Saturday, February 27, 2010

One year ago....

Owen has started sitting in the walker. It won't be long before his lil tootsies can reach the floor! Please excuse the mess in the background....he was hanging out in his sister's room!

One year ago today I made my first entry in Owen's journal. Here is what I wrote:
"On Tuesday I took a home pregnancy test which showed a +! It was quickly confirmed on Thursday with a test at the hospital. What a FUN surprise :) I seem to be showing a lot earlier this time. My prediction is that this baby is due around the first week of November. It's hard to believe that another baby will be joining our family before the holidays! Emma is too young to understand, although I'm sure she will be a wonderful big sister!"
I kept journals for Emma for her first two years. It has been fun to look back. Sometimes I will randomly pick them up and flip to the same date of a previous year to see what she was doing! It truly is incredible how quickly they grow, laugh, learn to roll over, enjoy baby food, crawl, walk, sprint, say a word, make a sentence and so on. I look forward to filling the pages of Owen's journal(s) in the days and months to come....

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

My favorite son

Today was Owen's four month check up. He weighs 14 lbs 9 oz (50th percentile), is 24 inches long (10th percentile) and his head size is in the 97th percentile ~ just like his big sister's was (is)! My own professional stat opinion is that he is in the 100th percentile in the adorable boy category :)
Owen was such a well behaved boy for Dr Flippin. He smiled, "cooed" and batted his eyelashes...I sure wish he was a little more content like that at home! She prescribed Zantac for his reflux, so hopefully that will ease his stomach and make him a happy boy. She gave the go ahead for baby food....so I'm going to attempt to make some myself! I told her that he still wakes up 4-5 times during the night and she recommended letting him cry it out and assured me that he probably only needs to feed once over night. It absolutely breaks my heart to listen to him cry over the monitor but I know it is best to create those positive habits (routine) now!

Over the past few days Owen has seemed sick....cough, chest rattle, stuffy nose but NO fever! I was almost convinced that he had pneumonia like his sister....or RSV. Dr Flippin could hear the congestion but said that he was okay - praise the LORD! There's not much that can be done for infants - cool mist humidifier, elevate mattress, saline and suction the nose, steam shower and lots of love. Hopefully he will be better soon :)




Winter Wonderland

When we walked out of church on Sunday it felt like a Spring day (warm and sunny with a perfect breeze - 77 degrees). That, my friends, is perfect weather :) It's what Jarrod and I refer to as "Jamaica weather". What a huge forecast change we experienced yesterday!
As predicted, we received lots of precipitation. It started sleeting before the sun came up. Soon after I glanced outside and it was snowing....beautiful big white flakes! I felt as though we were back in Oklahoma! Emma was so excited. We hated to let her go play in it since she has been sick, but there's no way we couldn't let her go out for just a few minutes. After all, a snow like this only happens once every decade or so! Owen is also sick so we bundled him up and he only spent about 30 seconds outdoors for photos :)

Mommy & Owen

Our snowy house

Daddy & kiddos


Mommy & Emma


Daddy & Emma - notice the small snow woman they created!


Our snow Angel


Walking in a winter wonderland

In mid throw - snow ball fight

All bundled up!

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Four months old



Our little guy turned four months old this weekend! That's already a third of a year old! While it has gone by so fast, it feel as though he has been part of our family forever. We weighed him at Emma's dr appt on Fri and he weighed 14 lbs 9.5 oz. His check up is on Wed so we will find out his length and stats. He will also have to get a hand full of not-so-fun immunizations. He has just grown into size 2 diapers and fits perfectly into size 3 month clothes. He finally grew eye lashes and his "chicken legs" have now grown a little chunky....so cute!
We still double swaddle him at naps and night time. Although he is quickly outgrowing them, he almost always immediately falls asleep that way! He absoultely loves his big sister, being held, looking at himself in the mirror and kicking his feet in the bath water. He hates the car seat/car rides, his swing, pacifiers and tummy time.
On Jan 27th Owen slept in his big boy crib for the first time overnight. He generally wakes up an average of four times during the night. I can't remember what a full night's sleep feels like, but that's totally okay :) On Feb 9th he laughed for the first time (his daddy was tickling him). In fact, he did it twice in one day and hasn't done it again since! Right after that, he started experimenting with his cute voice. The first few times Emma said he sounded like a tiger ("Grrr..")
Owen's fingernails grow so fast and he almost constantly has scrapes on his forehead. I guess you could say he looks rough and tough like little boys should ;) He finally discovered that he can clasp his hands together but doesn't quite know how to reach for toys.
We have been adding some rice cereal to his last bottle of the day but he doesn't yet like it by spoon. Jarrod offered him mushed bananas yesterday at breakfast and he actually took a few bites! It's a little early for baby food but it's definietly evident that things are a little more laid back with the second child :)

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Emma to the ER


Emma has had a mild "normal" cough now for what seems like forever. You know, the one that all kids seem to pick up during the Winter time. On Tuesday night her sweet cheeks were especially rosy red. I took her temp as she was on the way out the door with her to daddy to a basketball game. It was around 99 but we didn't think much of it. She slept fine that night and on Wed we went about our normal routine...to Temple for dance, lunch and errands. That evening she started acting a bit lethargic and asked to go to bed at 6:45...most days she won't nap and even fights her 9pm bedtime! I felt that something might be wrong. On Thursday she was hot and cold. She would be pitiful and then would play hard...back and forth. That evening she again asked to go to bed a little early. Her temperature range was between 101-103.

An out-of-state two year old friend was in the hospital for a few days last week for pneumonia, so I may have been a little paranoid. I had that gut feeling that something was very wrong, so I did some online research about the illness. When I checked on her I felt like she was breathing more shallow and quickly than normal. Her heartbeat seemed too high and she was moaning off and on. Jarrod got home around 9 from a meeting and I shared my concerns. He went in to check on her and was also a bit distrubed. I decided to call the PAN to get a professional opinion. She asked a series of questions and finally consulted the on call doctor. She asked to listen to her breathe over the phone. Because of her wheezing, elevated pulse and other symptoms she recommended that we take her to the emergency room rather than wait to see the pedi the next morning.

This was a first for us. Having little brother in the mix made it a little tricky, but thank goodness for family living nearby! We grabbed the necessities, broke down the pack n play, filled a sippy cup, packed a bottle, counted diapers, scooped toiletries in a bag, packed extra outfits for everyone and out the door we went. We even managed to put Owen in his car seat still swaddled. I dropped Jarrod and Emma off at the ER and my dad met them there. I drove on to my parents' house to assemble the pack n play, feed Owen and get him settled. I felt bad for inconveniencing my parents since my dad was scheduled for knee surgery at 6:30 the next morning. I am eternally grateful for my mom and dad.
We were prepared to sit and wait for hours at the ER. To our amazement, they immediately took Emma back to a room and checked her out. I told the nurse it must be a slow night. She replied that they don't like to use the "S" word....instead, it just wansn't too busy! They took care of her so fast that I missed most of it. Less than an hour after dropping them off, Jarrod called with an update. She was diagnosed with pneumonia in one lung and was awaiting a strong antibiotic shot to get the healing process started with a boost. Her oxygen level was acceptable but a little low.

Upon my arrival back at the ER my dad was waiting for me in the lobby. He had a huge Dora Explorer sticker on his blue jacket! He headed home to get some rest before his surgery. As I headed back to room A11 I was so thankful that we live in a world where doctors, nurses, medicines and procedures are readily available to us. I knocked on the door and heard the sweetest little voice say "Come in!" Emma's face lit up and she was glad to see me! I must admit that it was a little scary to see her in a hospital bed with a monitor recording her oxygen level and pulse. She was very tired and eventually fell asleep holding her daddy's hand. They both had fun Spongebob stickers on their shirts. Emma noticed that I didn't have one and without hesitation, gave me one of hers.....what a sweetheart! While waiting for the pharmacy to mix her shot, we heard some comotion in the hallway. It was evident that a policeman was arresting a lady patient. She was trying to resist as he named off numerous warrants out for her arrest in a hand full of counties. She had been drinking and driving that night but was headed to spend the night in jail. Finally her shot was ready and Emma was NOT a fan! The nurse explained that it was an exceptionally painful shot, even for adults. Luckily they mix in a numbing aid for children. They warned us that her leg might be sore for a few days. After waiting for twenty minutes to ensure no allergic reaction, we were on our way back to my parents' house...but not without a 2am stop by Whataburger :)

The ER nurses suggested we take her for a follow up with her pedi the next day. We drove to Waco to see Dr Dewbre. Since the ER hadn't ordered xrays or blood work, she wanted to do that. Emma was perfect for the radiologist but didn't appreciate her middle finger being pricked for blood work. After, she held that middle finger up in the air for about 12 hrs! After reviewing the xrays and blood work, it was determined that the pneumonia was in both lungs and that her white blood count was a little high. She ordered TWO more of those painful antibiotic shots and prescribed an oral antibiotic that she started this morning. Emma had a rough day getting poked and looked at, so she got to choose where we went for lunch. She chose McDonalds and really wanted to play, but her legs her too bad and she couldn't walk :( I promised her we would go back when she started to feel better.
She rested on the couch last night and watched movies. She woke me up at 4am and wanted 7Up and told me all the things she wanted to do today (play dress up, play outside, watch her shows, play with her Little People, etc...) I am happy to report that she has been fever free all day and has playing like crazy!! God is so good....and I am thankful that he provides such wisdom to doctors. She dislikes taking her medicine and wants to leave her fancy pink hospital bracelet on!

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Valentines 2010

We had a great Valentines weekend! Last night Jarrod & I went to dinner and to see 'Dear John'. It was nice to share some adult time and uninterrupted conversation :) This is our 13th Valentine's Day together! Today we went to church, lunch and to visit Grandpa James (J's dad). This was week 2 out of 12 for our "More than Married" class at church. We are really enjoying it and have homework again this week! Owen went to the nursery last week but surprisingly slept in his car seat during class today! (side note: Last week the nursery workers said "he was very fussy, spit up a lot but was really cute". Yep, sounds like my boy!!)

Tonight for dinner we made a heart shaped pizza and chocolate fondue & dippers for dessert. We don't (yet) own a fondue set but we made it work!

J gave me a dozen BEAUTIFUL red roses on Fri. He and Emma received their "lovely" goodies tonight.

Do they look alike or what??!


Emma took this next photo:


Jarrod set up the following pic ~ he was being silly w/the rose!
Emma & Owen were invited to three Valentines parties last week! We enjoyed visiting with lots of friends! Emma exchanged Valentines at each of the parties. Hers were gummy bears and Teddy Grahams with a tag that read "Bear Hugs from Emma".
My smallest Valentines:

Monday, February 8, 2010

A weekend in pictures

We had a laid back weekend. On Friday morning Emma went to a fun Valentine party at her friend Ava's house. There were lots of fun activities there including story time, decorating Valentine mail boxes and cookies, games and more! We are looking forward to two more Vday parties toward the end of the week. Emma is such a party girl :) That night we cheered the Yoemen varsity soccer team on to a 4-1 victory over Robinson. Afterwards Jarrod took Emma to the basketball game while I headed to a girls' night in with my lil man in tow :) The mamas of the kiddos in our Cameron playgroup got together for some yummy snacks and a fun time!! I can't remember the last time I laughed so much. I have definitely met some great ladies here. Owen slept most of the time.

On Saturday morning the kids and I stayed home while Jarrod traveled to a coaching meeting in Austin. He returned home in the early afternoon and we were all lazy together. We rented the movie "Cloudy w/a chance of meatballs" which was really cute. Jarrod and Emma even got me an M&M blizzard while they were out getting it. Emma fell asleep during the movie.

On Sunday we started a a 12 week marriage class at church. It was the first time we left Owen in the nursery. All went well but the workers said "He was very fussy and spit up a lot. But he is so cute!" Yep, that's my lil guy! Our class went well.....we even have homework! Last night Jarrod cooked hamburgers outside on the grill. We played outside a little before the Superbowl started. I even got to run to the store for 15 mins all alone....which doesn't happen very often!

Enjoy some photos from our weekend:






Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Just another Wednesday....

On Wednesdays the kids and I always venture into Temple. Emma has dance, we usually meet "Big Daddy" for lunch and sometimes run errands. This morning it was cold and rainy. Emma decided to wear her rain boots with her tu tu - what an outfit!

Today was the last opportunity to watch through the window. From now until the big May recital, it is closed!! The routine is supposed to be a surprise :)

Here are some photos I snapped this AM: