Tender Little Mercies: March 2011

Monday, March 28, 2011

Sarah, The 2-Wheel Rider

Here's the proof! Sarah can now join the ranks of 2-wheel riders! Jacob was determined a couple of weeks ago that Sarah learn to ride her bike. Brandon did a great job teaching her. I'm glad he got this father moment because he missed it with Jacob, who taught himself to ride his bike in about 5 minutes. Way to go, Sarah! Here's to family bike rides this summer! Yahoo!

Cure For the Recipe Blahs!

These Reese's Peanut Butter Bars were AMAZING!!! To quote Brandon, ". . . even better than the real Reese's Butter Cups!" That's pretty good when they're better than the real thing! I'm in love with this new recipe blog I found by 2 Mormon moms. They just won the Better Homes and Gardens bake-off. I've also made their creamy chicken taquitos with the lime-cilantro dressing, the chocolate mousse crunch cake, the chocolate chip cookie pie, and the chicken-bacon stuffed pizza rolls! It's been just the recipe revitalization I needed! Check it out: http://www.ourbestbites.com/

Happy Birthday Justin!!!

My little brother is 30!!! Wow! When did we get so old? I swear he just barely got home from his mission! Happy Birthday, Justin! (And doesn't his cute wife, Amy, look so darling and pregnant?)

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Jonah's Sleep Study

This is what we've resorted to in our desperate attempts to help Jonah sleep at night. Sad, isn't it?

We took Jonah to see a pediatric pulmonologist (thanks, Jen, for the recommendation), who recommended that we bring Jonah in for a sleep study. The doctor thought we would have a simple case of obstructive sleep apnea due to Jonah's large tonsils. We just needed the proof that a sleep study would provide to take to an Ears, Nose, Throat Specialist. Great, we thought! What a simple fix! Brandon took Jonah to the sleep clinic and spent the night with him. The technician said the 45 minutes it took to hook Jonah up to all the equipment was one of his easiest and fastest jobs yet! Wow! We expected a lot of resistance from Jonah. I guess when the technicians are used to dealing with kids with a lot of behavior problems they become pretty good at their job. That and the Toy Story 3 movie Jonah got to watch during the hook up process helped immensely. When it was time to go to sleep, Brandon could see that Jonah wasn't going to sleep well in the crib they provided, so he put Jonah in bed with him so he could soothe him throughout the night. The doctor said it was a beautiful sleep study. Yeah!

Unfortunately it wasn't the slam-dunk case she originally thought. There were awakenings, and there were some obstructions, but they didn't correspond at the same time. There was a little more than normal limb movement, so maybe some Restless Leg Syndrome? We're going to get a blood test to check on that, but it doesn't look to be THE problem. We started a little Melatonin, but that only helps him go to sleep faster at night. He still wakes up in the middle of the night. And we're still going to see an ENT, but that appointment is a ways away. The doctor said Jonah is a puzzle. He's spending only 13% of his night in stages 3 & 4 deep sleep instead of the 28% he should have. Less than half? That's a concern. He looks tired too. He's had dark circles under his eyes for so long.

So there it is! It's pretty inconclusive. It's a long process. The doctor says everything we learn is another piece of the puzzle. I'm anxious to potty train and move him to a big bed. After the doctor told us stories of parents who take turns staying up with their children all night long to make sure they're safe because they're out of their cribs, I'm trying to be more patient. So, do we look into meds? They terrify me. They're not FDA approved. They haven't been tested in children. What's worse . . . the effects of long-term sleep deprivation or side effects of medication? I don't know. Advice, anyone?