Go Cardinals!

Joey is ready to meet Fred Bird for the first time!

He finally fits in his toddler Cardinal hat...

isn't it amazing to see God's miracles!

*Note: This is actually a Build -A-Bear hat...not the hat he has on above.

Joey is SOOOO big!

This week Joey had his first cognitive and physical therapy appointments. Both appointments went very well, but the physical therapist was highly impressed. Since she was there last, Joey has learned how to sit up for long periods of time, has learned how to reach for something and get it, hold his own bottle, and put pressure on his legs. I told her it was like a light switched on for him. She was very impressed, and said that with continual practice he should get moving pretty quick.

Here is a picture of him standing tonight...he is so proud of himself. He loves it when you say "Joey is SOOOO big!"

*Note the shirt, it says it all!*

Yeah Spring!

This weekend was so glorious! The 60 to 70 degree temperatures gave us hope that spring is finally here! On Friday, Olivia, Joey and I were able to go outside and play for awhile, clean out the garage, and then went for a nice relaxing walk.

On Saturday, I unfortunately came down with a case of the flu...how lovely is that. Mom and Jim took Olivia and Joey for the day so I could rest and suffer. Olivia and Joey had a good time though. They went to the food expo and ate until they couldn't eat anymore. Olivia learned how to spread grass seed, now she is ready to help Jason and I spread grass seed in the backyard. Joey just bounced in his bouncy seat. They soaked in all of the fresh air they could!


On Sunday, we had the first tornado of the season hit the Springfield area. The sirens went off and everything! Praise God that all we got were gusty winds and down pours, no damage.

I am very excited to say that today begins the count down to spring break...5 days and counting!

Was that a long o?

Ok, so the running joke is when Jason, Livi, and I brought Joey to his NICU check up in January, the psychologist (which I must say was clueless) asked Jason and I if Joey was saying any vowels. I know that I had to have looked at her like she had 3 eyes, because never in my life have I heard of a baby needing to say their "vowel sounds." Heck, when Olivia was a baby, they simply asked if she was talking and that was good enough. Then to make matters even more comical, she continued to ask if Joey was saying any consonant sounds; and asked if we could mimic what he says.

We told her that Joey babbles ALL the time and that we couldn't demonstrate what he said. She then went on to fail Joey in his psychological review. I know that I take these things personally being a mother and a teacher, but come on give me a break!

Well tonight Joey gave a small demonstration of how he can say his long o sound. Maybe I should forward this to his psychologist.?!

Big Boy Bath

Tonight Joey took his first big boy bath. He sat in his bath chair without any help. He was very proud of himself!

Poor Joey!

This is what happens when Olivia is responsible for entertaining her brother...she likes to play dress up with her "baby dolls."

Wii Fest

The Heiple clan had a fun-filled family weekend. Jason was able to take Saturday off, and the Sennott/Dressler family got together for a game night. My brother hosted the event at his new house so that everyone could see it. The game night quickly turned into a Wii fest. Everyone competed in tennis, bowling, and shooting. Even Olivia was able to play bowling with us; Joey, on the other hand, just hung out and played with his toys. If you ever get a chance, ask Jason who won two tennis tournaments, and a game of bowling.

Olivia and Joseph had a great time! They were able to run around (well at least Olivia did), explore new territories, and play with grandma and grandpa, Kelly and Rick, Mark and Jay, grandma and Jim, and uncle Jake.




















On Sunday, after getting home very late from our game night, we crawled out of bed for 8 am mass and then went out for a family brunch. Later, Grandpa and Pattie were able to come down and join us for dinner. They will be taking off for Florida this weekend and won't be back for two weeks. So we wanted to spend time with them before they left. By Sunday night, the Heiple's crashed.