What Happens When Life Happens

Robby at 11 Months

Every morning when I get Robby out of his crib, I get a little sad because every day, my baby is getting bigger and bigger... Leaving "baby" behind and bringing big boy into the picture. We have a little less than a month until Robby turns one. The first year with him seemed to go faster than with Ellie. I guess because we have four year old to keep up with. Every day, you just work to get through it and you forget to soak it all in. Sigh.... I just want to keep my baby a baby a little while longer.

Anyway, at 11 months, here is what our little man is up to:
*besides mama and dadda, Robby can say "hiiiiiiii!" so sweet.
*tonight for the first time, Robby said his sister's name, "Ehhh-eeeee!" Ellie and I looked at each other and screamed and clapped for Robby. He is obsessed with his big sis. She can do no wrong.
*Robby can wave bye bye and hello.
*When he wants to, Robby can show me where his head is and loves to do "soooo big".
*Clapping hands remains a favorite activity.
*Robby could teach crawling lessons... His little booty is so cute when he books it across the floor.
*He is almost ready to stand on his own and can pull himself up to his knees.
*Last night, Robby started balancing between the coffee table and the couch. Before he would keep two hands on one surface.
*we love playing our "ah-dah" game. Robby will repeat ah-dah back with any inflection, with a preference on ahhhh-DAH!
*Robby is still doing his goy goy goy thing when he is content. Love it. Lately I have been letting him sleep with a little stuffed Mickey. I hand it to him right before I leave the room. He smiles, holds it to his face, goy goys and thats how I know it's ok to leave the room.

Robby is quickly becoming a mamas boy and I love every second of it. He is smushy, squeezable, and such a little lover. I miss Ellie as a baby and I know I will miss Mr Man as a baby too.

Ellie

Ellie had a rough night last night. She woke up around one vomiting. The girl was sick, right? Yet, she can always make me smile. She could barely hold her head up, and was laying patiently on the floor while I put new sheets on her bed. She looked up at me in her blue cloud pjs and said, "Mommy, there is another word for fro-up. It's puke. I puked. That's my puke Daddy is cleaning up." Her innocence is so truly darling. Then I look over and ask Rob if he taught her what puke means. "I may have mentioned it," was his reply. We started laughing and even Ellie, who just enjoys when anyone is giggling, managed to give us a little laugh. Two more sheet and jammy changes later, a sleepless night for all us turned into a "snuggle day" as Ellie calls them. The rare days we don't get out of our pajamas and just watch movies all day. Robby is teething and ridiculously grumpy, and I had to work a bit, but it was a nice day at home with my kids. When I was tucking Ellie in, I told her, "Mommy wishes your germs would jump off you and onto me, so I could be sick instead of you." She squeezed my hand and said, "I'd help you Mama." Instantly tears came and the same thought that has run through my head a million times entered again, "What did I do to deserve her?" I told her she has a good heart, a big heart, and to never lose that. I try to show Ellie what it means to be kind. But that big heart thing? It's genuine and you can't teach it. I am so so blessed to have Ellie as my daughter.

Rub A Dub Dub, Thanks For The Grub

Tricky Little Leprechauns

Happy St. Patty's Day from our little leprechauns...

and thanks to some good friends for letting those tricky little fellas know about the kids in our house!

Wedding Planning

Ellie's First Haircut

Yep, she's 3 1/2. But darn it, I waited a long time for a little girl and even longer for her lovely locks to grow in. And when I finally WAS emotionally ready to take her and get her beautiful blonde tresses trimmed, Ellie was scared and refused to go. Finally, I convinced her that getting a hair cut is what big girls do. Sniff... big girls. I gulped back tears when the hairdresser took that first snip. After all, that was the baby hair she had since birth. But, Ellie loved it and can't wait to go back.

 
Before

 
Getting ready!

 
Spraying "stuff that smells like cupcakes" (per Ellie) before getting started.

First snip.

And, almost done. Michelle, Ellie's "stylist" had to walk away to answer the phone.

 

Finishing touches... and then...

 
My beautiful girl! So proud of her.

Afterwards Rob and I took Ellie for a special lunch, just the three of us.

We've come a long way since THIS... :) I shot this video on March 2, 2009. Almost two years to the day of her first haircut. 

Downtown You Go

We had a bit of a scare with Mr. Man. On Monday, February 28, I took both kids to see our pediatrician after a bit of a rough weekend for both of them. Nothing too serious, or so it seemed. Ellie had a rotten cold and was just generally Les Mis, and I wanted to get Robby checked out for a persistent cough that he had been seen for a couple times previously. Diagnosis? A double ear infection for E and bronchiolitis for Robby. Our pediatrician explained that Robby had picked up a virus that caused the bronchial infection, but that on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being an ICU admit) we were at about a 2.5, so no worries. The doc gave me a few things to watch for: listlessness, loss of appetite, discolored skin. Fast forward to Tuesday, and I saw all three of those things in my helpless little 7-week old. I called the doctor and he told me to come right in. He took one look at my sweet boy and said, "Downtown you go." He told me he'd be calling ahead to the Emergency Department letting them know that a newborn in respiratory distress was heading in. I called Rob, who was out of town on a shoot, on the way. He immediately turned around to meet me at Children's. I had no idea what the next 48 hours would hold for our family. We ended up being admitted to the Infectious Disease floor, 6 Tower, around 1 a.m. the next morning, but not before my little man underwent a battery of tests including a spinal tap, bloodwork, urinalysis with cath and a chest x-ray. His final diagnosis was RSV.

He seemed stable when we arrived to our inpatient room. Around 4 a.m., however, Robby's pulse-ox alarm sounded and wouldn't stop. He needed oxygen and stayed on assistance for the next 18 hours.

 
Throughout all the fear, anxiety and sadness that comes with your child hooked up to tubes and monitors and in the hospital, I knew he was going to be OK. The care at Children's is second to none. I already knew professionally how amazing the nurses and doctors at Children's are, now I know it from a personal standpoint. And we will never, ever, ever, ever take for granted for one second that our children are healthy. We are so blessed.

There are many people that helped us through a tumultuous two days. Ellie's former teacher, Jackie, is a new RN and held my hand all night in the ED. She stayed with Robby during his spinal tap and I will be eternally grateful to her. My friend, Michelle, is the clinical educator for 4 Tower and came up three times to examine Robby and talk me through what was happening with him. My mom was on a plane less than 12 hours after our ordeal began. I honestly don't know what I would do without her. My sister stayed in touch via text and phone and kept my spirits up all the way from Nebraska. My amazing friends took Ellie to Bob Evans and Jen kept her overnight our first night. The hugs, encouragement, prayers, Diet Cokes, coffees and chocolate chip cookies from my Nationwide Children's family are so very appreciated. Mo and Ang arrived with Starbucks and magazines. And Rob held it together with Ellie at home while being a worried dad at the hospital. He is an unbelievable husband and father.

How are we doing now? I shot this little video a couple hours before we left the hospital. It says it all.

Mr. Man

It's been a little more than six weeks since our little Robby came into the Abel family and  completed it. He is a natural fit... like he's always been here. Life was sweet before. Now it's bliss. Our house felt like a home before. Now it just feels like family.

Let me tell you a little about Mr. Man. (Rob and I started calling Robby "Mr. Man" the day we came home from the hospital and it stuck.) He is simply the sweestest baby you'll ever meet. He is laid back and content and SUCH a sweet pea.

• He is starting to smile and interact. He likes when I laugh best.
• He likes two kinds of noo-no's. A white version of Ellie's and the Nuk.
• He is a BIG eater. BIG.
• He is not a fan of being put down and prefers being held.
• He has had a cough since he was two weeks old. Maybe it's because he doesn't know better, but my boy doesn't complain. He coughs, then gives me a huge smile.
• He loves his mama.
• He has rolled over twice from front to back. The first time was right before the 5-week mark.
• Bath time: the jury's still out. If he is fussing before bathtime already, he'll continue to fuss through his bath. If he's chilling, he seems to enjoy splashing in the warm water.
• Up until two nights ago, he still woke up every three hours to eat. On February 25, he slept from 10 p.m. - 5:30 a.m. and did the same the next night.
• We've been at the doctor pretty much every week to listen to his little lungs. He was diagnosed with his first ear infection last week and today we found out he has bronchialitis. Poor punkin. I'd give anything to take it from him.
• Ellie LOVE LOVE LOVES her brother. I will never forget the moment my heart grew 10-fold when Ellie didn't think I could hear her and whispered in his ear, "I love you, baby brother." I have caught her wiping his tears, putting his noo-no back in and holding his hand. I love to see her love for him grow.
• I have never seen a newborn with such big, bright curious eyes.
• Robby has a serious relationship with our ceiling fans. He could stare for hours.
• He grew out of Size One diapers a week ago... but I still have a ton so we're just changing more often! :)
• Robby wore newborn clothes for about a minute. He's now pushing the limits of his 3 month clothing.
• Robert Paul Abel IV looks an AWFUL lot like his daddy, Robert Paul Abel III.

 
Rob, Ellie and I are so blessed that this little guy picked us to be his family. We go for walks... Rob pushes Ellie on her tricycle while I push Robby in his stroller... and it's just perfection. I am simply in awe and disbelief of the many ways we've been blessed. Not sure what we did to deserve these two angels. Love isn't a strong enough word! :)

We meet again.

Thinking about dusting this old blog off. But will I stick to it? That is the question. I want to document the lives of my children. I don't and won't scrapbook. The baby book lasted... oh... 6 months. But I just re-read all my old blog posts about Ellie and think it's worth giving another shot. Chances are, I will reign over the kingdom of Sucky Bloggerville once again. But let's give it a whirl, shall we?

It's not like I can pick up where I left off. So I'll start with NOW.

Now, Ellie is 3 1/2 years old and remains the absolute joy of my life. She is hilarious, sweet, smart, whitty, curious, compelling, beautiful, mischevious and cautious. She is spunky and doesn't miss a beat. She adores princesses, music, clothes, animals, nail polish, jewelry and books. She is a girly girl to the core and I can't lie - that makes my heart sing. She insists that "girls rule" and like purple, hair bows and dresses while boys just like cars and frogs. Seriously, where does she GET this stuff?

She can be really shy at times, and other times she amazes me with her ability to jump right in to any new or social situation. I love when she still calls me, "Mama" and how deeply and truly she loves Rob and me. She doesn't go an hour without wanting a hug from us. She's pure bliss. It's amazing to see that purity and innocence in a child. She just loves... there are no conditions to it or boundries.  She continues to surprise and amaze me, every single day.

We're one week out, or less, from welcoming our little man into the family. Even though I'm so close, I still can't imagine being a mom to two little ones. I know I'll love him (I already do... to the ends of the earth), and I know I'll love him more and more every day, just as I do with Ellie. But knowing and feeling are two different things. I don't know what it feels like to see my two kids in one look, hold them both, see them together, or see Rob with a son. I don't know what it's like to take time away from Ellie to spend with my son. Or vice versa. Everyone says with Number 2 you know what to expect... but I definitely disagree. I'm not prepared for what it's going to feel like to love another as much as I love Ellie. I just know I will. Does that make sense?

In any event, I certainly am excited and ready to meet this kiddo. It's been a rough pregnancy, not going to lie. First trimester brought horrible nausea and fatigue. I couldn't do much but lie on the couch. These were not my most shining moments as a mother. There was a lot of Nemo and Sleeping Beauty. There was a lot of pizza because it was all I could stomach. Some bad habits were created. Then came second trimester. Headaches, oh the headaches. I started thanking God for Fioricet and the kind of OB who doesn't hesitate to prescribe it. At 22 weeks came the same pressure on my pelvic bone that I had with Ellie, only way earlier and much stronger. It hasn't gone away and has only intensified. Later in second trimester came the insomnia. Several times a week, I would wake up between 3 and 4 a.m. and that would be it. I was up for the day. These days did not bring my most shining moments in my career. I was exhausted to the core, and definitely was not able to give my work 100%. When you are sleep deprived... really sleep deprived... it is just simply impossible to be your best. It was a very difficult time. Third trimester brought more insomnia and ultimately, the most excrutiating pain I have ever felt. Back spasms. Wow. Wow. Wow...is all I really have to say about that. For a period of about 5 weeks, I couldn't bend or twist at the waist, pull myself up into a standing position, and sometimes, I couldn't even climb the stairs or get into bed. My little man took up residency on a nerve  which would often send me into an electric kind of pain that only lasted  a few seconds, but felt like an eternity while it was happening. It was worse than labor with Ellie. At times, I would literally scream in pain or fall to my knees. I began taking muscle relaxers and going to physical therapy twice a week, which saved my life. I learned to strengthen my big, pregnant core and anticipate when a spasm was coming and avoid it. I haven't had a spasm for a couple weeks now. Thank you, God. Who, by the way - as my mom insists - is definitely not a woman.

I typed all that out because I know I'll forget it all the moment I see my sweet son. I mean, look at him. Isn't he adorable? My brother was very excited to see this picture because it looks like he's kissing his bicep. Total stud, even in the womb! HAHA. Until I do get to meet him, I'm going to enjoy every moment I can with Ellie as an only child and get as much rest as possible. Oh, and I'm going to eat. Lots. Lots and lots and lots.

 

Heard you for the first time today

Dear little one:

Heard your sweet little heartbeat for the first time today. You must have been excited - 155 bpm! You are 12 weeks and 5 days today. You brought tears of joy to my eyes for the fourth time. The first time, when I found out about you at 5 weeks; the next two when I SAW your heart beating, at 6 weeks and again at 9. But something about hearing that pitter patter made it even more real for me. Mommy loves you so much, my little munchkin.