Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Joey

My youngest sister Joey has a terrific blog, filled with funny teaching stories, some poetry and well-written devotional-type musings. Check it out here and add it to your blog reading. Enjoy! :)

Nate Thinks He's "Nasty, Wasty"

Tuesday, December 08, 2009

One Month Recap - Figuring Out The Fussies

Whew! Month 1 was wonderful and sanctifying. People aren't lying when they say that being a mommy is hard work. Well worth it, of course, but hard work.

So, I used to kind of wonder why parents post pictures and talk about their kids ALL the time. I think I learned that it's because you are with your kid all the time, not just because you love them so much. What else are we going to write about? Ha!

We are doing well overall. The learning curve with a newborn is gigantic, so it's crazy to look back at the month and see how many things have become normal so quickly.

It's amazing to see Dustin in the dad role. He's a natural. It's the highlight of my day to see my boys cuddling when he comes home.

We have had one hurdle, and we're not quite over it. But figuring out what it is was half the battle, I hope. Nate has Silent Reflux and not the "Happy Spitter" kind of reflux - I'm 99.99% sure. He fits all of the symptoms. It was confusing, because I thought reflux meant lots of spit up. Not always. So, it took awhile to figure out. Good friends and our pediatrician helped. We had one week, where most days and nights were consumed with crying and horrible stomach pain. And as we have learned more about it and worked on doing some things to help, there has definitely been a good measure of relief. He still doesn't sleep well at night, and only really takes one GOOD nap during the day. But he's not in pain (usually), just being fussy. So, maybe it's colic PLUS silent reflux. I just sometimes wish so bad he could tell me what he needs. It's sad when hours of hugging and holding and loving don't do the trick.

But, reflux (even the painful kind) is common. And, we count our blessings, knowing it could be much, much worse. But, it is taking a lot of prayer and patience to guard my tongue and emotions when we're especially sleep-deprived. Last night was not a good night. So, yes, this mommy stuff is incredible, but also an area God will use to strengthen our faith, highlight our need for Him, sanctifying us in so many ways!

So, if you think about it, pray for our little man's stomach, for good naps and night sleep and for us to have wisdom as we parent.