Time to breath....I think we've tried to squeeze 25 hrs out of 24 hr days this past week. It was a great trip back to good 'ol Nebraska, but it's nice to be home and have the baby back into his own environment. So here's a quick recap of everything we did this past week.
Wednesday: After a busy morning full of workouts, rehab, dropping dog off, loading the car, etc.etc., we were off to the airport. Jr had mom and dad worried a little when he was fussy before we took off, but he did great on the flight. Everybody is always impressed with how well he does on the airplane; what a true blessing! PJ picked us up from the airport and off to Huhot we headed to meet up with Sam, Tami, Ty, Jen, Kit, and Megan. It was so nice to visit with friends and show off Jr! He did pretty good, but was ready to leave by the end. We checked into our hotel and headed to bed early knowing the whirlwind was just beginning.
Thursday: We headed to Aurora to meet Jr's Great Grandma and Grandpa for the first time! We arrived just in time to head to the Senior Citizen Center for lunch. Jr did great and was a hit with all the old people! Grandma Carriker was in 'ah' of Jr and loved to just look at him. As Jr and I watched them play cards, Grandma Carriker leaned over and said, "Let me hold that baby!" There was just something in her eye that twinkled anytime she looked at him and held him. It truly made my day to see her light up inside. Jr really took to Grandpa Carriker and really liked being held by him. We headed back to Lincoln to meet up with Jeff and Dusty at Rib Ranch for dinner. Jr started to scream and cry from the time we got off the interstate at Lincoln till we arrived at Rib Ranch. It was terrible; we couldn't do anything for him and he stopped crying the instant we took him out of his car seat. Rib Ranch is no longer Rib Ranch, it is now Parker's BBQ. Same menu and all, but something was just different about it; not quite as good. Of course we had to get some TCBY to top our whole evening off. It was delicious! After a quick, but great dinner/dessert and visit we headed back to the Holiday Inn in Omaha. As soon as baby was bathed and fed, it was lights out for all of us.
Friday: My parents got in late Thursday evening and were ready to see their grandson come morning. My mom offered to do his morning feeding, which allowed me to sleep in a bit and get ready while he ate. Oh, so nice! My dad, A, and I grabbed a quick breakfast before meeting with our tax lady, while my mom babysat Jr. After our quick meeting, A was off to Lincoln to do some work and my parents, Jr, and I met PJ for lunch and then headed to see Grandma. Grandma had surgery Tuesday and was in the ICU when we went to see her. It was really tough to see my Grandma in the condition she was in, but she's been a fighter through all of this and continues to fight for her life (royally). She couldn't talk to us, but would nod/shake her head in response to yes and no questions. The ICU nurse said she looked great and was doing really well. I really pray she can pull through all of this and be back to her old self soon. Grandma later wrote on her note pad to Bill and Nancy that she had, "Saw the baby. Baby is cute." Jr did great the whole time we were visiting Grandma. It was almost like he knew he needed to behave while we were there. We stopped by Kohl's on our way back to the hotel, but only had time to grab a couple frames (for A and Grandma) and a play phone for Jr. My mom found this phone that lights up and plays music; Jr seems to love it and it's definitely a favorite toy. Later that night A, Jr, and I went swimming at the CocoKey Resort in our hotel. Jr played in the baby pool, well actually A held Jr in the pool and they played. A would go to put Jr's feet down on the bottom of the pool and Jr would just raise his legs until he could feel the bottom and then he'd put them down. After about 10 minutes my mom took Jr and we headed to the big slides. My parents visited with Bill and Nancy while we played in the water park. A & I had a great time and it was almost like a mini-date. After the water park we went and ate with PJ, Shan, Bill, Nancy, Mom, and Dad at a Mexican restaurant. We asked for a glass of hot water to heat Jr's bottle up in, but somehow ended up with them putting the water in the bottle; interesting to say the least. After dinner, it was bath-bottle-then bed for Jr along with us following quickly after.
Saturday: Went and saw Grandma again. My mom stayed with Jr in the pickup, while A, dad and I went up to see her. I think she really enjoyed the fact that we came by again to see her and this time A was with us. Ty and Jacob finally got to meet! Cass brought Ty down to our room, so our boys could meet. It was fun having them together and it's so weird to think of us as both moms. Wow, how our lives have changed from when I first met her in the swimming pool. A had to go do another signing thing in Omaha, so why he did that we met up with Carol and Alan for lunch at Perkin's. It was great to see/visit them and Jr couldn't have been happier when being held by both of them. After our lunch, it was off to Lincoln for some tailgating and Big Red football. My parents went to church and dropped me off at the tailgate. Jr had eaten half his bottle already and I finished feeding him when I got to the pickup. I was trying to heat up the other bottle, but Jr did not have the patience to wait for it to get warm and he was getting to flustered to nurse. So mommy had to deal with the result of a crying baby who just wanted food. Uncle Bill came to the rescue and heated the milk on top of the brisket. When he finally gave me the bottle, it smelled like meat and BBQ. Oh what Jr must have been thinking when he was drinking from his "meat smelling" bottle?! Some family and friends of mine stopped by the tailgate and met Jr for the first time. It was great tailgate with family and friends, but come evening Jr and mommy were ready to go back to Omaha. Once my mom got there (from shopping), we headed to the pickup in hopes of making it back to Omaha at a good time. Jr threw a fit about 2 minutes before getting to the pickup. It was the same thing that had happened at the tailgate. He wanted food and he wanted it now! While my mom calmed him down, I sat and pumped in the back seat. After Jr was feed we headed back to Omaha. We listened to part of the game on the radio and watched the rest on TV when we finally got back. Nebraska pulled off a huge upset against OU (10-3) and the boys seemed to have a great time at the game. PJ, Dad, and A all got to sit in a box on the 50 yard line! A got to see a lot of people and it's all the guys could talk about for the next couple days! It was a great (and much needed) win for the Huskers!
Sunday: We met Ty, Cass, and Jared for breakfast at our hotel. It was great to sit and visit with them and talk about this crazy thing called parenting. After breakfast we had a play date and took a ton of photos of the babies and us. It was so much fun seeing them interact with each other, well as much as a 10 and 15 wk old baby can at least. Ty is a very laid back baby and was calm as could be the whole time. Jr on the other hand was a wiggle worm. It's fun seeing their different personalities come through and I can only imagine what they'll be like in a year. Jr was a mover from the beginning and continues to move nonstop. Watch out world when Jr can walk, he's going to be gone like a lightening bolt. After a great morning with great friends, it was off to the water park for a couple more slide rides before we had to leave. PJ, Shan, mom, dad, and us went to TJ's for lunch and DQ for dessert. Mom and dad took us to the airport, where it was check in and get through security before our plane left. Jr once again did great on the flight, but was definitely ready to be home by the end of this trip. A two yr old lil girl cried the whole time we were up in the air and stopped the instant we landed. I (along with anyone who has kids) felt sorry for the parents, who could not do anything to make her stop crying. A leaned over to me and whispered if that was Jr, "We would not fly!" It was so great to walk into our house and be home sweet home!
Monday: Monday was full of unpacking, doing loads of laundry, catching up on bills/mail, cleaning the house, and trying to get a baby back into a good routine. Jr was fussy almost all day long. This is so out of the ordinary for him and I know it was just from traveling and now trying to getting back into a routine.
Tuesday: Jr turned 16 wks! I can't believe how fast time has flown bye. We went out for breakfast and then our day was full of getting a lot of things done. We got our new bed delivered, along with our new queen, some guys came out to fix our escalade, our new bed got moved into A's tent, grocery store run, and just doing the usual day to day things. Jr was fussy in the evening, but had a pretty good day overall. Today was the first time I nursed him all day long. Starting Monday I started nursing him a little at each feeding and by the third feeding of the day he had it down pat, again. I always give him a little in a bottle at the end to make sure he gets enough. It's nice to be able to nurse him again (so convenient) and I really love the bonding experience we get experience.
Wednesday (Today): So far has been a busy morning trying to get our escalade fixed, doing household duties, and trying to finish my blog. A and I are going on our date this afternoon; I can't wait to get away for a couple hours.
Grandma Update: They've moved her out of ICU and she seems to be improving each day. They removed some tubes from her neck and she's starting to write more things down on her note pad. As I was lying in bed last night all I could think about was the fact that her birthday is on Thanksgiving this year and how she won't be able to eat a holiday feast and cake/ice cream. It made me really think about my own life and how I will never take advantage of being able to enjoy a holiday feast and cake/ice cream again, because you never know when you won't be able to enjoy it. She can now have mail, flowers, cards, etc delivered to her room, so Jr and I are putting together a little collage for her to hang in her room.
15 wk Highlights:
-Continues to sleep 9-8! Even on our trip to NE, he kept his same sleeping pattern!
-Discovered that he can scream (both happy and mad screams).
-Discovered he has 10 toes. He just realized he has feet and loves to stare at them. This is fun when we're trying to take a pic and all he wants to do is look at is his feet.
-Jr is trying to sit up. If you put him in a chair, he'll try (and usually successfully) brings his head and torso up and does some what of a crunch. So much for being able to leave him anywhere now days. He'll even fight you if you try to lie him back. Oh how our little boy is growing in so many ways.
-Traveled on a airplane for the 3rd and 4th time. He did great on both flights and is really a good traveler for us.
-Went to Nebraska for the first time.
-Met Great Grandma & Grandpa Carriker. Jr really took to Grandpa and enjoyed being held by him. Grandma insisted she needed to "Hold that boy!" It was a great visit with them and I'm really happy they got to meet their great grandson.
-Met Great Grandma McBride. She was in ICU and couldn't talk to us, but later wrote a note that said, "Saw the baby. Baby is cute!" She agreed with me (and everybody else) that Jr looks like A.
-Went in a swimming pool for the first time. Daddy and Jr played in the water, while mommy took pics. Jr didn't quite know what to think of the water and would lift his feet and legs up in the water, until he could touch the bottom, then he'd put them down.
-Went tailgating with Mommy and Daddy. Wore a Nebraska outfit and Husker shoes (that Daddy had just bought him). Jr did fairly well, but did not like when the band started to play. Uncle Bill came to the rescue of heating the rest of Jr's bottle up on top of the brisket.
-Met Uncle Jared, Aunt Cass and their precious baby boy Tyler. Ty was so laid back and hardly moved at all. Jr on the other hand moves non-stop, even when he's sleeping. I can only imagine how fun this is going to be when he's mobile.
-Eats 35-40 oz of breast milk per day. Along with 4 tablespoons of carrots.
-Successfully started nursing at all feedings. Is fed both by bottle and breast, but only breast milk.
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.”-Ephesians 2: 8-9
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