About our blogger: NavyKay
I am a cloth-diapering, baby-wearing, photography loving mom to Lawson, 2, and Naomi May, 5 months. I'm married to my best friend, Dustin, who is a pilot in the Navy and a house renovating extraordinaire. Days go by quickly, so here's to remembering today... and seriously, if I didn't write this stuff down, it would be lost forever! Have a baby, lose your mind!!!
April 13th, 2012
A year ago, I had books on my nightstand about happiness, birthing, and babies. I was waiting for Quincy to join us and complete our family, and I was happy. Today, my nightstand has a big basket full of medical equipment. An oxygen saturation monitor, a stethoscope, inhaler medication, spacers, and nasal aspirators sit where once there were books. And I am tired.
When Quincy got RSV at two months old, I had no idea how large of impact that would have on her life. Asthma took hold of her lungs after that, and I’ve struggled to breathe right along with her. She was okay for a while after she got out of the hospital, but she always sounded raspy and got out of breath easily. She worried me to no end. I would stay awake watching her struggle to breathe, doing anything I could think of to help her. She had two more stays in the hospital since her first with RSV and gained her asthma diagnosis at six months old. It’s a non-stop battle to keep her breathing “normal.”
As illness after illness came through our household those first six months of her life, I survived. I took care of everyone and worried about everyone and tried to be strong, even when I, too, was very sick. Well, I tried so hard to be strong and keep it all together that I broke. September broke me. I was gearing up for our first move with three kids. We move ourselves, which means it’s up to me to pack most of our belongings. I was also preparing to travel across the country solo with the kids to celebrate my sister getting married and my sister-in-law having her third sweet baby, a boy named Koleson. As I packed our suitcases the day before the trip, I got a call that I will never forget. Sweet baby Koleson was gone just days before his due date. The hurt that swept through the family was and is so unimaginable. It has changed my heart to witness loss so great. I went home to Oregon with all three kids for a wedding and a funeral, and I returned home unable to process it all and unable to breathe. I was depressed and overwhelmed. My chest hurt, my heart sometimes raced or skipped a beat, and it scared me. Read the rest of this entry »
August 10th, 2011
Once I had a girl who broke her tooth. So, off to the dentist we went to get it fixed. My expectations for her cooperation were very low after she bit the dentist’s “barbie mirror” during our first visit. She showed signs of feeling nervous when the dentist came to get started on her tooth. We discussed the possibility that she just may have to keep her sharp front tooth so we didn’t traumatize her too much. Then out came the “pilot mask,” AKA strawberry scented laughing gas, AKA toddler tamer, AKA the protagonist of this story. She instantly became solely concentrated on taking the deepest breaths she could, followed by an “Ah!” (Think the sound you make after you drink a nice refreshing soda.) She proclaimed over and over, “I like that ‘mell!” Within a few minutes, the whole thing was done, she was happy as could be with a little plastic frog in each hand, and home we went with a brand new tooth! Thank goodness for laughing gas! If only I had some on hand at home… it would be a whole new world!
….and they all lived happily ever after…..
THE END
July 24th, 2011
I’d like to introduce you to my baby sharp tooth. She went for her first visit to the dentist a few days ago. Her very sweet dentist made fast friends with her and even got permission to take a look at her “pretty princess teeth” with her “neat barbie mirror.” All went well until the mirror got close to her face, and she freaked out and tried to sink her vampire tooth into it. So, on August 3rd, when it’s time to put a composite filling on her tooth, she will go into the “quiet room” to wear the “caterpillar blanket.” Basically, she’ll be in a heavily insulated room where no one will hear her scream in a straight jacket as they fix her broken tooth. I’ll be right there by her side reminding her of all the ice cream she gets when it’s all over. I could handle the broken bottom tooth, but Team Vanity wins this time, and her straw compartment is only sticking around for another 10 days or so.
July 19th, 2011
We’ve all seen the posters… but I think the “panic and freak out” version is often my first reaction. Being calm is a conscious choice. Especially in the midst of chaos.
Motherhood is chaotic much of the time. Today, simultaneously, Lawson was throwing a fit wanting to play with me, Quincy woke up crying from her nap, and Naomi tripped while walking and broke her front tooth on the floor. I literally had to take a deep breath and tell myself to be calm. It was a true “Keep Calm and Carry On” moment. Read the rest of this entry »
July 14th, 2011
“She’s Pretty like a flower.” -Naomi on Quincy
(I agree with that statement. And so are you, my sweet Naomi.)
July 11th, 2011
Quincy is working on a new trick.
Falling has proven sometimes fun and sometimes very frustrating. But, she’s already improved her technique since yesterday, when she suddenly stayed sitting after I let go. I’m also quite sure there are teeth on the way. She seems to be in a bit of a hurry!
July 6th, 2011
My little Quinni Mini has officially made it through “the fourth trimester.” Those first three months are basically like a gestation period outside the womb. Now, she’s finally seeming like a real little person, which is really fun! At three months, Quincy weighs in at 12lbs 10oz (60th percentile) and is 24.5″ long (88th percentile). This is a 6oz weight gain (though she dropped from the 87th to the 60th percentile) and a growth of one inch in length. She’s currently perfecting holding her head all the way up… Those big cheeks have made it quite the effort! She’s standing up well and loves hanging out in the Johnny Jump Up. Read the rest of this entry »
July 5th, 2011
Welcome to our home!
Come on in!
Read the rest of this entry »
July 4th, 2011
Nothing is quite as festive as a parade! My friend and neighbor, Ashley, hosted the Parade and Popsicle party, and the only thing that could have made it better was a cooler to sit in! It was a sweaty, sweaty parade, but we had a great time! Everyone brought things to decorate with, then we threw them on a table and went to work making our bikes look like symbols of freedom!
Everyone went to work taping things onto their bikes…
and before too long….
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