Colin may not be doing formal PT, but he is still working hard on his break! Well, we are working hard and having fun too...
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Happy Birthday Aunt Kimmy!
Happy Birthday (a tad bit late..yikes, it was the 21st!) to my beautiful sister Kim, and to Colin and Kailey's Aunt Kimmy!!
We love you so much and are so thankful for all that you do to help us out...
We hope that you had a fantastic week celebrating your 25th and we look forward to all that is yet to come with you!!
We love you Aunt Kimmy!!!
Love,
We love you so much and are so thankful for all that you do to help us out...
We hope that you had a fantastic week celebrating your 25th and we look forward to all that is yet to come with you!!
We love you Aunt Kimmy!!!
Love,
Colin and Kailey
xoxoxoxoxoxxo
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Road Block
I have some questions for you...
Have you ever hit a point with your child where you hit a bit of a road block when it comes to therapy? Has your child become "therapied" out? If so, what did you do?
I think Colin is "therapied" out. Although he has always been cooperative for the most part, he has been extremely resistive, even to the therapists that he has always shown love to. I have been really stressed during the therapy sessions I am at as I watch him resist and not cooperate. It's hard to know what the cause is because there are numerous possible reasons. One of the major reasons is probably his age and the different things he is going through now because of that (although I always hate using that as a reason). He is definitely in the "no" stage, so that is a common word we hear associated with everything. Another reason is that he has been going through a very long and drawn out process with his teeth coming in. He has two eye teeth that are just about to pop through, plus another molar, so that in turn has been affecting his eating habits. On top of all that, the feeding struggles are at their all-time low and I hate that I have to handle him so much while he is eating (using our method from the feeding clinic we go to). And the biggest reason? I think he is just burnt out from therapy...
So, we made the decision today to cancel therapy for the rest of the week through Monday. I talked about it with Colin's speech therapist and although I am uneasy about it in the sense that I worry about things being worse after a long break, I think he needs the rest. So, we are going to try it out and see what a good 6 days off does for him. We all need a rest sometime, so why shouldn't Colin?
I guess you never know the results of your decisions until after you go through with them, so we will see how this goes. However, I think it's what is best and I think Colin just needs to be a regular ole' kid for a week.
I want to see more of this...
...and less of his sad face.
Have you ever hit a point with your child where you hit a bit of a road block when it comes to therapy? Has your child become "therapied" out? If so, what did you do?
I think Colin is "therapied" out. Although he has always been cooperative for the most part, he has been extremely resistive, even to the therapists that he has always shown love to. I have been really stressed during the therapy sessions I am at as I watch him resist and not cooperate. It's hard to know what the cause is because there are numerous possible reasons. One of the major reasons is probably his age and the different things he is going through now because of that (although I always hate using that as a reason). He is definitely in the "no" stage, so that is a common word we hear associated with everything. Another reason is that he has been going through a very long and drawn out process with his teeth coming in. He has two eye teeth that are just about to pop through, plus another molar, so that in turn has been affecting his eating habits. On top of all that, the feeding struggles are at their all-time low and I hate that I have to handle him so much while he is eating (using our method from the feeding clinic we go to). And the biggest reason? I think he is just burnt out from therapy...
So, we made the decision today to cancel therapy for the rest of the week through Monday. I talked about it with Colin's speech therapist and although I am uneasy about it in the sense that I worry about things being worse after a long break, I think he needs the rest. So, we are going to try it out and see what a good 6 days off does for him. We all need a rest sometime, so why shouldn't Colin?
I guess you never know the results of your decisions until after you go through with them, so we will see how this goes. However, I think it's what is best and I think Colin just needs to be a regular ole' kid for a week.
I want to see more of this...
...and less of his sad face.
Monday, July 25, 2011
Good Company
The quotation that sits under my headshot in my yearbook senior of high school says "Good Company on a journey makes the way seem shorter". I used that quote because I had had a really good four years of high school and I had attributed it to the fact that I spent those years with friends who I loved and adored.
If you ask me now, I can describe to you exactly how I felt when the doctor told us they were testing Colin for Down Syndrome. I can tell you exactly how I felt when I saw him laying there on his little warming bed so tiny and I can certainly describe to you how I felt when the doctor called a week later and confirmed the diagnosis. I honestly could not understand why it was something that was "happening" to Chris and I.
While I can describe to you those feelings, I can also tell you now that I am thankful that my journey started that day. I hopped on the computer, started a blog (not even sure where I got that idea) and wanted to vent about my feelings. However, once I started I realized I liked talking about it and as the days went by, I started to find that I had lots of company on my journey. Of course our friends and family joined it with us, but, I found I had company who completely understood what I felt, who had tips and suggestions, who celebrated when we did and cried when we did. I had company that I could talk to when things weren't always easy.
Some of our company on this journey is the Donovan family and we just love them! You can find them at Our Unexpected Journey, and can read about our beach day with them here! We got to spend a day with them at the beach a week ago and had a great time together. Colin and Bennett are just one month apart, and share a lot of the same struggles (well, us moms and dads share a lot of the same struggles) and a lot of the same cuteness for sure!
Look at these handsome little boys!!
Colin and Bennett are so similar in many ways but certainly have their own unique personalities. It has been really nice for me because Bennett and Colin have the same types of struggles and I have been able to have someone to talk to when things aren't always easy. Sometimes you just need someone who understands. Although we have only seen them a few times in person, we were sad to find out they were going to be leaving our general area and heading down to North Carolina! :( We had to get all we could get in our day until we see them again at Christmas time (my brother lives where they are moving to!
If you ask me now, I can describe to you exactly how I felt when the doctor told us they were testing Colin for Down Syndrome. I can tell you exactly how I felt when I saw him laying there on his little warming bed so tiny and I can certainly describe to you how I felt when the doctor called a week later and confirmed the diagnosis. I honestly could not understand why it was something that was "happening" to Chris and I.
While I can describe to you those feelings, I can also tell you now that I am thankful that my journey started that day. I hopped on the computer, started a blog (not even sure where I got that idea) and wanted to vent about my feelings. However, once I started I realized I liked talking about it and as the days went by, I started to find that I had lots of company on my journey. Of course our friends and family joined it with us, but, I found I had company who completely understood what I felt, who had tips and suggestions, who celebrated when we did and cried when we did. I had company that I could talk to when things weren't always easy.
Some of our company on this journey is the Donovan family and we just love them! You can find them at Our Unexpected Journey, and can read about our beach day with them here! We got to spend a day with them at the beach a week ago and had a great time together. Colin and Bennett are just one month apart, and share a lot of the same struggles (well, us moms and dads share a lot of the same struggles) and a lot of the same cuteness for sure!
Look at these handsome little boys!!
Colin and Bennett are so similar in many ways but certainly have their own unique personalities. It has been really nice for me because Bennett and Colin have the same types of struggles and I have been able to have someone to talk to when things aren't always easy. Sometimes you just need someone who understands. Although we have only seen them a few times in person, we were sad to find out they were going to be leaving our general area and heading down to North Carolina! :( We had to get all we could get in our day until we see them again at Christmas time (my brother lives where they are moving to!Colin had a good time showing off his turf at the beach. Bennett is one lucky little boy because when I watch his older sisters interacting with the younger kids, I just know that they are going to care, love and support him always. I really enjoyed watching them in the water having such a great time!
Good company? Nah, I'd say great company. Thank you Mike, Adrienne, Ainsely, Harper and Bennett for a truly wonderful day! We are going to miss you, but thankful we have blogland!
(My little good-bye open mouthed kiss....oh how I love him so!)
Good company? Nah, I'd say great company. Thank you Mike, Adrienne, Ainsely, Harper and Bennett for a truly wonderful day! We are going to miss you, but thankful we have blogland!
(My little good-bye open mouthed kiss....oh how I love him so!)Thursday, July 14, 2011
Happy Anniversary
Happy 4 year anniversary to my loving husband! I am so thankful to be married to you and to be sharing my life with you...
Thank you for the greatest gifts in Colin and Kailey...
Thank you for the greatest gifts in Colin and Kailey...
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Happy 4 Months Kailey!
Happy 4 months to our beautiful little girl Kailey Ann! It is amazing how fast these past 4 months have gone by, and we have certainly been enjoying all that a little girl has brought to our house.
Kailey is a very spunky little girl and she certainly likes her attention! In fact, when she wants something, she wants it right. then. or else you will hear about it. Kailey is generally an easy going baby, except for that instance when she wants her bottle or her attention in a specific moment. She is sleeping about 11 hours per night and hasn't been the best napper (she likes to take lots of cat naps during the day), but somehow when she has spent some days with Nana at the beach she has napped almost 3 hours a few days in a row!
She is very strong and we are learning that things are very different than they are with Colin. We are constantly reminded with her that we need to stay on our toes as she is trying to leap out of the boppy pillow or her bouncy seat if she is sitting in it. She has really great control of her head and neck, so she can play for an extended period of time in her johnny jumper or exersaucer. She does not like tummy time, so even though we forcer her, she does not last long enough to even attempt to roll over yet. This is one area where Colin has her beat because he rolled over at 4 weeks old!
We have been trying to give her cereal for the past month and she is having a hard time with it. I think she has a really strong gag reflex so anytime you put the spoon in her mouth, you are unsure how much of her bottle is going to come out at you. Despite the fact that Colin has significant difficulties with feeding now, he did really well with the cereal and even fruits and veggies so we are adjusting to Kailey not taking to it right away. One thing we have certainly learned from Colin is that we will just keep plugging along until she is ready.
Kailey is a very spunky little girl and she certainly likes her attention! In fact, when she wants something, she wants it right. then. or else you will hear about it. Kailey is generally an easy going baby, except for that instance when she wants her bottle or her attention in a specific moment. She is sleeping about 11 hours per night and hasn't been the best napper (she likes to take lots of cat naps during the day), but somehow when she has spent some days with Nana at the beach she has napped almost 3 hours a few days in a row!She is very strong and we are learning that things are very different than they are with Colin. We are constantly reminded with her that we need to stay on our toes as she is trying to leap out of the boppy pillow or her bouncy seat if she is sitting in it. She has really great control of her head and neck, so she can play for an extended period of time in her johnny jumper or exersaucer. She does not like tummy time, so even though we forcer her, she does not last long enough to even attempt to roll over yet. This is one area where Colin has her beat because he rolled over at 4 weeks old!
We have been trying to give her cereal for the past month and she is having a hard time with it. I think she has a really strong gag reflex so anytime you put the spoon in her mouth, you are unsure how much of her bottle is going to come out at you. Despite the fact that Colin has significant difficulties with feeding now, he did really well with the cereal and even fruits and veggies so we are adjusting to Kailey not taking to it right away. One thing we have certainly learned from Colin is that we will just keep plugging along until she is ready.
Kailey loves interacting with everyone and she follows us as we walk around her and talk to her. She particularly loves her brother and you can just see it when she watches him and interacts with him. Despite the fact he is often rough with her, she laughs and smiles at him anyway. I think once Colin continues to get used to the fact that she isn't going anywhere and he has to share his attention, these two will have a great "buddy" relationship. I can't wait to see it grow and develop!!
Here is a short video of the two of them playing together and how Kailey will laugh and smile at her big brother. I love watching the two of them together, especially when Colin thinks no one is watching!
Happy 4 months Kailey girl! We love you so much and can't wait to see how you are going to continue to grow and change! Love, your mommy, daddy and big brother Colin xoxoxoxxoox
Monday, July 11, 2011
"No"
Here is an excerpt of a typical conversation with Colin these days:
Me: Hi Colin! How was your day? I missed you!
Colin: No
Me: Do you want to eat?
Colin: No.
Me: Can I please have a kiss?
Colin: No.
Me: Please?
Colin: No (and then obliges)
Me: Colin, do you want to read a book?
Colin: No.
Me: Are you my favorite little boy?
Colin: No.
Me: Do you want ice cream?
Colin: {big smile} sssssssssss (means yes).
Colin's absolute favorite word these days is no. You can ask him a question, make a statement, or tell him you love him and he will say no. There are a few things he loves though, and you will amost never hear him say no when he is involved in whatever those things are: playing with a ball, eating ice cream, or being on the beach. We say all of the time that if it wasn't getting slightly old, it would be cute because you get an idea of what his voice is going to be like and it's as clear as anything. He is also starting to really test his limits now and boy oh boy are we repeating ourselves over and over again. If you are new to this journey, belive me, your child WILL BE more alike than different. Colin is a typical 2 year old. Attitude, sass, misbehaving, trouble making and all.
We are still struggling with the feeding issues. Colin WILL NOT try anything new. Colin WILL NOT put something crunchy or solid in his mouth. Do we keep trying, of course. Is it easy? Not at all. I suppose one day this is something that will start to change, but to be honest, we are still waiting for that day. We still place the spoon in his mouth a certain way and give chin support, but it doesn't feel like it's changing any of his eating behaviors...
...and he has picked up some odd behaviors. Touching his head or pulling his hair when taking a bite...
...and now pushing our hand away when we try and give chin support. I am hoping our struggles STILL have to do with his teeth since his eye teeth are still coming through among others, but I am hoping to see a change in time for school. I am wary about sending him back to school in September with him still needing to be fed. Just makes me very uncomfortable. That is where that protective mom feeling comes in where I just want to swoop in, stay home from work every day so I can feed him and keep from having to send him to school to be fed by his teacher (nothing against them, just don't want it to have to be that way!).
Yes, I know we will get there. Hopefully sooner than later!
...and tonight, we caught her sleeping with her leg sticking out.
We are having fun with both of them this summer! Have a good night!
Me: Hi Colin! How was your day? I missed you!
Colin: No
Me: Do you want to eat?
Colin: No.
Me: Can I please have a kiss?
Colin: No.
Me: Please?
Colin: No (and then obliges)
Me: Colin, do you want to read a book?
Colin: No.
Me: Are you my favorite little boy?
Colin: No.
Me: Do you want ice cream?
Colin: {big smile} sssssssssss (means yes).
Colin's absolute favorite word these days is no. You can ask him a question, make a statement, or tell him you love him and he will say no. There are a few things he loves though, and you will amost never hear him say no when he is involved in whatever those things are: playing with a ball, eating ice cream, or being on the beach. We say all of the time that if it wasn't getting slightly old, it would be cute because you get an idea of what his voice is going to be like and it's as clear as anything. He is also starting to really test his limits now and boy oh boy are we repeating ourselves over and over again. If you are new to this journey, belive me, your child WILL BE more alike than different. Colin is a typical 2 year old. Attitude, sass, misbehaving, trouble making and all.
We are still struggling with the feeding issues. Colin WILL NOT try anything new. Colin WILL NOT put something crunchy or solid in his mouth. Do we keep trying, of course. Is it easy? Not at all. I suppose one day this is something that will start to change, but to be honest, we are still waiting for that day. We still place the spoon in his mouth a certain way and give chin support, but it doesn't feel like it's changing any of his eating behaviors...
...and he has picked up some odd behaviors. Touching his head or pulling his hair when taking a bite...
...and now pushing our hand away when we try and give chin support. I am hoping our struggles STILL have to do with his teeth since his eye teeth are still coming through among others, but I am hoping to see a change in time for school. I am wary about sending him back to school in September with him still needing to be fed. Just makes me very uncomfortable. That is where that protective mom feeling comes in where I just want to swoop in, stay home from work every day so I can feed him and keep from having to send him to school to be fed by his teacher (nothing against them, just don't want it to have to be that way!). 
Yes, I know we will get there. Hopefully sooner than later!************************************************************************************
In Kailey news, I think we have been limiting her! I broke out the exersaucer and johnny jumper and she has been so happy. I guess I never expected that she would be able to do this so soon! She loves it and it's so cute to watch her in them with Colin entertaining her. She just loves him and laughs at him constantly.
...and tonight, we caught her sleeping with her leg sticking out.
We are having fun with both of them this summer! Have a good night!
Friday, July 8, 2011
Family
Families are the compass that guide us. They are the inspiration to reach great heights, and our comfort when we occasionally falter.
-- Brad Henry
-- Brad Henry
Monday, July 4, 2011
Happy 4th of July!
Happy 4th of July!! We would most especially like to thank all of our brave service men and women for protecting our rights and freedoms while we have enjoyed ourselves this weekend. It has been one of those wonderful weekends that leaves you kind of bummed it's over. It's ok thought because it just means that we spent it with people we love in a place we truly enjoy.
We started our weekend out with some work first, before we got to play. We are fortunate that Colin's physical therapist actually lives closer to my parent's beach house than our house, so often in the summer, she will meet us there so that we can head up to the beach when it is over. Since the house is rather tight, and we are in a bit of a lull with our progress, we try and change things up when possible. So, what better place to do physical therapy than at the bay! It was such a great session because Miss Kathy was able to use curbs, steps, "hand rails", etc. for her and Colin's advantage. Colin truly enjoyed it to the point of crying when he was put back in his stroller at the end before we walked back to the house.
We are really hoping to do this again as Colin got so much out of it and it was a beautiful morning!
I've been wanting to do a post on this for some time now, and probably will once I gather a bunch of things together for it, but when Colin was born and we shared his diagnosis with everyone, we only got an outpouring of love and full support from all of our friends and family. I have heard stories and experiences where people have lost friends or had strained relationships with family members after sharing a child's diagnosis. I think some people have a hard time because they are not sure how to handle this with knowing what they should say or do. I'm sure it wasn't always easy for our friends and family to always know the right things to say, but instead of backing away, they all grew stronger in their unwavering support.
We started our weekend out with some work first, before we got to play. We are fortunate that Colin's physical therapist actually lives closer to my parent's beach house than our house, so often in the summer, she will meet us there so that we can head up to the beach when it is over. Since the house is rather tight, and we are in a bit of a lull with our progress, we try and change things up when possible. So, what better place to do physical therapy than at the bay! It was such a great session because Miss Kathy was able to use curbs, steps, "hand rails", etc. for her and Colin's advantage. Colin truly enjoyed it to the point of crying when he was put back in his stroller at the end before we walked back to the house.
We are really hoping to do this again as Colin got so much out of it and it was a beautiful morning!I've been wanting to do a post on this for some time now, and probably will once I gather a bunch of things together for it, but when Colin was born and we shared his diagnosis with everyone, we only got an outpouring of love and full support from all of our friends and family. I have heard stories and experiences where people have lost friends or had strained relationships with family members after sharing a child's diagnosis. I think some people have a hard time because they are not sure how to handle this with knowing what they should say or do. I'm sure it wasn't always easy for our friends and family to always know the right things to say, but instead of backing away, they all grew stronger in their unwavering support. One of those special friends are the Gallagher family. We are so thankful for their friendship and I particularly enjoy the budding relationship among our kids as they are all so close in age. This weekend we had a house full of four kids under 5 along with 4 adults. It was a fun weekend and despite some rain on Sunday, we still managed to have a great time. We had a day and a half of beautiful beach weather and even played on the beach in some rain showers. We bbq'd, went for walks for ice cream, went on some rides at the boardwalk, and took pictures at sunset at the bay. You couldn't ask for better memories...
...pre-walk for an all time favorite...ice cream! The girls rode in the stroller and the boys rode in the wagon...
Snuggling with Daddy...
Look at those beautiful blue eyes with long eye lashes!
You scream, I scream, we all scream for ice cream!
We had a beautiful sunset both nights. This is the place where Chris proposed to me over 4 years ago...
This is my favorite stretch of pictures. We just wanted a quick shot of the 3 kids together. However, they weren't quite feeling the moment, so the faces are priceless...I can only imagine what Colin is thinking in this picture...
Colin looks like he is deciding here whether or not he is going to keep the smile, but still clearly unhappy since he's got his arms crossed.
Where did Kaia go and why are we still sitting here?
Both of my kids are very loved...
Another attempt at a group photo, but this one isn't too bad considering...at least we have them all in one spot.
...Colin and Kaia getting into trouble...
I love pictures at the bay at sunset. They are always so beautiful!
We had a fabulous weekend...thanks guys! We love you! Happy 4th of July!!
...pre-walk for an all time favorite...ice cream! The girls rode in the stroller and the boys rode in the wagon...
Snuggling with Daddy...
Look at those beautiful blue eyes with long eye lashes! 
You scream, I scream, we all scream for ice cream!
We had a beautiful sunset both nights. This is the place where Chris proposed to me over 4 years ago...
This is my favorite stretch of pictures. We just wanted a quick shot of the 3 kids together. However, they weren't quite feeling the moment, so the faces are priceless...I can only imagine what Colin is thinking in this picture...
Colin looks like he is deciding here whether or not he is going to keep the smile, but still clearly unhappy since he's got his arms crossed.
Where did Kaia go and why are we still sitting here?
Both of my kids are very loved...
Another attempt at a group photo, but this one isn't too bad considering...at least we have them all in one spot.
...Colin and Kaia getting into trouble...
I love pictures at the bay at sunset. They are always so beautiful!
We had a fabulous weekend...thanks guys! We love you! Happy 4th of July!!
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