William's Hospital Visit

So, I haven't been back to update, because life has been busy, and we've been running around making new friends, seeing old friends and family and preparing for holidays. However, on Thursday, I was reminded just how lucky I am and how important it is to stop and just soak in this time that we get to spend with our little family rather than rushing around and preparing like crazy for the holidays.

We were planning on heading out of town on Friday late evening to go back home for the holidays, and we were planning to be gone about a week and a half; however, William (2.5 months) was just not acting like himself. He's typically a very laid back and relaxed baby, and he was just fussy and inconsolable. I just felt like something was off, so I decided to make him a doctor's appointment before we headed out of town.

We went to the appointment, and his pediatrician said he had some definite congestion and his chest sounded coarse, but he wasn't too concerned. He sent him for a chest x-ray just to be sure, and he wrote us a prescription for breathing treatments and an antibiotic. We did the chest x-ray, and we went home. I honestly thought nothing of it, and I just knew he was fine...then, I got the call. His pediatrician called, and he wanted us to check William into the hospital as soon as possible. He had pneumonia...I had a total breakdown. I was not at all prepared, because I thought he was fine, and it was nothing, so I just started crying. I called Grant, and I told him he needed to come home right away. I ran to pick up Weston, and I broke down at daycare picking him up. I think the director, and his teachers thought I had lost my mind. Anyways, Grant met us at the hospital, and I dropped Weston off with Grant. I went with William, and we checked into the hospital for three long days. I spent most of my time at the hospital from Thursday afternoon until we were released on Sunday morning. It was terrible...

I had to see my baby get breathing treatments every four hours, have an IV in his foot then pull it out and have to get it put in his arm, have multiple attempts at getting the IV in, because he's a chubby baby, and it didn't go in easily, sleeping and laying in a tent as much as possible, so he could get oxygen and more...it was a nightmare. Not only that, but by Friday, I knew that I was sick too. I was achy and feverish, as well as, congested and coughing. It was terrible! I also had a mild case of mastitis, because he wasn't nursing well. It was truly miserable. I thought that Grant and I would be fine to not have anyone come down and help, but after feeling so terrible, I called my mom, and she arrived at 1:00 AM on Saturday morning. Grant came to the hospital first thing on Saturday to relieve me, and I came home to shower and nap. Then, I went back to the hospital and Grant headed home to be with Weston. Grant spent the evening with Weston while my mom and I were at the hospital with William. Then, I went home, and my mom stayed the night with William. I was just exhausted and sick. I REALLY hated to leave him, but I knew that I needed to get some sleep and try to feel better.

William came home on Sunday morning, and we are now back together as a family under the same roof. He has a follow-up visit on Wednesday morning at our pediatrician's office, and we hope that he is well enough to travel for Christmas on Wednesday evening. We were planning lots of visits with friends this week, but we aren't going to be able to follow through, unfortunately; however, I'm just grateful that he's going to be okay, and he's going to be home for Christmas. We are truly blessed and this just reminded me that we need to slow down and just relax and spend this time celebrating our family and not rushing around trying to get things done and do too much.

It's easy to take your babies health for granted...I hope to never take my healthy, happy babies for granted again. There are SO many people who don't have healthy babies, and they'll be spending the holidays in the hospital. Life is good, and William is recovering. I'm getting lots of snuggles and spending more time just relaxing on the couch and playing with my babies instead of constantly running around and feeling stressed!

A lot has changed...

So, I have been SO bad about updating but life has been crazy busy, and I just haven't had much time to get my thoughts together enough to update the blog! But I've gotten a number of emails and comments asking how things are going, so I knew it was time to come back!

As my title suggests, a lot has changed since my last post, so this post will be full of bullets:

- We sold our house in Athens to the company that Grant and I both work for, because no one had bought it before our 60 day offer came to a close, and we closed on a new house in Brunswick in August. We sold our house on August 8th and closed on our new house on August 10th...

- Weston and I moved in with my parents, so I could continue seeing my doctor, stay at work in my office and Weston could keep his sitter in late July.

- We set-up the house in Brunswick, but we have yet to decorate and get everything like I want it; however, we were able to set-up both boy's rooms before I was unable to travel and William arrived.

- William arrived on Tuesday, September 27th at 6:41 PM...birth story to follow. :)

- The boys and I packed up our things from my parents house and moved down to Brunswick on Friday, October 7th.

- We've gotten settled and transitioned to life with two boys in a new town. We've found a new church that we really enjoy where there are a lot of young couples with children. They've invited us to attend gatherings with them, and we are really enjoying spending time and meeting new people in our area.

- We enjoyed a fun Halloween where Weston dressed up as a fisherman and William didn't dress up, because I didn't want to spend money on a Halloween costume for a one month old. We got bit up my sand gnats and mosquitoes.

- Grant got awarded the Distinguished Young Alumnus award for the UGA Warnell School of Forestry this past weekend, and we were invited to a celebration dinner, brunch the following day, two tickets to the Sky Box for the UGA vs. New Mexico State Homecoming game and a two night stay at Hotel Indigo in Athens, GA. William was able to attend with us, and it was a great honor for Grant to receive the award.

Anyways, I've got lots more to update on, and over the next few days, I'll do posts about the following: Williams Birthday, Weston's Allergies, Asthma and Eczema, Halloween and the Boy's Rooms at our new house.

For the moment...I'll just share a photo of our new little guy and his proud big brother, Weston.

Double Ear Infection, Take 2

So sad to report that Weston has another double ear infection this time with pus in both ears, and our doctor is a bit concerned that his speech may start to be delayed, because he can't hear us. I'm SO sad that it may cause him developmental issues, because he can't hear us.

He's not responding to antibiotics anymore, and he's allergic to penicillin, so we had to do the antibiotic shot today. We have to go back for the second one on Thursday. Hopefully, it works! Anyways, we have a referral to an ENT, and we hope to get in and get the tube surgery quickly! I want my angel to be well!

Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we move forward with this journey!

This is tough...

Now, my little boy has a double ear infection, and my heart is broken! He spent Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights waking up every 1-2 hours, and I knew that he must have an ear infection. On Friday night, he spent the night with my parents, so Grant and I could get some stuff done around our house in preparation to sell. My mom said he was up and down all night crying, and he might have an ear infection...he had a cold and runny nose last week! On Saturday, he was up every 1-2 hours, and he got up for good at 5:45 AM. It was the same thing on Sunday.

I called at 8:00 AM when the doctor's office opened, and they got me in at 9:15 AM. Dr. Baker, our pediatrician, saw us in the waiting room, and he waved to us, because we are old friends. The nurses said "Hi, Weston!" as soon as we walked in the door. I think that's a sign that we are there too often! Weston has been off the last antibiotic for 11 days, and he's back on another antibiotic. I feel SO bad, and I don't know what to do. I'm at a total loss, and I just feel like a terrible mother. I know that it's not my fault, but I do everything that I can, and he still gets sick. I nursed him for an entire year, and I thought that might help his immune system, but it seems to have made it worse.

My heart is breaking, because I'm getting constant comments from friends, co-workers and some family to the effect of..."OMG, is he really sick again?!" or "Unbelievable! Weston is ALWAYS sick!" or the best one..."What's wrong with that kid?" And I feel bad...those comments are not very encouraging to me and don't make me feel better. I feel like I did something wrong or something is wrong with Weston, because he's always sick. I'm trying so hard, but I still feel like a bad mother, because I can't do anything about it! As I sit here in tears, I just wonder if there is anything else that I can do...Is there something wrong with him that I don't know about that is making him sick all the time? We are going to the allergist on Friday, and I'm praying that he can help us figure something out. I would do anything to be sick all the time and have my little man be well!

Sick Again...

Weston is sick again, and I'm SO sad about it! I stopped nursing Weston around his first birthday (January 20th), and has been non-stop sick since I stopped nursing him. We have been to the doctor or on an antibiotic every single week since I stopped. Did I do something wrong? Should I have done something differently, so his immune system would have built up better? I just can't help but blame myself though I truthfully know that it's not my fault.

It all started with the flu, then he had an ear infection, then he had bronchitis that turned into RSV along with another ear infection, then he had strep throat, then he had pink eye due to a terrible ear infection that was making his eyes inflamed and now he has strep throat again. Seriously?! He just finished his antibiotic for his ear infection last night, so 10 days ago we were at the doctor, and we were back the day after he finished the antibiotic. He woke up around 5:30 this morning with a fever of 103. He had a really red throat, so we decided to take him back in this morning.

He was given another antibiotic, and he was sent for bloodwork. The doctor wants to make sure that he doesn't have mono or something else, because he shouldn't have gotten strep throat while on an antibiotic especially since it was the same one he took to clear it up the last time. I'm SO sad for my little boy, and I just don't understand. How many kids at 15 months old have had strep throat twice?! How many doctors even question mono for a 15 month old?! I'm just really, really sad about it, and it makes me devastated to see the thermometer read 104.

On top of the sickness, he has terrible allergies. He loves being outside, but if he touches the grass, then touches his face...it swells up and breaks out. He sneezes and gets watery eyes outside, and it's just miserable for him. Also, he has a rash all over his neck and body. It's not a bad one, and the doctor says it's just his sensitive skin and the hot weather, but I've tried changing detergents and everything, and he still has the rash. Any ideas on how to get rid of it?

I pray that my child gets better and is able to stay better...I want him to be happy and healthy and enjoy life and not spend it sick all the time. Please be thinking of us if you have any spare time...we haven't had a really healthy last three-four months, and I'm hoping that it turns around soon. :(

Thank You!

Thanks to all of you for your great advice after Weston was feeling so badly, and I was out of town! Grant ended up taking him to the doctor on Tuesday, and it turned out that he was indeed very sick! He had strep throat. He's back on a 10 day antibiotic, and we are hoping that this will be the end of his sicknesses for the winter!

I'm SO worried though, because I feel like the RSV has caused him to be worn down and not be able to fight things off quite as easily as he did previously. I'm hoping that this doesn't continue to be the case, and he can stay well.

Thanks again to everyone! I really appreciate your advice and support! It is SO nice knowing that there are people out there that are so SUPPORTIVE and can relate to me when I'm going through this difficult times with my little guy.

Mom Advice Needed

So, Weston has been really sick the past four weeks, and we are SO ready for all of this sickness to be over. We thought that we had overcome the sickness, but apparently, we haven't.

It all started with a runny noise, then turned into difficulty breathing. We were at the doctor with the diagnosis of bronchitis and a prescription on a Thursday. He struggled to breath over the weekend, and we started breathing treatments prior to doctor recommendations on Saturday. He began wheezing, and we were back at the doctor on Monday. He tested positive for RSV, and he was put on a steroid and breathing treatments every four hours. He also had an ear infection in his right ear, so he was on an antibiotic for that. He was okay for the remainder of the week on steroids, antibiotic and breathing treatments. I took him to the doctor this past Friday for his follow-up appointment after being diagnosed 11 days earlier, and he had been running a fever the night before. I thought for sure his ear infection hadn't gone away...I was wrong. His ears were perfect.

He has continued to run a fever every day/evening since Thursday. It's been off and on, and it hasn't reached over 102. I'm concerned, but I'm not sure what's going on. The doctor said his ears look clear. He had a fever all afternoon yesterday, and he was sent home from daycare today with a fever. Did he catch something else at the doctors on Friday? Does anyone have any suggestions?

The worst part...I'm seven and a half hours away in Mississippi for work this week. I can't do anything...I can't check on him. I'm SO sad. I feel stressed and helpless. The worst feeling ever!

This is...

...what it feels like to wear your heart outside of your body! I love this little boy, and he is what keeps me going even on days like last Thursday! :) Love him!

This is how I feel today...

I feel terrible! I don't know that I have a fever, but I feel like I do...I have a stuffy head, headache, because I have SO much in my head, sore throat, runny nose, etc. All in all, it's a tough day. Unfortunately, I'm not home in bed...I'm here at work, and I'm trying to focus and get things done; however, it's a bit difficult. I just want to crawl under my desk and go to sleep! I'm planning on leaving early this afternoon to try to head home and get some rest. We have big plans for this weekend, so I can't be sick! :(

And I feel bad, because I know that I caught this from Weston. He had a cold and had a really snotty nose, and he wasn't fussy, so I didn't realize that it was so bad. Unfortunately, he probably felt a lot worse than I gave him credit for! Or maybe us adults just can't handle being sick, and I actually felt worse! Who knows?!