Monday, January 31, 2011

Monday, Monday

While big brother was still fast asleep in bed, little brother was wide-eyed and bushy tailed ready to meet the new day.

And, seriously, how could I dread Monday morning when I had this precious face peering over at me as I was primping?!


Exersaucers...the very best apparatus for bathroom play while mommy is getting ready for work.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Comparing Is Freaking Me Out!

R.J. Colton

I know, I know, EVERYONE with more than one child has told me that each child is different, but I cannot stop comparing milestones between my first son, R.J. and my second son, Colton.

Heck, I even compare Colton to other babies his age and I'm driving myself nuts!

Colton is 7 months and he's just now (almost completely) sitting unassisted...I mean, I can let go of him and he balances for awhile, but then BOOM he topples to the side (which he loves of course and laughs every time he does so), but he's tipping over nonetheless.

Shoot, by this time, R.J. was already pulling up on stuff to stand and by 10 months he was walking!

Colton isn't really into completely rolling over either (although this past weekend he did roll from his back to his tummy more than once). Usually, he rolls to one side and the other and grabs stuff, but as far as the complete deal consistently...nope.

I don't know if this has to do with the fact that he's always been a tummy sleeper (no flamers please) or that he just doesn't think that trick is all that fantastic?!

My pediatrician was not even the least bit concerned when I mentioned the rolling over thing to her at his 6 month appointment (his weight is good, height is good, hearing/eyesight/verbal good, head control good, using hands is good, etc.) so what am I worried about?

I read all over the place about other babes born in June 2010 doing all sorts of stuff and honestly, it freaks me out that Colton seems (to me) behind on some things.

Okay, he was born almost 4 weeks early, but would that even make a difference?

Then again, on other things he's been ahead of my first born.

Colton got two teeth by 5 months, started solids (and has continued) at 4 1/2 to 5 months, raised himself/propped himself up on arms/hands at 3 months, has had no problems sleeping through the night, etc.

I don't want to seem as if I am trying to "rush" my sweet little boy into growing up too fast, and after all, this is my last baby, but when is he going to get with the program with some of these things? LOL!

Seriously, my paranoia over all this last week had me in tears and my husband told me I was worrying for nothing.

Even our doctor is not the least bit concerned with things, so why am I?

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Look...

At who's feeling much, much better!



Even though I'm a second time mommy...with each new child, so too brings new challenges to face.

Thank you all so much for the prayers, well-wishes and words of encouragement concerning Colton's recent illness.

We made it!

Oh, and by the way...I am now an expert body stabilizing, nebulizer breathing mask holder and [insert: to the tune of "Oh, My Darlin' Clementine] "la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la" singer!

Hey, whatever works, right?! LOL!

Friday, January 7, 2011

Ringing In The New Year With A Bug!

Yes, you read that correctly.

Instead of ringing in the New Year with a BANG, we rang it in with a bug...of the illness variety.

As I mentioned in my Christmas post, both of my boys were sick before and during the Holidays.

Thankfully, R.J., our 8 year old, was able to kick strep throat and his sinus infection rather quickly, but poor little Colton got sick and then he got sicker, and even now (three weeks later) he is STILL battling to feel better.

In fact, my poor little man has had a bulb syringe stuck up his nose and sucked out so many times that hopefully we have killed any desire he might entertain once he gets a little bit older of wanting to insert any sort of foreign object up his nose.


Add to that our hopes that Colton will continue to have the same wonderful patience he exhibited for us during the 5 ½ hours on New Year’s Eve (day) that we were waiting with him at Pri-Med (a doc-in-the-box place) because of high fever, SEVERE congestion, an ear ache that a first round of antibiotic evidently did not clear up, and a cough we could not contain.

A cough that had gotten so bad, it kept our baby up for all but about 25 minutes the previous night.

You could just look at his face that day and see how worn out he was.


Fast forward a few days later (this past Tuesday to be exact) and we’re back at the doctor’s office (although this time to his actual pediatrician).

According to the doctor, Colton's left ear was still a bit inflamed and after listening to his “gunky sounding” chest with her stethoscope she determined that yes, he was having a really hard time breathing and his little lungs were definitely having to work overtime because it.

Upon hearing that I went to an immediate scary flashback in my mind of Colton being born early (late pre-term) and having to spend his first 24 hours in the NICU because of his "squishy lungs" something referred to in the medical community as "Wimpy White Boy Syndrome" (and no, I did not make that up).

Anyway, what I naively thought would be short re-check by that doctor and a “quick fix” to make my baby feel better turned into me leaving with a nebulizer/breathing machine, medicine for it (Albuterol), an oral steroid (prednisolone), instructions to continue the nose sucking, give him over-the-counter Mucinex DM for his cough, and a word of caution that if Colton didn’t get markedly better after a week of doing the breathing treatments every 4 hours around the clock (unless he’s sleeping)… we might be looking at some hospital time [insert me welling up with tears at this point].

Not wanting the latter to become a reality, I quickly got myself together and listened intently while the nurse showed me how to use the breathing machine.

Nurse: “Insert tubing here, pour medicine vial in there, screw mask on here, plug unit into wall over there, and hold it against Colton’s face so that his nose and mouth are covered.”

Me: “Well, that doesn’t seem so hard.”

Nurse: “You’ll know the treatment is through when you hear the machine start to make a “sputtering” noise indicating that the medicine is almost gone.”

Me: “Okay.”

Nurse: “I’ll be back to check on the both of you in five minutes.”

Me [screaming silently in my head]: “WAIT, you mean I have to do it to him now, without you in here to help?!”

Me [what actually comes out of my mouth]: “Sounds good.”

Yeh, right?!

Trust me, never in my life has five minutes seemed so much of an eternity than when I’ve been forced to put my sweet little child into a bear hug and hold a plastic mask against his face while a strange steam is being emitted into his airway.

The joys of parenthood, right?!

So here we are on day 3 of the breathing treatments and if you could hear my 7-month old’s pitiful and intense crying when I put the mask to his face, you’d think I am either (a) torturing him or (b) fixated with turning him into a miniature Hannibal Lecter from Silence of the Lambs.


Of course, just like any caring parent, I will do whatever it takes to make my son feel better and thankfully, he’s so little that he won’t even remember me doing this to him [I hope].

In the meantime, forget early Valentine decorations, my dining room table will continue to be adorned as follows…


Oh, and if you don’t mind, could you please say an extra prayer for my little guy and that he will get to feeling better soon.

Thanks so much!