Finally! An Update!

Wow, it's been almost four months since I posted!

I'd like to try to update more with info about all of the family.  So often I feel that everything is focused on Eric.  And Kaitlyn doesn't get the attention she needs.  There is a therapist or instructor coming to  our house to see him, we are taking him to an appointment, or even the simple fact that he is only 18 months old and requires a little more everyday hands-on care than she does.  I have so much to brag about!

Kaitlyn is amazing.  She is growing up SO quickly!  I love the conversations that we have.  She is quite the shopper so the two of us are usually alone at the grocery store every week, chatting away.  She loves to say "Mom, you should buy that." with a very serious tone to her voice and look in her eye.  I try to turn her down gently.  Her signing is great!  Her brain is so much retentive than mine.  She has to want to use it though.  If you ask her, she doesn't like to perform.  She tends to go in and out of our sign language sessions so when she uses a sign we have learned, I'm actually impressed that she remembered it!  And she is usually willing to be a model for Eric when we want him to use one sign in particular, which is great.

Eric is communicating very well.  His sign vocabulary is great!  He can sign words that a child could never speak at this age.  I believe he has 10-15 signs now that he uses and more that he understands.  At the same time, we can tell that his hearing is developing.  He is babbling most of the time now, and has started doing it even when his ears (as we call them) are not on.  His consonant sounds are developing quickly.  Last week  his speech therapist heard a /g/ and /t/.  According to her, both are complex sounds, the /g/ comes from the back of the throat and the /t/ requires your tongue to touch the back of your teeth.  She was excited so we are too!  He says ball, more, Mama, Dada, and thank you.  Ball and more sound the best, but the rest aren't perfect!  Physically, he is still a little small, but on target with no concerns.  He is walking well, and he throws like a champ!  Heads up at all times if Eric is around, he will throw a ball at your head.  Hard.  So, enter the basketball hoop!  We joke that he is definitely going to become a basketball star at this rate because he can already make most of his shots with very nice form in his hand and wrist.  It's fun for us to see him enjoy it!

All in all, we have been a having a great time around here!  I really do hope I can manage to update more often from now on! Here are a couple pictures from the last few months.  = )



Eric in June





Eric October


              



Kaitlyn in June



Kaitlyn October