Three quarters of a year

It's true, baby Jake just turned 9 months old!!! How is this possible?!??! This is crazy for a couple reasons: my sweet baby boy entered our lives 9 months ago, how has that time gone by so fast?! Didn't I just write his 8 month update like 5 minutes ago? Also, I only have 3 months to get his birthday party together...I gotta get to work!! Oh, if only we could pause moments in time and just hold on to them, squeeze them and love them for a few moments longer than they actually last. Well, we sort of can...with a camera. But mine is broken. :( And our backup is broken. And my phone has been really bajiggity lately, so. I digress, this is all about Jake. Our sweet little Jakie-poo.

• As expected, you're in full crawling mode! You are all over the place and pretty quick too. You started out crawling with your feet tucked under your butt as you moved, but it didn't take long to get that full stride in. Every once in awhile you crawl like Will did- using one foot for leverage.
• Transitioning from prone to sitting- you can't quite do a sit up yet so you usually roll over then transition to your bottom
• You've been pulling up to your knees, especially at the busy zoo
• Then on Father's Day, pulled up on the couch! Now you pull up all over the place- your bed, under the table and on the activity table Maggie got for her first birthday. You haven't started cruising yet, but my guess is it won't be too long. You're growing so fast!!
• You stand on your tip toes sometimes
• Pincer mode is on now, so you've added puffs to your list of finger foods and love them
• I officially have you down to four meals a day- three revolve around everyone else's meals, then an additional milk feeding. Plus snacking plenty :)
• You still love to rock back and forth, it's so cute. Especially now that you're standing with support, it looks like you're dancing. Just precious
• I love your interaction with toys...it's like you're playing with them already. While holding action figures, you'll converse with them and fly them around, it's really sweet. You must be paying attention to big brother. :)

We took these with Daniel's phone and since then I've borrowed a camera from my parents. I was going crazy without one! A whole 3 or 4 days.

Jakers,
Mommy loves you! And boy is your personality coming through...you are a funny little dude. You will hold an item and talk to it, well mostly yell, as if to tell it to do something. Like the other night you found an empty Puffs container (I'm kind of a container hoarder lately) and you moved all around the room with it, kicking it, dropping it, picking it back up all while yelling at it. I'm pretty sure you were saying, "get in my belly!!" You also love to babble and seem to think "mama" communicates all things. It's like the most basic word. Duh. Mama. I love you, sweetums!! I'm so glad God made me your mommy!

My birthday

I'll save you the suspense and tell you up front that this post is not nearly as dramatic as last year's. Though more than once, one time I may have said something along the lines of, "the only thing worse than turning 30 is turning 31, because then you're in your 30's! And there's no fuss made about it." But really just that once. 'Cause I'm not dramatic at all.
Seriously, though, I had a nice birthday. Daniel bought me some really cute items for my craft room, the kids gave me a couple really cute cards and my mom got off work early and treated me to a birthday lunch. I also received several cards in the mail from family and friends, some with checks in them :), craft room here I come! Daniel came home early and took us all to dinner then we had ice cream cake! I don't think my kids have ever been so excited about cake. Don't get me wrong, they love the sugar, but ice cream and cake in one?!!!? BOOM! Their minds were blown! I can't believe this was their first experience with ice cream cake, but their excitement suggested that.

 We didn't have enough candles but Daniel said there was no point getting more because there wouldn't be enough room *ahem* and it doesn't matter like when you're a kid. I'm starting to think he feels sorry for me because I can't blow out all the candles on the cake.

Then we got together with my siblings and parents-- as we usually do for everyone's birthday-- for dinner, plus my Aunt Patti re-located to TN a few days prior and made an appearance! Here I received a movie, a couple gift cards, some cash and comfy pj shorts. I'm very blessed to have celebrated another birthday surrounded by so many loved ones! 

Father's Day

Daniel,
I'm not sure what I can write to you that I haven't already said/typed before. But each year I love you more and gradually find myself more grateful for your presence in my and our children's lives. This is your first Father's Day to celebrate as a father of three and I think you're 3 times the father today as you were when we started this parenting adventure and subsequently your first Father's Day. Can you believe this is your 6th one? You are the spiritual leader in our home and I'm so thankful you take that role seriously and give it all you have. I both admire and respect your ability to be consistent with discipline and yet you're still usually the "fun" one. I definitely cannot rough house the way you do! And you're so good at explaining things- big and little- but very often things I haven't even thought about since 3rd grade. Our children are very fortunate to have you as their daddy. Thank you for being a daddy, a father, a man. I'm also grateful for the men God put in your life who have helped shape and mold you into the man and father you are today. I love you and so do our littles. Happy Father's Day!!!

My Dad
His name is Bill, though he's technically a William, just like our Will. My dad's love language- at least the way he shows it is definitely acts of service. He's always willing to lend a helping hand. Like when we first moved into our B'ham house, he hung all our blinds while Daniel was at work one day. And when I was in high school I had to make chili for a cook-off in my Spanish class (weird, I know) but I didn't know how so he made it for me. He, along with my mom, helped with lots of projects around our house in B'ham- almost every time they came they worked on something. Dad almost always cleaned my stove and my sink, in fact it reached a point where I didn't even bother if I knew he was coming. Sorry, dad, but you know it's true. :) Thanks, dad, for all you do. Happy Father's Day!!

Maggie Update

It's been awhile since I've posted anything about Maggie's progress and therapy schedule. The Tennessee Early Intervention System contracts agencies to send therapists out to family's homes. A developmental therapist, called a teacher, works on everything from social to physical on children with a variety of disabilities. Kellie comes to our house once a week and every time I tell Maggie Ms. Kellie is coming, she says "play!" It's so cute.

They work on sitting, a little standing and some speech all while interacting and playing with toys. Very similar to when our B'ham therapists would come out to the house- have Maggie sit while stacking blocks or unzipping a bag or pointing to animals on the iPad. And oh my word, does Maggie love the iPad! One of the first things Kellie said at our first session (would've been back in January, I believe) was that she was not expecting Maggie to be as bright and mobile. She's never worked with a child with CP like Maggie. And there's one game they recently played on the iPad she told me none of her other kids can do. She always talks about how smart and determined Maggie is, it's very encouraging, just like in B'ham.

Keeping her right hand open while using her left pointer. She's been sitting well on her bottom lately- I think I've finally got her back to a point where she doesn't argue with me every time I have her tailor sit (she loves that "w" sit). A proper sit is better for proper posture; look how well she's standing below, and that's without her AFO's!

To see Speech, Occupational and Physical Therapists we have to go somewhere, similar to our outpatient experience in B'ham. We go to Lyttle Fox Therapy and love it! Maggie enjoys going and I'm continually amazed at how much stamina, focus and work ethic she has. She gets PT and OT twice a week and speech once. This is in addition to the weekly home visit. And she's making some great progress; I can see more trunk strength and her fine and gross motor skills continue to improve.  Her speech has probably seen the greatest improvement, she is certainly determined to be heard! She's getting great at 3-4 words sentences, her individual syllables/sounds are improving and her blends as well. The last several weeks Kellie has been super impressed with how well Maggie is talking. Her SLP says she's doing great, as well. :) I know I had my doubts when we first moved here because change can be scary and I was so impatient to get things going, but I'm really happy with our setup. Maggie is clearly making use of her time! Praise the Lord for therapists who care and love what they do!! I don't think I've taken any pictures there yet (fail) but here's some home shots.

This. Is. Huge. Maggie has been able to drink out of a sippy cup for a long time, but always with straws or in a reclined position. Here she's sitting in her booster seat- which doesn't provide a ton of support- and actually lifting her cup up and drinking! I'm just amazed by my little girl and so proud of her!!

 She pulled up to a stand all by herself and check out those flat feet! 

She starts to lose it a little when she tries to move, but recovers. She can't stand up here for a super long time without support, such as me holding her and/or putting on her AFO's, but she's making it happen.

Will was lying on his belly to color, so Maggie had to as well. I don't know if this means anything motorically but it certainly speaks to her determination. :)

 Love seeing this sweet girl color. It's one of her favorite things. :)

So that's my Moosie girl! I hope to post many more improvements in the near future. Most of all I'm so proud to call this sweet girl my daughter! She has such a sweet disposition....when Will gets in trouble, she starts to cry and often goes to console him. She loves that big brother!!