Welcome Autumn!

Autumn!  It's officially here and I love it!  Now if only it felt more like autumn I think we'd all be happy!

Aaron's First Day of Kindergarten

Aaron had his first day of Kindergarten about 2 weeks ago at his new school in Livermore.  I think everyone was excited about that!  We've gone to back to school, met his teacher and even bought a school shirt for Spirit Days!  We bought him a new Jake & The Neverland Pirates backpack and lunchbox which he loves.  I think he must be liking it because I'm definitely not hearing as many complaints about going to school like I did in Sacramento.  

I also bought Aaron a small desk for his room at IKEA so he'll have a space to do homework and artwork.  It's white with a green accent drawer, which is is favorite color.  Now I just have to find a cute chair!

He still loves to read (we're currently reading a new chapter book about a zombie goldfish) and he loves animals of all types and he wants to be a veterinarian when he grows up!

Elizabeth Grace

Elizabeth will be 2 years old next month and just had her check up today.  She's 31 lbs and 2' 10.5" tall.  At Aaron's 2 year check up he weighed 2 lbs more and was 1.5" shorter.  So they're not too far off from each other!  

Elizabeth is currently between a 2-3T in clothes but at this point I am buying nothing smaller than a size 3.  She's still in diapers but has recently started to tear off her wet diapers and throw them in the trash can (all on her own!) so I think potty training is just around the corner.  

She definitely has a vocabulary though it is smaller than Aaron's at this age.  But she's saying more and more everyday!  Her favorite saying is "HEY NO!  THAT'S MYYYYYYY BOOK/TOY/MILK (etc)".  Today at the doctor's office though, was the first time she's ever introduced herself to someone!!  It was so cute!  She walked up to the doctor, pointed to herself and said "BUBBA"!  It was the cutest thing EVAH.  

Elizabeth is a fearless, feisty little girl.  She climbs everything, she tells pretty much everyone off and she will even haul off and close-fist punch her brother when he's bothering her.  At first, I couldn't stop laughing about it but now that it's happened several times I'm having to tell her that it's not right.  If her personality stays this way, I don't think we'll have to worry too much about her being bullied!  LOL!  Hopefully not anyway!  

Both kids are doing well and very happy to be under the same roof as their dad again.  We all are!  And we've had so many visitors at this house - it's been wonderful!  We are enjoying Livermore, still exploring, but definitely have found a few favorite spots.  Personally, I'm looking forward to my first autumn here.  With all the farms and vineyards and family activities in the area, I think this fall will be fantastic!

We hope yours will be too!  

 

Parental Fail

Parent Fail: Smashed Ring Finger

So........this happened.  And I can't stop thinking about it.  It's playing over and over again in my head.  I thought maybe if I just got it out there in the universe it would leave me alone.  Because really, it was a big parental fail.

Aaron was in his room trying to put his pjs on (and by that I mean doing everything he could to delay putting his pjs on) and Elizabeth kept going into his room, playing with his toys and "distracting" him.  So I finally went in there, picked Elizabeth up and put her down in the middle of the hallway.  Then I walked back to Aaron's room, told him to please, for the 825th time, to put his pjs on and that I would close the door (as I was literally doing so) to keep his sister out.  Of course, Elizabeth is faster than lightening and in that 5 second interval of time had made it back to the door and and stuck her hand in the hinge side of the door.  And I closed the door.  All the way.  Without knowing she was there.  And when I realized it and opened the door her little ring finger was blue and indented and bent.  

She's crying and she clung onto me and wouldn't let go.  I tried to pull her away so I could get a better look at the finger and stick it under cold water.  She wouldn't let me.  All I could see was indented, blue and what seemed to be bent.  I never put her down.  I called my sister over and over but she didn't answer.  I told Aaron that we had an emergency and had to take Elizabeth to the doctor and I needed him to be good and listen.  Put shoes and jacket on.  Somehow I was able to get my own pants & shoes on, let the dog out and back in his kennel and get both my kids out the door.  Elizabeth is crying off and on.  The finger to me, looks bad.  Though it is getting better - I just can't get that first image out of my head.

We head to the ER and I get a call back from my sister.  She's still at work but will meet me at the ER.  Then I call Josh and tell him.  And part of me feels horrible for doing this because he's 2 hours away at work and can't come and I know this.  But I call anyway.  Because his daughter is going to the ER.  And it's my fault.  

And Aaron, who is being good but very vocal, is worried and wants to know why I'm crying.  We get to the ER and he announces to the ER that I was upset with him and I smashed the door on the baby's finger.  Which I'm sure sounded horrible to everyone.  My sister arrived just after we did and took charge of Aaron while I checked in.  Elizabeth, by this time had stopped crying and her finger no longer looked bent but did seem swollen and very red of course.  She just seemed tired now.  

Aaron wanted to go with me and Elizabeth everywhere.  But of course I couldn't handle it.  So I made him stay with Eva in the waiting room.  We checked vitals and back to the wait room.  We saw the doctor and then off to x-rays.  And then back to the doctor.  And Elizabeth was so good.  And I felt horrible.  And Aaron was so worried.  

The good news is that the finger is not broken.  The doctor just "prescribed" a cold compress if needed and OTC pain medication.  So we go back home and I give Elizabeth the pain meds and put her to sleep.  She slept through the night.  In fact, I had to wake her this morning to take Aaron to school.  She seems perfect this morning except for a red, slightly swollen finger and being tired.  

I thanked Aaron last night and again this morning for being such a good boy when I needed him to be and I reassured him that his sister was alright.  He gave me a hug and kiss.  The only thing I've ever seen of myself in Aaron is his looks.  He's looked like me from day one but even that wasn't 100%.  Now that he's getting older he's actually starting to look more like Josh.  But I've seen my dad and my older sister in him.  I've called him by my little sister's name before.  He's personality is more like them - my dad and sisters.  But this, him worrying about his sister so much - wanted to stay with her....... That's me.  The first time I've ever said THAT IS ME IN HIM.  I comforted him last night & this morning and will probably do it again tonight.

And though my sister came over last night and stayed for a bit after the kids were asleep, I still couldn't stop thinking about what happened.  And when I went to bed alone, all I wanted was to cuddle with Josh.  I texted him and we promised to cuddle when he got home this weekend.  Having Josh work 2 hours away, staying in Fremont for the week and coming home for a day and a half on the weekend we've joked that I'm basically a single mom during the week.  We've joked, but it's true.  And I don't even know how real single moms do it.  Especially after this.  And it's not even the physical, day to day stuff of being a mom.  It's the fact that I don't have anyone to share the ups and downs with during the week.  Josh wasn't here to go to the ER with us.  He wasn't here to go through this experience - to share the fear and anxiety and relief and guilt.  Even if he didn't feel all those himself, he could share in my feelings.  And I didn't have the physical comfort of Josh.  No hugs, no pats, no hand holding, no cuddles.  After last night I told him he could never leave me.  

He said "I'll never leave you, Bug.  Not until I leave this world".  And if I wasn't crying already, I was then.

This morning after we dropped off Aaron and school we went to Target because I wanted her mind to be distracted and not on the pain of her finger and because.... well, TARGET.  We stopped first at the Starbucks in Target and shared coffee cake and she was happy.

What pain?  I've got coffee cake!

By the time we got home it was her nap time so I put her to sleep and I've only thought about it 2,347 times today and cried 3 times.  I'm just one of those people who replays stuff over and over in my head until either I just get over it or it drives me insane.  Hopefully I'll just get over this.  I might need some help from my therapists, Ben & Jerry.  But if you're reading this, send me some hugs.  I need them.  And if you know some real single moms, hug their faces off too.  

   

So Much To Say (Little Baby!)

This kid!  Stud.

Well, I had intended to write a new blog after Elizabeth's 1 month check up, but time slips away when you're holding a new baby.  First, let me update you on Aaron.   

Aaron has been sick for what it seems like 2+ months with one cold after the other.  He had 2 ear infections in a month and a few weeks ago he had a fever and was vomiting.  We first took him to Urgent Care (they sucked, btw) and then to UC Davis ER where he was admitted and observed overnight.  The only thing they could definitely diagnose him with was fluid in the ears and dehydration.  They took blood multiple times, put in an IV, took x-rays and did sonograms.  Words like appendicitis, intussusception (telescoping of the intestine) and virus were being thrown around.  They eventually moved him from the child's wing of the ER (thank GOD because that was not a pleasant place to be) to the pediatric ward.  

Basically he was monitored and given fluids and Tylenol and nothing was ever truly diagnosed.  They think he had a virus.  Nothing wrong with his appendix.  They said he had intussusception of the small intestine but it was too far up to correct and that likely it would correct itself.  They also said it was likely brought on by the virus he had.  Strange, right?  So he was sent home.

But he still has cold like symptoms -- a sore throat, occasional cough, stuffy/runny nose and mucus.  IT'S BEEN LIKE, 2 MONTHS!  I don't know what to do about it and it's really frustrating.  What's more frustrating is that I feel like I have to tell him to keep away from Elizabeth because he's sneezing and coughing and I don't want her to get sick.  She already caught it once and I had to deal with 2 sickies.  

Additionally, we had made an appointment with an ENT for him because he snores loudly and it sounded like he might have sleep apnea.  He also breaths loudly and has recently (like in the past 6 months) become a mouth breather.  Plus, recently he's been saying "What did you say?" a lot.  As if his hearing is getting worse.  I think the whole thing has to be related, but I'm not a doctor so what do I know?

The ENT said he still had fluid in his ears and that he couldn't test his hearing until it was cleared so he gave him another round of antibiotics and told us to come back.  He also said that he does have large glands and adenoids but that he doesn't want to rush into surgery.  OK great, neither do we but that still doesn't answer how we're supposed to solve the snoring/breathing problem!  UGH!

So as a result of all this, he's been missing school a ton.  If you have kids, you know that preschool is super expensive and regardless of your child missing school because of being sick or not, you still have to pay the full tuition.  Which, because of me not working currently, we just cannot afford.  Well, honestly we couldn't afford it with me working, but definitely we can't now so we've pulled Aaron out of school until we can figure out what is wrong with him and we can afford to send him again.  Hopefully in the Spring!!!  

This baby!  Princess.

Elizabeth is doing well.  She's gaining weight, sleeping through the night (mostly) and drinking her bottles.  Right now she's cuddled with Josh (which is how I have free time to write this!).  This girl gets a ton of kisses and cuddles, that's for sure!  She makes the cutest faces and sometimes she'll just lay there and coo.  When Aaron was in the hospital, I stayed overnight with him while Josh stayed home with Elizabeth.  I was gone for almost 24 hours and when Josh and I switched and I came home to Elizabeth.  When I first picked her up she smiled at me!  Twice!  It was so cute.  Baby girl recognized her momma!  I can also get her to smile at me when I kiss her on the lips.  It takes a few times but around the 3rd or 4th try, she smiles and even laughed once!

At almost 2 month old, she can hold her head up and almost turn over.  She grabs on to everything with her little skinny hands and sometimes she'll try to stand off of you if you're holding her.  Of course I don't let her stand, but she's a strong girl for sure!  She dreams and sometimes you will catch her sleeping with her eyes open.  Freaky, I know, but mom tells me she gets it from her Grandma Gloria.

As for me, I've seen the doctor and she told me I'm all healed which is great to hear.  My back still hurts though.  Some days it's not too bad but other days it hurts like a MF.  I was still taking the 800 mg of ibuprofen whenever my back pain would come back.  And then for some reason I kept getting these stomach aches.  I couldn't figure out why and why they seemed to come mostly at night time.  I was taking Tums and Pepto Bismol but they would only help a little.  Finally, yesterday I thought - holy crap! - what if it's the ibuprofen?  So I didn't take it yesterday and suffered through a day of back pain, but with no stomach problems!  Hooray!  Sort of.  I think I'll give it a few days (or at least until my back pain gets really bad) and then I'll start taking Aleve instead.  

Now my job will be to figure out how to be a SAHM with two kids all day.  At least for the next few months.  But first we get through December!!!!  Aaron's birthday is coming up and then Christmas.  Today we might go tree shopping if Josh can find the decorations!  We even have a fireplace to decorate this time!  Super exciting - our first Christmas together in a house as a family!

I hope you all are well, enjoying time with loved ones and that you all have a super fabulous holiday season! 

2 years old and already getting 95%

Aaron at his 2 year old check up

Aaron had his 2 year check up today.  The Chubbas is 34 lbs, 6 oz and 33 1/2 inches (2 3/4 feet) tall.  No surprise he's in the 95th percentile for weight & head circumference but less than 50th percentile for height.  But with a mom who is 5' and a dad who is 5'7 we're not really surprised!  

The doctor appointment went well and besides his cold, he's a healthy, happy boy.  She also said he's on the fast track with his language skills so that was awesome to hear.  

Further stats: he's currently in between sizes sort of.  In Gymboree and Gap he can still wear 2T, but I think most other brands he's closer to getting into a 3T.  He's a size 6 in diapers.  We've got both a potty and a potty seat for the regular toilet, but he's not really telling us yet that he's got to go.  He wears a size 8 extra wide in shoes!  We've only had luck at Stride Rite so far!  

So now that we've got all the "turning 2" stuff out of the way, we can concentrate on Christmas.  Christmas Eve will be celebrated at tia Eva's with mom's yummy enchiladas and Christmas Day will be here at our home with a delicious Honey Baked Ham (courtesy of tia Diane). 

We hope you and your family have a wonderful and happy holiday!  Merry Christmas!

Inside belly 9 months. Outside belly 9 months!

Look at that face! C'mon, you know you wanna kiss it!!

Well we took Aaron in for his 9 month check up yesterday and the pediatrician says we're doing great! Aaron is 28 inches tall (50th percentile), 24 lbs 13 oz (>90th percentile) and his head is 46 1/2 centimeters (75-90th percentile)! That's my Chubbs!

He got is regular flu shot too. Don't worry - it was the REGULAR flu shot and not the N1H1 Swine Flu shot. That stuff is way too new for me to want to try out on my baby! And the only reason I gave Aaron a flu shot at all was because the pediatrician said she gave it to her baby and I work with older adults who are vulnerable to this type of stuff so who knows what I'm bringing home!

So now that Aaron has reached 9 months we are moving up to the next step in both his formula and jar food and he's gonna be eating food at least 3 times a day now. He sleeps through the night mostly so I'm not worried about that! He's wearing stage 4 diapers and we're starting to get 12-18 month clothing for him! The next thing is the car seat! YES - we STILL have to get that! I know - I know - but we just don't have $250 laying around right now! Ugh!

Aaron still loves his "bouncy" (Johnny Jumper) and he's starting to pull himself up on things. And when I say things I really mean Josh or me because we don't have a coffee table! HA! He's still not crawling but he gets around just fine by scooting and rolling around.

The other day we went to Babies R Us to get his new crib (old one was recalled!) and after we went down to the waterfront and hung out since it was such a nice day. He loves being outside! (New pictures on Flickr)

The new project I have to get on is his baptism. I've kinda let the ball drop on that one but part of it is Josh's fault! He won't pick a Godfather! I think I'm gonna just have to do it for him.

I've got a few new videos of him but I haven't posted them to You Tube yet. I'll let you all know when I do!

He's wonderful and healthy and happy (mostly!) and that's what makes everything worth while.

UPDATE: Grandpa & Grandma Herring bought the car seat for Aaron! Yay!! It should be arriving soon. Thanks G&G Herring!! Love you!

Leaving on a jet plane

My stinkin' boy! Isn't he adorable?!

Well, we're getting ready for Aaron's first plane trip! I'm so excited and nervous at the same time! I hope of all hopey-hopes that everything goes well and without incident. And by that I mean both no screaming baby, no poopy diapers on the plane, and not TSA asshats. Just nice, happy baby with pee pee only diapers and really awesome and friendly TSA agents. (That's me, putting that out there in the universe - making it happen! *crossing fingers*).

We're on our way to California. A stop in Sacramento for a few days where Josh and I will leave Aaron behind to enjoy his grandparents and then we'll head down to LA with Eva for a Dave (DMB) concert. :) I figured Aaron's a bit too young for his official first Dave concert.

Today we went to the doctor's office just to ease my mind about the plane trip and a few other small items we wanted to go over the doctor with. Aaron's doing very well - a healthy 24 lbs! :) Clear ears (for the plane!), normal temperature, normal developments -- and we learned we have to up the food. We'd only been feeding him once a day (meaning FOOD and not bottle) but we are going to be changing that to two times a day now and next month - three times a day. SEE - I don't have anyone to tell me these things here in Seattle so thankfully I have a wonderful pediatrician for Aaron.

I will be taking plenty of pictures on my trip and will hopefully post them to FLICKR as soon as I get back.

Wish us luck everyone! A few days and we're on our way!

6 month check up

Hooray! Aaron is 6 months old and doing wonderfully, thank you for asking! :)

Stats:
Height: 27 inches - 50-75th percentile
Weight: 20 lbs 14 oz - 75-90th percentile
Head: 44.4 cm - 75 percentile

As you can see, the boy loves to eat! His doctor said he's definitely going to be getting in his 4 top teeth soon (yes, 4!) and so I bought one of those feeding nets ...... I guess it's called a Fresh Food Feeder because you can put ice chips in there too, but also we're introducing him to jarred baby food and this way way can give him fresh fruit instead of jarred all the time.

Also, Aaron will need the next car seat soon and man, those things are expensive. One of my best girlfriends in Sacramento won't let me get anything less than a Britax (*wink, wink* Steph!) since they're the top safety rated care seats so I guess we're gonna have to start saving for that.

SO, I've decided to post a list on the right column of things Aaron uses on a regular basis or will be needing soon because I actually do get asked this question. Mostly by grandparents and great-grandparents, but this way you will all know in case you're feeling generous towards your poor, soon to be jobless niece/cousin/granddaughter/sister/daughter! :) Yeah, I went there.

The good (great) news is that Aaron is doing just wonderfully and I would think it safe to say that his acid reflux has been gone for awhile! He's sitting up and just recently started to roll over thanks to Grandma Yvette's help. He seems to be right on schedule!

Until next time! ((HUGS)) to you all!

4 Month Check Up

Today Aaron had his 4 month check up! He's weighing 17 lbs and is 24.5 inches long. A short chubber, just like his momma! He wears 3-6 month clothing and he really likes the onesies that his Auntie Bea gave him from the Gap. (OK, I really like them. But they're awesome because they have alot of give and they're light weight.) His check up went well otherwise - Dr. Archibald said he was "perfect". :)

Aaron is doing really good with holding his head up all on his own. He's not quite so "bobble-headed" though he does get tired then his head goes down! He's much more aware of his surroundings now and he loves to play with things that light up. But more than that he likes to hold a wet wash cloth or his burp cloth because he sticks it in his mouth to "chew" on. We're pretty sure he's starting the teething process but the doctor said that infants can go through all the teething signs and not see actual teeth for months!

And if I haven't mentioned it before - Aaron loves the bath! Some times it's the only thing I can do to get him to calm down when he's crying too. So rest assured, Aaron is a clean baby! Right now my sweet chubbs is sleeping in his swing. He's a long day with the trip in the car, the doctor's visit, and the 2 shots he got. Hopefully he'll go to bed early tonight!

Well folks, that's all for now! Hope all is well with you!

10 days old and snipped!

Aaron is 10 days old today! Hooray!

On Monday Aaron had his 1 week follow up appointment with the pediatrician. Everything looks great so far. He's healthy and almost back to his birth weight, which is awesome. (Babies usually lose weight in the hospital before they leave but are expected to get back to birth weight in a few weeks).

On Tuesday Aaron went to see my doctor to have his circumcision. Josh felt pretty strongly that Aaron should have a circumcision, so we took him and I waited in the other room while the procedure was being performed because I was too chicken to watch. Josh is definitely on diaper duty until Aaron is all healed. Aaron was pretty upset with Josh yesterday, but I think he's doing much better today.

I also saw my doctor for a follow up visit and to have my surgical tape removed. I'm healing well, and everything looks good for us both so I'm happy.

For those of you who don't know, I had to have unexpected c-section, and ended up with a high fever after the operation. I think both my physical and emotional wounds from that are healing at the same pace. The important thing is that Aaron is well and healthy and that is all I could ever ask for. He is an adorable baby and I spend most of our shared waking moments staring at him, taking in his facial expressions, movements and sounds.

Josh and I are trying to get used to our new and mostly unpredictable schedule. Josh has been wonderful in taking the late night shifts and waking up in the middle of the night to help me with diapers and feedings. He is also healing well, as the c-section was a big shock to both of us and my recuperation in the hospital wasn't always easy.

We're both very lucky to have the help and support of both our families!

We take tons of pictures every day so I'll try and post as much as I can. I hope all of you are well and thanks to all of you that have sent your well wishes and congratulations. :)

~Adriane & Josh