Visits with Hannah (and Julie and Marion) and Nonnie!

We've had some fun visits recently. Last weekend, we got to meet adorable little Hannah. She (or "he" as her sleep-deprived mommy referred to her a few times) is an absolute doll. And it was immediately apparent what a WONDERFUL mommy Julie has become...such a natural/nurturing pro. It was so fun to see her in this glowing new role :)

And today we had a fun visit with Nonnie. She and Kyle took a walk, and then both kids enjoyed being pushed on the swings. Such a nice day out there today...hopefully we have a few more before winter sets in!

Moore State Park Photo Shoot

One of my childhood friend's husband is starting a side photography business. And to get started, he was doing sessions at Moore State Park last Sunday. It was a gorgeous day and such a beautiful park! Here are some pictures from the shoot...

Officially Walking!

So as of 11/11/11, Luke is officially walking! It's funny because right before I left for my audit yesterday, I said to my Mom "I guess you'd say he's walking, although it's not yet his default mode of getting around". Well he decided to prove me wrong because he went from taking a few steps on command to walking all over ALL the time. And he's very proud of himself, which sometimes causes him to lose his balance because he's too interested in looking around to make sure that he has an engaged/impressed audience :) Walking is such a fun milestone, because it really changes his whole presence and makes him seem like a little toddler, not a baby :) :(

Beach Day!

The boys and I had lots of fun surprising Nonnie with an afternoon at the beach on this GORGEOUS day! I wasn't actually a surprise...I had fibbed that I was visiting a supplier near Kennebunkport, and asked Nonnie if she wanted to go for a beach walk afterward. And fortunately she did! So I stopped at her house to pick her up at the agreed upon time, and she got in the car, completely unsuspecting. And the boys were actually quiet for another 30 seconds or so before she discovered them!

Kyle liked walking down (way down, because it was low tide) to see the "huge water" (a.k.a the ocean) with Nonnie. And he had fun filling his pail with rocks and chasing the seagulls (or ducks, as he first called them). And Luke just liked everything sand! Rolling in it, rubbing it around, digging in it, eating it...you name it. He definitely didn't have that initial weirdness that some kids have with the feeling of sand...he LOVED it!! And his diaper should be interesting tomorrow because he definitely consumed a lot of it...

We had so much fun and look forward to doing it again in the spring. And I was so happy that Nonnie, a "Mainer", got to witness the kids' first ocean beach experience. And I love that it was right in Jared's beautiful old stomping grounds.

PS: I included the photo of me and the boys for a good chuckle...Kyle looking like he's about to punch me and Luke crying for about the only 30 seconds he's cried this week :)

PPS: If you notice that Luke seems to be holding a crumpled plastic cup that looks like trash, it's not. I actually brought a few of those little cups for them to dig with. But in looking through the pictures, it looks like he found a yucky old cup in the sand, so I thought I'd clarify :)

Halloween, Feeding Clinic, and 1st Haircut...

Elmo and Cookie Monster had a good White Halloween on "Lower Lowell", trick-or-treating with their horse and moose cousins. Pooks had fun riding in the wagon, knocking around his pumpkin and sucking on candy wrappers. And Kyle liked the concept of going up to the door and getting candy (and would say "trick or treat" if prompted, but usually after the fact). He said he wanted to eat the candy after the first house, but I told him that he'd have to wait until afterward. And then he didn't ask for it when we got home so I didn't give him any...why give a 3 year old candy if he isn't asking for it, right?!

And the UMASS feeding clinic had a cancellation today, so I took Luke a few weeks earlier than scheduled. Nothing noteworthy to report. They say he's growing well and getting the right nutrition (albeit largely through baby food and formula powder!). And after observing him eat/drink, the team didn't see any concerning red flags that would indicate a more serious issue. They did of course see how delayed he is in his chewing/swallowing abilities but felt it's somewhat within the realm of normal and will just take some work to get him caught up. But they feel he definitely has potential as an eater :)

So basically they said to keep battling forward with the finger foods and recommended stimulating his mouth (with some sort of vibrating thing) before each meal to wake up the muscles/senses a little. After all, life would just be WAY too easy if he could just put food in his mouth, chew and swallow without all this work/intervention! I also felt good because they completely agreed with me about passing on the barium swallow test, feeling it was unnecessary. The issue seems to be more with his tongue and facial tone, not with his swallowing.

And after his appointment this afternoon, I took him for his first haircut! I had trimmed his bangs a little before, but he was starting to get more straggly-looking than I thought I could remedy, so it was time. And what better time than when I was out with just him anyway. And despite having essentially not napped today (except for about 10 minutes this morning before I had to wake him up to get Kyle from school, and then another 10 minutes or so in the car on the way to his haircut), he did great! A bit confused but overall happy and accommodating with no fussing. Just when I thought he couldn't get any cuter, I think he just did :)