Oops! ;)

I say, "Oops" because we did not plan this, but there was no "unplanning" either. So, I am not really surprised by this. :) And, we are VERY excited!

Pneumonia x4

We had a rough winter this year with illness after illness. It seems we wouldn't go more than a week or two without someone being pretty sick. I myself had pneumonia twice. Matt even had pneumonia.  It ended with Brooklyn getting pneumonia and being pretty sick for a good 2 weeks followed by Josh, who was never confirmed to have it, but considering it took a LONG time for him to recover as well, and he sounded just as bad as Brooklyn did, I assumed he had it, too. We are ready for a fun Spring and Summer, now... we kinda deserve it!

Brooklyn getting her daily breathing treatment when she was sick.
:(

The Circus!

We were able to visit the Circus while they were here in Charleston. It was Brooklyn and Josh's first visit to the circus, and it had been a couple of decades or so for me and Matt. We got there early for the animal viewing in the parking lot, and then got to experience some pre-show stuff on the floor prior to the show starting as well. The entire show was phenomenal and both Brooklyn and Josh were very intrigued, as well, but the elephants were the show to watch for them. :)

Saying hello to the elephants. Brooklyn asked me, "which one is Dumbo?"

The tigers.

Trying on one of the performers capes prior to the show.

Brooklyn got up and danced with the Circus dancers in the pre-show.

Joshy enjoying the greatest show on earth!

Brooklyn mesmerized by the greatest show on earth.

 

We ALL loved watching the elephants and their tricks/stunts.

Scoping out Josh

This past year, Josh has had several cases of severe croup requiring a dose of steroids each time. This recurrent croup even warranted a couple of 911 calls in the middle of the night (see video below)... scary! Josh's ENT recommended, based on his history and current state, a laryngoscopy and a bronchoscopy, which was done a few days ago. His doctor showed me the pictures and even gave me a copy:

 

Just after the procedure. 
They let kiddos sleep as long as they want after these things...
unlike when we adults go through this and are forced to wake up as soon as possible.

Josh's doc told me that he found a shelf of scar tissue just beyond his vocal chords (as seen in image 003) giving him a grade 1 opening (meaning it is open only 50% of what it is supposed to be). Josh's doctor is now going to refer us to another ENT that specializes in this exact condition and will be able to give us better/more experienced advice for any future actions. I really have no idea how to proceed at this point. Josh doesn't seem to be affected by this when he is healthy, so I don't know if there is a need for correction at this point... but we'll see. His appointment with his new doctor is not until April.


Here is a video of one of his scary episodes that occured in September last year - it was the first time we called 911. His croup gets so bad that his breathing becomes severely labored, and his lips turn pale. He's had three more really scary episodes like this one since then, which is why we decided to see what the heck was going on:



Valentines Day

My two little Valentines this year!

I made them heart-shaped pancakes for breakfast. Brooklyn had a fun Valentines Day party at preschool. Unfortunately, Matt (my big Valentine) ended up working later than planned, so our original dinner plans failed and we ended up ordering from the restaurant to go. At least I still didn't have to cook that night, or do the dishes, etc., which is a good night for me. :)

Valentine breakfast - strawberries and heart-shaped pancakes.

Brooklyn's Valentines box.

Josh Turned 2!!!

Just two years ago, this adorable little man blessed our lives with his way-ahead-of-schedule birth:


 I can't believe that tiny 3 1/2 lb preemie has grown into this:


He is now weighing in at 25 1/2 lbs and is in the 21% in weight and height for a normal 2 year old.  Way to go Joshy boy! His head is even bigger than normal measuring in the 58%. Again... way to go Joshy boy! He is talking lots and has a pretty large vocabulary now with his favorite phrases being, "big truck", "watch Cars", "I love you" and "silly Josh/Brooklyn" and he can even count to 10 (okay... he tries to count to 10).  He loves his family and loves playing with his sister. He's a little antisocial with other kiddos and suffers from separation anxiety, but we're working on that. :)

For his 2nd birthday, we went out to eat the night before to his favorite restuarant: Chick Fil A! He got to play on the playground with his sister and even went down the slide for the first time, and second time, and third time, etc., etc., etc., and we had to pry him away from the slide to eat. :) He also got his first ice cream cone - his very own. 

Josh's first ice cream cone - he experimented with different
ways to eat it... this one being his favorite way.

Can you guess where he learned that from??? :)

For his birthday, which was a Sunday, we took cupcakes to church to share in nursery with Josh's other nursery buddies. That night we made home-made pizza (Josh's favorite food) and had cake in the shape of a "big truck". We invited our close friends/neighbors (the Reeds) to join us in the little party we had for Josh.

Opening his presents.

Josh's "big truck" cake.

Our little party for Josh with our friends, the Reeds.

He destroyed his piece of cake. :)

Then he tried to smear it on me.

My sweet little birthday boy.

Happy Birthday to our little Joshy boy!