Esther Turns Four!

The Conrad’s were nice enough to invite us to Essie’s blow out birthday bash a few weeks ago.  We didn’t plan to stay long since it was my only Saturday off in many weeks and because we didn’t expect the boys to really participate in the water fun due to age and shyness, but boy were we wrong!  We ended up making the boys stop playing after everyone else had left.  They had so much fun!  Thanks to the whole Conrad clan for having us!

The snow cones (Josiah’s first) were delicious!

 

And so was the watermelon!

The entertainment was pretty fun, too!      Oddly, Elijah doesn’t like to have stuff stuck to him :)

Cuties!  And good friends, too!

Josiah gravitated towards playing with the younger kids in the little pools (Henry and Elijah were familiar territory) in the beginning because he doesn’t really like to be watched when he tries new things.  He does best without pressure.  But once the crowd cleared, he was excited to try the water slide.  Adeline was so sweet with him and he really enjoyed himself.  Thanks, Addy, for being so nice!

  We had to force him to get off the slide!

Boys Only!

Josiah and Elijah got to enjoy a “boys only” playdate a few weeks ago with Luke and Henry.  We had planned on hitting the pool, but bad weather got in the way.  I think all the boys had a blast anyway and we Mommies had a good time talking.

All the boys loved playing with Luke’s toys inside, particularly the musical trampoline, but I didn’t pull out the camera until we went outside.

The hose was an object of interest:

And of course our messy boys loved the sandbox!       Airplane!

This is contentment.  Pizza, blueberries, and banana made for a complaint-free, yummy lunch!

Thanks for hosting, Jennifer and Luke!

Pediatrician Consult

Since this blog is how some of you keep up with us and I’ve written down all the rest of Josiah’s story, here’s the latest update.

I had my consult with Josiah’s pediatrician last week.  Dr. Worthington was so great and spent lots of time with me.  His bloodwork and fecal tests were mostly normal with two exceptions that were mild (though one would pose a little concern to me if he was a cat!) that suggested a gastrointestinal bacterial overgrowth.  We had already tested for the common types, so we decided to do one more fecal test that completely analyzes the fecal contents.  Gross, I know…sorry.  We hadn’t done this yet because it is not covered by insurance.  We’re holding out hope that it gives us answers though.

So that is where we stand for now.  Since he is doing pretty well on his meds, we just decided for another noninvasive test and a couple dietary changes along with super high doses of prebiotics and and probiotics while we wait for results.  Maybe one day he’ll be completely well just with dietary management.

Someone Has A New Do!

And unfortunately it’s not me.

We’ve been talking with Josiah about cutting his hair really short and he’s been pretty adamant against it.  He hates hair cuts and it is often a fight, but he sweats profusely and very easily and it soaks his hair because he plays so hard, so it seemed like a good idea for summer.  Finally since Grandma’s wedding is over and Jacob also needed a haircut, we let him help and watch Jacob buzz his hair then it was Josiah’s turn.  It started out tough with screaming, tears, and his profuse sweating, but for some odd reason he chilled out and was laughing by the end.  Hopefully that is the new trend for hair cut time.

During the haircut Jacob told Josiah he had a pretty head (Jacob was worried how it would look) and Josiah said “I’m not a woman!  I’m a man, a big man!”  He was so serious.  So very cute!

Lotsa hair!

Next came bathtime to wash off all that hair.  Since Jacob was hairy, too, they both jumped into the shower which Josiah loves because we have a shower wand.  As I was cleaning up the hair, I heard Jacob say “Josiah, stop peeing on me!” and then an all out laugh from Josiah followed by another insistent plea from Jacob.  They had way too much fun in the shower after that and at one point Jacob said, “I feel like I’m bathing with mini me”.  They do look so much alike.  I was cracking up.  Josiah was very giddy afterwards and had to play in our bed.

He actually touched my tongue with his…yuck!

The next day Josiah chanted repetitively throughout the day “I got a haircut, I got a haircut!” and “ I don’t have any hair!”  He’s just so excited about it.  In fact, he was even excited in his sleep.  We woke up more than once in the night to hear him talking very clearly in his sleep over the monitor, mostly about tractors.  He’s never done that before.  He also has a new fascination with mirrors.

Playtime!

Here are lots of random playtime pictures that I just wanted to post.

My baby was doctoring me.  He took  my temperature with the handle from a broken pair of plastic pliers, covered me up, and gave me his favorite stuffed animals.  Such a sweetie!

I was putting away outgrown clothes and getting out bigger clothes (a chore I hate) and Elijah kept trying to put this beanie cap on.  I helped him out, then he wallowed in the clothes!

This swing is hanging from a massive oak at Gram and Deda’s house.  I grew up swinging on it. I love this picture because everything is blurry except Jacob’s typical crazy face.  He’s such a fun daddy and I’m so thankful he has this much energy so that I don’t have to!

  Granny and Papa gave this tricycle to Josiah for his third birthday.  Between the lack of concrete to ride on and the fact that his legs are a bit too short for it, he struggles to ride it and usually just pushes it along :)

Daddy picked up this extra slide for the playset on one of his bee trips to Ohio.  Thanks Daddy!

Fun with Daddy: Hide n’ Seek…a nightly occurrence.

Thanks for the Razor, Grandpa!  It is a favorite… …even Jacob likes it…   …and Elijah is learning.

Josiah’s favorite new pastime is to “mow” after Jacob mows and he can play with the clippings:     A hot (cute) mess…literally!

A hot (cute) mess…figuratively ;)

This boy was born to run and loves to do it!  Look at that form!  Just in the last few months he’s gone from having arms flailing at his sides to proper arm pumping.  His (former) runner parents are proud!

  This is Jacob’s childhood cowboy hat.  I’m going to have to dig mine out for Elijah.

Sometimes all ya need is dirt and a stick.

Both of them love books!  Elijah got this book out, pulled out the chair, and sat down to “read” it on his own.

Josiah loves to play “tadoh”.  I made numbers with the blue and he made carrots with the red.  Obviously I always buy the snack size carrots.  I wonder if he realizes carrots are actually long and have stems?  Oh well, he eats a lot more of them than he would if I had to prepare them :)

 

Just making this post left me grinning from ear to ear.  I love my three men and all the memories we make with day to day play!