Two Under Two, No More!

It’s official, Drew is now two. He has been acting the part for a couple of months now, amping up the temper tantrums and asserting himself as the new head of household. While he is definitely crankier than his former self, his tantrums are relatively mild and brief. I have had to use the “naughty rug” method of discipline on a few occasions, and Drew has become rather fond of it because it always ends with a cuddle. He will purposely do something naughty, look at me and say, “Noddy rok?” I ask him to sit on it maybe once a week, but he tells me to make him sit on it about 5 to 10 times per day. What’s wrong with this picture?

We had a fun birthday party for Drew at our house yesterday, and he loved being the center of attention for his “Happy Day.” I made him some allergy-safe cupcakes again this year, but I’m really hoping he has outgrown his egg allergy. We’re pretty sure his dairy allergy is still hanging around, but we’ll find out for sure about both when his allergist retests him this summer.

His transition to the toddler bed is still a struggle, but it is slowly improving. Naps are actually easier than bed time these days. After a couple of bed time escape attempts, we just put up the baby gate on his bedroom door and let him crash out wherever he wants. He has fallen asleep in some pretty interesting places lately! Fortunately he’s easy to move back into bed once he is asleep.

And then there is Owen… sweet, precious, mellow Owen. I could just cuddle and kiss him all day long, if only I didn’t have so many other things to do with my time. He is now four months old, and we are getting the hang of keeping his hearing aids on during all waking hours. We have him enrolled in an early intervention program at a local school for hearing impaired children called Desert Voices. While Owen’s hearing loss is mild-to-moderate, there are profoundly deaf children there who still learn to speak with the help of amplification. Modern technology is truly fascinating. Owen now has speech therapy once per week, and by the time he turns two, he will graduate to a toddler class and therapy three days per week. The teachers there are so professional and great with the kids, we feel fortunate to have their expert advice. And the school’s fundraising efforts cover most of our costs, so we pay only $2 an hour for their services. Amazing!

Owen still struggles to eat. His prescription antacid has really improved the reflux, but he was still frequently choking and aspirating his milk while nursing and bottle feeding. Our pediatrician said this could cause pneumonia, so we reluctantly took him to our home-away-from-home, Phoenix Children’s Hospital, for a barium swallow procedure. He drank bottles of barium in various consistencies while being X-rayed, and was diagnosed with laryngeal penetration. That means that milk pools in his larynx (space right above your vocal chords and trachea), causing him to choke when he tries to breathe. Interestingly, we think Drew probably had this same problem, which caused his texture aversions when starting on table foods last year. Fortunately there is a light at the end of this tunnel, and Owen will eventually outgrow the condition just like Drew. Until he does, I have to bottle feed Owen (no more nursing) and thicken his milk with a special flavorless gel. It’s a royal pain in the neck, but at least Owen seems more comfortable during feeds. He’s a solid little guy, but I wouldn’t mind some extra chub on those thighs!

It’s baffling to me how two such healthy kids can be so high maintenance. I’m thinking of picking up a side job as a tour guide at PCH, since between Drew and Owen we regularly visit radiology, audiology, pulmonology and gastroenterology. As long as we never learn where the oncology floor is, I will continue to count my blessings!