Minnesota Bound

Some might call it brave. I might call it stupid. I traveled all the way to Minnesota, alone, with both boys! Eeek!

But really, it went really well, considering I was on the road for 11 hours with a 2-year-old and a 6-week-old. Luckily, I had pit stops along the way at a cousin's house (thank you, Blairs!) and my aunt's house (thank you, B!) so I didn't have to change diapers or feed Reed at seedy rest stops (uck!). I was able to meet up with my mom halfway there, so I was only alone for part of the journey. A long drive, but totally worth the trip! Reed was able to meet his uncles, and Drew had so much fun, considering there were 2-4 people giving him their undivided attention at any given moment! We played, found bargains at garage sales, and even had a little photo shoot (see pictures on the next post).

A glimpse into some of the fun we had...

Uncle Jeremy & Reed

He shoots, and scores!

Beep, beep! Coming through!

Helping Papa recycle pop cans.

Snoozin' in the sunshine.

Chillaxin' in the bouncy seat.

Reed and Uncle Justin

A newspaper + garage sale toys = hours of fun! (or at least a few minutes)

Four on a couch.

Snugglin' with Grammy.

Awwwww....

Ribbit, ribbit!

All smiles!

Photo Shoot

Six week photos of Reed taken by Uncle Justin on his spiffy camera.

A Worthy Investment

An update on Reed in all of his crabbiness...

Last week (Wednesday) I made a call to the pediatrician's office to see what our options were for resolving this ongoing battle. After talking through all of Reed's behaviors with the nurse, she said that Reed may either have a milk allergy or have difficulty digesting the milk protein. Trying soy formula would be a good option. So we gave that a whirl for 4 days, and that resulted in the same crabby Reed, except we then had a constipated crabby Reed. Yesterday morning I called the doctor's office again to find out "what now?" and we were scheduled for an appointment yesterday afternoon. After talking with Dr. Hunter about what's been going on, and after she examined him, she is thinking that Reed's troubles are caused by a digestion problem. Plan A is to switch him to yet another formula, and she also gave him a prescription for a one-dose med to help with the constipation, which is most likely contributing to his uncomfortability (I'd say so!). If we see no changes in 3-4 days, we move on to Plan B, which is to be evaluated for reflux. Either way, we are hoping this will just be a temporary issue, as I've read that most babies outgrow the "aversion" to milk between 3 and 6 months of age.

So, we've been on this new formula now for 24 hours. I am hopeful, but I'm wondering if any optimism I have about positive changes in Reed is based on just that: hope. He seems to have had a better day today. He slept for longer periods of time during the day and had a few longer periods of quiet contentment. He even was happy enough to shine his first cheeky grin at me. :) We'll see what tomorrow brings.

The downside to this plan is that this new formula is about the most expensive I've seen on the shelves. The clinic sent us home with a small sample, and the nurse told me that they get samples fairly often so to ask for some whenever we come in. We'll be paying about 5 times as much as we did for the standard milk-based formula. Eeek! The plus-side is that if the formula works, we have our happy little baby back, and that is worth the investment!

a quiet moment

Happy Easter!

Our Easter fun...

Ready to dye eggs!

Ready, set, drop!

So proud of his eggs!

Taking very seriously his egg decorating job!

Lining them up just so.

Taste test....mmmm, delicious!

On the hunt...

"Look what I found."

Having so much fun.

A mouth full of candy.

"Whoa! Candy!!"

Sugar, sugar, and more sugar.

Enjoying his first peep.

Reed's first Easter.

Happy Easter everyone!

One Month Old

Really?? How can this be?? Man, if I thought time flies with one baby, it soars with two! Reed is one month old today...wow. Crazy. It's been a busy, and tiring, month. A couple weeks ago, you would have heard me describe Reed's disposition as calm, content, and satisfied. Not anymore! Something triggered in him about 10 days ago that has caused him to be clingy, restless, and very very sad (translation: he cries all the time!). I think the initial problem was excess gas. I wasn't sure at first, but resorted to getting some gas-relief drops and they seemed to help. We ceased using the drops this past Tuesday as he seemed to have calmed down, but he's still upset and can only be calmed by being held. I'm hoping this is just a (short) phase and is not the beginning of a seriously colicky baby. You know how they say God won't give you anything you can't handle? Well, I wouldn't be able to handle this for an indefinite period of time!!! I remember when Drew was about this age, he was super clingy for about a week. I'd rock him to sleep, lay him down, and he'd wake up almost immediately and start crying again. I'm crossing my fingers that this situation will be similar. Reed is still in the eat, sleep, pee cycle of life. His awake time is lengthening, but I have yet to see any lengthening in his sleep patterns. Drew slept through the night for the first time at 5 weeks; I don't think Reed is going to follow suit on that one!

That said, I'll be honest. I'm exhausted. Brad has been really great, taking some of the midnight feedings, and being home on some afternoons so I can get a nap in. It's a little frustrating when Drew wakes up as soon as Reed falls asleep, or vice versa. My brother tells me they are conspiring against me. Really? Already?? I thought I had at least until Reed was a toddler before that happens! Apparently not. I've learned that I'm not a very pleasant person on only 4-5 hours of sleep. I spend a lot of time praying. It goes a little something like this: "Dear God, please help. Amen." :)

Drew continues to adjust to being the Big Brother. We had a really good day earlier this week. He decided that playing by himself was kind of fun, and I didn't hear one whiny word when I was feeding or otherwise taking care of Reed. Certainly, we have those moments, and I can't blame him. Once Reed is old enough to interact with Drew, I think these two will have great fun together.

Here are some photos of the last month. Life has sure changed around here...and we love it!

Reed's "birth announcement" on the church sign.

Such a big brother! Drew reading to Reed.

Reed's toys are brand new ones for Drew to play with, too!

Sharing a pop tart with Dad.

My boys, so handsome!

Drew thought our cupboards could use a little redecorating.

We all have spring fever; Drew can't wait to be outside in the warm weather!

This is my Supermom pose...taking care of both boys, and I'm actually cooking dinner!!