The Pell family is doing ok. The Tuesday after we returned from Ethiopia Johnny had a fever and was a bit fussier. Then on Friday evening Emma our two year old came down with a fever of 103.5 which continued through Sunday evening. We took her to the doctor and she tested positive for the flu (probably H1N1). We think this is why John and I were so sick while in Ethiopia. Emma ended up with a double eye infection, ear infection and horrible fever. These past few weeks of sickness and transition have been challenging. Getting up with a 6 month old every two hours is challenging, getting up with the 6 month old and a sick 2 year old is exhausting. My sister came to visit with my 4 month old niece this week which was a wonderful way to distract from the frustration of our sleepless children.
Except for the night waking, Johnny is doing great. He is happy unless he is hungry or tired and loves being held and cuddled. He is sitting up on his own and has even gotten himself into the crawling position a couple of times while reaching for a toy. While my sister was here, we noticed him whining for us and not for her when he was hungry or tired. There was a definite difference between mom and dad and his Aunt Heidi. We are so thankful that he has already started to show signs of attaching to us in a way he is not attaching to others. We know that we still have a long way to go to build trust with him but he is doing so well.
We having taken him out a bit on short errands but have spent most of our days at home so that he is not overwhelmed by all of the new sights, sounds and smells in our world. He seems to love people and lights up when someone has come by to drop off a meal or say a quick hello. By the way, thank you for all of you that are bringing us meals. What a difference the evening is when we don't have to worry about dinner. It has made for stress free evenings during this transition. We have such wonderful friends!
We are hoping that this week will be free from illness and we can start to get in a routine. With a little more sleep I think we just might be able to do this........
I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength! :)
ReplyDeleteLove you guys!
are you kidding me?! wow... i will not complain about lack of sleep on my part. i'm glad illness is, seemingly, leaving your household....
ReplyDeleteglad to hear everyone's finally on the mend... poor emma had it bad! here's to a routine and hopefully a little more sleep soon!!!
ReplyDeleteHope the kiddos start feeling better soon. And that's wonderful that he is starting to show signs of attachment. :-D
ReplyDeletePraying health over your family!!!
ReplyDeleteHey girl-
ReplyDeletei just saw your post on the list serv. sorry to hear that johnny is having a tough time at night. evyn went through the same thing. She was waking up all through the night and the only thing that would calm her down was the bottle. She would do a terrible scream, arch her back, and almost refuse to be comforted any other way. It was hard...and exhausting for everyone. We went along with the bottle feedings at night for about a month then started to drop the amount that we gave her each time...then finally dropped bottles all together and just patted her on the back, used calm words, then let her fuss until she figured out how to go back to sleep on her own. Because she was doing so well attaching to us during the day I felt okay about letting her cry some at night. (note: i really struggled with the "oh no she's adopted and i'm going to mess her up forever if i let her cry!" battle. Finally, I just had to give that to God and do what I, as her mama, thought was best for her.) She has been sleeping through the night for over a week now (7pm to 7am!) Praise God. I found that getting her on solids + rice cereal at meal times and making sure she wasn't napping too late in the afternoon really helped a lot. It's tough and each baby is so different. I just came to the place where I had to admit that the only way I was going to be the best mama possible for her and my son, and a great wife to my husband was to make sure everyone was getting a good night sleep. It was a hard week or so to transition, but I am so glad I did it. I never could get Evyn to take a pacifier or suck on her hands...hoping that changes because that really helps to comfort them.
sorry for the long note...hope I didnt offer too much advice. I just know how you feel...and I want you to know that you are not alone in this! It's a really hard transition. SO many emotions. Just be confident that you know what is best for your baby and family.
I've loved following your journey and praying for your family.
Hope to meet you guys one day!
Emily V.
vogeltanzfamily.com