2 Brothers Layne

Today we had to say goodbye to Ms. Jacqui. She is the speech therapist who has worked with Jonah for the past year. We've had some fantastic moment, loads of laughs, and many triumphs as Jonah's speed has progressed! We sure are going to miss her! We also had the pleasure of have our friend Jeneah come over while her mom went to work. She showed me some amazing virtual paper doll websites and we went to the aquarium. We got there with just over an hour until closing and it was soooo quiet. We loved having the whole place to ourselves. We could take as much time looking as we wanted and there was no one to rush us! We got home around 6:30 and decided to make waffles. I made the batter and showed Jeneah how to safely get the waffles in and out of the iron then I turned her loose while I drew Jonah's meds and got stuff ready for bed time. She was fantastic, she cooked dinner, entertained Jonah, and kept Molly out of trouble! I was in heaven! I definitely need ...

Today I got to chat with Jonah's new teacher on the phone. She called to set up a meeting and to request that Jonah and I come in and spend some time getting to know her. Her name is Maria Ckjahfqahiahdkhf (not really, but her last name is so fantastic that after having her state it 3 times I can't say it nor write it!) She says she'll have her students call her Ms. C. Jonah and I have talked a lot about school, the bus, and Ms. C today. Maybe after back to school night on Thursday and our meeting on Friday he'll be better prepared to go to school on Tuesday. Ms. C is new this year and she said that Jonah is one of the more complicated kiddos in her class. She seemed a little intimidated with taking on Jonah. She'll quickly learn that he is way more complicated on paper than he is in real life! Today we had to say goodbye to our OT Sue. It's always hard to have to say goodbye to people who have made an impact on your life but I guess that it shows ...

Today was a lot of fun. Tanya and I made a trip up to BassPro in Hampton only to leave a little disapointed. But all in all, it was a good day. Our little neighbor girl, Sarah, came over to play for a little bit while her dad took some panels off the windows of their apartment. Jonah had a great time playing in his "minivan" while Sarah pushed him. It was a great laugh.

You may have to zoom in to see what this picture is really all about. It made me miss home terribly. The tractor is at the gas station, not fueling, the farmer just wanted to take a break and drove to the store. CAUTIONARY STATEMENT: Please don't be offended, but I realized how down-home country, and sometimes even backwards southern VA and NC r We were kinda excited to see this sign. A state neither of us had been to. At the start of the trip. Both happy and full of energy. This is the sight we had when we hit the North Carolina border. B0th are great travelers!! We're home and safe. The house is just as we left it. I'll post more later! Well, what to say about our big adventure. Yesterday we were without power for most of the day. After we said a family prayer for the power-line guys to be able to fix the power, it came back on within 20 minutes. AWESOMENESSS!!! We decided Jonah needed a Big Adventure toy. While we were at wal...

The day has been thankfully very uneventful. I have some fantastic picts but alas they are in the car. So I'll update this post tomorrow with picts. I asked Nurse Kristen to come help with Jonah while Dave and I packed and loaded the car. This was very helpful. We had everything packed and loaded in 2 hours. Jonah and Molly were great passengers on our 4 hour ride to Durham, NC. After getting settled in the hotel we went and got dinner. We laughed until we cried doing belly flops on the bed and hiding from Molly under the covers. Some priceless memories made today! Love that we are being forced to slow down for a weekend and focus on the things that matter most!

So today Daddy's command decided that we needed him more than they did (at least last I heard). As such he will not be leaving this weekend. As for our preparations we are about as ready as a person can be. Poor Jonah has felt neglected today as i have spent a considerable amount of time on the phone and computer with things having to do with the possible storm. As a result he has taken to some misbehavior ie. ripping one of his favorite story books, emptying cupboards he knows he shouldn't be messing with, and screaming. Ah the joys of attempting to juggle it all. So tomorrow I'll attempt to better balance my to dos and my Jonah time! P.S. finally figured out what I'd done with the camera! Pictures soon! UPDATE!!! (2:00am) We just made a reservation for a hotel in Durham, North Carolina. We decided not to risk staying put as it looks like this could be a real doozey of a storm!

Today has been a day of preparation. I thought I was a day early in getting the clothes washed and put away, our storm shelter (AKA our huge pantry) prepped, and the house in some order but it turns out our time table has moved up a day. Dave found out around 6 tonight that they leave with the helicopters tomorrow instead of Friday. We're both a little stressed to have to be apart for the possible storm so I was determined to have everything ready for Dave to see that we're ready and we'll be fine. Glad I put in the effort today, and since the laundry is done his packing will be much easier! As for the rest of the day, we haven't done much! Tomorrow Jonah has his biannual visit with the eye doctor. I don't expect anything to change, but you never know!

Supposedly there was a 5.8 magnitude earthquake today around 2:00. I say supposedly because we (Jonah, Nurse Kristen, Molly, and I) didn't notice a thing. In fact it wasn't until 2:15 when we started to get phone calls asking if we were ok that we had any clue it had happened. Dave was sitting in the car in the parking lot at work studying when it happened. He says that he was convinced a couple of guys were rocking the car. As for Jonah's visit with Dr. Lee, the lung Doc, things went great! Dr. Lee was all smiles with Jonah's progress and his overall health. He says we're still on target to send Jonah to school in 2 weeks. The only change that he wants to make is to have Jonah undergo a sleep study at the children's hospital. This is because Daddy and I have noticed an increase in Jonah's snoring over the past few weeks. Dr. Lee wants to ensure that Jonah's huge tonsils are not causing some obstructive sleep apnea. If this is the case it c...

Today we visited with Dr. Devito (Jonah's GI Doc). He was very pleased with Jonah's progress and things are going so well. He toyed with the idea of increasing Jonah's calories again but decided to give him a little more rather than to rock the boat right now. Tomorrow we visit with Dr. Lee (pulmonology) to see how things look from a lung stand point.

Oh, boy! What a day it's been. Jonah doesn't get a nap on Sundays, as a rule, and today was no different. So by this afternoon he was definitely acting his age! Jonah, when asked to stop hitting the fridge with the big spoon, whacked poor Molly across the snout. I was relieved when bedtime finally rolled around! A big thanks to Daddy for stepping in a number of times when Mommy lost her patience!

We had a fantastic family outing today! We (all 4 of us) went on a 2.5 mile hike through the woods. It was not only a great work out for Mom and Dad (as we pushed Jonah in his stroller) but it was rather relaxing being out in nature. On the way home we had to stop at Sam's club and since we had Molly with us we decided to send Daddy in for the groceries. I let Jonah sit in the front seat with me while we waited, little did I know the fabulous conversation that was about to take place. My adorable little almost 3 year old has a fascination with doing everything "Just like Daddy!". So while we were playing in the car he asks me for the keys which I promptly hand to him. This is were Jonah states, "Jonah drive just like Daddy!" when I explain that he couldn't drive he very congenially replied, "Ok, Jonah drive next week!" LOVE IT!

I had to run some errands today and when I returned I found Daddy, Jonah, and Molly all playing in the backyard! They were having a great time just chillin. When I showed up Molly got all hyper and started running wild around the yard. Jonah wanted to run fast like Molly so Daddy helped him up and we all went running wild! It was so much fun! Then this evening we went to the ward party. The adults played the price is right and learned about food storage while the kids were split into age groups to play games and learn about safety. Jonah was one of 4 kiddos who got to play in the nursery. Daddy and I took turns stay with Jonah and he did quite well!

We have started Jonah on his extra respiratory meds today as he is definitely getting sick. Sure hope we are able to head this off in the early stages and get him well quickly! As for the goings on today, our son is quite a ham. He had me laughing until I was in tears tonight. It always feels so good to laugh, I'm sure I don't laugh nearly enough. At any rate he is just so witty and knows how to get me going. I sure love it, although, I'm not so sure his teacher will love it so much.

So today was Speech therapy with Miss Jacqui. Jonah got to show off his new "K" sound! This is something we've been working on since January and yesterday it just clicked for him. So far he can only say it in at the end of words but it's a start and we're so pleased! Jonah and Jacqui pretended his blocks were different foods. Jonah's favorite was when they decided the tan colored cylinders were hot potatoes. Jacqui started tossing the block from hand to hand singing a silly song about hot potatoes! Jonah laughed till he could barely take in breath! This afternoon Jonah was crawling across the floor and his legs got going faster than his hands and he ended up cutting the inside of his lip with a tooth when he landed on the floor face first! Poor guy has a big fat lip.

The highlight of our day came this afternoon when our friend Carol Ann and her son Johnathan invited us to meet them at the beach! It was so much fun! Jonah was so glad to be at the "Big Sandy" and the ocean. I must admit that I too have become very fond of the playing at the beach. We'll have to make sure to make time to go a few more times this year! Jonah and I took Molly for a walk this morning. She is doing better and better on her leash. I tried to keep up a brisk walk but poor Molly is nearly at a run! Such short little legs:)

So today we got Jonah all registered for school! It took over half an hour and both Dave and I filling out forms but it's done. It's getting a little more real for Mommy, what a HUGE change this will be for out little family. This afternoon all 4 of us (Molly included) went to the park. Daddy and Jonah tried the enclosed slides out. Mommy had never taken Jonah on those ones. Jonah didn't seem to mind them at all, however, he was very nervous of the enclosed tube that connected 2 pieces of play equipment. Daddy was very patient and talked him through it. In the end Jonah was very proud of himself! Molly, we've learned does NOT like the rain and refuses to leave the nice dry porch while it's raining. Thus we've had a couple of puddles in the house. Yet another reason I appreciate not having any carpet, clean-up is very easy! She is also getting better on her leash but still required a lot of patience if you're planning on going very far.

So today Jonah had 2 volume settings at church, loud and louder... Lovely. At any rate we made it through. If all they ever did at church was "sing Pretty songs" Jonah would be in heaven! He clapped loudly for the pianist in relief society which made everyone smile. We spent the afternoon skyping with family and taking it easy. Love slow paced Sundays!

Today we had some family fun at the Zoo! It was Jonah's first experience with a Zoo and it didn't seem to click for him until about half way through. Every time we'd try to direct his attention to an animal it would stop moving and he couldn't seem to find it. Now we know that Jonah's sight at a distance is not perfect but it has us wondering how well he really sees. Check out the cute orangutangs! This is the part where Jonah came to life! The male giraffe was so close that Jonah finally realized there were animals there. Our Zoo had a baby giraffe born on the 28th of July so Mommy and Baby were locked up in their house. The other animals Jonah enoyed were the elephants, kangaroos, and the horn billed bird. Jonah had a good time playing with the "Water Ball" with Daddy! All in all it was a great day!

So it would seem that Jonah has a bug of some sort as his right ear has now started draining dark brown goop. I've started his ear drops so we'll see how that goes. His left ear causes me a bit of concern as well because the little white tube that use to look like a small doughnut no longer has a hole. It kind of looks like the tube has turned sideways. (P.S. I saw all of this using our otoscope) Jonah has also had 2 naps and has wanted me to hold him the majority of the day. Poor Guy!

We finally go the letter we've been waiting for. The letter from VB school district telling us that Jonah will be attending Rosemont Elementary came today! We decided to let him ride the bus and school starts on the 6th of September. I'm still in shock that he is really going to attend school 3 hours a day 5 days a week. What ever will I do with myself? Jonah had a very sleepy day and difficulty going to sleep. Sure hope it's just him adjusting to the time change!

Jonah and I are still trying to adjust to the time change and poor Molly spent the early morning looking lost and afraid. She perked up in the early afternoon and by this evening she is playing and snuggling with everyone. One of my favorite moments today was when Molly, Jonah, and I all took a short nap in the recliner! Undoubtedly the most entertaining moment was when Jonah crawled over to Molly interrupting her roughhousing with a toy. That's when Molly decided Jonah just wanted to play so she put her front paws on his back. Suddenly Jonah yelled, "MOLLY! Get off! Bad choice! Timeout!" Daddy and I laughed till we could barely breath.

I thought our flight from VA to UT went well and wondered if things could go any smoother. Today I discovered that they could. I traveled with not 1 but 2 angels today and countless others seen and unseen. First of all my highest regards to Southwest Airlines for their kindness and willingness to help us at all points of our journey. They made what could have been a very stressful day a most pleasant experience. Little Miss Molly was a fantastic traveler, she didn't make a peep from the time we left Tremonton until we arrived at our home. Jonah was amazing. He was entertained with an airline beverage cup with a lid and straw for the longest time. He is getting quite the imagination. We put down the tray table which became his stove, the cup was a pan with a lid, and the straw was a spoon. On the flight from Vegas to Virginia Jonah slept 3 of the 4 hour flight! Awesome! It's so good to be HOME and to be with Daddy!

So, as always when there is something big on the horizon, my stress level has been an 11 all day long and as such I should probably apologize to everyone who may have crossed my path today. The long and short of is that we're mostly packed to go home and although we're very excited to see Daddy it is hard to say goodbye to everyone again. The post tomorrow probably won't be published until Wednesday morning since our flight gets in at 12:30 AM EST! Wish us luck!

Jonah has finally mastered Grandma's stairs. He has the confidence to crawl up them without supervision but on the way down he prefers to have someone close just as a safety net. The video isn't great but it gives you an idea. We have had a wonderful Sabbath. Tomorrow I'll be doing some laundry then getting everything all packed and ready to fly on Tuesday.

Today we got to visit with Auntie Nene and Parker, and Nanny and Papa. So much fun! Then this afternoon it was time to take family pictures with the Layne Family. Jonah was more than happy to show off his newly acquired puppy dog tricks. Everyone got a kick out of it!

So throughout the course of the day I've determined that most likely I'll be bringing home 2 doggies. . . Thats right Jonah is turning into a dog! He is getting better and better at doing the dogs' tricks and thinks we should tell him good boy after each demonstration. He informed me that he needed to eat like Miss Molly and before I could get to him across the room he had a piece of dog food in his mouth. No worries he spit it right back out, that darn oral aversion does have it's advantages sometimes! Perhaps the most entertainment came in the form of Jonah out thinking Mommy. Jonah has had this deep fascination with the dogs' water bowl that sits in the kitchen. I felt it was important that rather than put it up high where it is out of his reach he needed to learn to leave it alone. So the rule became that if he got his hands wet by playing in the water he went to timeout. He has been getting more and more sneaky trying to only use one hand then wiping t...

Jonah did amazingly well with Auntie Ally today. We had discussed that was going to happen when we first woke up so when Ally showed up Jonah had no problem telling me bye bye! He was stoked to play with his Auntie Ally! A couple of random pictures from today Jonah loved Ally's sunglasses and her camera. Thanks again Ally for watching my kiddo so I could go to the temple! So here is a moment Daddy is bound to be so proud of... This evening while Nanna and Papa Dennis were over for a visit, shortly after letting the dogs outside to go potty, Jonah yells, "I need to pee OUTSIDE!" Gratefully I was able to convince him that little boys pee in the potty not outside. I'm sure that Daddy will have another opinion on the matter. Jonah seems to be picking up all kinds of new tricks from the dogs. This morning I gave Jax the command to play dead and before Jax could respond Jonah had flopped on his back with his feet in the air! He He He. What to expect next?

So what fun things did we do on our vacation today? Nothin'! It's about time! So glad we finally took a day to relax and be lazy, we both needed it. On the agenda tomorrow, Auntie Ally is coming over to play with Jonah while I go to the temple. Hopefully he and Ally both have a great time.

So today we started out bright and early to meet the Gardiner family in Ogden at the park. The kids had a ton of fun. Jonah really enjoyed the big slides and how Katelynn patiently sat by his side the entire time and played what ever Jonah wanted to play. What a sweetheart! The Gardiners live in Washington State and it just so happened that they were in the area visiting family this week! So glad I could catch up with them!!! After a little resting time at grandma's house we were off to SLC to Primary Children's to visit our NICU family. We got to visit with 2 of our 3 primary nurses and a couple of our NNPs. It was so great to be able to thank them again for all their hard work during Jonah's first year. Nurse Debby and Nurse Catherine!!! So glad we got to see them!

Jonah and I got to spend the morning with Grandma Dianne. For those of you who are new to the blog, Grandma Dianne was one of Jonah's nurse practitioners at the McKay Dee NICU. She was and is a wealth of knowledge and support. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit! We were supposed to go to the swimming pool this afternoon with the cousins but we decided to cancel when the weather was so crummy. I must admit that it was nice to have a slow afternoon with no where to go!

Today we had dinner out at Nanny and Papa's house. There was so much delicious food and great company. We had every member of the family there except one Uncle and David. Just being silly with Mommy. All of my cousins on my Mom's side of the family. Daddy Dave is the only one missing. Auntie Ally, her sister Coaly, and Auntie Kara Showing off his Crocodile skills to Cousin Clayton. Playin a little baseball. It's too bad I'm athletically challenged, otherwise Jonah would have done much better. Cutie Pie!