Saturday, November 23, 2013

New Glasses!

Mia got new glasses on Thursday.  She loves them.  She looks so grown up in them. 


The Vehicle Parade

A week or so ago, Mia's school had a vehicle parade...it's almost a rite of passage for the Kindergarteners.  They make a vehicle they can wear and then walk around school so all the older kids can see what they've done.  Mia made a Rainbow Bus, she picked it out from Richard Scarry's book.  She had so much fun doing this and was so proud of her work. 



This last one is the kids in Mia's class.  She really enjoys all her friends. 

A Long Overdue Update

It's been fairly crazy at our house these past few weeks.  When I lay my head on my pillow at night I exhale and thank God that we made it through the day.  It just seems like our calendar has filled up with doctor appointments and life. 

Mia had an appointment with her orthopedic doctor a week or so ago and that went really well.  There is no significant change in her hips or her back (mild scoliosis), so the plan is to recheck in a year and go from there.  Because her muscle tone is on the limper side, her hip bones aren't completely in the socket...down the road that could lead to some hip problems, but it could not also...so we are just watching it at this point.  She also has some mild scoliosis, which could be related to the tethered cord or her lack of muscle tone also...in any event, it is stable, so we will just watch it at this point. 

A few days ago we also went to LA again for her yearly echocardiogram.  Her heart looks the same, and it was so comforting to hear her cardiologist say that her heart is completely comparable to a normal person's heart.  She has some mild regurgitation, but even normal hearts get that, so as long as it remains the same...which it has for 5 years now, there isn't anything that needs to be done.

Great visits, Praise God!  We love positive reports and I realized that we are down to 4 specialty doctors...that is it, just 4 extras at the moment.  And 2 of those are yearly visits, so our trips to LA are so infrequent, it is so nice.  Thank you Lord!

Calvin is excelling at reading...I'm always slightly shocked when he will read things when we are out and about, but he loves learning, just like his sister.  He might just love inflatables a little bit more though...and at the moment, his favorite store is Walmart because they have Christmas inflatables in the store that he can see...every day he asks if we can go to Walmart.  Hehehehe. 

Asher is just growing up so quickly.  He now loves to climb on everything and if I don't watch him close enough, I will find him on end tables and small rocking chairs...very proud of himself for getting up there.  Of course, a day without falling and bumping would be abnormal, so he's got plenty of bruises and scrapes...but a tough kid because it doesn't stop him from trying and trying. 

One more...a cute Mia story, so when we were on our way to LA for her echo she was asking where we were going and for what.  I told her we were getting an echo done.  She said, "what's an echo?" and I said, "it's a picture of your heart."  And she said, "no mama, an echo is when sound bounces back to you."  What?!?!?!?!  I said, "where did you learn this?"  "From Guess with Jess, Mom."  An adorable British cartoon with animals in it...too cute.

Tuesday, November 05, 2013

Spooky Critters

Our friend has her own Etsy business and makes adorable stuffed toys for children.  She was running a contest on Facebook and we ended up getting the most likes on our picture and so we won these adorable critters!  Calvin immediately latched on to Boots the cat, Mia chose Squeaks the mouse, and Asher got Hoots the owl.  Here is a link to her Etsy store, A Petite Repose.  I have to say that the kids are having a blast with these dolls and Calvin even put on some boots and told me, "Look Mama, I'm Boots!"  So, if you are looking for a handmade gift for a little one you know, this would be a great choice.  They are the perfect size for little hands and just so cute!  Here are the critters...all six of them ;)




Saturday, November 02, 2013

Happy Halloween!

The kids had so much fun on Halloween this year.  They really enjoyed dressing up and trick or treating.  We ended up getting together with the families in our small group and some others.  It was a great time.  Here are our little people in costume.







Happy 9 Months Asher!

9 months today!  It has been quite a month for Asher.  This has been the month of removing objects that shouldn't be in the mouth...so far I've retrieved a leaf, some styrofoam, 2 band aids, a suction cup, a rock and who knows what else, I'm losing track.  Of all my babies, he is the one that puts EVERYTHING in his mouth...and he does it right away, it's his first reaction to seeing something.  Grab, put in mouth.  I'm just grateful I've caught all these things that have gone in without anything worse happening. 

These days Asher embraced growling...it is as if he is a bear...in fact, I wonder if we named him wrong...Daddy did want one kid to be named Bear.  He also says Mama quite clearly and will follow me around the house saying, "mamamamamamamama".  It's endearing. 

We are still furniture surfing and I'm ok with that.  No steps have been attempted yet. 

As for sleep, we did some sleep training on the little guy and for 3 weeks he was doing awesome, sleeping from 8pm-5am...it was like sleep heaven for me, but than abruptly he started waking up in the middle of the night again...so we are back to 4 hour stretches.  However, in the process he has learned how to fall asleep on his own and so my days of rocking are numbered.  He now happily lays down in his crib and falls asleep unassisted...I had heard stories of babies doing that, but didn't think it was really possible.  It is!  Hopefully that will make sleep a bit easier when he gets a little older.  :)

Here's the handsome fellow.