Happy Birthday Caroline!

Happy 2nd birthday to our friend Caroline! We all had a great time at her party today, catching up with neighborhood friends, playing with all of the fun toys and eating cake and cookies. We did make the mistake of walking over to her house with the kids riding in the Radio Flyer-- even though it's only a five-minute walk, that five minutes felt like an eternity in the 100+ degree weather today!

Ari sits in Caroline's pink chair at the party as she stays hydrated

Alex tries out the pink chair (notice he's on his way out of the pink chair)

The birthday girl and her mommy

This week we enjoyed getting back into our social schedule now that the kids have fully recovered from their bout with the croup. On Wednesday we went to a well-attended neighborhood playdate at friend Darby's house. Thursday morning Aunt Lori and Cousin Ozzie came over to visit and play before nap time.

We also took Ari to visit a Physical Therapist (PT) this week just for an assessment to make sure that there isn't anything we should be doing to help her progress on the walking front (she's still hesitant to take more than a few steps on her own, although she'll walk greater distances holding Mommy or Daddy's hand). Mommy dropped Alex off at Miri and Opa's house while she took Ari to the PT's office. Ari clearly wasn't used to being without her brother, as she kept looking around the car for him, asking, "Ayex, Ayex?!" In the meantime, "Ayex" was enjoying his time with Miri and Opa, eating a snack and playing piano.

According to the PT, Ari has "low tone," which basically means that her leg muscles are weak and she is compensating by putting all of her weight into her joints, namely her ankles and knees. As a result, she's unsteady on her feet and could be causing harm to her joints. The PT said it's a very typical (and a relatively minor) problem and expects her to be running around within the next two months. In the meantime, Ari was fitted for better shoes (high tops to help support her ankles) and orthotics (both high top orthotics and a flat version). We will also be doing exercises with her to help her learn to rely on and strengthen her muscles. The goal is to have her steady on her feet before the new baby arrives, so we're hoping the PT's assessment of how long it will take for her to master walking/running is accurate!

Anyway, we'll be spending the rest of the day indoors, keeping cool. Daddy is reading stories (notice Ari's new shoes!) and we'll find other activities to keep the kids busy that don't involve going outside!