These Boys... (an Update)

I am so lucky to be able to stay home each day with these two delightful souls. Seriously, they make me so happy and bring a fulfillment to my heart that I'd never known before becoming a mom.

Both boys are making some awesome strides in their growth and development. Since he's the oldest, I'll start with Gus.

We has his IEP meeting (IEP stands for Individual Education Plan and goes hand-in-hand with special education. Basically, it spells out what areas he needs help and how he'll receive services to help him). We met back in May when he first qualified for Fulton County services. School started August 12 and from August 12-October 20, he met all his goals. His teacher called a meeting so we could set more challenging goals for him.

She sent home the proposed IEP and while it was awesome to see how far he's come, it was a little disheartening to see all the areas that he's struggling. Thankfully, we were able to ask questions at the IEP and we learned that Gus is making AWESOME gains and while he does have deficiencies to overcome, his teacher said she doesn't foresee him having any problems eventually overcoming these setbacks. They (his teacher and speech therapist) said he's so awesome and helpful, learning to deal with his impassivity, and his attention-span is getting better. His speech is the big issue, and they're working on helping him with his speech, and we're seeing a lot of improvement at home.

Just last night, Gus delighted us by narrating his favorite story, "Pete the Cat and his Four Groovy Buttons." Here's the video if you're interested:


I can't even put words to how awesome it is to watch this video. I know that not everyone will be able to understand what he's saying. Part of this is because he's saying is so fast, but the other part is because he's got speech delays. However... here's what I love about this:
1) He's so happy
2) He's so excited to be sharing this story
3) He remembers the WHOLE story from beginning to end
4) His voice changes to show inflection where appropriate
5) He's understandable (to me and Steve)
6) He's actually retelling a story!!!

Here are some of my favorite recent pictures of Gus:

 Yes, he's actually doing his own laundry!!! At age three!!

 We went bowling for the first time ever with my MOMS Club. Gus had a blast!

Now let's discuss Hugh.

I don't even know where to start with him.

For real, so many wonderful things are happening in his world. He has gone from gagging and eventually puking anytime you give him something that's not in liquid form, to trying a cookie (the above picture), and eating puffs and Baby Mum Mums without having issues.

Trying a cracker

As if the eating weren't enough to be proud of, he's decided that he's ready to walk. He took his first step on his 10 month birthday. He's taken a few more here and there, but isn't "walking" yet. He's trying to figure it out still and gather the confidence.

His tremors have totally stopped, he's not rigid like he was, and I personally don't think he needs an MRI at this point. His ankles have started to correct themselves, and he's not wearing braces or special shoes. He's just progressing at his own rate and it's awesome.

Hugh has such an easy-going personality. He's so laid-back and chill and doesn't get upset by too much. However, when he does get mad, watch out! He's got quite the little temper!!! His favorite person to be around is Gus. He loves to be anywhere near him and loves to play with him. Gus likes Hugh too, so we're very lucky in this regard.

Here are some of my favorite recent pictures of Hugh:

Hugh's baby playgroup had a Halloween party here yesterday- he had a great time playing in his biker baby costume with his friends!

We are so happy and blessed and excited for trick-or-treating tonight. The holiday season begins tomorrow and we are excited!!!

10 Months!

10 Months

On Saturday, Hugh turned 10 months old. All I can do is scratch my head in wonderment. How is he ten months old already?!?! Seriously, it feels like just yesterday that we were in NC waiting for approval to bring him home.

Hugh's last ten months have really passed by quite quickly. Sometimes when I look at him, I don't think he's changed much since being a baby. Then other times, I see the progression. Here are the pictures of the last ten months...

This past month was a busy one for us. We took Hugh to the orthotist to be casted for AFOs (ankle and foot orthotics). His PT is concerned about how his ankles turn in and she wanted more stability for him. Unfortunately, there are a few insurance-related issues and we're not sure how to proceed. The bad thing is that they're only good for about six months due to his feet growing. They'd give him support, but we're not sure if it's anymore support than a good sturdy pair of shoes can also give.

We also took Hugh to the pediatric neurologist at the suggestion of his Babies Can't Wait evaluation team and his PT. The doctor did a few tests and examined him. He said he wasn't able to tell if something was wrong or not, but he wants a MRI just to be sure.

I feel a little unsure about the MRI. My instincts say that he's okay. I haven't seen any tremors in quite some time, he's not clinching his fists like he had been, and he acts totally normal. I think because of insurance issues, we're going to hold off until January for sure, but even then, I'm not sure if it's necessary. We'll see.

 

Hugh has four teeth and another is coming in. He has his bottom middle two, and the top two! He's been complaining a lot over the last several days and I'm almost 100% certain that it's teething-related. 

He says "dada" but he doesn't associate the word with Steve (yet). Still no "mama" but I'm working on it. We do baby sign and he's not doing any signs back yet. He doesnt' wave or say bye-bye, which his PT thinks is a speech delay. 

Sometimes I feel really stressed with having people tell me all these things that my kids aren't doing. It's hard enough to parent, and then add to it people adding to the list of things your kids cannot do... and it's a lot to take. I just want them to be happy, healthy, and to know that they're loved. However, I also want them to meet milestones and to show progress with achieving their milestones.

It appears that Hugh is following in his big brother's steps. Literally. Gus took his first step just a few days before turning 10 months, and then started officially walking a week or so into his 10th month. Hugh took his first step on Saturday... the day he turned 10 months. It's quite outstanding and it's amazing to see how tenacious he is.

 
Hugh loves to explore the house. He's a fast crawler and can get around really quickly. He loves to be wherever Gus is. Sometimes it annoys Gus, but usually, Gus likes to be near Hugh too. Gus does NOT like to share his things with Hugh, and we've been working on this with him. My dad said that right now everything that is Hugh's, Gus thinks it's for him... but soon enough, when Hugh is a bit older, he'll want everything that Gus has. :-) Paybacks.


We are not planning on having a big birthday party for Hugh like we did for Gus. We may do something small for him with some of his playgroup friends. I plan on doing a cake-smash session with him and I'm excited for that. We plan on doing a mini-party for him in North Carolina. His birth mom will be able to spend time with us, and my parents will also be there. It should be fun to celebrate him turning one!!


I don't know how he'll do with eating cake though... he's only able to eat pureed foods right now. Any time I give him something that's more than just runny and pureed, he gags and throws up on himself. It's quite scary. He can't eat puffs, or Cheerios, or yogurt melts... he gags. Certain foods (oatmeal for one) also make him gag and throw up. His PT is worried that he needs feeding therapy. :-/


Anyway, that's the update for this month. I'll be sure to post again next month with more wonderful news about our baby boy!!