Test Time!

Tuesday was finally the day of Neve's big Early Intervention evaluation.  She and Traci went on their own to spend 2.5 hours with three child development specialists to determine what kind of aid she may need.  Although Nevie was a little shy around the strangers, she did a great job doing almost everything they asked of her.  (And, she never cried once over the entire 2+ hour stretch!)  The bad news is that she will need physical therapy four times a month, as we expected.  The good news is that the Physical Therapist in attendance firmly believes that Neve will be caught up in no time.  It was pretty amazing actually:  within about five minutes of watching Neve, the PT confidently said, "I think I know what is going on here."  (And, I thought, "Finally, somebody does!")  After watching Neve's hyperflexibility in her hip area, the PT believes that she displays signs of low muscle tone, which is a condition that causes difficulty in motor skill development.  (Essentially, it takes a lot more work for a person with low muscle tone to complete a motor activity than those with normal tone.  Big Brother Michael was actually found to have the same low muscle tone, which contributed to his struggles with speech.  Think of the bazillions of muscles needed to talk correctly and fluently.)  This low muscle tone probably caused Neve to skip a lot of steps essential to learning to crawl and walk (rolling over, sitting up from a laying position, pulling up to stand, etc.), so the PT wants Neve to sort of start from scratch and learn these skills.  Each skill will build on each other and eventually you will never know she had any of these difficulties.  We know she will not be happy in physical therapy, but we will definitely take this versus the alternatives!  She is already starting to "almost" roll over in bed and she has been pulling up to her knees, so maybe she knows it's time...  We'll keep you updated!

Farewell, Goldfish

As part of their parting gifts to the kids and parents, Michael's preschool always gives out a CD of tons of pictures taken throughout the year.  We had fun going through them to finally gain insight into what the heck Michael did this year, since he never gave us any kind of description of his school days.  We'd like to share a few of our favorites.  The one above really struck us because we could not believe that a.)  Michael wouldn't tell us about this special visit from cute farm animals and b.) he would be brave enough to touch them.

Speaking of farm animals, we certainly didn't hear about this magician's visit either.  Glad to see that Michael was broadening his cultural horizons, unbeknownst to us.  (Now, if this had been Katie, we would have received a full description of the entire act.)

We think this one was from the same magic show.  We just love how attentive he is here.  Contrast this to his space cadet antics at soccer class, and we can't believe he is the same kid.

Speaking of shows, check out Michael in this one (orange and blue striped shirt toward top).  See how much fun the other kids are having???  Apparently, Michael was not a fan.

Finally, we never knew how Michael's teachers did it, but they managed to get 14 little rugrats to nap in the same room every class day.  (Michael is in blue shirt and tans shorts.) We can't even get one to do it here.  We need to know their tricks, now!

Hitting the High Note

The above video is a clip from Michael's class performances at his last day of 3-yr-old pre-school this afternoon.  Obviously, he is well on his way to making millions in the entertainment business...

Three Day Weekend!

Extended holiday weekends are the best!  Hope you all had a great Memorial Day weekend, too.  We had a blast grilling out, trying out some new neighborhood swimming pools, and finally checking out the National Harbor which had eluded us for a few years, despite being only about 15 miles away.  The harbor was worth the wait, however.  I think Traci put it best, in that they did a great job making the venue feel like you were on vacation, all the while being just across the river from our stomping grounds.  The kids loved the sculpture garden, carousel, and ice cream.  And Traci and I liked the low-maintenance atmosphere that let the kids pretty much run around and entertain themselves.

And no Memorial Day weekend would be complete without Rolling Thunder!  With his latest obsession, Michael had been looking forward to "Motorcycle Weekend" for some time and it did not disappoint.  We watched the bikes enter the city from an overpass on I-66 and, as we do every year, had dinner out at IHOP on Saturday night (i.e., the restaurant is connected to some hotels that many of the bikers stay at on the eve of the big event).  This "grandpa" biker was kind enough to invite the kids to sit on his wheels for a quick photo.  Michael was thrilled!

Great Job, Little Dude!

He's done it!!  Michael has completed his first year of preschool ....without permanently scarring himself, his teachers, his classmates, or the school!  In all seriousness, it has been fantastic to see Michael blossom this year, with the help of his teachers and classmates.  He started the year clinging to us, shying away from his classmates, and wearing a pull-up.  He now happily recognizes circle time, relishes in goofing off with his buddies, and knows how important it is to tell his teachers when he has to use the potty.  Yes, he still has a major problem with the fire alarms scattered throughout the school.  (We guess one of his fire drills really stuck in that imaginative mind of his.)  But, otherwise, he happily went about his every Wednesday at good, ol' AUMC.  And, don't even ask Traci how sad she is that she is losing the one day of the week where she actually got time to herself....  Anyway, to celebrate, we took Michael out to the restaurant of his choosing (Red Robin) this evening.  He does still get to go in Tuesday afternoon for a show/ice cream party, so hopefully we'll get some more hilarious "Michael stoically refusing to participate" video.  Great job, Little Dude!

Role Model

Remember back in the days when Michael used to idolize everything that his big sister did?  You know, like when he would dress up in her princess clothes or play with her Tinkerbell figurines?  Well, fast forward a few years, and we have another case of older sibling adoration.  This time seems a little different, however.  Now we've got Nevie trying to shoot basketball hoops, scootching out into soccer class, and revving her engines on her motorcycle.  And, any chance she gets, she tries to sneak up on Michael to give him a big hug.  Everybody say "Awwwwwwww....."

Hot and Sticky

Is it already that time of year again?  You know, when you start sweating within five minutes of stepping outside the house?  Well, that is what we get for living in an area which was once a swamp.  But, with the hot and sticky weather comes some of the pleasures of summertime.  One of our favorites, farmer market season, just started up this month!!  Michael was especially excited to get back to the markets as he loves watching the Adventures of Peter Rabbit on TV.  He was determined to see and touch some of the very fruits and vegetables that Peter would have snatched from Mr. McGregor's garden.  At this early point in the season, he was thrilled to experience some actual radishes, beets, squash, strawberries, and asparagus.  Too bad none of those things will ever actually enter his mouth....  Anyway, here is a pic of the kids taking a rest with their milk and cookies after some good shopping and play.

But, that wasn't the end of our adventures for the day.  As the hours progressed, it just became hotter and hotter outside.  Unfortunately, none of the pools open up around here until Memorial Day weekend.  So, we made do with some river time!!  I really wasn't sure what Neve would think of getting into a river since a.) she can't walk yet and b.) the water is freezing.  After an initial surprised intake of breath upon touching the water, she didn't want to get out!!  Perhaps we have a little water baby on our hands!  Unfortunately, we didn't last too, too long in the river as Michael was bothered by all of the insects, but we did manage to cool down a little.  Now, can we get back to those springtime temps again?