10 days... 19 days... 26 days...

10 days left of schol
19 days till we go to TN to see Grandma Curry graduate
26 days till my knee surgery which I am already nervous about


Here are a few pics of the little dude. He is almost 18 months and he's so silly. He talks 90 to nothing! He is still obessessed with wearing everyithng as a hat (you see below with his bowl of noodles). He loves to jump and run everywhere.

This is Julian with a face full or Oreo... He loves to show his teeth and give you lots kisses when he good and disgusting.

Julian is all ready for church.

Julian's first time bowling. He loved it after he got the "taking turns" thing down.

17 months

Our little dude is 17 months on this wonderful Cinco de mayo!! Julian is a mess but we are blessed beyond anything we could have ever asked for or imagined so we just thank Jesus for him daily. He will repeat everything you say. His words he used are:

1. "ball"

2. "bowwwl" (bball goal)

3. "ca ca" (for Chaos the dog...hoping this one changes soon so he's not calling our dog poop the rest of his life.)

4. "cup"

5. "I stuck"

6. "shit" (for shoot the ball)

7. "hot"

8. "hawt" (for hat)

9. "shoes"

10. "cocks" (for socks)

11. "dut" (for dirt)

12. "poop"

13 "yuck" (sounds like he choking on a hair ball)

14. "dog"

15. "jump"

16. "dadada"

17. "mamama"

18. "tatata" (for sylvia, his babysitter)

19. "tata" (for taylor, 4 year old friend at babysitter)

20. "balloon"

21. "balabala" (for banana)

22. "boo boo" (for mosquito bites)

Those are his most popular that i think of right off the top of my head. He also signs for "more," thank you, please, all done, etc..

He is doing great with his allergy stuff being off milk, cheese, and egg products. He is still a CHAMP at going to bed at 8 every night. He is such a big boy. His hair at its longes point measures from the tip of my middle finger to mid wrist when wet and pulled straight. Funny that hair that long can curl up so tight.

Julian really is just an amazing little guy. He is such a blessing and an answer to prayer.

In other news:

I found out at the end of April that I had been put on the "excess" list again. Which means because of cut backs in Aldine ISD, and reoning, I needed to search for a different position in the district. NOT FUN. I don't even want to think about leaving Hinojosa. I love my friends there. I work with the most wonderful, Melissa Garza. I don't want to teach without her. They have been my family away from family in Houston. We are still praying every day that things will work out that I am able to stay but everything is up in the air until we know what Jobs are offered to whom. We shall see?? I interviewed with 7 schools at the job fair and i have had one follow up interview with a school I have heard a lot of nice things about. I am hoping that that is my 2nd option. First and foremost I would like to stay where I am.

Sounds like a fun summer for me....

Well the verdict is... Surgery.
They say 3rd time's the charm so this is it for sure. This is nothing like my other surgeries though. Before I had arthoscopy where they put two littlw holes in my knee and went in with little tools and scraped and took out little chipped pieces. MRI showed neither of the surgeries helped much because bone is rubbing bone which has caused a cyst to develop.. so yadda yadda yadda... there is a much more complex surgery for this knee of mine... it will involve a lateral release, medial plitation, tibial osteotomy, and a tru-fit application. If you understood any of that, you know more than me. All i know is they tighten some tendone, loosen another to reposition the knee cap and then they BREAK my tibial bone to repositon it and put screws and then put fake cartlidge somewhere and i guess that's about it.. All of this translates to me as PAIN and 2 months of NOTHING for me (6 months to a year for full recovery). THANKFULLY I was blessed with the most wonderful mother on the planet and she is going to come live with us to take care of me and Julian. Surgery is planned for June 18th. Things to do before surgery:
1. turn living room into 1/2 bedroom for me
2. deep clean my house
3. get flower beds looking nice
4. get life organized
all while speding every second outside playing with Julian and taking him everywhere I am not going to be able to take him this summer.

I am scared of the surgery and not being able to do anything with Julian but I am looking forward to a more healthy future for me and my family. I know it's in God's hands and I wouldn't want it to be anywhere else :)

Well there's the knee update.

Julian, Oh Julian!!

HAPPY EASTER!!

Chaos is now 4 months and 38 pounds. He's a big guy. Very cute but definitely living up to his name.

ALLERGIES:

So blood test revealed Julian has an allergy to milk, cheese, and egg whites. Boy we have had a great time lately trying to figure out anything this baby will eat. First of all he was already a very picky eater and now adding this to the mix, cut out a lot of the foods he actually would eat. Needless to say, we are still learning and reading every label in the store. Hopefully we will get an appointment with a nutritionist at Texas Children's soon. We just want to make sure we are doing everything possible for him to get all the nutrients and all that he needs.

Here is a video of our little guy. While picking up poop, I discoverd he obviously learned how to climb up the slide and go down alone. So I saw him and I rushed over because it is obviously not the safest thing for a 16 month old to be doing alone. So I would help (spot) him and then let him slide down by himself. Keep in mind he did this very successfully three times before I went to get my camera to record him. Well I hope everyone doesn't think I am the worst mother ever after watching this but also keep in mind that he was and is JUST FINE!!

Spring Break 2010 Pics

We had a BLESSED spring break!! Went by toooo tooo fast but we made the best of it.
The pics are backwards starting Saturday and going back to Monday.
Spring Break summary:
Monday... walk with Chaos and Dad... bike ride... walk.... outside time.... a little shopping for a dish washer.... and dentist appointment for me (only one more appointment and i'll have my crown on and be done with the dentist for a while hopefully).. then first trip to the park for the week.
Tuesday... knee doctor for me... then quick trip home to make it to J's 15 month check up... 33 1/2 inches tall, a big head, and he had lost some weight due to his stomach issues, referred to an allerist, blood drawn for food allergies (results show he is allergic to Milk, Cheese, and Egg whites), to the grocery store to hunt for any food without milk or soy (not easy with such a picky eater)
Wednesday... I took Julian to the rodeo... everyone in Houston calls it the rodeo but it was actually just like going to a civic center with lots of booths and lots of food stands with a carvival outside and a huge stock show in the back of the building.. we did not attend the rodeo.. but julian did enjoy walking up and down the isles at the stock show looking at the steers and the pigs. Julian wasn't a huge fan of the petting zoo (neither was I)... there were a zillion people in there and a zillion goats all pushing people for food.. we did manage to find a couple babies in a corner by themselves and Julian actually got out of my arms to pet them and enjoyed it. There were pony rides but the line was a mile long and being someone who was around horses daily growning up, it is hard to imagine i would have to wait in a mile long line to let my kid ride a dang pony... we are just going to really have to make the best of our trips home with all the animals and horse rides... overall Julian and I were only there for about 2 hours and we left... another trip to the park with dad later when we got home
Thursday... I don't think we did anything... I think I cleaned a little and we did as little as possible.. oh yeah Thursday evening Carol and the boys came over and we went to the park for a little while and then back to our house for burgers and fun
Friday... dropped Julian off with his babysitter and it was back to the knee doc for an MRI for me... and then hurried back to get Julian to make it to his appointment with the Allergist... the allergist didn't have blood work results at the time so he did a back prick test and none of the food test reacted on his back.... I guess the blood work shows a more clear result and came back positive for the milk, cheese, and egg whites... after his appointment we met Carol and the boys at the mall for lunch and playing a the play yard at the mall
Saturday... Julian and I did a little shopping while daddy was at work and hung out inside for a change while it rained
Sunday... worked the nursery at church and then back home to get ready for work the next day.. and dad stayed with Julian while I got to go get a pedicure!! whew hew

I had a busy break but it was so great spending so much time with Julian. He is obsessed with being outside. He loves being in the back witih Chaos or in the front walking down the sidewalk or in the garage in my car or "shooting" the ball outside... he isn't that picky as long as he is OUTSIDE!! he will bring you his shoes and he knows if his shoes are on that mean he's on his way outside.

We are finding more and more things he can eat the do not have milk or soy or egg... Luckily they don't seem to be severe enough where they think it's impossible for him to grow out of them. They say usually by age 3 or 4 they can outgrow them. So say a prayer.
As for my knee it doesn't look like there is much hope. I still go back to talk to the doctor on the 12th of April to see the results of the MRI but over the phone it seems like my only option would be a very extensive surgery with a long recovery time and a surgery that's not really even gauranteed so looks like i'll be living with it ..

So here are a few pics of Julian during spring break this year. The first is when i tried on an outfit I had bought for him from Target. The outfit was very cute on the rack and cute on but it was VETOed and he will be wearing something else to church for Easter.

Allergies? Enzyme dificiency? Lactose Intollerant?

Dear Julian, I really wish your body could tell me what is wrong and causing all of your "poop issues." Not only would I like you to feel better and to be more "regular" but most importantly I have a very sensitive stomach and all these exposions are disgusting and I am too tired in the middle of the night to bathe you and wash another load of sheets and clothes. :) It is a really good thing we love you and know you are worth every penny and much much more!! I am having a blast with you and your daddy during our spring break. We are spendinging a lot of time at doctors appointments trying to figure out your tummy issues but you have been a trooper. The weather has been beautiful and you would eat, sleep, and bathe outside if we would let you. I hope your tummy decides to get better soon so I can relax a little bit and know you are getting all the nutrition you need. But until we have it figured out, it is NO MILK and NO SOY for you. Spagetti is your favorite food group and it's a good thing they make spagetti sauce without milk or soy. :) Please get well soon!
Love, Mom

Julian had his 15 month check up on Tuesday. He is now 33 1/2 inches tall (95%), and his head is in the 95% and he was 23 lb 15 oz (which is less than he was a couple months ago, but considering the stomach issues and all the poop, it is not suprising).
He can say dada, momma, ball, cracker, cup, balloon, "tout tide" (outside), and his favorite phrase that he uses nonstop for everything is "I tuck" (I'm Stuck!)
He can run now (it's more like an uncontrolable power walk)

Everyone say a prayer that we figure out this issue Julian is having with his tummy or whatever. Some answers would really be nice so we can move forward and know what is ok to feed him and what isn't.

new bedtime routine!!

So I was encouraged early on by several friends to get my baby on a "schedule." I soon realized that I didn't have the life style or personality to do what I had originally planned. I never regret for a second all the millions of hours have spent rocking and cuddling with my little man at night. I always said the time would come when he would let us know when he was ready to put himself to bed in his crib. Well he has been telling us loud and clear the past few weeks. He had just started fighting sleep more an more every night with me and so I had lunch with some friends, and talked to his doctor while I was there all in the same day and so on Wednesday I came home on a mission ready to put my baby in his bed and let him fall asleep on his own. I pictured it taking us hours of listening to crying to get him to sleep. Our routine has always been: dinner, bath, brush teeth, pajamas, downstairs to play, cup, upstairs to go night night! the only change is instead of laying down with him in my bed, we go to his room and read a book and sing a song and turn out the lights and say good night. The first night he cried hard for about 2 mins and then whined for about 4. By minute 6, he was OUT. The second night we were rocking and reading a book and he reached for the bed so I said good night and left. He cried for about 30 seconds and by minute 1 he was OUT! The third night he reached for the bed again and when i put him in the bed he laid his head down and closed his eyes... not a peep! Tonight he got up out of my lap when I was reading his book and tried to climb in his crib. So I put him in and said our good night.. not a peep!! I have known for a while he has needed it but didn't really know how to go about it because I thought I had "missed the threshold" and it would be too hard. But Praise God!! he has done great and we haven't had a fuss about going to bed and it makes me feel so much better and I know it makes him feel so much better too. WHEW HEW!

Yay for Julian!!