A few simple things...

Norah Jones, a glass of wine, and a hot bubble bath...it just doesn't get any better! After a fun filled weekend I decided to take some mommy time tonight and relax! Jarrod goes back out of town this week so I figured I should take advantage of him while he's here. So I handed off the monitor and away I went! It was great!!! It's amazing the things you used to take for granted before you had children. No more leisurely shopping trips...Bo starts screaming once the buggy/stroller stops for more than 10 seconds so it's get in-get out with him, of course I think this is something his father has trained him to do so mommy isn't able to do any shopping; no more manicures and pedicures (at least for us now on one income), no more staying out past 6:00pm, no more dining in non-family friendly restaurants... you must go somewhere that if your child has a meltdown other people understand because their child was having one just 10 minutes ago, no more spur of the moment outings, and most importantly no more sleeping in! Nope...for me it's now a glass of wine, a hot bath, and no monitor! Just a few simple things!

Swaddling Houdini!

So, most parents know about swaddling...if you don't it's the "burrito baby" look where they are all snuggled and tucked in. Bo is a swaddle addict, he will NOT go to sleep unless he's swaddled, I'm a little concerned because I haven't seen too many 5 year olds being swaddled. But right now it means we (Jarrod and I) get a good night sleep so we do it. We've tried sleeping without it, sleeping on the tummy, sleeping in the boppy... no he wants to be swaddled! HOWEVER, he loves his hands! He's always loved them but now that he's older he REALLY loves his hands and wants them all the time. So in the middle of the night Jarrod and I will hear him grunting and making lots of noises and we know he's trying to get his hands out. The past few weeks or so we've had a few occassions where he's gotten both arms out. We realized he was using his fingers to pull on the blanket to get out. So, I bought onesies that have the mittens built in to cover his hands, then to top that off last night I also put on a pair of separate mittens for extra security! I have to say this morning takes the cake! I walked in and here is what I found. I have NO idea how he did this.

First I'm going to show you what a baby swaddled should look like. It wraps around and two little tabs velcro in the back all nice and neat...

Then there's my child...

Happy as a clam! You see the two little bear heads? When I went to bed last night those were velcroed in the back with both arms tucked in. Also I'd like to point out that his head is supposed to be at the TOP of the positioner! Apparently in all of his work to get his arms out he scooted himself right on down to the bottom! So...we have to work on our little houdini's sleeping arrangements!

Barney and the Bumbo

So I felt the need to add some fun tunes so you could get the full affect! As I wrote before Bo loves music and who has better music than Barney! So in an attempt to keep him off the back of his head as much as possible I'm putting him in the Bumbo. We try to do it a few times a day for him to work and strengthen his neck muscles, I have to prop him up a little bit with a blanket and I usually sit next to him, but he gets bored with me after about 5 minutes. Apparently Barney is more entertaining than mom, so usually when I'm starting dinner I put on a show and he'll sit there... sometimes a good 20 mintues!! Of course then I end up walking around throughout the day singing these songs to myself, is that bad?? Oh well, right now my theory is whatever works!!! Not that it matters now, but hopefully he'll still be into Barney when he gets a little older and at least I can justify it by saying it IS educational and not just some mindless cartoon!

Here are some pics of him enjoying his show!

It's a little hard to see the TV from way down here on the floor!

Oh yeah, the ottoman is much better but need a little help here!

REALLY into this episode!

Forget the show...I have FEET!!!!!

Reflux Humor...

So as I'm trying to research reflux a little more to see what if anything we can do to help our little man, plus ourselves, I came across some "reflux humor". The past few weeks put the "newborn days" to shame! Who knew that was even possible! It's SO true...exactly what our days are like!

You know you're dealing with SEVERE acid reflux when…

Friends, relatives and strangers tell you, “She looks so healthy.” She doesn’t look sick”. You just nod and smile.

The pediatrician says, “All babies” cry, vomit and wake up at night. But your baby is inconsolable for hours at a time, vomits 30+ times a day and does not sleep more than an hour at a time.

Your husband, friends, neighbors and grandparents refuse to be left alone with your high-need baby. Those who do come to help never return after one day at your house.

You have a wonderfully strong back - from carrying the baby around all day.

You have to replace your washing machine - the old one blew up.

No need for home security devices - the place looks such a mess that burglars will think someone has beaten them to it.

No need for contraception (who are you again?).

New assertiveness skills - with four hours of sleep every night you become VERY assertive with repairmen, real estate agents and used car salesmen.

You have to buy a new car seat every few months because the old one reeks of vomit and special formula.

Your baby vomits so much she has ruined a chair and the new carpeting. You both run out of clean clothes by 10am each day.

You seek support/info on the internet. Most of the time, you don’t get a chance to log on until 11:30pm. Sometimes you hold the baby over your shoulder with one hand and hunt and peck with the other hand.

After caring for your inconsolable baby 24/7, you know why babies are shaken or worse by their parents.

You have taken multi-tasking to a new and dangerous level.

You always have a contingency plan.

Instead of reading, “What to Expect in the First Year”, your parent bookshelf contains: Physician Desk Reference, a good medical dictionary and the Merck Manual (physicians edition, not the home edition).

You keep meticulous records. You are sure your child’s food intake record contains clues for an effective weight loss plan. You plan to publish it, make a lot of money and appear on Oprah.

Your pediatric gastroenterologist carries your child’s records with him at all times. He tells you his vacation/leave plans before the front office staff.

You don’t have to “panic buy” before a snowstorm or hurricane. You learned a long time ago to be prepared for sudden illness, a trip to the hospital and being homebound for days or weeks at a time.

Your little gerdling has 50+ doctor/clinic appointments and 75+ prescription refills per year.

An overnight stay at the hospital feels like a mini vacation after managing your child’s illness at home. Reality sets in when you are discharged and resume your 24 hour duties as pediatrician, nurse, gastroenterologist, nutritionist, pharmacist, respiratory therapist, social worker, case manager, housekeeper, laundry aide, video changer on top of your other household/family duties. You envy the nurses who get to go home after a 12 hour shift.

You and your child have developed a special bond. You wonder if you would cherish life and your child if her chronic condition hadn’t forced you to spend so much time together.

You wonder if you would have learned to live in the present and appreciate the little things if your child didn’t have a chronic illness. You didn’t think your life would be like this. You have no regrets and wouldn’t change one little thing.

3 Months Old

I can't believe it but our little man is already 3 months old! He's gotten so big and grown so much. He's 14 pounds exactly! We have what we call "Happy Baby" and "Maniac Baby". When he's "happy baby" he loves to just sit and take it all in. He is VERY vocal... loves to squeal, coo, ooo and aaa. He loves music! Not that I want to plop my child in front of the tv, however... sometimes mommy needs a break to clean, cook dinner, laundry, etc... so I've learned to record Barney shows, he gets so excited when they sing, but when the song ends and talking begins...the fussing begins. Which brings me to "Maniac Baby"...Maniac baby is when he is absolutely unconsolable, screaming, squirming, kicking, etc...Who knew you could see a baby's tonsils without using a tongue depressor!

We do have a few updates...we visited the pediatrician today because I have officially reached my breaking point. Being at home all day with a screaming baby is absolutely, positively exhausting and I need HELP!! We decided to try increasing his dosage of prevacid, we are also going to try a different formula, and she also wants us to have an upper GI done to rule out any blockage. Then we had the dreaded discussion of his flat spot. Now that have you place your baby on their back to sleep they are prone to developing flat spots on the sides or back of their head. We have tried so hard to keep this from happening, however Bo doesn't always go along with it. When these flat spots develop many babies have to wear a special helmet to prevent any head deformities from occuring. So we are going to schedule an appointment to have him evaluated and see if this is something we will have to do. If so he would wear the helmet for hopefully just 6-8 weeks. It would have to stay on at all times, we could take it off for an hour to bathe him. We are really hoping this isn't something we are going to have to do...can you imagine making a colic baby even more upset??

Other than that we have a beautiful, healthy baby boy who is growing and changing every day. Every day there is a new discovery with him, a new sound, a new look, a new smile. Right now I am faced with very long, challenging, exhausting days, but I must say that I am so blessed to be able to stay home with him and enjoy seeing him grow.

March for Babies!

As most of you know my journey through pregnancy was not an easy one. On more than one occassion we thought Bo was going to make his grand entrance into the world earlier than he needed to. I was diagnosed with preeclampsia, which is pregnancy induced hypertension. I was in and out of the hospital for weeks before my doctor decided to admit me permanently until he was born. Not a fun month in the hospital, however this was for my safety and more importantly Baby Bo's. It was a balancing act of keeping mom safe, as well as keeping him in as long as they could to prevent him being born prematurely. We were so fortunate to make it to 37 weeks and were blessed with the gift of a healthy, beautiful baby boy.

I tell you this story because not everyone is as fortunate as Jarrod and I were. Two of my very dear friends had babies that were born prematurely. The good news is that they both were very strong fighters and are now beautiful, active little girls, however the struggle that they had to fight and the emotional journey their parents had to endure...I just can't imagine. Being a parent now my heart breaks when Bo cries because of a gassy tummy, I can't imagine having to leave him in the hospital to fight for his life.

Our friends John and Cheryl have a beautiful little girl Cameron, who was born two and a half months early. She weighed only 3 pounds 4 ounces and spent 9 weeks in the NICU. She is about to have her 3rd birthday and is so adorable!

Cameron at birth.

Cameron now with her baby sister.

Many of you know our dear friends Robin and Patrick Jordan. You may not know this but their daughter, Clare was also born early at 33 weeks. She weighed 5 pounds and spent 2 weeks in the NICU. Clare will be turning 8 this October and her "Aunt Casey" can attest that she is definitely a fun, lively, tough little girl.

Every year, half a million babies in the U.S. are born prematurely. Premature birth is the leading cause of newborn death and many life long disabilities. The funds raised in March for Babies support research that saves babies' lives. The mission of March of Dimes is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality.

Please join us in raising money to help support lifesaving research, services, education and advocacy that help babies get a healthy start. All you have to do is click on the March of Dimes link on the right side of my page. This will take you directly to Cameron's webpage with her story. Her mommy set the goal at $500, but I KNOW we can far exceed that amount. Every little bit helps! Thank you all so much!

Busy Weekend

So this past weekend was a much needed break from the total chaos we suffered last week. Just when I thought we were past the colic I think it came back for what I hope was it's grand finale! Bo had a really rough week, he would cry from 10am-11pm EVERY day! For those of you I talked to you know this, because we were trying to talk over a screaming baby, for those I didn't talk to...I like you better and wouldn't make you suffer through the terror!

Since we had a beautiful weekend here in TX...low 70's and not a cloud in the sky we decided to spend as much time outside as we could. I had to get outdoors for my sanity!

We finally bought a grill and new patio furniture so we can enjoy the great nights Austin has. Saturday night was our first night for Jarrod to play on the grill...

Bo also helped mom and dad in the yard, more "supervised" from his bouncy seat...

Daddy's Helper soon became more interested in his monkey and frog than the yard work...

Last but not least...Bo also had his frist trip to the park! We had a fun time on the hike and bike trails at a great park close to our house!

Not a big fan of the wind...