Dreaming of spring!

I can't wait for nice weather to use my camera outdoors! This morning, I made use of some natural light and caught my book worm looking through his favorite books. Flipping through books is one of Logan's favorite activities right now and I just LOVE it! It is adorable how he examines each page and points to the pictures. When he points, he even babbles....and I even hear the REAL word sometimes. He consistently says "duck", "ball" and "car"!

I got my heart broken...

This morning at breakfast Devin and I were chatting and he again brought up the fact that he wants another brother or sister.
Devin: "Mama, I want another baby sister."
Me: "You want another baby sister?" (Here we go again!)
Devin: "No, I want another baby brother."
Me: "Ok, we'll see."
Devin: "Not one like Logan though."
Me: "What do you mean?, Why not like Logan?"
Devin: "I just want a friend."

That's all he said...I wanted to pry and find out more, but my heart was broken and I feared that maybe I really didn't want to hear any more.

What does this mean??? Have my worst fears come true? Will Logan not be good enough for him? Will he always wish he had a typical brother to play with?

Lately, I've been excited about them playing together....but it's a little sad when Devin has to use his imagination when they play. For example, I will ask what they are doing and Devin will say they are playing hide and go seek, but Logan is just sitting there and Devin is hiding him under a box or blanket.

Will it get better??? I suppose it will. But I suspect that Devin is getting a little impatient. He has waited almost 2 long years to have a playmate.

I have to say though that Logan is blessed with the best big brother he could get. Devin plays with him the best he knows how. They do everything together even if Logan really isn't playing WITH Devin. Logan is more like playing BESIDE Devin. Devin knows what Logan wants to do and literally picks Logan up and carries him to what they are going to do next. I can see in Logan's eyes that he is on top of the world when his big brother is helping him along. Logan looks up to Devin already and Devin is most definitely Logan's favorite person in the world!

My Three (My Inspiration)

This one is my favorite...their personalities are shining through!

How others react to Logan

I feel like I haven't been saying much on this blog lately...I guess that's because I have been busy with photography stuff. I think I am actually posting more often on my photography blog. Anyway...Logan has been consistently taking several steps at a time, but he is still crawling most of the time. He still likes to try to walk all by himself...no help accepted. His walking attempts have really attracted a lot of staring lately when we're out. Strangers seem very entertained by watching Logan try to walk. (It IS super cute) I like that people notice Logan because I feel like he impacts people's opinions of people with Down syndrome. I often take him with me in public when I could just leave him home, because I feel like his world will be better place for him as an adult if the people of our community see him out as much as possible. We are extremely blessed that my husband works within our school district so all of the staff and most of the students know Logan. So, when he enters school, he will be well known and hopefully well accepted. I dream that when he is out around town as an adult, others will acknowledge him and talk to him.
I am also finding that he is very memorable for people. People remember him and his name, but rarely remember me or the other kids. People come up to me, who have seen us before, and say that they remember Logan and ask how he is doing. It's funny how this sweet, quiet little boy can attract so much attention without much effort. We often get comments about how well he plays and how he is so content. People sometimes say that like they are shocked. Like they would expect him to not play and not be so easy going. I'm not sure what they expect or what they are thinking when they see him and our family, but the smiles we get are nice. Right after we got Logan's diagnosis, I pictured being out with him and getting a lot of stares and that others would not talk to us...I pictured other families avoiding us and not wanting to interact with Logan. But so far, the reaction is the opposite. In fact, every now and then, I just want to sit and watch my kids play in public without others asking about Logan. But, most of the time I enjoy sharing how great he is and how well he is doing. He has turned out to be quite the famous little man!

Today is World Down Syndrome Day

Here is a video of Sarah Palin sharing how she feels about Special Olympics. If you did not hear, our President made a negative comment towards Special Olympics and the people who compete in these games when he appeared on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno this week. You can click HERE to view it. Sarah, from Class of 2008, did the right thing by writing the President a letter. The President should not only be apologizing to Special Olympics, but also to everyone with disabilities.

A nicer picture of Aubrey

I can't believe my little girl will be 6 months soon!

Weak Stomachs Beware!

Yes, Aubrey still has reflux...but she's a happy spitter!

Wordless Wednesday (It's bubble season!)

Gymnast with a little something extra

Here's an uplifting story about a 17 year old who competes in gymnastics.

Spread The Word

Wordless Wednesday

Logan's First Steps

Over the past week, Logan has attempted his first steps! He has made up his mind that he wants to try so he gives it his best shot a few times each day. I know we have a long way to go before he is actually walking, but I am so proud of him for taking these BIG first steps, and he is doing it Logan style (all by himself, without help).

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Cute Baby Logan

Logan never took a pacifier...but now I think he wants to just because Aubrey does.

45 degrees never felt so good!

We are having an unusually warm day today, so I couldn't resist taking a short walk. I feel like we were released from our cage! It's been so long since we could spend some time outside. Unfortunately, I don't think this weather is supposed to last, but Devin and Logan got to try out their new rides outside...we are tired of going in a circle downstairs.

More Steps!

I just watched Logan stand up in the middle of the room and take three steps...no motivator needed. He did it all by himself. I am SO excited that he is interested in trying to walk all by himself without me pushing him to try!! This could be huge because he always has to make up his own mind about things before he will do them. I have to go charge up the video camera!!

Wordless Wednesday

Logie Jumper

Logan's favorite thing to do at home is play in our inflatable in the basement. It is one of those bouncy houses and has a big slide on the front. I got it for him for his first birthday...hoping that he would grow into it. It's very hard to get a picture of him going down the slide because I really need to catch him at the bottom. Devin usually also hangs on to him as he goes down...it is so cute. This past weekend my brother was over and he helped guide him down while I took a picture. I think Logan is going to be a big fan of amusement rides and big slides!

Playing with my little sis

Disclaimer: No babies were injured in the taking of these photographs.

Look out Aubrey!

He is so sweet....he always checks to make sure she is ok. (and she was, I promise)

Preparing to walk

Over the weekend, I think Logan took one step a few times. I'm not even sure exactly what qualifies as a step, but I can let him go when he is one step from the furniture and he reaches out and takes a little step before touching the couch. And, for the first time, when he stands up in the middle of the room, he is attempting to move a foot. Before, his feet were glued to the floor. He's also getting pretty quick at walking around the furniture and letting go with both hands when he transfers from one thing to the next. I'm anxious for Logan to walk so that he can have more fun. When he's getting walked around, he gets the biggest smile on his face and giggles. I also know that he would love to be able to keep up with his brother, even though he does manage to keep up with him by crawling sometimes.