4 Months!

My peanut is 4 months old!  The word "peanut" is an understatement, however, as his stringbean height has him already wearing 9 month clothing!  He definitely has some height genes in there somewhere...not from me...but from someone! 

Brady's little personality is just shining through this month.  His laugh is contagious, and he giggles constantly at being tickled (the left armpit is a sweet spot, and he is the only child I know to belly-laugh through an entire toenail cutting!), or at funny faces, or at silly noises....he's a goofball! 

 

It seems like he is in constant motion, and he loves to play in his jumper, play with toys in his Bumbo seat, do push-ups in tummy time, and stand with the help of mom and dad!  Brady is definitely not the kid to be content laying on the floor looking at his toys...he has to be up in the action at all times...he doesn't miss a thing!  This busy-body attitude helped him learn to roll from his back to belly this month, and he can sit by himself using his arms for support.  It's only a matter of time before he lets go and can sit indefinitely...and from there comes crawling, and pulling up, and walking...why does this baby stage go by so fast?!?  Sometimes I wish I had a "pause" button to freeze these stages for a little bit longer!

 

Unfortunately, Brady's flowing locks have begun to dwindle, and it looks as if he is doomed to have the classic middle-aged man horseshoe hairstyle for a bit...bald on top, with a nice ring of hair around the sides and back.  Poor kid.  I do see some spikes of new hair peeking through the shiny baldness though, so hopefully he won't have to endure this style for much longer.

Happy 4 months, Brady!  Can't wait to see what 2013 will bring for you!

Our Merry Little Christmas

Have yourself a merry little Christmas...

Let your heart be light...

 

From now on our troubles will be out of sight.

 

 

 

Hang a shining star upon the highest bough.

 

And have yourself a merry little Christmas now.

Checking in With Ty

I haven't written a Ty-update in a while, and with so much happening lately, he deserves a little press time!

I'll start with the news - the "huge-weight-lifted-off-our-shoulders" news.  For those who don't know, Ty was born with 5 holes in his heart...a little swiss cheese heart!  The first is fairly common - more so in preemies, and is a hole called a PDA that all fetusus have in the aorta.  Before birth most of these close, but some do not and require surgery.  He also had a PFO - another very common opening between two chambers in the heart that usually closes in infancy, but in some cases does not.  It's generally harmless.  Lastly, Ty had 3 VSDs - two small and one medium sized one.  These are holes between the left and right ventricles of the heart.  Some require surgery, some do not.  In Ty's case, we were told he would *definitely* need surgery by 6 months old to close the large VSD.  He didn't.  In the scheme of things, we have been incredibly fortunate at Ty's good health.  But best of all, a couple of weeks ago at his annual cardiology check-up, we learned that the last of the 5 holes had closed, and after one last check-in at the age of 5, Ty will officially be discharged from Boston Children's Hospital Cardiology Department!  They're great, but WHEW!

As if that weren't enough, that same week we also had a post-surgery check-up at Ty's ENT.  His last set of ear tubes was placed last January...11 months ago...and we learned they are STILL in place and STILL functioning!  Now, for a kid who has had 3 sets of ear tubes...one set every 6 months since he was 7 months old...this was HUGE news!  All we can do is wait, now.  Eventually, they will fall out, and the true test of whether or not he is ready for life without tubes will come.  Until then, we are SO grateful for good hearing, and dry ears!

And then there's school.  Yes, my little bugger is gearing up to enter preschool.  It's a bittersweet process, but Ty is more than ready for life outside his playroom, for the chance to meet new friends, try new things, and spread those little wings of his a bit!  For those who have never transitioned a child with special needs into the school system, let me tell you, it is a process!  It began back in September with a home visit by the director of special education, and a meeting at the school with his team of future therapists.  Then came the evaluation...dun, dun, dun! 

You know, having a formal evaluation done of your child's every skill, sound, and movement is a little daunting.  There's an element of wanting to make sure you did *enough* to get your child to the place where he is today, and an element of feeling slightly judged.  I have to say though, I left that evaluation with a smile.  No, Ty didn't score age-typical in every developmental category (I actually haven't even seen the formal results), nor would I expect him to.  But he most certainly presented his best self, and I was SO proud of him for that.  He welcomed a team of three unfamiliar women into his living room with a smile, and proceeded to do every activity they presented him with to the best of his ability.  He charmed them with his giggles and high-fives, and impressed them with his persistance to complete challenging tasks.  And really, what more could I ask for?! 

And then this past week, my little man had his first visit to his preschool for yet another "informal" evaluation.  Oh my god was he SO tiny in that big building!!!  When we walked in the door, a class of students walked by with their library books, and Ty just stood there in awe at these giants towering over him walking in a silent line down the hall (and I know he was SO jealous of their books!)  Once again, his evaluation went as well as I could have hoped!  I thought for sure he would clam up in this big building with 5 strange women staring at him in a small room, but once again, he blew my expectations out of the water.  I don't even know how he performed on their assessment, but I know he gave it his best shot.  The highlight of his visit, however, was his very first chance to choose a toy from the coveted "treasure box".  Now, they had a pretty sweet treasure box...these were no Dollar Tree toys.  Ty spent about 3 minutes sifting through the box with his new teacher searching for his perfect treasure and this was his final choice...

...his first preschool treasure box toy, and he chooses a Littlest Pet Shop purple butterfly who lives in a pink basket.  To his teacher's credit, she even offered him a choice between a "manly" lion and his purple butterfly...and he grabbed that little critter with such enthusiasm, there was no denying his thought process.  That is one little toy I will have to keep to bust out when he brings his girlfriends home in the future! :)

So as you can see, life doesn't stop these days.  The older Ty gets, the busier he becomes, and he hasn't even entered the world of recreational sports yet!  It's such a joy to watch him grow into this little person, though.  He has such defined interests these days, and his imagination is just taking off.  At any given moment he can be found playing with some random object...a tupperware bowl, a towel, a lego...and if you ask him what he's doing, he most certainly has a whole scenario going on that is only apparent to him!  The other night Brady and I joined him on his bedroom floor as he swished a burp cloth around in a bowl.  When I asked what he was doing, he told me it was "cereal" (duh!) and proceeded to spoon food me the cereal with his air-spoon, complete with "mmmm" sound effects.  However, when I tried to feed him an "air-apple" he refused...apparently his picky eating habits translate in the imaginary world as well.  Stinker.

I could go on...and on, and on, and on...but I won't!  Life is good, though.  Not always easy, but definitely good, and I'm continually amazed by the little guy growing up in front of me!  New adventures are on the horizon for Ty-guy!

3 Months Old!

Happy 3 months Brady!!!

He's doing awesome.  The month of November was filled with a few firsts for our little guy...first Halloween (celebrated late this year due to Sandy!), first Thanksgiving, first trip to the mall...!  My favorite first though was his first belly laugh!!!  I'm not sure there's anything more adorable than the first little squeaky laughs out of a little tiny person!  I quickly discovered that "Itsy Bitsy Spider" is a huge hit, and have been obsessively singing it to him over and over just to hear his giggles!  He especially likes it when I make itsy-bitsy crawl on his head, and make the rain "come down".  Ohhh the joys of parenthood! :-)

On a less cutsey note, we successfully made the switch to milk-based formula from soy formula (the soy made for a bound-up tummy a lot of the time).  It's taken a little bit of trial and error to figure out which brand agrees with him best, but I think we've found the magic one!  Of course, nothing can be that easy though, as we've also discovered that milk aggravates his reflux more than soy, so it's back to the doctor next week to find a new magic reflux medicine to go with his magic formula! :-)  Hopefully with all of the stars aligned, we will have a perfectly comfortable, happy little guy!  (Not that he's not happy...he's pretty easygoing...but the comfort thing comes and goes!)

He's got a smile that can melt a heart, little arms and legs that never quit, and an intense, serious face that he makes when he's focusing really really hard on something!  He loves to lay in his playgym and grab onto his favorite toy...a little butterfly!  Staring at himself in the mirror is also a favorite, just like his older brother loves to do!  Can kids recognize how cute they are this young?!

 

 

I've said it before, but I have to say it again...I have NO idea how I got so lucky to have two lovable, fun, easygoing boys like Ty and Brady.  Being their mom is definitely a blast every day!

Thankful

Each year, I have come to love Thanksgiving more and more, not because of the mass amounts of food, or because it's the beginning of my favorite holiday season (which aren't bad reasons, either!), but because it's the time of year when I am faced with the question, "What are you thankful for?", and it always makes me stop and reflect on our year.  Even in the midst of sleepless nights, long days without breaks, and "grown-up" issues to deal with, there are SO many things we have to be thankful for.  Taking the time to think about each of those things is a nice way to connect to the positives in our lives, and let the stressors fall into the background for a while.

This year, most of all, I'm thankful for my family. 

I'm thankful for my new family of four, and for the most amazing three boys that I am fortunate enough to wake up to every day. 

 

 

I'm thankful for moments like these that make me smile...

 

 

 

 

...Faces like these that brighten every day...

 

 

 



 

...And for days like these that make all the exhausting ones worth it.

 



 

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you, from me and my little turkeys!!! 

 

 

Halloween in November

Thanks to hurricane Sandy, Halloween was postponed until the following weekend.  For the second year in a row, we celebrated Halloween in November...how strange is that?!  However, it was a beautiful, chilly fall night, and was the perfect night to venture out and trick-or-treat!

This year, Ty dressed up as Elmo...who else?!

 

And Brady was our little monkey...for about 3 minutes!!!

This about sums up Brady's costume experience...Ty couldn't figure out why the kid wouldn't stop screaming! 

Trick-or-treating was a blast this year!  This image of Ty walking up to his first house, all by himself, carrying his little candy bucket, is most definitely going to be one I'll never forget!

And then he ditched the candy bucket for some serious walking...

You can tell who led this trick-or-treating adventure!

And after walking by himself up a massive hill, and up and down every driveway on that street...he decided this was a much better mode of transportation!

Happy Belated Halloween, everyone!!!

Happy 2 Months To My Brady-Boo!!!

Our little sweetie-pie turned two months old yesterday!  Has it seriously been almost 9 weeks since we met him, already?!  As quickly as it's gone, Eric and I were commenting last night how it seems like he's been a part of our family forever.  It's funny how a new little person can make his way into your life, and you instantly can't even remember what life was like before he came along.  Having two little boys is such a blast, I can't imagine it any other way!

Brady's little personality has come out in full force this past month!  The second his little eyes pop open, he greets us with the biggest, most genuine smile, like seeing our faces is exactly what he was waiting for!  He "talks" up a storm ("ah-goo" is his most frequent word at the moment), and has a squeaky little giggle that can make anyone smile.  He is just such a sweetheart!

His most exciting milestone this month is sleeping through the night!!!  3 times!!!  Well, not consecutive nights, but I'll take what I can get! :-)  He is also starting to show more interest in toys, and his surroundings.  His playmat has lots of eye-catching designs that he loves to look at, and he especially enjoys staring at his cute little face in the mirror!  In the past week he has started to bat at hanging toys, and has accidentally managed to grab them a few times!  (I think everything he does is genius! haha)

The Bumbo seat has made an appearance this week also, which Brady loves!  He must feel like such a big boy in there, because that smile spreads across his face and he kicks his little legs like sitting up is exactly what he wants to be doing! 

It is such a blast watching this little guy grow, explore, and change every single day.  Happy 2 Months, my little Brady-boo!

Life With Ty #30 - 100 Reasons Why We Love Ty

Well, Down Syndrome Awareness month came and went very quickly!  I'll wrap this month up with a little dedication to our favorite oldest boy, with 100 of the things we love most about him!

1) He gives wet, slobbery kisses.
2) He says "bop!" instead of stop, with such conviction!
3) He is the most perfect big-brother to Brady.
4) He can throw the biggest tantrum, and wrap it up with the biggest hug!
5) He loves ride-on toys, but can only move backwards...despite his total effort to move forward!
6) He toughened us up more than we ever bargained for!
7) He loves to "read" and absorbs new words like a sponge!
8) His dance moves would make Michael Jackson jealous.
9) He only likes to draw circles, and horizontal and vertical lines when he colors pictures.
10) Elmo is the only one who can snap him out of a funky mood.
11) He loves to wipe up his own messes.
12) He can say "off" now, and take off his own jacket...you can imagine how that goes.
13) He has the funniest pretend conversations with himself on the pretend phone.
14) He can operate the i-pad better than either of us!

15) He is obsessed with Facetime on the i-pad, and is notorious for making calls by himself!
16) Playing ball absolutely cracks him up!
17) He purposely gets messy at dinner, because he knows he'll be getting a bath.
18) He is irrationally scared of bugs!
19) And sometimes thinks flowers and leaves are bugs...nature is a scary place!
20) He loves putting his shoes on...
21) And loves taking his socks off...and Brady's socks off...and my socks off...
22) He absolutely loves buses. 
23) He knows when he is in trouble, and always says "sorry" and waves almost immediately!
24) If given the choice, he will always choose a more challenging activity over an easy one.
25) He makes a really great "vrooommm" sound when he plays with his cars.

26) He has made us more tolerant, accepting people.
27) He absolutely loves graham crackers...LOVES!

28) He is a tiny little thing, but prefers to play with the bigger kids!
29) He loves to run around naked after bath time.
30) When he sees letters on signs in public, he always says the letter sounds for each one.
31) He has not yet outgrown his clothes from last fall/winter...such a peanut!
32) Yet he has a great pot-belly, with a large outie belly button!
33) He loves to sneak around his bedroom to play, when he should be sleeping.
34) He refuses to pee on the potty, but loves to watch Elmo do it on his "Elmo Potty Time" movie!
35) He always wakes up with a huge smile and a wave.
36) He "sings" along to his favorite songs...it's bad singing...but it's singing!!!
37) He taught us that "disability" only limits a child as much as you allow it to.
38) When he is feeling shy, he squeezes his eyes shut to "hide" from people!
39) He has a great head of hair!
40) His little teeth are absolutely perfect...good thing, since they were so difficult coming in!
41) He loves to discuss the weather..."rain" and "wind" are some really fun signs to do!
42) Getting greeting cards is better than presents to Ty!
43) He hates being forced to try something new, but will do it on his own when you're not looking.
44) He always signs "please" when he really wants something...so polite!
45) He is the pickiest eater in the world, but enjoys watching other people eat very much!
46) He is a master roller...he loved to roll as a baby, and still rolls sometimes now, just for fun!
47) He gives great high-fives and fist bumps.
48) He is such an independent spirit.
49) He busts out new skills when we least expect it!
50) He loves lights, and stands on his tippy toes to peek at our neighbor's porch light every night!
51) If he finds a piece of dog fur on the ground, he always picks it up and brings it to me.
52) He will tolerate just about anything if you count while you do it (medicine, cutting nails, etc)
53) He is a great helper when it comes to sweeping and cleaning!
54) He "reads" familiar books all by himself, narrating the story through words or sign.
55) He is incredibly narcissistic...he never misses a chance to look in the mirror!
56) He will lick, kiss, and bite any new food...but will not chew and swallow it!
57) He's taught me a lot about the medical world.
58) He names animals by the sounds they make...a monkey is an "ooh ooh, ahh, ahh", a sheep is a "baa baa", a cow is a "moooo".
59) He pulls the kitchen towel off of the oven handle every time he walks by...for no reason.
60) He dumps any cup or bowl of water on himself every time he finds one...for no reason.
61) He loves to put hats on his head, and loves seeing other people in hats.
62) Swinging is one of the best activities ever, according to Ty.

63) He's really great at athletic activities like hockey, golf, and lacrosse.
64) He's introduced us to a really awesome community of people.
65) He drinks his milk warm...so high maintenance!
66) His eye-lashes would make any woman jealous.
67) He is the toughest kid I know when it comes to needles.
68) Jumping to Ty, means sticking out his butt really far over and over.
69) Spotting an airplane in the sky is a very exciting event in Ty's day.
70) He has food on his clothes at any given moment.
71) He gives the best hugs.
72) He can whip through a puzzle or matching game without any help at all.
73) He is finicky about finger painting, but will happily smear his yogurt all over the table.
74) He won't eat bread, but he'll eat a ball of playdoh.

 

75) He loves to play hide and seek.
76) At the grocery store, his job is to put things in the cart, and he gets very upset if you forget!
77) He loves to blow and pop bubbles.

78) He tries to be such a tough guy when he gets hurt, and will only cry when it really hurts.
79) Smiling for the camera is second nature to him...I wonder why?!
80) He loves to hug and hold his Elmo and Ernie dolls...and then toss them by the neck to the floor.
81) He plays catch with the dog.
82) He picks up dance moves from music videos and never forgets them!
83) He looks darn good in a tux!
84) No surface is too high for climbing.
85) He's great at brushing his teeth in the mirror.
86) He fake-laughs better than anyone I know.

87) There are sticky fingerprints all over our walls and windows.
88) He loves grocery shopping at Hannafords with me because they have a big, tall fan!
89) He also loves going to TJMaxx to look in their mirrors!
90) He happily walks into speech therapy sessions all by himself like a big boy.
91) He knows where toys belong, and does a great job helping me to clean up the playroom!
92) He hates water being poured over his head, but loves when a wave crashes over him in the ocean.

93) He has great persistance.
94) He can nap through pretty much anything.
95) He is great at telling you when things are turned "off" or "on".
96) He prefers hip-hop, rap, or reggae music to any type of "kid stuff".
97) He loves to explore bags and show the contents of my purse to the world.
98) He has emptied the toilet bowl onto the floor using a cup...more than once.
99) He's very empathetic and considerate of other kids.
100) His extra chromosome has enriched our lives more than we ever thought it could.

And I could go on, and on, and on.  Happy October, Ty-Ty!  We love you!!!