Happy Birthday!

Wow what a whirl wind the past two days have been. Amadeus turned one yesterday! We had a wonderful day. We took him to have his picture taken in the morning with Erica. She is the lady who did our wedding pictures and I am very excited to see how they turn out. Then in the afternoon we went to the doctor. Ami now weighs 18lbs 1oz and is 30.5in. Dr. Moore was happy to see him again. She was happy with his weight and length. She was glad to see how long he was. She said he may not be gaining weight but he is growing in length and that is a good thing. We talked about several different things. She would like to start him in October with monthly shots to boost his immune system. Hopefully we can stay out of the hospital this cold and flu season. She wants us to take him off of the formula and replace it with the Pediasure. She also referred us to a speech/swallow therapist to help him with his choking on food. We also discussed going to a different pulmonologist. Possibly the one in Cincinnati. They have a more specialized program there just for chILD. Maybe then we can finally get some answers. Today was his birthday party.with the family. We had an amazing turn out. Ami made bank! He got all kinds of neat new toys. He got puzzles, books, clothes, Little Peoples, shape sorters, trucks, blocks, ride on toys, and bath tub toys. He also got a savings account. Which I am super excited about. His party was a splash party/bbq. We had hamburgers, hot dogs, potato salad, salad, chips, popsicles, and of course cake and ice cream.  His cake was an Elmo cake. He didn't eat any of it but he sure did destroy it. It was a really fun day but I sure am glad that birthdays only happen once a year. This momma is tired.
Ami is doing really well. He still is on his oxygen 24/7 (usually). He is still on target with his physical therapy and now goes only once a month. He is pulling up and cruising. He can now sit down from a standing position. He has 5 teeth and working on the 6th one. He says hi, no, dog, dad, mom, nana, uh-oh, ouch, and (just today) choo-choo. I swear any day he is going to say a full sentence. When he babbles you can tell that  there is something to what he just said. It's not just random sounds.He tries to sing. It sounds more like yelling that changes pitch. It's pretty funny. He is now no longer getting night feedings; so, when he does cry in the night we just let him cry and he goes back to sleep very quickly.  He is getting better at using his sippy cup and feeding himself. He can now drink through a straw. He likes to point at things and he wants you to tell him what they are and then tries to say it. He also points to things so you can take him to them so he can touch them. We are going to have to stop that or he'll never walk.
Josh and I are doing well also. I think we are both relieved that it seems we are out of the very long and dark tunnel. I am working again. I am doing some part time nannying for a family in Ozark. There are 3 kids, 9, 7, and 2 yrs. They are a very nice family and the kids are wonderful. I do miss seeing Ami though. Once the 2 yr old starts in daycare at the end of the month I will have more time to spend with Ami.
This past year has been the fastest and most eventful year of my life. I have learned a lot of things. I was just getting used to the fact that I had a baby and now I have to get used to the fact that I have a toddler. We are excited to see what the next year has in store for us. We just pray it is much less eventful.  I just want to thank our family for all of the help and support we have gotten. We couldn't have done it with out you guys. We are proud to say we have successfully kept a child alive for a year with minimal damage.

Happy Birthday Amadeus. Mommy and Daddy love you very much!