Bad Blogger

It's been way too long since I've posted. I only have 5 more weeks here in Oklahoma then it's summer. I hope to post more this summer. Remington has been great, and at last count can say 33 different words. He'll be 18 months this week.

If I can remember, I'm going to try to do a 30 day blog challenge:

Day 1 —
Tell me: Your favorite song
Take A photo of yourself and a description of how your day was.


My favorite song (It changes so often, but here:)






A photo of me and Remington:

Remington in the Hospital

What a day! (Monday September 20, 2010)

Yesterday morning I took Remington into the ER for trouble breathing. Sunday night, after I made my weekly trip down to Bartlesville, OK Remington was wheezing a little bit, but I thought he was just getting a cold. As the night went on, he had a lot of trouble going to sleep. Nothing was working. All night I tried to get him to sleep, but he was wheezing a breathing hard. I was going to wait to see how he was in the morning before maybe taking him to the doctor.

The main problem is that we don't have a doctor in Oklahoma yet, so I didn't want to mess with that unless I had to.

Around 5:00am, Remington woke up yet again (he probably only slept around 4 hours all night). He was really struggling to breath and wheezing a lot. His chest and stomach were moving a lot. Nothing was calming him down. He wouldn't stop crying or wheezing. I decided it was best to get ready for the day and take him to the doctor. I got myself ready and packed a few things in his diaper bag.

I've had asthma since I was 2 years old, so I'm used to wheezing and that sort of thing. I figured I just take him to the ER for a breathing treatment and then stay home with him the rest of the day.

Went I got to the ER, the receptionist immediately commented about how Remington was having trouble breathing. I thought I'd be fine, but I started getting teary and had trouble thinking clearly enough to answer her questions right away.

We went into a ER room and waited for the doctors. Remington got hooked up to an O2 monitor and received a breathing treatment from the RT (respiratory therapist) right away. We waited a bit to see what happened. He started acting like he felt better, but the wheezing still wasn't going away. The doctors then gave him some oral Prednisone and another breathing treatment. He was acting much better, but still not perfect.

The doctors said that they would admit Remington into the hospital if his O2 levels were 92 or lower. His levels were ranging from the mid 80s to 95.

Since Remington's O2 levels weren't getting better or stablized, the doctors decided to start an IV and admit him for observation. We then moved up to the pediatric floor.

During this time I called family, cancelled daycare, and called into work. After I knew we were being admitted, I called Landon and he headed here to OK. Landon arrived at the hospital around 2pm. It was so nice to have him there. I was exhausted and glad to not be alone anymore. I think I handled everything fine, mostly because I figured I knew what asthma was all about and wasn't worried. The only trigger we could think of was being around the dog for an extended time at Landon's dad's. But who knows.

We were finally released around 8pm and we went home. Landon then had to drive 4 hours to go back home to be ready for work today.

This was not a good start to the week, but it's all okay now. Remington is back to his old self today and was happy playing. If history repeats itself and Remington inherited anything from my side of the family this is only the beginning of many more doctor visits like this. Oh goody... :)

Beginning of the craziest year ever.

This is long, but this is how crazy, fast, weird, and strange my life has been lately. About 3 weeks ago I found out that I have to go to Oklahoma ( I live in Kansas) to work for at least a year. So, I right away found openings and applied to places. I sent some resumes two Thursdays ago. Two school districts got the resume and called me the next Monday morning (last week). I was able to set up interviews with both on the same day, which was on Thursday. I was going to drive to Oklahoma that day for both interviews.


On Thursday, I left at 6am to drive 4 hours to Bartlesville, OK for an interview at 10am. I was done with it in an hour then I drove an hour and half to Ponca City, OK to have an interview there. When I got into that town, I got a call from Bartlesville offering me a job (2 hours after the interview), I told them I'd have to talk to my husband and I'd let them know. I drove around Ponca City then to get a feel for the town I might be moving to and to wait until the interview at 3:30pm. That's when the entire day went to ruin...

My car broke down about an hour and a half before the interview! The throttle cable broke or came loose- whatever. Cars seriously hate me. Well, I'm panicing because I'm 2 hours from home or anyone that can come help me. I called Landon and tried to figure out what to do. I then got on my phone and found a cab company to call. I called them to get me and take me to Wal-mart for a bit before the interview. I luckily broke down in a bank parking lot because the cab only took cash (which I didn't have). So, I ran into the bank to get cash. I had to contact a bank person who had to call my bank to verify funds (out of state check cashing) so I could get some cash. I make it to Wal-mart and walk around a bit. I call the cab back and head to the interview.

Before the interview I called my brother and sister to come with a trailer to load up the car. If they left right away they'd be there a little after my interview. Or that was the plan....

After the interview, I called my sister to see how far they'd made it. They hadn't even left yet!!! They waited until my mom got off work at 5:00pm -which is what time it was then. I didn't know what to do, so I just called the cab to take me back to Wal-mart to waste time until someone came to help me. I walked around Wal-mart while they got things ready and came for me- they also ended up picking up Landon and Remington.

I'm getting super tired of walking around, but I can't contact anyone because my phone was completely dead. I had no idea when they would come. 7 came and went, then 8, then 9pm!!! It's only a 2 hour drive, but they didn't get to me until 9pm!! I had walked around Wal-mart for FIVE HOURS!! What a disaster. We picked up the car, which of course, Landon was able to fix in two seconds and drive home!

He just had to put the cable back on. Now, I've had enough car break downs and have been a mechanic's daughter long enough to not be stupid about cars, but come on!! I didn't know about throttle cables. Oh, I was mad that it was that easy to fix. And Landon seriously was able to drive it all the way back home without any problems. Grr.

Anyway, we got home that night around 1am. The next day I called Bartlesville and accepted the job. So here is more craziness. School starts for all kids on Wednesday!! I'm hired Friday and have to be at the school Monday (today). I don't have a place to stay or daycare for Remington.

So, Remington is staying back in Kansas with Landon this week while I'm staying in a hotel alone trying to find daycare and an apartment!!! I miss them so much!!

As if it can't get worse--- Landon already made plans to go to Sturgis, SD for the motorcycle thing. While I'm here in Oklahoma, Landon is in Kansas until tomorrow night (Tuesday) then he's in South Dakota until late Thursday night. And where is Remington???? He's being shuttled around between my parents and my mother-in-law.

I will drive back this weekend hopefully with daycare and an apartment lined up. The rest of this school year, Remington will stay with me during the week and I'll drive back to Landon every weekend. We're not going to sell our house in McPherson (we want to stay there), so this Oklahoma thing is for this year at least.

Seriously, can life get any more complicated??? How has your week been?

9 Months

I can't believe my little rockstar is already 9 months old! He also, got his first tooth today! You can feel it, but can't quite see it yet. Well, atleast it's a battle to get him to move his tongue so I can see it (it's on the bottom right side).

Here are the milestones for 9 Months:

Most babies should be able to . . .

• Stand while holding on to something- ALL the time! He want's to pull up on everything.
• Look for dropped objects- Yep, he's often able to lean down and pick it up too.
• Pull up to standing position from sitting- Again, he pulls up on everything.
• Clap and bang objects together- He can't clap his hands, but he does bang things together a little.
• Combine syllables into word like sounds- Yep, I think he can say mama now. It sure sounds like it, he just holds it out more than 2 syllables. Lots of 'm's and vowel sounds.
• Separation and stranger anxiety may begin- A little bit, we'll see what happens when he starts new daycare on Monday.
  
  
  

Some babies will probably be able to . . .

• Use thumb and finger pincer grasp to pick things up- Sometimes, but he uses all his fingers most of the time.
• Walk holding onto furniture- Yes, just this morning he was holding on to his highchair and pushing it around the house.
• Stand alone momentarily- Not yet.
• Wave goodbye- Getting close.
• Drop object and then looks for them- Yep.
• Understand the word no (but usually doesn’t obey it)- Yes, he gets really mad when you get on to him about getting something he shouldn't. After about three times, he will stop reaching for whatever he shouldn't have... well, sometimes. :)
• Begin to identify self in a mirror- I think he knows, but it's hard to tell.
  
  
  

Some babies could possibly be able to . . .

• Say mama and dada to the right parents- I think he says mama to me...
• Play patty cake- Not yet.
• Play ball- Not yet, he'll hold a ball, but won't throw it.
• Drink from a cup independently- Not even close. He doesn't like to hold his sippy cup.
• Stand alone well- Not yet
• Say one word other than mama or dada- Not yet.
  
  
  

You Capture: Play

We took Remington to the park to play the other day. He had a lot more fun this time than the last time we put in in a baby swing. Maybe because he's a daredevil like his dad, and grandpa, and uncles.... We were nervous about the safety of the swing, but he did fine.

Click here for more photos of Play:

8 Months

I've been such a bad blogger. I never posted Remington's 8 month photos and he's now almost 9 months!

So, here they are. Better late than never.

You Capture: Black and White

This week's You Capture is all about black and white photos. I love black and white, so here are a few pictures from this week.

Remington wearing his Aerosmith shirt.

Remington and his Jimmy Hendrix shirt.

I didn't get amazing photos this week, but Remington is always cute. And this one doesn't count, but here's is one I took for a client a few weeks ago. I love it.

For more black and white photos click here.

You Capture- Fun

We took Remington to the park and let him have some Fun on the playground for the first time. He was cranky, so I don't know how much he really enjoyed it.

Click here for more fun at You Capture.

7 Months

Okay, so I realized I haven't done a 7 month post yet, I've been such a bad blogger.

Here are the 7 Month Milestones:

Movement Milestones

• Rolls both ways (front to back, back to front)- He's pretty much got this down now. A little slower on the front to back, but he's rolling all over the place.
• Sits with, and then without, support of her hands- Yep, he's been doing this for awhile now.
• Supports her whole weight on her legs- Yep.
• Reaches with one hand- Mostly uses both hands, but I've seen him use just one.
• Transfers object from hand to hand- Yep
• Uses raking grasp (not pincer)- Yes

Visual Milestones

• Develops full color vision- Who knows
• Distance vision matures- Hard to tell about these.
• Ability to track moving objects improves- He's good at tracking.

Language Milestones

• Responds to own name- Sometimes. We have so many nicknames, I don't think he knows which is which.
• Begins to respond to “no”- Haven't seen it, but we don't ever tell him no, we just take things away.
• Distinguishes emotions by tone of voice- Yes. This is funny to watch when Landon is talking to him. Sometimes he'll laugh at a word, but if Landon says it in a different tone he'll cry.
• Responds to sound by making sounds- Yes.
• Uses voice to express joy and displeasure- Displeasure yes, haven't noticed joy, except laughing.
• Babbles chains of consonants- Not really. He does like to talk with the pacifier in his mouth.

Cognitive Milestones

• Finds partially hidden object- Yes
• Explores with hands and mouth- Always
• Struggles to get objects that are out of reach- Definitely. He really gets mad if he can't reach something he's trying to crawl to.He  keeps crawling backwards.

Social and Emotional Milestones

• Enjoys social play- Yep
• Interested in mirror images- Definitely!
• Responds to other people’s expressions of emotion and appears joyful often- He's very smiley at strangers and people he knows.

You Capture- Best Shot

This week's You Capture is the best shot we took all week, and this time it has to be just one picture. So here goes... After a week of shooting, this is my best shot:

Daily Baby Essentials -6+ Months Update

Back when Remington was 2 months old, I posted about items we use on a daily basis for a baby. Now, that I've had more time with a baby 24/7, here is an updated list.

1. Bottles- Remington's primary food is still formula. Everything I've read says that it should be until about a year old. He does eat baby food and/or rice cereal at least once a day.

2. Pacifier- We still use them quite a bit. Remington likes to pull it out of his month and play, but he still likes to fall asleep with one. We also continue to use the Wubbanubs, especially in the car. They're easier to find when he throws it.

3. Highchair- A must when you start feeding baby food.

4. Bib- We need more, but good when feeding.

5. Cloth diapers/burp rags- Great for cleaning up baby drool (which gets worse with teething).

6. Links- Remington loves swinging, grabbing, and chewing on these things.

7. Diaper trash can with lid- We never did get a Diaper genie (why waste the money on a glorified trash can?), but yuck... a lid to close off the smell is a must.

8. Sleep and Play pajamas- Now that it's getting hotter, we're finding thin pajamas for Remington to wear to sleep. I think we're going to start just using onsies though. In my opinion, it's better if he's too cold than too hot (SIDs and all..).

9. Excersauser- Remington loves it. It's also a good place to put him when you have to run to the door or bathroom or whatever. It keeps him contained. This will really be useful as he's starting to try to crawl.

10. Books- I have so many, but I want to make sure Remington is read to constantly and grows up to love books. His favorite book is "That's Not My Dragon...". The whole "That's Not My..." series is amazing. Remington has two more and he loves them too. The pages seem a bit thicker than other board books so he can grab them easier. He also likes the touch and feel feature of those books.

11. Diapers, Wipes, Formula, Clothes, Crib, Carseat- These basics are still in use. Right now, Remington is wearing size 3 diapers. He mostly wears 6-9 month clothes, but can still fit in some 3-6 month stuff.

12. Num Starter Sippy Cup- This is a great first sippy cup. The spout is made of the same stuff as bottle nipples. It's slit on two sides, and I have yet to see it leak. It also has handles on two sides. Remington was able to figure out how to use it right away. He loves drinking apple juice from it.

13. 6 month toys- I know when I look through the toys or baby aisle I wonder what toys I can start buying for a baby. Almost all the toys seem to start 6 months, there's hardly anything for younger than that. This is mostly due to development. Babies younger than 6 months aren't really going to play with toys anyway, and they don't have the memory to pick up something they dropped. Now that Remington is old enough, I'm excited for toy shopping. I'm sure I'll be eating my words when he's like 6 years old... We haven't really bought him anything yet, we'll leave that to 'Crazy Uncle Kyle', :).  Of the toys we do have, the following are ones Remington enjoys: Fisher Price Amazing Animals Spinnin' Around Musical Zoo. Fisher Price Stack 'n Surprise Blocks Songs 'n Smiles Sillytown. Fisher Price Little Superstar Classical Stacker. Fisher Price Precious Planet Rattle Link Pack.

I think that's everything. Not a lot has changed, other than not needing things we used to. It's so much easier since he's able to sit on his own. Hope this again helps someone.

You Capture:Depth of Field

I love technical photo challenges, so I was up for this one from You Capture at I Should Be Folding Laundry.

This week is Depth of Field: "depth of field (DOF) is the portion of a scene that appears acceptably sharp in the image. Although a lens can precisely focus at only one distance, the decrease in sharpness is gradual on each side of the focused distance, so that within the DOF, the unsharpness is imperceptible under normal viewing conditions."

Here are some pictures of a toy train we picked up at a garage sale for Remington last weekend. 

 Here's another slight bit of DOF. This first one focused on Landon, the second one on Remington.  Mostly I just love these pictures!

And finally, some flower pictures.

For more depth of field examples, click below.