It is difficult in and of itself to care for a teething 15 month old and a "night owl" newborn at the same time. Now throw in changing a NAM twice a day, changing the tape of the NAM 4 times a day, going to weekly doctor's appointments, and needing to pump because you can't breast feed. Not to mention taking our older children to their activities on a weekly basis and coaching a volleyball team. Routine and schedule has never been so important, yet I can't seem to find the time to check if I am even on schedule with anything. I barely have a moment to write this post, but I feel obliged to make sure I write out all of these raw emotions so that any other mother who might be planning to go through a similar experience may be more prepared than I was. I'm not going to lie, these days are tough. I can feel tears swelling up, but I don't have the time to let them flow out. Don't get me wrong, I have my moments of serenity and pure happiness, but lately these sleepless days have been building up a huge wave of guilty and anxious emotions. I sometimes feel guilty about my time management with all of the kids including Nami, and also for "dumping" the kids off on other people while I am taking Nami to his appointments. I have always been an independent person and have struggled with allowing people to "lend a hand." Although I have always appreciated the intent for help, today I have learned to accept and ask for help. With that said, we feel very blessed to have such wonderful physicians to work with and a great support system of family and friends. Fran, a.k.a. Grandma, has been a tremendous help for us. She went through surgery earlier this year, scheduling it out to ensure that she could be available to help out with the kids. I can't thank her enough for being such a strong woman for us and constantly thinking of us whether it is to cook a meal, checking on us to see if we need anything, or just being available for a hug when needed. I love that woman! I would also like to thank our neighbor Carrie, for helping us out with our children in school. She has been such a big help with bringing the kids home from school or picking them up for school. Some other special people who have helped out are Aunt Jacque, Marni and Scott, Lisa, Amber, Kira, Joy, and Sandy. We are just so blessed, and I can't thank everyone enough... which reminds me that I need to work on my thank you notes.
Today it is April 16th, and things have been better. The first couple of weeks after the NAM were torturous for me because I felt Nami's pain as we had to take the tape on and off his lips again while he was screaming. Then he had his circumcision and for those of you who don't know, I am not a fan of bleeding body parts. His circumcision went well and his penis looks great now that it is healed. The tape is still bothersome, but Brock and I have figured out little tricks to minimize the pain for Nami. He still gets upset when we take his NAM in and out, but he has become more patient with us as we try to fit it back in his mouth each time. Even though this process is tedious and seems painful, we have noticed a huge difference with his physical appearance and his feedings have become much easier. He is gaining weight, his nostrils are forming nicely, and his lips are stretching out to help with the ease of his first surgery. We are very optimistic with these procedures even though it is tough to actually go through with them.
In other news -
Caden and Mara are doing great. They both have been adjusting well with the new baby, helping out whenever they are asked. I asked Caden how he was handling everything and he stated, "I am okay because you guys have a plan and plus Nami is just so cute and adorable." Gotta love that kid! Mara has been a bit more emotional about everything. She has some anxiety about Nami's upcoming surgery, but overall seems to be handling everything appropriately. Caden is excited that this month is his last month of Hebrew school, which means he can finally have friends over on Tuesdays. He is playing spring baseball and loves to see all of his friends from Bowie Elementary. Mara has been keeping me busy with volleyball. She really loves to play and I enjoy being her coach. It gives me something else to focus on for a while. Their grades are outstanding, and they both seem to be very happy... So I guess we are doing something right. ;)
Brycen is 15 months, and I absolutely love this age! He loves to go on walks and pick flowers, especially dandelions. He talks a lot, but we can only make out a few words. Some of the words he can say are - Daddy, Caden, Mara, Mama, ball, gone gone, thank you, good job, hello, here you go, and bye bye. He likes to pretend to be in conversations and will pick up almost anything to put to his ear like he is on the phone. He brushes his hair and teeth in the mornings using my hairbrush and Brock's toothbrush. Also, while watching dancing with the stars the other night, he put his hand on his head like a ballerina and went in circles then started laughing, almost like he was making fun of them... Brock and I got a good laugh out of it. He loves to make us laugh and smile. We play hide and seek all of the time and he still loves to "get me." He blows kisses to people and is very photogenic. He seems to be adjusting well to Nami, although I think only recently he realizes this baby is permanent. He sometimes will test me by creeping up to Nami and acting like he is going to hit him, but I think he only does it to get my attention. We let him touch Nami and try to teach him to be gentle with him. He gives Nami kisses and doesn't seem to mind too much when his baby brother is crying and interrupting his Yo Gabba show. Brycen has been doing great, and I know that he will be an amazing big brother to Nami. I am really excited to watch them grow together.
Two more months to go and Nami will be getting the first big hurdle out of the way - YAY!!!! I took some pics so everyone could see the kids, but especially for everyone to notice the difference that the NAM has made with Nami. When he was first born his nostrils were almost completely flat and he had no shape to his nose. Also, his middle upper lip was very short, which makes for a more difficult surgery to stretch out the skin in an effort to make the lip look normal. After 2 weeks of using the NAM, his nostrils have more form and the lips have stretched further. We still have a long way to go, but Brock and I are definitely proud of our little guy as he has been very tough to get through all of this NAM stuff. Pretty soon our Nami will forget all about this "NAMsense" and will only remember how much love he is surrounded by.
Check us out:
 |
 |
| Create your own slideshow design |
No comments:
Post a Comment