21 months

I feel like I've posted quite a bit lately, mostly because you've been sick and accident prone.

But, ever since you started feeling better from the stomach bug, I can't believe how much fun you've been. I thought that was worth documenting.

You've started putting 2 words together, and your language is becoming quite possessive. (You haven't learned this trait yet, although I'm sure it will follow shortly, right now you're still great with sharing and not minding when other kids take your stuff).

Everything is "Mom's pants, Dad's phone, Hyrum's house", etc. You ask to go to Laila's house, drink your Elmo juice (a sippy cup with Elmo on the side), and use Grandma's water (Grandma left her water bottle in our car).

Carb-loading and hyrdrating before your big race.

You still love climbing and really enjoy climbing on me. I'm sure you don't know why you're calling your mom's stomach a baby, but you do it often now. We keep asking you if you're having a baby sister or brother, but you're not letting on if you know already.




You can also count to 10, with some help. If we start you out with 1, you say every other number all the way up to 10. Sometimes we can get you to say a couple of numbers in row, but you prefer every other one. We have NO idea where you picked it up either, it wasn't something I've been working with you on. I guess all of the hours of watching Sesame Street while you were sick must have done some good.



We went to the zoo yesterday with Grandma Hardcastle and you couldn't have been more excited. You love seeing animals -either at the zoo or Wheeler Farm, which we go to a lot too.

On the merry-go-round with Grandma at the Zoo, and watching a goat at Wheeler Farm.

It's been just me and you this week (dad has been gone to a training for the 2nd week this month), but it's gone a lot smoother than the last time he was gone. I'm sure it's because you're happy and healthy and you're back to taking naps -all things that your mom appreciates. I actually get a break at the end of next week, and dad get's you all to himself for a day a half while I have a girls weekend. I hope you're just as happy with dad that you've been with me.

We have to get your staples out of your head today, which I'm not looking forward to, but I'll be glad to have them gone. Plus, we'll finally be able to go swimming again next week.

First Race

Today you ran in your first race, and you LOVED it!

Dad did a 5K for Davis County (along with most of our family, Jess was in charge of it), and you enjoyed clapping for the runners.

About an hour after the 5K started they had a kids race. You were by far the youngest kid running. You lined up with dad, and were off!

Luckily, you didn't trip or get trampled like a few of the kids near the starting point. You ran with dad and then me and got really excited for your medal at the end.

Dad's already looking forward to your next race in April of next year.

New Hardware

Well... we almost made it the whole summer without stitches, and only a near miss over Memorial Day. Despite all of our camping trips.

Who knew 2 hours at girls camp would break our streak.

You did great during dinner, and after you ate, probably 10 minutes before we were going to leave the campground you fell from the table. -We were sitting on a bench, and you actually hit your back first and then your head fell backwards, so no real head (or brain) trauma.

I think you just knocked into a sharp rock on the ground, which cut your head. Lucky for us, one of the ward leaders up there works in a family clinic, she cleaned it up a bit, and took a look. You needed stitches. Lucky for you, she had some lidocaine cream, so the hour long trip to the insta-care was nearly pain free.

They were great at the insta-care, and we were out of the there an hour after we got there. With 4 staples in the back of your head.

A slow recovery

You're still not quite yourself yet, little man. I haven't had to tell you stop climbing or to get out of stuff all week -it's kind of sad. You're a bit more active than the average toddler, but I guess I prefer that to you looking like a ghost, moving from the couch, to a pillow, to simply laying on the floor.

We went back to see your doctor on Thursday, because you started throwing up again on Wednesday. Just in the evening, and only a couple of times, but it still made us nervous. You had lost about a pound from the ER visit, and threw up Wednesday and Thursday evening, but since then you've kept everything down.

The diarrhea hasn't stopped (or even slowed down at this point). We've had a few problems (thank goodness for hardwood floors and carpet cleaners), but you seem to slowly be getting some energy back, which is good. I feel bad that you'll miss you last (and second to last, since you were in the hospital) swimming lesson, but we don't want to share any of this in the pool.

I can feel and see your ribs in the front and the back, and hope that when your appetite comes back, it comes back with a vengeance. You have a lot of make up for. You want to eat (you ask to eat all of the time) but when you're sitting in your high chair nothing we offer (which is pretty much anything we have in the house) seems to be what you're looking for.

Pretty much for the first time in your life, we've developed some bad sleeping habits. I'm not sure if it was sleeping with mom and dad in the hospital bed, wanting to be around one of us at all times, falling asleep in our bed during your morning bottle, or the fact that when it's bed time you're really not that tired since you've been sleeping all day, but we have some bad habits to break once you're feeling better. It's most likely a combination of all of those issues this week. You prefer to fall asleep downstairs in front of the TV (don't even get me started on the amount of TV you've watched this week), and if you wake up in your bed, you SCREAM to get out. As in, angry, mad, terrifying screaming. Which is probably why you've grown accustomed to falling asleep in front of the TV. Dad's going out of town this week, so lucky me, I get to try and get you back to a regular sleeping schedule and habits.

I hope we don't have to do any of this again anytime soon (or ever), but for now, I'll take my super cuddly and mellow kid. I'm sure it won't last for long!

All done

You've had quite a weekend. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

BEST of times:

Camping. You really love being outside, so camping is right up your alley. We went with the Robison's (Braxton) the first night, packed up and then drove 5 miles down the canyon to the ward campsite, which is where we spent the 2nd night. You loved playing with Braxton, even though he's not always interested in playing with you (I'm sure he'll come around when you're a bit older). The weather was better then we expected and it wasn't too cold either night.

Saturday we went to Big Matt and Jenny's wedding. It was another outdoor event, which you fully took advantage of. Lucky for us I have a couple of younger cousins (Jacey, Nacole and Paige) who had the energy to chase you around all night. Which is exactly what you did. All night long! By the time I got you in the car seat to go to Grandma and Grandpa Hardcastles, you were beyond tired!

WORST of times:

We went to half of church because you were acting tired (more than usual) and started to feel warm. You fell asleep around 11 and didn't wake up until almost 3! Which NEVER happens, I knew you'd be sick for sure when you finally woke up. You had a pretty high fever, but it broke 30 minutes after some medicine. You were actually great, super happy and content, all afternoon until about 10 minutes before we were going to get you in the car to go home.

We were SO lucky to not be on the freeway when it started, because once it started, it wouldn't stop on its own. The only thing in your poor stomach (which ended up ALL over me and the floor more than once) was cottage cheese. You threw up every 15-20 minutes for almost 2 hours, until it was just bile. We finally called the on call doctor because you were almost unresponsive at times you were so weak and sick.

The on call doctor told us to go to Primary Children's. I was surprised, but right after we got off the phone with him you threw up again, so we were on our way. It took almost an hour to get there, but I'm glad we took the extra time to go there instead of a regular hospital. It took the nurse and even the IV team 4 attempts to get your IV in, which was not easy for you or your dad and me. I just felt so bad that we kept having to poke your hands over and over. You begged us for juice. The first time we tried, you threw it up, which probably felt better than throwing up nothing, which you were still doing every 15 or 20 minutes. After they pushed one IV bag and gave your some anti-nausea medicine they moved us to another unit to stay overnight.

We tried juice again, and you had stopped throwing up by then, so you kept it down. You were pretty miserable, but slept on and off. Same with me and Dad. We thought we'd be getting out around 10 am, but it was pretty apparent once we met the doctor in the morning we'd be there all day.

Through-out everything, the IV's, checking his temperature, having to stay in bed all day, all you'd say was "All done, all done, all done". We were so happy when it was finally ALL DONE. I was worried when we finally left that you wouldn't drink enough or eat anything once we were home, but I think you were almost as glad to get out of there as I was. (I was in the same room with you from 2 am until 5 pm. No breaks. I needed real air in the worst way). You were pretty happy tonight, and I think after a low-key day tomorrow, you'll be back to normal, wearing me out as usual.