What it's all about....

This is what really matters.  After a long Monday filled with tension and stress, this is what matters.  This. Is. It.

Time is FLYING....

Our baby is almost two years old!  He is officially a serious walker and is constantly on the move.  After working SO hard on trying to help him walk and move more fluently, we are getting close to the point of trying SO hard to keep him still enough to do a learning activity.  I suspect this will become more challenging for us as time goes on, but for right now, it is a new thought process.  This week, we got two new pieces of "assistive technology," in addition to his orthotics, to help him do that.  

The first set is his SPIO, which is basically a wet suit.  It is a custom measured compression vest and shorts that are supposed to help him with his vestibular needs, and therefore, help him focus.  Yeah, I had to look all of that up too.  Basically, helping Parker feel secure physically helps him build his core strength, and allows his focus to move from balance and motor movements, to something else.  This will likely translate to what I am more familiar with in education--- weighted blankets and lap pads, special sensory seat pads, etc. 

The second is a Leckey Pal Seat, which I am honestly still learning about.  To me, it looks like a suped-up booster seat.  It comes with a tray, lots of pads, and adjustable everything.  The idea is the same...force some focused activity time.  

Right now, because of his age--all toddlers seem to have a propensity for constant movement and exploration-- it is really hard for us to tell how much Parker is struggling with focus.  If he has the right toy or activity, it seems like he could stay in one spot forever.  At the moment, we have only really found three things that are focus inducing....playing at his water table, listening to Daddy play guitar, and watching Baby Signing Time on the iPad.  With everything else, he seems to be seeking movement, and fights sustained activities unless we give him movement breaks, like swinging him from side to side, or bouncing him on our legs.  It is another one of those things that is fascinating, and would be more so if it weren't our day to day.  We try not to worry about what school will be like, and instead, put our energy into learning.

We are SO SO SO proud of everything Parker has accomplished so far.  We know he is going to blow us away in the next year, just as he has in the last 1.75.  We are loving seeing his personality and preferences come out.  He has become more reactive with scenarios he doesn't like.  The other day, Parker was standing near the door as Matt walked into the garage, and Parker started crying.  I just about cried.  He cries/yells when he accidentally turns off Baby Signing Time.  He spits out food he doesn't want.  He crawls up to me with a big smile when I pick him up from daycare.  These are all things that are "normal" that we have been waiting for for a long time.  The fact that his environment is clear enough to him now that he can begin to process it is a blessing.

Love him.  I wish time would slow down a bit, but we so love seeing him achieve.

Back to School!

It is back-to-school for Mama, officially, at least!  Even though I worked almost all of June and a good part of August, it is still hard to officially say goodbye to summer!  I am happy to return to our routine, excited to delve into my new school, but sad to leave the day to day experience with my little man.  

I learned a lot this summer, not the least of which is that, while I would love to stay at home with Parker so that I wouldn't miss so much of his day, I'm not sure I am cut out for the stay-at-home mom/wife role.  Sitting through hours and hours of therapy was so fascinating to me, but when we work on the same thing every week to help with mastery (ie: walking laps around the house, climbing the stairs, etc.), it got a bit tedious.  Constantly having to choose between playing with Parker or taking him somewhere, and the 10 million other things that need to get done was a long extension of the mental battle and guilt that comes along with some of those decisions as a working mom.

That being said, I relished in the ability to truly take my time with using signs between each bite, to see each minute progression with my own eyes, and to be "in the present" with Parker, his goals, and his personality.  I loved being able to see his smile when he woke up from his nap, hear his giggle when Chase licked his face, and his first steps.  SO much better than reading a daily report.

I wish I could give him the best of both worlds.  I think there are so many benefits to sending him to "school" --especially the one he is at right now.  The social awareness, language immersion, high expectations, and strong modeling that happens when surrounded by other people are things I cannot replicate at home.  However, that one-on-one attention, TIME, and perseverance are things I wish he could have.  Parker's sign language skills benefited so much from a lengthy, hour-long breakfast where we signed "More" over and over and over.  

I'm hoping that once Parker enters the public school system next year, that we will be able to push more for that attention that he needs (and deserves).  

For now, let the working mom guilt prevail, and the uncontrollable urge for snuggles and chubby cheek kisses continue.

Whew!

Whew, it has been a while!  I have so sorely neglected this blog that I love.  Life has happened, at the pace of a million miles per hour-- and I've always written when I FEEL like writing.  Not that we haven't been up to a lot, but in my down time, I chose to do other things....like laundry, or cleaning, or play time with Parker, or a bazillion hours of therapy with him, or just sitting and reading a horribly cheesy romance novel.  I know there will be a day when I read through this blog and wish I had written more, but again....life happens.  So, I will slowly recap the summer through flashback posts and pictures, and keep loving on my little boy as he gets bigger and bigger.

For a quick update-- Parker at 21 months:

Major Milestone:  Parker is walking more and more fluently every day! He is at the point this week where he is consciously choosing to walk instead of crawl, even when crawling might be faster.

Major Milestone: We have been working tirelessly for months on basic sign language.  Repetition and contacts for vision have been a huge support in this.  Each addition of a new sign is a bit tough, and causes Parker to jumble his repertoire for a week or so, but at this point, he is getting better at using "more," "all done," "eat," and "dog."  We are currently working on "milk," "Mommy" and "Daddy."  We are so thrilled!  Finding things he REALLY loves and shows preference for is so important to us.  Oatmeal and Daddy's smoothies currently top the charts!

Love: Parker still LOVES water play.  Baths are huge favorite, and he enjoyed fun summer dips in various baby pools and water tables.  

Love: Baby Signing Time! This DVD series has become a major favorite.  We have an iPad with a baby-proof case that we put in the playroom with P in the evenings while we get dinner ready and change from work.  I love the fact that it has real kids, some with special needs, the songs are easy to sing along to, and the songs cover daily routines.  This Mama stinks at making up her own songs :)

Love: Daddy's Guitar!  Matt will start playing the guitar in the living room, and Parker will rush over from wherever he is playing to listen and touch the guitar strings.  My heart melts every time I see it. 

Hate:  Surprisingly, Parker is NOT a fan of chicken, or most meat for that matter.  Every time we are out with friends or family, someone tries to give him some, and every time, he spits it right back out.  He does like meatballs and ground turkey in tomato sauce, but so far, meat is not his favorite.

Hate: Contacts getting stuck.  Last night, Matt and I were up until midnight driving around the neighborhood trying to get P to fall asleep deeply enough that we could take his contacts out.  One had been stuck for a full day.  I LOATHE these days, especially after working for 15 hours, but overall, the contacts are SO worth it.  

Working on: We are constantly working on sign language and communication!  Another part of speech is getting Parker off of bottles.  At this point, he still doesn't understand this sippy cup/honey bear straw cup business.  This is a BIG deal for us, as he isn't getting fluids any other way right now, he is the only one in his pre-toddler room still using bottles, and the next room up will be a struggle if we can't learn the sippy way.

Working on: Body awareness-- eye contact when playing with someone or interacting, wearing a SPIO compression vest and shorts for some sensory input, and core strengthening.