Nicholas is 2

We got our first of two snow falls in November. Nicholas got all bundled up but isn't a fan of the snow. As soon as his hand got some snow on it, he was done and wanted to go back inside. 

 Thanksgiving was spent with his Rasmussen cousins. He loved playing with them and just being in the mix. His favorite past time is playing with light switches which he could easily reach on the stairs at Uncle Erik and Aunt Heather's house. Nicholas is saying some words but still relies on the sign language we taught him when he was smaller. He sat at the table with the kids and was signing all done. None of them knew what that meant, so, he sat there until one of us finally walked in and saw his hands waving like a mad man. Finally, someone to help him get down.

 Nicholas loved the Christmas tree. We quickly learned we had to place all our breakable ornaments up high. He seemed to get the hang of opening presents towards the end of the season, but is still into the paper and playing versus the gifts.

 We celebrated Nicholas's 2nd birthday a couple of times; with the Mancuso's during Christmas and with our friends in Madison on January 1st. Nicholas loved the frosting and eating the cake, especially Aunt Dianna's chocolate cake. He seems to have a bit of a sweet tooth!

 Nicholas and Papa Mancuso outside playing with his new 4 wheeler. We couldn't believe how nice of a day Christmas was. Nicholas also had his Steelers coat on, a gift from Uncle Tony. That tends to wear better in Cleveland than Madison.

 With his Mancuso cousins. By this time, Nicholas had had enough partying.

 Nicholas is getting better about wearing his glasses, but it is still a work in progress. We think he looks like a mini Harry Potter. Maybe we could capitalize on that.

 This is the most recent picture of Nicholas taken this past weekend after a new haircut. He sat completely still for his haircut. We weren't sure who he was. It was very cute and a moment we wish we had captured on video.

Overall, Nicholas has had a great couple of months. We were able to see some of the nurses and doctors that took such great care of him at Rainbow when we were in Cleveland over the holidays. He was also seen at their preemie follow-up clinic. Everything is on track for him. They still compare him to his corrected versus actual age until his due date, April 11th. Birth to Three, an agency that sees Nicholas to monitor his progress here in Madison, compares him to other 2 year olds. They too think he is on track and would expect him to start talking more in the next couple of months. That is the only concern we've had is that he isn't using a lot of words just yet. Some research shows that kids that start by signing are a little slower to actually speak because they can get their point across without needing to use the words. So, we're working on it and expect his language to flourish in the next few months.

We hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and are thankful for each and everyone of you who have touched our lives in one way or another especially during the last two years. Nicholas is our little miracle and we wouldn't be where we are today with your prayers and support.

Love,
Denise, Denise and Nicholas