Joy Updates

Here are some random pictures of my sweet baby: Enjoy!





Yard Work!


I love this! She has always crossed her ankles. It cracks me up!




Joy is so fun!

"Hi!"

Joy is now saying "Hi!" It is SO cute. She has this sweet little voice. She waves her cute little hands and says, "Hi." It's adorable. Of course, she won't perform for the camera, so enjoy Joy and the water bottle (gotta love a hurricane).

Her other words are Mama (sometimes pronounced Nana), Dada, dog, cat, hi, bye.
She also has sounds for the girls, but I'm not sure how to spell them. :)

Joy in the Hurricane

Joy has been doing great during the hurricane.  She has her family and her belly has been full.  She has not seemed to notice anything unusual going on.  She did love having her Poppa home more!  :)

This crazy picture.  Joy is beginning to get up on her arms - yeah Joy!  She'll get up on her arms and then as soon as she starts to move forward, it's down back to the commando crawl.  But it's progress in the right direction and we'll take it!  :) 

The picture tells about our life right now - the bucket holds one of our 72 hour kits (our emergency supplies) and the power cords laying around connect our generator to important things like our fridge!  Life after a hurricane.

Communication Update

Joy had two therapy appointments this week.  Her communication teacher wants us to continue to really push the signs, even though she has a few verbal words.  She says it's just more input going in, more connections for her little brain.  If you are interested in learning some basic sign, here is a good website for Joy's needs:

http://www.asluniversity.com/asl101/pages-layout/concepts.htm

15 month check up

Today Joy went to see Dr. Shirley, her pedi, for her 15 month check up.
She is doing great! He was very pleased. Yeah Joy!

her stats:
19 lb 10 oz (getting close to that 20 lb cut off!) - 75% weight on the DS chart
28 1/2 inches long - 50% length on the DS chart

She got two shots - DTaP and PCV.

I wondered about her teeth- or lack thereof!
He said we aren't going to worry until 18 months. If we still don't have teeth by then, we'll go to the dentist and have an x-ray to make sure we have teeth in there! :) From all of her normal "teething" behavior she has had for the last year, I'm sure they are there. It's just when are they coming out here? :) Time. That's all we need.

Isn't this great? I remember when I used to come home from doctor's appointments with 2 or 3 specialists to go see. Yeah Joy!

Sitting

Joy has been working so hard on getting to a sitting position.
This is huge! I say that a lot with Joy. :) She is an amazing baby!
She can be on her tummy and get to a sitting position. She can commando crawl and then sit up.
Yeah Joy! Also notice that she will support her weight on her arms (even if it's only for a few seconds - yeah therapy!)
My battery died, that's why the video is so short, but you get the idea. :)

And this video is just for fun!
Joy HATES cold milk. She won't drink it - period!
Ice cream, though, is an exception to the temperature rule.
She LOVES ice cream. Enjoy Sammi's video!

Haircut!

Lest you get too excited, I did NOT cut off her top knot. :) And I'm not gonna!

But I did trim up her hair on the bottom - now it's all straight and so cute!

Commando Crawling

Joy is commando crawling! Wahoo!!! This is a huge step forward for her. We are so proud.
She is becoming mobile.

A sleepy picture of Joy for you to enjoy:


And a cute one of her. She fell asleep on Sammi:

All the Little Fishes

Joy's communication teacher said to make sure we are doing songs with Joy that have hand motions.  Our first song that we have concentrated on is "All the Little Fishes."  We sing it and move her hands.  She is starting to do it herself!

All the little fishes are swimming in the ocean.

Swimming in the ocean.

Swimming in the ocean.

All the little fishes are swimming in the ocean.

Bubble.

Bubble.

Pop! (clap)

Yeah Joy!!

New Therapy

Joy now has two therapists - Miss Carolyn and Miss Kari.

Miss Carolyn is our OT and Miss Kari is our Communications Teacher.

 

Miss Carolyn and Joy

Miss Carolyn is showing us how to put Joy over our legs so that she has to support her weight on her arms and knees.

 

This crazy picture!  Lizzy got me paying close attention to therapy!

 

New day, new therapy.  Now we are learning about taking turns and words, signs, and songs!  Here Miss Kari is showing Joy on and off.  She LOVED the bells!!  It makes great noise!

On and off, on and off

Books - wonderful books.  Identification, words, and pointing (that's a new one!)

We also played games and sang songs.

Good thing therapy is so fun!!

Life for Joy

I love this picture - it says, "I love to see the temple The Nauvoo Temple" :)

Daddy is playing with Joy with a puppet - she loved that!

Sorry, but Mama and Becca like to miss with my hair! :)




I love this video! Lizzy and Joy are playing with blocks.
Look at Joy's face - she is so happy!

Family Reunion

Here we are headed out on our family vacation.

Lizzy, Daddy, and Joy enjoying the hotel swimming pool.

My own private theater in the car!

Our family at Adam-ondi-ahman

Grandpa Turpin and Joy

Joy playing with Grandma Turpin's cabbage patch doll.

Joy very excited at the pizza place.

Our family at the pizza place - look this way, Joy!

Uncle Rich loves me!

Grandma's table is good for teething!

Cousin Trevor and Joy

Our family with our Turpin grandparents

Here is Joy getting ready for the temple! :)

This is the Nauvoo Temple. Here very special rites are performed that we believe makes Joy a part of our family for all time and eternity. It was a very special day for us!

Joy, outside the temple, after being sealed to our family for FOREVER!

Our family by the temple

Aunt Kathie and Joy outside the temple

Mama (totally overjoyed!!) and Joy outside the temple

Joy and her Turpin grandparents outside the temple

Lizzy and Joy sitting on a fake sheep at the Pioneer Past Times.

Mama was dancing. Joy LOVED that!

Joy just loves her Uncle Brad. She tried to go to him several times. She never does that. :)

ECI Annual Review

Today was Joy's Annual Review. Every six months we figure out where she is and set new goals. Every year they do a new work up and set more goals. I am so grateful for our therapist. She is wonderful. I have so appreciated her knowledge and support!

These are Joy's DAYC Scores:
Cognitive 10 months
Communication 10 months
Social-Emotional 11 months
Physical 7 months
Adaptive Behavior 12 months

Yeah Joy!
Her therapist was so impressed with her scooting. She is moving so much more now. It's incredible!

Joy is standing against the ottoman now.

Here the girls have learned to hold their hands cupped so that Joy has to use her thumb and forefinger to pick up food. (instead of raking it into her fist and shoving it into her mouth :) ).

She has to get all the way to the piano!

We are to continue the ball therapies. They help her in so many ways.
We are to work on getting her to support weight on her feet/knees/hands without the help of her belly - so more of what you think of a crawling position.

Yeah Joy!!!

MOVEMENT!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here are some fun pictures of JOY.

Joy fell asleep on Becca while they were watching TV - ahhhh!

I wanted to get one of her on Sunday all dressed up and ready to go.


We have too much fun with her in the tub(sink).

And on to our exciting news!!!!
Houston, we have the beginnings of crawling!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is so huge!! This is tremendous!
Can you tell I am thrilled?!?!?!?!!?!?

July 4th

Joy had a busy July 4th! Here we are all dressed up for the 4th of July!

Becca and Joy on Grandma's porch

Joy loves ice cream. Don't even think of stopping to take a bite for yourself - Joy will squawk! Sometimes you just can't feed this kid fast enough :)

Hey Daddy! Happy 4th of July!

Snickering

Joy's little laugh reminds me of My Fair Lady's term "snickering."
She has this sweet, tiny little laugh. :)