Quick update since it's been a month.

The other day on the phone Char asked me if we switched sites for the blog since they hadn't gotten an email telling them there was a new post in a while. Um, nope. Just haven't done a post in a while. Oops. But I'm on it now!

First, pictures. I'm putting some pictures and videos on Facebook. But our new site where I'm loading everything is shutterfly. They have free unlimited pictures and up to 10 videos. I'll just delete the oldest video when I'm ready to put the next one up. Here's the address: http://deiderichs.shutterfly.com/ There's also an option to put journal entries on that page so if I end up really liking it, I may stop using this one so everything's in one place. You can also order pictures straight off their site to be delivered or picked up at Target and they're pretty inexpensive.

So what all has happened in the last month? It doesn't feel like it's been that long since Alex was born. Seems like just last week we were coming home from the hospital. On the other hand, it seems like we've been a family of 4 forever. I went to the commissary alone today and it felt very weird to not be holding a hand, pushing a stroller, or wearing a baby in a wrap. And I made it in and out in record time.

Alex is now holding his head up and making good use of his tummy time mat. Jackson HATED it and we would have to just deal with the fact he was going to fuss when we put him down there and just try not to let him get TOO upset. Alex doesn't mind it at all. He hangs out and does some good work for 10-15 minutes before he starts fussing. That's pretty much been the pattern for everything though. Alex is much easier going than Jackson was and I didn't think that was possible. He does spit up (okay throws up) a lot, but that should die down the bigger he gets. But it does mean lots of extra laundry in the mean time. One thing they have in common is not liking bubbles in their tummies. Jackson was impossible to burp. Alex burps a little easier, but it's gotten harder over the last week or so. And he is pretty unhappy if I don't get all the air out. He sleeps in his bouncy seat so he's on an incline.

Jackson got re-tested for speech therapy and tested out of the program. We're still in contact with the speech therapist so she can keep an eye on a few areas. If anything doesn't improve like it should by the time he's 2 1/2 or if something gets worse, we can go back to regular therapy sessions. But for now he's in the clear and tested at or above normal in all but one area and he was within the normal range for that.

Jackson is also learning new things at an incredible rate. He's counting to 7 now with a little help, and starting to learn his ABCs. It seems like every day he shocks me with something he knows that I didn't expect him to. Today I came home with a cheese slicer from the BX. He saw me taking it out of the packaging and said, "Want some cheese please." We've never had a cheese slicer before so I have no idea how he knew what it was. Especially since when I asked Mike, he had no clue what it was for.

He's also growing almost visibly. He can now push the down button on the elevator (and loves to have the privilege of doing so for us). And the other day he was supposed to be napping but was messing around in his room instead and Mike and I were in the living room. All of a sudden he appears out of nowhere and says, "No nap." We were both too stunned to tell him no so we just let him stay up. There hasn't been a repeat performance yet but it won't be long at all before he's opening doors all over. And Mike taught him how to open the fridge so he gets his own milk out now, too. My baby is definitely a little boy now!

Mike has been staying busy studying for his test for the next rank (Master Sergeant). And also training for the Frostbite Half-Marathon next month. He's had to take some unexpected breaks for injuries and illnesses, plus he took a week off when Alex was born. Hopefully he'll be ready in time. Jackson loves riding in the jogging stroller for Mike's long runs. The distance doesn't matter; he always has fun. Except the last time. It was a 10-mile run, which wouldn't have been a problem, except it was pretty cold out. Despite 3 layers, extra warm socks, mittens, and a hat, Jackson got REALLY cold. He did NOT like that! So he'll have to stick to shorter runs only until it warms up outside.

I've been busy but with nothing to really show for it. I try to stay on top of the housework and have done a decent job the last few weeks. But that's only because Mike's been helping me. It surprised me a little how big of an adjustment it was for me to go from one baby to two. I'll probably be able to get more accomplished once Alex isn't nursing every 3-4 hours anymore. But that ties up a lot of my day at the moment. It is pretty helpful that Mike is on swing shift (second) and works 3pm-11pm. I can get stuff done during the day and he's here to help me with the boys. I got sucked into the Twilight series so I did lose a week there where all I did was read and I totally ignored any housework that wasn't 100% necessary.

I got my stent taken out yesterday at a hospital off base. The doctor was nice (I think) and I was definitely glad to have a translator. They do things much differently at Japanese hospitals than they do in the states. It was kind of interesting to see their processes here though. And I'm VERY glad to be stent-free and completely finished with the whole thing. The CT I had done at the beginning of the month showed a few small stones, but those were on my right side and my stent was on the left. They were small enough to pass so they may actually be gone already. I likely wouldn't notice them passing except for maybe some minor pain.

In other health care news, Jackson had to go to urgent care last week. When I put him down for his nap I had Alex in one arm, and used the other hand to put Jackson in his bed. I picked him up by his hand and dislocated his elbow in the process. He'd been sick and whiny and fussy so I didn't know I'd done anything to him since he didn't seem any fussier than he'd been the last few days. He took a nap (!) and when he woke up he wouldn't use his left arm. A few tests (give me five, raise your arms over your head) and we knew something wasn't right. So we took him in and after some x-rays the ER doc determined it was nursemaid's elbow and just needed popped back into place. After a few tries, he couldn't get it in so he called in the orthopedist who got it. I'm just glad the room was small and there was only enough space for one parent. It meant Alex and I had to wait in the waiting room and I didn't have to witness Jackson's pain. Once they got it back in he was totally fine immediately and was using it again no problem.

The same time Jackson was in the UC, Alex had an appointment with the audiologist. He failed his hearing test in his left ear while he was still in the hospital, so they had us come back to repeat it. He failed again, so we have another appointment in January. If he fails AGAIN using the same method, they'll try a different method where they hook up electrodes to his head to see if there's any brain wave activity when they play the sounds. They think it could just be fluid in his ear causing him to fail up to this point. So we'll see.

Whew. I guess that's it! I'll try to not go as long between updates, but it is hard for me to remember and find the time. =)