My big boy

I’ve been meaning to take some time to talk about my Wader-tater.  He is changing so much, and Philip and I frequently look at each other in awe that this growing boy is our boy, our baby who is not so much of one anymore.

Back in May, Wade had his last day of preschool (sniff, sniff).  Gosh, it blew my mind that his first year of preschool had come and gone.  How is it that the school year just seems to fly by?!  Was I not just sending him off on his first day back in September?

Here he is before we left for his last day.

 

And when I picked him up, I had to snap a picture of him with his two dear teachers, Mrs. White and Mrs. Bowers. 

Wade really loved them, and he truly loved going to school each Monday morning.  His time at preschool was a blessing to us both—Mama got a little break, and Wade had a ball playing with other children and participating in a routine that is different from ours at home.  It was a win-win for sure.

A couple of weeks ago Wade also made the transition to a big boy bed!  And while this would seem to be a big deal, the crazy thing was, it truly wasn’t a big deal at all.  It amazed me how much of a non-issue it was!  I have felt like every other big transition, if you will, has been a big issue—take eating solid foods for example.  Or sleeping through the night (he’s a rockstar sleeper now, but wasn’t for so long).  Or potty-training (this does not appear to be in our future for the next decade or so!).   But sleeping in that twin bed that has occupied his big boy room since he moved in was so not a big deal. 

{We had to slide the bed over to the wall to keep the little dude secure}

Don’t get me wrong, though—he did like getting to sleep in there!  I think he found the move particularly appealing since we swapped out the plain jane sheets for a truck set his Mimi purchased for him.  Wade would tell you, “I got trucks!”  He loves to get all “cozy”, as he calls it, and have us cover him up when we tuck him in.  I hope I don’t have to eat my words, but he’s never even gotten out of the bed on his own, with the exception of once when he’d finished his nap! Glory be, what a blessing!  We did have an incident, maybe the second or third night in the big boy bed.  Philip and I heard him crying from downstairs shortly after putting him to bed, so we went to check on him, as he doesn’t typically do this, and we were met with the very matter of fact response, “I was just crying.”  Bless his little heart!

{Wade and I had a date to Arch’s in Charlottesville.  His choice:  a side of chocolate chips, please :) }

We’ve also noticed that over the past month or so, Wade’s verbal development seems to have grown by leaps and bounds.  He speaks in multi-word sentences, which is a new thing, and it is so dear.  He continues to love balls, particularly throwing them high.  A common phrase heard around our house is “I want to hit the ceiling!” or if we are outside, “I want to hit the roof!”  His daddy is typically the more creative parent who introduces him to these ideas! 

Mandarin oranges on the porch, anyone?

Wade is also pretty obsessed with stickers.  Give him a sticker book, and he will tear through that thing until there are no stickers left to be stuck!  We are currently working our way through a Thomas the Tank Engine sticker book that boasts over 700 stickers.  I doubt we have many left, believe it or not.  Participating in this activity with Wade is quite humorous, I think.  He likes me to flip through the book until he finds a suitable sticker for me to pull off, and then I am to flip through the other pages so that he can find the page he has in mind for sticking purposes.  And not just any sticker or page will do.  He’ll tell me, “I want to put it anywhere,” (in the cutest little voice) each and every time I give him a new sticker.  I’m assuming he says this because we’ve probably told him countless times that he can put it anywhere he wants.  Hilarious. 

As far as Wade’s health goes, unfortunately I don’t have great news.  Since his last endoscopy back in early December, where we received the great news that his EE was under good control, we’ve added four foods back into his diet—dairy, white potatoes, green beans, and oranges.  He was re-scoped about two weeks ago, and sadly, we’ve learned this his eosinophil count has gone way back up.  So, we are left wondering whether one of those foods is to blame, or if perhaps there is an environmental factor at play.  We’re in close contact with his doctors right now, and we’re working on a plan for moving forward.  As you can imagine, this is pretty heartbreaking.  But, the truth I am telling myself is this:  We serve a good and loving God who is ultimately where we will place our hope.  God loves Wade, and He is for him, so I will trust that He is with us in this battle.  While that may seem a grandiose sort of way to look at things, this truth gives me great comfort and peace when my boy looks at me and tells me his tummy hurts.  With that said, if you think of us, we’d sure appreciate your prayers for wisdom for us as we make a plan to move forward. (We have to decide if we need to take foods back out, or if we should keep things as is and re-scope him once we’re in a different season, and if medicine needs to play a role as well.)

Wade is also very two, and is becoming quite proficient at teaching his mother that she is not a patient person.  Discipline continues to be something that we are learning how to do, and I pray, oh I pray that God would cover all the mistakes we’re making with His grace.  This little boy is so very treasured; what a privilege it is to walk with him in these years.