Life is so delicate

Life is so fragile. Learning that a friend in Christ lost their little boy this week really broke my heart and made me thankful for all my blessings and how fragile life is. Being a mother really changes the love that you experience for another human being. I was always told that nothing is like a mother's love. I love my husband dearly, I love my mom, dad, siblings and friends but the love I have for my little man is different. I can't even explain it, it almost scares me sometimes. I don't want anything to happen to him, I hurt when he hurts, I want to take his sickness from him when he's sick, I just love him so much. And I know it's the love that I have for him that had me scared all these years to have children.

When we first brought Chase home we barely slept that first night, as all new parents. Then when he started sleeping in his crib we took everything out so that he couldn't suffocate on anything. We were even afraid that the sheet might be too lose. Thankfully God had angels watching over.

But no matter what, I must remember that he's going to get hurt, and he's going to get sick, but God is in control and the Almighty.

Chase's 3rd hair cut :(

Chase has been needing a hair cut for a few weeks now but we always put it off. Well tonight was the night, unfortunately. I didn't want to take him to a barber just yet, he just seems too young. So I got the clippers out, the same ones I cut daddy's hair with. This was not an easy task. If I had known that an 8.5 month would be so difficult, I would have gladly taken him to someone. Chase was miserable and antsy and I was nervous not to poke him with the guard.

Anyway...I cut his hair and hate it. I was almost crying and I just kept telling myself....it'll grow back. He has such thin hair that when it's short he looks almost bald. My baby isn't bald. Plus shorter hair makes him look older, I'm not ready for that yet. Brad say he looks cute, of course he looks cute but I miss his old hair. It'll grow back.

No pictures to reveal the new style...he was not participating, it was time for bed. So maybe tomorrow.

It'll grow back.

Feeling better...finally

After two long weeks the Salatino household is starting to feel better. Chase still has a slight cough but overall doing well. He got the 24 hr. stomach/diarrhea bug this week along with his lingering cold. Then he gave everything to me which was a sinus infection...yuck. But today was a pretty good day except Brad wasn't feeling well. :( So it was my duty to take care of the house, keep the stove going and bring in wood...which was a great workout. I love being out in the crisp, cold, wintery day...it just makes my lungs feel so fresh.

Chase feeling better. (Notice I put the seat in backwards, oops. )

What a simple but great idea

This one is for you Katie.

The other day my best friend and I finally were able to catch up, via phone only, since I am cooped up in the house with both Chase and I sick. But we got chatting and talk about my word and she mentioned her goal or goals for 2009. Instead of a New Year's resolution, which seems to be old school now, she decided that she would set goals for herself each month. It might be something as simple as cleaning out her make up drawer, but when you have a six month old, it can turn out to be a difficult task.

We all have goals/tasks that we would like to accomplish. I've always struggled with starting one task and beginning another before finishing the last one. Then before I would know it, I would have a million unfinished tasks and nothing accomplished. Which resulted in being stressed out because there were so many unfinished projects. Not anymore, I finally realized what I was doing and how it was affecting my life. That is also a goal of mine which so far is going delightfully well.

I have decided to join in the idea, but in addition to monthly goals in the beginning of the year, I also decided that I would attempt to clean my entire house, like a spring clean, but once a quarter. When you have two older dogs that shed a new dog everyday, and a wood stove that loves to dispense dust, it was a decision that needed to be made. Now let's see how I do at accomplishing this new task. With all the sickness and sleepless nights, the first quarter might be difficult. But I have three rooms down, eight more to go.

I am excited about 2009 and my goals and word for the year.

I officially hate teething

I know hate is a strong word but I think in this instance it's ok. It's a necessary evil that I will never be able to relate to. Poor Chase has an awful time when it comes to teething. His bottom two teeth were horrible, as I recall the 104.4 temperature, a very lethargic state, awful x-rays, blood tests, not eating...must I go on. Well, here we are again but worse. The doctor told us that when teething the immune system is weakened, thus his latest diagonisis of bronchilitis.

It's so awful to go through. It all started last Sunday and is still ongoing. He no longer needs the nebulizer but he is still congested and runny nose. But it's awful because he doesn't want the bottle...at all. So getting liquids into him is a huge ordeal. It wouldn't have been such an issue but I started to wean him from nursing about 2 weeks or so ago thus resulting in a low supply. But that is all he will drink. We've tried every kind of cup and a medicine syringe, which works great for Pedialyte but not formula. But he continues to have wet diapers so that's wonderful thing.

Last night he was so hungry and I was reading "empty" at 3 am. Daddy tried to console him so I could sleep but finally woke me at 4 am begging for help. He was hungry but wouldn't take the bottle, cup, or syringe, so in the high chair he went and apples/prunes he ate. 5 am he was zonked out.

If only Chase had it easy like his pal Gracie. She does it so gracefully...all of sudden looky there, it's a tooth. Wouldn't that be nice. But as they say...all babies are different. Katie...you're lucky. :)


I will just continue Motrin/Orajel/nursing and a lot of patience and love. Which is easy because he is still himself during the day...happy, jabbering, playing and just all around my Chase.


BTW...did I mention that from my extreme exhaustion, my immume system was weakened and yup, I caught Chase's cold. I didn't get bronchilitis because it's just a severe cold in adults. Did I severe? I can't breathe, runny nose, sore throat, pounding headache. And I can't take anything because I'm nursing. Goodness.

He was so tired he fell asleep in the high chair. Nonnie made him comfortable.

And it just gets worse...emergency room

So last night as we were listening to Chase breathe, we became concerned. He was breathing fast and hard and there was no way I was going to keep him in his crib, baby monitor or not. Brad carefully picked him up and moved him to our bed. He was sound asleep but breathing loud. I was extremely exhausted after a long day of doctor visits, two 30 min cat naps for him and none for me. So to say the least, I could've hit the pillow and been out...except for I couldn't stop listening to his breathing. As Brad and I lay listening to him, he became restless and woke up. That was the end of sleeping as we know it. I asked for Brad to take him downstairs and rock him in the recliner so that I could get just a few minutes of shut eye. I should've been specific on the time.

Twenty minutes later, Brad wakes me up and says we are going to the emergency room. While I was sleeping Brad became more concerned of Chase's fast, short breaths and called the on-call nurse for our pediatrician. She listened to him and said to bring him in. He was breathing more than 70 breaths a minute, not good.

I dragged out of bed, got dressed and bundled Chase in his car seat while Brad started the car. Did I mention it was the coldest night of the year? Maybe 7 degrees, maybe. As we pulled out of the drive way, I wrapped a blanket around my legs and gave Brad one as well. It was COLD! And then something funny happened, at 1:45 am, Brad and I both started singing "Walking in a Winter Wonderland." We sang the entire first line and chorus, then looked at each other and laughed. I don't think we've ever sang together like that. The whole situation just seemed typical of our life. We never do anything normal, never.

Well, we arrived to the Newark Emergency room and had Chase evaluated. His breathing was almost normal and oxygen level at 97%. He was making a liar out of us. Really exploiting us as first time parents. He played, grabbed at the doctor's stethoscope, jabbered, hated the nebulizer...did I mention it was 2:30 am? The doctor made us feel better saying that the cold will do that. The crisp, fresh air helps to open his airways. So we weren't liars. We finally made it home at 3:30am. But that wasn't the end.

Chase fell asleep in the car all comfortable in his car seat. But since he was running a fever, I didn't want him to be all bundled up so I took off his blankets and tried to loosen his straps. Whaaaaa! Stupid me to loosen his straps. He was having nothing to do with sleeping at this point. Nothing but miserable. I took him down to the recliner and rocked him to no avail. I was going to watch another movie but couldn't muster up the energy to pick one out. So Veggie Tales it was featuring Madame Blueberry again. God must be trying to ingrain my word into me. I wish he would pick a different time of day.

So off to playing with his toys again, at 4:30 am...happy and jabbering. I decided to be productive and to do some work on the laptop. Finally at 5am he seemed tired and we cuddled again in the recliner and zonked out. We were out cold until the dumb, I mean protective dogs, barked and scared us to the death. It was 8am and mom had arrived to watch Chase.

This long night into morning into day ends with us getting a nebulizer to use at home. He isn't eating well, but we have gotten creative in getting liquids into him. As long as he's hydrated and rested I'll be happy. He'll eat when he's hungry.

Now off to bed I go for hopefully some nice zzzzzzzz's for all of us. Exhaustion wears the body down.

(No pics tonight, my computer is in the repair shop (Brad) and that's where they're stored.)

My poor little man

I am thinking that it is more than just his teeth. My poor little guy has bronchiolitis. :( He started coughing Sunday afternoon and Monday it just got worse adding to his misery a runny nose. Then Tuesday we added a fever and today it was wheezing. So we've been to the doctor's twice this week. He had to use the nebulizer to clear is airways...that was a long 7 minutes. The face mask had an elastic strap to hold it on and in his frusrations he grabbed it and....SNAP! So that just made the 7 minutes even longer. Smart daddy took the strap off while mommy held the mask. But thankfully it helped and he felt better.


I hate it when Chase is sick, what mother doesn't feel awful when their child is suffering. I just know the misery I was in when I caught a really bad cold when I was pregnant and couldn't take anything.


We had another movie night last night at 1:30 am. We watched, well I watched Cinderalla as Chase fidgeted in my lap. So I finally put him on the floor to play with his toys. He was happy once again. Finally he became tired at around 3am and off to bed he went, no problem.


Let's just say I am exhausted after a long day with a sick baby. However, I am very thankful that Chase has such a sweet disposition and great personality. Because even though he is very sick, he is still himself. Jabbering away, laughing and playing. He's such a good boy. I love him so much. Pray for a swift recovery.

This is 2:31 a.m.

And this is Chase at 2:31 a.m. Very happy and content.

A late night with Chase

Last night was a late, late night with Chase. He is sick with a bad cough, stuffy then runny nose, fever....he had this the last time his two bottom teeth came in. So Brad and I are expecting his two top teeth to pop through some time by the end of the week.

Anyway, back to my late night. Since Chase was so uncomfortable to sleep, I finally brought him downstairs around 10:30 and just let him play. He was as happy as can be and wide awake. So around 11:30 we tried again but in our bed...no good. So at 12:30 Chase and I wandered downstairs to the recliner and cuddled. I recorded Veggie Tales on Saturday morning and decided to watch it and thought it would take his mind off his misery. It worked. He loved the bright colors and action. The story couldn't have been any better for me and my word for the year...want.

The story is about Madame Blueberry, who is a very blue berry

that lives in a beautiful house way atop a tree overlooking a lake.

As the story goes, Madame Blueberry was sad because the things in her home weren't as nice as the things her neighbors had and she was convinced that having more and better things would make her happy. As she was lamenting her sad state, three representatives from the new retailer (Stuff Mart) down the street showed up at her house to entice her to buy more stuff. Being a very blue berry in search of happiness, off she went!

On the walk to Stuff Mart, she passed a little girl whose family didn't have nearly as much as Madame Blueberry had, yet they were all happy and thankful. This confused Madame Blueberry. How could this little girl's family be so happy when they had so little? Undeterred by her confusion, and excited by the prospect of buying everything that would finally make her happy, she continued on to find out what Stuff Mart had in store.

Madame Blueberry found Stuff Mart to be everything she had hoped! It was filled to the rafters with all manner of stuff, stuff and more stuff! She went on a major spending spree, arranging for all her new items to be delivered to her house so she could continue to shop. During her spree, she came upon a young boy in the toy aisle whose father had denied him a new train, but instead bought him a simple red ball. Despite his disappointment, the boy was thankful for the ball and for his father's love. Madame Blueberry was again confused.

Like the little girl earlier, this little boy, who obviously didn't have everything he wanted, was still happy and thankful. In a flash, she realized that it wasn't things that would make her happy, but rather the key to happiness is a thankful heart. She realized that happiness is a choice and acquiring more stuff isn't the secret to happiness, no matter what the Stuff Mart people claimed. Unfortunately, she realized it too late to save her home.

You see, all the stuff Madame Blueberry bought at Stuff Mart and had delivered to her home was so heavy that it made her house fall out of the tree, destroying not only the house but all her new stuff too. In the end, she had to rebuild and start over, but she chose to be thankful for her good friends and other good things in her life, and she resolved never to make the mistake of thinking that more stuff would make her happy.

Meaning of the story...no matter what the Stuff Mart guys say,

happiness doesn't wait at Stuff Mart.

Wanting something isn't the same as needing and won't bring happiness, but rather a temporary sense of happiness. And all that extra "stuff" clutters my home and takes time away from my family, because I have that much more to clean and keep up on.

Such a simple but revealing story about most Americans. Stuff Mart. Hmmmmph.

Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Psalm 37:4 KJV

The many faces of Chase

Don't forget to read #2 of 101 ways to Simplify Your Life.

#1. Jump Off the Merry-Go-Round

As noted from my side bar (something new), I will be every Tuesday and Friday adding one way to simplify your life.

#1.

Simplifying your life sounds like an impossible dream in a hectic, overworked, overscheduled world. The endless whirl of activities and demands of modern living often feel like an out-of-control merry-go-round, spinning you in circles and taking you nowhere fast.

You don't have to stay on the merry-go-round. Your decision to step off and start in another direction is all it takes. Beginn by making one small change in your life: clear some clutter, make more space in your calendar, and spend more time in prayer and meditaition. Ask God to show you ways to simplify and change the direction of your life.

Pray each morning for God's wisdom on how you can best use your time that day.

"There are many activities I must cut out simply because I desire to excel in my pursuit after God and holiness" -Wendell W. Price.

Excerpt from "101 Ways to Simplify Your Life" by Candy Paull.

As of our ship departed, I snapped this picture of the Atlantis on Paradise Island , Bahamas.

Chase saying "Bye-Bye"...really.

Happy Birthday Chase...8 months!

Today you are 8 months old. I can't believe it. Where has time gone. You are full of life and energy and so much fun. You are growing so fast I can't wrap my mind around how unbelieveably fast the time went by. Let's see what have you been up to these past 8 months.

Well, you love animals and pulling their hair, ears, and tails.

You love to talk, we may not know what you're saying but you sure do.

You have so many, many toys but would rather play with the remote, computer cables, vacuum cleaner cord, mommy's phone or water bottle, but sometimes we can get you to play with your toys.

You army crawl everywhere...did I say everywhere? If you see something you'll be there in 5 seconds.

You started to throw your toys this past week. We play ball, I give you some balls and you throw them. Sometime you'll have two in your hand and throw one and then the other. Nonnie and papa are convinced your left-handed (that would make Papa happy).

You love to eat fruit; pears, apples, bananas, prunes, melon, blueberries.

You aren't too fond of all your vegetables. You like squash, carrots, sweet potatoes, peas, potatoes, avacado, and store bought green beans. You absolutely dislike mommy's green beans. ??? That's ok. Tonight you tried some mixed vegetables, corn/carrots/green beans/peas. Well you weren't really into it. Daddy said he doesn't like mixed vegetables either. We'll try again tomorrow.

You started to wave your hand yesterday like you were saying "Bye-bye". So cute.

You realized that you can "fake" laugh and love to do that in the car. Daddy and I think you have an invisible friend with you in the back seat that you are talking to.

You are extremely ticklish...neck, tummy, armpits, feet and knees. Just like mommy.

You've finally started to sleep through the night. This just started last week. Mommy and daddy are so relieved and happy.

You've been drinking from a sippy cup but would still rather have the bottle.

You love to hold your bottle but sometimes at night you like to be lazy and let mommy or daddy hold it for you.

You're starting to wear mostly 12 month clothes. Growing so big.

You like your Jeep walker and mainly go backwards right now. But you've only had it for a week so in time you'll be everywhere.

You love to cuddle with mommy and daddy in bed in the early morning.

You love your bath time and playing with your bath squirters.

You are a flirt. You have been since you were born. You get that from the Salatino side. I will have to keep an on you. It must be those Big, Brown eyes. They just twinkle when you smile.

You've already had two haircuts and could use another one again.

You laugh when mommy or daddy say "no"...great.

You love giraffes, stuffed or plastic.

You giggle and laugh when you fly in the air. Daddy says your an adrenaline junkie.

You play with your toys like it's your job, a fun job. That's what Aunt Katie says. You're definitely all boy.

You'd rather throw your puffs instead of eating them. Maybe we should try a different flavor.

You absolutely love your cousins and love watching/playing with them.

There is just so much about you and how your growing and developing that the list could go on for pages and pages. You are our sunshine and joy and we love you so very much.

Where's Chase?

Chase's cousin gave him his cozy to use to keep him nice and warm in his car seat this winter. He wasn't quite sure of it at first. But now it's his fort.

Where's Chase?

He's digging for his toys that are stashed at the bottom of his feet.

When he finds what he wants he peeps his head out
and either plays with his prize
or grabs the edge like he is trying to escape.

Sleeping thru the night. Amen.

History has taken place at our home this week...Chase slept through the night. Well, he slept for 6.5 hours straight. It's absolutely amazing, wonderful, joyous...I could go on forever. I was almost in tears when I woke up and saw what time it was. I had to look twice. The past two nights he has been doing well but I didn't want to say anything so I wouldn't jinx myself. He has learned how to self-soothe. We would let him cry for 10 minutes, then check on him and talk to him, then we would leave again. We kept doing this until he fell asleep...about an hour the first night. Then last night he was sleeping in about 30 minutes, tonight another 30 minutes. I am so thankful and thankful to everyone that was praying for him and me.

But mostly importantly I am so thankful for Brad. He has been amazing in making this happen. He has been home with him the past two weeks and really working with him. I am currently weaning Chase and I think this has helped because Brad can help in putting him to bed as well. I am so happy words really cannot explain. Chase is almost 8 months old and I have not had 6.5 hours of sleep since before he was born. My body was accustomed to functioning on 3-4 hours at a time. But now....I don't know. I guess I will now be getting my Beauty Sleep. :)

(This was during naptime...I would never compromise nighttime sleep.)

Sleep

Watching you sleep, watching you breathe, a peaceful end to another playful day.

More than a glowing sunset, more than the shining stars, you my little one take my breath away.

Author: Crystal Dawn Perry