Busy Bee Preschool

Since Christmas we enrolled Grayson in the cutest little preschool. The teacher was a lady named Brittany.  Miss Brittany had her hands full in the afternoon, and she had a class full of only boys. And the boys are all close in age ( like 3 weeks tops!!) They all love paw patrol and they are just super super cute kids.

We have LOVED Miss Brittany. I love her so much she as become such a great friend. I have loved having her little over to play with Grayson and Grayson couldn't have a better friend.

Next year we are going back and he is going to go with her almost all day. I couldn't ask for a better person to have my kid with.

Thank you Miss Brittany for all you do for Grayson and loving our babies while we are away!!

A 2 milestone day

I think in real life it was more like a 3 milestone day and possibly even more( OK... I think it was 4.. we will count at the end... UPDATE: final count is 5!!!!). Despite the efforts of my migraine, Ty had a really good day and we left the CP clinic with our head held high. It is tough to not be worried or to get down at appointments like today but Ty held his own and he rocked the rest of the day.

Today was the CP clinic at Shriner's hospital. Again, I can't say enough about the Shrines and for the care they give Tyler. It is impressive and done all on donations.

At the CP clinic we see our rehab doc, her nurse practitioner and usually a developmental pediatrician. The developmental pediatrician is only there when and if we have major developmental concerns on the side of the rehab doc. For a first time in a long time I am proud to say NOPE. He is doing really well. Does that mean he is caught up.. OH NO! But he is progressing and quickly which is nice to hear.

The rehab doc we have is Dr. Gooch. She is great. She gave us a great bill of health and wonderful encouragement. She still thinks that Tyler will continue to improve with speech and was pretty positive with his phenol shots. This is the first follow up for them we have had.

So the plan for Tyler is: Increase his PT and get him to do better with hip extension and stamina. She gave us some games to play with him and is really encouraging playing soccer or kicking the ball as something he really needs. She also encouraged playing obstacle courses ( which he rocks at because he THROWS everything.)

While we were leaving Shriner's we walked past the HUGE statue and Ty wanted to go closer. He called it a tree and then he licked it. It was interesting to see that what he saw and what he associated it with was something big. Like a tree.

And he was LICKING the "tree"!

After we got home his dad played outside with him for awhile. Dallas would tell him to go to the middle and he would go right to the middle of the yard. Then when his dad asked him to use his words he would sign Dad, the sound K (The sound K was for kick. ) and then sign please. HUGE.

Ty has his dad!

After awhile his dad had to go back in to work so we went to the local park. He LOVES the park and especially likes it when there are other kids there. Since we are pretty active in our local ward lots of the kids know Tyler and know that he has extra needs and most of them are really nice about them and most can't wait to show him or take him somewhere.

We hadn't been there for all winter but Ty ran right up and went up the stairs and down the slide. He was so excited to be outside. As he got more confident in going up the stairs,I looked up to see SOMEONE standing UP and going up the stairs. YEP he was going up without crawling.

Seriously... Look at that smile!

Next up he kept going... and went down the big slide. He always says "Weee" when he goes down. The big slide takes his breathe away and he said it when he got to the bottom.

NEXT he got even more daring and climbed UP the climbing wall. He needed such a little bit of help on the bottom but he did the rest himself and up he went. ALL by himself. That is HUGE. He is on his way to being able to maneuver himself all alone at the playground.

Next up.. Learning to ride a tricycle with no help. I was thinking of getting an adaptive one from Shriner's or to see if they can help him get even better!

For those not sure WHAT milestones we hit here is the quick cap!

• Walking OUT of Shriner's with no assistance
• Getting good news on his appointment
• Standing up and walking UP the stairs
• Going down the big BIG slide
• Climbing up the climbing wall

From Warm sun to THIS!

Coming from warm and extremely HOT Arizona the cooler weather was so nice and so cool. It was great. We enjoyed going outside and playing and having Ty's birthday party outside. It has been amazing to see the fall weather and seeing the leaves change.

We have been diligent in watching the weather to see when to change from a jacket to a coat. When to put on long pants for Tyler and keep them on. When to spend the day at the park or when to bundle up in a blanket and stay in bed. But we were SHOCKED to see the drastic drop in temperatures this last week.

While Dallas and I both grew up here we have become accustom to the nice warm, and HOT weather we had there. Tyler has never been in this weather ( that he can remember) he was only one when we moved. He spent one winter here and we came and visited for a few days. This was the first time that breathe taking wind and snow has been in his world.

The snow didn't start to fall till he was getting ready for the bus but when it did fall it was a half blizzard. He would go watch and ask to go outside. He wanted to touch the snow, feel it and most of all THROW IT! He was having such a good time.

* Side note: We found Barney Christmas and he has been watching it almost non stop. They of course have SNOW and that takes him RIGHT to the window pointing and jabbering about the snow. You should SEE him dance and sing to the 12 days of Christmas~*

For the rest of the week Ty has been asking to go outside. He has been eating the snow (GROSS!) and he has been outside with no shoes and no coat and he has been out with a coat and till his cute little fingers were red.

Ty signing "cold." Look at his lips. He tries to say BRR!

His stool that he takes over all day long. Back and forth.

Telling Dad and mom that there is snow out there. All day he does this especially when he is watching his movie with snow in it.

Not sure that there is anything me and Dallas can do to prepare for the upcoming winter, but I am pretty sure a CUTE little Miracle is ready for snow, Santa and snowballs!

The Potty!

I have had no idea how to even start potty training Tyler. There are so many factors that lead up to NOT potty training yet let alone on how to get it to work. Knowing he is almost 4 and still in diapers is kinda crappy. I feel like people look at us weird because we are still diapering. He is getting to big for "regular" diapers and only have one more size to go before we have to do something else. Luckily he is still kinda little so we are lucky that way.

As I have read about other people with preemies start potty training and it has taken a long time. These children generally have kids with nothing else going on ( or very little.) Because Tyler's prematurity is a little more than just little kid etc and it involves his arms and legs he can't get his pants down on his own. Which leads to the first set of problems. How is a kid that can't pull down his own pants suppose to go to the bathroom if no one is around to help him? He can't. Its an impossible task. Second problem is that he can't talk. How can a kid that can't talk tell you he has to go to the bathroom? He can't. Again an impossible task.

Ty doesn't stay dry for 2 hours at a time. He has gone without a diaper for a period of time so we could "watch" how things transpire. He holds it. He holds it and then he leaks and then he stops. After a few minutes he then just pees. We are aware he knows he is peeing or he wouldn't stop. BUT then what do you do? When asked he just says no. ( The only real word he knows) He never fights you to sit on the toilet.

What we have been doing is trying to get him to wear underwear over his diaper. Nothing big but for him it is HUGE. He has only allowed us to put them on once. With over praising and what not he was happy to wear them and wore them over night. ( again over a diaper) He will wear pull ups and understands that they are not diapers and doesn't sit down to put them on but again back to problem number one. He can't pull down his pants alone. Defeating again the purpose of potty training.

Well, we have asked and asked and asked. Sat on the toilet every single time I need to and NOTHING. Not even a small drip of tinkle. Well today he spent most of his day out in our little pool on the back patio and he was diaper less. Dallas noticed the holding and walked him into the potty. After reading a Ernie is to big for diapers book and Here comes the potty train, Dallas and I got a BRILLIANT idea of bringing in his portable DVD player. In comes Barney and Ty sits... and sits and sits. I decide to pull out my camera and practice with my new lens. ( Not great with closer shots but it was fun to practice anyway) and got a few cute shots with Ty and his DVD player. Decided to check... and GUESS WHAT... WE HAD PEE PEE!!

With HUGE claps and shouts of joy Ty gave us each high five and put on a pull up and off he went. He was not interested the rest of the night but we have some cute sitting on the potty pictures.

For your viewing pleasure. Ty went Pee Pee.



( No it was not my lens or camera. He really has red eyes. He had been in the water all day)



The rest were kinda fuzzy. I was getting ready to change lenses when we realized he had peed. I guess it is one success hopefully we will get more. Here is to PEE PEE!