ING! (also known as "swing!")

I went through my photo archives and found all of the photos we have taken of Elijah on a swing. They are all super cute, so I thought I would share..


This was Elijah's first ever swinging experience! It was taken on a warm day (relatively speaking) in the very late winter/early spring of 2008. As cute and happy as he looks here, this photo sends a deep sadness through my core. It elicits tears for me almost instantly. It was taken just before the chaos that is known as The Month I Wish I Could Erase From My Memory. You don't have to look too closely to see his blue lips, which was our first clue that his heart needed to be fixed. I'm just happy that Elijah's face does not reflect that this was a very very dark time for our little family.


It's funny how the early pics of Elijah always trigger such intense emotions. I can see any photo of him that is in existence and know instantly which surgery/procedure he was closest to in time. In this photo, he was about a week past his hypospadias repair last August. This was another scary time for me (on a much lesser degree) because he had a fever for 8-10 days past his surgery and I remember worrying a lot about that. You'd never know just from looking at him, though. Look at that happy face!


This photo was taken on an unseasonably warm (again, relatively speaking) day last Fall, just before his most recent heart cath. I remember trying to absorb as much warmth as possible in anticipation of winter. And little did we know what a terrible winter was in store! This is one of my favorite photos of Elijah. That cheesy, happy grin melts my heart.


This photo was taken at the beginning of June of this year. Another favorite of mine. Pure happiness on that face.


And this photo you may recognize from a post from a few days ago, taken on an unseasonably cool day last weekend.

Have you noticed any themes in this post?
1. Swinging makes Elijah very happy, and
2. our weather is always unpredictable and crazy!

Sleep, doctors and toilets

Last night was a bizarre night. Elijah woke up either screaming bloody murder, talking to himself (most likely counting to ten, as he has been obsessed with this lately) or crying every 30 minutes or so. He never does that even once in the night, let alone all night long! Dan and I were puzzled (and quite tired). When we checked on him he seemed fine, he just wasn't sleeping well. Bad dreams, maybe? I have no idea. He was so exhausted by 9:00 this morning that Dan had him take a morning cat nap, and that is something he hasn't needed in many many months. Praying for a better night tonight..

Elijah had his ENT appointment this morning. The doctor examined him and was able to rule out VPI. They gave him a quick hearing test that he passed (yay!). Dr. S pointed out Elijah's "big head" and "short arms" (nice, thanks for noticing) and said, "I don't have any answers for you today!" He suggested making an appointment with a speech pathologist who he works with and getting his/her thoughts on Elijah's nasal-sounding speech. We are happy that VPI has been ruled out!

Now that Elijah is communicating much better with us, we are thinking of starting potty training. I have absolutely no idea where to start, especially with a 2.5-year-old who can't walk or run to the potty when he needs to. I guess we'll start by getting him familiar with the word "potty" and what it means and go from there. It seems like such a daunting task.

Dan is taking me out for dinner for my birthday on Thursday night (can't wait!) and Elijah has a few more doctor's appointments (this Friday and next Thursday) and we have some really super fun weekends ahead of us. Four out of the next five weekends involve lots of fun family and friend time that we are looking forward to very much! Oh, and today is my dad's birthday, so happy birthday, DAD/GRANDPA! We love you and we can't wait to see you soon!

What month is this?

Elijah is showing off one of his new cute shirts. He likes to point at it and say, "Cog! (dog) Boo! (blue) Irt! (shirt) Oof! (woof)." I can't think of a single other discriptive word for it. Good job, Elijah!

We don't have much to report about our weekend besides the fact that until today, it felt more like November than it did July. Today was great, though. Elijah and I spent our morning at a nearby air show, and spent the afternoon taking walks and going to the park. I can't believe Monday is almost here already again. How does that happen?

Elijah has a few doctor's appointments this week. Other than that, hopefully it will just be another low-key week for us. That's all for now! Enjoy the pics of our sweet boy..


Whoa, going high in the swing!


Even though it was not nice out on Saturday, we still spent a lot of time at the park (as we expected snow to start falling from the sky).


Elijah is showing everyone his cheek...


...and his ear.


My happy, crazy-haired boy.


These rocks are like the funnest things in the world.


Elijah was a really good boy at the air show. He loved watching the planes buzzing around in the sky and did the sign for airplane about 5,638 times.


Today he figured out how to hold up just his first two fingers as he said, "GOO!" (two). So, I saw the peace sign a lot today.

Some things never change

Communication is here!

While Dan was taking a picture of Elijah after his first proper bath in a long long time, he got very upset about not being allowed to play with the camera. Look at that face!

I have been meaning to write a post about Elijah's communication explosion in the past few weeks. He is saying and signing so many new things, and it has been very encouraging. He is still having a hard time getting a lot of air to move through his mouth, so he still says only the ends of words and many of them still are very nasal-sounding. He has an appointment with his ENT doctor next Tuesday to rule out palate deformities that could be causing some of these issues.

New signs: please, thank you, cracker, puppy, flower, car, airplane, boat.

New words: bug (he appears to like bugs and he does not get this from Mama), plant, dirt, light, car, cow, dog, walk, stuck, cat, map, mop, cup, slide, chalk, yak and the list goes on.. New words pop up every day.


Ohhhh pizza, I must eat you.

Yesterday I put Elijah in the wagon after dinner so we could go get the mail. It's our little thing we do every evening. When we walk down our driveway and turn to the left, we are heading toward the mailbox. When we turn to the right, we are heading toward the park. So when I turned left last night, he immediately got a grumpy-sad look on his face. He pointed behind him and said, "K0ck!" (I misspelled that on purpose to avoid icky google searches, and yes, that is exactly how he pronounces the word "park," and yes, it is a little weird when people in public stare at you because your child is saying that word repeatedly and very excitedly.) We eventually made it to the park and fulfilled his desire for swings and rocks and slides. Our boy is a true lover of the outdoors, and especially of parks.

We have had a really low-key and normal week, which has been nice! Dan works again this coming weekend, which is very good for our checkbook. Elijah and I have a few fun things planned, including possibly spending our first night at the dropzone this summer! We will see what other adventures lie ahead.

Thanks for checking in on our munchkin. We hope you all are having a great week!

Blankets

We were rebels today. We canceled Elijah's post-post-op appointment because the 12:30 time slot that we tried to reschedule (we are becoming increasingly glad that neurology is not his main specialty) would have thrown Elijah's entire nap/day off schedule. His incision looks great, so we are going to assume it is ok to bathe the dirty boy as we attempt to make another post-post-op appointment.

Yes, we are super protective of his sleep schedule and I'm very proud of that!

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A few months ago I submitted Elijah's name to the CHD awareness quilt project. Each handmade quilt block honors a specific child with Congenital Heart Disease. Forty-two blocks are put together to create a quilt that travels around the country to promote CHD awareness. There are many quilts that have been put together by generous people donating their time for this cause.

When I entered Elijah's submission for a quilt block, I was asked to write about a few of his main interests so they could incorporate those things onto his block. I don't remember exactly what I wrote, but what they created for him was absolutely perfect. I opened the image that was sent to me this past weekend and I was overcome with emotion.



Once I wiped away my tears, I called Elijah over and sat him on my lap so he could see a picture of his very own quilt block. I am not kidding you, he excitedly said, "GUCK! (truck!) CAW! (car!) NNN-DA! (zebra!) EE-EE-OO-OO (monkey noises) OOK! (book!) OB! (Bob The Tomato)," with no pauses in between words. Oh sweet boy, this is indeed your CHD square!

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On a somewhat related topic, I have discovered a very intense connection with an object that we "acquired" from Elijah's most recent hospital stay. We always seem to come home with a hospital-owned object or two after we have spent a few days there. Most of the time it is accidental and we get home and go, "Oh look! I guess Elijah has some more purple pajama pants!" This time, though, we acquired a small blanket not entirely by accident. I wouldn't call it theft, either. As we packed our things to leave the hospital, it ended up getting stacked with the rest of our blankets and we just didn't make much of an effort to pull it out.

When we got home I started to fold up the little blanket and drape it over the chair in Elijah's room along with the rest of his blankets when I was overcome with a feeling I couldn't explain. I felt a strange, close connection with it. I went into Dan's and my bedroom and tucked it under the covers on my side of the bed, not really knowing why. Every night since then, I have slept snuggled up to that thing as tightly as if it were one of Voldemort's horcruxes (sorry, Harry Potter on the brain).

I can't put into words why this blanket is so important to me. I feel why it is important, but I'm not sure there are words to describe that feeling. The only thing I can think to say is that Elijah literally sweat, bled and cried tears of emotional and physical pain onto that very blanket, and I want something tangible that won't let me forget every part of that experience. Maybe it is a reminder of his strength or a reminder of the bond we share or a reminder of how far he has come or a reminder of what God has done for us, or maybe all of that.

All I know is that it somehow brings me comfort to wrap my arms tightly around it as I fall into my dreams.

Our weekend in numbers

6 - times we went to the park

1 - number of cute cousins Elijah got to spend time with

6,298 - times we counted ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR, FIVE!

1 - times we went to the Farmer's Market

27 - number of fresh vegetables we now have in our kitchen

468 - times Elijah got smooched by Mama

0.2 - seconds it took Elijah to fall asleep each night

0 - number of peeps Elijah made from 7:00 p.m. to 6:15 a.m.

56,701 - particles of dirt that adhered to Elijah's body

56,701 - particles of dirt I was unable to wash off his body (post-post-op appointment tomorrow, so hopefully a proper bath is in the near future)

1 - number of spiders that made me scream and jump about seven feet in the air

7,359 - number of calories I consumed this weekend (I better go have an ice cream sandwich to round it up to 7,500)

19 - number of skydives Dan made

412 - times Elijah said, "Dada?"

99 - times I worried about the effect of heat on my little boy's heart

367,809 - times I thought about how much I love my little boy





Cheeto fingers, yum!


He loves to check himself out in this reflective panel on our door.


Between these two cousins, there would be enough hair to make a dozen wigs.


Standing at the bottom of the slide and waiting for Kaleigh to come down was the most exciting thing ever!


Elijah and Kaleigh had a great time at the park. We were sooo happy to have Kaleigh and Auntie Lynnie over for a visit.


Auntie Lynn's (and her family's) cute new puppy, Klyde. He's super sweet and cute.

Antibodies

Because I'm picky when it comes to photos, I got rid of the bits of dirty carpet and spruced this one up a bit. Dan forgot to mention in his last post that these shorts didn't last long on Elijah since they're a little too big. Dan took them off and put on sweatpants instead. If you are familiar with the town we live in, Elijah fit in well!

Sounds like Dan and Elijah had a fun week without me around, huh? Well I was happy to come home to my diaper-bottomed, smiley-faced little boy yesterday. I swear he changed in a matter of days. He is saying a few new words this week and he is now doing the signs for PLEASE and THANK YOU. Apparently in between burping and flexing muscles, the boys also worked on manners!

I got a call this morning from Elijah's pulmonologist's nurse. The results of his immunity bloodwork came back showing that he has low pneumococcal antibodies, which could indicate that he has a problem with his immune system. He has received all four pneumococcal vaccinations, so he should have normal antibodies. Since this isn't the case, it is possible that a booster shot could help get his levels up to where they need to be. We will be taking him in for that vaccination soon, and 4-6 weeks after that he will need to have more blood drawn to see if his antibodies have improved. If they are within the normal range after that, then YAY! If not, there may be deeper issues, so we would then need to add another specialist to Elijah's ever-growing list of doctors.

Please pray for this pneumococcal booster to be the answer!

Elijah is saying his own name! Well, sort of. It sounds like NNnn-Daa! This "word" also means pizza, lasagna, Miya (his cousin) and a handful of other things.

We have no set plans for our weekend, and that feels pretty awesome. I'm sure we'll come up with something fun to do on the fly. Thanks for checking in and have a safe, fun weekend!

Guy Time

Elijah and I have been bach-ing it for 2 days now as we pine over the absence of our gloriously beautiful, wonderful wife/mother. It has been a good bonding time and we have most definitely worn dirty clothes (and no sock/shoes) in public! To give you a few more details I shall allow Elijah to express what has been going on through a "What We Have Done/What We Have Not Done" format.
Without further ado, Elijah speaks about our time alone:

What We Have Done:

- said "uck/ock" 5,384 times
- walked with walker without crying for first time in a long time
- ate lots of greasy food (mostly Daddy)
- danced in our underwear (mostly Elijah)
- stayed up past bed time
- wore muscle shirt to impress ladies (only Elijah)
- had best day at daycare in a month (only for a few hours, but still an improvement)
- stared at budget and whined (Daddy only)
- learned about the CIA and how supporting/supplying Afghanistan/Sadam in the 80's ultimately lead to bad times for the U.S. (mainly Daddy with his newest book)
- watched Thomas the Train
- watered Grandma/Grandpa's plants while they were on vacation
- scoped out some birthday gifts for Momma
- plugged nose when smelling dirty diaper (Elijah only...Daddy held his breath)
- listened to Daddy sing in the shower while frowning and waiting for it to end
- watched "Yo Gabba Gabba" while Daddy shook his head and tried not to make jokes
- went for a wagon wide wearing only a diaper and muscle shirt (good times!)
- dreamt of my Momma and seeing her gorgeous face!!!

What We Have Not Done:

- cleaned
- had any concern for personal hygene
- laundry
- been productive with house projects (all Daddy's fault)
- flossed
- been dressed at all times (diapers and underwear are too comfy!)
- eaten veggies
- washed our hands before eating (kidding...maybe)
- said "excuse me" after burping (we always forget while we laugh about it)

Well, that's about it for now. We are excited for Momma to get home tomorrow (after we clean up a bit) so we can gross her out with our stories and burps!

Below are a couple pictures of how Daddy dresses Elijah in style, the best part about the second one (that you can't see) is that Elijah is only wearing one shoe (his idea). Diapers and cut-offs, it's the way to go!

Our 4th of July weekend in pictures

The bad news from our weekend is that Dan didn't get any work. The good news is that Dan didn't get any work! Elijah and I had him all to ourselves. We filled our time with naps, walks, trips to the park, bike rides, picnics, an evening at our friends' house, fireworks and even a trip to the zoo.


The monkeys are smelly, Mama!


When I handed Elijah a biscuit to feed to the very long-tongued (and beautiful) giraffe, he started to eat it himself. Oops, not for you, sweetie! The giraffe appeared to enjoy it once he slurped it out of Elijah's hand.


We enjoyed our zoo time with the pretty Jess!


Time to shed.


We spent the evening of the 4th at our friends Ronda and Andrew's house...


..where Elijah made his first basket..


..and Dan showed off his dunking skills.


Elijah loved his time outside, as usual..


..and he took me for a ride on the scooter (ok, so we just sat on it).


He fell in love with Ronda and Andrew's massive candy bars and refused to set them down.


After Elijah went to bed we enjoyed some adult time in their backyard..


..watching the sun set..


..gazing at pretty clouds..


..launching fireworks toward those pretty clouds..


..enjoying a bonfire..


..and more fireworks.


The boys had a fun time igniting explosives and occasionally taking a break to enjoy the simple things..


..but then making their way back to the fun stuff.


The girls were satisfied with Sparkler Dancing.


I will be out of town for work for a few days :( so I'll see you all again on Thursday! I hope everyone had a safe and fun holiday weekend!

Jackpot

Elijah hit the toy jackpot this week! Dan's mom gave him a wooden train set and some new books (one of which is being held by The Lounger in the previous post), and then our friend Cara gave him her daughter's old toy barn and animals, which are just awesome. He adores every bit of it. He has been in a toy daze all week. That is, in between being in a Thomas the Train daze and an I-need-to-be-outside-RIGHT-NOW-or-else-I'll-start-flopping-like-a-fish daze.



We have had a quiet week, which has been really nice in comparison to the past few. Elijah re-entered the world of daycare, and he didn't necessarily love that. It had been three weeks since he was there, so he cried giant, dramatic tears of sadness when Dan dropped him off each morning. We feel it is really important for Elijah to be around other children on a regular basis. He naturally stays close to whatever and whoever is safe (us), so it is good for him to regularly interact with other people without us around. Hopefully we are done with surgeries and the hospital for a while so we can get him back into a steady, tear-free daycare routine.

We are hoping Dan can get some work this weekend (why can't money start falling from the sky?), and we have a few fun things planned, too. I don't have to work tomorrow, so I have an extra bounce in my step tonight.

Elijah's incision still looks great and his rash hasn't come back. He has continued to recover amazingly well after his recent surgery. We are anxious to see what the future holds for his gross motor development now that his spinal cord has been set free!

Have a fun, safe weekend, everyone! Thanks for checking in.


p.s. For those of you who have read the Harry Potter books.. I just finished Book 6 and I was devastated about what happened at the end! (Don't say anything about specifics because Dan doesn't know what happens yet.) How, why, HOW, WHYYY?? (Have you noticed yet that I get a little bit caught up in the books I read?)

Lounging comes naturally for him

Hair

After looking at some of the photos I've posted recently, you must think that we never comb our child's hair.



And that would be a good assumption because we don't. That head of hair has a mind of its own. I could comb through it for five straight minutes and it would look the same as if I didn't comb it at all. So we have learned to let it express itself in whatever way it wishes.

Every once in a while I will see other parents whisper to each other as they look at Elijah. I always wonder if they are commenting on his crazy (awesome) hair, wondering why he isn't walking, or just gushing about how cute he is. Most likely they are gushing about his cuteness because that trumps everything, right?

The stitches came out today! Minus some dramatic tears, all went well. His incision looks great. We have to take him back in two weeks for a final incision check, and guess what? We can't bathe him until then! Oh well, this is really not a big deal, just a slight inconvenience. We will continue on with our sponge baths until then.

Rashy has left our little boy's body! Let's hope it is gone for good, never to return.

This is a short work week, yay! We have a few fun plans and a few other fun ideas for the upcoming weekend, so I'm getting excited. Almost two weeks post-surgery, I'm finally feeling like we can enjoy our summer!