Monday Morning Coffee Chat

Happy Monday! I’m making my return to blogging with a Monday morning coffee chat. So grab your coffee or hot tea, and let’s reconnect!

The last time I posted, I shared about the last day of school, but an entire summer break has passed by in a flash. Here we are, with just two days left before the first day of school. I’m facing the school year with mixed emotions. I’m not quite ready to say goodbye to summer!

A lot has happened in the year since we found out we were expecting our sixth baby, and clearly, my presence was needed elsewhere. But, oh how I have missed blogging! I’m excited to share all the details from this whirlwind of a year - a surprise pregnancy, a baby diagnosed with Trisomy 21 and a heart defect, a NICU stay, open heart surgery, and so much more! Hopefully my return will be permanent!

Let’s kick off this coffee chat with a big update!

GRANT 

🔸Still working from home, since March 2020.

🔸Proudly building his vinyl collection, sports cards collection, and Funko Pop collection. 

🔸Currently obsessed with Wordscapes.

STEF 

🔸Juggling 8 RIDICULOUS schedules.

🔸Still volunteering for the Down Syndrome Diagnosis Network.

🔸After 8 months of exclusively pumping, hit the goal of exclusively breastfeeding. FAREWELL, pump!

🔸Back to rapid stroller walking and weights in an effort to lose the weight gained due to the pumping. (Oh, it’s a thing!)

🔸Bad epidural still causing problems 9 months later. Nerve damage and continued headaches. Rock on!

🔸Back to photographing games to fulfill my volunteer requirements for cheer.

🔸Attempting to tackle organizing the house, and painting inside and outside. 

DYLAN 

🔸Getting ready for his SENIOR year!

🔸No longer working at the pizza shop. He has taken on pet-sitting, but wants to switch to a different pizza shop.

🔸Started making custom clothing, and is truly talented.

🔸Still dating Liv. They have been together for over 2 years!

🔸Hurt his hand last month, and needed quite a few stitches. He’s all healed!

ALEXANDRIA 

🔸Spent the summer doing odd jobs, and helping family and friends. 

🔸Had a great time with her aunt, uncle, and cousins at Myrtle Beach. 

🔸Broke up with her first boyfriend. It was short-lived!

🔸Is so excited to go back to school!

LILIANA 

🔸Just celebrated her 11th birthday!🔸Started school cheerleading 5 weeks ago, and already had the first two games. 

🔸Is a flyer this year!

🔸Tried out for a competitive cheer team with her BFF, and made the division they were hoping for!

LIAM 

🔸Just celebrated his 9th Birthday!

🔸Went to Extended School Year in July, and loved it. 

🔸Had an evaluation for private speech therapy last week, and has an evaluation for private occupational therapy today. He is finally talking more!

🔸Currently teaching himself how to swim. 

COEN 

🔸In just 3 weeks, he was completely potty trained, including at night, and is, ahem, going the proper way for a boy! He has an occasional poo accident, but it was much easier than expected. We ditched those pull-ups!

🔸Getting ready for informal preschool at home. 

🔸Desperately wants to play football.

🔸Currently loves Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

 

HAYDEN

🔸Just turned 9 months old!

🔸Still gets physical therapy at home, and we’re currently adding occupational therapy to his home services. 

🔸Learned how to breastfeed at 8 months old.

🔸Rolls, pivots, army crawls, sits and stands with support, eats solids, feeds himself, coos, babbles, and is overall, doing AMAZING!

🔸Is 4 months post-op, and off ALL medications!!!

🔸Is currently teething, and just isn’t his normally happy self 24/7. 

Coming up:

🔹Back to school!

🔹Competitive Cheer starts September 7th and runs through the end of July 2023. 

🔹Our Myrtle Beach vacation in September!

That’s the gist of life lately! We will be spending the next few days getting ready for the school year, and easing back into the school routine. On Wednesday, it’s back to business as usual! Are we ready? I’m not quite sure!

What’s new in your life?