Fontina Returns - Again ... Again!

Just like Banner, Quinn has had a pacifier since his earliest days. With Banner, we held off on giving a pacifier until he was about two weeks old. With Quinn, I think it was 2 days old. We had six Gumdrop pacifiers that we kept up with to make sure we had some with us at all times - 2 blues, 2 purples, and 2 oranges. It was easy then when he wasn't attached to any particular color. We lost some along the way (one fell out in the parking lot at a grocery store around 4 months, for instance, and I even went back to try to find it later, but no luck). We would replace them when they got icky or torn up, but for the most part, we always had about 6 of them until he was 1, and then we decided to just let nature take its course and not replace them anymore. Quinn was left with 3 (an orange and two purples) for quite a while. Then, the orange one had some tears in it, so we had to say goodbye to that one. He would ask about it for a while - and still does from time to time - but he never cried or got upset without it. For the past several months, Quinn has been down to those lone purples. They would go with him to Grandma & Papa's when he naps there, and he had them for every nap & night time. If we ever forgot them (which only happened once or twice), he was not thrilled about any different color replacement he might borrow from Levi... it had to be purple. But, a little over a week and a half ago, I took him to the dermatologist when a constant rash around his mouth nagged at me.

At the doctor, we talked about what might be causing the rash, and the pacifier was discussed - not so much as a culprit but as an irritant that wouldn't help with the healing process. The doctor suggested letting go of the pacifier, but when I told her (a mother of 3 kids exactly the same distance apart as my 3 are/will be) about the transition to the big boy bed that week, she completely agreed that now might not be the best time to take his pacifiers away from him.  A week later, when we went back to the doctor because the rash had gotten worse, she was exceptionally proud of us and congratulatory when we told her that we'd nixed the pacifiers over the weekend. I explained to her that the rash had gotten so bad that my gut told me to just bite the bullet and go cold turkey! So, how did all that happen?

Well, we had told Quinn that a) his pacifiers were starting to tear and get little holes in them - making them unsafe and "broken," and b) his pacifiers were making it harder for his mouth to get better; they were hurting his mouth. He asked if we could fix them. Specifically, he asked if we could "take them to Grandma's house and fix them at her house?" But, we explained that even Grandma can't fix them! Later that morning, Quinn and I went to My Gym and then to the grocery store. At the store, I took him to the baby aisle and let him pick out any pacifier he wanted. I told him that he could sleep with it instead of the purple pacis. I know this sounds crazy because I wanted to get him to not sleep with a pacifier at all... BUT... my main goal was to get him off of the Gumdrop, which is made of a rubber that rubs his mouth and perhaps irritates the rash. The plastic choices in front of us didn't bother me. My goal was NOT to get rid of the pacifiers altogether - it was to get rid of the specific one we'd used all his life. I was okay if he had a different one, especially during this big time of transition to a bed and new bedroom with a room mate!

Quinn picked out a pack of 2 soccer Nuk pacifiers. Later that day, although Mommy was anxious, Quinn slept just fine for nap! He took a little longer than usual to fall asleep, but he did - and he took a good nap! He never once put the pacifiers in his mouth but just held them both with his lovey. He did the same at night, and then the next day at nap, he told me he didn't want the "soccer pacis." I told him he didn't have to sleep with them at all. I asked if he wanted me to put them away, but he said he just wanted to hold them. And, that's what he's done for the past week. He plays with them in his hands, but he never puts them in his mouth. Mission accomplished! These new ones don't feel right, they don't twist and turn the way the "purple ones" did, but they sure do comfort him to have them in his hands. And, I'm perfectly fine with that!

Now, I'm not saying he has been a model sleeper! These past two weeks in his big boy bunk have been rough. He either takes a long time to fall asleep, crying for us to sit with him, or he wakes in the middle of the night, or he wakes up super early - or all of the above! But, never once has he cried for the old pacifiers, never has he used the new ones in his mouth, and he has pretty much stopped asking about them at all.

SO, this morning, we had a special visitor! Someone rang the doorbell today, and when the boys went to the door, there was a present sitting on our front porch! They immediately wanted to open it, but Daddy explained that we needed to see who it was from first - and who it was for! They read this special note together:

For those of you who don't know, our Paci Fairy, Fontina, has made a few trips to our house in the past. Quinn was excited to get his own visit this time! Fontina must have been spying on my boys when they see a commercial for PopOut Pets on Nick, Jr. because every.single.time Quinn says he wants that. Well, Fontina made this little boy's wish come true this morning when that's exactly what he got (along with her famous chocolate coins she always leaves in their gifts):

Thank you, Fontina, for making this boy of ours so happy! He's currently napping in his bunk bed with his frog friend (who can easily change into a monkey or a parrot). And, to these three pacis that kept my boy feeling safe, secure, and asleep... thank you for all your hard work!

65% Baked: BBJ #3

It's been a while since I posted about my pregnancy with this third baby of ours, so I thought it would be a good idea to catch up on how it's been going. Today, I'm 26 weeks pregnant, and overall I'm feeling great! My only current complaint is that it sure would be awesome if the pharmacy would go ahead and fill my reflux prescription - as I've been without my meds for over 4 days, and if it continues, an ulcer is certainly in my future. I've been dealing with reflux since 11 weeks, and I started taking prescription meds at 12 weeks They helped for a bit, and then we had to up the dosage to keep me comfortable. Now that I'm out of the meds and the pharmacy is "waiting to hear back from the insurance company," I'm frustrated and burning again! (Damn insurance companies.)

But, let's move on from that... or try to... it's just hard when I feel it in my chest and throat nearly every minute of writing this post (and throughout the day and night!). And, yes, I've gone back to Tums, OTC meds, and other remedies, but it's not the same. At least I can say my prescription works, right?!

Okay, let's try again to move on...

Things are going very well. I'm feeling this little boy move all over the place. My placenta is posterior, which is a first for me. With Banner & Quinn, it was anterior, so their movement was a little more "muffled." I've been feeling this little guy since 16 weeks - maybe because of the placenta, maybe because it's a third pregnancy and I know better what to feel for, maybe because he's more active? Could be lots of things, but definitely earlier than the big brothers. I don't really notice his movement until I'm still. He wakes up when I'm not lulling him to sleep - and I notice him when the older boys aren't around - night time, at work, in the car. Last week, Sam and I were watching Grey's Anatomy, and we felt him moving the ENTIRE hour. I never mind this activity. It's my absolute favorite part of being pregnant, even if he is on my bladder or about to punch through  my cervix. (TMI? Sorry.) Sam (and Banner) began feeling the baby move around 21-22 weeks - somewhere in there. And now that he's really rolling all over the place, it's more fun for them to feel him. My skin is feeling stretched more and more, and the left side of my lower back hurts toward the end of the night when I'm putting the boys to bed. Some days I carry higher than others, but mostly, this belly is getting heavy, and I find myself pulling up on it to get some relief from time to time. Quinn was way lower than this baby by now, so I'm hopeful that he will stay up or move up as he grows. I'm feeling Braxton Hicks contractions from time to time, and while they are annoying and can even take my breath away, they are not painful.

I'm not as hungry as I was a few weeks ago. But, if I don't graze just a little, I'll feel faint or need to eat a couple of peanut butter & honey sandwiches to satisfy a neglected appetite. I don't necessarily "crave" a particular food, but those sandwiches sure are good! And, I've had to pry myself away from the Hostess cupcakes when I go down that aisle at the grocery store. There were a couple weeks when those were my most prized possession, but I've been much better in the last 3-4 weeks. Not gonna lie; I sure do miss them. I just feel like they're not the best option. :)

I had my glucose test two weeks ago at my 24 week check-up. So grateful I passed. I don't know why I was nervous since I've never had an issue in the past, but I think I just fear more as this body ages. And, I know that every pregnancy is different, so I was anxious about it. At that same appointment, my weight showed I had gained 8 pounds total. I was pleased with that for now. But, I also know the weight is about to pile on, so I am trying to be very careful in the next 13 weeks.

Most exciting, we got to schedule my C-section date: February 16th. I will be 39 weeks that day, and I like the sound of that: 2/16/16. Exactly one week earlier is February 9th - and that would have been very cool to have all of my boys born on the 9th of their birth months, but 38 weeks is a little too early.  We will see, though. This long boy has been measuring slightly ahead of his due date. At each scan, he's been about 3-7 days older than my date. The MFM doctor, at 20 weeks, predicted a pretty tall baby, but not a "big" baby. His arms and legs were very long compared to the rest of his measurements at that time.

And, finally, a name. Not much progress there, unfortunately. There are a few we are mulling over, and one day I might love the ideas, and the next day have a change of heart. Sam likes some names, and I like others, so we are not in agreement yet. I have a gut feeling about what his name will be, but I'm not 100% sure. That's not unusual for me, though. I was tentative about sharing Banner's name with everyone, even though we loved it. And, I was very unsure about Quinn's name UNTIL we started sharing it! It was the only thing I was terribly anxious about on the OR table as they started my C-section with him. "What if his name's not Quinn? What if he's not Quinn??" I asked Sam several times. I think naming your children is one of the hardest things. Other than making healthy choices while they are in utero, it's the first decision you make for your child without even knowing him or her. So, we want it to be a good name, one they like, one that suits them, one that gives them permission to be that name - to be great and good and so many other qualities. I believe our names often provide the script of our lives, so I want it to be amazing. No pressure, right?!

That about sums up the last 14 weeks since I last posted about my pregnancy. The big brothers are super-excited to meet their baby brother. Banner, especially, really seems to understand what is going on. Quinn "gets it" as much as he can right now. He knows there is a baby in my belly, and we talk about babies a lot. But, Banner knows more about what's coming. He is inquisitive, curious, and protective. He is concerned about the baby and what he's doing in there right now. "Is he walking around in there?" "Mommy, I'm sorry I bumped your tummy. Did I hurt the baby?" "Mommy, you're pregnant. That means you are going to have a baby." "When's it going to be time to go to the hospital to meet him?" "How do they get the baby out of your tummy?" "I'm really happy we are going to have a new baby, but I'm disappointed that you have to stay at the hospital for so long." "I'm sorry it's going to hurt you when they take the baby out." And, the newest thing on his mind (and never far from mine!): "We need a bigger house now for our baby."

The boys are making adjustments to prepare for the arrival. A new, shared bedroom and bunk bed; learning how to do things on their own so they can be helpful when the baby comes (like putting on their own shoes or buckling themselves in their car seats or doing more chores around the house, for example); practicing playing with and holding a baby or doll.

Just 13 more weeks before February 16th! We know that will fly by, too! Still lots to do and lots to think about before we meet our baby, but I'm just grateful for my health, for his health and development, and for excited big brothers!  Here's to an uneventful ending to my 2nd trimester and to an equally uneventful, easy third one!

Big Boy Bunk

At 26 months old today, we have a new beginning for our 2-year-old. At this same age, Banner climbed out of his crib several times in a 24-hour period, and we knew it was time for his big boy bed, just three weeks before his baby brother was born. Well, here we are only a week or so ahead of Banner at that age and three months away from baby brother, and Quinn was expressing a dislike of his crib. He never climbed out, and we really would have been fine to keep him in his crib longer, but he kept fussing and whining about not liking his bed before naps and bedtimes. So, Sam and I decided to rush our plan to get Banner and Quinn in the same room sooner than later - or at least have it ready for when Quinn finally decided he was ready to be out of his crib for good.

The mere mention of a bunk bed had both boys super excited. When Quinn started to ask about his bunk bed, we knew we couldn't really hold off any longer. Luckily, my aunt and uncle were trying to donate my cousin's boyhood bedroom furniture. We were the willing recipients, but the furniture was brown and we wanted white since Banner's room was already set up to match a white scheme. No worries... we would just paint the furniture: the entire bunk bed and ladder and the matching dresser. So, this past Saturday morning, Sam and his dad moved the furniture from my aunt & uncle's house to our garage - where painting began as soon as my mom took the boys to her house after Banner's 3:00 soccer game. She kept them overnight so we could have lots of time to paint and organize. Sam did most of the painting, while I stayed in to gut Banner's closet (which had been my craft/gift wrap closet that B never used). By Sunday night, the bed was painted, assembled, and moved in to Banner's room. We still had some work to do - moving the monitor camera, getting their bedding washed and dried, etc. So, we waited one more night before the official move. Plus, I wanted one more night to rock Quinn in his own room, to put him in his crib one last time, and to have that one-on-one time with Banner laying in his bed with him. (And, Walking Dead may have been on, and I may have wanted to make sure there was no long, drawn-out interruption from the boys in a new room while trying to watch my show!) The evening was slightly emotional, but both boys were so very tired that they went right down and made the night smooth. Quinn happened to wake up around 5:30 (so totally awesome when my work alarm goes off at 6:00); and although I hated the early wake-up, I didn't mind rocking him for a few minutes before getting him back to sleep - just knowing my days of rocking him and having that one-on-one time with him would soon be a distant memory. I cradled him and smelled him and rocked him and patted him and held his little hand that wrapped around my finger.

Then, today, I put him down for nap in his crib one last time, also. And, at bed time, we let him choose if he was ready for the bunk bed or wanted his crib again. He wanted nothing to do with the crib! Any mention of it was met with a demand for the bunk bed and with much frustration on his part - because he's been asking for the bunk bed for so long now, how dare we not let him sleep in it already - now that it's here and ready! Banner, of course, was super excited to be on the top bunk, too! So, everyone was excited... until it was time to actually turn off the light and get in bed. That's when Quinn got a little teary. He never really cried or got upset, but he was definitely unsure about this move. It kind of broke my heart - because I wanted to cry with him. I, too, have a hard time with change and newness and growing up! So, here he was being slightly emotional and not sure how this was all going to go down.

I brought the ottoman from the glider in their room, and Sam rocked Quinn on it while telling them a Mario story. . . of course, what other kind of bedtime story is there?! Then, once Quinn was settled in bed, Sam stayed next to him on the floor until he was asleep. Banner fell asleep within about 20 minutes, too... he mostly just needed time to acclimate to his new tall perspective of his room, I think. He also isn't used to Quinn's lullaby music that we brought in with Banner's permission. (That's actually a cute story. I told Banner that Quinn listens to music when he goes to sleep; would he mind if we brought his music in? Banner said, "This is his room now too. That's fine with me." Kinda choked me up!)

I went in their room about 30 minutes later, and Quinn popped up. He said, "Where's Daddy?" I told him, "Daddy's here. You're okay. Night-night," and rubbed his back for just a minute. Then, he laid right back down, and we haven't heard from him since! It's been an hour and a half now, and who knows how the night and early morning will go. I've gone over the rules for sharing a room: being quiet, not waking the other person, and I even had both boys promise the other that they will be quiet and not wake the other, but no idea what our immediate future holds!

We still have a lot of work to do: finish painting and organizing the dresser; install a new ceiling fan; move Quinn's clothes and things into his new space. But, we are off to a great start. I'd like to thank Sam for all his hard work, patience, and time that he gave this quick (but not-so-easy) project! I'd also like to thank Uncle Barry, Aunt Susie, and Brennan for their furniture, and, my father-in-law, Richard, for helping to move and transport it! And, thank you to my mom for keeping the boys this past weekend so we could get so much accomplished in a short time. Here's to a peaceful night and a smooth transition for all of us!
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Update 11/10:  So, how did it go?? Well, Banner did beautifully! He even slept a little later than usual (7:30 as opposed to 6:45ish). When Quinn woke up in the middle of the night, around 2:30, Banner woke up, too, but he went right back to sleep and stayed asleep from then on. Quinn, as I said, woke up the first time at 2:30; Sam went in and sat next to the bed for a while and left once Quinn fell asleep. An hour later, he was awake again. He never got out of bed, but he called and cried for us. The third time he woke up, around 4:30, I went to him and he said, "Uppy, Mommy," as he stood up. I rocked him for a bit, and then I put him back in bed and said, "You're okay." He took a little while, but he eventually fell asleep on his back (as I watched the monitor in my own bed). Finally, at 5:30ish, when he awoke a fourth time, I did the same thing, and when I tried to leave his room that time, he cried pretty hard. I was worried he'd wake up Banner (who, at that time of the early morning, would not have gone back to sleep if he woke up), so I grabbed Quinn and quickly got him out of the room. We let him sleep in our bed for the rest of the "night," and he slept until a little after 7:00. I was kind of bummed I caved and that he didn't make it all through the night, BUT I also know it could have been a lot worse, and I was really pleased with the beginning of the night and with Banner's sleep. I was able to watch (on the monitor) Banner climb down the bunk ladder first thing when he woke up, and he was really proud of himself for doing that so nicely. 

It is currently nap time as I write this update, and I gave Quinn the choice of napping in his bed or in his crib. When I asked him, he was leaning on the ladder of the bunk bed, and he said, "Sleep on the ladder!" He smiled and we laughed at him being silly, but then he said, "in there," as he pointed to his own room. So, as I type, he is sleeping peacefully in his crib. And, given that today is a swim lesson day, I am totally okay with him napping in there and getting a good rest! We will see what he chooses tonight, but I definitely want to change a few things for the evening to help make it go more smoothly. Most importantly, we will turn off Banner's night light that Quinn is definitely not used to; it was way too bright in that room last night! Wish us luck tonight! :) 

Bunk and Dresser - Before

Bunk - After (Dresser is still in garage being painted)

Boys so excited the bunk is in their room - we put rails on later

Story time before first night together

Success! (At least until 2:30am) :)