We're Still Here!

I promise we are still around! I actually have a couple of posts in the works for you guys. 

I think I am coming out of the slump! I am feeling better mentally and although it's really cold and rainy outside at the moment, spring is on the horizon  At any rate there is more sunshine now that the time has changed and I can see a difference in my mood. I'm entering my busy season as we plan for the annual BirthMom Buds retreat. 

It's spring break this week. We are surviving. Noah's had some meltdowns and really rough moments but there have been some good moments too. Noah has some big things coming up: baseball, JOY prom, and Special Olympics. 

For now, I thought I'd leave you with a collage I made of Noah and Granddaddy dyeing eggs on the Saturday before Easter. 

Birthdays Galore

This weekend we traveled to Summerville, SC, where my brother, Andy, lives. He recently bought a house so we went to see his new house and to celebrate birthdays - several birthdays!

Andy's birthday was July 27th so we celebrated his birthday with a yummy caramel pie. 

Andy's puppy Hansel turned 2 on July 16th and our puppy Paisley and my parent's puppy, Blitz, both turn 2 today so per tradition we celebrated their birthdays together and Andy made them a doggie friendly cake complete with yogurt "frosting" and crumbled bacon "sprinkles." 

Here's a few pics of the birthday festivities!

Andy's 32nd birthday

My parent's dog, Blitz

Andy's pup Hansel

Saved the best for last 

Our sweet pup, Paisley

A Memorial Day Walk and Baseball Game

J had to work on Memorial Day so we did our grilling out on Sunday. We didn't really have any plans for Monday but on our way home from the store yesterday I noticed that the American Legion was hosting a Memorial Day baseball game at the baseball park very near our home. So I decided that Noah and I would walk down there and watch a bit of it if he wanted to. 

Noah seemed excited about it so we headed down towards the baseball park to our usual little spot where we watch. (I can't get his wheelchair in the actual park by myself so we usually go to a spot on the back side of the park where there is a little area I can push his wheelchair up to for him to see.) He enjoyed watching so we stayed there for awhile. 

Then we decided (Ok, I decided) we were going to walk just a little bit further to a Veteran's Memorial Park. It was only about 8 minutes (walking time) away from where we were so we headed there. I had been wanting to go there for awhile and take pictures but just hadn't done so yet and Memorial Day seemed like a fitting day to do so. The Veteran Memorial Park houses a large memorial wall that lists the name of soldiers in our county who lost their lives during various wars. Noah was pretty patient while I took some photos. 

Then we headed towards home which is also back towards the baseball park. Noah signed more baseball so we stopped and watched a few more minutes before heading home.


We had a fun little Memorial Day walk! What did you do on Memorial Day?

Clemson Spring Game

On Saturday, we decided to take Noah to the Clemson (a college that is about an hour away) Spring Football (scrimmage) game. We are always a little hesitant to do these type of things with Noah and don't do them frequently because he tends to get over stimulated and it just turns into a disaster where he is frustrated, upset, crying, yelling, and sometimes hitting. But we decided to give it a try. I'm happy to report that Noah did really, really, really well. J and I were both VERY impressed at how well he handled everything. 


They had a "Be a Tiger Field Day" for kids before the Spring game so we decided to get there while that was going on and see if Noah wanted to participate in any of it. They had different stations set up where the kids could do different activities (like a bean bag toss or drawing a picture to send to children in Japan). At each station, they got a tiger paw stamped on a little card and at the last station they turned in the card and received a t-shirt.


After Noah went to all the stations and got his t-shirt, we needed to find some lunch. We were (walking) and about to head in one direction when Noah heard a live band outside of a restaurant in the opposite direction playing a Beatles song. He asked to go there. We explained that they probably wouldn't be playing Beatles music the entire time and he might have to hear other songs he didn't like. (Noah is very sensitive music -  he loves some music but sometimes music - mainly slow songs - really upsets him even to the point of tears.) But he still wanted to go so we decided to give it a try and headed in that direction. We found a table outside and sat down and listened to the music. 


We ordered lunch and continued to listen to the music. I was shocked that Noah was tolerating it so well. They did play a slow song that he didn't like but we just reminded him that it would be over in a minute and he did OK with that. We just hung out there for over an hour until it was time to head to the stadium for the spring game. 


Noah did very well with the game too! He got so excited when the team ran down the hill, which was very near where we were sitting. He yelled and clapped at appropriate times. Towards the end, he did start to get a little antsy but never got out of control. 


It was a really good day and I'm really glad we decided to give it a try.


And now some pictures......

At one of the stations at the field day

Ready for the game to start

 Looking at the program book with Daddy

Posing by the rock that all the players touch for luck as they run down the hill to the field

He even sported his orange shoes and Clemson socks!

He now has a tiger tail. :)

Watching the game

Worn out

(on the ride home)

Water Ball

While at the pool on Saturday, Noah and my Dad played a little bit of water basketball. Noah enjoyed this more than I thought he would and they even scored a couple of baskets!

Splish Splashin' in the Pool

On Saturday, we took Noah swimming for the first time since his surgery. Noah enjoys swimming and even receives swim therapy at school. He's been asking to go to the pool in my parent's neighborhood for awhile now and after recently getting the clearance from the doctor we were finally able to say yes. We had previously gotten him a new life jacket and swimsuit in preparation. 


We went to the pool late Saturday afternoon and stayed for about an hour which was plenty of time to exhaust him. Thankfully it wasn't too crowded and most of the people were playing pool volleyball at one end of the pool so we just hung out on the opposite end. The pool manager was very sweet and accommodating to Noah. The music was blaring when we got there and that's a little too much for him in an already noisy setting so I explained that it agitated him and asked if she could turn it down a little bit and she was super nice about it. She even came over to warn Noah that the lifeguards were going to be blowing their whistles soon so that it wouldn't startle him. 


He seemed most comfortable floating on his back but would do some kicking and what not while floating. I think it was good exercise for him and he clearly enjoyed it. I'm sure we'll be going back again soon. 

(As always click the pic to see it larger.) 

Rollercoaster Riding Recap

What an amazing weekend! On Saturday we ended up going to Carowinds, an amusement park that is about an hour away. Noah LOVES rollercoasters and with his upcoming surgery I really wanted us to do something fun and special. It will probably be awhile before feels up to riding a rollercoaster again and I knew he'd have a blast. And selfishly, I really needed some family time and some fresh happy memories going into this surgery. 


It was just what we all needed! Noah left that park one happy and content little boy and the rest of us left with full hearts from having watched him ride rollercoasters 22 times all the while with a gigantic smile.

Here's some of my favorite rollercoaster pictures: