nap time

okay, I just have to add this little bit! Its too funny to not post. So, James takes his naps between 1 and 2 in the afternoon. Every day. Well, today seems to be a bit different. I "put him down" at 1pm so I could get some things picked up before my Visiting Teachers came over. Lo and behold, he comes creeping down the stairs not 2 minutes later! He let himself out of his room! I've no idea how he managed to do that! He's never opened a door on his own in his life! So, I let him stay up with me (after trying to re-locate him to his room a number of times) thinking that maybe having a later nap time would be a good thing for him- apparently not! Currently, he is banging on his door that I 1.closed and then 2. (lacking string) used my vaccum cord to KEEP closed by anchoring it to the bathroom door which is adjacent to his door. He's been crying about this for about 15 minutes and keeps alternately calling out, then YELLING, then crying, then trying the door (maybe this time it will open)- rinse and repeat. Maybe I'm a "bad" mom for thinking this is funny- but I do! 

A Bun in the Oven

Thats Right! I am expecting again! We're really happy to be making the announcement official. This new baby is due on.... June 3rd! Amy, you might share your birthday (yet again). Originally, the baby was due on June 1st, which is Drue's birthday, but I think it will be fun to have one a few days later. I hope its a girl- Drue wants one too. Not that I won't take a boy! After all, I've got all the boy stuff I'll need! Still, it will be fun to welcome a new baby of any sex into our home. As far as how I'm feeling- I think "not so hot" would be accurate. Some days are better than others of course, but I'm really right in the throes of trimester #1 (about 7 weeks) and this urpiness should diminish around week 14. Yay. Changing James' dirty diapers is so awful, and every day I hope he can just "hold it" until Drue gets home from work or school. Sometimes this works, but not too often. Drue is trying to help me keep things generally picked-up around the house but sometimes this doesn't get done either. But he's doing a great job of being a supportive husband and really trying to do everything he can to make this a bit easier for me. Bless his heart.

Talking

I thought I should post a bit about James and his talking- or lack thereof- and explain what's going on. Sorry, no pics this time... 

So, in May, James got tubes in his ears to provide an outlet for the fluid build-up and hopefully restore his hearing. In June, he tested "normal" for hearing ability. Yay!

I was particularly excited that he got his tubes in because now maybe he would being talking- hoping to hear "mama" within a month. As most of you know, this didn't exactly happen. He is enrolled in Early Intervention play group and has a Speech Therapist. We recently met with his ST and this is what she said:

James has a neurological disorder called Developmental Apraxia of Speech (DAS). Big words. All it means is that the motor center in his brain doesn't know AUTOMATICALLY to put lip movement, breath control, tongue placement, and palate manipulation all together to work in concert to produce a word. DAS is Genetic AND can sometimes be situational... like when he had his seizure. Think of when an older person has a stroke and has to re-learn how to speak. Its not that they don't KNOW what the words mean, its that they have to re-train their brains to form particular combinations to produce certain sounds. Thats pretty much what we're working on right now. 

Now for the good news: this is TOTALLY workable. James will be a little slower to speak, but he will speak eventually. And that is good news to us, indeed.

Accidents

On August 13, Drue got hit by a car. He's fine now, but I thought I'd post pictures of the bike and some abrasion...

This is called a "taco wheel". Notice that the rim has been bent and twisted into and almost "taco shell" shape.
Just one of the many abrasions. We feel very blessed for Drue to have sustained minor injuries- considering what the REST of the bike looked like... The frame (a TREK frame) was seriously bent and the pedal on the side he was struck was pushed into a vertical position- had his foot been in it, he would have crushed all the bones in his foot.

Its times like these that make you truly thankful for the blessings and good health of your family! Drue healed like a champ! Thank you to all for your prayers and love.

Labor day- finally

So, I realize that Labor day was almost a month ago. Please forgive me. We decided to celebrate the Labors of our lives with a family trip to the temple grounds. James loved it! He had a great time running away from us as often as he could! We visited the tabernacle now that it's re-opened, and he delighted all the Sister Missionaries and older couples by wrenching out of my grip and RUNNING down the aisle to the front- disturbing all kinds of folks and laughing out loud. To be honest, it WAS cute.
James and I decided we needed to pose for a picture. I think this may be the first time I have posted a picture of myself on this blog. Aren't the flowers lovely? The ground's keepers are always wonderful and prepared for the next "flowering" season!
I think baby bottoms are the cutest things!
James decided to help the gardeners out by "cutting the grass" (read: pulling out handfuls of it)

"watering the plants" (read: shaking his sippy cup out) and "mulching" (read: depositing all the pulled up grass on the flowers). It really was a sweet gesture.
He was so proud of himself after helping. Notice the car in his hand... we can never get him to let go on one of these! He doesn't carry his blanket around like Linus, and he doesn't use a binky anymore- but the car is his security! And, instant entertainment whenever he's bored.

Auntie Mame

Every one needs an "Auntie Mame"! James just happens to be lucky enough to have a REAL Auntie Mame- my sister, Amy. This great picture of James on his new "big boy bed" features his birthday presents from Auntie Mame- Red Sheets, a new Lightning McQueen Blanket and LMcQ PJ's.
Here's his car collection! I think we have almost every car from the movie. His favorite car is the Sheriff (now we have 2) and then in close second- Doc Hudson. He is such a car boy! He can't contain his delight when he gets a new car to play with! And it's not just cars- trucks, dump trucks, loaders etc... Anything with wheels, he LOVES. On the way to church this morning we saw a "mini-loader"- like a Bobcat, and he just stood there looking at this thing- mouth agape- and then got all excited that he saw a REAL one. We just love his little bones!

The third time's the charm

I've tried to post this entry twice already, but my internet connection keeps fizzing out. So, here's the third enstallment of the Birthday Boy Saga! We were planning on having his party at the local park, but the weather god didn't check his calendar to make sure it would not be raining, so we had to make do with my house and backyard.
James got his very own cup of (watered down) sprite! He really enjoyed it.
This is what happens when you have too much to drink... even if it is just sprite- he's only 2! I wonder what his BSL (blood soda level) is?Half the party people outside while I'm cooking burgers- manning the grill so they don't burn!
This is Drue helping James open his presents! There were a BILLION kids running around my house, backyard, front yard and bathrooms. We had 22 people all crammed into my little downstairs living room and kitchen! It was HOT with that many bodies and we had the swamp-cooler on HI too! James had a great birthday party- his favorite part was when everyone started singing "Happy Birthday"- he got this enormous smile on his face and clapped when everyone was done. We DID have a difficult time blowing out the candles, though. He tried to touch them, but mom was quicker. All in all, it was a blessing to have so many friends to share his birthday with and we are grateful to everyone for their GENEROUS gifts... They were many, and James just loves them all!