Having a Life...and coping

It is so refreshing to not be cooped up in the house anymore. For the first 3 weeks of Preston's life, I was at the house all day or in the hospital all day. Being able to get out and run errands and meet with friends gives life a whole new meaning. Yesterday I was brave and met up with a friend for breakfast. She has a newborn that is 1 1/2 days younger than Preston (but 4 lbs heavier....he's a brute!). The boys were doing great during the first hour or so while we caught up on each other's life. Then, Brayden started waking up to be fed. Somehow that triggered Preston wanting to be fed as well. I still don't have the breastfeeding in public down so by the time I got "situated" he was wailing. At that point, I couldn't get him calmed down and everyone in the restaurant was looking at us (or so I felt). I took him to the bathroom, changed his diaper (I love when places provide the not-so-sanitary-but-extremely-helpful changing stations), and fed him a little in there. As I was walking out a lady asked, "Is this your first?". I wanted to sarcastically ask her what gave it away but I smiled and said replied yes. (I do think I am going to get a shirt made that says, "Yes, this is my first!" so I don't have to answer that question all day) Once I got back to that table I was able to feed and hold him for awhile, which made him happy. Then I made the mistake of having to change positions because my arm had fallen asleep. That's all she wrote from that point on. My friend, whose baby was sleeping soundly, kept talking....albeit a couple decibels louder...like my son was not screaming at the top of his lungs. I tried rocking him, bouncing him, walking around with him. Finally, when nothing was working, I cut her off from whatever she was talking about (I hadn't been able to pay attention for the past 5 mins anyway) and told her we had to go. Wouldn't ya know, as soon as we paid, gathered up our stuff and got the lil guys in their carseats, Preston stopped crying?! At that point I was worn out so he slept the whole way home and I slept when we got home. Would I change going out with friends for a second? Not on your life!!

Gotta Love It

Yesterday I was miserable and could understand why stay-at-home parents could have a nervous breakdown. Preston wouldn't nap and nothing could console him. In fact, I went to bed with a migraine, praying that I could just get 2 hours of solid sleep. Prayers answered....Preston slept in his cradle for 3 hours solid and then in our bed for another 3 hours so all in all I got a good night's sleep (and my migraine disappeared). Today Preston has been his usual happy self, entertaining himself with his chair and mobile and napping like he did last week. It's given me a chance to get things done around the house and enjoy the quietness that I haven't had the past couple days. What I REALLY love, though, is that he is getting the PICC line out in 1hour, 13 minutes....not that I'm counting or anything. We will no longer be on an IV schedule and he won't have the big IV board hitting him in the head every time he moves his little arm. That being said, we have been very impressed with our pediatrician's care. I doubt it's because he's a family friend, but he has gone above and beyond during this whole ordeal. He visited Preston in the hospital almost every day, morning and evening. He has also called several times to make sure things are going good at home since we came home from the hospital. He even called last night, while on vacation, to check in and make sure we have his cell number in case a problem arises. It's hard to find good doctors that care so much about their patients anymore so we are blessed to have found a GREAT one that cares so much about our son!

Beautiful New Addition

Rob decided that he didn't have the time needed to work with Dixie. So he began the hunt for a new, more experienced horse. After a few months of searching he found one, a beautiful paint named Diamond. As luck would have it, Diamond's owner was interested in Dixie so she and Rob agreed to an even exchange. He borrowed our neighbor's horse trailer and headed out early this morning to make the trade. Upon his return, he had a beautiful paint mare with him. The horse has been to a trainer, is ridden a lot and is ready for team penning which Rob wants to get involved in. Rob is still deciding on a new name for her and is going to take out the braid in her tail, but I am really excited to have her as I was never a big fan of Dixie's. Plus, I think paints are the most beautiful type of horse so I think she's gorgeous!

Banning Burritos

A couple friends came over for lunch yesterday and brought me one of my favorites....a huge, fatty, loaded bean burrito. Needless to say, it was delicious! However, I paid the price for eating it later. Poor little Preston was up all night with a tummy ache. The only thing I can think of that caused it was my lunch because I had a bland dinner and have not touched caffeine in forever. Anyway, he finally fell asleep at 3:45am but then woke up again a few hours later with a lot of gas and more poopy diapers. (I lost count of how many diapers I changed last night and this morning) I rubbed his back for quite awhile, trying to give him some relief. He finally fell back to sleep at 10 and he and I both slept for a couple hours. He just woke up and I gave him formula, hoping that would help. He seems to be feeling better but is still a little "gassy". I've learned my lesson, though... no more bean burritos for awhile!

Fun Times Ahead

I don't know what I'm looking more forward to....not having to do any more IV treatments or being able to get out in public with Preston. Either way, I'll get to enjoy both as of Sunday. This week I've had to time my appointments and errands based on Rob's work schedule, meeting him after work to take Preston so I could get things done. Since he still can't be out in public, I have two friends coming up to the house tomorrow for lunch. I didn't want to chance taking him to a restaurant. Getting his IV out comes at a perfect time because next week we'll have family here to meet Preston for the first time. My brother, Uncle Josh, and my sister-in-law, Aunt Ashley, will be coming to town for a day trip on Tuesday. Then on Friday Rob's parents, Grandpa Bobby and Mimi, are coming for a week. I'm so excited that Preston finally gets to be part of the world! Now all we have to do is work out a new routine that doesn't involve IV treatment schedules and we'll be good to go.

P.S. Last night I kept Preston in his cradle all night long...a huge accomplishment for both of us!

Routines

Some may call it anal but I like to think of myself as structured. So, being the way I am, I am trying to get Preston on a routine. I've gotten to know him well enough now to know when we can do things and I'm starting to understand his cries as well. Our daily routine consists of waking up at 6am for an IV treatment. Since he is usually still sleeping this is when I eat breakfast, let the dogs out, check email, etc. After his treatment he and I both lay down until 8:30 or 9am. At this point he usually wakes me up because he's hungry. After feeding him and changing his diaper, I can usually put him back in our bed (surrounded by pillows of course) and get household chores done- laundry, cleaning, vaccuuming, washing bottles.... After his next feeding he likes to be held for awhile so this is usually my time to talk to him, read to him, sing to him (he's already learned how to cover his ears!) or pray with him. When he goes down for his afternoon nap, around noon, I get time to myself so that's usually when I take a shower and eat lunch. He dozes off and on throughout the afternoon and evening, but when he's not sleeping he likes to be cuddled. His treatment at 10pm tops off the day for us. Once that's over at 11 I put him in his cradle and drop into bed myself. Unfortuantely, I've gotten into the bad habit of putting him in bed with us at some point during the night. It's usually when I bring him to bed to feed or rock him, at which point I usually fall asleep. I awake a few hours later to find a bundle of joy still in my arms. I need to break that habit. Maybe next week when the IV is out and we have to create a whole new routine!

All in a Day

I used to laugh and think, "What kind of parent are you?" when friends with newborns would tell me they don't have time to clean their house or even take a shower. Now I'm starting to understand why. Preston is 2 1/2 weeks old and this is the first normal day we've had together....just me and him without any dr appts or major errands (He's still not supposed to be out in public). Our "normal day" has consisted of me washing bottles, feeding him, changing him, holding him and administering the IV treatment. I have not had time to get the list of things done that I had planned on accomplishing. I had time to take a shower but not put on make-up...which usually takes less than 5 mins. I started a load of laundry and it's still in the washing machine. I vaccuumed an area where the dogs had destroyed a stick and planned to stop there but it actually soothed Preston so I vaccuumed the entire upstairs. Never have I felt such a sense of accomplishment with vaccuuming! Our house is not at all as clean as I would like it, but there's something more important than a clean house and that is a happy, healthy baby! So, if you happen to stop by some day and it's not the cleanest, just take one look at our adorable son and you'll know why.

Home Sweet Home

It was 91 degrees when we walked in the house earlier, we are all in the most minimum amount of clothing possible at the moment (Preston is only in a diaper), we're too hot to sleep and I couldn't be happier! I would take this situation over an air conditioned hospital room any day of the week right now. I woke up to a nurse coming in the hospital room this morning, telling us she was going to take Preston to see if she could get the picc line in. Five hours later we got him back and it was successful! That means we got to come home, but will have to do his IV here for the next week. I am nervous about it because I don't want to get anything wrong but I am ecstatic that we are in the comfort of our own home. Hopefully this means we can get on some kind of routine now. The poor lil guy was on a bili blanket for the first week of his life and in the hospital the second week. I'm dreading going into the third week for fear of what it holds in store for us. Actually, I'm praying that the worse is behind us and Preston has had enough medical excitement to last for the first five years of his life. We've all had enough of hospitals, sleepless nights, needles and prodding nurses. Whatever the future holds, I am thankful for our hot house and comfy bed......and no nurses waking us up!

Enough is Enough

This week has been trying in more ways than one. We've been to 2 hospitals, taken an ambulance ride, have watched our son been poked and proded more times than we can count and have had many sleepless nights in an uncomfortable hospital bed. Today we were supposed to go home because they were going to put a picc line in Preston so he could get an IV at home. But, the poor lil guy doesn't have any "workable" veins so they couldn't do it. The upside in this is that we get to stay in our safe little bubble one more night, having nurses help us as needed. The downside is that I may snap at another nurse or cry uncontrollably....both of which I've done in the last 24hours. We had a nurse last night that was just trying too hard. When she got Preston crying after I had settled him down, I kinda lost it and told her to get out of our room. Crying uncontrollably, I went out and apologized. I'm just frustrated that we can't hold our lil guy very easily, have no routine whatsoever and don't get adequate sleep. But, we'll get through this and enjoy parenthood soon enough I guess!

Update

Our pediatrician came in this morning to check on Preston. He said he's glad things are going as well as they are. Due to our insurance, we are getting transported (via ambulance) to St. Mary's this afternoon. Neither of us are happy about it because we didn't leave on good terms after I delivered Preston. But, for our son's sake, we'll make the best of it. As of now, our doctor is saying that Preston will be on an IV for a couple more weeks. He wants to make sure that the virus is completely cleared up before releasing him. Two weeks seems like a long time but I know that a year or two from now we'll see it as a small bump in the road. As always, Preston is being a great little boy. He's eating a lot and growing like a weed! I am so impressed with the tough lil cowboy we have. He is such a fighter!

Answered Prayers

God answered the many prayers that went up to Him the past 24 hours!! Preston is going to be okay! The nurse came in to say that the tests came back that he does have a virus but that it didn't get into his central nervous system or to the fluid around his brain. So, he will be on antibiotics for at least another day or so to clear up the virus but that it will not have any long term effects on our lil guy!! We could not be happier!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks for your prayers and support. It's nice to know we have such a great support system in raising our son and that we serve a God that answers prayer!

Silver Lining

Both of my boys are napping admist monitor going off and nurses coming in and out of the room. So, I thought I'd use this "quiet" time to get some of my thoughts out to the public. As you probably already know, our son was admitted to the hospital last night because of a virus. To be honest, the whole thing really sucks (sorry mom and dad but that's the only word to describe it). I keep thinking, "I am supposed to still be pregnant. If I was maybe none of this would be happening.". But, it is and doctors/hospitals/needles/sleepless nights have become a reality in our family. When you picture having a child you don't picture not being able to hold them whenever you want or 5 cords attached to their little feet or manuevering an IV just to feed them or a doctor asking you to leave while he performs a spinal tap or so many pokes and prodes that the nurses can't find another place to draw blood. But, like I said, that's our reality at the moment so I'm trying to find the positive (give me a second to dry the tears so I can see the screen enough to keep typing).
So, the positive in all of this.........we have the best baby in the world!! He has been pushed, poked, proded, held, examined, etc by more people than we can count in the past 11 days of his life yet he hardly cries (unless he loses his "paci"). I can still hold him so when he looks up at me with that gaseous smile it makes my day all better. He's eating more than he has been so that's really good. Preston has a great sense of humor like his daddy. When the doctor gets done checking him, every time, without fail, as we are thanking the doctor he farts really loud in the doctor's direction as if to say, "That's what I think about all of this!". On top of having the best baby in the world, we also have the best pediatrician. He jumped on this situation really fast with both feet. He made calls to get us into a better hospital than the one I delivered in because he wanted the best care for Preston. He called last night and came by first thing this morning to check on him and give me a hug. He also got the best PICU working with us. This PICU doctor doesn't seem to sleep. When I asked the nurse about it she said that he very rarely sleeps while working because his mind is always going, trying to find ways to help his little patients. It's refreshing to know that there are still people out there that take their job to heart, wanting to give 110%. And to top it all off, we have been blessed with the best family and friends in the world. We've had several calls, texts and emails asking how Preston is, offering help, sending encouraging words and most importantly, praying. So, thank you for all that you've done during this difficult time. Someday I hope to look back at this as a growing experience, one that is just a memory because our little "Boo Man" will be perfectly healthy. But, for now I need to go wipe my tears and blow my nose because my boys wake up!

What An Afternoon!

Wow, this was some afternoon in the Herrington household. My parents left after lunch so I thought we'd have a quiet afternoon, maybe even squeeze a nap in. Man, I was so wrong! As soon as we got home Preston was hungry. While I was feeding him, Rob came in to say a neighbor was coming over to see Preston. Instead of just stopping in, she stayed for well over an hour. As soon as she left I went to change Preston's diaper, which turned into a disaster. All I need to say is that he pee'd ALL over himself. After changing his diaper some other neighbors came over to possibly buy Doc. I was trying to keep the dogs inside so they didn't get in the way outside. While they were wrestling underfoot, Preston would not stop crying. He wouldn't eat, didn't have a dirty diaper and wouldn't sleep. Just at the height of the "fun" another neighbor randomly showed up. Luckily, Preston stopped crying for a few minutes so she thought he was adorable. As soon as she left he started crying again. I put him down long enough to finish a load of laundry. He cried himself to sleep so I took advantage of that by getting a few more "chores" done around the house. Before I could even finish he started crying again. Being the smart person that I am, I waited until he stopped crying then took on the challenge of giving him his first real sponge bath. In hindsight, I wish I would've taken the newborn class the hosp offered because I have found out I don't know anything about the newborn bathing process and I'm sure many other things concerning newborns. Bath time turned into a lot of fun because he screamed the ENTIRE time! He was not a fan of getting his hair washed and the so-called Calming Lotion did not work magic in calming him down. Now, he is sitting here, looking angelic and I have the start of a migraine. My mom is gone and I have to do this on my own now....fun times ahead!!

How Do I Love Thee?

I don't know why this is titled the "Herrington Happenings". It should now be "Preston's Postings" or "Preston's Priceless Moments" because I have a feeling that the rest of us will not be a top priority to blog about anymore. That being said, I have a confession..... I've turned into "that" mom. When I used to babysit during my high school and college years I thought it was silly that parents would call home to check in on the kids. I thought that I'd never be that kind of mom that couldn't enjoy a nice dinner out without calling home. Tonight my mom offered to watch Preston so Rob and I could have a "date night". We went to Texas Roadhouse, which is close to the house (relatively speaking) and is usually pretty fast with their service. As luck would have it, tonight they were as slow as molasses. I nearly bit a hole in my cheek to keep from crying when the people next to us, who had been seated after us, got their meals before us. Rob and I ate in record time and were quick to pay the bill. As soon as we made it outside the hormones kicked in and I started crying. I couldn't wait to get home to our baby boy. Rob, being the patient husband, didn't understand my need for tears but was anxious to get home as well. Someday, I'm sure, we'll be ecstatic to get away for an evening. But, as of now, we can't seem to get enough time with our lil cowboy!!!

Work of Art

Ever get lost in a work of art, something so beautiful you can't take your eyes off of it? That's how it is with our son. But, I'm not the only one lost in his beauty. I notice that his daddy, his grandma Herms, his grandpa Herms and our friends all do the same. I could sit for hours looking at Preston, his long toes and fingers, his steel blue eyes, his peachfuzz covered body, his adorable smile, his light colored eyebrows, his purple long feet. I see his daddy's eyes, chin and feet (uh oh!). I see his mommy's nose and long toes. I get lost in his beauty frequently, spending hours admiring God's creation. It absolutely amazes me, blows my mind actually, to think that this little guy grew into what he is now just from two people who love each other. I think it's because he was created out of so much love that makes him such a work of art, a beautiful masterpiece! This work of art is a priceless piece to me, one I will love and cherish for a lifetime.

Little Pumpkin

Our little pumpkin literally looks like a pumpkin right now. We knew he was a little jaundice when we left the hospital but were told it was nothing to worry about. Luckily, we have a great pediatrician who knew otherwise. We told him at Preston's appt. that he wasn't eating regularly and after taking a quick look at him Steve (It's so nice having a family friend as our pediatrician!) told us it was because Preston is jaundice. He ordered blood work, which is a whole different blog since it took FOREVER to deal with. By the time we got home, Steve had called to say that Preston had it bad enough that he wanted to treat it with a special blanket. I naively thought it would be a blanket we would wrap him up in for the night. Unfortunately, I couldn't be more wrong! The medical company delivered it to us and informed us how to use it. It's like a paddle board that glows and is hooked up to this long tube. One look at it and we knew what kind of night it was going to be. Because I was in pain yesterday and haven't really slept since Friday, Rob graciously offered to stay up with him so I could get some sleep. I just woke up to feed but plan on getting a little more sleep before relieving Rob so he can get some sleep. In the morning, Rob is going to take Preston in for more blood work. I started crying when he got it done the first time because he was screaming and they had to poke him 3 times before they were successful. So I will stay home and let the boys bond at the lab. I'm glad this is a common thing for babies and that he'll most likely be okay after a night on the blanket. We have noticed that his appetite is back to normal so we are thankful for that. Hopefully our little pumpkin won't be resembling a pumpkin for much longer!

The Great Mix-Up

Once upon a time in a land far, far away a beautiful baby was created. On the day he was born everyone stood around oohing and aahing over him. He won the hearts of many the day he came into the world. But, he had a secret that only he knew about. The secret? Sometime before coming into the world he was never told about day and night. In his mind there was no difference. He knew that everyone thought he was the greatest gift so he could eat and sleep when he wanted. The first night into the world he was exhausted from his journey so he slept a lot. He only woke up when he was hungry, fooling his mommy into thinking that he knew the difference between day and night. But, the next night his secret was made known to the world. He had had a lot of tests and things done during the day so he had slept all day. But, that night he decided to stay awake to see what the night world was like. He kinda liked this night world and decided he would try it out the next night as well. His mommy was not happy to find out about this secret because she likes her sleep too much. The secret greatly affected his mommy but he was able to keep this secret from his daddy because his daddy didn't wake up through the 4 hours of crying....both by the mommy and the baby. So, now that the secret is revealed time will tell how this story line goes. Stay tuned......


***** All characters are fictional because this wouldn't really happen in the real world, would it????********

whats in a name?

well, he has finally arrived! robert preston herrington v was born at 3:57 p.m on july 3rd, 2009. im not much of a writer, but i thought id give this blogging thing a shot. i cannot believe how strong my wife is. she listened to the dr and did everything she was told to absolute perfection. i dont know if theres ever been a time in my life when i was so proud of someone. preston is so fortunate to be born to a such an amazing mother. she hasnt slept much, but everytime i look up at her she is smiling and glowing. preston had a rough 4th of july. he got circumsized, blood drawn, and numerous tests done. hes been a trooper though. i am so thankful to have such a healthy beautiful son. it means so much to me that he gets to carry on the herrington name after im gone. he has some big shoes to fill seeing as how he is named after such great men as my grandpa and my dad. it didnt really matter to me if we had a boy or a girl, but the only reason i was kinda hoping for a son was my name. whats in a name? well, for me, its everything. its the legacy of a man who was at pearl harbor on december 7, 1941 and survived the infamous day. it was a man who accompanied admiral byrd on the south pole expedition. it was a man who was an inventor, and dedicated his time to promoting his love of the outdoors. however what made this man my hero, was that above all of his accomplishments, he would tell you that the greatest thing in his life was his family. he was one hell of a man. thankfully for his way of life, it filtered on down to my dad. my dad raised me with the lessons his father taught him. to work hard, do everything to your full potential, and always put your family first. i only hope i will be half as good of a father as my dad has been to me. so, to me, a name means everything. if it werent for preston, my grandpa, dad, and my name would be gone forever when i die. now, thanks to preston, the names of these 2 great men will live on after were all gone. the herrington name is a legacy. a tribute to the greatest generation. ive missed my grandpa everyday since the day he left us on april 9, 2001. but i dont think ive ever missed him more than i do right now. i know hes looking down smiling at his great grandson, knowing his name will live on. now, my dad will have the chance to do what my grandpa did for me. i know he cant wait! nor can i. thanks dad for all that youve taught me, all the love, and never giving up on me. i dont think a man ever really understands how much a son really knows how much his father loves him, until that son has one of his own. so, whats in a name? everything that i am. welcome preston.

Thoughts to Ponder

For the past week my first thought of each morning has been, "Will today be my last day without a child, with freedom to do what I want on my schedule?" "To go where I want when I want?" Then, with a little anxiety, my thoughts turn to, "Am I ready to be a mom? Do I have what it takes to me a mom? How will I deal with a life being so dependent on me?" Sometimes it hits me full force that I will be a mom, someone who is bound to another with limitations for my own life...at least for the next 18 years. Rob and I spend money how we choose without having to worry about someone else's needs. We go where we want when we want without having to worry about a diaper bag, a toddler, baseball practice schedules. We have so many freedoms right now.
Don't get me wrong. I am very excited to become a mom. I'm excited to meet our son, see what he looks like, watch how he grows, teach him life lessons, cuddle with him, meet his needs, listen to his giggles. The list goes on and on from the day we welcome him into the world until the day he spreads his wings and makes it on his own in the world.
I'm also excited to lose the belly. I am not excited about not being able to feel him move anymore but I am looking forward to sleeping on my stomach again, having a bigger wardrobe, not getting winded when taking a few steps. So, as you can see, I am excited, relieved, anxious and absolutely thrilled about these last few days. So, with today possibly being my last day of freedom, I will enjoy going where I want when I want, creating last memories as "Jen" without the added title of "mom".

This May Be the Day???

I was up for 3 hours last night with consistent contractions. Man, did they hurt!! Finally at 3:45am I was worn out and they subsided enough that I could go back to sleep. Today I have a dr appt and if I am any further along I am going to ask the doctor if I can just go to the hosp. I really don't want to deal with the pain I had last night all over again. If they can give me drugs at this point I'll take them! I'm going to head down the hill in the next hour or so because I don't want to chance having to drive down the mountain and dealing with contractions all at the same time. Lucky for me I found a great donut shop so I will hang out there until my appt at 11:30. We'll keep everyone up to date if this is in fact the day Preston decides to make his debut!

UPDATE: At my dr. appt today the doc told me that I am good to go. However, I am not officially 37 weeks until Friday so she is hoping I don't go into labor until then. (She also has the day off tomorrow and wants to deliver him.) She said if I have contractions like I had last night then I need to come in sooner rather than later. I told her I didn't want anymore false hope and she said at this point if I go in they will admit me. (That's what she said last time so I am not getting my hopes up.) I asked her how much she guessed he weighed and she estimated about 7 lbs. If I would've made it until 40 weeks could you imagine the linebacker I would've given birth to? Guess I'm glad he's coming earlier than anticipated. We'll keep ya posted. Maybe I will get my 4th of July baby afterall!!!