Vacation to Paradise Island, Bahamas

We just got back from a family vacation to Paradise Island, Bahamas. It is an island just North of Nassau. We had a wonderful time together and both boys really enjoyed themselves. We were not ready to come last night! I think we could have stayed for a very long time! It was just what we needed after the last few months that we have had. We left last Sunday very early in the morning. We woke up at 2:45am in order to leave the house a little after 4. Payton woke up when we did and never went back to sleep, so he had a tough time later that day because he was so exhausted. That night after we got settled in the hotel we walked around a bit and went to a little store to buy some water to make Eastons bottles with. We also went to dinner and then we went swimming. The next day we explored the entire area of the Atlantis. It is so amazing. The attention to detail is just astonishing. There are a ton of marine habitats everywhere. We also explored the area called The Dig, which is a huge aquarium type thing made to resemble the lost city of Atlantis. I can not even come close to describing it, so you will just have to look at the pictures. There is also an area called Marina Village that we spent a lot of evenings at. It is surrounded by multi-million dollar yachts! We heard that celebrities are there all of the time and we think one must have been on one of the boats we saw, because people were taking pictures of one of them a lot. The next day we spent the entire day at the Aquadventure water park area. Payton was in heaven and Easton really enjoyed splashing the water. We all rode the lazy river and Payton and I went on an very active river rapids ride called the Current! Wednesday we did something really special. We decided that while we were here, why not do something that we wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity to do. We took a ferry ride to another island called Blue Lagoon. This was an amazing area. There were hammocks in the trees, and chairs and umbrellas on the beach. So we spent a few hours there and then did a dolphin encounter! We got to get in the water and hug and touch a dolphin. We even got to get a kiss from him. It was a really neat experience. The last full day there we spent it at the Atlantis beach and just tried to soak up every last bit of sunshine before having to head back to the rainy Midwest. Both boys had a blast playing in the sand and water. I am still finding sand everywhere!! Then the last day we took an eventful bus ride back to the airport and had to head home. I was a little worried as to having to wait in line with all of our stuff and the boys for all of the customs and immigration stuff, but they both did great. Easton was much easier to travel with then I could have ever expected. He slept and napped good in the hotel and the flights. The trip was great and we are trying to figure out when to go back. I know a lot of people probably thought we were crazy taking the kids on a trip like this, but we couldn’t imagine not taking them. We really like to experience things together as a family and think that vacations together are really important.

The entire area was wonderful and beautiful and everyone was so nice. Although, it is VERY expensive on Paradise Island. We stopped counting how much we were spending after the first day. When we went to the little grocery store, we saw a normal size bag of oreo cookies for $9.95! One meal we got two slices of pizza, a bowl of fruit, and three drinks and it was $50.00.

On Monday we head back to our hustle and bustle of school and work, etc. We are NOT looking forward to it, except Payton is missing his friends and teachers. Justin and I know that we are both heading back to lots of stress at work, but oh well, life must go on……

More missing teeth and cruising around!

Since I last updated, Payton has lost another tooth! That makes two gone for him, and two total for Easton! Eastons teeth just seem to be on their own time schedule. It doesn’t stop him from eating just about anything though.

The boys have both done great since their surgeries. After the first few really rough days with Payton he did great. I am amazed as to how much better he sleeps now. I used to be able to tell if he was sleeping from the hallway just by the way he was breathing. Now I can’t tell and actually have to go and check on him to make sure he is okay. I also don’t hear him up and stirring all the time throughout the night.

We also just found out that Payton made the cut for full day kindergarten. We are so glad. He will do so great in a full day setting. I guess not everyone made it in because there were just not enough spots. Easton has learned to pull himself up and is now cruising along furniture. So, pretty much he gets into everything now! He loves to pull the toilet paper off and put it in the toilet! So basically I need to clean a little more often! (In my free time, HA!) He also loves to pull up to the window and bang on it! The neighbors probably think we never let the poor guy outside! Easton is getting the funniest personality. He likes to play little games and is just becoming quite humorous. He really enjoys going for walks and just being out and about in his stroller. He is also getting very talkative. He mostly says mama and baba. He says mama when we wants me or when he is crying or wakes up and he says baba when he wants to eat. He is starting to get stranger anxiety. He is okay as long as we are holding him and he is interacting with others, but if the other person wants to hold him he is not so sure. If he knows someone though, he get so excited to see them and starts kicking his legs and starts laughing.

Surgery updates and Eastons first trim!

We had the boys followups today from their surgerys and both are doing well.  Eastons recovery was really nothing at all.  We do have to go back every six months though until the tubes fall out.  Payton was a different story!  The day of and the day after surgery he was in a lot of pain (which we expected).  He also got a little sick from the pain meds a few times, so we moved to normal Tylenol.  On Saturday morning he was getting sick nonstop and could not keep even little sips of water down.  He then got really lethargic and you could tell he was dehydrated.  So I called the doctor and they sent us to the ER.  So they gave him some meds and some IV fluids and he perked up right away.  His throat doesn't really hurt anymore and the only symptom he still has is that his voice is all messed up.  It is really soft and high pitched right now.

He is still home from school and really wants to go and see his friends.  We have visited a few times when we drop off and pick up Easton, so that helps.  He is also getting really frustrated that he can't eat whatever he wants either.  For another week he still has to stay away from anything sharp, rigid, hard, spicy, sour or citrisy. He doesn't really understand that if he has those things it will open the wounds back up that are starting to heal.

 

Easton got his first trim today!  It seems like all of a sudden his hair has gotten out of control!  It now has a bunch of curl to it and especially since it is warm out, when he gets sweaty it is really curly.  Well it has started to curl over his ears and look a little girl like!  So we had to fix that.  He really didn't have enough to get rid of to take him to get an actual hair cut, so I just trimmed it up myself, and I am quite proud of it!!  It is crazy how much more hair he has then Payton did at this age. 

 

In just a few short weeks we will be in Paradise on vacation and we couldn't be more excited.  We really don't have the time or money to go on a big trip, but we decided that even though we don't need a vacation, we need a vacation.  Does that make any sense??  Three surgeries in 5 months and trying to work 2 full time demanding jobs, plus everyday household and family demands takes its toll on you and the rest of the family.  We are looking forward for the four of us to get away from the real world for a while!

 

BTW-- I added a couple of pictures to the Spring 2010 album.  For some reason MSN doesn't always put them in the order I say and I can not find a way as of yet to move them around.  But, I have found, that if you click on the album title it will take you to a new screen where it shows thumbnails of the entire album.  Here they are in the correct order.  You can view them as thumbnails or scan through them from there.  Strange computers!

Two kids, two weeks and two hospital visits!!

In seven days we have had both boys make trips to the hospital for surgeries! It is okay though, no worries! Both trips were preplanned and pretty routine. Last Thursday Easton got tubes in his ears and this morning Payton got his tonsils and adenoids taken out. Easton had been having a lot of ear infections in the past few months. He had fluid behind his ear drum that would never drain and so as soon as he got off of antibiotics it would re-infect itself. And since he has a device in his heart, we want to keep any infections to a minimum. His surgery was so simple and really nothing compared to what he has been through. We were done and back home in no time at all. He came home and took a nap and when he woke up seemed totally fine. He hasn’t had any issues since.

This morning was Paytons surgery. His tonsils were extremely large and the doctor felt the best thing was to just take them out. They haven’t really been bothering him yet, but since they are so large probably would cause frequent infections in the future. Large tonsils can also cause some sleeping issues. We have know for a few years that Payton is a ‘rough’ sleeper. He breathes through his mouth and makes lots of noises and wakes up frequently. I guess this is common with large tonsils because they make it hard to breath while sleeping. The doctor said we could try a wait and see approach and wait until they do start bothering him, but she said it is so much easier to take them out when they are young. Also, he has to be home for at least a week, so we wanted to do it before he started school in the fall. We plan on keeping him home for about a week and a half at least. I am home with him the rest of the week and next week we are splitting between myself, Justin and my mom. I am thankful that my job is flexible and will enable me to work from home when needed because I have missed a lot of work in the past 6 months.

He was really good this morning and much more calm then I expected. We brought his Leapster and he just played that the entire time. They did give him some meds to relax him though and he became super drunk! It was hilarious! I have never seem him act like that. We got to see him about an hour later and he was pretty uncomfortable. They gave him lots of pain meds and he pretty much passed right out. They wouldn’t let us leave until they were certain that he would constantly drink something. We got home a little bit ago and he is vegging out watching movies. We are supposed to give him codeine every 4 hours for pain. He and I went shopping earlier this week and picked out lots of popsicles and ice cream and fun treats. From what I hear it is a pretty painful and tough recovery that can last up to two weeks, so hopefully he won’t remember most of it!

It hasn’t all been hospital stuff though! Payton had Kindergarten roundup last week and is really excited to start school. The school is adorable and the kids had a great time. They got to go and see all of the teachers and do activities with each while us parents filled out lots and lots of paperwork. We are still trying to figure out what to do after school. We have a few different options, we just need to figure out what works best for us. After roundup I took Payton to see How to Train you Dragon in 3D! He loved it and has worn his 3D classes a lot since then! The next day he started soccer. It was a beautiful day and he really seemed to enjoy it. The league we are playing in this year is co-ed and not as competitive as the one last year and I think that is good for him. He was a little All Star out there with the girls and he does better with things when he knows he is doing good.

For Easter we went to my moms and hunted for eggs and hung out outside. It was such a nice weekend! Thank you mom for all of the yummy leftovers that we are still eating!!

Easton is doing great and is all over the place now! He follows Payton everywhere and crawls and gets into everything. He is still a great eater and sleeper and now that his ears have tubes, he should be even happier!!

We are looking forward to the warmer weather that we are getting and spending more time outside. Payton will start Tball and swimming lessons soon. Then we will look forward to Eastons 1^st birthday in June and VACATION, because we really need it!!

Easton 9 month update

Easton had his 9 month checkup last week and is 20lbs 6.4oz and 28 1/2 inches long.  Both of which are in the 50th%,  His head is in the 75th percentile at 46cm.  His first tooth just broke through finally!  You can't see it yet, but you can feel in through his gums.  I got his pictures done this weekend and they turned out, but I think we were spoiled with the amazing 3 and 6 month pictures we did.  This time I didn't want to spent alot, so I went to one of those places where you get like a thousand pictures for one price.  I guess you get what you pay for!!

Tooth Fairy

It was a big day at the Schulte household last week!! Payton lost his first tooth! It had been loose for a couple of weeks, and he finally wiggled it free on Friday. I was at work and got a call from his school, so my first instinct was, “uh oh…which one is sick.” But then it was Payton’s teacher and she said that he had to tell me something. He was so excited when he told me. They saved it in a little bag and made a big deal out of it. Even some of the other kids drew pictures of the tooth fairy for him. He looks like such a big boy now I can not even believe it.  I thought that he might get upset when it came out, but he was so brave.  I am so proud of him.  He was very excited for the tooth fairy to come and the next morning he came running into our room to show us what she left him!

Payton has been busy learning how to read more words at school and is just loving that he can recognize a lot of words now in his books. He gets so excited if he can read all or most of a sentence.  He is getting pretty good at sounding out the words he doesn't know.  He read most of a beginning to read book the other night. He is also still learning how to add and subtract and amazes me at how he uses it in real life. He told me that he really likes math. (Can you tell who he takes after!!) He is one of the older ones now in his class and has unofficially become the teachers helper. In the beginning of April we get to go to Kindergarden round-up. We are going to try and get full day vs. half day. He is more then ready for school and I think that full day will be great for him. There are not as many spots as interested kids, and it is first come, first serve. So, we are going to sign up as soon as we can. Unfortunately you have to pay for full day, and it is not cheap! But, in the scheme of things, we want to do what is best for him. Soccer starts in a few weeks as well and I desperately hope that the weather warms up a bit before then!!

Easton is growing and changing so fast! He is now 8 ½ months old. He still has no teeth! I thought that maybe he would get his first the same day that Payton lost his, but no such luck! He is so close to crawling. He will get on his hands and knees and rock back and forth. I am in no hurry for him to crawl or walk! I am trying to soak up every last baby stage!! He LOVES to eat. He is pretty much on all table food now. I occasionally fill in with baby food if we are out and about or if I feel that what we are eating is not good enough for him. He really likes yogurt, peas, applesauce, peaches…pretty much anything! He is a really good eater. You don’t have to do any of those tricks to get him to open his mouth. He will literally sit there with his mouth wide open waiting for the next bite! He is getting quite the personality as well. He is a flirt, much like his older brother was at his age!! He really likes to make a serious face at you, almost like he is upset, and then he will have a huge grin and start laughing. He also likes to yell at the cats! He will slam his hands down on the high chair and say “AHH” to get their attention.  He babbles a ton.  He most common sayings are, "MaMa, BaBa, and RaRa."  I can’t wait to see how his personality continues to grow.

We are getting anxious for warmer weather and the ability to do stuff outside. Before too long it will be summer and we can go for walks and to the pool! I can’t wait! I foresee a busy and fun spring/summer ahead!

(I added some more pictures to the Winter 2010 Album).

Overdue Updates

I have been really bad lately about posting updates, so I will catch you all up on the boys.  Things have been kind of crazy with the holidays getting over, working a ton, various viruses going around and just lots of other stuff going on.

In December the boys had their 5 year and 6 month checkups.  They are both doing well and right on target for growth and development.  Between the two of them had to get 9 shots!  That was pretty traumatic for all involved!

Once January started Payton got back into classroom style learning at PreK.  He does so great when he is learning and really gets into all of his subjects.  Last week he learned about penguins and he told me about their migration patterns and their defense mechanisms!   He is learning more sight words every month and loves to point them out when he sees them in books.  Lately he has been really into drawing pictures and making books.  He really likes to be Mom and Dads helper at well.  Whether it be laundry, cooking, taking the garbage out, whatever, he just likes to help.  And as always he loves Legos and puzzles.  In 2 months we have Kindergarten roundup!   Also in March he will start spring soccer.  So I sure hope it warms up a bit before then!!  Then this summer brings TBall and swimming lessons and then possible fall soccer again!

Easton is now mobile!  He is not crawling yet, but he is rolling….everywhere!!  He has been able to roll over for a little while, but really had no interest in doing so.  You could put him on his belly or his back and he was perfectly happy.  Well for about the last week or so he has figured out that he can roll to get to things!  This has caused him to lodge himself under various furniture items!  Tonight he learned that rolling over in the bath is probably not a good idea!  This also now means no Legos sitting out and that I need to clean my floors a little more often!   He also puts EVERYTHING in his mouth!  Payton never really did that as a baby, but Easton will put anything within arms reach in his mouth!  He has been sitting well on his own for a little while which has opened up a new world of play for him.  He loves to sit and play with toys scattered around him.  He is just starting to try and wave and clap.  When he gets really excited he starts kicking his legs like crazy.  He gets most excited seeing Payton and the kitties.   He now eats babyfood three times a day and really likes it.  He is just starting to eat little Gerber fingerfoods.  We have tried water and juice and he really is not into it yet.  He just holds it in his mouth with this look like why in the world would I want this!  He is still a super happy baby and smiles so easy.  He has started to be a lot more vocal and likes to shriek to get your attention.  If we are in the car or something and Payton is singing to his MP3 player, Easton will babble louder and louder to try and keep up!

He had a follow up cardiology appointment at the beginning of January and the doctor said his defect looks like it is corrected and everything looked good from the surgery.  He was a little squirmy for the testing, so when we go back in a few more months they said they might give him some meds to relax him so they can get really good pictures.  After that next appointment we will go back in a few years and then go from there.  The doctors there are great!  I have been doing some work with the Childrens Miracle Network and Childrens Hospital here for their annual childrens telethon because I feel so lucky to have such a wonderful resource.  So, if you know anyone that wants to donate, let me know before the end of February!!

Overall we have been spending a lot of time at home.  Like most of you, we are extremely ready for this winter to get over.  I can not wait to be able to just go somewhere with out the coats and blankets covering Easton, etc!  Only a few more months until summer!!!  Until then we will try and keep ourselves from going insane while staying occupied inside!