Look Below

The video speaks for itself.

Can you believe this is the kid that couldn't do anything at 6 months old. By that I mean he couldn't hardly even hold his head up, wasn't pushing up on his stomach, nothing! Here we are and have just hit the ten month mark two days ago. He has been very mobile the past few weeks with rolling or moving backwards to get things but today....just this morning....he crawled. Then I took that object away and laid it in the floor again and he crawled again....even further. Right now I keep having to stop this post b/c the kid is just crawling everywhere and obviously I wasn't totally prepared for this and he keeps getting things he isn't suppose to have. Hmmmm.....do you think I should believe the dr.'s when they say he probably won't even walk until he is 18 months old or later? Good thing they didn't tell Tegan he would be so behind on things....b/c he wouldn't have listened! Rylee started crawling around 10 months old so he is right on target with her. In other news the kid just got three teeth at one time so we had a rough week last week. Hopefully things are looking up for him b/c those teeth were causing him some serious pain. Poor little man! Rylee went out on the jet ski for the first time ever yesterday and loved it. Of course I had my camera but it was in a bag in the car so I missed taking pictures of us at the lake once again. We have been two Saturdays in a row now and had lots of fun. Rylee loves the water now and gets in (with floaties) and goes all over the place. I promise to actually use my camera next time.
Getting Ready for the lake!


Rylee got her hair cut! It was a big deal for this little Hannah Montana to get her hair cut without Hannah doing it too.

Big Boy Bath

Tegan has finally moved out of the beloved ducky tub and into taking a bath in a regular bathtub. With no seat! He does really great although the first few times he acted as if he was scared to move but now he keeps trying to pull himself up on the side of the tub. He gets mad at me when I have to tell him no not to touch Rylee's bath stuff, he sticks out his lip and his chin begins to quiver. It's so cute.

Why skinny people get fat....

Recently while shopping at our new huge Ingles I came across a great new dessert. This ingles has added so many new and different things that you can't get out of there cheap. While debating on some ice cream, I turned to the other side of the frozen isle and noticed these cheesecake bites. Now I LOVE cheesecake but can't eat a whole lot at one time b/c of how rich it is, so I thought these bites would be perfect. Well I was right. They are these great bites that stay in the freezer but don't get frozen solid. They are the best things ever made. I look for excuses to walk in the kitchen now. Hmmm...let me go check the laundry and while I'm there I should check on those cheesecake bites! I probably shouldn't buy anymore for fear I may increase my waist size two fold.


So I don't know if you have a schlotzky's in your area or not but they have great sandwiches. But what is even better is their jalapeno chips. Now our new Ingles is also selling these in bigger bag sizes. I start eating them and can not stop. Unfortunately for me, Paul tasted them for the first time and practically ate all of them but don't worry...I will hide them the next time.

I'm not the best eater in the world and lately I have gotten worse b/c when I grocery shop I am buying lots of quick and easy things and a WHOLE LOT of snacks. Maybe I will work on that or maybe I will just wait and make it my New Years resolution!

Growing up

This past week I got one more reminder that my little girl is growing up on me. A friend from her old preschool wanted her to come spend the night. Now Rylee has stayed away from home lots before with relatives but never with just a friend. Let me be clear though that we know these people and they let their little girl spend her first night away with a friend with Rylee.(Did that make sense?) I hated to let her go but I know she had to do it sooner or later. The mom was suppose to be here at 4:00 but was running a little late and didn't get her until after 5:00 which was fine with me but not with little Miss Prissy. The following pictures are how I found her at 3:30 and she impatiently waited until 4:40 when she gave up hope. I guess an hour and ten minutes is a long time for her!

Who wants Pancakes?

Tegan does! Yummy!

This boy has got to be the cutest ever! He may have some eye issues but he knows just how to look at you with those eyes to melt you. Just like the way he is looking in this video before you press play! Love him so much!

Jumping in

It's over...

Finally! After two long weeks of swimming lessons she is finally done. $120 later...she still can't swim on her own but she isn't as afraid of the water as last year and that makes it well worth the money and the time. She has always been terrified of the water...mostly pool water...but now she will go all over in the shallow end, she will put her head under water and jump in off the side or a diving board. But she wants someone waiting to be there when her head pops up out of water. She has learned what to do to be able to swim but she just wants someone with their arm under her to help her out or more for security reasons. She was ready for them to be over and I agree b/c it was really messing up my schedule. I will probably sign her up again next year b/c there were some kids in her class that this was there second year and this time they were use to it and by the end of the two weeks they could jump off the diving board and swim all the way across the pool.

Father's Day

It actually took eight pictures (I just counted out the bad ones) to get this one picture with Paul's and Rylee's eyes open. I use to think Rylee got her closing her eyes from my mom but now I think she is doomed b/c it is on both sides of the family. Paul looks like a cheese ball on purpose...he is sooo happy about getting his picture made.

This is one of six pictures that I took of them. Every single picture Tegan was looking at the camera nicely but Rylee kept closing her eyes! I hate taking pictures now!

Ready for church...I must say he was the most handsome man there.

Happy Father's Day Paul!
We had a pretty good day. Just tired at the end of it. We started with pancakes for Paul and then gave him his gifts from us. Then went to church. Then to his mom's to eat. Then back to our house for my dad and family to come over to eat. Finally at 10:00 everything is all cleaned up and the kids asleep...and I'm hungry again...how can that be?
Tegan had his first REAL breakfast this morning and ate pancakes and loved them. When I say he loved them, I mean he would probably still be eating them had I not ran out. Then tonight he got to try his first strawberry shortcake....he also loved that. Lunch was great and supper was great and all in all it was a good day. Paul did very well although I know it is a very sad day for him b/c of losing his dad almost two years ago. He struggles with it but did very well at putting on a happy face for Rylee. She gets so excited about any holiday. She wanted him to have breakfast in bed so when he was ready to come to the table with us he had to plead with her to allow him up.
Happy Father's Day Paul, Daddy and Darrin. Darrin please notice that I called your house twice yesterday to tell you happy father's day.....I hope it counts that I said it on the blog while it is still father's day!

Pictures

How cute is he????

The big 28!

So I have this dream every year around my birthday. You know, the one where you wake up and get only yourself ready and out the door only to arrive at a spa that caters to your every need for the day. The spa where you get a massage, facial, manicure, pedicure, have your hair completely made over and have someone professionally do your makeup. Then I leave the spa and come home to a CLEAN house and kids at a grandparents house and a new dress that I have picked out especially for this day. Then me and my husband head off to a nice quiet meal and movie and come home, go to bed and sleep all night!
Well as all of us know (me all to well) life never goes as it does in our dreams. Although I didn't have a bad birthday...I guess it was just no different from any other day. Paul went to work and I started the morning trying to get the children ready. Tegan had a dirty diaper so I changed him and went ahead and dressed him for the day. I sat him in the floor while I brushed Rylee's teeth and came back. I thought I smelled something so I checked him and yet again the boy had another dirty diaper. Only this time it was messy and he had bounced around the floor on his bottom and pushed it out the back of his diaper and all over his clothes. So I changed him from head to toe and cleaned him up. Sat him back down and then he spit up all over the outfit that he had on that was already looking a little to tight for him. So I gladly changed him again only to find that I have lapsed on my job as a housewife and Tegan had not one 18 month outfit clean. What kid wears 18 months at just 9 months old. So I managed to squeeze him into a onesie and darted out the door. By this time we had missed our open window to go get Tegan's weekly immunization before therapy. So we got to physical therapy where they are adding on to the hospital and had half the parking lot closed. I thought I was going to have to fight for a spot. We finally found something within 2 miles from the hospital (it was really very close to the front door) and got out and went in. Rylee acted like a fruit cake the whole time. The therapist is starting to blow me off and put Tegan off more and more but that's another post. Then we left just in time for the Dr.'s office to already be closed for lunch so that we have to wait an hour and a half to get his immunization for the week. I called my dad and we went to lunch with him and waited so long for our food that I ate my weight in the bottomless bowl of tortilla chips and salsa at Chili's. Then Tegan needed a diaper change in the 200 degree parking lot in the front seat that he is twice as long as....this was not fun for him or me who was pouring sweat! We got back to the Dr.'s office right in time to get his shot and the oral rotovirus vaccine...I think they should give me one of those. Anyways came home for about two short hours and got Rylee ready for swimming lessons and dragged her out the door. All the while Tegan keeps spitting up on himself....not alot or like he is sick...just enough to mess up his clothes and then he laughs at it. Finally we are home and the children are sleeping...oh wait, Tegan is crying. Give him his blankie and he goes back to sleep. Oh wait, Rylee is crying b/c her head hurts and it would feel better if I would give her a baby doll out to the bag of old toys that are going to Nanny's house.
I am 28 years old today. People say that I am pushing 30...What! That is still two years away. Mom says 30 is the new twenty and I say that 50 is the new twenty...it will take me longer to get there. My Granny once told me that people shouldn't complain about getting older b/c not everyone gets the chance. I agree so I guess I should just give up the dream of the spa and just be happy that I got to have a birthday and that it was uneventful! Happy Birthday to Me!!!!

Old video....

I figured I would just post an old video since for a long time my computer wouldn't let me do it. Enjoy!


Notice how he opens his mouth to eat the camera every time it is near!

A New Love...

Tegan has started to really love a certain blanket that he has. At night when he wakes up in the middle of the night I can go in there and give him the blanket and he will hug up to it and go right back to sleep. I don't even have to pick him up. I am a little paranoid about leaving the blanket in there with him while I sleep b/c well I'm just paranoid. He is sleeping with it at nap time and is now taking 2 to 2 1/2 hour afternoon naps. Anyone who knows this kid knows that this doesn't usually happen. I love this sweet little boy. That is nothing better than a little boy and his blankie!

Back in the positioner again

Meant to be played to the tune of "Back in the Saddle Again". Well Monday night I removed the positioner for the first time in months out of Tegan's bed b/c he has been holding his head up so well that I thought he would be more comfortable without it. Plus he had rolled over inside the positioner one night and was trying to turn back over to his back and he couldn't b/c the positioner decided to do its job. Last night I walked in there to put something in his room at around 10:00 and was horrified to see him on his belly, sound asleep, with his face flat into the mattress. He had not woke up nor was he attempting to turn his head to the side at all. His breathing was fine but that can't be good for him. After checking his breathing I went and got Paul to show him and he too was horrified so he lifted him up as I put the positioner back under him. This seems like a huge step that he needs to get over so that I can sleep better without worrying so much but for now, we will stay in the positioner a little longer!

Swimming lessons

Today Rylee has completed 3 of her ten days of swimming lessons. They don't let the parents stay and watch which I think is a good thing. The first day she cried the entire time. When I picked her up she said she wanted her bathing suit off and wanted her name off of the swimming lessons list. It was hard not to laugh at her b/c she was so serious. The second day she cried on and off the whole time. But today the teacher said she did great and didn't cry at all except when I dropped her off. I'm so excited that she is finally starting to try at this.

9 Months Already!

Can you believe my little big Tegan is nine months already! I forgot to update last week when he hit nine months and had his nine month check-up. Here are the stats:
Weight: 22 lbs 2.5 oz
Height: 28 1/2"
Such a big boy. HE is already having to wear some 18 month outfits. The Dr. agreed with me when I said that more and more I feel like his vision is what has affected his development and he said that is the best case scenario. How will it continue to affect it....who knows. Until he is older and he can tell us what the world looks like through his eyes we don't have a clue. Some grown people that have his vision problem say that the whole world is constantly moving from side to side and some say it doesn't do that to them. Hopefully his brain is compensating and he will never know the difference. In fact, this is all he knows. He has the cutest look where he has his chin down toward the floor and cuts his eyes up to look at you and it looks like he is flirting but really this is what they call his null point. A null point is where they can turn their eyes a certain way and make the movement stop. Oh for those of you just joining us, Tegan has an eye condition called Nystagmus. I noticed at around three months that it looked like he was constantly scanning the room. Nystagmus is where their eyes constantly move from side to side. It can never get worse but only better with age. The range is huge as that he could be anywhere from legally blind to almost perfect vision...there's just no way to know this yet.
Anyways Of course he showed poor body tone for the Dr. but I know better and I know that he can do most of what he wouldn't do for the Dr. The only concern is still his legs but I have been working on that and he seems to be getting a little stronger. It's just that his hips seem very unstable and wobble alot while I am holding him in a standing position. He can't stand at all holding on to something without me helping him.
He is doing amazing things everyday. He loves to be in the floor in the sitting position surrounded by his toys. He can make a mess fast. HE can also get across the floor on his butt to get what he wants. If I put him in the all fours position he doesn't try to crawl but yet will push himself up to a sitting position. He laughs a lot. Oh I love that laugh and so does Rylee. She makes him laugh alot and he loves her and loves to play with her. He still isn't interested in much table food except last week at Cracker Barrel when he ate dumplings, macaroni and bread. He is so sweet and loves his mama...that translates into....that he is spoiled and would like to be on mama's hip every second of the day. For the sake of my back he does a little whining but is getting better.
So anyway, he is coming along well and I really feel like and pray that he overcomes all of his delays and that his vision problem completely corrects its self. We still continue to do occupational therapy and after a six week break from physical therapy, we go back next week and hopefully will start working on his legs a lot more.