Update 2: Beckett's Lymphangioma

Beckett had a second sclerotherapy procedure on his lymphangioma on Thursday (11/5).  At his follow up appointment with the radiologist several weeks ago she said it could use one more sclerothererapy treatment.  We knew going into the first treatment that there was a 50/50 chance he'd need a second, so this wasn't unexpected.  To clarify, the lymphangioma did not recur- I think I was hazy on what exactly would necessitate a second treatment.  Apparently sometimes these things just need a couple rounds of sclerotherapy to go away (or shrink as much as possible).  

The procedure went just fine and we are sure hopeful that was the end of things.  Health-wise there shouldn't be any concern going forward.  It is now just a cosmetic thing- a small but somewhat visible lump on the side of his neck- but even before this second treatment it was looking 90% back to normal.  SO much better than before the first sclerotherapy (it had gotten really large, but I didn't want to post a picture of it online).  It would be great if the lump totally went away, but it's hardly noticeable even now so it is not something we think many people will notice and it's possible it'd become even less noticeable as he grows.

He had an emotionally rough time coming out of anesthesia this time- he got really agitated and then tailspinned into an all-out tantrum- but we made it through and he was back to his old self by the end of the day.  

This kid really is such a trooper.  He handled everything so well and he made us so proud.  We are so thankful for his health and the great care we received from all of the nurses and doctors.

Halloween 2015

For Halloween this year our boys went as master destroyers King Kong and Godzilla.  So fitting!

(And bonus... the gorilla costume was a hand me down from Beckett and I got the dinosaur costume secondhand for $5. Boom.)

Samuel was a trooper (minus hating the gorilla hat) and Beckett understood enough to get excited about trick-or-treating this year.  It was fun!

We had a Halloween dinner and went trick-or-treating with some friends that live in our neighborhood.  Beckett and their boys are all the same age and they all had a great time together!

Superman, Godzilla, Daniel Tiger

Beckett has gotten really silly and creative lately and that night he decided instead of yelling "next house!" he'd yell "next nouse!" and thought it was so funny.  The other boys caught on.  You were nobody this Halloween if you weren't calling it a nouse.

NEXT NOUSE!

Checking out their loot.

Happy Halloween :)

First Day of Preschool 2015

Beckett started his second year of preschool (I call it preschool but it's a Mother's Day Out program at a local church) in September.  And Samuel joined the party this year too.  He's nearly a year younger than Beckett was his first year, and I had mixed feelings about it, but it's what made the most sense for the time that I work.  I hoped it would be fine and thankfully he's doing great!

Beckett is in a class of all boys and he's the youngest, which is totally his jam.  And his classroom is full of the coolest stuff.  He wouldn't even say bye to me on his first day.  He's going to have the best year!

Samuel is in a small class and he's the oldest and gets lots of attention.  His teachers are really kind and go on and on about how sweet he is and how he never causes trouble and is the easiest kid in the class.  Doesn't surprise me one bit!  He started out crying for about 5 seconds (literally) when I passed him off to his teachers in the mornings but was over it before I was even out of earshot, and in mid-October he stopped crying altogether and that helps my heart out.

Here's to a great year for them both!

Beckett at 2 3/4 Years

Beckett is at such a fun stage right now.  He's smart and funny and responsible and silly and sweet and fills us with pride every day.

He loves to learn and has been really interested in letters lately.  He knows maybe 3/4 of the alphabet by sight and sound and likes play with his foam letters in the bath, spot letters while we're out and about, and randomly make letter shapes with his hands, straws, etc.

There are often times where he's on his own for a bit while I feed Samuel or change his diaper, and I remember being nervous when I was pregnant about what mischief he'd get into, but the vast majority of the time he just hangs out and plays.  At home and out and about I'm often impressed with how responsible he is.  But he's also started fibbing, and it makes me sad that the phase where he'd be brutally honest about any of his wrongdoings is gone.  If we're at home and it gets too quiet I'll ask him what he's doing and if he says "nuffing.  I not doing anyfing." then I know he's up to no good :).  It usually involves him in the bathroom getting soap from the soap dispenser.  On that note, he's also started using the bathroom all by himself, sometimes without even telling us about it.  Talk about something that was hard to imagine in the throes of potty training, yet here we are!

We decided to try his big boy bed again and I'm very happy to report that the transition was much smoother and he's now officially sleeping in a twin bed.  To document this for my own memory's sake, every morning he wakes up by yelling "I READY TO WAKE UUUUUUUP" and waiting for us to come get him  He did this in his crib too.  His bedtime pals are monkey, foxy, other foxy, lamby, a wolf named Brian, and a puppy dog named Rupert.  When we go get him from bed he's sitting there clutching them all ready to start his day.

One very notable thing these days is how much of a Daddy's boy Beckett is.  He loves, loves, loves Kolby and thinks he hung the moon.  And the feeling is very much mutual.  They are big time baseball buddies and love to watch and talk about the Texas Rangers and of course play baseball nonstop.  They play games, read books, go on bike rides, snuggle on the couch watching movies, and go to the library.  They are pretty much inseparable and I love that they have such a strong bond.

Beckett is loving school and his teacher says he loves to read books and work puzzles.  He is getting really silly lately and makes us laugh several times a day.  His best friend is probably his second cousin Liam (who lives on our street which is awesome) and they play really well together.  Which is great because Ashley and I get together with the boys several times a week.  We have some really funny stories of mischief Liam and Beckett get into.  It's always something with those boys.

Beckett and Samuel's relationship has started to evolve lately.  Every now and then they'll sort of play together with blocks or some toy, and in the morning if Samuel's not up when Beckett wakes up he'll ask about him.  He likes to get in the crib with him after his nap and play with (read tackle) him.  It's not much but I'll take what I can get!  Now that Samuel is mobile he has of course started messing with Beckett's toys as he's playing with them, and so far Beckett has handled it pretty well.  He says no and sometimes pushes Samuel back a little to try to keep him away, but it's nothing aggressive or outrageous and I'm considering that a victory.

I'm not sure what else to say about Beckett at this age other than that he's smart and so fun to listen to and have conversations with.  He loves to ask questions and figure things out and his voice is so sweet and innocent and before I just gush on and on I'll just wrap up by saying I really love this age with him!

And now for some pictures...

Cruising around the ranch with Tucker and Pops

Boys night out at the Rough Riders game

 He loves being the catcher

 It was a great season for the Rangers!

 Helping himself to a tandem motorcycle ride with Sadie

 Pool and swing time with Kyndall in Wimberley

 This was a first!

 Crazy hair don't care 

 Probably time to graduate from the pack n play when away from home...

 Sleeping sweetly alongside his entourage

Just a little moment with Daddy after like 10 minutes apart

  

Candy Land!

Three buds in a tub

 

 Running wild and free at the ranch

 Touring the fire station

 Gearing up for Sea World by having lunch with the live penguin cam 

Summer Kolby.  We ALL miss Summer Kolby.

 How big is he looking these days?!?

 Will work for fruit snacks.

 This was at a puppet show at our library.  I love how much he loved it.

 Car seat safety is our first priority ;)

 These pictures absolutely crack me up.  Evil doesn't stand a chance!

(That's Beckett, Sadie, Tucker then Beckett and Tucker)

 When your pitcher just isn't cutting it and you have to give him a talking to. "Frow strikes!"

 A local flight museum date with Daddy and some friends from church

 Still interested in Mr. Gilly

 We love when Grams comes to visit!

 Liam and Beckett up to their shenanigans.  I heard them trying and failing to get into the crib then Beckett ran into the living room yelling "We need a mousekatool!" and grabbed a stack of pillows.

 My mom took this picture of Beckett at the ranch and was showing it to him later and she asked him who that was sleeping with him and he said "Brian" (which is my dad's name) and my mom said "no, not Pops, who is that right there?  The wolf." and he again said "that's Brian" and my mom was so confused so she asked me about it later.  "Oh, yeah, that's Brian.  His wolf is named Brian."  ;)

 We continued the tradition of taking Beckett to our neighborhood city pool the last day of the season.  Again after dinner we surprised him by bringing out his swimsuit instead of his pjs and we shut the place down.  We all loved it!