Time flies

Well, it has been a long time since my last blog. Sorry for the random photo twist, I can't figure out how to turn it. That's Sam and Aaron at the zoo, us with Andie in DC.

This month has been so crazy. Shortly after my last post, Matt's grandmother died. She had been ill with cancer but it still seemed to come suddenly. The "spitfire" older woman is such a cliche, but she really did have a lot of chutzpah. Ironic choice of words in speaking of such a devout Catholic! So, we packed Sam off to Bubbe and Saba's house, and packed Aaron up for his first roadtrip to pay our respects. He did very well on the road---so well that I regret not taking him sooner so she could have met him. I also wish he could meet his Gold great grandparents, but I don't think we are ready for that trip to Europe! Matt and I enjoyed the time together, despite the sad occassion, and the one-on-one time with Aaron.

Anyway, right after that, we went to visit Aunt Andrea in DC. A wonderful time was had by all- and again, Aaron proved to be a surprisingly good traveler. Sam, of course, LOVES hotels, planes, subways and all things having to do with travel. Not to mention his love for Andie and "Shawnie". He experienced room service with Bubbe and Saba on this trip---the kid will be accustomed to the finer things, he better earn some dough! My mom and sister and I went to see Tina Turner. She is an inspiration. She has beaten the odds with such class and verve. We bought the tickets shortly after seeing Tina on Oprah months ago. I remember the day so clearly- Aaron had a pretty good day, and we were dancing around to Proud Mary, and I was laughing, really laughing, and I couldn't believe I could laugh again. So, I will never forget seeing her with my mom and my sister.

Aaron continues to amaze. On Thanksgiving Day, he walked behind a push toy at least 10 steps. I think he wanted to keep up with his cousins. He is now clapping, when you say "YAY" and waving like crazy. His 5th tooth, a lateral incisor, is now in. He looks so cute with that big grin! We went to see the developmental specialist last week. It was mostly a good visit. She called him a miracle repeatedly. Doctors don't throw that word around. I should know :) She thinks his muscle tone is now normal in his arms but he still has tightness in his thighs. She noticed that he doesn't like to sit, probably it is not super comfortable for him. I disagreed at first, but after watching him, she has a good point. He often kneels or sits sideways. I think he has been so active, I have slacked off on stretching, but since that appt, we are stretching lots. This was the first time that he scored LOW rather than MODERATE risk on the test assessing neuromotor development! I was SO excited to get out of the MODERATE word. He was a little behind on speech, expressive more than receptive based on her questionnaire to us. I am trying not to read too much into that. She thinks at a year, we should switch from mostly PT to mostly speech therapy. There was also lots of weight/eating discussions, which I will spare everyone for now.

With how much Sam talks lately, maybe he just can't get a word in edgewise. I swear, one day I am going to write down all the Sam quotes for the day, and just type them in verbatim. He is so cute and funny and precious right now. We went on a "date" last night to dinner and to see Madagascar and we had the best time. Age 4 is flying by and I just want to stop the clock.

Here are some recent videos... Aaron pushing his cart with Sam's encouragement. They are playing "together." PLEASE turn down the volume, I am speaking in an especially annoying voice in the beginning. It is about 2 minutes long.