Big Week Ahead Of Us.......

Well, this is going to be a big week for the Robertson gang!!! Randy is off at work again and Connor will start preschool on Monday and Alex will celebrate his first birthday on Tuesday!

First of all, Connor. He will begin preschool at Alpac Elementary on Monday afternoon. I am hopeful that this will be the year for Connor to have a great experience at school after last year being such a devastating start. If you'll remember, he got sick in just the 4 days he was in the classroom last year. I am nervous that Connor will struggle with illness again, but we just have to give it a try. I took him to orientation on Friday of last week and it was a complete nightmare. He screamed and cried the whole time. I don't know what prompted such severe outbursts, but it was extremely hard for me and it was an unfair way for him to meet his teacher. Connor struggles in so many areas, I desperately want him to excel in school, to fit in and be accepted and be liked by others. It's really hard when he isn't where the other kids are, they look at him differently and I wonder what his education profile is going to look like. We are so committed to Connor and to his progress in a variety of areas, and education is on the top of the list. I guess that's why this is so important to me that he receives the right placement and the right place for him to try and make strides with preschool learning and social integration. We are putting our best foot forward tomorrow and praying for good results. Please pray for Connor in this area. Pray that he would feel comfortable in the classroom setting and that he would be safe from illness. Pray that the teacher and para-educators would know how to best encourage and boost his learning. Pray that he would have fun with other kids and enjoy learning new things. I know for most kids, preschool is an anticipated step toward independence and expanded opportunities, however for Connor, there are many limitations because of his delays. Call me overprotective, that's OK, but I just want the very best for him and I am worried!!! He will be in school Monday - Thursday in the afternoons from 1:00 - 3:40. I will be taking him to school because it is too much out of my comfort zone to send him on the bus when he's not walking or communicating yet. That one's going to take me a while to feel comfortable with. So, for now it will be me and the bug-a-boo off to school (with the other munchkins in toe as well) 4 days a week. Wish him well tomorrow and say your prayers for an awesome day and a great start to preschool.

OK, now on to Alex. Our little peanut is going to be ONE year old on Tuesday. It's really hard to believe that he is already approaching this huge milestone. It truly seems like yesterday that he was born...maybe that's just because I haven't shed that baby weight yet...Hee Hee. Since Randy is not going to be home, we have opted to celebrate the big #1 on the 25th with the grandparents instead of doing it on his actual birthday. He will enjoy being the center of attention with lots of love & snuggles & presents. He recently recovered from about a 10 day sickness with a yucky virus called Rotavirus. Poor little fella, lost a lot of weight and was just miserable. He's starting to eat normally again and he's beginning to fill out in his little face as well. He's cruisin' all over the place, but hasn't taken any independent steps yet. Probably within the next month he'll be walking all over the house!!! He finally has 4 teeth, that have all come in within the last 3 weeks....literally. Teething has been miserable for Alex. I hope that he can get some more so we can make better strides with eating. He really doesn't like anything he has to chew yet, because he just has those silly gums. But now that he has front teeth we are making a little bit of progress in this department. He remains a constant joy and he keeps me on my toes....he's faster than lightning!!

We enjoyed taking Mackenzie to the Puyallup Fair last Friday on opening day. She just loved the animals and the petting zoo. She has no fear when it comes to animals so she was playing with Billy Goats, bunnies, and even a little baby hen. She also loved being on Daddy's shoulders to see the giant draft horses. Wow, those things are big!! We strolled around all afternoon and she even went on her first roller coaster...Daddy accompanied her on the Tiger Coaster while Mama video taped. She did great and loved the 3 rides that she went on. In fact the next morning when she got up she kept talking about how "very fun" the fair was. The scones and corn dogs were yummy, but boy oh boy, every year they are more expensive....Whew...It was a small investment just to attend the fair for a few hours. I'm not complaining though, we had a great time!!!

That's it for the moment. I'll try to post pictures of our big week soon. Also, our thoughts and prayers go out to our California family members on the news of Uncle Ernie's entrance to Heaven. That was Randy's dad's brother and a wonderful man. We loved him dearly and we are praying for Aunt Shirley and the rest of the family as they find peace in this difficult time.

All our Lovebug Hugs,
Lori