Cora's Birthday Schindig!

Cora talked about her birthday for weeks with a lot of different ideas for the big celebration.  The first decision we made was this cake.  Cora was super excited when she saw it on display at Bakers so I couldn't pass it up.  We were barely able to make a dent in the cake, but she loved it so much, it didn't really matter.  

Cora's birthday was on Saturday, the 7th, but that was also Dave's White Coat Ceremony so we moved Cora's day to Friday.  I had planned a fun morning with balloons and presents, but was a little surprised when Eden woke everyone up at 4 am!  Luckily, I was able to convince everyone to go back to sleep until a more reasonable hour.  After we woke up for reals, Dave and I got to spend most of the day with Cora playing games, hiking and playing at Fontenelle Forest, snuggling up for a show, and counting down until Cora's party.  Once the girls got home from school and Cora's friends got dropped off, we had a great evening together.  We started with presents, played with the new toys, enjoyed breakfast for dinner, played with balloons, then headed to Jumpin Jax for lots of jumping!  It was the perfect party for our fun and easy going birthday girl!

Cora's 4 Year Pictures

This little fire cracker is 4 and she is taking it very seriously!  She loves being a big girl and told me that 4 year olds like taking pictures.  Awesome!  The lip gloss sealed the deal and I love how these pictures capture her fun personality! 

Cora loves playing Polly Pockets, Barbies, and games.  She is surprisingly good at Spot It!  Cora makes up her own rules and thinks she owns the end chair at the dining table, middle spot on the downstairs couch, and everything blue for Elsa.  Her personality and general cuteness help her get away with more than she should.    

  

Cora's favorites are:  

Food:  Ramen

Drink:  Pop

Animal:  Zebra

Show:  Barbie

Movie:  Frozen

Game:  The Marble Game

Thing to Make:  Dinner with Mom

Thing to Wear:  New Elsa Shirt

Friend:  Mommy

Place:  Jumping Jax

Song:  Elsa and Shake It Off

Restaurant:  Applebees

Thing to do as a Family:  Smelling Flowers

Indie {21 Weeks}

The girls and I had a nail day and decided that Indie should join in the fun.  Her little piggies were too small for me to paint, but her fingers were the perfect size.  She held on to my finger while they dried and they turned out so cute!  

Indie started grabbing her toes a couple weeks ago when she was wearing some beaded socks and now she is doing it all the time.  She's not interested in sucking on them just yet.....

We also had our first ophthalmology appointment and passed with flying colors.  I think baby glasses are super cute, but Miss Indie has perfect vision so we don't get any for now.  

Indie {20 Weeks}

20 weeks and could not be any cuter.  I can't believe I was ever sad about this little lady joining our family.  Just look at her, she brightens up every day.  

New Family Dynamics

Our family dynamics have certainly shifted since Indie has joined the family.  It seems like Eden and Cora have been battling it out for the prime middle spot, whatever that is.  They know exactly which buttons to push to make the other one upset and they do it all the time.  (Just check out that first picture, Eden didn't know I was looking so she was being a total stinker to Cora.)  It is getting old.  Milan is usually the peacemaker that comes up with fun games for everyone and helps Cora do things like get breakfast.  Fortunately, everyone gets along much better when we’re out and about.  And sometimes the stars align so that everyone gets along at home too, those are the times I love! 

Here are some highlights from the past week with these spunky ladies…..

 Some days we totally lose Milan to reading.

 Indie got herself in a tricky situation.

 Cora and I enjoyed a trip to Gifford Farm.  It was the perfect combination of agriculture education, interacting with animals, and running around.  Cora said petting the baby chick was her favorite part.  

 Eden's Earth Day Poster was chosen as a district winner so it was displayed at the Earth Day Celebration this weekend so of course we had to check it out.  Isn't it cute?!  We also had a great time at the celebration, enjoyed homemade ice cream, and came home with homemade kites and planted flowers.    

Indie {19 Weeks}

I know the baby stage flies by, but I hoping for a little extra time with Indie.  She is still a great snuggler when she's sleepy, but when she's awake, she wants to be playing on the floor.  Sometimes, she's just in the mood to chill and watch the fan and sometimes she likes to move and shake!  This week she learned to roll from back to front!  The Down Syndrome Developmental Chart said the average age was 8 months so I was pretty surprised, but that's how Indie rolls (get it, haha!)

This week I took Indie to an evaluation at Pediatric Therapy Center and they said that she is right on track with a typically developing 4 month old.  They gave me some great tips and exercises to get prepared for sitting and crawling.  We will continue to check in on a monthly basis to make sure that we're on track.   

I also attended a great Down Syndrome class on IEPs, which will begin when Indie turns 3.  Even though the class wasn't relevant right now, I learned some great information about behavior, learning styles, and dealing with school in the future.

This past weekend, I met with Kim, who owns a Down Syndrome specific preschool in Omaha.  I wasn't sure what to expect from our meeting, but was completely floored by her awesomeness.  Kim is a wealth of information and an amazing resource.  She has been teaching preschool for the past 5 years and each one of her students with DS is able to read before kindergarten!  She lent me several materials and suggested that we begin doing letter sound flash cards at 6 months.   Indie and I will continue meeting with Kim until Indie begins preschool at 18 months.  I am actually a little bummed that we are moving now that I've met her.  Good news is that she is willing to continue communication after we move so we can keep using her as a resource.  

Busy week with therapies and meetings, but more importantly, we got to enjoy blowing on this cute belly and tickling those little toes.  

Indie {18 Weeks}

The big highlight of the week was these cute piggies!