January has been another busy month in the Benscoter household. We started off the year spending January 1st with the Massachusetts Benscoter family. We had a blast catching up with Carol, Dick, Allison, Joe, Brian, Danielle, Kevin, Ana, and the kids. Sophia had so much fun playing with all of them! On January 2nd we took Tyler to Boston Children's Hospital for a sedated echo. Tyler's cardiologist was concerned about the function of Tyler's right ventricle so he wanted to get some additional images. Thankfully, Tyler's heart looked as good as it ever has! We were so relieved! On January 4th Tyler did tummy time with his Early Intervention therapist and just one day later he rolled from his belly to his back for the first time! We were so excited to see him perform such a fun milestone. Joe had to go back to New Mexico on January 6th but we knew it would only be a matter of weeks before we were together again as a family of four. On January 11th my brother Evan and my Dad got to cash in on one of their Christmas gifts by heading into Boston for the Celtics game. They both had a blast at the game even though they were in the nose-bleed section. Maybe they will sit court-side once I hit the lottery ;)
Joe traveled to Columbus, Mississippi to start his next round of training-- his T-38 refresher course on January 17th. Joe will be attending classes, doing simulators, and flying the T-38 to "knock the dust off" before he heads to C-17 training this spring. On that same day, I took Tyler into Boston for one last check up with his Cardiologist and Gastroenterologist. He had a barium swallow study that determined that Tyler was safely swallowing purees. Great news! Since Tyler is doing so much better medically and there is a good children's hospital nearby (Birmingham, AL), we were cleared to spend a large amount of time with Joe away from all of his doctors. So, on January 25th Sophia, Tyler, and I picked up Nana at the Boston airport! Once she squeezed herself into the small space on the back bench that wasn't covered with luggage, we were off to New Jersey to spend the night with Uncle Uly, Aunt Karen, and Matt. It was a whirlwind kind of stop as we arrived at 5PM and left the following morning around 8AM. However brief our stay was, we really enjoyed spending time with all of them and meeting Colleen, Matt's girlfriend. We traveled from northern New Jersey all the way to Roanoke, VA on January 26th only stopping once at a Chick Fil A for food and play time. Sophia had a blast in the play place and even threw a massive fit when it was time to leave. Oh, the joys of raising a two year old! We were in Roanoke by 4:30PM and in the hotel pool by 5PM :) Aunt Melissa met us there shortly there-after and promptly hopped in the pool as well! We enjoyed Olive Garden take out for dinner in the hotel room but our evening did not go so fabulously. Sophia was sleeping on a mattress on the floor and she accidentally rolled off of it around 11PM. Her screaming woke Tyler up and made him start screaming....which resulted in him throwing up all over himself and the pack n' play. Sophia never really slept well the rest of the night and she started crying again around 4AM which again woke Tyler up. Since there was no sleep in sight for any of us, we decided to hit the road once we got packed up. We said goodbye to Melissa just before 7AM and we made it to Nana and Papa's house in Georgia around 1PM on January 27th! Whew!
On January 28th, Nana and Papa watched Sophia and Tyler so that I could have the day to myself. I drove out to Alpharetta to do some shopping and have lunch with two of my roommates from college, Ashley and Rebekah. I felt so blessed that they were able to meet up with me on such short notice. We had such a great time catching up...it was by far the best part of my day! I ended my outing with a relaxing pedicure. It was a great day all around! Joe flew into Atlanta on January 29th and then we drove to Columbus, MS during nap time on January 30th. We have been lucky enough to be in a Temporary Living Facility (TLF) unit that has 3 bedrooms so each of the kids have their own room...YAY! We are actually staying in a unit that is exactly like the one we lived in when Joe was here for pilot training in 2008-09.
I'd like to conclude this month's post with an update on how the kids are doing developmentally. Sophia has a strong desire to be independent while still not having the strength/coordination/height etc. in which to accomplish certain tasks. This leads to a lot of frustration on both of our parts at times. She loves all things sparkly and pink so she really is a girly girl. She is talking more now and occasionally her brain will go faster than the words can come out of her mouth! She likes to give us a play-by-play and will say things like, "Mommy holding Tyler, Sophia eating cracker" or when she wants to Skype with family she will say, "Mommy find Nana...find her! Mommy find Papa...find him!" Tyler is making great strides as well. He has rolled from his belly to his back several times and he is now able to sit on his own with the use of his arms. He is still quite unstable but is getting better each day. He is also able to rest on fully extend his arms during tummy time with a little support from Mommy :) He continues to taste purees 1-2 times each day but he does not consume a large amount during each feeding. We hope he will take to eating orally soon so we can slowly wean him off of his G tube. Enjoy the photos and videos we took this month!
Benscoter cousins! Marcus, Sophia, Joe, Tyler, Ava, and Abby
Sophia passed out 5 minutes after we left Carol & Dick's house. She had a blast!
Sophia told me her books "fell" into her bed...what a sneaky girl! :)
Tyler just after his sedated echo was completed
Sophia getting ready to go out and play in the snow!
Sliding down the hill with Grandpa!
She had a blast!
Going to try out the hill on the other side of the house
She had fun there too!
Grandpa's turn!
Tummy time!
Right after this was taken, Tyler rolled from his belly to his back for the first time!
Tyler rolled onto his belly during nap time and ended up sleeping for over 2 hours!
6 Months Old!
Sophia watching Grandpa draw some of the Sesame Street gang
Sophia showing Grandpa her Abby Cadabby doll so he knows just how to draw her :)
Learning about birds from Uncle Ben
Tyler's frist experience with "solid" foods....squash!
He wasn't so sure about it
Playing on the computer with Jen, Tyler's Early Intervention therapist
Dad and Evan went out to dinner before going to the Celtics game! They got tickets for Christmas and enjoyed some Father-Son bonding time :)
Ava getting ready to down her yogurt.
Once again it is monkey see...
Monkey do!
Sweet cousins!
So cozy cuddling with Grandpa in his big slippers
Playing Play-Doh with Grandma
Tyler just before his Barium swallow study
Sophia loved the ice-cream cupcake she got at Ava's birthday party!
Ava loved hers, too!
Our first time trying out pigtails! So cute!
Grandpa and his girls!
Look who's sitting up!
Sophia' stretching out on the couch just before we hit the road to get Nana in Boston.
Sophia playing in Chick Fil A in Maryland. She LOVED it!
Look at that concentration!
Playing air hockey with Papa!
What Sophia gets when she spends time with Nana: manicures and brownies! Not a bad deal!
Sophia's new pajamas and bathrobe from Nana and Papa
Nap time!
Cute little feet!
Our old house in Columbus, MS
The awesome playground that I'm sure we will spend lots of time at!
Sophia loved watching the planes fly by! She kept pointing and saying, "Daddy fly airplanes!"
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