Checked Out

We are on our first road trip/vacation since Crewe was born. We'll be back this next weekend with lots to blog about. Hope everyone had a nice Memorial Day.

All in a Day's Work

Sometimes I wonder if I have the energy required to be a mom! Here are just a few of the things Cal has done today:

• Colored himself all over with green marker (fortunately, not permanent marker)
• Dropped my contact case in the toilet
• Tried to fill up his truck with real gas from the real gas can in the garage (how he even knows that it was a gas can is a mystery)
  

Ooops. I hear silence. I better go see what he's up to now.

Two Years Old and Mr. Independent

Our little Cal is not so little anymore. He officially turned two on Sunday and has let us know that he likes to do things his way! Grammy came into town for the big day and we had a great time celebrating together on Saturday. Cal got to choose the agenda. In his words it was "choo-choo" (Train Park in Scottsdale), "mmmm...good" (Chick-fil-A), "pool" (swimming at home), and "cupcakes" (no translation required).

Here's a look at our day:

Cal was so exhausted and hot (think it got to 103 on Saturday) that he fell asleep on the way to lunch at Chic-fil-A (hence the lovely bed head in the Chick-fil-A photo)
That evening we opened gifts. Cal was so excited about his little tikes car that he couldn't wait for Chris to put it together before trying it out. Without any prompting at all he found he steering wheel, placed it in the correct hole, sat in the car and started saying "beep, beep."

Risky Business

This is what I walked into after I got out of my five minute shower today. Showers are always risky when Cal is awake and unsupervised! Seriously, how did he dislodge the shelf?

Medical Update

Crewe grows stronger and more stable every day. As long as he has the trach he will never fully be out of the woods when it comes to risk of infection, but we feel like his most delicate stage has passed. Here's the latest:

1. Speaking Valve. The valve arrived a couple of weeks ago and we work with Crewe daily on it. It's much more difficult than we imagined. It's just not a natural feeling for Crewe to exhale out of his mouth and nose instead of the trach. As a result, he swallows the air and that leads to some serious coughing and burps (Cal thinks the burps are SO funny; he's such a boy!).

2. Milk Allergy. Last weekend we accidently fed Crewe baby food with milk in it. Who knew that the Beechnut brand of Sweet Potatoes and Turkey would contain heavy cream? Yeah, in a food that is labeled for babies 6 months old! The company is going to get an ear full from me. His response was immediate and very scary. Let's just say we are glad he had the trach because we could have easily had a serious airway problem and amubulance ride to the hospital. A visit with two of his doctors and a steriod got the problem under control. It's soy all the way for the near future.

3. Therapy. Crewe has four therapy sessions every week: two speech, one physical, and one occupational. We are really getting see positive results from the weekly sessions. Physical therapy has helped Crewe to sit up straight and better control his neck and breathing. He LOVES the exercise ball.

4. Sclerotherapy. There are no sclerotherapy sessions planned for the near future. The MRI he had in February indicated that most of the cysts have been addressed and the remaining swelling is due to abnormal tissue. We're in a wait and see phase right now.

Kindermusik

The "semester" is over for Cal's Kindermusik class. Going to school (as Chris calls it) every Monday morning with Cal has been one of the highlights of our week for the past several months. I'm amazed at what little toddlers under 3 can be taught to do. These kids can all keep a beat and know the meaning of musical terms like legato and allegro.

Random Sampler

Chris has been on the road Monday-Thursday for the past three weeks and I'm just trying to keep above water with the boys. Here's a little about what's been happening around our house.

1. Spring has sprung. Until moving to the desert a few years ago, I had know idea that it could be so colorful and full of life. These are a couple of spring shots from our yard.

Can you believe a bird laid her eggs in a cactus? Cal visits them daily to see if they have hatched yet.

Prickly pear cactus blooms for just a few weeks each year.

2. The boys are beginning to play together. Cal has definitely assumed the role of big brother and loves to show Crewe how to do things. Crewe is the first person he looks for in the morning.
3. "Truck" is the official word of the day, week, and month. Cal is completely obsessed with anything with wheels. He tries to ride anything that looks like it will go, including Crewe's oxygen tanks. Here he is riding a friend's "car." We got him one for his upcoming birthday.
4. We are learning to watch what we say. Almost overnight Cal has started busting out with new words and phrases. In the car last week he told a driver of another car to "come on;" told me "no way" when I asked him to get his shoes, and then proclaimed "gosh" when he heard me talking on the phone to a friend.