Pizza Party...or not.

Layton had a pizza and pajama party today. You would think this would be exciting. Or at least a happy event.

Not so much.

I dressed him in his Lightening Mcqueen pajamas and sent him to preschool with his granddaddy. He was wailing as the car door shut that he didn't want to go. I assumed he would get over it and didn't give it another thought.

Several hours later he comes home and tells me that he got a frowny face on his chart because he was put in time out. I asked him why and he says...

"Told you I don't like pizza."

He then explained that he was crying at lunch and they put him in time out because he wouldn't stop whining. I told him he shouldn't throw a fit and he looked and me and said, "Well, I wasn't happy!"

Sigh.

There are no words to express my frustration over this whiny phase. He has these wild mood swings that are driving me crazy. One minute he is happy, the next he is wailing. I miss my good natured, easy little boy that rarely cried. Right now our game plan is spanking him when he throws a fit, not giving him anything when he whines for it, and making sure he is getting enough sleep. So far this isn't working. I am thinking it is new baby syndrome and am ready to get past it!

Bath time

He doesn't seem to think we know what we are doing.

4 weeks old!

Every day is easier! Just ask Layton!

Will is staying awake longer-he is developing a pattern of being awake from 5:30-8:00 and then napping for a solid hour and a half. Then, he nurses and stays awake for another half hour and then sleeps again for another hour. This pretty much stays the same throughout the day-sometimes he is awake for a full hour at a time. After dinner and his bath, around 7:00 p.m., he has another long alert period. At 9:00 we put him in his crib and most of the time he goes right to sleep. I have started letting him fuss for a few minutes-he has very distinctive cries so I know if he is crying because he is tired. I can tell by his cry when he is hungry, has a tummy ache, is sleepy, or just bored. This is a blessing because it makes it much easier to determine what he is needing!

Big brother and sister are doing well-don't let this drama king fool you. Layton is going through a whiny phase that I am assuming stems from jealousy. This weekend Clay and I took Laura Grace and Layton to Tupelo for several hours. This alone time with them seems to have helped tremendously.

Will has already learned that his granddaddy is always ready for a nap!

Will is also learning how to smile-he is almost there :) He is also already rolling from his stomach to his back. I suspect this is more due to gravity, but it is his favorite activity when he is awake. His appetite is still going strong. He eats every 2-3 hours at night and during the day every 1 1/2 hours. When I pump and give him a bottle he is drinking 4 ounces and sometimes will still nurse for a few minutes so I am about to start giving him 5 ounces. He is a growing boy!

Laura Grace

My sweet girl has been so much fun lately. As she gets older, our conversations have become more and more "real". I can see glimpses of the woman she will one day become and that is so exciting. She has the softest heart and such a sweet, joyful spirit.

Yesterday, I was very stressed and trying not to lose it. The dogs had gotten in the house and were running around, the cat was clawing at the door, Will was screaming, Layton was throwing a tantrum and I was running a fever. It was bad. Laura Grace came up to me, laid her head on my hip and said, "Mommy, I love you. I was thinking the other day that I am so glad I have such a beautiful family."

It melted and broke my heart at the same time.

YAY!!

First of all, thanks for the recipes and websites!!

Secondly, Will has gotten used to his car seat! He no longer screams in it and is content to fall asleep or just look around. After awhile he does get tired of it, but daily errands and trips are no longer a hair raising ordeal.

I need to post his one month pictures today now that I think about it...

WANTED

I need some good crockpot recipes. Please share :)

Crockpot meals and casseroles are going to be a staple around here for awhile. Will hates his sling, swing, bouncy seat, car seat...pretty much anything BUT my arms. If the rest of my family is going to eat I need to get creative!

In Case You Didn't Know...

newborns are a lot of work. They can also become very heavy. On days that they don't want to be put down they feel VERY heavy.

HOWEVER....

I got out of the house today.

As in, got in the car and actually drove myself, Will, and Layton to bible study. I honestly don't know what we talked about in bible study because I was fighting to stay awake, but I was there!!
Afterwards, I took my boys to Mcdonalds so Layton could play and get a Happy Meal. I was able to sit back, bounce my fussy baby, and relish that I wasn't having to entertain or make lunch for my wild three year old.

Another bonus to the day is that I fit into my jeans!! Saturday, I could wear my "fat" jeans. Today, I could wear all of them. So, I think toting Will (who we are calling "chunk") and nursing round the clock has its benefits!

TGIF!!

I love Fridays-Saturdays are even better, but Fridays have the excitement that the weekend is here!

This morning I made myself put on clothes instead of pajamas and it is amazing how much that improves your mood! Will is napping, the kitchen is clean, and laundry is washing...so far so good!

Will is sleeping better this week. He has gone back to waking every three hours at night. Every three hours is much more doable than every hour! He has also been more predictable this week. He has gotten up at the same time every morning and taken a nap at the same time as well. He tends to sleep a lot the first half of the day, be more alert in the afternoon and evening, and then go to bed around 9. I am hoping this pattern continues because it I love routine of some sort.

Layton has a bronchitis still. We are doing breathing treatments and the whole nine yards but due to his allergies, the weather, and the nature of bronchitis he is having trouble shaking it. The result is a grumpy, exhausted three year old. He is watching a lot of movies-thank goodness for Cars and Wiggles!

Laura Grace brought home her report card yesterday-all A's :) I am so proud of how diligent she is with her school work. She writes very neatly and takes her time because it is very important to her that it "looks pretty". It is so much fun to talk to her about school. She has these hilarious stories about her friends and their "clubs". She was in a club, but decided to take some "time off" so she could have more time on the monkey bars during recess. It was all I could do to keep a straight face when she told me the club leader had excused her for a few days. Hilarious!

Baby Blues

Oh man, these are not fun days. I am not severely depressed or anything-just weepy and feeling a tad bit overwhelmed. The never ending rain outside isn't helping. If I could get out of the house I think I would feel much better. However, seeing as how I have a newborn during flu season that isn't going to happen anytime soon. Oh...and then there is the pesky not being able to drive yet thing...

After talking to me, one of my friends came over to chat for awhile. God gave her the wisdom to bring chocolate cake and coffee with her :)

Three Weeks Old!

We went to the dr. yesterday for his checkup. He weighed 10 lbs and 10 oz! He was also 20.5 inches long-that is a 3 pound, 2 inches gain in three weeks!

Two Weeks

I can't believe two weeks have gone by!

Will is not sleeping as well as he was. The past few nights have been rough. He wakes up every hour wanting to nurse. I think it is because we are making him sleep in his crib vs. our bed.

Other than sleep issues, life has been pretty smooth! Will has fallen into the typical 2-3 hour feeding schedule during the day. He is alert early in the morning, late in the afternoon, and again around 9:00 p.m. He just stares at us as we talk to him and it really looks like he is trying his hardest to smile back. He loves to be cuddled close-preferably in the nursing position.

We had our first outing this week. I went to lunch with Clay's Aunt Barbara at Mcallisters. Will slept through most of it in his carseat. We ran a few errands afterwards and he continued to sleep through them. It was SO nice to get out of the house!

I should have known...

I should know better than to write a blog saying that everything is great.

Shortly after, I started running a 104 fever. Gotta love breast infections. While I was in bed, literally near delerium for three days, my children were busy getting a nasty case of Bronchitis.
Well, not all three of them. Will happily laid in bed with me and nursed 24/7.

My infection is about gone, Layton is nearly well, Laura Grace still has a lot of fever and a nasty cough, and Will still thinks he should be nursing 24/7. We even broke down and bought every type of pacifier Walmart had to offer. Will declined all options and let us know, very loudly, what he thought of each brand. Thankfully, my mom was able to come for the weekend and help out. I was able to sit on the couch and watch HGTV all weekend...and breastfeed of course.

I am hoping that this week we can start establishing some sort of routine. I know Will has a while before he is ready for one, but I am hoping I can find ways to make the hairy parts of our day easier until then. Getting ready for school in the mornings, dinnertime, and bed time with a baby that thinks he should stay attached to me has not been easy. I bought a sling and as soon as I fully heal from the surgery I am going to see how that works.

So...life so far with three has been hectic. But it is a wonderful kind of hectic.