Here's a quick 10 month update...
1. Syd has decided she'd much rather have table food than baby food and will scream or squack until she gets it. She's generally a two-handed shoveler.
2. Taking two naps a day still but the morning one has to be no longer than an hour to get a decent afternooner in. She loves her blankie and snuggles into it.
3. Down to two nursings a day and at 10.5 months, down to mornings only.
4. She's standing on her own, not holding on to things and has just started to get herself into a standing position all on her own in the middle of a room.
5. She growls all the time. She makes lots of other noises such as "mamama, dadada, bababa" etc but her preferred method of communication is to growl.
6. She can efficiently wave bye-bye, clap, do "SO BIG" and give wet open mouth kisses.
7. She loves the bath, loves "to dance", to eat bananas and yogurt, be tickled, to play in Gavin's bed with him rolling and bouncing, to follow at my ankles as I move around or follow Gavin around, to laugh, to be held and her Grandma.
8. She hates being changed, not getting food fast enough, to be left alone when she wants attention, headbands, blueberries and she's afraid of the vacuum.
9. She's still a good girl and goes to others quite well. She's an easy baby and even if she refuses the bottle, misses a nap or isn't quite content....she's still totally manageable.
10. She's fun to watch. She gets excited and smiles easily...so its easy to encourage her. She loves to cuddle and its so easy to keep on going back for more Sydney.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Florida Fall 2010
Ahhh...nothing like a week in Florida to get you relaxed and rejuvenated. My whole family went down for the better part of a week and did just that. We relaxed, we played in the pool, we ate, we read poolside...all in all, we spent time together having fun. As always, the kids LOVED it. Sydney is turning into a water bug just like her older brother...who has to be physically removed from the pool for breaks b/c if he had his way, he would never get out. We had quite a bit a rain but the sun kept breaking through enough to keep us hopeful. And again, we left, ready to come home...but anxious to go back again soon!
Sydney's first bikini...compliments of her older cousins.
Syd taking a swim with Grandpa.
Gavin can even get Auntie Lo in the pool!
Syd with two ladies that are going to teach her about some of the important things in life....shopping, shoes and jewelry.
Gavin found a great steering mechanism.
Like all the kids, Sydney discovered her new best friend.
In this picture I can clearly see two things:
1. Sydney's so beautiful.
2. She looks nothing like me.
Loves the independence in the shallow.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Turning 3....
Dear Gavin,
I canNOT believe you are 3 years old. I have such a hard time wrapping my mind around the fact that you've been in my life three years already, yet, simultaneously believing that you've ONLY been here three years.
At three years old, you are so full of energy! You love running, jumping and doing any sort of physical activity. You love to be chased, play hide and seek, play on your new swingset, play baseball & soccer. At the same time, you love the ritual of settling in to read books at night and cuddling with mom and/or dad in our bed in the mornings.
You know a handful of colors and can point them out easily. Your understanding of the world is growing by leaps and bounds and although you have a hard time communicating it to us, I can always see the gears in your mind working full speed. Obviously, your speech isn't where a typical 3 year old's would be but your speech is continually growing. You use lots of words (albeit the articulation isn't right) and have become much more comfortable repeating words and sounds. You have lots to say and have gotten to the point where you'll "talk" whether we understand or not. I know that you usually "get it" and understand FAR more than we realize. You really are a smart kid.
You love the people that love you. Everyday you want to see your friends "Lo, Jack, baby Ella" etc. You get excited to see "Ama Oodie and Papa Nom", you love to see your uncles, aunts and cousins and recently have loved to Skype with Grandma and Grandpa Harris.
You are still a rock solid eater. Although you definitely have preferences you'll pretty much eat anything but especially love bagels, yogurt, cheese, macaroni and cheese, pb&j, chips, cookies and nutrigrain bars. You are also a great sleeper taking a 2-3 hour nap each day and in bed by 8 pm until 7 am. You never put up a fuss going to bed and still sleep with your paci (boo addy, as you call it) and your blankie.
You love to "help" around the house. You like to help me take care of Sydney and help Dad work on anything. I can always get your attention by asking you to help me. You love your baby sister and hearing the two of you making each other giggle is the sweetest sound. You talk to her in the car and hold her hand...you try to make her smile when she's sad. You love surprising her in the morning in her crib and the two of you both squeal with delight. However, you are still learning boundaries and right now, the time outs you receive the most are for pushing, hitting or sitting on your sister. You love her but you antagonize her.
You love Daddy. Daddy often tells you how many days he'll be home or how many days until he comes home and you'll repeat that day after day.."two days" etc. You want to walk like him, dress like him, eat like him, stand like him and be with him all the time.
At 3, I can see how much you are changing and becoming your own little person with a sense of humor and perspective that makes me smile. You and I love being together and the prospect of you starting school scared me more than you know. You always have been my little buddy and I truly LOVE having you around. Even though you are hard to understand and can't always get the words out...I get you. Most of the time I get what you want and get where your little mind is going in situations.
You are a child that has caused me more tears...good and bad...than I ever thought possible. All of your firsts, have been my firsts and that is a part of our relationship I will always cherish. I love to watch you grow. I love to watch you interact with the world around you. I love that God gave you to us.
Happy Birthday Gavin. Love, Mommy
I canNOT believe you are 3 years old. I have such a hard time wrapping my mind around the fact that you've been in my life three years already, yet, simultaneously believing that you've ONLY been here three years.
At three years old, you are so full of energy! You love running, jumping and doing any sort of physical activity. You love to be chased, play hide and seek, play on your new swingset, play baseball & soccer. At the same time, you love the ritual of settling in to read books at night and cuddling with mom and/or dad in our bed in the mornings.
You know a handful of colors and can point them out easily. Your understanding of the world is growing by leaps and bounds and although you have a hard time communicating it to us, I can always see the gears in your mind working full speed. Obviously, your speech isn't where a typical 3 year old's would be but your speech is continually growing. You use lots of words (albeit the articulation isn't right) and have become much more comfortable repeating words and sounds. You have lots to say and have gotten to the point where you'll "talk" whether we understand or not. I know that you usually "get it" and understand FAR more than we realize. You really are a smart kid.
You love the people that love you. Everyday you want to see your friends "Lo, Jack, baby Ella" etc. You get excited to see "Ama Oodie and Papa Nom", you love to see your uncles, aunts and cousins and recently have loved to Skype with Grandma and Grandpa Harris.
You are still a rock solid eater. Although you definitely have preferences you'll pretty much eat anything but especially love bagels, yogurt, cheese, macaroni and cheese, pb&j, chips, cookies and nutrigrain bars. You are also a great sleeper taking a 2-3 hour nap each day and in bed by 8 pm until 7 am. You never put up a fuss going to bed and still sleep with your paci (boo addy, as you call it) and your blankie.
You love to "help" around the house. You like to help me take care of Sydney and help Dad work on anything. I can always get your attention by asking you to help me. You love your baby sister and hearing the two of you making each other giggle is the sweetest sound. You talk to her in the car and hold her hand...you try to make her smile when she's sad. You love surprising her in the morning in her crib and the two of you both squeal with delight. However, you are still learning boundaries and right now, the time outs you receive the most are for pushing, hitting or sitting on your sister. You love her but you antagonize her.
You love Daddy. Daddy often tells you how many days he'll be home or how many days until he comes home and you'll repeat that day after day.."two days" etc. You want to walk like him, dress like him, eat like him, stand like him and be with him all the time.
At 3, I can see how much you are changing and becoming your own little person with a sense of humor and perspective that makes me smile. You and I love being together and the prospect of you starting school scared me more than you know. You always have been my little buddy and I truly LOVE having you around. Even though you are hard to understand and can't always get the words out...I get you. Most of the time I get what you want and get where your little mind is going in situations.
You are a child that has caused me more tears...good and bad...than I ever thought possible. All of your firsts, have been my firsts and that is a part of our relationship I will always cherish. I love to watch you grow. I love to watch you interact with the world around you. I love that God gave you to us.
Happy Birthday Gavin. Love, Mommy
September 13 (the ACTUAL day)
Even though we had celebrated days before, we couldn't let Gavin's ACTUAL birthday go by without a small celebration. We anxiously awaited Daddy's arrival home so we could have a family dinner, some playtime, presents and indulging in a cake that Gavin and I made and decorated together. It was fun for him...but just as fun for us to celebrate his life and the 3 years we've had him.
present time...in our underwear of course.
Syd was helping Gavin open his presents.
Opening his new book.
He may not be able to say "ice cream" but he'll show you how to eat it!
If only this were the real thing...
This kids loves cake...and happy birthday singing.
Gavin's IEP
Whew...this post has been a long time coming....not sure where to begin.
On September 1st Gavin had his first evaluation/IEP meeting at the public school. When he turns 3 he no longer qualifies for the Early Intervention services we've been receiving in our home. So...onto bigger and better??
We arrived with Gavin at 8:30 in the morning where a team of 8 therapists (social worker, child psychologist, early ed teacher, early ed aide, speech pathologist, occupational therapist, physical therapist and nurse) gave Gavin a play-based evaluation for one hour. Chad and I returned without Gavin at 1 pm to determine if he qualifies and if so, for what services. We were then joined by what would be his new coordinator, the principal and our current speech therapist. It was quite intimidating.
Each therapist verbally went through their report and their findings regarding Gavin. All of them reported great socialization, problem solving and receptive language. He tested within the normal limits for his age in all the categories except speech. The speech pathologist tested him at a 24-30 month age level in his expressive speech and language. There was also some concern about Gavin's ability to "attend" to certain activities. They recognized his desire to quickly move from one activity to the next.
After reading the reports, they gave us their recommendation: 120 minutes of speech per week. They recommended the Early Childhood program. School from 8:30 am to 11 am 4 days a week in a special education classroom. My heart sank and immediately tears were lodged in my throat.
I can go on and on about this day....it was terrible and difficult and heart wrenching. It was so hard for me to be pointed out over and over and over again how delayed he is. Its a serious problem. One that I informed them I was not ignorant to but was unsure this was the best method of treatment for him.
Concerns: (1) He is 3 YEARS OLD!! He's little. He stays at home and to up and send him to school 4 days seems too much. (2) The class is a special education class and he will be of the higher functioning. I don't want him to BE the model, I want him to have peers with speech he can learn to model. (3) Very little individual time-although he will have group and the class is language intensive, very little one-on-one time.
Benefits: (1) Super language intensive--He'll be saturated with language and auditory bombardment which he needs. (2) He will have exposure to socialization which will facilitate speech. (3) The classroom setting will help him learn to attend better, gain independence and learn to follow through on expectations of him.
When I came home, I started calling everyone I knew that was in a similar situation and starting weighing the pros and cons of the class, private speech, park district classes or some sort of combination of each. And I prayed and prayed for the answers and clarity and that God would present me with the right people and path for Gavin. Slowly he presented me with moms and professionals that were encouraging and offered hope.
We visited the school...and were impressed! I had prayed God would give me a very clear answer as to whether it was a good fit for Gavin. Chad and I both left feeling great about the program. However...4 days was still too much. We began calling therapists and setting up appointments and looked for recommendations.
We finally came to our conclusion: We are sending him to preschool two days and I'll be taking him to private therapy two days...hopefully leaving our Fridays free for fun outings, MOPS and time for us.
Gavin's IEP was hard. The reality of it was hard. The decision was hard. After I got through the first 24 hours of severe anxiety and tears over this...we prayed for clarity and answers and that God would present me with the right opportunities and people for Gavin. And we prayed for Gavin. God answered...day by day we began to feel better and be presented with options we preferred and success stories...and in the middle of all that, was Gavin being his silly, funny happy self to remind me...his speech isn't what defines him.
The IEP is made to focus on the negative but what they don't see is that my little guy is made by our Great Creator....perfectly in his image....words or no words.
On September 1st Gavin had his first evaluation/IEP meeting at the public school. When he turns 3 he no longer qualifies for the Early Intervention services we've been receiving in our home. So...onto bigger and better??
We arrived with Gavin at 8:30 in the morning where a team of 8 therapists (social worker, child psychologist, early ed teacher, early ed aide, speech pathologist, occupational therapist, physical therapist and nurse) gave Gavin a play-based evaluation for one hour. Chad and I returned without Gavin at 1 pm to determine if he qualifies and if so, for what services. We were then joined by what would be his new coordinator, the principal and our current speech therapist. It was quite intimidating.
Each therapist verbally went through their report and their findings regarding Gavin. All of them reported great socialization, problem solving and receptive language. He tested within the normal limits for his age in all the categories except speech. The speech pathologist tested him at a 24-30 month age level in his expressive speech and language. There was also some concern about Gavin's ability to "attend" to certain activities. They recognized his desire to quickly move from one activity to the next.
After reading the reports, they gave us their recommendation: 120 minutes of speech per week. They recommended the Early Childhood program. School from 8:30 am to 11 am 4 days a week in a special education classroom. My heart sank and immediately tears were lodged in my throat.
I can go on and on about this day....it was terrible and difficult and heart wrenching. It was so hard for me to be pointed out over and over and over again how delayed he is. Its a serious problem. One that I informed them I was not ignorant to but was unsure this was the best method of treatment for him.
Concerns: (1) He is 3 YEARS OLD!! He's little. He stays at home and to up and send him to school 4 days seems too much. (2) The class is a special education class and he will be of the higher functioning. I don't want him to BE the model, I want him to have peers with speech he can learn to model. (3) Very little individual time-although he will have group and the class is language intensive, very little one-on-one time.
Benefits: (1) Super language intensive--He'll be saturated with language and auditory bombardment which he needs. (2) He will have exposure to socialization which will facilitate speech. (3) The classroom setting will help him learn to attend better, gain independence and learn to follow through on expectations of him.
When I came home, I started calling everyone I knew that was in a similar situation and starting weighing the pros and cons of the class, private speech, park district classes or some sort of combination of each. And I prayed and prayed for the answers and clarity and that God would present me with the right people and path for Gavin. Slowly he presented me with moms and professionals that were encouraging and offered hope.
We visited the school...and were impressed! I had prayed God would give me a very clear answer as to whether it was a good fit for Gavin. Chad and I both left feeling great about the program. However...4 days was still too much. We began calling therapists and setting up appointments and looked for recommendations.
We finally came to our conclusion: We are sending him to preschool two days and I'll be taking him to private therapy two days...hopefully leaving our Fridays free for fun outings, MOPS and time for us.
Gavin's IEP was hard. The reality of it was hard. The decision was hard. After I got through the first 24 hours of severe anxiety and tears over this...we prayed for clarity and answers and that God would present me with the right opportunities and people for Gavin. And we prayed for Gavin. God answered...day by day we began to feel better and be presented with options we preferred and success stories...and in the middle of all that, was Gavin being his silly, funny happy self to remind me...his speech isn't what defines him.
The IEP is made to focus on the negative but what they don't see is that my little guy is made by our Great Creator....perfectly in his image....words or no words.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Harris Labor Day
Since we celebrated Gavin's birthday with family over Labor Day, Chad's family stayed the whole weekend and we spent Sunday celebrating my mother-in-law's 60th birthday!! Her and Gavin are lucky enough to share their birthdays so we thought it was only fitting that we have a birthday extravaganza weekend. We spent Sunday downtown going out for brunch, an architecture tour on the river and later pizza and cake at our house. We like to go from extremes - Elmo to architecture. It was a beautiful day and lots of fun together.
Syd's keeping the beat.
Chaos...er, I mean brunch.
Christa & Kate ready for the boat ride.
Gavin & Grandpa.
1.JPG)
Sydney and Daddy.
2.JPG)
Morgan and me.
Uptown Girl.
Beautiful day in Chicago.
SSI pride.
Reflection.
Sears/Willis Tower.
.JPG)
Cute Cousins.
Happy 60th birthday Grandma!
A little reinforcements for the blowing of the candles.
Giving themselves a round of applause.
Grandma and the 4 kids.
Syd's keeping the beat.
Chaos...er, I mean brunch.
Christa & Kate ready for the boat ride.
Gavin & Grandpa.1.JPG)
Sydney and Daddy.2.JPG)
Morgan and me.
Uptown Girl.
Beautiful day in Chicago.
SSI pride.
Reflection.
Sears/Willis Tower..JPG)
Cute Cousins.
Happy 60th birthday Grandma!
A little reinforcements for the blowing of the candles.
Giving themselves a round of applause.
Grandma and the 4 kids.
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