Mickey, Toe Fuzz, and Tonka

I promise LJ has not gotten lost in the chaos like it may seem in my recent blog posts...he has been busy learning, growing, and having fun too! My little boy is growing up so much, and I can't wait for him to take another sibling under his wing. I am not sure he really gets it still...we talk about it and he has hears the baby's heartbeat regularly, but today when I asked him what was in my tummy, he responded with, "Grandma?!" He will figure it out soon enough!

 

With all of Kaycie's appointments, LJ has done really well. There are times where he will go with us, but usually one of us stays home with him while the other goes with Kaycie. He loves his daddy time, so he is happy. However, we did get to a point where every morning when he woke up, one of the first things he would ask is what doctor we were going to that day. He loves going to the doctor because they are never for him :) We realized we need to be deliberate about spending focused time on him as well.

 

In May, we left Kaycie with Grandma and Grandpa for the first time, and went to Disney on Ice. LJ is a huge Mickey fan, and he loved the time with us all to himself. We also learned that cotton candy is "fuzzy" and he is not a fan. LJ goes through phases of being afraid of fuzz...random toddler fear that all started one tragic night when he got into the bathtub after having new socks on and....gasp...he had TOE FUZZ! We spent weeks giving him showers because he would absolutely panic in the bath because there may be fuzz. He now has a mantra, "Fuzz in fun, and dirt don't hurt." It works sometimes. Again I ramble...

 

 

We decided to enroll LJ is swim lessons this year. It wasn't any blowing bubbles class. First thing on the first day I was told to push his head in and send him towards the edge. By the end of the first class I was pushing him off the diving board. The first 1.5 classes were filled with screaming toddlers...it was actually pretty stressful, and I was wondering why I chose this for my quality one on one time with LJ. However, halfway through the second class, something just clicked. I think he just figured out how to hold his breath. All of a sudden I couldn't get him out of the pool. We did 2 rounds of classes (2 weeks), and LJ is just in heaven. He can swim to the edge, get out, jump back in, go off the diving board, etc. It is really cool to watch what the instructor does. I wish I had gotten more pictures or video but I was always in the water with him. It really isn't magic, she just has it down to an art. Needless to say, we have been spending some time at the pool. Kaycie likes the water too, and it is a good strength builder for her.

 

 

 

LJ loves his sister. He is learning to be gentle, as it just isn't natural for a 2 year old. He tells me when she needs a bottle or food, and he always wants to help. In the past, the first thing LJ wants to do when he gets up is to go see daddy...I hate to say it, but he now asks to go get "sister" first. And she always has a big smile for him too. Today, he came up to me and told me she is and angel...I said, "Well, yes she is!" He then proceeded to tell me that he was an angel too :)

 

LJ enjoys playing fetch with the puppies, playing with his cars (he can even pick out certain makes and models on the road), balls, singing, going to Sunday school (every week we have a discussion about how Sunday school is only on Sunday, not Monday or Thursday, just Sunday), the park, typical little boys things. He will start school in August, and we are so excited that he will be in an environment to continue to thrive.

 

Another random conversation with LJ last week...

 

LJ: Mommy, I'm hungry (as we are pulling in to Target and I realize I forgot to give him a snack)
Me: Ok, we will get you a snack. What do you want for dinner tonight?
LJ: Tacos
Me: Like the mini tacos from Costco?
LJ: Yeah

A few minutes later and reapeated until we got back home...

LJ: Mommy, I want Mickey Tacos
Me: What are Mickey tacos? (We went in circles)

 

It finally hit me that he heard me say mini as in Minnie and he prefers Mickey. Oookkk...his new favorite food is Mickey tacos...don't dare call them mini :)

 

Another random before I call it quits. You know that Tonka died last November. After it happened, LJ really didn't say a whole lot. He asked about him a couple times in the first few days, but we haven't talked to him about it since. The other day, I went in to LJ's room to get him up from his nap, and the first thing he asked me was, "Where is Tonka?" I was sort of thrown off, so instead of telling him, I asked who Tonka was. He proceeded to tell me about how Tonka was his favorite puppy because he plays with him and he is funny. "He makes me laugh." He has proceeded to tell me about how they took a bath together outside in the hose because Tonka pooped. I have tried to ask him if he had a dream, but he doesn't quite get the concept, but it is very real to him. He talks about him in present tense and that day even went to the back door to see if he was outside. I finally explained that Tonka died and went to heaven. So now when I ask where Tonka is, he says, "With the Father." He has continued to mention him daily though. My little boy has reunited with Tonka in his dreams :)

 

LJ just makes us laugh. He is so full of life, he has never met a stranger, he always asks every one around them if they are happy, and has a hug for you if you aren't. It is hard to believe he will be 3 soon!

 

 

Growing up Kaycie!

So I guess it is time for an update...I have thought about it for weeks, but honestly, by the time I get the kiddos in bed, I have been ready to shut down myself lately!

 

If you missed the announcement, we are expecting another baby in January. I am sure we will make it to January this time. How am I so sure you ask? Well, we have spent a fortune on medical expenses this year, so we are hitting our out of pocket maximums quickly. Of course it all starts over in January, and it is just the way these things work. If I had the baby this year, it wouldn't cost us much, but in January it will...see, I just know this, but I won't complain :) A January baby would be great! So far, things have been going fine. I have been sick at night, but most days it is starting to ease up. Honestly, we have been so busy, I haven't had time to think too much, which is actually good! We will find out in 2 weeks if it is a boy or girl...I always get so antsy when it gets close!

 

We always wanted 3 kids, but we never imagined that we would have another by birth. It was the best surprised we could have ever dreamed of. At 14.5 weeks, I think it is just now starting to sink in that we have another on the way. God has truly given us some amazing gifts, and we cannot wait to see how our family continues to change.

 

We have been finding a rhythm with Kaycie, and she is doing wonderfully! She will be 11 months next week...time is flying by! She is about 20 pounds. She has continued speech and physical therapy, and we are seeing results. She is now sitting well, and she has just started to get herself into a sitting position from laying, and we are excited. She has been working so hard on it. She has also just started to crawl on her hands and knees...she doesn't do it 100% of the time, but more and more every day. Today for the first time she was determined to get LJ's cup off the train table, and she even got herself pulled up to her knees before crashing to the floor. She is definitely getting stronger.

 

She had an MRI back in June, and we learned that her vestibules are damaged. It happened during development, and it may or may not be genetic. This is what has caused her hearing loss. The bigger question it answers though is the gross motor skill issue. The central vestibules connect the ear and balance center of the brain. Since hers are damaged, it not only causes hearing loss but also balance/equilibrium problems. Her ENT is confident that with the continuation of therapy, she will gain the skills she needs. Once she has them, she won't lose them, but she has to learn to compensate. It is like learning to sit/walk etc. With vertigo. It is common for children with this damage to not walk until 2.5 years or later. However, in speaking with her physical therapist, she doesn't think it will be quite that long. Kaycie has her stubbornness and determination going for her. She doesn't quit. It has actually been pretty amazing to watch the small steps she has taken. We are so proud of her, and we celebrate a lot around here!!

 

As for her hearing and speech...she is making stides there as well. Another good piece of news we gained from the MRI is that with the type of damage she has, it is not expected that we will see a rapid decline in her hearing. This was one of my biggest concerns. Of course, over time it may lessen some but "typically" it is a fairly stable loss. We continue to work with her on speech and some signing. We also work a lot on listening. It has been one of the most valuable things I have learned. Hearing kids listen naturally, she doesn't. It is a process of "learning to listen." We do a lot of cueing to get her to acknowledge a sound so that she can then process it. Sometimes when it gets too loud, you can see her sort off shut down. She no longer freaks out, but she just stops listening and withdraws. It is her normal way to cope. She has been doing better with her hearing aids. She usually only tries to yank them out when she starts getting tired. I had been giving her a "hearing break" at night before bed where I would let her leave them out and play quietly. As the days go by though, I have found that she doesn't need this everyday anymore. If she doesn't pull them out, I leave them until bedtime.

 

Kaycie now babbles like any other baby, and she even has her first few words. She knows mama and dada (I am happy to report that mama came first). She also says "hi". When we first get her in the mornings, we are greeted with a smiling hi...she know she has it. Her next word, I fully give credit to LJ..."mine". LJ is still learning to share. He often takes whatever toy she has and says, "It's mine." Kaycie is no pushover, and she has recently started grabbing back while saying, "Mine!" She really is funny. Her physical therapist told me yesterday that she was crawling around and picking up the toys and saying, "mine" for each one.

 

I am going to make a seperate post on LJ since I seem to ramble...he has also been busy learning and growing and having some fun!