our Jack

I just want to take a moment to say how proud I am of our Jackie-boots! He is so strong and so lovely and he has just come so far in this past year! I will always wish that he didn't have to cope with the special challenges his Cerebral Palsy presents him, but I take some comfort in my observations of how up to those challenges he is each day. He knows it will take him a little longer to get from a to b (as he still gets around mostly on his knees), so he adjusts his route accordingly to keep up with the other kids, or he simply busies himself with another task. Lately he has been using his left hand to help pull apart and put together Leggos to build me towers! He watches. He learns. He is so very smart. His favorite place in the whole house is the highboy chair in our front window where he can see the big trucks go by or the kids in the playground at Cameron grade school. His new words are "mailman," "lawnmower," "moon," and "tree!" (All things he loves to view from that window!) Give it up for Jack! Hurray!

Jack eating cake

sisters

Maddie LOVES Ruby! She loves to hold her, she wants to see her first thing in the morning, she even grooms her just like a little monkey! Much to my dismay, she is obsessed with picking the fuzzzy lint out from between Ruby's chubby little fingers. I am not sure where Ruby gets this lint. I guess with the fourth child you just have to let some things go . . . .

sister

Jack and Dylan on trikes

Jack is the photo on top (with his hat rakishly on backward). Dylan is below--comin' right atcha!

Big Boysies

fuzzy

as you can see below, my crazy huband bathes all three older kiddos at the same time! insane! ruby and i usually bow out and hide in the basement, but on this particular night we decided to document for posterity (no pun intended!)
dylan is the one flashing both his cute little fanny and his tiny dingle-dangle.
jack is the one laughing about all this!

bath night!

Jack (left) and Dylan (right), February 2007

Maddie and Ruby on St. Patrick's day 2007

Ruby on her birthday March 15, 2007

first post!

Well. Not much going on here right now but Ruby asleep in my lap. All is quiet for the others are at "school" today! Gives mommy a chance to miss them and love them up when they get home. Also Ruby and I go to the grocery store--just us!-- so there are no time-outs in the frozen food aisle, or other such monkey business! Then we play on the computer, listen to grown-up music, or even read a magazine article or two!!!!

Ruby is such a happy baby. She smiles and coos and giggles even (already!) at only two months old. She is surely a prodigy :-) Will her eyes be brown or blue? The jury is still out. The hair, though. The HAIR! It is brown and curly curly and oh-so-silly sticking-out-all-over-the-place! I will try to post a new picture as soon as possible.

Jack and Dylan are adjusting to their two days a week in daycare quite well, I am told. They still cry quite a lot when I first drop them off, but are happy when I pick them up. They seem to play together better at home after these days too--though maybe it is just my fresh eyes seeing how cute they are after a couple of days off. Jack is getting closer to walking unassisted. He has some cool new stride rite shoes from G'ma Coffee that give him a great base. He is so proud when given the chance (and a helping hand or two) to walk anywhere. Dylan is learning new words every day. His current favorites are "Have it!" and "Happy . . . to you!" (which is Happy Birthday to You). He also spends a lot of time in time-out lately for various typical two-year-old misdemeanors. Overall he is absolutely lovable though, just like his girl-crazy brother Jack!

Madrigal June is becoming quite the little artist! She loves nothing more than coloring with her new 24-count set of (washable!) markers or painting with her (also washable!) water colors. A close second is dressing up in one of her pink leotards and tutu and dancing with Angelina Ballerina of PBS fame. So sweet! She loves her baby sister and even her crazy, tag-along, meddlesome brothers. I sometimes have to save her from hair-pulling and hitting as she won't fight back when the boys go after her!

Hmmm. Seems like enough for a first post? More later, hopefully including some new pics!