It started in the late afternoon. Contractions started coming every ten minutes or so. We knew our little man would be on the way soon, but we were in for a long night. So, after consulting with my sister we went to the mall for a little mall walking. Yes, that is true. We walked the mall for a good two hours. I then went home enjoyed a nice dinner made by my mother in law (fajitas if I remember correctly.)

After dinner, I could feel the contractions coming on strong. After a nice long bath, I called Logan and told him it was time for him to come home from work so we could make the ten minute trek to the hospital. We checked in on December 27 at 10 pm. Two hours and two pushes later, our precious Daven Tate had arrived. December 28 at 12:24 am he was finally placed in my arms after nine long months. He was beautiful in every sense of the word. Itty bitty, but perfect!

Looking back now two years later, how the time has flown by. Our life has changed in obviously more than one way. Daven is still as precious as he was on that memorable night.

Tonight we had an amazing second birthday party for this very special boy. It was a giant success. Last year my memories of his birthday include, Daven screaming after his hands touched the icing, trying my hardest not to curl up in the corner and cry, and simply trying to keep Daven calm. However, this year was an absolute different story.

Daven was amazing. He LOVED every single toy. He LOVED all the guests at his party. He LOVED (okay well not loved per-se but licked his lips) when I gave him a dab of dairy free ice cream. I feel as though I will always have anxiety about throwing Daven a birthday party, but overall, this year was a huge success!

Again, I am sorry there aren’t any pictures yet. I will get to those as soon as they are downloaded onto my computer. I am currently working off of Autumn’s laptop (YES AUTNIE AUTUMN IS HERE!!!) and haven’t even been to my home in about 10 days. (Oh how I miss my bed, but I must spend every second possible with my family even if it means sacrificing my own bed.)

So, happy birthday my son. I am so proud of your huge growth this year. You are surprising more everyday. We love you more than the entire world…and back again. Happy birthday to our BIG BOY!

LOVE LOVE LOVE

We have made it home from our week long trip to Oklahoma. It was a fantastic trip and Santa was so generous to all of us! I have been out of commission for a week now and I feel a bit out of sorts. The one great thing about traveling to OK is how easy it is to run away from reality. No TV, no internet, no phone…it was nice to have a breath of fresh air. Just a little time to enjoy games food and fun.

We have so many pictures and great stories to tell and show off. However, we only have one minute to spare before we rush off to enjoy Christmas with my family. As soon as we get a break from all the Santa and fun, I will be sure and tell all.

I hope everyone had a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS. I have missed you all so much. I will be spending lots of time catching up on everyone’s holiday stories.

Merry Christmas to all…and to all a good night.

LOVE LOVE LOVE

A winter storm has hit our part of the world hard the past day or two. Last night was bitter cold so we were sure to bundle Daven up from head to toe when we went to Monga’s for dinner. Every time I start dressing him for a cold outing, I always remember that scene in “The Christmas Story” when the mom is dressing the boys. And Ralphie (if I remember right) says “Getting ready to go to school was like getting ready for extended deep-sea diving.” HA! He did so well keeping his mittens on. I was impressed that he didn’t try and pull them off immediately. He was a champ and stayed warm from head to toe!

He also spent a little more time at the piano with his daddy. I am so anxious by his LOVE for it. He could very possibly sit at a piano for hours on end. Playing and banging and listening. The pure joy in his face was undeniable. I have decided to push for piano lessons for him. Like others have said, once he masters the piano, he can master almost any other instrument.

We are headed out to Oklahoma today for Christmas. Internet connection will be limited so I may not be able to update. I just want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers and we take to the road. I anticipate some ugly weather and even uglier roads. We will be coming home Tuesday after Christmas to spend a few days with my family. I am looking forward to it all. We will be enjoying many card games, tons of food, and even more laughter!

I hope everyone has a happy holiday and enjoys time with your family and friends. BE SAFE!

LOVE LOVE LOVE

It was a nice and productive weekend in my household. Friday we all went out and finished my list of Christmas shopping. It is so fun buying things for Daven. Envisioning smiles of joy as he unwraps his amazing gifts from Santa. Okay, so maybe not smiles of joy because they are pretty boring gifts. Jammies, Coat, and a few odds and ends. I also finished wrapping all of my gifts. Daven has been googly eyed over the boxes bags and bows! I finally had to put them up on the guest bed to keep him out. HA!

We also decided to make one final stop to visit Santa! I was anxious to see how Daven would react to jolly Santa. When we put Daven in his lap he looked and stared for a while and just wasn’t sure what he thought about this Santa thing. Then once he relaxed after a few minutes he smiled and started to enjoy Santa’s company. We ended up getting the best shot of Daven. I was so pleased and am happy to say it was worth every penny! The scanned copy doesn’t do this picture justice. But he is still so cute. Logan wouldn’t let us take his hat off because he needed a serious haircut. Looking back now, I think the hat adds character.

We did finally end up giving Daven his third haircut. It is amazing what a little haircut can do to make him look like such a big boy! I think I am still a bit in shock that he is almost 2. He is really starting to look like the big boy that he is.

One final side note. I have gotten some amazing things in my mail box over the past week. A beautiful ornament, pictures, and Christmas cards. Again, I am so lucky call all of you my friends and Thank you for your love and support this year. Here’s to family and friends, Christmas can’t be very far away.

LOVE LOVE LOVE

Daven is starting to show signs of his LOVE for music. While watching him lately, everything he has been doing seems to revolve around music. A while back, Logan went to Monga’s piano and clicked around on it a bit. Daven instantly stopped what he was doing sat up (prairie dog style) and looked around to find where that beautiful music was coming from. Then he crawled as fast as he could to the piano to sit in his daddies lap and play along with him. These boys sat at that piano for a good 20 minutes playing and listening to the beautiful sounds. You can tell by Daven’s face he is LOVING that music and can’t get his ear close enough to the sounds.

This picture was also taken a few days ago while Daven was playing with a Christmas toy. This toy sings an Elvis Christmas song. (our Christmas theme is 50’s you know!) He loves to push the button and make it sing then he just puts it to his ear so he can listen more intently. SO CUTE! I love watching his face light up when he hears music and can’t get to that music fast enough. Or pushes it up to his ear as close as he can get it.

And finally, here is Logan strumming his guitar. Daven has now figured out what a guitar is and wants to strum the strings ALL the time. He will crawl and search from room to room until he finds that guitar so he can strum the strings. Ah sweet music. The second he does…his face lights up more than I have ever seen. The face of pure joy and excitement.

I am anxious to start Daven in a music program. Guitar, piano…not sure which. Or maybe both! I wish we lived close enough to my aunt who is a brilliant pianist and has a piano school. (Which by the way, if anyone is near LA get with me to get her contact information. You won’t be disappointed!) I cannot wait to see all the music abilities that Daven has stored away inside his tiny little frame. Coming from a musically inclined family anyway, I know that his talents will far surpass mine. The Marshall household is going to be full of sweet music.

LOVE LOVE LOVE

I suppose it hasn’t hit me that Daven is almost two until…oh, lets say 10 minutes ago! I was working on his birthday invitations still not thinking much about it, then I typed in “to celebrate Daven’s SECOND birthday.” I just stopped frozen in the typing position. Wait, NO that can’t be right. I remember typing “to celebrate Daven’s FIRST birthday,” it can’t already be time for a second birthday?!

Wow, how this year has seemed to fly by in some ways and slowly creep by in others! He has met some of my goals for him before his second birthday, and hasn’t met others. I will say that I am pleased with the growth I have seen in him over the past year and anticipate the next year ahead of us still!

Daven had an amazing eating session on Monday night. He ate almost half a jar of Gerber’s “mixed berries!” I know he swallowed at least 10 bites! I was so excited I could hardly stand it while jumping up and down cheering on every bite! I even called Logan in to watch because I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I had to get another witness. We tried again last night with “fruit medley” and it didn’t go as well, but I know he still got some down him. Maybe this is a start to our eating breakthrough! Okay so this might be the 4th or 5th start to the eating breakthrough that I am hoping will come soon!

We had a nice lazy weekend. Logan went pheasant hunting so Daven and I got to enjoy some more one on one time with each other. Now that Logan is home with us on the weekends Daven and I don’t get much alone time. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE Logan being at home on the weekends, but it is nice to enjoy a little mommy and son time. Those are when the precious moments happen. And yes, it usually involves lots of pictures.

Daven has only recently been interested in this toy. We have had it almost a year now and lately he has LOVED it and wants to cruse around on it, spin it and make it sing. How can you go wrong with this toy?! Granted, I see DANGER written all over it when he rides it like this. I foresee bonked heads and possibly broken bones. As much as I love watching him play like a big boy it does make me a bit nervous. Therefore, I watch him like a hawk when he decides that he wants to go for a ride.

Wait, is it already December 12?! I guess that means I better start Christmas shopping! When is the last day to pay for express shipping? Yikes!

LOVE LOVE LOVE

I just got home from a holiday brunch. (Thanks B for the invite!) It was so fun, light, and great just to sit around a table and giggle with an old friend. It did get me to thinking on my way home. I am not a social butterfly like some and I don’t tend to smile at any and all passerbies. However, during the holiday season…I tend to hold my head up high, walk a little taller, and greet all that walk by with, at the very least, a warm Christmas smile.

Thinking about my actions and about the holiday season I started to wonder. Is this what it feels like to have the personality of a Williams Syndrome person? I find myself during this time of year wanting to love everybody and spread holiday cheer to everyone around me. Is that not what a WS person feels on a daily basis? Is the Joy around the world at Christmas time what a WS child wants for their own life? After all, there is no such thing as a “stranger” to any WS person. They know no strangers!

While considering this and wondering all morning long…I made a vow to myself. I promise to be social, kind, and loving to all people no matter the time of year. The kindness of the world should not only last one month. Let it carry on for an entire year. I make that vow to myself today.

One More Sleep Till Christmas
By Kermit

There's magic in the air this evening
Magic in the air
The world is at her best you know
When people love and care
The promise of excitement is one the night will keep
After all, there's only one more sleep 'til Christmas

The world has got a smile today
The world has got a glow
There's no such thing as strangers
When a stranger says hello
And everyone is family we're having so much fun
After all there's only one more sleep 'til Christmas

'Tis the season to be jolly and joyous
With a burst of pleasure we feel it arrive
It's the season when the Saints can employ us
To spread the news about peace and to keep love alive

There's something in the wind today
That's good for everyone
Yes, faith is in our hearts today
We're shinin' like the sun
And everyone can feel it, the feelin's runnin' deep
After all there's only one more sleep 'til Christmas
After all there's only one more sleep 'til Christmas
Day

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! Now and all year long.

LOVE LOVE LOVE

Yesterday was an amazing day for Daven. He had two GREAT therapy sessions while learning lots of new tricks. He actually signed “MORE!” We have been working on this sign language since March. So to finally see that he is grasping the concept of sign language is amazing! He also walked about 6 feet holding on with only one hand. He stood by himself for 4 seconds. I could go on and on. He had one of the best days that he has had in a very long time! Development is really starting to progress and I am anxious to see more and more changes. I am also so very proud of him. He has been working hard with little to no fuss. He is starting to grow up and be such a big boy. The baby years are almost over. If we could only get the eating under control, he would officially be a BIG BOY!

Daven and I both called in sick on Tuesday. We decided it was a perfect day to play hooky. We just hung out in our jammies, played, sung, and cuddled all day long. It was such a great day to make a “connection” with my son all over again. Every now and then I have to remind myself why being a mother is so fun. It might sound horrible for me to say, but I get so wrapped up in work and just the every day life…that sometimes I don’t stop myself to actually enjoy motherhood. But, Tuesday…I was reminded! Here we are enjoying the day together. Yes, this is me trying to take more self-portraits. HA! Keep in mind I had to take about 10 of these pictures to get one that was half way decent. HA!

Daven has also mastered the art of “buttons.” He has learned to crawl to the entertainment center, open the doors, and push the button on Logan’s Xbox. He knows that by pushing this button, it will open and close…open and close…open and close. (You get the picture!) I have watched him do this for a full 10 minutes. So funny! Logan finally ended up unplugging the Xbox. It is now only a matter of time before he learns to do that on the DVD player. Sigh. I have to say, I love every second of it. So fun to watch!

Friday is finally here! I made it though the week without any jury duty. Except for Tuesday when I called in sick. I was supposed to have jury duty that day…but completely forgot! Opps! They are probably making out the warrant for my arrest as I type. If you don’t hear from me next week, you might find me in an orange suit at the local detention center.

LOVE LOVE LOVE

Because we spent a lot of the weekend with Micah, we got to spend a lot of time with Cousin Luke as well. Daven and Luke have been such great buddies lately. They love to chase after each other while crawling, they love to wrestle (Luke is usually the champ by crawling on top of Daven), and they just love playing with each others toys.

On this particular evening, Daven and Luke were playing quite nicely. Now that they are both pulling up on things, they ended up at Luke’s walker. We watched peaking around the corner while they were playing. No words were being said, but you could see all over their faces they were having a conversation. Daven reached up to show Luke how to spin the toys as fast as he possibly could. Luke simply stood beside him watching. Next Daven pulled away and looked at Luke as it to say…okay, you try. Sure enough Luke grabbed hold and started spinning away! Here is Daven congratulating Luke on his progress. I know he was saying "way to go Luke, you are a great student!" HA! We laughed about it the rest of the evening.

We also ended up putting them in the bath together. They loved splashing each other and playing in the bubbles. I know these boys are going to grow up and be such great friends! Luke is going to be a big boy! So I figure if Daven needs any help pushing away all the bullies, Luke will be right behind him protecting him. That is my hope at least.

We haven’t made any more strides on eating however. I haven’t seen any swallowing since last Wednesday, but I will continue to try. What else can you do but try…right? We did try the peanut butter and it didn’t go over as well as I had hoped. He didn’t hate it, but he sure didn’t love it. I think the peanut butter sticking to his fingers was a bigger problem than in his mouth. He was much more concerned about getting it off his hands rather than eating it. Sigh. I tried, I honestly tried.

LOVE LOVE LOVE

Indulge me a moment to brag…

It was a busy weekend packed with holiday fun. Each year in our little community we enjoy an event called the “Holiday Happening.” Tables are elaborately decorated by very talented women and a crowd of over 500 comes to enjoy the function and to spread holiday cheer. Last year, I took Micah along with me for the first time. After talking about it for months, we decided that this year we might take a stab at decorating our own table. So, we did it!

My mother and grandmother have been decorating tables for YEARS now. Nine years to be exact. And every year, they have decorated at least 2 or 3 different tables each. A much bigger task than Micah and I were willing to take on. The theme we came up with was “Merry Christmoose!” Including a Moose Santa, Merry Christmoose sign, and Micah’s homemade Moose Munch to tie it all in. By putting our heads together, I would have to say that our table was one of the cutest tables there! (Other than mom and Monga’s of course!) We nervously decorated the table on Friday afternoon in hopes that it would all come together for a great presentation. While putting on the finishing touches, we took a step back to admire our creation. It was perfect!

Watching the talent flow from my mother and grandmother for so many years now, I was afraid that I had inherited NONE of that talent. After this weekend, I believe that I see a ray of hope in the talent department. Will we take on the task of decorating a table next year…NO! Okay, so maybe…ask me in a few months after I have forgotten all the stress that comes with the fun.

It was such a fun event and fun to enjoy the time with Micah. Love you Micah and thanks for all your help. It wouldn’t have come together without you!

MERRY CHRISTMOOSE EVERYONE!

LOVE LOVE LOVE