Mr. Personality

As with many of my friends, a nasty virus has paid a visit to the Lamb house and has decided to stay a while.  It started first with Isabel.  We're not exactly sure where she picked up this unwanted house guest, but we have a few ideas - enough of a suspicion that we feel we need to make a few changes.  As has been her pattern lately, she developed a minor case of pneumonia and was put on antibiotics.  Poor girl had a fever up to 104 and had a few miserable days.  Fortunately she responds well to medication so she was able to get relief by the weekend.  I wasn't surprised when Leland started showing symptoms as well.

Because he is so tiny, it seemed like he got hit a little harder.  His fever crept up to 100.6 with severe congestion.  Not much is sadder or scarier than an infant with a high fever, vomiting and trouble breathing.  We took him back to the doctor on Monday for a recheck and he also developed pneumonia.  He's on medication and breathing treatments for this week.  Another recheck on Friday will let us know how we will need to proceed with the breathing treatments. 

At only 3 months old, Leland has already given us glimpses into what his personality will blossom into.  Monday was an overall terrible day for all of us, but particularly Leland.  He was working extra, extra hard to breath and was overall miserable.  However, this photo illustrates how he responded to the blond medical assistant who was taking his vitals. Between him and Isabel, I don't think Ryan and I will ever have a good night's sleep.......

A Quick update

is all I really have time for.  Leland hasn't been the best napper so far, but he does sleep fairly well at night.  He's worked his way up to 3-4 hour stretches most nights until the first feeding, then back to a 3 hour stretch for the second.  We're still working on a routine, but I feel like it's just around the corner.  So, my days are filled with holding a very tired yet nap resistant baby. 

Currently both kids are sick with congestion and fevers.  Isabel has early stage pneumonia again and started meds yesterday.  Leland has a mild fever and lots of congestion.  He's been resting a lot the past two days which is wonderful for everyone.  He's also got his own private sauna room (our bathroom with the shower running) which helps get him to sleep if nothing else.  For as nasty as this virus is, I hope it is also fast moving.

Already 2 months old

I've been trying to write a blog post for a few weeks now and the content of said post has changed a number of times.  Now that we're at the 2 month mark, that seems like a good place to start.  Yesterday was Leland's 2 month well-baby check.  He weighed in at 10 lbs 1.5 oz.  That's the 7th percentile!  I'm not sure if Isabel ever hit the 7th percentile.  I know she didn't this early.  She spent a lot of time going between 5th and falling off the chart.  It's clear to me he's gaining weight as he seems heavier to hold every day.  And I do a lot of holding.  Almost all day some days.  This kid likes to be held and rocked.  Napping hasn't been his strength so far.  He is down for a nap now which is a nice break for me and Isabel.  I can give her a little undivided attention which she needs.  I have had to go back upstairs twice now to get him back to sleep, but it's working!  In addition to the weight, he's grown 3 inches.  It's funny to see the stack of onesies and sleepers that he's already outgrown. 

He had his first vaccinations yesterday, too. He did great at the doctor's office, only crying when he got the injection.  His cries didn't last more than a few seconds and he was fine.  By evening, however, he wasn't feeling well and cried a lot.  He slept on me all night which we haven't done in a few weeks.  It was nice for both of us (nice for me because I know it's temporary!).  So far today he seems back to his normal happy, chatty self.

Isabel is doing so good lately.  She adores her brother.  That might be an understatement.  She loves spending time with him talking to him and trying her hardest to teach him how to grasp or cough into his elbow.  She gets a little frustrated that he isn't responding, but she's getting a good lesson in patience (she just doesn't realize it).  She loves talking to anyone about her baby brother.  We're thankful she has taken such a liking to him.  She's been very "big girl" about waiting for me to take care of his needs first and she's really not given me much trouble about it. 

We found a great daycare/preschool for her.  She was asking daily if she could go back to school as she missed being around other kids.  She's doing great at this school and loves her classroom.  They do a lot of learning through play so she thinks she just plays all day.  Ryan and I both like her teachers (there are 2 in her room) and it's as close to the Children's Center as we have found in Folsom. 

At home we do lots of crafts and baking.  The good news is she's learning a lot about cooking and measuring.  The bad news is we have way too many sweets around the house.  Our next big project is to sew her a skirt.  She's been begging to try out the sewing machine lately.  I found a tutorial for a super simple skirt, so she'll be able to help sew the straight seam.  I'm impressed with her level of interest in things like cooking, sewing, gardening, fishing and helping Ryan with building or truck maintenance.  She's getting a well-rounded start. 

Thanks for the picture, TC!

A flower fairy.

Christmas and one month old

Leland is one month old already!  Since he hasn't had to go back to see the doctor for a weight check (hooray!), we don't have an accurate measurement of his growth, but it is obvious that he has chunked up.  Not only is it evidenced by the way he looks (nice full face and big baby belly) but also in the amount of time he spends eating.  I'm not kidding when I say we go through phases of spending an hour or more nursing.  We have to supplement with formula because nursing alone isn't always enough to fill his belly.  He gets maybe 2 formula bottles a day at most and (if I'm lucky and have the extra time/milk) he'll get a bottle of breast milk instead.  I remember with Isabel being saddened by the fact that she was getting formula.  I'm over that now.  A mom's gotta feed her baby, and if he needs formula then so be it.  Having a surplus of milk is just not my thing. 

I won't say he's sleeping more through the night, but he is sleeping a little bit better.  Sometimes I'm able to get him back to sleep without nursing him to sleep (what we call slursing).  He still prefers to fall asleep on my and moving him can be a bit tricky.  We're both learning to perfect the transition.  His sleeping spells are longer during the day (of course), but are getting a little bit longer at night as well.  I'm tempted to say he is about the same kind of sleeper Isabel was at this stage, but I'm certain I don't have a clear remembrance of her at one month old.  I do remember bouncing her on the exercise ball for what seemed like hours watching back-to-back episodes of Will & Grace and Frasier for weeks. 

Leland and I nursed and slept our way through his first Christmas.  I had the flu and he did what he normally does.  Isabel had a great time with her aunt, uncle and cousins.  Her cousins are so good with her.  They willingly entertain her, and I think they actually enjoy it.  It was rainy here all day, so that was a big bummer for Isabel.  She so badly wanted to get outside and play but couldn't.  Overall, though, she kept her attitude in check and got over the fact that we were all house bound.  This morning she was very upset that today wasn't a holiday. But I think she's over that, too.  She's out fishing right now with her dad and her new fishing pole hopefully having a ton of fun.  I opted to stay at home with a hungry little guy who just wants to be held.

Busy's dance recital!

After months of waiting for it, the night of Isabel's dance recital finally arrived.  Holy cats was she excited.  Our neighbor down the street had a different part in the same show, and so that seemed to make it even more special.  Isabel was a flower fairy, along with the other girls in her class.  Her part came at the end of the show, which for a three-year-old must've seemed like an eternity.  She was cranky most of the show because she didn't understand why she didn't get to be on stage.  After her 2 minute dance was over, she was upset because her part was over too soon.  She was very upset that we were leaving and not staying in the theater.  She seemed to get over it once we got to the restaurant (she loves eating in restaurants).

The next dance recital isn't until next summer sometime.  I'm guessing she'll be talking about being in another recital until then.

 

 

Leland has arrived!

Technically he arrived almost three weeks ago.  It seems like so much has happened already there is just too much to write about here.  As I did with Isabel, I'll start with a quick recap of Leland's birth story.  Starting on October 22 I began non-stress tests (nsts) twice a week in addition to my regular, weekly doctor appointment.  My blood pressure had started to rise and the nsts were a precaution to make sure Leland was getting enough blood flow.  I was admitted to the hospital that night, and spent the better part of my birthday in the hospital the next day.  Labs were fine and he passed the nsts with flying colors.  I was under observation for the 24 or so hours and released.

I continued the nsts and weekly labs/doctor appointments until week 37 - November 23rd to be exact.  My bp was really high and my platelet count was decreasing.  I was not only admitted to the hospital, but the on-call doctor had plans to get my induction under way.  She presented a compelling case, and really I was in position to argue.  BUT, before they started the pitocin, they were going to start an iv drip of magnesium.  Apparently magnesium relaxes the muscles making a seizure (caused by elevated bp) nearly impossible.  Sounds like a decent plan - really, who wants to risk a seizure pregnant or not?  What I didn't know until later is how much a high dose of magnesium will relax my muscles.

Nothing really happened until the next morning when the contractions really started.  Long story short, my labor wasn't as long as Isabel's (with her it was about 21 hours), but I really don't remember the details.  I'm pretty sure I only pushed for maybe 20 minutes, but that is a little fuzzy, too.  Leland was born at 2:16 in the afternoon without any further complications.  He weighed 5 lb 14 ounces and was 19 1/2 inches long.  He was fine and I was fine, too.  He was checked over pretty thoroughly by the nurses due to my high bp and the magnesium.  He spent just a little bit of time with me, basically long enough to nurse, and made the rounds with family.  That's about the time the side effects of the magnesium started to show up.

At this point I was having a difficult time with muscle control making it unsafe for me to hold Leland without help.  Before Ryan and Isabel left for the night, it was decided that Leland would spend the night with the nurses.  This was a suck decision to make, but for the best.  And it turned out I really had no idea what a good decision it was.  Overnight I became unable to chew food, roll myself over without help, move my legs, talk without slurring, and keep my eyes open.  By morning I was unable to feed myself and I had a bad case of double vision.  By mid-morning the delivery doctor ok'd taking me off the magnesium and by the afternoon/evening time I was regaining some muscle control.  I could eat and talk, but still had double vision.  With the nurses help, Leland came to hang out with me in bed ad chill.  He spent the rest of the time with me.

Since we've been home he's mixed up his days and nights, nursed more than I thought possible and has developed a high-pitched scream to accompany some of his cries.  He also put on a tiny bit over 1 pound in 12 days and doesn't need to see the doctor again until his 2 month check-up.  He is a totally different baby than Isabel was when she was born, so Ryan and I are learning about newborns all over again.

Time Flies

Has it really been 3 months since my last post???  I suppose it has.  Probably the biggest reason for the delay is that writing has become somewhat of a chore.  I'm behind schedule with my thesis, so what writing and thinking I do get done really needs to go toward that.  I'm taking a quick break today mostly because I feel a little neglectful of this blog. 

Biz is probably as typical a 3-year-old as there is.  Smart, sweet, sassy beyond belief and trying hard to grow up without doing it too fast.  She is doing well in her new preschool classroom, although drop offs are still sketchy, which I expected.  She is great friends with the brother and sister who live down the street talking about them often and wanting to invite them over for various craft projects.  She is mostly sleeping through the night, except on the nights when she has bad or stressful dreams.  After switching her to a combo dance class (ballet, tap and tumbling) she is excelling at that (finally).  She went from not only not paying attention to the teacher but being downright disruptive to fully participating and doing quite well.  She even got a complement from her teacher this week.  We also have her enrolled in swimming lessons, which we may ditch at the end of the month.  The class setting is a little distracting for her and/or she just isn't into it.  No biggie.  If we do ditch, we'll pick it up sometime this winter.

For those of you whom I am not Facebook friends with (Erica and Isabelle - this means you!!!), we are expecting baby #2 this December.  Biz is already a great big sister giving the baby kisses, ticking him/her and talking to her sibling often.  She has even taken to carrying a baby in her belly.  She's very cute right now.  I hope it lasts!