Gabe is 2 months old

Well, this is a belated entry... Gabe is now 8 1/2 wks old and I cannot believe how quickly these few months have flown by! He's got an appt next week and I can't wait to find out his measurements... He is still sweet as ever... He smiles at me often these days... and he has a way of doing it RIGHT when I most need it... when I am SO tired or overwhelmed, that little fella just give me the sweetest grin and I melt! In the last week... 6/7 nights he's made it all the way through... I am scared to write that b/c everytime we mention this... things change... BUT, I'm just so proud of him!
We are having a few problemos with breastfeeding... have had thrush twice... and today diagnosed with mastitis.. have a yucky fever and chills and flu like symptoms... but the antibiotic is supposed to help really quickly... and in the meantime I'm enjoying some much needed rest with baby Gabe... Jay took Jayce out this am to pick a pumpkin out and then they watched football! Nanny was sweet enough to take Jayce for the evening... I am really hoping and praying this will clear up... he is such a good nurser... and he actually had one bottle of formula on Friday because I am not a good pumper and I wanted to see how he did with it, and the poor thing had gas and was fussy all night... and it even was soy, supposed to be easy on their tummies... SO, I am kind of afraid to give him anything but... but it is tiresome and these infections are no fun... I'm hoping things are on the up now though!

our little Gamecock!

Jayce loves the gamecocks and he loves to say "Go Gamecocks" and "Tigers Stink..." this is his favorite thing to say to people... wonder who taught him that one... daddy.... Anyhow, he has been watching the games with Jay on Saturdays and telling him he needs a "helmet hat..." So, last night Jay took Jayce out to Allstar Sports and got him a little uniform... pads, jersey, pants and all, it is too cute... he especially loves his helmet hat! He took it to bed with him last night and sat it in his rocking chair and begged to take it to the gym this morning, but I had to put my foot down... Anyhow, just wanted to share this pic ! I'll try to get him all decked out here soon!

Does the craziness ever end???

Well, I'm very late in writing this, but just had to write about my day at the mall last Thursday... We were going there after mother's morning out to meet friends from church for lunch... Well, I had to pump on the way there, to be able to feed Gabe in the food court, and then we got there and BOTH boys had huge stinky diapers, so we were then running even later having to change them in the parking lot... So, I'm all flustered... but we finally make it... Thank goodness for my sweet friend Tara who fed Gabe so I could eat... as Jayce ran around the table like a mad man.. pulling leaves off the lovely trees in the food court... As he did this, I pretended not to see the elderly couple who were giving me that "you're a HORRIBLE mother" look... But, it was kind of hard to ignore when the man tapped me on the shoulder and started pointing to the chick filet bag that Jayce had thrown on the ground... I smiled and said thanks, and he kept pointing until I picked it up... Well, then we proceed to take Jayce to get a haircut and let the other girls shop in peace, with their angels who still SIT IN A STROLLER!!! Anyhow, as I'm holding a squirming Jayce as the barber cuts his hair... Jayce picks up his water bottle and starts squirting the mirror, and I tell him no, but the barber insists he's just fine and it will help him be able to cut that last bit of hair, while Jayce is distracted... about then, Jayce squirts it out into the sitting area, and who does he hit but that elderly gentleman's wife... as they were sitting right beside us... oh my goodness... I apologized again and again, and they just shook their heads... then, I backed up Gabe's stroller into the shampoo bottles and they all came tumbling down... again, they shook their heads... they must not have any grandchildren... Anyhow, I've learned to just shake this kind of thing off... whereas I would have cried 2 years ago... So on we go, b/c I promised Jayce I"d take him to ride the cars... on the way back from that, he stops in the victoria secret store and hops on the Pink puppy, thinking it is meant for him to ride... I have to pull him off and drag him from the store and then after complying for a few steps, he proceeds to sit down on the floor, and then to LAY DOWN, limp on the floor and so I have to pick him up, carry him, while pushing Gabe in the stroller all the way through the mall... THEN< we get to my car and I'm going, that looks like my car, but surely it can't be... that person's door is wide open... oh yes, I had left Gabe's car door open for 2 1/2 hrs as I walked through the mall... My debit card sat right beside the console, and my purse was on the floorboard, as I'd taken out my wallet to carry it in my diaper bag... they were STILL THERE... the only thing I can figure, is that my breast pump which was sitting on the center console scared any one who was interested off! WHAT A DAY!!! I called my mom and told her I'd completely lost my mind if there was any question before... she asked if I was sure I needed to go anywhere else with both the boys... probably not, but yes, I probably will!



So far, this week is starting out much better than last! Thank goodness! Gabe is really starting to interact a lot more and that's so much fun! He will smile for us and visually track objects and coo and coo, it is so sweet! Sleep is still really good... I think he woke up one time out of the last 5 nights, so that's great... I am just hoping for consistency in sleeping through the night... but not complaining for having most nights so far! Also I had been so worried about his naps lately, as he was not wanting to take them and would cry and cry and not fall asleep... I read in my babywise... which so wonderfully worked for Jayce, that if I put him down a few minutes earlier, before he was over tired, that might help, and it has worked beautifully... he's been taking great naps lately so I'm much relieved! He is able to get himself to sleep, which Jayce did too, and that is so nice, especially having a 2 year old!

Sorry so long, but you know me, can't condense a story for anything! I'm posting recent pics... One shows Jayce sleeping so sweetly on his "big boy bed" a mattress on the floor, surrounded by all his lovies and animals... he insists on carrying them to bed... and the others are just some cute shots I've taken recently.. enjoy!

Boys will be Boys and BUGS

So, we have had several interesting days lately... there's never a dull moment! Well, thank goodness Gabe slept all the way through the night 11-7 on Sunday night, I think the Lord knew I needed the rest to handle Monday's events! Jayce fell right before nap time on Monday... AGAIN... this time he was trying to dump out a ladle full of Sierra Mist into our bathroom sink... which I told him to put in the sink, "before he made a mess..." little did I know what a mess would follow...I was nursing the baby in the kitchen, at the computer, as I'm doing now, and Jayce starts screaming and comes out with a mouth full of blood... well, ya'll know how I am with blood, not a fan... so first thing I did (after pulling Gabe off and setting him down screaming, b/c he's starving...) was to pick Jayce up and then call Jay... making sure someone else would arrive in case I needed to pass out... Thank goodness, I never did... my motherly instincts kicked in and I made it through the gory mess... I finally got him cleaned up and figured out he'd bitten his tongue, and there was quite a deep laceration... it finally stopped bleeding once Jay had gotten home... We decided that it would probably heal on it's own and that we'd go on and let him nap and see how it was when he awoke... well about then, it starts gushing blood again, and I call Jay back and tell him we'd better head to the dr... So Jay took him and it was a good thing b/c Gabe had been going through a growth spurt and pretty much wanted to stay attached to me all day long that afternoon... Dr. said it would heal on his own if given time, but remember we have a toddler who LOVES to suck his fingers, especially when upset... it is his source of comfort... And we had a very tired boy who deperately needed a nap by 5:30, but we were afraid to leave him alone in his room... in case he bled... so Jay drove him around to nap so that he could watch him... And then the challenge that night was to try to keep our starving boy (b/c he'd not eaten since lunch, and anything he put in his mouth made it bleed more), and hurting boy (crying, "I want my mouth to stop hurting"), from putting those fingers in his mouth... And, he wanted Jay... Jay is such a good daddy and they have such a special bond... He wanted Jay to hold him all night, and hold him he did... It got to be 10 and I asked Jay if he'd even eaten, and he had not... he had a glass of coke and headed on up to sleep on Jayce's floor beside him that night, so that he could watch him... He said he did not sleep a wink b/c he wanted to keep his fingers out of his mouth... Is he not the best daddy? So, long story I know... but it was quite an ordeal... Anyhow, Jayce's mouth has not bled since, and a scab has formed so we're hoping he's ok now...

And, one last BOY story... this one made me even sicker than his mouth... last night, I'm out with friends having a girls night out (plus Gabe... but he was very well behaved, so it was just fine)... Jay was taking Jayce for a stroll around the hood in his red wagon, and Jay said that Jayce kept mentioning the dead bug that was in his stroller... he is very obsessed with "getting bugs", whether it's stomping them with his feet, or picking them up with tissues, or vacuuming them is the latest with my handheld Oreck... ANYHOW, last night was something new... I cannot believe what I"m about to write, but it is true... Jay said he turned around and saw Jayce chewing... well there was no food in that wagon... Jay asked him what he was eating... and he said "A BUG"... Jay said "what????" He said I was hungry daddy... OH MY GOODNESS< my baby ate a bug... has anyone else had any problems with bug eating????

ON a positive note, Gabe slept last night 10-7:30... yea! And, I think he's over his growth spurt b/c he's been back to his 3 hour schedule so far today... hallelujah!

Better

Things are better now... We have come up with a solution that works... although neither of us particularly LOVE it, we are all able to get sleep... We finally had to turn Jayce's door knob around backwards and lock the door for him to stay in the room. We also had to move his mattress to the floor and make a palette there, because he continued to jump even when we converted his bed to a toddler bed. So, our next bed will be a LOW TO THE GROUND twin bed... and that should be an easy transition from what we're using now. He still cries when we put him down and the first day ran to the door trying to pull it open 100 times (or so it seemed, it was horrible... he was balling, I was balling...) But now, he MIGHT try once and then goes right back to his bed, and sometimes not at all... And after a few minutes he is asleep...And, I'm back to getting my nap time and morning time, which I so desperately missed those 3 days... SO, that has worked for us for now... I'm hoping it will continue and get better with practice...
Gabe is pulling a 6 hr. stretch at night, last night 11:45-5:45... which is great for me!

Here are some funny Jayce comments from the last week...
We are in Target Friday (all 3 of us, and it went SO WELL... not normal!) Anyhow, Jayce is very into asking who people are, especially when they are within 6 inches of us, and they can here his every comment... he said, mommy who is that big man? And I look over and there is a very big tall man standing beside us... I tried to keep looking at the bread and try to distract him, and he said, mommy, that's a big man there? I said he's a nice man Jayce, and he said I like that big nice man... the man just went about his business... I tried to exit the bread aisle asap!

Then Jayce took him to get his oil changed yesterday, and he said Jayce asked Who's that? Pointing to a man beside them... Jay said that's a nice man. Jayce continued to question, Who's that??? Jay said, I don't know, why don't you ask him, he doesn't bite... Jayce said, that nice man gonna eat Jayce? Jay said the nice man got a kick out of that!

Oh, and then one sweet thing is that he's very into telling us when he leaves to ... "have fun mommy," or "be careful mommy"... well, at the gym last week, they said he told the maintenance man as we was leaving... "be safe." So cute!

You just never know what he's going to pop out!
here are some pics from yesterday, I had a photo session with Gabe while Jayce and Jay were working in the yard... no falls this time!

WHAT a day!

ok, so things are getting really interesting now! Gabe has pretty consistently been up at 4 to eat once during the night and then goes back down... BUT, I have fed him less often during the day, and I think that's why... I don't mind getting up that one time, since I've spread out the feedings and that makes for an easier day. Anyhow, I was up with Gabe at 4 last night to feed him and he went back down at 4:30, but I stayed wide awake until about 6:15, then was GREETED by Jayce and his stuffed gamecock IN MY ROOM at 6:30... What???? He sleeps in a crib and stays there in his room until i get him somewhere between 9-10 whenever he wakes up, or so he DID... It's the craziest thing b/c my friend Molly B called yesterday talking about her little boy getting out of his crib and coming into their den and I said, oh no, I could not handle that right now... well, I guess God is showing me differently! He had done this from his crib once before, but said it hurt his head so bad that he would not do it again... He did it from the pack n play as I posted earlier in Columbia, but has since slept in his crib a whole week... ANYHOW, the saga continues...
So Jayce goes to mother's morning out and I go to have a photo session for Gabe just he and I... There was this one shot I had seen and loved and wanted to get... the "towel tower"... we got it at the end of the session as Gabe had drifted off to sleep from lots of hard work... Well, I asked if I could get one shot with my camera... big mistake, as we took this, the photographer was keeping an eye on Gabe and went to check the lighting on my shot afterwards and within one second, Gabe and the towel tower has toppled over... I was so shaken up, as he is so little to fall several feet onto a hardwood floor... But, his eyes were ok, head was not swollen or bruised and he's acted normal all day, so I think he is fine, but it really scared me...We called the dr. and he said to just keep an eye on him and bring him in if anything was abnormal... so far, so good, I still wish he could tell me though, Mommy, I feel fine... oh well... I think he's ok.

THEN, as if this was not enough... I go down to put Jayce down for his nap this afternoon, feeling certain that he'll sleep in his crib this time, b/c I NEED a break! As soon as I got to the door, I cracked it and peeked in and he bent over the rail head first and did a flip out of the crib to land flat on his back, barely missed landing straight on top of his head... It was so dangerous... So, after settling down, I laid down with him in my bed for 15 minutes, then Gabe woke up... but Jayce did sleep an hour... NOT his normal 3... BOY, if i don't have my morning time, and no nap time, and we can't go back to the gym for another week... yeikes! Say a prayer that we'll be back on track here soon...
Jay is putting him down now in his "big boy bed"... still his crib that we've converted to a toddler bed by removing one of the rails... I'll post later on how the night goes...

Oh one last thing, once Jayce woke up from his nap, he was limping and crying uncontrollably by the time Jay got home, we thought something was really wrong from his fall, and that he was kind of having a delayed reaction, we called the dr. again, about ANOTHER fall... different child... I'm sure he thinks we are just the greatest parents in the world... he thought we should go get x rays at the ER, but after a while, Jayce settled down and the limp improved... I think he was just sore, and needed to stretch it out... sore and TIRED... me too!

Anyhow, pics... there is one of Jayce and Gabe first thing in the morning... Jayce had laid out all his toys around Gabe for him to "play with them"... it was so sweet, I had to get that...

Then, there's one of Jayce playing with his good buddy Wallace last night, after our good friends Jay and Tara were over... by the way, Jayce said that was why he came downstairs last night, was to see Wallace...pretty cute, but I wish he'd waited until 9 to see him :)...

Then of course, the towel tower... don't know that it was worth all the hardship! But, she's going to blow it up really tall and it will look like LOTS of towels stacked really high underneath him...

Oh, an one picture of Gabe zonked out after our first day to church... we went Sunday and he did great! I was able to feed him between church and Sunday school in our nursing room, and it was perfect timing! We even got to enjoy lunch at Red Bone afterwards! He is in his cute hat, but has on a onesie b/c had a little accident in the nursery and they had to change him... I was so upset I hadn't gotten one of him all dressed up... oh well, maybe next time!

Sorry to ramble, but this is my therapy for the day!