Back to the Hospital

Tyler got admitted today. We got going around 10am and got to the hospital just before noon. Dawson threw a tantrum but settled in pretty quick after I put a movie in for him. I found out that I misread the chemo plan. It's 2 days of chemo, not 4. They used to do a calendar and write out the plan, but they don't anymore since I do ok at reading the Dr's roadmaps.

Dawson didn't last very long at the hospital. We left around 3pm to go check into the Ronald McDonald house. We got the room across the hall from our old room, so it's the same but backwards of the other one. This one has no microwave either, I miss that. They do have them downstairs though. Dawson is liking it here. He's getting into everything. So far he's already gotten his head stuck between 2 metal bars of the loft railing. He also took a ton of kleenexes and threw them off the loft, that was entertaining. I came out of the bathroom to find kleenex all over the place.

He didn't eat much for supper, they had vegetarian lasagna and a few casseroles. Dawson won't eat anything mixed. He had a bun some beans and a pumpkin bar. Thankfully I have his own food here, so I can make up for that.

Tyler is in a good mood still, he had a jar of sweet potatoes and some applesauce today. Dawson finished it for him. He's been impressing the nurses with his sitting up and leaning skills. Tomorrow the physical therapist is going to stop by and see what he can do now. The nurse says he's not taking a bottle yet, but hopefully he will eventually.

Our New TV

My mom and sister came over today and saw what we got. They always make us wait until we come over to see what they got, so we did the same. They seemed impressed. :)  Here it is, our new 46 inch Sony LCD TV that we got with our property tax return.

Sitting below it is our old 20 inch TV that we've had since we got married. It was an open item, so we got a really good deal on it. It has a small scratch on the top but you have to know where to look to see it. Not a big deal, I'm sure the kids will put more on it anyway, unfortunately! I'm still trying to get Dawson to be nice to it. He keeps pushing on the screen, it makes a cool distortion color and makes us cringe! I told him he was giving the TV an owie, he seemed to leave it alone a little better after that.

Dawson got a 2 year molar last week and is still working on the others. It was cute when I went shopping earlier this evening, I went to get the boys out and they both had a hand shoved in their mouth! I think they are both teething, Tyler has had his hands in his mouth more too. I stopped using shopping carts because of this, I just push them in the stroller and carry a basket. Thankfully I didn't have much to get!

Tyler is approved for chemo, so we're going back tomorrow morning. First to Grandma's house to pick up the breastmilk, then to the hospital. We also got into the Ronald McDonald house on the first day! There was no waiting list, I sure wasn't expecting that! A big relief since Dawson is with me and I really didn't want to deal with him in the hotel again.

We're gonna have a movie night before I go back. We get a free Redbox dvd every first monday of the month, so we couldn't pass it up. I got The Proposal, I hear it's good. Hopefully we can have a nice relaxing evening before going back. Tyler has been staying up really late these days, until 4-5am a lot of the times. Dawson goes to bed around 11-12 and gets up around 8-10am, so I usually don't get a lot of sleep!

Starting Solids

I decided to see if Tyler would take some baby food today. In the past he'd put up a big fight just trying to get him to open up, so we just waited. Today he opened up and was eating it like he'd been doing it all along! He ended up eating a whole jar of Sweet Potatoes. Hopefully we can add this into his daily routine and he'll continue to eat well. He didn't really make a mess until Dawson came into the kitchen and got into something. I got him out of the kitchen and turned around to see Tyler had dumped the entire bowl onto the tray and was splashing in it and sucking it off his fingers! Why did I leave the bowl on his tray?! Should've known better!

I keep forgetting to mention Dawson's first sentence! He says this quite a bit now, which I think is funny and quite necessary for a 2 year old's vocabulary. He says "I did it", it's so cute! Sometimes I can't figure out what he did, but today I asked him to close the cutting board. He did, we clapped and said "yay", so did he, then he said "I did it" and smiled. :)

For the longest time, Dawson was so good to hand me his plate and everything once he was done eating. I had him start doing that, instead of throwing it onto the floor. Well he's back to throwing it on the floor again. I've been having him pick it all up, but it doesn't seem to be stopping him from doing it.

Tomorrow my mom and sister are coming over. I'm sure Dawson will be happy to see them, he sure loves his Grandma and Auntie. He even says "Auntie" when he sees her or even hears her voice over the phone, it's the cutest thing!

The time change didn't seem to bother Dawson at all. He actually fell asleep an hour earlier than usual (figuring in the time change). I think I wore him out pretty good. He had a rough day, lots of disagreeing and tantruming today, so I'm sure that helped wear him out also.

Today I cleaned the boys' room. I put a bookcase in there, that helped a lot. All the diapers and many other things that had no home are now off the floor and looking a lot neater. I can see the rocking chair AND the floor now! :)  Dan put together a new storage cabinet that he bought, it's just like our other one. We put that in the spot where the bookcase is, so now we have a place to put picture albums, books and other things we don't want Dawson getting into. The other day he started dragging out my books, he hadn't really messed with them before so I was glad we bought that!

Some pics from yesterday. The boys were playing with this toy. Dawson likes having things on his lap, so he pulled it up on his lap and a little away from Tyler. That upset Tyler, so I scooted him closer and they both played with it peacefully for at least 5 minutes. It was really cute seeing them play together!

Dawson running over the bubble wrap. This was the smaller piece. He still has a lot more to play with some other day. Should be fun, it sure wore him out! :)

Sibling Fun

Well 2 days ago I said that Tyler isn't getting off his belly yet, but yesterday he was doing it all day long! He gets up on all fours now, off his belly and everything, and rocks back and forth. Dawson was doing that at about 8 months too and he started crawling at 9 months. Yikes! How'd he grow so fast?! He's quickly going from little baby to active baby. He always progresses so fast at home, it's like he's making up for lost time in the hospital!

Tyler is saying "mama" and "dada" more appropriately now. Before it was all dada at home and mama at the hospital. Now he says mama if he's hungry, wet, fell over or has some other problem and he says dada if he sees him walk by or something.

The boys were having lots of fun together last night. I was holding Tyler, flying him around the apartment after Dawson. Tyler was all giggles, especially when he caught up to and touched Dawson and it was the best when he landed on him and we tickled him. Dawson thought it was really fun too, he didn't even mind Tyler touching him for once. He usually doesn't like it and shoves him off. Once Dawson was tired he stopped on the couch. We sat by him, he grinned at Tyler and said "Hi..dada". He still doesn't say Tyler, it sounded like he knew that wasn't right but didn't get how to say it. I said it a few times and he was intently listening but didn't say it. He always gets this bashful look when prompted to say a new word. It's like he doesn't want to say it wrong, so he doesn't say it. You can just see him going over it in his head though, it's cute.

I invited my parents over today to see our new "toy", so after they see what we got I'll post it. I still have a lot of cleaning to do. I also want to switch the toys again. I keep half the toys in the closet and switch them out every couple months. I used to do it every 2 weeks but just got out of that habit. It's always fun to discover the "new" toys all over again. Keeps them busier.

Here's some more pics rom the photoshoot the other day:

I love that smile!

He was getting hot and crabby so I took off the shirt. Cute chubby arms!

His scar from the first Hickman is getting lighter. If you look close, it's the little red dot at the 1 or 2 o'clock position on the outside of the circle. He's growing into them more too, they used to go down to his feet. I still don't get why they make them so long, it's really not that necessary.

Here's Dawson when he fell asleep at the table the other day

Baby Pics and Bubble Wrap

Things have been going good here at home. Dawson is enjoying all his toys. Today's cool thing is the bubble wrap that came with the thing we just spent our property (renter's) tax on today. He's running back and forth over it. Not saying what we got yet. ;)

Dawson has a new word lately...owie! He says this both when hurt and when I'm making him do something he doesn't want to do. Like sitting down in the shopping cart or getting the car. I'm sure it looks great when people see me leaning into the car and the kid is screaming owie Owie OWIEEEE!

Tyler is doing good, he's getting better at going from sitting to laying on his side without falling over. He also leans over to get things and most of the time he can sit back up.

I did a photoshoot with Tyler and some of Dawson yesterday. Dawson wasn't cooperating. He doesn't like being forced to sit by or do anything with Tyler but he'll do it on his own terms in his own time. So I didn't really get many of both. Tyler got really hot in the first outfit and was crabby by the time I got to the 2nd one, but I still think I got some cute ones. Here's the first outfit and the two I got with Dawson. There was a lot, so I'll post more on the next one.

Moved out of the Ronald McDonald House

We're all home again. I'm trying to think positive and just be happy that we're home. It's just so hard when I have no clue if we'll be leaving in 2 days or 2 weeks! I tend to sit around and enjoy being able to sit around and do nothing while I'm at home, but that gets nothing done at home! It's a huge mess here, from coming and going, stuff half packed that I decided not to take with or didn't have time to put away. Half a basket of laundry from last week, folded but not put away because Dawson was sleeping at the time. Tons of clutter, which I really hope to start tackling tomorrow. I have a huge mountain of toys/suitcases/bags from coming home today that's not put away.

Stopped at my Grandma's house tonight on the way home. That was a lot of fun. I'm out of freezer space, so I'm keeping my breastmilk there so I can just pick it up on the way back again. When we got there, Dawson was very upset. He seemed to think I was dropping him off somewhere. He eventually realized I wasn't going anywhere and by the time we left, I had to carry him out kicking and screaming...literally!

We got an extra big dose of baby and toddler giggles today. I was throwing a ball up the stairs and Dawson was rolling it back down. Both the boys thought that was great. I've never heard Tyler laugh so much! He thought it was the funniest when it came right at him and I'd catch it right before it hit him.

Dawson is so cute. My Grandma has a clock on a side table in the living room. Dawson likes to trace the edge with his finger and Grandma used to say "round and round". So now everytime we go there he goes right to the clock and looks at her, expecting her to say it. Now he goes up to it and says "rou rou" himself, it's so cute! He'll also clap his hands and say "yay!" everytime I tell him "good job" for something!

Dawson has discovered a new way to run. He now gallops, it's so cute! He does this as often as he can remember, which is a lot. As long as he's not in too much of a hurry or concentrating on something else.

Being a typical 2 year old, Dawson is getting into everything and driving his mommy up the wall. He gets into the worst things when I'm nursing Tyler. Tonight I gave him applesauce for a snack before bed, thinking it'd keep him out of trouble. He didn't finish all of it and ended up dumping the bowl on the floor, which of course landed upside down. Not before dumking his hands in it and playing with all the papers, pens and other things on the table though.

The Ronald McDonald house is nice, it's a bit more child proof than the hotel. At least it has a locking bathroom door. It has a mini fridge though, which is right at his height, so he's opening and taking things out all the time. I usually put a suitcase in front of it, but then he climbs on it and gets into the things on the dresser! I can't win! I'm still staying ahead of his game though, I keep the suitcase unzipped so it's not sturdy enough to climb on, it just collapses when he kneels on it. I can't seem to keep him from dunking things into the toilet though, which is his new thing. Earlier he handed me a wet pink piece of paper. I thought maybe his sippy leaked. I threw it away and later noticed light pink drops on the toilet seat where the color had ran! Earlier today I found him sticking his head in the toilet! Thankfully he hadn't touched water or even went past the seat. I think parents should get an award for every year their child lives through!!

Dawson lost some skin off his forehead today. Poor boy got scared of a rolling dumpster inside the hospital today. They have a ton of construction going on so it's pretty crazy in there. He looked back and ran away from it, but still keeping an eye on the dumpster. He looked forward just in time to see the wall he was running into! The guy with the dumpster felt bad and thought Dawson handled that well. He really hit that wall hard but didn't cry very long at all. A little scraped up but it didn't bleed. Dawson often has a habit of not watching where he's running. He usually lucks out and misses things but barely!

He's doing great with his toddler bed. I close his door and he does sometimes fuss for a while, but he usually stays quiet and goes to bed when he's ready. Tonight I put him to bed and he just layed there and waited for the covers. Probably wouldn't have needed to close the door, I don't think he even got up! It's been a long day.

Tyler is being braver and doing more things. He leans way over to get something, even lowering himself to the floor from sitting if he wants something. He can correct himself when he starts to fall, he's really good at sitting now! He rarely ever falls over unless he's tired or upset. He's been laughing more and exploring new things. He will sit and examine a new thing for a good 5 minutes. He turns it over in his hands and occasionally will chew on it a bit but he doesn't as much as most babies I don't think. Right now he's beating a drum stick on the floor. He tries to imitate a lot, which I thought was pretty good for this age. You can tell he's trying to do it but doesn't have the coordination yet.

He's been getting up on hands and knees but not going anywhere. He doesn't hold the position long and hasn't even gotten his belly off the ground yet, but it's pretty cute. Now he's beaming at me because he figured out that it's easier to just beat the drum with his hand. He's so smart and he knows it. I'm in so much trouble when he becomes mobile! He has a lot of attitude and spunk for a little guy!

Dan and I are doing ok, it's frustrating not seeing each other much. Even when I'm home, if Tyler is here we hardly get anytime together because Tyler doesn't sleep well, so neither do we. So when we do get to talk, it's usually with a baby laying between us, nursing! How romantic. lol  I've been trying to keep my patience and sanity but the boys definitely test that at every possible opportunity. It's way nicer when Tyler isn't on chemo and throwing up but it's still a challenge when he's feeling good because he's gotten so spoiled at the hospital and expects attention all the time. Of course they usually need me at the same time, making things more difficult. I try to keep positive but it's hard. This is all so stressful, I can't wait to return to somewhat normal and be home more often. The stress makes it harder to even deal with the normal things, let alone those bad days. So I've had very little motivation to clean and do other things. I'm really hoping tomorrow will be better though.

Moving today was a lot of work. They don't have babysitting, so I had to push the stroller and pull the wagon with stuff in it. That made for slow going. Plus Dawson threw a fit about going in and out, he just didn't get it. Then Tyler wanted to nurse for like an hour everytime he ate. He just likes the mommy time, I think know he does it on purpose!! He'll stop, give me a big smile, start again, stop to touch my face, start again. Then when I think he's sleeping, or good to go, he fusses for more. If he even sees me pick up my breastpad, he makes it very clear that he's NOT done yet! Smart little bugger. I did get everything in my car and even had room to spare somehow! I learned that my big suitcase fits in the trunk with the stroller so that really saved me. I didn't like it in the backseat because I couldn't see very well for lane changes and stuff. That will really help for future trips. We're slowly perfecting this process. :)

I've been so bad about keeping up with this! I'm hoping to be better about it, at least I'm up to twice a month again! I'm hoping to keep it up more, especially since I'm home.

Dawson at the Hospital

It's been a while, I can't access this blog from the hospital and we haven't been home much lately. I've had Dawson with me at the hospital for a while now and it's definitely been a challenge. He's so bored, he bangs on the door, tries to escape when the nurse comes in. He pulls the emergency cord in the bathroom and pushes the nurse call light button a lot. Some nurses get very annoyed, some just think he's cute and they understand. He doesn't have many toys to play with, he can't go to Sibling Play anymore or even leave the room because of the new Infection Control rules. It's miserable. I feel bad that he can't run and play like a normal kid. Nothing is wrong with him but he has to suffer also. So I feel bad that he's not getting the childhood he deserves. Who wants to grow up in a boring hospital room?! Next week he's going to a friend's house for the week. Even if he's away from me, he needs some time to play and be a kid. Hopefully it'll be a fun week for him. He doesn't know her well, but she did watch him for a little bit before I started keeping him with me. She has 2 toddler boys that he enjoys being around.

He's getting very helpful around the hospital when he wants to. He closes the door behind the nurses, picks up things they drop, hands me things if we drop them. He just doesn't have anything interesting to do. He spends most of the day watching tv. I miss playgrounds, ECFE class and playdates with the Mom's Club. I feel like he really doesn't get enough attention from me. When we're at the hospital, Tyler demands all of my attention, it's very hard to do anything with Dawson. We do play at the Ronald McDonald house, but it's a very short amount of the day.

I'm out of time, as usual. Hopefully I'll have time to post some pics next time.