Ian's Playground Party

Our friend Amy Griffin takes really, really nice photos of our kiddos. Today Ian finally got to celebrate his birthday with his friends from playgroup. We had a good time, despite the humidity & threatening thunderstorms.

2009 March For Babies!

Team Vandervorts raised $245!

Since Roger was in Germany, Grandma Marilyn volunteered to walk with me. Grandpa Bob was there too, cheering us on.

It was a fun time. The weather was humid & overcast, but it didn't rain...and we didn't have to worry about sunscreen.

Healthy as a Horse!

Ian had his 2 year well visit today and with the exception of rampant eczema on his legs and a few spots on his belly, he's a "perfect boy!"

He is:
26.5 pounds (45th percentile)
35 inches tall (50th percentile)
49.5 cm head circumference (75th) <--Doc said, "has a lot of brains in there!"

Fully vaccinated except needs to get his last Hep A shot, but they were out today so he'll get it when Aaron goes back in 3 months.

His ear tubes look "beautiful" and his mental/emotional/social development is on-target. (Physical development is way ahead of the "norm.") The doc was impressed with Ian's rendition of the Blue's Clues songs (words & motions/dancing) and laughed out loud when Ian said, "bye, love you, see you later!"

He does not have another well visit until he is THREE!

Had new Tubes Put in Today

We were really worried about Ian's 1:30pm arrival time today for his ear surgery. He wasn't allowed any solids after 12am and only clear fluids until 11:30am. (Then nothing.) For those of you who really know Ian, you know he LOVES to eat. He eats pretty much all day long every day. And I don't think he's ever missed his morning and naptime cup of milk. Plus 1:30 is prime nap time so we were just very fearful that today was going to be a disaster.

In true Ian form, he put on his game face and was an angel.

He did fine. No MAJOR meltdowns. We left here around 10 and drove over to near the surgery center & went to the mall (Ross Park). They have a nice play area & he played for like 45 min before starting to notice all the other kids'sippys & stuff. We promptly loaded him up and took him to build a bear, where he ran around & looked at everything, but asked to go without making one! (I was fully prepared to let him.)

We got to the center about a half hour early and then Ian had to WAIT forever in their holding pen (aka play area). He was pretty good despite being SO hungry & thirsty, and missing his nap.

He went back at 3:05 and they came to take me to him in recovery at 3:25. He was up and started crying because he was so happy I was coming to get him. He hoovered 8 oz of gatorade in recovery, they discharged us, and he cried again when he saw daddy.

We ate at Olive Garden (Ian ate a LOT of his side of spaghetti) and drank his milk...now we're home....no worse for the wear. Tired & glad it is over...

Funny Ian-ism: He insisted (by screaming and yelling) that we remove his shirt so he could eat his spaghetti. We almost always take his shirt off for spaghetti at home so he doesn't get it all messed up... I never dreamed he would start insisting we do that at restaurants! What a funny boy!

now to start preparing our hearts and minds for Aaron's much more invasive & difficult surgery in 3 weeks.

Happy Birthday! Ian is TWO!

It has been a heck of a week... 2 times to the doctor's office, 1 time to the ER, 2 kids with Ear infections, one (Aaron) now on a nebulizer and lung steroids, everybody with colds, one kid with a stomach bug, etc....

But it won't keep us from celebrating the birth of our first son!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY IAN!

The first of many pictures: Cake for breakfast!

Happy Easter? Not really looking to be that way around here.

Well, yes, in the respect that Christ died & rose for us. There is a reason to celebrate. And it IS our 6th wedding Anniversary tomorrow, too.

BUT...

Here I am again reporting the kids are sick & we would ask for some prayer.

Ian & Aaron are really sick. Ian started on Monday with what appeared to be a cold. It turned into a REALLY BAD cold on Wednesday. Now Aaron has it. Ian started puking & pooping yesterday. Aaron is wheezing & having a hard time breathing, which in turn means he's having a hard time nursing, sleeping, etc.

Today I finally got freaked out enough to call the pediatrician and they asked us to bring him right in to be listened to. (Thank the LORD for Saturday hours so we didn't have to risk measles exposure to go to the ER)

Aaron did a nebulizer albuterol treatment in the office & now we have one at home. He also has an ear infection & got antibiotics for that. (Great...Ian was 6 months when he started with his EIs)

Ian has an EI starting too... UGH!

This S#!& is Banana. B-A-N-A-N-A-S. (to quote Gwen Stefani.)

PLEASE, LORD, deliver us from this Cold & flu season and make our boys healthy. I know we are so blessed to HAVE sons to get sick, but I am SO tired of this. (Tired in general...)

Happy Easter, everyone. Enjoy it for us.

Terrible "almost" Two?

What do you think?

Have you looked at our Side Bar?

On May 9th, the Vandervorts are walking as a family for a very important cause. We'd love it if you could do one (or both) of the following:

1. Walk with Us!
2. Sponsor Us!

Just click on the picture of Ian & Aaron to find out more! I designed a t-shirt, too, if you are going to walk & want to get a shirt, just let me know!

Thanks So Much!

Words!

I decided I should probably record Ian’s words as we take the last few steps toward the close of his 2nd year. I am going to revisit this list for a few days as I remember & hear more of them.

He has been saying for a long time:
• Mommy
• Daddy
• Papa
• Bye
• “see you later”
• “love you”
• “I did it”
• “Oh! A Clue!”
• Shoe
• Sock
• Night night
• Toot toot
• Cheese
• Ball
• Apple
• banana
• “Give Me”

New Additions:
• Sky
• Cloud
• Bird
• Isaac
• Asher
• Anthony
• Please
• Thank You
• Hot
• Cold
• Water
• Car
• Cat
• Meow
• Hot dog
• Moo
• Milk

Edited to add:
Grandma
Rain
Yes
No
Spoon
Bread
Go

Added 4/8/09
Have Lunch
Pants
Cup
Play
Hand
Toe
Nose
Eat
Fish
Nemo
Snow
Help
Bath
Poop
Pee

While I'm at it...

I might as well tick off the anti-vaccination crowd, too...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jacob-dickerman/vaccine-denial-scientific_b_180026.html

Well said, my friend, too bad the folks who should be reading this are mostly likely not.

Ok, I have to get this off my chest

***WARNING****
What I'm about to say might be taken as very offensive to formula feeding. It isn't, really, but it could be read that way. If you're going to hate me forever for saying it, please don't read on.


I know that I don't have a completely homogeneous group of baby-feeders who read this blog. You have to trust me that I really do support my friends' decisions on how to feed their children. It is a personal choice and I'm down with that.

Seriously, though, this Atlantic article, "The Case Against Breastfeeding"
is really getting to me!

I get that there may not be many immediately recognizable health benefits, but how many studies have followed people birth to death? How can giving your kid hydrogenated oils and cow's milk products possibly be the same as giving your child the fluid the Lord put in your breasts to nourish his creation? How can ANYONE claim that?

I'm very glad that there is an option if, in fact, you can't breastfeed. If your lifestyle or health prevents you from doing so, I'm glad there is another way. But please, OH PLEASE, do not try to tell me that formula is the same as breastmilk. My sacrifice for the last 2 years is my time, my mobility, my modesty... it is all gone because I chose to give my child the VERY BEST nourishment. Do you think that if formula was the same as breastmilk there would be ANYBODY still breastfeeding? How offensive to a breastfeeding mother's sacrifice to tell us it was all for naught! And that's just on the health benefits aspect. Then there's the bonding, the nurturing, the comforting...I bet you can't find one breastfeeding mother who doesn't absolutely adore that she is the utmost in her baby's life. Nobody comforts like mama. NOTHING is as calming, healing, and beautiful as mommy's breasts. Just ask Aaron--he's snuggled up right now, rosy-cheeked, falling asleep for the night. I've never seen a child sleep more peacefully than snuzzled up to his mother's bare breast. If you have, I'd really be surprised. I love that for my babies, mommy is tops. It's my right to be number one. And I'm glad I have given each boy the opportunity to receive "liquid gold" from a soft, warm breast instead of a cold, rubber bottle.

I'm so sick of this article. I hope it dies down soon. It crushes me. It makes me so sad. And the fact that so many people have latched on to this article and are waving it like a flag of glory is... annoying.

Oh--one more thing: If you need help breastfeeding, please, just ask. I'd travel great distances to help you. It means THATmuch to me.

Sorry, No Pets.

We have nothing against cats. They're cute. Sometimes even fun to play with. BUT...



Well, as if my allergies were not a good enough reason, we are now 99.9% certain Ian is also allergic to cats. (The jury's still out on dogs...) Ian has now had a reaction to exposure to cats on 3 separate occasions. Mostly he just gets sneezy, stuffy, and then develops a cough. He has, however, also developed a contact rash on his bare arms as well. It also seems like, just like me, he doesn't actually have to come into contact with the animal... just being in a place where animals live and/or up against a piece of clothing or blanket that has been in the vicinity sets him off.

It is unfortunate. And now we have to be even more careful with the places Ian goes, etc. We will hopefully see an allergist soon to see if we can treat him or at least minimize the effects.

New Header

ok...who wants to tell me how(or just do it for me??) to center the image? blah!

Just wondering

How can people really think that 2 dust balls smashed together and made this:




or this:

I love wordles

I love wordles. this is what I've been blogging about on here. I think it's pretty accurate.

Hello

No, I haven't forgotten about this blog. We've just had SO much going on... First grandma's surgery, then Ian got sick, then Aaron got sick (http://the4thvandervort.wordpress.com), then Ian got an ear infection and mommy got sick. It's just been bananas around here.

We're pining for spring. We're desperate. We just NEED a change.

Anyway, Ian will soon be "turning" 22 months old. That's pretty darn close to 2 years. Ay yay yay!

I took this on Tuesday, when it was 65 degrees in Pittsburgh!

The Picture Game

I was tagged in the picture game. The object of the picture tag is to:

1) Choose the 4th folder where you store your pictures on your computer.

2) Select the 4th picture in the folder.

3) Explain the picture.

4) Tag 4 people to do the same.



Ok, I have to admit that I cheated a little bit. Only because the 4th picture in the 4th folder was the picture of Ian in the dryer. You've already seen it. So I picked the 4th picture in the 5th folder. This is a picture of Ian in his car seat on the way up for my parent's anniversary party in July. Not a whole lot to explain...

I hate tagging people in stuff like this, so I will say, if you want to do it yourself, go ahead, but if not, it doesn't hurt my feelings!

Happy 29th Birthday, Daddy!

We love you!

A Litte Discombobulated

Ian has had a busy week. (...er... 2-3 weeks) Mommy & Daddy have decided it's time to move closer to daddy's work so that we can see him more! (reduce the commuting time by an hour & 20 min every day.)

We've been preparing the house to go on the market, which means some changes for Ian.

Many of you may remember his bedroom, the "Americana" theme that we selected just for him and lovingly prepared before his birth. Well, it is being destroyed as I type. Our realtor recommended (as we were expecting) we "neutralize" it by painting it a plain color.

Yes, we knew this day would come, but we're still sad that we had to do it.

No worries, though, I saved some of the border to frame and hang as a decoration/memory.

Ian has felt the pressure a bit, I think, and has been having some difficult nights, but we're trying to keep things as "normal" as possible for him. We're anxious to get this house sold and move to a new place so that we can get back to "normal" and start making our nest somewhere else. Please pray for a quick and easy process.

Ian is also preparing to hold vigil at home on Tuesday, January 13, while Grandma Joanne goes in to UPMC Presbyterian for a double valve replacement & double bypass surgery. Brother Aaron will have to keep mommy and grandpa company at the hospital, but Ian gets to stay home and spend the whole day with daddy! We'd appreciate prayers for grandma as well.

Until next time, enjoy this beautiful, blessed winter we're having!


Bye Bye Room




hello:

Christmas

Ian enjoyed the holiday. He liked the gatherings, food, presents, etc. We most enjoyed watching him enjoy it, and enjoying our most special presents this year, Aaron & our new nephew Asher, born on Dec. 22nd.

Here are a few of my favorites from the week: