Life Lately

The past week has been a complete whirlwind. Between Darren being gone for two days to Oklahoma, and now Reagan being sick, my house and life feel like they are in total disarray. Oh yes, because they are! Our weekend was great - thank you three day holiday weekend. We spent nearly the entire weekend at my inlaws house. We swam in the pool, Clayton played with all his aunts/uncles, and we enjoyed family time. However, Monday morning we woke up and Reagan was HOT. I took her temperature and it was 101.3. The following evening she had thrown up, but at the time I thought she just spit up a LOT. We're talking her entire bottle. I didn't know that was vomit though for babies, so we went about our business. So Monday when she woke up we didn't know what was wrong, but shortly after that she vomited again. Of course it had to be a holiday so our doctors office was closed. The on-call doctor finally called us back after about an hour of waiting and told us that we should go ahead and bring her in to be checked. Fever in babies under 8 weeks is a big deal. We quickly got dressed, packed up the two diaper bags, and dropped Clayton off with my inlaws. (Thank goodness for them!) We headed in to Midland as fast as we could. After a lengthy examination, more vomit, and lots of crying, the doctor determined that she had a virus. There was nothing we could do but give her tylenol for her fever. We just had to let it run it's course. The doctor found white dots on her gums which indicated the virus... and thank goodness she did. She said if she had not seen those that she would have had to hospitalize Reagan over night and run test after test! My poor baby! It has been a long few days.... Her fever is down today and she hasn't thrown up since last night, but she is still super fussy. It's been difficult to juggle her and Clayton. Luckily he hasn't contracted whatever it is yet! He has a strong immune system though - or so I like to believe. He has only really been sick a few times in his whole nearly 14 months of life!

We're still trying to figure out the best way to handle both kiddos. Right now I don't think we quite have it down! I haven't cooked in days... The only laundry I have done is the babies laundry so that they could have clean PJ's and burp cloths. Darren and I are running out of clothes though, lol! You would not like to step into our house right now. It's rather scary! OH, and I forgot to mention, in the past week we have had TWO snakes at our house! One was just a bull snake in our garage (huge and ugly, but not harmful) and the other was a rattlesnake IN OUR YARD. Luckily Darren found it and killed it before it could bite our dog, or worse yet, Clayton or us! Oh my goodness! So scary!

Hopefully things will be on the up-and-up for us here soon! Prayers are much appreciated! ;-)

Tackling Two

Since I started back at work a week ago I've been getting both kiddos up and ready in the mornings by myself. Well, all except one day that Darren was able to stay and help. Last night Darren had to spend the night in Oklahoma because of work and so I had the kids by myself for the whole evening/night and then again this morning. I'll have them again this evening too until he makes it back. I don't want to come across as sounding like I think I am super mom or anything, because I feel FAR from it, but I just wanted to document how I've been handling things, since this is MY blog! ;-)


It's been a huge challenge to try to pump, feed Reagan, feed Clayton, and get them changed and packed up for the day... plus try to make myself presentable for work. Monday I came in with my hair in a pony tail and no make up. Guess it's a good thing that I moved to the back office! ;-) It doesn't matter what time I get up.... I always try to beat the kids (from waking up, not physically, haha!) and it seems like they always know. Mostly Reagan will start to fuss and want to be fed. This morning it was Clayton who woke up 30 minutes early. Darn kid! ;-) I've been packing their diaper bags the night before so that things would be easier in the mornings, but I still wash bottles and pack milk for Reagan every morning.


Last night was fun.... ha! I wrote this to my mom about the run-down of our evening:


Reagan was asleep when we got home around 5:30 so Clayton and I played for a while and then I started his dinner at 6. BTW again, he eats those raviolis you bought now! I even bought more the other day! Ok, anyway, so fed him and when he was done then Reagan started to fuss to eat. So he got down to play more and I fed her. Then I bathed both kids (he played in the bathroom with me while I bathed her). The problem came when it was time for bed. Since he still wants to be rocked that requires holding him.... well, she was fussy too. So I tried rocking him upstairs while she was in the swing. She started crying so I put him in the crib to go get her... he started bawling... came back upstairs with her and just sat in his rocking chair with her while I sang and he eventually put himself to sleep in the crib. Then I went back down (9:30pm) and started washing bottles, feeding myself, etc... but Reagan was fussy so needed to be held. She finally went to bed around midnight. Only got up at 3:30 to eat and then I was up at 6:30 to shower and start the day. I am whipped! haha!


Although it has definitely been challenging, we are starting to get adjusted. I don't know what I would do without my amazing husband though. He's such a good Daddy! Most nights he spends the majority of his time playing with Clayton and keeping him entertained. That kid is going-going-going... non-stop! We have made sure though to have an equal balance... so I still get Clayton time and he still gets Reagan time. So far it is working out nicely! We're not sticklers to any sort of schedule though, and maybe we need to be. I think it's time we start making Clayton have a set bedtime. Right now we just sort of make him start to go to sleep around 8:30 if he's not acting tired yet. And we just let him wake up whenever he wants to in the morning, which is usually around 7:30. I guess with a schedule we'd be able to know more about when we needed to do what. Hmm...


I definitely believe that God would never give me more than I could handle... but I definitely also know that He is the one who is keeping me going right now! He gave me two beautiful blessings and I am so proud to be their mother!

One Month!

Happy One Month Birthday, Reagan E!

You are a whole month old already! Where did that time go?! You are already proving to be just as good of a baby as your brother was - and we are very thankful for that! ;-) You do have a gassier tummy than he did, but we have been figuring you out and you're much happier now!

Your days in the hospital were really quite wonderful. You nursed very well from the get-go, and you passed all of your tests with flying colors! You slept well, ate well, and went to the bathroom well! hehe... This made Mommy & Daddy feel so great! We knew that you were healthy and happy! You were born on Wednesday afternoon and we took you home on Friday afternoon! Your big brother was sure happy to have us home! Speaking of, your big brother loves you so much already! He gives you kisses all of the time, and he likes to rock you in your bouncer!

You are such a strong girl and you have held your head so well on your own since you were born. You surprised us in the hospital when we would lay you on our chests and you'd lift your head to look around! Now when we lay you on your tummy you can turn your head both directions! You don't move around as much as your brother did, so we can stick you in a nice swaddle in your cradle and you'll stay sleeping like that until it is time to eat again!

You are eating about every 4 hours now, but sometimes only every 3. You've gone 3-4 hours since you were born! For the first two weeks Mommy set an alarm to wake you up to eat after 4 hours. I just wanted to make sure that you were growing big and strong! You are nursing and also getting breast milk from a bottle. You prefer to take the milk from the bottle! You get fussy when breastfeeding, and Mommy thinks it is because the milk comes out so fast! Poor girl! You haven't had any formula yet except for about an ounce that they gave you in the hospital to fill you up since Mommy's milk hadn't come in yet.

Just before you turned a month old you got to take your first airplane ride! Your great-grandfather passed away in New York, and so Mommy & Daddy took you with us to the funeral. You were such a good girl! We had many compliments on how pretty you were and what a good baby you were! Your great-grandmother said that she never heard you cry the whole trip! =) We were hoping you'd be able to meet your great-grandparents this July, but God had other plans. We know that Papa is looking down and smiling from heaven on his beautiful great-granddaughter!

Another first that you had just before your month birthday was that you smiled! A real smile - not just gas! You love to stare into our eyes and when we smile and talk to you, you smile back! You have such a beautiful smile! We love it!

Some of your likes: being held, being swaddled, being rocked. Some of your dislikes: being naked, baths (because your naked), getting into the car seat. Growth wise you are still wearing all newborn clothing, so I am guessing you're somewhere in the 8 pounds range. At your two week check-up you weighed 7lbs 12oz and were 20" long. You were in the 30th % for weight, 40th % for height, and only 8th % for your head circumference! hehe.. You also wear newborn sized diapers still. By this point your brother was wearing some 0-3, so you are slightly smaller than him! You have the longest fingers and toes, and the most hair we've ever seen on a newborn! It is dark but underneath is a light shade of brown. Your eyes are the most beautiful shade of blue - even lighter than your brothers at this age!

You have been such a good baby already and we are so blessed to be your parents! We can't wait to see what the future has in store for you! It is so much fun to watch you and your brother interact each day. Soon enough you'll be able to play together!

We love you so much, baby girl! Happy Birthday!

Love,
Mommy

Clayton at 13 months

Although I didn't plan on continuing Clayton's monthly letters past his first birthday (I'll be a little busy doing sister's letters!), I still wanted some place to document all of his fun milestones and changes! Here's what Clayton did between 12 and 13 months!

- Waves hi and bye (while saying "hi!")
- Every time you ask what the dog says he pants like a dog (which is the sign for dog!)
- Nearly runs everywhere he goes
- Brings you the pillow pet when he is tired
- Drinks milk (spits out the first swallow though!)
- Usually only naps once per day for a long period of time
- Still loves baths and playing in the water
- Wants to be outside ALL OF THE TIME
- Can follow directions (for ex. Can you bring mommy her shoe?)
- Says "down" which also means "up", haha
- Gives sister kisses!
- Gives everyone kisses when asked!
- Hums "swing swing"
- Loves playing with his airplane and tractors
- Brings you a book that he selected for you to read (then wants it read over and over)
- Gives you acknowledgement when you ask him questions (for ex. Are you hungry?)
- Has 4 teeth on top, 4 teeth on bottom, and 2 molars on top
- Loves candy, especially M&M's (oops!)
- Always wants to eat what you are eating
- Wears a size 3 diaper during the day, size 4 at night, 12 month clothes, and size 5 shoe
- Has had a bit of toddler regression and wakes up once per night crying
- Only takes 3 bottles per day now (we're working on getting rid of the thing!)
- Likes to throw food off of the high chair when he's done eating
- Walks like a champ on all surfaces and knows to slow down when he comes to a step
- Steers his airplane around (knows to turn before running in to something)

I'm sure there is more! We are so in love with our little toddler! He is such a good big brother to Reagan already! He is the sweetest boy and we are so blessed to be his parents!

Reagan's First Two Weeks

The past two weeks have been a complete whirlwind. I don't even know today's date to be quite honest! All I know is that it is Thursday, and I know that because Reagan had her two week checkup today! I am happy to report that she received a clean bill of health! She is now weighing 7 pounds 12 ounces (32%), is 20" long (40%), and her head was a tiny 13" (8%). She has been a relatively easy baby, just like her brother was, but she does have her moments!

We had a hard time at first figuring out how to feed her to satisfy her. By that I mean that she is super gassy and so needs burping quite often or else you're in trouble! When my milk came in I was horribly engorged and she couldn't latch on. Darren and I decided the easiest thing to do would be for me to pump and feed her, since she couldn't even latch on! It turned out to be great! We slept so well that night! ;-) Now I am pumping and also breast feeding her. She does well at both, so long as you burp her frequently! Every once in a while she will have a spell of gassiness where it seems nothing makes her happy, but we're learning to cope with it! She's going about 3 hours between feedings, sometimes 4. At first I was waking her up and setting an alarm.... now I just let her go! The longest we have gone was 5 hours, and that was glorious! I don't remember each feeding taking so long with Clayton. I'll be awake for at least an hour at a time, sometimes longer. And then when I do finally put her down she grunts and squeaks for a good 10 minutes before she's out. So, nights have been pretty rough. Thankfully I've been able to catch some naps during the day while Clayton is sleeping!

It's been so fun to watch Clayton with his little sister. He loves her already and knows just who "sister" is when we ask! He gives her kisses all of the time and wants to rock her when she is in her bouncer... oh boy! ;-) More like catapult her! haha! We keep her bouncer in a pack n play in the game room so that he can't always get to her. This morning he poked her.. that was fun. haha. It's just a new experience every day! But, he really has been great with her!

Reagan still doesn't like her baths, mostly because she hates to be naked! That girl is too funny! When changing she starts to fuss as soon as you take her clothes off. As soon as they are back on - happy baby! She has been doing great at controlling her head, in fact she is really strong! She could already lift her head in the hospital. Now she can lay on our chests and lift and turn both directions without flopping around. It's impressive but nerve wracking, haha! She is not a paci baby like her brother was/is yet. She will take one but it's not her favorite!

Although we are overly tired, and two crying babies (yes they like to cry at the same time) is so emotionally toiling, we still thank God for our blessings. We know He would never give us more than we could handle. Now it's up to us to be the best parents that we can be. And, thank goodness my mom has been here to help. haha! ;-) Don't know what we'll do without her!