Char-la-stin, Round 1 & Overheard

{Grab a seat. I have an inability to pick and choose pictures! And, yes, this is just the first 36 hours or so!}

This was our view last week, and, oh, it was just delightful!

We did some eating together as a family, which was such fun: According to Cousin Char-dee, the picture shows: Hudsey, Hudsey, Bay-Bee, and Char-dee! (Yes—it’s a return of the Hudsey! Charlie calls both boys Hudsey. Oh, Precious!)

We were able to spend time together with our favorite cousin, Mr. P, and it was so much fun! Even I got some great time with Mr. P, and I LOVED IT!

Anna had some great snuggles with her handsome Unkie . . .

And, Anna Kathryn also visited with Auntie Kathryn

It took 8 hours to get there, and we arrived at 2:30am, but that didn’t stop us from being raring to go in the morning!

There was some wind, but it didn’t stop us!

Sugie brought the boys some neat treats!

Please note the adorable shoes on Mr. P’s feet. I could eat this boy up. I know that, technically, he is not mine, but it does feel that way! And, maybe one day, he will learn my name! ha ha!

Family “snuggle”

Charlie is really interested in what Uncle J does . . .

And, there may have been some giggles with Bumps as well!

We went to the Blessing of the Shrimp Boats, and had a great time . . . and a beautiful day!

Please note that Christopher is holding Charlie while William is stuffing his pockets with tiny snacks. You are welcome, Unkie. You are welcome. :)

I love this picture. Hudson has a newfound intense adoration for his father. Whenever Hatch would leave a room last week or run an errand, Hudson would cry “My Daddy! My Daddy! Daddy go work. NOOO! I need him!” You can imagine how this week has been! Every morning after they wake up and every afternoon after naps, Hudson asks where his Daddy is. This boy LOVES his Daddy, and it is so sweet to see!

Little Miss enjoyed soaking up extra time with her pops, too!

Oh, my heart!

More to come from Char-la-stin!

+++

Overheard:

most of these are from today . . . and, most of my day was spent driving William to and fro’ doctor’s offices . . .

W: Mommy, why your shirt lighting? What dat light, Mommy?

me: Oh, these are called sequins—or beads, maybe? They sparkle in the light. (am i fancy, or what?)

+

Me: Bye, bye, Hudsey! I love you

Hudsey: Yuv you too!

(OH MY HEART!)

+

In front of a doctor and a nurse in the exam room:

W: Mommy, your legs are crunchy.

me: Thank you, William.

W: MOMMY! Your legs are crunchy! WHY ARE YOUR LEGS CRUNCHY!

{everyone staring}

me: Because I didn’t have much time in the shower today, William, and I could not shave my legs. I am sorry!

+

I walk into the dining room carrying Anna:

W: Hi Precious! HIIII PRECIOUSSSSSSSSS!

fun fun fun!

so, I have decided that part of Vacation-Recovery-Mode means intentionally doing fun things (lest I lose myself in suitcases, mounds of clothes, and sand that makes me wish we were still at the beach)! Despite the face that this week is FULL of doctor’s visits for everyone (tomorrow holds visits #4 and 5 for the week), we have still managed to squeeze in some fun! I don’t have many pictures of our Tuesday night fun, but we joined Mr. P and his parents and grandparents (both his local grandparents and his CA grandparents!) for a Flying Squirrels game! GO NUTS! Anna loves baseball! She squealed through much of the game!

The boys had a blast too!

After our dr’s visit on Tuesday, we came out to find this treasure on our car! It was thrilling. Worms are now a part of daily conversation around here. The other night on the phone, a friend said: “Wow. I have never had a phone conversation interrupted before due to worms.” And, to that, I say: Welcome to my world!

(both of these pictures were taken with my new phone . . . which may have a better camera than my real camera. whaat?!) After the doctor today we ran off to the park to sneak in some fun before naps!

I love this boy. He is 100% wild and 100% sweet and tender. And he still loves to spontaneously kiss his mama (once on each cheek—he is very European), and I adore that. He is also quite expressive these days and we are often hearing him say “Me no yike it.” Or, when served a “special treat” of ice cream or yoyyipops “Dat good. Me yike it. ME YIKE IT.” His Daddy calls him our human cookie monster! He has recently begun to tell us long stories about things that happened “Last week” or “Yesterday” and despite his confusion about the timing, his memory is amazing. I am hoping he can help keep me straight, as I cannot remember a thing these days!

Little Miss was thrilled to be a part of the action in her new big girl ride—thank you, Nonna and Pop Pop!

Tasty toes—what a face!

Swinging with Sugs!

Refusing to smile while swinging . . .

This boy is so precious to me. He wants to be right near me most of the day and he wants to know all of the details about everything ALL of the time. He is so sweet and SUCH an inquisitive chatterbox! I forgot to say in my post yesterday that W is AK’s biggest cheerleader! When she eats her baby food, he tilts his head to the side and says in his high-pitched 2 year old voice “Good Girl, Anna! Goooood Girl!” He is a hoot!

When I look at this and see my two boys, who are not yet 2.5 years old, I see visions of my future where I worry endlessly and spend countless hours in ERs wondering how many people it will take to cover their casts in signatures and smiley faces. I feel certain that I have my work cut out for me! :)

Since Anna is big time now, she wanted to swing too. She couldn’t help but stare at her brother the entire time! (Brother, on the other hand, was pointing to a man in a bucket truck who was trimming trees—quite a sight!)

It just doesn’t get any better than this! Swinging in the sun with a sweet hat and chubby legs!

And, loving it!

Pictures from Char-la-stin to come soon!

Yummers and An Eye Update

It is with great joy that I write this post . . . because this post is about Little Miss eating!  And, Little Miss eating well means that it no longer hurts her ears (as it has for the past 5 weeks!!) to eat!  Hoorah!  Thank you for praying for Jesus to heal our Anna-bug’s ears.  Please keep praying—as they are full of fluid and could become infected again . . . but, for now, they are not!  We are so glad!

We decided it was time to try our hand at feeding Little Miss some cereal.  So, last night, she ate “dinner” (cereal for dinner—my kind of girl!), had an 8 oz bottle before bed, ate another 8 oz bottle around 3:30 (!?), and then ate another 8 oz bottle around 7:30.  (For the last 4-5 weeks, we’ve been struggling to get her to eat 3-4 oz per feeeding!) She is either starving or growing or making up for lost time . . . but, whatever the reason, I am SO GLAD she is eating well! 

Pretty in pink and ready to go!

I finally got to use our pink bowl and spoon on a baby girl!  (I have no clue what I was focusing on in this picture—so sorry)

You see, if you open your mouth when you are feeding a baby, it encourages eating.  My gaping mouth clearly encourages her to open wide and chow down.  Or, not . . .

hmmm . . .

What is this? 

These next two pictures are a little graphic, so brace yourself.  Sloppy eating is something we’ll tackle in Phase 2 of baby food.  ha ha.

And, Anna Kathryn has found some other tasty treats to enjoy . . . 

Babies chomping their toes is one of my favorite things—I just love it.  If I try to steal a smooch of her toes, she just giggles at me.  So sweet! 

+++++

We are long overdue for an update on William’s eye!  Hemangiomas are clusters of blood vessels, so they tend to change color and size throughout each day (for example, an angry hornet baby would have a hemangioma that looks very large, purple/reddish . . . and a well-rested baby would have a smaller, lighted hemangioma—basically, they way they look is very relative and constantly changing).  Over the last 2 years, we have seen William’s hemangioma decrease in over-all size and lighten in color, and we are thankful to Jesus for this.  We started his new medication at the beginning of the month and have just had a check up with the doctor today.  She is pleased with his progress, and we are bumping him up to the next dosage level of medication.  Please pray with us for Jesus to use this to fully heal William’s eye, for William to know of God’s providing for him in this way, and for us not to have any complications with this medication (peace for me! peace for hatch!) 

While pictures are not always the best way to look at hemangiomas since the lighting can be off in a photo, distance makes a difference, and the time of day (post nap or post temper tantrum) can all affect things, I have to take pictures so that I can see some progress . . . because looking at his bright blue eyes on a daily basis makes it harder to see creeping change.  So, here is our progression thus far . . .

April 6:  Pre-Medication

April 7:  24 hours after the first dose (some patients have dramatic, immediate responses to this medication, so we wanted to take our pictures close together!  W did not have a dramatic change in the first dose, but you can see some change.)

 

April 9:  3 days into the medication (please excuse the “boogies,” as the rascals say!) 

April 26—Today; 20 days into the medication on the first dosage level . . . and right before we bump it up to the next level

So, here we go . . . onto the next level of medicine for our very blonde and blue-eyed sugar lump.  Please pray for him when you think of it.  We want this hemangioma to be gone . . . and soon.

And, because we can’t leave Brother out, here are a few pictures of him doing what he enjoys most:  playing outside with things daddy tells him not to touch :) (and, let me just say that it is quite difficult to catch this child standing still . . . hence the action or “no picture, mommy!” shots!)

and, eating (he is mastering cereal with fruit and milk, among other things!)

Bed time for herbies.  Night!