He Survived (and We Did Too!)

Of course we knew he would, but it was questionable if his parents (and grandparents) would make it through the milestone! You can see by the pic that he really liked the markers, so much so that he decided to even wear them as lipstick! He looked just like a little girl when I went to pick him up! His teachers all said he did great except for naptime (surprise, surprise). He just kept saying NO to Ms. Marcia and she said he cried enough she finally gave up--he ended up down the hall being an "office helper" until the other kids finished his nap. That's where he got a hold of the markers. Hopefully he'll learn to use them on paper instead of his face before the year's over!

You can probably see in his eyes that he's pretty tired. He came home and immediately went to sleep when I held him. I tried to get up but he woke up CRANKY. He just wanted me to sit and hold him--guess he missed me after all! Hopefully he'll start resting with his class soon--I'd hate for him to come home so exhausted every day.

Thank you everyone for your prayers! Today was definitely the start of a new era in his little life and we can't wait to see what it brings!

First Day

Okay, so it happened sooner than even I thought! Dr. Craig must have been waiting by the fax machine Friday because he had the prescription sent back to the school by that afternoon. Normally I love that he is so fast with prescriptions, but this time, NOT SO MUCH!

At any rate, we all three set out for school this morning and Clayton suddenly got cold feet. Brian and I were really talking it up and every few seconds the whole drive there he would say NO. NO POOL (school). NO. NO, he says . . . that did not make it easy to leave him there! He DID NOT want his picture taken. He seemed pretty overwhelmed by all the activity going on around him. After I talked the teachers' and nurse's ears off we finally made our departure. I had to pry Brian away from him (he's worse than I am I think!). We left him playing in the floor with another little boy--he didn't cry or seem to notice us leaving, definitely a good sign he'll be okay.

With bleeding in the brain you never know what you're going to get. And one doctor had us thinking Clayton would be a vegetable his whole life--basically bedridden. And while Clayton isn't running and jumping like most five year olds, he is leagues away from bedridden! I AM SO PROUD OF HIM!!!!!! He has come so far and overcome so many obstacles! Yes, I'm sad that my baby is growing up, but PRAISE THE LORD he's able to reach these milestones!!

***ETA: While I was typing this blog post, Hannah (Clayton's PT) called me with Clayton--she had gone to check on him and they were calling to tell me he was having a "big day" at school. Gotta love those therapists--they know I need just about as much therapy as him!!!

Closer Than Ever

It's been a long time in coming, but Clayton is almost all set up for preschool at the clinic. I can't believe the time has finally come for me to hand him over to someone else---I'm not liking it one bit!! He was checked out by their medical director this morning and all we're waiting on is the prescription for special schooling and therapies. His doctor is pretty fast with prescriptions, so I'm scared to death he'll start next week! He is so ready, but this momma is gonna have a hard time letting go of the control for even a few hours a day! We visited his classroom and I started tearing up and it wasn't even his first day! He was probably so embarrassed! Oh well, just one of many times I'll be embarrassing to him . . .

Welcome Baby!

Congratulations to our friends Jamie and Allison on the birth of their first child, Baby Tucker! We are so proud for them and can't wait to see the little person he becomes!

Emerald Coast

The vacation started out a little rough simply because it didn't ever seem like it would stop raining. The ocean was extremely choppy and when it did quit raining, the wind made you feel like you were in a sandblaster!

Clayton and I got to take a dip in the pool Tuesday afternoon, but it was on the chilly side for me--all that rain had it COOOOLD!

But we did finally make it to the beach once the sun came out. Nothing like relaxing on the white sands of the Emerald Coast!

Dad and Brian did some body surfing on the good waves and Brian decided our last day to rent a surfboard, but by then all the good waves were gone--he mainly just got a workout paddling around in the ocean!

Clayton just wanted to be wherever Granny was--no surprise there!

I roped everyone into posing for a group photo. The sunset was perfect.

Brian, Clayton and I went for a ride on the "Seablaster." It's a huge power boat that cruises through the harbor and then out into the open sea. Clayton got a turn at driving the boat and everyone clapped for him when he was done. It was a nice ride--I was fine in the harbor, but I got extremely seasick in the 3-5 foot waves--I'd never make it on Deadliest Catch! I'm so glad I didn't decide to go deep sea fishing with Brian!

Back from Destin

We spent the last week in Destin, Florida and had a great time. We didn't let the rain and storms spoil our fun--somehow rain is better when you get to see and listen to the ocean! We did have two really good days on the beach, which for super white folks like us is really plenty! We spent today recovering from the long trek back, and tomorrow it's back to the grind for everyone. I'll be posting more pics soon, as I've barely had time to look through them. (This pic was taken by Brian during the sunrise one morning).

Momma's Helper

Clayton loves to help these days!

But of course, it doesn't take long before watering himself becomes more fun than watering the plants!

Family Harmony

Got to sing with my brother and husband on Sunday. Josh was slated for his first solo and decided to enlist me and Brian as backup so the pressure wouldn't be so bad. We did a simple song, but it actually turned out pretty well! You never know, we may just make a habit of it!

Was it Really Five Years Ago?

Sometimes it seems like just yesterday, especially on days like today!

Here's Shawn:

And Clayton:

Can you believe his little ribs?! He's definitely gotten over the skinny part of being a preemie! And just for comparison's sake, here's a pic I took of him the other day (after playing outside in the August heat, no doubt).

You've come a long way, Baby! Happy Birthday!

Birthday Party!

We had Clayton's party last night and had a really good time! I think this year he finally got it--this party was all about him and he was eating up the attention! From the moment people started getting here, he was hamming it up!

And as a special treat, he even got a concert from Momma, Daddy and Uncle Josh. (Totally unplanned, but we were roped into it!)

This is What I Mean

I wrote the previous post this afternoon and then went to pick up Clayton at the clinic. Walked in the pool area and saw him swimming around in his goggles. Totally made me smile! I definitely can't stay sad too long with him around!

August

Yikes. Sorry for neglecting the blog. I know some of you are wondering where the heck I'm at! A variety of things are going on--our modem is on the blink, getting ready for our trip to Florida, and a host of other things on our plate. Not to mention that August just isn't my month. I know it's been five years, but time has not faded my memory. I literally relive August 2003 each year. And this year the boys' birthday will be on a Sunday like it was when they were born so I've been thinking all week about what I was doing five years ago on these days. I was suffering through the heat like usual, packing boxes when I was able, getting ready for the move to the rent house and getting ready to build this house. Oh, and I was still dealing with lots of "morning" sickness (all day sickness in my case!). My labor started on Friday night (didn't know it was labor), and I spent all day Saturday in the hospital before giving birth Sunday morning. Wow. Wow. Wow. And just like usual, when I have a flood of memories I'm dealing with, I start obsessing over things. I scanned all of my ultrasound pics so I would have a digital copy of them just in case something happened to the originals. And I took all of the negatives from the first two weeks of the boys' lives to Walgreens to have them put on CD. Costing me a buttload, but I have to have digital images of those as well. So I can make ten backup copies and just stare at them I guess. I'm just scared something will happen to my pictures of Shawn. THANK GOD I have Clayton's smiling face to brighten my days. He is definitely my saving grace and he doesn't even know it! (I borrowed the lyrics from the song "Everyday" by Rascal Flatts for this layout).

The Last of VBS

Clayton picking out his door prize:

The VBS theme was "Custom Garage," so everything the kids did revolved around racing and cars. (Tied to Jesus by the fact that we are all custom made by God and made to love Him and serve others). They got a special treat at the end of the night: Shane brought a real-life drag racing car for them to see. Not really Bible related, but the kids loved it anyway!!

And I have to include this picture just because I love this little boy--he is in Clayton's class and even though he's one of the youngest he is smart as a whip. He's attached himself to me and Brian and hangs all over Clayton too. He's rarely still (we had to bribe him for this pic), but there's just something about him that makes us want to love him despite all that wildness!

More VBS Pics

HUGE thanks to my friend Christy for taking over as Clayton's aide Monday night--we are really trying to come out of the "helicopter parent" mode and let him do more without us--it's because of friends like her that we are able to do that! (And her nametag is courtesy of Clayton!)

Brian helped Clayton with his project last night and in all reality it became Brian's project by the end of the night! And Brian's employee Freddy and his family came last night--Freddy had no idea that he would end up painting at VBS just like he does at work everyday!