Baby 5 summary {20 weeks}

by Meghan // October 29, 2020 // Comments off

Y’all. I seriously just had to look up how old he is. That’s How fast it goes by(and how hard it is to keep up with baby #5 stuff).

My posts have been few and far between because I am currently without my laptop (needs a new hard drive we think), which makes it very hard for me to get all my pictures and things uploaded. Also, my iPad screen doesn’t work well, and when it really decides to freak out on me, typing is useless because it phantom types. (Also, trying to correct the random capitalization and things my iPad does is really hard, so bare with me).

This year my laptop, iPad, Fitbit, and baby monitors have all died or half broken. I have yet to replace any of them cause $$$

———–

So. Moving on to baby 5.

Oh my goodness, how is he 20 weeks already?! He won’t be 5 months until nov 10, so the weeks are a little off from months just yet. He is growing so fast- he is huge. He got really long during his last growth Spurt, and now he is getting really chubby again.

I swore I would remember his schedule and would post them, and I totally didn’t.

But we just switched to a 3.5 schedule about 1-2 weeks ago. Before that he was still eating every 3 hours. But he wasn’t hungry at 3 hours anymore, and taking 4 naps had become 4 short naps.

3.5 hours just Consolidates eating to every 3.5 hours with longer wake times and 3longer naps.

Here’s how our days look right now:

730dwt
855/9 nap
11 eat
1235 nap
230 eat
400 nap (this becomes a cat nap around 6-7 months)
530 nurse and hang out until bedtime routine (this will also add solids for dinner time with family)
645 nurse, bottle, bed
720ish in bed (the goal is 730 but he is usually zonked out by 720)

That’s it. He has fallen seamlessly into this routine. He loves to nurse, which makes me happy; Hopefully he will go until a year. We’ve started playing around with some solids, he really likes avocado. But it isn’t a normal part of every day yet.

Development

At 20 weeks, Sir is rolling from belly to back, side to side, and can get from his back to his tummy. He has discovered his voice and has realized if he “talks” loudly enough someone pays him attention. He is always sooo happy, is super snuggly, and loves to be held. If another child (namely our 4th) cries it does scare him, and he will cry. But otherwise he is a happy boy.

He is getting 2 teeth! They’ve almost Broken through; I can’t believe they haven’t yet. He sucks his thumb and fingers when awake, and sometimes I catch him sucking his thumb in bed.

We are still using the winged swaddle (love to dream transitional swaddle), but I’ve removed one sleeve, so he has access to that hand. He likes to suck on and snuggle the other wing, so I will prob just leave it.

This boy loves tummy time! He belly surfs and plays. When he gets tired he just lays his head down … no fussing or complaining. We couldn’t have asked for a happier baby. He makes having 5 easier than I thought.

Weekly Wrap Up {homeschool update} with Baby #4 Summary

by Meghan // November 23, 2016 // Comments off

So, how goes being a mama of 4, 6 years old and under? It is going really great!

We have fallen into our groove with routines, baby is sleeping great *most* days for her naps, which helps with our learning time as a family. The kids are enjoying their school time; we have finally gotten pretty comfortable with Mister doing more activities while I teach Lexie. Ila walks around with her ABC flash cards (I laminated them and put on a ring for her) during most of learning time. She likes to come sit in my lap through out the morning and “read” to me. =)

Lexie (6 years old)

The Lady is just flying through everything I give her or introduce her to. She enjoys reading; we are still going over the rules as we work through All About Reading, because I don’t want her to have gaps down the road. However, she is reading on a 4-6th grade level. Next we are going to start working to build her vocabulary, because when reading at a higher level, she is coming across many words she doesn’t know yet.

She is learning her math facts in math and really enjoys challenging herself with those. She does her math sheets independently and we do calendar most days (sometimes I just forget ..). Whenever we do hands on math with manipulatives Max likes to join in. He can do math on her level, but his writing skills aren’t there yet so we don’t focus on a math curriculum at all for him- just hands on fun! (like it should be).

We have started using the CD that came with our science (Apologia’s Astronomy 2nd Edition)- that way I don’t have to read, but I can listen along and pause it to go more in depth or explain something a little better. The kids follow along in the book, and then Lexie does the science journal.

Handwriting and math are part of her “clip board work,” that she does independently; I check over these after she has completed them to be sure she did her best, or understood everything. She loves watching herself improve, and I enjoy the discipline she is learning in completing her work on her own.

Max (4 years old)

Mister is just reading like crazy. He does not like to read formally, off a piece of paper yet. He likes me to write words on the board for him to read, and I am 100% okay with that! He is only 4, after all.

He is working through Reading the Alphabet by ThisReadingMama.com- I used that with Lexie and she *loved* it, so he is enjoying it now. Each week we go on to a new letter/site word. His favorite activities are the mazes (he is constantly asking me to find mazes for him to do), and he enjoys syllable counting. Max is also very interested in counting to 100 .. every. single. day. Which is great so I go with it; he likes to get out his number chart for that (check our Rainbow Resources for those!).

Mister is still obsessed with puzzles and anything he can do with his hands. We try to make sure he gets plenty of movement, hands on learning, and has lots of play time so he continues to grow a love for learning.

Ila (2 years old)

Ila is tagging along with us in everything we do. Right now she enjoys puzzles, dolls, coloring, and practicing her letter sounds. She doesn’t actually know the letters that correspond with the sound, but she likes to try and I like encouraging her. She is going to follow Lexie in her eagerness to learn and read, I think.

Our Routine For Now {baby #4 is 4 months old}

7am baby up, nurse
7:15-7:20ish I get Max up for mama and baby time while I give baby a bottle
Mister gets “the sisters” up =)
I cook breakfast, baby hangs out in bumbo or bouncer, older 3 do morning chores/get ready for day
everyone eats breakfast and we do our morning basket “stuff”
8:25 baby down for nap
all 3 bigger kids go outside or downstairs to play until 9am
9am we begin school
10:30- it is time to get baby up and fed. We are usually done with school by this point, Lexie may have some clipboard work to finish on her own for the rest of the week
11:15 everyone has lunch
12:00 baby takes nap, then I put Ila down for nap, bigs go outside to play
12:45 Mister goes down for nap, Lexie has rest time reading books, mama writes blog posts, does chores, or rests
2:00 time to get baby up for feeding- Lexie usually comes in to spend time with me and baby
3:00 everyone up from naps, outside or downstairs to play or we run errands
3:30 baby down for last nap, I prep dinner if not yet done
5:00 Baby up, nurse
5:30 everyone eats dinner, baby gets solids
bath, wind down, sometimes we watch a show like Mister Rogers, Bob the Builder, Boxcar Children, etc
6:30 baby gets bottle and goes right to bed
7:00 everyone in bed, unless Mister napped good then he and Lexie get to stay up a little later (but they’re always ready for bed-that’s what happens when you spend most of your day running around a farm!)
Mama and Daddy time- this is my favorite part about keeping a good routine while our kids are young~I get 1:1 time with my husband and we can unwind from our days together without little people needing us non stop. It’s nice!

Not everything is set to a specific time, but naps and feedings are. Everything else works around that, and just sort of falls into place; it is simple and flows well because I don’t have to force anything.

Coralie {4 months old}

Baby #4- wow. She is already 4 months old (19 weeks) and SO happy. The best thing I could have ever done for this baby is getting a good sleep schedule down- without it she would still be crying, fussy, unhappy, and unpredicatable.

Because of her eating and sleep routines I am able to pinpoint what she needs, she rarely cries (and if she does it is because something is wrong), and she sleeps very well as long as I hit her wake time right (too short results in a short nap, too long results in crying).

But the BEST part of her routine-she went from HATING going to sleep in her crib, to *loving* it. Before about 15 weeks old, she cried every time I laid her down on the changing table to put on her sleep blanket (we use THIS ONE). Now, the girl is happy, kicking, and ready to go to bed as soon as I zip her up! We talks and babbles while I sing Jesus Loves Me, sucks/gnaws on her hand (teething), and when I lay her down she goes to sleep within 20 minutes. Sometimes she fusses after talking for a bit, but never cries for me to get her. IF she is crying-crying, I will go rub some oil on her gums or try to burp her and then lay her back down. Then she usually drifts off to sleep.

She is still a very social girl, loves talking and playing. She got a jumper from her grandparents for Christmas, which I had to let her play in early because A) babies outgrow things fast and it seemed silly to waste a whole month of having it but not using it and B) she is all about kicking these days. She loves it. This way she can see everyone and know what is going on, which is right up her alley.

She is eating every 3.5 hours, her wake time is anywhere from 85-95 minutes (lengthens as we go through the day), and she is experimenting with solids. We have done soft boiled egg yolk, green beans, squash, carrots, and peaches. She devoured all of them, and stares at us while we eat. I think she is ready for more in her day, but honestly I am not ready to have to tote around baby food, spoons, bibs, etc every time we leave the house. I already have to pack formula and hot water, so Im good for now. I am going to try to get by without daytime solids until 6+ months. She is only having them at our dinner time (5:30) now.

That is pretty much it for our weekly wrap up and summary. We are just trucking through everything, enjoying it as we go.

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Baby Summary 17 Weeks {WW 14-19}

by Meghan // January 17, 2015 // Comments off

WW 19 summary lookin like big sister {QuietInTheChaos.com}

Looking like her Big Sister, wearing the same jammies, same age. Lexie on left, Ila on right

(I started this post last week. Ila is now 18 weeks and we are still trucking through this WW.)

Ila was 17 weeks Thursday, January 8th. Really, it has been so crazy here, I thought she was 16 weeks- I can’t seem to keep up.

Ila is in the absolute dreaded WW (wonder week) 14-19. And oh man, are we aaaaall up in it! On top of that, she is teething, so life is just hard. I have been rubbing diluted oils on her gums to help with pain and am waiting on her teething necklace to get here. Naps and wake time length are just all over the place. I can’t wait for this WW to end!

She is somewhere around 15 Lbs I think, and is still practicing rolling from tummy to back. She sits up nice and straight with support, and holds her head up so well. She is sitting in the bumbo for one meal a day; we are practicing with oatmeal and apple sauce but she really doesn’t care anything about it. But I figure we should start now so that when it is time that she definitely needs solids (at 6 months or so) it doesn’t take us another month or two to get them in her. She still spits the oatmeal out; but she is nursing and then taking 5-7ounces of formula so it is DEFINITELY time for this big girl to get some solids in her belly!

She has started practicing with consonant sounds like “buh” and is infatuated with her hands. She loves to talk, but isn’t her same smiley self these days, thanks to the icky teeth.

Overall she is developing well and is a sweet baby. We all just lover her =)

Week 20 baby Summary/Lady 28 months old

by Meghan // January 26, 2013 // Comments off

Here we are at the beginning of week 21, which means Mister has finished week 20. I’ve moved him back to a 3 hour schedule. I did this because his wake time lengths aren’t 2 hours yet, which puts him sleeping between 2.5-3 hours between wake times- that’s just too much day time sleep for him, when he turns around and sleeps 12+ hours at night. So, we are tweaking maybe a 3-3.5 hr schedule. The onyl downfall with this is he really isn’t hungry at 3 hours, so he doesn’t eat very well … It’s just something I am going to need to tweak; I will let you know how it goes next week!

Eating
Mister is eating pretty well. He likes solids, but he still needs the major calories provided by the formula, so I try to do formula first now, then solids, followed by offering more formula if he wants it. Solids just don’t provide as many calories and he needs all those calories to grow and help his brain development. Like I mentioned, he is eating every 3-3.5 hours and seems fine with that, but I know he can go 4 hours easily.

Sleeping
Lately, he has been napping pretty well. I think he may be getting past that terrible wonder week 19, so his sleep is back to being more routine, thank goodness!

Development
Mister is becoming more interested in his feet, but mostly only when he is naky. I guess then he can actually see and feel them, so it makes it more fun. He is shrieking and talking more, and really wants to sit up more. He can lift his entire chest up from laying flat, and gets so mad that he can’t sit up. Thinking back to Lady again, I had the glider in the living room when she was this age, and I sat her up in it a LOT. The seat is at an incline, so she didn’t have to risk falling out of it. I should probably let Mister do that some so he can build his back muscles more. He is also doing SO much better on his belly now, and can push up with ease; while on his belly he holds his head up so well, and looks around.

We went to the dr for his 4 month well child visit; he is just under 16lbs and I think 25.5″ long. He is perfectly healthy. The dr said he has great head control. She suggested I start trying to scrub off the plaques of cradle cap, and continue using head and shoulders. She prescribed some hydrocortizone cream to apply. I’ve never heard of this? But we are going to start using it today- she said it is like eczema and can really itch. So, we are going to see if that helps. The dr. also suggested since he isn’t nursing, that maybe we try the prevacid again to see if that helps. So here comes a long explanation for a short point, stay with me: Just before JTom left his job in Hot Springs, the company changed insurance. We have this insurance until the first of Feb.

With this new insurance, Mister’s prevacid is not covered; it is $132 a month. Honestly, with the way we budget we don’t have $132 for prevacid. We are already paying $36 a can for his non-dairy formula, and he goes through one can every 6 days! So for now, there will be no prevacid …. J’ snew insurance with his new company will start March 1, so if it covers the medicine, we may try it then, but for now he can just be on a nursing strike and I will pump.

Lady
She is just growing leaps and bounds every day. She knows her left from her right, and has for a while now I just keep forgetting to post it. She can identify many states, I may have mentioned that before. I am working on uploading the video to YouTube so I can share it with you on my blog. She is obsessed with being naky- she refuses to wear clothes at home most of the time, and I don’t make her. It’s easier for her to go potty by herself, and it means less laundry for me. =) I do try to get her to at least where a shirt, but it doesn’t stay on long.

She is getting better at gymnastics; she can do small jumps on the balance beam (with help keeping her balance) and some small sweeps. She LOVES the doing the bar, and her forward roll is perfect. She likes for me to take down the hall mirror and put out the yoga mat for her to play. She likes to watch herself … typical girl.

We read her devotional daily, usually before nap time. Our mornings are a little hectic with Daddy gone. But, he has been home this weekend and it has been wonderful! She loves having her daddy home and behaves much better; I think him being gone for so long is just emotional for her and the only way she really knows how to express that is by acting out. She has been talking back and not listening very well since he left. I figure this is also an age thing. So we are just working through it. After JTom was home for about a day, her behavior got better.

We are really starting to get to crunch time on the move. We have a few companies coming to do quotes for the move, then we will turn those in to JTom’s company so they can do the financial end of things. Then next week I will start really packing up things for us to take, that we don’t want the movers moving. The following week, we will close on the house (Feb 15th), JTom will come home that Saturday (Feb 16th), we will have the movers here the week of the 18th, and hopefully be in the house in Nebraska that week. Whew, it’s going to be fast, stressful, and a lot of work. Once it is done, we can really start settling in and getting comfortable with the new neighborhood and town. The sad part is, we can’t take the chickens. The bylaws for the neighborhood specifically say no poultry; there isn’t a law against it in the city so we were going to take them and jus put up a fence, hoping no one would really make a fuss. But, the problem there is we can’t put in a fence until the ground thaws in spring …. so for now we are going to get rid of the chicks. =*(
What’s even worse, is we lost 2 girls. I am very angry; the neighbor’s dog got under the fence and came in our yard while the chicks were free ranging, and he killed two of them. He got one red, and one barred girl. I think JTom is more furious than I am. So, we are down to 6 chickens.

Anyhow, back to the move …. all things are contingent on us closing on the house Feb 15th. Hopefully everything will go smoothly (we are praying!), all the papers are/will be together, and there aren’t any glitches or major bumps in the road. I refuse to get super super excited until everything is signed and done on the house, because if it gets moved to the end of Feb, we will be a part that much longer. =/

Anyhow, so this is our 20 week update. I will try to get some pictures posted soon.

Week 19 Summary Baby #2

by Meghan // January 26, 2013 // Comments off

This week Mister really started moving more. He loves to laugh at Lexie. He is eating solids 3xs a day. One day, he just pushed himself to a 4 hour schedule! However, he is on a BIG nursing strike and I have to trick him into nursing. Like, wake him up and nurse him while he sleeps, but as soon as he wakes up, he’s done. Some days are a little rough, but mostly this is what our day looks like:

7:00am wake/nurse/6oz bottle (I usually have to wake him)
8:15am down for nap asleep by 8:30
8:30-10:30 or 11 nap
11:00am eat
12:15pm down for nap asleep by 12:30
12:30-2:30ish nap
3:00pm eat
4:30pm-5:30 nap
6:15pm eat
7:00pm bed

Ive started signing with him. Maybe he will pick up on it by 7/8 months like big sister did.

This post is going to be a short one, because I am behind and need to get week 20 done, too! Aaah, where do the days go?

18 Week Development & Lexie Development

by Meghan // January 13, 2013 // Comments off

Mister has completed his 18th week of life. We have to make his 4 month dr apt … I sorta haven’t done that yet. =/

He is on a nursing strike … not fun! He really isn’t eating well at all, from the spoon or bottle. I am attributing this to his teeth, since they are so close to breaking through, but this is also a normal thing for the 4 month growth spurt, and wonder week 19 development. The last few days have not been good sleeping days, and I am assuming this is because he isn’t eating well due to his teeth, and just overall probably doesn’t feel good. He is more snuggly and clingy right now, too.

He has started back rolling around a lot; he spins in complete circles in his crib and on the floor. Of course, he thinks this is great! On the floor, he will roll side to side, and has even made it from his back to his tummy once or twice.

His cradle cap is still pretty bad, but since his hair is getting thicker, you can’t tell too much, unless you’re close to him. He still hasn’t found his feet … just doesn’t care about them that much yet. haha Lady begs to play with him, tells us to hurry up and finish eating so he can play with her! He is, of course, still “my M” to her, and she does not like other kids coming near him. =) She is only a little protective. haha

Lady is doing all sorts of amazing things. She can name and point out: California, Nevada, TX, Arkansas, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kansas, Nebraska, and Oklahoma on the map; she knows where Idaho is, but she can’t ever remember the name of it. Her back-bend is incredible, and of course she still loves gymnastics. We have started doing some handstands and cartwheels at home; that’s fun! She speaks in clear, complete sentences unless she is being silly around a big group of people. She tends to act a little nervous around a lot of people; most people wouldn’t say that about her, but her behavior at home compared to being around a large group is different. She is shy around certain people, usually men. Second to gymnastics, she LOVES to sing. She has so many “favorite” songs, and asks me to sing with her all the time. She is constantly humming while playing independently.

Here are a few pics I don’t think I have posted before:

playing with her doll house

reading to her Moose (obviously she picked out her socks)

Our 8″ snow on Christmas

17/18 weeks old baby summary

by Meghan // January 7, 2013 // Comments off

Mister has finished his 17th week of life, but wasnt 4 months old until the 2nd. So, his weeks are a litttle off from his monthly age. He is really starting to come into his own; last weekend we had a play date and we were talking about how quiet and laid back he is. Then that evening, he just suddenly started squealing, yelling, and growling non stop! Now, if he is awake and in a familiar place w familiar people, he is talking!

Eating
This boy is devouring solids! He watches me while i get everything ready and then sits there with his mouth open like a little bird. Its funny; he loves sweet peas, green beans, apples, and pears. Oh, and he likes oatmeal mixed into any of those. Those two bottom teeth? Yea, theyre trying to cut through. Some days they bother him more than others, but mistly he is doing okay with them. His little cheeks stay red (due to the teething) and he drools a lot. I have also started signing with him, when i think about it. I do the sign for “milk” right now, but should probably start doing, “please,” “more,” and “eat” as well. L was signing “milk” at about 7 months i believe.

Development
He isn’t really rolling over much anymore. He doesn’t like to be on his tummy, and after a few minutes he cries and fusses, like Lexie did. I need to start making him push back over, because i know he can, since he used to do it. He does like rolling side to side on his back, though. Lady makes him laugh a lot a lot. He likes this rattle ball his aunt gave him for Christmas, and loves the wooden squish toy; it was L’s favorite too.

His hand movements have gotten smoother, he reaches for and grabs whatever he wants, and he has found his feet a few times, but isnt really interested in them. Im wondering if this is because he always has a toy to play with, thanks to his big sister, Lexie. Haha. She makes sure he has plenty of toys, at all times. He really enjoys sitting, and standing up these days. He is very strong, and is so proud of himself while standing.

Lady is a big help. When we get him ready for nap, she sits in the glider while i stand and hold M, and we sing “Jesus Loves Me,” then I put him down in the crib, and Lady e sneaks out past me. She loves to “help” put him to sleep. I cant remember if I mentioned it in his last update, but he is in his sleep sack now, no more swaddle.

Lady has been out of Mother’s Day Out for the last two weeks, but starts back Monday (the 7th). Last friday we started back at gymnastics after a holiday break. It was much needed, and she enjoyed it. Her backbends are amazing, and now she can do hand stands! She doesn’t really know shes doing them, it just sorta happens during her donkey kicks, but none the less, she is so strong!

Week 15/16 Baby Summaries

by Meghan // December 31, 2012 // Comments off

Max is 15 weeks old-OMG how did that happen? He is almost 4 months old- that’s crazy. I feel like we spent so much time trying to fix his reflux that the first 3 months just flew by!

Eating
Max has been feeling pretty good, reflux and eating wise. We have started eating oatmeal- he loves it! The child just took it right off the spoon like he knew exactly what to do. We started oatmeal because he just didn’t seem satisfied anymore. He was taking so much formula, and would then spit up a lot of it, but still wanted more to eat. So, I tried the oatmeal and he loves it! So at 10, 1, and 640 he nurses, then get some solid food, then takes 4oz of formula. He is a growing boy! =)

Development
Mister has really started talking more. He does it mostly when he is by himself playing in the pack n play w all his toys. He likes to roll onto his sides and kick. He is raising his shoulders and chest way off the mattress- but still hasn’t found any interest in his feet yet. He seems much more laid back than Lexie was. She was a determined little thing, and he just kinda doesn’t care … If he is fed and dry he is a happy boy.

Lexie loves to pay with Max. Today she had an empty wrapping paper roll, declared herself a “sheepard” and then said, “Max is Baby Jesus.” It was hilarious! We have all been enjoying the fire, Max and Missy Cat especially. He loves to watch the fire, and Missy loves to lay in front of it.

This past week was Christmas- we had snow! It started Christmas afternoon, and didn’t stop until the next morning. We literally had 8″ of snow. I will post pics later. Lexie didn’t like it much- she just enjoyed walking in it. haha But, we lost power. There was a lot of ice before the snow fall. We heard limbs snapping one after the other, and about 7:45pm we had no power! So we toughed it out that night, with a fire. The next morning we went to the inlaws a stayed the day, and night. The next morning we had power.

I will try to get a post in on what our Christmas was like. Things are just really busy here, and about to get even more busy. So, it may be a while before I get it up!

Happy New Years!

Almost 5 months old!

by Meghan // January 30, 2011 // Comments off

Well, I thought it would be a good time to blog about some new things. Internship, for one. It is going much better than I thought, in terms of Lexie. Oh? Lexie is not a “new thing” to blog about? oops… =)

I am really enjoying my kindergarten assignment and could really, really teach these babies forever. I always thought I would like older grades, but I am pretty sure now that I was wrong. Yes, the babies need a little more help, but ironically my cooperating teacher is EXACTLY like me, type A personality. Her kids are so self sufficient now (obviously they were not at the first of the year) because she makes them do the work. It’s like Dr. Taylor always said, if you’re the one tired at the end of th day, your students aren’t working hard enough. And man, my teacher works her fanny off, but those kids work just as hard, if not harder. She has no down time, except during “rest,” which is a 15 minute break during which the kids rest their heads on their desk, rather than take a nap. The rest of the time, she is a powerhouse teaching and drilling them. And it shows. She had the best NWEA test scores out of the 5 kindergarten classes.

I want to be like her. I am so blessed to be paired with a teacher who is the exact example of the same teacher I want to be (and no, she does not have the address to this blog, I am not kissing ass). Everything is labeled, organized in such as way that she and the students know exactly where everything is. Her children know the procedures to a T, there is no need for her to even tell them what to do. They know what to do and when to do it, and most importantly- have FUN doing it. They learn and have such a great time.

This next week, she will teach Monday, and then Tuesday it is all me! Wednesday she will not be there, then Thursday none of the Kindergarten teachers will be there!! So it’s me, 4 substitutes and 75 kindergarteners in our entire building!! I cannot wait! I am anxious to see how well I can control my classroom environment, while also teaching my students without Mrs. H being there to snap them in order. =) It should be rather interesting. Then Friday I have to go to HSU for a prof dev day.

I think I am most scared about my classroom management. There is one student in-particular who does the exact opposite of what I ask him, and he argues. If you say one thing, he says another and keeps on and on. I know not to argue back, but I know his parents won’t take his conduct grade seriously if I am the one who send it home on red.. grr.
Anyways, this semester really makes me want my own classroom!! I think I will be a great teacher. I find myself applying TONS of things I have learned in college, which is good to know.

Lexie is feeling much better. She is still pretty congested and has an icky cough, which we are watching. But she has not had fever and plays like she feels fine. At her 4 month check up, she was 18.6lbs and 27″ long. My mother in law was asking me yesterday morning if I thought Lexie would be in 6 months through the winter… I said “oh yea! I don’t think she will be in 9 months until spring..” WRONG! The blue pant outfit is 9 months!! So my mother in law went and got her a 6 month church dress, which is precious and it was much too small. =/ So, I ran it back to the store and got a 9 month. I would have grabbed a 12 month so she could wear it longer, but they didn’t have one. That is the thing about baby clothes. In the smocked dresses and bubbles she needs a 9 month, and in some pants outfits. But she can wear 6 month footy pajamas and some 6 month pant outfits… Oh well. She is a growing girl!!

Oh, also… some people have mentioned that they cannot see her eating video and some other posts. If you go to the bottom of the blog, and clock “older posts” it will give you a few of the previous posts. Or, you can go to the “blog archive” on the side of this blog and click on the month and see those posts, etc.

Hope everyone had a great weekend. We spent the gorgeous, 73 degree Saturday walking downtown and around our neighborhood. Today we went to church, did laundry, cleaned house, and ironed. Lexie is currently playing in the glider and I am writing this, about to start some dinner.

Flu Virus and first shots

by Meghan // January 22, 2011 // Comments off

Well… I am sure you have heard by now, I have the flu. Fortunately, the doctor thinks we may have caught it in the first 48 hours. It’s quite lucky we did catch it before it got more serious. But luckily if something like that did happen, then all I would have to do is go to somewhere like this flu urgent care horsetooth.

I have been sick the last week and a half with Lexie’s crud, so I thought that’s all it was. I woke up Friday morning at 12:30 with a 102.4 fever, took some ibuprofen and went back to bed. When I woke again at 5:00, the fever was gone and I felt much better; this made me think it was definitely just a bug or something because surely if it were the flu or strep, ibuprofen wouldn’t make me feel 80% better!

I went to school, did my regular thing. About 12:00 I started feeling pretty bad. By 2:00 I was freezing cold, and by 2:45 my cooperating teacher told me to leave. When I got to the doctor about 3:15-3:30, my lips were blue I was so cold and my whole body ached. I had some spots on the back of my throat, so I thought maybe it was just strep=something they could give me meds for and I’d be fine by Sunday or Monday. The nurse took my temp and said I had a low-grade fever. She asked for my symptoms, I told her achiness, chills, throat, ears and chest hurt, etc. She said they had TONS of strep cases today, and only 2-3 flu cases all season, so it may just be strep. When the doctor came in and asked for my symptoms, I told her the same things. She got worried and asked if I’d had a flu shot. I told her no, I’d never had one and never had the flu, despite working in childcare and everything. She said if it was strep we were fine, if it was flu we were in trouble (in terms of Lexie). Looking back, it seemed silly as to why I didn’t get a flu shot. They’re so easily available with most doctors offering them like this doctor leichardt based, and it was definitely in the best interests of Lexie. Nevertheless, it’s happened now, and I’ll have to deal with it.

So, the nurse snuggled Lexie, while I went back to the room where they do “the tests.” The nurse stuck a cotton swap the length of a ruler down my throat, which of course made me gag. I told the nurse we would have to wait on the flu test because I just might get sick. A few minutes later I told her to get it over with, she then proceeded to stick the same kind of cotton swab up my nose~~, touched my brain, and wiggled it around some~~ as far as she could get it. Truly, the strep test was worse than the flu test, but neither was fun…

While I waited on that, Lexie’s nurse came in with her shots. I held her facing away from me, while the nurse unsnapped her pink footies. She quickly stuck her right leg with the first shot, Lexie squirmed and cried. Then came the next shot, Lexie squirmed and cried for about 4 seconds total and then went right back to sleep. =) She was just fine. I’m not even sure she made any tears. Haha Anyways, so the doctor also gave me some stuff to dry up her congestion that remains from her crud. And, we did the regular check up stuff- she is 18.6 pounds and 27″ long. She was off the doctor’s chart on weight and length (again)! She said at about 6 months her growth will start to taper off. I’m not so sure!! This kid is growing like crazy. Her teacher at school said she is the size of her 9month olds. hahaha She is so long though!

Anyways, so I got Lexie down last night and then I crashed. We got up at 5:30, I changed her diaper, and then we curled up in the big chair to nurse and sleep. We slept until 7:45. So I got a good 11 hours of sleep. I am resting when Lexie naps, and we are just taking it easy this weekend. Please keep us in your prayers that she and J.Tom don’t get this mess. =( I asked if I need to quarantine, and Dr. Z said no, there is really nothing we can do now that she’s been exposed except continue to nurse her, use antibacterial stuff, and no kissing on her. She said IF we caught it in the first 48 hours like we think, the tamiflu should have my fever and symptoms gone within 48 hours. Then after 24 without fever I can go back to school, so maybe as soon as Monday. But I think regardless I am going to send Lexie to school Monday, and stay home and rest.

I just hope my sweet girl doesn’t get it. I am trying to hold her as little as possible, disinfect my hands constantly, and not let her touch me too much. =( It really stinks.