Day 1 down....several more to come!

Well, we officially survived the first day of preschool. I still struggle with was it harder on me or harder on him? He cried a little when we left him in the pick-up/drop-off room and quickly latched on to his new speech therapist Marcia. They went into the classroom together and we went into the observation room, and my tears started. It is hard to watch someone who doesn't know your baby try to help them do things. I kept thinking "she is doing it all wrong and I can't go in there". We'll get it all straightened out by Wednesday, and I'm sure if we don't, Colin will! After breakfast (which was by far our biggest struggle, Doug and I will start feeding him a real breakfast prior to school and their "breakfast" can be his snack), they did an opening circle with lots of singing. Colin LOVED that! Then they went to the gym, which we didn't get to see (lest he see us and we would have had a meltdown on our hands) but heard that he played really well and hard. Doug and I took the gym opportunity to escape the crazy women that were also in the observation room (definitely enough on those women to keep us busy for another post), to go grab some Starbucks and compose ourselves for the upcoming hour and a half. We returned just before the class (have I mentioned there are 7 - 2 yr olds in the class? All boys?!?!) came back for "table time". Well first the potty, which is quite a feat with 7 boys and 3 teachers! Today's table time consisted of gluing beans onto a paper in the shape of the kids' initials. Create the mental picture with me, 7 2 yr olds and 3 teachers with a bucket full of beans and glue. You guessed it, shortly after they started we heard one of the teachers shout, "we don't throw beans!" Ahh ....table time! The day ended (for most of the kids) with a closing circle where there was plenty more singing, Colin quite enjoyed that. Colin then went to the PT/OT gym with his new PT (physical therapist) Miss Angela, who he seemed to like mostly because she lets him walk I think! Doug and I joined in the fun this time helping her see what he could do, what being lazy was, and in general just getting the two of them familiar with each other. We made the executive decision for Colin to attend preschool 4 days a week today, this starts next week. What a step, my mind keeps telling me "he's only two!", but we definitely think this is the right move. The biggest drawback will be the loss of our current Speech teacher and PT, Crystal and Carrie, Colin has really bonded (and hurdled some major milestones) with both of them and losing them will be hard on all of us. I will post our 1 picture without tears of day 1 soon.

3 in one night!

one last entry, I think this finally catches us up for the past 5 months. Here are some pictures of the big man from tonight. He just spent an entire weekend with his Grr-Pa and Grr-Ma Rector down in Warrensburg, and came back sufficiently spoiled! Thanks grandparents! While down there, the little red-headed sheep got sheared and now looks too much like a little boy.....I miss those curls!!

Cheesing it up for the camera!

Pleased as punch to be close to Daddy

So tired....

5 mos in picture review

Colin blowing out birthday candles

My sister, the cutest pregnant woman EVER!

My newest little neice, Miss Meagan

My sister and her beautiful family

Colin and Diamond out at Helping Hands

Bad Blogger....

Well it is probably official, I am a bad blogger. I can’t keep up with this thing and the rest of life. KILLING ME! So here is the short version of the last 5 months since the last post. I will also include pictures of the little man’s 2nd birthday party and some more recent pics as well.
To recap…Colin is two, talking more and more each day and is closer to walking than ever before. We just got some new braces for his legs and after only a week they seem to already be helping. And his last day of playgroup is tomorrow. I have to admit I am kind of sad….he has been going to this playgroup for well over a year and I know he will miss the teachers (his favorite, Miss Lynette) and his friends. The exciting news however is that Aug 28, Colin starts preschool. Is anyone else thinking what I am, isn’t he a little too young for preschool? Well the answer is a resounding NO! This is a great preschool (Children’s TLC) that he will attend 2 mornings a week. With this intense school we will decrease therapy by 3 hours per week and he will receive aquatic therapy once a week while he is there. The children in this setting are making great strides and we hope Colin will react the same way. We are still participating in Hippotherapy twice a week, weather permitting, and Colin still loves it. He alternates between riding on Pablo (the Mexican horse) and Diamond. The therapists at the stable have already noticed less wobbling on his part during the ride, such GREAT news!
Doug and I are well….working and trying to keep up, with Colin, with each other, with the rest of the fam. Yeah, I know, it is hard to be us! At least we have a great network of friends and family to keep us sane and on the right track. Not to mention each other. We celebrated our third wedding anniversary last month, and all in total we have been together for the better part of 5 years now. Of course some days we don’t talk to each other at all, but that is par for the course, right? KIDDING! On a serious note, there isn’t a soul I would rather wake up to each day than Doug. The man is practically a saint to put up with me…and I am super grateful!
That is all for us. I am going to put in some pictures and captions and set myself a reminder to update this thing more often than every 5-6 months!