TWO

Let's just say that you have been so busy, Mommy hasn't even had time to keep up with your updates:) In just a week you are going to be two years old! I don't know how it happened but all of the sudden you are TWO! You are the best little friend I could ever ask for. I have to say you are more and more like your Daddy everyday, you have his sense of humor too: YOUR HILARIOUS! You make me laugh everyday.

You're going to have a baby brother, Aiden in just 9 short weeks! This has brought many transitions, but you are taking them like a champ. This last week you got a new big boy bed and have loved every minute of it.

You continue to amaze me at all the things you have learned and can do in just two short years. You can recognize and say every letter in the alphabet, you can count to 13 (kind of random) and know almost all of your colors. You do puzzles like it's your day job and you love to color. You can say almost any word I tell you and have become quite the talker. Some of the phrases I don't want to forget from this time are:

"Ok" in the cutest high pitch voice I have ever heard
"Hello Bops, its Graham" talking to anything that could resemble a phone
"Be back" with a firm fist pump outward
"No not yet"
"Watch blast off" for your favorite show Little Einstein's
"Good catch Graham" So encouraging to yourself
"MommyDaddy" all one word all the time

You have a love for music and instruments. You constantly ask for a cello, though I am not sure where to get you one, so you have settled for a flute and tambourine.

Some of your favorite things:
Bops, chocolate milk, broccoli, chips, Little Einstein's, Bogey, guitars, Little Einstein's, Little Einstein's, talking, the park, donuts and anything to do with your Daddy.

You sleep from 7:30-7:30 and take a good 2 hour nap in the afternoon.
You have a great appetite and will eat almost anything. Which might be why you are a solid 31 lbs.

We are anxiously awaiting your little brothers arrival, praying daily that you two will be the best of friends for life. You are kind, loving, funny and sensitive. I can't wait for him to learn from you. Here are some pictures from the last 6 months:)

I love you buddy.
-Mommy

15 months

Sweet Boy!
You are 15 months old! How does the time go so fast. You are filled with new wonders every day. You have captured our hearts forever!

Some of your new adventures include running, climbing on everything and jumping.

You are curious and amazed with everything in sight. You exclaim "wow wow wow" every time you see something new.

You were so fun during Christmas this year, you loved being with your cousins and destroying the wrapping paper.

You continue to eat everything we put in front of you. Your favorites are green beans, spaghetti, fruit and pb and j.

You have really started using your words. It is so great to know what you are pointing at! Your words this month are:bye bye, banana, apple, please, no, button, uh oh, on, ball, night night, mommy, daddy, bobe (bogey), water , go, shoes, keys and where'd go.

At your doctors appointment you weighed 27lbs and were 2ft 8inches. You were such a trooper after getting 4 shots:( it was very hard on me. we got you donuts when we were done.

You sleep from 7:30-7:30 and then nap for about 2 hours during the day.

You are constantly working on something. Lately you love to stack blocks, read books, dance, color and watch Little Einsteins.

You continue to have such a sweet spirit. You make my life so full of joy. I love the days we spend at home together. I continue to work at night time and you go to your Aunt Poppys house. You love to play with Wyatt.

You love play dates with Ryan, Olivia and Wyatt. Some of your favorites have been the Children's Museum in Fort Worth, Fort Worth Zoo, visiting Santa and the Puppets at North Park mall. This week we get to go on an indoor safari! So fun!

I can't believe how much you have grow . You are smart, funny, curious, sensitive and loving!

We love you to the moon and back little man!

Love, Mommy

Erythema Multiform Minor..... what the!!!!

First of all thank you to everyone who prayed for Graham last week. He had a hard couple of days but is on the mend now! For those of you who we weren't able to update, last week Graham had an allergic reaction to what they believe was his Augmentin (penicillin) antibiotic. From what I can understand it sounds like he had a reaction to his reaction which is what they diagnoised: Erythema Multiforme Minor. I would like to preface this post by saying there is also a MAJOR version of this condition and that is NOT what Graham's was THANK YOU JESUS!

Graham had been on a penicillin antibiotic once before when he was 9 months for an ear infection and was not effected whatsoever. This time he had been on the antibiotic for 8 days before we ever saw any signs. Naturally I didn't suspect the antibiotic since it was not something new to him. When he came home from Erin's house with what looked like bug bites,  I was concerned but not overly concerned. One of the perks of working in a pediatric ER is that I was able to show several Doctors the pictures I had taken of the then "bug bites" and none of them were concerned at all.

The next 48 hours sure changed alot of things. By the time I got home Sunday morning from work Grahams rash had spread and looked more hive like. However, they were not on his face and did not seem to be effecting his airway. We continued with Benedryl and pics to the Docs. At this time they were pretty sure that it was a reaction to the antibiotic but said the only treatment for this was Benedryl which we could do from home.

When Graham woke up from a 2 hour nap Monday afternoon his rash was covering about 80% of his body, he had a fever of 102, his hands and feet were so swollen that they looked like balloons, and the rash was significantly worse. This Momma started to get a little nervous! A dear sweet friend from Cook came to my house to see if we needed to take him in. He let us know that we did not at that time, but if it got worse at all we needed to go straight to the ER.

By the time David got home that evening Graham could not move his joints, stand or roll him self from front to back in his crib. He was burning up and so sad:(

At 2 am on Tuesday morning we headed to Cook Children's ER where I work to have Graham looked at. They instantly said that it had developed into Erythema Multiform Minor and that we needed to monitor him inpatient.

I was actually very relieved that they decided to keep us, I was not comfortable monitoring him at home with it getting worse by the hour. Graham stayed at Cook for about 48 hours with around the clock oral steroids, vitals and pain relievers.

Both of the Doctors that we saw on the inpatient unit told us that they had only seen 3 other cases progress as intensely as Grahams' and not be the Major version of this condition. We hated to be 1 of the 3, but were blessed beyond belief that it was not the major version. Several doctors came by and asked to take pictures of his rash, they kept saying it was "text book" version of this case, but that you very rarely see it clinically.

Graham was incredibly hyper after receiving so many steroids. His little system was so confused between the steroids and the benedryl. His rash changed about 5 times while it was healing, each one a looked a little worse, but finally they just appeared as bruises and then left! After 48 hours we were headed home with 2 Epi pens in hand:) Just in time for Thanksgiving. He got plenty of rest at my parents house. It has taken him a full week of being off the steroid to return to his normal temperament. Finally he is his happy go lucky self again.

What a huge weight off my shoulders it was to have such an incredible hospital to go to. We had incredible care and great caregivers.

Thank you again to everyone who prayed for Graham. Hoping this will not return, however they say it often does. We will know what it is next time though and hopefully it will not progress to what it did this time.

Thanking God during this Holiday season for a healthy baby boy and praying for those who are not. Hope you will too!

Teddy Bear Picnic

If you go out in the woods today

You're sure of a big surprise.

If you go out in the woods today

You'd better go in disguise.

 

For every bear that ever there was

Will gather there for certain, because

Today's the day the teddy bears have their picnic

Every teddy bear, that's been good 

Is sure of a treat today

There's lots of wonderful things to eat

And wonderful games to play

Beneath the trees, where nobody sees

They'll hide and seek as long as they please

Today's the day the teddy bears have their picnic

Picnic time for teddy bears,

The little teddy bears are having a lovely time today.

Watch them, catch them unawares

,And see them picnic on their holiday.

See them gaily dance about.

They love to play and shout.

And never have any cares

At six o'clock their mommies and daddies

Will take them home to bed

Because they're tired little teddy bears.

Today's the day the teddy bears have their picnic