January 2012/ 2 1/2 year check-up...

January started off as a great month, but quickly turned into a very hectic month.One day at the beginning of the month, I noticed that Dutchess was following Leland around EVERYWHERE he went. They are best buds, but she doesn't usually follow him around. I asked Leland why the dog was following him and he quickly said, "Snack!" I was confused, as he had just had snack, so I told him that he had already eaten his snack. Leland proceeded to open the tiny shirt pocket you see above and again say, "Snack!" Come to find out, he had stuffed this little pocket full of Teddy Grahams! The dog was smart and knew he had food!

Leland's vocabulary is growing daily and it is getting easier and easier to understand his sentences. We have to really watch what we say now because he is a little copy cat and will quickly repeat anything you say or do.

In the middle of the month, we headed to GA, as Jason's Grandmother was in bad shape. Bless her heart, she was 91 year old and lived a long, happy life, but she passed the day after we got back to AL, which was also Jason's 28th Birthday.

The reason I say we wound up having a hectic month is because we had 2 weeks of a very hectic schedule!

We were in GA on the 21 and 22nd. When we arrived home we went to eat dinner with Pap and GiGi. Pap's Dad was in town (also Pap) from Pennsylvania, so we wanted to be sure and get a visit in with him while he was in Birmingham. While there, we watched the weather and were warned of severe weather coming to our area in the middle of the night. Most radars showed the bad weather North of Birmingham, but we soon realized they were WRONG!!

At 3:03am, the sirens went off. I immediately woke up and turned the weather on to see that there was a tornado coming out of Tuscaloosa. I typically just watch James Spann, but to be honest, I was not happy with his broadcasting at all that night! He was very adamant and almost mad sounding as he called out names of cities that were NOT involved in the sirens were heard outside. He was relying on his polygon that ended right on our side of I65. The entire time, I kept watching him, as I flipped back and forth to JP Dice, I wondered, why are they not expanding this polygon? It's not like the tornado is going to stop right when it gets to the little red box on the TV screen. I could see that the path this storm was taking was headed right for us.

Around 3:45am, the storm was getting very close to Downtown Birmingham and nearing the end of the polygon on James Spann's broadcast. They FINALLY updated the polygon when the storm was 15 minutes away from our house and the sirens went off again right at 4am. By this time, Jason woke up to turn over and the tornado was in Tarant (a hop, skip, and jump from our house).

I told Jason it was time to get in the closet. He moaned and groaned and said he wasn't getting in the closet. I picked Leland up in a blanket and we got into my walk in closet along with the dog. Jason did join us, but wasn't happy about it.

I knew the storm was very close because my ears kept popping from the pressure of the tornado (I've been IN a tornado before, so I always remember how my ears felt). Our power was out at this point, so we were relying on cell phone radar to watch the weather. We got back in bed and a good friend in Anniston started texting my phone to make sure we were OK...she was watching the TV, as the storms were headed their way. On her OK to go back to bed, we did around 6am.

We woke around 9 to seriously about 30 missed calls. To be honest, I didn't even think to turn my phone on when we were up half the night and only had a few hours sleep. This was also Jason's Birthday....what a wake up on your Birthday!

We were VERY lucky that the tornado didn't come less than 2 miles South. The post office and bank that I use multiple times a week were blown away. The neighborhoods literally right up the street by the Publix we shop at all the time were flattened. We were so blessed, but there are so many people that lost EVERYTHING with this storm!

As if this day couldn't get any worse, we received the call that Jason's Granny Sewell had passed while eating dinner that night. Jason traveled to GA Wednesday and Thursday that week. I have been having some issues and was not feeling well at all, so Leland and I stayed behind...not to mention, a funeral is really not the best place for a 2 year old to be.

When he arrived home, we had a house full of guest from Fri to Sun. Monday night after our guest left, we hoped to be getting back into a regular routine and for things to look up. Boy were we wrong!

Leland is 2 1/2 and has NEVER thrown up. I know we are very lucky! I am positive that we got broke in to the stomach bug very well, as at 11pm, he go sick (in our bed). We stripped the sheets and in the wash they went. After making the bed and getting back to sleep, at 1am, he got sick again. Round 2 of stripping sheets and washing/drying clothes!

I opted to make him a pallet in the living room floor and I was going to sleep on the couch. If you know our child, you know how peculiar he is...it was not OK for me to sleep on the couch in his book...he wanted me to lay right there beside him on the floor. I did, and he threw up 6 more times by 5am. A few times contained blood, which literally freaked me out, so I was on the phone with my Mom at 2am, but we concluded that it was probably sinuses, as his nose bleeds all the time.

The next day, he was back to normal and I couldn't get off the couch. Luckily, Jason and I didn't get sick, but were just exhausted!

The day after being sick, he just laid around and watched his 2 favorite movies, Cars 2 ad Toy Story 3!The weekend after our stomach virus episode, we were invited to go out with good friends to celebrate a Birthday. Wilbur's wife rented a stretch Lincoln Navigator that picked 9 of us up and drove us to Ocean in Downtown Birmingham. If you have never been there, GO! I love it and have been there several times!

I opted to leave Leland with GiGi and Pap the whole weekend and I picked him up on Monday. I had a ton of work to get caught up on and it is just easier to focus on nothing but work when I have a huge list!

We picked up our happy boy Monday, but forgot his car seat strap covers. I usually move the ones from our car seat to Moms, but I just made him a new pair since we left his blue ones behind. He loves them and calls them, "War Eagle!" This makes Jason madder than anything, but Leland's new favorite word is, "BOO DAWGS!" I can't help but die laughing every time he says it and he does it specifically to Jason because he knows it makes him mad!...smart kid!!

I took Leland to see Dr. Bill today for his 2 1/2 year check up. He weighs 31lbs and 8oz and is 36 1/2 inches tall. He is wearing a size 3t pants for length, but they are way too big in the waist. He can still wear most 2t tops, but can wear a 3 in some. He is in a 9 1/2 shoe, 10 in some depending on how they are made.

He was perfect on all of his milestones except hopping. He knows what hopping is and says hop, hop, hop, but he has never hopped on his own....to be honest, I was shocked that this was a milestone, but I suppose we need to work on his hopping skills!

Dr. Bill is still unhappy with his hips/legs, as I am. We were referred to a Pediatric Orthopedic back in the Fall, but were told that he was, "Genetically meant to be this way." Leland's feet turn in, but actually when you watch him walk, you will notice that it stems from the hip, like his whole leg turns in. I had to wear braces while I slept before I was even a year old for a very similar problem, but they don't do braces on kids anymore. The Orthopedic suggested that we break his legs if I wasn't happy with him being pigeon toed....I was NOT a happy camper to say the least!

I am very thankful that we have a great Pediatrician that actually listens to what you say and evaluates your child in every way possible. The crazy Orthopedic Dr. (which might I add is one of the most recommended in the Birmingham area) didn't even watch him walk. She made him sit on my lap the whole time while she rubbed his legs and feet.

After walking down the hall pantless for Dr. Bill again today, he too sees what I do. It is not normal and needs to be corrected at an early age. Don't get me wrong....Leland is perfectly normal. He is healthy and runs and plays and never complains of pain in his hips or legs. However, if you watch him walk with pants on, you will notice that his feet turn inwards. If you watch him walk without pants, you will notice that his whole leg turns inwards. I just don't want it to cause any health problems down the road or pain in his joints because they are not right.

We are being referred to another Pediatric Orthopedic at Children's Hospital, so we will wait and see what he has to say!Sorry for the long post! I told you it was a hectic month, so there was a lot to note!