Wednesday, May 20

FINALLY

Two things finally happened today. Ty's results all came back negative!! We go back June 4th to see if we are going to do more tests to investigate further. The first round of tests were for critical problems, so we can all breathe easier knowing it's probably not a major issue. The second thing that happened is that Noelle finally learned how to pedal her bike, here are 3 short videos of my talented little girl. My back is so thankful that I don't have to hunch over pushing her along anymore :-)

Sunday, May 17

Brave Boy

Dear Ty,

The last few days I have been nervously waiting for the doctor to call us. Last Wednesday, we had to take you into the doctor's because you had some blood in your poop. They told us it could be a million things or it could be nothing at all. We went back the next day and they had to draw blood from your tiny little arm. I was sick all day thinking about how awful it was going to be, but you did an awesome job! It took three of us to hold you still but you didn't even cry! I just kept giving you kisses talking to you to keep you happy. You even managed a tiny smile during the draw. We also had to collect a poop sample, which I will spare you all the fun details of. This wouldn't have been a problem if you had something near a solid poop. Unfortunately for us, it was pretty much liquid. Let's just say it took some creativity to finally get it :-)

You are sleeping peacefully now and I hope to hear back from the doctor tomorrow. I've decided there's nothing worse than not knowing what's going on, so I hope we get some answers soon. In the meantime, keep smiling little guy....

I love you,
Mommy

Monday, May 11

Mom of Two

Dear Noelle and Ty,

I must be the luckiest mom. You two are such sweeties and I enjoyed spending my Mother's Day with you guys and Daddy. We went out to Turkey Run for our annual Trail 3 hike. Daddy and I were a little nervous because Trail 3 is an incredibly tough trail that include hiking up a waterfall, climbing down three sets of rickety wooden ladders, climbing 300+ stairs and keeping your balance of super slippery/muddy trails. We started out with a picnic of fried chicken, fruit, chips and other yummy goodies. Noelle, you thought the picnic was so fun and are still talking about it. We'll have to make sure we go on lots of picnics this summer.

Daddy carried you, Noelle, on his back and you loved having Daddy walk through the water. Good thing he was wearing his reef shoes that we bought in Hawaii, because with all the rain we've had, half the hike was underwater. You also like getting out and hiking yourself, searching for lions in the woods. I carried you, Ty, on my front in the Snugli. You were so content just watching everything that was going on. I made sure to take my time on the hike so that I didn't fall and smoosh you. When we got to the waterfall, Daddy ended up carrying you just in case I slipped. I got a picture of Dad getting ready to hike up the fall with both of you. All along the trial, the other hikers kept telling us how brave we were and that they couldn't believe we'd take two little ones out on Trail 3!!

There was no better gift for Mother's Day!! I love being your mom and am so thankful that you two are such great kids. There's nothing better than spending time with you and listening to your laughs and seeing how much fun the both of you are having. Thanks for a perfect day!! I love you guys!

Love,
Mommy

Saturday, May 9

Contains: MILK, SOY

Dear Ty,

Well, it's been two months since I've been on the dairy/soy free diet and it's made a world of difference for you. We go back to the doctor in a month and will talk with her about where our next steps will be...do we try to reintroduce some dairy and soy into my diet and see how you handle it? Do we start to plan more tests to see if you have other allergies? They say most kids outgrow dairy/soy protein intolerance (DSPI) by age 3 and I really hope that is the case. While it hasn't been too tough to change my diet, I'd hate for you to grow up always checking labels for potential dairy and soy. It makes me sad that you might not be able to eat birthday cakes, or take your girlfriends out for ice cream ;-) I guess we'll have to wait and see what the doctor says and go from there.

I love you,
Mommy

Friday, May 8

An Older Man

Dear Noelle,

Last Saturday, the 2nd you went to your first birthday party!! We were able to enjoy a beautiful morning at the park with your best bud Joel. He goes to Lisa's with you and you even have a nickname for him-Joely. You guys like to play together and he always seems to be trying to help you out. The other day I picked you up and he was helping you put your socks on. And at the b-day party he was showing you how to pedal. It is the cutest.thing.ever.

At the party, he rode you around on this little bike and gave you lots of hugs. Here are some pics of the two of you:

Sunday, May 3

3 Months

Dear Ty,

Today you are three months and I can't believe it's gone by this fast!! You are such a sweet little boy- it's amazing the difference in your disposition since we figured out your dairy/soy intolerance. All we have to do is call you handsome or say "hey" and you are all smiles. You are working on laughing now and when you get super excited, you let out a little laugh. I've been trying to get it on video, but haven't had any luck. You've also been sleeping through the night since April 25th, which is pretty stinkin' cool. You'll nurse around 9-10 pm and go until 5-6 am. There have been a few mornings we've had to wake you up at 7:15 to get fed before daycare. Mommy and Daddy love the full night of sleep, so keep up the good work!!

One of your favorite things to do is to lay on the floor and have the freedom to wiggle around. You're move of the month is the motorcycle, where one leg just pumps up and down. It's the funniest thing to watch, kinda like you are trying to get your Harley started, lol. You also like to see what's on T.V. If you aren't in the position to see it, you scoot around yourself around to have a better view. You've also managed to find your fist to suck on when you're hungry and seemed determined to be a finger sucker...but we're working on not letting that become a habit.

I'm looking forward to all the neat stuff you'll do during your fourth month! I love you to pieces!


Love,
Mommy

Saturday, May 2

The Jokester

Dear Noelle,


The last few weeks your personality has just become hilarious. First, let's talk about the things that are those funny-but-you-shouldn't-laugh episodes. My favorite is when you go stomping around the house, pointing at Mommy or Daddy and telling us NO. And it's not just your pointer finger you are using, you throw the thumb in there for good measure, kinda like making the letter L with your two fingers. You are so emphatic and serious and the look on your face is hysterical. Like I'm in charge here Mom and you better listen up because you're making me mad face. Sometimes you add some pauses in for additional affect: "No. I. Don't.Want.It." Dad and I seemed to have worked out a system though. As the one parent who is getting reprimanded sneaks away to laugh, the other puts your little butt in time out and explains why it's not nice to talk to Mommy/Daddy that way. Another favorite is when you give Chompers and Chance the what for. The other day Chompers got a hold of a baby doll and ripped an arm off and chewed a leg. When you woke up from nap and found the carnage your monologue went like this:


"Oh No. What happened here? Chompers at my doll. No, no, no Chompers. Cage Chompers"


and proceeded to put the dog in her cage...and of course there was a ton of L-shaped finger pointing going on.


But the best is how FUNNY you are. You love to joke around and say silly things just to get a reaction from us. For instance, the other night you said "I want to eat poop" (talking about a popsicle) and so I said "you want to eat poop?!?!" and you giggle and say "noooooooooooo" in a tone that really means, Come on mom, don't be ridiculous, nobody eats poop. Sometimes you and I will just sit around and play this game for hours. I say random stuff and you give me the big "noooooooooooo".


You also love to hide. Anytime you hear the garage door opening you run to hide from Daddy. Sometimes you get into a good hiding spot, but blow your cover when you start laughing. You think that if you can't see anything, then you are hidden. Putting your face in the couch is an all-time favorite "hiding spot". Of course we still pretend we can't see you and go around for 10 minutes or so asking "Where is Noelle? Has anyone seen Noelle? Noelle, where are you?!?"


I'm hoping that this doesn't mean you're going to grow up to be the class clown :-) I can hear the phone call now "Hi, this is Ms. So-And-So and I have your daughter Noelle in class this year. I was just calling to let you know........"


Love you Noelle,
Mommy