Graduation Time!!!

It finally happened! I graduated and now am Amy Gold, M.S. SLP!!! YAHOOOOOO! (Can you tell I'm a little excited?) Jeff, Caleb and I drove up to Northridge the night before and stayed in a hotel, then went to to CSUN for ceremonies on Thursday morning starting at 8 am (which meant we needed to be there at 7:30). The first ceremony was big and long - they read all the names of the graduates of the College of Health and Human Development, which was approximately 500 graduates. After that ceremony, there was a smaller hooding ceremony just for the department of Communication Disorders and Sciences. Following that was an intimate luncheon just for the Speech Pathology distance learning students.
Although it was a long day, it was truly wonderful. I'm so glad I went to see my campus for the first time, meet my professors, and finally be able to put faces to the names of my fellow students that I have been "chatting" with for years.

On Sunday Marilyn and Mickey threw a fabulous Fiesta to celebrate my graduation. My dad, my sister and her family all came down from Northern California to help me commemorate this momentous (and slightly overdue) occasion. The party was so much fun, and a little emotional, too. There were so many family, friends and colleagues there. It was another amazing day.

Thank you to everyone for helping me on this journey. I am so blessed to be part of such a warm and supportive community!

There are more pictures that you can view by clicking the link below. Enjoy!
http://www.costcophotocenter.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=30688955/a=3551892/t_=3551892

Caleb's First Steps on Film

This even amazed us. Caleb took 2 steps in a row totally independently...and we got it on film!

Below is how Caleb is walking more and more these days.

Caleb's First Steps

Well, he did it! Caleb was practicing standing today, then decided to take his first step independently! Since he started standing last week, Caleb has been holding onto our hands and taking shuffling steps, which was also incredible. But today he decided to up the anty AGAIN. While he was standing he just decided to take a step. He fell immediately, but then did it again. He amazes us every day.

There are so many sayings that seem so fitting for this: "Baby steps," "One step at a time," "One small step for man..." Caleb brings all of these sayings into the forefront of our lives. He teaches us to appreciate the little things, because each step he takes is a giant leap for him and for us. He teaches us to cherish every moment we have in this world. He is such a blessing in our lives.

Thank you for all your support. We'll post video as soon as we are able to capture it.

Potty Time

We've been introducing the potty to Caleb pretty slowly - reading the "Potty Book" and just sitting him on his little potty. So far all he likes to do is play with the toilet paper. Last night Caleb and I went into the spa. After we got out he was sitting on some towels on our bed totally naked. I asked him if he wanted to go pee-pee on the potty. He said, "yes," so I sat him down. Of course all he wanted was to play with the toilet paper. I told him that the toilet paper was all done unless he went pee-pee. Then he looked at me with a little grin on his face and...SAID, "pshshshshsht." OK, so he didn't actually go, but I just about peed my pants cuz I was laughing at how clever he is.

Caleb Standing

Here's a video of Caleb standing TOTALLY independently. There are no strings attached or any special effects...Just our amazing boy!

Caleb Reading

Here's a video of Caleb reading, "Ten Little Lady Bugs." It starts off slow, but the ending is really cute.

Caleb Singing

Here's a video of Caleb singing, "I've Been Working on the Rainbow." You'll have to pause the music player on the right to get the full effects.

A Busy Weekend

A couple weekends ago was a very busy one for us. Saturday Caleb and I spent the morning at Sea World with the Lowenthals. After that we went to Grammie Mumu and Papa Mickey's house for a Passover Seder with many family and friends. On Sunday Jeff, Caleb and I drove down to Balboa Park to watch a friend of the family play in her band. However, it was an Earthday celebration and way too crazy, so we turned around and ended up at the huge park in Mission Bay. We then celebrated another beautiful Passover Seder at the Lobatz's home, who are dear friends of Marilyn and Mickey. It was a wonderful weekend celebrating family, friendship, Passover, and just life in general. Enjoy the pictures.
Amy

Sea World Pictures

Passover Celebration

Playing at the Park