The new "New Moms" thread!

[DisneyGirl4188]

Oh Jen, I am so sorry. I hope he is ok. Please keep us posted.

 

[ImarriedGrumpy]

Oh Jen, I'm sorry Christopher is sick. I hope he's doing better soon and has the very best of care in the hospital. Keep us posted...

 

[DMickey28]

Hi everyone

Christopher was just admitted to the pediatric ICU at Dartmouth with diabetes and DKA. He was really not feeling well today, and just drinking all the time. I finally checked his blood sugar at home, and it was 550. So we'll be here for a while getting it unde control, and then getting him started on insulin and such. Wish us lots of luck.

Jen

Yikes Jen ... I will keep you guys in my prayers. Let us know how he is doing.

 

[Villain-lover]

Jen... ...thinkin of Christopher and you as well! Take care and let us know how you guys are doing.

 

[Jen_in_NH]

Thanks everyone. He's starting to do better (and to get really tired of the poking and prodding). We'll be in the hospital for a few days, but things are looking better.

Jen

 

[beckmrk04]

Thank goodness!

I'm just still amazed that you knew what to do (I mean, I know that it's your line of work). But no WAY would I have guessed anything to do with blood sugar if Vaylie was sick. (Which worries me.)

I bet he is sick of all the poking and prodding. I can't even imagine. I'm so glad things are getting under control, though!

 

[kellyf2626]

Jen - Glad to hear that Christopher is doing better! Ditto on what Becky said...you are so smart! I also would have NEVER thought of blood sugar if Brady was acting sick! Nice job mommy!!!

 

[Tiggerlover91]

Hi everyone

Christopher was just admitted to the pediatric ICU at Dartmouth with diabetes and DKA. He was really not feeling well today, and just drinking all the time. I finally checked his blood sugar at home, and it was 550. So we'll be here for a while getting it unde control, and then getting him started on insulin and such. Wish us lots of luck.

Jen

Best to you Jen. Please keep us posted. What's DKA?

 

[exwdwcm]

Pollito- congrats on DH's job! and sorry bedtime has been rough. Will has had a few bad nights recently too- not sure if it is that molar coming in or what. he got so upset crying one night, he actually made himself sick- i went up there finally and he had thrown up. (we try and let him cry it out when possible and he usually is asleep within 10 min).....but not this time.....

Becky- sorry on the paci- i am sure it isn't easy. We were fortunate that Will had no interest in the paci- he has never taken one and never sucked his thumb either- we lucked out somehow. thanks for the disney crocs info- i am checking it out now!

jen- so sorry Christopher is sick- how scary. glad he is feeling better. did you know about the condition prior? Poor thing- thoughts with all of you.

Reile- welcome! hope Caleb feels better soon too.

Denise- so sorry the food is a struggle. Will eats everything we put in front of him. He hasn't turned away a thing yet. Maybe that is his dad in him- he eats everything. He will push food away when he doesn't want anymore and i don't force it. We've been lucky there. I think you are doing great- just keep trying new foods and don't give up- it can take a while.

On organizing- i am the queen! I am totally OCD, type A. I have tons of organization stuff- all the toys have their place, bins etc. On cooking- it is VERY HARD to be a full time working mom (8-5:30 most days) and pick up Will, do the dishes, laundry, care for the dogs and cook dinner. I don't get home with him until 6pm. DH isn't home until 7pm. so it leaves little time. I usually plan meals in advance- i have a neat little magnet notepad on the fridge with the days of the week- i write down what we are eating each night- or just 'leftovers' or 'eat out'. That way we plan to stay in and plan when eating out instead of just spur of the moment. i often cook many meals on sunday afternoon and store them for the week- like casseroles that are easy to pop in the oven or stew or chili etc. Or at least ground up the beef so it is ready for whatever i might cook later in the week. Or we grill a TON of chicken, fish or beef on the grill Sunday night, and we eat on it and use it all week long. even for taking our lunches to work. It is one the of things that saves me. I always have at least 5 meals worth of ingredients in the house, whther it is old stand-bys like spaghetti or something new to try. That way i always have something to throw together quickly. writing it down on the fridge helps a lot too.

William is just growing and growing- 14 months now. he is enjoying all the new toys from the holidays. he had a hard time getting back on schedule. he also has a front molar coming in- so we had a few fussy nights. we are just enjoying every minute we have with him- he is getting so much more fun.

 

[Jen_in_NH]

Michelle - i'll have to try your idea of writing out a week's worth of meals and see how that works for us. We have to track all the carbs Christopher eats, and then give him insulin to cover those carbs. So last minute meals are out for us now

Thanks for all your thought everyone. He's feeling back to himself, and we should be discharged this afternoon. We're a bit nervous about going home, when one of us will be alone with him overnight (when his sugar tends to go low), but we'll figure something out. We're getting a bit stressed about babysitting though - most of the people who babysit for him have no idea how to check his sugar or give him a shot. It's easy to learn, but nerve-wracking for both them and us. Lots to think about.

For those who asked (sorry, I was just typing quick and didn't think to explain) DKA is diabetic ketoacidosis. It happens when your body doesn't have enough insulin to use the sugar for energy, so instead, the body starts breaking down fat for energy. Which is why he was losing weight over the past month or so (hindsight being 20/20 and all...) And no, he wasn't diabetic before this. No one in our family ever had it as a kid, so the docs don't really know why he got it.

Jen

 

[kellyf2626]

Jen - Glad to hear that Christopher is doing better and will be able to go home. I totally understand being nevous about leaving him with anyone now! Hell...I get nervous leaving Brady with anyone other than my mother, so I can't even imagine what you are going though. But, maybe you will find one good sitter that will end-up being your go-to person for him. Strange how no one has a history of this in your family. Did they provide any explanation of how/why a child may acquire this at such a young age? Hugs to you and Christopher!!

 

[beckmrk04]

Jen- I am so glad that everything is at least figured out with his health. The rest of it you'll just have to take it as it comes, which I know will be hard. But I'm sure once you guys get things figured out and get a routine down, things will seem much more calm and manageable.

Michelle- I am so jealous of your organizational prowess. I'm making plans, though. I WILL GET ORGANIZED. I have found that the less stuff I have, the less clutter there is- so I regularly purge my "stuff" and have yardsales every spring. So, I am good at that. But, paperwork (filing, bills, medical stuff, etc) is my nemesis. That, and a severe lack of storage space in my teeny house.

 

[DMickey28]

Jen - I am glad that he is feeling better. How scary. I am sure that you will find someone strong and comfortable to watch him ...

So ... I think we are going to move this summer back up north. We are actually planning on buying a house in New Hampshire! I am so excited. I really hope it works out ... Dh's company just needs to let him move to the Boston office but I don't think it will be a problem. I just want to be closer to family and finally settle down somewhere!!

 

[ImarriedGrumpy]

Jen, I'm glad to hear Christopher is doing better and can go home again! I hope you'll be able to find a good caregiver soon. I'm sure Christopher will quickly adapt to his new routines!

I once took care of a 2 yr. old with diabetes, and that little guy knew exactly what needed to be done and was totally matter of fact about it all. It was amazing to see how easily he got used to what he could and couldn't eat and testing his blood and taking the insulin shots. He's a teen now and has an insulin pump which his mom says he's liking a lot. (OT: it's totally weird to think that little boy I took care of is now a TEENAGER! I'm sure I haven't gotten older, so how come he did? )

~~~~~~~~~
Today I tried moving Owen towards one afternoon nap instead of two naps a day, and had mixed results. His naps have been a mixed bag lately - some days he'll do two solid naps, and sometimes it's a battle to get him to nap at all - so I'm guessing he's starting to shift away from needing both naps.

Today instead of putting him down for a nap after his morning snack, I took him to the library for the Spanish/English bilingual "stay and play" story time. They read stories in both English and Spanish and sing some songs in both languages, and then they put out toys and puzzles and encourage the kids and parents to stay and play as a way to get to know neighbors. Anyway, Owen loved it and did great and wasn't showing any signs of being tired, so I thought that we'd go home, have lunch, and then I'd try to lay him down for his nap.

Well, in the 5 or 6 blocks we walked home, Owen conked out and was so wiped out that he didn't even wake up when I took him out of the stroller! So I put him down in his crib and he napped for an hour, then woke up starving. We did lunch, had play time, and I tried another nap at 2:45. Owen happilly laid down, but he then proceeded to spend the next 45 minutes making funny noises and laughing about it! Seriously, the child was cracking himself up, and I had to go to the far end of the house to laugh so he wouldn't hear me. But he fell asleep finally, and is having a good nap now.

I don't know how long it will take us to get him on a new schedule, but I'm kind of hoping we can do it before we go to Disneyland. It will make life much easier if he's down to one nap a day while we're there!

 

[Villain-lover]

Sam & Zoe are 14 months tomorrow and are still on two naps. I think Sam would be okay with one. but Zoe still needs two. I cannot wait to be on one nap! Hopefully in another month we will be ready.
I am lucky that I have good sleepers/nappers though. Sam sometimes will play for a while before falling asleep, but is able to calm/soothe himself down eventually. Zoe is able to sleep through his playing too, which is good!

 

[kellyf2626]

DMickey - Where in NH are you looking? I assume somewhere in southern NH since your DH will be working in Boston! How cool! We could be neighbors!

Bethany - We are still in a flux between 1 and 2 naps (Brady is 17 months old). I would say most days Brady will take just one nap. But I found that if he does only have one nap, it needs to be from like 10-12ish (sometimes longer). He just can't make it through lunch and then nap after lunch...it's too long of a stretch for him from when he wakes up in the morning (which is usually around 7ish - although lately it's been a bit later). Somedays his nap will happen a bit later - like maybe 11ish until 1ish. But whenever he wakes up, we play a bit, do lunch, and then most days he will last the rest of the day. If we go out and do errands, he may catch a few "z's" on the way home in his carseat. But generally he has been good for the day.

*******************************************************

Of course tomorrow night we were planning on having a bunch of people over for my b-day (an early celebration...it's really not until the 20th) with catered Mexican food and everything. BUT....a snowstorm is rolling in again...so most of my friends (who live in the Boston area or south of Boston) aren't coming since they are getting the brunt of this storm. Oh well....my best friend and her DH will be here and possibly a few other people who live near-by, so I'm sure we will still have a good time. Uggggg... this weather! And I usually love winter...but lately these storms have been happening whenever we have fun plans!!!

 

[k_reile]

DMickey - Where in NH are you looking? I assume somewhere in southern NH since your DH will be working in Boston! How cool! We could be neighbors!

Bethany - We are still in a flux between 1 and 2 naps (Brady is 17 months old). I would say most days Brady will take just one nap. But I found that if he does only have one nap, it needs to be from like 10-12ish (sometimes longer). He just can't make it through lunch and then nap after lunch...it's too long of a stretch for him from when he wakes up in the morning (which is usually around 7ish - although lately it's been a bit later). Somedays his nap will happen a bit later - like maybe 11ish until 1ish. But whenever he wakes up, we play a bit, do lunch, and then most days he will last the rest of the day. If we go out and do errands, he may catch a few "z's" on the way home in his carseat. But generally he has been good for the day.

*******************************************************

Of course tomorrow night we were planning on having a bunch of people over for my b-day (an early celebration...it's really not until the 20th) with catered Mexican food and everything. BUT....a snowstorm is rolling in again...so most of my friends (who live in the Boston area or south of Boston) aren't coming since they are getting the brunt of this storm. Oh well....my best friend and her DH will be here and possibly a few other people who live near-by, so I'm sure we will still have a good time. Uggggg... this weather! And I usually love winter...but lately these storms have been happening whenever we have fun plans!!!

I hear ya about this snow. In Ohio we are supposed to get 4-8 inches by tomm night and I think we already have 3-4 inches already. I already ditched the van trying to get into my drifted over driveway. Luckily I was not going fast and my DH and my dad were able to get it out. And as far as DH could see---no damage which is great. Course what made me really mad was that as I was walking up my driveway a snowmobiler was driving by ( I live in the country). I was walking slow carrying Caleb because I thought he was going to stop....he didn't but I guess there wasn't much for him to help anyways. While my dad and DH were pulling it out...my neighbor comes over to help. he told them he saw me do it. I was like that van has been there for a half hour and he is just now coming over???? Luckily nobody was hurt and minimal if not any damage was done to the van.

I too was supposed to go out this weekend. My college roommate was having her bachelorette party tommorow night and it was going to be my first night out since having Caleb. BUt I will not be driving 2 hrs to Cleveland to attend. But her wedding is next weekend so DH and I will have the weekend away since my brother will be keeping him for us. BUt it will be a COLD wedding. We havent seen the forecast for sat but fridays high is 9 and low is zero. Guess this is what she gets for wanting her wedding on the 17th and a sat and the next one would have been a while from now. (both of their bdays are the 17th and they met on the 17th...so the 17th has a significance for them...but really limits their dates for a wedding)

Hope everyone has a great weekend. we are staying at home and not going anywhere!

 

[ImarriedGrumpy]

Hope all you guys stay safe in the snow! Bummer on plans falling through with the storms. My b-day is in Jan, and as a kid in MN I often had my birthday parties canceled because of snow storms. My poor parents, trying to reschedule and explain to an 8 year old that she can't have her party AGAIN because of a blizzard.

Owen's been having a weird sleeping schedule since mid-December, and it's only getting worse, so we're experimenting with trying to figure out what he needs now. I know it's early for him to go to one nap - I wasn't expecting him to make the switch until closer to 18m - but he seems to be heading that direction. We'll see...

Kelly, I'll have to try that earlier nap time and see if that helps Owen any. On Sundays with our church schedule, he usually ends up napping from 11:30-1:30 and that's it for the day, and it seems to work fairly well. He does go to bed a little earlier, but doesn't seem to wake up any earlier in the morning.

 

[exwdwcm]

Jen- so glad he is being released and feeling better. you guys will get the hang of it before you know it. i'll be thinking of you guys!

you guys be careful in all the snow. It was 75 the last few days here, but the cold front is moving down tomorrow I think- in the 20s this weekend. from 75 to 20 in a day. no wonder i always get sick. Be safe!!!

William has been on a one nap schedule since about 10-11 months old. Day care did that though. in the 12 month room, they do one nap- typically from 12pm-2pm. He adjusted to it perfectly. he was bumped up to the 12 month room early, so that is why it happened so early. Even on weekends, he only does one nap. It is usually 2 hours. so we've been lucky there, but day care really did all the work getting him trained to only nap once. He gets up at 7am- they eat lunch at 11:30 and then nap. He even naps on a little mat on the floor with his blanket- no crib!!! He seems like such a big boy when i saw him like that.

 

[Pollito916]

Jen - that is so scary about Christopher, but I am glad that he is doing better and ready to go home. How did you know that was what was wrong with him?

Becky - I saw a book at Target the other day called "No More Pacifiers" and I thought of Vaylie. Is she doing any better yet? Let me know if you come up with any organizational tips - it is my weakest point too, especially for dinner. We probably have that same conversation 5 times a week.

Bethany - Alex didn't consistently move to only 1 nap a day until after 18 months, between 12 and 18 months, he altered between 1 and 2 naps a day, depending on what we were doing that day.
Alex also used to throw his lovey out of the crib and do the screaming thing too, but one night we didn't go get it and he never did it again. He fell asleep crying that night, and asked for it as soon as he woke up in the morning, but he hasn't thrown the lovey out. He's still doing the "blankie" thing though on and off, so I guess they always think of something new.

Michelle - I am so jealous of your organizational skills. My sister is crazy ocd with organization, more than anyone I know (she uses different colors of post-its for different kinds of lists), but for some reason NONE of that rubbed off on me. The idea of little Will napping on a mat with his blankie is so cute, but you're right about it seeming so grown up!

DMickey - That's good news about moving back north, I know you have been moving around a lot lately, and it will be good to finally settle down!

Kelly - Brady's new pics are so darn cute! I swear Alex seems to have every pair of pj's you have him in - Carter's is the best! Sorry to hear about all the snow, you guys have really been hit hard this year.

k reile - sorry to hear about the car troubles in the snow, and about Caleb being sick. Try to have fun at the wedding!

************************

Alex escaped from his pack n play during a time-out today. I put him in, then went to go sit down in the other room, and about 1 minute later he was in front of me, saying "time out? time out?" and pointing at the room where the pnp is. He's such a sneaky monkey!

I was talking to my sil the other day, and their son that is Alex's age has been going through the early intervention testing. They said he is talking at a 14 month level, and he will be 2 at the end of this month, so he starts speech therapy next week.

I think I remember some of you ladies having experience with this - was it very helpful? She is kind of worried b/c one of the boys' other cousins is 3 and is still barely talking. He was in the speech therapy too, but the parents pulled him out b/c they thought it wasn't helping. Is there anything my sil can do to help, or will the speech therapists give her tips?