Cream of Potato Soup

We had a pretty good weekend, aside from the heat and humidity. Luckily, both of our family picnics were right on the lake, and we could take advantage of the water. Evan loved the beach and the creek--he seems to be getting braver around water, which is both exciting and scary for me. He went as far out as he could go in the lake, until he had to bounce up and down to keep his head above water. And in the creek, he just boldly walked out to the middle where my brothers were, even though he had no idea how deep it was or what was in the water. We're going to have to keep a close eye on this kid for sure.

By yesterday evening though, we were all pretty worn out. On the drive home, Grady started choking a little bit, and I figured he had just had enough and would be fine once we got home. As usual, I was wrong. I guess what Evan's had for the past week has been a cold and not allergies, because now Grady's got it. And that means he can't breathe, he can't eat, and he can't take a thing for it. So the poor little guy is miserable.

We called our pediatrician last night to see what we could do, and there's really nothing more than sucking out his nose periodically and keeping him upright. Which is what I did--all night long. The doctor suggested letting Grady sleep in his car seat, but he wasn't having that, so I held him most of the night while he cried and choked and sputtered and puked. He did get a little sleep, but I did not, and that spells disaster for the mommy who still hasn't recovered from Evan's barf-o-rama last week.

Now it's morning, and another hot one. The boys and I are headed in to the doctor's office at 10, just to make sure that things haven't progressed into G's lungs. The one bright spot in all this is that we'll get to see how much our little friend is weighing these days, which is exciting. If I can stay awake, I'll post a report when we get home.

Posted by jenny at 9:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Evan seems to be feeling better today. He still has a bit of a cough, but he's mostly back to his old self. He spent the greater part of yesterday sleeping on the couch though, and he didn't eat anything all day. He didn't really perk up until later in the evening, when we got him to watch some baseball and eat a scrambled egg. I'd like him to rest for another day but he seems heartbroken at the thought of missing therapy again, so I guess we'll give it a shot and hope for the best.

It's another hot and humid day here, and it seems that it's going to stay this way for at least the next week. I don't mind it too much, but we just don't feel like doing anything when it's so hot. Grady sleeps and fusses, and waits until the cooler evening to wake and play. Evan just lays in front of the fan and chugs water, and I would do the same if there was any room there. We'll probably take a little car ride after therapy today just to enjoy the cool air and the change of scenery.

We've got a busy weekend ahead, with two family picnics and overnight guests coming and lots of fun to be had. Here's hoping we have a pleasant, puke-free few days.

Posted by jenny at 11:34 AM | Permalink

Well, our night out last night was a fantastic disaster. Or at least a minor one. Upon leaving the kids, we instructed that Grady should be watched carefully, as he's a barfer, and can easily ruin a person's entire outfit with one carefully timed puke. As it turns out, we were warning about the wrong kid. Evan was the one who decided to hurl last night.

We got a call about an hour into the movie (which was very funny, btw). Evan had puked, and was crying. He's been dealing with an allergy type thing for a few days now, and it's not unusual for him to get barfy towards the end of that (he can't seem to blow his nose/cough things up, so he usually swallows and gives himself an upset stomach). By the time we got home, Ev was passed out on the couch. We paid the babysitter a little extra for having to deal with the sick, and we thought that was the end of it.

We were wrong.

As we were all getting ready to go up to bed, Ev stirred from his spot on the couch and promptly chucked all over Mike and the couch. But it didn't end there. The entire night was spent with me and Ev in my bed, Grady nearby in the bassinet, and Mike sleeping in Ev's room so he could survive work today. Evan puked steadily through the night, finally stopping around 5 am. But not before he had soaked our pillows, comforter, bed sheets, and several towels. I have a lot of laundry to do today.

Now he's up, and asking for chocolate milk and Fruit Loops. Um, right. I think we'll start with dry toast and apple juice. I'm completely exhausted, have a splitting headache, and am lucky enough to be dealing with plugged milk ducts. Grady doesn't nurse much at night, which is great for sleeping but crap for my poor milk-heavy breasts. So that's where we are today.

But at least Mike and I got to go out. We might try again in another four years.

Posted by jenny at 8:20 AM | Permalink

Today my brother and his fiancee begin taking the bar exam (he in PA, she in NY and NJ). I talked to Jerry last night and I could tell from his voice that he was a little agitated. He's a great test taker, did very well in law school, and kicked ass on the practice tests, but he was still a little nervous. I totally understand, but I'm sure both he and Tammy will do well. I'm still thinking of them today though, just in case that would help.

Grady gave us his first real smile yesterday. All the hard work suddenly becomes so much more rewarding when he gives you that grin. I'll try to get a picture of it, but it's difficult, as the smiles are fleeting and usually occur when my boob is hanging out or I just got barfed on or something like that.

Tonight is going to be epic at our house. We're leaving the boys with a babysitter for the first time--someone who is not related to us and we will pay her money. I know, it's crazy. Crazy that Ev is almost 5 and we've never done it, and crazy that we decide to do it when Grady is only 7 weeks old. We're so casual about the second kid, aren't we? But it's gotten to the point where we need to have someone to watch the boys during the week, times when family is not available, and this seemed like as good a time as any--Clerks 2 came out this past weekend.

I'm not nervous at all about leaving the boys. The lovely young lady who will be watching them is someone we've known for a few years now, and she's very capable. I honestly thought I'd be freaking out about taking this step, but I'm not. I guess I'm hurting that much for two whole hours without a kid hanging on me. It will be good.

Posted by jenny at 10:12 AM | Permalink

It's a no sleep night for me tonight. Grady is fussy and won't let me put him down, and I've been trying since 11. Evan is coughing (though if it's a cold or something, it's just in his throat). He came in our bed at quarter to four and I decided that was it and came downstairs. Hopefully Mike will still be able to sleep, even with a new bed mate.

Thanks to everyone who sent good wishes Mike's way. He's not really better so much as we're managing. We try to find things for him to eat that don't cause pain, and I try my best to let him rest when needed. He keeps apologizing to me for being sick, as if it's something he can control. He feels badly about leaving me on my own with the boys all the time. I feel badly that I can't do more to help him not feel like crap. So there we are.

Grady's doing well, aside from the crankiness tonight. He's getting ridiculously fat--dimples in the elbows, big creamy thighs, the whole nine yards. It's very sweet. He's also in the process of moving up from 0-3 to 3-6 month clothes already. Is this normal? Even if it's not, I'm secretly kind of glad. Now he'll actually get to wear some of Evan's cute summer outfits that I feared we wouldn't get to see again.

Evan is busy as ever. Each morning, he starts the day with a cheery greeting, and then proceeds to tell you what he wants to do that day. Usually it's "take a long ride in the green car". This has recently been edited to add "to get an ice cream cone". Suddenly, that which he's hated forever has become a favorite treat. He prefers the brown kind though (of ice cream, not cone) and is surprisingly a fairly neat eater when it's not 90 degrees.

If Evan had his way, every day would include a long ride in the car, a trip to Waldameer with all his grandparents, a Happy Meal, a walk on the beach, hitting a few balls with Daddy and an ice cream cone. I bet my days might look pretty similar if I had any say in the matter.

Posted by jenny at 4:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Mike had another visit to the ER today, his second in the last month. I won't go into detail about what's wrong, but if you read his blog you probably have heard a little about the medical tests that he's gone through. Though we think they've figured out the problem, he's still dealing with a lot of pain until things resolve themselves. And that's what landed him in the ER again today.

It's frustrating to have him in this position--feeling so sick and there's nothing I can do to help. What makes it worse is that I can't even really be there for him. With two little guys at home, I can't be at his bedside when he needs me most. I get a little taste of what Mike went through when I had the boys though--that helpless feeling when one of the people you love most in the world is not well. The difference is that with me we knew what the "problem" was, and how to fix it, and with him we have no idea how to make it better or when it's going to end. It sucks.

I just want my best friend to feel better, to be back to himself. So I'm feeling sad and frustrated and helpless right now. And Grady just barfed all over me, so now I also smell bad.

Posted by jenny at 7:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

I stink at blogging lately. I don't have much of note to report, and if I do I'm not sure I could write in coherent sentences anyway. We had a very busy weekend out and about, and though it's hot as balls in here I'm glad to be home. The boys are in bed, things are mostly okay around the house, and I feel like I'm able to catch my breath for a moment.

The one thing that I've noticed is how mobile we are since Grady's been born. He'll be six weeks old tomorrow, and we've already had him all over the place. It's so different from Evan's infancy--I was in sweats all the time and rarely got a shower and we never took him out. Of course, it was winter then, but I think it's more than that. I get a shower almost every day and I get dressed because I have to take the boys out. I feel so much more normal and so much more capable this time around, though still very busy. It's nice. Of course, we noted that if Grady were Evan, he would just be coming home from the hospital this week, so things are very different in so many ways.

Speaking of Evan, I hate to write this down in case it all goes south, but he is successfully potty training. It's not happening overnight, but it is happening. He's got peeing almost completely down--we've had few accidents, but mostly he's done great. He has even gone twice in public bathrooms (on outings where he was wearing a Pull-Up that he could have just as easily peed in). Pooping is a little tougher, but he's done okay there as well. I think by the end of the summer we'll have this all figured out. I'm really happy about his progress, and I have every confidence that he'll keep it up.

Grady is doing fine. His baby acne is finally clearing up, as is his cradle cap. Mr. Problem Skin, my poor boy. G's also chunking up quite nicely, and growing longer too. He's becoming heavy to hold now, which is so strange. He grows out of diapers and clothes so much more quickly than Evan did. But along with the growing comes more head control, and more awake time, and more cute expressions. I'm really enjoying watching the ways he's changing every day.

Now I'm off to enjoy a few quiet moments with my husband before we turn in for the night. With two boys in the house, these times have become all the more precious.

Posted by jenny at 9:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Another Monday is here, and I'm trying to get some work done around the house. Like cleaning the bathrooms, which I'm embarrassed to say hasn't been done in a while. Like maybe since before Grady was born a while. Oops. Don't come to my house if you can't handle dustbunnies and hairballs.

But it's hard to get much done with both kids home, as I'm slowly finding out (luckily, I can type this with one hand while nursing). Ev is perfectly content and able to amuse himself as usual. Unfortunately, as soon as I get G-Man fed and sleepy, he gets jolted awake by a loud noise (Evan) or a poke in the head accompanied by a joyful "wake up!" (also Evan). Seriously, Ev seeks the kid out just to make sure he's awake. He loves Grady so much, and I'm so glad for that, but it would be nice if he would let the kid nap once in a while.

I wish I could write about all the exciting stuff going on, but life has become pretty routine again. Mike's working and keeping busy, Ev's got therapy and is potty training under duress while at home, and Grady is just moments away from his first real smile. As for me, I would be happy if the house would stay clean for more than a day and if I could go out by my very own self for an hour or two.

Evan's just announced that he hears fireworks, which means a thunderstorm approaches. Time to shut the windows and wait for the rain to begin.

Posted by jenny at 10:27 AM | Permalink

Grady is a month old today. The time has flown by in a haze of feedings and diaper changes, and things are starting to settle down again. I go back for my last doctor visit on Friday, and after that I should be good to go. On Grady's end, he's starting to have more awake time during the day, and he's a little more engaging. I feel kind of sad that I'm not able to just snuggle him all day long, or sit and stare into his eyes. This new baby time is slipping through my fingers, and I don't know what I can do to hold on to it.

Evan is having a good summer so far. He got his very first real baseball glove this weekend, so we're all set now. He's having trouble catching with it, because it is a little big, but I think he loves it anyway. Since we made a "no balls in the house" rule, he's been playing pretend ball in the living room. He moves just like the big leaguers--diving for saves, scooping up grounders, and catching imaginary fly balls with complete grace and precision. I can't help but be impressed.

Ev's been working on some other new skills as well. He and I have started working on a writing program at home. I hope to have him writing his letters before school starts this fall. The system we're using was recommended by another mom I met at the hospital during therapy--it uses a more sensory approach to writing. Ev is going to learn to build the letters from wooden shapes before he ever puts a pencil to paper. I hope this works out, as he's really excited about spelling and letters.

The other big Ev news is that he was nearly potty trained this weekend. When we were at Mike's folks for the Fourth, our 2 year old nephew was working on his potty training as well. I think Ev did not want to be outdone (especially in the eyes of his Papa!), so within a few hours he was peeing and pooping in the potty with no trouble. Unfortuntately, he hasn't been as motivated since we've been home. He's been in regular underpants, but has had accidents, and we've had to resort to pull-ups when we go to therapy and bed. It looks like we're either going to have to invite my father-in-law to live with us or give this a serious try ourselves this coming weekend. Now that we know Ev's able to do it, I think a few days of focused potty time should get us where we need to go. I have high hopes that it's really going to work this time.

Posted by jenny at 9:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)