Our First Hospital Stay {Part One: Events Leading Up}

As I stated in my last post, we had to take David to the hospital over the weekend. This post is to just remind myself of the experience and to process everything.

Thursday, 12/11, David was a little fussier than normal. Not much made him happy, but it was really an off and on kind of thing. He had three soiled diapers that were a little softer than normal, but nothing too bad. By dinner time, he did not want to eat much, and just cried in his booster seat. I wiped him down, and decided that he just needed an early bedtime. It's been a little crazy in our house between Christmas stuff and all the birthdays, so I assumed he was just exhausted.

Friday was Jillian's 3rd birthday! Phil and I taped ourselves waking up Jilly by singing "Happy Birthday" to her. David immediately started fussing, so Phil picked him up. David felt so hot to the touch. I searched everywhere for a thermometer, but could not find a single one. I ran to a store and bought an ear thermometer. David had a temp of over 103. Knowing all the things we needed to do and had planned for the day, Phil offered to take the day off to help take care of David. Davey was acting pretty sad, and was still not eating or drink very much. He gets very clingy when he doesn't feel well, which he gets from me. We gave him Tylenol and offered soft foods and water. Throughout the day, his fever would go down to 101 or so. He really didn't have any other symptoms, so we assumed this was just one of those 24 to 48 hour bugs that he needed to fight off.

Around 5pm, Phil and Jillian went to pick up some BBQ for dinner per Jilly's birthday dinner request. While they were gone, David's breath seemed to get really shallow and fast. This concerned me, so I counted his breaths per minute (or rpm). It was 54 when I counted, so I called the triage nurse through his pediatrician. She had me count again on the phone, and it was 48 rpm. The nurse told me that 50 rpm tells them he needs to be seen in an ER immediately, so she suggested I take him to an after hours clinic. I rushed him over there, and he was thoroughly checked out. They did a flu, strep, and urine test (via catheter, poor guy), which all came back negative. A time or two, someone would ask about his tummy, but I didn't notice anything, so I always answered with "no." At the end of the visit, the doctor there told me that with his high temp, if he is still not feeling well by Saturday, I should bring him back to check for an ear infection. His ears were clear at the time, but I guess that can change quickly. I took him home, and we went ahead and did cake and present for Jilly at 9 pm. He ate a few pieces of meat dry before we sent him to bed.

Saturday, I had an 8 am hair appointment. David was still feeling icky, but Phil told me they'd be fine. Once I got back, Phil's parents were on their way to have lunch with us for Jillian's birthday. With David's fever, they decided to come by for presents, then go to lunch with just Phil, Jillian, and Phil's brother and sister-in-law. David was a little more animated when Grandma and Papa were around, but he was still a little pitiful. David and I had some alone time while everyone went to lunch. He slept most of the time, and his temperature even went down to 100.2 or so. I was hopeful that meant things were looking up. Every so often he would kind of cry out, but I was able to calm him again fairly quickly. I didn't think much of it considering how high his temp had been. Phil brought me something to eat, and I let David have about half of my roll. {This is the last thing he ate until Tuesday mid-morning} With his temperature lower than it had been, I went ahead and went grocery shopping. It was going to be a big trip anyways because some of the food is for Christmas when we have my family over! I was pretty wiped out myself by the time I was done.

At dinner time, David was really not interested in food or drink. We tried giving him Pedialyte, but he barely sipped at it. I was starting to get a little concerned, but his temp was still lower than it had been. We put David to bed at 7:45 pm, but he was crying loudly by 9 pm. Phil and I decided that, to try and get a little sleep before church, Phil would sleep on the couch, and David and I would sleep in our bed. We gave him some Tylenol, and we got settled. Throughout the night, David would sleep a little, but then curl up into the fetal position and just cry. I would move him, offer water, etc. Nothing seemed to make him better. His tummy and head got really hot at one point, so I took his temp and it was 104. I gave him more Tylenol, but over an hour later, it was still in the high 103 range. We tried a warm bath, but nothing was making this fever go down. Not knowing what else to do, Phil and I decided that he would go to church, and I would just keep the kids at home to rest. I had a children's Christmas program I was in charge of Sunday at 4 pm, so I wanted to keep the kids as comfortable as possible.

Sunday morning, I texted my mom to tell her we were staying home. Even without any other symptoms, including David not messing with his ears at all, my mom wisely suggested we go back to the clinic I took him to Friday night. I figured that was a good idea assuming that he had a double ear infection, and waited for the clinic to open at 10 am before loading the kids up to go.

To be continued...

Never Saw It Coming

I was already behind on my posts, but then something popped up that I was not expecting.

{And no, this is not a pregnancy announcement. I know it's coming across that way!}

David woke up on Friday, Jillian's 3rd birthday, with a high temp of 103. In a scramble to still make Jillian's birthday special, Phil took a day off of work to help me take care of him. Minus a slightly decreased appetite and high temperature, David didn't seem to have anything else wrong with him. We assumed it was just a high fever that needed to run it's course. By Saturday afternoon, his temp dipped down to 100, so I went grocery shopping and assumed the worst was over.

Fast forward to Sunday afternoon, we end up at a clinic that sends him to the ER for an ultrasound. We ended up being admitted into said hospital, where he was observed until we were discharged yesterday afternoon.

I will go into more detail in another post. Right now the experience is still pretty fresh. It was a scary experience, but David was in great hands. This was not life threatening thankfully, but still a serious situation that had to be monitored.

Being home with my two babies who feel well is one of the greatest Christmas gifts I could ever receive. I am beyond thankful for all the support I received while we went through those frightening days.

More than anything, I just want to remind myself that, as justifiably hard this parenting thing is, I could never ever imagine living my life without my Jillian Rose and David Anthony. They have a large piece of my heart and soul, and I love them so much it physically hurts.

Jillian: {3 Years}

 Jillian –

You are 3 years old today! I can barely wrap my mind around the idea that my baby girl is a preschooler. According to our at home measurements, you are 27lbs, 2 oz and 36 inches long. {That is 3 lbs, 15 oz & 3 inches longer than at two years-old, 8 lbs, 9 oz & 7-3/4 inches longer than at one year-old, and 20 lbs, 12oz & 16 inches longer than at birth!}

You wear mostly 2T, and a few 3T clothes. You wear size 4 diapers or Pull-Ups, and size 4T underwear. You currently wear size 6 shoes.

Eating is a relatively easy with you. You are fed three meals and two snacks. If we let you, you’d just graze all day long, and seem to like smaller meals over large ones. We are fortunate that you are not a super picky eater, and I can count on one hand the foods you absolutely will not eat. There are days that you will barely eat, while you will eat anything in your path other days. You drink whole milk, water, and lemonade. You use sippy cups with straws, but can drink from cups without a lid.

You have all of your teeth! Your first trip to the dentist was last month, and you did amazing! No cavities, and you were very well behaved

Sleep is easy for you. You take a nap one day a week, but it lasts about 3 hours. You have been sleeping in your very own big girl bed since early January, and never looked back. It was a very easy transition for you. You sometimes wander around the room instead of laying in bed, but those episodes are few and far between.

This fall, you started a preschool class at church! You have really loved school, and you've made some sweet little friends. You talk about one in particular, Sulley, at lot, and you tell us you miss him during the weekend. You go two days a week. Tuesdays you stay until 2:15, and Thursdays you only stay until 11:15. You also still attend Listening for Littles, but you may be moving on to the preschool group for the spring semester.

Your speech has just soared. In fact, you have one more speech therapy session before you "graduate" from having regular sessions! You are very verbal, and all of your teachers have told me how much they appreciate you communicating. The best part is, now you are extra hilarious! The things you come up with is so funny :) It's harder for you to "use your words" when you're anything but happy, but that happens to grown ups too. For the most part, you are just sweet, loving, funny, and a joy to be around.

You are currently going through a stage where you are extra emotional. We're not sure if it's the events of this year catching up with you, or something else going on. You are a little more aggressive physically, and you have taken up screaming at the top of your lungs. We still love you, but these actions do make us very sad. We pray we can get through this particular season in life quickly so that we can enjoy each other's company again.

Running is your favorite way to exert your energy! You really just randomly run around. You also started dancing a little bit, which is the cutest. Hopping like a frog is also fun for you. You're still a little clumsy, but you come by it honestly. We still suspect you are allergic to grass and a little to cats, but your summer was so much better in terms of your cough! We did have to use your inhaler every so often, but nothing like last year. This is great because you really love being outside whenever you can. You also love to sing. I'm sure this is due to the amazing music teacher at your school this year. You'll come home and start singing the cutest songs, and you love showing off. In fact, you'll just sing at the top of your lungs anywhere, including the public restroom ;) At first, you were a little more shy about it, and did not always sing when we asked. Now, you start singing before we even finish our request.

A few things you are very into right now: Thomas & Friends, puzzles, lemonade, running, Yo Gabba Gabba Babies App on mama's phone, playing "inside beach" in your playroom, swinging, painting your nails, fruit snacks, reading, Clifford the Big Red Dog, drawing, painting, balloons, playing in the play area of the mall with the animals, and Christmas trees and/or lights.

You're still adjusting to life with a little brother. There are times where it seems you forget he's around, and other times you are giving him hugs. Now that he crawls around, you do get a little more upset with him and will yell if he's coming towards you and your toys. Your brother may not always be your favorite person while you two are little, but I promise you will always love him :)

Jillian, you are such an amazing girl. We love you for who you are, and we are exciting to see what the next year holds. You make us so proud, and we could not possibly imagine life without you. We love you baby girl! :)

Some outtakes:

 {Hey there Ms. Sassy Pants!}

 {She looks so big in this picture}

 {Posing for mama}

 {This is her "Cheese" face}

And comparisons:

 {Jillian at 1 year, 2 years, and 3 years old}

 {Jillian the last year. 2 years, 2.5 years, and 3 years old}

 {Jillian at 1 month and 3 years old}

David: {Twelve Months}

David –

You are 12 months old today. That means you a officially a one-year-old boy :) According to our measurements at home, you are 21 lbs, 4 oz and 28-3/4 inches long. The next appointment you have is awhile from now, so I may not post any official measurements here. That means you have gained 14 lbs 4 oz, and 9-1/4 inches since birth!

You are in 12 Month clothing, though you can fit into a few 6-12 Month clothes we have. You wear size 4 diapers, and size 2 shoes if we can get them on your feet.

Garfield is the nickname you have acquired when it comes to food. You will try just about anything, and you very rarely dislike something. We can tell you love it when you shove it in your mouth like there's no tomorrow! The only foods you have yet to try are fish and honey. You love popcorn flavored rice cakes, lasagna, milk, cheese, bread, meats, egg, tomatoes, spaghetti, and green beans. You started drinking half formula and half milk right after your 11 month birthday. By the middle of November, you were on whole milk all of the time. You also are done with bottles! You use the same type of sippy cup your sister has, and you seem to like it that way. You usually get a cup of milk during your meals, and right before bedtime. You don't mind it being nice and cold, and straight from the fridge.

You have 4 teeth, with 2 more making their way down! Just before Thanksgiving, you popped two of your top teeth. The 2 we are waiting on are also on top. You were a little on the cranky side while you teethed, but it was mostly because you needed extra snuggles :)

Walking is what you are most focused on Bug. You crawl really fast, and you love chasing after sister. You will take steps if we hold your hand, and you are cruising all over the place. You can pull to standing easily. The few moments you hurt yourself is usually when you're trying to get back down to sitting from standing position. You don't cry all that often, which tells us you really did bonk your head/mouth/face. It'll be interesting to see just how soon you'll start walking. You just started dancing a bit to music, and it is the cutest thing!

We really lucked out in the sleeping department with you! It may take a bit for you to settle down sometimes, but you usually go to sleep and sleep through the night, (even when you were teething!) Naps are a little harder. You will take a short nap in the morning if mama holds you close. The afternoon nap is trickier. You usually cry as soon as mama puts you in the crib. However, when you go to sleep, you will stay asleep for at least an hour. Now, if sister is wanting a nap in the room too, you will not sleep at all. You will stand up, talk to her, and cry until someone comes for you.

You have always been a serious baby. For the most part, you observe everything around you, and only interact when you are familiar. Now that you're a fast crawler, you do tend to run off to explore once you're ready. Being observant also means you are very smart. You can point to people and things if we ask. You like pointing as if to ask us what or who it is. You can say "mama," but you don't really have any other words yet. Considering where you are with your physical skills, I know that's coming. You don't seem to be as into books as your sister, which is just fine. This means mama gets to be creative about how to help with your language skills. You do like to play with a few items. You don't have many favorite toys yet, but you do like to pick things up to bang together. You can also put items into containers, which seems to be fun for you. You would much rather be with people than play with toys. You are much more of a cuddler than your sister, so you usually just want to be in someone's arms or lap. Similar to your sister at this age, if you go into another room and realize you're alone, you cry until someone comes to rescue you. You have the sweetest laugh, which usually only comes out when you're being tickled, (and boy are you ticklish!) You smile and make this gasping and/or squealing sound if you find something funny. I can't wait to hear you belly laugh at something :) You can blow kisses, which is just the sweetest thing! You enjoy listening to music! You sway a little, and will bounce to the beat from time to time. You definitely like classical music, and few others, but you don't have many favorites yet. You do enjoy watching Daniel Tiger or Elmo if sister ever let's us change the channel from Thomas or Yo Gabba Gabba. Mama has an Elmo Calls app on her phone that you just love!

Thanksgiving was the final holiday you got to celebrate as a first! We went up to Tulsa on Thanksgiving day to spend time with your Grandma, Papa, Uncle Mike, Aunt Jessica, and a few other extended family members. We had a fun day, and you ate well! Even though mama and sister got sick that night, you were just fine :) We even celebrated your birthday before we headed home a few days later. Next week, we'll take a cookie cake to church to celebrate your and your sister's birthday with your church friends and family. Tonight, we will Skype with grandparents so that they can see you on your big day!

David, words fail to express just how I'm truly feeling today. Watching you grow, and having the honor of calling you my son, is more than I could have ever asked for. God truly blessed us with you, and I hope you feel blessed to have us as your family. Your sweet nature, your smile, those blue eyes, and your love bring such a level of joy in this house. As your mama, I am so thankful that you are here. This year was a tough one, but we made it together. We may not be the perfect family, but you have filled a hole in our family that we didn't even know existed. Thank you for being you. I love you more than I can ever say. Here's to the next 12 months, times infinity :)

Now some outtakes:

 {Things started out ok...}

 {Then we had a little birthday attitude going on}

{It's my party, and I'll cry if I want to...}

 {Captions this mama}

 {Those eyes kill me. If only you could see him smile too :)}

 {Just trying to climb into the chair, no biggie mama}

 {Annnnnnd we're done. The chair obviously hurt his feelings ;)}

And some comparisons!

{Months 1-3}

{Months 4-6}

{Months 7-9}

{Months 10-12}

{Left: Jillian 12/2012 Right: David 12/2014}

{Read Jillian's 12 Month Update Here}

The Handyman Can

Yesterday, I set a goal for myself. Since we were snowed in*, I wanted to keep the house as clean as it was Sunday night. For the most part, I succeeded! There were a few toys of Jillian's that were scattered in the living room, but that was partially due to the fact that girlfriend had an early bedtime yesterday. {Yay for toddlers refusing to nap!}

*I say snowed in because we did get a little over an inch of snow on Sunday. School was closed because the roads were iffy at best, so the kiddos and I just stayed inside.

I am doing my best to have a new attitude this week. I felt like I was just constantly negative to the three people I love most. Hopefully this will continue :)

Today, I got to play handyman! I needed to clear the drain in the kids' bathroom before turning to Drano. We have a turn and lift drain, but it is the kind that apparently has a screw on the side of the top. {Shout out to YouTube for helping me figure that one out!} Well, our water is so hard that the screw was not only rusty, it was also completely stripped. I ended up just WD-40ing the crap out of it, then took a wrench to it. The drain, and screw, is officially dead, but now we'll have to fix it a little more to make it work for our Christmas guests. Luckily, I didn't ruin it per say. Silver lining?

I cannot believe this is the last full week before Thanksgiving! Do you have any fun plans for the day? Our Thanksgiving changes every year since we trade time with my folks and Phil's. Whatever it is we are doing, I know it'll be fun :)

The One Where I Begin Again

I've started to write a post a handful of times. Whatever the excuse could be, I always let it stop me.

So instead of trying to catch up, I'm going to begin again. Starting next week, I'll be back.

Have a good weekend friends :)

David: {Eleven Months}

David –

You are eleven months old today! There are only 30 more days before you're officially a one-year-old! It is so hard to even comprehend that fact, but we are all so grateful to have you with us :)

According to our measurements at home, you are 20 lbs, 7 oz and 27-3/4 inches long.  

You are wearing mostly 12 Month clothes, and we think you're almost a size 2 in shoes. The problem with shoes is, you really don't like them. Shoes will stay on for maybe a minute or so before you kick them off! You wear size 4 diapers.

Eating is not an issue with you, my little Garfield! You drink 4 bottles/sippy cups of formula every day. You are eating table foods, and really enjoy them! The other night at church, you apparently ate 3 slices of pizza by yourself! The few times your appetite did not hold up, you had a cold at the time.

You sleep from 8:30 pm to 7 am pretty consistently. You were waking up around 5 am because you took your pacifier out of your mouth. However, you figured out how to put it back in, so we rarely had to go rescue you. Naps are a little more sporadic. On an average day, you will take a 30ish minute nap between 9:30 and 10:30 am with mama holding you. Some mornings, that nap will last closer to an hour. You will fight it a little, but you take a nap in your crib for at least 90 minutes, sometimes 2-1/2 hours, after you have had lunch. If we're out and about most of the day, you will only nap when we are in the car. It can make the days long, but you're a pretty good trooper :) You rarely want a third nap, but it has been known to happen right around dinner time.

You really enjoy splashing in the bathtub, and you seem to get visibly excited when we turn on the faucet of the tub. You still don't really play with any bath toys.

We can see the outline of your four top teeth, but they have not come through your gums yet. For now, you just have your two bottom teeth. Luckily, it's a cute look on you, and it doesn't seem to slow down your eating ;)

Speech wise, you are saying "mama" the clearest. When you say "dada," it comes out "gaga" 9/10 times. You are babbling a lot more, even when you're sister is talking too. You used to only talk when she was quiet, which is rare for her! Now, you two almost have whole conversations. Sometimes it's with each other, while other times it's just a wall of sound. I'm hoping to get some pointers from sister's speech-therapist to help foster your speech a little more. I feel like I've really dropped the ball with you, and I want to make that right!

Non-verbally, you are learning other language skills! You started pointing last week, and you've been clapping for a few months. I've noticed you can tell when someone is mad or happy, and respond appropriately. You love to shake your head "no," which can be a problem at times. If we tell you "no" and shake our head, you think we're playing a game instead of listening. I know you'll figure it out though :)

You are a mover and a shaker! First of all, you are a really fast crawler. You may even be faster than your sister was, which is really saying something! You are also pulling up to standing on just about everything! You just started to cruise a little bit as of a week ago. We can tell you want to run around with sister, but you're just not quite ready yet. You will walk if we hold both of your hands. If we ever try having you walk with just one hand, you usually make yourself sit on the floor. All in good time son!

You are not really showing separation anxiety signs, but you do seem to have a preference to mama 85% of the time. However, when dada is around, that's who you want! I'm sure that is mostly because he has been working a lot, so you just miss him. You are very sociable, even if it takes you a minute. You usually just stare and check the person out. As long as they are friendly, (and tell you how adorable you are), you usually warm up pretty quickly :)

This month was really hectic for our family. Between last minute trips to Kansas City, Halloween activities, and more, we were hardly home. Despite a few moments, (which I totally counted on having), you and your sister were very good sports! It makes me so thankful to have children that can go with the flow. We also celebrated your first Halloween! For our church trunk or treat last weekend, you were supposed to be a dragon, but it was 90 degrees outside. Instead, mama gave you lots of kisses with her lipstick on, so you had kiss marks all over your face. We told everyone that you were a mama's boy ;) For Halloween night, you were dressed as a dinosaur, and you were not super crazy about the hood on your head. However, you were just precious, and I'm sure you'll love Halloween more as you get older!

The things you love are: playing with your sister, splashing in water, Elmo, remote controls, "The Itsy Bitsy Spider," being tickled, cellphones, eating, peekaboo, daddy tossing you in the air, snuggles, wires and plugs, and your pacifier.

The things you do not love are: being left alone, being in the stroller too long, wearing socks or having anything on your head, having toys taken from you by sister, being too tired, and having your nose or face wiped.

LT, your mama really doesn't know how to deal with the fact that you are almost a year old. Time has really flown by. It's hard to imagine you growing up, but it's even harder to remember what life was like before you joined our family. Your presence has just been a joy, and we really love being around you! Thank you for being such a sweet, and precious baby. We love you dearly :)

Now some outtakes:

 {Wait, I'm how old?!?}

 {Small coughing fit :(}
{Unfortunately, 3 out of 4 people in the house are battling colds. Poor us!}

 {Good thing Daddy is hilarious!}

 {And we're done. Time to cry and chew on our fingers}

Then Jillian wanted to take a few pictures too!

 {Hard to believe she used to barely fit in the seat of this chair!}

{I just love this picture because it looks like she's giving a thumbs up ;)}

And some comparisons!

 {Months 1, 2, and 3}

 {Months 4, 5, and 6}

{Months 7, 8, and 9}

{Months 10 and 11}

{Left: Jillian 11/2012 Right: David 11/2014}

{Read Jillian's 11 Month Update Here}