They run through this house and my life like a tornado on a daily basis and to be honest there are many days I feel like I have been “leveled.” As overwhelmed as I can feel at times, I would not change this for the world. They bring me joy and comfort on a daily basis and fill my heart with so much love – especially now that they give kisses and hugs so freely. The kisses may be a little too wet and the hugs may end up with wiping snot off my clothes, but it is the thought that counts right?! This Christmas was wonderful. They kids loved every minute and all the activities leading up to Christmas. I did a lot of activities leading up to the day – we made candy canes and Santa's and Christmas trees. We baked and frosted cookies and made gingerbread houses. We made ornaments for the tree and ornaments to give to family. We learned about the Nativity and made angels. We visited family in Atlanta and saw the Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer play. We put out cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve and put them to bed in their Christmas pajamas – which were a bit too warm for the 60 degree weather! On Christmas morning they were so excited to see the tree and all the presents underneath. Landon was loving opening all the presents and kept saying “wow” and asking for more to open. It took over an hour for all of them to be opened as they had to take a few breaks to play. We spent the morning playing with the new toys and went to a friend’s house for the afternoon and evening. I loved being able to watch the wonder from their perspective and I hope that I am able to make each year special for them.
Unfortunately, Landon has already had issues with croup twice this winter. We ended up taking him to the Emergency Room in Atlanta while we were down there. He had a cough that quickly escalated into a fever and that tell-tale barking cough. He woke up struggling to catch his breath due to the stridor and we put him in the car pretty quickly as mommy was unwilling to waste time. I warned the Hubby that he was going to see me escalate if they did not see him quickly and I was relieved to find the staff to pull some strings and move us up on the list once they were able to hear his breathing. After two breathing treatments and a steroid injection we were sent home and he made improvement over the next few days. We were back at the ER this week when the Hubby called me at work and I heard that tell tale cough and breathing over the phone. He didn’t have the stridor or wheezing yet so we were able to catch this one early enough that the steroid helped tremendously. I met with the doctor and she agreed to give me an at home dose of the steroid (yay for possibly avoiding the ER!) and we are going to see a specialist. Landon has now officially had croup 5 times, pneumonia, and RSV in a short two years. There may not be anything we can do about it, but I would like some reassurance and possibly some answers as to why.
Landon loves to play with his train and asks to go to the children’s museum so we can play with the “big train” table. He plays with his cars and trucks and likes to watch the Cars movie. He would like to be able to ride his bike and play outside every day, but the weather hasn’t been cooperating as it has been getting colder and raining. He loves to snack and visits the snack cabinet several times a day – causing me to put a cover on the door handle so I can control the amount of food. Landon has the sweetest smile and he knows when to turn it on and off. He is becoming more independent, but still likes to be held and carried when given the opportunity. He tries to keep Riley out of trouble, but he is unsuccessful most of the time. He has become a bit of a brute at times and will push her down, but in his defense Riley is already working on her “flopping” skills and is a bit more dramatic about her fall. They both like to “help” around the house. As most parents of toddlers know though – the “helping” isn’t always helpful and is more often than not much more not helpful. Together they pretty much talk non-stop. I have had several people comment to me about how it must “never be quiet” in my home and they are 100% correct. Landon narrates my life for me – “Mommy get a drink”, “Mommy drive” , etc. He seems to have more of an imagination at this point and can be found with his toys talking to them and pretending they are talking to each other.
Riley is non-stop movement all day long. She never walks anywhere – only runs or hops. She climbs on anything and everything she can and has had a few injuries as a result. Most recently, she fell out of a chair and bit into her lower lip. She would also snack all day long – especially in the mornings. She would eat cheese and yogurt for every meal if I let her. She loves to play with her dolls and push them around in the stroller downstairs. She is starting to enjoy playing dress up and pretend. She likes to write, color, and draw and do the crafts I come up with for school. Both she and Landon point out numbers and letters and colors on my clothes and in other places – like our table number at lunch today. She enjoys taking toys from Landon and running away with them in an effort to start a chase. Landon will usually refuse the chase though and just stand and cry. I try not to intervene and see if they are able to work it out, but sometimes I just have to step in and put one or both of them in time out. Riley also has a sly smile that she uses when she is trying to get away with something, like when she is trying to sneak my drink and she inches her way towards it while smiling.
I love being able to be a part of their everyday lives…
o
