Quiet a scare!

Last Wednesday Griffin choked on a goldfish cracker and it was about the scariest thing I have ever had to experience.  We were doing everything right.  He was sitting upright, strapped into his highchair, nothing on to distract us,  just me and him working on eating like our therapist taught us.  The goldfish was broken up into small pieces and I was only allowing one small piece into his mouth at a time.  He went to inhale to cough and in the goldfish got sucked, right into his airway, and he instantly could not breath and was communicating that to me with his eyes and frantic arm flailing.  That image of him struggling still haunts me.  I went to to hit him on his back but then I was remebering someone telling me somewhere to not hit a choking baby on the back, so I called 911.  He continued to not be able to breath and was now ghost white and slowly turning blue around his lips.  I was hysterical and yelling at the lady on the 911 phone call.  She had told me not to hit him on his back but I have since learned that if your baby is choking, flip them up side down, and give them several blows ( like upward or downward thrusts, however you look at it, hitting them in the direction towards their mouth, where you want the food to come out) .  The key is to have there head towards the ground and their feet above their head.  That way the hits to the back will not lodge the object further down their airway.  Any ways  after about 45 seconds, right before he was about to pass out, he started to cry, and as his cry's became more and more normal, his color did also.  I remained in tears for the next 2 hours.  Talk about an emotional rush and roller coaster.  Thank goodness he was OK. 

 

On another note, Griffin has Brochitis.  I have to give my little boy praise.  This is the first "sick" season that Griffin as been allowed to be around people other than me and Matt and to go out in public.  And so far he has gotten Roseola, a double ear infection, and now bronchitis, and I have to say that he is handling all of these sickness with such strength.  They don't even seem to phase him, and I can hardly believe that this once fragile child who could not get sick because his body and heart would not be able to handle it, is now getting sick and getting OVER these sickness like all other normal, healthy children.  Each sickness that he has gotten has not been worse or taken him any longer to kick than other kiddos.  Yipee Griffin!  Like I sing to him all the time, " Go Griffin, Go Griffin, Go Griffin" , in which he usually starts waving his arms in the air or clapping :)  

And my boy has pulled up to stand multiple times now, on multiple things.  And is holding his own bottle.  And is going to sleep in his crib with out being rocked.  We had to move on from the rocker because he has gotten to big to find a comfy spot on my chest :(  He is a growing and a doing!  

Go Griffin!  

And of course I have to post numerous photos.  Here are just some random pictures from the last few weeks...

Pumpkin Pie!  

He loves playing in this bucket, crawling in and crawling out! 

 

Pumpkin patch visit with his friend Spohie!  

Helping mommy with the dishes....kind of...he he :)  

The next big thing...

School!  

Griffin started his first day of school almost two Wednesdays ago!  He is attending The Goddard School.  It is located at the entrance of our neighborhood, which I love.  He goes Wednesdays and Fridays from 9 - 1.  So he eats snack with the other kids and lunch, which I hope will benefit him.  I love his teacher Ms. Ally.  She has a younger sister who has Down's syndrome.  So far the things he has loved the most is playing outside, watching the other kids, and playing with the hula hoop at the gym ( he kept putting it over this little girls head and she would get mad).  When I went to pick him up on his second day he actually scooted away from me!  They had all just awoken from their nap time and most of the kids were sitting on their mats still, but Griffin had crawled over to a nearby girls matt and was making eyes with her and talking to her.  It has been kind of emotional but I think this is going to be really good for him.  I have been told by so many professionals how well Down's kids do being around their peers. 

 

And very current news:  Griffin pulled up to stand all by himself for his second time ever today!  Matt was in the bath and I had carried Griffin in so I could talk to Matt before he left for work.  Griffin was trying so hard to dive out of my arms into the bath so I went into our bedroom with him so he could crawl on the floor in there and I could still talk to Matt, but to do this I had to leave the bathroom door into our bedroom open.  Well it didn't work, because Griffin took off crawling in to the bathroom.  I don't usually let him crawl on our bathroom floor because I don't keep it as clean as I would like, but I glanced at it and it seemed to be alright just this once :)  And then, it was too funny, Griffin crawled over to the edge of our bathtub ( we have a pretty tall tub) and pulled straight up to stand from sitting on his bottom.  It was hilarious, because all Matt saw was Griffin's little head pop over the edge and my mouth drop and eyes widen.  Griffin then proceeded to stand for the next ten minutes because if he reached really really hard and stood on his tippy toes he could splash in Matt's bath water!  It looked like he was trying to climb in at times!  

And one more...Griffin is holding his bottle on his own sometimes when I have him do it!  

My heart just swells with every accomplishment of his.  

Halloween 09'

Lets see if I can catch myself up on here.  This blogging thing sure does escape me.  I don't know how all of these women keep up with it so wonderfully :)  I thought about doing one big 

BLOG-O-RAMA, but I thought I would make it easier on you, and not have a post that takes 30 minutes to read.  Rather I will break it up over this next week with smaller blurbs about us.  

First thing first, and almost exactly where I left off.....

Halloween!  

It was my absolute favorite Halloween ever.  We went over to our friends Aaron and Anita's and just had soo much fun roaming the neighborhood.  Their neighborhhod is the best for trick or treating.  They have so many kids and families, and homes go all out with the decorating, there is even a spooky cul-de-sac.  Half of the time Griffin rode in his wagon and the rest of the time I carried him door to door so he could experience trick or treating to its fullest.   I also baked a couple pumpkin pies before hand ( one dairy free)  and Anita made tortilla soup, mmmmm!   Griffin's Grammi and Oscar came also and shared in it all with us.

Well it was wonderful and it only made me even more excited for next years Halloween.  I know celebrating Halloween is disliked by some and I don't even know the origins or the history of it, but what I love about it is first, dressing up and playing make believe, second having your neighbors open their doors to you and welcome you to share a sweet treat, and lastly I just love every holiday because it is a chance to create a wonderful family tradition.  I remember every holiday tradition as a kid and it bringing me so much excitement and comfort.

And this year Griffin didn't eat any candy so we were able to skip on the over sugared child, but this mommy and daddy sure did indulge :)  

And I have to say that he was the cutest mushroom ever!  

Thanks for reading.  Love you all.