3 months of love

It’s hard to believe that Zachary has been in the family for 3 months. I honestly can hardly remember what it was like before he entered our lives. I am sure I have said that for the past three months, but it’s true.

This past month was full of firsts. His first St Patrick’s Day, Easter, giggle, roll over and more. He enjoyed several trips to the park with his big sister (which I forgot the camera. Shocking, I know), a church potluck and visit with several of his cousins.

Zachary is such a strong little boy and always on the move. He tries to climb up my tummy while I am trying to burp him (trying to get away). Tummy time has gotten much better as he is able to hold up his head and chest very well. He drools like a fountain while on his belly but he doesn’t scream all the time anymore so that’s a great thing. He surprised us by rolling over. At first we thought it was a fluke but Zachary does it all the time now. Tummy to back when he is tired of tummy time and back to tummy when it is time to sleep.

Zachary’s favorite way to sleep is on his tummy. He is ALL over the crib! It amazes us because he is so mobile, especially while being swaddled. You are never sure where he is going to be in the crib when you get him in the morning. He usually like sleeping up against the railing with his face smooshed into the bumper. Zachary likes to play around the world in his crib, exploring every corner and edge.

Burping is an adventure. An adventure in hearing loss. He HATES to burp. He withholds and screams sometimes the entire time until you give him and put the bottle in the mouth in order to stop the damage being done to your eardrum. He lets you know that he is not happy with having the bottle taken away. He is also very vocal when it comes to letting you know when he is ready to sleep. It is definitely a different kind of “talk”. It’s pretty cute and funny.

His reflux has gotten better but he has his spitty days. Zachary is such a happy little boy now. He smiles and coos all the time. He loves his big sister so much and could watch her all day long. Emily can get a smile out him even when he is mad!

Most nights he will sleep from 6-9 hours but there are still some nights when he wakes up. Fortunately those nights are getting fewer and farther between. Some days he naps like a champ, taking 3 solid naps a day and other days he will only cat nap. His feeding and eating schedules aren’t as regular as Emily’s were so it’s taken a little bit to get used to but we are doing it!

He has discovered his hands and fingers. You can hear him slurping away. When he can’t get fingers in his mouth, he shoves his bib or blanket in his mouth.

Zachary has made our life crazy wonderful! He is growing so fast. Best guess is he is around 12 and a half pounds and 24 inches long. The weight is definitely a guess though! He is our lean, mean burp hating machine!

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Belly, belly

Zachary is a tummy sleeper now. It’s instantaneous. You put him to bed on his back and he immediately rolls over to his side. A short time later he is on his tummy. I know back to sleep is the way to go but short of watching him all night long…there is nothing we can do.

He is such an active little guy! It’s no wonder he is so skinny as he is on the move all the time. He woke up, chatting, one morning. I looked on the monitor and he was at a 45 degree angle of where I originally put him. Ten minutes later, he moved another 45 degrees and was rolling from one side of the crib to another. I got up and warmed a bottle. By the time I hobbled back to his room he was back to his original position. Had I not watched him on the monitor, I would have never known what he was up to! No wonder he slept for three hours after he ate! Wore himself out!

Accidents happen but they still suck

Yes, I know that accidents happen. That’s why they are called accidents. Doesn’t mean that I can’t dislike them more than I dislike allergies. This was such a dumb accident. I can’t even say that my accident happened because I was doing something cool like skiing or digging a hole…..

I just had surgery to repair a lisfranc injury. Basically, the tendon that holds your big toe to the other four tore away from the bone. I was getting ready to take the kids shopping for some spring clothes when it happened. Emily was strapped into the car and I was carrying Zachary out there. Somehow I planted my foot funny on the step and I went down. I am not sure really how it happened. All I know is that I thank God that I was able to set Zachary down safely before I face planted on the garage floor. Thank goodness Stephen’s car wasn’t there otherwise it would have really hurt! I truly didn’t think I did that much damage to my foot. I was going to continue to head to the mall to get the kids some new clothes. I was determined and dumb! I made it as far as the bridge before I came to my senses and realized that walking on it was probably not the smartest thing in the world, especially since I could feel my shoe getting tighter. I put Zachary down for a nap, put on a movie for Emily and started icing my foot. I told Stephen I think I had just sprained it and it would be fine. After an hour of icing and continued swelling, I decided that it needed to be looked at.

Stephen and I headed to the urgent care while my mother-in-law took wonderful care of my kids. After an x-ray there, I was sent home in a post-op shoe and told to use crutches and follow up with an orthopedist. They thought I had just chipped a bone. Trying to shorten an already long story, an mri showed that the chip was due to the tendon tearing away from the bone. I had to have surgery to repair it or face mid-foot pain and arthritis in 20 years.

All of this could not have happened at a better time really. (Sense some sarcasm?) We were finally getting out of the house after a long winter with Zachary. The weather was turning beautiful and we had been taking daily walks. The topper was that Stephen was in the process of changing jobs. Beautiful right??? So that means he has not had the ability to take any time off. The day of my surgery was his next to last day at work. Luckily, he was able to get off early and be there when I woke up and drove me home.

I have a WONDERFUL mother-in-law. I cannot say that enough times. She has dropped everything to help me out. Without complaint. At least that I have heard. She has wrangled two children at doctor’s visits and the surgery center. She comes over first thing in the morning and stays until Stephen goes to work. She has been an angel. I honestly don’t know what I would do without her. I know I could manage but it would be hard. Very, very hard.  At night, I hobble into Zachary’s room when he wakes up and transfer him to his stroller. I then push the stroller and catch up with my crutches. It’s a little unconventional but it works and that’s what counts.

And the main thing is that we are doing it. I am thankful for my mother-in-law and all those who have offered help and dinner. The playgroup I belong to has been amazing. They have taken turns bringing us dinner a couple of times a week and my sister has sent dinner. It might seem like a little thing but it’s huge to me. It makes my heart happy.

So that’s it in a nutshell. It’s been crazy around here. Lots getting neglected but things getting taken care of. You realize what really needs to get done and the rest is just gravy. I am behind in a ton of stuff but will catch up. Hopefully I will be able to catch up on some posts since I am sitting in the recliner a lot. That would be a good thing. Occupy my time a bit.

It’s all good….

Easter

What an Easter! Zachary’s first and a good age for Emily. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a ton of pictures because I forgot my camera when we went to the inlaws. I need to get some copies from them!

Emily had a blast coloring and decorating eggs. She was so excited when the Easter bunny hid eggs around the house. I am not sure if she had more fun looking for them or counting the money!

After church, we went over to Grandma and Papa’s for lunch. The bunny had been there also! How fun! A great time was had by all. Poor Emily was so tired as she has been trying to decide whether she or not she wants to nap or not anymore. By 4:15 she was ready to go home. That is not like her! She would stay at grandma’s all day long if we let her. Needless to say, both kids were in bed and asleep by 6:45.

It was a beautiful day though. First time in several years that we were in short sleeves for Easter! Guess I didn’t need to worry about buying that shrug for Emily’s beautiful dress.

Cousins, cousins

Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Heather and cousins Chloe, Cole and Ben came to visit at the end of March. It was only the second time my parents had seen Zachary (the first being the day he was born) and the first time for my sister. I was excited to get the cousins together. Especially the two little guys. Zachary and Cole are 6 weeks apart. Chloe and Emily are almost a year exactly. They always have lots of fun together! And that day was no exception. Unfortunately, visits are never long enough though!

Emily and Chloe had so much fun playing outside. They had fun on the swings and teeter totter. The two of them also had a blast throwing sand at each other. I think they kept Dad on his toes! It was really warm that day too. All three kids were worn out after playing outside for so long. After a short scooby doo break, Emily and Chloe followed my dad out to the front yard. The two girls were rolling up and down the hill in front out the house! Dad said they would roll several times then run up to the porch to “rest”. 30 seconds later they went back to rolling. Oh, to have that energy!

Zachary and Cole were pretty cute together too! Unfortunately, they both needed to eat and nap so they didn’t get a lot of play time together. We will have to change that in the near future! I can’t wait to see them grow up together. Just not too soon!

We missed seeing the rest of the family but will see them soon!

Breakfast with the bunny

Stephen and Emily had breakfast with the Easter Bunny! This was Emily’s first time participating in this event held by the Parks Department. She really enjoyed herself. They did crafts, had a yummy breakfast and got to hunt for eggs. It was a real good Daddy-Emily bonding experience. I think they both had a good time!

Crazy early!

I would say it was a fluke but it’s happened more than once. It’s not a regular occurence though……What am I talking about?

Rolling. Flipping over, hot dogs at 7-11. You read that right. Zachary has rolled over several times. Belly to back and back to belly. I think the belly to back is due to his dislike of tummy time. He will get mad enough and flip himself over on occasion. He has also rolled from back to front. Although, I missed the first time! He was playing in room while I went to get milk when I heard him start crying. I went in there and he was on his tummy! No one was in the room. Emily was locked out of the house but that’s another story so it wasn’t her. He hasn’t quite done it again. He almost gets over but then poops out. Or decides he doesn’t want an audience.

That’s ok. I am not ready for him to be mobile yet so he can stay a bump on a log a little while later. Rolling at 11 1/2 weeks was a bit early for me……..