Alex is sick :(

Alex is sick again. He's had a few fevers and some vomiting over the weekend which put us at a med check on Sunday night. He is now on a z pac and steroids and doing much better! Just a pic with Alex and one of his "boy cousins" he loves so much (it's from a few weeks ago...not when he's sick) ...he LOVES to ride on the golf cart!

Ready? Set....Go!

Alex's first official word is "go!". He actually said it a few weeks ago but I have yet to blog about it. He has said other words but nothing consistently. His vocabulary that he understands is HUGE. He is now completing 3 step tasks..."go to the kitchen, get a pen and bring it back". He amazes me more and more everyday! He has started doing puzzles well and also learned how to turn on my very expensive washer and dryer....how long will they last???

Waves of grief.

I've always known that grief comes in waves. It comes in the wave of walking though the girls section of clothing and knowing there is no point in looking. It's coming in seeing a double stroller with a set twins. I feel it in the instant the oven buzzer goes off and just for a second I think it's Lauren's alarms before I reorient myself. Time is the greatest healer of all. I just need more time.

Lake House 2011

We go out to my brother's lake house every year. This was Alex's first trip. My 5 year-old nephew was quoted as saying this weekend "was the most fun he's ever had in his entire life. Better than Disney." There was swimming, boating, fishing etc etc etc. The kids even caught a turtle! All of Alex's cousins were there! He had such a good time with his cousin Abby who is only a few months older.

out takes.

I got the CD in the mail today with all "the rest" of the pics from our photo shoot done about 6 weeks ago now. There was picture after picture of both twins looking adorably and looking as awkward as an out take can get. The I came across this picture and cried. You see, my original idea was for me not to be in ANY of the pictures..this was a photo shoot for the twins. This photographer (who is AMAZING BTW) was just taking pictures on the fly. This particular picture was taken at random. She caught a moment that I frequently had with Lauren. I would sniff her head. Weird, I know. It was just me, soaking up Lauren.

This post is to show how stinking cute Alex is!

I just love him!

Alex gets older...quickly!

Alex got his fourth (or is it fifth?) haircut last weekend and seemed to age an entire year. He's losing his "baby look" fast. He's starting to eat more but the process is slow. For the past month while I work he's been at "his best friend's house". This is a little boy who is exactly Alex's adjusted age so they play together and he shows Alex how to eat. In fact, He even taught Alex the sign for "please". Apparently, these two boys speak the same language and Alex just learned he get get anything by using the sign for "please". They chase each other around the house and when his friend's parents are brave enough they take him to the zoo or the library. (I've been told having the both of them in public is like "herding cats".) They have baby chicks at their house and a piano! There is NOTHING Alex loves more than a piano! The parents are both teachers and just really great people so the more exposure to them, the better. Overall it's a great way for Alex to get exposure to other children (which he needs) without getting sick (which he doesn't need).

We meet with a nutritionist every 2 weeks for the past few months. Every time we do Alex's wight, length and head measurements. Last time he was tipping 24 pounds (this means he's gained a pound every month since his G-tube!). We've decided to cut back on his feeds and calories to make him hungrier and more likely to eat by mouth. We do 3 feeds a day, and now he's awake for all 3. We've added back an ounce to each feed as to not decrease his calories too much. He seems to be doing great with it and starting eating a bit more. His new thing is to eat and drink while in the car...this makes for a MILLION Kixs all over my car!