Laryngomalacia

Finally we know why Quinn sounds as though he can't breath...Laryngomalacia. For those of you who have been around my son know what I am talking about. Since he was a newborn, his brething has always sounded horse and wheezy. We were sent to have a chest x-ray and were referred to see an Ear, Nose, and Throat Specialist. On Saturday, I went with Quinn to get an x-ray. He was put in an upright clear tube with his little arms sticking straight in the air. He looked at me with a pout on his face, but never cried. Today we saw the ENT. I was not quite prepared for the scope they put down his nose. I had to hold him so he wouldn't move. I am not a fan of being in that situation. It is never fun to hold your child down while someone else inflicts pain upon them. He was a trooper though and thankfully the procedure was quick. The doctor knew right away that he had Laryngomalacia. That diagnosis means that the flap on his larynx does not properly open and close. The good news is that he will grow out of it by the time he is 2-years-old. The bad news is that he has been suffering from acid reflux for 8 months and I have not known about it. Apparently the two are connected. We now have medicine and I have peace of mind that he is ok. His breathing/snoring may be loud and annoying now, but he will soon grow out of it. I feel so relieved!!!!!

Sneaking Broccoli

Riley enjoys standing on her chair to reach for food on the kitchen counter. Most of the time I don't allow her to get food without my permission, and she knows it. Tonight it took some convincing to eat her supper. I mixed her broccoli in with her mashed potatoes, otherwise she doesn't touch her veggies. She made a few faces, but ate the potatoes. After dinner, I was cleaning up and I caught Riley with her hands in the broccoli bowl. She ate that broccoli like it was her favorite treat! I even had to stop her eventually so she wouldn't get sick. My new plan from now on is to place veggies near the edge of the kitchen counter so she feels like she privileged to sneak into food. Ahhh, the life of a toddler!

The New Kitchen

Oh Grammy, how can we thank you enough for finding the awesome garage sale deal on the kitchen! I assumed Riley would love a play kitchen since she loves to pretend. After she ate breakfast this morning, she ran to her bedroom to play. She microwaved her baby's bottle and her washcloths. She opens and closes all the doors and puts everything in them. We don't even have play food or pots and pans and it is the best thing in the world to her. Quinn loves it too because all he wants to do is stand and it is his perfect size.

The kids are much better this week and things seem a little less stressful around here. We were able to enjoy visiting family in Michigan this weekend. It was so nice for all of us to get out of the house for a few days.... and it was nice for mom to have a few extra hands to help out. As usual, we were the first to wake everyone up in the morning. Who doesn't want to see Quinn's cute face bright and early on a Saturday morning anyway? Grammy and Papa kept Riley for a couple more days while Mark and I were able have some time alone at home. It was wonderful! We cleaned and reorganized the house and even watched an entire movie without interruptions! Best of all, we didn't have to find a sitter while we both worked Monday.

Riley is getting so big! She is working on her ABC's (her favorite letter is W). We have noticed that she is talking in more sentences and is singing songs often. I told Mark today that I hope I always remember her sweet 1-year-old voice! Quinn is spending all his time climbing and standing on things. That is all he wants to do. He never plays with toys. I am actually ok if he walks early because it is apparent that is all he wants to do anyway. I still can't believe how early he is showing interest in walking. I am preparing for the facial bruises!

I will leave you with a picture that no doubt should put a smile on your face!

The Bug Eater

Quinn has a new hobby, eating bugs. He looks for flies or any other bug dead or alive to eat. Yes, it is disgusting! It reminds me that I need to constantly clean my floors (we shall see if that actually happens). The kids have been sick for the past week and a half with colds, coughs, and runny noses. Not much has happened this week, besides dealing with fussy kids. Hopefully they are on the mend for a while this time. I will post a few pictures of the week. Riley is at the age where it is nearly impossible to have her stay still for a picture, so we take what we can get.

My, how time has flown!

Over the past week, Riley all of the sudden seems like a big girl and Quinn is acting like a 10 month old. I have been getting a little emotional watching Riley as her looks have changed. She looks so much older and she talks like she is so big! She is obsessed with babies and car seats. She still enjoys Elmo, but will no longer sit through her Elmo movie (sad for mom). She still bosses her brother around, but loves him so much. She is very protective of him and worries when she can't find him. Riley has been crawling so Quinn can chase her. I love seeing them interact at such a young age.

Quinn is a little monkey. He climbs on everything and always wants to be standing. Best of all, for the past week he has slept from 8:00pm-6:30am. This is huge for him...and his parents. I was able to get 8 hours of sleep 3 times last week. Ahh, I finally feel rested for the first time since I was pregnant with him. Sleep is my friend. Since I have enjoyed a good night's rest recently, I have decided to let Riley have her paci for a few more weeks. It is really more for me. I am just not quite ready for a screaming child at bedtime and naps. I will do it soon though to get it over with.

Those two little ones are such blessings to me. To be honest,life has been a little easier for us all since Quinn started crawling and sleeping. I feel like I have made it through the hardest part of having two so young. If not, at least I am rested. Below are just a few pictures from last week.

What a cutie. And yes, he has a sunburn...horrible parents.

He is already walking by holding on to the cart. It looks odd.

I asked Riley to read a book to Quinn and she sat on his lap to do it. Quinn is trying to figure out how to drink from Riley's water bottle.

This picture is for Rach and Abby. Riley and Quinn were suppose to be in it for a group picture, but this is how it started. Maybe another time. Aren't they cute?