Happy Birthday Drew!

Drew woke up to tell me it is his birthday and he is three! Then went right into, cake? where is the cake? I had made cupcake last night so after breakfast we had birthday cupcakes! He was thrilled and so happy! Natalie, his speech therapist came for the last time today and it was kinda sad! You get so used to having these people come by and the become your friends...I am sure we will keep in touch with most of them! Drew will miss his friends....but glad to have it behind him!

Tonight we are having pizza and cupcakes for dinner to celebrate! I think we will wait and do presents on Sunday with the family...unless Drew asks for them today! It is so exciting to have Drew be three but at the same time it is so hard.....I think that it takes years to heal. Andy and I were talking about how in a sense you get robbed of knowing what it is like to have a baby....But we had Kail to experience it fully so it is amazing how God wove that experience back into our lives. I think we will always remember hearing the Doctor say Drew did not make it and then hearing the shouting of "we have a heartbeat" and the feelings that went along with it! For 3 days we expected the worse and God gave us the best, a spirited little man that fought tooth and nail to grace us all with his presence! Oh, what a difference he will make in the world with that spirit! Seeing him today makes the "horrible" experience so much easier to deal with. Sometimes it was almost like we never dealt with or grieved for the situation because of surgeries, birthdays and then being pregnant again. So now it is sometimes overwhelming!

I know Andy and never could have made it this far without our amazing families and friends to remind us to keep on going! God truly can work Miracles and we are so blessed to have seen one with our very own eyes! Our lives changed so much three years ago, our new baby, our love and our faith. Thank you for always being there to hold our hands, cry with us and then the best....to celebrate with us! So lets all raise our glasses tonight and wish Drew a very Happy Birthday and Thank God for miracles, friends and families! We love you all madly!

Tomorrow...

Drew will be three! I can't even believe it at all! I remember going to bed tonight (3 years ago) being so sad Andy had a meeting and was not coming to see me tomorrow. He remembers waking up to look at Pierce who was wide awake in my spot and saying to Pierce " the baby is coming today, I know it!" I wonder why he did not just call me and tell me that so I could be prepared for what was instore for the day! When I woke up I was running a fever (first sign of a infection) and called to tell Andy, he says"when is the baby coming?" I totally missed that and said I will call you later because I am sure it is nothing! I spent the day trying to decide to be happy because Andy was going to his meeting and I HATED being in that freaking hospital...funny because 5 days later I HATED leaving that freaking hospital without my baby! Funny how three years later you see things that should have screamed....THE BABY IS COMING TODAY but you totally miss them! Thank goodness our brains do that to help us deal with what is coming next. I them can remeber being so happy because Andy skipped the meeting and came to see me. We went out to Wendy's and he pushed me thru the hospital to see the "world"! At 8 I was asking him "why are you still here?" (our house is an hour away from UNC and so he usually left to get home and spend time with the dogs.) At about 8:30 I noticed something was happening and the doctors were paged...Andy sat patiently on the most UNCOMFORTABLE couch in the world and waited for the Doctors to come by. They pretty much said I was having a baby ASAP....and that was around 9:30 pm. I was trying so hard to be adult like and calm, so Andy called the fire dept to let them know he would not be there bc the baby was coming and I called his parents. I think his mom was able to say hi and I was hysterical! Needless to say he called everyone else.........

Drew had a hearing test today and he passed with flying colors! I knew he had no hearing issue but it was routine to check it! He is so excited to be 3 tomorrow that Andy has told him to go to bed about 6 times tonight! We are having a small family get together this weekend but tomorrow it will be cupcakes to practice for the big party on Sunday. I say a small family but my extended family includes so many friends it becomes like 20+ people. I know, I cant do anything small and normal! I gotta go all out and Andy gets to spend weeks doing "party" chores! Oh how lucky I am he loves me! I better getto bed and will finish my story tomorrow on the birthday!Love to all!

July

Drew will be 3 in 17 days....can you believe it? I sure can't believe he is so big! He has come so far...from 1 lb 8 ozs to over 30 pounds! 12 inches long to over 3 feet tall! Since he is three he no longer receives services from Early Intervention - it is a state program that helps kids who are at risk for delays. It is a wonderful program and we are sad to loose it but glad for it to be over. Drew received therapy 3 times a week from it and it got rather overwhelming at times for him and I. It is a big milestone to reach! Drew will still receive his Governor Morehead School for the Blind services and so we will have therapy just once a week. I think that will be a welcome change for us! I have also signed him up for Preschool, 2 days a week and I really think he will love it. It is a a great opportunity since a great friend of ours is going to be his teacher - that makes me willing to let him go and be a big boy! I know I will be a train wreck for the first few days but it will be great for him! I am hoping the peer pressure helps him get potty trained! He is not interested in it at all so I don't push it and know one day he will be interested!

With Drew in School, Kail and I will have some time together which I think will be really good. I tend to have time alone with Drew when Kail is napping but rarely time with Kail alone. So I can't wait to have that chance. Kail is a monster and an adorable monster! He is a very needy child and wants his mommy all day long. Most days it drives me crazy but I have learned to cook, clean and even shower with him connected to my leg. Andy tries to take him and play when he is home but Kail finds me somehow. I don't think Andy understands that I am so used to it that I don't expect to have time alone unless it is bedtime! Kail is so much fun and giggles at everything. He has this smile that lights up his whole face when he sees you and then this mean horrible crying when he is mad. Drew is always very even with his temperament and tends to be calmer....Kail is from one end of the spectrum to the other in minutes!

Andy and I love them both so much! We are finally into the groove of juggling the kid time and then our time. It is really nice to finally be at a place where we make time to have with each other. It is so important to still be us, a couple and then be parents too! I think it will be something that is a constant struggle and is probably with all parents. I had no idea how easy it was to neglect him and him neglect me. It is so nice that we are aware we have to have time off and alone but have family time too! So we are doing well and Andy is busy at work...as usual!

I don't know what else to say...I feel like I have gone on forever! Things are great and we are excited to celebrate the big three with Drew. We are having a small family party and just keeping it simple! I think Drew will enjoy it since he has actually picked most of the stuff out - so fun when they get to have an opinion! I wish everyone a great fourth of July and we send our love to all!

WOW....time flies past!

I must apologize for not updating in a million years. Things have become just overwhelming for me; Drew has therapy 3 times a week, appointments and then Kail cause me to be exhausted. SO much has been going on it is crazy! Drew had a hearing test which he failed because he had an ear infection in both ears and I had no idea! So far his little ears have been good and happy! We have all been sick EVERY month since my last post. I guess we just kept passing it around to each other and finally we have been doing much better, YEAH! Drew and Kail are able to play together for a little bit and coexist which is nice but the watch out because the fighting has already begun. Boys will be boys right? Kail is one and very very mischievous so I tend to stay busy checking his mouth for objects a looking or stolen objects that he has hidden! By stolen I mean things he took from the kitchen pantry or bathroom drawer! Drew is fast approaching three....wow! He will phase out of Early Intervention and the Public School System will begin giving him any services he needs. I believe at this point all that will continue is Vision Therapy which occurs once a week. That will be a change for me and Drew considering we were used to 3 a week! Drew is registered for Preschool in the fall and we are very excited. I think it will be great for him but I know I will be sad! Andy and I are busy running in different directions which is pretty normal! We are excited for the summer to have some fun outside with the boys!

Kail's Baptism

So we got home from London and jumped right into Party mode! Kail was baptized on Saturday so I had to cook and plan lunch for 30 people at our house after the ceremony! Needless to say I pulled it off and it was great! Kail was amazing and did not cry when they were dumping the water on his little head! He was so happy to be the center of attention for a day! We also kinda celebrated his birthday too since it is in 2 weeks...crazy how fast time flies! Kail will be one and Drew will be three!

Drew is doing great and got a tricycle as an early birthday present from Sue Sue! He rade it yesterday and actually even peddled a little bit! It was so adorable! He is getting so big and talking up a storm! I love his little voice...it is so sweet! He says "hi mom" all day and hugs me! It is so fun to talk to him and have him ramble on about stuff to me! He is doing great with his speech therapist and she really enjoys him. He actually finally said "open" today for her rather than his usual "Op". He is just amazing! So while he is getting therapy I am constantly trying to entertain Kail and keep him from distracting Drew plus listen and observe the therapy session. Kail is a very naughty and mischevious kid! Today he got so mad at Drew that he stared yelling and hitting - I was shoked to see his little temper and it is just like me! Drew is so subdued and calm, always sweet with very mild tantrums and then Kail is so so so loud! I think he is already into his terrible twos!

We are doing great and all is well! I think everything is back to normal after the trip, Andy's birthday and then he baptism at least until Kail's Birthday! We send all of our love to everyone!

London and Kail Walking....

Kail's first steps.....
A stop along the route to the pose for a picture!

Almost there.....

Kail wants to keep going!

Paris by sunset!

Andy and I return from London back to NC tomorrow and we are excited to get home! We have had a great time with a 2 day excursion to Paris - amazing! We have missed the kids and so so much has happened with them! Kail began to walk on Sunday - the second day we were away! It is funny since Drew also began to walk at my Parents house with them when we were living there! So it was fitting for Kail to walk for them too! Other than that things are great and we have had a wonderful time with Shannon, Brian, Brad, Ethan and Savannah!

Time Flies by!

Well we are all doing good....Andy is working and in his spare time still trying to finish the shed. It is near completion but time is hard to come by....I wonder why! Drew is in the terrible two's and it is a really trying time for me, since I am with him all the time. He has been throwing tantrum after tantrum....including hitting, kicking, head banging and even biting. So most days when Andy arrives home I am pushed to the limit and it becomes his turn to take care of Drew. I have tried everything, ignoring, talking, time out and even spanking with no luck. So I finally broke down and bought a book about dealing with the Terrible Terrible twos! Other than that he has been fine....and wonderful when not throwing a tantrum. He is talking more and more with the help of his new speech therapist, Natalie. He really likes her and enjoys his sessions with her which is great! He still has vision therapy and developmental therapy - those are going well and he still has good days with them and then some occasional bad days! He loves to watch Noggin and surprisingly learns alot from it....Drew did make the move into a Big boy bed, bunk beds, that Grandma and Grandpa Dudash got for him. He actually does really well with them and has been sleeping great on the bottom bunk. We have not yet explored the top bunk with him as I don't feel he needs to know about it!

So that allowed Kail to move into Drew's old Crib/Toddler bed and he has been fine with it. He had a crib we were borrowing and he was growing out of it! It needed to be lower and it would not go any lower so he was attempting to get out of it! Kail has a very loud voice and spends most of his time making sounds...mama, dada, baba, and loud screeching noises that will drive you mad! His newest sound is a grunt and he even flexes his arms with that noise...very funny! He changes everyday and it amazes me how fast he is becoming a toddler. He can stand by himself but if he realizes he is doing it then he falls down! He has taken about 2-3 steps by himself and is unsure about walking. He will push all the chairs and anything mobile around the house to walk with it...everything except his walker toy! Funny! He is huge...About 20 lbs and just built like Andy where Drew is built more similar to me!

We are coming to a very busy time...Andy and I leave for London to visit my sister next week. We are excited but overwhelmed! We did decide to plan a overnight trip to Paris and have a romantic getaway for a night! I am not sure if we are excited to go on a trip or if we are excited to be kid free for 10 days! Once we get home Kail is getting baptized the following weekend which means house cleaning, making food for the lunch after and cake making! I also decided to cram Kail's birthday into that event since it was only 2 weeks after his baptism.....Shocking he is almost a year old! Like I said time flies by!

Pictures and more videos!

Drew smiles....when he sees the camera he says CHEEEESEEEEEE...it is to funny!

Kail and his silly hat! Drew loved to play with the towels! Kinda makes me think of the seven dwarves!

All the sudden Drew loves to put his face right in the camers. He has amazing blue eyes too!

Drew and I with silly hats made ot of towels...dont we look cute!

Drew eating.... A very rare moment at our house. He is the pickiest eater ever! He eats like me....He prefers cake over vegtables!

Kail's first meatball and spaghettis dinner! He liked it alot! He is getting to eat more and more real food....He actually will eat anything which is funny since Drew eats hardly anything!

My baby boy....I just love those blue eyes....they are so amazing!

This is a video of Drew jumping in his bed....he thinks it is so much fun to jump and fall! Then a video of Drew and his snake. He is so funny!

Silly Boys....

Yestreday the boys were playing together and I managed to record a small clip of it! It seems a little rough but Kail loved it and was laughing so hard!

Other than that, we are all doing well. Drew Speech Eval. was redone and he did much better the second time...Little delay in speech like we thought as opposed to a severe delay. He and Kail are begining to enjoy themselves and find they can play together. Sometimes it is a little rough for me but I understand they are boys! Drew went to the eye doctor over at duke and he is doing great. They did give him a new RX for glasses so we are waiting for those to get made and hopefuly he will want to waer them! I better run and get lunch ready for them! I have some more pictures to post so maybe during naptime I can come back!

The week in review!

Drew had a speech evaluation on Tuesday. I have been having a really hard time with the outcome and needed some time before I posted about it! It was scheduled for 11 and she showed up at 9:30. He was still sleeping since he takes after me! I got him up and he is not nice when woken up or is still waking up. I asked if I could feed him breakfast but she said she had an 11 o'clock appointment and did not think I had time to feed him. So needless to say he wanted NOTHING to do with her and would not cooperate. He was given an age of 1 year 10 months for speech....a severe delay and I was really upset. I took it personal and really had a bad time with the results. They are going to retest him this week after I complained about the test and how awful it was. He will be prepared for this evaluation this time.

Drew also has an eye exam on Tuesday so we are excited to see what they say. I am a little nervous about it, mainly that he will be uncooperative. I pray and will ask God to help him with patience and calmness that day! I will let everyone know what they say when we get back on Tuesday. Say a prayer for us!

Kail is doing great and getting so big! He is in 12 month clothes already. I am excited bc Drew has a lot of 12 months spring and summer clothes so Kail may finally be able to wear his clothes! He is getting teeth like crazy....he has 2 coming on top and 2 on the bottom! He has been eating some real food here and there...he eats everything at this age. I dont want that to change and him become picky like Drew is! I think Kail is on the brink of walking and ready to go!

Today we went to the Train show and Flea Market since it was so nice. The boys enjoyed it and spending time with PapPap and his trains! After that we worked outside for a little bit, Drew was napping but Kail sat outside with us! He was unsure of the grass and just around watching us! He has not really had the luxury of nice weather yet! I think tomorrow is going to be another beautiful day!

I better get off to bed! Have a great night and I will try to upload some pictures this week! Love to all

the shed...

Beer and Building!
The trusses are going up!

Me working!

All the walls are up! Yeah!

The Shed and some Snow pictures!

Working on wall number two with Drew's help!

The first wall of the shed is up!

Snow falling and Drew laughing at it! He loved it!

Look at me...I love to be in the snow. After an hour out here I am still warm, really mom dont make me go inside.

Drew loving the snow!

The shed and some random pictures!

Kail just being Kail....adorable. Is he not a handsome baby!

Yeah! Yeah! The Steelers won the game and are going to the superbowl! No one in our house wore steeler garb because it is bad luck! Go Steelers!

Drew and Mommy in the laundry basket! Sometimes the things he asks me to do are so silly!

Drew in his toy box...We are into getting in and out of things...can you tell?

Andy's man shed...the floor is done all we need is some walls and a roof! That takes place this saturday, jan 24 - a dudash shed raising!


Andy working on the floor!

The foundation partly done and the floor joists set up. The ground was so frozen we had to wait to set the last few cinder blocks.

Kail is 9 months old!

Kail is 9 months old tody ad he got his first tooth in today too! He is one step closer to eating real food! Yeah! Drew had therapy this morning with Ashley and he was a star! He talked up a storm to her and they built castles together. She would build a castle with blocks and ask him to build one just like hers...he would do it for her and then her "drews house and ashleys house" - it was t cute!

Andy and I went to get our passports done today...we are going to London in March to see my sister and her family. We can't wait! The boys are going to stay with my parents and so it will be so nice to be away! Andy is excited to see the Firetrucks in London!

Ugh - Kail is awake...gotta run!

Hello!

I suck....I have found myself with no time to update with pictures and what is going on! I am so sorry! Things and time fly by....My wonderful Aunt Macky is no longer here to help me with the kids and my life! I miss the help so much but enjoy the time alone with the family too! Drew and Kail are so so so so busy!

Drew is talking more and more. He says "Kail" and then gives him kisses. It is adorable! He is so good but has decided that Kail can be hit and pushed so I am constantly watching them. Several times Drew has decided during bath time to try to drown Kail so we have to be careful when they are in the tub. He finds it very comical and Kail finds it very annoying! Drew says "nap" when he is ready to nap or go to bed and then goes right into his room and crawls in bed...such a treat for us! We love that part of his character!

Kail on the other hand still drools like crazy with no teeth in sight! One day they will appear and hopefully a mouthful! Kail is a great eater and has a huge appetite. He is eating about 6 jars of baby food a day and 3-4 bottles. He would eat more but I limit his intake some. He does try to steal Drew's food a lot and has several good things like yogurt, granola bars, brownies and lollipops! He is very busy, much busier than Drew ever was! He keeps me on my toes vacuuming because he eats anything he can find - dirt especially!

I find myself at the end of the day exhausted and relaxing...not feeling like doing anything that requires my brain! I think I am getting better about having free time to do things but then I find myself behind on cleaning! It does get better but most likely worse before that! Andy is currently in the process of building a Shed to house some stuff so we can finish our garage into a room. We think it will be a master bedroom and our current room becoming a playroom! The boys will love that! So Andy is busy on the weekends working on that and I help during nap time. That is if everyone naps at the same time - which does not always happen!

I hope the New Year has been wonderful for all so far...We send hugs and kisses.

Happy New Year!!

Happy New Year! We had a great New Year's Eve...We all went over to my dear friend, Rachel's and hung out with her, her husband John and their daughter Hannah. Hannah and Drew are a few months apart and love to play together. Andy and John hung out and smoked cigars while Rachel and I had girl time. It was so much fun and very special to hang out. Rachel and I have been best friends since we were in the 6th grade so we love hanging out together. Drew had so much fun with Hannah and jumping on her bean bags...they were laughing and giggling up a storm. I believe that Hannah and Drew were exausted after all the fun! They both went to bed super early last night after all the partying!

Other than that we hung out and were lazy! This time of year is always hard for me after the holidays are over. My twin brother, Kevin passed away 13 years ago today. So that makes it even harder for our family. I spent a little of the day reflecting on memories for him and then missing him, which I do almost every day. I am always thankful of the wonderful guardian angel that Andy, Drew, Kail and I have....I know he is always watching over us!

Tomorrow we are going shopping for some lumber to build a much needed shed! Andy's first "honey-do" of the year! I think he is excited to build a shed...anyone interested in helping is welcome to help! This project will take up a few weekends of the new year but we are excited to get started!

I better get off to bed! I hope everyone has had a wonderful New Year so far and we send love and kisses to everyone!