Oh Daddy

We love our daddy, esp. when he takes his day off to clean out the garage.

Which means spring is here and the outdoor toys finally come out! One of the neighbors came over and asked if we were having a garage sale. No, we just have a bunch of bright colored plastic toys sitting in our yard :) When the weather gets warmer our cars don't fit in the garage, but that is okay because the sandbox, picnic tables, ride on toys need their space.

The boys enjoyed playing outside in the warm weather.

And Nicholas' hair is finally starting to grow on me. I do want it to come back in because he has the best blond hair. But he looks like such a boy, and it shows off his personality...rough and tough.

And this is our backyard "before" picture. We are finally getting some estimates for a back patio. I can't wait to grill out back, have dinner on the patio and start playing in our backyard some more.

Miscommunication?? Really?

One of Paul's "duties" is to take the boys for their haircuts at the barber. I love him for doing it, as it shortens my never-ending to-do list by one task.
This morning, Paul took Nicholas to the barber. Nicholas is not a fan of the barber, and from what Paul tells me, he has to do everything in his power to hold him down to allow a cut. For the most part, the cut turns out really cute - short, but super cute and boyish. Today, was not such a good day at the barber.
Apparently, there was a "miscommunication" between Paul and the barber. According to Paul, it went something like this:

Paul: "Time to get out your clippers?"
Barber: "Really?"
Paul: "Yep"

Paul says he was referring to the clippers because last time Nicholas was so squirmy that they had to clip the back rather than use scissors. He didn't tell the barber that was what he was referring to. So, the barber used the clippers and COMPLETELY clipped the head. Paul said by the time he realized the miscommunication a big chunk was gone and that Nicholas would have had a mohawk. I wouldn't have taken the mohawk to a completely clipped head!!!

Anyway, here is Nicholas, bald but still beautiful.....

Back from Vacation

We just got back from a week vacation in Florida with Nana and Papa. I already miss the warm Florida sun and breeze. Oh, it felt fabulous! There is not much for two little boys to do in a retirement community, but we found plenty! We swam in the pool every single day.

We had a "break-through" on some things with Nathan too. First, he finally wore sunglasses! In fact, he asked for them and I don't think he took them off except at night to go to bed. He looked so cool in them. Unfortunately, they broke on the way to the airport coming home, but I think he is officially a sunglass wearer ")

Second, he swam by himself in the pool! Nana got him something called a puddle jumper, which has arm bands and a waist band. It works great and gave him enough confidence to swim alone in the pool. He was swimming on his back and kicking and even jumped in a few times (except when a little girl that we met jumped on him a few times and scared the heck out of him...that's another story :) Now I can go to the pool with the boys by myself knowing that he can swim and I can hold onto Nicholas.

As for Nicholas, it was quite an adventure for him. He was not a fan of the airplane, and I was afraid the passengers were going to try to kick us off because he was having terrible tantrums. But, for the ride back, he had a little dramine and slept like a king. He enjoyed swimming and being free and running...yes, running and running. This trip was a bit of a reality check for me that Nicholas is a "runner". In a blink of an eye, he is off- - fearless, laughing, and not looking back. I need to figure out something to get him to stop and listen. I am not sure how much of it is his age (terrible two) and how much is a cognitive delay. I just know that I need to teach him some safety things, and fast. We made a new friend from Georgia (Ashlyn), who is five years old and also has down syndrome. She swam by herself, jumped in the pool (and on top of Nathan), and talked with us. She was adorable, energentic and to my delight was potty trained at 2!! So, yes, it can be done (another thing I need to start working on!!).

Besides swimming, we blew bubbles, played hopscotch and horseshoes...and ate plenty of ice cream.



It was a great vacation. It was good to get away from our crazy routine. But, as much as I miss the Florida sun, I'm glad to be back home.

Easter Stuff

We had a weekend full of Easter things-to-do. On Saturday, while daddy worked, the boys and I went to the local library for crafts and an Easter egg hunt. There were about 60 kids, so crafts were out. But, the easter egg hunt was on. This was their first hunt. I held Nicholas at first because with 60 kids running around you, I was at a high risk of losing him and/or Nathan. But after things calmed, I let him down and the boys found their four eggs. They were so excited to find chocolate kisses inside....
Then on Sunday we went to the Easter Party at (the far-away) Papa's Firehall. It was a pancake party, and can the boys eat (they LOVED it)...

They also had a two clowns; one was making balloons (the boys got swords) and the other was facepainting (Nathan opted for the hand and Nicholas wouldn't even get near that scary clown :)...



And of course, the Easter egg hunt. They were pros this time...



They also got a pail full of stuff from the Easter Bunny...


Nathan appeased me and sat on the Easter bunny's lap, although you can tell from his face he wasn't too thrilled about it...



And this was as close as Nicholas' would get...

But we had a great weekend (and Easter is still a week away)...

Nathan and His Buddies

Yesterday, Nathan's playdate was at our house. Luckily it was a nice Spring day and the boys were able to go outside for a bit. They were really good about switching between the Gator and the bike, and I was especially proud that Nathan shared his toys with no complaint. He really is a sweet little boy. These are his good buddies and I hope they remain friends for a very, very long time.....

A Weekend of Learning

It was a long weekend. On Saturday, I spent the day at a Partnership Training on Early Intervention. It was a good day, despite the fact that I had to spend it indoors in a hotel conference room. I learned quite a bit, and anything that makes me a better advocate for Nicholas is worthy of my time away from the boys. I also met some amazing moms (and dads) that have children with disabilities. Only three families in the room of sixty had a child with down syndrome (I was surprised by that fact). The mom sitting to my left had a daughter who had brain surgery (a facial cranio something or other too technical for me to understand) and the mom next to her had a 10 month old daughter with spina bifida. On the other side of me was a young mother with a two-year old son with speech delays. So there was quite a spectrum (so to speak) in the type of disability. For once, I felt like we were somewhere in the middle...actually, closer to the mom with the child with speech delays. And, down syndrome didn't sound all that bad. I mean, he can move his legs, he can say a couple words "No", "Mama" "Dada" and "Row, Row, Row." I also thought that if Nicholas didn't have down syndrome I probably wouldn't even be sitting there. What I mean is that if he had a significant physical impairment, I'd probably still likely be grieving. And if he had only speech delays, I'd probably assume he'd grow out of it. So, I give much credit to those parents of a child who fall on either side of the disability spectrum (the severe and the not-so-severe).
On Sunday, it was sunny and the boys and I played outside for a bit while daddy was at work. Nicholas is starting to get used to going outside and he no longer sees the door open and wants to run, run far away.

He actually walks (not runs)...




and plays



and watches Nathan ride his bike....






Sunday was also World Down Syndrome Day 2010! We are so very proud of our Nicholas and honored to be able to celebrate him on that day!!

I Love It!!

My new camera, that is...I can't wait to practice using it more. The two little N's were having fun with me trying it out tonight. I just have to learn to not chop off the top of their heads :)