Learning as I go

I used to think that I knew so much before Lucas was born and he has quickly shown me that there are many things that I didn't know or didn't even have a clue about.  He continues to help me be a better mom on a daily basis and makes me grow not only as a parent but also as a person.  Like any mom I only want the best for my son and I will do anything I can in my power to try and make that happen.  I mean seriously, I look at this face each day I know that I owe him the best of me and the foundation that will allow him to dream big dreams. 

 

 

So even though this mama can get tired from all the weekly therapies, various doctor visits and routine housekeeping I dig deep to keep it all together. I will admit it's not always easy. It's not always fun and often it is down right challenging. When you have a child that may have the deck stacked against them in some areas you worry about a lot of things but try not to let that bog you down. You have to take each day as it comes and learn as you go. Some things that certainly don't come easy to me.  But I am learning.

Some of the many people who help me learn are our amazingly talented therapists.  They have many times answered my questions, relieved my worry and boosted my confidence to be Lucas' advocate, voice and biggest champion.  They actually inspire me to pick up where they leave off after our weekly session so that Lucas remains challenged and a happy little learner.  Of course I know his limits and want him to be a kid but I also know that my son is very task-oriented and loves to learn! So I make sure we have fun and play to his strengths and make learning as fun as possible.  All this is part of the plan to keep him moving forward.

Today I decided to do something pretty simple but something I knew Lucas would enjoy.  It included language, fine motor skills, color recognition, numbers and forcing Lucas to use 2 hands since he is often left hand dominant. (weaker on his right side)  The activity was simple and included Boardmaker symbol cards, empty seasoning container, balls purchased from the dollar store and tons of celebration at the end. Did I mention we must have done this almost 30 times in a row?

What I learned today is that these simple activities are not only a time for me to be with my son but also to encourage him to keep learning and gaining confidence with his own skills. I am thankful that each day I learn something new from Lucas and those around me.  These are the times and moments I am most proud of in my life.  You see I also love to learn and it couldn't be more perfect that I learn side-by-side with my son and also have him be one of my best teachers.

Jumping on the trampoline

This weekend was a nice treat as we came home to find Lucas received his trampoline that his physical therapist ordered for him. Although Lucas is not walking completely independently this is just another tool that will assist him with strengthening his balance while also helping with balance. In order to fully introduce this to him we turned on some fun music and let him start moving. This video is his first time on his new toy!

Jumping, jumping....

This weekend was a nice treat as we came home to find Lucas received his trampoline that his physical therapist ordered for him. Although Lucas is not walking completely independently this is just another tool that will assist him with strengthening his balance while also helping with balance. In order to fully introduce this to him we turned on some fun music and let him start moving. This video is his first time on his new toy!

Special Delivery

These days I think Lucas gets more mail then we do whether it's some new clothes for a growing boy, a new therapeutic support item or just something fun from family and friends. Well this weekend got something from him new friend Jamie who lives in Tennessee.  She is the runner he was matched with through the organization  I Run 4 which is a movement that give the gift of mobility to others.  It is a relationship that is built through and emotional and mental bond.  We can say that we have been blessed to be matched with such a wonderful woman who checks in on Lucas and always is thinking of him.  This weekend we were so happy when we received a lovely gift from her and one that will be with Lucas for the rest of his life because it is so cute and meaningful.  Lucas loves his new buddy.

Lucas checking out his new buddy

Best of buddies singing together

Snow Days (Part 2)

Just like we got to enjoy outside with Lucas once the weather got better we also had to do a lot of entertaining inside. This was to keep us all sane as cabin fever was setting in! I think it is safe that we played with every toy, read every book (more than 20 times each), and did anything we could to make being snowed in for several days manageable. We had lots of fun and even got to put our Christmas stuff away sooner than usual.  Here are some of the items we all managed to do together while hanging out home. Lucas again had tons of fun as we kept him busy and intrigued with so many activities.

 

Snow Days (Part 1)

 

If you live in the Midwest then you can say that winter has hit us pretty darn hard and 2014 has started cold, snowy, icy and downright dreary! Needless to say we have had to try and make the most of it so luckily temperatures rose enough for us to get outside and enjoy some outdoor fun.  Last year Lucas didn't get to experience many winter activities due to being too little or in some cases to fragile so we often admired the white stuff from our living room window. This year things have certainly changed and we have loved every minute of it! (and so did he!)

 

 

I Am Who I Am

Although it's a new year our focus and mission is still the same as it was when we became Lucas' parents. We are here to love and support Lucas in all he does but we also have an obligation to help educate and spread awareness for all those individuals born with special needs or special challenges.  In our case when Lucas was born we knew what to expect and we were prepared to embrace our baby boy for who exactly he was born to be.  In many cases parents do not know or receive some type of unexpected news or an unexpected diagnosis upon birth. This is shocking and in many cases not always communicated in the best possible way.  Thankfully there are organizations like I Am Who I Am that make sure parents get the love and support and most of all reassurance that they are not alone.  This wonderful organization just launched a video that happens to showcase Lucas (at about the 2:10 mark) some of his friends and many beautiful children that should be loved and accepted for exactly who they are.  After all, it's our differences that make us all unique in this world.

You can see this beautiful video and it's message on You Tube by clicking the text: I Am Who I Am Video

I know this little boy was born and put on this earth to change it for the better. Couldn't  be more proud to be his mommy and to join all the wonderful families on this journey.

It's 2014

Well I am finally having a few minutes to myself on this cold snow stormy night to reflect on how amazing the last few months have been. I can't even begin to share how much I have enjoyed each day with my son and just being mom.  It's been 4 months now that I am a stay at home mom and although it was a bit tough in the beginning it is has been an incredible time to watch my little man grow and develop and have just a bit more time to enjoy how blessed I am in this life.  Maybe that is one of the reasons that I haven't spent time blogging because instead I have been too busy living in the moment or trying to catch some shut-eye so I am ready to hit the ground running the next day with Lucas.  So although I haven't been blogging or recording daily events on this blog rest assure I have been documenting every magical moment with my iPhone, camera, FB page, mental notes and most of all in my heart. As I said....I have been living in the moment and loving every second.  I think the best way for me to try and "play catch up" on the blog is to add special outings, events, and wonderful times randomly in the next few months. I think that will be a good idea.  In the meantime here is a little video we made on NYE as were waiting for the ball to drop and welcome 2014. To be honest we tried our hardest to stay up until the clock struck midnight but I think you could say we were a little worn out.  Maybe it was all the basketball playing we were doing. We welcome 2014 with open arms and know this will be a wonderful year for not only Lucas but for our entire family!