Our week

Nothing too special to report.  We had a busy weekend filled with bday parties and pools.  Monday, we went to the park in the morning and Liam ended up with some sort of bug bite, which led to a lot of swelling and a trip to CareNow.  He is on steroids right now, but seemed just fine throughout all of it.  BUT, the steroids are making him crazy, with a CAPITAL C!  Only on Day 3 of 5--yikes!  Monday night, we had book club at Faraby's, which was tons of fun!  And yesterday, we had swimming lessons, made a trip to FAC pool with Emmie and Kristi, Liam had speech at 4:15, and then we went to Cristina's for "Kids Eat Free" night because mommy was craving a marg!  It was delish and the kids were really well behaved.  Rowan devoured some grilled chicken.  She loved it and I do not think she came up for air.  She took 2 steps the other day...not sure if it was a fluke because she has not done it again, but nonetheless, she did!  We went to the gym this morning and the kids did very well in the child care rooms and this afternoon Blake and Katy are coming over for a little playdate.  Then, I am off to get my hair done at 6.  Busy week so far, but tomorrow is the last day of swimming lessons, with no major plans for the rest of the week....probably just the pool AGAIN!  ;)  Happy Wednesday!

GREAT NEWS!!!!

We had our second appt. at the developmental pediatrician yesterday at 10 am.  This was a follow-up/second opinion to last week's diagnostic evaluation by the dr.  A 25 year Child Development Specialist spent 2 hours observing Liam and completing the Autism Observation Checklist.  A child on the spectrum will come out in the range on 12-28.  Our sweet Liam scored a 2!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Not even CLOSE to on the Autism Spectrum.

Needless to say, this threw us for yet another loop, but I would much rather be in this seat than the one we were last week.  The specialist reiterated over and over that she did not see Liam as autistic AT ALL!  OMG!  What a huge whirlwind this has been.  However, I feel she get a VERY clear picture of the "real Liam"....everything she observed yesterday morning was very true to his typical behavior on a daily basis.

We then met with her AND the dr.  They concluded that he does indeed have a speech/language disability, which we already knew and possibly some anxiety issues (just something to watch) but that many of the behaviors we were seeing were just most likely related to his struggles with communication.  The dr. told us this rarely happens (like one in 50 cases) that the Child Development Specialist finds nothing, when he had found a diagnosis of on the Spectrum.  However, he said it CAN happen, he can admit when he is wrong, and that he holds a lot of weight on yesterday's assessment and that the results are very valid and reliable.

OMG!  We are happy beyond words...we feel as if we have been given a second chance on life.  A second chance at being the best parents we can be.  We have learned so much and appreciate life and the true blessing of a healthy child SOOOO much more than we ever have or could have before.  We feel lucky in a way that I cannot even describe...my heart overflows with love and relief for Liam and his future.  He will continue to receive speech services through ECI and through the school district next year and improves on a daily basis!!!!

Have a great weekend everyone and thank you to all for listening, all of your kind words and support through all of this!!!!  We are blessed in SOOO many ways!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Swimming Lessons and some more...

Quite a random picture huh???  Well this little piece of heaven has saved swimming lessons!  ;)  I got a babysitter for Rowan and I was so excited to have some special time with my little man.  And we also planned these lessons with Emmie and Kristi, so I thought he would be so excited to have a friend there!  Well, we started out great last Tuesday blowing bubbles, kicking, floating...although he would not jump.  Thursday was a disaster to say the least.  He screamed the whole time, cried and held onto me for dear life.  Sooooo, his therapist came up with this idea yesterday.  A simple tupperware container with a slit and 10 pennies.  Every time he did something he was supposed to do, he got to put a penny in.  He filled it up two times and got two treats.  He was SUPER excited and totally understood the whole idea behind it.  I was so proud of him and it made the morning so much fun!  I think we may need a few of these around the house too.  ;) 

We have been spending TONS of time at the pool as a family and also during the day with friends.  I LOVE IT!  Last Friday night, we went after dinner and even gave the kiddos showers there (well sorta cleaned them up) and put them right to bed when we got home at 8.  Sunday we spent the whole afternoon at our community pool and yesterday we met Kristi, Emmie, Elizabeth, and Kate at their community pool.  Liam played REALLY well with the girls and Rowan was her sweet, well-behaved self.  She just loves watching the older kiddos.

Saturday morning, Rick took Liam to the Lowes' Build and Grow class while Rowan and I went to a Stella and Dot jewelry party at Kristi's house.  They both had a BLAST!  Rick said Liam did great.  He got a free apron (pictured above) and Rick is going to buy him a tool each time they go.  Last week was a hammer...which MUST stay in the garage.  ;/  Each child also gets an iron on patch every time they attend.  Great little program and it is FREE! 

This is what they built...

HA!  Not sure what the heck it is but it swivels and kicks!  ;)

So of course, the good ol' tool bench that has been collecting dust in the corner of the playroom is now his fave toy again.  And Miss Rowan is right there with him...at his feet all.day.long.  I feel kinda bad for the guy.  Her favorite toys are balls and tools.  Sound like she has a big bro or what?!??!
He is so sweet with her (most of the time!). 

Rowan is standing on her own for about 10 seconds at a time and it continues to get longer every day.  She is cruising along the couch and really trying to take a step.  AGH!  I am not ready for her to walk yet.  Looks like we may need to invest in her first pair of shoes soon!  She is still such a HAPPY baby!  So pleasant ALL of the time.  She is waving hi to everyone and saying "HI" when she does.  She had to wave to each and every person in church last Sunday...likes to be noticed, of course.  And she kept waving at the priest and yelling "HI" until he acknowledged her after he was done speaking.  We sit in the front row because it is good for Liam, but not sure it is the best with a talking Rowan.  ;)  She also said "kick" at the pool on Sunday when I was telling her to "kick, kick, kick" in the water.  Her little voice sounds so cute.

Liam has had an AWESOME week!  He is talking in all two word phrases now and adding extra words here and there.  He yelled "Baby, time for dinner" when we were all sitting down last night.  So cute!  He also is saying YES!  FINALLY!!!  He knods his head with it and I just want to squeeze him.  When he wants something that I have or that the baby has, he says "(the name of whatever it is--ex. puffs) too"  This is also a big step for him.  We went to a birthday party last Saturday night and his behavior was great...not a lot of frustration and for the first time, he was initiating play and not just imitating.  Again, HUGE steps!!!!  We are anxious for our second appt. on Thursday to hear the opinion of the unbiased psychologist. 

We did receive some bad news from our insurance company today.  They are not willing to cover any of his therapy except speech and even that is only till the age of 3.  Quite ridiculous if you ask me...it is considered a "mental health disorder"...really?!?!??! 

I also emailed the developmental preschool twice in Frisco and they have yet to get back to me.  :(  There is no phone #, so it is the only way to contact them.  Very frustrating, but we are still so hopeful about everything. 

He will be tested by the school district in August and he will receive free services (speech and I think ABA therapy) through them starting January.  They even have a bus to pick him up and he could qualify for up to 5 days, but we will not that know until he is assessed.  So, we are now thinking he will attend St. Francis as planned, and continue ECI speech and behavior therapy through January until he starts with the school district.  We hope he can still attend St. Francis at that time as well, but we will have to see.  We also ordered a great book that the dr. had recommended.  It has awesome ideas for interventions to use at home on a daily basis.  And I am very anxious for his ECI re-evaluation on August 4th...we will be able to see exactly how much his language has improved and I have a feeling it will show great gains!!!!

We are looking forward to the Splash Pad tomorrow with my St. Francis MOMS group, the dr. on Thursday and hopefully FAC with Elizabeth and Kristi, Kate and Emmie after, MOMS meeting here on Thursday night with WINE!  ;) and Friday a playdate at our Meadow Hill pool with Ashlea and Allie in the morning.  My sister also finds out the sex of my new niece or nephew on Thursday---cannot wait to hear!!!!!

This Saturday we have another bday party.  Next weekend we have a date night.  The following weekend I am running another 5K (which I am TRYING to train for without much luck ;/ ) and the weekend after that my bestie Kate is coming KID FREE for the weekend to visit us!!!  Such fun and exciting things to look forward to!

Have a wonderful week all!

Rowan's 9 month stats ;)

She is such a peanut compared to Liam!

Liam was 24 lbs 9 oz and 29 3/4 in. at 9 months old.  Always 95th percentile or above all around, including head.

Today, Rowan was 20 lbs. 2 oz. (75th percentile) and 29 in. (90th percentile) and her head was in the 70th percentile.  But, she looks like she has so much chub!!!!!  ;)

She is growing well and all looked good!  :-)

An Emotional but Hopeful Day

I am going to make this short because Rick and I are still trying to wrap our minds around it all.  Liam had his Developmental Pediatrician appt. today at 1:00.  We have been waiting for a long time for this appt. and throughout that time I have gone days when I thought I was just being an "over-worried" mom because Liam seemed so "normal" and others where again, I could not ignore the red flags.

Well, we were shocked, relieved, sad, and cannot even describe all of the emotions in words, to find out today that Liam is indeed on the spectrum.  Our sweet little boy does have Autism. 

We pray we can do everything we need to in order for him to lead a completely "normal" life. We will go back on the 19th to find out more "details" as to where exactly he is and what our next steps are.  He will continue to work with ECI through age 3 and also receive services through Frisco schools once he is 3.  We are also looking into a developmental preschool in which he will be offered all of the services he needs in order to be successful.

We both love him with all of our hearts and truly feel blessed to spend every day with him.  He is so special in so many ways and this could all be so much worse.  I am happy we caught it early and are very anxious to learn more in order to become a better mom and Rick feels exactly the same way well a better DAD!  ;).  I want to be very open and positive about this, but I cannot promise I will not tear up when I talk about it.  I pray most for happiness for him and strength and patience for us.  Any extra prayers would be great!  He is an amazing boy and we look forward to seeing his progress!!!

I will keep everyone updated.  I need to remember, it does not change the person he is.  He is still Liam and no diagnosis can hold my strong boy back!!!!  :-) 

Potty Training

Well, before our trip, Liam started talking soooo much about poo poo on the potty and showing a lot of signs that he might be ready.  On our trip, he started taking his diapers off and was able to hold his peepee in until he yelled "PANTS!!" for us to put pants on him and then he would go.  Uh, PERFECT time for hardcore training, but who can possibly manage that on vacation when you are making your way through 3 states and in a different place every 2 days?!?!?  Soooo, by the end of the trip, he stopped talking about it and once again every time I mentioned it, he yelled "NOOOOOO!".

We were stuck in the house yesterday because Rowan had a fever, so what a better time to really start.  The morning was rough.  He had 2 peepee accidents and one BIG poopoo accident.  Followed by two more peepee accidents all over the place in the afternoon.

Surprisingly, I was not frustrated at all, but really just feeling so bad for him.  It has to be SOOOO hard to learn this and I just do not want to push him or hurt his confidence.

So, Rick and I talked about it over some beers last night and decided we would try again this morning.  He has been running around all morning naked and OMG it is soooo much easier with 2 adults here!!!!  He has gone peepee on the potty THREE times this morning with only one small accident.  He still has not poopoo'd which shows he is holding it a bit because from the day he was born he went like clockwork once or twice by 11 am.  Today, nothing.  He is up napping now with a pull up now, but in just one day, I think we have come a LONG way!!!  So proud of my little man!!!  To be continued.........;)

June Trip to see Family 2012 PART TWO

So, then it was Friday.  We packed up again, picked up a rental car and headed to Bel Air, MD to Rick's mom's house.  We arrived around 2 pm and helped them get ready for Aunt Kallie's graduation party on Saturday.  It was a great, relaxing day of catching up and having some beers and DELISH crabcakes.  Rick's mom made THE BEST I have EVER had for dinner Friday night!!!

Saturday morning was more party prep and at 1:00 the guests started arriving.  We were able to see SOOOO many people we love and have not seen for so long.  There were tons of kids there.  Rick's grandmom now has SEVENTEEN GREAT grandchildren!!!  Can you imagine???  Liam had a BLAST and Rowan just loved being held by everyone.  She is SUCH a ham!!! 

The beautiful guest of honor and high school graduate, Aunt Kallie!

Taylor with his first beer!  Everyone said Liam and him looked like a mini Paul and Rick.  SOOOO cute!

He is SUCH a cutie!!!

My naked, dancing boy!!!!  ;)

Rowan was so spoiled by Aunt Kallie and cousin Merideth.  :-)

Sunday morning, we packed up again and went to breakfast by ourselves.  ;)  It was nice to have a few minutes just as our little family.  Not to mention, we went to a DINER, a real DINER!!!  My favorite omelettes and coffee EVER!!!  (which ps. regular coffee and wine were pretty much the only thing that got me through this trip!  :) 

After, we stopped at my bestie Caryn's house.  She just moved into a GORGEOUS new home about 5 minutes from Bel Air.  It was so wonderful to give her a hug and to meet her newest little cutie Hayden.  Kate, Barry, Carter and Brooks were also able to come over and we all had soooo much fun catching up for a few hours.  I miss them both so much and it was really hard to say goodbye to them again.  :(  They are truly the BEST friends!!!  Kate will be here the second week in August for a girls weekend and I cannot wait for that.  :-)

 Hayden, Josie, and Rowan.  :-)

Rowan and Mr. Barry!!  :)

That afternoon, we drove an hour to Rick's grandmom Blake's house.  She planned a bbq with all of the Blake side of the fam.  My sister also lives about 5 minutes from there now, so she was able to come with my sweet little Luke too.  It was a great night!!!

Liam and Uncle Jimmy.  And the fave puppy of the week--Gizmo.  And Labradoodle who is THE SWEETEST!!!

Monday morning, Rick's grandmom cooked a yummy breakfast and we drove 15 minutes to the Inner Harbor for a family lunch and exploring.  It was HOT, but it was really cool to be back and with our 2 sweet kids this time.  We definitely did not appreciate how amazing it is there while we were living there!!!  We ate lunch at my FAVE seafood restaurant and were back for naps at 2. 

Mommy and Rowan

Daddy and Liam

BEAUTIFUL scenery!!!

During naps, we all ate some DELICIOUS steamed crabs under a tree outside.  Oh, how I miss them!!!  Rick's dad was able to be with us the whole time we were there and we all loved it.  Rowan is IN LOVE with him.  It is VERY cute!!!

When the kiddos woke up, we ate AGAIN!  ;)  And 4 generations of Blake men sat at the table and ate corn.  TOO CUTE!

That night, we all sat outside drinking some wine and talking about old times.  I learned so much about the Blakes and it was really fun!!!  We were up till 2 am!!!  OH MY!  Crazy retired grandparents!!!  ;)

We left at 9 am for our 11 am flight.  All ran super smooth again!  This trip was SOOO needed and just perfect!  :-)))

Happy 9 Months Rowan Carley!!!!

WOW!  I cannot even believe you will be ONE in 3 months!!  I booked your party last week.  It is planned for Saturday October 6th from 10-12.  We have a private pavillion at the Celina Pumpkin Farm and all kiddos will get a hot dog, chips, and juice and a small pumpkin as a party favor.  There is also a hayride and feed for the animals included.  I am so excited and I hope you enjoy it too!!!

What are you up to these days???

Well, you are most definitely the HAPPIEST, sweetest baby I know!  Just ALWAYS smiling.

You have the CUTEST facial expressions.  (surprised, happy, serious when you are trying to tell us something)

You LOVE to dance.

You LOVE the pool!!!!  And you LOVED the sand and the beach.

You HATE grass.

You are pulling up and cruising.  You also let go a few times last week and stood on your own for 10 seconds each time.  You almost look too little and short to be doing that!!!  ;)

Favorite toys are still balls and anything you can push.  You also have FALLEN IN LOVE with your dolly.  You cannot go anywhere without her and she helps you sleep at night.

I nursed you for the last time yesterday.  We are all done!

You are now taking a pacifier.  :/  I think you were using me for a LONG time and it is helping you in the car and to sleep better at night.

You are sleeping about 8-5 or 6 and then go back til between 8 and 9.  HEAVEN!

You LOVE your bottles and are FINALLY drinking about 5-6 oz. each time.  So we do about 5-6 bottles a day.  If I lay you on your back, you will feed yourself.  Otherwise, you are a lazy girl.  ;)

You are doing better with the sippy cup.  I found a NUBY one with handles that you like.  Still do not drink much, but you try.  You do not like juice, only water.

You are eating a much bigger variety of foods and are so much more open to try new flavors.  The gag reflex is not quite as bad.  ;)  You LOVE the jars with meat in them.  GAG!

You are still struggling with "real foods".  You choke on everything I have given you but we are still trying!!  So far you have had broccoli, banana, puffs, mum-mums, and yogurt melts.

You like starting trouble with your brother.  You just giggle and egg him on and look at me all at the same time.  STINKER!!!!

You are talking so much.  You now call me mama and your daddy dada.  You tell me "more" (ma) when you want more puffs.  And you will say "do" for done when you are done.  AMAZING!!!  Also say "baba" for your bottle and you wave hi and bye and almost say thank you.

You now have 4 teeth. 3 on the bottom and one on the top.  You were rough getting the first one, but all others have been super smooth and easy for you!

I am a little sad to say, we had your 4th hip follow up last Thursday and unfortunately, your right hip is out of normal range.  :(  We are hopeful that it will be ok by 12 months, but if not, she will have to wear a brace a nap and night.  PRAYERS!!!

You bring SOOOO many smiles to everyone you meet.  You have blessed our lives in so many ways.  Happy 9 months sweet girl!

 Holding dolly while cruising!  ;) 

June Trip to see the fam! 2012 Part One

WOW!  What an amazing trip.  I honestly do not think we missed seeing anyone or anything...it was super busy, but so much fun!!!  I miss everyone so much already.  I will let the pictures tell the story.  ;)

Both kids were AMAZING on the airplane going there AND coming home.  We were so proud of them.  Liam did eat 4 peanuts off of the floor at the end of the first flight so we did have a mild freak out because he had been allergic, but thankfully I guess he has grown out of it because he was fine!

Saturday night, we hung outside and grilled at my parent's house with my sister, her hubby and my nephew.  It was very relaxing and wonderful to spend quality time with them.  The kids slept sooooo good in every place we went.  This first night was a little rough, but we still got a good 8 hours.  :-)  Sunday morning, we woke up early.  I picked up the cake and we all got ready to head to the church for the Baptism and then lunch.  My sweet girl smiled ALL day long and just LOVED every minute of all of the attention.  She did try to dive into the Baptismal fountain as well which everyone thought was hilarious!!!!

Getting dressed!  She smiled like this the ENTIRE trip!!!

Aunt Kallie, my godmother, getting me into my dress and hat.  The dress was my Aunt Kristen's from 32 years ago!!!!

 With my godparents, Aunt Kallie and Uncle Kevin!
We ate lunch at a cute little restaurant and had an amazing afternoon.

Monday morning we packed up for the beach and arrived in Sea Isle City, NJ around noon.  The afternoon was spent with naps and settling in and around 4 we went to the amusement park before dinner.  It was so much fun!!!  Liam was the perfect age and Rowan and Luke had a great time watching and riding the carousel.  I went on the roller coaster with him and Rick did the spinning rides which usually make me a tad nauseous.  ;)

I seriously think they look like twins here!!!

Aunt Kristen, Uncle Jeremy and Luke with Liam!

Mommy and her little man on the roller coaster!

Cousins and their daddys at our lobster dinner.  It was DELISH and they even had a play area for Liam right by our table!  AMAZING!

 Rowan and Uncle Jeremy. She looooooves him and also was pretty fond of the human lobster!  ;)

The next day was BEACH TIME!!!  It was a little slow moving in the morning.  Gigi and Liam had some bonding time on the boardwalk.  He came home SOOO happy and with a smoothie that they were supposed to share, but he drank the WHOLE thing.  ;)
In the early afternoon, we made our way to the beach...3 kids in tow.  It was tons of fun!  We spent most of our time trying to prevent them from eating sand, but they all LOVED it!  Liam was too funny.  What a difference one year makes!






 


That night, we were lucky enough to have my best friend Laurie and her new hubby pay us a visit.  They just happened to be in Atlantic City for the night, so they drove over for dinner and some drinks.  It was a BLAST!!!

In the morning, we cleaned up and headed back to my mom's house around noon.  Before we left, we grabbed some yummy Italian and even a glass of wine!  Love vacation!!!

That night, we relaxed, grilled pork chops and got ice cream.  After the kids went to bed, Rick and I sat on the porch and had a nice talk with my brother.  He was very open with us and it was so great to just give him a big hug!

Thursday, my mom took the kids for the day and we drove to York to check on our house.  I am happy to say, it looked great, other than the yard, but the inside is being well maintained.  PHEW!  We got there at 11, met my friend Sandy for lunch at our favorite restaurant, went to the house around 1:30, left at 2 and had a drink at our favorite country club right up the street from our house, and then got back on the road.  Quick, but fun "adult time".  ;)

I will post about the second half of our trip later.  It was Maryland and the Blake side of the family...the fun continued!!!  :-)  Happy Friday!