It's a crazy (good) life...: May 2012

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

The 40 Minute Intruder....

Take that 40 minute intruder!!

If you have ever had a baby you most likely already know what I am referring to by the "40 minute intruder"... In the last month or so Colin has started waking up just 40 minutes into his nap. When we picked him up though he was still tired and it made the days pretty miserable. I did some research on handy dandy Google to see if there was a reason he was waking up like this and if it was "normal". Well apparently it is pretty common... A sleep cycle lasts roughly 40 minutes and at the end of that 40 minutes we wake up a little bit. As adults we don't ever remember waking up and we quickly go back to sleep for another cycle but babies don't know how to do that at first. Babies have to be taught how to move past this cycle. I knew that something had to be done though, he was tired all the time and taking about 5-6 40 minute naps each day. It was hard to plan for anything since he only likes sleeping in his bed.

I decided to wait and see what would happen if I didn't rush in to pick him up and to my surprise he went back to sleep within 5 mintues or so. He didn't even cry really, just whimpered a little and ended up talking to himself. It was actually pretty cute! He slept for a total of an hour and a half that time - MUCH better!! The second nap I did the same thing except this time he only made a couple of noises before drifting off to sleep. Didn't cry or anything. Now he is consistently taking 1 1/2 - 2 hour naps (when we are home) without fussing at all. Sometimes I'll hear him talking to himself at the 40 minute mark but it never lasts long!! Take that 40 minute intruder!! We've got you beat!!

Here's just a little bit of cuteness :)

Sunday, May 20, 2012

End of the Season...

End of soccer season...

This spring Aidan played on a soccer team for the first time. There is not much that is cuter than a bunch of four year olds trying to figure out what to do when they finally get a hold of that ball. Many times they would just keep going after it no matter what - even when they were waaaayyyyy out of bounds. Too cute! The first game Aidan was too scared to cut in and take the ball from the other team and the game ended with him crying on the sidelines because he only scored one "goalie" and he wanted to score again and again. By the end of the season, not only had he scored several goals but he has learned to get in there and take the ball more (even from his own team mates - we'll have to work on that!). No more tears at all either!!

I knew that he would like playing soccer (it is his mommy's favorite sport to play after all) but I had no clue how much he would LOVE it! We would come home after his games on Saturdays and he would start asking immediately when the next one was! When the next Saturday would finally come he would wake Alex and I up early and ask us every 2 minutes, "Is it time to go yet!?!". I wish I was exaggerating but I'm not, he really did ask that often!

Today he had his final game of the season, comlete with a medal and all! We are definitlely going to be putting him back in soccer in the fall but until then, I will have to find some major distractions for him!

Mentioning the fall soccer season just reminded me that he will be starting pre-K this August and now I'm sad... **tears** My baby is growing up!!

Here are some pictures of my cutie having the time of his life...

Gotta stay hydrated!!

He's going for it!

I took this right after he scored his first goal. He was so proud!!

I just love this little guy :)

Friday, May 18, 2012

Oh Sleep, Where Art Thou!?!

I don't know about any of you, but I NEED my sleep. I am not a very fun person to be around when I am tired... Unfortunately for everyone close to me, I haven't had good sleep in weeks!!

I know what you are thinking - I have a 4 month old (2.5 months adjusted age) so OF COURSE I'm low on sleep!! I wish it were that simple but sadly he isn't the one keeping me awake. I am the one keeping me awake... Ahhhhh....

I lie in bed every night completely exhausted yet I can not fall asleep. I don't know why and I don't know how to fix it but it is driving me crazy!! By the time I doze off, Colin wakes up to eat for the first time or Aidan gets up because there is an imaginary spider in his bed! Oh my!

On top of my own insomnia, it seems that Colin is either teething or going through the so - called "4 month sleep regression". He woke me up 5 or 6 times the last two nights. I find myself pleading with him at 4 in the morning and BEGGING him to just let me sleep because I MUST get some sleep. He never seems to understand though... :)

What is worse than any of this is the fact that I've been having terrible, horrifying nightmares almost every night. I think that this may be one reason I am not able to fall asleep in the first place. I am afraid that if I fall asleep I might experience yet another nightmare.... Usually the nightmares are centered around pregnancy or something pregnancy related. Other times, it is related to being held captive in the hospital and not being allowed to escape (and no, I'm NOT referring to a mental hospital!!). If you are familiar with my pregnancy story these things will make more sense.

Just last night I woke up in tears just 45 short minutes after falling asleep because of the ~~dream~~ nightmare I was having. What in the world!? I think I'm losing it!! Here's how the dream went... Alex and I decided sometime in the future that we wanted to have another baby and for some reason the way to achieve that (in my dream) was for me to take some kind of medication. The medication would ensure 100% that I would get pregnant immediately. I took the medication and instantly regretted it. What was I doing!? I'm too weak! I'm not good at being pregnant! Everyone was going to be mad at me! I was begging Alex to do something to prevent me from being pregnant but it was too late. I was completely panicking and hyperventilating at the thought that I was pregnant...

I woke up in tears because I was just so terrified. I just wasn't strong enough... Now obviously I know that the nightmares don't mean anything. Even while I am sleeping I try to wake myself up when I am having them because I know that they are not reality. I know that the idea that I could become pregnant by swallowing a pill is completely absurd (I've got two kids, believe me - I KNOW where babies come from)! It still somehow gets to me though.

All I know is that I can't keep doing this every single night. I'm afraid to sleep yet I'm so extremely tired. I can't (and don't want to) take something to make me sleep because I need to be there for Colin (and Aidan's imaginary spiders).

I am really hoping that Colin starts sleeping more soundly like he usually does and that the nightmares STOP. I can't take this much longer!! My Hyperemesis effected me so much more than I thought it could and I'm at a total loss as to how to "fix" myself. I wish it was simple and I wish that it had just gone away the moment I held Colin in my arms but alas, it did not. Now it's time to pick up the pieces and put the puzzle that is my life back together. I just hope I'm not missing any pieces!!!

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

It's just tradition!!

There are just some people that are friends for life. You know, the kinds of friends that you can go months with out seeing at all and then pick back up where you left off.... I have been friends with Tope since we were barely potty trained and our friendship is still going strong. We only see eachother 2-3 times a year because she doesn't live here but we make it a point to always get together when we can. Where do we go? Well, Starbucks or IHOP of course! Always one of those places. It's just what we do!!

She's in town this week and we were able to once again get together and catch up on eachothers' lives. It doesn't matter that I am living the life as a married mommy of two boys and she is living the life of a Law student (because she's a genius of course!). To others it might look like we have not much in common but she's just one of those friends that I'm not willing to give up :) I tell her about my crazy life raising two boys and she tells me about her (even crazier) life of getting through Law school. It just works!! Here are some pictures that we've taken through the years - starting with the first time she met my 4 year old, Aidan. I have some pictures from way before that but lets just say it would be embarrasing for both of us if I posted those (mostly for me though... lol)...

Get ready for a photo bomb!!!

January 2008 - Aidan and Tope's first meeting. He was 4 months old

May 2008 - Aidan (8 months)

January 2009 (16 months old) at IHOP

January 2010 (28 months old)

Just had to add this one becuase he was such a cutie... What happened!?! just kidding Aid :)

August 2010 - Right before she left for Law school :(

We didn't want her to leave but she is already done with 2 out of 3 years!! Woo hoo!!

January 2011 (3 years old)

May 2011 (3 1/2 years old) - just being crazy :p

October 2011 - I was pregnant and sick but I HAD to see her anyway

January 2012 - She's meeting Colin for the first time!! He was only 6 days old

May 15, 2012 - Watch out! They're fierce!!

He always looks forward to visiting Tope!!

He's a little bigger than last time!! (4 months old)

You know, just messing with the iPad and having a deep intellectual conversation... no big deal

Family picture!! lol :)

Well, that's all for now. We will miss you Tope!! Until next time...

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

HG Awareness Day

Hyperemesis Gravidarum World Awareness Day!

Today is the very first Hyperemesis Gravidarum World Awareness day. Sadly, there are many people (including doctors!) that do not know enough information about this pregnancy induced DISEASE! That's right, this is no morning sickness. It is a disease that causes unrelenting nausea and vomiting in pregnancy that makes the mother unable to eat or drink and leads to malnourishment, dehydration, and could potentially lead to death.

If you don't know what Hyperemesis is, now is your opportunity to find out! Go to www.helpher.org and you will find all kinds of information. You can also read the other pages on my blog and find out even more information as well as my personal story.

It is time for people to become more eductated on this awful disease! Share the information you learn with friends and family, point them to the HelpHer website, share this blog with them. Anything you can do to spread awareness. You never know when you may come across with someone who is suffering with HG and if you do, you will already be well informed!

Saturday, May 12, 2012

Where has this year gone!?!

4 months...

4 Months have sped past at lightening speeds. It's hard to believe how pregnancy can go so extremely slow but once the baby arrives, time flies so quickly. Colin is changing every day - especially over the last two weeks or so. He is really developing a personality! He is such a smiley boy and is more and more interactive every day. He nurses every 2-3 hours during the day still but sleeps through the night most of the time so I can handle that. He still sleeps a lot during the day but I think it is time to start transitioning him to fewer, longer naps rather than the frequent, shorter ones. He now weighs 11 lbs 12 oz. and is 23 inches tall! What a big boy!!

5.11.2012 - 4 months exactly

Let's see, this past month Colin has become a rolling machine! He has been rolling from his tummy to back consistently since he was only 7 days old but now he is much better and faster at it. He can roll from his back to his tummy some now too.
We had to retire his bassinet and move him into a pack n play to sleep :( He can still fit into his bassinet but he is moving WAY too much to stay in there. Now that he is in the pnp he moves all over the place in it. I never know where I'll find him in there or what goofy position he will end up in!
When he is laying on his stomach (assuming he doesn't flip immediately over) he can scoot all over the place. He lays his head down, puts his hiney in the air with his knees under him and propels himself forward with his legs. He looks like a little inchworm.

Just this past week or so he has really started reaching for and grabbing toys. He would hold on to things that I would hand him before but now he is doing it on purpose and all by himself. It's so cute!

He is now officially a chatterbox! This child talks ALL. THE. TIME. Sometimes he even "talks" himself to sleep. I love standing in my room listening to him. He sure does love the sound of his voice (and we do too)!

Colin has also developed some traits that are not so awesome but I know it's only temporary!

He has decided that there are two people in the world: The Momma (me obviously) and NOT The Momma (everyone else he comes into contact with). He has become quite attached and will often start screaming as loud as he can if I pass him off to someone else. Athough I am so extremely proud that my boy loves me so much, it would be nice if he would let someone else hold him so I could have a break every once in a while! Besides, I think he has hurt some people's feelings when he doesn't want them :(.

*Everytime I think of Colin's apparent view of everyone else (not the momma!), it makes me think of this clip from the TV series Dinosaurs...

He REFUSES a bottle if we are out in public. Just picture the loudest, angriest baby you can imagine. This is what he becomes when we attempt to stick a bottle in his mouth. I normally nurse him but I have a stash of milk in my freezer and when I go out it would be really convenient to feed him a bottle. Nope, not gonna happen! He used to take it without a fuss but now it just makes him mad. Oddly enough, he WILL take the bottle if we are at home or in the car. As long as he can't see any strangers he drinks the bottle right up. Maybe it's a security thing for him to nurse when he is in an unfamiliar place, I don't know...

Well, that is my Colin update :) Now it's time for an update on the first born...

Aidan is just being as goofy as ever. He is definitely his father's son. He says so many things that have us laughing (and sometimes shocked) constantly. I really need to be better at writing the things that he says down... I'll work on that...
He absouletly loves playing soccer and has really improved his skills. It is adorable watching all of those 4 year olds trying to figure out the right way to run and steal the ball from their own team members. Too funny.
Also, Aidan is officially signed up for preschool for the fall. What happened to my little 5.6 lb squishy newborn that I had just 4 years ago!?! He is very excited about school and I think he is really going to enjoy it. He's ready to go now! Me... Not so much :)

I probably need to have a separate blog post about how I'm doing at this point. Things definitley aren't great. I am having a lot of lingering problems related to my difficult pregnancy and I'm having a hard time knowing what to do about everything. I wish that things had just resolved immediately when Colin was born but they did not and now I need to figure everything out...

Here are some pictures that were taken over the past month. I FINALLY have some pictures of me and the boys! Alex isn't in any of them but I'm working on that.