News, News, and More News!

First and foremost... Rachelle graduated from Rockford High School last week Thursday! 27th out of 571... top 5%! Congratulations Ra! She is planning on going to either HOPE or Calvin to study engineering and/or math (a true Grandia).


This past weekend we enjoyed a long weekend at the cottage. Dave, Kate and Joshua were there as well and Madisyn and Joshua had a blast! I can't wait for a weekend warm enough for Madisyn to get into the water! Here she is sporting her shades on our way up.


Mark your calendars, May 29th Landon slept through the night! Well, he slept from 10:30-5:30 (good enough for me :) ). I got up once around 1:00 to give him his pacifier, and he went right back to sleep. He hadn't even eaten since 9:00! What a surprise since at the cottage he got up 2-3 times per night. Last night he went a stretch of 6 1/2 hours... we're making progress :)


He had his two month doctor's appointment today and everything went well. He's growing despite his reflux, which is great. He's in the 50th-75th percentile for height (23 1/2 inches) and 25th-50th for weight (11 lbs. 6 oz.) and head circumference (40.1 cm). Poor boy got three shots too :( He actually took them fairly well... and he's getting a good nap in right now.


This is the disgusting spider I came across on our deck yesterday. If you can't tell, it was carrying a dead bee. I tried to kill it, but it got away.

Zoo

We went to the zoo last week with Papa Dykema, Uncle Dave, Aunt Kate and Cousin Joshua. Unfortunately Grandma Dykema wasn't feeling well :( The kids had a great time though. Madisyn's favorites were the chickens and the wooden train (of all things :) ). As you can see, Madisyn ran from exhibit to exhibit.

Our happier Landon

Tomorrow Landon will be eight weeks old! After starting Prevacid a week ago, he has been doing much better. Thank you for all of your prayers! He still has his moments (which sometimes last for over an hour), but it's immeasurably better than it was before! What's really amazing is that he actually has times of happiness and contentment, what a blessing!

We are having a hard time getting to sleep very long at night, but I think my expectations are too high since Madisyn slept through the night by this age. We really want to teach him to sooth himself, but often when we let him cry he spits-up. Then he's laying in a huge puddle of (sometimes vomit smelling) spit-up :( He goes in streaks of having a long time between night feedings (up to 5 hours), but I have yet to get it to be consistent with my sleep. That's okay though, we have five more weeks before I go back to work. My hope to have him getting up only once per night by then.







Madisyn's been doing well. We've made a point to go on more walks lately as she loves to see the cows (there's a farm at the end of our neighborhood), it calms Landon, and I could use the exercise. She got her first ride on the the lawn mower with daddy the other day. She was a little scared at first, but then she didn't want to get off :)

Speaking of exercise... I've finally made it up to four miles running (it's about time!). AND... Rob started running this week! Next week we start playing Ultimate with some of Rob's high school/college friends, so I'm very excited about that! I need to get out throwing, it's been a while!

Last night we had an elementary school friend of mine Christie, her husband Jamin, and their two girls Nyah (3 months older than Madisyn) and Aubrey (3 days older than Landon) come over. They just moved back from Nashville and are finishing their house only 15 minutes from us! I wish I had pictures because Madisyn had a blast with her new friend that actually looks quite a bit like her.

My first Mother's Day with two kids - I got a beautiful framed picture from Madisyn where her painted hand prints represent flowers on construction paper stems (you'd have to see it), and a gift card for a massage at Design One from Rob and the kids... couldn't have been a more perfect gift after these exhausting past two months! Thanks honey (and kids)!




Moby...

P.S. Anyone know of a good remedy for terrible infant gas (besides gas drops and avoiding green vegetables)???

Does your child have reflux?

This is something I found online that was from an issue of Reflux Digest. We found it humerous since it is so true (you'll see a parallel to the "rule of threes" to diagnose colic).

Beth’s Rule of Sixes – completely unscientific

If you can answer yes to six of these, maybe it isn't "just" colic...

- Your baby cries six hours a day
- For six days a week
- It has been going on for over six weeks
- The neighbor six doors down can hear the screaming
- You tried six formulas or cut six foods from your diet if nursing
- You and your baby need six changes of clothes per day
- It takes six hours to feed six ounces
- Your baby never sleeps for more than 60 minutes at a time
- Your baby spits up six times after each bottle
- You keep wondering if you overlooked a 666 birthmark
- At the last six appointments doc said "colic" or "babies just cry"
- You dread driving anywhere more than six minutes away
- Your baby belches like a six year old
- Six hours alone with the baby is the max anybody can take
- You do six loads of laundry a week - just for you and the baby
- By six pm you want a 7 & 7

How are we doing?

That depends... do you want the typical Leticia answer or the down right honest answer?

My tendency is to answer positively, therefore things are going well. I might add that I'm "a little tired, but that can be expected" and that's where it will typically end. Lately though, I've been too tired to give my typical happy response and have been more candid with people (which is probably what they wanted in the first place).

So... honestly, we're exhausted. Landon spit up blood again yesterday and will be starting his third prescription today (we haven't had any luck with the other ones... a good day here or there, but usually days filled with lots of crying and the appearance of pain). We are really praying that this one will help him. I'm sure Madisyn feels neglected too, which I feel terrible about. It's tough when he is crying the majority of the day and I am trying to calm him.

Thankfully we've had family help us out so that we can get a much needed break once in a while. Rob and I were able to go out, just the two of us last weekend and may get a chance to do it again this coming weekend... I think it has kept our sanity (although that's borderline some days).