Saturday, February 20, 2010

Basketball Game

We try to catch at least one Cedarville University basketball game a year. This year we ended up at the last home game of the season. Thursday night (#1's nights off currently are Wed/Thurs. so our social and event calendar is very limited) they had a home game, which is unusual, but we took the opportunity to attend.
Snug has been attending games here since he was probably four or five months old. We wonder why he loves the sport so much! He is shaking daddy's keys (with daddy hanging on too so we didn't lose them and could get home) for the tip off. That is a Cedarville tradition.
Cedarville was playing local rival Wilberforce University. The first half of the game both boys watched pretty well. The second half they got very squirrely and Monkey Man started having HUGE tantrums all over. This was due to the fact that the game started at bedtime and also because everyone around us was eating yummy things and being that he is having intestinal troubles, popcorn and hot dogs are not on his "to eat" list! We left with about eight minutes left in the game.

I realize this is another key shaking picture, but I thought both boys needed some face time here. I only ended up taking 3 pictures I guess! I wanted a picture of the boys with "the bee" but he was only there about 20 minutes and then we no longer saw him. Evidentally he had bigger plans that night.

I looked up the final score 97-63 in favor of Cedarville. I guess we didn't miss a super exciting ending.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

31 Weeks Pregnant-Belly Shots

Many of you like belly shots. You have asked for belly shots. I gave one back here but thought it was high time you saw another one...or two.
So this is what I look like! Nice, huh?
Here is another belly shot. This belly so SO much cuter than mine. Trust me on that.

Yep, love those belly shots!

Ice, Ice, Baby!

We didn't have an ice storm, but it sure looks like it around our house. We have massive icicles hanging everywhere. I think it is a testament to the condition of the roof/gutters here, but no matter, it is a rental :o)
So during the first snowstorm, the one where we only got 3 inches and I was so disappointed, I built a small snowman to put on our front porch. Between the 15 or so MORE inches we have received, and the constant dripping from the gutters, all that is recognizable as "snowman" is his stick arms.
This is what the landscaping *cough cough* looks like. All the plants weeds under the gutters are ice covered.

These icicles are easily 5 feet long. Because my snowpants no longer go on, and my winter "play" coat no longer zips, I haven't been able to be out in the snow much. Today I put on a pair of my husband's sweatpants and my good coat to get these pictures. The snow was up to my knees, and I wasn't going all the way to the ground.

These ones are not only around 6 feet long, they are also a good 6-8 inches across in places. I'm not a great photographer, so my pictures really are not doing them justice.


Today I have Draycare kids back. As their moms are teachers, their snow days are my snow days. Last week I had kids Monday and half a day on Thursday. Today is the first day I've had kids this week. If they have any more snow days, they are going to have to make up days in June...but I won't have kids in June :o) However, March's budget is going to be a bit...slim.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Not A Wordless Wednesday

I originally took this picture for a Wordless Wednesday quick post, but have too much to share about this little guy.

I have really great news, and really bad news.

Lets start with the bad and then move to the good so as to end on a high note, shall we?

Bad news: We've been battling diarrhea for a few months now (like since Oct/Nov), and thought we had it under control when we took him off of all dairy products. It did clear up for the most part. We switched to soy milk and life seemed good. After our move (it has been nearly a month now, can you believe it?) it started up again, and has been awful the past few days. His little bottom is blistered and bleeding and he is in lots of pain quite often. We are thinking he has either developed a soy allergy, there is something that doesn't agree with him in the water here, or he is allergic to something else. A year ago when he was hospitalized, they ran an array of food allergy tests, but found nothing. However, we know that kids can develop allergies, and even though it looks as if milk is an intolerance, soy may be a real allergy. He didn't do well on soy formula (bad reaction) when he was in the hospital.

I am making phone calls to doctors today, and have put him on a rice/water/banana diet. He is just loving that (um, no). We weighed him today because he looked a bit thin in the tub and he's lost 2.5 lbs since he was last weighed.

Great News: Our IFSP needed to be updated (like an IEP, but for younger than school age children) and he has met SO SO many of the old goals. He is no longer seeing a physical therapist for large or small motor skills. He is down to speech therapy and a sign language specialist. We are so happy! He has come so so so so so far in the last year.

He continues to learn more and more signs, and is not as resistant to using them. He says (out loud) something that sounds to us like "up" and "look" and "ought-oh" with meaning. He does say "mamamamama" and sometimes "daddadadada" but they are not with meaning, just babbling that this point. His sound system is developing and that is so important.

Because he is signing with much more meaning than any of his speech, that is the avenue all professionals he sees think is his best bet. He won't sign forever, but needs to be signing and gesturing instead of screaming and tantruming (yes, that is still about 50% of his communication on a typical day). He actually does better in public with not having meltdowns because he loves new stimulation due to his sensory processing. It is a blessing that most of his huge meltdowns are not in public :o)


Yeah for you little man!

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

A Cousin Filled Weekend

This past weekend was another whirlwind trip to Michigan for my final CILT* meeting before this summer. There is another meeting scheduled, but after this weekend I am no longer traveling more than maybe an hour from home. I had some signs of pre-term labor (did fine this weekend and today) last week and don't feel like pushing it or not being local if I need to be. I am resting A LOT and my dear husband has picked up lots of the slack I am leaving. Trust me, there is lots to take up and he is great.

While I was meeting with the girls, my aunt captured this sweet moment. I think it is one of my favorite pictures of them together. See, Snug doesn't love Little Monkey being on top of him, and Little Monkey doesn't usually like to sit for a story...but here was a priceless brother moment.
I don't believe either of these two (my cousin Melissa's youngest is on the left) were supposed to be playing with a Wii remote...but they were sharing nicely.

I must apologize for my awful red eye pictures. I really don't have a good indoor pictures camera, and I don't have any near plans to buy a new camera. I promise that Jayce (Melissa's oldest) and Snug were not in some kind of an alien movie during the reading of this story.

Even though Snug doesn't see these cousins very often he warmed right up to them and made himself at home.

Jayce is possibly one of the best puzzle-doing kid I've ever met. He just does them quickly and without hesitation. Snug is not...mathematically minded. Puzzles that don't have little pegs in them and don't fit in specific pre-painted positions are not his forte. However, Jayce inspired him. He really got interested in puzzles and tried his best. I saw huge improvement in his skills over the weekend.

And with a little teamwork...
...they got this puzzle done (several times).
Grayson and Little Monkey Man also made some masterpieces on the Magnadoodle together. It was so fun to be with cousins! Thanks Aunt Kim and Uncle "Brick" for letting us crash at your house again.
Just FYI, Snug is a little over 3 months older than Jayce. Little Monkey Man is almost exactly 2 months older than Grayson. GREAT playmates! Their mom Melissa and I are 7 months apart, and also were good friends growing up (and still are today, in case that statement would lead you to believe otherwise!).
*CILT=Campers In Leadership Training. To find out more about the camp I love and work for, go to: http://www.campcedarridge.org/