Halloween 2012

Halloween must be amongst my favorite of Holidays!  It's a day long event and I just can't help myself but to take hundreds of pictures!!

Ride a Pony

Lincoln was offered the opportunity, through his therapy program, to do horse riding for additional therapy. It is supposed to help with balance, strengthening, and stretching. I was pretty sure he'd enjoy the experience, but sometimes kids like the things they like from a distance and not necessarily up close and in person. I wasn't sure of how his reaction to riding the horse would be, but I can pretty much sum it up to he LOVED it! I could tell he was a bit unsure at first. He was being held and talked to by new people in a new place. As soon as they put him on the horse and they started walking around, he was on cloud nine. When it was time to go, one of the therapists took him to the horse's face and had him give it a little pet. Instinctively, Lincoln leaned over and gave the horse a kiss! We get to do this for about a month and I'm so happy for the opportunity! It's priceless to see his face beaming as he rides around the arena on what he calls a "kitty cat!"

New Kicks

This kid LOVES being outside. That just goes to show how similar he is to the other kids. I'm sure if I let him be outside from sun up to sun down, he'd be game. He accomplished something pretty big the other day. Lincoln went all the way up the driveway all by himself. We were referred to Shriner's Children's Hospital to have him be seen by an orthopedic surgeon. Lincoln's ankles are pretty weak and can't support the weight as needed to allow him to stand or walk independently. So, they decided to have him fitted for braces. He is supposed to wear them throughout the day with breaks every 2-3 hours for an hour or whenever he's sleeping. They also gave him some specialty shoes to go along with them. The shoes are a bit taller than your average shoe which allow him to fit in them easily with the braces. Lincoln was not very happy when he was first introduced to them. I think he was just afraid of the unknown. He kept looking at me with these huge puppy dog eyes like...."save me Momma." I'll have to post individual pictures of the shoes and braces. It's taking him a little getting used to them. Walking with his walker in them at first proved to be a bit difficult. Just getting used to the extra weight and some of the limitations the braces posed were enough to make him have to work a little harder, but he never gave up. He never does. It may take Lincoln quite a bit longer than your "average" child to accomplish something, but he's strong-willed enough that it always happens. As I watched him first struggle doing what so many of us take for granted the other day, I couldn't help but get a little teary-eyed. This little guy has to work one hundred times harder to do what is natural to so many of us. I'm so proud of him though. I know it's hard work, but I also know it will all pay off. Lincoln is amazing to me. I truly would do anything for my boy!

Cruising

We've had this walker for a few months now.  In ways it's been a love/hate relationship, but really for the most part....love.  Lincoln has been practicing indoors and it finally was warm enough to take it out.  He loves the outdoors!!  If he hears a knock at the door, he's right there with the rest of the kids to greet the guest.  Most of the times it results in him trying to escape.  He could have gone on and on this day cruising along.  He had no issues trying to walk on the grass or concrete, it was all fair game to him.  We just recently unlocked the front wheels so they would swivel.  He's doing really well with it.  In this particular video, I was a tad nervous when he headed up the driveway knowing he'd have to eventually come down.  To my amazement, he controlled it like a pro.  I'm super anxious, as I'm sure he is as well, for the weather to continue to stay nice so we can keep him going.  It's fun to see his progress to this point.  I was hoping we wouldn't have to depend on a walker, but if it's the tool we need to get him walking, we'll take it.

Just Can't Get Enough....

Okay, this little guy kills me. I seriously can't get enough of his big blue eyes, plump velvety lips, and ladies man demeanor. He LOVES to flirt. If he sees a lady at the store, he'll stare her down until she finally gives in and falls into the spell of his dreamy eyes. He flashes a big smile to let her know he's won.
Lincoln had an evaluation with the opthomolagist a few months ago at his neonatal follow up clinic. Dr. Larson was concerned about his occasional eye-crossing and prepared me that we might have to delve into the eye glasses torture again. He had another follow up three months later where they determined it would be best to get him in glasses again to try to correct his alignment. I wasn't too ecstatic, but I knew it was for the best. After meeting with the doc and figuring out Lincoln's prescription, I met with a psychologist. He gave me a few pointers in how to make sure Lincoln wouldn't mess around with his them. I have to say, so far it seems to be working wonders. It could help that he's a bit older and understands when he is told "no"as well. We'll see how long it lasts, who knows how permanent it may be. I think he is handsome with or without them ..... either way, we're good!
Maybe next time I can get a picture with him looking at me and smiling :)

Lincoln Turns Two!!

Little buddy was not so happy to be involved in a photo shoot, but he warmed up pretty quick! We actually skipped out on an actual birthday party this year for Lincoln because we had something much bigger in store. We took a quick surprise trip to Disneyland....more about that in a later post. We've enjoyed our little angel and we're so glad he's doing so well. He is making a lot of progress, slowly but surely. He makes me more and more proud everyday. I love the little twinkle in his eyes when he's accomplished something and he sees our delight.

I think he was a tad overwhelmed that we were staring in his face singing and requesting he blow out the candles. He made sure to get the cupcake over every inch of his head though!

We'll just say I think Lincoln became someone's Prince Charming while in Disneyland

The words I can think of he is now saying:
 dog, book, cat, cow, monkey, blanket, outside, cheese, hat, "wuke"-Luke, momma, daddy, down, all done, eat, ball, sissy, "cottie"-Scottie, what's that, tries to sing along to "on top of spaghetti", grandma, grandpa, mickey mouse, duck, shoes, nana-banana, "nana"-savana, cracker, night-night, bath, we'll say "say what" dramatically & he'll say "what" dramatically, peek a boo, back, finishes the phrase for us "oh my .....gosh", mmmm when he sees food, baba, uh-oh, apple, "mo"-more, oh toodles, football, kisses,kids, koda, Christmas, pizza, balloon, party rock, shake that, open, close, I love Scottie, bubbles, happy birthday, basketball, baby,
block, go, brush, pillow pet, dad poo, walker, walk & just about anything we say he will repeat!

The newest thing we've been working on is walking with a walker!!

We are so proud of you baby! You've come so far and jumped over so many hurdles. Keep up the good work little guy...you were meant to be here!

Happy Birthday!!