I LOVE the Olympics!!!!

I think I have always loved the Olympics. Since I was small and watched the Gymnastics portion. I thought the gymnasts were beautiful and elegant. And then there was Penny Haynes. She went to school with me in South Africa when I was young and was a phenomenal swimmer. She represented South Africa in the Olympics in Atlanta -- she won a GOLD in 100m breaststroke and a GOLD in the 200m breaststroke. She swam again in the Sydney Olympics and won a Bronze in 100m breasstroke. It was incredible to get to see her swim so many years later. She was an absolute hero in South Africa.

Then in 2000, I was in Australia during the Olympics. I went on a semester abroad with Harding and had an amazing time over there. We were so excited to get to tour the Olympic Stadium (where the opening ceremonies are held) two weeks before the games began. We got to see the Olympic torch during its race to the Olympic stadium. Once we moved to Brisbane, we were taken to a final round soccer match. We saw Cameroon take on Brazil...if you are into soccer at al you know what a match up this was. Cameroon won the match and went on the the game for the Gold medal. They ultimately won gold and it was so exciting to see them succeed. It was so much fun watching the HUGE swimming rivalry of America versus Australia. But the USA held their own and did us proud.

Bryan and I have both been super excited for the Olympics to begin. The day of the Olympics opening ceremonies, Bryan planned a special date for our little family. We went to the Little Gym, which is what we do every Friday. Then we went for a bike ride at Clear Creek. It was great to bike with Shawn along the river. Bryan had packed a picnic for us and we ate on the bridge overlooking the water. It's nearing the end of the summer, so there were a ton of young people tubing down the river, kayaking in the rapids, and out walking. It was a glorious day. Then we went home and made dinner. We packed it up and drove to our old stomping ground, Belmar. They were having a wonderful jazz band performance, that we enjoyed over dinner. Unfortunately, the band was rained out and we had to seek shelter in the nearest GAP store. Which was fun to have a little time to shop. We had Tivo'd the Opening Ceremonies and went home and watched it while fast forwarding through the commercials. Whay joy! :)

Here are some pics from the day:

Shawn and I on the bike.

Shawn with his new helmet. It has Mickey Mouse on it. I know it is super huge, but it is the smallest that we could find. I think Shawn spent most of our bike ride holding up his helmet so he could see! Shame! :)

Here's one of Shawn enjoying his helmet.Shawn and I watching the kayakers navigating the rapids. They practice in this spot a lot.

Some of the scenery along the bike path.

Shawn and Daddy playing in the river. Shawn is definitely a water baby! :)

Standing on a rock in the water. He loved kicking and splashing in the flowing water.

GO USA!!!!!

Geoffrey's Birthday Club

On Wednesday we took Shawn to Toys 'R Us. We were shopping for Eddy's birthday present. But while we were there we decided to let Shawn revel in his Geoffrey's Birthday Club celebration. If you haven't enrolled your kids in the club, hurry in to your nearest Toys 'R Us. We gave them the card we received in the mail, and they lavished Shawn with birthday fun. He got balloons, a birthday hat, they announced him and his birthday over the loud system and played a happy birthday song. It was so special and he loved all the extra attention.

Here are some pictures of the Birthday boy. :)

Showing off his birthday balloon.

Trying to eat his birthday balloon.

Realizing I just slipped his hat on his head.

Trying to rip his hat off his head.

Not suceeding.

All-in-all we had a great time. Seriously, parents, sign your kids up. It is FUN!

Shawn's 1-year Appointment

Well, today was Shawn's 1-year appointment. It did not go quite as I had envisioned. He has grown quite a bit in the last few months. The problem is his weight is not keeping up with his height. So, Shawn has been put on a high-calorie diet for the next 6 months. Here are his stats:

Height: 30.34 inches (65th percentile)
Weight: 18.13 lbs (less than 20th percentile)--one site actually said his length is in the 5th percentile!

In the last two months he has put on 5 oz, but has grown substantially. The Doctor was not overly worried but she thought that he needed to be consuming more calories than his current intake. He is just SO active that is is burning off more than he is consuming. He is still nursing and his appetite has quadrupled in the past two months. So I knew something was going on, but I was still a little shocked to hear just how lightweight he actually is.

So, he is now allowed to eat whatever he wants....within reason. We are supposed to encourage more proteins, peanut butter, butter, egs, meat, and even ice cream. Right now I am just trying to get him to eat anything. While we were there, the Doctor said that he has an ear infection. This is the third one in 4 months, and she indicated that if he gets one more in the next 6 months and we will have to go meet with an ENT to explore our options (she mentioned tubes). YIKES!


Please pray for Shawn. Pray that he starts to gain some weight, and that he recovers from this ear infection and remains healthy for the next several months. Thanks! :)