8 Weeks!

Gavin is 8 weeks old today! I can't believe he has been here so long. He has gotten big and can really hold up his head. He smiles now too and likes to stick his tongue out when I stick my tongue out at him. He also loves bath time and coos while in it. Unfortunately he is still not sleeping well. The longest he sleeps for is about 4 hours. I miss my sleep!

Gavin has a rash on his face and neck. It's almost like extreme dry skin. It doesn't seem to bother him too much though. He is a cutie though and I'm so pleased that he is mine.

I have to admit that there are times when I miss my easier life...however "easy" a life can be with two toddlers. It was a lot easier to grocery shop or just get in the car and go somewhere or even just to do the simple things like cook, clean, do laundry. The hardest part now is getting Henry to preschool. It has snowed here a lot and it takes us so long to get ready and into the car. Then at school I have to lug everyone out of the car and into the building. There is another mother there that is the sister to a very lovely friend of mine, if we time it right and get there at the same time she'll take Henry in and bring him out for me. Of course it is hard to get there at the same time.

Since having Gavin I have made some new friends and one friend I knew from high school has actually become a HUGE help and support since Gavin's birth. For this I have to thank Facebook since that is how we got in touch. In fact Facebook has brought another friend back into my life and she was a huge help while Mark was out of work.

Since having Gavin, Ann has been very supportive. She also has three kids and can understand what I am going through. She also shares some stories about her experiences with the wacky things kids do. This makes me feel unbelievably better about life! It's nice to know that this stuff doesn't just happen to me. I've found a lot of mothers only tell people about the great things their kids do. Meanwhile I am asking myself why I am the only one with a child who tries to break her nose at the doctor. I guess what I am trying to say is I like to hear about what other mothers are really going through and Ann has so helped with that. Plus she invited me to join MOPS. It is a group called Mothers of Preschoolers. Through this group I have met more mothers. They meet twice a month and have childcare so I can bring the kids. At the last meeting a nurse from the health department was the speaker and she talked about H1N1. She answered a lot of questions. Not long after that the kids and I got the H1N1 vaccine. Gavin is too young to get it so it is important that the rest of us get the shot in order to protect him.

MOPS is having a cookie exchange this week. I have decided to go even though Ann cannot be there. Normally I would not go if I wasn't sure I knew someone there but I think it'll be good for me to get out of the house without the kids. Of course this means baking 90 cookies before Thursday night. And I have to make cupcakes for Friday which is Henry's school party. Gonna be a busy week in my kitchen!

My other dear friend is Shannon. She has been a huge help and support while Mark was out of work. She helped keep me sane while bringing diapers and formula for the baby. I am happy to say she is pregnant! She and her husband are coming over Sunday for cookies and coffee. I have a small little gift for them but I can't say what it is since she reads my blog ;) The kids love her and her husband.

For Thanksgiving this year we were invited to join my brother Matt and his in-laws. Peter and Ashley came as well. I think the group totalled around 25 people. It was so much fun though. My brother has been so lucky with his in-laws. His wife has two brothers and they have 7 kids between them. We drove down to Lansing on Thanksgiving and picked Mark up in Grand Rapids on the way. There was a ton of food and lots of toys and kids for Henry and Irene to play with. Gavin was rarely with me since everyone wanted to hold him. I think I only got him for diaper changes.

My dad is coming for Christmas. He helped my mom take care of my kids while I was in the hospital. He came back the next week and helped me during my first week home. The he came for a long weekend the first weekend of December. The kids love having him visit and so do I. He wants to start coming to visit more frequently now that Mark is back at work. He thought he'd be able to help during the weekends Mark is gone. I am really hoping that we'll be seeing him more often. As for Christmas, my brother Pete is driving up with him the night of the 24th. They'll stay for most of Christmas day before heading back home. Pete works Christmas Eve and the 26th so they can't stay longer. Pete's wife Ashley is not going to be able to come up this year. They were both going to go to Virginia to spend Christmas with her family but with Pete's work schedule he can't. But he told her to go since she really misses her family. Granted it's their first Christmas together being married but Pete was just promoted to a manager at Hyundai and there is no way he could get the time off.

Well that was a condensed version of our life the last 8 weeks! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!

Knitting

This is the sweater, hat, and booties set that I knitted for Gavin. I am rather proud of this. I get lots of compliments on it too.

This one piece outfit I actually knitted for Henry but he never got to use it. Now it is waiting for Gavin to go into it.

Our Christmas stockings, knitted by me. Gavin's is in the middle still needing the bells put onto the strings. And yes, the dogs each have a stocking too. Oh and please excuse the toys and blankets on the floor...darn kids;)

Santa Time!

Last night we took Henry and Irene to the Santa Train. It was very cold so we had Gavin stay at home with Grandma. Santa came in on the caboose, waving to the crowd. Mrs. Claus and some elves passed out candy canes and mini flashlights (which the kids love). From the top of the caboose they handed out frisbees...I caught one with my head ;) There was a Christmas tree in a car of the train. It was decorated with lights. The caboose and engine were decorated as well.

Santa was very patient and talked to each child and took pictures. Henry said he wanted Transformers. I am not sure what Irene asked for. After we talked to Santa we got free hot chocolate and cookies from the Boyer Agency. It was very much needed since we were all cold. It was a great time though and I hope they do it again next year!

Four Weeks Old

Gavin is four weeks old today. It is still strange having a new baby here. Getting used to bottles, feedings, no sleep. He eats a lot and only sleeps about an hour and a half at a time. It's hard to get things done during that time especially with two toddlers to take care of as well. However I wouldn't change it :)
On Thursday afternoon Mark took Henry and Irene to the park while I stayed at home with Gavin. It was sunny out but chilly and I did not want to take the baby out. About half an hour after they left they suddenly came home. I was surprised since they were suppose to be going to the store after the park. Mark came in carrying Henry...not a good sign. Henry's face was covered in blood. At first I thought he broke his nose but his lip was cut through. He fell on the wooden stairs at the park and the uneven wood edge sliced his lip. The worst of the cut was inside his mouth and he even had cuts on the gum above his teeth. His lip and cheek were very swollen and bruised. It was a mess. We got him cleaned up and gave him some Tylenol and debated going to the emergency room. However when Mark made dinner Henry chowed down so we thought he would be okay. The next morning his lip looked gross. We figured that it was infected. So we made a doctor appointment and Hen had to miss school. Thankfully his lip was not infected and his tooth wasn't loose either. The doctor said that since most of the cut was inside his mouth he was actually protected against infection since the only germs the cut was exposed to were his own. The part of the cut outside his mouth is small and the doctor said it was unlikely to scar.
Yesterday we had to drive Mark to Grand Rapids. He was going for orientation for a new job with a company out of Grand Rapids. It was a bit of a hassle and the baby does not like to be in the car for two and a half hours. I am not expecting anything great with this company. We have not been having luck with jobs. The job that was only 45 minutes from here turned out to be a mess. The woman decided once Mark was on the road that she wanted him out two weeks at a time and that she wasn't going to send him home even though she said she would. Mark only got to spend three days with his new son before running out for this woman. She did not care. Then while he was on the road she did some other crazy things. He did not get home until midnight and on Sunday Mark decided he could not work for her even though we desperately needed a job. I couldn't blame him though...she was....well lets just say not good. Then when she finally paid him it was less than half of what it was suppose to be. Thank you but you can keep your crappy job and loony tunes self!
So Mark is at this new company. I have no idea how it is going since we still do not have phones. I can't call him and he can't call me. That does kinda make it difficult to find out when he'll be home (and when I need to drive down to get him). I have a Tracfone that the State of Michigan gave us. We get 63 minutes a month for free. We qualified for this phone since I was pregnant and we had two little kids. I am thankful but I only have ten minutes left on it and no way to buy more. I hope that this new job works out but I am not holding my breath.
While I was in the hospital having Gavin and recovering, my mom was taking care of Henry and Irene. My dad called her the week before and offered to come stay the week with her and help. So after a lot of years (and my mom's new marriage) my parents actually lived under the same roof again. The got a long surprisingly well and the kids had a great time with them. Grandpa Jay took Henry to school is his cool car. My mom cooked and my dad did the dishes and he cleaned too! I had a clean house!
We got home late Friday afternoon. We saw my dad for a few minutes before he left but he offered to come back on Monday to stay with me while Mark started the new job with the crazy lady. I was pleased since I would be alone the entire week and since I had just had major surgery. It was weird at first. My dad and I had not lived under the same roof in 13 years. It was great to have him though and we talked a lot and made plans for Thanksgiving. When he left on Thursday I missed him like crazy. We have not been able to talk (no phone) but we've been emailing. The kids miss him too and are looking forward to seeing him again.
My mom stayed overnight last night. I got some sleep! Today though I am on my own. I need to go to the grocery store and that will be my first outing alone with all three kids. Tomorrow Henry has school so it'll be interesting to see if we can make it there on time (and dressed). I admit I am worried about being able to get things done with three kids. I know that once we get into a routine I'll feel better but until then I am a bit freaked out!
Well I will end here since the baby has been sleeping but I suspect he will be up soon and I have two stinker butts ton get down for naps before that happens!

Fooling Around With the Camera

Here are my silly kids. They wanted me to take pictures of them and of course they had to ham it up. Life continues to be a little crazy here with the new baby. I still want to do a post about Gavin's birth as well as an update on all that is going on. Perhaps tomorrow....

Halloween 2009

Gavin in the lobster costume that all the kids have worn!

With Mark being out of work and our lack of funds we reused the Tigger and Ladybug costumes from last year. Thankfully they both still fit and were as cute as ever!

I plan on doing a post all about Gavin's birth and our life adjusting and such but I have been very busy and when I do get a break I am so tired I can't even see straight. I will work on it though!

Gavin!

Gavin has been doing well today! He has been eating his really well and tonight when we went for his 8pm feeding he was no longer hooked up to the IV. He still has it in his hand in case they should suddenly need it but he is no longer getting IV fluids. Mark feed him tonight and Gavin ate it all. Then he fell asleep in Mark's arms.

It is possible that Gavin will be getting out of the NICU tomorrow. Unfortunately my mom and dad can't bring Henry and Irene up tomorrow. The hospital is no longer allowing children under 18 in any part of the hospital because one of the schools here was closed down because of the flu. I am worried about it. I am afraid to have a newborn out and about right now.

Thank you all for your kind thoughts and prayers!