Merry Christmas!

Hi Everyone!





Well Christmas has come and gone. Josh was not at all interested in opening gifts. There were about 12 that didn't get opened on Christmas.. he opened a few of them after and then we did the rest because it was a chore to get him to do it. Perhaps next year he will be a little more interested!

Josh was denied Early Intervention Preschool.. yay!! Seems our boy is not behind as far as they can tell. That is due to a lot of hard work by my MIL.. she has a preschool teacher background and does work with him in many of the areas.. of course so do we at home. He is doing amazingly well considering all that was stacked against him!

He has to see a cardiologist this month. The pulmonologist has heard a murmur the last few times that we were there and just wants to get it checked out. It could be that his PDA never truly closed all the way... or it could just be nothing. I am not overly concerned at this point and we will just hear what the cardio doc has to say.

Everything else is good. Josh has an amazing vocabulary.. he loves to watch the DirectTV instructional channel... (they go over all of the controls for the remote control). I think he knows how to work it better than we do. I think he was fixing it... he loves fruit and not too fond of candy (thank goodness) and his only vice is Dunkin Donuts Munchkins... he is so-so about veggies.

He took a hammer to our big screen TV.. we are not thrilled but know that it wasn't on purpose.. boy do I miss HDTV!!

Hope you and yours had a very, merry whatever you celebrate!!

Happy Halloween!

I'll of course have pictures later. Josh has some new words... he likes the big ones and they seem to be associated with food now that I think about it! 'delicious' is one and the last one that grammy taught him was 'scrumptious'! He likes to eat what he likes to eat. Any parent knows exactly what that means. Some days he likes it, and the next day he won't eat it. Still my carb freak...bread, pasta and loves his fruit which is good. He is still on the small side, but I have no worries there! His big brother is 6'1" at 15 so I think Josh is going to be just fine!

We went for a preschool visit last week to prepare for his PPT coming up next week. The teachers think that he is not going to qualify for any extra services. They won't know for sure until the PPT is done, but that is the preliminary evaluation. This is great news because it means that they don't think he is behind in any areas, but sucks because I was hoping to at least get him into preschool for a few days to get this boy some social skills. He is with grammy and grampy every day which is a great thing (I don't know what I would do without them!!) and he occasionally plays with his cousin and one of my MIL's sisters grandson's but never in a group. Although we wouldn't do anything until next April after flu and RSV season is over. We have a daycare program at work and I can see if I can get him in there a few times a week then.

This is the first year he hasn't gotten Synagis which is a good thing, he has a HUGE fear of doctors right now. Doctors on television make him cry poor little man. We are having a hard time getting the H1N1 shot, although he did get his seasonal. His ped has the flumyst version which Josh can't have because of his chronic lung disease. He must get the shot and with the limited production it's tough to get. My ped doesn't have a waiting list for those who are considered at risk, it's first come, first serve and I have to call every Friday to see if it came in. What a pain. But we will keep trying. I also called the pulmonologist to see if she had any. Nope, so we got on a list there. He is on lockdown now. We just don't want to take that chance. After the pneumonia/RSV he had in January, I really don't want to see him sick again. our hospital has put a visitation restriction on for anyone under the age of 18 or if you have flu symptoms. Some people are not that smart and will go out with the virus and infect everyone else. Hopefully this will die down eventually.

So that is our latest update. Nothing really new. Will post Halloween pics later. He is a puppy again because his costume still fits from last year( I hope!!). A friend from work made his this adorable trick or treat bag that looks like a milk-bone... LOVE it!

Summertime

Summertime is almost over. Josh loves water play... Grandma has a little pool and water/sand table that he spends lots of time with.

He is now hitting those "terrible twos". NO is a common word, and the throwing of the fit when he doesn't get his way.. we LOVE that. But, he is starting to learn that it still doesn't get him what he wants. I am easy for some things, but I don't want a nasty spoiled child.

Overall though, he is a pretty happy child. LOVES his grandpa and brother more than anyone else. Likes Sprout TV and will ask for it even when he is half asleep.

He still has a bottle at nap and bedtime and will try to get it at other times, but we try to hold fast to that rule. Of course when it's hot as heck and he is not drinking a lot from the cup we sometimes give in and let him have it in a bottle because we know that he will drink more that way. I know that there are some that say he should be off it by now... and to them I say... phooey! He will give it up sometime.

Potty training has been talked about but I really don't feel that he is ready yet. Maybe before he turns 3.. maybe not. Others sometimes forget that he is still a few months behind. Now that he is doing so well, they stop thinking about the delay, but we know it's still there.

He is talking up a storm and I thought he was beyond his age, but then I see some that are around his age that are talking so much more or better and I realize too that he is still behind a bit. BUT he has come such a long way since his birth that we are proud of every little thing, every milestone. Who would have thought a few years ago that he would be where he is today.

I think the only issue we really have is that he has to have Miralax nightly. Otherwise he has really painful BM's. I think that's a small one compared to others. He eats pretty well but he is definitely a carb lover. Loves his pasta... mac and cheese, ravioli, you name it if it's pasta he will eat it. The rest depends on his mood. And bananas. We of course have to limit those as we have enough issues with constipation!

So there you have it. Our latest update. I will TRY to be a bit better. I have been really slacking lately. Until then....

June

It's been awhile. Mostly because things are uneventful.. that is so good for a change! We have had a good few months. Josh loved the Easter bunny... I think he thought he was a big stuffed animal.. he kept trying to go back. It was pretty funny!

He had been downgraded to mild chronic lung disease at his last pulmonary visit. She thinks he is crusing right along. We will continue to see her for awhile I am suspected to be sure that nothing crops up later.

At our next IEP eval the Physical Therapist is going to discharge him I think. She is a friend of ours and has stated more than once that there really isn't anything more she can do for him at the moment. He is meeting all of his milestones. We will get evaluated by the school system juset before he turns 3 but without IEP I am sure they are going to deny services. We'll have to see. I think he will just be in a regular pre-school setting which is more than we could have ever hoped for. Who would have thought 2 years ago that he would have come this far.... we are truly blessed and I am thankful every day!

So there you have it. There really isn't much going on. We have a child into the "terrible" two's but really, with all that he has been through a little obstinance isn't bad. He is really a good child most of the time, just inquisitive and getting truly brave and into everything. He knows what he likes and doesn't like and isn't afraid to let us know!

First Official Haircut

Well it was time. I gave him a bath the other night and realized just how long it really is. When it curls it doesn't look as long, but it was, and it was time. I still blamed it all on Dave LOL and pouted the whole time. The hair salon we went to caters to kids.. has the chair that are trucks or cars and videos for the kids... very cool! He hated the clippers (Arran never liked those either) and cried when she brushed off the back of his neck with the fluffy brush.

Look Elmo!!

He has also decided that he likes to sit in the fireplace. It's a fake fireplace.. not even enough room to add a gas/electric insert. Not sure what the person who created it was thinking. It's pretty but certainly not at all functional.

We had put a comforter over the stones (the hearth is all stone) and Josh decided that he wanted to sit there. So we put some of the couch cushions in there so that he would have a place to sit back.

Josh is 2!

Josh is 2 today. Can you believe it? 2 years ago he was this tiny baby struggling to survive. Today he is 2.

In the past year we have met so many milestones. He learned to crawl, and then walk and he is saying many words. We are so proud and amazed every day of just how far he has come. I know all my preemie mom friends totally understand!

We had a family birthday party yesterday and today some friends. We wanted to split the germs and not have that many people all at once. He is still getting Synagis (our last year) and is just getting over a bout of something.. (could have been RSV or a touch of pneumonia) but he was pretty sick. Luckily not sick enough for a hospital visit but we were on steroids, antibiotics and breathing treatments. We count our blessings that he has not had to be re-hospitalized. YAY!

We had cupcakes and cupcakes and cupcakes! (regular, mini and cupcakes baked inside of an ice cream cone). The opposite of last year, all Josh wanted to do was to lick the frosting off of them.

A friend at work made us this amazing sweater. We wear it every day. It is so warm that we use it as a winter coat (on the days that it is not below zero!). We have had a very cold winter this year!

So without further adieu!

Josh's '2" picture

Another with a balloon

frosting on the table and everywhere else!

Yummy yummy cupcakes!

Josh's new sweater!