shingles and baby

uggh......

you've got to be freaking kidding me....

shingles....

who the heck gets shingles at 32?  i'm pretty sure shingles is only for super old people, right?  (please... no comments about 32 actually being super old)  WRONG!!!  this girl right here - she has shingles, and it sucks!

i started noticing last week the left side of my abs were super sore, and so was the left side of my back.  i thought maybe it was from those 40+ crunches i decided to do on a whim of feeling like i needed to get my butt back into shape.  but i hated the thought that 40+ crunches could make me that sore.  i kept telling D that it didn't feel like the typical workout soreness, it felt like my skin and fat were actually aching.  but heck - who doesn't want their fat to ache, maybe that means its going to disappear ;o)

well on friday i noticed what looked like a spider bite.  just a few on the left half of my body - a few on my stomach and a few on my back.  by saturday morning it looked more like a rash, and D joked around asking why i was playing in poison ivy.  went over to my parents house about an hour later because my mom had an amazing garage sale find for baby C she wanted to share (we will keep that for another blog post - because it is freaking awesome!!)  i showed her my rash, and she couldn't help but mention that she thought it looked like shingles.  darn!!  now that she mentioned it i knew i had to go get it checked out, because i really didn't want to risk giving a 9 month old chicken pox.  off to urgent care i went. 

the doctor walked in, gave me one look and said... it's shingles!!  yipee!!!  he asked if i've been under any stress or if i'm getting enough sleep.  ummm... i'm a new mom.  i would say there is a small amount of stress and lack of sleep that goes along with that.  duh!!

he explained to me that once you have had the chicken pox as a child, it doesn't completely leave your system.  it remains dormant in your body, and if/when your body becomes run down and your immune system is compromised the virus can come back in the form of shingles.  it is more common for older people because they are often already immunodeficient, but stress and exhaustion can also exacerbate the virus.

of course my first question was "what about breastfeeding?"  he said that everything was okay in terms of breastfeeding, and in fact the antibodies i was creating would be passed on to C through my breast milk.  i would need to take extra caution in making sure that i didn't let the shingles rash touch C's skin, and i would need to take extra precautions to keep my hands clean.  the doctor and my lactation consultant cleared me on the medications i am taking, and i am just making sure i create an extra barrier using my old belly band from while i was pregnant.  i wear it beneath my normal clothes.

the pain hasn't been nearly as bad as it could have been.  the worst part is that my little guy wants to be near me at all time.  mainly, he just wants to crawl all over me.  i'm like his personal jungle gym.  when he rubs up against the areas that are affected it really really hurts.  keeping him away has been really hard.  i'm hoping that the rash will be gone in just a few more days and i can go back to tickling and cuddling my little guy!!

in to everything

we went from crawling, to sitting on his own to pulling himself up in the matter of a week.  crazy how fast they can pass those developmental milestones. i feel like my entire world got a lot more complicated now that i have to watch every little thing that C does.  he is crawling everywhere, and finding every tiny bit of dirt and crumbs imaginable on the floor.  and once he finds it you can guess straight where it goes... to his mouth!!  yummy!!

it has been so much fun to watch him develop and grow.  i feel like i can see the wheels in his brain turn.  he is so inquisitive and is just watching how this world works.  all this exploration sure does make mommy exhausted ;o)  ha ha!!!

Where to pick up!?!?

so life got busy... i mean really busy!!  i knew that having a little one would turn my world upside down in the best way possible, but i never expected to be this ridiculously busy.  remember, at one point i was a working mama.  i thought that this SAHM stuff would be easy, and give me lots of time to blog and do crafts and clean and well... pretty much be martha stewart.  boy was i wrong :o)  i do have quite a few old posts that i've written but still need to post, but for the most part i just decided to pick up here.  here, at 8 months 3 weeks old.  better to start now than never.  i kept thinking there was no reason to start back up when i have already missed so much of his first months of life.  but then i realized, there will be lots of memories to capture, lots of things that i will want to reflect back on.  so starting here is better than starting never ;o)  to my dear friend casie, it was you who inspired me.  better to write and post than for your blog to never be seen by those that love you (yup... i'm kinda calling you out here).

so this week has been a little more stressful than most.  my wonderful hubby left last week for hong kong for a work trip, and i was left with a sick baby.  it's tough having your other half gone half way across the globe and a baby who is awake every hour.  i just can't imagine how single moms do it - they are rockstars!!  poor little guy had already been on ten days of antibiotics, only for nothing to get better.  so last week we headed off to the naturopath to find another solution.  now we are on a strict regimen of garlic oil ear drops, immugen, vitamin d and some homeopathic remedies. i would like to say that i think my little bug is finally starting to feel better.

besides being sick, my little bug is finally starting to crawl.  it is completely without grace or style... but its crawling. the thing he will most easily crawl for are pop and gigi's dogs.  he loves them so much, and pretty  much wants to be anywhere that they are.  i'm not sure that they feel the same way towards him... yet ;o) here's a video of his drunken crawl - but he is moving!!!

excuse my awful sounding cough in the beggining.  and make sure to listen at 0:56 seconds ;o) poor little bug can't help it if he's gassy!!!

Hola!!

last weekend we decided to take a last minute trip down to rocky point, mexico with my cousins and their baby girl and my aunt and uncle.  this was baby C's first international vacation!!  we stayed in a gorgeous home with nothing & no one surrounding us.  i grew up going to rocky point, but i have never been to this area before.  we had such a nice relaxing time.  the boys hit golf balls off of the property onto the beach, and then we would retrieve them and start all over.  we ate more chips/salsa/guacamole than i could have ever thought was possible.  and us new mommy's had massages while the boys went into town looking for tequila.




one of the day's we went into town and checked out the fish market.  some mariachi's came to our table and i asked them to sing jalisco & guadalajara.  two songs that my poppy used to sing to me.  i didn't realize until later that evening, that it was 18 years ago on that exact day that my poppy went home to be with the Lord.  i know that the he was there, looking down on his great grandson and smiling!! 

baby c: week 15

this was a week of blessings!! we are so thankful for all He did for us this week, because we know that we did absolutely nothing to deserve His favor!  first, we were able to sell and close on D's house. second, D was offered and he accepted a management position! and lastly, i gave my resignation at work!! starting mid-december i will get to be a full-time stay-at-home mommy to the most adorable little boy in the world!

three weeks ago we decided that staying at home was a priority, and that we really needed to take a leap of faith. we knew there would never be a perfect time to signifacantly reduce your family income.  we knew that we wanted to finish baby step #3, but all the other things {like get a new car, finish our backyard, etc.} would have to wait.  we had been praying about this for months, starting when i got pregnant.  and we really felt that God was telling us to take a step of faith, and trust in Him.  literally within a week of making this decision, D was approached about two management positions at his company.  not one... two!! talk about God confirming that this was the right decision.

baby c has been absolutely wonderful this week! as always, he is such a happy baby!  he has really found his voice this week, and talks ALOT.  here he is during one of his morning conversations with pop.  and below are his project 365 pics from the week.

baby c: week 14

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baby c: week 13

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baby c: week 12

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baby c: week 11

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baby c: week 10

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baby c: week 9

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baby c: week 8

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baby c: week 7

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baby c: week 6

this was daddy's first time away from cannon!!  he went back home to oregon for one of his best friend's wedding.  we were sad we couldn't make it, but we thought that if cannon made his debut on his due date, or even late, we really wouldn't be able to travel with such a young newborn.  our little man is doing amazing, still spending most of the days asleep.  our awake time is very short still, but thats okay, because he is doing great at night!!  typically he wakes up once in the middle of the night.  BUT.... while daddy was gone, and we were over at pop and gigi's house, cannon had his first night of sleeping through the night!!!  August 3rd was the exact date... something to make note of ;o)

baby c: week 5

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baby c: one month

i cannot believe my little man is one month old! where did the time go? how is it even possible that one month has gone by?

this has been the most incredible month of my life.  i have loved in a way that i never knew was possible.  i am head over heals for a little man in diapers, and fell in love all over again with my husband.  the way he took care of me during labor and delivery, and then watching him be a father to our son gives me a thousand new reasons to love him even more. 

our little man is absolutely the most wonderful baby in the world.  he has the sweetest disposition, and every one who meets him can't stop saying how beautiful he is!  here is a little re-cap of our little man's first month:

:: C weighed 6 pounds 11 ounces at birth, and dropped down to 6 pounds while we were at the hospital
:: he was a great at breastfeeding from day one!  sometimes he would grunt and throw his arms around while sleeping/eating, so daddy said he was dreaming about mauling boobies (i'm pretty sure that is a slightly editted line from the hangover)
:: Daddy calls him Prince
:: he mastered rolling over to his side at one week old.  Then started rolling from his stomach to his side at three weeks.  this definitely wasn't something he did intentionally, and once he rolled over he wasn't happy that he couldn't get back.  not to mention, this really kind of scared mom!!  Dad's campaign to put you in the crib and get you out of our room was over.  we would rather have him in our sight the on his tummy.  call it first time parents excessive worrying ;o)
:: he slept the best being swaddled.
:: he grunts and groans... A LOT.  no one told us little babies made this much noise.
:: he has been compared to the baby on the Pamper's box quite a few times.
:: all of our Oregon family came down to visit you during the first week.  they fell in love with him instantly!
:: he took his first bottle at 10 days, so Mommy and Daddy could go on a date night!!
:: he smiles in his dreams, but not for us... yet
:: he favors his puppy wubbanub to all other binkies
:: he has already had three doctors appointments.  one for his circumcision which he did awesome at!! Mommy, on the other hand was a wreck!!

baby c: week 4

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baby c: week 3

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baby c: week 2

i can't believe out little man has already been a part of our lives for two weeks.  i just can't even imagine our lives without him in it!!  moondoggie's family came to visit all the way from oregon, and i think it is safe to say that they are over the moon about this little guy!! but let's be honest, how could you not be.  he is so stinkin cute!!  here are a few pics from this last week.  some memorable moments from this week:

• having new family in town to meet and play with.  this boy sure is lucky with lots of people loving on him.
• baby c's first trip to the fire station.  uncle z made sure our car seat was installed correctly, and showed baby c around the fire station.  we can't wait for his little princess to arrive in just a few months.
• his first photoshoot.
• lots of smiles while he sleeps.

baby c: week 1

This has been the most amazing week of my life!!  my little surfer was born on june 25th at 8:28am, weighing 6 lbs 11 oz and 19.5 inches long.  from first glance, i knew he was perfection wrapped in a blue and pink striped hospital blanket. 

the birth story was unlike anything i ever imagined, hoped or prayed for, but it was evident God had a far better story to tell.  His presence was everywhere surrounding baby c's birth!! we asked to pray before the "delivery" began, and my doctor, midwife, nurses and anesthesiologist all took a moment to stop what they were doing and pray with us.  we had a music playing on my phone, and d and i just looked into each others eyes while the entire process was happening.  baby c was born to one of our favorite worship songs, and the entire experience was extremely peaceful.  it was one of those times where you could feel the presence of God in every moment.

baby c had breach baby legs and old man hair!  at least those were some of the first things i noticed about him.  his hips were splayed out after months of being breach in mommy's tummy, and he had a ring of LONG hair around the back of his head.  he looked just like an old man!!  other things I noticed right away were his toes!  on his left foot, his fourth toe is just like his mommy's and his pinky toe is just like his daddy's.  baby c had probably 40 people come to visit him in the hospital, he is already a very popular little boy and absolutely full of love.  he hardly ever cries, and when he does it is the cutest thing ever!

what an amazing week!!