Growing Up

The boys are growing up. It's not like this is a new thing, but it really hit me today that they are growing up and it is happening without me even noticing. It has probably come on so suddenly because both of them grew out of their clothes at the same time. Logan is now in 18-24 month clothes and Korben has moved to 4T. It is weird to see Logan wearing the clothes that I swear Korben just grew out of, and then I realize that there are 2 tupperwares of clothes in between those sizes and I'm wondering where that time went.

Some Korben progress:

Korben has been making huge strides in language lately. He is at the stage where he repeats pretty much everything. He loves to sing; his favorites right now are Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes, and Happy and You Know It. His cutest phrases are: "It's too big"(too big applies to anything that is too big, too small, is under something, or is hard to get to), "Drink a Water"(although he has stopped asking and just pulls a chair to the fridge and gets his own now), "Throw me in the sack"(when he wants Daddy to launch him in the love sac), and "Spinning the rope" (he twirls his chew tube). I know all of this is typical of a child that is learning to speak...all the cute things etc. But for Korben I feel like everything he says is a huge accomplishment and makes me so happy I have to share...

Mike wrote a post about "pop up words" that are characteristic of autistic kids. They are words or phrases that seem to just pop out on occasion but are never really heard again. The other day this happened when Korben brought me a toy and I said, "Thanks" and he said, "No Problem". I laughed so hard because we haven't taught him that, but I say it all the time. I haven't been able to get him to say it again though, so I'm assuming it was a pop up phrase.

Korben eating his "Paw-sickle"
A funny side note: Korben is saying, "Cheese" in this photo. He just figured out that when we say "cheese", we mean smile. I think I could have saved a lot of headache with our family photos if I had simply said, "Smile" instead of "Cheese". How would he know that when I was saying, "Cheese" I wanted him to smile and I wasn't talking about one of his favorite snacks? Oh well, he gets it now. :D

Latest Logan News:

Lately it has seemed like I can't get Logan to eat anything. Everything I put on his tray would end up on the floor after one little nibble. The thing is, I know he likes these foods...so I couldn't figure out why he wouldn't eat them. The other day he climbed up to Korben's plate and started using the fork to try and eat. He wasn't very successful, but he would try and then pick up the food with his hands if he couldn't get it on the fork. I realized that he is plenty old enough to give utensils. These milestones always seem to pass me by. Sometimes I wish kids came with a timer or something that would go off reminding you of these things. Of course he can try a fork...how is he going to learn to use one if I never give him one? So now, I give him a utensil with every meal, and a lot more of the food is going in his mouth and a lot less on the floor.

I think a lot of the reason for his desire for a fork is simply that he watches Korben do it and wants to be like him. He gets upset if he can't do something that Korben can do. Once again, I had some oranges set out for Korben (who won't eat them peeled, only sliced) and Logan decided they were for him. I always break the oranges up for Logan (again thinking he is too young to possibly have a slice), and he never seems to eat them very well. So on this occasion, he chose to show me that he was old enough to have a full slice. The poor kid is going to have to fight to grow up!

"See Mom? I can do it too!"

On the table of course...because he couldn't possible sit in a chair like a normal person.

Harrison Family Photo 2008

We had a huge success this past week...we got family pictures done!! This may seem like an easy thing, but I have had shirts purchased twice now (the first set in MAY) and had 3 appointments set that have all had to be cancelled because of work. It is seriously sad because this is our first family photo with Logan and he is over a year old.

The fact that we even have decent photos is something to celebrate about. We went in on a Saturday and the experience was awful. Korben was running wild and the photographer didn't have a clue how to pose us or even begin to work with Korben. None of the family pictures were usable, and the pictures of Mike and I looked like bad homecoming photos. We requested that we have the manager take more pictures the following Monday, which they were fine with. A friend of mine, who also happens to be an occupational therapist, recommended that we give Korben gum to calm him down. It worked like a charm, and throw that in with a competent photographer, and we got some great photos.

So now the dilemma is choosing which one to put on our wall. I like this first one. I like the pose and I like how I look in it more than the next one.

Mike likes this photo. I agree that it is great of him and the boys, but I kind of feel like I shouldn't be in the photo because the three of them are so cute in it and I'm like a prop in the background. A prop with hair that is all over the place.

So, I want input. Votes, if you will. Which photo would you put on your wall?