Week in Review ~ 5/5

Avery and I headed off to church Sunday morning.  We each went to our Sunday School classes, then she stayed with me while I kept the nursery.  Ned kept Sam at home and managed to get him to take a good nap.  Avery took a very short  nap, though, when we got home.  My mom came mid-afternoon to bring the strawberries we had forgotten to get the night before.  Avery had to show her her room and playroom while she was here, as she does each time someone comes.  After she left, Ned's mom brought his granddad and his wife to see the house.  Sam woke up from a short nap while they were here and then had a bottle.  Avery provided some entertainment.  Once they left, I hurried to make Million Dollar spaghetti found on Pinterest.  I try to cook one of our bigger meals for the week on Sunday and hate when our afternoons get rushed and I have to cook.  The spaghetti was delicious and we all enjoyed it.

Sam was still not napping well and seemed so over-tired and out of sorts Monday.  We picked up Avery and he did well on the ride.  I called the pediatrician and she suggested trying Alimentum to see if it helped with the gurgling in his stomach while he ate.  I made poppyseed chicken for dinner and had a very unhappy baby while I did so since he doesn't normally nap in the car.  Then he's tired when we get home and I often have to cook.  Our neighbors came to welcome us and brought us a gift basket with peanuts.  We were able to stroll after dinner since Ned's officers' meeting was cancelled.  After bed time for Avery, I went to Walmart and got the new formula for Sam.  He sucked it down that night without us having to mix it with the formula he had been on.  I don't think the smell is as bad as people make it seem, and he either doesn't mind the taste or is too hungry to notice.

I didn't see major improvements in Sam on Tuesday, but I knew we had to stick with the formula for awhile.  I managed to get odds and ends done during his short nap, including paying bills and ordering our double stroller and vacuum.  I'm eager to get both of those.  We picked up Avery and returned home.  Ned had a meeting for Ducks Unlimited at his office, so he came home quickly before that started.  My plan was for Avery and I to eat dinner while Sam rested in the swing.  Then I could feed Sam and he'd be happy while I got Avery to bed.  I don't know why I make plans anymore!  I could hear the thunder starting as Ned left, and I knew it was just a matter of time until Avery heard it as well.  A loud "boom boom" occurred just as I got her plate on the table, and she burst into tears.  Sam was already having a meltdown in the swing.  I finally got Avery calm enough to put her down to get Sam, and we all sat on the couch and rode at the storm.

The head control scares me. 

Our storm spot, taken from the front camera on my phone.

Avery was ok as long as we were together.  I did get nervous once the satellite went out and the hail started.  I much prefer the cable that we had when the weather gets bad.  Avery let me get up to get Sam's bottle but still would not eat her dinner.  So Sam ended up eating first then hung out while Avery and I ate.  He fell asleep in his swing allowing me to bathe Avery without worrying about him.  Ned got home while she was in the bath tub and surveyed the water in the back yard from Avery's window.  It seems as if the ducks will have a permanent pond in our yard.  The grass is coming up though, so we can't wait to get all our toys moved to this house.

I got up Wednesday morning and took Felix to the vet to have his back claws removed.  We had initially thought doing his front would be enough, but he's still a bit destructive.  If we could have his teeth removed we'd probably try that too.  I hate taking him to the vet to stay, so I cheered myself up with breakfast at Dairy Queen.  Avery stayed home, so once Sam took a nap, we went outside and did chalk then came in and did Play Doh.  It seemed like most of the rest of the day was spent trying to get Sam to nap and keeping Avery entertained and out of trouble while I did that.  Ned played in the YMCA golf tournament that afternoon and got home just before Avery went to bed.

Thursday was a special day!  Avery and all her buddies from Jen-Jen's were going to Bear Path Acres.  She was up early, so it was good that Ned was staying home to keep Sam.  He was having a tough morning with lots of crying.  He finally pooped for the first time since starting the Alimentum, so I hoped that meant things were moving through his system.  Avery's summer shoes for Jennifer's were unacceptable for some reason, even though she had worn them Tuesday.  My patience was running thin with her tears, then I felt terrible when I adjusted them and she tried so hard to make them better.  She still wouldn't walk in them though, so I decided the white Keds would just have to take one for the team at the rural zoo.  Avery thanked me through her tears for changing her shoes and I again felt terrible.  She asked where her field trip was all the way there and was so excited to see everyone when we arrived.  We saw farm animals, monkeys, a bear, a cougar, a panther, a lion, and so many other interesting animals.  This is pretty impressive for a "zoo" behind someone's house in this area. 

Avery was over the animals as lunch time approached, as were many of the other kids and moms.  We had a little picnic lunch then went into Franklin to use the bathroom.  We then had to stop and get Felix.  Avery could not figure out why her doctor was not at Felix's doctor's office.  It was well after naptime when we got home, but Avery had stayed awake which thrilled me.  She went right to bed, and I worked on getting Sam to sleep while Ned went to work.  Sam hadn't slept much, so Ned started the oatmeal in his bottle again.  The pediatrician said to try it again a few days after switching formula since we didn't do it long enough over the weekend.  I got Sam down for a short nap then woke Avery up because it was after 4.  We played with Sam and Bitty on the floor until Ned got home. 

Tummy time for Bitty.

We ate dinner, then I ran errands while Ned played with Avery and Sam in the playroom.  Ned gave Avery a bath and put her to bed once I got home, then he left for drill.  I just held Sam and at some point fell asleep.  Ned got home around 9:15 and fed Sam and put him to bed.  I folded a load of laundry and got Avery's clothes ready for Lolli and Poppa's.  I told Ned I couldn't make it through the Grey's we were recording though.

Avery was ready to go to Jennifer's Friday morning and was excited that Lolli was picking her up.  I finally got around to wiping out the rest of our laundry room cabinets so we could put more things in those.  I also did some laundry.  Ned brought me lunch because I had to sign a paper for FINALLY closing on our mortgage a month after moving in.  A great time to buy/build means things are selling for cheap and appraisals are tough.  Our house appraised for more on paper than it did as an actual house because of the way similar houses were selling, and it took this long to work everything out so that we could keep the good rate that we locked in at forever ago...the rate that the bank gave us.  I'm starting to think banking is a bunch of balogna as it was definitely the most frustating part of building.  I finally held Sam for a nice, long nap, and I could tell he felt rested when he woke up.  We sat on the porch and waited for Ned to come home.  Sam was probably wondering where all the noise from his sister was.  Ned brought Chinese home, and even though Sam hadn't gotten much rest during the day, we decided to still try him in his crib.  I knew that since Avery was gone, I could sleep in her bed if needed.  Then Ned decided to get up with him all night.  Sam couldn't get settled between dinner and bed.  I fed him around 9 p.m. and he went right into his crib.  He woke up but put himself back to sleep...for 30 minutes.  Not sure if it was the big storms we were having, the newness, or nothing at all.  Then there wasn't much sleeping until 12 a.m. when Ned fed him again, although Ned and I both tried.  I had a blanket rolled up to keep him from sliding since we elevate his crib, and I finally took that out so see if it was the problem.  It was almost midnight by the time I went to bed, as I had been watching storms hover over my parents' house on the radar.  I was so worried Avery would wake up scared and keep my parents up.

After Sam's midnight bottle Saturday morning, he slept until about 4 a.m.  He took awhile to go to sleep after that one but then slept until 7.  I got up with him and let Ned sleep awhile.  Sam decided he would have no parts of napping, so I held him awhile while Ned got his hair cut, then he actually slept in his bouncer while I was at the store.  I came home, put groceries away, and made a strawberry cake.  Our vacuum came and I was very excited to see Ned very excited about it.  He can try it out anytime he would like.  Ned left to run errands and work in the yard.  Since Sam wasn't trying to catch up on the sleep he missed the night before, we decided to go pick up Avery instead of my mom bringing her.  She was napping when we got there but was excited to see us when she woke up.  As usual, she had a fantastic time and had gone to the furniture store with my mom.  She had even slept through the big storms.  More storms popped up while we were there, so we had to wait them out.  Once we got home, I got a bottle ready for Sam and got dinner in the oven in a matter of minutes.  After we ate dinner, we took a spin in our new double stroller.  It's a hit with everyone!

By the time we got home, it was bath and bedtime for Avery.  Ned took care of that while I tried to get Sam to sleep some with me.  Other than just some dozing, he had basically been awake from 1:40 p.m. until almost 7 p.m.  The poor thing is obviosly struggling with something, so we decided that he'll stay in his pack-n-play to get as much rest as possible until we try a new medicine.  The pack-n-play will probably go in his room, so Ned's alarm and fire pager aren't bothering him.