Kellan is 15 months!

Here's yet another belated post but I wanted to document what Kellan is up to these days! He turned 15 months last week and is continuing to grow into a sweet little boy (when he isn't busy being sick with one bug or another!). Over the past month and a half he's had a cold, ear infection, pneumonia (which sent him to the hospital for 3 1/2 days), pink eye, and roseola. He's finally on the mend once again and doing well!

Napping in mommy and daddy's bed when he was sick

At 15 months, here's what Kellan is up to:

• He says a few words now: Daddy, Mommy, Thank you, Please, Ball, Kick, Shoes, No/Uh Oh/Oh No/No No, and just today he added Apple!
  
• He loves to dribble a soccer ball (or any other ball for that matter)--it's probably his favorite activity. It's very coordinated and does really well. Like father, like son!
  
• He is a great eater and eats a variety of foods--the only things he doesn't seem to care for are cheese and eggs at this point...anything else is fair game! He loves oatmeal, all fruits (particularly bananas and mandarin oranges), veggies (peas are his 1st choice), chicken, and yogurt. He enjoys milk and loves juice (who doesn't?!).


• He has his 8 front teeth and is getting in 2 molars on top-one on each side. He still drools like crazy--he can soak through a shirt in a matter of minutes!


• He is running around everywhere and working on learning to jump. He loves to climb but can't get on very many things yet because he's got some short legs!


• He loves his big sister--she makes him laugh and he enjoys following behind her. They wrestle and tackle each other on the floor--it's only a matter of time before he is stronger than her!


• He's 23 lbs, 8 oz. and 31 inches long--both in the 50th percentile. All around average kid!!


• He is very attached to his lovey and will suck his thumb while holding it to soothe himself and when going to sleep. It's so cute but I fear it's going to be hard to break him of that lovey! We have a backup so that gives us a little cushion if we lose one or if it begins to fall apart, but he can't use it forever!


• He loves to feed himself using a spoon--he will happily eat anything if he can do it himself. A little messy but so fun to watch!

OK so he doesn't always use the spoon--sometimes lifting up the whole cup works too!

He got his first SHORT haircut...it wasn't intended to start out that way but let's just say it was mommy's attempt at cutting his hair for the first time and I made a few crucial mistakes that weren't fixable, so off it came! It was sad to see but fortunately it's already growing back in! I think people feel he looks even more like Marlon now!

The kids playing outside with the sprinkler

Can't go without including one with just Alex--she loves the summer!

Ocean City, MD--family vaca!

***Before this post gets underway I want to thank you for praying for Lauren and Carter. They are both recovering slowly but doing really well considering how bad the accident was. Carter is making great progress and has shocked all of the doctors and nurses with how well he is recovering (WE aren't shocked--we know THE ONE who made it possible ;). Lauren is hoping to get out of the hospital in the coming days and start physical therapy--it will be a long road to recovery for them both but we know God has heard the prayers of everyone praying for them. He is in control of this situation and taking care of them both during this difficult time!***

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We had our first family vacation (just the 4 of us) to Ocean City, MD (our first time visiting this area). We stayed at a really nice Hilton Suites (gotta love Hilton Honors points!) that was right on the ocean and also had a kid's activity pool complete with water slides, a lazy river, and a whirlpool! We had to drag Alex out of the pool every afternoon--she loved going down the slides on her own (she wore swimmies as the water was a bit over her head in some areas) but I was so proud of her for being completely independent in the water! We had just worked our way up to that last summer but we didn't spend too much time in the pool, so I was wondering how she would do this year. Hopefully we can get a lot more pool time in before the end of this summer!

Kellan also seemed to enjoy the water--a little too much. He kept dunking his face in...not sure if he was trying to drink the water, or if he just enjoyed the feeling of getting his face wet, but we weren't really able to put him in any of those floatie tube things for little kids because he constantly wanted to dunk himself. We ended up sticking swimmies on him and holding him most of the time. I guess it's good that he wasn't afraid of the water--we just need to teach him to keep his mouth closed! He does the same thing in the bath recently--he will take cups filled with water and dump them on his head--can't wait to see what the rest of the summer brings for him! He also enjoyed sleeping in a dark hotel room--he slept in after 8 one morning, and took 3-4 hour naps! (Alex, our non-sleeper, took no naps, swam most of the day every day, and was still up until well after 9/9:30 every night--the kid amazes me!)

This was Kellan's first real trip to the beach (last year during our Myrtle Beach trip he didn't do too much since he was only 10 weeks old!). He was not overly excited about the sand, but he warmed up to it a bit while we were there.

Father and Son

Getting the feel of sand beneath his toes...

We took Alex to the amusement park one evening and let her go on just about every ride in the place. It was pretty empty so she had most of them to herself and got to go right on (HURRAY for no lines!). She tried everything from bumper boats, the carousel, the teacups, the flying helicopter, the mini-buccaneer, train ride, motorcycles...to the potato sack slide (that's the guy working the ride going down next to her)!

A loving brother-sister moment...

Alex sniffing her brother's "stinky feet"!

Marlon and I both enjoy crabs, and since we were in MD, well-known for its crabs, we decided to indulge! We ate out for all you can eat crabs 3 nights out of the 4 nights we were there! It is definitely tricky to eat crabs while helping your 2 children eat, then finding ways to entertain them while you continue to enjoy your next serving (or 2!) of crabs! Who knows when we'll be getting crabs again, so it was well worth it! We were able to get Alex to try crab a few times (under the disguise of it being chicken) and although she didn't love it, she didn't seem to mind it.

I'll end with this cool picture Marlon took from our hotel window one day when a storm was rolling in. Pretty cool to see it over the water!

Another funny story that I want to make sure and write about--the other we got home and I gave the kids their baths. Alex was still in the bath and I finished dressing Kellan for bed. I took Kellan into the living room to hang out with Marlon then went to fold some laundry. A few minutes later I heard Alex yelling something with the words "Kellan" and "bath". I went out to the living room to see Marlon-without Kellan in sight-and hurried into the bathroom to see my son, fully clothed, sitting in the bath with his sister! I wish I would have taken the time to run and grab the camera, but unfortunately I didn't. He looked so happy and proud of himself for making his way into the bath to join his sister!

please pray-updated

--Updated 6/14--

We were able to travel out to Phila. last evening and spend today visiting with Lauren and Carter. Lauren is now out of ICU and has a lengthy recovery with a broken knee, broken heel, and a collapsed lung. Carter is not out of the woods yet with more serious injuries so we would appreciate your continued prayers. The family has a wonderful support system but unfortunately mother and son are almost an hour apart (with traffic) so it makes travelling between the 2 quite exhausting for her husband and their parents. Pray for continued strength and their recoveries. Thanks to all for your well wishes and prayers.

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I just received word that my SIL Lauren and nephew Carter were in a serious car accident. No details are known yet but that they are in separate hospitals and Carter was air lifted to a hospital in PA (while Lauren is in NJ). Please pray.

Las Vegas

Again, this is very much belated but something I definitely didn't want to forget to post about! My husband surprised me with a 7th anniversary trip to Vegas a few weeks ago. I will admit I got a little clued in before he broke the big news because I saw some clues on our credit card statement, but it didn't take away from the surprise in the least! It was wonderful to get away for a few days without the kids (who stayed behind with our family in Phila/NJ). I couldn't even get Alex to talk to me on the phone even once while we were gone--she was always off doing something more exciting!

We stayed at the ultra nice Bellagio, while the President was apparently staying next door at Caesar's Palace (pretty cool!). It was my first time in Vegas, and there is definitely so much to see and do there! We took a gondola ride through the Venetian, and we also went to see the Criss Angel show (NOT very impressed--it was actually pretty bad--although we did see Dr. J and his family in the gift shop while we were waiting in line to get in!). We spent some time at the Blackjack tables, had some nice meals, spent a little time by the pool (in the 100 degree weather!), and had a great time.

Here are some photos from our trip:

Gondola ride inside the Venetian-get serenaded by a real Italian gondolier!

Cool umbrella display in the Venetian

View from our window at the Bellagio (love the mountains in the background)

Light show outside Bellagio (think Ocean's Eleven!)

Alex's 4th Birthday

Better late than never, last week my (not so) little girl turned 4! We celebrated Alex's 4th birthday last week while in Philadelphia. She was able to celebrate at a party with all of her grandparents, aunts, uncles (with the exception of our brother-in-law Jon), and cousins, in addition to some family friends from back east. Unfortunately Marlon was unable to be there as he was recruiting in FL, but he made it back home in time for her actual birthday.

The day of her birthday, we (along with my mom and SIL Renee) took Alex, Kellan, and my niece (Mia) and nephew (Nolan) to Giggleberry Fair--a place Alex loves to visit, particularly because of their carousel that she enjoys going on over and over and over!

In addition to the birthday festivities, throughout the time we were in Philly Alex was able to spend a lot of quality time with her "best cousin Nolan", as she now calls him.
It is so cute watching them play together, and watching their bond grow as they get older. Nolan introduced her to the movie "Wall-E", which they watched numerous times over the course of the week. They took "tractor rides" with my dad on the riding lawn mower, played outside, and just had a ton of fun!

Granddad and Alex (driving the tractor)

Aunt Renee and Kellan (riding in the wagon on the back of the tractor)

Kellan and cousin Mia on a "dinner date"

Like mother, like son
A note to Alex at age 4:

Alex, you are such a blessing of a little girl. As you get older, I love how you have become my little buddy in everything. You are ALL about all things girl-related. You want to be with the girls, do what the girls do. Your favorite colors are pink and purple. You are a HUGE mother's helper--to the point that you often feel you can and should be able to do everything yourself. You like to help in the kitchen, help with gardening, yard work, cleaning, laundry...you name it, you want to help me do it. (tonight you wanted to help me cut Kellan's hair...but I have to draw the line somewhere!) Your favorite thing is probably coming along to help me shop at Walmart! You never turn down a trip to the store with me, no matter where it is. You are a great big sister and very caring and loving towards your brother. You have always been, and still are, a very picky, slow eater. You are rarely hungry when it comes time to eat and you can sit at the table FOREVER while you pick at your food, talk, and find ways to stall. You have just finished taking your first dance and gymnastics classes, and you loved both of them (but you still can't wait to be old enough to play soccer!). You have slowly started to become a snuggler for the first time in your life, and I must say I enjoy it! I think you slept in my bed (all night) for the very first time last week when we were in Philly and daddy was away--it was so cute to have you snuggled up next to me! You are extremely independent and very social. You are also very stubborn and can have quite the attitude if you don't like what you're hearing. (it already seems as if you think that turning 4 means you have reached adulthood....not quite yet!). You spontaneously will tell us you love us and give us hugs, which your dad and I love! We love you Alex--Happy birthday!

Long overdue--Kellan's hospital visit

I have been remiss in posting yet again because life has continued to run full speed ahead for the past 3 weeks, but I really want to try and get caught up from a journaling standpoint so I have memories of everything that has happened since I last wrote. I will probably post in a few different posts, otherwise this could turn into the world's longest post!

Let's see...first off, Kellan got to enjoy a 3 night hospital stay shortly after I last posted, although most of you already are aware of that! He went into the hospital on Tuesday, the 12th, after I took him to Urgent Care that evening because he really seemed to be wheezing and having difficulty breathing. It scared me a bit and of course Marlon was out of town (on a plane to be specific), so I had to make the judgment call on my own, and I am ever so glad I did! Marlon's boss came and kindly took Alex home to her house (she has 2 young girls) so I didn't have to worry about her, and I was able to focus on taking care of my little boy! They did a chest x-ray (his 2nd one in 3 weeks) and was still running a fever, and they recommended admitting him to the hospital. I took him directly there and got us all checked in--my little guy didn't feel well and he was exhausted. He got hooked up to an IV for fluids and they got him started on 2 antibiotics that evening--they were pretty sure he had bacterial pneumonia...a pretty mild case but enough that he had been fighting it for weeks and the first round of antibiotics he'd been on hadn't fixed it, so whatever it was, it was stubborn! Marlon got back into town that night around 10:30pm, got Alex, went home and picked up some overnight items for me, came back to the hospital around 11:45 (with Alex in tow), then headed back home a little after midnight. Thankfully the hospital didn't have any restrictions on visitors in the wing we were in, so Alex was able to come in and visit with Kellan too. She was such a trooper and didn't complain at all about missing her dance class that evening, going to the house of someone she didn't know very well, or being out REALLY late.

Over the course of Wednesday and Thursday, Kellan still had a fever off and on, but he did end up testing positive for strep pneumonia (bacterial), so the antibiotics he was on were the best option for him. The doctors also think at some point over the 3+ weeks that he was sick he also caught a good old cold virus that just made him feel extra yucky and sick, and since the virus just had to run its course we just had to wait and make sure the antibiotics would eventually help him turn the corner. They didn't want to release him until he was fever free for 24 hours (and I definitely did NOT want to take him home and risk having to bring him back there again!), so by the time Friday rolled around, he was fever free and seemed to have turned the corner, so I was ready to get him out of there! He was getting pretty antsy by that point, too. I had brought his little plush soccer ball there for him to play with, and he just wanted to wander up and down the hallways kicking his little ball--the nurses were all very impressed with his soccer skills!! He was a very good patient--despite the fact that his arm was completely wrapped and splinted to protect his IV--fortunately after the first night we agreed that he did not need to be on the IV fluids anymore since he was still eating and drinking normally, so he was not connected to anything during the day but just got hooked up to the meds every night for about an hour and a half while they were administered. He didn't enjoy sitting still for that long, but by that time of night he was pretty tired so he would eventually sit still and let me hold him (which I needed to do to keep his arm held straight because he kept bending it and kinking up the IV line). He definitely did not enjoy being awakened every 4 hours to have his vitals checked (he particularly was not a fan of having his rectal temperature taken, but somehow by the last day he managed to sleep through the overnight ones!). He was also getting nebulizer breathing treatments every 4-6 hours around the clock to break up the "junk" in his lungs. It took the entire time we were there for the resp. therapists to finally start saying he was beginning to sound better, but they finally felt he was beginning to loosen up (although they said it could still take weeks for it to clear out completely).

I unfortunately did not take my camera there to capture some photos of my cute little guy in his hospital gown, hanging out in his crib "jail" that he was stuck in. I took one on my cell phone but have no idea how to get it over onto the computer. He enjoyed taking wagon rides around the halls, drinking more juice than he'd ever had in his life (keeping him hydrated was important and they didn't want him to have milk, so he got all the juice he wanted!), and snuggling with me and his little lovey. Marlon came to visit each day to give me a break to go home and shower, or nap, or pick up Alex from school, which was a huge blessing! He seems to be doing much better now. On our follow up visit to the dr. the week after he was discharged, she recommended he be seen by and ENT and an allergist to determine if there is anything else that caused him to sound so congested. He has always been a loud, snorty breather and she is just wondering if something relating to his sinuses or allergies may have made him sound or feel worse than just having pneumonia. We haven't had those appts. yet so we will see what they reveal, if anything.

For now we just want the kid to stay healthy for a while!! Unfortunately today he woke up with a yucky, goop filled eye that is a little swollen and red, so it's looking like he now has pink eye! Poor kid can't catch a break. It got worse throughout the day and is just oozing greenish yellow stuff....fortunately we had filled a prescription a few months ago for antibiotic eye drops for Alex when we thought she had pink eye (but she didn't) so they had never been opened and were still good, so we started him on those right away today. Hopefully that will help clear his eye up--I just can't bare the thought of taking him back to the doctor yet again--he's been probably somewhere close to 10+ times in the past month...not sure how much more my insurance will allow :)

I think that's Kellan's hospital stay in a nutshell. Next up, details on Alex's birthday and a surprise trip to Vegas with my thoughtful husband!

Recital, Mothers Day and Sickness Round 2!

Alex's first dance recital was a success! Her brief 3-4 minute piece went off without much of a hitch (all 5 girls actively participated and no one cried!). They were the first performance and then we got to hang around for a bit watching the older girls perform (we also got to watch their rehearsals and Alex really enjoyed watching the real ballet dancers!). Since they were the first performance, the red curtain opened up to them standing on the stage (see below), then all the lights came on. (Alex thought that was cool). She looked all around then leaned over to get her friend Layla's attention to point out the blue lights behind her. They got to dance with their babies, which was cute. Like I said, it was short but sweet!! Marlon and Kellan even arrived just in time for her performance, then left right when it ended. Marlon may not admit it but I think he enjoyed watching her up there on stage! I took video of the dance but don't know how to upload--maybe I'll try to figure it out later....but for now pictures will have to do!

Mia (new friend from class), Alex, and Layla (good school friend who is also in dance class)

Alex and Layla getting ready to put their babies down to sleep

Happy girl (pre-recital)--a little out of order

I had a nice relaxing mother's day complete with flowers from the kids and Marlon, a good afternoon nap, and a dinner hosted by the neighbors for some of the neighborhood moms (and families)--great food and fun! Unfortunately Kellan woke up yesterday with yet another fever and a yucky cough. He was pretty out of it most of the day (he took over a 4 hour nap), but did enjoy himself at our neighbors' house for the evening. His fever continued this morning so back to the doctor we went this afternoon! We're back on another round of medicine--an antibiotic, a steroid, and the breathing treatments again. Still no official diagnosis (although his ear infection still has not cleared up), but this time the doctor said it could be the beginning of croupe. At this point, I don't really care what it is--just give me some medicine that will help make my boy healthy for good!! After getting a strong dose of ibuprofin at the doctor's office a few hours ago he is feeling much better (for the moment at least!). We go back again in 2 days to see how he's doing. Hopefully we can clear this all up before we head to Philly next week!!