What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger!

In my last post I thought things were going to get calmer and boy was I ever wrong. Since my last post, things got even crazier. I woke up with Mastitus on Saturday, April 14. Mastitus is a breat infection causing the breast to be painful to tough, hot, and hard as well as giving you a fever and flulike symptoms. Since it was Saturday I had to get in touch with the on call doctor, which actually was my doctor and get an antibiotic. Thankfully, by Saturday night I was much, much better. I had also called Titus' pediatrician on Saturday because he was throwing up a few of his meals, congested, and starting to cough and wheeze some. Well, he just got worse and by Wednesday when we took him for his well baby checkup, he was put in the hospital for RSV, a respitory viral infection. He was on oxygen and breathing treatments. We were there until Saturday morning. Justice stayed with my mom. I was up at the hospital mostly by myself except for Ron visiting me for a couple of hours each night and I would go home for 30 min. or so. Since I am Titus' food source I couldn't be gone for long, although when your baby is in the hospital you really don't want to be away anyway. So, things are finally starting to get back to normal now. Justice is completely well since Thursday of last week and Titus is well on his way. The doctor on Monday couldn't hear anything in his chest and his oxygen level was great. I prayed that God would send us a season of health and joy. It was a very trying 2 1/2 weeks there, but God got us through and proved He loves His children and will provide the grace and peace to get through any circumstances. I am just so thankful to have two healthy boys right now and do not take any good day for granted.

On other notes, Titus is smiling so much lately. I love that look he gives me of just sheer wonder. He is really starting to look at toys now that are above him in his swing, baby carrier and playmat. He will smile at them and "talk." He is sleeping a little better now that he is feeling better. But, it takes him forever to fall asleep when he was up at his 9-10 o'clock feeding. He has to nurse for like an hour as he won't take a pacifier, I am the pacifier actually. Justice still doesn't pay much attention to his little brother. I am getting out more with both boys and it isn't too bad. Justice does pretty well anyway and as long as Titus is fed and changed we are okay. I still have not done grocery shopping and probably won't for awhile with both. Talk more later!

Back In The Sun

Sorry for the delay in a getting another post out. We have been dealing with the cruddies lately. Justice and Ron got bad sick since last weekend. Poor little Justice has really had it bad. Monday he woke up with a fever and it took three days to break. His nose has been a fountain of snot and continually coughing. I think he is is over most of it today and on the road to recovery. We took him to the doctor on Tuesday and he has been on an antibiotic, his 4th round since turning one. He is a trooper though. Not too much gets him down. He puts a smile on his face and plays through it all. So, we are heading back to normal hopefully. Titus is growing like a weed. As of a week ago he was 8 lbs. 13 ozs. He had gained 3 lbs. since birth. I am anxious to take him to get weighed next week. He was in preemies two weeks ago and is now almost out of his newborn clothes and we moved into size 1 diapers this past weekend. I can't believe it! His little arms are getting rolls and his tummy is just as round as it can be. Poor thing though, he has had so much gassiness and I am a little concerned about reflux. I will ask the doctor about that next week. He isn't spitting up so much, but he sounds like he is having some with some congestion, not cold like, gurgling noises, and painful crying around meals. On positive notes he began his social smiling on Sunday, 4/8/07, that was a blessing on Easter Sunday since it was so cold and we weren't able to go to church because Justice and Ron were sick. He is making more gooing noises. I just love it when he looks up at me gazingly, like I am the most important and amazing thing to him. There is nothing like it.

Updates on Everyone... I love being a mom of 2!

I just love this pic of Justice and Titus. He looks like a proud big brother. Justice will often do this thing where he names off the family members--Momma, Dadda,etc.--and now he says "Baby" too like he has accepted him into our family. It is so sweet. Tonight Titus started crying in his swing and Justice ran over to him and storoked his hair and said to him "Is Okay," how adorable is that! I love having two boys and am excited for the years ahead as they notice and get to know each other. Justice is like no kid I have ever been around, I know I am prejudiced, but I just think he is the best. He can now count to twelve and almost thirteen. His favorite numbers are seven and eleven. Often he will skip to eleven randomly. My mother keeps Justice a lot and when she talks on the phone with me she will say my name. Now he see her phone thinks that it is named "Emily" and says it over and over again when he sees it. Apparentely he likes my name. Really any names with 'L' he loves like my mom's dog is Lilly, his Mimi's dog is Lulu and his cousin in Luke and in particular he loves those as well as his favorite numbers. He loves to dance now and picks up his feet and spins around getting dizzy. He plays peek-a-boo in a cabinet in the kitchen, first pulling out the cereal boxes that are in there and climbs in. He is fascinated by planes and when he sees one he raises both hands in the air and yells "a pom." I just love him!

To the world of Titus now, he is just as special and I love him to pieces. I will often pick him up and just smell him. Oh, I can't get enough of that newborn smell and it goes away so fast. I just treasure these early days. Titus doesn't like to have on dirty diapers and gets real mad when he has one. Justice didn't care one bit. He has these two hour stretches occasionally when the only thing that soothes him is to nurse, a little hard for mommy and daddy really. Like today I was trying to bake something to take to a baby shower and he pulled one of these times. Not the best of timing, but in the newborn world it can come at any time. We have successfully taken him to Sunday School. Today he had his first bottle of pumped breastmilk during our Sunday School. I plan on giving him a bottle during church some. I don't want him to be a bottle baby. It was nice with Justice not having to wean him from the bottle. He went straight from nursing to a sippy cup. Titus is also taking the paci some, which is nice. In the car especially it is good to calm him down. I had a big first this week. On Thursday I took both boys to Wal-Mart by myself. It was very therapeutic and a big boost for me that I can get out with two in tow. Titus slept which made it a whole lot easier. I can do it!

We had our first big trip to the Lake this weekend to Mimi and Buddy's. Buddy is Uncle Ken. Justice was calling him Birdie for awhile, but we got him to switch since Uncle Ken wasn't too fond of the feminine name. Justice gave him this name because one day he was showing him the "birdies." We had a good time. Justice enjoys the outdoors so much. Daddy got to fish and momma got to socialize. Below is a pic of Titus and his Mimi and another picture of my Titus.

More later....