Week 18: Bottle and Boogie Man Battles

Micah had his 4 month check up this week and everything went well. He's 15 lbs 14oz and is 25 inches long. He's in the 60% for weight and 75% for height and head size. Other than a little eczema on his back the doctor said he looks like a healthy little boy! YEAH! Thank the LORD!

That being said, this past week we have been battling with Micah to take a bottle. Last week we bought a new brand of bottles to see if he would like it and he even took 5 ounces from me. BUT he hasn't wanted anything to do with the bottle since! I should have started giving him one regularly when he was a little younger ... (sigh) who knows he might have STILL had problems even now. Well, we're NOT giving up, so if any of you moms out there have any good advice for me I'd love to hear it.

Other than that Micah's week was pretty good. He was out of routine on Sunday so he did have a little bit of a hard time adjusting to naps again on Monday and Tuesday. He also woke up in the middle of the night on Wednesday due to his shots (he got four shots and an oral rota virus vaccine), but I just gave him a little Tylenol and as soon as that kicked in he went right back to sleep.

Jackson had a great week too, but we are just starting to battle his active imagination at night time. Nothing to unmanageable, but still a battle none-the-less. I didn't help matters much yesterday night ... I let Jackson watch "Toy Story." Usually I skip past the scary parts, but I was talking to my friend on the phone about my bottle dilemma with Micah and forgot to pay attention. In the middle of our conversation I heard Jackson yell, "MOMMY! MOMMY, MOMMY!" in the most frightened voice I'd ever heard come out of his little mouth. I quickly turned off the T.V. and ended the conversation with my friend (sorry Rachel). Jackson was so scared that he wouldn't even go near the T.V. He just wanted to go upstairs and cuddle with his daddy who was on a conference call for work (that was part of the reason I let him watch the movie in the first place). We interrupted the meeting for a quick cuddle and then Jackson was fine. I felt SO bad! We talked about how the movie was just pretend and how God will protect him and take care of him. I was fully expecting to be up in the night with Jackson, but he didn't wake up at all (thank you Jesus). Whew! I learned MY lesson!

Week 17: A Quick One

This week was so similar to last week that I almost didn't blog it, but there are a few notes to myself that I need to make.

My progress: I ran out of my DHA supplement that my midwives suggested I take during my pregnancy and while nursing. It enhances your memory and mood. Not to mention that it's chalk full of Omega-3s which is also good for your heart as well. I did see a change in my mood this week so I quickly ordered a refill.

Micah: I finally got Micah to take a full bottle this week. I tried one bottle a day for about three or four days this week. He takes it best while I'm walking around with him. I also switched from the Evenflo bottles to the drop-in Playtex bottles. He seems to be taking the fast latex natural latch nipple well, but I'm hoping to switch him to the silicone as soon as he'll take it because I guess the more he's exposed to latex the higher risk he has of developing an allergy to latex. Anyway, I think we will continue to try and give him one bottle a week at bedtime so that he's okay with taking an occasional bottle from a babysitter.

Jackson: we have "Mommy and Jackson Time" at 10:30 almost every morning now. I'm a little bored of playing "cars" so I found a great website called Toddler Toddler that has some fun ideas for things to do with Jackson during that time. This week we made our own puzzles out of scrap pictures, we visited a virtual circus (on YouTube) and made his bedroom into a library (he had his own library card and everything). We had a couple of sunny days this week too, so being outside helped too! I'd love to hear other mom's ideas on how to entertain a toddler without just turning on a video (which is very appropriate and tempting at times, but I TRY to make it my last resort).

AWESOME Prayer

Colin and Jackson were on their way to get me some coffee (Monday is usually my Starbucks night, but I accidentally let my license expire (that's another blog for another time) so I couldn't drive myself). Anyway, on the way to Starbucks Colin and Jackson had the following conversation (or at least something close to it):

Colin: Oh Jackson, when we get back home it will be time for Bible story. Do you remember what tonight's Bible story is about?

Jackson: Say it Dad.

Colin: Yesterday we read about Jesus dying and being buried, but did he stay dead or is he alive?

Jackson: He's alive Dad!

Colin: It's so good that Jesus died and came back to life Jackson because now he can live in our hearts and we can go to heaven. Jesus lives in Mommy's heart and my heart and someday if you ask Jesus he can live in your heart too.

(Long Pause -- Colin said they even talked about something else for a little while)
(Slient Pause)

Jackson: Dear Jesus, please come live in my heart! Amen.

Colin said that Jackson also asked to pray for Micah that he would someday ask Jesus to live in his heart too. I'm not sure if Jackson understands all of the implications of asking Jesus into his heart, but who am I to say that God can't regenerate the heart of my two year old son. Praise the Lord for an answered prayer! May I never forget to pray for the the salvation and sanctification of my children! What a day to celebrate!

New Camera!

Colin surprised me for my birthday with a new digital camera ... it's WAY better than my old one. Here are a few of the pictures I've taken so far.

Week 16: CLICK

Things really seemed to click this week for all of us. I'm sure it helped that none of us are sick right now. Sunday and Monday were the most difficult days of the week because Sunday is compelety out of routine with church and Monday is spent trying to get back into the routine that was interrupted on Sunday. I remember this to be true with Jackson too up until he was even a year old. Worshiping our Lord and Savior is well worth the sacrifice of a routine though and I'm not going to change anything in that regard. I know that Micah will learn how to bounce back quicker over time.

Well, I stuck to the three hour schedule this week like I planned and things are going well. This is the first time that I really feel like we have a good routine established. For my sake and perhaps for yours I'll write down what our daily routine looks like:

7:00am - Jackson wakes up and has time with Colin before Colin goes to work.
7:30am - Micah nurses and Colin is off to work.
8:00am - Micah has awake time downstairs while Jackson and I eat breakfast.
8:45am - Micah goes down for a nap and Jackson and I get cleaned up and dressed for the day. Then we have our morning one on one play time.
10:30am - Micah nurses and Jackson has alone play time until Micah is done and then we all play together.
12:00pm - Micah goes down for a nap and Jackson and I eat lunch.
1:00pm - Jackson goes down for a nap and I get some alone play time (SIGH).
1:30pm - Micah nurses and we have one on one play time.
3:00pm - Micah goes down for a nap and I have a little time to do devotions, rest or plan supper.
4:00pm - Jackson wakes up from his nap.
4:30pm - Micah nurses.
5:30pm - I start getting supper ready.
6:00pm - Colin comes home from work and we have supper and Micah goes down for a nap.
6:30pm - Colin and Jackson have one on one play time.
7:15pm - Wake up Micah and Jackson starts to get ready for bed.
7:30pm - Bible time with Jackson and Micah.
7:45pm - Jackson in bed and Micah gets ready for bed and nurses.
8:00pm - Micah in bed.

That's pretty much how the week went this week. It gets more complicated when you add in going grocery shopping and the library, which I'm so proud that I accomplished this week as well. I was also able to clean my entire house and do all the laundry this friday too (my sister and her brother-in-law are visiting this weekend) which I haven't done since before Micah was born.

Colin and I celebrated Valentine's last night by getting a babysitter and going out to eat. I was so excited because Micah and Jackson had had a GREAT day of naps and playtime and I got cleaning done and Colin came home early from work it was a GREAT day!! We enjoyed a wonderful meal at a very nice restaurant, but the babysitter called and said that Micah wouldn't take the bottle I prepared for him. Luckily we were pretty much done with dinner and didn't sound like Micah was too fussy. So, we finished up and headed home to feed Micah. We hadn't tried giving him a bottle since he was about 10 weeks old, so I wasn't sure how he'd do with it. We were able to successfully give Jackson a bottle at least once a week, so that freed us to go on dates whenever we wanted or needed to. This will be our next goal for Micah!!

Good week all in all!!

20 Children's Books

Jackson and I LOVE going to the library and Santa Maria just got a brand new library this past summer so we have been VERY spoiled. We go to the library at least once a week to check out half a dozen books at one time. Of course, we read them all in one day and continue to read them over and over again throughout the week. WE LOVE BOOKS! So, we decided to put together a list of books that we thought were worth checking out again. This is mostly a list of library books, so it does not include any of the books we own (with the exception of the Bible Stories and Curious George) and therefore there are some classics that did not make this list. It was hard to decide on only 20 books and of course I have two boys so most of these are boyish books, but I think they'd still be fun for girls too. Anyway, I hope you enjoy our list and get a chance to check them out at your local library some time! "But you don't have to take my word for it!" (Sorry. Just had to slip that Reading Rainbow flashback in there!)





"365 Bible Stories for Young Hearts"
We bought this book for Jackson when he was VERY little. Colin and I love this book because it has a concise Bible story every day, but it doesn't water down the true Bible stories ... yes it even includes stories like Jezebel getting eaten by dogs. It also includes some interpretation of the Bible stories, but for the most part they are just telling the stories from the Bible.





"The Complete Adventures of Curious George" by Margaret and H.A. Rey
One of Jackson's all time favorite books. Of course you have to look past some of the cultural norms of the 1950s like George smoking a pipe before he goes to bed, but it's a classic and every kid can relate to being curious and sometimes a little too curious.





"Digger Man" By Andrea Zimmerman and David Clemesha
This book is a part of a series of books by Andrea Zimmerman. A cute story about a boy who imagines what it would be like and what he would do if he had a digger. We read this when I was pregnant with Micah and it sparked conversations about what it would be like to be a big brother as well.




"Hot Air: The Mostly True Story of the First Hot Air Balloon Ride" by Marjorie Priceman
A very fun tale of the first hot air balloon ride in France. There are actually very few words in this book except for the very beginning and end of this book which makes it fun for the imagination. I love at the end of the book the brief history of the actual invention of the hot air balloon.








"Can You See What I See Trucks and Cars" by Walter Wick
A great eye spy book for young readers. Jackson could look at this one for HOURS ... luckily we checked it out when he was potty training and it was small enough for him to hold while he was on the potty.







"C is for Caboose: Riding the Rail from A to Z"
A great book for parent and child with fun railroad trivia and historical photographs.









"Walter the Farting Dog" by William Kotzwinkle and Glenn Murray Illustrated by Audrey Coleman
My mom actually introduced Jackson to this book. It's a very whimsical book about a gassy dog and how one can turn a problem into a solution.







"Mother, Mother, I Want Another" by Maria Polushkin Robbins Illustrated by Jon Goodell
A cute bedtime story dedicated to Moms! Gotta love these stories!












"A Vistor For Bear" by Bonny Becker Illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton
A wonderful story about friendship! We love that it uses words like "impossible, intolerable, insufferable." The characters are very memorable ... Jackson and I have played Mouse and Bear many times since we've read this book.










"Together" by Jane Simmons
Two dogs become best friends despite their differences. Great message!









"The Three Silly Billies" by Margie Palatini Illustrated by Barry Moser
A spin on the traditional "Three Billy Goats Gruff" that includes Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Bears, Jack and the Beanstalk and several other classic stories. The goats are a bunch of surfer dudes ... fun!











"Llama Llama Red Pajama" by Anna Dewdney
One of my favorite books. It has a fun cantar and rhyme and a great message for bedtime. My favorite line is when the mama says, "Llama, Llama what a tizzy! Don't you know you're mama's busy?"











"Truck Driver Tom" by Monica Wellington
This book's story is just mediocre, but the pictures are really fun. It combines photos with drawings and is sort of like an eye spy book as well.












"Don't Forget I Love You" by Miriam Moss Illustrated by Anna Currey
Another Mommy story about a little bear dawdling on his way to school and even though Mom's in a hurry she's never too busy to say "I love you."










"Mind Your Manners B.B. Wolf" by Judy Sierra Illustrated by J. Otto Seibold
An after the happily ever after story about the big bad wolf going to a tea party at the library and how he makes up a song to remember his manners. So fun! I love trying to make up a melody for the songs in these types of books! Uncle Josh read this one to Jackson and came up with a great tune ... too bad I can't remember it!










"I Stink" by Kate and Jim McMullan
A book about a garbage truck filled with lots of onomatopoeias and the words are also illustrated. For example, the word "crushed" looks crushed. It's very fun and I found it was a great way to get Jackson to get interested in learning how to read words. This book is one in a series of books. We also checked out: "I'm Mighty" about a tug boat and "I'm Dirty" about a digger!
































"Every Friday" by Dan Yaccarino One of Colin's favorite books about a dad taking his son out for breakfast every Friday and the rituals they experience on their walk to the diner.












"Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus" by Mo Willems
A fun book that breaks the fourth wall (if I may use theatre terms) and talks to the reader. It's the reader's responsibility to keep the pigeon from driving the bus NO MATTER WHAT the pigeon says. This is one in a series of books as well: "Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late!" "The Pigeon Loves Things That Go!" "The Pigeon Has Feelings To!" "The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog!" "The Pigeon Wants a Puppy!"











"Falling For Rapunzel" by Leah Wilcox and Lydia Monks
We mostly like this take off of the traditional Rapunzel story because it has underware in it ... just read it ... you'll love it!











"Why Do You Cry?" by Kate Klise and M. Sarah Klise
A little boy is turning five and doesn't want any cry babies at his party. He invites only his friends who don't cry ... well ...you'll see what happens when you read it ... moms make sure you remember a tissue ... it's very sweet.









"Harvey Potter's Balloon Farm" by Jerdine Nolen and Mark Buehner
A very imaginative book ... I'll admit that it's a little strange in parts, BUT very imaginative ... AND there is a hidden cow, chicken, pig, cat and dinosaur on every page even the cover and back of the book.

Every Good Gift Comes from God

I'm sitting here in tears as I have discovered the little ten month old girl (Cora) I mentioned a couple of blogs ago has gone to be with Jesus today. Here she is pictured with her family below.



What a sober reminder that God is in control of ALL things including when my children will leave this earth. To some that may be so scary and at times it is to me too. But I believe in a God whose being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness and truth are infinite, eternal and unchangeable. There isn't anyone or anything else that I would want in charge of my children's life and future including myself.

I have no idea why God chose to take that sweet little girl to heaven today, but I know that He has a reason and is somehow gaining glory.

It still hurts. I'M crying and I've only known the family through their blog. I cannot imagine what her parents are feeling right now. I'm praying that they are experiencing "the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guard[ing] [their] hearts and [their] minds in Christ Jesus." Phil. 4:7

If you think of it, lift the McClenahan family up in your prayers today!


www.themcclenahans.blogspot.com

Week 15

Whenever I write these notes to myself I try and think about what I would want to be reminded of when I am in the same or similar boat with another baby (if God chooses to bless us with another one). So, please forgive my randomness, but I do have a rhyme and reason to my writings.

My Recovery: I STILL don't fit back into my normal clothes. I'm fighting the bulge around my belly, sides and back. I have started to work out about two days a week on the elliptical trainer for about 30 - 45 mins and doing a little bit of weight lifting too. My appetite is still large, but I'm not craving sweets as much as I used to when I was getting up for feedings in the middle of the night. Oh yeah and I'm losing my hair like CRAZY too! Most days Colin takes the car and we stay home so cabin fever is a problem sometimes. However, I'm not sure we'd go anywhere anyway since Micah is still trying to work through getting his naps established and consistent. Colin has been gracious enough to let me have a Starbucks night to myself every Monday night after the kids go to bed. I've been able to work on my play during that time and it has made me feel like I'm more than just a mom. Not that being just a mom is bad ... I'm sure you moms understand. Anyway, it's been SO nice to have Micah sleeping through the night! I have not needed a nap for the past couple of days and have been able to get some things done while both of the boys are asleep in the afternoon. The only downfall about not having the car and having a child that naps a lot is that I'm finding grocery shopping and meal planning a bit difficult. I'm hoping to work on that in the up coming weeks.

Micah's Progress: After the bronchiolitis cleared up Micah began to sleep through the night 12 hours. There were about two or three nights when he was waking up out of habit between 11pm and 12am and then again at 3am -4am. I let him cry through the first round knowing that he was not hungry and then fed him at 4am until he was not longer taking a full feeding at 7am (his normal first feeding of the day) at which point I knew he could make it 12 hours between feedings. I think I've been a little too flexible with his daytime schedule though going between 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 and sometimes even 4 hour feedings and that may have thrown off his nap schedule. He was back to sleeping between 45 min to an hour max and waking up crying. I decided at the end of the week to put him on a strict 3 hour schedule. The goal is to get him to have an hour and a half of wake time and then an hour and a half nap. That would mean he'd have four naps in a day and five feedings. Yesterday was a disaster, but today has been promising. I also started swaddling him again for naps in case he just needed that little extra snuggle to get him through the transitions in his sleep cycles. We'll see how next week goes.

Jackson's Progress: Jackson came down with a terrible cold this week and there were a couple of nights I spent the night on his bedroom floor so that when he woke up from a coughing fit I could give him a sip of water (the only thing that would sooth his cough). We had to encourage him not to love on Micah too much, but that's SO hard for him and for me ... I want him to be able to love on his brother, but I just wish that didn't involve sharing germs. I'm not certain if Jackson had the same cold as Micah. Jackson had a fever for two days with his cold and Micah did not. I'm hoping that either way we are in the clear and at the end of these terrible colds. I've also found this week that I need to schedule some one on one time with Jackson. We were able to do this Thursday morning and then in the afternoon Jackson took it VERY well when I told him that I needed to get some things done around the house and that he needed to have play time by himself for a little bit. I'm looking forward to the days when the boys will entertain each other, but I also know that means my role will change from playmate to mediator. :)

Green Eggs and Ham

One of Jackson's favorite books is "Green Eggs and Ham" by Dr. Seuss. In fact, when he was about a year and a half old I walked into his room as he was reading it: "You like eggs? Noooo. You like eggs? Noooo." It was so cute! Anyway, he's recently grown to love it again, so this morning we made green eggs and pancakes (I didn't have ham) for breakfast. He LOVED it! The pancakes were green too, but you can't tell in this picture.

"Oh Happy Night"

(to the tune of "Oh Happy Day")

Oh happy night!
Oh happy night!
When Micah slept,
slept all through the night!

Yeah!!! Micah slept 11 1/2 hours last night and woke up laughing and cooing in his bed this morning!! I gave a shout out to God this morning as I woke refreshed and ready for a new day! Thank you LORD!

Week 14 - Propped Up and Sucked Out

I can't believe Micah is 14 weeks old already. This past week was a blur with the sickness in our household. I'd MUCH rather have a pukey flu for 24 - 48 hours than the miserable-mess-with-your-breathing-and-possibly-cause-an-infection-in-the-lungs-or-ears cold that we've had for a little over a week now. Both of my kids have been propped up and sucked out so many times this week I'll be so peeved if we end up with ear infections in the end of all of this.

HOWEVER, I can't complain ... I just started following a family's blog who found out their ten month old daughter has stage four cancer. While rocking my relatively healthy little boy I've cried tears of joy and gratitude for what God has blessed me with and tears of compassion for that little girl and her family who are now undergoing chemo therapy treatments. I take SO much of my life and the gifts that God has given me for granted.

We ended up going to the doctor last Thursday with Micah and confirmed that he had bronchiolitis caused by RSV. He was sucking in his ribs when he as breathing and was having TERRIBLE coughing fits (to the point where he'd gag and empty his stomach). The doctor gave us a prescription for albuterol (which I was familiar with when Jackson had RSV at 18 months), but instead of a nebulizer machine the doctor sent us home with a prescription for an inhaler pump and a chamber and mask contraption. I like that WAY better than the nebulizer: 1. the nebulizer takes too long and the pump is two sprays and your done. 2. the nebulizer is so LOUD and the pump obviously is not ... I even gave Micah a treatment in his sleep once. 3. I'd have to rent and return a nebulizer machine, but I own the chamber and mask. Both of them still have a mask which the kids are not fond of, but hey it works. Micah slept MUCH better after he had the albuterol and it didn't seem to get him wound up like it did for Jackson. Unfortunately the doctor said the pump is not less likely to cause an ear infection ... that's just the nature of the RSV beast. GRRR. So far we've been able to ward off any signs of an ear infection, but I just started to put Micah to sleep in his propped up bed instead of the swing or car seat.

The cough and runny noses are still lingering here, but not NEARLY as bad as they were last week. Micah has FINALLY been able to master the skill of putting himself back to sleep if he wakes up early from a nap. We've had to cry it out a couple of times at night this past week as well. I think with all of the sickness Micah has had to break some habits of getting up in the middle of the night. Last night was a pretty good night ... he only woke up once a 2am but pretty much went right back to sleep and then at 5am to eat. I'm hopeful that we will be done with this cold soon and things will settle down a little.

P.S. I've included some fun pictures that we took yesterday. My kids are obviously handling this whole sickness thing better than I am! :)

CIO Update

Sickness has put it all on hold. Micah came down with RSV this week ... no crying it out until my little man is all better. Prayers for a quick recovery would be appreciated.

Week 13: CIO Update

Just when I gave up on the whole CIO (Cry It Out) method, because no matter what Micah was only sleeping 30 - 45 minutes at a time and then would scream (maybe not that extreme, but that's what it felt like to me) until the next feeding, it worked! Micah started taking longer naps this past Saturday. His morning nap was 2 hours without a PEEP and the afternoon nap was 3 hours without a PEEP! Amazing! We're still working out all of the kinks and of course the Sunday church schedule set us back a day or two, but we're getting there. I'm hopeful anyway.

Yesterday and today he's still been waking up 30 - 45 minutes into his nap, but he cries/fusses for about 5 minutes and then goes back to sleep. I can handle that ... it's the crying for almost an hour straight that I can't handle. He's finally learned to calm himself down and most of the time he can do it without his pacifier!! YEAH!! For a couple of his naps, if he can't put himself back to sleep, I've been putting him in the swing and he sleeps longer too ... I did that on Friday and I think that's part of the reason why he slept so well on Saturday.

He's still doing well at night (sleeping between 8 1/2 - 9 1/2 hours), but will wake up to eat at 3:30am. That's fine because he goes to bed so early, BUT then he nurses really well and won't eat at 7am. This morning I tried to only nurse him a little at 3:30am, but then he couldn't make it until 7am. I'm thinking I might try nursing him fully at 3:30am (he obviously needs it still) and then wait until 7:30am for his first daytime feeding. We'll see how it works.

Black Book Story

Jackson (2 1/2 years old) and I were praying for our lunch the other day. We've been encouraging Jackson to say a prayer, but often times at meals he has a hard time not eating a bite or two before he prays. This particular day he was having a peanut butter sandwich and before we prayed he began to take it apart. I quickly reminded him that we needed to pray before we eat and also encouraged him to not take apart his sandwich as it would make a mess of his hands. His prayer went something like this:

Dear Jesus,
Thank you for Mommy and apples and carrots and thank you that I didn't get peanut butter on my hands.
Amen

Weeks 11 &12: CIO (Crying it Out)

So I'm sitting here typing this as quietly as I can because I'm DETERMINED to get Micah to take a full nap (one to two hours). Lately he's been falling asleep on his own for naps (which is good), but then he'll only sleep for 30 minutes and then wake up crying.

If I get him up he's fussy. If I let him stay in his crib he's fussy. If I nurse him he doesn't take a full feeding. I've tried EVERYTHING I could possibly think of (I've even given into his thumb sucking ... which I'm not a huge fan of)and so now I'm letting him "cry it out"! Earlier this morning he'd cry for 15 minutes and then I'd console him, then he'd cry for 15 minutes and I'd console him. He never did go back to sleep for this morning's nap, but he's put himself back to sleep twice now for this afternoon's nap and is napping right now.

I vaguely remember doing this with Jackson, but I don't remember it being so HARD. I guess it must be similar to not remembering labor pains, because if we did we might not ever have another child. This morning I had to clean my downstairs to keep myself occupied and calm. This afternoon (since Jackson is also napping) I've been taking comfort in learning what Micah's different cries sound like. A tired cry sounds a lot different that a painful cry or a hungry cry and it brings me comfort knowing that I'm giving him what he needs at this moment. Even though I think it's harder on me than it is on him.

I know that not everyone reading this blog agrees with letting babies "cry it out", but I KNOW this will be best for him in the long run. I hardly ever have problems with Jackson taking a nap or going to sleep at night and staying asleep (unless he's sick or extremely out of routine) and I give all the credit to him having learned the skill of putting himself to sleep when he was a baby.

Micah hasn't had any problems at night time, so I can't complain, it's just nap times that are EXHAUSTING us both. Oh ... he's up again ... here we go!

"3am Thoughts"

I've noticed over the last three months that I have had some pretty profound thoughts when I'm up feeding and taking care of my son at 3 o'clock in the morning.

Perhaps they're really lame thoughts and I just think they're really profound because it's three in the morning and I'm a little sleep deprived, but I've talked about them with my husband the next day and he seems to agree that they are profound.

Some of my "3am Thoughts" include how to better myself, how to better a community I'm a part of, how to rearrange my home, ideas for blogs, etc.

Then I started wondering how many other parents out there have profound "3am Thoughts." We should collect them and write a book. Maybe we'd find a cure for cancer or end world hunger?! Who knows!

I'd love to hear your "3am Thoughts."

Week 10: Finding My Stride ... Almost

There's a phrase that runners use, "I found my stride," when they found a running pace that they feel like they could keep forever. Despite the vacationing and the illness in our family, I feel like I found my stride as a mom of two kids this week. I feel like Micah and I are finally on the same page. I feel like we're communicating ... I know he can't talk yet, but if you're a parent you know what I mean ... little gestures he does when he has to burp, faces he makes when he is filling his diaper, noises he makes when he's ready for a nap, etc. He is nursing every three hours during the day and doing longer stretches at night. He's starting his day at the same time (7am) and ending at the same time (around 6:45) and our bedtime routine has been established.

EXCEPT just when I felt like I hit my stride, we had to deal with the two hour time change coming back to California and Micah came down with croup. Poor baby!! The worst of it came when we were driving the three plus hours from LAX to Santa Maria late at night. I was so scared for him, being so little and all. Jackson has had croup twice, but he was much older and I knew he could handle it. There is NOTHING worse than the helpless feeling you get as a parent when you know that there is NOTHING you can do or at least there is little that you can do to help your sick and or hurting child. God knows that I need those moments in order for my faith in Him to grow even stronger and Micah just had croup ... in retrospect that's not that bad!!! I am the weaker vessel.

Anyway, we had a great holiday season visiting family! I miss them dearly and although it seems like our family gets sick every holiday season as we expose ourselves to foreign germs in airports and gas stations, I wouldn't give up our precious time with the people that we love so much.

We're done with the stomach flu, Micah has recovered from croup and we are all adjusting to the time change. Life is getting back to the mundane. I think I'll enjoy that for a little while. :)

Week 9: Christmas so far ...

Well we decided to take a risk and travel to Wisconsin and Iowa for the holiday season despite the risk of being stuck in an airport on Christmas day. God was so faithful in getting us to Chicago Midway Airport without any delays or mishaps. In fact, we even got door to door service to our terminal by the Avis rental people at LAX on Christmas Eve. Which was a good thing, because it would have been very difficult to haul a 2 year old, a 2 month old, 6 pieces of check luggage and 4 pieces of carry-on luggage on a bus and through the airport with only 4 arms. We had a direct flight from LA to Chicago (a four hour flight) and Jackson was WONDERFUL!! Micah slept most of the way, but nursed when he was supposed and even went 9 hours between feedings that night (Merry Christmas to me from Micah ... it hasn't happened again since then).

Christmas day was pretty uneventful and was spent at my mom's house. However, we had some adventures the day after Christmas. We were on the way to my dad's house when Jackson said he didn't feel very good and "tossed his cookies" in the car. We went back and changed his outfit and cleaned the car, but decided that he perked up enough to continue on to my dad's house, but then he threw up again (this time at least we had a bucket to catch it). We turned around again, but part way back we decided that we might not get to see my dad if we didn't go that day, so we turned around AGAIN and made it to my dad's. Luckily Jackson was fine the rest of the day (he even had a little supper without getting sick).

The next day we spent time with family doing Christmas at my mom's. It was a fun day and everyone was doing well until about 12am when I was up with the stomach flu. Luckily Jackson slept through it all, but when we stay in hotels we put a pack-n-play in the bathroom with a night light (he and we seem to sleep much better, plus I'm still nursing in the middle of the night). So, that meant I had to use the hotel's public bathroom from about 12am to 4am when I was sick (I'm sure the late night custodian's imagination was running wild as to why I kept going into that bathroom every half an hour for four hours). Colin was a huge help changing and burping Micah, but unfortunately he couldn't nurse him. That was an adventure ... I'll just leave it at that.

The whole next day we stayed in the hotel and I slept when I could and focused on getting hydrated again so that my milk supply wouldn't deplete. I also had Micah nursing every 2 1/2 hours instead of 3 to bring my supply up as well. I think all of that worked, but we'll see. That being said, Micah's schedule is completely thrown off between the two hour time change, the holiday traveling and events and me getting the flu. UGH! We were doing so well before the vacation!! Oh well ... Tis the season and we'll get back to normal again when we are home in CA. I just hope the battle isn't too fierce.

I'm feeling much better today, but still a little weak. I should be back to normal by tomorrow (just in time for the flight to Omaha and the drive to Orange City). Pray that Colin is not the next victim of this family virus.

Well half of our Christmas vacation is almost over ... now we're on to the Doughan side tomorrow. Pray that our flight is not cancled or delayed and that we have good driving weather from Omaha to Orange City! I'll keep you posted on how that leg of the trip went when we're back in CA.

Hope you are all having a wonderful holiday seaon yourselves!

Weeks 6, 7 & 8

My Recovery: I'm EXHAUSTED!!! Micah has had a couple of nights where he's gone only three hours between feedings and I have come down with a cold. I'm still having some bathroom issues, mostly because it's been hard for me to remember to keep drinking lots of water. But, I had my six week check up with the midwives and everything looks good.

I'm in a very frustrating in between size right now with my clothes. I kind of feel like I need to go out and by a whole new wardrobe and then mark the tags "in between maternity and normal size" ... hmmm ... I could start a whole new fashion line and call it .... Matormal! :)

Micah: he's been doing really well at night (with the exception of one or two nights) and has even done some 7 hour stints between feedings (BUT they start at 6:45pm, so I'm not feeling the benefits in my sleep yet).

HOWEVER, nap times have been BEASTS!!!!!! I finally cleared out over half of our walk in closet and stuck his bed in there to see if the darkness would help him sleep longer. It did ...well ... sort of. After some VERY frustrating nap times this week that went something like this: good awake time from 7:30am - 8:30am and then lay in his bed from 8:30am to about 8:45 or 9am, sleep from 9am -9:30am (at least he can put himself to sleep) and wake up screaming at 9:30am. Then cry off and on until 10:30am when it's time to eat, but he's so exhausted that he falls asleep feeding and then doesn't eat enough ... yaddy, yaddy, yaddy ... starting the whole cycle all over again. I gave up cheese earlier this week because Micah was fussy during feedings. He'd nurse well for five minutes and then cry through the rest of the feeding and have tons of gas. Cutting cheese helped a little bit, but he was still having a hard time at nap times, so I finally broke down and got some anti-gas medicine last night and so far it seems to be working, I'm sure it'll take a little bit for him to break the habit of waking up in between sleep cycles.

Other than that he's doing great! Micah has been smiling and cooing more this last week and we've been enjoying it so much! It's so fun to see his personality start to develop.

Jackson: has really grown up over the last couple of weeks. He has even learned the skill of taking off and putting on his pants and underpants all by himself so that he can go to the bathroom with little help. He's getting much better at playing by himself and practicing delayed gratification ... although I must say that my midwife's advice, "Tend to the toddler first" has been very useful. As long as he has his needs met first (of course there are exceptions) he's alright with my attention going towards Micah.

Jackson has acquired some new phrases that I love, like, "Whose talkin' back there?" "Are you talkin' Micah?" "It's okay Micah, Mommy's got you."

He is such a loving brother and VERY anxious to be able to interact more with Micah as he gets older, but all in all Jackson is proud of the fact that he's the big brother and takes care of his mommy and Micah.

Top 10 Signs You Know You're a Sleep Deprived Parent

10. You're up at 3am thinking of what should make this list.

9. You forget what day it is because they all blend together into one LOOOOONG day.

8. Showering has become optional.

7. Sugar and caffeine are the only major food groups in your food pyramid.

6. You stay in your pajamas all day in hope that you will get a nap.

5. You think four hours of straight sleep is a good night's sleep.

4. You can no longer handle simple math: 1am - 3am = 4 hours?????

3. You can fall asleep to a two-year-old drumming loudly in your ear.

2. You say things like, "Honey, I know those were words coming out of your mouth, but I have no clue what you just said."

1. You wake up and remember that you have a baby in your arms.