Chop Shop

The boys have been in need of a trim especially Matthew whose hair was growing over his eyes. I went out of town this past week at a great conference in Phoenix for Down syndrome Affiliates. Brian took the boys to Pittsburgh for the weekend to visit their grandparents. I was delighted to hear that they had gone to the barber on Saturday morning for a haircut. Imagine my surprise when I saw them on Sunday with buzz cuts!! All of their blonde locks where gone. Actually, they are both very cute with their new style. Besides, hair grows back.

** To all my avid readers (I think I have 2 or 3:)) - my apologies for not keeping the blog more up to date. I have been busy wrapping up my job at MITRE, a place I will miss dearly, and am starting my new gig at the law firm today. I'll probably be a bit busy for a few months but will do my best to post often.

Flying The Friendly Skies

Matthew, Goddy and Mommy took a trip to Denver last week. We left the DC area by 6:00pm on Thursday evening and were back by 11:00pm on Friday. Talk about a quick trip! We went to Denver to see Pat Winders who recently started working in the Down Syndrome clinic at Denver Children's Hospital. Pat was Matthew's physical therapist at John Hopkins for 18 months before she left for Denver. Matthew has been doing a great job of pulling to stand and standing for longer periods of time. He's now ready for AFO's (ankle foot orthotics) and big boy shoes! There is such a wide variety of AFO's and we wanted Pat to see him before we made a selection.

Our appointment with Pat was greatand worth the trip. Matthew took his first few cruising steps while holding on to a surface. He even got on his hands and feet as though he was going to stand up. Somehow he always manages to do his "firsts" in the gross motor skills area during appointments with Pat. Even if across country!

This was also Matthew's first time on an airplane. Thank goodness Goddy (my dad) went with us. Even though we were only gone for 29 hours there is a lot you have to tote around for a toddler. Matthew did a great job on the flights - sleeping through most of them. He loved looking out the window during takeoff and waving to the ground crew, other planes, cars and the trees all while slobbering the window with kisses. On the flight from Chicago to DC he was awake for about an hour and clapped, waved and blew kisses to all the passengers around us. He is our little charmer.

This trip was definitely a trial run and precursor to our big trip to Disney coming up in a few weeks. It will be Nate's first time on an airplane. Matthew already has one under his belt!

Reading the safety guide

Matty and Goddy reading together

Window watching
"Look at those those tiny cars and houses"

Matty and Mommy
Goddy and Matty riding the walkway during our layover

Words Women Use

Ladies - and Guys! - will appreciate this post. I'm pretty sure I use some if not all of these words on a daily basis. Thanks to our friend Nor McManmon for sharing!

9 WORDS WOMEN USE

1. Fine: This is the word women use to end an argument when they are right and you need to shut up.

2. Five Minutes: If she is getting dressed, this means a 1/2 hour. Five minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given five more minutes to watch the game before helping around the house.

3. Nothing: This is the calm before the storm. This means something, and you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with nothing usually end in fine .

4. Go Ahead: This is a dare, not permission. Don't Do It!

5. Loud Sigh: This is actually not a word, but is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men. A loud sigh means she thinks you are an idiot and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you about nothing. (Refer back to #3 for the meaning of nothing.)

6. That's Okay: This is one of the most dangerous statements a women can make to a man. That's okay means she wants to think long and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.

7. Thanks: A woman is thanking you, do not question, or Faint. Just say you're welcome.

8. Whatever: Is a women's way of saying Screw YOU!

9. Don't worry about it, I got it: Another dangerous statement, meaning this is something that a woman has told a man to do several times, but is now doing it herself. This will later result in a man asking 'What's wrong?' For the woman's response , refer to #3.