Round 3

Well this blog might be getting a little more active in the coming months. We kind of had an unexpected surprise a few weeks ago. We found out this:

Yes that’s right. I am 11 weeks pregnant and we are expecting round 3 sometime around October 9th. To say this was a shock was an understatement. I was on the pill and somehow everything failed. I was the 1% chance that this could happen which as unfortunate as it is, I just can’t help but laugh.

I’ve spent the last few weeks VERY sick! This is the kind of nausea that just feels like it keeps coming and coming over and over. I am slowly getting to the end of it now which is nice.

We have since told our family and while far away now they are excited.

I did once again play hockey for a while but with no major incidents and even played in a tournament a few weeks ago.

So now the planning begins. We got rid of all of our baby stuff before the move and now also are looking for a larger vehicle.

As I get more information I’ll post it but for right now I am just focused on getting through these last few weeks of my first trimester and staying healthy while working some crazy hours at work!

Can I get one normal kid?

A couple of weeks ago when I took Elliot to her two year checkup with her pediatrician we were going through the long list of developmental questions when the one about speech came up.

I was dreading this because I knew that she wasn't up to par with other 2 year olds. After talking for a while her doctor agreed that she was probably delayed and referred us to early intervention to see if she qualified for services through the state.

I set everything up thinking they were going to tell us we were nuts and that she was fine and would be talking non stop before we knew it.

But of course it didn't happen like that. We went through the evaluation and of course Elliot is a shy one to strangers so she clung close to me. After a few minutes of warming up she gradually got into the play/ testing. She did the block stacking with ease and engaged in pretend play with a bear going as far as wanting the bear wrapped up in a blanket.  When it came to the social/emotional skills she excelled like we knew she would.

The verbal skills were another thing though. When asked to point to a picture she might if she felt like it and would point to the wrong picture many times. She talked very little during the evaluation other than nodding her head or saying “that”. When it was all said and done we got the news. She did qualify for services in speech due to her delay being at least 25%. Basically right now she has speech ability of a one year old. Yeah that was a kick in the gut!

So right now we have a date to set up her IFSP (Individualized Family Services Plan) next week. At this point we will find out how many days a week she will have speech therapy from her therapist and how long each session will be. The plan will be adjusted in 6 months to address improvements and new goals.

This kind of early intervention therapy will be good for a year. If she needs additional support after that we will be moved to a new program with the help of our therapist and family services coordinator.

After Alvin’s mess you would think I would be prepared for it all but I just wasn’t. She is so outgoing and many people that have seen her in WA can attest to it.

Showing her independence

But just like her birth she has to follow in her brother’s footsteps. She entered the world very similar to her brother and now is following him in the speech delay department.

Alvin teaching her how to fly

So I will update this more once we get more information next week. The best thing I can say right now is I am just glad we are catching it all early.

To Elliot on her second birthday

To my peanut, two years ago I was scared to death of having a little girl. Not being big into the girly stuff and the color pink I wasn’t sure how things were going to work with you. But just like your brother your arrival had to be eventful as ever. You spent the first five days in the NICU and just like your brother have never had a sick visit since!

Two years later and you are still causing mischief as only you can. You get yourself dressed and of course undressed (at completely inappropriate times on occasion)! You are sensitive and caring to all of us and yes that includes your brother. I have witnessed so many times where you just want to help him or us and before being asked you are bringing people shoes to get ready to go or covering him up with a blanket when he feels rotten.

Alvin teaching Elliot to roll balls down the chute.

Elliot and Alvin. The normal look. She's happy to see him he just wants to run!

The biggest thing over the past year has been all the changes though. We moved you across country, dealt with your brother’s diagnosis and through it all you have been wonderful. What’s been amazing is how fiercely you guard him and still take the time to bully him around the house. You can’t say his name and maybe only 10 words but you can somehow manage to get him to do your bidding. You go to all of Alvin’s soccer practices and somehow befriend the kids with the biggest challenges by kicking the ball to them. You see kids with down-syndrome and other issues as normal and just laugh with them as you run down the soccer field.

The scariest thing that I have realized in many ways is that you have become a mini me! You are fiercely independent as only you can be. A few months ago I started joking that you are a 4 year old boy trapped in a 2 year old little girl’s body. When you set your mind to do something no madder how many times you have to try, you just don’t give up. In the gym you will do a face plant reaching for the bar and yet jump up and say "Tada!" You gain confidence every week in the gym and at home and its so cute to watch.

Walking on the beam.

Reaching for the bar! Its so far away though!

Reach and swing...but she doesn't want to let go!

So happy birthday Peanut! Mommy, Daddy, Sissy and yes even brother love you!

the new job update

This is a post I've been trying to get to for weeks but everytime I think about it I'm too tired or busy taking the kids to gym or any number of reasons.

The job so far has been amazing and very worth the move 2500 miles across country. The job itself is a liaison engineer and it keeps me on my toes. The training just to recieve full authority will take me a total of about 6.5 months total. The training entails rotating through 6 different groups within the factory. This exposes me to many different situations so that I'm ready for my end spot on the flight line. I spend  my days now running all over the factory and putting out fires and coordinating things with the shop. I work with a mentor in every group who shows me the ropes and works with me throughout the time I'm there. This has been a great experience and I'm learning more every day.

The thing is even my bad days right now are better than my good days before. I'm no longer a "CAD monkey" as I referred to my job so many times before. I am no longer the lowest person on the totem pole and treated as such. I am actually using my degree which is a huge step for me! The days are 8 hours or more every day, but the guys are fun and we can always laugh even though things just get crazy.

So far the move and job have all been worth it. The job and people that I work with are great. Not only has the job been good but also Alvin's progress. We are seeing huge steps. He is talking and singing songs and even asking for things without any prompting.

Update!

So I noticed the other day that this thing had been quiet for about a month. Things have been busy around the house, but then again with 2 kids (about to be 3 when Mac comes to stay with us for a month) a dog and a cat how are things not busy.

We have been taking advantage of taking the kids to the Seattle Children's museum for their early open for autism. This is not only good for Alvin but also Elliot since its all about having fun in an environment made for kids.

Then there has been the time outside. When the sun is out we seem to stay outside doing things. We have even started doing picnic dinners at the park on a regular basis. They say that this is spring but I doubt its gotten above 65 deg and to me right now that doesn't feel much like spring!

The kids are still at The Little Gym. We have had issues for Alvin but that's another story for another day. The important thing is both kids are still loving it and doing well. Elliot even moved up to the next age group and Alvin transferred classes from the sports skills that was less organized to a pure gymnastics class with 4 to 5 year old kids that is much calmer and better organized.

The other reason I haven't been on here more is I have a new project. I found myself talking so much about Alvin and asperger's syndrome autism I created another blog just for that stuff. I'm working on about a post every week or 2 at this point. If you are inclined to check it out its called Life WithButters.

Happy 4th Birthday Butters and the IEP results!

Happy 4th Birthday Alvin!!

Since Alvin has become stressed by large groups we pondered what to do for his birthday. Since we are still settling in we decided on one of his favorite dinners (fried chicken) at home.

And then of course there was cake.

Toy Story is a favorite right now so we did that them. The cake was chocolate with banana filling from Safeway. As far as grocery store cakes go it was pretty good.

MMmmm! Cake!

Must grab frosting!!!

 Of course Elliot had to be involved in the fun too!

 Going back in for more frosting!

Earlier that day he also got his puppy back so it was a great birthday for him!

On another note we had the IEP meeting with his school on Thursday and I know one thing. They are not playing. They have some pretty good goals for him. Some of them include (and all of this is to be accomplished by mid June) to have a 30% increase in perceptive and receptive language, doing a task for 5 minutes or more, sitting in a group and listening to a story with other kids, playing well with others with minimal adult intervention and doing imaginary play with an adult or other child. Almost every goal says "with minimal or no assistance" which I love!

I met with his teacher, physical/ occupational therapist, speech therapist and psychologist. I fell in love with these women. They were wonderful to talk to and just kept saying how they wish I had brought him so they could meet him. They are very excited to work with him. 

He will be going from 9 to 11:30 Monday through Thursday and I felt very comfortable with the entire staff and can't wait for him to start on Monday. His class will have 10 kids, 1 teacher and 2 adult teaching assistants.  This is the best student to teacher ratio we could get. I feel like he is going to be challenged but also cared for as well. The staff told me they send home weekly letters so you know what they are working on and also said they communicate through email quite a bit and said if we ever had any questions for any member of his team we were welcome to email or call anyone of them. How great is this! I love the open communication that they are fostering already!

It is a little bitter sweet. He will start school on Monday and I'm not taking him. Will and Elliot. I know he will do well though.

A new normal

Alvin has autism.

There I said it. He has a form of it that most people we meet have no idea about. We are increasingly looked at when out and Alvin has one of his meltdowns in public. His brain is in overdrive and lately the outbursts and being scared has come far more frequent since the move.

But you know what. Alvin is normal to us. One of the things that W and I have strived for in all of this is not to loose sight of is to Always treat Alvin as normal as possible. To us he is still a normal 3 almost 4 year old. He throws tantrums, plays games, and even sometimes does things to his sister that we wish he wouldn't do. He also gets his share of time outs like any other preschooler.

But there are also times when we have to slow down. We have begun to take notice of the times that he needs more reassurance. Times when he just needs an extra minute or two to understand what s going on.

With the move, and diagnosis all within 4 months at times its been overwhelming. But somewhere in the middle of it all I think W and I stopped caring. Not really stopped caring but just stopped worrying about it all. Yes we have challenges that most families don't. Yes Alvin has increasingly more odd outbursts and unexplained (to most) meltdowns.

We got him enrolled in The Little Gym here the same week we got into town. I don't regret it for a minute. The gym helps with his social and motor skills. We have had great success there. Its fun for him without being too structured. He loves it and so do we and I think we will have continued success there with our “normal” little boy!

Playing hockey at The Little Gym

He was actually playing with her!!!!

2 weeks until we move to WA!!!

I know I've been really bad about posting anything else since I announced the move and its just because we have been insanely busy. Between the holiday's and the shear logistics of getting us ready to move across country it's been really busy. I also accidentally over scheduled Alvin on Tuesday's so we go from occupational therapy to dinner to The Little Gym and his sports skills class.

Alvin has been doing really well in therapy and the gym. Of course we have good days and bad days. His private therapist (Miss Denise as he calls her) has fallen in love with him and he will do almost anything for her. The best so far with his sports skills class that he actually listened part of the time and tried to play with the other kids. The worst of it is when he just runs all over the place and acts wild. I try not to intervene but sometimes I have to because he is just too wild. Its all a work in progress though and that's what I have to keep in mind.The Little Gym is not only teaching him motor skills but also how to interact with the other kids.

The logistics of the move are another job in itself. We have our flights, temporary housing and everything nailed down now. The wait for the background check to clear was the worst. It took over 3 weeks to finally clear. We've been slowly saying goodbye to family both here and in Moody. We know we won't be back for about a year so we are trying to make sure we see everyone before we leave.

The best thing that's happened so far is my new boss has already contacted me. We've talked a few times and he has even assigned me a mentor that I've been talking to quite a bit. Right now it looks like they have everything ready for me to start work there which is really awesome! My mentor has been very helpful thus far and after our conversations I am very excited to start.

I told my boss at work last week and he seems happy for me. The guys in my group say I'm lucky to be leaving. The guys in my group are not happy with how things have been going and many of them are looking for other jobs as well. At this point I'm just the first to leave.

To say we are excited is an understatement. Excited, scared, nervous yeah its all hit. The overwhelming thing is that we are just ready to get going.

Leaving Dixie, One of the Hardest thing to Leave, Charger Hockey

So many times here I have talked of our love of Charger Hockey. I started going to games in 1999 when I started school at UAH. When W and I met I got him to start going to games with me. Since we started going to games together we have probably only missed a handful of games. We took Alvin to his first game at 6 months and Elliot went to her first game at 2 weeks and only about a week out of the NICU.

So to say the least we are dedicated Charger Hockey fans!

When I started looking at getting a job out of state one of the things that we talked about really missing is Charger Hockey.

In the past 4 years or so the hockey community has become family of sorts. The Charger hockey family being the closest of those people. Once Danton Cole took over W and I started going to coaches luncheons with Alvin. He immediately was very personable and talked to us quite a bit. We got to know him and the rest of the coaching staff including the current head coach Chris Luongo. We have gotten to know them and they know us on a personal level. It is like extended family. We have even gotten close to a few of the guys on the team and their parents. Last year Alvin took a liking to Brandon Roshko at one of the skate with the Charger public skating sessions. We ended up getting his jersey at the end of the year and to see the smiles on both of their faces was priceless. Now we seem to talk the Bill Burkholder a good bit as well as incoming freshman goal tender's dad Joe Groh. The funny thing is over the years most people first ask me how the kids and W are before anything else! Even the team gets involved with the kids at skate with the Chargers.

We even know most of the security staff at the VBC. Many of them have watched Alvin and Elliot grow up over the past couple of years. We talk to these same people every single home series. Most try to interact more with the kids and really seem to like seeing us every week. They also are fine with us going down to watch warmups on ice level. They always know we will be returining to our seats and generally understand that I'm just doing it to give the kids an upclose and personal view of the action.

Then there is W. Don't let him fool you when he talks about it. He is very humble but some of the shots he gets are amazing. Any doubt just look at his flickr stream. Especially this shot. His attitude with players and coaches alike is one I've never seen before. He has a standing philosophy that anything he shoots that the guys or their families want just let him know and he will give them the full resolution copies or prints for free. Many of the guys that play here don't have family that can come to a lot of games so its important for him to try and help them share what they are doing with family back home. He has amazing dedication to what he does and the players and coaching staff alike.

Leaving this program and the atmosphere kills me.  We have come to love and respect the program so much and now we are leaving.W and I have talked many times about what it is going to feel like at our last game. Its going to really kill us in a way. No matter what the record and how they play its just what we do and no longer having that is going to be difficult. I'm just going to go ahead and say it. Our last game I'll be a wreck. The complete realization that it will be sometime before we make it back to a game is going to hit really hard.

This program has meant a lot to us over the years. The move we are making is for the best and I know once we get up there we will see more hockey and come to enjoy other teams. We will order B2 networks broadcasts of the games and even join the Blue Line Club but it just wont be the same.

No matter what happens we will never forget the UAH Charger Hockey team and what it has meant to us over the past few years.

The big news!

If you’ve been following this blog for about the past 6 months to a year you know I’ve posted many things about how unhappy I am at my current job. 2 different bosses and still things continue to go downhill. I’ve even recently been demoted within my group simply due to my age and inexperience with Catia V4.

Also I’ve made it no secret that I’ve been looking for a new job. After the last round of random layoffs in my office that search got put into high gear. I’ve thrown out resumes to places all over town with no luck. Then I started applying to jobs out of state. Specifically up in Washington where there seemed to be a lot of engineering openings. The first job that I was considered for I  got to the second round of interviews  but got rejected. This is about the point that W and I started getting down about things.

Then I applied to another job opening at the same company and got asked to attend a job fair in Seattle WA. So I made arrangements and went up there thinking that this was just the first step in a long interview process. After a delay at the hotel I got to my interview right on time and as soon as I sat down was told that I would be told that day if I got the job or not.

The interview went well but I felt like I struggled with a couple of questions. I felt good about it but my nerves were shot after the hour long interview. Then came the hard part; waiting to find out if I got the job or not. After about 45 minutes of waiting I was finally called back. I got the job!!! I was told the job offer would come within 3 weeks and then I would get my start date and the exact location of where I would be working. I immediately called W and shared the news. To say he was floored was a complete understatement. What we had been working so hard for was starting to pan out!

The official offer letter came on Monday to our amazement. The letter contained a few details and confirmed that I will be working in Everett WA. Since then we have been busy looking at places to live and talking too many of W’s old friends about the area. We have also told our immediate family. Some have taken it better than others which we expected but everyone knows we are doing this for us and nothing else.

Since getting the official offer its been a whirlwind of things going on. We've been looking at apartments and I've been doing all of the standard pre-employment things. We are contacting friends in the area that might be able to help us. I should be contacted by the relocation office once my background check is complete which we expect to be here soon.

So that's the big news. We are officially moving out west sometime in February!

To Butters after a long month

It’s come to me to write something to Butters. One day I'll be able to explain all of what is going on to him but for now it will reside here.


Dear Butters,

The past month has been really rough. We started out just thinking you were having a little problem speaking but it turns out things were much worse. Most nights when you go to bed it all hits me. How hard we have been working with you and how hard you are trying. Your dad and I struggle to understand you and make sure that we are not being too hard on you while still making sure that we push you to talk and act correctly.

I was one of the worst people though. I kept saying that you were just a normal 3 year old boy. You didn’t talk too much because in all honesty you didn’t need to. You are very much like your dad in that at times you are just quiet. You’ve always been outgoing in your own way and over time we have just learned that your interactions with people are just your own.

Over the last few weeks we have learned that you have been having seizures. There are drop or atonic seizures that only last for a few seconds. You never seem very phased by them and for so long we just thought you were clumsy like I am. The day of your occupational therapy evaluation when we found out about the seizures I just felt horrible. I of course beat myself up for not understanding that these things were not normal.

Over the next weeks and months there will be more tests. There will be changes in your routine that are going to throw you off of your norm. All I know is that even this process is going to be challenging it will get better. We will be going back to see hockey games once the team gets back in town. I promise you that. I also promise that once all this maddess of testing is over you will be able to start playing sports with other kids.

We will continue to let you see numbers and be completely amazed by your abilities. You learn in a very unique way and while it may be more difficult for you to understand things that other kids do so easily trust me it will come. Just trust me that your dad, sisters and I will do everything we can to make things easier for you to understand.

One thing I can tell you is that you surprise me every day. You are amazing in the unique way you see things. No matter what the end diagnosis is you are still you. At times you drive us mad with your unique ways and others completely surprise us with the things you have absorbed. At this time I know no other 3.5 year old that knows about half of the UAH hockey roster!

Just know that no madder what we love you and will be here through all of this.

Love,

Mom

Another week and more news

So this was quite an eventful week. It started out with taking Alvin to a trial class at the Little Gym. It started out well enough but about half way through I started wondering if it was right for him. I had to go in and assist the teachers to control him when they broke out into stations. He screamed and cried thinking he was in trouble. By the end of it all I saw him struggle heavily to interact with other kids. He wanted to so bad at times but just couldn't figure out how to. The teachers suggested that I bring him back on Wednesday night due to that night being a smaller and calmer class.

Tuesday morning at work I got the call that the occupational therapist had an opening that afternoon. I dropped everything at work and made it home shortly after lunch to get him and head to the hospital for the evaluation. The team (one occupational therapist and one master's student) were wonderful with him. Within 15 minutes they knew what was going on with him. We went through some exercises and other things that would help him including using a plastic bristled brush to calm him. Once during the evaluation Alvin was sitting in a seat and suddenly slumped over then popped right back up. This immediately caught the therapists eye. She asked me if he had done that before and I said yes. He is 3 so of course he's clumsy. Well apparently this is not just him being clumsy and its called a drop seizure. She wasn't overly concerned but said we should go ahead and consult with our pediatrician.

So the next morning I got on the phone with the pediatrician's office and we got an appointment at 11 that morning. I discussed everything that happened and he came to the same conclusion that the occupational therapist did. He wants him to have an EEG on the 18th just to rule out anything else with the drop seizures. He reassured us that this was something that is very hard to spot in a kid of his age. 3 year olds are inherently clumsy and drop seizures can be very hard to spot.

On Thursday he had is first speech appointment with his new therapist and he did great. He was taken away to a seperate room and after 10 or 15 minutes he warmed up to her and finished strong. When we left he was happy and had a sense that he accomplished something that day.

So right now we have had 3 professionals tell us the same thing. So right now I'm about 90% confident with what we know. Right now we think Alvin has Asperger's syndrome. Basically its a form of autism where the person or child has a high level of functioning and a high level of intellect but have a hard time socializing. W and I are actually taking it pretty well. We have our moments when we break down and wish we didn't have to worry so much about therapy. We now approach Alvin slightly different. We work with him as much as possible and and make sure we are handling the situations appropriately given what we now understand about him.

This next week we continue the process. I'm meeting with a psychologist tomorrow to discuss his case and when he can be tested. Tuesday we go back to the occupational therapist and Thursday we go back to the speech therapist.

For a while this is just the way its going to be for a while. Luckily everything we are doing right now is in hopes of getting a better diagnosis and preparing for the evaluation in January.

Another twist and turn

The past month or so has been a blur. I’ve been working on finding another job after figuring out that things in my group are just not going to get better. I’ve done everything I can and still things have gone downhill. I’ve been sending out resumes and applying for jobs both in and out of state. I even got as far as to a second interview with a company in the northwest and after dropping everything to get up there with a 48 hour notice I got the call on Tuesday and was told thanks but we decided to hire someone else.

During all this Elliot turned 1 and we had her birthday party. Everything went well and we got a few good shots of her smashing a cupcake and loving every bit of it.

The biggest impact on things we have been facing is a challenge with Butters. I’ve been in denial about it for some time but we finally got him tested by a speech pathologist and were not prepared for the results. We knew he was speech delayed and that since Elliot was born but not the degree we were told.

The basic diagnosis so far has been a severe delay in receptive and expressive language skills. Basically the test said that he is around the same place as a 1.5 year old with language and he is 3.5. When I read this it was like someone just knocked the wind right out of me.

Also her recommendations on how to start correcting things were quite drastic. She said that we need to take all of the things he loves (his cars, numbers, hockey ect) away from him. She suggested that the only tv he get to watch is educational programming. Well this is not the path we decided to take. We are working within limits and doing everything we can to encorage him to use more words together. Something as simple as saying “juice please” is a big deal and we are getting him to say it more and more.

The funny thing is that in the past couple of weeks Butter's has started to learn the UAH Hockey roster. His favorite thing is to say “Starting at left defense, #2 Ryan Burkholder”!

So what do we do now is the question I’ve gotten from a few people. Right now we are working like crazy to get him into the early intervention program at the elementary school we are zoned for. This is becoming challenging though because they can’t evaluate him until January 5^th. So in the mean time we are working like crazy to get another evaluation set up at the children’s hospital as well as social therapies started. The hospital has a therapy center for this kind of thing but first they have to evaluate him for speech and occupational delays.

Luckily since beginning this post I was put in contact with a speech pathologist that works primarily with preschool aged kids. The therapist I got to talk to on the phone was really wonderful. They just ask that I bring a copy of the initial test results and give it a shot. She recommended that we try a couple of sessions then if he doesn't take to her then maybe we could try someone else.

I’m also looking into starting him in a structured athletic activities. The Little Gym has a preschool program and we are going for a trial class Monday night to see how he has responded. I’ve also contacted several other gyms about their classes trying to find the best fit for him.

So this is the point we are at now. We are doing our best to get things started but it’s a very slow process.

Wordless Wednesday

Photo courtesy of Will Nickelson

I'm late posting this but the birthday girl enjoying her cupcake! She turned 1 on October 5th.

My take on babywearing

After seeing a lot of posts on twitter and facebook about the recent baby carrier recalls I realized that while I have been doing quite a bit of baby/toddler wearing since Alvin was born but I've never really talked about it here.

I started out when Alvin was about 3 months old. I had a Jeep front carrier and quickly realized that it wasn't working well. Then I went searching for another and found the mei tai. I wore it with Alvin all the time. It was my best friend and hockey games and I used it in any weather for about 3 years.

Taking a ride in a backpack carry.

When Elliot was born things changed. I had already received a ring sling as a gift and was prepared to use it. Then I found a fleece pouch sling on clearance. This was the answer to what I would need to get through the next few months of hockey season with a infant and 2 year old. The sling worked wonders for us all season long. I managed to nurse in it when needed and juggle both kids and their needs with ease.

Napping in her peanut shell before a hockey game.

During the middle of the game her bottom is still in the sling and she knocked out.

As the kids have grown the way I carry them as also grown. Now I primarily use my Ergo carrier. Its a quick on and off and also easy to nurse discreetly in when needed. I can walk around for hours and not need to readjust or mess with it once its on.

In her normal spot getting ready to go inside for a hockey game.

Sleeping in the Ergo during the middle of a college hockey game.

I have gotten a lot of comments over the years regarding how I wear them, why and what carriers they are. Every time they ask where I got one I refer them to a local shop and advise them to bring their child with them and get help with getting fitted for the right one. I am a big supporter of baby wearing but I also advise people to get the appropriate help when choosing one.

My carriers though have gotten us through sleepless nights when motion was the only thing that helped them. Its given us the ability to walk around museums, malls and other crowded places without needing to break out the stroller. But above all else its given me closeness with my kids. The time I have spent with both of them strapped to me has let me get to know them both in different ways. I got to know their personalities and it allowed them to be very social in situations that I never would have imagined.

Elliot 11 months

Part of me can't believe that she is almost a year old. The past week I have begun planning her birthday party next month and I think I am about ready! Over the past couple of months she has gone from crawling slowly to being able to go rather fast. She is at least 24 lbs now and really doesn't like it when we try and feed her anything. She is definitely an independent feeder and would prefer us to give her cut up pieces of meat, fruits and vegetables rather than us feed her anything.

She is also cruising using on all the walls and furniture. Alvin has also learned to keep his snacks and drinks out of her reach since she will eat anything within her reach. She loves to say ma and ba.She recently discovered how to roll a ball back and forth. Around the house she has become very aware of Alvin and follows him around like a puppy some days. When he is around all she wants to do is play with him

The other night we got home from running some errands and she found one of Alvin's hockey sticks and a puck and started trying to hit it. The cutest thing was when I picked her up to let her practice walking she refused to let go and wanted to carry the stick with her! I guess our love of hockey is starting to wear off on her. I just wish I could have gotten a picture!

Luckily for all of us here the start of college football season means college hockey season isn't far off! We will be going to our first game on October 7th and 8th and we can't wait. This will be the first year that she will be able to really start watching and I can't wait to see how she reacts to watching warm ups.

And now for the pictures:

After the Swim For Melissa. This was the smallest shirt they had and it swallows her!

Battling cranberries for dinner. She didn't care she was a mess and had so much fun!

Here have some pasta.

Swinging at the park.

College football game day. Complete with the hounds tooth bow.

Roll Tide!