Musical chairs 2007

Today was a big day in the King Household. We transitioned Eli from his High Chair to a booster seat (with lap belt). Lately, Eli has been a bit of a high chair tyrant and we thought that sitting at the table like a big boy would help contain his wild-guy antics (throwing, screaming, escape tactics, etc...). So far so good, Eli LOVED sitting with us at the table.

As a result of Eli's chair move, baby Nate got to sit in the high chair in the recline position, so that he too could be part of the table. I think I like the switch most of all as this means that Nate will no longer eat dinner in my lap (he didnt want to hang out in the swing or bouncy seat while we ate). Nate loved sitting up in the high chair. Eli had a total toddler moment when we first put Nate in the highchair, as it has been Eli's chair since he was 6 months old and he didnt feel like sharing. But he quickly got over his chair angst and was happy to be able to smile at his baby across the table. We had a great dinner tonight with the four of us sitting tableside.

The Adventures of Too-Cute Nate

Nate has a smile that will absolutely melt your heart. He laughs all the time now and really enjoys dancing and singing with his momma while looking in the bathroom mirror (thats a two-for-one as he gets to look at himself and his momma at the same time). Our bedtime routine consists of a massage and songs and he talks and chuckles throughout the whole thing. I love those private moments with Nate at the end of the day as it is really our special time. This picture was taken right before I took him up to bed. Nate is also sleeping between 9-10 hours almost every night, which makes him a total baby rock star!!!

Urbana Fire Department Day

Wow! What a weekend for the King Boys. Saturday was Urbana's Fire Muster day and they brought out 4 fire trucks to be inspected and let the kids work the water hoses and go down simulated fire slides (Eli was still a bit small for that...but next year). As he loves all things trucks, Eli LOVED this event. He ran from the hose to the fire trucks and back. He was quite enamored of working the hose to blast out a pretend fire and really loved sitting in the fire truck. Nate slept through the whole thing but did so with a smile on his sweet little face so I think he had fun too. Next year will be even better with a 15 month old and an almost 3 year old...that is such a scary thought!

Nate the road warrior

Nate is such a trooper. We went on a Momma and baby road trip to St. Louis on Monday for a checkup. He is doing so well. His platelet counts are right where they should be and he continues to thrive (look at those cheeks). He charmed all the dr.'s and nurses again, and his momma too. We had a good drive as he only fussed for the last 40 minutes of our trip home. Who could blame the poor little guy we spent seven hours on the road and only 3 at the hospital. What a day! We do not have to go back until the end of August though Nate does have weekly blood tests for the next few months. Keep sending all of the good thoughts and prayers his way, they are definitely working.

Hats, Hats, and more Hats

Eli has such a fun imagination and likes to make-believe in lots of different ways. Sam and I got him a dress-up hat collection (that includes a viking hat, construction hat, pirate hat, firemans helmut and race car driver helmut). He loves to wear his hat and have us wear them too...Even the dog has worn a hat. Eli loves to share his favorite things (poor milo wishes he wouldnt share quite so much). In addition to his fun imagination, he has started to sing and hum. He is such a musical and creative guy!

The Shedd Aquarium

We took a mini-road trip this past weekend to the awesome Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. Eli, who we all know is a fish maniac, thought the aquarium was even more amazing than the farm he plays at every friday. The aquarium had some amazing exhibits, but we all loved the Beluga whales the best. The aquarium has a baby beluga named bella who was too cute, and one of the adult beluga's was flirting with Eli. All in all, it is one of my favorite family days ever!!! The car ride actually went very well, except for the last hour but that is to be expected when you have a tired and cranky toddler, a tired and cranky little baby, and a very tired and cranky mom.

But we made it home safe and sound and had a day to remember.

HAPPY 19 MONTHS ELI

Eli had his 19 month check up last week and he continues his role as the most massive toddler ever!!! Our Dr. thinks that Eli looks like a 3 year old. He is 36.5 inches (WAY WAY WAY OFF THE CHARTS) and 32 pounds (which is barely off the charts...we are trying to beef him back up). He is a healthy and happy toddler and he is always on the go. Our favorite words of Eli's right now are Bunya (for bunny of course) and his very special way of saying truck (he says it F*ck). HA! We love when he says truck in public. It is hilarious and a bit disconcerting to see that sweet cherub face spew that very dirty word. His vocabularly is enormous and he has an amazing imagination (he loves to make his blocks into airplanes and fly them around with noises). Eli is such fun.

BIG BEAUTIFUL BRAVE NATE

Nate, the brave little man that he is, had a very tough week. Last friday morning we noticed that Nate had little broken blood vessels (pin prick looking dots) all over his arms legs face and tummy so we headed in to the dr. After a quick look and some fast blood work our Dr. notified us that Nate had a platelet count of 5000 (normal is 140,000 to 440,000). Nate and I were rushed by ambulance 3 hours to St. Louis Children's hospital where he immediately received a platelet transfusion...and there we stayed until Tuesday. Randomly, after contracting a cold, Nate developed a clotting disorder (ITP) that took 2 days to diagnosis conclusively and then another 2 days to make sure the medication worked. This was without a doubt the single most terrifying experience of our lives and a very harrowing week.

The great news is that Nate is on the mend his platelet counts are at 200,000 (what a champ). The poor little love will have weekly blood draws for the next 3 months and then monthly for another 3 months as this can rarely pop back up.

Nate was such an amazing baby in the hospital (he is always amazing but he was even more amazing than usual). He only fussed the first night at 1 am when they put in his IV for the transfusion. He was such a brave, happy boy for all of the blood draws (except for finger pricks which he hated). Nate was the darling of our hospital floor and the nurses and dr.'s would all come in to visit with him or take a turn holding him so I could grab a shower. He even kept to his usual sleeping and eating routine!!!!

Sam and Eli (milo too) held down the fort here in Urbana. Sam is such an amazing Dad and he and Eli had a blast here. We were all so relieved when Eli and Sam came to St. Louis to pick Nate and I up on Tuesday afternoon. We are settling back in and are beyond thankful for Nate's recovery and all the good wishes from friends and family.

We would like to say here, because we will never be able to say it often enough, that my brother Chris was a life saver. He talked to all of Nate's Dr.'s everyday and updated us and answered any questions we had. It was a relief to know that Chris was on our side and fighting for us too! Nate sends a big thanks your way Uncle Chris.