Thursday, May 29, 2008

Random Ramblings

The super sweet Amanda did a random thoughts post earlier in the week, and I really liked it. Since it seems I have a whole lot of nothing to say, I thought I would try it.

Here goes....

Kyle had an eye appointment to follow-up on his ROP, which had mostly cleared by his last appointment in September. Other than some slight scarring from his surgery, the doc said Kyle's eyes look great. He would like to see us again in a year, but only as a precautionary measure. While we were in the waiting room, Kyle was quite the social butterfly. If he did not have someones attention, he would literally grunt (sounds kind of barbaric, huh!) at them until he had their full attention. Once he had it, he would laugh and reward them with a HUGE smile. He was a little cutie.


Kyle LOVES to be outside. If Madison goes outside to play, and Kyle is not "invited", he'll sit by the door and cry until we take him outside. While he loves to be outside, he will not touch grass. He seems to have some strange fear of grass for some reason. This little quirk has actually served us well...during Madison's games he won't crawl off our blanket!


Boys are mischievous and apparently it starts early! Kyle is into everything. When Madison was a baby, she was content to sit and play with her toys. Kyle on the other hand, loves to go exploring. He is always going through the cupboards and has even crawled INTO the cupboards on occasion. If he can crawl somewhere, he goes. If there is something to explore, he will. We have even found him in the bathroom licking the toilet. Yuck, I know.


Yesterday Kyle learned to climb the stairs. I'm sure we're in for even more trouble soon!


Things on the eating front are going so-so, and Kyle's weight is sitting steady at 17 pounds. Some days he eats like a champ, others it is a struggle to get him to eat anything. Our challenge right now is that Kyle is beginning to prefer table food. That is actually a good thing, but the downside is that it takes him forever to "gum" his food. Where before he would consume a container of yogurt (120+ calories) in a few minutes, now it takes him the same amount of time just to eat one french fry. Seems silly, but we celebrate each calorie or bite of food that goes in Kyle's mouth.

Next week Kyle has his quarterly evaluation with a physical therapist. His last one did not go to well, so we are praying for a favorable report this time. I am (cautiously) optimistic though, as Kyle has made great strides in his gross motor skills over the last couple months. Hard to imagine that just three months ago he wasn't even rolling over yet. Now, he is crawling, pulling up on everything, and even climbing the stairs.


Kyle and I will be taking a trip together in the near future. More on that later. But, my question to you all...How in the world do I get through the airport with Kyle by myself? It's not the flying part that has me nervous. But after our plane lands and we get our luggage...I will have two suitcases, Kyle's pac-n-play, a carseat, my laptop, and the diaper bag. And of course Kyle in his stroller. I have no idea how I am going to manage! I figured that I could get one of those "Smart Carts" but I can't remember if those have a place for Kyle to sit. If that's the case, I'll be fine. I can just fold Kyle's stroller up and add it to our pile of stuff on the cart. If there isn't a place for Kyle to sit on the Smart Cart, I'm not sure what I can do. Any suggestions???

I'll leave you with some random cuteness...





Friday, May 16, 2008

Movin' On Up

Kyle is obviously at risk for developmental delays. The doctors have warned us of this since the day he was born.


We have been very proactive in doing all we can to help minimize any delays Kyle has. Two months before his due date, our little two pound baby began physical therapy.


I have always tried to give Kyle every advantage to help him succeed.


The furniture in the room where our family typically gathers is not very conducive to babies climbing, and specifically, learning to pull up.


As such, I have bought Kyle a collection of toys that are sure to encourage him to pull up. I say that I bought these for Kyle because, each time I come home with another, Joe rolls his eyes at me. But, I tell him these toys are just so fabulous, they are sure to entice Kyle to pull up so that he can play with them.


Well, this week Kyle finally pulled himself up for the first time! And, what do you think he used?


Maybe this musical Leap Frog toy....



Or this fun little play house....




This scooter from Grandma and Grandpa looks like lots of fun...



And this Fisher Price toy is sure to get him going. It even has convenient handles to help him pull up...


Surprisingly, none of these did the trick.


Instead, Kyle crawled over to the couch where the cat was laying. Grabbed hold of the cat's tail, and hoisted himself up.



Disclaimer: No cats were harmed! In fact, the cat just laid there without flinching while Kyle "hung" on.


Perhaps this is the Lord again reminding me that I just need to have patience.


In my defense, now that Kyle has practiced on the cat, he is using the toys to stand with.







"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." Romans 12:12

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Busy Bees

We have been so busy lately, I have barely had time to feed my blog addiction. Madison is involved in so many activities right now, and it seems they all overlap in May. Most nights we are going to not just one, but two different events with her. Last night it was soccer followed by a softball game. Tonight it is Brownies, followed by an Art show at school. Ughhhh...I am looking forward to summer break!

Last week was especially busy as in addition to her regular events, Madison had cheerleading tryouts for Stow Youth Football. I was quite nervous as this is the first time she has ever had to try out for a team. I am so happy to report that Madison made it!!! She would have been devastated had she not. Cheerleading is something she loves and works very hard at.
.
Madison and Joe went to a Father Daughter Dance last week. I wish I had a cute story or antidote about the dance to share with everyone, but as I was not there, all I have is a photo of them before the dance:
I was at home with my own "date" for the night. A pretty cute one if I do say so myself:
Well, just a quick post to let you know I am still alive! I'm off to go observe artistic masterpieces created by second graders. Good times! :)


Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Operation Baby Fat



Kyle is the most CHILL baby ever. The most easy going of dudes, but try to give him a bottle and he will bat it away (with remarkable accuracy) and go on a hunger strike for as long as he likes.

Our attempts to fatten him up just were not working. For almost three months, Kyle did not gain even an ounce.

We've tried enticing him with lots of goodies. We've tried tempting Kyle with ice cream, fresh fruits, every baby food imaginable...but he is unimpressed.

The doctor said we can't make a baby eat more. But, we could make what little he does eat count more.

So, we had to fool the little guy, and Operation Baby Fat was born.

Upon the advice of Kyle's specialist, for the past couple weeks, anything we give Kyle is LOADED with calories.

We're adding Carnation Instant Breakfast powder to his formula. We're adding heavy whipping cream to his baby food. We're even melting butter and adding it to his food. Mashed potatoes? Yummy. But add some cream cheese and butter to the potatoes...yummy and fattening.

And so far, it is working! Since we began Operation Baby Fat, Kyle has gained a little over a pound.

Right now, Kyle is in the 60th percentile for height. For his weight, he is not even ON the chart. At 17 pounds he is still a skinny mini.

But, at least we are beginning to see progress.




Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Tagged

The adorable Kendra from a Superhero, Princess & Monkey tagged me for a meme. The tag is to post six uninteresting things about myself and in turn tag six others to do the same.


I'd imagine you're all quite eager to read more uninteresting stuff about me, so here goes.......


1.) Growing up I was very into softball. I was a pitcher and selected to play on several All-Star teams. And we were very good actually. During my career playing, I won several state championships and even made it to the World Series one year.

2.) I am ALWAYS late. No matter what. I hate this about myself (as does my husband).


3.) I puffy heart my neighborhood. There are tons of kids Madison's age. I've made some awesome friends. Joe is always hanging with the other Dads. We've taken a couple of adults only trips with our neighbors. This summer we're heading to Hilton Head with two other families from our neighborhood. We've outgrown our house, but love the neighborhood so much I can't bear to move. I am trying to talk Joe into building a house across the street from where we live now, but so far he thinks that idea is "ridiculous."


4.) I wear heels EVERYWHERE. Even at home around the house. I'm very self conscious about my height and can't stand to be without the extra lift I get from heels.


5.) When I was 31, I was baptized as an act of obedience and a symbol of commitment to the Lord. Growing up, my family did not attend church or pray together. I always believed in God. But, I did not have a personal relationship with Him. About six years ago, a friend invited me to a bible study. In preparation for this study, I began reading the bible for the first time. Immediately I felt a sense of peace and my life has not been the same since.


6.) I have a very annoying habit, in my head. If I hear a word, I try to figure out what other words I can spell from that word. For example, from the word "Bread" you can also spell: bar, bad, bed, red, bear, ear, are, dare, bra, read, beard. You get the idea. And did you notice that I didn't mention any two letter words? Oh, no sir re. That would not be challenging enough for my little head game!


Here's who I am Tagging:


Carey @ A Woman's Prerogative
Mandy at The Gratton Grapevine
Krissy the Firecracker Mom


If you want to play:


  • Link back to the person who tagged you.

  • Post these rules on your blog.

  • List 6 uninteresting things about yourself.

  • Tag 6 random people at the end of your entry (or like me, only three).


Thursday, May 1, 2008

Fro Me To You: Happy Birthday Sis


Kristen at We are THAT family is hosting a blog carnival and she has asked me to join. The carnival is called Sincerely 'Fro Me To You and the idea is that on Thursdays we'll share some flashback pictures and anecdotes.


Today is my sister Niki's birthday, so I am devoting this post to her. Niki is younger than I am by only thirteen months, so as you can imagine we were very close growing up.

We went through everything together...

Like when we complained one time to many about having our hair brushed. My mom promptly took us to get these lovely bowl haircuts...

Niki is on the left, our little sis Dawn is in the middle, and toothless on the right would be me.

We got wear such chic and sophisticated outfits together...



We received our first pair of Jordache jeans together on Christmas morning in 1981. Jordache jeans to a fourth grader? Best. Christmas. Ever.



We both got braces on the same day....



And we shared a love of BIG hair and BIG prom dresses...



It would have been cool if people thought we were twins since we were so close in age, but unfortunately for me, no one ever thought that. Instead, they always thought SHE was the older one. Niki has always been at least a few inches taller than I am (now she is about 5'8 and I am 5'2). Growing up I used to get so bummed about this.

“Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.” Proverbs 31:29

Niki, you have a heart of gold. I am so proud of you and thankful to have you as my sister. I love you and I hope you have the happiest birthday ever.
Much Love,
Jennifer