A Message to Our Baby Brother on his 1st Birthday!

Happy 1st birthday landon. We can't believe you're 1 today. Elijah and I have been watching you work so hard during your therapi sessions  to get strong enough to play with us.  Now you know how to sit, playing with you is so much fun. you like it when I read to you. you love to dance to music and  when we sing to you . I love to hold you and somtimes feed you but I leave the dirty diapers to mommy & daddy.  I can't wait until you are older to sleep in our room and play in the snow with me. And most of all I love you Landon. but there's someone on the other hand who wants to write and that is elijah. (typed by big brother Mason, 7, with a little grammar help from mommy).

I love Landon! I like to play toys with  you. You have to be nice when you pinch our cheeks and not scratch us. I want to learn teach you how to read. Happy birthday to you- happy birthday to you - happy birthday dear Landon - happy birthday to you. Your so nice and I love your little ears.(typed by big brother Elijah, 4 with a little help from Daddy).

Happy 1st Birthday Landon!

One year ago today, Landon came into this world willful and determined to be his own person.  It's so hard to believe that a whole year has passed and Landon is actually "1" today with a personality all his own!  Has anyone figured out how to make time stand still?  If so, please let me know........I already tried taking the batteries out of the clock but that didn't seem to work! lol 

Landon has been very busy this past year.  He has taken on a full therapeutic schedule 5 days a week, has been going to a local daycare/preschool (with his brother Elijah) 2 days a week, has been cheering on his big brothers at their sporting events, has attended lots of birthdays and playdates........and has been on numerous day trips and functions with his family.  Yes, he has a busier social life than his parents:)  But, Landon has been the busiest this year bringing so much love and joy to all his family and friends. 

I have written a letter to Landon for his first birthday.  Maybe someday I will share it with all of you, but for now, it will be our "little secret".  But, I will share, all the wonderful things that we are celebrating today that Landon has learned to do this year through such hard work and determination.............

Landon can:

*tolerate an hours worth of therapy with a smile on his face:)
*play with manipulative toys
*hold a book and turn the pages
*SIT INDEPENDENTLY
*pick up food with a pincer grasp (now if we can only get the food to his mouth)
*drink from a sippy cup (with some assistance)
*get into a crawling position and rock back and forth ......on his own
*worm his way over to any toy out of reach (military crawl, coming soon)
*dance (bop) to music (loves it!!)
*play peek-a-boo
*pinch your cheeks (payback for those of you who pinch his)
*give kisses (and sometimes licks)
*sign: more, eat, milk, all done, hi/bye (when he feels like it), doggie (almost),
ma-ma (so close)......and probably some signs that only he knows about and best that we don't(lol)
*play with his big brothers
*laugh (the cutest belly laugh when he plays with his big brothers)
*SMILE - the most amazing smile (that can light up a room)
*Say Da-Da
*make lots of sounds....dada, baba, lala
*make funny faces
*stick out his tongue (haha....is anyone surprised)
*MELT.YOUR.HEART.

I have taken so much pride in all that Landon has accomplished this year and feel so much joy in each of the milestone's that he has met.  What I am enjoying most is watching the relationships that Landon is building and the connections that he is making with those around him.  He is out there....... LIVING.LEARNING.LOVING and GROWING!  Landon is leaving his "unique" imprint on  the hearts of those lucky enough to meet him.  This world "IS" a better place with Landon in it:)

Happy 1st Birthday my sweet baby boy!  Show the world what you've got!!!

Here are a few pictures from today. Poor Landon woke up with a fever and after seeing the Pedi this afternoon we have discovered that he still has an ear infection.  Poor little guy:(  He was determined not to let that spoil his BIG day....................

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!

Up for Air..........

ok.......breathe! 

Work, school, homework, Dr. appts., dentist appts., OT, PT, SP, errands, laundry, 3 very energetic children, a husband, Thanksgiving and Christmas shopping..............just to name a few things that have kept me busy these past 3 weeks (causing me to neglect my precious keyboard:)  I was so anxious to join the world of blogging and then I neglected my duties shortly after.  But I'm back..............well, I had to come up for air!

First off, I hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday with those you love.  We at the Gomes household hosted our 4th Thanksgiving dinner for 13 family members.  Landon celebrated his 1st Thanksgiving with an Earth's Best Apple Turkey Cranberry meal which he absolutely loved, topped off with vanilla custard for dessert which he loved even more! (pics still to come)  Mason and Elijah officially ate their 1st Thanksgiving dinner (it was so nice to not have to serve spaghetti with parmesan cheese)..............their menu is slowly growing:)  It was a wonderful day with good food and even better company.  I am  so very thankful for all that we have: family, food, clothes, a roof over our head, our health and.......Landon's EI team for believing in Landon's abilities and giving him the tools to reach for the stars . 

Landon's EI team came to our house the day before Thanksgiving for his assessment.  It was time to re-evaluate his IFSP, (in which he met all of his 6 mo. goals - "hooray for Landon"),  to set some new ones.  And of course Mr. Landon does not perform on cue.........he has a mind of his own and only performs when "HE" wants to.  Fortunately, his team is well aware of what he "is" able to do (regardless of when he chooses to do it)...........that little bugger!  In a nut shell, Landon did very well.  He excelled in most areas with no delays but still showed a delay in the gross motor area (which was expected).  No surprises!

Landon has shown such great gains in the past 6 mos. and has tackled each hour long therapy session with such will and determination.  My heart feels heavy for him at times seeing how hard he has to work to do the smallest of things (things we just expect our children to do - naturally).  I just wish the mountains weren't so high sometimes.  I can only hope and pray that his struggles are few.  It just seems so unfair!!   We take so much for granted.   But, in retrospect, I am so excited for all that Landon  "is able" to do.  So profoundly proud of each and every achievement.

I get to leave work every Wednesday to go home and observe Landon's therapy sessions...........yes, that's right, me and my camera. I have been taking pictures of Landon's sessions to show others how he is progressing.  Thanks Lauren (Landon's OT) for being so patient and having such a great sense of humor.  It really is amazing (looking back at these photos) at all the tools that are used to help Landon to meet each of his goals.  He is such a trooper!  I am just so happy that some of my excersise equipment is getting some use.....even if not by me.  I can happily justify the expense........ok honey!  lol 

So, as I inhale and dive back into the craziness of the Holidays, I will leave you with this slideshow while you await my return! 

Sorry that the slide show showed up below as a separate post.................I am still trying to figure this thing out!

Landon's Climb at OneTrueMedia.com

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com