Last week, Chris's Developmental Preschool had a Surfing Day. They sent a note home saying to provide an extra outfit so they could "surf in Shaving Cream". It was an exercise for their sensory exposure, and in general just a fun End-of-the-Year activity. I was intrigued, and very excited for Chris. His teacher was kind enough to send me pictures. Apparently, Chris was less than excited when it actually came to the surfing.   That was until the other kids were all done, then he realized it was Fun, but it was too late. Tuesday was Field Day. Normally we don't send Chris to Developmental Preschool on Tuesdays as he usually attends his church preschool that day. But it ended last week, and they sent home a permission slip to send the kids to another school for an entirely Developmental Preschool Program Field Day. Now, I didn't get pictures of that, but the busdriver told me they had a "Car Wash" where the kids ran through a line of waving rags, getting squirted by water bottles. When I asked Chris what he did at school that day, he did tell me Car Wash, but that was after the busdriver revealed the details to me, which he may have overheard. Whatever the details, it sounded like lots of fun. That and he took a 3 hour nap.
Chris finished up his first year at St. Andrew's Nursery school last week. In their last week, we took a "Field Trip" to a park in Speedway. Tons of fun was had by all.  Someone was a big fan of the swing!  Cousin Alexis gives a bunch of the kids a push.  Chris wanted to slide on the big slide just like the other kids, but since he has no weight, his first run, he went sliding off so fast, he didn't have time to stop and landed face first.  We did talk him into trying again later, and he used his shoes to slow himself down. The Class Photo. Can you find our Sweetboy?  Last Thursday, they performed a beautiful program, singing their "Greatest Hits" and showing us what a typical day was like, on their last day. First, Chris led the class into the sanctuary, where they sat in a row of chairs. He was waving his flag, ready to say the Pledge of Allegience.  The kids swing and sway to many songs.  Chris shows off his "Fuzzy little tail" in the Going on a Bear Hunt song.  Don't Peek! The kids are hiding their eyes so they don't see where Mrs. B is hiding the raindrop under a color of the rainbow.  Chris did so well during the majority of the performance. But there at the end he started to get a bit pouty. Perhaps he doesn't want the show or the school year to end.  Traditionally, if the weather would cooperate, we'd go out to the playground to play for a few minutes. No different on the last day. Here's Chris and some friends on the top of one of the slides.  Chris and his friend Bryn, waiting until the very end, not wanting to leave the playground.  Good thing we are planning to see his friends over the summer, Chris may go through withdrawal not seeing his friends for months!
I can't believe how fast time flies by with two boys now. Now it's time to get serious, as I sit down and realize how much goes on in a day that I haven't written about. For instance, I totally forgot to write and brag about Chris's weight 2 weeks ago. We went in for our monthly feeding team appointment, and he was up to 26 pounds and 6 ounces! That is a record for Chris, not only did he gain over a pound and a half in a month, but also went higher than ever. Woo hoo!!! Guess kicking up that Periactin helped. We're offering water as a pre-bedtime 'treat'. And his cocoa, gets put away when he stops drinking, so it's not in his face all the time. It seems to make him a bit thirstier for it. He'll even ask for it on occasion. He still drinks best when he wakes up from bed and naptimes. We pretty much got told to keep doing what we're doing. It was downright refreshing to have such a great visit! We've finally begun to put away all the 18 month clothes! OK, truth be told, we've kept out 2 pairs of jeans, that don't fall off his bottom (ballums), but they are the only ones that don't slide down and they aren't up to his shins, they must be big 18s. Of course, on the opposite side, then we went back a week later to visit his GI (who we saw in January) and he was back down to 24 lb. 8oz. Though Eric was quick to point out it was an entirely different scale. However, she wasn't exactly festive with him not gaining ANY weight according to their records. Whatever. I KNOW he was a "big tubs" just a week prior, so I think the big difference is in scales. He got a rectal exam, and he's tightening up again; Dr. M is going to consult with Chris's surgeon and we may have to resume dilations (where we insert a metal rod to stretch that area...Ouch!) We would rather not have to do that again, now that he's old enough to remember. If we have a choice. Chris has been eating his meals better and drinking more like 2-3 cans a day. She sent us home with sample of Fat Juice (not the real name), 30 calorie per ounce juice, but he doesn't like it. He'll ask for it, take 3 sips and be done. He has been chewing on his fingers a lot lately too, and when we saw the GI, his thumb was bright red with a underground pus pocket on the side, like a nice infected hangnail. Luckily, Dr. M said it looked like a staph infection and prescribed an antibiotic. Chris isn't a fan, he calls it his yucky medicine. We are constantly worrying about how much Chris eats or doesn't eat. But we have found that when he eats a meal with his friends, like last week with his friend Bryn, or last night with his friend Emily, he eats more. When his friends eat, he eats. He should do great this summer then!
My dear Sweetboy, It feels like lately everything in our world right now revolves around Sam. I don't know if you feel like I'm neglecting you or not, but I feel like I've missed a lot this spring, missing time with you. I feel like all I do is yell at you from my nursing seat on the couch. I'm looking forward to our fun quality time we're going to have this summer! This morning we had a few good long moments of cuddles before Sam woke up, and it felt so good. I've missed cuddling with you. This weekend was his Baptism, but along with the holiday weekend, we got to see lots of family and friends. It seemed we were often complimented on what a good baby Sam was. Or I would find myself gushing about what a good baby he is, that when he cries we know why. I felt a little guilty bragging on Sam, and not enough about you. You weren't a Bad Baby. So NOT! You were a great baby! Newborn babies are just tough, even an "easy" baby still will cry. Your smile lit (and still lights) up a room. You were in a good moods when you had no business being in a good mood. Your only problem unfortunately was that the chips were stacked against you. You were just high maintenance, that's all. I wouldn't trade your little high maintenance self for all the "healthy" babies in the world. You bring me such joy that words can't even describe. You had to put up with stuff that I could never have handled. I believe you would have been easier or surely just as easy as Sam if you hadn't had all those technical difficulties. And you did that, it was just hard because sometimes we didn't know why, or you'd cry because you were hurting, and we couldn't fix it. But you were so strong. Your strength gives me strength, I remember getting an MRI when you were young, and I was scared, but I thought, well, if Chris can do this, and he's too young to even understand they're trying to help, I sure can do it. My favorite compliment of all from this weekend was from an acquaintance who simply told me, "You have Beautiful Boys." Yes I do! Most importantly, I don't ever want you to think that I love you less than your brother. Impossible. I Love You SO MUCH! You will always be my baby, and you amaze me and make me proud of you Every Day. Love, Mommy
So, the last couple weeks have been insane, and I haven't gotten to write as much as I'd like. So, now a bit of catch-up. Mother's Day weekend was extra exciting around here for Christopher. He received his first big homework project. Hope Hope is a Care Bear that belongs to Christopher's Nursery School. She is pink with a rainbow on her tummy (aka Cheer Bear). The assignment was to take Hope home for the wekend, introduce her to our family, our lives, and include her in most everything. Then (and here's the HOMEWORK part) write her story in the journal that accompanies her, and include a picture Well, Chris LOVED the journal with his classmates' pictures and their stories, and asked to read the entries every night. Meanwhile, we took so many pictures that we could tell Hope's story here too. Hope got to take a walk with Samuel in Chris's wagon.  We went around the block. He pulled about 1/3 of the time. Some of the time Chris rode in the wagon with Hope which made for a good workout for Mommy.  Friday, Hope got to ride the bus and go to school with Chris. They enjoyed singing with Chris's friend on the bus, and playing with the toys at school. <  For Mother's Day, Hope came out to celebrate with us at the Sushi restaurant. Bears like Fish so Hope was intrigued, but we didn't let her sample any.  And Chris makes sure Hope is just as happy as Samuel, by putting her in his swing. 
Chris's class did a questionnaire, with the teachers asking questions and all the students providing answers. For Mother's Day, they made presents consisting of paper hugs, and all the questions and answers. We thought you'd enjoy Chris's answers. If you could change one thing about your Mommy, what would it be?C: Changing Diapers (Guess he doesn't like my technique)What does your Mommy do in her spare time?C: Mommy plays with toys. (Define toys...)Who's the boss in your house?C: Me (True since his birth, but now tied with Sam)Why did God make your Mommy?C: She gives me kisses. (A tough job but someone has to do it. ;))What job does your Mommy do best?C: Helps me try. (Yeah, that made Mommy cry)
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