Autism-Night-Before-Christmas

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Jack making Orange juice.

Technical difficulties, 9 months and much more...

Hello everyone, I'm posting from my iPod touch right now since our computer refuses to turn back on. I ran some updates the other day and it said it needed to restart, but unfortunately never did. I'll be taking it in when I have a chance so until then I won't be able to post pictures.

This past week has been busy. Jack had an appointment with his development pediatrician which went well. He has made some good growth in the past 6 months. He tested in the 30-31 month range for fine motor,cognitive and receptive language skills and 24 months for expressive language skills. He has a lot of work ahead of him which include learning to use language to communicate and helping him learn to socialize. Social skills are difficult for autistic children so we are always looking to help Jack have as many opportunists to be social as we can.

Today is Jack's last day of school before winter break. I'm looking forward to going to his class Christmas party this afternoon.

Peyton has had a big week also. She turned 9 months old on Tuesday. We were scheduled to have her 9 month check up on Thurdsay, but she woke up yesterday morning with a temp of 101.1. We went in and found out she has strep :-(. So we have had to push back her well visit for after Christmas. She will be spending the afternoon with her dad while I go to Jack's party. Justin has figured out his schedule so he can come home to be with her because when she woke up yesterday I was so bummed about having to miss the party. I've been looking forward to this ever since I found out he was going to have a school Christmas party. Thanks honey I really appreciate it :-)

I hope everyone has had a great week and I will hopefully get the computer fixed soon and I'm sorry if there are any typos (blogging on a iPod touch is not the easiest thing to do).

Visit with Santa!

We had a great Thanksgiving and now that December has arrived we have been busy decorating the house and shopping.  Jack adjusted well to going back to school after being off for a week.  He had a rough day first day back, but his teacher said the last three day's of the week went great with no behavior issues.  He even did his art project on Friday all by himself.  Apparently it was gluing small square pieces of paper onto the letter W.

Jack is doing really well and his love of letters and phonics is leading to him learning to read.  A new favorite game is for us to write a word on the magna-doodle and for him to read it.  He can read about 10-15 words.  If you write a word he isn't sure of he will just erase it and wait for you to write another. This past weekend Justin found him playing with his letter blocks and found that he had spelled out LAWSON, which is the name of his school. 

We took the kids to an event this weekend to meet Mickey and Minnie Mouse and Santa Clause.  This was the first year that Jack seemed happy and not afraid of Santa.  He sat down next to him and we got a great picture of him with Santa.  He is even, sort of, looking at the camera.  Justin said that when he was waiting for the picture, Jack ran back over to Santa and wanted him to clap his hands.  Peyton on the other hand was terrified of Santa so she did not get her picture taken :-)  She was interested in Mickey and Minnie, but only from a safe distance.  We got some cute pictures of her infront the tree both there and at home.  The cute little outfit was an outfit we borrowed from our friends. 

I hope that everyone is having a great December and I will post again soon. 

Ear Tube Success

Jack had his ear tube surgery on Monday morning and it went very well.  Justin woke up at 5 and got Jack up at 5:30 in order to be at the hospital by 6AM.  Justin said Jack did great,  he was only upset for a short period when he was waking up from the anesthesia.  He was in a good mood when he got home and was running around and feeling great the rest of the day.  He didn't even take a nap, which surprised me since he woke up so early.  I stayed home with little lady and anxiously waited to hear how things went. Jack is  feeling much better since the procedure and has even been more interactive. This is probably due to the fact that he can now hear better, and the pressure from the fluid in his ears is now gone. 

This is day three of his vacation from school and its been nice not having to wake him up these past two days. We had a play date here yesterday with a few of Jack's friends.  He doesn't get to participate in our weekly playgroups as much anymore since he is now in school five days a week.  So when Jack has time off from school I will schedule a play date so that he get as many chances to socialize as he can.

My parents and sister are driving down this morning to spend Thanksgiving with us.  Jack missed his speech appointment this week, but he still gets to go see Ms Shannon, his OT, this afternoon.  I'm so excited that Thanksgiving is finally here.  The turkey has been unthawing in the fridge since the weekend and Justin got a turkey breast he is going to smoke as well.  I'm looking forward to having a nice relaxing day and watching the Macy's Thanksgiving day Parade tomorrow morning with the kids.


Happy Thanksgiving!

Autism Speaks Walk, 8 months old and ear infections...

We had a great time at the Autism Speaks walk this past Saturday.  We had a great turn out and want to thank all our family and friends who were able to come out and support Jack and our family.  We are so lucky to have people who care so much about our family to support us and everyone living on the Spectrum.  Our team Jump-Up for Jack raised over $1000.  Thank you to everyone who donated.

Peyton celebrated turning 8 months old on Sunday and is doing great.  She is such a funny and happy little lady and is becoming quite the explorer.  She is working on her crawling and loves to pull herself up on to the coffee table and anything that is short enough for her to reach. She enjoys chasing and petting the cats (when she can catch them) and has a great time watching Jack run around.  We have started letting her take big girl baths and she loves splashing around and having the whole tub to herself.  She has been babbling a lot and says mama and dada fairly regularly and appropriately.  She has been eating more food and so far hasn't rejected anything (total opposite of Jack) but she enjoys feeding herself and I am sure Thanksgiving will be a very fun day for her :-)

Both Peyton and Jack got diagnosed with ear infections again about two weeks ago.  Peyton's is gone and she is doing very well.  Jack, on the other hand, we discovered has fluid built up in his ears so we took him to his ENT and he is scheduled to get tubes put in this coming Monday.  I'm sure the procedure will be an interesting experience for us, but I know this will help with the pressure he is probably feeling in his ear and prevent future ear infections.  He is off school all next week for the Holiday so he will have a nice long week to relax and recover, even though they say that by the afternoon he will be back to his normal self. 

I can't believe that Thanksgiving is only about a week away.  We are looking forward to enjoying this holiday here in Texas with my parents and sister.  I hope everyone has a great week and a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Happy Halloween!

I'm a little behind on my Halloween post but better late than never.  We had a great weekend leading up to Halloween and a terrific Halloween!  Jack had a chance for a practice run at trick or treating Friday night at his school.  He did well walking around the school and was interested in why people were giving him things.  Monday was a fun but long day for everyone.  Jack had school, speech and then we headed over to the Smith's house to play while we waited for Justin and Chuck to come home from work.  We dressed up the kids and took them around the neighborhood.  Jack did an amazing job at walking up to the doors, he even was going up with just Chuck and Lila by the last few houses.  There was only one time he got a little scared of a man that answered the door in a storm trooper costume.  He knocked on a few doors and when given the chance to take a piece of candy from a bowl would grab one and place it in his pumpkin bucket. He had a blast coming back and getting in the wagon to ride to the next house.  Justin and I could not be prouder of how well he did with the whole experience.  Jack got to enjoy a sucker on our way back to the house and went to bed an his normal time. Peyton was tired by the end of the night but was the cutes little pumpkin. 

This week has gone by fast and Justin leaves tomorrow for a quick trip back to STL. Its hard to believe that next weekend is the Autism Speaks walk and that three weeks from today it will be Thanksgiving.  I am looking forward to seeing our family a few times this month and getting excited to host Thanksgiving here this year. 

Both kids are finally better (and I hope I'm not jinxing things by saying this) and I hope they stay that way for a while :-)  I hope everyone had a wonderful Halloween and is having a great week!

Parent-Teacher Conference

This morning we went for our very first parent-teacher conference.  It was fun to go in with Jack and see how he acts and what he does all day while he isn't at home.  He walked in and took his backpack over to his name hook and went over and wanted to start playing on the computer.  We discussed his goals and his progress that has happened over the past nine weeks.  One of his biggest accomplishments is that he has started to adjust to the whole school routine.  He no longer tries to run out of the room when the door to the classroom opens and he does a better job sitting for longer periods of time.  He cooperates with his teachers more and is able to be redirected from a preferred activity to a non-preferred activities with greater ease and fewer tantrums than when he first started.  Getting Jack to do things under direct instruction is an important part of his goals and is something they will continue to work on in many different ways.  Justin and I are so happy that he is happy at school and is enjoying being there.  We see many good changes in his behavior at home as a result of the progress he is making in school. 

We were there for almost an hour this morning and Jack's internal clock told him that it was snack time.  He walked over to his backpack and got out his folder and put up and then took out his lunch sack and was looking for his snack. I have him the one I had pack, just in case,  and he took it over to the table and sat in his chair and started eating.  It was so cute to watch. 

Justin told me that this was one of those mile stones that actually made him feel more like an adult, and I agree with him.  Having babies is a life changing event, but its defiantly different when you have to make life or educational decisions for your kids, it makes you step back and think...oh yeah I'm the parent now.

I know that Jack is in a great class and his teachers love working with him.  He is doing really well and I look forward to the rest of the school year and watching his continued progress.

I wanted to wish my dad a happy birthday today!  I am excited that he is coming down here to go to Game 5 of the World Series with me! Justin was able to go to games 3 and 4 so a big shout out to Adam for making that!  We will be cheering tonight for a Cardinal win, sorry Texas friends but we will always be Cardinal Fans! 

Hope everyone has a great week! GO CARD'S!!!

In Loving Memory...

My post today is dedicated to my best friend Susan and her family.  Her darling son Jalen, at the age of three, passed away Monday.  Jalen was a wonderful boy who was an inspiration to everyone who had the privilege of knowing him.  He will be missed, but never forgotten.  Justin, Jack, Peyton and I send our love and prayers to Susan and her family.
I found this picture of Jalen, Susan, Jack and myself that I wanted to share... 

7 months old!

Happy 7 months Peyton! 

It's already the middle of October and Peyton is getting bigger and bigger and faster and faster with her tummy/army crawl.  I don't think she could get any faster, but I'm sure I will regret that statement in the near future. She can sit completely unassisted and get to the seated position all by herself.  She even pulled herself up on the coffee table with the help from the diaper bag.  We have been working on her sleeping through the night more, which has be going really well thanks to Justin.  He has to be the one to go and and try and comfort her if she wakes in the middle of the night.  If I go in she just thinks it time to eat.  Last night was our first successful night she went down at 8:15 and didn't wake up until 6 this morning...Keep it up Peyton!

Tomorrow is Friday and I am excited for the weekend.  We are planning to visit a pumpkin patch on Sunday and of course we will be cheering for the Cardinals!  Hope everyone has a great weekend.

October baseball and a new quarter...

The Griggs family is very excited that the Cardinals have made it one step closer to the world series.  We will be cheering and hoping that they can beat the Brewers.  The best thing that could happen would be for it to be a Cardinals/ Rangers W.S.  Jack and Peyton have been sporting their Cardinal shirts a lot down here :-)

The first quarter for Jack had official ended.  He has been doing really well and adjusted to going to school better that Justin and I could have hoped for.  Today when I dropped him off I when I was saying good bye, he just looked at me and shut the car door. Sad the for mommy inside but happy that my little man is enjoying his time at school.  

The notes we have been getting from his teacher are always positive, but today's contains some great news.  He said that Jack has now mastered 3 motor imitations movements!!!  Jack has been enjoying listening to phonics songs on the ipod, courtesy of YouTube, and has started to follow more directions at home.  I am looking forward to our parent teacher conference next week.  

Peyton is getting bigger and has mastered sitting up.  She can get up to sitting all on her own.  She has even started to try and pull herself up on short surfaces.  She is still just army crawling but she keeps getting faster and faster.  I am sure in the next month or two she will be full fledged crawling...the cats will really be in trouble then :-)  Her favorite toy is Spielberg. She gets the biggest smile on her face when he comes up and sniffs her and she loves to pet him and grab his tale.  Luckily Spielberg has always been a good natured cat when it comes to little ones pulling and pushing on him.  

Hope everyone is enjoying their Monday! 

Peyton at 6 months old army crawling

Peyton laughing at mommy

Jack reading a book and says "bye bye"

Jack sings

Jack pretending to talk on the phone at the condo

Jack see the ocean for the first time..MPG

Good Bye September.

So long September, it has been a good month and as usual it feels like it has gone by very quickly.  Justin and I had a great 9th Anniversary on Wednesday (can't believe its been that long).  He surprised me with a dozen red roses and we went out for a family dinner.  It was nice to get the kids out of the house and not to cook (for me) clean dishes (for Justin) on our anniversary :-) 

Jack is finally starting to feel better, but the cough is still hanging on.  If it hasn't cleared up after the weekend I will have to take him back to the doctor.  We are planning on going to an event tomorrow called Touch-a-Truck.  It is were kids can touch and explore all different kinds of vehicles.  I think Jack will really like it since he loves cars!

Peyton is doing really well.  She slept in her room last night and everything is all set up in her room (finally) for her to move in.  I even got all the decorating done this week too.

I am finishing up my 5 week boot camp session on Monday.  I don't know if I will be signing up for a new session right away, but it was a great workout and really fun so hopefully I will get to do it again in the future.  It has gotten me back into workout mode so I will be continuing to workout hopefully 3-4 times a week still. 

I finally found the cord for the video camera so I will be putting up some videos of the kids over the next few days.  Hope every enjoys some of the new pic's and I will post again soon.

Happy Birthday to...

Jeanette!  Today is my mother-in-law's birthday so I wanted to start off by wishing her a happy birthday! 

Well, its been a while since I posted (again) sorry.  The past week has been full of activity.  Last week Jack started off the week with his ear infection and still has a lingering cough that just wont go away, poor guy.   Peyton is getting better at sitting up on her own and can get herself up on her own, if she is near a surface that can give her a little boost.  She is quite the little mover and is really learning how to get around :-)  Last week Peyton and I had three playgroups we attended (one was at our house) and my parents were in town over the weekend.  It was nice to have them here because Justin and I got to go out and have a very nice dinner to celebrate our upcoming anniversary.  Thanks mom and dad for traveling all that way to babysit. 

Saturday we got to go and walk with our neighbors and their family to support the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation JDRF.  It was a great event and the weather was perfect! 

The weather here is still pretty warm so I hope that cooler temperatures are in our future.  Hope everyone is having a nice Tuesday!

Happy Half Birthday Peyton!

My baby is 6 months old today.  I was thinking it was tomorrow, but that's because that is when her 6 month check up is scheduled.  So tomorrow is when we will find out how big she is now and all that good stuff.  I put a few pictures up from the last month and today.  I plan on trying to upload some videos I have taken of her and Jack lately, but as usual I can't find the cord for the video camera....I can't ever remember were I put it, AHHH!  I will find it eventually, I aways do, but still just once I want to remember (even when I purposefully try to put it in a safe place) were I put it. 

Jack was so happy to go to school this morning.  He had the biggest smile on his face when I dropped him off which made me so happy!  I have been cleaning the house and getting things ready for a short visit from Justin's best friend Adam.  He is coming today and leaving Thursday morning.  His trip is going to be short but that is because he is moving to NYC so he wanted to come down and visit Justin before he leaves.  So excited for him to see Jack again and meet little lady for the first time. 

So happy that Premier time has arrived.  Looking forward to having new shows to watch!   Parenthood comes back tonight on NBC!

On the move...

It has been a while since I last posted.  Sorry for the short hiatus, but things here have been pretty busy.  Jack is still doing really well in school and is settling into a pretty good routine.  This past Friday we got a great weekly report from his teacher.  He said that Jack had a great week starting Tuesday morning (since we had Monday off for Labor Day) until Friday afternoon.  He also said that he LOVES using the smart board.  I am so proud of him. 

Peyton has discovered how to inch her way around the house.  She hasn't started to traditionally crawl, but she is certainly mastering the army crawl.  When she sees somethings she wants there is no stopping her.  She has been eating rice cereal before bed and just this past weekend she got started eating green beans (she seemed to like them). 

This past weekend we had great weather so I took Jack to the park on Saturday to meet one of his friends for a play date and lunch.  Sunday we spent the day relaxing at home watching the 9-11 tributes and football.  It hard to believe that 10 years has passed.  It was just about a year ago that Justin and I were in New York and had the opportunity to see the memorial site even though it wasn't completed.  It was the saddest place I have ever visited, but I was happy we had a chance to see it and pay our respects.

I hope that everyone has a good week and I plan to upload more photos this week.

Beach 2011

Click here to view this photo book larger

Peyton's first tooth!

I just wanted to post a quick update to let everyone know that this past Sunday night I felt Peyton's first tooth.  She was chewing on my finger and I felt something sharp.  I couldn't see anything, but today when I was looking I could start to see were its breaking though.  It is her bottom right tooth! 

Hope everyone has a great Labor Day weekend!

Sleep, workout and a little bit of rain...

The weekend is over and Jack is back at school.  He did pretty good this morning, he wasn't thrilled when they came to get him out of the car, but he didn't cry or get to upset.  I hope he has a good day.


Peyton had a good night.  We started working on setting up a night time routine for her and putting her to bed when she is still awake. She had a rough time with it Saturday night and still woke up around 3 am to eat.  Last night she still had a rough go with getting her self down when Justin first put her in bed for the night, but she seemed to go down quicker than she did the previous night.  She did wake up once around 12 but only fussed for around 10 minutes before she got herself back to sleep.  The next time she woke was a little after 5 so Justin gave her a bottle (because I had already left the house for an early morning workout).


Yes I am crazy!  I have just started a 5 week boot camp program with a friend of mine who is a trainer for a program called Texas Fit Chicks!  Since Peyton hadn't gotten up to eat before I left I got up around 4:15 to pump her a bottle and then got ready and headed out to the church parking lot were the workout takes place.  It starts at 5 and lasts till 6 and we meet on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.  This put me home in time to shower, fix Jack breakfast and drop him off at school.  It was on our way to school that we had a nice little rain/thunderstorm pop up.  It didn't last long but I was actually excited to see rain...I was beginning to forget what it looked like ;-)  Unfortunately even with this storm the temperature today is still suppose to be 107 degrees.


Since Peyton woke up so early she was asleep before we got back home.  Since she napping I decided to lay down and take a nap too.  It was still thundering so that made for a nice relaxing morning for us both. 


Jack has speech today after school.  He is doing really well so far adjusting to his new schedule and seems to be copying and saying more words.  He has even started to say more spontaneous phrases.  He started singing "old McDonald had a farm" last night at dinner :-)


Hope everyone has a great Monday and a wonderful week!

Great day!

I just got home from picking Jack up from school. His teacher told me he had a great day! He said he was moving from station to station himself and that he sat down at the table to eat his lunch. He also did well this morning when I dropped him off We went though the car drop off line and the woman who came to get him and walk him inside didn't have any problems. He let her get him out of the car, put his backpack on and he walked with her inside the building. He looked a little confused when I told him goodbye but there were no tears. He seems like he's getting the hang of this school thing :-)

Peytons dr's appointment yesterday went ok, she has am ear infection not just a cold (poor thing). We got her some medicine that she will be on for a week. She seems like she is doing better and she certainly slept better last night.

It is going to take me a few more days to get use to only have one kiddo at home during the day, but I'm sure I'll figure out how Peyton and I can spend our time :-)

First Day of School!

The day has finally arrived and my little man had his first day of school!  He did great, I however almost lost it while we were walking him to his classroom.  I managed to hold it together and not cry, but I am sitting here at home noticing how quiet the house is without him running around.  Peyton is doing a good job keeping me company by playing with her keys while I update the blog :-)

He woke up pretty good this morning, 6:30 is early for anyone.  He had a little breakfast and watch a cartoon before we pack everyone up in the car and head to school.  He didn't get upset and walked down the hallway all by himself and into the classroom.  We went for open house on Thursday so he was already a little familiar with the room and were the toys were.  I gave him a big kiss and we left:-(...SO Hard. I will be interested to know how he did when he first realized we weren't with him any more.  I know he will do great!  This is a wonderful opportunity for him and I look forward to seeing all the new things he is going to learn. 

I have lots of things to do around the house today and Ms. Peyton has been a little under the weather for the past few days so I am going to be taking her to the Dr later this morning (just to make sure everything is ok).
Hope everyone has a great Monday!

This week flew...

I knew this week would go buy quickly, but I am having a hard time believe that Friday is here already.  We did a lot this week.  Jack had speech twice this week, and had is first session with his occupational therapist.  He is doing really well in therapy and has adjusted quickly to working with new people. 

We got to meet his new teacher this week, the two aid in his classroom and the speech pathologist that will be working with him at school.  Last night was open house so we went to let him see his new classroom.  He had fun playing with all the toys while we talked to his new teacher Mr. Tyler.  There are going to be four students in his class, including him, so he will be getting lots of one-on-one attention.  His reaction to the school and classroom were very good and I hope that come Monday morning he feels the same way when we drop him off for the first day.  The biggest challenge we will face (I think) will be having to wake him up at 6:30 every morning so he can be in his classroom by 7:45. 

We also had playgroup at our house yesterday which was lots of fun.  We had a really good turn out, there were 6 moms and their kids, so our house was full.  We are going to have another play date today with my friend Kara and her two kids later this afternoon. 

Hope everyone has a great weekend and I will post again next week to let everyone know how Jack's first day of school went...and I'm sure I'll have pictures :-) 

Beach Vacation and 5 months old!

We got back Saturday late afternoon from our vacation in Gulf Shores, Alabama.  Jack absolutely adored the beach and had a blast swimming in the pool.  His favorite discovery during the week was the sand castles.  He loved exploring them, walking around them and finally of course destroying them :-)  He had fun playing in the surf and scooping sand into his bucket.  We had some really nice days with only one stormy morning.  Peyton wasn't a big fan of the ocean, but had a couple of nice long naps on the beach under the tent my parents brought.  She did enjoy swimming in the pool.  I think the noise from the ocean was just a little scary to her.  Jack and Peyton did great on the trip, Jack fell asleep on the airplane both legs (the second he was asleep before the plane even took off), Peyton also slept on the plane which made the flight enjoyable for both mom and dad.  She wasn't a big fan of the long car ride from New Orleans to Gulf Shores but she persevered. We got to stop and visit with Justin's grandparents, Jack and Peyton's great-grandparents, on the way there.  They absolutely adored Peyton and enjoyed seeing Jack again. This was our first family vacation as a family of four and our first vacation to the beach.  It was nice having my parents and sister there to help with the kids.  Justin and I even got to enjoyed a nice dinner out one evening.  It was a relaxing and enjoyable week for everyone!
     
We have a busy week ahead of us.  Peyton is now 5 months old and is just as cute as she can be.  She rolls over both ways really well and is laughing and babbling more.  She enjoys playing with her toys but her favorite activity is watching Jack!  Jack will be starting school in one week.  He has a few therapy appointments this week and we get to meet his teacher tomorrow for the first time.  Thursday nights is the schools open house so Jack will get to visit his classroom. I am not ready for school to be starting, the summer seems like it just started, but hopefully with August coming to an end soon we will start to see some cooler temperatures.    

Hope everyone enjoys the pictures! 

Three more days...

...until we are on vacation!!!  I am so excited to get to the beach and watch Jack and Peyton experience the ocean for the first time!  Jack has played in sand before and really enjoyed it so I know he will have a fun time.  There will be a pool too so he will get to spend plenty of time in the water. 

Things here have been going really well.  Jack is doing well with his speech therapy.  His last appointment he walked right in with the speech therapist.  He didn't cry ( I almost did) and she didn't have to carry him back. He will be starting OT when we get back into town.  He will have one week to rest and then it will be time for him to start school.  Its hard to believe that summer is over and school is starting...summer just isn't long enough.  Of course summer here is defiantly hot enough.  We have been in the hundreds for the past 20 something day's and today's high is suppose to reach 113...Yuck!

I have posted a few new pictures, but will have lots more next time I post.   Hope everyone is enjoying their summer.

It's the end of July already?

I am taking advantage of a little break in my day to check my email and thought I should post an update. Peyton went down for her afternoon nap and Jack is enjoying a snack and a movie, Despicable Me, his 2nd favorite movie after Cars.  It has been so hot here lately that its been to hot for him to play outside for very long (even with his water table). 
I can't believe that July is close to being over.  I am looking forward to our vacation at the beach which is coming up soon, and Jack will be starting school in less than a month.  I got the official letter today reminding us of the start date and when the pre-school open house will be held.  I know this will be an adjustment for him since we really don't have any way to prepare him for what is coming, but I know he will do great once he gets into the routine. 

Justin and I have been working hard at trying to get his extra therapies set up and in place and have been looking into adding ABA therapy.  He has already been attending speech twice a week and we are hoping to get his OT therapy started by the time school starts. 

Peyton is getting so big and really enjoys being able to roll over.  She has started to reach for toys and has started to laugh when we tickle her or make funny/smiley faces.  We had our friends over this morning for a play date and the boys interacted once by banging the blocks on the counter.  They looked as if they each wanted to be louder than the other...it was really funny! 

I am happy that tomorrow is Friday and that, thanks to our good friends coming over to baby sit, Justin and I are going to have the chance to go see the new and last Harry Potter film :-)  SO EXCITED!!! 

Have a great weekend!

Great Day!

Today has been one of those really great days were everything seems to be going right.  Peyton slept through the night from 10 until almost 6 this morning.  She was up for a short time and then went back to sleep for a few more hours.  Jack slept through the night, which is a nice change from what he has been doing lately, until 9:30.  So I took advantage of some alone time by working out and getting a shower in all before 8:30 this morning.  Jack is finally feeling like his old self after battling a fever this weekend.  I don't know what was wrong, but he just wasn't himself.  I have just finished putting together dinner for tonight (Lasagna) and Peyton is taking her second nap of the day.  Jack is playing and I though since I had a few minutes I would update the blog :-) 

We have been doing our best to stay cool and find activities that are either indoors or pool/water related.  Jack is getting a two week break from speech (even though he just started) because his speech therapist Ms. Holly is on vacation, but we have two play dates this week that I am looking forward to.  Hoping to get some information on when Jack can start going to Occupational Therapy this week since he had his evaluation last Tuesday. I will try and post again soon. 

I hope that everyone is enjoying their summer!

4 months old!

Today is special for two reasons.  Peyton is now 4 months old and it is also her Aunt Joyce's birthday!  Happy Birthday Auntie Joyce!!!

We got to spend the last week with Justin's mom.  She had to leave us this morning but it was great that she got to come down and spend some quality time with Jack and Peyton.  I can't believe that Peyton is 4 months old already...my baby is growing up to quickly.  I took both kids to her appointment this morning and Jack did a good job waiting while Peyton was seen by the doctor and getting her shots.  Poor girl didn't not enjoy getting those shots and she let everyone in the office know it :-)  She did calm down pretty quickly and came home and took a 2 hour long nap. She now weighs 14 pounds and 11 ounces and was 24.75 inches long.  She is still in the 75 % for height and weight and 90% for head circumference.  Doctor gave us the green light to start try rice cereal so that will be a new and fun experience for her in the near future. 

Jack has had a busy week too.  He finally started speech therapy.  He went on Monday and will be going again on Thursday.  He wasn't to happy about having to leave mom for the appointment, but it didn't talk him long to calm down.  His speech therapist Holly said that he was having fun and then got up-set when it was time to leave.  It is an adjustment for him since all his therapy in the past has been in home, but I know after a few more weeks he will get the hang of things.  He also had his OT evaluation on Tuesday which we will hopefully have him going to once a week very soon. 

I put up a few pictures but I haven't been as camera happy has I have in past months.  There are a few pictures of Jack and his new trampoline that he had been enjoying for the past week.  Hope everyone is staying cool.  I know our days have mostly been spent indoors enjoying the air conditioning.  Have a great Wednesday!

Rolling Over

Lets get rolling...

So Peyton has been trying to roll over for a little while now but the furthest she ever got was making it onto her side.  She just couldn't figure out how to get all the way onto her belly, but last night all that changed.  She rolled over for the very first time!!!  She only did it once and it might be a while before she does it again, but we are very proud of our little lady and her big accomplishment!


Peyton is going to be 4 months old in just a few short days and I can't believe that this much time has passed.  She is just so cute and I love watching her smile and laugh.  Justin's mom has been in town since Wednesday and will be staying with us for a few more days.  Its always nice to have an extra set of hand to help out and I know she has enjoyed spending time with Jack and Peyton...and vice-verse-a.


We had a fun and busy Saturday.  I started my day by going to a book camp workout run by friend LeighAnne....which I am paying for today (I am so sore).  I took Jack to his first Gymnastic class, which went pretty well.  He still had a hard time adjusting and didn't want to be there at first, but he warmed up and was using some of the equipment by the end of his 30 minute session.  We then headed over to our friends house to swim and BBQ to help him celebrate his 30th birthday. Happy Birthday Chuck!  Justin spend the afternoon with Chuck and Dave doing thrill rides at a place called Zero Gravity...they bungee jumped and did other crazy things, but they all had a blast!


I am very ready to have a relaxing and uneventful Sunday.

Good-bye June!

I can't believe that it is the last day of June.  This month has flown by.  We had a fun morning at a friends house for playgroup.  Jack enjoyed all the toys they have at their house.  We came home and had lunch and now Peyton is taking a nap.  I put her down awake and she (eventually) fell asleep.  I had to go in twice to give her back her binky, but over all a successful attempt :-)

I am getting excited for the 4th of July weekend.  Jack has a birthday party to go to on Saturday nights, and he also has an evaluation for a a special needs gymnastic class we are hoping he will enjoy.  We will be having some BBQ fun with friends and hopefully staying cool in the process.  

I am looking forward to having a three day weekend with the family.  Hope everyone has a fun and safe 4th of July! 

Girls Weekend!

Peyton and I just got back yesterday from our weekend back in Springfield.  It was her first trip away from home and her first time to ride on a plane.  She did really well on both flights.  We saw as many people as we could in such a short amount of time. I got to catch up with my friend Haley, and my best friend Kristin who was back in town for a family reunion.  Jack got to spend time with his daddy having a fun boys weekend at home!


Things here have been busy as usual.  I took the kids today for a lunch play date, which I discovered isn't the easiest thing to do by myself.  We got to stay for about an hour but Jack was just to hyper today for us to stay any longer.  Jack just doesn't understand that all the food sitting out isn't for him, and he also doesn't understand that he needs to be careful of children that are smaller than he is while playing on the play equipment.   I think I still need an extra set of hand when going to a public place.


Justin and I have been working on getting Jack into some therapy over the summer, but it is taking a lot longer than I anticipated to get things rolling.  He does have an evaluation set up in July for OT.  He is still doing really well with labeling objects, but we having had much luck moving onto multiple word sentences yet.  He did however follow a two step direction the other day while he and I were playing basketball-(go get the ball and bring it to mommy), which was very exciting!   


Looking forward to a relaxing week with a few in home play dates Thursday and Friday.  Hope everyone is staying cool and enjoying their summer.

Done with swim lessons

Jack's last swim lesson was today.  He had them for 8 days and he loved being in the pool.  It was a little chilly a few day's due to the wind, which is funny considering its averaged 95 degrees the past two weeks.  His favorite things this year was jumping in and he really liked the songs they had us sing to teach the different skills.  He did a really good job at hanging on to the edge, and monkey crawling along the side of the pool.  We still need to work on his scooping and kicking, but all and all he had a great two weeks. 

Peyton is now three months old and I can't believe how big she is getting.  It doesn't seem like three months have passed.  She is such a happy baby and smiles all the time.  She has started to laugh and yesterday she started to notice her hands.  My mom had to leave this morning to go back home.  I really enjoyed having her around to help out.  We will miss her being here, but Peyton and I are looking forward to our trip next weekend to Springfield to visit her and see a few of my friends back home. 

This week was not only busy with swim lessons.  I have been looking into finding Jack some therapy services for the summer.  I have gotten my first glimps at how stressful dealing with insurance companies can be.  I am very thankful for my friend Heather who has bestowed her wisdom from her own battles so that my path can be less difficult when it comes to getting Jack the services he needs. 

Hope everyone has a great Father's Day weekend!

Long week...

This week has been very busy and has left me both physically and emotionally drained.  Looking forward to the weekend for sure.  Jack started his two week swim lessons this week, which he is loving.  Today was the last lesson for the week and I am looking forward to taking tomorrow off.  He missed Tuesday's lesson because he slept in...Monday was a big day for him. 

Jack had is appointment with a developmental pediatrician on Monday and the appointment lasted a few hours.  He did really well at the appointment and only started to get upset towards the end, but who could blame him.  He has been given the diagnoses of expressive/receptive oral language disorder, learning delay and PDD-NOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorder- Not Otherwise Specified).  We were expecting something along these lines but are you ever really prepared to hear that your child falls on the Autism Spectrum.  The Doctor was hopeful that Jack may just be experiencing some of the symptom due to his developmental delays, but still saw some things that she found concering so she wanted us to have the diagnosis in order to get him started in the therapies that will benefit him the most.  We have been researching our options this week and are hoping to get him up and running for the summer.  He is all set up to start school in the fall and will beginning the PPCD program in August.

My mother has been in town this week and will be hear until next THursday. It has been nice having her here to help with Peyton and Jack and also so I could take Jack to swim lessons. Jack and Peyton have enjoyed spending time with their G-Barb, and I think she is enjoying her time with them too.

I hope everyone is enjoying the start to their summer and I will post again soon.  There are several website that offer great information about ASD but the one I have found most helpful is Autism Speaks: http://www.autismspeaks.org/index.php

Slept through the night!

I had to do a quick post to let everyone know that Peyton slept through the night last night!  She went to sleep around 10 and woke up at 6:45 this morning.  I don't expect this to be a trend, but I was very happy!   I was also a much needed night for sleep ;-)

Looking forward to the weekend and my mom coming so visit.  Hope everyone is enjoying their short week!

Happy Birthday Jack!!!

Well its official, Jack is 3 years old today!  We have had a great weekend that included spending time with family and having a Cars themed birthday party for Jack.  He really enjoyed opening his presents this year and thanks to our great friends and family he got some really nice gifts that he loves.  We have been cleaning up today since the party was yesterday afternoon and relaxing. 

Last week was full of activity.  Jack's Auntie Joyce flew in on Wednesday and we had the meeting with the school district  on Thursday.  Jack is going to be starting preschool next fall.  He will be in a special education program that will focus on his educational needs and he will get lots of one-on-one attention.  He will be going to school 5 days a week, six hours a day.  He also had his final visits from his ECI therapists last week, which was harder on mommy than it was on him :-) 

We are getting ready for the summer and the weather is already starting to heat up.  Hope everyone has enjoyed their Memorial Day weekend!

Two months old...and a few days :-)

Peyton turned two months old last Friday.  She is getting so big!  We went to the Dr for her check up and she weighted in at 12 pounds 1 ounce and was 23 inches long!  She is in the 90th percentile for weight and head size and 75th percent for height.  She is smiling at us now and likes when we sing to her.  I get Jack to help me sing to her, his favorite is twinkle, twinkle little star :-)

We have started planning Jack's birthday party(s) :-)  We are having a playgroup party on Thursday and a friends and family party on Sunday.  The theme this year is Cars since it is Jack's favorite movie.  We will be doing a lot of prep work this weekend.  I still can't believe that my baby is turning 3! 

Jack has been doing really well with his therapy and has started to do more pretend play.  He likes to play with my doll house that my grandfather made for me when I was little.  We have also started letting him play with his water table since the weather is getting warmer and he loves that!   The next few weeks are going to be full of activity so I will try and update again soon. 

Hope everyone is enjoying the nice spring weather!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all my fellow mom's out there.  I have had a great day so far.  Peyton slept well only waking up at 5:30 to eat and then going back to sleep until 9 this morning :-)  Woke up to Justin and Jack making me breakfast, which Justin told me Jack helped him make by pouring the milk into the mix and stirring the batter.  I got two new pairs of running shorts, a gift certificate to get a mani/pedi and Justin wants me to pick out a charm with the kids birthstones on it.  He is also at the grocery store right now getting stuff to make us dinner tonight...I am such a lucky mom!!!

I hope that everyone has a great weekend!

Hello, it's May?

Where has the time gone.  I can't believe that Peyton will be two months old next week and that Jack will be turning 3 at the end of the month.  Things here have been busy.  We are going to start planning Jack's party and have been doing some spring cleaning.  Jack has been busy with therapy sessions and playgroups.  I am sad that this will be the last month with his ECI therapists. I feel very lucky to have had them in our lives for the last year and a half.  They have helped Jack accomplish so much.  He will have the summer and then he will begin preschool in the fall...My BABY is starting SCHOOL?!?! 

I have already signed Jack up for swim lessons this summer and we are looking forward to a relaxing beach vacation with my folks.  We have had some crazy weather lately and yesterday we were stuck inside all day due to the rain.  Today is beautiful and the weather is perfect so I took the kids out for a walk around the neighborhood.  We bought a new stroller for Peyton and some stroller connectors so I could create a double stroller so I was excited to see how it worked...happy to report it worked very well..

Peyton is demanding my attention so I must go.  I hope everyone is having a nice spring and I will write again soon.

Photo Book

Click here to view this photo book larger

Happy Easter!

It has been a really fun weekend.  We got our new bedroom furniture yesterday and today we have been busy doing Easter activities.  We had bunny pancakes this morning and then dyed Easter eggs.  We also got dressed up and went to the park to take some pictures.  We got some really cute pictures!  We then came home and had an Easter egg hunt in the back yard,  I put little cookies inside the plastic eggs for Jack to find and he loved opening the eggs and finding a sweet surprise.  We would have gotten him some Easter candy, but he is not a big candy eater...like his mom :-)

Now Justin is in the kitchen fixing our dinner and I am hanging out with the kids watching My Friends Tigger and Pooh!

Ready to meet daddy at work...

One Month!

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Friday has arrived

It has been a busy week.  Stacey came in on Saturday and stayed until Tuesday night.  It was fun having her around and helpful to have here here on Monday and Tuesday while Justin was at work.   We have all been adjusting to our new daily schedule and Peyton is doing really well.  She has been staying awake a lot during the day which usually leads to having a good night.  She has been waking up twice to eat usually around 2 and 5 AM.  Last night she slept until 3 before waking up to eat and didn't get up until 6:20 to eat again.  She is still sleeping now and Jack is playing in his room still (which is why I have time to be on the computer).

We are looking forward to tomorrow because the furniture we have waiting for will finally be delivered.  So excited to finish up Peyton's room and have our new bedroom set!

I have been trying to upload more videos and will post more pictures after this weekend.  Hope everyone has a nice Easter!

1 month old!!!

Well I have a few minutes while Peyton is napping and Jack is in his room playing to update the blog.  I can't believe that Peyton is one month old today.  It doesn't feel like that much time has passed.  She is getting bigger every day.  She had her check up on Monday and weighed 10 pounds 5 ounces and was 21 and 3/4 inches long.  She is doing really well and knock on wood, has been sleeping in bigger chunk throughout the night. 

Jack is also doing well.  I can't believe that my baby will be turning 3 next month.  He had his school district evaluation and is going to be starting a preschool program in the fall.  We still have to have the official meeting next month to write his goals, so when I have all the details I will update more.  They were pretty sure he would be placed in a PPCD (preschool program for children with disabilities) classroom which would give him the attention he needs. 

I am looking forward to this weekend because my sister will be coming to visit.  This will be her second time seeing Peyton so I am sure she is excited too.  I know Jack will also be excited to see her because he has fun dragging her around and always enjoys having someone new to play with. 

I hope everyone is having a good April and I will try to post again soon.

I also want to say Happy Birthday to my great friend Susan!!!  Miss you and hope to see you again real soon.

Three weeks old...

Peyton is three weeks old today and we have been enjoying every minute with her.  Justin's parents have been here since last week and will be leaving us on Tuesday morning to head back to Illinois.  I have been trying to take advantage of having all the extra help now (like taking a nap in the middle of the day) but will be hit with reality very soon.  Jack is doing really well and adjusting to having a baby sister.  He has enjoyed all the extra attention he has gotten with his grandparents in town, and  I know we will fall into a nice rhythm.

I am going to keep this post short because it is late and little lady is already in bed and in the next few minutes Jack will be going down too.  I will try and upload more pictures this week sometime.  Hope everyone has a nice week!

Two Weeks Old

It has already been two weeks since we had Peyton and it feels like time is going fast.  She is getting bigger by the day and she already looks so different from that first day we brought her home.  My mom left on Saturday and Justin's parents wont be getting here until tomorrow so today we having a trial run at being on our own. Jack is doing really well today and things are going better than I expected.

Jack had his therapy session this morning and Peyton spent most of the morning awake and happy.  She ate around 11:30 and then went to sleep, which worked out nicely for me to give Jack lunch and clean up.  I also got a bite to eat...it seems that me eating is what always comes last on my to do list.  Breakfast was a banana over the sink and a granola bar :-)

We have also started to put Jack on the potty after meals and when we catch him trying to go #2.  He has started becoming bothered by having to wear a diaper so we are going to see if he is ready to be potty trained.  My mom did a great job getting him started and I hope that I can continue to keep him on track and see if he picks up on the idea. 

Hope everyone is doing well and I will continue to post more pictures when I have time to do so.  I will try and update again next week.

Welcome to the world...

Peyton Elizabeth Griggs!

Was born one week ago today Sunday March 13, 2011 at 6:15 AM.  She weighed 8 lbs 6 oz and was 20 inches long.  Labor started for mom Saturday night and we went to the hospital around 8:30 PM.  Thanks to modern technology I was able to get a little rest through out the night and woke up in the early morning when she was ready to arrive. 

Peyton has been doing really well this past week.  She came out and took to nursing right away.  She has been eating about every two to three hours and is a champion sleeper...just like her daddy!  We came home from the hospital on Tuesday morning.  She was a little jaundice so she had to have the bilirubin light for a day but is doing better now so no more daily visits to the Doctors office.  We will be back in one week for her two week check up.  She is gaining weight daily and already has her parents wrapped around her little finger.

Jack is adjusting well.  He still doesn't pay her much attention to her but when no one is looking he will check her out.  Jack has always done things on his terms so we are just waiting for the day he decides she is interesting to him.  He has been getting lots of attention from his G-Barb since she is here helping out this week and next, and will be get to have some quality time with his Grandma and Grandpa Gindler the week after when they come down to visit. 

I am going to be putting up pictures on our Picasa web site today...hopefully.  If not then tomorrow :-) please bare with me.  We have a new computer (we bought right before I went into labor) so we are still getting things set up.  Hope everyone is doing well and I will post again when I have time. 

One more week till Due Day!

I have been meaning to write, but we have been experiencing some technical difficulties with our home lap top, so I have borrowed Justin's work computer to post an update.  We are getting very close to getting to finally meet this little girl.  We are very excited and we have gotten lots of preparation work done so that is good news.  Justin painted the room, which I put pictures up of last week.  The final touches are not done yet, but as soon as they are I will be sure to include pictures of that as well.  I have had  a crazy week.  I was sick on Monday and went to the Dr a day early.  They gave me some medicine to help and I started feeling better later that evening.  I then either slept wrong or moved wrong because I pulled a muscle in my lower back.  I have been moving slowly the past few day's, but today I could tell it was finally starting to feel better.   Hopefully by Saturday it will be back to normal.

Jack and I have remained busy attending playgroups and having his therapy sessions.  I know I will not be able to take him to many things after the baby is born so I am trying to keep him busy until the big day arrives.  He is doing well and has decided that going for walks around the neighborhood is the greatest thing ever. Justin of course has had the pleasure of keeping him happy with all his walking requests.  I just tell Jack he has to wait for daddy to get home :-)  He loves to go and look at the cars (his newest obsession). 

I still can't believe that is less than two weeks (hopefully- maybe sooner)  I will be a mother of two!!!  I hope everyone is doing well and I will post again when I can.

38 weeks and counting!

It is hard to believe that I am only two weeks away from my due date.  Justin is convinced that she will be arriving early, but I am not so sure.  I am looking forward to this pregnancy coming to an end soon especially since I have been more exhausted than usual.  I have had a busy week with playgroups and I have been trying to get some baby laundry done.  Tuesday was jam packed full of activities and Wednesday I was so tired, even with Justin going into work a little later and letting me sleep in.  Jack has been to two playgroups this week and we also had one of Jack's playgroup friends over to play one morning.  Last weekend Justin got the baby's room painted and we are planning on getting the room arranged and ready for her arrival this weekend.  I know she will not be using it right away, but it will be one less thing to worry about when dealing with sleepless nights and days :-)


We have been very lucky with all the gifts we have received.  Justin's work colleagues threw him a baby shower last week and we got some really cute clothes and several gift cards that will come in handy.  We also received several bags of clothes from a couple of friends so this little girl is getting a good start on a really cute wardrobe.  I always tell Justin that she gets really active when I go shopping at Target.  I though it was because she doesn't like Target, but then thought about it and told Justin she must just really want to get out and start shopping...

I know I have only been getting around to posting about once a week and I am sure once baby comes it might be even less.  I will do my best to keep everyone posted on the goings on still. 

Enjoy the weekend!

Fun Birthday Weekend!

I had a great birthday weekend!  Got to spend time with my friend Lindsey having lunch and getting pedicures.  Then Justin and I got to spend an evening along while Jack got to hang out with his buddy Lila over at Chuck and Lindsey's.  I then had a small dinner at home on Sunday night. 

I have been starting to feel more tired now that I am in the last few weeks of this pregnacy, but am waiting paciently for our little one to arrive.  I am hoping that things continue to progress the way they are, slow but steady.  I am already dialatied 2 cm and my blood pressure is doing well.  I will be back at the Dr. next week but has warned me that it could happen at any time now.  I guess it's time to pack a bag!

Jack is doing really well and is singing more songs and copying more words. He is starting to use the word please more which is helping him say more two word phrases.  I have been trying to relax as much a possible during the day, but with my two year old that is a hard task to accomplish.  Luckly when Justin gets home from work he is able to run around with Jack and do a lot of the the things I can't do with him any more (like throwing him up in the air and playing up, up, up and away on the bed). 

I hope everyone has a great week and I will hopefully post again soon.

Happy Valentine's Day!

I hope everyone had a nice Valentine's Day.  We had a fun Valentine's Day weekend by going out and doing a little shopping and had a very nice lunch at Cheesecake Factory (brought home cheesecake for dessert :-).  Monday night we just had a quite dinner at home and relaxed (because Monday's always feel like they are the longest and most tiring day).  We have been getting ready for baby and Justin got the crib all built and we were lucky enough to receive a really nice crib mattress from our next door neighbors.  So at least this little girl will have a place to sleep when she comes home :-)

Dr. appointments are happening every week now and everything is looking good.  As long as my blood pressure remains in a normal range there will be no reason we would have to induce early.  I am hoping to get as close to the due date as possible.  I am already dilated at 1 cm which is what started to happen with Jack about the same time.  If I am luckily enough to have things go as they did the first time around I will be a very happy momma.

I am getting excited about the weekend (probably because it is my birthday on Saturday) but we have already had a busy week looking forward to some relaxing time with my friend Lindsey.  We are planning to go have lunch on Sat and get pedicures.  Then Justin and I are going to go out for a nice dinner.  I am also planning a little birthday dinner for myself on Sunday with our friends (all I need to do now is figure out what I want to cook).

With all the snow day's we had the past two weeks we have had a lot of therapy sessions we have had to make up.  We have already seen Jack's speech and developmental therapist twice this week and are scheduled to see his speech therapist again tomorrow.  We also are hosting and having playgroup at our house as well.  Friday looks quite and I know it will be here quickly which I am looking forward to. 

Everyone is finally all better and even the lingering coughs have gone away.  We have been enjoying the 70 degree weather that mother nature has brought our way and I am looking forward to spring arriving. 

Happy Friday!

I am so excited that today is Friday.  This week has been very long and I am ready for the warm weather that we are suppose to have tomorrow and Sunday.  Jack decided to sleep in until 9:30 this morning, which was the same time that our new member meet up playgroup started (lucky it was happening at our house)  It only ended up being us and two other mom's, but we had a fun time visiting and watching the kids play. 

Jack has been obsessed with the movie Cars and has wanted to watch it over and over and over again.  He even handed me the remote control today and said "Cars."  I did however get to use this movie obsession to my advantage.  I let him watch the previews that lead up to the movie, but he then had to go and take a bath before he got to start the movie.  I don't know why he has been so resistant to bath's but he has had to be forced cleaned the past few times (which isn't fun for either of us).  Today was the first time I put him in the bath that didn't lead to a full on melt down while I was bathing him.  He even stayed in the bath to play for about 20 minutes before wanting to get out.  He is now, of course, watching his movie since he did such a good job.  Hopefully he will start to enjoy his bath's again soon.

No real big plans this weekend except enjoying spending time a well family...finally.  Jack is finally feeling back to normal and I think I have finally gotten over this cold that has been hanging on the past month.  I hope that everyone has a great weekend and a wonderful Valentines Day on Monday!

Crazy Week!

Last week started off with Jack trying to recover from the flu and all his other ailments.  Then we had to deal with the winter storm from H**L. It probably wouldn't have been so bad had our hot water pipe not frozen (leaving us with only cold water from Tues. to Fri.) and if Justin could have stayed home from work and not had to drive on the icy roads (that since we never get this kind of weather they have no idea how to deal with).  We resorted back to the day's of Little house on the Prairie, boiling water so we could have a warm bath.  I have learned that it takes a lot of hot water to make a few inches of water in a tub warm and I have to say that I don't think I would have survived in Laura Inglis Wilder world for very long :-)  Thank goodness we had electricity and only had to deal with the rolling blackouts plaguing McKinney for a day.  We were some of the lucky ones that only lost power for 15 to 30 minutes every few hours.  I have friends who were without for several hours so I shouldn't complain.  Luckily by Friday our pipes had unfroze and I was able to take a nice "hot" shower :-)

Unfortunately Jack and I caught another little bug and he started feeling bad again towards the end of the week.  I was afraid his ear infection had comeback so we battled the icy/snowy roads and took him back to the Dr. on Saturday morning.  Luckily the Dr. said his ears looked fine, but we are going to go back in a few weeks for a follow up.  He is feeling better this week and we were actually able to get out of the house for a few hours on Sunday. 

On a happier note we have decided to put the furniture we have in our bedroom currently in the babies room and we are buying ourselves our very first bedroom set!!!  I am so excited!  It will be coming on the first of March :-)

I am hoping that Jack's recovery continues and we are able to get out and see some of our friends later this week.  He still has a cough that is getting less frequent with each passing day and he has been fever free now for two days.  We are expecting another winter storm tonight, but I am hoping that it won't be as bad as the last one.  I hope everyone is having a nice week and I hope to post again soon.  We had a computer malfunction which kept me from posting sooner, but I hope (fingers crossed) that rebooting the computer back to its original settings has fixed the problems.  Unfortunately we lost everything on the computer but its better than having to buy a new computer. 

Weekend with a sick toddler :-(

We have been stuck at home the past few days because Jack has been sick.  I took him to the Dr on Friday and we found out he had type B Flu, a double ear infection and the croup cough... Poor guy is finally starting to get back to normal.  Friday and Saturday were the worse two days and yesterday was when we started to see signs that he was starting to feeling better.  His appetite is slowly coming back and he is back to playing more and destroying the house :-)  Justin was Mr. Clean yesterday and spent a majority of the day disinfecting every service and toy he could, doing laundry, vacuuming and dusting.  I tried to help, but all Justin would let me do is sit and relax...I am very grateful to have such a helpful hubby, but was feeling guilty watching him work so hard.

Since all we have been doing is hanging out around the house and waiting for Jack to get better there isn't much to report other than hopefully we will be ready for a fun Super Bowl weekend (GO Green Bay!!!!)  Hope everyone has a great week and if you are expecting bad weather be careful!

33 weeks today!

I want to start by wishing my best friend Kristin a Happy Birthday Today!!! She is down in Florida and I hope they are having some nice weather for her to celebrate this great day.  I have finally gotten over the cold I had last week, but unfortunately I gave it to Jack :-(  He woke up yesterday with a cough and runny nose.  The Dr thinks it's just a cold so he will just have to work through it.  It hasn't slowed him down he is still playing and enjoying himself and I think I am more tired than he is.  This week is the first week I can actually say I am feeling more tired throughout the day and have noticed my growing belly.  Hard to believe that baby will be here before we know it.

Jack has really been talking more and more lately.  He has started to learn a few new songs such as twinkle twinkle little star and he will start to sing the Alphabet song with me (he only makes it through a few letters but its a start).  We have unfortunately missed out on his playgroup this morning, but the mom who was going to host, her child also is sick so I guess there is just a lot of sickness going around.  Hopefully by next week he will be up and running on all cylinders. 

I am excited the weekend is coming and I hope everyone enjoys the few new pictures I put up....I included a few baby bump pictures just for you Gwyn :-)  Miss you and hope baby Axel is doing well.

Hello Friday!

This week has been rough but is getting better.  I have been fighting a cold and it finally feels like it might be leaving me.  I just hope that all the precaution's I took keep Jack from coming down with the same thing...so far so good. 

Justin left this morning to go back to St. Louis to visit his friends and have a fun weekend to relax.  He is in desperate need of a little R&R after the last two weeks he had a work.  Jack and I are going to be spending the weekend together hanging out and playing,  mostly indoors because the weather is still pretty cold here.  Not as bad as it is up north, but for Texas I miss the 50 degree weather we are suppose to be having this time of year.  I am also going to enjoy the time I have to watch a few girl movies that Justin could live without seeing :-)

Jack has been doing really well lately.  He already had his developmental therapy this morning and he did great!  He is doing a great job with his matching skills and has improved greatly at imitation play.  He is also learning new words daily.  He has become quite the parrot and it really is the best thing to hear him walk around the house repeating words that he hears. Of course this means we have to really be careful what we say in front of him :-) He has also started to use a few phrases and is getting better at asking for the things he wants. 

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Long weekend coming to a close...

We have had a very nice weekend. My parents came into town on Friday and didn’t have to leave until today. Jack had such a good time playing with them and chasing them around the house. Justin and I had a chance to go out and see a movie (Tron in 3-D, it was great) and we had time to go out and buy a crib for the baby. My parents also helped me do a little rearranging to create the new spare room upstairs since the spare room down stair will become Jack’s little sister new room.


We have a busy week, as usual, but nothing to crazy. We are going to be having Jack’s annual review with ECI to see how he has progressed in the past year since he started services with their program. I know he has made some great progress but it will be time to make a few more goals for him to reach. He is talking more and is starting to use more words to request a few different things. He has also learned to use the sign for more, which he uses to request more of something or to let us know that is what he wants...it’s really cute!


Today I am officially only two months away from my due date, which is hard to believe. I am getting excited about meeting our newest addition.


I hope everyone has a great week!

Big Boy Bed Time!

Well it finally happened and we had to bite the bullet and change Jack’s crib into a toddler bed. I am a little sad because this means that he is no longer my little baby he is officially my little man :-( He loves his new bed and enjoys being able to get in and out when he wants without having to climb over the railing (even though I did catch him climbing in using the changing table shelves as a ladder still the other day). Now we are just waiting for the big day he decides to sleep in the bed instead of on the floor next to it. I’m sure that he will figure it out eventually and until then he makes a nice little bed on the floor for himself using all the blankets he has in his room and the proximity to the bed is getting closer with each passing night.

We had a busy week planned and with his big bed switch and him getting over a cold or sickness of some kind this week we only ended up going to our usual Thursday morning playgroup, but he had fun and I think was ready to get out of the house. He did get to go out and enjoy the snow (which is still here believe it or not). He did not like staying out in it very long but I did teach him how to throw a snowball and he liked throwing his toys into the snow as well.

We are getting ready for my folks to come into town today and spend the weekend. Justin and I are hoping to get a few thing accomplished this weekend to prepare for baby so having them around to entertain Jack will be a big help.

It snowed in Texas...and it's still here!

Who knew that when we moved to Texas we would still get to experience all the same winter weather we had back in St. Louis :-) Yesterday was one of those rare day’s we were able to watch it snow most of the day. It accumulated about three inches and the surprising side of this story is that today it is still here. Last year when it snowed, it was pretty but the next day, it was usually gone by the late afternoon. The temperatures are not going to get very high so this snow maybe here to stay for a few days.

Unfortunately, Jack has been unable to enjoy the snow except from a distance (he did notice it falling and enjoyed watching from the window). He was running a temperature yesterday and today he woke up at 5 am with it still. He fortunately, for me, (not Justin who had to go to work) fell back to sleep around seven and slept until 9:30. His temperature has finally come down to normal, but I am not sure what is causing it because if you were to see him you would have no idea he wasn’t feeling well. I hope that we can make it through today without it coming back.

I have a feeling we will miss a few of the things we had planned for this week, but I am hoping that he will be feeling better so we can make it to his playgroup on Thursday. Looks like he and I will get to spend the next few days relaxing and doing a whole lot of nothing.

I hope everyone has a nice week!

30 weeks today!

I can’t believe that I am 30 weeks pregnant and that baby will be here in 10 weeks (hopefully not sooner). We are really going to have to get down to business. I know what needs to be done, but it’s the follow-through that I am having trouble with :-) I am lucky that I am feeling really good still and I hope that this feeling will continue on throughout the rest of the pregnancy.

Jack and I have had a busy week. Getting back into the grove of seeing his therapists again and going to playgroups again have kept us pretty busy this week. We had two playgroups this week his regular group on Wed and then our mom group Thursday toddler playgroup today. He had fun at both this week even though he was the only one who showed up for the one yesterday. He is doing a good job at spontaneously naming objects he knows around the house and we are working on trying to get him to use some two-word phrases (other than Elmo’s world) and increase his vocabulary. We are also still working on following some simple instructions and working on him using the pronoun “I” more.

He is doing a great job and he is usually always in a great mood and is always in the mood to play. He has discovered how to crawl in and out of his crib throughout the day, but when it comes to bedtime, he has (so far) remained in bed. I know we will have to transitions him to a big boy bed soon, but we are still not sure when that will be.

Looking forward to the weekend and hopefully we will all find some time to relax. Hope everyone is enjoying the new year!

Happy New Year!

Well it is finally time to say hello to a new year. We had a nice evening last night with our friends. They came over for dinner, Jack went to bed around 8:30, and Justin and I enjoyed watching the movie Inception. I was able to stay up and ring in the New Year with NYC but didn’t make it in our own time zone. So sorry to those people who texted at midnight I was already asleep.

We had a nice Christmas and made it back home Thursday. I was happy to be back, but I think Jack was the happiest of all. He came into the house, checked on his room and then went straight to the back yard to play. I think he missed being able to get out and play. It was nice yesterday with temperatures around 60 degrees. Today is a little cooler but the sun is still out which makes it nice.

We got out this morning to do a little New Year’s Day shopping and went out to lunch. Jack fell asleep on the way home so he is taking a much-needed nap. I am looking forward to getting back into a regular routine and I desperately need to start working on getting the room ready for baby.

I hope that everyone had a fun New Year’s eve!