Clayton's first "organized" sport

Today was our first experience with "organized" sports (I use quotation marks because there is really nothing organized about throwing 10 three year-olds out on a field with a soccer ball). Clayton had his very first soccer game! That's right folks, I'm just a minivan away from being a full blown soccer mom. :)

We decided to start Clayton's athletic career (or lack thereof) with soccer. We found an indoor field that had an under 4 soccer league. I have to admit that I was a little sad that Clayton wouldn't be playing outside. I just knew that he would be the kid that spent most of the game picking flowers for his Mama. HA! But, the indoor league means that we don't have to take Drew out in the cold and there are no games that are cancelled for the weather. It is definitely the best option for us right now.

Clayton had his first practice on Thursday and his first game today. So far, he LOVES it! He and Wade have been practicing outside and doing "drills." (Wade bought little orange cones for them to dribble around. What a good Daddy!) Apparently, all of their hard work paid off. Clayton scored 2 goals today! (He was so stinkin' fast that I couldn't capture them on video.) There were several other near goals where he just couldn't quite get the ball into the net.

Here are some pictures and a short video from the game. The lighting was not kind to my camera. I'll try to get better pictutes next week. Also, they had some problems with the jerseys, so Clayton will get his official jersey next week. He, however, was pleased as punch with his plain white tee shirt. He said that it made him look like a stormtrooper. :)

Kicking his second goal

Blocking his teammate. Ooops! :)

He was so excited about his shin guards and cleats.

Video of a goal that he almost had. So close!

Uncle!

That's it. I give up. Uncle! There. I said it.

Let's play a little game that I like to call The Carpenter Household Illness of The Week, shall we?

This week I hear that they are running a special on ear infections - two for the price of one. What a deal!

Out of the 8 ears in our family - 4 have infections. Good times....

My allergies have been acting up and my ears started to hurt on Monday. Well... I put off going to the doctor because there was ice, because there wasn't time, and because I'm a mom and I just cannot be sick. This morning I decided that I couldn't take the pain anymore and made myself an appointment.

What do ya know??? A double ear infection. I got my antibiotic prescription and went about my merry way.

Well... Drew has been fussy this week, not eating well, not sleeping well, and just not himself. I decided today to bite the bullet and take him to the pediatrician's office for the bazillionth time. I can't even begin to tell you how frustrated I am with all of the visits we have made to that office. I am just waiting for them to give us our own personal key or at least name one of the exam rooms after us. When you've paid as many $15 copays as we have, that's the least that they can do, right?

Anyway, our pediatrician was out of town, so the receptionist informed me that we would be seeing the doctor that is filling in for him. I was so desperate that I didn't care. A doctor is a doctor, right? WRONG!

This lady was so rude. After I explained to her that he was fussy and not sleeping, she asked if he was congested. I told her that he was. She replied (smugly, I might add), "well, I haven't examined him yet, but I think that I know what the problem is. When babies are congested and can't breathe very well, they don't sleep well." Well, duh, lady! I get that. I'm telling you that there is something else wrong.

She then proceeded to tell me that she couldn't look in Drew's ears until he stopped crying. Ummmm, okay.... Well, I haven't found the mute button on him yet, but I'll look again.

When he did settle down, she confirmed that he, too, has a double ear infection. Thank you very much!

So... that's our day in a nut shell.

Surely the antibiotics will kick in just in time for us to have a fabulous weekend, right?

(Editor's Note: No, ear infections are not contagious. It is merely a coincidence that Drew and I happen to have them at the same time. Lucky us!)

Monkey See, Monkey Do

I always thought that the younger child tended to imitate the older child. So far, I am finding the opposite to be true...

Drew in the Bumbo

Clayton in the Bumbo

Drew on his playmat
Clayton on Drew's playmat

Drew in his baby tub

Clayton in Drew's baby tub. Lovely...

Incidentally, I did not pose Clayton in the last picture. That is exactly how I found him when I returned to the bathroom after drying Drew off. I said, "Don't move a muscle. I have to get my camera." What a nut!

Backblogged...

I haven't posted in a week! Did you miss me? :)

My computer was with the Geek Squad getting all of the kinks ironed out. I think that we are back in business, though, and shouldn't have any more technical difficulties for awhile.

I just completed two posts, so keep scrolling down. Thanks to all of you sweet readers for keeping up with our blog! It is so much fun to share our children with you...

Another Story from Clayton...

Clayton rarely tells me anything about school - he is such a boy. I'll quiz him on the way home from preschool on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons - "What did you learn? What did you do in Chapel? What did you do in Discovery? What did the other kids bring for Show and Tell?..." He usually says, "Mama, I'm too tired. I'll tell you about it after my rest." After his nap, he usually stalls or changes the subject. So... you can imagine my surprise on Thursday when he started spouting off the story that they talked about in chapel.

His teachers are so great! They work so hard to teach these kids not only letters, numbers, and other basic skills, but also to teach them about the Lord. I am glad, of course, that Clayton is learning to write his name, but I am much more proud of him for his enthusiasm about the Bible.

You'll notice that the little sass-a-frass corrects me towards the end. Apparently, leaving out the word "fiery" makes a BIG difference in the story! :)

I think there is a 2 minute limit on videos posted on Blogger, which Clayton exceeded. You didn't miss much though. He just says that the king decided to believe in Jesus. The End.

Drew is 3 Months Old!

Drew is 3 months old! I can't believe that 1/4 of my sweet baby's first year of life is over!!! :( (Yes, I did cry big tears when I realized that fact - I'm such a sap when it comes to my babies!)

This month has definitely had its ups and downs. The "ups" were tons of smiles, lots of giggles, and sweet snuggles. The "downs" were coughing, congestion, breathing treatments, and several trips to the pediatrician's office. Through it all, Drew was an absolute trooper!

Miscellaneous 3 month old stuff:
Weight: 16 pounds
Length: ??
Clothes: In between sizes - 3 month stuff is snug and 6 month is a little big
Diapers: Size 2
Eating/Sleeping Schedule: Still eating every 3 hours during the day (7am, 10, 1pm, 4, 7, 10) and sleeps for 7-8 hours at night.
"Firsts" for this month: First New Year's (January 1st), First Breathing Treatment :( (January 9th), First ER Visit (January 11th), Rolled from Front to Back (January 13th - did it 3 times in a row and hasn't done it again since.)
Other Developmental Stuff: Drew is batting at toys and grasping for objects. Dangle earrings and necklaces are fair game now. (I've learned that the hard way - ouch!) He tracks objects and watches us move around in the room. You can tell that his vision is improving daily. Drew loves his mobile and the mirror above his swing. He also loves his bouncer and his activity play mat. We tried his Bumbo, but his little neck isn't quite strong enough yet. He can hold his head up for a few seconds and then it falls backwards. Drew LOVES to be upright right now. He wants to sit up and see the world! I know that he is going to love the Bumbo whenever he gets a little more head control. For now, we just prop him up on his Boppy or in the corner of the couch.

Tipping the scales at 16 pounds. Whoa!

Drew is lovin' life in his Miracle Blanket! Yes, folks, it works great! No more of that pesky Moro reflex waking him up. And, as an added bonus, he can't get his thumb out to suck on it. :)
He's back to lovin' a binky.

The monthly picture with his monkey.

In his first pair of boots and jeans. Don't you love these Trumpette socks that look like cowboy boots? They are my favorite socks. Too cute...

Here's a video of our little guy "talking" to his Daddy.

Precious Drew,

What a joy it is to be your Mama!!! You spent about a week and a half of this past month trying to get over bronchiolitis. You would cough and cough - I knew that you had to be feeling miserable. But even through all of that, you were so content and hardly ever fussed. You are the best baby!!! I truly could not have asked for a more pleasant baby. What a blessing you are to our family!

My very favorite thing about you is that you smile A LOT. And when you smile, you smile with your entire face! It is the cutest thing ever! I hope that you always smile often and always with the same enthusiasm that you have now. When you smile, others can't help but to smile back. I pray that you never stop showing everyone your precious grin.

When I was pregnant with you, I worried about having enough love to give two children. I have to tell you that from the moment that I saw your precious face, my heart has swelled with love for you! I can hardly contain it sometimes. You, your Daddy, and your brother mean the world to me.

I love you Baby Boy,

Mommy

Double Whammy!

It's official.... I've birthed a thumb-sucker! Drew has found his thumb and he isn't about to give it up. I've tried every kind of pacifier known to man and he doesn't really care for any of them. :( A pacifier is so much easier to get rid of than a thumb! I spent the first six years of my life being a thumb-sucker and always swore that none of my kids would be. I guess this is my penance....

He just looks so darn cute doing it, though.

Of course, it won't be so cute when he is 6!

As if that wasn't enough, my sweet baby has figured out how to houdini himself out of my perfectly snug swaddling this week also. Nuts! I love me a tightly swaddled baby. I am going to purchase a Miracle Blanket tomorrow. I'm hoping that will buy me a few more months of a sweetly swaddled baby. :)

Another homebound weekend....

The boys are both feeling much better - almost back to 100%. We decided to play it safe, though, and spent most of the weekend at home. We did venture out to eat dinner on Saturday night, but that was about it.

In this troubling economy, I think that Kleenex stock has got to be a safe option if you are looking to improve your portfolio. Heaven knows that we have spent some big bucks on tissues lately. :)

Sweet Drew is perfectly content hangin' out on his play mat that Santa brought him. And, yes Cindy, his hair does have a reddish tint. I'm pretty sure that he is going to have beautiful strawberry blond locks. I can't wait to see it grow in!

Clayton came into the living room and said, "Dad, do I look AWESOME or what?!?!"

Wade replied, "Actually, you look a bit like a speed skater." What a hoot!

Our two little monkeys in their big brother/little brother shirts

A green & brown Mommy/sons picture

This boy LOVES his Papa!

I bought Drew some Baby Legs at this cute little boutique that I stumbled upon. I think they are so precious - perfect for protecting his little knees this summer when he learns to crawl. (Oh my goodness, I can't even think about him being big enough to crawl without tearing up!!!) Wade thinks they are ridiculous, but I think they are too cute and plan on buying more cute

patterns. :)

Hope that y'all had a good weekend! We're looking forward to coming out of hibernation this week! I plan to be out of the house as much as possible....

Calgon Take Me Away...

I am stuck in an endless cycle that goes something like this...

Give Drew a breathing treatment
Wipe Clayton's nose
Pump & feed Drew
Wipe Clayton's nose
Change Drew's diaper
Wipe Clayton's nose
Lay Drew down for a nap
Play with Clayton and......
You guessed it, wipe his nose
Repeat cycle again and again....

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Today I was feeding Drew and Clayton wanted to me to help him with a toy. I said, "I wish I could, Honey, but my hands are full. I wish that God had given me more hands." Clayton thought for a minute and said, "Let's pray. Dear God, please give Mommy two more hands." Amen to that!

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These are the following places that I have been in the past week: to take Drew to the pediatrician, to take & pick up Clayton from school, to take Drew to the ER, to take Drew to the pediatrician, to take & pick up Clayton from school. That's it - no other errands or contact with the outside world. I am getting REALLY bad cabin fever.

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I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my babies. But, both of them being sick makes my job soooo much harder....

Two Kids = Two Times the Fun & Two Times the...

SICKNESS!!!!

The good news is that Drew is MUCH better. The bad news is that Clayton is now feeling like crud. Stink!!! I guess that's just life with two kiddos, right?

Isn't he pitiful?!?!?

I took Drew to the pediatrician for his follow up appointment on Tuesday. He had gained back 8 of the 12 oz that he lost over the weekend. So, that was reassuring. The NP said that he sounded better and should be back to 100% within a few days. He still has his cough, so she wants him to stay on the breathing treatments through the end of the week.

Doesn't he look so much better? He has his color back and his eyes are bright again.

Thanks to all who have prayed us through this past week. Hopefully, Clayton will kick this junk way faster than Drew did since he is bigger and stronger. Keep your fingers crossed!

I'm off to wipe down my entire house, top to bottom, with Chlorox wipes and sterilize anything that will stand still!

Perhaps I spoke too soon....

Yeah, so, all that I typed on Saturday about us being over the worst of it - not so much! Our poor Buga-boo has just gone back and forth. He'll seem fine for a few hours and then he'll cough his sweet little head off for a few hours. It's just the saddest thing! Last night he gave us quite a scare. I gave him his breathing treatment around 10:00 and then Wade tried to feed him a bottle (he's just too tired to nurse right now). He wouldn't eat and started this horrible coughing fit that seemed like it lasted forever. I was starting to get nervous that his little body was tiring out. I could see the fear in Wade's eyes and that made me more scared. Wade said, "I really think that we need to take him to the E.R." I agreed and we rushed to wake Clayton up and pile into the car. After a few minutes in the car, Drew calmed down and his breathing went back to normal. I think that his treatment must have released a mucus plug and, once he coughed that up, he could breathe again.

We decided that since we were all awake and our adrenaline was still going, we should probably just go on to the hospital to make sure that Drew was okay. We were there until 3 a.m. They examined him and did a chest X-ray. The X-ray was clear, so they sent us home.

I called the pediatrician's office today, because the E.R. wanted us to follow up with them. The nurse was concerned (as am I) that Drew had lost 12 oz. between his appointment on Friday morning and his E.R. visit on Sunday night. He doesn't look dehydrated yet, but I am getting a little worried. He is only taking 1-3 oz. at a feeding and isn't having as many wet diapers as usual. Hopefully, things will pick up this afternoon. The nurse wanted us to come in to the office in the morning, just to make sure that he was on the road to recovery. Please continue to pray for our little guy. This virus is really kickin' his little heiney!

I, of course, insisted upon bathing Drew this morning to wash off all of the E.R. cooties. YUCK! He was not to happy about it!

Once he saw the camera, he started to grin a bit.
Then a full on smile. Ah... that makes this Mama feel so much better.

No More Tears...

Clayton thinks he is big stuff when we let him take a shower instead of a bath at night. However, he hated getting the water in his eyes. So... Wade remembered that he showered with goggles on as a kid. Problem solved!

Goggles: They're not just for the summertime any more!

I wish that I could say that there have been "no more tears" for Drew as well. But, he still feels pretty bad. He has eaten and slept much better today, but still has a wicked cough. Hopefully just a few more days... Thanks for all of the phone calls, emails, etc. I think that we are over the worst of it.

Poor Drew!

Since the moment that I found out we were going to have a "winter baby", I have dreaded cold and flu season. We have pretty much been hermits for the last two months. We have been taking turns running errands so that we wouldn't have to take our kids out to the germ infested stores, we have avoided many of our usual activities, and we have done our best to ward off illness. I have even left Drew at home sleeping in his crib (with Wade working in the office downstairs, of course) while I drop off and pick up Clayton at school. We really have done the best that we could. Well, we are proof that you can't live in a germ free bubble. Despite our best efforts, poor Drew is really sick!

Drew started coughing yesterday, but was still eating and sleeping well. Overnight the coughing got worse and he wasn't nursing as well. This morning I took him to the doctor and he was diagnosed with Bronchiolitis (inflammation of the air passages to the lungs). The Bronchiolitis is most likely caused by RSV. So... now Drew is on breathing treatments multiple times a day. I just feel so bad for the little guy!!! He just can't catch a break, this kid! Between the NICU, reflux, and now bronchiolitis, he has had a rough start. He is still smiling and happy, not fussy at all. He just coughs his poor little head off, though. It breaks his Mama's heart...

I really don't know where he could have picked up a bug. The only time that he has left our house in the last week was to go to church. And even then, we only went to Sunday School and he stayed with us. He slept in his carrier then entire time - we didn't even take the straps off while we were there. Also, none of us are sick. Clayton is the healthiest he's ever been - not even allergy issues right now. It's just a mystery to me.

Please keep our little one in your prayers. Pray that he isn't in too much discomfort. Also, pray that his friends, Luke & Grace, don't get sick. I would feel sooo guilty if either of those sweet babies got it also. Arggg.... this stinks!

Sweet Baby Boy getting a breathing treatment

So far, he has managed to sleep through his treatments.

Swaddling + Swing = Bearable Treatments

Still smiling, even when he is sick!

Funny Sidenote: They gave Drew a breathing treatment at the doctor's office. As soon as they put the mask on Drew's face, Clayton said, "He looks like Darth Vader!" When we got home, he asked if he could play in the mask. We had two masks, so I washed one thoroughly and let Clayton play with it. This is him in the middle of saying, "Luke, I am your father" in his best Darth Vader voice. :)

"To Infinity and Beyond!!!"

How many Buzzes (what is the plural form of Buzz???) can you find?

Clayton saw Toy Story when he was newly 2 and has LOVED it ever since! He has liked lots of movies and different toys, but he always comes back to his first love. He was Woody last Halloween (HERE) and he still shouts "To infinity and beyond!" when jumping off of things. Today he has been Buzz Lightyear all morning. He's so fun...

Baby "Playdate"

Today Drew and I hosted a "playdate" (I use that term very loosely, as the babies were either eating or sleeping the whole time) for our new Mommy/baby friends from church. Baby Grace & her mom, Sarah, and Baby Luke & his mom, Abbey, all came over. It was so good to see our friends and talk about our sweet babies. The only thing missing was Nina and her tiny twins, Lauren & Ryan. They couldn't make it. We sure missed them! Next time we hope to have all five of our B35 Babies. :)

L to R: Drew, Grace, and Luke

L to R: Me & Drew, Sarah & Grace, and Abbey & Luke

All the babies had fun together...

Happy Grace

Happy Drew

Happy Luke

It was fun to share my pregnancy with these girls, and even more fun to share our babies with each other!