Reading

Ajay has loved reading from the get-go. I have video clips of me reading to him and him babbling along. He still gets his stories before bedtime and he asks for books to be read to him throughout the day. Alex, however, has not seemed to share the same love of books. I would try to read to him and he would just push the book out of the way and try to get down and run around. Lately, thankfully, he has started to get an interest in books. He'll actually let me read two stories to him before bedtime and I've caught him "reading" books on his own!

(Alex likes to crawl under his crib and pick up the pacifiers he tossed out the night before.)

Deaf History Month

Did you know there was a Deaf History Month? I had no clue until I heard it mentioned on the radio this morning. It seems the dates are March 13 through April 15. I wanted to know more and found out there's also a Deaf Person of the Year. If you follow that link, you can scroll to the bottom of the page and see the Deaf Person of the Month through the years 2007-2009.
I'm currently teaching Alex sign language and Ajay still remembers bits of what he learned when he was a baby. Alex can sign "milk," "all done," "eat," and "more." "More" seems to be a catch-all sign. He signs it in his own way - more like punching one fist against the palm of the other hand. Once, when Biju and I dropped the boys off in the KidZone at the Y, the worker picked Alex up and he immediately started punching his palm. She looked at me and said "What does that mean?" and I told her it means "more" but he probably is using it to mean he wants to eat.
We've been checking out Signing Time videos to help supplement what I vaguely remember from my American Sign Language class back in college. Maybe during Deaf History Month I can make a point to "re-learn" many of those forgotten signs! Here is a great website to look up just about any word you can think of. The site uses a QuickTime video of the sign along with a verbal description of what you should do with your hands/face.
Happy Deaf History Month!!

How things are going

Well I tried updating this a few hours ago, but Alex came along and started punching buttons and ended up deleting the whole entry. I was so sad I couldn't bring myself to retype everything at the time. Now that I've gotten a little nap (thank you, Biju!) I'm feeling more up to the task.

I started the oils on Alex on Wednesday. Through the day I rubbed Medieval Mix behind his ears for the ear infection and at night I rubbed the same on the bottom of his feet, then rubbed Lavender oil on his tummy to calm him. He *only* woke 3x that night (yes, that was an improvement!). He also didn't cough the whole night! Thursday I went for a girls night out and Biju forgot to put oils on before bed. He woke up 4x. By Friday, I was nervous that the oils weren't working on his ear infection (they might've been, it had only two days, but I was nervous and felt bad that Alex was in so much pain) so I filled the antibiotic prescription. Friday night I rubbed the Medieval Mix on his feet again and the lavender on his tummy - I had excess, so rubbed it on his back. That night he only woke up 2x! However, Saturday night when I gave the boys their baths, I noticed Alex had red spots all over his tummy and back. There were similar spots behind his ears. I e-mailed a friend to ask her opinion and if she thought he was allergic to both the oils I was using. She thought it was more likely that it was the lotion I was blending the oils with. I'm hoping thats the case. Tonight I'll try mixing the oils with our Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil and see how he reacts.

I've been dealing with more poop than I ever care to deal with again. Alex has poop in just about every diaper (he was having issues to begin with, and now the antibiotics he's is supposed to cause diarrhea). Ajay has some bug (probably the same bug Alex had last week that cause him to have diarrhea) as he's now running to the bathroom quite frequently. Poor kids. Alex loves the pedialyte and is keeping well hydrated, but Ajay doesn't care for the salty taste of it so isn't drinking any. I'm hoping he's getting enough water. I've been feeding him toast (okay, so there was a little bit of pb&j on the toast for lunch) and applesauce. I hope it goes away soon!!

The Ugly Ear Infection

I took Alex to see the PA yesterday (we really need to find a new doctor/ped since our family practioner left the practice). First off, I'm happy to report that Alex still weighed 18lb 12oz. Still small, but at least he didn't lose weight when he stopped eating food over the weekend. Second, and not so happily, his ear infection is back with a vengence. The left ear looks alright, but the right ear is bulging. The PA gave me a prescription for another antibiotic, and I'm very hesitant to give it to him. I made a trip to the health food store (hfs) yesterday and picked up some essential oils and some lotion that doesn't have all the yucky stuff (like fermalahyde) that regular store bought lotions do (like our Johnson & Johnson!). The aromatherapist at the hfs told me to blend one or two squirts of the lotion with one or two drops of the oil and rub it in various locations (chest, back of neck, bottom of feet). This is to help w/ his congestion, etc. I've also been mixing one of the oils w/ a couple drops of our organic extra virgin olive oil and rubbing it behind his ears. I'm hoping doing this multiple times a day will help heal his EI and we won't have to resort to the antibiotic. (I thank Tina for this tip!)
While doing research on the oils, I've learned lavender oil has many benefits. Not only is it calming, but it can also help with burns. Burn yourself while in the kitchen? Rub some lavender oil on it and it will help. (If it is a really bad burn and it starts to sting a couple hours later, reapply the oil) Peppermint oil is great for headaches. You can dab a drop on your nose, or at your temples. **This is just my paraphrasing of what I've read. Please do a bit of research to be sure you're applying the oils correctly.
I'll update in a day or two how the treatment of Alex's EI is progressing!

Not again!

The boys are sick. Again. Both boys went to bed with a fever last night, and they did so again tonight. Ajay did pretty well throughout the day, only felt slightly warm to the touch. Alex was warmer and was measuring in the 100-101 range. I tried to steer clear of the medicines to let the fever fight whatever infection might be going on in their little bodies, but when Alex got to 102.6, he got a dose of Tylenol. That was at 5 so I couldn't give him more T when he went down for bed (and he finished off his Motrin at 5am this morning so I couldn't give him any M). Ajay "decided" to run a fever as he was calming down for bedtime, it was 100.6... not too high but I figured it was likely on the rise so I gave him his Motrin to help him sleep better. Alex also had diarrhea earlier in the day. The kid hates to have his diaper changed so having it repeatedly changed was not making him any happier! He got away from me and toddled around the house diaperless for a bit. I had to get my camera out (I know he'll thank me for this later). While I was snapping the fourth picture I heard him grunting.... ACK!! While I tried to clean up that gift, he produced a 2nd and a 3rd gift for me. The poor rug. (I won't post the 4th picture, upon further inspection I see I got some of the "action" in the shot!)


Yesterday I let Ajay hang out in his jammies all day, and pretty much laze about on the couch. At one point he told me he was getting his energy back, so we baked a cake. It was a lemon cake recipe from his Highlights High Five Magazine (geared towards kids ages 2-6). I couldn't believe it, but for the whole cake-making process, he actually followed my instructions and wiped his nose with a Kleenex instead of on the back of his hand! He did most of the steps, but I think his favorite part was the "wixing" (whisking). After the cake was snuggled all warm in the oven, I told him how fun it was to see the ingredients go from dry, to a batter, to being changed (irreversible change) by the heat and turn into a cake. He asked me to turn the oven light on so he could watch the process. (He got bored after a few minutes, so he read a little bit, then came back towards the end) After he tasted the cake, he decided he didn't like the flavor. I find it quite to my liking. Here's my little chef, pink cheeks and all.

I also wanted to share, while I'm here, a couple of pics of the boys from the few days we had where they were both feeling decent. Ajay didn't care that it was raining, he wanted to play outside. Alex didn't care that it was raining, he wanted to be outside playing with Big Brother, but he didn't get to go out. He tried to sway my decision with his big brown eyes. He's my little cuddler. It's usually just a brief nod of affection, but thats enough for me :)

Photos from my phone

Photos on my phone usually stay there for quite awhile before getting uploaded to the computer. The other day I uploaded a couple months worth, so I thought I'd share them. The camera phone comes in handy when I'm someplace without the camera (like the dentist's office!) or when I'm out of space on the camera's memory card.

Walking!

Alex has decided he really enjoys this walking thing. He took his first steps 2 days before his first birthday, but didn't really take any more steps for a week or so. Then he started taking 3 steps at a time, which quickly turned into 5 or 6 steps, and it multiplied from there. My little toddler is now making his way around our house with relative ease, even being able to walk to a spot, stop, turn around, and walk in the other direction. This usually results in falling on his cloth diapered (so very cushioned) bottom after 3-4 steps, but I love how he is discovering new ways to put his talent to work. I got a video clip of him walking just this morning, so I'll share that with you all. The boys (and I) have been sick lately. Alex didn't care to stay still, however Ajay didn't mind snuggling up with a pillow on the couch and watching tv/videos all day to stay rested, and keep his mind off of being sick. The fevers lasted 4-6 days for each boy, but I think we're finally out of fever-land! Now everyone just has the lingering cough and stuffy/runny nose. So along w/ the video of Alex walking, I'll share a few pics of the boys this morning.

Conversations about God

Ajay has been full of questions lately. A lot about many different things, but a topic that comes up frequently, is God. These questions are difficult to answer - I want to be sure to give a clear, concise answer, but one that doesn't cause confusion, or lead to any type of fear about death and whatnot. I'll give a few examples of our conversations.

We've talked about how God makes everything, so one evening while doing his business on the toilet (he'll love me for sharing this story), he looked at me (perched on the edge of the tub) and said "Can you ask God not to make my poop so big?"

An example of an unclear answer would be:
Ajay: Why did God make everything?
Me: (pause to think) Because God is the Creator.
A: Why is God the creator?
M: hmm.....Good question. We'll have to ask when we get to heaven!

We've briefly discussed the devil, and how he wants us to do bad things, and that he lives in hell, which is the opposite of heaven. His comment about the devil was: "The police need to catch the devil!"

And my favorite conversation about God to date happened while we were at the table, getting ready for lunch. Out of the clear blue, he asked:
A: What color is God's house?
M: I don't know...what do you think?
A: (without having to think too much about it) I think it's purple. What about you?
M: I think it's....blue.
A: What color does Alex think it is?
(of course that question will have to wait until Alex can answer on his own!)

I tell ya, whether it's a question about God, or where the skin went from the dinosaur bones, or anything else plucked from think air, the mind of a three year old is a puzzle to a grown-up!!