Trick or Treat!

Trick or Treating at Third Place Books









A quick nap then off to watch How To Train Your Dragon at Grandma and Grandpas house

Happy Halloween!

Leander Dean René

Keri's cousin Garrett and his wife Jessica had a baby boy today! We went to meet him and he was so sweet and mellow. He had a lot of dark hair like his mom and Garrett's little flat-bridged nose. We're so excited! His parents are great people and Sable will have a playmate near her age! Congratulations G&J!

Happy Birthday Leander!

Crying angel

This was daddy's favorite...

Things she does!

Sable loves brushing her teeth.






Here are her new shoes!


Sable playing with Amy during physical therapy. She really likes the big orange ball!

Family News

Garrett and Jessica René were due 6 days ago and called to say they were headed to the hospital this morning! There will probably be a new René family member today! Jessica sounded excited on the phone. At the end of our conversation she told me to have a good day, I said "You have a good day!"

Dad's group

Joel went to a "Dad's Group" last night to meet other dad's with kids in similar therapy programs as Sable. He met a lot of great people, ate pizza, showed off pictures of his little girl and learned about other kids in the program. He said it was interesting and the pizza was good (Joel's a little food-centric). He'll be going to the next meeting in December.

This week...

Sable has been learning all sorts of life skills lately, like how to give "High-Fives", how to suck up spaghetti noodles and she's a pro at brushing her teeth.

We also went to stride rite and got her some nice shoes to help her learn how to walk. They were surprisingly expensive.

We are planning to head over to the ranch soon, we still haven't met our little nephew Nathan. I just got a job and want to get a little vacation in before my work schedule kicks in to holiday season.

Our little angel

Pumpkin Patch

Sable did not like looking through the hole


Us at the pumpkin patch


Grandma helped pick out pumpkins



Sable does NOT like pumpkins!

Daddy-Daughter night out

Sable got to see her dad signing autographs for the new board game "Invasion From Outer Space" by Flying frog. Click HERE to see what it's all about. Joel was so proud to hang out with his little girl and meet fans of the game. She was very well behaved the whole time and interested in everything that was happening. She came home very sleepy.

WDYT of Sable?

Click here to see what was posted on a name board about the name Sable. It's an opinion board so a lot of times opinions can seem mean, but they are just being honest.

Oligonucleotide

Sable went in to get blood drawn today for a Oligonucleotide Array Comparative Genomic Hybridization (CGH) test and a Fragile X DNA Analysis.

We're trying to figure out what is causing her gross motor delay. She's still undiagnosed and we're ruling out possible causes one at a time. These two tests can tell us one of three things: 1) if she was predisposed to having a delay, 2) what specifically is causing the delay, if genetic, or 3) that nothing genetic is causing it.
We had to get approval from our insurance company to do these tests because they're so expensive. (Thank you to our insurance company for expediting the response)

Gift from Grandma Dawn

Thank You! (I love the swirly handle)

Oh my God

Stay at home dads are hot!

I had to sneak up and take this picture fast. I think I'm going to make it our Christmas card photo. I LOVE it

New Tricks

Sable has reached a few milestones this week and we're really excited to see her catching up on her gross motor skills!

#1. While sitting on daddy's lap in front of the computer, she planted her feet, grabbed the table in front of her (away from dad) an STOOD UP on her own! This is the first time she has pulled up to stand on something other than us!

#2. She's helping to undress herself, tugging off her sleeves and and pulling up her shirts. She's had "taking off socks and throwing them across the room" down for a few months now.

#3. We stand her up and put our finger in front of her and she walks! Her walking looks like Frankenstein's monster, all stiff (see video below) but she's starting to like it!

#4. In swim class she has started to doggy paddle after toys and her balance is getting so much better. She's also doing better floating on her back. It's so cute to watch her and Joel play in the pool!

Sable keeps trying new foods and loving them. She still loves her naps and bed times

Can you hear me now...?

Sable had her hearing checked today at Seattle Children's Hospital. Joel went in to sit with her while it was happening. The nurses (they were so nice) told him "please don't make any sounds or help her, that's cheating" They went into a sound proof room and I watched on the monitor as Sable passed each of the 10 tests and Joel sat holding her, sweetly frozen still. When they came out, Joel said he heard only two of the tests.

Another one bites the dust...

It has been two weeks since Joel was laid off from his job at Rhodes. The body count of people quiting in his wake is now up to three...

Play time with cousin Caine

Baby Steps

Strawberry Lodge

Strawberry Lodge

update

We are planning to be home Tuesday for Sables swim lessons. We're doing another "Red Eye" drive. Joel and I are pretty tired, I don't know how Stacy and dad do this everyday. There are lots of cute pictures coming soon!

Small town

Strawberry Lodge is such a sweet, small town that the neighbors are all coming in just to see Sable. News travels fast in a town of 56 people! Everyone agrees: She's adorable and looks like her daddy. Sable and her cousin Caine are getting in some good giggle time together. Aunt Stacy and Grandpa Mike are getting in as much "Sable Time" as possible. The Lodge has had all the carpets shampooed this week so Sable is scooting across the lobby like a pro. Grandpa is trying to get her to walk, which is fine as long as her first steps are NOT in the bar! Sable likes watching the fire and likes the hotel hallways.

Strawberry Lodge

We made it to the Lodge and Sable slept the whole way! She's doing a great job of sticking to her schedule and making friends. Joel just got WiFi working here and we're busy catching up on our emails.