A season of change to a new chapter

And so the Giosas have celebrated the unofficial end of summer and moved on to the newest chapter in our lives- "the baby free zone."

We hope everyone had a nice Labor Day weekend! After being on vacation the week before, our weekend was low key. We did have one last day of fun before we got back to the swing of things.

On Labor Day, we decided to go to Dutch Wonderland to celebrate the end to our amazing summer- one that was filled with a lot of laughs and a lot of fun. It was so hot, but the boys still had a blast.

With this season of change, it also brings a lot of change to our house as well. We are almost out of the baby stages of parenting. The last few weeks have been so bittersweet!

(and no we didn't get a dog, this is the kids with my sister's dog)

JP is now officially in a toddler bed. Since he did so well on vacation we felt it was time to change the crib at home. He's still doing amazing with it! He has decided to give up naps, but we are struggling through that and he does stay in his room for quiet time.

A week after we returned from vacation and put him in his toddler bed we made the decision it was time to give up the pacifier (aka binkie). I'm amazed how well he's doing! The first night was a bit rough- he woke up every couple hours asking for me, but he's never asked for the binkie and I can say we have are binkie free and have had success!

JP also got a new brace for his non FH leg. It's called a SMO and the purpose of it is to help him from walking on the inside of his foot, which is an over compensation due to his FH. It's been a bit of a struggle, more so then the AFOs have been, but  trying to push through it. 

All that is left is potty training and this kid is on his way to big boy life. So hard to believe he'll be going off to preschool next year! He had conquered so much in his young life and still nothing stands in his way!

And then there's the biggest change of this season- we now have a kindergartener!! 

The week before Labor Day, the school had a parent orientation night (where I spent most of the time tearing up) and a preview day for the kids. 

Aiden loved seeing his new school and meeting his teacher, but the biggest joy was the ice cream they gave out- lol!

And then this past Tuesday he was off! He was so excited to start school and meet new friends! I love his enthusiasm for learning and socializing and hope it never changes!

He did so well too! He walked right on the bus and never looked back!

It broke my heart to send him off to the real world, but it's a part of parenting- the first step of letting go. I'm so thankful that he always transitions well to things!

He also started real soccer on Tuesday too. He's on the Red Bulls teams and they practice Tuesday evenings and have games Saturdays, but I feel it is just organized chaos- lol.

Stay tunes to hear our about our life as parents to a kindergartner and soon to be potty training preschooler! 

OBX 2014

Another year in the books! We just "celebrated" our 5th year in a row going down to the Outer Banks as a family (for Keith and I it was our 6th time to OBX)  and with our friends.

We left bright and early Saturday morning and made great time until about and hour outside OBX and then the trip started to take forever!  But we did finally make it and the boys did great on the ride down.

The weather for the week was cloudy or overcast most days, but we did have peaks of sunshine and it was warm and muggy. We have some showers a few days, but nothing that made the day a wash. Mommy came prepared with some arts and crafts for the boys just in case too.

 The boys had a blast all week (and so did Mommy & Daddy). It definitely was one of the more exhausting vacations so far with having an active 5 and 2 year old. They loved the pool, the sand and the ocean, but of course they didn't want to do the same thing at the same time- ever! I found it hard to keep up with both of them.

Aiden is my water rat- From the ocean to the pool he couldn't get enough. He loved running away from the waves, as well as jumping them too. This year, he made me nervous because it was the first time he seemed  less fearful of the ocean and we had to warn him when to stop going in further.

Aiden was like a fish in the pool too. It's so nice to put his floaties on and then he was off- swimming and playing around. We also had a few super soakers and water shooters with us and he enjoyed having water fights every day (so did some of the 30 yr olds). I was so proud of how well he did floating (especially on his back) jumping in and getting his face wet. He got better every day and even went under water a few times. I think he would love to have his own pool at home.

Jonathan is my sand baby...he just dug right in and didn't mind being covered head to toe, but Mommy wasn't as thrilled. He kept saying he was building sandcastles. He also seemed to like the ocean. He was running it and then falling down laughing. The sand and ocean do give him a bit of a work out and his discrepcy makes it a bit hard for him to keep up his usual pace, but at the same time didn't slow him down from playing and running.

JP also had a lot of first this week. First,  he slept in a big boy bed all week and did amazing! I was stunned. He didn't give us a hard time or get up set or cry for his crib. Most nights he was exhausted and went right to sleep, but the few nights he didn't, he laid in bed talking and "playing". He woke up the same way too, never getting out of bed until someone came in for him.

He also did amazing in the pool this year (no need for the blow up pool although it was brought just in case)! He would put on his floaties and get into the pool. He even would float by himself, not always hanging on to Mommy or Daddy. I think his favorite parts of the pool was jumping in and also the water fights. Of course as a true 2 yr old he was in and out the pool a billion times, so Mommy's and Daddy's arms got a work out.

Lastly, he got to ride the go karts  this year!! It was the first time we rode them as a family and it was great. JP and I were in one together and Keith and Aiden in another. JP giggled and "drove" the whole time.

One night we made smores (or smarshmellows as JP called it) for the kids and they enjoyed toasting them and defintely eating them.

Every night the kids were exhausted and slept well.

All in all, another great vacations and hopefully many happy memories for the kids! 

 

Mini vacation-a birthday celebration

We got to escape for the last few days to celebrate Keith's 37th birthday and take a break and just enjoy being a family. We went to the Villas, NJ, right between Wildwood and Cape May, thanks to some awesome friends who let us borrow their home.

We had a great couple of days and enjoyed our time together. Our first day was so overcast and we weren't sure if it was going to rain or not, but we ventured down to the bay anyway. The boys absolutely loved playing in the sand (much to Mommy's dismay).

And what a difference a year makes!! JP was able to walk, no... run, on the beach! It was such an amazing and bittersweet moment to watch!

Before JP was born, I took for granted Aiden's ability to play on the beach. Last year, I had sad moments from time to time that my son couldn't play like his brother or other 18 mo olds. He couldn't explore the beach or ocean like the other kids around him. But this year when we got to the beach and he took off, it took my breath away. 

It was in that moment that I realize the struggles, the PT scheduling complications, the many tears (I) shed, we're not in vain. We had made the right choice!

I just loved watching Jonathan play & follow his brother around and not needing our assistance. I did notice, he got tired, he had to work extra hard and at times was done and decided to crawl, but he never complained and loved ever moment and it made it all worth it!!

It was also JPs first time sleeping in a bed!! The littlest member of our clan got the biggest bed! He did great too! The first morning he woke up early and crying for his bed, but when I came in and laid with him he was fine. The second night he slept 12 hrs!!

Aiden, as always, did great! He was excited to be in a different environment, to be at the beach, and couldn't wait to go on rides!!

After a nice ( birthday) dinner, we went up to the boardwalk and the kids got to explore the rides. JP was older this year and could do more, but Aiden didn't care to have to share the rides with his brother. Keith and I did, however, appreciated the 1 to 1 ratio of parent to child.

On Friday, we headed back to the beach in the morning for some more sand & jumping waves fun. 

The kids even made friends with a dog name Dolly. She was a pretty and very well trained dog. Her owner was throwing a ball out into the ocean and she would go fetch and bring it back. The kids loved watching her. Dolly's owner was nice the let the kids throw the ball and play with her too.

Then after lunch we headed to one of the boardwalk's water parks,  which might have been my favorite part of the trip! When we started out, it seemed like a bad idea. Aiden loves the pool, but hates to get his face wet and all the kiddie attractions were things that sprade or shot water. He also had no interest in doing the kid water slides, but after about 30 mins he got into the attractions and started doing some of the slides. We were so proud of him for going outside his comfort zone and trying! 

JP on the other hand dived (almost literally) right in. It was a bit hard for him on some things because slippery surfaces seems to be a bit of a challenge with his uneven legs. It didn't stop him though! He had us giggling and reminded us yet again he has no fear. JP was going down every water slide, he would then sit down in the water and try to float and he loved every second we were there.

We ended our day with the kids favorite dinner- pizza! We then let them do a few more rides before we packed up and ended back home. All in all it was a great trip and we are looking forward to our real vacation in a few weeks!!

So far, yet so close

Last week, Jonathan went for his 4 month orthopedic follow up. He had a few X-rays and was examined by his doctor. Her response was "what a beautiful leg", and we couldn't agree more!! She said his bone had healed wonderfully and we can see that!

What a difference 6 mos makes too! JP now goes through X-rays and visits with no tears, not much  movements, and no problems!  Of course we have the iPad playing which also helps! On top of his current AFO (which we had to have extended because his little foot is growing!!), Jonathan will also be getting a SMO on his left (non FH) leg. He is getting a SMO because his non FH foot tends to roll out due to over compensation, so we are hoping this helps him with it.

We are ready to start thinking about the next phase- legthening. Jonathan's leg is ready at any time, but Mommy and Daddy are not there yet. We are thinking about starting legthening next spring, right after Jonathan turns 3. 

With the next surgery, comes new terrority for us as FH parents- the external Fixator (the pic above). We almost feel "gypped" because his first surgery only dealt with castings. So now we will learn the joys and sorrows of Pin turns, pinsite infections, and altered clothing. Our hope is the gain 5 cm in Jonathan's leg /bone, so it will be 5 months in the ex-fix.

 Jonathan's current leg difference is measuring between 7-8 cm, while it seems like a lot, nothing holds this kid back. He's adventous, curious, and just plain crazy!  And while this Mommy has a lot of anxiety about the next surgery and the "ex-fix", we are loving all the amazing moments of everyday life with our sweet boy for now!