Monday, October 28, 2013

10 months old

I know this post is a few days a week behind.  Maybe part of me believes that if I delay the posting, she will stop growing as fast??



Charlotte is just growing so fast.  She's absolutely adorable and melts hearts every single day.



She's just shy of 18 pounds and 29.25" tall.  Although, I wouldn't be shocked if she grew another inch this week.



Our littlest little baby is teetering on toddlerhood.  She's taking a few steps at a time, at most 5, at few 2.  All on her own.  She wants to run and jump so bad you can see the determination in her eyes.



She makes a lot of sounds and a few sound like words.  The basics mostly, mama and dada. 



Charlotte is trying to climb on absolutely everything.  Which leaves me absolutely terrified. 



She loves food.  We're up to three meals a day and a lot of snacks, combined with nursing every few hours around the clock and a bottle of formula at bed time and a cup of juice in the afternoon.  She has snuck a few things I wouldn't dream of letting her have.  You know, Samantha's chocolate covered marshmallows, Samantha's cup of milk, Samantha's oreos, Samantha's mustard sandwich.  Notice a pattern? 



Charlotte has 4 teeth, is sleeping in about 4-5 hour increments.  She goes to bed around 9:30 and gets up around 1:30, then goes back to sleep in her crib (in our room) and gets up again at 6:30, then sleeps until about 8.

We're in cloth diapers about 90% of the time.  I am using disposable at night because it is just easier. 



Charlotte is probably the cuddliest baby we have.  She loves giving hugs, kisses and acting shy. 

I can't believe she is nearly 1...

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

A busy week

Last Monday, October 7th, Samantha kept climbing into Kaitlyn's bed.  I kept running in there and getting her down.  Considering how terrified of heights she is, I was shocked she would keep going up there.  It's a super high loft bed.

I was getting Charlotte and Jaxon ready to go pick up Kaitlyn from school, finishing up nursing Charlotte when I heard a thud.  It sound like it came from Kaitlyn's room so I ran back as fast as I could and there was Samantha, on the floor.  Doing the I'mgoingtoholdmybreathandthenletoutascream cry. 

I carried her to the living room.  After a moment, she calmed down to tell me that she was on the bed and tried to reach the light in the middle of the room and fell.

She was acting pretty normal.  She had a tiny cut on her chin, maybe a 1/4 inch if I was generous in the size.  But, I was so nervous.  I called the advice nurse.  She said there were two general rules of thumbs about when they go to the ER for falls, if they are acting normal.  The first is if the fall is more than twice their height.  Since the bed is above my head and I'm 5'8" that's a yes.  The second is if there is a cut to the face 1/4" or longer.

So, we went.

The ER doctor was hesitant to do a CT scan since she was acting so great.  The only reason he did was because she had some redness above her hear.  If there was bleeding, that location would be an indicator.

Samantha did GREAT.  Her CT scan came back normal.  She was diagnosed with a concussion and we were sent home.

On Tuesday night, Daddy, Samantha and Charlotte were playing Monsters and Goblins.  They were sword fighting with remotes.  I said it was time for bed.  Samantha started screaming in pain.  She said her arm hurt.  I mostly thought she was faking it.  A couple hours later she woke up.  While Samantha is a terrible sleeper, normally, if she is asleep, she stays that way.  I debated taking her back to the ER off and on until about 4:00 a.m.  Dusty and I stayed up with her almost all night.  By 3:30, Charlotte was up with us.  By then, I figured I would just take her with me to Charlotte's appointment at 8:30 and see what their doctor suggested.

Samantha is normally super excited to see her doctor.  She didn't budge.  She didn't laugh at his jokes or silliness.  She winced when he touched her arm.  He sent us for x-rays after Charlotte's appointment was over.

Charlotte weighs 17 lb and 15 oz.  She's 14% for weight.  She's 29.25", which is 90% and a head circumference of 44.9 cm, which is 70%.  She's growing like crazy, took several steps yesterday and just a ton of fun.  Unless you put her in the car.  Then, she is very angry.

We took Samantha for x-rays and went back to the ped's office to wait for the results.  Not long later, her doctor walked into the waiting room with a sling and said "Oh yeah, she broke it."

*So sad*

They were able to get her into orthopedics about an hour later.  We were given the instructions to keep her in the sling and wrap an ace bandage around her body to split it.  Because she broke it from the shoulder down towards her elbow they cannot do a hard cast.  We just need to keep it immobilized to allow it to heal. 

The next morning, we made a cover to help keep it clean.  She has absolutely no desire to keep it still.  She is just so active.

Today, we had her follow-up appointment and x-rays.  She is healing perfectly.  The orthopedic doctor says it looks great and to keep it up.  She will wear it for at least 3 more weeks and go back a few days before her birthday for more x-rays.  Fingers crossed it keeps healing!!

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

6 years

Since we said good-bye.
Since we gave final kisses.
Since we said the deepest of prayers.
Since we gave hours of hugs.
Since we changed.  Forever.

It's hard to believe that six years have passed since Matthew died.  I can still remember so many things.  I can remember how his hair went just past his ears.  It was so silky and so dark.  But, so thin on top.

I can remember him trying so hard not to smile, and being so stubborn.

I can remember him eating his hand.  All the time. 

I can remember cuddling him.  Teaching him to nurse.  Never wanting to put him down.

6 years is such a long time.

Matthew is forever missed.  Forever gone and forever here.  He is a part of everything we do and everything we are.  He is why we do what we do.  His life brought us so much hope and so much happiness.  His death brought so much heartache and so much sadness.

We love you our little prince.