Phone Pics 07/27/17

I have to admit, taking photos with my nice camera is SOOOO much harder with four! Well, four and minus a husband. We have been doing some fun things -- movies, swimming, walks, the park. But I can't manage the baby, my toddlers, and a camera. So for now, a lot more is being captured on my phone. And lets be honest, all I do is take pictures of adorable baby Russ.

I called and took this little guy in to the doctor on Monday. At his four week appointment the doctor heard some regurgitation and things that were very indicative of reflux. He talked to me about silent reflux and how not all babies spit up. Well...fast forward two weeks and it just seemed to be getting worse. So here he is---SMILING--- at the drs. We've got a few smiles from this guy in just the past couple of days and I LOOOOVE it!

 Silent Reflux vs. Reflux

If you are like me, most of what you have heard about reflux is spitting up. A lot. That's all I really knew. They also tend to be little and loose weight because they don't keep their milk down. Silent reflux is the same idea INSIDE--they have a lot of heartburn and it makes them really fussy---but it doesn't come OUT. So they swallow it back down. This makes them taste the acid more so they want MORE milk to help calm it, which just makes more heartburn. Repeat cycle indefinitely. So silent reflux babies tend to be CHUBBY because they constantly want to eat, and then also fussy. He said Russ was a pretty normal representation--eats, is happy for 30-45 minutes, then gets fussy and stays fussy until he eats again. Obviously, eating every thirty minutes isn't great for ANYONE and the fussiness is not so fun either. He was also ARCHING his back, specifically against my chest which is one of the only ways I could get him to sleep, and sometimes spitting up. He does a LOT of burping and hiccuping with swallowing down his spit. 

The doctor said he needs to be vertical, pretty much always. Put him to sleep in a swing or carseat, wear him in a carrier if he's not happy sitting up in a swing when he's awake, etc. Any laying down agitates his reflux. And then he also prescribed an antacid. He's only been on it two days but last night he had TWO three hour stretches of sleeping!!!! YAAAAY! So hopefully it's working! 

Before church on Sunday Will and Sterling kept yelling at me to 'come here!'. This is what I found:

Will was thrilled. It was adorable. And he's using the back of the razor. I made sure---I want to keep his baby peach fuzz around forever!!

I shall call you squishy and you shall be mine.

Molly's face. I die. She is SOOOOOOO cute! Even at 5am in my bed...

Making some no-bake cookies. Molly's little frock/apron is my favorite thing on this planet (we got it for a couple bucks at ikea when Ruthie and Will were at the playplace--she's not quite tall enough yet--and a stuffed cat. I guess a girl can't have too many stuffed cats...she sleeps with them all!)

Russ crying in the pool. Don't worry, he fell asleep and stayed asleep for two hours while we sat in the water and the kids played around us. The only way to stay outside for longer than 2 minutes here.

After his swim yesterday. That chub is just SO PERFECTLY PERFECT!

Trying to get him happy after swimming. It was a no-go.

I tried getting him to be happy in the boba so I could make dinner, but he was not having it. Ruthie offered so I handed him off and within seconds he was asleep. She was so proud. She loves him so much! All the kids adore Russ, so I'm usually saying 'stop touching him'  and 'stop squishing him' a thousand times a day so he can sleep. But I've never had a child old enough to help so much with my babies (Ruthie was three (a week before) when Molly was born) so this is all new territory. She has helped him fall asleep multiple times and I just love it. But I love watching HER when she does, she just loves him and is so happy to be helping with the baby. It makes my heart melt. She gets just as excited over his chub and cute outfits and spiked hair as I do. It's a lot of fun. I love you, Ruthie.

I need to take pictures to tour my house, but yesterday I was just SOOO happy while making dinner because of this cabinet right here. I've never had enough cupboards or space in my kitchen for spices. I have a little rack I usually had out on my counter, which I hated because there was not enough counter space to have stuff on it. But this kitchen has sooooo many cupboards and I love, love, love it! 

This morning. Isn't he SOOOOO scrumptiously perfect!??!?!

At Ikea

Finally got him to sleep on a night before his dr visit and antacid rx. and yes, I'm wearing Sterling' hoodie because our upstairs gets REALLY hot, so in order to sleep upstairs at night, the downstairs gets chilly.

Jeff and Diana came over last Saturday and fed us octopus and squid that they had caught earlier that day. It was...chewy. And now I can say that squid was grilled on our grill. Weird. The kids wouldn't touch it. And Will's eyes were GINORMOUS. He couldn't take his eyes off the plate of squid the entire time we were eating. If Jeff moved it closer to him, he immediately moved it back. If Jeff put a piece on his plate, he scooted away from the table. It was soo hilarious I was crying.