Santa Sighting

We attended Wimberley Market Days as a family and happened to run into the Big Jolly Man himself! This is the VERY first year that Allie went and sat on his lap willingly. She whispered that she wanted a Barbie for Christmas and could not stop grinning. Where were Ashlyn and Aaron you might ask? Aaron was fast asleep in the stroller and I was not about to wake him up for a Santa Sighting and Ashlyn was tucked neatly between my legs. She was yelling at Santa that she wanted a Barbie too but she was not moving ANY closer!

Aaron is 6 Months Old!

I know - I can hardly believe it either! He is getting so big - so fast and time is just flying. Sometimes I wish I could pause the clock for awhile and at least get caught up or relish in every special moment. Aaron's check up went well. He is thriving, weighing in at 18.5 pounds and 27.5 inches! Our little man ranks in the 75th percentile of typically developing kids and is off the charts on the Down Syndrome Growth Chart. We are still meeting with Gayla, for developmental services through ECI and have now added Physical Therapy to his plan. He is doing well and seems to be staying on target for the important milestones. His only battle so far is the ears and we are meeting with an ENT tomorrow. He is on his second ear infection already and we want to do everything we can to keep those ears clear for speech development. Aaron is quite possibly one of the happiest babies on earth. In fact we are never quite sure what to do when he cries. He loves smiling and laughing and just wants people to interact with him. He is beginning to develop his own little attitude and was sure to show it when he received his vaccines yesterday!

Please keep the prayers coming - they are working! Aaron is healthy and the rest of his family is doing pretty OK too :)

Blessings....

I cannot believe I have waited so long to post an update. Life just gets busy sometimes and with three little ones under 4 1/2 it seems a bit crazier at our household lately! As we pass through Thanksgiving on our way to Christmas I am reminded of just how many blessings we have in our lives. We are married to the love of our lives, have three amazing children, are surrounded by an incredible group of friends and family, have food every night on our table and a very nice roof over our heads! Although 2009 has been extremely challenging and we have had some difficult situations to swallow, we find great happiness in every one of our blessings :)


Since October 9th (my last post), we have had a ton of fun! We took our very first Anderson Family Vacation to Port Aransas and I got to go to the So You Think You Dance Tour with some girlfriends. We celebrated Wurstfest (more food on a stick), Halloween, many friends Birthday Parties (both young and old), the Downtown Tree Lighting and Thanksgiving. Here are some pictures to get everyone up to date. Enjoy!


Shayne and his kiddos at Port Royal

Steph and the kiddos on the boardwalk after our late night walk on the beach

Aaron's first "dip" in the ocean - Not sure if he really likes it!!

Our two "princesses" dressed and ready to trick or treat

Aaron is VERY happy to be a puppy dog - just wait until he learns about the candy!!!

Shayne and Allie on the Merry Go Round at Wurstfest

Two sisters enjoying the Thanksgiving chapel and lunch with parents at school

Allie, Hannah (10), and Ashlyn at the Tree Lighting

Grandpa and Shayne helping the girls to get a good view of SANTA!!!!

Out Thanksgiving Feast - we sure enjoyed the company and the food! (Mary Ann is taking the photo)

Little Man Update!

Aaron Shayne is 4 months old! At his Checkup he was 25 3/4 long and 16 lbs 15 oz. He is a chunk! He is around the 75th percentile of typically developing kiddos and 95th percentile of kiddos with Down's. He continues to develop well. We had some poopie issues we are resolving with a little bit of Apple juice and we are working on Aaron using his upper arms a bit more. He is not real interested in grabbing a toy - but will happily play with it if you hand it to him! We could not be more pleased with his progress and continue to be blessed with his good health. He is off the nebulizer for now and the cold is gone so we will continue to pray for his health and well-being through this nasty flu season!


Aaron was able to start cereal which was an exciting event for the Anderson household! Here is his first bite....


Not sure if he likes it.....

Of course, Allie and Ashlyn had to get in on the action. They think it is so cool that he is eating "real food" now!

Shayne and I attended our first Down Syndrome Support Group Meeting. It was not quite what we expected but definitely had some good information. We left feeling a bit overwhelmed at the amount of information we still need to learn and at how this diagnosis is life-changing for our family. It is very easy to live in the moment but the diagnosis becomes quite overwhelming as we look beyond the baby stages. We believe that Aaron is going to grow up to make a difference in this world. I am just now able to read about Down Syndrome without crying so I am going to begin to take in as much information as I can so Shayne and I can help Aaron reach his true potential. Continued thanks to everyone for your thoughts, prayers and support. Please keep it coming. We are so blessed but realize the road has only just begun :)

OctoberFest 2009

We have a tradition with the Blackburn Family and the Jenkins Family to attend Octoberfest in Fredericksburg each year. This was our third annual trip and the kiddos had a great time once again! It's another event for food on a stick, cold beer and lots of fun for the little ones!


We borrowed Rilyn's hat for a picture with Aaron. I kind of think it makes him look like a gnome!


Ashlyn and Ella waiting patiently for the chicken dance!

Rilyn loves some Octoberfest!

This was a BIG year for Ella - her first adventures with Face Painting at Octoberfest! She loved it and looks beautiful!

Of course - all of the kiddos had to do it! Monkey see, Monkey Do!

Here is Landry as Batman!

Allie as a Rose Princess...

and Ashlyn as a Rainbow Kitty! What Else would she be?!

Even though it poured down rain - the kids managed to have fun in the sand - I mean mud!!!!

Our friend turns 3!

Some moments and pictures are just priceless! Ashlyn is giving Ella a great big Birthday hug from one 3 year old to another!

The Official Start to Food on a Stick Season in New Braunfels!

The Comal County Fair kicks of our local eating on a stick season! Good food, cold beer and lots of fun for the kiddos. New Braunfels closes down for the Comal County Fair parade and Fair day(you cannot even go to the bank!) It is an awesome little fair and fun for the whole family.


Ashlyn is her parade at First Protestant School...

Allie in the First Protestant School parade. Doesn't she look excited?

A favorite - the pig ride at the fair!

This is what Aaron thinks of the fair - just wait until he can ride rides!

Daddy got to ride the horses this year - looks like fun for the whole family!