Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Luke is Sick, Again

We ended up back at the pediatrician's office yesterday since it was obvious Luke is feeling miserable. He's been waking up at least once a night just crying, has a horrible runny nose and head congestion, and has a splotchy rash that comes and goes on his face, body and bottom. He keeps coughing and sneezing, too. Apparently he has a cold virus. The doctor said to give a 1/2 dose of benadryl during the day and a full dose at night to help dry up the mucus and help him rest. He's to get tylenol 1-2 times a day whenever he is excessively fussy.

It also turns out they mis-measured his height last week. He's actually 31.5" tall, but still short for his age, and only in the 15th percentile.

Poor baby. He was up at 6:00 this morning just crying and crying, so I gave him a little more medicine, fed him some pears and bananas (his 2 favorite fruits!), held him for a little while and put him right back to bed. He slept until after 9:30, which is good since he hasn't been sleeping well.

One nice thing is that he's very cuddly when he doesn't feel good. In the early mornings and evenings, we just hang out on the couch together watching TV. We can't miss Jeopardy; it's one of his favorites. He's mesmerized by the blue and white graphics and gets up and dances whenever the Jeopardy theme song plays! His other favorite show is Barney; he dances to every song, even when he doesn't feel good!

Monday, March 24, 2008

Stuff for the Kids

A lot of people are asking if we need anything for the kids, which we really appreciate, so I decided to post it here so I wouldn't forget anything.

LEXIE
She really doesn't need any more clothes for at least a year. Thanks to the generosity of family and friends she is all set, especially from newborn through 6 months old. She is going to be one stylin' little girl!

She's even all set for coats, buntings, tights and clothes through next winter. She already has plenty of shoes for fall & winter, too. She could maybe use some warm feet jammies in size 9-12 months.

If you really can't resist those darling pink girl's clothes (and who can?!) she can eventually use summer stuff in 12-18 month sizes.

And of course, she can always use diapers in sizes 1 or 2. I don't expect her to fit into the newborn ones for very long!

LUKE
Since he is small for his age, he's still in 12-18 month pants right now, and most of the 18 month ones are way too long. (He's got short little legs!) So, his 18 month pants should be perfect for next fall and winter, which he has plenty of. He probably won't fit into his 2T pants until late next winter, and by then he'll be ready for some 2T shorts.

One thing he really needs is size 18 month summer jammies. My sister recommends lightweight shirt and pant sets that snap at the waist and have no feet, which is what her boys wore. And for next winter he'll be needing size 2T warm feet jammies. He could probably use some 18-24 month onesies in different colors, too.

Thank you everyone who's been asking what we need. We appreciate your thoughtfulness!

Also, please let me know if you come across the following items, cheap, at garage sales or thrift stores (Please... don't buy them yourselves - we'll go pick them up; we're not asking anyone to spend money for these larger items):
- a small Little Tikes table and chairs set for Luke (they've got to be really low to the ground and sturdy since he's so short);
- a small outdoor slide or something Luke can climb on;
- a small wooden portable crib for Lexie like the ones they use in daycares. (We already have a pack 'n play for once she outgrows the bassinet, but are hoping to find something small and sturdy, with adjustable mattress heights, that can fit into a tight corner of our bedroom).

Thanks for all your help and prayers!

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

35 Week Ultrasound

Lexie is looking good. She's about 6 lbs and already 19.5" long! They said she should really start packing on the pounds now. Everything looks great. Dr. Banias is happy with how I'm doing and especially the baby's growth. He said if I go into labor from here on out he probably won't stop it since she's already so big and looks very healthy.

That really eased my mind so I don't have to worry so much about all these crazy contractions I'm still having. Sometimes it's only 3-4 an hour... other times it's 6-8. Most are just mildly uncomfortable, but some really hurt. My biggest complaint is my hips; they are killing me and it takes forever to get comfortable at night. Plus, Lexie likes to kick and tries to do flips throughout the night. Thank God for the muscle relaxer or I'd hardly be getting any sleep at night!

I'm supposed to just take it easy, drink plenty of water and rest as much as I can. He wants to to TRY to drink 8 liters a day! Yeah, right!

So, my last day working at the church will be next Friday, March 28. Then I'll be on leave for 3 months, which should be nice. I'm looking forward to have plenty of time to be home with my kids.

Luke's 18 Month Checkup

Luke is apparently destined to be small for his age. Probably because he has 2 short parents. He's barely over 30" tall and only weighs 22 lbs 4 oz. He actually lost a few ounces since his 15 month checkup, but the pediatrician wasn't worried. She said he's very healthy and has shown a steady growth in weight since birth. He's in the 10th percentile, which means 90% of kids his age are bigger than him.

So, not to worry... our Luke will just be a cute adorable little man for a while longer! And he'll probably look pretty big once Lexie arrives.

Friday, March 14, 2008

Pre-Term Labor Scare

We ended up in Labor & Delivery on Tuesday evening with strong contractions that were coming every 5-7 minutes. After close monitoring and medication to relax and calm my uterus, they finally began to slow down. At least I don't seem to be dilating past 1 cm, which means it's not pre-term labor.

Lexie and I are hanging in there. The contractions are still coming off and on, but only 3-4 times an hour, and they're not nearly as painful as they were on Tuesday. The doctor said to rest as much as I can, and that we don't need to worry unless they get back up to 10-12 an hour. (Some of them still hurt and Lexie really likes to kick hard, so I'm a bit sore!)

Dr. Banias gave me medication to take at bedtime (one that is safe for the baby) to help me (and my uterus) relax so I can get a good night's sleep... something that I haven't had in several weeks now. (Thank God for naps!)

Our goal is to keep Lexie from arriving for at least another 2 1/2 weeks; by then her lungs should be mature enough for delivery at 37 weeks. Please pray for her not to make her appearance before then.

We do have one more ultrasound scheduled for this Wednesday afternoon, March 19. They want to check her size, since Lexie's been measuring 25% larger than average, as well as the fluid that's building above my cervix.

Thanks so much for keeping me in your thoughts and prayers. Apparently, Lexie is just ready to make her debut!

Saturday, March 08, 2008

I've Been Sick... Again

Wednesday when I woke up I felt really out of it... kind of lightheaded and dizzy. I just knew that something wasn't right and I thought it had something to do with the baby. My mom took me to see Dr. Banias right away since I didn't think I could drive while Holly watched Luke, and it turns out that I'm fighting off a virus. My fever has been up and down and fortunately hasn't gone as high as Luke's did over the weekend. The baby is doing just fine, thank God!

I got a small lecture on eating better and drinking more water: 8 liters per day! Ha! That's much easier said than done. So, Marty keeps filling up 2 liter bottles and setting them in the living room so I'll keep drinking tons of water. No wonder I have to pee all the time!

I'm doing better... just very tired. Only about 6 weeks to go!

At least I was able to go to my grandma's viewing Wednesday and funeral Thursday. It was sad to say goodbye, but she's dancing with Jesus in heaven now! It was nice to see all the relatives from my dad's side of the family who I haven't seen in years.

And now we're snowed it, but it's very cozy. I managed to get to Wal-Mart yesterday before the snow got too bad so we're all set on food. We took advantage of the time to get our taxes done online. I'm almost finished and it looks like we'll get a nice refund, thank the Lord!

Sunday, March 02, 2008

An Emotional Weekend

Please continue to pray for Luke. He's slowly improving, but has a viral infection. His fever was up to 103.2 yesterday morning. We almost didn't go to the morning sessions of the marriage conference. The pediatrician said the fever is a good sign that his body is fighting the infection, and we don't need to take him to the ER unless it hits 104. That is a little too high for me and we were really worried.

Thank God for my mom staying at our house to watch Luke so we could be close to Children's and could run home quickly if his fever went too high, but it broke early Saturday afternoon. My parents took Luke home with them around 2:00 pm yesterday and brought him back this afternoon. He did really well at their house.

Luke is doing much better today, but is still fussy and tired. His fever is just low-grade now, thank God.

The marriage conference was good and Marty and I really enjoyed it even though it was our third time attending. We always get something different out of the sessions and homework projects. It was an awesome chance to reconnect and focus on good uninterrupted communication.

Then, on our way home after the last session today, we found out that my grandma died this morning. She'd been sick but had been slowly improving. Yesterday she took a turn for the worse and her heart just gave out. She was 93. Very sad 'cuz she sure was a spunky old lady!

Needless to say, Marty and I are both physically and emotionally drained right now. We appreciate you keeping our family in your thoughts and prayers!