Visit to California

We went to California to visit Auntie Gabrielle, David and Buster.  Before the broken leg incident, it was a wonderful trip.  Gabrielle is opening her own yoga/pilates studio so Simon was able to assist in the construction while we were there. 

He absolutely loves his California family.  He had so much fun walking Buster too!

We can not wait to go back once the studio is open and Simon is healthy!  

Special Friends

We were so lucky to have some special friends visit us in Florida.  In February, Dan, Jenny and Carter came down.  Simon loved playing with "the baby".  We got to experience Carter's first time swimming, going to the Ocean and going to a park.  It was so sweet!  Simon was very sad to see them go and kept asking where the baby was once they left.

We also had Buffy come for a visit which was so fun.  Simon adores his "Afoo" as he called her.  We went to visit Lizzy and her family who happened to be staying in Marco Island the same week Buffy was there.  Simon got to go on his first boat ride on a Hobie Cat or "Simon's boat" as he called it.  It was a special day.

Then our friend Patti came from Colorado for a visit.  This was the first time Simon got to meet Patti and he loved her right away.  

We also made some special friends while we were in Florida.  Of course there was Simon's fan club in the condo complex which was basically made up of retirees who adopted him as their own grandchild.  He was a real hit around the pool.  Our neighbor Joanne became a good friend.  She had just moved from New York with her husband Victor and dog Gizmo or "Momo" as Simon called him.  We were so lucky to have such wonderful people living next door.

Simon also made a special friend named Anna.  She is a year older than Simon and it was love at first site.  We spend a lot of time with her and her parents, Melinda and Ivan, and her baby sister, Emma.

Having so many special friends around helped to make this experience truly wonderful!

Simon is 23 Months Old and has a broken leg

This is Simon the first day his cast was put on

Unfortunately Simon broke his leg on the day that he turned 23 months.  It has been a long time since we blogged, but having a two year old in a full leg cast has not been easy.  We were in LA visiting Gabrielle.  Simon was on a bounce house and he jumped from the slide part into the house.    He started crying but was not saying anything about his leg.  We took him back to Gabrielle's house but could not seem to get him happy and comfortable.  It was then I saw that his foot was swollen.  We went to an urgent care center who took x-rays and told us it was a broken knee which was terrifying.  This was on Tuesday May 1st.  We were scheduled to fly home Wednesday afternoon but I called and got on an early flight.  We were running late and got stuck in LA traffic in the rain.  We had to rush through security and the United people were so nice that they escorted us through to the gate.  We made it on to the plane just in time and I heard the flight attendant say, "welcome to flight yadda yadda to Newark".  I thought she had made a mistake, so I turned to the guy next to me and asked if it was a flight to Newark.  He said yes!  I screamed "get me off this plane!" I was holding Simon (who is wearing a temporary cast at this point) running up the aisle screaming like a lunatic so they didn't close the door.  When I got off they were questioning me about how I got on the flight.  Yes, it was an obvious security issue, but certainly not my fault.  They had escorted me to the flight and took my boarding pass.  It was like something out of a bad movie.

Anyway, we took the next flight.  Simon was an angel.  He took a really good nap and the guy next to us was very nice.   After a very long day we made it home safely.

The next morning (Thursday) we had an appointment at Children's Memorial.  They took another x-ray and found that the fracture was in the tibia and not the knee which is much better.  They put him in a cast all the way from his toes to the top of his hip for 4-6 weeks.   At first he did not understand why he couldn't walk, but he has become more used to it and is able to scoot around with ease.  Sometimes he asks me to take the cast off which is so sad.
Luckily, until this point we chose not to let Simon watch TV so it has been a very special treat.  He loves to watch Disney movies.  He especially loves the elephants on the Jungle Book and he loves the Lion King.   We have arranged the house and toys to make things a bit easier and more interesting for him.  He is hanging in there like a trooper and can not wait to be able to play with his friends outside again.

Needless to say, updating the blog has been difficult (plus you still can not do it on the Ipad).  We have had a lot of fun adventures in 2012 that we still have to update.......more to come!

Disney World March 2012

At the end of our stay in Florida, Nonna and Cousin Will came for a visit.  We went to Orlando for a few days and Simon got to go to Disney World for the first time.  We spent on day at the Magic Kingdom. Before we even got inside the park, we got to ride the tram and a train to get there.  Simon was already impressed and we had not even made it to the park!

His favorite ride was Dumbo the Elephant.

He also went on the teacups

  "It's a small world" boat ride

 and the Magic Kindgom railroad.

He loved the rides.  We also saw a few shows at Cinderella's castle which he loved because of the music and dancing.  At the end of the show, they had fireworks which he thought was amazing.   I did not think we would make it to the parade at 3:00pm because Simon would need a nap, but he was too excited to sleep and he skipped it.  We had a front row seat at the parade which he loved.

Another highlight was meeting Mickey and Minnie Mouse.

The whole day was truly magical!  Simon continued talking about it for weeks.  He would talk about "Simon's elephant in the sky" and "the guys danced" all of the time.  He developed a special fondness for Goofy during our visit whom he calls "Foo Koo".  The whole day was truly magical and we hope to go back someday!  He finally did sleep, but not until we were waking to the parking lot at the end of the day.

Simon is 22 Months Old!

Dear Simon,

You are now 22 months old and we are back in Chicago! I have a few more things to post about Florida, but for now I just want to tell some of your favorite things these days.

You are talking so much that I can't even keep track of how many words you say. You are speaking in sentences now and it is amazing to have conversations with you. It makes you seem like such a big boy! But, I guess you really are such a big boy. It just is hard for me to realize it.

You are so incredibly independent. I no longer take you in and out of your car seat. You have to climb in it by yourself. You really don't want help with much these days.

You love to talk about yourself in the third person. For example, Simon does it, Simon's milk, Simon's truck, Simon wants it etc.

You still don't eat much, but what you do eat is very healthy and you are growing perfectly. You love your greek yogurt!

You are getting really good at your ABC's in English. It is so funny when you are finished because you hum the "Now I know my ABC's" part. You also love to count. When you count to ten you say, 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8 ,10! And you start quietly and build up to nearly shouting 10! Also, when you are counting something or I ask you how many things you see (like how many blocks or something) you say 2,3, 2, 3. Though in the last few days that has changed to 2, 3, 5. It is so cute! You can also count to 5 in French on your own and all the way to 10 if you copy me.

Your also have excellent manners. You say, please (still a little bit like peas), thank you (tank you) and excuse me (cue mees).

You are a sweet and gentle little man. I love you more every single day!

Love Always,
Mommy

Family Time!

In late February, Nonna and Dennie came to Florida and then Stephanie and Jackson joined us 5 days later. The boys had an amazing time! They loved exploring and playing everywhere we went. We spent time at Ft Myers Beach, Sanibel Island and Lakes Park. We also spent a day on Marco Island with the Stanczaks (Jessica, Peyton and Landon). We made wonderful memories and will treasure them always. We took about a million pictures and it was difficult to pick a few, but here goes:

The Beach Boys

Pool Fun!

Old Friends

Our Little Spidermen/Adventurers

Simon is 21 Months Old!

Dear Simon,

This was one fast month! We have been enjoying our time in Florida and I know I have said it before but you are not a baby anymore. I can't believe how much you are talking and how much you understand. You can (and do) repeat everything we say. You love to tell me "I want it" or "no want it" about pretty much everything.

You are very independent. The other day, you joined another family playing at the beach. It didn't matter whether I was there or not. You have become so independent that you do not let us put you in or out of the car seat anymore. You insist on climbing in and out by yourself.

You absolutely love all of the attention you get from the old folks in Florida. We are staying in a community where a lot of retirees live. You have become the "adopted" grandchild at the pool. Everyone in the complex knows your name (I am just Simon's Mom). You wave and chat with the people every chance you get.

You are also very helpful around the house. You love to sweep and wipe down the table after you eat. You also like to help me carry things. It is quite cute when you decide to carry in a grocery bag that is too heavy for you. You do not give up and will end up dragging it if necessary.

You're strong little spirit is truly wonderful. I love spending everyday with you and I am so thankful I am able to.

I love you more every single day!

Love Always,
Mommy