Fell Asleep

Dearest Joshua David~

Hello cutie!  Well, you decided to sleep in this morning.  :-P  You noodled your way into our bed again last night after sleeping a while in your own.  We let you cry for some time to see if you would 'self soothe' yourself .... but it got to the point where we needed to get to sleep since both of us had to go to work this morning (I think you fell back asleep around 1am).  So, we broke down and put you between us.  Of course, once we placed you there you fell fast asleep.  :-P

Once our work alarm went off, I carefully moved you into your crib and placed you on a pillow with a blanket on you.  You woke up briefly, but then went back to sleep.  Penny said you didn't wake back up until 9:30am!  Whoa!  We've got to get you on a different sleep schedule.  You need to get up earlier and go to bed earlier!

You and Penny had fun together, as usual.  You had your floor time, music time, played with blocks, and you even took a nap for her.  You ate some oatmeal, pears, spaghetti, and chicken with veggies.  :-)  You ran out of whole milk today, so we'll have to grab some tomorrow at the store.  

I got home later, though still earlier than yesterday.  :-P  Daddy was making a pizza as I walked through the door.  We still both parked in the driveway and street since the garage still has ice in front of it.  I fed you some cheerios as we ate dinner together.  You were kind of fussy this evening as we ate.  

Daddy gave you a nice bath as I took a quick shower.  Then, we got ready for the UNC basketball game.  The game didn't start until 9pm, plus we were both exhausted from the game the night before and your early morning crying.  Needless to day, I fell asleep at half time and didn't make it!  I woke up briefly at the end of the game, so I know we won after being down almost the entire game .... what a good come back!  Daddy went ahead and recorded the game because he knew I would fall asleep.  So, we can watch the second half tomorrow at some point to see what we missed.  :-)

I hope you sleep a little better tonight.  Daddy and I are getting exhausted!  :-P

Sleep tight!

I love you very much!  :-)

~Mommy

No Garage For Us

Dearest Joshua David~

Hello cutie pie!  We got to spend extra time with you this morning since work was delayed due to the snow!  I got to give you four tablespoons of oatmeal for breakfast and five ounces of formula.  :-)  Then, we got to play a little before Penny got here.  Daddy and I were slowly able to get down our driveway, and once we were out on the road everything was clear.  :-)  

You and Penny had fun today .... you had sweet potatoes, yogurt, spaghetti, and more bottles during the day.  You no longer sound congested and your nose wasn't runny, so I think your little cold is gone!  I'm so glad .... I hate when you don't feel well!  

You took a nap for Penny this afternoon.  You also did some floor time, walking practice with your push toy, and some music time.  She helped you stack some big blocks and you all did some bird watching out the back windows.  :-)  She brought over an empty coffee can and you all made some drums and used a wooden spoon.  How cute.  :-)

I got home late .... which I hate .... but daddy had dinner made .... steak, couscous, and veggies .... what a good daddy you have!  :-)  I held you once I got home!  

Both daddy and I had to park out of the garage .... there's still ice right in front, so daddy's car is in the street and my car is in the driveway.  It'll be a cold drive to work in the morning!  :-P

We played in the bonus room this evening and actually stayed up pretty late because we were watching DOOK lose.  Their basketball team was undefeated thus far, so we wanted to see their winning streak end!  UNC plays tomorrow night at 9pm, so I'll need some caffeine to stay awake again!

Peanut has been passing her kick test each day.  :-)  Our next appointment is less than a week away!

One more day of work tomorrow and then we can play together!  Be good for Penny and save those smiles and kisses for me!  

Sleep tight little man!

I love you!  :-)

~Mommy

Everything Closed

Dearest Joshua David~

Well, guess what we woke up to this morning .... ice on the roads and driveway!  Everything was shut down and closed.  Gigi didn't go into work, but Grandpa Jim did.  I spoke to both of them on the phone.  Our dental office was shut down, though I don't go in on tuesdays anyway.  ;-)  And, daddy got to work from home!  Woo hoo!  You like it when he's here!  :-)

For breakfast, you ate four tablespoons of oatmeal and five ounces of formula.  I was still hesitant about giving you milk.  :-P  But, at lunch, you ate half a container of yogurt, five ounces of formula, and then two ounces of whole milk .... you kept it all down!  

This morning, you played as I prepared the crock pot again for dinner.  We're making a beef and pasta soup.   I cooked the ground beef and cut the veggies while you played.  Then, I put everything in the crock pot to cook for a few hours.  We added the pasta in the last 30 minutes.  It turned out pretty good!  Go us!  :-)

Daddy filled our bird feeder this morning.  There were a lot of birds on our deck looking for food because of all the ice out.  

Your Great-Grandma called to check on you.  :-)  I told her that you were feeling better.  She said you still have some gifts at her house from Christmas.  Remember how we got all that snow over Christmas and couldn't see them?  Well, we need to find a time to get together once the weather clears up.  

Oh, your eye doctor appointment was canceled due to the ice.  Your appointment has been rescheduled for the end of the month. 

You fell asleep and took a nap on me this afternoon.  :-)  I had to pass you to daddy though so I could finish dinner.  You continued to sleep on him.  :-)  As we ate our soup, you had almost an entire jar of sweet potatoes and then a five ounce bottle of formula.  Once we were all done with dinner, daddy gave you a nice bath and then you fought me .... as usual .... as I brushed your teeth.  You have eight teeth (I don't remember if I told you this or not) .... you have your primary maxillary and mandibular laterals and centrals.  :-)

We played in the bonus room this evening.  We spoke to Penny and she'll be here at 9:15am tomorrow morning.  My office is on a two hour delay in the morning to open at 10am.  I'm worried about the driveway and cul-de-sac though.  I'm hoping it'll be ok in the morning.

Sleep tight little man!

I love you!  :-)

~Mommy

Under The Couch

Dearest Joshua David~

Hello little cutie pie!  You appear to be feeling better today .... your nose was runny this morning, but cleared up as the day progressed.  I kept you on a oatmeal and formula diet .... except I gave you half a container of yogurt for dinner.  You kept it down so perhaps I'll try you on milk tomorrow. 

After breakfast, we stayed downstairs for a bit .... you played and I prepared things for dinner tonight.  We're making a cheesy potato soup in the crock pot.  :-)  So, I washed and cut up all the potatoes and then cut up the veggies.  It needs to cook on low for about 7 hours, so we started that and then went upstairs to play.  We checked on it during the day.  Once we had an hour left, we added the cream and the cheese and let cook another hour.  It was done right when daddy got home!  

We did about three loads of laundry today.  I'm still trying to organize my clothes since I don't wear the majority of the things I own now.  :-P  I need to place these clothing items in a box to go through later when I can fit into them to get them out of the closet.  It's a slow process, but I'll eventually get it all done.  :-)

Eliza came over today for your physical therapy.  You had some good neck rotations, but she said for us to continue the exercises so we don't loose any of your muscle flexibility.  You did some quick standing for her.  You stood and hit two blocks together by yourself for about 15 seconds!  Woo hoo!  You're still on the two week schedule, so you're next appointment is two weeks from today.

I had a funny conversation with Eliza today .... we kept Peanut a secret for so long since we didn't know what to expect, that I had forgotten who we've told and when.  I apparently had forgotten to tell Eliza and today she said, "I have to ask you something but I feel silly asking you in case I'm wrong, but are you pregnant?"  :-)  I laughed and said yes .... we only see her every two weeks for a short amount of time .... we get busy at each of your appointments so I guess it got lost in the shuffle.  :-P  Anyway, I told her about Peanut and she said I 'looked' pregnant .... so I guess I'm looking a little big these days.  ;-)

So you did something today that scared me half to death!  We were playing in the bonus room and you were scooting/crawling backwards for fun .... if people pretend they're going to come over and tickle you, you'll scoot backwards and giggle .... it's really cute!  So, we were playing and you were scooting and before I knew it .... within one second .... you had scooted backwards under the couch and was gone!  I immediately jumped into 'mama bear' mode and threw the ottoman out of the way to climb under the couch to get you!  You were just sitting there on your hands and knees holding your toys, but I reached in and pulled you out since there are springs, screws, and wood down in there.  I had no idea you could even fit!  I called your daddy once you were out to let him know of your latest trick.  :-P

You got a gift in the mail today .... remember when you were much smaller and one of daddy's classmates from Yale handmade you a blanket when you were born .... it's in your crib now.  Well, she made you a UNC bib and it's so adorable!  It's so nice that I'm tempted to do something else with it so that it doesn't get messy from your meals! 

Well, we're suppose to get a 'wintery mix' again tonight, so your eye MD called and rescheduled your appointment from 9:40am to 3:15pm tomorrow.  We'll see if that needs to be changed to a different day because they're calling for a lot of ice.  We started to get some sleeting rain this evening late.  The sun doesn't hit the front of our house so there's no telling how long the ice will last.  

You took a little nap this afternoon.  I held you for about 40 minutes and then placed you down.  You continued to sleep as I did some things on the computer.  I ordered some baby gates online for the stairs.  We have some that we got from (Great) Uncle Laurence, but we can't use them with our banister, so we did some research and found another company that makes a gate that should work better.  It should be here some time this week so we can have them up before you start walking.  :-)

We'll see what the roads look like tomorrow .... MOPS is already canceled and I think the schools are already canceled too.  Daddy may just work from home!  :-)

Sleep tight little precious!

I love you!  :-)

~Mommy

More Draperies

Dearest Joshua David~

Hello little man!  Guess what .... you slept last night!  Woo hoo!  In the middle of the night you started coughing and we weren't sure if you had thrown up based on the noise, so daddy picked you up and placed you in our bed.  But, other than that incident .... you slept!  

You woke up a little later than normal, which was fine with me since I didn't sleep the night before due to the insomnia.  But, we didn't make it to church this morning because of the sleep in.  

We kept you on the same diet all day long today .... 2 to 3 tablespoons of oatmeal followed by 5 ounces of formula .... for all your meals.  No milk today.  You kept everything down.  :-)  You're still congested, but playful.  

You watched 'Fraggle Rock' with daddy this morning as I took a shower.  Then, we made a quick run to Target for a few things for the house.  We were back home for lunch and Uncle Brennan came over for a little bit to see you.  :-)  You had fallen asleep in the car on the way home, so I held you on the couch and clipped your nails as you slept until you woke up again. 

We made pumpkin bread this afternoon as daddy hung up some draperies in the front bedroom.  We got rods this morning so he could put them up.  It didn't take him long at all and they look good!  These rooms are slowly but surely coming together.  We're hoping to be done before Peanut's arrival.  :-)

Speaking of Peanut, we're 33 weeks gestation!  Woo hoo!  Each day is a blessing, but I have noticed a few things that I didn't have with you .... I bump counters now with my stomach and it's harder to see my toes.  :-P  And, my belly button has gotten stretched!  Daddy says I'm still pretty and I'm sure you feel the same too.  ;-)

You took a nap on me this afternoon as Peanut kicked.  Daddy and I sat together on the couch and watched some television as you snored.  

Daddy made pancakes for dinner and as we were cleaning the kitchen, you stacked two cups by yourself!  Good job little man!  Daddy gave you a nice bath this evening and wiped your face and nose with a warm, wet washcloth.  Your nose is getting crusty from it being runny earlier.  

This evening we all relaxed.  I practiced a little bit on the mandolin and you and daddy watched a ZZ Top concert together.  ;-)  Oh, we also did your laundry.  :-)

Tomorrow Eliza is coming over for your physical therapy appointment.  Maybe you'll do some stacking for her as well.  ;-)

Sleep tight little one!

I love you very much!  :-)

~Mommy

Insomnia

Dearest Joshua David~

Hello little cutie!  So, I was daring and tried you on a 'normal' bottle this morning of 5 ounces of formula and 3 ounces of whole milk .... you took half the bottle and then threw up on me .... so we didn't try that again the rest of the day.  :-P  From then on we just kept you on straight formula with no milk and we had no more accidents!  You're still a little congested, but more playful.  I'll probably wait another day or two before giving you more milk.  We continued to give you pedialyte or juice every couple of hours.

So, you slept better last night .... but I had a huge case of insomnia!  I can't tell you how long I stayed in bed trying to get some sleep!  I was so exhausted when you woke up because I was just falling asleep!  :-P  I don't know why I get insomnia, but every once in a while I get a bad case and I'm up all night.  Also, I had a huge leg cramp in my left leg.  I use to get them when I was pregnant with you, so I was dreading it for this pregnancy.  It was so strong and painful that I cried and cried in bed.  I accidentally woke daddy, but there really wasn't anything he could while my leg was hurting.

We vacuumed and swept the downstairs and daddy cleaned out the litter box.  Once we all got our acts together, we ran some quick errands.  We went back to Bell's Carpets and bought another remnant piece to split in half for the other two bedrooms.  They're going to bind it for us and then we'll have rugs for the other rooms.  :-)

Then, we made a quick trip to the grocery store.  You fell asleep in the car, so I carried you on my back in the carrier so you could continue to sleep.  As we left the grocery store, we had a small amount of snow flurries come down!  :-)

We were home for lunch and I made tacos!  The UNC basketball game started at noon, so we ate our lunch in the bonus room during the first half.  :-P  The game was so close and we barely won!  It was our first ACC game of the season.  Go Heels!  :-)

I was getting so tired since I didn't sleep well, but daddy ended up taking a nap, so I watched you in the bonus room and did some Bible reading.  :-P  Daddy woke up when Mimi and Grandpa Mike came over.  Their dryer isn't working, so they did some laundry here.  They got to play with you and then we went out for a quick dinner .... hamburgers and fries!  ;-)  I have you a bottle while we were out and you fell asleep as we ate.  It was so cold outside though that you woke up as we were leaving.

We relaxed in the bonus room the rest of the evening and watched some television as you played.   We also straightened some things around the house. You're really getting better at scooting/crawling backwards .... it's so cute!  :-)  You eventually fell asleep so we put you in your bed.  Daddy did some reading as I tried to fall asleep.  You woke up coughing again and daddy picked you up to check on you.  You were fine, but you noodled back into our bed to be sure.  :-P

Sleep tight little one!

I love you!  :-)

~Mommy

Sixty Four Weeks

Dearest Joshua David~

Hello little precious!  Today you are sixty four weeks old!  You don't even want to know how many weeks old I am!  ;-)

You slept a little better last night .... you were probably up every 2.5-3 hours .... vs the night before when you were up every hour!  I gave you some more tylenol at about 1:30am when you were fussy.  

This morning you didn't feel as hot to me.  I knew you were pretty much breathing through your mouth all night since your nose was stuffed up .... so I figured your throat would be dry and achy this morning.  Instead of giving you cereal for breakfast, I gave you a container of cold yogurt for your throat.  You appeared to appreciate that.  Then, you had your bottle.  You didn't finished your bottle, but you came really close.

You sat with me on the couch after breakfast and didn't really play much.  You were content to just sit in my lap and have me hold you .... you usually get a little antsy want to crawl all around.  :-P

You were so congested and your nose was really runny this morning.  You seemed really tired and didn't even try to catch the cat!  I continued to hold you and you eventually took a nap on me.  I held you for about an hour and then placed you on a pillow to sleep.  :-)  While you slept I did my Bible reading and Penny, Grandpa Jim, and Gigi all called to see how you were feeling today!  I gave them all updates and they all were praying that you were feel better soon.

When you woke up, it was lunch time and Mimi and her installer for her design business, Chris, came over to hang our draperies for the nursery.  We had them in the townhouse, but we didn't want to hang them here until we had painted and completed the floors upstairs.  

I gave you some bananas and a bottle for lunch, but you only took half of the bottle .... just 4 ounces.  So, I continued to hold you and we came upstairs to see them hang the draperies.  Mimi picked you up to hold you, and you did well for a little bit, and then you threw up on her!  Poor little man!  I immediately placed you in the tub and gave you a little bath to help you feel better.  :-(  Then, I placed you in a new outfit. 

Once Chris left, we played in bonus room as we visited with Mimi.  I gave you some more tylenol and you appeared fine.  Once Mimi left, I gave you the other half of your bottle and you threw up on me!  Whoa little man!  How many outfits are you going to go through today?  After I changed you (again) and my outfit, I took your temperature.  You still weren't detecting a fever, and you weren't acting fussy.  You continued to play, but I was worried since you didn't eat much.  So, I called daddy to stop by the store on his way home from work.  He got you some baby chest rub, like Vicks, and some pedialyte to drink since you had thrown up twice.

I made some dinner by the time daddy got home .... eggs, potatoes, and bacon .... and you had your pedialyte and a smaller 4 ounce bottle of just formula .... you kept that bottle down .... so, it must have been the milk that was making you throw up in the last bottle!  

We all played in bonus room afterward with daddy.  We watched some concerts with you on the television and we rearranged your play area to include the couches upstairs.  Now, you're not separated from us and we like it better this way .... you appear to like it too.  ;-)

I hope you start to feel better soon!

Sleep tight little man!

I love you very much!  :-)

~Mommy