Playing Catch Up

Rarely do I disappear from blogging for months at a time. But it's been a strange few months. In late October, Chris and I conceived a baby. We conceived spontaneously, but went through our fertility clinic to ensure that we could maintain the pregnancy. I had to do blood draws once a week to check my HCG levels (unusually high) and progesterone (too low). When Paxton and I would pull up at the blood clinic, he would say, "Mommy give da blood". I don't think this kid will be scared of needles, since he saw Mommy get poked with them about a dozen times. My doctor had me on progesterone suppositories to maintain my levels, and had us in for two ultrasounds that showed the baby was thriving. Our first visit with my regular OB revealed that the baby's heart had stopped beating. I was about 11 weeks at that time. After a week of waiting for my body to miscarry on its own, I opted to have a scheduled D&C. They were able to test the fetal tissue to reveal that the baby had a condition called Turner's Syndrome. That means that there was a problem with the sex chromosomes. It's apparently one of the most common causes of miscarriages. It's not something that Chris and I passed on genetically, so we have been given the go to keep trying to conceive.

All of that and life in general has occupied my time and thoughts for the last two months. But Paxton has been a constant source of amusement and comfort. His presence has given me such a feeling of perspective and gratitude through all of this. I have enjoyed every moment with him, but regret that I haven't been better at recording his milestones and adorable quirks this year. It's time to remedy that! In the interest of time, let's take a bullet point approach to some of the highlights.

• When anyone asks Paxton how old he is, he always answers "Two in December". He heard me use that answer whenever anyone asked me how old he was. I suppose I should now correct him, but it's so cute to hear him answer with such blaise indifference that he's 'two in December'.
• We've been attending Music Together classes since Paxton was just under a year old. He absolutely loves it. Even when he's having an off day and feels overwhelmed in a group setting, he still gets in the car and promptly starts crooning his favorite tunes, complete with hand motions. "Rig-a-jig-jig", "A-Ram-Sam-Sam", "Pussy Cat, Pussy Cat"--all the toddler hits. And he has such admiration for our teacher, Miss Petra. He tried to imitate her every move.
• Paxton has known all of our many pets by name for a long time. What fascinates me is that he also knows which ones not to mess with. When he sees our cat, Tippy, he tucks his hands against his chest and frees one to just do the smallest wave while he sweetly says, "Hi, Tippy". Wise, because Tippy will scratch the bejeebers out of anyone who looks at him sideways. Soma, however, incites Paxton's full courage. He hugs her, tries to carry her, drags her around by her tail. She would probably benefit from one good swipe at his arm, but I don't think she would ever do something so rude.
• Paxton has a weird photographic memory for cars. It must be a guy thing. He knows that Mommy drives a Corolla, Daddy drives a Tribute, Tizzy drives a Prius, Carmen drives a Scion, and Pa-Pa drives a Mazda 5. He can also point out most of the cars on the street. He excitedly locates Mini Coopers on the highway, and has finally figured out the difference between a "police truck" and a "construction truck".
• While his vocabulary and pronounciation skills are both incredible, there are some words that Paxton stubbornly refuses to alter. For months, he would not call a motorcycle by its correct name. It was always "bicycle". Now he has made a baby step forward to calling it "motor bicycle". And no matter how many times I correct him, he's sure that an American flag is really a "ca-meer flag".

I'll wrap this up for now, but will post more often to catch up on all of the adorable little nuances of our boy's personality. I'll be posting more pictures, too, to further tell his story! Stay tuned!