Just a precaution...

I remember (honestly like it was yesterday) the day I took Drew to the Dermatologist at 7 months old so they could try and figure out what the little red bumps all over his body were.  His Pediatrician thought possibly eczema, but was leary of diagnosing it since there was no family history of eczema or allergies.  So off to the Derm I went with my 7 month old baby.  The doctor was super nice and very good with Drew being that he was so little at the time.  He said that his initial thought was a condition called acropustulosis of infancy...really a harmless skin condition that may eventually start to itch a little, but will be completely gone by 3 or 4 years of age.  He really wanted a definite confirmation of this though before talking about treatment, so he told me he'd like to do a biopsy of one of the bumps.  I remember my heart jumping into my throat at the sound of the word "biopsy"!  It's a scary word even when you know it's nothing really serious.  I remember (and kind of chuckle now) when he and the nurse walked out of the room, I just broke into uncontrollable crying.  A good friend of mine describes this sort of crying as "Mommy tears", and I can think of no better way to describe it myself!  "Mommy tears" are the tears you don't plan for, you don't anticipate...they just kind of come.  They come because you have never felt the kind of love you feel for the little human that God has entrusted to your care.  Well, those were "Mommy tears" for sure, and when the doctor came back to perform the biopsy (which was literally no worse than a vaccine poke) there sat my brave little baby not making a peep while his Mom sat there sniffling and wiping away tears. :)  My little Drew walked away with one stitch on his left arm and later a confirmation of what we already knew, he had acropustulosis and although it would be annoying for a time, it would eventually go away and he would be fine.

Tomorrow morning at 8am, Jim and I will take Brandon (almost 5 months old) to St. Joseph Mercy Hospital to get an ultrasound of his head.  His head measurement at his last check took a significant jump off the growth chart, so they just want to make sure nothing is out of the ordinary.  We trust that God will once again reveal what we already know...that we make children with big heads (lol).  I don't think there will be any "Mommy tears" tomorrow, but you never know...they often come out of nowhere... ;)

I'm thankful that these are some of the worst procedures (so far) I've had to deal with as a Mom.  Because I know there are so many others who go through so much more difficult things.  But I don't mind doing these things, just as a precaution... 

Some milestones for Brandon

I thought since we are fast approaching Brandon turning 5 months old (when did THAT happen?!?), I should post some recent milestones so I don't forget them!! :)

Doctor's visit at 4 months revealed these stats...
Weight: 16lbs. 2oz (95th percentile)
Length:  27 inches (off the chart)
Head circumference:  45 1/2 inches (off the chart)

Brandon rolled from his belly to his back when he was 5 weeks old, but just a week ago Wednesday (6/16) rolled from his back to his belly.  We laid him down for a nap (swaddled up tight just like he likes to be), and Jim found him on his belly a short time later, still swaddled, and still sleeping (maybe we have a Houdini on our hands!) ;)  So, long story short, I think we have a belly sleeper now!

Brandon's first smile was on March 18 and boy is his smile BIG!  It's like he smiles with his whole face!  I love it!!  You cannot help but smile back!  B's smile is a solid cure for a stressed out mom, a tired dad, a crabby toddler, or anyone generally needing a little "pick me up"!

The latest milestone to report....*drum roll please*........as of yesterday (6/24), Brandon has his first tooth!  Yep, one finally popped through believe it or not!  I can't believe how early it seems for him to have a tooth!!  Man, the second baby sure seems like he's growing faster than the first!  Ahhh...better take more pictures and savor the moments!

A Legacy

One of my all time favorite songs is "Legacy" by Nichole Nordeman.  I was priveledged to know this man and am proud of the legacy he has left.  If you have some time, take a listen to his amazing story! 









You will be missed here on earth, Tony...I look forward to seeing you in Heaven someday! :)

Potty Training Saga - Day 4

SUCCESS!!!!

Ok, so I may be a bit over-zealous here, but after 3 days of "little" successes, (as in a couple drops of pee, or a small dollop of poop hitting the toilet) and quite a few failures, we finally had a significant amount of both hit the toilet today!!!  YAY Drew!!!!  I was thinking how funny it is that when you become a mom, you get super excited about the most obscure things...

"The baby rolled over! Get the video camera!"
"He went to sleep all by himself without crying!  Mark it on the calendar!"
"There's poop in the potty!  Did you hear me?  Poop IN the potty!"

I wonder sometimes if my kids look at me when I'm having a crazy, happy-fest moment about their latest accomplishment and think, "Wow, my Mom is really nutso!"
Well kids, you are right...I am nutso!  But I'm the only Mom you get and I'm so proud of you that I can't help but act a little crazy when you learn new things! :)

Just like Dad

My little Drew seems to grow up minute by minute these days.  The older he gets the more I think he looks like his Dad.  He has always favored Jim's looks, but now I often feel like I am looking at Jim as a child, they look so much alike.  Drew LOVES his Dad!  And I don't just mean your "run of the mill, every little boy loves their Daddy" kind of love.  I mean this child LOVES his Daddy...fiercely!  Lately it has been nothing but tears when Daddy has to leave for work.  I love the bond that they have...it is truly something special.  Drew will tell you all day long about "riding on Daddy's tractor" today, as if it was the first and only time he got to do it (clearly that is not the case).  Anytime he did something deserving praise today, he would promptly tell me that he is "going to tell Daddy 'bout that when he gets home!"  This evening, I had to chuckle when he matched his father not just in looks, but personality as well...

Jim works VERY hard and does many projects for us around the house.  He is a very handy guy and does a great job with everything he does.  His only pitfall in this area is that he has a tendancy to attempt more "jobs" at one time than can really get done.  He will start a job, need to go out to the garage for a tool, and be out in the garage for the next 1/2 hour starting a new "job" out there that is totally unrelated to the original job! ;)  So, this evening Drew announced that he wanted to build "our house" with his big Lego blocks.  I told him that would be fine, but that he needed to first pick up his monster trucks so there would be room on the floor to dump the blocks.  He obeyed and while walking over to pick up the monster trucks, spotted a puzzle (on the other side of the room) that he then decided just HAD to be done right then and there!  I literally laughed out loud!!

I'm grateful that he not only looks like his Daddy, but has a lot of his personality as well.  Couldn't think of a man I would want him to mirror more than his Daddy!  I hope he always aspires to walk in his Daddy's shoes! :)

A "special" store

Today the boys and I took a "special" trip to a "special" store to buy a birthday present for Daddy's 30th birthday on Monday!  I really had to doctor up the "special" part so Drew would get overly excited, since he wasn't thrilled with the idea of Daddy going to work today...HA! :)  It worked!  I wish I would have thought to bring the camera because when we pulled into the parking lot of the "special" store, he had the sweetest little excited grin on his face and he said, "Mama, what is this place?"  I had to try very hard to keep from absolutely cracking up!  The child always keeps me laughing!!