Christmas 2012

Christmas is always such a busy time of year! Santa came to our house early on Saturday, 12/22. We also celebrated Christmas with my family Saturday as well. Lucas got spoiled by Santa, family and friends. He is a very lucky boy with lots of great toys.








The next day (Sunday, 12/23), we headed down to Louisiana to see Josh's family. Josh's mom and dad finally had a chance to get all their grandchildren (5 and soon to be 6) together under one roof! They were very happy about that!

We had a very, very hard time trying to get the kids together for a photo:




Christmas eve we had a lovely early dinner and went to the candle light service at church. Here is a pic of Josh & Lucas after church (I changed into my pajamas 2 seconds after we go in the door):



Christmas day was a nice relaxing day. It is always fun to watch kids open gifts!

We headed back home the next day. Lucas did great on both flights on the way home (much better than the trip going there). We almost had a near disaster as I realized when we got home that I forgot Josh's iPad on the plane! We looked up Delta's lost policy and it said that 90% of the items left behind on planes are never found. We were both pretty upset. However, a hour later we got a call from Delta that someone turned it in! Wow, there are still good people in this world! We had it sent overnight to us via FedEx. Thank goodness for the nice person who turned it in.

Shoes

Lucas has finally started taking a few steps without holding on to the couch and can walk by pushing around the shopping cart he got for Christmas. We were starting to get concerned that he is 14.5 months and hasn't started walking (although the doctors told us they don't start worrying until 18 months). We believe the reason he is little on the late side of walking is because he had such problems with his ears prior to getting his tubes and your ears control your balance. Since the tubes, he has definitely been more brave about taking steps. Before our trip to Louisiana, we decided it was time to go buy his first official pair of shoes at Stride Rite. We didn't expect that this ordeal would make him quite as mad as it did. He did not like the lady holding down his foot to measure it. Here are a few photos - I was taking pictures on my phone while my mom held him.





The Calm after the storm:

Ear Tubes

Lucas got ear tubes put in his ears on December 14th. This surgery was super simple. We arrived at 6:00 for his 7:00 am surgery. He did not have to have an IV put in but did have to have general anesthesia. The surgery took 10-15 minutes and he was out. He was such a brave boy!

We have seen a dramatic difference in Lucas in just a matter of weeks from having these tubes. They are seriously a life saver and I wish he had been able to have them sooner.

Lucas Before Surgery:

Lucas-14 Months

Lucas @ 14 Months- 12/10/12

Ears Infections and More!

Lucas got his first ear infection in early September. Since September, we have not been able to get his ears cleared of fluid and he has been on antibiotics pretty much the whole time with the exception of a week off of them here and there. It has been very frustrating and has caused him a lot of pain. They always seem to start with a fever and crankiness and that is how we know. On Saturday (12/2) we took him into the pediatrician and they diagnosed him with a double ear infection again. We started treating it that day but by Monday he was much worse and had a terrible cough. We took him in again to the pediatrician and they said his ears were still infected but in addition he had both Croup and Bronchiolitis (which is pretty much the same as bronchitis but it is in the lower part of the chest). We were sent home with steroids and a breathing machine for Albuterol treatments. They asked to come back in the next day to check on his oxygen levels and again on Friday. (4 doctors visits in less than 7 days) On Friday, the doctor still was not happy with his progress considering he was on strong meds and breathing treatments and he felt he should be responding to the treatments. Saturday morning he was wheezing really badly so we took him to the ER at Fairfax to make sure he didn't have pneumonia. They did a chest x-ray and it came back clear. The doctors said that it was probably just a really bad case of viral Bronchiolitis and since it was a virus it wasn't responding to the antibiotics. It was a very long week full of stressful breathing treatments which Lucas HATES. Let's just say that Josh and I pretty worn out.

Tomorrow we go in to have tubes put in his ears. Please pray this keep our boy healthy and out of the pediatrician's office.

Here is a pic of Lucas in the ER. My poor little baby.

Lucas-13 Months

Ok, so my mom casually suggested that I continue these monthly photos to 24 months... At first, I said no. Then mommy-guilt kicked in and I figured that it would be a good way to ensure I keep documenting each month. The first 12 were tough and I kept and up with them by keeping a reminder on my calendar each month. I have a feeling the next set are going to be even more tough so I will do my best to keep up with them.

Lucas was not happy when we took his 13 month photos because he was fighting an ear infection at the time. I am over a month behind on this post because we have been dealing with constant illnesses for months (more on that in a separate post).


Not Happy!

Bye Bye Bottles!

Goodbye formula and bottles! Lucas is now on whole milk and no more formula!



I packed up his bottles this weekend and put them away:



This will save me time and annoyance in the evenings. We were required to fill bottles with water for the formula for daycare and label them with the date as well. Now all I have to do is send a carton of milk with him every week and his sippy cup stays there. So much easier!

I thought the transition from bottle to sippy cup was going to be a tough one. However, Lucas really surprised us and did not mind giving up his bottle one bit.

Lucas' 1st Birthday Party

We had a great turn out for Lucas' 1st birthday party! Thanks to all our family, friends and loved ones who came out to help celebrate. And a special thanks to those who helped us get the party together. We couldn't have done it without you!

Lucas actually wasn't feeling too well on the day of his party. After battling an ear infection for weeks, he was both teething and dealing with ear pain. Both Josh and I were up most of the night before the party with a very cranky 1 year old. Lucas did enjoy eating cake and opening gifts though.

This little boy is very blessed with love. He also got spoiled rotten with lots of toys! Here are a few pics of the party. Thanks again everyone!


The Circus Themed Party:






Josh's parents traveled up for the birthday party - Lucas so was happy to spend time with his Mama & Papa:

Lucas' 1st Birthday

Lucas had a very eventful birthday week. On his actual birthday, Wednesday, October 10th, he spent the day at daycare and was treated to a birthday party there!



Daddy went in for the party at school:









Then Lucas headed home for some presents from Mommy, Daddy, Grandma, Dave and Julie.









Stay tuned for a post on the birthday party which was on Saturday, October 13th.

Lucas-12 Months - 1 Year!!!

We did it! We made it through our first year of parenthood! In a way, it makes me sad. We no longer have a baby, we have a toddler now. Our sweet boy is the most snuggly and cuddly little man. I just eat it up every night. I am praying he doesn't grow out of this stage too soon. There is nothing like coming into daycare after a long day of work and having your son snuggle his head in your chest. My heart melts everytime!

Here are his 12 month pics!








Lucas @ 12 Months:
-Has been sick pretty much the last month with an ear infection that won't seem to go away... We are on our 3rd round of antibiotics and are praying this takes care of it!
-Has fallen into sleep regression. With ear infections and colds, he has been waking up quite a lot in the middle of the night.
-As mentioned above, is the most cuddly little guy ever. He just loves to cuddle with his mommy and daddy.
-Loves to push around his school bus and trucks
-Still crawling at the speed of light and standing up but doesn't have the confidence to walk yet
-Says Mama and Dada
-Loves to pet his doggy Cody and feed him directly from the high chair
-Loves to look at pictures of himself on the iphone
-Is obsessed with trying to get to mommy and daddy's computers and always wants to play with our iphones
-Starting to eat more and more foods. Meat has been a challenge but this weekend he surprised us and grabbed some roast beef off my mom's plate
-Fav foods are still cheese and yogurt