Hey y'all! Thanks for all the encouragement and sweet words yesterday. We are feeling much better today.
Mr. Lane took off work today so that he could go to New Orleans with us for Jude's neurologist appointment. We reached Children's and I spoke with the nurse about everything Jude is doing now. I was very anxious and a little downhearted because I was afraid that Jude's development, or lack there of, would be dissappointing to the doctor. Well the nurse noticed my anxiety and asked if I was worried about something. And I told her that I was afraid that Jude's development had plateaued. She gave me an exaggerated "NO" and told me that according to his chart, he's made lots of improvements.
Whew!
Praise the LORD!
Then the dr came in and examined Jude. She picked Jude up and made him walk across the room. She got so excited and said that Jude was going to walk and probably within the year. NEVER had a dr tell me that! So exciting! BUT... I know Jude, and he's not gonna walk until Jude's ready. And I'm okay with that.
Other than that everything looked great. We are going back in February for a hearing test under general anesthesia so the dr ordered an MRI to check Jude's spine. He has a sacrel dimple so she just wants to make sure his spinal cord isn't tethered. (that the nerves are not attached to the base of the spine).
She also thinks that Jude can come off his meds to control his intercranial pressure. Yay to that.
Lane treated me to a visit to Pottery Barn Kids since we were already in NOLA and I had a gift card. There were too many cute things there and temptation everywhere. So I decided on something simple and I broke down and bought Aubrey Lane a Sophie giraffe. It cost me a whole penny after the gift card. She loves it!! I'd gladly pay full price for it.
We had a good day!
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Monday, January 30, 2012
Just Breathe
I went into Jude's appointment today with no real stresses (first clue that bad news was lurking). I felt confident in the appointment. I felt like the worst the doctor could tell me was that Jude had not improved and we would stay on the oxygen for another year, and I was okay with that. I was not, however, prepared to hear that not only did Jude not improve his sleep, but that it had gotten significantly worse.
I sat in the office kind of stunned as I heard that Jude obstructed his sleep 75 times. The last time was around 43 I believe. This dropped Jude from the mild to moderate category all the way to borderline severe. He even discussed the option of putting Jude on a C-PAP machine at night, but both of us agreed that he would never wear it.
The doctor also ordered an x-ray of his head and neck. He wants to see if his adenoids have grown back or he has inflammation that could be obstructing his sleep. He said his tonsils could also play a roll, but he felt like Jude's facial structure was his biggest problem. However, we are not on board with a very invasive facial reconstructive surgery at this point.
The doctor also mentioned doing another bronchoscopy to see if Jude's airway is inflamed again. And that maybe we should repeat his allergy testing. Then he talked about getting off the oxygen in Jude's teen years. My heart sank. It's completely sunken now writing this post to be honest.
As I sat there with this giant lump in my throat, the bad news kept on coming... the doctor gave Jude yet another diagnosis to add to the list.
Dr. T diagnosed Jude with Restless Leg Syndrome. He said that Jude not only set the record for most limb movements during a sleep study, but he doubled it. Jude had 932 limb movements during the test! And to add to the matters, Jude's heart meds, you know the ones that give him nightmares, are playing a big part in all of this.
So now we are going from seeing the pulmonary specialist about twice a year, to seeing him every two months.
I did a pretty good job holding it together until I was leaving the lab and the admit clerk told me how big Jude was getting and that she couldn't believe how big the baby is already.
It was the straw that broke the camel's back.
Although the clerk was very nice, I don't want to be on a first name basis with the admit clerk at Our Lady of the Lake.
Reality swallowed up my heart and weighed it down even further. I cried all the way to the car. But once I had my little cry, I was fine. I'm still a little down, but not a mess or anything.
God's timing is just something else, I'll tell ya.
Yesterday, I worked in the nursery so Lane gave me a run down of the Sunday School lesson and the sermon.
Lane told me that the lesson in Sunday school was out of Daniel, and that he had a scripture that spoke to him and wanted to share it with me.
"If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”
Daniel 3:17,18
He teared up as he explained why the passage spoke to him. He said "God WILL deliver us out of our worries with Jude, and that He will deliver Jude from his medical problems. And God will get us through this rough patch right now. But even if He doesn't, we are still going to serve Him because He is our mighty God."
I don't think I need to say anything else.
a LOT going on
So..
We have A LOT going on right now. So just prepare yourself; this will not, by any means, be the shortest post in my blog history.
Where to start??
I guess where we left off... last Thursday for Aubrey Lane’s six month birthday.
That afternoon, after Aubrey’s well baby visit, Jude had his regular homebound school session at Bellingrath Hills Elementary. (I have no clue WHY that neighborhood is called Bellingrath Hills. There is not one hill anywhere in or around Central.) Anyway, we also had his IEP meeting that afternoon as well. It was easy last year, but for some reason, I was nervous for it this year. We discussed goals for Jude and new plans. We decided that since he will be going to preschool there next year, that we should work him into longer times at the school. So, instead of Jude going to BHE a for couple of hours on Thursday, he will now go to school from 10-3.
I was so excited that Jude was going to get more school time, but I can’t lie. Part of me wanted to just scoop him up and walk right out the door with him. Not that there was anything wrong- everyone at BHE is WONDERFUL! It’s just scary. I spent the last 4 years taking care of Jude and not trusting too many other people to do so. I mean we have never even hired a babysitter before. Only his grandmothers have ever keep him, and one of his aunts has kept him twice. So to ask me to leave my baby for 5 hours is a lot.
Well we started this past Thursday with his new schedule. I did stay half the day with him, but not because I was being a weenie, but to fill out some paperwork and teach them how to feed him at lunch. (Did I mention Jude is eating again??)
They bring him to class and to the the cafeteria in a wagon. I managed to capture a couple of pictures. I was happy about this because I did not want to put him in a wheelchair because I KNOW MY BABY WILL WALK ONE DAY just like I KNOW HE WILL EAT ONE DAY TOO!!!
Overall, Jude had a very good day. It helps that he absolutely loves school. He starts yelling and clapping his hands when we pull into the parking spot.
Jude also started school back at LSU this week too! Hard to believe he’s been there for a year now. Seems like just yesterday I was sharing the news that Jude got into the program. So Jude’s got quite the busy schedule this year.
This week will also be a tough week. Along with our already busy schedule, Jude has an appointment with pulmonary to get the results of his sleep study TODAY!!! PRAYING that Jude can finally come off the oxygen at night. Then we have to go see his neurologist at Children’s Hospital tomorrow. These visits are always so stressful for me!
We haven’t been all work and no play around here.
Last week, we got to celebrate our best friends’ daughter’s, Hannah Grace, 2nd birthday. She had a Very Hungry Caterpillar party. Her mom and I share the same brain waves, I think. Anyway, HG has a baby cousin named Grayson Lane that was born about 2 weeks before Aubrey was. (we are friends with his parents too) Grayson Lane and Aubrey Lane had the exact same color on (completely random) so we had to get pictures of them together. Aren’t they adorable?! Did I mention that Grayson Lane and Aubrey Lane also have the same last name.... talk about your alliteration.
Aubrey Lane started on solids last week as well. It was miserable at first, but now she really enjoys eating and she actually eats almost the whole jar! We are doing veggies first, then we’ll do fruits. So far, she’s not a fan of peas, but she LOVES carrots.
Aubrey Lane also started sitting up last week. So now all she wants to do is sit and play with her toys.
Her little personality is starting to really develop. Right now she seems very confident in everything and not shy at all. She is absolutely infatuated with Jude, and he is amazingly careful and gentle with her. They can even snuggle now! CARAZY!
Despite his rigorous schedule, Jude is having fun too. Our disability ministry at our church is really starting to bloom, and our family is definitely blessed. Jude now has a shadow for Sunday School and Children’s Church. Last week, his Aunt Wendy was his shadow and she sent me pictures of him participating in story time. It really blessed me; I’m tearing up just typing about it. I can’t tell you how much it means to me to see Jude participate and a normal activity with his peers. It’s beyond words!! And the way his friends actually love him back? It’s awesome! It’s beautiful- to see the body of Christ being restored completely and naturally at such a young age- it’s truly beautiful.
That's all for now... finally!!
Please say a prayer for Jude today!!
Sunday, January 29, 2012
The Pursuit of Jonah
Over the past few years, I have learned that everything is bigger in Texas through my sweet friend, Darla. Her smile, her laugh, her kindness and compassion, her spirit and her heart are about the biggest they come. Her friendship has blessed me beyond measure. It is truly that of divine appointment.
I could sing her praises all day long, but I need to get to the point.
Darla's son and daughter-in-law have been beautiful examples of being obedient in the Lord's plans for their lives. They were called to adopt a child, and God has shown His favor! They have met their son Jonah in Russia and are completely in love with him.
Their story is beautiful, but it's not mine to tell. You can read all about it at
thepursuitofjonah.blogspot.com
The purpose of this post is for a prayer request. Due to past abuse of adopted Russian babies, they have instated a 30 day waiting period before you can bring your baby home. They met him a couple months ago and have been just waiting for a court date. Could you imagine having to leave your baby in another country for 30 days??
Well they are in Russia right now. At midnight, our time, they will stand before a judge and beg him to waive the waiting period so they can bring their baby home.
Will you please pray for them? We serve a mighty God that can easily soften this judge's heart. However, His will is perfect so even if the request is denied, our God is still mighty!!
Angel
I could sing her praises all day long, but I need to get to the point.
Darla's son and daughter-in-law have been beautiful examples of being obedient in the Lord's plans for their lives. They were called to adopt a child, and God has shown His favor! They have met their son Jonah in Russia and are completely in love with him.
Their story is beautiful, but it's not mine to tell. You can read all about it at
thepursuitofjonah.blogspot.com
The purpose of this post is for a prayer request. Due to past abuse of adopted Russian babies, they have instated a 30 day waiting period before you can bring your baby home. They met him a couple months ago and have been just waiting for a court date. Could you imagine having to leave your baby in another country for 30 days??
Well they are in Russia right now. At midnight, our time, they will stand before a judge and beg him to waive the waiting period so they can bring their baby home.
Will you please pray for them? We serve a mighty God that can easily soften this judge's heart. However, His will is perfect so even if the request is denied, our God is still mighty!!
Angel
Friday, January 27, 2012
Only 3 left...
The last time I restocked the diapers in Aubrey Lane’s bassinet, I promised Lane that as soon as these diapers are gone that I would move Aubrey Lane into her crib in the nursery.
Well, this morning I went to change her diaper when I realized that she only has three diapers left in her diaper stack.
I know she is six months old, but I’m just not sure that I’m ready for her to move out of our room.
And I know that I am being ridiculous about this... She has her own changing table that she’s used only three times and a crib she has slept in twice. And I don’t have any excuses or reasons for keeping her in our room since she sleeps through the night.
I just can’t believe my baby is growing up so fast.
When did you move your baby into the crib?
Thursday, January 19, 2012
SIX. WHOLE. MONTHS.
Well... I can't believe I'm about to say this so soon, but, Aubrey Lane, you are six months old today! Although it seems like just yesterday that I was introducing a tiny little newborn with a pink bow to the rest of my family, I couldn't imagine life without you!
We took you to the pediatrician today for your six month well baby visit, and she says your still pretty perfect. You weigh 15 pounds and 7 ounces and are 26 inches long. You can wear 6 months clothes perfectly and even fit into a good bit of 9 months clothes. Your feet are tiny and you still wear a size 1 shoe. You still wear a size 2 diaper.
Your weight and height have flip flopped. The last time you were weighed, you were just below the 75th percentile and your height was just below the 50th. Today, your height was around the 65th percentile and your weight was just below the 50th percentile. Your thighs are still a little chunky and cute.
You are meeting all your milestones right on time. Just a couple days after you made five months, you started rolling over onto your belly, and since you roll constantly. You are not sitting by yourself, but you are so close- maybe a week away at the most.
You also just cut your first tooth. I literally prayed and asked God to let your teeth take their time coming in. I feel He answered my prayers because your brother cut his first tooth at 4 months! Your Papa cried and said we definitely have to have another baby. Fine by me ;-)
Aubrey Lane, you are so funny. You have found your little voice and you love to play with it all the time. You have starting imitating sounds and silly noises. You babble "dadadada" and "papapapa" constantly. You love to play in your jumper and love to roll around on your playmat. You have found your feet and pull your socks off as soon as I get them on- just like your brother. Speaking of Jude, you LOVE your brother. You watch his every move and squeal in delight when he gets close to you. He is very sweet and surprisingly gentle to you. You haven't shown any stranger anxiety yet, but you still cry until someone gives you to your mommy.
Aubrey girl, you are one heck of a nurser. It's your absolute favorite thing to do. You still don't take bottles; however, when we got home tonight, you were so tired and hungry I decided to offer you a bottle to see if you were willing to fight the difference. You GULPED that bottle right down like you've never had anything else. I got so excited, because now I know you will take a bottle if you are hungry enough.
You still don't care much for cereal. Your doctor told me, today, that you can finally start baby foods. (Your pediatrician doesn't like her nursing babies to start baby food until six months.) So we are starting you tomorrow with carrots. I was going to start you tonight, but we had a meeting at school for Jude this afternoon then grocery shopping this evening so you were way too tired to try a new food.
You still sleep in your bassinet. I put you in your room for one night, and I cried... so the next night you went back to the bassinet. But I'm going to try to be brave and let you start sleeping in your crib before I have to turn it into a toddler bed ;-) You still sleep through the night; however, lately you have gotten up around 4:30 to eat. You still take about 3 good naps a day. We have discovered that you cannot and will not sleep without a blanket.
You are still so beautiful, of course. I am pretty sure at this point that your eyes are going to stay the same gray blue as your papa's. Your hair is starting to grow, finally, and it's nice and dark. Your cheeks are still sweet and pink and always chapped. I am constantly smearing Aquaphor or Vaseline on them. You get complimented on your calm and sweet disposition everywhere we go. Your Papa says you are just quietly curious.
You still LOVE your bath times and are about to grow out of your infant tub. Just look how much you've grown, my bathing beauty.
3 days old
about 3 months old
six months old
There are so many unique and beautiful things about you and your personality that I could write about them all night long, but I need to put you to sleep. So I'm just going to leave with some pictures of you on your half birthday.
I love you, my sweet pea!
Mommy
at the doctor today... you thought your image in the mirror was very fascinating
I always love this dress on you!
you were not a happy camper for your pictures
"The LORD bless thee and keep thee; the LORD make his face shine upon thee and be gracious to thee; the LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace."
Numbers 6:24-26
We took you to the pediatrician today for your six month well baby visit, and she says your still pretty perfect. You weigh 15 pounds and 7 ounces and are 26 inches long. You can wear 6 months clothes perfectly and even fit into a good bit of 9 months clothes. Your feet are tiny and you still wear a size 1 shoe. You still wear a size 2 diaper.
Your weight and height have flip flopped. The last time you were weighed, you were just below the 75th percentile and your height was just below the 50th. Today, your height was around the 65th percentile and your weight was just below the 50th percentile. Your thighs are still a little chunky and cute.
You are meeting all your milestones right on time. Just a couple days after you made five months, you started rolling over onto your belly, and since you roll constantly. You are not sitting by yourself, but you are so close- maybe a week away at the most.
You also just cut your first tooth. I literally prayed and asked God to let your teeth take their time coming in. I feel He answered my prayers because your brother cut his first tooth at 4 months! Your Papa cried and said we definitely have to have another baby. Fine by me ;-)
Aubrey Lane, you are so funny. You have found your little voice and you love to play with it all the time. You have starting imitating sounds and silly noises. You babble "dadadada" and "papapapa" constantly. You love to play in your jumper and love to roll around on your playmat. You have found your feet and pull your socks off as soon as I get them on- just like your brother. Speaking of Jude, you LOVE your brother. You watch his every move and squeal in delight when he gets close to you. He is very sweet and surprisingly gentle to you. You haven't shown any stranger anxiety yet, but you still cry until someone gives you to your mommy.
Aubrey girl, you are one heck of a nurser. It's your absolute favorite thing to do. You still don't take bottles; however, when we got home tonight, you were so tired and hungry I decided to offer you a bottle to see if you were willing to fight the difference. You GULPED that bottle right down like you've never had anything else. I got so excited, because now I know you will take a bottle if you are hungry enough.
You still don't care much for cereal. Your doctor told me, today, that you can finally start baby foods. (Your pediatrician doesn't like her nursing babies to start baby food until six months.) So we are starting you tomorrow with carrots. I was going to start you tonight, but we had a meeting at school for Jude this afternoon then grocery shopping this evening so you were way too tired to try a new food.
You still sleep in your bassinet. I put you in your room for one night, and I cried... so the next night you went back to the bassinet. But I'm going to try to be brave and let you start sleeping in your crib before I have to turn it into a toddler bed ;-) You still sleep through the night; however, lately you have gotten up around 4:30 to eat. You still take about 3 good naps a day. We have discovered that you cannot and will not sleep without a blanket.
You are still so beautiful, of course. I am pretty sure at this point that your eyes are going to stay the same gray blue as your papa's. Your hair is starting to grow, finally, and it's nice and dark. Your cheeks are still sweet and pink and always chapped. I am constantly smearing Aquaphor or Vaseline on them. You get complimented on your calm and sweet disposition everywhere we go. Your Papa says you are just quietly curious.
You still LOVE your bath times and are about to grow out of your infant tub. Just look how much you've grown, my bathing beauty.
There are so many unique and beautiful things about you and your personality that I could write about them all night long, but I need to put you to sleep. So I'm just going to leave with some pictures of you on your half birthday.
I love you, my sweet pea!
Mommy
"The LORD bless thee and keep thee; the LORD make his face shine upon thee and be gracious to thee; the LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace."
Numbers 6:24-26
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
STOP THE LOOP!!!
This blog post is for my local friends.
As you know, we are in what seems to be a never ending battle about the proposed loop that will cut around Baton Rouge, but cut right through Central and other rural communities around the city of Baton Rouge.
In my opinion, the whole loop is absurd. Yes the traffic in Baton Rouge is a little crazy, but that's one reason why the majority of us don't live in Baton Rouge. Now, to fix their traffic problem, they want to put an interstate in our backyards.
And let's get real. Baton Rouge has grown, but we are no Houston. This loop would be a silly waste of money, and we, the taxpayers, the people against the loop, will end up footing the bill. I've heard that it's going to be a tolled loop to help cover the expenses, but how many local commuters (which, my guess, makes up a lot of BR's traffic) are going to take a loop out of their way and pay a toll for it?
Regardless, I do not want the loop cutting through our beautiful city of Central. I was not born and raised here, but it is my home now and it is where my children were born and where they will be raised.
There is an online petition that you can sign to show that the community of Central is against the proposed loop.
Please take the time to click on the link below and sign it. And, please, there is a quickly approaching deadline. Please sign quickly!
Click on
Thank you!!
Monday, January 16, 2012
I'll take 20!
I need to give a big shout out to all my praying friends and family. I got so many responses from you, all promising to pray for my Jude and our family. A few of you even offered dinner. I am overwhelmed by all of your love!
I can't say that Jude woke up this morning feeling 110% better this morning. It was more like 20%, but hey, I'll take 20! Some improvement is better than no improvement. Plus I know he will be even better tomorrow. Still the same, I just cancelled his therapy appointments for tomorrow because I know he is pretty weak and don't want to hinder his healing process.
He was a little bit more comfortable today and not crying constantly. He tolerated his feeds better, but shows no interest in eating by mouth. Totally expected but a little worrisome. I just pray he retains the progress he made with eating before he got so darn sick.
"Papa" came in from work about an hour ago and has been pulling Jude around the property in the wagon. Jude was set up! He had his pillow pet and his blankie in the wagon with him. We even got a couple smiles as he got in the wagon. The wagon ride is good for him because the bumps and vibrations work like a vibrating vest to help break up some of the congestion in his chest. Plus, Jude just loves being outside, so this is really good for him! And our hearts needed to see a smile. For those of you that don't know Jude, he is always extremely happy and all smiles. So when he goes for days without a smile, I realize how much I depend on them everyday.
Another answered prayer:
Lane's work announced today that starting next week they should have enough work to go back to 40 hours! And when all the materials for the projects come in, they should even have some overtime! This is such good news. Praise the Lord for all His blessings! So for now we gonna just enjoy these mini at home vacations.
As my father-in-law ALWAYS quotes
"... I have never seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging for bread."
Psalm 37:25
I did some bloggy updating today. Whatcha think? I can't promise that it will stay this way for long, but I was a little bored with what was up there. I can't wait until Aubrey Lane is sitting up better and we can update our picture on the pier for the blog.
I did some bloggy updating today. Whatcha think? I can't promise that it will stay this way for long, but I was a little bored with what was up there. I can't wait until Aubrey Lane is sitting up better and we can update our picture on the pier for the blog.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
What a Weekend..
You know how our weekend started... with a very sick redhead.
Well, I wish I could say that when Jude woke up Saturday morning, he felt much better, but... I can't. In fact it was quite the opposite story. He finally went to sleep Friday night, but we were at Lane's parents' house. So when we left to go home, he woke back up and cried until after 5am! But it didn't last long. At 7:30 he was up and crying again. It was HELL!!
I also wish that I could say Sunday was better, but it wasn't. He was just as miserable all day.
Jude has been so congested. He has coughed and sneezed and vomited and ran fever all weekend. We keep Pedialyte, vicks vapor rub, and Mucinex ready on the kitchen table. We have washed sheets, blankets, and towels in super hot water countless times.
We have tried a few tricks to distract him from his discomfort. We went for a drive; he loves car rides. We took a stroller ride; he loves those too. And we've given him warm baths around the clock because those always brighten his spirits.
We even tried the baby swing as kind of a joke.
It actually worked for a few minutes, and he quit fussing. But the swing looked like it was about to give out so we couldn't entertain the idea any longer. Speaking of ideas- a swing like this made for bigger kids? Hello! I would totally buy that just to use for moments like these.
I read that for severe bronchial congestion, being outdoors and in some sunlight is very helpful. So Lane took Jude for a wagon ride this afternoon.
Aubrey Lane and I joined them.
It helped but not for long. Thank goodness he's sleeping right now. Something about him sleeping so peacefully gives me a great sense of relief.
I keep praying that tomorrow will be much much better since Lane goes back to work, and I have started feeling bad myself. Lane has been awesome this weekend taking care of Jude around the clock.
Last night while everyone was sleeping, I had the sniffles and couldn't sleep. So, I finally got a chance to get a few projects finished; some very pretty chenille bibs. I saw some in a boutique and thought 'I can make those'. So Lane drew me a pattern from my description to practice with (I'm can't even draw stick figures), and the finished product came out so cute!
Here is Aubrey Lane wearing one of them. (They are cute, but she is so much cuter.)
I've got some more cute ones on my Facebook page. You can get a peek by going to The Mustard Seed Boutique. And I'll be listing some in my Etsy shop soon too. I'll post a link for that when I do.
I've teetered back in forth with the idea of making a little business out of my work. I've had so many distractions; a new baby, adjusting to life with two kids, Jude's super crazy preschool and therapy schedule, and an incredibly busy Christmas, blah blah blah. Well I've decided make a little business out of it, but a little differently. Instead of taking a hundred custom orders and trying to round up materials and taking a loss in the end, I'm going to just list items I have available and fabrics I can use for them. We'll see how it goes. I hope it does well because I could use the little extra income right now.
That leads me into something a little more serious. You remember my unspoken prayer request from Friday? Well it's time to make it "spoken". I've realized there is no shame in it, my family didn't do anything wrong, and well we could use the prayers.
Around Thanksgiving, projects at Lane's work were very slow so the company cut everyone down to 32 hours a week through the holidays. Not awful, just very awful timing. We didn't panic because we were sure work would pick up soon. Well this past Monday, his company cut everyone even further down to 24 HOURS A WEEK!! We are a super budgeted, one income family so this isn't great news. But it wouldn't be good news for anyone. I'm not worried about finances. I'm sure the Lord will provide. HE always does!! However, I do feel a loss of security in his current employer. I am afraid that work will not pick back up and if it does, will this happen again and how often? So we are just asking for God's guidance in this area in our lives right now. Thank you so much for praying for us!
Well that's all for now. I really hope I can write a blog post tomorrow telling you that Jude is 110% better!
Hope y'all have a good week!
Angel
Well, I wish I could say that when Jude woke up Saturday morning, he felt much better, but... I can't. In fact it was quite the opposite story. He finally went to sleep Friday night, but we were at Lane's parents' house. So when we left to go home, he woke back up and cried until after 5am! But it didn't last long. At 7:30 he was up and crying again. It was HELL!!
I also wish that I could say Sunday was better, but it wasn't. He was just as miserable all day.
Jude has been so congested. He has coughed and sneezed and vomited and ran fever all weekend. We keep Pedialyte, vicks vapor rub, and Mucinex ready on the kitchen table. We have washed sheets, blankets, and towels in super hot water countless times.
We have tried a few tricks to distract him from his discomfort. We went for a drive; he loves car rides. We took a stroller ride; he loves those too. And we've given him warm baths around the clock because those always brighten his spirits.
We even tried the baby swing as kind of a joke.
It actually worked for a few minutes, and he quit fussing. But the swing looked like it was about to give out so we couldn't entertain the idea any longer. Speaking of ideas- a swing like this made for bigger kids? Hello! I would totally buy that just to use for moments like these.
I read that for severe bronchial congestion, being outdoors and in some sunlight is very helpful. So Lane took Jude for a wagon ride this afternoon.
Aubrey Lane and I joined them.
It helped but not for long. Thank goodness he's sleeping right now. Something about him sleeping so peacefully gives me a great sense of relief.
I keep praying that tomorrow will be much much better since Lane goes back to work, and I have started feeling bad myself. Lane has been awesome this weekend taking care of Jude around the clock.
Last night while everyone was sleeping, I had the sniffles and couldn't sleep. So, I finally got a chance to get a few projects finished; some very pretty chenille bibs. I saw some in a boutique and thought 'I can make those'. So Lane drew me a pattern from my description to practice with (I'm can't even draw stick figures), and the finished product came out so cute!
Here is Aubrey Lane wearing one of them. (They are cute, but she is so much cuter.)
I've got some more cute ones on my Facebook page. You can get a peek by going to The Mustard Seed Boutique. And I'll be listing some in my Etsy shop soon too. I'll post a link for that when I do.
I've teetered back in forth with the idea of making a little business out of my work. I've had so many distractions; a new baby, adjusting to life with two kids, Jude's super crazy preschool and therapy schedule, and an incredibly busy Christmas, blah blah blah. Well I've decided make a little business out of it, but a little differently. Instead of taking a hundred custom orders and trying to round up materials and taking a loss in the end, I'm going to just list items I have available and fabrics I can use for them. We'll see how it goes. I hope it does well because I could use the little extra income right now.
That leads me into something a little more serious. You remember my unspoken prayer request from Friday? Well it's time to make it "spoken". I've realized there is no shame in it, my family didn't do anything wrong, and well we could use the prayers.
Around Thanksgiving, projects at Lane's work were very slow so the company cut everyone down to 32 hours a week through the holidays. Not awful, just very awful timing. We didn't panic because we were sure work would pick up soon. Well this past Monday, his company cut everyone even further down to 24 HOURS A WEEK!! We are a super budgeted, one income family so this isn't great news. But it wouldn't be good news for anyone. I'm not worried about finances. I'm sure the Lord will provide. HE always does!! However, I do feel a loss of security in his current employer. I am afraid that work will not pick back up and if it does, will this happen again and how often? So we are just asking for God's guidance in this area in our lives right now. Thank you so much for praying for us!
Well that's all for now. I really hope I can write a blog post tomorrow telling you that Jude is 110% better!
Hope y'all have a good week!
Angel
Friday, January 13, 2012
Sinus Infection, Fever, and a Tooth
Hey y'all.
We are having a typical January weekend… taking care of a sick redhead.
We spent this morning in the pediatrician office. It's only a sinus infection, but he is nothing short of completely miserable. He's running fever and his secretions are making him sick to his stomach, so we've been rocking and singing all day. Please say a prayer for him. He has been crying for the past three hours.
Aubrey Lane hasn't shown any signs of being sick; only a little runny nose. But she does have something else...
Aubrey Lane has cut her FIRST TOOTH!
I can't believe how big my baby is getting. It's very exciting, but sad at the same time. I am going to take a lot of pictures over the next few days. These are the last times I'll ever see her with that little toothless, gummy grin.
Also, I have a unspoken prayer request for our family. We are facing some issues that I can't openly discuss.
Well I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.
Angel
We are having a typical January weekend… taking care of a sick redhead.
We spent this morning in the pediatrician office. It's only a sinus infection, but he is nothing short of completely miserable. He's running fever and his secretions are making him sick to his stomach, so we've been rocking and singing all day. Please say a prayer for him. He has been crying for the past three hours.
Aubrey Lane hasn't shown any signs of being sick; only a little runny nose. But she does have something else...
Aubrey Lane has cut her FIRST TOOTH!
I can't believe how big my baby is getting. It's very exciting, but sad at the same time. I am going to take a lot of pictures over the next few days. These are the last times I'll ever see her with that little toothless, gummy grin.
Also, I have a unspoken prayer request for our family. We are facing some issues that I can't openly discuss.
Well I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.
Angel
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Up To Speed
Now that I have officially moved into the 2012 on the blog, I need to get y'all "Up to Speed" on Jude Dude and Sweet Pea.
First of all, we had Aubrey Lane's hearing checked before Christmas and no problems were found. She'll have to have her hearing checked about every six months until she's about five or six just for precaution.
She also made five months the week of Christmas, but I have shamefully been to busy to do a post about it. She is doing all kind of fun things: babbling, rolling over, trying to sit up, standing and jumping, laughing and squealing, razzing, and just being a little love bug. We started her on cereal and introduced the cup... umm that hasn't been so fun, but she'll get it.
Onto the Jude Dude- he had a sleep study last week. We will find out the results of it in the next month or so. We are praying that Jude can finally come off the night time oxygen. Do you know how wonderful it would be to go somewhere without oxygen concentrators or tanks??
Yesterday, Jude saw his GI specialist and we adjusted his tube feedings again. He has been doing significantly better with his eating- although, we have had to bribe him with bubbles. We are claiming now, that Jude will be completely independent from the use of his tube in 2012! I can and will happen!
And Jude starts school back this month. WOOHOO! I know that sounds mean but any mom of a very active and attached four year old can understand this. I'm not saying that I want to get rid of him; he just requires a lot, I mean a whole lot of attention lately and gets pretty bratty when we don't stop everything we're doing for him. ;-) Typical four year old, eh?
Well, I think that's it for now!
Hope you are having a great New Year!
First of all, we had Aubrey Lane's hearing checked before Christmas and no problems were found. She'll have to have her hearing checked about every six months until she's about five or six just for precaution.
She also made five months the week of Christmas, but I have shamefully been to busy to do a post about it. She is doing all kind of fun things: babbling, rolling over, trying to sit up, standing and jumping, laughing and squealing, razzing, and just being a little love bug. We started her on cereal and introduced the cup... umm that hasn't been so fun, but she'll get it.
Onto the Jude Dude- he had a sleep study last week. We will find out the results of it in the next month or so. We are praying that Jude can finally come off the night time oxygen. Do you know how wonderful it would be to go somewhere without oxygen concentrators or tanks??
Yesterday, Jude saw his GI specialist and we adjusted his tube feedings again. He has been doing significantly better with his eating- although, we have had to bribe him with bubbles. We are claiming now, that Jude will be completely independent from the use of his tube in 2012! I can and will happen!
And Jude starts school back this month. WOOHOO! I know that sounds mean but any mom of a very active and attached four year old can understand this. I'm not saying that I want to get rid of him; he just requires a lot, I mean a whole lot of attention lately and gets pretty bratty when we don't stop everything we're doing for him. ;-) Typical four year old, eh?
Well, I think that's it for now!
Hope you are having a great New Year!
2011 Blog Review
I meant to do this before the end of the year, but I have been terribly busy. So busy that I didn't even get a chance to finish my Twelve Days of Christmas blog series... oh well.
Anyway, I thought I'd give 2011 one more look before we move on to 2012. So here are some blog highlights from the past year.
(You can click on each post to read it)
We started the year about 10 weeks pregnant, very very sick, and in constant prayer over our Sweet Pea.
In the middle of January we got some great news from Jude's cardiologist. It was a wonderful way to start the year off.
I wrote a letter of promise and prayer to my sweet baby. It's funny to think how much I thought I loved her then and how immeasurable my love is for her now.
We made it into the 2nd Trimester and God continued to give us grace.
February started with an ambulance ride to The Lake as Jude became extremely ill with RSV. It was the most terrified I have ever been, but God remained faithful and prayers were answered around the clock.
After Jude got home and did some recovering, he started preschool at LSU on Valentine's Day. Lane took off early so he could pick him up from his first day of preschool and go to a Sweet Pea check up. It was a day full of tears, but good ones.
Then... Spring arrived! AHHHH! SPRING!!
We started March off with a visit to pediatric cardiology- this time to take a look at Sweet Pea's heart. Our own hearts leaped when we heard that her's was just fine.
The next week was another stressful doctors visit. We went for Sweet Pea's biophyiscal where we would get the best idea if she would have any chromosome abnormality. It was a wonderful day as we got to see our sweet baby and here everything looked perfect.
Then the next week, we saw Maternal Fetal Medicine where we just received a confirmation that Sweet Pea was perfect.
March was pretty busy!!
In April the nesting began and our dining nook got a little makeover.
I made it into my Third Trimester.
I turned THIRTY! WOW!
And we celebrated Easter and colored eggs with our sweet redhead.
In May we celebrated Mother's Day in the ER again... we took a trip to the Audubon Zoo with our best friends and their daughter, I got my monogram machine and started sewing away, Jude got moved into a toddler bed, we celebrated Lane's birthday, and Jude had his adenoids removed.
Looks like May was super busy too and you can read all about it by clicking below...
Summer arrived with June and we had some fun in the sun with a little kiddie pool and a trip to Biloxi.
and
Jude started CRAWLING!
My sister-in-laws and friends threw me a baby sprinkle.
And our faith was tested.
In July we welcomed a daughter into our family
and you met Sweet Pea.
(this post is my most viewed post of all time even today)
We named our miracle Aubrey Lane and shared a very sweet video of her birth.
Life slowed down a little bit in August. Thank goodness. We just settled into life with a new baby until a hospital stay briefly interrupted things. We also shared some of Aubrey Lane's newborn pictures.
September stayed slow. Jude started back to school and life became a new normal for our family. And I did some dreaming of what heaven has in store for our family.
In October our sweet redhead turned FOUR! And our Aubrey Lane was already 3 months old. We dedicated her to raise in a Christian home to love Christ and celebrated Jude's birthday party all in the same day.
November was pleasantly uneventful!
With December came a wonderful and busy Christmas season. We welcomed Wilbur, our Elf on the Shelf, and took pictures with Santa at Bass Pro. (I know it might be a sin to say as a Southerner, but I HATE Bass Pro so taking the kids to see Santa was what I did to past the time while my husband shopped) We had our Christmas musical and our candlelight service. And celebrated Christmas for THREE days with family.
We also enjoyed a new tradition as Lane played and sang Christmas carols to the babies Christmas night.
We finished up the year with a bonfire at home with family. We try to do this every year that it's not raining. It's so nice to celebrate New Year's Eve at home with my babies in their own bed and off the roads.
2011 was a fantastic year! I was kinda sad to see it go, but I love fresh starts.
"From the fullness of His grace, we have all received one blessing after another."
John 1:16
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