More doctor visits...

Well, we went to the doctor yesterday for two follow-up appointments... Mostly good news!

Graden: Doc says Grado is growing like a weed! Still a little short, but we can live with that. Of course, he's built like a brickhouse already, so she's curious to see how that changes (and if it doesn't, just how good of an offensive lineman he can be!). Landen too was always on the big side, but his body changed so much about this time (before his 2nd birthday)... even his looks changed. Doc listened to his chest and it was clear! This was GREAT news because we were allowed to go this morning to get his tubes in at the hospital. (Yes, we're already back home!) It went well... ENT Doc says that Graden's ears were more infected than he even thought so a lot of fluid drained out. (This is a good thing.) He also said that he was surprised Graden could hear at all! Poor kid! So, all in all, we're over a big hurdle... Graden will be sensitive to sounds for 5 days or so and we should notice a BIG change in his vocabulary - he should begin learning/hearing all sorts of new tones/sounds... This is VERY exciting for Mommy. We've been working like crazy with a speech therapist and on our own. Graden is picking up new words, but still needs help with certain vowels and such. I can't wait to see how this all changes and watch his progress. He's playing right now as I type - jabbering tons already. Thank goodness! Our regular Doc says that he's "tough"... his coordination and motor skills are excelled (I think he has to make up for the language barrier) and that his personality is just wonderful. (Mommy already knew that!) :) Graden has been watching Landen "potty" and is showing a big interest! I asked Doc what she thought and she said go for it... So, we'll be doing a little potty training early. Graden tells me if he went in his diaper and wants a new one... plus, he's been taking off his pants and sitting on the little potty... Wish me luck!

Landen: Well, we're on a bit of a roller coaster with Landen. For the past month he's been taking Singular every night before bed. Originally, I noticed an improvement for his breathing. He could definitely play longer without getting winded as easily as before. This was great! However, now that the "counts" (pollen and such) are up, we've been having trouble controlling his "allergy" symptoms - which in turn affect his breathing (asthma symptoms). He's been downright miserable by the end of the night. So, instead of just going straight to an allergy/asthma doctor - who will perfom "allergy tests" (which will be painful for Landen) we're going to try some "seasonal" allergy meds. This just means we'll be increasing our daily steps. We'll be doing nasal spray, eye drops, an allergy specific medicine and keep the Singular. The issues lie in that if his allergies flare up, his breathing does too... and we have to keep the breathing under control. So, we've got it mapped out. We do a large combo to start, then will stop one and then eventually another and keep on the allergy specific med or just Singular (which can be used for allergies - not just asthma). Then, once it's been in his system, hopefully we can just maintain his symptoms. The goal is to see if it is in fact "seasonal" - with hopes of it being that - so that we don't have to go to a specialist just yet... hopefully we can maintain it on our own. (And, hopefully he can grow out of these allergies.) We'll still do breathing treatments as needed... but we're on the path for gaining an inhaler (when he comes of age). The poor kid! It's definitely affecting his lifestyle, which as a mother is hard to watch. He's so good about taking breaks. I taught him to feel his chest and heartbeat. He knows if it's hard and/or fast, that it's time for a few minutes of rest... He tells me about how he checks his "heartBEEP" all the time. :)

Landen will be four in September! I can't believe how fast it's gone. Depsite that we've had ups and downs regarding his health, he's been a great kid. Graden followed in his footsteps and even as we approach the "terrible twos" ... NOTHING has been "terrible" about it! How did I ever get so lucky? :) Landen wants to be "independent" and Graden is trying stunts that his big brother does, but overall... they're great kids! :) Ah, I love these boys.

So, all in all, I feel like we're moving in the right direction. Every night before I drift off to sleep, I say a little prayer for my doctor! We are so happy with her (and the ENT)! It's such a wonderful feeling to know that both the boys are in great hands! Both boys are happy as usual... and every day I'm home with them, they teach me something new. Being a mom is fantastic! :)

Love to you all... Enjoy the beautiful weather and long weekend!