Fabulous Fall

Wrote this months ago, but never hit “post”. I blame it on sleep deprivation.

The Graham boys (and parents) have loved our extended fantastic fall weather.  It’s November and I’m wearing a t-shirt.  We really haven’t put on more than our hoodies yet, except for a couple days.  All this good weather means more walks, trips to the creek, lots of visits to the Pumpkin Patch, and tons of driveway time.  Can’t beat it!  Hopefully the payback won’t be a nasty winter.

My transition back to school went exactly how I envisioned–way more tough for me than it was for Brady.  He had a couple “rough” days, as far as napping was concerned, but he has settled in to the routine at Miss Barb’s.  Davis was fine with Brady joining him at daycare.  I worried a little that he would be resentful of Brady for stealing the spotlight there, but he pretty much just ignores him all day.  As for myself, it has been a difficult transition.  Missing the first 12 weeks of school, when all the norms are established, was not a great plan.  I’m still playing catch-up with getting to know the kids, their abilities, new curriculum and technology, and expectations.  My class is chatty and disorganized, and I wanted all the issues to go away and the class to be perfect within a couple days of being back!  The first couple weeks I came home so stressed out I could barely function.  It’s getting better, but I still have a long way to go.

Davis is a threenager through and through.  One minute he’s happy as can be, the next he’s yelling at me for cutting his waffles into little pieces (which is what he had asked for just seconds before).  He is completely against all things related to potty training, which is driving Deron and I CRAZY.  And before you offer up advice, let me tell you that we have tried everything short of stripping him naked and refusing diapers.  Everyone keeps telling us, “It’ll happen”, but I’m not so sure.  Are there any kindergarten programs that take six-year-olds in diapers?  Davis has been the happiest about the extra long fall, because he’d spend all his extra time at the creek and park if we’d let him.  He has also spent a lot of time playing with his birthday trains.  We have built some pretty great tracks and have gone through a ton of batteries.

Brady is doing great.  At his four month check up, Dr. John noted that he doesn’t seem to miss a meal.  He weighed in at 17ish pounds and has grown several inches since birth.  He and Davis both got shots, which was a real treat since I took them by myself.  Never again!  He’s not rolling over yet, but loves floor/tummy time, is grabbing and chewing on toys, and really likes to play in the Jumparoo and Johnny Jump-up.  He is FINALLY napping in his crib, though I have not gotten rid of the swings yet. I think teeth will be here any day, based on how much he is drooling and chewing.  He’s obviously a good eater, but has gotten L-A-Z-Y!  He prefers his bottles, because apparently nursing has just gotten too hard for him.  Too bad for him, though, because I refuse to pump at home!

We celebrated the extended fall and the coming of Halloween with a Pumpkin Carving Party at our house. I was not necessarily dying to have people indoors, but it was nice enough to play outside and in the garage.  Davis invited all of his friends over and shared his outside toys without much complaint.  Even his new t-ball set and new remote control cars.  He had a great time running around with all the other kids and carving his pumpkin with Deron.  Brady was pretty cooperative.  He stretched out his afternoon nap so I could chat with the girls for a while and get the soup out.  It was a fun afternoon/evening that we would love to keep doing each year.

Halloween was a blast this year!  Davis went as a firefighter and Brady as his trusty dalmatian.  I had to come up with a costume for Davis that was not too “costumey”.  You never know what he’s going to be in the mood for.  But he didn’t put up much of a fight getting into his outfit.  The boots were his only challenge, because he didn’t think he could walk in them.  We went out trick-or-treating pretty early, and hooked up with the kids across the street, making it even more fun for Davis.  Brady rode along in the front carrier and loved every minute of it.  Upon returning home, Davis really loved handing out candy to the other  kids.  He didn’t want the evening to end!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brady’s First Four Months

July 15, 2015

Sleeping like a…baby.

August 15, 2015

September 15, 2015

September 15, 2015. Two months old and squeezed into his jeans.

October 15, 2015

November 15, 2015

Three Going on “One…Eight” and All He Wants is Cake!

We talked about Davis’s birthday for weeks.  He knew he was having a party, he knew he was having cake, and he knew he was turning three.  But, to anyone who asked him how old he would be, he told them, “One…Eight!”  Anyone who asked him what he wanted for his birthday got the simple response, “Cake!”

He’s pretty easy to please, huh?

We celebrated Davis’s birthday on October 4th, while his Johnson family was in town for the American Royal Barbeque.  Since they were all going to be heading back to Lincoln that Sunday, we hosted a birthday brunch before they left town.  I planned a fishing-themed party, but it was very understated compared to his first and second birthdays.  It didn’t matter to D-Man–To say that Davis was excited is an understatement.

He got a Thomas card and a Planes card that he seriously loved!

Grandma Gayle came to stay with us the day before the party, and Davis was over the moon–he loves playing with Grandma Gayle, and she doesn’t seem to mind his bossiness with what they play and where.  Grandma kept him entertained while we prepared for the party and took care of Brady. Uncle Matt and Harper came the day before, too, but spent most of the day at the AR.  Uncle Mitch, Aunt Brandy, Ameleah and Allison came the day before as well, and this was very exciting, because Davis loves to play with “his girls”.  They spent some time playing with all the toys and went down to the park.

Nutella! Thanks Grandma!

The next day, Grandpa Steve and Grandma Deb joined us, Doug, Vicki, Kelsea and Cera-Rose popped in, Uncle Robert stopped by, and we had a great time.  Davis loved opening his presents this year, and did a great job telling each person thank you.  It took all his strength to get through all the opening before beginning to play with the new toys!  He also loved being sung to and eating his “fishing cake”.  Brady was good, too, and entertained the crowd, but the day wasn’t really about him.

He is concentrating on making a good wish!

He loved being sung to!

The wind helped him a little…

Mmmmmm…cake!

Davis was sad to see everyone go.  If it could be his birthday everyday, he’d be so happy!

The following Friday (his actual birthday), we celebrated again.  Deron bought some jumbo muffins for his breakfast, so we lit candles and sang to him again.  He had presents to open from mommy and daddy and was super excited.  Until he barfed.  Then he wasn’t so excited.  Maybe it was the giant muffin and juice, mixed with the excitement of the morning.  Maybe it was a little tummy bug.  Who knows.  Whatever it was, it was NOT how Davis or mommy planned to spend the day.  It was my first day home with both boys…SURPRISE…and one of them had to be sick 😦  Luckily, Brady was a great baby all day and Davis had TONS of toys to play with, so we survived.  We brought up all his trains and filled the living room with tracks.  We raced a lot of cars and trucks.  We watched tons of Paw Patrol.  We colored and made thank-you note pumpkins.  And we all lived to tell about it.

Whew!

Birthday muffin on the real day!

More presents!

All-in-all, it was a great third birthday!  I swore last year that the rest of Davis’s parties would be in public places where I don’t have to cook or clean, and next year, that’s happening.

Now to start planning Brady’s first birthday 🙂

Our sad, sad attempt at a family photo 😦

 

 

The Honest Truth

End of May, June, July, August, September, October.  That’s how long I have been out of work.  Most people remark, “You’re so lucky!” or “Oh man, I’m jealous!”  I know it was a blessing to be home with Davis through the summer, and with Brady for the last three months.  Every day, I remind myself that I am getting 14.5 weeks with my baby, which is a LOT more than many moms get.  I talked to a mom last week who was going back to work after only 6 weeks and I felt terrible for her!  I know that what I’m doing is special and that I need to embrace this amazing opportunity.  We sacrificed some weeks of pay, all of my paid time off, and possibly a year of my retirement (which we will have to buy back) in order for me to spend and extended amount of time with Baby Brady.  Trust me, I am thankful for what I have received!

But I have a secret…

…brace yourself…

My break has been long enough.

I want to go back to work.

Some people are meant to be ‘stay at home’ moms and dads.  They don’t mind staying in their pajamas and sweats all day.  It’s okay with them to not put on makeup or really ‘do’ their hair. They are perfectly happy in front of the television or around the house for long hours.  They love sitting and snuggling their kids forever, with no thoughts of laundry, dishes, vacuums, errands, etc.  They can find enough to do in their homes to keep them happy and satisfied with life.  They don’t mind going long stretches without talking to other adults or people who can actually talk.

But I am not some people.

Some of you just said, “duh”.

The last 12 weeks have been the most mentally and physically challenging weeks of my life.  Brady is a much “easier” baby than Davis was, but this is  far more challenging than when Davis arrived, because I have TWO kids to worry about!  I struggle without structure and am a wreck on days where Brady is unpredictable and hard to soothe.  I’m definitely not good on too little sleep and I really miss exercise when I don’t have time for it. I freak out the days where Davis is crabby and unhappy.  I stress over changes in Brady and question the choices I am making.  I constantly think about Davis and whether he is still getting the attention he needs.  I worry about how my day will go, and before the day is even over, I’m already thinking about the next day.  On top of everything, I spend time thinking about how all of this is affecting Deron…sigh…

Then there’s the loneliness.  If I were going to be home any longer, I’d have to reach out to some other moms, because being at home all day with little kids can really start to feel lonely.  All the problems of the day feel like they are my problems to face alone.  It’s definitely hard to deal with.

This lack of organization and predictability in my life are SO HARD for me to handle.  I work hard to put up a strong front and keep my emotions in check.  I smile through the stress of traveling two weekends in a row with an infant, and planning a birthday party for a preschooler.  I pretend that it’s okay that Brady no longer goes right to bed or that Davis cries when I won’t let him watch tv.  I remind myself that it’s okay every time I put Brady in his swing for a nap (damn that swing).  I try to interact with visitors and act like everything is going great.  I attempt to keep it together when Deron walks out the door to go to work, to kickball, on a bike ride, etc.  I push myself to get out of the house everyday, even if it is just to Sonic or Target, or on a quick walk, so that I don’t sit and obsess over naps and my dirty house all day long, and so I can have some adult contact, even if it’s just with the HyVee checker.  I try to let the trials “roll off my back”, but it’s hard.  Oh so hard.

It’s not postpartum depression, it’s not generalized anxiety disorder, it’s not a chemical imbalance, and it’s nothing that can be or will be diagnosed by a doctor.  Don’t rush over here and try to psychoanalyze me.  Don’t call to check up on me (though you are welcome to call to chat or gossip).  Don’t text Deron to make sure I’m really “okay”.  All you’ll find is that I have the same moderate anxiety and OCD I have had my whole life.  It just looks a bit different these days, because my life is different.

Here’s what it comes down to:  I was not designed to be a stay-at-home-mom.  I am meant to be somewhere else for part of my day, and for me, that somewhere else is school.  I need to be a different kind of busy.  I need to interact with bigger kids and more adults.  I need the challenges that I face in school.  Yes, I have challenges at home with the boys, but at school they are MUCH different.  I need adults to come to me for help and advice.  I need bigger kids to need me.

While my life will feel extremely hectic when I first go back, I know that returning to school will actually help me get my mind back on track.  My house won’t be as clean, the laundry will pile up, dinners will be the ‘quickly prepared’ type.  But, I will be in a mentally sound place.

Unfortunately, this makes me feel guilty.  I know, I know, I shouldn’t feel that way.  I’m a good mom, my family loves me, I make sacrifices, I work hard, blah, blah, blah.  But there are these standards set by society that make me feel like a bad mom because I don’t want to be home with my boys all day, everyday.

Lucky for me, I’m not the only one who feels this way.  You see, when you work outside the home, so do most of your friends.  If I were an ‘at home’ mom, I’d probably have mom friends who also stay home.  Instead, I have a lot of working mom friends who all feel the way I do.  They are all AMAZING parents, but they all know that they need to work outside the home to stay sane.  For many of us, it’s not about the money, because let’s face it, the teacher’s salary hardly covers daycare!  It is really and truly about being in a different role for a portion of the day.  The best part of having working mom friends is that these moms don’t judge me for wanting to return to work, because they are of the same mind.

I have 10 days left in my maternity leave.  I’m going to make the best of it.  I am going to snuggle my B-Man, hug Davis (even though he fights it), and work really hard to be happy.  I know I’ll cry when I take Brady to daycare the first day, and maybe even the second and third.  Even though I want to go back to work, it will be hard for me to relinquish control of my baby to another person.  But in the end, I will be a better mom, even if it is for eight fewer hours during the day.

 

 

Quarter of a Year!

Can you believe it?  B-Man is a quarter of a year old!  We love this little guy so much.  Davis is even coming aroung ( a bit).  Here are weeks one through thirteen, in reverse:

We survived!

 

 

We Heart Fall

Little Big Man

Cooler weather.  Pumpkin patches.  Crisp apples.  Autumn leaves.  Husker football.  Halloween.  Pumpkin spice. Our anniversary.  Davis’s birthday.  My birthday.  What’s not to love?  Brady and I are closing in on our time together and trying to make the best of our last few weeks…

September 15, 2015. Two months old and squeezed into his jeans.

The B-Man is doing great.  Still growing in all directions.  We haven’t been going to our breastfeeding support group, so I’m not sure about his weight, but I do know he is HEAVY!  I have spent enough time lugging him around the house and wearing him in his carrier to know that!  We completely moved him into 6 months clothes for both width and length.  He is pretty much sleeping through the night every night (11 hours straight last night), and we are working on his napping.  He’s partial to sleeping in the swing, and I tried to get him in his crib last week, but it was WAY too stressful for both of us.  He would only sleep for a few minutes, then spend hours crying because he was so tired.  NOT worth it, because he’s just too little and mommy can’t take it.  We’ll try it again in a couple weeks.

Look at me sitting up.

Strong man doing some tummy time.

Davis is Davis and that’s a fact.  He is one hard-headed little booger.  He amazes us with all that he is learning and remembering every day.  Yesterday when we drove by Price Chopper he said, “Hey mom, that’s where we buy ice cream”.  We did that once, about three months ago, and he somehow remembered.  He says really funny things all the time, and comes up with ideas that just make us shake our heads.  I’m going to start writing down some of the things he says so I can remember them and add them to the blog.

His favorite things right now are playing cars and trains, playing outside and watching tv.  The tv we could do without, but there are times it’s a necessary evil.  Outside, he loves to run races, be chased, make messes and dig.  Yesterday at the park he demanded that I watch him dig.  Fun, fun.  His new favorite tv show is Paw Patrol, which I will admit is pretty cute.  It’s better than some of the other shows he likes.

He is SUPER excited about his upcoming birthday.  His “party” is this weekend, while all the Lincoln family is here for the American Royal BBQ.  It was supposed to be a little party for family only, but that’s still 20+ people.  We are having a brunch and the theme is “fishing”, though I’m not doing nearly as much as the last two years.  A few decorations, some balloons, and a cake, and Davis is happy.  I’m not sure what we are going to do on his actual birthday.  I asked him what he wanted for his birthday, and he said, “cake”.  Well, that’s easy enough.  He’s also getting some new trains, Legos, a t-ball set and who knows what else.  He’s going to have a lot of fun!

Playing at grandma’s school playground in Salina.

This thing was a blast!

Loves every slide!

We made a trip to Lincoln to see the family, see dad’s new house, and celebrate Allison’s birthday.  Her birthday party was at a dance studio, where they did some dancing and activities for a while, then ate cake.  Davis didn’t join in right away, but eventually got out there for the parachute and trampoline and to dance with mommy.  Of course, his favorite part was the cake and juice box.  Much to everyone’s shock, it was his first juice box.  The party traveled to dad’s where Allison opened presents, we all ate pizza and watched the Husker game. We all love dad’s new house.  It has a TON of space for everyone, and we had the run of the downstairs, which worked out great for all of us.  It will be nice to have parties and holidays at dad’s in the years to come.

Parachute time!

So fun!

Allison, Ameleah and Owen

The birthday girl!

Loving on some cake!

Mmmm…high fructose corn syrup 🙂

I have 25 more days before I have to return to school.  I’m excited and dreading it at the same time.  I have not taught since May–a five month break!  It will be nice to have some new challenges in my life and more adults and kids to talk to all day long, but I will be anxious to send Brady to daycare.  I’m so lucky that I have had two long maternity leaves and that I get to spend extra time with my boys during breaks, holidays and summer.

Catching our Stride

Our boys were just not made for hats. Especially not silly frog hats!

That’s right.  The B-Man and I are starting to fall into a nice little routine, revolving (somewhat) smoothly around Davis.  Why must we revolve around Davis?  Because let’s face it–even with an infant in the house, Davis is still the center of the Graham Universe!

Silly. Always silly.

Brady continues to put on weight like a champ.  Every week I take him to a Breastfeeding Support Group to have him weighed, check in with a lactation nurse, and mingle with other breastfeeding moms.  I have been a little embarrassed the last few weeks.  There are  moms there with milk production issues, babies who don’t latch properly and hardly gain any weight, moms who aren’t getting their babies to take bottles, etc.  And then there’s Brady.  The nurse just laughs every week when the scale’s up another pound.  It had me a little worried, but she assured me that it’s fine.  We had his six week check-up, too, and the doctor was really happy with his growth and progress.  The poor guy had to have three shots and an oral vaccination, but we made it through the tears and the rough afternoon that followed.  Every time he receives another vaccination, I’ll rest a little easier knowing he’s protected from some of the scary illnesses out there!

Now to convince all our family to have their Tdap shot to help us protect Brady through the winter–Whooping Cough is very scary!

Getting very good at focusing in on me.

Davis is making progress in the area of brotherly love.  I think.  Sortof.  Okay, maybe not.  Those of you on facebook know that Davis finally touched Brady.  Little B was sitting in the rocking chair and Davis walked right up to him and poked him in the eye.  Intentionally.  He was reprimanded and may have felt bad.  He’s just pushing the limits and trying new things, I guess.  The story didn’t really end there, but I did not post this second part to facebook, because I didn’t want DFS called.  I was sitting on the porch holding Brady, and Davis was playing with his baseball.  I told him that if he was going to throw it, he needed to throw it toward the grass.  Well, his throw was VERY erratic, and it accidentally hit Brady right in the temple.  B immediately started screaming, and I had to stop Deron in the middle of mowing to come inside with me, because I freaked out.  Davis knew it was a big deal from how hard Brady and I were both crying.  After a little time with an ice pack and me doting on him, it was clear that Brady would be fine.  Thank god for semi-soft baby skulls and quick healing.  Davis apologized to Brady and gave him a kiss (another breakthrough), and all was fine.  For now.

I didn’t do it!

Since then we have also had a couple more kisses and a “goodnight” here and there.  Progress, people, progress.

I love seeing infants in the “arms up” sleeping pose.

Other than those two incidents, Davis a managing to cope pretty well with the addition of his baby brother.  We are finding ways to give Davis the attention he needs, and still take care of Little B.  Deron makes a lot of morning waffles for Davis and spends tons of time playing trains with him while I feed Brady.  In the afternoons and evenings, once Davis is home from Miss Barb’s, Brady spends a lot of time in the front carrier.  It allows me to focus on Davis without Brady fussing.  While I have Brady in the carrier I can play trains, do puzzles, color, paint, start dinner, walk to the park, etc.  It’s a lifesaver and will probably continue to be very handy until Brady is able to sit up.

He’s seriously strong!

We have had some company here and there–mostly just quick drop-ins.  However, we did have three sets of weekend visitors, which was really fun.  First, Uncle Mitch, Aunt Brandy, Ameleah and Allison came to visit.  Davis loves to play with his cousins and they all get along pretty well.  Davis is a tad protective of his trains, but shares everything else pretty well.  We all made a trip to Conrad’s for dinner, and it was scary to say, “four adults, four children”.  It was man-to-man the whole time, but we can’t complain, because all the kids were good.

Uncle Mitch, Ameleah and Allison holding Brady.

Maybe they need a little brother.

Sneaking in some train play.

Another weekend we had the Hughes girls here.  Vicki, Kelsea and Cera-Rose came to KC for the weekend, and came to see us twice.  Davis was in heaven because they brought him M&Ms and a sucker (along with some clothes) and catered to his every whim.  They jumped off steps with him, drew on the Magnadoodle with him, spun in circles with him and laughed at his every move.  He loves it when they come.  Brady loves them, too, but he shows it in much different ways, like falling asleep in their arms.

Our Hughes Girls!

Kelsea jumping with Davis!

Cera-Rose the baby whisperer.

Finally, we had the Steffens here.  Their trip to Liberty was much different than the others, though.  Phil actually came to replace our AC and the Steffen girls made the trek up here just for fun.  While Phil worked hard all morning/afternoon, Davis, Amelia and Heidi played in the basement and Kristin and I caught up.  Again, Davis shared pretty well, except for those silly trains.  It was fun to see them.  They only live about 45 minutes away, but it’s hard for us to get together.  Davis and Heidi are only a couple weeks apart, and it would be fun for them to get to play more often!

He loves it when I get the camera out.

While the weather was good, we got out and went to the zoo on a Sunday morning.  Brady was perfectly happy to ride in the stroller while Davis led us all around the zoo.  I discovered that there is a “Mom’s Room” in the penguin exhibit, and Brady and I went there while Davis and Deron rode the train.  The trip allowed me to see that we would be able to do things as a family again, without too much trouble and headache.  Davis, Brady and I have also been to Target by ourselves.  It was not easy, but that’s mostly because Davis is demanding and a tad naughty.  He has a mind of his own and he uses it, regardless of what we say…sigh…

He’s all ready to go the the zoo.

We made a trip to the Northland to watch the Blue Angels, too.  We didn’t hit the airport, thankfully, because we heard it was a cluster.  However, we had a pretty good view from a random parking lot in NKC, and enjoyed the show from afar.   Davis thought the jets were pretty amazing.  Brady slept in the van through the whole show.  It was loud, so I was really glad he slept the whole time.

Watching for the jets

There they are!

We made a trip to Salina last weekend, and it went well.  I was prepared for the worst in the car, but Brady slept the entire way there.  I did climb into the backseat to give him a binkie, but he went right back to sleep.  Davis likes to watch for trucks, read books and play with his “iPad”, so he was good to go.  Our time in Salina was short, but exhausting.  Davis had a LOT of fun playing with Grandma Gayle and Grandpa Don at the park and in the backyard.  He love going to Grandpa Jerry and Grandma Tina’s to play with the toys and train.  Brady had some trouble sleeping.  He didn’t nap enough and had a hard time getting to sleep both nights.  Unfortunately, I forgot the monitor, so he slept in the room with us.  Big mistake.  He’s SO NOISY in the night–grunting and smacking.  I’ve gotten accustomed to him being in his own room!  We will make sure we have the monitor next time.  The trip home was a breeze, because both boys slept quite a bit (Brady slept every second of the trip!), which makes things a lot easier.

We did watch the Husker game over the weekend, but let’s not talk about that.  It could be a looooong season!

Sleepy baby…

Brady and I are looking forward to cooler weather, so we can get out for daily morning walks.  We’ll also be able to play outside in the afternoon once we get Davis, which will be VERY helpful.  The fresh air is good for all of us!

Seriously. Look at that face.

We’re headed to Lincoln this weekend, to spend some time with my family.  I know, I know, we’re crazy to travel two weekends in a row.  But, we really want to see everyone, everyone wants to see Davis and Brady, and it’s Allison’s second birthday, so we can’t miss it.

Happy Fall!  Here’s a peek at weeks 3-6…7 and 8 must still be on the camera!

“The Dark Days”

The illusive cheesy grin…

I recently read a blog where a mother described the first six weeks of newbornhood as “The Dark Days” and I found her description to be very accurate.  Don’t get me wrong, I love, love, love Baby Brady.  And no, I’m not depressed.  But these days are definitely difficult.  My life is a tangle of c-section recovery, keeping up with daily chores, newborn nursing, days and nights that run together, inability to shower, desire to lose baby weight, trying to entertain big brother, and the emotional wreckage the comes after childbirth.

Dark Days, indeed.

Little snuggler.

We have come to realize, however, that Brady is a bit easier than Davis was at this point.  When we brought Davis home from the hospital, he had lost a little over 10% of his weight, so we were urged to supplement.  That meant that Deron would syringe formula into the corner of his mouth while he was latched on to me, to try to get him a few more calories.  It was quite the agonizing procedure, and we had no idea that it probably wasn’t really necessary.  As soon as I had milk, Davis gained a ton of weight and was just fine.

Brady, too, lost 10% of his weight, but I totally ignored the nurse and doctor when they talked about supplementing.  They brought me the supplies, which I stuffed in my bag, but never used.  He was latching really well, and I knew he’d get plenty once my milk came in.  The confidence that comes with experience is a valuable thing!

We survived!

We also brought Davis home from the hospital with the most horrendous case of diaper rash you have ever seen.  We had him back to the pediatrician twice in the first couple weeks, where he was put on antibiotics and a couple different ointments.  We also had to wash his bum in the sink, rinse him with baking soda water, pat him dry with paper towels, blow dry his bottom, apply ointment, then diaper him in Huggies, and only Huggies!  Might I remind you that Davis was breast fed and pooed pretty much every time he ate.  Thus, even in the middle of the night, you would find me at the sink going through these steps.  Not fun. 

Brady, on the other hand, is a pretty simple diaper change.  We can use any brand of diapers and wipes, with no problems at all.

Back to the gym with some friends!

Then there was Davis’s acid reflux.  We took him to the pediatrician on day 10, because we could not get him to stop screaming, especially when he ate.  Colic had been mentioned, and we were terrified that he would scream for the next four months (damn Google). I was told to go dairy free for a possible milk allergy, and Davis was put on Prilosec for acid reflux.  We had to cut and crush pills, mix them with water, and syringe the meds into his mouth twice a day.  Along with that we had to double up on his burping, get him to sleep at an incline and try to slow my milk flow.  We also gave him a squirt of gas drops at every feeding.  We were forever changing and washing burp cloths and outfits that smelled like spit-up.  There were always spots and stains on my clothes, too.  It went on for four months and was awful.

Brady has spit up two times so far.  I have only washed his burp cloths because I use them to clean up my spilled soda, a cat sleeps on them, or I lose them in the shuffle.  He usually wears the same onesie all day long.  Big difference.

So much fun!

By the week four mark, Davis had already been to the pediatrician FIVE times!  Brady has been twice–once for his one week check, where they did a final look at his bilirubin levels and declared him healthy, and once because I thought there was an infection from his circumcision.  I was wrong, he was fine.  So much easier.

First full bath. He did not love.

Now, don’t get me wrong, Brady has his challenges.  He needs to be swaddled to really sleep well.  I swaddle him in a big receiving blanket during the day for each and every nap, and strap him into a Halo Swaddle Sack at night.  If he’s not swaddled, his startle reflex wakes him up every few minutes, day and night.

Snug as a bug.

Brady is a SLOW eater.  He likes to hang out at the buffet for about 30 minutes, every feeding.  That means I’m nursing him at least four hours a day, and often closer to five.  He also likes to nurse extra in the evenings, sometimes every hour.  It’s tough, because big brother gets annoyed by how much time I spend in the rocking chair with B-Man.  All this time nursing makes me wonder how anyone breastfeed before smart phones?  Seriously.

Rocking chair thief!

Overall, though, Brady is doing really well.  He’s four weeks today and at breastfeeding support group yesterday, he weighed in at 11 lbs 6 oz.  That’s up another pound from last week!  He’s sleeping better at night (last night was 9:45-2:00 and 2:30-6:45) and is happy unless he’s hungry or tired.

Little blue eyes.

As for Davis, I’m not sure that Brady is growing on him much, yet.  Davis has not touched or held him.  He mostly just ignores him.  He did tell me the other day that he wanted me to come downstairs to play with him, but I had to leave Brady upstairs…sigh…

I told him to get used to this…50 more weeks to go!

Davis is happy to be back at Miss Barb’s.  He’s on week two there, and is loving friend time and play time.  He knows I’m home with Brady all day, but still goes to Barb’s pretty willingly.  I think he knows that staying home with Brady and I involves a lot of naps and feedings!  Miss Barb has new toys and activities, plus a new playroom, which he really loves.  Hopefully he’ll continue to love going over there, because lord knows I can’t do both right now!

He likes to hold my hand 🙂

We’re planning some trips to Lincoln and Salina, so happy thoughts for us as we embark on our first road trips…

In his happy place!

 

And Then There Were Four

Second pregnancies go really fast.  One minute I was telling people I was expecting again, the next minute we were headed to the hospital.  I guess when you are busy with school,  big brother, and having an awesome summer, you don’t have time to dwell on being pregnant and time moves a lot faster than it did the first time around!  Except for the final three weeks.  Those weeks were slow and torturous…

He has a good set of lungs!

This second time around was a little smoother than the first, too.  I didn’t have the terrible carpal tunnel that I had with Davis, no heartburn, not as many food aversions, etc.  With the exception of one trip to the hospital for a non-stress test, it was a pretty uneventful pregnancy.  Of course, I was faced with the big decision of vbac versus c-section, but once that decision was made, a huge weight was lifted.

He cried so much and so loud that we were convinced he wanted back in!

Brady Reid Graham was scheduled to join us on July 15.  The procedure was slated for 1:00 and we were put in room 310 at the hospital, both of which were the same for Davis’s birth!  Everything went pretty much as planned, and Brady was officially born at 1:26 pm.  He came out SCREAMING (which may have scared Deron a bit) and weighed in at 8 lbs 15 oz and 20 1/2 inches long.  With his size, I was pretty glad I’d decided to proceed with the c-section.  He was born with a full head of dark hair and some pretty chubby cheeks (though not as chubby as Davis’s).

Please ignore my nasty yellow wax hand and pay attention to the adorable bundle of joy!

We hit a few glitches during our hospital stay.  Brady and I have different blood types, which we learned can be an issue.  Who knew?  His bilirubin levels were high and he was jaundice.  He had to spend most of his time in the nursery receiving light therapy.  You know those babies in the nursery under those bright lights…the ones you feel sorry for…yes, that was B-Man.  It was very strange not having him in the room with us all day, and it made me a little sad. Some of our visitors didn’t even get to see him!  The upside (if you can call it that) was that Deron and I got a bit more sleep than expected, because he was only with us to nurse, then right back to the lights.  The third night, they did let him come in our room, as long as we kept him on a little portable light therapy source.  That only lasted a while, as he didn’t not allow me to sleep at all, and I could not go home from major surgery without some sleep. The last two days, I was really nervous that his bilirubin levels would not go down and he would not be discharged with me.  Ugh…it was an emotional ordeal for me.

Back to the room and getting comfy!

One of our visitors that did get to see him was Davis.  And an interesting visit it was.  We waited until day two for D to come up.  By then I was off all the monitors and had no wires and tubes hooked up to me.  I did have the IV in my hand, but it wasn’t connected to anything.  I was able to get up, walk around, and had showered and dressed, so it was to be as “normal” for him as possible.  Ha ha!  Davis was really happy to see Deron and I, and was fascinated by the hospital room, but he couldn’t have cared less about Brady.  I’m not sure he really even looked at him!  He did ask me about the IV in my hand and the monitor on Brady’s foot.  He was very interested in drinking from my water cup.  And he did want to open the gift he brought Brady and the gift Brady gave him.  But he didn’t want to touch or hold his brother.  Thus, we have none of those cute little family pictures where everyone is gathered on the hospital bed…sigh.

Time for a bath and shampoo. He didn’t seem to mind either one!

Davis stayed to read his books and test out his new dot markers before he and grandma headed home.  His visit the next day was very much the same, but we expected it this time around.  Lucky for us, Davis had a great time with Grandma Gayle.  They played a lot of trains, did a lot of coloring and stickers, and tested out some of the new toys and things I had left for them.  They went down to the park several times, and with the hospital being so close, Deron went home to spend some time with them, too.  We were very thankful that Gayle was able to take time off and spend it here with Davis.

This was the only glance Davis gave Brady.

The water was far more interesting!

Move over Brady, I need some mommy time!

Our homecoming was not the happiest of moments for D, either.  As a matter of fact, the first thing he said when he saw me was “Why you don’t love me?”  Apparently he had been questioning our love for him in our absence.  Sob… As if I weren’t already emotional enough, I had to deal with this emotional bomb.  Luckily, he got past that pretty quickly when he saw that mom and dad were home to stay and that grandma was heading back to Salina.  As of now, he still hasn’t held or touched Brady, but he talks about him and helps me get things for him.  I think he’s growing on him.

Grandma Gayle was the lucky one that got to hold him first!

Once home, we had a couple trips to the hospital for blood work, and a trip to the pediatrician for an early follow-up check-up, and in the end, all was well.  I was EXTREMELY relieved to not have to bring home any light therapy apparatus, or (God forbid) readmit Brady to the hospital for more therapy.  I never knew that jaundice could be so scary and we were very relieved to be done with all that nonsense.

This look says, “Stop with the photos already!”

All in all, we were again very happy with Liberty Hospital.  I had some really great nurses this time around, especially the first night, which is the most difficult after a c-section.  Brady got great care in the nursery, and all our doctors were great.

Uncle Matt and Grandpa Steve made their way to the hospital on Friday and actually got to hold Brady a bit.

Grandpa Steve and his second grandson.

Sleeping like a…baby.

Dressed to go home in his “Little Brother” sleeper. Wouldn’t it be great to see Davis next to him in his “Big Brother” shirt?

Mommy cuddles.

So little in the big car seat.

Mommy is ready to get out of this place!

Cuddling with grandma right when we got home!

Now on to the next challenges…

Up next, our first few days home (or what I can remember about them)…

Summer, Summer, Summertime!

Mom and Davis-1, Summer-0

He’s a summertime boy!

That’s right!  Davis and I took on summer in full force.  If you’re on facebook, you are already well aware of the fact that we have been go, go, go all summer long.  We were VERY lucky to have a mild June, allowing Davis and I to do a lot of outdoor things we might not have otherwise done, with me very pregnant!

We love our sprayers!

Zoo trips were high up on our agenda this summer.  For the most part, Davis is satisfied to show up, ride the train and tram (“zebra train”), feed the deer, ride the carousel, and call it a day.  Of course, after driving that far, I’m going to milk it for all it’s worth and at least wear him out running all around the zoo!  He does love to play at the park there, too, and I love to watch the sea lions, monkeys, penguins, and the orangutans (love their new exhibit).  We went 4-5 times this summer and Davis pretty much ran the show, choosing where we went and what we saw.  That was fine with me, as I was just trying to keep up.

A trip to Union Station on a rainy day.

We went to Deanna Rose Farmstead twice this summer.  Once with the Steffen girls and once with his buddies, Kolton and Ryder.  Davis had so much fun bottle feeding the goats this year, because he didn’t care that they were aggressive.  When they knocked him down, he just laughed and got back up!  He was very interested in what was happening at the fishing pond this year, too, but I told him he could only fish with a dad–mom’s weren’t allowed…little white lies…He is closer to being able to ride the pedal tractors this year and figured out how to work the little excavators in the sandbox.  He loved feeding the fish and turtles this time around, along with all the other animals.  I still get bitter every time I’m there, because I want something like that in Clay County!

Davis and Ryder love this place!

Bowling was a new activity for us this summer.  We were allowed to bowl two free games every day this summer through kidsbowlfree.com (who bowls that much?).  We went a couple times and it was hilarious.  Davis actually wore the special bowling shoes and found himself a pink seven pound ball.  Most of the time, he could get it to the end of the lane and knock over a pin or two, with the help of the bumpers.  A few times, his ball stopped before it got to the pins, he bowled down the wrong lane, or sent the ball down before it was actually his turn.  Unfortunately, he also went over the line a couple times and learned about how slippery the lane was!  He bowled with Kolton and Ryder and they all had a good time.  It was a lot of work for a pregnant mom, but worth it to experience something new with him.

Playing with the poppers.

We also had our first experience with gymnastics this summer.  Liberty Gymnastics Academy has preschool open gym once a week, and we went a few times.  It is well worth the $7 entry fee!  The kids can jump on the trampolines, fly into the foam pit, walk on the beams, slide down the giant inflatable slide, and run wild all over the other equipment.  Davis loves it and leaves there exhausted!  While there, you can see how fearless he really is, as nothing is too high to climb on or jump from.  We may have to try some actual gymnastic classes when he’s a little older.  I’m not sure he’s ready to listen to a teacher yet…

Watching the snakes. He was not that impressed.

We went swimming quite a few times this summer, though June didn’t really allow it and I wasn’t too keen on it, being hugely pregnant.  But I sucked it up and went to some of the neighborhood pools with friends, hit Splash and Play at Tiffany Springs Aquatic Center a couple times, and swam several times at the Cerner indoor pool.  Cerner is my favorite, as we usually have the pool to ourselves!  Again, Davis is pretty much fearless, especially now that he will wear his “swimming jacket” (aka his Puddlejumper).  He goes all the way under, jumps in off this side, floats, and splashes.  The first time he wore the Puddlejumper, he looked at me with amazement and said, “Mom, I’m floating!”  He was really excited about it, and I was a lot more relaxed with him in the jacket.  Next summer we’ll probably go back to Oceans of Fun, which will be a lot of fun for him and Brady.

Big fan of fruit!

We went back to art class this year, at Orange Easel, for a couple storytime art classes.  Davis loves to go (even though he’s not the best listener in the class) and do the activities, many of which I would never let him do at home.  For instance, they set up a black light, turned the lights off, and let the kids paint with fluorescent paints and write on their hands/arms with highlighters.  Davis loves to use the dot markers (like Bingo daubers) on the big charts, write with chalk in the phone booth and build with blocks.  They also do a lot of painting, stickers, playdoh and beads.  It’s just a really fun ninety minutes and I don’t have to clean up anything!

Loves him some Cheetos.

We also went back to the library this year for toddler storytime and to check out library books.  Davis likes storytime–he likes to listen to the songs and watch the motions, and he likes to hear the story, but he is not much of a participator.  He does get into the parachute (as long as he gets his own handle) and the bubbles, and he loves to play with all the toys at the end of storytime.  He even helps Miss Melissa pick up all the toys at the end, which is really sweet.  He is really outgoing in a small group, with his friends and with his family, but in a large group where he doesn’t know everyone, he tends to hold back.  Next year we’ll switch to preschool-age storytime.  Hmmmm….

Fun with daddy!

Don’t be mistaken, we don’t get to go someplace every minute of every day.  We spend plenty of time playing with toys in our house and playing outside in the driveway or down at the park.  Sometimes this involves his friends (usually Kolton or Ryder) and sometimes we play alone.  I wasn’t much fun to play with when I got really close to my due date!  We definitely have some preferred activities at home.  Davis got a fishing pole (“ishing ole”) from grandma and grandpa and he loves to cast it and take it down to the park to “fish” in the creek.  We spend a LOT of time down there throwing sticks and rocks in the water and looking for the snakes (there are several).  We also play a lot of “hit the ball with the golf clubs” and blow a lot of bubbles in our driveway.  Inside, Davis continues to have a love for his trains.  We have gone through a lot of batteries in yellow train and red train.  He also loves to stack and build.  We play with blocks, Legos, Tinker Toys, beads, etc. all the time.  If anyone finds any Tinker Toys, Bristle Blocks or Lincoln Logs, we’d love to add to our building materials.  He’s a big fan of coloring, stickers, Playdoh and paint, too.  Basically, if it keeps him busy, I’ll give it a try!  And this summer, I had to find a lot to keep him occupied, as we try to avoid abundant tv and iPad time.

I dressed him up in the hopes that I would get some good pictures 🙂

One of the most “amazing” (one of Davis’s new favorite words) things about summer was the Fourth of July.  We bought him some poppers (“hoppers”), snakes, and smoke bombs early and he had fun with them in the driveway.  On the actual day, we were going to go to the Steffens down in OP, but I was HOT and tired and not sure about driving all the way down there.  Instead, we went to the Rickels for a little while and Davis had some fun.  He tried out their giant slip and slide and lit more fireworks.  He ate three bags of Cheetos (“cheetahs”), a Rice Krispie Treat and a popsicle, so he was full of energy.  I, on the other  hand, was not.  We actually left before it got dark so Davis missed the big fireworks.  I wanted to go home and sit in the AC and get Davis to bed before he hit a wall.

All in all, it was another great summer.  I love that I get so much time with him during June and July, and I look forward to next summer with both the boys.  As much as I want an administrative job, it’s hard to imagine not getting my summer off!

Up next…all about the arrival of Brady Reid…