Kid Update #3-My Heart Baby

Steven Joseph, Jr.

StevenJoseph, Stevie, Steve-O, Joseph, JoJo, Joeyboy

My sweet baby boy. Time for an update on him, as if I don't update on his shenanigans every day! Actually I'll start with the big news on my "heart baby". At a doctor appointment when he was sick in February, the pediatrician detected a murmur and referred us to a pediatric cardiologist, who we saw on Friday. I was ready to check that concern off my list, and even after listening to his heart initially, the cardiologist still thought it was just an innocent murmur.

Well, after an echocardiogram, EKG, and x-ray it was determined that Steven Joseph actually has a hole in his heart, atrial septal defect (ASD), which will likely require open heart surgery. We should hear from the surgeon this week and meet with him soon to find out more details, but the surgery will probably be postponed until he is 2 or 3 or even later. It should not affect his health at all, this is a condition that many people don't discover until adulthood. It is also one of the least severe of the heart defects and one that is very "easily" correctable with patching the hole. But of course I don't call open heart surgery EASY! We are shocked and discouraged about this news, but thankful it's not more serious and hopeful that God has a great plan for our baby and that he holds all our hearts close to his own right now. Thanks to all of you for your prayers and support and I'll try to keep updated here when we find out more information.

So back to our sillyboy! Stevie is 15 months old and quite the comedian. He loves getting a laugh (or a scolding) and of course is always getting into mischief! Crayon-eating and table-climbing are some of his favorites. Yesterday during about 30 seconds in the bathroom at a party, he managed to open the (child-locked) cabinets, pull out cleaning supplies, unroll the toilet paper, and splash in the toilet water...each before I could catch him. He's quick! Last week at dance class while I turned my eyes for a moment, I found him down the hall trying to bite off the plastic safety cover from the outlet on the wall! He is something else!

In other news about Mr. Man, he really is a cuddly boy. He loves snuggling with Mommy and has started dragging a blanket from the bed across the house to come and find me to nurse. I was sure thankful that he's still nursing on Friday when he had to be still for over 30 minutes while they did the ultrasound of his heart! Steve-O loves the water! He was thrilled when I let him play with the hose, and was very excited to try out an indoor pool at the Y on Friday. When I ask him if he wants to shower, he walks straight to the shower and grunts that he wants to get in! His new light saber is still his favorite toy. I'll try to add a video below showing the day when he got it!

Steven Joseph doesn't have any definite words that he repeats, but he has been known to say on occasion, "dada, mama, dog, all done, and nonono." I think he is going to be my musician! He can hum on the same note when I'm humming and loves listening and dancing to music. In the photo above, he was totally fascinated by the piano at a baptism party yesterday and spent a long period of time listening to the children playing it and trying to play too! Stevie has turned into a picky eater in the past few weeks. Sometimes I'll put him in his high chair and he'll eat nothing. Sometimes he'll get fixated on a bottle of salad dressing or the salt shaker and throws a fit wanting to have it. The things he does enjoy eating the most are cheese, chicken nuggets, french fries, crackers, cookies, mac n cheese, pancakes, and apples. Sometimes he'll eat other things depending on his mood.

He still usually takes 2 naps, one at 11ish and the other is at about 4, which means that he's usually up too late at night! I need to move that 2nd nap forward, but it just never quite happens right. Sometimes he skips the 2nd nap, but then he is in a bad mood all evening. He still fights the carseat battle, especially on long trips. It's definitely gotten better over the months but it's very hard to have him on road trips. So really, he's just the typical toddler boy, getting into all sorts of mischief, but also getting deeper into his mama's heart! I love each new day with him and so does his daddy! He really is a "daddy's boy" and gets so excited when Steven walks in the door. They could play with the toddler basketball hoop all day long. Sometimes he even chooses his daddy over me! Here are the Stevens at the park last week:

Steven Joseph, your mommy loves you so much. More and more each day. I look forward to watching you grow up alongside your sisters and watching all those silly "boy" things you do. I can't wait for you to start talking and sharing just what's going on in your little head; I'm sure it'll be hilarious! I'm so sad that you'll have to undergo such a serious surgery in the coming years, but I know you will be ever stronger for it. So keep healthy for mama now, and don't give me any more scares with poison control or medical conditions, okay? Better go find my babbling boy for a snuggle...I love you!

(videos won't upload; i'll try again later)