High Low 2010

So once again the year has flown by and my goal of blogging more frequently didn't go over so well. Here I am again and am going to give it another go around. There are so many little moments happening that I want to remember, I need to write them down because the craziness around me makes it hard to remember what I walked to the living room to get. I think I would describe the year as a whole as wonderfully chaotic. It really was a wonderful year, God truly showered us with His blessings and we are Loving this season we are in. Adding a third boy to the mix also made it a truly chaotic year. I think I would have drowned if we didn't have the amazing support system around us that we do. So I am going to try to recap what I would have blogged about through the year with an annual High/Low game.

High- The birth of another healthy boy, Logan John Ploog. My pregnancy and delivery were both very uneventful and for that I am thankful!! My mom got to be his first nurse (except she made Mary give him his shot) His brothers adore him and he quickly became the prized toy at home. The boys number one saying has become" I get to hold Logan first" Logan is the BEST baby. When I had Vander and he was sleeping through the night at 6 six weeks, hardly cried, nursed in two minutes I thought I had done something right. Well sweet Hudson came along, didn't sleep through the night until 9 months, cried loudly when he didn't get what he wanted and all the "tricks" I read about in parenting books did not work. I quickly learned each baby is their own and what worked for one baby might not for another. Well my sweet Logan sleeps about 23 hours a day, 12 at night, nurses in 2 minutes, is happy and laughing for the short times he is awake. He is a sweet sweet baby and I could hold him all day long and just kiss those chubby cheeks.

Low- One afternoon we loaded up the car to head to a birthday party. We were driving along and Vander said something to me. I turned around to answer him and my thought process was" wow he's cute, I can see him so clearly, why can't I usually see him, car seat, Logan's...." Dan you didn't grab Logan?" Awesome we had left our 6 week old at home. We raced home to find him in his car seat waiting by the back door sound asleep.

High- Dan got a new job doing something he loves. When a door closes it is hard at the time to understand. Dan not having a job for a year was a season of our life that was difficult but we wouldn't trade for anything. For Vanders second year of life he got to have his dad around everyday, teaching, shaping, loving on him. He is in the medical field still, he just moved to devices and specializes in spine. Kind of ironic that the guy who almost passed out during the birth of our first born is in back surgeries all day long.

Low- It started off as a normal day. Vander was taking a nap and Hudson was awake and was on a mission to wake his bro up. We blocked off the living room by pushing the ottoman in front of the doorway. My adventurous 16 month old decided to try and climb over. He got up on it and as I walked over to pick him up, he fell backwards. Not a bad fall, Dan and I both saw it. This kid falls hard, he runs fast and takes lots of falls. This was not one of his bad ones. He fell from a 2 foot ottoman but he did hit the back door. He cried hard. He didn't stop. Then it turned into the tired cry. He often cries when he is tired and we lay him down and he goes right to sleep. We tried that and sure enough he was asleep in a minute. He woke up crying an hour later and when I walked in his room he was covered in throw up. I thought it was the flu. He threw up again, and again. He became pretty lethargic which worried us. We called the dr and she said anytime there is a head injury and vomit to go to the er. Well would you call falling from an ottoman a head injury? We didn't know what to do. We decided to play it safe and have him checked out. We dropped off Vander and Travis and Emma's and headed to CHOC. The next 24 hours were the ultimate LOW of the year. The ER dr said that most likely everything was fine but because he did fall and is vomitting they are going to do a ct scan just for peace of mind. Trying to get a 16 month old who is up hours past his bed time and is not happy to stay perfectly still to get an accurate picture is quite a task. We were in the ER so they were not equipped for children who resisted staying still. Finally got the picture and waited in room to be able to go home. The dr came in and told us that the CT scan showed a bleed on the brain and that they would be checking us in. He didn't make it sound like that BIG of a deal. We got all checked in and as they wheeled Hudson to Pediatric ICU I realized it must be a bigger deal than the ER dr made it sound if we are in ICU. The PICU dr told us that the night would be critical they would be watching the bleed over night and if it adds any more pressure to the brain we will go right to surgery. Surgery? Brain Surgery? That night was so scary. How was our sweet boy laying there and anxiously waiting, watching the dr's face every hour that he came in. Having nurses try 9 times to get his IV in was heartbreaking. The morning came and they ordered another CT scan to see if the bleed was growing. The brain surgeon came in and told us that his bleed was quite large, it was on the whole left side of his brain and had shifted his brain over. The CT scan came back the same and that was good news, the bleed was not growing. They kept him another 2 nights to observe but then sent him home. They said it would take a month to know if the brain is healing on its own. They ordered another CT scan for in a month and that would tell us how things are. Praise the Lord the next CT scan showed his brain had shifted back and the Dr's only recommendation was to avoid football for the next week or so;) He is totally fine now which we are so thankful for.

High- Vander started school three days a week and is loving it. He would go 7 days if we let him. His teacher says he has such a sweet spirit and is a joy to have in class. I love dropping him off and having the class all excitedly say "VANDER" when he walks in. He has lots of friends and his best bud is a boy named Ethan. He is so tired when I pick him up from school that he doesn't talk about his day a ton right away but after he naps details start coming out.

Low- Really lots of moms have three young kids and are able to drop off one at school. Why is it so difficult for me? Praise the Lord for my family and that I haven't had to do it much. The ONE time I did it was awful. The newborn car seat is one of the most awkward things to carry and add a heavy baby to it and you've got quite the workout. Hudson is at a stage where he is too heavy to carry but doesn't quite follow directions perfectly to walk right behind me. Vander's class is on the second level so a stroller doesn't really work. The morning I brought them all parking was full so we parked in the structure which was a few football fields further. Getting to the class was ok. Hudson followed Vander and I lugged the car seat. Vander gets to his class and Hudson wants to stay with him. I nicely tell him Hudson time to go. He's not having it. Hudson let's go hun. NOPE. I know this is not going to be fun. So now with this lovely heavy car seat in one arm I swoop Hudson up with the other. Screaming, making himself limp, 35 lbs boy in one arm and 35 lbs car seat in the other, down the stairs we go the longest half mile I have ever walked and I vowed to never do that again if possible. When my mom or Emma is busy my friend Dee Dee will stand by the car with the other two and let me run Vander in real quick.

High- Family. My boys are the luckiest boys around. On one side they have 9 cousins all their age to run around with and grow up together with. On the other side they get to be spoiled rotten with their aunties and uncles who are so patient and kind to always play hide and seek with them even when their hiding spots are less then spectacular, wrestle them, sneak them milk duds, shoot baskets, play tag, and love on them. I am so thankful for both of our families and feel incredibly blessed to have everyone right here.

Low- Dan's grandpa's health is not well.

High- Hudson being able to communicate and talking so much. Him and Vander play together for hours and it just warms my heart. Vander is the best big brother, so patient, doesn't get frustrated or annoyed that Hudson wants to follow his every move and mimic everything he says. They love sharing a room and really enjoy each other.

Low- I have toys coming out of my ears... Going to work on organization and cleaning out toys this year.

High- Vander learning and asking such deep questions about God. He asks a lot about Heaven and talks about wanting to go there. I told him not yet I would miss him terribly and he says that we all should go. He talks about being one of God's kids and tells us we are God's kids too. I see now why the bible talks so much about having faith of a child. Vander's favorite bible story right now is The good Samaritan.

Low- The boys take a good hour or two to fall asleep at night because of the excitement that they are in the room together.

High- Boys each have their songs they like to sing at bed and fight over which song Dan and I sing with them. Vander's song is I love you Lord and Hudson's song is My God is so big. Hudson says in the most adorable voice ever prway and we pray and then he says my turn and his prayer is usually Dear Jesus, momma, dadda, bro bo, Amen. Then he says strung My-ee( in our language known as strong mighty) and we sing the song and as we are nearing the end he says Pray and wants to pray again. This cycle would go on for hours if we let it. While we are singing Hudson's song Vander starts singing his song louder. Bed time with these boys is the best:)

Low- My house is hardly ever clean.

High- Had a great year in real estate. Feel so blessed to be able to work and still watch my kids full time. I truly love doing real estate so it doesn't feel like work. I also love all my agents and am so grateful they understand my chaos and don't mind having a conversation be interrupted by two wild monkeys every once in a while. Dan laughs at me that sometimes my phone will ring and in order to sound professional I sprint outside and close the sliding door saying " this is Heidi" if only they could see the other side of door :)

Low- Feel like there are not enough hours in the day.

High- Boys LOVE basketball. Being Dan and I both played we hoped our sons would take to the game but would accept it if they had no interest. All Hudson wants for any birthday or Christmas is a ball. He has a shot that is not natural for a two year old, I'm talking shooting C and perfect follow through. The boys have a hoop on their door in their room and got a real hoop for the back yard for christmas. They play basketball for hours on end. The only hard thing is Hudson has more natural ability and makes more shots than Vander, which at 4 and 2 they are already competitive and counting each day who makes more.

We are all healthy, happy, and enjoyed a great year together. Excited for this next year as we grow closer to the Lord and continue to seek His will for our lives daily.