Reminders

This week I had a few wonderful conversations about how far the babies have come... in particular how far Samuel has come in the weeks he has been home. Of course I am thrilled that everyone is home and doing well, but seeing the three of them together does remind me of all that Samuel still needs to learn. The great news is that we can even begin to think about this!

I know that sounds bizarre, but before the last few weeks our concerns for Samuel were almost entirely on him breathing... on him living. Now, while we certainly have quite a road ahead, we are more confident in his medical state and have started to focus on some relatively normal baby concerns like learning to eat, developing protective responses in order to sit independently, and getting more tummy time! I suppose they're not normal concerns for an almost 17-month old, but what does "normal" mean anyway :)

I do spend moments every now and then wondering if we are progressing, and at an acceptable rate. My conversations, and reassurances this week were so perfectly timed :) From people who have played with Samuel, worked with him, even simply visited with him, I hear how amazed they are at the progress he is making. The examples are the proof in the pudding... from tiring out after 15-minutes of assisted sitting to weeks later sitting for 3 and 4 times that long and with only a safety net for tipping over... from mimicking smiles to mimicking just about everything... from vent 24/7 to trache collar stints and no extra oxygen trials... the list goes on, and I LOVE IT!

Our cutie-patooties :)

George has gone from loving to be pushed around by his sister and parents... to demanding it! The boy will sit, or stand, in the Radio Flyer forever waiting for someone to come back and give him a ride. If enough time goes by, he starts singing to attract attention :)

Minutes later...
Yes George, I see you and I see how cute you are...

Even more minutes later...

Yes George, I still see you :) DB, George is ready for some turbo!

George isn't the only one who loves the Radio Flyer! I'm not quite sure if Olivia was trying to share the toy, or kick George out so she could get a ride. Judging from the mischievous smile, I'm guessing it's the latter :)

No passenger means Olivia can forget the walking and run!

George, can you give Samuel a kiss?

This is what you get when you ask the question... from across the room George's face pops up, looks for Samuel, and he starts crawling. If he doesn't get too distracted, minutes later George is by Samuel's side :)

No story here... I just think she's beautiful :)

No better place to take a rest then with dad :)

Samuel's original seat at the table :) Since this was taken he has a highchair... but I think he might actually miss the bumbo. Too bad he would start laughing at his siblings and almost rock the bumbo right off the bench! No more bumbo for dinner time.

Guilty much? I wonder if she's hoping I don't notice that she's been playing with the suction machine tubing or the fact that she has a saline bullet in her mouth :)

Boys and their toys...

... I could watch them play together all day :)

Pretty sure those dimples are getting cuter by the day!