What Rhymes with Hoop?

Did you guess croup?

Yep, Kendall has it.  It's known for it's "barking seal" cough and that's no joke.  It's a horrible sound.
It literally came out of nowhere.  She was fine on Saturday and had it on Sunday. 

I took her to the doctor yesterday and she said she had Kendall diagnosed before she even came in the exam room.  She could hear her in the hallway.  They did test her oxygen sats and it came back at 91%.  A little low but the doctor felt comfortable with sending her home and not to the hospital.  They gave her a dose of prednisone in the office to help with the swelling of her windpipe and larynx and called in a prescription so we could give her some at home.  That stuff is amazing!  She sounded so much better this morning.

I think I have the adult version of croup.  I started with a sore throat Friday night and my voice is still really hoarse.  The doctor said croup is caused by a flu virus and that kids get croup because their airways are so narrow and can't accomodate the swelling.  In adults, we just get an upper respiratory infection and hoarseness. 

So far, Christopher seems like he is fairing OK and has only gotten a cold with a normal cough.

Other than that, we're busy gearing up for spring.  I've been building their spring/summer wardrobes and I think we're just about ready.  We've had several "teaser" days where the temps have gotten into the high 60's/low 70's and I'm ready.  G'bye Winter!

The kids are doing well in school.  Actually, they are loving it.  Kendall has really come out of her shell and she is advancing very nicely.  Not that she was behind or anything, but she was a little shyer than Christopher and we've definitely noticed her being more outgoing since starting school.

The pediatrician told us we'd have a very unique perspective on watching the difference in development for boys and girls and he was right!  Boys develop their gross motor skills first and girls develop communication and fine motor skills first.

Christopher is all boy.  He started climbing first and isn't afraid of anything physical.  He falls down and just keeps on going.  That boy has no fear.  He is saying a few words but his sister has him beat on that one.

Kendall is my little talker.  Her vocabulary is growing every day.  New words:

Up, down (and even does the motion when she says it)
Wow
Trash
Dog
Mommy
Daddy
Moo
All done (when she's eating, she'll hand me her bowl/plate and say it)

She is also showing an interest in coloring and loves to stack things like blocks.  And, of course, since Christopher is all boy, he loves to knock it down.

I look at them every day in pure amazement.  This time last year, they were barely sitting up on their own.  I just can't believe what they can do in a year!

Here's a picture we took at the park a few weeks ago: