16 Month Surgery

Asher started having ear troubles off and on as soon as he turned one.  It was time to wave the white flag and have ear tubes put in to keep him from getting fluid buildups and be more comfortable in the night.  It is a very quick routine procedure, but still was very stressful and exhausting to this worrying mom!  We have some amazing friends who cared for Eli and took him to school that morning (he says he'd like to move in with them ha ha), and Cora got to go play with her best friend for a few hours and had a blast.  It gave me such peace of mind knowing they were in great hands.  Asher was a trooper and did quite well without food and water after midnight and charmed everyone in the waiting room.  He happily dressed in his gown and played with a coloring book/stickers before the procedure.  I now know I should have brought WAY more toys and distractions for the pre-surgery waiting period, but we made it through by letting him call and talk to all his grandparents.  It was very hard to watch the nurses carry him away while he was crying and calling "Mama", but the anesthesiologist had assured me that the more they are crying the faster they go under and in 30 seconds he would be out.  It was about a 12 minutes surgery and the ENT came out and told me he had done great (they had successfully removed the fluid and put the tubes in) and they would come and get me when he was waking up.  An amazing God thing about this all is that our church leader's wife was Asher's recovery nurse.  I had e-mailed her before and she happened to be scheduled the same day!  They came and got us before he was even fully awake and I got to hold him while he was sort of thrashing around in a daze.  He was completely out of it, but after settling down in my arms and napping a few minutes he popped up and we gave him some applesauce and a drink and he was completely himself.  He very excitedly picked a soccer ball out of the treasure box and we were on our way (we were only in recovery for probably 15 min...total time there was two hours).  You would have NEVER known he had had surgery.  He never acted like he was in pain and it never slowed him down a bit.  He ran around and played as usual.  I am very thankful that it is over with and we can move forward!

15 Months

Asher turned 15 months a couple of weeks ago and is a busy boy!  He is talking up a storm, which is so much fun!  He can play more and more with the bigger kids and wants to be included in everything.  I can tell he is missing his brother and sister when they are at school and gives long hugs when they return.  He will ask me several times during the day, "Where's Liyah?" (what he calls Eli).  I am enjoying my one and one time with him while the big kids have a blast at school.  At 15 Months:
1.  Asher can say a LOT of words such as:  Mama, Dada, Nana, Papa, Bum, Becca, Eli, More, One more, Go car, Go walk, Bird, This, tree, baba, ball, banana, book, shoes, Munny (for bunny), and Marney (for barney), bye bye ___, Hi, Bubble, shoes, I want, juice, etc.  He is doing some phrases and copying wonderfully!
2.  Loves to run, wrestle, and go for walks or bike rides in the trailer.
3.  He is a monkey!  He is our first climber!  He climbs everything especially the little play kitchen, chairs, and the kitchen table.
4.  He loves reading books (especially ones about trucks or animals) and all of a sudden is a fan of Barney and the Wiggles.
5.  Asher is wearing size 4 shoes and 12-18 month clothes.
6.  He is a tiny little guy!  He is like 3% for weight and less than 3% for height.
7.  He is super affectionate and loves to give hugs (and pat your back while hugging), loves snuggling, and likes to be rocked to sleep.  He also sleeps through the night now unless he is sick or teething (has already cut all of his molars).
8.  Asher is my big helper.  He will clean up a spill, bring the other kids their shoes or backpacks, and follows directions wonderfully!
9. He likes playing with blocks, airplanes, cars, balls, animals, and anything the big kids have.
10.  He LOVES art and music.  He and Cora love to color, playdoh, paint, stickers, etc.  He also loves to dance to kid's praise songs.  He claps and grooves with his sister.
11.  He has started going to Sunday school and has made it the entire time two weeks in a row (with some periods of crying).
12.  Asher still loves his Nana more than anyone on this earth (even me) and asks for her all the time.
13.  He got his first big boy short haircut and looks a lot more like Eli than we realized with it!  He is very proud of it and showed everyone we saw for the first few days after he got it.
14.  Asher is still just the sweetest little boy.  We all adore him!

Preschool

Cora started preschool this week with the same teacher Eli had when he was three!  I am so excited for her to have this special time with friends, learning, and fun!  She shed a few tears before we got there but the second we walked in the building she was so excited and joined right in.  She had her second day today and absolutely loves it!  My little sunshine is growing up!