Labor Day, etc.

We had an uneventful Labor Day weekend. Owen has been a little under the weather. Congested and fussy. I slept with Owen in the chair in the nursery and Brandon slept on the nursery floor Sunday night. Owen was up so much, we had to take turns. He is just wheezy and miserable. This too shall pass...

Here are some pictures to catch you up on the little guy:

Watching Elmo and eating a cookie.

 Oh Elmo is so funny!

Mickey Mouse is serious business.

A date night with Lilly...

 She was interested in his paci...Owen, not too happy about this.

Labor Day stroll with Jackson...

 Aren't they sweet?

Allergy testing

Owen went for his allergy testing today. Turns out he is not allergic to anything. He has a mild case of what's called Food Protein-Induced Enterocolitis Syndrome (FPIES). This is typically outgrown by 3 years of age. We are clear to start the dairy process over with baby steps.

Here is a link about FPIES I found informative: http://allergies.about.com/od/foodallergies/a/fpies.htm

Let's hope it goes smoothly this time!

blessed.

i haven't posted for a while. we've been kind of floored. chores, work, working on re-prioritizing some things, etc.

it has been eye opening. these past couple of weeks. i've felt so tired, so inadequate, so stressed and discouraged. and every time i've wanted to blog my many complaints ... i've deleted those posts.

why? not because stress and discouraging seasons are not a reality of life. but because when it comes down to it, i know that my life is full of grace, gifts and riches that i never even knew existed.

i confess, there are times when i want to close the door to the bedroom and shut everyone and everything out. this does not make me a bad person, i know. but i feel guilty regardless. being a mom is hard. having little sleep and little time and a transformed life is an adjustment. sometimes i feel like i can't be the wife or friend i want to be. but i have to step back and think, i GET to be a mom. i GET to have an amazing job of taking care of owen. he is healthy and vibrant. i GET the privilege of raising him. we have family and friends who love him like crazy and who i know will always be there for him.

our lives, though imperfect at times, is really all my dreams coming true. when i sit down and tell God how grateful i am for that, somehow i just have to delete my complaints. everyday matters seem to dissolve when i look down at my growing boy and realize that this life is a blessing. 

i am humbled by people, both near and far, who have much harder days than me. bigger struggles. and people who i don't even know who leave me speechless because they give up everything for others and act like it's no big deal.

i have very little to complain about. and even though this blog might not reflect it, i am truly a complainer. today, i am resisting the urge to complain and by His grace I have a lot of thankfulness in my heart. i realize that my life is filled with Love so amazing, and i am thankful to Him for every ounce of it.

.my little blessing.

Fruits and Veggies!

A little Owen update... He is doing great and back to normal. No blood in stool and white blood count was back to normal at the doctors appointment on Tuesday. His little bottom has cleared up too! He is on a strict diet of fruit and veggies (along with Elecare formula) until we can go to the allergist on the 28th. So pretty good news for the moment!

Doctor update

I took Owen back to the doctor yesterday for what I thought was thrush. He has a diaper rash that is indescribably terrible and has has very loose stools for a little over a week now. We did not see Dr. Brady though. The doctor we saw tried to send us home saying it was just a virus and the rash was "probably for no reason". I had flashbacks... I knew something was wrong with my baby and we were being sent HOME?!? I (and Grandmother) insisted it was something serious and not to send us away. Long story short, his stools contained blood and mucus again. The little bit of dairy we had been instructed to give is reacting with him. Therefore the allergy (that "normally" goes away around 1 year) is still hanging around. We are waiting in more cultures to determine what bacteria is in his system. We are also going to an allergist on August 28th where they will do a prick test to see what foods he is allergic to. While a life without milk, soy, butter, yogurt, and all of the items made with those ingredients will be difficult, we will get through this. It seems nothing is ever easy. Your prayers for all of us are appreciated.

12 months stats

Owen went to the doctor on Friday. He weighed in at 18 and a half pounds and 29 inches long. Weight is still less than the fifth percentile but height is between 25 and 50th percentile. Still long and skinny! He is going to the allergist on August 28th to put the dairy allergy question to rest. This will not be a fun trip for him, but it will definitely be beneficial.

In other news... I signed the first "accident report" today at daycare. Owen was a victim of a little biter. It did leave a mark and it is red and swollen, but he will be ok. It didn't break the skin. I put hydrogen peroxide on it just to be safe. I was sad for him, but I have to remember that one day he may be the biter. These things happen. Ice and TLC.

Owen's Party Pt. 2

We received some new pictures from the party last Saturday. Enjoy!

12 months old

To my sweet little Owen Harris on his first birthday,

Your daddy has been giving me such a difficult time the past few weeks because my heart has been so heavy over you turning one. In some ways it feels as though the past year has just flown by, but in other ways it's hard to remember life before you were born. It could have been lifetimes ago that we went to bed the night before you were born, the night of July 25th, with such giddy excitement in anticipation of leaving for the hospital before dawn the next day. Or the next morning looking in the mirror one last time at my giant tummy that had housed you for nearly 9 months and knowing that in a matter of hours I'd be holding you in my arms.

The hours on your birth day seemed to move so slowly and your daddy and I were so eager to meet you. But as slowly as those minutes ticked by, as soon as you were ready, you were ready and we met you with excitement and tears of joy. I cannot describe how incredible the feelings and emotions were as I went from holding you within me to holding you within my arms and see your those little arms and feet that prodded me and your sweet little face and pink lips.

It's hard now to imagine you as small as you were then. Daddy always tells me that you're a lot bigger than when you made your initial arrival and my goodness how you've grown. It seems incredible that when I bathed you, I could wash you entirely in my bathroom sink--the little turkey that you were. And when we went for daily walks you laid perfectly within the body of the stroller and now you love to dangle your legs along the footrest. You absolutely adored your play mat and would squeal with delight but now you are more interested in opening up the kitchen cabinets and finding what you can bang around. I'm not sure that we'll experience another year that contains such drastic and wondrous changes.

It hasn't been the easiest year transitioning from a woman and wife to the new role of mother, but it has been one of the most joyous years of my life. I've cried tears of frustration and sorrow and fear but also tears of the deepest love. But mostly I feel my love for you in my heart--there are some moments when my heart feels so full for you that I simply don't know if I can bare it. I just look at you, and your amazing beauty, and your strong and willful spirit, and am filled with completeness. People told me that I wouldn't know a mother's love until I was a mother myself and now I am telling you that I simply cannot define the precious love that I feel for you. It is miraculous.

I am so blessed to have you as my son. While I know that it drives you crazy when I hold you like a baby, my favorite time of day is when you're in your little jammies and we are snuggled together in the nursery chair. I love that time when I can sing to you and look into your beautiful blue eyes and hold your little hand while I hold you close. It has been an amazing year and my heart is heavy at it being over so quickly never to have those moments back, but I look forward to all of the wonderful times ahead.

I love you my sweet little man. You are my sunshine.

Love,

Mommy

Here are some things about 12 month old you:

You are crawling with no problem.

You are in the Toddler Room at school. (You are the smallest and youngest, so you get PLENTY of attention)

You have started waking at night again. (1-2 times.) I am being patient and hoping this is just a phase.

You still have only 7 teeth.

You are only napping once a day now for a 2 hour stretch.

You are only eating table foods now. You weaned yourself completely from baby food. You love garlic bread and ravioli. 

You only take about 3-4 bottles a day now. (Still Elecare formula)

You try to stand unassisted but fall frequently.

You had you first birthday party this month. The smash cake was destroyed!