OUR BLESSED DEN: April 2012

4/26/12

My Sicky Bear

The evening of my last post was a first for our den. Little Bear got his first fever. He had totally been fine all day. You can see the smiles in the pics of the last post. Well, things changed that evening. He felt unusually warm around bath time. I took his temp and it was 104. Needless to say it freaked me out a little. I also saw a rash on his torso. I called a friend who is a pediatrician. I described the situation to her and she said it was most likely viral. I watched him through the night and gave him Tylenol as often s I could. All day yesterday he had a fever. However, he would still smile at me, babble, and play with his hands. So, the nurse in me said that he was OK. But, the mom in me went to worry mode. I called Little Bear's doctor and explained his symptoms as best I could. His doctor also said it was viral and to wait it out, then call if he's not better by Friday. Well, today is Thursday and he's more fussy today than yesterday. He still has his fever, but somehow will still smile at me. It breaks my heart that my Little Bear doesn't feel well and there isn't much I can do about it other than pray. I've been doing a lot of praying. I fully believe God will heal my Little Bear quickly. Your prayers are welcome. I don't know how the parents at my job do it. I'm a nurse in the pediatric ICU. I take care of the sickest of the sick. How the parents of my patients handle it and cope is amazing. It's been hard for me to not allow my mind to go to the diseases/illnesses of my patients and think that my Little Bear has one of them. God will protect him and will give me the wisdom to take care of him.

playing

yawning on our stroll

which toy to play with first?

4/24/12

Photo Play

Your CC snapped a few pics of you and your beautiful Mommy this afternoon.

Love you both! CC

I had a meeting at work this morning. When I came to pick up my Little Bear, we stayed for a while so CC and I could visit. Then CC wanted to "play" with her camera. These are a few of the pics that were captured. You are a true delight my Little Bear! Your expressions are priceless.

4/10/12

4 Month Check Up

Yesterday Little Bear had his regular check up with the doctor. He got glowing reports! The doctor said he's right on target developmentally. I already knew this to be true, but at least the doctor agrees. Little Bear weighed in at exactly 16 pounds and measured 27 inches. He's in the 98th percentile for length and head circumference. I don't know where he gets his height from. Mark and I are short people. Maybe he'll be a basketball player. Last night and today Little Bear has been a tiny bit fussy I'm thinking because he got 3 shots yesterday at the visit. The camo he wore didn't hide him from the nurse with the needles.
I mentioned to the doctor that he's been sleeping the best on his tummy. The doc didn't have a problem with that. The doctor said Little Bear couldn't be more perfect and to keep doing what I'm doing. Yea! Oh, as far as the sleeping goes, it's been better the last 4 nights. I haven't swaddled him since last Wednesday. I've been putting him to sleep on his tummy in the pack-n-play at the end of our bed. He's been getting 5-6 hours for the first stretch and then about 3-4hours for the second stretch. I can definitely tell because I feel a bit more rested.

Micah hopes the camo will hide him from the nurse with the needles

Grandpa and Little Bear at Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead last Friday

4/5/12

To Sleep or Not to Sleep

That is the question! So far quite a while, Little Bear has been averaging 5-6 hour sleep stretch every night. However, this past week + that is NOT the case. He starts fussing after 2 hours, I'm able to rock him in his rock-n-sleeper and he goes back to sleep, then fusses again an hour later, more rocking, then fusses more intensely an hour later. So, at the 4 hour mark I finally pick him up and he gets mad that I change his diaper first instead of feeding him. When I finally do start feeding him he's extremely excited. I put him back in his rock-n-sleeper only to be awakened 2 hours later. Seriously? So last night I started feeding him around 2am. He fed for 20 minutes on the first side and then only 10 minutes on the second side and he was asleep. So, I put him back in his bed. Just minutes, maybe even seconds later he was "talking" and making other happy noises. He was wide awake. So, I tried to rock him, but that didn't work. So, I picked him up and he started eating again. He ate on and off for the next hour and then I could finally tell he was really asleep because of how he was breathing. So, I put him back in his bed. Then, what do you know, but he was awake 2 hours later shortly after 6am. I was able to rock him and keep him comfy until I finally just picked him up at 6:30 or so and started feeding him. I'm soooo exhausted this morning. Because of how he slept last night and when he woke up this morning, I put him down for his first nap at 8:15 with no protesting from him at all. So my question is, what's happening? Is he going through a growth spurt? Oh, the other thing is that with 2 of his feedings yesterday (11am and 5:30pm) he wasn't that interested. He ate some, but not near what he normally eats. He even skipped his evening nap that started around 6:30. He acted tired, but would NOT go to sleep. I tried to feed him around 7:30 and he wasn't interested, then again at 8:30 and he still only "nibbled." When I started feeding him shortly after 9, he was extremely fussy. I finally gave him some gas drops. He eventually calmed down and I fed him. So, maybe he was having gas issues or he just was finally so exhausted, he gave in. He loves chewing on his hands and even my fingers, that I wonder if he's starting to teethe? I can't feel any teeth. I'm really hoping this trend doesn't continue. I have to work both Saturday and Sunday and would love to get some good sleep. After all, kids' lives are in my hands and I want to be able to function on ALL cylinders. His 4 month check up is this next Monday so we'll see what the pediatrician says. If any of you out there have any thoughts on the subject, I welcome them.

Happily playing

4/4/12

4 Months Old

Yesterday was a big day for Micah. He turned 4 months old. It's hard to believe he's been in our lives that long. He is such a joy to us and those around us. I was in a women's Bible study yesterday and Little Bear was all smiles. He made all the women smile. He definitely grabs your heart. He's definitely growing and growing. I already have him in some 9 month onesies and shorts. Part of that is because we are doing cloth diapers. Someday I will dedicate a post to cloth diapers and why we've chosen to use them. Recently I bought an ExerSaucer at a garage sale. Little Bear LOVES it!!! He turns himself around and around and plays with all the toys. I also bought a Bumbo seat and tray at a consignment sale. He usually ends up tipped sideways slightly when he's in it, but it's so cute to watch him interact with the toys on the tray. He's really starting to laugh/giggle and smile all the time.
He continues to nap well during the day. Since I've been back to work he's continuing to improve with the bottle. I'm glad to know that he isn't starved while I'm gone. He certainly is glad to see me when I get home though which totally warms my heart. Since Mark drops him off and picks him up from CC's house, father and son get some quality time together. I would love to be a fly on the wall to listen to their "conversations." The other big event today is that it's Mama and Papa Bear's 3 year wedding anniversary. CC was kind enough to watch Little Bear last night so we could go out to celebrate. We had a great evening with some good food, good wine, and a view overlooking a lake. It was nice to reconnect again as a couple. We were glad to see Little Bear though when we picked him up.