Almost Halloween!

Okay, so it technically IS Halloween, but since I'm behind on posts, use your imagination!

So while Tyler was at school, I hung out with my little pumpkin...who doesn't feel the need to sleep in the moring anymore.


Then it was pumpkin carving time after Tyler emerged from his "rest time". I must say, it adds a new fascinating element to be carving a pumpkin while carrying a baby in a front pack.



Then it was time to make some tasty treats.


And Jason enjoy mischief night, probably just conjuring up some mischief in his diaper.

And after a nice walk (or two) around the block, admiring Halloween decorations, it was dark enough to appreciate our pumpkin creation. By the way, his name (as per the carving book) is "Boofus", but Tyler calls him "Booey".

Way to Go, Phillies!

Mail Time

"Here's the mail, it never fails, it makes me want to...."

Wait, stop, that's not reality. That's Blues Clues. Guess I took my job as professional TV watcher while nursing WAY too seriously.

Back to reality.

Today Tyler got a package in the mail today from my parents. There isn't much that Tyler loves more than mail (both sending and receiving).

By the way, that first picture is Tyler examining the shirt to make sure it says "4T". If it doesn't say that, Tyler is always convinced it won't fit. LOL.




As you can tell, Tyler loved all his stuff. And thanks mom for the peeps for me.

Jason was a little more reserved with his excitement.

Aren't my parents the best?

bring on the cold!

So over the past few days we've had a "cold snap". In fact, I believe it was Wednesday morning we hit a record low that hadn't been broken since 1910. I think that was 43 degrees, if I recall. Either way, not freezing cold by my standards, but definitely be Florida standards for October.

I was in my glory. See, I hate heat...in case you hadn't realized. And I LOVE fall clothes, shoes, etc.

My boys, not so much.

Tyler was angry he couldn't wear shorts. He did tolerate some jeans, sneakers, and sweatshirt for outdoor play, but he wasn't happy about it!



And poor Jason was oblivious, but he couldn't have enjoyed being bundled up so much.

it's a miracle!

Yesterday Jason fell asleep in his crib! Even better, I was the one who got him to sleep! Forgive the quality of the picture. I was not about to bring a camera with a flash in there and risk him waking, so you got a cell phone picture in poor lighting.

Believe it or not, he napped about an hour in there and then later napped there for maybe 20 minutes. Of course last night his congestion seemed to get worse (I swear Tyler has brought home every germ imaginable) and he ended up vomiting, so I absolutely wouldn't even consider putting him in the crib anymore. He was by my side all night...which is where he proceeded to vomit the next time.

Wow, my blog really has gone full circle, from my own days of vomiting while pregnant, and now Jason's turn!

My poor little baby!

play time

Here are my boys playing with the floor mat. As you can tell, Tyler is enjoying it a bit more. What is the fascination with toys that aren't even close to age-appropriate???



Well, it was fun while it lasted.

Jason's Stats....

On Monday Jason had his 1 month "well check" at the pediatrician. He weighed in at 9lbs2oz and 20.5in long. I find this amusing because Tyler probably weighed that at 10 days old and was BORN taller than that. LOL. Hey, I complained that Tyler never got to wear his little itty bitty newborn stuff, and at this rate Jason will be wearing his for quite a bit. No worries though, as the doctor says he's right on track.

The doctor was pleased with his progress on the Zantac, especially considering it's a fairly small dose. He's not concerned with the vomitting, unless of course he starts projectile vomitting on a regular basis.

He got one shot, got a dose of Tylenol, and then basically slept all day long. Quite a nice break for me.

Of course he had about 3 hours where he couldn't calm down last night, but I did eventually get him down around 10:30, just in time to watch the rain delay in the World Series. LOL. He had a pretty rough night, but he seems to be doing fine now. Phew!

what I do with my "spare" time

When the little one isn't eating or screaming and I get the rare moment of silence where he's asleep, you might think I'd use my time wisely.

Perhaps I'd clean or sleep.

You'd be wrong.

I take pictures, like this.

Then I contemplate the bigger things in life. Like why in the world children's clothes often lack function. Like the mock drawstring on his pants. Or the cute little pocket on his shirt. Clearly it must serve a purpose, right? Maybe it's to hold his pacifier....

Nope, that doesn't work.

This is about all it holds. Change. Like one coin worth. Now he'll be all set for financing his next big trip or something. Perfect!

Come on Phillies!

Trick-or-Treat Street

Today was a wonderful day. Tyler had a birthday party to go to, which I was less than enthused about, but it went well and it kept Tyler amused. After a quick dinner it was time to take off to the local high school which was the location for the annual "Trick-or-Treat Street". It is a free event hosted by Chamber of Commerce, Sheriff Department and the high school as a way to give back to the community. Many local businesses also set up booths to hand out candy to the kids. There of course was food to purchase and bouncy houses and other games to pay for, but you could have easily spent some time there and spent nothing, which is always nice for families.

You couldn't have beat the weather. It was absolutely gorgeous! And Tyler wasn't even sweaty in his ridiculous costume! LOL.

Jason was on display, as everyone was commenting on how cute and little he was. Not to be outdone, Tyler got PLENTY of attention as the cutest Mickey Mouse on site (truth be told, I believe he was the ONLY Mickey Mouse on site)!

Tyler scored big with some major candy. So I'll be fighting with him to appropriately dole out the candy for the next 2 weeks until I can mysteriously and secretly dwindle it all away.





Oh, and happy 1 month birthday to Mr. Jason (or "Jace", as Tyler has begun to call him). I can't believe he's been here for this long already. Time is flying by all to quickly for me!

I also forgot to mention that Jason has been doing well with his medicine (knock on wood). He did vomit it up one other time, but for the most part he's keeping it down and is able to take it straight without mixing it with milk. Not only is he spitting up less, but when he does spit up he doesn't seem so uncomfortable. He's also been sleeping a lot more (phew) and is generally more comfortable. Again, let me find some wood to knock on....

painting time!

So yesterday Tyler did get to paint his pumpkins. Very exciting!


We did decide to leave the big one to be carved.

And you KNOW you aren't experiencing a traditional fall pumpkin painting when this is your scenery.

Pumpking Picking, Florida Style...

So apparently you can't go true pumpkin picking in Florida. Tyler wants to know why. Ummm, because they grow oranges instead....

We went to "pick" (meaning literally just select from a grouping of other pumpkins) pumpkins today at a roadside stand. Tyler was more interested in the gourdes, but he did agree on a large and small pumpkin as well. He currently is saying that he plans on painting his pumpkin (instead of carving it) so that may be on the agenda for this afternoon. We also picked up some bananas, plums, and peanuts. You can't do that on a traditional trip to the pumpkin patch!

I don't get it...

Tyler's cough is gone????? I had gone ahead and made an appointment at the pediatrician and then proceeded to go ahead and cancel it.

Oh, and Jason successfully took his medicine last night and this morning. He did spit up a bit after this morning's dose, but no more than normal and it was probably at least 5 minutes after he took it so hopefully some of it got in his system. He had a good night (or at least better than recent) and is napping in his carrier right now.

germs are evil....

Or maybe it's preschool germs are evil?

Last night Tyler woke up in the middle of the night screaming. He said his throat was "scratchy" (but it looked fine) so I figured maybe he had just fallen asleep with his mouth open and it had that dry feeling. Well, I went back to bed and I could hear him over the monitor and it seemed almost like he was hoarse and was breathing pretty rapidly. I went to check on him and he was already asleep and within minutes his breathing was back to normal. He woke up feeling fine, but on the way to school he coughed and it was this almost barking noise (I've heard it before)...almost croup like. But he said he felt fine, no fever, etc. I asked him to cough again and it sounded normal???

I dropped him off at school. On the way in I hear the same cough from another kid. And sure enough on the way out I hear it again. Thinking it was Tyler, I turn around, and it's yet ANOTHER child.

So, we may just be going BACK to the pediatrician today. I swear we've been to the doctors more in the last month than we have collectively for every sick visit Tyler's had in his first 4 years of life. Ugh!

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Some pictures

Cute brothers....

Someone in our household sleeping (note that it's NOT me or Jason)!

5 hours....

That is how long my 1 month old baby has been awake now. 5 hours of straight awake time. NOT normal! He did semi-doze in the Baby Bjorn for a few minutes, but he popped his head right back up when some silly noise woke him.

we're back from the doctor

The good news is, Jason's gaining weight like a champ. He was 7lbs 12oz exactly 2 weeks ago and today he weighed in at 8lbs 14oz. Which means (for those of you who can't do math...he, he) that he's gaining over an ounce a day! Not bad!

The bad news is, history is repeating itself and now Jason has been diagnosed with reflux. I knew it was true, but I guess I just didn't really want to believe it. We dealt with so much crap with Tyler and his reflux and just the term "reflux" brings back HORRIBLE memories of spitting up, non-stop screaming, constant clothing changing, medication, formula changes, bottle changes, sleepless nights, etc.

So, the doctor prescribed us Zantac for the little guy. She doesn't really think my diet (specifically the dairy) is causing the problems, although she said that I obviously shouldn't eat anything that bothers ME because it would likely bother him. For now I'm gonna keep off the dairy (at least the obvious culprits) just until I can get him feeling better...then we'll see about reintroducing it later down the road.

We spent the whole morning at the doctors and the pharmacy before going to pick up Tyler for school. I gave Jason his first dose of medication, mixed with breastmilk at the pediatrician recommended (which will be fun to be pumping milk everyday) and he promptly vomited up the medication within 10 minutes. True vomiting, not spitting up. Fun, fun. So, wish me luck with tonight's dose!

daily happenings

Well, it appears that my success yesterday with Jason's sleep was just purely coincidence. He only napped decently one time. At least he was pleasant this morning for the most part.




Unfortunately he basically was inconsolable from 3:00 until about 30 minutes ago. He would occasionally calm down while being carried and I did get a 45 minute "break" where he was quiet (but awake and fussy) in the Baby Bjorn (he's rejected the sling, I think because it always makes him spit up). I eventually resorted to driving him around in the car and he FINALLY passed out, but woke up the second the car stopped. At least at that point he was calm enough that I could nurse him to sleep, where he currently remains (in my bed).

During a long crying jag around 4:45 pm, I put him down in the swing and called his pediatrician and made an appointment for tomorrow. I would at least feel better if he was weighed so I'd know if he's doing okay and they can make sure there is nothing physically wrong that is causing him pain (such as a sore throat or something). If not, sadly enough I'm pretty convinced it's reflux (which may or may not be being complicated by what I'm eating). Hopefully I will get some answers tomorrow, so wish me luck.

I'm not frustrated. I'm not angry. I'm not annoyed. I just plain feel bad for my child. He's miserable and he's obviously in pain. He arches his back, he has gas, he screams. He finally calms down, then he spits up and the process starts over. It's so painful to watch and I wish there were something I could do to make him feel better. My poor little guy.

My other poor little guy, Tyler, has decided that enough is enough. He told me that he didn't want Jason to be here. It was the first sign of "jealousy" I've seen at all, although I guess he could of just been plain sick of listening to him scream. Tyler cried and said he was sad. We talked for a while and it was a good talk, but it broke my heart. Luckily I was able to get Jason semi-consoled enough to bring him down on the floor with me so Tyler and I could do his homework together (the boy LOVES to cut)!