Category Archives: Leo

Leo Lately, February 6

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Leo has been super cute lately. It’s so much fun to watch him growing and learning. Here’s a few of my favorite highlights:

  • Holding Hands, Anywhere. Leo wants to hold my hand when I’m driving (and he’s in his car seat in the back), when we’re walking into daycare, when he’s laying in his crib getting ready to go to sleep, when we’re on the couch watching a movie. And he’s usually not content just holding my hand, he’s also quite likely to kiss my hand, hug it or be rubbing the top of it.
  • Not Why. We’re starting to slowly get out of that phase. He still asks, but not as frequently. Now he likely to respond and try to converse about what I’ve said.
  • Big Helper. Even though he’s not always a help, Leo wants to try. He loves to stand at the sink and drop dishes into the soapy water. He likes to get the broom and “help” me sweep the floors. He’s always eager to push the cart at the grocery store and likes to put things into the basket.
  • Potty Training. We’re really just beginning the potty training thing. He’s got the hang of it at school and is wearing big boy underoos there, but we’re still doing pull-ups at home. I try to make sure he’s going to the bathroom every hour, and he’s almost always able to pee. Marshmallows provide great incentive.
  • TuTee. Leo loves playing with Tony. When I pick him up, he asks where Tony is and now is starting to ask about Tony’s family. We visited them this past weekend and Leo really enjoyed playing with Tony’s nephew Carson and “Tutee’s daddy” and “Tutee’s mommy” and “the baby” (Tony’s other nephew).
  • Daycare. The last few months have been a bit turbulent at daycare. Leo does great when he’s there, but occasionally drop-offs are a struggle. He just doesn’t want me to leave and cries and grabs at me. It’s so hard to leave, but I know he’s fine after they’re able to get him involved and playing with the other kids. I wish I could figure out what triggers the bad drop-offs so we could avoid them.
  • Speech Therapy. Leo’s been seeing a speech therapist for almost a year now. He’s made a lot of progress, but as his ears got bad over the last few months, his speech has regressed. We’re moving forward with a second round of tubes and will also have his adenoids removed later this week. Hopefully that will help us jumpstart the progress again. He’s talking a whole lot, can hold conversations and has a pretty big vocabulary. It’s just really hard to understand him, even when you’re use to it.
  • Blue and Buzz. A few months ago, Leo really loved Woody and watching Toy Story 3. Now he’s on a Rio kick and loves Blue, the main character. As far as Toy Story goes, he’s still a fan but not watching the movie as much. And he’s really shifted to become more of a Buzz fan now.
  • Angry Birds. What started as an attempt to get Leo playing education games on my iPhone turned into a big Angry Birds obsession. When we were looking at the new games I downloaded for the first time, his eye caught the Angry Birds icon and he yelled, “Angry Birds!” He was pretty awful at first. He wasn’t able to shoot the birds in the right direction, let alone finish a level. Now he’s getting pretty good at it. It’s amazing how quickly he’s picked it up. It’s probably not the best iPhone game to get him involved with, but it’s pretty handy when we’re shopping or out somewhere and we need a distraction.
  • Ornery Boy. I love Leo’s sly little smile when you catch him getting ready to do something, or you say something silly that he’s not expecting. Unlike his full smile, his ornery smile is usually only on one side with his lips closed.
  • Love You. My heart melts every time Leo tells me that he loves me.
  • Singing His Heart Out. I don’t always know what Leo’s singing, but it’s pretty common for him to wake up from his nap and lay in his crib for a bit singing to himself. He’s also started singing the alphabet anytime he sees big letters (tonight it was on the Hobby Lobby sign).
  • Fruit Snacks and Cheese. Leo’s favorite snacks right now are fruit snacks and cheese of any type. I try to keep both on hand at all times, but it definitely helps that Leo’s open to cheese sticks, slices or a chunk off a block.
  • Got You and Hiding. Leo’s favorite games are to wrestle and “get” people, and to hide from people. His hiding usually entails getting under the blanket and laying on the floor or on the couch and then telling you that he’s hiding.

My Hardest Job

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Being a mom is tough. Real tough.

There are some days when I just don’t feel like I’m able to give enough… not enough time, not enough energy, not enough patience, not enough balance. There’s always lots of love, but I worry it’s not enough for Leo to really know.

I wish there was a manual. Something to help guide me so I knew I was doing things right. All I want is to raise a happy, healthy boy. Well-adjusted. Well-behaved. Intelligent. Independent. Kind-hearted. (Hopefully athletic.)

Sometimes I think I’m on the right track. Other times, I’m not so sure. Sometimes nothing I do seems to be right. Nothing I try seems to work. I can’t get him to calm down, to be happy, to understand what he’s saying, to stay strong and not give in and take the easy route.

I know it’s always going to be challenging. But I’m hoping, praying, that as Leo’s speech improves, things will get just a little easier. I will know what he’s saying and he’ll understand me better, and we’ll be able to talk through things.

Until then, I’m just going to keep doing my best and looking for the manual…

In a World of Change

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Yeah! The house finally sold… yeah… I’m suppose to be excited, right?

Well, I am. Sometimes. Other times I’m a bit scared, which I guess I understand. I’m moving on to a completely new phase of my life and am still unsure about where I’ll be living in 25 days. But mainly, I’ve found that I’m just sad.

That’s right. Sad. I know, I know…how can I be sad about finally accomplishing something that I’ve been working on and stressing about so much about for the past six months? After thinking about it a lot, I think I’ve finally pinpointed the sadness coming from a sense of failure and feeling like I’m comprising the vision I had for Leo’s future.

I picked this house to raise my family in. I picked the mural my mom hung on Leo’s wall because I wanted it to be something special that he’d always remember. When I bought this house, I had envisioned him growing up playing on a swingset in the backyard and learning to play basketball and ride a bike in the driveway. I picked this house because I wanted him to attend the best schools possible and to live in a neighborhood where I’d be comfortable with him playing outside by himself.

I know it’s silly that I’m fixated on all of these things Leo will never know about. And that I feel like I’ve broken a promise to him and let him down. He’s only two years old, he’s perfectly content anywhere that has a ball, space to run around in and access to hotdogs.

So now, my dreams for Leo will change. A little. He will grow up in a loving household, and learn to shoot hoops and ride a bike, and all that other stuff. It’s just going to be with different surroundings than I had initially envisioned, and that’s okay. I’m certain he’ll be just fine with it, and so will I.

Leo goes to the ER, Twice

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It’s been a rough week.

On Tuesday morning Leo woke up sounding like he was starting to get a cold. No runny nose or sneezing, just congested breathing and a rough cough. At 3 a.m. on Wednesday morning we ended up in the emergency room concerned with his breathing and the barking that he was doing. The doctor gave him a steroids shot and then sent us on our way.

On Friday afternoon, Leo’s conditions returned, he was breathing faster than normal and really having to work hard to breathe in. I picked him up early from the babysitter’s house and took him straight to the quick-care clinic near our house. The doctor on call recommended that we get him to the ER and then admit him in to the hospital overnight. So we headed over to the ER again where they started an IV, did some blood work, gave him several rounds of steroids and breathing treatments and took X-rays of his throat and chest. With the tests they were able to determine that Leo’s epiglottis was swollen, causing his breathing to be strained even more than just the croup conditions.

Leo was admitted into the hospital to stay Friday night so the nurses could continue to monitor him and administer treatments. Luckily Leo really responded well to the breathing treatment and additional steroids that they gave him in his room, and he was dismissed Saturday at noon.

Here’s some photos of Leo’s ER and hospital visit: