Joe’s Grandma Mary has a birthday today, and Joe has a message for her.

(We did a few takes … I think the last one is my favorite!)

You can barely hear the message, but when she says “Nana,” his whole face lights up.

He only covers about 15 feet here, but it involves a lot of skills that we use every day and don’t think much about: squatting, turning, stepping onto new surfaces.

Even the fall at the end was pretty graceful!

Shout out to Nana and Papa, who are reading this blog from the road! They’re taking in the sights at Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Jackson Hole, and even this famous spot:

Save travels, you two!

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The three of us went to Virginia Beach for this convention–what a great time! Patrick and Joe enjoyed the pool and the beach while I sat in some sessions and learned a whole lot.

Spirits were especially high this year because of the state’s recent settlement with the Department of Justice. The DOJ team that worked on the settlement talked about how it would be implemented over the next decade, and they received lots of hugs and thanks in return.

In the breakout sessions, I learned about inclusion (from parents and self-advocates), and how college isn’t necessarily off the table for a kid like Joe. (He can even attend my alma mater!)

We met all kinds of fun people and left with big smiles. And Joe was Mr. Popular, as always:

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It’s amazing that we made it four years without a trip to the ER, and the one we made a few days ago ended up being a total false alarm.

But they put him in a super-cute hospital gown, so you need to see some pictures. 🙂

Wow, I have gotten really bad at keeping up with this blog!

Here are some updates:

Joe had his 4-year checkup last week. He’s still teeny-tiny for his age, but healthy and steadily developing. He was less than friendly to the doctor and her staff, having somehow developed a fear of people in scrubs. But when it was just the two of us in the exam room, he was his sweet self again:

He’s had a great summer so far! We spent a few days in Myrtle Beach with my folks and Joe’s cousins, where Joe rediscovered his love of being in the water:

Joe has also enjoyed a little summer school with his beloved Miss Deena. He’s working on coloring, and getting pretty good at it (although he has a bad habit of chewing on the crayons):

Today we’re enjoying a lazy day at home. I was tidying up my office earlier while Joe played in his room, when suddenly I heard my mother’s voice. He had crawled into his tent (thanks, Aunt Michele!) with a book my mom recorded for him, and was cracking up with each turn of the page:

Next month, the three of us are heading to Virginia Beach for the annual state Arc convention. There will be lots of photos, I’m sure!

Seems like only yesterday we were making awkward small talk with “the new guy”…

…. and now he’s 4 years old! Amazing.

Happy birthday, Mr. Tasty.