Picture Issues

Having some issues getting pics loaded. Here are a random few:

You might have heard I turned 30 this month. My co-workers ensured everyone knew about it:

Bet ya didn't know we had Gene Simmons come over?

What's New?

I am horrible with the updates lately. These kids are keeping me busy!

• I've been going to the gym fairly religiously. I am determined to become a runner. Gavin is too. We all went to the track when we got home yesterday and ran a few laps. Gavin and I ran 4 all together (a mile) and 2 of them he made it all the way around without stopping!
• Spring sports season is upon us. We are three games in on soccer and they are having a great season! Much improvement over last fall, although they are down a player. So Gavin has been playing more in the game (and scoring a lot of goals!) Baseball practices are under way - first game is May 8th.
• Gavin is chugging right along at school. He comes home and tells me he wants hot lunch the next day because "he read it's going to be a ham sandwich. I read it outside the Kindergarten classroom" (I swell with pride). He's growing up so fast. No really, he's up to my rib cage!
• Sam is growing, growing, growing. He seems so ahead to me in development, since Gavin was on the far end of the typical timeline due to his prematurity. Sam is actually ahead, despite being 7 weeks early (according to the Early Access eval). I think a lot of it is due to having an older brother to watch. He loves to dribble the soccer ball, throws fairly well, tries to jump on the trampoline, climbs on everything, speeds up the basement stairs. He's really trying to run but his upper body goes faster than his legs, resulting in a nose dive into the floor. Fortunately this trick has only been tried on the carpeted areas of the house.
• We seem to have Sam's allergies under control. He can handle small amounts of dairy - yogurt a few times a week, a small amount of cheese. Knock on wood we have been ear infection free for a couple weeks now. Although one tube is plugged up - we've been using ear drops to try to get it to open, and see the ENT again this Thursday. If the drops didn't get it, I will have to hold him down so they can reach in and open it up. I'm just glad we are taking care of it before....
• Our California vacation! A week from now we will be on the beach. I am beyond excited to get away. Please think uneventful thoughts for our trip.
• We will come back and be super busy - we return the 7th and on the 8th we have the March of Dimes walk (not too late to make a contribution or join our team!), soccer and baseball games.
• I do have pictures. I will put them up. I am scheduling a picture post to post tomorrow, so please check back.

Sam

Knock on wood
PLEASE knock on wood!

Sam is healthy. Nary a sniffle in over a week. Sleeping so much better (still gets up once in the night). But - you know - better than 3. I'm getting at least 4 hours of straight sleep at night!

After the last ear infection, he's also not congested. He hasn't had a rash in a while - I did figure out that the veggie straws that he loved (made with sunflower oil) was a culprit. We've even ever so slowly and slightly added some dairy - some yogurt and cheese. Still on the rice milk though. We're in a good place right now and I am afraid to over do it!

He's all over the place lately. He's totally obsessed with being outside and the first thing he does in the morning is point outside to our play ground.

Last Friday early access came to evaluate him. I was a little worried that he seemed to have regressed on language since he had the chronic ear infections that started up back in January. But he was way ahead of where they wanted him to be on his scores in every area. They didn't even adjust his age and he was scoring in the 18 - 24 month developmental range! It's so strange having a not delayed kid. Not that Gavin was super delayed - but he did everything on the long side of "normal". To think he wasn't even walking at this age!

Gavinisms

Recent conversations:

Sam likes to hit and pull hair. Gavin said "we didn't know Sam was going to be such a bully, right? maybe we should get a different baby."

At soccer practice, the kids were taking a drink break. The little boy next to us said "I am SO good at soccer!". The look on Gavin's face was absolutely priceless, completely quizzical and flabbergasted. After the kid ran back out to the field he looked at me, still utterly confused and said "No, he's not". I about died as the dad was sitting right there, fortunately he cracked up laughing. It was funny because Gavin did not mean it in a mean-spirited way at all, just matter of fact.

Ah, that boy!