Lenore at 2 Months

Two Months Old

Her stats (from the doctor's office):

Weight: 14 pounds 4 ounces [96th percentile]

Length: 23.5 inches [89th percentile]

Head Size: 40.6 cm [97th percentile]

Everything looks pretty good this month. I did ask about her head shape because I thought she was favoring turning her head to one side. Sure enough, she's starting to get a flat spot, so we're going to try to encourage her to look the other way more often. The pediatrician said that her range of motion seems fine--she just seems to prefer turning her head the same direction most of the time (when laying, sleeping, etc.). She got one oral and two inject-able vaccines this time, and she's pretty fussy now that we're home (after an almost 4 hour nap). Hopefully this evening/overnight isn't too bad--tomorrow, we're off to Boise!

At our 1 month check-up, they found a heart murmur that had previously been undetected. Our pediatrician referred us to a pediatric cardiologist the next week. They ran a few tests and found that she has a 'very mild pulmonary stenosis' which is a thickening of the valve that regulates the blood flow from the heart to the lungs. She also has an ASD (Atrial Septal Defect), which are some extra holes in between the two atriums of her heart. The cardiologist said that both issues will go away on their own and that we don't need to worry about limiting her activities (e.g. crying) at this point. We'll go back for another check in six months. That week of waiting for the appointment was pretty worrisome, so we were very relieved to get good news.

What she's doing this month:

• She is back to swaddling! Sometime just after turning a month old, she started waking up shortly after we put her down (after 10-15 minutes). Kevin mentioned that maybe she was startling herself awake, to which I thought, 'Well, duh.' That's what the sleep book said when I read it with Lewis, but I'd forgotten. So now she's happily swaddled at night and sleeps pretty well. 
• She typically goes down between 9:30 and 10pm and wakes up once, around 3:30 or 4am. There was a week where she slept until 6am, but then that turned to 5:45, 5:15, 5, etc. and now it's 3:30 or 4am. I was having to get up with her for the day when it was in the 5:45-6am range (because she wasn't going back to sleep), but now (thankfully) she is going back down after the 3:30 or 4am wake-up and sleeping until a more reasonable 7 or 8am.
• She did just sleep until 6:15am this morning. We are going to Boise on Wednesday for a week (2 hours time difference), so I'm sure everything will be up in the air during and after that trip. So it goes.
• Our daily routine cycles are usually to eat, play, sleep, but we don't always follow that. I'm following her lead a lot more than I did with Lewis, watching for her cues more than watching the clock. I told my lactation consultant that I was trying to not let her go past three hours without eating during the day, and she told me I didn't need to do that (unless she gets past 4 hours). She said that 2-4 hour stretches between feedings could be 'normal' for her at this point, and that she's clearly getting enough to eat. It seemed like once I stopped waking her up from daytime naps to make sure she was eating, she started sleeping better overall. That could have just been a coincidence, but still. On her own, she's falling into a fairly predictable routine, so I'm not messing with it. She usually has one 4 hour stretch during the day, and then feeds closer to every 2 hours in the evenings.
• She is smiling and laughing and cooing sometimes when we talk to her, which is just the sweetest sound. I don't really remember Lewis being quite as ooshy gooshy as she is (that's a technical term). :) She's just really sweet.
• She LOVES Kevin. She usually lights up when she's with him (which is quite a contrast from the first month, when their time together [evenings] was full of fussiness).
• I'm still sucking at doing tummy time, but her head control is pretty good, I think. I will do better this month.
• She loves to try to stand and bounce on our laps, and we'll probably bring up the jumperoo sometime soon.
• She is pretty close to outgrowing her 3 month clothes, though she is swimming in some of her 3-6 month ones. Separates seem to fit her better than one-pieces right now, I guess.

Now onto breastfeeding...

• Breastfeeding is still not going well. It's going, just not well. She is obviously fine and gaining weight, but she is hurting me in the process. I usually have pain at latch-on, sometimes pain during a feed, and always pain after a feed.
• Going way back to week 2, we thought it was thrush, but it's not thrush.
• A few weeks after that, they diagnosed me with Raynaud's (lack of blood flow to extremities due to cold or stress). At first they told me to just try to keep warm (during a record low cold snap). My LC was able to help me get a medication prescribed (nifedipine) by my OB's office, but unfortunately that didn't help, either.
• I was finally able to separate the pain and distinguish that the worst/lingering pain was due to a shallow latch rather than Raynaud's (they're two different pains, occurring at two different times). The Raynaud's happens when I'm cold (which is great timing, since winter has just begun). Once I was able to separate the two, I went back to my LC to try to work on latch again, sometime after Thanksgiving.
• Fast forward a few weeks, and we're still having issues. We went back last week, and my LC checked Lenore's mouth to make sure that there wasn't any tongue tie (and there isn't). She did notice that she has a very sensitive gag reflex. My LC thinks that she is pushing my nipple out of her mouth as I attempt to get it further back in there for a proper latch. That results in her nursing off the end of my breast rather than where she's *supposed* to, which causes the continual damage to my nipples (because they are hitting the hard palate instead of the soft palate). Because of that rubbing on the hard palate, my nipples keep getting damaged and have vasospasms (a constriction of blood flow) after feedings (throbbing, burning, stinging, etc.). It is the most horrible pain--it usually happens 5-15 minutes after a feeding and lasts 5 minutes or so. Sometimes it crosses my whole chest, deep in the tissue.
• My LC also mentioned that I just have large, full breasts (duh and duh), and that it will make it harder for her to get a good latch. What I'm supposed to do about that, I don't know.
• I have googled my eyes out and watched 'how to' videos and consulted my books, and it seems I'm doing everything to the best of my ability. We are just not grooving (yet).
• SO, having said all of that, I'm going to ask the pediatrician about the gag reflex tomorrow at our 2 month check-up. The LC said that it could possibly lead to issues when it comes to starting solids, but she isn't sure if that's what's causing the issues with feeding now. I don't know if the pediatrician would recommend doing any sort of therapy now to see if that would improve breastfeeding, but I am willing to try anything at this point.
• In other words, breastfeeding sucks. Ba-dum-ching! :) [Slightly jealous kudos to all of those mamas who have a natural and blissful relationship with it.] Talking to my friends, now, I'm learning that a lot of them have had a difficult go at it, and it's good to know I'm not alone. I remember having a few issues with Lewis early on, but they were resolved in one session with a LC. I would say I had a very easy time after that, but there's been nothing easy about it this time. I keep reading that maybe she'll outgrow it around 2 months (which would be any day now!), and I'm hoping that's the case. Otherwise, we'll see how long I can put up with the pain. I can't just quit, either, because that would be a hell unto itself with engorgement pain. I'd need to taper off over a few weeks and either pump or formula-feed, and it is 'easier' to just breastfeed. I have tried taking breaks for entire days by just pumping, but the time it takes to pump, plus feed, plus wash bottles and pump parts, is a lot, especially when I'm by myself and also taking care of Lewis. So I don't know what the right answer is for us right now. Certainly, to be continued.

And now some more pictures, to end on a happy note:

 She's got cheeks for days. :)

 Yea, my brother loves me.

 I think she's got the look-of-love for her brother, too.

My babies. :)

Books, Books, Books

I got three new books for my birthday from my extremely well-read, older, and wiser sister, with a note. Something to the effect of, "Thought you might like to read something other than baby books.' I didn't realize how much I appreciated getting my mind taken away from what can be the doldrums of breastfeeding every couple of hours all day long. Or something to do while snuggling a sleeping baby, too. Rather than check my phone again to see that (still) nothing is happening in the outside world. 

I took those books down to my bookcase after they arrived for my birthday last week, which is *all* the way downstairs, where I don't always venture. On Christmas, Kevin got me four more books, so I started reading them right away, since they were right in front of me. I will move on to Emily's selections next.

I read Amy Poehler's book (Yes Please) in less than 24 hours which is highly unlike me. I usually get gung-ho for like a chapter or maybe 30 pages. But 375 pages? In a day? [Too bad I couldn't be as interested in my English lit assignments in college.] I love Amy. And I love Tina Fey. I'm now halfway through her book (Bossypants) at about the 12 hour mark so maybe I'll wrap it up by tomorrow. 

UPDATE: I did finish Tina's book within 24 hours and moved along to Lena Dunham's, which I also finished under a day. 3 books, 3 days. If I achieve nothing else these next few days while Kevin is off, I will have read more books than the entire past year! That's both encouraging and pathetic. I have read my fair share of news articles and People magazine (and Parents and Martha Stewart Living and This Old House) over the year, of course.

I really liked Amy and Tina's books because they not only tell about their upbringing and how they've come to be, but they touch on relevant-to-me topics such as babies and breastfeeding, and I appreciate their lightness and wisdom at this particular time (minute, hour, day) in my life.

Lena's book was about how I expected it to be, just as she is. I don't love her, but I do find her interesting.

And I've finally taken the plunge into the smartphone world, as of a few weeks ago. My old phone had been superglued together twice and has had unbelievably crappy reception from day one, so it was time. I am slowly figuring out how to use Blogger on there (thanks for the inspiration, Keith), but I'm not quite there yet. I started this post on my phone but had to finish on the laptop. Maybe one of these days I'll figure out how to add pictures (wow!) and be more succinct (yea right!) for maximum phone blogging success. We shall see. I make no promises. :)

Oh, and the 4th book from Kevin is Wild.

Lenore at 1 Month

Lenore is a month old! She and I celebrated with a wide-eyed party in her room from 1:30-3am this morning...I had to wake up Kevin to take over at 3, and she went right to sleep for him (of course!).

One Month Old

Her stats (from the doctor's office):
Weight: 12 pounds 8.5 ounces (98th percentile)
Length: 22 inches (81st percentile)
Head Size: 15 inches (99th percentile)

What she is doing this month:

• She does NOT like to be swaddled. From the start, I could tell that she didn't like having her feet confined (she would kick and kick until they were free), so we would leave her feet out and just wrap her arms. About a week ago, she started getting angry when we'd even do that, so I tried to just put her down in her pajamas one night, and voila. She slept just as well (or maybe better), so no swaddling for her. [Lewis was the opposite and loved it and stayed swaddled until he started rolling over.]
• She and I have had a rough go at nursing so far. We've been to the lactation consultant at our hospital for an appointment and have talked to her on the phone numerous times (she is wonderful), and we are still working on a few issues. She is gaining weight just fine, but it is terribly painful for me, still. I could write a whole post about it, and I just might.
• She nurses only on one side at each feeding, which is different from Lewis. The LC had me feed that way when I met with her, so I've stuck with it. She was eating every 2-3 hours at first, but now she's usually closer to the 3 hour mark. If she is really hungry, she will let me know it by turning beet red and crying hysterically, so we try not to get to that point. It has only happened a handful of times, but it is scary.
• She is a pretty sleepy baby. She has a few times during the day when she's more awake/alert, but she sleeps most of the day. Nights have been pretty good, considering, too. She goes down between 9:30 and 10pm and has been waking up around 3am and 6:30 or 7am (on a typical night). She has had a couple of nights with another awakening in there and a couple of nights with a nice 6 or 7 hour stretch, too. I try to go to bed by 10 or 10:30pm because I'm still afraid of how the night will go.
• She's usually pretty fussy in the evenings, from the time Kevin gets home, usually, until bedtime (so like 6:30 or 7 until 9:30ish). She cluster feeds during that time, too, usually, because that's the only thing that will appease her.
• She gets mad, usually, after I buckle her in her car seat, so we have to swing her around a little bit which quiets her right down. She's good with riding in the car, as long as we are moving. If she is awake, she doesn't like to sit still, at times (like in the drive-thru lane).
• She is strong! We probably haven't done tummy time as much yet as we did with Lewis, but she will lift and hold up her head well when we hold her on our chests. She also kicks a lot and tries to put weight on her legs.
• We went to my old Mom group once and are going again this coming week. One of my friends I met there when Lewis was a baby now has another one, and she has been going regularly and invited me back. It was a little strange being there as a second-timer, but good to be with other moms and babies. I'm going back this week because it is my friend's last week before returning to work, and I'm looking forward to it.
• She smiles a lot as she nurses, sleeps, and/or has awake time, and it is beautiful. I look forward to when she knowingly and regularly does it.
• She loves bath time, especially having warm water poured on her head.
• We thought she had a growth spurt last week, but I think she started one yesterday into today (she is suddenly eating every two hours). She is wearing 3 month clothes now, but it seems even some of those are suddenly a bit snug. Our growing girl!

Overall, she is a very sweet baby. She doesn't ask for much so far, just to be fed. :) Lewis is a very good big brother--he sometimes needs to be reminded to not be too loud around her when she is napping, but he is very sweet and loving towards her. He says, 'I love you, girls' or 'I love you, Lenore' and gives her hugs and kisses.

One last note...
I would not have made it through the past few weeks without Kevin. He is the best husband and dad. He has helped me get Lewis ready for school, fed bottles while I pumped, listened and been supportive as I cried (again and again) about breastfeeding and other things through the hormonal tidal surge, let me nap/sleep in at times, taken Lewis for some one-on-one time, etc. I go could on, but I just want to make sure to acknowledge how great he has been and how much he is appreciated.

And some close-ups of Lenore, in parting:

 

Naming Baby

Coming up with a name was so much more difficult for us this time, for whatever reason! We finally finalized our decisions over dinner at 38 weeks (and I made shirts to make them official):

The shirt was a bit snug on my big girl. :)

 #size0to3months #thinkagain 

Enough pictures, already! Feed me, woman!

The final decision was: Crosby Pete for a boy or Lenore Elaine for a girl.

Lenore Elaine
I've liked Lenore since we were pregnant with Lewis. I've seen it as Lenore, Leonore, Lenora, Elenore, Eleanora, etc. but I just like plain ol' Lenore.

• Meaning is 'Like a Lion' or 'Light, Torch, Bright.'
• I didn't initially realize it, but it's a form of Leona, which was my great-grandmother Webb's name.
• I don't know about a nickname, yet. I've heard Nori, but I don't think I can nickname my child the same as Kim Kardashian. :) I'd liked Leni years ago, but I've since gone away from that (and Kevin is very anti-Leni, so that was part of our agreement). :) I think we'll just stick with Lenore for now.
• We like how that it starts with an L, to go along with Lewis: Lewis and Lenore.

Elaine was Kevin's suggestion--he really likes Julia Louis Dreyfus, especially as Elaine Benes on Seinfeld. It was a first name contender for a while, but we decided to use it as a middle instead. And, an added reason, if you take the letters of my sister's name (Emily Diane) and put them in a letter blender, it kind of makes the name, Elaine. :)

Crosby Pete
Kevin is the one who suggested Crosby, and we both liked it for a number of reasons, even more so as time went on and we thought more about it.

• Meaning is 'Dweller by the town crossing.'
• Crosby Braverman (Dax Shepherd) from Parenthood, one of our favorite shows.
• Bing Crosby is in White Christmas, which is one of my (and my mom's and maybe my sister's?) favorite movies. I watch it every year as I put up the Christmas tree. My sister and I once did the Haynes' sisters' Sisters routine in a high school choir performance (because we are awesome). We go way back. :)
• Songs of Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young have been with me, growing up, and with us, throughout our relationship. 
• Our House and Teach Your Children remind me of my childhood, hearing my parents sing around the house.
• Suite: Judy Blue Eyes is just a great song. 
• Kevin really likes Southern Cross.
• One of the absolute most fun days of my life was back in the summer of 2003 at Taste of Bloomington with Kevin and my sister and a friend, eating good food, drinking good beer, and dancing the conga line to Love the One You're With (covered by the band Bahama Llama). [Kevin would like to note that it's technically just a Stephen Stills song, not CSN/Y, but we still associate it with CSN/Y.]
• David Crosby has 'most awesome' hair, and given the crazy waves/curls between Kevin and I, we figure this child is bound to have some awesome hair, too.
• We like that it's two syllables, like Lewis, and we like the shortened version, Cros: Lew and Cros.

We went with Pete because, why not? We thought of using many other names and really went through the ringer with them, but we ultimately decided that Lewis Pete and Crosby Pete sounded right to us. Waycross (the source of the Jim Peters' story and Peter's namesake) is what brought us together, so we decided to just go with it.


So those are/were our names! I really, truly thought it was going to be a boy, based on how the pregnancy felt compared to Lewis' (very similar), but I had started to feel a greater connection to the name, Lenore, towards the end (and I told a few people that in the days leading up to the baby's arrival).

School Pictures (and We're Still Here!)

We are starting to get into the swing of things with Lewis and Lenore--of course, I have a bunch of pictures to post, but not quite the time to do so right now. Things are going well--I'm so thankful for family and friends who have visited and sent gifts and brought over food and checked in to see how we are doing. 

Today is the first day that I've felt *almost* on my own, as far as getting Lewis ready for and driven to school. (I say almost because I couldn't do it without the help of Kevin.) Each day, we're figuring out better ways of doing things, and I think we're going to be okay. ;)

The day before Lenore was born, I went into school to pick up Lewis' school pictures:

I thought they turned out really well again this year. Here are his pictures from last year, and you can really see how much older he looks now! Especially when I see him next to his sister--he is just gigantic! His arms and legs are so big and strong, yet it seems not that long ago that he was a little baby like Lenore. (sigh)

Lewis the Truest, Vol. XVII

During breakfast one day:

Lewis: Mmm, this is alligator soup.
Mama: This is what?
Lewis: Alligator soup.
Mama: Oh! I thought it was toast.
Lewis: It's alligator soup. The little bits of alligator are DELICIOUS.

After I stopped laughing, I asked him where he learned all of this information about alligator soup, and he told me he learned it from Ms. Lauren, his art teacher/school director. :)

----------

I told Lewis to go potty after breakfast/before getting ready for school. I heard him go into our bedroom to talk to Hattie, as he often does. In parting, these were his words to her:

Lewis: Goodbye, Baby. (He calls her Baby Girl.) I'm going to poootty and poop before schooool!

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Kevin and Lewis went out to dinner a few weeks ago while I went to a wine/canvas thing with Kate, and Kevin sent me a text about Lewis's review of the restaurant:

Lewis: I like Moe's. It is not yucky.

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Lewis was admiring Lenore the other day after a feeding. I asked him if he wanted to say anything to her:

Lewis: Choo choo train. Tractor. Airplanes. Orange. Basketball. Leaves. Dada. Mama. Peter. Hattie. Baby. Lewis Pete. Dada. That's our FAMILY.

I was writing the words down as fast as they came out, and I thought I might have missed a couple. I asked him what came after tractor, and he said, 'airplanes, orange, basketball, etc.' and kept rattling off the list again, in the same order. It was too, too funny.

Lenore's Birth Story

When I left off on pregnancy updates, we were scheduled to be induced on Wednesday, 10/29 (40 weeks 5 days). Tuesday night, we packed our bags and went to bed, ready to wake up to call the hospital at 5am to check for bed availability. As long as there was a bed available, we were to check-in at 7am to start the induction.

Well, well, well...I woke up at 2:30am to pee, and, much to my surprise, as I stood up from bed and walked to the bathroom, my water broke!!!

I didn't know what to do at first--go back to bed? Walk around? I decided to call the hospital, and they instructed us to come on in since my water had broken. We took showers and finished packing our last-minute things and headed out. Check-in was smooth (we arrived a little after 3:30am), and we were put in lucky Labor & Delivery room 13.

The nurse was getting everything set up and ready for the induction--even though my water had broken, I wasn't in labor yet (labor is cervical change). I hadn't had any contractions, so they were going to start me on pitocin. The nurse checked me, and I was still just 1cm and the baby was still very high. She also seemed a bit unsure of what she was feeling when she checked me, head vs. butt, which of course made me anxious. She went and got the doctor, who did an ultrasound, and we instantly knew something was awry. 

Baby had flipped again, back to the transverse position. :( Head was up in my right ribs, and butt was pointing at my left hip, just as before. The doctor said that the baby would not be able to be born vaginally, due to its position. I asked about a version, if it was too late, and she said that was no longer an option--they have to have the waters intact to use as a cushion, and mine had already broken, counting me out. 

Before we knew it, anesthesia, baby nurses, etc. were all coming in to talk to us, and we quickly realized we needed to call the grandparents to get to the hospital asap. It was around 5:15am at this point, and the anesthesiologist told us we'd have a baby by 6am! (Our heads were spinning...)

We went into the operating room around 5:30, and baby was born at 6:06am. They let Kevin say what the gender was as they lifted her up over the drape--'It's a girl!' I think I said, 'WHAT? A girl?! WHAAAT?' (I think we both were convinced it was another boy.) We both started crying, and Kevin went over to watch her exam with the baby nurses. Her APGAR scores were 9 and 9, which is excellent. Meanwhile, I was still on the table getting sewed back together and trying to hear everything. And crying and smiling in disbelief.

After they finished with me, they moved us into an anesthesia recovery area. Kevin went out to the waiting room to tell his parents and my parents that it was a girl and her name and stats, and then Lewis came back into recovery to meet Lenore. I think we were in there around an hour, and then they moved us over to Mother/Baby.

In the course of that day morning, I went from being elated about going into labor on my own (or what I thought would be labor), to great disappointment in having to have a c-section. The pain is no joke, but hopefully it gets better soon. The whole day was so fast-moving and a blur, but we've all come out of it healthy and happy (and sleepy) on the other side.

Lenore Elaine Thompson

Born 10/29/14 at 6:06am

10 pounds, 1 ounce

21.25 inches

Fall Festival at Gallrein Farm

Kevin and I were talking, and we think we have officially gotten our fill of fall festivals this year! Our last stop was a trip to Gallrein Farm on Saturday with my parents--you'd think that walking around for hours might kick start labor, but alas. 

Lewis and I had been out to this farm once last year with Tonya and Carlton, but it was during the week, without the full scope of activities up and running. I'm so glad we went back--it was a beautiful weather day, and just about everything they offered was right up Lew's alley.

First stop was a farm-themed bouncy house with a tractor inside--hello!

He spent most of the time in there running up one side of the tractor and leaping/bounding/sliding down the other.

Before we left that morning, I told him there was a John Deere tractor train that I remembered from our last visit, and his eyes lit up. I think it lived up to the hype:

Heading out, verrrry excited

He's the one, 6 barrels in from the left. That ride was a pretty empty one, obviously! He was pretty brave, going all by himself.

Returning back, with a 'that was awesome' face :)

Poke, poke, poke

He found that piece of straw and was pointing it around, like a wand, saying, 'Poke, poke, poke.'

After getting sufficiently straw-covered, we headed to the pony ride and petting zoo:

I think the donkeys were his favorite. :) Looks like he was ready to climb in the pen with them.

Next up were the pedal cars...Kevin was prepared to have to pedal Lewis around again, but Lew was totally able to do it himself:

Look out, here I come!

Onto the real tractor, pulling our hayride

We rode out to the pumpkin patch but just stayed on for the return trip (we have enough pumpkins already).

We still had some tickets left, so Lewis asked Gramma if she would ride the barrel train with him a second time:

She said he really seemed to think he was steering his barrel--he'd turn when the train turned and was taking it pretty seriously. :)

Our final stop was just a big play area of straw bales. Kids were throwing it everywhere, and it seemed like the 'thing' to do was to bury yourself in it. Lewis got right on that:

I am buried. Can you see me???

It cracked me up how he covered his eyes with his arm--I bet he felt like he was really all covered up, my sweet boy. :)

The best!

Lewis slipped/wiggled off the bale, straw was everywhere, etc. I love it/them.

We stopped on the way home at the new outlet mall in Simpsonville, and I was excited to find some big kid-sized footed pajamas for Lewis--last week, he was waking in the middle of the night, needing the covers put back on because he was cold. I didn't realize they made the sleepers after size 5T (which he has outgrown), so I'm glad we happened upon them in bigger sizes for our big boy.

40+ Weeks: Baby's Been Served

40 Weeks 2 Days with Baby #2

(3 Days Before Induction)

41 Weeks with Lewis

(Day of Induction...2 Days Before Birth)

We are officially into extra time now, and this baby has an eviction plan in place. At my appointment last Friday (my official due date), things remained unchanged, so we moved on to discuss induction. Of course, she wanted to give the baby a chance to come on its own, and she again said I could go to 41 weeks (which is Halloween). She asked if I wanted a Halloween baby, which I do not, so Wednesday (tomorrow) is the day (40 weeks 5 days). She isn't on call anytime in the near future, so we are going to be with one of her partners who she was able to get to cover our case (and his on call day is Wednesday). I've seen, and been induced at, 41 weeks 2 days with Lewis, and who knows if this one would stay put that long if we let him/her. At this point, I feel like no, definitely not...he/she will never, ever be born. Ever. :)

Thankfully, I have had plenty of time to complete everything on my to do list (and then some!). I was feeling sentimental about the end of pregnancy and the end of life with 'just' Lewis, but I am ready now. 

Note: I did just get sad, reading to him at nap time, realizing it would be our last time to do so without also having a baby to tend to. I am not totally jaded/cold-hearted. :)

Lewis and I have a cold, which is great timing. His is worse than mine (and I caught mine from him). He had a fever Thursday, so I called my parents to come down and start their pre-baby stay with us (on Friday). He had to miss school Friday, and he might have to miss tomorrow, too, depending on how he's doing this afternoon after nap. The fever has been off/on since Thursday, along with a cough, runny nose, being hoarse, fussy, puny, etc. I finally took him to the doctor yesterday to make sure it isn't an ear infection, and it is not. The doctor said it's just an upper respiratory thing, but she went ahead and prescribed an antibiotic, in case there is an infection and to try to help it along faster with baby #2's impending arrival. 

Unfortunately, it has affected his sleeping. He woke up at 3:15 Monday morning, rearing to go--I heard him taking off his PJs and opening his drawers to change into comfy clothes, but I was able to go in and sleep with him until a more reasonable 7:30am. This morning was not as nice--he was up at 4am and he (and I) stayed up. Kevin took a while falling back asleep, too, so, we're all a mess, just in time for the new baby! Hooray! I did catch a nap today while my parents took Lew to open gym, and I'll try to (ha!) go to bed early tonight. I guess we have many more sleepless nights ahead, so why not get a head start?

I have some fall festival pictures from the weekend to post, and then the next will be about the new baby! (Finally!)

Catching Up/Other Fall Fun

These are a potpourri of pictures, if you will, from the past week or two from my camera and Kevin's phone. (There was a potpourri category on Jeopardy the other night, so that is the only word I can currently think of to describe what I'm trying to say.)

 Hanging with Hattie

 Always has a watchful eye on Lewis and his actions. :)

Sweet basement snuggles with Dad

And more!

This was what I found on Sunday morning when I woke up--pure, snuggly, laidback-weekend goodness. :)

This is Lewis' photo wall in his room! 

I finished it a month ago, but just got around to taking a picture of it. The middle picture is him at one day old, and I ordered the fire truck and railroad crossing prints from art.com. I got the idea for the tractor and roadway initial from Pinterest--the tractor body is his footprint (with construction paper cutouts) and the roadway is just a painted 'L' with cars super-glued to it. I left it spaced out so that we can add to it as we find more pieces.

Yesterday after school, we got to work on our pumpkins. I'd picked up a sticker set for Lewis to use on his pumpkin, and he designed it her all by himself. She has a hairbow, 'like Minnie and Daisy wear,' and she has 5 teeth (he was very specific about the #). :)

I don't need to look at the camera! The pumpkin needs to look at the camera!

He seems very proud of his finished product.

After his was finished, I quickly carved a basic jack-o-lantern for the back porch. I think I spent more time gutting it and cleaning up the seeds to be roasted (yum!):

Lighting up the jack-o-lantern last evening before bed

It's back to the doctor for me tomorrow, so I'll update as we know more about when this baby will arrive!!

***Also, I just added a short video at Huber's of Lewis riding a tricycle--it's about 2/3 of the way down the (really long) post.

Blackacre State Nature Preserve and Historic Homestead

Earlier this week, we met Tonya and Carlton out at Blackacre for a morning of farm fun. It's only about 15 minutes from our house, but I've never been out there before. I had heard of it, both back in my environmental education days and as I was looking at places to volunteer--I'm really glad we finally made it out there. Next time, we'll have to take some snacks to feed the farm animals. They were sweet, even without treats for them.

First stop, of course, was the old blue tractor:

The very sweet baby horse saying hi to Lewis

The more timid baby cow 

Checking out the waterfall

 This pond will come back into play...notice Lewis' clothes now vs. later in the visit. :)

 Up into the hay loft

Lewis was a bit scared of climbing back down the ladder, understandably! This old barn reminded me of when I was a kid, playing at my friend Ellie's grandparents' farm, in their hay barn. So many fun memories. :) 

 The goats were a little less willing to hang, since we offered no treats. :)

A plane!

 Best buds

I am cracking up at how dirty Carlton's pants are--he found every mud puddle. :)

'Fishing' in the pond

A few minutes after this, Lewis stood up on that rock, verrry slowly and dramatically lost his balance, and went head over feet into the pond. He was noooooot happy about it. Thankfully Tonya had brought a fresh change of his clothes (from falling in mud at their house the last time we were out there). So it worked out! He did have to put his water-logged boots back on, but he was okay with wet feet.

Playing with Lewis' toy tractors

From then on, we stayed off the rocks and just hung around the perimeter. :) And Carlton lost his pants at some point because of how wet they were. Oh, boys. :) 

 Back to the tractor

Lewis was yelling out, 'I need a trailer!' and 'I need somebody to get the gate!' That might have been what Carlton was doing in the picture above...maybe? Who knows. (He's barely there on the left, messing with the gate.)

Saying hi to another sweetie--she was a very big/tall girl and very sweet (and slobbery) :)

It was a great morning with perfect fall weather. We'll have to go back on a weekend, too, when they are open for tours (I think Sunday afternoons, only). Lew would be happy just going back to play on the tractor, I'm sure. :)