Thursday, September 26, 2013

Jase’s 20th Week!!

September 19-25

Weight: Around 15.8 lbs…(we put him on the scale at the doctor’s office yesterday, but he had his onsie on so not sure how accurate that is)

Health: Whew!! WHAT a WEEK!

We had Jase’s follow-up appointment with his orthopedist on Thursday, 9/19 for them to take x-rays oh his hip. The ultrasound from Children’s Healthcare came back normal, but his x-ray showed he has a minor case of DDH.

Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip or DDH is generally the preferred term for babies and children with hip dysplasia since this condition can develop after birth. DDH is a medical term for general instability, or looseness, of the hip joint.  {source}

We can still hear some occasional clicking, and basically, it looks like this (only not quite to that extreme):

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Dr. Martin said it is only slight and the other side was perfect, so she is not too worried and feels he will grow out of it. We are going to watch it and go back every few months to make sure everything is developing normally so hopefully we can correct it before there are any issues. Trusting God to HEAL it completely so it doesn’t cause him any issues in the future!!

Typical boy- peed everywhere during his diaperless x-ray! Ha! But as usual, he melted the hearts of the doctor, nurse, x-ray tech, and a few patients waiting in the waiting room. Nothing like a smiling baby to brighten someone’s day! I LOVE that he brings a smile to the face of everyone who meets him and pray that’s a quality he continues to have as he grows up.

We were also RIGHT about him cutting teeth! Lil man had NOT one, but TWO little teefies break through! Both of his front, lower teeth are breaking through. His left one came in first, and right one just popped through also. That explains all the drool, chewing on EVERYTHING, snotty nose, strong urine, & not napping quite as soundly. He hasn’t really been too fussy- that child is one of the toughest lil dudes I’ve ever seen. BUT, I did hold him to sleep during one of his naps because I could tell he was in pain and I wanted him to be able to sleep.

This is pretty much how this convo/pic fest went down:

“Yoooooo Mom! Come here quick, I got a few things to show you.”

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“Guess who has a tooth?? ME! Yes, for real…ME! I know, I can’t believe it either.”

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“Can you see them if I smile real pretty?

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“How about now??”

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“Awww YEAAAAAAAAAA, I’m a big boy now wif my two teef!”

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We rescheduled his 4 month shots for Wednesday, 9/25. I debated about cancelling, but as Kelly pointed out, he’ll be teething for the next 2 years, so might as well knock it out. Plus, he didn’t have a temp or anything.  That meant yesterday our lil fella had 4 pokes and two new teeth….and he was STILL smiling and his normal happy self. He cried right as she was giving him the shots, but stopped immediately when she was done and I picked him up. (I wanted to leave & go to the restroom for these because I felt more emotional this time for some reason, but Jonathan wanted me to stay in there so I did. It wasn’t too terribly awful and I didn’t cry during his shots- although I did tear up all evening when I was holding him and talking to him about his shots.)

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I always nurse him immediately after because I know that’s a comfort for them. I did give him a dose of Infant’s Tylenol and gave him a warm bath and massaged his little shot spots on his legs. He seemed extra sleepy but didn’t want to be put down, so I snuggled him again and let him sleep on me. I’m all about him being in his own bed and no doubt he sleeps BEST there, but this is one instance when I will give him all the snuggles he wants!

DEFINITELY going to get some new vitamins per your awesome suggestions!

We also talked about introducing solids at his last appointment and Dr. Carey suggested that we could introduce cereal, but after reading Baby Led Weaning (thank you for the suggestion, Emily), it makes PERFECT SENSE to me to go this route. That means I will continue exclusively breastfeeding till 6 months, and then begin introducing some solids- real foods- to lil man. If you’ve never read about this method, I HIGHLY recommend looking into it. I am all about common sense approach, and to me this is such common sense.

Like I said, this was a tough week for us, but we can’t complain. Thankful he is healthy, growing, and happy. God is good!

Sleep:  He woke up once during the night a couple nights this week since he’s been teething, and naps have been a little tougher this week too. Keeping him on a schedule seems REALLY tough, but I’m doing my best because I know it’s best for him. I’ve turned my phone off and just held him for a couple of his naps so he’ll sleep….he really wants his mama right now

Started using Nighttime size 3 diapers as he keeps peeing through his and soaking his sheet.

Nursing: Supply seems to have picked back up this week, so I’ve backed off on the tea and supplements. I’ve been giving him pumped bottles some though because his teeth seem to bother him when he’s nursing. He’s definitely eating slower with the bottle too than normal, but doesn’t pull off as much. He REALLY hates to nurse under the nursing cover! I think he just likes to see what’s going on. I tried nursing him at a Ladies’ dinner at church this week (using the cover), but he just wasn’t having it.

Still eating at 8, 11:30, 3, 6, & 9:30ish…

What Jase is up to:

Little booger is SO ready to roll over from back to front…

We went attempted yard saling with Melissa & Hollis on Friday, but that was pretty much a disaster. It was HOT, they were BOTH sweating, teething, and both missing their naps. Jase hasn’t missed many naps, so it wasn’t pretty. I tried to hurry over there, but with only an hour & 45 min awake time (& 45 min of that spent eating, another 10 to pack up, and 15+ min of driving & getting lost in her neighborhood, that put us right at his nap time). I can imagine we were probably quite the sight….totally twinning (grey t-shirts, same black workout pants, same ponytails, same strollers) with two crying babies as we walked around, boob sweat in all its glory. Good times! The babies did have a few minutes of fun before our walk though. Hollis was REALLY trying to get some lovin, but Jase was only interested in playing with her ball. Such a boy, and OH how that’ll change some day!!  Loved seeing beautiful Hollis- she is such a little doll. And Melissa is such a great example of a Mama who truly soaks up and appreciates every moment. Plus, she is just one of those people you LOVE to be around. We definitely missed Larissa and Sophia though…

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Friday night, Jonathan’s parents and sister kept Jase for us for a little while. He thinks his Aunt Jade is HILARIOUS and I LOVED this sweet video of him laughing!!

Doing push-ups in his crib…

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And completely obsessed with books!

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Saturday was hands down THE SCARIEST moment of my life as a mom thus far. Jonathan was giving Jase a bath, and I wanted to give him his yucky vitamins while he was in the tub so we could hopefully scrub off the smell. I wasn’t thinking (this is 100% MY FAULT and I definitely learned a lesson)…and put the syringe in Jase’s mouth (1/4 of a dose) while Jonathan was holding him up washing his back. The way he was positioned made it difficult for him to swallow because he wasn’t on his back or sitting upright, and Jase began choking on the vitamins. Choking as in couldn’t breathe, couldn’t cough, was turning red. My heart STOPPED. I don’t know how long it actually was, but it felt like 5 minutes. (Crying as I’m typing this….) I immediately told Jon he was choking and picked him up, put him at an angle on his tummy with his head toward the ground and began patting his back. I told Jonathan to run and get the aspirator (thankfully remembered Laura telling me to use this when they get choked) while I was trying to get him to start coughing. We sat him back up and started trying to suck the junk out of his throat with the aspirator, and it took a few tries. Jonathan was WAY calmer than me- I was freaking the heck out, shaking, and told him to call 911. It took longer than I would have liked for him to catch his breath, but finally he started coughing, even though we could hear he still had some junk in there and it took a good 5 min or so for him to be totally back to normal.  That tough little booger didn’t even cry, but his mama sure did!! I felt AWFUL and it seriously scared me beyond words. We decided to take Infant CPR ASAP. I have been CPR certified before, but definitely need a refresher course. It’s way tougher not to freak out when it’s your own child, and choking is SCARY. I know I hugged him a lot tighter for the next few days, & am so thankful Jon was so calm and handled it so well. I was a hot mess for the next few hours. Definitely a learning

Sunday (9/22) I felt that tooth break through!! I try not to put my hands in his mouth, even if they’re clean because I know we can have dirt and bacteria under our nails.

Lookin FRESH in his church clothes. Is he not such a big boy??

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Seriously, STOP it.

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Sunday night at church, Jase was getting’ DOWN during the music! LOVED it and was bouncing around like crazy. But the clapping scared the poo out him! Ha!

Jase is such a Daddy’s Boy…I seriously cannot get OVER how much he LOOOOOOVES Jonathan! He follows him with his eyes everywhere Jonathan goes and his eyes light up anytime he sees him. It is PRECIOUS! He smiles EVERY time Jonathan talks to him, and I love watching Jon be his Daddy.  They are adorable together. I’ve never seen a man (except Lowell- he loves some babies too!) who is this in love with a baby. It MELTS MY HEART every time.

Baby Gear: jogging stroller,  Little Noses Saline Spray, Angel Care monitor, thermometer & petroleum jelly, overnight diapers,

Post-Partum: We had a Hope Crusade this week at church (like a revival) and it is EXACTLY what my heart needed! God is so good and it’s been a JOY to see so many give their life to Him this week. And a great reminder for me. More important than any schedule, when I start solids, or how many books I read to him is the example I AM SETTING for him in my own walk.

Haven’t worked out physically, but spiritually I feel renewed and refreshed…and that is absolutely most important. When that is in line, everything else tends to fall into place better too.

Thoughts: This has been quite an emotional week for me as a Mama and made me count my blessings even more. We are incredibly blessed and Jonathan and I look at one another at least once a day in awe of this perfect little being we created. Perfect as in THE perfect fit for our family. I am so overwhelmed that God chose me to be Jase’s mommy, and all I can do is praise HIM for that and let Jase know how proud I am to be his mom. He gets told that about 8,000 times a day with his 8,000 kisses…

Soaking up every minute with our precious little guy!

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Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Make Your Bed: A Lesson in Discipline

I think most people will agree with me that we live in a society that lacks discipline.
If you don’t agree, take a look at New Year’s Resolutions for the last few years. We start a new “diet,” exercise regimen, reading our Bible daily, journaling, etc., and a few weeks later….done-zo. I know discipline and consistency are two things I have to really work on in my own life. It takes a lot of focus, energy, and intentional effort to be disciplined.

One of the most SIMPLE pieces of advice shared was to “Make your bed.”
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Every day.
No excuses.
This one small habit can lead to you being a more disciplined person overall, and that carries over into other areas of your life. (And surely we can all agree that a room looks SO MUCH CLEANER when the bed is made anyway, right?)
If you’re looking to improve your self- discipline in ANY area in your life, start by making your bed daily. This is something I have started doing again consistently (I was such a freak about this when I was younger & had some OCD tendencies), and I am amazed at how it has helped me become more consistent & disciplined in other areas. Even in my Bible study. It’s crazy how two seemingly unrelated things can affect one another.
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Here are a few other notes I jotted down as the speaker was sharing:
  • Focus on the things you can control every day.
  • The less room you make for excuses, the more room you make for opportunity.
  • Goals are a responsibility; NOT an option.
  • One of your biggest enemies in life is distractions/interruptions.
  • It takes 21 days to change a habit.
  • When you wake up, GET up.
  • Get a reading chair & read for 15 minutes every day.
  • Your life, your income, and your results are determined by the way you manage your time.
  • Plan your time strategically to give you the highest return on your energy.

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I’ll be the first to admit I get sucked into thinking I am being productive when in reality I am wasting time. I don’t watch t.v., but I do spend a lot of time looking through social media, reading blogs, etc. I need to be more mindful of that and make PRODUCTIVE use of my time daily- especially because I want to set that example for Jase.
Plus, I know that honors God.
Jonathan was telling me that one of his mentors/Bible study leaders was sharing with him the other day about how we are called to give 1/10th. We are called to give one tenth of our finances (that’s another blog post for another time), but that also means we are called to give back to God 1/10th of our TIME. He & I realized we are not giving God a tenth of our day & that is something we are both striving to improve…
Check out these Scriptures about discipline, and if you haven’t already, go make your bed. Smile
For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. – Hebrews 12:11
A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls. – Proverbs 25:28
But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. – 1 Corinthians 9:27
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.  - Galatians 5:22-23
For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. – 2 Timothy 1:7

Monday, September 23, 2013

Jase is 19 Weeks!!

Sept 12- Sept 18

These posts are more for me than anything….so I can look back with future kiddos and remember what was going on each week.  I feel like I am already forgetting things, so I know I’ll look back and be so happy I have all these sweet details documented. I love having the pictures to go with it too. Can’t believe how quickly time is flying & how fast our little man is growing up!

Weight: 15 lbs, a little closer to 16, and looking LONG as ever! He has skinny little legs and a cute little pot belly. I can’t tell if he has a longer torso or longer legs- he’s just long in general. And he’s got some HUGE feet!

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Health: We decided to wait on his 4 month shots because of his fever, and he had a major snotty nose this week. It was really crusty Thursday and Friday when he woke up from his naps, and his stuffy nose made it tough for him to eat. Lots of Saline drops and using the aspirator. I noticed one morning that his urine smelled unusually strong (like he had SOAKED his diaper with pee, but it wasn’t any more pee than normal), so I did what any great parent does- GOOGLED IT. I read it could be a number of things (was mostly worried about the possibility of a UTI), so I decided to call the nurse’s hotline to ask about it. We determined it could have been from me eating fish the night before or from introducing him to vitamins, but because he didn’t really have any other symptoms, she didn’t seem too worried about it and told me to keep an eye on him.

One of the posts in a parenting forum was a mom saying that her children’s urine smelled strong and they developed a runny nose right before cutting teeth. My mom swore that’s what she thought was going on too (and I thought may be a possibility), but the pediatrician said they typically don’t see teeth till 6-9 months. Guess we’ll see?

It’s tough to tell if something is bothering him because he rarely cries or fusses. He’s such a content little guy!

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He’s only thrown up like 3-4 times ever, but he threw up one morning this week. Lil piggy scarfed down his breakfast & I guess it made him sick. Is it really gross that I took a picture of it?? (I’m losing all sense of what’s okay to photograph and what’s not okay! Ha!)

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We started vitamins this week, & shewww-weeee they smell yuck! He makes an awful face & then smells like his vitamins the rest of the day. I may try a different kind Larissa & Laura suggested…

Drooling like crazy & chewing on EVERYTHING!!

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Starting to get some hair, but still rockin a SWEET patch on the back! (Haha, it’s hilarious….thank goodness this lil angel baby is BEAUTIFUL cuz his hairdo is pretty whack!)

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And this little monkey gets up on all fours in his crib and acts like he wants to CRAWL!! WAY too early for that….

“Oh hey, Mom!….This isn’t what it looks like- promise!” (Check out all that drool! Poor kid sleeps in a puddle.)

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Sleep: He’s slept through the night most nights, but woke up 1-2 nights because he’s not feeling well. His naps have been decent. He’s in the bed and not crying during them, but isn’t sleeping solid through them like he was. That 4:30 nap is a doozie- gets us every time and he wakes up 45 minutes into it and doesn’t go back to sleep.

Looks like a little alien on the monitor. Supposed to be sleeping….but just chillin!

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Starting to suck his thumb while he’s sleeping…

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And still moving around like a wild man!

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Nursing: Going better. Supply seems to have picked back up this week. Still taking the supplements and drinking the tea every day.

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Still eating at 8, 11:30, 3, 6, & 9:30ish…

And it takes about 20-30 minutes for him to eat. And we BOTH dislike using the nursing cover, even though it’s very handy.

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What Jase is up to:

Awake time is now closer to an hour and 45 minutes…but if we go over that he gets a little grumpy. Loving hanging out with Grammy & Grandaddy!

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Holding his own bottle some…

We had dinner with Grandma & Grandpa (Jon’s parents) & Aunt Jade.

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There is still lots of laughing, smiling, and talking going on! ESPECIALLY when Daddy gets home!! Seriously, watching these two together MELTS.MY.HEART!! You can just SEE how much they love each other and it is absolutely precious.

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Loving going on walks in the stroller now that it’s cooling off. Whew! It feels AWESOME outside!! And we love being able to walk to the lake. There are some gorgeous views in our neighborhood.

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Speaking of….He LOVES to be outside!! We like to sit on the porch while I read to him….

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SUCH a loving little man!! He is all about some kisses from mom & dad!!

This child LOVES some kisses!!!

Baby Gear: jogging stroller, thermometer & aspirator, Enfamil Poly-vi-Sol vitamins, Angel Care monitor, lactation support tea

Post-Partum: I had a few grumpy days this week. Hormones, maybe??

Thoughts: My love for this sweet little angel grows every day!!