Counting my Blessings

Last night Everett did something wonderful.
He slept.
The whole night.
From 7:00 PM to 7:30 AM

It was the fourth night in a row that I didn't nurse him or go to him at all but it was the FIRST time he didn't even wake up "crying." Not once!

FIRST TIME IN 10 MONTHS AND 14 DAYS!!!!

I still woke up a couple of times (because I am sick or maybe just out of habit, I don't know), but to say I'm thrilled would be an understatement.

I haven't really been able to relish this momentous occasion, however, because it was a hard day for me. I got the worst sore throat last night. Then today I was achy with chills and a sore throat and headache and it was all I could do to meet our basic needs:

Potty. Food. Potty. Sleep. Potty. Milk. Repeat.

And then Justin didn't get home until much later than I had hoped, which is never a good thing, but so much worse when I am sick and counting the minutes until I have help.

Then he came home.

He came via the grocery store, and after an 11 hour day on his feet, helped me put Everett to bed, did the dishes, cleaned up the house, and vacuumed while I lay here on the couch with his laptop and nothing to worry about but how to get comfortable.

While Everett sleeps.
Through the night.

I am blessed.

Growing Boy

 I can't get over how big my little boy is! 

Here are a few pictures (from the end of October). 

Proof that my boy is growing. 

Hair, teeth, the works. 

(He has since added another single top snaggle tooth to the smile.)

Flowing locks

Too cute

Teeth

Love this face, he makes it all the time

Climber

Get in the picture

I really need to do a better job of getting in pictures with my boy. I need to capture my days and the countless hours I spend with him, taking care of him, teaching him, playing with him, loving him. Not just when I look put together either, but when I look like a mom. . . which is always. It's what I do and I want to remember it. Me WITH my children. I love what Saydi says:

I want my motherhood captured. I want to stop looking at my flaws in the pictures and start looking at the love and happiness that’s the subtext, the background for these photos.

So here's to getting in the picture. And if that means taking pictures with the FaceTime camera on my phone, so be it. 

Here are the articles (spurred on by the Huffington post article) that have inspired me to get in the picture:

• The Mom Stays in the Picture (Huffington Post) 

• Mom in the Picture (Saydi Shumway)

• Get in the Picture (Power of Moms)

• "Get in the Picture" Photo Challenge (Power of Moms)

• Get in the Picture (Clover Lane)

Decisions

I've narrowed down some of the pictures from our little photoshoot last month. Here are some of my favorites. Now I have two questions for you, dear readers:

1. Which one should I hang blown up in my livingroom? 

2. Which ones would you like printed? 

Are there any grandparents, aunts, and/or uncles (or anyone else who reads this blog for that matter :) who would like to have their very own copy? If so, I will gladly have it printed and mail it to you on one condition. You have to tell me which ones you want (#1-14) and what size. I've got enough decisions on my hands here people :) Seriously though, if you like any of these, let me know and I'll send them your way. 

Thanks!

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October so far in black and white

These first two were actually taken last month, but are part of my project for this month. I need to decide which ones to print and get on my walls! Stay tuned because I might need help.

 

The preferred eating position

Captivated by the Motab during conference weekend.

Fresh squeezed pomegranate juice and a show.

Playin with Mom.

Notice the hair. There's even more in the back :)

Love my boy.

A hard thing

September 14, 2012 - 8 months old

My poor baby had to get some blood drawn today. I hate seeing him suffer. It just tears at my heart!

He was scheduled to go in for his 9 month check up on Tuesday but his Dr had to cancel. We got the call just when we were pulling out of the driveway to go to the appointment. I was slightly annoyed because I knew he was due for shots and I didn't want to have to put it off any longer. I had already been dreading this appointment for that reason and now I just had to wait two more days before it was over. Not to mention we were already packed up and in the car, ready to go, which is not always the easiest of tasks.

That evening while he was eating he broke out into baby hives all over his tummy and the back of his legs. He was scratching and crying and miserable. We applied some itch cream and gave him a cool bath to try to help with the itching. Then, I was on the phone with a nurse and Justin was holding Everett trying to get him dressed when he started throwing up. His poor little body was not agreeing with something. We got things cleaned up and the rash seemed to be going away so we fed him some rice cereal and put him to bed. He slept fine and seemed fine the next day.

This morning Everett woke up early so we got ready and headed out early for the appointment to try to get it over and be home for a nap as soon as possible. His doctor is really great and gave us some good treatments to try for his Eczema which has been flaring up lately. I told her about his little incident (which I wouldn't have been able to tell her about if we had gone to see her Tuesday Morning) and she thinks it was caused by an egg allergy. She wanted a blood test to see if it is egg yoke, or egg whites, or both, and also to test his hemoglobin levels. Since he still had a little bit of a rash from the egg, the shots would have to wait.

Nap time had come and gone but we continued our journey and went next door to the hospital to get the blood test. Supposedly there was an expert baby blood drawer who works in the mornings and we would settle for nothing less than the best. If I was nervous for shots, you can imagine how I must have felt going in to have someone try to find a vein in my baby's tiny arm! The baby expert assured us that she was pro and not to worry. Well, I guess even the best can face challenges. I think Everett remembered something about cold offices, and white lab coats from his last set of shots because let me tell you, he was MAD.

He started crying before she even touched him and did not want anything to do with that place. She tried once in his arm and poked around but couldn't get anything. She tried again in his hand and got a little but not enough. She was about to send us home and have us come back another day because he was so upset, but after talking to the tech guys she decided to finish it then. (And it's a good thing too because once we left, I did NOT want to come back and have to put Everett through it all again). I tried to nurse him to get him to calm down but, for the first time, that didn't even work. So I held him tight on my lap and another girl steadied his arm while the expert poked him in the other hand.

Success. Finally.

Everett was beside himself screaming and shaking, but we made it through, and I was surprisingly calm no doubt due to prayer after prayer.

We're home now and Everett is sleeping.
The little dear had a hard morning.
So did his mama.

Bananas, Beans, and Berries

This meal is brought to you by the letter B.

And isn't our bald, baby boy just beautiful?

Cousins

Cousins are fun. I hope Everett gets to see a lot of his cousins in the years to come. Here are a few pictures I got of Everett with cousin Nora while we were out visiting my sister and the girls this week. 

They're even chewing on the same letter. . . tender.

Yes, that is a little black eye and swollen nose from pulling up on a not-so-sturdy side table.

Fish/kiss lips

I love how Everett is so focussed. . . that is pretty standard for him, especially with new things.

A Couple of "Things"

Last week my Everett turned 8 months old.

Almost 8 months old

Just when I wished he would slow down this growing business, he started doing this thing where he wakes up and screams (way more than is acceptable for someone his age) during the night. That's when I say, grow. Please, grow out of that. Because I'll be honest, the whole night-waking thing is NOT fun. Now, don't get me wrong I love my baby, and I try to soak in my one-on-one time with him. However, I would just rather that time be during waking hours is all, when we're all a little bit more coherent, a little more rational, and a little bit less tired.  So please, feel free to grow out of THAT any time now little one.

But in the meantime, while I try to find the joy in waking up in the middle of the night (it WILL be coming to and end soon), I've been thinking about the past 8 months and some of the "things" that have been a part of Everett's baby-hood. These are things that I'm sure when I remember down the road, I will get a flood of memories from when these things made up Everett's world.

Take nursing for example, I will not be able to see one of these and not think of my experience learning to nurse for the first time.

I used it from day one in the hospital, and it served me well for the first few months. I'm sure when I think of My Brest Friend, I will remember the good with the bad, but mostly the good. Like the joy of holding my day old baby in awe of how tiny and how perfect he was, and the responsibility I felt knowing that he depended on me for food and. . . everything.

1 month and 9 days old

All of that nursing meant lots of pooping, and that business was taken care of on a changing table sort of like this one. (I got mine used off of Craigslist.) One day I might refinish it. One day I might finish Everett's room. . . 

Source

I will not be able to look at a dresser like this without remembering the first time I was peed on (which I think was the first time I changed his diaper at home. . . rookie mistake), and all of the other times he peed -- on me, on the curtains, on the wall, on the crib. . . he had quite the range :) And let's not forget the accidental poop mess. Piles of it. Let's just say that being the amateur diaper changer that I was, it was nice to be able to be at the perfect height cleaning up mess after mess. 

Along with the messy side of things, I'm sure this changing station will also remind me of the first time he smiled at me. I mean, really smiled. It wasn't just a reflex. (Although I loved those smiles too. They are what got me through some of the sleepless nights.) He must have been about a month and a half old. He looked right at me and grinned. It was the kind of smile that said "Hey, I know you, and I like you." It caught me off guard and I think I literally did a double take and all I could do was stare right back at him in complete shock. I wanted to say "do you really know who I am?" I just remember feeling my heart pound in my chest with such joy. He might as well have opened his mouth and said hi, it was that exciting to me. 

Almost 2 months old

Now it's almost more of a hazard to be up there since Everett CANNOT stay still and MUST climb up on EVERYTHING. So we are going to the floor now, but the dresser still gets used for itty-bitty clothes, that aren't so itty-bitty any more!

This is fun, I think I will continue this walk down memory lane. . . more baby "things" to come.

Lately

Movies, books, chewing, ball, swing, pool, birthday, frozen yogurt, scooting, bed, piano, toes, sliding, park, drives, camping, laughing, faces, sitting, walking, changing, eating, tickling, kisses, highchair, smiles. . . 

. . . that's what we've been up to.