Home Sweet Home...Well, sort of!

Weston got to come home from the hospital today! But I think he actually liked it at the hospital. They brought in a PS2 system, movies, ice cream and the boy was having tons of fun! Kylie came to visit yesterday and she was jealous at all of the fun stuff--she decided she would wreck her scooter so that she could get to stay! :)
I do think he's ready to be home, but he got a flu shot before he left, so now his other arm is sore! Poor guy!
But it's back to school tomorrow and I have already been on him to clean his room--I bet he heads outside soon and races down the hill again just to get away from me and all my Mommy demands!

I bet he doesn't do that again!

Ok, well I took Weston to the doctor yesterday and it has been a roller coaster ride since then! I'll just start at the beginning....I got up yesterday morning (ok, actually I was already up with the baby, but anyway) and I called the pediatrician's office first thing--8 a.m. to find out if I could get Weston an appointment. Well, the nurse called me right back and when I gave her Weston's symptoms--fever, swollen, arm, etc--she told me to bring him right up to the office. So, here came the fun part. I got Landen ready and took him to Richie's mom's house and then Weston and I headed to the doctor. Poor Weston had blood drawn and then they "picked" his scab to make take a sample of the gunk under it. YUCK. He was SO brave though! Weston has trouble just taking liquid medicine, so this was a HUGE step for him! Then, we started getting test results back. White blood cells were normal, no flu (he had a slight cough so we wanted to rule that out too), however, the last test she did to determine if there was a possible infection from the sore in the bone came back higher than normal. That's when we knew it was more serious than just an infected wound. At that point, his pediatrician told us she was going to have to admit him to the hospital and call an orthopedist for a referral. She told me not to let him or drink and get him checked in as soon as I could. I am just standing there in disbelief thinking, "I thought this would be an hour doctor visit, we would run to Health Depot and get a Z-pack and go home." I had NO idea it was going to be a big deal.
So, Weston was admitted to the PEDS unit on Monday and spent two days in the hospital on IV antibiotics. I knew I had my work cut out for me when it was time for the IV, but he was brave and did great! They numbed the area first and I think that helped tremendously.
Weston had a staph infection in his arm, but luckily it didn't get into the joint/bone, so it was easier to treat!

Road Rash Revenge

Poor Weston! As if falling off the scooter and getting a serious case of road rash wasn't enough, he now has a spot of it on his arm that may be infected. It was Kyle's weekend and he called this morning to tell me that Weston was running a fever--my first thought, swine flu! But then he continued on and said that his arm was very swollen and one of his "rashes" was a little funky looking. So, it looks like I will be taking Weston to the doctor tomorrow in hopes of getting it checked out. Pray for the little fella that he doesn't have an infection!
In other news, Richie and I are working on cleaning on my old metal barn so that I can turn it over to my parents. Talk about a lot of stuff! But kudos to Richie, he didn't complain one time today while we were moving a trailer load of boxes and other stuff out of there. (Richie absolutely HATES moving) It was so nice--I was worried that he was going to be cranky today about moving all of that stuff, but he was so good about it. I know it's a pain moving stuff especially someone else's junk that has been stored away for 5 plus years, so thank you baby for taking one for the team and putting up with moving all of that "junk"!
Landen is having such a good night so far (ok, I have probably jinxed myself saying that!) He has slept in his bassinet for most of the night since 8:30 pm. It's now 1:20 a.m. and I just got him in his bassinet again....here's praying that we are starting a wonderful habit. Richie goes back to work tomorrow so it's just me. I don't know why I am so nervous and anxious about this whole thing. With Weston and Kylie, I was on my own after just a couple of days, so having help for 3 weeks is a huge blessing. I guess I am just worried that by the time I go back to work that Landen still won't be sleeping well and that I am going to be severely exhausted driving all over the place. So, add that to your prayer list, too!

Hungry Girl is my Hero!

I was watching Rachael Ray this morning and she had Hungry Girl on there talking about great recipe alternatives that make our favorite foods a little more figure-friendly...I am absolutely consumed by this website right now and I want all of her cookbooks. If you haven't heard of her, go to her website www.hungry-girl.com.
My favorite trick she showed today that I can't wait to try is using canned pumpkin in place of the eggs and vegetable oil you add to cake mix. It takes away like 1000 calories and TONS of fat! Who knew? I can't wait to try!
So, if you need any suggestions on Christmas presents for me--I want all 3 Hungry Girl cookbooks!!

Like the New Look?

Well, here it is, my NEW blog background! And it was created just for me! I love it!

A Case of Road Rash

A couple of days ago, Weston was playing at a friend's house down the street. We live on quite a hill and the kids love to ride their scooter/skateboard thingees (I can't for the life of me think of the name of this thing) and we have watched the neighbor kid fly down the hill from our house to his house and Richie and I both said if he ever falls, he's gonna regret it. Well, it wasn't him that finally fell--it was Weston! And let me say he has a serious case of road rash! We texted the pics to his Dad and Angela that night and his Dad called the next day and was floored by how bad it looked! But I must say Weston has been really big about the whole thing and hasn't complained too much. And bless his heart, the other morning he woke up and his shirt was stuck to his wounds! I have a feeling he won't be riding that scooter thing down the hill any time soon--one of those "lessons learned" moments.
Well, so far I am doing pretty good at walking the neighborhood--I am up to about 1.5 miles and a chunk of that is up the hill I just mentioned which will kick anyone's rear! I have only been able to go every other day, but honestly that's about all I need to do anyway--in fact, I think Dr. Bell would've gotten on to me yesterday at my check-up if I had told him what I was doing! He was telling me to take it easy and not vacuum, etc if it hurts. All I could think was, "I wonder what he would think of my little walking expeditions?" :)
Seriously though, I am still sore, but I honestly think the walking has definitely helped....that and the Belly Bandit I bought. That, my friends, is the secret to getting your tummy back. I can't believe how flat my belly looks 3 weeks after the baby!
Oh and guess where baby Landen is? Asleep in his bassinet!!!! He's been there for about an hour or so! I am sure it won't last, but I really would like to get him used to sleeping by himself. We bought a "white noise" machine at Bed, Bath, and Beyond yesterday that plays different nature sounds like waterfall, rain, ocean, etc and I have that going next to the bassinet, so hopefully we can progress toward him sleeping on his own. Mommy really needs some quality R&R!!!

A Bed Bug

The popular question right now (behind "how's the baby?") is "is he sleeping good?" Well, that question is a little tricky! First, define "good". If you mean 'does he sleep during the night?', well, yes. However, if you mean "does he sleep in his bassinet?", then NO! He sleeps, but only when you hold him. And now it seems the only way I can sleep at night is to sleep next to him. First, I must say I am adamantly against sleeping with a baby in my bed for several reasons. Beyond the obvious safety issue, there's the habit I am afraid I am creating, the lack of quality sleep on my part because I can't get comfortable--I try to stay in one position and lay still so as to not roll on him. So, I don't really sleep, I doze...on and off, on and off. Meanwhile, baby Landen is sawing logs! He's warm, comfy and has Mommy right where he wants her! Last night as I was falling asleep, I had a vision of this 18 year old man laying between me and Richie all bundled up in his blanket and snuggling up to me. And all I could think was, "Great!" Landen will be here until he graduates!!
So, to answer the question... yes, he's sleeping good!

Little Caterpillar

Here's a link to a blog of the photographer that took Landen's newborn photos. http://www.rayelawphotography.com/blog/?p=3538

The pictures are absolutely amazing! But perhaps the best part of the whole sitting was learning how to get Landen to quiet down when he would get upset! She was awesome--she would just say SSSHHHHH and he would be like puddy in her hands!

A Sense of Normalcy

Yesterday I put on one of my "normal" jogging suits (read that as NOT maternity clothes) and Richie and I went for a 30 minute walk in our neighborhood. It was so nice to get back to some sense of normalcy. Regular clothes, exercise, it's the small things that make my day!
Landen is doing great! He went for his 2 week checkup on Wednesday and had gained 7 ounces since Friday! He is really thriving! He is starting to stay alert more during the day and he's trying to "real" smile. It's cute because his mouth doesn't quite form the right shape, but you can tell he's engaging when you talk with him. He's getting spoiled too, but it's hard to not spoil such a cutie!
Tonight we are taking the kids (read Weston and Kylie) to the Fall Festival. Landen will have to stay with Grammy because he's still so small and I am so scared about the swine flu, so we are trying to keep him "quarantined". I know many people want to come see him, but we are having to play the bad guys and limit visitors per doctor's orders. If he gets the flu, it would be devastating to him since he's so small and so young and doesn't have a developed immune system like you and I.
So, don't take it personal if we ask you to wait to come see us--we really want to show him off, but we have to be careful too!

What a Loser....

Well, I finally found some time to go by Let's Lose and get started on my diet. Ouch--I forgot how restricting diets are and since you have to journal, well, that means I have to confess those Oreos! But, it'll be worth it if I can get back in my jeans. When I came home from the hospital about a week ago, I measured my waist. From delivery to arriving home, I had lost 4 inches on my waist (however, I delivered an 8 1/2 lb baby, so I was hoping for more than 4 inches)!! Well, at my measurement today at Let's Lose, I have already lost another 4 inches and that's before I even start the diet! Woo Hoo! But, now it's time to get serious--the rest of the pounds aren't going to be as easy! So wish me luck--I am gonna need it!
Today, Richie, Landen and I got out of the house and went shopping for a bit. It was so nice to see daylight (even if it is cloudy and rainy) and walk around. I was glad to get some "exercise" even if it wasn't much!

Weight, Weight, GO AWAY!

Well, the official pregnancy weight gain was 51 lbs. That is right in line with my other two pregnancies. I swear each pregnancy is the same--50 lb weight gain, big baby, and some swelling. Anyway, now it's time to get that weight off. So, I got brave the other day and got on the scale....then I looked down. I was so afraid I was going to be disappointed. But, I was pleasantly surprised! I have officially lost 24 lbs already! Woo Hoo! I love the big water retention weight loss--it gives me the confidence to get the rest of this gone. So, now to get serious about the other 27 lbs. I can't decide the best avenue to take to combat it. I am considering two different weight loss options, but until I can drive, I won't be able to get out and figure which one is the best option. Not to mention, it's hard to diet when everyone keeps bringing such great food by for us to eat! Then, there's the exercise aspect, but honestly I am still healing from the c-section, so that is gonna have to wait a few more weeks. So, wish me luck, because my biggest road block right now are those Golden Oreos--they are just soooo good!

Baby Landen is One Week Old!

I can hardly believe it, but my baby is already a week old! We are all adjusting to each other and there is definitely a lack of sleep around our house (except, of course, for Landen)!
As a catch-up on the last week, Landen was in NICU for about 36 hours starting on last Thursday night. He evidently aspirated amniotic fluid during birth and it was causing a few issues for him. It was such a flashback to when Kylie was a newborn and I had to take her to the ER and we ended up spending 5 days in Peds and 5 days on home health because she was so sick (they thought she had meningitis). I can honestly say my heart skipped a beat and I was pretty tense for awhile until we got his blood cultures and other test results back. He also started breathing a little better and so they released him on Saturday morning back to my room. But, since it was our discharge day, he had to have his circumcision done--I cried after signing the papers and leaving him with the nurse to be circumcised. Then, I just lay there in my bed and worried the whole time I knew the surgery was going on. That night, we were able to go home and he had his roughest time yet. He was so stressed, couldn't keep his food down, and was just miserable every time you changed his diaper. I felt soooo sorry for him. He's doing much better now, but he's still having a hard time at night with sleeping. He loves to sleep on Daddy's chest and seems to think his bassinet has "thorns" in it! But, we will just keep working on it and hopefully it'll get better.
We are also having a hard time getting his food situated. Since he went to NICU, he wasn't able to breastfeed for awhile and got confused on what/how to eat. We finally decided to stick with formula only and bought one we thought was best. He's done great on it, but when I called the pediatrician, she is not fond of that formula and asked us to switch to a different one. I really hope that he does alright on it.