Day by Day

Valentine's Day!

2012-02-15T11:25:00.000-08:00

Landyn was super excited for Valentine's Day. The week before his teacher must have mentioned something to the class because Landyn came home talking about Balentine's and parties and asking what number day it was. Every morning when he woke up and again in the afternoon he needed to know what day it was and then he'd check the calendar to see how many days left. (His class didn't do anything for Halloween or Christmas.) And sometime in the past week we taught him how to say Valentine's correctly.

Mason had to try on his backpack full of candy...such a goober

Checking out the loot

And a random picture of him counting out 100 pennies for the 100th day of school (today).

I decided to make a cake so we could celebrate at home as well.

Mason saying 'cheese!"

It was an interesting cake-super dense and moist. Not sure if I messed it up or if it was supposed to be that way since I had never made a white cake from scratch before. Oh well, everybody loved it anyway!

The itty boys are growing up

2012-01-30T09:53:00.000-08:00

Kolby and Mason love unloading the dishwasher.
All those months of emptying the cupboards has taught them where pretty much everything goes.

Kolby's teacher has mentioned that he loves putting toys aways and that a few times they've given him the job of collecting the silverware after meals and he thinks it's the greatest thing ever!

* * * * *
And Mason. What to do with this child?! He's started talking back and has resumed throwing a fit when he doesn't get his way. Not getting his way happens often so the fits do also. Already this morning he had to throw a fit over not having shoes on, not being able to go with the boys to school, having to take off his shoes to put clothes on, not getting any of my coffee, and not being able to wear my boots. The 'terrible twos' have arrived.

He moved all the firewood to the chair. I entered the room and said "MASE!"
He immediately says "NO, NO! Don't touch!" and starts putting it back.
Monkey.

As mentioned above, he HAS to be wearing shoes during the day. This makes changing his diaper or clothes a bit of a challenge since he starts screaming and kicking when I take the shoes off. Any of Landyn's shoes work quite nicely (for me!) since he can get them off and on easily enough without my help. Other than the cowboy boots- he likes to kick Kolby in the head when he's wearing those.

Hard work there, bud?

At least he's cute. Otherwise I might be giving him away.;)

Snow days

2012-01-23T17:32:00.000-08:00

On the 6th I flew out to Minnesota for a lovely week-long (and kid-free!) trip to my parents house to celebrate my Dad's 60th birthday. 11 of us 13 kids made it so there was a houseful!
Thanks to my sisters for arranging my plane ticket, Eric's mom and sisters for helping with all 4 of my boys, and to Eric for keeping the little boys in line when I was gone.
And no, I never did come down with the flu that made the rounds when I was there..thankfully!

Starting in back, L to R:
Gary, Dad, Mom, David, Brian
Lorena, Brenda, Sarah, Susie
Emily, Me, Jennifer, Michael
We are such a photogenic family.

And then back home to this which along with freezing rain gave my boys 3 snow days last week. (and power outages and my van new tires because it couldn't make it up the road...)

Landyn had missed school the week before so I had him do a few of his worksheets every day.
When Mason saw the camera, he climbed on the chair with him and said "cheese!"

At least somebody loves it!

Reminds me of SD...but just a tad warmer

Keeping entertained with the Ipod

Kolby was reading to Bear, who in his mind is a member of the household. Bear requires hugs and kisses, diaper changes, and a bite to eat every now and again.

Today was in the 40's so hopefully it's gone soon!

Finishing up 2011

2012-01-02T14:13:00.000-08:00

According to Kaia, it doesn't count as blogging if you only make up posts in your head and don't actually write them down. Whatever;). This year, I'll try to do a better job at staying current...the problem is finding something interesting enough to take pictures of! Because most posts without pictures are boring.

I do have an excuse for the past month though! Baby #4 is coming in July and I've been sicker than usual this time around. The worst of it is the 'motion sickness' I've been getting from everything from reading a book, to being on the computer, to of course riding in a vehicle. But it seems to be subsiding a bit, and since I'll be 12 weeks on Saturday I'm hoping it disappears soon!

The Kindergarten Christmas Program...I didn't get great pictures because I had the two little ones along and had to try keep them still on the bleachers. And of course that's Landy right in front in the white shirt.

His oldest-child attitude came out when he saw kids messing around...lol.
* * * * *

An attempt at last-minute Christmas pictures. Mason is a complete show-off.

I love how Kolby looks like he's as bored as can be
* * * * *

On to our little family Christmas we held on Christmas Eve...

This last picture of Landyn was taken just hours before he got sick on Saturday. Despite eating a few bites here and there throughout the days, and drinking a lot of water up until Monday noon, he ended up in the ER Monday night with severe dehydration. We knew he had to go in when he started throwing up in his sleep, his eyes would open but were unfocused, and especially when he started stiffening up and shaking. It wasn't as bad as his seizures when he was younger, but still something you don't want to see happen to your kiddo!
Tomorrow the boys head back to school and I know it'll be a struggle getting back into routine- especially for me;)

Winter time!

2011-12-14T12:10:00.000-08:00

I know, I know...behind again as usual. Figured I'd upload a few pictures before I head off to my parent-teacher conference for Kolby!

Making applesauce

Landyn says "Boys, come here and sit down! I'm going to read to you!"
They came running, but once they saw he had a book they had to get their own as well.

Best friends..these kids are hilarious together.

A while back we had a couple snowstorms. I was surprised Kolby loved the snow so much!

And this is what we've had the last several days- freezing fog. Looks gorgeous!

All about Landyn

2011-10-29T13:34:00.000-07:00

I had Landyn's first parent-teacher conference this week. I'd been anxious to see how he was doing since he is one of the youngest in his class and it wasn't even a year ago that he was referred to Special Ed services because he was behind. What a difference a year can make! He's one of the most advanced readers (yay!), gets along great with the other kids (he told me he 'caught' Destiny at recess the other day...hmmm...), and his teacher seems to know what she's doing- so that's good;). He is still getting speech once a week which he seems to like.
He had been going to school every other day with about 8 other kids but starting Tuesday both groups (there's another small class that goes opposite days) will combine into one big class and go every day so I think he'll love school even more.
As I was looking through my pictures I realized I have quite a few of Landyn. This kid is always doing something that makes me pull the camera out!

He made his own sandwich one day...complete with 1/2" thick margerine.

He begs for coffee or hot cider and has to drink it in the living room.

He's a super help around the house- he never complains so he usually does more than his share.

A great big brother! A little bossy and impatient at times...but I think that's normal with the eldest;)

And this morning. I gotta admit I stared when Landy came out of his bedroom looking like this. He had no idea what I was laughing at until I showed him in the mirror. His poor nose has had enough of him blowing it and it appears the blood was gushing...surprisingly his sheets only had a head-sized circle! And look- somehow he kept it off the white of his pajamas.

Mason's favorite book

2011-10-19T14:02:00.000-07:00

This is Mason. Or Basin. Or B-boy. Or sometimes just 'B'.

This is the only book he asks for.
"eeeeeh book!"
(If you know Mason, you know he's gotta do that eeeeh sound before any word.)

And then he wants you to find his favorite page.
"eeeeeeh puppet!"
(And again, if you know Mason, you know that puppet is how he says puppy and it refers to any animal. Mainly horses, cuz that's what he loves best.)

This page has 2 kind of puppets, goats and horses.
And so he is happy.

Snapshots from recent weeks

2011-10-03T20:45:00.000-07:00

A couple weekends ago we went with Eric's family to Cascade Locks for a short camping trip. In addition to regular camping activities I got to hit up the outlet malls and go for ice cream a time or two. We were really roughing it! ;)

Brittany Linn on her 7th birthday rocking the newborn

Around and around and around...

The dirt was the most captivating feature of the campground for the boys- and there was plenty of it :)

* * * *

Auntie Kaia made these adorable shirts for all her nieces and nephews so I was attempting to get a decent picture of them. I didn't quite succeed.

The twins fighting again...and I can tell that Landy's ready to make things right, like a big brother should.

Kisses!

Faker.

Kolby is done with posing...

But Landyn sure isn't!
* * * *

And what could be better on a rainy fall morning than to cuddle in front of the fire with Daddy?
(Scrabble must be too boring for the little guy.)

Today was a good day!

2011-09-21T20:40:00.000-07:00

Landyn had been sick the last 5 days and is finally on the mend. Mason came down with it yesterday morning but was never as sick as Landyn and will hopefully be completely well tomorrow. And we're hoping that Kolby doesn't get it- if he does we'll miss out on camping this weekend! What made today such a good day: all 3 boys napped at the same time so I got one in too. Just what I needed after a night up with the itty newborn!

Changing the subject; for anybody interested in a crust recipe for the 'best homemade pizza Eric has ever had" click here. While I did make the BLT pizza in the link one time I prefer the crust with traditional pizza toppings.

Now onto pictures from the past week:

This is a typical Mason face.
The cause of it this time was a fly that had been crawling on his finger.

Landyn loves the twine and clothespins I hung up to display his and Kolby's works of 'art'.

I attempted to learn how to take pictures in direct sunlight. I need more practice, for sure.

Goob.

Kolby's "tongue-in face" combined with his stubborn "refusing to look at the camera face".
(Because of his low muscle tone, we remind him quite a bit to keep his tongue in his mouth.)

Kolby, Kolby

2011-09-07T12:54:00.000-07:00

Don't let this sweet innocent face fool you...

See the loaf of zucchini bread above his head? He was sneaking pieces of it. By the time I discovered him, half a loaf was gone.

Kolby is doing great at Headstart. Other than the fact that asking them to stop giving him cow's milk turned into a big deal. Like a lot of my family, Kolby is lactose intolerant. The school said okay, we'll give soy milk. I did some research, decided I'd rather he didn't have soy and told them water was fine. But I guess they're required to give some sort of milk so the director ran to Kolby's doctor this morning to have her sign a note saying that he could have rice milk instead. These government-run schools sure have a lot of rules!
Yesterday we went to Doernbecher Children's Hospital down in Portland to see the pulmonologist. Our old doctor in SD had told me that if at any time he starts snoring or having restless sleep to bring him in. I must stay this doctor was very informative (a little too much, perhaps, as he repeated himself several times) but by listening to our descriptions Kolby does not have sleep apnea. We will be bringing him into our room for the next week or so though so we can listen a little better. Last night I didn't hear a sound so it looks like we have nothing to worry about!
And speaking of yesterday...I thought school got out at 3:30 so I had arranged for Landyn to be picked up then. Come to find out school is dismissed at 3:00. Poor Landy got to spend a half hour after school with his teacher. Good thing he says he 'loves' school and 'loves' his teacher!

Landyn's 1st Day!

2011-09-01T16:50:00.000-07:00

Just a tad nervous...

A rushed picture of both boys

Landyn did great. He hopped on the bus like a pro, and came home all calm like he'd done it all before. I need to work on my routine a bit- both boys get on their buses within 5 minutes of each other and it was all rushed way too much this morning.
He hasn't told me too much yet about the day; he's too interested in playing with his new green pickup he got as a back-to-school gift. But he seems happy and wants to go back to school so it must have been okay!

Kolby's 1st Day!

2011-08-30T16:45:00.000-07:00

This is what Kolby wore to school....

And this is what he wore home. They served oatmeal for breakfast- which he loves but he's not the neatest eater. So they put him in a spare shirt they had on hand but had to call me to bring pants. I didn't mind since I got to peak in and see how he was doing!

The teachers reported Kolby did very well. He did great when I dropped him off because the table was set for breakfast so he knew he got to eat. He sat at circle time when they asked him to, loved brushing his teeth and washing his hands, and ate very well. No surprise on the eating- we all know that's his favorite activity! And when I showed up after he had a big grin on his face but was in no hurry to leave. I think he loves the attention and all the activities and I'm sure once his therapies start up we'll see a huge jump in his development.

End of 'summer'

2011-08-29T21:43:00.000-07:00

Kolby comforting Mason during one of his fits

And then telling him to "Shhhhh"
My boys are in cloth diapers about 90% of the time- and it's going a whole lot smoother than last time I tried. As long as I get rid of my 'need' for every cute print out there I'll be saving money in the long run.

Getting hosed down by Daddy is too much fun!

Can't help but smile along with his giggles :)

Today was officially the last day of summer. I had a few errends to run with the older two boys so Krista babysat the newborn while we headed to the doctor to finish up the rest of Landyn's shots, grab both boys' immunizations records, and swing by Headstart for Kolby's registration. I met a lot of the workers at the Headstart and they all were super excited to see Kolby and he was very comfortable around them so I think he'll do great! Tomorrow is his first day and I'll have to bring him and pick him up but after that the bus will come get him from our front door. He'll be going mornings Monday through Thursday.
This evening Eric and I left the two younger boys with Krista (since she was still hanging around...;)) and brought Landyn to the Open House at school to meet his teacher and see the classroom. He now seems excited to play with the toys he saw, especially the barn (of course!), so hopefully his first day of school will go smoothly. He starts Thursday and will be going every other day until November when they switch to all day every day.
All this slow transitioning will hopefully get Mason used to his big brothers being away and teach him how to play by himself. I think it'll be harder on him than the other boys!

Getting ready for Kindergarten!

2011-08-17T20:34:00.000-07:00

Perfecting that wink

Today I took Landyn in for his Kindergarten checkup. He was acting super shy and since he knew Kolby was at "Ern and Sog's" with Kaia he kept wanting to leave and head there. And after the nurse gave his shots he was really wishing he was someplace else. I do believe he made a bigger fuss over them than he ever has before- poor child. And we get to go back next week for a couple more; I was hoping to space them a month or so apart but the school requires them or they get sent home the first day - and I don't want to go through the hassle of filling out the waiver so this will have to do. For my record keeping: he's 39lbs and around 43 inches tall. 50% for height and 37% for weight. I always thought he was short- but apparently he's average.
Speaking of school- I believe Landyn is ready. He's got his backpack and lunch bag (favorite part- he wants to bring a lunch like Daddy), he's stocked up on clothes, and has P.E. shoes ordered and on the way. I gotta admit it's almost funner to shop online rather than in stores- you get to have the fun of ordering, and then the fun of opening the packages a few weeks later. All without carting around whiny rambunctious boys. (Not that my boys are anything but perfect, of course!)
Only 2 more weeks!

Moooore sisters!

2011-08-13T10:45:00.000-07:00

"It's JENN-ifer! Not JJ or J. Okay?!"
Hey Jen- I just realized that Meredith looks like you!

Chancy-Pants takes after his mother and runs as fast as he can TO the camera when he sees one

Gotta love the newborn faces!

Mr. Isaac is almost 4 weeks old already

"My, you have your hands full! You must be a busy mama!"

Chance trying to talk Mason out of throwing a tantrum.

Come again anytime! If you continue bringing me shirts I'll continue supplying the Mountain Dew. ;)

Happy Birthday Landyn!

2011-08-05T13:16:00.000-07:00

On August 3rd Landyn turned 5. We had his presents waiting for him to open when he woke up.

Yes, that's Christmas paper-used upside down and beautifully decorated with markers

Mason was snuggling with Daddy

An essential childhood game

After presents and lunch, we headed over to Grandpa's and Grandma's for swimming, pizza, and birthday cake.

Placing the blue candles in the blue cake.

Posing for the pictures

And by the next day he was already asking when he was going to be 6.

Ice Cream for the Baby

2011-07-25T14:25:00.000-07:00

My itty newborn knew what to do when his big brother ran to the bathroom before finishing his ice cream.

Yum!

I think I'll have a little more...

Better hurry- Landyn's coming back!

"Oh!!!"

"Mom, will you get him down, please?"

I was just a tad surprised that my emotional Landyn didn't get more upset. I took my newborn down, Lands finished up his ice cream, and all was well.

Babies everywhere!

2011-07-20T22:23:00.000-07:00

Tonight at church I was doing my best to remember my newest nephew's name. It wasn't coming to me at all-instead I kept thinking Chance...Bryce....Trace....Rylan. A few hours this afternoon of seeing some of my nephews (and a niece!) has them all jumbled together in my mind. And no I do not have a nephew named Bryce-so why that kept popping up I'm not too sure!
My boys were quite happy to see some of their Spokane and South Dakota cousins. Can't you tell by Mason's face in the picture below?

L to R: Dawson (8 mos), Kolby, Landyn, Mason, Luke (8 mos), Rylan (18 mos), Laila (3 yrs)

Rylan Mathew

Trace Micah- 7 weeks.
Should have gotten a better picture, but driving cross-country was not agreeing with the little man.

Luke David
I always want to say Logan when I see him-he looks so much like his big brother

Kolby holding Dawson Loren- who is a boy version of his big sister Dove

Luke being held by my baby brother Michael.
I know Michael really wanted to be included since I'm posting the babies of the other families;)

Looking back at these photos I think it's time my parents get a few more granddaughters- the count is now 18 boys to 11 girls. Maybe we're making up for the fact that I only have 4 brothers while there are 9 of us sisters....

I'm alive!

2011-07-12T15:30:00.000-07:00

I think this is the longest I've ever gone without updating when I've had a computer. Somehow summer is half over already...it's been a busy one between short trips to Battle Ground and Tri-Cities and...actually, I'm not sure what all we've been doing to make the time pass so quickly. I have no pictures to show for it tho-so I quickly grabbed my camera and snapped a few so I'd have something to put on here.

K-boy resting

Inspecting a screw

When he sees the camera he has to run toward it..not a very good subject for photographs

Lanydn doing his daily 'schoolwork' with his favorite puppy keeping watch

Giggles!

My cowboys

2011-06-09T15:02:00.000-07:00

One evening the boys all got rides on Uncle Ernie's horse.
Kolby knew just what to do...and was quite proud of himself!

Mason relaxing

The evening sunlight was perfect to practice my photography..which reminds me that I still have to attempt the boys' birthday pictures. Better late than never, right?

Landyn's too busy trying to keep up with his uncles and daddy to ever get a good shot of him anymore!

And a shot of one of Eric's horses that he's been training.

Doctor Stuff

2011-06-03T13:50:00.000-07:00

I sent him outside with boots on. Eric says the boots were being used to dig in the dirt instead.

In the last couple of weeks Kolby and Mason have had their well-child checks. Mason weighed in at 23.4 lbs...Kolby was 22.6. Mason is still a couple inches shorter- 30" compared to Kolby's 32". I got my first "Are they twins?" question already; I imagine that question will become more frequent until Mason passes Kolby up in height!
Mason's check-up went well. Since we've canceled our Blue Cross policy and now use Samaritan Ministries I declined vaccines until I found out what the Health Department charges. It's the same price, so looks like one of these days I'll bring Mason back in for his MMR- I think I'll hold off on the Chicken Pox vaccine until he's around 5, maybe somehow he'll catch it before then and won't need the shot!

As for Kolby; the doctor hadn't before had a child with Down syndrome as a patient. Which is what I expected, but I wanted a doctor here in town who knew Kolby and his medical condition in case anything important came up. Needless to say, she didn't know what blood work or testing needed to be done, so once she gets a chance to look up everything we'll head back in for those. I'm debating whether or not to get the x-ray for AAI, because new research is showing it might not be necessary. Referrels were put in for a pulmonologist and cardiologist in Portland and I think we're going to get his annual hearing and vision tests there (at the children's hospital) as well.

Happy Birthday Mason!

2011-05-30T23:20:00.000-07:00

Mason's favorite Aunt Krista made him an adorable puppy cake

(Ok, I'll take the credit for baking the cake, but she did the decorating.)

Chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting- a delicious combination!

I tried a few times to get a picture of the birthday boy, but when he sees the camera he thinks he's gotta get it.

Mason is finally, finally ONE! I know, as his mom I should be wondering where my baby went, right? But honestly, Mason was not a happy baby. And during those midnight rocking sessions and 1 AM drives to McDonald's the only thing that kept me semi-calm and gave me patience was remembering that 'this too shall pass'. And it has. Mason is now usually good natured. He was my earliest to crawl and take steps, and the only one who has even attempted to get out of the shopping cart. He still isn't walking full time, but gets braver every day. He says "uh-oh" and "Mom" and "bye-bye".
And remember that birth story I promised about a year ago? Click >here< if you want the details.

Time flies!

2011-05-13T23:24:00.001-07:00

Notice my flip-flop hanging off his ankle? And his "I need help!" face?

So happy that I helped him!

These boys give me a glimpse of what twins would be like and are my daily entertainment! They help each other clean out drawers, fight over toys, wrestle, and scream at each other. Kolby's the bossy older one of course, telling Mason "don't touch!" or signing 'no' to him.

:) Great start to a busy week!

Monday was Kolby's first therapy session. The therapists here seem to be as involved and caring as the ones 'back home'. There's only a few weeks of school left, so we're only going one time a week to finish out the school year-basically to give the therapists a better idea of what to work on next year. Kolby does get the extended school year this summer for speech; I believe it's in July that I'll take him in once a week to help keep his speech on track.

Tuesday we headed for the zoo. Mason was a pill so I couldn't take pictures at first...and by the time his favorite Aunt Krista got him sleeping, I had forgotten all about pictures! Landyn LOVED it as I knew he would! He's already asking to go back next year. I told him of course...he has no idea what a year is;). And I discovered poor Mason had a fever that night- I was quite relieved there was an excuse for his crabbiness.

Wednesday I registered my little Landy for Kindergarten. He scored about average on most of the testing, but behind in writing his name or drawing shapes or a person. He's always disliked coloring of any sort, and I just figured he'd gain interest in time, but now that he hasn't I'm taking the time to sit down with him and teach him how to correctly hold a pencil and such. (3-sided crayons work great for fine motor skills!)

And a view of our other mountain- Mt Adams- taken Thursday evening.

2011-05-05T14:55:00.000-07:00

One thing I noticed driving around the countryside is that there are a lot of trailer houses here. And almost every place has horses. And guess what...we're now true Goldendale-ians. Cuz we have both a trailer house AND horses!
Yup, we finally found a rental...we've had to accept that rent here is going to be steeper than what we're used to, but I think we'll make it. And I gotta say that I like this house quite a bit more than our old farmhouse back in SD.

Mason likes the fact that there aren't any stairs to fall down.
Okay, maybe that's his mother that appreciates that fact;)

The boys love the huge tub in the Master bath

(Yup, MASTER bath. I feel spoiled!)

Spring has been a mostly windy and cold time...but yesterday was gorgeous.

Check out my view of Mt. Hood!

So lets see..I've got the big boys' registered for school and therapies restarting. Doctor appointments have been scheduled for the little ones. (I like how Kolby is both big and little). The library, grocery stores, and where the best coffee is have been determined. We're finally feeling settled in. And hopefully it's for a while, because I have no desire to ever move cross-country again!

Kolby is 3!

2011-04-18T14:35:00.000-07:00

Oooh...what is this?

Another shot...to show off Eric's new glasses;)
(Anybody looking to buy glasses, go to Zenni Optical. We bought 2 pairs for $100 versus spending hundreds on just one pair!)

Big brother steps in to do the blowing

Big grins from the big boys..

Although I did have Krista lined up to make a 'fancy' cake, this chocolate sheet cake from Pioneer Woman caught my eye so I did that instead. Very yummy!

Update!!

2011-04-09T22:49:00.000-07:00

So. We've been out here 2 full weeks now. We're all in agreement that it seems a LOT longer. (Is that good or bad?;)) We've been staying at Eric's parents as we search for somewhere to live. Landyn especially is loving it here...I do believe that once we DO find a house, it'll be a fight to get him away from Grandpa and Grandma's.
The pictures were an attempt to show Mason's 2nd haircut-I'm still not sure why I decided a #3 buzz cut would look good on him. Apparently, I wasn't thinking. As usual..
I will update again when there is something exciting to report:)

Spring? Maybe?

2011-03-19T13:51:00.001-07:00

Springtime brings mud...

And little boys happy to be outside after a loooong winter...

And trying on Daddy's boots...
{Kolbers is signing 'boots' in the picture:)}

Oops...forgot to tie!

And our anniversary!

The weather's been gorgeous- in the 40's and mostly sunny. Our yard is a disaster area...we had somewhere close to twice as much snow this winter than last and it shows in the amount of mud.
Eric and I tried out a new restaurant last night Taste of Europe for our 6th anniversary. Nice to get away and try foreign dishes and eat at a leisurely pace! And of course we made the all-important stop at Wal*Mart for diapers and a few groceries.
Now, with Eric having obtained his CDL yesterday, the only thing holding us back from moving is Kolby's IEP meeting. (And packing and cleaning and a trip to Goodwill and the dump...)
I'm sure there's something else important that I'm forgetting about;)

Stylin'

2011-03-14T17:06:00.000-07:00

My stylish boys.
Haha.

And their attempt at being stylish.
No, I did not tell Landyn to pose like that but he giggles everytime he sees the picture.

Today in Landyn's speech session the SLP attempted to give him a hearing screen. The kind with the big clunky headphones and he's supposed to raise his hand when he hears a sound. No matter what she tried Landyn could not grasp the concept of it. The SLP would be watching him and ask if he heard anything. He'd nod eagerly so she'd say "Raise your hand and say 'I heard something!'" So he'd then raise his hand and holler "I heard something!!" Yeah...I was giggling the whole time. The SLP would like him to get rescreened in the next couple months so that's one more thing I'll have to figure out once we move.

9 months

2011-03-03T17:20:00.000-08:00

This morning Mason had his WCC. I was amazed that even though he is the biggest of my boys--weighing in at 20 lbs 7 oz--he is only in the 60% for weight. Those fat, formula fed babies must really mess up the charts;). 50% for height and in true Seppanen fashion- his head is in the 75th %.
He literally is a different kid these last couple weeks! Almost constantly smiling, plays forever by himself, and learning way too many new things way too quickly- he steals Kolby's straw cups and drinks them down, and if the door at the bottom of the stairs is left open he quickly crawls over and starts heading up. His first tooth is through and the second is on it's way.
I've been thinking I need to trim up his long hairs but I just buzzed Kolby's off the other night and that's enough of a challenge for one month!

Bear Slippers

2011-02-23T17:35:00.001-08:00

Yup, that's about all that's going on around here. Half the house has been packed up and brought to Washington. Therapists have started Kolby's final evaluations here and school districts and Special Ed 'people' have been called there. A white spot has appeared on Mason's bottom gum yet surprisingly he's been on his best behavior ever the last few days. Growing up has made him independent.

Washington!

2011-02-16T18:43:00.000-08:00

Monday night we got back from a 3 week vacation to Washington. I had taken absolutely zero pictures on my camera...trying to convince Eric I need a smaller one for travel;). But then I remembered my cell had a few pics. I think I need a better camera phone and then I could use that for everyday pictures!

Mason on the way out. I was shocked that he did so well! There were a few moments of screaming every time he was being put into his car seat, but not bad at all.
* * *

Mason and I took Ruth out to Outback one night for supper while in the Tri-Cities. We had a fun time shopping and laughing at Ruthie try on her bridesmaid dress for a wedding. (Too bad I didn't get a pic of her in that so I could advertise for her on here)
* * *

The boys and I spend a week in Battle Ground next door to Branden & Emily.
These two cousins are about the cutest ever! Almost exactly the same size and the same place developmentally. They make Emily and I each glad that we don't have twins!
* * *

Landyn and Kolby thought the walker was the highlight of Emily's house. Kolbs would climb in and wait patiently for Landyn to see him and give him a ride around and around and around.
* * *

Landyn saw Uncle Carl working on Branden's turkey house and they exchanged a few crows back and forth--doing their best imitations of the roosters. Landyn then spent a couple hours outside with Carl- 'helping' him build and probably slowing him down.
* * *

Alyssa, Krista, and I spent one afternoon shopping while Karen watched my big boys. Mason is getting to be a much better shopper--makes it even funner!
* * *

And I'm fairly certain everybody knows by now-with the exception of my parents since they are vacationing in Mexico (lucky!)- but we are moving to south-central Washington within the next couple months. Now is the time to move with Kolby transitioning out of the Birth to Three program in April and with Landyn starting Kindergarten in the fall. I've been trying to weed out all our junk the past couple days and start the lovely packing process. Have I mentioned that I hate moving cross-country?!

2011-01-17T09:28:00.002-08:00

Landyn LOVES helping..especially in the kitchen. So I'm taking advantage of it while he still thinks it's fun!

We've been building lots of 'houses' around here lately.

Unfortunately for Landyn..Mason is on the move and likes to mess them up!
My youngest crawler at 7 months.
(And his plugged tear duct has finally, finally cleared up..probably even better news than the crawling;))

Kolby off stacking by himself--his tongue has got to be all the way out when he's concentrating:)
I've noticed he doesn't play with kids other than Landyn and Mason although lately he has shown an interest in other 'babys' Mason's age.

Right now the house smells of garlic oil as we try use that to fight sinus and ear infections. It's been 5 straight nights of one boy or another waking up with a fever and I'm ready for some sleep! It seems we've been hit with more colds than usual this winter...have been ready for summer for a few months now!

Snow Days

2011-01-13T07:01:00.002-08:00

I have heard that we've already had more snow this winter than all of last year. I know, not the greatest picture, but I'm not going to venture out right now for a better one. I dislike cold. (Why do I live here?!)

Kolby's first time in the snow!
I know, I know. I'm a horrible mother. Almost 3 years old and hadn't experienced snow yet. But really..I'm not a fan of bundling babies up when they couldn't care less about it-so that covers his first winter. And last winter he still hated walking outside and I sure wasn't going to carry him everywhere. And this winter..welll..it's hard to find a day that is both warm enough and one where Mason naps long enough that I can be outside with Kolby. But I did it. And he loved it:) So I suppose the next time it gets above 15* and it isn't windy and Mason is napping I'll have to bring him out again.

So with all the snow we've had a few days now where Eric hasn't made it to work. So we've dug out the Monopoly game. In this picture Eric is soundly beating me. But then I downloaded and read the rules, and what do you know-I now win everytime!
Okay...the one game we played since then I won.

My Landy

2011-01-05T09:10:00.001-08:00

"I'm Dad!"
'Dad' has quite the imagination lately..

And an extreme fascination with letters and spelling.
He has his and Kolby's name down, and quite a few 3 letter words but otherwise it's a daily questioning of how to spell different items.

"Mom! How do you spell car?"
"C.A.R."
"Mom! How do you spell red car?"
"Red. R.E.D. Car. C.A.R."
"Mom! How do you spell BLUE car?"
"....."

And sometimes he stumps me.
"Mom!! How do you spell excavator?"
"E.X. Ummm...."

I have hopes that someday he will eventually remember the spellings and won't have to ask me every few minutes. But until then at least I'm getting brushed up on my spelling knowledge;)

7 months

2010-12-30T06:00:00.003-08:00

Somehow my little newborn is 7 months today

Zero interest in crawling...but almost has sitting from laying and pulling to stand figured out.
Why crawl when you can walk, right?

Still whiny, still crabby. Sloooooowly getting better though!

And still no teeth...but lots and lots of drool and slobber:)

Family Christmas

2010-12-28T14:59:00.001-08:00

We held our little family Christmas on the 20th

Reading the Christmas Story

Landyn was so excited to finally recieve the cowboy boots and 'big truck & trailer' that he had told us for months he was getting.

The boys making noise..as usual!

Blogger keeps messing up with me and Mason has began his usual screaming so this will have to do for now. I'm almost wishing the kid would come down with chicken pox so that I find out the reason behind his crankiness...ughh. And Landyn isn't acting like his calm, laid-back self today either..I think I need a nap!;)

Mason's 6 Month Checkup

2010-12-10T20:41:00.001-08:00

Today I took my 'little guy' in for his 6 month checkup. He checked in at almost 18 pounds and a long 26 3/4". And even though these are huge measurements for my boys--he's still barely over the 50%. Crazy...
The doctor said that usually at 6 months babies are sleeping through the night. She laughed when I told her Mason eats more often during the night than during the day. That may not be completely true, but it feels like it! All in all--he's healthy and I'm enjoying having a baby who gains so easily.
I brought Kolby along for a weight check and the Pediasure is doing it's job. He's gained 1.5 lbs (now at 21.5lbs) and 1" (up to 31") the last 2 months! Not that he needs the extra energy the Pediasure gives- I've discovered he can destroy a doctors office in no time flat. Strange how I never get the compliments about how well my boys behave when Kolby is loose somewhere...

Lunch time

2010-12-02T11:49:00.001-08:00

Since Lands has discovered the art of making PB&J's that's what he asks for every day for lunch.
It is a very long, painstaking ordeal.
* * * * *

He did get a bit jealous of Kolby's spaghetti though when he saw his "big huge honnnkin' beard".
Because the only people who have big beards are him, Daddy, Uncle Soggy, and Uncle Jim.
* * * * *

And Mason sits and observes it all..probably wondering what real food tastes like;)
* * * * *

And after lunch Kolby tries his hardest to play with Mason. We think he knows Mason is this close to passing him up in size so he's trying to get on Mason's good side before that happens.

And then it was time for me to step in and put a stop to things.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

2010-11-29T14:21:00.002-08:00

Okay, not really. The centimeter of snow we had is melted, and although they were predicting a few inches of snow today there is none in sight. But the weather has once again turned cold to remind us that it is wintertime...

Today I put some Christmas music going and the boys and I began our Christmas baking. Just kidding- I probably never will get around to doing that, but we did make granola bars that are pretty yummy!

To clear up some confusion-Landyn's 'school' at this point consists of one half-hour speech session once a week. Today was his 4th session and he is doing great. He's starting to be able to concentrate on his school work and was almost crying today when it was time to leave. He also learned how to play Memory today and he's sitting now playing it by himself...excitedly letting me know everytime he has a match.
We did start the Early Intervention as well and his first session was last week but at home. Poor Kolby had a tough time during that because he's used to being the center of attention and he didn't know why he wasn't getting played with.

Thanksgiving Day!

2010-11-25T20:39:00.001-08:00

My boys this morning with their "shirts from the mailman".
That's what Lands will tell you if you ask where they got them.
The kids love the googly eyes on the fishes.
* * * *

The little peanut thinks he's quite awesome walking around already.
(I'm impressed!)
* * * *

Mom cooking up some soup for supper with the turkey leftovers:)
* * * *

Such a happy little man today with plenty of people to hug and giggle with!
* * * *

Mason with his favoritest Brianna.
Only a few more years until she can babysit for me...right, Bee?
* * * *

We had fun. Ate and played games and ate and played games and ate some more.
My kind of day;)

Sugar Cookies

2010-11-15T06:24:00.001-08:00

I asked Landyn if he wanted to help make chocolate chip cookies. I then found out we were out of brown sugar but he was still adamant that "Mommy and Dandyn make cookies!". So we made sugar cookies instead...and they are delicious!

Four up to the elbow while cutting the dough. He had a blast!

As soon as Landyn set the cup down Kolbers had to give it a try. Because anything Landyn does HAS to be cool;)

I asked him what color of frosting he wanted. "Ummmm...blue!" He wasn't quite so thrilled with that part tho- he only frosted a couple.

Almost makes baking fun when you have such a cute helper!

New routine starting up...

2010-11-08T12:18:00.002-08:00

The grin that appeared this morning when I told Landyn he was going to school.

"I'm going to skewool 'day?"

A couple minutes later he started giggling while finishing up his breakfast.

"I'm going to skewool 'day!!"

Yup. We've put Landyn into speech therapy. He's also going into the Early Intervention program and will be getting that once a week. We're holding off on preschool for now but if we decide later that he needs more structure or isn't learning as fast as he could be we'll enroll him.
So this morning we were at the school at 9:30. Kolby is recieving PT at the same time. Today both boys were in the same room just to get them used to the idea of being somewhere different. Bad idea. Kolby got to do the fun stuff...swing in a giant swing, play with a ball, walk the halls, and play on the playground- while Landyn was stuck sitting at the table doing crafts and puzzles. He was just a tad jealous.

63*
In November. Landyn's been spending the days outside. Kolby is wishing he could too but I've got to do some things around the house (like blog!) so I can't be out watching him the whole time.

Gotta run and watch the horses every couple minutes!

Mr. Kolby running to see what Landyn thinks is so great.

Notice the different shoes? He's 'graduated' from the hard, plastic, ankle high braces to a smaller arch support. This made his other shoes too big so I dug a pair of Landyn's old ones out. He was a bit klutzy the first few days but is already used to them and his base of support has already narrowed..which is great.

When you hear silence...

2010-11-03T09:00:00.002-07:00

it usually means the boys are reading or playing cars...

"Zat?!"

And yes I realize their room is a mess..!
* * * * *

This morning we had Kolby's IFSP meeting and Landyn's IEP. Kolby's consisted of his therapists, the Birth-3 coordinator, and the elementary principal. This was considered Kolby's transitional meeting since he turns 3 in April and the school district then takes over his services. Services remain the same for him- PT and OT weekly with speech every other. Everybody was pleased with his progress so far.

Landyn's meeting was with the SLP (speech) and the principal. It was to see if he can (once again) receive services for speech. He does qualify- on the condition that the SLP and one other adult say his speech is 'unintelligable'. He scored above average in adaptive and motor skills while communication and cognitive were below. Throw the other scores in and he tests in the average range. I should have realized the cognitive would be below since I don't really work with him on shapes, counting, etc...things that people expect out of 4 year olds.

So now on to discuss things with Eric and decide what to do. We have a few options...we can go with what we have and do speech 2x a week. We can bring Early Intervention in (he qualifies due to the low cognitive score) and do preschool-like services with them once a week and speech once. We can put him into a private Christian preschool right in town and he'll receive both services there. Or of course we can do nothing at all :). The SLP has the same mindset as me in the thinking that kids should be allowed to be kids and not worry so much about learning; but the fact is that most kids are going into kindergarten reading these days and you also don't want your child to be at the bottom of the class. Which is something else we'll have to decide next summer-whether or not to put him into Kindergarten next fall since he has an August birthday.
Decisions, decisions!

Kolbers

2010-11-01T16:55:00.001-07:00

My little peanut makes life fun!
He's pointing at Eric here- "Da Da Da Da Da!"
* * * * *

Always busy doing something...dressed in Landyn's pj's
* * * * *

He loves messing with Mason...tickling him here..
* * * * *

check out the proud grin!
* * * * *

And then he tipped Mason over...but brought him a toy...maybe so he'd be forgiven?
* * * * *

And not to leave Landyn out--here's a glimpse of his first artwork. He'll sit still for hours reading or playing with cars but when it comes to coloring he wants nothing to do with it- other than 'reading' the coloring books. Usually when we ask him to draw somebody he'll try to write their name...drawing a 'K' for Kolby or a 'D' for Daddy..and then be done.
The speech therapist had asked him to draw her a picture of a person. I was pleased to see that he did know how!

Daddy time

2010-10-26T18:07:00.001-07:00

A typical evening in our house looks something like this.

Quick catch up

2010-10-21T13:59:00.001-07:00

June 30th

July 4th

October 17th
* * * * *

Really..not a whole lot has happened in the 4.5 months we've been without a computer! I'll give a quick summery...

Landyn is being re-evaluated for speech and will most likely qualify. The speech therapist is extremely busy this year so she's having a tough time fitting evals in but once she finishes we'll have a meeting and begin sessions either at the school or here or both. He is probably speaking as much as an average 4 year old but can't articulate clearly.

Kolby is speaking and signing at least 15 words. He is managing to get into everything and loves to copy Landyn. He no longer needs to see the pulmonologist and has been completely healthy for a long time now. The doctor does want him to gain more weight-he's only 20 lbs at 2.5 years- so we've started him on Pediasure.

Mason is still being Mason. Growing like a weed- at 4.5 months he's 15 lbs, in a size 3 shoe, and wearing 6-12 month shirts. And as if to prove he's completely opposite than the older boys he is still a crabby child- needing lots of attention and cuddles.

And that's about it...summer is over and we are having a wonderful, warm fall. We're hoping it doesn't mean we're in for a long, cold winter!

Time is flying by!

2010-06-22T13:55:00.006-07:00

It's hard to believe this month is going by so fast! Here it is the 3rd week of June and we haven't gone swimming or done any 'summer' activities yet. (And we're actually having a warm summer this year-but it's been weird, with lots of rain and humidity already.) I guess one day I did fill a couple 5 gallon buckets with cold water and let the boys out with bowls, ladles, and a pitcher. They had a blast.

* * * *Mason loves his swing..his hair looks more red everyday:)
* * * *

Landyn reading..he loves 'Baby'
(Landyn has to pick out his clothes every morning as he leaves his room
-that explains this outfit in the middle of summer)
* * * * *

Giving kisses-usually Kolby's 'kisses' consist of making the sound while touching his forehead to who's face he's kissing so this is an improvement
* * * *
My 4 goons on Father's Day 2010.
Eric is claiming Mason smiled at him that morning. I'm not sure I believe him--a baby's first smile is always at the mom, right?
* * * *

El Gordo relaxing at 3 weeks old.
* * * *
I had both younger boys in to the doctor last Friday for diaper rashes that wouldn't improve. Ended up Mason had a normal rash (lovely) but Kolby had yeast. It was an experience bringing a toddler who has the Seppanen selective hearing and a newborn to the doctors all by myself. I'm just happy I survived;). Anyway, Mason was weighed with his one-piece outfit on and was up to 10 pounds..so he had to be at least 9.5 lbs without clothes.

2010-06-17T12:14:00.004-07:00

Life is rough with no computer. Using somebody else's (Kaia's) isn't quite the same. I've been trying to keep up on blogs, Facebook, and email using Eric's ipod but the small screen makes seeing things a bit hard. And since our computer is down that means I can't delete the pictures off my camera's memory card because I have nowhere to put my pictures permanently. Which means my card is almost full so I'm having to ration the pictures I take. Sad, sad life. Kaia does kindly let me upload my pictures to her computer so at least I can show off the (very) few I've taken.

Kaia thought Mason needed to wear his Puma's to Taco John's. I have a funny feeling the little giant won't be wearing them for much longer.
* * * *

And the person who comes running when I holler "MAID!".
Okay, so it might have worked once.
* * * *2 weeks old..relaxing and enjoying life
* * * * *
Around midnight one night...having a deep conversation with his mommy.
There have been a couple nights when the little bugger was up until 3:30 or 4 whining and fussing. I realized I had had caffeine those 2 days-haven't had it since and he's been sleeping great...for a baby.
* * * *
My 'big boys' bed head this morning. Kolbys been doing showing off since back in therapy this week-he can now do somersaults (learned from watching Landyn) , sign 'baby', blow, color and kick a ball.

1.5 weeks Checkup

2010-06-09T15:01:00.003-07:00

Today I took the little chubbers into his first official doctor appointment.
Check out those chubby cheeks!

His head and length have both increased 1/2"...not sure how accurate that is as everybody measures a bit different.

And the part you've been waiting for: the kiddo weighs a whopping 8 lbs 14 oz! It's so nice to have a kid gaining after dealing with Kolby's weight issues.
I've realized that this is the first time I've been dealing with normal newborn behavior. Landyn started screaming and throwing up at 1 week old due to his pyloric stenosis. Kolby slept almost constantly until he was closer to 2 months old. Baby Mason is very content to sleep and eat the day away..or lay quietly observing his surroundings for the few hours he's awake.

1 week already....

2010-06-07T18:16:00.008-07:00

The 'big boys' being goofy.
Amazing how fast the baby grows up when a new baby arrives...Kolby is suddenly older and much more mature than 2 weeks ago..
* * * * *

'Baby Basin' (as Landy says) is 1 week old already! I forgot to mention that when we went back to the hospital when he was 3 days old he was back up to his birth weight of 7 lbs 11 oz already. As he should be, because he's a hungry little fellow. His first official appointment is Wednesday and I'm very curious to see what his weight will be.The traditional first bath photo--he loves them!

* * * * *

Kaia and I have been busy attempting newborn photos...when we're not busy trying to eat up the piles of food that people have been bringing;). We're borrowing my mother-in-law's lens-the same one I've been trying to convince Eric to buy for me for a couple months already.

2 Days Old

2010-06-03T18:13:00.005-07:00

A request was given for a picture of Mason's hair.
So I'll add to that a few more.
6.1.10
2 days old.

Mason Jude Rhoades

2010-05-31T17:21:00.005-07:00

Mason Jude
7 lbs 11 oz
20"
5.30.2010
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Landyn is proud. Kolby is unsure.
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Sweet little face
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I am outnumbered!
~

First trip to the park. Memorial Day 2010
~
I thought about sharing my birth story, but I have a little sister who has plans for a natural birth (any day!) so we won't traumatize her too much;). Maybe someday. I will say the Brookings Hospital is much more hands-off than it had been rumored to be. The nurses and OB were excellent and only did what I wanted.
We are obviously home now. Mason is our first non-NICU baby so this coming home the day after birth is new for us, but extremely fun.
Except for the fact that we have no water.

Birth Story of Mason Jude

2010-05-30T13:37:00.001-07:00

On May 28 I was one day shy of 39 weeks. I went to the chiropractor and he informed me that the baby was in the best position to be born and that if I was in labor and needed adjusting he'd come to the hospital-any time of day or night- to help me out. (I really, really wish I would have not only remembered but been brave enough to take him up on that offer!) After that I immediately headed to my OB appointment-and he also informed me that the baby's positioning was 'perfect'.
The next morning, Saturday the 30th, I was awakened at around 5 AM with contractions. I had been sleeping on the couch the last few nights because the hourly trek up and down the stairs to the bathroom had been killing my hips. I tried to fall back to sleep but was too anxious/excited for that. I headed upstairs at about 7 because I just had to let Eric know something might be happening- and of course about that time the contractions disappeared.
I went about my normal Saturday, taking time for a couple short hour-long naps. I eagerly offered to mow the field hoping it'd get the contractions started back up, and it did the trick. They weren't at all regular but around 6 PM I asked my sister to come stay the night 'just in case'. By 9 or so I knew these were the real thing-unfortunately the baby was posterior and even from the beginning I couldn't relax through the horrible back pain this caused. By the time Jennifer showed up- at 10 or 11 I think?- I was more than ready to be at the hospital, because comparing the pain I was in this time compared to with Kolby I had to at the very least be dilated to a 7.
The nurse at the hospital was amazing. She knew I wanted a natural birth and was willing to go along with whatever I wanted. I signed a form stating I didn't want any monitoring and agreed to be checked for dilation. Imagine my surprise when I was only at a 5. I got hooked up to the IV for Strep B and finally around 1 AM or so I was able to head to the tub. I was able to relax a little bit, but it was too warm so was probably only in there an hour. I asked to be checked again around 3 AM and was at a 6-7. I told Eric I'd give it until 4 AM and if there wasn't anything happening I was getting the epidural. We were both exhausted by this point and a bit disappointed that labor wasn't going as fast as it had the last time!
I climbed back into the tub and this time it did the trick. I was able to relax almost completely and around 5 AM I was told I was almost fully dilated. This woke us up and we began to look forward to the birth, sure there'd only be a half hour or so left.
The only position I found bearable to handle the contractions was floating flat on my back bracing the bottom of the tub with my feet. This put me into a predicament when transition hit and I needed to throw up. That was probably one of the most painful things ever- having to sit up during a contraction. I headed back into the room where the nurse was busily setting up the equipment. And there I stayed-dilated to a 9.5. Once out of the tub I couldn't find any position to make the pain of the contractions bearable, let alone relax through them. The nurse said I could try push past the lip of the cervix but I was too tired and in too much pain to give more than a half-hearted attempt. During this time there was a shift change and the baby's heartbeat was checked for the first time.
At around 7:30 AM I gave in and asked for Stadol which took effect immediately. (At this time they also gave another dose of the Strep B antibiotic since 8 hours had passed.) Eric and I both instantly fell asleep for a solid 20 minutes. From then until the baby was born things were a blur to me because of the after effects of the Stadol and the agonizing pain. (I sound like a wimp, don't I?:)) I know I asked to have what was left of my water broke, and then finally, finally, the baby turned and I got the urge to push and was given the go-ahead. After a couple pushes, the baby was born at 9:10 AM and I announced to the room that I had had another boy. Mason Jude was born May 30th, 2010 weighing 7lbs 11oz and 20" long.
The OB was insistent about immediate skin-to-skin contact and breastfeeding, especially because I was declining the PIT that's routinely given after birth.
It was amazing how the pain immediately disappeared and how quickly I felt like myself again. This was my first epidural-free birth and, even with the pain, it's the way I hope to birth any future babies. It was so nice to be up walking around right away! Mason was also my first baby that didn't need the NICU and it felt good to head home the very next morning.

Waiting...

2010-05-26T11:13:00.005-07:00

on a baby:). There have been some days where I've been super impatient, and ready to get the baby out immediately. But days like today, when it's sunny and low 70s..I'm not feeling quite so bad. Our A/C doesn't really work so the humidity and hot weather were making me a bit irritable. (Ask Eric.) Plus I suddenly have the urge to get the garden in before the baby comes...oooh- is it nesting?;)

This kid of Eric's (I'm not sure I claim him) now thinks the baby is coming on an airplane with Kaia. The more I try to clear him up, the more confused he gets. Ah well, he'll learn.
And the story behind the picture:
Landyn didn't wear pajamas to bed Saturday night because it was way too hot. First thing Sunday morning he's in my room asking me something and holding his socks. I'm half asleep so I say sure. He heads downstairs and comes back up w/ his socks now on and wanting his shoes on. I put them on him, trying to ask what he wants but too sleepy to pay much attention. By this time Kolby is awake so we head down for some breakfast. Eric sees that Landyn is 'dressed' and tells him to grab his hat and off they go to do the chores. With Landyn in his underwear.
We still don't know what his plan was. Maybe he remembered I told him we were heading to church after he woke up. Maybe he figured if he hurried and got dressed quick he'd get to go with Daddy. When I show Landyn the picture now he wonders where his pants and shirt are. Apparently he is as confused as we are.

2010-05-19T15:54:00.003-07:00

Although this isn't the update I want to post (that one involves pictures of a baby along with a birth story) I guess I better post anyway. I have no pictures so leave now if that's all you wanted;)
Kolby had two more appointments this week. On Monday him and I headed down to Sioux Falls. Landyn had caught Kolby's fever so he stayed with my sister. After a delicious meal at Olive Garden with my sister-in-law (I seriously don't know when the last time I'd been there was!) we headed to Avera for a hearing screen. Kolby's left ear tested out to be completely normal-no fluid, sounds were bouncing back as they were supposed to, etc. His right ear, however, still had fluid from his ear infection a month ago so they couldn't get clear results. The audiologist wasn't concerned and in her opinion his hearing is perfectly normal. We hope it stays that way!
Today was his Birth to 3 meeting. Since Kolby is now officially walking-at least 95% of the time while indoors!- he has met all the big goals that had been set for him at his last meeting. We're decreasing PT to 1x week, OT will stay 1x week, and speech will also stay the same at every other week.
Hopefully my next post involves a screaming little girl. Or a boy would work too. Either one.

2010-05-14T12:10:00.004-07:00

This kid is continually cracking us up--he was trying his hardest to do somersaults last night. He'd bend over, put his head on the ground, and kick one leg up in the air sure he was copying Landyn exactly. He also tries jumping-which involves bobbing his head up and down and bouncing. Still determined to conquer walking and is always practicing but doesn't yet have the balance/stamina to do it full time.
I finally called the doctor today to the get the results of Kolby's blood work. All his levels- white blood count, thyroid, celiacs- were in the normal range. So that was good news!
The boys have both been sick this week. Landyn woke up Wednesday morning and announced "Puke in the bucket!" He threw up once...and acted fine the rest of the day. Running and eating as usual. He did take a nap though.
So of course that night Kolby came down with a fever. That lasted all night and all day yesterday and he's now fine. I am glad they're getting these 'sicknesses' out of the way before the baby comes!
Speaking of baby, this afternoon I have my 36 week appointment. I'll be 37 weeks tomorrow. With Kolby I went to my 36 week appt the day before turning 37 weeks also. At that visit the doctor told me I was "free to go at any time." I had him 3 days later:). I'm not sure if I'd like that so soon or not--my 'assistant' needs to get here first!
Today is our first sunny day in awhile--we've been taking advantage because the forecast for the next several days calls for more clouds and rain.

Weekend Getaway

2010-05-10T09:13:00.004-07:00

Mother's Day 2010
* * * * *
This weekend Eric and I finally got away for a long overdue date. The last time we were kid-free overnight--3 years ago. (Besides for Eric's back surgery-but that doesn't count.) The last time we went out just for supper--over a year ago. So yeah, very much overdue!
We headed up to Minnesota, dropped the boys off at my parents, and headed into the cities. Driving 4 hours when 8 months pregnant is not a fun time, by the way. Thankfully the boys behaved! Spent the evening at the Mall of America--which again, 8 months pregnant, trying to walk around when completely out of shape...not the best idea. The next morning we did a little more shopping and drove an hour out of the way for Red Robin. It was worth it:) Then back to my parents house for visiting with the family and Mom's famous rib dinner on Sunday.
Even with my whining about my pain I was glad we went. Eric would have been happier sitting at home reading a horse book. Which may explain why dates don't happen too often around here;)

2010-05-06T08:46:00.003-07:00

Yesterday I took this little man to another doctor appointment-this time to get his braces checked out.

They're a tad bit small, but instead of ordering new ones we're heading back in 3 months to get them looked at again. Kolby will probably be walking full time by then (I hope!) so we'll be able to tell then whether he still needs the ankle support or whether he can get by with only arch support.

He wouldn't walk when we first showed up-and when the doctor took off his shoes we found out why. I had put his braces on the wrong feet. I'll blame it on my pregnancy brain...poor kiddo! There are even little stickers on each brace showing the proper feet, and when I had first saw them I had told Eric they were there so he could keep them straight. Oops;). Oh well, he had spent the whole morning in the car seat or stroller, so he hadn't needed to walk before then. It was slightly embarrassing though...

I now have less than a month until my due date. My back and hips keep going out so I've been seeing the chiropractor when I can. Part of me wonders if this pain is telling me to prepare for another 8 pounder like Landyn was. Only a few more weeks to go!

Kolby's 2 year stats

2010-04-30T19:25:00.003-07:00

Today Kolby had his 2 year checkup. He weighed in at a hefty 19 lbs 10 oz and was 29.25". 10% for weight and still not on the charts for height on the DS growth chart. Good thing he doesn't mind rear-facing in his car seat because that 20 lb mark just doesn't want to be crossed! (Not that I'm in any hurry to turn him around anyway-I think I'll be rear-facing him until 3 and all future kids until at least age 2.)
He got his blood drawn to check his white blood count, thyroid, and for celiacs. He stuck his lip out and pouted when they first stuck the needle in, but by the end he was chatting with the lab techs:). While in the waiting room beforehand he took off walking across the room. He'd do 8-10 steps, fall down, and get right back up again. Until he saw a door he wanted to go in so he dropped to all fours and zoomed out of sight...this kid cannot sit still!
Lab results should be back early next week, along with a referral for getting his vision and hearing tests.
This morning I realized Kolby is a bit smarter than he lets on--he took his used Kleenex off the table, crawled over to the garbage, and threw it away. I think it's time we give him chores;)
Finally took a short video of his walking skills-he'd get a lot farther if he calmed down a bit!

2010-04-26T20:27:00.004-07:00

I'm finally getting things ready for baby. I've never actually done anything this early before-with Kolby I got the room ready and clothes washed 4 days before he was born, and I was packing my hospital bag while in labor. But with Eric working in Sioux Falls, and me knowing it was needing to be done, I think I'm almost ready this time around. The cradle and glider are set up in our room, the baby's clothes are organized and ready for the washer, and hopefully someday the 'nesting' urge will hit and I'll do more spring cleaning. I do have a bit of my cleaning done already-got all our closets cleared out, bags ready for Goodwill, and a few things listed on eBay.

Kolby insisted on 'helping' me list my eBay items...he is even more of a show-off these days!
* * * * *
This week is once again a busy one, with 2 doctor appointments and 2 more therapy sessions scheduled for this week. But busy is good because it makes the time go faster! Somewhere between 3-8 weeks left until I'm holding this baby in my arms:). {If you're curious as to where I got that number--I have 3 weeks left if I go as early as I did with Kolby and 8 weeks is the longest I'd go before getting induced.}

34 weeks!
*

And a comparison picture from 37 weeks with Kolby because everybody's been noticing this whole pregnancy that I'm way bigger this time around {even got asked if I was sure I wasn't having twins yesterday!} but apparently the extra weight isn't going to my belly?? Or else we all are developing bad memories in our old age...
But now that I'm looking again it looks like I'm leaning back in my picture with Kolby-which would stick my stomach out more. Who knows...
* * * * *

Birthday Party!

2010-04-17T18:38:00.005-07:00

So excited!
Okay...not really. He was a crank before eating and it took him awhile to turn smiley.
*
My family does a fancy wrapping job;)
*
He loved his quilt from Grandma!
*
Mr. blue eyes:)
*
We enlisted Landyn {and Michael?;)} to blow out the candles.
*

Happy Birthday Kolby!

2010-04-16T07:27:00.006-07:00

Yay...I'm 2!!

His 2 year checkup is in 2 weeks so I get to find out his weight/height and all the fun stuff then. (I guess he was weighed Wednesday and was 19.5 lbs...) We also get to have his annual lab work done checking for celiacs, leukemia, etc. The doctor will let me know what other checkups are to be done this year--hearing and vision for sure, but probably more!

Physically, Kolby's still the size of a one year old. I actually got asked in the store about a month and a half ago if he was 1 yet! He's still taking only those few steps but is standing by himself for longer periods and doing his best to climb anything and everything. It's pretty funny seeing him swing his foot up to shoulder height in an attempt to get up on the couch:)

Kolby still says only a few words..."tickle, tickle" "byebye" and something that means "what's that?" Signing is going a bit better. He knows the signs for 'eat'; 'all done'; 'more'; 'mommy'; 'daddy'; 'puppy'; 'stand up;' and I know there's one or two more. That doesn't mean he'll do them on command, but he knows what we mean when we do them and he will do them on occasion. And since Landyn's had a cough the last week, Kolby's been learning to fake cough and cover his mouth as well;)

2010-04-14T19:46:00.003-07:00

Yes, poor Kolby's arms really are that purple.
*
Kolby still has been running a fever in the afternoon and at night so I brought him into the doctor this morning for a follow-up. The diagnosis: ear infection. The doctor was looking in his charts trying to decide which antibiotic to give and she noticed that the last time he was on an antibiotic was March of '09. Amazing considering how bad his first winter was! This is only his 3rd ear infection in his 2 years which is pretty rare for somebody with Down syndrome because their ear canals are so small. Hopefully the meds start working tonight and both boys sleep all night so I can too! Landyn's been waking up a few times a night whining...bad dreams maybe?

Weekend News

2010-04-12T14:58:00.004-07:00

First the good news. This is my BIG boy. Now officially potty trained. Again;). All it took was buying him his very own skidsteer and he was suddenly eager to wear underwear. The real test will come whenever we leave the house--I'm curious to see how he'll do when busy playing with other kids. Hopefully this is the final time I post this!

And here is our little monster in the kennel. I'm not sure what attracts boys to dirty dog houses.

So on to the not-so-good news. Kolby's breathing begin to get horrible sounding Saturday night. Landyn's was rough the night before he took a turn for the better so I was hoping Kolby's would do the same. No such luck. My sister-in-law had our nebulizer so I drove over and grabbed that, hoping some kind of lemon water mixture would do the trick since I didn't have the right kind of meds. It didn't help--so I then researched online and it clearly states "do not add homemade mixtures to nebulizers". Oops.
By this time Kolby's breathing was worse than it'd ever been any of the times he's had pneumonia or bronchiolitis so Eric headed off to the ER with him. After a chest x-ray which came back clear and a breathing treatment Kolby's SATS came up from 96-97 to a okay 98 and he was sent home with albuterol. His breathing still sounds like he's majorly out of shape, but he finally has wet sounding coughs and is back to his goofy self.

Living outside

2010-04-10T11:19:00.006-07:00

Dump trucks
*

Towels on the line
*
Tire swing
*

Mommy's flip flops
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Fresh air
*

This week was a bit long. Landyn got sick on Tuesday and didn't get over it until Friday morning. Kolby came down with it Thursday night but already seems to be better today. They're both still a little hoarse, and I have to admit it's pretty cute when Kolby's 'hollering' at the dog in his high pitched, scratchy voice. I woke up with a bit of a sore throat this morning so I'm waiting for it to hit me full force. Here's to hoping the fresh air and sunshine will help us all heal!
*

When Kolby sees a camera

2010-04-03T20:31:00.005-07:00

Attempting to sneak a picture of Kolby playing in the air from the vent...
quickly turns into a sprint for the camera...

a quick stop and pose...

waiiiit...let me stand up...

here ya go!
:)

Springtime!

2010-03-31T18:26:00.004-07:00

We have been having completely gorgeous weather lately--in the 60's and 70's. I've been taking advantage of the fresh air with no bugs and have been leaving the patio door open, shutting the gate on the deck, and letting the boys run (or crawl) in and out at will.
Monday afternoon I made an impromptu trip to Sioux Falls when I noticed the toe of Kolby's shoe was almost worn through. After a quick visit to Stride Rite and Target I headed to Falls Park and let the boys roam free. It was very windy but it didn't faze the boys. Landyn ran and climbed and had the time of his life. Kolby tried his hardest to climb as well but had more fun pushing the stroller and bear walking up and down the concrete paths because it hurt his knees to crawl.
The boys are still loving having Trixie around. I caught Landyn in the kennel with her today and made him come out after taking a picture (of course!). I'm not an animal person, so the thought of him sitting in there with fleas and bugs and who knows what else grossed me out. Not that there aren't bugs in the grass or anything...but ya know. I must say I've been doing fairly well at not freaking out when the dog licks Kolby's mouth and chews on his fingers...ick.

Meet Trixie

2010-03-22T06:44:00.003-07:00

...a little Jack Russell terrier/mutt/mutt/mutt mix. She's only 6 weeks now, but will probably only grow to be the size of our last dog. Landyn is in love. Last night he was awake talking an hour after I put him to bed so I crawled into bed beside him. He asked me repeatedly if "Trixie was in puppy house in the barn".
Kolby...ehh...not so much. He treats her like he treats crying babies--shove them away and get out of there as fast as you can.
He much preferred showing off his new found climbing skills and getting in and out of the little camp chair.
Springtime is good!

The boys..and other things

2010-03-19T21:14:00.003-07:00

I know most people saw these on Facebook, so these are for the few who don't have it. I was attempting to take Kolby's 2 year pics and I got this:

And then Landy said "I wanna try!" He didn't do much better:)

* * * * *
Today I had my 28 week OB visit. I decided to go ahead and do the gestational diabetes screening since I'm more at risk because my mom had it untreated while pregnant with me. The doctor said "no news is good news" and since I didn't get a phone call I must have passed. I think I have low blood sugar, rather than high, so I didn't think I'd have a problem.
I now get to go in every 2 weeks! Amazing how quickly this pregnancy has flown by. You'd think with this being my 3rd that I would know what to expect. I don't. I was induced with Landyn at 41 weeks. I had Kolby at 37.5. I'm 29 weeks now so that means I have anywhere from 8.5-12 weeks before I'll have this child. I think from researching online that Kolby was born early due to having DS so I'm expecting a 39-40 weeker. But I am prepared for anything:).
* *
We're supposed to have nice temps again next week--maybe the rest of the snow will melt and the ground will dry up so I can get Kolby adjusted to the grass. Wish me luck;)

Boys will be boys...

2010-03-09T20:26:00.004-08:00

Landyn has been talking a lot more...and while there is a lot of sweetness involved, there's also been whining and talking back--and even hitting and shoving. I think he's finally going through the "terrible twos" that I thought we had skipped over.
He kept pushing Kolby over today. Right before going to bed he did it again. I made him clean up toys then sent him to his bed to lay down while I picked up a few more things in his room. When Kolby noticed Landyn sobbing he crawled up on the bed beside him and patted Landyn's back in between jumping on the bed. At least he forgives easily:).
Landyn's sweet side came out the other morning at breakfast. (Or maybe I should call it his bossy side?) I had given both boys peanut butter bread and gave Kolby his without cutting it up as usual. Landyn immediately was worried "Cut Kolby's bread!" I told him no, Kolby was a big boy. "Mommy, cut it pleeeeaaase!!!" He was almost in tears. Less than 5 seconds later Kolbs was choking so apparently Landyn knows what he's talking about after all...
He also has to take care of Kolby if I'm not doing my job right and ignoring Kolby when he's whining. I took this picture Sunday night when Kolby thought he was starving and throwing a tantrum. Good thing Landyn was there to 'save the day' with a 5 minute hug. He may have made poor Kolbs just a little more cranky.

Baby #3

2010-03-06T19:26:00.002-08:00

6 months.27 weeks.3rd Trimester
To give you an idea of how huge I am this time around--I was this size at 37.5 weeks when I delivered Kolby. And my aching back and sore ribs are agreeing with me. I can't believe I'm saying this, but this better be an 8 lb baby!

Pulmonologist checkup

2010-03-03T14:23:00.004-08:00

I attempted to take Kolby outside the other day since it was so nice and sunny. As I thought he hated it. He's never liked the outdoors but I'm hoping this summer things will change a bit. I think (hope!) once he starts walking he won't mind it so much.
I brought Kolby into the pulmonologist for a checkup this morning. His O2 levels were at 99 and his lungs sounded great so all is excellent there! However Kolby has had a cold for about a week which of course the doctor noticed-only a runny nose, ears and throat looked good. So he wrote out a prescription for an antibiotic and told me to give it if he's not better in 3-5 days. Seriously-an antibiotic for a runny nose?! I smiled and thanked him but that's one prescription I have no intention of filling! Good thing we only see him every 6 months or I might have to consider switching. (And after I write that I realize Kolby now has a fever. Hmm..maybe the doctor can see the future?)
I also scheduled Kolby's 2 year well-child checkup for next month...can't believe my little baby is going to be 2 already!

CD review & hot summer days

2010-03-01T14:02:00.008-08:00

Had to put a quick review of Kolby's newest cloth diapers. The ones in my previous post were bought used off Craigslist for $5 apiece and had been made by a work at home mom. They work fine-but Kolby needs to be changed every 2-3 hours in them and they are a bit bulky. These new ones are the Coolababy brand bought off ebay for $8 apiece w/ free shipping. And I love them! They're about the same size as a disposable so they fit great under jeans, and he can easily go 4-5 hours without being changed.* * * * *
It hit 30* today so I put Landyn to work chipping the remainder of the ice and snow off the patio.
* * * * *
Then I taught him how to throw snowballs...hehe..so he spent time chasing me around for awhile.
* * * * *

And then attacked Brenda when she showed up-he thought it was the greatest!
* * * * *

See the GREEN in the grass? Spring is maybe on the way?! We can hope!

Cuz Fun Dips

2010-02-27T15:19:00.002-08:00

...are so fun!

Day in Sioux Falls

2010-02-24T19:50:00.004-08:00

Today we all made the drive down to Sioux Falls. Eric had a couple floors to fix so I dropped him off first. The boys and I then headed to the mall and did a little shopping, grabbed lunch at the food court, and played in the play area. After that it was off to the urologist for Kolby's post-op checkup. Everything looked great and we had time to kill before the next appointment so Landyn and I did a little more shopping while Kolb's snoozed in the bottom of the cart. (I love having a kid who doesn't wake up from naps when moved out of the carseat!) Then it was off to CCHS to have Kolby's braces checked out. They still fit fine so we'll go back in three months so the doctor can take another look. Hopefully I won't go into labor while there..hehe. Anyway, both doctor visits we were in and out in 15 minutes so I'm glad I decided to do them the same day. Eric then joined up with us, we checked out a few more stores and came on home. Exciting, hey?
In bigger news (ha) Landyn is now officially back into diapers. Or will be as soon as I get to Wal*Mart tomorrow to buy more. I've realized I'm more trained than he is-he's told me he had to go a couple times--otherwise he only goes when I tell him he has to. Yeah. Not ready yet. Or else just really, really in love with those 'size 4 diapers' of his!
But..it might not be a big deal, because as most of you know I'm trying out cloth diapers on Kolby and they'll fit Landyn too. I've put a few diapers on Kolb's but have had trouble with leaking due to hard water buildup. I think I finally have it figured out, so after our Wal*Mart venture tomorrow I'll be trying them once again. On both boys this time!
Here's a few pics so Grandma can see that cloth diapers have changed since she's used them;)

You want a picture of me?!
* * * * *

Think I'll admire myself in the mirror awhile first...
* * * * *How's this pose?!
* * * * *

See, I can smile!
* * * * *
(The last 2 pictures are his fake smile he does when anybody talks to him. Big & fake & gone in an instant-sometimes accompanied by a very fake giggle. Goober.)

What a day!

2010-02-17T08:02:00.002-08:00

Talking about yesterday of course....
We started off the day at Wal*Mart for some grocery shopping. We still hadn't done anything with the money my Grandma had given us for Christmas so we decided to let the boys pick out something. Landyn wanted pretty much everything in the toy department but he finally settled on cars for him and Kolby which they both LOVE! Thanks Great Grandma!

It turned out excellent because then I had something bribe Landyn with in potty training! 3.5 years is too old for diapers but whenever we brought up underwear he's say "Noooooo! Size 4 diapers!!" and would look extremely sad. Plus I knew it wasn't good to push him into training so we were just going to wait. But yesterday I had had enough...put him in underwear and 'let' him drink lots of mommy's water (aka Crystal Light). He had a few accidents, but quite a few successes as well. This morning we got him out of bed and immediately put undies on. Poor kid was sitting on the potty and asked me "Size 4 diapers, please?" Awwwwww. I'm really hoping he's ready this time!

As for more exciting news...which I for sure have to blog about or I'll forget when it happened...
Last night Eric stood Kolby on the floor, expecting him to plop down and crawl off like he usually does. But no, Kolby decided he still wanted Daddy and took the 2 steps back to him! So that was our fun the rest of the evening-he can take up to 3 steps without falling. 22 months old exactly! Tried getting it on video..but when Kolbers sees the camera he has to cheese for that rather than cooperate. (Typical Rhoades;))

2010-02-15T12:06:00.003-08:00

Yay, pictures are working!

First...a lovely (ha) picture of Emily and I for whoever missed it on Facebook...We're both about 5 months/23 weeks in here. I think. Yes, I realize that is a fake smile on my face. Muriel was taking too long. And we look even funnier when we're both headless so I didn't crop.

* * * * *
Landyn's been insisting that Kolby needs a hat. Today he's been putting a bucket on Kolby's head and saying "cuuuuuuute". Kolby just grins, loving the attention.

And with Eric having been out of work the last couple months, I feel like I have 3 kids to take care of...3 boys having to clean up after and whining for food. To stay calm I tell myself that it gives me practice for June--when Eric will hopefully be back to work and I'll have 3 REAL kids to watch! But of course one of those will be a girl;) (I can dream.)
* * * * *
I let Kolby practice with a spoon today since avoiding giving him one isn't helping him learn. So he gripped the spoon in his right hand and shoveled the food in with his left. He'll get there:)
Little ~~Mommy~~ Daddy was not appreciative of Kolby's skill. Or lack of skill I should say.

* * * * *
We spend yesterday at home. We didn't want to chance the hour drive to church in the snow and wind. And then Landyn began puking so I was glad we hadn't. He threw up all morning, took a nap in the afternoon, and was fine by evening. Now we wait for the rest of us to catch it.
It was a fairly boring Valentine's Day...but sometimes, boring is okay:)

Getting frustrated..

2010-02-09T10:54:00.008-08:00

Pictures and videos are not cooperating for me. I tried off and on yesterday to get a couple videos uploaded with no luck. These 5 pictures took at least an hour...not sure what's going on, but it's slightly irritating. Needless to say...this is all you'll get for awhile;).
*********
The boys playing in the toybox. (Doesn't everybody use cardboard boxes for toys??)

Awww....brotherly love:D

Blurry Eyed Boys

2010-02-02T08:19:00.003-08:00

Landyn's been weaned off his pills for a week and a half now. Since we've started reducing the dose he's become more tired...not sure if it's a result of that or a growth spurt. He easily sleeps 12 1/2 hours a night and is hard to wake up before that. (Takes after his mother) The best thing to get him to wake up fast and easy is to say "Good Morning!" He'll pop up 1/2 asleep, and yell it back to you in his mumbling morning talk:)
He is finally talking more otherwise. Yesterday I was told I was a 'naughty mommy' for the first time. I laughed. He's constantly asking for "Ipod please!" and "Dandy go upstairs to bedroom?"
He's almost too good at sharing. He'll bring toys down for Kolby and tries forcing him to play with them. Kolby usually takes one look and tosses them across the room. Unless it's a toy that Landyn really wants, then of course Kolby suddenly wants it too. Sibling rivalry already...
I moved Kolby into Landyn's room a few nights ago. Not sure if he's sleeping any better, but when he does wake up now he knows he has to stay in the crib. I wouldn't mind him sleeping with us for awhile longer because he missed out his whole first year (poor wittle baby boy), but--that's what has to happen with another on the way.
Other than that...well...it's been cold. I hibernate as much as possible and am thankful that so far this winter the boys are healthy and we no longer have weekly doctor visits.

Ultrasound update!

2010-01-25T08:06:00.004-08:00

I'd been too lazy to scan this picture until now. Eric, the boys, and I went in last Thursday to the doctor for my 20 week ultrasound. Everything looked as it should, and it seemed like it went much quicker than w/ Landyn. Possibly because I didn't drink the full amount of water;). Landyn kept referring to the baby as 'babies', but the doctor assured us there was only one. Whew! And then Eric convinced Landyn to call it a "handsome baby". The OB was quite amused at Eric's insistence that it's another boy...guess we'll find out in approximately 19 weeks!

The profile is very similar to Landyn's at birth!

Awww...wasn't he a cutie? :)

Down syndrome stereotype broken;)

2010-01-18T18:33:00.005-08:00

While walking out of the hospital last Wednesday I heard it again, this time from the nurse hauling my stuff: "Down syndrome kids are always so happy and laid-back." I laughed and told her she was wrong.

Laid back would be the word used to describe this little man: Not this one:
Unless of course he is doing what he wants, when he wants and where he wants. Then he is happy. He's far too independent for his own good! Does he misbehave? Not really--acts like a typical 1-2 year old I suppose. But I gotta admit that the whining in restaurants and stores gets a little annoying and I haven't yet learned how to deal with it! It appears Landyn has spoiled me. A sign of Kolby's stubborness is shown in the picture above. He stands up, falls down, and repeats until bored or distracted. That is the only reason he is grinning...because he refuses to smile for me otherwise.

Surgery update

2010-01-13T21:29:00.003-08:00

Today didn't start off the greatest because Kolby napped too much yesterday. I got to sit up with him until 12:40 this morn so I wasn't in bed until 1 AM. I then had to wake up at 4:15 and was on the road by 5:15. Due to a misunderstanding Eric wasn't able to go after all, so I ventured out in the dark by myself. There was dense fog and frost on the roads so I drove most of the way between 40-50 mph, and showed up 15 minutes late.
Kolby had a bit of trouble with his O2 levels when coming out of anesthesia. He had junk in his throat and wouldn't wake up enough to cough it up. He gulped down water like crazy and that along with his half-hearted cries was enough to push them up to a decent 95%. All in all it wasn't too bad, we arrived at 6:45 and we were out of there by 11:00. I got my desperately needed nap in after arriving home:)
The urologist had informed us at the consultation visit that the first 24 hours Kolby would be cranky like he had an ear infection. Thanks to his high pain tolerance he's the same goofy kid as usual--even tried out a new smile a few times this evening;). He's almost asleep now so here's to hoping the night goes as well!

2010-01-12T09:19:00.004-08:00

He takes after his father.
*
I need a nap! But haven't had time..and then Eric let Kolby nap til 5 yesterday so I got to party til midnight with him...
Yesterday we had OT, Speech, and then I had a dr. appt--heartbeat 145 and an u/s is scheduled for the 21st. This pregnancy is going by super fast!
This morning we met the new PT-always neat to see somebody who hadn't ever worked with Kolby! She was full of praise for everything he did-she says that it seems like with kids w/Down syndrome they either have the gross motor skills or they don't-and he definitely does. She also thinks he'll be walking by the time he's two:).
I'm heading up to Sarah's sometime today to bring her supper and play with my camera so can't nap this afternoon either. (I like sleep)
My darling little sister is coming down tonight to watch Landyn while Eric and I head down to Sioux Falls tomorrow morning for Kolby's surgery. We have to check into the surgical center (same place Eric had his microdisectomy almost 2 years ago) at 6:30 AM. Kolby can have only water and apple juice after midnight-which is one reason I was in such a rush to get him off the formula. Starving kids + middle of night before surgery=not fun! Fixing the hypospadias and circumcision should only be a 30 minute procedure, so as long as he comes out of anesthesia okay we should be home by early afternoon.
Thursday and Friday night my mom and siblings will be staying here so looks like the week will stay busy. Looking forward to getting back into routine next week:)

Ick!

2010-01-07T12:01:00.005-08:00

I am currently accepting any and all donations towards a vacation to Mexico. Or the Bahamas. Donor who submits the most chooses the location;)

Another day

2010-01-04T10:58:00.005-08:00

Looks like we're in for another cold week. Which means we'll run low on groceries because I despise being out in this weather!

Landyn's about halfway done with being weaned off his meds. No seizures yet- that we know of anyway. And other than being a bit bossier than usual ("Ah-wick, stop it!" "No, no, no, Kolgy") he hasn't been acting any different. Yes, he has started calling Eric by name.

I got a new camera for a birthday/Christmas gift so Landyn has spent a lot of time running around saying 'cheeeese' and doing his best to get in front of the lens. Kinda nice because it's helping me figure this thing out!

My little poser:
Kolby has stood by himself a few times for about 5 seconds or so. Yesterday he pushed himself up in the middle of the floor for the first time! He saw us looking, got excited, and plopped down. He started up again, but as I was grabbing for my camera Landyn realized somebody else was getting the attention and distracted Kolby. Jealous kid. Won't be long at all before he's walking:)

I do my best to get a picture of Kolby smiling but it doesn't seem to be working lately. He's too busy bothering Landyn to have much time for anything else. I did get a cute one of both my munchkins playing peek-a-boo though!

Christmas & more

2009-12-30T06:35:00.003-08:00

Let's see...once again I am neglecting my blog, and since I have a few minutes while waiting for the OT to appear I'll try get you up to date with Kolby's progress.
This kid is s.t.u.b.b.o.r.n. Which is why I am reluctant to take on new things with him. But I'm proud to say that in a little under two weeks time he went from being solely on bottles for liquids to cutting the bottles out 100%. With bottles he never seemed to be getting enough and he didn't do very well with sippee cups. The OT suggested that he might not have the strength to hold a sippee cup to his mouth so I should try straw cups. But he still didn't like the taste of anything. Until I found this:

It took 5 minutes and he was hooked. The next day he eagerly drank juice, water, and milk. About a week later I cut the nighttime bottle out. The first two nights weren't a problem. The next 2 however he threw a fit and I almost gave in. But I was more determined than him:). Now I can finally put my bottles in storage- for a few months anyway!

Now onto a few Christmas pics....

Landyn painting for the first time--gift from the boy's speech therapist.
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Got 1 to look and smile...
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Landyn thinks unwrapping is the best part
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Landyn with a few gifts from various people. (Fish, pj's, and train track) Kolby likes to sit on the track and grab the train if it's within his reach.
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Merry Christmas!!

2009-12-24T23:50:00.002-08:00

The card we were supposed to send out....but would only upload blurry to photo printing sites. So..here ya go;)

Catching up

2009-12-10T20:59:00.004-08:00

I'm nearing the end of my busy week....and the van still isn't cleaned out from our trip. In my defense it's cold outside. And I'm a wimp.
Tuesday was Kolby's Birth-3 meeting. It was my first time ever doing a conference call--and I somehow survived! (A couple people couldn't make it due to the weather.) Kolby's been meeting or surpassing most of his goals we set up 6 months ago so we're keeping OT and PT the same. And even though he did progress 6 months worth in Speech during that time, we are upping it to every other week and concentrating on sign language and other gestures.
Wednesday was bitter cold-we hit a high of 5* but with the wind it felt like -29*. I am very thankful Eric made the drive down to Sioux Falls with me, this time for Kolby's consult with the urologist. He has hypospadias and a botched circumcision that will be repaired January 13. It's a very quick outpatient surgery, so not a big deal.
Today I dropped the boys off and headed in for MY doctor appointment. I was quite pleased-I was in and out in 10 minutes! The baby's heartbeat was 140...looks like another boy;). And I'm generally quite lazy so I'm happy to say I've been quite ambitious and am going above and beyond the recommended weight gain for pregnancy. (At least I excel in something!) Fast food, Thanksgiving, and vacationing in general will do that to you.
After the appointment it was back to Muriel's for lunch and then back to the doctor for a weight check for Kolby (18 lbs 8 oz), blood drawn for allergy testing-again for K, and a note from the doc for Landyn to hopefully help him re qualify for speech.
Tomorrow: OT and finish cleaning this place up. And bills and laundry. Blah.

I decided to dig out my few pictures from Wa. Enjoy.

The drive out.
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I only put this to show Kolby's rash when it's fairly mild-this is what he's getting allergy testing for. (Don't mind the towel-it was to adjust the carseat if needed. And not sure where his pants went...)
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There were a few girls over at Emily's one night and they had fun styling Kolby's long, luxurious locks. Nobody will take me up on my offer to let them cut it:(
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And Munchkin saw my camera, posed, and said "Cheeeeeeeeeeese"

Home again!

2009-12-07T20:48:00.003-08:00

We rolled into good ole' South Dakota early yesterday morning and made it home at about 1:30 PM. We were gone a total of 3 weeks, which were spent eating, shopping, and visiting. Of course a couple highlights were Carl & Alyssa's wedding-which I have no pictures of- and Thanksgiving. And Burgerville & Red Robin.;)
Landyn, Kolby, & I visited the new Sanford Children's clinic today for the first time since it's been remodeled. I must say it looks pretty impressive from the outside, but I was not pleased with the amount of time spent there or the lack of toys. Landyn's neurologist seemed nice enough, but I think I may switch back to his old one-she suggested it herself because she is swamped. This doctor said that most kids do NOT outgrow seizures when other neurologists and what I can find online says that the majority of children do. I guess we'll see.
I was given instructions on how to go about weaning Landyn from his meds but I need to wait until I have a current prescription of Diastat on hand to stop a seizure if a serious one occurs and a pill cutter to cut his pills in half. I'm hoping Eric will grab those 2 things for me tomorrow so I can begin on Wednesday. I can't remember, but it'll either take 6 or 8 weeks to wean him completely.
Tomorrow is Kolby's Birth-3 meeting and we'll decide how to continue his therapies. I'm going to push to have speech upped because he is mimicking a lot more sounds and hand movements. Oh! Kolby said his first word without prompting Friday night. I laid him down to change his diaper and his shirt pulled up. He rubbed his hands on his belly, said "tickle, tickle, tickle" and giggled:D. How's that for a unique first word?!

The past couple days

2009-11-11T18:37:00.003-08:00

The weather has been amazing for November. It's been in the 50's for the last several days and I've been enjoying every second! A couple days ago, I took the boys out to play. Landyn loved it. Kolby...uhh...it took awhile. He freaked out at first and had to keep hugging me. Eventually he got to where I could move a few feet away and he'd be fine playing with the leaves. I'm not sure if it's the open spaces or what that freak him out since he does the same if I try construction cleaning. Silly boy.

Landyn trying to 'plant' his 'tree'
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Warming up to the great outdoors and sampling a few of the many varieties of leaves available;)
* * * * *I made burritos the other night for supper. I covered the boys' in guacamole and sour cream and they devoured them--while the 'men' complained they were too spicy. Wimps.
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Today I headed to Sioux Falls to get Kolby's orthotics checked out. They determined his feet had been sliding forward so switched the velcro straps out for ones with buckles. The braces should be good for a few months still.
And of course I had to go shopping after that! Went to the mall where Kolby discovered an adorable little boy in the mirror in the play place. He had quite a time smiling, talking, and attempting to kiss him. (Not that I blame him--like I said, the kid WAS adorable!)For awhile Kolbers didn't like anything on his face so I was amazed that he wore Landyn's shades until they slid off his little nose.
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And this was taken close to midnight last night. One of these days this kid WILL be on a decent schedule! Until then--I'll allow this late night bonding as long as he keeps flashing these grins:)
(That rash is refusing to go away....)

2009-11-09T07:37:00.005-08:00

Hmm...what to say?? This pregnancy, like my others, causes me to get sick from being on the computer which is one reason why I haven't been updating. I usually don't feel as sick in the late late evening--but of course then I'm exhausted and I fall into bed as soon as Kolby is out for the night. Growing a human is hard work.

I deeply apologize to all whom we neglected to tell that we have bought a minivan. I am now a 'soccer mom'. Haha. Never mind the fact that it's highly doubtful my kids will ever play soccer. Anyways, it's a Dodge of course. And silver. And has a lot more room than my little neon did. And Landyn thinks it's very cool which of course makes it even better;). You can tell he isn't a teenager yet, hey?! And no, I was not pregnant when we bought it. Least not that I knew of anyway. So those rumors flying around when we brought it home--they weren't true Mom! (Ha!)

Other news:
Kolby said and signed his first word last week. It was "Daddy", of course. He only does the signing with prompting so it probably doesn't really count, but I count it anyway. We tried getting it on video along with the other silly things he does but he wouldn't cooperate and do the signing. Ah well, he's still cute.

Eric and Landyn were a bit bored one night..
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Kolbers snoozing away
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Believe it or not, those are the only pictures I had on my camera from the last couple weeks. I've been majorly slacking.

Baby #3

2009-10-30T16:12:00.002-07:00

This morning Eric braved the slushy, snowy roads to drive me into my first doctor appointment. He drove around with the boys and even attempted a nap while I did all the boring stuff a first appointment requires. My old OB-who I had really liked-has moved to Washington. :p (I knew we should have moved back!) So I got to meet with a new OB who has only been here for a couple days. I must say I was actually fairly comfortable with him, pretty surprising since I'm not a fan of male OB's.
The first highlight of the visit was the doctor telling me I could opt out of the 20 week gestational diabetes screening if I wanted. Obviously, I'm fine with skipping that! The 2nd highlight was when they asked if I wanted an ultrasound. Uhh...of course!!! Here's our little peanut measuring right on time at 8 weeks 6 days. We could even see the beginning of the fingers! Even though I've had early u/s with both boys it's still amazing to see every little detail. For those wondering-I'm due June 5th. I've been feeling okay, somedays are worse than others but for the most part tolerable.
31 weeks to go;)

Adorable video of my boys being adorable;)

2009-10-23T17:17:00.001-07:00

18 month WCC

2009-10-22T14:47:00.003-07:00

There hasn't been a whole lot going on around here-which is why I'm majorly slacking on my blog.
Today I brought Kolby in for his 18 month check up. Thankfully they called us back before I had a chance to get settled in the waiting area-the room was packed and a majority of people were wearing masks. Kolby's weight's the same: 18 lbs even, but he has grown a quarter inch to 28". Doctor isn't at all worried so neither am I. He's been having a rash on his face the last few months that keeps appearing sporadically so she prescribed a steroid cream for it. Again, not worried about it because it's not bothering him. She gave him a clean bill of health and sent us on our way. Now I know it's probably not going to happen--but I really hope we're not back in there for either of the boys before Kolby's 2 year checkup in April! We shall see what the flu season holds for us...I'll admit I'm a bit worried about the H1N1 virus because the OT informed us the therapists out of her building had to get fitted for special masks they'll start wearing on all visits. Scary stuff!
Landyn does not approve of my mothering job lately-he's constantly bossing Kolby around or telling him the right way to do things. When he's not attempting to jump over him or wrestle with him that is. The other day I was sitting right by Kolby when he started banging on the wall. Landyn ran down the steps from his room, pulled Kolby away and started yelling at him telling him to "STOP! Go see Mom!". Looks like I've been demoted;).

And I know it's not a good picture-but you can't have a post without at least one picture! Landyn does a bit of copying Kolby and since Kolby was laying down he had to, too.

Picture post

2009-10-10T19:19:00.004-07:00

Little Monkey
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And flashing his fake smile when he sees the camera
* * * * *Playing horsie with Daddy
* * * * *Least they're playing together, right?
* * * * *Caught Landyn comforting Kolby when he was waking from a nap
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Little Man started pulling himself up on Thursday...started with the short things and moved on to the furniture today.
* * * * *Isn't always sure how to get back down though, so I've been doing a bit of rescuing
* * * * *Landyn never leaves the table when I'm making breakfast...I found him studying the snow.
(Last night was first snow of the season...yuck.)
* * * * *So I sent him out to play in the little bit we got
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DS Awareness-Kolby's story

2009-10-01T16:48:00.005-07:00

In honor of October being Down Syndrome Awareness month, I thought I'd post Kolby's story. It may be long and boring, so feel free to skip if you'd like;)

I found out I was pregnant the very end of Aug 07 when I was 4 weeks along. From then until 14 weeks I had bleeding or spotting resulting in 1 ER visit, 2 doctor appointments and a total of 3 ultrasounds during this time. Every u/s showed the baby's heart beating away but the doctor informed us that the placenta wasn't all the way attached and there was a chance of miscarriage.

Once the bleeding stopped the rest of the pregnancy proceeded as normal. I did skip the 20 week u/s because our insurance wasn't covering my visits. I was preparing to go overdue with this one since I was induced at 41 weeks with Landyn.

I went into labor Wednesday, April 16th at 37.5 weeks. Our baby boy was born at 11:55 PM and after trying my hardest to get Eric to agree to a different name (lol) we named him Kolby Mathew. Mathew honoring both my dad-his middle name- and Eric's uncle Matt who had passed away a couple months before.

The 2 nurses were pretty busy working Kolby over-but since part of the NICU team was in my room when Landyn was born I was just thinking how much more relaxing it was this time. I did wonder why he wasn't crying, but since he looked alert I figured it wasn't a big deal. Eventually they quit the poking and prodding and handed him over.
Later that night, when Eric and I were trying to get some sleep the nurse came into our room and informed us they had put Kolby on oxygen due to low levels. Eric and I joked that at least we remembered them telling us this time-when they put Landyn in the NICU the nurse claims she told me but I remember waking up and wondering where in the world he was!

The next couple of days blurred together so this next part may be off a bit:

Thursday morning the nurses and I tried our hardest to get Kolby to nurse but he wasn't having it. He was much more interested in sleeping than eating. I believe it was this day that I was studying him and mentioned to Eric that Kolby looked like he had Down syndrome. I looked at his hand since pretty much all I knew about DS was the one palm line, but his hand was normal so I rejected the idea. Kolby was back in the nursery on the O2 when a pediatrician came to talk to me. He asked if I had heard of Down syndrome-I excitedly told him yes and told him that I mentioned to Eric that Kolby looked like he had it. The doctor said "well, we really don't think that's what it is, but we'd like to send off a test just in case." Great small town doctors we have, hey?

Friday the doctors were consulting, running gestational age tests, and trying to figure out why Kolby's oxygen wasn't sustaining and why he didn't want to nurse. Kolby's doctor asked my permission to give him formula in hopes that might perk him up and get him to nurse. It did make him a bit more alert for a little while. He must have picked up nursing sometime this day because I know he was a great eater the whole time in Sioux Falls.
Saturday morning Kolby's doctor informed us that they thought he'd do best in a NICU-to get to the bottom of what was wrong with him. I believe she thought he had DS but didn't want us to worry in case it was something different. She did make sure we knew that he was being tested for it, and I purposely didn't ask her opinion on the matter. We chose the Avera hospital in Sioux Falls and the ambulance crew was up from there in a few hours. We quickly ran back home to pack before following down there.

The moment we set foot in the 3rd floor NICU a doctor was there to see us. He told us Kolby could have one of two things: either an infection (since I was Group B positive) or Down syndrome. I remember the nurses looking at us as the doctor was explaining to us what Down syndrome was. As the doctor wound down his speech and turned to go I asked him what he thought it was-and he told us he was almost positive it was Down syndrome. I wondered how we could stand there so calmly when we were hearing news that our son would never be 'normal'.

The nurse there for the shift was awesome and answered a ton of our questions, showing us Kolby's markers for Down syndrome and then gave us a tour of the 3rd floor. What made me know everything was going to be okay was the next nurse on duty. She was studying Kolby, answered a few more of my questions, then casually mentioned that she had a 3 year old niece with DS. She didn't act like it was a big deal at all and that was a huge relief.

The next week was spent waiting to get out of the hospital. We had a ton of visitors and alot of phone calls which helped the time pass quicker, especially since Eric was working during the day. Amazingly enough, he was framing in Sioux Falls during this time:).

We finally went home 1 1/2 weeks after Kolby was born.

$300 eden's bouquet giveaway!

2009-09-25T10:20:00.003-07:00

I HAVE to blog about my cousins $300 clothing giveaway so I can earn another entry;) Check her blog out and enter here: eden's bouquet

3 year WCC

2009-09-24T19:20:00.003-07:00

This morning I finally brought Landyn in for his 3 year checkup-it had been rescheduled a couple times due to Emily's wedding and then him being sick. Height: 36'
Weight: 30 lbs.
Staying in that 25 percentile for both
The doctor and I spoke about Landyn not qualifying for speech anymore. She volunteered to write the school a letter to try get them to accept him. Since Landyn is suddenly speaking sentences the last couple days, I turned her down.
I asked about a recommendation for a children's dentist, and hopefully we'll be in for a checkup before too long.
She drew a circle on a piece of paper and asked him to identify it, hoping for the name of the shape. He responded with "O!".
She then asked him to draw a circle, and I was thinking of telling her that nah, he can't quite do that. He drew a circle that was small and neat and almost perfect.

She asked if he was still in a 5 point harness; I told her yeah, but didn't inform her that he'll be in one until 65 pounds.
We concluded the visit with a flu shot for both boys per our old neurologist's suggestion. Landyn whined twice, Kolby let out one yelp.
And Kolby's new weight: 18 pounds even.

*Photos taken by Eric's very talented sister, Kaia:)

Horsie, horsie, horsie

2009-09-22T18:43:00.005-07:00

Eric's been talking about getting some miniature horses for the boys for awhile now. When our cousin brought it up once again, he jumped at the chance. So he took Landyn and drove the hour to grab 'em last night. The training is good practice for Eric because he dreams of getting his own BIG horse someday.

For all the talking Landyn does about the horses, the idea of actually riding one is still a little nervewracking. But he cowboyed up and got 'er done;)
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The brown's just a bit bigger than the black...
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The brown.
* * *The black. (Ya know, in case you couldn't tell)
* * *And Landyn peering intently over the fence.

2009-09-18T19:30:00.002-07:00

Landyn is talking more, but stutters occasionally when saying sentances. Check it out:

(He's saying "I want banana") Can you tell he looooves the camera?! Takes after Daddy!;)