Magnificent Mile

Due to the unseasonably warm weather last weekend, I decided to tag along on one of my sister-in-law's traditional outings. Years past had brought very cold temps, snow and rain but this year was absolutely beautiful. Although I was apprehensive of how Nathan would react to the crowd, lights and sounds (what I should have been worried about was my brother-in-law's, ahem, driving skills) it turned out to be a fun night for all. Nate was a trooper (as usual) and nearly made it through the whole Festival of Lights parade without falling asleep. Notice I said nearly. Up until then he was completely mesmerized by all the lights and things to see. Fortunately Grandma D was there so I found time to snap a few pictures. Had my new lens with me (the one with no zoom) so I found it a little difficult to maneuver though the crowd to back up or move in to get the shot I wanted. But I certainly enjoyed trying! Here are some of my favorites from the evening.

Self help

Our OT recently did an evaluation of Nathan's progress over the last few months. Out of 9 goals previously set I am both pleased and proud to report that Nate achieved 5 and partially achieved 3! That left only ONE goal that has not yet been met! Together we came up with list of 9 new goals, which includes using a spoon for 50% of a meal with assistance to scoop. Here are some photos I snapped the other day of us attempting just that.



Working hard



concentrating...



Oh forget it! Using my hands is so much easier!

Wordless Wednesday (a day early)

Thankful Thursday

In honor of Thanksgiving being next Thursday, I thought I would blog about some things our little family of three is thankful for.

First and foremost, we are so thankful for our family and friends who are always available with an ear to listen, a shoulder to cry on, or an embrace to make us feel loved. You are our rock and our endless supply of encouragement. For this we are so, so grateful.

I feel truly blessed and thankful for our beautiful home, for the food on our table, and for the means to provide for it.

This year more than ever I am realizing I am thankful for my job and for living in Indiana! My job affords me so many luxuries: ending my work day at 2:30 to be home in time for Ryan so we don't have to use daycare, homework-free evenings (yes, it's good to be an art teacher!), random days, holidays, breaks and summers off, and amazing health insurance. And as our PT left the other day telling us about all the financial woes our corrupt and bankrupt neighbor-state is facing, we are eternally grateful to be living in this fine Hoosier state that, unlike our neighbor to the west, is not dropping therapists in their Early Intervention program like flies because they don't have the money to pay them!



Branching off of that, we are thankful for our three wonderful, amazing therapists Toni, Jane and Nancy who have so patiently and with care helped Nathan to where he is today.

In this media-frenzy, hyped-up world where new "strains" of something seem to be popping up all the time, we are most certainly thankful for our health.

I personally am very grateful for the support I have found via chat rooms and blog pages of other parents of a child with Spina Bifida. No one can understand quite like they do. They are a wealth of information and support (yes Jen, I'm talking about you!)

I attribute all of the above to God and his love for us. I am thankful that I am growing in my faith (even if at a seemingly s-l-o-w rate). I know that God has a plan, and I am learning to trust that He is in control.

What are you thankful for?

Baby love

Wordless Wednesday (a day late)

New toy

There's a new toy floating around our house. It was actually for me, but someday Nathan might have an appreciation for it as well (or at least it's lasting effects). I am having so much fun playing with it, although it is consuming quite a bit of my time.



Did I mention how much FUN I am having using it? However, I still have SO MUCH to learn to get it just right. Like, for example, I am slightly annoyed by the noise in these pictures. They don't look as sharp and crisp here as they do on my camera screen. Am I missing something?



I guess for now, these will have to do as is. If it were up to me, I'd stay here all night playing around with photos and looking things up online. But, alas, I must step away from the computer. Laundry calls!

Life as usual

The past month or so we have just been enjoying life as usual. Just hanging out, going about our daily routine. It wasn't until recently that I stopped and looked at our calendar for the next couple months and noticed that we have no specialist appointments. None. As in zero. Initally, I was relieved that we wouldn't have to be running around during this busy time of year. And then, the more I thought, the more I started asking myself questions. Shouldn't we be seeing someone? Shouldn't we, as parents, be doing something? Don't get me wrong, Nathan has therapy four times a week. Starting in December, it will be five. But out of all the specialists we see (neuro surgeon, neurologist, urologist, ophthamologist, gastro intestonal) shouldn't we be going to at least one? The answer is no. Nathan is progressing so well now and we have all areas under control. A trip to Shriner's for his hip and (?) scoliosis and a sleep study are on the horizon but not until the new year. For now it will be nice to just be. We'll keep working hard with his therapies (did you see the latest video?!?) and cross the specialist bridge in a couple of months.



There is, however, one small change to our lives as usual. Starting December 1st Ryan will be working 10 hour shifts. This comes with both positives and negatives. The positive is that he will be off for THREE WHOLE DAYS during the week! This is really exciting since our family time has been quite limited. He'll be home for dinner three nights out of the week-I guess I'll have to start cooking again! The negative is that he will now be working 4pm-2am Wednesday-Saturday. I'm a bit nervous about how little sleep he will be getting on the days I have to work, but overall we are very excited about this new schedule.

Hopefully I'll have lots of fun family posts in the very near future! My apologies for not blogging more recently. Time just seems to be getting away from me lately! Right now I am off to enjoy this doctor-less time with my very sweet little boy!

Gramma therapy

My mom is great company for Nate while he is in his stander. They find all kinds of fun, educational things to do together. Like this flash card lesson, for example. Funny stuff. Warning: the video is a bit long, though. Be sure to watch my mom's expression when he chooses the wrong cards. Who needs preschool when you've got a Gramma like this?

No explanation needed

A spooktacular day

Here are some long overdue pictures from Halloween. We went to my sister-in-law's for the day so the kids could hang out together. Although it was a but chilly, the sun was shining and it was a beautiful fall day. As you will see, we had a Wizard of Oz theme going but I failed to take a picture of those who participated together. I was supposed to be the "bad witch" and had a hat, but it was too windy to wear it. I think my mother-in-law did a fantastic job on her "Tin Woman" costume, though! Hailee was Dorothy (minus the braids) and of course Nate was the lion. Jake was a policeman, and wanted to use Ryan's real handcuffs! Ha! Ryan was able to join us for some early afternoon trick-or-treating but then had to head off to work. Nate was such a trooper the whole day!

Wordless Wednesday