Time for a change...

It is time for my weekly Tuesday update. The week was fairly boring, but the weekend was markedly better.  I have been in need of some new glasses for a while now and I finally asked Dad and Judy for a new pair for my birthday.  I got them Friday afternoon and I love them.  I found out that I have an astigmatism, so they put that into my prescription and I can see so much better!!  Thanks, Dad and Judy!  Friday evening, Ryan, Colt, and I went to eat at Mojo Burrito (my absolute favorite!!) with our friends Jody and Lauren.  After we ate, Lauren and I went to a "party" of sorts at my friend Kristin's house.  She threw it to benefit Women at Risk, International.  There were tons of handmade jewelry, handbags, scarves, blown glass ornaments, books, bookmarks, friendship bracelets, etc.  The stuff was beautiful, but their stories were life-changing.  The goods were handmade by women who had been rescued from sex slavery.  The money made goes to this organization to help rescue women and keep up their "safe houses."  There was a DVD full of information and heartbreaking pictures and statistics.  Kristin had stories and cards with pictures of children on them that are forever burned into my mind.  Did you know that human trafficking happens in America??  It does.  As a matter of fact, 300 children, CHILDREN, are sold in Atlanta in ONE MONTH.  Did you know that??  I sure didn't.  I have been living in a bubble for far too long.  Kristin said something that changed my outlook on this.  Now that I know all of this, I am responsible to  DO SOMETHING.  Anything.  Lauren and I signed up to throw a party to help raise money and I certainly can't wait to do that.  I still feel like I need to do more.  Those could be our children.  That could be Colt.  Because of the "homosexual movement" little boys are wanted too.  These children are most often kidnapped, so don't think it couldn't be your child.  Wouldn't you want to do something, ANYTHING, that could possibly prevent that???  I haven't slept well since learning all of this, and I could go on and on, but I won't.  Just know this won't be the last you hear about this from me.  It is time for a life change.  I need more purpose. 

Saturday, Ryan, Colt, and I went to Walmart to get stuff for our Operation Christmas Child boxes.  We had two boxes, a boy and a girl aged 10-14.  We had a blast!  We spent more than we should have probably, but every Sunday at church they've been showing a video of those precious children opening their boxes and I boohoo every week.  We were in Walmart for over an hour and a half and Colt was so well-behaved.  We struggle sometimes at home, but in public he is a great kid.  Knock on wood.  ;)  We ended up buying too much stuff for our boxes because we couldn't get them closed!  Guess Colt will have a couple of stocking stuffers.  ;)  I look forward to doing that every year and involving Colt more and more each time.  That afternoon, I cleaned out a closet, cleaned out my car, washed it, and Armorall-ed it!  Ryan even got the garage cleaned out.  I am working on simplifying our life (and getting rid of all the crap!), slowly but surely.  That evening, our friends Kristin and Darren came over to watch the Georgia game.  It wasn't much of a game, but I'm okay with that. :)  It was such a good day.

Sunday, we had church and then a chili supper to benefit the youth group.  That evening, we got to get back into our Sunday night dinners with my parents at Cracker Barrel.  I love that place. :)

Yesterday, it was rainy and cold.  I was so very thankful to have the day off with my sweet boy.  I got a lot of laundry and house cleaning done, but we also managed to get in 3 movies (Toy Story, Cars, and Finding Nemo) and lots of snuggling.  I love those days.  We had absolutely nothing to do outside of the house and it was refreshing. 

Tomorrow is our first speech therapy session and it is only about 30 minutes long.  I am curious to see how much they think they can get done with a VERY active two year old, but they are the experts.  They obviously know something I don't. 

Update on Colt's eyes:  I have been meaning to post this for days!  Over the past week or so, we have really noticed how wonderful Colt's eyes look!  I swear they get better every day!  Granted, they are not perfect and I think he will have surgery again in a couple of years, but for now, they are beautiful.  BEAUTIFUL.  I am thrilled.  See??

Also, we think we have a lefty on our hands. ;)

Advocare/diet update:  Today is Day 9 and I am down 4 lbs.  I am happy with that.  I am even more happy with the way I feel.  I have more energy and I feel "cleaner" if that makes any sense.  I struggle with craving things like mexican food and the hardest part is not drinking sweet tea or coffee, but I do appreciate the way I feel eating more vegetables, lean protein, and fruits.  I'll let you know how the rest of it goes! 

New glasses.  Ridiculous face.

Still no good at blog titles...

It's Election Day!  I hope you all fulfill your civic duty and go vote today.  I don't just love either presidential candidate, but I prayed on my way to work this morning that the right man would get the job.  It's all in God's hands anyway.  I really hate politics, so that's all I will say about that.

The Doolittles had a good weekend.  Friday, I got an unexpected off day, so I got to spend the day with my sweet boy.  I made my Nana's cinnamon toast for breakfast and Colt ate 3 of our 5 pieces and "mmmmm"-ed all the way through it.  I know that made Nana smile up in Heaven.  That was always my favorite breakfast at her house.  We came by the ice company to pick up our paychecks and see Dad, then headed out to Target.  I returned the 4 packages of Oreos leftover from the Mickey cupcakes and got enough back to buy Colt a few cute shirts and broke even.  ;)  Woot.  We then had a lunch date at Shogun.  That is his favorite place!  He loves the vegetables and rice and doesn't cry when they make the fire in front of you.  He ate like a champ and picked the zucchini out of my plate!  That's my favorite too, good thing he's cute.  He made friends with all of the people at our table.  As usual, they were all impressed that a toddler would eat the salad with ginger dressing and all of his veggies.  I am thankful he is such a good eater.  That makes me proud.  :) 

Sweet face :)

Saturday, we took him to his Mimi's house and Ryan and I made a day trip to Pigeon Forge to hang out with some friends. Kristin and I went to a spa and I got a manicure and she got a pedicure, then went shopping.  We went to the Apple Barn and the outlets for a little bit.  I made my first ever venture inside a Harry & David's.  I am in love, needless to say.  An endless supply of dips, soup mixes, salsa (yes!!), and snacks.  WITH SAMPLES.  Shut up.  I bought a really tasty pepper and onion relish that I can't wait to use!  We left the boys (Ryan and Darren) to grocery shop, cook, and watch football at the cabin.  We had steaks, baked potatoes, and salad for dinner and watched Georgia kick some Ole Miss tail, then headed home to get our boy.  I hate leaving him on my off days, but since I got an unexpected one on Friday, it was okay.  We had a great time with Darren and Kristin and I can't wait to hang out again.

Beautiful mountains!

 

Sunday, we went to church, the church I grew up in and left for a while.  That will always be home to me, but I have struggled to find my place there as I have gotten older.  There really was nothing for people in the college age/twenties along the line of Sunday School or anything else.  We left before we got married and before Colt, going somewhere else for about 2 1/2 years, then decided that wasn't the right place for us either.  Since we left our other church, we have been lazy about looking for churches and just kind of "settled" going back to our original church.  There's a lot of "church" in there, huh?  Anywho...  The preacher left and we have a new "interim preacher"  until they find a permanent.  He is AMAZING.  He is young (-ish!), hilarious, and doesn't sugarcoat.  I love him!  It has been a long time since I looked forward to going to church and that makes me sad.  There are more and more young people there every week, so that's great.  I am hopeful that the permanent guy is as good. 

Yesterday, I started the Advocare 24 Day Challenge.  It is kind of a weight-loss jump start to changing your habits.  I'll update on here as we go along, rather than Facebook.  The first 10 days are a cleanse phase and for 6 of those days, you have to drink a fiber type drink.  Poor Ryan.  Hahahahhaha.  Seriously though, that stuff is NASTY.  It isn't the taste, it's the texture and I really hate that.  Oh well, 2 out of 6 down.  I can do this.  I can do this.  I can do this.  There is an energy-type drink but it doesn't have caffeine and it is awesome!  It is the good energy, not the shaky, jittery kind.  Yesterday, I drank mine before lunch and while Colt napped, I planted 28 pansies!  I usually nap too.  ;)  My brother-in-law has lost 34 lbs on the Advocare stuff, but not in the 24 days.  Boy, that would be unhealthy.  Anyway...here's hoping I can lose some weight! 

My future Bulldawg.

Most of you have probably seen all of this on Facebook, but I'll post anyway so I have it to look back on in the future.  Yesterday, we saw Colt's pediatrician, Dr. Smith, for his two year check-up.  He weighed in at a whopping 38 lbs and measured 39 inches tall.  He has always been big, usually off the growth chart, though I think once he ranked in the 99th percentile in size.  This time, he was well over an inch off the growth chart.  For those of you who haven't seen the chart, the whole chart is only about 3 inches total, so being an entire inch OFF the chart is a big deal.  Dr. Smith said your average 3 year old measures around 38 inches tall, and Colt has surpassed that by an entire inch, being only 3 days into 2 years old.  Amazing.  Dr. Smith said that it was honestly "a bit abnormal" and he would be concerned if Colt were not proportional.  Thank goodness he is!  ;)  We definitely have a lineman on our hands.  As long as he's a Bulldawg, I am cool with it.  Ha! 

We also had the Terrible Twos discipline/parenting pep talk.  I love our pediatrician.  He is blunt and honest.  He did warn me that Threes are worse, but I am trying not to focus on that.  Colt has already shown a side of himself that I didn't know existed.  It really started a few days before his birthday and I wondered if the Terrible Twos were real, but I can already tell you they are for sure. He fusses over things that have never phased him before.  He refuses to let me change his diaper by squeezing his knees together.  Have you ever tried to change a diaper on a kid with his knees pinched together?  Whew.  It's exhausting.  I have never had to pray that God help me handle Colt without getting angry or frustrated until the past week.  There will be two more years of this??  YIKES!  Dr. Smith talked to me about "Time-out" and how Colt is at the age where he begins to understand it.  I guess we'll begin practicing that.  Sigh.  He also talked me through the "No Means No" business.  He said "If you say 'no' then later give in, you will never, EVER win again."  Who knew parenting was going to be so hard??  ;)

Throughout our speech evaluations, speech delay and developmental delays, we have been asked a million questions about Colt and I can always tell what they are getting at...they're trying to figure out if he is autistic or not.  The speech therapist/teacher/nurse all told me they didn't think he was, but to hear our pediatrician say it yesterday made my day.  He said Colt is entirely too social, has great eye contact and is too inquisitive to be autistic.  Honestly, I used to worry that maybe he was because he went through a phase where he was terribly sound sensitive.  Now that his eyes are much better, his sound sensitivity is almost gone.  That explained that.  After that got better, I really didn't think he had a problem, but I was hoping I wasn't just in denial.  We have a neighbor whose grandson is severely autistic, but they are in denial and won't acknowledge it, therefore he is not getting the help and treatment he needs and I didn't want to be that way.  My heart hurts for that boy. 

Well, we are less than two months from Christmas.  Those of you who know me, know I am a terrible Grinch.  I HATE Christmas.  I hate Christmas music, I hate buying gifts simply because I worry so much about whether or not it is the right gift or not, I hate having to try to figure out how to get to everyone's house to see everyone when I just want to spend the day in my pjs in the comfort of my own home.  I hated it as a kid too.  Maybe coming from divorced parents, having to figure out how to go see all 4 of my families in the span of a day or two?  BUT.....This year, I can ALMOST feel a little bit of Christmas spirit.  ALMOST.  Gasp!!!  ;)  Maybe it's Colt.  Maybe it's the fact that I know we need to start our own traditions as a family and not worry about seeing everyone.  I don't know, but I am excited to try to enjoy the season with Colt and Ryan (who loves Christmas!) and celebrate what it really means to us.  Either way, maybe this year will be better.  Here's hoping.  I think I will pull out Colt's copy of "A Charlie Brown Christmas" to try to enhance the Almost-Christmas spirit. ;)

My Little Mini-Me.  This is a Jessica face, hands down.

 

In the past 6 weeks, we have had 10 doctor's appointments.  We don't have another one until November 30.  29 days!  Woohoo!  I am looking forward to our days off together with no appointments.  We are free to do what we please for the whole month.  Yay! :)  

Colt is TWO!!

We made it through the birthday weekend all in one piece!  I was stressing over it big time though I know I shouldn't have.  The party was a success in the fact that we had great family, friends, and food, but all Colt wanted to do was swing on the playground.  He was pretty much missing from his entire party.  He didn't want to eat, he didn't want a cupcake (he's not really a sweet eater anyway), he didn't want to open presents, he didn't want to talk to anyone.  The boy just wanted to swing.  So he did.  We partied without him.  He didn't blow out a candle and we didn't even sing.  Sigh.  Oh well, he seemed to have fun swinging and everyone else seemed to have fun talking to each other.  It was so nice to have so much of our family there.  Ryan's brothers and sister got to come from Statesboro and Carrollton, and my family/families got to come from Rome, Villa Rica, and Jasper and everywhere in between.  :)  Colt got tons of fall/winter clothes and he desperately needed them.  He got a whole bunch of books and toys too.  He is such a blessed little boy, to have so many who love and adore him.  I'll post some pictures from his party below. 

The birthday banner.

Close-up.

Birthday boy!

Checking out his cupcake.   

Tanner is helping.  This is the best shot of the shirt that I could get. 

Mickey Cupcakes!

Stickers!

My grandfathers. :)  I love them so.

My grandmother, cousin LeAnn, and Aunt Annette.

My grandfather, dad, and Aunt Diane.

Happy birthday, Colt!

Sweet boys.

Birthday Morning!

Aunt Amie took this picture at church!

 

See?  We had fun even though he wasn't all that excited about his party.  He opened his presents at home and loved them all, once he was in his environment and more comfortable.  We then got to watch the Bulldawgs eat some Gator meat and all was right with the world.  :)  Sunday evening was the Trunk or Treat at our church.  I got Colt a really cute Elmo costume (He loves Elmo!) and he was terrified of it.  :(  Go figure, right?  So a friend from church suggested making him a farmer.  Even if I had to buy some overalls to make a costume, he could always wear them again so it wouldn't be wasted money on a one time costume.  Great idea, Jennifer!  So, I got him some John Deere overalls at Tractor Supply and some super cute John Deere boots.  We paired them with a plaid shirt and a John Deere hat and he looked adorable.  Actually, he looked just like his Granddad. ;) 

See?  (Sorry for the crappy picture, it was a cell phone pic!)

Yesterday, we had Colt's speech evaluation.  Like we knew, he will begin speech therapy as soon as they get the paperwork finished.  That could take 2 to 3 weeks.  I am hoping less, because I am super anxious to get started.  They were surprised that he doesn't speak any words at all, so they will start by teaching him sign language and then attempt words.  As he begins to use words, they'll back off on the sign language.  With the next baby (no worries, none yet!), I will start sign language as soon as possible.  I hate not being able to communicate with my child.  That is so hard for me.  I feel like I am pretty good at understanding his needs and wants, but it would be easier if he could voice his feelings.  So, here's hoping they can perform some magic! 

 

Wednesday we have our two year check-up.  I am anxious to see where Colt is on the growth charts and all of that.  You know I'll update more then.  :) 

 

A couple more pictures I stole from my friend David Waltermyer.  Thanks, Dave!

I love this one.   

Swinging with Makayla.  Buddies for life.

 

Spinning with Aunt Chelsea. 

Makayla and Ma'Khia!



 



Birthday Time!!

There isn't a whole lot going on around the "House of Doo."  The biggest thing is preparing for Colt's second birthday!  I can't believe it has been two years!  I know it is so cliche, but time really does fly.  The past two years have been hard, but the most delightful, magical, and just plain FULL years I have ever experienced.  I can't remember what life was even like before Colt.  I am okay with that.  I swore I would never be the kind of mother who lets my children define me or who I am, and I don't think I have, but he sure has taught me what life is all about and what I am about.  He has shown me to enjoy the simple things, like lying in the grass staring at clouds, picking flowers which are probably really weeds, and how to giggle uncontrollably over goofy faces.  I am forever grateful for that. He is such a happy, silly, loving, and smart boy.  I could not be more proud. :) 

His daily cloud-watching spot in our yard.

Anyway, sorry, I had to get the sappy stuff out.  We are having a Mickey Mouse theme for Colt's party.  We're having it at a pavillion at a local park.  The weather this week has been around 80 (and it's almost Halloween!) but go figure, Saturday (the day of the party) it is supposed to be 63 and possibly rainy.  Boo.  Oh well, Colt won't care if it rains.  We're having hot dogs and chili, apple cider and hot chocolate (thanks, Julie!), and Mickey cupcakes.  We've got some Mickey decorations and I made a banner that I saw on Pinterest.  It turned out great and Colt loves it!  He knows it has his name on it and there are Mickey "heads" on it, which he loves. He isn't much of a sweet eater, but maybe he'll try a Mickey cupcake.  I am so thankful for family and friends who have helped me with this!  Our friend, Jessica, made him the cutest Mickey shirt, you can find her blog here.  She is very talented.  I can't get the picture to upload of the shirt, but I'll post it in the birthday blog.  I always get anxious when Ryan and I mix our families together.  Why, I am not sure, but I just can't help it.  Sigh.  Colt will be in Heaven surrounded by all of those people though! 

Sorry for the crappy picture quality, but here's the banner.  Pinterest WIN!

 

Colt's playground thing is almost finished!  It looks great and is huge.  I had no idea it was going to be so big, but he's going to love it.  The only thing left to do is finish the steps to the upper level, put up one last railing on the top, and fill in the box at the end of the slide with mulch or sand or whatever.  Ryan is so proud of it and Colt is going to love it!  He already loves the swing, I can't wait until we can set him loose on the rest.

Happy to be alive.

 

Sweet face (and beautiful eyes!)

 

Ryan and my dad hard at work on the playground.

Saturday night, our dear friends Julie and Ricky had a house-warming/fall party at their house.  It was wonderful.  Julie is the ultimate at setting a fun environment and making people feel comfortable.  We had hot dogs and chili (we're fans, can you tell?), apple cider, smores, and a fire in their firepit!  It was awesome!  A perfect fall night.  This past Sunday, my dad, Ryan, Colt, and I went up on Dayton Mountain to our cousins' farm.  It is beautiful up there and the leaves were even more vibrant than they are down in the valley.  It was a gorgeous day for pumpkin picking and playing with animals.  They have cows, goats, a donkey, chickens, turkeys, dogs, etc.  It was great to visit with our family that we don't see often and let Colt run around on the farm.  We also went to Oren Wooden's Apple House and got some cider, apples, and homemade apple dumplins.  It was a perfect fall day.  I took some pictures, then realized a few minutes ago that my memory card was not in my camera.  :(  I do have a couple phone pictures, so I'll share those. 

Fire!!

 

Reading before church.

Snuggling with Granddad at the farm.

 

Picking Cousin Anthony's banjo.

 

Colt's actual birthday is Sunday and the day after, we have his evaluation for speech therapy. They already told us he'll need it. I could tell you that. I keep reading blogs of mothers who have kids Colt's age and all the things their children are saying. I am starting to feel that urgency to pressure him to talk. Are we doing something wrong? Do we baby him too much? Do we do too much for him? Probably. Don't all first time parents? I keep hearing about how he should be putting two or three words together by now. He doesn't say anything. Not even "no," which most kids have been saying for a year by now. I have the dream where he suddenly speaks at least once or twice a week. I don't worry about his intelligence, because he obviously understands anything you say to him. He follows two-step directions and all that, so I know he gets it. I'm sure it's just that he is stubborn, but I want him to talk so desperately. I want him to talk WAY more than I wanted him to walk and I thought I wanted that pretty badly. One day. Maybe the speech therapy will be the trick.



I hope this blog finds you all well.  I'm sure I'll post some birthday pictures next week!  Enjoy your weekend!  :)

Blue Ridge, Doctor News, and a Recipe!

I feel like a lot has happened since I last updated. We spent this last weekend in Blue Ridge, GA with my step-family. We had a great time and our cabin was GORGEOUS. It had a wonderful view of the Toccoa River from our 3(!) backporches. We spent a little time in downtown Blue Ridge and visited Merciers Apple Orchards. That was my favorite part. We ate a lot, talked a lot, and Colt was in Heaven surrounded by so many who love him. On Sunday, we went fishing in the Toccoa and Colt even got in a little "swim." He's not much of a car sleeper, but he slept all the way from McCaysville to our neighborhood! That was a good sign that he was exhausted. :) Here are some of my favorite pictures:

 

"Swimming"

Triumphant

Gran, Judy, and Amie making gravy

Our family.

Cousins.

Learning about leaves.

Teaching his Granddad about the iPad.

Throwing rocks with Daddy.

Tanner caught a trout!

Playing Dominoes with Tucker.

 



Yesterday, we had our Post-Op visit with Dr. Peterson, Colt's eye doctor.  He agrees that now Colt's eyes are back to "going out" just a bit.  Before surgery, they were out at a 35 degree angle and now they are at a 10 degree angle.  The good news is that they are intermittently out and in, and they are also alternating.  This means they are not always out, a lot of the time they are straight, and both eyes do it.  That's good because it means he doesn't prefer one eye over the other.  If he preferred one over the other, we would have to go back to patching.  You know how I feel about that.  Anyway, we will go back on November 30 to check for sure, but if they don't change or get worse, he won't have another surgery until he is 4!!!  I want to be excited so badly, but the doctor warned us that Colt has not fit the mold yet, so we can't be sure that it won't change again.  Honestly, I am hopeful this time.  I just kind of feel like this is it (until 4, at least). 

I have another cute picture to share, just because I love it. 

Two Bowls of Spaghetti Later...

 



Okay, I am finally going to post a recipe.  Funny, I thought we had NOTHING in the house to eat, but discovered a pork loin in the freezer, so I looked up recipes on AllRecipes.com.  I found one that sounded good, had excellent reviews, and I actually had the ingredients!  It was called "Herb-Roasted Pork Loin."  I should have taken pictures for this to be a legit food blog entry, but hey, I was busy chasing the boy around.  Okay.  This dinner was TO. DIE. FOR.  I seriously might make it two or three times a month.  I served it with homemade mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli.  It makes an unbelievable gravy that was excellent with the mashed potatoes and over the pork loin.  After reading the reviews, I decided to follow some of the tips mentioned and tripled the gravy recipe, switched brown sugar for white, used balsamic vinegar, and added some rosemary to the herb rub.  We have some leftovers and I cannot wait to eat them again tonight.  Even Colt liked the pork and he is not a meat-eater!

Herb Roasted Pork Loin   Adapted from AllRecipes.com

Ingredients:

Makes servings USMetricAdjust Recipe (Help)

1 teaspoon of rubbed sage (Again, I added rosemary too)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 fresh ground pepper

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 boneless pork loin (recipe says 5 lb, mine was 1 1/2 lbs!)

1/2 cup of sugar (I used brown!)

1 tablespoon of cornstarch (I used flour, no cornstarch at home!)

1/4 cup of vinegar (I used balsamic)

1/4 cup of water

2 tablespoons of soy sauce

 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F
2. In a bowl, combine sage, salt, pepper, and garlic. Rub thoroughly all over pork. Place pork in an uncovered roasting pan on the middle oven rack.
3. Bake in the preheated oven approximately 3 hours, or until the internal temperature reaches at least 145 degrees F depending upon your desired doneness. Time depends on size of pork loin.  Mine was done in a little over an hour.
4. Meanwhile, place sugar, cornstarch, vinegar, water, and soy sauce in a small saucepan. Heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture begins to bubble and thicken slightly. Brush roast with glaze 3 or 4 times during the last 1/2 hour of cooking. Pour remaining glaze over roast, and serve. Like I said, I tripled the glaze recipe, and saved a lot for the potatoes. :)

Enjoy!!!! :)

A bunch of blah.

Well there is only a little bit to update since my last post.  A little about me, a little more about Colt, Ryan hasn't changed much. ;)

Last Saturday was my 10 year high school class reunion.  I helped a little with the planning, but the band I had hoped on having (they played our wedding! Shout out, Bud Lightning!) didn't work out because our class was being lame and not enough of our classmates signed up, so we couldn't pay enough for them.  My job was to book the entertainment and we didn't get to do that, so really I didn't help much at all.  Moral support, maybe?  Hehe.  Either way, Lacey and Larry totally pulled it off and we had a blast.  I had a last minute moment of insecurity and almost backed out, but I am so glad I went.  Being in the same room with all of those people made it really hard to believe it had been 10 years since we were all together.  We ate, we danced, we talked, we laughed.  It was fun.  So good to see you all!

Monday, Ryan, Colt, and I toured a "Kidz Day Out" (their version of Mommy's Day Out?) at a local church.  They meet Tuesday and Thursday from 8:30 to 12, so Colt could have a little more interaction with kids his age.  I was hoping to have another place to tour so I could compare, but so far, they are the only place that takes kids his age.  The others are 3 and up, which is old enough for preschool, so that defeats the purpose, in my opinion.  Anyway, I was happy with it, so I guess I really don't need to compare it.  I am hoping he can start soon, but we haven't solidified anything yet.

Yesterday, we had a meeting with one of the ladies with our local early intervention group called "Babies Can't Wait."  They offer speech therapy, which is what has been suggested that Colt needs.  This is our second encounter with them, as Colt had an evaluation 6 months ago which he passed.  At that point, he was 18 months and saying 4 words.  He passed then, due to his understanding and eyes/late walking.  Now he is 2 weeks shy of 2 years and only says 1 word.  "Mama."  He has stopped saying the other 3.  Stubborn much?  The lady that came to our house yesterday, says he will definitely need the speech therapy this time.  We will still have the evaluation, but he's at a definite need for the therapy.  I am hopeful that being around other children a little more, combined with the speech therapy will get that boy talking. 

As for Colt's eyes, we are still not sure what to think.  They are definitely better and working together.  Ryan and I have both seen both eyes try to turn in a little, and last night, both eyes went out just a tad.  :(  BUT he was really tired and seemed to not feel well, so maybe that was it.  We see Dr. Peterson next week and I am really anxious to hear what he thinks.  Like I have said before, maybe we are overly paranoid.  Or maybe we see things others don't because we are his parents.  I don't know.  I will definitely share the doctor's opinion. 

This weekend we are going to Blue Ridge with some of our family.  I am excited to get out of town for a bit, without it being for a doctor visit.  I'm sure I'll come back armed with a million pictures to share.  You know how I am. 

One more thing, last night, Ryan finally got Colt's swing up on his new playset!  The rest is still coming along, but at least Colt and I can swing while Ryan works on it. 

Hurry up, Dad!  I want in!

Yay!

Modeling sunglasses at the mall.