Nate's Allergist Appointment

Deciding it was time to stop just treating Nate's skin and start figuring out the cause, we made an appointment with the allergist.  His skin has been progressively getting worse and it just looks terrible.  He is miserable and we have to figure it out.  After the poor experience with the allergist when he was 1 1/2, I was nervous that we wouldn't get a lot of help.  I was wrong! This new doctor's office (which is local) is amazing.  His new doctor is great and empathetic and we loved her. 

But, we knew Nate was going to have to go through a lot in order to find the cause.  We were there for over 3 hours.  It was terrible.  There is just no other way to describe it.  Nate did amazing.  He was so brave and continued through each test in order to get them done.  I had to fight back tears to stay strong for him, it is oh so heartbreaking to watch your child in tears and pain in order to undergo these tests. 

His back scratch test

He had a series of tests and I can't even tell you the specifics.  It started with a  prick on his shoulder to make sure that his system was ready to take the allergy tests.  Then we moved on to the back scratch test.  They did so many his entire back was covered.  And then they did a few on his arm with a  needle that injected something into the skin.  The last round of tests was the blood draw.

Look how brave he is!

The results....

Not great but definitely a step towards getting answers.  He is allergic to a bunch; basically at least one thing in every category.  He is allergic to tree, grass, and weed pollen (I had a feeling about that grass!), mold, cats, and dogs.  Yes, dogs.  That one was devastating.  They don't expect us to get rid of Sammy, but we are taking steps so that they can live together.  He is also allergic to tree nuts (big time allergic).  There were also some tests that I think were inconclusive and the blood work will tell us more.  Right now there is a chance that he is allergic to dust mites, peanuts, soy, chicken, pork, corn, and tomato.  Some of those (peanuts, chicken, tomato) would be pretty upsetting if they come back positive.  Hopefully we will find out in a couple of weeks.

He also had a sinus infection (he's always so snotty) and a lot of these environmental factors/allergies are the reason why we can never seem to clear that up. 

The surprising news was that he does not have a chocolate allergy.  Well, at least it came up negative, but she still wants him to stay away from it for now.  Maybe he outgrew it?

The plan...

Stay away from chocolate and tree nuts.  We will see on the other food later.

He will be using Flonase and Allegra to help with the allergies/sinus stuff. He also has some eye drops to use as needed.  He will take Atarax at night to help with the itching.  He is also on a couple of meds for the sinus infection which will also help clear up some of the infections on his skin from itching.

We are sanctioning off his bedroom.  Sammy is not allowed in his room.  We have gotten allergen-proof mattress and pillow covers for his bed.  We will be getting an air purifier.  He needs to have his carpets vacuumed often.  No more stuffed animals.  We also need to keep the humidity low. 

Since he is just a little boy, they are not forbidding him to play outside.  He can play outside (evenings are recommended because pollen is lowest at that time), but when he comes in he has to shower and change clothes.  No dirty laundry in his room.

She gave us a prescription cream to use as needed, along with a hydrocortisone cream.  We will continue to moisturize with the Eucerin but it needs to be done twice a day. 

He will also now have an Auvi-Q (like an epi-pen).  The doctor doesn't seem to think he will need it but is concerned about the tree nuts (I guess it's a major one for him).  He has had certain tree nuts before and his throat has never closed up on him, but it's a good piece of mind.  We will need it anyway because he is also going to be starting immunotherapy (allergy shots) when he turns 6.  It will be pretty intense at first (getting shots often-probably twice a week) until he builds up to the maintenance dose.  He will then continue with a maintenance schedule for 5 years.  The hope is that he will build up a resistance and then not affected by these triggers.  This will also allow him to be with Sammy and play outside without all the side effects.  It takes a full year to see that but will start seeing some of the benefits sooner. 

What's next....

He goes back in two weeks.  He will undergo more testing at that time. :(  This will help determine what needs to be in the injections.  Our Nate is brave but this is a lot for a little boy.  After the testing he will be getting shots weekly for some time and I know that is going to be very hard for him.

This is all a lot and overwhelming.  We are just taking it steps and trying to get organized with all this information.

Pray for strength and endurance.  I can see the end and it will be good.  We just have to get there.

Nate is 5!

Why does 5 seem so big? Right now it feels like he is so big and growing up so fast. Will I feel this way when he's turning 18 and I look back and think, 5 is so little! Probably.  But for now, my heart aches at how quickly the last 5 years have passed and how grown up my baby seems to be now.

Nate is still our sweet and sensitive soul.  He wants to please and therefore tends to follow.  He doesn't like making us upset (although has his moments like any kid) but is for the most part a really good kid.  He is loving pre-k and learning so much.  He doesn't always want to go-some days would much rather spend the day at home playing with his toys but by the end of a weekend is looking forward to seeing his friends again. 

His favorite toys to play with are any Imaginext guys but especially superheroes.  He is also getting more into legos.  He can't build the sets by himself yet but has started looking at the duplo pictures and building those for Maddie by himself. He loves Tom & Jerry.  He loves being outside and even if it's cold out he will go out and play.  He loves pb&j and pizza.  He wants to be a superhero when he grows up.  He has a heart for Jesus and loves church and learning about God. 

Sometimes I just sit back as I listen to him talk and can't believe this is my baby and I'm sitting here having a conversation with him.  He has a great imagination and is creative. Just amazes me. We love you Nate. Happy fifth birthday.

Nate's First Day of Preschool

Our big boy is off to school! He is going to Pre-K at CCS in the morning for a few hours, five days a week.  It will be such a change not to have him around every morning!

He was super excited for his first day leading up to it, but then on the way to school he kept saying he didn't want to go and wanted me to stay with him.  Although as soon as he got there he went right to the table where Anderson was playing legos and I barely got a good-bye hug! On the way home afterwards he told me all about his big day and the things he learned.  He talked about how they painted his hand and made a hand print on paper, how he had to color boxes with nothing in them (not the ones with animals in them--working on number 0), and sang me the songs he learned.  He was so excited-he told us that he was going to teach us new songs everyday after school.  In his backpack was a welcome treat from his teacher, Mrs. Rogers (who he already knew from church so it's nice he didn't have to get used to a new adult) and the papers he did. It was awesome to see the work he talked about--the hand print and colored boxes.  As hard as it is for me to close the last chapter this new chapter is going to be so much fun!

The Proposal

I think it was while watching Beauty and the Beast that Nate asked if they were getting married and why.  I told him that's what people do when they love each other, they get married.  He pondered this for a moment and then said, "I love Maddie. Me and Maddie are going to get married." 

That was a couple of weeks ago.  Then, this morning, it happened. The proposal.  They were sitting on my bed getting ready for our school time when Nate looked at Maddie, put his arm around her and this is how it went down:

Nate: Maddie, do you want to marry me?
Maddie: Yes.
Nate: Good job.
Maddie: Now we're married.

So there you have it. Keeping it in the family. ;)


On a side note, I don't want to forget this comment either:

Nate had an ear infection and as we were leaving the doctor's office he asked where we were going. I told him the pharmacy. He replied, "where the cows are?". I couldn't stop laughing. Not that kind of "farm-acy" buddy.

Our First Trip the Movies

We received another winter storm on Tuesday afternoon, dumping a lot of snow, mixed with ice, on us.  So the next morning MOPS was cancelled as well as Bible study that evening. I was feeling pretty bummed about it and tired of being cooped up in the house, when Michael called and asked if I thought Maddie would sit through a movie.  Possibly.  Maybe I was just very hopeful and slightly lying to myself because I saw this as a chance to GET OUT and DO SOMETHING FUN. Oh yes, of course, she'll do great in the theater! Ha! Michael found out that the YES! Cinema downtown was playing "Free Birds" for a $1/person. I didn't hesitate. Yes! Let's do it! Even if it's a disaster it's only a buck!

Well, it wasn't a disaster at all.  Our little Maddie actually did quite well.  It was good the theater wasn't full, because she wanted to walk around a little bit and stand up and watch the movie a lot. But she did great not running around or yelling.  Nate did awesome.  It was wonderful to watch him watch the movie and see his reactions.  The ate up all the popcorn (minus the bit that was spilled on the floor) and we all really enjoyed our night out.  So even though Bible study was cancelled it turned out to be a great night and mark another "first" off the kids' list.

Bunk Beds

We bought bunk beds this summer, not really intending to use them until next summer.  Maddie just moved into a big girl bed not that long ago, and we didn't think she was ready to share a room yet.  So the bottom bunk stayed in her room and Nate got the loft bed in his.  However, we caved and gave in to the constant requests to share a room.  We didn't think she was ready and we were right, however the move was made and the bed wasn't going back.

While the transition has been less than smooth, with most nights moving Nate out of the room until they both fall asleep and then putting him back in bed, there's is something so sweet to checking on the kids and seeing them in the same room sleeping.  And last night was the first night that they both fell asleep in their beds.  Granted it took them awhile to settle down, but eventually they did, all on their own.  Victory! At least for one night.

Nate is Four Years Old

I asked Nate what he wanted people to know about him, now that he is four years old. He said, "I do silly things." And, that pretty much sums it up.

He is our silly guy. He likes to make us laugh-making silly faces or making up silly words for things.  And you should see him dance.  He shakes his booty and twirls is hands around in the air. It is awesome. He is still really sweet and sensitive. Everyone is his best friend.

Right now he is at the stages of being both very independent.  He started taking showers (with some help from Mommy still) but is back to taking baths.  Some days he will pick out his clothes and get himself dressed and other days I have to do it all for him.  He even still wants to be fed sometimes, which is slightly pushing it. :)

He loves: his little guys (action figures), peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (he would eat them for all three meals everyday if I let him), his Daddy (big time Daddy's boy right now), being outside. 

Our First Visit to the Love Chapel

We had our first volunteering experience and it was wonderful!

I meet with an amazing group of ladies each Thursday for a Bible study.  That in itself has been such a blessing.  Encouraged by the church and each other to take our studies one step further with service projects, we found our first opportunity at the Love Chapel.

After study and lunch on Thursday, we headed over to help them out.  The staff and volunteers at the Love Chapel were wonderful.  With all our little kids in tow, we don't know how much of a help we would be (or really were), but they were gracious.  While we desired to help, we also wanted our kids to learn about serving others.  They set up stations for the kids so that they could help.  They could roll up utensils in napkins, sort plastic bags, stacking bread, and help divide dog food into smaller portioned sacks.

Nate did a great job helping.  Maddie did well, for about 2 minutes at each station, but about as well as to be expected. So it was a lot of running around after her and we left with her screaming (granted it was naptime), but it was completely worth it. Being able to bring them there to help other people and talk with Nate afterwards about it will hopefully develop servant's hearts in our children.  I don't think he completely understands at this age why we were doing what we were doing, but my hope is that they will continue to help others and when they are older it will be a part of their life,

as if "they've been going to the Love Chapel as long as they can remember".

 

End of Summer Blues

As the end of summer draws near, the kids (and I) are getting more restless with each day.  We have had plenty of fun-filled days this summer, enjoying outside, play dates, parks, the zoo, the pool, just to name a few.  When summer starts we are ready for lazy summer days with no schedules or set plans, but by the end of summer we are more than ready to get back into a routine. 

 

This restlessness has easily translated into naughtiness the last couple of weeks.  And I mean naughty.  Big meltdowns, lots of fighting, and lots of defiance. Which has left me worn out!  But, I will tell you how good God is. Because at that moment when you think you've had just as much as you can take for one day, He gives you a little glimmer of hope that says "hang in there, it's all going to be okay". 

 

For me, this time, the glimmer of hope happened while I was cooking dinner.  I sent the kids outside to get out of my hair, er, play.  I kept stealing glances of them out the window.  Expecting to see them fighting, instead I saw Nate pushing Maddie on the swing as she squealed with delight, shouting "higher".  I saw them running around the yard chasing each other.  I saw them playing together in the sandbox.  I saw them play house and Maddie pour Nate a glass of "lemonade".

 

Seeing those smiles was exactly what I needed at that moment.  Hearing that laughter makes it all better and all the fighting and screaming and tantrums worth it.  Watching them play together just melts my heart.  It's in those moments that I know all the hard work is worth and it WILL be okay.

 

 

Playing in the Pool

I can't believe we are into the second week of July and it was our first trip of the summer to the pool, especially after practically living there last summer.  But it has been a cooler summer, but even on those hotter days for some reason we just haven't gotten up there.  With the ominous clouds we probably could have skipped it, but we went and it was fun even if just for an hour or so.  We left before the storm rolled in, but the kids had so much fun-we will definitely be getting in more pool time before the summer ends!

We went with a couple of my friends and their kids so lots of fun and kids to play with (7 kids!).  Nate spent most of the time in the kiddie pool but a lot of the other kids were in the big pool and he wanted to give the slide a try.  My friend Kim had a life jacket for him but I still wasn't sure if he was actually going to do it.  He hesitated for a minute at the top of the slide and then went!  Kim was in the pool to catch him.  He stayed in the big pool for a little bit with her but soon wanted to go back to the kiddie pool. It was very exciting to see him in the big pool and hopefully we can spend some more time in there getting used to it. 

Maddie wanted nothing to do with either pool, which didn't surprise me.  She's never been big on the water, not even with our little tinypool at the house. 

 

I don't think she even put one foot in.  She kept to the perimeter, watching everyone else and eating a snack.  Maybe I can get her toes in the water next time...baby steps, haha!

 

A Couple of Funnies

I don't know if you'll find them funny, but I do and so here it is!

I heard Nate crying in his room. I went up to check on him and he was telling me "throw up".  I heard "nose" in there too, but when I hear throw up I don't stand still for long.  I quickly ushered him into the bathroom just for him to blow his nose into the toilet. "Whew, mommy, my nose throw up!"

I was making out the shopping list.  I explained to Nate that I was writing down new underwear for him because his are too small.  He replied, "cuz my butt's so big?".

He's constantly saying hilarious or random things. I should have a notebook handy because these are the only two I remember.

Nate's Crazy Faces

Oh, my Nate. Where do I start? He's still funny and likes to be funny.  Still.  And now he likes to make funny faces and poses every time I get my camera out.  I think we are going to have a period of time with some crazy-faced Nate pictures! He's wild and full of energy.  Which other moms of boys say the same but I really think he's got extra wildness in that little body!

He is talking more, which is definitely helping.  He is becoming more independent but still likes a lot of help from Mommy and Daddy. 

He's having some rough days.  Not everyday is rough nor is it all day, but he has had some moments which I need a padded room.  His disobedience is terrible because it's a blatant disregard for orders.  And the fit he can throw is lovely to boot.  He also has been getting into things he's not supposed to (the pantry, Mommy's jewelry box, etc.).  He gets Maddie's pacis down from the shelf which is kind of hard to get mad at.  I secretly watch them play and she will go up to him and ask him to get her paci down.  So really he's just being a good big brother; it's just defying me at the same time.

The other day we were playing in his room and I asked him for a hug.  He told me no and so I made a big pouty face.  He looked at me, sighed, and said, "oh fine!" and gave me a hug.

He is a big helper and loves helping me with cleaning, loading the groceries, and cooking.  He has also started helping Maddie (just a side note: almost every time I start to type "Maddie" I type "baby", think it's time to start calling her by her name!) with things.  The other day I found them on the couch with a book, reading.  Too precious!

It has recently hit me that this is my last year with him at home everyday and it's sad to think about when he starts school.  But the awareness is good because I am going to be trying to take in every moment with this guy!

I love my babies!

Sometimes I just need to shout it out loud! I love them so much! As they continue to grow I am laughing more and truly enjoying my time with them.  Not that I didn't before, but the first year of Maddie's life was difficult and all my sickness this past year hasn't helped. But they are becoming much more independent and now with adding in conversation that just leaves me laughing.  Our play time is so much fun.  I am just so blessed to be spending these days at home with them.

Nate at 3 years old, so far, is better than 2 years old.  I will probably be eating these words.  He has just entered a very sweet stage.  It's not that he doesn't test us still, but he really enjoys being the big helper and has become sensitive. He doesn't like when we're mad at him and he wants to be a "good boy".  It probably also helps that Maddie is starting her terrible two's and Nate sees her getting in trouble all the time and wants no part in it.  He has developed quite the imagination.  We always have to protect the house from ogres.  When he's calling out for me and doesn't get my attention right away, he calls me "Beckie".  Not loving it but it's kind of funny to hear this little voice say my name. The other day he called out for Daddy and he didn't respond so he said "Beckie" to get his attention too. I don't think he gets that my real name is Beckie and thinks its a term used to get our attention. Afternoon naps are almost completely nonexistent, except the days he is really tired he will lie down and go to sleep.  We are maintaining quiet time though, and he does a good job playing quietly in his room until Maddie wakes up. He loves to be funny and if he does something that makes us laugh (usually a goofy face) then he will continue to do it. He just loves getting laughs out of us.

Maddie is talking up a storm. She loves to learn. The other day she was getting into the dog food. We have a book and in it it says "no no" to eating dog food and "yes yes" to eating a banana.  So when Nate saw her playing in the dog food he told her "no no".  She stopped, ran over to the book shelf and grabbed the book and opened it to that page! She has to copy what big brother does all the time. It's so cute to see them running around and playing together. She can be stubborn, but I guess she just knows what she wants. A couple of weeks ago she woke up in the middle of the night. I am trying my best not to take her back to bed with me (I had gotten into a bad habit when she was teething/sick) so I went in and sat in the chair to rock her. She said "no" and pointed towards our room.  She didn't want to be rocked, she just wanted to go sleep with Mama! She loves to wear her Hello Kitty snow boots, everywhere, everyday. She likes her toenails painted so they're "pretty".  I did it once to see if she would sit still and she did. Now she gets into my nail polish container and picks out the one she wants. She hasn't quite gotten blowing her nose yet. When I hold a tissue up to her nose and tell her to blow, she blows out of her mouth. It's hilarious.

Double-Double Ear Infection

Both kids have a double ear infection.  I took Nate in on Tuesday for a cough.  It was a deep, hoarse cough that started Friday.  Normally I wouldn't have taken him in just for a cough (no other symptoms besides the nearly constant and normal for the season runny nose), but he had the same cough less than two weeks ago.  Thinking that it might be bronchitis, I decided I better take him in just to be safe.  Glad I did!

Maddie hasn't been sleeping well for several days, but I chalked it up to teething.  She always seems to be gnawing on something lately.  But last night she spiked a fever and could not sleep.  We were up almost all night, on and off.  I even brought her to bed with me and gave her Motrin, but nothing was working.  So first thing this morning we headed back to the doctor's office (kicking myself for not having the doctor check her when we were there for Nate as she had a runny nose too) and sure enough, she has a double ear infection too.  Hers is even worse than Nate's.  And you could tell.  She was miserable today (so snotty and gunky around the eyes).  I had to lie with her on the couch all day as she would fall in and out of sleep.  She finally started feeling good enough to get off the couch and play this evening.  Hopefully they both get a good night's sleep and feel better in the morning.

Speech Evaluation

At Nate's 3 year check-up in November, the doctor recommended speech therapy.  After the referral process and finding out the cost of speech therapy ($75/session), we decided to go with special services through the school system. I don't know why I didn't think of this first, having been taught so much about special education during college, but I guess when it's your own kids, you forget the "professional" stuff.  So that's why now, in February, we are finally getting to the evaluation and results.

The speech therapist met with him here at home a couple weeks ago.  It took him a little bit to warm up, but she is very good at what she does and brought her bag of goodies to help open him up.  She had different books and toys to use as tools for the evaluation.  At the end she felt that he was doing well and wouldn't need services at this time.

We met this afternoon to go over the formal results of the evaluation.  I was a little disheartened when I saw how low the scores were, but she assured me that he was doing fine and she also says that a lot of times the scores can be lower because it's the first visit and the child doesn't know her.  She went over everything thoroughly and I probably asked her too many times if she really thought he was okay.  She said that sometimes it's a gut thing and that the scores don't represent what she feels is the child's level.  She really thinks that he is fine and that he will come around.  She is going to check with us again in May to see how he's doing. 

She did make me feel better, and I'm trying not to focus on the scores, but looking at what he can do in each level he is behind his age, just slightly, but still behind. I expressed my concerns about his readiness for school and she doesn't see any reason why he won't be.  I feel better that she is going to keep checking in to make sure he is hitting those benchmarks.  I do think that he has made so much improvement in just the last few months since his doctor appointment and so hopefully he will continue to do so. 

Playing Doctor

 

For Christmas we got the kids a doctor kit, so now we play almost everyday. This works out very well in the morning when I am tired and I can lay down and be the "patient".  It cracks me up to play doctor with them.  Nate will do his examination, and after each test he will say "sick!"--check my temperature-sick! heart beat-sick! knee reflexes-sick! Maddie likes the stethoscope best and will hold it up to my chest and make little "boom boom" sounds for the heartbeat. It's so cute!  

 

Nate's First Visit to the Dentist

Nate had his first visit to the dentist on Tuesday.  One of the things that attracted me to this office was the kid's room.  The room is painted in a jungle theme and there is a TV set up to watch cartoons.  Since it was his first time at the dentist they didn't want to over-do it and make it unpleasant, so they did a simple cleaning with a toothbrush and then the dentist did his exam.  Nate did really well with both.  He even liked the suction tube, which the dental hygienist said a lot of the kids don't like.  And at the end he got to choose a prize from the treasure box.  He knew immediately what he wanted--a small soccer ball and goals.  He keeps telling me he wants to go back to the dentist so I would say this first trip was a success!

 

Starting Off the New Year

It wouldn't be us if we didn't start off the new year with a poop story.  Warning you up front, that's my disclaimer. I'll even start a new paragraph so you have a chance to stop reading now if you want.

Okay, here we go.  We grabbed some Arby's for dinner and then headed to Target to do a little shopping.  It was raining so we ran into the store.  I was setting Maddie in the cart when I notice this oh too familiar substance all over the sleeve of my jacket.  Crap, literally and figuratively.  Sure enough, Maddie dropped a bomb in her diaper that had spread all the way up her back (the running into the store probably did not help). After cleaning her up and putting only her socks and shoes back on (nothing else was wearable) we walked through the store white trash style to find Michael and Nate.  Needless to say, our shopping trip at Target was very short.  I can only imagine what everyone was thinking as Maddie walked through the aisles in a diaper, socks, and shoes.  Wish I had my camera!

And of course, Nate, not to be left out, has poop stories of his own too.  Luckily I will take his over the Target incident any day.  He has only been pooping at nap time when he has a diaper on.  So trying to stop this (for many reasons, but mostly because he will sit in it all through nap time and then his little butt will just be raw by the time we change his diaper) I put him on the toilet before his nap and told him he needs to poop.  I knew he needed to go but just did not want to.  He was telling me his belly hurt so I kneeled in front of him and wrapped my arms around him so he could push against me.  It worked!  And it worked so well that since then this is how he know wants to do his business! Oh joy! But I will take this joint effort if it keeps him from pooping in his diaper. 

And since we're potty talking, one more thing. :)  The last few times Nate has gone potty I've asked Maddie if she needs to as well.  She gets all excited and runs to the bathroom.  This is about the extent of it.  I put her on the potty and she just smiles back at me.  But with a smile like that, it's okay. Nate will come in with us and say "push hard" for encouragement.  And this morning I was going to the bathroom he came in (privacy? what's that?) and told me to "push hard" and added that I would get a "choo choo".  Yep, he is using my stuff on me! So funny!

Nap Time

Nate slept during nap time yesterday. Why am I telling you this, you ask? Because, for the last week Nate has NOT slept during nap time.  And as I write this now, during nap time today, I can hear him in there playing.  So comes the time that the naps get faded out.  Enter not-so-quiet time.  Well, he actually doesn't do too bad playing in his room, just at times gets loud roaring or jumping around.  And about half way into it he always poops so I have to go in there and change him.  Not so much of a full break from kids for me anymore but at least they are still both contained for 2 hours a day. :)

Double Wellness Visit

I always appreciate when the pediatrician's office can get both kids in on the same day.  Nate was due for his 3-year check up and it was also time for Maddie's 15 month visit.  It is so nice to get them both knocked out at one time-going to the doctor is not always the funnest time.

Both kids are (surprise) big and healthy! Nate now gets an eye exam and his blood pressure checked.  He did very well sitting through the whole exam.  He was bored easily with the eye exam-he does not do well when asked repeatedly what something is and so he shut down half way through.  She seemed to think his eyes were good enough (she said it was 20/30, but now sure how she could tell).  I didn't think they did eye exams until the Kindergarten visit so I'm not concerned.  Nate is 39 lbs (93%) and 40 1/2 inches (95%).  Everything looks good except for the few skin spots (behind the knees, etc. that are constant problem areas), BUT he will need to start seeing a speech therapist.  His doctor said that she should understand 75% of his words and she understands about 25%.  At first she was going to wait until June and if I was the only one still understanding him most the time, then she was going to recommend speech therapy, but listening to him during the visit I guess she reconsidered.  It's upsetting although I know lots of kids go through speech (me being one for my "r's") but I'm glad he is going to get the help he needs to help his communication improve and be ready in time for school. 

Maddie is healthy and happy, except when she received her 4 shots.  Brutal.  She's hysterical and Nate is feigning an injury on his leg on the seat next to us so he can have a shiny band aid too. He's something else.  Maddie, of course, is also high on the charts- 26lbs 11oz (95%) and 33 1/2 inches (100%).  She will be excited tomorrow morning when Nate takes his vitamins because the doctor said she can have them too!  She always gets so upset when she can't have any. :)