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...

A good laugh!

"High Need"

Well, today is Tuesday and I am just now able to post from this weekend. Bo is asleep in the kitchen sitting in his bouncy sleep where I left him about 20 minutes ago. He was helping with dinner and got bored, so I'm able to break away for a few minutes. It's amazing where you'll leave your little one once they fall asleep...kitchen, bathroom, car seat, front porch (while you're working in the yard)...checking on them periodically of course, mom and dad don't freak out!! Anything just to grab a few minutes for yourself to eat lunch, check emails, return phone calls, I would say clean the shower, but these days I'm lucky to get a shower much less clean one!

For those who haven't met Bo, he is not a "hands off" baby and he's now at the age he's awake a good portion of the day! You mothers who have babies that will sit for hours in their bouncy seat, swing, bumbo (more on that in a minute), or any other contraption that you can find consider yourself lucky. My child is not one of those! Nope...mine is high maintenance, yes I said it and I know what you are all thinking so go ahead..."I wonder where he gets that from???" I came across a mom's group the other day for "High Need, Fussy Babies". I love how they make it sound so sweet and innocent..."come have fun and get support from moms with other fussy babies". No thank you...the last thing I want is a play date with a room filled with other "fussy" babies, I can stay home for that!!! I don't know why they don't call it what it really is..."Moms of high maintenance, constantly needing to be entertained, held, carried, talked to, smiled at, sung to and if not I will scream so loud they hear me on Pluto, Babies".

I swear we go every other day to Babies R Us to purchase what we hope will be the "magic gadget"! Our family room could serve as an entire section of a toystore. We have things that swing, bounce, vibrate, jump, sway, light up, play music, play "nature" sounds, you name it we have it! Saturday we ventured out and bought a Bumbo! For those of you who don't know what this is, it's a seat where even if your child can't sit up on their own they can sit in this, they just have to be able to hold up their head. So I'm thinking well he likes to sit up, look around, and be held what a great idea! We get it home and 10 minutes into it he's smiling, happy as can be, 5 more minutes...screaming at the top of his lungs! So...we're back to the drawing board!

You know, I figure that the day will come soon enough where he doesn't want to be held by mom, snuggled with, or sung to, so when my back is killing me and I'm exhausted I try to remind myself of this and enjoy these days while I have them!

Out to dinner with Mom and Dad Friday Night!

One of my favorites...Maddie thinks toys that make noises are hers!

The Bumbo...Pre-Meltdown!

Before I was a mom...

So you would think that yesterday's poop incident would have been enough for the week. Guess again...today was the day to cover mommy in spit up. Actually spit up doesn't quite do it justice, it was more projectile vomit (I promise my posts will not always be about my son's bodily functions). Of course I had just gotten dressed and we were headed out the door and surprise! I tell you this story because the past two days have reminded me of something a friend sent to me shortly after Bo was born. It absolutely touched my heart. I'm realizing that through my daily adventures of mommyhood that these are all things...the poop, the spit up, the sleepless nights, that I will forever treasure and love. Here is a copy for you to enjoy!

Before I was a Mom I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.

I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.

I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom -I had never been puked on.

Pooped on.

Chewed on.

Peed on.

I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts.

I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom I never held down a screaming child so doctors could do tests. Or give shots.

I never looked into teary eyes and cried.

I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.

I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put her down.

I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt.

I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.

I never knew that I could love someone so much.

I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom -I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.

I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.

I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child.

I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom -I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.

I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache, the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.

I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much, before I was a Mom.

You're going to hang me from the what?????

Yes, today we decided to hang our child from the doorway! We all remember our Johnny Jump Ups, well maybe we don't remember them, but we all know we had one. I couldn't believe it when I saw that they still made them, I had to get one. It's going to take a little while to get used to, but I think it may be a hit!

"Are you aware you're hanging me from the door?!?"

"Are you sure this thing is secure?"

"How do you steer this thing?"

"Not too bad when you stop spinning."

"Okay enough fun for the day, you guys can come get me now!!!"