Amazingly Awesome Two

After Aiden was born, we had to adjust our routine. When you are awake three times in the middle of the night, you are not getting up before your two year old to get ready. So in came Go, Diego, Go! (In case you don't know, it is a kids show akin to Dora, the Explorer, as she is his cousin and she does make frequent camios on the show--but Diego loves animals and is an animal rescuer in the jungle who speaks Spanish). Thanks to Netflix that has all three season on play instantly, I was able to get a shower and sometimes on particularly difficult days I was able to feed Aiden in peace as well.

So when it came time to get ready for Kyle's second birthday the obvious theme choice was Diego. My sister and brother-in-law were kind enough to let us use their backyard and house for his party as we can't hold enough people at ours and don't have an outdoor setting. This is super late post, so keep in mind his 2 year party/birthday were September 12th. :) It was a small family party with both sides of our family being able to attend.


We did presents, Kyle got (not really part of his birthday funds, but just something else for him to open) his monkey costume for Halloween that we had bought the week previous at the Carter's outlet in Park City. By the way, love having a little child were they can be present when you buy them their gifts and it doesn't ruin the party in the least.



Both babies were present for the festivities and my mom.


Oliver is the one who will be responsible for teaching Kyle sports. Here he is playing with his new balls, particularly his "baseball" (the "k" sound is hard to make, give a 2 year old a break).


This is his cake, and I had to blow it out as his little puffs just don't do much. I made it, but more on that to come.


This is the dairy free, soy free cake and frosting that I made. The design was my friend's suggestion and although I looked everywhere for Diego toys, with the advent of Toy Story 3 you can't find them anywhere except online and I didn't have that much foresight. So there are two candles, the 2 and Diego, luckily we already had baby jaguar as a hand-me-down toy. But Zurchers did have the Diego sugar faces, cups, plates, napkins, those sorts of things (we also had blowers) in Diego theme.


This is the cake at the actual party, we had to transport it in close to 80 degree weather. In making the cake, I used coconut oil as a butter replacement. It works great because it is solid at 72 degrees and below and liquid above that. I did not consider that on the car ride over the oil would liquefy in the car and separate from the frosting. Puddles of oil started to pool on the cake and around the cake. It was disgusting and really upsetting to me. We put it in the fridge at Heidi's house, but it just turned the liquid oil into hard white pools around the cake. It seemed to only affect the frosting so the cake turned out fine and everyone told me not to worry it was fine. But the whole sides of frosting had slide down and the cake broke while coming out of the pan anyway, so it started to separate again without the frosting to hold it in place. When you spend hours making a cake--it just was horrible. Although no one besides me saw it that way. The cake tasted fine though, luckily. But here are the after pictures to show the effects of sun on coconut oil. Next year, no fancy cake, just a pinata.


This was sitting on his presents, eating pizza. He was pleased with his little perch.


He got a tool set from Mammi and Papa. He loved it. This is him several days later while watching his morning dose of Go, Diego, Go!



We just love two. It is Evan's favorite age so far, although he has loved every stage more than the last up to this point---Kyle has gotten so verbal and fun to play with. He is amazingly quick (show/tell him once and you'll regret it. For instance, how to climb to get your cell phone on the kitchen counter while you are feeding the baby---bad idea) and very sweet. But don't think he's not demanding, controlling, or exacting although I don't know where that comes from.

Aiden Dillon Young

So also, way back in August, when Aiden was six weeks old, he was given a name and a blessing by Evan. We did it in Evan's parent's house to accommodate some scheduling issues. It was very nice. That was the same living room in which Evan and I were married two and a half years ago. We had a small group of close friends come and enjoy this sacred experience with us. I also have to give a shout out to our good friend, Ami, who was willing to take notes at the last minute. Since neither Evan nor I could recall the words said a few short hours later, it was such a sweet thing to have them forever written down. I would recommend it.


This is of Evan and Chris after the blessing. Chris and Teresa live in Ohio and were unable to attend Kyle blessing because although they lived here they were in Guatemala. It worked out so wonderfully that they were vacationing here in Utah when we wanted to bless Aiden. Chris and Evan have known each other and been good friends since they were 11 back in Edmond, Oklahoma. I love this picture.


By the way, always have a 15 year old aunt to entertain the children. Always.


Grandpa & GG Young, with Mammi and Aiden. Mammi says that Aiden whispers his every want and desire to her. He often wants his Mammi, according to her. But in this case, he just wanted his bib and shoes off.


This is my sister, Oliver (her husband) and their sweet little 2 week old daughter, Addison. She is so stinkin' cute and a mini-Heidi.


Our first family photo where I am not two seconds post-partum. I know those are necessary photos, but not flattering for the mother (and sometimes not even the baby).

Ohio

Way back in August, Evan, Kyle, Aiden and I took a week long vacation (*sigh*). Although anyone with children know that it is not really a vacation, but ours sure felt like one. Our best friends, Chris, Teresa, Halle (& as of the 6th baby Miles) were our fabulous hosts. We came to see them and to see THE Ohio State University where Chris is getting his ph.d. and Evan is thinking of going next year after finishing his associates.

I'm totally going to skip over the flying. My friend Ami said that it is never as bad as you imagined----WRONG! We weren't allowed to sit in the same row because we both had lap children and that put us over the limit on oxygen masks. Kyle never wanted the parent he was with or any of the things that we brought to keep him busy. A four week old baby does fit on the tray table when trying to change a blowout poopy diaper minutes before taxing to the runway. And never fear, you can traumatize a young teenage girl when you have to breastfeed your baby with your boob inches from her. Or how about, I only got two hours of sleep the night we left because we had to BE at the airport at 5:30 am--good morning 3:30 alarm.

The first few days we were there, Chris was off at a conference in Montreal. So the rest of us went to the Columbus Zoo. Awesome. This is the petting zoo--a little lame, only goats. But Kyle liked it.


The aquarium where you can touch all sorts of things.


See I was there, and so was Aiden. Kyle and Halle are such good friends. Kyle can actually look at this picture and tell you everyone in it. He loves to point out Teresa.


Halle got to ride on the carousel. Because Kyle spilled his apple juice all over himself and his stroller (sippy cup malfunction) and was without clothes so he was not allowed to go.


On Tuesday, we went bowling. A first for Kyle (he also played with play dough for the first time in Ohio. I'm such a bad mother). They make you pay the full $8 something for a child at this bowling alley. Very lame.



This was Aiden's experience of bowling.


We got to play with bumpers because of the kids. I got the high score of my life and Teresa did too. Evan did a lot of trash talking, but I beat him. Hahaha. Teresa quietly beat us all.


Wednesday, after Chris was back, we all went to a nearby lake. It was so warm and lovely. Kyle had never been to a zero entry body of water. He loved it. Mostly he stayed and played in the sand and his new word that day was "bucket." There were little fishes that kept bumping in to me and swimming around my legs. It was cut short before I could put Aiden's feet in the water by a lighting and rain storm.


This was Aiden's experience of the lake.


Thursday was our on-campus day. We saw the campus with Chris as a tour guide on Wednesday night, but we did all the advisor and such on Thursday. This is Evan with THE Ohio State University mascot. He told me I was horrible when I forced him to get this picture just like the other teenagers viewing the campus with their parents. I then promptly refused to do the same.


Friday we came home. It was really sad to leave. I love vacation. I love flying--not with lap kids though. But at least coming home was better, we had Chris and Teresa's help, a little more experience, and we sat across the aisle from each other (thanks Mom for that advice). It was such a lovely trip. Thanks for having us, Chris & Teresa. Sorry, Halle, about Kyle biting you twice on the last day, I swear that was a fluke.

P.S. When Chris and Teresa were here, Teresa told Halle she was coming to see Kyle. She said, "My friend, Kyle. Bite me." So much for kids forgetting. :)

Vocabulary

I wanted to make a list of Kyle's words at 2 because I haven't stayed up on it or really remember when he first started talking and attaching meaning. But it has taken off. So for his record and because I think that it is interesting---Go! Diego, Go! has helped a lot with animals by the way.


Food:
cereal
cookies
crackers (crackies)
hot dog
chicken
juice
ice cream
snack (fruit snacks)
apple
strawberry
smoothie (soothie)
lunch
hungry
eat
popcorn (o-orn)


Every Day:
poopy (this and bath go very closely together probably because we've had so many blowouts)
bed
pillow (illow)
wet
water (wa wa)
go
shoes
out
on
off
open
door
phone (ohn)
book
toys
blocks
gun
tv (tee vee)
airplane
truck
seat down (refers to his high chair any place to sit and car seat used as a verb and noun)
blanket
a song (a sog)
socks
pants
shirt
sippy
button (often means volume because we use the computer or mouse for that matter)
hat
buckle
brush (ush)
potty
bath (ath)
shower (ower)
backpack (ack-ack)
glasses (glassssies)
ball
basketball (baseball)
bike
help
please
thank you (ank you)
kisses
activaté (spanish for activate)
bye
cloth
sorry (he says it unprovoked and repeatedly if anyone says "ow" or thinks he hurt us)
light
tent
bubbles
Daddy work (daddy-urk)


Body Parts:
face
hands (also means hand sanitizer)
toes
button
nose
eyes (obsessed)
boogers
ears
hair
head
boat
train (ain)
tree
blue (boo)
green (geen)
uh-oh
oops
no


People:
mommy
mommy daddy
papa
mammi (sounds like mommy)
Zoie (soie)
Avery (avy)
Heidi
Oliver (ol-ver)
Aiden
Addison
baby
monkey (monks)
KYLE
Dane
Halle (alle)
Diego (eggo)
Alicia (lisa)
Elmo
Jesus (jee-see)


Animals:
bobos (Diego reference)
cat
dog
bird
rabbit
lion (and knows sound)
jaguar
bear (ear)
bug
octopus
turtle
fish
horse
pig
cow
tail


This is in no way exhaustive, but he talks all the time and he picks up things that I didn't even know he was exposed to or that I had said to him. He often learns a few new words a day. He'll also repeat almost anything you say--so sometimes it is hard to know if he knows it and will say it unprovoked. That is a pretty good list for a kid who started talking so late we needed a 15 month doctors appointment.

Long Overdue

Hey all,

Well, we've done a lot. We had a fun filled week long trip in Ohio the beginning of August, of course, I have a lot of pictures that I want to post; however, who has time to do all the uploading. We blessed Aiden and Kyle turned 2. Right now, the best I can do is some random pictures from the last month or so.

This is Aiden with Winks. Winks is his elephant that matches from the same collection as Kyle's monkey. We chose it to be his love before he was born and this time we bought 2 to begin with. Have to say, I was so super excited and so was Evan. We'll let you know when he even starts to bother with the fact that he is there. It is being called Winks instead of elephant because elephant is a hard word to say--unlike monkey and the name that came with Kyle's monkey is Dangles (yuck). Winks is cute.


We met Addison, my sister's baby (her first), the day after we got back from Ohio. She was born the day we left. I have to admit that when I look at her or hold her, I feel like I'm looking at a mini Heidi. No one else sees or feels that. But it is such a strong resemblance to me--not even my mom thinks that. She needed to look at baby pictures. But I think of her as mini Heidi.


I like this picture because there is a reflection of Aiden's face in the window.


My mom came at the beginning of September and will be here for a whole month :) She is reading to Kyle (who loves to be read to) and Addison (who doesn't care either way).

But I do have everyone's favorite: STATS


Kyle at 2 year check up-----
22 lbs 6 oz (below curve, he still hasn't gained weight back)
32 in (5%) although other doctor said it was 10%
head is 75%--go figure

Aiden at 2 months----------
12 lbs 11 oz (75%) at one month he was 10 lbs 9 oz also 75%
23 in (50%)--don't believe this because he is wearing 6 months and born at 22 in
head is 70%

Aiden sleeps now from 7:30 or 8pm to 5 or 6am (10 hours), eats, 20 mins later back asleep until 9 or 10 am. So about 14 to 15 hours of sleep at night. He is also in Kyle's room in the crib now and Kyle is doing so much better in the toddler bed this time around.

More pictures and stories of August and the 2nd birthday cake disaster to come. Plus, updates on Kyle's eating. Sneak peek: it's going well and he is doing better.

The Results

Kyle has not been well. In fact, he started having diarrhea and vomiting on the 19th of June. It has not stopped, well let me rephrase, it is intermittent. But at least once a week he vomits and the diarrhea is usually pretty sever several times a week. I've done a lot of laundry since the 19th of June.

So we saw a lot of our pediatrician. No luck. Started to see a gastroenterologist. He suggested some scopes. So last Friday, while I was in the throws of food poisoning (Evan was as well, but he was at work), we went to Riverton Hospital and Kyle had scopes and biopsies. This does require him being put out and on an OR table. The doctor told me there were some abnormalities and he had done lots of biopsies. The results would come in today. On a side note, Kyle did not come home sleepy like I had hoped (I was so sick), he did not take a nap until 4pm that day. I hate what medicine does to my child---it is not sedating like I wish it was.

We got the results this evening while I was making yummy lasagna roll ups for dinner, Aiden was screaming in the swing, and Kyle was calling out for me on the opposite side of the kitchen gate. I just shut myself in the pantry. I love our gastroenterologist, but he did read me the report from the lab word for word. What I do know is that there is a lot of inflammation in his stomach, duodenum, colon, and intestines. There is a lot of e-word things that suggest he is having a type of allergic reaction and something having to do with white blood cells is also high. These things are usually seen with celiac disease, but the villi in his intestines are still intact; therefore, it doesn't look like that is the cause. What is the cause? No idea.

We could see an allergist, but the doctor thinks that won't turn out a definitive answer. We could try steroids or we can take him off all dairy (we already have taken him off milk and ice cream, which was causing too much stool earlier in his life) and all soy for ten days and see. We are going the second food route starting Monday when I can get to the store to buy almond milk and have a little time to plan out a dairy/soy free diet. What are we going to eat?

All I know is that there is something wrong with my toddler. He has not been himself and the diarrhea gives him yeast rashes and causes horrible painful skin. His weight is dropping while he is getting taller (he was small to begin with). He is also sleeping--a lot. Most days 15 hours or so--we sometimes even have two naps. On the day in the picture, he went to bed at 8pm one night. At 3:30pm the next day, I went to see if he was still alive. He was up until 5:30pm, slept on my bed for an hour, and went to bed at 7:30pm where he slept soundly until 10am the next morning. He has huge dark circles under his eyes most of the time.


I wish that I had my little boy back and I wish that they could tell me more definitively what was wrong. Something is wrong and the test corroborate that. Now, we just have to play around until we can find a solution.

Almost Two

This is what an almost two year old loves. He loves shoes (he found one and had me put it on) and pants--he tries desperately to put them on himself, but then he usually brings it to me. "Help me." So today, two pants, one shoe and a grin because he loves the camera. "EESE"


And he loves the bouncy seat--always turning on the top part so it plays music nonstop around this house.


This was taken back in July, Aiden was probably three weeks old. And that is how Kyle likes to hold him, by himself. Then he pokes at Aiden's face with both hands since there is no bother supporting Aiden. :) Matchy, matchy.