Date Night!

Here are some pictures of us from date night!

  We went out with a great group of friends for a night full of food and fun!

Coach Pitch

Ethan is playing coach pitch this year and I have not had a chance to post any pics. 

 He is such a cute little guy!

Baby 4 coming soon!

Unexpected blessing!

Rockin' Gracie

 

      When I was pregnant with Gracie, I couldn't help but imagine all of the wonderful things little girls love to do. Tea parties with dolls, dressing up and playing damsel in distress, or even the occasional pedicures. Gracie loves everything girly and she holds true to what I had imagined. Since Ethan had started another season in baseball, I thought it was about time to introduce Gracie to an extra-circular activity. I was thinking ballet where she could add to her tutu collection, soccer where she can show off her feisty attitude, or even baseball which her brother loves.
     You can imagine my surprise when I asked Gracie and she replied with, "I want to play drums!"  First I was a little confused on how she could just jump to that activity without ever being exposed to any drummers but she was so ecstatic about it, I just went with it. Plus, I know Gracie is one unique little girl so when she has her mind set she is quite determined.  She has been doing really well with the lessons and her teacher mentioned he is showing her things that are above her level but she is grasping on quite well. After the first lesson, she looked up to the teacher and said,"So when can I start playing Queen?" I was so proud of my girl! The teacher even stated, "That is awesome,everyone always ask for Jonas brothers or Hannah Montana."  The funny thing is her reaction to failure is quite different from Ethan's. If Ethan misses a ball or just doesn't make it to base in time, he just shrugs it off and moves on to the next thing. However Gracie takes it a little hard. If she is having a hard time getting a beat just right, you can see the frustration in her face and she starts waving the drum sticks around in defiance. Crazy to see two people who were made by us act so different.

 

Taken with my phone

Gracie in all her Glory

I was buttering some toast for Gracie and she says, "That looks so yummy, but not as yummy as you, because you are delicious!"  I couldn't stop laughing for at least 5 minutes and then said "WHAT?"

As I was driving one day, Gracie from the backseat says, "Mom, I know you said no more babies, but I really wish we could have another one that way Ethan and I won't have to fight over Lexie." She had the saddest face! 

Gracie is always talking about what she is going to do when she is a Mommy. She goes through the whole list of changing, feeding, bathing...etc. Eric told her that since she is always talking about babies, she should change her sisters diaper. Gracie replied with "Uh no, I change my own baby's diapers and you change your own baby's diapers. No switching!"

Anytime Gracie wants to get on her brother's good side she calls him 'my precious'. It is really funny when he is walking out of the school and Gracie runs up to him yelling " Hello my precious!" in her giggly voice.

Whenever Gracie ask for permission I sometimes give her a short nod and say "mmmmhhhmmm" under my breath. She always says, "Can you please say it correctly? Yes or No."

One night we told the kids that they were having a babysitter so we could go out.
Gracie: Why?
Eric: Because I am taking your Mom out on date.
Gracie: Oh, are you guys in love?
Eric: Yeah, we are.
Gracie: No kissing because that is yucky!

I was telling Lexie that she needed to hurry up and walk because she was getting too heavy and this CRAZY conversation took place:

Gracie: Why don't we steal another girl that knows how to walk that way you won't have to carry Lexie around all the time.
Mom: Because that is against the law Gracie, what if the police catch us?
Gracie: We will just tell him it was accident. They will believe us! (shrugging her shoulder)
Mom: First off kidnapping and lying are really bad, but what if that little girl misses her mommy?
Gracie: Duh, it will only be for two days. I think she will be fine! 

Needless to say, we had a long talk on stealing, lying and having compassion for other peoples feelings. Wow!

Leaps and Bounds

For the past 2 months Lexie has been showing great progress on walking by herself. Typically, we or her therapist have to make her do it, but once we back off she reverts to crawling. However, this past week she has been doing it on her own, and it really seems like she is getting the hang of it. We tried to capture it on video, but she can be a little moody one when she doesn't get her way.

Nature Day

We went to the park for a nature play date and I was able to catch some pics of the girls. Lexie LOVES the slide so we pretty much stayed by one the whole time.

Gracie showing little sister how it is done.

She was determined to go up this way!

Nature craft

Happy Easter

Our Easter Bunny bought many goodies!
Pajamas, swimsuits, books, fake tattoos and tons of candy!

Lexie exploring her loot!

I am pretty sure my children will be astonished if there ever is a holiday where they are not spoiled by their grandparents.

We invited over our good friends, the Rascon's to celebrate the holiday.

RUN!!!!

The kids showing off their loot!

Here are the kids throwing the confetti eggs at the fence.

The kids made baby chicks earlier in the week!

Lexie's Favorites

I have been wanting to write a post for some time now on the certain products that have had an influence on Lexie's well being and development. I never know who is reading our little blog but if others can benefit from what we have learned then great!

Since day 1 Lexie has had reflux problems. The constant throwing up made the nights horrible for everyone. However, thanks to a little girl named Julie, we learned about the Nap Nanny. It was a lifesaver! I knew we hit jackpot on the first night when Lexie did not throw up and she slept through the night. It is pricey, but my sleep and the kids need for a stable parent is far more important. I bought and sold ours on Ebay. It was actually quite sad when Lexie outgrew the Nap Nanny but thankfully by that time she had pretty much outgrown the reflux issues.


I don't know what magical qualities this bouncer possess but Lexie loved it! It was the only toy that she would focus on and bat at the toys. Her OT would work with her on every toy under the sun but she would just look the other way and not reach for the toy. However, once placed in this bouncer she would focus and pounce on the hanging toys as if she were Muhammad Ali. I personally think the black background with the lights flashing made it easy for to focus thus reach. We kept that toy forever and didn't let it go by choice. We donated it to ECI so that maybe another special needs child could benefit from it.

These O' balls are the greatest! Lexie was given an O'ball with a rattle in it and that was the only toy she would activily reach for and bring it back to herself. She still plays with them to this day. They are available at Walmart.
This tummy time mat was a HUGE help when it came to Lexie's head control.
She hated it (non stop screaming) and had to work hard for it but I fully credit this for her head control.

These were great for pushing the use of a straw! Lexie didn't want to give up her bottle so I needed something that would transition us to the sippy cup and this was it. Plus straw sucking strengthens her cheek muscles which helps keep the drooling to a minimum.

Some days Lexie has no drool whatsoever and then some days she is drooling like crazy so I am in the middle of making her some bandit bibs. I was tired of how the bibs were making her look like a baby. Her delays already do that enough for her. Update photo when I am done.

This angled spoon is a must for Lexie! She does really well with it that I see no reason for change. We are still working on her feeding herself, but she would be missing her mouth if it was a regular spoon.

IPad! Need I say more? There are so many apps available that can make any kid happy but Lexie has a few of her favorites! I have to hold some of her fingers down to help her pointer finger stick out but she moves it entirely on her own.


These items went above and beyond, but she still certainly benefited from her Bumbo, ExerSaucer, Jumperoo (excellent way to strengthen leg muscles) and walker. I am sure I have forgotten a few, but if I remember I will update.



Lexie already had trunk control by the time I came across this but it sure would've been helpful and I know I would of used it in her ExerSaucer and in a swing. Hugga-Bebe


This is called a Tumzee and it helps with head, neck and arm control. I came across this after Lexie already had those mastered. Dang it!

Shopping for a special needs child can be quite difficult. Toys that are catered to their actual age sometimes do not fit their developmental age. Although, that doesn't mean younger toys are an automatic hit either. Textures, sounds, lights or whatever could easily turn a toy into a waste of money. I came across this and it is on my list for Lexie. It is a swing called Wingbo that Lexie can push herself while laying on her tummy. It is for all ages and even has a stationery set up for the younger babies that need to work on head control.


I think this is something Lexie would just love! She is CONSTANTLY on the move so I am sure this Kid's Safety Trampoline with Handle would be just the thing to satisfy her need for movement.

Rest & Relaxtion

Thanks to my wonderful husband, I was able to join two friends on a 4 day Mexican getaway!
We literally laid on the beach the entire time which we thought was FANTASTIC! Yet, after 4 days we were all anxious to get back home to hug our babies and our husbands. Eric said he and the kids had a fun weekend doing whatever they wanted!

Me, Amanda, and Erica

The sunrise after leaving San Antonio

The view from our hotel room

This is what I did the entire time!

Strawberry Margaritas are delicious!

View of hotel from the beach