Days in early December

Andrew's father took us out to dinner on December 1. I always enjoy the moments we have with him when he is here. He is engaged and interested in the children during these visits and it's nice to see the relationships he is creating with his grandchildren. He tried to understand Gabriel's disability as well.
Gabriel had a rough transition when we sat down at the table. He wanted to sit upstairs rather than at the round table on the first floor. Other parents with typical 6 year olds would be able to get through this moment rather easily. Maybe they would have to deal with a whiney child or a small fit. This is not the case with us. We had to talk to Gabriel about it for twenty minutes. He bumped into one of the waiters on our way to the table and the waiter made an exaggerated movement and stared at us. I had to hold in my "mama bear" looks and comments. It's a never ending process with Gabriel but we get through it and hope to help him every day through every situation.
Lane's first word was "mama" but her first two word utterance was, "Hi Daddy." Andrew melted!
Alexander had an appt on Thursday with a social worker. I thought we were meeting with a psychologist so I was disappointed to hear that her job was to refer us on or let us know everything is okay. We were referred to an agency that will further evaluate him.
Today was a nice Friday. I took Laney to a playdate at Maggie's house. The older children made a snowman craft. She interacted with several people which was fun to watch. We met Andrew for a sushi lunch and later went to Gabriel's first holiday program. He stood on the risers the entire time and did some of the hand movements. He was THRILLED to see us afterward. We walked to Alexander's school and participated in the last part of his Gingerbread Man activity.
Our weekend will include a visit to Belmond, IA, for a benefit for our friend Kate. We look forward to spending time with her and her family this weekend. I'm sure they will be busy with everyone there but it is always nice to spend time with them.