Thank goodness this week is over. It was really tough week. On Monday night / Tuesday morning (early am), Mercer had an "issue." He was inconsolable for about 3 hours. I thought he was colicky however what I was able to read about colic didn't sound right (he's 4 months old & usually colic is going away -- not just starting) I finally got him settled enough to sleep in the swing, but the little vibrator on it would turn off every 30 minutes or so / he'd fuss / I'd have to get back up and turn it on. Tuesday was a really tough day w/out sleep. How quickly I had forgotten what a night without sleep was like! Several people suggested he may be on the beginning stages of teething. Oh boy! This will be an adventure.

Also, I worked a lot (close to 50 hours -- which is NOT part-time!) Three of the days were at the office and two were at home. It's hard working during the day with him those couple of days at the house (which I like doing - of course), so I was getting up wicked early to get a couple of hours in before he woke, then would stay up late too. This weekend is all about recovery, rest, relaxation.

We have more video. Check out these two links. As mentioned in Wednesday's blog, he got to try solid food Wednesday night. He didn't like it, which is normal, but I'm happy to say after he's tried it a few times, he's tolerating it a little bit more; He's still apprehensive of this mushy rice cereal stuff we keep shoving in his mouth. "Mercer's first solid food" link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imuW4wehFxM

"Mercer Giggles AND Squeals" link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfanZGEuFww

4 month appointment - no go.

I'm a little bit confused how this happened, but Mercer's 4 month appointment is not June 25th - rather July 25th. He'll be 5 months and 2 days old. hmmm....

(It has something to do with his immunization schedule. They say that his appointments are out-of-whack b/c we're staggering his shots instead of doing them all at once.) That's ok!

I need to do some work while the little guy is snoozing, but I did want to post a picture or two (in case some of you can't click on the video links). These were taken last weekend. I did forget to report something "nice" that happened over the weekend. We went to a movie on Saturday night -- but not in a theater -- in a neighbor's back yard. Mercer's first film was on a 1945 35mm reel called "The Valley of Decision" (actually it was on 3 reels, so there were 2 animations). He was so impressed that he slept through most of it. He did eat at the intermission with everyone else, then went back to sleep. Ahhhh.... holding baby in my arms for a solid 2 hours under the stars. It was great!

It was Mercer's first movie under the stars but won't be his last. We usually go to the Atlanta-based "Screen on the Green" event and after completing our back yard work late last year thought we could do movies in our back yard b/c we have "built-in" stadium seating ... but it won't be on 35mm reels.

Another first will be happening soon & we'll try to catch it on video. He gets to eat his first solid food tonight when Todd gets home!! This is (personally) why I was so stoked for the 4 month appointment... to talk to the doc about solids. But, since the appointment didn't happen, I did get to speak to a nurse who gave me some recommendations on his first feedings (not in a bottle, surprisingly) and how to slowly introduce it as to not fill him up on rice cereal as he still needs his formula. It should be an adventure!

Have a good rest of the week. We'll blog this weekend about how solids are going.

C

Guess who's 4 months old today...

It's hard to believe he's only been with us for four months. Feels like he's been a part of our family for much longer... it just feels "right." One thing that I will tell Mercer when he's older is that his birth mother texted me today and asked about him / and wanted to let me know she was thinking about him today because he was another month older. Actually - she's texted me on his monthly anniversary each time so far, I believe. Also - we text a little bit in between. Usually she initiates it with the question "hows mercer" or "how is he?"

Here's a video of Mercer & Todd on the new porch swing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gslhR3DOHqk

It's been almost a week since we blogged last. Since then, not much has happened (or that I can remember at least). Had a diaper blow-out / had to dismantle the carseat & sanitize the cover... got thrown up on earlier today... and M's getting congested again so we've been doing some breathing treatments and trying to keep his nose clean. With all of those lovely things happening -- it's still FABULOUS! Seriously. I think that Todd & I both are really happy -- even with all of the gross things that comes along with parenting.

Unfortunately something un-hygienic happened at daycare. I am a germ-i-phobe... so bad hygiene (to me) is really gross. There are a couple of other things that have been bothering me about this place -- so I think that I need to do something about it all: find alternate care.

Don't want to dwell too much on that or put details here. I'd rather post more cute videos with Mercer. We've got Todd's swaddling sequence (He wanted to tape it b/c Mercer gets so excited to be swaddled by daddy.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqbGlQftpfk And we've posted a "happy wake up" sequence b/c I think it's so darn cute and heart-warming in the morning when he wipes the sleep from his eyes and greets you with a smile. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41iKNgpD0nw

Enjoy.


ps -- he has his 4 mo old doctor's appointment Wednesday. I'll post his new 'official' stats afterwards.

Don't forget to read the PS - big adoption news.

Todd's birthday was Thursday. Unfortunately Mercer still had his "d-condition" and couldn't go to school. Todd met with the social worker that morning for our final post-placement visit and then had to work from home that day b/c I had missed so much work earlier in the week. Honestly, I think it was a nice way to spend his birthday -- at home with his son. We met at a restaurant that night, then came home & sat by the pond. It was a pretty low-key day for the two of them, but they both had a good time.

Friday, we went back to the pediatrician to check out Mercer's condition. The fluid in his ears was gone so the antibiotic did it's job. He got a clean bill of health (his "d" had mostly gone away at that point and the doc thought that it was definitely from the antibiotic.)

Sunday - SUNDAY - Sunday was father's day. Todd's first. Mercer (and I) got a porch swing for the house and a plaque to put on it. (You can click on the picture to enlarge and read it.) Todd put the swing together first thing in the morning, then we went to breakfast with some neighbors, then went to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens where they have a kinetic (moving) sculpture exhibit. Most of the sculptures moved in the wind. Some of them were moved by people, but one of them was moved by sound. It was really cool! We hung out there ALL DAY long. Unbeknownst to us, dads got in 1/2 price. The gardens had a festival going (a little train that the kids could ride around on, festival games and prizes, and stuff like cotton candy / popcorn / snow cones... all of this stuff was for free too!) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Os7hUSmNxoo Here's a quick shot of Mercer not doing too much but looking oh-so-stylish in his bucket hat.

We ran an errand to home depot to get eye-bolts to hang the swing. (Father's day wouldn't be complete w/out a trip there, right?)

Then, we went to a combined birthday party for a 1 year old and a 4 year old. It was at a pool, but we went mainly to socialize & catch up. Mercer & I got nailed by a squirt gun. He wailed (either b/c I squealed or b/c he ended up with a face-full of water). Hate to say it, but it was funny. We were able to calm him down quickly. Todd told me later that the most common thing that father's do on Father's day -- according to the dads that he had talked to at the pool party or at work -- is to take a NAP. We did do a lot Sunday and were exhausted. I think he wishes he could've squeezed in a nap at some point. A friend of his told him that was a "rookie mistake" but he would get his nap next year.

I'm going to run for now. I've been working a lot this week trying to make up for time missed last week and am really tired. Let's see... Mercer's "firsts" were blowing bubbles & raspberries. Is that what it's called when he makes the noise with his mouth and it vibrates his lips? Raspberries? Todd thinks it's because the baby we were with on Sunday most of the day was doing it all day & Mercer picked it up? Another first: we were eating dinner by the pond tonight & a big airplane flew overhead. Mercer heard it, saw it, and followed it 'til it flew out of sight. Very cool!

Good night.

Candice

PS -- We have our adoption finalization date set: September 5th. We go to court that day to make this whole thing official. Mercer's "adoption day." Woo hoo!

We've added videos

Instead of taking up space on the blog with video -- we've decided to add links to YouTube. It's pretty easy. Just click on this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yak018SLaVo for the first one -- Mercer Squeals (and he giggles too). We tried editing the tape & cutting out the part where I accidentally spit on him (while I was making funny noises to entertain him) but the editing software didn't quite cut what we thought it would. You don't have to suffer through the whole thing unless you want to watch me give him a little baby massage too.

Here's another video with Mercer watching his mobile in his crib. We thought it was cute how he kicks his legs up into the air. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEsGu5tO7ss He moves his arms around a bit too.

And - here is a clip of him having a little meltdown, then recovering gracefully. We're just tinkering around with the camera -- but we know our parents would want to watch the clips. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POa4iJkcdho


You'll notice too that these videos are linked under Todd's profile that he set up. Here are all of Todd's videos under this link: http://www.youtube.com/user/ToddGroves The only other video that's there now is showing our pond and waterfall. There's a water lily blooming (our first).

We'll blog a little later about Todd's birthday, Mercer's (much improved) condition, and Todd's first Father's Day.

ciao~
Candice

I'm sneaking in a blog mid-week...

Today is day 3 of Mercer’s diarrhea. (I finally looked up the spelling – but I really don’t want to say the word.) Todd’s been in Asheville for the past 2 days but is about to come home. I'm tired of the look of the D word, the smell of it, getting it on me occasionally, getting spit up on, etc. I should stop - shouldn't I?! It just seems like everything is bothering me more than normal. I’ve been feeling pretty crummy for most of the day and starting to get really blah quite frankly. There have been a couple things today, however, that have been highlights.

Early in the day – after Mercer’s medicine and feeding – I tried to put him down for a nap. He has been getting irritable and cranky when tired for the past month or so (I guess that's his "norm" now). Usually we can get him to go right to sleep, but not today... it took me close to an hour. By the end of that hour, I was starting to get tired myself, so I took Mercer to our bed and laid down with him in my arms. I stared at him. He stared at me. Then he broke out giggling. It was adorable. I was SO tired and a little frustrated, but how could I be upset at that amazing giggle?! It completely lifted me.

This afternoon, I was scanning tv for something to watch. I don't normally watch Oprah, but ended up catching most of the episode on today. She had a guest on who was nearing death from pancreatic cancer. He was so upbeat and good natured. Yes - his situation stunk, but why dwell in the negative / make the best of his final days. He's a professor at Carnegie Mellon U and delivered his "last lecture." You can watch the whole one on YouTube or the "abridged" version on Oprah (on YouTube too): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9ya9BXClRw

There were so many things that I thought were interesting throughout the interview:
- People want to know that they made a difference in this world.
- He told a story about how he had a brand new car and how he was taking his niece & nephew somewhere -- his sister was begging the children not to mess up his car at the same time he was pouring a soda in the back seat. He was trying to explain that it's just an object & didn't matter. One of the kids ended up throwing up in the back seat by the end of the trip and the guy said it was so nice knowing that he didn't make his nephew feel bad for having the flu and messing up his car. That was so much more important.
- They interviewed him & he wanted to play catch, so he brought a football signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers. The interviewer didn't want to throw it b/c it was a collector's item. The guy said -- what am I saving it for? He may as well enjoy it now.
- If you’re hopeful & optimistic – people flock to help you. If you’re down in the dump – people will still help you, but they won’t be running over to do it. You have the choice to be a person that people WANT to be around or a person that they don't want to be around.
- And my favorite story he told was about how his parents let him paint the walls in his room. They thought it was more important for him to express himself than to have a pristine kid's room. (He painted a submarine on the wall and an elevator door because he always wanted an elevator in their house.) His parents were definitely kids at heart. He showed them on their 70th and 80th birthdays. One was racing bumper cars and the other was riding a roller coaster to ring in the milestone. Fantastic!
- This guy had a great life and yes it was going to be cut too short but he was grateful for what he had been able to do and experience. He talked a lot about his 3 children and how he's loved being a father to them.

SO -- that put things in perspective for me. So far, the past 3 1/2 months have been the best yet (and that includes the sleepless nights early on... the spit-up... and the poo-related issues too. but it includes the toothless smiles, the giggles, and the snuggling.) A friend told us that she was glad we get to experience all of these things. Another told me that life doesn't have to be perfect to be wonderful.

It's true.

We survived the week, however....

Mercer woke up with the runs. (You know... the "D" word... but I don't want to have to say it -- plus I can't spell it!) So, we called the on-call nurse this (Sunday) morning. She mentioned that it's not uncommon for babies to get this b/c of the antibiotic that he's been taking. We were reminded that it kills the bad bacteria as well as the good. His system doesn't have a chance right now.

Boy - I'm learning a lot. His system is messed up because of the antibiotic. He's on the antibiotic because of his ear infection. He has an ear infection because (according to some middle-of-the-night research I did on Web MD) babies have really small tubes connecting their ears to the nasal passages and they have a tendency to get clogged with fluid & drainage when they have colds. He suffered from a cold because of the snotty kid at daycare two weeks ago. What a cycle! Another thing I learned on Web MD was that doctor's like to put babies on antibiotics when they have an ear infection b/c if the fluid sits in there too long, it can cause deafness. Interesting. We don't want that of course -- but we don't want little M to be thrown into the antibiotics too soon either. It seems like I remember something in my reading about putting tubes in the ears to drain the fluid. There's so much to learn!

Todd & I picked up the nastiest cold we've ever had from Mercer. He & I are both almost over it finally. This time last week, we were both starting to feel rough. One thing that has really helped us out is that Mercer's been sleeping in his room for the past 4 or 5 nights... and has mostly been sleeping 'til 6 am +/-. I think he likes it in there! I've been waking up several times a night to check the monitor -- so I'm still not getting a full-night's sleep, but it's definitely more restful overall. yay!


Work was ok. I worked Monday, Tuesday & Friday at the office and Wednesday / Thursday from home. The goal was to work about 8 hours each day at the office and about 4 hours each day at home. I didn't quite get there last week. not far from it, but didn't quite make my 32 hours. I'll be honest... I REALLY enjoyed the working from home part of the week! I hung out with him / played with him in the morning 'til he took his nap & then got a couple of hours worth of work done. We'd have a large chunk of the day together in the middle of the day 'til I could get him to sleep a bit in the afternoon. I would get less than a couple of hours done in the afternoon, but I worked each night a little when Todd came home to get between 4 - 5 hours in both days. It seems pretty ideal, honestly as long as it works for my office mates!

In general here, things have been low-key. I think one great thing about parenthood for us: we've learned to slow down a bit & enjoy the small things... the huge toothless smiles... sitting by the pond for Mercer's feedings and noticing new flowers blooming on the water lilies & hyacinths... savoring each giggle and trying to duplicate what we did to evoke it. It's been wonderful so far.

Yesterday, we worked in the yard / cleaned it up because we created a putt-putt golf hole back there around the pond for our annual neighborhood golf tourney. We made a simple hole with a really elaborate "water hazard" -- the pond! It was so blazing hot that not as many people made it to the tourney as we expected, but we still had a great time. We noticed more than ever that there has definitely been a baby explosion on the street. One of the February '08 baby boys was there... as well as a 4 month old baby girl and a 6 month old baby girl. The 4 month old girl's name was Edith. That's my grandma's name! She was named after a grandmother named Eidth too. I've never known another Edith, but we look forward to hanging out with her and her parents (about our age / maybe a couple of years younger), as they were a nice couple.

Today was more serious: we had to work on cleaning because the social worker comes Thursday morning for her final post-placement visit. Todd leaves for Asheville in the morning and won't get back 'til late Tuesday, so we'll be doing a lot of cleaning / cramming Wednesday night to finish what we didn't get done today.


This is the only picture we took this week -- and it was to have something to post, honestly. This is Saturday night after the golf tourney & socializing was done -- Mercer and I are posing by the rules of hole # 7 (which we called "A drop in the Bucket" b/c literally - you knocked the ball into a bucket in the back yard from the top terrace of the yard). Nothing too exciting to see. Oh well!

It's late. I should go. Have a good week. Candice

First real day of work today / Mercer's new trick

I know I cut Thursday's post short w/o finishing up on Thursday's events. My dad & step-mom, Charlie, came for a visit. They were passing through from visiting my grandma in North Carolina. Mercer was not feeling his best -- as mentioned -- he's been sick. But, they loved him all the same and Charlie told us that if they were seeing Mercer at his worst -- then he's an angel!

We feel so bad for the little guy. He has still been having trouble breathing and we had to put him on a nebulizer (a breathing device to open up his bronchial passages). The poor little guy has just been miserable. He coughs, then lets out a baby moan. Oh - it's like a dagger going through my heart!

Ever since Mercer's been feeling a little down -- we have been keeping things low-key... including dad & Charlie's visit. We basically hung out here. Dad & I picked up lunch to bring back home and ran an errand (I was trying to make "baby formula freezer pops" to ease the agitation Mercer was undoubtedly feeling in his throat... but he didn't like the cold. Maybe if I keep trying it he'll get used to it?). Here's a couple of pics. Look how tired Mercer's eyes are in this picture with my dad. Poor, sad, pitiful little baby. ugh!

Friday - low key again. I should've been cranking on projects to finish as it was officially my last day of maternity leave, but since neither of us were feeling well, I spent may last day holding and comforting our baby.... which is a nice way to spend it, honestly. Saturday was pretty chill too, as we didn't even walk to the square for the farmer's market & breakfast as is our routine. I did get a chance to start working on the painting detail on the nursery walls and ironed / hung curtains. It's looking really cute. Only 1/2 of the room is done... there's still a lot of detail painting on the other walls.

Today, I went to work, Todd took Mercer to the doc for a follow-up visit from Thursday, then took Mercer to daycare. The pediatrician seemed to think that overall, he's doing better. He does have some fluid build-up in his ears, however, that she's been watching since Thursday's visit. Although Mercer doesn't act like he has an ear infection, she said that it's definitely developed into one. We have to give him an antibiotic for the fluid and do the nebulizer for another couple of weeks for the breathing 'til we go see her again. I don't know how I feel about him on antibiotics already... the person who recommended this doc said that she liked her b/c she's not quick to medicate with antibiotics. I suppose she did wait on this instead of having him start on Thursday? ugh. so many decisions. We just want him to be healthy!

I bought a book about Children's health care, but haven't had a chance to read it yet. Guess I need to get to cracking the pages of the book ASAP.

Time to go / time for a nap (as baby's cough continues to wake him (and us) at night).

C

oh yeah... work went well today (only got through 1 month of emails, but I didn't freak out / have to bolt out of there to pick little M up... so I guess it was ok).

and Mercer's new trick: Todd laid Mercer in the playpen on his stomach to nap. A little later, he was on his side. Shortly after that, he was on his back. He rolled over! (maybe because he was wearing his Orange Met's Onesie? Red & orange makes people (and kids) more active! Todd put him in it because they were watching a game on Sunday night together.

PS -- you can click on any of the pictures to enlarge them... you'll notice that Mercer is grasping Charlie's finger during feeding and that he's lost one of his sock monkey slippers. (He FINALLY noticed those things / stared at them / but isn't really reaching for them or grabbing them yet.) Also - you can see the detail of the fish and bubbles on the nursery walls. I was so hesitant to start the detail b/c I thought I'd hate them, but actually, I'm pretty pleased with how it's turning out. It's taking forever -- so I don't want to have to do this again for a really really long time!