2 Month Birthday!

Silly face!

.... yet so serious!

Streeeeetch!

This is what I get to see every morning!!! :)

Yesterday, Wednesday, Evan celebrated his 2 Month Birthday! Each week that goes by, he gets bigger and changes so much. It seems like the past two months have flown by, in some aspects. But in other ways, it seems like an eternity ago that he entered our lives and we saw his precious little face for the very first time!

This week, as you read in the previous post, was a little hectic. Evan is smiling more each day - a purposeful smile! He is grasping on to things more and more. He loves to play Patty Cake and sing and act out the motions to the Itsy Bitsy Spider. Grandpa Smith even got him to smile while playing Patty Cake! :) He is able to hold his head up for long period of time. And last night, he even rolled over for his very first time! I am sure it was an accident, however, I put him to sleep on his tummy and when I went to wake him up to eat (yes, he slept the full 4 hour max) he was on his back - which he absolutely hates! He has periods during the day where he is much more content and will sit in his swing for a small amount of time. Daddy is really enjoying the smiles and the new periods of being content without screaming! The older he is getting - the better he is getting! :)

This week has been a tough one in regards to sleep. Evan seems to think that he can sleep and mommy is going to hold him the entire time. He is starting to enjoy snuggling more and more. So after 3 nights of doing his bedtime routine, following by 2-3 hours of trying to get him to sleep - mommy finally put her foot down. We have been making him self-soothe for the past couple of days - for both naps and bedtime. He does good for his afternoon nap and throughout the night. The problem times are early morning and early afternoon naps, and that first time to put him down for bedtime. He is such a little stinker and fights it so bad. He will cry for 15 minutes, calm down for 5 minutes and then start the process all over - eventually going to sleep. Who knew that a child could cry and cry and cry for that long!?!?! But mommy and daddy are working together, keeping each other strong, and making the self-soothing work. I can defiantly see the change, but we just have to stay strong and keep the routine. There is nothing worse than listening to your little guy scream and cry - and do nothing! It is just instinct to go get
them ....

Evan has had really bad gas and tummy issues since we started him on his medication - Carnitine - which is for his enzyme disorder. It upsets his tummy so bad that he will wake up from sleep, due to pain. It breaks my heart that we do all we know, and sometimes nothing will work. We had the worst day, thus far, yesterday. His tummy was hurting so bad that he would keep his legs stretched out - so hard that his toes were pointed. If I would move him or adjust my arms, he would scream. Poor guy! Plus, we seem to be having pooping issues at times, as well. So Jason and I are trying to decide if we should go get another opinion on if he needs this medication or not. As a nurse, we always look at risk vs. benefit and we are just not sure of the benefit. We got a very general description of what the medication actually does - but I want to know if it is absolutely crucial for him to have it. Kids in the UK do not even get this medication and all studies are not conclusive on if the med helps or not. So, we are questioning if we should go out of state. However, that would mean that his care would also have to be provided out of state - which would not be feasible for when he is sick and needs admitted in the hospital. We like knowing that his Dr. is only minutes away and that when he does get sick, the hospital is also minutes away and he will be in the care of a Dr. who specializes in the MCADD disorder. Jason and I just want what is best for our son. If the Dr. would tell us that it was absolutely necessary for him to be on the Carnitine and would affect his health if he stopped taking it, we would continue to give it. I would never put my son's health or life in jeapordy, of course, but we need more answers and more education on the medication.

I return to work in just 9 more days! I am nervous, yet a little relieved to get back to work and get back on my normal schedule. I know that Jason will do great at home with Evan - but I know that I will be an absolute mess the first few nights. Luckily, I only work 2 days in a row and then I have a long 6 day stretch off. It will feel good to see my work crew, have some adult interaction, and get a break from having puke on my shoulder and listening to my son cry. I am sure that every mother can sympathize and understand this feeling!!!