November 2013 - January 2014

Nate & Ben playing with a new toy!

For those of you that are new to our blog, we are currently catching everyone up to speed and this post will get you to January of 2014. We have a long way to go to get to present day, but it's important to us that you know our back story and how we got to where we are today. If you are new, you may want to start from the beginning so you don't feel lost. Thank you for joining us on our journey!

I will never forget the month of November! It started out with me leaving for a bowling tournament in Baltimore. I've left Stephen alone with the boys before, but Nate had a cold and I felt bad for leaving. Stephen assured me everything was going to be okay and I knew it was, but I still felt bad. I arrived in Baltimore and when I went to check in at home, Stephen told me that Nate's cold had gotten worse and he was having trouble breathing. Seriously?? We can't take much more. He called the doctor and a friend who had a son who previously had croup. She told Stephen to take him to the ER immediately. Talk about feeling helpless!! I'm in Baltimore for one of the few times I go and this happens.  They took him right back and gave him a breathing treatment and some oral steroids. He ended up staying there for several hours receiving two more breathing treatments before they felt comfortable letting him go home. He had croup and a double ear infection. Ugh.

It took over a week, but he was finally fever free and I brought him back to the doctor for a follow-up. Sinus infection. Again?? Round #2 of antibiotics were given. I'm just sad for this kid. As if he hasn't been through enough! I was a little nervous as we were getting ready to go back to Florida for vacation and I didn't want to bring him on a plane still being sick. The doctor assured me it was ok and away we went. While we were there, guess what happened? It develops this nasty rash because of the sun exposure while on antibiotics. Damn. He just can't catch a break.  He didn't seem bothered by it, but I called his pediatrician anyway. We were to stop the antibiotics and give him some Benadryl. Fun!

Nate's rash while we were in Florida

We were still able to enjoy ourselves in Florida and spent time with Stephen's brother, sister-in-law, and niece. We were looking forward to the holidays when we got home.

Nate in the water in Florida

Ben & Nate in Florida

We finished off the month of November with a scheduled appointment with the ophthalmologist for Nate. This appointment was NOT fun. He had an absolute meltdown and was inconsolable. I felt terrible for him, but at the same time, wanted to knock out some people that felt the need to stare and roll their eyes. Nothing like being supportive of a parent who's obviously struggling! I wanted to just run out of there, but we had to make sure there wasn't any damage to his optic nerve. Thankfully, we got good news and hightailed it out of there! 

December arrived and we continued to struggle with Nate's sleeping, or lack thereof. He was still waking up multiple times during the night and waking up early in the morning. It's like he's still in the newborn stage! We were averaging about a 4:15 wake up time. We felt like we've tried everything to create a solid "sleep environment" for him: room darkening shades, a sound machine, a night light, a humidifier, essential oils and diffuser. You name it, we've tried it. Ugh! I finally called a sleep consultant. We had the appointment over the phone. She gave us some things to try (tweaking the schedule a bit) and we were on our way. Or so we thought!

Nate & Ben on Christmas

The boys in the snow, Nate hates the cold!

We celebrated Benjamin's 4th birthday right before Christmas. He's a tough kid! It's not easy being the sibling of a brother who needs (and gets) a lot of attention. Ben is a soft-spoken little boy who is very understanding and tolerant of his brother's needs. It was nice to have an entire day all about Ben!

Ben was so excited about his Superman cake

Ben with his first bike!

The boys on Christmas morning

Thankful for hugs

2014 arrived and we celebrated all of our blessings, but quickly became anxious for Nate's next MRI looming on January 8th. Nate started out the year with yet another ear infection. He seems to get sick the week before every MRI. It's like clockwork! We arrived in Boston and got through the very stressful day. Those days are so long! We leave our house at 4:30 am to arrive in time for the 7:15 check-in. Nate isn't allowed to eat or drink as he is sedated for the 90 minute MRI. That is the tough part....trying to explain to a 2 1/2 year old that they can't have their morning milk. No fun!  We got the news we were looking for: Stable! We were also referred to the ENT to further look into his ear and sinus issues. That appointment came and we decided to have surgery to remove his adenoids and place tubes in his ears. We were really hoping that this would help not only with the infections, but also his sleep. Could this be the answer?? Unfortunately, we had to wait until March to find out.

waiting to be taken back for his MRI

Nate in recovery

The months in between scans seem to fly by! We kept busy with gym and music classes and school for Ben. Nate was doing well with daycare one morning a week and early intervention appointments. Ms. Laurie was a Godsend to our family. Nate loves her and looks forward to his playtime with her. She was constantly working with his anxiety and his vocabulary. She was always offering advice to me and even gave us some real medical equipment to use with Nate to help ease the anxiety that just hearing the word doctor gave him.

Nate & his stethoscope

Mommy & Ben breakfast date

It certainly takes a village to raise your children!