TWO wonderful

Ripley turned two years old on August 7th.  We took him for his well-check that day.  Unfortunately, he was fighting the pulse ox so much that we couldn't get a reading and I decided that we could let it go...he has his next cardiology appointment in October anyways.

His pediatrician thinks he is developing well.  He is still pretty little: 33.5" tall, 25 lbs.  Ripley now talks a decent amount.  He can tell us, "I don't want it," and he is so independent, frequently saying, "I do it."  He also knows many many food words.  This little boy loves eating so much, but still remains thin.

For his birthday, my husband and I took the day off of work to spend a day just with Ripley.  We took him to the Rotary Playgarden in San Jose then for a special birthday lunch at Old Spaghetti Factory.  He enjoyed running around, going down the slides, and pointing out airplanes in the sky.  

Ripley started preschool on August 8th.  He had visited many times before when picking up big sister so he wasn't nervous at all.  In fact, when we went inside and he saw the door to the playground, he ran right out.  We didn't get any "goodbye" or hugs, but more importantly, no tears.  I know that he will have to learn about rules and will probably get some scrapes and scares along the way, but I feel confident preschool will be great for him.  

It's a big change from being at a daycare with just four children; also, his caregiver loves him so much and provided such good care.  His preschool, however, is amazing.  They have been well aware of his heart defect, asked questions, and had no hesitations about accepting him into the school.  This school has also taken care of children with so many different medical journeys, including children with G-tubes.  Knowing that they care for children, regardless of their history, and treat them with kindness and respect, means so much to me.  The last preschool Madison was at before this one had a policy of not accepting children with special needs; this affected me greatly.  Although Ripley is generally to be treated like a normal child, I don't like the idea of children being excluded because they may have different needs.

It was much easier seeing Madison grow; I have been getting emotional thinking about Ripley getting bigger and transitioning.  I don't know if it's because he may be my last baby or because he is my heart warrior.  Nonetheless, at the end of the day, I am so proud to see him spread his wings and learn to fly.