Thomas the bat boy
First time in the Baby Bjorn. He really does like it...
The baseball games kind of overstimulate Duncan. He's been awake now for 7 hours or so. And is fighting sleep like a mad man. So we're filling him with lots of warm milk and then he will sleep. Plus it's close to time for all of us to go to bed. He goes to sleep faster when we're in there with him. Which will probably make for some tough times when he moves to his own room but we'll cross that bridge later.
Mighty D has been much more energetic lately. The meds seem to have helped with that. Or he's just getting bigger. Either way, it's terribly cute. Today he almost laughed...Aaron was tickling him and Duncan gave a huge grin and said "HA". Close!
Today's baseball game was fun. It was one of 2 afternoon games the Indians have had this year. My team from work came to the game so we sat with them (it was in the shade). It was great to see them and catch up. Plus we got to show off Duncan which is always fun!
Tomorrow is Mighty D's 2 month check up. I think we're due for shots. I think it will be easier than the cortisol blood tests - that took over 45 minutes. Shots are quick. For the kiddo. Not for the parents.
I only have 6 days left of maternity leave. I'm torn. I'm a work-a-holic and am really looking forward to getting back to work. I know. It's terrible. I also don't want to leave my guys. But I am so so so so so lucky that I'm leaving my baby with my beloved. I won't have as much anxiety (maybe) over leaving him. But work will be good :) Plus I have to pay off the doctor bills somehow!
It's time for bed for all us Tinsleys :) After I pump...sigh...
Today has been lovely. Nice and not busy. Which is good because I've had a touch of a headache most of the day. Stupid smoke in the air. C'est la vie!
Miss Nancy came by for a visit today. Duncan, of course, wouldn't wake up to show her his beautiful eyes or talk to her. But he cuddled and napped on her for almost an hour (which made me happy! He hasn't slept much today). Plus she brought brownies & monkey bread :) Thanks bunches!!!!
Duncan has been cluster eating and cluster sleeping again. He'll nap for about an hour then be hungry then nap for an hour...you get the idea. He's been sleeping pretty well at night so this is okay during the day. For now. I hope it's temporary. At least until he's 12 or 13 then he'll eat and eat and eat!
The weather has broken and it's only about 85 today. Much better than yesterday's 95. Hopefully it stays a bit cool so we can all go to the baseball game on Monday afternoon and not fry. I think we're headed to the game tomorrow night, too. No way I'm attempting tonight's game. I'd have to take Mighty D by myself and fight a crowd on fireworks night. Not gonna happen. Aaron would've met us there. It's always much quieter on Sunday night.
I've been reading books on my Kindle lately. This fantastic invention has made Mom-ness so much easier! I can read Duncan stories from it (there are lots of fairy tales out there) and only need one hand. I can hold him with the other hand. Best Mother's Day present :)
And now, I'm a bit amazed. My son has slept long enough for me to eat dinner and pump for 20 minutes! Whew! It's a bit stressful trying to fit pumping in while Aaron's at work. I obsess that Duncan will wake up and need me and I'm attached to this bloody machine. don't get me wrong. I appreciate the machine it just gets tedious after a bit...Totally worth it, though, for a healthier baby boy!!! Every time I start getting frustrated by it I look over at my sleeping baby and the world is just right. I'll need to print some pictures to put in my bag for work.
And now, I'd best stop blogging and be constructive. Sigh :)
Duncan and Captain America
Oh my goodness. A day with nothing scheduled. Well, Aaron had to go to work but that's totally different from having to go to an appointment. It was blissful! And good because Mighty D turned into Mr. Hyde and decided that he didn't want to go back to sleep at 4 am. Noooo. It was time to be awake and fussy.
This is when I discovered why God gives you a helpmate. I had nothing but respect for single parents before. But I couldn't imagine having a baby on your own. Between the two of us, we finally got him back to sleep around 5:30 (he'd been up about 3 hours by then). Then he was up again just before 9. Not as long as we'd have liked him to sleep but beggars can't be choosers.
Duncan did pretty well today. He was a bit fussy this afternoon and has again been cluster feeding but we think it might be because of the medication. Or he's growing. Or he's just a baby :)
I got to get out of the house for a bit today. We had to get some checks in the bank and get a different thermometer. Because Duncan doesn't produce cortisol (the hormone that allows your body to react to stress), we have to be cautious if he gets a fever. And the thermometer we had is good but not fast. So I went to Costco for a temporal thermometer. We like it! Much easier & faster.
Today was also the first day of thyroid meds. No real difference so far but I'm not sure what to expect. He'll probably be more alert...I think. We'll see!
We've gone 4 nights in a row without a brady or apnea attack :) That's a very good sign. Hopefully he's outgrowing them and we'll be able to get rid of the monitor soon.
Duncan got to hang out with Miss Carly today. He was very well behaved and snuggled with her and talked to her. He didn't spit up on her. Lucky girl :) It was nice to have an adult conversation with someone other than Aaron (no offense honey). And to catch up on girl talk!!
The wee beastie is now sleeping so I should probably go & do something slightly more constructive than blogging. Or I may just go read or knit...although finishing Duncan's blanket right now seems waaaay too warm. I think the Kindle will win.
Today we got to go visit a pediatric ophthalmologist. Interesting experience. Plus we got to watch part of Toy Story 2 which is still an AWESOME movie.
Duncan's optic nerve is a bit smaller than normal. We have to watch him over the next 5 or 6 weeks to see if he favors one eye or has any odd eye movement. We can totally do that. Hopefully his vision will turn out fine. Fingers crossed! He had to have his eyes dilated which was pretty funny. He wouldn't wake up for the exam so we had to force his eyes open. Not a happy camper. Apparently we should have taken him to the eye doctor yesterday when he wouldn't sleep at all!!
Fortunately, he's been catching up on sleep today. I was able to get his bed changed and the laundry done. YAY! Plus I got a nap before Aaron went to work. Good day :)
This afternoon Miss Jane came by to visit. Mighty D gave her a very high compliment by falling asleep on her :)
I'm very excited about tomorrow. We have zero appointments. Nada, zip, zilch! That means we can all sleep in and take naps and do pretty much nothing! Yippee!
Duncan loves his cousin!
Very busy.
Which results in a very tired, over-stimulated boy. Who is fussing and generally unhappy at the moment.
He needs to go to sleep but won't. We're both trying to figure out what he needs and aren't being overly successful. He seems to want to eat which is good in some ways but wow. He's eaten a LOT in the past hour! And is still fussing. Time to go and try something new...
Nunkie Gabe!!!!
Naptime with Momma
First baseball game!!!!!
Good news is we now know what's up with his growth. His pituitary gland doesn't function properly. So we're working with a pediatric endocrinologist who is AMAZING and we have a plan to get and keep Duncan on track :-)
This afternoon we just hung out & rested...and then Duncan got to go to his first baseball game!!!! He made it about 90 minutes before he melted down. We were pretty impressed. Next time I'll take more milk...but he looked around and flirted with the people around us. Very cute. Our friends that we sit by were very excited to finally meet him.
Now he's eating like we've never never ever fed him in his entire life. He's concentrating so hard Aaron is telling him he needs to blink. The child will totally beat anyone in a staring contest!! Hands down he is the best starer in the house.
And now we have a very over-stimulated boy who might not want to go to sleep. Could be an interesting evening. Hopefully he passes out soon and will sleep until 2 or 3...
PS: 45 minutes of singing songs and he's still awake. But he's stopped fussing and is now in his bassinet. We'll see...
Bath time!!
I love my bath. And my daddy.
I am clean and I am tired.
It's funny. When we were first married, we agreed we wouldn't discuss kids for 5 years. That way we had time to get to know each other and do things together that we wouldn't be able to do with kids.
After 5 years, we decided kids weren't in the cards. We enjoyed our life together and didn't want or need kids. We enjoyed traveling together and hanging out together and just being with each other.
After 9 years, we reconsidered. We wanted to have a child. So we started trying. For 2 years we tried. No luck. After 18 months we finally went to the doctor. Found out I have PCOS (poly-cystic ovarian syndrome). That means the walls of my ovaries were thickened because of too much insulin. I'm not diabetic or pre-diabetic, just too much insulin. So I went on meds to get my insulin under control and 3 months later we were pregnant!!!
We waited until Christmas to tell people, just in case. Fortunately, the first trimester ended right then so we knew were probably in the clear safety wise.
And just about 8 weeks ago, we had Duncan and our lives have been forever changed. I can't figure out why we didn't do this sooner. Granted, I don't think I would have been able to deal with the NICU if I was younger. I know I wasn't strong enough. But now, I wouldn't trade my Wiggly-boo for the world!!
Today was quiet. We just hung out, did laundry, bathed the baby. Nothing too exciting. It was a really nice, very peaceful day. Perfect way to spend our anniversary. Plus we had leftover pizza for our anniversary dinner. I know it sounds (reads???) weird but it was a lovely meal :)
And now, off to put a tired baby to bed.
