The Journey We Are On.....

After visiting the park it was time for a bath! Baths have gotten alot easier now that Ethan can sit up. Jeff still puts on the swimming trunks so that he and Ethan can go "swimming," but it is so much easier! Ethan seems to enjoy baths now. He is even splashing himself - it is so cute!

Today was a beautiful day, so we decided to take a family trip to the park. One of our parks in town has a duck pond, and so we thought that Ethan might enjoy seeing the ducks and geese (okay, not really, maybe Mommy and Daddy wanted to see the birds). We even ran into Jeff's cousin, her husband and their little girl, Anna, when were were at the park. We all had a great time walking around the pond and visiting. This is a park? Who cares!

Ethan had his nine month check-up today with Dr. Smith. Everything looks great. My "little" man weighed in at 19 pounds and 10 ounces and was 29 inches long! Take that "Failure to Thrive"! We are so very proud and excited about how well he has been growing. Right now as it comes to growth he is an "average" 9 month old - which is very awesome! I remember so well when we were taking him to get weighed every week just to make sure that he was gaining weight! Not anymore! Dr. Smith is going to make the referral for us to take Ethan to Shriner's Hospital in St. Louis. After visiting the orthopedic in Springfield last week we would feel more comfortable finding a more comprehensive team, plus there is the financial aspect of it all. Having kids is expensive - and kids with special needs are even more so! Dr. Smith was also glad to hear that next month Ethan will be getting his classes - we go May 12th to see Dr. Leuder at Children's Hospital in St. Lo...

My dad came to visit Ethan today. Grandpa brought tons of stuff that Grammy got for Ethan. My mom (Grammy) is a bargain hunter - she is able to find the best deals! I was so proud that Ethan showed off how well he is sitting for his Grandpa. Ethan's sitting is getting better each day.

Please check out this story about my friend's son. They live in Florida. http://www2.highlandstoday.com/content/2011/apr/25/251727/boys-wishes-come-true/news/

He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed! This Easter Sunday as we celebrated the risen Lord, we gave thanks to Him for conquering death once and for all. Those who have put their trust in Him do not need to fear. Thank you, Jesus. I am so thankful that I know that you love Ethan even more than we do - which is so hard to imagine - and that we can trust you. This morning we attended the Easter service at our church and were so blessed to see our little church nearly packed! Many of our members had out of town family visiting in addition to new visitors to our church. The sermon and the music were both wonderful. The family in our Easter outfits after church. Look at me, no hands!

Our little man turned nine months old today! He is such a "miracle in progress" to use the term that his auntie Kristin used in the poem she wrote about Ethan at Christmas time. Not only has he made it this far, but he is doing really well! In case you didn't read the previous blog - on Thursday's PT & OT session the therapists declared that Ethan is officially sitting independently! We are so excited about this milestone! We began working on sitting when Ethan was six months old. His form still isn't the best and we can't yet sit him on the floor to play by himself, or anything like that, but he'll get there. I know he will. It seems like I haven't been very diligent about keeping everyone updated in the last few weeks, so here goes... Since returning from our visit to Iowa to see Dr. Stone and Dr. Wilkinson we've been keeping busy. Ethan continues to have PT each week. Ethan will get a little vacation from PT for the next two weeks as ...

Ethan will be 9 months old in two days! We have been working on sitting for a very long time! While it may take him a while to perfect his form, we sure are amazed and excited about this milestone. The PT and OT said he was "officially" sitting when he sat for more than one minute this morning during the combined PT/OT session. He was even turning his head and grabbing for toys while maintaining his balance! We are so very proud of him!

Before PT this morning while Ethan was still in his Pj's we did some couch sitting! We have been working on sitting for almost three months now, and he has come a long way. We aren't sitting independently for long periods of time (it can range anywhere from few seconds to a few minutes) but we are going to get there. Couch sitting is a lot easier than sitting on the floor. And then he played.... And then it was time to get dressed and ready for PT. We love Ethan's PT, she's great. She was very impressed with the progress that Ethan has been making, even since last week, with his sitting. She always gives Ethan a great workout and gives me easy-to-do exercises for me to do with Ethan. A new thing that Ethan has been using during his sessions recently is an exercise ball. He enjoys bouncing (with help, of course) and the workout on it is really helping to strengthen his core - which will make sitting independently for longer periods possible. I know that...

Ethan had his monthly visit with his dietitian, Jen, today. He weighed 18 pounds and 15 ounces and he is 28 and 5/8 inches long. This puts him right at the 50th percentile for both height and weight! We are so proud of him!!! In the last two weeks Ethan has really been taking to baby food. I am now making most of it myself - much easier than I thought - because then I know exactly what he is eating. With PBDs so many kids really struggle with eating and there is some evidence to suggest that limiting phytanic acid can be helpful, so for us, it is just easier and cheaper! :) It varies a lot from one day to another when it comes to how much he is eating, but we are trying to get him to eat at least 1 or 2 ounces three times a day. Here are some recent "meal time" pictures. Do you think he knows this means "more"? We are working on that sign. Ethan's first introduction to meat - chicken! I think my little man might end up a vegetarian. What do you thin...

When we were in Iowa to see the eye specialists Ethan got to go swimming for the first time. Unfortunately, I did not bring my camera. Ethan loved swimming, which we were in a way surprised because he dosen't like bathtime at home. So, today, Jeff got in the tub with Ethan to go "swimming" and it was a much more enjoyable time for everyone! Hold me tight, Daddy! Rubber Ducky, you're the one. You make bathtime lots of fun! I can splash! Okay, I'm done! Towel, please!!

Got back a little bit ago from the trip to the eye specialists. I was very impressed by the doctors. Our little man will be getting his first pair of glasses soon to help with his far-sightedness and astigmatisum (I'm sure I didn't spell that right). The best news was that as of now, his retina's look fine! The doctors also told us that at 8 months old we are no to worry about the numbers too much (20/750) because what is more imporant is how Ethan is using his vision - he bats at toys, reaches, grabs, recognizes his bottle and his mommy's face, etc. :) So, glad we took the trip. Also, Ethan went swimming for the first time last night at the hotel pool - and he loved it!