Kid of the Week

 Announcing this week's "Kid of the Week" at the Children's Therapy TEAM....
our very own Berkeley Smith!!!!
Check out her bio on the Children's Therapy TEAM blog: http://www.childrenstherapyteam.com/blog/

We are really proud of Berkeley, and she is proud of herself. She is having a ball learning to stand up without holding on to anything. This week she started saying "hi" and "bye." She's probably imitating my exaggerated way of saying hi to her, saying "hi-ee!" in a high-pitched sing-song voice...not sure if I should be offended or not. ;)

Car of Happiness!

Update on Brighton:
Age: 4 3/4
Favorite Color: Pink and Purple
Favorite book: Harry Potter
Favorite food: sugar

Brighton has been very interested lately in mixing liquids. I keep telling her, "you better be a chemist when you grow up!" ...Otherwise, all these messes and spills will be in vain! She is also trying out the guitar, as you can see in the picture. Her gymnastics class is one of the highlights of her week, and she's looking forward to swimming lessons this summer (well, by "looking forward to" I mean "kind of freaked out about trying to swim"...but we'll get there!).

She has a whole slew of playmates here, and has been making plans without me, which is funny. Sometimes I'll have to tell her, as we are about to enter a social setting, "okay, now don't make any plans with the other kids without talking to the mommies first!"
She is still a great cheerleader for Berkeley, and now for Boston, too. She encourages them to work for whatever goal they're trying to reach. She demands their affection, and gets more than a bit huffy if they don't give her the loving she's after. She was ecstatic last week when I put Berkeley in the car after her therapy session, and Berkeley voluntarily leaned over and gave Brighton a hug and a kiss. Brighton exclaimed, "this is the car of happiness!"
In the picture below, the girls are playing with a toy that Brighton bought for her sisters at a garage sale. She had a few coins with which she could purchase anything she wanted to at the garage sales, and she decided to spend her money on a toy for Berkeley and Boston. 

Sitting Up!

Boston has really been changing! She's been sitting up for almost a month, which is fun...I've always felt sorry for my babies when their only "activity" consists of laying on a playmat or a bouncy seat. A change of scenery and posture must be nice for the girl!
She is eating crackers, puffs, and usually 3 servings of solid foods a day. I guess that full belly helps her sleep at night...so I'm happy to make sure she gets fed all she wants!
Even though Boston is meeting her developmental milestones at average times, I'm always surprised when she learns a new skill. To me, it seems like they happen so quickly and without much effort. I realized that I had become accustomed to waiting long stretches (and working hard) for Berkeley to reach her milestones, and forgot how quickly typical kids pick up new skills. I guess I should just enjoy each stage while it lasts...which apparently isn't long!
Another big achievement is that Boston can now spend time with other humans besides myself. Previously, such an attempt would result in ear drum bursting shrieking. Thankfully, I can now leave her with mom and dad, who are thrilled that she's calmed down enough to enjoy her time with them. 

a photo book of Berkeley

Click here to view this photo book larger

Sweet Pea (Strained, that is)

So, this is Boston at 6 months.
She's graduated from her cry/scream/eat/sleep/scream/scream/scream routine and moved on to developing some personality.
Sean and I just love her smile. It actually begins somewhere in her forehead region as the entire area lifts upward, which pulls up her little eyebrows, then gives a little sparkle to her big round eyes, wrinkles up her nose, then finally pulls the corner of her mouth up into a little smirk that pushes up the apples of her cheeks. But the smile hasn't finished it's work until it stretches into a full gummy grin (which is sometimes accompanied by a cute little gurgle).
Ah, it's good to see her smile...especially since the more she's smiling, the less she's screaming. And if you've been around Boston much, you know what I'm talking about.

Check out some more pictures of Boston, Berkeley, and Brighton in our new surroundings this Spring (which is much nicer and less north pole-like than it was in the winter):
https://picasaweb.google.com/seanjuliesmith/WebAlbumSpring2011?authkey=Gv1sRgCMy5s8q6hoi94QE

Berkeley's Progress!

With 3 physical therapy sessions under her belt, Berkeley is ready to tackle new challenges! Her therapist told me that during her session today she stood up, with no support, for 12 seconds! We are thrilled. You can tell she's proud of herself. She hasn't started speech therapy yet, but she is making all sorts of new sounds, trying out new words, and doing more sign language. Her favorite sign at the moment is "cracker." She's getting so good at it that I sometimes have to tell her "no more crackers!"  or else she would be signing and eating and signing and eating all day long. :)
Here are some pictures of our family from February (maybe a few January in there, too):
February photo album

Snowiest Snow Day EVER!!!

This has been a record-setting snowfall! We've been in awe of the massive pileup of snow around us! I ventured out in the snow...up to my knees at some points...and got a few pictures of the house and neighborhood.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=326609&id=745472353&l=3b42134dc8

If the video works, it is of Berkeley eating snow off her mitten, "bear"ing an uncanny resemblance to Pooh Bear eating honey off his paw. Oh, and Brighton is in the background speaking in her own made up language. Could this be a sign of genius, or just another way to confuse her mama?