Bugs

Seems like every spring we are faced with some health challenges. At this point I have come to expect them. I am so on top of it, and so well seasoned at this point that at the first sign of something I can call it - even if it is a strange and very rare thing. A fever with crankiness to follow= roseola. A tiny limp in Isaac's leg = toxic synovitis. A fever with pain when sucking her thumb= Hand Foot Mouth. Perhaps it is that I have seen these run through my household, or a close friends household at least once. Or the warnings that come in Isaac's mailbox, "a child in your class has xyz". Those certainly are tip offs to the what is about to ensue, but I chalk it up to mother's intuition.
Isaac's second bout with the strange "i just woke up and i cant walk illness" otherwise known as toxic synovitis was not as bad as the first. He could express his discomfort which helped, and he could walk with a heavy limp. With a last minute trip by mom to Dr. Shulman's office and a little Motrin he recovered quickly, and was at school the next day.
Hand foot and mouth sucked a whole lot more. After a long day of meetings Coco cried all the way in the car to dinner. At that point I already knew she had HFM, so this was just confirmation. We headed to the Pediatric Urgent Care and confirmed the diagnosis. The doctor was awful, Coco was upset, it was a no fun experience. With Tylenol it was manageable, but she was certainly not herself and very needy of love and extra attention. It effected her ability to eat (you could see the large sores on her tongue hands and feet)and I believe they are still bothering because her appetite isn't what it was. It has only been 5 days since the diagnosis, so I will give it a few more before I worry.
These are the big ticket items that are strung together by colds, coughs, and general spring un-wellness. With April first around the corner I can only hope that we are at the end of our spring string, and heading into a much healthier period of time. We have kept it in perspective, and with each hurdle we manage to climb over feel stronger and more capable to deal with the cards we are dealt. After all they are just cards that come and go - and with a strong KNOCK ON WOOD- we are parents who feel tremendously lucky to be able to wave goodbye to the illnesses as they head out of our house, and probably and unfortunately into another.

Fast Friends

These two monkeys are a force to be reckoned with. Their energy is so big, so loud, so fast, that it has become much more than a two on one battle. There have been moments over the past week where I have thought to myself 'on no, i am in for some trouble'. And then of course I am delighted that they have started playing together, and entertaining each other, regardless of the amount of mischief and mess it is causing our household. Coco only wants to be around Isaac. She loves to scream and rough house, and finds ANYTHING he does laugh out loud funny. The game of the week seems to be Coco and Isaac sitting in the back seat of the car throwing their 'money milk' at each other. Coco will put it on her head then do a 'peek a boo' which Isaac responds to, then she throws it to Isaac who whips it back in her face causing her to laugh from deep within her belly. And it doesn't' get old. They can keep it up on the entire 20 minute drive to and from school every single day.
They have been having 'private parties' where they go into Isaac's room and screech and throw pillows, and laugh... while I wait outside for the first indication of party's over - which is always Coco crying from being pummeled to the ground. BUT SHE DOESN'T CARE. She loves it and goes back for more time and time again. My general philosophy as a parent is to let them be as loud as they want, as rough as they want, have as much fun as they want, while carefully observing so that nobody gets seriously injured. I think that this is their bonding time, and the less involvement from me the better. If there is one thing I have learned through my relationship with my brother is that we have the most fun when it is just the two of us. We can hang out on our terms and enjoy each other without any of the baggage our parents bring to the table. I completely respect my kids need for time alone getting into things, scheming, and going to war against mom and dad. It is fun to see Isaac in the big brother role, and Coco's admiration for him. It is a constant reminder of why we chose to have our number two, who we now couldn't imagine our lives without.

asdfasd

We visited Isaac's open house this week at school and had the opportunity to meet some of the teachers in team III (where he will be next year) as well as see some of the things he has been working on in Teacher Ruth's class. The focus of this month has been Art. The students have been learning about famous artists, van Gouh, Picasso, Pollock, and have been doing art based in the style of those they are studying. They have also been reading stories, and then illustrating their own books. I have to say I had some disappointment when I saw the art projects that were focused on the work of specific famous artists. The van Gogh sunflowers were all so similar. Clearly teacher directed work with little room for the students own interpretation. I spoke with his teacher about it, and asked her to come up with a project where there were some parameters, but where the children were allowed to express their own creativity. I loved the results in Isaac's 10 apples on top project. Each drawing was clearly his, and looked very different from that of his classmates. Although they all shared the same quantity of apples, the styles and methods varied. I wanted to share Isaac's book with a smile because I thought it was a wonderful reflection of how his creative juices are flowing at age 4.

15 months, a tiny spitfire

At 15 months here are here stats:
wt. 18lb <0%
ht 29.5" 25%

And now lets talk about things that actually matter. Coco is crawling ferociously. It has allowed her to get anywhere she needs to go very quickly, she can pull up, cruise, squat up and down and has started trying to stand in the middle of the room if she has something or somebody to grab onto. If steadied she can stand for a second or two, but has a long way to go till she will be standing on her own. Walking still seems like an insurmountable milestone, and with that being said i know it will happen sooner than I think. She continues to make physical progress, so that too will happen when its time.
She understands anything you say to her and responds. If you even say 'night night' or 'nap time' or 'sleep' in a sentence unrelated to her you will look over and she will be laying on the floor with her thumb in her mouth. She can point out all of her body parts. She loves mimicking actions and sounds:

She still has few words, and we are guessing her speech will be delayed as it is with most children with low tone, but I am confident she will get there. She doesn't stop talking and trying to make sounds, so think it is just a matter of putting it all together.
She rarely gets cranky, has an incredibly flexible schedule and loves her big brother. Her eating has become more fussy with now only a few things she adores, and others she tolerates. Most go directly onto the floor. We have been doing a music class and a my gym class together both of which she really really enjoys. She is very social, loves to be the center of attention, but also carefully observes. Coco is most certainly a girl. Her shoes, hats, and any other accessory are a must for daily wardrobe - already - and she LOVES putting them on and taking them off. With that said she has no interest in her dolls, but only in Isaac's cars as she drives them around the floor making an incredibly loud - WHREEEEEE! sound. She is pointing at things that interest her, or things in a book as you read them, and is clearly starting to be present in the world and experiences she is living in. Her smile is contagious, and everyone around her, including strangers wants to eat her up. There isn't a time when I go to the market where I am not stopped and asked how old she is, or told how cute she is.
Proud mama knows that she's got something special. Of course there is that discrepancy in her age and cognitive ability, and small size that makes her seem like an amazingly cute baby genius, but considering her uphill battle physically we will take all the compliments we can get. And what girl doesn't love a compliment.

super tubes

In December at Coco's one year checkup we took Isaac to Dr. Shulman's for his hearing. We had noticed while away in Florida that there was clearly something very wrong with his ears. We would ask him a question and typically receive a 'what' or 'what did you say' every time. There were many instances of us saying "Isaac" with no response in return. At the time we thought it could have been the plane flight, or the series of colds he had, but after a month with no improvement we knew we had to bring him in. His hearing was tested in December, January, February, and in March when there was very little improvement we knew it was time to see Dr. Stroker, a pediatric ENT. She immediately said "lets discuss tubes". There was a tremendous amount of fluid buildup in Isaac's ears that was not allowing him to hear. She was certain hat the surgery was necessary, and we immediately scheduled it for a couple days later. I loved Dr. Stroker. She was comforting, and lovely, and spoke to me as an equal. She also had a dog named 'Winston' that she brings with her and comforts the patients. Isaac was so wrapped up in getting kisses from the dog I cold have a proper conversation with the doctor. The pup clearly brought him a sense of comfort and fun, because when the doctor explained that he was going to need tubes in his ears, and then showed him what they looked like, he didn't seem the least bit phased by it. I took Isaac for a frozen yogurt on the way home and talked to him a little about the procedure. He was mostly concerned about what the mask looked like, for anesthesia, and wanted to see photos. I am not sure he was buying my 'super hero mask' cover up story, but he also didn't seem anxious or overly concerned. I did explain it would help him have 'super hearing' which was so so important, and I think he too was ready to hear.
On Thursday morning at 6am we headed to the Surgical Center near our house. We bought Isaac a pup to take with him, Doug from the movie 'UP'. It was the perfect distraction and delight for our little boo. Money milk and toots also joined him as we were called into the pr-op area. I could tell at this point Isaac was getting a little nervous, but still was very composed and surprisingly pleasant for a kid who was denied anything to eat that morning. When Dr. Stroker told him it was time go with her, and he realized I couldn't come with, he got upset for the first time, but after a solid hug and a little pep talk he was off. I waited in the waiting room while David ran across with street to Starbucks, and not 8 minutes later the doctor was out and I was allowed to go back. David was still at Starbucks.
The hardest part for Isaac was coming out of anesthesia, he was disoriented, angry, in pain, and a big old mess. It was pretty hard to watch, and I know that both David and I felt very helpless. He complained constantly of having pain in his ears, and 'wanted the tubes out'. After a twenty minute nap, our Isaac returned as if nothing happened. No more complaining, only joy for the treats we had bought him for being so brave, and Bubie who had come for a visit.
And now a few days later there is noticeable improvement. He spent the weekend with my parents at the beach, and when I called him I didn't once get a 'what', only crystal clear conversation back and forth. It was the first time in months I could talk to him on the phone without disruption, and I knew then, it was all worth it.