being the oldest means more responsibility, benefitting a person greatly later on in life.
5. A person can live on 5-7 hours sleep at night.
6. How to say I'm sorry.
7. It's ok to mess up, as long as you learn from it.
8. How to type one-handed.
9. Labor pain is not the greatest pain in the world. I'm glad I don't know what is.
10. Prayers are heard and answered, just not always how we think they should be.
11. I make the best spaghetti sauce I've ever tasted.
12. Loving unconditionally isn't always easy, but it's always worth it.
13. The Lord really doesn't give us anything we can't handle.
14. What He does give us, He helps us get through.
15. One has to choose to be happy.
16. I can't control everything. (dang it)
17. I really love being female.
18. A mother's sacrifice (or sacrifices, I should say) are always rewarded, just not by other people.
19. Some things are true whether you believe in them or not.
20. Strength is my greatest quality. At least I'd like to think it is.
21. I can only sing well when my baby is the only one listening.
22. Parents aren't always right.
23. All those years I thought losing weight would make me so happy were wasted worrying about something stupid.
24. I feel good about myself.
25. God doesn't make mistakes.
26. Honesty really is the best policy.
27. Walmart beats anyone's prices.
28. No matter how many times I try them, I still don't like onions.
29. My mom was right about finding the one I was supposed to marry. I did just know.
30. Families are the best.
31. You don't have to be blood relatives to be a family.

Man, when I'm 100, I bet I'll be able to come up with some pretty great things. :)

I know everyone I'd like to be reading this doesn't, but if you are, thanks for being a part of my 31 years! Here's to another 31!

A Little Bit of Needed Inspiration

"I delight in the Lord's mercies and miracles. I know that His tender mercies and His miracles, large and small, are real. They come in His way and on His timetable. Sometimes it is not until we have reached our extremity. Jesus's disciples on the Sea of Galilee had to toil in rowing against a contrary wind all through the night before Jesus finally came to their aid. He did not come until the "fourth watch," meaning near dawn. Yet He did come. My testimony is that miracles do come, though sometimes not until the fourth watch."
Susan W. Tanner

Deep breaths until then, yeah?

Something else to try...

So, Quin's doctor suggested trying a new formula. They had a sample, which is nice because this stuff ain't cheap, y'all. What if it doesn't work? What kinda stinks, though, is they only gave me enough to last me almost two days. They want me to try it for 2-3 days. Yeah. Thanks. Well, I'm hoping there'll be a noticeable difference (or no difference) in the almost two days' worth so I don't have to buy a can for one more day just to figure out I didn't need to buy it.


(I said I wasn't blogging about this anymore, didn't I? Sorry about that.)



He's a month old today! Can't believe it! Should've taken a pic, but, with me being so camera-happy, it just didn't happen. Plus, I'm not all that sure where my camera is at the moment.



Going to bed, now. :)

Can I boycott bad days??

Every time I blog about things getting better, then next day inevitably makes up for lost time. So, I'm thinking I should just stop blogging about the good stuff. Well, and the bad stuff, because who wants to hear about that all the time?

I did a countdown for Quin's arrival... I'm thinking of doing one for 2+ weeks. They say (they, as in everyone who knows what they're talking about i.e. doctors, nurses, books, websites, pamphlets, etc.) that the crying for "colic" or any normal baby who's NOT in pain (and mine doesn't seem to be, although you'd never know it by watching him cry) hits their peak for crying at about 6 weeks. Then, it gradually lessens till around 3 months. Dang. That's a long stinkin' time. He'll be a month (4 weeks) this Thursday. So, in two weeks (and 2 days) he'll hit that magical 6 week mark. I just want to be able to enjoy my baby, is that too much to ask???

The old saying "This, too, shall pass" is something I tell myself a lot. There's some who would say "They're only this little once" or whatever and to enjoy it. Enjoy what, exactly? The few moments when they DO sleep?? I want so badly to be able to enjoy my baby, to be able to hold him or (Heaven forbid) put him down to play with his siblings withOUT the fussing. I think as I'm typing this, maybe I should be trying to sleep myself right now... but I'm seriously so afraid of even thinking about getting comfortable because that's when he decides he's not. I'm so tired!!! I'm tired of being tired. I'm tired of all the deep breaths I find myself having to take around the clock. I'm so very aware of ALL 24 hours of every single day it's exhausting!

Today was rough, if you couldn't tell. I did fine attitude-wise till about now. Now I'm just tired. I'm worn out. I need sleep. I need a break, for crying out loud.

But, I know that in 2+ weeks, things will start to get better. I hope. I'm hunting down every source I got that info from and they're all going to take turns babysitting if it doesn't get better like they say it will.

I'm going to bed, now.

Tiny Little Toes

I so love these little piggies!

He'd rather look out the window than at all his cool toys.

Progress

Hindsight is a great thing - except when you look back and see yourself as a psycho. Well, maybe that's a bit harsh, but still... I could've handled the whole hormone/lack of sleep/crying baby thing a little more gracefully.

Looking back to a week or so ago, I see myself thinking things like "I want normal again." "Why did I have another baby??" "And I thought this was going to be fun/easy/enjoyable." "Is it too late for a refund?" "STOP CRYING!!" (to me AND Quin on that last one) "I'm going back to the hospital for an exchange - this one's broken." "I'm going back to the hospital to visit the 5th floor (psych ward) - maybe then I'll get some dang sleep." And so on.

I'm so happy to say that I am me again! I have been for about a week. Last Tuesday I went in for my two week visit and let it slip that I was feeling a little "blue" (putting it lightly). My prescription-happy doctor offered me free meds to help my "post-partum depression". I refused for two reasons: 1. I didn't feel like that ALL the time, just in spurts. 2. I hate depression meds. I'm DOWN 15 lbs. from before I got pregnant and I want my husband and if I go on meds I'll go back up in weight and then some and I'll reject my husband. How do I know this? It's all happened before. So, for the rest of that hormonal day, I reconsidered his offer but prayed to know if I should take it. The next day and every day since, I've been feeling rockin' awesome! Saturday was a very stressful day but I could tell it wasn't because of hormones, it was because of a crappy night (ok, about 20 or so crappy nights, all piled up). I'm taking that as an answer to my prayers and a confirmation that I made the right choice in rejecting the meds. Don't want them AND don't need them. So there.

Also, on another great and promising note: My little one seems to be doing better on a daily basis. I've learned how to calm him, thank the Maker, and have needed to less and less. Plus, with some tips from my friend Val (thanks Val!), I've been getting my head together a little better and have implemented a daily routine. This evening, generally when the crying happens, I was able to put my sweetness in a bouncy for a while and he was happy. Then, when he fussed, I put him on the floor under some toys and he was happy. He would've rather look out the window, but hey, happy. Then, when he fussed, we did the swing in front of some Baby Mozart, and again, happy. (I was doing dinner and dishes, hence the neglect of my child.) After that, I put him back in the bouncy on the table to watch us eat and then I held him till his bath and bedtime, which he was so happy for (bedtime, not so much the bath). So, tonight, I'm hoping to start our nightly routine of SLEEPING. I don't mind getting up for a couple of bottles, just as long as he sleeps in between. This might be a challenge. He wakes himself up during his light sleeping, so I may be up a lot. We'll see.

Peaceful Moments

3.5 weeks old! He actually let me lay him down for a while this morning... I think we're making progress! His crying is a little less intense, and we're able to calm him, but I'm noticing he likes to be held. And rocked. Punk. :) Yeah, no more kids after this. Especially if my littlest stink is going to be so high-maintenance. I love his little itty-bitty feeties!

And last, but certainly not least, blessed sleep.

Only in Gillette??

I saw a guy (no joke) VACUUMING his GRASS yesterday. LOL

Our neighborhood is technically NOT in Gillette, it's in the county, so we don't get the lovely snow plows out here. So what do they do? They throw down rocks. The red kind. M knows the name of it, but I can't remember. (Something like scorio or something??) Anyway, when we had that lovely snow storm a few weeks ago (4 to be exact), the wonderful miracle-working men who DID come plow our neighborhood, just moved all the snow to people's yards....rocks and all. So, now all of our yards have all the red rock stuff in them.

Maybe we should all vacuum our grass.

Miracle of Miracles!!

NO JOKE, FOLKS!!!

And, no, it's not that dumb gripe water.

Cherstin, you're my new best friend. I got that book you told me about, and the DVD that came with it. I've only watched the DVD, but OH.MY.GOOD.GRAVY. am I SOOOOO HAPPY!!!

First of all, even if my sweet boy's problem IS colic, whatever the heck that is, that stupid water didn't work. There's $11.99 flushed down the drain. Or, thrown away with a bunch of stinky diapers, rather.

You're wondering what's changed my life completely, aren't you??? I'm not going to keep it a secret, because, frankly, I think every mom should know about this. I'm going to be giving this as a gift at future baby showers, for sure.

The back of this DVD says: "In what promises to be a new parenting classic, Dr. Karp reveals a treasure sought by parents for centuries - an automatic 'off switch' for their baby's crying."
I'm thinking, yeah, right. Automatic off switch? We'll see about that.

So, we get home and watch it. I was near tears watching this amazing man soothe babies instantly! I was in total awe! I couldn't believe it! Mine was asleep so I couldn't try it, but as soon as he woke up and was changed and done being happy for the five minutes he usually is, we tried it. Holy stinking cow, guys, I could NOT believe what I was seeing! He instantly stopped crying and calmed down! Instantly!! And he's been calm ever since! (Two whole hours so far!!!) I couldn't even tell my mom about it without crying myself! I still can't believe it! And they say that it'll help him sleep better and longer at night, which I so can't wait to find out for myself! My prayers have been answered, just not in the way I was hoping/expecting, which was instantly without having to do much of anything, you know, just like a miracle. Well, I got my miracle. It just came in the form of being pro-active about the situation vs. just accepting it and waiting it out and trying to stay sane at the same time. I'm not a patient person, folks, not by a long shot. Although, another way my prayers have been answered to this point is I somehow feel as thought I've gotten a good nights sleep the morning after a very long night of not sleeping. And I've managed to NOT be a baby shaker. Not that I would, but I can see how people get to that point.

I'm hoping Monday I can blog again about the refreshing nights of longer sleep and a pleasant baby weekend. I have a feeling I'll get to.

So here's to my happy baby! I don't know if he's the happiest baby on the block, but I can almost guarantee I'm the happiest mom on the block!

Check this out!

My brother Kip and my daddeo are on Youtube!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVOZMez9WSU

They rock!

Even though my dad is playing with someone else's guitar (which I guess makes things tough) they still sound awesome!

How many days is a "few"?

I'm sure everyone who reads my blog knows how badly I wanted to have my baby... pretty sure I made it a bit obvious... yeah, sorry about that. Well, as I was waiting every so patiently (haha) for his arrival, and then was duped into thinking he was coming a week and a half early, I would tell people he must really like it in there and just doesn't want to come out. I'm beginning to wonder how true that might actually be...

So, I've been trying this supposedly miraculous Gripe Water since Monday night. The testimonials I read online were seriously nothing short of encouraging, to say the least. Everyone gave rave reviews and swore by the stuff. The things people said were so great that I actually teared up reading them. Things like "I had a new baby within minutes" or "Within minutes, I saw him smile for the first time" or "I wish I would've tried this sooner/with my other kids". You get the picture... Well, I was fully expecting such a miracle. Didn't get it. Thought I'd give it a few days, even his doctor said to give it a few days. It's been a few days. Baby still cries. And cries. And cries. Seriously, if he's not eating or sleeping, he's crying. There are a few choice moments when he just sits and looks around peacefully, but they don't last long. At all. Is he in pain?? Is it really colic?? What the heck is wrong with my baby???? IS there something wrong or is this normal? Is it his formula? WHAT???

I read an article today that talked about "Newborn Zones". Apparently, there are three. The Resting Zone (the sleeping baby), the Ready Zone (the baby who's ready to eat or play), and the Rebooting Zone (the fussy or crying baby). Yeah, I'm quite familiar with the Rebooting Zone. It gives tips on how to "transition" out of this phase... I'm going to try this. What have I got to lose, right? Also, I read about baby's SOS's or signs of stress. There are two of these: Body SOS and Behavioral SOS. Basically, these are signs your baby's been overstimulated. The Body SOS baby shows it by, well, crying, and doing colicky-type maneuvers. My baby. The Behavioral SOS baby just shuts down and sleeps. Now why can't my baby do that?? So, I'm thinking that since he's basically overstimulated (according to this article) ALL the time, he must REALLY be missing my uterus.

By the way, Cherstin, I have those books on reserve at the library. I can't wait to pick them up! I really hope they help.

Quin's doctor also said if the miracle water doesn't work in a few days, call her. I found myself counting the days this morning to see if it's been a few days... I was always under the impression a few meant three. It's only been two, dang it. So, we'll see how he's doing say, by Monday. If he's not doing better by then, maybe I just beed to buck up and be patient. Babies just cry sometimes. I just really hope I don't have one of those babies.

The good news? I feel great! I've been sad-day free for two whole days, lack of sleep included! Take THAT post-partum depression! HA!

Poor Widdle Face

My sweet little boy has a nice dose of baby acne. My other two never had it. His doctor said it'll go away in about a month. Guess what it's from? Leftover mommy hormones still rummaging through his innards. Ha ha! Kind of ironic we both have to deal with them dang hormones. I think it's also funny how I never had the baby blues with my other two... are the two connected?? Who knows.

Still a cutie-head, though!

My Sweet M

Today is my husband's birthday.

For his special day, I wanted to make a list of 10 things I love about him. (There are a lot more than 10 things, just FYI.)

1. He is such a wonderful father. He plays with my kids so well and is such a good example to them. He can really make them laugh and use their imaginations in ways they never even considered.

2. He is a great provider. Every day he goes to work for us and even works an occasional Saturday so we can have some fun money. He's been going to work an hour early for the past several months so we can have extra money to pay our medical bills. What a nice boy! The alternative was me working.

3. He's my best friend. I can play Uno or walk through Kmart or sit and do nothing with him and love every minute of it. He's always there for me and loves me for all my me-ness.

4. What a wonderful husband! He treats me as an equal and supports me as I stay at home to raise our children and makes great breakfasts on Saturday mornings and grills even in the snow.

5. He's so smart. He can take something apart and figure out what's wrong with it and even fix it!

6. He makes me laugh. I love the songs he makes up and the illnesses he has (only he would get this) and the weird things he comes up with to let me know he loves me.

7. He's such a hard worker. A real man gets the job done even though he doesn't want to do it with every fiber of his being. This is my husband.

8. He has such a strong testimony and knowledge of the gospel. Whenever I have a question, he can usually answer it.

9. He treats me with such respect. The men he works with are in awe over the things he will or won't do because he loves me. He opens doors for me and holds my hand whenever possible and carries things for me and always says "what can I do to help?". I have such a great guy!

10. He's been there for me through everything I've faced in our marriage and is there for me now while I'm going through something I never thought I'd have to go through.

I wish I could be with him tonight, instead he had to work. I told him to call in sick, but he did the responsible thing and went. I love him so much and I hope he reads this! I feel so blessed to have him as my eternal companion. He's so my better half and helps the other half of me be better, too.

I'd post a picture of him, but you know, someone might steal his identity. LOL

Getting SO big!

He's gained 1 lb. and has grown 1 inch as of today! Yikes!


Enjoying a rare peaceful moment...

I love those tiny, meaty fingers!

Doctor said he's fine in every way. And that the Gripe Water might take a day or two to start really working. Here's hoping!

Thought this was so funny

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXLHWmjA5IE


So stinkin' true!

Me Thinks Me Babin Has Colic

Ugh.

When I was pregnant with my first child, I was given a copy of "What to Expect When You're Expecting". I hated it. I thought it told horror stories and I didn't want to hear horror stories.

Now, here I am with my 3rd child, thinking I know EVERYTHING (that's what I thought when I was still pregnant - HA) and that we'll get into a great routine, I'll feel great, life will be so great.

Quin hit his two week mark last Thursday - wow, two weeks. Can't believe it!

Anywho - that's when the fun started. By fun I mean crying non-stop every night and fussy fussy fussy all day long unless he's asleep or eating. I find myself at the library Saturday checking out "What to Expect the First Year". We're not even out of the library parking lot and I'm delving into the goodness of information that I so have forgotten. (More like pushed out of my mind - we were DONE, remember??) (And for the grandparents reading this - this is the LAST grandbaby you're gettin' outta me. Sorry. Actually, I'm not sorry.) (And Karen, remember how we were joking that my pregnancy was "boring"? This is why.)

Colic. No one really knows what it is or what causes it and parents don't rightly care - they just want it to GO AWAY. According to my new best friend (the book), "the baby with a textbook case of colic pulls his knees up, clenches his fists,... closes his eyes tightly or opens them wide (mine scrunches one eye, it's actually really cute), furrows his brow, even holds his breath briefly." Enter: my son, my textbook case of colic. The book even says it usually starts around two weeks of age. If I'd have known this about my first son, which I figured I did, I would've done something about it then. Instead, he cried from 5-9pm EVERY night for about 6 weeks or so of his life. Yeah. Not fun. I'm NOT about to go through that again, especially since this pregnancy has left me dealing with the mother-load of hormones. SO, my husband, wonderful man that he is, has a friend at work who's son went through horrendous crying spells for the first couple months of his life. Then they found this product that they now swear by - they say they have a happy baby and he's sleeping through the night. As soon as my kids get home from school, we're heading off to Walgreens to get some of this magic potion. I really, really, really hope this is an answer to my prayers of desperation and out-right begging. (I tell myself H.F. knows exactly what I'm going through and forgives me for such prayers.) I've read the colic section of my book friend three times now and could tell you all about it. Well, I could tell you what I know, which is AVOID AT ALL COSTS.

In case you're wondering what an actual magic potion looks like:

Spring Pictures

Don't you just love the torn jeans? If you look close enough, you can see that they were patched at one point in time... ironed on AND sewn. This boy is rough on clothes! So is this girl, but she's wearing non-holy pants for once. Thanks Grandma for the pants you've bought for them!!

Has it really been THAT long??

Man, how time flies! Six years ago today, I was recovering from my first c-section. Dude. I have a 6 year old! Yikes! Natalie was 5 weeks early, due to complications on my end. But, we both survived and are here to tell the tale for yet another year. My little girl has been full of spunk from the beginning. What a sweetie! She's so generous and has such a good heart. Her stinky old brother didn't want to play with her and her new toys today, so she played with him and his legos instead. I hope someday he learns to reciprocate. Stinky boy. Anyway, just wanted to say Happy Birthday to my Natalie!

(We re-use bags, can you tell? lol)

She started life at a mere 3 lbs. 5 oz. and barely big enough to fit doll clothes (16 inches). Someday she's going to be taller than me, but that's not a hard thing to accomplish. :)

Have you seen this person?

A poor little boy was sadly disappointed this morning when he woke up and found his 3rd lost tooth still tucked under his pillow. If you have any information on the whereabouts of this fairy please contact your local authorities. The boy was in high hopes that the fairy was just busy and would perhaps make her appearance while he's in school. It is said the fairy was last seen sleeping on the job. (And a good night's sleep it was!)

Follow up report:
A very sorrowful Tooth Fairy was found this morning right after the boy went to school and a note plus money were speedily secured in exchange for said tooth for said boy to find after school. The fairy assures all that this will never happen again.

Feeling Oh-So-Good

I say that as a personal affirmation... for the most part, that is how I feel. Today I've been avoiding dwelling on hormonal thoughts and focusing on all the good things.

Here are a few good things to think about, for the record:

1. Clean houses are good.

2. Showers are good.

3. No heartburn, oh so good.

4. Bottle feeding, good. (Sad about nursing not working, but again, focusing on the good.)

5. Sleeping last night, GOOD.

6. Sun shining, SO good.

7. Husband going on nights next week to be home during the day with crazy spring break kids, EXCELLENT.

8. Happy, mellow baby, unless hungry, which is easily managed (see #4) is VERY GOOD.

9. Holding a sweet little one while he just looks and looks at me, worth every hormone I have to face.

10. Knowing there are lots of good days ahead - priceless.

I can remember clearly when the hormone wave hit with my other two, and even some of the thoughts I had as a result. This time, no different. Same thoughts, kinda. But hindsight is great in that I know this, too, shall pass and really, I'm happy. I'm not a depressed person, I've never had the "baby blues" full force and refuse to let that happen now. I really am having a good day today. Yesterday was hard. My milk is slowing down and he won't latch on. I did this to myself by giving him a bottle at night, I'm sure of it, but my sweet husband assures me it just wasn't meant to be (nursing). It didn't work out with my other two for various reasons, and really, I was happier for it. Not nursing benefited my kids and I in so many ways and we still didn't have all the scary illnesses nursing is supposed to ward off and they turned out just fine. We've bonded and all is well, so all will be well, again. And, being a type A personality (control freak), bottle feeding really is A-OK. I know how much he's eating and about when he'll want more.

Another good thing - well, awesome really - is having my body back!!!! A thinner one, at that! I love that blessed gift H.F. has given me after pregnancies. And I so can't wait for nicer weather to go for walks and keep it this way, I feel determined. I'm looking forward to exercising, which is rare for me. And spring is here, which means (hopefully) there are lots of sunny days ahead.

All very good things.

It's a good day. :)

(Can you see the silver lining?) :)