MY blog is baaaack!

Word to the wise...never delete an account associated with Google because anything tied to it, including your blog, will disappear!!  I deleted an old gmail account that I never used and my blog was removed from blogger and I thought it was gone forever!  I found help online from some friends and was able to get in touch with someone from Blogger that reinstated my blog.  You just don't know how horrible it felt to think that all of my feelings, emotions, and memories through the pregnancies and births of my children were possibly gone forever.  This scrapbooking blog evolved into my diary of being a mom and there simply was no way to reproduce it.  There was info on this blog that had never made it into the baby books, too.  I am soooo thankful that it has been restored!

Progress on several counts

Well, it's official!  I called the therapist myself!  Since Tobin was the one to go to the last visit, I didn't feel like I had enough information as to what Tanner's final evaluation consisted of and whether or not his file was closed.  Jean said that when she first met Tanner, he walked on the balls of his feet over 90% of the time and quite high on the tippy toes, I might add.  She said that after the altered-shoe intervention, she saw him walk on his tippy toes less than 50% of the time.  Since Grandpa Tucker and Frances bought him brand new Justin cowboy boots for Christmas, he will be able to be up at the angle he prefers, yet have the weight of his body still on his heel! Therefore, we hope he improves even more.  I have never seen my son walk so normally, as he does when wearing the cowboy boots.  Now, don't get me wrong, you will still see him up on the balls of his feet, but the progress is that he is stretching the muscles in his calves enough that he is also comfortable flat-footed.  Now it is a matter of breaking a habit, rather than a physical development issue or comfort factor.  The more often he walks flat-footed, the more stretched out his calf muscles become.  So, in summary, Jean does not need to see Tanner again!  She said he was one of the sweetest little boys and always hugged her and she truly enjoyed working with him!  Likewise, Jean!!

Both of my kids are talking more and more.  Tanner said several sentences last night, not just sketchy phrases that only I would know (that's important to point out).   He said, with an old purse on his shoulder, "Come on Sis Sis, we go to Wal-Mart.  We need gas.  You go potty there?  OK.  Come on. We go to church on Sunday."   hahahahahaha  Cute, cute, cute.

Kinsey is in a phase where she likes to label everything she sees from the moment she awakes.  She will stand up in her crib, by only the light in the closet, and point and declare "blanket", "shoes", "jacket", or "dada?"  At that point, I carry her into our bedroom, where Daddy is soundly sleeping, and drop her off so I can get ready.  They snuggle and play for a bit prior to getting dressed and ready to go.  She names things all day long while at Amy's as well.  She has also started telling me when she has pooped or tooted.  haha

Christmas season has begun for 2010

This season is going to be different than last year! I'm soooo excited! Last year, Tanner kinda knew what was going on, but not really. I had to start the present opening by tearing a page, and he really didn't recognize the symbols of the season, and certainly didn't have any religious connection to the holiday. I ended up just opening most of his presents for him.  Now, that he has been going to church, he says funny things like "Obey the Lord." and "Jesus made the trees and the wind." So, my hopes of his understanding what the real meaning improves with each year! Having said that, Kinsey is such an observant little girl, that she watches every move big brother makes. I have no fear that she will rip into her presents just fine, especially if Tanner is in that mode!

We started off the seasonal festivities with the Christmas parade in a nearby town, followed by a drive through the park which was all lit up with Christmas lights and even hot air balloons. Tanner sort of liked the parade, mostly the candy and lights, but Kinsey cried a lot and really shouldn't have been out in the cold. A big thanks goes to my mom and Dave for helping me watch both kids during the parade!  The kids were cooperative with the lights afterwards, but it was past their bedtime and I'm not sure how much they really saw.

We took the kids to Bass Pro this past Monday night for some family fun with the cousins and a Santa photo opportunity. The kids had a great time and would readily go back again! Tobin had gone early to get the Santa Passes, so that allowed us to move up in line and basically fast track. Grandma met us there as well and she helped a bunch by watching the stroller which ended up holding all the coats and diaper bag stuff!  We experienced the ice slide, the train track, the remote control cars, climbing into several boats and sitting on 4-wheelers! Tanner would be happy behind any steering wheel as he always wants to "drive" anything possible. The kids did really well with Santa and no one cried. Kinsey did not want me to let go of her, and had absolutely NO interest in sitting on Santa's lap! The Santa was wonderful to work with and allowed me to sit on his throne, and he stood next to us! How nice! I need to get a few more pics of Kinsey by herself and all dressed up for the holidays. It was too much to handle with both kids. I found myself chasing Tanner and just letting Tobin hold Kinsey; therefore, I got fewer pictures of her!  After we left Bass Pro, we stopped by Donnie and Mimi's (Tobin's parents) and Tobin was able to catch a precious moment on his cell phone!  Kinsey has not been around Tobin's father, Don, to much and has never really warmed up to him.  However, Monday night, Tobin placed her on his lap and she snuggled right in and was just happy as could be for a good while.  Therefore, this picture means a lot!

Cooler weather is here!

We had one good month of no a/c and no heater!  That rarely happens.  We now have space heaters in each bedroom and keep the heat around 68 degrees at night.  Hopefully we can save some money because it has become real, real obvious just how expensive kids can be!  I don't think I have ever watched the pocketbook and the balance at the bank quite so closely in my entire life!!  Gone are the days when I can spend what I want., when I want, and don't have to worry about it. 

This blog has become more of a way to update some friends and family, but also a sort of diary as to what our daily life is like with two young kids.  I wish I could keep up with it more often.   I know I will enjoy looking back and reading it someday.  Right now, both of my kids are at an age where I can reflect on pictures taken just two months ago and see such changes in their appearance!  Tobin and I both watch their development change weekly.  Kinsey is definitely picking up on things at a more rapid pace since she has so many role models to learn from.  The relationship forming between my sweet kids is a precious one on most days.  Tanner is generally concerned about her and tries to help her out by bringing her a blanket or helping her up on the couch.  Today they were even holding hands on the way to school!!!  How sweet is that???  He does have his jealous moments where he feels threatened by her presence or still wants me to himself.  However, she is the first thing he asks about upon waking each morning and the last thing he wants to know about prior to saying goodnight.  Very sweet.  On that note, during the last few weeks, I have heard my first "I love you, toooo!" at bedtime!  It doesn't get much better than hearing your child sincerely tell you they love you!!!   Kinsey follows Tanner around the house like a lil' puppy dog.  They will actually play their own version of hide n seek and it is soooo cute to hear Tanner say, "Sis-Sis, come get me!!!"   She giggles and runs toward his voice.  She has her own games too though.  She likes to remove all pillows from the couch and then walk along the couch and try to climb up on the arms!  Geesh!  Now, I have TWO daredevils.  I sure hope the ER isn't a a frequent stop of ours in the future.  I just don't know if my heart can take that!

Well, our house has been OFF the market for a month now.  It is very difficult not to keep looking at homes.  Our contract with our realtor expired and Tobin thought we needed to take a break from the madness of keeping the house clean.  He would rather not move in winter either.  So to help out on our lack of space, Tobin took a week-long vacation recently and built a barn-shaped storage building in our backyard.  I am excited at the prospect of getting some of our stuff out of the garage and attic and into the shed.  I simply cannot wait to feel organized again.  That is the most frustrating part of having your house for sale!  That and the idea of keeping everything picked up and clean so at any given moment, when you get that phone call, you can get our of the house within the hour with two young kids!  You can't even walk through the garage right now.  Recently, I found a plastic tub of clothes that Kinsey should currently be wearing and part of them she actually already grew out of before she ever got to wear them!  I guess they were in the storage unit all summer and I didn't have access to them.  Major bummer.  I am very sad at the idea that we are not going to get a bigger house.  We so desperately need more space.  It is such a buyer's market, but certainly NOT a seller's market.  I have no idea where our computer is going to go...we had to get rid of the desk to make our house seem less cluttered while it was on the market.  The computer has been in the floor or the closet for six months now.  That has NOT been good for my back when I have to lie in the floor to use the computer!!

Tobin is an immense help around the house.  I don't know what I'd do if he weren't a "hands-on" dad.  He even bathes them!  Tobin has enjoyed several hunts this fall and already has two deer in the freezer!  He is a very good aim with his bow and very much likes the challenge of a "stick and string."    Gun season began this past weekend as well.  I think at this point, he is just trophy hunting, as he calls it.  He was excited to go wtih Hunter on his very first hunting trip now that he is eight years old.

As for me, I suppose I'm doing well.  My hairstyle is straight now, but I can still go curly if I am rushed.  I am still working on losing the baby weight.  There is never any "ME time," but that will come again someday.  And at that time, I will probably miss the days when I had no life and no hobbies, and spent all of my time running after two toddlers and tending to diaper bags, washing the highchair tray, changing diapers, reading books, and picking up toys!  Not to mention the laughing and crying!  I would love to say I am caught up on their baby books or their scrapbooks, but that would be wishful thinking.  I did have a scrapbook function on  November 6th!  That was very nice and I even got to go with my sister!  I need to schedule time for working out, but I have no clue when that would be...or how I would do that. 

Both kids are over their stomach issues and we haven't had any really bad diapers in several weeks.  THAT was a very long week for everyone.  We assume it was viral.  Kinsey had developed a cough and had started breathing treatments with the nebulizer.  She cried and cried at first, but gave into the idea that this is what had to happen.  At her bedtime treatment, she literally fell asleep with the mist, and that allowed me to give her a back to back treatment.  They are both still on their meds for allergies.

As for now, Tanner has avoided any leg braces (serial casts) for the tippy toe walking!!  Tobin took him to his most recent appointment and surprisingly, Jean never mentioned the casts.  She said that Tanner had made great improvements in walking more flat-footed.  He had not improved as much as she would like in his resistance while she manually stretched his calf muscles, but she thought that a good pair of cowboy boots might be in order!  GREAT!  That's right up his alley since he likes being a cowboy and was one for Halloween!  Sounds like a Christmas present to me!!  We go  back to the physical therapist in one month as per her request. 

We are gearing up for Thanksgiving Break and then Christmas!  Tanner has been attending Sunday School for about six weeks in a row now.  He doesn't cry anymore and seems to enjoy it.  He sings most of the words to "Jesus Loves Me" and "Jesus Loves the Little Children" and even does arts and crafts there.  Sissy saw Santa at the mall and waved!  Good things to come!!!

Halloween festivities

I always love Halloween decorations and activities.  I love fall in general!!   However, my son does not like anything remotely scary looking or scary sounding.  I hoping that is just normal for a two-year old!   Overall, we didn't get to do as many fun activities as I would have liked, but next year will be different with two that understand the holiday.  We went to a Halloween party at a daycare, Jones Farm, and Trick-or-Treating in my sister's neighborhood. I know Tanner had a good time and Kinsey always seems happy.

We were lucky enough to get some of the cousins together for a group shot, as seen above.  Tristin was a dinosaur creature and Koen and Griffin were Bob and Larry from the Veggie-Tales.  Tanner was a cowboy and Kinsey was a ladybug.  Early October, when it was warmer, she was a little cheerleader, but it was too chilly for that on Halloween night. Tanner had been acting like a cowboy around the house , so the costume choice was fitting.  He even got to wear his altered shoes in order to make the chaps fit better. 

We were soooo proud of Tanner and how he handled his first Trick-or-Treating experience.  He did a great job saying "Trick-or-Treat" and "thank you" when asked and seemed pleased about the activity.  Then, about the 4th house, he was trying to run to catch up to his cousins when the door opened and two loud, scary dogs started barking.  Tanner is dreadfully scared of all dogs no matter what size.  You would honestly think he has experienced something terrible or had been attacked as a baby.  He cries and even shakes.  So, it took us several houses to get over that.  The lady came out and apologized, but it bothered me that it didn't occur to her to put the dogs up during such an event.  From then on, Tanner was a little leery of any strange noises or scary scenes, but I'm hoping that is partly the age too.

Kinsey rode on Papa's shoulders for the first 5-6 houses.  As her timing would have it, she soiled her diaper as we were really getting in to the trick or treating.  Daddy had to decide whether he should carry on, or take her back home to change.  He decided to take care of her diaper and miss the rest of Tanner's trick or treating.  Tough decision and I hate that for him.  Kinsey was content as could be at home reading books and playing with Papa and Grandma.

As for Tobin, he is still in his hunting mode and has maybe three more trips for the season.  He is still hoping for a buck with his bow before gun season starts.  I, of course, have no hobbies, but I am looking forward to hanging out with Mel at a scrap-booking function this coming Saturday!

 I will try to get a new slideshow going with many more pics from this fall and Halloween in particular.

Some progress, but not enough so far

I was able to take Tanner to his most recent physical therapy visit.  Tobin stayed home with Kinsey which allowed me to ask questions.  She said that Tanner's "1st resist" was not improved, but his "2nd resist" was much better.   She presses on his heel in a certain way that allows her to feel and measure his resistance to pressure and she feels for a catch which is his zone of uncomfortableness due to tightness in his calves.  She recommended that he wear the altered shoes through two more visits and then we will evaluate the need for serial casting.  I looked it up online and it seems that he will still be able to run, jump, and play for the most part.  The soft casts, or braces, are from foot to knee and stay on all the time.  He will have to have sponge baths, which will suit him just fine here lately.  Normally, he and Kinsey bathe together, but he hasn't been too into it lately.  Anyway, I'm not too thrilled with the idea of serial casts, but if it helps him and prevents developmental problems down the road, then I'm all for intervention now when he isn't in school yet.

Tanner Tippy-Toe Update

Most of Tanner's physical therapy appointments have been at 11:30 am, so Tobin has been scheduling himself off on those days so he can take him.  This means that he is only at daycare for a half-day and spends the rest of the afternoon with Daddy or he takes his nap.  The appointments have gone well and Tanner is building a relationship with Jean, his therapist; they both seem to really like one another.  Last week, Tanner was fitted for his "altered shoes" which ended up being black Converse.  When she first put them on Tanner, he continued to try walking on the balls of his feet, so she added another half inch to the heel to prevent him from doing that.  He is being forced to put his body weight on his heel, rather than the balls of his feet.  He was to wear them for two hours the first day, and then add an

hour each day for one week.   Well, he didn't seem to mind the shoes at all, so he wore them four hours the first day and then closer to 9 hours each day after that!  The problem is that as soon as the shoes come off, he immediately goes up on the balls of his feet because that feels good to him.

(If you look closely, you can see the altered shoes in the picture of T and K)

Tanner wore the shoes for one week and then met with Jean to check his progress. That appointment was September 30th. She observed him in the shoes and then took the shoes off to see how he walked. Unfortunately, he walked on his tippy-toes more than ever! She measured his calves to see if they were still different lengths and to see if they have been developing correctly. Her diagnosis was to continue to wear the shoes for TWO MORE MONTHS and then see how he is doing. Apparently, some kids show progress in one week, but Tanner did not. This is going to be a process and she is still optimistic that this might work. He is to wear them as often as possible and still be checked every two weeks. If this does not get him to walk flat on his feet, our next step is that Tanner will have to be fitted for LEG BRACES!! The braces will have to be worn 24/7, meaning he can't shower for one week. He will even have to sleep in them so the braces can manually stretch his calf muscles. At the end of the first week, he will be able to bathe right before his appointment with Jean, then do the same thing all over again the next week . Three weeks total with the braces on for one week at a time, then a bath. This breaks my heart, but maybe we won't have to go there. If we do, it is only because we want the best for him and his development. I'd much rather him go through this kind of therapy when he is young and not during a tough, transitional time like middle school. Luckily, he doesn't understand and just thinks he has some cool black Chuck Taylor shoes, as Daddy calls them!