Dad and Linda's Visit

Dad and Linda came to visit for a few days. I wish they could have stayed longer, but their dog Noah and our Sammers don't get along. Well, Sammy didn't get along with him; I'm sure he'd been fine. So they had to board him while they were here. It was a quick weekend, but very full. They got here on Thursday afternoon. We went down to Jaime and Jeremy's on Friday night for a cookout. And on Saturday we did some shopping and went out for lunch. Linda found the cutest teethers at Target. One is shaped like a little hand, which is perfect because Nate is always trying to grab my finger and stick it in his mouth! The Toppe's came back up on Sunday to visit. Dad also helped me out with some stuff around the house, which I'm sure Michael will really appreciate a couple of things marked off his honey-do list. Lots of excitement and I'm exhausted. But it was so good to see them again and have them here visiting. I hope Nate didn't scare them off too much with all his fussiness. And hopefully we'll be seeing them again when we head up to Wisconsin this summer.

*On a side note, I took Nate to church on Sunday and left him in the nursery. It was the first time I've left him with someone that isn't family (and the longest). They have pagers so I felt better knowing if something was wrong they would page me. He did great! She said the two new babies did the best. And it's probably good for him to be around other people besides me. Although everyone in church was asking where he was, so I think next Sunday I'll bring him in for the first couple of songs in the beginning or come to church early.

Nate-4 Months Old

I can't believe that four months have passed by already. And while some days seem like forever, overall time is going by very quickly. Nate's doctor appointment went well. Saying that he is a big baby is an understatement. He weighs 19 lbs 12 oz and is 27 1/2 inches long. The doctor told me if he was an average size baby that he would be 8 months old. All my other concerns were addressed; the pooping once a week-that's fine (although I still don't think it's normal and he seems happier after he does the deed), the spitting up-normal and probably has nothing to do with my diet & will probably get worse before it gets better (she said when he starts crawling it will be really bad and then should almost completely go away when he starts walking), the cradle cap-use Selsen again and really scrub it, not sleeping at night anymore-because he's big and hungry and will probably take longer to sleep through the night. She said I can start him on cereal or I can wait until he's 6 months, it's up to me and doesn't affect him either way. I also told her about his fussiness lately and low fever--she doesn't think he's teething, that he's too young, but I think he might be starting. Only time will tell. She also said I can start him on cereal or I can wait until he's 6 months, it's up to me and doesn't affect him either way. Jaime told me her doctor said that babies that have been solely breastfed shouldn't start solids until 6 months, that it's better for their digestive system Either way we'll be waiting until Daddy comes home to start him on cereal so he can be here for his first feeding. But other than that, she says he looks good, big, but good. She even called him a hoss and commented that he has dimples on his ankles. Yes, I know my child is big.

Nate is also now sleeping in his crib in his room. I moved him in there a few nights ago. He was just getting too big for his bassinet. He's sleeping the same as he was when he was in my room, so obviously this transition was much harder for me than for him. He gets up a couple times a night but has been doing pretty well with eating and going back to sleep, which I'm thankful for.

I bought him a jumperoo last week as well. We were in Toys R Us and I put him in the display model. He absolutely loved it and so I had to get him one, yes, I had to. It's worth every penny to see him play in it and sometimes he'll even giggle a little, which is another thing he's doing a little more often. But of course as soon as I get out the video camera he clams up. His giggles are the sweetest sound, I just love it and can't wait until he does it all the time.

Sammy and the Shed

After I put Nate down for a nap this evening, I was working on uploading some pictures to the computer. Realizing it was getting late and the dogs weren't bugging me to come inside, I thought I better check and see if they escaped out of the yard. I called out to them from the back door and when no dogs appeared I slipped on my sandals and headed out. Benny came running and so I thought, oh good, they didn't escape! But that good feeling quickly faded as Benny about faced and ran away from me. Then I heard the crying coming from under the shed. Sammy has yet to make a rabbit kill this year, and apparently eager to do so, she crawled under the shed. However this time, she kicked up so much dirt behind her trying to get to that rabbit that she couldn't get back out. So there she was, panicking and kicking more dirt, making it worse. I told myself not to panic. First, I got Benny and put him in the garage (which was not easy because he was just as determined to a) dig Sammy out or b) get the rabbit --I'd like to think it was "a"). Then I got a flashlight because yes, of course it is getting dark and starting to rain to make things even more interesting. Got back down there and assessed the situation. The rabbit, by now, is in the corner of the yard trying to find a way out and Sammy has spread the dirt all around herself, making a nice low wall. So I run back in the garage, still trying not to panic, to find a shovel. No luck and of course I can't find the keys to the shed, so I grab the gardening rake. I run back out and start raking the dirt out as Sammy continues to squirm around, trying to get out. Finally, she turns herself around so her head is out and I could pull her out the rest of the way. How does she show her gratitude? Let's just say she was more interested in finding the runaway rabbit than she was in thanking me.

Nate's First Walk Outside

This morning Nate and I headed into town to volunteer for the Pregnancy Care Center with their quarterly mailing. He was asleep when we got there and stayed asleep in his carrier for about 40 minutes. The rest of the time (we were there about 3 hours) he sat in my lap or played on the floor on a little area I set up. He was such a good baby. He didn't cry once and just had a good ol' time looking around and playing with his toys. I'm so glad I can take him with me to do things like this. Although as one lady there commented that it won't be long and I won't be able to when I have to chase after him everywhere.

And since the weather is so nice, and after checking with Jaime to make sure it was okay, we went out for our first walk. He was sleeping before we finished the first block. I think the fresh air was good for both of us. I feel rejuvenated. What is it about sunshine and blue skies that can wake a person up? And I need it after the lack of sleep I've been getting. It's almost as though he's on a newborn schedule again. He does sleep for about 5 hours when he first goes down but then it's every 2 hours after that. And since we helped out the PCC this morning, we had to get up and ready a little earlier than we're used to. But the walk helped perk me up (this is when caffeine would be wonderful) and now I'm ready to get some more cleaning around the house done.

Update on Benny: He's doing much better. He can get up on his own, walk, everything really. This afternoon he even started raising his leg to pee, although still squats sometimes, so I wonder if he might still be in some pain. Sammy isn't understanding and still wants to play, so there's a job in keeping her from jumping on him. But I would say overall, the difference from Saturday is night and day. It's just too bad that he's on physical restrictions for 10 days with this nice weather. I hate keeping him cooped up in the house while Sammy gets to play outside all day.

Benny and the Vet

I'll start out by saying that Benny is okay. That being said, today has been a horrible day for mister Benny. It actually started yesterday. He was idle most of the day, which I just thought was his laziness. It was a beautiful day outside but he didn't want to go out, in fact, he laid in the same place most of the day. I didn't think much of it until I put their dinner in the bowls. Usually Benny runs to his bowl, first to eat, but he just laid there. I told him to get up and get his dinner, at which he attempted to get up, but seemed unable. This is when I knew something was wrong. I called Jeremy and he walked me through some checks. He didn't seem bothered when I touched his legs, although it seemed hard for him to get up on them. I brought his food to him, and since he still had an appetite, Jeremy told me just to keep an eye on him. At 4am, I got up with Nate and decided to come downstairs to let the dogs out too. Sammy ran right out but when I noticed Benny not at the door I looked back and found him dragging himself across the floor by his front paws. It was the saddest sight. So I picked him up. He could put weight on his legs and was able to walk outside. By 8am, it had gotten worse. He could barely stand on his own and when I stood him up, he wouldn't move. He cautiously laid back down, crying and moaning, with his whole body shaking. I knew it was bad then. I called the vet and luckily they are open on Saturdays so I got him in this morning. Jaime, the amazing sister that she is, came up right away to help me out with Nathan and for emotional support. After an exam and x-rays, we found out that he has a spinal injury, a couple of his vertebrae are jammed together. The vet says we may never know how it happened; it could be a fall down the stairs or jumping down them and overestimating the distance on the landing or even just stepping in a hole in the backyard the wrong way. He's on several medications and he received a couple of shots to help with the pain while we were there. He's on strict restrictions for 10 days, needing to be kenneled when I'm gone or at night, and I need to harness him to take him out to the bathroom. Even if he starts feeling or acting better, I need to control his activity as further injury could lead to paralysis. Since he's been home he's just been lying in the front room. Sometimes he whimpers, but he has eaten, which is good. I took him out to use the bathroom, but squatting or raising a leg still seem to be too difficult, but when I was helping him back inside he lost his bladder control. Luckily we were still outside so it just meant a change of clothes for me. And while we were out there the mailman came; he turned to go towards the mailbox, and probably more quickly than his body was ready for and he just collapsed in the yard. When Sammy was attacked last summer I thought how horrible it was to see her all tore open, and while that was horrible, this seems so much worse. To see a dog so immobile and in so much pain. My poor sweet Benny, it just breaks my heart. Hopefully he will start feeling better and able to walk unassisted soon.

Night Feedings

They are definitely different than they were before. So Nate has decided in the last couple of weeks to no longer sleep through the night. Before he would wake up, eat, and then go back to sleep. I would usually hold him for 15-20 minutes before putting him back in his bed to make sure he was in a deep enough sleep and wouldn't wake up when I put him in. Well, now feeding him has become a big ordeal. The night before last it took almost an hour to get him back to bed, then the dogs were whining at the door. Afraid they would wake him up, I had to get up to let them out. Before I could get back upstairs, Nate had thrown up and so was up again and the whole process started over again. Last night, I put the gate up so the dogs couldn't come upstairs. Of course they woke up when Nate started crying, but this time they could only whine from downstairs and not right outside the door. I thought the night would go much better. Ha! I fed Nate, however this time anytime I tried to take him off the boob he started to cry. So I thought I would let him fall into a deep sleep this way and then take him off. That didn't work. He would instantly wake up and start crying. This went on from 2-4am. Finally I got up and walked with him until he fell asleep. I put him in his bassinet and he stayed asleep. Well, until 5am, when he threw up, waking himself up. I got to it right away, but it didn't matter, he was up and smiling, as if we were ready to start the day! I was exhausted so I came downstairs and put him in the swing. That worked and he fell back asleep closer to 6am and so I slept on the couch until he woke up about 45 minutes later. Scooping him before he could really wake up, and cuddled/slept with him on the couch until around 8am. I don't know why the change; why he's getting up now instead of sleeping through the night, why it's harder for him to get back to sleep, any of it. But I guess that's babies. They do what they want, that's for sure!

Last week I went off dairy (for the most part) to see if that would help with his spit up problem. It seemed to help some, but on Friday he was throwing up a ton again, so I figured the no dairy wasn't the solution. So of course, missing my milk, I went out Saturday and bought some more. I'm starting to think that dairy is the problem. He's been throwing up so much this week! And, his face had cleared up last week and now it's broken out in a rash again (so has his belly) and he pooped twice last week and hasn't at all this week. Plus, I think he was a little happier last week (although I would be too if I wasn't all blocked up!). So good-bye milk and ice cream and all you other wonderful dairy products.

I took Nate to get his 3-month pictures at Wal-Mart yesterday. He did a pretty good job. I was worried because he fell asleep on the way there so I had to wake him up. It took awhile to get a smile out of him, but she finally got a good one. It's funny, I think babies know when there's a camera in their face and they just shut down. And of course she commented on his size, asking how old he was. She was shocked when I said 3 months, as she thought he was 7 months. Now, to me, that's a little ridiculous. I don't think he's that big. Big, yes, but not that big!

Hanging Out with my Sister

Another wonderful Saturday with Jaime. Jeremy had training in Indy all day on Saturday and that evening they had an officer's dinner, so Jaime spent the day with me. We went shopping and out to lunch at Olive Garden and got pedicures. Then I went up to their hotel room to help Jaime get ready for their formal dinner. They looked absolutely wonderful, Jaime in a beautiful blue dress and Jeremy in his dress uniform. I was so jealous! I love getting all dressed up but never have a reason to. Nate was such a good boy and just chilled on the bed watching tv while I did Jaime's hair and make up. He really is a good boy. When we go to church people come up and comment how good he is after the service. But I do look forward to the day that I can go to church and fully absorb the sermon, because while I have Nate, I have to concentrate on keeping him happy and I can't give my full attention. Or when we're out eating lunch I can't sit back and completely enjoy my meal because we're busy handing him back and forth across the table, and so it will be nice when he can stay at home with Daddy and Mommy can go to lunch with Aunt Jaime, all by ourselves. Although I know at the same time how hard it will be to leave him for the first time, as he's been by my side since he was born.

Now that the snow is almost gone, the problem of the dogs escaping has returned. Or should I say dog. Sammy was a good dog and decided it was best to stay in the yard. Benny, however, did not. So I bring Sammy inside and then put my shoes and jacket on to get Benny, just to find him in the back yard again! He had crawled back under the fence so that he could come inside too! He is absolutely ridiculous. He's the only dog I've ever seen that when escapes, not only stays around the yard, but turns himself in as well. I guess it's good I don't have to worry about chasing him down the street.