This & That

It's officially September, which means James will be a big brother this month! I am anxious to no longer be pregnant. It feels like I've been pregnant for 2 years. Even though I'm ready to no longer be pregnant, I'm not so sure I'm ready for 2 super-dependent kids at home. It really will be like having twins, considering how demanding James is these days. He's going to have to learn some patience! My mom is going to come stay with me for a couple weeks to help out and then I'm going to go stay with her for a few weeks where Mom, Dad, Julie, & Abby can all help out. Then Abby & Annie are going to bring us home and stay until the end of October. Dave can take some more time off at that point if I need him too. We shall see!

My c-section is scheduled for September 28th. I will have a test the day before to make sure the baby's lungs are ready. There's approximately a 10% chance that the baby won't be ready. If that's the case, the doctor will postpone the c-section by a week, making him an October baby.

This month also brings another surgery for James, but a minor one this time. His ears have been full of fluid since he was about 6 months old. Due to his other surgeries and the fact they never got infected, his pediatrician put off sending him to an ENT. But it was time when the fluid was still there at his 12 month check-up. The ENT wants to put tubes in, which we are having done on the 14th. It is a very minor operation and should only take about 20 minutes. James is also going to have his fraenulem (the piece of tissue that connects your tongue to the bottom of your mouth) cut at the same time. His goes right to the tip of his tongue. Right now it is preventing him from being able to move food around his mouth with his tongue and the ENT said that it will also effect his speech development if not corrected. Recovery for both is minimal and there is no restrictions on diet or anything like that.

James is no longer on the bottle! He takes milk from his sippy cup with each meal. He can even hold it on his own, as long as there are handles on the sippy cup. He also can eat puffs off his high chair tray now. His therapist says he's still not ready for pieces, unless they're very soft and mushy. This month we've added eggs and ground meat to his diet. The small pieces are a great way to start transitioning to food you have to chew more, according to his therapist.

A few weeks ago Dave, James, and I took a small road trip to Johnstown, PA. It's about an hour and a half southeast of here. Dave read a book about the flood that happened there in 1889 and wanted to tour the town before the baby comes (since we're still hoping to move back to the midwest before year end). It was a neat little town that was built upon the steel industry. We went to the incline that was built in the years following the flood as a way to help people escape in the event of other floods (which did happen). We also went to the flood museum and walked around town to see some of the buildings that survived or were rebuilt following the flood. We had lunch at a fun little sub shop in town. James did a good job until the car ride home. He was tired and decided his carseat was not where he wanted to nap. It was a good day though!

Below are a few pictures from Johnstown and a few random ones too.

A view of Johnstown from the top of overlook by the incline.
Dave and James overlooking Johnstown.

The incline; much bigger than the ones in Pittsburgh. You can even take your car on the incline for $6 if you like :)

A church that survived the flood, but then burnt down in the fire that followed. It was rebuilt, obviously.

James enjoying downtown Johnstown.

James and Dave playing with James' new Alphabet Train. He bought it with his birthday money.

Dave and James after church last Sunday. I got James dressed while Dave was getting dress. I thought it was too cute that they happened to match...couldn't pass up the photo op!