King's Daughters

Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters is where we have spent the last 2 nights. Not how I anticipated my week beginning, but our little man is doing great and has been a trooper. 

It started with a few vomiting spells over the weekend. They seemed isolated and he was his playful self. Still eating ok. Monday morning rolled around and I figured it would be good to call the doctor. If nothing else, Lincoln was dehydrated.  

We got to the office and while pushing Maya and carrying Lincoln across the parking lot, Lincoln's as went stiff and his body went limp. I thought he was choking at first but he was completely unconscious. I ran as fast as I could into the office and up the elevator. (Note: when a crazy lady is yelling to open the door for her, perhaps oblige and then ask "is he ok?" No, and get out of my way!). Mama bear coming through!

The doctors took him and checked his vitals and everything looked good. I described what happened and they started asking about a fmily history of seizures and asking about his development. I calmed myself after a bit, found my daughter (the nurses had her) and called Glenn. 

Lincoln was asleep for another 20-25 minutes before he woke up which is very common for kids who have seizures. He seemed ok when he woke up so we left and went to CHKD for blood work and then home for him to rest. 

He napped well and ate a bit when he woke up. He vomited again later and then had what we've decribed as a fainting spell around 6 pm. We took him to the ER after that and while they were

treating him in the ER he had another seizure. They gave him an IV and started meds immediately. I'm thankful that if these were to happen, he chose a good spot!

We were admitted and they've done a head CT and an EEG and everything has come back normal. We've been seizure and vomit free for 24 hours now and hoping we can go home soon!

None of the tests have showed anything very definitive and why these are happening which is frustrating but I'm happy he is stable and nothing serious has been found. Our pediatrician says it was definitely a seizure, the neurologist seems to think they are not and it is more a combination of the nausea from this stomach bug and the crying and they are fainting spells. From what I saw in the ER, they seem like seizures to me but I'm no doctor. 

So they have been observing him and we hope to be out of the hospital in time to see our families this weekend!

Happy Thanksgiving! Give your little ones a squeeze! We have so much to be thankful for!

Big Brother Lincoln

Lincoln was already in bed the night we got home so he got to meet his little sister the next morning. He was interested at first and wanted to hold her, but only for about 2 seconds. Most of the time he wants to know where she is, but doesn't want anything to do with her. Especially when she is in my arms and he wants to be. A little jealous at times, but I think they will have a lot of fun playing together as she gets older!

 He is a good helper when he wants to be!

 These pictures took forever to take and required candy bribery.

Some turned out cute, but most looked like this:

 Baby toes!

Blueberry Picking

I saw an article in the paper in July about local blueberry picking and thought, "Lincoln LOVES blueberries!" So 4 mamas and 4 babies drove out to Pungo and checked it out a few days later.

There were blackberries too which were much easier for L to pick.

By the time we got to blueberries, the kiddos were a sticky mess (mostly Kai) and had full bellies! Wear purple or blue shirts if you go next summer.

Chivalry is not dead. 

Lincoln loved the wagons and the golf cart most of all, not surprised. He's obsessed with anything with wheels and shouts, "Tuk!" from the backseat of the car at every truck or van or large vehicle we see these days.

We came home with $5 worth of really delicious blueberries and blackberries. At $1.95 a pound, you can do the math. Lincoln was not so helpful when it came to picking the berries, but super helpful when it came to emptying the buckets.

We had some sweaty, sticky kiddos and a few nasty diapers in the coming days, but it was a success! I'm excited for apples and pumpkins in a few months!

Flying Baby

Lincoln took his first flight at 7 weeks and we've taken several trips in between including one international. The older he got, the harder it's gotten, but this last trip wasn't so bad. He'll finally watch a video for 8 minutes or play with stickers or playdough. My girlfriend compared herself to Mary Poppins while flying with a toddler and I don't think she's too far off!

Lincoln screamed for 20 minutes during our holding/waiting for take off. Then we got our own row of 3 seats. Nice work, buddy. No, I didn't pinch him, but the guy next to me have. (not really).

Occasionally he sleeps. That is glorious.

We tried the baby leash. Hated it at the airport. Loved it at home. Go figure.

Layovers are the worst, but when there is a USO inside of security, it can be tolerable. A room with a door that closes is a novel idea with a curious toddler. I enjoyed the fact that I could sit in a chair and know he couldn't go far. Drink a coffee even. People like him cause he's cute and I don't mind letting them play with him either. :)

The USO at MDW even had toys and computers with access to YouTube. Hooray!

This lasted over an hour. It's going to be tough when he out grows the baby carrier!

Summer Buzz

Lincoln's hair was getting a little crazy and the back of his hair has a different texture that made it always look like he just woke up from a nap so one afternoon we decided to give him a summer buzz. Glenn had just cut his a few weeks earlier.

 He did really well til the end when he got kind of squirmy so we missed a few small patches, but it has grown on me. He looked so much older as soon as we did it!

 

 Just like daddy!

It's only been 5 days

I started this last week, but just like many things these days, it didn't get finished...

This week is officially complete as a SAHM (Stay at home momma) and I really enjoyed it! I will say, it is so much more work than going to work. At work, I could run during lunch to target or the grocery store, but now almost every errand comes with my extra helper. By "helper" I mean not really helpful at all. That is harder, but I also know exactly why he is crabby, if that is the case, at the end of the day, rather than wondering how things went at day care. He is getting longer naps at home and we get to have so much fun together. We went to music class at the library, we went to the botanical gardens and I managed to clean all the window blinds in my house - can't remember the last time that happened! (Has it happened since we bought them?!). I even cooked dinner and went grocery shopping along with my normal house cleaning duties.

I think the biggest change is the role I play in the house. Glenn was always the cook and grocery shopper. I cleaned and helped with the laundry. I have a lot more time during the day now to take care of some of these things and I try to. I'm trying to find my place again as well as have a little time for me.

I went out with a few girlfriends last Thursday and I found myself dragging my feet to get there. Normally I would be rushing out the door, ready to relax after a week at work. Not that my days weren't busy and "work" at times, but I felt less reluctant to enjoy a night with my friends since I hadn't contributed in my normal manner. It's a balance. I still haven't quite found it.

I worry at times that Lincoln isn't in a "learning" environment like he was a day care. I know he's only 18 months, but he was at a place with different topics and units and experiences every day. I'm not a preschool teacher, but it would definitely help at times!

So it's an adjustment, and I'm still figuring it out, but I love being able to lay on the floor in the morning and play with my little man and not have to rush us both out the door to work. I do find myself looking for projects to do so I think there will be more house painting or similar in my future, but I like having a project to do, especially when Glenn is gone. Any one need a piece of furniture painted? Maybe I'll finally get started on my annual scrapbook before the year is complete.

Happy Thursday!

Outside fun

This video is from the spring after a rain storm. He clearly doesn't mind a little mess or water. He's a boy through and through!