Oh, So You Have 3 Babies At Home?

I hate that response. Hate it. I can't blame anyone in the medical field that gives it, but I still hate it. I mean, it should only be fair to assume that when given the amount of times I've been in the hospital -- and each time resulting in the delivery of a baby -- that yes, I would have 3 babies at home. However, in this family, that means nothing...

While at a doctor's appointment yesterday, I had to give the typical history to the nurse upon being seen. It's normal -- happens every time. Of course, depending on the questions they ask (and how detailed they want to get), it can get quite interesting. The first thing he asked was how many times I've spent any amount of time in a hospital. I said 3 -- all pregnancy-related. He quickly smiled and said, "Oh! So you have three babies at home!" I had to cut him off and say, "Not exactly." It's always fun going down this road, as I try to sum up our not-so-short history and they write it all down. As I briefly told him how we had 2 stillbirths/1 living, he paused, gave me a blank stare, and continued on. Heck, I didn't even bother going into detail on our miscarriage since that didn't require a hospital stay. It's always such a hassle having to explain it all...

So I got to the point of finally seeing my doc -- in hopes of finding out why I was horribly sick for 4 days and possibly get antibiotics -- and one of the first things she said was, "So I see you have 3 babies at home! How fun!!!" With a big huge smile. What? So the nurse decided to ask for the dates of each delivery (among other details), yet failed to write down anything beyond that? So I get to repeat myself all over again to the doc?! Thanks, bud. I'm sure if I saw my doc more than once a year, maybe this wouldn't sound odd and maybe she'd know me a little better. However, I've only seen this doc once before since moving here - we're still basically in that new-patient stage. So good times were had by all, as I got to retell our story briefly. Mind you, I wasn't expecting any of this to even come up in conversation -- after all, I was there for a totally unrelated reason...

I don't know why this bothered me more this time around than in the past, but it did. I suppose it has something to do with being in a general funk of missing our angels lately. Anything can trigger it, but the past week has been filled with new births, new pregnancy announcements and worst of all...new announcements of sweet little angels that were taken too soon. That's the worst. When you get a text or email, finding out yet another mom has joined the unfortunate ranks. You mix all of that with being stuck in bed for what felt like an entire week feeling horribly sick with nothing to do but look on Pinterest...yeah, you get constant moments of grieving over your babies that were gone too soon. I'm so thankful we have our sweet little Sam. I just wish so badly we also had Jacob, Jordan, and Olivia too.

If only we really did have "3 babies at home" or really...all 4 babies at home...

The Past Month...

So, I didn't really know what to title this. The past month has been good, bad, crazy...you name it. There was a visit with grandparents, a trip to Savannah, ongoing doctor appointments for Sam, James and I both took turns getting sick, plans for our next duty station changed as well as James' first time going away to play Army since Sam was born, and best of all...LOTS of time off for James, which meant TONS of family time! That last one was definitely welcomed with open arms! Oh, and how can I forget...Samuel took his first steps yesterday! (And now he won't stop!)

So to say the least, it's been a wild ride. I keep saying I want to get better at staying caught up on the blog, email, etc. but it never seems to happen. I seem to primarily get online with my phone these days and I hate to type on that thing, so I seem to quickly get behind. And since the office is most definitely not Sam-proof, it's an experience every time I decide to come in here. Ha. I love it though. While I may not be caught up, I'm enjoying my time with a crazy boy that won't sit still. He's into anything and everything and if it spells out dangerous, he's racing to it. Sweet Sam...

So to go into more detail on a few of the experiences of the past month...Samuel had a month-long ear infection that started when he visited the ER in early March. After 4 different medications (two of which had horrible side effects), I'm incredibly relieved to know that it's now GONE! To put it nicely, one of those medications is now on my hate list and I will ban it from ever being given to Sam again. I think we went through a month worth of diapers in less than a week during that ordeal. James was away playing Army while all of this happened, but thankfully, my parents were in town and my mom was INCREDIBLY helpful! I happened to get sick (too!) while they were here, so it was even more appreciated when I could barely get out of bed myself -- let alone give Sam 4-5 baths a day after each incident thanks to that medication. Can I just say how thankful I am that he's healthy again?! I hated seeing him like that. After the last medication, I think he officially loathes his pediatrician's office. Just calling his name from the waiting room resulted in a meltdown during his very last visit. Poor Sam! Here's hoping he doesn't have to go back until his 1 year well visit!

So with mentioning James being away...James went and played Army for two weeks at Ft. Bragg for the Civil Affairs selection. It was my little trial run for how life will be once we're back in a normal unit. I've been so spoiled having him home for an entire year that it was hard adjusting to what I once knew as normal. Seriously...until we moved here, he had been away more than he had been home in the 8 years we had been married. If he wasn't away training, he was deployed...or so it felt. So for him to be home every single night since moving here, it was a bit of a reality check with him leaving. Unfortunately, the selection process didn't work out as we had hoped. We're not really that bummed about it, but timing couldn't have been worse. James caught a really nasty virus right before he was supposed to leave and while the steroid shot at the ER helped, he wasn't able to really get back to the shape he was in before it hit in time for selection. Oh well. As long as James is happy, I'm happy...and he seems pretty happy about going back to Armor. Soooooo...now we wait. We've been waiting...for two weeks now. We still don't have orders and have absolutely no idea where we're going to get stationed, but I HOPE we'll find out soon! It's about to drive me batty! I'm a planner and I need/want to plan out where we'll live, etc. Oh, the life of a military family, right? Constant changes and too many unknowns to count. Good times...

Aside from all that madness, we decided to take a last minute getaway to Savannah last weekend. It was fabulous! Samuel experienced the ocean for the first time, which was priceless! That handsome boy enjoyed it so much! After we went, we agreed that we'd like to take him down to Destin, FL before we move. However, I'm not so sure whether or not that'll work out. We'll see. Either way, it was a great family trip!

I've now lost my train of thought and after seeing the clock, I know I need to head to bed. So...I'll leave you with pictures -- first from the iPhone and then the good camera...

Samuel with his Grandpa Grant...

6 teeth, and I think #7 is on its way...

(taken a couple weeks ago)

His reaction to, "Ouch!!!! No, you don't bite mommy!!!!"

PS. He thinks it's hilarious when I bite him back, so that clearly doesn't work. I feel like I have Jaws in the house. He surfs by the couch and if I have a foot hanging off, he takes a bite out of it -- crazy child!

Anyways...

James let him try his 100% fruit Popsicle...

After a hard day at work...

Bummed he didn't get offered any ice cream at Leopold's in Savannah...

Paula Deen's cooking? No thanks, I'll take a bite out of this place mat instead...

Yo Gabba Gabba coming to the rescue on our drive back to Columbus...

The nurse felt so bad for him after receiving his first of 3 antibiotic shots that he received his first sugar-free sucker...

Poor Sam felt so sick (102.1 temp) from the shot that all we did was cuddle and watch Yo Gabba Gabba -- yes, it was the only thing to comfort him while he whimpered in pain. Poor baby...

(notice, he cuddled with Olivia's gift from Afghanistan -- the pink stuffed camel)

After shot #2. Glad daddy was there to help soothe him!

Just before shot #3, but after receiving the good news that his ears were no longer infected! Yayyyy!!!!

After proudly dumping his storage cube of toys out...

Researching the Gordon Biersch rewards program...

Now, if you're still reading, here are a few of our Savannah pics...

Can you believe August 9th will be 10 YEARS of marriage for us?! Oh, how I love this man...

While the trees are beautiful, all I could think about were chiggers -- freaks me out!

Hi, beautiful blue-eyed boy!

Sam looks like he got drunk off of puffs while at the brewery...

Love these two...

Girl Scout lemon sandwich cookie ice cream at Leopold's. Does it get any better than that?!

As usual, we loved just walking the streets. The historic district is beautiful!

Is it just me, or does the location of the Forrest Gump bench make you want to hum the intro song, too?

Okay, now I want to watch the movie again...

For anyone wanting to try Paula Deen's cuisine, it's good, but not worth waiting in line all day! Luckily, we hit it at just the right time and had no wait, but that's not the norm...

Someone loves playing with mommy's phone...

And cuddling with daddy...

A first for Sam...

He LOVED it!

Remembering his older siblings -- Jacob, Jordan, and Olivia...

A family shot...

I could sit in the shade and listen to the waves all day long...

Mmmm....leather...

Vincent Van Gogh and pizza...perfect combination!

Savannah's such a beautiful place...

9 Months...

I must admit...sitting here thinking about Samuel's 9 month update is somewhat bittersweet. It's so fun seeing all the changes in our little man, but almost sad seeing how fast time is passing us by! I mean, seriously...How is it that we're just 3 short months away from a birthday party for our little miracle?! I can't believe our little man is 9 months old already...

With turning 9 months old, Samuel made sure to add a little excitement into the mix. Not only did he get to enjoy a visit with his Oma and Opa, but he also got to experience his very first visit to the ER at 3am. What started out as teething symptoms -- he has four teeth cutting all at once right now -- resulted in a double ear infection and sore throat. The poor kid! Of course, being the loving child that he is, he made sure to share it with us. Ha. James and I both ended up spending the week becoming best friends with Tylenol Flu while Sam recovered. Good times.

Aside from a little illness though, Samuel has been his normal, happy, crazy self. As of his 9 month check up, he's in the 60th percentile in both height and weight (20lb 4oz, 28 3/4 in) and is exactly where he should be developmentally. He is now exploring the world of cut up veggies, peek-a-boo, and many attempts at walking. Samuel apparently has the squirrel-like ability to store food in his cheeks, as we keep finding cut up cooked carrots in random places hours after dinner. Perhaps in the coming days, he will find interest in not only chewing on the veggies, but also swallowing them rather than storing them. Ha.

The best update of all is that we're on day two of successfully sleeping all night in the crib! I can't remember if I've talked about it before, but ever since our visit to Indy over Christmas break, Samuel has absolutely REFUSED to sleep in his crib. He was a champion with it before Christmas, but for whatever reason, that all changed when we arrived back in town. You would think we were putting him in prison -- or a bed of broken glass and nails -- with the way he would react the second we laid him in his bed. All of that resulted in nearly three months of co-sleeping, but hopefully that has officially ended! Don't get me wrong, I think we have all enjoyed our little stint of co-sleeping, but it made getting Sam to nap a bit more difficult and overall, I feel more comfortable with him in his bed. So here's to teeth marks on the wooden crib (since with becoming more comfortable with his crib, he has also found joy in sharpening his teeth on the wood) and a peaceful sleep for all.

With that being said, here are a few pictures from the last week at the Moore house...

Our little hoodlum trying to steal the Wii sensor bar...

Quality time with Oma...

Telling Opa a story...

One proud papa...

Who would've thought he was as sick as he was at this time -- just hours before our trip to the ER...

Yep...he definitely has Opa's ears...

The poor baby. What a rough night!

Oh, and don't let these photos deceive you. He may look content here with his new helmet, but let me tell you...the whole neighborhood heard him screaming when we attempted our first bike ride! Mr. Drama King, I tell you! :)

In the midst of all of Sam's toys, there's sweet Obadiah. I forgot to mention that he made sure not to feel excluded, as he took a trip to the puppy ER over the weekend, too! The poor boy scared the crap out of me when we found a lump the size of two tennis balls in his neck last Friday night! After thinking the worst, it turned out to (just) be a bad abscess that required a little minor surgery and antibiotics. Thank goodness! So Oba and Sam have both been on Amoxicillin over the last week...

And last, but not least...Samuel's 9 month chair pictures...

Getting a picture of him sitting nicely in the center of the chair is a thing of the past. Now it's standing on, or behind, or over the side, etc...

I love this sweet little boy of ours! He brings so much joy to our family -- so many smiles, laughs, and sounds with each new day. I absolutely love it!

One Sick Little Boy...

Well, my efforts of trying to not spread the sickness to Samuel failed. The poor little guy ended up having a pretty rough night on Thursday. So just as I was feeling better, he most certainly was not. It's so sad watching a baby feel so bad -- especially at only 7 1/2 weeks old! James and I ended up spending the night watching over him since he was so congested.

*Note to anyone that is currently pregnant* -- make sure you have your humidifier, nasal aspirator, and saline solution ready just in case you need it when that baby arrives. Upon calling a 24 hr clinic, that's what they recommended -- same with our ped office when we called Friday morning. We were already doing that, but with the running trend on that recommendation, if you don't already have those things, go get them.

Anyways. Since they weren't too concerned with Sam's serious congestion/difficulty breathing overnight, I called our ped Friday morning to schedule an appointment. They weren't too concerned either and said it would be worse bringing him in since he would be exposed to even more germs. So...Sam and I hung out all morning next to the humidifier -- that was until he spiked a fever! So I called back and demanded an appointment. It's a good thing I did! The poor little guy ended up having an ear infection in his left ear. Poor Sam. He was NOT happy when Dr. Mansfield checked it out.

Our ped was very glad we came in and even happier to hear that we never gave him any Tylenol since that could've masked his symptoms. When I told him that I had just recovered from the flu and that I probably passed the germs on to Sam, Dr. Mansfield smirked and said..."Well...I guess you can take some of the blame this time. Mom's always to blame, right?" Ha.

On a side note...while we were there, we also got to find out his current weight. It may sound strange, but I've been VERY curious to see how much he has gained since his last appointment! In fact, I've jokingly thought about taking him to the produce section at Publix to weigh him, ha. (I wouldn't do that, but it was tempting.) That Similac Neosure (high calorie formula) sure did its job! He weighed in at 9lb 14oz on Friday. That's a very impressive weight gain from his 2 week appointment. Our ped was even surprised and very happy with it -- so much so that he said sweet Sam no longer needs to be on that special formula. Woohoo! Our boy is doing a great job catching up. So glad to see that!

So with some good ol' amoxicillin in his system, we vegged out Friday night in front of a movie in hopes that Sam would feel better soon...

Here is Samuel with Obadiah in the background early Friday morning. Sweet Oba played the role of a caring big brother. He looked after Samuel and never left his side...

Sam and I taking a nap Friday afternoon...