The West Side Story: Trenton: 18 Months!

I keep a note in my phone where I write down anything significant that I want to write in your blog. As I am compiling everything now, I am realizing that the past few months A LOT has happened for you and having this big of a gap between updates may not have been such a good idea. So this post is going to be long!

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Most of this stuff I typed up before you got sick, but I will just go ahead and tell you about your hospital stay first. So Saturday you woke up with a fever, which of course made us a bit nervous considering last time you had a fever. But Saturday and Sunday you were still playing hard and acting pretty normal except you weren't eating. Then Monday morning things started going down hill. You were very lethargic and even threw up. Daddy took you to the doctor on Tuesday where he ran a bunch of blood tests and also gave you an antibiotic injection to try and make you feel better even though they didn't know what was wrong with you. By Tuesday evening you had gotten so dehydrated that your lips were cracked and even started bleeding. So Wednesday Daddy and I took you to get some IV fluids. We had it in our heads that you would get some fluids and we would be on our way in a couple hours. Were we ever so wrong! Considering your history, the ER doctors at Children's decided to admit you. Again. After a couple days they finally figured out (sort of) that at least this time and possibly last time since your symptoms were so similar, that you had tonsillitis. Normally that's no big deal but for some reason your body just reacts so badly to it! The infectious disease doctor told us that if this happens again, you will most likely have to have a tonsillectomy. So we are not really looking forward to that and hoping that you won't get anymore fevers! On Friday evening they gave you some antibiotics and an steroid injection, which made you so irritable and cranky! Daddy was at work so I was all by myself having to deal with you crying for 3 1/2 hours straight. It was so unlike you that I had no idea what to do. I was way past my breaking point and so frustrated; yet felt so helpless because something HAD to be wrong. You finally fell asleep only to wake up crying again a couple hours later. I called the nurse in and then Daddy took over for me because I needed a break. When she took your temperature, it was only93 degrees though so that was very concerning. Throughout the rest of the night (by this time it was already 3:30am) and most of the day Saturday instead of fighting high fevers we were now fighting mild hypothermia. And they still didn't know why! I will say I was a bit frustrated that the doctors didn't seem too worried about your low temperature like I felt that they should have. Or at least they weren't explaining properly to me why they weren't concerned (Daddy's observation). It was also frustrating that none of the doctors can give a for sure answer as to what is wrong with your little body. These are all just good guesses pretty much. So you are still our little medical phenomenon child.....

Saturday was also my birthday! Daddy and I decided we are pretty much even now since his last two birthdays were spent in the hospital and now my birthday was as well. We decided that you really like to get sick on major family events :)

We finally got to go home on Sunday afternoon after only five days in the hospital this time instead of eight like last time. So we are improving! :) Sunday and Monday you were still a bit irritable from the steroids since they sent us home with some, but for the most part you have done well. It is now Tuesday and you have had SO much energy today! I guess you are making up for the past week. The only bad part is that you won't take your medicine. It doesn't help that they have a horrible taste to them, but you already make yourself gag and throw up when taking medicine anyways!

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We never really did an Easter Egg hunt....I guess I just got a bit lazy since we were in the hospital for Easter....oh well. Not like you will remember your first few Easters, right? :) But before you got sick, we did see the Easter Bunny!!! But with all the commotion of you in the hospital and all, I forgot about it until I came across the CD while cleaning one day. So here are your adorable Easter Bunny pictures for your second Easter! Hey, maybe one day you will actually NOT cry when you see him :) I just love your crazy hair.

-You are talking more and more! You are getting better at communicating in both sign language and in actual words. You especially like to repeat things Daddy says. That is going to get him in trouble soon, I know it :) For the longest time your baby talk was always just a repeat of syllables, but now you are actually babbling in your own little Trenton language. You will even grab a cell phone and "talk" on it like you are having a real life conversation. It's quite adorable.

-You are a pretty smart kid, which I can also see trouble in our future. But you pick up on things very quickly. Just from watching Daddy and I get ready, you learned what deodorant is and how to comb your hair. You even lift up your shirt like Daddy to put your deodorant on :)

-For some reason you have always hated your bare feet touching the outside ground, like grass or dirt or the sidewalk. But I am happy to say that you will now walk outside without any shoes on! We don't let you at our house though because we have a lot of poky things in our grass and driveway from all the trees, but at Gi-Gi and Pimpa's house you can walk outside.

-When it's time for bed, you have never been attached to anything like a lovey or blanket. Instead you chooses random things to be your comfort in your crib. Sometimes it's a DVD, sometimes its a spoon, or your toothbrush, an old cel phone, or even a thermometer.

-I make it a habit to read to you every night for 15-30 minutes and it definitely helps you unwind and get tired. Plus it's a great habit that I really hope you keep as you grow up. Reading is so important and I want you to continue loving it! Right now the books that we have to read every night are
        -Llama Llama Red Pajama (you call it "mama mama")
        -I Love you Forever
        -Franklin in the Dark
        -Star Wars 123
        -your baby Bible
Other books come in and out, but these books are a must read every single night. And yes, I have memorized every single one of them....It is a blessing and a curse that you love books so much at this age. Sometimes Daddy and I just get so tired of reading the same books over and over and over again all day long!

-You still refuse to drink any sort of milk. Even chocolate milk! You are very picky about your drinks for some reason. You do love your orange juice though. OJ and water is pretty much all you drink. Occasionally you like some cranberry juice or powerade, but you mostly stick to OJ and water.

-You love your orange foods too: carrots, cheese, Mac & Cheese, orange, peaches, nectarines, goldfish (can't ever go without those!). The weird thing is though that you aren't really a fan of meat. I have gotten creative with ground beef and made a couple of dishes that hide it well, and you do love sausage still, but for the most part you just eat around whatever meat we give you. I'm sure that will change soon though.

-I sometimes feel bad for Loretta. You love her so much but you can also be so mean to her! You especially love to run her over with your little vacuum because you know she will attack it. And you like to have pillow fights with her because you know she will attack that as well.....But it is very cute when you sit next to her and cuddle and giver her hugs

-You have such a little personality! I have never seen a baby/toddler give some many dirty looks before. You are a pro! Which yes, will also be getting you in trouble in the near future. Right now it is still pretty funny.

-Where is your sense of fear?? We are convinced you were not born with it. You have no problem climbing on your toy box and jumping to the couch and doing it again and again. You will just step off of something like you just know someone will catch you. Can you stop being such a little daredevil so young please?? Daddy and I are going crazy here. You already have fallen off the couch numerous times....You even tried going down the big slide at the park head first!

-I've made a rule in the house that shoes need to stay by the front door, and even though you are picking up on this lately and wait for us to take your shoes off before you go running, it has been a bit of a challenge because you love wearing shoes so much!

-I hope you never lose that sparkle in your eyes. Looking into your eyes just makes my heart melt every single time. I love those big dark eyes of yours! We see so much life in those eyes of yours and I pray that through any heart break or difficult time you have, you can find the joy and never lose those fireworks that light up your eyes

-We have been working on body parts lately and you know where your hair, nose, ears, eyes, mouth, fingers, and toes are. You really love "This little piggy" with your toes :)

-Since being in the hospital a few months ago you have become a little technology addict! I know it is inevitable, but I was hoping you wouldn't have started for a little while longer. I have some baby apps on my phone and the iPad and you know how to manuever your way around both to find your apps and play your games. You also love going to my photos and scrolling through all my pictures and videos. Plus when my text message ring tone goes off, the first thing you say is "Daddy?" because it usually is Daddy texting me. Then if it's not him, then you ask if it's Gi-Gi.

-Every dark car you see you ask if it's Gi-Gi's car. And in one book we have there is a dark car and everytime you come to it you say "gi-gi-pimpa?" I guess they are just one person now

-We have been working on telling you about your baby brother and you point to my belly and say "baby". You also point out the babies in some of your books and if you hear a baby cry on TV.

-Speaking of TV, you still don't really care too much about it, which is good. But you do love your theme songs! YOur favorite shows to "watch" (aka listen to the theme songs. Sometimes on repeat) are Clifford (you call it "doggy") and Arthur (you call it "Hey!". From the theme song). Also, Daddy and I have been watching Bones a lot lately (ya proabably shouldn't let a one year old watch murder crime shows but that's okay) and every time the theme song comes on you yell, "yes!!" No idea why but it's still cute. Whenever you hear an explosion on the TV you also yell "ba-boom!!"

Here are a few pictures of the past few months! You got a hair cut too! And went from 16 months to 2 years old in one day....!

You were slam dunking on Daddy at the hospital. You just LOVED it when you got to play outside with all the balls!

Even though you were about the cry in this picture, I still had a wonderful birthday despite where we were :)

One of the nurses made you a slushie out of Sprite and Popsicles. It was cold (as you can tell from the picture) but you loved it and gulped it down

There was a playroom on our floor of the hospital and you had so much fun with this kitchen You wouldn't hardly play with anything else! You just kept putting stuff in and out of the microwave over and over and over again

Look at that handsome little face. I fall more and more in love with you every day!

No more hospital pictures :)

You saw Loretta drink out of the pool so you just had to try it yourself

And a little hose water never hurt anyone, right??

Aunt Brittany bought you this little dancing lion when you were a tiny baby (or maybe it was before you were born?). For the longest time you were afraid of it but now it is one of your favorite toys. It sings The Lion Sleeps Tonight very loudly....Daddy and I will definitely have our payback once your little niece or nephew is born.....