Thursday, July 25, 2013

Another Tooth Chart

On Tuesday, I picked the boys up (after going to the gym, thank you!) and Rhonda was excited as soon as I walked in.  She yelled, "I was going to call you!" and I immediately thought something was wrong.  But nothing was wrong, she was just excited that Logan's first tooth popped through during his nap!  Logan's lower right central incisor came through just days after his 7 month birthday.  James didn't get his first tooth until 11 months, after months of dramatic teething.  Logan seemed pretty laid back about this tooth coming in, a little drool, a little Tylenol and that was it.  So I've started his tooth chart, although I noticed that James' last 3 molars are not marked on his.  You see what pregnancy did to me?  I got complacent on James' tooth record!  Oh well, he's got the teeth and he's been to the dentist, that's about all I can do!  I will try to keep up with Logan's though, at least for his first few teeth.

Monday, July 22, 2013

They're going to make it

After a pretty quick trip to the doctor on Thursday, both boys were given a fairly clean bill of health.  They had a cold virus and didn't need antibiotics.  I got the okay to give Logan a small dose of Claritin to dry up some of his snot (even though he doesn't have allergies... yet.) and told to give James Delsym for his cough.  Kids under 4 aren't really allowed much cold or cough medicine, but the combination of the Delsym and James' usual Claritin has helped him sleep better.
The kids' usual pediatrician was at a conference, so we had to see his associate.  We have seen her before and I really like her.  She actually was the pediatrician for both of Rhonda's girls, so I know she is highly regarded.  However, when I took James to the bathroom after waiting for her for 15 or so minutes, I saw her sitting in her office.  We used the potty (James is at the phase where he wants to see any and all public bathrooms) and then sat for at least 10 more minutes.
Perhaps she was doing something important in her office or following up with another patient, but when I'm sitting in an exam room with two impatient children, one of whom is only wearing a diaper, I want immediate service.  When she came in, I was annoyed, but then she chatted with James for a minute and I got over it.  I have to learn to be more patient, but again, two snotty children in an exam room with one exasperated mother may not be the moment that I learn more patience.
I did appreciate that she directed all of her questions to James, first about how his summer was going, and second about how he was feeling and then looked to me for confirmation.  James was right on with all of his answer, for the most part.  Well, except for the part about going to France on vacation.

Sunday, July 21, 2013

Dad the Chair

James decided to sit on his father today. He just hopped right on Adam as he laid on the floor.

I asked him, "James, is Daddy a chair?"

He replied, "Yes, and a bed too."

Glad we cleared that up.

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Two sick boys

Both boys are sick with colds, so I am home today.  They've both been coughing and stuffy and this morning, they were especially miserable.  Logan was fussy, trying to eat with a stuffy nose, and just grumpy overall.  James was tired, stuffy, and looked at me rather pathetically and asked to stay home.  So here we are.  Logan was so fussy that I would have felt terrible taking him to Rhonda's anyway.  I've also been worried because Logan's eyes are a bit red and I am hoping its not pink eye.  Either way, its been a few days of illness and neither really getting better, so we'll go see the pediatrician today.
After Logan finally gave in and fell asleep about 2 hours ago, James woke up and has been quietly playing and watching cartoons.  James also asked to use the potty (maybe we're finally getting there?!?!?) and took a shower.  I'll try to call the doctor in a few minutes and see when we can come in.  If we can go in the morning and the boys are cleared, I will hopefully go into work this afternoon.  And if not, we'll just stay home.
James says the most hilarious things sometimes.  He just knocked over an empty water glass (one of the big plastic tumblers you bring home from a baseball game) and he looked at me and said, "Daddy would be angry about that.  He would yell and I would cry."  This was pretty funny, because Adam is the least likely person in the world to yell at James and make him cry.  But I told him it was okay, we all have accidents and then we hug and make up.  I didn't want him to think he'd really get yelled at for knocking something over.  Also, if one of us was going to yell, it would definitely be me.
So here we are at home, Logan should wake up soon and want to eat.

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

The First Rule of Babies Sleeping...

... is you don't talk about babies sleeping.

The second you talk about it, they stop doing it.  But only if you talk about it in a positive since.  Like if you mention that little Muffie is sleeping 8 hours at a time and is only 4 months old, that very night little Muffie is going to go bat-shit crazy and wake up every 2 hours demanding to be fed and cuddled.

We've been lucky that Logan has been in a good cycle cycle (I'm going to call it a cycle, as to imply that its a temporary occasion and not the norm) for the last few weeks.  I like sleeping all night and I remember it taking James forever to not wake up to be fed anymore.  When James started to drink milk at a year old, we stopped feeding him at night.  Logan has been eating a lot during the day, and is pretty set in his bedtime routine, even if he doesn't sleep all night.  I'm grateful for routines and some sense that I know what's going on.

We still have to deal with getting teeth and other possible regressions due to crawling and walking and growing in general, but I'm enjoying our current sleep cycle.  Also, when Logan wakes up, he doesn't really cry or scream, he just laughs and squeals and its pretty adorable.




Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Family Photos

We had pictures taken of the family on June 30th.  It was hot and James didn't really want to cooperate, but here are a few photos.  Hopefully we will have the CD with all the shots soon!




Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Okay, I'm here still

Hi, I'm Chelsea and I've gotten over myself.  Really I've just managed to find my motivation again.  For work, going to the gym, and now for writing here.  The last few weeks have been full of some stress for me and the family, but it seems some of it has eased and some of it has resurfaced.  Ebb and flow, I suppose.  But the way we deal with challenges ultimately makes us the people that we are.  And while I can pout and wallow and sleep instead of working out, I really don't want to choose that life.  So here we are!
As I mentioned before, James and Logan had their 3 year and 6 month check ups.  James was 33 lbs and 38 3/4 inches tall.  Logan was almost 18 lbs (2 ounces shy) and 26.5 inches!  They are some big boys, James was in the 80th percentile for height and 60th for weight, since he's constantly moving.  And Logan was in the 75th percentile for both height and weight.  I love their doctor and tolerate his nurse.  Logan also received another round of shots, which had no effect on his whatsoever.  When James used to get shots, he'd be grumpy and sleep a ton and fuss.  Logan has an "ehhh, whatever" kind of attitude.  I'm lucky to have two pretty laid back children.
Part of the stress and worry that I was facing was due to Logan's genetic testing.  I carry a faulty gene that can lead to Becker muscular dystrophy in boys.  My brother and cousin are affected by it.  While its a fairly mild form of MD, I was still worried and felt that because James is not affected that Logan would obviously have it. But he doesn't.  His testing came back totally normal, there is no deletion on his DMD gene.  When Adam and I listened to the voice mail and heard the good news, we both looked at each other and vowed no more children.  Rolling the dice twice was enough and I cannot imagine the stress I would feel, worrying about passing my bad gene onto a third child.
Daycare was closed last week, Rhonda was on vacation and the boys were home for 9 long days.  The days actually weren't that long and Adam took care of them most of the time.  We were lucky that Jackie was able to stay with them on Tuesday and Thursday was a holiday for everyone.  I remember last summer thinking that I couldn't wait for Rhonda to be open again, but this year it wasn't as bad.  We stuck to our schedule and everyone came out alive.
Three is an interesting age.  James is smart enough to know what he wants and remembers enough to call you out if you don't follow through on something.  He knows how to use the potty and clean up afterwards, but won't tell you he needs to go.  He throws a tantrum like a champ and cuddles like a sweetheart just moments later.  His sense of humor is ridiculous and he feels some jealousy over the baby at times.  For instance, last night I was feeding Logan and James walked over and put his head on my leg.  Logan finished up his bottle and James asked to sit with me.  I asked him if it was okay if Logan sat with us too.  James said, "No, put Logan on the floor."  So I set Logan down with some toys and James climbed up and snuggled me tightly.  Then he looked up and said "I lub you."  I told him I loved him too and he smiled and we sat together for a few minutes.  He's pretty cute.