Another Post Finally!

Well, it only took me a month this time to post another blog. A lot has happened to our family in that short amount of time. We went to Pasco, WA to visit Lance's family. His mother, grandmother and all of his cousins live in Pasco, and actually most of them live within one mile of each other. We had a nice visit and Jack Jack uncharacteristically slept great while we were there (good thing for Mr. Rich, Lance's stepfather, as he was the one who still had to go to work daily!). The kids had a great time and it was very nice to see everybody again. Jack Jack has taken a real liking to his grandma JJ!

I went back to work, and leaving Jack Jack all day almost everyday since has been one of the hardest things I have had to do. He got sick with a bad ear infection almost immediately, most likely because he does not sleep (still!) and is sleep deprived and then you stick him in with a bunch of little human petri dishes in daycare and what do you expect! Luckily, we have a wonderful doctor named Kristi Baker, MD at the Saint Luke's Primary Care (a free plug!) who worked him into her schedule at a very late notice after the daycare called to tell us to pick him up because he had a 103.5 degree fever! 24 hours after the antibiotics and all is well again, except the sleeping part. Lance does much better than I being sleep deprived so he takes most of the early morning duties, but it still wakes me up and I have trouble getting back to sleep. Probably all those years of having to wake up at the sound of my pager that has turned me into such a light sleeper. It is definitely more difficult to concentrate at work when you don't have enough sleep. I have learned that everything is taking me that much longer and I have become much less efficient, not a good thing when you are wanting to get back home to spend time with your kids before they go to sleep. Oh well, things are bound to get better, right? Hopefully my next post will not take a month so stay tuned I am sure there is more drama to come!

Adjustment Continues!

OK, I know last time I said I wasn't going to wait 2 weeks to post again, but as you all know, time flies! Also, I have realized that I am definitely not an author, nor do I have that many interesting things to say or any clever way to say them. We have pretty much been the same for the past few weeks. Jack Jack still does not sleep more than 2hrs at a time before he is fussing. We attempted to get rid of the bottle all together, but that did nothing for the fussing and in fact, only made it worse, but at least we don't have to worry about the bottle, milk, and a diaper change in the middle of the night any longer. I took him to the doctor for a check up, but he is very healthy and cannot find any medical reason for his sleep disturbances (praise the Lord!). She thought this is all still an adjustment period and that if he is still doing this six months from now then we could investigate further (if we can all last 6 months). We went and got pictures of the boys, (see above picture of them together). Our wonderful photographer (Melanie Hayes of H & H Photography) was able to find a lot of really cute pictures out of an hour session that I thought would yield none, the ways the boys were running around her poor studio. I start work again after we get back from Pasco, WA visiting Lance's side of the family, and am more than a little anxious for Jack Jack as he has gotten very attached to me (and I to him) so the separation may be a little tough for us both. It is time, however, to go back and I think that i am ready for the more mentally challenging side of life again. Talk to you all soon (at least those of you who still check in after my weeks of not posting!)

I am not sure anyone is reading this any longer, but for those faithful, here are some more pictures. It seems like every time I write on this blog that things are doing better, they take a turn for the worse so I am not going to say it this time. I did find a good book called the "No-cry leep solution for toddlers and pre-schoolers" which seems to be helping so far. I highly recommend it for anyone who may have a child with sleep issues. Once you read it it all seems like common sense, but none that you in your sleep-deprived state actually think of. I am enjoying my maternity leave and the extra time i get to spend with the kids, however, I am looking forward to working weekends this month so I don't get too "rusty", as well as a few hours of grown up time, even though the adults I will be spending time with will be sick! Hopefully will post more sooner than the 2 weeks it took me this last time, stay tuned!

Needing Bedtime Help!

OK, Jack Jack looks happy and is adjusting well, making strides every day, during the daytime at least. Every night however, he loses ground. He is so fussy at night, waking up almost every hour, sometimes not going back to sleep for hours. He cries, fusses and demands a bottle frequently. There seems to be no pattern, he does not wake up at certain times, there is not just one thing that he needs or that we can blame it on (such as being wet, needing a bottle, etc.). Lance and I are alternating nights so we can sleep at least every other night but we are stumped as far as what else to do. If anyone is still reading our blog, or has any suggestions, we are open to them, one and all!

Update

OK, so it has been a while since my last post, sorry! It seems as if I cannot get a minute to myself! I need to get Jack Jack used to napping when he is not actually on me or touching me in some way. I think we have been home long enough that he should be able to know that we love him, and that we will be here when he wakes up. I am hopeful that he trusts us enough now that he doesn't have to have me in his site 24 hrs a day, or at least if he is not there yet, he will get there soon. My mother-in-law will be here this week, so I will try and see if we can leave him at home without us here for a while. Jack Jack's transition/adjustment period seems to be taking a lot longer than RJ's. It is a good thing I took so much time off work, I cannot imagine having to work and go through all of this at the same time.


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Another Day

Things are going much better of late (I say as I hope not to jinx myself). Jack Jack is sleeping better, although still cannot get through the night without 2 bottles! I think it is a little excessive for a 14 month old, but his foster family was still giving him one bottle, and with his food changes he may not be getting as much as he had in the past. Plus, they say their developmental steps regress some with the adoption and all of the changes so I am not too worried about it yet, except for the fact that I don't get a full night's sleep and every time I get up to get a bottle I end up lying there for 4 hrs before I can fall back asleep. I have a new respect for those who suffer from insomnia. What a horrible thing, laying there knowing you are exhausted, knowing you need to go back to sleep because you have`2 little ones that will be up soon and need your attention and care. I'll post some more pics once I get my camera charged. Thanks for all the emails and calls, I must have sounded fairly desperate with my last post!

Spoke too soon

I spoke too soon about everything being back to somewhat normal. Last night was a rough one for the little guy. He got sick to his stomach again, had horrible diarrhea and gas most of the night so he didn't sleep much (and neither did we!). He awoke with a rash over his abdomen and back which has spread to involve most of his body by tonight. I am not sure what it is he is allergic to as almost everything in his new world is new and different to him. I think this may all be part of his viral syndrome, I m not sure. I have been giving him some benadryl which seems to help a little with the itching but has done nothing to slow the progression of the rash. Pray for us, and especially Jack Jack as we explore his, and our, new worlds together. I just hope he makes it by unscathed as this is new territory for me as a mother. RJ was older and had none of these problems thankfully.