Randomness

Every once in a while you just need to right about the random thoughts that pop into your head. Today is one of those days. I'm currently sitting in the car, waiting to pick Ryan up from preschool, and Patrick is currently sleeping in the back (woohoo).

* I don't think there is anything more comfortable than a big comfy bed to a mother with a newborn. Every time I get into bed its like being soaked up in a big fluffy cloud. Normally I'm someone who struggles to fall asleep, but since sleep is very limited and precious these days, I can literally fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow. I am in love with my bed, pillows, and sheets and I appreciate every minute I get to spend with them!

* I'm in vacation planning mode. It's kind of random since I have a baby and its not a good time to actually travel, but I'm kind of obsessed with planning and dreaming about future trips. So far Disney is booked for October and a girls trip is planned (will be booked soon) for August! Also on the list for things I want to do in the next couple of years: all inclusive with Mike, a group family trip with all of our friends and their kids, a ski trip (bringing grandparents for help with child care), and maybe a couples trip-we discussed maybe Nashville. That's a pretty long dream list, but I'm gonna make it happen :)

*Breastfeeding is a lot of work! I knew this already but I'm remembering how difficult it can be. It definitely doesn't come easy to me. There are a million reasons to quit: someone can help me in the middle of the night, babysitters would be easier, I wouldn't be worrying about getting enough calories, drinking enough water, and eating the right foods so that it affects my milk supply, and pumping wouldn't be a daily conversation. The days are 100% revolving around Patrick's eating schedule. I wish I just had big boobs filled with milk so that nursing and pumping was easier.

BUT I know it's all worth it! There are just as many reasons to keep it up, and keep nursing as long as possible.

* Mike is in full swing with his new job and trainings. I know he is super excited, but I'm also a bit nervous. He leaves by 7am and has not been home before 7pm yet, and he has many nights away overnight. It leaves a lot of time with me home alone with the kids. Maybe when he gets into a better routine, he will find a way to be home a little more often. Fingers crossed... I'm hoping this is a positive new opportunity for him!

* Valentines Day just passed and it got me thinking. After you have kids it's expected that things change... Like celebrating little holidays and anniversaries are suppose to become a thing from "before kids". But I don't want to fall into that trap. I want to keep the romance alive (lol I am actually laughing at myself as I type that). Anyway I have heard it all, Valentines Day is a forced holiday and New Year's Eve is amateur night for single people. But I have decided to think about it differently. Valentine's Day is a great opportunity to show your hubby that even with young kids, you still love them and want to spend some adult time together. For New Year's Eve, lets celebrate all the great things that happened that year and look forward to all the new adventures of the upcoming year. You get my point. I think celebrating the little things is even more important now that we have a family. We need it to help maintain our marriage and our adult friendships. It might take a little more work and planning, and we might be tired the next day from staying up too late, but hey it's worth the effort!













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Finished Home Reno (almost)

We finally finished the renovations going on downstairs.  It went from a 4 day project to a 11 day project, and that was with Mike, my dad, and my father in law working on it almost all day every day.  It was a nightmare for me and the two kids.  I thought Mike and I would kill each other.  I would get out of the house as soon as I could in the am, and come back as late as I could at night... I was not comfortable living in my own home.  The house was sooo dusty, it was cold, there were no floors, and it there was junk for Ryan to get into all over the place.  Each step of the project had a delay.  The floors didn't come up easy, the new wood floors were delayed in their arrival, the electric work was complicated... all normal renovation complications, but I didn't have any time for this!

Add to the chaos, this was the week we ended up in the hospital with Patrick and we had 2 snow storms.  What the Hell!  I feel like the big man above was playing games with me.  When we left for the hospital on Friday 1/31 the house was a disaster... still no floors, still a dirty mess, a work in progress, a construction zone.  While I stayed at the hospital I told Mike that I didn't care what he had to do... make sure my house was put back together by time we were discharged!  And he did.  Just in time.  He finished the house on Sunday 2/2, Super Bowl Sunday, the day before starting his new job.

Anyway, it is now done and looks beautiful.  We still have a few things to finish.  He needs to caulk and touch up the crown and base board moldings, and I need to decorate (new rugs, re-finish our lamps, wall decor, throw pillows, etc), but at least it is a livable space.  The rest I can do over time.  Here are some pictures:

Our general goal was for a lighter, more coastal/beach feel.  Before we had a lot of brown, reds, golds (almost a wine theme) but it was starting to feel a bit dark and yellow.  So I wanted more neutral and light.  We plan to add blues, greens, and coral colors as the accents and use accessories like  light houses, coral, sailboats to make it feel "coastal".

Kitchen:
We painted the walls, got a new stove, changed the light fixture, added a shelf, and got new hardware on the pantry door. 

Before-

 After-

Dining Area:

The wood floors covered this area, new curtains.  Eventually we will have new area rugs, a new light fixture, and cushions for the chairs. 

Before-

After-

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Living Room:

New wood floors, new light over the couch, new crown and baseboard molding, new hardware on all doors, painted exterior front door and new curtains.  Still to come is the rest of the decor and the touch up of the moldings.

Before-

After-

 

So what do you think!  Definitely some work to do... but its coming along.  The best part- we can live and play in it!!  Woo hoo!

1 month update

February 3rd has come and gone, and it was another snowy day in the hospital just like the day he was born. So I'm behind on 1 month pictures and an update because I'm just trying to get back to life.

Some of this update will be very similar to the 3 week post, but when I look back on Ryan's monthly updates I kind if wish I was more specific with what he was like and what our days were like.

- weight10 lb 2 oz (at 6 weeks)
- we are just transitioning into size 1 diapers and 0-3 month clothes.
- some moments Patrick is very happy and content, and other days he is super cranky. I haven't figured out his personality or demeanor yet.
- I'm trying to work on a little routine. He was eating on demand but just this week I started to push him up to more of a 2-3 hour feeding schedule during the day.
- He still cluster feeds from 5-8
- Bedtime is normally between 8-9 pm. I change him, swaddle him tight, and nurse one more time. Once he is sleeping, we get one good stretch... Til anytime between 12-3. After that he is up every 2-3 hours. Luckily, normally he is only awake about 20-30 minutes. Quick diaper change and eat and then he is back to sleep.
- He is still on the fence about a pacifier. He doesn't really like it, but I think he really wants one. I know sucking soothes him, which is why he wants to nurse so much, but I need to find something else that will work.
- My kids don't like the swing haha! Patrick, just like Ryan, isn't digging it. He likes to be held all the time. If he falls asleep in our arms, he wakes up as soon as we lay him down. Unfortunately we haven't found anything that soothes him to sleep (the swing or car or rocking chair thing). So we spend a lot of time walking around the house, bouncing him in my arms.
- Sometimes he likes my sling baby carrier. But again only if I'm moving. But I'm gonna try to keep doing the sling or moby wrap because I need my arms to function and to work with/play with Ryan.
- The car is not currently his favorite. Actually right now Patrick hates the car. Most car rides he screams, normally because he is tired and just won't fall asleep. I'm hoping and praying this changes. The car was my chance at a good long nap when Ryan was this age.
-He started really smiling at us, his eyes follow us as we move around the room, and he is cooing.  He is already very vocal and "talks" to us when we are talking to him.  Its very cute.
-He is very strong and can lift his head and look all around the room during tummy time.


Some mommy updates-
I'm doing pretty good. The last 2 weeks were hard, very hard... And I had my times where my emotions got the best of me. But today is a good day.
-my stitches area is better but still sore. I went for an early check up because I can tell it's still swollen and healing slowly.
- next week is my 6 week postpartum visit and I have a feeling I won't be cleared just yet
- nursing is going really well! And pumping is better. Today I skipped a feeding (yay for going out to brunch with my girls) and I left a 4 oz bottle of BM and when I got home I pumped exactly 4 oz. so I was pretty much right on target.
- I'm trying really hard to be more relaxed, go with the flow, and know that this stage goes super fast. I know there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
- wish me luck the next two weeks when mike is away training for his new job!

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Location:1 month update

5 days in the Hospital

Last week we had our first scary experience with Patrick. He was sick and at Jersey Shore Hospital for 5 days (4 nights) with RSV. Here is the story...

The week before Ryan was pretty sick. He had a bad cough, non stop runny nose, and was super cranky. We took him to the pediatrician on Friday 1/24 and were told it was either a virus or allergies and we just had to get plenty of rest and wait it out. Then on Tuesday both Patrick and I started with a runny nose and a cough. It didn't help that we were still living in a construction zone at this time. I kept blaming the coughs on living in a dusty house.

On wednesday I toon Patrick to the pediatrician to check in the cough. Unfortunately, my normal doctor was not there and we had to see his affiliate. She told us he was fine and there was not much we could do. She did give me some symptoms to watch for in case it didn't get better. By Friday 1/30, I was feeling better, but Patrick was getting worse.

At about noon, I was changing Patricks diaper and I immediately knew something was wrong. His ribs were being sucked in really far with each breathe and he seemed to be gasping. I watched him for a few more minutes and saw he looked pale, lethargic, and was coughing a lot. I immediately took him to the dr. I called ahead, but pretty much just showed up. The pediatrician did a quick exam and recommended we head up to Jersey Shore.


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5 days in the Hospital

Last week we had our first scary experience with Patrick. He was sick and at Jersey Shore Hospital for 5 days (4 nights) with RSV. Here is the story...

The week before Ryan was pretty sick. He had a bad cough, non stop runny nose, and was super cranky. We took him to the pediatrician on Friday 1/24 and were told it was either a virus or allergies and we just had to get plenty of rest and wait it out. Then on Tuesday both Patrick and I started with a runny nose and a cough. It didn't help that we were still living in a construction zone at this time. I kept blaming the coughs on living in a dusty house.

On Wednesday I took Patrick to the pediatrician to check on the cough. Unfortunately, my normal doctor was not there and we had to see his affiliate. She told us he was fine and there was not much we could do. She did give me some symptoms to watch for in case it didn't get better. By Friday 1/30, I was feeling better, but Patrick was getting worse.

At about noon, I was changing Patrick's diaper and I immediately knew something was wrong. His ribs were being sucked in really far with each breathe and he seemed to be gasping. I watched him for a few more minutes and saw he looked pale, lethargic, and was coughing a lot. I immediately took him to the dr. I called ahead, but pretty much just showed up. The pediatrician did a quick exam and recommended we head up to Jersey Shore. He also suggested we pack an overnight bag because we might get admitted.

Well he was right. We were in the hospital about a 1/2 hour before they decided Patrick needed to stay. They did a few tests and confirmed he had RSV. His oxygen levels were low, mild fever, and retractions (the term got the fact that his ribs were tugged in with each breath). That was enough to confirm he needed to be in the hospital, get treatments and have constant medical observation.

Over the course if the next several days, his oxygen and respiration was constantly monitored, he had breathing treatments every 4 hours, he had saline nose treatments, and for 12 hours he was on oxygen support. I was able to nurse him a lot, so we avoided needing an IV.

I stayed with him every second of the entire stay. One of the positive parts was lots and lots of cuddle time. But it was hard, long sleepless nights, hospital food, limited showers, and pretty lonely. I was very relieved, and scared, to be discharged on Tuesday.

Since we have been home, he seems better each day. The coughing, congestion, grunting (his way of clearing his throat) continue, but that's suppose to last a couple of weeks.

We are grateful to be home and getting healthy!













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