Bedtime

Now that Bubba has turned 1, it is like bedtime and naptime are the worst parts of the day! He does NOT like going down for a nap, or for bed. He will be SOOOO tired, and just not give in. Unfortunately we have gotten him used to being rocked to sleep the last couple of month. So, we are trying to get him into a bedtime, naptime routine again. We had him in one a few months ago and it was great! But now having to RE-train him, is HARD! He cries, and it just breaks my heart. I am told that it will only be like this for a few nights, and then he will be better. So, our routine is like this:

• He gets dinner, and then time to play. This is soft play though, nothing too rough.
• He then gets a bath.
• We then lotion him, put him in his pajamas and he gets his bedtime bottle.
• After his bottle, we rock him through a couple of songs that we sing to him.
• We then lay him in his bed and leave the room.
• If after a while, he still isn't asleep, we will check on him, make sure he is clean and put him back.

Let's hope this works. I really need to get him into a routine. It will hopefully make both of our lives easier. Haha. So that is what we are going through right now. We did it last night, and it didn't work too well. He was also up at about 3 or 4 this morning, wanting to play around. So it was hard to try and get him BACK to sleep then as well! I will keep you updated.

Still trying to figure out the picture thing...it isn't letting me upload them. Grrrr.....

Friday Night Confessions

I can't believe I have kept this up this long. Woo hoo! Here we go again!

• Bubba has been with us officially for a year. It was a bittersweet day a year ago. We were SO excited, but it was also hard to see Crystal in so much pain. I can't believe it's been a year (I know I say that all the time) .
• I can not stand chicken with bones in it. Drumsticks, thighs, whatever. If I have to pick it off the bone, I can't stand it.
• My dad can get Bubba to sleep a lot better than I can! He says it is just holding him in one position and singing to him....I think it's magic.
• I really don't like apologizing for stuff that isn't my fault. I know I do this all the time, and it is probably because I am trying to appease people, but why should I have to when I didn't do something in the first place? I don't know...something I have to get over.
• I am addicted to Facebook. I have been able to talk to people that I haven't been able to talk to in a LONG time because of it!
• I am a city girl. I don't think I could live in the country. I have to be near a city, with shopping, and all that. Sam asked if I wanted to move out to farm type area...like over an hour away from any kind of good sized city..I laughed. Only thing keeping me from living in the city...the driving. I CAN'T drive in big cities. Yikes!
• I love waking up to Bubba tickling me. He will sleep in bed with me sometimes when Sam is at work, and he will wake me up by finding any exposed skin (usually a foot, my neck, my back, or my face) and tickle it. He has the CUTEST way of saying "tickle" and he says it all the time. I will try to get it on video and show you...
• I think I posted this last week, but I REALLY hate Sam working away for the weekends. I don't like sleeping alone, and I just really miss him. :'-(

I think I will end with those for now. Enjoy!

One year ago today..

Another "year ago today" post!

A year ago today we had placement. This is where we met with Crystal in the hospital and we signed all the papers, and Bubba got to come home with us. So, Bubba has officially been with us for a year now. Wow. I remember it like it was yesterday! We were SO excited! We walked into the hospital, met with the caseworker, and took our carseat to be tested out and fitted to Bubba. Walked back and put Bubba in the carseat. We then left him in the good arms of Crystal and family, and we went down to a room to wait. We waited for them to say goodbyes. Crystal brought him down. She was in a lot of pain due to isses that we would find out later. So we said quick goodbyes and thank yous, took some pictures, and then she went back up to her room to rest. We finished the papers and walked out of the hospital with Bubba in our arms. I can NOT explain the feeling that we felt taking him out of the hospital! Knowing that he was ours to take care of, was an amazing feeling. I couldn't believe it!

Here is Bubba in his car seat ready to leave the hospital!

Here I am with him on his first day with us.

Here is Sam. He was SOOOO little!!

We took him back to Michael and Mandy's house and waited for the interstate compact to go through so we could officially come home!

Wow...I can't believe it's been a year.

I would add more pictures, but my computer isn't letting me. So these ones will have to do!

Birthday

Here are some picture of Bubba the last couple of days. Most of them are from his birthday yesterday. He had a lot of fun, and now knows how to open presents! It's funny to watch.

He did NOT like getting dirty! When he got frosting on his hands, he would hold them up to us and want us to get him out. He held his hands apart and spread his fingers so they weren't touching. When that didn't work, he tried wiping his hands off...on his head. So silly! So he didn't dive in like we thought he would. Still cute.

This is from Grandma and Grandpa, it is a little car he can push himself around on.

Here is what is left of his cake. He didn't dive in as much as we thought. Oh well! He still had fun!

So there you have some pictures of his big day yesterday. Here are some pictures of a year ago. I can't believe it's been a year!

I can't believe how much he has grown!! He is a little boy now, and he will never be this little again..:-( Every day he grows and does something new, and I will never get this littleness back. So sad. But I still love him, and I cherish EVERY minute I have with him!

Bubba turned ONE!!

I can't believe that Bubba has turned one!! He is a toddler (I guess he has been the one for a couple of months since he has been walking) and he is doing so much!! Here is what Bubba is like at 1 year old.

• He still eats everything, although he is getting more picky. His favorite foods are hot dogs, bologna, applesauce, peaches, pears, oatmeal, macaroni and cheese, toast, scrambled eggs, and spaghettios. He will eat other things, but these are his favorite!
• He still weighs in at about 25 pounds, but he walks all over the place, he is even trying to run. SO cute.
• He takes 1 nap a day usually if it is good. If it isn't good, he will take a couple.
• He still sleeps in until 10:00 or 11:00. But this means he stays up until 10:00 or 11:00 at night.
• He only drinks 1 bottle a day now. He drinks milk, juice, and water from a sippy cup the rest of the time, and then just regular food.
• He says "Ow", "Up", "Mama", (also says "mamamama" when he wants a drink or milk), papa, and dada. If we are sitting, and he wants us to get up, he will pull our leg up and say "up")
• When he is hungry, he smacks his lips and points to the kitchen. This always makes me laugh!
• He laughs ALL the time now! We used to have to work hard to make him laugh, now we can just chase him across the room and he falls down giggling!
• He loves getting his ears cleaned out after a bath. He will sit and pat his ear when he sees me getting the q-tips, and will lean into it.
• Still loves blankets and pillows. He will just dive into them!

I will have to show pictures tomorrow, it is late, and I am EXHAUSTED. I still can't believe he is 1 though. It's weird to me! I will be back tomorrow!

1 year ago today...

I can not help but think about how our life was a year ago and how quickly it was going to change! One year ago right now, we were arriving in Portland, OR after driving ALL day Saturday. We were getting set up at our wonderful cousin's house and enjoying the time we spent together. We were SOOO full of excitement, and everything just waiting for Sunday morning, that we could barely sleep. We couldn't wipe the smiles off of our faces either. We were trying to figure out what we could do to keep ourselves busy.
Here we are on our drive up... and some of what we saw.

In 16 1/2 hours, Bubba turns 1. I can't believe it. I will try to post some more pictures tomorrow and over the next couple of days remembering what it was like a year ago. Thanks for sticking around for the ride. :-)

Friday Night Confessions...kinda late...

Yeah, I'm a day late. Sorry about that. We threw a Bridal Shower for my sister...so I got very caught up in all that last night and today. So here we go...

• One year ago today we were packing all of our bags getting ready to head up to Oregon. My stomach was a full set of nerves, excitement, fear..you name it and I felt it.
• I knew from the time that Sam introduced himself to me that he would be the one I would spend forever with. And I am VERY glad I convinced him of that fact. :-)
• My parents got Dish this week and I LOVE it!! I can pause shows again, and I can record shows...like right now, we are recording "Planet Earth" and "Grease"...heaven.
• I don't want to throw another wedding shower for a WHILE. That's a lot of work. Haha
• I have fallen more in love with Sam during the last few weeks than I have the last couple of years. It's amazing, and I don't know why, or that it was even possible, but I am. And I am SOOOOO grateful that I am!
• I love watching Bubba grow up. I know I have talked alot about not wanting to see him grow up, but I love watching him learn new things. Lately (Now that he doesn't have any illness) he is so fun! He laughs at everything, and just watching him learn. I can't believe he is mine.
• I convinced my mom to buy Twilight. Why? Because I LOVE it. And I am obsessed.

Ok, I think I am going to end. Good night!

I love this little guy..

Today was such a nice day out, and Bubba got to wear his new sunday clothes, so we decided to take some pictures of him. I know..shocking. But as his birthday nears, I feel like I have to take more and more pictures to catch everything. So here are some pictures from today...Man I love this little guy.

Especially his little hands and his little feet.

And I love that he loves me.

And the cute faces he makes. (This is the one saying he is tired.)

Man, I just love him SOOOO much! Sometimes I just can't stand it.

Friday Night Confessions

You all thought I forgot didn't you! Well I didn't, I just got done with a Girls Night Out with my Mom, sisters, and aunts. Actually one isn't my REAL Aunt, but she is close enough, so I will just call her one. She is actually my mom's college roommate, and she is SOO cute and fun! I love her! Anyway...not what you came on to read right now..so I best hop to it...

• One year ago TODAY we met with Crystal. (For those who don't know, Crystal is Bubba's birthmother.) I remember sitting in an office, scared out of my wits, wondering if she was going to like us. And what we would do if she didn't like us, and what we would do if she did, and what if...and then we met her. She is an AMAZING woman! We sat and talked with the caseworker, and then we went out to eat lunch. This is 10 days before Bubba was born. Crazy, but WONDERFUL day.
• I love Olive Garden. I think I could eat there every day. Mainly their bread sticks, and their salad. MMmmm...lovely.
• I really don't want Bubba to turn 1. I want to keep him little for as long as possible. In fact, I have delayed planning a birthday party for him...just because I don't want to face reality.
• I have a big issue with people abandoning me. I always worry that people in my life are just going to leave me. Leave me with no explanation, no meaning, no reason. And I will be left alone. I've dealt with this, and it is HARD. Always feels like a piece of my heart has been ripped out, and I will never get it back. It hurts.
• Along with the last one, I have a fear of being alone. I always tell Sam that I HAVE to die before him, because I really don't want to be alone.
• I want flip flops in every single color. Why? I have no reason. I just do.
• I have found a new addiction. LEMON COOKIES. Seriously, best thing EVER. There is a place up here named "Cutler's" And they make these lemon cookies. My sister Tanielle would get them, and I would eat them. Well, Tanielle tried to make her own Lemon Cookies. And lo and behold...they are even BETTER than the ones Cutler's makes! I am ashamed to say that I ate 11 cookies...in one sitting. (OK, so I am not really ashamed to say it...but hey, it adds emphasis to the post)
• It is Friday night, Sam left at 11:30 this morning, and I miss him terribly. I almost don't want to go to bed, because I don't want to go to bed by myself. I wish that he was here with me every night, and didn't have to go work on weekends.
• I am being told that I have too many confessions tonight. ;-) So I will end here.

Good Night all!

Update

I thought that I would jump on really quick and give an update on Bubba. He is doing MUCH better. He only wakes up once at night now, his coughing doesn't keep him awake. When he first got sick, he would only sleep for 10-30 minutes and that was it. He would wake up, cry, cough, and try to go back to sleep for another 10-30 minutes. But he now sleeps again! Yay! He is also eating again, and he plays more. He hasn't had a fever for about 3 days now, and is just overall doing better. I am very excited for this! Hopefully we can keep him well for a while! I mean, it just wouldn't be fun to be sick on your birthday...

Anyway, a couple of days into it, I took these pictures. He was sleeping on our bed, but he kept wiggling. This is how he ended up. Funny thing, he was asleep for the whole thing! Silly boy..

Poor Sam. His arm started hurting after a while, but we didn't want to wake him up, and we didn't want him falling off of the bed!

TV...

This is a weakness...it pains me to admit this, but I have a weakness for a certain TV show that has sucked me in. I wait all week to be able to watch it, and when I wake up Sunday mornings, I think "YES! I get to watch my show tonight!!" Sad I know, but I can't help it. What show you ask? What show could possibly derail my life and make me wait anxiously week by week to see what happens?

"The Amazing Race"

Awful I know. But I really can't help it. I have only watched a couple of seasons, and this is the 14th season. But I have to come to try and watch it every single week. It's awful! I admit that I have a problem, and that's the first step correct? Aw well...at least I'm not in denial. And now that this week is over...I will anxiously await next weeks episode...

Friday Night Confessions

Here we go again!

• I hate sickness.
• I am VERY excited that we finally got a Birth Certificate, and Social Security Number for Bubba! Now I can do my taxes.
• I am scared of my siblings driving. No offense, I am just not used to it. I hold onto the seat a LOT.
• I get car sick easily. Growing up, I had a special seat in the car because I was the one we were always pulling over for. I can still point out the spot in Sardine Canyon that we would always pull over at.
• Sam wishes that I cook more for him. And I really don't like to cook. I will try to think of everything I can to get out of cooking...we had a lot of frozen pizza, pot pies, and mac n cheese.
• I actually watched The Bachelor this last season...and I enjoyed it.

I think that is all for this week. My family has been sick, and I am exhausted and just can't think anymore! Enjoy!

My Mom

This week my mom had surgery on her arm. She had a cyst on her wrist (rhyming not intentional) that was causing her pain and so it was to be removed. Surgery lasted about 1/2 an hour, and she was cyst-free!! Yay!! Well...with having her arm in a cast, she has found some things that are harder to do...such as doing her hair. So we went and had it cut so that it would be a little easier for her to do 1 handed. So here is her new do, and her with her cast.

This posting is mainly for my Grandma and Grandpa, so they can see what their daughter looks like. :-) Enjoy!

Bronchiolitis

Sorry I have been away for a few days. My baby is sick, and he needed me. Monday morning, Bubba woke up with a cough. We were kind of expecting it since it had been about a week since he got over his last cold, and the doctor's told us that this was expected. He would get another cold. Which for him I guess involves coughing.
So he had a cough and a slight fever Monday. Gave him some Motrin, he seemed to be doing better. His voice was so hoarse! And I guess he thought it was cool, because he kept babbling to us, and then he would giggle.
Tuesday, his cough was worse, he was wheezing and he was more mopey, and just generally didn't feel good. Still had a fever, even after Motrin. We were getting kind of worried about him. I was sitting here holding him while he slept and just watched him. He was having a hard time breathing as parts of his stomach and chest were dipping in a little bit as he breathed. We finally decided to take him into the doctor's office that night. Luckily there is a pediatrics place open 24/7. So we went in about 9:00 at night. Waited to be seen by a doctor. We were worried, because his cough had never been this bad before. I mean, he would cough and cough and barely breathe in between, his face would just go red and he would lay down on whatever was closest to him.
So we get back into a room where a nurse takes his temperature (99.2 I believe) and weighs him (still 25 pounds). She put a thing onto his foot to get his oxygen levels in his body. It was 84%. So he wasn't getting the oxygen that he needed. The nurse showed us how to count his breaths. So we did that and it averaged at about 45 breaths a minute. Doctor wants to see it below 55. So we were OK there.
Doctor came in and listened to his breathing through the stethoscope and told us that he has Bronchiolitis. Now...what is this caused by? Some virus. The main virus is RSV. Dr told us we could spend more money to get another test done to say for sure if it was RSV, but that treatment was the same. I HATE this illness. My little brother Curtis had it when he was a baby and was hospitalized with it. I heard the diagnosis and I did my best not to cry.
They did a breathing treatment on him there in the office. Bubba HATED it! He screamed the whole time, until he couldn't scream anymore. That took 15 minutes, then we tested his oxygen again. It was 94%. So luckily it helped that. His wheezing wasn't bad anymore, and he seemed happier. So they sent us home with a prescription for Albuterol to take every 4-6 hours as needed for breathing. Went home after 3 hours, and just rested. Bubba was NOT sleeping very well. He would sleep for 10-15 minutes and then wake up coughing, or just wake up. Yesterday he was very mopey and still just trying to sleep. I think he took 6 short naps throughout the day. After only sleeping a couple of hours the night before.
Last night was probably the best sleep he has gotten. As I write this, he has been asleep for the last 2.5 hours, only waking up once or twice but going right back to sleep.
Bad thing is whenever the motrin wears off, if we aren't right on top of it (like when he's sleeping) his fever will spike up. This morning it was 103, yesterday morning it was 102. Here is what he looks like right now..

He has been sleeping in bed with us, so we can feel his breathing and we can help him whenever he needs it.

I feel AWFUL. Last night was the most sleep I have gotten since Sunday night, and it was just under 5 hours. I am still so scared for him. I count his breaths whenever I can to make sure they aren't going too high and that his meds are helping. His cough just tears my heart to pieces, and he has now learned "ow" he will cough and then look at me and go "oww" breaks my heart. Everyone says to count my blessings, and I am VERY thankful that he is NOT in the hospital yet. We still aren't free and clear on it, but he hasn't had to go in yet. He still struggles to breathe and you can tell when he is having a hard time, but I feel like all I can do is hold him. He has these sad little red eyes because he isn't getting enough sleep, and a sad little moan.

Anyway...this is long enough. So if you have wondered where I have been...that's where. Usually right in bed with that little guy trying to make him feel better, and not fall apart at the same time..