January

I feel like there's not much to update, but here's what I CAN think of!

Jackson: Jack is now 7 1/2 months old...he still does not roll over, and he isn't interested in trying to crawl. He DOES however, LOVE to stand and all I keep thinking about is how Audrey started walking at 9 1/2 months! EEK! He is trying to pull up on his crib and toy basket and constantly wants me to hold his hands so that he can stand. He gets all giggly and starts bouncing, but is still kind of unstable and that is fine with me! :) He still only has two teeth, on the bottom, likes to squeal and make noise, but isn't saying anything yet. I still can't tell what color his hair is going to be...or his eyes for that matter! His hair looks blond in one light, and almost strawberry in another. His eyes are blue on the outer ring and brown on the inner. Who knows who he will end up looking like?!? Cute though...definitely cute!

Audrey: We have decided to quit...ok I decided to pull her from competing gymnastics. She's not thrilled about it, but I wasn't thrilled paying an arm and a leg for her to BEGIN learning all-around gymnastics. I am going to talk to the coach and see if she can just take one class/week instead of 6 hours/week and then get her and Shelby into swimming lessons. Pool time will be here before we know it! She is doing really well in school...her teacher's comments are things like "Audrey is working on giving her friends a chance to answer questions...and Audrey likes to help her friends when she is finished with her work...". We sometimes think she might need a little medicine too though with her non-stop talking and movement! :)

Shelby: Shelby is such a good kid...she is going through a lot of changes at school right now with the IEP we just put in place and she seems to be handling it all like a trooper! She is going to be having a few extra tests in the near future for something called Central Auditory Processing Disorder. The evaluators that worked on her IEP thought it might be a piece to the puzzle, and if so I think it's a BIG piece. It means she hears you, but can't process what you are saying. This disorder overlaps a lot with ADHD and looks similar, but auditory testing will prove whether this is affecting her or not. She still loves school and loves to help take care of Jackson! I think I am almost ready to teach her to change his diaper, but soon he will be able to get away from her so maybe not! :)

So I think that's about it for us this month! I kind of like when there's not a lot to tell...Calm is good!

The kiddos...

Jack went to the doctor today for his 6 month checkup and shots...yuck! Being the bad mom that I am, I forgot to take his binkie in to the office. He actually did really well with the shots and didn't cry too much until the soreness started to set in to those thunderthighs! He was 18.7 lbs which I didn't think was too bad! :) Both of those bottom teeth are fully through now thank goodness, hopefully now the runny nose will go away!

We had a meeting yesterday with Shelby's IEP team at school. For those of you that don't know, an IEP is an individualized education plan through Special School District. I asked for an SSD evaluation back in October because even though she is on medication for her ADHD, she is still really stuggling in her schoolwork. She did qualify for assistance through SSD which will be really helpful...but they also are going to take a look at something else that might be slowing her down. The screener seemed to think she might have a central auditory processing disorder (deficit?) and that might be what is causing many of her educational problems. I still have a lot to learn about it, but the counselor did give us a few papers with info and tips. Reading over it I found myself saying "yep" and "see...I told you it was something else" a lot! I am not excited for my beautiful, talented daughter to have another diagnosis, but I am intrigued as to why it has taken us this long to discover this as a possibility and how it may help her now that we have discovered it! Stay tuned for more updates on her progress!!

Audrey...well Audrey never ceases to crack me up! This evening she gave me part of a cookie she got at school during their holiday party. I was shocked that a parent paid to have Cookies by Design cookies made with their names and all. They had them for Halloween also and are delicious! I told her that the next time she got one she couldn't eat any of because I wanted to eat it all! She stated in a funny voice, "It's okay...I'm sure I'll get one for Easter...and I'll get two." She asked me how Jack did with his shots today. She can be a very caring person...and then manipulative and cunning all at the same time...I hope the next 11 years are kind to us, or at least she is! :)

Funny story and then I HAVE to go to bed...I was cleaning house last night and was wiping down the kitchen table. We have an Advent calendar on the table that has doors and holds candy inside. I decided to take a peek through the rest of the month because Audrey had 4 candies after dinner and I was confused. Not anymore! She must have been behind and was catching up to her sister...who has already eaten her candy all the way to Christmas Day! I questioned Shelby about it this evening and her only response was..."How did you know?!?"

Time...

I can't believe Jackson is already 6 months old. It really does seem like yesterday that we brought him home. I asked Shelby this evening if she even remembered how little he was when he was born and she said no. I remember exactly how tiny he felt when I picked him up...I miss that. But now we are heading into the last half of his first year and I want it all to slow down! He already has his two bottom teeth, they came in this last weekend. He is STILL not rolling over but is starting to at least become more active while playing. He LOVES his bath. I wish I could get a video of bathtime to post but everytime I try to video him or even take his picture, he freezes! No joke! It is the craziest thing. He stops laughing, playing, everything...it is really funny. His 6 month check up is this Wednesday so I will post stats as soon as I get them...too big...too fast!

The girls are both fantastic. Soccer is over for the season and now they are down to one activity each. Shelby is bringing her violin home for two nights every week and is showing us the songs she learns at school. I am glad she is interested in music...I think it is a good outlet for her.

Audrey is busy with gymnastics. Her first meet is coming up soon and should be interesting! She just got her aerial cartwheel tonight (no hands) which is awesome. Many of the older girls can't do one and she is only one of two in her level than can do one. She was pretty proud of herself! I will put up info for the meet as soon as I know more. I'm sure she would enjoy a few extra friends/family cheering her on! :)

The fun we've had...

So since August we have been pretty busy...school started (yay!), Audrey has started gymnastics, and they both are in soccer right now. Shelby has another activity going on but right now we don't have the joy of participating. She is learning to play the violin and they have not been able to bring their violins home just yet. I wonder how much it would cost to make that continue for a little while longer?!? Just kdding! I tortured my mom with the saxophone and clarinet for a while...we can handle it! Here are a few photos of what we have been up to for the past couple of months.

Two of the Fairy Doors in Downtown Ann Arbor, MI.

Roy and Nancy with 3 of the 4 grandkids...Jack was home in St. Louis with me.

And it's here...

I can't believe it's the beginning of another school year already! Shelby will be in the third grade this year and Audrey is heading into the first. They are both REALLY excited and have already made me purchase their supplies, clothes, and new high top tennis shoes. It was hilarious picking them out because Audrey kept telling me I didn't know anything about high tops, since I had never worn them before. Does she think they JUST came out with this new concept of bringing the shoe up a little higher on the ankle yesterday?? When I had informed her that yes I had worn them in the past she was amazed! Kids are so funny sometimes...

The girls and Jamie just got back from Michigan this past Monday. They went to visit Jamie's dad and step mom. Everyone seemed to have a good time swimming in the lake, looking for Fairy Doors (pictures to follow), shopping, etc. Audrey was more glad than anyone to come home since she can't stand to be away from her momma for too long. When I had Jackson she even asked if she could stay in the hospital with me!

Other than that, not a lot going on here. Jackson's last weight at the doctor was 10 lbs and 12 ounces. That's a 4 pound weight gain from when he left the hospital 6 weeks prior! He isn't smiling yet or being very active, which worried me at first. Then I remembered...he's really only a 3 week old baby if you look at it since he was one month early! He's fine and I am sure it will all start to kick in very soon.

So Jackson had to come into the world with a bang...he couldn't let his sisters out do him, right?? I had been contracting all night at work and went home to shower, shave my legs, you know...get gussied up for the doctor. I called the doctor on my way home and told him that my contractions were 5 minutes apart and that I would be right back to the hospital. When I got there, they hooked me up to the monitors and we find that I am now contracting every 2-3 minutes. My mom starts giggling as I am having to breathe through these contractions and tells me that I have always wanted to experience labor, right?!? They check me and call the doc to tell him that I am NOT dilated, but that I am in an extreme amount of pain. He gives me the option to go ahead with the delivery or try and stop it since I am preterm. I was not yet 36 weeks. I said GO...get this over with...I am DONE being pregnant! They move me to get my epidural placed and call the doctor to let him know that we are ready. Jamie arrives...having missed all the fabulous pain, breathing, moaning...just in time to get dressed for the OR. My mom and Jamie both get to go to the back this time, which I am excited about since my mom has not seen any of her other grandchildren be born. Then in comes Chaney, my fab nurse!, and wants to know what is going on because Jack is having decelerations of his heart rate. They turn me to my side and decide to start moving to the OR. We get to the back and hook Jack up one more time to check his heart rate...56! Not good since there should at least be a 1 in front of that number!! Dr. P and Dr. DR move quickly to get him out and hand him off to the NICU staff. APGARS were 5 and 7...not too bad for a little guy one month early and a heart rate of 56 about 5 minutes prior! The NICU staff take him to their nursery and Jamie and my mom follow. All in all...he did great only spending a day and a half in the NICU and getting to come home with me 4 days later. Thanks to Dr. P and Dr. DR...Kris P and Chaney...Jamie K and Dr.O'Neill we have a beautiful addition to our family and couldn't be happier!!