Thursday, January 24, 2013

Happy 2nd Birthday.... and Edward's 1st Real Snow Day!

Edward's 2nd Year Report Card 

Weight: 21 lbs 13 ounces 
Height: 31 and 1/8 inches
Clothes Size: 18-24 months!
Diaper Size: 4
Teeth: 12 and more coming in! And he loves brushing his teeth with his Elmo toothbrush!
Daily Medicines: Bactrim Mondays and Tuesdays post chemo until March 1st....
Formula: GONE!
Bottles: No more!  Whole milk in a sippy cup!
Foods: for breakfast he will eat oatmeal, Frosted Mini-Wheats, ( I know, weird, right?) Cheerios, granola bars, eggs with cheese, bacon, yogurt, strawberries, blueberries, bananas..... for lunch he likes turkey and cheese slices, goldfish crackers, pickles, cucumbers, avocado, apples, mac-n- cheese, grilled cheese, peanut butter and jelly, and for dinner he usually just eats whatever we are having for dinner, whether it is spaghetti and meatballs or burritos!  AND he always, always, always has ice-cream before bed time.  
Farts: still pretty darn stinky :)
Words: ummmmmm too many for his own good!  Eddie was recently discharged from speech therapy because he is talking too much to need any services!  He knows all animals and their sounds, foods, drinks (including the words wine and beer.... so proud, so proud.... haha) he knows all of the Sesame Street characters and songs, and is talking in 2 and 3 word combos that sometimes produce little sentences!  The best words, I have to admit, are "Love you, Mommy."
Laughter: he is sooooooo ticklish and once we get him going, he often ends up with the hiccups!
Naps: 1 nap usually from 1:30- 3:30 p.m.  
Night Sleep: sleeps through the night... most nights
Car Seat: so much better than last year, and since we now have a portable DVD player he is proving to be a good road tripper, thank goodness! He watches Caillou, Sesame Street, etc.
Accomplishments: where do I begin? This past year has been so full of doctors appointments that Edward has proven himself to be one tough little cookie.  He has been under anesthesia for eye surgeries 9 times.  He has been under anesthesia for MRI's 2 times.  He had 6 rounds of chemotherapy and 6 laser eye treatments. He went though weekly and sometimes biweekly blood count checks, weight checks, nausea and pain medications, etc.  Ahhh, when I think about it, I can not believe all that he has been through as a toddler.... And his major accomplishment is that he is one smart, happy, and nice little boy.

Do I wish he weighed a little bit more at his 2 year check-up yesterday? YEAH.  But what can I expect?  He went from eating like a preemie, to eating throughout eight months of chemotherapy, and now he is eating like a typical and picky 2 year old toddler!  So he did not make it on the growth chart for height or weight, but his big preemie head made it on the growth chart!  He is in the 75th percentile for head circumference! Haha!  He is just really SMART, that's all!  And his body will catch up, I am certain :)

We had another fantastic birthday party in Augusta, Georgia for Eddie last weekend.  He loved playing with all of his Johnson cousins!  We received so many more gifts and toys that our living room looks, well.....like an aisle in a toy store :)  He enjoyed more cake, more ice-cream, and more attention! We had a quick 48 hour trip, but it was awesome!  Thanks to everyone who came!





And today we awoke to some unexpected snow!  Unexpected as in Mommy did not watch the news, check the forecast, or connect with society to find out we were going to have a snow day!  Schools were closed and all of the neighborhood kids were out playing this morning.  It took me 45 minutes to adorn Eddie with 3 layers of warm clothes, but to my relief, he loved playing in the snow.  We walked Winston around the block and went sledding down a few hills in the neighborhood.  We only lasted about 45 minutes because of the crazy blowing snow and wind, but he did great!  His cheeks were bright red and he had a runny nose, but all of that was fixed by his first cup of hot chocolate, which he repeatedly told me was "coffee."














I am convinced, and this is probably how all Moms feel, but I have the cutest.kid.ever.

Sunday, January 13, 2013

We BLINKED.... and Edward is turning TWO!

First off, Edward had another EUA(exam under anesthesia) at Will's Eye on Wednesday and we received fantastic news.  Both tumors were stable, nothing changed, meaning nothing grew or produced any seeds.  The tumor in his right eye is still off to the side, allowing him to have full central vision.  The tumor on the left side is half scar tissue already.  The tumor is blocking a good portion of his macula, making his central vision somewhat compromised.  We are going to keep patching and keep trying wear our glasses (Remember, he has glasses.... if only he would keep them ON!)  Dr. Shields was pleased that there were no signs of any fluid or recurrence, and so they did not need to perform any laser treatment.  Thank goodness! AND, Dr. Shields said that we could come back in four months!  I nearly fell out of my chair when she uttered those words, because I couldn't believe it! Four MONTHS!  It actually makes me a little nervous!  Four whole months without an eye exam?  Edward will have his six month MRI is March, but still!  I am used to seeing doctors weekly, for many months of the last two years.  If it is time, then I guess it is time, because this child is turning two, and he is on the move.  A home wrecker, always on the go, a polly parrot, my little shadow, a go go go until you drop, kind of kid!  He doesn't miss a thing, and he loves being around people, being the center of attention, and being silly.  Did I mention he is SMART too?  Okay, I know I am biased, and I am bragging, but the past two years have been the most difficult, ridiculous, crazy two years of our lives, and now that we have been given a little bit of breathing room, we are going to ENJOY every minute!

We had a little family birthday party for Eddie at my parents house yesterday to celebrate the good news....Sesame Street Style!  And thanks to Pinterest I found decoration and cake ideas! Next weekend we are going to Augusta, GA to see Michael's parents and it WILL be his actual birthday (the 19th) and I know there will be more clapping, singing, and cake and ice cream.  Thank you so much for all of your support and encouragement, prayers and positive thoughts, emails and cards, phone calls and text messages, facebook posts and comments.  We are blessed with AMAZING support from each of you.

 Cake turned out beautifully!  Lots of blue dye and lots of patience!
 A party is Philly isn't complete without pretzels spelling your child's name! Haha!
 Swinging in Pop-Pop's arms!
 Sitting with Pop-Pop with his Cookie Monster shirt on!
 Edward with his best friend, Daisy girl :)
 Sesame Street decorations everywhere!
 The cake, with a big # 2 candle!
 Oh Yum!  He ate, and ate, and ate his cake yesterday!

 Opening presents!
 A Sing-a-mi-jig!  I think that's what it's called!  So funny!
And a Cleveland Indians jersey for next year! Woohoo!