Monday, February 25, 2008

Hospital

Poor Noah had to spend a few days in the hospital earlier this month. His Dr. feared a case of pneumonia or RSV, but after various tests at the hospital, his official diagnosis was a case of bronchialitis and dehydration. After a couple of days of IV fluids, the bands on his ankles that were loose upon his admittance became tight, and Noah was released from the hospital, plumper and happier. We did learn something else while he was there: Noah is allergic to cefotaxime, an antibiotic they started him on as a precaution.No to Cefotaxime; Yes to Benedryl! Noah broke out in hives all over his body, and in a matter of seconds, we watched his color change from pale to bright red as he plumped up like a ballpark frank over a fire. The nurse stopped his antibiotic and gave him a dose of Benedryl which knocked him out for the rest of the morning and into the afternoon. These pictures were taken after the Benedryl was administered, and Noah was already starting to improve.

We are very thankful for many things, including the fact that his diagnosis was the best case scenario and far less serious than what he was admitted for, and for the fact that Noah was in the hospital when he had his allergic reaction, where he received immediate care. God is good!

Let him eat Cake!

Here are some pictures of Jonah and his birthday cake. Earlier in the day, he 'helped' me frost the cake and even got to lick the spoon! Along with the frosting, the candles were a big hit this year...and the presents too, of course (but the camera died before he got to open them).


Pears

These pictures are pretty self-explanatory, and typical of Noah's reaction to every food he's tried so far. Pears are actually his 'favorite' food as of yet...indicated not by his great enthusiasm for them, but by the least passionate looks of disgust.


Wednesday, February 06, 2008

2


Today is a milestone in the Bird household. We now have a two year old in our home. Jonah is a kid who wears his emotions on his sleeve; his highs are high and his lows are low. It is not hard to make him smile or laugh. He loves anything that 'goes' including airplanes, choo-choos, cars, motorcycles, "bikles" (bicycles), firetrucks, boats, etc. He's interested in every sport he sees, and calls them all "b-ball." Then he tries to imitate the moves he sees (i.e. tackling the quarterback) on his daddy. Jonah is an affection kid and a great big brother. He takes good care of Noah, offering him toys or patting him on the head and giving lots of kisses. Jonah is also quite a talker, and the fact that we don't always understand him never deters him from trying to communicate with us anyways. He loves to read his books; some of his favorites are Little Toot, I'm a Big Brother, Mr. Brown Can Moo, Brown Bear Brown Bear, and From Head to Toe.
Life is very, very different in our house than it was 2 years ago. Gone are the days of "just the two of us" where we could enjoy adult conversation at the end of the day, cuddle up without someone wanting to climb between us, or go out for coffee on the spur of the moment. Gone is the relative peace and quiet that used to typify our home. These things have been replaced by the sounds of crying and squeals of delight. The pitter patter of little feet running down the hallway and the quiet stillness of a sleeping child. The smells (both good and bad). The lovely artwork that adorns the refrigerator (and that hopefully won't be adorning the walls). But we wouldn't want it any other way. Happy Birthday, Jonah! We love you, kiddo.