My boys are PREPPY in their boat shoes. I need to start dressing nicer to keep up with those two.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Happy Easter!
We celebrated Easter with the Calverts, Hobbs and Fohrells. With all of that good food I think I will be full until sometime next week. We were also able to stop by my side of the family's celebration for a few minutes on the way home (another perk of living in Huntsville). Parker was so worn out by the festivities that he has been asleep for 2 hours since we got home.
Happy Easter everyone!
"There in the ground his body lay
Light of the world in darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as he stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ."
Croup is a 4 letter word
Well technically it has 5 letters, but I think it belongs with all the other terrible 4 letter words. Our family has been functioning on minimal sleep and much stress. Thankfully Parker can make up for this lack of sleep during the day but Ben and I are out of luck at work/school/the hospital. Looking at the pictures we took from Easter I realized how a lack on sleep can take a physical toll on you...major swollen eyes. I was around family all day, someone could have warned me ;)
A few weekends ago we had put Parker down to sleep just like any other night around 8:00pm. At 10:30 Ben heard a strange noise coming from his room so he went to check it out. He brought Parker out to the living room and I saw that he was having a lot of trouble breathing. I can't even fully describe what it sounded like. It was almost like he was gasping for a breath but the air wouldn't pass through his throat. Let me tell you what, that puts BIG TIME fear in a mom and dad's heart. I told Ben to call 911, and the ambulance was here in just a few short minutes. I was able to ride in the ambulance with him but Ben had to follow in the car. Once they gave him some oxygen he started coughing (the only time that sound is music to my ears). Once he started coughing I immediately knew it was croup because of the characteristic barking cough. At the hospital they gave him oral steroids and a breathing treatment that helped him immediately. 30 seconds after the breathing treatment he was smiling at the nurses, respiratory tech and doctor. We had to stay for 2 hours of observation after the treatment. His breathing slowly started getting worse. When the doctor came back to check on him he told us he was ready to be discharged. Once the nurse came back in I pointed out several things that were going on with him that means he was NOT ready to go home. Parker's chest was sinking in with each breath and the skin in between his ribs was doing the same. Those are called retractions which indicate respiratory distress...he was just not ready to go home. So the doctor came back in and decided he needed another breathing treatment. We left the ER after about 8 hours.
The next few days at home were not easy. His breathing would get worse at night so we stayed awake to monitor him. After 2-3 nights of that it just turned into a nasty cough. It had been over 2 weeks since this has happened and he still wakes himself up coughing at least 4 times a night starting around 11:30. It is difficult to watch your sweet baby be so sick. In the meantime I have learned how to survive on a few hours of sleep at night. It includes pots of coffee.
During this time we have had so much help from family. There was a full week he needed to be closely watched and could not go to the daycare and everyone took turns watching him for us while I was at the hospital and in class. I will never take living in Huntsville for granted and having Parker's grandparents and greatgrandparents surrounding us, ready and willing to help. We love you all!
A few weekends ago we had put Parker down to sleep just like any other night around 8:00pm. At 10:30 Ben heard a strange noise coming from his room so he went to check it out. He brought Parker out to the living room and I saw that he was having a lot of trouble breathing. I can't even fully describe what it sounded like. It was almost like he was gasping for a breath but the air wouldn't pass through his throat. Let me tell you what, that puts BIG TIME fear in a mom and dad's heart. I told Ben to call 911, and the ambulance was here in just a few short minutes. I was able to ride in the ambulance with him but Ben had to follow in the car. Once they gave him some oxygen he started coughing (the only time that sound is music to my ears). Once he started coughing I immediately knew it was croup because of the characteristic barking cough. At the hospital they gave him oral steroids and a breathing treatment that helped him immediately. 30 seconds after the breathing treatment he was smiling at the nurses, respiratory tech and doctor. We had to stay for 2 hours of observation after the treatment. His breathing slowly started getting worse. When the doctor came back to check on him he told us he was ready to be discharged. Once the nurse came back in I pointed out several things that were going on with him that means he was NOT ready to go home. Parker's chest was sinking in with each breath and the skin in between his ribs was doing the same. Those are called retractions which indicate respiratory distress...he was just not ready to go home. So the doctor came back in and decided he needed another breathing treatment. We left the ER after about 8 hours.
The next few days at home were not easy. His breathing would get worse at night so we stayed awake to monitor him. After 2-3 nights of that it just turned into a nasty cough. It had been over 2 weeks since this has happened and he still wakes himself up coughing at least 4 times a night starting around 11:30. It is difficult to watch your sweet baby be so sick. In the meantime I have learned how to survive on a few hours of sleep at night. It includes pots of coffee.
During this time we have had so much help from family. There was a full week he needed to be closely watched and could not go to the daycare and everyone took turns watching him for us while I was at the hospital and in class. I will never take living in Huntsville for granted and having Parker's grandparents and greatgrandparents surrounding us, ready and willing to help. We love you all!
Monday, March 14, 2011
6 months
At 6 months old Parker weighs 19 lbs 11 ounces (75th percentile)
and is 28.25 inches long (95th percentile).
He wears some 9 month clothes but mostly 12 month clothes. Yikes!
He eats any baby food you put in front of his face,
Loves being passed around and getting lots of attention,
Thinks it is funny when people cough,
Loves his daycare teachers,
Is a good sleeper most nights,
Is happiest when he is outside,
Enjoys car rides,
Loves to cuddle,
And has a special smile reserved for his daddy.
We can't get enough! Love you Parker.
Prioritization
Nursing school puts a heavy emphasis on prioritization. Many of our test questions tell us to put the patients in the order that they need to be seen. During clinicals we have to prioritize our actions to provide safe and effective patient care. For example, if a patient is having trouble breathing I should know that it is more important to administer oxygen than to give them a bed bath. It makes sense...but it is not always that easy. I am finding prioritization even more difficult outside of nursing school. Nursing school is demanding. Our teachers are aware of this and their advice to to devote all your time and energy to surviving the program. Well...they don't have a 6 month old.
I know what my priorities should be. Sorry teachers but school is not my number one priority in life. It should look more like this: Christ, my husband, my son, family, and then school. Unfortunately I am bad at multitasking and the list often looks out of order. And by often I mean almost always. The worst part is that a few things often creep in the list...like tv (Thursday nights are my weakness. Community, 30 Rock, The Office and Parks and Recreation all in one night??), planning to exercise but not following through (apparently you have to work to get the baby weight off...who knew?), and sometimes I even find myself looking at houses to buy online even though we are not in a place to buy one! Another thing that is slipping is the house work. It's embarrassing to admit but there has been a pile of dirty laundry I sorted in our bedroom that has been on the floor for a week. A week.
So why am I admitting all of this on a blog that I barely keep up with?? Asking for your prayers that I can prioritize properly and get rid of the distractions. When I focus on school work I feel guilty for not being with Ben and Parker. When I focus on my boys I feel like I am not getting enough school work accomplished. Maybe the answer really is to do what I can to survive until school is over but I do know this...my survival and success is not possible without the Lord. End of story. Working on making Him the priority and resting in the fact He is over everything in my life.
Just for fun, here is a list of the things I am looking forward to once I am out of school:
- Joining the ladies bible study. Man I NEED the fellowship, and it's a great way to get to know people better and for people to know me better.
-Not having to study for a test.
-Learning how to use my camera better. And taking tons of pictures.
-Learning how to sew.
-Spending more time outside.
-The ability (time) to be more intentional and invest in people's lives.
-Keeping the house cleaner.
-Working out/getting in shape. Muscleworks at the UAH fitness center rocks my world.
-Having more time to love on my husband and son.
-HOPEFULLY having a job that I love and feel passionate about (e.g. labor and delivery, fingers crossed!)
I know what my priorities should be. Sorry teachers but school is not my number one priority in life. It should look more like this: Christ, my husband, my son, family, and then school. Unfortunately I am bad at multitasking and the list often looks out of order. And by often I mean almost always. The worst part is that a few things often creep in the list...like tv (Thursday nights are my weakness. Community, 30 Rock, The Office and Parks and Recreation all in one night??), planning to exercise but not following through (apparently you have to work to get the baby weight off...who knew?), and sometimes I even find myself looking at houses to buy online even though we are not in a place to buy one! Another thing that is slipping is the house work. It's embarrassing to admit but there has been a pile of dirty laundry I sorted in our bedroom that has been on the floor for a week. A week.
So why am I admitting all of this on a blog that I barely keep up with?? Asking for your prayers that I can prioritize properly and get rid of the distractions. When I focus on school work I feel guilty for not being with Ben and Parker. When I focus on my boys I feel like I am not getting enough school work accomplished. Maybe the answer really is to do what I can to survive until school is over but I do know this...my survival and success is not possible without the Lord. End of story. Working on making Him the priority and resting in the fact He is over everything in my life.
Just for fun, here is a list of the things I am looking forward to once I am out of school:
- Joining the ladies bible study. Man I NEED the fellowship, and it's a great way to get to know people better and for people to know me better.
-Not having to study for a test.
-Learning how to use my camera better. And taking tons of pictures.
-Learning how to sew.
-Spending more time outside.
-The ability (time) to be more intentional and invest in people's lives.
-Keeping the house cleaner.
-Working out/getting in shape. Muscleworks at the UAH fitness center rocks my world.
-Having more time to love on my husband and son.
-HOPEFULLY having a job that I love and feel passionate about (e.g. labor and delivery, fingers crossed!)
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Quick
Quick update with no pictures. Soooorrryyy...our camera is visiting the Canon hospital because of some type of lens disfunction. Unfortunately that means we only captured our son on his 6 month birthday with our camera phones. If you missed that let me repeat:
Our son is 6 months old!
Our son is 6 months old!
Oh my goodness. This is the strangest combination of feeling like the time flew by and feeling like he has always been here. He has his 6 month check up on Wednesday and I will report his height/weight/all that good stuff. Here was his face when I told him we were going back to the Dr...."SHOTS??"
Guess I lied about no pictures, I forgot I could use the ones from my camera phone. Everyone have a wonderful week! I promise to write some good blog posts after my Pediatric state boards test that is coming up.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Brainwashing
The moment we found out we were having a boy, the debate began. Ben thinks he will play lacrosse, but I think he will play baseball. (Heaven forbid the kid makes the choice for himself, ha!) Little does Ben know that I have started the brainwashing process already. Atlanta Braves 2030, be on the lookout for my rookie of the year!
*Please don't judge me for letting him watch tv. I was studying for a test the next day. At least it was an educational program ;)
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