Ireland's dr update: Took Ireland for her lab tests on Tuesday and they couldn't seem to get any blood out of the poor dear! 3 different nurses tried their best to get blood from her but her veins are really little and hard to find. After 3 tries and 1 vomit session from her they decided to send us to the hospital to get the tests done. Ireland was so worn out from the whole experience that she promptly fell asleep in the car and slept for over 4 hours that afternoon!! Thanks for those who prayed we'll let you know if we get more tests done and how they turn out.




Ireland turned 18 months old on the 15th of Feb. and I can't believe how time flies!! She went for her 18mo checkup on Wednesday and checked out for the most part as a healthy but small 18 month sweetie! She weighed 17lbs 2oz and unfortunately I can't remember how long (bummer brain and tossed the papers, duh!) So she has gained since she was sick a couple weeks ago but the dr is still concerned (and we are too) about her overall growth. Because of this Ireland will be having some blood and urine tests done this coming Tuesday. We're praying that nothing is wrong with her and that she is just small but if something is wrong it will show up and not be serious. i'm not thrilled with the idea of having to go through testing but know that this is best. She is also going to be seen by a physical therapist to check her muscle tone, again we're hoping she's just tiny. All of this for some reason hit me a little hard (even though it's not really a big deal in the big picture of life) but I'm okay with it now and know it's for the best of our sweet Ireland.

Besides the smallness of Ireland she is a normal little 18 month baby. She walks very well now and even looks to me like she's trying to run when chasing Isabelle down the hallway. She loves her cloths and her passy (but isn't super connected to her passy). She often walks around the house carrying a baby doll or a purse/bag of some sort. She loves getting into the cupboard and getting all the bowls out and following her big sister around. Ireland understands most commands that you give her and knows all the parts of her body and will point to it. She enjoys books but is not as big of a book fan as Isabelle was at this age or as Isabelle is now. One book and Ireland is ready to get up and go. Ireland loves to cuddle and lay her head on your shoulder and give kisses and hugs. She can say cup, baby, belly, please (signing), Bible, Mommy, Daddy, Belle, no, ball, hat, house, cookie, go, cow, dog, bubbles, hi, bye, passy and probably more that I can't think of at the moment but these are her most commmon words. I'd like to say what her favorite food is but I'm nbot sure if this girl has a favorite food. I've tried about everything. One thing I know she does like is her millk with whey protein in it. She will ask for it and can't wait for me to hand it to her in the morning!

Overall, she is a sweet little bundle of love, very sweet tempered, and a joy to our family! Praising God for 18 months of sweetness!!