As I've heard my mom tell a few people lately... "We went to Lake Tahoe with Courtney and came home with Paige."
That's right. We changed our daughter's name at 15 months old.
The
day before I gave birth to our third child, we had a name in mind but
weren't 100% positive about it. So that night we came up with the name
Courtney. I've always loved the name Courtney. My sister's name is
Courtney. I remember Chris and I talking when we were first married
about our future babies names and wishing we could use the name Courtney
but felt we couldn't because it's my sister's name. As we sat there
trying hard to come up with the right name, we thought "why not?" Yes,
it's my sister's name, but how cool for our little girl to be named
after her aunt who is such a wonderful person? We loved it and were
excited about it.
It felt a little weird calling her
Courtney right after she was born, but that seemed normal and was even
expected since it was different to be naming her after my sister (who is
alive and well). The problem is, the weirdness never went away for both
me or Chris. But we never really talked about it. As she got older, we
found ourselves calling her nicknames to avoid calling her Courtney just
to avoid the weirdness. But at this point, actually changing her name
never even crossed my mind.
We went to Lake Tahoe in
the middle of July. The baby was 15 months old. While Chris and I were
driving back to our cabin after hiking Eagle Lake with the family, her
name came up. We talked about how we both felt like it was still awkward
calling her Courtney. We were bummed about it feeling awkward and those
feelings were totally unexpected by both of us. We started feeling like
we wanted our little girl to have a name all her own. Her own identity.
We decided on that drive to change her name. I don't know how the name
"Paige" came up but it did and we both loved it...instantly. We looked
at her sitting in the back of the car and she looked like a "Paige". We
have a hard time agreeing on names for our kids so when one comes up
that we agree on, it's easy to know it is right. It was funny to notice
when we got back to the cabin that day, we noticed a sign on the rental
cabin that said "The Page Family". Funny, huh?
We
didn't want to get rid of the name Courtney though. It was her name for
the first 15 months of her life. A name that I have always loved. The
name of my sister who was one of my best friends growing up. So it was
easy to decide to make Courtney her middle name.
We
told Mason and Annie first about the name change in Lake Tahoe. Mason
was thrilled. He had a classmate at school named Paige and loved the
name. Annie on the other hand was upset about it. She did not want to
change her name to Paige. When we asked her why, with her head bowed and
a huge frown on her face, she said "Because I want to name her Annie".
We smiled and told her that when she has kids in the future, she gets to
name them what ever she wants. That made her happy again. And then she
told us she would name her daughter Elsa and her son Dinosaur. You go
girl.
It took a couple weeks for us all to really get used to it. Now one
month later, we rarely accidentally call her Courtney anymore and she
knows her name is Paige.
Since Courtney is her middle
name, for all I know, she may decide to go by Courtney some day. And I
would be 100% okay with that. I love both names.
Paige Courtney Carr.
Tuesday, August 19, 2014
Thursday, August 14, 2014
Breath
Last night my parents came over for dinner along with my cousin and
his wife and their little boy. While we were waiting for my cousin and
his family to show up, my dad told me what had happened at church
earlier that day.
My family sits with my dad every Sunday at church. Mason and Annie usually fight over who gets to sit closer to grandpa. So yesterday Annie got comfortable on my dad's lap and they started coloring.
Before church, my dad had a sandwich that had raw onions on it. While they were coloring at church, their heads were pretty close to each other. As they were sitting there coloring, Annie stopped, looked at my dad, and very seriously and matter of factly said to him,
"Grandpa?"
"Yeah?"
"Your breath is disgusting."
No laughing. No other words were said. They went right back to coloring.
I died of laughter when my dad told me this. I assured him I'd have a conversation with her about politeness. My dad said she was absolutely not trying to be mean or impolite or anything like that. It was the simple and real honesty of a four year old and he said it was the most adorable thing he had ever heard.
I am so glad my dad shared this story with me because it's definitely not one to be forgotten.
My family sits with my dad every Sunday at church. Mason and Annie usually fight over who gets to sit closer to grandpa. So yesterday Annie got comfortable on my dad's lap and they started coloring.
Before church, my dad had a sandwich that had raw onions on it. While they were coloring at church, their heads were pretty close to each other. As they were sitting there coloring, Annie stopped, looked at my dad, and very seriously and matter of factly said to him,
"Grandpa?"
"Yeah?"
"Your breath is disgusting."
No laughing. No other words were said. They went right back to coloring.
I died of laughter when my dad told me this. I assured him I'd have a conversation with her about politeness. My dad said she was absolutely not trying to be mean or impolite or anything like that. It was the simple and real honesty of a four year old and he said it was the most adorable thing he had ever heard.
I am so glad my dad shared this story with me because it's definitely not one to be forgotten.
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Happy New Year!
Wow, another year has gone by! Welcome 2013! We have lots happening this year. It's gonna be a good one.
What have we been up to....
We are expecting our third child in 2 months! Another sweet little girl. We cannot WAIT! We have a name picked out but we like to keep it a secret until the birth. ;) The pregnancy is going well. I'm 32 weeks along and feel pretty ready to have this baby already. I'm glad I have 2 months though because when it comes to actually being really "READY" for a baby, I'm not there yet. I don't have all the baby girl clothes out or anything like that. I'm just ready to be done being pregnant. Haha. Let's just say the constant heartburn, pressure, very painful leg cramps in the middle of the night, not being able to sleep at night, etc. takes its toll and knowing I have 2 more months does stress me out...just a little. But we are so excited to have another baby!
Some random car info.... Since we're having a third child, we decided to upgrade our family vehicle from our 4Runner, which we loved, to a 2005 Sequoia. We love it. The 4Runner was a great car, but fitting 3 car seats or even 2 car seats and a booster was just too tight. It would have been almost impossible to buckle Mason in a booster. We drove an hour and a half to get this car that we found online because it was such a great deal. We saved money on taxes by buying it on the last day in 2012 because taxes went up on January 1st. It's so nice having a car with so much room!
We sold our condo back in October. We felt like it was a good time to do it and it all turned out really well for us. We bought it over 3 1/2 years ago as a foreclosure. It needed A LOT of work. In fact, the first time we walked through it I said, "There is no way we are living here." But we were able to see the potential in the condo and we loved the location. There's a saying when it comes to buying a home... "location, location, location". It's true. We put a lot of work and upgrades into the condo and it all paid off. So now we are currently renting the condo from the people who bought it from us. It's kind of weird living here and it not being "ours" anymore. I feel like it is still ours. But then I remember that it's not...which is weird. We're lucky to be in such a convenient situation. Rather than moving out and having to rent somewhere temporarily while we look for a home, we've been able to stay right here. We have an offer in on a house. A 3 bedroom twin home in Carlsbad, not far from where we live now. It's a short sale so it takes time. Lots of time. It's been 3 months and we're hoping to hear something in the next few weeks. HOPEFULLY before we have a baby in 2 months! But I'm kind of preparing myself that it's probably not going to happen before we have the baby.
Now...about our little Mason. Mason turns 5 in March, which means that he will be starting Kindergarten in the Fall! Crazy. He is in preschool right now and absolutely loves it. It's been a great experience for him. Yes, I shed a few tears the first day I dropped him off at preschool. And that was just preschool. I can't imagine how I'm going to feel the day I drop him off at kindergarten. Mason is the sweetest little boy in the world and the best big brother. He is our calm, mellow child who loves to make his mom and dad proud. He keeps his little sister in line. He is a great listener and loves to learn new things. His interests right now are dinosaurs of course. He loves them and has for the past couple years! He knows them all. He has some special books about dinosaurs and loves to read about them. He has even said that when he grows up he wants to be a paleontologist. :) That was a couple months ago. He also loves his first lego set that he got for Christmas. I'd say Mason's biggest interest lately though is drawing and coloring. This is a new interest that has happened since right before his surgery. Mason had the flu so we were at home for a week straight and then we didn't go anywhere for a while obviously after the surgery and so we bought a lot of coloring books. He has colored a little in the past of course, but was never very excited with it or anything. He now has a real interest in it. He draws the CUTEST people. I am not kidding. They are the cutest little people drawings I have ever seen in my life! He has become such a great colorer. When I look at how he colored last Fall to how he colors now, the difference is amazing. He colors right in the lines and loves to do it and gets so proud of himself for coloring in the lines. I have always had a love for coloring and drawing so it makes me really happy that Mason has that same love. :) He is getting better at writing his letters. This has been a struggle for him. But the more we work on it, the better he's getting. Mason and I have started doing reading lessons while Annie naps. He is doing great. The writing part is the hardest for him, but he gets through every lesson every time and he is always so proud of himself when he learns to write a new letter on his own. He gets to put a sticker on his special sticker chart and a special chewy sour candy after each lesson which makes it extra exciting for him. I have slacked on our reading lessons since Christmas. We were doing it every day. Today we finally did it and he picked up right where we left off. It's so cute listening to him sound out words. We signed Mason up for pee wee soccer. It was supposed to start last Saturday but it was raining so it was cancelled. So this Saturday will be his first day. We went over to the park this evening when Chris got home to kick the ball around. He loved it. He's nervous about being on an actual soccer team but we think that once he tries it, he's going to love it.
And then there's our sweetheart, Annie. Annie is 2 1/2 and will be three in July. She wishes she was four so that she could go to Mason's preschool. She mentions it practically every time we drop Mason off and pick him up. It's pretty funny. She is our more outgoing child, always up for anything, anytime, anywhere. She's good at just going with the flow. It's a little hard for her watching Mason go to school three days a week. She wants to go with him so bad. It's nice though having one on one time with her. That's our time to get errands done or go to the park, just the two of us. Sometimes I schedule playdates with a friend or her cousin while Mason's at school. And sometimes we just come home and play together with her toys. She really loves that one on one time with me, and so do I. :) She sure loves her brother. She follows him around everywhere and they play really well together. Sure, sharing is her struggle in life right now but she's learning. It's cute-they've started playing with their little toys together making them talk and kind of playing "house". I love it. Her main interests right now are her little baby that she got for Christmas and also playing with Mason. She pushes her baby around in her stroller or shopping cart and pretends to go to Costco to get some food. She puts on her backpack that is literally so full with random stuff that not one more toy could possibly be squeezed inside. She is such a little girl. What I mean by that is that she does not...stop...talking. It makes Chris and I laugh. She'll just talk and talk. Even if she's in the other room where no one else is, she'll still be talking assuming we are all listening. It's so cute.
They have very different personalities and yet they get along so well with each other. They are both little cuddlers which I just love. I can't wait to add another one to our family. It'll be fun to see what this next little one will look like and what her sweet personality will be like. Shy like Mason or chatty like Annie?
Chris is still working at JP Morgan Chase Bank. He is very good at his job. They are making changes at his branch in the next few months and we're hoping things work out for him and they put him where he is hoping to be. Along with doing well in his career, he is such a great dad and husband. Since I've been pregnant, he has really stepped it up with helping with the home life. When I'm exhausted at the end of the day, he's up for playing with the kiddos and gets them up in the mornings and feeds them breakfast which is huge for me! I can't lift heavy things right now so Chris has become our laundry man. Laundry is down the stairs, outside and around the corner. He even puts clothes away sometimes and as weird as this sounds, I actually find it really cute to see where he puts my clothes away. Haha. I love him...a lot. Oh have I mentioned how READY we are to have our VERY OWN washing machine and dryer INSIDE our home?? We cannot WAIT for that! That, and also having an attached two car garage. Something so many people have that we are just dying...I mean, waiting patiently for. ;) And one of the biggest things also we can't wait for is an actual YARD just to ourselves! Oh my goodness, those three things might actually come true here soon. Right now it's just a dream of ours. You know what though? Although it kind of pains me to say this, I'm actually grateful that we've lived in a two bedroom condo without a washer and dryer, and without an attached two car garage, and without a yard. Because when we do finally move and get those amazing things, we are going to be so much more grateful to have them. We'll know what it's like to live without them and it'll be that much sweeter. :)
So, here's to a good new year! 2013, bring it on!
What have we been up to....
We are expecting our third child in 2 months! Another sweet little girl. We cannot WAIT! We have a name picked out but we like to keep it a secret until the birth. ;) The pregnancy is going well. I'm 32 weeks along and feel pretty ready to have this baby already. I'm glad I have 2 months though because when it comes to actually being really "READY" for a baby, I'm not there yet. I don't have all the baby girl clothes out or anything like that. I'm just ready to be done being pregnant. Haha. Let's just say the constant heartburn, pressure, very painful leg cramps in the middle of the night, not being able to sleep at night, etc. takes its toll and knowing I have 2 more months does stress me out...just a little. But we are so excited to have another baby!
Some random car info.... Since we're having a third child, we decided to upgrade our family vehicle from our 4Runner, which we loved, to a 2005 Sequoia. We love it. The 4Runner was a great car, but fitting 3 car seats or even 2 car seats and a booster was just too tight. It would have been almost impossible to buckle Mason in a booster. We drove an hour and a half to get this car that we found online because it was such a great deal. We saved money on taxes by buying it on the last day in 2012 because taxes went up on January 1st. It's so nice having a car with so much room!
We sold our condo back in October. We felt like it was a good time to do it and it all turned out really well for us. We bought it over 3 1/2 years ago as a foreclosure. It needed A LOT of work. In fact, the first time we walked through it I said, "There is no way we are living here." But we were able to see the potential in the condo and we loved the location. There's a saying when it comes to buying a home... "location, location, location". It's true. We put a lot of work and upgrades into the condo and it all paid off. So now we are currently renting the condo from the people who bought it from us. It's kind of weird living here and it not being "ours" anymore. I feel like it is still ours. But then I remember that it's not...which is weird. We're lucky to be in such a convenient situation. Rather than moving out and having to rent somewhere temporarily while we look for a home, we've been able to stay right here. We have an offer in on a house. A 3 bedroom twin home in Carlsbad, not far from where we live now. It's a short sale so it takes time. Lots of time. It's been 3 months and we're hoping to hear something in the next few weeks. HOPEFULLY before we have a baby in 2 months! But I'm kind of preparing myself that it's probably not going to happen before we have the baby.
Now...about our little Mason. Mason turns 5 in March, which means that he will be starting Kindergarten in the Fall! Crazy. He is in preschool right now and absolutely loves it. It's been a great experience for him. Yes, I shed a few tears the first day I dropped him off at preschool. And that was just preschool. I can't imagine how I'm going to feel the day I drop him off at kindergarten. Mason is the sweetest little boy in the world and the best big brother. He is our calm, mellow child who loves to make his mom and dad proud. He keeps his little sister in line. He is a great listener and loves to learn new things. His interests right now are dinosaurs of course. He loves them and has for the past couple years! He knows them all. He has some special books about dinosaurs and loves to read about them. He has even said that when he grows up he wants to be a paleontologist. :) That was a couple months ago. He also loves his first lego set that he got for Christmas. I'd say Mason's biggest interest lately though is drawing and coloring. This is a new interest that has happened since right before his surgery. Mason had the flu so we were at home for a week straight and then we didn't go anywhere for a while obviously after the surgery and so we bought a lot of coloring books. He has colored a little in the past of course, but was never very excited with it or anything. He now has a real interest in it. He draws the CUTEST people. I am not kidding. They are the cutest little people drawings I have ever seen in my life! He has become such a great colorer. When I look at how he colored last Fall to how he colors now, the difference is amazing. He colors right in the lines and loves to do it and gets so proud of himself for coloring in the lines. I have always had a love for coloring and drawing so it makes me really happy that Mason has that same love. :) He is getting better at writing his letters. This has been a struggle for him. But the more we work on it, the better he's getting. Mason and I have started doing reading lessons while Annie naps. He is doing great. The writing part is the hardest for him, but he gets through every lesson every time and he is always so proud of himself when he learns to write a new letter on his own. He gets to put a sticker on his special sticker chart and a special chewy sour candy after each lesson which makes it extra exciting for him. I have slacked on our reading lessons since Christmas. We were doing it every day. Today we finally did it and he picked up right where we left off. It's so cute listening to him sound out words. We signed Mason up for pee wee soccer. It was supposed to start last Saturday but it was raining so it was cancelled. So this Saturday will be his first day. We went over to the park this evening when Chris got home to kick the ball around. He loved it. He's nervous about being on an actual soccer team but we think that once he tries it, he's going to love it.
And then there's our sweetheart, Annie. Annie is 2 1/2 and will be three in July. She wishes she was four so that she could go to Mason's preschool. She mentions it practically every time we drop Mason off and pick him up. It's pretty funny. She is our more outgoing child, always up for anything, anytime, anywhere. She's good at just going with the flow. It's a little hard for her watching Mason go to school three days a week. She wants to go with him so bad. It's nice though having one on one time with her. That's our time to get errands done or go to the park, just the two of us. Sometimes I schedule playdates with a friend or her cousin while Mason's at school. And sometimes we just come home and play together with her toys. She really loves that one on one time with me, and so do I. :) She sure loves her brother. She follows him around everywhere and they play really well together. Sure, sharing is her struggle in life right now but she's learning. It's cute-they've started playing with their little toys together making them talk and kind of playing "house". I love it. Her main interests right now are her little baby that she got for Christmas and also playing with Mason. She pushes her baby around in her stroller or shopping cart and pretends to go to Costco to get some food. She puts on her backpack that is literally so full with random stuff that not one more toy could possibly be squeezed inside. She is such a little girl. What I mean by that is that she does not...stop...talking. It makes Chris and I laugh. She'll just talk and talk. Even if she's in the other room where no one else is, she'll still be talking assuming we are all listening. It's so cute.
They have very different personalities and yet they get along so well with each other. They are both little cuddlers which I just love. I can't wait to add another one to our family. It'll be fun to see what this next little one will look like and what her sweet personality will be like. Shy like Mason or chatty like Annie?
Chris is still working at JP Morgan Chase Bank. He is very good at his job. They are making changes at his branch in the next few months and we're hoping things work out for him and they put him where he is hoping to be. Along with doing well in his career, he is such a great dad and husband. Since I've been pregnant, he has really stepped it up with helping with the home life. When I'm exhausted at the end of the day, he's up for playing with the kiddos and gets them up in the mornings and feeds them breakfast which is huge for me! I can't lift heavy things right now so Chris has become our laundry man. Laundry is down the stairs, outside and around the corner. He even puts clothes away sometimes and as weird as this sounds, I actually find it really cute to see where he puts my clothes away. Haha. I love him...a lot. Oh have I mentioned how READY we are to have our VERY OWN washing machine and dryer INSIDE our home?? We cannot WAIT for that! That, and also having an attached two car garage. Something so many people have that we are just dying...I mean, waiting patiently for. ;) And one of the biggest things also we can't wait for is an actual YARD just to ourselves! Oh my goodness, those three things might actually come true here soon. Right now it's just a dream of ours. You know what though? Although it kind of pains me to say this, I'm actually grateful that we've lived in a two bedroom condo without a washer and dryer, and without an attached two car garage, and without a yard. Because when we do finally move and get those amazing things, we are going to be so much more grateful to have them. We'll know what it's like to live without them and it'll be that much sweeter. :)
So, here's to a good new year! 2013, bring it on!
Thursday, January 10, 2013
His Surgery Was A Complete Success
Towards the end of that week after Mason's surgery, I guess I was over blogging and writing about what was going on for a while. I meant to write how each day went until he was 100% better. Oops. I was pretty exhausted at that time. Well, it's been over a month since Mason's surgery and we could not be happier with the results. The thing that was better immediately, like I said before, was his hearing. It's sure nice not having to talk so loud just for him to hear us. We also noticed immediately that when Mason slept, he was silent, which was exciting and new. No more snoring or loud, uncomfortable breathing. No more night sweats. Just...silence and peacefulness. Recovery was about 2 weeks. REALLY hard for the first week and then just keeping him calm to avoid bleeding and continuing to heal the second week.
After those two weeks, things were finally back to normal. Something we were not expecting to change was Mason's appetite. He eats SO MUCH now! He has always been a small boy with not much of an appetite. I mean, he'd eat well when he was super hungry, but on a day to day basis, he didn't eat a whole lot and it was normal for him to not finish meals and to sometimes even spit out food. Well, because he now has room to swallow in his mouth, things have changed. This boy can EAT! He eats every meal completely and often asks for seconds! In between meals he needs lots of snacks. I have actually had to buy more snack foods to keep around the house so that he has things to eat through out the day!
He hasn't woken up crying once since that first week and a half of recovery, which is SO amazing. He tells me happily often in the mornings still, "Mom, I slept all night!" Mason has always had trouble sleeping. For the four years he's been alive, it was common for him to wake up crying at night. Many times, we had no idea what the problem was. He'd wake up soaked in sweat and completely out of it, sometimes multiple times a night. Sometimes we could get him to go potty, but usually he just sat there and cried and eventually would lie back down and go to sleep. It was very frustrating as parents to not know what the problem was. We brought him to the doctor a few times about this problem and the doctor didn't know what to say other than that he was probably having bad dreams. Now that we see how he sleeps since the surgery, we know 100% that his enlarged tonsils were the problem. We thought he just had nightmares or something. No, Mason just couldn't breathe at night! It makes me mad at myself for not figuring this out sooner. Poor little guy. At least it's done now. :)
He has always been a happy boy. But we do see a difference in his energy level. He definitely has more energy during the day. Before the surgery, Mason would get sooooo tired during the day, every day. In fact, it was his lack of energy and the fact that he was so tired so often that was one of the reasons we thought something might be wrong. Now, he wakes up in the morning refreshed and is happy all day long. Oh sure he still gets tired sometimes in the afternoons when we're just hanging out at home while Annie's napping, but so do I! That's normal.
Basically, we are SOOOOO happy we did this surgery. Was it the hardest thing I've ever been through? Yes. But totally worth it? Absolutely.....completely.....100%. Best decision we've ever made as parents.
After those two weeks, things were finally back to normal. Something we were not expecting to change was Mason's appetite. He eats SO MUCH now! He has always been a small boy with not much of an appetite. I mean, he'd eat well when he was super hungry, but on a day to day basis, he didn't eat a whole lot and it was normal for him to not finish meals and to sometimes even spit out food. Well, because he now has room to swallow in his mouth, things have changed. This boy can EAT! He eats every meal completely and often asks for seconds! In between meals he needs lots of snacks. I have actually had to buy more snack foods to keep around the house so that he has things to eat through out the day!
He hasn't woken up crying once since that first week and a half of recovery, which is SO amazing. He tells me happily often in the mornings still, "Mom, I slept all night!" Mason has always had trouble sleeping. For the four years he's been alive, it was common for him to wake up crying at night. Many times, we had no idea what the problem was. He'd wake up soaked in sweat and completely out of it, sometimes multiple times a night. Sometimes we could get him to go potty, but usually he just sat there and cried and eventually would lie back down and go to sleep. It was very frustrating as parents to not know what the problem was. We brought him to the doctor a few times about this problem and the doctor didn't know what to say other than that he was probably having bad dreams. Now that we see how he sleeps since the surgery, we know 100% that his enlarged tonsils were the problem. We thought he just had nightmares or something. No, Mason just couldn't breathe at night! It makes me mad at myself for not figuring this out sooner. Poor little guy. At least it's done now. :)
He has always been a happy boy. But we do see a difference in his energy level. He definitely has more energy during the day. Before the surgery, Mason would get sooooo tired during the day, every day. In fact, it was his lack of energy and the fact that he was so tired so often that was one of the reasons we thought something might be wrong. Now, he wakes up in the morning refreshed and is happy all day long. Oh sure he still gets tired sometimes in the afternoons when we're just hanging out at home while Annie's napping, but so do I! That's normal.
Basically, we are SOOOOO happy we did this surgery. Was it the hardest thing I've ever been through? Yes. But totally worth it? Absolutely.....completely.....100%. Best decision we've ever made as parents.
Exploring the Quail Botanical Gardens. 7 days after surgery.
Playing at the park. 8 days after surgery.
Showing me his new toy from Grandma Tanner. 10 days after surgery.
Showing me his reindeer he made at school and his reindeer ears that we made at home. 15 days after surgery.
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Random Observations
Some good
things to point out are that even the day he came home from surgery, Mason
could hear better. There have been multiple times where he has
mentioned how loud things are. He has even said things are too
loud.
I've slept with him the past two nights and have noticed that he is a silent sleeper! He doesn't make a sound when he breathes anymore. Once he is healed, I think he is going to sleep really, really good. No more hearing problems and no more loud, uncomfortable breathing. YAY.
So back in March, Mason weighed 34.5 pounds. At his pre-op appointment a week before his surgery, he weighed 32.5 pounds. Today Mason weighs 30.2 pounds. Small little guy. We'll get some meat on his bones once he is healed.
I read somewhere that kids with tonsils too large for their bodies will sometimes spit out their food because it's uncomfortable to swallow it with such little room in their mouth. Mason did that. Especially with meat, like roast for example. It will be interesting to see if that stops once he's healed.
I've slept with him the past two nights and have noticed that he is a silent sleeper! He doesn't make a sound when he breathes anymore. Once he is healed, I think he is going to sleep really, really good. No more hearing problems and no more loud, uncomfortable breathing. YAY.
So back in March, Mason weighed 34.5 pounds. At his pre-op appointment a week before his surgery, he weighed 32.5 pounds. Today Mason weighs 30.2 pounds. Small little guy. We'll get some meat on his bones once he is healed.
I read somewhere that kids with tonsils too large for their bodies will sometimes spit out their food because it's uncomfortable to swallow it with such little room in their mouth. Mason did that. Especially with meat, like roast for example. It will be interesting to see if that stops once he's healed.
Recovery: Day 5 (Fri Night, Sat, & Sat Night)
Last night was the best night we've had by far. The happy times continued all the way to bedtime. He ate 2 of those instant mac and cheese pouches! He just kept asking for more and more. Chris, Mason, and I had a slumber party in the living room. Chris doesn't have work today (Saturday) so we thought that would be fun to do. Mason loved that we were both sleeping with him. He was not tired. He kept asking for more and more shows. Chris and I were tired. It was after 11:00 PM. Finally we said it was time to go to bed. He was sad about that and said he was still starving. We didn't want to give him any more food though because he hadn't really eaten anything until that evening and we didn't want it to be too much. Plus, it was really late. So we all went to bed.
At 3:00 AM, Mason woke up crying. He kept saying he was starving. Chris and I just told him he needed to sleep right now. We ignored him for a little bit and then he sat up very upset and through his crying said, "Why is no one helping me?! Why aren't you getting rid of the sad face?!" Haha, what in the world?? I thought that comment was kind of funny. Anyway, we told him that it was 3:00 in the morning and that to get better, he needed a good nights rest. He kept crying so Chris said it was too late to cook food but that he could have jello or yogurt if he was really that hungry. Mason did not want either. More crying. I asked him if he'd take some medicine because that would make him feel better. He said, "No, I don't feel sick, I'm just starving!" Eventually he went back to sleep.
Chris had to get up at 8:00 this morning to help our neighbors move. Mason was still asleep. Annie got up a little after 8:00 AM and then Mason woke up at about 8:45 AM. Not a bad night at all! He was grumpy and sad this morning. He took his medicine reluctantly. After about 15 minutes he was happily eating the eggs and pancakes that I made for him and has had some water. At the moment, he and Annie are playing together. Keeping my fingers crossed that it'll be a good day. Things are looking good!
Since Mason was doing really good, we decided to venture out today. We drove up to Oceanside and walked along the pier. We brought some In and Out burgers to eat on a bench while watching the waves. Mason only wanted a ham and cheese sandwich so I made him one to bring before we left. He ate the whole thing. The kids loved chasing the seagulls around. There is a little store on the pier and we stopped and bought the kids some shark grabbers which they loved.
It was warm up until we actually got on the pier. Not freezing or anything, but after a half hour or so, we were ready to go home. Mason fell asleep on the way home. As soon as we got home I put Annie down for a nap and Chris and I crashed on the couch. We thought Mason would nap but he colored and cut things out with scissors the whole time.
When we woke up from our almost 2 hour naps, Chris took the kids to the library where they grabbed some books and a couple movies. He also brought home Daphne's for dinner. Mason wanted mac and cheese and Annie had a burrito. Overall, Mason did good with eating and drinking today. 3 full meals. No snacks but at least he ate at each meal. We got a glimpse of normality today. We're keeping up on the meds every 4 hours even though he's feeling pretty good. We don't want that to change.
That night we watched Wild Kratts and Happy Feet. Mason has been happy but I know he still hurts and he's not getting the best sleep so I think the combo has made him a little testy. He gets upset and grumpy pretty easily. We are all having to work on our patience. Annie went to bed a little after 8:00 PM.
Mason has reeeeally started dragging out his bedtime. After I put his jammies on, first he complained that his top was too loose and needed a different one. Then he said that he was starving and reminded me that I had told him earlier that he could have a burrito like Annie had for dinner. I told him that he could do that if he had told me earlier, not at bedtime. He was so upset about it so we gave in. Chris cooked him a burrito and told Mason to take small bites and chew really good so it doesn't hurt. Mason heard those words and freaked out. We won't mention the words "take small bites so it doesn't hurt" anymore. He only ate a few bites of the burrito. He said it hurt too much. I told him to lie down because it was bedtime. (The three of us are sleeping in the living room again). He asked if he could watch a show. We said that was fine and then he needed to go to bed. During the show he got up and grabbed a book. I read it to him. Then he had to go to the bathroom. After the bathroom he said, "Ok, I'll have some Jello." I almost flipped. He was really starting to test our patience. He said he was just so hungry. I got him a bowl of Jello. No, we don't normally do everything our kids ask us to do. Mason is different lately and extra sensitive. We're trying to help him as much as possible because he is in so much pain. But I couldn't help but think he was starting to take advantage of the situation. He ate a few bites of Jello and that was it. He said he was still hungry. We turned off his show and turned on a show for us instead so it would be boring for him. He was mad about that. We told him no more walking around or talking or asking for anything. It was BEDTIME. He was really upset. I sat by him and gave him a back rub. He was fast asleep within a couple minutes.
He slept about that same as the night before. Better than the first few nights, but still woke up crying every now and then. It's still hard to calm him down in the middle of the night. He was saying his stomach and throat hurt. Not much we can do so we just tell him it's ok, it's time to sleep, and I give him back rubs when he lets me. I was watching him in his sleep and even in a deep sleep he is frustrated. He hits the ground with his hand, shakes his legs in frustration, and buries his head in his pillow. Poor guy. This whole thing just stinks. Can't wait for it to be over.
At 3:00 AM, Mason woke up crying. He kept saying he was starving. Chris and I just told him he needed to sleep right now. We ignored him for a little bit and then he sat up very upset and through his crying said, "Why is no one helping me?! Why aren't you getting rid of the sad face?!" Haha, what in the world?? I thought that comment was kind of funny. Anyway, we told him that it was 3:00 in the morning and that to get better, he needed a good nights rest. He kept crying so Chris said it was too late to cook food but that he could have jello or yogurt if he was really that hungry. Mason did not want either. More crying. I asked him if he'd take some medicine because that would make him feel better. He said, "No, I don't feel sick, I'm just starving!" Eventually he went back to sleep.
Chris had to get up at 8:00 this morning to help our neighbors move. Mason was still asleep. Annie got up a little after 8:00 AM and then Mason woke up at about 8:45 AM. Not a bad night at all! He was grumpy and sad this morning. He took his medicine reluctantly. After about 15 minutes he was happily eating the eggs and pancakes that I made for him and has had some water. At the moment, he and Annie are playing together. Keeping my fingers crossed that it'll be a good day. Things are looking good!
Since Mason was doing really good, we decided to venture out today. We drove up to Oceanside and walked along the pier. We brought some In and Out burgers to eat on a bench while watching the waves. Mason only wanted a ham and cheese sandwich so I made him one to bring before we left. He ate the whole thing. The kids loved chasing the seagulls around. There is a little store on the pier and we stopped and bought the kids some shark grabbers which they loved.
It was warm up until we actually got on the pier. Not freezing or anything, but after a half hour or so, we were ready to go home. Mason fell asleep on the way home. As soon as we got home I put Annie down for a nap and Chris and I crashed on the couch. We thought Mason would nap but he colored and cut things out with scissors the whole time.
When we woke up from our almost 2 hour naps, Chris took the kids to the library where they grabbed some books and a couple movies. He also brought home Daphne's for dinner. Mason wanted mac and cheese and Annie had a burrito. Overall, Mason did good with eating and drinking today. 3 full meals. No snacks but at least he ate at each meal. We got a glimpse of normality today. We're keeping up on the meds every 4 hours even though he's feeling pretty good. We don't want that to change.
That night we watched Wild Kratts and Happy Feet. Mason has been happy but I know he still hurts and he's not getting the best sleep so I think the combo has made him a little testy. He gets upset and grumpy pretty easily. We are all having to work on our patience. Annie went to bed a little after 8:00 PM.
Mason has reeeeally started dragging out his bedtime. After I put his jammies on, first he complained that his top was too loose and needed a different one. Then he said that he was starving and reminded me that I had told him earlier that he could have a burrito like Annie had for dinner. I told him that he could do that if he had told me earlier, not at bedtime. He was so upset about it so we gave in. Chris cooked him a burrito and told Mason to take small bites and chew really good so it doesn't hurt. Mason heard those words and freaked out. We won't mention the words "take small bites so it doesn't hurt" anymore. He only ate a few bites of the burrito. He said it hurt too much. I told him to lie down because it was bedtime. (The three of us are sleeping in the living room again). He asked if he could watch a show. We said that was fine and then he needed to go to bed. During the show he got up and grabbed a book. I read it to him. Then he had to go to the bathroom. After the bathroom he said, "Ok, I'll have some Jello." I almost flipped. He was really starting to test our patience. He said he was just so hungry. I got him a bowl of Jello. No, we don't normally do everything our kids ask us to do. Mason is different lately and extra sensitive. We're trying to help him as much as possible because he is in so much pain. But I couldn't help but think he was starting to take advantage of the situation. He ate a few bites of Jello and that was it. He said he was still hungry. We turned off his show and turned on a show for us instead so it would be boring for him. He was mad about that. We told him no more walking around or talking or asking for anything. It was BEDTIME. He was really upset. I sat by him and gave him a back rub. He was fast asleep within a couple minutes.
He slept about that same as the night before. Better than the first few nights, but still woke up crying every now and then. It's still hard to calm him down in the middle of the night. He was saying his stomach and throat hurt. Not much we can do so we just tell him it's ok, it's time to sleep, and I give him back rubs when he lets me. I was watching him in his sleep and even in a deep sleep he is frustrated. He hits the ground with his hand, shakes his legs in frustration, and buries his head in his pillow. Poor guy. This whole thing just stinks. Can't wait for it to be over.
Saturday, December 1, 2012
Recovery: Day 4 (Thurs Night & Fri)
Last night was rough again. This time I slept downstairs with Mason. Mason fell asleep on the couch a little before 10:00 PM. He took at late nap yesterday afternoon so he wasn't sleepy enough until then I guess. Chris went to bed at that time as well. I sat up and watched TV and didn't end up going to bed till about 1:00 AM. Once Mason fell asleep, he tossed and turned and cried all night. Kind of hard to sleep through so I watched TV as long as I could until I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore. Poor little guy went to bed with a really bad stomach ache. He would wake up crying and was pretty mad. He was sleep talking saying things like, "I don't want anymore fishies!" or "Not the elephants!" or "I don't want to!" Sounds funny now, but at the time, it was just frustrating because it's not like there was a whole lot I could say to him other than, "Ok." or "It's ok Mason" none of which ever helped. Often he'd wake up crying and sit up, put his hands over his face and throw his body face down into his pillow as hard as he could and just sob. He didn't like it if I'd try to rub his back or anything, which he normally really likes. I just had to kind of sit there. The only thing that would make these episodes stop was if I'd say, "Mason, can I turn you on a show?" He'd nod and then fall back asleep as soon as the show started. One time he wanted a show but then freaked out because he said it was too bright but then when I turned it off, he freaked out even more. Anyway, a long night to say the least. At 4:00 AM, Chris came downstairs to give me a break. I slept until 10:10 AM! I would have slept longer, but Chris had to go to work.
Chris said Mason tossed and turned and cried while he was with him as well. At 5:00 AM he threw up and then slept pretty good. He threw up again at 7:00 AM. The day was a lot like the other days except worse with the eating and drinking. He didn't eat anything all day and getting him to drink anything was almost impossible. He'd cry but then take a sip when I told him to. It didn't take him quite as long for him to take his medicine today and we're done with ear drops so that's good.
We painted and colored for a little bit today which Mason really enjoyed. My mom came over with some laundry and helped with cleaning our messy kitchen. Annie and I bathed and I tried to get Mason to with no luck. I'm thinking tomorrow he will finally get a bath. At least I got him to brush his teeth. Apparently getting your tonsils removed causes majorly bad breath. They're not kidding. Annie decided to really test my patience in the bath today. Puh.
Annie napped and Mason and I hung out on the couch. He wasn't doing too good. Even after taking medicine, he still cried a lot and said his throat and neck were really hurting. Head and Neck surgery called to check on Mason and I told her what was going on. When she heard that Mason had only a few sips of Gatorade and water since he threw up at 7:00 AM that morning, and that he was still very nauseous, she was very concerned that he had become dehydrated and told me to make an appointment with urgent care today.
He fell asleep for about 45 minutes this afternoon and woke up pretty grumpy. Cried for probably a half hour straight. This seems to be how he wakes up now. He complained about his throat and tummy hurting a lot. We tried finding something he wanted to watch on TV and forced him to drink a little. Lots of crying.
He fell asleep for about 45 minutes this afternoon and woke up pretty grumpy. Cried for probably a half hour straight. This seems to be how he wakes up now. He complained about his throat and tummy hurting a lot. We tried finding something he wanted to watch on TV and forced him to drink a little. Lots of crying.
The good new is, I randomly got him to have a few bites of a brownie this evening which was very surprising and he is eating mac and cheese right now! Of course those things make him thirsty so he's drinking as well. Yay! Chris and I decided to cancel the appointment because Mason is acting so good right now. He is drinking a lot and he ate a bunch and he says he feels really good. No tummy ache right now and he says his throat is feeling better. He was so excited when he heard that we aren't going to the doctor's. He came up to me and said, "I'm going to listen to you and do what you want me to do!" He even took his medicine happily! So....we know things can switch in an instant. For example, he could throw everything up. But we're not going to think about that right now. We're going to assume things are looking up. :)
Annie watching Mason scarf down his mac and cheese.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)