Issues

The only thing I have to say today is that Landon has been a blowout machine. 4 blowouts in 24 hours, 2 were when we weren't at home and it is just SO MUCH MORE FUN cleaning up after him when we are "on the town". Seriously, I am beginning to think his parts have been inverted because he is blowing up out of the top back of his diaper. I swear that every outfit he has will have the telltale yellow stain in the middle of the back. I have been slaving away with a washcloth and Dreft trying to keep up with prewashng all of his accidents before they go in the wash. Maybe someday I will find this humorous. Today, going through a full minipack of wipes and about 10 diapers, it isn't. And his first blowout was yesterday about 30 seconds before he met his first lady friend, Finnlay Richards (the daughter of a former coworker of mine, 4 days younger than Landon). Baby boy has no game. I hope he addresses these hygiene issues before he starts dating.

4 Weeks in a Morning

Today marks the one year anniversary of my first doctor's appointment when I was pregnant. Greg and I arrived at the OBGYN's office not knowing what to expect. We thought that we were 8 weeks along. Because of my "AMA" (Advanced Maternal Age, yes that is really what they call it), we were told that we could do testing for various birth defects when I was 12 weeks along. I had an internal ultrasound (yep, nobody fully explained what this was before I had it done, and I wish they had) and instead of Little Pea being in the 5mm range which is typical for 8 week old fetuses, he was 36mm. Which meant that I was in fact 12 weeks along. So instead of having 4 weeks to make the decision on testing, we had about 5 minutes. We decided to get the tests and there just happened to be an opening for an external ultrasound (which is a MUCH more pleasant experience) in a couple of hours. So off Greg and I went to McDonald's to get me some OJ to make the baby dance. I had two ultrasounds in 3 hours. And I progressed 4 weeks through my pregnancy in one morning. Which is nice because I was dreading another 4+ weeks of morning sickness, and the thought of having 4 weeks taken off of this miserable state made me happy. I will never forget that day for many reasons. How crazy that is has been a year already!

RSV..... SOS!

This picture says so much about how our last two weeks have been. Note the 3 different prescription medications, the Baby Tylenol, the kleenex. We have been a sick bay, that is for sure.

Every week since Landon was born, I have thanked my lucky stars that he has remained healthy. When he was two weeks old, we had a swine flu scare when we found out his cousin Cullyn had the swine flu and had been over to visit the day before he was diagnosed. I cried every day, just waiting for Landon to develop a fever and for us to have to rush him to the hospital. After 7 days passed and we were out of the woods, I was so happy. I felt so lucky that we had dodged what I am sure would have been a horrible situation. And the weeks passed. And the months. And him being sick started to occupy a very distant part of the worry center in my brain.

And then, hello RSV. So, this RSV thing. Never heard of it. I think most adults who aren't new parents have never heard of it. But it is a bronchial infection that is actually pretty common in little kids. Most kids get it before they turn 2, but of course the earlier they get it, the worse it can be.

Greg started feeling sick two Fridays ago, and then Landon came down with it as well. At first it was just runny nose and a cough, and I thought to myself "I got this!" as I patted myself on the back with how well I was coping with my son's first illness.

And then came Monday.

The runny nose and a cough had developed into a fever pushing 102, listlessness, redness in the face, and general disorientation. We took him to the doctor where of course he didn't have a fever (much like a car not making that clunking noise the second you take it to the dealer), but they did a test and he had RSV. I had heard about RSV in the birth boards and knew it was a pain in the ass. There really isn't anything you can do for it, especially because Landon isn't even 6 months old yet. From there, he developed an ear infection and then his eardrum ruptured. Wow - when it rains, it pours, I guess!

I called my parents on Tuesday and casually mentioned Landon being sick. I didn't think they could sense the quiet desperation in my voice. But then 5 minutes after we hung up, I get a call from mom, volunteering to come and help for a couple of days.

I love my mom. We have never had the type of relationship where I cry help and she rescues me. I have always prided myself of being pretty self-reliant. But somehow she just knew, through my assurances of "We're getting through it" that I could sure use some support. My wonderful mother who is scared to death of driving by herself, packed up her things, cleared her schedule and set out by herself at 6:30am through the Colorado mountain highways in the middle of winter to help her daughter. Did I mention that my mom and dad were set to go on a 2 week vacation in 5 days and that she sure could have used the time that was now set aside for me to prep for her trip?

She was here for 2 1/2 days and it was so great to spend time with her. She was also here for 2 weeks in September, and we have talked more during these two visits than we have in a long time. She holds Landon while I work, and she is a great diaper changing assistant ("can I get a wipe, please?") I think she really enjoys the visits, and I have told her that she is welcome here anytime. I hope she takes me up on this, because not only is it great to have a helper with Landon, it is great to have couch time with my mom, just talking about parenting and life in general.

I miss you, mom! Come back soon!

My Funny Valentine

Today was a pretty great day! I didn't work much, which was nice. The three of us went to brunch at Benedict's and then did some shopping. We came home and hung out for awhile and took a couple pictures of Landon's first Valentine's Day. Greg made a really yummy dinner and we had wine and chocolate. He fooled me on the chocolate - all day I had been giving not so subtle hints that I wanted sweets and after dinner he looked crestfallen that he had forgotten my chocolates when he went to the store. After we tucked Landon into bed, he surprised me with them. We are now going to watch Thank You For Smoking. A very low key day, but I have laughed with my boys all day, so that is more than good enough for me. Happy Valentine's Day!

We're Off and Running!

Here we are in blogland. It seems like once a child is born, so is a desire of the parents to chronicle every detail of said child's life via the web. I guess we are no different.

So, with that said, Landon. Our son Landon Ford Kitto is just over 5 months old and we thought this would be a great way to share our journey with family and friends.

Here is a quick picture of what he looks like at this blog's beginning. Pretty cute! This was taken after his first night at bowling. We got home late and we thought he would not be happy. But he is always taking us by surprise.