my sweet baby Jason

On Thursday morning Jason had his 18-month appointment, on his actual 18-month "birthday". He weighed in at 24lbs 13oz and was 30.5 in tall. The doctor never said anything about his size, but we spent a lot of time talking about his development. Being that he's already in early intervention it doesn't seem as if there is anything we should pursue at this time regarding that, but she did suggest that I ask for a re-evaluation when the time comes in case he would qualify for additional services at that time. She did bring up his hearing (obviously because it could be connected to his speech delay) and suggested that we do an "audiological work-up". She also said that it's probably just a murmur, but she'd like us to go to a pediatric cardiologist. I had been stressing about his vaccines, but luckily he was not due for any.

I got home and spent the next couple of hours on phone with the insurance company and trying to locate and schedule appropriate doctors for the specialty appointments. Luckily we were able to get them both scheduled within the next 3 weeks, so not too bad overall. I feel like slowly I've taken on a full-time job of scheduling appointments, calling insurance, waiting on hold, attending doctors meetings, reading literature, etc.

I did later look up his stats, and it seems as if his weight dropped from the 87th percentile at 6 months to the 33rd at 18 months. His height is in the 3rd percentile. I'm so used to big babies (Tyler was really big for a long time, Jason was until he started eating solids at 6 months) so it was sort of a surprise. He is chubby for his actual height though, but people are always guessing that he's somewhere between 9 and 12 months.

Maybe I'm just freaking myself out, but I've become increasingly worried about my sweet baby boy. I see him regressing in so many areas. First it was his speech (which hasn't returned much, and when he does learn a new skill, he loses something else). His walking hasn't improved much in the last 6 months, and he often falls now for no apparent reason (no fluid in his ears either). He is now afraid of slides and swings. He will bang his head on the couch and smack himself in the head. But he's still there and I still fall in love with him more each day. He has such a sweet demeanor and he tries so hard. I guess in many ways he still seems like a little baby.

Like I said, hopefully I'm just freaking myself out for no good reason. I know the cardiology request threw me for a loop. Probably nothing, but I had heart surgery when I was 4, so it's hard not to think that it could be something more than a murmur. And it didn't help to have a mother of a child with autism tell me that her son developed normally and then slowly started regressing in all areas. I always told myself (since I started suspecting something was wrong many, many months ago) that I thought at least autism wasn't a possibility because he was so social, but this mom told me that her son's social skills were one of the last things to regress. Wasn't exactly what I needed to hear yesterday. If I could ever get this child weaned I would certainly benefit from a few drinks right now!

On to a new topic...After school we met up with some Junior Women's members and their kiddos (including some of Tyler's friends) to do a park clean-up at Brooks field. The kids thought it was a lot of fun (except when Tyler fell in a puddle and later got upset because kids called him a "4 1/2 year old") and we earned some money for JWA.


Thankfully we were able to spend the majority of the afternoon and evening outside. My little men love the outdoors, as they should!

this week thus far

Well, remember me being all excited that Jason finally seemed like he was saying my name (meh meh)? It seems as though it was nothing personal, as he calls everyone this. Nuts.

Speaking of Jason, Monday was speech day. It was also supposed to be Tyler's first day of t-ball, but it was cancelled due to rain.

On Tuesday, after I dropped Ty at school, Jason and I ran errands all morning. Our last stop was the library, and it happened to be their toddler storytime for 18-36 months old. They had an opening, so I decided to bring him. He really did well sitting with the other kids. I can't say that I think he "participated" or really paid attention, but he had moments where he did and he wasn't a distraction, so I'd consider it a success. They even did a little "craft" afterwards. Too cute!


That afternoon we had plans to meet up with my cousin and her kids at my aunts house. We had a really nice playdate AND dinner, so it was a nice low-key day. Plus I scored some major blackmail photos for when Tyler is older. I do have to say that it was a little disheartening to see Jason compared to my cousins' daughter Ada. They are less than 2 weeks apart in age and miles apart in development. That being said, all kids are different. Still finding it hard not to compare kids, but at the same time not wanting to overlook issues. It's a fine line I struggle with.


After I picked Ty up at school today we had a quick trip to the playground. Then it was off for a quick lunch and some downtime and then back to his first after-school club. It's a project infinity club entitled "spring has sprung". He enjoyed himself, and I used my free hour to run to the colony club to enroll Ty in summer camp.

Came home for a little relaxation time. A sleepy pop-pop and Jason. Who do you think will fall asleep first?
That would be pop-pop.


After a quick dinner and change it was back to school. Tonight was Tyler's first t-ball practice. Apparently his cleats hurt and he was disappointed that he didn't get his team shirt yet, but otherwise he enjoyed himself. As you know, Ty isn't the most sports-motivated kid, but he did hustle out there and gave it his best, so for that I'm proud of him. It did break my heart to see that there were 7 kids at practice and 6 dads. I'm not sure he noticed, but I imagine at some point he will. I'd love to think that I'm doing my best as a single parent, but sometimes a boy needs his dad.




For the record, I'd like to state that I still despise time change. Spring forward, fall back, it all sucks! It might be fine for those without children, but for me I swear I end up losing sleep no matter which way the clock changes. I'm now struggling with a 5.5 year old who is VERY tired for school and then can't fall asleep at night at his normal time. We're now nearly 2 weeks past the time change and he still hasn't adjusted. However, I am happy to report, after a relapse in the sleeping department, Jason has slept past 6:30 the last 2 mornings. My internal clock is still saying it's 5:30, but I'll take it.

welcome spring

Saturday morning I was greeted by a 5 year old yelling "happy spring". It was in fact a beautiful day to celebrate the first day of spring. In fact I heard that it was warmer in NJ than it was in FL. A high of about 75!

First thing in the morning I got Jason out in the jogging stroller for a walk. Then it was out for some basketball with the boys.



After lunch we met up with Dottie and Carli and mom and John at the marlton playground for some fun in the sun. Wish i had thought to take some photos.

After the playground I allowed Tyler to convince me to go to Rita's for our free water ice. Jason wanted nothing to do with that LOOOOONG line, and truth be told, neither did I. Tyler has way more patience for lines than I do, so he stood in line with my purse around his neck (why do I not have a photo of that?) while I chased Jason around the place. Thankfully although the line was huge, they moved it quickly and efficiently and we had our choice of at least 15 flavors. Tyler of course chose RED (oh boy). Jason started off with green apple, and then made a move for my orange, which he ended up preferring. We all enjoyed our free water ices very much. Thanks Rita's!




I should mention that AFTER water ice we went home for dinner. That is totally not something I'd normally do, but every once in a while you just need water ice as an appetizer!

We took a leisurely stroll around the neighborhood while Tyler rode his bike. Came home and the boys were off to bed so I could head out to Walmart for some necessary items.

Sunday brought more gorgeous weather. That morning we went on over to TNT gymnastics for Tyler's friend Lilly's 5th birthday party. The kids had a blast with the trampoline, balance beam, and other activities. He loved absolutely every minute of it, and was a bit braver than I expected. Meanwhile Jason explored the waiting room of the facility with me, occasionally mooching pretzels before the kids all joined us for pizza, cake and presents. We had a great time, and we left without the typical huge sugar high thanks to Jen and her all natural juice boxes and healthy treats in the goody bags. Thanks Jen for that (and the pictures of hers that I'm posting...LOL).





After the party we were back outside to enjoy the sunshine. Jason's favorite activity is basketball...well, that and doing his attempt at buzzing (all the while with drool coming down his mouth) while staring at the carpenter bees.


On Sunday night we had tentative plans to go to Dottie's for a barbeque. Unfortunately Jason had taken a brief 10 minute nap on the way home from the gymnastics party and felt that it was sufficient as his only nap, so he was CRANKY. I was really worn down and just didn't have it in me to bring the boys there and deal with their meltdowns. Cara and Jim invited us over for an impromptu barbeque, and being that they live a whole 2 minutes away, we took them up on it. Jim did some steaks on the barbeque and we all enjoyed a nice meal out on the deck. What a nice end to a gorgeous weekend!

Happy St. Patty's Day

Monday found Jason and I at home, as he was running a fever and was quite miserable. I ended up cancelling his speech, cause I didn't want to subject the therapist to anything, not to mention that he was CRANKY.

On Tuesday Tyler was complaining about his cough so after school I brought him to the pediatrician. I was right that he was fine, but I'm glad I got the confirmation. His lungs were clear, so we just have to wait for it to pass. Jason seemed to be feeling better, and it turns out that he finally cut a bit of that last stinkin' molar.

Wednesday was Saint Patrick's day. Here is a photo of my mom and Jason's little routine of throwing stale bread and food out for the birds. He LOVES to come inside and watch the birds and squirrels come to retrieve the stuff.

We realized that St. Patrick's Day was sorta important to Tyler, so luckily the leprechaun made a last minute trip to deliver some goodies to the boys.





That night we also had some green pancakes, which happened to be absolutely nasty! Tyler was pleased through, so I suppose that is all that matters.

That night I had a Junior Women's meeting to attend at Cara's house, so that was a nice diversion. Adult conversation, yummy food and Easter egg stuffing for the upcoming town Easter egg hunt. Good times.

I woke up Thursday morning in pain and vomiting. I think it's all related to the same pain I keep getting just below my belly button. Not sure if it's something I eat or a virus that causes the pain and vomiting, or if it's something with my gall bladder/kidney/ovaries that is causing pain which then causes vomiting. I suppose I should go to the doctor finally. At least it was fairly short-lived and we were able to head to the playground after school for a bit.

That afternoon my mom had surgery on her foot/ankle for a tarsal release. All went well and she's home recovering.

Friday was even warmer out. We've certainly been enjoying this beautiful weather and taking full advantage of it!

more precipitation

First off, unrelated to my "precipitation" post, Jason said my name last Friday! I believe he attempted to call me and my mom by names(sounds more like "meh", but cute regardless).

As I was saying, last Friday brought more precipitation. This time some rain, not snow. Actually, quite a bit of rain.

I wasn't looking forward to the weekend inside, so after school I reluctantly brought the boys to International Sports. We had been to a party there and Tyler loved it, but it was VERY crowded. They have a weekday special for $5 admission to all of the climbing and inflatable areas. They didn't charge me for Jason, so we ended up staying there for three hours for $5!! Tyler had a blast, of course. Even Jason was entertained, wandering around. He shocked me by drinking about 4oz from his sippy cup, for the first time ever.




After our outing we tried to stop for dinner. We first went to Salad Works, where I learned that my 5 year old can't order a kids meal SALAD at SALAD WORKS. I find it ridiculous that he can order peanut butter and fluff, but not SALAD. From there it was to KFC, which was very dirty. I later found a piece of plastic in my chicken. For the record I wrote to both companies that night. Salad Works replied promptly AND legitimately seemed to address my concerns and gave me a gift card. 9 days later and KFC has yet to reven respond. That says a lot. Salad Works get my business again!

Friday night the rain continued with heavy wind as well. It continued into Saturday, when we lost power around noon. As you can see, lots of rain in the front yard.

By 2 or 3 we were really bored so we decided to brave the storm and head out to BJs and then to Chick-fil-A for dinner. We encountered lots of flooding. Luckily we went, because we came home to a dark house. Shortly before the boys bedtime we got a knock at the door from the police, informing us that a tree had fallen on my grandparents roof (they are in FL for the winter). Thankfully the boys went to bed without issue, and we of course all went to bed early versus sitting in the dark. The power FINALLY came back on around 3:30AM.

On Sunday I discovered that Jason had cut yet another tooth, bottom left next to the middle.

it was still raining. I went over to my grandparents to get some pictures (for their insurance company) of the tree damage. Here are some of the outside. I didn't bother posting the rest of the pictures, but they have some ceiling caved in, damage to rafters, and leaks.


Some more local damage.

a taste of spring

The day after the zoo only got warmer. After what seemed like months of snow, it was a welcomed change. It was a while ago, so I don't know the details, but I do know that last week was very nice, straight up until Friday. Highlights included many days at the playground after school, trip to the library (where Jason actually touched books before his normal routine of climbing furniture), playground, Friendly's with Beth and the girls, visit to Al's moms, many walks, bike riding time, and trips to the lake. I'm sure other things were involved, but I can't recall. I can say we enjoyed the weather!