Independent vs. Dependent Sitter

Hmmmm.......so, this past Christmas (Landon at 10 1/2 months old) started sitting up on his own (being propped into  a sitting position) for around 1 minute at a time.  His therapists were quite impressed seeing Landon doesn't perform on cue!  As excited as I was for Landon, I could never bring myself to say that he was an independent sitter.  Of course, he still needed the support (so actually dependent) in case he fell. His therapists seem to think if he can sit longer that 1/2 a minute by himself then we could technically say he is indeed an independent sitter.  He has such great posture and sits completely straight until you ask him to reach for a toy. Ha!  Very cute to see!

This month (at 11 months old) he has begun sitting for longer periods of time (we are talking like 20 minutes at a time) without the constant need for someone to be right by his side.  He actually breaks his fall quite gracefully!  lol  But now I find myself still not able to say he is an independent sitter.  Now my excuse is that he can't actually get "himself" into a sitting position on his own (even though he gets closer every day).  I'm not really sure what this all means to be honest.  Denial, perhaps!  I am so excited for Landon reaching this milestone.  A very bittersweet moment.  It shows just how hard he has been working.  Maybe part of me is a little sad that he is actually on his way to becoming a toddler.  I have absolutely loved the fact that Ladon has been little for a longer period of time.  We all know how quickly they grow!  I love to watch the real pure joy he has playing with toys and his brothers now!  It's a whole new world sitting up (things really do look different more than 6 inches off the ground). lol:)

Independent..............dependent.............does it really matter?!  Landon doesn't seem to think so!  So, why should I!  He is just enjoying life!  Hard work and endurance has really paid off!  Well worth waiting for! 

I DID IT!!

Water Therapy

Today was Landon's 1st water therapy session!  I must admit that I was a little nervous going in seeing that Landon did not spend any time in our pool this past summer.  He does have a love for the tub however!  There is a big difference between a bathtub and a pool! 

Well, I must say, Mr. Landon never ceases to amaze me!  It took him all of 5 minutes to get acquainted with his new therapists and then...........it was showtime!  He tolerated the full hour with one dislike............the flippers. lol:)  His therapists were pleasantly surprised at how much he did for his first time in the pool, which in turn, made me pleasantly happy! I'm so glad Landon"s experience was a good one! It has been a tough couple of weeks for our little guy (literally, still 15pounds at 11 months old) battling congestion!  What a tough cookie he is!

I'm a little sad that I actually forgot my camera (pics soon to come)!  The funniest part of this whole experience was that not only was Landon"s bathing suit too big, but so was his swim diaper!  I couldn"t find anything smaller than a size 3/4.  Keep in mind that Landon still wears size 1 diapers!  Oh well, can't promise nothing made it's way into the pool! Ha!

Happy New Year

Well it has been a while since I posted last and lots has been going on.  We had a busy Christmas having fun and visiting with friends and family.  We went to Mason's school Holiday Party where the boys got make ornaments for our tree and of course "reindeer food", how else would the reindeer know where to land and boy would they be hungry by the time they did.  After all, they "ARE" carrying alot of weight.....literally:)

Scott and I also got to take the boys on our very 1st "Polar Express"!  SO.MUCH.FUN.  For those of you who do not know my husband, he is a little kid in a big person's body.  The trip up there was funny keeping the kids in suspense as to where we were going and trying to convince them that the "deer" crossing sign on the highway was an abbreviation for "reindeer".  Once we pulled up to the train station, the expression on their faces was absolutely priceless.  The kids got funny faces "hole punched" into their tickets and of course a cup of hot chocolate (just like the movie)........oh yeah, let's not forget their very own "bell"!  There was food and Christmas caroling and of course a visit by the big guy himself - Santa!  Mason and Elijah are at a really good age to enjoy this.  It was nice to see them being sweet to one another and just having pure fun!  I wish everyday was like that........but I'm not unrealistic, I'll take whatever I can get! lol  I am hoping that this will be a new family tradition for years to come!

We also attended a Christmas party for our local support group - 21FrienDs!  Yet another fun day!  Mason and Elijah did arts and crafts (and ran around of course) while Landon just sat back and took it all in.  I'm sure he will be running around with his brothers and his new buddies next year!  Landon also met Santa for the very first time (and I think he thought his beard tasted pretty good)!  lol  Scott and I had the opportunity to meet some new families that we look forward to sharing our journey with!  What a wonderful group of people to travel with!

Landon celebrated his very first Christmas this year!  Yes, the year of wrapping paper! lol:)  He did a great job opening his presents and an even better job at eating the wrapping paper.  Very cute!  This was also the year for video games!  Mason and Elijah like to spend their free time playing the Wii or their DS and Leapster L-Max!  So this year they asked for lots of games!  Fine by me, shopping made easy!  All in all it was a wonderful holiday season.  Time spent with family and friends being the best gift of all! 

For the first time Scott and I let Mason and Elijah stay up 'til midnight on New Year's Eve (Landon stayed up late too and crashed around 8:30pm.....ha!)  The boys were so excited to stay up until around 10:30pm when it started to catch up to them.  Scott resorted to some old re-runs of Three Stooges to keep the boys awake.  Well, it actually worked, and then the BIG 12:00..........when we toasted with our cups of egg nog and wished each other a Happy New Year, the response was very overwhelming........THAT'S IT??!!  I guess the ball dropping in Times Square was not so exciting after all!  I think that was the first time sending the kids to bed wasn't a hassle.  I never seen them run to their beds so fast!  lol:)  Isn't it funny how we think we know what the kids will absolutely love and then BAM! our ego's are crushed.  Overall it was a nice day, we went out for lunch, we played lots of Wii games and watched a movie.  Nice. Family. Time.  I wonder what next year will bring..........but I can wait!

Finally, I decided that I will not make any New Year Resolutions this year but rather a promise to myself!  You see, this year has opened my eyes to the many challenges Landon faces and how hard he has to work to do the smallest of things (not by choice).  So, my promise is that in honor of Landon, I too will challenge myself to a "healthier me"!  The choice is mine, and I choose to be healthy for my family! 

Happy New Year my fellow bloggers and friends................here's to a healthy one!