May I have the envelope please...
Welcom Barret & Hayes
13 years ago
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Saturday, May 22, 2010
How I Meet Your Father
Note: This was written yesterday, but I didn't have time to post it!
-----------------------------------
Today is mine and Jon’s 5 year anniversary! I’ve always wanted to do a post about how we meet and stuff so I would always have it to look back on, so I thought now would be a great time! But to fully understand our relationship, we have to rewind…way back to when I was in high school…
When I was a freshman in high school, I had kind of "dated" (i.e. we never went anywhere – just hung out a school) a guy, "M", but it was nothing serious so summer came and we went our separate ways. When school started back up, we reconnected and when M turned 16, we went on our first official date. He was a junior; I was a sophomore. The year was 1992 and we continued dating until 2000. I’m not really sure why we broke up. I think we had just became better at being friends and I had planned to move away to St. Louis to work and I think M decided that wasn’t the route he wanted his life to go. Whatever the reason was, when M initially broke up with me in April or May of 2000, I was completely devastated! I mean, I had never been broken up with before and this was the guy I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life with.
So I remember one Friday or Saturday night being at my aunt and uncle’s house watching the NBA playoff’s when my best friend Daysha called and invited me out with her. I was reluctant to go, but figured I couldn’t mope around the house forever. So we went to a small bar called the E’town Tap – a place I was not a frequenter of!
When we got there, she ended up introducing me to a guy she had met the previous summer named Jon. He was from a neighboring town but apparently hung out in my little community quite a bit. I didn’t think much of anything about him at this point, but I could tell he was entertaining!
From my diary…
Saturday 6/24/00: "Last night I had a pretty good time for the first time since me and M have been broken up. I got ready and drove up to E’town to see if Jon’s truck was there, but it wasn’t and that is who I was wanting to talk to. When I got home, I called his truck phone and he was there. He was headed this way so I met him and we went up there together. Jon is super nice and even though I’ve only talked to him a few times, I feel like he’s looking out for me like a big brother."
So yes, I initially though of Jon like a big brother!
Jon and I continued to hang out just as friends that summer, and at some point, M and I got back together.
Sunday 9/10/00: "I’ve never felt so confused before. I do know that I love M and that I really care for him. But then there’s Jon, who I let myself get too attached to. I’m afraid I may have fallen for him and not realized it. It’s just that being around Jon is so different from being around M. Jon is truly glad to see me when I stop by his shop and I can tell when I call that he’s happy to hear from me. I’m sure M feels this way too but he sure doesn’t show it. Jon says that I make his day when I stop by and he leaves me these really sweet messages on my voicemail. There nothing much, just "good morning and have a wonderful day" most of the time but just that he would think of me and do that is what I appreciate about it. He’s said things to me that make me wonder if he could truly want to spend the rest of his life with me. He says I’m beautiful on the inside and out and that he hopes one day he’ll have a chance to make me happy for the rest of my life. He wanted me to promise him that if anything happened with M, in 6 months, even 2 years, that I would give him a chance. I didn’t give him an answer. Could Jon be who I’m suppose to be with?"
Yep, I think Jon was trying to sabotage my relationship with M – ha!
11/17/00: (Still with M at this point.) "Jon has continued to be wonderful to me and its obvious that he cares a lot about me. He jokes about stuff saying, "Oh, why don’t you just marry me." He’s so sweet. I’ve been sick with a cold and he called and told me to look out the front door because it was snowing. When I went to look, there were flowers with a box of Tylenol cold pills in them. He had put them there and left."
"Jon says he wants to show me the man he is, not the one that everyone says he is. Could it be possible that I’ve completely fallen in love with Jon and not realized it?"
When I look back on all of this, I think I was scared to let M go because he was my comfort zone, but I can tell that I was definitely falling for Jon and that he was falling for me…
I quit writing in my diary at this point, but I think we all know how the story ends!
M and I broke up for good in January of 2001, but continued to be friends. Shortly after that, Jon and I started officially dating. I graduated with my Master’s degree in May of 2001, but didn’t start working in St. Louis until September, so I had the whole summer off. We spent a lot of time together and even went on vacation to Mexico. I moved to St. Louis in September of 2001 and lived there until December 2004. I wasn’t sure what would happen to Jon and I, but for that entire time, he would either come see me on the weekends or I would come back home. We got engaged during the summer of 2004 and were married exactly 5 years ago today – May 21, 2005. I think I made the right choice don’t you ?
~5 Wonderful Years Together~
~One Beautiful Son~
~And Another Baby on the Way!~
-----------------------------------
Today is mine and Jon’s 5 year anniversary! I’ve always wanted to do a post about how we meet and stuff so I would always have it to look back on, so I thought now would be a great time! But to fully understand our relationship, we have to rewind…way back to when I was in high school…
When I was a freshman in high school, I had kind of "dated" (i.e. we never went anywhere – just hung out a school) a guy, "M", but it was nothing serious so summer came and we went our separate ways. When school started back up, we reconnected and when M turned 16, we went on our first official date. He was a junior; I was a sophomore. The year was 1992 and we continued dating until 2000. I’m not really sure why we broke up. I think we had just became better at being friends and I had planned to move away to St. Louis to work and I think M decided that wasn’t the route he wanted his life to go. Whatever the reason was, when M initially broke up with me in April or May of 2000, I was completely devastated! I mean, I had never been broken up with before and this was the guy I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life with.
So I remember one Friday or Saturday night being at my aunt and uncle’s house watching the NBA playoff’s when my best friend Daysha called and invited me out with her. I was reluctant to go, but figured I couldn’t mope around the house forever. So we went to a small bar called the E’town Tap – a place I was not a frequenter of!
When we got there, she ended up introducing me to a guy she had met the previous summer named Jon. He was from a neighboring town but apparently hung out in my little community quite a bit. I didn’t think much of anything about him at this point, but I could tell he was entertaining!
From my diary…
Saturday 6/24/00: "Last night I had a pretty good time for the first time since me and M have been broken up. I got ready and drove up to E’town to see if Jon’s truck was there, but it wasn’t and that is who I was wanting to talk to. When I got home, I called his truck phone and he was there. He was headed this way so I met him and we went up there together. Jon is super nice and even though I’ve only talked to him a few times, I feel like he’s looking out for me like a big brother."
So yes, I initially though of Jon like a big brother!
Jon and I continued to hang out just as friends that summer, and at some point, M and I got back together.
Sunday 9/10/00: "I’ve never felt so confused before. I do know that I love M and that I really care for him. But then there’s Jon, who I let myself get too attached to. I’m afraid I may have fallen for him and not realized it. It’s just that being around Jon is so different from being around M. Jon is truly glad to see me when I stop by his shop and I can tell when I call that he’s happy to hear from me. I’m sure M feels this way too but he sure doesn’t show it. Jon says that I make his day when I stop by and he leaves me these really sweet messages on my voicemail. There nothing much, just "good morning and have a wonderful day" most of the time but just that he would think of me and do that is what I appreciate about it. He’s said things to me that make me wonder if he could truly want to spend the rest of his life with me. He says I’m beautiful on the inside and out and that he hopes one day he’ll have a chance to make me happy for the rest of my life. He wanted me to promise him that if anything happened with M, in 6 months, even 2 years, that I would give him a chance. I didn’t give him an answer. Could Jon be who I’m suppose to be with?"
Yep, I think Jon was trying to sabotage my relationship with M – ha!
11/17/00: (Still with M at this point.) "Jon has continued to be wonderful to me and its obvious that he cares a lot about me. He jokes about stuff saying, "Oh, why don’t you just marry me." He’s so sweet. I’ve been sick with a cold and he called and told me to look out the front door because it was snowing. When I went to look, there were flowers with a box of Tylenol cold pills in them. He had put them there and left."
"Jon says he wants to show me the man he is, not the one that everyone says he is. Could it be possible that I’ve completely fallen in love with Jon and not realized it?"
When I look back on all of this, I think I was scared to let M go because he was my comfort zone, but I can tell that I was definitely falling for Jon and that he was falling for me…
I quit writing in my diary at this point, but I think we all know how the story ends!
M and I broke up for good in January of 2001, but continued to be friends. Shortly after that, Jon and I started officially dating. I graduated with my Master’s degree in May of 2001, but didn’t start working in St. Louis until September, so I had the whole summer off. We spent a lot of time together and even went on vacation to Mexico. I moved to St. Louis in September of 2001 and lived there until December 2004. I wasn’t sure what would happen to Jon and I, but for that entire time, he would either come see me on the weekends or I would come back home. We got engaged during the summer of 2004 and were married exactly 5 years ago today – May 21, 2005. I think I made the right choice don’t you ?
~5 Wonderful Years Together~
~One Beautiful Son~
~And Another Baby on the Way!~
I love my little family and my life :)
Friday, May 14, 2010
I Love Talkin' Baby Names!
Ever since I was a little girl, I have been obsessed with baby names -- I only wish I still had the lists that me and my best friend Daysha use to make!
A couple that stick with me are "Jordan Nathanial" for a boy and "Nicolette Danielle" for a girl. Jordan Nathanial was from, who else, but Jordan Knight of New Kids on the Block!
And Nicolette was for Nicolette Sheridan, who (at the time) played on a show called Knot’s Landing that my mom use to always watch. I can’t remember where Danielle came from, but I’m sure it had significant meaning too – ha!
Then I remember becoming obsessed with the 1996 Olympic gymnastics team and adding Dominique to my list (after Dominique Moceanu). Yes, modern day culture definitely influenced the names I liked!
Daysha and I were also obsessed with playing Barbie dolls – probably for longer that the average girl! I can remember naming my girl Barbie “Cheryl” and her baby “Thea” after the baby on the Molly Ringwald movie “For Keeps.” Daysha remembers her fave Barbie names being Felica, Alechia, and Cynthia!
Well, when it came time to name my firstborn, I never dreamt of how hard it would be. I mean this is something that they are going to have to deal with for the rest of their lives, so it had to be perfect! I also never realized how picky Jon would be. It seemed like everything I came up with, he shot down. So we decided pretty quickly that we wouldn’t even begin talking baby names until we could at least narrow it down between a boy name or girl name. Once we found out we were having a boy, it didn’t get much easier. At some point, I gave in and went with a name that Jon came up with – Jonah. He liked it mainly because it had J-O-N in it like his name. My concerns -- what if people thought it was actually pronounced Jon-A (like Ava). And what if people called him Joanie??? Everyone was so sure that Baby B was going to be named Jonah, that I even got the wooden letters that spelt Jonah for the nursery at my shower! For some reason, though, I was just never 100% set on it…
Fast forward to a month or so before my due date…I suddenly started really liking Taylor Swift’s song “Teardrops on My Guitar,” which is about a girl who is secretly in love with a boy named what else but Drew! Hmmm, I kind of liked that, but did it sound ok with our one syllable last name? Well, there is that football player named Drew Brees...so I was sold on it! Now to just see what Jon thought... He seemed to think it was OK, but I know he was still secretly pulling for Jonah.
So now fast forward to the morning that I am heading to the hospital to be induced. Jon and I are still talking names on the way there. Is it going to be Drew or Jonah???? We couldn’t decide!!! (His middle name was going to be the same either way so we at least had that part figured out!)
Then I remember going in for my c-section that night (since my induction was unsuccessful) and right after he was born the doctor asked what his name was and Jon said “His name is Drew!” I just remember being out of it but turning to Jon and saying, “Are you sure????”
And that is how Drew became Drew!
It should come as no surprise, then, that we are have no names picked out this time around. I definitely want there to be some kind of family connection. Some things I’m keeping in mind…I would really like to use the first name of William if we have another boy after my mom’s dad (my papa who was like a dad to me!) that passed away in August of 2006. We would probably call him by his middle name though.
A couple that stick with me are "Jordan Nathanial" for a boy and "Nicolette Danielle" for a girl. Jordan Nathanial was from, who else, but Jordan Knight of New Kids on the Block!
And Nicolette was for Nicolette Sheridan, who (at the time) played on a show called Knot’s Landing that my mom use to always watch. I can’t remember where Danielle came from, but I’m sure it had significant meaning too – ha!
Then I remember becoming obsessed with the 1996 Olympic gymnastics team and adding Dominique to my list (after Dominique Moceanu). Yes, modern day culture definitely influenced the names I liked!
Daysha and I were also obsessed with playing Barbie dolls – probably for longer that the average girl! I can remember naming my girl Barbie “Cheryl” and her baby “Thea” after the baby on the Molly Ringwald movie “For Keeps.” Daysha remembers her fave Barbie names being Felica, Alechia, and Cynthia!
Well, when it came time to name my firstborn, I never dreamt of how hard it would be. I mean this is something that they are going to have to deal with for the rest of their lives, so it had to be perfect! I also never realized how picky Jon would be. It seemed like everything I came up with, he shot down. So we decided pretty quickly that we wouldn’t even begin talking baby names until we could at least narrow it down between a boy name or girl name. Once we found out we were having a boy, it didn’t get much easier. At some point, I gave in and went with a name that Jon came up with – Jonah. He liked it mainly because it had J-O-N in it like his name. My concerns -- what if people thought it was actually pronounced Jon-A (like Ava). And what if people called him Joanie??? Everyone was so sure that Baby B was going to be named Jonah, that I even got the wooden letters that spelt Jonah for the nursery at my shower! For some reason, though, I was just never 100% set on it…
Fast forward to a month or so before my due date…I suddenly started really liking Taylor Swift’s song “Teardrops on My Guitar,” which is about a girl who is secretly in love with a boy named what else but Drew! Hmmm, I kind of liked that, but did it sound ok with our one syllable last name? Well, there is that football player named Drew Brees...so I was sold on it! Now to just see what Jon thought... He seemed to think it was OK, but I know he was still secretly pulling for Jonah.
So now fast forward to the morning that I am heading to the hospital to be induced. Jon and I are still talking names on the way there. Is it going to be Drew or Jonah???? We couldn’t decide!!! (His middle name was going to be the same either way so we at least had that part figured out!)
Then I remember going in for my c-section that night (since my induction was unsuccessful) and right after he was born the doctor asked what his name was and Jon said “His name is Drew!” I just remember being out of it but turning to Jon and saying, “Are you sure????”
And that is how Drew became Drew!
It should come as no surprise, then, that we are have no names picked out this time around. I definitely want there to be some kind of family connection. Some things I’m keeping in mind…I would really like to use the first name of William if we have another boy after my mom’s dad (my papa who was like a dad to me!) that passed away in August of 2006. We would probably call him by his middle name though.
As for girl names, the names Catherine or Kay are strong contenders. Catherine was both my maternal and paternal great-grandmas' name! My maternal grandma’s name is Mary Catherine (she goes by Mary Kay), my mom’s name is Rhonda Kay, and my sister’s name is Whitney Catherine. I might spice it up a bit and spell it Kathryn or even just use Kae. My middle name is Ann so I've also considered using Annette for a middle name.
That’s about all I have for now. It should be interesting to see how long we take to decide on a name this time around!!
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Ultrasound!
Yesterday was a big day – it was ultrasound day! So without further ado, here is Baby B #2’s blog debut! (Look at that cute little nose!!)
There were many things on my mind yesterday morning. One of those being, “Would this baby also have a cleft lip and/or palate?” The chances of it happening for the “average” person are 1 in 700. If you have one child with a cleft, your chances of having a second child with a cleft become 1 in 25 (per Drew’s plastic surgeon).
We went back for the ultrasound and it was the same lady who had done my ultrasound when I was pregnant with Drew. We didn’t bring up our concerns, but after a bit she said, “Are you OK?” I guess she could sense my nervousness! Then she said, “Well, I’m sure you are both wondering about the lip, but I can see it now and it looks great!”
I started to cry. (And I’m pretty sure I saw Jon wiping his eyes too…)
I had prayed (and prayed and prayed), but not for the baby to not have a cleft, but just that God would help me accept whatever we found out and that I would be reminded that if we just continued to put our trust in Him, we could handle anything! Of course I’m glad that what we heard was that the lip, palate (the palate is a little tricky to see, but she was pretty sure she saw tissue there), heart, brain, spine, kidneys, etc. all looked great! (It’s funny that most people would say that there baby looked “perfect,” but that word has a whole new meaning to me now. To me, Drew was perfect – just like he was – and this baby was going to be perfect too, no matter what!)
It was a glorious day! But as strange as this may sound, I couldn’t help but think of Drew and if one day he would wonder why he was born with a cleft lip, but his brother or sister wasn’t. I just always want him to know that we would not change a single thing about him. Everything we have went through together has just made us stronger and I can’t wait to see how his future turns out! There is a song that I just love the chorus to and it always makes me think of Drew…
Be strong in the Lord and,
Never give up hope,
You’re going to do great things,
I already know,
God’s got His Hand on you so,
Don’t live life in fear,
Forgive and forget,
But don’t forget why you’re here,
Take your time and pray,
These are the words I would say.
(Sidewalk Prophets – The Words I Would Say)
Words we could all live by!
OK – back to the ultrasound! So is the baby a boy or girl? Well, we don’t know! We chose not to find out – not right now at least. It may sound strange, but at that moment, knowing that our baby was healthy was enough! What we did do was have the lady write down what it was a put in into a sealed envelope. I’m sure we’ll open it soon!
There were many things on my mind yesterday morning. One of those being, “Would this baby also have a cleft lip and/or palate?” The chances of it happening for the “average” person are 1 in 700. If you have one child with a cleft, your chances of having a second child with a cleft become 1 in 25 (per Drew’s plastic surgeon).
We went back for the ultrasound and it was the same lady who had done my ultrasound when I was pregnant with Drew. We didn’t bring up our concerns, but after a bit she said, “Are you OK?” I guess she could sense my nervousness! Then she said, “Well, I’m sure you are both wondering about the lip, but I can see it now and it looks great!”
I started to cry. (And I’m pretty sure I saw Jon wiping his eyes too…)
I had prayed (and prayed and prayed), but not for the baby to not have a cleft, but just that God would help me accept whatever we found out and that I would be reminded that if we just continued to put our trust in Him, we could handle anything! Of course I’m glad that what we heard was that the lip, palate (the palate is a little tricky to see, but she was pretty sure she saw tissue there), heart, brain, spine, kidneys, etc. all looked great! (It’s funny that most people would say that there baby looked “perfect,” but that word has a whole new meaning to me now. To me, Drew was perfect – just like he was – and this baby was going to be perfect too, no matter what!)
It was a glorious day! But as strange as this may sound, I couldn’t help but think of Drew and if one day he would wonder why he was born with a cleft lip, but his brother or sister wasn’t. I just always want him to know that we would not change a single thing about him. Everything we have went through together has just made us stronger and I can’t wait to see how his future turns out! There is a song that I just love the chorus to and it always makes me think of Drew…
Be strong in the Lord and,
Never give up hope,
You’re going to do great things,
I already know,
God’s got His Hand on you so,
Don’t live life in fear,
Forgive and forget,
But don’t forget why you’re here,
Take your time and pray,
These are the words I would say.
(Sidewalk Prophets – The Words I Would Say)
Words we could all live by!
OK – back to the ultrasound! So is the baby a boy or girl? Well, we don’t know! We chose not to find out – not right now at least. It may sound strange, but at that moment, knowing that our baby was healthy was enough! What we did do was have the lady write down what it was a put in into a sealed envelope. I’m sure we’ll open it soon!
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
A Little Announcement...
So Thursday was tax day and I couldn't be happier! While I actually enjoy the work and getting to meet with and plan with clients, tax season just really got to me this year.
Maybe it was because I knew that with me working late it left Jon in charge of picking Drew up, cooking Drew dinner, and entertaining Drew until I got home. Maybe it was because Drew is getting older and I feel like he now knows that his momma isn't around as much. Or maybe it was because...I was going through the first trimester of pregnancy!
Yep, you heard me right, Baby B #2 is due to arrive on October 14th!!
(I think Drew thought it was a harmonica-ha!)
After having one of the worst colds of my life, I realized that the way I was feeling just might be from more than just a bad cold. So, on Friday, February 26th, I decided to take a pregnancy test and much to my surprise, it was positive!
I went to the doctor a week later and because of my irregular cycles, they did an ultrasound to determine how far along I was. Surprisingly, I was 7 weeks and 6 days pregnant already!
Things have been going good so far! I've discovered that the key to not feeling bad is to eat before I get hungry and to go to bed as early as possible! I will be 15 weeks along tomorrow and am still having moments of nauseousness, but I'm hoping that will be ending very, very soon.
I'm happy to finally be sharing this great news with my blog friends and can't wait to share all of the magical moments that will be happening along the way!!
Maybe it was because I knew that with me working late it left Jon in charge of picking Drew up, cooking Drew dinner, and entertaining Drew until I got home. Maybe it was because Drew is getting older and I feel like he now knows that his momma isn't around as much. Or maybe it was because...I was going through the first trimester of pregnancy!
Yep, you heard me right, Baby B #2 is due to arrive on October 14th!!
(I think Drew thought it was a harmonica-ha!)
After having one of the worst colds of my life, I realized that the way I was feeling just might be from more than just a bad cold. So, on Friday, February 26th, I decided to take a pregnancy test and much to my surprise, it was positive!
I went to the doctor a week later and because of my irregular cycles, they did an ultrasound to determine how far along I was. Surprisingly, I was 7 weeks and 6 days pregnant already!
Things have been going good so far! I've discovered that the key to not feeling bad is to eat before I get hungry and to go to bed as early as possible! I will be 15 weeks along tomorrow and am still having moments of nauseousness, but I'm hoping that will be ending very, very soon.
I'm happy to finally be sharing this great news with my blog friends and can't wait to share all of the magical moments that will be happening along the way!!
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Easter Weekend 2010!
Our Easter weekend started out with a birthday party -- Drew's friend Colten turned 3! Drew loved the dinosaur theme!!
Later that afternoon, we headed to the church in my hometown for an egg hunt. Drew had a great time!
After the egg hunt, we headed back to Grandma and Grandpa's to color eggs. At first, every time Drew got even the tiniest drop of egg color on him, we had to be ready to wipe it off, but as you can see, it didn't take long for him to enjoy getting messy. (I'm just glad it was Grandma's house and not ours!!)
Then it was Easter Sunday and while egg hunts and Easter baskets are fun, I always want to make sure that Drew knows the real meaning behind Easter!
My little man :)
Only 1 more week 'til April 15th (had to throw that in)!!!
Later that afternoon, we headed to the church in my hometown for an egg hunt. Drew had a great time!
After the egg hunt, we headed back to Grandma and Grandpa's to color eggs. At first, every time Drew got even the tiniest drop of egg color on him, we had to be ready to wipe it off, but as you can see, it didn't take long for him to enjoy getting messy. (I'm just glad it was Grandma's house and not ours!!)
Then it was Easter Sunday and while egg hunts and Easter baskets are fun, I always want to make sure that Drew knows the real meaning behind Easter!
My little man :)
Only 1 more week 'til April 15th (had to throw that in)!!!
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Drew = 2 Years + 9 Months Old!
Dear Drew - On Thursday, you turned another month old! I just downloaded all of my pictures from the past month and there were 11 whole pictures -- I guess that's what happens during tax season...
The one good thing about working late is I think it makes you like me more!! Whenever I come home, you run to me and give me the biggest hugs! Even when we pick you up at Grandma and Grandpa's on Fridays, you are excited to see me!! Daddy is doing such a great job at picking you up after work and cooking you dinner. I'm looking forward to being home at 5 again and being able to cook and actually eat dinner with my boys (even though I'm not a very good cook!).
On March 4th, you got your third set of ear tubes put in. Here we are that morning:
The doctor said your left ear was pretty bad (cleft side) so hopefully you are hearing better which will help with your speech. Compared to your other three surgeries, this truly was a piece of cake! We got to see you right after surgery and were on the road home shortly after that. You even ate a whole grilled cheese and then slept until we reached our driveway. At home, you played just like nothing had happened!
We've had a few nice days and you've enjoyed playing outside. I can't wait for summer -- I think you are really going to love it this year!!
We had a meeting with the elementary school this week. It sounds like you will be starting "school" in August. It is 4 days a week for about 3 hours, so it's not like you'll be there all day like I had originally thought. It still seems kind of weird that my little boy will be going to the big school, but it's the next step after you turn 3 and no longer qualify for speech through Early Intervention. I'm actually kind of looking forward to it because I've heard such great things about the two speech therapists and they said the whole class is really language based -- maybe that's just what you need to get you talking! We'll find out in May (at yet another meeting) whether you get in for sure. For now, you continue to receive speech therapy from Jaci twice a week. The last couple of weeks, though, you haven't been too cooperative...
That's all for now...just remember how very, very, much I love you :)
oxox, mommy
The one good thing about working late is I think it makes you like me more!! Whenever I come home, you run to me and give me the biggest hugs! Even when we pick you up at Grandma and Grandpa's on Fridays, you are excited to see me!! Daddy is doing such a great job at picking you up after work and cooking you dinner. I'm looking forward to being home at 5 again and being able to cook and actually eat dinner with my boys (even though I'm not a very good cook!).
On March 4th, you got your third set of ear tubes put in. Here we are that morning:
The doctor said your left ear was pretty bad (cleft side) so hopefully you are hearing better which will help with your speech. Compared to your other three surgeries, this truly was a piece of cake! We got to see you right after surgery and were on the road home shortly after that. You even ate a whole grilled cheese and then slept until we reached our driveway. At home, you played just like nothing had happened!
We've had a few nice days and you've enjoyed playing outside. I can't wait for summer -- I think you are really going to love it this year!!
We had a meeting with the elementary school this week. It sounds like you will be starting "school" in August. It is 4 days a week for about 3 hours, so it's not like you'll be there all day like I had originally thought. It still seems kind of weird that my little boy will be going to the big school, but it's the next step after you turn 3 and no longer qualify for speech through Early Intervention. I'm actually kind of looking forward to it because I've heard such great things about the two speech therapists and they said the whole class is really language based -- maybe that's just what you need to get you talking! We'll find out in May (at yet another meeting) whether you get in for sure. For now, you continue to receive speech therapy from Jaci twice a week. The last couple of weeks, though, you haven't been too cooperative...
That's all for now...just remember how very, very, much I love you :)
oxox, mommy
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Drew = 2 Years + 8 Months Old!
Dear Drew - It's the heart of tax season (corporations are due on 3/15!), it's 9:00 at night and I just got home from work (Thursday is my late night since you stay at Grandma's), but I am determined to do your monthly post -- especially since I have been such a bad blogger lately. What I have been doing, though, is keeping a little list of exciting, fun, and new things that have been happening so let's get started!
You aren't eating as good as I would like, but one thing we've found is that you will sometimes eat better if we cut stuff up and let you eat it with a fork. I guess you like using forks!!
[Fun w/Elefun!]
We are working on letter recognition (in conjunction with letter sounds). You are best at saying and recognizing A, B, H, M, O, P, and S. (Vowels and the M/B/P consonants are still what the speech therapists tell us to focus on so that is why we haven't branched out too much.) And while you can make these sounds, you are still struggling with putting them together to make words. (Although momma, pop, up and something that sounds like backpack -- thanks Dora -- are coming along!) Your biggest speech accomplishment this month was you said "bubble!" In the past, bubble and bye-bye have pretty much sounded the same, but this month Jaci got you to change the second syllable and round your lips -- lip rounding is something you had been struggling with so while "bubble" isn't always consistent, it's definitely a step in the right direction! I'm so proud of you and how cooperative you always are with Jaci and with me and daddy when we are doing speech stuff with you!
Before bed, I use to carry you into your bedroom and while holding you, I would say a little prayer. This month we started doing your prayer a little different and it is the cutest thing ever! After reading to you, you take my hand and lead me to your room, get down on your knees, put your hands together, bow your head, and wait for me to do the same. Then I say a little prayer out loud. (Still working on getting you to say Amen!) It is just so sweet!!
You have become a hair twirler! When I read to you, you love to play with my hair. And when we lay you down at night, we can see you on the monitor playing with your own hair! That is until...
...yep, Daddy took you for a haircut and now you have nothing to twirl :( Since I had to work, Daddy took you by himself and it was not a pleasant experience for him! He said you threw a fit and he had to basically hold you down the whole time - yikes! I'll be sure to pack the DVD player (or M&M's) next time!
Your current obsession is with dinosaurs, which is partially due to being introduced to Uncle Colby's old Land Before Time movies! Here you are watching it on YouTube...
You went to Sunday school for the first time on February 7th! You seemed to enjoy it! Unfortunately, we haven't made it back since...because you were sick on the 14th and I was sick on the 21st.
You also attended your first Superbowl party and had so much fun playing with all the kids at Colby and Candice's house! (Yay Saints & Drew Brees!!)
We had our second family movie night -- we watched Up!
We celebrated Nan and Pop's 50th wedding anniversary. Your favorite part -- the red velvet cake! The next day, Aunt Deb and Uncle Steve took you to Addison's 2nd birthday party and you were so excited about the giant Cookie Monster balloon you got to bring home!
Well, another month has gone by, which means you are another month closer to turning 3! I hope I never forget just how much joy your bring to my life -- there is nothing quite like coming home at night to you running toward me and giving me a huge hug. And then I get lots of hugs, kisses, and nose rubs right before bed -- your Eskimo kisses always make me laugh :) I just love you so very much!!!
oxox, mommy
You aren't eating as good as I would like, but one thing we've found is that you will sometimes eat better if we cut stuff up and let you eat it with a fork. I guess you like using forks!!
[Fun w/Elefun!]
We are working on letter recognition (in conjunction with letter sounds). You are best at saying and recognizing A, B, H, M, O, P, and S. (Vowels and the M/B/P consonants are still what the speech therapists tell us to focus on so that is why we haven't branched out too much.) And while you can make these sounds, you are still struggling with putting them together to make words. (Although momma, pop, up and something that sounds like backpack -- thanks Dora -- are coming along!) Your biggest speech accomplishment this month was you said "bubble!" In the past, bubble and bye-bye have pretty much sounded the same, but this month Jaci got you to change the second syllable and round your lips -- lip rounding is something you had been struggling with so while "bubble" isn't always consistent, it's definitely a step in the right direction! I'm so proud of you and how cooperative you always are with Jaci and with me and daddy when we are doing speech stuff with you!
Before bed, I use to carry you into your bedroom and while holding you, I would say a little prayer. This month we started doing your prayer a little different and it is the cutest thing ever! After reading to you, you take my hand and lead me to your room, get down on your knees, put your hands together, bow your head, and wait for me to do the same. Then I say a little prayer out loud. (Still working on getting you to say Amen!) It is just so sweet!!
You have become a hair twirler! When I read to you, you love to play with my hair. And when we lay you down at night, we can see you on the monitor playing with your own hair! That is until...
...yep, Daddy took you for a haircut and now you have nothing to twirl :( Since I had to work, Daddy took you by himself and it was not a pleasant experience for him! He said you threw a fit and he had to basically hold you down the whole time - yikes! I'll be sure to pack the DVD player (or M&M's) next time!
Your current obsession is with dinosaurs, which is partially due to being introduced to Uncle Colby's old Land Before Time movies! Here you are watching it on YouTube...
You went to Sunday school for the first time on February 7th! You seemed to enjoy it! Unfortunately, we haven't made it back since...because you were sick on the 14th and I was sick on the 21st.
You also attended your first Superbowl party and had so much fun playing with all the kids at Colby and Candice's house! (Yay Saints & Drew Brees!!)
We had our second family movie night -- we watched Up!
We celebrated Nan and Pop's 50th wedding anniversary. Your favorite part -- the red velvet cake! The next day, Aunt Deb and Uncle Steve took you to Addison's 2nd birthday party and you were so excited about the giant Cookie Monster balloon you got to bring home!
Well, another month has gone by, which means you are another month closer to turning 3! I hope I never forget just how much joy your bring to my life -- there is nothing quite like coming home at night to you running toward me and giving me a huge hug. And then I get lots of hugs, kisses, and nose rubs right before bed -- your Eskimo kisses always make me laugh :) I just love you so very much!!!
oxox, mommy
Sunday, February 14, 2010
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