First Monday of Summer

One can never be sure how a Monday is going to go when your three year old tells you, "I need coffee."  I wasn't sure about today either.  Most years, this would have been my first Monday of summer vacation.  And most definitely would have been a day where there would have been nothing on the agenda!  Not the case this year.  I am participating in a week long technology training at my district office.  If today was any indication, this will be a memorable week.  We were given the creative task of filling up a large white board using text and illustrations. We were to use this to answer several questions about our journey in education and technology imagining it was four years in the future.  It was an amazing process and if you've never had the freedom to express yourself in color, size and free of constraint, I highly recommend it.  In my tech journey, I've also created a twitter account, an edmodo account, a glogster, learned how to use keepvid, downloaded new iPad apps, learned about Chrome, (I'm sure I've already forgotten somethings already) . . . phew!

I'm back!

There's no way I can write down everything that has happened since the last time I actually wrote on this blog.  I won't even try.

It's been three years of parenthood and I am constantly amazed by how much I love it.

So the point of this post is to just get writing again.

My current and soon to be past principal has inspired a bit of a technology streak in me.  I feel renewed and energized.  Reflecting on the last few years of teaching, I kinda felt like I was coasting.  So it's been a little bit of a revelation to feel like there's more to be done.  I'll be participating in our district's technology training this summer.  We got a family iPad. I learned how to make a QR code and I've been daydreaming about how I could use them next year in my job.  Thinking about a classroom website or blog also.  I have a whole stack of professional books to read this summer and I'm excited about them.  What's going on?!?

Progress

Just got back from our latest visit to the orthotist. Ryan's head asymmetry is down to 4.8 mm! Normal is 0-6. It looks like we'll continue one or two more months. We have seen the improvement for awhile and it's nice to see the scans and numbers to prove it. The numbers only tell one part of the story (two dimensions at one level) and looking at his overall head (all 3 dimensions) one can see areas for improvement. The ear asymmetry is also something we want to see corrected if possible.

Ryan is motoring all over the house. His favorite things to inspect are the large front window that looks out on the street, the doggie door and the cat door (previous house owners!) that is in the laundry room. He can pretty much stand up anywhere he can get assistance and has just started to take tentative steps when holding onto something. He has no interest in trying to walk when one of us holds his hands though.

Happy New Year everyone! Hope 2010 is a good one for all. I know we had been looking forward to closing the book on '09 and getting a fresh start.

I don't like cottage cheese.

Baby proofing, we don't need no stinkin' baby proofing!

Well, maybe we do. Ryan is into everything right now. He crawls everywhere and pulls himself to standing. No attempts at walking yet, which is just fine with us. The helmet has come in handy in protecting his noggin against major spills. Undoubtedly, there will be an adjustment period with some natural consequences when the helmet comes off. No idea when that will be. We keep hoping it will be around his birthday. It all depends on how fast his head grows.

We're in a holiday frenzy here. On Tuesday, we are leaving to drive to Crestline to spend Christmas with Diane's family. Baby's first road trip! Wish us luck!

It's been quite a month

November had us gripped in a fog of sickness and infection.

Our sweet dog, Tucker, declined rapidly after back surgery and passed away on the 30th. We miss him terribly and are sad at the missed opportunity for Ryan to grow up with such a great dog. They had already formed a special bond. They were very sweet and gentle with each other. We're glad to have some great pictures of the two of them.

On the other hand, Olive is enjoying once again being an only dog. Ryan has a special tone and unique "words" that he uses to "talk" to her. She is not impressed.

We're looking forward to a relaxing holiday time and it's also time to say goodbye to 2009.

Helmet Update

Ryan got his helmet (cranial band) a week ago. There was a break in schedule for the first few days of hours on and off. He's now wearing it 23 hours a day. So far, we've been blessed that he's had no complications adjusting to the band. His head is a little sweaty when we take it off but nothing too bad. There are no bright red pressure points or other issues. We feel very lucky. Ryan also doesn't seem to mind it at all. He continues to be the happy, goofy little boy that he's always been. It hasn't changed his sleep habits either. He gets about 12 hours a night. Mobility hasn't been an issue. He isn't crawling yet but is moving all over the place.

In other news: He loves to sit in front of his bin of books and pull them out and look at them. There are times that he fusses because he wants to be next to his books.