The Fletcher Hospital ( U can check in but it might be a while before u check out!)

Everyone in the house has been sick (of course, except Daddy, as he has the immune system of a MACK truck). It all started with a cold which went back and forth between me and my brother and then mommy was finally struck down last week. She had to go down at some point. She says she remembers the exact moment when the viruses and colds entered her body - that is when little Josh decided to cough exactly at the moment when mommy was right in front of him speaking (i.e. with her mouth open)! Mom has become a bit of a germaphobe and she LOVES Purell and she said she considered washing her mouth out with it at that moment, but that would be going a little too far even for her. She finished her antibiotics yesterday and is well now.

Once we thought we were all getting better, it appears that I have yet another cold and cough and I have actually been having something like asthma attacks where I can't stop coughing and wheezing. Last night was the worst where I was coughing so hard that I was shaking and holding my chest. I coughed so hard that I now have broken blood vessels all around my eyes and on my face. Needless to say, we went back to the doctor again. Finally, we now have two kinds of inhalants from the doctor and I am now on my second course of antibiotics (I just finished that last course yesterday - I guess they didn't work). My ear infection is still hanging out as well.

Josh finished his antibiotics from his coughing issue and he had been on eye drops to wipe out an eye infection as well. Unfortunately, he now seems to have a new cold!! To make matters worse, yesterday he tried to "taste" a red ink pad at school and it dyed his chin and cheeks red. The teacher tried to clean it off and the rubbing has now caused his sensitive little skin to break out in a rash.

We are two poor looking little guys. Both hacking and coughing with colds and various signs of red ink and red patches on our faces. Mommy and Daddy took us out to eat at the mall today and mom was muttering something about someone reporting them to child protective services...what was up with that? Ha, ha.

Anyway, we are all hopefully on the mend. Here are a few pics of us from a happier and healthier time in the past (when I was two) and of Josh just recently (at about the same age) so you can see how much we do look alike. I think my hair was lighter and a little longer than Josh's and he looks a bit more like Daddy and I look more like my mom. What do you think? Can you tell which one is which?

What's up Pussycat?

Josh thinks he is a kitty cat. No kidding. He walks around (or crawls around) on the floor and says "meow". Yes, most people would think this was really strange, but he is just so darn cute when he does this, you can't help but love him a little more. We are not sure when he decided to become a cat, but it just started one day. He pads around the kitchen and will rub against your legs as well.

In the mornings (early mornings - too early mom says) Josh wakes up and begins to "meow" softly in his bed and make other types of kitty cat noises. It is really cute, but mom says it would be even cuter if the noises would start closer to 7am instead of 6 am. Also, mommy said she would be REALLY excited if our kitty would learn to use the "litter box", if you know what I mean. Also, we must have an abnormal kitty as mom says that kitty cats like to sleep all the time - ours DOES NOT do this!

See the picture above of our new little kitty. The last picture is where Josh said he was a kitty and wanted to lay on the steps and be cuddled up with his blanket.

We love our Joshie.

School Boys

Joshie and I are both in school now. This is my third year in school (I know, pick yourself off the floor). I attended a prep class at 2 years old and I am now in my second year of preschool. This year is lots of fun because in the afternoons I get to go spend 3 hours with the pre-K/kindergarten class and I love it! I am learning to write my name and numbers and even do some basic addition. Mom and dad think they are going to keep me at my same school for next year and have me attend the kindergarten there instead of the public school. We just love the kindergarten teacher and mom and dad feel it is a wonderful environment for me. I agree!!

Joshie is attending his first year of prep and he is FINALLY enjoying school. Mom says she thought that he would just assimilate to school very quickly since he was so used to going there to pick me up - I mean he basically knew everyone there already. But no such luck - it took poor Josh about 2 solid months to get used to being away from mommy. He would cry and cry and act pitifully (the teachers said that he stopped as soon as mommy left the parking lot) but it did make him sad and he missed mommy terribly. The past few weeks he has really begun to love school and he is happy and smiling when mommy takes him into school. The teachers say he is as wonderful as me and is now a happy little guy all day at school.

Josh and I love our school and so do mommy and daddy. We feel very grateful to have found a place that we are so comfortable with and love so dearly. The teachers are great about taking pictures and sharing them. Here are a few of the best ones. Enjoy! Don't we look so grown up?

My photographs - Marvel at my talents!

As promised, here a few of the pictures of Josh, Mom and Dad that I took with my very own camera. Granted, the quality is not so great and mom and dad, in particular look sort of "zombie-like", but this is my first ever camera, so give me a little break. Mom took the picture of me at the bottom and you can see I am being very scary in this picture.

Additionally, you may notice that Mom and I changed the background and layout of the blog a little bit. We have decided that we would like to at least try to be a little more creative with this site. Tell us what you think of this template. We also added a blinkie and changed the colors around. We are still learning and it is a definite work in process. We will update here and there for the seasons and holiday.

Merry Christmas!

I love all holidays but Christmas is my favorite time of year. Decorating the Christmas tree and putting up the lights are at the top of my list. Just ask my mom, I am an excellent helper. Don't even get me started talking about wrapping presents, because if you know me at all, you know I have a very, very intense appreciation for scotch tape. I just love the stuff and I love to put it anywhere and everywhere. Mom says at least that I can put my obsession to good use at Christmas time when it is time to wrap presents (rather than wrapping the tape around door knobs or on counters or my little brother).

This Christmas was the best yet, as Joshie is older now and could really participate and have fun with me. We would lay down together next to the tree on our tummies and discuss what might be in the wrapped packages. Grandma Anne and Grandpa Jack sent a package that would giggle when you touched it and it drove all of us literally nuts. We would sit and marvel at the lights and ornaments. It was just all so exciting.

This year we made cupcakes for Santa instead of cookies. I think he really liked them as we left two for him and he ate both of them.

My most favorite gift that I received was from mom and dad and it was my very own Fisher Price digital camera. I absolutely love it and have taken about a million pictures. I am really getting good at taking pictures and will post some at a later date. I have taken pictures of the toilet, the ketchup bottle, our Christmas dinner and my brother and my parents. I can't wait to show my pictures to you soon! Merry Christmas!

Josh's Big Boy Bed (December 15, 2009)

One night in early December, mommy received a call from Dad on her cell phone. She had just finished her final exam in her psychology class and was shopping at Safeway on her way home to pick up some groceries. Upon answering her cell phone, Daddy said "We have a little problem!" Bracing herself for some news, Daddy reported that Josh had figured out to get out of his crib and was getting out of his crib over and over and over and over.......

Now, if you know Josh well, or even if you had just met him, you would be able to determine that he is a tricky little guy. He is very adamant that he likes his way. He should have "My way or the highway" tattooed on his little arm. Anyway, once he figured out how to get out of his crib there was no going back. In fact, mommy said that his future probably lay in gymnastics as the way he flipped himself out of that crib was an absolute gymnastic feat worthy of a gold medal.

Needless to say, that particular evening and the one that followed were difficult nights for the Fletcher family. Both nights, Josh basically ended up sleeping in his rocking chair. He refused to stay in his bed, but upon getting out of the bed, he couldn't get back in. When he would fall asleep in the rocker, daddy would go put him in the crib...that is, until he woke up again, got out of the crib, etc.. You see the pattern, no?

Anyway, the following day mom and dad went to the store and purchased a toddler bed for Josh. It had a "Cars" headboard and a matching "Cars" blanket, sheets and pillowcase. Josh was thrilled over his big boy bed and sleeps there every night. Well, that is after conversations with me at the gates to our room and generally a little unhappiness at bedtime. But we are getting there and things are getting better. The little guy is definitely growing up!

Mom and dad gave me a little gift for being such a helpful big brother throughout the process. For example, one of the first nights Josh was crying at his gate and mom and dad were getting frustrated. Of course, I just said, "Josh, it's okay baby, just calm down and go get in your bed and go to sleep". Of course, Josh replied "OK, Matthew, good night" at which point he lay down and went to sleep. Ha, ha!

Snow Day! (December 7, 2009)

Josh and I have seen all kinds of movies and shows about snow. One of our favorite stories is "Frosty the Snowman"; however, we don't really know what snow is or feels like. It is just some kind of magical thing that everyone talks about has yet to appear or exist in our world, that is until December 7. It actually SNOWED at our house - can you believe that? Mommy and Daddy were shocked to see it outside and couldn't believe it. Mom says that she read that the last time it snowed down below 500 feet here was over 20 years ago or something liked that. Anyway, I rushed downstairs to look out the window and was absolutely in a state of excitement. Upon seeing the snow, I yelled "Yeah, no school today!" Mom just laughed and laughed and I didn't understand why, but apparently our particular "SNOWFALL" didn't qualify as the kind of snowfall that shuts everything down. Argh! Upon asking if I could make a snowman, I was again shut down. What a drag.

Anyway, we got to go outside and see it but it was all gone by early afternoon. Mom and dad said that we are going to go up to Lake Tahoe this winter to see real snow. It should be lots of fun!