An update...FINALLY!!!

Hello all...
Sorry I haven't written a detailed post in awhile. This summer was busy and we had a lot of fun playing outside, swimming, and visiting friends and family.
So here's a detailed update:

I'll start with Serena...

Serena is a BIG GIRL...in terms of her behavior and size...I don't know how much she weighs, but it's a lot. She is very chubby and soooo cute!
Serena loves to lift her shirt and show her belly whenever we say "where's your belly?" Her new favorite phrase is "no, no, no." She probably has at least 25 words and adds more weekly. She knows how to change her baby's diaper and feed Edwin his bottle. She is a rough and tumble girl but can also be a "Mommy." She loves to throw and bounce balls, and enjoys her Little Tikes car. She can climb up the big slide the wrong way by herself, yet has trouble staying in sitting while sliding down. Her gait is a little unique and she falls pretty often but is trying to run and LOVES to dance. She stomps her feet and goes around and around in circles.
She loves Curious George, and can become a tv freak if we leave it on. She loves to talk on the phone and try and put batteries back into the remote, which she gets out by throwing the remote as hard as she can onto the floor...it is now wrapped in duct tape to prevent this! Basically, Serena tries to get and touch everything she isn't suppose to and has a temper tantrum when the desired item is removed from her grasp.
She loves to love on Edwin, hug him, lay on him, feed him his bottle, kiss him, etc, although he is not a fan...lol. She is so sweet and so funny. She loves to "hide" and wait for someone to find her. She loves her tubby and knows how to pull the drain and let the water out!
She is beginning to use utensils to eat. Her favorite food is "hot dog" which is also one of her favorite words. She thinks any beef product is hot dog and is a fan of all meats. She would prefer meat over sweets and still doesn't like ice cream!!!!
She is super snuggly when she is tired and she melts my heart. She is smart, funny, and social. She is my toddler and is growing up way too fast!




My Edwin is growing up too, but he still has a lot of "baby" in him. He LOVES to give "BIG HUGS" to me and Grammy, in which he wraps his arms tightly around our necks and snuggles in...we love it too!!!! He is still sensitive about things, especially if Serena is bugging him by trying to smother him. He is still sensitive to loud talking/singing. Just yesterday Daddy was singing the National Anthem and Edwin burst out in tears and threw up a little. Poor guy. He hadn't thrown up in months and it barely count. I am so thankful our days of reflux and throwing up at meals is over!
Edwin is a terrific eater, and although skinner than his sis, he is taller and out eats her at nearly every meal. He doesn't have a favorite food...he likes just about everything!
Edwin still isn't walking and it is a big focus of our every day. He is tolerating his AFOs better. He had been hesitant to weight bear with them, but just finished PT today and took 12-15 steps in the walker with his AFOs on!!! He also does much better with sitting on his bum as opposed to "w" sitting, although he must be placed on his bum since he can't get from crawling to sitting on his bum just yet. Although my heart aches for him to walk right now, I have to remember just how far he's come and just how blessed we are at what he IS able to do. We are extremely proud of Edwin!!!!
Edwin doesn't say any words yet, minus "dada" and "mama" although not often and we're not 100% sure he means us. He is making lots of new sounds and does respond to many commands, so we know he understands. He will lift his arms when told when we put the tray on the high chair, will usually wave on command, clap his hands, and feed the baby, hug the baby, and kiss the baby.
Edwin loves the water. Loves his tubby, loves the little pool at Grammy's and loves the big pool at the Y where he receives aquatic therapy weekly. He also enjoys his hippotherapy, although won't smile on the horse. He especially likes to put the rings on the poll and the balls in the hoop while on his horse. In fact, his favorite game is putting toys in places and taking them out. It's not exactly age-appropriate play, (Serena did this months ago) but E does things on his own time and is super proud whenever he accomplishes something new. There is something very special about watching Edwin continue to improve developmentally. He reminds us to be patient and gracious. He is a very special boy who never ceases to amaze us.

Sooo cute!

On his way to the top...8-0!!!!

Rodriguez Continues To Rise!

No one seems able to stop the 23 year old Edwin “La Bomba” Rodriguez, of Worcester, MA, as he extended his undefeated record against Marcus Upshaw after six rounds at middleweight this evening, in what may have been the fight of the night, showcasing the fighter of the night, Rodriguez. With a fandom second only to main eventer, Manfredo, Rodriguez is developing a fan base not seen in New England for years, and rightfully so, as he continues to show excellent skills and marked improvement from one fight to the next, under the tutelage of Peter Manfredo, Sr.
His opponent, 28 year old Marcus Upshaw, of Jacksonville, Florida, presented good and stiff opposition to the Worcesterite, that challenged Rodriguez in ways he hadn’t been challenged in his first seven professional fights. Rodriguez saw opposition that required him to adjust his technique and game plan to come out on top of this bout by unanimous decision, 60-54 thrice.

With the win, Rodriguez remains undefeated at 8-0, 5 KO’s, while Upshaw settles for 8-3, 3 KO’s.

Rodriguez has fought all eight of his professional bouts in 2008. Eight wins in eight brief months, the kid with a great attitude and love for the sport, and with great management and training from the likes of Peter Manfredo, Sr. working his corner, not only does New England boxing fans have their eyes on this kid, but nation wide promoters were in attendance eying this promising prospect. Time to start a scrap book.

Daddy fights tonight...nice article mentioning the twins

First, pictures of Edwin's DAFOs...make sure to read article below



Edwin Rodriguez – The Young King of a Fighting Family

by David P. Greisman

They were little fighters from birth. Their father was an accomplished amateur boxer who turned pro, the job of supporting his growing family now in his gloved hands.

Their father, Edwin Rodriguez fights tonight, the eighth bout of a career that began just seven months ago. His match will come on the undercard of a Peter Manfredo Jr. main event in Lincoln, R.I., at a time when a handful of Rodriguez's peers have been on national television from the Olympics in Beijing.

Life happens beyond the ropes, though, in this case the premature birth of twins to Rodriguez and his fiancée, Stephanie. Serena Lynn and Edwin Jr. were due Jan. 21, 2007, but they were born Sept. 29, 2006, each weighing one pound, three ounces. They were little fighters from the beginning. Serena Lynn recently had surgery on her vocal cords. Edwin Jr. is working on being able to walk. Their father fights for them, too, especially now that the family is beyond the worst moments.

"It was a really tough time, " Rodriguez, 23, of Worcester, Mass., said earlier this week. "One day they were doing good, and the next day I watched my son pretty much die, and they brought him back a couple of times. We stayed in the hospital for about four, five months when they were born. They were so tiny.

"At the time we didn't really feel like parents, because they weren't home with us," he said. "It was tough for my girl especially. She was always crying every time she was at home without the kids. We took them home, and we were so excited. And yet we were so worried because they were coming home with oxygen."

Before, Rodriguez was an amateur middleweight who had won the 2005 USA Boxing national championship and the 2006 Golden Gloves national championship. He had his sights set on making the national team and fighting in 2008 in China.

"I thought I was going to be an Olympian, but it didn't work out that way," Rodriguez said. "The day I was supposed to go for the first qualifier, they were born, so I had to cancel it and stay by my wife's side, and I'm happy I did that. For the second qualifier I was actually trying to work out, trying to juggle going to the gym and seeing the babies. Witnessing my son almost die a couple times, my body was there, but my mind wasn't.

"I didn't make the team," he said. "It was something I was thinking about for quite a bit. But I'm excited. I was able to turn my life around. I'm doing good now."

That he is. In seven fights, Rodriguez has seven victories, five of which have ended in knockouts. Not bad for someone who had preferred America's Pastime to the Sweet Science before he arrived in the United States.

"I came from the Dominican Republican in 1998. Our first sport is baseball," Rodriguez said. "But when I came over here, we couldn't play all season because of the winter. I needed to pick up another sport. A friend of my brother introduced me to boxing. I loved it."

And boxing meshes well with his other competitive outlet - chess.

"I was in middle school, and I remember they had a little tournament in seventh grade. I didn't even qualify," Rodriguez said. "I bought a board, and I used to play my dad everyday. He's pretty good at it. Even days I didn't want to play, we played. I picked it up pretty fast. I went to high school and I just kept playing. Now I love it. I play online. I play everyday.

"It's a thinking game. It's just like boxing. You've got to be a move ahead of your opponent. You've got to set them up for that knockout. You've got to get that checkmate. It's basically the same thing, but you're not hurting anyone."

Rodriguez has yet to sign with a promoter. At tonight's card, he'll have at least one interested observer considering whether the young middleweight will be a grandmaster of the ring.

"I think he's one of the most exciting fighters coming out of New England right now," said Jimmy Burchfield, whose CES Boxing is putting on the Rhode Island show. "I think he'll give us a good opportunity for his team to see how we do things, and I'd like to see how we do things. We're always looking to make champions, and I think he surely has the qualifications to be a world champion.

"He's a tremendously big middleweight, so that's a great advantage," Burchfield said. "He doesn't seem to be having any problem making middleweight. He's long. He's rangy. He can box. He can punch. Edwin, with what he's done as an amateur, he's got some great qualifications."

Rodriguez's opponent is Marcus Upshaw, a 6-foot-3, 28-year-old Floridian with eight wins and two losses. Upshaw is the second straight opponent with a winning record that Rodriguez has faced.

"We know that Edwin had this raw talent, and we're trying to cultivate it," said Larry Army, Rodriguez's manager. Army also represents Manfredo.

"We want him to be with the right promoter," Army said. "What we've decided, the first year of Edwin's career, we're going to test the waters and see who we like and who we don't like."

Rodriguez said he lets his team worry about promoters. His thoughts are toward the ring and his future.

"I like to take it one fight at a time, but I want to get the youth middleweight title by the end of this year," Rodriguez said. "I want to be 10 to 12 and 0 by the end of this year. My ultimate goal is to become undisputed middleweight champion.

"I work hard to become the best," he said. "It doesn't matter what I do. I'm going to work as hard as I can to be able to accomplish my goals."

Much needed picture post!!!!

Serena LOVES washcloths!

Handsome boy!

Uncle Ethan and twin neice and nephew

Diva!!!



Our trip to the zoo! Our very first amusement ride!!!!!!

Weeeeee!!!!

Fun day with uncle Ethan and Grampa!




This is what I think of my AFOs

BUT....look how well I'm "bum sitting!!!!" I'm making HUGE strides with this :)

My big girl! Gorgeous!

Putting the balls IN during hippotherapy. I'm doing amazing at hippotherapy!!!

Long time no update

Sorry I've been MIA...just SUPER busy. We have a new member of the family. An (almost) 17 year old girl I work with has been placed in our care for an undetermined amount of time. She is super nice and a great girl. I'm not going to talk much about her here out of respect for her privacy and the particulars of her situation, but that explains the lack of blogging...getting things situated for her here.
The kids are doing really well. Hippotherapy continues to be a great therapy for Edwin, as well as aquatic therapy. Ej also got his DAFOs, but hates them and I am having difficulty getting him to wear them, let alone walking with them. But he is doing great with his walker without the AFOs and can get in it himself and take off...Now we are just working on steering.
Serena is getting HUGE...she is quite chubby and heavy to hold. She is uses more words and our next goal is to get her to say even more and eventually start putting words together.

I have pictures, but have yet to upload them...Soon I promise!

Quick update with pictures

Hippotherapy went well Saturday. Edwin attempted to "w" on the horse, go figure! The therapists had to help him a bit but he did well sitting up. He is doing better with his walker and I expect will do even better once his AFOs come in. Serena had fun entertaining herself while at the stable. She is a funny girl!
All has not been going well in the weaning off bottles project, but we're trying all your ideas. Well, this is a quick update, but enjoy the pics from this weekend!