So Long Crib, Hello Toddler Bed

After my little guy (and my husband) recovered from the plague that was Hand, Foot, & Mouth disease, we thought we were getting back on track. Killian was happy and playing like his usual self. He went back to sleeping in his crib after spending a few nights on the air mattress watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse nonstop. Everything seemed to be back to normal.... then something switched.

It was as if a demon had possessed my child. He went from the boy who I used to brag about how good his sleeping habits were to a full blown insomniac. Every time we put him in his crib this week for a nap or for bed he'd scream bloody murder. And I'm not one to just give in easily, so I let him cry. Sure enough, though, he had a bit more stamina that I did because 20 minutes later he was still at it. Then I'd go in and give him a binky and lay him back down, only for him to get right back up and at it again. It was like this for up to two hours one night.

So I did what any other mom would do when they were at their wits end. I googled. I thought maybe he developed some sudden phobia of his crib, whether it was from when he was sick and in pain, or some weird thing he heard or saw one night. Who knows, but when I googled it I found out that it really isn't that rare. Especially at this age. From about a year and a half to two years old kids start developing fears and phobias. What makes it worse is that they can't reason their way out of the fear, especially since you can't explain to them that the shadow they saw on the wall isn't a monster or that they won't really get sucked down the tub drain.

He also very well could be going through a phase, but this is one phase I wasn't going to be able to put up with long seeing as we already went through a week of not sleeping when he was sick. So I found some really great advice on my google search, and it seemed the best thing to do was eliminate what was making him freak out: his crib. So last night we converted his crib to a toddler bed, and tried to make it as comfy and inviting as possible. Then we made a huge deal about how awesome his big boy bed is and had a little party in his room to celebrate.

We went through his normal bedtime routine: Tubby, pjs, milk, story time.... lots of story time. Then we tucked him in and left him like we would in his crib, but he was having none of that. So I brought him back to his bed and sat on the floor next to him and exactly four minutes later he was out like a light. My husband and I went to bed with much anxiety just waiting to see when he'd wake up and freak out running into our room. He did get up once at one in the morning, but we just walked him back to his bed and he went right back to sleep. The best part was when he woke up in the morning, he just waltzed right in our room and hopped on our bed.

I was more nervous about nap time today, but we did the same routine of milk, story time, and sitting with him for a few minutes before he fell asleep (as evidenced by the picture below). It's been almost two and a half glorious hours of nap time so far, which is much improved from no nap time yesterday. And I finally got a little time to myself to just breathe.

Another milestone accomplished, another crisis averted (for now). Man, being a mom is rough. Just when you think you've got things down, a curveball gets thrown at ya. Just one of the joys of being a parent.

For those who are contemplating it, here's a great article on how and when to transition your child from a crib to a toddler bed: Tackling the Toddler Crib-to-Bed Transition. Good luck and God's speed.

It's not the man that makes the mustache, but the mustache that makes the man.

My husband turned 30 last week and I wanted to do something fun and unique to celebrate. So what better than having a mustache bash? I've always poked fun at him for not being able to grow too much facial hair, despite all of our friends being able to create facial hair masterpieces. It was the job of all the (male) guests to show up wearing their best mustaches, and I provided ones for those (women) who couldn't muster one up for themselves.

I've never heard of a mustache bash before until I saw it on Pinterest. Apparently it's a popular theme for a little boy's party or a baby shower for a woman having a boy. My first order of business was making mustaches and bow ties on a stick. Then I went hunting for anything mustache-related. I was quite surprised at just how much mustache paraphernalia there is! I got these cute little mustache picks to top off the Irish car bomb cupcakes I made. Then there were the mustache straws to drink some Boylan root beer with. My all time favorite were the mustache finger tattoos.

Everyone got to vote for their favorite mustaches, and the winner went home with a new razor and shaving kit (if they so choose to actually shave off the "award winning" mustache). Really what more do you need than some good friends and sweet 'staches? We had such a fun time, and it was by far my favorite themed party. My hubby is not only 30, but officially a man now. A man with a mustache... sort of.

Hand, Foot, & Mouth... YUCK!

I mentioned yesterday that the little dude wasn't feeling too great. Well, as his rash started spreading and he started to scream every time he ate anything my diagnosing skills started to hone in. Fifth disease, chickenpox, measles?! I finally came to the conclusion (with validation from the pediatrician) that he had Hand, Foot, & Mouth disease. It's a stinky little virus (the Coxsackievirus, to be exact) that causes fever, followed by a rash that usually presents as blisters on the palms of hands, soles of feet, and sores in the mouth.

Well, the reason why it took me so long to even know it was that was because he never got the blisters on the hands and feet, but he did get a nasty blistery rash on his bottom. He also has the rash all around his mouth and spread all over his body. Apparently, it commonly presents this way. So my poor love bug literally can't eat anything without screaming in pain because of all the sores in his mouth, and can only tolerate sips of water. My hubby and I were up pretty much all night with him. 

In the end there's no real great treatment for this stupid virus, except tylenol and ibuprofen for the fever and pain. Not to mention lots of snuggling and kisses :* Oh, and in case you're wondering... yes, it's contagious, but most adults have been exposed to it at some point in there life and are already immune. That, or our immune system is strong enough to just fight it off. Hopefully in a few days he'll be on the up and up, and he'll be back to his rambunctious self. 

P.S.

 Hand, Foot, and Mouth disease is not to be confused with "Hoof and Mouth disease" which is seen in cattle and swine.

Happy Easter, Happy Spring

After spending the last couple weeks on a mini-vacation from my blog, I've finally returned. It's funny how now that I have more time on my hands, I don't blog nearly as much as when I've been super busy with medical school. Probably because I've been enjoying all time I get to spend with my two favorite boys. There's lots to fill you in on!

Well it all started a few weeks ago when we had a week of absolutely gorgeous weather here in New England. Coincidentally, it was the week of my birthday. My hubby took the little man and I to the zoo as a birthday surprise. Killian had such a blast running around and seeing all the animals (especially the monkeys). Then on my actual birthday we went to the beach (Yes, it was THAT nice out!). We spent the morning basking in the sun and playing in the sand and not going in the freezing cold water. 

A week later Killian went to his special girlfriend's birthday party where there was a giant scary Elmo, who Killian wasn't at all scared of. He ate cake for only the second time in his life and left with a new pet fish which he named "Bobo." 

Then came Easter.... Killian scored big this year with the Easter bunny who left a basket full of pretty awesome toys (and no candy). We hunted for eggs, and had a pretty great day with the family. Oh, and I made some pretty delicious Italian Easter bread.

Which leads us up to today. The little man's not feeling too great. The last few weeks must have been more excitement than he could handle because he threw up last night and has had a fever all day today. Most likely it's just a virus, which just means that he gets lots and lots of cuddles and fluids. Hopefully he'll be back to himself in a day or two. 

In the meantime, I will try to be a better blogger. I'm trying to come up with some good informative topics for you all so that I'm not just rambling on about myself. I also need to think of a new catchy title for my blog since I'll no longer be a medical student and will be an actual doctor! If you have any suggestions, feel free to let me know!