Doing homework

Caleb had some homework to do last night...only 3 1/2 and already doing homework! He had to draw a picture of his face inside the flower and then color the flower. I was so impressed by how well he drew a face. I didn't help him at all (which is very hard for me). He drew 2 eyes, a nose and a smile! I didn't know he knew how to draw a face! I was so proud of him. I included a picture of the finished art work. He really cracks me up sometimes, tonight I accidentally ran into the wall and Caleb says "Watch out for that wall there." It was so funny.

Benjamin's growing

Benjamin had a doctor's appointment today for his last Synagis shot (RSV vaccine) and he now weighs 9 pounds 7 ounces! He gained 2 pounds in one month! I was so excited to see how much he had gained. He definitely feels like he is getting heavier and he is certainly getting longer. He is smiling a lot now and is really interested in everything around him, especially the ceiling fan. He loves when we walk around the house with him so that he can look at everything. Caleb just adores him and is such a great helper. He has even gotten used to Benjamin's crying and he no longer cries when Benjamin does (which makes mommy happy).

Caleb before school

Here is a picture of Caleb this morning before school. I thought he looked so grown up today. We have a very specific routine that we follow each morning. We get Caleb dressed and ready for school and then he watches "Arthur" while he eats a small bowl of dry cheerios (he gets breakfast at school). I just can't believe how big he is getting. He is growing up so fast. He is at a really fun age right now though. He communicates so well and he is really fun to talk to. I can't believe that a year ago he had only a few words and now the boy doesn't stop talking!

Horse Therapy

Caleb started horseback riding today. He is going to this wonderful non-profit ranch that does horseback riding for kids with special needs. It is run mostly by volunteers. Caleb had an absolute blast. His horses' name was "Cowboy". He got to ride for an hour, they started off inside the arena and then they took the riders outside to walk the trails. Caleb was so chatty! The volunteers said, "He has been talking the entire time." It was so great to see him having so much fun. He will be going every week. Thank you Grandpa Al and Gammy for paying for this spring semester. Now all he needs is some cowboy boots!

Braces and Walker

Here are few recent pictures of Caleb with his braces and walker. This very shiny, very gold walker is from school. This one has front wheels that swivel so we borrowed it from his school so he could use it at home over spring break. We recently ordered Caleb a walker that will have swivel wheels...but it won't be gold! We are working on really challenging him with his braces. We are beginning to unlock one knee while he is walking to see how he does and he is actually doing really well. We are also loosening the hip straps so that he doesn't have as much support. The goal is to get him strong enough so that his next set of braces will start at the thigh instead of the hip. He's doing wonderful so I don't see why he couldn't eventually switch to less bulky braces. I am continually amazed by how well he is doing and how strong he is. There is no telling what this boy will be doing in the future.

Grandparents Day

Friday was Grandparents Day at Caleb's school. Grandpa Joel, Grandpa Al, Gammy, and Aunt Rachel were there to take part in the fun. They got a chance to see what Caleb does each day at school. I think they were all blown away by how well he is doing and how truly independent he is at school. They got to see him do things that I haven't even seen! I'm told that he really put on a show for them and was doing some major showing off! He really is doing amazing at school. He has met all of his PT goals so were are in the process of developing some new goals. The teachers are going to start having him do more and more in his braces and less in his wheelchair. They are also working on him transferring in and out of his wheelchair and into a classroom chair. His teachers are absolutely wonderful and they really push Caleb to work hard and he is always up to the challenge. I am amazed at how much he has changed in the last few months, he is really growing up. We are just so proud of him.

Caleb's new glasses

Caleb got his first pair of glasses this weekend. We've had concerns about his eyes off and on for a couple of years now. His right eye used to turn in a little so we tried patching for awhile and that seemed to help. But we noticed over Christmas that his right eye was starting to turn in again so we are going to see if glasses will help keep his eyes straight. He is also farsighted. I think he looks pretty good in glasses, hopefully we can convince him to keep them on!

All 3 of my boys!

Wide awake

This picture was taken after I cleaned Benjamin up from the spit-up incident (see previous post). He is nice and clean in this shot. He is awake more and more lately which is fun. He is definitely getting longer but I'm still waiting for the fat rolls to show up. Caleb was such a chunk as a baby and I'm hoping Benjamin will fatten up soon! Everybody loves a fat baby!

Hey mom, I've got something on my face

Ok, let me explain this picture. I put Benjamin on the floor to play yesterday so that I could make Caleb his lunch. I was in the kitchen and Benjamin started fussing a little, I didn't think much of it. Then he got louder and louder so I walk into the living room and this is what I found. Poor kid was covered in spit-up! I felt terrible...I guess not too terrible though because I did take the time to snap a picture!

Recent Pictures

Here are a few recent pictures.

Benjamin's appointment with Cranial Technologies went well. Basically his oval head shape is environmental, it is due to him spending too much time laying on the sides of his head instead of the back. So the doctor recommended that Benjamin simply spend more time laying on the back of his head. This is proving to be quite difficult because he doesn't really like laying on his back with his head straight so we are using positioners to keep his head straight. Hopefully this will help his head to grow into a more round shape. We take Benjamin back in a month to see how his head looks.

Here is Benjamin in his "little brother" shirt. He was right in the middle of a pout when I took this picture!

Our boys! This picture was taken while we were waiting for Caleb's new braces. Caleb is doing so great with Benjamin. Every morning Caleb asks "How's Ben today?". It's so cute. Glenn and I call him Benjamin but Caleb says "No, just Ben." Caleb is proving to be a good big brother.