Wilbanks Family News Archive |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Note: Some links below may be broken as they're old.
Christmas Newsletter December 2003These pages are fairly large.
Ethan and Fall 2002December 12, 2002 My son Ethan, who just turned 2, was recently diagnosed with autism. Luckily for him and me my wife loves to research. She called lots of doctors, read many books and articles and already has him in various kinds of therapy. We're also lucky it was caught so early. I read that treatments are most effective before age 5. So we're confident that it is possible for him to make a full recovery in the next couple of years. We became a little concerned early this spring when Ethan seemed to stop using many of the words he'd been using. We just kept thinking he's just a quiet boy like his dad. So at his 2 year checkup Caren told the doctor of her concern. The doctor didn't seem to think it was anything to be worried about but advised us to see a speech therapist at Kaiser anyway. The speech therapist asked us some questions and pointed out some issues we hadn't noticed. Like he now says only one or two words where at age one he was saying around 25 - 50. He was also putting two words together at age 1, like 'where go?'. Also she pointed out that Ethan doesn't point at things. Apparently this is a sign of an Autistic child, they don't point at objects. So with this info the speech therapist advised us to see a child developmental doctor at Kaiser. We met with Dr. Copland who asked us many questions about his behaviors and tested him with some physical exercises. He scored normal is most categories but a couple he scored as a one year old. Thus Dr. Copland diagnosed him as Autistic. She is known as one of the best in the area so we didn't doubt it's correctness. She told us that our next step would be to contact Alta Regional, a private child development group that helps kids with autism. This was very difficult to take of course. It took us a few weeks before we could even talk about it. Alta Regional sent out a few therapists and a psychologist to also diagnose Ethan. They confirmed the diagnosis and helped us determine what kind of treatments would be best. This group is federally funded so it appears most of the costs will be covered by The Man. So he's now getting some behavioral therapy and speech therapy. These will be built up to about 25 to 30 hours per week and should last for at least a year. We're a little concerned about how this will affect Morgan. She needs a lot of attention and we have much less time for her now. We've decided to put her in a pre-school a few times a week. She is a firecracker. She has way too much energy for one parent to contain. She's a fun kid to be with as she seems pretty smart, loves arts and crafts, and likes to play games. Recently, she can't hardly sleep at night she's so excited about our upcoming trip to the snow with her cousins. We're going to spend a week at a cabin with the Wibbers and Warnkies.
Spring 2002March 16, 2002 Man life is good! This past few months have been very good for us. We moved into our new home just after Christmas and we love it. There is plenty of room for the kids, an office for me, a laundry room, nice kitchen, fairly large back yard... We love everything about our home. Another great relief for me is having a home that does not need repairs. Even though there are small tasks like putting up ceiling lights and a back yard landscape, I can relax and know that there are no major tasks I have looming. Our family had a great winter. We spent a few days in Tahoe with Caren's sister and her family, the Wibbers. It snowed a couple days and Morgan had a blast. All the kids made a snow disc run and spent most of the days on it. Morgan made a snowgirl (snowman) and put her hat and gloves on it. She loves the snow and just getting outdoors. I recently started working from home. I converted one of the bedrooms into an office and brought my equipment from work. I love being able to see my kids and wife during the day. House is Almost FinishedSeptember 24, 2001 We are so excited we can barely stand it. Our new home is close to completion and we're told it may be ready for move-in before Christmas! We are anxious for many reasons but one of the main reasons is we are very ready to be in a larger space. The small apartment we are living in is very tiring on all of us, especially Caren and Morgan. Morgan is always ready to get outside because she has so little space to play. The boy probably actually likes it as he can keep up with Morgan if she can't hide anywhere. We had a great summer and are looking forward to fall and winter. In August we went to the California State Fair where the family filled up on greasy corn dogs and lemonade. Morgan and Ethan enjoyed the cows and lambs being shown in the FFA competitions. We went camping with Mike and Jenny near Santa Cruz. It was too short as usual but we had fun eating a tri-tip dinner Mike prepared. We went camping again with Lisa and many of her friends up past Auburn. My mom and dad and our kids went with us on this trip. Morgan tried fishing for the first time and had fun trying to keep up with Ashley and Blake. They spent most of their time catching tad poles and fish in the adjacent river. I've been trying my luck as an angler lately. I've been fishing for trout 3 times and not even got a bite once. Stinking fish. Mom just sold her house in Fresno and is checking out houses in San Luis Obispo. She had the home on the market for a while with little action so she believes it's sale was God's timing. She has little time to get out of her home so she'll be needing cheap movers soon. I'd better do some back exercises. Mom will be baby-sitting for us for a few days the end of October while we take a short cruise to Mexico with Mike and Jenny. We're anxious for the break but I know we'll miss our kids so much it'll be tough to have fun... Who am I fooling, it'll be great! We MovedJuly 30, 2001 We've moved into an apartment and I believe we've finally finished all the projects and repairs on our Danube house. I've learned a few things from the sale of our house. The main lesson is that when I you sell a house it's not being sold 'as is'. Dang! This was shocking news to me. I was under the impression that when you buy a house you buy it like you see it. Apparently I was wrong. My RE agent advised me that I should complete the huge list of repairs, upgrades and projects the clients requested/demanded. I will not be so unprepared next time. Bob and Deanna came and helped us move and complete a few projects last weekend. I assume they were as dead tired when they left as I was. Other than being exhausted from all the projects, Caren and I are very happy to be in an apartment where I don't even need to fix the sink. It's a small living space but worry free. Morgan is enjoying the swimming pool and Ethan appreciates the carpet flooring (as opposed to the hardwood floors of our previous house) so he can crawl in comfort. About once a month Morgan goes on a 'date' with her grandpa Larry, or Papa Play as she calls him. They go feed his horses and get some chicken nuggets and she loves it. She will look forward to it for days. We're MovingJune 19, 2001 We decided to sell our house and move into one closer to my work and one with another bedroom. We've lived on Danube for 4 years now and I will miss it a little. It's the only house Morgan and Ethan have ever known. We will move the end of July into an apartment for about six months till our new house is ready. I've posted some pictures of the model of the home we're buying. We're very excited but tired at the moment, spending all our free time on needed repairs. Ethan is close to crawling, rocking back and forth. His new trick is playing patty cake. Eulene and Gigi taught him to clap his hand and open them wide for 'throw them in the pan!'. Morgan is now a little girl. She can convey any idea or need and is a very good big sister. She let's us know when her brother needs our attention and tries to feed him often. Early 2001March 20, 2001 We celebrated Morgan's 2nd birthday on Jan 26. A bunch of little kids came over to party and she had a great time. She is now a pro at opening gifts. Next year we'll have to hide her gifts to keep her from opening them early. Morgan's speech and vocabulary are growing quickly. She puts 3 or 4 words together in a sentence can communicate almost everything she needs. Occasionally she'll say a word to me and I'll have to ask her to repeat it a few times and finally give up trying to understand. This really frustrates her. She then starts saying the word louder as if the volume was the problem. I love watching her grow intellectually. Hopefully she will get her mother's discipline and intellect. Ethan is growing so fast. He is 4 months old now and wants to talk. He loves to make noises back to us when we talk to him. I think his favorite activity is to watch his older sister run around and make him laugh. Hearing him giggle makes the toughest day seem okay. I just returned from two weeks of Network Node Manager Training in Ft. Collins, CO. The ground was covered with snow when I arrived and there was a great view of the rocky mountains outside my hotel window. I spent a weekend touring Denver and Bolder with some classmates and got to see a few St. Patrick's parade participants dressed in green. I enjoyed calling home and speaking with Caren and Morgan. Morgan would say, "Hurry home daddy. Love you daddy." That made my stay more difficult. I couldn't wait to get home to my family. A look back at 2000 for our family02 January 2001 Ethan- October 12, 2000 Caren birthed our new son Ethan. He is 2.5 months old now and has cried for 2 of them. The poor guy has some kind of stomach problem, which the doctor says is colic. She says there's nothing we can do to prevent or stop it but just have to weather it. We're about to sink but we see the lighthouse in the distance. He is crying much less lately and Caren is able to get 4+ hours of sleep at a time. I think he's hindering my chances of persuading Caren to have a couple more children. Vacation in Tahoe- The family was invited to spend a few days in North Lake Tahoe with the Wibbers and several other families. We had a blast and can't wait for next year (assuming we're invited). Morgan rode a sled down a small hill and could barely move with her oversized snowsuit, boots and mittens. Some of the kids built a snowman and Morgan loved checking on him every few hours to see if he was okay. Someone took his sock cap and for a couple of days she asked, "Snowman hat?" (More cute Morgan stuff) Caren and most everyone went tubing at Northstar where I hear Gary almost hospitalized an employee who was standing in his tubes path. The adults played cards in the evening and soaked in the hot tub. Now that's a vacation. Loving my job!- I've been supporting Openview with Hewlett Packard for 14 months now and am starting to really enjoy the work. The company offers good benefits and security, which are very comforting. The job has also allowed me to visit James in Dallas twice last year. Both times I took a weeks worth of training there and bunked with James and Niki. Remodeling- Our major remodeling project this past year was landscaping. We buried our pool and leveled the back yard. We installed a sprinkler system and planted grass and it looks great. One more project done! This next spring we will be remodeling the kitchen and two bathes. Traffic Court- Yep, I've attended traffic court and traffic school again. For two nights in June I sat and listened to some guy tell me how to drive. I snoozed in the back of the class and occasionally woke up to hear the instructor tell how we should not drink and drive but that he likes to do so himself. Something is wrong with this system... Thanksgiving02 December 2000 Ethan is now 6 weeks old and seems eager to communicate. Morgan does not seem too jealous of her new brother except when he is holding her piglet doll or her blanket. She's had her first physical confrontation with another kid when a fellow church nursery inmate picked up her piglet. I hear she leveled him and confiscated her prize possession. I'm thinking of steering her toward WWF wrestling as a career. Dad visited during Thanksgiving and I didn't even have a project lined up for him! Dang!! We ate our Thanksgiving meal at Steve and Gigi's home. He didn't give away all the secrets to his turkey but I know it involved a couple of days in salt water and more time in apple juice. All I know is I had a tough time fitting behind the steering wheel on the way home. I'm just returning from a week of training in Dallas. I had a great time but that is way too long to be away from my family. During a couple of my calls to Caren she tried to get Morgan on the phone to say hello but she was always too busy. Ohhh, man that crushed me. Anywho, I stayed with James a Niki in their new home which Niki has decorated very nice. More cute stuff Morgan does
Ethan Robert Wilbanks17 Jul 2000 After close to thousands of votes (15) we have closed the polls on naming our future child. His name will be Ethan Robert Wilbanks. Robert Ethan received 40% of the votes, Keith received 20% and only 13% voted for Ethan Robert. Thanks Keith Paschal for your help, but Caren played her trump card ('I'm going through the pains of child birth therefore I get to name the child') and gave her 5 votes to Ethan Robert. Last Weekend I attended our Wilbanks Family Reunion in Pine Crest California. What a great time! We rented a cabin and ate smores for a few days while catching up on family news 10 years waiting. The only member of the family not able to attend was James, punk. Maybe you can make the next 10 year anniversary reunion. Morgan had fun meeting the other 8 kids under 5 years old. She tried to follow them around but had trouble keeping up so she focused on trying to get out of the cabin. Every chance she got she went for the exit. Tammy and Angie put it together and did a great job. Visited James26 Jun 2000 I just returned from Dallas where I had a great time visiting James and Veronica. They were both excellent hosts and did not complain of my snoring or my messes. They gave me a tour of downtown Dallas and some of their favorite restaurants. Kristy and Jonathan got us tickets to the Dallas Symphony Orchestra on Thursday night, which played at the Dallas Morton H Meyerson Symphony Center. What a great show and an even more spectacular building. I was also able to tour Dallas Theological Seminary and see the library where James would have spent time had he studied. :) I was able to visit James in Dallas because my manager allowed me to take some training there. I took a week long class on Network Node Manager. It is amazing how much more I learn in a controlled laboratory where I have the ability to experiment. Luckily, the HP training site was only 1 mile from where James works. So we were able to ride share and go to lunch together every day. We caught a couple of movies after work including MI2 and 'Me, Myself and Irene'. Morgan has become such an important part of my life. Each day I am so eager to return home from work to see her. She has a great personality and a very sweet spirit. Both these qualities can be attributed solely to Caren. I teach Morgan very little. Her new entertainment is to play 'hide the piglet', her stuffed toy. I hide piglet somewhere in sight and she retrieves it. Caren and I say, 'Where's the Piglet?' and she starts walking toward it with her arms raised gesturing 'where is it?' She asks for Piglet when it's time for sleep or when she is hurt. She calls him Bigdit. She is learning so quickly now and saying so many words. She will repeat almost any word. She says please and thank you with some coaxing and knows the signs for each. It's a boy!25 Jun 2000 We found out the gender of our new baby today! We're having a boy on October 10, 2000! See pictures and help us choose a name. We just returned from a vacation in Escondido. We played some golf, ate well and relaxed. Jose made some pork tacos, Caren made Lasagna, Deanna made tri-tip and Angie made taco salad. Morgan showed off her new vocabulary and walking skills. She is very close to walking with no help but still does not seem to be motivated enough to make the change. She and Davis chased each other around all week and Morgan loved it. She even learned a new word from Davis. He says thank you for everything and Morgan picked it up. It sounds like 'que'. Her favorite word is still belly button though. The 3rd annual Dog Eat Dog Tournament went well. We played three rounds and Bob came out on top. He shot about a 40 over par for the three rounds while I was around 45, Jose 43 and Kala 50. James might be in the US for the first time in a few years and be able to attend next year. It's good to be home. Morgan and I spent today mowing the lawn and drinking Mountain Dew. She learned to drink from a straw and wants to use one for all meals now. Caren is cleaning out the van we purchased (not actually paid for yet) from Bob. She will have plenty of room now for Morgan and the new baby to come in October. We are looking forward to the Wilbanks Reunion in July. I'll post some details soon. Caren and I will be working on landscaping our house over the next few months. If we still have time and money we'll start on remodeling the kitchen toward the end of the summer. We've buried the pool and are ready to level the back yard. I'll post some pictures soon. James is currently in Russia and has sent some pictures of the trip. Looking forward to vacation in San Diego25 Apr 2000 Spring is finally here and just in time for Morgan to start exploring the outdoors. We've tried to secure everything but she still finds ways into cabinets and drawers. Her favorite past time is to watch her cousins Ashley and Blake. They have so much energy she is exhausted after they visit. Then we turn on her favorite tv shows, Blue's Clues and Barney. We are looking forward to seeing the family in San Diego so Morgan can meet her new cousin Page. We just got the first pictures of Paige which you can view here . I'm looking forward to kickin' some booty in the 4th(?) annual DED Invitational (Dog Eat Dog). I will even be practiced up this year as I just joined a golf league at work where I play a match about every other Wednesday after work. I've been working with James on a web site for him and one for his trip to Russia. Check it out and send him some bucks if you have any just laying around. You were just going to spend it on a big mac and a new computer game anyway! Oh, wait, that's what I do. Time for the 'What game is Rob Playing Now' update. I will not keep you in suspense. Counter Strike ! It rocks. Buy it and join me in an online game. I'm trying to get David R. to get into gaming along with a couple of guys from work. My mission is to make others as unproductive as me. Bring down the curve. Our monthly Geek Party has become a business and now they are held at the local Lion's Lodge in Roseville. It has plenty of room, tables already setup and an industrial kitchen. Come join if you are local. Morgan's first birthday15 Mar 2000 We just celebrated Morgan's first birthday. It's hard to believe she is already one year old (does every parent say this?). She is crawling everywhere and exploring everything she can reach. And we just found out we're having another baby in October! Caren is already a month into the nausea. College mission trips to Bangkok and Manila1990 (posted 2004) I (rob) went on a 2 month mission trip to Manila. After 30 days we had to leave for security reasons so we went to Bangkok for the remainder of our term. It was a great trip, a little scary, and very rewarding. Trip to Hawaii with Friends1989 (posted 2004) In the summer of 1989 me (rob), James, Dan and Andy took a 4 day vacation to Hawaii. High School Band Trip1981 (posted 2004) The Clovis High School marching band earned a chance at the national competition of marching bands in Wisconsin in 1981. As a freshman I went along on the two week bus trip where we saw sights and competed in several competitions along the way. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
%20-%20t.jpg) |
|
| family news | caren | rob | morgan | ethan | |
