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Kaylie & Chase Kaylie & Chase Noland 1/30/05 & 5/7/10 9:07 a.m. & 1:21 p.m. 5 lbs.12 oz. & 7 lbs. 2 oz.
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Monday, May 7: Today is Chase's 2nd birthday! Wow...how the time has flown. He's changing so fast and becoming his own little person that we barely remember his baby days. But we're loving this stage of his life, just as we did with Kaylie. He's so funny and developing his own unique personality. We are incredibly blessed to have two happy, healthy kids. We're hoping Chase breezes through the two's as easily as Kaylie did. So far so good...he's an easy going little boy who is happy most of the time and brings us so much joy! Two years ago our lives changed when Chase joined our family, and we're so thankful for him...we couldn't imagine our lives without our sweet little man!
Wednesday, March 28: Chase had day surgery today to get a second set of tubes in his ears. After having problems with recurring ear infections as a baby, he got his first set of tubes when he was just 8 months old. They stayed in for a year, and during that time he was perfectly healthy...no ear infections or sickness at all. Then about 6 weeks ago the tubes came out (after being in for a year), and immediately the ear infections started back again. So Chase's ENT doctor recommended that he get another set to last us through the next year, and hopefully by then he will outgrow the ear infections (which is what happened with Kaylie...she had two sets of tubes and never had problems with her ears after that).
So we went to the hospital bright and early this morning (5:30 a.m.) for Chase's surgery. He was a trooper! Even though it was very early, he was happy! And he got really happy when they gave him some "giggle juice" to relax him before surgery. He didn't get slap-happy like Kaylie did when she had giggle juice, but he was loopy and smiley! He went into surgery at 7:15 a.m. and was done 15 minutes later. The doctor said Chase's ears were full of "glue" (thick drainage). So he drained them before putting in the tubes. We could tell as soon as Chase woke up that he felt better (having all of that pressure relieved). We stayed in recovery for about an hour and then went home. Chase bounced back quick and was happy all day. The surgery was a success, and hopefully Chase will have another healthy year ahead with no more ear infections!
Kaylie has been doing great in school. She got her latest report card last week with all good marks and comments from her teacher. She's also doing well in her after-school activities. She's taking piano lessons and doing great! She enjoys her lessons and is picking up on the notes and tunes quickly. She's also in the Appalachian Children's Chorus, which is right up her alley because she gets to sing! The group performed in a concert with Landau Eugene Murphy last month, which was fun! Kaylie watched Landau on TV when he competed in America's Got Talent on NBC, so it was neat to meet him and sing with him. Now the group is preparing for a spring concert next month. Lastly, Kaylie is in her second year of gymnastics and loves it! Between her activities, school and homework, Kaylie is a busy girl (so are mom and dad)! Oh, and she had her first sleepover last week. She spent the night with her BFF Emma, and they had so much fun that she never called home once! In fact, the next day when I picked her up I asked her if she missed me and she said, "No, I didn't even think about you." So I guess we don't have to worry about her ever being homesick!
Kaylie has had a little "boyfriend" at school named JD! He gave her a Valentine card and stuffed animal (that she was very smitten about), and she went to his birthday party. But their first-grade romance is about as fleeting as the wind! One day they're on, the next day they're off! Luckily neither one of them seem too invested in it!
Chase is talking about anything and everything these days! He loves to play outside ("side!" he yells as he puts on his shoes), his favorite treat is "cookie," he loves to play with his "cycle" (toy motorcycle), he loves to ask for "oney" (honey) on his cereal in the mornings, and he knows the names of all his friends at school. Eat, drink, night-night, all dones, bath...there's not much we don't understand anymore. Oh, and we have gotten into a great bedtime routine! About 8:15 pm mommy puts him in his crib, kisses him night-night, and leaves the room! For a while mommy was staying with him 30 to 45 minutes patting him to sleep, but now Chase is fine with mommy leaving and he puts himself to sleep (yea)!
Kaylie is getting excited to meet her new baby cousin, Shanley, who's due in June (Aunt Kathy and Uncle Mike's baby). Shanley will join Tierney, Delaney and Brayden...another cousin for us to enjoy and love! She and Chase will just be 2 years apart, so when Shanley gets a little older they are sure to be play buddies!
So much going on...all good, thank goodness! We're getting ready to remodel our kitchen and put hardwood floors on our first floor, so our house is going to be turned upside down for a few weeks (I predict that we'll be eating a lot of takeout during that time)! But hopefully we'll survive the madness and have a beautiful new kitchen and floors that we'll enjoy for years.
That's all for now!
Monday, January 16: We're well into the new year and Chase seems to be doing new things all the time! His newest phrase is "Mommy watch!" when he wants my attention. He loves for Daddy to pick him up by his feet and turn him upside down, which always makes him laugh. So whenever Daddy starts to pick him up, Chase yells, "Mommy watch!" He likes to have our full attention (just like his sister)! Chase no longer uses his high chair now...he wants to sit right beside his sister at the big table when it's time to eat. In fact, he wants to do just about anything and everything that Kaylie does! When Kaylie plays Wii games, he's right beside her doing everything she does...shaking the controller, jumping up and down and cheering! When she turns on her music and dances, he dances around the room with her. They do have fun together! Sure, they fuss and fight over toys (and Mom and Dad's attention!), but for the most part they play well together and have fun with each other.
Kaylie and Chase got an air hockey table for Christmas that they have been having a ball with. Kaylie likes to play with Chase because she can score over and over easily! And for now that's fine with Chase because he thinks it's fun when the puck goes into his goal! Chase loves the air hockey table...he should be pretty good by the time he gets to be Kaylie's age! (And she's pretty good now...she and Daddy both play to win!)
Things are about to get busier in our house. Kaylie is starting piano lessons this week, and she's joining a community children's chorus next week. She's also still in gymnastics. All of her activities, combined with school and homework, keep us quite busy! (I can only imagine what it will be like once Chase starts getting into activities!) Kaylie is doing very well in school. She likes school, and she gets good grades and positive comments from her teacher -- we're very proud of her!
Kaylie had her first sleepover last weekend. Her friend Emma spent the night at our house and they had a blast together playing dress up, singing, dancing and playing Barbies. They also played with Chase and wore him out! I guess this will be the first of many, many sleepovers in our future!
Kaylie turns 7 in a few weeks. She's excited about having her birthday party at Chuck-E-Cheese's. It's hard to believe that she's turning 7 already...it seems like only yesterday she was Chase's age! And in just 4 short months he'll celebrate his 2nd birthday. Time does fly when you're having fun!
Monday, December 26: We had a wonderful Christmas! We spent Christmas Eve in Princeton as we always do, which is what makes the holiday so special...spending time with family. First we visited with Granddaddy and Grandmother and opened presents at their house. They went together with MawMaw and surprised Kaylie with a beautiful canopy bed, which is something she has wanted for a long time (so she can sleep like a Princess)! Chase also got some fun toys, like a lawnmower he can use to "help" Daddy mow the lawn! Later that evening we went to the Christmas Eve service at church, which is something we do every year. Chase really liked the music during the service...after the choir would sing a song or the congregation sang, Chase would say "yea!" and clap (even when it was quiet)! After church we went to Aunt Kathy's house where we prepared for the arrival of Santa! First, we sprinkled reindeer food in the front yard. Then we put out Christmas cookies and milk. MawMaw also gave each of the kids their own special book of "Twas the Night Before Christmas" that has the story recorded in her voice, so now they can hear MawMaw read that story to them anytime. The kids played some games then went to bed about 10:30. On Christmas morning, Kaylie was the first one up bright and early (about 6:30 am)! She woke everyone up and could hardly wait to run downstairs to the living room to see what Santa had brought. She was thrilled to see the Barbie Dream Townhouse she had asked for. She also got some Nintendo DS games, Barbie dolls, Barbie head phones, pajamas, clothes, movies and other toys. Aunt Kathy even got her a real disco mirror ball to hang in her room to set the stage for her "concerts" she puts on! Chase got lots of fun things, too...a big rocking horse, Elmo guitar, pop up tent, lots of toy cars, a table and chairs set, a Radio Flyer scooter on a track, play work bench with tools, movies, books, clothes, and some other toys. The kids also got a full size air hockey table, which Kaylie is very excited about (she loves air hockey)! We drove back home Christmas evening after a fun day, and the kids were so exhausted from all of the excitement that that the slept the entire way home (about an hour and a half). We had so much "stuff" to bring home that we couldn't fit it all in our car, so MawMaw came, too, and both of our vehicles were packed full! Once we unloaded everything the real fun began...assembly! This was the year of "big" things that needed put together...Kaylie's queen size bed and her doll house, Chase's rocking horse and his scooter/track set, the kids' table and chairs, and the air hockey table (still to do)! Daddy (and his drill) have been very busy! But we are so thankful to our family for making the kids' Christmas so fun. While we know that Christmas is not about the "stuff," it's been fun watching the kids play with their new toys and surprising Kaylie with some special things she really wanted. We are truly blessed, and we are so thankful for our loved ones who make the holidays special just by being together and continuing the traditions that we willl always cherish!
Saturday, November 26: We just returned from a week in Texas where we spent the Thanksgiving holiday with Jamey's familly (in Sanger, about an hour north of Dallas). We had a great visit with his parents, grandma, sisters, and nieces and nephews. Kaylie and Chase especially loved playing with all of their cousins that they don't get to see very often. Most days the weather was very nice (in the 60's or low 70s), so the kids spent most of their time playing outside. Kaylie and Chase LOVED riding MeMaw and PePaw's 4-wheeler with Daddy! The first thing Chase said every morning when he woke up was "side, side" (for outside) and "ride, ride" to ride the 4-wheeler. He rode it over and over every day...he never wanted to get off it! Jamey's parents have acres of beautiful property where they can ride, so it was a real treat for the kids. They also loved riding on MeMaw and PePaw's horses. Chase just giggled and giggled when he rode MeMaw's horse. And Kaylie really liked riding on Aunt Brittany's horse. Another neat experience for Kaylie was getting eggs from MeMaw and PePaw's hens in their barn! She thought it was very cool to have farm fresh eggs for breakfast! (Chase just liked chasing the chickens and hens! He never caught them, but he sure tried!) Chase also loved MeMaw and PePaw's 4 dogs! He called them "uppies" (for puppies). He especially loved Brittany's yorkie, Miley, and MeMaw's schnauzer, Angel. He must have said "uppie, uppie" 100 times a day as he chased them around all day! (The poor things, he wore them out, but he was just fascinated with them!)
We visited the Gaylord Hotel in Dallas one afternoon, where we saw an awesome display of Shrek ice sculptures...2 million pounds of ice crafted into enormous, gorgeous sculptures by artists from China. It was amazing! The entire convention center of the hotel was transformed into a giant freezer to accommodate the beautiful sculptures. We had to wear parkas to walk through the display because it was 0 degrees inside! But it was incredible. There was even one entire room that had a huge ice slide you could ride down! Kaylie did it over and over...she loved it! The sculptures were really something to see...I'm sure Kaylie will never forget it.
We went to the University of North Texas one day to watch Lacee (Kaylie and Chase's cousin) in a cheerleading competition. She is 10 years old, and she's been tumbling and cheering since she was very young. She's a very good cheerleader...she does all kinds of tumbling and stunts. It was fun to watch her compete!
We enojyed a delicious Thanksgiving meal that MeMaw prepared and just enjoyed spending the holiday together. It was a great trip and a great time for us all, especially Kaylie and Chase. Kaylie is already asking when we can go back because she had so much fun and she misses her cousins already!
Monday, October 31: We had a happy Halloween! Kaylie was a vampire, and Chase was Superman. The kids had a great time dressing up and trick-or-treating. Chase didn't quite understand why he couldn't eat every piece of candy as it was given to him, but he still had fun going around the neighborhood and seeing all the decorations and kids dressed up! And Kaylie really had a ball going from house to house collecting lots of candy. After she was done trick-or-treating she also had fun giving out candy to the kids who came to our house. MawMaw came to visit so she could see the kids all dressed up, and she also helped give out candy as kids came by. We had about 125 kids trick or treat in our neighborhood, so it was a fun evening!
Chase and Kaylie have been doing great! Kaylie is doing very well in school. She's getting good grades and good remarks from her teachers. Cheerleading is over, so she's is back in gymnastics, which she loves. She's also a great helper with her brother. She loves to play with him and help take care of him. In just a few months Kaylie will turn 7, and her maturing conversations and mannerisms surprise us all the time. Sometimes she seems so grown up, but luckily she still likes to cuddle with us at the end of every day, which we know won't last forever, so we sure enjoy it now.
Chase is doing good at daycare. His teachers say he's the best eater in class! They say he's usually the last kid at the breakfast and lunch table! He's turned into a picky eater at home, so we're glad he eats good at school. He's talking more all the time, and he loves to read. One of his favorite books is a book of colors and objects...he can point out and identify many pictures in the book, like bananas, trucks, fish, duck and apple. He's also sleeping well...he goes to bed in his crib around 8:00 and usually sleeps until around 7:00. Sometimes on weekends he'll sleep until 7:30, which is a real treat! He's a busy boy...he's into something all the time (cabinets, drawers, shelves...you name it)! He's much busier and more inquisitive than Kaylie ever was as a baby, so he definitely keeps us on our toes, but he's a happy little boy who really makes us laugh and smile!
Thursday, Sept. 29: Kaylie is well into her first grade year and doing great! This year has been a much easier transition because she knows the school and routine, and she has many friends from last year. She also really likes her teacher. She's making good grades and seems to like her work. Doing homework is never a problem...she likes spelling and reading best. She's also doing well with math. We have our first parent-teacher conference in a few weeks and look forward to hearing about her progress.
Chase also transitioned to his new room at daycare last month (from the baby room to the toddler room). The toddler room is much busier...they make crafts, paint, color, read, play outside, go for buggy rides, and do lots of hands-on learning activities. They also only take one nap a day (but on the weekends he still takes two naps at home). He is in a wonderful child care center...he has the same teachers that Kaylie had, and he's learning so fast. He seems to say and do new things all the time! Every morning when we drop Kaylie off at school he waves to her as she gets out of the car and says, "bye bye, sissy!" He loves his sister!
Kaylie has been enjoying cheerleading. She only has a few games left. She also started back at gymnastics, which she loves. So she has lots keeping her (and us) busy these days!
Saturday, August 20: Kaylie started 1st Grade yesterday! She was excited to go back to school and see her friends. She likes her teacher and is looking forward to another good year!
Chase's year in the baby room at daycare is almost over. Next week he moves to the next room, the Sea Horses room, with new teachers and new activities. He's doing so much now! He stopped taking a bottle about 3 weeks ago and just drinks from his sippy cup now. He also says lots of words...sissy (Kaylie), bite (when he wants something to eat), daddy, mama, no, trees and Pepper (our neighbor's dog). He's a busy little boy..always exploring, climbing on things and getting into cabinets. He loves to dance with Kaylie when she plays her music. And he's happy pretty much all the time. He never sits still for a minute, which definitely keeps us on our toes!
Wednesday, July 20: Summer is half way over and we're enjoying weekends at the pool, summer movies and good times at home with the kids. Kaylie is having a ball at her summer program at the Lighthouse. They go on field trips several times a week to the pool, movies, and special outings like to a puppet theater, farmer's market, library, and other places around town. When the kids aren't out and about, they play on the playground, work on daily journals and play games inside (when it's too hot to go outside). She's really going to miss all of her summer friends and fun when school starts back Aug. 19! But surprisingly, she said the other day that she is excited to go back to school. It's hard to believe that she'll be in first grade already! She finished up gymnastics and soccer in May, and she's decided to try something new this fall...cheerleading! She'll start practice next week. It's going to take a lot of time...they practice two or three times a week and then cheer for football games on Saturdays, but she's talked about this for a long time, so hopefully she'll have fun!
Chase seems to be doing new things every day! He's saying "bye bye" and "uh oh" a lot now. He waves bye bye, too, when people leave the room. Sometimes we call him "bubba," which he tries to say, along with "sissy" for Kaylie. He runs, jabbers all the time, and loves to mimick what people around him are doing (like talking on the cell phone). He's learning animal sounds...he'll say "kack-kack" for a duck and "ooh-ooh" for a monkey. He also loves to pull up his shirt and show you his belly when you ask him where his belly is! In recent weeks he's turned into quite the climber. He'll scale anything he can get his little legs up onto...tables, chairs, drawers, boxes, etc. (which he gets honestly, because apparently Mommy was a climber as a baby, too). He's doing well at daycare. He's so cute to watch with the other kids. He's happy there, and his teachers love him, which is apparent when we drop him off in the mornings...he reaches for them and is all smiles...and they snuggle and love on him like he was their own. We're very lucky to have an excellent daycare facility affiliated with Mommy's work because we never have to worry!
Chase is so funny...he's a little teaser who always makes us laugh! He's generally happy and easy-going most of the time. He's also in a good sleep routine now (which took a while to get to and now we are loving!)...he goes to bed around 8:00 and usually sleeps until 6:00 or 6:30 (on very rare occasions he may stretch it to 7:00!). Both of the kids are early risers (Kaylie is usually up around 6:00 as well), but considering they both are usually in bed by 8:30 and sleep good through the night we really can't complain! Chase also takes one or two naps a day. The best thing that's happened recently is that he's been on a healthy streak, which has been very nice! From November to May he seemed to keep some kind of cold or sinus infection constantly (which made for a very long and difficult 6 months). But with summer and nice weather we've finally gotten a break from doctor's appointments, antibiotics and snotty noses!
We've been enjoying weekends at a local pool. Kaylie loves the slides there, and Chase likes to play in the baby pool. We're really looking forward to our trip to Myrtle Beach in a few weeks...we can't wait to see what Chase thinks of the sand and ocean, and we'll have fun at the pool every day. Kaylie has been working on her swimming with Daddy and she's doing very well now. She's diving in from the side of the pool and swimming well on her own. Soon she may try the diving board. Just last year she couldn't swim much at all...and now she's like a little fish! She loves the water. Maybe Daddy will have a scuba diving partner when she gets a little older!
Sunday, May 29: We just returned from a wonderful week in Orlando, Florida! Jamey's cousin, Brent, graduated from high school, so we went down to celebrate with him, Aunt Punkin, Uncle Casey and Leah. MeMaw, PePaw and Brittany from Texas also came down for the week. So we had lots of family there, and lots of fun! The highlight of our trip was a visit to Disney World (Magic Kingdom), which was Chase's first time there, and Kaylie's third. MeMaw, Brittany and Brent also went, which made it extra fun. We rode lots of rides...Kaylie's favorites were It's A Small World, the people mover at Tomorrow Land, the tea cups and Peter Pan. Chase's favorite ride was the carousel. Both of the kids were troopers! It was very hot (90+ degrees) and somewhat crowded, but for the most part they didn't seem to mind! We were especially surprised at how well Chase did, considering that he didn't get his normal naps and we were on the go so long that day. By the time we left the park at 10:30 p.m. (after the electric parade and fireworks), we had been there 12 hours and we were completely pooped! But we had such a great time it didn't matter. We recovered the next day by the pool! We spent lots of time at the pool. A few days everyone joined us by the pool at our condo, and a few days we went to the pool at Punkin and Casey's house. But every day, sometimes twice a day, that's where Kaylie wanted to be (she and Daddy also went a few nights before bed)!
There were many memorable moments from our trip...Chase's first flight (he did great!), Disney, swimming, spending time with family, Brent's graduation, and something we'll never forget is Kaylie losing her first tooth! She had been waiting to lose a tooth for a long time...all of her friends have already lost teeth, so she couldn't wait! She had two teeth on the bottom that had been loose for a few weeks, and on Thursday evening, which also happened to be Uncle Casey's birthday, she went into the bathroom and pulled one all by herself! As we lit the candles on Casey's cake and sang happy birthday to him, Kaylie came out of the bathroom and said, "My tooth came out!" She was so proud of herself...and so excited that her tooth came out on vacation. She can't wait to show all her friends at school the new hole in her mouth!
We had a great week...we couldn't have asked for a better vacation! Although we just got home, we're already looking forward to our next vacation to the beach in August!
Saturday, May 7: Chase is one year old! We celebrated his birthday at our house with friends and family. We even had a double birthday bash since he and Tierney share the same birthday (she turned 15 today). So we had two cakes, two birthday songs, and lots of presents! Chase had fun playing in his cake and making a mess (although at first he wasn't sure why everyone was staring at him or what he was supposed to do with the cake)! But he soon got the hang of it and had icing all over his hands and face! When we opened presents he got lots of clothes and fun toys. Daddy's favorite is a police trike...now Chase can be on the lookout for any toddler crimes in the neighborhood! And Mommy wrote a special poem for Tierney and Chase about the special day they share. Chase also enjoyed trying some new snacks at the party. His favorite was cheese puffs...he shoveled them in his mouth as fast as he could! We had such a fun day celebrating with our little man who is growing up too fast!
Sunday, March 20: Spring is finally here! We are ready for warmer weather. It's been a rough winter at our house...lots of snotty noses, trips to the doctor and antibiotics! But hopefully with the sun will come a break from all of the sickness.
Kaylie started soccer last week and loves it. We're not sure if she likes the game more or all of the "accessorizing" that came with it...new pink soccer cleats, pink shin guards, pink soccer shorts and a pink soccer ball! (She may be playing her first sport, but she's still a princess!) She did great at her first practice, though. She jumped right in and followed the coach's instructions very well. She's on an all-girls team of mostly 6-year-olds. They practice once a week and have their first game in a few weeks. Life is getting busier with gymnastics on Tuesdays and now soccer on Thursdays and Saturdays!
Chase is starting to live up to his name because we're doing lots of "chasing" these days! We really have to watch him around the steps...sometimes we forget to put up the gate at the bottom of the staircase, and that's where he wants to go every time. The problem is he starts up the steps, turns around, and falls back onto the hard floor. (We're working with him on sliding down the steps on his belly, but he's not there yet!) When he's not trying to get to the steps, he's pulling everything out of the cabinets, turning on the water in the bath tub or pulling the night lights out of the wall! He's always on the go looking for new things to explore. He's a much busier baby than Kaylie ever was, so it's really going to be fun when he starts walking (which will be very soon because he's pulling up and letting go, trying to stand on his own)!
Chase had a doctor's appointment a few weeks ago and he weighed 20.2 pounds. He's still just as happy as ever, and as always, loves to play with his sister. Kaylie continues to be a great helper. She always watches out for him and pulls him away from things that could be dangerous, like when he gets too close to the TV stand or goes toward the steps. It's a good thing she likes to help...it takes all three of us to keep up with Chase!
Friday, February 4: Chase had his 9-month checkup with his doctor today. He weighs 18.8 pounds and is 28 1/2 inches long. (He's in the 25th percentile for weight and the 50th percentile for height for babies his age.) His developmental skills are right on track...he's crawling, pulling up on things, grasping things and babbling (a lot!). A second tooth has popped through next to his first tooth on the bottom, which would explain a lot of drooling, too! He's feeling much better these days and is still the happiest little guy we know!
Miss Kaylie had a fun birthday last weekend. Her cousins, aunt, uncle and MawMaw spent the night, and we all went out to dinner. The waiters and waitresses sang "happy birthday" to Kaylie (twice actually...they first came out singing and clapping when Kaylie was in the bathroom, so they had to leave, regroup, and do it all again when she returned to the table)! She got a birthday manicure (and picked red nail polish and a glittery top coat...so Kaylie)! Then she had a pool party on her birthday, which was a real treat because she loves to swim (and doesn't get to do much in the winter). Several of her Lighthouse friends came, along with her cousins, which made it a fun day for her and a very special 6th birthday. Some of her favorite gifts were a Nintendo DS, Wii dance game, sparkly pink tennis shoes, gift cards (which she can't wait to go shopping with), music CD, Barbies (to add to her extensive collection!), clothes, a Barbie bicycle helmet and safety gear, and money. She was also "serenaded" on her birthday by Mommy's friend, Hoppy, and our neighbor, Chuck!
Kaylie also got her second report card from school last week and got very good marks. Her "socializing" has improved, which means she's talking less and paying better attention to the teacher! She's doing well with her homework and her reading skills are improving all the time. Her teacher noted on her report card that Kaylie is such a happy little girl that it makes her happy, and we couldn't agree more!
Sunday, January 30: Happy 6th Birthday, Kaylie!
Tuesday, January 18: Little man has had a rough week. Last Wednesday, Jan. 12, was Chase's scheduled ear tube surgery. We arrived at the hospital at 5 a.m. for 7 a.m. surgery. The surgery went fine, but over the next 48 hours Chase's health took a turn for the worse. He developed a cough and congestion, started running a fever and vomiting, and by Friday morning was as limp as a rag doll. So we took him to the ER where they ran a battery of tests to discover that he had pneumoniua and RSV. He was admitted to the hospital that day and spent the next 2 days on antibiotics, oxygen and regularly getting breathing treatments and congestion suctioned from his lungs. It was a rough couple of days for the little guy. MawMaw came to help out at home with Daddy and Kaylie, while Mommy stayed at the hospital. By Sunday afternoon Chase had improved enough to go home, which made Kaylie very happy (she really missed her little brother)! Chase is spending a week at home before going back to daycare so he can continue to recover and get stronger. He's still on antibiotics and taking breathing treatments, and even though he's not 100% better yet, he's come a long way from last week. He's returning to his happy, smiley little self, and we can tell he's getting stronger and feeling better each day.
Chase had a "first" in the ER on Friday! He was feeling so bad that he only wanted Mommy to hold him. At one point she handed him to Daddy so she could take off her jacket, and Chase reached for her and said "MaMa...MaMa!" He has been saying "MaMa" ever since. So we'll certainly never forget the first time he spoke those words!
Sunday, January 9: Chase turned 8 months old a few days ago with a few big milestones! First, he started crawling! He loves being able to explore now. He gets very excited when he crawls...he makes the funniest noises as he moves around, and when he gets to where he wants to go, he sits back and just squeals and smiles with excitement! He's also pulling up on anything and everything he can get his hands on, so we better enjoy crawling because if he has his way he'll be walking soon, too! Chase also marked his 8th month by pulling up in his crib. Prior to a few days ago, whevnever we would get him out of his crib in the mornings he would be laying down. But the other morning when we went in his room to get him up he had pulled himself up and he was looking for us! So lots of changes happening fast now. Kaylie has shared in the excitement of Chase's firsts, which has made them even more fun!
Chase will have day surgery this Wednesday (1/12) to get tubes in his ears. Like his sister, he has had problems with recurring ear infections. So we're hoping the tubes will alleviate that (which they did with Kaylie).
Kaylie is doing great! She is getting ready to celebrate her 6th birthday. She is growing and learning so much at school. She's also still enjoying gymnastics. We're all looking forward to a few vacations this year. In May we'll be going to cousin Brent's high school graduation in Orlando. And of course, while we're there we'll be going to Disney (Kaylie is especially excited for that)! And we're also going to the beach this summer. We can't wait to see what Chase thinks of Mickey Mouse and the beach...two of Kaylie's favorite places!
Wednesday, December 29: We had a great Christmas! Kaylie's at the perfect age where she's really into the "magic" of the season, so it was a lot of fun visiting Santa, talking to him about what she wanted for Christmas, and anticipating his arrival on Christmas Eve. She also seemed to grasp more of the true meaning of Christmas as she learned about baby Jesus in church. Chase didn't quite know what to think of all the gifts and activity, but he sure liked playing in the tissue and wrapping paper! We were on the go Christmas Eve and Christmas day visiting family, but Chase and Kaylie didn't seem to mind. Chase was a happy camper anywhere we went, and Kaylie loved going from house to house because that meant she got to open presents everywhere she went!
Chase was a little under the weather right before Christmas with an ear infection. Unfortunately, he seems to be following in his sister's footsteps with ear infections. She had nearly a dozen by the age of 2, and consequently she ended up getting tubes in her ears, which stopped the infections altogether and improved her health tremendously. Chase has already had three ear infections in just the past two months, so we're taking him to see Kaylie's ear, nose and throat doctor next week to see if he also may need tubes. The tubes helped Kaylie so much that we're hoping Chase will be able to get them soon so we won't keep going round and round with the ear problems.
Chase is a happy little guy! He just smiles and babbles all the time, especially when Kaylie is around. When she walks into the room, he lights up. He loves his sister, and Kaylie is also crazy about him. She loves to play with Chase, and she's a great help. She's also enjoying him more and more as he becomes more mobile and interactive. Chase really wants to crawl...he'll go from a sitting position onto his hands and knees, but then he gets kind of "stuck." He can push himself back, but he hasn't started going forward yet...but it won't be long! He's still just got one tooth on the bottom, but it looks like a second one is about to pop through anytime. And he's started whistling when he wants something or gets mad, which is very funny! Chase will be 8 months old next week, which is hard to believe. Time sure flies much faster with the second child than the first!
Wednesday, December 22: Kaylie was singing "The 12 Days of Christmas" last night, and her version of the song was one we hadn't heard before...it included four golden bluebirds, three golden chickens and one golden tree!
Thursday, December 16: One year ago today we found out "It's a boy!" This time last year Chase was still growing in Mommy's belly, but the mystery of whether we would be shopping for pink or blue clothes was finally revealed. What a year it's been! Chase has been such a blessing to our family. Daddy is especially thankful that the hormones are more balanced in our household now...2 boys, 2 girls...we're all even!
Saturday, Dec. 11: Chase cut his first tooth...we think today! We're not exactly sure because we haven't been looking for teeth yet, we just happened to see a little white cap on his bottom gum this morning. It surprised us because Kaylie cut her teeth a little later and showed signs when her teeth were coming in, which Chase hasn't done. Kaylie chewed and drooled a lot and had low grade fevers with her first teeth, so we were kind of waiting for Chase to do the same thing. He has been drooling some and chewing on things like most babies do, but nothing excessive. So we were surprised today when he was babbling and we saw a tooth poking through! Sure would be nice if all of his teeth came in this easy!
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