TTT: Season 2, Episode 33

1. I guess I managed to have really good luck with my first two babes when it came to shots. I mean, sure, they both hollered when the needle hit the leg, but they were otherwise fairly tame in the hours that followed. I remember thinking oh, this isn't nearly as bad as everyone made it out to be!

Until yesterday when I quickly changed my tune. My sweet little dumpling, Grant, got his first shot and man, he did not take it well. You would have thought it was an amputation instead of vaccination. Like a lot of babies do, he slept quite a bit immediately after but when he woke, he was in a world of pain. He didn't want to nurse, didn't want to be held, didn't want to be put down...I'm pretty sure he didn't want to be alive whatsoever. My heart was just breaking for him. Really. I teared up and everything because there was absolutely nothing I could do to comfort him. (and yes, I did use all of the typical remedies.) There was a stretch yesterday afternoon where he wailed for a solid two hours. Of course, once he passed out he went right back to sleeping for hours on end, affording me time to make dinner and drop my anxiety level from volcanic explosion to stable. But the aftermath left me a three-year-old who took no nap at all and a two-year-old who slept for only forty-five minutes. Oh yeah, and said two-year-old had woken up yesterday morning at five-thirty.

Thankfully, my day ended with the big boys going to sleep early and without putting up any sort of a fight, a long, hot shower for myself, and a peacefully contained baby. Remarkably, he did pretty well throughout the night too. He still seems pretty sore this morning but at least I can pick him up without feeling like I'm ruining his life. Poor fella. On the up side of his two-month appointment yesterday (two months!?! Really?!?) he was 23.5" long and twelve pounds and nine ounces. Seventy-fifth percentile for both. He has gained nearly six pounds since we left the hospital. And is just a few pounds from doubling his birth weight. Sheesh. Can you imagine doing that in two month's time?

2. Darling blond-headed, brown-eyed two-year-old for lease. (I don't think I'll sell him off just yet...I may need a kidney down the road...) In the past week or so, my previously precious, loving, tender-hearted little Reagan has gone from a good little guy with sporadic typical two-year-old outbursts to a total maniac. Some of the top-of-his-lungs temper tantrums he has thrown in the past few days have left my ear drums bleeding and my mind reeling. Especially since they're usually due to something completely random:

Reagan: I want peanut and jelly.
Me: We don't eat peanut and jelly for breakfast. Let's have some yogurt and cereal.
Reagan: Don't want to! Peanut and jelly!
Me: Reagan, I'm not making you peanut and jelly right now. Come sit down and I'll get your breakfast ready.
Reagan: Peanut and jeeeeeeelllyyyy!!!

Twenty minutes later he's still flailing on the ground in the formal dining room (attached to the kitchen and home to the location where the boys go to cool themselves down when out of control), now making crazy claims that he had a bad dream and needs peanut and jelly. Oh my. It usually ends with him eventually catching his breath and me going in to talk to him.

Me: Reagan, having an outburst like that is not ok.
Reagan: But I hear the washing machine.
Me: Reagan, we aren't talking about the washing machine right now. Listen to Mama.
Reagan: But I want to love you.

And in our spare time, Mark and I are pulling at straws trying to come up with the why to this new behavior. Is it due to lack of sleep at night? (yes, he's still getting up between five and six after not falling asleep till after nine the night before.) Does it have something to do with the new baby and not getting as much direct attention as he used to? Is it a power struggle? And even more importantly, what should we do to get it to stop!?! Like most things, we're pretty sure (and praying!) it's just a phase. No baby as sweet as my little Ru is allowed to be that much of a stinker for too long! But for now, if you're interested in borrowing an adorable little fella with the longest eyelashes known to man, I've got just the guy for you! (Ha!)

3. A week from today we will be finishing out or trek to Lubbock! Our first time to return since leaving in March. We can't wait! We will be driving up to our old stomping grounds on Wednesday, stopping over in Dallas for a night with Brian and Cristi, and then driving the rest of the way on Thursday morning. We will be staying through Labor Day weekend, the main purpose of the trip being to serve as our godson Jacob's godparents at his baptism and to have our sweet little Grant baptized at the same time. If you're a Lubbockite, we'd love for you to help us celebrate. The sacrament will take place at 10:30am on Saturday, September 3rd at St. Elizabeth's. We'll be hanging out in Lubbock the rest of the weekend and would love to see everybody! I can't believe it has been almost six months. Certainly looking forward to being back in Lubbock...though not so excited for the drive up and back. It's about nine hours each way with Kolbe and Reagan. I can only imagine the length with a nursing newborn.

On Friday night, our actual anniversary, we had a candlelight dinner in our dining room with our whole family. I am so blessed to have these four guys in my life!

Mr. Pouty Face.

Public schools are back in session! Which means public libraries are back to their normal school-time activities. Yea for story time on Mondays! The boys love it. And Kolbe has a serious crush on Miss Sarah.

Pinkie and Pa got a new queen-size bed in the room that was the boys' bedroom while we lived there. They got to try out the new bed during nap time while I was at the doctor the other day.

See!?! Here's Mr. Pitiful Shot-boy. Pure misery, I tell ya.

TTT: Season 2, Episode 32

1. Another week. Man, they're flying by. In fact, I texted my mom a picture of Grant earlier this week and she responded by saying that he now looks more like a baby and less like an infant. It made me sad. Can time really be moving that fast? He'll be two months old in a few days. I guess life just happens right before your eyes. And speaking of this life we know, Mark and I are celebrating our fifth wedding anniversary tomorrow. Five years! (I know...you're probably thinking three kids in under five years...yikes!) We had a chance to slip out last night and go to a super fancy restaurant here in The Woodlands for a good steak and time together. Alone. Even Grant stayed behind with my parents! It was so nice to spend some time with my wonderful husband, just the two of us and reflect back upon the past five years. As an anniversary gift, I gave him a framed picture of us taken just minutes after we got engaged. Boy, do we look young! Completely naive to all we'd encounter throughout the following years. We certainly have experienced a lot, but we're so glad that we're able to see the beauty in all of it when we realize that it was all led by the hand of God. Of course, we can't help but sit and wonder...if all of that happened in the first five years, just what is going to happen in the next five!?! Thank God I have my Mark to share the journey with.

2. I'm back on the sick list.
Again.
Man, this postpartum time period has been a hot mess for me this go round. First of all, one thing I don't think I ever wrote about on here was the thrush that both Grant and I developed from me taking so many antibiotics. Flashing back--I was treated with heavy IV antibiotics in the hospital for both possible infections due to the C-section as well as a positive Strep B test prior to Grant's birth. Then there was the first ten day round of antibiotics for the first case of mastitis. And then another ten day round for the second case of mastitis. After that, when the mastitis finally cleared up and I was still having lots of burning during and after nursing, I wrote some about possibly having issues with my Raynaud's while nursing. Beyond that, Grant suddenly showed up with thrush (a form of a yeast infection that grows in the mouth) a few days later. And his was caused by the same type of infection in the tatas. (I'll try not to get too "wordy" for you guy readers!) Unfortunately, taking lots of antibiotics can kill more than just the bad bacteria in your body. It kills the good bacteria too which often leads to fungal/yeast infections. So I got on another prescription for seven days to help clear that up. It's helped some with the burning sensation while nursing but not completely. Anyways, flashing back...during the second round of mastitis, we discovered a small lesion on my C-section incision that tested positive for a staph infection. Knowing that staph commonly lives on the skin and that I was currently taking the antibiotics for mastitis, my doctor felt confident that the meds would clear up both infections. Which it did.  But as soon as I got off of those antibiotics, the incision infection came right back. At my six week check last week the doctor did another culture of the fluid coming out of it and called me back a few days ago to tell me I still have a staph infection. So I'm back on antibiotics. Again. And just waiting for the thrush to return. Based on my track record here, I find it highly unlikely that it won't. I'm doing my best to prevent it though. Anyway, this round of antibiotics is my seventh prescription to fill for myself since Grant's birth just seven weeks ago. And the most annoying part? There's not a dang thing I can do about it that I'm not already doing. Grrr.

3. Let me go on and talk about something I like before I get too bitter.
Have y'all all heard of Pinterest? I had seen it mentioned on several blogs that I frequent a while back but never looked in to it because I was just too tired there at the end of my pregnancy to sit and surf the web. A month or so ago I finally set up an account while nursing Grant one day and it's kind of become my newest little go-to activity when I'm feeding the babe and not trying to entertain the other two boys at the same time. For those of you who don't know, it's basically a system of bulletin boards for the internet. You install a little "tool" on your computer and then while you're surfing the web, if you see something you like...a product, a picture, a book, an article...you can "pin" it to one of your bulletin boards. Then, all you have to do is log back in to your pinterest account to access all of your boards. Beyond that, you can also look at your friends' boards as well as other "most popular" items members of pinterest are pinning. For example, I have a fabric board where I pin pics of fabrics I like. And a home decor board where I pin pictures of rooms and decorating ideas I'd like to try out in our new house. And a kiddie board with fun ideas of activities to do with the boys. And several other boards too...quotes, recipes, DIY projects... there's really tons and tons of options and it's just a cool, creative way to store all of your ideas that you find online in one place. And share them with others too. I'm pretty sure that if I didn't have the app for it on my phone, I would fall asleep while nursing nine times out of ten.

My daily companions. Aren't the beautiful?

I so wish that this was not a iPhone pic and was higher resolution. It would definitely be in a frame on my wall. Kolbe will always be the brother the younger two look up to. And it's started already.

Did you have any "burnt cookie" moments this week? We sure did. Figuratively and literally.

Kolbs at the dentist. Poor guy...we are fixing to enter the dental phase of his cleft care. He'll have his first tooth pulled in November...the extra one that has grown through his palate.

Haircuts by Mama. I got brave this weekend and cut the boys' hair myself instead of coughing up $30 to have it done elsewhere. Kolbe is a piece of cake. He's mature enough to sit there and cooperate. Rudy on the other hand...let's just say he still has a few stray long hairs mixed in there from not holding still.

Summer shows no signs of going away down here so we've been busy grilling out nearly every weekend. On Sunday we tried some marinaded steak kabobs. (this was prior to hitting the grill) They were phenomenal.

Mark had to make reservations for the fancy-shmancy restaurant that we went to last night. They asked if it was for a special occasion. Sure enough, when we showed up they had a little corner table set up for us with rose petals everywhere and this cute little dessert platter after we ate our steaks. That truffle on the left was too strong, but the other two were awesome!

Obligatory picture of Sir Grant-ness. See. Less infant. More baby. He's trying so hard to figure out the whole smiling thing! Every now and then he makes it happen but usually we just get this really concerned face and crinkled eyebrows.

TTT: Season 2, Episode 31

It's another tidbit kind of week, 'cause well, it's three in the afternoon and I just now managed to get all three boys asleep. And Grant will probably be stirring any minute now. It's been a pretty good week--busy and fun. Two of my brothers, Andy and Dave, and my nephew John all came to town for a visit and we've spend most of the past three days hanging out with them. And this morning Kolbs had a dental appointment. But anyway, here's some randomness from the week:

- I didn't grow up around my cousins. Being from an Air Force family, we never lived in the same city as any of them so it wasn't really an option. Of course, we all had a blast together over holidays and summer vacations, but weren't like "real life" friends until we were in college together.  Seeing John and the boys together this weekend kind of made me wish that they could all grow up close together. Considering three of my brothers are military, I don't suppose that will happen. But I guess it will make me cherish the times they are together that much more.

- I miss my brothers. A lot.
Even though they aren't sisters and we don't share our deepest in-most thoughts together, there's something about me that feels more me when I'm with them.

- I would love nothing more than for Kolbe, Reagan, and Grant to feel that way about each other some day.

- I think I finally have my act pulled together (somewhat) for starting up "school" next week. Kolbe still has two years before he's kindergarten age and Rudy has three, but they both are so eager to learn so much. And it makes me feel good to be the one teaching it to them. Grant is just trying to figure out where all the noise is coming from.

- Am I the only one who gets the compulsive urge to buy, buy, buy every time I walk past all the back to school items in practically every single store!?! Maybe it's the teacher in me. Or the fact that I really loved being a student and going to school. Seriously, I see that pack of ninety-six crayons and just have to pick it up to see if it still comes with a sharpener on the back. And a pack of four gluesticks for twenty-five cents!?! Who cares if we already have forty-seven at home. Surely I can come up with something for four more...

- Have any of you gone to see The Help yet? I want to see it so bad! I really think it's right up my alley. Having grown up in Mississippi, I have a feeling it's much about truths I learned and have known for a long time, that I wish that so many others would see too. I think my mom and I are going to attempt it next week some time, and until then, she picked me up a copy of the book. I've been told it's better to read it before you see it.

- Nearly seven weeks and multiple rounds of medication later, I think I'm finally starting to  feel better with all the nursing shenanigans. I almost wince as I type this 'cause no sooner than I hit the word "publish," I'll turn around with a raging fever and chills again. Let's hope and pray not. I actually nursed Grant an hour or so ago and it didn't hurt much beyond mild irritation before, during, or after. Finally.

My dad made a comment about how much this picture of Grant looks like a little baby Winston Churchill. He busted out this book with Churchill on the cover and we were hysterical!

Cousins! Don't you just want to add captions to this!?!
Kolbe: Fine! Cheeeeeeeeese!
Rudy: Where am I?
John: I can't believe you made me do this, Dad.
Grant: Whaaaaaaaaaaa!

While all of the boys' uncles are special in their own way, they truly have a soft spot for Uncle Dave. I think they love how he's willing to get down on their level and actually engage in what they want him to do for more than just a few minutes. Kind of like a grandparent, but an uncle. He sprawled out on the floor with them and watched The Hunchback of Notre Dame from start to finish.

Chubs! I took Grant for a six-week weigh-in on Tuesday. Eleven pounds and two ounces. When we left the hospital he was six/fourteen so that's over four pounds in six weeks. I'd say he's doing pretty well!

Having fun at the mall playground together!

After tons of lupus flare ups from carrying Rudy in a traditional infant car seat a few years ago, and realizing that while out in public I would need two usable hands for two curious little boys, I decided that I would just start Grant out in his full-size convertible car seat from the get-go and skip the infant seat all together. In lieu of that, I invested in a nice new carrier that's great on my back, super functional, and quick/easy to use. So far I haven't regretted my decision at all. And I can't help but melt over precious little moments like this. Just hanging on for the ride, Mom!

TTT: Season 2, Episode 30

1. Things are still chugging along in Asmussen land. Day by day. Actually, I'm not going to lie... a lot of times it's hour by hour! Or minute by minute if I'm nursing. Yes, the nursing dilemmas continue despite the fact that Grant will be six weeks old tomorrow. Usually most nursing problems clear up within a few weeks, so a few days ago I gave in and called a lactation consultant at the hospital. (I had been putting it off because i knew they'd be charging me some exorbitant amount of money for the help.) I ended up getting to talk to a lady over the phone and explained that we were having no problems latching on, no problems with milk supply, and no obvious mastitis right now, but that shortly after beginning nursing and for at least 30 minutes after feeding ends I experience a really strong burning sensation. After many more questions she concluded that I was experiencing a form of Raynaud's while nursing. And this was before I had even mentioned to her that I have lupus and struggle with Raynaud's in my hands, feet, and parts of my face every single winter. (Raynaud's is a condition where you very easily lose circulation/blood flow to certain extremities. It very, very often found in people with auto-immune diseases like lupus. Those of you who know me well have seen my white or purple feet or hands before and been freaked out!) Essentially, because of the way Grant nurses, it's causing circulation to be cut off while feeding. Then that extreme burning I'm experiencing is the blood flow returning to the already sore and painful area that hasn't had a chance to heal up. I'm trying out a new prescription cream right now and meeting with my doctor next week to discuss a possible medicine I can take to help out if the cream doesn't change things much. It's always something, right? We're not giving up though!

2. The boys are continuing to do so well with their new baby brother. And attempting to be patient with Mama and the constant nursing. I can definitely tell that they're ready for some structure again, so I've been attempting to get ready to start "school" back up. Hopefully by next week, but don't hold me to it! Despite the fact that Grant isn't on much of a routine, the bigger boys certainly thrive on having one and I feel like I owe it to them. Not only that, but it improves their behavior, attitude, and overall mood which is certainly a bonus for me! And speaking of bonus, Rudy continues to do so well with the potty. How did I get off without having to potty train my child!?! I'll take it as a little (ok, big!) gift from God for this weary mama! He has had literally no accidents at all...as if he knew how to do it all along and just wasn't doing it. BUT...of course there's a but...the night time thing has turned into a total fiasco. We cut off liquids after dinner time and have him go to the bathroom at least three times before bed. But that hasn't stopped him from getting up multiple times to go to the bathroom throughout the night. Even if it's just a few drops. It's like he's so conscious about going on the potty that the second a drop reaches his bladder, he has to go! And if he wakes to go anywhere near morning time (say 5:00am or later) going back to sleep is out of the question. So as if waking to feed the baby frequently wasn't exhausting enough, we've got Rudy getting up throughout the night too. Ugh. I certainly don't want to discourage him, 'cause heck, I'm getting off easy here! But I'm definitely praying that the intensity of his zest for all things bathroom will mild out a little or that he'll take to going on his own like I've tried to encourage. (Yeah right...go potty, get your pants pulled back up on your own, get back in bed and go back to sleep on your own....I don't see him managing this any time soon considering he still needs me to go with him to help him out during the wakeful hours of the day!) Still...pretty awesome kid!

3. Speaking of those two turkeys, I thought I'd share each of their most laughable/what!?! quotes of the week:

Kolbe-
Kolbe and I were sitting with Rudy and and working on boy/girl questions with him. (Pinkie...is she a boy or a girl? Dada...boy or girl?) About a year or so ago when I asked Kolbe what girls have that boys don't have his answer was "ponytails." Assuming he felt the same way, I thought I'd pose the same question:

Me: Kolbe, tell Rudy what girls have that boys don't have.
Kolbe: Um, I think a uterus.

WHAT!?! I guess you can tell he's A) been around a lady who was recently pregnant and delivered a baby way too much and B) lives with a medical professional who speaks to said lady in medical terminology. So much for "When Grant was in my belly..." We're going straight for the real terms here!

Rudy-
A few days ago we had a box of donuts at the house. (Real nutritious, I know!) After I put the boys down for their naps I gave into temptation and snuck a bite of one after polishing off my not-as-scrumptious cottage cheese and mandarin oranges. Rudy started calling for me from upstairs so I went up to see what was going on:

Me: Rudy, lay down please. You need to take a nap.
Rudy: Mama, lay with me.
Me: I'll lay by you for just a minute 'cause Mama needs to go take her nap too. (I lay down and give him a kiss)
Rudy: Mama, guess what?
Me: What?
Rudy: I smell donuts.

Busted!!! I was hysterical and eventually had to get up and leave the room before I got them too riled up! Silly kid!

And here's the weekly pics!...

Yummy summer snack...apples and caramel!

Yum, yum!

Just like Dada!

playing with shaving cream in the backyard

I shared this one on facebook earlier this week, but who can resist seeing it again!?! My little sweet face!