Archive for October, 2014

2014
30
Oct
21:44

10 weeks

   Posted by: arcanai    in da belly, pix, the turkey

30 Oct 2014

2014
30
Oct
18:43

back to the grind

   Posted by: arcanai    in heartache, work schmirk

after ten not-so-relaxing weeks, i started back to work today.  the turkey must have heard the plan so mr sleeps-8-hour-nights decided to be awake every 30 minutes all last night.  i think it was the worse night yet (aside from the post-shots campouts).  other than being insanely tired and not being able to take a nap, i think the day worked out okay.  i’m still not sure how well all this will work as his wake time increases but we’re just doing a day at a time right now.  i guess between the sleep-deprivation and the familiarity of the work routine, i got off a call today and caught myself saying that it’s been a few days since my dad called.  i don’t think he’s gone more than three days between calls this whole year and he had a habit of calling in the middle of the day while i was in the middle of something at work or on a work call.  odd that that sent me into a crying fit but not the email from his wife a little later saying that she had picked up his ashes.

2014
28
Oct
23:22

the man

   Posted by: arcanai    in heartache

my dad was not a perfect man.  in the past, he had a drinking problem and wasn’t a very nice man.  i do have some fond childhood memories of being “daddy’s little girl” but those were really the exception.  even in his later years, he had many character flaws and could seriously drive me nuts with computer calls.  the one thing that cannot be denied, however, was his devotion to family in the last decade and a half or so.

  • he never missed a single season of going to at least one of each of his grandkids’ sporting events.  it didn’t matter that he lived 45 minutes away, he was there to show his support.
  • he showed up for every holiday event that he was invited to and was just happy to be a part of it.
  • he went all the way to north ga while battling illnesses to check out his DIL’s new restaurant, even though his relationship with his son was less than ideal.
  • he filled his house with pictures of his son and his family just to feel close to them.
  • he drove six hours to watch his SIL complete an all-day race, despite severe health issues.
  • he was there to see his first grandson graduate even though it meant climbing steps when he needed a walker just to walk.
  • he left in the middle of a blood transfusion to be here to meet his newest grandson on the day he was born.
  • he never stopped defending his ex-wife, constantly telling people what a great mother she was and encouraging reconciliation for things he didn’t understand.

my daddy was a man who transformed himself, with the help of others, from a mean alcoholic to a loving father and friend.  i was really proud of him for overcoming his past, even though he still had his moments.  he had regrets and tried his best to make amends for them.  i am so thankful for the relationship that we built in my adult years and will cherish the memories we created during that time for the rest of my life.

2014
28
Oct
23:21

the feelings

   Posted by: arcanai    in heartache, pix

as i mentioned in my previous post, i fully expected the effects of the stroke to be worse the next day but i honestly did think there would be a next day.  it never for a second occurred to me that those last few words we exchanged would be the last.  would i have said anything different?  i don’t know.  i guess i would have told him all those things he already knew but it would have been more for my benefit than his anyhow.  i am so fortunate to be so certain that he knew. Read the rest of this entry »

2014
28
Oct
23:13

the facts

   Posted by: arcanai    in heartache, pix

last sunday, we left alabama and started the long drive down to orlando.  shortly after crossing the florida line, i called my dad to let him know how the drive was going and what our plans were.  he again invited us to stay with them but i told him that they didn’t need a crying baby in the house, especially since he had only gotten home from the hospital on thursday and they needed their rest.  my plan was to stay at my sissy’s and we would leave right after the turkey’s first feeding of the day to spend all day tomorrow with him.  when i called, he was actually out back working in the yard and he was proud of himself for it because it had been weeks since he felt good enough to get outside at all.  we had a great conversation… he was feeling good, sounding like himself, and super excited to see the turkey again.

according to my phone history, i called him at 16:39 on sunday, 19 october 2014 and we talked for 16 mins and 2 secs.

two hours and ten minutes later, my world crashed. Read the rest of this entry »

2014
28
Oct
20:46

rollin on up

   Posted by: arcanai    in the turkey

or over at least.  yep, the turkey rolled himself from his belly to his back for the first time today.  i missed the actual roll while going to get the camera but he was kind enough to do it again for daddy when he got home from his bike ride.  we tried to get a video clip but the little stinker refused to perform for the camera (what else is new?).  of course, after the camera was put up, there he went again.  i’m so proud of my little pook, even if i am opposed to him growing so quickly.

in other news, he seems to be displaying a lot of teething signs.  he’s been super drooly, chewing on his fist and bib and anything else that gets near his mouth, fussy during all of his nap times, and acts like he’s in pain when we give him the binky or if i run my finger over his gums.  i don’t feel any teeth erupting and it seems like he’s way too young for it but i don’t know what else would be causing all that.

2014
26
Oct
18:04

9+ weeks old

   Posted by: arcanai    in da belly, pix, the turkey

26 Oct 2014

2014
21
Oct
18:05

2 month birthday

   Posted by: arcanai    in pix, the turkey

the turkey’s cousin did a birthday photo shoot but they’re still in editing.  my pic will have to do for now.

2014
16
Oct
23:58

first family camp-out

   Posted by: arcanai    in feelin bad, Nuthin' Special, pix, the turkey

After last night’s post about how well the turkey was doing with his shots, the nonstop vomiting began. For some reason, so far, nothing has bothered me more than vomiting. I guess it’s because my only real responsibility right now is to feed him and make sure he gets enough to eat. When he loses a meal, my heart just breaks for him and I usually end up crying. Last night was far worse than anything we’ve seen yet. The poor thing ended up with dry heaves once. He also started running a fever. We broke out the tylenol at 100.1 degrees. We ended up doing our first family camp-out. I “slept” on the love seat, hubby slept on the sofa, and the turkey slept on the ottoman where we could both reach him. It was a long night.

the family that lays together...

He did much better today. He kept his meals down and even started to get back to his normal appetite by this evening. He was still sporadically howling and super lethargic. The only real awake time he had all day was shower time. I took his bandaids off and washed/massaged the injection sites and he never even flinched. He was fever-free all day until just a bit ago when he spiked to 101.1 and had his first real diarrhea diaper. It’s so hard to see him feeling bad even though he’s staying in great spirits. He smiles through all his diaper changes and laughs and chatters while we’re trying to get tylenol in him. But he’s just not himself and I know he doesn’t feel good. I think he may already be figuring out that he can make us feel bad for him or worry about him to score some living room naps throughout the day.  i just hope that he’s feeling better in the morning when we take him on his first road trip.

tummy naps around momma and daddy are so much better than napping alone in my crib

2014
16
Oct
18:03

8 weeks old

   Posted by: arcanai    in da belly, pix, the turkey

16 Oct 2014

2014
15
Oct
23:59

boo-boos and bandaids

   Posted by: arcanai    in heartache, pix, the turkey

today was the turkey’s 8 week shots.  they started with the oral rota vaccine which seemed to be quite the treat.  unfortunately, his enjoyment was short-lived as the nurse moved on to the needles.  she quickly jabbed two shots in one thigh and one shot in the other thigh.  it’s good that she was quick about it but the poor turkey’s response was immediate with the first stick.  he didn’t even cry… he instantly went to the silent scream – and momma’s heart just broke!  my poor little guy.  after the third stick, daddy swooped in and cuddled him back to calmness.  to me, that says an awful lot.  the nurses were talking about how a lot of babies need to be nursed after shots to calm down but he has such a good and trusting relationship with his daddy that he didn’t need momma’s bribery.  i don’t know that a lot of babies see enough of their daddies to be calmed by them like that.  we stayed in the office just a bit to make sure he was okay and wasn’t going to need some of momma’s special comforting.  the little trooper fell asleep and we moved onto the errand portion of the day.  we purposely planned a bunch of errands so that we could stay close to the dr’s office for a few hours in case he had any kind of reaction.  after a bite of lunch, we went into the mall to find a comfy seat for me to feed him.  he woke up and ate without any fuss but he did have his first public diaper blowout and costume change.  we finished his feeding, finished our errands, and headed home.  i thought he would be super fussy but he’s mostly just been lethargic.  he’s had a few bouts of unusual shrieking but they’ve been brief.  i’m so proud of my little man.

In other news, he’s weighing in at 11lbs, 12.5oz and 22.75 inches. Growing like a little chunky monkey!

chicks dig scars... and bugs bunny bandaids

2014
14
Oct
13:09

all night long

   Posted by: arcanai    in pix, the turkey

my little turkey pulled his first 8 hour night last night.  i almost made him stretch even longer.  we had some pretty severe storms last night that kept me up a lot.  i noticed that the fan in my bedroom died again around 01:00.  when i first saw that it wasn’t on, i thought the power was out but one look around the room revealed a working alarm clock and power light on the tv so i didn’t think anymore about it and went back to sleep.  i woke up again at 02:00 when the storm got particularly loud and stayed awake for most of that hour listening to the howling and shaking of our balcony furniture.  i was woken again a little after 03:00 by more crashing thunder.  finally, i was woken around 04:30 by the little guy crying.  as usual, i let him cry it out for a bit to see if he would go back to sleep but i also didn’t want to push him too far and have it get too close to his 07:30 start-the-day feeding… who knew that something as simple as feeding your baby requires so much strategy?  anyhow, when he was still crying after 15 minutes and showing obvious hunger signs, i went ahead and got up to feed him.  it was then that i actually looked at my phone and discovered that it was actually 07:00!  apparently, the power had gone out at some point during the night and the alarm clock was lying to me.  it only took a moment to dawn on me that he had SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT!  commence woot woot party dance and more urgent scramble to get to my hungry boy and get him some num-nums.  here’s hoping this wasn’t just a one-time fluke 🙂

good night sleep = happy baby

2014
13
Oct
18:11

preparing for lift-off

   Posted by: arcanai    in Nuthin' Special

my dad’s been in the hospital again this weekend.  even though it seems to be the same issues that kept him in the hospital for 2.5 weeks earlier this year – fluid on the lungs, fatigue, shortness of breath – they are calling it congestive heart failure now and that just seems so much more urgent to me.  hubby has been pushing to make a trip to see all of the family before i start working again but i’ve been hesitant to go anywhere without the turkey’s shots, which he gets friday, and i’ve already committed to going back to work next monday.  it just seems too much to deal with figuring out a new schedule while traveling.  this morning, i went ahead and pushed my start date another week at work and rescheduled the shots for wednesday.  that should give him a couple of days for the effects to wear off and then we can hit the road first thing friday.  we’re going to spend the weekend visiting the alabama grandparents and then head to orlando on sunday for some time with my family.  hopefully my dad will be home from the hospital by then so that he can spend some time with his grandbaby.

2014
9
Oct
17:39

7 weeks old

   Posted by: arcanai    in da belly, pix, the turkey

the turkey is over 12 pounds and is almost too chunky for size 1 diapers.  how is he growing so fast???  i don’t even want to blink any more because i might miss something amazing.

9 Oct 2014

he has started to really play with the toys on his play mat by himself.  he’ll amuse himself with them for about ten minutes at a time without any interaction from momma or daddy.  he’s also started worrying his hands together.

playing on my own like a big boy

2014
2
Oct
21:35

num-nums from daddy

   Posted by: arcanai    in pix, the turkey

after a mixup with ordering on the hospital’s part, i finally got my pump this week.  that means that daddy was finally able to feed the turkey and give momma a break.

wow, who knew that num-nums came in bottles? - 27 sept 2014

this means that i got to enjoy a night out last night without worrying about starving my baby.  i joined some friends for some punkin pub painting and had a great time but i sure missed my boys.  of course, that didn’t stop me from going back out again today to finally get my hair repurpled 🙂

so i'm not an artist