random stuff

Just some random stuff because sometimes life is less like a story and more like a stream of unrelated thoughts, events, and feelings.

I went for my first solo outing with three kids yesterday. We just went to my parents' house, so I'm not sure if it counts. But I did have to get three kids dressed, hair done on the girls, bag of supplies packed, and dress myself in something other than sweat pants and a dirty tank top. And it went pretty well, despite the constant bickering between Laci and Mia. We all have a bit of cabin fever since we've been home every single day since Noah was born, except for one doctor appointment. It was time to get out.

I'm excited for Thanksgiving in a couple days. The food, seeing family, the volume of our voices filling the house. And the weather is supposed to be nice, which makes good things even better. 

Mia is feeling better, although her nose is still runny and she still has a little cough. So does Laci. And so do I. Ryan and Noah have lucked out so far and are still healthy. I probably just jinxed it by writing that. 

I wish I didn't need to sleep. I could get so much more done each day. 

Ryan and I talked about taking the kids to the movies tomorrow to see Frozen, but now he will be working a side job. How crazy would I be to try taking the kids myself?

I took pictures of Noah a week ago. I wonder if I'll get them posted before he's a month old. I haven't picked up my camera since then. I wonder when I'll want to start taking pictures again. 

So far, three kids isn't nearly as crazy as I anticipated. I'm sure it will get crazier as Noah gets bigger and demands more and moves around, but for now, I feel like we're doing okay. We are not without meltdowns. We are not without moments of mommy not having enough hands or patience or energy to meet everyone's needs at the exact same moment, but we are doing well. The girls still tell me they love me, so things must be going good in their minds, too. 

I can't believe I had a baby two weeks ago tomorrow. I feel fine. Tired from lack of sleep, but fine. Our bodies truly are amazing. 

I have a lot to be thankful for this season. I hope you do, too. 

friday phone dump {the so many pictures edition}

Have I mentioned how thankful I am to have a phone? Without it, there would be far fewer pictures of my kids, and surely none of them would be shared with family and friends. It really is a handy little thing, even if it's a pain to use it for blogging.

The pictures are a little Noah-heavy, but that's to be expected, right? It's crazy how these little people just show up in your life one day and you are instantly filled with so much love for them. I would hold him all day if that was possible. When Ryan took Mia to the hospital Monday night, I just held onto that little man who was perfectly content to snooze the night away. He woke every couple of hours to eat and then went back to snuggling in my arms. And it felt like a little bit of security to me. We are working on getting him to sleep in his own bed, but really, part of me just wants to hold him all night long.

Now that Mia is starting to feel better, and we are down to only one medicine and just a couple breathing treatments a day, we are starting to return to our normal routine. Afternoon naps for Mia, an early bedtime for the girls, we even ate dinner together as a family tonight. Of course, Laci spent most of the meal crying instead of eating and Mia wouldn't sit still, but we tried, and that's all that really matters. 

I've kept the girls inside the last couple of days because it's been windy and I didn't want to aggravate Mia's cough. Do you know how crazy they are? Wild and loud and crazy? Very. Very, very, very. But now, right now, they are both asleep and it is finally quiet. So quiet. Sometimes you don't realize how loud the noise is until it's gone. And, it would seem, the quiet allows me to finally hear my thoughts and I ramble. So, let's just cut to the pictures. 

Not a bad face to wake up to in the morning. 

Snuggles. 

My momma and Noah. 

Milk drunk. 

Beautiful Laci. 

She's been asking for a blanket for Spike for weeks and I kept putting it off.  Sometimes you just have to make the time to say "yes."

Silly Harper with milk on her face. 

Sleepy baby. 

Wiggly baby. 

Mia is never far from her brother. 

Making pancakes. 

With sprinkles. Because that's how we do it around here. 

Coloring and sharing. Amazing. 

I got some extra "hulp" bathing Noah. 

Clean baby. 

Big yawns. 

When it's too quiet, it's always a good idea to check on Mia. 

The end. 

the first week

We've been home with Noah for a whole week now, and what a week it has been. It started off as it should have: quiet days, lots of snuggles on the couch, staying in pajamas all day. Then Mia woke up with a cough Monday morning. 

It continued to get worse all day. By evening, she was a miserable, crying mess. She's usually such a trooper when she's sick, but this was different. I couldn't find any way to console her except sit and hold her as she wiggled around. Even that wasn't really helping.  I posted this picture on Instagram as part of my thirty thankful photos challenge, but mostly as a reminder to myself that things have been worse and we would get through this "little cold."

But by nine or so, she couldn't breathe well or sleep at all. I started to worry. For over two years, she has proven herself strong and healthy. I admit to letting down my guard in regards to her health and her history. By midnight, after getting only a half hour of sleep with her, I told Ryan to call his mom, a respiratory therapist. By this time, Mia's sides were pulling in as she struggled to breathe and she was wheezing. I felt terrible for waiting so long. Ryan and his mom took her to the ER where she was given a couple of breathing treatments and they took X-rays. She was given a diagnosis of bronchitis and sent home to follow up with the pediatrician.

 

Meanwhile, I sat at home with the other two, feeling torn. Wanting to be in two places at once...again. It was hard. My mom, love her to death, came up to sit with me as we waited for text updates from Ryan. It killed me to not be with my baby in such a scary situation. Ryan assured me she was being brave and bossy. Telling the nurses "Me do it" and pushing every button within reach. When he said they were on their way home a few hours later, I felt so relieved. Except she really didn't look that much better when they arrived. We gave her another breathing treatment around four, and she was finally able to relax and get an hour or so of sleep. We all "napped" as there was still a long day ahead of us. 

She couldn't make it more than two hours between treatments before she started having trouble breathing again, although she was making slight improvement between each dose. Noah conveniently had a well baby check scheduled for Tuesday morning (where he was pronounced the most healthy baby on earth), so they squeezed Mia in during his appointment. She's been on an antibiotic and a steroid since her appointment, in addition to breathing treatments as needed, and has been showing steady improvement. In fact, today, she was downright wild. Probably a combination of the candy I've been using as bribery to get her to take so many medicines, the Albuterol crazies, and being cooped up in the house for a few days now. 

I'll not be letting my guard down again for a while. She will always be the one we worry most about when it comes to health matters. 

So, that's how our first week home has gone. Stressful. Exhausting. I don't recommend pulling two all-nighters in the same week (the night Noah was born and the night Mia was sick).  Demanding.  A newborn and a sick one who needs medicine every few hours. I had to make a list to keep it all straight because, um, new mother brain is about the least reliable brain ever. And now Miss Laci has the runny nose and cough. She is generally a healthy kid so I'm hoping it doesn't hit her as hard as it hit Mia. As for little Noah, well, I just keep feeding him, as much as he will eat, which happens to be A LOT, hoping my body will protect him from getting too sick. I, myself, am not feeling to great, but who has time to be sick? And Ryan, is just saving me left and right. I'm so grateful to have him home to help.

Good things are happening around here, too. It isn't all just sickness and sadness. Noah weighed a whopping 8 lbs 9 oz at his appointment (that's an ounce a day for those counting). I finally got my real camera out today, pictures to come soon (these are all from my phone). And I am enjoying those few quiet moments each day when everyone is happy (or asleep) at the same time. 

This too shall pass and life is good. 

mia and baby brudder

Miss Mia woke up in the night with a terrible cough. I managed to get her back to sleep, and she slept quietly until 6:30, but she has been hacking her germs all over the house this morning. It's kind of sad because she sounds horrible but has been so happy and sweet, even taking some medicine without complaint. And she can't help but hover over her baby brudder, as she calls him, so I'm guessing we'll all be sick in a few days. 

The first words I've heard each morning when she wakes up, "Where baby brudder?" She is thrilled each morning to see that he is still here with us. 

She asks to hold him a dozen times a day, although the newness is wearing off and she only holds him for a couple of minutes at a time. 

The first full day we were home together was interesting. Mia was her usual busy self.  She stood on tables she wasn't supposed to, refused to have her diaper changed, locked herself in her room but couldn't unlock the door, and, within five minutes of her release, shut herself in the bathroom and stripped herself "nakey." She managed to be equally mischevious and adorable most of the day. I can't say she was "acting out" because she was just up to her normal shenanigans, the difference is that I was a little distracted. 

Mia is just a little momma and really does love her little brother. Whenever she hears him make a noise, she says "Check on him," and runs to his side. She's also surprisingly gentle with him and I have caught her singing to him more than once.

I think it's so amazing they already have this special bond forming, and I can't wait to see what trouble Mia leads her little brother into as he gets bigger. 

friday phone dump...on saturday...again {new baby edition}

This week's post is a bit picture-heavy, but I'm not apologizing. It's all about the pictures, right? And since my "real" camera hasn't seen the light of day in a week, my phone has been working overtime. Double overtime, really, because I haven't used my "real" computer in a while either. So, if the fonts get all crazy in this post, I blame it on my phone. 

It's the new baby edition of Friday Phone Dump on Saturday. I'm sure most of you know, baby decided to make his grand entrance early Wednesday morning. Just 4 1/2 hours after Beth's birthday ended. Sorry, Beth. My water broke at one, we got to the hospital about two, and he arrive at 4:30 am. There's much more to that story, which I hope to write down before I forget it, gory details and all. Because I'm a gory detail kind of girl. But for now, I'll say it was a little intense, he arrived perfectly healthy, and I was very relieved when it was all over. 

Now we are home, adjusting, trying to figure out how we all fit together. Mia thinks he is her own personal baby doll. Very attentive, wants to hold him all the time, sings to him, says, "Baby Noah, so toot (cute)." It's too sweet. Laci loves him, too. She tries to help me, tries to make her little sister behave (ha!), and likes to observe baby from a distance. Babies just aren't her thing and that's okay. No sense in forcing her into it, she'll be ready to hold him in her own time. 

We had some interesting mishaps yesterday, our first full day home, but I'm also saving those stories for another time. I have a feeling my phone and I will be building a solid relationship together as I try to record all the fun we are having in the few free minutes I can sneak here and there. For now...the pictures. 

A morning view. 

39 weeks exactly, just a few days before arrival. 

Mia was hiding. "See me?" Nope. 

Fall colors. 

Pre-baby pie. 

The night before. Mia gave me some love. Not in labor, but feeling pretty miserable. 

And he arrived. 

     Noah Bryce

     11/13/13 4:30 am

     8 lbs 3 oz

     20 1/2 inches

The girls came to see us at the hospital. Mia wasn't so sure at first. She clung to her papa and Grammy. You won't see much of Laci in these pictures, she wasn't into the whole hospital setting. But I can say she was happy to see her mommy and daddy and happy to play with the controls on my bed. 

What is it with kids and remotes?

Then she got comfortable. 

And claimed him as her own. 

And examined him. 

Only manly men can sit in a pink chair like a boss. 

So much to love.