Thursday and a To Do List

Is it me or is she really growing?

Perked up a bit, but he still runs out of steam awfully fast.

It's 8:45 am. I have showered, although the schedule wasn't pretty. Thanks to Jason being flexible with his get up and go time, I was able to squeeze in at least enough time to wash the night's spit up off of myself. I have makeup on my face. I will admit to being in my sweats with my hair pulled into a pony tail, though. There's just no good reason to spend time doing hair today. I have been puked on...twice (and this was, sadly, after the bath that I gave Lauren this morning). And I've been snotted on by Joshua more times than I care to count. It's a glamorous life I lead right now, isn't it?

I don't know whether I can safely say that we're on the mend here or not. Every time I think we are, we get walloped again with another leg of this nasty bug. Jason has returned to work, although I know he's still not feeling anywhere close to 100%. Joshua takes these spins into feeling OK enough to play, and then melting into a puddle of tears over nothing and needing to rest for a while. He has taken 3+ hour naps the past 3 days, which is totally out of character for him. Actually, that's just about a full night of sleep for him. We're debating calling the doctor again today just to see if there's anything that we can do to help him to feel a little better. The fever creeps back up every afternoon, his nose is like a faucet and he's coughing like he's been a smoker for 50 or so years. His appetite is non existent and he's unusually crabby. All I can say is that we've just about had it with the swine flu if that is, in fact, what we've been plagued with.

Today I have committed to getting my act together. The fog we've been living in has been very bad for getting anything accomplished, and I'm starting to feel a little buried by the things that need to get done. So I have quite a list of things to do today- which include laundry, cleaning, planning for next week (meals, grocery list, etc.) on top of the rest of what we usually have to get done. I've put it in writing here so that I'll feel guilty if I don't get it done...like you'll all be disappointed with me or something. But I'm not convinced that it's actually going to work. We'll see. If Lauren continues to be the cooperative baby that she has turned into over the past 48 hours, I may have a prayer of getting to at least half of what I hope to.

We had a great visit yesterday from my friend Sue, who was one of my very best friends during my Penn State days. She was coming in from Erie to attend a seminar at University Park (she works for PSU now) and came the extra hour to hang out with us yesterday and have a chance to meet our little lady in person. It was great to catch up, and we're praying that we didn't expose her to the bug that has knocked the wind out of our sails.

Tomorrow is a finance day, so Lauren and I will be making the bi-monthly trek into the office to pay bills and move money around. It'll be good to get out. We're just hoping Grandma is well enough to come and spend some time with Joshua while we're gone.

Hope you all have a wonderful Thursday and have fantastic weekend plans on the horizon. I'm already looking forward to seeing the pictures of all of our little Trick or Treaters dressed up on Saturday evening. We've yet to come up with a plan for what to do with Lauren, and I have some preparations to do to get ready to make the grand switcheroo of Joshua's trick or treat loot with stuff that won't send him to the emergency room, but those things also grace my ever growing to-do list. I guess I'd better get cracking...

The One Who Isn"t Sick...

...she's the only one who takes good pictures right now. Sweet as ever. Getting cuter every day it seems. Our daughter is the source of so much joy.

Lauren and I have been spending a great deal of time together while the boys have been in isolation upstairs, not out of necessity but because that's where they both felt most comfortable in their misery. I knew they both gfelt awful last night when Lauren and I were downstairs alone at 7:30 with both Jason and Josh tucked into bed for the night. We talked some (a very one-sided conversation), ate a few times (Lauren did), and watched a little So You Think You Can Dance before wrapping Lauren in her magic blanket and tucking in ourselves.

Jason is still recuperating today, and Josh is napping (proof that he still doesn't feel good). We hope you're all healthy and enjoy the pictures of Lauren. I sure am enjoying her snuggles as she dreams in my arms. And yes...I typed his with one hand.

The Crummiest Birthday Ever...

We had big plans for this weekend. They involved helping one adorable little boy celebrate turning three years old with our family. I made this cake...it's no masterpiece, and I won't be quitting my day job to join Duff on Ace of Cakes for a professional gig, but the cake DID actually look like a tractor. I have gaggles of green and yellow things that were all prepared for our tractor party. I spent Saturday making pulled pork and pasta salad to feed the folks we were expecting to see on Sunday afternoon. Some of it was supposed to go to Darla and Jeremy now that they're home with baby Daphney, but I'm hesitant to take it over there for fear that it's somehow contaminated. I wouldn't wish the following days' turn of events on my worst enemy, I swear it.

And then...just like that...we became the next victims of the flu. Swine flu? Probably. It sure sounds like the same bug everyone who has been diagnosed with the swine flu has had. Regardless, it was a nasty couple of days at our house. Joshua woke up from his nap on Saturday afternoon (looking back on it, the whole idea that he even took a nap should have been a sign of impending doom) throwing up. He did so from 3:00 pm until he finally conked out around 9:30. Poor little buddy was pretty pitiful. Nothing would stay down--- not popsicles, not a few sips of Gatorade, not toast, nothing. We revisited everything we tried.

In the middle of the night on Saturday (early Sunday morning), I woke up and realized that the fever had begun. Joshua was on fire. So we started Tylenol. Unfortunately, it didn't touch his fever after the first dose. I had been sleeping with Joshua in his bed to make sure that he was OK, but when Lauren needed to eat, Jason would come over until I was done. In between, I was changing clothes and washing my face and hands so that anything that Joshua had breathed on wouldn't be up against Lauren while she ate. Futile effort? Perhaps. But we did whatever we could to keep the kids separated and to disinfect ourselves before getting anywhere close to the baby. It was a tricky tight rope walk to be sure. I said to Jason on Saturday night that my gut was telling me to pack Lauren up and take her somewhere far away, but that just wasn't an option. By Sunday morning when we woke up, our little guy was sick sick sick. He didn't get off the couch all morning, sleeping most of it. His fever was really high--- to the point where you could feel the heat radiating from him when you even got close. He had that look in his eyes--- you know the one--- where there's no question that this little person feels downright awful. I wanted to cry every time I looked at him.

Sunday afternoon the fever returned with a vengeance--- 102-104 range--- and we began alternating Motrin and Tylenol to try to help him cool down. We even tried baths to cool him off. He slept and cried most of the night, but the combination of medicines seemed to help some.

Last night was better. He woke up this morning much less fevered and has been playing some this morning. He ate some breakfast, which is truly the first sizeable meal he's had since Saturday morning. He played himself out and is now resting upstairs in bed with Jason (who has also now come down with the same thing). We have to keep reminding Joshua to take it easy today, but we're thankful that he seems to be turning the corner a little bit. He's still coughing and it sounds nasty, but it's not scaring me quite as much as the hot as Hades fever he had yesterday.

My concern still centers on Lauren and how much I DON'T want to test her little immune system at 3 weeks old with a bug like this one. So far, she's not showing signs of being sick, but I know it can turn at any point. I'm saying many prayers for her safety and health, and for a lack of anxiety that won't do any of us any good. We've done what we can do in washing our hands and being as careful as possible.

Here are a few pictures of Joshua's #3 birthday yesterday. They break my heart. We have yet to cut into the tractor cake, and hope to do so today if he feels up to it. Otherwise, I might just need to make another one for him to enjoy.

We're hoping that we'll all be feeling significantly better as the day goes on. Thank goodness for Jason's ability to stay home with us today because keeping the kids separated while I'm here alone borders on impossible. As it turns out, he needed the day for his own recovery anyway.

I can't put up a post without a picture of the little lady for you to enjoy. She's as cute as ever, although a bit on the fussy side today. She's finally sleeping peacefully until her next feeding (which seem to be requested less than every 2 hours at this point) and I'm enjoying getting a few things done.

Wild Wednesday Plans...

Call me insane. Perhaps a bit nutty. But we're taking a walk on the wild side here today. When Joshua finishes his gourmet breakfast of star shaped toast, milk and a banana, and Lauren fills her belly again around 9:15 or so, we're going to attempt the unthinkable. A trip in the car with all three of us. It will be really short, but I still may be out of my mind.

We won't be out of the car much if at all, but the list of things that need to be done outside of the four walls I've been confined by is growing to consume more of a planner page than I desire. We have library books that are about to be overdue if I don't return them. I have helium that needs to be picked up at my office for Joshua's birthday party on Sunday. I need to put gas in my vehicle. And I need to return the containers that our dinner was delivered in last Thursday. All are within a 6 mile radius. I think we can manage without having to stop to eat or to have Joshua use a potty somewhere.

With temperatures expected to be back in the 60's today, I also have planned some outside time for Joshua while Lauren is bundled up as a spectator. He needs the fresh air as badly as any of us. Hopefully both of my big ideas for the day will work out.

And...to end this post, we wish Darla and Jeremy well today as she is currently in the midst of an induction due to some scary pre-e conditions to meet Lauren's newest playmate and kindergarten buddy. We can't wait to hear the good news later today.

Just how long does it take...

... to fold a basket of the kids' laundry? Well, if you're me, the answer woukd be from 6:30 until approximately 2:30 yesterday. Ridiculous, isn't it? Lauren has decided that she prefers to be held for a while after she eats, which is fine except that when you do the math there isn't a whole lot of time right now that wouldn't be classified as either eating or directly following eating time. During the day, Lauren is wanting to eat every 2 hours, almost on the nose. She eats for anywhere from 25 to 40 minutes and then wants to be held until she's sufficiently asleep, at which point I can put her down and try to do something. Generally I end up playing with Joshua, washing a dish, filling a sippy cup, emptying a potty chair, answering an email, etc. By the time I'm done with one of those things, we're going again. It's a little overwhelming, but as long as she's growing and healthy, I'm thrilled that this plan is working out. So, it took me over 8 hours to fold a basket of laundry, mostly one handed, and then put it away. Not world record pace, that's for sure.

Other things I've learned to do one handed include making grilled cheese (just try spreading butter on bread without the use of a hand....it isn't pretty), blogging, picking up toys and dusting.

Joshua is adjusting about as well as we can expect him to, I think. He's still having a hard time at night and is waking when Lauren does. It didn't help that she was up this morning from 4:30 until 6:30 with a pretty fussy period from 6:00-6:30 that woke him up. During the day, he's learning to be patient (an awfully tall task when you're almost 3) and to play independently. In between my fits of guilt, I keep telling myself that this is really good for him and that he'll likely not end up with long term damage from not getting what he needs immediately. But I won't lie and tell you that I'm not really struggling with that. He's spending his days doing very imaginative things- like turning our stairs into his garbage truck and painting gorgeous pictures. We unload and load every toy bin at least 3 times a day. We read a lot of stories while Lauren nurses, and he seems to enjoy that time instead of being jealous by it. His naps are non existent, but he's doing fairly well with it. Truthfully, he had started giving them up before she got here, and I think that he really can do without them. We're good for one meltdown around 4:30 every day, but that's the worst of it. The good news is that he's more than ready for bed when the clock strikes 8:30.

So that's the update from these parts. Enjoy a few pictures!

I had to prove that she does wear something OTHER THAN pink. This was the position Lauren was in when Joshua and I left for the grocery store on Saturday morning. It was also the position I found them both in upon our return.


Isn't he handsome in his vest?


Pap enjoying some snuggling time with Lauren while she was happy. Sadly, she took a turn into the bad attitude department when Nana got to hold her, so I don't have any happy Nana and Lauren photos to post.

Nana and Joshua playing the Handy Manny memory game. He LOVES this! We play it at least 5 times a day.

Just when you think you have it all under control...

I sure would have a good "Not Me" Monday post if it was Monday. But since it's not, I have to tell you a funny Joshua story. To say that things have been a little chaotic around here would be a bit of an understatement. Each day gets a little better, but we still have moments where I'm not sure I'm cut out to be the mother of 2. Thankfully, those moments are usually followed by a moment of gratefulness for these 2 wonderful children who sometimes make me a little nuts, but I'd be lying if I told you that this has been easy.

Anyway, yesterday was going pretty well. Everyone was happy, relatively clean and had full bellies. (That's how I measure success right now.) I had been waiting for the UPS man to come to the house with my new pump (oh the things that are exciting right now). I had to talk to him because the first pump I had received was broken and needed to be picked up for shipment back to the company. When he came to the door, I was holding Lauren in my arms and standing on one foot to keep Watson from running outside. Pretty soon, Joshua joined me and stood there for a few minutes while the UPS man (who is incidentally named Allen, which I know because Joshua asked him) and I conducted our business. When we were done, I closed the door, brought the new box inside and then looked at Joshua, whose pants AND UNDERWEAR were definitely around his ankles. When I asked him if his pants were down the whole time we were outside, he said yes with a very goofy grin on his face. Allen must have thought I was one sandwich short of a picnic for sure. Joshua and I had a very good laugh about the whole thing. Because really, what else can you do?

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In other news, Lauren and I had quite an exciting day today. I was free from my driving restriction as of yesterday, and today was pay day, so I had plans to go into the office to handle the finance work that consumes my 15th and 30th days of each month. With our nursing situation, Lauren had to come along. Needless to say, there were two very capable ladies at the office who were quite happy to hold Lauren while I worked. She's already asking to go back to the office so she can get so much attention!

After we paid our bills, we went to Lewisburg Pediatrics for her 2 week checkup. I am pleased to report that we now have a 7 pounder on our hands.... 7 lb 1/2 oz to be exact. She also managed to grow 3 inches in a matter of 2 weeks and is now 20 1/4 inches long. There must have been a mismeasurement at the hospital because unless something really weird is going on, there's no way she grew that much that quickly. Everything is looking fantastic with her, and evidently our feeding situation is working out OK. That was reassuring in a very big way. We had a few more quick stops to make after we were done at the doctor's office, and then we came home to Joshua who had spent the day playing with Grandma and loving every second of that. I'd say it was a good day all around.

We now await a delivery of dinner from one of the wonderful families at our church. I'm continually amazed by the work of God to lead us to this church and this particular church family. They have already blessed us beyond measure. When the word got out that Lauren had been born, the phone rang and they offered to arrange for some meals to be delivered by people who have volunteered to do that for new babies who are born. The greatest thing is the attention that is being paid to Joshua's allergy issues so that we're sure everything will be safe for him. I've had 3 phone calls from the wonderful lady who is cooking for us tonight to make sure that nothing she's planning could hurt him. We are so grateful for everyone's kindness. Although we're getting along pretty well two weeks down the road, it sure is nice not to have to worry about what to feed everyone tonight.

I'll work on some pictures for tomorrow. Now that Lauren is up over 7 lb, you might not recognize her. HA!

New and Improved

Stacie, Anna, Aunt Rhonda and Lauren.....we had such a fun visit!

Wonder what she was thinking?

Joshua where he spent most of his day. On his "garbage truck" with everything he owns thrown into it. This made navigating the steps impossible, but he had a super time. Who was I to interfere? The day's only meltdown came when I forced him to clean up the trash before Jason got home.

I hope you enjoyed a few pictures from Day #2 of our "just the three of us" routine. It was a good day. Lauren was much more pleasant and far less fussy. Joshua played nicely most of the day and cooperated well. We had a good bit of time to play, just the two of us, while Lauren slept. I think he enjoyed that.

We had a super visit from my Aunt Rhonda and Stacie, and Anna too, during the afternoon. It meant so much to me that they took the time and travelled all the way from Lewistown to see Lauren. I've said it before, but honestly, my family never ceases to amaze me. They were amazed at how little Lauren in, and how big Anna looked even though she's really only 2 months older. The contrast was really something. I loved spending some time with Anna, watching her interact and smile, and although I won't wish these little days away, I do look forward to that first "on purpose" smile from my little girl.

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I also got thinking yesterday about a few new things (or at least they're new to me) since Joshua's birth in 2006. I really didn't think that things would have changed all that much, but I'll tell you what....I've found two new inventions that are making life a whole lot easier.

First of all, did you know that there is now a strip on the Pampers newborn diapers that will change color when it's wet or dirty? Honestly, I've been amazed by this technology. It allows you to just open one button on an outfit and peek in to see whether it's worth undoing the whole row of buttons to get to it. When you have a baby like Lauren who despises having her diaper changed, it saves fussing up a baby when it's not really necessary. And when counting wet and dirty diapers is really critical, it's a big help to give her credit for a wet one that I might have missed without the little blue stripe down the middle. Fantastic work, Pampers people!

And secondly, I will sing the praises of the Miracle Blanket until my dying days. I commented about Lauren's screaming fits in our first few days home, and thought we were really in for it with her. Until I endured the few minutes of fight that ensue when I put her into her magic blanket. This thing is like a Swaddle Me on steroids. Joshua was a wiggler too, and no matter how tightly I put him into the Swaddle Me, he could always get out. Lauren is far stronger than he was, and wouldn't last more than 1o seconds in that thing. The Miracle Blanket actually has flaps that hold her little arms down and a long piece of fabric that goes round and round and round her little tummy to keep her in it. It has changed my screaming baby into a sleeper--- and we're on a roll with two 4 hour stretches of sleep each night, with a feeding and a diaper change in the middle. I believe Joshua just started sleeping for 2 four hour stretches at a time about a month ago. This is, without a doubt, my favorite baby gear find so far. I can't quite imagine anything trumping it, either. Because, really....what's better than a few hours of sleep in a row when you have a newborn?

Day 1 of our new routine...

Oh! So THAT is how you use the Boppy!

Playing Play-Doh in the afternoon

Why do I feel like every picture of Lauren looks exactly the same?

Well...we survived day one of being the Three Musketeers while Daddy was at work. At times I felt more like the Three Stooges, but all in all, it was a good day. I had some adjusting to do in getting used to the feeling of guilt when Joshua had to wait for something because Lauren was either eating or screaming or doing something else that required me to attend to her. The good news is that he is really none the worse for the wear this morning.

The day flew by awfully quickly, and I never managed to get my hair done or put my makeup on. Both of the kids were dressed, clean and happy, so I really wasn't too concerned about me. This morning is already an improvement--- my hair is done, I've got makeup on my face, and I'm wearing jeans for the first time since coming home from the hospital. I know....it's a big day.

Stacie and my Aunt Rhonda are coming for a visit this afternoon and we're super excited about that. Joshua especially. Otherwise, it's going to be another day of our new routine. I think we're going to settle in just fine.

Sweet Moments...

There have been a lot of sweet moments at our house over the past several days. You know...the kind that you want to capture and remember forever. There have been some not so tender moments as well, like sleepless nights, screaming baby and an awake 2 year old who doesn't quite understand why there's so much noise in his house at 3 am. Can't say as I blame him. But I choose to focus on the sweet moments and share them with you.

My favorite happened yesterday afternoon at lunch time. Joshua was having a "picnic" on the living room floor with his hot dog while watching football. I had gone into the kitchen to clean something or fill something or throw something away...honestly, I can't remember. But when I looked up, Joshua had disappeared. He showed up again a moment later holding one of his library books from his room. His beloved book, "Poinsettia and the Firefighters" (which sadly needs to be returned to the library this week), was in his hands. He sweetly sat down next to Lauren's bouncy chair and proceeded to read the entire thing to her from memory. Jason and I were both pretty impressed that he remembered the whole thing, but moreso that he thought to share his favorite story with his baby sister. He's really been pretty indifferent to the baby, but this was one of the first times that we saw him do something nice for her on his own free will. It warmed my heart for sure. See?

We've also been blessed by visitors over the past few days. Emily brought us some wonderful supper on Thursday evening that we were so very thankful for. What a blessing it is not to have to think about what to eat for dinner, or to time cooking it. (I've screwed that up 2 times already since being home. Dinner was thawing on the stove, but I forgot to put it in the oven in time.)

Today, my sister and Brooke accompanied Zig who was coming to play in a golf tournament with Jason. We spent the morning together enjoying all three children. It was a bit chaotic, but wonderful. At lunch time, my parents came and spent a couple of hours with us as well. What fun we all had together. It was noisy, crowded and awesome to be together. I snapped these pictures today, so enjoy them.

Look! Her eyes are open!!

Joshua and Pap running around in the yard. What a gift that my dad took him outside to blow off some steam. They were both worn out and tired from giggling when they came back inside. I'm betting my dad sleeps well tonight.

And just a few minutes ago, snoozing away. It's a tough life she has, honestly.

And finally, our thoughts are with Cory and Shannon today as they are laboring (finally) to meet their little baby. We had hoped for twin cousins, as Shannon's due date was September 29th. Obviously no twin cousins, but we're still anxious to learn of the baby's safe arrival and Shannon's good health. And of course, whether it's going to be PINK or BLUE for baby Casner!

This will be our first week with Jason back to work. Perhaps prayers for me would be in order. I'm a little nervous, but I know we'll manage. Lauren is getting to be more and more predictable and Joshua is adjusting pretty well to being patient and independent when he needs to be. I'm sure there will be temper tantrums (likely from all three of us), but we'll get along just fine. But oh how I'll miss Jason. This has been a true parenthood partnership....50/50....awesome teamwork....over the past week and a half. I appreciate him and his devotion to our family more than I can say.

I'll keep you posted on who's still standing at the end of the day tomorrow!

Fader Dader and the Bloomsburg Fair

The littlest one snoozing away a few minutes ago after filling her belly.

This was one of Joshua's hiding spots when we played hide-and-seek on Monday morning. He's LOVING to play that right now and never gets sick of finding you.

Last night I remembered a story from Friday that was really blog worthy. I feel that way because it nearly caused me to return to the hospital over popping a stitch. If you've never had a c-section, it's hard to understand the pain involved in laughing (not to mention sneezing or coughing...yowee). In fact, after my first c-section with Joshua, I banished my brother-in-law from visiting at the hospital because he's too stinking funny and he was killing me. Anyway...

One of the things that I had least anticipated about coming home on Friday was that Joshua ia a really funny little boy. He's always making us laugh with his imagination and creativity and the goofy things he says. Jason and Joshua were playing on Friday night and things turned to a few imaginary gorillas that Joshua located in the house. I was sitting on the couch holding Lauren, mostly because I was unable to get myself back into a standing position without Jason's help. Jason started asking Joshua questions about this gorilla.







Jason: "Joshua, is he a nice gorilla?"



Joshua: "Yes Daddy...he's friendly."



Jason: "What's his name?"



Joshua: "Fader Dader." (I kid you not.)



Jason: "Fader Dader, huh? Well where did he come from?"



...and this is where I nearly lost a stitch and ended up in tears over the pain!



Joshua: "The Bloomsburg Fair"







The gorillas have continued to reside here with us. Good thing they're mostly friendly and haven't made too much of a mess.

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In Lauren news, things are really looking up. Our nights have transitioned from screaming and pacing the floors with her to some pretty decent sleep. Actually, it's significantly better than what I remember the nights being like with Joshua at this age. She's going down around 9:30-10:00 after eating well and staying asleep until around 2. I have two alarm clocks on my body that wake me before it's time for her to eat (amazing how that works) and I get to her before she's screaming mad. She eats, goes back to sleep within about an hour and sleeps for another few hours before wanting to do it all over again. I think she's learning that we're pretty quick to take care of her needs, so there's been far less screaming in the last few days, unless of course she's getting washed up or changed, which she still isn't a fan of. The bink has truly been a lifesaver.