Norah - 4- 3/4 years
Norah is doing great in preschool! She is a leader in class and is learning so many new things. She is starting to read, I know...it's crazy how early kids learn to read now! She can read simple words and is really good at sounding them out. It is so amazing to watch her sound out the individual letters and say them faster and faster together until she catches onto the word she is reading.
She loves learning about God and all things related to religious songs. I am excited by this because I think it's so important to have kids be excited about religion. I want her to continue to be open to discussions about her religion and ask a lot of questions!
Norah loves her little sister and baby brother. She is such a good big sister and is very excited that she is able to hold William (with me anxiously sitting next to her) in her arms while standing. She loves to play pretend with any toys and especially loves playing "house" and "hospital".
She is growing so fast too, she's getting taller but can't get the extra weight to be able to sit in a booster seat. :) She'll get there, she just might be in 2nd grade! (Not that I can talk too much) It's hard to believe she will be in Kindergarten next year - how did time go so quickly?
Getting her hair curled for our friend's baby shower.
Mommy and her girls dressed up for the baby shower. Isabella - 3-1/2 years
Isabella is doing so well and is also growing up so fast! She comes out with statements and questions that I would expect from a much older child - it amazes us how she understands so much already.
She is a huge help at home and we've started having "school" in the mornings so she can work on her letters and tasks like tracing and cutting. She is actually really good at tracing and cutting, which is surprising at her age. She is doing better at tracing letters and learning the sounds they make (something they work on in Montessori - letter sounds vs the letter itself) Norah's teacher lets Bella stay for a little bit in the mornings sometimes and she loves this so much! She fits right in with the class and follows classroom rules very well. She seems somewhat shy about starting school next year, but I think when the time comes, she will be really excited.
Bella loves to cook anything in the kitchen and we try to bring her in to help whenever we can. My sister has a great tomato knife that we are going to look at getting so the girls (and eventually William) can help "cut" lettuce and tomatoes - it's not sharp but will cut through soft things like that. Bella got a babycake maker for Christmas and loves making those!
Enjoying pajama day and her cupcake!
Sweet Bella, happy little girlWilliam - 9 months
William is doing well in most areas and is struggling in other areas. He is sitting un-assisted and spends a little more time on his tummy. He is starting to pivot a little and reach for toys while on his tummy. He is "talking" more - babbling and saying da-da-da :) He also makes this odd throat-gurgle sound when he wants something...typically me, but he does it when he wants a toy or something one of us is eating.
He is starting to eat baby food - yea! He likes sweet potatoes the best, but is a fan of squash and carrots...just nothing green yet...not a fan of those at all! He also likes all fruit with the exception of bananas which is just as well since those are kind of on the "don't eat" list for EA/TEF kids. (At least as a first food - it's really sticky and hard to work down the esophagus)
William is having a really tough time sleeping and we think it's because of the reflux medicine he takes. He is scheduled for a pH probe (they will put a ng tube (feeding tube) down his nose into his esophagus and it will be attached to a recorder. It will tell us how often he refluxes and if it's acid reflux), a swallow study (to look at how he swallows), and a esophagram (an upper GI study). He has had the swallow study and esophagram before but we need to see what is happening now that he's had 2 dilations, is eating baby food, and to see how/if reflux is causing problems while he tries to eat. After we have the results, we'll be able to work with his doctor's and hopefully make a more informed decision as to what to do moving forward. Brian and I are already reading up and talking to other EA/TEF parents to see the pros and cons of various procedures and surgeries.
William is a happy baby, he loves his sisters and you can tell he is eager to play with them! He has a walker he loves to sit/stand in and we let the girls take him in their room to play...which he loves.
William at 9 months
Happy baby - always in motion
Brian and I are doing well. We feel so blessed that God has given us so many wonderful and supportive people in our lives. We know there are a lot of prayers for William and our family and we appreciate them more than you will ever know. We are also extremely thankful for the countless times our families have helped us - by watching our girls, our house, our pets, etc... - we honestly don't know what we would do without such a strong support system.
