Micah's 1st birthday came and went. It was wonderful. He is wonderful. He is sweet and cuddly and likes to eat a lot. I took him for his check-up and 13 1/3 months, because I'm a 3rd time Mom and that's how I roll. He weighs about 23 lb 12 oz. His weight is in the 70th percentile. His head is still at the 75th. His height is 50th. He eats just about anything we give him, although cucumber bits are not his favorite. He cruises the furniture, walks with the walker, has climbed 4 steps, and does not seem to be in any rush to walk on his own. He'll give you "five" if you are lucky and give Mama open-mouthed kisses. He says Mama, Dada, up (while standing at the bottom of the steps), dog (pointing to a book or a real dog), and the other day he said "back" when Hannah was not in her seat in the back of the car. He claps to music, especially any of the K-Love studio videos on You Tube. He refuses to sleep through the night, waking between 12:30 and 2:30 for extra snuggles. He's finally getting the hang of his sippy cups but prefers his bottle, but he is off formula and on whole milk. He will stack blocks together, play with his peek-a-boo pop up toy thingy, and loves his xylophone/piano combo that was a favorite of the other two, also. He is our Micah Monkey and we love him to bits.
Brandon turns 5 in 5 days. His 2nd day of staggered start kindergarten is tomorrow, then he begins going full time on his birthday. He is fun loving and sweet and is beginning to read "cvc" words.
Hannah started 2nd grade. She loves her teacher so far and it's hard to believe how quickly she is growing up.
I would write more, but it's bedtime and I need to get the big kids in bed (baby is already in his crib.)
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Time flies... and lessons at the playground
I can't believe it's been 8 months since Micah joined our family... plus 11 days!!! Hannah and Brandon are such great older siblings, and they love their baby brother so much.
Today was the first real Spring day... temps around 70, sunny skies, the perfect breeze for sailing and kites and the playground. (Not that we have a sailboat, but seeing the open sails on the water reminded me of my teenage years with my family.)
Our milestone of the day was that it was finally warm enough to let Micah try out the baby swing at the park. He LOVED it. He sat back and relaxed, and watched Hannah as she soared high above him on the big kid swing a couple of spots over. I forgot to put my memory card into my camera before I left the house, so I texted a pic of his smile to our closest family members. Hannah and Brandon learned quickly that gentle pushes are required with the littlest family member.
While I fed Micah his bottle, Hannah came down and told me about one of the boys who was sitting on the play equipment. I don't remember exactly what she said about him, but the gist of it was that she thought he was strange. She said he was making strange noises and waving his arms funny. I looked up at him, and even though I could not see his face, his posture and mannerisms and noises made me wonder about what made him special. I explained to Hannah that God makes each of us different, and even though they may seem strange, we need to be kind and help those we do not understand.
A couple of minutes later, the boy's father approached to call him down from his perch. I let my curiousity speak, and asked him straightforward if he had Down's Syndrome, and the dad confirmed that he did. I asked how old he was, and he mentioned that he was turning 11 and his party will be tomorrow. I told him that my daughter was curious about his differences (she had since gone back to play on the equipment.) The boy came down and joined has father, taking his hand, and Hannah came back toward us. "I hope you have a great birthday!" His Dad said thank you for him as his face lit up. He gently prompted his son to say, "Good bye."
As a Mom, I like to hope that I did the right thing, and I think I did. I like to think I would rather have a stranger inquire about my child's needs and show genuine concern rather than exchange awkward glances and shuffle away. I hope that exchanges like this will gradually show Hannah that everyone deserves to be loved and respected, even if things we don't understand make us uncomfortable. She had pointed out that a friend who was also at the park thought the boys' noises were scary. I told her that it's normal to be a little afraid of things we are not used to, but that was just how he was able to express himself. When your kids do not have the same special needs as another, it is so easy to look at the things the other child can't do. If I were that parent, I would want to focus on the things my child could do, especially the things that I may have been told would not be possible when they were born 11 years earlier.
Today was the first real Spring day... temps around 70, sunny skies, the perfect breeze for sailing and kites and the playground. (Not that we have a sailboat, but seeing the open sails on the water reminded me of my teenage years with my family.)
Our milestone of the day was that it was finally warm enough to let Micah try out the baby swing at the park. He LOVED it. He sat back and relaxed, and watched Hannah as she soared high above him on the big kid swing a couple of spots over. I forgot to put my memory card into my camera before I left the house, so I texted a pic of his smile to our closest family members. Hannah and Brandon learned quickly that gentle pushes are required with the littlest family member.
While I fed Micah his bottle, Hannah came down and told me about one of the boys who was sitting on the play equipment. I don't remember exactly what she said about him, but the gist of it was that she thought he was strange. She said he was making strange noises and waving his arms funny. I looked up at him, and even though I could not see his face, his posture and mannerisms and noises made me wonder about what made him special. I explained to Hannah that God makes each of us different, and even though they may seem strange, we need to be kind and help those we do not understand.
A couple of minutes later, the boy's father approached to call him down from his perch. I let my curiousity speak, and asked him straightforward if he had Down's Syndrome, and the dad confirmed that he did. I asked how old he was, and he mentioned that he was turning 11 and his party will be tomorrow. I told him that my daughter was curious about his differences (she had since gone back to play on the equipment.) The boy came down and joined has father, taking his hand, and Hannah came back toward us. "I hope you have a great birthday!" His Dad said thank you for him as his face lit up. He gently prompted his son to say, "Good bye."
As a Mom, I like to hope that I did the right thing, and I think I did. I like to think I would rather have a stranger inquire about my child's needs and show genuine concern rather than exchange awkward glances and shuffle away. I hope that exchanges like this will gradually show Hannah that everyone deserves to be loved and respected, even if things we don't understand make us uncomfortable. She had pointed out that a friend who was also at the park thought the boys' noises were scary. I told her that it's normal to be a little afraid of things we are not used to, but that was just how he was able to express himself. When your kids do not have the same special needs as another, it is so easy to look at the things the other child can't do. If I were that parent, I would want to focus on the things my child could do, especially the things that I may have been told would not be possible when they were born 11 years earlier.
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