Brody Walking Update

This past Wednesday, we went to TX Children's Hospital in Houston to see a pediatric orthopaedic specialist. A few weeks ago, Brody's physical therapist recommended that we get his hips x-rayed and checked out by a specialist to make sure there was nothing going on that couldn't be fixed with therapy or to see if there's a certain type of therapy we should be doing. He was making great progress, but she was concerned with how spread out his legs were when he walked. So, we set up the appt at TX Children's and were soo glad to get in as early as we did. Usually its a couple of months at least and we were able to get in within 3 weeks.

So, Wednesday morning, at 7:40 am, we had an appt. Let me tell you, this place is legit. We checked in and were in a room before our appt time. Within a few minutes, they already had us down at x-ray before we even saw the dr. A short time after that, we saw a nurse practioner (who was an AGGIE!) who got all the scoop on Brody and did a preliminary exam before we saw the doc. Not long after, Dr. Rosenfeld came and checked him over. He pulled the x-rays up on the computer and spent a long time with us just watching him walk, examining his legs, hips, joints, etc and asking us a lot of questions. So..the end result...Brody has nothing wrong with him structurally. His bones, joints, legs, hips, muscles, etc all look fine. He said that he is a little "knot kneed" and that makes him tend to roll in on his ankles a little bit. He said most kids his age are slightly like this, but Brody's is just exaggerated, but is not a major concern. He said he just walked late and walks funny and in his opinion, he will probably just slowly get better as he gets more practice walking. He did say that he wants to double check and make sure there is nothing neurological going on that caused him to walk so late and is making him walk funny. There's a slight chance that his brain isn't sending the right signals to his legs which could be causing the weird way he walks. It can take like 6 months to get into a neurologist. So instead, we're going to see a physical medicine dr in December who can do all the same tests and is just as capable of determining if there are any neurological problems causing his delayed and abnormal walking. The dr didn't seem to think that this was the case, but he also wanted to be very thorough and to make sure that we don't overlook anything. And we really appreciated that. We believe that he is completely fine and will be walking normal in no time. But we are very glad that he wants to check all possibilities.

So, great news from the doctor! Thanks to everyone who has been praying these last few months. He has seriously made tons of progress. Please continue to pray that he gets even better at it and that the neurological tests in December come back completely normal.

I'll leave you with a sweet pic of my boys. Brody wanted to "go nigh-nigh" with Carson. (This lasted all of about 2 minutes.)

Some kids, a kitchen and a huge whale

Carson turned 4 months today. I can't believe how fast the time has flown by. It is so true that they grow up quick. At his checkup today, he weighed about 17 lbs and was 26.5 inches long. If you look at him, you'd think he has to be the biggest 4 month old ever, but surprisingly, he is in about the 75 percentile in weight and 90th in height. He is getting more fun every day. I may have already mentioned this, but he rolls in both directions and we can't seem to keep him in one spot for long. As soon as we lay him on his back, he immediately rolls onto his tummy. Then those legs start moving and I always think he's about to take off crawling. I know that's still a few months away but he's definitely starting to practice! He has found his feet and loves them. He's constantly tugging at his toes and trying to pull his foot up to his mouth.

Our chubby boy in his swing...with some crazy hair!

Brody is still his humorous self. He likes to make his brother laugh by getting in his face and making faces at him. And guess what else...he is WALKING!!! A few weeks ago he just decided that he could do it and began walking around the house. For a while he would walk but would always have to have a destination. He couldn't stop walking once he started. But last week or so he finally figured that part out and can stop, turn circles and even walk backwards. We are still trying to figure out how to teach him to get up or down in the middle of the floor on his own. He has to crawl to the couch or a wall and pull up before he can take off. He has made tremendous progress, but he does have to go to TX Children's Hospital this week to see a pediatric orthopedist. Although he can walk, his legs are out wide when he does, which slows him down and causes him to lose his balance easily. So something just isn't quite right. So we're seeing a specialist to find out if he has a hip or knee problem that could be causing it. We are praying that it will be a simple problem that can be fixed with either something like braces or the right type of therapy. So please continue to pray!

Brody playing in the backyard.

Early in the month we had a play date with Leigh Ann and Cole in Houston. The boys played and it gave Leigh Ann and I time to just catch up and hang out. (Sometimes its hard to fit in "friend" time since we're also sister-in-laws!) We're planning to try to do this once a month and I'm so excited about that! I want our boys to grow up with close relationships with their cousins..plus it will be great for LA and I. We have some projects up our sleeve! I tried to get some pics of the boys, but they were too busy. Hopefully at the next play date I can get some good ones of the 3 together.

Cole explored the yard....

while Brody colored the driveway.

The first weekend of November we had a wedding in Austin. So Friday night while Matt and I shot the wedding, Brody and Carson got to spend the evening with Nina and Papa. They went to play at a super fun park (Zilker Park) where they got to ride the train and play on the playground. Then after, they had pizza at a fun restaurant that had TVs in the tables. How cool is that?! On Saturday morning, we loaded up and drove to San Antonio to spend the day at Sea World. I was so excited about this! I loved Sea World growing up and was excited to watch Brody take in all the dolphins, fish and of course, Shamu! We were a little disappointed to find out when we got there that bc it was so late in the season, they weren't doing the dolphin show, the water ski show and a few other things that we were looking forward to. But even still, it was a great day! Brody definitely enjoyed it and was pooped by the end of the day. We ended the day with a trip to Macaroni Grill then headed back home to Bryan.

Our little family in front of the entrance.

Brody watching Shamu

He really liked it!

Look at Caron's HUGE hat! Haha! It was so bright though..we had to buy him something.

They had a cool play area for kids 3 and under. I didn't know if Brody would be interested but he jumped right out there and loved it!

He thought this little boy was funny.

Trying to walk on the super soft floor. Not too easy.

He crashed after the play area.

Checking out the penguins with PaPa.

With Nina and PaPa on Sunday morning. (Wow, Brody SERIOUSLY needs a haircut!)

And lastly, we started our kitchen makeover last week. So far, we have brand new countertops. The plan is to sand and paint the cabinets, paint the kitchen and dining room walls, tile the backsplash, and possibly re-tile the floor. The countertops look awesome, but I'm not going to post any pictures yet. I'll wait and do a complete post on the entire makeover when its done. So you'll just have to keep waiting!

Hope everyone is enjoying November!

October {In Photos}

This is a long post with lots of photos...just warning you. Enjoy!

Somewhere Brody learned "cheese." I've never taught him to do that, but every time I get the camera out he says "CHEEE" and makes this face.

Matt and his boys while watching the TAMU vs Arkansas game.

(We try to block that game from memory.)

The next group of photos are from the day we went to the Florida vs LSU game. We get asked a lot why we are Florida fans. Most people just assume we jumped on the bandwagon bc they are so good, Tim Tebow, etc. So let me explain...My mom and her family are from Florida. My grandfather graduated from Florida. So I grew up a Gator. The same way that we will raise our children and grandchildren to love the Aggies since we are Alumni, I was raised to love the Gators. So we are real Gator fans :) My mom's uncle got us tickets to this year's LSU game since it was in Baton Rouge and only a 3 hour drive from my grandparent's house.

Aunt Nikki and Me

 Little Gator Fans
Logan, Macy and Brody playing

The newest Gator convert. Don't worry, the Ags are still his #1 team.

Nikki's kids in their Tebow Jersesies.. Macy, Madisyn and Logan

Me and my honey

Our group doing "The Chomp" before heading to the game.
And that's all the pics from that day. We knew LSU fans are CRAZY so I wasn't bringing my camera in case some drunken frat boy trampled my bag during the game.

You know Brody loves cars...and then his how he parks them. In a nice row. Sometimes they are even lined up by size.

Brody "helping" his brother. Apparently he thought Carson needed his paci.

Look at this cute smile. It makes my day.

They love each other. And yes, Carson has a mohawk.

All my boys this past Saturday, Oct 31 before the Ags BTHO Iowa State.

Sorry I don't have a pic from the Rockin Fall Fest. The one I have won't upload for some odd reason.

October was a fun month. Looking forward to some fall photos in November.

3 months old!

Carson turned 3 months old on Friday. I can't believe how fast the time has gone. It seems like yesterday he was a "tiny" 8 lbs 7 oz...and today, wow. I don't even know how much he weighs but he's big. He's wearing 3-6 months clothes and they fit well. So needless to say, he likes to eat...and eat well. I like having a baby with sweet rolls though. They are so sqeezable :) He is right on track developmentally and seems to start to do new things every couple of days. So far, he can roll over from tummy to back, hold his head up, smile and laugh (he's been doing that for a while), grab onto toys hanging from his bouncy seat or play mat, hold his paci, follow you around the room with his eyes and sit up in the bumbo. He's been sleeping through the night for a little while, but I still haven't moved him to his room. I think I'm just afraid he'll wake up and I don't want to have to go down the hall to get him or soothe him haha. Maybe this week he'll make the big move.

He still loves his brother...most days. Brody likes to get above him and talk to him and Carson just smiles. I think they already have a pretty special bond. There are times that he gets scared of Brody's umm...enthusiasm and gets upset. But most days, they are best buddies. I can't wait to watch them interact more and more over the coming months.

A Day in the Life

Here are some photos of the sweet faces and things I see everyday. A little glimpse into our days around the house.

"Brody, don't drive the car on your brother."

We do puzzles...a lot. Brody is a pro now.

My little Who from Whoville.

Precious baby feet.

Very busy little feet.

Sweet baby thighs.

Pudgy little hands

We play with LOTS of cars. All day.

And mama steps on a lot of cars.

We have unhappy moments.

And sweet smiley moments.

"Brody, don't lay on your brother."

As you can see, I stay very busy with these two. Brody loves to have playmates these days. He wants someone to color, drive or throw the ball with him constantly. I can't wait for Carson to be old enough to be his best friend and playmate. But until then, I don't mind filling in :) But when Daddy gets home at night, Brody wants no one but him. He could wrestle, tickle and play for hours with his daddy. Carson is really starting to love his brother. When Brody doesn't know I'm watching, I see him sitting just talking to Carson and Carson just smiles at him. I think they understand each other.

Can Anyone Help A Sista Out?

I am on the lookout for a child's table and some chairs. I went to Roundtop/Warrenton yesterday and scoured the vendors but didn't find quite what I was looking for. So I thought I'd ask yall for help. If anyone has a child's table they don't want/need anymore..or if you are out at a garage sale and you see one..call me! I really don't want to pay the price for a brand new one..they are pricey! I would prefer rectangle or square because of the space I have to put it in. I don't have to have a set with matching chairs...but I am looking for chairs as well. I made the mistake of not buying the $20 chairs I saw at Roundtop bc I thought I could find them cheaper online. That was NOT the case. So anyways...help me! Keep your eyes open. I would appreciate it!!

2 Month Update

Carson turned 2 months last week but I didn't get a chance to blog then. I can't believe how fast it is going by! The last 2 months have been great. We are quickly learning how to parent two small children who need different things all hours of the day. Carson is still pretty easy going, like I've said before. He just eats, poops, and sleeps. These days he is starting to interact with us a lot more. He started smiling around 6 weeks old and now he smiles all the time. Pretty much anytime you talk to him he gives you a toothless grin. Its precious. He is starting to "talk" as well. Lots of cooing, gurgling, little squeals. I love it! He seems to be in the best mood when he first wakes up in the morning and wakes me up with his sweet talking. I forgot how sweet it is when they first start all these things. He loves laying under the baby einstein play gym thingy. He is very amused by the lights and music, and of course the mirror.

At his 2 month checkup last week, he weighed in at a wopping 13 lbs 7 oz. He's in the 90th percentile. We don't know what its like having a big baby..Brody was always in like the 20th percentile. So we are loving his rolly polly legs!!

Big brother Brody is being his usual self. He's constantly adding new words to his vocabulary..or at least his version of the words. His new one these days is "muh" which means movie. He recently learned how to say "papa" which is his name for my dad, and "pawpaw" which is what he calls Matt's day. Sometimes that one comes out as "bawpaw" and makes me laugh everytime. Everytime he sees a circle he yells out "ball!!" So he's got the concept. When we start learning shapes it may be hard to convince him that those are called circles and not balls. Right now we are learning animals. He is so good at all his animal noises and pointing out the different animals in his books. I'm not sure what to move on to next. What things can a 20 month old understand right now? Colors? Shapes? I'm not sure that he's ready for numbers and letters...but I have no idea. Education majors..Moms...any suggestions? This morning we were playing with his alphabet puzzle (its the letters with a corresponding picture..A with an Apple, etc that just fit in order on a puzzle board) and I discovered that he has memorized where some of them go. I would hold up the letter and he would point to its correct spot. I was so proud. He doesn't really know that Z is the last letter..he just remembers that the Z with the Zebra go in the last spot. We did the puzzle about 3 times and every time he could tell me where the same 6 or 7 pieces went. Maybe all kids at his age should be able to do this and I just have no idea. I was just so proud of him! He goes to physical therapy this Friday to see a pediatric pt. We're hoping to make some progress on the walking.

Ok, well that's what's going on with our boys. Growing like crazy and changing everyday. Here's a couple pics!

Our sweet baby playing. I couldn't catch a good smile that day.

Brody laughing at momma being silly. His laugh is infectious!

Brody loves doing pull ups..And he's very good at it. He actually pulls himself up..Matt is just holding him. Probably bc he's crawled for so long..his arms are super strong!