Pumpkin Picking 2012

We took our annual trip to Milky Way Farms with our close friends The Grahams. This year Keith couldn't join us because the first day we planned on going it rained and he was in AZ for a gig the day we ended up going. It still was a great day full of memories.

The Grahams have two kids- Ava (age 7) and Colin (age 3) who's Aiden's best bud. I'm sure you guys have heard a lot about them. The day we went was pretty chilly, but the kids didn't seem to mind. The kids loved looking at all the pumpkins and trying to pick them and of course we always cap off the trip with Ice Cream from the Creamery!

Aiden also had his first school field trip a week ago!! He and Keith went to Highland Orchards in Downingtown. Aiden loved to be hanging out will "all his friends" from school. The kids got to pick apples and a gourd. They also made apple cider and got a donut at the end...which I'm sure was his favorite!

Moving into Fall....

We're so excited to see the leaves changing, the temps becoming a bit cooler, but the sun still being warm. I love these months before it gets really cold. The change of seasons are always so nice (except for winter).

And with the change of season...comes illnesses. We have already had our first cold of the season which  took down both kids...pretty hard. Aiden had wrapped up his first week of preschool and on Saturday the cold struck, but with it also came croup. This is typical for Aiden, but his croup symptoms were so bad that when we took him to the Pediatrician office, they had us go across the street to the hospital for nebulizer treatments because his blood pulse ox was so low. 7 hours in an ER with a 3 yr old is not fun....and then when you put them on steroids it's just crazy. They decided to admit him overnight for observation because of his reaction to the steroids and some questions regarding his blood work....we were not ready for that! To top it off, Jonathan was also sick and Keith had to take him to the Pediatrician for a nebulizer treatment too! Luckily his blood pulse ox was much better than Aiden's so no hospital for him. Both kids had to have inhaler treatments for their croup for over a week. Keith and I were wiped to say the least.


For almost the last year (since finding out about JP's condition), I have been trying to prepare myself that my baby would be in the hospital hooked up to monitors and getting IVs.....I just didn't think it would come this quickly or be my oldest baby!! But Aiden was so brave! Never did he once cry or get upset with any procedures, X-rays, or IVs they did. It was amazing (and I'm hoping his brother will be just as strong when his time comes)! In the end, he's back to being healthy, all is blood work was perfect, and I don't think he wanted to leave the hospital- LOL.

                                                 Jake Costume Number 1...a little to small

                                                   Jake Costume number 2- AWESOME!

Also Jonathan has been going through some changes this fall. He now sits up on his own, but not only that, he army crawls too! He's getting so fast with it. I can't turn my back for one second without him being halfway across the room...like the one day he crawled into the bathroom. We also catch him on his hands and knees a lot. Typically when he’s on them he just rocks back and forth, but we have seen him take a few paces crawling. It's very scary...Aiden never really crawled, he just pulled himself up on things and walked around furniture and initially  he wasn't fast or daring! Jonathan is definitely going to be our troublemaker!!

Lastly, we just had a few road trips. We went up to the PA Ren Faire a couple weeks ago with our friends The Grahams and Nicole & Frank. It was a gorgeous day and a great time! The kids got some fresh air after being sick and Ava, Aiden & Colin had a chance to run around. Here's a few of my favorite pics from that day..

                                                       Colin and Aiden- Best Buds

                                               JP hanging with Uncle Frank and Aunt Nicole

                                                       JP and Nicole loving their hoodies

                                                     Mommy and baby waiting for the show

We went to the Jersey Shore this past weekend too. We are very fortunate that a close friend and their family offers us the opportunity to stay at their house occasionally. The house is located in the Villas near the back bay and only moments away from Wildwood. We always have a great time down there and love their house.

The weekend started out a bit chilly, but that didn't stop Aiden from wanting to go the beach. We walked over to the bay and let him play in the sand for a little bit. JP also loved the beach this time (a bit different then OBX, but it might be because it wasn't blazing hot). He decided he wanted to "walk" on the beach and just smiled ear to ear.

 

 

We went up to the boardwalk Sat and Sun to allow Aiden a chance to go on rides (which he loved so much!) and enjoy the fall sunshine. On Sunday, we got to meet up with friends we haven't seen forever, Steph and Paul, as well as Keith's brother and sister in law and the kids. Aiden was thrilled to go on some rides with his older cousins Natalie & Marc! They are so sweet to join in on his fun. Keith and I on the other hand got to love on our littlest nephew Matthew, who's a couple months younger then JP. He's absolutely so adorable and a little cuddle bug.

                                                              Fun on the boardwalk

                                                                Baby Bumper Cars!

Race Car Driver Aiden

We have a Preschooler!!!

As all mothers know, having children somehow make the days, weeks, and months on the calender go a little faster. I am definitley feeling it this September. Aiden is now off to pre-school and I think I'm still in shock that he's that old!! What happened to my little baby boy??

He goes to The Bucket School (part of 1st Presbyterian Church of West Chester). He's in their intermediate class. The class is on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. His first day was last Friday with Mommy and Daddy. It was only an hour, but served to get the kids used to going to school and acquainted with their daily routine. When we got there Aiden met his teachers - Mrs. Miller and Mrs. Fabrizio - and then ran off to play. He forgot we were there half the time; just ocassionally looking up to make sure we didn't leave. He did well paying attention too; sitting well in circle time and making his craft.

Monday was his first day by himself and again did wonderful. The school has a car line in which the teachers take the kids out of the car. He got right out with the teacher and practically said, "see ya later!" Then he couldn't wait to tell us all the "cool things" he did when he got back in the car. It's funny; the teachers said that school isn't only teaching the kids independence, but the parents too and I thought that I'd be okay as I have worked full-time since he was 5 months old, but man it's been hard! I really am learning to cut the apron stings, too!

I am so proud that he's adjusting so well to school and he seems to really like it. He's excited to go. I'm hoping his enthusiasm lasts!

OBX 2012

In August, we took our annual trip to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. We were joined by our good friends Frank and Nicole. This is our 3rd year vacationing together and despite having two kids now, everyone seem to have a good time- LOL. I will say vacationing with a preschooler and a baby is definitley a lot different then just one kid. I was so exhausted each night

We had a great weather - the sun was warm, but it wasn't blazing hot. Some days were overcast, but I think it only rained one day - for 20 mins.

The car ride this year was definitley interesting. Aiden did great, as usual, and this year was the first time he was potty trained and he amazed me. No stops were needed on the way down and only one on the way home. Jonathan was a handful, though. Since the day he's been born, he has not been a big fan of the carseat; just not a car baby. The 7 hour drive was definitley a test - for the whole family. JP was just not happy the first few hours of the car ride down, but did okay for the rest of the trip. The ride home, though, he cried pretty much the whole way - unless he was eating or sleeping! Here's hoping next year goes smoother for him.

I'm not sure what Aiden liked most: the pool, the beach or the ocean. He's definitley a shore baby! He was digging in the sand and jumping the waves, but the pool seemed to be where he had the most fun. He was doing great with his floaties this year and it was nice not to have to be on top of him all the time. He swam all around the pool, was jumping in, and playing. It was great!


JP was definitley unsure of the beach/ocean and pool experience. At the beach, we put him in the sand which he didn't seem to mind. He seemed ok with the ocean, too. He just watched Aiden jump around, but he never knew what to make of it. He didn't last long at the beach. He was too hot and just not a fan of his beach tent. In the pool, he did a lot better and started splashing around. It was definitley a learning experience for him.


The adults had a great time too - we spent a lot of time in the pool this year and ate like kings & queens. As usual the guys cooked for us and it was fantastic. Keith aged steaks, we had a seafood gumbo, and a grilled turkey.

All in all it was a wonderful week...till Friday. Keith woke up not feeling well and it got worse as the morning progressed. He had bad stomach pains and when he tried to get up he was dizzy and weak. We ended our trip with a visit from paramedics, an ambulance ride for Keith, and a 7 hour tour of OBX's hospital (gorgeous $$) which was an hour away from where we stayed. Thankfully Keith was okay. He had a viral infection and severe dehydration. We were also fortunate that Frank and Nicole took care of Aiden for us and gave him a great end to his vacation.

We're looking forward to another summer down there next year, but hopefully no excitement (like hurricanes, car accidents, hospital trips) this time!

Save a Limb

Keith and I have decided to do our part to help families with limb deformaties get the best care possible. We feel fortunate to have a wonderful Doctor for Jonathan and a state that offers us supplemental insurance.

We will be participating in the fundrasier Save a Limb Race that is sponsored by the Rubin Institute of Sinai Hospital in Maryland. We are going to do the 1 mile family walk event this year, but there are also a 30, 15, 6 mile bike races too.


The purposes for this event is to honor the courage and determination of adults and children who are waiting for treatment because they cannot afford it. It also honors the compassion of the physicians and staff. All of these families want the best care for their loved ones and this event allows the doctors to give free consultation, payment plans etc.

We are very excited about this event and we're looking forward to meeting other familes who have children with FH or other limb deformaties. Please consider donating to our family team, or better yet, joining our team! Miles for JP

Our Home is a very, very, very fine home...

So we are back to living in a house! As great as it was living with Keith's parents, it's so nice to have a space of our own again. We officially moved in on Thursday, July 26th and our PODS came on Friday and Sat. It was amazing that in mere hours we had the PODS empty and stuff set up in the house. We had a wonderful team of help including the brute force of Rob Hermann and George Loving; our parents; my Aunt Debbie; my cousin Amanda & hubby, Henry; and Keith's brother Marc!

Over the last two weeks the place is starting to shape up and look like home. Both the boys' rooms are set up and Aiden loves his new furniture (he got a big boy set). We already love it there and still can't get over how spacious some rooms are. Here are a few pics to enjoy.

Dining Room (Kids came with the house- LOL)

Living Room

 Play Room/Den

Kitchen

Milestones

So, for most people, when their baby makes milestones they get very excited and show it off to the world. I'm no different :) I've loudly bragged about what Aiden did in is his early years just like a proud first-time mom does. Case in point, I also just recently posted about Jonathan rolling over.  So yes, I'm one of those Moms that people get annoyed with. Most recently, though Jonathan hit a milestone that most parents don't have to worry about.

Aiden was around the same age JP is now when he began to pull himself up by holding our hands and even bounce or jump. It was exciting to watch, but really it seemed like second nature to him and wasn't much of a milestone to me. When I initially found out about Jon Paul's condition (at my 20 week ultrasound), I had so many visions going through my head; one being a child that couldn't walk. When he was born, I learned that it was a foolish vision. His legs worked like any other child's, but one was just a little different. I noticed he wasn't like Aiden at that point because he didn't want to bounce up and down and when he pulled himself up he looked more like a flamingo (or a ninja- LOL) because he would keep his right leg out swinging in the breeze. He wouldn't bare any weight on his FH leg.

I had brought it up to his Orthopedic Doctor during our recent visit and she told me not to worry and that he would adjust and learn to bare weight and walk on it. She said it wasn't an issue as he didn't know anything different. I trust his doctor, but of course in my mind I was concerned like any mother. Then, recently we noticed him pulling himself up (with our hands) and putting weight on it. And in the exersaucer he started to put it down , as well! The picture below was taken today and makes me so happy that I need to share this real milestone with the world and brag. To most parents, this is no big deal, but to Keith and I this is amazing because there was a time that we didn't think we would ever see this happen.

Even JP is shocked- LOL

Summer Fun!

So we're in the home stretch (no pun intended) of staying with the Parents/Grandparents. We are officially homeowners again (and technically landlords) as we made settlement on July 6th on our new house. We agreed to let the seller rent it back, so we don't move in till July 26th.

During our homeless stint we have been keeping ourselves busy over the weekends. We have had the opportunity to catch up with some good friends (The Hermanns who have 3 kids ranging from almost 10 to 4) we haven't seen in forever which was so nice. We also spent time with our usual clan and gave Aiden a playdate with his best bud Colin. We also hit the pool at Nonni and Poppi's community which Aiden just loved. I've been trying to keep thing fun for Aiden, although living with his grandparents I'm sure has been great for him to have constant undivided attention.

We had a day out at Dutch Wonderland a few weeks ago. We took Aiden last year and he seemed to love it so I figured this year would be perfect. Boy was I wrong! When we first got there he had a mini meltdown because he didn't want to be there or go on the rides. I was a bit crushed as I was hoping this would be a day just for him. So we warmed him up to things; we first hit the new restaurant for lunch and showed him pictures from last year. He still claimed he didn't want to go on any rides, but as we walked out he said, "I want to do the bulldozers!" After that he was unstoppable! He wanted to ride the bulldozers, the monster trucks, the train, the cars, etc. He was having so much fun and asking to ride things twice. I was so happy and excited to see his smile! He even wanted to go on the Bumper Cars because they "crashed". Unfortunately for him (but thank goodness for me) they were broken down for a period of time. By the end of the day he was beat, but had so much fun and told us his favorite rides.

Jonathan has been hitting some milestones. He now rolls front to back AND back to front. He has finally started sleeping in a pack n play - he had been sleeping in a baby rocker chair. He has had his first taste of food (i.e. - oatmeal). He also said his first word -,"Ma Ma". Okay, so it's normally, ”Ma Ma Ma Ma Ma”, but I'll take it since Aiden’s first word was Da-da and he called me that till he was almost a year... and sometimes he still does!

JP had Ortho and 4 month check-ups in the last two weeks. The ortho was just a check in as well as a discussion about his treatment plan. We don't go back till Dec. at which time he'll get another x-ray. He'll be getting an MRI after he turns one and then his surgery would be slated around 18-24 months. As for crawling/walking, she said he'll learn to bare weight on his FH leg, cruise, and walk all on his own and likely on schedule. He will just adjust to what works for him.

His 4 mo check up was good too! He's growing and doing well. He weighed in at 14lbs 8oz and 24 1/4 inches long. He use to be such a little peanut, but no more. The doctor said we can start to introduce rice or oatmeal to him to get him used to a spoon. So we opted for Oatmeal. He did really well and really like it, but I'm not surprised. He's an eater. The poor thing also got two shots, but did so much better this time with no reaction.



Lastly, we had a low key 4th of July this year. It was just too hot to hit up the parade with two kids. I did have fun dressing them alike thanks to Old Navy's $5 t-shirts! We then went out to dinner with friends Matt &; Amy which was really nice. They really took to the kids.

We hope everyone is enjoying their summer and staying cool and we're looking forward to Keith's birthday, moving into our new home, and our vacation to OBX in August!