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Santa's first trip to meet Santa was last Monday night. A cold front had hit and the roads were fairly slick. In fact, we didn't have school that day due to the icy conditions. While we waited in line, Tanner was all smiles! There is so much to look at inside Bass Pro that Tanner was pretty mesmerized. When it was finally our turn, I introduced Tanner to Santa and Tanner's eyes
were HUGE. I don't think he knew what to think. At first, I think it was a toss up as to whether Tanner should pull Santa's beard or grab his glasses. The glasses did not have any lenses, so they were an easy snag. The glasses won out, followed by a close second to a hand-full of beard hair. Santa kept his patience, but when his "Ho, Ho, Ho-ing" started, I think the jiggling that began was the final straw on the unfamiliar territory for lil' Tanner Jay. This was the result:
Tanner and I had a great time on our first day off together due to inclement weather! haha I have always had the mindset to sleep in, bum around for awhile, then get a lot accomplished. Well, insert 7 month old infant and there goes that gameplan!
His giggle has really come a long way! I used to long for smiles and now I get the smiles and the giggles! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE IT!!! I uploaded this on FaceBook, but some of my friends and family don't have a FB profile, so I thought you might enjoy seeing it on here! You'll have to scroll down and hit pause on the Christmas music in order to hear the sillyness!!!
We started Tanner on solid foods on Thanksgiving Day. He got to eat some rice cereal by spoon rather than in his bottles as he has gotten for at least 3 months! This is in addition, to his regular bottles. We have since moved up to oatmeal, but only once. I haven't been as diligent as maybe I should be. 
I just can't say enough how happy I am with our new daycare situation. Everything has been wonderful so far, but take a look at the road that leads to Miss Amy's house!!! This pic was actually taken after I dropped him off and I was headed to work. This gravel road runs into a very hilly, narrow farm road (pic to the right) that leads to another farm road that leads to a main highway. 
The road to her house is pretty scary, especially in bad weather, but in most cases of bad weather, school will be cancelled and driving won't be an issue. It is a small price to pay for daycare that you trust and feel comfortable with though.
her middle school kids to school; other days I met her at school and she took him back home after dropping off her children. Some days I took the kids home after school and picked him up then, and some days she brought him to me as she picked up the kids. We text each afternoon to figure out a gameplan. Next week will be different as the other baby she watches (14 mo old) will be back in town. I work with his mother and 
they have been on vacation, so this was a good week to start on since it gave Miss Amy more one-on-one time with Tanner, and Tanner got to know her 10.5 mo old son, prior to having all three together. All in all, I am very pleased with our new situation.Things have been busy around the house...Tobin got his deer mounted for his Christmas present. He stares at it all evening kind of like I look through my scrapbooks. It's funny to me, only because I cannot even begin to relate. But, it makes him happy as a lark and therefore, I am happy. It was cute hearing him show it to Tanner! We are both off tomorrow and I can't wait to try to sleep in somewhat!! I hope everyone has a great weekend!
Seems like a long time since I have posted here! I started a Facebook and I spend all of my time there reconnecting with old friends...but, this is the "online diary" that I will send to print someday, so I need to update our situation.
I feel a peace about her and the whole situation. She will be watching her own 10.5 mo. old, another 14 month old, and 6 month old Tanner Jay! The logistics have not completely been worked out, but she will pick him up at my school/work in the morning and bring him back to me in the afternoon when she picks up her own children from middle school. This is a pet-free, smoke-free home and I really like the lady that has been willing to help us out in this situation. Her middle school-age kids are wonderful, smart, respectful kids, so that tells me a lot! We are going to their house today to meet the whole family and see where she lives. I have prayed and prayed about this and I really feel that this needed to happen, for my sake and Tanner's. He will be in a much safer environment in regards to bad weather (the other daycare was in a trailer) and also microbes. With Tanner being 7 weeks premature, he is more susceptible to RSV, the flu, and any other contact viral/bacterial illness. Not that I felt like he didn't receive great care while at the daycare, but it is bound to be a positive to have less babies, less stress/tension, more one-on-one, and less germs.
All for the same price! 
End result: this injection had NO mercury, no aluminum, and only trace amounts of formaldehyde, which is in all vaccinations and cannot be avoided. All three can be found in the adult version of the flu shot! SCARY!! The blood draw confirmed that Tanner has a a normal hemoglobin count and can be taken off the Poly-Vi-Sol vitamins with iron. He does have to begin vitamins with flouride now since he is 6 months old and teething. The poor lil' guy received 4 shots, a poke in the heel, and one oral vaccine all in one day! YUCKY! This made for one sleeeeepy boy at the end of the day!
t time. Tanner and I just spent another weekend without Daddy. The deer woods have been calling a lot, but this was the first weekend for gun season, so that was not to be missed. Daddy loves his hobby! He loves his little boy too, so I included a few pics of them together. This was the first time that I didn't ask a family member to stay with me. I figured that I could sleep in a little, if Tanner cooperated, and it didn't involve a school day. I got lucky because Tanner slept for 8 hours and then woke up for a bottle. I fed him and put him back in his swaddle. Luckily, he went back to sleep for 
another two hours as did I!! WHooHooo!! We managed quite well, I might say! Mom and Dave brought over dinner on Friday night and watched Tanner while I did things around the house. I even got to run an errand all by myself. Then, Tanner spent about three hours at Grammie and Grandpa Elliott's house yesterday. That was wonderful because an old high school friend was in town. We met at Starbucks and were able to visit for that whole time! Tanner and I hung out all evening last night and this morning, so I didn't get much done during that time, but I loved on him a lot and that is always worth it. This afternoon, Mom and Dave are watching Tanner for about six hours! WOW! What will I do with myself!?
Tanner is almost all better...no more nebulizer, no more humidfier, almost done with this round of antibiotics, and all signs of thrush are gone. He has been sleeping better through the night; and therefore, WE have been sleeping much better.
I also decided to remove one of the four pumping times for our routine. I chose the middle of the night time slot! This has greatly improved the amount of REM sleep that Tobin and I get each night.
Speaking of that, we have been denied TWICE for the Synagis medicine for RSV. I appealed it once and then, due to my frustration, I handed it over to his pediatrician's nurse. She has been wonderful and very diligent, claiming that "it isn't over yet! I'm going to get him this medicine!!" I received a phone call that clearly stated, "As soon as you get the medicine in the mail, please give us a call so we can set up the appointment and get Tanner his monthly shots. A nurse will come to your home and administer these shots." Then, in the next voicemail, he was denied on the basis of only having one risk factor...excuse me? Don't even get me started! Way to get my hopes up and then shatter them! His risk factors are plenty (and were all checked on the form provided by them):
So, his nurse has been wonderful and currently has phone calls out to several key people, including the higher ups at the insurance company as well as the provider of this drug. She feels confident that this is all a big misunderstanding, especially since the drug rep that visited her office said that Tanner should qualify on the basis of being 7 weeks early alone, no other risk factors needed. Too bad that guy doesn't make the final decisions because time is ticking and we are getting further and further into the season for illness. So glad that he is on the mend for now!
(Click the play button, and then click full-screen. When finished, exit via the escape button on your keyboard.)
We experienced Halloween festivities for the whole month of October. Partially because I am very indecisive and couldn't decide which outfit he should wear and partly because he didn't really fit into any of them perfectly! I'm glad we did because Tanner must have gotten rotavirus or something a few days before Halloween. On Wednesday, I thought the symptoms (low-grade fever, spit up, diarrhea, gas, and massive drool) were related to teething, or just not getting a good burp out, but he continued to be sick both Thursday and Friday as previously posted. Halloween night was spent at home. I had planned on trick-or-treating family members, just to show off his cute lil' costume from Grammie. He looked soooo adorable as Disney's Koda Bear! But, as fate would have it, he needed to recuperate and just chill at home with mommy and daddy. He wasn't necessarily cranky, just tired and run down. Tobin fixed a delicious dinner and carved a jack-o'-lantern for us. Instead of sitting it on the front porch, he sat the jack-o-lantern on the back patio so WE could enjoy it. It was a very nice evening, so Tanner and I hung out on the back porch glider and rocked a lot. The jack-o-lantern must have captivated him, as he stared it a lot. He eventually crashed, quite early in the evening, and fell asleep in his "punkin-butt" pajamas!
Beginning on Wednesday, the daycare ladies said that Tanner had thrown up and had diarrhea twice, but their policy is that it took three times before they called to have him picked up. I went ahead and called to make a doctor's appointment to have him looked at since he needed to be evaluated concerning the breathing treatments anyway. Dr. Moore gave him the all clear in regard to the nebulizer and said that his chest sounded as clear as a bell. She said he was congested and needed an antibiotic for the sinusitis again. He couldn't breathe very well and when he would take the bottle, it blocked his only airway! SCARY!!! She prescribed the same exact antibiotic as last time. He was also treated with Diflucan for thrush which occurred (AGAIN) due to the nebulizer. She said he was not contagious and could go to school. We propped his bed up and used saline drops and the aspirator. 
since he has been on the same medicine before. So, my aunt and my mom came over to help while Tobin was at work, and I called urgent care. I don't know what I'd do without my loving nertwork of family on both sides. Our instructions are to put Tanner on half breast milk/half Pedialyte for 12 hours. He hasn't thrown up any, other than what I would call a little spit up, and is replacing his electrolytes just fine with the Pedialyte. Our little pup dog slept well over night, but did wake up for a bottle around 3am. He has been doing that for the last week or so, so I assume he is in another growth spurt. (He is well over 16 pounds now.) Prior to that he was sleeping 8-9 hours with no wake ups.
It feels like more than a week since I posted last, but I just can't find time to sit down, organize my thoughts, and type it all out.
This past week was my first full week at school since the year began. We ended 1st quarter, so we are now well on our way to the holidays! I am still trying to figure out what Tanner will be for Halloween. He has four options and all of them are too big! I just can't make myself pay a lot of money to dress him up for the picture, but it stresses me out regardless. It is more for me this year than anything else.
I was finally able to get his vinyl wordart framed. We are both pleased with how it came out. It is on glass, so it will be more versatile.
toward his nose. There are several parts to it, that all have to be cleaned after each use and then disinfected with a vinegar solution at the end of the day. Tanner doesn't care for it, but he is to receive it every 4-6 hours until the coughing subsides. She said that if he is crying, he actually takes more medicine in because he is literally breathing harder. That makes sense, but it is not fun for me trying to administer this and keep it on his nose and mouth area! So, we have been getting 2-3 treatments in per "awake" hours, but have not been waking him overnight. If he is breathing and sleeping fine, then why wake him? He does seem to be quite a bit better, but the cough is not completely gone. The 100.4 degree temperature was taken care of with 
Tylenol, but most importantly, it is NOT RSV disease. I was very worried that he would or could develop that since he was preemie. Even when preemies start to look healthy and strong, their lungs are still smaller and less developed than those of full-term babies. We are still waiting to see if he qualifies for the Synagis shots. Being in daycare, seven weeks premature, and lung issues at birth place him a greater risk for RSV (respiratory syncytial virus.) Synagis is a very expensive drug, so we are waiting to see if he qualifies, and if insurance will cover it.
I meant to post a little sooner and update about the rest of our busy weekend LAST weekend, but here it is a week later and I have about 5posts in mind since then!
herself playing with cousins and friends. Kodi went all out on snacks and treats. Since I have NO will power against yummy food, that was calorie madness for me! Em was sooo cute as she opened her gifts, too! The expression of surprise was so animated, but the funny part was that it only lasted maybe 2 seconds before it was on to the next gift! Too cute!
work since I seem to have no time these days and Melody had just gotten in town for a short visit with the boys. Tricia is around 33 weeks along now and doing well.
wasn't even ready with the camera at the right angle for that. I completely expected a quick kiss on the top of Tanner's head!! The pic may have turned out even better though, as it shows our complete surprise as depicted on GeGe's face! Hysterical!
I feel like I never get caught up! Sometimes, it really gets to me, almost to the point of a breakdown. I went for almost 38 years of being able to do what I wanted, when I wanted, and now I have no time to myself! I know that is part of the deal, but it does wear on me. I can walk into any room of my house and see about 5 things that need to be done. It just gets overwhelming. Maybe it is part of my personality or maybe it is normal for all new moms.
Not all size 3-6 mo outfits are created equal. Some are too small and some are too large. What I DO know is that he is a real smiley pants these days and has even laughed out loud a few times. He is quite the charmer, too. He entertained the people behind us at a varsity football game recently. He truly is a happy baby most of the time, so it is a fun feeling to show him off.
pumping. Figures. He is drinking 5.5 oz bottles now pretty regularly. Last Friday, he took 9 oz at one feeding!! Piglet!!
time since he was in the NICU. Both boys called him "baby Tanner" when they saw him. That was really cute. They have been watching videos of him that I upload to YouTube. I wanted them to feel a connection even though they are very far away.
I finally scheduled Tanner for a portrait setting at The Picture People. They had a super cute flyer and a free sitting offer, plus a free 10x13. These are the proofs and 
they say "Zazzle" on them and have some kind of symbol right in the middle of the pic. I joined the "club" and used one of my $10 off coupons. With the club deal, I get all pics stored online for one year, no sitting fees, three $10 off coupons, three free sheets, and the proofs for each sitting sent to my email address. Most of the pics came out really, really cute. The photographers were really sweet and great about trying to get Tanner to smile. I was impressed with the efficiency of the whole process. They had some 
generic version of Photoshop, and were not capable of doing some photo edits that I can do at home; however, their version was cool in other ways. I was very happy with the outcome overall. I was able to see the proofs within 25 minutes and once I made a decision, they had my prints done in five minutes!! I took forever to make a decision though. I knew I couldn't spend too much
money, and my more frugal side kept reminding me about how much cheaper I could get them processed. But, they had great lighting and backdrops that I haven't been able to achieve at home. I ended up getting the one where he has his hand in his mouth done in black and white. Super cute pic. Tanner cooperated pretty well, but was a little squirmy at times. They had him in several different positions. I was able to feed him a bottle in the middle of the session and that helped a little bit. I can't wait to get the pictures framed and on the wall!
Since Tobin is gone periodically throughout hunting season, he usually plans a mini-vacation for US sometime during the fall. This year, we took Tanner with us!
Tanner had WAY more packed than Tobin and I put together! We arrived before dark and checked out the grounds and the cabin. We set Tanner's pack & play up in the second bedroom along with his sound machine and his video monitor. Tobin got a fire going in the fireplace (Tanner was mesmerized) and we enjoyed our evening in the cabin. I caught a cute moment of my two guys on the couch. Check out their positions again! Too cute! 
Tobin fixed breakfast both mornings and a wonderful dinner Saturday night. There was only one other group renting a cabin this weekend, so we pretty much had the place to ourselves. Tobin grilled pork roast, plus butternut squash and black-eyed peas. That afternoon, he went down to the river and kayaked and fished while Tanner and I hung out at the cabin. I watched a movie while Tanner napped. It was a
beautiful day, so I took Tanner for a stroll around the grounds and we ended up in a gazebo! I had tons of papers to grade, so Tanner was nice enough to take a nap again while I finished up two classes worth of tests. Tobin had packed his little TV from the garage, so Tanner was able to watch some Baby Einstein later that day. We all slept in both mornings (well, until 7am, which beats 4:50 am any day!)
