Sorry I haven't blogged much lately. It's been pretty busy - mostly with a lot of driving. The girls and I went home last Friday to see Daddy. We had a great time, went to church, and went house hunting - again. We returned Monday night.
Tuesday, we decided to make an offer on one the houses we saw. This is a pretty big deal for us since we have been looking for about 5 months. Once we decided, I got all freaked out about everything we needed to finish to put our house on the market, and decided to go home Wednesday night. I spent Thursday packing and scrubbing paint and caulk off the bathroom floor while the girls took a bath in the tub. When they took their nap, I scrubbed the tub til my wrists hurt. Thursday afternoon, I met Grandpa after work and he took the kids to their house - where they could stay until Monday or Tuesday! Thursday night, we made our offer! I also had a wonderful and long conversation with my mema. I sang to her: Amazing Grace. She had me sing it again and sang along with me as best she could. At the end, she said, "it's true, it's so true, you know?" I said, "I know Mema. Soon you will see Heaven." She said, "I already see some of it." I asked her what part she could see. "The people on the hill." I told her they were waiting for her and soon she would be with them. And I told her to save me a spot.
Friday, I spent the day working in the cold, wet yard and packing up everything else I could think of. Then, I received a series of phone calls from my mom who indicated that my mema's condition had worsened. She was in a lot of pain and they had to render her basically unconscious with codine and morphine. I gave Grandpa and Ya-Ya a call and asked if they could bring the girls back Saturday so I could leave with them in the early afternoon. Of course, they agreed.
Around 6:30, mom called again. Mema's breathing was labored; only 5-6 breaths a minute. She and Wayne thought it could be tonight or tomorrow. So, I got back into the car and drove back another 5 hours arriving here shortly before midnight. Ben left at the same time to get the girls and will leave in the morning to join us. I'm hoping she will make it so the girls can say good-bye.
So, I sit here now, beside her bed, acutely understanding the term "sitting vigil". Her breathing is better, but she is completely unconscious. I know she may never wake up. Even so, it was imperative to me that I be here with her. Before I left, I had my mom hold the phone up to her ear. I told Mema I was on my way and if she would just hold on a little bit longer, I would sing her into Heaven. I intend to do so.
She may leave us tonight - or tomorrow - or the next day. I am so thankful I can be here with her to hold her hand - and say goodbye.
Posts may be sporadic over the next few days. I will get back to regular posting and highlight some of our recent activities as soon as I can.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Natalie and Abby hanging out on Grammy's bed in Mema's room. They like to crawl on her bed, snuggle under the covers and pile all the pillows around them. They also like to pretend to read mommy and grammy's books. I've been trying to catch the girls singing, which should be easy since they do it all the time. I finally succeeded - almost - until the card ran out or the batteries died...
Saturday, January 9, 2010
New Year's Goals
I thought if I didn't call them "resolutions", I'd have a better chance of keeping them.
I have long stopped making resolutions for myself. Let's face it; there are only so many years one can say "this year I will lose weight" and still remain credible.
So, instead, I shall focus on Natalie and Abigail. There are a few things I want for them this year.
Socialization
While the girls are excellent playmates with each other, put them with other kids and they clam up a bit. On playgrounds, they stand still and stare at the other children. Since our neighbors (and their 6 months older son) moved, we have have had almost zero playdates. We did spend a lot of time with Walker and Bean, with whom the girls interacted well, but we've had little exposure to kids closer to their age. Traveling so much and being at mom's and mema's also makes playdates and making friends harder.
So, this year (once things calm down and we return home), I am going to pursue playdates and friendships for the girls. They need to practice those wonderful playing skills they have with other children. Also, I am very much a homebody and could easily go weeks without hanging out with anyone. I do enjoy getting out to Walmart, etc., but I'm not the type to call a girlfriend up to shop, hang out, or even to talk. (I generally dislike talking on the phone). Ben is even worse. He's a classic introvert. I'm very conscious of not letting our personalities and preferences dictate the girls' social life.
Class Participation
Along the same lines of socialization, I would like to see Natalie and Abby enrolled in Little Gym or some similar activity this spring. We once started Little Gym, but the girls soon became ill and it seemed best not to continue. They are older now, eating better and weigh more, so I think we need to give it a try. We may not be able to enroll this spring semester; it depends on how long we stay here in Franklin. However, I'm hoping there will be a summer camp they can try out. If not, I will look for something similar so they can have a group activity to enjoy.
Sunday School and Church
We have been very, very, very bad Christian parents. I'm afraid the girls have never been to Sunday School and to extended care only a dozen times or more. Some of it is due to all our travel. We are frequently gone on Sundays. A majority, however, is due to our own laziness. I am not a morning person. Yes, I know Sunday School is at 10am, which is not "early" by most people's standards. But, I can sleep until noon with no trouble at all, so 10am is early - to me. However, that is no excuse.
We have worked on their religious education at home. Natalie and Abby love Baby Jesus and love to read the Christmas Story. They have learned the story very well. They loved the little cardboard Baby Jesus we made and they love playing with the figures in the Nativity. We have a number of Bible story books and Children's Bibles and we reads stories from them. We have learned to sing Jesus Loves Me, and for a while we were saying our prayers at night (we need to start this again). They also know how to fold their hands for prayer and give a resounding "amen" after, "in Jesus' name, we pray". But, it's not enough, so this year, we are taking the girls to church.
A Pre-school type organized day
I've been flirting with the idea of homeschooling, but in preparation I have some work to do. To start, I need to get up at a decent hour. This is probably the hardest thing for me. As I said, I am NOT a morning person. I am a night owl. I was born to burn the midnight oil - and the 4am oil. In my perfect world, I would stay up until 3ish and sleep until noon every day. Clearly, this is not a good plan for toddlers or pre-school. I have been most fortunate that the one thing Natalie and Abby got from me is the sleeping gene. They usually sleep until 9am, and rarely awaken before 8:30am. I honestly don't know what I would do if they got up at 6am every day. But, starting at 9 does shorten the day. Plus they often nap two or more hours, which also cuts into the day. So, something has to change, mainly, me.
I also want to start a more organized method of instruction for them. I'm not talking about hours spent in a desk, but at least several minutes throughout the day spent focused on sitting still and concentrating on an activity. Right now, we are sort-of in the "teachable moment" style of education, which I fully believe in and will continue, but they need some more organized learning as well.
Clean-up and listening
Natalie and Abby are very, very good little girls. They really are. They are sweet, loving, kind, playful, funny, happy, energized, and delightful. They have their moments of whining, but are generally very agreeable. They also follow instructions pretty well most of the time. However, clean-up time is NOT one of those times. They can destroy a room in minutes - and are generally disinclined to help put it back together. I need to be more consistent about insisting they help (instead of just doing it myself) and they have to learn to listen a little better.
It goes without saying that feeding and gaining weight remain, as always, a goal. I've spent so much time in the past 2.5 years on that subject, that I am weary of it. So, in the words of Forest Gump: that's all I have to say about that.
I guess I will throw out a few goals for Ben and I. For the most part, they boil down to two main goals:
One: Sell our house.
Two: Buy new house.
So, if anyone wants to help us with goal one, we have a cute 3brm/2 ba home with a beautiful new kitchen and gorgeous new bamboo floors. It has a small yard, but nicely landscaped and also has a great deck with wisteria (that provides both privacy and gorgeous flowers in the spring). It's a great house and we'd LOVE to sell it to you!
Happy New Year to all - and I wish you all the best of luck on your New Year's Resolutions!
I have long stopped making resolutions for myself. Let's face it; there are only so many years one can say "this year I will lose weight" and still remain credible.
So, instead, I shall focus on Natalie and Abigail. There are a few things I want for them this year.
Socialization
While the girls are excellent playmates with each other, put them with other kids and they clam up a bit. On playgrounds, they stand still and stare at the other children. Since our neighbors (and their 6 months older son) moved, we have have had almost zero playdates. We did spend a lot of time with Walker and Bean, with whom the girls interacted well, but we've had little exposure to kids closer to their age. Traveling so much and being at mom's and mema's also makes playdates and making friends harder.
So, this year (once things calm down and we return home), I am going to pursue playdates and friendships for the girls. They need to practice those wonderful playing skills they have with other children. Also, I am very much a homebody and could easily go weeks without hanging out with anyone. I do enjoy getting out to Walmart, etc., but I'm not the type to call a girlfriend up to shop, hang out, or even to talk. (I generally dislike talking on the phone). Ben is even worse. He's a classic introvert. I'm very conscious of not letting our personalities and preferences dictate the girls' social life.
Class Participation
Along the same lines of socialization, I would like to see Natalie and Abby enrolled in Little Gym or some similar activity this spring. We once started Little Gym, but the girls soon became ill and it seemed best not to continue. They are older now, eating better and weigh more, so I think we need to give it a try. We may not be able to enroll this spring semester; it depends on how long we stay here in Franklin. However, I'm hoping there will be a summer camp they can try out. If not, I will look for something similar so they can have a group activity to enjoy.
Sunday School and Church
We have been very, very, very bad Christian parents. I'm afraid the girls have never been to Sunday School and to extended care only a dozen times or more. Some of it is due to all our travel. We are frequently gone on Sundays. A majority, however, is due to our own laziness. I am not a morning person. Yes, I know Sunday School is at 10am, which is not "early" by most people's standards. But, I can sleep until noon with no trouble at all, so 10am is early - to me. However, that is no excuse.
We have worked on their religious education at home. Natalie and Abby love Baby Jesus and love to read the Christmas Story. They have learned the story very well. They loved the little cardboard Baby Jesus we made and they love playing with the figures in the Nativity. We have a number of Bible story books and Children's Bibles and we reads stories from them. We have learned to sing Jesus Loves Me, and for a while we were saying our prayers at night (we need to start this again). They also know how to fold their hands for prayer and give a resounding "amen" after, "in Jesus' name, we pray". But, it's not enough, so this year, we are taking the girls to church.
A Pre-school type organized day
I've been flirting with the idea of homeschooling, but in preparation I have some work to do. To start, I need to get up at a decent hour. This is probably the hardest thing for me. As I said, I am NOT a morning person. I am a night owl. I was born to burn the midnight oil - and the 4am oil. In my perfect world, I would stay up until 3ish and sleep until noon every day. Clearly, this is not a good plan for toddlers or pre-school. I have been most fortunate that the one thing Natalie and Abby got from me is the sleeping gene. They usually sleep until 9am, and rarely awaken before 8:30am. I honestly don't know what I would do if they got up at 6am every day. But, starting at 9 does shorten the day. Plus they often nap two or more hours, which also cuts into the day. So, something has to change, mainly, me.
I also want to start a more organized method of instruction for them. I'm not talking about hours spent in a desk, but at least several minutes throughout the day spent focused on sitting still and concentrating on an activity. Right now, we are sort-of in the "teachable moment" style of education, which I fully believe in and will continue, but they need some more organized learning as well.
Clean-up and listening
Natalie and Abby are very, very good little girls. They really are. They are sweet, loving, kind, playful, funny, happy, energized, and delightful. They have their moments of whining, but are generally very agreeable. They also follow instructions pretty well most of the time. However, clean-up time is NOT one of those times. They can destroy a room in minutes - and are generally disinclined to help put it back together. I need to be more consistent about insisting they help (instead of just doing it myself) and they have to learn to listen a little better.
It goes without saying that feeding and gaining weight remain, as always, a goal. I've spent so much time in the past 2.5 years on that subject, that I am weary of it. So, in the words of Forest Gump: that's all I have to say about that.
I guess I will throw out a few goals for Ben and I. For the most part, they boil down to two main goals:
One: Sell our house.
Two: Buy new house.
So, if anyone wants to help us with goal one, we have a cute 3brm/2 ba home with a beautiful new kitchen and gorgeous new bamboo floors. It has a small yard, but nicely landscaped and also has a great deck with wisteria (that provides both privacy and gorgeous flowers in the spring). It's a great house and we'd LOVE to sell it to you!
Happy New Year to all - and I wish you all the best of luck on your New Year's Resolutions!
mil"K"
This is going to sound really silly, and it's a really minor thing. But, Natalie is usually behind Abby in her speech development so I wanted to celebrate this little step forward.
Endings of words are one of the things we have been working on in speech. Natalie has dropped the endings of many words for a long time. She's done much better recently and is putting more endings on her words. Milk is a word we have been working on for a while. For a long time, it was just "mi". A month or so ago (maybe longer, it's hard to keep track if I don't write it down), she (and Abby) started saying milT, with a T on the end. Their speech therapist said this was very appropriate since the "k" sound is a sound that comes later.
Today, as we were getting ready for our bottle, Natalie said, "milk" - with a very clear K on the end. She was sitting on the couch and clear as day said, "nanny's milk". I was so proud! (Nanny (sometimes Natnee) is her name for herself. This is also what Abby calls her).
In general, their speech is coming along well. Their vocabulary is pretty extensive. They know the words for pretty much every common thing and most foods. They also know a few unusual words like oxygen (mema's oxgen), computer, and opossum (thanks to the little porch visitor last night). Okay, maybe those aren't that unusual - except oxygen.
The biggest problem right now is how well they can be understood. I can understand most of what they say, especially in context of where they are or what they are pointing to. Sometimes, however, Abby will break out in a multi-syllabic multi-word sentence and I have no idea what she is saying. Natalie's speech is not quite as developed. She knows the words, but she drops more endings (and sometimes beginnings) and is just harder to understand.
It's really fun listening to them talk to each other. As far as I can tell, they have not developed a twin language, which makes me a little sad. I've always wondered what that sounded like. I don't always understand everything they say to each other, but they seem too. I do pick up words and phrases. The best thing is listening to them play in their bed as they go to sleep or are supposed to be napping. They are just too funny. They appear to have real conversations and coordinate their play. Abby remains the more dominant and outspoken sister. I've noticed she tends to tell Natalie what to do. Yesterday, they were playing in their little tent with their babies. At one point Natalie exited the tent. Abby was very upset. She said, "sit here, sit here". She really wanted Natalie to come back inside the tent and sit down. Natalie did go back in but sat in a different place. Abby was still not happy. "Sit here, sit here, sit right here". Bossy, much?
I can see that we are going to have to help Natalie learn to stand up for herself and be assertive with Abby. Otherwise, Abby is going to run all over her!
The girls have been in speech therapy for a while now, and are certainly doing much better. If they were tested at this point, they probably would not qualify for services. Although, they could possibly qualify for articulation speech therapy. It's amazing to think that in a few months they will age out of the Early Intervention State programs. When we started, 3 years seemed like a long time away. We will soon make appointments for comprehensive testing to see if they qualify for an educational IEP (individual education plan)
that would allow us to enroll them in public pre-school free of charge. I would be very surprised if they qualified for that. Their only really issue at this time is speech.
In any case, I just had to report on Natalie's little speech achievement. With the exception of being born and coming home first, she's doesn't usually get to be first at much, so I wanted to celebrate! Yea Natalie!
Endings of words are one of the things we have been working on in speech. Natalie has dropped the endings of many words for a long time. She's done much better recently and is putting more endings on her words. Milk is a word we have been working on for a while. For a long time, it was just "mi". A month or so ago (maybe longer, it's hard to keep track if I don't write it down), she (and Abby) started saying milT, with a T on the end. Their speech therapist said this was very appropriate since the "k" sound is a sound that comes later.
Today, as we were getting ready for our bottle, Natalie said, "milk" - with a very clear K on the end. She was sitting on the couch and clear as day said, "nanny's milk". I was so proud! (Nanny (sometimes Natnee) is her name for herself. This is also what Abby calls her).
In general, their speech is coming along well. Their vocabulary is pretty extensive. They know the words for pretty much every common thing and most foods. They also know a few unusual words like oxygen (mema's oxgen), computer, and opossum (thanks to the little porch visitor last night). Okay, maybe those aren't that unusual - except oxygen.
The biggest problem right now is how well they can be understood. I can understand most of what they say, especially in context of where they are or what they are pointing to. Sometimes, however, Abby will break out in a multi-syllabic multi-word sentence and I have no idea what she is saying. Natalie's speech is not quite as developed. She knows the words, but she drops more endings (and sometimes beginnings) and is just harder to understand.
It's really fun listening to them talk to each other. As far as I can tell, they have not developed a twin language, which makes me a little sad. I've always wondered what that sounded like. I don't always understand everything they say to each other, but they seem too. I do pick up words and phrases. The best thing is listening to them play in their bed as they go to sleep or are supposed to be napping. They are just too funny. They appear to have real conversations and coordinate their play. Abby remains the more dominant and outspoken sister. I've noticed she tends to tell Natalie what to do. Yesterday, they were playing in their little tent with their babies. At one point Natalie exited the tent. Abby was very upset. She said, "sit here, sit here". She really wanted Natalie to come back inside the tent and sit down. Natalie did go back in but sat in a different place. Abby was still not happy. "Sit here, sit here, sit right here". Bossy, much?
I can see that we are going to have to help Natalie learn to stand up for herself and be assertive with Abby. Otherwise, Abby is going to run all over her!
The girls have been in speech therapy for a while now, and are certainly doing much better. If they were tested at this point, they probably would not qualify for services. Although, they could possibly qualify for articulation speech therapy. It's amazing to think that in a few months they will age out of the Early Intervention State programs. When we started, 3 years seemed like a long time away. We will soon make appointments for comprehensive testing to see if they qualify for an educational IEP (individual education plan)
that would allow us to enroll them in public pre-school free of charge. I would be very surprised if they qualified for that. Their only really issue at this time is speech.
In any case, I just had to report on Natalie's little speech achievement. With the exception of being born and coming home first, she's doesn't usually get to be first at much, so I wanted to celebrate! Yea Natalie!
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Happy New Year!
The new year has just begun and I'm already behind on posts! I promise to post the big Christmas post, but it includes lots of pictures, and that takes more time....But, keep checking, I promise it's coming.
Monday, December 28, 2009
"I love You"
We have our first spontaneous, unprovoked, "I love you".
In the past few weeks, Natalie and Abby would repeat, I love you, if asked to - especially to Mema. A few times theywould respond with I love you if she was told I love you first. Today, Natalie did it all on her own.
The girls have just been running around playing, "I'll get you", ie. chase. Natalie came running in from the living room into our dining room and said, "I love you, Mommy. I love you, Mommy." It took me a minute or two to figure out what she was saying, and then, of course, my heart just melted. I knelt down, gave her big hugs and said, "I love you too, Natalie." I have been awaiting this day (as it seems a little late to me), and it was just as wonderful as I imagined:-)
In the past few weeks, Natalie and Abby would repeat, I love you, if asked to - especially to Mema. A few times theywould respond with I love you if she was told I love you first. Today, Natalie did it all on her own.
The girls have just been running around playing, "I'll get you", ie. chase. Natalie came running in from the living room into our dining room and said, "I love you, Mommy. I love you, Mommy." It took me a minute or two to figure out what she was saying, and then, of course, my heart just melted. I knelt down, gave her big hugs and said, "I love you too, Natalie." I have been awaiting this day (as it seems a little late to me), and it was just as wonderful as I imagined:-)
Thursday, December 24, 2009
"Check on Mema"
I'm so glad the girls can be here to get to know Mema. And, I'm glad they can bring her joy. When she hears their voices she says, "I hear a little one" and her face just lights up. When they touch her hand, she says, " I feel a little hand" with a smile. In the last few days, which have been very hard, they have been nearly the only thing that has made her really smile.
Having the girls here is such a blessing, for all involved, I believe. But it also poses the potential problem of the confusion they will experience when they come in to check on Mema and she is no longer here. Christmas has actually worked in our favor since we have talked a lot about Baby Jesus being born. I've been preparing them by talking about how Baby Jesus lives in Heaven with God and we can't see him. Then I say that Mema is going to go live with Baby Jesus and we won't be able to see her anymore either. I'm pretty sure they have no idea what I am saying or what I mean. But, if I can keep preparing them, maybe it will come together when we have to say good-bye to mema and they can't see her anymore. Explaining death to 2.5 year olds is tough. If anyone has any ideas, feel free to share.*Biscuit is really more than just a stuffed animal. He is a part of our family. Years ago, maybe 20ish, my Aunt Joyce (mema's sister) bought Biscuit for Granny (their mother, my great-grandmother) when she was sick. Since then, whenever someone was sick, Biscuit was sent to stay with them. He has been mailed and carried across a number of states to whichever member of the family was in the most need.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Sing, sing a song, sing out loud, sing out strong!
The girls are becoming quite the little song birds. I've mentioned before how Abby likes to sing - all.day.long. Natalie has been singing more of late as well. We have finally progressed past just the ABC's and onto other selections. We can sing most of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star and Jesus Loves Me. And, I'm not so very proud to say, they now know the theme song to Wonder Pets. They also picked up pretty quickly on Jingle Bells when I had it on in the car.
The songs sometimes mix all together. It's very common to start with ABC's and finish with Wonder Pets. Or, start with anything and end with the ABC's. In fact, the ABC song is just as often as not started somewhere in the middle, LMNOP or QRS seem to be popular starting points for Abby. She also frequently mixes talking and singing, especially when playing alone with her babies in her bed. The ABC's also seem to act as a comfort item for her. It's really pretty funny. Abby will be in the middle of whining or crying about something and she's "Mommy, whine, whine, A B C LMNOP...cry...cry". I can't help but laugh at her. She's a pretty funny little kid.
Natalie has her funny things too. One thing she likes to do is make a production about leaving a room. She'll start to walk out and then turn around and wave with a grin, "bye mommy, bye mommy, bye mommy". It's hilarious. Then she'll come right back in, "hi mommy, hi mommy." The girls do it to each other in play as well. "Bye, Abby, Bye Abby". The other day, she was doing it in the bath tub. She took her little pail of water and started towards the back on the tub, "bye, bye, bye". I asked her if she was going on a trip. She said, "yes." So, so funny.
The songs sometimes mix all together. It's very common to start with ABC's and finish with Wonder Pets. Or, start with anything and end with the ABC's. In fact, the ABC song is just as often as not started somewhere in the middle, LMNOP or QRS seem to be popular starting points for Abby. She also frequently mixes talking and singing, especially when playing alone with her babies in her bed. The ABC's also seem to act as a comfort item for her. It's really pretty funny. Abby will be in the middle of whining or crying about something and she's "Mommy, whine, whine, A B C LMNOP...cry...cry". I can't help but laugh at her. She's a pretty funny little kid.
Natalie has her funny things too. One thing she likes to do is make a production about leaving a room. She'll start to walk out and then turn around and wave with a grin, "bye mommy, bye mommy, bye mommy". It's hilarious. Then she'll come right back in, "hi mommy, hi mommy." The girls do it to each other in play as well. "Bye, Abby, Bye Abby". The other day, she was doing it in the bath tub. She took her little pail of water and started towards the back on the tub, "bye, bye, bye". I asked her if she was going on a trip. She said, "yes." So, so funny.
Potty Time!
Abby went tinkle on the potty today!! She's been showing some interest and about two days ago wanted to sit on the potty. Today, Ben asked her if she wanted to. She said, "yes" and she did!
I really haven't pushed the potty training. I decided that at my mother's house in the middle of all this chaos really wasn't the best time. Plus, we are hoping to sell our house and move soon, so I thought I'd wait until then. It appears Abby has other ideas.
Natalie doesn't show any real interest herself. If you ask her if she wants to sit on the potty, she very clearly and strongly says, "NO." But, she is very concerned about Abby using the potty. She says, "Abby potty?" and points to the bathroom.
My mom picked up a Sesame Street toilet seat today. Maybe once Natalie can pee while sitting on Elmo she'll be more interested.
I really haven't pushed the potty training. I decided that at my mother's house in the middle of all this chaos really wasn't the best time. Plus, we are hoping to sell our house and move soon, so I thought I'd wait until then. It appears Abby has other ideas.
Natalie doesn't show any real interest herself. If you ask her if she wants to sit on the potty, she very clearly and strongly says, "NO." But, she is very concerned about Abby using the potty. She says, "Abby potty?" and points to the bathroom.
My mom picked up a Sesame Street toilet seat today. Maybe once Natalie can pee while sitting on Elmo she'll be more interested.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Working Class Girls
Natalie and Abby have officially joined the ranks of working class America. They have each earned their first dollars.
Saturday, after our Santa excursion, we went for a bite to eat at a nearby restaurant. While in line to pay, a woman commented on how well behaved they were and how cute, etc. I thanked her, of course, and we chatted a bit. After leaving the restaurant, we popped in next door to Goodwill. After buying a few plain white T-shirts for bibs and some books, we were getting back into the car, when the woman came up to me and handed me two one dollar bills. "For their piggy banks," she said. I was quite surprised, and thanked her profusely and wished her a Merry Christmas.
Mom, on the other side of the car, missed part of the exchange and when I told her what she did, she was also quite surprised. Mom said the woman had been sitting near us and had spoken to mom about the girls when I was in the restroom.
I'm not quite sure what to think about the whole exchange. It's not every day people hand me money on the streets - or in parking lots. Maybe the girls reminded her of her own children or grandchildren or the children/grandchildren she wished she had. Maybe she was really impressed they were so well behaved instead of running loud and wild as kids are prone to do nowadays while their parents watch or ignore them completely. Maybe she just thought they were super cute. Hopefully, she didn't think they looked they needed the two dollars. I mean, I was wearing my best jeans and my best pink Johns River Valley Camp T-shirt (a pretty swanky outfit, for me.)
Whatever her reasons, I thank her. She did a very kind and generous thing in the spirit of Christmas and it is a story I will remember forever and be sure to tell the girls. So, thank you, kind woman in Franklin. I hope God blesses you ten-fold for your kindness. Merry Christmas.
Saturday, after our Santa excursion, we went for a bite to eat at a nearby restaurant. While in line to pay, a woman commented on how well behaved they were and how cute, etc. I thanked her, of course, and we chatted a bit. After leaving the restaurant, we popped in next door to Goodwill. After buying a few plain white T-shirts for bibs and some books, we were getting back into the car, when the woman came up to me and handed me two one dollar bills. "For their piggy banks," she said. I was quite surprised, and thanked her profusely and wished her a Merry Christmas.
Mom, on the other side of the car, missed part of the exchange and when I told her what she did, she was also quite surprised. Mom said the woman had been sitting near us and had spoken to mom about the girls when I was in the restroom.
I'm not quite sure what to think about the whole exchange. It's not every day people hand me money on the streets - or in parking lots. Maybe the girls reminded her of her own children or grandchildren or the children/grandchildren she wished she had. Maybe she was really impressed they were so well behaved instead of running loud and wild as kids are prone to do nowadays while their parents watch or ignore them completely. Maybe she just thought they were super cute. Hopefully, she didn't think they looked they needed the two dollars. I mean, I was wearing my best jeans and my best pink Johns River Valley Camp T-shirt (a pretty swanky outfit, for me.)
Whatever her reasons, I thank her. She did a very kind and generous thing in the spirit of Christmas and it is a story I will remember forever and be sure to tell the girls. So, thank you, kind woman in Franklin. I hope God blesses you ten-fold for your kindness. Merry Christmas.
Project Santa: Success!!
Attention: We have a successful interaction with Santa! I am very excited. No one cried, there was minimal clinging, and we actually sat with Santa. I was actually getting stressed about getting a Santa picture since Franklin has no actual mall. I was even contemplating driving an hour and a half to Asheville just to go to the mall. But, small towns, like animals trapped on an isolated island, have their own methods of adaptation, so instead of the mall - Santa shows up at Kmart. He also shows up at The WhistleStop, which is, I suppose, the closest thing Franklin has to a mall. It's a bunch of crafty stores and antique shops inside one giant building (well, the size of a couple of Walmarts, maybe). Santa was on site from 1pm to 5pm and we were there to greet him.
I will lament that poor Santa didn't have much in way of decoration or throne to sit upon. The Gazebo had lights on it, but no one turned them on. There wasn't a Christmas tree in his Gazebo (although the rest of the "mall" had one every 10 feet), and his traditional big cushy, velvet chair to sit on was replaced by a hard wooden bench. His little Elf (a rather pathetic, sad looking teenagish girl) looked pretty void of Christmas spirit, and common sense - like that required to GET OUT OF THE WAY when parents are trying to take a picture. The poor mom before us was trying all sorts of angles to get just her adorable baby on Santa's lap and cut out the sour-faced elf.
I will say this about small towns and Santa's in random places: you don't have to wait and they are very patient. Operation Santa Picture took some time - at least a good 20-30 minutes from the time Santa was first spotted and the clinging and crawling over Mommy began. It was quite a process.
First, there was the acknowledgment of Santa. Hi Santa - Look, there's Santa - When Santa first walked in, it really didn't go very well. First, he (actually a she, but for tradition's sake..,), he came walking in shouting ho-ho-ho and ringing these very loud jingle bells. Scared the girls to bits. Other parents with sensory kids will appreciate this. Clinging, almost crying and climbing over mommy ( literally, climbing up as if trying to climb over me) was the result. Thank goodness we were actually a good 30 yards or more away from Santa when this happened. Imagine had we been right next to him...
So, Step One: seeing Santa from afar. This included watched an adorable 14ish month old baby in a red Santa dress waddle towards the steps to get to Santa.
Step Two (after Santa stopped ringing the stupid bells), approach the Gazebo and see Santa from about 20 feet away. I sat on the floor with them and let them cling while Grammy and I talked up Santa.
Step Three: Observe other happy children with Santa (see adorable baby above). Adorable baby modeled how to pick a toy from Grumpy Elf's box, how to look up at Santa adoringly, and how to sit on Santa's lap and look right at the camera while mom took a picture. Abby and Natalie never did any of these things, by the way, despite the baby's lovely demonstration.
Step Four: Avoid Santa and look at giant blow-up Penquin on the steps of the Gazebo.
Step Five: Sit on steps of Gazebo with - not looking at Santa. (ps - at the time, I thought this might be our only picture with Natalie, Abby, and Santa!)
Step Ten: Mommy gets Natalie to come to her by picking little snow men out of Grumpy's box and tantalizing her with it. (Natalie is the less squeamish of the two) It had the desired effect and I was able to pick her up and sit her on the bench. It was my hope that if Natalie didn't freak out, Abby would be willing to approach us as well. And, it worked! At first Natalie and Abby have to appear nonchalant and not pay too much attention to the guy in the Big Red Suit (or Mommy who is desperately calling their names to try to get them to look at the camera.)
But, finally, finally, they relax enough to smile (sort-of) and look at Mommy. Success!
Okay, so this isn't your typical kids on Santa's lap picture, but considering last year's crying and wailing, I'd say this was a huge improvement and I am quite pleased.
Project Santa Desensitization is a success.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Natalie and Coloring - Take II
Little Miss Abigail touched my computer and deleted my first, and nearly complete first attempt...grrrrr.
So, Natalie has taken to coloring. I have introduced coloring several times in the past but the girls have shown only passing interest. Just in the past few days, Natalie has developed quite a passion.
When I started the first post, she was sitting to my left, bending over (practically climbing on) the dining room table and intensely working on Cookie Monster in her Elmo coloring book.
She has started covering nearly the whole page instead of just a few passing scribbles. And, as of today, she has started something I am very pleased with - changing colors. Before, her pictures were mostly monochromatic and she would usually keep the same color for multiple pages.
Today, she is using one color, then putting it down and picking a different color to use on the same page - sometimes two or three colors.
She's not using "appropriate" color choices yet, ie. Elmo is not red or Grover Blue. But then again, I think a red, black, and orange flying Grover is pretty cool!
Abby shows no such inclination towards coloring. I did manage to get her to color this:
after I told her I would take a picture of it (she saw me taking pictures of Natalie's). She is still in your basic scribble, scribble, scribble, done stage.
It's not really that surprising as it fits with their personalities. Natalie tends to be better at the fine motor activities that require more patience - like coloring, stringing beads and puzzles. She easily focused on her coloring for at least 15 minutes just now - maybe longer. Abby tends to be busier, not really in a hyperactive way, just busier. She will sit and focus for long periods of time on pretend play: feed her babies, stir soup, etc. But even this is busy. There's lots of moving around, talking and action. I think she likes/needs to input more than Natalie. It may explain why she also sings all.day.long. Really. If she sings her ABC once a day, she sings them 100 times. Or hums them, or do-do-do's them or starts and stops or starts in the middle of them. Twinkle, twinkle is also being a favorite. She really does vocalize almost all day. It's actually very adorable. Mema can actually tell who is who it is now because with minutes Abby identifies herself by breaking into song.
As I mentioned once before, Abby appears to have excellent pitch for a 2.5 year old. I am very pleased. As I also said before, I hadn't really heard Natalie sing enough to really judge but it wasn't looking that good. Natalie is starting to sing her ABC's more - and it's still not looking so good. I'm afraid twin Grammy winners are not likely in their future. However, Natalie does love to dance, and clearly, likes to color, so there's great hope for visual arts in her future.
So, Natalie has taken to coloring. I have introduced coloring several times in the past but the girls have shown only passing interest. Just in the past few days, Natalie has developed quite a passion.
When I started the first post, she was sitting to my left, bending over (practically climbing on) the dining room table and intensely working on Cookie Monster in her Elmo coloring book.
She has started covering nearly the whole page instead of just a few passing scribbles. And, as of today, she has started something I am very pleased with - changing colors. Before, her pictures were mostly monochromatic and she would usually keep the same color for multiple pages.
Today, she is using one color, then putting it down and picking a different color to use on the same page - sometimes two or three colors.
She's not using "appropriate" color choices yet, ie. Elmo is not red or Grover Blue. But then again, I think a red, black, and orange flying Grover is pretty cool!
Abby shows no such inclination towards coloring. I did manage to get her to color this:
after I told her I would take a picture of it (she saw me taking pictures of Natalie's). She is still in your basic scribble, scribble, scribble, done stage.
It's not really that surprising as it fits with their personalities. Natalie tends to be better at the fine motor activities that require more patience - like coloring, stringing beads and puzzles. She easily focused on her coloring for at least 15 minutes just now - maybe longer. Abby tends to be busier, not really in a hyperactive way, just busier. She will sit and focus for long periods of time on pretend play: feed her babies, stir soup, etc. But even this is busy. There's lots of moving around, talking and action. I think she likes/needs to input more than Natalie. It may explain why she also sings all.day.long. Really. If she sings her ABC once a day, she sings them 100 times. Or hums them, or do-do-do's them or starts and stops or starts in the middle of them. Twinkle, twinkle is also being a favorite. She really does vocalize almost all day. It's actually very adorable. Mema can actually tell who is who it is now because with minutes Abby identifies herself by breaking into song.
As I mentioned once before, Abby appears to have excellent pitch for a 2.5 year old. I am very pleased. As I also said before, I hadn't really heard Natalie sing enough to really judge but it wasn't looking that good. Natalie is starting to sing her ABC's more - and it's still not looking so good. I'm afraid twin Grammy winners are not likely in their future. However, Natalie does love to dance, and clearly, likes to color, so there's great hope for visual arts in her future.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Eating Christmas Miracle
I am so happy to report that my girls are beginning to eat like normal children. This morning Abby ate 1.5 pieces of sausage, and few bites of egg, a few bites of banana, and a bite of bread. Natalie ate one sausage, some egg, banana and a bite of toast. I am so excited.
The "not-so-much-formula" experiment is going well. They are now only getting two bottles: one at nap of lactose-free milk, and one at bedtime of bright beginnings. Everything else is food.
Sausage has long been a favorite food, as well as most kinds of fruit, especially grapes. I swear they can eat a pound of grapes in a few days. Eggs are also becoming highly coveted. They have eaten as many as 4 eggs in a sitting (between them). One night last week, we had eggs and ham for dinner. My mom scrambled 7 eggs. When they were gone, I made 4 more. 3 adults and 2 kids ate 11 eggs!!
-------
I started this post a few days ago on a particularly good eating day. I may have gotten ahead of myself with this "miracle" bit. Our very-good-eating-day was followed by our not so good day yesterday where they ate one piece of sausage, half a bowl of manderian oranges from Wendy's each (of these they would have each eaten 2 or 3 bowls had I bought them), one chicken nugget each, a few spoonfuls of chili liquid (NOT the beans or hamburger), about 4-6 oz each of some chicken and rice soup, and only one bottle for the day. A not-so-great-eating day.
But, I'm not getting discouraged. Just like "regular" toddlers, some days are better than others. I'm still pretty excited when I see Natalie and Abby spooning soup into their mouths or devouring a whole cup of grapes. It's actually been just over 2 years since we first brought them to Mema's - that first November. We were starting the one ounce, every 2 hours feeding schedule. I remember how we struggled for 30 minutes each hour (for each baby) to try, try, TRY to get them to drink one ounce of milk. Measure out an ounce some time and see how little it is. The saddest thing is: most of the time we failed getting them to drink even that.
Now, they are drinking 9 ounces a bottle on a daily basis, eating cups of fruit, bowls of soup, patties of sausage, nearly a whole box of mac and cheese, ice cream, crackers, eggs, chicken, rice, and anything with chocolate.
We've come a long way, babies!
The "not-so-much-formula" experiment is going well. They are now only getting two bottles: one at nap of lactose-free milk, and one at bedtime of bright beginnings. Everything else is food.
Sausage has long been a favorite food, as well as most kinds of fruit, especially grapes. I swear they can eat a pound of grapes in a few days. Eggs are also becoming highly coveted. They have eaten as many as 4 eggs in a sitting (between them). One night last week, we had eggs and ham for dinner. My mom scrambled 7 eggs. When they were gone, I made 4 more. 3 adults and 2 kids ate 11 eggs!!
-------
I started this post a few days ago on a particularly good eating day. I may have gotten ahead of myself with this "miracle" bit. Our very-good-eating-day was followed by our not so good day yesterday where they ate one piece of sausage, half a bowl of manderian oranges from Wendy's each (of these they would have each eaten 2 or 3 bowls had I bought them), one chicken nugget each, a few spoonfuls of chili liquid (NOT the beans or hamburger), about 4-6 oz each of some chicken and rice soup, and only one bottle for the day. A not-so-great-eating day.
But, I'm not getting discouraged. Just like "regular" toddlers, some days are better than others. I'm still pretty excited when I see Natalie and Abby spooning soup into their mouths or devouring a whole cup of grapes. It's actually been just over 2 years since we first brought them to Mema's - that first November. We were starting the one ounce, every 2 hours feeding schedule. I remember how we struggled for 30 minutes each hour (for each baby) to try, try, TRY to get them to drink one ounce of milk. Measure out an ounce some time and see how little it is. The saddest thing is: most of the time we failed getting them to drink even that.
Now, they are drinking 9 ounces a bottle on a daily basis, eating cups of fruit, bowls of soup, patties of sausage, nearly a whole box of mac and cheese, ice cream, crackers, eggs, chicken, rice, and anything with chocolate.
We've come a long way, babies!
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Thanksgiving Pictures
We did make it to Mema and Grammy's for Thanksgiving. We enjoyed a great dinner on Friday and lots of left-overs. We shared it with Uncle Wayne, Aunt Jane, and then Cousin Rachel and her family, husband, Mike, and kids, Michael and Maria. Aunt Joyce wasn't feeling well and couldn't join us.Here are just a few family photos to remember the day!
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Project: Santa Desensitization
This year Natalie and Abby have shown a lot of interest in Christmas - especially Christmas trees and Santa. They can spot a Santa and tree a mile away - kind of like Elmo and Mouse. I have taken advantage of this newfound interest to begin Santa Desensitization in hopes of avoiding this:
I would really love to get a great picture this year and more importantly, have the girls enjoy Santa. Project Santa involves talking about going to see Santa, looking at books about Santa, looking up pictures of happy kids sitting on Santa's lap on the internet, and most recently, seeing Santa in person without the pressure of trying to get a picture.
As you know, we are visiting indefinitely with my mom and mema here in the beautiful mountains of Franklin, NC. Franklin is the kind of town kids can't wait to get out of and tourists love to visit. The town is really quite darling and somewhat quaint with a neat little town square with such things as painted trash cans.
Also, the Saturday after Thanksgiving, the town held a "Cookies with Santa". It seemed like the perfect opportunity for Project Santa. I wasn't sure if it would be a sit down at a table thing with Santa (it was really just "have a cookie while you stand in line"), but it sounded good. We arrived at the Gazebo in the middle of town in time to see Santa wander around a bit before taking his seat. Natalie and Abby were quite excited. We had our cookies while waiting in line and took the opportunity to write a letter to Santa telling him that they had been very good little girls.
Natalie and Abby did well until we started to approach Santa. There wasn't any crying, but there was a lot of clinging. I think the did great though. They introduced Santa to Elmo and Mouse and handed him their letters. (They will be getting return letters from Santa soon in the mail.) They were willing to stand pretty close to Santa as long as they were holding on to Mommy or Daddy.
We also walked around town a bit and enjoyed the Christmas decorations. There was a huge live tree decorated and the girls loved it. Natalie loved the huge red "emlo balls".
Elmo and Mouse also enjoyed the Christmas Tree.
We took a few family photos and one with Grammy.
We also did a little window shopping.
I would really love to get a great picture this year and more importantly, have the girls enjoy Santa. Project Santa involves talking about going to see Santa, looking at books about Santa, looking up pictures of happy kids sitting on Santa's lap on the internet, and most recently, seeing Santa in person without the pressure of trying to get a picture.
As you know, we are visiting indefinitely with my mom and mema here in the beautiful mountains of Franklin, NC. Franklin is the kind of town kids can't wait to get out of and tourists love to visit. The town is really quite darling and somewhat quaint with a neat little town square with such things as painted trash cans.
Also, the Saturday after Thanksgiving, the town held a "Cookies with Santa". It seemed like the perfect opportunity for Project Santa. I wasn't sure if it would be a sit down at a table thing with Santa (it was really just "have a cookie while you stand in line"), but it sounded good. We arrived at the Gazebo in the middle of town in time to see Santa wander around a bit before taking his seat. Natalie and Abby were quite excited. We had our cookies while waiting in line and took the opportunity to write a letter to Santa telling him that they had been very good little girls.
Natalie and Abby did well until we started to approach Santa. There wasn't any crying, but there was a lot of clinging. I think the did great though. They introduced Santa to Elmo and Mouse and handed him their letters. (They will be getting return letters from Santa soon in the mail.) They were willing to stand pretty close to Santa as long as they were holding on to Mommy or Daddy.
Elmo and Mouse also enjoyed the Christmas Tree.
We took a few family photos and one with Grammy.
And made sure everyone stayed warm and cozy.
We also had a chance to see the bricks that members of our family donated and dedicated. The town has a little garden with a brick pathway made of the donated bricks.
Daphne is my grandmother and John, Louree and Joyce are her siblings. Clayton and Pallie are their parents. There is another brick we couldn't find for Louree, donated by her children. Louree passed away quite a while ago.
All in all, it was a great day and I think, a very successful introduction to Santa for Natalie and Santa. Next step, seeing Santa at the mall. If all goes well, we should have a picture by Christmas.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Thanksgiving Blues
*sigh* It's been rough around here. We girls have been a little sick. And by we, I mean mostly me. To make a long week short, I've been sick since last Wednesday with a variety of ailments the most annoying of which is a very sore throat which will not go away. I have not had a traditional cold in the sense of a stuffy nose, however, just a very sore throat and periodic coughing in an attempt to cough up a lung. After 7 days, I finally went to the "Minute Clinic" at CVS (brilliant idea, btw) to determine that I do NOT have strep throat and that my lungs are perfectly clear. So, I suffer through it.
My little doctor trip was only after spending the morning at the doctor's office with Natalie and Abby. Abby has had a fever off and on since Friday. Natalie off and on since Sunday. Tylenol/Motrin seemed to control it so I wasn't too worried. Also no cold symptoms and no flu symptoms. Then yesterday Abby woke up from her nap with another fever and a rash on her face, stomach and back. 2 hours, $40 and a poor tortured wax filled ear (abby), I'm told she probably has a viral rash. Natalie seemed fine. I was told that they would be "significantly less contagious" once they were without fever for a day. On the bright side as well, tonight Abby woke up crying and pulling at the poor tortured ear from which the doctor tried vainly to get enough wax so he could see the ear drum. So, that means they probably scratched it with their little scrape-y tool which will likely inflame and cause Abby pain for the next few days. Goody.
I've been trying to get back to my Mema for the past 3 days, so this is good to hear. The plan was to leave Monday after the girls spent a pre-Thanksgiving weekend with Yaya and grandpa (and Ben). Yes, Mommy was blissfully home alone but unable to enjoy it. I spent most the time sleeping and sitting miserably on the couch. Since I apparently have nothing diagnosable wrong with me and the girls are "significantly less contagious", we will try to head to Mema's tomorrow.
At the traffic won't be bad.
My little doctor trip was only after spending the morning at the doctor's office with Natalie and Abby. Abby has had a fever off and on since Friday. Natalie off and on since Sunday. Tylenol/Motrin seemed to control it so I wasn't too worried. Also no cold symptoms and no flu symptoms. Then yesterday Abby woke up from her nap with another fever and a rash on her face, stomach and back. 2 hours, $40 and a poor tortured wax filled ear (abby), I'm told she probably has a viral rash. Natalie seemed fine. I was told that they would be "significantly less contagious" once they were without fever for a day. On the bright side as well, tonight Abby woke up crying and pulling at the poor tortured ear from which the doctor tried vainly to get enough wax so he could see the ear drum. So, that means they probably scratched it with their little scrape-y tool which will likely inflame and cause Abby pain for the next few days. Goody.
I've been trying to get back to my Mema for the past 3 days, so this is good to hear. The plan was to leave Monday after the girls spent a pre-Thanksgiving weekend with Yaya and grandpa (and Ben). Yes, Mommy was blissfully home alone but unable to enjoy it. I spent most the time sleeping and sitting miserably on the couch. Since I apparently have nothing diagnosable wrong with me and the girls are "significantly less contagious", we will try to head to Mema's tomorrow.
At the traffic won't be bad.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Bedtime for Natalie and Abby
Abby and Natalie are just so cute at bedtime that I just have to share.
We generally put them down around 8ish. We have a little routine. After we change diapers, take medicine, and change clothes, we turn off the lights and with each of us holding one, we sway and sing "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star". At the end we say, "kisses for mommy" (and get kisses), "kisses for daddy" (and get kisses), and "kisses for sister" (and get kisses). Then they go in their beds.
Usually at this point we tell them we will be right back with their milk. We've been trying to stretch this out a bit lately and come back a while later. The girls aren't crazy about this new plan. They are very conditioned to having their milk right away so the interim is sometimes noisy.
When we go back to get them for their bottles, they always bring "their babies". Over the months, this has meant their special blanket and any number of stuffed animals or babies. Natalie has been far more consistent. She attached herself to her Elmo since we got it and has pretty much stuck with it. Sometimes another baby comes too, but always Elmo. Abby is more fickle. For a while, it was Elmo, and then Elmo and "dorge", her little Curious George monkey. Then it was just "dorge", although like Natalie, occasionally a visiting baby doll was chosen as well. For a while now though, she has been extremely attached to a black and white mickey mouse, or simply, "mouse". So, drinking a bottle must involve Elmo or mouse and "baby" - their name for their blankets. It took me a while to figure out how the blankets were so named. Finally, I realized that when I go in, I say, "get your babies" by which I meant Elmo, mouse, or whoever, and their blankets. I realized however, that they had associated the name "baby" with their blankets, and have now assigned them that name. So, "baby" and Elmo/Mouse it is.
Once we finish their bottles, they go back in their beds and the fun really begins. For example, for the past hour, we have listened to Abby (mainly) singing and talking and generally running her mouth. She loves to sing. She sings the ABC song about 100 times a day, not always completely though. Sometimes you just get phrases of letters. She also sings "Twinkle, Twinkle" but it's more the tune to which she puts the words, "dodo,dodo, dodo do," She can say some of the words but seems to like to ad lib it most often. Speaking of Abby's singing, I've actually been quite impressed with her sense of pitch. She is really quite spot on. I have high hopes for her:-) Natalie also talks in her bed, but she is much more quiet. She generally talks to her babies. She also doesn't sing as much as Abby although she has recently begun to sing parts of the ABC song. I'm afraid, though, I have not been as impressed with her sense of pitch...Natalie also tends to talk more in the morning and at nap time.
Listening to Natalie and Abby talk and sing is one of the sweetest sounds one could ever hear. It fills me with so much joy to hear them entertain and delight themselves. In our case, we also have the added blessing of hearing them interact and play with each other as they laugh, play and talk.
Watching Natalie and Abby play is actually one of my favorite activities. I love the way they are so deliberate about what they do whether it's putting a baby in the stroller for a ride or stirring some bears for some soup. It's such a gift to get to glimpse the mind of a child.
I have lots of video of the girls playing that I will try to get around to editing and posting. Of course, friends and family are always invited over to experience the real thing first hand:-)
We generally put them down around 8ish. We have a little routine. After we change diapers, take medicine, and change clothes, we turn off the lights and with each of us holding one, we sway and sing "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star". At the end we say, "kisses for mommy" (and get kisses), "kisses for daddy" (and get kisses), and "kisses for sister" (and get kisses). Then they go in their beds.
Usually at this point we tell them we will be right back with their milk. We've been trying to stretch this out a bit lately and come back a while later. The girls aren't crazy about this new plan. They are very conditioned to having their milk right away so the interim is sometimes noisy.
When we go back to get them for their bottles, they always bring "their babies". Over the months, this has meant their special blanket and any number of stuffed animals or babies. Natalie has been far more consistent. She attached herself to her Elmo since we got it and has pretty much stuck with it. Sometimes another baby comes too, but always Elmo. Abby is more fickle. For a while, it was Elmo, and then Elmo and "dorge", her little Curious George monkey. Then it was just "dorge", although like Natalie, occasionally a visiting baby doll was chosen as well. For a while now though, she has been extremely attached to a black and white mickey mouse, or simply, "mouse". So, drinking a bottle must involve Elmo or mouse and "baby" - their name for their blankets. It took me a while to figure out how the blankets were so named. Finally, I realized that when I go in, I say, "get your babies" by which I meant Elmo, mouse, or whoever, and their blankets. I realized however, that they had associated the name "baby" with their blankets, and have now assigned them that name. So, "baby" and Elmo/Mouse it is.
Once we finish their bottles, they go back in their beds and the fun really begins. For example, for the past hour, we have listened to Abby (mainly) singing and talking and generally running her mouth. She loves to sing. She sings the ABC song about 100 times a day, not always completely though. Sometimes you just get phrases of letters. She also sings "Twinkle, Twinkle" but it's more the tune to which she puts the words, "dodo,dodo, dodo do," She can say some of the words but seems to like to ad lib it most often. Speaking of Abby's singing, I've actually been quite impressed with her sense of pitch. She is really quite spot on. I have high hopes for her:-) Natalie also talks in her bed, but she is much more quiet. She generally talks to her babies. She also doesn't sing as much as Abby although she has recently begun to sing parts of the ABC song. I'm afraid, though, I have not been as impressed with her sense of pitch...Natalie also tends to talk more in the morning and at nap time.
Listening to Natalie and Abby talk and sing is one of the sweetest sounds one could ever hear. It fills me with so much joy to hear them entertain and delight themselves. In our case, we also have the added blessing of hearing them interact and play with each other as they laugh, play and talk.
Watching Natalie and Abby play is actually one of my favorite activities. I love the way they are so deliberate about what they do whether it's putting a baby in the stroller for a ride or stirring some bears for some soup. It's such a gift to get to glimpse the mind of a child.
I have lots of video of the girls playing that I will try to get around to editing and posting. Of course, friends and family are always invited over to experience the real thing first hand:-)
An Eating Epiphany
I have had an epiphany. I learned something this weekend that both relieves me, and at the same time, annoys me and angers me to no end.
I saw my cousin (up from Florida) who has a 2 year old granddaughter born full-term just days(8 days) later than Natalie and Abby. I learned she weighs a grand total of....21 pounds. And is only 30 inches tall. I was floored. Natalie and Abby are 33-34 inches and weigh 23.5-24 pounds. This kid is smaller than they are.
Now, have their doctors driven them mad with talk of g-tubes, calories, weight charts, special formulas, and foods to add calories? HELL NO. They just say, "as long as she's growing, she's fine". Well, damn.
AND, the little girl drinks only water. No milk or juice. And based on what grandma said, eats almost nothing. She ran down a day's menu (of which, of course, I knew the caloric count for everything she named), and I counted maybe, 800 calories. And apparently, that's a good day.
So. I've decided I'm done. No more worrying, no more apologizing, no more adding lard to their food to add calories. I'm also done with their $350 a month bright beginnings habit. I think I may give them one can each a day for nutritional value, but we are going to move to regular soy milk instead of Bright Beginnings. And, after our allergist appointment Wednesday, we may get to try whole milk. I also want to start feeding them more healthy foods and not the junk I've settled for because of the calories it has.
I'm so annoyed that the doctors have given us such a hard time and acted as if our daughters' lives depended on getting 1200 or more calories a day and gaining 8 oz a week. What 2 year old gains 2 pounds a month, anyway?
Obviously, I'm venting and I may decide to freak out again next week, but for now, I'm done.
So - take THAT Mr. Doctors! Mommy is done.
Now, have their doctors driven them mad with talk of g-tubes, calories, weight charts, special formulas, and foods to add calories? HELL NO. They just say, "as long as she's growing, she's fine". Well, damn.
AND, the little girl drinks only water. No milk or juice. And based on what grandma said, eats almost nothing. She ran down a day's menu (of which, of course, I knew the caloric count for everything she named), and I counted maybe, 800 calories. And apparently, that's a good day.
So. I've decided I'm done. No more worrying, no more apologizing, no more adding lard to their food to add calories. I'm also done with their $350 a month bright beginnings habit. I think I may give them one can each a day for nutritional value, but we are going to move to regular soy milk instead of Bright Beginnings. And, after our allergist appointment Wednesday, we may get to try whole milk. I also want to start feeding them more healthy foods and not the junk I've settled for because of the calories it has.
I'm so annoyed that the doctors have given us such a hard time and acted as if our daughters' lives depended on getting 1200 or more calories a day and gaining 8 oz a week. What 2 year old gains 2 pounds a month, anyway?
Obviously, I'm venting and I may decide to freak out again next week, but for now, I'm done.
So - take THAT Mr. Doctors! Mommy is done.
-----------------------------
Since starting this post several days ago, I have indeed relaxed considerably. Most days the girls are now getting only 2 bottles: one of regular soy, and now, lactose-free milk, and one of BB soy. Some days they've only gotten one bottle. I feed them normal food, although a little heavy on the soup. They like it a lot and will eat a good bit. But, if they don't eat much. Oh well. I'm offering sippy cups of milk (usually rejected) and plenty of water for fluids. I do expect they will lose a little weight, but I also think they will shortly begin to eat more regularly. I'm going to encourage more healthy foods and just not stress as much about it.
If they do begin to lose a significant amount of weight or begin to show signs of dehydration or lethargy, I will make some changes again. But, I'm beginning to feel very strongly that they are fully capable of eating when they want to. Case in point: this morning they each ate a whole scrambled egg - each. For lunch, their speech/feeding therapist brought one of those microwaveable lunch things of pasta, peas and corn** and an orange, which happens to be one of their favorite things to eat. I added some more corn to the plate and they ate a few pieces of pasta and a good bit of corn and peas along with a number of orange slices. They also finished up nearly 14 ounces of broccoli soup, most of which was eaten by Abby, who I think ate at least 8-10 ounces of it herself - and by feeding it to herself. Dinner was mostly grapes, mommy's Honey Nut Cherrioes and some more oranges. Not too bad, I think.
**Btw, the little toddler lunchable thing had a grand total of 150 calories. 150. I'm assuming since it is marketed to toddlers it is an appropriate serving size for a toddler and has an appropriate calorie count. Even if you add a piece of fruit and a cup of milk, the whole meal would be about 250 calories. So, if a child ate 3 of these a day plus maybe a snack - that's a max of maybe 800-900 calories, well below the 1200 my kids are supposed to consume. Well, I guess I can always make up the difference with a couple of 200 calorie a piece cookies...
I'm sure I'll have more to say on the subject of eating and weight, but for now, Mommy's going to take a nice little break from the stress of worrying about food. We will have to see how long it lasts:-)
I'm sure I'll have more to say on the subject of eating and weight, but for now, Mommy's going to take a nice little break from the stress of worrying about food. We will have to see how long it lasts:-)
Allergist Review
Yesterday we attended our long awaited appointment with the pediatric allergist. It started out well. They had us headed to the back within minutes. Then, at least for poor Abby, it went downhill fast.
A little background: A few weeks ago we were lucky enough to get the girls' H1N1 shots at a free health department clinic. It was quite traumatic for Abby. Apparently, I did not have her secured as well as I thought and she slipped her arms out. She then proceeded to grab the needle, yank it out and drag it across her leg creating a scratch about 1.5 inches long. She was screaming and crying, "no,no,no,no". It was awful. And then, once we finally got the bleeding stopped and a band-aid applied, we then had to turn her over to actually give the shot in the other leg. Poor little thing. It was pretty awful.
Present day: It appears Abby remembered her recent trauma. As soon as the nurse made a move towards her - just to have her stand on a scale - she completely freaked out. Little Abby was crying, "no,no,no" sitting on the ground, and flailing about. She has never acted like that before. Never. I definitely think she remembered her last trip to the doctor. I did finally get her calmed down enough to stand briefly on the scale, but she still wasn't very happy.
Things were better after that. Not knowing how long the appointment would take, I had the good sense to bring along my new laptop. I connected to the kindly provided "guest" network and was able to access oodles of Elmo u-tube videos. They were a great diversion.
After talking to the Fellow and then the doctor, we had excellent news. They confirmed what I have recently begun to suspect: Natalie and Abby don't show any real signs of milk protein allergy. They also didn't think the bumps on their arms (which were better than I've ever seen them, of course) were allergy related. Just to be sure, they did the skin scratch test for milk protein and it tested negative for both girls. In fact, one of them had a greater reaction to the saline control than to the milk.
The doctors' thoughts were that IF they had a senstivity to something, it was most likely the lactose in milk. It would explain why they tolerate cheese and other forms of milk which have less lactose than straight milk. With this information, we are going to give lactose-free milk a try and see how that goes.
Personally, I'm beginning to doubt any of it and am beginning to feel that the Pedisure was the culprit all along. Other parents also have anecdotal evidence that suggests that Pedicure can just wreck havoc on sensitive systems. The difference once we switched them to the soy was incredible. But, it's hard to know what exactly they were reacting to.
In any case, I'm very happy the girls are not officially allergic to anything. I can begin to introduce different amounts of milk back to their diet and see what happens. I'm especially happy that they didn't think we needed to test for wheat or gluten or some of the ingredients you find in just about everything. That makes our life much easier.
I'm working on another post about their eating woes, so stay tuned:-)
ps - our little trip to the health department actually landed us on tv. A local channel was there to do a report and filmed us a little (pre-shot) and we made the 5, 5:30 and briefly the 11pm news. Yaya called to say she'd seen us on tv! I have it taped, of course, if anyone is interested in the girls' television debut.
A little background: A few weeks ago we were lucky enough to get the girls' H1N1 shots at a free health department clinic. It was quite traumatic for Abby. Apparently, I did not have her secured as well as I thought and she slipped her arms out. She then proceeded to grab the needle, yank it out and drag it across her leg creating a scratch about 1.5 inches long. She was screaming and crying, "no,no,no,no". It was awful. And then, once we finally got the bleeding stopped and a band-aid applied, we then had to turn her over to actually give the shot in the other leg. Poor little thing. It was pretty awful.
Present day: It appears Abby remembered her recent trauma. As soon as the nurse made a move towards her - just to have her stand on a scale - she completely freaked out. Little Abby was crying, "no,no,no" sitting on the ground, and flailing about. She has never acted like that before. Never. I definitely think she remembered her last trip to the doctor. I did finally get her calmed down enough to stand briefly on the scale, but she still wasn't very happy.
Things were better after that. Not knowing how long the appointment would take, I had the good sense to bring along my new laptop. I connected to the kindly provided "guest" network and was able to access oodles of Elmo u-tube videos. They were a great diversion.
After talking to the Fellow and then the doctor, we had excellent news. They confirmed what I have recently begun to suspect: Natalie and Abby don't show any real signs of milk protein allergy. They also didn't think the bumps on their arms (which were better than I've ever seen them, of course) were allergy related. Just to be sure, they did the skin scratch test for milk protein and it tested negative for both girls. In fact, one of them had a greater reaction to the saline control than to the milk.
The doctors' thoughts were that IF they had a senstivity to something, it was most likely the lactose in milk. It would explain why they tolerate cheese and other forms of milk which have less lactose than straight milk. With this information, we are going to give lactose-free milk a try and see how that goes.
Personally, I'm beginning to doubt any of it and am beginning to feel that the Pedisure was the culprit all along. Other parents also have anecdotal evidence that suggests that Pedicure can just wreck havoc on sensitive systems. The difference once we switched them to the soy was incredible. But, it's hard to know what exactly they were reacting to.
In any case, I'm very happy the girls are not officially allergic to anything. I can begin to introduce different amounts of milk back to their diet and see what happens. I'm especially happy that they didn't think we needed to test for wheat or gluten or some of the ingredients you find in just about everything. That makes our life much easier.
I'm working on another post about their eating woes, so stay tuned:-)
ps - our little trip to the health department actually landed us on tv. A local channel was there to do a report and filmed us a little (pre-shot) and we made the 5, 5:30 and briefly the 11pm news. Yaya called to say she'd seen us on tv! I have it taped, of course, if anyone is interested in the girls' television debut.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Beach Recap - Part I
The days were mostly frolicking on the beach with Natalie and Abby playing in the sand. They just loved it. They would even lay down in the sand on their bellies! We also spent a lot of time hanging out with Mema and enjoying the rest of the family. We ate some great food, read some good books, and made some amazing memories.
Mema also spent time on the porch listening to the waves and even walked to the end of the walkway to the beach and hung out for a while sitting on the steps. We even managed to get her to the beach. We rented a "beach wheelchair", a unique contraption made of PVC pipes and huge tires, and rolled her out on the sand at the point. She wiggled her feet in the sand, took a walk down the beach, and let the waves chase her feet. Her energy and spirit were amazing. She kept saying, "it's even better than I imagined it would be". What more could we have asked for? 
There were so many beautiful moments and it was a blessing to spend such precious time with Mema. Although I know Natalie and Abby will probably not remember Mema, I hope the love she has for them will have imprinted their souls in a way that is always with them. I know she has touched the rest of us in ways we will treasure forever.
Brenda, Natalie, Mema, John, Ben
Abby, Johelen, Joyce, Kimberly, Wayne
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