Pool Party

With the Memorial Day Weekend underway and family in-town, was there any doubt about you'd find our crew? In the pool, of course! Jax and Baylor were thrilled to try out their new inflatable pirate island play set, courtesy of Aunt Emily. I have to admit it's a pretty cool toy and much appreciated gift. I see it getting lots of use this summer.

Aren't these pirates fierce looking? I wouldn't want to tangle with them! They'd surely make Mean Mommy walk the plank.Aunt Kelly couldn't resist spending the majority of her day lounging in one of the pool floats. She couldn't stop commenting on how awesome they were. Obviously she didn't believe me when I told her, "These are the best seats at the house."Grandma and Grandfather decided to watch the fun from the sidelines and stayed relatively dry that day. Of course, we did our best to drench them during the cannonball contest. We were only marginally successful. The real soaker came in the form of a slightly injured, soaking wet Baylor. When he tripped and fell on the pool deck, both grandparents offered consoling hugs which accomplished our mission to get them wet.In addition to the new pirate island, Jax also got to play with his underwater scooter for the first time. Anh took the initial test drive and was sadly disappointed to discover that this scooter probably isn't designed to haul more than 100lbs. To verify that it wasn't operator error, I took the scooter for a little underwater spin too, but given that I also fall into that 100+ lb category, I didn't have any better luck. However, at 43lbs, Jax was zipping all over the place! I think every adult in the pool was slightly jealous to say the least!As usual, Baylor was content to play on his ledge in the pool. He likes that he's in the water, but feels secure at the depth of 6 inches. Even with his floaties, he's kind of scared of the actual pool. I'm sure that will change with time and experience.The floaties weren't just for kids that afternoon either. Uncle Travis sure knows how to make an entry in the new UGA tube, yet another new toy thanks to Grandfather and Grandma. Are you sensing that we've gone a bit overload with the pool accessories? Oh well, there's something for everyone! Although not quite as impressive as Uncle Travis' entry, Aunt Kelly sure knows how to make a splash while style and grace!With the heat off, the spa served double duty. It's a place to relax, but it also functions as a kiddie pool. Baylor just has to remember to avoid that big step down in the middle. On occasion he would forget, and we all got the chance to play the role of "hero" and fish him out. I'm not sure whether the repeated unintentional underwater dips are working to cure him of his pool fears, but never once did Baylor want to get out of the water afterwards. I guess that's a good thing.If the "rescue" attention wasn't enough, I'm sure Baylor felt like a celebrity with everyone requesting pictures with him. He's hard to resist with his little belly and turtle swim trunks.After two days of fun in the sun complete with air acrobatics, we were all waterlogged and decided to return to dry land.Always the first into the water, Jax and Baylor are also usually the last to exit. They truly are water-babies. They just prefer different depths. I think it's safe to say that the backyard pool was a huge hit with the entire family. Something tells me that even Grandfather and Grandma will feel compelled to take a dip during their July visit when the temperatures will no doubt soar!

Tennis, Anyone?

The boys decided to kickoff the holiday weekend with a little tennis match. Actually, it was Jax and Anh that initially headed for the neighborhood courts. Baylor and I showed up shortly after the match was under way to crash the party. I had intended to simply watch Anh and Jax from the sidelines. Baylor, however, had other plans. I should have anticipated that he'd want to get in on the action. If I had, I would have chosen more appropriate footwear. Oh well, the Crocs certainly didn't slow Baylor down!Somehow, tennis has become Jax's new favorite sport. He enjoys it more than golf, and that says a lot! Every day, as soon as Anh steps through the door, Jax exclaims, "I want to play tennis, dad!" With our busy schedules, Jax doesn't get to play as often as he'd like which made it priority #1 for the holiday weekend. No excuses, buddy! It's time to play some tennis! Anh made an attempt to teach Baylor the basics...But, Baylor seems to believe he is a prodigy and wanted to do his own thing. Shocking, right?While watching from an adjacent bench, I couldn't help noticing that the boys spent more time gathering the stray tennis balls than they did actually playing. Although, somehow they made it look equally fun. Watching Jax and Baylor dash at full speed to opposite ends of the court in competition to collect the most balls was definitely more entertaining for me. Of course, as their mom, I was also secretly hopeful that all the running would result in an early bedtime. No such luck, by the way.After the warm-up drills, Anh decided they should try to volley for a bit. Baylor had already confiscated Anh's racket which made things a little challenging. On one side of the net, Jax and Baylor worked to perfect their tennis game. On the other side, Anh was warming up his pitching arm!Eventually, a trade was orchestrated, and Baylor joined Anh's team. At least there was a racket on each side at that point. That somewhat leveled the playing field.

Anh continued to offer advice, and Baylor was slightly more accepting of the input. Slightly!With Anh's pitching arm completely worn out, we decided to call it a day. As thanks for a fun afternoon, Baylor offered the coach a kiss. Note to self: Find a female tennis instructor in the future.

Picture Perfect

Speaking of those healthy boys, here are a few pictures from two picture perfect days we had recently. First, I'll share a some photos from an afternoon we spent in the pool. Jax has perfected his "Facebook pose." I have no idea where he learned to flash the peace sign, but love it or hate it, he's made it his signature in recent weeks.You can't help laughing at this silly kid. He's prepared for anything!And, this is what happens when you set the camera down and turn your back.At least Jax also managed to capture a few nice shots of his parents basking in the afternoon sun.On another day, we spent the afternoon at Pirate Ship Park enjoying the warm temps. Like his big brother, Baylor loves to climb. I am proud of my kids for their adventurous spirits, but too many close-calls can take a toll on your nerves.I much prefer when they take the easy route down on the slide.That particular afternoon turned out to be a bit warmer than we expected. This picture of Jax as a big, sweaty mess is evidence that spring is on it's way out the door, and summer's heat is making an early appearance.I'm thinking from here on out, playground visits will be limited to the A.M. hours, and the pool will be calling our names in the afternoon heat.

Here's to Good Health

While they can be a handful at times, Anh and I are extremely lucky to have two happy & healthy little boys. That thought was confirmed yesterday by our new pediatrician, Dr. M. The visit came just in time for Baylor's 2-year old check-up and Jax's required Kindergarten physical.

First, let's get the stats out of the way. Not much has changed. As usual, Jax landed squarely in the 50th percentile for both height (42.5 inches) and weight (41.5lbs). Baylor is still an overachiever when it comes to his weight (32lbs) and landed in the 97th percentile. However, he's slacking a bit when it comes to his height (35.25 inches) and ended up sliding to the 75th percentile. All in all, both boys fall into healthy ranges, and that's all that really matters.

After going over the boys' medical histories with Dr. M, I was instructed to stop listing that both boys had once been diagnosed with heart murmurs. At this point, Baylor's murmur appears to be completely gone. While Dr. M could still hear Jax's murmur, he agreed with the cardiology report in Jax's records and labeled it completely innocent. When I pressed for more info on whether it would become a concern if it was still present at a certain age, Dr. M reassured me that the murmur is just a characteristic of Jax. It's just a part of who he is & how his little heart sounds. It's in no way a defect and should just be considered normal. Good to know!

When Dr. M asked whether I had any other concerns, I mentioned my worries about Baylor's communication and Jax's "allergies." Dr. M reassured me that Baylor may be struggling a bit with communication because he's hearing both English and Vietnamese, but that his language skills are not so lacking that we should be worried. Dr. M offered to refer Baylor for speech assessment if it would ease my worries. I haven't decided yet, but I may take him up on the offer in the future.

With Jax, I mentioned that we worried about his frequent throat clearing. I explained that the best we can tell it seems to be seasonal and related to what we assume are allergies, but that the over the counter allergy medications we've tried haven't been able to provide relief. Dr. M's advice was to purchase hypo-allergenic pillow and mattress covers. It seems Jax could be reacting to dust mites. If we don't see improvement with that change, then we'll move on to trying prescription Singulair. Taking pills daily does not sound pleasant. So, I'm crossing my fingers that the pillow & mattress covers do the trick.

I think we made an excellent choice in Dr. M. He has a great bedside manner and clearly has experience with anxious mothers that tend to over analyze minor details when it comes to the children's health. I'd say that makes him perfect for us!

Giving Back

Each May, our hospital's foundation hosts a black tie gala and invites the physicians, hospital board members, and other prominent members of the community to join together and raise funds for some wonderful programs offered to the community. The foundation and the hospital staff have always been very supportive of Anh, and we saw this as the perfect opportunity to express our thanks. It was a win-win situation. We donated money towards a good cause, and in exchange, we had the perfect excuse to get away for the weekend and play dress-up.
The event was held at the Hammock Dunes Beach Resort, and I have to admit when we first arrived, I felt a bit guilty that we had decided not to bring the boys. The resort's main attraction was an extravagant oasis-style pool complete with waterslide and a lazy river. Throw in the beach and a beautifully manicured 18-hole putting green, and you have an ideal day of family fun. Oh well! There's always next year for the boys!Although, later in the evening, I was glad we decided to be selfish and spend the weekend alone. We were able to spend a wonderful evening chatting, eating, drinking, gambling, and dancing with friends. Since the boys were at home safely tucked in their beds, we weren't watching the clock and were able to make the most of the night, and sometimes a little time away is exactly what you need to make you realize that the terrible two's really aren't so bad.

TWO

Yesterday, I asked Baylor, "How old are you?" His response was, "Two," and for the first time, that answer was in fact correct. Our baby is TWO YEARS OLD! Wow! Time feels like it's flying, but at the same time, I struggle to remember life before Baylor. I guess that's a good thing. There was no grand celebration for our "big boy," but we did enjoy some sweets and introduced yet another toy to the household.

I tried to set a festive mood by decorating the table with a Disney Cars theme. After three years, Jax's obsession is finally beginning to fade, just as Baylor's fascination is peaking. What is it with two years olds and Lightening McQueen? At least in this house, the boys aren't fighting over the Cars toys as much now. Well, I guess I shouldn't make that statement until we have Grandfather over to play in a couple of weeks. We'll see if Baylor shares. Remember, buddy, don't bite the hand that feeds you! Grandfather is your one and only supplier.Getting back to the birthday, as soon as Baylor saw the decorated table when he woke up from his afternoon nap, he climbed into his seat and proceeded to sing "Happy Birthday" to himself. It actually sounded more like, "Appy Urf-ay Eww-Eww...Appy Urf-ay Eww-Eww," but it was sung to exactly the right tune. I had no idea that he even knew the song. Of course, as Aunt Kelly pointed out to me last night, Baylor does attend all of his big brother's friends' parties. The kid is more observant than I give him credit for, obviously. Oh, and Baylor didn't just understand that it was someone's birthday. He knew it was HIS day, and he made it clear to everyone that the sprinkle cupcake was his & he wasn't sharing with anyone.

Actually, we had to allow Baylor a "warm-up cupcake" before the main event because the poor kid had been forced to stare at the cupcakes on the counter all day and was very patient when he was repeatedly told, "No, not yet." whenever he pointed at the box and said, "Snack!" Once I finally opened the box and placed the cupcakes on the cake stand, all bets were off. Baylor's patience was out the window. He did not care that the tradition in our house is to eat dinner and then celebrate the special day with a birthday party. Considering that it was Baylor's special day, we didn't hold him to tradition.

After the rest of us finished dinner, Baylor was more than happy to participate in the celebration that would result in a second cupcake. However, he doesn't subscribe to the theory that less is more. He wanted those cupcakes to be FLAMING! Ultimately, I convinced him that the number 2 and the two stars were more than enough to mark the occasion.Baylor was also more than happy to be center of attention as we sung Happy Birthday to him. Although, when I saw his expression in this picture, it did make me wonder exactly how bad we must have sounded as we serenaded him!Clearly, not bad enough to ruin the moment. Baylor embraced the spotlight and then did his best to blow out the candles.

Attempt #1 - Fail.

If at first you don't succeed, recruit your older brother as help.

A joint effort finally did the trick!

By this point in the evening, Baylor had perfected his cupcake eating technique. It had evolved from an icing covered hands and face mess to the relatively clean, hands-free approach.Fueled by sugar-overload, the boys put their energy to good use on Baylor's new laptop. I like to think that he was busy composing thank you notes to his family that sent him birthday cards and spending money for his next trip to Toys R Us. Just keep in mind that he's still learning. Should your email never arrive or be eligible, I trust you won't hold it against him.And, finally, allow me to wrap up this birthday entry with yet more proof that we are Gold Star Parents. As if there was ever any doubt! Here is Baylor this morning, the day AFTER his birthday, enjoying what has to be the breakfast of champions, leftover birthday cupcakes. And, yes, he is wearing the same shirt! See, gold star!