We're back!!

Greg and I are back from our fabulous Dominican vacation!!

This is what we did every day...

We did end up going on a "snorkeling" excursion. I put the quotations because it was barely snorkeling. They dropped us not too far from shore and told us to jump out of the boat. Not kidding! Due to my lack of swimming prowess I almost drowned, so then I hung out on the boat. The fun part came after!! We went to Saona Island, which is where the movie Blue Lagoon was filmed! It was amazing. We ate a traditional Dominican meal and swam in the very warm ocean. Then we sailed back two hours on a catamaran! It was amazing! We befriended two other couples our age and hung out with them the whole time. We drank too much (in my case WAY too much, I broke my favorite sandals!), swam a lot and had a great time. They had this big nets out on the boat that hung over the ocean and we layed on those and drank about a million rum and cokes!

We really just relaxed the rest of the week. We were sick of resort food by the end and we acted like the TGI Friday's at the Miami aiport was Mecca. I was so excited to eat a salad! There wasn't "real" lettuce in the Dominican Republic, I think it's too hot to grow it there. And I'm a salmonella freak so I probably wouldn't have eaten it anyway.

We really liked Secrets Resort and want to go back. They're opening one in Costa Rica in 2015 and I'm already harrassing Greg to plan a 7 year anniversary trip for us. I think we might still be paying off this trip by then, so my plan isn't working yet. Luckily we have him to keep us financially grounded!

I missed the kids so much, I don't think I'd go for quite so long ever again. 7 nights away from my kids is too many for me.

We had an awesome day yesterday and the best Mother's Day ever! We went to church, out to lunch with my in-laws, then Greg and Lo napped while Ryan went with his grandpa to look at trains. So I went to my grandma's and ate lunch with my parents, one of my sisters, my nephew, two of my cousins and a few of my aunts and uncles! Then I topped it off by visiting my other grandma in the hospital. (She got to come home today but unfortunately my grandpa got admitted this afternoon.) It was just exactly what I hoped for the day.

It feels great to be back and have our family together again!

(Yes, I did need to put in the last one! LOL! I am dang proud of how I look in a swim suit. I hate exercising and do it anyway, so I will shamelessly post pics of myself on here!

Why, yes! This DOES deserve a post of it's own! (Brag alert!)

Look at her little pony tail!!!

I love Lauren's hair. It's so cute and I love how it naturally parts on the side. I have been waiting and waiting for it to finally be long enough for a single pony tail and that day has arrived!!! I did clip her "bangs" off to the side because she was chewing on them. I feel like she looks like a teenager with her pony tail and her jeans and her tank top. Swoon!

Picture Update!

Ryan is trying to be like Mama!

 

 

Here's Lauren eating dinner

 

 

Remember how I said Lauren loved the iPad? I got her one of the apps on my phone. She's an artist!

 

 

Lauren and I ready for the day (Not today. Today I look crazy and need a shower)

 

 

Happy girl :)

 

Greg and I are headed out of town soon and the kiddos are being shipped off to Grandma and Grandpa's, so I thought I'd post some pictures now to make up for lack pictures of the kids to come. But we will post pictures of our vacation when we come back! Luckily my sister will be here to take care of our cat (lucky her). The dog is also spending a week with Grandma and Grandpa.

 

 

 

 

PT Eval (And the mythical iPad fairy, anyone know one?)

We took Lauren to her eval at U of M Hospital on Wednesday. It went AMAZING!

Right away they were talking about getting Lauren Sure-Steps (ankle brace orthotics). Her ankles are super wobbly and she stands on the outside aspect of her foot or curls her toes under. And we'll do treadmill therapy where they'll strap her in a little harness and have her practice walking on a treadmill. And we're going to get her a compression vest. It's great for kids with low tone because it gives the deep sensory input the body craves and helps remind her muscles what they're supposed to do. Her standing position now is to stick her butt way out, which is adorable but ineffective. We're hoping it will help get her body in a more walking-ready position. Right now she has absolutely zero interest in putting on foot in front of the other. The compression gear is expensive, like $60-$70 but totally worth it if it works.

The PT said she's going to call our pediatrician and get the ball rolling for the things we'll need a prescription for. Talk about a game plan!

I AM SO EXCITED!!!

We also found out that Lauren is a whiz at using the iPad! We don't have one, but they have them in the therapy rooms. I need an iPad fairy to deliver one to my front door, anyone know one? ;)

She was playing with a piano app and dancing to the music she made. Then she played with one that let her use her fingers to write rainbow streaks, which also made music. All of this was done with her STANDING UP (!!!) with one of us holding the iPad or puting it on a short table. It was seriously amazing too see her little eyes light up. It was really the first time I've seen it in her eyes and know that she was really grasping a concept of making something work. I was speechless!

We really really liked the physical therapist too! She was so awesome with Lauren. When she saw Lauren using the iPad like a pro she said, "Yep, she's just like every other kid!"

Do you know how soothing to the soul it is to hear that for a parent of a kid with special needs? There aren't words.

Please pray, pray, pray that our insurance will continue to cover these visits (it looks like we've only been approved for a 60 day period and we're not sure if we can start over or what afterwords. It looks like they can cover up to 60 visits per year.)

I can't wait to take her back next week!

You Are So Lucky

Not long ago we were shopping at Target. The kids were being cute. And, well....kids. Ryan was in the cart demanding that we eat fruit snacks immediately. So I wandered away to leave Greg with the responsibility of saying no. (I'm a great wife.)

Then I was trying to corral Lauren and get her to stop acting like your average 1 year old...trying to throw herself out of my arms and knock down entire displays of gum and candy. A younger woman (probably early 30's) came over and was just staring at Lauren. She finally said, "You are so lucky." There was such reverence in her voice. Such wistfulness.

I wonder at the backstory because clearly there is one. Did she lose a little one? A little one with Down syndrome? I got the vibe that it was a "Down syndrome thing".

What if every expectant and new mother was told she was lucky? What if the doctors, instead of offering termination, expressed awe at the miracle of a life created? What if they said, "Your child will have a great life with the love you have to offer as her mom."

What if we said it to moms who have kids with autism? Cerebral palsy? Down syndrome? DiGeorge? Skeletal dysplasia? The list could go on and on and on.

What if we said it to moms with typical kids? So often you hear the warnings of "Wait until he's 16." Children are not a burden. Children are a gift.

As parents we have the tremendous responsibility and the honor of raising our children to be productive members of society. That looks different for some kids than for others. I never want my kids to feel that they were a burden for even one minute.

(Note: The above statement does not apply to potty training.)

My parents did an awesome job at this. Even when I dicked around in college and spend a ridiculous amount of my parents' money to eat cheap Chinese food and not go to class, I never felt like a burden to them (although I probably should've). They did an amazing job and letting us know that we were loved and yet also we grew up knowing that the world didn't owe us anything. I feel lucky to be their kid and I know they feel like they got the good end of the bargain.

My point is, I AM lucky. I am blessed. I am grateful. I am a parent. Becoming a parent happens in so many avenues. Pregnancy. Surrogacy. Adoption. Foster care. Mentoring.

Whether your kids has one too many chromosomes or one too few or just the right amount. You. Are. Lucky.

Refreshing!

This evening I escaped with no husband and no kids to have a sushi date with my BFF, Kristen! We've been best friends since before we were born (our dads worked together and our moms were friends well before we were in the picture).

We ordered a ton of food! When the guy dropped it off he said, "Ha, don't worry we're open 'til 10!" We finished all of it in about a half hour and then promptly fell into a food coma.

 

It's so nice to be able to get some time in with a good friend, isn't it?

 

I've been feeling so incredibly thankful lately. We have a welcoming church, a nice (if small) home, awesome kids, I have a job I really enjoy, we both have great families and we have some really good friends. What else could a person need?

Funny kid!

Ryan has been saying the funniest stuff lately!

Last night we had dinner at my parents' house. There were 12 of us. Lauren was just minding her own business eating dinner and Ryan says, "Lauren, maybe you should calm down."

LOL! He is a parrot and this is something I say sarcastically to Greg all the time. (Sorry babe!)

Then this morning I'm messing around on Facebook and he's playing with his toys and he lays down on the couch and says, "Mom, just be quiet!" I wasn't even talking!

And this morning our dog got to eat twice. I had just fed her and he was very upset because he wanted to feed her. I told him to give her a tiny scoop. He gives her a huge scoop and says, "I made a mountain!!!"

His cuteness is almost making up for waking up twice last night and then being up for good before 7am. Almost.