Point Defiance Zoo

Last week we hit up the Point Defiance Zoo with Nana, Bawdy and Alexis and the boys.  It's fun to have Holden and Landon closer so the kids can play together.  It was a cold but beautiful day and everyone had a great time!

 The walrus' were huge and fascinating!

 Even little Leo was intrigued

Leo and the Mearcats

Spaghetti

Leo continues to have a good appetite and is interested in trying new things.  Last week he had spaghetti for the first time.. it's just a guess, but I think he liked it.

The Dirty Intervention

I suppose I'll never know for sure, is it just who she is, was it that it was once forbidden, or is it just a girl thing?  No matter what the cause, Georgia doesn't like to be dirty.  At around two and a half I tired to get Georgia to finger paint, she just held up her hands with a panicked look and asked me to wash it off.. all of it.  For a long time Georgia was told she couldn't play in dirt, literally, do not dig in dirt.  We had to get rid of all of our house plants because even the bacteria and mold in the soil could make her sick.
I noticed that as the rules loosened, my daughter didn't and I was a little concerned.  Brian and I would both tell her when she was upset about spilling something on her clothes, "it's OK, it's no big deal, we'll wash it."  I talked to her teacher about it a while ago, telling her how we tried to reassure her, but she made a very good point, to Georgia, it is a big deal and it's not OK.
While we were getting things together for Leo's party Georgia asked to help me make the cupcakes, she put on her little apron and we got started.  By the end she was messy, but was having fun, and then she said it, I heard, "mom" and saw a little grin, "I kind of like getting messy."  I smiled and agreed that it can be pretty fun.  I was so happy, thinking that she must be loosening up a bit.
After Leo's birthday party I went inside to put him down for a nap while Blake and Georgia played.  Brian and Leslie were still outside chatting and when I returned all I could do was laugh.  Here Georgia was with her only older cousin, they had the hose on making mud puddles and seeing who could make the biggest splash.  They couldn't have been more proud or having more fun.  Georgia was thrilled and loved every minute of it... finally.
So, I owe a big thank you to Blake, as my sister said, "who better to get dirty with, a kid who has never cared if he was messy or not!"  Thanks Blaker, your dirty intervention worked, we've now even discovered bugs and worms... who knows what's next!

One

Sweet Leo, how can it be, my baby is one!  I will likely remind you every year what happened the day you were born.  I went to pick up take out about a half hour before my first contraction.  Daddy and I had a bad cold but I was starting to feel better and wanted to get out of the house.  After arriving home we were getting everyone dished up and I felt it, my first real contraction.  I looked at the clock, 6:20pm, just minutes later there was another one so I call the doctor.  On the phone, I told the doctor that at my last check up I was 4cm dilated, she asked if I wanted to deliver naturally... I literally laughed out loud, saying, oh no, I definitely want an epidural.  After a whirlwind of activity, Georgia was sent to the neighbors house to wait for Nah (Aunt Leslie) to pick her up and we were on our way to the hospital.  We arrived and things continued to move fast, I was promised an epidural while in triage and minutes later when we were in our room my water broke and four pushes later your were born.. no epidural, 28 minutes after we'd checked in, and only one hour and 45 minutes after my first contraction.
Over the last year you have smiled a lot, you're a happy boy.  You love your sister, the water, the outdoors, playing games and being social.  I can honestly say that I was present for most of your first year because you have not been a great sleeper.  Last night you did an eight hour stretch, I hope this is a sign of things to come.
You have taken up to four steps in a row and are gaining speed with walking toys, I can tell you're more interested in this new skill and perspective on the world.
You have been the most perfect addition to our family, you moved our focus to such a wonderful place and made us complete.  Although the baby years are challenging I still melt when you crawl over to me and lift up your arms to be picked up, this will not be forever and I will miss it when it's gone.
I still smile and have a little laugh, a boy, I have a sweet baby boy.  As a parent, the single most surprising thing has been how little I have to do with who my children are.  Sure, I will influence the way you are brought up, where you live but that's just logistics, who you are is already so concrete, from the minute you arrived in this world you were you and I still find that fascinating.  I love you and and am so, so happy that you're mine, my sweet Leo James, happy birthday.

 

 Prince Leo

 The best we could for a cousin shot at the party

 Getting into the cake

Leo wasn't the only one getting messy 

Birthday Success!

New Territory

Up until recently I was able to do side by side comparisons of Georgia and Leo, it was fun to compare stats and milestones.  Once Leo hit 11 months those comparisons stopped, on one hand I was so sad, realizing how small Georgia was when her cancer battle began but at the same time I've been enjoying this new time in our lives.  We have loved seeing Leo explore new things and do so many firsts - waving, standing, and taking his first step!  We didn't have this time with Georgia so although Leo is a second child, it's all new to us.  Our happy, rambunctious boy is ready to take on the world and literally beams when he can do something new.

Back on Track

Georgia had her thyroid retested recently, this time the testing was a bit more thorough and I'm happy to report everything was completely normal!  We are back on track and our next stop will be with the Access or Survivorship Clinic in a few months.  The new clinic is at the same location but with a new doctor who will be looking for transplant related issues, Georgia is still too young for several of the tests but she will likely have an echo cardiogram to ensure that her heart is in healthy working order.  Until then we are breathing a sigh of relief that we are not adding the endocrinology clinic to our list!
Georgia has been keeping her new immune system busy this fall/winter, she's had a cold of some sort about every two weeks since September.  She's been a trooper as always and even wanted to try some alternative methods to move her cold out several weeks ago.  Georgia had come with me to an acupuncture appointment and wanted to try, the first time was successful with only two needles.  This time she said, "I want to go see Karen, she'll make my snot go away!"  She ended up with nine needles and did fantastic... and felt much better the next day!  I love acupuncture and am so happy it has brought some relief to Georgia.