3 Little Monkeys

Transitional Month

I have a confession...January is my least favorite month of the year! If you have a birthday in this month and it's your favorite, then I apologize in advance but this is such a transitional month. You go from the hype of Christmas to having to put all of your Christmas decor away, send the kids back off to school and deal with winter illnesses. Nothing really exciting happens this month in our family. Maybe that is God's way of telling me to slow down and enjoy, since it's pretty busy the rest of the year.

In the past month, Mason & Taylor have battled colds, Peyton was diagnosed with RSV, our Adam's car broke down on him on his way to work one morning and I had a double ear infection with both of my eardrums ruptured. I had high hopes for this January being different and I am glad it isn't over yet, to give me time to accomplish what I set out to do.

This has been a good week so far, so I will try not to focus on the negative. If there is one thing I have learned is that you can't live in the past or change it, otherwise you will never grow in the future. So here's to focusing on the wonderful things God has in store for me and our family this month and year!

RSV

Our weekend was very blah and consisted of us staying home, watching NFL playoffs and trying to rest due to illnesses. It seems like the same cold has been circling the family for over a month now. I guess that happens with young kids, especially those that are in school.

The main thing that RSV has done is disrupt Peyton's sleep. She had the hardest time sleeping this weekend, which in turns means that I didn't get much sleep either. It seemed that every time she would fall asleep, her cough would wake her up and startle her awake. When she is sick, she is a very light sleeper. Saturday night, I believe she got a total of 3.5 hours of sleep and didn't fall back asleep until 10am Sunday morning.

It is very important when you have RSV to drink plenty of fluids. This can be difficult because of their breathing and drainage. Unfortunately, Peyton has wanted nothing to do with nursing. The last thing I wanted was to end up in the hospital due to dehydration. My worst fears isRS that she would wean herself all together and those fears came true today. The important thing is that she is still getting plenty of fluids, even if it's not from me.

I am not a fan of pumping and to be honest, I don't know anyone that is. I have had friends that exclusively pumped and I give major kuddos to them. I don't have the patience and it's uncomfortable. I was hoping to nurse for a year, but I am not going to stress myself out about this. She is healthy, despite the RSV and that is all that matters.

Peyton at 3 Months

I realize that she is just a week shy of 3 months, but we had an unplanned visit to the doctor yesterday. You can't tell by this picture, but Peyton is one sick little girl.

We did a lot of traveling over the holidays, which involved all five us sharing a room at different times over the last couple of weeks. So when Peyton wasn't sleeping well the last couple of nights, I attributed it to this. It could have also had something to do with the fact that we decided to put Peyton in her room from now on and she is sleeping in her crib. Possibly, it could be that she no longer fits or wants to be swaddled in her miracle blanket. Oh, how I miss the miracle blanket.

Last night, she slept for 4 hours the first stretch and then woke up almost every hour to two hours after that. I had been spoiled by her previous stretches of sleep and it was very hard for my body to adjust. However, her sleep was very restless and she had developed congestion and a nasty wet cough. All of us have been sick over the last month with allergies and colds, so it was inevitable that she would get sick. Since she is so young, I didn't want to take any chances and made an appointment for her to see the doctor.

After discussing her symptoms, and checking her oxygen levels, the doctor decided to test her for RSV. Unfortunately, the test results were positive. She is at the beginning stages of it and I was told to expect it to get worse before it gets better. I have to keep a close on her oxygen levels and breathing and if it gets worse, they will need to admit her to the hospital. I'm praying it doesn't come down to that.

They weighed her at the appointment and she is now 15lbs 1oz. She no longer fits in her 3 to 6 month clothes and is already wearing 6 to 9 months. She is almost done with her last box of Size 2 diapers and will be wearing Size 3 by the end of the week.

We would appreciate your prayers for our little girl. It's hard trying to keep the older kids away and balancing taking care of both needs, while trying not to contaminate or make Peyton even more sick.

Peyton at 2 Months

I realize this is a little late, but Peyton's checkup was the week of Christmas and I didn't have time to blog about it until now.

2 Month Stats:
Weight: 14lbs 6oz (over 100th percentile)
Height: 24 inches (over 100th percentile)

To say that our little girl is thriving is an understatement. Nursing has been going extremely well and she is filling out nicely. We are starting to see some rolls on the arms and legs and I can't get enough of that. This picture was actually taken on her 2 month birthday. By the time Christmas Day rolled around and she wore this onsies again, it was almost too small. She wears 3 to 6 months clothes.

She is a very quiet little girl and even tempered. The only time she is upset is when she is hungry and I'm not getting it to her fast enough or if she has a wet diaper. My theory is her brother and sister are so loud, that she just takes it in and watches. It doesn't take much to make her smile, especially if it's Mason or Taylor. However, the girl can make some serious faces.

At two months, she is sleeping 6 to 8 hours the first stretch at night and then goes back to sleep for another  4 to 5 hours. As long as I'm getting about 4 hours of continuous sleep each stretch, I'm good.

She doesn't go back for another checkup until 4 months.

Christmas 2011

Our Christmas through pictures. Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and has a Happy New Year!

 My little brother, Kris holding Peyton.

 Mimi and Peyton. My mom and Kris came up the week before Christmas since he was off for Christmas break and it helped my dad plan a wonderful surprise for my mom while she was gone.

 We took the kids and my mom & Kris to the Gaylord Texan for the Shrek Ice Exhibit, but this was the only picture I took. I spent the rest of the time holding Peyton, since I forgot my Baby Bjorn.

 One morning we made and decorated Gingerbread cookies. This is Taylor showing off her cookies.

 Mason tolerated me taking a picture. All he wanted to do was eat them as soon as they were iced.

 Taylor didn't care for the cookies as much as she did the icing.

Mason ate both of this cookies and this is how his mouth looked afterwards.

 Before we drove down to Houston for Christmas, the kids exchanged their gifts to each other. This is Taylor & Peyton waiting for Mason.

Mason loved his gifts from his sisters and gave each of them a kiss.

 Adam's sister Laura with Peyton on Christmas Eve.

 Adam's mom got Gingerbread houses for the older grandkids to decorate at her house. Mason was very intentional in every piece of candy he placed on his house.

Taylor on the otherhand was very intentional that every piece of candy ended up in her mouth.

 Peyton's 1st Christmas.

 Love that smile and that round little belly.

 The grandkids listening to my dad tell the story of Jesus' birth on Christmas day.

 Taylor twirling in her tutu that my sister made her.

 Peyton wearing the tutu Aunt Christina made her.

 Mason & Connor, cousins and best friends.

 Connor & Taylor. I absolutely love this picture.

 Peyon making one of her silly faces. She spent a lot of time in the car seat the last several days with all the traveling we did.

 We saved Santa presents for when we returned from Houston. We did have a tree topper, but it broke and I haven't found something I like to replace it.

 Taylor opening her presents.

Mason was beyond thrilled with his telescope.

 Santa brought Taylor her own beauty station. This little girl has spent all of her time there since.

 Mason getting ready to try out his new scooter.

This is Christmas present. I can't wait to use it.

Videos of Mason & Taylor's Performances