9 Months

Declan is 9 months old today!

What is going on with him...

-1 bottom tooth...thought there were 2...oops

-Eating like a mad man. Loves puffs and fresh fruit in the teether. LOVES yogurt!

-Army crawling...he gets up on all fours and rocks, but goes into the army crawl

-Sitting up from lying down on his own

-Loves books to be read to him...this is now part of our nightly routine (He did NOT get that from me) This is now my favorite part of the day with him :-)

-Loves Peek-A-Boo

-Thinks making his own raspberry sounds is hilarious

He is still hating therapy at home and at Scottish Rite, but he is making progress every time we go! The stretches are getting harder because he is so mobile. He is stronger, but needs to build endurance. Our PT wants to try kinesio tape on his neck to see if that will help prompt him from tilting his head independently. Remember the summer Olympics and the volleyball players with the tape all over them? That was kinesio tape. It has many different uses, but in his case it will help train and strengthen his neck muscles. It is on his back now to make sure that he does not have any allergic reactions. She will then try it next week. We are hoping this works, because if it doesn't she did mention the neck brace. This is the LAST resort, so we are going to try the tape and continue exercises at home an still attend PT for an hour weekly. Pray that this works or our little guys. I do not love the idea of the brace, but will do whatever we have to to help Declan. We go to the eye doctor next week, so we will see where he is with his tracking and if this has affected his vision at all. So...that is where we are with physical therapy.

My mom is keeping him one day a week and he is loving the quality time with her and getting to see my dad before he heads off to work in the morning!

He is still the world's happiest baby and makes me smile and laugh. Never knew I could love someone or something so much.

Looking into daycare (next school year), trying to find a house, wrapping up the school year, and preparing for ESY=STRESS! Please bare with me if I am a little bit moody these days. I have a lot on my plate...but I can handle it :-)

Mother's Day Weekend

So happy to be this little boy's mother!!!

MUAH!!!

War Eagle, mom!!!

Get away paprazzi! I am trying to eat!

Loves the mesh teether with fresh fruit, frozen fruit or ice!!!

Hanging with dad. Notice the shaker?! Training him early :-)

The WORLD'S greatest dad and grandfather hanging with Gavin!

My boys!

The moms and their babies...don't forget about baby "C" hiding behind Kara!

Laying on Cyn Cyn

The most amazing mother and grandmother on the planet!!!

Army crawling all over the place!

Peek-a-Boo!

I had a very nice, first Mother's Day. We celebrated with my mom and sister and family on Saturday at my parent's house. It was so nice to have all of us together. On Sunday, Jason and Declan took me to my favorite mexican restaurant for brunch. I am so happy to finally be a mom. It is the hardest job I have evere had, but definitely the most rewarding. I am so thankful to have my mom and sister as role models! They are amazing moms! Of course my mom is the WORLD'S BEST mom :-) Thank you mom for all you have done and continue to do for me and my family! You are my best friend and I love you more than this world!

So Very Proud

So sweet!

Debbie reminding him to "be good."

Declan and Maw Maw

So very proud of this boy, I think he was pretty proud too!

Most of you know how important my students are to me...in fact when I tell you that I love them like they are my own...I am not just saying it. I truly mean it. I was invited to one of my student's first communion today. Debbie, Declan, and I went this morning to see him and to be a part of his big day. I cannot go into detail about this child, due to privacy and teachers getting sued for anything and everything these days, but this was a really BIG deal for him. Watching him today definitely brought Debbie and I to tears. I could not have been more proud of my B! He has worked so hard this year and I have seen so many wonderful changes in him. It was such a wonderful ceremony! I had to take Declan out a couple of times...no not for crying...he was belly laughing at Debbie! I can't take those two anywhere! He ADORES her and thought she was BEST. He loves his Maw Maw (and so do I)!

Sitting Up

I went in to get Declan this morning and he was sitting up! So cute! Looks like Jason will have to lower the mattress this week. We had therapy today (still making progress and still crying through his sessions) and he was exhausted when we got home. He ate, we read a story and then I put him down. I heard a lot of racket...yep, the little guy was sitting up playing with his fish tank. I found myself watching him play for a little bit until he laid down. I am loving watching him hit these milestones, but at the same time I find myself wanting to hit the "pause" button on life.

If I want advice...I will ask for it...promise

It amazes me how so many people with children think that they are THE expert on parenting and give you advice or suggestions when you don't ask for it. What makes them a "better" or more "experienced" parent than you? Is there a class or test that someone has not told me about that you can take to become a "highly qualified" parent because there is for teachers? Do not get me wrong...I am brand new to this parenting thing and have so much to learn. I am also not afraid to ASK for advice, but please DO NOT give it to me unless I ask for it. I want to experience parenting to the fullest and learn from my own mistakes and make decisions for my child (with the help of his father) that we think are in his best interst until he is capable of making them on his own. Just in case you are worried...I do read and research, talk to my friends and coworkers that are parents, my family, and my pediatrician if I want or need advice. These are all people that I respect, trust, and value their opinion. Will I always take the advice? Maybe not, but often times I do. Oh yeah...and I also know to call 911 in case of emergency. I would NEVER put my child in danger...ever! So while you are worried about MY parenting and what decisions I am making for MY child, please worry about your own child(ren) and try not to focus so much on the choices I am making. It is a hard job to be everyone's social conscience...so Good Luck with that and your crusade to change the world.

:-)

Declan and Dad!

Love this one :-)

I got a stick...

and a leaf!!!

Yeah..they look exactly alike...

Facing Forward!

We are now doing the mohawk daily so he doesn't have his combover due :-)

I've got the kitty!

I love sitting at the high top!

We got Declan's full written evaluation in the mail today. Wow...it was very in depth. It was very detailed and reminded me very much of a report or an IEP I would write for one of my students. Lots of numbers, his strengths, weaknesses, and the objectives he has to master to reach his goal. Very interesting to see a report on your own child when you are used to writing them for other children. It looked good though. Gold star from me :-) It was noted that we were the ones that noticed the torticollis and not the pediatrician (who was also mailed a copy). It stated that there was some head flattening and that he does have mild plagio (which they did not tell us at the eval) and moderate torticollis. Mild, moderate, and severe...words that surround me in my profession. We are looking at 6 months of physical therapy. You can do it, Declan (and Aunt Staci...and us)!

We had a nice weekend as usual. Jason is home and I could not be happier. No more traveling...for now. Just because I put that in writing, he will probably pick up a job in Alaska tomorrow. Anyway...it is so nice to have him here to help with the little things and just to have his company. It is so much easier with two people!!! Declan is pretty happy to have his dad home too :-)

Oh yeah...updates...duh!

Declan has 2 teeth coming in and is rocking on all fours. We are going to have a steak eater and crawler before we know it! His carseat is forward facing now too since the chunkster is over 20lbs. I love the age of 8 months! It just keeps getting better :-)

Week 1 of Physical Therapy

Declan had his first weekly PT session today and there is good news to report! He is already making progress! That's our boy! He has not been loving the exercises that we have to do with him. One, it doesn't feel that great and two, it just annoys him. We met our PT, Kim, and she will be his therapist weekly. I loved her and of course she fell in love with Declan immediately! Anyway, she said the stretches we have been doing are working! She can tell that he is able to turn his head further and the muscles are stretching! Great news for D baby! She did give us a few new exercises to do at home, so we will start the new ones tomorrow. I have to thank my sister again, because she is pretty much doing all of the stretches with him. I do them once before bed and she does the others throughout the day. I know it is hard on her to do them, but he would not be progressing if it wasn't for her. So, thank you Aunt Staci!!!

Declan is finally getting his first tooth on top of everything else so it has been kind of a rough week. They will watch him closely as he hits these milestones to make sure that he does not regress. He will try to lean an tilt more when he is in pain or if there is a change because that is comforting to him.

I took some pictures of him today. You are not "supposed" to, but I had to snap a few. I am so proud of our little boy!