Happy Birthday post from January to come, so many cute pics to share! For now, I guess I'll just start with an update... and try not to get terribly long winded :)
Since birth order tends to be how I call their names out loud, I'll go with that. Funny since birth order spans all of two minutes :)
Olivia... is my dancing princess! Huge thanks to a gift from a friend, she started dance class back at the end of November and is in heaven. I have to admit, I was a bit worried... she was SO excited and I was just hoping she didn't get my (lack of) rhythm. We're in luck! Plus, I'm not sure I've ever seen her so focused for any other hour of her day :) Her book choices have also almost entirely switched to those about ballerinas, although she still enjoys princess books, too.
Olivia and a few of her classmates at school headed to dance class.
George... is one of the funniest kids I've ever met :) That smile can charm the pants off of anyone. Good thing because he's been a little squirrely lately, his intelligence seems to be maturing faster than his emotions... but a magical fish that he can squeeze anytime he gets frustrated has seemed to reel in any negative side of the squirreliness. He gets adult humor and studies everything with such concentration. Maybe that's why he's such an impressive driver - the Jeeps I posed about back in December are still a favorite and George is an incredible driver!
George during a January beach trip.
Samuel... oh Samuel, where to begin... for the most part, things are GREAT! We have another milestone coming up, but I'm a little nervous to put it in writing, so I guess at the very least I'll have to post again towards the end of March :) Samuel's health is excellent!! This is huge - all of his meds are PRN! He's been on "as needed" status since the end of November... for respiratory meds, too! This is just unbelievable, and thrilling, and unbelievable, and amazing. I'm so proud of my strong boy!
Samuel walking Belle - a new favorite activity... although Scout is actually much better about not dragging my boy into the bushes! Ha!
Since there's more to Samuel than just his health, another few things :) He is also doing really well with all of his therapies and continues to love school. His sense of humor is blossoming as well, and his interests seem to be expanding and his concentration getting a bit longer. Samuel has always loved to be outside, and still does... no matter the weather, the time of day, the location, or even the bugs... if he's outside, he's smiling.
Back to the medical, Samuel also got another diagnosis in January, of Autism. Hmmm, for about two weeks I cried every time I said the word, but haven't done that much since then until now... what is it about putting things in writing that can make them real all over again. We're in full gear trying to learn about Autism and new therapies, finding new therapists, and spending many hours trying to figure out how to pay for it all (ugh, it's the worst!). More on this later, there's much to say, but the bottom line is that while it's difficult to hear a diagnosis, especially one that doesn't have a guaranteed cure, it's great to know there is more to learn and to try to continue to help Samuel develop and continue to grow.
Back to the medical, Samuel also got another diagnosis in January, of Autism. Hmmm, for about two weeks I cried every time I said the word, but haven't done that much since then until now... what is it about putting things in writing that can make them real all over again. We're in full gear trying to learn about Autism and new therapies, finding new therapists, and spending many hours trying to figure out how to pay for it all (ugh, it's the worst!). More on this later, there's much to say, but the bottom line is that while it's difficult to hear a diagnosis, especially one that doesn't have a guaranteed cure, it's great to know there is more to learn and to try to continue to help Samuel develop and continue to grow.
