Florida... LEGO Imagination Center!!!

This year, the annual SMA conference was held at the Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort. We loved attending the conference last year, and knew we did not want to miss it this year. We decided to head down a few days early to have a little fun at a few of the parks before the conference. After two days in the car and finally arriving at the resort, we headed to Downtown Disney to take Alexander to the "Dinosaur Restaurant". While we waited for a table, we went over to the LEGO Imagination Center. Alexander loved the LEGO store, and got to see Buzz and Woody!! He loved everything about the store, and loved seeing two of his favorite characters. This was a great first night in Florida, and he definitely was ready for some fun after two days in the car.

Alexander with LEGO Buzz!

Alexander with LEGO Woody!

Alexander picked out this toy to spend some of his birthday money on!!

One Busy Boy!

Things have been pretty busy the last couple of months. I feel like it was just yesterday Alexander turned 3, but it has been two months already. Alexander has been doing really well considering everything. He definitely has some major determination in him. He finally has mastered rolling onto his belly again, but once on his belly he is stuck. We are extremely proud of this milestone because we were told after his diagnosis that he would never roll again. Maybe he will not completely master rolling back to front and front to back, but it is pretty amazing to know he is still trying with all his might! Alexander's has a new best friend as well! Right before Alexander's birthday, we found a stray dog in the middle highway. This was a sweet dog that did not seem to have a home. We did what we could to find its owners, but no luck. So...... Alexander has another dog!!! Our other two dogs are big, and Alexander really can't play with them very well. This dog, PEPPER, is perfect for him. She is so gentle and loving and a welcome addition to our family!!!!

Alexander began going to preschool in April. We debated on what we were going to do for his schooling, but as social as Alexander is... We decided to send him to a regular preschool, as long as he doesn't start getting sick. He went two months before summer break started, and he LOVED school. He has grown in so many ways. His speech and endurance have made huge strides. We are extremely happy with his experience in school at this time, but know that we will have to watch out for all those kid germs in the fall and winter.

Alexander's First Day of Preschool!!

Alexander and his new friend, PEPPER!!!!

Alexander and Kaitlyn at Easter!

He loves his little cousin!

Alexander's 3rd Birthday!

Alexander turned 3 on March 31! HAPPY BIRTHDAY to our sweet lil man! Alexander got to go see his new preschool on his birthday, and then we spent the afternoon at Chuck E Cheese!!!! Chuck E Cheese is one of his favorite places to go. He loves to play the all the games and NEVER wants to leave once we are there. I really think he enjoyed spending the day with Momma and Dadda at his favorite place! I know I am biased, but Alexander is just an incredible child. When he struggles physically, I can see the strength and determination in his eyes to accomplish his goal. He is amazing, and we are so lucky to be his parents.

Alexander and Mommy on the carousel!

Alexander and Daddy playing basketball!

Alexander playing with his new toys!

G-Tube

The past few months have been very hectic and busy. Alexander went into the hospital in February to have a G-Tube placed. We tried and succeeded for a year and a half to postpone this, but we knew the time was here when his weight was no longer going up. He was so amazing in the hospital considering it was his first hospital stay. They did an NG-Tube trial to be sure his body could handle the feeds before putting in the G-Tube. He did fine with it, so they went forward with the G-Tube. The surgery went well, and he was able to go home the next night. He is doing fairly well with the G-Tube, and it has healed up very nicely. It has definitely been a struggle trying to find the perfect diet and method for doing Alexander's feeds. We are using the Kangaroo Joey pump at night for five hours at a slow rate, and he is doing really well with this. We are very grateful for the pump suggestions by the Gustafson's because the pump has worked well for Alexander with no problems! We are still working with and adjusting his day feeds to get the right amount of calories in him daily without him getting too full. We have seen a huge difference in Alexander's strength since the G-Tube was placed, and we look forward to finding a set schedule that works well for him.

Alexander in the hospital with an NG Tube.

Alexander with his cousin Kaitlyn at Riley Hospital!

Alexander in the Riley wagon... Time to go HOME!!!

New Bath Chair

Alexander FINALLY received his bath chair! I was so excited to give him his first bath with it. I knew he would love being able to sit up in the bath and play. We have been laying him down in the tub with towels under his head. It worked well, but we were excited for him to be able to sit up and play in the water. I got everything all ready, and it was time for his first bath in the bath chair. Alexander got in his chair, and as the tub was filling with water he immediately started asking for his toys. He absolutely LOVED his new bath chair, and it was so incredible to watch him smile and play so easily. I am so thankful for equipment like this because it lets my little boy experience many things despite his SMA.

Alexander in his new bath chair!!

That smile is PRICELESS!

Alexander's iPad

For Christmas, Alexander was blessed to receive an iPad from his Mimi. We did a ton of research on the iPad, and knew that Alexander would be so lucky to have that technology in his hands. He is such a smart little boy, and is often frustrated when he can not physically do something that he wants to do. We knew that it would be both fun and educational for him, and would be useful to him for many years. We wanted him to have this so bad, and we were so blessed that his Mimi was able to get it for him. On Christmas day, he opened it and immediately figured out what to do. He was instantly in love with it, as was everyone in the room watching him use it. He now plays with it ALL the time, and has already learned so much from it. We have tried to keep it as educational as possible, with some FUN thrown in. I am so impressed that he can figure it out without us having to teach him. He is one blessed little boy, and we are so blessed for this kind of technology.

Alexander with his iPad Christmas Day!

Alexander playing his "Animals" game!

Alexander and Daddy playing with the iPad!

Day After Christmas

We decided to stay home and enjoy each others company the day after Christmas. We knew Alexander had been taken around to many different places over the last couple of weeks, and thought he needed a day at home. My best friend, Shalee, decided to come over and spend the day with us. We always enjoy her company, and Alexander loves his Aunt Shalee. She brought a couple of presents for Alexander, and he was excited to see what she had. The first thing he opened was the color wonder sound studio, and he has loved being able to color and have music on his page. Her amazing parents got Alexander Toy Story 3, and Alexander was instantly ready to watch it! Now on the outside of the present was a set of bells on string, and I must say that was definitely a hit with him. He still asks to play with the bells every single day!!! I am so grateful to have such an AMAZING best friend with such AMAZING parents!! We definitely enjoyed having Aunt Shalee spend the day with us, and look forward to her next visit.

Aunt Shalee helping Alexander unwrap his present!

One happy little boy with bells and Toy Story 3!!

Christmas

Alexander definitely had a wonder Christmas this year. He was so excited to see all the presents under the tree on Christmas morning. I am not quite sure that he understood that "Santa" brought them, but he sure was excited to sit with us by the tree and open them. Of course, this being the first year he liked to open presents, I was so excited to watch him open them. On the second present he opened he received a Chuggington train set, and he was DONE. He was so excited to play with his trains that he had no interest in opening anything else. I was so crushed, but looking over and seeing how happy he was with the Chuggington trains put the smile right back on my face. It always makes my day to see my boy that happy. We spent some time at home letting him play and enjoying the day together before we headed over to Mimi's house for dinner. We all enjoyed a great dinner with Mimi, Aunt Cheryl, and Uncle Andy. Spending time with family and friends is the best part of Christmas time, and I know all three of us loved seeing all of our family and friends during the holiday season. We are so thankful and blessed to have enjoyed this holiday season healthy and happy.

Our Christmas Tree on Christmas morning!

Daddy and Alexander by the Christmas tree!

Santa put a toothbrush in Alexander's stocking and he LOVED it!

Alexander playing with Koko... one of his Chuggington trains!

Mommy and Alexander at Mimi's!

Our family photo for Christmas cards!

Christmas Eve

This Christmas has just seemed to be so special... Alexander has really enjoyed all the lights, snow, and SANTA. It is so nice this year because he actually understands a little more about the Christmas season. We have had many gatherings with family and friends, and it has been so nice to see everyone. For Christmas Eve, we went to Aunt Alisha and Uncle Chad's house and spent the evening with family. We had a great time, and enjoyed the time with the family.

Alexander with his Nana!

Alexander drinking milk with Papa!!

Alexander playing with a big SMILE on his face!

Bounce Planet

Back in November, Alexander's Physical Therapist (Kim) mentioned taking him to Bounce Planet for his PT session. I thought it was a great idea, so that is what we did. Alexander has PT at the house, and we both thought that a change of scenery would benefit him. So on Friday afternoon, Sean and I got in the car and met Kim at Bounce Planet in Noblesville. I do not think that Alexander really knew what to think of everything, but he did so well for his first time there. We worked on many things while we were there... it was a lot of extremely hard work, but he was a trooper and did great!

Kim setting Alexander in an egg!

Alexander in the egg!

Daddy, Alexander, and Mommy at the bottom of the slide!