Happy 2 Months to my Baby Love!

Clark is 2 months old today! Where does the time go? He went to the doctor today for his checkup and shots. In a month he'd gained 2 pounds and 2 inches. He weighed 11.5 pounds and was 23 inches! His height was a little over the 50th percentile and his weight was right at the 50th percentile.

We had noticed that his belly button was protruding more than a normal "outie" would and Dr. Meredith said he had a navel hernia. He said those are very common and 95% of babies outgrow them before they need surgery. He was also officially diagnosed with colic. He said there wasn't much we could do for it, that he'll just have to outgrow it. He also said that could take until he's 6 months old. We're keeping our fingers crossed that he'll cure himself long before then! He wrote a prescription for some drops we're praying will help.

He's had a very rough afternoon/night due to his shots so keep him (and us) in your prayers. It may be a very long night for my sweet, chunky 2 month old!

Photo Book for Cooper

I'm the queen of putting tons of pictures on our computer and never printing them out.  I always back them up to another site or hard drive incase of a computer crash (which we had a MAJOR one of those this summer).  I had decided awhile back that for each of the boys I would create a photo book for each year of their life.  I love the idea of scrapbooking but I don't have the talent or money (I hear it can get rather pricey) to make scrapbooks. I had a book made for Cooper from birth to 1 year that's still on Walmart's site but got a free deal from Shutterfly so I made another book on that site.  I decided to do the books year by year so we would know exactly how old the boys are in the pictures and we can keep all of their major life events nice and organized.  That made it easy to put together chronologically.

I don't know if it was our computer or technical issues with the site but I had a horrible time uploading pictures, designing, and saving my book via Shutterfly.  Since it was free I was persistent and finally got it done on the last possible day of the deal.

In his book I did a section of his pictures from the first 12 months of his life (I took a picture of him on every monthly birthday), all of his firsts (holidays, foods, trips...), major trips, family photos, photos with Andy, photos with me, and then a lot of pages that were packed full of random pictures of him.  I made sure I pulled pictures from the moment he was born up until his first birthday party and I feel like I got a really good range on the pages.

It's crazy that he's almost 2 and that I've already started on his next book. It makes me sad he's growing so fast. When we got the book in the mail the other day Andy and I both cried as we looked through it. Now I've got to start Clark one and get sad all over again!

Back to the Grind

Well, I survived my first day back to work and away from my babies. It wasn't without tears though.... several tears actually! Clark decided to sleep until 6:30 this morning so once I got him fed I had to hurry to get ready. That was a good thing though because it didn't give me time to dwell on leaving. We're going to have to get a better morning routine down. I made it to work on time with a full, sleeping baby at home so that's all that matters!

I didn't have much to do at work today so I got to missing my boys pretty badly. I like to be busy... it helps keep my mind off things. Hopefully here in a day or two I'll know my school routine better and be a busy bee! Of course, I called and checked in on them and they were doing great. Clark didn't even wake up until 10am. I was home right after 12:00 and loved on them both! Now that I've got my first day under my belt and have a feel for the 4 hours I'm away from them I feel a little better. It's still going to be hard to walk out that door tomorrow though!

Baby & Mommy Blues

I haven't wrote about my maternity leave yet because I didn't want to focus on it coming to an end. Sadly, tomorrow is my last day of leave. That means my baby will be 8 weeks old tomorrow! Crazy! I've had 8 glorious, uninterrupted weeks with him and and whole summer of fun, plus some, with Cooper. As you can imagine, I'm dreading leaving my babies. I want more time with them!

I keep telling myself it won't be too bad. My work schedule got tweaked a bit and I'm only working 4 hours a day this year instead of 6. I'll go in at 8, work with my kiddos, and leave at noon. Pretty good for a working mom, right? It's still hard to leave my boys though. Sometimes they sleep until 10am so on days like that I really won't miss much time with them. Can't you tell how much I've been convincing myself of this? They'll be staying with my mom, like Cooper did last year. If they can't be with Andy or me there is no one else I'd rather them be with!

In anticipation of returning to work I've been building up a milk supply for Clark. He hasn't had any formula in his 8 weeks of life and I plan on keeping it that way as long as I can. I've got nothing against formula, we've just worked really hard at keeping him a strictly breast milk baby and I'm really proud of that. I've got a ton of milk frozen but I don't want to break into that arsenal yet. I've been pumping a bottle or two a day and have almost got him a bottle for each day next week. With his latest sleeping patterns he should only need one bottle while I'm at work and then he'll be ready to eat with me once I get home.

Keep me in your prayers, I've been rather teary the last few days and I have a feeling it'll only get worse as Monday approaches. At least I'm going back to a job and coworkers I really love and enjoy!

Colicky Clark

Let me begin this post by saying I have no idea if Clark has colic or not. I didn't want to be a worrisome mother who called the doctor the first night all of this started happening but after two weeks (every night) I'm about at my wits end. Even more troubling than my patience is the pain Clark seems to be in. It all started about two weeks ago with a fussy breastfeeding session. He kept thrashing around, pulling off the breast, screaming and crying, latching on again and then starting the process all over. He's been doing that every night for two weeks. He also arches his back and pulls his legs in and out. His tummy gets hard as a rock and I can hear it rumbling.

I've researched all these symptoms and there are about as many diagnoses as there are nights we've had problems. I'd say it's colic but he doesn't have the typical "crying for 3+ hours" which is one of the biggest symptoms. I'd say acid reflux but he clams down after he eats. I definitely think it has something to do with gas/tummy ache but I don't know what's causing it. I don't really eat any of the trigger foods for tummy aches. Maybe it's just his "fussy time." Cooper never did this but I'm quickly realizing that siblings are very different. One of my nephews did this and it was because my sister-in-law's milk was low at night. I've read about that too. Everything I've read says that they usually outgrow whatever this is by 3 or 4 months. That's great but that's still another 1 or 2 months of his pain and my sanity. I know it could be a lot worse so I'm thankful it usually just lasts an hour or so at the most.

We go to the doctor at the end of next week for his 2 month checkup so I'm praying we get some answers then. Maybe we'll get lucky and it will mysteriously disappear as quickly as it came!

Bragging on my Babes

I know I'm partial but I must admit... I've got the sweetest, brightest, kindest, prettiest, funniest, and most beautiful babies I ever laid eyes on. Andy and I couldn't be more thankful that God chose us to be Cooper & Clark's parents. We're very undeserving of such a wonderful gift. I'd like to devote this post to a little but of bragging on my boys.

I'll start with Cooper. He is such a sweet and affectionate son and brother. He never walks by Clark without kissing him and goes crazy if we forget to let him kiss him before a nap or bedtime.  So sweet!  He's also learned how to shake hands... adorable!  His daddy sat him down the other night to teach him and after about 3 minutes he had it down pat!  Now instead of giving us high fives he shakes our hands... and then goes in for a kiss!  Speaking of kisses, I get the most sweet, random kisses throughout the day.  Most of them come when I'm breastfeeding Clark.  Cooper likes to make mischief all around us since he knows I'm pretty well rooted down and can't chase him at that time.  I guess he eventually feels guilty about getting away with so much so he'll plop down beside us and shower me with kisses.  I love it!  He likes to pat us on the arm or back, too.  I guess he's so used to us doing that to him when he doesn't feel well or when he's hugging us that he understands the sweet gesture.  He's also super smart!  Yesterday, when I was changing his diaper, he was able to show me his hair, eyes, ears, nose, mouth, belly, and feet when I asked him!  We're raising a genius!  Now, on to our next genius.

Clark is the best baby!  He gets harassed by Cooper all the time and never fusses about it.  He watches Cooper lovingly and tries to keep up with him once he's out of his eye range.  He's very content in his swing or bouncer and only gets fussy when he's hungry.  He's a great eater and sleeper!  He's going anywhere from 6.5 to 7.5 hours each night before he wakes up to eat... that makes mommy very happy.  We're having some colic issues right now but even when he's screaming he's sweet.  He's started smiling at us and is trying to "coo" when we talk to him.  He very sweetly holds on to our fingers or shirts when we hold him.  He loves to go on walks with his big brother and most often sleeps through them.  He's getting a lot better at taking bottles and that has eased some of my fears about going back to work.  He's a cuddly little thing who I could just eat up!  I think he's going to be my cuddle bug, Cooper's too busy to cuddle. 

Now that I've bragged on both boys I'll leave you with a picture.  Notice how sweet Clark is looking at Cooper and how Coop is trying pet him.  I have to watch him like a hawk.  : )

Craft Break

Today I managed to get both boys sleeping in their cribs at the same time... that's very rare in this house unless it's night. Instead of catching up on laundry or house work I took advantage of the time and made a fall wreath for our front door. I had made a run to the Dollar General earlier in the week and they had a lot of cute fall decor, surprisingly. I stocked up on some things and revamped a wreath I had already made.

I used a grapevine wreath that had been on our door all summer. I pulled the spring flowers off, left our last name on, and placed and glued on the fall flowers, pumpkins, and pine cones. It was quick, easy, and I'm very pleased with how it turned out! This should get me through to Thanksgiving! I'm hoping to make a cute Halloween wreath sometime soon though... stayed tuned!

My Birthday Weekend

I celebrated my 26th birthday on the 6th.  We were all sick or recovering from being sick on that particular day so I was just thankful I had the day off from taking anyone to the doctor.  Andy had to work but a mysterious package was delivered while he was gone. It was for me but he wouldn't let me open it until he got home. As soon as he got home I ripped it open. I knew he had been working hard on something and he didn't disappoint. It was a beautiful metal 16x20 print of one of my favorite pictures. I've seen pictures blown up on canvas but never on metal. The colors are stunning and it's so unique. It found a place on our kitchen wall and I love it!

That night we went to my parent's house and celebrated with my family. We had pizza and cake and watched all 6 boys run around like wild men. Well, 5 of them at least... Clark was pretty calm.

Once we got home we put the boys to bed, watched a Big Bang, and hung out on the back deck. All in all it was a great day.

Saturday I woke up even more sick but Andy had planned on taking me out that night so and my parents volunteered to keep the boys I was determined I go. He told me he'd take me anywhere I wanted to go and, of course, I chose City Cafe. It was delicious like always! We ended our date with a trip to Walgreens to get Clark some medicine. Crazy night, I know. Once we got back to the boys I felt like my birthday weekend had officially ended. It sure was a great one though. Oh, I also ended up with a lot of money to shop with so that made it even better!

Our Labor Day Weekend Getaway

Long weekend getaways are supposed to be relaxing, right?  Well with a 21 month old with an ear infection, who wasn't napping or eating, a newborn with a cold (who eats every 3 hours like clockwork), and two stressed out parents our getaway was anything but.  Here's a little story about our weekend trip.

Andy's parents have a timeshare and graciously booked a weekend for the whole family at Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, Ga.  The place we stayed at was a spa and it was beautiful.  It was definitely out of our price range so it was great that it was free.  We got there Saturday around 5pm and Clark was ready to eat.  We settled in the room and Cooper settled into crying... and crying, and crying.  He usually naps 2-3 hours each day and he had maybe napped a total of 30 minutes in the car on the drive down.  Once I got Clark fed we got some food down Cooper, hoping that would help his mood.  It helped a tad bit but not enough.  Andy's family got there around 7pm and Cooper perked up a little once they got there.  Andy was super stressed out because Cooper was so ill and I wasn't much help with him because of Clark.  We also had to switch rooms in the middle of the chaos which didn't help.  We finally went and got some dinner around 9pm (there was no "schedule" and that about killed Cooper, Clark, and myself since we thrive on schedules) and poor Cooper just kept having meltdowns.  We finally got back to the hotel around 10pm, put Cooper to bed, fed Clark, prayed for a better day tomorrow, and called it a night.

Cooper was much happier Sunday because he had a full night of sleep, a full belly, and napped for us.  We stayed at the hotel the whole day, going between the pool and the lake.  It was really warm, in the 90's and muggy, so we were able to put the boys in the pool.  Clark really enjoyed the water but his sunscreen broke him out.

There was a hot air balloon festival going on at the resort while we were there so we watched them light up at dark.  They were on the beach, around the lake, and that was one of my favorite parts of the trip.  Every time they would burn their bright flames Cooper would clap.

After a huge breakfast buffet we headed out around lunch time on Monday.  Cooper was already in a bad mood but we had planned on taking him to the Wild Animal Safari on our way home.  He loves animals so we knew he'd enjoy it.  The animals roam freely on hundreds of acres of land within the park.  It's the only animal park like that anywhere close to us so I hated to miss it.  Against our better judgement we went at Cooper's nap time.  We had to wait to catch a bus and that 20 minutes was an absolute nightmare.  Cooper screamed, fought us over everything, and had every park visitor staring.  Once we finally got on the bus he settled down and started growling at all the animals.  We purchased two big cups of animal food to feed them and he loved throwing that out the window.  Once we ran out of that he lost interest and got extremely sleepy.  He was in a daze through the last half of the park but I'm glad he seemed to enjoy it.

Once we left we made it about 15 minutes down the road before Clark woke up wanting to eat.  We made a quick pit stop to get him fed and then we headed to Flintstone.  Cooper was ill once we got home and very happy to be back in his bed.  We survived our first trip with two babies but let me tell you, it was stressful!  

Bug Bite Bummer

We went out of town this weekend (I'll write a post about the trip once I've recovered) and Cooper got some bug bites. The bites popped up right away and a few hours later his right eye began to swell. He also fell and busted his nose so I wasn't sure which was to blame.

Fast forward to this morning. When Coop woke up this is what he looked like (see the photos below) and it scared me to death. I called the doctor and got him an appointment. A few people on Facebook commented and said their children had reacted that way to bug bites. I had seen mosquitos and tiny ants on him yesterday so I figured he must be allergic to whatever bit him. He's had plenty of mosquito bites so I was afraid he was allergic to ant bites.

When we got to the doctor he checked out his eye really well and said he had a bug bite on his eyelid and that caused all the swelling. It's not an allergic reaction! He also told me you can't ignore symptoms like this because it could be something much more serious that could lead to hospitalization. The only way to treat it is with benadryl. He also told me to expect it to look its worst when he wakes up since he's been laying on it. I'm super thankful it wasn't an allergic reaction and that it doesn't seem to be bothering him, besides a little itching.