desperate times...

Between our many illnesses and the cold weather, it has not been easy to get out with the boys lately. As I have mentioned before, I get major cabin fever after a couple of days of being stuck inside (I'm sure it has nothing to do with the size of our house). Anyway, yesterday I remembered what we used to do in the hospital playroom---rice play! It is a great substitute for sand and is always a hit. Carter loved it! He was pouring it back and forth with his little cups and had so much fun burying his Hot Wheels cars in it. He would pretend they were lost & then "find" them.

Aside from seeing how much Carter enjoyed it, the secondary benefit was that I was able to clean up the kitchen and make dinner with almost no interruptions. He literally played with it for almost an hour! You really cannot appreciate what a big deal this is unless you have spent a lot of time around two-year-old boys. Trust me.

So, the part you cannot really see from the photos is how much rice ended up on the floor. I knew this would be messy, but wasn't really thinking about how many teeny, tiny kernels of rice would end up scattered everywhere. Oh well. Some things are worth it.

Davis was captivated by his big brother

Just hangin' out, mom. :-)

monkey see...

Carter has found a way to get attention even when brother is doing "tummy time". He gets down on the floor and does a face plant just like his baby brother. It is so funny! I'm sure Carter thinks we're crazy for making such a big deal of it when Davis raises his head up and looks around. He doesn't remember what hard work that is when you're just a little guy!

My boys!

Sean with the boys in their matching PJ's from Grandma Nancy & Grandad. Too cute!
Hangin' with daddy

Still not feeling 100%, but I'm getting better!

getting there

Just an update on the Beilman Family infirmary:

Davis had a low fever last night (100.4) but since he is only two months old it warranted a call to our pediatrician. He was very reassuring that we did not need to go to the ER just yet (thank goodness!!!). He was actually glad to hear that we had gotten a positive RSV test on Friday because low-grade temps are not uncommon in RSV and that basically "ruled out", with reasonable certainty, any other sort of infection that may be going on. Two months is kind of a milestone in that babies have been able to establish enough of an immune system that they can fight off many minor infections on their own. Since Davis was still breathing OK (with the help of a lot of saline and bulb suctioning his nose) and eating enough to stay hydrated, he was comfortable with us staying home unless things got worse.
I put moved his pack-n-play right next to our bed and nearly drove myself crazy listening to & watching his breathing last night. Thankfully, this this morning he looked and sounded better! He still has a nasty cough, but is coughing less frequently. He is also eating more! He is back to about 4 oz every three to four hours which makes me so happy. He has lost weight just being sick for a few days, but at this rate, I'm sure his chubby cheeks will be back in no time! I will be so glad when he is back to 100%...it is VERY difficult to sit by and watch your child suffer, knowing you are limited in what you can do to help.
Sean and Carter both seem to be on the tail-end of their colds and Carter even got to play outside today! I am planning on taking him to "playschool" tomorrow morning as usual. Of course, I've been feeling sick all day but the Claritin is helping and so did the two-hour nap I got (thanks to Sean). I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a few healthy weeks this winter. So far, 2010 is not off to a great start!

time flies...

It was one year ago this month that I started this blog. It started off as kind of a joke (and still is, if you ask some of my girlfriends), but now it is something I enjoy doing. Since I was horrible about doing a baby book for Carter & haven't really even started one for Davis, I am hoping that this will serve as a way to look back on memories of their childhood. I have heard that there are companies who will print & bind your blog into a scrapbook of sorts and that is what I plan to do...one of these days.

So, on this one year anniversary of the Beilman Family Blog I would like to encourage you to become an official "follower" of our little family so I can know who you are. (Unless you are that crazy lady from Japan who I had to block from following us, in that case, we're not interested.) But, assuming you are not crazy, just click the "follow" button to the right side of our page, by the boys' age tickers. By my calculations there are about five of you out there, so stand up and be recognized! Thank you for taking the time to read about us & care about what we are up to. We're touched!

spoke too soon...

Seems that things have changed since my "two-month" update post (I typed it on Tuesday but didn't post it until yesterday). We took both boys to the pediatrician this morning (it's turning into a weekly routine for us). The good news is that Carter's ear infection is finally GONE after being treated with three antibiotics! The bad news is that Carter has another cold and now, so does Davis. Davis started coughing yesterday & his appetite started to taper off yesterday evening & overnight he only took about one ounce per feeding, instead of his usual four ounces every 3-4 hours. Our pediatrician did a nasal swab out of precaution and unfortunately, he tested positive for RSV. He does not have a fever, is still breathing fine (lungs are clear) and eating enough to not get dehydrated so we are going to watch him closely and hope that things don't get worse. If he starts having difficulty breathing (from increased secretions) or gets dehydrated, we will have to take him into the ER since our docs don't have weekend office hours.
I was going to work a couple of shifts before "officially" coming back from Maternity leave on Feb. 12th, and of course tonight was going to be one of those nights! So...I called in sick since I am the only healthy one here to take care of the baby. (Sean called in sick today and has been feeling crummy all week, but it was helpful to have him around this morning.)
Please keep the boys in your prayers for a speedy recovery. RSV is pretty common this time of year and not dangerous for most people, but can be scary in infants and those with compromised immune systems. Hopefully this will run its course over the weekend and we will all be feeling better by Monday!

TWO months old!

I cannot believe Davis will be two months old tomorrow! We went to the doctor's office on Monday for his well-child check. I am happy to report that he is healthy and continues to do well on the hypoallergenic formula. He no longer has blood in his stool (even microscopically) so that is good news that the soy & milk protein-free formula is working!


His 2-month stats are:
Weight: 11 lbs 10.5 oz (49%ile)
Length: 22 1/4 inches (25%ile)
Head Circumference: 16 cm (70%ile)

Here are some photos from this week:

We have been seeing a few smiles recently...he is too cute with his toothless grin! Here he is smiling at daddy. :-)

Out to lunch with mommy & some girlfriends from work. Mommy's friend, Katie, is getting her Davis fix.

Bath time!

He is so good at holding his head up for long periods of time during our "tummy time" and even when he is held upright. Just not sure about the Bumbo, yet.

2010 National Western Stock Show

We had so much fun going to the Stock Show last year with Grandma Pat, we decided to go again this year! Davis got into the spirit of things by wearing his cowboy hat. :-) And cute guitar outfit from Aunt Sister.

We paid $10 (a rip-off, I know) for Carter to have his photo taken with the horse but when he saw how big the horse was, he kind of freaked out. I asked Sean to get up there with him so we could at least get some sort of photo. The cowboy horse handlers thought it was funny when Sean asked if the horse could handle both of them. Apparently city folks don't know a horse's weight capacity!

I'm not too sure about this, dad!

Just take the picture so I can get off of here!

Our favorite stop...the petting zoo! The area was complete with hand sanitizer this year, since last year's Stock Show got a black eye from their e. coli outbreak linked to the petting zoo. We triple sanitized our hands afterwards, just to be safe.

We bought a cone full of animal feed before going into the petting area. It was gone in about three seconds. Literally, I put Carter down and this sheep came over and gobbled it all up! The only thing left was a stump from the cone. Thankfully Carter walked away with all of his fingers.

the llama was getting a little too close

Sean petting one of the "chicks".

My favorite carnival game as a kid! Carter was happy to just keep picking ducks out of the water, he didn't care about the prize.

Carter riding in the caboose of the train (he's in the middle on the right side).

Big Bull

Big Scoop

Big Tractor with Big Wheels

ball of energy

Carter showing off his limitless energy while building with Handy Manny.

pediatrician x2

I took both boys to see the pediatrician this morning, no small task. Carter was seen for a follow-up after treating the same ear infection for a month now. He still has an infection in the left ear (the right ear was almost completely cleared up) and we are now trying a third antibiotic. If that does not work, we may be looking at tubes in his ears.
Davis was seen for goopy eyes, for which we now have an antibiotic eye ointment and follow-up for the allergy issues he's been having. We started him on hypoallergenic formula almost two weeks ago and it seems to be helping. He still has some fussy moments at night, but they are few and far between and he is thriving. In fact, he now weighs 11 pounds, 6 ounces! That is a gain of 1 lb, 10 oz in less than a month! I had to start putting him into his 3-6 month sized clothes over the weekend. What a big guy!
We will go back in another week to follow up with Carter's ears and do Davis's two month well-child check. Wish us luck!

gettin' down

Carter got a new Leap Frog video for Christmas and loves to dance to the music. We have to be sneaky...if he sees you recording him, he will stop dancing. His moves crack us up!

indoor fun

Davis at the "gym"

Any mother with young children will tell you that winter days are looooooong days. When it's too cold to play outside, it is a challenge to find indoor activities to fill the day. I tend to get cabin fever and we usually try to get out of the house at least every other day. It does Carter (and me!) a world of good. Anyway, since it has been so cold this week, we decided to mix things up a bit and break out the play-doh! Carter loved it and Davis was happy to just observe.

Making a play-doh hamburger

This is my idea of a good time!

hmmm...

I have been keeping Macey in the house during the day since it has been below freezing lately. Look who I found lounging in Carter's chair yesterday. It happens to sit right by one of the heating vents. Crazy dog!

PE

I almost forgot...Congratulations to Sean for passing the PE! He is now a Professional Engineer (he was before, but now it's official). He studied a ton, in between working and taking care of Carter, and it paid off! He took the test in October and got the good news right before Christmas. Way to go, honey! The boys and I are so proud of you!

Jayhawk country

We stopped in Lawrence as we headed from St. Louis to Denver. It was great (as always) to spend the night at Grandad & Grandma Nancy's house. They take such good care of us & Carter loved playing with "Hip Hop Santa" and the oldie-but-goody Fisher Price toys. However, I had a case of the stomach flu, so I was not very good company and not a very happy traveler! Yuck! Needless to say, this is the only photo I took. Hopefully our next visit to Lawrence will be longer and less sick.

Grandad enjoying some quality "grandson time".

PS: I should mention that Davis was wearing a Mizzou hat right before this photo was taken...coincidence that it's missing from the shot? I think not! And yes, Dad (a Kansas State alum) is wearing a K-State shirt and lives a mile away from the KU campus.

Happy New Year!

New Year's Eve marked our four-year anniversary! Sean's parents took care of the boys so we could go out on the town--thanks Mom & Dad B! We went to a blues club in St. Louis and met up with one of my best friends in the whole wide world, Mary Anne.

What a handsome guy I married! Am I right, ladies?

A good time was had by all!

Mike Zito on stage with his band

Mary Anne & I were roommates freshman year at Mizzou and became fast friends. She is like a sister to me & I can't believe it's been two years since we last saw one another...way too long. I also cannot believe that it was 16 years ago this month that we won the trip to New York City to see David Letterman. We had all expenses paid for three nights at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square and talked our parents into letting us go alone. It was an amazing trip for two 18-year-old girls! We have so many great stories that could probably fuel a blog of their own. Anyway, I miss my dear friend and wish we lived closer! Love you, Smurfer!

Beilman Family Christmas

Next stop, St. Louis! Carter LOVED playing with his 15 Beilman cousins and Davis was happy to just take it all in (between sleeping and eating, of course). We got to visit with all of Sean's siblings and had a great time catching up with everyone! On Wednesday night, we all went out to eat some authentic St. Louis Italian food and then drove through the coolest display of Christmas lights. We had a fun visit & hope to catch up with all the Beilmans again this Summer at the family reunion. Thanks Mom & Dad B for the Christmas gifts, baptism gifts, good food & hospitality! We love you!

Grandma Pat with Davis

Cousins Savannah & Eiley holding Davis, with Grandpa Dan

Aunt Kristine, cousin Mitchell & Uncle Peter

Three generations of Beilmans

Grandpa Dan & Grandma Pat with the boys

Carter with his buddy, cousin Elliott

Grandma, cousin Adam & Sean