Nathan's First Emergency Room Visit...

and something tells me, it won't be our last. We had to take Nathan into the ER at Methodist Children's on April 12th. I woke up about 4:30 that morning to Nathan making a strange cough. I had Paul look at Nathan in his bassinet, and Paul reported to me that he was fine. I could still hear his cough, and it just didn't sound right. I had Paul bring me Nathan, and I could tell right away that he needed a breathing treatment. Paul was out of bed and in the kitchen before I could even get out of the bed. While we were giving him a breathing treatment, he started with a cough...the barking cough unmistakable for croup! We called the RN hotline and after asking us a few questions and listening to Nathan over the phone, she instructed us to take him to the ER.

Mom came over quickly to stay with Katie, and we made our way to the hospital about 20 min from our house. I sat in the backseat with Nathan, watching him on the ride over. Of course, he hardly coughed on the trip. In fact, he smiled and played with his hands. He was the picture of health once we were seen with the exception of throwing up after eating. He was just too congested and was spitting up and drooling a lot more than usual. The physician told us that we did all the right interventions at home and to keep doing the steam showers, humidifier and breathing treatments as needed. Croup can be caused by various things, most likely Nathan’s was the result of his allergies. I hope we won’t have to deal with this very often because it sure was scary. Thankfully he was good as new in two weeks.

Nathan: Four Months

Dearest Honey Bee,

Today, you are four months old! I feel like you have always been here and yet you are growing up TOO fast! I returned to work on the 7th of this month, and the last three weeks have been such an adjustment period for us all. I hate that I am missing out on what you are doing during the day, especially the special time we spend nursing. :( Thankfully, Grandma brings you and Katie to see me at work on the weekends, and I have a few days off a week so I am able to get in lots of snuggles with you.

Katie and Nathan at Aunt Nomi's House

Sleeping at Danica's First Birthday Party, March 3rd

You are getting more and more handsome with each passing day! You are so alert, and you LOVE to look around and see what is happening. You don't want to miss anything! You are always so happy when you wake up in the mornings, too. You tend to wake up around 6:30-7:30 in the morning, and even though you will go back to sleep for mommy and Aunt NoNee, you are pretty happy being awake. I think you are going to be a morning person like your daddy is. I love your beautiful smile and you are working really hard at laughing this month. You shriek and shrill with happiness and delight. Katie always is able to get a few smiles from you, even if she is all up in your face bothering you. I love seeing the two of you develop such a special bond.

First St. Patrick's Day!, March 17th

You are working really hard at rolling over, too, but you are not quite there. You get over to your side and then stop. Such a teaser! (I have to edit this, you just rolled over at 6:45 this evening from your back to your tummy!) You are doing better and better with tummy time. You will usually play for 5-10 minutes before crying or falling asleep. You are also doing a lot better in the Bumbo. You are able to sit up for longer periods of time in it before you slouch over and get upset. This past week, you have become really interested in your toys! You swat at them very well, and you are able to pick up your rattles and put them in your mouth. I don't know if you are teething, per say, but you are mouthing everything! Your toys, your hands, my arms, any and everything you can get close to your mouth. You are also learning more about your feet. You do the cutest thing where you bend your knees with the bottom of your feet touching each other; I absolutely love it! I have to get a picture of it soon.

Playing with his gym, March 28th

Easter Pictures, March 11th

You had a couple of firsts this month: your first road trip and your first time staying the night away from mommy and daddy. Katie, mommy and you took a road trip to Portland to visit Aunt Tara and Uncle Kevin while Aunt Tara was on Spring Break, March 15th. You did really well on the trip! We left pretty early in the morning, and you slept almost the whole way there! As we were pulling in the driveway, you were waking up and wanting to eat. You also slept the whole way home. :) What a good baby you are! You and Katie stayed at Mamaw and Papaw's house this month, too, on the 10th, while mom and daddy went out to dinner and celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary. Grandma said you were a really good boy for her! It was also your first St. Patrick's Day, your first Leap Year, and your first time celebrating daddy's birthday! He is 32 today. :o)

Ready for the Shamu Show, "One Ocean", March 23rd

Katie, Nathan and Isabella

Places we have visited/things we have done this month:
Mamaw and Papaw's house
Aunt NoNee's House
Danica's 1st Birthday Party
Swim Classes for Katie
Portland, Texas to visit Aunt Tara and Uncle Kevin
Mommy's work
Took Easter Pictures with Gwen and Rob
Duck Pond
SeaWorld
Dr. H's office
Restaurants
Shopping

Duck Pond, Heritage Park

Future W&L Graduate, maybe???

Your Clothing/Eating and Sleeping Habits:
Clothing: 3-6 months
Diapers: size 2 disposables and "small" cloth diapers
Sleeping: from 8:30pm to 7:30am, three naps or so a day (morning/lunchtime/evening) for 1-2 hours
Eating: 6-8 times/day, 5 - 4oz bottles at Aunt NoNees and nursing in the morning and at night
Weight: You have an appointment this week!
Height: Have to wait till Friday!

Tummy Time!!

First Time in the Door Jumper at Grandma's House

Milestones:
-You love to smile and "shriek"
-Bears weight on legs (you love standing up and sitting up)
-Cooing when we talk to you (you also love to talk to yourself and your toys, I don't remember Katie talking this much)
-Grasping your toys
-Playing with your hands and feet, bringing both of them together
-"Mouths" objects
-Blows bubbles
-Recognizes faces and voices
-Rolled from back to front!!!, March 28th

Playing with his feet, and Bella, at Aunt Tara's house, March 15th

Eating lunch with Mommy and Uncle Jon at Joseph's Bakery, March 28th

You are such a wonderful baby, Nathan! We are so in love with you and we are so grateful that Jesus has blessed our family with you. Always know that your family loves you and is very proud of you.

Love,
Mommy

Kaitlyn: Month Four

Katie Bug,

Today, you are four months old. You are growing so fast, and it seems like every time we blink, you are bigger than before. This week I have noticed how different you look. You are definitely an infant and not a newborn. You look so much bigger than last week, even. You are stretching out and putting on more baby weight. You are absolutely precious, and we couldn't be more in love with you.

This month was a busy and exciting one. Mama went back to work and you have been adjusting to your new care providers well and just started staying with Mini this week. Uncle Jon and Grandpa had so much fun babysitting you. So much fun, in fact, that Uncle Jon still wants mommy to drop you off each week so that he can watch you. You guys have a lot of fun together. I have noticed that you both have a very special bond. You have a smile for your Uncle Jon that I have not seen you give to anyone else. Something about him amazes you, and you light up so much whenever he is around. Even if you are in the middle of eating, you stop everything to stare at Uncle Jon with your beautiful brown eyes wide open. He loves to sing and dance to you and snuggle with you for naps. I know that you two are going to have so much fun together as you grow older.

We have been on the go quite a bit this month, and you seem to like being outside and staying busy with mommy and daddy. We took you to the Strawberry Festival, SeaWorld, The Battle of the Flowers Parade and the King William Fair this month. You were such a good baby, too, and happily played in your carrier and looked around, trying to take it all in.

Battle of the Flowers Parade

King William Fair

Even with all the changes around you, you are still on a pretty good schedule. You usually fall asleep between 9:30 and 11:00pm and will sleep until 6:00 or 8:30am. We have been putting you down for 8 hour stretches of sleep for quite some time now, and you love to snuggle and fall asleep on anyone (preferably Grandma) whenever you get the chance. You love sleep just like mommy!!! :o)

You are eating six bottles, roughly 24 ounces, a day now. You have grown so much, we have officially put you in your 3-6 months clothes. I got a little teary-eyed packing up all of your newborn and 0-3 month clothes. I really can't believe how fast time has passed, but it was time to move forward, and I know we will be putting you in 6-9 month clothes before we know it.

You have been exceeding your development milestones, as well. Grandpa is so proud of how smart you are. (As we all are!) At four months, you are now able to:

-smile
-bear weight on your legs
-coo and "talk" to mommy, daddy and anyone else listening
-grasp a toy, and usually your dresses and clothing
-play with your hands and feet (this is a 5 mo skill)



You are still working on cutting that first tooth. We don't know when it is ever going to just break through so that you can be done with it. It bothers you a lot, and you are drooling up a storm lately. :o)

I think the most exciting thing for Mommy and Daddy this month is that you ROLLED OVER! Monday night, while mommy was folding your clothes and daddy was showering, you decided to just roll on over from your back to your belly. You did it without any trouble, too, like it was the most natural thing and you had been doing it all along. Daddy clapped and cheered for you and we both told you how proud we were of you. Since then, you have been rolling over like crazy, although you keep getting your right hand caught underneath you and that really upsets you. It won't be long before you will be crawling all over the house.


We love you so much Booberooni, and we are so grateful that God has blessed us with such an amazing daughter. I hope that you will always know how very special you are to us and to our family.


Love,
Mommy