2 year stats...

We had Isaac's 2-year check-up today. He was a lot of fun, as he enjoyed having the freedom to walk around on his own (rather than being carried). Anyway...here are his stats:

weight: 28.5lbs (50th percentile)
height: 34 in (50th percentile)

So he's right on for his age!! :) Pretty cool. :) We got a prescription for a steroid cream to help with his eczema. Hope that'll bring him some relief, although he really doesn't seem too bothered by it. I think he's inherited his daddy's pain tolerance. :) When he got his shot today, he didn't even wince. Just watched the big needle poke his thigh like it was nothing. Crazy.

And I hope that his pain tolerance carries over to something else, if necessary. We are being referred to a urologist for Isaac. Since he was born, his penis has been retracted. Sorry if this is too much information for some of you!! :) But basically, instead of poking out like it's supposed to, the tip is hiding behind folds of skin. It's not a huge deal, but it's something that can lead to repeat infections and can make potty-training a challenge for us. I really have no idea if it's even something to worry about. But I've heard of instances where boys may have to be re-circumsized if it wasn't done properly the first time. We are *really* hoping that this isn't the case here. We'll find out more over the next few weeks!

Funny Isaac-isms from today:

Me: (talking to my mom on the phone) "Our appointment is at 3:45."
Isaac: (overhearing) "It's at 3-4-5.....6-7-8-9-10." :)

Me: "What are you going to say to the doctor?"
Isaac: "I'm gonna tell da doctow, 'Hi! I'm I-yeck!'" :)

At the doctor's office, there was another little girl waiting to be seen. She went up into a loft play area, and Isaac started following her. On the way up the stairs, he yells across the waiting room: "Mommy...I'm gonna go say peek-a-boo!" Got quite a few chuckles from everyone. :)

One of "those" kinda days...

As I survey my home - wadded tissues adorning the counter tops, dirty dishes piled in the sink, and toys scattered about the floor, I find myself wanting to run far away and be...alone. It's been one of "those" days. Any parent knows what I'm talking about. Two very whiney babies with never-ending streams of snot coming from their noses. We've managed to go through a box and a half of Kleenex in two days! I no sooner finish wiping one little nose when I notice the other one needs wiped again!

And just a little side note to my children: I don't enjoy wiping your snotty nose any more than you do. And when you fight it, snot goes EVERYwhere and just makes matters worse. So let's work on this together, okay? :)

My day started earlier than normal. Naomi decided that 6:30 was a good time to be up and ready for the day. Isaac slept in until about 10am, which was kind of him, since he had been up half the night crying. But unfortunately sleeping in didn't cure his grumpy mood. At breakfast, he enjoyed his oatmeal so much that he wanted seconds. Cool. So I made him another bowl (which I now know is too much for a 2-year-old). He ate a few bites, then let me know he was finished by tossing it off his tray. Nice. Warm, sticky oatmeal splattered all over my kitchen floor and walls. Mona was nearby and loved helping clean up!! Why must he continue throwing his food?!?

Naomi screamed while I was on my hands and knees, cleaning breakfast off the floor. As I went to rescue her from her loneliness, I find that she had a reason for her screaming - spit-up all over the place. Lovely. Especially lovely with the mix of snot running down to her lips! YUCK!

Isaac asks to watch TV, which I respond with a resounding YES...PLEASE! :) As he sits, motionless in front of the television, I have a moment to clean up a little after breakfast. Well...as well as I can with a baby in a hip cast in my arms!! More snotty noses to wipe, too! Snack time followed shortly by lunch. Pretty uneventful...aside from the constant nose-wiping and spitting-up by Naomi. And she didn't enjoy being put down so I could eat either. So I ate through her screams.

After lunch...NAPTIME! A blessed time, indeed. And it just so happened that their naps aligned today. SWEET! Naomi went down. Then Isaac...sort of. I could hear him up in his room. But thought he was just fighting his nap (an almost daily occurrence). But today was a little different. Isaac decided to get creative. He thought it would be a good idea to use his hands to remove the poop from his diaper. And then use that poop as art on his crib and on the floor. He later informed me that he "licked it." Nice. Mid-day bath! Goes okay until the part when I need to wash his hair. He's developed a HUGE intolerance to hair washing...doesn't like water in his ears or eyes, so fights it altogether. Bath ended with LOTS of screaming and tears. Cleaned up THAT mess...then put him back down for a nap.

Came downstairs for my "break"...turned on Naomi's baby monitor. And she's UP! Wow. So they didn't nap together after all! Bummer. But hopefully she'll be in a better mood. Nope. Still cranky. Still snotty. Still wanting to be held constantly. So I spent some time with my sweet baby girl...and I did get a few good laughs out of her. :) And then Isaac decided that 45 minutes would be enough of a nap for today. Splendid.

The rest of the afternoon was pretty much a blur...filled with lots of whining, correcting, and snotty noses! :) The afternoon ended with a generous amount of spit-up soaking my arms and legs. Mona came to the rescue again! :) My poor husband probably wondered what in the heck was going on as he found me frazzled and with no pants on!! I had one of "those" days! I didn't even go into how many times I put my son in time-out or how many fits he threw or that he began experimenting with cause and effect by hitting his baby sister! To say that I was exhausted at the end of today would be an understatement. Mentally, physically, spiritually...drained. Empty.

But I will take whatever sleep I manage to get tonight, and get up tomorrow to do it all over! :) Well...I will pray with everything I've got for tomorrow to be at least a little more tolerable than today. And I will praise God for two of the most wonderful kiddos alive! And I will love them all the same. I will remember the point in my day when I remembered that Isaac likes to sing, so we spent about 15 minutes singing fun, silly songs...and the time when he danced up on the bins like he was part of STOMP or something. I will remember him laughing hysterically as he sat in my lap and we sang "the mommies on the bus say, Shh, Shh, Shh!...all through the town." He especially liked that one! I will remember him saying, "I saw-wee (sorry), mommy." without being prompted! And all of Naomi's silly squeals and laughter. Yes...this was one heck of a day, but it wasn't ALL bad. I love my kids. And I love my job! :) Wouldn't trade it for the world!

Happy Birthday to my Isaac!!

My sweet, sweet Isaac...

Today you are two years old! Where oh where has the time gone? You are growing up before our very eyes! You have definitely started losing your "baby" look...and are looking more and more like a little boy every day. (A very adorable little boy!)And you are most definitely acting like a two-year-old these days! :) You never have a problem letting us know what you want. And if you don't get your way, you let us know your displeasure as well! You are also very good at testing us. I would say that you obey mommy and daddy maybe 80% of the time. And the other 20%...not so much. :)But you're a toddler...and figuring out this world. You actually ASK to be put in time-out, which makes us smile. You've tried using that as a bargaining tool to get out of getting a spanking. You really are quite smart! :)You have been blessed with a brilliant mind. I look forward to teaching you and watching you develop. So far, you can count to 12 (that's how many steps up to the top of our stairs). You can name and identify 22 of the U.S. presidents, you know many of your shapes (circle, square, triangle, rectangle, oval, octagon, heart, star, crescent and diamond), and can identify most colors...though you still sometimes get those mixed up. :) You know the letters I, A, E, and H, though you can sing all of your ABC's. :)You seriously remember things that amaze all of us. But your favorite thing seems to be remembering people's names and faces. SO fun! You also LOVE to sing. Your favorite songs (which you sing all by yourself) are: Jesus Loves Me, Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, the ABC's, Grama's "Birdy" song, the Clean-up song, and the Itsy Bitsy Spider. Your newest one is Our God is an Awesome God. SO sweet! We love it when you sing!Lately, you have also been really into a couple of television shows. I told myself that I wasn't going to let you watch TV...but you are actually enjoying it A LOT and are learning too! Your three favorite shows are Dora the Explorer, Go, Diego, Go!, and Sid the Science Kid. With it being winter time, you watch an average of one show a day...and sometimes even two!!You would much prefer to be outside, but it's just been TOO cold for that. I can't WAIT for the spring and summer...you are going to LOVE it! :) You enjoy swinging on the "big boy" swings, now! And you are pretty much fearless when it comes to playground equipment. You'll try anything! :)The only thing you seem to be leery about is your new "Lil Quad" that you got for Christmas. We think you'll like it much better when you can ride it outside. :) We'll see! You have started to make-believe play a lot more recently. You especially enjoy "cooking" so we're excited to give you a little play kitchen for your birthday!! :) You've also started disciplining your stuffed animals (especially "swiper da box"...aka 'Swiper the Fox' from Dora) by putting them in time-outs or giving them "pankins cuz dey no obey".You enjoy bossing Mona around. Tend to be super shy around strangers. Tell us when you need to pee and poop, but are still uninterested in going on the potty. LOVE playing with friends. Know LOTS of animals. Still a GREAT eater, although getting to be a little more picky. You enjoy reading books. And the first book you read completely on your own was: Peek-a-WHO? :)You no longer feel the need to take naps, but will give in 2 or 3 days a week and actually take one! But you're still sleeping 14-15 hours each night, which is wonderful! :) Two days shy of your second birthday, and you've finally decided you're done with your crib. Well...at least you are confident in how to climb out every time. So we're deciding to switch you to the big boy bed this week!! I'm SO sad about this, but hope you do well with it.You LOVE to play hide-and-seek, but you just run and "hide" in the middle of the room...in plain sight, waiting with a BIG grin for us to find you. SO cute! You enjoy coloring, but still have a tendency to eat your crayons! YUCK! You also enjoy playing with stickers and play-doh...but again, with direct (and constant) supervision only. :)When we ask you what your name is, you pat your chest, as you exclaim, "I I-yeck!" And you like to tell Naomi to stop touching you, "May-o-mee...no touch ma head!" We'll give you choices, like "Do you want to walk upstairs to go to bed, or do you want daddy to carry you?" to which you will sometimes respond: "I have two minute!" (which is a lovely stalling technique that you've discovered). :)You have LOTS of little friends, but some of your best buddies include your cousin, Morgan, Gabriel W, and Caleb C. You are also very fond of two of our neighbor girls (3-year-olds), Emma and Claire. SO sweet! :)You still LOVE animals and ask to kiss every last one you see! "I kees da birdy?" "I wanna kees da keely (kitty)" "I tawtch it?" :) I love that you love animals. You are currently wearing 18-month bottoms, and 24-month tops, and wear size 8 shoes! We'll find out your weight and height at the doctor next week!! :)
the following are some funny things you've said/done recently:
- you walk around the house saying over and over: "I want boobies...I like peenus" (translated: I want blueberries, I like peanuts...which happen to be two of your favorite foods right now)
-After tooting: "I burped..." Then: "I have gas in my butt."
-You recently fell down while at Nana & Papa's. You hurt your bottom, and got up and said: "I got a owie on my butt....Nana kiss it? Nana kiss my butt." We were laughing SO hard! :)
-When you get into something you shouldn't have: "Look what my found!" (as you hand it to us)
-Whenever you see mommy & daddy hugging, with a cheeky smile, you say, "I would like a hug TOO!"
All in all, this has been a GREAT year. You are the BEST and we love you more than words can say. I can hardly believe you're already TWO!! I know this phase of your life can have its challenges, but we are enjoying it all the same. You are SO full of life, little man. Your joy is contagious and that laugh...oh that laugh!! You seriously light up our life. And we look forward to many more fun memories with you! :) Happy Birthday, son. We praise God for you every day!!

Still doing well!

Naomi just continues to amaze us! She is SUCH a little trooper! She has remained joyful throughout all of this. Though she has just started coming down with a cold of some sort, so we're hoping that goes away as quickly as it came on!! We found a kid's sofa-bed thing at a local thrift store, which is working perfectly. And one of Kevin's co-workers connected us with one of her friends whose baby also had hip dysplasia and was in a cast. Her friend has let us borrow a really neat chair/table/rocker that was made specially for a baby in a hip cast. SO cool. And Naomi loves it, too! :) I haven't gotten any photos of her in it yet, but here are a few photos from our week...

Did I mention that she's a happy baby? ;)

God is SO good!!

Well we are just rejoicing tonight! Today was awesome....as awesome as a it can get given the circumstances! :) Naomi did NOT require surgery! Praise God!! In fact, the doctor was very pleased with how well her hip stayed in place, and is confident that this cast (for six weeks) and the next (for another six weeks) is all it will take to correct it!! :)They were running AHEAD of schedule in the OR today. (Does that ever happen, really?) So instead of her procedure starting at 3:30, it began at 2pm!! Crazy! They were done before she was even scheduled to begin in the first place!! How awesome is THAT?!? :)We were anticipating her cast going from her armpits to her ankles. Instead, it begins just above her belly button, and ends just above her knees! So she can still bob her little legs to her heart's delight! :) Her left leg has a boot cast that goes from just under her knee to her toes. It was the first time this doctor had ever done a cast like this, and he did it for her comfort!! :) We also found out that they were able to use a special material that makes the cast waterproof!! So she can get bathed when needed!! :) Woo hoo!The hospital provided us with our special carseat, and we are home and enjoying the peace and quiet as both kiddos sleep soundly!! I was SO excited that Naomi actually fit into one of her sleepers!! It's one size larger than what she's in now...and it actually FIT! That means no super-expense special clothing!! :)All-in-all, we are just SO thankful at how things turned out today. Naomi was a real trooper and is just as happy as ever. We really appreciate all of the wonderful thoughts and prayers and support from our family and friends!! And just wanted to say thanks, too, to Isaac's Nana and aunts Jessica and Kiki for helping out with him today! :)We are also thankful for Kevin's mom, as she is planning to come down tomorrow evening to help throughout the rest of this week. It's going to take some getting used to, but so far, we are pleased with the outcome! It truly could not have gone any better! Praise God!! :)

Quick Update...

Just wanted to write a QUICK update...Naomi's doctor's trip to Haiti got pushed back, so we got a call this morning that she is scheduled for surgery TOMORROW afternoon! Yikes!! This has been a roller coaster! I am hurrying around trying to get things ready. LOTS to do! Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers tomorrow! And I'll try to update when I get a chance.

Peace & Love!

LOTS of pics!!

So I guess I'm in a bit of a black and white kinda mood. :) Here are some recent photos of the kiddos. They LOVE playing in front of a mirror.

Isaac loving on his aunt "dess-i-ka"...

And here's one of Isaac on the potty! He's actually ASKING to go on it every day! But he has yet to actually go IN the potty. He enjoys sitting there for awhile, and then squatting to pee on the FLOOR! :)

Naomi's update...

***Naomi's doctor has been asked to serve down in Haiti all next week, so we have had to re-schedule her procedure to February 9th!***

So Naomi's procedure is scheduled for next Friday, January 29th. We have to be at the hospital by 6:30am. (Oh joy!) The hardest part, in all honesty, is going to be that I won't be allowed to nurse her any time after 1:30am. Given that she's been used to waking up every 3-4 hours to nurse, this will be a challenge for us. But we're going to pray that she sleeps straight through and doesn't desire to nurse at all!! :)

When we get there, they will prep her for surgery (IV's and all that good stuff). Then they'll take her away and put her under general anesthesia. After she's out, they'll inject a dye into her hip and conduct an arthrogram to see how much space is left in the hip socket as they try to re-position it where it should be. If it goes right back into place, and the doctors are confident that it'll stay that way, then they will set it and put her in a cast. If there's too much space between the ball and socket, then they will have to go in and surgically remove anything that may be in the way. And then they'd put a cast her on.

We are hoping with everything we have that she does not require surgery, as it would mean a lot more pain for her...as well as a MUCH longer recovery time. Either way, she'll be in a cast for a total of 12 weeks. The cast would typically go from her chest down to her ankles. However, since she also has metatarsus adductus in her left foot (severely turned inward), they are going to extend the cast all the way to her toes on that side to correct that as well.

If surgery is NOT required, then she'll come home with us that day. Otherwise, we'd be staying at the hospital for up to 3 days. Again, we are really hoping to bring her home with us that same day!!

Being in a cast is not going to be pleasant or convenient, but we're hoping that little Naomi just takes it all in stride. She is SUCH a happy baby and we pray that she continues to be just as joyful despite these circumstances. Having such a large, nearly full-body cast on cannot be comfortable for her. So we're trusting God to comfort her throughout the next few months!

It also poses challenges for us that you may never even think about. For instance, the hospital will provide us with a special carseat, as she will not fit in her normal one. She will no longer fit into ANY of her adorable clothes. We are looking into special clothes made for these type of casts, but they aren't cheap. She also will not be able to get a bath for the next 3 months! We will have to take care to not get her cast wet at all. And then there's the issue of diapering. If the cast gets urine or feces on it at all, it can lead to infection. So we'll to have to be super diligent about frequent diaper changes.

She won't be able to move from her trunk down...at all. That means no sitting, standing, crawling...nothing. She won't fit into her exersaucer or jumparoo or baby swing or bouncer seat. Nothing. So we're going to need to get creative with what we do for her so she doesn't grow bored and frustrated. She also won't be able to sit in her high chair for feeding or a stroller for walks or the baby bjorn for carrying. :) Like I said...we're going to have to get creative! :)

Despite all of the inconveniences this will bring, we know in the whole scheme of things, 12 weeks is not THAT long. Before we know she'll be toddling around, wrestling with her big brother. :) We would sincerely appreciate your prayers!! Please pray that she will NOT require surgery. And that the Lord would comfort her as she is "stuck" for the next 3 months...that she would remain joyful in the midst of the inconvenience. Pray also for patience and diligence for Kevin and me...that we won't grow weary in taking care of her special needs.

And more than anything, our biggest prayer is for TOTAL restoration of her hip!! The doctor eluded to the fact that this is not always successful. Many times, children may require MULTIPLE surgeries to correct this. We don't think this will be the case with Naomi, but it does point us to the need to pray for COMPLETE restoration of that hip! We hope that after her cast is removed in 12 weeks, that she will be completely healed! :)

Okay...I think I've covered everything! I'll update when I know more!

Quick Update...

I am long overdue for more photos and video. UGH. Just wanted to get on here real quick to ask for prayer. We confirmed (with an x-ray) this week that Naomi has developmental hip dysplasia. I was born with it...so I know that it's hereditary. It's just a bummer that we didn't catch it sooner, as now we could potentially looking at her being in a cast for up to 12 weeks. We are REALLY hoping that she does not require surgery!!

We have very limited information about her specific condition (like how severe it is). But we are meeting with a pediatric orthopedic surgeon this next week to find out more. The timing is just a bummer, as she has been getting ready to crawl. I have a feeling this will set her back quite a bit...but I hope that her joyful little personality will just take it all in stride! :)

She has also finally cut two bottom teeth...so that's been fun! :) In Isaac news...he's just a VERY active toddler boy. He has really taken a liking to singing lately. SO sweet. And he's been working on learning his presidents (I think he knows about 15-20 of them now). He also loves singing his ABC's and counting to 10. I plan to start homeschooling (preschool) him next month after he is two!! I'm super excited about that!! :)

Our Sweet Naomi...

She is SEVEN months old today! Wow! Here's a quick update...After starting her on rice cereal a few weeks ago (as blogged about), Naomi developed some pretty bad eczema on her face. This was some kind of reaction to the cereal...we tried it 4 separate times and EVERY time, the rash came back. UGH. So...we waited a couple of weeks and tried oat cereal, per recommendation of our pediatrician. She actually enjoyed it and no rash on the face!! We thought we were good to go...until she had her first bowel movement after eating the cereal. MAJOR rash all over her bottom! (Poor baby!)So now we're done with that. Apparently Naomi is sensitive to GRAINS!?! Oh boy. So we will now be trying peas. If she reacts to this as well, then we are just going to wait for another few months before reintroducing solids.She still doesn't have any teeth, but those two on the bottom are REALLY trying to poke through. We can see their ridges and are just waiting for them to really pop up. She is sitting pretty well unassisted these days, and is really starting to figure out how to get around. She isn't crawling with her hands and knees, but she scoots all over the place (and usually backwards).Naomi still LOVES her brother. If she has the opportunity to touch him and even get close to him, she gets all giddy. SUPER cute! :) Isaac isn't so excited about her and especially does NOT like it when she reaches out to touch him. It's pretty funny.(Click any of the images to make them larger.)