11 months old :)

It is so hard to believe that in less than 2 weeks my baby boy will be turning 1. This has truly been the best 11 months of my life.

Dylan has so much personality these days. He is now a pro at waving bye bye . He likes to wave at everyone & everything. He likes to do it on his own terms ( this is where the personality chimes in). If you ask him to wave chances are he will wait till you turn around & actually start walking out the door. With that said.. he likes to wave to random people, our dog & our coat rack on his own !!! LOL

He also loves to give mommy kisses...LOTS of them!! I have become accustomed to having a VERY WET cheek :)

He got his 1st real big boy hair cut this month with the clippers. I wasn't too happy looking at his uneven scissor cut I gave him so I figured I would try out the clippers. He didn't like it..but it was much quicker & looks much better with the clippers. He looks like daddy with his mini- Ryan haircut. He is too cute.

Dylan has made so much progress since beginning physical therapy. In a month & a half he now: scoots ( using arms & legs), reaches for toys out of reach, puts weight on his legs, moves all over crib at night, tolerates tummy time & most recently is pulling to a stand with our assistance! All of these are huge milestones for him. We are so proud of him. He gets braver & stronger each & everyday. We spend time everyday with him doing exercises we have learned at physical therapy.

This was the day Dylan shocked us put trying to pull up to a stand..with a little help...

Mission Accomplished!

We recently took a trip to Cincinnati to meet with a neurologist his pediatrician had referred us to. We were very confident going to the visit that everything was going to be OK. The neurologist was very nice. He looked over Dylan's EEG results, gave him a physical exam, tested his reflexes, etc & asked us many questions about my pregnancy, his birth, family history & more. He decided that since Dylan has made such rapid progress from physical therapy he had no concerns that his delays were neurological. We will meet with him again in 6 months so he can see all the improvements that Dylan makes within that time. Although we had been so optimistic it was still a huge relief to hear it from the Dr.

Last week Dylan started swim lessons at the YMCA. They call it Diaper Dip. It was his first time in a pool. He was a little unsure when we first got in, but the longer we stayed the more he enjoyed it. By the time the class was over he was kicking, splashing & having a blast. I enrolled him because since we spend so much time out on the boat in the summers, it is very important that he is comfortable in the water. I do not swim well & I want to make sure he does. This class meets once a week for 6 weeks but we will continue to enroll him in each level of class as he grows. I also thought the exercises would be good to strengthen his arms & legs to help him in therapy.

Dylan continues to go to daycare 2 days a week. I have realized I LOVE the fact that he is at great place with wonderful people & gets to spend time with babies his age. I have realized I HATE the illnesses that daycare can provide! He most recently got Hand Foot Mouth Disease....

-  "HFMD usually affects infants and children, and is quite common. It is moderately contagious and is spread through direct contact with the mucus, saliva, or feces of an infected person. It typically occurs in small epidemics in nursery schools or kindergartens, usually during the summer and autumn months. The usual incubation period is 3–7 days."

His started out as what I thought was a bug bite on his hand & nose. By the next day he had more "bug bites"..I quickly thought he had chicken poxs until I heard HMFD was going around in his class. After a trip to the Dr, it was confirmed. He was lucky that he had a very mild case..only a few spots on body & one in mouth. His Dr said some kids get it so bad in mouth they are miserable & won't eat :( We were also lucky that my mom was off work that week & she stayed home with him for 3 days so I could go to work.

We gave Dylan a puzzle play mat as an early Bday present. He LOVES it. He loves to take it ALL apart so Mommy & Daddy can put it back together for him! p.s. we do this several times a day :)

In 10 days we will be having Dylan's 1st Birthday party! We have invited family & some friends to celebrate at our house. I already am emotional just thinking about it. So many people tell you how fast time flies once you have a child. You always agree, but you dont truly believe it until you see it for yourself.  That tiny newborn quickly changes & next thing you know you are sitting back reflecting on the best year of your life.