A Week

I apologize for not having pictures but still no camera. It is a process...

So, this is what has been happening with us:

1. We had some bad weather this week. It was very rainy and wet. It rained Monday night so Travis ended up in bed with us. And as with most toddlers, he is VERY squirmy, so I didn't sleep much. But wouldn't you know it, the cat decided to throw up during one of Travis' calmer moments. So I didn't get up and clean it up. So in the morning, wouldn't you know, I stepped in it. Good morning to me.
2. Justin hasn't been drinking well out of a cup. We have tried water, juice (several kinds), milk, and breast milk. He will take it out of a cup, but then he either lets it run out of the corners of his mouth, or he spits it out. And I do mean SPIT. This causes several problems, not the least of which is changing outfits several times a day. Or wearing a raincoat.
3. We have started using kinesio tape for PT. If you watched the Olympics, it's the black tape that the volleyball player was wearing on their shoulders. It's supposed to add support and stability. We did a patch test last week to see if his skin is sensitive to it, and then Penny put it on today. It sticks VERY well. To get it off, you must cover the area with some sort of oil (baby, vegetable, etc.) and let it sit for 20 minutes. Then peel the tape holding the skin. It was a small patch and it took a minute to pull it off. And Justin did not like it. Now we are taped across the back of his legs. (Sorry, no pics...) It is supposed to stay on for 4-5 days and then be off for 2 days before retaping. And we can do 2-3 areas at once. Penny wants to do his back/scapula area to help with crawling too. But we'll see how the legs do first.
4. Also, our PT office added a speech therapist so we are able to switch from where we are going for Speech and have them both in the same place. SO HAPPY! I just love their office manager and she takes such good care of us. It's like a family, and at the other place, it's like a doctor's office. We go to enough of those anyway, I don't want to go every week if I can avoid it. But it means an 8:30 apt. every week. That's early, even for me!
5. I got cocky, so I got knocked down today. First, Justin really is in a mommy phase. (I think I mentioned that...) He doesn't particularly like our ECI/Keep Pace therapist (Lucy)and he screams bloody murder if I walk away from him while she's here. The problem is that she is here from 11-12 pm so I really need to have lunch ready for right when she leaves. For some reason, Justin seems to do okay with Penny (our PT). Which is great because Travis ALWAYS has to go to the bathroom during therapy. So I was going to say how great it is that I can take Travis without making him hurry because Justin likes Miss Penny. Well, today that was NOT the case. I heard him screaming as soon as I returned to the office. From down a VERY long hallway. So much for that theory! Second, Justin hasn't SPIT water/liquid out of his mouth for about 3 days and I was so excited because he seemed to be drinking prune juice (watered down) fairly well. That was the best I have done so far. Well, we were talking and drinking and then he spit water farther than he has ever spit it before. All over my white blouse. PRUNE juice with water. White blouse. Early in the day. Not good. I should mention that laundry day is Tuesday if anyone would like to tackle the mess that is MY clothes from feeding Justin.

Just a little something. We will be traveling up to Wisconsin this month, and then my sister's wedding the end of the month. It will be good!

Touch a Truck

Yesterday we went to a Touch a Truck fundraiser at a nearby church. They had so many different kinds of trucks! Travis was in love! He was shaking he was so excited! There are not enough exclamation points possible to express his love of this event!!

They had a firetruck, a mail truck, a Schwan's truck, the Freebird's VW van, a race car, 2 semi tractor trailers, a U-Haul, an ATV (quad), a tractor, a fork lift, a school bus, several totally decked out pick-up trucks from the local Ford dealership, a plumber's truck, and a police car. And they let the kids have complete access! They blew the horns, ran the sirens, climbed all over, and sprayed water from the hoses of the firetruck. I am fairly certain I lost some hearing during the time we were there. It was a fabulous time. The weather was beautiful. Travis would have stayed forever, and Justin seemed to enjoy himself as well. There were just enough people there so as not to have to wait in long lines to climb in the vehicles, but to encourage a little bit of patience.

The first thing the owner of this truck did was to show him the location of the air horn. SO glad he did that...

Can you see the size of this grin?? It was there the entire time we were there!

Can you believe they make air conditioned tractors now? The man from the John Deere store said we could take this home for $29,000. And that's without any attachments. While Travis might love it, I think we'll save the money for college!

There's that smile again!

I wanted to get him more into the scoop, but Justin was wondering what I was doing and didn't really cooperate. Everyone laughed at our picture!

Justin driving the police car. He wasn't quite sure about that...

Travis driving the fire truck. The firemen had the ladder extended and they climbed up it every once and a while for the kids to see. Travis really wanted to climb the ladder.

The boys enjoyed the firetruck the best I think. I had come right from work, so that's why I am wearing my uniform.

And this was another of Travis' favorites...spraying water. And every other kid enjoyed it too! I think we had a lake in the parking lot by the time we were through!

Oh, and we still haven't bought a camera. We borrowed one from our neighbor. I am so glad we did!

Photo Session

We went for Justin's one year picture session today. We also took a family picture and did one of the boys together too. Justin was not in the best of moods, so we had to settle for not crying rather than going for smiling. He is finally cutting some more teeth and he is not liking it. The top 2 are coming in with a vengeance. I think the people at the studio are starting to recognize and avoid us. There were 6 photographers there today, and we got the two who had never taken Justin's picture before. So we started all over saying, "No, he cannot stand up, not even with a chair." I am not sure who has done the best, so I could request them next time. It all depends on Justin. But they really tried HARD I have to say! I think we did okay, and now we won't return for 6 months! Yeah! Maybe by then he will be standing??

Justin was blowing raspberries by this point, so that's the face we got. I am not sure what to think of it, but it looks okay so we let it go!

Therapy

I finally remembered to take my camera to Justin's physical therapy (PT) appointment last week. I have been meaning to take some pictures for Justin's baby book since you cannot really tell the story of Justin's life without including his therapists. So this is Justin working with Miss Penny:

When I first started taking Travis (I didn't at first, to make certain that Justin knew what to expect and to ensure that I wouldn't need to help a lot.) he really loved going. And he still does, but now it's more about which toy Miss Penny will get for him to play with. At first he called her Henny Penny because of the story in one of his books. He thought that was so funny that someone would be named Penny! Miss Penny has some great toys and Travis thinks she is great. We played with the game Perfection the time I was taking pictures. Do you remember that game? We never had it, but some friends did and I really liked playing it. I remember it was a lot harder to get all the shapes in before the timer popped up the board. Travis just about hit the ceiling the first time it popped up! Then he loved it and wanted it to pop all the time. And THEN he figured out how to cheat and turn it off, fit all the pieces in, and then turn it on again. It was so funny!

The bad part about going to therapy is that you find out all the bad things your children who AREN'T going to therapy are doing. Like our OT said that Travis is not forming his mouth well into a circle (like to blow) and we need to work with him having races blowing cotton balls across a table to reinforce that ability. And Travis also W-sits, according to Miss Penny. It took me a while to figure out what that is, but here's a picture:

It's bad because it can cause hip and knee weakness when a person gets older, which can lead to falls and breaks, or joint replacement. It also doesn't allow for trunk rotation or hand preference or crossing mid-line (center). They even gave me a copy of an article that describes the problem and how to solve it. Of course, the easiest way is to prevent it from becoming a habit (too late- I found a picture of Travis at 9 mo. sitting like this...) and after that just remind them to change how they are sitting. So we remind Travis about 15 times in a 10-minute span, and then we get tired and just tell him that he will have to pay for whatever problems he cause for himself later. (thumb sucking on the other hand, will be our responsibility when he needs braces, ...sigh....) No, really we are trying, so help when you see him doing this. How many more bad habits can we collect? I shouldn't ask!

And one more thing, we had a camera mishap on Sunday, so until we buy a new camera, we won't have any new pictures. Sorry about that! Any recommendations? I want small and easy, with a rechargeable battery.

Happy Easter!

It's Easter and it's wet and raining outside, but in here it's a party! We went to early church and then the Easter egg hunt INSIDE of course. The Easter bunny was there and we got a few pictures. It was very crowded, but the kids had so much fun. Even Justin got in the spirit a bit and went after some eggs, although Travis had to help him fill his basket. (He also offered to empty it into his basket later on!) The boys looked adorable in their Easter outfits! It's always a challenge to find something for boys to wear. Thank goodness for plaid! And sweater vests!






The eggs were just on the floor in the hallways in the building so the kids were grabbing them and filling their baskets quickly. Then trying to get pictures was crazy! No one ran into Justin and he actually did very well. Daddy had to help a little.

I've got one, but I really want THAT one over there!




I really like the boys' outfits. Justin likes the Easter grass.

Travis wasn't getting anywhere NEAR the Easter bunny. Justin just wanted to grab his nose.

The rest of the day is naps and dinner with the family. The sun is starting to come out so maybe we'll dry out before the day is over. My grandmother says that Easter is sweeter every year for her as she gets closer to the days she will see Jesus face to face. This year was very sweet for me too. I think as I realize more and more how desperately I need a Savior, I am thankful for Jesus making a way for me and anyone who wants to come to him. It's a very good thing indeed!

The Mighty Huntress

Oh yes!! I caught my first possum! I am so excited! We have been catching animals nearly every week, and after the last possum we hadn't set the trap in a few days. We like to wash it off before we try again, so I washed the cage and set it. It took two nights, but last night while I was at work, SUCCESS!! Randy is freeing him at his new home as I type this. I think we'll wait until after Easter to try again, but now that I have done it once, I am ready to try again! Maybe I can take over as the trapper of the family!

So we had another drain back up this week like we did at Travis' birthday party. The plumber said not to use the disposal because it's nothing but trouble. (You should have seen this guy! What a hoot!) Anyway, so I asked if I should compost instead. Because you know, we don't get enough animals coming through our yard, I should start FEEDING them to ensure their continued passage!! He said I should put up a fence...like the one we have around our yard......?

Justin's One Year Check-Up

We went to the doctor for Justin's one year appointment yesterday. He is up to 14 pounds, 4 ounces and he is 27 1/2 inches long. So good for him! That means he is at about the 5th% for weight and 25th% for length (on the DS chart). The doctor was pleased with his progress. Travis is at the lower end of charts too, so we don't expect Justin to be a giant by any means!

We discussed what he can do, and she was very enthusiastic about his physical ability. She asked if he could roll over and sit up and I loved being able to say, "YES!" He is communicating in that he knows to respond to his name and who certain people are. She asked if he raises his arms when he wants to be held. He does that well when he is laying down, but not often while seated. Until this morning! I think he must have heard her because this morning he lifted his arms several times while seated in the bumbo seat or on the floor! And he was so proud of himself that he gave himself several rounds of applause.

She also mentioned that if we can get insurance to approve it, she would like for Justin to receive the synegis shots again this next flu season. We will have to see what happens, but please pray that Justin would get what he needs, whatever it is.

We are going for pictures next week, and I will be sure to share when we get them. We are getting the whole shebang: Justin, Justin and Travis, and the entire family. It will be an interesting session I am sure!