14 Months of W!

Happy 14 months!!

This past month has been a doozy.  Crazy weather (snow, dangerous cold, and rain today?!?), busy weekends, and colds for all of us.  Much to my disappointment, you didn’t add very many words to your vocabulary this month (words are my favorite milestone!!).  You have said uh oh and down a few times.  Grandma W says you say hot when you spy her coffee.  You have started following directions.  I’ll say “go get a book” and you do.  I’ve also told you to put something in the garbage and you toddle right over to the trash.  Your dad and I have both witnessed you pick up lint off the carpet, walk over to the trash can, and throw it away.  Grandma G has told you to go get her glasses.  You find them and bring them to her.  This morning I was telling you that we were going to go bye bye and we were going to Nani’s house.  I walked into the kitchen and turned around to find you standing there with your coat! 

You LOVE to read.  LOVE!!  I think we go through at least 20 books a day and that’s not counting the books you read with your grandmas.  You get bored pretty quickly with story books, but love pop ups and books that have flaps to open.  The exception to this is Pete the Cat story books.  We read Pete the Cat Saves Christmas every single day.  I had to order another Pete the Cat just to give myself a break from Saving Christmas.

You’re running all over the place.  You stand yourself up in the middle of the floor without any support (you actually started doing this at 13 months).  We’ve started to do puzzles.  You haven’t quite gotten the hang of it, but I’ve watched you match the pictures on your farm puzzle.  We still get comments all the time on your red hair.  We went grocery shopping for Super Bowl snacks a couple weeks ago and no less than 3 people came over to say hi to you and comment on your hair and cuteness.  Last week while we were grocery shopping, a lady came over to say hi and gave you a bag of animal crackers (daddy wouldn’t let you have them).  You’re getting a little better about eating.  The rule seems to be if it’s meat or bread, you’ll eat it.  Anything else belongs on the floor.

One other exciting thing that happened – your mom submitted a picture of you to Baby Gap (I can’t help it, I think you’re the cutest ;)) and you were featured on their Facebook page. :)

I think that covers it.  We’re having so much fun watching you grow and learn!

I've been slacking on pictures...

W's Birthday Party in Photos

Assorted cupcakes, music note shaped cookies, and music note crayon party favors.

 

 

All food items had a musical name.

 

 

Tables were decorated with music note confetti, balloons, and miniature musical instruments.

 

 

A's parents were kind enough to let us borrow their house for the party.  Ours is just too small.

 

 

We asked guests to select a song that either reminded them of W, represented a wish for him, or was popular during his first year.  The selections were fantastic.

 

 

 

Birthday boy did NOT like his musical cake.

 

 

Monthly banner and board containing W's stats and favorites (I'm proud of that board!).

 

 

Presents from mom and dad - Anywhere chair and school bus

 

 

I'm so happy with how the party turned out.  It was exactly what I wanted. :)

 

 

 

13 Months of Baby (or should I say toddler??) W

W turned 13 months yesterday.  Didn’t he JUST turn 1?!?!  He’s been SO much fun lately and I’m amazed at how much he understands.  He’s added a couple more words to his vocabulary.  He now says up (bup) when he wants to be picked up.  He has also started saying up while he’s crawling up the stairs, which amazes me.  He seems to understand that up is a direction and not just what you say when you want to be held.  He’s started saying da a lot more to A.  If you ask him what a cat says, he’ll make the cutest meow sound.  When I say yuck, he sticks out his tongue and makes the raspberry noise.  He does the same when he walks passed the garbage can.  Occasionally, he’ll say baa for sheep and neigh for horse, but often says moo instead.  I think he recognizes that they are animals, but doesn’t always get the noise right. J  The other day I asked him where his socks were and he looked at his feet.  May have been a coincidence, but I doubt it.  At church, I asked him where the lights were and he pointed up at the lights.  Again, may have been coincidental, but I doubt it.  He seems to have made up his own song.  It goes like this:  Ma Ma Uhh  Ma Ma Uhh.  It even has a tune and we’ve caught him “singing” it quite a few times.  I think he understands what more means.  When I ask if he wants more, he’ll shake his head no, which actually means yes. J  (I tried to introduce sign language months ago, but admittedly I have not been consistent at all.  I’m definitely going to work on this so he can sign “more”).  He also has a toy treasure chest with coins.  The chest has a slot (similar to a piggy bank) and he’s able to push the coins through the slot.  He's always had excellent hand/eye coordination and his fine motor skills are very impressive (to me).  A is preparing for W's future career as a pitcher (or maybe a 3^rd baseman since it appears that he’s right handed), while I'm extremely excited for tennis lessons.

W is constantly making us laugh and he brings us so much joy.  He’s made a lot of progress lately with eating table foods.  We’ve also introduced cow’s milk and have begun weaning off formula.

 

I'm excited for the months ahead, but also sad at how fast life is passing by (as always).

 

On a completely unrelated note, apparently polar vortex part 2 is coming (or is it already here?) and I am so over winter.  I usually don’t mind the cold and I think snow is beautiful, but this winter has been brutal.  So cold and so much snow.  The worst I can remember and it’s only January.  Eek!

12 months of Baby W

Just trying to stay warm today!  It's currently -15 with a wind chill of -39.  Crazy cold!!  On the bright side, my office is closed and A's school is closed due to the frigid weather.  An extra day at home!  Woohoo!

I've been posting W's monthly updates on FB and usually post them here as well.  So, without further ado, the 1 year post:

Happy first birthday! For nine months, I prepared for you. I researched baby products. I decorated your room. I watched my tummy get bigger and I felt you move. But somehow, despite all those preparations, despite seeing you in ultrasound pictures, having a baby just didn’t seem REAL. Then, at 8:31 am on December 20, 2012, I met you. And my life changed forever. You were a reality. You made me a mom. And you were better than perfect.

I’ve so enjoyed watching you grow. I’ve enjoyed every milestone, every accomplishment, and I’ve even enjoyed the challenges. Because those challenges mean I get to be a mom. And even better, I get to be YOUR mom. And I’m so grateful for that honor.

I hope you have the happiest of birthdays and I hope you know how much you’re loved.

 

 

In the past month we celebrated Thanksgiving. You refused to eat turkey, but enjoyed the Jello. We also celebrated St. Nicholas Day. You must’ve been a good boy because St. Nicholas left some goodies in (and near) your shoe. You've taken several steps by yourself and I suspect you’ll be running through the house soon. We’re still having trouble getting you to eat table food. I am convinced that you are just stubborn. You like the taste of things, but why eat when you can throw food on the floor or feed Addie? Your favorite foods as of late are bagels and cheerios (you still love chicken). You also like yogurt and Jello. One of my most favorite things you do is “share”. You hand things over to me quite often or you just reach out your hand to me. You also hug stuffed animals and even Grandma G’s cat - Meiko (and Meiko loves you so he LETS you hug him). It’s apparent that you have a very big heart and a love for animals like your mom. You can climb up the stairs. You say mama, dada (though you don’t say dada, you yell it), moo, amen, neigh (sometimes), and ho ho ho. And I think you try to say Addie – not sure? You hate diaper changes and hearing the word “no”. You just got your 6th tooth. I cannot believe you are one. We had an incredible year together. It was SO much better than I imagined. Looking forward to the year ahead. You are our everything and more, little man. And even though we’re entering toddlerhood, you’ll always be my baby.

Happy First Birthday!!

Friday, 12/20 was W’s first birthday!  I’m a little sad that my baby is growing up so fast.  I think back to the early days when we weren’t getting much sleep.  I distinctly remember one night when I got up to nurse W.  A would often join me as I nursed.  He’d help with diaper changes, play Family Feud on the IPad to entertain me, and offer moral support while I was trying to get the hang of nursing.  This particular night, sleep deprivation got the best of A.  He started talking to himself and then nearly fell over.  J  Thinking about that night still makes me smile.  I miss those days when W was teeny tiny and I could hold and snuggle him all day.  But then again, I do enjoy sleeping.  I’m proud at how well A and I adjusted to parenthood and I’m excited to watch W continue to grow and learn.

 

We’ll have a birthday party in January for extended family.  I thought it was just too much to plan a birthday party so close to Christmas.  But we wanted to make W’s day special nonetheless.  So A and I decided to invite my mom and A’s parents over for pizza and cupcakes.  It was a perfect little celebration.  W wasn’t interested in his cake, but he enjoyed his presents.

 

I had taken the day off work so W and I could spend his birthday together.  Earlier in the day, I decided to take W to the Early Learning Center at the local library.  We had a blast exploring the different areas.  There was a car section, a train section, a padded play area, a coloring station, and tons of books.  So much fun!  W really enjoyed it and I can’t wait to go back!

 

 

 
Surprisingly, I didn’t get emotional… until it was bed time.  A true feat.  If you know me, you know how sentimental I am.  As I tucked W in for the night, I told him I was so thankful for him and didn’t know how the year could be topped.  That’s when I got teary.  I love my 1 year old.

Surviving the toddler years

As we’re nearing the end of the first year, I’m getting more and more nervous about parenting.  That seems silly, but let me explain.  When you’re pregnant, you’re so excited about having a baby…. You don’t (or maybe it’s just me?) think about the toddler years, the kid years, the pre-teen years (gasp!!), etc.  The focus is on that little, tiny baby.  Then the baby arrives and it’s basically feeding, changing, comforting, engaging.  That’s all been pretty easy and I know I’m oversimplifying, but still... the first year seems more about fulfilling basic needs as opposed to teaching and molding a little person.  I mean sure, there have been tough, cranky, sleepless nights here and there, but for the most part, the baby part hasn’t been all that difficult.  Raising a toddler, on the other hand, scares the bajeebies out of me.  Potty training?!?!  Gross.  I’m so not looking forward to all the peeing and even worse… pooping everywhere!  OMG.  I don’t even know where to start.  I have no patience whatsoever and just the thought makes me shudder.  And the other thing that scares the bajeebies out of me – disciplining.  It’s my job to raise an independent, respectful, grateful, well behaved little man.  How the heck do I do that?!?!  I’m not really into spanking so do I do time outs?  A naughty step?  The corner?  Will I suck at following through?  I can’t suck at following through, then he’ll know he can get away with things.  What if I’m too easy going?  What if I’m too hard on him?  I need to tell him the right way to do things and not just emphasize what’s wrong, right?  Will I feel bad when he cries?  I.am.already.freaking.out.  How do we survive the toddler years?!?!?

This and that

I'm not sure why, but I haven't felt like posting.  For once, we had a very low key weekend.  We went out to lunch, ran errands, went to church, and watched football.  I also ordered our Christmas cards!  It was a great, relaxed weekend.  So maybe I just feel like I don't have much to report.

And I don't really anticipate posting much in the near future.  If you need me, I'll be stuffing my face, shopping, and enjoying family time.

Happy Thanksgiving!

And because I feel like I've hardly said anything, I'll leave a post I wrote awhile ago, but never published...  Sometimes I feel like I should be giving W more when in fact, he has all he needs. :)

Dear W,

 I’m sorry that your dad isn’t a lawyer or a doctor.  I’m sorry that your mom isn’t a business executive or a fabulous designer.  I’m sorry that you’ll never have the biggest house on the block or attend that nationally ranked school.  I’m sorry you won’t have that luxury car as a teenager, designer clothes, or the latest cell phone.  I’m sorry that you won’t visit exotic locations while on family vacations.  I’m sorry that you’ll miss out on extravagant electronics, the fanciest restaurants, and the best seats at every sporting event.  But the thing is… I’m NOT really sorry.  You see, your mom grew up in a small house without lots of extras and attended a school that’s probably ranked at the very bottom of every list.  Your mom learned to appreciate the little things and work hard.  She learned that it’s so important to give back.  She learned how to be gracious and humble.  She learned that relationships and quality time are more important than things and stuff.  She learned that success and wealth are two very different concepts.  And so will you.  And most importantly, despite your mom and dad having a small house, conventional cars, and an “ordinary” life, they’re really, really happy.  And you will be too.

Love,

mom

Oh What a Night

Wowzer, yesterday was frustrating.  A and I were both exhausted since W woke up 3 times the previous night.  He seemed to wake every couple hours because he was congested and couldn’t breathe.  Really stinks since I thought his sleep was FINALLY back to normal.  Now it just seems like those wonderful 9+ hour stretches of sleep were a tease.  We have a humidifier in his room and put a blanket under his mattress so he sleeps on an incline, but it doesn't seem to be helping.  He hasn’t been himself in the evenings.  A and I gave the little man a bath early yesterday evening.  I had hoped the warm water would sooth him and clear his congested nose.  That may have worked had he actually SAT in the tub!!  He was determined to stand and hop out.  Sigh.  Then, I attempted to clear his nose with one of those snot sucker things.  He sure does hate those things.  Whining, wiggling, and crying ensued.  Then, we attempted feeding him baby food.  Actually, first, I tried to give him turkey, which he threw on the floor.  I’m convinced I could give him anything – ice cream, cake, a doughnut, and he’d throw it on the floor just to be stubborn.  It doesn’t matter whether he likes it or not, it’s going on the floor.  The dog is very happy.  Anyway, I tried to give him baby food, which he normally loves, but he’d smack the spoon sending puree flying everywhere.  Talk about frustrating.  I would tell W “no” and say, “do NOT hit the spoon” and then he’d get mad at me and cry.  I really wanted him to eat – he needed to eat.  He should’ve been hungry.  Also, we don’t typically give him a bath before solids for obvious reasons, but that’s the way it worked out yesterday.  We finally managed to get him to eat half of a pouch.  I then decided to hop in the shower.  I told A to bring W into the bathroom so the steam could help clear his nose.  Not sure if it helped, but we tried.  After that, it was final bottle and bed time.  I think it was a little after 8 pm at this point?  He usually has a final bottle at 7:30, but had  taken a long nap so his schedule was a little off.  No big deal.  He would NOT take a bottle.  A tried several times.  I tried several times.  W was incredibly stubborn.  He’d shake his head, wiggle, and smack the bottle.  Finally, I gave up and set him on the floor.  He gave me the biggest, most mischievous smile as if to say “I win”.  Again, I’m convinced he was just being stubborn.  We waited awhile.  Finally, around 9 pm (waaaay past his bed time), A was able to get baby W to take his bottle.  What a night.  Shortly after W went to bed, I went to bed.   I hate nights like that.  I never got any down time and I’m not sure what the deal is with this stubbornness.  The crying and feisty behavior makes me feel like a bad mom (though I realize I better get used to this… ahem terrible twos and threes…).  I hope tonight is better!

Baby W is 11 Months Old

Happy 11 months!  I cannot believe we are 1 month away from you turning 1.  It just seems impossible.  This month, we celebrated your first Halloween.  You loved seeing the pumpkins and visiting farm animals, however, you HATED your cow costume.  And you made your discontent very obvious.  My typically happy boy would not muster even the slightest smile the entire time that cow costume was on.  Mom will find a better costume for next year.  In the past month, you’ve started to rock/dance when you hear songs.  You say “mama” quite a bit and you seem to say it when I’m near or when you see my picture so I’m calling that your first official word.  Yay!! J  You also say “moo” when I say, “What does a cow say?  Moooo…”.  You really enjoy books and love your Peekaboo books that have flaps you can open.  You’re standing, pulling up on everything, and you’ve used the furniture to help you move about.  You love being outside and going for walks.  You had a rough month in terms of sleep, but have been much better lately.  Here’s hoping the good sleep continues.  You just got your fifth tooth so maybe the poor sleep was teething related.  You’ve tried lots of new foods including: chicken, cheese tortellini, bagels, mushroom ravioli, grilled cheese, French fries, waffles, and turkey… some days you seem to love these and other days, not so much – except for chicken – you always LOVE chicken.  Another great month!  You are our everything and more, little man!  Time to start planning a super first birthday party!

ZZzzz

I’m having a rough day week.  Before I go into that, I want to make it clear that I’m not trying to be whiny or complainy (yes, I just made up a word) in regards to Baby W.  I’m just trying to understand.  I promised myself that I would never ever complain about the difficult moments that come along with having and parenting a baby.  I’m so blessed to have W in my life and I’ll gladly take those moments that test my patience.  I’ll take any parenting related tribulation if it means I get to be a mom.

With that said, W has not been sleeping well.  For the past three nights, he’s woken up and will not go back to sleep.  He does this weird thing where he seems to sleep crawl in his crib, which always results in him bumping his head on the side of the crib.  That only makes him more upset and it’s even harder to get him back to sleep.  Or he’ll wake up and immediately stand up in his crib and start to cry.  He will not lay back down once he stands up.  I’m not comfortable with letting him “cry it out”.  I’m at a loss.  For the past 2 nights, I’ve brought him into our bed because it’s the only thing that calms him quickly and he falls back asleep.  I KNOW this is bad and I don’t want him to think he can sleep with mom and dad every night.  Kudos to those who co-sleep, but I am not on board with that.  He has a bed and I have mine.  His naps have been inconsistent, but yesterday he took two naps so I have no idea what happened last night.  Here’s a little glimpse into our night:

7:30 – bottle.  W falls asleep after finishing bottle.  In crib by 7:45.  Wakes up at 9:50ish.  With rocking, falls back asleep.  Return him to crib.  10:15 – awake again.  Repeated attempts at soothing… rocking, walking, etc.  10:30ish – 2 oz of formula with Motrin.  Maybe his teeth are bothering him?  10:45 – falls asleep after bottle.  Return to crib.  Awake again at 10:50 ish.  Bring him to our room.  Falls asleep in our bed.  I attempt to return him to crib around 11.  Awake again.  Give up at 11:15ish and let him sleep in our bed.  I wake up at 3 and return him to his crib.  He wakes for the day at 5:15.  Despite attempts to get him back to sleep, he’s up.

Is this a phase??  What gives?  Add the sleepless nights to the fact that my most favorite pair of <pricey> shoes broke yesterday, work has been a bit hectic, and I’m not feeling well (praying that I’m not coming down with another cold), and I’m an overwhelmed zombie.

A friend sent me a link on sleep regression.  Perhaps this is what we’re dealing with? :\

sleep regression

Weekend Recap

Well, another weekend come and gone way too quickly.

We did not end up decorating for Christmas… yet.  Maybe this coming weekend!  I was overly ambitious per usual.  But we still got lots accomplished.

Saturday I got my hair cut and highlighted and I’m feeling much better.  I added layers and I’m loving that my hair doesn’t seem so weighed down – I have a TON of hair.  Yay for a new do – an instant pick me up!

Saturday night was trivia night.  It was so much fun and our team did great.  I even contributed… yes!!  Going into the final round, we were in second place, which was awesome.  We kinda fell apart in the last round and ended up in fifth place – still a good showing.

Sunday was our usual routine.  Baby W refused to take a second nap despite my best efforts of rocking, white noise, laying down with him, and more rocking.  Sigh.  I’m not sure what’s going on with his sleep lately.

Monday was super cleaning day.  A helped and so did my mom.  That sounds terrible, but believe it or not, my mom actually enjoys cleaning.  In her words, she “enjoys projects and keeping busy”.  She even came over with her own cleaning supplies?!?!  Stairs were vacuumed, new couch pillows were purchased, drawers were cleaned out, even under the bed was vacuumed.  I still have a couple things on my cleaning list, but the house is looking good! 

 

And once again, W refused a second nap.  He ended up falling asleep in his highchair during dinner.  We let him sleep for 30 minutes and then woke him up so he’d sleep at night.  Not sure if that was the right move - maybe we should’ve kept him up.  Regardless, I think he would’ve woken up in the night.  I heard him on the monitor at 4 am.  I looked and it appeared that he was under a blanket at the end of the crib.  Then, I noticed movement on the opposite side of the crib.  I looked a little closer and realized that he was standing up, having his own little party, chatting away.  Uggh.  I asked A to bring him in bed with us.  The dog was already in our bed, so why not add one more to the mix?!?  Besides, there was no way W was going to lay down and fall back asleep on his own.  It seems that lying in our bed next to us relaxes him and he’s able to fall back asleep sooner (as opposed to rocking him).  30 minutes later, he was asleep and I returned him to his crib.  I’d love to know why he keeps waking up.  I know the time change couldn’t have helped and lack of a second nap certainly isn’t helping.  We had his ears checked by the doctor on Friday and they looked fine.  I’ve been blaming teething for about a month and haven’t seen any teeth.  I guess it’s just a phase?  Hopefully, I can make it through the day without nodding off at my desk!  Extra coffee for me!!

It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas...

I’m actually considering decorating for Christmas this coming weekend.  I know, I know, respect the turkey, don’t be in such a hurry, one thing at a time, and all that… I kind of hate myself for even thinking it.  BUT I am super excited for Christmas this year.  I can’t wait to start new traditions and experience all the merriment with Baby W.  Having the house decorated and the tree displayed in all its glory just makes our home feel so warm and festive.  Besides, our weekends are always chock full with plans, chores, errands, etc.  I blink and the weekend is over so I might as well do the Christmas thang while I have some time, right??  There’s no telling when my next free weekend will be.  And but also… Baby W turns 1 five days before Christmas.  That means I have to prepare for both family Christmas celebrations and a fabulous birthday party.  I’m already overwhelmed.  So yeah, I think Christmas is happening in our house this weekend… Go ahead and hate me.

Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way…

 

^ Why yes, those are Christmas pjs.  The only time his hair is straight is after a bath.

Let's Eat!

Not a whole lot to report here…

DA Bears!!  I think I’ve mentioned that A and I are big sports fans.  It’s a rare occurrence when our team travels to the land of cheese and returns with a victory.  What a game last night!!  And Baby W insisted on wearing his Bears onesie to bed… no really, he did. J  He’s already a sports fan.

This weekend, A and I got to go out on a little date to celebrate our anniversary while W played with his cousins.  A good time was had by all.  A and I were hoping to see a movie, but couldn’t find one that we really wanted to see at a time that worked for us.  We did have a yummy lunch at the Cheesecake Factory, though.  Love that restaurant!  Afterwards, we took a drive through the spot where we had our wedding photos taken.  It was gorgeous.

 

I was starting to get extremely worried because W would not eat table foods or anything with texture.  He would either immediately spit out the food or chew and then spit out.  Some foods he seemed to like, he would chew, but then he wouldn’t swallow.  We’ve tried so many different things – from the textured Stage 3 baby foods to mashed fruits to grilled cheese.  I Googled these behaviors (first mistake) and read that they could be a sign of autism or speech problems.  Cue panic.  I contemplated making a doctor’s appointment.  I’d brought up my concern at W’s 9 month appointment and our pediatrician didn’t seem overly concerned.  He said to just keep trying and that some babies take a little longer to adjust to table foods.  Well, I’m not sure what happened this weekend, but W became an eating machine.  I feel like we had a major breakthrough.  He ate chicken (cannot.get.enough), carrots, noodles, yogurt, and mac and cheese.  I’m so relieved by his progress.  I know I worry too much, but I guess that’s what moms do.  I’m looking forward to giving him more foods to try.

Happy Christmas... Errr Halloween!!

While the rest of the world is celebrating Halloween today, I’m ready for Christmas.  I know, I know, one holiday at a time.  But we celebrated Halloween over the weekend with a fun little parade and trick or treating so I’m kinda feeling like been there, done that.  Yesterday, A brought in the mail and I had no less than five toy magazines/kids clothing magazines.  All advertising deals on toys, cute holiday outfits, and the cutest Christmas pjs.  I have to admit, it made me giddy.  There’s nothing more exciting than Christmas through a child’s eyes.  As a little girl, we always had a family Christmas party.  I had a younger brother and 5 cousins all around the same age.  We all got presents from our grandparents, aunts, and uncles.  We were spoiled.  I remember walking into my aunt’s house for the Christmas party and seeing a room full of presents.  It.was.awesome.  We’ll teach W all about the birth of Jesus, how it’s important to remember those less fortunate and make sure they have a Merry Christmas as well, we’ll tell him about Santa, Rudolph, and Frosty.  But let’s be honest, every kid looks forward to the presents.  Last year baby W was 5 days old on Christmas.  This year he’ll be 1 and won’t understand what’s going on, but I’m still insanely excited to celebrate with him.  And truth be told, W has been wearing reindeer pajamas for about 2 weeks now…

A week without a post

I came down with a cold last week so I took a little break from the blog.  It was my first cold in a really long time so I guess I was due.  Sometimes I think colds are the body’s way of forcing you to slow down a bit.  And that’s exactly what I did.  I took sick days both Thursday and Friday.  I did some work from home, but for the most part, I rested.  I was bored out of my mind, but I think I needed it.  Anyway, as soon as I shake this cough and I'm able to sleep, I’ll be back to normal.

 I’m not sure if anyone actually reads this blog.  If you do and you happened to say a little prayer for a good CF clinic visit for A, then I really really appreciate it (and so does he).  His appointment went really well… yay!!  He’ll be getting back on Cayston and he even gained 2 pounds… way to go A!!  I hope I’m able to attend the next appointment.  Very thankful for good health.

 Friday, baby W had a first that I hope doesn’t repeat anytime soon.  W had been standing, lost his balance, and landed on his butt.  It seemed like no big deal, but he started screaming.  A scooped him up and I came over the check on him.  That’s when I saw blood on W’s mouth and on A’s shirt.  W must’ve bit his lip when he fell.  My poor baby. L

 Saturday was the Halloween Parade in Grandma W’s neighborhood.  When I was pregnant, I decided that baby W would be a cow.  Addie already had a pig costume (yes, we dress up the dog – go ahead and judge) so I thought it would be cute if we had our own little farm.  Well, it sounded like a cute idea, but baby W HATED his costume.  He cried when I put it on him and had a sad/mopey face the entire time that costume was on.  He did look extremely cute despite the pouty face.  My poor little sad cow.  The Halloween parade was cute, we enjoyed lunch at Grandma W’s, baby W got to play with his cousins, and then it was time to head home.

 And then Saturday night… make that Sunday morning, around 12:30 am, baby W decided that he no longer needed to sleep.  For the next 2 hours, A and I tried to get him back to bed.  And for the next 2 hours, W would fall asleep in our arms only to wake up and cry as soon as we tried to put him back in the crib.  I finally gave up and brought him to our bed.  He thought this was the best thing ever.  He’d look at A and smile, then look at me and smile.  FINALLY, he fell asleep and I was able to put him in his crib.  I am paranoid and don’t let W sleep with any blankets or other items in his crib so there was no way I was going to let him stay in bed with us.  I’m not sure what happened to my wonderful sleeping baby – if you find him, let me know!  He only had one short nap that day and I think it threw everything off.

 Sunday was our typical church and Starbucks routine (bonus points for making it to church despite the lack of sleep).  Then it was off to Grandma G’s for trick-or-treating.  Trick-or-treating is always the Sunday before Halloween in Grandma G’s town.  I was hoping my little cow would be in a better mood, but no such luck.  After visiting Grandma and her neighbor, Joan, the costume was taken off and happy baby W returned.

 Sunday also happened to be A and I’s 6^th wedding anniversary.  We’re planning a date night this coming weekend… I can’t wait!  I feel like the anniversary of our marriage deserves its own special post, but I’ll say this:  I’m extremely grateful to have a best friend who also happens to be my husband and an amazing father.  I often think about the future and how much Baby W will appreciate his dad.  It warms my heart.

 I think that about sums it up.

 Oh, I’ve mentioned it in previous posts -  A and I have been trying to decide when to do IVF again.  It’s a really hard decision to make.  I’m excited about the new doctor we met with and I think we finally decided on a month in 2014 (after changing our minds at least 4 different times).  Our plan may change again, but for right now, I’m happy and at peace with our decision.  We’ve decided to wait a bit longer than originally planned to save up a little more money… here’s hoping our plan is the best path for our family.

 

Sorry for the long post - that's what happens when I go a week without blogging. :)

 

 

 

Baby W is 10 months old... and life lately...

Lots on my mind, lots going on so pardon me while I ramble…

 

Baby W turned 10 months old on Sunday.  10 months!  That’s crazy.  Here’s his 10 month post:

Happy 10 months!! Wow, double digits. This past month was one of my favorites.  I think I say that every time.  You grew so much - both physically and cognitively.  At 9 months, you were crawling, but now, you are crawling all over the place and fast.  We can’t take our eyes off of you and have to use baby gates throughout the house.  You started pulling yourself up to standing and you’d much rather stand than sit these days.  Of course, booboos and ouchies accompany this milestone and you’ve already gotten a couple. L  You love when we hold your hands and help you “walk” through the house.  You also love when we help you chase Addie.  It’s nearly impossible to change your diaper lately… you roll over and start to crawl away no matter how many toys we have on hand to distract you.  Is it too soon to potty train? J  You babble and say dada, mama, and up quite often, but I don’t think you understand what these words mean just yet.  You clap, wave, give high five, and raise your arms to make the touchdown sign.  You love pulling off people’s glasses (especially daddy’s), pulling hair (mom’s), and your favorite song is currently Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (I think it may have taken the place of the beloved Cookie Monster song).  You’ve gotten quite a few giggles when you try to “sing” during church.  We’ve been trying to transition you to table foods, but you just aren’t a fan – you seem to be very sensitive to texture.  We’ll keep trying.  You can’t eat purees forever, right?  We’ve had so much fun taking you to pumpkin farms and going on family walks this month.  You bring us so much joy every day.  You are our everything and more, little man.

A has CF clinic today.  I always get a little nervous when he goes.  I get even more nervous when I can’t be with him (like today).  Hoping for good results and a good report.  Extra prayers for him, please.  The last CF clinic did not go well... but not for health related reasons.  A was annoyed that the staff seems to constantly try to change his meds despite A having no major issues and good results.  I complained about the horrible survey they sent out and they seemed very taken aback by my interpretation of the survey.  AND there’s this social worker there.  She means well and she’s nice, BUT she looks so young.  I should’ve prefaced this by saying that during CF clinic, A meets with the nurse, doctor, dietician, and social worker – it’s the standard protocol.  Anyway, back to the social worker.  When I first met her, she asked who I was.  I’ve been going with A to CF clinic for almost 10 years now… and also who the heck else would I be other than his wife?!?  Furthermore, I don’t think either one of us feel comfortable sharing our fears and concerns with someone who looks like she should be in high school.

A and I met with a new RE last night!!  I LOVED him.  Now the big question remains… When do we do IVF again?  We’re waiting to find out what exactly will be covered by insurance and that will be a major deciding factor.  But if the majority of IVF is covered by insurance, then when?  I had an arbitrary date chosen.  BUT the new RE’s confidence is causing me to question that date.  I know that confidence is a good thing, but now I’m reconsidering the timing.  The new RE was very assured and even thought it was quite likely we could have twins.  That totally threw me off… we were thinking about IVF next year - maybe even spring time because we figured there was a good possibility it would take multiple attempts to be successful.  I wasn’t even thinking twins.  If we have another baby, we absolutely have to move.  I know people think I’m ridiculous and unreasonable when I say that, but we’re out of space.  I refuse to add another person to our current house.  I discussed that in a previous post.  Now I have no idea what to do.  The previous RE was also really confident/optimistic and our first cycle failed – I know there’s still a good possibility the next cycle won’t work, but I guess I wasn’t expecting the new doctor to be so positive?  Last night I had decided that we would wait before undergoing another round of IVF.  Today, I’ve decided we’ll go with the original plan.  Uggh.  Obviously I have lots of thinking and considering to do… I should mention that A seems to be on board with whatever – he’s so easy going.  I’m not trying to leave him out by saying ‘I’m deciding’, it’s just that he doesn’t seem to have strong opinions on when the next IVF should take place, whereas I’m much more anxious/analytical/worried/stressed about the topic.

 

My car said it was 33 degrees this morning.  Umm what?!?!  I am NOT ready for winter.  I am not ready for my beloved autumn to leave.  BUT with winter comes the end of road construction…. Hmm.  At least that’s one positive.

 

I have a business dinner tonight.  I also have a sore throat and a pimple the size of Mt. Rushmore.  I’ve never seen Mt Rushmore, but it’s big, right?  Yeah, 32 years old and still dealing with pimples.  Not. Cool. L  Nothing says business professional like a huge bump…. Whaaaaa.  How embarrassing.  Okay, I know there are far worse things in life so I’ll shut up about that.

How do you know... ??

Last week I mentioned that we have an appointment in a few weeks to meet with a new RE for IVF 3.  I’m struggling with the idea of changing REs and I hope the decision becomes clear after meeting with the new RE.  I’m also really struggling with knowing when to try again.  How do you know when to add another child to your family?  I understand that no one really knows when or if it will happen, but how do you know when to start trying for another baby?

If money weren’t an issue (ha - money is ALWAYS an issue), I’d head to the nearest fertility clinic tomorrow. J  I love being a mom and I’d love for Baby W to have a sibling(s).  But obviously, it’s a lot more complicated than that.  IVF sucks.  It does.  I’m thankful that it exists, but the emotional toll it takes is really tough to deal with.  I need to figure out how to become less emotionally invested.  Not to mention all the needles, doctor’s appointments, procedures, expenses.  Then there’s the issue that if we are fortunate enough to get pregnant, we have to move.  We live in a two bedroom townhouse.  I loved it when we moved in.  I still love it and I love our neighborhood.  But there is no way I’m going to make Baby W share his teeny tiny room.  It just doesn’t seem fair to have a new baby and a toddler in the same bedroom.  We are out of space.  But given the current state of the housing market and the fact that our house is likely “underwater”, moving is going to be really difficult.  I’d love for Baby W to have a sibling close in age.  I think they’d be the best of friends.  I’m absolutely convinced I’m only capable of having boys and I think Baby W would be an amazing big brother.  But given our history, it may take several rounds of IVF to achieve a pregnancy, IF we’re even able to get pregnant.  So perhaps the sooner we get started, the better?  But then again, if the first round happens to work, are we ready to move?  Not really.  I’m so torn.  I’m keeping faith that God has a plan for us and all will work out… I just wish I knew what that plan was. ;)

Monday Thoughts...

• Traffic was actually decent today!  It’s a Monday morning miracle!  Holla!

• Posting too many political links i.e. anti Obama links on FB makes you seem crazy.  I get it that no one likes the government shut down and it’s ok to disagree with certain policies, opinions, laws, etc.  But seeing one link after another on my news feed only makes me think you have nothing better to do than Google senseless, far-fetched conspiracy theories.  I’m going to have to hide you soon.

• I can’t get enough fall.  I LOVE pumpkin patches, apple cider, corn mazes, apple donuts, chili, cool weather, scarves, colorful leaves…

• I would like to take a minute to remind my dear coworkers that I am not a software help desk.  One of my tasks at work is to oversee a certain software program.  I’ve learned a great deal about said software, but I’m not an expert.  Really.  I’m not.  There is a link within the software that gives you access to a Customer Support Portal and there are also many people out there who do actually work for the software company and can answer questions.  I am not one of them.  Really.  I’m not.  Ahhhh.

• I’m all for breast cancer support, awareness, research, walks, etc.  But not wearing a bra on October 15 to support breast cancer awareness??  I’m going to have to pass on that one.  Besides, if you ask me, it makes more sense to wear a bra… you know, to show support.  Hmmm… maybe a guy came up with this idea?

• I HATE when people write “should of, could of, would of”.  It’s not ‘of’; it’s ‘have’!!  Come on, people!  Think of the abbreviation… should’ve.  The ‘ve’ is NOT an abbreviation for of.

• Baby W was super cute this past weekend (who am I kidding – he’s always cute).  He knows how to raise his arms to show touchdown and then he claps.  He also ate a little wheat toast and scrambled eggs.  We’ve been having trouble transitioning him to table food so it was a major victory.