Milestone Update

  Mason continues to work with Miss Kelly. We have seen a dramatic improvement in his ability to sit up ;)! When he began therapy in the beginning of October, he couldn't stay sitting up for even a few seconds. Now he can sit up about 25-30 minutes AND knows how to get out of the sitting position. The little stinker does it in such a cute way! He leans forward, lowering his head to the ground and rolls out of it (I will try to get a recording of it to post ;).
    Another big change I have seen in him is the ability to sit in a shopping cart and high chair at a restaurant. His trunk muscles have strengthened and he has a better sense of balance now which make sitting in shopping carts and restaurant high chairs possible. He can't sit in either for more than about 20 min, BUT that is 20 min more than he used to be able to.
   His left hand continues to be lagging behind. He wears his splint most of the day and seems to use the hand more now. I think the splint has encouraged use of the left hand and is getting him in the habit of using it. Even when the splint is off, he uses the hand more because of habit.
  He still has a LONG road ahead of him, but I am glad to see he is making such progress in just the 3 months he's had therapy.

                                     As promised....I caught him rolling out of the sitting position ;).

Mason's Birthday Party

     First, I want to start out with thanking everyone who attended the party. It meant a lot to me :). Next I want to send a special shout out to my friend Marie, thank you for all of your help! The prep went more smoothly with your help. Thanks again! Now on to the actual party :).
     The party went really well! I'm so thankful considering all the issues that came up at the last minute! We arrived at my parents' house a little early to decorate, cook the chili, and ice the cupcakes. We got everything done early (again thanks Marie and mom). The guests arrived and everyone got caught up with each other. Even Gage and Mason seemed to be talking to each other! Mason opened his presents with a lot of help from me. We all ate dinner, then sung 'Happy Birthday' to Mason and had cupcakes.
      Mason seemed to enjoy smashing his. He made such a mess! That's ok, he had fun! That's what I cared about ;)!
     At the end of the night, Mason fell asleep on the floor. He partied until he dropped! He wasn't the only one exhausted. Everyone seemed to enjoy the party.
     I can't believe his first birthday has already come and gone :'(. I miss my little newborn but look forward to seeing him develop into a roaming, exploring, toddler. Mason, daddy and me love you very much!

Mason's 1st Birthday

     I got to spend the most of the whole day with just Mason and me. I LOVED not having to share him with anyone! It was great! The day started off with Mason waking up early. So I got him up and got him ready for the day. The original plan was to fix him homemade waffles for breakfast, that was until he woke up early. So he got scrambled eggs and toast instead. Didn't seem to bother him a bit! He gobbled them down and we went about our day.
     When Doug got him we helped him open his presents (pics to come later ;).We had decided that we would take him out to eat for a birthday dinner (to start a tradition that we hope to continue each year). The only question we had to answer was, 'Where do you take a 1 year old for dinner?'. I mean it's not like hecan tell you or request his favorite restaurant. To complicate things further, Mason is a great eater (problematic I know, lol ;). So we racked our brains and decided that somewhere that served either broccoli, avocado, or mac & cheese would be a good place to take him (based on observation he seems to enjoy these foods the most). We also wanted a restaurant close to home, so that eliminated Cracker Barrel (great mac & cheese) and left only Chili's and a Chinese restaurant. We decided on the Chinese restaurant because we knew it would be less crowded on a Friday night. Mason and me split chicken with mixed veggies. He got to have some broccoli along with all of my mushrooms (eww! fungus!).
     After dinner we went home and I gave him a cupcake for dessert. He seemed not sure what to do with a whole cupcake at first, but then figured it out ;). He seemed to really enjoy it (I think the pictures speak for themselves).  Tomorrow the party.....

The Sign Language Experiment Conitinues

   I have been trying to teach Mason to learn some simple signs to help him communicate with us. I decided to limit it to 5 signs to keep things simple as possible. The signs I decided I wanted to teach him are 'eat', 'milk', 'more', 'please' and 'thank you'. I started teaching him about about 6-7 months, because I figured earlier is better. I also knew at that age not to expect much, but I have kept on trying. At first all he did was to look at me like I was crazy and he'd laugh. I still kept trying though. To this day he still looks at me like I am crazy and laughs. I have also added one more sign, 'finished'  (all done). I still keep trying ;). I don't know what the issue is. I thought he would have picked up one or two of the signs.....but nope :(. Maybe I'm doing something wrong?? Maybe I'm expecting too much (but I don't think so, other children I've known can sign several signs by his age)???? Maybe he's stubborn and he'll do it when he's darn good and ready??? Personally, I think it's the last question :P. He's done everything else on his own, sweet time.
    Any ideas on things to try will be appreciated ;). Thanks!

Prep for Mason's 1st Birthday Party

     WOW! I can't believe Mason will be a year old tomorrow! Where did the time go?!?!?
      I am getting so excited (in spite of negative comments :P )! I have been slowly prepping for Mason's 1st birthday for about a month. Several months ago I decided it would be a Cookie Monster (gotta show the little blue monster a little love, Elmo is so overdone!....you watch he'll want that next year , lol!). I made the invitations for his party.  I have made a shirt for him to wear at his party (picture to come later....after it's debut at his party ;). I have made some Cookie Monster decorations for his party. Today I am making cookie dough to be baked tomorrow. I will be making chili tomorrow and his cupcakes. I can't wait for Saturday night! It's going to be fun!