Day 28

Drew, 4 months

Grant was exactly this age when he had open heart surgery.

He could only have clear liquids the night before and nothing after 2:am. I woke him up at 1:00am and gave him pedialyte in a bottle.

We arrived at Vanderbilt at 5:30am. I remember we were so worried that he would be hysterical from hunger. Much to our surprise, he was just fine. After filling out our paperwork and anxiously waiting, we left him with the nurses and anesthesiologist at about 7:00am.

Grant was put under anesthesia and intubated. His body temperature was cooled. He was placed on a heart-lung bypass machine as his heart was stopped for the operation.

Dr. Karla Christian repaired the whole between the two bottom chambers of his heart, corrected his overriding aorta, and relieved some of his pulmonary stenosis.

Seven hours later, the surgery was complete. Grant's body temperature was warmed back to normal. His heart was restarted. He was in stable but critical condition and was kept unconscious and intubated for about the next 36 hours. I got to hold him again (very carefully) 3 days after that.

The recovery time in the hospital had a lot of ups and downs. Grant pulled through like a CHAMP. He was discharged just 7 days after his surgery.

I write this because Drew is now 4 months old, and it brings back vivid memories.

I write this because after spending time at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital, you realize there are so many sick children there. There are some that will have lifelong struggles that I cannot even comprehend. There are some that will never get to leave. We were the lucky ones, and I don't take that for granted for one second.

I write this because we are so blessed that Grant is healthy. We don't know what the future holds, but currently, he has no complications.  Our only reminders of his heart defect is the scar down his chest and yearly check-ups with his cardiologist.

I write this because someday I want Grant to know what a trooper he was. He was smiling a few days after the surgery. He hardly cried. And when we brought him home, he only needed tylenol a few times for pain.

I write this because someday I want him to know what he went through and how extraordinary he is.

I love you sweet boy. You are my hero.

Day 27

Another fabulous night of sleep. Drew slept until 5:15 this morning. I nursed him, and then he went back to sleep until Grant woke us up at 6:40.

He's still not cooperating very well for his naps, but hopefully persistence will pay off within the next couple of days.

Day 26

Drew woke me up in the middle of the night last night. I grab my glasses in my groggy state so I could see what time it was. Thoughts run through my mind--- When did he eat last? Is it time for him to nurse again? As I come to consciousness, I notice it's 4:06am. I'm still trying to figure out my plan of action, when suddenly I realize this was the first time he had woken me up all night.

I climb out of bed, but I don't hear anything. I wait. I still don't hear anything. I realize he didn't wake me up at all. My bladder did.

I use the bathroom and rush back to bed. I wonder how many minutes I will lay here before he's up. I drift off to sleep.

The next thing I know, I hear him "oooohing" and "aaaahing" in his bed. It was 6:15am.

And that was the first night Drew slept through the night.

Day 25

For about the first two weeks of an infant's life, they pretty much sleep "like a baby." They fall asleep after each feeding. They stay asleep fairly easily. And they will pretty much sleep wherever you put them.


But after about 2 weeks, something happens. I don't know what it is, but---THEY WAKE UP. And they STAY awake. However, the only time you need them to stay awake, is they time they pass out in a breastfeeding coma. The second you think they're done feeding, they wake up and want to nurse for an entire two more seconds. And after those two seconds, they are passed out again. But as soon as you think, okay this time he's definitely asleep, he wakes up AGAIN and wants to nurse for another two seconds. Then when he finally is done and full, he's WIDE AWAKE.

So you play with him and cuddle him and sing songs to him. After about an hour of this, he starts to get fussy, and after a few more minutes, he's pissed.

Now he's screaming. But why? He has a full tummy. He has a dry diaper. I just burped him. Could he be tired? He's only been awake for an hour. If he's sleepy, he would just go to sleep. Right?


NO.


This is when it pays off to be a second time mom. I was prepared this time. This time I knew that newborns can only stay awake for about an hour. This time I knew that they don't just go to sleep on their own. This time I knew they've just spent the past nine months cuddled and rocked upside down in a noisy, nice warm womb. They're not trying to sleep alone...on their back... in a flat, still, quiet and sterile bed.


And so the swaddle blanket, the swing, the paci, and the white noise were used so we all could get some much needed rest.


Now he's outgrown his blanket and swing. He wakes up in the middle of the night because his paci has fallen out of his mouth. The exhaustion is starting to set in again. He's not an infant anymore. We are moving on to the next phase.


Sleep Training. He's learning how to fall asleep in his bed and stay asleep on his own. Yes, there's crying involved. But in my opinion, a few hours worth of crying (no, not consecutive hours, but a few hours total) now is worth it to have a wonderfully independent sleeper for the many years to come.

Day 24

I cannot



stop taking



pictures of these two.

Day 23

Today Grant helped Daddy wash his car.

Then he proceeded to wash his Big Wheel.Mommy washed some laudry and more baseboards.

And Drew got his cracks and rolls washed.

Day 22

How many sleep props does it take to get Drew to take a nap?

#1 swing

check

#2 paci

check

#3 classical music

check

#4 swaddle blanket

check

#5 lovey

check

I think I see some sleep training in his very near future.

Day 21

For a guy who doesn't talk much unless he knows you, Grant's mouth does not stop when he's at home.

No matter what I am doing, I can always hear him in the background. Usually, he is narrating his NASCAR, monster truck races, or whatever else he can make race. And it's not enough that I can hear him, but he has to come and tell me who won his race... and who got second and third and fourth.... and who crashed. AND, as if that's not enough, he has to show me the replay of who won his race... and who got second and third and fourth... and who crashed and how they crashed, etc. etc. etc.

It's funny. He knows all of his NASCAR driver's name and can recognize their numbers. But he doesn't quite know that 24 is twenty-four or that 48 is forty-eight. He's almost got it figured out, but not quite yet.

The other day I was busy in the kitchen listening to Grant in the background when all of the sudden, there was silence. I stopped, knowing that something was different, but I didn't know what yet. I realized Grant was quiet, and nowhere to be seen.

I called out his name. After getting no response, I went looking for him. Bathroom? No. Bedroom? No. Upstairs? No. Our closet with the door closed? Yes.

I noticed he was chewing on something. I asked what he was eating. As he was chomping, his response was "nuttin." I asked again. "What are you eating?" He admitted he had found a tootsie roll in his backpack.

And just like that Grant had told his first white lie.

Day 20

I've got nothing....

except too tired to post.

Must go to bed now.

Day 19

Whenever I have some things I need to get done, I put Drew in front of Grant to be entertained for a while. Grant is so sweet and such a big help. Whenever Drew makes so much of a peep, Grant will grab his paci and plug him up. I don't even have to ask him. And if that doesn't work, he tries to distract Drew with his silliness. He does this dance that includes shaking his booty in front of his little brother's face, singing songs of nonsense, and making wacky faces.

And when Drew is just chillin', Grant never misses a chance to show him some love.

And Drew loves it.

Day 18

For no reason at all Grant informed me that he likes "girls better than boys."

His reasoning was, "they just look better."

--- I'm glad we've got that straightened out.

Day 17

We did not stop today. I thought we've always kept a pretty neat and tidy house, but when it comes down to it, it was a wreck. Why don't we live clutter free all the time?

Oh yeah, I could obsess over tidying up everything everyday, or I could enjoy a board game with Grant or a glass of wine with Danny.

I choose the latter.

Bonus Room, After

Master Bath, After

Day 16

We've worked all day on some home staging. We removed an oversized chair in the corner as well as an armoire to "open up the space."

Bonus Room, Before

Master Bath, Before

It's safe to say I've seen almost every episode of Design to Sell on HGTV. Being an HGTV junkie, it's the channel I always end up on. Danny always makes fun of the excessive use of the word "space" by the designers. But at last, my addiction will soon pay off.


Hopefully I'll have after pics tomorrow.

Day 15

Mimi took Grant to see Ice Age today AND she kept him occupied all day. God bless her.

So, you think I would enjoy a nice, relaxing, quiet, easy day with only one child. But instead, I wiped down my cabinets and door frames, cleaned bathrooms, and did some MORE de-cluttering, Fun fun fun.


No matter how busy or crazy my days might be, I always manage to get some lovey dovey time with Drewbie.


Check out these guns.

Day 14

It frequently happens when I tell someone Drew's name. They ask, "Is it Andrew?"

No, it's Drew.

But actually we mostly call him:

Drewbie, Drewber, Chunky Monkey, or Big Guy.

And frequent serenades to him include:

Drewbie doobie doo, you know I love you. Drewbie doobie doo.

(or from the Police) Da Drew, Drew, Drew. Da da, da, da. All I want to say to you.

Day 13

I have started the process of packing, which today has been a major act of de-cluttering and organizing. As I de-clutter an area, I see that it also needs to be cleaned. After cleaning the spot, I realize I have no place to put everything I have just organized. So, I have to de-clutter another area and begin the process all over again.

I think the only times I sat down today was to nurse Drew, build a marble race or two with Grant, and to scarf down my lunch.

I took a picture of some of my efforts, but I thought this one was much more meaningful.

Got Milk?

Day 12

Grant was watching TV and he asked me out of the blue, "Are we moving?" I smiled and excitedly explained that we're going to move into a new house. He laughed and said, "NO! I mean the earf. Is the earf moving?"

"Oh. Yes, the earth is moving. It revolves around the sun."

He was watching Mickey's Comet.

Abby came over with here two boys today for a play date. I love this picture. Drew is thinking, "What's this guy looking at?"

Day 11

I must confess. I've been in denial.

So, I'm just going to come out and say it. And as I type this maybe reality will hit.

We --are --moving. There I said it.

No, we're not moving to Europe or to another state or even another zip code. We're just moving to a bigger house in a different neighborhood.

As much as I love this house and our neighborhood it only feels like a temporary home. It is not the house where our boys will go off to their first day of kindergarten and someday too soon, high school. It is not the house where Drew will speak his first word and Grant will read his first book. It is not the house where we will create timeless Christmas traditions. It is not the house where the boys will enjoy sleepovers with their friends or where they will get the keys to their first car. It is not the house where Danny and I will celebrate our fifteen or twenty year anniversary.

And as much as I don't look forward to cleaning, packing, and moving with two small children, we've found an amazing house that is waiting to be filled with these beautiful memories.

It already feels like home.

Day 10

Drew had his first restaurant experience today. No, it wasn't at Olive Garden, O'Charley's or even our favorite, Cinco de Mayo. We took him to IHOP!

There's nothing like strolling in for breakfast at 7:30 in the morning. We were in and out of there like old pros... ordering as soon as we sat down and downing our pancakes as quickly as possible.

Drew had had enough just as we were finishing up.



We made it in and out of there in 25 minutes flat.

Day 9

Drew decided to wake up at 12:30am, 4:00am and 6:00am this morning. The only thing that saved me was that he went back to sleep until 7:00.

I don't know if he's in a growth spurt or if he's just become addicted to his pacifier.





As I ponder over my baby books and overthink what am I doing wrong with his schedule, clearly his only concern is "how am I going to get this duck into my mouth?"

Day 8

There's no sweeter smell than the top of a baby's head.



It might smell sweet, but this one definitely needs a new hairdo.

Day 7

This weekend I had big plans. I was going to clean the house, go shopping, take a nap, and maybe even go to the pool.

Grant was supposed to leave today go camping with my parents. We've been talking about it for weeks. He was so pumped to ride up in the motorhome, spend time with his cousins and go tubing with O'Dad. I had all of his clothes packed. He had all of his toys and buddies packed. We made it to my mom and dad's house almost on time. We loaded all of his things up, and when it came time to say goodbye the tears welled up in his eyes and he busted out with "I don't want to go!!!! I want you to go with me!"

As we watched the motorhome drive away, I made a mental note of a slight change in my weekend plans.

Day 6

On any given day this is what our living room floor looks like. This is actually a good day.



Everyday I ask Grant to put his toys away. And everyday I have to hear all the reasons why he wants to leave them out... "they're sleeping, I was going to play with them tomorrow, they're in their pattern, (and my favorite is) but I'm too tired to pick them up."

Drew has become so observant. He is fascinated by Grant and watches his every move. I can see him eyeing all of the cars scattered about, and I'm sure he's thinking to himself "I want to taste that one, and that one, and that one, and that one..."

Day 5

I think Drew has officially outgrown his 6 month clothes today.

Day 4

Only 4 days into this and I already missed a day. Oh well. We had a late night last night. We didn't get in until 10pm!!! That's late for a nursing mother.

Asleep by 11pm. Up with Drew at 2:30am and 6am.

We had a great time even though the big firework display was cancelled due to the rain. Drew enjoyed himself sleeping in his swing most of the time.

Today we went to a Sawyer family gathering. It was great food, family and swimming for the kids.

I was too tired to pull out the camera for some pics, but I got these cute ones of my boys at home.





Drew was so tired he went to bed at 5:30pm. Grant is exhausted as well. He's at the age where an actual nap with sleeping is impossible, and yet he is so tired by 7pm he is usually in tears. I just put him to bed, and he told me he just doesn't like sleeping. He only "likes to stay awake."

I wish I could trade places with him for a night or two so I could go to bed at 7:30pm and sleep 12 hours straight!!!

Day 3

Today we made ice cream. It has been a 4th of July tradition since the past couple of years. Is there anything more delicious than homemade ice cream?





Yes there is......

Day 2

My mom was my hero today.

She called this morning wondering what our plans were for today. She asked if I needed a babysitter for anything. I didn't have any plans, but yes, I needed a babysitter.

I've felt a little cooped up the past couple of days. So, I knew a little retail therapy would recharge my battery. Off to Target I went.

By the way, my dad was also my hero. He heard through the grapevine that our garage door had been acting up. He stopped by as well. Now it's good as new.

Drew ended up downing almost 6 oz. from a bottle while I was out. No wonder I've been tired the past couple of days. This kid can eat!

Drew, 3 months

Grant picked out this outfit for Drew to wear today. Of course, I remembered a picture of Grant wearing the same one so I couldn't resist. Notice the difference in age and rolls. I'm actually starting to think they look a little different.

Grant, 5 months

We ended the day making Jello Jigglers that were more squishy than jiggly. Oh well. It's the act that counts.

30 Posts in 30 Days

Day 1

I got this idea from a friend and fellow mom who has a beautiful blog at

justlikethenumber.com

With Grant home on Summer break and us basically confined to the house due to the unbearable heat and Drew's nap and feeding schedule, the days can be so mundane and yet so chaotic. But Drew is already growing up so fast. I'm committed to posting once a day to capture those everyday moments which are, actually, not everyday at all.

Yesterday Drew was officially 3 months old, and yesterday he rolled over. When I placed him on his belly, I walked away. I heard Grant say "oops, mommy." I looked to see what Grant was talking about, and Drew was on his back. Grant was so proud he got to see it, and I missed it.

These pictures were from today.