School Work

Jonathan and I try and do schoolwork everyday (except weekends). He is getting pretty good at writing his name, even his last name. He needs help with the K and S in the last name otherwise he can do it all by himself after I write it above for him to look at. We also do worksheets learning to write letters, numbers and objects that are similar and different. He likes to get A+'s and doesn't understand why he gets B's sometimes. He might have a little of his dad in him.

Cancelled Surgery

The oral surgeon's office called today to confirm JT's surgery on Friday and I told them about how his tongue is healing and looking better so they talked to Dr. Morrison and he said he would like to give it a few more weeks to see what it will do on it's own. Prayers being said that it continues to heal so well. I just let out a sigh of relief, at least for now.

Jungle Gyms

I woke up this morning at 6:30 am to Jonathan crying...I went up to his room to find him upset because he couldn't get his top (well sweater) on. It was inside out and the hood on it kept getting him stuck. I tried to tell him it was too hot for a long-sleeved sweater but he was determined. The funny part was it was a striped sweater and he had plaid shorts on. I think we need to have a fashion lesson this week.

We met Dean and Tara at Go Play Cafe this morning and Jonathan loved it. It was an indoor jungle gym/climbing area. Dean was not fond of climbing up in there so I got a workout in...surprised I didn't get stuck. The boys played together in the toy kitchen and school house and watched girls do gymnastics...there was a gym right next to the play area. As we were leaving a little boy was going in for a tumbling class and when we got to the car, Jonathan asked if he could do that sometime. I guess that is in my near future.

We then went to chick-fil-a for lunch. This was my first time going and I have to say, not bad for fastfood. They also had an indoor play area for the kids, another jungle-gym type area and the boys once again were busy playing. This time Dean climbed up too! Tara got some time to talk today too which was nice!

All the climbing has worn Jonathan out and is napping! Yeah!

Daddy is coming home tonight, which we are all excited about. We survived but definitely miss daddy. I feel for all those single parents out there. Luckily Diana was an angel while Brad has been gone and would go 5-7 hours at night without eating. Still sometimes 3 during the day but I can handle that. I am amazed at how well she is doing!!! I don't want to push my luck, but next on the agenda...a schedule for her. Thanks little sweet pea for being so good to Mommy!

Eat the Monkey

Diana is loving her activity mat. She likes to look at herself in the mirror and try and eat her monkey. She will coo when she is on her mat too. It's very cute!

Getting Out of the House

Third day this week where I have woken up to Jonathan dressing himself before he comes down in the morning, I love it! Such a big help and such a big boy. For the most part things are on the correct way...a shirt has been on backwards and a sock inside out but that's manageable. He even gets into all his drawers and picks out the outfit himself...we have to work on matching things up though. Today he picked out his buckeye jersey (again, wore it on Sat too) and brown shorts...probably not what I would have picked out for him to wear together but I am just hoping people understand he is the phase of dressing himself.

So I figured out that Jonathan really needs to get out of the house in the mornings for both of our sanity. He also tends to take a nap on those days where we are very active in the morning versus not. Today it was a touch cooler so I decided to take Jonathan to the "Land of Make Believe" park. He had a great time running around and climbing. He found a little 6-year-old boy to play with too (it was all girls otherwise). The 6 year-old and him were running all around, chasing birds, etc. The little boy, Tommy, even was teaching Jonathan how to flex his muscles. It was cute. I started talking to the mom and she is a nurse practitioner at Children's in the NICU and her friend is a nurse there. We got to talking about Diana, the NICU, etc. It was nice to have another outside opinion about the ortho that we saw and they were shocked about how he treated us. Makes me feel better that I wasn't just over reacting. I called today to cancel the follow-up appointment I had scheduled with Dr. Tamai and when the nurse called me back she asked why I was cancelling and I said because I was less than impressed with the doctor and she said "I don't blame you." Clearly I am not the only one who doesn't care for this doctor, again making me feel better.

Tonight we had Dean, Wyatt and Tara over to play and dinner. As soon as Dean walked in he asked where the trampoline was...amazing memory. Jonathan and Dean play so well together. Towards the end they were "wearing off" energy and having running races in the house. Jonathan wanted Dean to spend the night but luckily we have plans to play again tomorrow. We love having them here for a long visit!

Fun at GB & Grandpa Weeks'

Jonathan did not want to come tonight after having a "sleepover" at GB and Grandpa Weeks' house last night and spending all day there today...including swimming, napping and dinner. I love that he likes to have sleepovers and that is getting spoiled by them. We had a fun day at the pool again and Jonathan is still loving the water, putting his face under and sitting on the edge of the pool now and jumping in (being caught though so he doesn't go under). He even got to play croquet for the first time thanks to Grandpa. One of his favorite cartoons, Calliuo, had a show about how Calliuo played croquet with his Grandpa and ever since Jonathan saw that, he has been teasing to play. Thank you GB & Grandpa for your help while Brad was gone!

Busy Busy

What a fun day! It started out with an adventure to church with the two kids solo. Luckily Diana slept the whole time and Jonathan was well behaved (must have been the donut I promised him if he was good in church).

This afternoon we went to Momma G's house for a swim party as Tara, Aaron, Dean and Wyatt made a very long road trip to spend some time in Ohio. We are so happy they (minus Aaron) are here for 2 weeks. Jonathan loved the pool! He was getting his face wet in the pool, swimming all around with his water wings, figured out he could touch the bottom of the pool on his tippy toes and then got a little adventurous and went down the water slide. The top was a little high up so someone would lift him on the slide, about halfway and then let him go while I was in the water to catch him. He loved it! Except for when I missed catching him and he went under a bit but he got over it and went right back up to go down it again. We also got to celebrate one of Dean's cousin's birthdays with ice cream cake. Yummy!

Then tonight, GB, Grandpa Weeks, Kyle and Amanda came over to celebrate Grandpa Weeks' birthday with pizza and ice cream cake. Yes, we were spoiled with ice cream cake twice today with no complaints! It was really cute when Jonathan noticed GB and Grandpa Weeks' pulling in the driveway, he squealed, ran over to the window and started banging on it saying hi GB, hi Grandpa. Then he went into crazy kid show off mode and was all wound up. Needless to say he was quite excited to see GB and Grandpa. Luckily Grandpa and Kyle filled part of the void of Daddy not being here by wrestling and being "wild" with Jonathan because I have learned that I cannot do this nor do I want to...it's a little too much "boy" for me. The celebration ended with Jonathan carrying his sleeping bag and backpack out of the house into GB's "sports car" for a sleepover at their house. Since Dave hasn't seen Diana in 3 weeks, I picked up on some of the things that were mentioned on how she has changed...much more alert and her neck control is greatly improved. She is also awake a lot more now, still sleeps a lot, but she was awake the whole time everyone was here. Diana and I bonded for awhile and now it is off to bed for us as well.

Grandpa's Birthday

Happy Birthday Grandpa Weeks! We had fun celebrating with ice cream cake. I think Jonathan might have enjoyed the birthday and cake the most. The birthday hats were his idea and he got caught licking the cake.

Godfather bonding

Godfather Kyle took Jonathan to the aquarium today while Diana and I went to Babies r Us to register Kyle and Amanda (I don't think I have mentioned on the blog yet but Kyle and Amanda are expecting and due in december yeah!). We then all had pizza for lunch. Jonathan had a great time and got spoiled by Uncle Kyle. We now have another addition to the stuffed animal collection. Jonathan got to also go and stuff a whale. I had to pretend talk bear ad whale all afternoon. Jonathan may look like Brad but he takes after me in liking stuffed animals (and matchbox cars too). Thanks to Kyle my first day home alone with the kids while Brad is in Milwaukee went quite well...even with JT not napping.

I love the shark in the background!

Outgrown Newborn Clothes

Bittersweet evening as I packed away Diana's premie and newborn clothes. I can't believe she has already outgrown them and she looks so big in 0-3 month clothes! At the same time I am happy she is so healthy and growing.

Ice Cream from Grandma Joanie & Grandpa Art

Thank you Grandma Joanie and Grandpa Art for the money for ice cream. We went that very night he received his card with the money. One of Jonathan's favorite places to go to get ice cream is United Dairy Farmers (UDF) so that is where we went. He really likes a bright green ice cream called Dinosaur egg or another brightly colored one called superman. He walked into the store with his money in hand, walked up to the lady and said "I want dinosaur egg in a dish please" and handed over the money. It was so grown up I couldn't believe it. As you can see in the picture, he settled on blue moo cookie dough today as they were out of dinosaur egg. I think he thought he was a "big boy" paying for his own ice cream.

First Movie

Jonathan (and Diana) got to see his first movie at the movie theater today...Winnie the Pooh. It has been way too HOT to do anything outside all week and I have been pulling my hair out so when Connor and Paxton's mom asked if Jonathan wanted to join, I thought sure why not. I wasn't sure how it would go but figured it was worth a try. Surprisingly, both kids did really well. Diana slept the whole time, such a good little girl, and Jonathan was very cute at first...big eyes and looking all around. He watched a good portion of the movie but occasionally I would have to remind him to be quiet or to watch the movie as he would be bouncing in his chair, looking back at the projector, etc. The kid likes TV and movie's now but he still just cannot sit still (thanks Grandpa Gordy). I think he liked bouncing in his chair and the popcorn more than the actual movie. Oh well, it's the experience, right?!? He also might a couple new little friend's of Connor's and was laughing it up with the little boy Will.

Not the best picture but he was so excited he wouldn't stay still for a picture.

Tongue Update

Jonathan's surgery for his tongue has been scheduled for Friday, July 29th at 7 am at Dr. Morrison's office with Dr. Perry assisting. They will need to put him completely under with general anaesthesia, which scares me so I am just praying everything will be ok. The procedure itself should only take about 20 minutes and he is expected to get about 6 stitches. The bad news is that since it is already healing, they will need to re-cut it open and then stitch it up. I still feel so bad for Jonathan but he is doing so well. I don't think it even bothers him anymore so I debate if we should get it fixed or not. I obviously don't want him to have a snake tongue for life but it is getting better each day and he is talking and eating better too. Regardless, the oral surgeon didn't think it would heal completely on it's own since it is at the tip of the tongue. Here are some pictures, they are not the best as it really is hard to capture in a picture.

Oral Surgeon Appt

Jonathan did very good at his oral surgery consult this morning. It sounds like we will need to put him under and put stitches in. I really liked the doctor and he was excellent with Jonathan. He said we could wait and see if some of it grows together but he didn't think it all would and if it was his son (he has 4 kids) he would have it fixed. Since this dr is out of our network, they are going to call me back on pricing of the procedure, not that it matters much. In the mean time I am going to check for in-network doctors but they said I am limited. If we do the procedure at Children's it would be a lot more expensive but since it is the tongue and it bleeds a lot that is what was suggested first. The second option would be to do it at the dr office with two dr's on hand.

All Boy

I stole some pictures from Brad's phone last night. Here are a couple of Jonathan being a boy.

They were doing road construction on Floral Ave in May so there were all sorts of construction trucks outside our house. Daddy let Jonathan sit in the roller one night. Jonathan thought it was very cool and would tease every night to go do it again. Mommy liked the construction because it kept Jonathan busy in the mornings watching the trucks and workers. Jonathan loves to play baseball, regardless of if it is 90+ degrees out and 100% humidity. He doesn't use the tee at all anymore, just likes to be pitched to. Here he is with his "mean" face.

Fussy Diana

Diana has been fussy lately at night. Tonight all she wanted, was to be held by Daddy. After holding her for an hour or so, we decided to go to bed ourselves. When he laid Diana down on our bed to brush his teeth, she didn't even move, she was so tired and comfy in her boppy pillow.

Diana Ortho Appt

Well today didn't go well at all at Diana's ortho appointment. I did not care for the doctor at all. We waited almost 2 hrs before we saw the dr. Di couldn't eat 2-3 hrs before the appt so of course she was starving when we got there so I asked if I could feed her and I did as they said it could be another 45 minutes until the doctor could see her. When the dr came in she had fallen asleep so of course she was not happy when he was messing with her feet. At first he told me that we should do exercises and come back in 2 wks. I told him we had been doing exercises for 8 wks and it wasn't helping. He told me we could cast if I wanted. That should have been my first sign. I decided to cast so they took me back for more waiting, while he saw another patient. Of course Diana fell asleep again during this time. When the doctor finally came in, I nursed her while they tried to cast and then he decided she had a club foot. He took more time to examine her so by the time they got to the casting piece she was done eating and had enough with all of this. She was screaming! He couldn't get the cast on and basically blamed her and me. I was so mad. He told me I could wait another 2 hrs until she was hungry again or reschedule. I was not pleased with him so opted to reschedule but we won't be going back. I got a referral to another ortho and pulled some strings to get in on aug 29. So we don't know anything in my opinion cuz this guy was an idiot. I came home in tears and poor Brad had to come home from work. I think I have hit my limit. I had a good cry, a nap and am better now. Unfortunately for Diana it will be another month until we know for sure if she has club feet-foot or not and what needs to be done. Oh and he also threw out there that her foot might be a sign of cerebral palsy. I mean really, did this guy go to med school? He gave me every option under the sun but no final diagnosis. And who says cerebral palsy to a mom without being sure. For those of you who live in Cincy, do NOT go see Dr. Tamai.

Ballons

Thank you Auntie Heidi and Uncle Jason for the balloons. They made Jonathan's day!

Tired Girl

Diana loves her daddy and loves to fall asleep on his chest. I am quite jealous.

Diana 2 Month Checkup

Diana had her two month checkup today and weighs 9 lbs 9 oz and is 21 inches long. She is staying on her 10% curve (non adjusted). The doctor was very happy with her weight gain, since I started nursing her exclusively now. Diana had to get two shots today. Good thing big brother was there to prepare her by giving her shots with his doctor kit. Of course she screamed and she was a lot fussier today because of them. The ultrasound results of her hip came back and everything checked out. Thank goodness, one less thing to worry about. We have her appointment on Thursday for her feet, which are still an issue. We should start seeing her smiling and cooing, she is a little behind on this but the doctor said it is normal for preemies. I also asked the doctor about acid reflux, as Diana has been spitting up more and screaming after some feeding. The doctor said all babies have some form of acid reflux, just depends on how severe. She won't treat it until it is bad (i.e., screaming after every feeding, not eating, spitting up more than Diana is, etc). Hopefully it doesn't get worse and she just out grows it.

Snake Tongue

Well Jonathan put in a much better night than I expected. He slept with Brad and I and whimpered a couple times during the night but slept the whole night. I took him to the dentist today and they said it is one of the worst injuries they have seen, but they have seen worse. The dentist told Jonathan that he made his tongue look like a snake. Which is true, unfortunately. His teeth went right through his tongue and he can now separate the end of it. He basically has a Y in his tongue. His teeth are all jacked up as well and 4 or 5 of them are loose. The good news is that the xrays show that the permanent teeth should be ok. The dentist wants to wait a week to see how everything heals. We may need to put Jonathan under to put stitches in his tongue and/or pull some teeth. I can barely look in his mouth without getting squirmish. I feel so bad for the little guy but he really is tough and handling it quiet well. Now to try and find "calm" activities for a very active little 3 year old boy.

Diana is 2 Months

Diana is two months old already!!! Seriously, where does the time go? She is growing and getting so big, which we are happy about, but at the same time, I want her to stay little forever! I am not sure if I put this on the blog last month or not but someone gave me the idea to take pictures every month with an object to show how much she is getting and then compare them all at the 1 year birthday. So here Diana is with the bear I made her.

Jonathan's Big Owie

Well not how I had planned on ending our fun weekend. Jonathan bit threw his tongue and knocked his teeth back tonight. I was finishing dinner while Brad and Jonathan were dancing to calm Diana down. Jonathan did a spin and lost his balance and ran into one of our bar stools face first. Needless to say there was LOTS of blood and tears. Of course our dentist is on vacation and it is a Sunday night. We couldn't get the bleeding to stop so we headed for Children's but once we got there and saw the wait and all the hacking kids, luckily the bleeding stopped and we headed home. Plan to see the dentist tomorrow.

Saturday Fun

If Daddy makes 25 phone calls every day at work, then we get to go out to breakfast as a family on Saturdays. IHOP is Jonathan's favorite place to go. This Saturday we even went to a park afterwards to play and then sat and looked out over the river and city. What a fun Saturday! Keep making your phone calls Daddy!

Wild Man

Jonathan was quiet entertaining tonight after dinner. He was tackling his drum case and being all wild and crazy. He was so wound up that he was hot and had to take his shirt off. Then he decided to put on his racoon hat. These pictures were too funny not to post. Can you see his farmer's tan too?

Water

Jonathan could play in the water for hours on end. Whether it be the pool, the water hose or the sink...he loves water. I let him play in the sink while I am trying to get meals ready. Today he was in rare form and was being quiet silly playing in the water, which resulted in the bowl on his head. Luckily there was not a lot of water in the bowl.

Diana's Ultrasound

Diana had a hip ultrasound today as the doctors were worried about her hips because she was breech. Aside from not letting her eat for 2-3 hours before the ultrasound, she did very well. She just laid on the table and drank her bottle while they did the ultrasound. The ultrasound tech did say that she was a very strong little girl as Diana was locking her legs in place creating a bit of a challenge for the tech. Thanks to GB and Grandpa Weeks for having Jonathan spend Monday night at their house so that he didn't have to come with. He got spoiled and had way more fun!

Underwater

Jonathan has made such great improvements with swimming this summer! He now closes his eyes, holds his breath and goes under water! We are so proud of him. Yesterday he was watching another little boy go under to get diving sticks and now today Jonathan is doing it. He still is afraid to jump into the big pool and go under but we are getting there, maybe by the end of the summer.

IHOP

If Daddy makes his 25 phone calls a day, we get to go to breakfast on Saturday (or in this case the July 4th holiday). Jonathan could not get enough of his daddy on this particular morning and was literally sitting as close to Brad as he could. Copying everything he was doing too. IHOP is Jonathan's favorite place to go. He can even recognize IHOP from the freeway.

Holding Diana

Jonathan loves to hold his baby sister. Brad and I both think Jonathan looks really old in this picture.

Tired Boy

Today was Jonathan's first official day home with me as he is done going to Mary's now. It was a great day! I think we might be going to GB's pool every day this summer. Jonathan LOVES to swim. We spent almost all day up there again and he swam and swam and swam. He made good improvements today too with his swimming. Last time he was jumping off the edge of the baby pool, which he can now touch all the way around, so he didn't go under. Today, we were playing in the big pool and I think he forgot that we were in the big pool and he couldn't touch but he got out to get a toy, walked over to the edge instead of the stairs and jumped in. GB and I were over by the stairs and were shocked when he jumped in. He had his new Cars water wings on that GB bought him so he popped right up but boy was he surprised!!! His eyes were as big as saucers. We talked about it and he said it was fun but it scared him. He claims that he will do it again with daddy on Monday, but we shall see. Last time he used his kickboard over his head to go under the water sprinkler part of the "mushroom" in the baby pool but today he was in and out with nothing to protect his head from the water. He was also carrying so many toys in and out that he couldn't even dry his eyes, GB says this is really good progress. Jonathan also got spoiled by GB as she bought him two water sprayer toys, which he played with last time from another little boy. They are called max liquidator and they can get you soaked! All of this swimming really wore him out. We came home and got him down for a nap around 3 pm. At 5:45 I went up to his room to wake him up. He looked at me, mumbled something and rolled over. I sat there for a minute not knowing what to do and decided that I guess he needed his sleep so went back downstairs. About 10 minutes later he was awake. Who knows how long he would have slept for though?!?! He had bags under his eyes and was kind of a walking zombie until he went to bed at 9. Thanks for tiring my kid out GB!!!

Child Labor Laws

While Brad, Emily and I were trying to have some adult conversation and get dinner ready, both kids were being a tad "needy". Brad's brilliant idea was to have Jonathan hold Diana while he watched Donald Duck on my computer. It actually worked for about 10 minutes.