We have a WALKER!

Sulley is officially walking!  He's such a big boy!  Over the last two weeks he has really taken off & gotten confident in his walking! He still stumbles a bit and hasn't started RUNNING yet, but he is definitely walking all of the time now & prefers walking over crawling!  Huge gain for our little preemie.  So, we will officially say he was walking at 17 months old.

He seems to be right on track with most of his motor skills and is doing really well with hand-eye coordination activities and plays just like a little boy!  He loves to drive cars all over the house & playing catch is one of his favorite games.  Lucas even taught him how to "get ready" by placing his hands open in his lap!  He LOVES water, he enjoys playing in the bath, in the pool, and even at the beach!  The beach is another huge milestone, because sand is one of the textures that he has been really struggling with.  BUT, with shoes on he doesn't seem to mind walking on sand and even without them he enjoyed playing in the sand for at least an hour on Monday this week.  He wouldn't crawl or walk away from where he was sitting, but he did PLAY.  He didn't shut down and was actively involved in his task.

The most impressive gain that he has been making aside from walking is with his communication skills!  He is learning a new sign almost every day right now!  Today he used Thank You for the first time, yesterday he signed "More Drink Please" for Daddy. 

Spoken Words:
Mama, Dada, Bruh Bruh, Go, Up, Working on "Woof" so far he says "Fff", Uh-oh, Yea

Signs:
Diaper, More, Milk, Please, Thank You/ You're Welcome, Drink, Eat, Up, Down, Out, All Done, Yes (nodding head), No (shaking head)

Signs he recognizes:
Help, Yuck, Jump, Bubble, Play

Lucas is an amazing helper and has really been pushing Sulley to use his signs.  He even taught him a couple of the signs all on his own! 

A Month of Toddling

It's been just over a month since Sulley took his first steps.  He has been very slow and timid.  At first he would only take a few steps with a lot of coaching.  He'd walk between Tim and I or around the living room but not much further.

Then, he decided to start walking all sneaky like.  He'd toddle around the kitchen or down the hallway, as long as nobody was paying attention to him.  He braced himself on his legs or holding his belly and each step was very deliberate.

Last week during therapy, Ms. Lindsay gave us a weighted vest to try.  The difference in Sulley's confidence with walking was immediate!  He was willing to take several quick steps and just seemed much more at ease.  I was able to find a weighted compression vest just like the loaner on ebay, so we will be able to keep up with it.  Ms. Lindsay did a sensory processing survey on our boy and he scored "More Than Others" and "Much More than Others" in almost every category.  We aren't sure what exactly that is going to mean for him, if anything. 

So far, Sulley is still definitely just a beginning walker, a toddler, to the definition of the word.  He isn't going to outrun anybody just yet.

He has also had a language explosion since we started using the vest.  His words include mom, dad, brother, dog, go, help, and up. He signs more, milk, all done, and down.  He also shakes his head for no.  I love that he is able to communicate most of his needs so clearly at 17 months old. 

Sulley is Walking!

Because Sulley was a preemie, he has had some delays in his physical skills.  He hasn't been terribly behind, but he has been in Occupational/Physical Therapy through Early Intervention since he was about 9 months old.  We've made a lot of progress with monthly, and then 2x a month visits from his awesome therapist. 

Sulley started sitting unassisted in August 2017, so he was about 7 months old.  It was right around his birthday that he learned to crawl.  He took his first steps on April 19, but wouldn't repeat the act until May 6.  Each time he only took a few steps.  On May 7, during therapy he just took off! He walked across the living room numerous times & even made full turns and continued walking! 

He officially "gets it" that he can walk & is very excited when he does it!  He is still crawling most of the time, but he will be running around behind his brothers in no time!

We are so proud of our big boy!

Trying to Resurrect the Blog

So, I clearly lost my blogging mojo a while back and kind of just let the blog drift into oblivion.  I don't even know if anybody still stumbles across it.  But, I did always enjoy using it as a journaling space and somewhere to keep a record of the fun stuff the kids and I did.  So, now that we are getting the house in order and I have a space where I can sit and type again, I figured I'd give a go at bringing it back to life!   

There's no way to quickly recap the last couple years, so I'll just have to let that be.  Obviously our family has expanded since the last time I posted.  Sulley is the sweetest baby & such a blessing.  I can't imagine our lives without him.  He's our fun and sensitive little red head, so easy going and gentle.  His big brothers adore him. 

Tim is still working as a computer geek and supporting my desire to stay home and homeschool the kids.  I wouldn't change it for the world.  We may not have the biggest house, newest car, or fanciest gadgets but we've got each other and the freedom to enjoy ourselves. 

Lucas is technically in 2nd grade according to the state, but we haven't done any formal "curriculum" with him beyond the "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons" book, which we didn't even finish.  We got through about 70 lessons.  He is amazing at scripture memorization and is finishing up his third year of Awana Sparks.  He will have earned all 3 years worth of books & the full review for the first year book.  We couldn't be more proud of him!  He is reading a little and LOVES math. 

Vinnie is officially a first grader this year, but we technically "held him back" by opting out of kindergarten and starting him in Awanas late.  He is not yet reading.  He recognizes most letters and can count almost to 20.  He's not interested in "school" work yet and we are trying to give him space and not push him.  He's funny & entertaining.  He recently dyed his hair turquoise!  He kept his long locks until Nov. 2016 when I finally relented and let him chop them off.  He's finishing up the first year of Awana Sparks. 

His health is AMAZING.  We've got his allergies mostly under control.  Seasonal stuff is still giving us a fit but he is down to being anaphylactic to ONLY: milk, eggs, peanuts, and bananas!  He has outgrown SO MANY of his allergens.  We took a 2nd trip to National Jewish Health in February of this year.  They were amazing, just like last time!  When I have more time I'll try to write up the details of those trips!

Its been 2 years and 7 months since Dad passed.  Its definitely easier now.  We miss him.  I have a good cry every now and then.  Lucas is in counselling and we will probably put him in a group grief therapy soon.  He and Dad were close and he has some unresolved issues with the end of Dad's life.  No thanks to Vibra, who denied the kids a chance to say goodbye.  It makes me sad when I think that Sulley will never know his Pap. 

That's all I have time for now. Hopefully, I'll be back soon! I've missed my dear old blog!