Okay, Okay

Yes, I know it's been a while since either of us posted here. To be fair, Lena's been updating a lot of stuff via Facebook, so it doesn't always make its way over here. I'll see about getting some of it transferred here for those of you not into the whole Facebook scene. And for those who qualify via the last statement, I have one question: Why not? I kid, I kid...sort of, anyway. But I'll work on getting more stuff over here later.

As a small recap, we've just been super busy. Lena has been in the midst of some changes at work, and that has taken up a lot of her spare time. Me? Well, I've started a side freelance editing gig that's taking up a decent amount of time. Which is actually awesome.

By no means do I think you're here about us, though. So, the kids. Chloe is not wanting to potty train. It's a difficult road, but this war will be won. It's filled with many battles, but we will be victorious overall. I mean, what the heck, she can go to kindergarten in a few years and pee on herself and get teased. Maybe that's what it will take? I hope not, but you never know. Gavin is an eating machine. Still. True story: Last night, Lena was putting together a preliminary Christmas list for each kid. She asked me what things Gavin was interested in besides cars and trains. After a moment's thought, I said, "Eating." She busted out laughing...her list read "cars, trains, eating." Awesome. We also think he has a few more teeth getting ready to erupt. That, or he's just exerting his demonic side these last two days. Let us hope it's the former.

I Wish It Wasn't So...

Okay, so it's been just over a month since the last update. I'd send out a mea culpa but it's been a very interesting time in our world.

Gavin is getting to be a big boy. A really big boy. We tried switching him to whole milk after his first birthday, but his digetstive system retaliated, so we waiting a month and tried it again. The result was the same. We're hoping that he doesn't have some lactose intolerance, and this second time around was just a stomach virus. Regardless, he's on formula for a little bit longer, just to make sure.

Chloe has started the 3-year-old's Pre-K program at day care. It's a little hit or miss for her, depending on the day. Leading up to her first day, she was all excited about being in Miss Darlene's class. When the first day actually arrived, she threw a fit about not wanting to go to school. This, too, shall pass. And it did...sometimes. She'll get used to it. Well, she'll have to get used to it.

In other "the blog takes a backseat" news, we've had car repairs and house repairs these last few weeks that have just made everything else get on pause. We're hopeful we've seen the end of this for a while. At least both cars are running and the house is powered and cooling.

I'm sure there are other things going on; things that I should say but am just not functioning well today. When we think of them, we'll post again.

Lastly, please keep my cousin, Dana, in your thoughts. She's pregnant with twin girls and is on hospital bed rest as of Friday. She's listed as day-to-day right now, but hopefully (sorry!) she'll be there for a while before delivering. At least she's being monitored all the time, so if anything changes, they'll know quickly.

Sorry for the delay, folks. Here's hoping we'll get up to speed again.

Delayed Update

Gavin turned 1 on July 2. The day came and went without any real update (other than a picture), but with good reason. His 12-month check-up came over a week later, and since I didn't have anything to update from that appointment yet, I thought I would save it all for one post.

At 12 Months:
Weight: 20-lbs (10th Percentile)
Height: 30-inches (75th Percentile)

Which means we have ourselves a lean machine on our hands. Switching from formula to whole milk proved a little hard on his system, so we're back on the formula for a little while. The doctor seems to think his digestive system is just a little bit delayed. Nothing to be worried about, at all. He'll get there.

In other news, Gavin's getting around a whole lot more (video to come). He doesn't quite have the whole walking thing down yet, but he's close. He'll take a few steps, usually 3-4, before plopping back down or lunging for something to grab. There was a string of about 7 steps yesterday before he took a seat with a very pleased look on his face.

Chloe's 3 now. What does that mean? She precocious, talkative, and smart. Really smart. The kids spent Saturday night with Nana & Gramps so Lena and I could go out. When we called to talk to her, apparently the reception was not great, and over the line you hear her say, "Nana, I can't hear Mommy. Can you turn it up, please." Or something like that, I'm paraphrasing, but it was very proper and perhaps a little grown up.

She has her grumpy moments (video of that to come, too), but all things being equal, she's a good kid. And when she snuggles, there's nothing like it in the world.

Who's A Big 1 Year Old Boy?

Would You Like To Swing?

 

Almost 1!

Gavin turned 11 months old 2 days ago. We started the morning with a trip to the doctor to determine that he has double ear infections again. Other than the beginning, he has been much less sick than Chloe was despite having an older sibling. I think those monthly shots to prevent RSV really made a difference. Even though he started daycare in January (or was it February? I already can't remember), his illness has all been in the last 2 months. Which is when he stopped getting the shots.

One of the benefits of being the second is that we've already learned some lessons. Like the importance of being an advocate for medical care. With Chloe, especially in the beginning, I trusted that the doctors, etc, all knew what they were doing. She apparently was eligible to get the monthly shot, and it was only AFTER she got RSV that I realized the doctor's office had made a mistake. With Gavin, I was relentless is forcing his care and coverage through insurance despite a surprising number of hurdles. And this was just for monthly shots. I have an incredible amount of respect for my neighbor and her ability to navigate their son's care with a number of different specialists including surgeons and personal insurance changes.

All that to say, we're doing well, and I'm really thankful. And celebratory. And ready to throw a big party for both my kids! With birthdays 17 days apart, we'll see how long I can do that!
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Little Mozart

It really cracks me up. He does this a lot.

Pre-Game Warm-Up

Just resting up for the big game.

9 Whole Months!

Well, Gavin is now 9 months old today (or will be come later this afternoon, if you want to get technical about it) and had his well visit.

Height: 29-1/4" or 80th Percentile
Weight: 17lbs, 4oz or 25th Percentile

His weight is a bit shocking, but I swear to you that boy has eaten more food in the last 3 months than Chloe has in her entire life. It's crazy how much he eats. The doctor isn't concerned since he's obviously growing (getting taller, mostly, it seems).

That's all for now.

Sitter

Gavin's doing a lot better with his sitting. He still falls over a bunch, but he's definitely better at it.

Talk, Talk, Talk

Chloe wanted to tell you something:

So did Gavin:

INCOMING!!!!

One tooth through. Two more on the way.

Not Much to Report

I remember dreaming about this time while spending long days at the NICU. There's just not much to report from the house. Chloe's little sense of humor amazes me daily - she really is funny. The terrible two's seem to be mellowing a little. Gavin is all boy - stinky feet, huge appetite for solid foods, and laid back demeanor. And super snuggly with his momma.

Work has been keeping me super busy, but it has all been good. Josh has also been slammed at work. Mostly we're very thankful to be working!

Overall, things are pretty boring. Which is exactly what I hoped for!

She Asked Me To Take This

Chloe asked me to snap this picture of her.

ID

The kids' school did a McGruff The Crime Dog family safety thing last Friday. Fingerprints, description, picture. Here's Gavin in typical fashion:

Smiling, happy, and a perfect representation of his usual demeanor.

Here's Chloe:

And in typical Chloe fashion: no smiles. You'll also notice that she's put her shirt on backwards. That's my girl.

Cookie Monster!

Wait...Is It 1992?

I Wish I Could Sleep This Soundly

So Sweet

Here's Chloe wearing my Cubs hat. This from the same girl who, only 2 hours ago, woke up from a nap as "13 Going On 30" was finishing on FX, saw Jennifer Garner and Mark Ruffalo kiss after their wedding, and said, "Aww, they happy."

So Happy...

I Don't Think I Like Peas

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Nap Time with Mommy

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Window Seat

I love seeing all three "animals" laying on the back of the couch.

Gavin Loves Carrots!

Gavin loves eating solid foods, and he loves carrots!  We're so used to Chloe eating such small amounts - I think Gavin ate more than she did at dinner tonight.  Poor guy has gotten a little fussy when he has clearly been ready to eat more, and his bowl is already empty.  So far he's had baby oatmeal, rice cereal, and carrots.  We'll try another food tomorrow.  The current medical recommendation is to introduce a new food for 3 days to determine if he has an allergy before moving on to something else.  Another recommendation is to first introduce vegetables before moving to fruits.  That way he is less likely to reject the less-sweet food offering.  So far I can tell that he definitely prefers the baby oatmeal to the rice cereal.  Can't say I blame him - baby rice cereal smells like cardboard.  He's definitely ready to explore new foods - he keeps trying to take stuff away from us while we're eating!

 

Lena

Bumbo Time

(Mostly) Good Morning

Sweet Siblings.

Nap Time

'Nuf said.

He really was happy...

He just isn't so sure about the camera!

Yay for Food!

Gavin started eating solids this week!  He REALLY likes to eat.  He has a pediatrician appointment in the morning for his 6 month check up, and my primary question is about eating.  We had to wait until 6 months to make sure that his digestive system had caught up enough to be able to handle food.  Now I'm wondering just how much he can eat - I think he ate more than Chloe did last night (which isn't saying much) and seemed like he would have gladly eaten more.

 

Lena

Hard News to Hear

A friend of mine from high school has a one year old that was diagnosed with cancer, went through treatment, had a liver transplant, went through more treatment, was declared cancer free, and then developed new cancerous tumors. I just read their blog update and am heartbroken. I've reposted it below. Please send healing thoughts and prayers their way or at least hopes of internal peace. My friend Michelle was such a source of comfort for me when Gavin was in the hospital, and we joked about setting up our miracle babies when they got older. I can't even comprehend what they're going through right now. Josh and I are so grateful for healthy kids, and my heart is breaking for them.


From Aubrey Bowden's CareBridge page:
Aubrey is still running her nighttime fevers, so today the doctors here at CHOA and from St. Jude agreed to let us have a CTScan done to see what exactly is going on.  It revealed that Aubrey's tumor has spread pretty much everywhere.  After much thought and emotion, Jeremy and I have had to make the hardest decision that no parent should ever have to make.  We have decided, with much input from Dr. Rapkin, to bring Aubrey home on hospice care.  Dr. Rapkin said at best, we would have 4-6 weeks with her, given the rapid growth of her tumor over the last three weeks.  We will stay here overnight so we can set up hospice care tomorrow morning and meet with the social worker and the child life specialist and not have to keep coming back to a place that saddens us. We thank all of you for your faithful prayers.  Please continue to pray for a miracle for our little Angel.  Aubrey has done so much good here on Earth as a 1-year old that most of us try to do in a lifetime.  I want her here on Earth so bad, so I can see why God wants her in Heaven with Him.  Again, thank you, and God bless.
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Gavin's First Foods!

As you might recall, Chloe's first impression of food was not good. Her first bite came right back out of her mouth with a look of disgust. That look was either "I don't eat food" or "I specifically asked for the filet." Either way.

Well, Gavin had his first "food" last night; a nice combination of milk and oatmeal cereal. We're supposed to get him to eat two spoonfuls per day.

Yeah, the boy at the entire dish. Didn't make a fuss. Only once did he look like he wasn't sure about it, but it was gone as quickly as it had appeared, and he commenced with the eating.

Pictures later!

High Maintenance Hot Mess

As if we needed further proof, Chloe must have her coat zipped for the 10 feet from the house to the car, where she will take it off before strapping in to the carseat.

Just a little glimpse.

Yay for a New Year!

So ready for a happy and healthy 2010!  I was organizing photos from the last year and came across this one.  It was taken on July 15, 2009.  Gavin was 13 days old and exactly halfway through his stay in the NICU.  I had finished getting the nursery done, and I was probably having the fiftieth conversation with Chloe about why Gavin couldn't come home from the hospital yet.  She is so articulate now that it's hard for me to remember that she was still struggling to communicate clearly back in July.

 

She told me that the crib was Gavin's bed.  I agreed and then left the room to get something.  I came back and found that she had put his photo in the crib.  She told me "Baby brother go there!" very proudly, and I hugged her and silently cried inside.

 

The last six months have been an incredible period of healing and growth - emotionally, developmentally, and physically!  Our little man is now about caught up to the 50th percentile.  We'll find out for sure at his well visit with the pediatrician next week.  Chloe not only speaks clearly, but she also has a great sense of humor that is just incredible.  She is fiercely independent, but she is also caring, sweet, and very good with her baby brother.

 

I've got high hopes for 2010, and I wish you the best in the new year!

Lena

Happy New Year!

Have a happy, safe, and wonderful new year, everyone.