Sammy's First ER Trip

I was hoping I wouldn't have to post anything like this for a long time... but I guess Sam is almost 2 and a half now and with him having absolutely no fear it was bound to happen sooner or later!  We had our first ER trip for him on Monday, May 28th.  Thankfully it was on Memorial Day so both Paul and I were home.

It was around 8 or 8:30 in the morning.  I am not sure of the exact time because Paul had just come upstairs to grab Ally from me.  Ally slept in a little bit later that morning and since we had a rough night sleeping wise (more on that on a separate post) so Paul brought her downstairs while I was going to take a 30 minute nap.  About 10 minutes later, just as I am getting asleep I hear a loud crash and Paul asking repeatedly - Sammy, Where'd you hit, Sammy, Where'd you hit.  Sam wasn't answering back.  That is probably the fastest I have ever made it downstairs from upstairs in my life.

I get downstairs and Paul has Ally on the changing table so I run over to find Sam on the floor next to the corner of the wall.  He had started screaming at this point so I scooped him up to go over to the couch and he starts coughing and almost getting sick.  We push his hair back and he had the biggest knot on his forehead and had an over inch verticle slit down the middle.  The crazy thing is it wasn't bleeding much.  We got him calmed down so we could assess the damage.  What was worrying me was that he seemed off during this time.  He was trying to sit on my lap but misjudging the distance and really shaky. 

What happened is that the goober was running with a blanket over his face, tripped, and went flying into the corner of the wall head first.  Paul called the on call doctor (who happened to be his actual doctor that day) and she was great.  She said most likely it wasn't anything serious but if he went over a distance of 4 feet we'd want to take him in to the ER. 

So, we packed up the kids and dropped Ally off at my mom's (she only lives 1 mile from the ER) and went to the hospital for Sam.  The ER was absolutely great.  They took him right back and didn't look at us like we were crazy over protective parents.  In fact, they called pediatrics and said that they had him hear and would it be possible for him to get a room over in the pediatric floor instead of having to stay in an ER room where he'd be more comfortable.  They take us over and Sam was being so good during all of this.  They were taking his temperature, checking vitals, and looking him over and he didn't get scared at all.  Once we got to the pediatric room the nurses were great and brought him more cars since he wasn't letting go of the two he brought with us.  The doctor was great and said they'd do a cat scan if we really wanted one but they thought we should just keep him at the hospital for a couple hours to observe him and if he wasn't showing any more signs of disorientation and was back to his normal self we could head home.  So we stayed for observation and opted not to do the cat scan.  He was back to his normal happy self within an hour.  By the time they came back in to check him he was so cute with the nurses.  He knew what the stethoscope was for and when they'd walk in he'd pull down his shirt expecting them to want to listen to his heart.  And when they cleaned up his head and put a band aid on it, he showed them his other boo boo (on his knee) that had basically healed up a week ago and the nurses played along and asked him if he needed another band aid there and gave him one on his knee.  He had the cutest little response of "all better" after it was put on.  We were sent home a few hours later with instructions to wake him once during the night just to make sure he woke up okay.

He got his first ever Popsicle while there and loved it. I promise it looked a lot worse in person right after it happened which is why we called the doctor and the swelling had greatly gone down by the time I thought to take the photos at the hospital!

I must say Paul and I had a lovely fight on the way to the ER!  And since this is my blog and not his, I can post my side of it :)  Paul has a tendency to worry a lot.  Sam was responsive to us after his fall so I wasn't acting crazy about going to the ER.  In fact, I did decide to put my contacts in, brush my teeth, and change out of my pj's before taking Sam in!  Paul was yelling at me the entire time to hurry (this seriously took me like 3 minutes...).  Then he was mad we were dropping Ally off at my mom's.  I'll give him this one.  If it had been a more serious injury Ally would have came with us until we could have some one pick her up.  However, I thought Sam would be okay if we took the extra 5-10 minutes to drop Ally off at my mom's house so we wouldn't be worried about her while there as well.  And this way she got her normal morning nap, and could get down and play.  Because there is no way I would have let her crawl around on the hospital floor!  So, while I am in talking to my mom and giving her the basic instructions (again inside for like 2-3 minutes) Paul is getting more and more mad.  He thought that I wasn't taking it seriously enough and I thought that he was completely stressing everyone out.  I get that he was really scared for Sam, and I appreciate that, but in a crisis situation he tends to go 100 miles a minute and gets so worked up it is really stressful.  I tried to compensate for that where I was taking things really slow and didn't want to freak Sam out.  He really picks up on our emotions and if we went in calm, he wouldn't freak out.  Or at least I was hoping that was the case!  But, once we actually made it to the ER and they took Sam back right away, Paul really started to calm down.  So that was good!  And yes... I probably could have cut a few minutes off our time getting to the hospital as well... if it was a more serious situation we'd have been there first without even calling an on call doctor or getting changed!

The Great Harness Debate

I am a member of baby center and a part of the birth boards for Sam and Ally.  Anyone who has ever visited this site (and most people with kids probably have because it is a huge place with great advice and community boards for all ages of children) knows that people get pretty heated over what I feel are trivial issues.  The main one that I see is the issue of if you are this horrible parent if you put your child in a harness backpack.  Personally, I think people have way to much time on their hands if they are judging other parents for these trivial little things such as putting a cute animal back pack on their child at the zoo, airport, or whatever busy place they might be where they feel it is appropriate.  Really... people are so worked up on this issue and I have to make myself close out those threads because it just annoys me to much.  I saw a thread on it recently, and I know in the next few months it will come up on Ally's birth board, so I figured I have my own blog now I can get my comments out here!

Yes - those who argue against the harness feel that it is so cruel to the toddler to be placed in one of these and treated like a dog.  Here is my son in his harness... please tell me if you think he looks like he is miserable!

It just drives me nuts that people assume the worst in other parents.  As parents we should all really try to stick together instead of judging.  First, we have no right to judge anyone else on their parenting style.  I really believe most people try to do the best that they can.  Second, judging the parents at the parks and zoos that are using these as bad parents... really??  They have taken time out of their day to take their child out to do something interactive and you think they are a bad parent?

This is my son at 18 months.  He is all boy, and at that age, he would be right next to you one second and in the next, have walked through a crowd and be away from you.  He wasn't a bad toddler, but that was just it, he was a toddler.  And you had better believe that if anyone else was taking him around the zoo and it wasn't myself, or my husband, I worried they would look away for a second and he'd be gone.  You can see that we still held his hand while walking, we didn't use it as a leash to jerk him back to us, we just had it as a safety net.  So to all those who feel the need to judge... why?  It kept my son safe and happy, he isn't scarred, and he wasn't being treated like a dog.  And guess what, we only needed it for a couple of months, now he is 2.5 years old, and he knows to stay close, but seriously, I was suppose to reason to an 18 month old not to wander off?  Yah... I don't care who judged me when I was out and about with him like that, I knew that my child was safe and that was all that mattered to me.

Here, for good fun, are a couple of other photos with Sam and his backpack.  And let me tell you, he loved that thing.

There are some babies who I am sure will never need to have one of these, they are great at staying close by in any situation.  Ally, she might be calm enough where she wouldn't have to have it with Paul and I, however, you'd better believe that if she was at the zoo and with anyone other then Paul or I, she'll be in that harness backpack, because it really does only take a second of a distraction for them to wander off in the crowd, and I am not taking that chance.  But, I think Sam came out of it without needing therapy, so I am pretty sure Ally will be okay with it too!

Two or More?

Part of me is having a really hard time with how fast Ally is growing up.  There is a good chance that she will be our last child, and she is already almost 10 months old.  I love to see the personality that is developing, and I love to watch her grow, but I just wish I could slow time down!

Here is Sam as a newborn:

And now is the little stinker at 2.5 years old.  Notice how when you ask him to smile this is the look you get back...

He is getting so big that he is into pretend play, sometimes would prefer to read the book himself instead of having me read it to him, and is Mr. Independent.  I love seeing him grow, I love his personality, but part of me wonders where the last 2.5 years went??

And Ally, we've had her here for less then 10 months and I already feel like we are watching her grow up way to fast!

See how peaceful she sleeps!  Ally has always been an awesome sleeper.  With Sam, we had to bounce him to sleep every night (notice how he was in the baby bjorn with Paul in his newborn photo).  With Ally, you just put her down and she'd go right to sleep.  I question myself on if I held her enough when she was little.  I mean, obviously I held her all the time, and she was nursing on demand so she was fed every 2 to 3 hours, but still, I didn't have all the time to hold her like I did with Sam because I was so busy chasing him around.  And her is our little allygator all grown up:

Just thinking about how she is possibly the last baby I will get to nurse makes me sad... Which is crazy, because it is so time consuming.  And the pumping at work, do I really want to have to do that again??  Sammy took 45 minutes to an hour to nurse, Ally on the other hand can eat in 10 minutes so she doesn't take that much time.  But just having that time with them, where it is almost like time stops and they just want you.  I feel like when I am nursing I always have a way to calm them down.  And I only have 2 more months of this with Ally.  Yes... she doesn't have to stop nursing at 12 months, but really, that's when my comfort level with it starts to end.  I nursed Sam until a day before he hit 13 months, and that's my goal for Ally as well.  I have no problem with others who nurse longer then that, but my own personal preference is up until they hit 13 months.  Which means... I have 2 to 3 months left.  And if she is my last baby, that's it, and it is so weird for me to be sad thinking that.  I always complain sometimes of the things I can't do while nursing.  I can't take medicine when I am sick, I can't take anything stronger then Tylenol when I have a headache, I can't have anything to drink if it is before a nursing/pumping session, and I really have to limit food that could upset Ally's stomach.  I also constantly complain about pumping.  I hate pumping at work.  But even with all of that, I love the actual time I get to nurse and cuddle with my baby girl.  I love to think that I have put in so much hard work and have been successful at doing this for over a year with Sam, and if all goes to plan, the same for Ally.  Not to mention the money we have saved!

But can we really handle a third child?  That's where I don't know.  I want my kids close in age.  The 19 months between Sam and Ally is honestly perfect.  Sam adjusted perfectly when Ally came into our lives.  And they are so close in age that I feel like they will be able to play together well in the younger grades, and then in high school and college, hopefully share some of the same friends.  I don't know if I could handle a third pregnancy while chasing around these two.  Ally's pregnancy was really rough (more on that in a post that is all about her) and I feel like I almost neglected Sam at times because I was so sick and exhausted.  I limited my play with him because being pregnant limits how much you can toss him in the air, chase him outside, and all of those other things that a toddler boy wants you to play with him. 

Once Ally was here, I could do all of that again.  I am not worried about the newborn part, because Paul and I are the type of parents where we take the newborn out and just limit the exposure to germs.  We had Ally at the zoo at 2.5 weeks old, and she was at the Children's Museum at 4 weeks old.  Once I wasn't pregnant I felt like Sam got the attention he deserved, but those 9 months, they really left me feeling like a crummy parent.  So, do I really want 9 months of feeling like I am missing out on play time with my kids again?

Also, financially, three is a huge responsibility.  It just seems that all activities we'd like to do, fit great for a family of 4.  Once we add a third child in, we are talking about a bigger car for Paul, eating out expenses, school expenses, food budget, it all goes up.  Not to mention when we go out in public now, Paul and I can divide and conquer.  One of us sticks with Ally, one of us with Sammy, and we switch as we go, but with a third child, we are outnumbered!  Although, my hope is that if we were to have a third, Sammy would be a better age of listening.  There is only so much you can expect from a 19 month old when you have a newborn.  Even in the amount of attention we get from him now, he is much better about sticking close and following directions.

Even with all of the reasons not to have a third, I just can't help but feel like we might not be finished with our family.  Paul is pretty set with two and done.  However, he wasn't all that sold on the idea of Ally until she was actually here. 

There is no point of this blog post, other then a place for me to try to figure out my thoughts, and who knows what will happen.  I just know that I want to cherish these last few months as Ally being my baby, before she hits her toddler years.  I just can't believe how fast time goes.  I know that no matter what though, Paul and I have been extremely blessed by two beautiful, healthy children.  Even if we don't have a third, we are forever thankful for the two that we have.

Ready for summer...

It has been awhile since I have posted.  After Easter things started to get really busy for us, and most nights I was so exhausted after the kids were in bed that I just went to sleep myself.  Also, we appear to be passing a cold around the family.  I don't think all four of us have been well at the same time since Easter weekend.  The kids right now are miserable and Paul is just finally feeling better.  I have just started it, so I am really hoping after a good scrubbing of the house this weekend, lots of lysol and bleach, we can finally get rid of it all together!  Thank goodness for those vick plug in vapor night lights.  Those things are so great for the kids rooms and getting them to sleep!

A lot has been going on with us since Easter.  The most important has been about my dad.  We found out about 2 weeks ago that he had lung cancer.  It has been an extremely difficult time with lots of prayer, and we are hoping for the best with his chemo treatments. From what I understand he has small cell lung cancer that is in his left lung, his rib cage, and a few lymph nodes.  But the good news is that it isn't in his brain which is what I believe the doctor was really worried about.  He is on the highest dose of chemo he can get right now, and is on 6 three day treatments that are three weeks apart.  He didn't handle the first round of chemo very well and ended up in the ICU for a couple of days.  He is home now and it seems like he is having good days and bad days.  It was so hard to see him in the ICU and seeing pictures of him using his oxygen at his home.  I just don't feel like I am old enough to have to watch my dad go through this.  He is only 62, and other then the smoking he was in fairly good health.  From what I understand his cancer is highly treatable by chemo but has a high rate of re-occurance.  From what we have been told, the cancer is treatable, but not curable.  Our prayers at the moment is for the chemo treatment to do its job without too much damage on my dad's other organs and that this goes into remission for a long time.

I am also down to 13 school days with students, and 19 working days for the school year.  I really need this summer break.  I am just exhausted and need to mentally recharge.  I really need this time to be at home with Sam and Ally and enjoy them.  I am getting to the point in the school year where it is so crazy busy that while the day flies by, when I get home I am so tired I am not giving the kids the attention they deserve.  And let's not even talk about the house... I know that was on my to do list, but that was before I got to the craziness that is the month of May in the school system.

Even our weekends have been filling up these days!  Last week was Cameron's dedication at church on Sunday, and then on Saturday I went with my friends to Cedar Creek Winery and Mallow Run Winery in Martinsville for the afternoon.  It was a lot of fun, and great to get out and have a girl's day.  We are actually planning on going to Vintage Indiana (we call it wine fest...) on June 2nd and that will be another great girl's day.  Then this weekend is Mother's Day so we have that packed full.  I just really need summer to get here to get some down time in and get some much needed time in where I don't feel like we are rushing off to our next event.

Ally and Sammy are doing great.  Ally is actually eating!  I feel like I am a horrible mom with her and food.  I haven't even been the one feeding her, Mary (my mother-in-law who watches the kids during the day) has been!  But hey, she's eating right?  She will eat about 1/2 to 3/4 of a jar of food a day. She gets a breakfast and a lunch.  She will not take green beans or green baby food at all.  It's just so weird how different she and Sam are!  Sammy is just speaking like crazy.  His language has definitely developed and he is speaking more and more.  Here are a couple of pictures from this week!

Ally has mastered the art of looking pitiful when I put her in the crib.  She stands there and looks with those big sad eyes and I take her back out every time.  Oh well, she is only young once and I don't mind the extra snuggles I am getting.  She is definitely a cuddler and I am enjoying it now.  She is finally starting to sleep a little bit longer at night as well.  Now that I think she is getting more food in her, I am back to four hour stretches.  Which... is still crazy to think that she will be 10 months in a week and I am excited to get four hour stretches, but this is what I signed up for when I decided to exclusively nurse!

Sammy is still impossible to get to look at the camera.  He is happiest outside, which is hard to always accommodate when he is sick.  If he is outdoor with some cars he is good to go.  He would stay outside every hour if he could.  Last night he was so sick he just wanted to be held to sleep.  He was snotty and coughing all over me, but he curled up, snuggled in, and fell asleep on me.  I haven't had him fall asleep on me in a long time, so even though I knew I was going to be covered in germs, I held him for a long time.

And just as something fun to end with.  Mary sends us photos of the kids almost daily when she watches them.  I have all these photos saved in my email and they are dated.  It's like I can go back and remember things that I have forgotten.  I went through those photos today and pulled one of Sammy at almost the exact same age Ally is today.  Here is Sam at almost 10 months old!  He was in his chunky phase before he really started moving everywhere.  I love having these to look back on and to be able to look at these next to photos of Ally!