sorry

I know my posts are becoming few and far between, and I am sorry about that. I have come to the conclusion that I have absolutly nothing to blog about, in a good way. My kids are happy and healthy. Natalie is healed up and growing like crazy (she totally skipped a size in shoes), Landon is right on track. My job is easy, long, but easy. My marriage is great! My whole family is close and supportive when I need it. I am about to go on a vacation for the first time in 4 years! I don't have much but am happy with what I have, probably much like anybody else! Thanks to you all who do follow my blog!

its been a while

Sorry it has been so long since I have posted. This is going to be a very real post...
I am tired and stressed and in desperate need for my vacation. Ever since Landon was born Trenton and I have been working total opposite schedules. It was ok at first, but after 6 months we both are feeling like single parents. I am either by my self all day with the kids or Trenton is. We don't have days together as a family, and it is starting to really make me sad. At the moment we can't afford daycare for 2 kids, it is very expensive for a good daycare. We are looking for someplace that would take the kids for 2 days a week so that maybe on the weekends we could have two days as a complete family. One issue is with Natalie, she freaks when I leave especially if I leave her with someone she isn't comfortable with. I know what you all are thinking, she will get over it after a few times going, but I don't know. We haven't even been able to leave her in daycare at church, one time she escaped, and all the other times the teacher brings her back to me because she is still screaming bloody murder after 20 minutes. I do believe she would really enjoy playing with other kids. But I also am thinking who in there right mind is going to put up with her screaming until she adjusts. Landon on the other hand would be sooo easy! The next issue is our bedtime routine... We don't have one. When I work I don't get home until 8pm. From the second I get home I am running around trying to get the kids ready for bed. When I am off we aren't racing the clock, so it goes much smoother. So Natalie (again) sleeps in her own bed great at nap time, but at bedtime she screams and cries unless I sit with her until she goes to sleep. I would just let her cry her self to sleep, we did this before Landon and it worked great, she stopped crying after 3 days. But Landon is also in bed at this time and she wakes him up. So now I sit with her for 5 minutes and she goes to sleep, no big deal... except she wakes up screaming at 12am. One of us jumps up and runs in to try and keep her quiet so she doesn't wake Landon. If we get her back to sleep in her bed, she wakes up again 30 min later. So after playing this game she usually ends up in our bed. Then if she hasn't woke Landon up by this time he wakes up at 2am. He used to sleep through the night, but not anymore! So, we are all exhausted in the morning. Just so you know, I realize this is a result of 2 years of spoiling, and we made her this way, but now I really don't what to do. I am just tired. I don't even want to leave the house because I know I have to go by myself. My poor mom is probably sick of us because every time she is off I bring the kids over, just so I can have a little help. I know this was super long and whiny, but I love my kids and I want to do whats best for them, even if I don't always know what that is.

New pictures

I figured with all the updates on Natalie, Landon deserves a little screen time. He has allergies really bad right now, it appears to be the worst with pet dander. He is on an antihistamine at night so he can breath, we try not to give it to him during the day because it isn't really made for babies his age. He is getting so big! At 6 months he weighs 15lbs. I can't believe he is 6 months already. Time seriously flies with two kids. Here is a picture from his 6 month birthday.

Follow up appt

Today we had natalie's surgery follow up appt, it went really well, but for some reason they switch doctors on us. I wanted her to see the one who has seen her since birth, but when we got there they said we were seeing a different one. Our regular doctor is pregnant so I thought she must have had her baby, but nope she was there seeing patients. I dont get why they would switch her, but the doctor she did see was very nice. So, Natalie is doing great and heal perfectly. My only complaint is that now she has horrible nightmares and is sleeping in our bed again. Bad thing, she sleeps sideways in our bed for some reason, so our king size bed feels like we are sleeping in a twin she takes up so much room. She also cries and screams and asks for drinks all night long. I feel so bad for her, but at the same time I can't wait to get her back in her own bed. This doctor said to give her a few more weeks.

We are home at last

We made it home late last night! Natalie is doing great. She is very hyper and we are actually having to make her rest. I am so scared she is going to trip and hurt her self, but the doctor said to let her play! She is on two medications, but neither are for pain. She can take Tylenol if she complains of pain, but she hasn't needed to. So I want to thank all of you for all your prayers and praise God for her fast recovery! We came straight to my sister's house and picked up Landon who now feels like he has gained 10lbs (thanks a lot Jenifer). We missed him sooooo much. He has a little cold or something that I am a little worried might be contagious, but my mom said it sounds like sinus drainage. We are going to try and get him to the doctor today. I will post a new picture of Natalie and her healing belly soon!

Surgery went great!

Sorry I havent updated in a long time. We just got our own room at ACH. Natalie's surgery went great. The first 48 hours were a nightmare, but after that she started waking up longer and amiling a little. My mom and I tok turns holding her because thats all she wanted when she was a wake. The nurses here are all amazing! Natalie cries ever time one comes in her room though. Today is day 3 after surgery and she is on no meds except meds to flush her kidneys of all the meds she was on. And she has spent most of the day destroying the play room! They completely fixed her heart so no more surgery for this baby! Oh and she is now part cow, her hole was patched with cow heart lol. moooo. Here is a link to her surgery album.
http://s140.photobucket.com/albums/r10/amyandtrenton/Open%20heart%20surgery/
Sorry this post is all over the place, I havent got much sleep.

April 16th

Well, The cardiology nurse called Tuesday. Turns out that they don't want to wait on Natalie's surgery after all. I went into panic mode when she called even though this is the out come I wanted. I just don't know if I can keep it together for her while we are there. I guess I will just have too. She is such a good girl and it makes me feel bad to look at her knowing she has no clue whats about to happen. I know she will bounce back quickly, and the doctors there are the best, I just don't want my beautiful baby having surgery. I just keep picturing how scared she will be at first and when she wakes up. Its so weird because she seems so healthy on the outside (besides being very small) she runs and dances and plays like a normal 2 year old, how could she need such a life threatening surgery. I know I am kind of rambling, I just have all the thought pouring out. Oh, and I am leaving Landon with my big sister while we are gone. She is the best, but I am going to miss him so much while we are gone. I hope he doesn't forget me. We will be going on the 14th, the 15th we have pre op, then surgery is the 16th. I think they said surgery would take like 5 hours. Please Pray for my baby girl!

Natalie and her Grandma

Updates!

Ok, we will start with the good news...

Landon has started baby food! And he loves it. He can already down a whole jar. And he love any kind. This is a big deal for me because Natalie would only eat the orange veggies or fruit, and she would only eat a few bites. The only bad thing is he is getting really gassy with the new food, but mylicon helps a lot! He had his 4 month check up a few days ago and he was 25in long (over the 50th percentile) and 13.1lbs (right at the 5th percentile). I thought he was pretty chubby, but the doctor said I have tall skinny kids. Yay for them right? I don't know where they get those good genes.

For the bad news...

Natalie had her cardiology appt Wednesday. We went in the previous day for her echo to save on time for her appt. It took an hour and a half for the test and she had to stay as still as possible. It was really hard because she was scared. We could tell it didn't look good because of how long he was taking. Sure enough after waiting 2 hours to see the doctor the next day (so much for saving time), her valve was leaking more than before. I thought ok well good thing we are doing surgery in the next 2 months... Nope, apparently she hasn't gained enough weight. She grew 3 in in the last 6 months, but only gained 1 pound. Her regular doctor hasn't been concerned about her weight because she is just small, and her heart has to work twice as hard so she burns calories faster. Oh, also her right atrium (i think it was) is pretty enlarged, but the cardiologist said it would go back down after surgery. So anyways, they are going to call me on Monday and let me know if we have to put the surgery off another 6 months or if we go ahead. Its funny, I always hope and pray that by some miracle we will go in and they will say, wow hew heart healed on its own, but in reality that is not a possibility. I just want to get this surgery over with before she gets old enough that I have to explain it to her.

My neice Makaylah came over to play with Natalie yesterday. It is so funny when they get together, they just start screaming together in a high pitch squeal! We tried to take their pictures together, but they wouldn't sit still.

Almost pet free!

We have been giving away our pets... I am not so sad I have to admit. I have never been a huge animal person. Mainly because of allergies... I like other peoples pets though! We had two outside dogs and one inside one. It is just too hard to give your pets enough attention when you have two kids that need it more. Also the doctor thinks the pet dander is making Landon congested. We got rid of the outside dogs a month ago, they needed more room to run than our tiny yard, and we have no time to walk them like we used too. Ana our little inside dog is going to live with Grandpa Earl, he has always loved her and she likes him more than she likes us. We are going to miss Ana and so will Natalie, but Ana will be happier with him! I know some of you may say "why did you get them if you didn't want them." All I can say is I don't know, kids change things.

Landon

I just took a super cute picture of Landon in his bumbo seat.




He is such a good boy. In this picture he is playing with his best friend ever lamby! here is a close up of him. He will sit and lick lamby for hours!

Bad Poster

I am so sorry that I haven't been updating my blog very well, and that my last few have been so boring. Landon has a sinus infection and I have been working my butt off. I have had 1 day off out of the last seven days and I work 11 hour days. I actually work part time, but had to fill in for someone this week. Oh, and I have a terrible rash all over my hands. I finally found some lotion that I love and after I used it a few times, go figure I am allergic to it. I am debating on trying children benedryl, that's all I have at the house. I am hoping to get together with my sisters and mom this weekend, I miss you guys. I doubt Katy will be home though. I am trying to think of something cool to talk about, but am coming up with nothing... Oh, we got a new washer and dryer, front loaders! Yay, now I can do even more laundry. Funny story about that, I got mad because while I was loading the old washer, the lid came down and busted me in the nose. It hurt so bad I told trenton I wasn't doing laundry till we got a new one. I think I am going to try and take the kids to the park today while it is pretty out.

I'm bored!

I just got home from meeting Brayden for the first time! He is even more adorable in person! I wanted to stay a little longer and visit, but I got a call from my mother-in-law (mil) she said Natalie woke up from her nap screaming for me. Of course I got home and she was just fine. My mil is watching the kids for me tomorrow so I can go to work for a few hours. I have worked a lot this week, I have had one day off (today) out of 5 days, and I work 11 hours each day. It is exhausting. Then on my one day off I have spent most of my time deep cleaning the kitchen, mainly because I am bored.

a very random post as usual

We have had a busy weekend! Yesterday I went and got my hair done, and I got to bring the kids with me. My sister does my hair, and at her work they have a daycare, so they will watch your kids while you get your hair done! It is super nice and clean. My sister takes her daughter there so Natalie was so excited to play with her. She usually freaks out if I try to leave her with anyone, but she just ran in and started playing with Makaylah and all the toys. Landon had fun too!

Today we went to Jenifer's (same sister as above) house and played some more. Natalie even used the big potty twice at her house! Then we came home to do lots of laundry. Tomorrow we are going to my mom's to visit with my other sister who is home visiting from Springfield! I can't wait to see her. My mom and two little sister's are in Joplin shopping for prom dresses today! I remember how fun that was! I miss high school sometimes! Oh wouldn't it be fun if we posted pics of our prom dresses! I'll have to drag some out.

A favorite baby thing for today is...

Parent Choice baby formula! It is much cheaper and Landon likes it just as well as the Enfamil, and it doesn't make him constipated!

Crying it out!

I am not a fan at all of the cry it out method. That being said, it is the only thing that has worked for us! Natalie started out her life sleeping on my chest for the first 3 months. I was deathly afraid of her heart condition and it was the only way I could sleep. I was afraid she would stop breathing. I know this is a terrible place for babies to sleep, but thats how we did it. We moved her to her own bed when she was 4 months old and she did ok for a couple of months. After that, she was up every 2 hours all through the night and she would scream and cry when we put her to bed. So, for almost a year Trenton and I suffered though the nights. We would sit in her room with her reading to her and singing to her until she went to sleep, then we would slip out unless the door squeaked and woke her up, then we would have to start all over. Well at her 18 month check up I told the doctor about her terrible sleep habits and she said, " Well stop getting up with her, you don't have too". I thought, sure what ever, you don't know this child. She actually learned how to make herself throw up so that she could get up and get a bath. The doctor said to put her to bed tell her you love her and leave, let her cry for 5 min and then go back in and lay her down and don't speak to her, then go back every 10- 15 min and lay her back down so she doesn't think she was abandoned. Trenton and I had to promise not to cave in and rescue her. After about 5 nerve racking days of screaming, something magic happened... We put our little princess to bed and she didn't make a peep! Its been like this ever since and she is 22 months now. Also this was a blessing since we just had Landon! So, the advice today is to not be close minded to anyway of parenting, you might just be surprised what works for your child. Oh, and we don't use this method with the baby until he is way older and it becomes necessary. I am hoping he will be a great sleeper like his cousin Makaylah!

I love these diapers!

Pampers swadlers are the softest diapers ever, and they kind of smell good too!

Here is also a pic of the wipes my sister said she loves. I just started using them too and they are great and soft.

New Mom Advice

Alright, I am not entirely sure how well this will work because I am not sure how many people actually read my blog. Because I am a new mom and many of my friends and family are new moms, I want to know what your favorite baby products or advice are. Anything like home remedies for diaper rash, or home made baby wipes, or even the best way to keep baby boy from peeing on you! It could be anything to do with baby care all the way up to school aged children. Ok, I will start, and add a new thing for the next few days.

Mine and Landon's very favorite product is Little Remedies saline nose drops. We go through a bottle of this a week. He has allergies and gets very congested, this helps to moisten so you can suck those little boogers right out.

My second favorite is Aveeno baby moisturizer, it is hypoallergenic and I even put it in Landon's hair and it doesn't get greasy.

Ok, that's all I am going to add today, I will add more Monday (I work 11 hours a day the next 3 days). Please participate, this could be fun and helpful I think.

this song is dedicated to Brayden

I heard this song on Bee Movie today and automatically thought of Brayden and what his family has been through. Please enjoy and say a little prayer for him as you listen!

I love this video

As most of you know, Natalie has a heart defect that requires open heart surgery. They diagnosed it when she was 2 months old, and anitially they said she would need surgery by the time she was 6 months, then they said 1 year, and now it is being scheduled at her 2 year check up. Arkansas Children's Hospital has a clinic here every few months, where she gets to see the different cardiologist from there. We are so thankful for everything they do at ACH, not only for our Natalie, and little Brayden, but for all the precious children they save every day! We are so lucky to have this hospital so close to home! About this video, it shows kids before and several years after heart surgery at ACH. This is such a blessing for me, I love to see the sucess stories! While I know Natalie is in good hands there, and they are the best, it does put your mind at ease to see how well these kids grow healthy after there surgeies. In case anyone is curious, Natalie has ASD (atrial septal defect), and a cleft valve. While the hole is easy to fix, the valve is a little tricky, and the bigger her heart is for surgery, the better, thats why they keep waiting. While we are waiting, she is perfectly fine! She runs and plays like anyone else. The only affect her heart has on her is that if she get slightly cold, like after a bath, her lips turn blue, and if she is outside for a minute in the cold her face looks purple, and it takes a few hours for her hands to warm up. And she is tiny! Thanks for watching this video!

Landon turned 3 months old yesterday!

My baby is growing up so fast! I can't believe it has already been 3 months. Poor baby has been fighting allergies for the last month, he inherited that from me. Landon will most likely be my last baby, so I really don't want him to get any older. I have kind of been babying him because of it. With Natalie, I was always rushing for the next stage, not with this one! I have to charge my battery on my camera, and then I will add a picture from yesterday! We have been having formula issues with Landon, first we did the Infamil lipil, and he got constipated, so we switched to parent choice gentle formula, and he got diareah. So, now I switched back to the enfamil thinking that maybe since he is older he could digest it better, but now he has gas sooo bad. Poor thing has bowel issues. I have know idea what to do next, so I give him mylicon with about every bottle. That seems to help some. Also I have problems with Natalie eating as well. This has been an on going thing since she was born. She doesn't eat very well. she is 21 months and weighs only 22lbs. She should be at least 25lbs, but more like 30lbs. The dr suggested we give her pediasure to help her gain weight. Problem is, she wont eat real food if she drinks pediasure because it fills her up. So, I am sure Landon will out weigh her in a matter of months!

Bathing Beauties

I thought this picture was cute! Natalie loves to take baths with her brother. Natalie is into washing right now, so she loves to scrub bubby's hair. I don't know if you can tell, but Landon has a huge handful of Natalie's hair, don't worry, she deserves it. Well, I successfully got both the kids down for a nap at the same time, so I don't really know what to do with myself. I have absolutely nothing to talk about, so I will just update later!

I made my escape today!

I am sure you all know how bad the ice storm here has been. I have been couped up with the kids for 3.5 days. AAAAAHHHHH!!!!!! My mom came and rescued me today. We went out to lunch and then went grocery shopping. My mom is going on a cruise for the next week, I am sure gonna miss her. This is going to be another short post. I have to go rescue Natalie from her nap. Oh, something funny happened last night... I have one of those video monitors in Natalie's room, and last night I went and turned it on, well I got to really looking, and the kid on the monitor wasn't mine! I had it on the wrong channel and was picking up someone Else's sleeping beauty! So, lesson for the day, turn your monitors off when not in use, someone might be watching you, lol!

scrapbook part two

Sorry about the glare. I still have about 5 pages to go. If anyone has any suggestions for pages, or have any scrapbook links that you recomend, I would love to hear them.

Update: My bestfriend Jenna's little boy is doing great! His mommy and daddy get to hold him whenever they want, and Jenna even got to give him a bath! He is eating more and more from his bottle every day! We can't wait for you to come home Brayden, keep up the good work!

Scrapbook

So I am making a scrapbook for a friend. If it turns out well, I might make them and sell them! I wanted to post pictures of the one I have finished and see what you guys think. The Christmas one isn't finished yet, it is actually going to be two pages. It is so hard to find the time to work on this, so it is taking me a few weeks to finish. Ok, I have a couple more, but it wont let me add more photos on this post so I will post another. The pictures have a bad glare on them so you cant see the little details, like on the mommy and me one I hand sewed the paper on, its cute.

My Kids Are Driving Me Nuts

They are both to little to have any patients, so of course it is constantly a fight over who comes first. Landon is a little spoiled, just like Natalie was. He constantly wants to be held, so that makes it hard to do anything. He starts crying the second I lay him down. Natalie has got a tiny tummy, so every time I feed her a meal, she is hungry again in 30 minutes. She has to eat like every hour. I'm not sure if I mentioned this before, but Natalie has a heart defect. Her heart works extra hard, so she burns calories fast. Not to mention, she is super hyper. I love them both to death, but I want to pull my hair out right now! Oh yeah, Natalie has decided it is time to potty train, so she keeps taking her pants and diaper off and running around.
Update: My best friend Jenna's baby seems to be doing much better! They are slowly lowering his oxygen intake. She is also able to touch him and talk to him! Please keep praying for him, he still has a long way to go! He is at Arkansas Children's Hospital where he is getting the best care possible!

Its My Birthday!

Yes, today I turn 25. I am kind of sad, I feel like I just turned 21 last year. Really, I am ok with 25, it is just scary tiptoeing closer to 30. I have to take Landon to get his shots today, and then my mom is taking me to lunch, that's about the extent of my day today.
Good news, my best friend Jenna had her baby boy Brayden last night, and from the pictures I've seen, he is beautiful! Unfortunately she hasn't gotten to hold him yet because his lungs got fluid in them during delivery. He will be going to a different hospital than the one she is staying in. So, needless to say, she is heart broken at the moment. Please add them to your prayers!
Natalie got her first hair cut a few days ago, I am still waiting for my mom to email me the pictures, so I can post one. Also, she has decided to try potty training again. She started once before when she was 18 months, but after a few times, she didnt want to do it anymore. Since she is still young, we are not pushing her at all. We just take her when she asks to. Now she is 21 months, and seems to be ready to try again. Yeah Natalie! She is so incredibly smart.

double stroller

I got my double stroller finally! I can't wait to use it. I am a little afraid I wont be able to close it once I get it open. Guess I should try it out a few times before we venture out. I will post a picture once I get the nerves to take it out. I am still a little scared to take both the kids out by myself. I usually only leave if Trenton is home or my mom is off, other wise we are stuck at home.
For an update on Dakotah, he did pass away last night. He and his brother will be buried together on Thursday. Please keep the Macys in your prayers. Misty is trying to explain to her five year old son that his brothers wont be coming home. Someone from our church has offered to pay for their funeral expenses, we are so thankful for their support. Thank all of you for your concern and prayers.

The Bad Gets Worse

We just got news that Dakotah has taken a turn for the worse and isn't going to make it either. His parents are on their way to hold him one last time.

Austyn Tayler Macy

We have had a tragic loss in our family. Trenton's sister was 25 weeks pregnant with twins. She went into labour New Years night. Dakotah was born first, and then Austyn, both lived for 2 hours, before Austyn passed away. They were unable to regulate his heart rate. He weighed 1lbs 2oz and 12 in long. Dakotah weighed almost 2lbs, he was life flighted to Children's Hospital in Little Rock, AR, where he is doing very well and getting stronger every day! Their mom is doing well considering. I can't even imagine how confused she must be, to grieve one baby and celebrate the other. I held Austyn at the hospital, I can't believe how tiny he was, his head was only the size of a rose bud. He had the sweetest tiniest face. We were so lucky to meet him and see his perfect face. Please keep this family in your prayers. And remember the baby still fighting for his life!

hanging out with Mom

Today, we are hanging out at my mom's house. I spend a lot of time over at her house, for one, she is really cool and I like to hang out with her, for two, she helps so much with the kids. She is keeping Natalie over night tonight! Natalie loves her Grandma and Papa's house! Trenton and I are going out for dinner tonight just the two of us, yeah!!! I have been off the last few days, and I go back to work tomorrow. It is bitter sweet, I miss the kids so much while I am at work, and then sometimes when I am off, I am dying to go to work. I am supposed to go to the gym in the morning before work. I hate working out, but... I also hate the 40lbs I have gained since high school. Sorry this post is so random, but thats just how I am. I am going to post a family pic from Christmas this year, it is so cute. The other baby in the pic is my sister's daughter Makaylah, she is the sweetest baby ever, and yes I can say that, my kids are not near as sweet as her.