Rockport Playdate

We went to Rockport for one night over the weekend. We got up there Saturday afternoon. Raul was very silly Saturday night. It took him hours to go to bed, and he was being silly the whole time doing his new smile imitation (he says smile and just opens his mouth big) and his stretching imitation (he says "ooo" and mimics a stretch). We aren't sure where he picked these up, but they are quite cute! On Sunday one of my mom's friends came over with her two boys who are 3 and 5. Raul had a great time playing with them, and they were great with him. We walked over to the beach and Raul had fun throwing rocks. He was determined though to get all the biggest rocks out of the ground. They also had a good time playing together with all Raul's cars and trucks!

How Raul Eats Dinner...

Tonight Raul asked to get up and sit in a chair during dinner (he usually just plays). We have been giving him small amounts of baby food lately, so decided to try to feed him while we ate. Raul ate the first part facing the table, but with his feet up. Then he turned backwards in the chair to eat the rest! He kept insisting that Teddy get a bite, so once Raul had had enough, Teddy got a bite off the spoon, much to Raul's delight! They both thoroughly enjoyed their fruit blend!

Immigration and the "Doctor House"

Yesterday we had Raul's biometrics appointment with USCIS. Since he is a young child (and doesn't have finger prints!), he only had to get a picture taken. It was a surprisingly efficient office, and everyone was friendly. Raul was not happy about having his picture taken, but they were able to get one that would be good enough.

We had no idea how long the biometrics appointment was going to take, so we had scheduled a "sick visit" with the doctor for an hour and a half later. Since we were out just minutes after our appointment time, we had a lot of time to kill! My dad and I wanted to get ice cream, but the hospital didn't seem to have it, so we went to a hotel next door and got yummy desserts! Raul hasn't been in a restaurant in ages as the last couple times he went he totally freaked out, but he actually did really well. We were also the only ones there, which probably helped!

Then we headed back to the hospital, and saw the doctor after waiting an extra half hour. The doctor was not my favorite, but did prescribe Raul antibiotics due to his skin infections. Luckily once we got in it didn't take too long, at least! Raul calls any doctors office or hospital the "doctor house". He has been saying frequently that he wants to go to the "doctor house", but we think he just likes the outing, because he is not very happy once we are there!

We went to my parents house for dinner, and Raul was excited to see Teddy the dog (or hmm as he calls him). Raul had a good time playing with everyone, but was exhausted by the time we got home since he hadn't napped. He fell asleep quickly, but then almost every 30 minutes all night was up screaming in pain, which seemed to be in his legs. It was a very rough night, but he seemed happier today, and took a nice long nap. Tonight he has a fever, which he actually hadn't been running before, but we are not quite 24 hours into the antibiotics yet. I am hoping he will feel much better by the weekend!

Past Week

Raul hasn't been feeling too well this past week. He has been running low fevers, and having a few other issues. He didn't go to summer school this week, both due to his health and due to the heat wave (it is too hot for him even to be outside for a short time). We had two specialist appointments this week: ENT and GI. Both went well, and the doctors were nice. We are going to do another swallow study for Raul, and also start him on another reflux medication.

Two Years!

Two years ago today we brought Raul home to the U.S.!

"Mickey Mouse" on the farm

Today we found "Mickey Mouse" at the farm! We did our usual rounds by the animals, with the addition of the deer this time, and Raul's favorite tractors and barn cat. Then we found an area where they had a table out with plexi glass sides filled with mice. There were two moms, a dad, and lots of less than two week old babies. I do not like rodents, but the babies were actually pretty cute! It was the perfect height for Raul, and also perfect because they were moving around so much so it kept his attention. After hearing the word mouse so much he started calling them "Mickey Mouse", and also commenting on their log/cardboard tunnels. We asked if he wanted to see the chickens or stay with the mice, and he chose to stay longer. One of the ladies even took one out in a cup for him to see up close, which he loved! Then we went to the grocery store where he got to see his other favorite thing, bananas. He has a strange obsession with bananas, so was very excited!

Talking on his imaginary phone

Water time

Today is another hot day with a heat warning. We decided to go for water play today, and it definitely did help cool us down. First we played on the porch with the wading pool. Raul played next to it for a while, but then we put him in. We put soap in to make bubbles, and he liked that. Then we decided to take him down to the water to play with the kayaks. First we sat on the rocks, then Raul went in the kayak. He loved throwing rocks into the water both from the shore and on the boat. He then demanded the paddle for the boat, and told us "bye". I was still in my pajamas, but the cold water felt so good in the heat! I got on the boat and paddled close to the shore, but Raul preferred just throwing rocks. Then my mom and sister took the boats out, and we sat with my dad feeling the waves and throwing more rocks. When they came back in we waded out to meet them and dunked a bit in the cold water! We learned yesterday that the foam bandages with silver that we use on Raul give off rust colored discharge when soaked, so that is what you see in the pictures.

4th of July

Today was HOT. There was a heat warning for the area, and with the humidity it got to feeling like around 100. Yet Raul was determined to get outside this morning! We took him out for a short play time, then tried to keep him inside. We went to the grocery store to get a few things and to cool off. A few times I had to put Raul in the play pen to rest in our bedroom as that is the only room with air conditioning and they only way to keep him in there to cool off! In the evening our neighbors had a 4th of July party, which we went to for dinner, then headed up the street to the parade. It was the Fireman's Parade, so Raul was very happy to see all the trucks. It was SO hot, we were all dripping, but Raul wanted to stay. We didn't quite make it until the end, as it was just too hot to stand watching anymore. We came back to the house and Raul is now in bed watching Elmo and getting ready to sleep!

Raul escaping from the house this morning. He can get down the step so quickly!

 

Mid-morning we noticed a seal on the rocks behind our house! I couldn't get a good picture as my camera doesn't zoom very far, but it was adorable! It is in the middle of this photo

Raul at the beginning of the parade

He looks really unhappy, but he was actually loving the trucks, just not the heat.

"Look, more trucks!"

"A fire truck!"

We thought it was too hot, but at the end of the parade there is a massive bonfire, music, and food. The bonfire was built last weekend by the firemen. This is a picture from another year, but it looked the same this year. Every year they top it off with a wooden outhouse.

Here is a picture from another year of it burning. You can see how small the people look compared to the fire!