germs with smiles

Based on the amount of germs that the Overall kids have caught so far in just a short month, I am not hopeful for the winter. But I am, however, happy. Because look at this face. 

Two weeks ago ainsley had a fever with no other real symptoms except a fever that would spike every 6 hours when tylenol wore off. We had to recruit help to help keep her away from Parker because a newborn with a fever is bad bad news. and philip was working 3 shifts in a row. Well then she got better, and Parker began getting (dare I say the word) colicky. Every night from about 4-830 he would cry and cry. Which is sort of miserable for all involved. but when Philip is gone working, it's really unmanageable alone. If our family had more of a 'normal' schedule, where Philip was home in the evenings or even a few hours at a time, life would look different for us. But the reality is that he works 12 hours shifts one hour away, and typically has to stay late after his shift ends. A day for us looks like this: he leaves for work at 530-545pm, gets home the next day around 830-9am. goes to bed, wakes up, showers and leaves to go back to work. And while we appreciate so much how hard he works for us, it means when he works i'm on my own for at least 24 hours.  So, once again, I had to recruit help. HUGE thanks to my parents, Aunt Ellen and Anna Jo who saved me and my sanity. Both kids gave Aunt Ellen a run for her money one night:)
The past two nights Parker has done a lot better. And guess who wakes up in the middle of the night sick? Poor Ainsley. Yesterday she had a fever again, cough and runny nose. So, for the millionth time this month, Mom to the rescue! It's just so hard when both kids need you in such different ways. And when Ainsley is sick she is a huge cuddle worm and just wants to be held, which makes it hard to also care for a newborn- AND not transfer germs. We are so lucky that my parents are able to help us as much as then do and I can't thank them enough for taking care of us all as much as they do. 
BSF has started back and I am so grateful for the accountability and community it gives me during the school year. We are studying Revelation this year and I am so excited to learn more about the Lord's return and grow in my relationship with Him. Ainsley loves it too and I think will get more out of it this year than she did last year. 

first day of bsf

Right now it is rainy, Parker is hanging out in his swing, Ainsley is staying home from preschool, Philip is off work, and we are enjoying just a lazy family day. 
Here are some pics of the cutest kids ever: 

fun day at preschool learning about Old McDonald

on a walk- she loves to play 'drums' on the light posts 

snug as a bug 

holding his hand 

first time at church with both kids solo! 

sticks with nanny

"morning time is my favorite" 

One Month

This could be the longest yet fastest month of our life as a family :) not only have we survived - our family has grown closer in so many ways. But boy, are we tired:) 

Weight: last Thursday he weighed 9lbs 2oz. Since he has been at the doctor at least once a week we have been able to track his weight pretty well:) 

Size: he has pretty much outgrown his newborn clothes:( he wears 0-3 month but some are still too big for him. 

He still wears newborn diapers 

Sleeping/eating: now that we seem to be on the right path with his ailments- he is sleeping like a rock star. We feed him around ten before we go to bed and the past several nights he has slept until around 3. Sleep is such an amazing thing. We know how precious it is after weeks of not getting any:) 

He sleeps a lot during the day but I try to keep him up for at least a little while after eating. 

Right now he is on hypoallergenic formula and is taking 4ounces every 3 hours during the day. And the best part- he takes it not warmed!!! His formula is expensive but we both agree we would pay $500 for it- he is a different baby on it. So thankful for our pediatrician and modern science. 

Parker is currently sleeping in the living room because sleeping next to my bed was not cutting it for neither Philip nor myself. He grunts all.night.long. We can't handle it! And I'm not trekking up those steps every time I need to check on him:)
He is pretty fussy in the evenings, of course the time that was already the hardest with just Ainsley. 

Loves: Bath time, being held, being sung to 

Hates: diaper changes, clothes changes, being cold 

It has been a rough first month for you little man but you seem to be getting better and better. We can't wait for your personality to start to shine through- but for now we will settle for baby snuggles (and no crying).

Life Update

Shew. These past three weeks have been much harder than either of us anticipated. BUT- God is good and things are getting better. And I have the most amazing husband in the world.  First, let me tell you about Ainsley and what has been going on with her. She started pre school last week at Crossroads Christian Church. She goes Tues/Thurs 9-12. She has ten kids in her classroom, two teachers, and seems to really enjoy it.  We were given a 'daily outline' of what their routine is like. She will have performances, parties, field trips and other fun themed days. We are so excited for her :) 

We have all been just surviving around here. Adjusting to not only a newborn, but a newborn who has had a lot going on. Ainsley has been so good, and we are so lucky that she sleeps so good and has such a sweet disposition. We know this hasn't been easy on her and have tried to make things as most normal as we can for her. 

a trip to the Orchard last week 

Jacobson Park today 

Parker's disposition, however, is yet to be determined. He has had a rough start to life. Not nearly as rough as it could have been, but not smooth sailing for sure.  He started out jaundice and was at the doctor 6 out of his first 7 days for bilirubin checks. Then, at his two week check up, he was found to have bilateral ear infections. 3 days later, his right ear was still not healing and we had to switch antibiotics. We also started a reflux medicine because we knew his belly was hurting him. At three weeks, I took him back to have his ears rechecked. And I told the doctor he was still just uncomfortable and not happy. and cried- a lot. Tearfully, I told our doctor how hard it has been with him crying so much, not sleeping, trying to breastfeed and entertain a toddler. He told me what he had previously told me, that he thought he had a milk allergy. That i needed to cut myself some slack, and that he was going to figure this out and help him get better. His solution was to try a dairy free formula, have me pump and store my milk, and if we figure out it was dairy causing his pain- I can decide if I want to go dairy free to continue to breast feed. When I left he asked if he could give me a big hug. Our pediatrician rocks. 
So, Friday afternoon we held our breath as we gave him his first bottle, unsure if he would take it. and we were so so relieved that he did. over 24 hours into using this dairy free formula, we seem to have a different baby. He doesn't wail in pain after eating. he lets us lay him down more often. he is awake, alert and not crying. Last night he finally slept more than 3 hours at a time, and even put himself to sleep after a bottle. We are praying that he will continue to improve and that this is the solution to his problems. 
Of course we have now discovered he has thrush in his mouth, from taking these antibiotics. oy. luckily  his daddy can call in a prescription and save me from having to take him back the doctor, again. 
We want to thank each one of you that has been praying for Parker and for us. There are several of you and we can not thank you enough. I apologize if you had made us dinner/wanted to and I haven't written a thank you note or gotten back to you. Like I said, it has been rough over here. 
But we went out to dinner Friday night for the first time as a family of four. Today we went to the park and then the grocery and it was just so pleasant. We just want him to be comfortable and for us to be able to enjoy him and get to know him. 
Please continue the prayers as we know God has all of us in His hands. 

2 weeks

* i started this post last week and am just now finishing it for obvious reasons* 

Parker had his two week appointment on Friday. The good news is he is gaining weight- he is up to 8lb 7oz (almost 5 ounces in a week). 

The bad news- he has bilateral ear infections:( Ainsley has had a cold since around when he was born and he must've gotten some germs:( he is on antibiotics and it is breaking my heart that he is. 

What led Dr Nelson to look in his ears was me telling him how unhappy Parker is a lot of the time. He cries- a lot. Like colic kind of crying. He can not tolerate being flat. He cries if he is not being held, and most the time even when he is being held. And he put on one of his best shows at the doctors office so he definitely believed me. 

I told him I really feel like it's his belly that is hurting him. He said he wanted to treat his ears first and see if that made him any better. If not, we would think about a milk allergy versus reflux. 

After days and nights of screaming crying (not like just fussy, like wailing for hours on end)- we decided we were taking him back in to the doctor. this was decided at like 3 am after he had screamed bloody murder for an hour after nursing. 

So monday morning we took him back to the doctor, where he said his left ear looked better but his right ear looked worse, almost to the point of rupturing. So we had to change antibiotics since the current one was not helping his right ear. He also said he wanted to start him on baby Zantac because his symptoms sounded like silent reflux. He was up to 8 pounds 9 ounces, so he wasn't that worried about him. I, of course, just cried in the doctors office while Philip explained all the symptoms he was having as Parker just screamed and screamed. It's really hard to listen to your newborn just scream from pain and not be able to do anything. add no sleep to that and it's just not pretty. 

And so that day my mom and anna jo came up to watch the kids so that philip and I could sleep. we were beyond exhausted and my mental state was not great:) 

Philip had to work clinic today, so my mom came up and stayed last night with us so we could get some sleep, especially philip. and hallalujah Parker slept great last night and actually went back to sleep after nursing! (he ate at 9, slept until 2, then again until 6!). so all 3 of us ended up getting some sleep. THANK YOU MOM. 

Today, Parker has let us lay him down for longer periods of times. He has been awake and not screaming. and he has tolerated being flat for small periods of time. We are encouraged and are so thankful for all of you that have been praying for us. We know no sleep is part of having a newborn. We know babies are fussy. We can handle those things, as long as we don't have to listen to him cry out all day. all night. in pain. and today was a much better day. hoping he is on the road to getting to be happy and comfortable. We go back to the doctor Friday so will update more then :) 

Birthday # 33

I just barely snuck baby #2 in while I was 32 years old:)  Now I am 33 and I am one happy but tired momma. 
Yesterday was one of the more tired days we have had around the Overall household. Parker seems to have his days and nights mixed up and was staying up crying for hours in the wee hours of the morning. Philip and I have just been exhausted. BUT, my sweet husband made yesterday so special (as he always does). He always has a way of spoiling me in just the right ways. I am so thankful for the husband and daddy he is to our family. 

Ainsley came in my room that morning and jumped on the bed saying 'Happy birthday Mommy!' and handed me a funny card from her and Parker. Philip and Ainsley made me blueberry and chocolate chip pancakes and they were delicious. 

After that, we all 4 went to Ainsley's preschool orientation and then came home and took a family nap:)  My mom came over and took parker so that Philip and I could sleep while Ainsley was sleeping. 
That night we grilled out and had everyone to our house to eat birthday dinner. Parker cried through the whole dinner, being passed from one set of hands to the other so we could all get a chance to eat. 
We weren't very hopeful going to sleep last night, but little man got the memo it was my birthday and slept from 730-1215-415-845. and the best part: he didn't scream bloody murder for hours after he ate. prayer answered! philip and I feel like new people today after having gotten some decent stretches of sleep. God is so faithful. and I know that might sound corny to some of you, but God cares about things you think are too small for Him to care about. He cares when you are so tired you can barely keep your eyes open and you have a toddler who just wants to play. He cares and He listens. 
soo- best birthday present came from Parker- who would've guessed:) 

parker and ainsley signing my card :) 

birthday celebration with Joy, Brian and Lindsay. We had my traditional birthday meal of brats, potato pancakes, and Joy's famous green beans. yumm. and Ainsley loved getting to open all the presents:) 

sweet flowers from hubs 

possibly one of the best gifts ever- hard copies of my blog. each book is a different year containing every blog I wrote that year. yes, I cried when I opened it. such a special special present :) 

Praying tonight goes as well as last night went!