A Busy Saturday

Saturday morning Ryan and I got to sleep in because the boys spent the night with Grandma & Grandpa. It was a much needed break for us from all the crying. Mid-morning I headed out with my mother-in-law and sister-in-law. We went to check out the craft sale in town.

The boys picked me up from the craft sale and we headed out to the pumpkin patch by Oak Lake. Everett fell asleep in the car for about 15 minutes, and then slept for about 30 minutes in his stroller. It was nice that he was sleeping though because it rained pretty hard for bit right after we arrives. It also gave us time to eat and drink some nice warm beverages. The meander Creek Pumpkin patch has amazing Apple Cider (and i don't usually like apple cider).

~Rawley had a hot dog and hot chocolate~

Rawley really loves the pumpkin patch, they have these huge mazes made out of large hay bales, and they are pitch black inside. I remember last year Rawley asked me to go in once with him and i nearly had a nervous break down. Rawley found some friends there and they played hide & seek in the maze.

Rawley did the corn cannon last year and he actually got to shoot a dried up corn cob, but this year they just shot tennis balls, yet still called it the 'corn cannon' (not quite the same). He pressed the button to shoot at the same time as I got this picture, i think it is so funny.

Once Everett woke up it got a lot nicer out so we headed over to the hay ride. It is a 1/2 long ride in which we stop to feed the horses. We were the first on so we got great seats. We had to wait a bit because the tractor had a dead battery. Everett did not mind the wait at ll because the smaller tractor was going and he just enjoyed watching it and waving at the kids.

The hay ride was bout 5 minutes too long for Everett, he had trouble sitting still the last little bit. So, once we got off we let him run wild for a while and i think this was his favorite part.

Weeeeee

Everett has definitely grown since last year.

They have a separate smalled hay bale maze for toddlers, but Everett preferred to hang with the big kids. he even crawled in the dark tunnels a few times. Ryan had to go in a fetch him.

After the pumpkin patch we came home to have dinner then headed out to the Wheat City Stampede. The Wild dogs started the show and both Everett and Rawley loved this part. Everett clapped a lot.

Everett went through a few cranky times. I don't blame him though because we got there at 6pm and stayed till after 11. That is a long time for a little guy to try to sit still. We got up and went for walks. from 8-9 he was pretty cranky, but from there 0n he did awesome. He pigged out all night long and stayed up till the very end, 11:25. What a little party animal.

Rawley had a lot of fun. He always amazes me when we got out. He has the ability to make friends anywhere and he is never afraid just to walk up to other kids and hang out with them. Last night he was sad none of his friends were at the rodeo to sit with. He then spotted a boy and said, can i go sit down there with that boy?" I asked if he knew who it was and he replied, "no, but i will make friends", and he did. He made 2 different friends that he sat with. the only part that was a little sad was that he did not want to sit with us at all. guess he is getting to that age where his parents re just not cool enough anymore. I will say that near the end of the night, he did cuddle up with me and put his head on my arm. lol.

What an amazing Saturday!!!!

A Whole Month

I cannot believe it has almost been a whole month since I last blogged. I guess i really am a busy girl.

Our trip to BC was amazing. We got to see lots of friends, hang out with our niece and nephew and enjoy a great night out. The wedding was so much fun. The music, dancing and food were all incredible. Sunday my grandma had all the family over at her house. All my cousins and all their kids were there. There were 5 generations in total. It was well worth the trip.

Since we have been home Everett has been a challenge, but Rawley has been doing wonderful. Rawley saw a psychiatrist right after our trip and his meds have been changed just a little bit. He seems to be thriving. His concentration is good, his behaviour, for the most part, is good. He seems more focused and positive. I am so happy for him. We are even two months into the school year and I have had no phone calls or letters from his teachers. Go Rawley!

Everett has gotten worse instead of better. We have been really struggling with him at night. I am not sure what our next step is. We took him to the doctor and they listened to what I had to say and decided that it was not stomach problem but probably more with his internal wiring. He thinks Everett's sleep cycle is messed up and believe he never gets into the REM cycle, which is the deep sleep. Because of this almost anything can wake him up through the night, being cold, hearing noises, his stomach digesting... Then because he does not know how to self sooth he cries. I am not sure if I am completely convinced that this is what is happening. I mean it could be but if that is all it is, you would assume that as soon as Everett is picked up he should stop crying because he now has us to sooth him.

The doctor told us that we could give him sleep aids, like melatonin or gravol. This will help him fall into a proper sleep cycle and some people need to be on sleep aids their whole life. he also told us that we need to start letting him cry it out so he can learn to self sooth.

The crying it out does not seem too bad, but Everett seems to cry for a long time. We have tried a few times and given up after 45 minutes or so. When we expressed this to the doctor he said that strong willed babies, like Everett, can cry for up to 4 or 5 hours the first night or so, then only 3 hours. He did say that is would decrease over time and after a couple weeks he should be fine.

Now I understand the idea of crying it out, but honestly how many moms out there can listen to their baby cry for 4 or 5 hours? Seriously? I never could. 30 minutes to maybe even an hour would be my absolute tops. I don't think that we are built to listen to our babies cry like that. And when Everett cries, you would think someone is hurting him if you heard him, he also scratches at himself when he is that upset. And the worst part is in the back of my mind i think he may have some tummy troubles still and if he is uncomfortable or hurting, letting him cry it out is just not fair to the poor guy.

So now I wonder what do i do?

Do I get a referral for a gastro intestinal specialist and make them do proper testing to make sure there is nothing going on?

Do we just continue to stay up with him for hours on end listening to him crying and holding and rocking him, and hope one day it all stops?

Do we go see if we can find a sleep therapist and hope they have some better ideas?

Anyone who has been through this please tell me what you did, or if you have a better idea please share.