2 Month Well Check

This morning Tyler and I went to see one of our favorite people - Dr. Grady. I know I have said it before, but I absolutely LOVE Tyler's pediatrician and so does he. It cracks me up how the second Dr. Grady walks in and starts talking Tyler follows him and is very attentive to his every move and word. It's as if he knows that this is the man who is going to fix whatever ails him.

This morning's visit had two purposes: one, to get his 2-month well check (shots included), and two, to follow up on the whole tummy issue. We started the visit with vitals. My little Mr. now weighs 11 lbs. and 2 oz., is 23 1/2 inches long, and his head circumference is 15 1/2. He has successfully reached all milestones for this age except for raising his head when laying on his tummy. I told Dr. Grady this was completely my fault. See, Tyler HATES being on his tummy and throws a horrible fit when I have tried tummy time. I have to admit that I have been a bad momma while trying to be a good momma, and I have not forced him to stay on his tummy and rarely even placed him in that position. I have known all along that it is an important thing to do, but with all the tummy problems he has been having over the past month I was afraid this was causing even more discomfort. So tonight we started trying to rectify this even through all the screaming. All other aspects of Tyler's check up were very positive and we were assured that he is growing well, he is in the 35 percentile for 2-month-olds, and that he is reaching all other milestone right on time. All very good news.

As for Tyler's follow up...not such good news. Apparently he has both colic and reflux. Awesome (sarcasm inserted)! The good news is that most colic is outgrown by the time the are about 3 months, so we're on the downhill stretch with that one. The bad news is that reflux generally last until about 18 months. Dr. Grady went over the fact at there is a valve at the base of the esophagus/top of the stomach that has just simply not grown enough to close completely. Therefore, every time the stomach contracts to help with the digestion of his intake it literally pushes everything back up and out of the stomach. Apparently something like 90% of all babies deal with this, but the only thing coming to my mind was "Yeah, but this is MY baby!" He then went on to explain that there is another valve at the base of the stomach and that this one has the opposite problem from time to time. He said that this one can actually grow too thick and prevent anything from moving past the stomach so that when the baby is fed more and more it has nowhere to go but back out the way it came in. Fortunately he is pretty sure this is not Tyler's problem because he is still having we and dirty diapers, but if the projectile reflux continues we will have to go back in and possibly get an ultrasound done to see if there are any other problems. Luckily Tyler has been better since I started nursing him again. He has only graced me with his "used" milk a couple of times and nothing like he did yesterday afternoon!

So what are we going to do you ask. Nothing. Dr. Grady explained that he could prescribe something, but that he is more reserved and "old school" in the way he works. This is a fact that I appreciate and respect! He told me that it was once thought that Nexium, Prilosec, and Zantac work on adults so well that they should be used on babies. However, it turned out that these medications were causing upper respiratory problems and pneumonia in many babies. He would rather Tyler share a little "used" milk every now and then than to risk the side effects of putting him on medicine. Of course, if it gets worse we are certainly to take him in. He also wants us to continue watching his diapers to make sure everything is working it's way through and also to keep watching his weight to ensure that it continues climbing.

Overall we had a good visit with a good doctor. Then we had a good day! He was much less fussy today than he has been in a while. I have no doubt that this is a reflection on my attitude. I was finally able to relax a bit knowing all of this is "normal" and that it will also all work it's way out - eventually.

Two Months Old

Easter morning

                                  2 Months


Today Tyler is officially 2 months old. It has had many, many ups, and as of late a few downs. My precious punk'n has had many firsts this month.

* Smiling when we smile at him
* Cooing, ahhing, and making an assortment of other "words"
* Sleeping for at least 7 hours every night (some nights more)
* Started going to daycare
* Moved from Newborn to 0-3 month clothing
* Very first Easter Sunday!

Not feelin/ too bueno

This has really been a fun month with my Mr. He has started finding a personality all his own and I am starting to be able to read him better. I am able to distinguish most of his cries and get him what it is he needs/wants, but unfortunately the cry I know the most these days is the cry of pain. This month has brought some pretty sever tummy troubles to my baby. It all started about a week ago when he started doing a little more than spitting up after eating. It had started bothering me enough that I finally called the pediatrician's office on Friday, and although Tyler's pediatrician was on vacation, we went in at the request of the doctor on call. They asked a lot of questions, listened to him, palpated him, and looked him over real well, and decided to take him completely off nursing and put him on a specific formula that is for colic in babies who have allergies to the proteins in cow's milk. This has been an absolute disaster!!! He began expelling even more fluids, and then started getting blisters on his bottom every time he had a dirty diaper, and he is just sleeping ALL THE TIME! I know he is generally a sleepyhead anyway, but he has taken it to a whole new level these days. The worst is that according to his face and the noise from his lungs, the stomach pain that he is experiencing has also gotten worse with this formula. Not to mention the hassle it has been on me. I feel like everything I do revolves around feeding. I make him a bottle, feed him, burp him, clean up the liquidy mess that is made after each burp, keep his upright for 30 minutes (as per doctor's orders), and then pump for possible future use. It seems like by the time I am done with this routine, it's time to eat again. I truly wouldn't mind the hassle if this were actually working, but it is not and we are done with it. Tyler and I were very happy to go back to our old ways this evening.

As much good and fun that has come from this month I will have to say that I am certainly ready to see Dr. Grady tomorrow morning and start our 3rd month with a solution to this problem!

Hangin' out outside after church

Cheese head headed to school

Friday the 13th

The birthday boy

My Friday the 13th was a very busy day! Not only was it Chad's birthday, but I had about 20 things to get done in the time that it actually took me to do about 5 things.

My Friday the 13th birthday boy had to work, of course, so we didn't get to spend much time with him. And to top things off, for his birthday he was informed that he was going to have to work late today and then work tomorrow - so much for our plans!!!! We did still get to take him out to a local Mexican food place (was not our first choice, but it was close), and then we did cake and what remained of his presents tonight just before he went to bed. Hopefully we can recover some of our weekend and his birthday tomorrow evening and Sunday.

The cake

The cake on fire!!!

Well, for my Friday the 13th it started off with me not working and taking Tyler to the pediatrician due to his constant spewing of anything that goes in. I know that what goes up must come down, but in his case it's been what goes down must come up - NOT OK! It really started about a week or so ago and has just gradually gotten worse. It's to the point now that he was wanting to eat more often due to not keeping down what he was taking in. We were both having to change clothes multiple times a day because we would both be completely soaked. I initially just called the nurse's line to see if there was anything that I might be able to do to help him feel better (the bubbling over has been accompanied by what seem to be pretty severe stomach pains) because we are already going in Tuesday for his shots, but after the doctor read over the notes he asked them to call me back and ask me to come in today. They checked him out and he has gained appropriate weight, now 10 lbs 14 oz, and is having good wet diapers, no fever, but diarrhea so they weren't able to definitively state that it is reflux. So now we are experimenting. We are stopping nursing and he has been put on a special formula that apparently covers all the ground for avoiding any allergies or gasiness and is already in a broken-down state. This will supposedly help to determine if my milk is the problem or if it is truly reflux. We will be doing this until we go back on Tuesday. Hopefully he will be able to nurse again and we won't have to stick with the formula since this change is upsetting to both of us! Regardless of the outcome I just really hope we are able to find a solution to all of his tummy troubles and get him happy again.

I hear Daddy, but I can only look at the fan

The rest of my day was hectic but not bad. Tyler and I went to Target to get a a new mobile for his crib, some more bottles so that I'm not washing bottles 3 times a day, diapers, and a few other odds and ends. After that we ran home to feed both of us and then it was quickly off to the eye doctor for me. Luckily my little punk'n fell asleep because the appointment took longer than expected and then I had to go next door to pick out new glasses. After all this we headed over to pick up Lacee and Leah and then off to get Hailey from her friends house. Well, turned out that Hailey had changed her mind and decided to get off the bus at home but has lost her key. So when we pulled up in the drive, Hailey was laying on the bench on the front porch waiting for us to unlock the door (she had been waiting for us for about an hour!).

Daddy's special birthday present!

To say the least it has certainly been a long day, but at least I got to spend it with this precious little boy. I'm sure I'll get to all those other "to do's" next week. That being said, I think I'll turn in for the night and try again tomorrow. Hope you all had a good Friday the 13th and that you all have a wonderful weekend.

New Beginnings

Ready for our first day at Second Step School

And so it begins...daycare that is. Tyler and I started daycare today and it was quite the experience for both of us. I was most concerned about how our morning would go, and believe me I was not let down by any means!!! Tyler usually wakes around 6:00 am to eat, but in order for me to time our feedings just right I needed him to eat around 5:00 am so that he would eat again just before we head out the door. So, I set my alarm for 5:00 am and just as I anticipated, it woke him up and he ate.

Afterwards I put him back to bed and knowing that going back to sleep myself would only make me more tired, I decided to walk on the treadmill for 30 minutes before getting ready. I finished getting myself ready, got the diaper bag all situated, and then woke Tyler to get ready and eat. I put him in his cutie little plaid outfit - one of which I had even ironed for his first day - and of course, he presented both his outfit and mine with projectile vomit just as I was putting him in his car seat to head out the door. After a quick change of clothes and a quick picture to document our big day, we finally left.

The baby room (where I work and Tyler "hangs out") was pretty quiet when we arrived. There was only one other baby there when we arrived so I was given a quick walk-around and told where to put all of Tyler's things and then a quick rundown of what would be expected of me while working. Shortly after our arrival the room started filling up. There were a total of 8 babies (including Tyler) by about 9:00 am. I realized very quickly that crying is certainly contagious among the young! There were 5 crying babies the majority of the day and the other 3 (proud to say one was Tyler) were mostly content with occasional fussy moments when dirty or hungry or tired.

Both Tyler and I realized that it's going to take some getting used to. Although I LOVE being with my angel the whole time, the other babies will take some getting used to, but I did enjoy them overall. Tyler's biggest hurdle is going to be the noise factor. He didn't sleep at all the entire morning until I set him in his car seat to leave and then he crashed for 3 1/2 hours! My biggest hurdle is going to be not looking at everything around me as a germ-infested monster looking to gobble up my baby!!!

Regardless, we both made it through our first day (or technically morning since we were only there for 4 hours) and we are looking forward to this getting better and easier for both of us in the near future.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter to all our family and friends! I certainly hope all of you had a wonderful and blessed day - I know we sure did.

HAPPY   EASTER!!!

Fun times with Nana

We started our Easter weekend off with a nice little visit from Nana on Friday night. Then, Saturday Tyler and I followed her to Austin on her way home and met up with Mandi, Jeff, and the kids for a late lunch and family fun. We met at Central Market where I must say I had a wonderful club sandwich and smoothie. We visited for a while and then the older 3 kids played on the playground while Jeff had the taxing job of watching the 2 little sleeping boys while Mom, Mandi, and I went to some of the little shops around. Tyler slept the entire visit until we were all getting ready to go our separate ways and then woke to say bye and get a little snack in for the ride home.


Ready for church

This morning we got up and got ready for Tyler's first Easter. I took a few pictures of my sweet boy while Daddy was getting ready, but we ran out of time to get the others before church so they had to wait till church was over and after Tyler had lunch so we could ensure a smile rather than the screaming that was occurring! Once fed we did get some good pictures out in front of the house. Unfortunately we didn't have another person to take the pictures so we didn't get one of the 3 of us. Tyler was so good during church. He was awake and happy when we arrived and through all the singing and then fell fast asleep about the time the pastor began the sermon. He woke just before the closing prayer and we had to head to the "Cry Room" - and quickly. There was lots of oooing and ahhing over him and how cute he was in his little Easter outfit, and then we headed home.



First nap in my crib

This afternoon (and the whole weekend for Chad) was all about the outdoors. Chad spent Friday afternoon and evening putting together the BBQ grill I got him for his birthday then all day yesterday cutting grass and weed eating the yard. Then today he finished weed eating while I put the patio furniture together that Mom got him for his birthday along with a bench I had gotten for the front porch. I also cleaned out the flower beds and cleaned out a few things in the garage. My little man was great - he just sat in his bouncer on the back patio, then the garage, and finally on the front porch while I took care of the things I needed/wanted to get done. Things are really starting to look great around here!!! (Pictures to come of all the hard work!)

A Little Hard Work Never Hurt Anyone

Well, a week ago yesterday we discovered that we were having a few plumbing problems (i.e. water backing up into the house), so last Monday I called our home warranty people and they sent a plumbing company out to take a look at our mess. The guys came out that afternoon and took the lid off the tank and then ran a "snake" from the clean-out at the house to the tank. Finding nothing wrong with the pipe, they told me that we needed to have the tank pumped and replace the lateral lines out in the yard - giving me an estimated cost of $6,500 to $8000 for the work. After talking with Chad about the ordeal, we took the clean-out cap off (creating quite a mess in the back yard) so we could use the plumbing in the house, and then we called another company to have them come pump the tank and then we were going to do somewhat of an experiment. Our best guess was that the lines weren't broken, but rather that with the massive amount of rain we have received this year, the ground just couldn't hold anymore water from the lines. Well, our second plumber came out on Saturday to pump the tank and promptly told Chad that the tank was exactly where it needed to be and then he ran a "snake" from the clean-out to the tank and told Chad that he wasn't sure what the problem was exactly, but that it was somewhere in that pipe and not in the lateral lines.
This is where my weekend started getting really bad!!! To back up just a bit, Chad had a little procedure done Friday morning and was instructed to not lift ANYTHING (including Tyler) or do anything strenuous for at least 7 days. At 3:00 on Saturday afternoon this directly translates to "Jodi gets to dig up the pipe and get the plumbing fixed." So after feeding Tyler and putting him in his stroller (because Chad can't lift him, Hailey is sick, Lacee is at Fiesta Texas with friends, and Leah is at a slumber party), I begin to dig, and dig, and dig. This was NOT how I intended to "ease" into my post baby work out program. So, I dug for 3 or 4 hours on Saturday (Hailey did help dig for about 30 minutes and then magically disappeared), thought I found what might be the leak, and then continued to dig Sunday morning for about another 3 hours when I knew I found the leak. I could not believe my eyes...the previous owner apparently had the same problem and rather than cutting the pipe at the break and gluing a new section in, they took a wooden stake and duct taped it to the pipe and then just used a lot of duct tape to "fix" the leak! We did have a friend come over who knows about septics and he was helping get the old pipe off and new pipe on and discovered that they also never glued the clean-out to the house, just had it pushed on there. GEESH!!! Finally this afternoon I pushed dirt back in under the pipe and then Chad borrowed the neighbor's tractor to push the rest of the dirt in over the pipe. All I can say is hopefully this holds till we move or die!


My weekend project



Happy cowboy

Look how tall & skinny I can be

In Tyler news, he had his first cowboy experience. No, I didn't put him on a horse just yet, but he did go sporting his boots and jeans for the first time last week. Granted these boots won't be worn out by the time his XL feet outgrow them, but they sure are cute and nothing melts my heart like a good-lookin' cowboy!



Just try to resist this face

The perfect nap with Ms. Elva

Tyler also had the pleasure of meeting one of my dearest friends this week, Elva. I worked with her when I was at the courthouse and she took me literally after only knowing me a couple of days. She was quickly an official part of my family and Tyler agreed right off the bat and had no problem falling right to sleep in her arms and staying there for over 3 hours while we had a great visit.

Sporting my new duds

Hangin' out while Momma makes the bed

Tyler update: currently he weighs in at 10 lbs 6 oz and is 23 inches long. He has begun to hold his head up for much longer periods of time and to my extreme pleasure, he has begun to sleep longer at night. Not that this was so much of an issue before, but he has been going to be around 9:30 every night and will now sleep until about 5:00 or sometimes even 6:00 in the morning!!!! He sure knows how to win my heart. He still has the occasional tummy fits, but for the most part seems to be working through most of those issues. Also, to add even more pleasure to my life, he is starting to hold eye contact with me for longer periods of time and is starting to make more noises (other than screaming and crying) and will occasionally smile at me when I smile at him. Everyday is such a blessing with this precious little creature in my life!!!

Just chillin'