Weight Loss Challenge

In February I did THIS weight loss challenge with my sister in law and her friends.  It was awesome!!!

I need to do another round before I put on a bridesmaids dress as the only girl 30+ with children.  I plan on starting on Monday.

Anyone want to join?!  It was so much fun last time!

What I like about it is that it is positive.  You gain points every day for basically making good habits.  

Take a look at the rules and if you are interested in joining me on Monday, let me know.  I'll be starting a Facebook group for encouragement and communication!  

You know you want too!!!!

Perfection

Bedtime while John is away isn't the easiest, but tonight it was perfection.

Routine was juggled in a calm manner.

I got to cuddle with Carter while we read books.  This isn't something that happens as often as I'd like anymore.  I love laying in bed with him staring at his sweet, soft, cheeks while he tells me random stories to stay up a bit longer.  He's so cute.

Corbin was still fussing after I put Carter down.  So I picked up that big baby standing in his crib.  Took him to the rocker and he fell right asleep curled in a ball on tummy, in the breech position.  Just like he was for so long 9 months ago.  He smells so good.  Man, I love him.

Perfection.

Never want to forget.

Photo Dump!

Rub a Dub

Every morning while I'm doing the dishes, with Corbin on my hip, of course, he flops forward toward the sink and reaches for the water.  It's a bit awkward to do the dishes in that position but once the sink is cleaned I've started letting him do exactly what he wants to do.

Play in the water!

He LOVES it!

Happy way to start the day!

"Monkey see, monkey do" goes both ways! Ha!

Carter has to get in on the fun too!  Honestly, it's so much fun!  And I get to do breakfast and drink my coffee!  Win, win!

P.S. Friends, if you see any private parts let me know so I can blur them a bit more.  Considering a large number of strangers were directed to my blog while searching "poopy blowout diaper" I'm convinced there are many sick crazy people.  Thanks!

9 Months

Dear Corbin,

I can't believe I'm writing another one of these monthly posts.  (And not just because I was almost a month late with the last one!!)  With Carter's first year, the days felt like 24 hours.  With you the days feel like 3 and the weeks feel like a day, the months feel like a week and the past nine has felt like, 3 months.  Fastest year of my life.  Just a blink and you'll be in First Grade.

John Corbin, you are just a cuddly ball of sunshine these days.  You love to cuddle, be held and to hug.  (Thank you God) It's awesome.  At the same time you are in to everything!  Ha!  I love that too.  Here is a bit about you these days!  Enjoy.

I'm sorting this post into categories like a friend of mine.  She is always so organized!  Thank you, Mindy!

Fun

You are very playful right now.  Like when I say "Where's Corbin?"  You flop back into my arms and laugh. (that one for months now).  Or I can say "I'm gonna get you!!!"  and you laugh excitedly and try your hardest to crawl as fast as you can!  Or when we do your inhaler and I count your breaths out loud you hum-count with me and dance along...because clearly my voice always sounds like a beautiful song.  And sometimes when I'm holding you, you get a wild look in your eye and throw your head back because you want me to dangle you upside down!

You get so excited and laugh and kick your legs when we start walking to the basement or the front door because you know it's going to be fun!  I look forward to this every morning!

Every time I'm washing the dishes you want to reach in and play in the water.  Recently, doing the dishes has ended in us playing in the sink!

Eating

You are still nursing like a champ and you eat other meals along side Carter.  Sometimes you are all for finger foods and sometimes you aren't.  One of the best pieces of parenting advice came from a friend in Norway and China "Sometimes your kids will eat a lot, sometimes they won't.  Sometimes they sleep a lot, and sometimes they don't. Don't think too much."  SOooooo true.  I'd say you get one awesome real meal a day and the other attempts are snacks!

You demand by grunting for me to share lots of food with you. Strangely enough, you like my green smoothies, so we share that every morning.  You also still really like beets.  I mean, I eat a huge beet salad all week long.  Maybe it's from the breast milk that exposed you to it?? I don't get it.  What baby likes beets? Especially I offer things like Apple, Banana and Cinnamon.

Milestones

You have cut Tooth 3 and a bit of 4.  We are right in the middle of it now.  These are your top teeth.  :( That gummy smile is on it's way out.  I've loved every bit of it.

You have also started to pull up to your knees, up to your feet and scootching onto shelves, stools and scale.

You can also understand simple instructions.  "Put your pacifier in your bed!" "Turn on the light." "High Five!" "Dance dance."  "Jump Jump," (Oldie). "Do you want me to hold you?" I discovered you knew this one as we were driving from Canyon Lake to The Woodlands.  I shouldn't have said that one out loud while you were stuck in a carseat.  Full.on.tears.  So sad.

Personality

You are such a fun and happy boy!  You are so social and love looking at other people and giving them big smiles!  The other day we were at the grocery store and you were trying to use your cute flirty moves on the lady behind us checking out.  Your confidence, innocence and cuteness shone through because your face was full of snot, boogers and eye goop (sickness) and you didn't care!!  Ha!  Loved it!

You enjoy playing with Carter and love every ounce of attention he throws your way!

Funny story:  Today at church we dropped you off to play in the nursery. About 45 minutes later our pager said "Corbin is done."  I went to save you and the nursery lady was holding you.  You had tears in your eyes and were whimpering.  Then you saw me and started to scream HYSTERICALLY, in the highest pitch that anyone has ever heard!!!!  Ha ha!  Poor buddy!!  Man, you crack me up!  Of course, you calmed down as soon as you were in my arms.  FYI:  Exactly opposite of how Carter would handled it.

You love Mama to hold you but will reach for Daddy too!!  We're all happy about that!  Melts my heart!

Sickness

See previous post.

Sleeping

Every time your are sick we are back to being up all night and needing lots of hugs and extra nursing sessions.  I think it's not only comfort nursing but also because it's hard for you to breathe and nurse while sick, so it requires more frequent sessions.  (I'm so thankful we are still nursing.  I wonder how bad it would be if we weren't.)

Once you recover, it takes about two weeks to get rid of the lingering cough which wakes you up at night a few times.

Finally, you've slept 4 x in your life while only waking once!  This was in Texas.  You were not sick.  Amazing.  I'm hopeful we're headed in that direction again!

I love your happy spirit and pray for constant health!

Your weight at the last hospital visit.  8.8 kilos.

And some more photo fun!!  Love you baby boy!

And the official picture...

Love you Corbin!!

The Sick Post

I started to write this under Corbin's 9 Month Post but decided it was a post of it's own and needed to be posted first.  So here is the low-down:

 At 4 months Corbin was sick for the first time.  It was so bad we were send to the Children's ER and then an ambulance to another hospital where we had to stay for 4 days, 3 nights.  He was diagnosed with RSV, which turned to Bronchiolitis.  Meaning his little bronchial tubes were contracting so tight he wasn't getting enough oxygen.  They gave him tons of breathing treatments around the clock.  When he was finally inhaling an adequate amount of oxygen again, we were released.  I was so thankful for these doctors.  We weren't sleeping while at home because he couldn't breathe...I have horrible thoughts about what could have happened if it weren't for every step the doctors took.

4 months.  No sleep for days. In the ER.

Oxygen.  Crying because of the pricking, prodding and face masks over and over again.  On no sleep.

Cat naps in my arms.

After ambulance.  Checked into Unit 31.

All taped up because you kept pulling the tubes out.

This was your crib/cage.

Happy baby!

Sleepy baby.  He just took like 20 min cat naps all day until the coughing woke him up.

Nose is here.

Big boy.

Carter would come and visit but wasn't allowed in our wing.  So I'd meet him in the playroom to visit my buddy.  This was the second time I'd been away from him.  First being the night Corbin was born.

He still talks about this playroom.

Gift basket from the grandparents.  Thank goodness for that food...all I ate during the day because we were stuck in the room.  Quarantine, until John came to visit.

Last Picture from our hospital stay.

Since that episode, he's had a respiratory infection every month since.  They all result in us being sent the Children's ER.  We're told he has "Baby Asthma."  This is a pattern of sickness turing into respiratory infections.  Some people grow out of this and some it turns into the real-deal kind of asthma.  We shall see.  He currently has two inhalers with an air chamber mask.  One is for rescue when he is showing signs of being "air hungry."  The other is used twice a day for three weeks, two more left.  Then we will reassess.

Just another hospital visit.

And the most recent of 5 (I think?) visits.

The doctors say this is usually something that runs in the family.  But we're not sure where it came from.  It may be something that John or I could have had if we too were infants in Canada but that warm humid Texas air was better for us.  It may be better for Corbin too!?  Who knows!!  Something to think about.  We may have to get him to that humid air sooner.  I feel so bad for him when he is sick and I feel so bad for his little body struggling so much.

I know there are much worse sickness, so the stress of this has given me a glimpse into the struggle of parents with major sicknesses.  Just a glimpse, not the same magnitude...I know.  But it can really be hard on Mommy too.  The lack of sleep.  Needing (but wanting, of course) to hold him round the clock and having another baby boy in the house and having a house that just gets dirtier when not touched and having to call Daddy home or finding a neighbor to watch Carter when his breathing gets too bad and we have to head back to the ER.  It is pretty stressful, I breakdown hysterical, not going to lie.  So again, it's hard without any help, but I know it is only a tiny sliver of a glimpse into the lives of a family with a major illness.

I actually called Carter's teacher to let her know I would no longer be sending him to school because I just couldn't disrupt Corbin's naps any more.  Poor baby NEEDS all the sleep he can get and he's 9 months old.  I've dragged him around long enough.  By the fall he should almost be down to one nap.  Also, school is almost done for the year.  The teacher was so sweet and understanding. She said not to worry and just come when we can and even if it's only half the time or whatever.  Then about 2 hours after this conversations another parent called and said that she would be picking Carter up and bringing him home from now on.  She had an extra carseat and would love to help me out!!  What an angel.  The teacher had spread the word and sweet friends chipped in!  That is God helping out!

I'm very thankful that he will most likely grow out of if or that it is environmental.  The likelihood that he is a longterm (meaning past 4 years old) asthmatic is not very high.

Love this boy and, just as I hope after every sick spell, I hope that is the last one.  Ugh. Really, this time, pleeeease?!!!??!

Finally, some sweet Carter comments about all of this:

Is Corvin okay? (while seeing Corbin with tubes all over).
Maybe God can take Corbin's sick away.  (the most recent spell).