Drovdahl family

Update on Josh's surgery

2010-04-21T16:41:00.003-05:00

I just realized that I hadn't posted recently about Josh's surgery. As I said before, the original surgery date was canceld and the surgery postponed because of one piece of cereal.

Josh had surgery to remove his thyroglossal duct cyst on March 23. Yup, his birthday. We celebrated his birthday the Saturday before, so as far as he thought, he had already had his birthday.

On the morning of surgery, we had to be there at 5:45 am for a 7:00 am surgery time. We didn't wake Josh up even until it was time to walk out the door. Mom also came over to take care of James, but arrived when we woke up just in case Josh woke up. We weren't going to let cereal mess everything up again.

His surgery lasted about 1 hour and 15 minutes. He did really well. When he was in recovery we were called back to be there as he woke up. He remained in recovery for about 1 hour. The hospital had rocking chairs in each cubicle, so I was able to hold and rock him as he woke up. He was in a lot of pain and didn't want to swallow, which made it difficult to get him to swallow the pain medicine they had for him. Finally the nurse gave him some pain medicine through his IV to take the edge off. As he dozed off and on, I was finally able to get him to swallow the liquid medicine which was good, because they needed to make sure he could swallow. Finally we took him home. He slept most of the morning and around lunch was ready for food, he thought. I bought him a milkshake and fries (what he wanted). He didn't even try the milkshake, but just held it for a while. The fries didn't get eaten either because he didn't want to swallow. I had to remind him to drink fluids so he wouldn't get dehyrdated and to help work the muscles in the his throat. He kept ice on his chin and was on Vicadin for the first few days. He drooled a lot the first day as well since he didn't want to swallow his saliva. (Side note: Vicadin makes him hyper I found out).

It took about 3 days to get him to really eat anything. All he wanted to do was drink little bits of fluid and then would place ice on his chin to prepare for the next time he had to swallow.

He is doing really well now. They removed the banadage at his two week followup. It looks good. The scar is about 2 inches long and healing very nicely. Josh has discovered that he can now gargle again, which he hasn't been able to do for awhile because of the lump.

One piece of cereal

2010-03-11T18:44:00.002-06:00

Well, we almost got the cyst removed from Josh' neck on Monday, but one piece of cereal thwarted it. Yup you read right, one piece of cereal. Right before we left for the hospital at 6 AM, I dropped a piece of cereal on the floor and didn't know it. Then before I could stop him, he ate it. So when we got to the hospital and the nurse asked if he had had anything to eat or drink in the past 8 hours, I told them about the 1 piece of cereal. So the anesthesiologist canceled the surgery since he was at risk for aspiration from that 1 piece of cereal when they put him to sleep.

So it has been rescheduled. This week was full, the doctor's schedule was full with tonsil removals. Next week, the doctor is on vacation. So Josh is now scheduled for surgery on March 23rd, his birthday.

Thyroglossal Duct Cyst

2010-03-04T20:04:00.004-06:00

Well, I thought after all of the medical issues we dealt with last year, this year would be better. For those of you who don't know or don't remember, here is a recap of last year.
January 2009 - March 2009 - James gets ear infection after infection, each taking longer to resolve than the last. It resulted in him having outpatient surgery to place tubes in his ears.

June 2009 - James after having reoccuring breathing issues is diagnosed with asthma and placed on routine asthma medicine

July 2009 - Josh gets strep throat

October 2009 - James gets another ear infection which flares his asthma up.

November 2009 - December 2009 - Josh breaks his arm when he jumped off of a fence at day care. For the next two months he sees the orthepedic doctor every few weeks for more x-rays to monitor that it is healing correctly. He goes from a cast to a brace.

December 2009 - James continues to fight his asthma with a cold, which resulted in the last week of the month him being placed in the hospital to monitor his asthma more closely.

January 1 - 3, 2010 - James is home from the hospital and Josh gets his brace off.

We started out the year pretty good and with high hopes.

Oh well......

A couple of weeks ago Josh got a knot on his chin. This is the third time it has been there. The first was last July when he had strep throat. The second was in November when he had a cold and now this time. But different from the last two times, he wasn't sick this time. It continued to grow from a small pea to a marble to a small ping-pong ball in one week. By the weekend Josh was complaining that it hurt a little to swallow.

So last week, I took him in to see the pediatrician thinking we would get some kind of antibiotic and go our merry way. Not so. After much feeling of the knot, he tells me there are two possibilites. 1 and most likely he has a thyroglossal duct cyst and needs surgery or 2. it is a lymph node and will have to figure what is causing it to do this. He sent us to get a sonagram of the knot. If it was fluid filled, then it is the cyst.

Well long story short, it was fluid filled and diagnosed as the cyst. Two days later we saw the Ear Nose and Throat doctor (same one who did James' tubes) to review the sonagram results and schedule the surgery. A thyroid sonagram was ordered to see where his thyroid was hoping it was where it belongs. He was placed on antibiotics to control the swelling and hopefully reduce it until the day of surgery.

Here is a little info on a thyroglossal duct cyst. While the baby is in the womb and developing, the thyroid begins in the chin and as the baby continues to develop it slowly migrates to the base area of the neck by the time the baby is born. What is left in the chin is called the primative thyroid. Occasionally someone is born with a little residual tissue there that fills with fluid, like Josh's has. The swelling can come and go, but each time will be bigger and last longer then the last. Once it is discovered, it has to be removed. On very rare occasions, the thyroid doesn't migrate to the neck and remains in the chin. That is why the thyroid sonagram was ordered.

He had the thyroid sonagram this Monday (3/1/10). The scan showed a normal thyroid where it belongs thankfully. He will be having surgery on Monday 3/8/10. It is an hour long procedure, completed outpatient. A inch long incision is made in the crease of the neck. The cyst goes down the neck and up to the back of the tongue and is attached to the middle of the hyoid bone. All of it is removed as well as part of the hyoid bone to ensure that no tissue remains. If any does, the risk is there for this to reoccur and another surgery needed.

I will keep you posted next week after the surgery.

December 2009

2010-01-01T17:00:00.002-06:00

This month has been a very eventful one to say the least. From December 6 - 12 Chris and I went to Puerto Vallarta Mexico without the boys! That was a change to be without them for a week. My parents kept James and Josh and had a blast with them. Chris and I met up with his dad and stepmom, Jerry and Kathy Drovdahl. They have a timeshare there. It was very pretty there and warm. It felt kind of weird going to a warm place during the Christmas season. We had a great time and are talking about taking the boys if we go again. We stayed at Paradise Village. It is definetly more of a family oriented resort with lots for families to do.

We had the fun of swimming in the beach as well as swimming in very large swimming pools.

On Wednesday, we took a sailboat ride to an Indian village on the other side of the bay. While on the way there, we saw several humpback whales. When we got to the village, we hiked up through the village to a waterfall. We then went back to the beach and ate lunch. After that we sailed back to the resort. On the way, we stopped for a snorkeling opportunity with the fish. Chris and Jerry went snorkeling, I stayed on deck and took pictures.

Most of the restaurant we ate at were on the beach. On time we even had the wave come up so far, that it went under our table, and Chris' chair started to sink. Another time we had an iguana fall from a tree next to us. We were at a restaurant that overlooked a river. The iguana fell to the river shore, but was ok.

We had a nice suite. It had a living area, dining area, kitchen area, 3 bedrooms, and 3 bathrooms. It was a corner suite, so the balcony was a 2 side wraparound overlooking the harbor where the very expensive boats were docked. The balcony also had a jacuzzi on it.

First Broken Arm

2009-11-17T20:27:00.004-06:00

Well, it has finally happened.... a few years before I would have thought though. I didn't expect Josh to break an arm until he was around 10 years old about the time he would be tall enough to reach the bottom branches of our trees. Well instead he was 3 years old and it was a fence. Last Wednesday, November 11, Josh was climbing a fence at day care and jumped off. When he fell, he broke his arm. He has a green stick fracture, which means he broke one side and bent the other. He broke the ulna and bent the radius. The ER splinted his arm. We saw a orthopedist yesterday. He was very pleased with how the arm looked after he took of the splint. So much so, Josh was able to finally get it casted. He chose blue to match the Mustang. Josh will have is arm x-rayed again in a week to check the progress of the healing. At that time they will decide how long he will have to wear a cast. The estimate right now is 3 weeks only.

This was taken Wednesday night after we got home from the hospital. He was a very brave boy the whole time. The only time he really cried was while getting x-rayed.

He was supposed to have his arm elevated for the first 48 hours with ice on it every hour or so to help with the swelling. So he went to work with me on Thursday and Friday. He was pretty comfortable there.

He is showing off his new cast. After we finished getting the cast on his arm, he wanted to go back to the day care to show his friends his blue cast.

Where has the time gone?

2009-10-08T23:02:00.004-05:00

It is hard to believe where the time has gone. Josh is getting so mature in his actions. James looks like a little boy rather than a baby.... I am just amazed how fast time flies when you aren't noticing.

So here is an update on our life...
Josh and James have been going to the day care now for almost 10 months. They both have settled in and seem to enjoy going. Josh now has his first best friend, named Payton. And the best part is that Payton calls Josh his best friend too. Josh has even learned that although he has a best friend, it is ok to have more friends as well. So now Riley is his friend. Josh has discovered electronics. He loves playing with my Ipod. He is able to do the racing games for the first time, because you turn the actually Ipod in the direction you want to go and no buttons to push.

James has become a character. He is very "helpful" in his definition. For example, the other day he saw that I had a box of scalloped potatoes on the counter while I was cooking dinner. I threw the box away when I was done with it. He got it out of the trash and brought it to me because I had been using it earlier. He has also started to pose (ham it up) every time he sees a camera aimed at him. So I have some big grinned photos of him.

Even though the H1N1 flu is rampant in Longview, our immediate family has managed to avoid catching it. That is despite my brother having it and a lady I work with having it. We are using lots of hand sanitizer at this point.

Both boys have discovered the fun of boxes. We buy bulk diapers from Sams, so I have large diaper boxes and wipes boxes. The boys love to sit in them. They each have their own. They also will stack all of them and then knock them down. It sure helps pass the evenings away with them so occupied with their boxes. They will even sit in them with their sippy cups to watch cartoons.

Random pictures from August 2009

2009-09-07T10:51:00.002-05:00

Sorry, it has been so long since I posted. We have been staying pretty busy, but not by choice. James has been fighting a sinus infection off and on again for the past 2 months. Last week, Josh came down with croup. But I am thankful to report that both are on the mend now. Anway here are some of my favorite pictures from August. I hope you enjoy them.

Just Mommy

2009-07-28T00:06:00.002-05:00

Last Friday, I was "demoted" to just mommy. Here is how the conversation in the car went.

Josh: "Mommy"
Me: "What?"
Josh: " You aren't my friend anymore. Payton is."
Me: " So what am I?"
Josh: "Just mommy"

I have to say at least he is fair. He did the same thing to Chris on Sunday. Chris is now just daddy.

I am glad though that he has made such a good friend named Payton at the daycare. I talked to his teacher today and was informed that they do everything together and share toys and snacks. His afternoon teacher is also Payton's mom. She informed me that Payton talks about Josh all the time wanting to know where he is and what he is doing. I just love kid friendships.

More Washington vacation

2009-07-27T22:28:00.003-05:00

Here is a short video of Josh having fun playing in the tide on the beach. You can hear how strong the wind was.

Washington Vacation

2009-07-27T22:12:00.003-05:00

Washington Vacation

2009-07-27T22:03:00.004-05:00

Sorry it took so long to get any pictures posted about our vacation. Our camera broke on the first day. We just go it back today, so I do have some pictures from our stop at a beach on the way to Forks to visit family.

7/1/09 We stopped at the beach on the way from the airport to Forks. The boys loved the beach. Josh loved playing in the water as the tide was coming in. It was very windy out and about 57 degrees. After having left Texas horrible heat, 57 was very refreshing. James loved sitting on the sand and piling dirt all over his legs. He also ate some of it.

Before vacation was over we actually visited a total of 4 beaches. The first and last beaches were the most fun.

I will post some more pictures later. Aunt Desi gave us copies of the pictures she took while we were there. I'll upload a few of those later.

James' Birthday

2009-06-12T22:03:00.006-05:00

James had his first birthday party on Memorial Day. It is hard to believe that it has been a whole year since he was born. I have to admit, that like all moms, my mind strayed back to the days leading up to his birth and his birth. That was a very exciting time, especially since it was a month early than we had planned. One day (Tuesday) I have a regular OB visit and all seems fine. The next day I have to get some lab work. The next day I get the lab work re-done for comparisons. And by Friday around noon, I receive a call from the OB office telling me to go to the ER to be put be monitored and by that evening I find I will be having a baby the next day.

It has been a great year. James has been a wonderful addition to the family. I can't imagine our lives without him now. James definately doesn't act like a baby now, but more like a toddler. Josh has loved it. They have fun playing together now. They also now fight like brothers. James can dish it out just as much as Josh can. I think one of the funniest things to see is when James will tease Josh. James will crawl/sneak up to Josh, and then he grabs Josh' toy and takes off as fast as he can crawl. All that just to get a reaction out of him,.

We had a swim party for James' birthday. We had a baby pool for those 1 and under. Actually it was more like a puddle. We had a kid pool for the rest. Chris had smoked brisket for the day. It was one of his best in my opinion.

When James was given his birthday cupcake, he at first wasn't sure what to do with it. He then tasted the frosting. After that it was a great photo op of the progressive disapearance of that cupcake into his mouth, hands, face, and hair.

James eats spaghetti

2009-04-23T21:56:00.004-05:00

The other night we had spaghetti for dinner. We gave some chopped up to James to eat. He LOVED it. Of course we had to take the traditional spaghetti picture of him eating it.

Easter Eggs

2009-04-23T21:42:00.006-05:00

This year I boiled 24 eggs for Josh to color for Easter. He really enjoyed it. Here are some pictures from the fun.

If you look at the picture closely, you'll notice that his hands are dyed too. He finally decided that the handy little holder to scoop out the eggs was to slow to use. His hands were much easier for him to use.

Josh was really proud of his 23 dyed Easter eggs. I know, I said 23. Before we got to dye them, Chris ate one to make sure they were edible.

We took them to church the next day and gave them all away.

Just in case you need a laugh!

2009-04-21T21:58:00.004-05:00

James has a very infectious laugh. So here is a short video, just in case you need a laugh.

Josh is 3 years old

2009-04-20T21:41:00.006-05:00

It is so hard to believe that Josh is three years old already. He turned 3 on March 23rd. We had a birthday party at a city outdoor playground. They have pavilions you can reserve. Chris brought one of his grills there to cook with. We had hamburgers and hot dogs. The kids had a blast playing on the 1/2 acre wooden playground, and the adults had fun visiting. We had about 35 kids and adults come. My sons are so lucky to have so many people care about them.

This year I did something different for Josh's birthday cake. I made cupcakes baked in ice cream cones. I then frosted them to make them look like ice cream cones. They turned out very cute and saved on the messiness.

Update on James

2009-04-20T21:35:00.002-05:00

On March 20th, James had tubes placed in his ears. He had seen the ear, nose and throat doctor on 3/5/09 and was given a perscription to try and hold the current ear infection from getting worse. After the tubes had been placed, I met the doctor on the way back to recover to see James. The doctor told me that his ears had gotten far worse than the last time he had seen him. I stayed at home with James that day. It was amazing how much happier he was even the same day with the tubes. He also started talking louder and more. I think he liked hearing himself more. Since then he has started to show a lot of personality and character. He is so happy now. Before I would have said he was happy, but comparing now to before tubes, there is a dramatic difference. I'm very thankful we went and had them put in.

James's milestones

2009-03-11T22:09:00.003-05:00

Lately, James has changed from a baby to a little boy in my eyes. It seems to have happened when I wasn't looking. Where has the time gone? James is now 9 months old. He has 5 teeth, he can pull himself up on just about anything he can reach. He can walk holding onto the furniture. He can now even walk will holding/pushing a riding fire engine that Josh has. Now that he can stand, he is having lots of fun digging in things and emptying everything he can reach.

Update

2009-02-05T13:36:00.003-06:00

There has been a few changes since Christmas, so I thought I would post an update. Just before Christmas the boys started day care. I was pretty nervous about it. The last time Josh was in day care when he was 7 months old, he was sick most of the 3 months he was there. Things have been going much better than I expected. Josh started out in the 2 year old class. It turns out he was very mature compared to the rest of the class especially in the area of focus and potty training. We have been potty training him for awhile, but probably not as consistantly as we should have. For the first month at day care or "school" as we refer to it with him, we sent him in pullups so he wouldn't be embarressed if he had an accident. 3 weeks ago he wanted to wear underwear to school. I told him he could try it and sent an extra change of clothes just in case. 3 weeks have passed now and he has only had 2 accidents at school. So this Monday they moved him up to the 3 year old class, which is 2 months early. He is having a little trouble adjusting to the new class, but already is learning a lot more. They do a lot more structured play and pre-school activities than the 2 year old class. I have also been stopped by a couple of the teachers there to have them tell me how well behaved Josh is. I am so proud of him. James is in the 6 to 12 month class and seems to really like being there. There are a lot of times that I am able to leave work at lunch time and go feed him.

James has had several accomplishments in the past few weeks that I should probably catch you up on. He started sitting up on his own from on his stomach position. He started crawling about a month ago, but just going backwards. This week he has started to crawl forward. Josh has gotten very good at helping me out by letting me know when James puts something in his mouth that he shouldn't. James had 2 teeth just after Christmas, but now has 4! Just yesterday when I was leaving the day care at noon after feeding him, he waved bye-bye to me. That made my DAY!

James has also had 4 ear infections in the past couple of months. (They started before he started day care) So he has been on 4 different types of antibiotics to try to get rid of and keep them gone. The bad part about it is that everytime he gets an ear infection he starts to have trouble with coughing and wheezing. Since he had RSV in November, this is to be expected for at least 6 months afterwards when he gets sick. So he then ends up on nebulizer treatments and oral steroids to help him breathe. We had a follow-up appointment today to see if his ears were clear from this last round of ear infections. We have pretty much run out of options before tubes. They weren't clear, but much improved, so it seems that the current antibiotic is working. The doctor decided to keep him on the antibiotic as a preventative measure through the cold season and if his ears clear up the rest of the way and remain clear until summer, we should be able to avoid tubes. His ears will be checked again at his 9 month appointment at the end of the month. I'll keep you posted.

Christmas 2008

2008-12-31T21:47:00.002-06:00

Getting Ready for Christmas

2008-12-23T21:47:00.004-06:00

I was looking back through the photo album the other day and realized that I didn't have pictures of previous Christmas's preparation or of the tree to show Josh. So I made a point to take a couple this year. It has been so hectic that it has been hard to get into the Christmas spirit, but decorating the tree with Josh did help. James just sat on the floor and watched. I think he was fascinated with the blinking lights. Chris and I put the Christmas tree and added lights the night before when Josh and James were asleep. The look on Josh' face the next morning was priceless. That wonder look was there. I wish I had been thinking fast enough so early in the morning to grab the camera to capture the look when I plugged the tree in, but alas I hadn't had my cafeine yet that morning. LOL. Anway. Here are a few pictures of Josh and I adding the oranments to the tree the following night.

Thanksgiving Family Pictures

2008-12-13T15:06:00.005-06:00

While at my parents' house for Thanksgiving, we took the opportunity to get some family pictures taken since we didn't have any with James included in them. I think they turned out pretty good if I say so myself.

What you don't see, is that Chris is just off-camera ready to catch Josh just in case he should fall. So don't worry. Josh thought it was great that he got to sit there "by himself" for the picture and wanted us to take more.

Chris' mom, Dawn, was able to spend Thanksgiving with us. It was the first time she saw James. We had a great time visiting with her and wish she could have stayed longer.

James is sick

2008-11-18T22:29:00.002-06:00

James got sick Saturday night with a stuffy nose, coughing, and sneezing. I took him to the doctor today because he got worse during the night. I'm glad that I did. He has RSV and a double ear infection. What amazes me though is how sweet is his personality. Despite how miserable and in pain he must be, he still will smile at you and play with toys. You can see in his eyes how horrible he feels, but no crying not whining just laughter at Josh's antics. I am so blessed to have such a good tempered little baby. The good news is with the breathing treatments and antibiotics, he should feel better within a few days.

Pictures that make you say, "Ahh."

2008-11-11T00:04:00.001-06:00

My boys (All of them)

2008-11-11T00:01:00.002-06:00

Sometimes, there is a photo opportunity that you just can't pass up. I had one of those this past week. It was of all of the boys in the house including the cat. James was the only one who noticed that I was taking a picture.

James

2008-11-10T23:48:00.004-06:00

James has a smile that you can't help but smile back at him. He is such an easy going baby and loves to grin. So here are several pictures that I have captured lately with his "signature" grin.

Brothers cont.

2008-11-10T23:42:00.001-06:00

Just in case you hadn't had enough of my boys yet. Here are some more pictures of Josh and James together.

Lately, James and Josh have been having a lot of fun together. James loves to watch Josh and just smiles and laughs. Which of course, inspires Josh to keep doing what he was doing.

Halloween

2008-11-10T23:27:00.003-06:00

This year we took the boys trick-r-treating at the retirement center where Grandpa Mayes lives, Aunt Sandy and Uncle Rich's house, and the hospital where Joanna works.

James was a little monster, and Josh was a biker. I might be biased, but boy did they look cute.

Baby Food

2008-10-29T22:51:00.002-05:00

James has been trying baby food lately. He LOVES it. He gets so excited with the first taste and so upset when it is gone. He likes to hold my hand with the spoon and "help" guide the spoon into his mouth. Or better yet, just do it himself.

More zoo

2008-10-29T22:23:00.005-05:00

One of the new exhibits that has been added to the zoo in the recent years is a meerkat habitat. This was one of Josh's favorite because the animals were so active.

Cousins

2008-10-29T22:20:00.005-05:00

James and Allie are one day shy of being exactly a month apart. If James had come on time rather than a month early, they just might have had the same birthday. Even with the age difference, they are about the same size.

The Zoo

2008-10-29T21:49:00.006-05:00

I am still playing catch up with pictures..... My mom's birthday was 10/2/08. For it we went to the zoo. It was a fun time. You can never get tired of the zoo. Here is some pictures showing the good time we had.

One of the places that is always a favorite is the petting zoo.

My niece, Alex, was having a blast scampering with the goats.

Josh couldn't decide which goat he wanted to brush.

He finally settled on this one.

Another sections is an indoors section where there is an island of sorts with warm climate small animals. The whole front of the exhibit is an aquarium. Josh love all of the fish.

You always have to get a picture of the lions when you go to the zoo.

Josh loved looking at the lions even though they were sleeping or resting.

My dad, Papa, and Jame hanging out.

I think James was more fascinated with catching his feet than the animals.

After the zoo, we went to my sister, Charlotte's house for dinner and cake. The kids had a lot of fun running around and playing, even James had fun playing on the ground.

James and cousin Alyse having fun together on the floor.

James

2008-09-24T22:38:00.007-05:00

Just in case you have't had enough of James yet, here is a cute video of James cooing and being cute.

Pictures from August and September

2008-09-24T22:24:00.003-05:00

Here are some of my favorite picture from the past month or so.

Our dog, Kijsa, is very gentle and tolerate of Josh. He just loves her. She loves the attention.

I walked into the living room to this view. I asked Josh what was in his mouth and he showed me. Those weren't very little grapes.

At Madison's birthday party, Alyse was pretending to be a doctor. They were talking turns using the stethescope. I love where they put it to listen to the heart.

James is 4 months old!

2008-09-24T22:14:00.003-05:00

James is 4 monts old today. It is hard to believe that it has been that long already. Some things James is talking a lot of baby talk now. He also loves watching Josh and laughing and smiling at him. Josh of course hams it up for him. I love watching their interaction with each other. Today James had his 4 month check-up. He weighs 14 lbs 12 oz and is 24 3/4 inche tall. He is in the 50% percentile.

Brothers

2008-09-11T22:06:00.003-05:00

I was working on a photo project the other day and realized that I didn't have any pictures of Josh and James together where James was awake. So I decided to take some. Here is a few of my efforts. If I say so myself, I think some of them are very cute.

Josh decided that he wanted to take my picture while I took his.

Too cute!

2008-08-25T22:27:00.003-05:00

James has started to coo and smile more and more. I finally managed to catch a little bit of it on video.

James is 3 months old!

2008-08-24T15:41:00.003-05:00

It is so hard to believe that James is 3 months old already. He is getting so big. Where does the time go. Lately James has discovered toys. He has one toy that he loves. It is a small blanket that has a bear head sewn to the middle of it. It is much cuter than it sounds. The blanket is soft fabric on top and satin under. He loves feeling it and putting the bear in his mouth. He even likes to hug it while he sleeps.

24 hours for a dime

2008-08-06T09:27:00.003-05:00

Josh had another first this weekend. He swallowed his dime. He had a dime in his pocket at one moment. The next he was pointing to his mouth and asking for his dime back. I asked him if he swallowed it and he told me yes. So I looked up what to do, even though I had a pretty good idea and found out that I was right. So just in case you ever need to know: If a child swallows a small foreign object and isn't in any distress, then you watch to see that it comes out the other end within the next 2 to 3 days. It also suggested giving them carbonated drinks because the bubbles will help it get through the esophogus. Josh loved that part. Thankfully it came out about 24 hours later.

Brothers

2008-08-02T15:45:00.003-05:00

Lately, James has started to coo and smile. Josh loves it and will talk to him. He also likes to help him play with baby toys.

James has been rolling over for a little while, but I just managed to capture it on video.

Four Generations of First Borns

2008-08-02T15:18:00.002-05:00

I don't know how often this happens, but while we were in Michigan we had 4 generations of first borns there. My Grandpa Newlin, my dad, me, and Josh. So of course we took a picture. It was going to be put in the local paper.

Big Boy

2008-08-02T15:13:00.002-05:00

This last week, Josh started to wear big boy underwear in the next step of his potty training. He is so proud that he gets to wear those. We are still having a few accidents when he is having to much fun and doesn't want to stop to go, but overall he is doing very well.

Miniture Horses

2008-08-02T15:00:00.004-05:00

While in Michigan, we had the chance to go see some miniture horses. Josh was small enough to ride on one of them. The rest of us rode a cart pulled by one of the horses. I even got a chance to drive with Josh next to me in the cart. Josh LOVED the horses and went right up to them and started feeding on of them a blade of grass.

Reunion

2008-07-30T21:33:00.004-05:00

Here are some more pictures from the Newlin Family Reunion.

Swing

2008-07-29T23:37:00.005-05:00

While we were in Michigan for the family reunion and vacation, we stayed at my Uncle Kevin and Aunt Sherry's house. Their family room has a vaulted 18 foot ceiling with a swing hanging from it. Josh absolutely loved it. He spent hours swinging by himself or being pushed on it.

DaYoung Zoo in Wallce Michigan

2008-07-29T22:37:00.007-05:00

One day we went to the DaYoung Zoo. They had several species of cats. We were there during the baby animal time and got to pet and hold several baby animals. For a smaller zoo, the number of cats is very impressive. They had snow leopards, lions, liger, tigers, and mountain lions. We went on a walking tour with them and was able to watch them feed a "treat" to the cats. I managed to catch some of it on video.

James is 2 months old!

2008-07-29T15:02:00.003-05:00

James is two months old. He had his 2 month check up on 7/24/08. He weighed 11 lbs 15 oz and was 21 inches long. That means he is in the 60th percentile! He is starting to have more times of being awake. He has been rolling over for about a month now.

Newlin Family Reunion

2008-07-17T16:01:00.006-05:00

Chris and Josh having a snack.

Grandpa Newlin and James

Josh, Aunt Marvel, and Trevor having fun on the horse swings.

Grandma Newlin and James

We had the Newlin Family Reunion on July 12 on Grandma ad Grandpa Newlin's 56th anniversary. We think there were 56 people there despite us missing 27 family members! It was a lot of fun. James got held by several of the family and Josh had a blast playing on the horse swings and playing ball with his cousins. Here are a few pictures from the reunion. It was so much fun seeing cousins that I haven't seen in years and have just kept in contact with recently on Facebook. When I am home again, I will make a Slideshow of the rest of the reunion pictures.

Father's Day

2008-07-06T14:31:00.002-05:00

Here are some pictures from when my siblings and our families got together to celebrate Father's day with our dad. It was a lot of fun having Annette and Andy here for it.

My Little Fish

2008-07-06T13:06:00.006-05:00

This week, Josh decided that he wanted to swim without his ring and just just armbands. He now goes all over the pool swimming away. Here is a couple of videos of him swimming and of him jumping off of the side to Chris.

More fun in the sun

2008-06-25T19:26:00.003-05:00

We have been swimming with my family a couple of times recently, so I videoed some of the fun while I sat on the side with James. Josh loves swimming and being in the water. (He must get that from Chris). He really enjoys using his ring in the pool because he has some independenc and doesn't have to have anyone holding on to him, just someone close by since it won't tip very easily. Chris taught Josh to kick his legs to go in the direction he wants to go. As you can tell from the video clip he has a lot of fun. I hope you enjoy watching a clip of the water fight.

James is a month old

2008-06-25T19:20:00.004-05:00

James was a month old on yesterday. It is hard to believe that it has been a month already. It is even harder to believe that I wasn't even due to have him until last Saturday the 22nd. We have finally settled into a routine and thankfully James has gotten his nights and days straightened out.

Josh and James

2008-06-11T10:39:00.004-05:00

There are a few pictures that we have of both boys in the same pose. You can't help but notice that they are definitely brothers. Enjoy these pictures of our boys.

Here is the hospital picture of Josh taken when he was born.

Here is the picture of James taken at the hospital.

Josh enjoyed taking naps with his daddy.

James also enjoys taking naps with his daddy.

James is two weeks old

2008-06-11T10:31:00.003-05:00

James had his two week dr appointment on Monday. He weighed 7 lbs 6 oz. and is 19 1/2 inches tall. That means he has grown 1 1/2 inches and gained almost a pound since he was born!! The doctor is very pleased with his progress.

More Swimming

2008-06-11T09:55:00.004-05:00

We are having a lot of fun with the pool that we bought Josh. Yesterday we had Alyse, Alex, and Andy for swimming after Charlotte's appointment. They had a lot of fun.

Fun in the sun

2008-06-05T19:15:00.003-05:00

Josh has had a lot of fun in his swimming pool. He has discovered that he can make a big splash when he jumps and lands in the water.

More family pictures

2008-06-05T18:59:00.004-05:00

James will be two weeks old this Saturday. It is hard to believe it has been that long already. In the past two weeks. I have taken several pictures of both boys. Here are some of my favorites.

Josh tried to put on some of James' clothes. It didn't fit.

Josh really enjoyed his cupcake.

I have a picture like this for Josh as well. Such a cute picture, who could resist taking it.

Josh loves his baby brother.

James has almost slept the first two weeks of his life away.

Announcing....... James Adam Drovdahl

2008-05-27T17:57:00.002-05:00

James Adam Drovdahl was born on May 24, 2008 at 4:36pm. He was 6 lbs 9 oz and 18 inches long. Although he was a little earlier (a month) than expected, he is a very welcome addition to our family. Although he was a month early, James is a healthy little boy. What an answer to prayer.

It has been a very busy Memorial Day weekend getting ready to bring James home. We had planned on another month, so not much had been done. On Friday, I got a call from my OB that I needed to go to the ER and be put on a monitor and have more blood work done because my liver enzymes were increasing from the test that morning to the one on Tuesday. Friday night in the hospital I was told that I would be induced in the morning. So Chris spent a busy weekend, getting the baby clothes out of the attic and washing them, getting the car seat out of the closet......

Josh loves James and giggles everytime he hears James makes a noise. He loves holding him. Josh is my big helper, giving me wipes when I change James, throwing the diapers in the trash......

Fun in the Sun

2008-05-22T23:26:00.001-05:00

This last weekend, Chris and I purchased a pool for Josh to play in this summer. On Sunday, we had my parents and Steven over for lunch. Afterwards, Josh and Steven tried out the pool. Here are some pictures from that fun.

Big Boy

2008-05-22T21:44:00.003-05:00

This last weekend we put pull-ups on Josh for the first time. He has been going on the potty occasionally for awhile. I just thought that he would wear them when we were home and could make sure he went on the potty more regularly. I was sorrily mistaken. Sunday morning, I put a diaper on him since we were getting ready for church. I got distracted and left him in a diaper without getting him dressed. He went to play in his room I thought. Next thing I know, he came out in a pull-up. I went to see what he had done with the diaper. He had placed it on the stack of clean diapers. He then informed me he was a big boy. He is very proud of his pull-ups. The next day I was letting his babysitter, Andrea, know that he had a pull-up on. Next thing I know, he pulled his shorts down and showed all of the kids that his pull-up matched his shirt. They both had CARS the movie on them. Such observation!

Here are some recent pictures of my big boy.

Sonogram pictures

2008-04-16T20:24:00.005-05:00

I know it has been a little while since I promised to post these, but at least I am finally getting around to it. It is amazing how technology can give you a glimpse of what we can't see in person for a couple of months still. Personally, I think Chris and I are going to have another adorable little boy.

What a cute little foot!

I guess he was feeling a little camera shy.

This was before he was done getting his picture taken.

Something must have been funny to him.

Josh's new phrases.

2008-03-20T15:53:00.003-05:00

Lately Josh's vocabulary has just blossomed. Below is a list of a few new things that are cute that Josh says and does.

"I have bugger" (He needs to blow his nose)

"I love you Blue" (He has a Blue's clues dog he loves and sleeps with)

"Where's daddy" (I respond he went to work, he then waves bye bye to the door)

"Night-Night" to every stuffed animal we pass on the way to bed.

When you ask him what a goose says, he honks his nose and says "Honk Honk"

In case you are wondering.......part 2

2008-03-07T10:28:00.003-06:00

We have found out what we are having. We are going to have another boy. So all of those that voted for boy guessed right. We got some really good sonagram pictures. I will scan and post those in the next few days.

SNOW IN TEXAS!!!

2008-03-07T10:02:00.003-06:00

It has actually snowed in Texas. Josh was so excited. He had seen snow in November in Colorado, so he knew what it was. When he saw it in the backyard, he ran and put on his snow boots that Grandma Dawn had bought him. The only problem was he only had on boots and a diaper. I finally convinced him to put on pants, shirt, jacket, gloves, and hat before he went outside. I let him play out in it a few minutes before we left. He had fun throwing snow.

Working on the Jeep

2008-02-22T22:24:00.003-06:00

Recently, Chris had to replace the alternator on our Jeep. Josh "helped" him work on it. Everytime Chris tapped on something or tightned something, Josh did the same with his screwdriver and wrench. He had a lot of fun working with Chris.

Josh's first pictures

2008-02-22T22:18:00.003-06:00

Josh wanted to look at our digital camera the other day. To my suprise, he figured out how to take a picture and then many more. He even managed to get the subject of his picture sometimes in the picture. It is funny to watch. He holds the camera up looks at what he wants to take a picture of, then he lowers the camera to find the shutter button and presses it as he says "Cheese". Here are a few samples of his first pictures.

Having Fun

2008-02-22T22:10:00.003-06:00

We have a bin for Josh's cars. One of his favorite things to do is to sit in the bin and play with his cars. I just had to catch it on camera. Sometime it is so much fun watching him play because of the unique way he has fun with his toys.

Favorite Foods

2008-02-22T21:55:00.004-06:00

Josh is starting to show his dislikes and likes for food. Some of his favorite food includes: Cinnamon Applesauce, juice, pretzels, homade strawberry freezer jam, Dino bits chicken nuggets with ketchup, and Pepsi. As you can see, he now hams it up for the camera. Every time the camera comes out he grins and says "Cheese".

Josh ate the strawberry jam off of his plate.

Josh enjoying his dad's Pepsi.

Christmas 2007

2008-02-22T21:39:00.003-06:00

It has been quite a while since I have posted. So I am trying to catch up. This is the first of several posts. The slide show is from the Christmas morning with Josh opening some of the gifts Chris and I gave him. He really loved the Disney Cars blanket. He has slept with it ever since he has gotten it.

Merry Christmas from the Drovdahl Family

2007-12-18T12:43:00.000-06:00

Helping Me Baking

2007-12-14T09:39:00.000-06:00

I had to make rolls for the church Christmas dinner this year, because Mom was in Houston with Steven. Josh had a lot of fun "helping" me roll out the rolls on the dining room table. Needless to say it took a little longer than I expected because of all of the "help".

In case you are wondering.......

2007-12-13T16:31:00.000-06:00

Just in case you have heard rumors or are wondering about the 2 new elements that I have added to the blog...... Yes I am pregnant. We have known for awhile now. I am due June 22, 2008. I am just starting to show a little bit, at least in my own mind, since my pants all but don't fit any more.

I have added a poll to the right where you can vote whether we are having a boy or a girl. So enjoy voting.

October 2007

2007-11-26T23:36:00.001-06:00

Brushing Teeth

2007-11-26T23:13:00.000-06:00

We have been working on brushing all of Josh's teeth. Apparently, he is taking the lessons to heart. He decided to brush the Shrek doll's teeth also. I guess they were a little dirty.

Sledding

2007-11-26T22:52:00.000-06:00

For Thanksgiving, we went to visit Chris' mother in Colorado. While we were there, it snowed! (Those of you from Texas will understand the excitement.) We took Josh sledding up in the mountains. He has so much fun. We had a good visit with Chris' mom and a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Story Time

2007-11-12T13:05:00.000-06:00

Here is a cute picture that I captured at Charlotte's birthday party on Saturday. Andy was reading to Alyse, Alexa, Josh, and Aubrey

Trick or Treat

2007-10-31T21:28:00.000-05:00

Tonight Josh had his first trick or treat experience. We went to Collinial Village where Grandpa Mayes lives. They had set up the cafeteria for the children. As soon as we walked in Josh began to hold up his pumpkin for people to put things in even if they didn't have any. He had gotten a little experience the night before at the Trunk or Treat at Longview Regional Hospital. At Colonial Village he got a helium balloon and candy. Everyone loved his lion costume. Next we went to Aunt Sandy's house. After that we went to Annette's church, Fellowship Bible for Farm Fest. They had a room set up for preschoolers. Josh loved it. There was a pool filled with balls and amongst the balls was stickers and candy to find. There also was a pool filled with shredded colored paper. In it was bubbles and candy. Josh loved throwing the paper around. They also had road rugs and cars for the kids to drive. Shortly before it ended was a puppet show. Josh LOVED it. He sat in my lap for half of it and then went and sat in the paper pool and watched the rest. When it was time to leave, I had trouble getting him to leave because he was having so much fun.

Looking at balloon he just received.

Josh, Steven, and Andy

Josh in the ball pool

Josh having fun in the shredded paper pool

Harvest Party

2007-10-28T21:12:00.001-05:00

This weekend was the family Harvest Party. The first thing that Josh did, was decorate a paper bag for him to carry his prizes from the games. Josh had a lot of fun "fishing for toys" and throwing bean bags through a big wooden jack-o-lantern. He also played on the slide on the swing set. He was able to climb up the slide himself and then slide down. Most of the evening Josh and Alyse played together doing different things in the yard. It was a nice time visiting with family and extended family.

Good Guys Car Show

2007-10-28T21:03:00.000-05:00

We went to the "Good Guys Car Show" the beginning of this month. There were many classic cars and hot rods there. Josh really enjoyed looking at the cars. Here are just a few pictures from the show.

New Phrases

2007-10-10T16:35:00.000-05:00

More and more, Josh is starting to say phrases that we understand. Below are a few of my favorites.

1. Just a minute (I guess I say this a lot, in order for him to pick it up)

2. Ready, Set, Go (Then he takes off running)

3. 1,2, go.

4. Dance Daddy. (We had been asking him to dance with the music)

5. My truck (He has claimed ou new truck as his)

Feeding

2007-10-10T16:31:00.000-05:00

Lately, Josh has gotten very generous with his food. He now tries to feed the cat, the dog, me, Chris... Here is a picture I snapped one morning. catching him in the act of feeding his breakfast to his stuffed bear.

Baking Cookies

2007-10-04T21:29:00.000-05:00

This week, I had the fun of baking cookies with Josh for the first time. He was very careful to place the cookies just so on the cookie sheet. When they were in the oven, he kept going to check on them. When the timer went off, he beat me to the oven to check on it.
What fun!

New Truck

2007-09-30T16:24:00.000-05:00

About 3 weeks ago, I was in a car accident. Our truck was totaled. So we had to shop for a new one. Josh had so much fun looking at different vehicles. At the end it came down to two different trucks. We parked them side beside to compare. It was pretty obvious what Josh's chose was. He refused to get in one of the trucks. When I set him in it, he just kept pointing back to the other truck. We ended up with a 2007 Ford F150 Supercrew.

Having Fun

2007-09-30T16:19:00.000-05:00

Sometimes it amazes me the things Josh thinks up to do with is toys. I caught him yesterday sitting on top of my cedar chest with his toy dump truck. He would push the dump truck off the chest and then climb down and get it and bring it back up.

Big Teddy Bear

2007-09-09T21:00:00.000-05:00

We have 2 BIG teddy bears. Josh loves to crawl, wrestle, and sit on them. I snapped a picture today when he sat in one of their laps.

Playing with Ellie

2007-09-04T21:34:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday, I babysit Ellie Wickland. Josh had so much fun with her. They played with toys and a lot of hide and seek. It was very cute watching them hide on the other side of the box house or in it waiting for the other to find them. When they did both would squeal and giggle.

Little Boys and Baby Bottles

2007-09-04T21:31:00.000-05:00

I have figured it out.....

Little girls feed bottles to their baby dolls.....

Little boys feed bottles to their...........................................

Motorcycles!

Pictures from August 2007

2007-09-04T21:16:00.000-05:00

Helping Daddy

2007-09-04T21:11:00.000-05:00

Chris bought a 1979 Z28 Camaro which he is doing an engine swap in. As part of that swap he bought an engine houst that needed to be put together. Josh "helped" Chris put it together.

New word

2007-08-19T15:38:00.001-05:00

I guess you can tell that you have gone somewhere too much when your son learns to say the name of the store. Today Josh said........ Walmart

What a day!

2007-08-19T15:35:00.001-05:00

I captured this picture with my cell phone on Friday on the way home from work and the babysitter's house. Josh had played pretty hard that day with his friends.

Vacation segment 6

2007-08-07T21:02:00.000-05:00

Later in the week, Josh got to go for quite a long ride on one of the push carts. He went with Steven and Heather. They were pushed by Violet and escorted by Droopy. He had a lot of fun and didn't want to get off.

We had a lot of fun on vacation and visiting with relatives. But it was nice to get home too.

Black Squirrel

2007-07-27T15:25:00.001-05:00

While on vacation, I saw many different animals, mostly squirrels, chipmunks, and birds. There was 2 squirrels that really fascinated me. They were black squirrels. I had never heard or seen them before. I looked them up on the computer, and it says that they aren't named for their color. They originated from the Black Forrest of Germany and Russia and immigrated to North America. They aren't in very many states yet. They are just now starting to make an appearance in England and a couple of other countries. Black squirrels are a melanisic phase of the Eastern Gray squirrel. The white stick is a pocupine quill.

Vacation Segment 5

2007-07-27T15:21:00.000-05:00

The Friday night before we left, the church youth group had a pushcart contest. It was a lot of fun to watch. Josh had so much fun watching the carts go around the track. When they weren't racing he wanted to sit on all of them and try them out. He also had a lot of fun climbing in the tires that was used to layout the race course.

Vacation Segment 4

2007-07-27T15:12:00.001-05:00

One of Josh' favorite places to explorer at Grandma and Grandpa's house was the garage. He was fascinated especially with the 2 push mowers that were there. He liked to ride them like you would a riding lawn mower.

On Wednesday night, he went to the children's group. That night they all got some candy. As you can tell Josh loved his. It was a pop-up lollipop thing. I took these pictures as soon as we got back to my grandparents' house, and then he went straight to the shower to clean up.

Vacation Segment 3

2007-07-27T15:04:00.001-05:00

Most days we sat outside where it was cooler, since there usually was a breeze. One day, Dad brought up a chair from the deck for me to sit in. Josh, with a particularly impish grin, climbed in the chair and spread out in it so I couldn't sit there.

Vacation Segment 2

2007-07-15T20:45:00.000-05:00

Early every morning Josh and I go outside to chase squirrels. Grandma and Grandpa have lots of bird feeders which attract squirrels and chipmunks. This morning we had a couple of chipmunks run right by our feet. The shocked look on his face was priceless. He has managed to now sneak up on a squirrel and get about 4 feet away. I tried to take a picture of it, but the squirrel left before I could snap it. But here is a series of pictures that shows the morning routine.

Vacation Segment 1

2007-07-13T09:57:00.000-05:00

Josh and I went with my parents and Steven to Michigan this year to visit my grandparents. We took my truck so we would have a little more room. Josh and Steven had fun playing together in the truck. Everything Steven did with the car/animal, Josh did also.

One day we went and visited my Great-Uncle Norman and Great-Aunt Gloria. They have 2 goats and 2 sheep. Josh was enthralled with them and wanted to get in the pen with them. He really enjoyed them play king of the mountain on top of a table.

Just lIke Daddy

2007-07-13T09:50:00.000-05:00

Lately Josh has wanted to do everything that his dad does. If I give Josh baloney for lunch, he won't eat it unless Chris eats baloney. If Chris is working outside on a vehicle, he has to also. Chris replaced the brakes on our truck. Josh was right with him handing him tools and holding screws for him. While getting the truck ready for going on vacation, Chris checked the air filter. Josh had to look too.

The Crib

2007-06-17T21:33:00.000-05:00

Tonight Josh was playing in his room before his bedtime. He decided to try something new and succeeded. I haven't figured out if I am proud of him or scared about what comes next. He can now climb into his crib. I guess it means that the days are numbered before he figures out that he can climb out of the crib. The good news is we have taught him to go feet first when he climbs down from something. So he keeps trying to climb out of the crib feet first, sticking his feet between the slats. So maybe we still have a few months left before he moves to a youth bed. One of the times he tried it, I took a progression of pictures with my cellphone.