The Third Week of the Fourth Month

As more time passes in between postings, my memory gets worse and worse about what happened. On April 19, I know Joshua had school and so did I. It was my week of grading papers, projects and more! Thankfully I finished it all that week. Tuesday instead of going to MOPS, I decided to do some projects with the boys at home. I had been missing them, and I get tired of always being on the go. I also had grading to do, so the drive time, etc. I thought would be better spent here. That morning, I dug out our paints and let the boys enjoy some craft time. Joshua LOVED it! He painted a picture to send to Jordon to thank him for sharing some new books and toys with us. Then he made a picture of 'Slimin' for Pa-paw. He kept painting and painting. Meanwhile, Caleb painted two or three pictures and was done. He wasn't as interested in the activity, but I think that goes with their ages.

Mom watched the boys on Monday and then Grandpa Georgia watched the boys on Wednesday while I headed to school. That night I went to the hair dresser and came home and went to bed since I was starting to get a migraine.

Thursday, though, was a really good day. That morning I saw Dr. Winand about my legs, and he said they're still not ready for more surgery yet since they still have significant inflammation. So, I see him again in July. He told me that he has five kids, ages five and under. WOW! It was interesting to hear his story. Grandma watched the boys for me while I was there, and then after her yoga class was done (and we were done at the grocery store), we took the boys shoe shopping. Both boys got their feet measured, and Caleb is now an 8W and growing like a weed and Joshua is in a 9 1/2. I think he'll be in a 10 soon enough. I bought Joshua sneakers since he doesn't have any, and Mom bought him a new pair of Mickey Mouse Crocs and Caleb a pair of summer sneakers. Since we were at the Stride Rite Outlet, we walked next door to the Disney Store, which the boys LOVED. I had never been in that one, and it was really big! The boys kept picking things out and falling in love with them. Mamaw bought them each a cup and t-shirt (thanks!!!). They both were enthralled by all the neat things. We had a fun morning shopping.

Grandpa Georgia had offered to watch the boys that night for us so we could go on a date. He actually came over early, though, so I could go for a jog to the park since the weather was gorgeous. It was lovely! When Shawn got home, we headed to Carabba's since we had a gift card. It was a really great day and night. :) :) :) We enjoyed the date. Afterward, Dad, Caleb & I went to Mountville to pick up a cheap, used toy kitchen for the boys (and their friends, of course) that came with a bunch of food. Daddy & Joshua spent some time playing with Joshua's new Cars-themed Wii game that Shawn had bought him. He LOVES it! And I'm surprised at how well Joshua does playing with the Wii. When we got back with our new toys, we all enjoyed some warm apple pie and ice cream to finish off our fantastic day and then Grandpa headed home while we put the boys to bed.

Friday morning, Grandpa Georgia & I took the boys to some garage sales. I had seen an ad on Craig's List that Quail Hollow was having their development yard sale. Since I know my dad is nuts about yard sales, I thought I would see if he wanted to go and of course he did. That morning, I peeled potatoes and threw them in the crock pot with a roast and some seasonings before we left. We drove up 272 Oregon Pike and I ended up missing the turn to get into the development. I pulled down the next road and headed down toward a sign that said 'garage sale' and while Dad got out and looked, I called Shawn to give me the road name to look for. In the mean time, Grandpa found Buzz Light Year (a toy that Joshua had been begging for and I tried to buy off Craig's List for $15 only for the lady never to get back to me with her address) for .... 50 CENTS!!!! I couldn't believe it. We brought that treasure home for me to clean and put batteries in and it works! Joshua was SO excited! As were we with our steal-of-a-deal.

Grandpa bought the boys a new sled, he found a car seat that had the five-point harness and looked to be in really good condition for $1 (just in case he would ever need to take the kids somewhere in a pinch) and a few other toys. We also found a brand new in the package Veggie Tales movie for a dollar. We had pretty good luck there! The boys eventually got tired of walking around and not being able to touch everything they saw, so we left just before lunch time.

My sister had thought she might need someone to pick Faith up at school, so I called to confirm and she didn't need the help. But, I invited her to the park and she accepted. We all ate McDonald's at Stoner Park and let the kids play. Caleb ADORED the swings! This is the first time he ever really showed an interest in swinging, and he stayed there most of the time we were there. Joshua was pretty tired by then, so we headed out after an hour or so and went back to the house for naps.

That afternoon I created two casseroles that I stuck in the freezer and Grandma stopped by to visit for a couple minutes. Then while the boys napped, I decided to mow our lawn by myself. Normally Shawn does this, but it was so overgrown I feared we would lose our children. The day was absolutely gorgeous outside and they had been calling for rain that weekend and colder temperatures all week. So, I went out and mowed. Mom's visit was at the perfect time since we own her old mower, and she showed me where to put the gas in. After she left, I mowed the entire yard, stopping numerous times to empty the bag (the hardest part at first). Every time I did, I opened the front door to listen for the kids and make sure they were okay.

Shawn hadn't had the best day at work, but he seemed pleased that the yard no longer made our house look like a 'repo' and that dinner was ready when he got here. It had been a productive day, but I was beat! That said, he let me go for a jog and I couldn't turn down the offer. I ran and then came home and ate supper. Since the Dairy Queen had buy one, get one for a quarter blizzards on sale, we decided that a treat sounded good. On the way we called friends to see if they wanted to join us, but they declined, which was no big deal. We enjoyed the ice cream and put the kids to bed when we got home and we watched TV until late... maybe Glee or Lost? Can't remember...

Then Caleb woke up screaming at 11 pm and didn't go back to bed until after 4 am. We were zombies all day Saturday and got nothing done. It was just sort of a yucky day. We were supposed to go to a birthday party for Ben, but we wanted to make sure Caleb wasn't really sick (he had a bit of a runny nose). I think it may have been his teeth coming in. He was completely better by Sunday, but we decided not to chance it on Saturday. So, other than a trip to Walmart and a little shopping, we didn't do anything that day except eat one of the casseroles I made. Joshua ate nothing but peas that night for dinner. ???

The next day, Grandpa Georgia came over with pizza for lunch before the boys napped. We were supposed to have a youth group reunion later that afternoon, but the cold rainy weather made them push back the date. So, we went to life group and enjoyed our time there with friends.

Happy 43rd birthday, Joshua!

Last Sunday, April 18, Joshua turned 43 months old. Here are him and Caleb on his bed watching a Veggie Tales movie on his little TV in his room before nap time (I think - it may have been just after since his bed isn't made). Doesn't the Bean look so happy in the picture above?

This was another month where all the sudden we could just see a difference in Joshua and know that he got a little older. His expressions are a little 'older,' if you know what I mean. For example, he says "are you thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?" and others that he didn't used to even know what they meant. He continues to sing along to songs, and it amazes me the words that he just picks up. He told me the other day that he wanted the 'please don't stop the music' song. We just got his feet measured, and he's now solidly in a 9 1/2 shoe. He's also gotten taller, we think. Another thing we noticed is that he plays more 'interactively' with toys, making them talk and say things to each other and carrying them around and moving them with motion that he creates, etc. It's hard to describe, but he just seems bigger. He also loves to paint and no longer waits to see what I'm doing but rather makes his own creations. He loves to cut with scissors and adores playing with stickers.

He also enjoys playing simple games and putting together a little bit harder puzzles. He's starting to toss a Frisbee decently well, even though he's too nervous to even think about catching one. He likes going for walks and enjoys looking at what's around and telling us about it. He also loves movies, and he's getting more into characters of movies. He's really into Cars and Toy Story right now, but he also likes Finding Nemo and others.

The day of his birthday, we baked our pineapple stuffing and headed up to Berks County to celebrate Easter once again, this time with Shawn's side of the family. Even though it was cold that day, they did a little Easter egg hunt. The boys enjoyed it, I think.

Nonie also gave the kids Easter bags that had a toy for each of them - Joshua got a little guitar and Caleb got some 'whistling hippo' bathtub toys which both boys have enjoyed playing with during their baths. They also got lots of healthy snacks, which have been great (thanks!).

Don & Jess brought little Ben's jumpy slide/house and the kids all had fun playing in it.  Here's a picture of Jess helping Ben grab an egg off the window ledge.









The little ones took the first turn in the bounce house.

They LOVED it! Jumping and sliding is their kind of action - thanks for bringing it along and setting it up, Don & Jess! Thanks for sharing your toy, Ben!

Later we all feasted on dinner, which was delicious, and enjoyed dessert and catching up. I got to see Grandma Good for a little bit, which is always nice. :) We left around 8 pm, pretty tired from a busy week and weekend. We put the boys to bed and got ready for our busy week ahead. Happy 43rd birthday, my Bean!

Last Week? I Think?

The day of Joshua's dentist appointment, Aunt Jen kept Caleb for me. So, I returned the favor by watching Daniel the next day while she had a doctor's appointment for John. Daniel's pretty easygoing, and he loves our train table and trains. I made the kids (and me, of course) french toast and ham for breakfast, and Dan ate his all up while my kids had a few bites if that and were done. They all enjoyed playing together with the trains and then eventually I took all three of them on a walk around the neighborhood (since it was a nice day) and then we played in our garage/on our driveway until Jen came back. Daniel talked more with the Bean than he normally does, and Joshua kept asking him what he could say. At one point, Joshua said to him "we're going to go out near mommy's car... well, it's not 'mommy' to you, it's 'Aunt Val'..." I giggled. It's so funny what kids pick up!

That afternoon while I was working out and the boys were napping, Pa-paw Ginder showed up for Joshua. I put his PJs and a change of clothes into his backpack and away they went for the night. Shawn, Caleb & I headed over to our friends' the Grube's house for pizza & Wii fun. They have a Wii Fit and we had an absolute blast playing it. Caleb & Isabella had fun playing, and we took turns playing the various games and chatting. We laughed and laughed most of the night (after all, how often do you flap your arms like a bird, pretend to hoola hoop or turn into a snowball in front of your friends?). We had a nice time. Once again, my camera batteries were low and the camera was home. :(

The next morning, Ma-maw & Pa-paw returned the Bean in the morning so they could see more of the family, and we headed to church with my sister Becky & her husband Tim. After the service, we went to Infinito's Pizza Buffet, Joshua's favorite restaurant. He was sad when they didn't come back to play some more, but they were packing to leave for Hawaii and Ma-maw & Pa-paw were coming back to our place for one last goodbye before heading onward for business meetings and then home. The boys especially were sad to see them go, and Joshua said "aren't they tired of Florida already?" Ummm... no; I think it's hard to get tired of sunshine and warm temperatures. :)

Grandparents, Shirts & Backpacks

Two weeks ago, I went shopping with my mom after church and before life group that night. I ended up buying two adorable pairs of shoes and a belt, and mom bought these shirts for the boys, which I thought were adorable. Doesn't Caleb look almost as big as Joshua in the above picture? I highly enjoyed the time shopping and we had a nice evening at the Spencer's that night for life group.

The following week, Grandma & Grandpa Ginder came to visit from Florida. They bought Caleb a couple adorable little outfits that he'll wear this summer (thanks!) and a Lightning McQueen 'pack-pack' that Joshua loves - in fact, the Bean is modeling it above. Caleb wanted to be like his brother, and I remembered that Shawn's boss gave a similar backpack to the Bean when he was a newborn, only it was Sponge Bob. I dug it out of Joshua's closet and we gave it to Caleb so they could both wear them and enjoy them.

We had a nice week visiting, and the boys played 'Simon Says' with Pa-paw. I wasn't sure that they got the concept, but I think they enjoyed hearing the "Simon didn't say..." part the best. In fact, Joshua would take turns being the lead, only he said "Slimin' didn't say..." haaaa!!! They sent me a video of him saying that (so cute!), so I'll have to see if I can upload it one of these days. Once again, I didn't take many pictures. But, here are a few of the boys in their shirts with their backpacks.

First Trip to the Dentist

On Thursday, April 15, Joshua had his first trip to the dentist. I can't believe how big my boy has become! We talked for days beforehand about going to the dentist and how he would have to open wide and be very brave in the office. I wasn't sure what to expect from Joshua - sometimes he's easygoing and perfect and other times he freaks out. I was nervous to say the least, but he was amazingly well behaved and an angel.

I must say that the pediatric dentist office is incredible and so great for kids. It's located right down the street from our house on Roseville Road, and the decor is all cowboy themed. I had to snap a few pictures. He's Elmo as a Cowboy, and the waiting room had a cute little slide that Joshua loved to play on, and he liked the screen of fish and looking at the live lizard, etc. The signs said "all my heroes growing up were cowboys" and the decor was adorable with the curtains and wall hangings and every coordinated item.

That morning, I asked my sister Jen if she would be willing to watch Caleb so the Bean would not be distracted by his little brother. She agreed and I dropped my little guy off before we went. Joshua started opening his mouth the minute we walked into the waiting room, and the receptionist thought he was a doll. He grinned at the lizard (pictured below) and found this neat Thomas laptop computer that he was in love with. Soon enough, they called us back!

We were lucky enough to get the son of the Dr. Miller & son team. He was AMAZING with the Bean. As Joshua played with the other kids and trains in the actual dental office area, we talked about the Bean's laundry list of medical issues from being born early to having one and a half lungs to his asthma, GERD, digestion difficulties, etc. The bad news is that ALL of them lead to tooth decay.

Being premature means the teeth didn't have time to completely form, asthma leads to dry mouth which means the saliva isn't cleansing the teeth as it should, reflux also is a leading factor, etc. It wasn't necessarily good news. Joshua road the mechanical horse then, which he wasn't too sure about at first. :) :) :)

Dr. Aaron also noted with all Joshua's surgeries that he might see the gloves and mask and be terrified of him. He said we would go with the flow and see what Joshua would allow us to do. But, my son was incredibly well behaved as the doctor was full of grace for him. Dr. Aaron told him that his hands were cold so he was going to put on his gloves, then he said that the mask was because he had a cold. Then he asked Joshua to sit on mommy's lap in the chair and lay his head back. Joshua opened wide as Dr. Aaron told him that he had just talked to Thomas about eating cookies for breakfast. The doctor chatted on about Joshua's favorite characters as he cleaned his teeth and gave him a fluoride treatment. I think the entire episode lasted five minutes or less. He was quick and noted some areas in Joshua's mouth to watch. He told me after we were done that there are a few teeth in the back of Joshua's mouth that weren't completely formed at birth from coming early, so we need to keep an eye on them since they are prone to rapid decay. For now, though, everything looked good.

They let Joshua play a few more minutes to get a feel for the fun office (which was full of toys!) and I checked us out. After the paperwork was done (and thankfully they take our insurance), they told Joshua he got a prize for leaving and handed him a very cool train. The Bean still didn't want to go, but he liked the new stickers they gave him and the cute little red train. It was a great experience! And I told the doctor just how impressed I was with him and his ability to work with children, particularly mine. He smiled and thanked me and we were off to get Caleb.

Joshua begged to call Papaw to tell him what a good boy he had been at the dentist, so that was our next order of business. Later that night, we went to dinner with them at one of Joshua's favorite restaurants - Fiorentino's flight deck, and we saw tons of helicopters and airplanes. :) What a great ending to a nice day.

The Good, the Bad, and the Downright Ugly

On April 8, Joshua had a follow-up appointment with Dr. Devenyi for his reflux. The first thing they did was take his weight and measure his height. The Bean finally hit 31 pounds - an all new high for him! Dr. Devenyi noted that he's in the 2?th percentile for weight (can't remember if it was closer to 20th or 25th) and the 75th percentile for height. So he's tall & skinny or long & lean. That's not a bad thing - I think that's a great body structure to have!

Dr. Devenyi thinks that maybe Joshua has outgrown his reflux, but he said only time will truly tell. Since Joshua did get the stomach flu over the winter, there were times that we wondered if his GERD acting up again. He is now off the medicine, and we're to monitor him closely for spitting up or complaints of pain, etc.
 GERD & asthma go together, so it's also important to note if he has any episodes of asthma as well, since the reflux can be the cause. Hopefully we've turned a new chapter in Joshua's life!

That said, Dr. Devenyi is concerned about Joshua's holding his bowels. He put him on a strong dose of a daily laxative as well as a strong dose of fiber. He said both medicines are extremely gentle and should not make Joshua rely on them to go. At this point, the doctor is making sure that everything is working well and wants 'behavior' not to be part of the digestive system. So, my poor Bean has no clue when he has to go potty and will simply go when the medication hits him. Dr. Devenyi said that will ensure that everything will work as it's supposed to, and we go back in July to see how he's progressing. It's been a bit rough, especially since Joshua seems to want to go to the potty and at times the medicine gives him a belly ache until it comes out. But, we will do what is best for our little guy. Digestion has not been his strong suit from birth, and even getting him to eat can be difficult. Please pray for him!

These pictures were taken the Tuesday after Easter, or April 6. We had went to MOPS that morning and then we played outside that afternoon. I haven't had much time to post anything. The weather that week was beautiful, and we took full advantage of it, playing at the park and the playground behind our house and the backyard and any outdoor time we could get! God is good! And so is His sunshine!

Well, I must run to pick up the Bean from preschool!

Birthdays, Life Group & More!

Last week was a busy week, which I still haven't posted about. But, in hopes of catching up somewhat, I thought I'd start with our weekend. Friday night, we got takeout and watched 'Toy Story' as a family. I think this movie may be a little too scary for the Bean. He didn't seem to mind it, but there were parts I was a little nervous about. It seemed a little bit too old for him, but it was cute nonetheless. Jordon lent Joshua some of his cool Toy Story toys, which the Bean has been loving. :)

Saturday we celebrated Kyla's first birthday. Here she is enjoying her cake!

We got there a little early, and Joshua & Alayna (the Cintron's other daughter) started having fun running around in their birthday hats. Pretty soon the rest of the kiddos arrived. My camera desperately needs the batteries charged, and the window behind them gave too much light which made the pictures turn out poorly, but you can see Isabella & Abby.

The first activity was to color a brown paper bag, which the kids then used to find Easter eggs hidden throughout the hallway.

They enjoyed this activity, and Caleb & Isabella made their way into the little phone booth in the hallway:

Then we went back and ate dinner, which was delicious. Our life group ended up hanging out on the one side of the room with all the kiddos playing while the rest of the guests hung out in the middle or on the other side. Shawn attempted to make contact, but we didn't do a good job of mixing.

We each wrote a note to Kyla at the party, and then Becca had each family sit for a picture to go with their card. Since Chris & Lisa forgot their camera, I also took a picture for them. Again, not the best lighting for me, though. :( Hopefully the gal with the better camera got a better one. I didn't even see the other families go.

Soon the cake & ice cream was served. Joshua enjoyed the cupcake while Caleb ate the ice cream. My boys are night & day different. :)

Thereafter, she opened her gifts.

The next day, we also spent time with our life group friends. Our group started a new series called "A Hole in the Gospel" that our church is doing right now. We talked about different ideas that we could do to impact the community or world at large to be the 'pen in the hand of God who is writing a love letter to the world' (to basically quote Mother Theresa).

Happy birthday also to Uncle Tim, who celebrated that Saturday, and we also remember Great Grandpa Kennel who has since gone home to be with Jesus - he would have turned another year older on Friday.