Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Count your many blessings...

This week I have been reminded of a hymn we sang as a child. "Count your many blessings, count them one by one. COunt your many blessings, see what God has done..." When Lennon became sick Sunday night/Monday morning, I was feeling pretty sorry for my little guy and pretty sorry for myself. I hated that he was sick and I hated that he kept me up all night. I cried with him as I held him and rocked him trying to find something to soothe the discomfort of his ear infection. I had another pity party as I drove to Children’s Hospital to take him to his first breathing treatment and then the subsequent breathing treatments. On Monday evening I saw a FaceBook post from a friend. Not someone I even know very well, but a sweet girl I am glad to count as a friend nonetheless. She too is a young mother with a sick baby. But her sick baby isn’t getting better. This morning Lennon was wriggling out of my arms when we got to daycare so that he could go play. He felt good. When I visited them at the hospital last night, I was humbled by the way this young mother, who has to be absolutely terrified on the inside, bravely asked the questions that needed answered, learned how to vent his feeding tube, and comforted her precious baby boy. Her “gift from God.” As I watched that sweet tiny baby smile and play with his toys, I was reminded how thankful I should be. I have been blessed beyond measure. I ask that today, as you go about your plans and your routine, that you take minute to send some prayers, some good thoughts, and some well wishes up for this sweet baby and his brave little mama!

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

The Sickly

So I was really hoping that we could make it to Lennon's first birthday without ever needing antibiotics, but we didn't. Ever since we started day care he has had the tale-tell snotty nose of day care, but it just wasn't getting better and he was running a low grade fever off and on. We tried all the safe homeopathic remedies to no avail. Finally the straw broke the camel's back on Sunday night when he woke up screaming around 3am and screamed straight on through til daylight. Nothing could soothe him. So we went to see Dr Bishoff on Monday and it turns out that the little guy not only has a double ear infection, but also bronchitis. He has had 2 nebulizer treatments and 3 doses of sickeningly sweet pink amoxocillin and he seems to be on the mend. I stayed home from work again today to give him some more snuggles and peaceful naps and then its back to the grindstone tomorrow.

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Ch ch ch changes...

Okay, so I have been a bad blogger-put me in the corner and threaten to send me to bed with no dinner-but now I’m baaaaaack. So since we chatted last, Lennon has had his 9 month well-baby check up. He weighed in at 22 pounds and 9 ounces. He was 34 inches long. I am sure he has grown some since then, but at that time he was in the 41st percentile for weight and in the 97th percentile for height. I look at him in awe trying to remember days I swore I would never forget. He was once so tiny and new and fragile. Everyone warned me how quickly those days would pass, but I never believed it. I was not going to forget every sound he made, every baby scent, every sleepless night. But I have. Not all of them, but there are several days and even weeks that I can’t remember. He is now a mobile, tough little guy, full of personality. He LOVES to make us laugh- and he’s pretty good at it too.

For days I kept telling Josh that I could feel his teeth coming nearer to the gums. For whatever reason, Lennon won’t let Josh put his fingers in his mouth to check it out. I kept feeling around and insisting that those little sharp points had forced their way through his gums. Finally, while playing with a metal spoon, I heard the little “tink” of sharp teeth and knew they finally had. Lennon is the new owner of both his bottom front teeth now joined by his upper right tooth. Now my kiddo can really do some damage.

About a week ago, I ordered a mei tai baby carrier off ebay. I LOVE it. Lennon does too! It is great because I can carry him in the front if he is sleepy/sleeping, on my hip, or on my back. I can’t wait to use it this spring/summer for walks, short hikes, trips to the farmer’s market, the zoo, and the aquarium. One of the best baby purchases I have ever made. I also re-stocked our cloth diaper stash. Before Lennon was born and Josh and I decided we wanted to cloth diaper, I bought tons of various styles to try out. All used and at bargain prices. When we were diapering a newborn, I preferred prefold or flat diapers (think what your grandma would have used) closed with a snappi (diaper pins with out being so “pokey”) and a PUL or wool cover over them (upgraded rubber pants). There were a few fitted diapers that were so cute that we also used. When he was an older baby, we used a pocket diapering system. They were easy to use. Went on and off with Velcro and worked much like disposables. As we are nearing toddler-hood (I cannot believe my baby is nearing the toddler stage), the pockets just don’t do the job for my heavy wetter. It is nearly impossible to properly fasten a prefold or flat diaper around a squirming 10 month old, so we have found mad love for fitted diapers. My favorites are really soft microfiber velour with velcro closures. The really work just like a disposable. Then slip on a water proof cover (I am seriously thinking about dusting off the sewing machine to make some of my own) in a cute print and away we go. Simple. For less than $75, Lennon is diapered until potty training! Beats the heck out of $7-10 a week for the cheapest sposies!

Okay, now for some even bigger news than teeth, baby carriers, and diapers. Josh got a new job! This is good news. Yesterday I spent the day scouring the web for daycare reviews. Trying to find a place that had an immediate opening for a 10 month old. I found one. It is almost exactly halfway in between home and work for Josh and I. It reminds me a bit of the daycare I went to as a child. I took Lennon in and sat in the floor of his new classroom with him and a few other kiddos and played. He never would let go of me. He would play with a new friend, Ty, all the while holding onto my shirt with his left hand. He never cracked single smile the whole time we were there. I know I am being a little dramatic about this. I know I am that mom, but this is hard. I am watching him play in the living room floor and wishing I could somehow prepare him for the fact that his world is about to turn upside down. All the days he has spent at home playing with Daddy are coming to an abrupt end. He will now be sharing the attention of 3 adults with 6 other children. He will learn to nap in a crib with noise all around him and overhead lights above him. It is going to be a rough week. I think that tomorrow we will have a test drive. I will take him to daycare in the morning on my way in to work and Josh will pick him up around noon. It will only be about a three hour stay. I don’t know if the little guy is capable of comprehending this yet, but I am hoping that he will realize quickly that just because we leave him there, we will return to pick him up. The truth is, I am sure Lennon will adjust quicker and easier that Josh and I will.