Come On, Horse!

The other day Kate got the idea to "lead" her horse around the living room. It was so cute that I had to snap a picture of her. She loves her pink rocking horse from Aunt Jenni!

Sit 'n Spinning!

I've always thought it would be cool to have one of these for the kids so when I was at Divine Consign last month I picked one up. I have to admit the music is very annoying and won't stop until about 5 minutes after the kids have stopped spinning. There are very few musical toys that actually annoy me so this one is pretty bad. I think next Spring this one will be in Divine Consign and I will look for a non-musical one!

Both of them like to spin on it and I am surprised that Kate new exactly what to do. It's great sensory input for Grant, especially, and I'm happy that he likes it.

Fun with Friends

A few weeks ago we had some friends over. Here are a few pics of them playing dress up. Kate really got into it. Grant really doesn't get the idea of dressing up. Boy thing or just Grant? I'm not sure.

Fireman Kate

Emma the Pirate

Liam, the Cute One

Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children

Today Joel, Grant, and I were at TSRHC from 7:55am til 1:45pm - whew, that makes for a long day! Thank you, Nana, for watching Kate!

We went to the Rainbow Clinic to see a developmental pediatrician in the hopes of finding answers to why Grant is delayed and any further direction in intervention. This appointment was really amazing how it came to be: One day about 7-8 weeks ago my mom happened to be working with a nurse who she normally doesn't work with. They started talking and this nurse mentioned how her husband is a doctor and that he works with kids who are developmentally delayed. My mom was like, "OMG, my grandson is developmentally delayed!" So they continued talking and come to find out her husband is THE director of the Rainbow Clinic at TSRHC! So she said she'd call my mom later and get the info she needed for referring Grant. Since Grant had been there previously she said it shouldn't be too hard for him to get an appointment. Pretty cool, huh?

I knew we might be there for a few hours this morning but didn't quite anticipate it to be that long! We saw 10 different people during the time we were there in this order: nurse coordinator, certified nurse practitioner, dietitian, occupational therapist, physical therapist, Dr. Adams - the developmental pediatrician, (we were in the same room for 4 hours!) then onto family service coordinator, social worker, radiology nurse, and finally Kevin in orthotics department.

While I can't say that we came away with new and profound insight, we did feel it was a worthy trip. Today was mostly Joel and I answering a bunch of questions about Grant, his development, his strengths, weaknesses, current goals, our concerns, his diet, birth, behavior, and more. Basically, anything and everything to do with our little guy. Speaking of which we have had a little fever bug at our house starting with Kate last Thursday evening. She threw up once that night and then had a fever all day Friday. We thought that was the end of it until Grant came home from school with a very low fever on Tuesday and as the day went on it was clear he had something going on, too. I was afraid I would have to reschedule our appointment this morning because he was sick but I really hated to miss it. So I gave him some Tylenol and a decent breakfast (in the car) and off we went - at 6:50 this morning! The Tylenol helped some but he was pretty sleepy and not his usual curious and busy self. If you know Grant at all you know this was a HUGE blessing considering the fact we were in the same patient room for over 4 hours!!! Thank you, Lord, for this timing of illness! :-) They kept saying to us, looking at our notes previously sent in "It says here he's a pretty busy boy but he sure doesn't seem very active!" We kept reassuring them that this isn't "normal" Grant and that he is a little 'under the weather'!

We will see Dr. Adams again in November. In the meantime, he is going to get info from Grant's school, his PT, OT, and SLP both at school and private. He wants Grant to have an MRI done and an extensive hearing exam done before we see him again. We scheduled the MRI for Friday, Sept. 26, a little over a week from now. Also, he got a new pair of orthotics for his shoes! He has had a pair for over a year now and they have helped his balance, even though he still falls a lot. He is about to grow out of his current pair and I was pretty sure we wouldn't be getting a new pair - if I told you how much they cost you might croak! So...we are thankful for this new pair and hope that Grant's feet will respond well to them. We'll see.

Dr. Adams said Grant does seem to fit Dyspraxia, which is what his private PT and OT diagnosed him with last summer. He also said that he doesn't see him on the Autism spectrum, confirming what quite a few people have told us previously. As to the rest, he said we'll talk again when Grant's folder is about 3 inches thick instead of the 1/2 inch thickness it is now, basically, he needs to get some more background on him from the people who have worked with him and who work with him presently, as well as get results from the MRI. So I anticipate next's appointment to be less questions and more directional. They promised it won't be as long as today!

For those of you not familiar with Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children, there is no charge for any service to patients. They are supported through donations and volunteers. This is why it really was a big deal for us today, as we really feel priviledged and blessed to have this opportunity. I'm anxious for November to come when we meet again with Dr. Adams. Please keep Grant in your prayers next Friday, Sept. 26! He will have an MRI that morning. I'll keep you posted on how he does!

Back to School!

Grant's first day of school for 2008-2009 School Year!

Grant attends Liberty Grove Elementary in Rowlett to the Preschool Program for Children with Disabilities. It's for children 3-5 years old who are delayed significantly enough for it to be considered a disability. He started preschool in January 2007 right after he turned 3 (12/22). So for him it was back to school, as he started school a year and a half ago. He goes every day, Monday through Friday, from 8am-11am.

He has the same teacher and teacher's aides that he has had since he started. Ms. Patsy is his teacher and Grant loves her! She is very sweet and we are so grateful that we share a common faith in the Lord. This picture was taken at the end of last year, just a few months ago:

The first few weeks have gone great. He is happy to be back in school again. Every day when I pick him up I always ask him how his day was, what did he do, was he a good boy, did he play with Jacky (his little buddy), etc. The first year I didn't get any response from him at all other than him listening to me. But everyday I would always talk to him as if he would talk back. Sometime last year, I think it was early spring, he started nodding his head "yes" to certain questions and would give me some verbal response, although most times I couldn't understand him - but he was trying and he would listen.

This year is so awesome: on the way home from the first day I asked him my usual questions and guess what! He pretty much answered, or tried to answer, all of my questions - and for the most part I understood him! Our conversation went like this:

Me: Grant, did you have a good day?
Grant: nods head
Me: What did you do?
Grant: verbal response but not understandable
Me: Did you have a snack?
Grant: nods head
Me: What did you have?
Grant, smiling: Ta tar! (crackers)
Me: Oooh, you had crackers?
Grant: nods head yes
Me: Did you work with Ms. Patsy?
Grant: nods head yes
Me: What did you do?
Grant, smiling again and gesturing with fingers and thumb opening and closing: ti tors
Me: what?
Grant: ti tors!
Me: color?
Grant: shakes head no
Me: what, say it again?
Grant: TI TORS!
Finally I get it: Scissors??
Grant, happy and smiling: nods head yes

The next day I checked with Patsy if he had crackers for snack and if he worked with her on cutting and sure enough he had! Wow. This has been what it is like everyday since August 25 and I am loving it. You could say this is one of the first times that I have had an ongoing conversation, going back and forth, where we both are understanding each other. It is beautiful and I love talking with my son. Sometimes when I don't understand him I'll say what I think he is trying to say and if I'm wrong he will quickly shake his head "no" and then try again. Sometimes he gets frustrated with me when I don't understand him and says it again in his growly voice (his voice when he is frustrated and not being understood). He is really trying so hard to communicate and talk to me. I am totally loving it!!!

Kate's New Bed!

Lately Kate has been having a hard time going to sleep for her nap and for bed. I wasn't sure if it was a phase or she was just ready for a big girl bed. In either case, Joel and I decided to go for it and bring in her new bed (Grant's former bed). She loves it! So far she's been sleeping pretty good but we'll see over the next few days... :-)

Last Day of Summer!

Friday was the last day of summer for us and Christina, Aunt "Nina", spent it with us. She has taken care of Grant and Kate this summer on Tuesdays while I was teaching piano lessons. At some point during the summer Grant started calling her "Nina" and now both of them call her that. They always are excited when we go and pick her up and when they know she is going to stay with us. Often she would spend the night on Monday and they would be so excited when they woke up and saw her sleeping on the sofa.

It's been neat to see them grow closer to her over the summer and I know they will miss her now that school has started again!

On Sunday we took her and Daniel home after church. Kate was sound asleep when we dropped them off so she didn't get to say bye. When we came home and she woke up the first thing she said was, "Nina?" She was sad and a little confused as to where Nina went!

We love you, Aunt "Nina"! :-)

Beautiful Bread

You are looking at 100% Whole Wheat bread!

With the changes I'm making in Grant's diet, I literally could not find any bread at the grocery store that did not have something in it he can't have. So instead of buying it at Central Market or Whole Foods, I have been making it since late Spring.

God has blessed me with a bread machine and mill (thank you, Mom!), and the "know how" in making 100% Whole Wheat Bread, for which I am very thankful. It's amazing to think that almost 20 years ago when my sister and I started making and selling bread that I would be making bread for my son and his needs! (for those of you who don't know an intimate detail of my life, I have made about 10, 000 loaves of WW bread in my lifetime!)

I have given away a few loaves here and there and in the process I had several friends asking if I would start selling it. So after much thought I am now selling bread again! (Jen, I know you are thinking I'm crazy!) Here are a few pics of my first bread order:

Ingredients: freshly milled wheat berries, filtered water, canola oil, pure honey, yeast, sea salt, and dough enhancer (lethicin, vit. C, and ginger).

These weren't part of the order but a delicious and yummy treat! :-)

Joel and I decided that all profits from bread money will go towards Grant's NACD fund. We are saving up for this and you can read about it here. If you would ever like to place an order, you can call or email me by Thursday evenings. Bread is made fresh on Fridays!

Look, Mamum!

Grant has been into wearing Joel's and mine shoes, but mostly Joel's. He is actually pretty good at walking around in them. Developmentally, this is a great thing and this is the kind of thing that we get very excited about around here!

Party Girl

Here is Kate before going to a friend's birthday party. I picked out her outfit and Daddy dressed her. She came out looking like this:

In addition to the outfit I had layed out for her, Joel put her sunglasses on and if you look closely (click on the picture to see it blown up), he also put on her big clip on earrings (dress up). I've put them on her before but she has always taken them off immediately. What was funny is that she wore them the whole car trip to the party (20 minutes!) and throughout the party. She was cracking me up!

Kate's Birthday Portraits

Kate Annmarie DeLuca ~ Two Years Old

My favorite

This one captures her personality best! As you can tell by her smile she was being silly and it was her idea to put her foot on the chair. It turned out pretty cute, anyway.

My sweet girl, Kate

ChuckEcheese!

Today we met up with Joel's sister Elizabeth and her four kiddos at ChuckEcheese for lunch. We had so much fun! Christina was going to go with me to help with G & K but ended up not being able to go last minute. I still wanted to go because the kids love going there but part of me was nervous going by myself with Grant and Kate. Kate is pretty good about staying close to me when we are out but Grant will run off without any fear of getting lost or of losing me. He is getting better at not running off as much, as we have really been working with him on this over the summer.

Elizabeth's older kids helped me out quite a bit. In fact, at one point she and I were able to get in a 5 minute conversation at the table while the big kids were playing with the little ones! :-)

Grant's favorite ride

Barney comes in a close 2nd

Cousins Michelle and Timothy

Cousins Mike, Jr. and Timothy

Not the best picture of Grant but I'm posting it so you can get a glimpse of my new hair cut!
Grant would not look at the camera and grabbed a bite in the last second. :-)

Coloring Fun!

Grant and Kate love to color with markers, especially Kate. In her coloring book she found a picture of a dog and was very excited. By very excited, I mean she colored with the same yellow marker on the same place of the dog for over 15 minutes. Grant was long done coloring and on to something else when I kept asking Kate if she was done. She shook her head no and said, "Dog! Dog!" and continued coloring. By the time she was finally done yellow marker was all over her hand and there was a worn spot on the paper from coloring in the same place for so long!

We're jumping!!!

Two weeks ago Grant had a break through moment during PT. Halfway through his session, Tina called me down to peek in through the window. My jaw kept dropping as I watched Grant like a little frog jump from one pad to the next. He was jumping with both feet together about 6-12 inch distances!

For several months he has been jumping off of a surface onto the floor (ie from the bed onto the floor or from the edge of the pool into the water) but we have been working so hard in jumping up from a standing position, like a hop. I couldn't believe it! I told Tina, his physical therapist, that if I hadn't seen him with my own two eyes I would not have believed it.

Since then he has been jumping like crazy. We'll be playing in his room and all of sudden he will just start jumping up. In the kitchen when he is waiting for a drink or snack he will jump. It's so cute and wonderful to see him jumping. He has been wanting to jump for soooo long and now he is totally having fun in jumping. He's so proud, I know.

Monday of this week he was jumping 16 inch distances and starting to work on hoping on one foot! Tina is not wasting any time in moving right along with him!

Praise the Lord!!!

a bloody nightmare

Intriguing title, huh? First I have to say that a few months ago I was talking to one of my friends who was telling me that from the outside looking in I have it together. While it is a nice complement, I will be the first to tell you that I don't! I quickly reassured her of my daily struggles and later realized how life really can come across all cute and wonderful in blogger world.

Now onto the story:

Last night Joel was cleaning up a few things in the garage and cut his foot. He bandaged it up and we thought that was the end of it. In the middle of the night Kate woke up crying and wouldn't go back to sleep. Joel, being the great dad that he is, went to go check on her and found she was soaking wet. He changed her and got her back into bed but she wouldn't settle down. So he went to the living room and was going to get her to sleep holding her on the sofa. At that point he checked on his foot, which ironically by the way doesn't hurt - weird, I know - and discovered it had started bleeding sometime after getting up. He then came to get me and said his foot was bleeding and blood was on the carpet. This was 2am.

I was in utter shock at the horrible sight I saw next: blood everywhere all over Kate's room, the living, and our bedroom. It was a bloody nightmare. Christina was here and awoke from sleeping on the sofa. She had come over because she watches the kids for me on Tuesday mornings when I teach piano lessons. So she and Kate went back to sleep in our bed and I sat on the sofa still in shock of blood everywhere. How in the world where we going to clean all of the blood up??? And it wasn't just in a spot here or there but everywhere! Next I called my brother David who works as a stocker at Kroger. I mean, who else to call at 2:30 in the morning? :-) Joel called his good friend Kevin who owns a janitorial company. No help from them other than to wait until the morning when we can get a Rug Dr. So from that point on we spot cleaned as much as we could. This included a trip to Wal-Mart at 3am. On my way into the store, I must have been a sight. Some guy walking out said to me, "Hey, it's not that bad. It's only 3 in the morning!" He was in too good of a mood for 3 am and if he only knew...

We cleaned until 5:30 and then went to get more spot cleaner at Wal-Mart and then went to Tom Thumb to get a Rug Dr. when they opened at 6. Then home to clean carpets which was until 10ish this morning. I canceled my lessons for the morning, finished cleaning the carpets, showered, and then we all went to my mom's house for the rest of the day since Joel and I needed sleep and our carpets were all wet.

We slept from 11:30-3:30. Sleep never felt so good! When we came home this evening most of the carpets were dry but there are still quite a few spots in Kate's room and some in our room. Also there is one spot that isn't too bad in the living room. Kevin has a guy who is coming next week who is promised to get it all out. In the mean time I'm tired and am off to bed. This has been one of the weirdest days. Thank goodness tomorrow is a new day... ;-)

Birthday Shoutout to Jen & Daniel!

Happy Birthday to Aunt Jenni and Uncle Daniel!!! We love you both very much and are so blessed to have you in our family!

At the Ballpark!

Last Wednesday my family went to the Ranger's game in Arlington. This is the 2nd time we have gone as a family. Last time everyone came except Blair, Jon's girlfriend at the time. Now this time everyone came except Jon, who is in Iraq. We miss you Jon! My sweet friend Julie watched G & K. Thank you, Julie!!!

Not bad for a sweaty self portrait. ;-)

David & his girlfriend Brendin

Christina & Blair

Cool Daniel

Jen & Shawn

Hubby Love

I was tagged by my friend Melissa for this game. I tag Sara R. :-)

What is his name? Peter Joel DeLuca

How long have you been married? almost 7 1/2 years

How long did you date? 2 years

How old is he? 34

Who eats more sweets? that's a toss up - I eat cookies, he drinks coke. I'm not sure which has more sugar

Who said I love you first? he did

Who is taller? he is

Who can sing better? definitely Joel! He has a really good voice

Who is smarter? joel

Who does the laundry? i do but he helps me fold it often

Who pays the bills? we both do

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? i usually do but Joel says he doesn't want to have "sides" so he is sleeping on my side now. ;-)

Who mows the lawn? he does but I like to every now and then but he won't let me. "It's the Man's job" ....ok.

Who cooks dinner? mostly me, although he is a pretty good cook for a guy

Who drives? I do

Who is more stubborn? tough one...it's a toss up

Who kissed who first? he did. He asked, "Can I kiss you?"

Who asked who out first? he did when I was working at Bath & Body Works. I was mad at him because of a previous conversation about him not having time for a relationship (when I knew he liked me). He came to the mall with his sisters when I was working and when they were outside he randomly asked me if I wanted to go out sometime. Agh!!! I'm not sure if I have experienced that mad/very excited feeling since. ;-)

Who proposed? he did

Who has more siblings? no one. both of us have 5 siblings but all of his are married so technically he has more brother/sister in laws.

Who wears the pants? he does

Swimming with Aunt Jenni!

Sunday afternoon the kids and I went swimming with my sister, Jennifer, at her neighborhood pool. The kids love swimming and it was fun hanging out with Aunt Jenni. We were having so much fun that before I knew it we had been swimming for 1 1/2 hours!

Kate was a little hesitant at first so I snapped this pic of her in her new swimsuit and matching shoes that Aunt Jenni got her for birthday. It's so girly; I love it!




Jennifer used to be a swim instructor and she really worked a lot with Grant. He did so well with her and I was so proud of him! When it comes to Grant sometimes it is hard knowing what he is capably of or not. What comes instinctive to kids his age is not always instinctive to Grant. (a quick example is putting your arms out to catch yourself when falling. Grant doesn't do that so well and that is a big reason why he always gets so many bumps and bruises.) So when in the water I really am very nervous, not knowing if he will hold his breath or what not. He has no fear whatsoever and will just jump in if you're not watching him, well, and if you're watching him, too! We found a pair of floaties at the pool and tried them out. After a few minutes Grant began to get the hang of keeping his head up. He would jump in to Uncle Shawn and then Jen would work with him in kicking his feet and paddling his arms back to the side. I literally had to sit back 5 feet and "let go" and get out of the way. Jen just kept reassuring me that he was doing fine and not to worry. After he did that several times he "swam" around with me being about a foot or two away. After several minutes of him swimming around he grabbed onto me and said, "Ahhh." He was tired and needed a break! He was working so hard and I am so proud of him! I cannot wait until we swim again and Aunt Jenni can work with him more. Thanks, Aunt Jenni, for loving on Grant and helping him in swimming!

My Cowgirl

Lately Kate has been almost obsessed with this hat. She can put it on all by herself and for some reason she thinks she has to have it on whenever she rides the horse. She will halfway climb up on the horse and then vocalize that she needs help. After she is on she will vocalize again while pointing to the hat indicating to me that she wants the hat and then she will touch her head telling me she wants it on. She is a funny girl!