just a picture "update"

Sorry for Decker overload but I always say I'm going to post pictures and then I don't so here are a bunch! I'm not sure if you caught this but the pictures go from youngest to oldest... Decker is 4 months today and the last picture was taken today. Wow where did the time go?
He is starting to laugh and smiles all the time. I'm sooo lucky for this little bug!
XOXO

Test and Dr.'s appts

Can we just talk about this little boy for a minute! Who got 8 hours of sleep due to a certain someone... ME! Thanks to my Decker bug who is now only eating right before I go to bed and then around 4am.. woohoooooo. We decided to sleep train him (and if you have negative opinions about this topic, you can go ahead and keep them to yourself thanks) It was the best decision EVER. The first night he only cried 8 minutes and then was out like a light. He does so good at nap time and he is just getting better and better as the days go on. I am so proud of my little monkey. What a trooper.

This picture was taken on Friday after we went to go get Decker's barium swallowing test and also he had an upper GI test. They were concerned that a muscle that went from his esphogus to his stomach was straight instead of curved. If the test were positive then Deck would have to have surgery. The poor kid was starving and they took forever to get us in but he was such a happy boy and everyone was really impressed that he wasn't crying his head off due to starvation. Well they did the test and he was so good for them. We got to watch all the x rays and live motion of the barium as it went through his body. It was pretty cool. The test were negative and we found out right away from the radiologist doing the test. Luckily that means that Deck doesn't have to have surgery, the downside of this is that we still don't know what's wrong with him. We called the GI dr and he said to up some more of his medication and to add some rice cereal to his already gross formula. it's only been two days since we increased his dosage and we just began the rice cereal today so I hope he does well. We have ANOTHER appointment with the GI dr this coming Friday. Lots of test and Dr appt for only a 4 month old. So back to this pic, it was after the barium study and look at my happy little bug. Honestly for never feeling very good he is so fun and happy. He is starting to laugh which is precious. I adore him!

Well on Tuesday the 15, it'll be one year since we moved here.... WHAT!?!? Where did the year go? I am shocked that it has come and gone sooooo quickly. I am so proud of Andrew for all of his awesomeness and getting a job here. He is so dedicated to DirecTV and has really proved himself in a year. Everyone there is really impressed with him as they should be.
Yes things are crazy here and so different from what I am used to back in the west, but could I ask for a more blessed life, NO WAY. Andrew and I have the best family and friends. We have the best little boy and life couldn't be more awesome.. ok well yes I'd like a drive way but other then that we are so lucky! Here are only a few pictures but I still need to upload a lot from my phone.
XOXO

Long post beware

Wow it's been quite a while since my last blog but here I am back from the west! (and missing it) I was in Boise for a month and during that time I got to spend it with some of my favorite people, my families and friends. It was so much fun and way nice weather compared to here in the east. It was really Decker's first time to always be out and about. He hated the car seat unless someone was back there with him. Well let me back up a little... First of all Decker was a champ on the way there. We were on such a crowded flight due to the snow storms here. I was stuck by the window with 2 males sitting next to me. I was way nervous but he just slept the WHOLE way, what can I say the kid likes to be held. Him and I had so much fun with Grandma and Grandpa and he even got to meet all of his other grandma and grandpa's. My little Deck man sure is a ham. He loves to smile and make everyone fall in love with him. I just love this little boy. We went to the mall a lot and he loved it. He likes all the people and things to see. He also got to meet his cousins who adored him. Jaxon (my oldest nephew) was totally all about Decker and it was so precious to me. He would always say, man he is such a bobble head, or he has the biggest head. (which both are true) but it was so cute. He wanted to babysit and even asked his mom if we could leave Decker with them when we came back home. I was so lucky to have family who wanted to hold him and love on him so I could take a break now and then. I love my family so much. Anyway while in Boise Deck and I both got sick, then Andrew came and he got sick. We made a family trip to the dr and we all had sinus infections.. awesome. We also had Decker's blessing while Andrew was there, and he did such an amazing job! Andrew's parents came and it was so nice to have them there. Also a big treat for us was having my grandpa show up! It was a surprise and Decker Blaine is named after my grandpa Blaine. It was sooo sweet to have him there. (my grandpa is my best friend)

For those of you that don't know, Decker is not the best night sleeper and always has to be held by someone in an upright position, this makes for long nights and long days of naps. I always have a baby in my arms. Well two days before we went home I put Deck down on the couch while I was talking with friend and believe it or not he slept there for 6 hours! ummmm AMAZING! It was like the heaven opened up it's gates and I saw the light. He has laid down and slept by himself from then on, but... he needs to be rocked to sleep so that means even when he wakes in the night he still needs me to rock him to sleep. Also it must have been a fluke that he slept 6 straight hours that one night because he hasn't since. He'll sleep for like 2-3 hour stretches then be hungry. Yes we are still having multiple night feedings. I am not sure how to break this. Yes I have read babywise, yes I have read healthy sleep habits healthy baby, yes I have read solve your child's sleep problems.. and yes some talk about the whole acid reflux thing. (side note, we've been going to a GI dr and Decker is on some pretty heavy medication and really gross formula that smells like cat food(so now our whole house smells like a pet store) but he is doing better, we are going for a barium swallowing study exam this next week to make sure nothing is wrong with his esophagus.)All these books talk about how you shouldn't let babies with these types of problems cry, um yeah so all these books are a little useless when it comes to the "crying it out" method or trying to get him to sleep on his own. On top of that he has a cold. I will say however that we are in a routine which is nice and I think Decker is liking it much better then the chaos that was my life in Boise. Well so if any of you have any advice I would like to hear it. I am literally going crazy with no sleep and no help (for the record Andrew is as much help as he can be but the poor guy comes home around 8 and wants to relax but here I am needing to go to bed so he has to take care of the baby and then he comes and gets me when he's tired which is much later then it should be because he knows how tired I am and then he sleeps some only to wake up at 5 and get ready for work) So there you have our life in a nut shell.
My sweet baby really actually is sooo happy all the time. He is seriously such a trooper, that one! It's not very hard to take care of him just the whole sleeping thing is exhausting for everyone in this house. ok enough about it

So mr Decker is so much fun right now, he loves his fist and they are always in his mouth. I am pretty sure I have an early teether on my hands.
He is infatuated with his daddy, whenever andrew walks in or out of the room decker is staring at him, it melts my heart.
He is on the verge of figuring out how to laugh but not quite got the hang of it.
He loathes the car seat still, even after all that time he spent in it in Idaho.
He likes to try and hold his bottle and hums while eating
He is super ticklish
He smells like cat food ALL THE TIME (as stated earlier)
He likes his crib... finally
He LOVES children
He is still loving his binki
He is 13 lbs, yay!

Well anyways he is the love of our lives and we couldn't be more happy with him. I'll post some pictures tomorrow of our happenings, he is of course waking up and I need to go rock the little stinker!
XOXO

what we've been up to

We've done a lot of eating eating eating... look he loves to hold his own bottle! (or at least try) we're now up to 10 lbs 14 oz.

doesn't quite know what to think of mom and dad taking pics of him in embarrassing penguin hats, but he looked to cute to resist.

WAAAA sad that football is over and we can't watch Boise State anymore

and also last but not least, up to our thighs in snow!

Christmas was kind of sad this year. Andrew and I didn't do really anything for each other or the baby... just one of those hard years. The sweet baby was our gift and what a great reminder of what the holiday season is all about..... Miracles, Christ, family, and love

Just to let you know the GI doc was great. Deck man is on some serious but well needed meds and is feeling 10 million times better. (except now he has a cold) we just can't win at this house!

I am flying to Boise tomorrow and CAN'T WAIT!
XOXO

doctor doctor

My little monkey has not been sleeping very well the last few days(well worse then the previous 8 weeks) I've been trying a lot of different things that the dr has given me along with things that I have looked at on the internet. Nothing has been working...booooo! All he wants to do is sleep and is so uncomfortable that he can't. We are still sleeping in our upright position and I have one numb tailbone. I just feel horrible for him. Then today he has a stuffy nose... awesome.

Last night I had had it and decided that I needed to call the dr again, something had to be done for my little bug. I left a message on her office phone and was hoping she'd call me in the morning so I could take him in today if I had to. Well 11 rolled around and nothing... so I call. They were busy, well duh right! Then 1:30 rolls around.. I call again! (haha I'm that annoying mother) She was still busy.. then 4 comes.. you guessed it, another phone call!!!! The nurses were about to kill me but honestly I didn't care. I had never seen Decker the way he was today. Just tried to sleep and eat. He wouldn't even play with me after eating. He was seriously exhausted from not sleeping for days/weeks. The dr finally called me around 6. I told her nothing was working and the last thing we tried (zantac) made it ten times worse. She told me that it was time I go see a GI doctor.

I am leaving this coming Sunday to go to Boise for 3 weeks and am way nervous that I won't get an appointment to see this GI dr. I have already left a message on their answering machine in case they have an opening.. I'm just really hoping it all works out. I am a little nervous for Deck man and what might happen. I don't think it's super serious but he is such a happy boy when he is awake and suffers threw the night. He head bangs me all night long and will just burst out in tears at the pain. Needless to say no one in our house is getting ANY sleep. (Plus I had to stop breast feeding due to all this craziness) Life has been a little crazy at our house and am hoping that we figure something out for this little guy so he feels better.
Hopefully more to come later!
XOXO

Decker Bug

Motherhood has been quite the ride so far... He is the SWEETEST little guy! Here is a little update on my 6 week old (yes I know 6 weeks already!)

~he loves to cuddle
~he acts like super man every time he stretches, with one hand in the air and the other by his face(this is my favorite)
~likes to sleep in someone's arms or if placed in a crib, he won't sleep for more then 45 minutes to an hour.
~his reflux has gotten better due to medication from the doc
~likes to act like a pirate with keeping one eye open "peeping at you"
~has gained a full 2+ lbs.... FINALLY!
~is officially in 0-3 month clothing as of today
~LOVES the bottle and HATES the breast, (but we're hanging in there)
~loves to chill in the boppy when wide awake
~is not a fan of the swing for too long
~80% of the time likes to be swaddled
~loves having his diaper changed by dad but not by mom
~has finally started liking bath time
~has dark blue/grayish eyes
~loves to grunt and coo
~eats all day long but goes anywhere from 3-4 hours in the night
~while trying to poop goes red in face, cross eyed and grunts like crazy
~likes to hold on to the shirt collar and scratch you as he pulls it down(he also likes to pull dad's chest hair along with it)hehehe
~loves his binki
~just the cutest little boy EVER and he knows it!!



So lately we've been doing pretty good. On Tuesday I bravely embarked on a journey to the city... ALL BY MYSELF to meet Andrew at his office. They were having a little party at their office to watch the Rockefeller center tree lighting. Decker and I had to leave at a certain time so that the trains wouldn't be crowded. Off we went in the car to head to the train, we made it there and into the bijorn he went. We caught the train and off we went to the city. Everyone was staring at me wondering what was hidden under this little blanket I had hiding him with. We transferred trains and our last stop we met Andrew. It was crazy busy and police were everywhere. Andrew's pass had to be shown at every "checkpoint" to get back into the Rockefeller building. It was pure madness. Decker was such a good boy the whole way there and I felt so accomplished to say the least. It was fun but I couldn't last very long, I was exhausted from our journey there. Dad was so proud to show off his cute boy and everyone ewwd and awwed over him.

I haven't been out much since he's been here but I've had great friends who have helped me get out. I appreciate their efforts even when I say no.(which happens a lot) My mother in law is coming on Saturday and we are in need of some grandma time. I am going a little crazy some days running on little sleep and being alone with my little boy all by myself. It's hard when the hubby works leaves anywhere from 5-7 in the morning and returns anywhere from 7:30-9 at night. It makes for some long days. Pretty boring I know but here are some pictures as of lately
ps I am not sure what's going on with my picture loading but it's being crazy. sorry they are all out of order and not explained.. oh well so goes my life right now!
XOXO

Our little bundle of heaven

October 25, 2010 Decker Blaine Bertasso decide to show his little face. I thought I would just give a quick story on the happenings of that day. It was Sunday night and also my due date. I was frustrated and just wanted him to come already... I am very impatient! Andrew and I went for a walk in the park in hopes that it would start contractions. After a few laps I decided I wanted to go home because I wasn't feeling any different and I was really tired. (just a side note, my parents had come into town that week) When we got home we all watched a show and I decided I needed to go to bed.. it was pretty early but Andrew had to get up in a few hours to go to work so we hit the hay.

Around 3:30 I woke up for my mid morning potty break. As I went into the bathroom I all the sudden felt a minor contraction. I was thinking YES FINALLY! I went back into the bedroom to lie down and maybe get some more rest. This little guy had a mind of his own because 2 minutes later I was having another contraction.. and 2 more minutes after that another one came. I got up and walked around a little bit thinking that they were going to calm down and not be so consistent. Instead of calming down they got stronger and finally an hour later I went to wake up Andrew. Andrew and I thought it would be best if I got something to eat and got somewhat ready. We had been timing them and they were right on track. I told him I was going to shower and as I sat down for another contraction my water broke. They got worse from there, so I woke up my parents and the shower was off. We all got ready and headed to the car. It was a really foggy morning which doesn't happen a lot here and for some reason really stuck in my mind.

We got the hospital around 6 and got all checked in and ready. By 6:30 I was in the bed all hooked up to the monitors and when the nurse came in to check where I was at, I was already dilated to an 8. They asked if I wanted an epidural......NO I shouted! Woohoo go me, I was determined to stick to my plan. (I do have to admit, if I would have only been at a 6 I think I probably would have needed an epidural). As the contractions kept coming I could feel baby descending. I told Andrew around 7 that the baby was coming and I needed Dr. Straker here NOW!! Everyone kept telling me the baby wasn't coming yet and I had time, but I kept telling them no he is coming now I need to push. Dr. Straker showed up around 7:30 and when he checked me I was all the way to a 10. (I knew it!) He told me to go ahead and start pushing whenever I felt like it. I begun to push, it was awful. Oh the back pain how I hated you! No one tells you things like you'll have major back pain or that certain things BURN. Those were the most horrible parts of giving birth. One of the nurses came in and said we were racing the lady in the next room so we had to have our baby before them. I'm not sure why but I decided to take the challenge. 33 minutes later baby boy Bertasso graced us with his presents.

He had the biggest cone head EVER and I loved it. His goo and all. He was the most beautiful little piece of heaven I have ever seen. I know that I didn't talk about Andrew a lot in the above paragraphs but let me just say that he was SOOO AMAZING! He did everything I could have asked for and more. He helped me through everything and even though sometimes I was mean to him he just kept loving me and pushing me thru it all. I just feel so blessed that he helped me do it all. I honestly could not have been that strong without him by my side. He looked out for me every way possible. Thanks love!

Well the hospital stay was fine except for the fact that Decker wouldn't eat since he was so tired... in result of that he got jaundice and the day that we were suppose to be headed home he had to stay in the little light machine. I was all sorts of freaked out to leave him but the nurses were so good to him and to us and told me to call around 4am to get the new count on the jaundice. The nurses said it was lower which is a good thing so I had to wait for the pediatrician to make her rounds and call me to tell me if we could take him home. She called around 10 that morning and so Andrew and I headed off to the hospital.. We got there dressed him and took him to his new house.

Things have been going ok since he's been home. I am of course extremely exhausted. He has a lot of gas pains and reflux so he can only sleep upright. When I say upright I mean in my arms all night in an upright position..lucky me! I do love every minute I get to hold his little sweet self in my arms but I don't get ANYTHING done or ANY sleep. I miss my mom being here to help me I felt so lucky to have her here for the week that she was. I am oh so grateful for everything she did for us and all she has ever done for me. What an awesome mom she is. I have called her everyday since and I am sure she wants to strangle me but she doesn't act annoyed at all. Thanks mom I sure love you!

So if anyone has any ideas about how to get him to sleep on his own sitting up right that would be appreciated. I have tried the swing, I have swaddled him(which he hates!) I have tried to do some other things but nothing has worked.. I just don't know what to do. If I put him down when he is finally fast asleep he wakes up in like 45 minutes. Poor guy I feel so bad for him and I get nervous that he will choke on his reflux. Ok anyways we really are doing ok for the most part. Here are some pictures in very random order...

Can you say cone head???? 6 lbs 4 oz 19 inches
Just thought this was a sweet picture of him