Smiling during a dream...at least he was sleeping...he's done very little sleeping the past 24 hours. He's been very gassy and fussy but mylecon drops plus a large BM (yes I am back to the stage of parenting where poopy diapers are great and more than 24 hours without one means your little one is miserable) late this afternoon has relieved him some and he's sleeping comfortable as I type.
we went to my mom's this weekend since my dad was home from Japan and we were celebrating my mom and Christy's birthdays. Above is Bode looking totally grown up and being super cute. He and Charlie actually rana rounf after each other. It's strange to think that the last time they saw each other, Bode was barely walking and therefor no fun in Charlie's mind. Now he's actually a playmate!

Charlie with a devilish look on his face...

Aaron napping on Tutu's couch.

My boys playing on the floor

Charlie holding his baby brother before bedtime last night. He's so good!

Sleeping through another "outing"
Being sung to by daddy...glad that it's not mommy singing!

This is what an extra 15oz looks like! A few pre-rolls in his legs, and the beginnings of a double chin!

looking pissed that I am exploiting him like this..."really, a ribbon on my head mom, come on!"

Sleeping like an angel! This is just moments before he began a screaming fit (something he often does right before he poops...tons of fun!)...goes to show you, you never know what's going to happen moment to moment!

He got his "willy" whacked...

Before i get to the reason for the title of the post, the above picture is an example of Charlie's new ability to draw and recognize some letters. Something I am sure they are teaching him in school because I haven't even begun to try that at home. The "H" in the upper left of the picture is mine, all the others, and the "W's" are Charlie's. He most certainly headed for greatness with this kind of ability!
Now for the title...Aaron had his Bris on Monday. This is the ceremony where Jewish babies are circumcised. It is normally done on day 8 of life but because of his early arrival, time in the hospital, etc, we waited until he was gaining weight and doing well on the monitor. So it was Monday. It was done in our house (as was Charlie's). It was a nice affair and my mom was super generous bringing and preparing all the food. Aaron fared well, and Charlie was convinced that the party was for him and got confused when there were no presents given...that's my boy! Above, he Charlie is being an angel and looking super handsome.

Mommy and her boys...does it get any better than this?

He looks concerned...do you think he knows what's about to happen?!

With his godmom Aunt Christy...he'sending good vibes to her little peanut she's growing in her belly!

Right after...not too upset...baby that is, I was a bit shaken!

With Aaron's godparents...my sister and her hubby Michael.

Aaron is doing very well. We went to the doctor's this morning for a weight check and he weighs 6lbs 15oz~ that's a really great weight gain! He also got Synagis (RSV vaccine) for which we were very grateful to have approval from our insurance company. It's one shot per month through RSV season (6 months long) and each shot cost $1000.00. But hopefully Aaron will get the protection and not end up getting RSV which is what led to Charlie getting asthma so young. He got RSV when he was 4 months old and never had the vaccine.

Aaron is eating well, has less choking/blue episodes during eating, and therefor sets off the monitor less and less. He loves his bassinet and sleeps for good 3 hour stretches in it. He's not such a fan of the swing or the bouncy seat. If he's fussy and has been fed and has a dry diaper, all I do is put him in his bassinet and he's quiet...kind of nice! He's a bit more high maintenance than Charlie thus far. He knows what he wants and how he wants certain things (Charlie was chill however and wherever he was...almost too easy)...but Aaron sleeps well and calms easily once you figure out the problem!

Charlie is doing well. We had two days last week where we had some major issues (coloring on the walls, pooping his pants on purpose) but we've ironed out some kinks in our approach to him and he seems to be doing okay. He's also back in school this week and we are all (Charlie included) happy about that! He's still there 4 days a week and we won't make him full time until later in the summer, maybe fall.

Alex has two big job interviews coming up so please keep him in your thoughts...he wants and needs a job and we are hoping for anything at this point!

I am doing well, feeling better about my ability to manage everything...learning to let some things go (the beds don't need to be made EVERY day, there can be some dishes in the sink at times, etc. ) and physically I feel great. I am hoping the doctor clears me to start running again when I see her on Monday because I'm thinking that I might try running broad street next month...we'll see! Hope everyone is well and I'll get more pics up as i take them!

Happy birthday to my little 28 year old sister Christy and happy 3 week birthday to the little stinker who kept me on my toes all night last night (Aaron, not Alex!). He gave me a run for my money last night, but I managed a few hours of sleep...he has been really great thus far so this came out of left field for me! We had a busy week so far, I will post more later in the week, along with pictures...but wanted to recognize the important day that today is ( my sister is obsessed with her birthday and I might be hunted down if I did not recognize it publicly!)...oh, and yesterday was my mom's birthday! Happy birthday mom!

Pictures

A day that will live in infamy!

First, I have some cute pics...above, Charlie helping me feed Aaron when he came home...
Aaron's first bath at home. He screamed through the WHOLE thing!

SO, now on to the reason for the title of the post. On Tuesday, St. Patty's day 2009, Charlie had another set of ear tubes put in and he had his adenoids taken out. The morning started at 4:30am (earlier considering Aaron was up eating every 3 hours) but we got to CHOP, he did very well considering how much he hates the "hopspital". The giggle juice kicked in this time so he was totally out of it when they took him from us. I remained a mess but he was flying high! No crying. We thought our day was going to be a breeze at this point! The surgery went fine, no issues, and when we were called back to see him, that's when our day took a turn. He was fine, but in alot of pain and screaming and kicking and telling me how much he hurt and during all this I'm taking a beating in my belly where I recently had surgery (C-section) from trying to hold him and calm him. The whole ordeal of recovery took about two hours. We got him home, lavished him with gifts (see the above picture) and settled in for a day of recovery.

My mom watched Aaron the whole time we were at CHOP which was great, I knew he was in great hands. Charlie colored a bit and hung out most of the day, gradually getting more and more energy to talk and hang out and eat. He threw up once which my mom and Alex cleaned up while I slept with Aaron. Above you'll see him falling asleep while coloring...he would not lay down and sleep. Stubborn 3 year old!

Daddy bonding with Aaron.

Then things got ugly. Around 5:30, Charlie was running and we were amazed by his resilience. No need for pain meds, eating decently, peeing, etc. We were told to expect a few days at least of a miserable child and 7-14 days before he was back to his normal energy level. We were still trying to keep him calm but boy was he raring to go! Well, he tripped over the rug and slammed his head on the corner of a piece of furniture and immediately screamed. Long story short, he had a not the size of a real egg on his head and screamed for a long time. He went from screaming to sleeping and then we couldn't rouse him. Pinching, sternal rub, he was out cold. We called the pediatrician and in the time it took her to call us back, he was awake and answering questions. Above, you'll see me icing his boo boo while he was resting his eyes...at this point he had woken up. The doc didn't like that it took so long to rouse him, so she asked us to head to CHOP's ER. Really! We were going back to the hopspital. 4 hours later, we were home. It was 10:30 pm and we were all beat. He's fine, we were instructed to look for head injury symptoms, and we came home. We came home and Aaron had an apnea (no stimulation but set off the monitor), and we found that our freezer and fridge were both non-functioning. We went to bed around midnight, praying for today to be a better day. It has been. Thanks God for my mom and all of her help. We would have been completely lost without her. She left this morning after making us all eggs and toast. What an amazing mom!

Here's Charlie reading to Aaron as he swings his cares away this morning. He's had two more apneas today, no stimulation needed. The monitor is a pain but it's nice to know what's going on!

Charlie giving Aaron a kiss before Aaron and I left for his first Dr. appointment.

HE gained weight and is now 6lbs on the doctors scale. Hooray! We go back in one week for another check.

Aaron chilling out in Rittenhouse square today as we took our first family outing today! Such a difference from yesterday!

Pictures of the last few days...

The above picture was taken before I left for work on 3.3.09...I realized I hadn't had a belly shot in a few weeks and had Alex take this one...little did I know I'd not have this belly anymore 24 hours later! Crazy how that happens!
Here's Charlie making a "Welcome Home Baby Aaron" sign. This is when we thought he was coming home Sunday. Charlie had a great time making it!

Aaron looking cute in his Pooh outfit. Later it turned into a poo outfit and he had to be changed.

Sticking his tongue out...attitude already!

And here are the boys meeting for the first time! This was just two hours ago and now...

We are home! Charlie is so excited (as are we) and he is so in love with Aaron. He wants to be right next to him and didn't want us to leave him upstairs to nap. He has read him several books (all that start out, "once upon a time") and has watched me feed him quite intently while exclaiming that he does not want to eat baby Aaron's milk. Fine with me!

Sidney has been checking him out too...

And my favorite picture ever, ever, ever. Our family is complete and I am so happy. Thank you everyone for your well wishes and encouraging thoughts! We welcome visitors but please ask that if there is anyone even remotely sick or with a sick person in the house, please stay away...he's tiny and not gaining great weight and getting sick could be terrible for him! Thanks again!

Sunday's not the day...bummer!

So from now on, I won't post anything on this damn blog until it has happened! He's not coming home tomorrow. Friday afternoon, after we had our monitor training, the boy (Aaron that is) decided that he would scare the crap out of me and have a big blue spell. His heart rate dropped and he was BLUE and his oxygen saturation was 32 at its lowest. I grabbed him and he didn't have any milk he was refluxing or spitting up, but had a nice sized boogie in his nostril. After suctioning him and relieving him of two large plugs in his nose, he was pink and SCREAMING. Talking to the doctor today, it was decided that if he had been struggling to breathe or telling us in some way (other than turning blue) that his nose was plugged, they would send him home. But his apparent shut down in response to such a stress shows that he's still too immature to go home. They are more comfortable because I am a preemie nurse, but I asked them to treat me like I was Joe Schmo off the street. They don't really want him home yet. So he stays. I was bummed because I miss him like crazy and it's so hard to be pulled between him and charlie. But I know he's in the safest place, I know they take great care of him, and I know that in the grand scheme of things, the past two weeks will be a mere blur in ten years. SO I spent all day with him, feeding him and changing him, letting him sleep and getting some cuddle time in. We are also giving him preemie formula every other feed because he's not gaining great weight. breast milk is best, but preemie formula has more calories...so he's getting 50/50. I'm not nursing him right now because every time I do, he loses weight, even if it's only once a day. We'll work on the real deal when he's home and bigger and more vigorous. I hate pumping (especially in the middle of the night) but I will do anything for this little guy...plus it prepares me for broken sleep once he's home!

Charlie had a great day with Alex today. They went to the zoo with friends of ours this morning and then to his cousin Ethan's birthday party this afternoon. He will be one tired little guy when he gets home! Hope everyone out there is well!

Coming home soon!

Aaron has made great strides this week and we are so excited...he may come home sunday!

Peekaboo!Little chicken legs...his onesie reads "Kosher for Passover"...passover is coming up soon, very appropriate I thought!


Daddy having a serious talk with him that went something like this, "listen little guy, you have to stop bradying...no more of that, it scares the sh-- out of me...especially when I'm holding you...just don't do it anymore and you can have all the candy you want once you get older!"

This is Charlie's reaction to hearing that baby Aaron (he pronounces it "errand") won't be home for several more days. I feel bad because every post for the past two weeks has been about me and the baby. Charlie still lives with us and we love him dearly. He's doing quite well despite all the upheaval...with some obvious acting out, but I have been acting out myself...who can blame him! It's very confusing! He brought pictures of Aaron to school today for show and tell and asks me every morning where he is. Something I totally spaced on and am now getting very nervous about is that his surgery is on tuesday and I have done nothing to prepare him or myself for it. I guess we'll do that this weekend. How do you prepare a 3 year old? Any ideas or experience? When he was 2, there was less awareness. Now at 3, he knows something's up and wants explanations. Any thoughts or ideas would be greatly appreciated. Charlie is also still loving puzzles. He's up to a 100 piece puzzle that my mom got him. He needs some help but is more patient with it than most adults would be. He just concentrates so hard and is so excited when it's complete!

Found his thumb...

Visiting with Aunt Christy (who has a little peanut growing inside her right now!!!!!)

Snuggling with my oxygen free, feeding tube free baby boy. He's back up to 5lb 11oz after dropping to a low of 5.8. His head is so big that it makes his skinny little body look even skinnier!

Snuggled by Zayda (Alex's dad) after his bath yesterday...

Hangin' with Grandpa who hasn't seen him since he was born because he was away on a business trip (he actually postponed his flight so he could be there when he was born and left that next morning...what a grandpa!).

Alex and I are headed to the hospital in a little bit for monitor training and then he will hopefully come home sunday. He "woke up" two nights ago and decided that eating by mouth was so much cooler than having his food put in a tube that went into his belly. He scarfs his feeds down now and when I called in the middle of the night last night to check in, he was waking up early for his feeds and they were giving him a little extra to satisfy him. Today, they will put him on an "ad lib" schedule, letting him eat what he wants, when he wants, with a minimum, and if he gains weight the next two nights and passes his car seat test, he's ours! As Charlie often says, "hop hop hooray!"