Fall beach day.
Ian was determined to stay out in the rain. And it was a DOWNPOUR! There he is: happily soaked.
"Rock Guys" Cooper's favorite part of our visit to the University for Speech Therapy
My GapBaby photoshoot. (kidding, kidding)
Cooper spent this whole walk directing Dad and Diane on exactly how to walk.It's been quite a month: I was recruited by our school district to take a 1/2 time reading specialist position about a month ago, and, while we hadn't planned for me to work this year, the job was one I couldn't turn down. It's every afternoon for 4 hours. Cooper's in school at that time, and Ian's generally asleep, so I still get mornings with the boys. In that next week, we found some really fabulous childcare, bought a second car (yes, a minivan), and shifted into a different mode. It's been a good change. I like what I'm doing, the boys are happy, and it seems like a job I could do part time for a lot of years.
Our remodel is officially done. I put in the last paint and shelving today, and it is SUCH a relief to get it done. (Pictures below)
Ian is too funny for words- he spends all day toddling around from one place to another, carrying random objects, and holding them out to you, with a loud declaration of, "DA!" He has figured out all kinds of funny noises he can make with his tongue, and has started dancing- which just looks like walking really fast in place.
Cooper's really having a good fall. His language, which has always been my biggest worry (after the chronic hair pulling..) is really growing this year. Lots and lots of 3 and 4 word sentences that I think most people can understand without help. My recent favorites:" Awwww, whats'a'matter baby?" and "Cooper NEED gum!"-the second is particularly funny because I've never heard him say he needs anything before! He's taking a gymnastics class in town, which makes me happy for so many reasons:
1. It's drop off, and I can actually drop him off. The teacher loves him, and doesn't see any need for him to have extra supervision.
2. His gross motor skills are really benefiting. He is walking a few steps on a balance beam, and working on summersaults and rolls. It's a bit of a dilemma because we dropped physical therapy a year ago, as we didn't see the progress we were hoping for. So now we've picked up gymnastics, and I'd like to have him go more than once a week, but that feels cost-prohibitive. Ironically, a gymnastics class is 1/10th the cost of each physical therapy session, but insurance isn't interested in covering it. Sigh. I'm on the hunt for a good grant.
3. Okay, this is terrible, but it's true: he's not the highest impact kid in the class. Everytime this happens I breathe this sigh of relief. It makes me so happy to see him participating in so many activities successfully.
The bits that stick out are all new.
