we're spoiled, I tell you

The Whortons stopped by tonight to deliver some very clever therapy tools for Athan - plastic bottles full of colorful water and heavy beads and rocks (lids are glued on, don't worry). They will help him work out his arms and work on his vision. Laurie and Jordan made them and walked over tonight to drop them off. Wow. Thanks guys!

Seeing the physical therapist tonight reminded me to post an update. Laurie put tape across Athan's shoulder blades to help him work the muscles and increase stability in his back/shoulders/arms. I keep meaning to take a picture, but I only seem to think of it when he's asleep. I'll keep trying. In the meantime, you can imagine a tiny version of this diagram. He has had the tape on since Friday, and we'll keep it on until Tuesday, we hope. We will continue with this taping therapy for several weeks (at least 6) and see how he responds.

Hope everyone is having a good holiday weekend!

made it

Ryan is home! :) It is amazing to me the level of relief I can see in the kids now. Morgan is in a much better mood. Athan even slept better last night. We are all just so glad Daddy is back! :)

almost...

Ryan will be here in a few hours. He just passed Evansville, Indiana. He'll be here about 2:30, I think...

this week's top 5

LOVING seedless watermelon:The aforementioned "I'm bored" state...
"I'm one!"
Watching Veggie Tales together:
Mobility update - I know he is able to scoot a little, because when I sat him in the floor of the bathroom he could not reach the cabinet. When I came back from checking on Morgan...:

sigh...

Well, of course I felt guilty for letting Athan get so constipated that he got a UTI. So I totally over did the remedies. But still, I'm glad things are cleared out a bit, and now we'll get into a better rotation of foods that will hopefully keep him regular and gaining weight. (Thanks to Jan for the tip about pumpkin - I'll give it a try!).

If the kids are asleep at a reasonable hour tonight, I'll take the time to upload some new pics...

yucky

Dr. Coburn wedged Athan in for an appointment today. He has a UTI. Ick. Poor kid. Probably being constipated has also put pressure on his bladder and caused the infection. We're working on both things more aggressively, so maybe this will be it.

So here's the challenge: Athan is still underweight, so we're trying to pack on the pounds. Athan is prone to constipation. Foods that are high in calories are usually foods that constipate. Foods that help keep things moving are low in calories. Any ideas about what I should feed my son?

Moments to celebrate

Morgan, unprompted, told Athan she was sorry for taking his toy and that she loved him.

Athan, for the first time ever, pointed at me and said "Mama." (not the first time he's said it, but the first time he has POINTED and said it).

Ryan (my husband of SEVEN years) keeps blowing me away with the way he loves people, especially me.

I, in case you can't tell, have decided to quit whining and have a better day today. :)

Raborns and Walts to the rescue!

Rob and Kat came over to eat last night, then Tiffany, Lilly, and Sam came over to play again today. My Morgan is sighing in relief, I can tell. She just LOVES to be with people! :)

Athan is not quite himself yet, but he is sleeping well at the moment. Poor guy.

Mom is better, too. I got some good "alone time" after the kids were asleep last night, plus some great adult conversations with our visitors. Yeah for friends and lower stress.

rough couple days

Not awful. Really. Just a little rocky. Athan has another fever. No other signs of anything wrong, and not a very high fever. I think it's just teething again, but if it goes up or lasts through the weekend, we'll go see Dr. Coburn.

With Athan not feeling well and (therefore) not really on a schedule, we are pretty home-bound. For Athan, good. For Morgan, not good. We went from weeks of constant change and people and activity to home with Mom and brother all the time. She's taking it kinda rough. I remember whining at my mom "I'm boooooorrrrrrreeed." Morgan's 3-year-old version today was, "Mom (insert dramatic huff), there isn't anything that is what I want to do."

Sooo... the transition home has been a bit turbulent, but I'm hopeful that Athan will feel better soon, and I'll be able to get the kids out more for Morgan's sake.

we've come a long way, baby...

home sweet home

It's good to be home. The kids are both rolling around in familiarity with smiles and giggles. We're edging back toward our routine, and both kids are eating and sleeping a bit better (though Athan and I were still up at 5 a.m. today...).

We've reunited with some friends, and we get to see lots of folks tonight at the High Bridge Festival. yeah!

As Morgan said to Grammy in the car on our way home, "I love all my people." :)

made it

We're in Wilmore. We had a great trip with Grammy, and we're getting settled in just fine. It was fun to have all our familiar toys again! :)

More when I've slept a bit.

i should be asleep

We head back home tomorrow, but I thought I would post a few pictures of our time here in Clovis (and 1 of the CA trip):



Lots more fun pics to come. For our friends and family here in Texas and New Mexico, we'll miss you all! Kentucky fam - see you soon!

Ryan's trip, my trip, and Ryan again

Ryan had a good trip with his Dad and brothers, and we had a bleary-eyed reunion sometime around 2 a.m. yesterday. Then I left a few hours later to spend the day in Canyon with my dear friend Cindy and her son, Ben, who is recovering from back surgery (going well, and thanks for those who prayed). Now I'm back in Clovis, and Ryan is off again. Now he's backpacking for a couple days with Bailey. He gets back Friday in time for us to celebrate our 7th anniversary (a couple days early - it's officially the 10th). Then a family reunion Saturday, packing up Sunday, and the kids, Mom, and I head back toward Kentucky Monday morning.

Whew.

The kids are doing great - LOVING all the attention of so many friends and family.

Ryan keeps taking the camera on his little adventures, so I'm short on visual updates for now.

lazy post

1 - We ordered Athan's glasses

2 - Ryan is having a good trip and will be home tonight.

3 - [pretend i took the time to write two or three of the "Morgan is NOT shy" stories from the past few days]

Real updates later this week.

little trip

Morgan and I went with the Strebecks to Albuquerque yesterday for Layne's last basketball game (moment of silence for the passing of the basketball era of the Strebeck house). It was an all-in-one-day whirlwind trip, concluding sometime after 2 a.m. this morning, but well worth it.

Ryan has gone with his dad and brothers for the "Brothers Trip" to California. If they survive each other, they'll be back Monday or Tuesday.

Athan spent the day with Grammy and Uncle Jer - Thanks guys!

Also, I ask that you all pray for our friends who are moments away from finding out if a birth mom is willing to let them adopt or not.