Insert Hallelujah Chorus

I know it has only been one day and you shouldn't count your chickens before they hatch or something like that, but I'm going to go ahead and say it: Carter slept last night from 8:15 until 3, ate for ten minutes, and went back to sleep easily. In fact, I had to WAKE HIM UP to go to daycare. Boo to that.

Obviously, I have no idea if that will last or if it was just a fluke, but ohmyword it felt nice to sleep last night. Seth was a doll and got up for the 3 a.m. feeding, so essentially I got a full night's sleep. Now, I did wake up briefly every hour because I was confused why he wasn't awake but luckily was able to fall back asleep very quickly. Seth even checked on him once at 2 a.m. to be sure he was still breathing.

We did start to wean him off the swaddler though so maybe that had something to do with it. He likes to suck his fingers so he might have been frustrated all along that his hands were mummied along his sides.

We are praying extra, extra hard that it is something that might continue. Getting up one time a night even sounds like heaven to us! :)

A Little Perspective, Please.

Last night, Seth and I were sitting in the living room after Carter went to bed. It was 8:30 and we were barely breathing from exhaustion. We began to discuss how something's gotta give with this whole nighttime thing. Getting up two to five times a night is certainly not leaving us feeling very refreshed, that's for sure. The frustration is apparent - it seems like a million people are praying for us and for him to sleep, yet nothing has really changed.

I guess some things in life just plain don't make sense.

I don't understand why he used to get up once and now it's much more. I hate that he has to deal with acid reflux. I don't understand why he had to get a respitory infection at 3 1/2 months. I haven't had a hair cut since he was two weeks old and it is a massive disaster. I don't like that daycare costs an arm and a leg. I haven't slept through the night since I was about five months pregnant.

Blah, blah, blah.

As we sat there and rambled off a million and one things we are frustrated with, it hit me like a bolt of lightening. We were straight-up smacking the One who's given us everything right in the face.

MAYBE the reason we can't seem to catch a break (or some Zzzzz's) is plain and simple: we're ungrateful and selfish.

Rewind, Danielle and Seth....let's talk about how you HAVE a baby who is happy and healthy to get up with. Because last time I checked, there are thousands of people out there dying to be parents but can't. How he may have acid reflux but how you also have medical insurance to be sure that you can get him a prescription to fix it. How, thankfully, his bronchiolitis WASN'T something worse, like pneumonia. While we're at it, why don't we mention that spending time getting your hair cut is far less important than spending time with your little boy. How you have jobs to go to and have plenty of money to pay for child care. And, don't even talk about sleep, sister. You're waking up to tend to a part of you, and then when you're done, you come back to a warm bed with a spouse who loves you.

It hit us hard. Perhaps what we need is a good old-fashioned attitude adjustment and then something will change. We are blessed beyond comprehension. We are parents to a baby who knows nothing else in life but to rely on us for his every need and who trusts us unconditionally. He doesn't remember that we were angry with him when we were up for the 6th time...in the morning, he STILL smiles at us when we bend over the crib to get him. And it can melt your heart.

There's a time for everything, right? Maybe for us it is "there is a time for sleeping...it's just not right now." :)

So, on we go, working on our attitude's and our hearts, appreciating what we have, and realizing that someday, though we can't comprehend it right now, we will miss this stage. And when we see him driving away to college, I'm pretty sure we'll wish he was 4 months old again, waking us up every 90 minutes.

Carter Nicholas, we love you more than words can say. We're so sorry we get frustrated with you. You're just a little boy and still figuring out this great big world. We'll maintain, for now, that the reason you get up so much is just because you want to see your mommy and daddy so much.

The First Sickness in our House

Well, Carter made it 3 1/2 months before he caught his first "bug." On Sunday night, we noticed he was started to cough a little. We just watched it on Monday, but I decided to call the doctor on Tuesday. They scheduled him for Tuesday afternoon. He was coughing a little more, sneezing, and was congested. And not really sleeping. Wait....that's normal. :)

Anyway, I took him in for his appointment. They weighed him and he was...wait for it...17 pounds, 14 ounces.


Yes, he IS a big boy, morbidly obese lady in the elevator who decided to make a rude comment about how he was really, really big for almost four months. RUDE. She was, you know, only the eighth person to have had said something in the past thirty-five minutes. I made a little promise in my head that I would bite my tongue for maybe one more person saying that, and then it was over. Calm mommy was about to turn a little blunt, if you know what I mean. And while I'm venting, let me say that the next stranger who touches my baby's hands or his pacifier is going to get smacked. Do you know him? No? Then don't touch his hands, which he puts into his mouth. Any other moms with me on this one?!?!

Anyway, I digress. (Had to get that off my chest)

They took his temp (no fever), listened to his lungs, checked oxygen levels, etc. The doctor said she could hear some crackling in his lungs and suspected there may be some fluid. They briefly mentioned pneumonia, which had me in a slight tizzy. We were sent for chest x-rays. Fortunately, those came back clear for pneumonia. But he does have Bronchiolitis which is basically the baby form of bronchitis in adults. It can't be treated with antibiotics because it is a virus. So we were sent home with the tried-and-true "lots of fluids and rest" and to sleep in the swing if possible so he is more upright.

He had a decent night last night -- got up three times, but that really isn't so bad considering he is hacking. He wants nothing to do with sleeping in the swing at night and only wants his crib, and wants nothing to do with the crib during the day and only wants to sleep in his swing. Go figure.

Seth is home with him since he is out of daycare for today. The doctor said the worst of it will be over today hopefully, and he can return to daycare tomorrow. We will make the final call on that in the morning.

Keep him in your prayers! :)

Wordless Wednesday

Portal to the Bad Place

You know that expression "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me"? Well, I had a real-life moment where this expression came to mind.

You may remember back in 2008 when we went camping and I experienced what I like to call the death hike. You know, that measley little 3.8 mile hike that nearly sucked the life right out of me? Yes, that one.

Well, we had a death hike remix this very weekend.

Same scenario really...camping with friends and we decide it's time for a nice little stroll in the woods. Except when the trail maps come out, it's all over. The boys' wheels were turning and they were planning an all-morning hike that would be "so easy" and would just "circle around the state park and come right back to our campsite."

"Ok, fine," I said, naively. They assure me it won't be too bad -- I pack up some water, lace up my hiking boots which I LOATHE wearing with anything but long pants because, hello post-baby calves.

We head out at 10:30 a.m. and begin the trail. Easy as pie, just as promised. Not worried yet....until I see the sign warning of rattlesnakes. Eh, whatever, I live with four snakes as pets. We began a trek uphill, probably at a 45 degree angle. I assume a mountain that is called Cove Mountain can't be that high, and complain smile as we keep climbing.

**I'm going to take a moment to stop and remind you that I just had a baby three months ago.**

We near what I think is the top and I feel victorious...until I realize we are only half way to the top. Fast forward an hour or so and we are finally at the top. The lookout is beautiful and it makes it seem worthwhile. Plus, I know that all things that go up MUST come down - "all things" being the Mt. Everest of sorts we just climbed.

But as we begin to head down, we actually continue to go up. How in the world is this working?!?!?! We made a little turn onto what was called the Horseshoe Trail, but which I have now dubbed the "Portal to the bad.place." It went straight down. Like, really. Straight down. On rocks. I actually kicked a small rock at one point and it continued to fall until I could no longer see it. Lovely.

The blisters were killing me and my toes hurt SO BAD from the pressure of your foot on such a downhill slope. At one point during the hike, I grabbed the trail map and looked at it. Know what was beside Horseshoe Trail? Most Difficult Hike. I yelled. The boys laughed. After probably an hour and a half we finally reach the bottom and just had a nice, flat walk back to the campsite. Lucky for them.

Later that afternoon, we saw a ranger and told him how we did the Horseshoe Trail and he said "wow, we discourage even avid hikers from doing that trail because it's so hard."

Long story short, I obviously survived. But here are my "take aways" from this experience: 1) stop hiking with the boys when we camp; 2) read the trail map yourself before agreeing; and 3) take flares for when you need to set them off for the rescue helicopter to find you.

And now, I will be sore forever and ever. Amen.

Three Months.

Carter, at three months, you:

- Wear size 1/2 diapers
- Are wearing size 3 month clothing
- Weigh 16 lbs, 4 oz. (yes, you read that correctly) He is in the 97th percentile for weight and the doctor said he is "just perfect" gaining about an ounce a day
- Follow us with your eyes when we move
- Have insanely good head control and are VERY strong. You can push your legs off of ours and practically "stand"
- You sit really well supported by your boppy, and especially well in your bumbo seat
- Still don't care for the car too much. We can put you in your car seat and you're fine, but the second we start to buckle you, it's all over
- Started protesting naps already (seriously, 3 months old.)
- Your naps are often exactly 38 minutes. It's creepy.
- Were now diagnosed with acid reflux which we hope to work out soon so you feel better
- Still coo all the time - you say "a gaa" and "a goo" and sometimes "da"
- Smack your toys around on your playmat
- Have really been advancing in "grasping" things like your rattles and key rings
- Like to hold your lovey or a burp cloth and squeeze it tight (and sometimes suck on it)
- Found your hands to suck on (when you're not swaddled, of course)
- Smile a lot, often in response to people talking to you...you almost laughed out loud when grampa nuzzled in to kiss your neck
- Are starting to sleep worse at night rather than better. You used to sleep some 4 hour stretches or more, but now you're back to about every 3 hours.
- Slept through the night one time for an 8 hour stretch. Mommy and daddy were SO happy.
- Want to be rocked to sleep, but we're going to break you of that soon. We love the time with you to snuggle but we'll stick to snuggling with you while we feed you and then putting you down while you're awake so that you learn to self-soothe and get yourself back to sleep
- Went on a trip with mommy to the cabin without daddy. You did pretty well and slept in your pack n play...only got up one time the one night which is odd considering there was no air conditioning in our room and you need your air.
- Sweat like nobody's business
- Eat 5 ounces every 3-4 hours during the day (only make it to 4+ if you take a good nap and forget you're hungry) and every 3-4 hours at night
- Get a 6 or 7 oz. bottle before bed to help hold you off longer
- Are going to have your first weekend without mommy and daddy this weekend. Oma and Opa are watching you while we get some "us time" to relax and recharge.
- Have the chubbiest cheeks ever and the chunkiest thighs (but both are ADORABLE)
- Have fiercely blue eyes...almost navy blue
- Finally are getting some more hair and more eyelashes
- Love to be outside and it can help calm you down if you are fussy
- Are STILL teaching us about patience and understanding. It is not uncommon for mommy to smile and start reciting the Serentity Prayer ("God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference")
- Pull hair HARD
- Are the love of our life.

Even though we are sometimes pushed to our limits and swear things will never get easier, we love you more than words can say. We miss you when we are away from you and love to kiss those chubby little cheeks. We can't wait to see you grow up and see the little boy you will become. We love you, Carter Nicholas.

The baby "must-haves"

So I've only been a mom for like three months, but in that time, I've created a pretty little list in my head of the absolute must-haves for baby so far.

Here they are:

Infantino baby carrier - we didn't use this too much at the beginning, but in his fussy times, it is often the only thing that keeps him calm!

Fisher Price Jungle Bouncer - Dear Lord, thank you for this. With continuous bouncing and the vibration, it is one of his favorites for now.

Gripe Water - the kid gets some mean hiccups, so I bought this stuff to see if it helps. It seems to stop the hiccups almost immediately, so I call it a success!

Itzbeen baby care timer - With the number of times he eats, gets his diaper changed, etc. during the day, I have no idea how I would keep all of that in my head. We pretty much use it just for the eating and how long he's been sleeping, but we love this thing!

Boppy Entertain Me play mat - he finally is active enough to lay under this thing and smack the toys for quite some time. I love the motion sensored butterfly in the center and all of the little accessories.

Kiddapotamus Swaddle Me - and again I say, thank you Lord for this wonderful invention. He popped out of the swaddle when it was just blankets and he can't seem to sleep unswaddled. This has been a lifesaver for getting any sleep out of the not-interested-in-sleeping little guy!!

I'm sure I'll have tons more favorites as we use more things and as he grows up, but those are just a few of our favs!