Wow. I can't believe how long it's been since I've posted.
Well, i'm sure by now, all of you have heard that we lost the baby. The OB said the pathology didn't show anything. So i guess things just didn't come together as they should have. We have taken the situation and tried to make it as positive as possible by focusing on spending time with the boys. I certainly have been able to enjoy it more, not being so exhausted and feeling yucky. I want to thank everyone for their thoughts & prayers for all of us, it meant a lot.
We also decided to take a vacation! Yay!! We are braving the 18 hour drive down to my in-laws in Florida. We are all extremely excited to go to the beach, and get a change of scenery. Neither of the boys have ever been to the beach so this should be fun! We have all kinds of stuff planned, we'll see how much of it we actually get to. Also, since we will have babysitters, Ryan & I will be able to go out to a nice relaxing dinner for our 5 year anniversary, which happens to fall on one of the days we're there. I'm a little apprehensive about the drive, but i scheduled in breaks every few hours, even found a playground at our stops, so that may allow everyone to strech our legs and help break up the drive. Also, God bless the dvd player! We leave in less than a week. Oh Lord, so much to do...
As for the boys...
Well, it looks like Easton is getting ready to be discharged from his OT & speech therapy sometime soon! He has been doing fantastic! He just decided he didn't want baby food & went straight to people food. He eats all kinds of stuff, although mac & cheese & hot dogs are his favorites. I do get him to even eat some veggies too. As long i we don't try to feed him, he has to do it himself! Hmmmm, i can't figure out where he gets that from *wink wink*. But he is crawling all over the place, getting into whatever Grayson is playing with. He's not walking yet, but i don't doubt it will be soon. E just got his first haircut yesterday. I cried on the way there. He looks like such a big boy now. But he's even more handsome than before, can you believe it? There are pics of both boys after their haircuts on my Flickr photostream. Easton is still huge and will be wearing the same size clothes as Gray very soon, I'm sure. He is such a crazy, goofy kid, he keeps us laughing all the time. And it won't be long after we get back from vacay that E will be turning 1!!
Grayson, is continuing to do awesome as well. He says a new word almost every day. I can't keep up. He has started saying 3 & 4 word phrases too which is AMAZING! We are bursting with pride over that kid. He is still all about tractors, motorcycles & bikes-typical boy stuff. He is thrilled beyond belief that we can finally go outside most days now, when it decides to stop raining. He would stay out there all day if we let him. But he is still very sweet, well behaved and tons of fun. Call me crazy but he is starting to try to figure out how to read. When i read to him, he points to the words & wants to know what they are & I swear he can recognize a few words, "dog" for one. He has a re-evaluation with the same SLP on July 1st so we'll see what he says then. He has made GINORMOUS progress in the last 6 months. We cancelled his speech therapy with his SLP thru Children's Hospital. For many reasons it just wasn't worth the effort to go all the way down there for only 30 min. sessions. He wasn't making any progress w/ her and the things she was working on, were not areas of difficulty for him and kind of a waste of time. So we are in the hunt for a new SLP and trying not to think about what the heck is going to happen when he turns 3 and all of his therapy will have to be outpatient instead of in-home. Let's just not think about that yet.
We are so blessed to have to 2 most amazing boys you could ever dream of. We both thank God for them every night.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Moving right along...
Wow. It's been a while since i posted.
As expected, I have been fairly tired chasing after the 2 rugrats and trying to make another one (rugrat, that is). I'll use that as my excuse. :-)
Otherwise, i have been feeling pretty good. Not too much nausea. Some in the afternoon but not too bad. So far everything is good. I had an ultrasound a few weeks ago to make sure everything was ok (i won't get graphic as to why) and everything was fine. They put my due date somewhere between October 28 and November 2. So a Halloween pumpkin it is!
Easton is doing sooo great with his eating. We LOVE, LOVE, LOVE his new OT. Both of the boys really like her, as do Ryan & I. He has decided, that he is a big boy and he doesn't need baby food. He wants big boy food i.e. people food. Ya, he's 9 months. But, we have gone with it & he is doing awesome! He's much pickier than Gray so i have to be a little creative to get him to eat his veggies but we're getting there. I had him to the doc yesterday for his 9 month well baby check up. His is 23lbs 12oz & 31 inches long. Big boy! He is 90% for his weight & 95th% for height. He is crawling everywhere, aggrevating his brother & into EVERYTHING. We can't take our eyes off him for a second! He is really giving us a run for our money! Him & Gray have recently started playing together (a LITTLE) and it makes me so happy that they are. E is such a happy, good-natured little boy & so much fun. He just got over ANOTHER ear infection so we may have to bite the bullet & do his ear tubes in the next few weeks. Oh well. Now if we could just get him to sleep thru the night!!!
Grayson is doing amazing with his words and in general! He finally got into the speech therapy program at Children's Hospital (after a 2 month waiting list). He starts on Friday. But all the therapists & case workers that are in & out of our house have all commented on how well he is doing. There are so many words he is saying i can't even keep track of them all. And he is still just so sweet.
We are all looking forward to some warmer weather any day now... (hint, hint, where are you???). Which i say this as i look outside w/ the snow falling and over an inch of snow on the ground. I found a large inflatable jumpy house at a consignment sale last week for an awesome deal (p.s. thanks great-grandma for for cash to buy it!) We tried it down in the game room (which it took up almost the whole room) and the boys weren't too sure about it, but Gray has been in them before & I'm sure once we get it outside & set up right, they'll LOVE it.
Work has been pretty steady here with Kleen-Aire thanks to the Home Show & everybody doing their spring cleaning. We are still looking for a minivan but don't have the time to actually shop for one, sooooo, I have been able to hold on to my vessel for a little longer. Hee hee.
Hope this finds everyone well. I added some new pics of the boys & also added some names we are thinking about for the baby. You can vote on the ones you like & vote for as many as you want. We'd love to hear everyone's opinions although we're still going to do whatever the hell we want anyway. :-)
Love to all,
Smith crew
As expected, I have been fairly tired chasing after the 2 rugrats and trying to make another one (rugrat, that is). I'll use that as my excuse. :-)
Otherwise, i have been feeling pretty good. Not too much nausea. Some in the afternoon but not too bad. So far everything is good. I had an ultrasound a few weeks ago to make sure everything was ok (i won't get graphic as to why) and everything was fine. They put my due date somewhere between October 28 and November 2. So a Halloween pumpkin it is!
Easton is doing sooo great with his eating. We LOVE, LOVE, LOVE his new OT. Both of the boys really like her, as do Ryan & I. He has decided, that he is a big boy and he doesn't need baby food. He wants big boy food i.e. people food. Ya, he's 9 months. But, we have gone with it & he is doing awesome! He's much pickier than Gray so i have to be a little creative to get him to eat his veggies but we're getting there. I had him to the doc yesterday for his 9 month well baby check up. His is 23lbs 12oz & 31 inches long. Big boy! He is 90% for his weight & 95th% for height. He is crawling everywhere, aggrevating his brother & into EVERYTHING. We can't take our eyes off him for a second! He is really giving us a run for our money! Him & Gray have recently started playing together (a LITTLE) and it makes me so happy that they are. E is such a happy, good-natured little boy & so much fun. He just got over ANOTHER ear infection so we may have to bite the bullet & do his ear tubes in the next few weeks. Oh well. Now if we could just get him to sleep thru the night!!!
Grayson is doing amazing with his words and in general! He finally got into the speech therapy program at Children's Hospital (after a 2 month waiting list). He starts on Friday. But all the therapists & case workers that are in & out of our house have all commented on how well he is doing. There are so many words he is saying i can't even keep track of them all. And he is still just so sweet.
We are all looking forward to some warmer weather any day now... (hint, hint, where are you???). Which i say this as i look outside w/ the snow falling and over an inch of snow on the ground. I found a large inflatable jumpy house at a consignment sale last week for an awesome deal (p.s. thanks great-grandma for for cash to buy it!) We tried it down in the game room (which it took up almost the whole room) and the boys weren't too sure about it, but Gray has been in them before & I'm sure once we get it outside & set up right, they'll LOVE it.
Work has been pretty steady here with Kleen-Aire thanks to the Home Show & everybody doing their spring cleaning. We are still looking for a minivan but don't have the time to actually shop for one, sooooo, I have been able to hold on to my vessel for a little longer. Hee hee.
Hope this finds everyone well. I added some new pics of the boys & also added some names we are thinking about for the baby. You can vote on the ones you like & vote for as many as you want. We'd love to hear everyone's opinions although we're still going to do whatever the hell we want anyway. :-)
Love to all,
Smith crew
Monday, March 7, 2011
Party of 5???
Well, it's offical. I went to the OB today (a new one) and they confirmed, I am in fact pregnant--AGAIN. I am due sometime mid to late October. This was NOT planned but we are excited about welcoming another wonderful child into our home, and trying not to think about the craziness that will ensue this fall. we aren't planning to find out the gender of this baby this time either. So we will all have to wait in suspense together, again.
Grayson is doing GREAT with his speech. Yesterday, we made some comment to him about the "back door" and he walked around all day saying "back dooooor". It was too cute. Now today, i was yelling at the dog about something, and i said "bad dog!" so the rest of the evening, Gray was telling everyone they were a "bad dog!"
Easton has been eating pretty good. The boys & myself have yet ANOTHER cold so his appetite has been a little unpredictable. But because that crazy kid was already standing up in his bed, we had to lower his bed all the way & get rid of the incline we had for his reflux. He's done pretty good with that. we also decided to crack down & do a little sleep training. we also tried stopping his reflux meds to see how he'd do without them. Good for a couple days, then today, no good. So back on the meds, hopefully the sleeping & eating will get back on track again.
That's it. We are really busy with work, which is AWESOME! I am feeling good except that horrible tiredness all the time. I sleep so much, you'd think i have mono. So far, not too much nausea or anything. Gray has been really cute with things so far, he always lifts up my shirt & cuddles into my belly & kisses & hugs my belly. when i ask him what's in there, he says "be-be"!
Hope everyone is doing well. Keep in touch!
Grayson is doing GREAT with his speech. Yesterday, we made some comment to him about the "back door" and he walked around all day saying "back dooooor". It was too cute. Now today, i was yelling at the dog about something, and i said "bad dog!" so the rest of the evening, Gray was telling everyone they were a "bad dog!"
Easton has been eating pretty good. The boys & myself have yet ANOTHER cold so his appetite has been a little unpredictable. But because that crazy kid was already standing up in his bed, we had to lower his bed all the way & get rid of the incline we had for his reflux. He's done pretty good with that. we also decided to crack down & do a little sleep training. we also tried stopping his reflux meds to see how he'd do without them. Good for a couple days, then today, no good. So back on the meds, hopefully the sleeping & eating will get back on track again.
That's it. We are really busy with work, which is AWESOME! I am feeling good except that horrible tiredness all the time. I sleep so much, you'd think i have mono. So far, not too much nausea or anything. Gray has been really cute with things so far, he always lifts up my shirt & cuddles into my belly & kisses & hugs my belly. when i ask him what's in there, he says "be-be"!
Hope everyone is doing well. Keep in touch!
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Holding my breath...
Well, i cancelled Easton's surgery that was scheduled for yesterday. Something in my mommy brain had been nagging me for a couple weeks that it just wasn't the right thing to do. We decided that he is still really little (age wise not size wise!) and that it was possibly a lot for him to go thru. Plus, in the last week or so, he has been making improvements with his eating (although, every time i blog that he is doing good, he does a 180) and we didn't want the surgery to possibly set him back. If we decide to do it later, we can. We also switched OT's for Easton, AGAIN! His new OT is SUPER nice & he seems to really respond to her. She uses a different approach and since he had pretty drastically regressed while seeing the other OT, we decided that time is of the essence and let's see if someone else will have better luck with him. So, again, I am holding my breath. BUT!!! His GI stuff seems to have cleared up, which has made a big diference and (drumroll...) he is now crawling! Not exceptional at it yet, but he can get from here to there pretty well now.
Grayson, is doing well. He has been pretty crabby the past week or so & I am hoping it is just do to his molars and a possible growth spurt. He is eating non-stop!! My God, it's like having a teenager in the house. But he seems to SLOWLY be snapping out of it. He is at sort of a plateau with his speech but his SLP says that's typical and due probably in part to his teething & growth spurt.
We have been trying to cut costs around here and are thinking of getting a different vehicle. 1-to lower our payments & 2-to find something with better mileage-Expeditions aren't exactly "green" as far as that goes. I absolutely LOVE our vehicle but Ryan has been trying hard to sell me on a *gulp* mini-van. I just cannot come to terms with driving a mini-van. I always said "over my dead body will i drive a mini-van" and here i am looking at them online. *Sighs* I may have to bite the bullet on this one. I am stalling as long as i can.
P.S. I added new pics to the Flickr slideshow
Grayson, is doing well. He has been pretty crabby the past week or so & I am hoping it is just do to his molars and a possible growth spurt. He is eating non-stop!! My God, it's like having a teenager in the house. But he seems to SLOWLY be snapping out of it. He is at sort of a plateau with his speech but his SLP says that's typical and due probably in part to his teething & growth spurt.
We have been trying to cut costs around here and are thinking of getting a different vehicle. 1-to lower our payments & 2-to find something with better mileage-Expeditions aren't exactly "green" as far as that goes. I absolutely LOVE our vehicle but Ryan has been trying hard to sell me on a *gulp* mini-van. I just cannot come to terms with driving a mini-van. I always said "over my dead body will i drive a mini-van" and here i am looking at them online. *Sighs* I may have to bite the bullet on this one. I am stalling as long as i can.
P.S. I added new pics to the Flickr slideshow
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Sick & tired (literally)
It has been a busy couple of weeks! The boys have been circulating colds back and forth & with Mommy. So needless to say, we have all been crabby & tired.
I took Easton to ENT @ Children's Hospital on Monday. We didn't really get any answers but he is scheduled for ear tube surgery on Feb. 25th. While he is asleep for the surgery, they are going to do several things besides the tube insertion that should give us some answers. They are going to do a biopsy of his esophagus to check for inflammation/irritation that the reflux may have caused. They are going to check his adenoids & if they are too large, they will remove them. The doctor doesn't think this is likely because when he looked at his throat he said his tonsils were pretty small and i guess that can be an indication. (see below for better explanation)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adenoidectomy
They are also going to check for a laryngeal cleft. (see below for a better explanation)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laryngeal_cleft
If they do find a cleft (they suspect it would be a Type 1), they are going to do what is called a "voice gel injection". They inject a gel substance that essentially "fills" the void (cleft) and over a few months, the gel breaks down & gets absorbed by the body. If that IS the problem with his feeding, choking, etc., this should solve the problem temporarily. If the problem comes back after the gel is gone, then they will have to do a permanent repair.
However...although i am hesitant to count my proverbial chickens, since Thursday, he has been eating his solids (which, as of Monday, he wouldn't touch). Yesterday & today he ate whole containers with no problem. So if this continues, i may postpone his surgery altogether. We had had so many problems made worse by traditonal medicine that if all is well, i may elect to leave well enough alone.
I took E to my holistic doctor on Wednesday and she found a yeast present in his gut & started him on some natural drops to get rid of it. She also put him on a couple other supplements & low & behold, the NEXT DAY, things started to improve. He's mood & eating have improved so much in the last few days, it's amazing. (knock on wood)
Now, Grayson. That little man is doing soooo AWESOME with his speech therapy, ironically, i don't even have words. :-) I updated his word list (on the left side of the screen), it is unbelieveable. Still no "mama" but so many others, i'm trying not to think about that. His speech therapist(SLP) was so astounded on Thursday! He is just so smart & so sweet & even with his cold & 2 molars coming in, he is just one of the best kids you could ask for!! We are going to be starting (I think) what is called PECS, picture exchange communication system. That way, he will have little pictures he can point to to communicate better at home & while we are out. Although his SLP doesn't think is is absolutely necessary, I think it will help since he has a hard time with some of the signs, due to his fine motor delay.
Otherwise, I have the 2 most awesome boys in the world. I am really hoping things are on the up & up with E, because i feel like we haven't been able to enjoy each other much becuase he's been so sick the last few months.
We have our HomExpo this weekend for Kleenaire and so far things are going really well. Except that i lost my voice today but we have booked a bunch of work already and another day to go tomorrow! So, i am exhausted, think i might actually try to take a bubble bath, first one in over a year, *sighs*.
P.S. I will put more pictures up on here soon.
I took Easton to ENT @ Children's Hospital on Monday. We didn't really get any answers but he is scheduled for ear tube surgery on Feb. 25th. While he is asleep for the surgery, they are going to do several things besides the tube insertion that should give us some answers. They are going to do a biopsy of his esophagus to check for inflammation/irritation that the reflux may have caused. They are going to check his adenoids & if they are too large, they will remove them. The doctor doesn't think this is likely because when he looked at his throat he said his tonsils were pretty small and i guess that can be an indication. (see below for better explanation)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adenoidectomy
They are also going to check for a laryngeal cleft. (see below for a better explanation)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laryngeal_cleft
If they do find a cleft (they suspect it would be a Type 1), they are going to do what is called a "voice gel injection". They inject a gel substance that essentially "fills" the void (cleft) and over a few months, the gel breaks down & gets absorbed by the body. If that IS the problem with his feeding, choking, etc., this should solve the problem temporarily. If the problem comes back after the gel is gone, then they will have to do a permanent repair.
However...although i am hesitant to count my proverbial chickens, since Thursday, he has been eating his solids (which, as of Monday, he wouldn't touch). Yesterday & today he ate whole containers with no problem. So if this continues, i may postpone his surgery altogether. We had had so many problems made worse by traditonal medicine that if all is well, i may elect to leave well enough alone.
I took E to my holistic doctor on Wednesday and she found a yeast present in his gut & started him on some natural drops to get rid of it. She also put him on a couple other supplements & low & behold, the NEXT DAY, things started to improve. He's mood & eating have improved so much in the last few days, it's amazing. (knock on wood)
Now, Grayson. That little man is doing soooo AWESOME with his speech therapy, ironically, i don't even have words. :-) I updated his word list (on the left side of the screen), it is unbelieveable. Still no "mama" but so many others, i'm trying not to think about that. His speech therapist(SLP) was so astounded on Thursday! He is just so smart & so sweet & even with his cold & 2 molars coming in, he is just one of the best kids you could ask for!! We are going to be starting (I think) what is called PECS, picture exchange communication system. That way, he will have little pictures he can point to to communicate better at home & while we are out. Although his SLP doesn't think is is absolutely necessary, I think it will help since he has a hard time with some of the signs, due to his fine motor delay.
Otherwise, I have the 2 most awesome boys in the world. I am really hoping things are on the up & up with E, because i feel like we haven't been able to enjoy each other much becuase he's been so sick the last few months.
We have our HomExpo this weekend for Kleenaire and so far things are going really well. Except that i lost my voice today but we have booked a bunch of work already and another day to go tomorrow! So, i am exhausted, think i might actually try to take a bubble bath, first one in over a year, *sighs*.
P.S. I will put more pictures up on here soon.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
The winter of our discontent...
Ryan & I have been trying to adjust and cope with the news of Gray's diagnosis. Mission is FAR from accomplished. I can't even begin to express my gratefulness for everyone's support & encouragement. It came when we needed it most and we will continue to need it. So to everyone (you know who you are) thank you, from the bottom of our hearts.
The combination of Gray's diagnosis, Easton still being sick, etc. (i'll get back to that), this freaking weather!, lack of work/money, needless to say, it is really testing our marriage down to every last fiber. So far tho, everyone's still alive so i guess we should just build on that. :-)
Easton's feeding has again taken a nosedive. He did make some progress but we are now at a point where he won't eat solids/baby food at all. Great. Arrrrrgh!!! He is up as we speak (yes it's 11pm) because he's decided he wants to stay up & watch last night's Tosh with us, instead of sleep. Can't really blame him, he's freaking hilarious (Tosh). He's actually giggling so loud i'm a little nervous that he's going to wake up Gray. Anyway, i digress. I have spoken to his OT & she & I have agreed to take a break from the feeding stuff, let him have his bottles (he took 48+ oz. yesterday!) and wait until he is better. He is still fighting this sinus infection or whatever it is. It wouldn't be my kid if the antibiotic didn't upset his tummy which I'm sure is contributing to the lack of appetite.*sighs* We have an appointment with ENT at children's on Monday to: 1) see if we really should consider tubes, 2) see if he has enlarged adenoids (similar to tonsils-which of course,Gray does so it wouldn't be a surprise) which is contributing to his feeding issues & 3) there was something else but i can't remember right now. He has also decided he doesn't want to sleep so I am working off 3 hours sleep and what's left of my coffee buzz.
Gray is Gray. Sweet, hilarious, busy, all that great stuff. I will continue to add to his "word list" here on the blog. The newest ones will be at the top.
I have been wearing the rosary Gram gave me (with the drops of blessed water from Lourdes-in the back of the cross) around my neck. I explained to Gray that it keeps Jesus and the Holy Mother close to me because i really need their help right now. he seemed to accept that. :-)
It all sounds bad & depressing but we are plugging along trying to find the joy & happiness in all the other daily activities & enjoying spending time with the boys who BOTH are truly a blast. Fun and energetic & entertaining little boys.
The combination of Gray's diagnosis, Easton still being sick, etc. (i'll get back to that), this freaking weather!, lack of work/money, needless to say, it is really testing our marriage down to every last fiber. So far tho, everyone's still alive so i guess we should just build on that. :-)
Easton's feeding has again taken a nosedive. He did make some progress but we are now at a point where he won't eat solids/baby food at all. Great. Arrrrrgh!!! He is up as we speak (yes it's 11pm) because he's decided he wants to stay up & watch last night's Tosh with us, instead of sleep. Can't really blame him, he's freaking hilarious (Tosh). He's actually giggling so loud i'm a little nervous that he's going to wake up Gray. Anyway, i digress. I have spoken to his OT & she & I have agreed to take a break from the feeding stuff, let him have his bottles (he took 48+ oz. yesterday!) and wait until he is better. He is still fighting this sinus infection or whatever it is. It wouldn't be my kid if the antibiotic didn't upset his tummy which I'm sure is contributing to the lack of appetite.*sighs* We have an appointment with ENT at children's on Monday to: 1) see if we really should consider tubes, 2) see if he has enlarged adenoids (similar to tonsils-which of course,Gray does so it wouldn't be a surprise) which is contributing to his feeding issues & 3) there was something else but i can't remember right now. He has also decided he doesn't want to sleep so I am working off 3 hours sleep and what's left of my coffee buzz.
Gray is Gray. Sweet, hilarious, busy, all that great stuff. I will continue to add to his "word list" here on the blog. The newest ones will be at the top.
I have been wearing the rosary Gram gave me (with the drops of blessed water from Lourdes-in the back of the cross) around my neck. I explained to Gray that it keeps Jesus and the Holy Mother close to me because i really need their help right now. he seemed to accept that. :-)
It all sounds bad & depressing but we are plugging along trying to find the joy & happiness in all the other daily activities & enjoying spending time with the boys who BOTH are truly a blast. Fun and energetic & entertaining little boys.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
diagnosis: the journey begins
Hi all! It took me a while to get this posted b/c there is a lot of info so hope you're comfy b/c this is a long one. (side note: i have listed some interesting links/blogs on this page so when you have time & if you are interested, take a look)
Grayson had his evaluation with Dave Hammer, a renowed speech therapist(SLP) here in Pittsburgh, he is a nationally recognized leader in the evaluation & treatment of childhood apraxia of speech (CAS). He also coordinates research efforts at the hospital related to speech sound disorders in young children. He is just simply phenomenal! Anyway, he has given us a "working" diagnosis of childhood apraxia of speech. A "working" diagnosis means, they think this is what he has going on but because he is so young, their opinion/diagnosis may change in 6-9 months as he gets older.
Ok, so what is CAS? I talked about this briefly in another post but it is a neurologiacally based speech disorder that interferes w/ the child's ability to pronounce sounds, syllables & words. There is nothing wrong w/ the muscles themselves. The area of the brain that tells the muscles how to move & what to do is either damaged or not fully developed. He knows what he wants to say but can't say it when he tries. Either the wrong sound comes out or no sounds come out at all. This is involuntary & he has no control over it. No one really knows what causes it. This same problem in the brain can also cause problems with fine motor skills as well, which is why he is in OT as well.
So that is the clinical info. There is a TON of more information on the apraxia website: http://www.apraxia-kids.org/ if anyone has more questions. It is a great website. Now for the emotional side of things. Here is my pre-emptive warning: I am putting this out there not to ask for sympathy or pity, but because I am hoping this blog will make it's way to other families with similar issues and that they can find solace knowing they are not alone.
With that said, this has been a huge blow to all of us. I didn't know what outcome i was hoping for from the evaluation but i definitely wasn't expecting this wave of fear and emotions. I have been heartbroken since. I guess although i knew there was a good chance Gray had apraxia, deep down i was hoping he was just a late talker like Ryan. It breaks my heart that something that comes so natually for most other kids, Grayson has to struggle with all day, every day. It's not fair. He is the sweetest, kindest most amazing person, besides Ryan i have ever been blessed with in my life. The kindness, gentleness and just overall goodness that radiates from this little man is astounding. And yet, he has a rough road ahead of him. We all do. He just plain can't do things other kids his age can do. He can't catch a ball. He can't say "mama". He will have to work hard to do these things. Luckily, so far, he is willing & eager to try. We are all learning signs to help him communicate. And as if all this wasn't bad enough, poor Easton (who has his own issues, i will get to that in a minute) sometimes gets left out. Grayson requires so much attention (& not in a typical child wanting attention manner)that E doesn't get NEARLY as much attention as he should. He is the baby after all. I worry that he is going to have to be in special education when he gets to school & will have to deal with that stigma. Luckily, Gray started his speech therapy early and we caught this relatively early, in comparison to many other kids, so I am hopeful we will have things under control once he starts school. There are so many other things we need to be careful about, that you don't even think of until you are faced with them. Things that other parents don't have to worry about. Things like finding babysitters, teachers, etc. that can handle a non-verbal child. A (*gulp*) special needs child. When we go out in public, he can't yell for us or for help, or if he gets lost, can't tell people his name, etc. BUT, he really is so smart & so aware of everything that is going on. There is no doubt that he understands everything you're telling him and what is going on around him. Which is wonderful but also worrisome, because i don't know if it's a good ting or a bad thing if he understands what is going on with him. I think right now if anything he either doesn't know or just thinks his mouth/hands won't work. So, that's the hand God has dealt us & we just have to play it to the best of our ability.
Now, on to Easton. He has only seen his new OT twice, therapy 1 time. He will make some progress, then step back, then progess, then step back. I'm guessing that's somewhat typical. He has at least been taking solids at least once a day. We did stop thickening his bottles a couple weeks ago and he has been doing really good with that so far. That has helped with his constipation too (which would sometimes lead to his lack of appetite) which are all good things. I did introduce a sippy cup to him last week and though he doesn't do much with it, he grabs hold of it great & does bring it to his mouth. he mostly just chews on it, but again, all good things. he is getting over a sinus infection and at the same time, he is FINALLY getting 2 teeth. Yay!! He is sitting up by himself for long periods now and is soooo close to crawling. It'll be any day now and the wild child will be mobile, LOOK OUT! I am going to have to re-do all my baby proofing b/c Gray is so good, he just leaves most stuff alone. Not E, he is into EVERYTHING.
I never thought i'd be a mother to a special needs child, let alone 2. Let alone 2 this young and this close in age. As hard as it is at times, and BELIEVE you me, it gets HARD, each of the boys gets frustrated, we get frustrated, we're tired &/or hungry, impatient, i cry, the boys cry, what have you, i wouldn't trade it for the world. I have THE best family in the world. Besides, i've always welcomed a challenge. :-) Now I have to go find the critter running around in my walls...
Grayson had his evaluation with Dave Hammer, a renowed speech therapist(SLP) here in Pittsburgh, he is a nationally recognized leader in the evaluation & treatment of childhood apraxia of speech (CAS). He also coordinates research efforts at the hospital related to speech sound disorders in young children. He is just simply phenomenal! Anyway, he has given us a "working" diagnosis of childhood apraxia of speech. A "working" diagnosis means, they think this is what he has going on but because he is so young, their opinion/diagnosis may change in 6-9 months as he gets older.
Ok, so what is CAS? I talked about this briefly in another post but it is a neurologiacally based speech disorder that interferes w/ the child's ability to pronounce sounds, syllables & words. There is nothing wrong w/ the muscles themselves. The area of the brain that tells the muscles how to move & what to do is either damaged or not fully developed. He knows what he wants to say but can't say it when he tries. Either the wrong sound comes out or no sounds come out at all. This is involuntary & he has no control over it. No one really knows what causes it. This same problem in the brain can also cause problems with fine motor skills as well, which is why he is in OT as well.
So that is the clinical info. There is a TON of more information on the apraxia website: http://www.apraxia-kids.org/ if anyone has more questions. It is a great website. Now for the emotional side of things. Here is my pre-emptive warning: I am putting this out there not to ask for sympathy or pity, but because I am hoping this blog will make it's way to other families with similar issues and that they can find solace knowing they are not alone.
With that said, this has been a huge blow to all of us. I didn't know what outcome i was hoping for from the evaluation but i definitely wasn't expecting this wave of fear and emotions. I have been heartbroken since. I guess although i knew there was a good chance Gray had apraxia, deep down i was hoping he was just a late talker like Ryan. It breaks my heart that something that comes so natually for most other kids, Grayson has to struggle with all day, every day. It's not fair. He is the sweetest, kindest most amazing person, besides Ryan i have ever been blessed with in my life. The kindness, gentleness and just overall goodness that radiates from this little man is astounding. And yet, he has a rough road ahead of him. We all do. He just plain can't do things other kids his age can do. He can't catch a ball. He can't say "mama". He will have to work hard to do these things. Luckily, so far, he is willing & eager to try. We are all learning signs to help him communicate. And as if all this wasn't bad enough, poor Easton (who has his own issues, i will get to that in a minute) sometimes gets left out. Grayson requires so much attention (& not in a typical child wanting attention manner)that E doesn't get NEARLY as much attention as he should. He is the baby after all. I worry that he is going to have to be in special education when he gets to school & will have to deal with that stigma. Luckily, Gray started his speech therapy early and we caught this relatively early, in comparison to many other kids, so I am hopeful we will have things under control once he starts school. There are so many other things we need to be careful about, that you don't even think of until you are faced with them. Things that other parents don't have to worry about. Things like finding babysitters, teachers, etc. that can handle a non-verbal child. A (*gulp*) special needs child. When we go out in public, he can't yell for us or for help, or if he gets lost, can't tell people his name, etc. BUT, he really is so smart & so aware of everything that is going on. There is no doubt that he understands everything you're telling him and what is going on around him. Which is wonderful but also worrisome, because i don't know if it's a good ting or a bad thing if he understands what is going on with him. I think right now if anything he either doesn't know or just thinks his mouth/hands won't work. So, that's the hand God has dealt us & we just have to play it to the best of our ability.
Now, on to Easton. He has only seen his new OT twice, therapy 1 time. He will make some progress, then step back, then progess, then step back. I'm guessing that's somewhat typical. He has at least been taking solids at least once a day. We did stop thickening his bottles a couple weeks ago and he has been doing really good with that so far. That has helped with his constipation too (which would sometimes lead to his lack of appetite) which are all good things. I did introduce a sippy cup to him last week and though he doesn't do much with it, he grabs hold of it great & does bring it to his mouth. he mostly just chews on it, but again, all good things. he is getting over a sinus infection and at the same time, he is FINALLY getting 2 teeth. Yay!! He is sitting up by himself for long periods now and is soooo close to crawling. It'll be any day now and the wild child will be mobile, LOOK OUT! I am going to have to re-do all my baby proofing b/c Gray is so good, he just leaves most stuff alone. Not E, he is into EVERYTHING.
I never thought i'd be a mother to a special needs child, let alone 2. Let alone 2 this young and this close in age. As hard as it is at times, and BELIEVE you me, it gets HARD, each of the boys gets frustrated, we get frustrated, we're tired &/or hungry, impatient, i cry, the boys cry, what have you, i wouldn't trade it for the world. I have THE best family in the world. Besides, i've always welcomed a challenge. :-) Now I have to go find the critter running around in my walls...
Monday, January 24, 2011
Great week
So last Thursday was a GREAT day!
Grason had a awesome session with his speech therapist. He said over half a dozen words, and made a bunch of animal sounds! It doesn't sound like much, but it is a HUGE improvement.
Also, Grayson, the big boy, also on Thursday, we pee in the potty!! Yeah!! It was ony the one time but he is doing really well with that too. I think we are going to do a potty training boot camp type of thing this weekend and see how it goes. Way to go Gray man!!
I was also VERY productive in getting the ball rolling for my business. Ok, i'll spare you all the mystery, I am starting a business as a baby planner! It sounds crazy, it's a very new concept. Basically, a baby planner is to pregnant and new parents what wedding planners are to engaged couples. I will help with gift registries, setting up the nursery, planning the shower(s), birth announcements, what have you. There is a TON to do but i have started making some great contacts. I am also working on seeing if i can find a job from home in the meantime until my business gets off the ground. It will probably take some time until i actually start making decent money from it. Like i said before, there is really very little $$ to invest, just time and energy. I am still playing around with my business model but i will certainly send everyone the link to my website once things get going.
Easton has had an awful, awful cold and not much of an appetite but after a week, we are hopeful that he wil start to improve soon. He has eaten fairly well for me today, but yesterday was a mess, so, we'll have to see.
I also started a pretty extreme diet called the HCG diet. I started a blog to record my progress, frustrations, etc. It is on this same site, just a different name: http://jenshcgloss.blogspot.com Wish me luck!
Grason had a awesome session with his speech therapist. He said over half a dozen words, and made a bunch of animal sounds! It doesn't sound like much, but it is a HUGE improvement.
Also, Grayson, the big boy, also on Thursday, we pee in the potty!! Yeah!! It was ony the one time but he is doing really well with that too. I think we are going to do a potty training boot camp type of thing this weekend and see how it goes. Way to go Gray man!!
I was also VERY productive in getting the ball rolling for my business. Ok, i'll spare you all the mystery, I am starting a business as a baby planner! It sounds crazy, it's a very new concept. Basically, a baby planner is to pregnant and new parents what wedding planners are to engaged couples. I will help with gift registries, setting up the nursery, planning the shower(s), birth announcements, what have you. There is a TON to do but i have started making some great contacts. I am also working on seeing if i can find a job from home in the meantime until my business gets off the ground. It will probably take some time until i actually start making decent money from it. Like i said before, there is really very little $$ to invest, just time and energy. I am still playing around with my business model but i will certainly send everyone the link to my website once things get going.
Easton has had an awful, awful cold and not much of an appetite but after a week, we are hopeful that he wil start to improve soon. He has eaten fairly well for me today, but yesterday was a mess, so, we'll have to see.
I also started a pretty extreme diet called the HCG diet. I started a blog to record my progress, frustrations, etc. It is on this same site, just a different name: http://jenshcgloss.blogspot.com Wish me luck!
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Ha!
I wasted half a day but i got the friggin slideshow to work. The videos part is going to take longer, but i'm workin' on it. Enjoy!
Friday, January 14, 2011
progress, progress...
So Easton's new therapist (OT) is nice, seems to know what she's doing, we didn't do any "therapy" when she was here b/c we just did a history since she had a cancellation & bumped him up & he had just eaten so... He had been doing really, really well but the last few days he hasn't had much of an appetite & hasn't wanted much to do w/ solids. I think he has a bit of a cold & and hoping it doesn't move to his ears but he is still soooo happy. He is sleeping better but only b/c we said the hell w/ sleep training & just decided to feed him once or twice a night & since, he has been sleeping great! Much longer stretches.
Since we started the fish oil for Gray, he has started randomly saying words here & there, nothing consistently but still, it's progress. He's said: ball, dog, boat, sheep, raccoon, truck, fish, broke, dada, water, "what-the??"-ya that's soooo from us, and others I'm sure I'm forgetting. I can't help but think the fish oil has helped. It's only been 7-10 days since we started.
The plan to sell our house has taken a backseat since (shocker) we need more income to qualify for the size house we want, to make the headache of moving & selling our house worth it.
So, therefore, I am seriously considering starting my own business. I have an excellent idea and after i do a little more research & decide to make the plunge, I will let everyone know. The few people i have talked to about it so far, think it is a great idea, that I would be perfect for it & there is a virtually untapped market in Pittsburgh. There is also very little investment, which is nice. I just need to see how well i can get things lined up then i will dive in. If i decide to go ahead, I would like to have some fliers & business cards to hand out at the HomExpo Kleen Aire participates in the 2nd weekend in Feb.
I am wondering if it ever going to stop snowing, but so far it just keeps coming.
I am working on posting some pics & videos on here. Keep checking...
Since we started the fish oil for Gray, he has started randomly saying words here & there, nothing consistently but still, it's progress. He's said: ball, dog, boat, sheep, raccoon, truck, fish, broke, dada, water, "what-the??"-ya that's soooo from us, and others I'm sure I'm forgetting. I can't help but think the fish oil has helped. It's only been 7-10 days since we started.
The plan to sell our house has taken a backseat since (shocker) we need more income to qualify for the size house we want, to make the headache of moving & selling our house worth it.
So, therefore, I am seriously considering starting my own business. I have an excellent idea and after i do a little more research & decide to make the plunge, I will let everyone know. The few people i have talked to about it so far, think it is a great idea, that I would be perfect for it & there is a virtually untapped market in Pittsburgh. There is also very little investment, which is nice. I just need to see how well i can get things lined up then i will dive in. If i decide to go ahead, I would like to have some fliers & business cards to hand out at the HomExpo Kleen Aire participates in the 2nd weekend in Feb.
I am wondering if it ever going to stop snowing, but so far it just keeps coming.
I am working on posting some pics & videos on here. Keep checking...
Saturday, January 8, 2011
MRSA, therapy & fish oil
So, i got an infection in my armpit (from shaving presumably) which i now know was MRSA. I went to urgent care & they sliced it open & drained it. Gross. They put me on heavy duty antibiotics. so that should take care of it. typical day at the Smith house. :-)
Easton is switching therapists and the new one starts on Tuesday. We'll see. She's supposed to be really good w/ a lot of experience.
We have started Grayson on fish oil at a recommended dose, which many parents attribute to helping their kids improve greatly in a relatively short time with their speech disorder, particularly Apraxia. It was brought to my attention yesterday, that Grayson is considered a "special needs" child. It was like a punch in the gut. It never occurred to me that he would be considered "special needs". I thought special needs was reserved for those kids with mental retardation, handicaps or severe autism. I was wrong. Anyway, here is some info about Apraxia & fish oil used in conjunction with speech therapy. Keep in mind, he hasn't been diagnosed YET, but he has MANY of the signs/characteristics, myself & his speech therapist agree.
All in all tho, although it sounds depressing, we are all doing pretty darn good!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKGGMfngRa4
http://www.apraxia-kids.org/
http://www.apraxia-kids.org/site/apps/nlnet/content.aspx?c=chKMI0PIIsE&b=839037&ct=837215
http://cherab.org/
http://www.cherab.org/information/historyEFA.html
http://teachmetotalk.com/2008/05/01/fish-oil-information/
Easton is switching therapists and the new one starts on Tuesday. We'll see. She's supposed to be really good w/ a lot of experience.
We have started Grayson on fish oil at a recommended dose, which many parents attribute to helping their kids improve greatly in a relatively short time with their speech disorder, particularly Apraxia. It was brought to my attention yesterday, that Grayson is considered a "special needs" child. It was like a punch in the gut. It never occurred to me that he would be considered "special needs". I thought special needs was reserved for those kids with mental retardation, handicaps or severe autism. I was wrong. Anyway, here is some info about Apraxia & fish oil used in conjunction with speech therapy. Keep in mind, he hasn't been diagnosed YET, but he has MANY of the signs/characteristics, myself & his speech therapist agree.
All in all tho, although it sounds depressing, we are all doing pretty darn good!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKGGMfngRa4
http://www.apraxia-kids.org/
http://www.apraxia-kids.org/site/apps/nlnet/content.aspx?c=chKMI0PIIsE&b=839037&ct=837215
http://cherab.org/
http://www.cherab.org/information/historyEFA.html
http://teachmetotalk.com/2008/05/01/fish-oil-information/
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
It's a New Year!
Happy New Year!
I have been meaning to do this for quite some time but i figured the start of a new year was as good a time as any. I am creating a blog to keep everyone up to date with what is going on in the Smith house. I will try to post as often as possible.
We had a WONDERFUL Christmas, tho as always, it went too fast. We were blessed in that, all 4 of our parents were able to be here with us & the boys for Christmas. It took us literally ALL DAY to open presents on Christmas day, working in "rounds" between meals & naps. We were so grateful that my mom was able to come out and spend a week with us. Her & the boys had a great time together!
My dad moved out here last May and lives about 10 minutes away. It is so great having him so close. He unfortunately got laid off in June from the job that brought him out here & has been out of work since. The silver lining is that he has been able to spend a lot of time with us & the boys. He has spent a lot of time w/ Easton, in particular, since they had a regular date once a week when Gray had his music class. So Grampy & Easton are buds. Its awesome!!
I will start with Grayson (aka, Buggaboo, Bugga, Bug, Beega, Beeg). Gray turned 2 at the end of November and is doing great! He is still a very sweet, sensitive, affectionate, happy little boy. The only words he is saying consistently so far are "up" & "yep" but he definitely lets you know what he wants/needs in other ways. He started speech & occupational therapy this past August and really likes both his therapists. The speech therapy is going much slower than his occupational therapy (OT). The OT was because has had a developmental delay in his fine motor skills (self feeding, using crayons, etc) but he has gotten much better with that & we have actually decreased the frequency of his OT. His speech therapist & I are concerned that he may have a condition called Apraxia (or childhood speech apraxia). Which is similar to what stroke victims deal with in that, they know what they want to say but their brains and mouths can't communicate correctly & they can't form the sounds. The child feels like "my mouth won't work!". It is very frustrating for him (& us) but hopefully since we got him started with therapy early, we can get it taken care of sooner rather than later. Some kids unfortunately take years. We are getting an evaluation done at the end of the month by a doctor at Children's Hospital who's supposed to be the best. So we'll see what he says.
He is a typical boy in that he LOVES vehicles but mostly, tractors & motorcycles. He is tall & skinny, he is 36 inches tall (which is like 95th percentile for his age) and 30 lbs which is right about average. He still isn't crazy about his brother but I am hoping that will change over time. :-) He does help out a little with him, picking up his toys that he dropped and giving them back to him (unless he decides he wants to play with it). He loves being around other kids. He is content most of the time to sit back and watch the action; people watch. He loves music & dancing and just your run of the mill roughhousing & tickling (he's extremely ticklish). He also likes to help with some of the chores around the house, he likes to feed the dog, load & unload the dishwasher, mop the floors & is starting to take an interest in helping me cook. Also, one of his new favorite things to do is play hide & seek. He's getting pretty good at it too!
Easton (aka, Peanut, Nutty, Nut) is also such a happy little boy. He is my very big boy! E was 6 months on Christmas Eve. He is almost 21 lbs and just shy of 29 inches tall! He already has such a great sense of humor. Not nearly as reserved as Gray. He is very sweet, curious, very aware & alert and very vocal. he LOVES kisses! He is a very funny kid & I know he will continue to entertain us for years to come. I knew since he was 2 days old he had a spark in his eye. He already LOVES animals and adores his big brother. He does get a little stranger shy, but that's ok. Easton is also starting occupational therapy due to feeding issues he has had since birth. He has dealt with a lot in his life so far (both boys have; health wise) but he is also improving. Since he was born he has had problems coordinating his swallowing/breathing which causes him to aspirate (breathe in the formula from his bottle) which can cause pneumonia and causes him to choke a lot. So we have had him to pediatric gastroenteroligists (GI), ear,nose & throat (ENT) doctors, feeding specialists, speech therapists & a couple pediatricians. He also has acid reflux which not only compounds the problems but also contributes to frequent ear infections. He is on meds for his reflux & i think we are starting to get a handle on his feeding issues. As he progresses with his OT, his feeding should continue to improve. He started solids in the last month and at first was very difficult for him. He has improved greatly & we have moved up to the next stage of baby foods. We have also just recently started sleep training him as he has still been waking up a couple times at night wanting to eat. So after 6 months of this, we are over it! Come on E, get with the program!! It isn't as bad as it was with Gray but we aren't home free yet either.
Both boys will be starting Kindermusik the end of January. Gray has taken music class for about a year now but this will be Easton's first class. Gray really loves it & I am hoping Easton will too. They are in different classes so it allows me some undivided fun time with each of them individually. The classes are held at a church a few minutes away (tho they are not religious in nature) and they offer child care. So while i am in class with one, they have someone watching the other one in the nursery. I am hoping it will work out as well as it sounds and am looking forward to starting the classes again.
Work is slow for Ryan right now but we are expecting it to pick up again the middle of February when we have our annual home show. It usually gets us some work. Ryan has been looking at other career options (as he does every year when we get slow & it stresses him out :-)) We pay a ton for health insurance being self employed and are tied to the business at all times. We are grateful for the flexibility it allows us & that it has allowed me to be at home with the boys full time but are considering being employed by someone else may lessen some of our biggest expenses (insurance & taxes, namely). But we will see where that path takes us. I am also planning on heading back to work once things are stable with both boys therapy. I think it may just be part time at first. Again, we will see.
Hope everyone is well & i am off to get some sleep, while I can.
I have been meaning to do this for quite some time but i figured the start of a new year was as good a time as any. I am creating a blog to keep everyone up to date with what is going on in the Smith house. I will try to post as often as possible.
We had a WONDERFUL Christmas, tho as always, it went too fast. We were blessed in that, all 4 of our parents were able to be here with us & the boys for Christmas. It took us literally ALL DAY to open presents on Christmas day, working in "rounds" between meals & naps. We were so grateful that my mom was able to come out and spend a week with us. Her & the boys had a great time together!
My dad moved out here last May and lives about 10 minutes away. It is so great having him so close. He unfortunately got laid off in June from the job that brought him out here & has been out of work since. The silver lining is that he has been able to spend a lot of time with us & the boys. He has spent a lot of time w/ Easton, in particular, since they had a regular date once a week when Gray had his music class. So Grampy & Easton are buds. Its awesome!!
I will start with Grayson (aka, Buggaboo, Bugga, Bug, Beega, Beeg). Gray turned 2 at the end of November and is doing great! He is still a very sweet, sensitive, affectionate, happy little boy. The only words he is saying consistently so far are "up" & "yep" but he definitely lets you know what he wants/needs in other ways. He started speech & occupational therapy this past August and really likes both his therapists. The speech therapy is going much slower than his occupational therapy (OT). The OT was because has had a developmental delay in his fine motor skills (self feeding, using crayons, etc) but he has gotten much better with that & we have actually decreased the frequency of his OT. His speech therapist & I are concerned that he may have a condition called Apraxia (or childhood speech apraxia). Which is similar to what stroke victims deal with in that, they know what they want to say but their brains and mouths can't communicate correctly & they can't form the sounds. The child feels like "my mouth won't work!". It is very frustrating for him (& us) but hopefully since we got him started with therapy early, we can get it taken care of sooner rather than later. Some kids unfortunately take years. We are getting an evaluation done at the end of the month by a doctor at Children's Hospital who's supposed to be the best. So we'll see what he says.
He is a typical boy in that he LOVES vehicles but mostly, tractors & motorcycles. He is tall & skinny, he is 36 inches tall (which is like 95th percentile for his age) and 30 lbs which is right about average. He still isn't crazy about his brother but I am hoping that will change over time. :-) He does help out a little with him, picking up his toys that he dropped and giving them back to him (unless he decides he wants to play with it). He loves being around other kids. He is content most of the time to sit back and watch the action; people watch. He loves music & dancing and just your run of the mill roughhousing & tickling (he's extremely ticklish). He also likes to help with some of the chores around the house, he likes to feed the dog, load & unload the dishwasher, mop the floors & is starting to take an interest in helping me cook. Also, one of his new favorite things to do is play hide & seek. He's getting pretty good at it too!
Easton (aka, Peanut, Nutty, Nut) is also such a happy little boy. He is my very big boy! E was 6 months on Christmas Eve. He is almost 21 lbs and just shy of 29 inches tall! He already has such a great sense of humor. Not nearly as reserved as Gray. He is very sweet, curious, very aware & alert and very vocal. he LOVES kisses! He is a very funny kid & I know he will continue to entertain us for years to come. I knew since he was 2 days old he had a spark in his eye. He already LOVES animals and adores his big brother. He does get a little stranger shy, but that's ok. Easton is also starting occupational therapy due to feeding issues he has had since birth. He has dealt with a lot in his life so far (both boys have; health wise) but he is also improving. Since he was born he has had problems coordinating his swallowing/breathing which causes him to aspirate (breathe in the formula from his bottle) which can cause pneumonia and causes him to choke a lot. So we have had him to pediatric gastroenteroligists (GI), ear,nose & throat (ENT) doctors, feeding specialists, speech therapists & a couple pediatricians. He also has acid reflux which not only compounds the problems but also contributes to frequent ear infections. He is on meds for his reflux & i think we are starting to get a handle on his feeding issues. As he progresses with his OT, his feeding should continue to improve. He started solids in the last month and at first was very difficult for him. He has improved greatly & we have moved up to the next stage of baby foods. We have also just recently started sleep training him as he has still been waking up a couple times at night wanting to eat. So after 6 months of this, we are over it! Come on E, get with the program!! It isn't as bad as it was with Gray but we aren't home free yet either.
Both boys will be starting Kindermusik the end of January. Gray has taken music class for about a year now but this will be Easton's first class. Gray really loves it & I am hoping Easton will too. They are in different classes so it allows me some undivided fun time with each of them individually. The classes are held at a church a few minutes away (tho they are not religious in nature) and they offer child care. So while i am in class with one, they have someone watching the other one in the nursery. I am hoping it will work out as well as it sounds and am looking forward to starting the classes again.
Work is slow for Ryan right now but we are expecting it to pick up again the middle of February when we have our annual home show. It usually gets us some work. Ryan has been looking at other career options (as he does every year when we get slow & it stresses him out :-)) We pay a ton for health insurance being self employed and are tied to the business at all times. We are grateful for the flexibility it allows us & that it has allowed me to be at home with the boys full time but are considering being employed by someone else may lessen some of our biggest expenses (insurance & taxes, namely). But we will see where that path takes us. I am also planning on heading back to work once things are stable with both boys therapy. I think it may just be part time at first. Again, we will see.
Hope everyone is well & i am off to get some sleep, while I can.
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