Little Man on Video

So Will is really loving an ABC book mama got him this past Christmas.  it has different textiles inside to feel, peek a boo pages and the alphabet at the back.   He loves to touch it all and make the cutest sounds!  he loves the ABCs too although he gets a littl eahead of himself. 

A weekend to remember

So memorial day is about thanking and remembering our service men and women, past and present, but it also usually means lots of family time for most of us, enjoying that freedom so many others have selflessly secured for us.   Thank you to all those that make it possible!!!!

We had a fabulous 3 days together this weekend.   With starting a new job in January, it's been a while since i had any extra time off.   Having just one extra day was heavenly! 

Saturday was spent enjoying lots of family and old friends as we celebrated my grandpa's 90th birthday, yep, i said 90th!   Although he is struggling through Alzheimer's, grandpa is still in fairly good health and I think he enjoyed his party.  

On Sunday we headed to the Fort Worth zoo, rated as one of the top 5 in the country.   We got there at opening and headed in, knowing it would be a hot day!   William was very excited to see "raffes" and "zezas".    We rode the choo choo train and checked out all the animals.   All in all a good time, but very hot.  

William really likes the turtles!   They had a huge galapagos one that seemed to be trying to get out of its area!

We finished off the day with a stop for dinner and frozen yogurt, which William ate every single bit of, complete with gummi bears, fruity pebbles, pineapple and strawberries on top. 

And finally on memorial day, we went to the water park- where we have bought season passes to enjoy all summer long.  It is only about 10 minutes away and William spent a few weekends there last year and loved it.   So once again, we arrived at opening and got a great spot by the kiddie area.   William shows no fear and wanted to go down the bigger slides in the kid's area.   We went down with him, but then he cried that he wanted to go down by himself, so he did, and of course fell backwards and hit his head.   Eventually he found one that moved slow though (they didn't have the water flowing well enough i don't think), so he loved that one and must have gone down it about 25 times.   He doesn't understand the concept of waiting in line for it though, so Alan and I had to take turns going up and down with him.   He had a blast and didn't want to leave, 3 hours later.   Nene came too and hung out with us for a while!  

OCD much?

Wow I have been such a slacker! So my son has definitely taken after me.  He is full blown OCD!!!  He likes to line up his puzzle pieces, animals and loves to clean.  I even found all his books straightened up in a perfect stack on his bed one morning.  He likes to push his little toy shovel around like a vacuum, even though he is afraid of the real vacuum.    I would be concerned, but he is perfectly happy, verbal and social, so i think he just is OCD like me- he likes things organized!  My poor child.  I am sure it will disappear at some point- like the teen years when we all become slobs.  Here he is lining up all his little characters:
 

We had a great weekend.   Will is still in swim class and loves it!  Here are a few pictures of him swimming.   He can hold his breath for so long.   He swims pretty well, but now that he is using his arms more, he tends to get more upright, instead of on his tummy, so that he is almost walking in the water or treading water.  Too funny.  It always makes me nervous, but he sits there on the side so well, never falling in or trying to get in when it isn't his turn (one kid fell in once and made me nervous!!!).  The teacher takes turns with each of the four kids.

And then we had our annual neighborhood block party this weekend.   William was so scared when the fire truck pulled up- not sure why.   All the other kids loved seeing it.  He jumped in the bounce house some, ate too many cookies and strawberries and had a good time.   Unfortunately it was really hot, so we didn't last but an hour or so. 

Sir William I

This past weekend, we took a trip out to the Scarborough Faire in Waxahachie, a popular (and HUGE!) renaissance festival.   We only made it about 4 hours before Will was ready for a nap, but we had a good time!

We took the wagon and William only wanted to pull it around most of the time, it wasn't until the very end that he would actually ride in it.  Next time- no wagon or stroller, it was more of a hassle to try and walk slow while he pulled it himself and MR Independent wasn't going to let you pull!

first up- pose with the big scary dungeon master looking guy!  William just wanted to play with the cane!  Maybe we should have bought him a walking stick (they had a ton for sale- and Wizard's staffs too! lol)

Then on for a quick stop for a beer for mommy and daddy!  Then off to the fire whip show- Will loved this one- sure was loud, but very cool!

Then it was time for a turkey leg and sausage on a stick followed by viewing the parade!

Then off to watch the Jousting competition!  I snuck Will off for a quick 'ride' though- of course all the rides are 'old world' with wood and rope.  No space mountain here!  He did enjoy it and had to go by himself due to the weight limit (let's not go there please!).   he did just fine by himself!

Next, someone was getting tired so we had to hit up the petting zoo before heading out.   He loved the goats, turtles and especially the rabbits.  WE have so many rabbits at home in the yard, and he tries to see and catch them in the mornings.   So he enjoyed getting to actually pet one.  He then proceeded to spend about 10 minutes chasing the chickens around, which was pretty darn funny.   We also got to pet llamas, puppies, pot bellied pigs, ducks and more! 

After that, we did a little shopping around and walking around- played in some fountains and then it was time to head out.   Started to get a little too warm and someone was really really getting tired and a little fussy.  We know our limits!   We had a good time and think he did too!   We will definitely be back next year.   The entertainment was great and the 'actors' were all so friendly and fun!

Trash cans, doors and canes, Oh My!

So William is just really a Hoot lately.  He is such the drama queen lately too.   He just turned 2.5!!!

So this week:

he's all about independence these days.  He wants to open and shut doors himself.   He wants to climb into and out of his car seat now, which actually is saving mommy's back!  He wants to get his own dishes out.  And if you even think of doing it, he'll put it back and then get it back out himself. 

He asked if he could see Mama and Papa (my parents) on the way home from day care, I said not tonight, but maybe later on.  He immediately burst into tears.  Keep in mind he had just seen 'mama' the night before after a visit at the hospital and refused to talk to her then.

I found him last night, in our shower stall, with the dirty clothes hamper, just giggling up a storm.   Maybe he thought he could 'shower' the dirty clothes?   He is just obsessed with anything with a door and trash cans (which our clothes hamper looks like one!).

When reading "One Fish, Two Fish" last night, he was holding his stuffed giraffe from the zoo.  When we got to the page about the Yink Drink Pink Ink, he held the giraffe's face/mouth up to the picture of the cup on the book so the giraffe could have a drink too.    He also has this book almost memorized.  Before I could turn the page, he was already saying "Brush, brush, brush, brush, comb, comb, comb, comb".......I couldn't believe he really knew the next page.  After reading this book over 100x (and it is rather long at 50pages), i still didn't know that was the next page, but he did before i even turned it!

We also had our share of bumps and bruises this week- the first of many.   He fell and hit his nose on the coffee table, got a little scratch on the side that bled, but not bad, however, the side of his little nose is all bruised up.  Then he fell running and got a strawberry and knot on his forehead too.   BOYS!  I'll knock on wood that we haven't had any bad falls or scrapes yet and no ER visits!!!! 

He also started kissing girls!  at least he got a good one!

Of course he is still asking when we are going to go 'eat with pooh bear'......patient kid, we have about 7 months to go!!!

Queen for a Day.........& my PSA- Brush up on those CPR skills!

Well it's been one heck of a week.   What was a truly amazing 60th surprise birthday party for my mom, was followed by a tragic event in our family.   My sisters and I have been planning this 60th surprise party for my mom for a long time now.  She's always wanted a surprise party, so we figured we would do it for her 60th and hold it about a month before he real birthday (May 11) so she would be caught off guard.

We planned a 'Queen for a Day' theme with hot pink and black colors.   The biggest surprise of all was that my Uncle Charles was coming in town from about 4 hours away to surprise her.   He's been fighting pancreatic cancer  (for almost 2 years) and was not in good shape when we visited them in late January for my cousin's quincineira.  In fact he ended up in the ER that night (as did we, to visit).    The experimental chemo he was on at the time was making him really sick.   He was so excited to come up to Dallas and see us when he is in great shape and feeling good.  He stopped the chemo end of January and has been feeling good ever since!!!  

So saturday was a crazy day, running around for the cake, balloons, catering etc.  My Uncle and Aunt came in on that friday night and were staying with me.  The party was at my house too.   So on Saturday night, mom walked in, completely surprised!   She was so happy to see Uncle Charles too, probably the best surprise of all!

We had an amazing party and a great night- with tons of family and friends- probably about 60 plus people there.   By 1:30am, all the guests had returned home.   We crawled into bed for the night and I awoke about 9am (very late for us to sleep in) to Uncle Charles getting sick.    I went in to offer water, help or anything I could, unsure of why he was sick.  

My aunt (a NICU nurse) got him to the couch where he sat and we got him a cold rag, he was extremely hot and complaining of his arms aching and feeling shaky.  She had already given him some nitro (he has a history of a bypass and stints in his heart), BP meds and aspirin.    He apparently had forgotten to take his meds the night before.   So he still wasn't doing well and my Aunt Patti said she would get him one more nitro, take a shower and then take him the ER if he wasn't better.  That scared me.  But the worst was yet to come.   She came back with the nitro, gave it to him and then he just went unconscious, slumped over, sitting up and stopped breathing.   it was awful.   She told me to call 911 and i did.  I was barely able to choke out the info to the operator, me, the strong one that barely ever cries! She did a few rescue breaths to no avail.  The operator instructed us to move him to the floor and flat, which wasn't easy, but Alan helped us do it.   Patti continued rescue breathing and Alan jumped in to do chest compressions- i remained on the phone with 911.  I'll never forget how purple he turned.   He finally started to breath at random, but very slow and struggling, but not conscious.   The paramedics arrived in about 4 minutes i would estimate.  We got out of there way.   The said he had no pulse.

They said he was in defib and had to shock him.  They got him breathing and a pulse again before loading him into the ambulance.   All  of Sunday was spent in the ER.   The got him somewhat stablizied and started a hyperthermic treatment to cool down his body to try and preserve brain function and prevent swelling.   The worry was whether he was deprived of oxygen too long or not.   The ER docs were not that hopeful.   The treatment to cool him took 24 hours.   Then 24 hours of warming before htey would attempt to wake him on Tuesday am to see if he had brain function.

Tuesday am- he was conscious, recognized us and responded to commands.  Simply amazing- a miracle.   He is on a ventilator and has been since the incident.  While his brain seems okay, they are concerned now that he aspirated and that his lungs have issues- potential for pneumonia too.   His heart looked okay, but now he has an irregular heart rate.    They might attempt to remove the vent today to see how he does, but we just aren't sure. 

So what started as a wonderful weekend with family friends has turned into a really hectic and crazy week at the hospital.  We are all amazed he has pulled through so far and I think even the doctors are surprised how well he has done to date.    He is a strong, strong man!   So please keep him and his family in your continued prayers.  I know it is hard for them dealing with this, also being out of town.    My poor aunt Patti has been staying with us for a week now and I know it is really hard for her to handle all this on her shoulders and not be at home.  

here is my mom and Uncle with the 'chocolate bunny' he gave her as a gag gift.  She apparently used to steal his chocolate bunnies on easter because he would eat them too slow.

so my Public Service Announcement is to give your loved ones a big hug and to brush up on those CPR and first aid skills.  Hopefully you never have to use them, but if you do, you want to be prepared.  We were fortunate enough to have a trained nurse in my Aunt Patti, but the stress of the situation definitely made it hard for all involved.  

So here's to Uncle Charles and a strong fight for the next few days to wake up and come off the vent!!!!!!!  WE love you Uncle Charles!!!

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish

So it's time for a good William update.    He is growing like a weed, this boy is going to surely top 6 ft when he grows up!   He is still super tall for his age.   He is outgrowing many of his pants in length. 

His favorite things right now are reading his two favorite books- "Goodnight Moon" and "One Fish, Two Fish".   Either Alan or I must read both books every single night before bed as is our routine.  I've tried to get some other books into the mix, but no go.    He really laughs when we get to the part about 'oh dear, oh dear, i cannot hear, there's a bird in my ear'.    He also can almost recite the whole Goodnight Moon book, so cute!   He always says 'the end' when we are finished.      Usually Alan puts Will to bed each night, but lately, he wants mama, which is surprising since he's been so independent lately.  He no longer cries when I leave to go to the gym or something.  But the last few nights- he said "mama take me night night!".  

We also converted the loft to a playroom for him and he loves it.  He of course likes playing tea party- or even putting puzzles out in front of all his 'guests'.   He does like drawing on his easel too and of course, still playing with the trash.    He is also obsessed with doors lately- opening and closing them.  When we leave day care each day, he has to actually shut the door behind him, or else he gets mad.  He doesn't quite understand that  you can't shut it when other people are trying to come out!

He really is becoming more independent- he wants to try and put on and take off his own jacket.   He wants to help if i am sweeping or Alan is raking.    He even knows to get his own spoons/forks out for dinner time and puts his dirty dishes in the sink.    He really knows where 'everything goes' in the house and is pretty good about cleaning up.  He loves wearing my sunglasses in the car on sunny days.   

He is still doing well at day care and loves his montesorri class.   He excels at the montesorri activities they do, but he is still a little speech delayed when I see how well his classmates speak.   But I know it will come in time.  We just got him to stop answering our questions with a nod or 'uh' and instead say "yes".   He has done a great job using 'yes' now this week and I've seen him actually talking a lot more this week.   I guess he is so busy playing, he doesn't have time to talk usually.

No movement on potty training- he is perfectly content staying in his diaper for now, although he does like to say he has a 'stinky butt'.    He will sit on the potty, but not for more than a minute and hasn't ever gone in it.   Plus this kid drinks like he is in a desert, he drinks so much all the time, always thirsty, so we need to work on cutting back a bit too, especially before bedtime.   He will still wet through an overnight diaper once a week.  

His hair is pretty crazy and he has a huge cow lick in the back that is impossible to wet down.   it is always sticking up!   He is still afraid of lawn mowers and vacuum cleaners.   He loves going to swim class and is excelling at that.   He loves being outside too and bossing the dogs around- 'come on sassy'.  

So our big guy is certainly growing up fast!  But we cherish every single moment, good or bad.