Happy St. Patrick's Day

Here's a photo of my little leprechauns (aka Mom's Lucky Charms). This was taken right before we left the house this morning. I tried to take the sippy cup out of the frame, but John Ross wasn't having any of that. He's a little grumpy if he doesn't get his milk in the morning. I figure it will be the same with his coffee cup in 30 years! Of course, Judd was all sweetheart.

My goal is to have a really nice photo of the two of them in the same picture by the time Judd turns one. I have 7 months to go... Lord knows I've been trying for the past 5 months!

Stop and Smell the Fire Hydrant

Yesterday afternoon we decided to take full advantage of some warm weather (since it's a rarity up here in Iowa) and take a stroll around the neighborhood. All six of us were ready for the walk, except for John Ross who wanted to go his own direction as usual. To distract him, we asked him if he wanted to help Daddy walk the dogs. Kyle gave him Daisy's leash (who is the best and most tolerant dog in the world). Boy, did John Ross think he was big stuff walking the dog just like Daddy! He would look up at Kyle grinning ear to ear. So off we went - Kyle with Annie, John Ross with Daisy and I brought up the rear with Judd in his stroller. (And yes, we do look like our own little parade when we take a walk.) I had the best seat in the house for what I was about to see. Daisy, like most dogs, likes to sniff her surroundings. Naturally Daisy would sniff a fire hydrant, which I didn't think anything of until John Ross followed her lead and and leaned in to sniff it, too. At one point, we had to stop and wait, because John Ross was on all fours sniffing the grass with Daisy. I truly am amazed with the way a two-year-old mind works. It seemed perfectly normal for him to want to see what he was missing out on since Daisy was so intrigued. As a mom, I am finding that these simple little moments are absolutely endearing and priceless.

So, next time you pass by a fire hydrant, seize the moment like a two-year-old. You never know what you might be missing!

Judd Has a Tooth!

Judd cut his first tooth yesterday morning! It's on his bottom and we have a hunch it's neighbor will pop up soon. He is constantly chewing and Motrin is making a noticeable difference with him. I'm convinced something is still going on. Stay tuned...

Judd will be 5 months on Saturday, so he's not wasting any time!

JINX!

I was worried about jinxing John Ross' seizure-free streak and sure enough he had one today. In the last posting I mentioned how long he has gone without a seizure. That was the first and last time I'll mention his seizures in this blog.

He's doing just fine and I'm still thankful it's been 4 months (today in fact) since he's had one. That's a record for him.

Happy New Year?

I realize I am failing miserably with keeping up with postings. Who knew two boys would be so time consuming?! The last few months have been quite busy and eventful. First of all, Judd was diagnosed with RSV the day after Christmas, so he spent the holiday on a nebulizer. Other than that, we had a great time seeing family and spending some time together.

In early January, John Ross was admitted into Children's Mercy Hospital (KC) for a 5-day EEG study. His doctor is trying to understand his epilepsy better. While the study did not capture any seizures, his doctor decided to take him off his meds. We were thrilled with that outcome alone. I hope I'm not jinxing him, but he's coming up on 4 months without having a seizure. That's a record for him! Needless to say, John Ross is doing quite well!

Judd was baptized in January. He looked so cute in his white outfit and didn't fuss once during the ceremony. The weather caused for unfavorable road conditions and most of our family couldn't make it. Thank goodness his godparents (Uncle Tyler and Aunt Daphne) were in, so that we could go ahead with the special occasion. Hudson and John Ross had full run of the church after Mass since the four adults were involved with the actual baptism. I think God must have sent a guardian angel to keep those two out of trouble.

John Ross and Judd have a new cousin! Michaela (Brandon and Alesa Ann's first) was born in January. She's going to be one tough cookie with 3 boy cousins all close in age. We have a similar situation on the Malter side, their cousin Molly is outnumbered 4 to 1.

February brought more snow and some new milestones. Judd rolled over, slept through the night for the first time and started eating cereal. He's growing so fast! Judd is really into his jump-a-roo. Santa brought it for him and he loves it! John Ross has a cow obsession - not sure what that's about. He's his father's son, that's for sure. He also loves to sing. Apparently that's his favorite activity at daycare and he continues singing until bed time.

I'll try to do better with the postings - I promise!

December Update

Judd just turned two-months-old yesterday. At today's check-up he weighed in at 14 pounds and 8 ounces. What a big boy! He has really changed a lot in the past 30 days. We are beginning to see his personality and he just loves to smile and "coo" at us. (Be sure to check out the photos of him by clicking on the slideshow on the left.)

Our family is preparing for Christmas and for Mommy to go back to work. Cortney officially goes back to work on December 16th. Kyle is staying busy with work and he is still enjoying his new job.

We plan to enjoy a Missouri Christmas and hope to see as many of our family and friends as possible. This will be such a fun Christmas with a second son and John Ross getting into the holiday spirit, especially since we recently visited Santa Claus. Both boys were great with the jolly fellow and John Ross really liked Santa's beard. We're lucky that we have good experiences with Santa - every year we cringe and wonder if this will be the year for a meltdown! We credit the Santa that we have visited for the past three years. He's just wonderful with the kids.

In January we will be admitting John Ross into the Children's Mercy hospital in KC for a video EEG study. We hope to learn more about John Ross' epilepsy. He will be there for a week and we hope the doctors get the information they need. Please say a little prayer for John Ross and his doctors.

We are so thankful for our friends and family, especially this time of year. We feel so blessed to have two beautiful and healthy children. May God bless you this holiday season.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Eventful 30 Days!

Judd is already one-month-old, which is hard to believe. It seems the past 30 days have been a bit of blur. We are still trying to find our daily groove, but we are all doing great. A little sleep-deprived, but doing great!

Despite our adjustments, we really are having a ball with our two little guys. John Ross has particularly been enjoying the flow of company that's been coming through our home over the past few weeks. He likes the extra attention that's for sure! We had a fun evening trick-or-treating. Judd stayed back at the house with Daddy to hand out candy and Mommy took John Ross out and about. John Ross really got into picking out his own candy and putting it in his bag. In addition to trick-or-treating we all attended two Halloween parties, which was a lot of fun. We also went to a wedding reception last weekend. Mommy and Daddy are learning the difference of playing "one-on-one" versus "zone". Just last week we got their portraits taken, so hopefully we'll have some new photos to share soon.

We're off to Missouri for the coming weekend. Judd and John Ross are going to get in some family time while Kyle and Cortney attend the MU/K-State football game. Go Tigers!

Also, be sure to check out the photos to see how much Judd has changed over the past month.