The Burp Rag Chronicles

The New Baby

Cameron? Move over, honey. Mommy's got a new baby in town.

That's right, we went ahead and figured that it would be easier to live a laptop, but the problem with our old one was that it was SO huge (it was a 17" widescreen) we had a hard time finding a bag for it. Not to mention it was heavy. And in the end, it will never replace my desktop system because there are just some things that you can't do on a laptop. Things you can't do well, in any case.

But my friend Kim got one of those micro-computers that are like 8 or 10 inches diagonal, and it was cheaper than a regular laptop at $349. Great for portability (seriously, the thing is tiny, smaller than a sheet of printer paper!) and powerful for its size.

I'd never heard of the Acer Aspire until very recently, I'd seen it at Costco around Christmas (or maybe Thanksgiving? I can't remember... big surprise there!) and thought, "Wow, how cute! A tiny computer!" I thought that it'd be impractical because of its size. But seeing it in action... nice. :)

So we opted for a sapphire blue one. I didn't think Jarrod would like the pink one, which was my other option, and since me might take it on the road for work periodically... (thought not for NAB, it's like asking a new mom to go on a vacation just after having her newborn baby... it's my new toy!! No way!)

It takes a little getting used to the size, and that there is no scroll bar on the touch pad (I am so used to that, it's a little odd to have to go to the scroll bar on the browser now) but I really like it. Stay tuned for further news about it!

On the Family Front - Cameron is doing well. I think she is going through a growth spurt because she has been sleepy. She's been eating well though. I took a picture of her next to the Measure Monkey and she has gotten so big already. She's outgrown one of her 0-3 month footie jammies. I'm convinced that they have shrunk a little, because they are shorter than the other Children's Place jammies. But I put a 3-6 month pair on her and they fit so much better. It's definitely the length that she's grown out of,a nd the foot size. Girl has some long, skinny feet. Not sure where she gets THAT from, I have Fred Flintstone Feet, and Jarrod's feet are big but not skinny. So... who knows.

Sydney has gotten much better about going to bed at night - I think it was one of those things where it was just about time to test her boundaries. She hadn't really done that in a while, so maybe we were due for it. The cure? A little CIO (which I absolutely loathe, but it gets results) and a bad night, then we were done with that nonsense.

This weekend was great - we got the yard mowed (and by "we" I really mean Jarrod) and trimmed and the play structure got de-sanded/weeded, and new, clean play sand put in. Syd played in that thing for hours last night, which was great fun for her and nice for me and Jarrod because she had fun, and got a bit of outdoors play. :)

I want to learn how to knit, and the girls' pediatrician recommended a book of ridiculously adorable baby hats to start with. I guess they are pretty easy to start with, plus she said the directions in it are EASY. Which is what I need.

So, I need to get some materials! Heh. :)

Pride

My youngest daughter calmed herself to sleep on her own tonight.

This is perhaps one of the proudest moments I have had of her in her short life in this outside world.

Though I do have to mention something. The other evening while "enjoying" Tummy Time, she rolled over. I realize this is mostly accidental and she has not repeated it (or anything like it). The child isn't two months old yet. I think I must have positioned her to one side and she got up on her arms momentarily and more "fell" than "rolled." But what scares me is that she will like it and keep trying to do it!

Syd rolled over from back to front on her 5-month birthday. I don't remember front-to-back which I think is what they tend to do first. She did the harder one first. Figures.

Anyway, back to the sleep thing.

So we took our time in going to get Cameron after she cranked up, presumably because her pacifier fell out (blessing and pain-in-the-tookus, that thing!). I've been trying to take my time with fetching it so that she learns to fall asleep on her own without my assistance for everything. She just kind of complains about it for a few moments, and then when she starts to really cry - that is when we'll go in. But she never cried this evening. Just fidgeted and complained a bit... then... silence.

Now, either she has figured out how to unswaddle her arms and put the paci back in or she did without it. I'm going with the latter. But the scary thing is that I wouldn't put it past her to do the former, either.

Syd's sleep-issues have subsided for the time being, too. Thank goodness, I was about to chuck her out the window the other night. We had a busy day with LOTS of outside play at a party, so she was beat down by bedtime. Hooray!!

Frus-freakin'-tration

I am not really sure what Sydney's deal is lately. For the past three or four nights, it's been a real battle to get her down to sleep. It used to be that you read stories, said good night, and that was it. Lately it's a scream-fest and a bunch of stall tactics. I have to pee. I'm hungry. I'm not sleepy. I want another story.

Tonight, she was sleepy. She played hard in the backyard this afternoon, and then again after Jarrod came home. She fell asleep during Green Eggs and Ham, and I know this because I tested her. I couldn't see her eyes because of how we were sitting, so I said, "I do not like pink eggs and ham!" Doing this usually gets her saying, "Green eggs, Mommy! GREEEEEEN!"

No response.

So I skipped a page.

No response.

I nudged her and told her to crawl under the covers and I'd finish reading the story, as promised. She complied without argument, and I continued reading. I see that she has already fallen asleep, again, but continue reading.

I finish the book and tell her good night, kiss her on the cheek. You'd think I just lit the fuse on a huge atomic bomb.

"You need to finish the story!!" But it's like negotiating with terrorists, you can't reason with her some times.

"Sydney, I read the story already. You fell asleep."

"But I won't fall asleep! You need to read it right now!"

That right there ticks me off. I'm the Mommy and I don't have to do anything right now, as directed by my 3.5 year old offspring. But I keep my cool, and tell her that I have already read the story, she is more than welcome to read it in bed by herself. Crying, frustration, screaming ensues by Sydney - frustration by me. So she screams. Luckily Cameron is either asleep enough not to hear it or the white noise machine we have in her room is really helping.

So after a few warnings that if it continues, a Friend will get taken away ("friends" are the stuffed animals that sleep with her in bed). Well whaddaya know?? It continues! So Tabby leaves the room and sits on the couch with me. Our play date tomorrow is on the fence right now. Stories, possibly, tomorrow as well. We kept telling her that it's not okay to yell and scream to get what you want, and that such-and-so would get taken away if she kept doing it. And she chose to keep doing it.

I hate it. I hate being the bad guy and having to follow through with threats. But I'm at my wits' end with this crap she's pulling.

On another note, Cameron had her 2 Month checkup today. It's a little early because our pediatrician is pregnant and due April 15th (about when our official 2 Month visit would be) so we scheduled it a little early. It was her first round of major shots - and I do mean the biggest round. Oooof. I don't remember Sydney getting that many, but it's been a while now. They have developed a Rotavirus oral vaccine, which wasn't available when Syd was little. Boy, if that works then by golly, that was worth the price of admission alone. Sydney got Rotavirus and the poor girl had vomiting and diarrhea so badly. From an outsider's view I bet they couldn't tell the vomiting from the spit-up, but it was worse. If we can prevent that sickness... sign me up.

She was 10 lbs. 14 oz. and 21.75" long, which is about where Sydney was at 2 months. She got five (!) shots and the oral vaccine. My poor baby's been cranky, touchy, and sleepy all day. The good thing is that it made her take a goodly nap this afternoon. Lately she's been a 30-minute snoozer and that's it for a nap. It sucks, let me tell you.

So we've been keeping her on Tylenol to help the pain, and get her some much-needed sleep. She just got up (11:00 p.m.) presumably for a feeding and a diaper change - I suspect she will go down without much incident if we keep it low-key. I know *I* am tired.

Poosession

Sydney has an unhealthy interest in Cameron's poop. Nearly every time I go to change a diaper, I hear a little, tiny, elf-like voice hollering after me, "Mommy?? Did she go pee or poo??" And if it is poo, she comes in bearing her Elmo potty stool ready to get a hoisted-up close view of said soiled diaper.

Then she covers her face with her hand, like a dental hygienist's mask and says, "Ooh, Mom! I can smell it!!"

Let's not even go into the comments she makes as I rinse out soiled diaper with toilet sprayer.

Tomorrow we go to the pediatrician for Cameron's 2-month shots. I hate shots. I really hare their first-time shots. She will actually be six weeks old but we're doing them a touch early since our pediatrician should be delivering her first baby about the time Cami turns 2-months. ;-) So, I load my diaper bag up with Tylenol and just keep her happy - which can be hard at this age. I swear, some people LOVE the newborn phase. I... do not. Yeah, they are cute and wiggly and floppy and all that, but man.

Then, both girls gave me a run for my money last night trying to get them all in bed. Syd is stalling, Cameron is crying, I am tired and frustrated... oh, the joy. I am proud to report that tonight went MUCH smoother (even though Cami is still up... it routinely takes about an hour to 90-minutes to get that girl ASLEEP for the night. But when she goes down, she is down!) no thanks to me. My husband is awesome at getting the girls to bed, though. I must master his secrets before he leave for Vegas on the 16th of April.

Went to the doctor this morning for my six week post partum visit, and scheduled a date to get my Mirena put in (that's an IUD in case you weren't aware of the most current birth control procedures) which is next Friday. There is an increased risk of ectopic pregnancies, particularly if you've had one before - and this scared me. I talked to my doctor about it, and he said that there is an increased risk, sure. But the chances of becoming pregnant at all with the IUD in place are 0.01%, so of that percentage, there is an increased risk of an ectopic.

Since I hate the pill and I don't want the shot... here we go! ;-) I told the doctor that if I do end up with an ectopic, I am going to be calling him, so he'd better tell me now if I shouldn't go with it. *lol* There will not be any more children in our future but I am not comfortable with a permanent form of birth control like a tubal ligation or Essure. Maybe "just in case" or something. I realize that God has His own plans as far as children. But if He plans on blessing us with more, by golly, there better be a lotto win attached to it.

All that being said, I am finding the transition to two kids much more difficult than when you are a new mom with one. Colid/acide reflux/urinary reflux aside... once you get a groove it's simple. Lather, rinse, repeat. With two, there is much more compromise.

This makes me sad in a way because I liked the rigidity of a schedule (I'm just like that. Dorky, I know) and Sydney needed that rigidity. Cameron, well she is still a little too young to predict if she needs the rigidity of a schedule or not. She might just have to compromise on her morning/afternoon nap so we can still go to playgroup activities. I refuse to give up my sanity and Sydney's outlet, Cameron will just have to deal with it.

Right??

99% Angel. 1% Other.

Cuz I'm the Tax Man

Finally got our taxes done! I've been sitting here waiting for some 1099's from Jarrod's freelance work last year and then realized that... he's not going to get any! Had I done the research (or had TIME to!) I would have seen that if you made less than $600 from a freelance venture you aren't going to get a 1099. Niiiice.

So that and doing the standard deduction rather than itemizing (which we usually do, but I haven't kept good records like I usually do... plus since Jarrod isn't in California doing crazy commuting, there just isn't as much to deduct) and that brought us to a refund! It's not a life-changing refund, but it's not paying in, either. ;-)

I don't remember if I said, but Cameron's booty was all rashy from diarrhea (presumably the formula change to "gentle") but we got that cleared up with... and my mom will love this because it's all "old school" remedy... corn starch. Simple, cheap, organic, natural CORN STARCH. I guess I used to get a mad diaper rash and that was what worked. Everyone suggest Beaudreaux's Butt Paste, but we tried it with Syd and it didn't do a darn thing for her. Plus it's like smearing a raw potato on her already-sore butt - its SO thick. AND you can't use rash cream with cloth diapers (they cause repelling - NOT good!) and you could use corn starch if needed.

So we are now back to regular poop. She's gassy as all get out, which is why I went to the "gentle" formula to begin with. But I'll take burps and farts all day over diarrhea. Ahh, the choices we must make as parents.

Tonight was crappy in terms of getting the girls down. Syd is reaching this "I don't want to go to bed" phase, which I pray is just a phase, or I might go out of my ever-lovin' mind. She cried, I went into her room and her lamp was on, she was sitting on her little potty saying she had to go pee. Alrighty, fine. She doesn't pee (big surprise) and I get her back into bed. She cries out again saying that she doesn't want to go to sleep. That she's hungry. That she wants to read. That she wants to play. We've had some problems with her eating dinner (then waking up hungry int he middle of the night) which is new. So, I'm trying to curttail it. One night of not succumbing to the problem should fix that. A bite of a chicken nugget does not a dinner make.

Cameron... well, I don't know what her deal was tonight. Seriously, she was cranky all evening, and as soon as I started to rock her a bit her eyes were slammed shut and pacifier fell out. I put her in her bed, no stirring, no nothing. Until about 15 minutes later. What the...?? Then she was pretty much a turkey for about an hour. Finally, FINALLY I think she has gone down for the duration. She's an awesome night sleeper when she actually gets down for the night. Getting her there is the problem most of the time. So, you just pretty much wear her down by going in, soothing her down, leaving. Two minutes later, repeat. Five minutes later, repeat. Seven minutes later, repeat. And the time it takes to go back in gets a little longer each time.

Gosh, how I look forward to doing it all by myself when Jarrod is gone! ;-) Ah well, it was bound to happen at some point. I just kind of wished it was when Cameron was a little older and on a better routine.

So that's my update for now! Everyone is great, things are going decently enough for a change... and we keep on truckin'. :)

Never A Dull Moment!

I was working out this morning on my Wii Fit when Sydney pulled her potty stool and a block up next to me and declared that we were exercising together. As Jarrod said, there is never a dull moment in this house. ;-)

My friend Kim mentioned a little while back about Sea World having these before-the-park-opens "classes" for the tots. I love this idea, since you don't really have to worry about your kid getting swept away in the crowds, plus it won't be so hot for them since they are in the mornings. They appear to be on both weekdays and weekends throughout the summer. I think we'll register for a couple, because I think she'd really like it! They call it SeaSchool (haha! See what they did there?? SEA-School?? Pre-School?? Hehe!).

Now, add a little more cuteness to the pot, stir gently.

Drop Off, Part II

Alrighty, it's evening now and I can continue my thoughts, such as they are.

This weekend was fun - we went downtown to the Alamodome to see the HEB Healthy Baby Expo. Basically it's a bunch of vendors get together to showcase their goodies, pimp their products, sell stuff, and give stuff away. It started at 10:00 a.m., but although I would have liked to get there that early to potentially avoid some lines, we actually got there about noon. Lots of coupons, schwag, and samples.

One of the first things we saw was the McDonald's booth, and Ronald McDonald, himself. He was signing autographs and giving the kids coloring books, their fruit and walnut snack tray, picture time, etc. It was cute! Syd had fun with him (and pardon the not-looking-at-me picture. She will NEVER look over at the camera for more than a second...)

Then Sunday we went to a birthday party at a farm nearby (and when I say nearby, the party was at 11:00 and we left our house at 10:59) where Sydney has boatloads of fun petting animals, feeding them, playing in the sandbox they had set up, taking a hay/tractor ride, going on a pony ride... it was a lot of fun for her and I suspect we will be having some play dates there in the future. It was just a lot of fun for the kiddos, and even though my tennis shoes are STILL outside because they are caked in horse poo and mud (hey, it rained the entire week beforehand! The party was originally on Saturday but got moved because of the rain!) even *I* had fun. :D

Today we had a play group at a friend's house where Cameron proceeded to poop and get it all over her clothing and back (good thing I had a change of clothes for her in my magic bag!) and Sydney scraped her THROAT (yes, you read that right) falling off a car. Or on to a car, I really can't tell. The good thing is that she did it herself, it wasn't anyone's fault. This is the "Jarrod" part of Sydney... she is her own worst enemy.

So now she looks like she has a bright red Adam's Apple. It didn't break the skin, just kind of abraided it on the inside. Not really sure how to describe it any better, sorry.

T'was a fun day! Thank goodness for my playgroup Moms. I think I'd go insane with days like that by myself... no, I *know* I'd go insane. It really does take a village to raise them, doesn't it?

I have to make a comment here on OctoMom (the mom in California who had IVF yet is on state assistance, etc. and had octuplets). Jarrod is watching a Dr. Phil episode with her on it and what hocks me off more than the complete irresponsibility of the entire situration is that there are merchants out there GIVING her stuff. Someone has given her a house. A baby company is giving her an entire nursery for eight babies. She is undoubtedly getting money for all these interviews and pictures.

Why is it that I, as a responsible person who is paying her bills, has insurance of all kinds, is not on any kind of public assistance... am not getting anything for free like that? I'd love to have had a designer nursery for Cameron. Where is MY free house in California? Heck, I'd settle for my current house here in Texas paid for. Am I just not spouting enough babies for this kind of sympathy? Am I not careless enough to put my body through that? Do I just not want that kind of notoriety? I am going to get an IUD next week because I don't want the public to be forced to pay for my responsibilities, and where is my payout?

I had to stop listening to the show because it's that kind of crap that really makes me seethe about it. I understand that the babies shouldn't suffer, but she should not have those babies. There is no father, she has no job (and how can she after 14 children??), she was paying for living by using student loans... there are people all over this country that are suffering with infertility and have the means to take care of children properly and then there is... OctoMom.

*seethe*

Drop Off

If you haven't noticed, my blogging has significantly dropped off - normally I do it before I go to bed, or just shortly after waking up (which would explain some of the incoherent ramblings and spelling errors. Hey, I said some of them!) I'd forgotten how much newborns sleep, which made it easy to blog in those early days.

But I also forgot how they snap to real, live people after about a month.

Cameron is a pretty good sleeper, when you can get her to sleep. I think for naps I am going to start having her sleep in her crib when we aren't out and about because she will sleep for a good chunk in there, and therefore is more rested, and therefore is more pleasant to be around.

Her booty rash is looking much better, too! Thanks for asking! We've been scrambling at any number of possible things that might help, so I can't pinpoint exactly what it is that did the trick. But we used regular old cornstarch on her butt to dry things up and keep them dry. I think that is what helped heal the two owies she had on there. We also are giving her a bottle per day of the regular formula. It's probably highly discouraged to do that, but when your formula fed infant is pooping with EVERY diaper change, and it's the consistency of, well, water but the color of mustard... you do what you can to help. She never ran a fever, she'd mostly be cranky in the evening (oh, how I feared "colic!") and she wasn't spitting up or having painful screams like Sydney did.

So, now we keep trudging on and seeing how that goes.

It sounds like Miss C is up for breakfast - I had more (pictures, too!) but you all will just have to wait a bit. :)

It Only Took a Month!

I finally got word on how much my hospital visit will be after insurance. It went from the $9400 that the hospital billed to... drum roll please... $251. Sooooooo doable! Of course Jarrod's visit to the ER is going to cost just about as much, so there you go. ;-) To tally it up, it was in the range of $15,000 billed (though there is still an unknown charge that hasn't fully been submitted to insurance yet) I am going to end up paying about $1000, and $500 of that is the new year's deductible.

And... that is less than we paid for the perinatologist visits alone when I was pregnant with Sydney. It's amazing what fantastic insurance will do for you.

Today we are headed to the Alamodome to see the HEB Healthy Baby Expo. They have all sorts of HEB samples, baby seminars, makeovers for mom, etc. Lots of door prizes and games for the kids, too. One of my playgroup moms won an entire Fisher Price Rainforest baby collection one year (swing, bouncy seat, high chair, etc.) I don't really need that, but there is also a $1000 HEB gift card for baby things. Yes, that can totally be done. :)

Then They Turn on You

They all do it, please admit this to me. Somebody PLEASE tell me that all babies turn into scary, incredibly cute but infuriating wiggling balls of skin and poop. Would anyone be able to convince me that it's not just MY children that do this?

Cameron has turned into some sort of... well, I guess the word would be... shoot. I really don't know. She was a really good baby, and now I can't decide if she is fussy because of a stomach bug or fussy for the sake of showing up Sydney as a baby. Either way, it's wearing on us.

For example, today my mom helped me go out and get my hair cut, Sydney's haircut and Babies R' Us to return something and get something else. Cameron slept through 95% of the entire venture, with the exception being a change of diaper and a feeding while Syd was getting her hair cut.

We returned home around 3:30 p.m. and she stayed up until about 10:00 p.m. with the periodic minute-long snooze or a quick (5 minute) cat nap in the swing. She didn't want to be held in the sling. She didn't want to be in the bouncy seat. She didn't want to nap in her crib. She'd eat, but holy frijoles, how much can a kid eat?? At this point she should be eating somewhere about 30 ounces a day, and she's probably eaten that alone this evening. Maybe not that much, but close.

When does it get like this? I'm sitting here listening to the sound machine in her room over the baby monitor, filled with anxiety at every small sound that comes over the speaker because I am afraid she will wake up and we'll get to repeat the entire cycle again.

I'm trying to chalk it up to some sort of stomach bug or irritation - she's had loose poo (and "loose" I mean more than newborn poo normally is... so much that she is going just about every time I change her diaper and her booty is red and raw. :( I've been putting some cream on it and using disposables for the time being because the poor girl is pooping so much... it's helping keep the redness and irritation down but it's still there...) but it's getting harder to just let it be that, you know?

I'm also ridden with anxiety about keeping Sydney in activities throughout the month and still being able to keep Cameron on some sort of schedule. If it's going to be like this for the duration (i.e., like Syd was) then I don't know that I can handle going out *and* dealing with Cameron's stuff in the evenings, too.

And, oh joy! Jarrod is going out of town in April for work. I ought to have lost all my hair by that point, I'm sure.

Obviously there is no other choice but to trudge along. But it just pains me to see her crying and not knowing what she needs.

*sigh*

Oh, yeah. She turned a month old today. Hooray!