A 10 month old Newborn

I promise I am not a serial complainer.  This week has been rough on me.  I got sick again for 2 full days (severe case of vertigo and nausea to the point of curl up in the fetal position and pray the meds will work soon).  Thank goodness it hit BEFORE Matt went to work so he managed to throw the kids in bed and help me out.  I tell ya - when Mommy is sick - the world stops!  And world = house!  I was so dizzy I couldn't even hold Merritt for fear of dropping her or me falling over.  scary.  

Zofran + Meclizine = me.knocked.out.           

Um... Did God answer that prayer for sleep yet again through sickness?  twice in a month.  hmm..

Then Merritt got sick tonight.  She has a really bad cough and just hasn't wanted to eat (like that's unusual).   But then threw up tonight.  :/  



After complaining in the last post - I was reminded how good we have it!  She's not on meds (except Prevacid for acid reflux), she doesn't have any serious problems, we aren't walking around dragging an oxygen tank behind us, we're not feeding through any tube.  We are tubeless.  But here is where I feel like I'm in a marathon.   She doesn't sleep, she doesn't eat much, and if she does eat its every 2-4 hours, she fusses, she cries,  she fusses more, and did I say fussing?  I know when yall see her - she is usually all smiles and never makes a peep.  Just come to my house for about 1 hour though.  She is not like that at all!  

I.feel.like.i've.had.a.newborn.for.10.months. 



that is all.  not exaggerating.  I feel like she is a 1 year stuck in the body of a 3 month old.  And it drives me insane that I can't fix it.  Yes she is one of the luckier ones and I can't imagine anything else.  

We had the Compassion ministry come to our church last week (look it up online if you get a chance) and we "adopted" 2 children from Indonesia to sponsor.  When I was explaining it to Mati Claire, she didn't quite grasp the concept that some children do not have what she has.  She couldn't even grasp the concept of no clean water - much less the toys and clothes.   And as I was washing the dishes letting plenty of clean water waste...I was reminded that we have it good!  Including Merritt's case!   Stop complaining, Carrie!  

P.S. to previous post

Also, since I mentioned that my hubby works nights all the time -- and its just me and the kids at home alone at night...don't think about breaking into my house.. besides the alarm that will go off.... YOU.WILL get welcomed with this:

Ok probably not with a smile on my face or a finger gun... But a real gun.  apparently I'm more of a 357 type of girl.  My 38 put a good blister on my hand.  The bigger the better!    don't even think about bothering mother hen!

This and That

This post doesn't really have a point.  Just a little light venting and complaining on my part.

I've been really unhappy with myself lately... mostly for 2 reasons.    

• A)  I KNOW breastfeeding has alot to do with it...and that is nearing an end soon.  The hormones are still raging a little.  With all 3, I've never really been able to lose weight until I stop nursing.  And now that summer is around the corner...I can't fit in any of my clothes.  I'm like that 'in-between' stage of not needing maternity pants - but not in my regular pre-pregnancy clothes either.  ugh.  its so frustrating.  I just want to feel like ME again.  
• B)  Sleep.  There were 2 nights where Merritt only woke once (she must have been sick or something because she usually wakes 2-3 times a night).  And on those days, I.felt.so.good.  I ate better.  I felt better.  I had more energy.  I had no idea the effect sleep can cause on you physically...not just the "being tired" all the time.  I have found myself getting dizzy when driving because I think I am that exhausted.  I eat more in an attempt to give me more energy to make it through our regular day then I feel sick because I've eaten too much..healthy food or not.  Vicious cycle.  My other 2 babies slept through the night at a much earlier age (esp. Mattox).  But 9+ months of never having more than 4 hours straight is definitely taking its toll.  

Mostly I hear 2 opinions from people: 

• And most will argue the breastfeeding thing.  Let me tell you my stance.  If I fix a bottle - that would involve me actually going to the kitchen, fixing it, heating it up, and then giving it to her.  If I nurse, then its ready - and that gives me that much more time to s.l.e.e.p.  I prioritize every single minute.  I can be done nursing in the time that it takes to fix a bottle.  Also if I give a bottle - that would involve me having to do dishes.  Call me lazy...but I try to minimize the dishes if i can possibly help it!  I hate to do dishes.  "Ain't no one got time for that!" ;)
• Second argument is to "give her a bottle so someone else (aka my hubby) can give it to her and let [you] sleep".  I hear this all the time and I'm not against it, but.....       Ok.      Let me drive up to the hospital in the middle of the night so I can let my hubs give her the bottle.  He works nights.all.the.time.people.  So its just me.  

So in the meantime we've been doing this:

Taking care of eyes.  Chalazion surgery helped - but at our 2 week post-checkup he said it may still take months for it to totally heal. ugh.  

 Playing outside.  "Mista Wheel"  is Mattox's new BFF.  Everyday he wants to play in the dirt or the rock pile.  we are extending our driveway and putting up a retaining wall.. AS WELL as adding on another bedroom/bathroom to our house above the garage.  

Mattox showing you his new favorite outfit:  His suit.  I was just trying everything on for size (why the tie is not tied) but then he would not take it off!  He loves it.  He's so ready to "par-tay" Uncle A-Ron! 

Merritt is 9 1/2 months old...and still not sitting up completely by herself.  If she's got padding around or some type of support - she's fine.  But I can't just put her in the middle of the floor and walk away.  Our pediatrician said we really needed to work on core strength.  I'm thankful we don't have to do physical therapy though.  She's getting there slowly but surely.    So I make her sit up anywhere I can as often as I can.  

 I finally decided to let her try the grocery cart (aka buggy down here in the South). The strap was pulled as tight as it would go and she STILL almost slid out through the leg opening. ha!! She gets tired easily so we eventually had to lay her down sideways..which she still enjoyed.  For all the other MOO's (Moms of Omphaloceles) out there, check out that cow print cover!  I support the O group when I can! :)  

the 6 month onesie

I have been patiently waiting for Merritt to be able to fit into this onesie.  It is my favorite.  Worn the slap out and has a giant hole in the foot... but its still my favorite.  And each of them have worn it at different ages.  MC is around 6 months here, Mattox is probably around 4 months, and then Merritt is 9 months!  All in a 6 month onesie.   oh 3 times the fun! 

9 months!

9 months!  That's hard to believe.  

Not really much to update you on.  She weighs 13 lbs 10 oz still.  She hasn't had much of an appetite since her eardrum ruptured a few weeks ago and has been teething.  She won't eat hardly any baby food during the day (maybe a few bites) but at bedtime she will usually inhale 1 full jar of something.  The baby yogurt is her favorite as of late.  I struggle with the guilt of giving her yogurt (that has alot of sugar in it) versus forcing her to eat the fruits/veggies (which she will eat those too).  But then I remind myself that she needs as many calories as possible in the hopes to put on more weight.   Most Moms of Omphaloceles (MOO's as we call them) will add high calorie/high fat products such as coconut oil, avocado, whipping cream, etc... to their baby foods.  And I'm lucky that I don't necessarily have to and the pediatrician hasn't mentioned it.

• Weighs 13 lbs 10 oz.
• Wears size 2 diaper finally (but could still wear a size 1 too)
• Wears mostly size 6 month clothes.  Some 3-6 mo fit.  Mostly needs 6-9 months for length, but nothing will ever fit around the waist.  she could probably pull off a newborn size around the waist.
• HAS 2 BOTTOM TEETH! working hard on #3 as I type.  
• Sleeps a max of 4 hours at a time still day or night.  :/  I remind myself every.single.feeding. that we are lucky and I should not complain.  I have a baby at home.  I have a baby period.  I have a baby not being fed through tubes or on oxygen.  But sleep would be nice.  And yes I've tried everything known to man.  And no I won't let her "scream it out" just yet...for the fact that I am home alone at night so if she wakes one of the other kids - I am then up with more than 1 by myself and I only have 2 hands.  And I won't risk waking the older kids when they have school the next morning.  Win some and lose some.
• Take Prevacid for reflux.  
• Can sit up for a few minutes but is still very wobbly.  We usually put the Boppy or pillows around her for when she takes a nosedive.

We met with the surgeon a few weeks ago.  I can't remember if I blogged about it or not.  But we/he decided to postpone her hernia surgery til she is walking and closer to age 2-3 years old.  If he fixed it again right now, more than likely - it would come out again.  When babies start to walk their ab muscles thicken and obviously become stronger.  So we want her as strong as possible to be able to recover better and quicker from surgery.  She is more likely to bounce back if walking is easy for her.  As like most babies, if and when they get sick - they sort of fall back on old habits...so we don't want her to regress and prolong learning to walk.  

And the girl loves to dance!  If she's fussy, for heavens sake turn some music on!  

When she feels good, she's a very happy baby and smiles alot!  She sucks her bottom lip in all the time so in every picture it looks like she doesn't have a bottom lip!  Guess those teeth feel weird. 

A Dark Cloud

I told someone yesterday that we a dark cloud hovering over our house.  I'm really not complaining, just need to vent and the computer takes it pretty well. I'm actually laughing at what else can happen in 1 month time span.  When it rains it pours people.  Ah, but we're having fun while playing in the rain!

1)  Hail storm.  Still recovering from that.  We have to have a total new roof on the house...one piece went then entire way through into the attic.  Luckily I discovered it AFTER it rained.  yeah, it's like that around here. Matt and I both got new windshields, his vehicle is pretty much totaled though.  I had a few good dents...but I'm also still driving around with a massive dent from hitting a deer so what's a few more little dents?  Anyway, back to the reason I'm writing about it - roofers along with the bed/bathroom addition on top of landscape/driveway remodel....its pretty busy around here.  There is constant hammering.  And a giant mess outside.

2)  Disney.  Being out of town just flat out puts me behind on normal housework/chores.  So not only is the outside of my house a mess... so is the inside! hehe

3)  Merritt's eardrum ruptured.  She has not wanted to eat much since.  I will post her 9 month pics in another post and update on her.  But she doesn't let me sleep.  At all.  So not only am I stressed out about mass chaos surrounding me, but I am exhausted.  I found myself getting dizzy while driving the other day taking MC to school... so I prayed for sleep.  Seriously.  I was actually thinking about Merritt while praying -- praying for her to sleep more than 4 hours so I could get sleep.  God answers prayer........(see #4)

4)  The stomach bug.  Yes, God works in mysterious ways!  I prayed for sleep.  It takes a stomach bug to completely put me out of commission and make Matt stay up for over 24 hours straight taking care of all 3 kids and doing house stuff while I slept it off (after the worst part that I won't go into).  Also, a big thank you to my mother-in-law for coming over at 2:00am to keep Merritt away from me.   God also answered prayers in that no one else in the family got the bug.  

5)  Mati Claire has had what we thought was a stye in both eyelids for over 4 months now.  One went away pretty much but the other got worse.  LONG story short and several doctor appointments later, she had surgery yesterday to remove chalazions (click on the word if you like).  Not a stye, but very similar.  It never hurt, itched, or bothered her.  Just very ugly and looked painful.  We found out it could affect her vision if left longer (hoping that it might go away on its own).  But after 4 months, 2 antibiotic treatments... no luck.  The doctor wanted to wait until summer, but with swimming lessons, beach trip, ballet recital, a wedding...I didn't want to wait any longer.  So surgery went well.  Recovery was stressful, but I won't go into all that.  All that matters is that she is doing much better today.  Here are a few pics of that process!  

About 24 hours later!  Still swollen and bruised, but doing great!

6)  Mattox.  Say no more.  Lately, he has been my ray of sunshine... when he's not peeing in the floor. He brings laughter into every situation!  Along with his boots, bow and arrow, camo, Superman cape, dinosaur toys, and Batman big boy underwear....if he's not naked.

Super Mattox to the rescue! 

7)  And I can't leave out Easter!!!  Yes, I'm that far behind!  Like every Sunday, we were running late as usual, so this is the only family pic I got at lunch.  He is risen indeed!  Knowing my Savior, Jesus Christ, is the only reason I can get through most days!

Despite the rest of the kids coordinating in purple, I HAD to dress Mitt in MC's first Easter dress and bonnet.  I couldn't resist.  I love bonnets.  So I will do a comparison.  Here is Mati Claire in the same dress in 2008:

Flashback:  Family Easter picture 2008!

It was raining and the MC was "protecting" Mattox from the rainstorm... yes, they are just a little traumatized by all the bad storms we've had lately!  

  Ok, we'll that flashback pic made me realize just how old and aged I am.   Wow.  What kids will do to ya, right?

Disney World 2013

Last Disney trip, I may or may not have been pregnant with Merritt.  I ended up catching strep throat which triggered a psoriasis flare-up.  We had fun, but I didn't feel well needless to say!

THIS trip was going to make up for it!  We took my parents and one of my nieces, Kennedy, with us since she was on her Spring Break... and gave Mati Claire someone to play with.  It was a shorter trip since we had Merritt with us, so we cut Epcot.  

Mitt's first plane ride!  She played the entire trip there and slept the entire way back.

And this was only the beginning! Like Father Like Son!

Friday - we arrived in Orlando and went to eat at Chef Mickey's.  We stayed at the Contemporary Bay Lake Tower so the restaurant is there in the hotel.  We needed convenience when traveling with a group of 8 and 2 double strollers! 

At Chef Mickey's

Saturday - Magic Kingdom!  The train ride is always a hit with Mattox.  He was a happy camper and stayed in the stroller most of the time.  He didn't scream this time when he saw a celebrity, but still kept his distance (excluding Buzz and Woody).  We checked out the new Fantasyland part of MK which was good.  Mati Claire made sure she told Ariel that she had a mermaid birthday party last year.  It was so sweet to see them get nervous and shy around a "celebrity"!

The kids got to be part of the "Enchanted Tales with Belle" (from Beauty and the Beast) where they get to act out parts in a play.  Mati Claire was the horse, Phillipe, and Kennedy was Mrs. Potts.   It was really cute!  Even Mitt got to take her picture with Belle at the end!  Be.Still.My.Heart. So precious.

We had dinner at the new "Be Our Guest" Restaurant aka the Beast's Castle.  I would not recommend "the west wing" room for kids under 10.  Mati Claire was ok with it but kept asking why it was thundering and lightening the entire time (loudly I might add).  And just like in the movie, it was dark and gloomy in the west wing.  She wanted to eat in the ballroom where it was snowing.  But I loved it all.  Neat place.  

"Try the grey stuff.... it's delicious!"  

Sunday - Animal Kingdom!  We knew the rain was coming, so we were prepared with our ponchos and umbrellas.  We had breakfast at the Tusker House Donald's Safari - which is our ALL-time favorite restaurant there.  The food is the best and has the best variety.  The rain held off for most of the day.  But then we knew it was getting close, so decided to call it a day - and head back to the hotel via bus. We made it to the parking lot when the bottom fell out.  Obviously we thought we would make it all the way back so we didn't have our raingear on.  The bus driver showed no mercy and parked as far away as he could.  Matt had Merritt in the BabyBjorn and he took off running.  My dad carried Mattox.  Mom and I had both girls and 1 of the double strollers. I've seen rainstorms - but never been physically IN a storm like this!  It was very frightening and the kids were screaming/crying! Needless to say we were S.O.A.K.E.D.  We could not see to walk.  We almost couldn't breathe.  We couldn't put one foot in front of the other.  I couldn't hold on to anything.  Mati Claire slipped out my hand.  It blew my 50+ lb double stroller around like it was nothing.  The wind and rain were coming from every angle.  Definitely something we won't forget. 

We found out later it was a tornado watch.  And 86 mph winds!  I can't say much for the employees of the Contemporary.  They offered towels  at the door but I never saw one.  They told us we couldn't stand at the employee entrance that was closer to the bus stop...we had to keep moving.   

Traumatized.   I fear MC's reaction to the next rainstorm.

Hail Storm.  then Rain Storm.  Lord, please make it stop...

We spent the rest of the day in our hotel doing laundry, recuperating, and drying out.  I still give the hotel an B grade despite their employee issues during the storm.  They need better signs designating elevators for the monorail and they need to push their time for their outdoor musical to 9 instead of 10:15 PM!  We couldn't sleep a few nights due to the loud music outside.  But still happy with everything overall.

"Yeah, I'm going on safari!"  (Her first time in the BabyBjorn carrier)

this was after the storm.  he stayed in the bed trying to warm up for at least 30 minutes. and never moved from this position.  

trying to recover from the storm = ROOM.SERVICE!  Look at mom - she looks a little worn out after that!  But I didn't tell Kennedy that I ordered her this:

a "Rainbow Grilled Cheese Sandwich" .  Very cool.  She was just a little excited, can you tell?

Monday - Hollywood Studios!  Mattox perked up when I told him we were going to see the Toy Story characters.  Lawd have mercy that boy loves Toy Story.  By this day, my camera had gained 10 pounds and I think we were all tired.  So we kept it short.  

A boy and his horse!

The only character he ever touched.

Monday night - Matt and I went to the Orlando Magic vs. Miami Heat game.  See previous post, but here are a few pics.

Look! Matt has his eyes open in this pic!  

Lebron James, Ray Allen, Chris Bosch, Shane Battier

We had a great time but it's good to be home!