The Jones Family: Where has the time gone?

I can't believe how quickly the past 4 months have flown by! Life with two kiddos keeps me busy to say the least. I rarely have time on the computer. I'll try to do some updating but it's going to be the condensed version. Sadly this is my last week of maternity leave. I try to avoid thinking about dropping both boys off at daycare on Monday because it's going to be hard. I know I'm extremely lucky to have had 16 amazing weeks off to enjoy with them, but of course I wish it was longer.

Tyler - After the NICU scare we had a follow up with the cardiologist when he was a couple of weeks old for another echocardiogram & EKG. They confirmed that he had a heart murmur due to his chest cavity being so small but the cardiologist assured us everything was functioning normally & that a murmur isn't uncommon with new babies. He will likely outgrow it by the time he's 6 months old. We were relieved that she didn't see any cause for concern & gave him a clean bill of health. When he was a month old we found out he had an intolerance to dairy & soy. It's a condition called MSPI that caused him to get eczema & diaper rash & made his stomach extremely upset. He would scream continuously because his little tummy hurt so badly & we had many rough nights those first few weeks. We were lucky to recognize a problem so early & contact his pediatrician for testing. I cut all dairy & soy out of my diet & he's been doing much better. It's something most babies grow out of by the time they're a year old. I'm definitely hoping it doesn't take that long because there are so many foods I miss. :-) Tyler is growing like a weed! We can hardly believe how big he's gotten. He was already up to 15 lbs at his 2 month appointment & that was over a month ago. He's really starting to interact with us which is so fun. He coos, smiles & even laughs out loud! He's rolled over both directions once & I swear he's trying to sit up. He holds onto things & pulls his head & shoulders up. I have to be really sure to strap him into everything well so he doesn't manage to work his way out of it. He already thinks the world of Landon & laughs at his antics tirelessly. I've started bathing them together now that Tyler is a little bit bigger. Landon loves to show him all the bath toys & Tyler just smiles up at him adoringly & kicks his feet.

Landon - I can't believe our big boy is 3 years old now! He weighed 37 lbs at his 3 year appointment. He went to the dentist for the first time & did great getting xrays & having his teeth cleaned. He's getting so big but thankfully still loves to snuggle. He really is a sponge...absorbing anything he hears. When we were on vacation a couple of weeks ago he surprised us by counting to 10 in Spanish. (Thanks Dora!) He's a typical 3 year old boy...talks all the time, constantly jumping, climbing, running, etc. He LOVES super heroes. He was Captain America for Halloween this year. He likes for us to pretend we're fighting him. He makes all sorts of 'hiyaa' noises with play kicks & punches. It cracks me up. He's an amazing big brother. He gets really happy when Tyler smiles or laughs at him & tries hard to comfort him whenever he cries.

Other news - Darren made the dive team for the fire department. He went through 2.5 weeks of training (in addition to working) & could now be called for any type of water rescue/retrieval. My mom was visiting us over Labor Day weekend for Landon's birthday party when she got the devastating news that she'd lost her house & all of her belongings in a huge wildfire that swept through the Bastrop, Tx area. She's planning to rebuild at another location in Bastrop, but it will be a long time before she's replaced everything that is replaceable. She lost a lot of things (photos, mementos, heirlooms, etc) that are sadly gone forever. We have a new niece on the way! My brother & his girlfriend Amber are expecting a little girl this February.

Well, that's it for now. I'm sure I forgot to mentioned a million things, but it's late & I need to get to bed. Hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!