Bubbles and curls

Our PT Toni has been sparking Nathan's interest during their sessions with bubbles. He will sit upright or on all fours perfectly as long as she is blowing bubbles. He hates the bubble machine we got him for his birthday, however. The rrrrrrr sound it makes upsets him for some reason.




Summer has finally arrived. Just in time for the leaves to start changing and begin falling. With this new "heat wave" of ours comes humidity. Humidity + Nathan's hair = CURLS! This is the best shot I could get of them...but they are everywhere and so, so cute!

Colorful kababs

Can you tell I am having fun with my new camera?

Labor Day walk

Walk and Roll

I had read/heard about these Walk and Rolls from another mom and anxiously searched and waited for one to come around in our area. I am so happy that we can partake in this fundraising event! While Spina Bifida is one of the most common birth defects in the US, not many people even know of its existence. And whats worse, despite the impact of Spina Bifida on individuals, families, society, and the nation, little research has been conducted on the many components of this complex birth defect. For some, treatment options are limited and for others, they are practically nonexistent. Ryan and I feel so blessed that we are able to get Nathan the kind of care that he needs. We see an array of specialists at one of the best hospitals around, and take part in a wonderful Early Intervention program that allows therapists to work with him right in our home. And as much as I can go on and on about how I dislike my job (or at least where I work), I believe that God put me there for one specific reason: my awesome health insurance! Again, a huge blessing. Can't rave enough about how much has been covered for Nathan through my insurance. I know that even though the school I work at can be tough and challenging, it is THE RIGHT CHOICE for my family and that is what is most important.

I know there are others living with SB that were not as fortunate as Nathan has been. The medical advances that have been made in the past 10 years alone have given people with SB a much better chance at living normal lives. And yet there is still SO MUCH MORE that needs to be learned and discovered about it. There is NO KNOWN CAUSE. As much as I break myself down thinking about what I may have done while I was pregnant to cause Nathan's spine to form incorectly, the hard facts are that the cause is still a mystery. Please help us in our efforts to find a prevention and a cure by checking out our fundraising page and considering making a donation to the Spina Bifida Association of Illinois. It would mean so much to our family and could make a big difference in the lives of those living with Spina Bifida!

www.firstgiving.com/teamburnett

Summer days

Squirrel food

This is my husbands, um, affectionate name for the food I have been keeping in the house. I had previously blogged about trying to go organic and so far it has been going really well. I feel good about the food we are eating and are feeding Nathan. However, Ryan isn't exactly on the bandwagon. Most days he just opens the refrigerator and stares at its contents for several minutes before declaring "there is nothing to eat!" I am enjoying the challenge of coming up with new food to make. I get a lot of help from blogger "friends" who post recepies. One of my favorites that I just tried is Tabouli. Never even heard of it before. And Nathan loves it! I think out of sheer desparation Ryan tried to feed it to him one afternoon for lunch and Nate just gobbled it up. Of course, I still get wierd looks and comments from people (particularly my mother). For example, last night we ended up eating at my mom's house. Ryan, my mom and I had Subway (no, we don't ALWAYS eat organic) and I brought an avacado for Nathan (it was ripe and needed to be eaten before it went bad!) I searched around her cabinets and found some raisins. Then to add a little flavor to the avacado, I mixed in a little salsa. That was his dinner. Avacado and raisins. And my mom, totally appalled, says "is that what you are feeding him?!" Of course he loved it. And I love the idea of exposing him (and myself) to all kinds of new and interesting foods. So I am asking a little favor. Please share your recepies with us! And as a thank you, I am going to share/pass on the recipe for the wonderful Squirrel food, I mean Tabouli I recently made.

Tabouli



1 box tabouli, Near East was the brand I used
1 medium cucumber, chopped
1 medium tomato, diced
1 clove of garlic, minced
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Extras: chopped fresh parsley or mint

Follow package directions to make Tabouli. After it has set in refrigerator for half an hour add all other ingredients and mix well. Serve well chilled. Y-U-M!



Enjoy!

Our new "baby"

Well I sure had some of you fooled! I got more than one frantic phone call, text message or e-mail congratulating me on being pregnant. My mom even got a voicemail at work with a "congrats on being a Gramma for the second time". Sorry to disappoint, but I am NOT pregnant. If you go back and read carefully, you will realize that I am not talking about a baby after all (research? weighing the pros and cons?) Although it is small and fragile, a baby it is definately not. Our new little addition came in the mail Monday afternoon. It's black, was a family investment (otherwise known as expensive)and has permanently been attached to my eye since it arrived. I'm sure you have figured it out by now.




I have lots to learn about taking pictures but am willing to put in the hours as needed. I took a short class this past weekend with a well known photographer in Chicago and learned the BASICS of photo taking. So far it's just been fun experimenting. Fortunately for me, I have a few friends who are fantastic photographers and can ask them questions once in awhile. I haven't had an artistic outlet in quite awhile so I am looking forward to jumping right in and learning the ropes.