Goofiest Goobers

Well, I must say I am very disappointed. I have taken a total of six pictures since the beginning of February and I was going to show three of them to you, but the system won't let me right now. How frustrating. Oh well. I will try later.

I have the goofiest boys I have ever met. Particularly Baby Nick. He finds humor in just about anything. When Joey is throwing a fit (I know, imagine that!), Baby Nick likes to walk right up to Joey and laugh. This, of course, irritates Joey to no end. I try to explain to Joey that Nick is just trying to make him feel better, but he doesn't believe me. Baby Nick also finds different noises funny. He is in hysterics anytime I sneeze...I usually will fake a few more just to keep him laughing. He has such a boisterous, hearty laugh. I know I have mentioned that he found it funny when his Daddy was throwing up, and since I have been sick so much this pregnancy, he has gotten more exposure to it. I have a very sensitive smeller when I am pregnant, and the thing that has caused me to gag and throw up more than anything is a stinky diaper. So while changing (and trying to hold my breath) I usually end up gagging a couple times which tickles Nick's funny bone. If I gag too hard to stop myself from throwing up, I run to the closest thing I can make it to, the kitchen sink. Joey follows me in plugging his ears and closing his eyes. He doesn't like to see or hear me throw up (so why he follows me, I have no idea.) He asks me if I'm dying. No...but I feel like I am. Nick follows close behind his brother....but he just likes to get a front row seat to the show. He stands there a laugh every time I gag.

I have also discovered that Baby Nick thinks it is very funny to watch potatoes being mashed. Something about it just makes him giggle! I don't know where he gets his particular sense of humor!

We have been very busy with Joey since this weekend. I haven't blogged about it since it doesn't seem to be a very appropriate topic to put in writing...but it is what he is going through. For the last year (for those of you who don't already know from conversation) Joey has had a very difficult time having a bowel movement. I'm talking about a REALLY hard time. He panics, and will hold it in up to two weeks! Through the year, he has gotten better about going every four or five days, but it is still so painful for him that he fights to keep from going as hard as he can. I would have to force him to go by not allowing him to sit or to be loved on, because if he could be comforted, he would be able to stop himself from going. So I would have to hold his wrists and make him stand there while he is screaming at me, begging me for a hug or not to let him do this, until he finally went. Sometimes we would fight for half an hour or more before he would go. It is the most horrible thing to witness. My words can not begin to give it justice. Finally, we talked to his doctor and she ordered an x-ray of his tummy. I felt horrible, because I couldn't be in the room with him since I'm pregnant, so he had to have his first x-ray at three years old without his mommy. It was even worse for me that he did just fine! When the doctor finally called back with the result she said it was very bad. She said he was constipated so bad that he was backed up through his colon and lower intestine. The lower intestine is stretched to 5.5 cm (or about 2.5 inches in diameter) which is huge in such a tiny body. As mom said, "Think of it this way...you dilate to ten cm when you give birth, and his intestine is at half that." It's no wonder it would hurt to go....it was like giving birth every time! The other problem with the intestine being stretched is that it loses its elasticity and ability to push. So Joey has had to use every thing his body can give just to poop. So the doctor put him on an aggressive clean out regimen for the week. He started with three doses of Miralax and two doses of Milk of Mag every day! (After talking to the doctor on Monday, she said we could stop the milk of mag as long as he keeps pooping.) Since Friday night, it has been "blow out city" around here. He still does not like to go, and I don't blame him. Nobody likes being constipated and nobody likes being too loose, either. We have gone through 25 pull-ups just since Sunday afternoon! That just gives you an idea of how up to my ears in..., well you can use whatever word you want to here, I have been. Joey likes to wait until bedtime to go, so he is usually going between 8pm and 11pm or later. Then he still feels squirmy and won't stay in his own bed, so he has joined us in our bed again and squirms all over me all night long. Needless to say, I'm not getting any sleep. Joey has another x-ray and appt scheduled for tomorrow. What we are hoping for is that the doctor says he has cleaned himself out and will not need to be on such an aggressive regimen any longer. The worst case scenario would be that, even after all his going, its not enough and he would need to be hospitalized so they can clean him out. We know that God already knows the results, so whatever happens, He will be there to see us through.

Baby Nick has a big afternoon today. He will have his evaluation and assessment done for his speech so we can have an idea of where he is at. My gut feeling is that he is fine and is just choosing not to talk yet (although he is very vocal and clear about what he wants, even if he doesn't use words), however, if there is something wrong, I would rather know so we can do something about it rather than stick my head in the sand expecting that everything will work itself out. So by this afternoon we will know where he stands.

One of Nick's new favorite games is "I'm going to get you." Daddy or I will be sitting somewhere and we will hold our hands out, wiggle our fingers, and say "I'm going to get you." Usually, the child playing would squeal and run away, enjoying being chased. Not Baby Nick....he's the one that runs to us! He will usually stick his belly out to be "gotten" before scrunching up again from being tickled. It works, also, if he has something that he shouldn't and he won't obey our command to "bring it to Mommy." Instead, we switch to "I'm gonna get you." and he runs right over so we can snatch the forbidden object out of his hand.

Anyway, I hear Baby Nick is awake from his nap. So I better go. It is about time to start thinking about what lunch will be. Hope you all have a fantastic day.