Two.

My baby turns 2 tomorrow. Where has the time gone?

Michigan

Grandpa Update
Paul's grandpa was moved to a different hospital that specializes in rehab. After being there for a week he was completely weened off of the ventilator. Sadly, it doesn't look as though he is going to come back to us. Both hemispheres of his brain were damaged, and while his lower cognitive thinking is present (waking, sleeping, scratching itches, eating) he will likely never speak, walk, or even communicate other than squeezing hands of people he knows.  He drifts into sleep after only a few minutes of wakefulness. His body is strong though so it could be a long time before he goes, or he could have a stroke tomorrow . It was heart-breaking to see Paul with him as he said his goodbyes.

Henry Ford Museum
We took James to the Henry Ford Museum. He had so much fun looking at all the cars, tractors, trains and everything else there. Sometimes it was hard to keep him off of exhibits. He's fast!

with his "pee-pa" in the Rosa Parks bus

Ford's Model-T

"choo-choo!"

Greenfield Village
My favorite part of the trip was Greenfield Village. We went for Memorial Day and they had a Civil War re-enactment going on. It was awesome! I'm a huge American history buff and this place is just full of it!

Henry Ford home

Robert Frost home

Robert took this picture...the mural was cool. You'll just have to believe me.

Detroit Zoo
We had really looked forward to the zoo, but it was sort of disappointing. A lot of the animals weren't out due to construction going on. There were also about a million obnoxious kids there screaming and throwing things at the animals. We stopped what we could and really tried to stay away from the groups, but ultimately we just hurried out as fast as we could to get away from them. I guess I should really stop comparing zoos to the San Diego zoo. I'm pretty sure I'll always be disappointed otherwise.

Looking at all the butterflies in the Butterfly House

Ghetto Tour

We took a tour of the city of Detroit while we were there. I'm sure I've said it before, but there is such an absence of the spirit there. So much sadness, hopelessness. As you drive through the neighborhood it's obvious that a hundred years ago these homes belonged to wealthy people. They probably didn't lock their doors and their kids felt safe on the streets. Nowadays that's furthest from the truth. I hate seeing such beautiful homes cared for so poorly.  I just can't get over how there is no pride whatsoever in these communities. And it isn't just limited to homes. Churches, libraries, high rises, old factories are all left abandoned, shot out, burned up, graffiti everywhere. It's sad.

this entire place has had all the windows blown out of it, graffiti is sprayed all over the rooms. And it's not the only huge complex left empty like this!

The Rest
Paul ended up helping Robert really fix up his place. He replaced about 9 light fixtures, installed a whole drapery/window panel, fixed all the locks, hooked up the tv and did a bunch of other various things around the house. I'm sorry he didn't get to relax more, but he is a very giving guy.
We had a cupcake party while we were there.

James' cupcakes

We visited grandma a few days. The last day we spent all day with her. When she found out that I love American history she went ahead and showed me her vast collections. She even gave me some very retro school posters (which are coming in the mail. I'll post pictures once they arrive). She has every book you could ever want to read as American authors go. It was a lot of fun listening to her stories and watching her excitement to share something she is so obviously passionate about.

The flights were long (layovers each way) and we are very tired. Paul is back to work already and James and I have the singular goal of unpacking and getting back into our routine. It's good to be home.

Baby Shower!

I got to help throw a baby shower for my cute sister, Roxanna way back in March but was waiting for Reanna to get me the pictures she took. 

I had fun putting together a diaper cake for her:

My sister Reanna and I made this cute cake! It took us awhile to get it right, but ultimately I think it turned out pretty great.

I am sad to say that pictures do not exist of the following, but it looked (and tasted) amazing.

Rachel made cucumber sandwiches and I made Raspberry Lemonade Punch, and dipped some strawberries.

We played the diaper game (guess the candy bar smashed in a diaper..so gross but fun!), and guessed baby food flavors (which wouldn't be so bad with a little salt).

Roxi sniffing a diaper.

Everyone seemed to have a pretty good time and I Roxanna got a lot of great gifts!

James was the only boy there. He got a lot of attention.

Rain, Rain Go Away!

We've been cooped up again due to rain. So I busted out the sewing machine and worked on some projects I'd been meaning to get to.

First project was an art smock for James' birthday. We ordered an easel and art supplies for him. I'm pretty sure he's going to love it!

I used some sweet blue pleather. Ha ha, never thought I'd use that.  I started out tracing a shirt and adding a little over an inch to make sure it was big enough to grow a bit with him. Then I made up some bias tape binding the whole thing, added a pocket and hammered on a snap. Ta da!

Then came the blanket. All he's had are his little baby blankets, and twin sized are just a bit big for him. So I used my coupons and got some cheap fleece. It ended up slightly crooked (I don't have any sort of measuring mat and it was bigger than my table). Anyway, besides the slight imperfection, James loves it and has been snuggling up in it all day--it being rainy and all.

Then James went down for a nap so I brought out the train set that he hasn't been able to play with. It's one of those little wooden ones that really needs to be nailed down to be played with or otherwise it just falls apart. Anyway, Paul and I talked about it and a train table was out of the question since we live in a really small apartment. We don't have the tools to cut and sand down a board, so we decided to go cheap. I went and purchased a few thick poster boards and hot melt glued the whole thing down. I know I'll probably end up replacing the boards at some point, but he has had a blast playing with for the first time since Christmas.

Then I decided to make a patriotic bunting for Memorial Day (and realistically, the entire summer). I love it! I was needing something to decorate with after the Easter stuff came down.

After James woke up we decided to paint something for Grandpa Robert's birthday. I pointed to where he should paint next and he did all the work. He loves painting.

And then I cleaned the apartment. And watched an episode of Caillou that I'm pretty sure I've seen at least 50 times already.

And now I have nothing to do and we are expecting rain for 2 more days.

New Teeth!

When James' first baby teeth came in we noticed that they looked sort of funny. We took him to the dentist right away and found out that his new teeth had enamel defects. Apparently there are a few risk factors that cause enamel defects in primary teeth. Some of these are:

• birth difficulties
• chronic ear infections
• chronic illness during the first year of life
• mother's health during pregnancy (such as pre-eclampsia)
• critical jaundice
• taking antibiotics for extended periods of time

Just one or two of these could cause enamel defects, but every single scenario rings true for poor little James. His four top front teeth broke down as they came in. We had a very strict brushing routine, even when he was was only 7 months old. Every time I would nurse him I would have to brush his teeth. Even in the middle of the night. After brushing his teeth I had to take xylitol wipes and wipe out his whole mouth (to kill bad bacteria). Luckily he liked the taste of the wipes and would frequently request to chew on one during the day.  The kid loves brushing his teeth and does a really great and thorough job for his age.

When he was 7 months old the dentist told us that the teeth would eventually need to be capped but that he wanted to wait as long as possible. So every 3 months we have gone in for fluoride treatments. Last month we decided that it was time to get this taken care of. I might also add that I have been freaking out about this since he was 7 months old (a year and a half...but who's counting!).  At the same time I have really been disturbed about how some people look at him. Some people will say he's so cute but then when they see his teeth you can see a look of disgust on their faces. Like he has improper hygiene or something. It's irritating. If any of you have ever seen his teeth you'll know just how sad they've made me. You always dream of these perfectly cute little teeth coming in, and when they are rotting out of their mouth upon arrival it's devastating. I felt guilty for so long, as if I had done something wrong.

On Thursday night we stopped giving fluids and food to James.  We arrived at the hospital at 6:27 in the morning to fill out paperwork and get admitted.  Shortly afterwards the anesthesiologist came in and gave me a run down of risks, at which point I pretty much lost and started crying. Every nurse and doctor that came in that room had to deal with my bawling. I'm sure they thought I was a basket case, but...whatever.
I got James all dressed up in his little gown and socks and they let him play with some toys to pass the time. When they came in to get him he started yelling, "Mommy, help!" I totally lost it.  The nurses were great and they got me a warm blanket, a diet coke and left me alone in a dark room with a tv to wait.

playing with toys before

duck feet!

my waiting place

I'm pretty sure they had to strap him down to sedate him. He has some bruising on his forehead and arms that makes me think the poor little guy was tied to a table. Everything went well, but it took a little longer than expected. In the recovery room his oxygen levels dropped and he turned blue. As a result he got strapped up to monitoring equipment. They were having a hard time stabilizing him so they brought him to me to hold. It took four people to keep him from ripping off the monitors and his IV.  After he was stabilized they took off all the monitoring equipment and said we could leave when he was drinking. He was so wiped out that he just fell asleep in my lap for about 45 minutes. It was quite the ordeal. Start to finish it was about 4 hours.

Sleeping it off

Once I brought him home he was extremely upset and screamed and cried for hours. When I gave him his medicine he screamed so hard that he stopped breathing and turned blue.  I think it was equally traumatizing for us. He wasn't eating or drinking even though he kept crying about being hungry. It was so frustrating to see him go through that.

Kindy came by to see how he was and he perked right up. He ate and played and was back to normal by the time she left. Paul decided he had been through so much  that he deserved a toy. So we went to the toy store and he picked out this pretty sweet fire truck. I am glad it is finally over and that my little boy has the teeth to match his beautiful smile.

Before

After

I Love Being a Mom!

Earlier in the week I had read an article on ksl about a woman who had been a mother to 18 children and was waiting for her next two kids. She started adopting children when she was only 23 years old!  Something she said really impressed me. She said that while it's nice to get things for mother's day, we should focus on being grateful for our children, for without them we wouldn't be mothers.

This Mother's day wasn't anything special. We don't have money for cards and flowers right now. I know that in the future there will be lots of flowers and cards and little primary crafts on Mother's Day, but yesterday it was just playing with my son. I love him so much.

Easter!

I love the Friend (PS, it has it's own website now with fun stuff for kids!). As soon as James was born I got a subscription and have read it to him every month for nearly two years now. This month they featured a week of study following the last week of the Savior's life. It has been a real blessing in our home this week.

A little over a week ago, Paul's grandpa (who raised him) took a very bad fall. He broke all of the ribs on the right side of his body. He cracked vertebrae. He had a concussion and was bleeding from his ears. When he was in the hospital he was quite ornery and as a result was drugged up so he would sleep. There wasn't much we could do, but we have been praying for Grandpa and his name has been on the prayer roll in the temple every day. On Thursday they decided to try to take him out of his coma. On Saturday Grandma was told that there was no brain activity and that it was time to think about letting him go.  Grandma was strong and made the calls to her grandchildren to give them the sad news that Grandpa was dying. During church today we felt the love of the Savior and the peace that the knowledge of the resurrection brings.  After church we decided to go and walk around the Provo temple grounds. While we were there we got a call informing us that Grandpa had woken up and while he was in pain, he was responsive! We know he is not out of the woods, but we are overcome with the love of the Lord today.

We also had some fun! On Saturday we took James to the Orem Easter egg hunt. He won a ball and free bowling (which I'm really looking forward to!) and got a decent amount of candy for a 2 year old. Most of it was too hard for him, but he had fun!

Sunday morning he got to debut that sweet bow tie. Everyone thought he was just the cutest thing. Like I said earlier, we headed to the temple afterwards. There were hundreds of missionaries there and several were following him around and taking his picture.  A few of them even requested to have their pictures taken with him. It was pretty funny.  Then we went home, had leftover pizza and took a nap before heading over to our friend's for dinner and an egg hunt. I think the kids had a lot of fun. James loves B. She's 18 months older than him and he really looks up to her and tries to imitate everything she does. It's cute. And A. just has him whipped. She's only 10 months old but she's the only kid that can just take something from him and get away with it.  

Pointing out the yellow flowers