enssle family

Almost 7 weeks!

March 4th, 2009 Tara

So it has been awhile since we last posted. Pretty much everyone in the house has been sick! Anna had a suspected case of pneumonia and Neal, Noah and I have had colds. We’ve been using hand sanitizer like crazy, but I’m not sure how effective it is when the preschooler is running around sneezing and coughing on everyone and everything. Anna has yet another cold that has turned her into a sloppy, runny-nosed, weepy-eyed monster. I feel so badly for her, but the whining does grate on the nerves after awhile. She’s so generously passed this most recent cold on to her father, who is battling it with copious amounts of vitamin c and coldeeze lozenges.

We took Noah in to the doctor shortly after his 5-week milestone to make sure that his cold hadn’t turned into something more serious (namely, pneumonia). He weighed in at 11 lbs. 13 oz! Looking at him, it is hard to believe he is only 7 weeks old. He’s now wearing some 3-6 month clothing! Anyway, his cold hadn’t turned into anything more serious, but it certainly has proved to be long-lived. He still has a stuffy nose 2 weeks later!

We’re starting another round of intensive constraint therapy for Anna this week. Starting today we’ll be wearing a cast on her right arm to encourage her to use her left. I know it sounds strange to say it, but we are actually looking forward to this session, as Anna’s been more and more stubborn about using her left hand. We think she is in need of a “cognitive reset” that the casting seems to provide. Unfortunately, she’ll be casted on her birthday again this year (we were in Alabama last year at this time).

Speaking of birthdays, Anna will be 3 this month! It is so hard for me to believe that 3 years have passed since she was born. Lately we’ve been looking at lots of pictures and videos of when Anna was Noah’s age (Anna’s been curious about what she was like when she was a baby), and that has been a true walk down memory lane. With her third birthday comes the end of our early intervention home therapy services. She’ll be receiving therapy through the school district now, and starts at our neighborhood preschool two days after her birthday. We’re hoping that she fits in there and enjoys her two mornings per week.

Other than those developments, things are pretty “normal” (if you call having zero control and limited sleep “normal”). We’re learned a few things:

1. You can sleep just about anywhere, and do so on a near nightly basis.
2. You can sleep through just about anything if you are tired enough.
3. You cannot please everyone all the time, so please the one that is screaming the loudest first.
4. Bouncy seats, swings, and anything else that keep the baby quiet and sleeping are gifts from God.
5. Changing diapers doesn’t seem nearly as critical and urgent for the second child as it did for the first.

We hope to post some pictures and videos in the near future. Noah is actually smiling now, which is such a joy to see.

Filed under: Babies, Children, Family, Health, Milestones, Parenting