A fun day to remember

Yesterday, we had the best day with Griffin. This Christmas Break has been a real struggle. We have passed sickness around, dealt with massive three year old fits and attitude, been really out of routine, traveled a lot, and had to focus lots of attention on sick Grady. It's been exhausting actually and not at all a break!

But yesterday was nearly perfect! So I decided to document it for my own encouragement on a hard day later.

Griffin and daddy took down the Christmas decorations and Griffin was super helpful. He loves to go to the attic with Daddy and did a great job obeying the rules up there. He went down for his nap without a fit. Once he got up he played some on his own, and some with us.



At one point I walked into his room and his daddy was filming him making a "playdoh video" like on YouTube. Haha! He loves to watch those weird videos. He could watch them all day.

Then he and I decorated and played with some silly photo booth props he got for Christmas, while daddy cooked dinner.









He and daddy played with the nerf guns Santa brought us in our stockings while I cleaned up the kitchen. And wouldn't you know, they started sneaking up and shooting me! After I finished, we played a game where me and griffin would hide in a room and daddy had to find us. When he came in we would shoot him! Ha. Then we switched. It was too much fun. Daddy tends to be the fun one, and so I am really glad I joined the fun this time. I needed that after this long week. Daddy and Griffin also practiced shooting cups.









Then it was time to wind down for bed, so we played Candyland. And Griffin actually let us play the correct way the entire game! I was very proud. He usually decides he wants to move wherever he wants and that's that. Griffin won. Daddy was a close second. Mommy came in way last. Ha.

I needed a day like yesterday. I have felt like I have spent most of the days of this break fighting and disciplining Griffin till I am blue in the face. I know it's part of this phase but it is sooo not fun. Glad to have a whole day filled with good memories and not a single spanking!


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I Hate You RSV

This past Tuesday, Grady was diagnosed with RSV. Ugh! He turned 2 months old on Tuesday as well, so RSV is a really big deal in such a young baby.

RSV is basically a bad virus in the respiratory system. In adults we often just call it a cold or a respiratory infection and get over it quick. But in a baby or child, it is a much more serious matter. It causes the airways to get smaller due to gunk, and their airways are already tiny! So the biggest fear is that it will develop into pneumonia in a small baby or child. And that can be deathly.

So normally 2 month olds are immediately admitted to the hospital with RSV. Dr.Fraser said we were right on the brink so we could monitor from home, then he terrified me with instructions to watch for and said if I saw any of them to immediately go to the er, don't call him. Ahhh.

I basically watched the poor child like a hawk, and barely slept at all. And he cough got worse so I was stressing like crazy. But we made it thru! Yesterday we went for a follow up and his chest sounds way better! Dr said he should be completely better by the start of the week. Praise the Lord. Seriously.

So in case your kid gets RSV and you want to know a few things to do, or if one of mine gets it again and I need the list:

- Keep them sitting up at all times except diaper changes. So keep them in car seat. Or we put a few folded up blankets in the rocknplay and put him in there. It is not inclined enough for this on its own.

- Saline and suction. Lots. I got a nosefrida, after always hearing about it and then Haven trying it and loving it. Definitely works better than the bulb syringe.

- Humidifier.

- A drop or two of peppermint oil mixed into coconut oil and rubbed on chest. Make sure you wash your hands right after and don't let baby touch it either.

- We were prescribed Albuterol Syrup and gave 1 ml three times a day. Older babies and children are usually prescribed breathing treatments with albuterol.

- Things to watch for: when sleeping you can count the number of breaths they take. 30-40 a minute is normal. 60 or over you need to go to the ER. Flaring nostrils when breathing while asleep.

Hope this helps someone. It is so hard to watch your child be sick. It is especially hard to watch a tiny one be sick. I haven't been this worried since Griffin was in the NICU. Whew.


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Christmas Past- My Side

And all the Christmases with my side of the family. I know all of us adults change too, but it is really cool to see the girls (and eventually my boys) grow in these pictures! Gosh time flies!
























In 2009, my Mema lived with my parents for awhile. I am sooo glad I had this tradition of taking a group shot now, because that group picture with her in it is priceless to me. Just a few short years later we lost her.

People, this is a very easy tradition. And you just don't know how precious this will be for your family to be able to look back. Now that I have done it for both sides of our family, I am so thankful the Lord has blessed us with such loving families!

Happy New Year!

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Christmas Past- Mr.Pate's Side

I have been wanting to put all of our Christmas group shots in one spot, so I finally hunted them all down to do just that. Apparently I started this tradition with just our celebration at Mr.Pate's Mom's in 2006 and then everyone else in 2007. Looking at these made me miss his Grandma so much. She was a hilarious and feisty woman. Never a dull moment with her around. Loved her.






































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Motherhood Reflections: Welcoming Number Two

(I am always wanting to blog thoughts and feelings on different things, like I used to, but it's so hard to find the time to get them typed out. So here is to trying to find time! )

Leading up to Grady's birth, I wondered what it would be like to have two kids. As all people do, I couldn't fathom loving another child the way I love Griffin. But I know that every mom of two or more had told me that it's just a natural thing that your heart suddenly doubles and you somehow love both just as fiercely, so I wasn't too worried. And in some regards I would say yes, this is totally true. I now have a love for both boys that is unexplainably deep and equal.

However, so many had said as soon as number two was born they could not imagine their families without them. That suddenly their family felt perfect....

Gotta be honest... the transition to two children was just not this way for me.

I struggled. For starters, I had a spinal headache the first week. So I was too miserable to really deal with people in general, much less a three year old. Once that passed, I just had a hard time feeling like everything was so much harder and life was so easy with just one. Why did we do this, I asked myself. Life was different, and my immediate response during the sleep deprived and hormonal first weeks was to long for life as I had known it. I tricked myself in to thinking that life was sooo easy before Grady. News flash, it wasn't.

But life with Grady was different. And I am resistant to change. So my natural instinct is to long for the way things used to be. I did this when griffin was born too. I remember longing for the days when we could go anywhere we wanted whenever, when I could sleep all night and sleep in, when I had the energy to stay up and watch movies with my hubby. And then eventually I got the hang of our new normal, and quit longing for the old days. I gained confidence in the new and let myself enjoy it.

So when Grady was born and I had these same thoughts, I just told myself it would pass and I would get the hang of it. And you know what? I did. We did. And now I find myself hugging him tightly and thanking God for adding him to our family. I find myself being unable to imagine life without him. It just took some time to get there.

So if you are a new momma to two, and you are feeling guilty for not feeling the immediate bond like so many share about, just give yourself grace and time. We are all different, and we need to quit comparing and let ourselves do our own thing. You will get there. "He who has promised is faithful (Hebrews 10:23)" and He knows His plans for you.



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