Germ-a-phobe.

That's right. I'm admitting it! For the longest time Kerri has claimed that I am a germ-a-phobe, and I have denied it up and down and just said that I am very hygenic. Now that I have had Carter I have realized that I am a full blown germ-a-phobe. I mean, I don't think it's an extreme case, but I definitely have a big problem with potential of germs being on me and my baby (and Chad).
Now that I think about it I have 5 bottles of Germ-x in the house. One for each diaper bag, one for my purse, and two for the house. I use it after I go in a store, when I leave Church, when I pump gas, and various other times when I feel as if I have touched something 'germy'.

Now that Carter is about 4 months old and out and about in public, I find myself cringing at the sight of people I don't know touching my child. Usually I'm fine if I know you and you touch him because I am aware of whether you are sick or not. Also, if you know me then you know that Carter has had the Whooping Cough and any other type of respiratory illness he gets right now can make the cough worse....so most are kind to stay away if they are sick- thanks :)
But anyways, these folks I don't know at church that grab Carter's little fist (which he puts in his mouth) and give it a shake or SQUEEZE HIS CHEEKS with their hand are causing me to have a heart attack on the inside.
Seriously, I am trying not to freak out, and in my head I am reciting over and over that he needs to be exposed to things so that he can have more immunities, so I really am trying. I mean I can't keep him in the house all the time because the few times we did get out I'm sure he would come down with something!
I really do think I am at my worse ever since Carter caught the Whooping Cough.
Also, it's funny because it's like my ears are now in tune to any cough I hear at any store and when I hear it I RUN in the opposite direction. Trust me, if you had been what we have been through with this cough, then you would too. You're probably thinking...oh it's just a little cough...well it's not just a little cough when your baby turns blue from lack of oxygen while he is trying to swallow the thick mucus that he has just coughed up. Then once he finally does take a breath, he screams bloody murder because it scared him so badly. I have to remain calm to calm him down (which usually works), but the whole process is just stressful and scary. He is doing much much better, but still has a pretty bad cough at night. - ok so that was all just a little side note- sorry :)

Anyways, I am currently a germ-a-phobe and I admit it. I feel as if it might get better as the summer draws closer, but as of right now I am STRESSED! Anyone else been like this with their first? Hopefully it will get better with the next kid.
Oh, and I am sending a bottle of germ-x with Chad to work tomorrow. Money is DIRTY. And the strangers that come and sit at his desk and use his pens I'm sure aren't much cleaner :)
I'm trying, I promise :)

The Lip

Carter has been doing the pouty lip from the moment came out of me...whenever he is fed up with something or "done" we get the lip.

This is video of Carter pouting at the crazy bunny rabbit my Mom got him for Easter. He is done with it after about 3 rounds of singing Little Bunny Foo Foo. I realize that 1 minute and 32 seconds is a long time in home video world, but he does the best pouty lip at the end of the video, so watch the whole thing if you have a chance. We think it's hilarious!

*excuse the wet onsie...spit-up is a way of life for us right now :)

"Couponing"

So this seems to be the latest craze these days. I LOVE LOVE the idea of couponing. Being a stay at home Mom I realize it is a fantastic was to save money. I cut coupons ALL the time. Ask Chad. They are all over our refrigerator, folded in the large compartment of my wallet, in the side pocket of my purse, and in the first and second drawers to the left of the stove. Any time the clipper magazine comes in the mail I lay it beside the couch with a pair of scissors for me to look through and cut out coupons at my next available break to sit down. I have even stopped at the gas station on Sunday to buy a paper to cut coupons. Seriously, I swear my mouth waters at coupons....but here is the thing...I NEVER use them. NEVER. Seriously.
I guess I just don't get how people save so much money. Kerri and I have discussed this countless times. There are a million coupons to cut, but there may be only 1 thing that I actually need and/or buy out of the coupons that are EVER being offered. So here is my question...are you supposed to buy an item just because you have a coupon for it? I can't wrap my head around doing this because it seems like I am wasting money on something I don't even need. Am I just buying it because I will get it for 50 cents less than normal? If so, I feel as if it's a mind game. If you buy an item just because you have a coupon for it then I feel like the manufacturer/store is winning this mind game they are playing with coupons. I'm not saying that is the case, I'm just saying that is how I feel.
Also, I am furious with expiration dates. They are ridiculous. Yes, I need Lysol toilet bowl cleaner, but I don't need it right now...I will need it in about 5-6 weeks. But wait, the coupon expires in 4 weeks. I keep it just in case I happen to clean the toilets a lot within the next month. Then it becomes a useless coupon that I have to clean out of my wallet at a later date. The thing is, I know I'm not going to use it but I keep it anyways because I love the idea of couponing.
I had the bright idea the other day that I might be a better coupon lady if I actually had a coupon holder. So I went on a search for a holder. I had been told the Dollar Tree had some in the kitchen section... after 25 minutes of searching...nothing. I know they were selling them in the Target dollar bins a few months ago but they were all scooped up and by the time I decided I wanted to buy one, they were gone...I mean come on, it was a dollar...was I too cheap to spend a DOLLAR?! Apparently.
I really, really, really want to use coupons. Any advice would be great. Is it what I think it is? Do you just buy it because you have a coupon for it? Surely not!

Pertussis a.k.a. The Whooping Cough

Well let me tell you, it has been a fun two weeks. After 3 doctor appointments and one trip to Children's Hospital, we find out that Carter has come down with Pertussis. Now, if you look this up on the Internet, it sounds pretty scary...oh, and it is, but luckily Carter is not having to be hospitalized for it. Basically it is a terrible cough that takes your babies breath away...they cough so hard they turn blood red/blue, they stick their tongue out, and their eyes water. They cough until all air is out of their lungs and then they take a big breath in that sounds like a loud "whoop".. hints the name Whooping Cough.
Babies are vaccinated for this but it takes 3 rounds of vaccinations to be completely covered. The vaccinations come at 2, 4, and 6 months of age. Obviously since Carter is only 3 months old, he has only had one vaccination and was still susceptible to the disease. Dr. Webster told me that there has been a recent outbreak of it, and Carter could have gotten it from ANYWHERE. The grocery store, church, Target...ect...it is airborne, so anyone who had it and coughed and we were near...well that's how he could have gotten it.
When Children's called this past Tuesday to let us know he tested positive, not 5 minutes later we get a call from the Health Department. Anyone who had been in close contact with Carter had to be treated. So that meant that Chad and I, Kerri, Jared, Mom, Dad, Steve, Debbie, and Grandma all had to be put on a Z-pac just in case we had contracted it.
I laughed and told Chad that they were going to come and zip up our house in plastic!

Anyways, Carter seems to be tolerating it okay. Dr. Webster said they had a 6 week old almost die from it the other day, so I deem ourselves lucky that Carter didn't have to be put in the hospital and we can just deal with it at home- that is a praise to our Lord.
But, that doesn't mean that Chad and I aren't on edge 24-7. We wait all day for when the next coughing fit is going to happen, and all we can do is pick him up and pat him on the back and tell him it's going to be okay. One good thing is that he is perfectly normal between attacks, so he is still smiling, laughing and playing as usual.
The cough is worse at night, so we have had to call on our Moms a few times to take the night shift so we can get some sleep. Last night, Chad and I trucked it up to the Lake to spend the night at Mom's. He was going fishing today so this way I don't have to be by myself.
His night cough seems to be getting better, it isn't a violent every time and he is waking up only like 2-3 times a night instead of 5-6 times. There have been nights where Chad and I were both in tears trying to figure out if we needed to take him to Children's again, but the last few days he has seemed to have gotten progressively better. So the Lord has definitely been answering our prayers. Chad and I prayed and told Him we couldn't do this by ourselves and we needed some help, and He has answered.
Carter is on an antibiotic that will help him not spread the sickness to anyone else. Unfortunately since we didn't find out he had Pertussis until he was in the second stage, the antibiotic will only help with the spread of the sickness...basically the bacteria has already done the damage that causes the cough so his body will just have to heal itself, which will take a few weeks. But the cough should get progressively better and less severe as the days go on. There is no set amount of time the sickness lasts, it could go on anywhere from 1 to 6 weeks.
He finishes his antibiotic next Wednesday and then we are safe to get out of the house with him and into public again. So if you see us coming and Carter still has the cough, don't worry, he's not contagious anymore after he's done with the antibiotic, but he will still have a cough for a little while. I wouldn't dare wish this on any other parent, so I will make sure we keep him in until all is clear.
Well that is our story thus far. Sorry I haven't had any blog updates lately, we have had our hands full!
Hope everyone has a good Easter...we will be watching a service from the couch this year :)