Nate's FIRST birthday!

Wow what a year! How would we describe Nate's first year? In brief......Surreal. Sleep deprived. A whirlwind. Educational. Emotional. In fact, at times, it was pretty bloody challenging! A roller coaster of 'stressful surprises', and appointments with doctors and therapists.

But ultimately, we've had far more happy moments than not, far more times of joy than of despair, and we have the absolute blessing of a healthy (well comparatively) and happy one year old son in our lives! He is SO divine that words just don't do him justice (PS we are possibly slightly biased on this point).

Our next blog will sum up some of the realities of the past year, along with some of our more precious memories of the past year with a video of images that Robin has compiled, but for now this post is all about Nate's FIRST BIRTHDAY!

Here he is, our gorgeous little birthday boy in action...

Mischief begins at breakfast!

Opening my first stash of presents!

With the olds! (Stripes were optional, but we all got the memo)

Finest Mohawk in town!

With my favourite lady :-)

Obviously the little man deserved a primo cake after such a full on year, so I decided to put all my baking skills on the line and really go all out for him...........ordering him an awesome one on the internet! He just loved it - especially the little buzzy bee on the top! :-) The other option would have been finding one featuring the little girl character from the TV series Ni Hao Kai-lan (who he still just adores), but those proved somewhat harder to come by here. And of course the other option was of me baking, but that wouldn't have been a great outcome for our guests :-). Shame Uncle Darryl lives so far away, or his legendary carrot cake could have been a possibility.....

To further celebrate the auspicious day, we had a barbie on the deck in the unfinished house, and the even more unfinished backyard. (That's a whole different story, suffice to say we think we will be done soon! PS definition of 'soon' is unknown :-)). Granny and Grandaddy, Mia, Chris and Norm, Michael, Claire and Sophie, Simon, Alison and Warwick, and AK all dropped by to share in the day. Here are a few snaps of the afternoon...

Who's this Granny?! Wee little Sophie meets Nate

Think she's trying to play footsie with me?!

You catching this?!

And here the littlies are with their grandmothers......

Think these Grannies planned their outfits?! Sophie just needs a Mohawk and then we all match!

No private band or DJ needed....entertainment was enjoying bubbles with my new birthday bubble machine from Chris and Norm.....loves it! Plays a great tune too. (Although after hearing it 500 times, its a little less great for Mummy and Daddy!)

Entranced!

Hanging with my favourite lady (again)!

Post feed socialising

Playing with my birthday balloon, Myrtle the Turtle! (It still has air in it, even now some ten days later, and is tied to his walker. He takes great pride in 'walking' it around the kitchen!)

Hours of fun!

And with my stash of balloons on my mat....hours of fun :-). Balloons are clearly a big hit!

Playing with Grandad....poetry in motion at his standing table.....

Finally, we also wanted to pass on Nates' thanks for all the lovely gifts that he got for his first birthday - he really was very spoilt! Books, clothes, toys galore! Thank you cards are coming your way soon :-)

 

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS POST WILL GET UPDATED WITH MORE IMAGES OF NATE'S SPECIAL DAY, ONCE GRANNY AND GRANDADDY GET BACK FROM HOLIDAYING IN AUSSIE AND DOWNLOAD THE PICS :-)

And here are the new photos! From in the morning, and then throughout the day....

 

 

 

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Making March progress

Our little man has had a busy month, rocking his work out sessions like a trooper!

So much so, that at a joint Conductive and Private Physio session - where we paid for both of his private therapists (Ildi and Deb) to come together for a chat and converse on their respective opinions - both noted how marked his improvement has been over the last 6 months. Both have extensive experience with all manner of conditions including genetic disorders, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy etc (albeit none with Trisomy 9 Mosaic), and both feel that comparatively Nate is making great progress! His latest new trick is creeping and he can get around a bit with that skill in hand. His butt is not quite up enough yet to be able to manage a crawl, but he is still creeping nonetheless! He is also far more adventurous in his walker, discovering the kitchen en masse now (photo to come below).

Here is some small evidence that all the therapy really is paying off, see him in action at Conductive Education below....

So a massive accolade to 'Team Nate' who help us by putting hours into helping Nate practise and repeat those challenging and tricky moves, daily - Granny, Grandaddy, and Nanny Sylvie.

And thank you again to those of you that contributed to Nate's therapy fund as one of Nate's 'Superhero Supporters', it really is paying off. I would also like to acknowledge a family friend here, who recently made a contribution that was not only unexpected but very generous - thank you Fran, I am adding you to our Superhero list :-)

But it hasn't all been hard therapy slog. We have been out and about a bit with a few things, like the Teddy Bears Picnic, lunches out, and walks. In fact here he is at the recent Gay Pride Parade in Ponsonby, Darling!

Hanging out with the girls and Dad!

So much to see - sequins and feathers - my favourite things!

And here he is snap-happy with Granny, and some visiting family friends from the UK, Brian and Dorothy. Thank you for my new suit, very flash, and one I will be rocking around town in within a couple of months I am sure!

And here he is sharing his toys with Brian, and charming them with his mat antics......(loves to be the centre of attention!)....

In terms of other news on the Nate front, we are due another hearing test shortly, along with a x-ray on his spine. Hopefully this will be the last test on the right ear, so we can move forward with a hearing aid. We are keen to, as we want to take him to other places with more kids (like playgroups and playcentres) where he can mimic more, but we really need the aid sorted for this. We have been warned that in places like that he might get quite frustrated and upset with his hearing. And fingers crossed on that latter one (the spine x-ray), it is one that worries me for the future, so I'm happy we are getting a steer on that now which we can track.

Also on the cards soon, is a visit from the District Nurse for weigh-in, one which we always really look forward to. if there is one thing that Nate shows no issue with now, it's his feeding and growth :-).

We are now moving onto other finger foods, and more exciting blended solids - try pure Angus beef with mixed veges, fish pie, roast vegetables, and one of his favourites chicken and potato. Frankly he eats better than we do! We are also about to put him on omega and vitamin D supplements, as well as probiotics. There is some recent evidence that suggests these can aid autistic kids and others, certainly with brain, bone, and muscle development. The evidence isn't definitive, but we figure anything is worth a shot in these early forming years :-)

Finally on the 8th March - the day before his first birthday - we took him to get some professional shots taken, at a studio in Newmarket. I had bid on a session at a charity auction sometime back, and picked up a shoot and one framed image, for a fraction of what you would normally pay. However the little monkey had other plans, and failed to turn on the typical charm, so some of the shots are likely to be more on the pensive side than the happy chap side! Pics to come in time.

And make sure you check out the next blog for his first birthday!

Practising my standing over at Waiheke earlier this year

And more recently at home. I reckon I could stand solo one of these days soon too.....

...perhaps Daddy will one day too! :-)

 

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