Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Baby Faces and the Lake
Gabriel makes a lot of faces in his sleep. It's really cute to watch. He wasn't quite as active as usual, but I got all these within about 30 seconds. 
I guess he was checking up on me.
Stretching
Back to relaxing
Smiley faces
Tyler has been so bored, sitting around on the couch or the floor. There's only so much a toddler can do while sitting down. Especially when he's used to being very active!
So we decided to head to Lake George and take a walk around the lake. Dawson was at Grandma's house since Tyler has a biopsy scheduled for the next day.
Gabriel was all comfy and warm, he fell asleep right away
Tyler was watching some ducks, he was very amused
The pic is blurry because it was dark out, but I didn't like what my flash was doing to the pics. Will have to play with that more. About 12 hours after getting his cast on, Tyler decided to stand up with it. He wasn't putting weight on it, but he's been doing a little more as the day goes on. Earlier he was army crawling, dragging his legs around.
The moon, just because.
Tyler's Cast & Gabriel's 2 week Checkup
Tyler's cast appointment went well. My sister came and helped out with Dawson so I could focus on Tyler. I wasn't sure how he'd do since it's a new thing. He did great though, sat perfectly still! The Dr was pretty rude, he wanted me to move my "house" aka stroller out of the room. I told him I'd have to take the baby out first and he hadn't realized I had a baby in there, so he told me in a huff to just keep it in the room then. He went on and on about how he's never seen such an "SUV of a stroller". I was amused. It is a big double stroller though, it has a lot of storage space, which I really wanted because of all our appointments and hospital trips. We use every inch of space in that thing! Having the infant carrier on the stroller really makes it look big though. His cast is orange, the color for Leukemia awareness. I think it looks really cute!
Gabriel's 2 week checkup went well. He weighed 9 pounds 9 ounces and was 20.5 inches long. So he's gained almost a pound and 1.5 inches in 2 weeks. The Dr was impressed with his head control and says everything looks good. His next appointment is for his 2 month checkup on May 26th.
He wasn't happy because he wanted off the bed
Dawson got this idea right away. The stroller is short enough for Dawson to comfortably push it. Which is why I really don't like umbrella strollers, I'm too tall for it! It's small size is useful for going around the apartment though. Tyler loved being pushed by Dawson. I don't let him push the stroller much though, I didn't want Dawson running his leg into anything! So Dawson pushes the stroller around while it's empty.
Tyler also has a walking shoe, so the cast doesn't get worn down on the bottom and so he has some grip. It's a really cute little shoe!
Monday, April 11, 2011
Broken Leg
Things have been going well and we're all getting into new routines and settling in well. Apparently too well! Dan has been awesome about getting up and putting Dawson on the bus at noon so I don't have to. I'm usually nursing Gabriel or something anyway, so that really helps. The boys and I have been venturing out more. Today we played on the playground after getting Dawson off the bus. It went really well. Tyler has discovered the big swing and does great. He hasn't fallen off and he must've spent a good 15 minutes or more just swinging and smiling.
We went to class tonight, which went pretty good. Dawson wanted to play outside instead of coming inside, but he did finally come inside without me having to go get him. The parent time was nice, they had 4 ladies who used to be in the support group. Their kids are in their early teens now and they were talking about things and answering questions. It was nice to have some insight and get some questions answered. They brought the kids outside to play since it was nice out, so we joined the kids outside after our discussion was over. Tyler was being held by his favorite para, he looked very pale and tired. She said he just wanted to be held because he went down the slide a few times and then was suddenly crying and wanted to be held. He leaned toward me, so I took him from her and asked him if he wants to go play. Gabriel had woken up also, so I put Tyler down and he just dropped to the ground without trying to stand up. I was still holding onto him, I'm just used to making sure he has good footing before letting him go, since he's had weak leg issues in the past. I stood him back up and he cried and was shaking a bit. The teacher was standing there and I told her I'm gonna have to bring him in because something is wrong with his leg. I asked the para if his leg was caught or anything going down the slide and she said it was. The teacher wanted me to wait it out a bit and see if he'd walk on it, but I had a feeling it was broken. If it was just sore, he'd be walking on it. He always pushes through the pain if he can, so him not walking and acting like that is serious. I got the kids in the van and headed out. I was nervous since we didn't have much for entertainment. Usually we head to the ER from home, so I just grab the hospital bag on the way out the door, which already has bubbles, toys and other things for entertainment. Thankfully Dan had just refilled the animal crackers in the diaper bag, so I did have those.
We got there and Dawson was excited. We entered the parking ramp and Dawson said "2!", which is the level we park on. He happily went into the hospital and pushed the door opener buttons and then the elevator buttons. He's a very good helper when it comes to doors. The ER got us in right away, thanks to Tyler not being allowed in waiting rooms. They put us right in the x-ray room to make things easier. Tyler was flirting with all the nurses, he was all smiles and they seemed to think it must not be too bad if he's acting so happy! They acted like the Dr might not even do an x-ray. Thankfully they believed me when I told them that Tyler has always been hard to figure out pain with since he's always so darn smiley. He refused to walk for them at first and then put on a brave face and limped about 4 steps over to me. The Dr said he still couldn't tell where the problem was. He felt his hips, ankles and legs and finally applied pressure to the right spot, because Tyler started crying when he pushed about mid-way up the bottom part of his leg. The x-rays went really well. He looked at me with a panicked look on his face like he wanted to jump off the table. I told him it's ok and kept talking to him and he settled down. He still looked nervous, but kept an intense focus on me through the whole thing and he did great. He held perfectly still, though I still held his leg in position, he never even tried to fight me. He's such a brave little guy.
Gabriel hanging out with me in the evening
Gabriel getting a spongebath
Tyler with his temporary cast
I asked Dawson to go get a train book. He got one and even read it to Tyler too! He gave Tyler a hug and said "it's ok". It was so sweet! He was lightly touching Tyler's leg and I told him that Tyler has an owie. He seemed pretty concerned. He's so attached to his little brother.
Dawson doesn't pay a lot of attention to Gabriel. He seems to like having him around though. Last night before bed I was playing with Gabriel and he was very awake. Dawson was on the floor, so I held Gabriel upright on the floor and Dawson got very excited and said "Walk!". He seemed to think the time had come for Gabriel to just up and start walking so he could play with him. Sorry Dawson, about a year to go for that! It was just so cute how excited he was, like he's just been patiently waiting for that these last couple weeks.
Tonight has been hard, Tyler got up twice tonight, and just carrying him to and from bed those couple times was really hard on me. I'm nervous about how tomorrow will go, with him needing to be carried and probably being frustrated about not being able to walk. I also have to figure out what he's going to wear for pants for the next month or so! That cast is not going to fit in any of his jeans.
We went to class tonight, which went pretty good. Dawson wanted to play outside instead of coming inside, but he did finally come inside without me having to go get him. The parent time was nice, they had 4 ladies who used to be in the support group. Their kids are in their early teens now and they were talking about things and answering questions. It was nice to have some insight and get some questions answered. They brought the kids outside to play since it was nice out, so we joined the kids outside after our discussion was over. Tyler was being held by his favorite para, he looked very pale and tired. She said he just wanted to be held because he went down the slide a few times and then was suddenly crying and wanted to be held. He leaned toward me, so I took him from her and asked him if he wants to go play. Gabriel had woken up also, so I put Tyler down and he just dropped to the ground without trying to stand up. I was still holding onto him, I'm just used to making sure he has good footing before letting him go, since he's had weak leg issues in the past. I stood him back up and he cried and was shaking a bit. The teacher was standing there and I told her I'm gonna have to bring him in because something is wrong with his leg. I asked the para if his leg was caught or anything going down the slide and she said it was. The teacher wanted me to wait it out a bit and see if he'd walk on it, but I had a feeling it was broken. If it was just sore, he'd be walking on it. He always pushes through the pain if he can, so him not walking and acting like that is serious. I got the kids in the van and headed out. I was nervous since we didn't have much for entertainment. Usually we head to the ER from home, so I just grab the hospital bag on the way out the door, which already has bubbles, toys and other things for entertainment. Thankfully Dan had just refilled the animal crackers in the diaper bag, so I did have those.
We got there and Dawson was excited. We entered the parking ramp and Dawson said "2!", which is the level we park on. He happily went into the hospital and pushed the door opener buttons and then the elevator buttons. He's a very good helper when it comes to doors. The ER got us in right away, thanks to Tyler not being allowed in waiting rooms. They put us right in the x-ray room to make things easier. Tyler was flirting with all the nurses, he was all smiles and they seemed to think it must not be too bad if he's acting so happy! They acted like the Dr might not even do an x-ray. Thankfully they believed me when I told them that Tyler has always been hard to figure out pain with since he's always so darn smiley. He refused to walk for them at first and then put on a brave face and limped about 4 steps over to me. The Dr said he still couldn't tell where the problem was. He felt his hips, ankles and legs and finally applied pressure to the right spot, because Tyler started crying when he pushed about mid-way up the bottom part of his leg. The x-rays went really well. He looked at me with a panicked look on his face like he wanted to jump off the table. I told him it's ok and kept talking to him and he settled down. He still looked nervous, but kept an intense focus on me through the whole thing and he did great. He held perfectly still, though I still held his leg in position, he never even tried to fight me. He's such a brave little guy.
Gabriel hanging out with me in the evening
Tonight has been hard, Tyler got up twice tonight, and just carrying him to and from bed those couple times was really hard on me. I'm nervous about how tomorrow will go, with him needing to be carried and probably being frustrated about not being able to walk. I also have to figure out what he's going to wear for pants for the next month or so! That cast is not going to fit in any of his jeans.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Out and About
Monday we headed to our usual support group class at Dawson's school. Thankfully I had planned on playing on the playground before class. Instead we got there just in time for class to start! It's always amazing how long it can take to get out of the house with each child that is added into the picture. 3 diapers, buckle Gabriel into his infant seat, take him out and change another diaper because he pooped the second I clicked him into the seat, make sure Dawson and Tyler look decent and get their shoes on, check the diaper bag to make sure I won't leave the house without anything necessary and get them to the van and wrestled into their carseats. I mean that literally, in Tyler's case! He has been fighting getting into his seat for a few weeks now.
We went to the library, Dawson fell and skinned his knuckle. I feel like I have half the apartment packed into the diaper bag, but there isn't a bandaid to be found in there. Add that to my list of things to have with! Thankfully the library had one, it was really bleeding quite a bit. There was several people in line and I had Dawson making quite a scene about his finger and Gabriel had woken up and started fussing. Thankfully we got out of there before he really started crying much. I fed him in the van once we got out there and then he was good to go again. Thankfully Dawson and Tyler have been fairly patient waiting in their carseats while I nurse Gabriel. We usually listen to music to pass the time.
They went into class very nicely, they love school and thankfully the classroom isn't far from the door. The way out didn't go so smoothly though. I didn't bring the stroller in since they usually do good walking. A teacher offered help, so she decided to take the toddlers while I took the baby and diaper bag. The boys were too much for her though, she carried Tyler and kept trying to grab at Dawson to hold his hand. Dawson wasn't having that, he doesn't like holding hands much at all, but especially not with people he doesn't really know. He kept dropping down and eventually got away from her and ran out into the parking lot. Dawson was so concerned about staying away from her that he went past the van and fell while looking over his shoulder for her. This time he got a couple other knuckles skinned, but not enough to bleed. I caught up to him and when he saw me he calmed down and went right to the van. The teacher looked a bit frantic. I then changed all of their diapers in the van and another teacher came and asked if I needed help. I suppose since I was still there. I nursed Gabriel and we went to the playground to play. The last teacher saw us out there and wanted to know if I was managing. At this point it was just insulting! I was in a fenced-in playground, they couldn't get away if they wanted to! The boys had lots of fun playing and got some energy out, so I was glad they were able to play outside a while.
Afterward we went to the mall. Dawson and Tyler both enjoyed going around the mall. Tyler decided about halfway around to ride in the stroller the rest of the way. His legs had been pretty tired. I got diapers and some things at Target, which didn't go so well. Dawson wasn't listening and walked under the big stroller shelf so he could get to the baby toy aisle. Thankfully he always goes there, so I know where to find him, but it's still very frustrating. So I put the monkey harness on him, which he didn't like at all. I told him if he wants to walk by himself he needs to listen and stay by me. I took the harness off when he asked very nicely, he even said please! He ran right off again though, so I put it back on him, which made him even more upset then the first time! So I grabbed what I needed and headed to check out. He was creating quite a scene, dropping to the floor and refusing to walk at all. I was already carrying 2 boxes of diapers and pushing the stroller, so it was difficult. He did better once we were up at the register, thankfully.
Our 2nd class experience was a bit different. Our Thursday night class isn't just for Special Ed, it's for everyone. It's also further into the building. I put the harness on Tyler since he usually tries running off and Dawson did well walking. Tyler did hold my hand the whole time, he's getting better about that, but still slips away from me a lot. When we got there, the teacher came over and told me that they would help me get to the car since the teacher from our other class had told her we were unable to get to the car safetly by ourselves. Talk about insulting! I knew they could help if needed and had assumed the special ed teacher would be able to handle him when she offered! So I had brought the harness in so I could just take them out myself this time. It went well, Dawson listened and went where I asked him to and Tyler was good about holding my hand. We played on the playground again instead of going right to the car. That eliminated the worry about the other cars leaving. By the time we were done playing, we were the only car in the lot. She also gave me a pamphlet for a program that volunteers to help moms with their kids, like going to classes, parks or whatever. Sounds like a really nice program, but it was still insulting the way she came over and mentioned it all with the attitude that I couldn't handle the kids by myself. It's going to take some getting used to and seeing what works and what doesn't. Even after a few days of being out and about I'm changing up how we do things and I'm already seeing some improvement. I've found that Tyler only does good in the harness if we keep moving and Gabriel likes being in the sling.
Class went well, the boys both really like circle time and the indoor playroom. Dawson goes off with the older kids to a preschool room to do a project and have some preschool time while Tyler and Gabriel come back to the room with us. Tyler and another boy his age play while the parents all have discussion. It's nice to talk about things that are troubling us and get some ideas that we might not have thought of ourselves. After class we went to Walmart. Dawson did pretty well in there, it was Gabriel who decided to make a fuss this time. He really reminds me of Tyler as a baby, he's very calm and content but is not a fan of his carseat. Dawson would calm right down when the car moved, Tyler and Gabriel didn't get calmed at all by it. So I carried Gabriel in the sling through Walmart, which calmed him down and got us lots of ladies coming over to peek in at the new baby and ask questions. They all decided he was pretty cute. Before he woke up I actually shopped for myself! I only buy myself clothes maybe a couple times a year at best. Thankfully Gabriel didn't wake up until I was done in the dressing room. It was Tyler who woke him up, he decided to rock the carseat, only he was really rocking it fast and it woke him up. Tyler is still kinda rough with him, but Dawson has been very good. He even turns the swing back on once it shuts off and asks me if he can push the swing. Gabriel doesn't like how fast the low setting swings, so we just manually push it every now and then to give it some slight movement for now. He's mostly about the music, he's very happy as long as it's going.
Dawson loves that I can show him the screen on the camera and take pics at the same time (it swivels around).
Tyler having some apples before bed
Posing for the camera
Dawson had to get in the picture too!
Gabriel asleep on the couch
Tyler and Gabriel in my bed. I had nursed Gabriel and he fell asleep. Then Tyler woke up and came in to nurse too, so to make room I just switch to the other side of the bed. Dawson often comes in to cuddle too! It makes for a very full bed in the morning, but I don't mind. They're only little for so long. :)
Dawson likes having his legs crossed in his carseat. Lately he's been trying to sit in Tyler's rear facing carseat too, I think he misses being snuggled up and able to sleep easier. He's always been a car sleeper, even on short trips across town! Here I had just nursed Gabriel after running into the library and Dawson was already asleep before I was done nursing, and he only took maybe 10 minutes!
Dawson on the playground
Gabriel sleeping in my lap in the car
His swing. I have to roll up a blanket to put next to him so he doesn't fall sideways!
Tyler and Gabriel after their 4am snack. Tyler had woken up, which he does about every other night and wanted to nurse. He woke up Gabriel with his crying, so they both nursed and then cuddled up to eachother and fell asleep. Gabriel wasn't that close originally, he kinda scooted down toward Tyler.
Tyler even turned toward him to cuddle more. So cute!!
We went to the library, Dawson fell and skinned his knuckle. I feel like I have half the apartment packed into the diaper bag, but there isn't a bandaid to be found in there. Add that to my list of things to have with! Thankfully the library had one, it was really bleeding quite a bit. There was several people in line and I had Dawson making quite a scene about his finger and Gabriel had woken up and started fussing. Thankfully we got out of there before he really started crying much. I fed him in the van once we got out there and then he was good to go again. Thankfully Dawson and Tyler have been fairly patient waiting in their carseats while I nurse Gabriel. We usually listen to music to pass the time.
They went into class very nicely, they love school and thankfully the classroom isn't far from the door. The way out didn't go so smoothly though. I didn't bring the stroller in since they usually do good walking. A teacher offered help, so she decided to take the toddlers while I took the baby and diaper bag. The boys were too much for her though, she carried Tyler and kept trying to grab at Dawson to hold his hand. Dawson wasn't having that, he doesn't like holding hands much at all, but especially not with people he doesn't really know. He kept dropping down and eventually got away from her and ran out into the parking lot. Dawson was so concerned about staying away from her that he went past the van and fell while looking over his shoulder for her. This time he got a couple other knuckles skinned, but not enough to bleed. I caught up to him and when he saw me he calmed down and went right to the van. The teacher looked a bit frantic. I then changed all of their diapers in the van and another teacher came and asked if I needed help. I suppose since I was still there. I nursed Gabriel and we went to the playground to play. The last teacher saw us out there and wanted to know if I was managing. At this point it was just insulting! I was in a fenced-in playground, they couldn't get away if they wanted to! The boys had lots of fun playing and got some energy out, so I was glad they were able to play outside a while.
Afterward we went to the mall. Dawson and Tyler both enjoyed going around the mall. Tyler decided about halfway around to ride in the stroller the rest of the way. His legs had been pretty tired. I got diapers and some things at Target, which didn't go so well. Dawson wasn't listening and walked under the big stroller shelf so he could get to the baby toy aisle. Thankfully he always goes there, so I know where to find him, but it's still very frustrating. So I put the monkey harness on him, which he didn't like at all. I told him if he wants to walk by himself he needs to listen and stay by me. I took the harness off when he asked very nicely, he even said please! He ran right off again though, so I put it back on him, which made him even more upset then the first time! So I grabbed what I needed and headed to check out. He was creating quite a scene, dropping to the floor and refusing to walk at all. I was already carrying 2 boxes of diapers and pushing the stroller, so it was difficult. He did better once we were up at the register, thankfully.
Our 2nd class experience was a bit different. Our Thursday night class isn't just for Special Ed, it's for everyone. It's also further into the building. I put the harness on Tyler since he usually tries running off and Dawson did well walking. Tyler did hold my hand the whole time, he's getting better about that, but still slips away from me a lot. When we got there, the teacher came over and told me that they would help me get to the car since the teacher from our other class had told her we were unable to get to the car safetly by ourselves. Talk about insulting! I knew they could help if needed and had assumed the special ed teacher would be able to handle him when she offered! So I had brought the harness in so I could just take them out myself this time. It went well, Dawson listened and went where I asked him to and Tyler was good about holding my hand. We played on the playground again instead of going right to the car. That eliminated the worry about the other cars leaving. By the time we were done playing, we were the only car in the lot. She also gave me a pamphlet for a program that volunteers to help moms with their kids, like going to classes, parks or whatever. Sounds like a really nice program, but it was still insulting the way she came over and mentioned it all with the attitude that I couldn't handle the kids by myself. It's going to take some getting used to and seeing what works and what doesn't. Even after a few days of being out and about I'm changing up how we do things and I'm already seeing some improvement. I've found that Tyler only does good in the harness if we keep moving and Gabriel likes being in the sling.
Class went well, the boys both really like circle time and the indoor playroom. Dawson goes off with the older kids to a preschool room to do a project and have some preschool time while Tyler and Gabriel come back to the room with us. Tyler and another boy his age play while the parents all have discussion. It's nice to talk about things that are troubling us and get some ideas that we might not have thought of ourselves. After class we went to Walmart. Dawson did pretty well in there, it was Gabriel who decided to make a fuss this time. He really reminds me of Tyler as a baby, he's very calm and content but is not a fan of his carseat. Dawson would calm right down when the car moved, Tyler and Gabriel didn't get calmed at all by it. So I carried Gabriel in the sling through Walmart, which calmed him down and got us lots of ladies coming over to peek in at the new baby and ask questions. They all decided he was pretty cute. Before he woke up I actually shopped for myself! I only buy myself clothes maybe a couple times a year at best. Thankfully Gabriel didn't wake up until I was done in the dressing room. It was Tyler who woke him up, he decided to rock the carseat, only he was really rocking it fast and it woke him up. Tyler is still kinda rough with him, but Dawson has been very good. He even turns the swing back on once it shuts off and asks me if he can push the swing. Gabriel doesn't like how fast the low setting swings, so we just manually push it every now and then to give it some slight movement for now. He's mostly about the music, he's very happy as long as it's going.
Dawson loves that I can show him the screen on the camera and take pics at the same time (it swivels around).
It's nice to go to bed with peaceful thoughts like this in my head. :)
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Last Day with Help
Today was one of those days! I'm going to really miss having Dan around all the time! He's been such a huge help, changing diapers, getting the boys food and whatever else they need, doing dishes and other housework. It's been awesome. I keep wondering what it'll be like without him here starting tomorrow!
I hadn't even gotten a chance to get Dawson dressed or fed and he'd already broken a necklace. Just after breakfast, Dan found that he had somehow removed one of the glass doors in the entertainment center. From what I heard from the other room, one of the boys was about to walk across it while it layed on the carpet. I cringe just thinking about it! The boys had a very high energy level today. They do most days anyway, but today was just crazy. You'd think someone fed them a bowl of sugar and a cup of coffee for breakfast or something! They found the box I had been putting plastic shopping bags in, dumped it out and were both running through them. They were scattered all up and down the hallway. They were doing the same thing with the half-dead Walmart clearance balloon Dawson found on yesterday's shopping trip. They were going from one thing to the next! Dawson discovered how to turn the dial in the fridge that controls the temp and turned it all the way off. 3 times today! It was hours before it was discovered the first time, so it took quite a while to get it back up to regular tempurature.
Tyler tired out in the afternoon, which rarely happens I'm thinking it's the higher chemo dose. He got fussy, clingy and just wanted to cuddle and nurse. Then he fell asleep for a couple hours. Probably also making up for the 2 times he was up last night. Dawson calmed down for a little while, but then decided he needed some more attention. So while I was nursing Gabriel, Dawson was taking my nursing pad, tipped the baby swing over and tossed some balls at me. Then he decided to be silly and put his sippy cup way up as high as he could on the entertainment center. He came back to me with giggles saying something about his sippy and pointing to it. So we laughed at the silly sippy sitting way up there, he moved and it and came back for some more giggles. He really gets going with this stuff and has such contagious giggles!
Once Tyler woke up he wanted to cuddle and nurse some more, as did Gabriel. It's so cute when they're nursing, Tyler will sometimes rub Gabriel's head or play with his hand. Dawson came over to me, still on his streak of being silly and licked my arm. That's a new one! I asked him what that was for and he just errupted with giggles and did it again. I have no clue where he got that from, but everytime he wanted attention for the rest of the day, he just came over and licked my arm.
Gabriel has been so good. Other than making me worry because he slept for hours this afternoon! He has diaper rash, which I've been trying everything in my drawer of ointments on. It is looking a little better this evening, but still has a ways to go. He really doesn't like diaper changes. Can't blame him, he looks so sore and I'm changing him a lot more often now to help the rash stay clean. I can't believe he'll be a week old tomorrow! Things are going by so quickly.
I had planned on going outside, it was a pretty nice day and the snow has finally melted off the playground! Gabriel slept all afternoon though, he didn't wake up until 6pm and by the time he was fed it had started raining. Maybe tomorrow we can play outside at the school before our support group class. That school has one of our favorite playgrounds. I'm a little nervous, taking the 3 boys to class by myself, but I'm being optimistic.
I hadn't even gotten a chance to get Dawson dressed or fed and he'd already broken a necklace. Just after breakfast, Dan found that he had somehow removed one of the glass doors in the entertainment center. From what I heard from the other room, one of the boys was about to walk across it while it layed on the carpet. I cringe just thinking about it! The boys had a very high energy level today. They do most days anyway, but today was just crazy. You'd think someone fed them a bowl of sugar and a cup of coffee for breakfast or something! They found the box I had been putting plastic shopping bags in, dumped it out and were both running through them. They were scattered all up and down the hallway. They were doing the same thing with the half-dead Walmart clearance balloon Dawson found on yesterday's shopping trip. They were going from one thing to the next! Dawson discovered how to turn the dial in the fridge that controls the temp and turned it all the way off. 3 times today! It was hours before it was discovered the first time, so it took quite a while to get it back up to regular tempurature.
Tyler tired out in the afternoon, which rarely happens I'm thinking it's the higher chemo dose. He got fussy, clingy and just wanted to cuddle and nurse. Then he fell asleep for a couple hours. Probably also making up for the 2 times he was up last night. Dawson calmed down for a little while, but then decided he needed some more attention. So while I was nursing Gabriel, Dawson was taking my nursing pad, tipped the baby swing over and tossed some balls at me. Then he decided to be silly and put his sippy cup way up as high as he could on the entertainment center. He came back to me with giggles saying something about his sippy and pointing to it. So we laughed at the silly sippy sitting way up there, he moved and it and came back for some more giggles. He really gets going with this stuff and has such contagious giggles!
Once Tyler woke up he wanted to cuddle and nurse some more, as did Gabriel. It's so cute when they're nursing, Tyler will sometimes rub Gabriel's head or play with his hand. Dawson came over to me, still on his streak of being silly and licked my arm. That's a new one! I asked him what that was for and he just errupted with giggles and did it again. I have no clue where he got that from, but everytime he wanted attention for the rest of the day, he just came over and licked my arm.
Gabriel has been so good. Other than making me worry because he slept for hours this afternoon! He has diaper rash, which I've been trying everything in my drawer of ointments on. It is looking a little better this evening, but still has a ways to go. He really doesn't like diaper changes. Can't blame him, he looks so sore and I'm changing him a lot more often now to help the rash stay clean. I can't believe he'll be a week old tomorrow! Things are going by so quickly.
I had planned on going outside, it was a pretty nice day and the snow has finally melted off the playground! Gabriel slept all afternoon though, he didn't wake up until 6pm and by the time he was fed it had started raining. Maybe tomorrow we can play outside at the school before our support group class. That school has one of our favorite playgrounds. I'm a little nervous, taking the 3 boys to class by myself, but I'm being optimistic.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Settling in
Things are still going good here. I took the kids out grocery shopping by myself yesterday and it went really well. Gabriel pretty much slept the whole time, so he didn't cause any issues at all. This week has definitely put me more at ease about having 3. I'm sure it'll get more interesting once Gabriel starts being awake more often though. The boys are back to their usual routines and don't seem that bothered by having a baby around. I'm still really surprised at how well it's going and keep waiting for someone to start having issues! So far we've gotten 2 meals from Mom's Club members, so it's been really nice to have things to just stick in the oven quick and not have to worry about making supper. It'll be interesting to see how it goes once Dan goes back to work. He's been such a huge help with chores and helping with the kids. Dawson will often just go to him for things now and Tyler loves having him around for bedtime. I can't believe his week off is over after tomorrow, it went so fast!
Dawson discovered a great way to hush a crying baby. Just stick a blanket over his head! He did that when I was unloading the van and Gabriel was still in his carseat. I showed him the right way to cover the baby with a blanket, but he just thought it was silly to have it over his face. The boys play peek-a-boo all the time, why can't the baby play too, right? At least Tyler hasn't tried to pick him up again. I still have to watch him really close. Tyler almost stepped on his head today. The boys play rough with eachother, so it's hard for Tyler to understand why he needs to be gentle and can't just pounce on top of Gabriel. Dawson seems to get it though, he's very careful around him. Sometimes he's a bit rough when he's trying to be nice though. He gave him a hug today, upside down since he was sitting by Gabriel's head. He didn't realize his elbow was smooshing Gabriel's face as he hugged him. Thankfully Gabriel just moved his head and fell right back asleep again. It still amazes me how much he puts up with without waking up or crying. So far he's only cried once from something the boys did, Tyler was checking out his fingers and I think he grabbed one a bit too hard. Even then he only cried until Tyler let go.
Dawson was running from Daddy at bedtime. He's getting good at undressing by himself.
Then he was getting goofy with the camera
He wanted some pics with me too.
Dawson decided to cuddle with Gabriel. He says "oh, so nice!" everytime he does something nice with Tyler or Gabriel. He loves the attention he gets from being nice to them.
We recently put this shelf by the door for shoes and other things, but Tyler decided that shelf needs to be empty for him to lay on and crawl through.
Gabriel is so cute! He still sleeps a lot and makes the cutest faces while he's sleeping.
Dawson is really into showing off for the camera these days.
Tyler doesn't spend much time checking out Gabriel, usually just as he's passing by. I did manage to get some pics while he was more interested though. He was rubbing his head here.
Checking him out
More head rubbing
Baby has ears!
Sleepy baby
Dawson discovered a great way to hush a crying baby. Just stick a blanket over his head! He did that when I was unloading the van and Gabriel was still in his carseat. I showed him the right way to cover the baby with a blanket, but he just thought it was silly to have it over his face. The boys play peek-a-boo all the time, why can't the baby play too, right? At least Tyler hasn't tried to pick him up again. I still have to watch him really close. Tyler almost stepped on his head today. The boys play rough with eachother, so it's hard for Tyler to understand why he needs to be gentle and can't just pounce on top of Gabriel. Dawson seems to get it though, he's very careful around him. Sometimes he's a bit rough when he's trying to be nice though. He gave him a hug today, upside down since he was sitting by Gabriel's head. He didn't realize his elbow was smooshing Gabriel's face as he hugged him. Thankfully Gabriel just moved his head and fell right back asleep again. It still amazes me how much he puts up with without waking up or crying. So far he's only cried once from something the boys did, Tyler was checking out his fingers and I think he grabbed one a bit too hard. Even then he only cried until Tyler let go.
Dawson was running from Daddy at bedtime. He's getting good at undressing by himself.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
