Jacob's first trip to the dentist!

Jacob had his first dentist appt. this morning. Over the weekend we read a few library books together about going to the dentist. While reading, he was most excited about 2 things: getting a toothbrush and/or a sticker, and sliding down off the end of the dentist chair. When we got there to the dentist, he was such a big boy. When the asst. called his name, he knew just what to do (probably because of going to tons of appts. for Tyler). He followed her (after making sure Tyler and I were coming with him) to the back, and she had him sit in a REAL dentist chair.
The first thing he wanted to do was slide down off of it!

I was very impressed with the dentist. She was so good with him. No cavities. All teeth looking good. And at the end, he got a toothbrush and a Diego sticker, which he has been telling everyone about. And of course he slid off the chair just before leaving.

A fun appointment!

I was so proud of my big boy. It did dawn on me today just how big he is getting. In 2 years, he'll be going off to school and then he'll never be at home all the time with me anymore. That was a sad thought, but it made me want even more to enjoy and maximize all the time I have with my kids while they're little as well as I can.

Being a monkey. His new favorite thing to do is set up obstacles to jump over. Sometimes he uses Tyler as his obstacle, but he doesn't tend to make it quite over him. Sometimes it's hard to be a little brother.

Pamela invited us to go to the zoo with her. Had such a good time. She has always been so good to me (and us) ever since we moved here. She's always bringing over treats or calling to check on me and making sure everything's going well. She is my visiting teacher, but she does way way more than a visiting teacher is expected to do. Such a sweet friend! We love her!

Tyler, hot and sweaty after a warm day at the zoo. Which reminds me that I need to think up a plan for keeping Tyler hydrated during the summer since he doesn't drink anything by mouth and only tolerates a certain amount of fluids during the day.

And then thinking back to a year ago, Brian and I were reminiscing. About those hard, hard days with Tyler. We would have a table full of food out, trying to get Tyler to eat anything. Calorie counting everything that went into his mouth. A good day was when he got 75% of the calories he needed for the day. Wouldn't take any liquids by mouth. They had to be thickened to a pureed consistency and spoon-fed...bite by bite. Many days, most days, I literally spent 8 hours just feeding Tyler, trying to keep him from losing weight. He hadn't gained weight for about 6 months.

And then last July he got his feeding tube, and instantly our world was so so much easier. And now to only have to worry about keeping him hydrated...such a blessing! This boy is such a miracle. And the blessings never seem to stop coming. What a joy!