We are back to this.

 

Bowen went in for his wellness appointment yesterday.

The doctor is still a little worried about his breathing, his stomach is still retracting, and the nurse thought she heard wheezing.

So we are back to breathing treatments.

We never stopped, but were instructed to only do them when needed.

Now we are on a strict schedule again.

Every four hours.

After a week, if his breathing is still not better, he may need a steroid.

The rest of the appointment went well.

His brother has toughened him up to the point that he barely cried when he got his shots.

Last night was a little rough, but oh well.

I love my little man and hope this breathing thing gets better soon.

What???

Isn’t this how everyone does their homework?

 

He may not be great help but at least he is good motivation.

Must pay for daycare, must pay for daycare, must pay for daycare…

Pimped out carseat.

The day I got home from the hospital I was inspired.

Nobody gets to breath their germy, gross breath on my baby.

Oh to the no.

I have never been one to care about germs, but Baby Bo needs some protection.

From the elements and the sickies.

I made him a carseat cover hangy thing.

And…

Since that was all cute now, I didn’t want to put it on my hand-me-down 90’s carseat.

So I covered that too.

I am kind of getting into this sewing thing.

I wish I would have rounded the edges of the carseat cover but other than that, for just winging it, I think it is pretty much what I wanted.

Bo looks super cute in it.

And no one can bother him, and the cold can’t touch him.

Operation Keep Bo Healthy is in effect.

Hospital night three.

I am over it.

We have been here much longer than I expected.

My little man has been pretty sick.

High fevers.

Dehydration.

Severe vomiting.

Difficulty breathing.

The tests came back, all 500 of them, and apparently he has 3 different respiratory viruses.

Now the doctors and nurses have to dress up in robes and masks to even walk in our room.

It is crazy.

The good news is he is starting to do better.

Which is great because I don’t think I could watch him get poked, prodded, and stuck any more.

They lowered his IV fluids by 50% and his breathing treatments are becoming less frequent.

I am praying that we can go home tomorrow.

A gentle reminder: We are blessed.

There is nothing like a hospital stay in pediatrics to remind you how truly blessed we are.

Our stay here is temporary.

And some kids know this place way too well.

Walking around these halls is enough to make me cry.

And every room I pass that looks more like a dorm room than a dull hospital room.

I pray.

Thank you.

Thank you Lord that my child won’t be here long enough for this to be his home.

Thank you for the one change of clothes I brought for the night.

Thank you for only one ambulance ride.

Good reports.

And a controllable temperature.

Thank you for Baby Bowen.

For every late night feedings.

All the wet and soiled diapers.

And those shrill longing cries for his mommy.

Because now I know,

These are health.

Every time I wake in the middle of the night to that sweet baby smell, restless little cry, and big blue eyes.

I will remember this trip.

And I will know.

We are blessed.

Meet the boss.

He is the tiny one.

That looks frightened because his older brother is within five feet of him.

But little does he know, he is in charge.

The boss determines what time I can go to bed.

When I can eat.

When I can sleep.

What days I can go to work.

How long I sleep.

How well I sleep.

How well his brother sleeps.

If anyone sleeps at all.

Ever.

He is the boss.

My cute, little, tiny boss.

 

Brotherly Love

 

This will be one of many pictures of my two boys together.

I look forward to all of the years.

I look forward to all of the hugs.

All the high fives.

All the wrestling.

All the balls being thrown or kicked in the house behind my back.

All the giggles.

All the bedtime secrets.

The blanket made forts.

The bike rides.

And the small successes.

I look forward to all the times were you will stick up for each other.

Be a good friend.

And an encouraging voice.

I am so excited for you to share your lives together.

To grow older with a best friend.

To know that you always have someone in your corner.

I am so glad you are brothers.

Though there may be fights and a little rough housing along the way.

You will always have each other.

Brothers are forever.

5 things you don’t know about me…and probably don’t care to know.

1.  I have slept on the couch ever since Bowen was born.

There are two reasons.

First, my room is really cold.  I am not sure why but it does not get a whole lot of heat, as a result Bowen won’t sleep on his own. (his crib is in my room)

Which leads to the second reason.

I co-sleep with my kiddos.  Bo starts off sleeping on his own but when he wakes up hungry I put him up with me and feed him.  Sometimes he will go back on his own after that but sometimes he will stay and sleep next to me.  For whatever reason I think it is safer to do this on the couch.

I don’t know why.

Maybe because I can’t roll over on the couch.  I don’t know it really doesn’t make sense.

 

2.  If I had to watch television all day, this is what I would want to watch:

Shahs of Sunset, Teen Mom, Catfish, Real Housewives of Anywhere, Vanderpump Rules, Prison Wives, Lock-Up, Chopped, Worst Cooks in America, Top Chef, Tosh.O, Rediculousness, Biggest Loser

 

3.  I love my Kindle

My parents gave me a Kindle a few months ago and I am obsessed with it.  My parents bought it but were not using it so they randomly asked if I would like it.

At first I did not really think so but then I thought maybe I could use it for Linc and get some good toddler app’s on it.

Little did I know that I would love it so much.

I am able to read so much more now that I have this.  It is so easy to purchase books (especially now that I can’t get out of the house as easily) and the books are less expensive.

I can use the internet on it.

Do some simple homework assignments.

Work on my blog.

And I have some fun app’s for the boys.

I love it!  It is small and fits in my purse and it is probably one of the best gifts I have received in a long time.

Thank you mom and dad, best gift ever.

 

4.  I have amazing parents

Here is a few recent examples of their amazingness.

My mom just flew all the way across the country to watch my son so he doesn’t have to go to daycare for a whole other month.  When she visits she cooks, she cleans, she changes diapers, she shovels the driveway, she buys me groceries, and a whole bunch of other stuff.

Seriously amazing.

My dad prays for my babies every day.  He just did my taxes. He supports me and encourages me all the time. He loves me and my boys and I never have to doubt that he would be there for me no matter what stupid things I do in my life.

My parents are awesome.

And if you are not jealous you should, I hit the parent lottery.

Cha-Ching

 

5.  I care what my kids wear

Probably too much.

My babies would look cute in whatever I dress them in because they are just adorable kids (I’m a little biased),

But I want them to be dressed in style.

I know this is horribly superficial and that it really shouldn’t matter, but it does.

I can’t help it.

I think he plays dead.

That is what I was thinking on my way home from work today.

It was my first day back and my mom has flown in from Washington state to watch baby Bo for these first few weeks.

I told her it would be easy, the kid just sleeps all day until Linc goes to bed.

You will be fine.

Um…apparently I lied.

Bo was awake the entire day.

How could this be?

I wish it had something to do with the fact that he misses his mother so much he was just too distraught to catch some Zzz’s,

but I don’t think so.

I think he plays dead.

If his brother is awake and around, Bowen is “sleeping.”

When big brother goes to bed, all the sudden BoBo is wide awake.

I used to think that he was just bound and determined not to ever let me have a moment to myself,

but I think I have figured out the actual reason.

He is protecting himself.

Linc has had a very difficult time sharing moms attention.

He hits poor Bowen any chance he gets.

He has kicked him in the stomach when he was lying on the floor.

He has stomped on his head.

He has even started forcing food into his mouth, “sharing.”

Try as I may to protect my little cub, I can’t always catch every strike before it lands.

So he sleeps.

Playing dead is his only form defense.

I don’t blame him.

Lincoln is a beast.

Bizarrely Inappropriate

Today we all left the house for a much-needed break.

The kids and I tried to escape on our own and got about 3 houses down before getting stuck.

I’m so ashamed.

After getting back in the drive-way we called Isaac and admitted our defeat.

He had mercy on our locked-in, cabin-fevered selves, and picked us up for dinner.

God bless him.

We went to Chili’s and as we were eating a waitress (not ours) came up and commented on our adorable small child, Bo.

I don’t think this is weird, I make cute kids, so I thanked her and then she was on her way.

Later on in the meal Bo started crying and I had no choice but to feed him in the restaurant.

I don’t mind breast-feeding in public, but it is a little awkward.

But this waitress kept walking by our table looking for Bo.

Um, he is under my sweatshirt gnawing on my breast, do you mind not staring?

This happened once or twice and I just thought I may be imagining things because I am a little self-conscious about feedings in public.

But then, after Bo finished, she walked by again and said,

“I know this is really weird, but do you mind if I hold your baby?”

Um, yes, as a matter of a fact, I do.  First of all, I am eating.  I haven’t left the house in upwards of 48 hours, I finally have two hands to work with because I just finished feeding an infant, AND this is ice cream, so I would like to eat it now SO IT DOESN’T MELT.  Second, I don’t know you!  You could have the bubonic plague for all I know.  This is an infant, he is not even two months old, as much as you think I want your stranger, diseased hands all over my son, I DON’T.  Lastly, I STILL don’t know you, and you seem weird, because no one in their right state of mind would come up and ask a mother, who they don’t know, if they can hold their very tiny infant son.  See me women?  I am mama bear, this is my cub. Now back the F up before I get all gangster on your a**.

So obviously, what I actually said was,

“Sure, of course.”