Luke Rocks

Luke's Pre-K year has had its ups and downs. One of his teachers at BWF said we are reaching a point where his progress may slow a bit since his vocabulary has increased so much that his speech processing time must increase, too. Throw in the poor kid having cavities filled under anesthesia, an EEG, and a ton of different appointments, and well, you can't blame the guy for not making huge strides. 

That said, we have learned three years into this autism odyssey that small strides ARE huge strides. We are always happy with and proud of Luke for his sweet spirit and hard work! 

Why Luke Rocks #1: he has gotten a sticker for doing a good job and having good behavior EVERY SINGLE DAY he's been at school this year. He is so awesome! 

Why Luke Rocks #2: he loves counting. Right now he can count to 100. Woo hoo! 

Why Luke Rocks #3: he does great work, like this graph his teacher sent me a picture of: 

Why Luke Rocks #4: he is gaining confidence with his fine motor skills, and his writing and drawing are getting better every day! When Luke doesn't feel confident about something, he seeks support. For a while he would only write if you were holding his hand (never mind that you aren't doing anything; he knows exactly how to write the letters, numbers, etc.). We got this message a couple of weeks ago: 

It's so light that it's hard to see, but he wrote his name by himself! Here's some other work he's done at home (all prompted): 

LUKE ROCKS!!!! We couldn't love him more! :D

Seven Months Old

Big goings on in the life of our seven month old, Katherine Anne: 

-You can sit up all by yourself! Your strength amazes me!

-You have two teeth! Your bottom teeth came in just before you turned seven months old. (Left on October 25; right onOctober  28.)

-Your left eye is doing great after your second surgery! You're really tracking well. 

-You are a flirt! You just smile and smile at everyone. 

-You are a GINORMOUS mommy's girl. You want me all the time. It is mostly very sweet, though your big brother probably doesn't think so. 

-You had your first contact lens emergency at day care last Thursday. I got a call that they found your contact on the floor. I came by during lunch to clean it off and put it back in, which was slightly nerve-wracking with an audience! It's pretty miraculous that it's the first time your contact has come out in five months...! 

-You mostly have the sweetest disposition ever... Except when you don't. Consider this group portrait attempt by your teachers. Picture 1.... 

Picture 2... Notice that someone (*cough cough* you) gets grumpy... 

....and takes your buddies right into the abyss of despair with you (picture 3):

It's a good thing that you are so sweet the rest of the time, because I bet you wear your teachers out! 

(Except for when you eat anyway. One of them told me they fight over who gets to feed you because you eat everything and quickly. Kate, you love your food!) 

Here are your monthly pics: 

I'm going to have to start working more quickly; you're starting to enjoy tugging on the onesie stickers. 

Kate, you are a pure joy. We adore you! 

What day is it? GAME DAY!

If it weren't for opponents from Alabama, A&M would be undefeated! Oh well. At least I've seen them win, I've seen them lose, but I've never seen them quit.

Kate the Brave

We took Kate to see her ophthalmologist in mid-August because we thought her eye was wandering more than it should be. Dr. Wang confirmed this, and we came back to see her October 1. At that appointment, she set up Kate's second eye surgery to correct the lazy muscles for the 11th, just ten days later (and in the same week as two big procedures for Luke. Yikes!). We geared up for what wound up being one of the most tiring weeks of our lives...!

Tough Guy Luke

I am in awe of my kids. There's really no other way to put it. Even at just 5 years and 6 months old, Luke and Kate show more resilience and strength of people many times their ages. I'm so proud to be their mommy! 

Halloween 2013

Halloween 2013 is in the books! Thanks to my friend Izzy, I got into the spirit a little early at GHS Goblin Day. How creative is this costume? I'm very thankful for my sweet snow buddy. She's a new and dear friend!

Six Months Old

Everyone but Hannah and I has been born on the third of a month. Observe: 

Jeremy: October 3

Lisa: March 5

Hannah: November 2

Luke: September 3

Kate: April 3

Kate and her daddy will always have a half birthday when the other celebrates a whole one. How cute is that? 

It is so hard to believe, but Kate is 6 months old (and her daddy is 39 years old... It's going to get REAL in another 12 months)! 

Here is the sweet half-year old: 

 

Here's a sweet candid shot with her big brother: 

One of the biggest developments this month is that you've started real foods! So far you haven't met a food you haven't liked. You've sampled rice cereal, carrots, squash, green beans, peas, and sweet potatoes. You were unsure about peas but came around in the end. You'll eat all of these, but your first love is definitely your bottle. 

Sometimes, I just don't serve you quickly enough. 

At your six month checkup, you weighed 17 lbs and 14 oz and were 27 inches long. You are our big, healthy, happy girl! We love you so!