Big Week

We are leaving for Ohio tomorrow for Ashley and Jerry's wedding this Saturday! I am the matron of honor, Chris is a groomsmen, and Eve is the flowergirl. Ashley asked me about Cole being the ring bearer, but we decided he is still a bit young and there is no way he would have made it down that aisle without some major drama! So he will be sitting this one out. I am so excited to get there and see everyone, and to witness A and J starting their lives together. Oh and I love my bridesmaid dress...thank you Ashley for choosing something super cute and flattering! Here it is by the way:



Eve's flowergirl dress is also ridiculously cute, as well as Cole's little suit. And then Chris will be all gussied up as well. I'm bringing my camera so hopefully I can get someone to snag a family picture of us since its a rare day that we are all dressed up. I will also be taking as many pictures as I can of the bride and groom, and everyone else. Ashley's dress is beautiful, and she is going to look gorgeous! So excited!!

Cole

Okay so Mister Cole has one more evaluation needed by an occupational therapist and then he is good to go with the new plan! So far, he will be receiving speech therapy 2x week and developmental therapy 1x week. We are also guessing he will be receiving occupational therapy at least 1x week as well. The reasoning behind the developmental therapy is just that Cole had a few issues with his cognitive skills and memory during that evaluation. I know that some of it was just the excitement and probably anxiety of having someone new in the house asking him to do all these things, but truth be known, we have noticed he could use a little help in that area. And all these early intervention services through the state are free until Cole turns 3 years old, so we are taking full advantage of it since it can only help. While here, both therapists also recommended a full evaluation by an occupational therapist since they noticed Cole seemed to have some characteristics of sensory processing disorder (SPD). I will try to explain SPD as best I can, but this is all new to me. Basically, everyone is constantly receiving information to their brain from all 5 senses...sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. In most people, their brains are able to sort out all this information and process it accordingly. However in people with SPD, information from certain senses gets "scrambled" and the brain cannot process it in an appropriate manner. This causes different behaviors, reactions, emotions, etc. that are atypical. Anyways, this is what the occupational therapist will evaluate him for. I'm on the fence as to whether he has this or not. If he does, I'd say his case is quite minor compared to other children with it that I've read about. We shall see, I suppose. But anyways, once this evaluation is done and we have his entire therapy plan in place, then we can finally start. I'm guessing this will take another couple weeks to get going. But I will update again once we get started, and of course I will continually update on Cole's progress. I love him with all my heart and soul. He is still such a mama's boy, and I look forward to the day he is non-stop chattering right alongside Eve!

Appointments!

Little miss Eve had her 4 year checkup a few days ago, and as expected, is doing absolutely perfect. Here are her current stats:

Height: 41 inches (75th percentile)
Weight: 38 lbs. (75th percentile)

I have to say though that we measured her at home and she came in at 42 1/2 inches so I don't think they got an accurate measurement. Oh well...she is still going to be one tall girl! Thank God she didn't need any vaccinations, but next year at her 5 year checkup, she will be getting a TON of them in preparation for kindergarten. Chris will definitely be taking her to that one! That same day as her checkup, Eve also had her second ever dentist cleaning and checkup. She goes to a pediatric dentist who recommends letting the kids go back by themselves after the first visit so they gain their confidence. We were all set to insist we were going back with her being the overprotective parents we are, but Eve actually wanted to go back by herself! The child is so self assured and unafraid of everything that it just amazes me. Anyways, she did great...they did xrays and the whole bit. No cavities and her teeth are perfect.

We have also been in the process of having Mister Cole evaluated for his speech. As you know, he is now 27 months old and still says only a small handful of words. He has already been evaluated by a speech therapist. And later this morning, he is being evaluated by a developmental therapist. The reasoning for both of them is that he has to be seen by 2 seperate therapists in order to qualify through the state's early intervention program. So we shall see what happens today, and then I'll give another update once we come up with a therapy plan next week.

Overall, life is good. I love my two kids and husband more than I could ever try to put into words. They are my everything.

Birthday Girl

My beautiful baby girl is turning 4 years old tomorrow!! I don't know why, but this birthday is hitting me harder than her previous years. I guess maybe because she really is not a "baby" anymore, but a little girl. And an amazing one at that. She is truly the sunshine in my life. So eager to please and to get a laugh, so quick to smile and to tell a joke, so gentle and patient with her baby brother. Eve makes it so easy to truly enjoy being a mom and I soak up every bit of love that she lavishes me with on a daily basis. Happy Birthday baby girl!

My Babies

I just checked and it looks like I haven't done a full Eve and Cole update since September, so i figured it was time.

Today is the first day of February, which means my baby girl will be turning 4 years old in just a few short weeks! Which means that next year she will be turning 5 years old and starting school...something I cannot even bring myself to think about without getting crazy emotional. Eve is just such a joy to be around and still surprises me with the things she says and does every day. I say it all the time, but she is SO funny! And smart, independent, tough, playful, social. All the qualities I could ever want in a daughter. Current favorites include her barbies (she is up to 15 or so now), disney princesses, "Despicable Me", dancing, playing in the snow, buttercream frosting, yogurt smoothies, and as always, anything pink and sparkly.

Cole is showing us more and more of his sense of humor as he gets older as well. He also loves to dance around and will do anything to get a laugh out of us! He still only has maybe 10 words he uses, but he does speak his jibberish that sounds like his very own language...LOL. He is getting a full speech/cognitive evaluation done in 2 weeks and we will have a better idea of where he stands and what steps to take from here. I have a feeling that he is just waiting to bust out talking, and that when he does, he will not stop! Cole is still a total mama's boy and very cuddly and affectionate, which I love! Current favorites include cars and trucks, knocking things over, "Meet the Robinsons", Sid the Science Kid, dancing, shooting hoops with Daddy, brown sugar cinnamon poptarts, and waffles.

I am so immensely blessed.

Baby Jail

Oh my little Cole. I don't know if its all little boys or what, but Cole is on a whole other level than what Eve was at the young age of 2. He slams toys into walls, screams like a monkey, climbs on everything like its his own personal jungle gym, runs back and forth across the living room like a maniac, and generally has no fear. So I guess I shouldn't have been too surprised when a few nights ago, I heard a thud come from his room and checked the monitor only to see that my little boy was not in his crib! I went running in there at 3:30 am to find him standing by the couch in his room, looking very dazed and confused...LOL. After getting him back to sleep, I immediately went online and overnight shipped a crib tent to our house. A crib tent is just what it sounds like, a mesh tent that attaches to the crib so baby can still see and hear everything, but can no longer take a flying leap to injury. So far, so good.

Christmas and Cole's 2 year Checkup

So Christmas is over and we are getting back into our routine. Our trip back to Ohio did not go at all as planned, but it was still good seeing everyone. Chris, Eve, Cole, and myself all came down with the stomach flu, and it was wicked! While Chris and myself are all better now, the kids are still recovering and taking it easy. On another note, Mister Cole had his 2 year checkup this morning. He is doing great for the most part. Here are his current stats:

Height: 36 inches (90th percentile)
Weight: 31 lbs. (90th percentile)

I think he is actually closer to 33 lbs, but he lost some weight with the flu this past week. Knowing how much he loves his food, he will put it back on in no time! Everything checked out okay, and thankfully he wasn't due for any vaccinations this appointment. The only thing he is a bit delayed in is his speech. We are going to wait another month or so to see if he makes any progress...if not, we will have him evaluated to see if he qualifies for speech therapy. Honestly, I think he is fine and if anything, a bit lazy when it comes to talking. But if speech therapy will help to push him along, I'm all for it!

Well that is all for now. Hope everyone had a great Christmas! I am most definitely looking forward to a new year full of new possibilites!

Christmas

Oh my goodness, it is hard for me to fathom that it is already December 1rst and Christmas is just 3 1/2 weeks away. This is always the time of the year that I have to ask myself "where did this year go!?". I'm going to try to slow down and really appreciate the month of December this year. All of my Christmas shopping is done, presents are all wrapped, and the kids are excited for what is to come. We went to the "Way of Lights" last week, which is a ginormous drive-through display of Christmas lights and it tells the story of Jesus. It took us a good 30-40 minutes to drive through it, and both Eve and Cole were entranced the entire time. I love that they are both (especially Eve this year) getting to the age where Christmas is truly a magical time for them. Before we had kids, I was a bit of a Scrooge, but that has all changed now! I find myself getting as excited as Eve and Cole everytime we see a house lit up with lights or when a holiday movie comes on TV!! So anyways, here is hoping all of you have a great month of December and that you take the time to slow down and appreciate the holiday season!

Thankful

So as Thanksgiving approaches this week, I thought I'd take a minute to write about what I am thankful for this year. 2010 has been quite a year, filled with many ups and downs.

I am thankful for my faith which has helped me to appreciate the good in my life, and to get through the difficult times.

I am thankful for my loving husband Chris who is truly my other half, my voice of reason, my shoulder to cry on, and my soulmate.

I am thankful for my two beautiful children, Eve and Cole, who make me smile each and every day and help me to appreciate the little things in life.

I am thankful for my parents, brother and sisters, inlaws, nephews, and all of my extended family...all of whom I would do anything for and feel they would do the same in return.

I am thankful that despite the pain of losing two family members this year, I believe I have two new guardian angels watching over me and my family. And I know that when my time comes to go home to heaven, they'll be there waiting.

I am thankful that we were able to afford a new heating and cooling system and water heater this year, and that our gas/electric and water bills has been nearly cut in half thanks to this!

I am thankful that I have so much to be thankful for!!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

My Babies

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