It was another fun Halloween in the Biehler household. Jackson was definitely more into it this year than last year which made it even more fun. He was really excited about being a policeman and getting to carry his gun in his holster. Carter was pretty chill and enjoyed watching all the strange kids in funny costumes walk by! I can tell it's lost a little of its charm for Kylie, but we might need to have some more kids her age walk with us next year to spice it up a bit!
It is always hard to say goodbye to our beloved animal friends...
We recently put my 14 year old dog Toby to rest. He is my dog, but really he became my mom's dog. I had always wanted a little Yorkshire Terrier. They are the cutest little dogs. So, the summer between my Junior and Senior year at Baylor when I was living alone, she brought the most precious puppy to Waco to live with me. I'll never forget how tiny and cute he was. He would sleep on my pillow at night right by my head. He didn't like to be left alone. It made him feel insecure. We would go on walks together and play with his toys and I would find his little baby teeth every now and then when it was time for his big teeth to come in.
When it was time for school to start again, he went back to Austin to live with my mom. Even though he lived with her, every time he saw me he knew I was his mama. I feel like even until the end, he knew I was his mama.
My mom had grown so close to sweet Toby. They had a special bond. A few weeks ago he started to limp and wouldn't go up the stairs. My mom took him in and they suspected either a back injury or possibly a stroke. They gave him a steroid shot which made him feel like a puppy again, but only lasted for a short while. Then, he got worse... he was delirious, couldn't use his back right leg and quit eating. It was definitely more than a back injury. The vet confirmed it was probably a stroke and he wasn't going to get better. At that point, we had to make the tough decision as to whether it was time to say goodbye and let him go with dignity or try to keep him a bit longer.
The vet was so sweet and helpful and on Monday, October 22nd we let our little guy go. I am so thankful he no longer suffers. He had a good life and we will miss him.
See you at the Rainbow Bridge sweet boy...
Any of you that know us well know Kylie has walked on her tiptoes since just about forever. I don't recall at what point she stopped walking flat foot, but I would say by the time she was two years old, she was walking on her toes. People used to always say how cute it was and "is she in ballet" all the time, but I never paid much attention. It was just a part of my Kylie. I didn't think a thing of it until she was in her 3 year old preschool class and her teacher mentioned it to me out of concern. I was a little taken back thinking, well who cares if she walks on her toes? So, I didn't really pay attention. Then, when she was in her Pre-K class, her teacher said the same thing (out of concern). This time I started to wonder if maybe there was something I was missing. Is this really an issue? Why do people feel the need to mention it? I decided to take her to an orthopedic just to make sure I knew there was nothing to worry about. Sure enough, the doctor said no worries, she'll grow out of it as she gets bigger... come see me again in a year if she's not walking on her heels yet.
Well, a year later we were back in his office. Same thing - no worries... she'll come down off her toes as she grows. She's still really young. Okay doctor, we'll see you next year if nothing changes. Well, you get the point.
Not to today and four doctor's visits later... she's still up on her toes just as much as she was when she was two. Much bigger now, but not standing any shorter:) It's actually quite amazing to watch. If you ever try to stand on your toes for any good length of time you'll see just how difficult it is.
This is the hard part for me as a mom. My little tip-toe walker is my baby girl. She's always walked that way and it's who she is. I love that about her. It makes her unique and it represents her sweet, carefree personality. She just flutters about!
We've decided to take her to the Scottish Rite hospital in Dallas. We'll see the doctor on Monday to have her evaluated for heel chord lengthening in December. We've been told she'll be down for about 7-10 days and then be in walking casts for around 6 weeks. I'm anxious to learn more on Monday when we visit Dr. Socato. He is supposed to be an amazing surgeon.
It's a great month for Carter James! He's finally decided to really give the whole walking thing a go! He started really trying to walk earlier this week and in just a few days, he is really cruising. He's up to almost 10 steps now. He is so proud of himself too. When Jackson and Kylie watch him they clap and cheer for him too which makes him really smile. It is so special having the older siblings to encourage him:) I'm going to try and get some good video of him to post because I am so proud of my baby boy!
It's back to school for us now and everyone is going to school this year!
Kylie is in 2nd grade at Regents and she is in Mrs. Crowell's class again...huge smiley face here. Kylie had Mrs. Crowell for Kindergarten and then she move up to 2nd grade so we prayed she would get her again and she did! We are so blessed to have her not once, but twice!
Jackson is going to Bannockburn Monday and Wednesday and then Westlake Presbyterian Tuesday and Thursday. I think he really likes going to two schools. Two different classrooms with different toys, two groups of friends, and two different playgrounds! It all works out nicely. Now that he's three, they are putting a bit more curriculum into his teaching, so I am happy to see he'll be working on letters and numbers, and much more!
Carter James is going to Bannockburn Monday and Wednesday too! I was somewhat hesitant to put him in school so early, but it was either start him at one year old, or wait until he was two years old. So, we're giving it a shot! So far his teachers say he's so much fun to have, he never cries, and they want him to come everyday. Yay big boy Carter! He is such a fun guy to have around. He's so jolly and playful. What a cutie pie.
I have been so bad about writing on my blog. I realize I have about a million things going on at one time, but it is really important to me to write down all of the wonderful memories our family is making! So, slowly but surely I will get all caught up!
The most important thing on my list to write about now is that my sweet, baby boy Carter James is one year old! People use the term "time flies" so often that it doesn't hold much meaning anymore, but I can honestly say that this year flew by like a blink of an eye. It seems as though once I found out I was pregnant with Carter the world started spinning a little faster and it sure hasn't stopped!
Carter James, where do I begin when I talk about this journey with you over the past year. First of all, finding out I was going to have you was truly the biggest surprise of my life! Not in a bad way at all, just in a "Wow... we're having another baby. Surely wasn't expecting that, but thank you Jesus for your blessing!"
The pregnancy went pretty well. Probably the hardest pregnancy of all three simply because I was 7 years older than my first pregnancy and had to keep up with two other very active children and work full-time. And, we decided to remodel the house to make room for one more person living there! Yikes!
Carter, you came into this world screaming at the top of your lungs and that should have been a hint as to how the first months with you were going to go. From the day you were born, you wanted to be held all the time, mostly by me. You ate about every 2 hours and the rest of the time just wanted a warm body to snuggle with. You had a cry that was probably the loudest newborn cry I have ever heard!
For the first six months, you were a very challenging baby. You rarely ever kept your feeding down and you only liked to be held a certain way. You screamed in the car, no matter how far the distance. If it was for a 20 minute drive, you screamed the whole 20 minutes. We took you to doctors to make sure you were okay and they ran tons of tests only to say it was probably just something you would have to grow out of. But, we put you on the expensive medicine and formula anyways, just out of desperation for you to feel better! You slept in my arms every night for the first 6 months until you were finally able to sleep in your own crib (thank the Lord). I really wasn't bothered by snuggling at night. I actually enjoyed it most of the time!
Once you hit 6 months old, your real personality really started to come out! Your smile got brighter and brighter and your giggles increased exponentially! Your big, brown eyes seemed to shine more and more every day.
Where you are today... you LOVE being around other kiddos and your brother and sister give you the best belly laughs. You still love to be held quite a bit and refuse to walk on your own even though we know you really can! You love mommy the best (hee hee), but you also love spending time with your grandma Mary who is with you all day, every day. She knows everything there is to know about taking care of you, so you feel safe and happy when she is there. You love your daddy, but sometimes your not too sure if you're okay being with him when mom is around. You love to play with your toys and seem to be super smart. You figure things out after being shown only one or two times! You're already a climber and scare us all the time now. It's really funny when you climb on a stool and get stuck because you're scared to come down by yourself so you stand there and whimper until someone comes to rescue you!
Everyone loves you Carter James. At church and school you are so happy and a joy to be around. You just started school and you are so busy you don't even sleep the whole 4 hours you are there! Your teacher told me on Monday she wants you to be there everyday because you are so joyful:)
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| Happy Birthday Dear Jackson! |
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| Me likes cupcakes! Oh, sweet boy, where do I even begin? We were so ready for you to arrive 3 years ago. It seems like yesterday, but yet it seems like forever at the same time! You were the easiest newborn of all three. You pretty much slept when expected, cried only when you needed something, and really didn't give us too much trouble (you saved that for later:). I could even put you down in your bassinet awake and you would put yourself to sleep! We knew you were going to be smart early on by the way your curiously looked at all things around you as if you were trying to figure out just how this world works. When you started walking, man it was on! You got into everything! We had to child-proof the entire house. You loved to turn over the dog bowls, climb on every piece of furniture in the house, play with anything you weren't supposed to play with, and all the things boys do. You didn't talk as early as Kylie so I was a little worried, but you sure caught up! Now, you are very articulate and can clearly carry on a conversation. You really listen and like to repeat back things you hear. It's usually pretty funny for the grown-ups. You love to stay clean, so you get upset when your hands are dirty or your food makes a mess (maybe a little bit of Mommy in you eh?) In fact, you just got your own mop and broom for your birthday and you are so excited about them! Ha! We can already tell you're going to be great at sports. You are strong and you can throw a ball not only far, but with great accuracy. Daddy likes that! And, just the other day we took your life vest off in the pool and you started swimming! We couldn't believe it! We have no idea you could swim on your own. It was amazing! You are very good at art and pay attention to detail and are good at staying in the lines. You love to play like you're a worker man and fix things with your tools (must be the Papa Ralph in you). You don't like being naked at all and want clothes on all the time - the opposite of how big sister Kylie was who still walks around the house in her birthday suit. You still aren't using the potty like a big boy yet. Not sure when it's going to happen, but here's hoping we start next school year with big boy underpants on! You are pretty stubborn, so we know it's only going to happen when you're ready for it. You have so much expression in your face, and you make us laugh all the time with your silly looks. Your kisses are the sweetest kisses in the world and you love to cuddle after your nap. You wake up really early and typically want to eat breakfast right away - ugh. No fun for Mom and Dad. You love eating pancakes, eggs, mini muffins, oatmeal, fruit, applesauce, and anything sweet! There are so many great things about you that it would take a long list to name them all. We love you and you make us laugh every, single day. We can't wait to watch you grow and learn even more. Happy Birthday Jackson Ralph! |
