An Inconvenience, But Not A Complication

Another update from Brenda's Myspace page...

I had to go for another ultrasound today to check my amniotic fluid since at my last one two weeks ago they told me that my levels were high. My levels had remained the same (on the high side of the normal range) so my doctor decided to err on the side of caution and make me undergo stress tests and ultrasounds twice a week for the remainder of my pregnancy. So really, that is just two extra appointments since I'm delivering in two weeks. He said the only thing that can be a concern in this situation (and it is an EXTREMELY minor concern) is that the extra fluid could compress the placenta, restricting blood and oxygen flow to the baby. So the stress tests are just going to make sure that he's just hanging out in there, and that there is no distress.

Again, the Lord is using this situation to mold me and grow me spiritually. I am the kind of person who hates to go to the doctor, so I pretty much have to be dying to go. So it is upsetting to me to have to now go twice per week (once was bad enough!). So when we were discussing this at the doctor today, my first reaction was to be upset. But then I was reminded by the holy spirit living in my heart that everything is perfect with the baby. He is thriving, he is totally healthy and growing right on target to where he needs to be, and these tests are just a precaution to make sure he stays that way. So that is where I decided to put my focus. I decided chalk this up to a minor inconvenience, and nothing more.... and there's no reason to be upset about it. I think God is telling me not to be such a reacter, which is where I tend to lean. Because when I'm so busy reacting, I forget that he's even there and really allow the enemy into my life, making me doubt God's provision for me.

On a different note, the ultrasound today showed that Ben weighs about 6 lbs 6 oz at the moment. He also measured his long bones, and said "this baby is not short." So it looks like we've got another basketball player on our hands!

Quick Update

A few quick notes... Joshua had what will hopefully be his final cardiologist appointment on Tuesday. He was born with a heart murmur, which got better, but then another murmur developed around that same time. Murmurs are fairly common in children and usually go away on their own. His checkup on Tuesday confirmed that his was gone, so we should be done with the cardiologist, hopefully for good! Looking back, while it may have been inconvenient to take him to those infrequent checkups (because he always seemed to hate those checkups), we were blessed enough that all they were checking on was a murmur. No pun intended, but your heart just breaks seeing little kids that have much worse problems, some needing heart surgery or worse.

As far as Mommy and Ben go, Brenda had her weekly checkup today and everything seemed to be fine. She is now measuring at 36 weeks, which is what the ultrasound showed last week (she measured at 38 last week, and she is now officially 35 weeks along... no more numbers). They did a, uh, more thorough checkup today, and she is not dilated at all, which is a good thing at this point in time. She asked about a few aches and pains she has been having, and was assured that they are normal. She will be heading in for one more ultrasound in the next week so they can ensure everything is looking okay in regards to the hydramnios.

Since everything is looking good, Brenda is having one last hurrah before being chained to 2 kids for 10 weeks, and will be heading up to Vegas with my mom to help my sister with some wedding planning. The doctor gave her the thumbs up to take the trip, so it will be a Boy's Weekend in the Maple household (sorry Copper, you don't count). I don't know about Josh, but I'll be living on Pringles and Mountain Dew all weekend =)

Juicy Mama

Brenda had a routine checkup last week, and apparently the little guy was measuring big, much bigger than he had in weeks past. He was consistently about 1 week larger than gestational age, but this week he was something like 5. The doctor told us that we needed to have an ultrasound to check everything out. Brenda thought the doctor was just measuring wrong, but hey, a free ultrasound at this late a stage? Not turning that one down! Turns out Ben is not measuring large, he is still about a week ahead. However, Brenda apparently has an overabundance of amniotic fluid, a condition called Hydramnios. In the ultrasound, they measure the largest pockets of fluid in 4 spots in the uterus, add those numbers together, and this gives you the Amniotic Fluid Index, or AFI. Average at this stage is 14 cm; Brenda was measuring at 24 cm. That is obviously on the high side, but it still just appears to be a mild case. There could be many causes of this, the majority of them harmless, but in the ultrasound they check out the kidneys, bladder, etc, to ensure that they are functioning properly. They also check the mouth area to see if there is anything going on that could affect swallowing. The ultrasound tech told us everything looked normal, so it is probably just one of those harmless, random things that seem to be a normal part of this pregnancy. The only thing they get concerned about with hydramnios is that it can sometimes trick the body into thinking things are further along and trigger early labor. We are at 34 weeks, so as long as the little guy hangs out for a couple more weeks, we should be fine. I am sure that we will still be delivering on 8/10, but you never know! What was cool was that we were able to have a 4-D ultrasound done, which means we got some really cool pictures, which are already posted in the photo album. The tech told us she just wanted to have a little fun and do the 4-D for free, but I think it may have actually been asked for by the doctor, after reading a couple articles. In any case, he appears to be happy, healthy and very active in there, and we couldn't be happier!

Mmmmmm... Umbilical

Big Boy!

In preparation for the new arrival (in 5 weeks and 6 days... not that we're counting), we decided that we would transition Joshua into a big boy bed so that we can pass the crib down to his little brother. We then decided to take it one step bigger, and give him a whole new room. We had no idea what to expect, but more than anything expected some kind of fight or power struggle. So last week, Brenda put together his new toddler bed (with Joshua's help... and we all know how much help a 2 year old is with those kinds of things!), and got his new room all set up. He has been very interested in his bed all week, but mostly just wanted to jump off of it. But we really tried to get him excited about his new room and bed. So last night was the moment of truth. After a long night of hard play with his buddy Nathaniel, we came home to hit the hay. We couldn't believe it. After reading our stories and saying our prayers, Joshua cliimbed right in his bed all by himself. He was so ready for this! When Brenda left the room, we didn't hear another peep from him until about 7:30 this morning! And to top that off, he stayed in his bed until we came in to get him. At nap time today, it was the same thing. No fighting, no attempts at escape. Just a 2 hour snooze fest. We could not be prouder of our little big boy. He is such an amazing joy in our lives. The fact that he made this transition so well gives us hope for our next big endeavor... little brother!

Big Kid Now

A few tidbits from the last couple weeks. Joshua had his 2 year checkup and measured in at a whopping 38 inches, which is above 97% on the growth chart. That means he grew another 3 inches in the past 6 months. Unfortunately he only decided to add 1 pound in that 6 months and he weighed in at 26 pounds. Apparently he wants to be a stringbean like daddy =) The doctor wasn't concerned and we certainly aren't either, so no worries there. He also got his last shot until he is 4 (woohoo!). As far as his talking... he is still amazing us every day. He is now putting together the occasional 4 to 5 word sentence, and I think we have lost track of how many words he knows. Our concerns about that are definitely gone.

The big news for Joshua is that he moved out of his crib this weekend! We were anticipating a bit of a struggle, but so far he hasn't had a problem with it. No crying, no trying to get out of his room, no wandering out of his bed... we are amazed! We've been playing up the "big boy now" theme, and it seems to be working. He has been very excited about the whole thing.

Two Years Old!

(Note: This came from Brenda's Myspace blog)

Wednesday was a very special day in the Maple household. Our little Joshua is 2 years old today. It has been so amazing to watch him grow and develop over the last year. This time last year, he couldn't talk and couldn't walk. He was probably about a foot shorter (okay, maybe not that much, but he's grown a lot), and was still so dependant upon us for everything.

My, what a difference a year makes! He is such a little man now. He decided to give walking a try right around the 4th of July last year, and has become increasingly agile since that time. He's running everywhere, and he loves to do somersaults and "jump" off of things. He is talking constantly, and about 99% are actual words that can be easily understood. He's even puttting together sentences.

There have been some struggles over the last year. I remember that 18 months was probably the hardest time we've had so far. We were dealing with an increased ability to understand, but not being able to communicate it, which brought a lot of frustration for everyone. Our Christmas tree stood naked this year, as he was unable to control the impulses of playing with the ornaments. He also began asserting his own decisions, and when he didn't want to do something, he certainly would let you know. But that's all part of growing up.

We just couldn't be prouder of our little man, and look forward to what this next year will bring. A new baby brother, a new bedroom, a big boy bed, and potty training (Lord willing!). We especiallly look forward to those "Kids Say the Darndest Things" moments as his verbal skills continue to develop.

To celebrate the big day, we had his name read on the radio in the morning, and brought cookies to share with his friends at school. We had dinner at McDonalds, and play with our special birthday presents from Mommy and Daddy... a sandbox, sandbox toys, a dump truck and a rocket launcher. It is turning out to be a great day! Then this weekend is the big and much anticipated puppy party!

Happy birthday, J-Man. We love you!!!!

From Silent Bob to Verbal Diarrhea

(Note: This was originally posted on Brenda's Myspace blog)

Just about 6 weeks ago, I was at my wits end, very concerned that Joshua was not talking. I was convinced we were going to need to get him evaluated, and all that. Then, he just exploded. He's got probably about 50-60 words now, most of which can be understood pretty clearly. I am the happiest mommy in the world, now that I can verbally communicate with my kiddo. What is funny is that he was so quiet for so long, now he's making up for lost time. We really can't shut the kid up! He narrates everything that he does.. "I sit!" "Go to da store" "Up-ey Steps", and is mimicking everything. It is hilarious, but also a little unnerving. We are now to the point where we REALLY need to watch what comes out of our mouths. It really makes you stop and think what appropriate language really is. Obviously we shouldn't be saying the major offenses (little one in the house or not)... but what about calling someone an idiot on the road? Do I want to hear my son calling someone an idiot? Absoultely not. Or even just saying that something "sucks". We're really trying to G-rate our language and behavior. Then, what about shows that are on the TV? He is always paying attention to everything, so it stands to reason that the old boob tube can be an influence on him, even at this young age. I know he is going to be exposed to this stuff, especially as he begins to gain more and more independence over the next few years (can we say, elementary school???), but there is a big difference between being exposed to it, and condoning it. I feel that if these things commonly happen in our home, we are saying that they are okay, which I am not okay with. Just another sacrifice of parenting! But it is SO worth it!!!

Joshua-to-English Dictionary

Now that Joshua is spitting out new words everyday, we thought it would useful to have a Joshua-English dictionary to help decipher some of the verbage. Some of the words he can say perfectly: Mommy, Daddy, puppy, bubble, cookie, juice, shoes, socks, "I Sit in Seat", cheese, fishies, "Lets Go", "I Can See It". Here's the ones that need some translation:

Up The Steps = "Uh-Pee-Seps!"
Ball = "Bah-oe"
Milk = "Guk"
Strawberry = "Buh-buh-bee"
Please = "Peace"
Amen = "Muh-Men"
Night-Night = "Nah-nee"
Nathaniel = "Nah-nee"
Potty = "Poo-pee"
Airplane = "Ah-poe"

Ch-Ch-Changes!

So it has only been a couple weeks since the last post, but it seems like Josh has changed a bunch since then. Honestly, the Tuesday after that post, Josh woke up and was a very different kid. For one thing, he that look in his eye, like he was going to be up to something, like he was going to explore and there was nothing we could do about it (you parents know the look I'm talking about). Ever since then, he has been more adventurous, more talkative, more everything. He seems to have double the energy he used to have, but not in an "oh-crap-terrible-twos" way. He has actually been very well behaved lately, for the most part. Anyways, the changes. First and foremost, he has finally decided that he wanted to talk a little bit. We always knew that he understood everything we said and we would catch him occasionally spitting out a word. But he has definitely expanded his vocab in the last two weeks: bump-bump (wanting to go over speed bumps), puppy, cookie, grass, key, amen (pronounced meh-men), beep (pronounced buh-p). He also is making up his own little sign language... he will point to his eyes if he wants his sunglasses, his ear if he wants the phone, his head if he wants his hat, his mouth if he wants to eat or drink and his hand if he wants to draw with his markers (don't ask).

Another exciting development is that he has shown a lot of interest in his potty. He has been wanting to sit on it a lot, and over the past few days he has peed in it quite a few times. Today he actually led Mommy into the bathroom, took off his shorts, had her take off his diaper and sat down. He got distracted when he didn't go, started playing with the door, noticed that he had peed on the floor, pinched it off (ouch!) and went back to the potty to finish! So he is definitely figuring out what it is for. Hopefully he will stay on this track!

As far as being adventurous, he has been testing his courage at the playground, conquering both the wobbly bridge AND the chain ladder in just this week alone. He seems to be developing a lot of confidence in himself lately, on the playground and everywhere else, and we are super proud of him, as always.

On a side note, his future sibling is developing just fine. We had another ultrasound last week and everything appears to be developing nicely. We are still on track for a mid-August arrival, which will be here before we know it. Please keep Brenda and the baby in your prayers.

Look Ma, No Pants!

Joshua continues to add new skills to his arsenal every single day. Last week, as the picture shows, he learned how to pull down his pants! It was funny at first, walking in to check on him and seeing him with his pants down. It was even funnier to watch him shuffle off with his pants around his ankles. Not quite so funny when he whipped 'em down repeatedly at our Bible study Friday night! Luckily it seems like he only does it when he is wearing his jammies, so we haven't had any problems in public just yet. Thanks heavens for buttons and zippers!

Sick Boy

Well, we made it almost 21 months, but over the past weekend, Joshua finally came down with his first ear infection. At first it didn't seem like anything worse than a common cold: fever, cough, runny nose. But then the fever kept sticking around, and then the diapers got a little, uh, looser and more frequent. We finally took him to the doctor and she said that he had an ear infection in his left ear. He's now on a 10 day course of Amoxicillin, which amazingly is his first prescription ever. Unfortunately the antibiotic is also making his tummy a bit worse. Okay, a lot worse. Wednesday night between 5:30 - 8:30, we changed somewhere around 14 or 15 diapers. It slowed down a bit on Thursday, and it appears to be even better today (knock on wood), but he's still staying home from school, just in case. And even though Brenda and I are up to arms in dirty diapers (Brenda more so than me, she's a trooper), we still feel very blessed that this is the first time in Joshua's 21 months on Earth that we have had to go through something like this. He is a very healthy kid and we are so thankful for that. Now go buy stock in Huggies!!!

Kick It!

Thought I would throw a quick update on here while Joshua munches on his waffles and Cheerios. The J-Man has recently discovered that he can kick things: his big blue ball, his legos, the patio door, Copper, Mommy and Daddy's shins. When he hasn't been practicing for the World Cup, Joshua has also been cutting what we think are his final baby teeth. Yes, he is getting his 2 year molars at 19 months. He is our little alligator. These ones don't seem to be that much fun for him (or us)... he has definitely had his cranky moments. On a funnier note, Joshua has learned to close his eyes on demand. The funny part is that he does it using his index fingers. We're not quite sure where that one came from, but it sure does crack us up. Not much else to report on Joshua, at least not that I can think of. We have our first ultrasound appointment on Thursday, so please pray for that. We will be sure to post results and pictures as soon as we can. Hope ya'll like the new layout!

Joshua's Little Buddy!

The J-Man apparently has a friend at daycare... the teacher says they do this almost every day!

Monkey Hear, Monkey Say

Over the last couple of days, Joshua has taken great strides in his journey toward being verbal. We have noticed that he definitely has words that he uses a lot, but they are either made up words, or ones that he has switched all the consonants to ones he knows so that they don't sound like what he's trying to say. But we have noticed that he makes the same groups of sounds in similar situations, like when a light is out, or he finds something missing from somewhere. He still doesn't have that many real words that he actually says and uses regularly, but he is turning into our little parrot. He has started to mimic a lot of the sounds that we are making, his favorite being the "P" sound, which he always whispers. He also has learned how to say "silly", which is really cute. There are two copycat things that just really crack us up. He has been entertained by rapid eye blinking for a while (watching mommy or daddy do it), but now he is trying to do it himself. He doesn't quite have the rapid part down, and he keeps his eyes about halfway closed when he's doing it, but it is the cutest thing! The other is copying us when we put our fingers to our lips and say "Shhhh". Apparently it looks like we're pointing to our noses, because Josh will point to his nose and say "ssssss". He never ceases to amaze us in the new things he learns everyday. We think in the next few months he will decide that there is really something to this talking thing and will really start to turn it on. That seems to be his personality... kind of an all or nothing kind of guy. That's how he was when it came to walking, so it shouldn't be any surprise that he's doing it again in the verbal department. We'll keep you posted on our hopefully soon to be little chatterbox.

Joshua's Big News

Behold, the Christmas Tree

When we put the Christmas tree up a few weeks ago, Joshua was an instant fan. It was assembled while he was down for a nap, and when he woke up, it stopped him dead in his tracks, and got a "whooooaaaa" out of him. After that, every morning he had to present the Christmas tree to us. He would march out to the kitchen to where the tree is, and walk toward it with his arm outstretched and his palm up, as if to say, "behold, the glorious Christmas Tree!"

18 Month Update

Just wanted to update you all on our big guy... can't really call him a little guy anymore. Joshua went to the doctor for his 18 month well-baby check up, and we were amazed to find that he has grown almost 4 inches since his first birthday!!! He now stands at 34 3/4 inches (97%) and weighs in at about 25 lbs (40-50%). We couldn't get an exact weight, as Joshua is not a big fan of the doctor's office right now. He is scared of the scale, so in order to weigh him, they had to weigh mommy holding him, and then weigh mommy by herself (which mommy as SO happy about!) =) But he's still a tall and skinny dude. Everything else checked out perfectly. He's such a healthy kid, and we are very thankful for that.

One of his favorite activities is still stacking blocks. He is very meticulous about it, and can stack up to 12 at once, all by himself! He even will straighten parts of the stack that aren't exactly flush. His doctor said that he will be the one in all of the honors classes. =) If the whole NBA thing doesn't work out for him, he has a bright future in engineering. He also still really enjoys books, and we hope that this love is here to stay. His mommy and daddy were both big readers when they were younger, so we hope he will follow in our footsteps.

Spoon Master

Joshua has perfected the art of eating with a spoon...

Ho! Ho!... Im not so sure about this!

This week, Joshua went to get his picture taken with Santa. He was happy to see Santa, as long as Santa kept his distance. But Santa was nice enough to make room for Mommy on his chair so that we could all get our picture together. I think he was a little traumatized by Santa, since the rest of the afternoon and into the next day he was super cranky and clingy, but he's recovered now, and we got to begin to chronical Joshua's second Christmas season. Next year he should be a little more excited to see Santa. Merry Christmas, everyone!