So, I started a post a few weeks ago. Apparently on April 5. I'm just getting around to finishing it. When I posted it, yep, it posted under April 5 - a few posts back. So. Move your little mousey thing on down until you find the post dated April 5 - about the month of February and March. Yeah, I'm a little behind...
Here's the link to make it easier - just click...
http://natandabby.blogspot.com/2010/04/recent-happenings.html
Monday, April 26, 2010
Monday, April 19, 2010
You Know You're the Parent of a Preemie When...
You know you're the parent of a preemie when...
1.You use strange initials (C-PAP, CCs, NICU, NG) when discussing your child.
2.You actually remember how many CCs make up an ounce.
3.You count her weight in grams.
4. The skin on your hands is peeling from washing so often!
5.You hesitate when someone asks his/her age, but you know exactly how much he/she weighs!
6. The answer to "How old is your baby?" is a story 30 minutes long!
7. When someone asks his birthday, you reply, "Which one?"
8. You start to understand some of the things they say on ER!
9. You turn into Kung-Fu Mom when someone tries to touch your baby.
10. You attempt to measure just how much spit-up he/she just had before you clean it up!
11. You know how much he weighs before putting him on the scale at the doctor's office
12. You cry at Maternity Ward and get mad at Baby Story.
13. You see a 7lb newborn and say "Wow! She's so BIG!"
14. Your baby is months old before she can even go to the mall.
15. You have never explained why your baby is on an apnea monitor.
16. When someone says how tiny your baby is, you argue that she is huge -- and to demonstrate, you whip out pictures of her in NICU.
17. You do a health check on people when they come to your house to visit .
18. You make people wash their hands before going near your child.
19. You want to scream when someone says that she just wants to have this baby now - at week 28, 32, or 34.
20. You are so amazed when someone actually tells you your baby is big for his age!
21. You tried to find a place to buy newborn size diapers in bulk.
22. You called half your relatives when the baby grew out of their first pair of pajamas!
23. You never take your child for granted.
24. You worry about RSV season and it is still weeks away . . .
25. You know what "RSV" stands for.
26. You donate his/her tiny clothes to the NICU and marvel that they seem so small - when they were too darn large!
27. Your daughter gets a simple cold and her doc sees her within the hour!
28. People say, "She CAN'T be __ old...she's too little!"
29. It has taken them 5 months to grow INTO newborn clothes!
30. You pick up 2 pounds of ground beef and think that your baby was born weighing less than that!
31. You buy "Purell" in bulk
32. You know about oxygen tanks and regulators more than the company supplying it to the airplanes
33. You can stare at your baby for hours when she sleeps
34. The security guards just wave you by when they see you come in the front door of the hospital.
35. When someone asks what sent you're wearing, you reply, "Germ-X" without batting an eye.
36. In the course of a day you have wanted to slap and bear hug the same NICU nurse.
37.The statement "breastfeeding is simple and natural" makes you laugh -- or cry, depending on the day and the hour.
38. You could drive the route from your house to the hospital in your sleep... and maybe you have.
39. You can't remember what you talked about before feeding schedules, diapers, and growth charts.
40. The sound of your baby crying is beautiful, not annoying.
41. You not only know what "bilirubin" is, you have had several extensive conversations about it.
**I did not make this up, BTW - I copied them from a post from my micro-preemie group. But, I thought they were pretty spot on.
1.You use strange initials (C-PAP, CCs, NICU, NG) when discussing your child.
2.You actually remember how many CCs make up an ounce.
3.You count her weight in grams.
4. The skin on your hands is peeling from washing so often!
5.You hesitate when someone asks his/her age, but you know exactly how much he/she weighs!
6. The answer to "How old is your baby?" is a story 30 minutes long!
7. When someone asks his birthday, you reply, "Which one?"
8. You start to understand some of the things they say on ER!
9. You turn into Kung-Fu Mom when someone tries to touch your baby.
10. You attempt to measure just how much spit-up he/she just had before you clean it up!
11. You know how much he weighs before putting him on the scale at the doctor's office
12. You cry at Maternity Ward and get mad at Baby Story.
13. You see a 7lb newborn and say "Wow! She's so BIG!"
14. Your baby is months old before she can even go to the mall.
15. You have never explained why your baby is on an apnea monitor.
16. When someone says how tiny your baby is, you argue that she is huge -- and to demonstrate, you whip out pictures of her in NICU.
17. You do a health check on people when they come to your house to visit .
18. You make people wash their hands before going near your child.
19. You want to scream when someone says that she just wants to have this baby now - at week 28, 32, or 34.
20. You are so amazed when someone actually tells you your baby is big for his age!
21. You tried to find a place to buy newborn size diapers in bulk.
22. You called half your relatives when the baby grew out of their first pair of pajamas!
23. You never take your child for granted.
24. You worry about RSV season and it is still weeks away . . .
25. You know what "RSV" stands for.
26. You donate his/her tiny clothes to the NICU and marvel that they seem so small - when they were too darn large!
27. Your daughter gets a simple cold and her doc sees her within the hour!
28. People say, "She CAN'T be __ old...she's too little!"
29. It has taken them 5 months to grow INTO newborn clothes!
30. You pick up 2 pounds of ground beef and think that your baby was born weighing less than that!
31. You buy "Purell" in bulk
32. You know about oxygen tanks and regulators more than the company supplying it to the airplanes
33. You can stare at your baby for hours when she sleeps
34. The security guards just wave you by when they see you come in the front door of the hospital.
35. When someone asks what sent you're wearing, you reply, "Germ-X" without batting an eye.
36. In the course of a day you have wanted to slap and bear hug the same NICU nurse.
37.The statement "breastfeeding is simple and natural" makes you laugh -- or cry, depending on the day and the hour.
38. You could drive the route from your house to the hospital in your sleep... and maybe you have.
39. You can't remember what you talked about before feeding schedules, diapers, and growth charts.
40. The sound of your baby crying is beautiful, not annoying.
41. You not only know what "bilirubin" is, you have had several extensive conversations about it.
**I did not make this up, BTW - I copied them from a post from my micro-preemie group. But, I thought they were pretty spot on.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Just Seen...
I was in my room and I could hear the pitter patter of little feet slapping up and down the hall way. Slap, slap, slap, slap...pause...slap, slap, slap, slap...pause...slap, slap, slap.I nearly collided with Natalie and she ran back and forth from her room, down the hall, and back. She was on a lap away from her room and I realized what she was doing.
In her little hands were the rolled-up diapers ready for the trash. There were about four that needed to be thrown away. She was running back and forth carrying them one at a time to the trash can in the kitchen. No one asked her to; she just decided to clean up.
It's little moments like these that just make me smile. Natalie was just so cute in her intense determination and focus on getting all those diapers to the trash can. Gosh, I just love this age:-)
Of course, when they are teenagers, I won't be able to pay them to clean their rooms. But, for now, I will relish in the cuteness that is Natalie.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Recent Happenings
I'm a little behind on
reporting what the girls have been doing. It's been quite busy around here.
If you didn't already know, we have had our house for sale. I am VERY happy to report that we went under contract at the end of March. The buyers are an incoming UNC resident and his wife and love our
house and all the wor
k we have put into it. We are very happy that someone who appreciates what we have done is going to be able to enjoy it. We are set to close the last week of May.
Of course, we didn't get quite as much as we would have hoped considering all the work we have done (remodeled kitchen, new bamboo floors, gorgeous landscaping (if I may say so myself)), but that's the market, so all in all we are happy.
We are especially happy because after 6 months and dozens and dozens and dozens of houses - we found the perfect house! We are so excited. It's 3100 sq ft. and has a garage, 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, a loft, a family room and living room AND a sun room which will be the girls' downstairs playroom. Of course - it also has a kitchen:-), a dining room and laundry room. There is also a nice sized yard (which needs a lot of clean-up and work, but I'm pretty excited about that!). There is already a play set with swings and a slide and the girls 
have already loved playing there when we have been over. It's an amazing house and we feel so lucky to have it. It had been on the market forever and the price had been lowered and lowered and lowered until it finally popped up on our radar. We got a great deal for the house so in this case, the market worked in our favor. We are closing April 26 and we can't wait! We will have a month to move from our current house (and two storage buildings) to our new house which will allow us to paint and put in some carpet and do a few other things. Personally, I can't wait to get my hands in the yard:-)
So, between cleaning and showings and cleaning and open houses and cleaning and cleaning and cleaning...we've been busy. We also managed to take a few trips and have a little fun - in between the cleaning...
Poppy and Nanny's (Feb 19-24)
We went to visit Poppy and Nanny for Poppy's birthday (23rd). It was a fun trip for the girls because of the remaining 2 feet of snow on the ground. The snow was less fun when we tried to leave a few days later, got stuck in the slush and had to call AAA... But, the girls had fun clomping around:-)
Natalie and Abby also had a great time taking a pony ride! We visited Poppy's friend at the stables she works out and enjoyed a great 30ish minute ride on two sweet ponies. Natalie was very excited about it. On the way to Poppy's she kept saying, "I want ride horses!" When asked if she wanted to ride the horse, she said enthusiastically, "yes!". She also seemed to have a natural gait - bumping up and down in rhythm to the walking. She loved every minute of it. I foresee riding lessons in the future...
Abby also enjoyed her pony - once she was persuaded to get on. It was just a week or so after she broke her clavicle, so we protected her arm well with a bandage and sling - and of course, made sure she didn't fall off. I couldn't see letting Natalie ride while Abby was forced to watch, and the risk seemed minimal. It was well worth it. She was fine and had a great time.
We had a great time celebrating Poppy's birthday with special cakes Auntie brought from a
bakery in New York. Carrot, Strawberry and Chocolate. The girls went nuts for the chocolate. In fact, Abby had a mini-meltdown over it. Poppy tried to mix a little carrot cake in with the chocolate on her plate, and Abby would have absolutely none of that. She cried and cried - "chocolate, chocolate, chocolate!". Can't say they don't come by it honestly....
We also had a few eating breakthroughs in Luray. Pizza Hut had a fantastic lunch buffet that included a HUGE salad - for $4.99. The girls were free. They each ate almost 3 pieces of pizzas (well, most of each piece of pizza). I was ecstatic. Mindy's Mexican restaurant's Sunday special of 25 cent wings were also a hit. They loved them. It was pretty exciting for me to watch them eat like normal kids. It's great to feel like we are moving away from the frustration of eating challenges. I still worry about their weight when they don't eat well, but it's getting better and I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
On our final day, the morning after we had to be pulled out of the snowy slush, we had a chance to visit Poppy's bus. For Natalie and Abby, all school buses are Poppy buses. Every time we see one they shout "Poppy's Bus, it's a Poppy Bus!" So, getting to sit on the real Poppy's bus was a treat. It was our second visit, but they loved it all the same. They picked out their favorite seats, checked out the back windows and joined Poppy in a rousing rendition of "The Wheels on the Bus". A new verse was added to the song: the Poppy's on the bus say "I love you". It was a great time.
We had a great time visiting with Poppy and Nanny and seeing Auntie. The girls love the mountains and country and are always so excited to see the roadside cows, horses and other animals. We are so lucky to have such a beautiful place to visit.
Ya-Ya and Grandpa's (Feb 27-28)
The end of February also meant some special time with Ya-Ya and Grandpa. Natalie and Abby had not spent as much time with them as usual because we had spent most of our time at my mom's with Mema. Staying with Ya-Ya and Grandpa is always fun. Ya-ya feeds them very well and always makes their special soup (and sends home some for Mommy too!). This time Natalie and Abby got to take their naps in the big bed - with a little help from Ya-Ya!
(Sorry there aren't any pictures of Grandpa. He suffers from the same syndrome Mommy does - the "no pictures of the picture taker" syndrome!
March
Looking back, March seems to have been filled with general silliness. The girls have a lot of fun playing together and watching them is so much fun.
The weather was mostly beautiful and 
we started taking lots of trips to the park - which the girls have grown to love with gusto. They have started saying randomly "I want to go to the park". One park has a great huge sandbox (with water features once the weather gets warmer). They love it. Abby has finally gotten very brave and started going down the slides by herself. Once particular day in March, she finally went down the slide all by herself with no encouragement and declared, "that was fun!" Then she did it a few more times:-) (On the right, Abby took some time out of her busy sliding schedule to check out a magazine someone left behind.
We also visited the Museum of Life and Science which is always a treat. They loved, loved, loved the animals. 
Old McDonald is one of their favorite songs and will shout "Old McDonald's Farm!" at all barns or barn shaped buildings. On this particular day, the newest little pig was quite active and they were able to rub his back and listen to him snort.
Natalie and Abby also love playing on our wrap-a
round deck - which is great for me. I can cook/clean in the kitchen with the front door and sliding door open and see the girls through the windows. We have a very strict rule about staying ON THE PORCH and not going down the steps. After a few time-outs, they adhere very well to the rule and have a great time. Sometimes I put bowls full of water on the porch and let them play. They also like to push their strollers around and around in a circle. It's a great way
for them to be outside while I can still get dinner made!
March also seemed to be when Abby suddenly took to coloring with a vengeance. She became very enthusiastic about it and very deliberate about trying to color inside the lines. She is also very proud. Abby likes to declare, "I colored it myself!" Here's a brief video on her working very hard on Mickey Mouse's Christmas lights...
One of the funniest things Abby has said recently involves our neighbor's yard across the street.
Look closely...do you see the carrot for the bunnies?
Look again - it's a giant carrot - for giant bunnies!
Abby was looking across the street and said, "look mommy, a carrot for the bunnies..." I didn't understand her at first. Then I figured out what she was saying, and I thought it was hysterical. It's actually our neighbor's little boy's orange plastic baseball bat, but in the eyes of a child...
Here are just some cute pictures I got of the girls sleeping. Abby and the Wonder Pets and Natalie and her beloved Baby Bean and Elmo.
Grammy's (Mar 26-29)
At the end of March, we took our first weekend trip back to Grammy's since Mema died. We'd driven Grammy back when she came to stay with us right after the funeral but this was our first real trip back. It was strange for me without Mema there. She was always so excited when we arrived. She would often stay up later than usual just to be able to say hello to us. The girls brought her so much joy and her face lit up every time she heard their voices. I am so happy we could be there in her last months. And, I am happy she is with God and free of pain. But, I sure do miss her...
I was actually surprised that the girls haven't asked more questions about her, especially when we arrived. They seem to have accepted our explanation that she's in Heaven with Baby Jesus pretty well. It's good really. I'd rather have it that way than have them be sad and confused.
We had a great time hanging out with Grammy and Uncle Wayne (who went with us). Friday, we picked up some chicken and had a lovely picnic at the park. Franklin, by the way, has absolutely the best park I've ever seen. It's incredible - and the girls love it. We played there for the longest time. Natalie, true to form, managed to wander from the little kid part, down the hill to the big kid section. It was just a second and I saw her, so no freaking out please. She does tend to wander though. Give her a minute, and she'll take a mile.
They also had a great time playing with th
e ridiculous amount of toys left at Grammy's. I had forgotten how much we left. When I walked in, I swear, there were more toys there than at our house. Saturday afternoon, the girls also had a great time playing in the bird bath and chillin' in their cool blue chairs.
Sunday was Palm Sunday and we enjoyed a great service at Cowee Baptist Church. The choir there is amazing and I would have been happy to listen to them all day. Natalie and Abby had a great time in the nursery and no longer seem to throw a fit when left without us.
Grammy wanted very much to take a picture with the girls in their gorgeous dresses, but Natalie and Abby were very uncooperative. Only the baby doll and Raggedy Ann were willing.
The girls were willing to take a picture with me and we have a rare, and if I may say, lovely, picture of Mommy and her beautiful girls.
Checking over it, I realize this post is a little Abby-heavy. I think all the videos are about her. Sorry, Natalie. Tomorrow, I'll work on a Natalie post. I have some great videos of her dancing. But, I want to get this published (since I actually started it 3 weeks ago, and well, it's about March and it's now the end of April.) I'll try to do better keeping up...
--------
grrr...I spend a great deal of time trying to get the pictures in exactly the right places and make it all look pretty. Then, I post it and it messes it all up! I think the posting area is more narrow than the writing area. So, blogspot people, you should really fix that. So if the pictures look all strange and the writing is going every which way...blame the programmers and not me. I tried really hard...:-(
reporting what the girls have been doing. It's been quite busy around here.
If you didn't already know, we have had our house for sale. I am VERY happy to report that we went under contract at the end of March. The buyers are an incoming UNC resident and his wife and love our
house and all the wor
k we have put into it. We are very happy that someone who appreciates what we have done is going to be able to enjoy it. We are set to close the last week of May.Of course, we didn't get quite as much as we would have hoped considering all the work we have done (remodeled kitchen, new bamboo floors, gorgeous landscaping (if I may say so myself)), but that's the market, so all in all we are happy.
We are especially happy because after 6 months and dozens and dozens and dozens of houses - we found the perfect house! We are so excited. It's 3100 sq ft. and has a garage, 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, a loft, a family room and living room AND a sun room which will be the girls' downstairs playroom. Of course - it also has a kitchen:-), a dining room and laundry room. There is also a nice sized yard (which needs a lot of clean-up and work, but I'm pretty excited about that!). There is already a play set with swings and a slide and the girls 
have already loved playing there when we have been over. It's an amazing house and we feel so lucky to have it. It had been on the market forever and the price had been lowered and lowered and lowered until it finally popped up on our radar. We got a great deal for the house so in this case, the market worked in our favor. We are closing April 26 and we can't wait! We will have a month to move from our current house (and two storage buildings) to our new house which will allow us to paint and put in some carpet and do a few other things. Personally, I can't wait to get my hands in the yard:-)So, between cleaning and showings and cleaning and open houses and cleaning and cleaning and cleaning...we've been busy. We also managed to take a few trips and have a little fun - in between the cleaning...
Poppy and Nanny's (Feb 19-24)
We went to visit Poppy and Nanny for Poppy's birthday (23rd). It was a fun trip for the girls because of the remaining 2 feet of snow on the ground. The snow was less fun when we tried to leave a few days later, got stuck in the slush and had to call AAA... But, the girls had fun clomping around:-)
Natalie and Abby also had a great time taking a pony ride! We visited Poppy's friend at the stables she works out and enjoyed a great 30ish minute ride on two sweet ponies. Natalie was very excited about it. On the way to Poppy's she kept saying, "I want ride horses!" When asked if she wanted to ride the horse, she said enthusiastically, "yes!". She also seemed to have a natural gait - bumping up and down in rhythm to the walking. She loved every minute of it. I foresee riding lessons in the future...Abby also enjoyed her pony - once she was persuaded to get on. It was just a week or so after she broke her clavicle, so we protected her arm well with a bandage and sling - and of course, made sure she didn't fall off. I couldn't see letting Natalie ride while Abby was forced to watch, and the risk seemed minimal. It was well worth it. She was fine and had a great time.
We had a great time celebrating Poppy's birthday with special cakes Auntie brought from a
bakery in New York. Carrot, Strawberry and Chocolate. The girls went nuts for the chocolate. In fact, Abby had a mini-meltdown over it. Poppy tried to mix a little carrot cake in with the chocolate on her plate, and Abby would have absolutely none of that. She cried and cried - "chocolate, chocolate, chocolate!". Can't say they don't come by it honestly....We also had a few eating breakthroughs in Luray. Pizza Hut had a fantastic lunch buffet that included a HUGE salad - for $4.99. The girls were free. They each ate almost 3 pieces of pizzas (well, most of each piece of pizza). I was ecstatic. Mindy's Mexican restaurant's Sunday special of 25 cent wings were also a hit. They loved them. It was pretty exciting for me to watch them eat like normal kids. It's great to feel like we are moving away from the frustration of eating challenges. I still worry about their weight when they don't eat well, but it's getting better and I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
On our final day, the morning after we had to be pulled out of the snowy slush, we had a chance to visit Poppy's bus. For Natalie and Abby, all school buses are Poppy buses. Every time we see one they shout "Poppy's Bus, it's a Poppy Bus!" So, getting to sit on the real Poppy's bus was a treat. It was our second visit, but they loved it all the same. They picked out their favorite seats, checked out the back windows and joined Poppy in a rousing rendition of "The Wheels on the Bus". A new verse was added to the song: the Poppy's on the bus say "I love you". It was a great time.
We had a great time visiting with Poppy and Nanny and seeing Auntie. The girls love the mountains and country and are always so excited to see the roadside cows, horses and other animals. We are so lucky to have such a beautiful place to visit.
Ya-Ya and Grandpa's (Feb 27-28)
The end of February also meant some special time with Ya-Ya and Grandpa. Natalie and Abby had not spent as much time with them as usual because we had spent most of our time at my mom's with Mema. Staying with Ya-Ya and Grandpa is always fun. Ya-ya feeds them very well and always makes their special soup (and sends home some for Mommy too!). This time Natalie and Abby got to take their naps in the big bed - with a little help from Ya-Ya!
(Sorry there aren't any pictures of Grandpa. He suffers from the same syndrome Mommy does - the "no pictures of the picture taker" syndrome!
March
Looking back, March seems to have been filled with general silliness. The girls have a lot of fun playing together and watching them is so much fun.
The weather was mostly beautiful and 
we started taking lots of trips to the park - which the girls have grown to love with gusto. They have started saying randomly "I want to go to the park". One park has a great huge sandbox (with water features once the weather gets warmer). They love it. Abby has finally gotten very brave and started going down the slides by herself. Once particular day in March, she finally went down the slide all by herself with no encouragement and declared, "that was fun!" Then she did it a few more times:-) (On the right, Abby took some time out of her busy sliding schedule to check out a magazine someone left behind.
We also visited the Museum of Life and Science which is always a treat. They loved, loved, loved the animals. 
Old McDonald is one of their favorite songs and will shout "Old McDonald's Farm!" at all barns or barn shaped buildings. On this particular day, the newest little pig was quite active and they were able to rub his back and listen to him snort.
Natalie and Abby also love playing on our wrap-a
round deck - which is great for me. I can cook/clean in the kitchen with the front door and sliding door open and see the girls through the windows. We have a very strict rule about staying ON THE PORCH and not going down the steps. After a few time-outs, they adhere very well to the rule and have a great time. Sometimes I put bowls full of water on the porch and let them play. They also like to push their strollers around and around in a circle. It's a great way
for them to be outside while I can still get dinner made!March also seemed to be when Abby suddenly took to coloring with a vengeance. She became very enthusiastic about it and very deliberate about trying to color inside the lines. She is also very proud. Abby likes to declare, "I colored it myself!" Here's a brief video on her working very hard on Mickey Mouse's Christmas lights...
One of the funniest things Abby has said recently involves our neighbor's yard across the street.
Look closely...do you see the carrot for the bunnies?
Look again - it's a giant carrot - for giant bunnies!
Abby was looking across the street and said, "look mommy, a carrot for the bunnies..." I didn't understand her at first. Then I figured out what she was saying, and I thought it was hysterical. It's actually our neighbor's little boy's orange plastic baseball bat, but in the eyes of a child...
Here are just some cute pictures I got of the girls sleeping. Abby and the Wonder Pets and Natalie and her beloved Baby Bean and Elmo.
Grammy's (Mar 26-29)
At the end of March, we took our first weekend trip back to Grammy's since Mema died. We'd driven Grammy back when she came to stay with us right after the funeral but this was our first real trip back. It was strange for me without Mema there. She was always so excited when we arrived. She would often stay up later than usual just to be able to say hello to us. The girls brought her so much joy and her face lit up every time she heard their voices. I am so happy we could be there in her last months. And, I am happy she is with God and free of pain. But, I sure do miss her...
I was actually surprised that the girls haven't asked more questions about her, especially when we arrived. They seem to have accepted our explanation that she's in Heaven with Baby Jesus pretty well. It's good really. I'd rather have it that way than have them be sad and confused.
We had a great time hanging out with Grammy and Uncle Wayne (who went with us). Friday, we picked up some chicken and had a lovely picnic at the park. Franklin, by the way, has absolutely the best park I've ever seen. It's incredible - and the girls love it. We played there for the longest time. Natalie, true to form, managed to wander from the little kid part, down the hill to the big kid section. It was just a second and I saw her, so no freaking out please. She does tend to wander though. Give her a minute, and she'll take a mile.
They also had a great time playing with th
e ridiculous amount of toys left at Grammy's. I had forgotten how much we left. When I walked in, I swear, there were more toys there than at our house. Saturday afternoon, the girls also had a great time playing in the bird bath and chillin' in their cool blue chairs.Sunday was Palm Sunday and we enjoyed a great service at Cowee Baptist Church. The choir there is amazing and I would have been happy to listen to them all day. Natalie and Abby had a great time in the nursery and no longer seem to throw a fit when left without us.
Grammy wanted very much to take a picture with the girls in their gorgeous dresses, but Natalie and Abby were very uncooperative. Only the baby doll and Raggedy Ann were willing.
The girls were willing to take a picture with me and we have a rare, and if I may say, lovely, picture of Mommy and her beautiful girls.
Checking over it, I realize this post is a little Abby-heavy. I think all the videos are about her. Sorry, Natalie. Tomorrow, I'll work on a Natalie post. I have some great videos of her dancing. But, I want to get this published (since I actually started it 3 weeks ago, and well, it's about March and it's now the end of April.) I'll try to do better keeping up...
--------
grrr...I spend a great deal of time trying to get the pictures in exactly the right places and make it all look pretty. Then, I post it and it messes it all up! I think the posting area is more narrow than the writing area. So, blogspot people, you should really fix that. So if the pictures look all strange and the writing is going every which way...blame the programmers and not me. I tried really hard...:-(
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Time to Transition
As the girls approach the age of 3 (less than two months!!!), they will age out of the wonderful CDSA (early intervention program). The state still generously provides options for kids who still require extended services that will help prepare them to succeed in school.
This involves a meeting and evaluation with the Durham Public School system therapists: speech, physical therapy, occupational therapy and the psychologist who administers the cognitive tests. It takes several hours and involves a battery of tests disguised as play to see where the child is developmentally.
The girls did very well. I have to give kudos to our therapists, Elizabeth and Lindsay, who prepared them so well. For the most part, tested at average or above average on most tests. (I will have full details in a month or so). The only area they fell short in was speech, which was expected and actually desired. I really wanted them to be able to qualify for speech therapy, and was concerned they would be delayed, but not delayed enough. Their comprehension and vocabulary were fine, but their articulation is very poor. It's often very hard to understand them.
We get more details at the recap meeting in a month, but for now we can look forward to speech therapy in the fall. Soon we will be able to understand all the funny little things they say!
This involves a meeting and evaluation with the Durham Public School system therapists: speech, physical therapy, occupational therapy and the psychologist who administers the cognitive tests. It takes several hours and involves a battery of tests disguised as play to see where the child is developmentally.
The girls did very well. I have to give kudos to our therapists, Elizabeth and Lindsay, who prepared them so well. For the most part, tested at average or above average on most tests. (I will have full details in a month or so). The only area they fell short in was speech, which was expected and actually desired. I really wanted them to be able to qualify for speech therapy, and was concerned they would be delayed, but not delayed enough. Their comprehension and vocabulary were fine, but their articulation is very poor. It's often very hard to understand them.
We get more details at the recap meeting in a month, but for now we can look forward to speech therapy in the fall. Soon we will be able to understand all the funny little things they say!
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Baby Jail
Have no fear...no more broken bones for us!
We've had our crib tents for a week or two and the girls love them. Their favorite storybook is Farmyard Tales which takes place on "Apple Tree Farm" about "Poppy, Sam and a dog called Rusty" . (turn the pages and you can look inside the book!)
http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Book-Farmyard-Tales-Usbourne/dp/0794509029#reader_0794509029
There is one story about Poppy and Sam, the children who live on the farm, which involves them camping in a tent. So, I told the girls we were getting tents like Poppy and Sam. They completely bought into it and now they love to "camp out" like Apple Tree Farm. One day, we will bring out the real tent and have a camp out in the back yard. Natalie and Abby will love it!
The most important thing, of course, is that Natalie and Abby are now safe and sound. It also means we can keep them in their cribs until they literally don't fit anymore. And, Mommy loves that!
We've had our crib tents for a week or two and the girls love them. Their favorite storybook is Farmyard Tales which takes place on "Apple Tree Farm" about "Poppy, Sam and a dog called Rusty" . (turn the pages and you can look inside the book!)
http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Book-Farmyard-Tales-Usbourne/dp/0794509029#reader_0794509029
There is one story about Poppy and Sam, the children who live on the farm, which involves them camping in a tent. So, I told the girls we were getting tents like Poppy and Sam. They completely bought into it and now they love to "camp out" like Apple Tree Farm. One day, we will bring out the real tent and have a camp out in the back yard. Natalie and Abby will love it!
The most important thing, of course, is that Natalie and Abby are now safe and sound. It also means we can keep them in their cribs until they literally don't fit anymore. And, Mommy loves that!
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Just heard snuggling in bed...
Scene: Natalie and Abby in Mommy's bed
out of nowhere, and actually moments after Abby was annoying Natalie by putting her feet on Natalie...
Abby: I love you Nannie
Natalie: (leans down and lays on Abby) I love you too, Abby
Abby: I love you, Nannie
Natalie: I love you too Abby
Abby: I love you Nannie
Natalie: I love you too Abby
Mommy's heart melts a little:-)
out of nowhere, and actually moments after Abby was annoying Natalie by putting her feet on Natalie...
Abby: I love you Nannie
Natalie: (leans down and lays on Abby) I love you too, Abby
Abby: I love you, Nannie
Natalie: I love you too Abby
Abby: I love you Nannie
Natalie: I love you too Abby
Mommy's heart melts a little:-)
Friday, March 5, 2010
Things We Say
Natalie and Abby say the cutest things. They have a few phrases they repeat a lot.
I'm sorry - I'm not really sure why they say this. I hear them saying it to their babies. Ex: "Here Baby Bean...I'm sorry..." I'm not sure they are actually apologizing for anything or just repeating a phrase they hear. They also say it to each other during their play. They are less enthusiastic about saying it to each other when they actually do something they need to apologize for!
I miss(ed) you (mommy, daddy, abby, nannie, baby bean, mouse, etc.) This is a new phrase - popping up in just the last few days. I'm not sure exactly where they picked this up. It seemed to start after they were at Ya-Ya's and Grandpa's last weekend. Perhaps they picked it up from hearing us tell them we missed them. Today, after PT, Abby took her car mouse, gave it a big hug and said, I missed you, Mouse.
She/he/it's so cute - This especially comes from Abby. I think this is a combination of me saying things are cute and the Wonder Pets. There are a few episodes, particularly the "Save the Kitten" episode where one of them says, "she's so cute..."
"mommy, mommy" - this is not actually about me - but what one animal (the baby) says to another (the mommy). If they have a pair of animals (two sheep, two pigs, two cows, etc), one is also a mommy and one is a baby. Natalie likes to take her kitties and play mommy and baby. She has one large mommy black and white stuffed cat (Abby has a gray one) and then several little stuffed kitties. She also has a larger "mommy Elmo" (a plush Elmo from Grammy) and a Daddy Elmo (A tickle-me-elmo from Aunt Joyce) and then the two plush Elmo's I bought for them serve as the babies.
Come on Mommy/Daddy/Abby - This is usually from Natalie. She will hold out her hand and say, "come on mommy" and want to take me to see something or do something. She says it to Abby a lot too. The response she gets is Okay, I'm coming Nannie.
I love you, too or even just I love you - Hearing your child say this to you is the most amazing thing in the world. They are starting to say it more and more and very often in response to us saying it to them.
What's that, Mommy - *sigh* this is said nearly every other minute. It's their version of "why?" They even say what's that to things they can easily identify. I think they are just saying it out of habit at this point.
Abby, are you okay - Natalie is so incredibly concerned about Abby. If she coughs, she'll ask, are you okay, Abby. Abby will say, yes, or I'm okay. Natalie will then say, ok. Abby sometimes checks on Natalie, but usually it's Natalie to Abby. Today, during a diaper change I was just wiping the tinkle off of Abby while she was standing. She was fussing about it and Natalie came over and said, it's okay, Abby, I hold you - and she held her hands while I did it. She is such the caretaker.
Excuse me, Abby/Nannie/Mommy/Daddy - manners are just so cute coming from little people. They use this quite appropriately too. When they want you to move or get past you, they sweetly say, excuse me please...
Bless you - again - cute little manners - if someone sneezes, they'll say bless you mommy. Once I heard Abby sneeze and then to herself she said, bless me :-)
please (pease), thank you (tank you), and no thank you- the girls use these phrases all the time and appropriately. They direct them to us, each other and to grandparents, aunts, etc. We are actually pretty proud of this.
Last (that I can think of), but not the least important, by any means...
more Wonder Pets, I want Wonder Pets, Wooooonder Peeeeets... sadly, this becomes the refrain if they watch one or two episodes and we then turn it off. This, we are NOT so proud of. They are far too addicted to Wonder Pets. We are ashamed. But, I have to say, it does have its merits. They are learning to identify a number of animals. If they see an animal seen on Wonder Pets they will say, wonder pets save the baby .... So, we then test their memory and talk about how they saved the animal, etc. They remember quite a bit. It also enhances their imaginative play. They take their little animals, like a large stuffed kitty and a smaller stuffed kitty, and have the mommy say, thank you wonder pets for saving my baby or I missed you baby. It's really fun to watch and listen to them play.
These are just a few of the most repeated phrases. They are both talking more and more. Natalie has especially come out of her shell. She talks all.the.time. She narrates what she is doing a lot and describes what she sees. She also speaks in really complex, long sentences. For instance, the other day she saw a picture of a dolphin and she said, the Wonder Pets save the baby dolphin in the water in the net. The problem is, I can't always understand what she is saying. Sometimes, I can piece a few words together or use context clues, but sometimes - not. Abby is a little easier to understand, but not always. Obviously, their diction is the focus of their speech therapy. In fact, we are trying to get an extra day each week added so they will have it twice a week.
I keep trying to capture some of this cuteness on video, but it's really hard. By then time I grab the camera, they've stopped or gone on to something else. I'll keep trying though!
I'm sorry - I'm not really sure why they say this. I hear them saying it to their babies. Ex: "Here Baby Bean...I'm sorry..." I'm not sure they are actually apologizing for anything or just repeating a phrase they hear. They also say it to each other during their play. They are less enthusiastic about saying it to each other when they actually do something they need to apologize for!
I miss(ed) you (mommy, daddy, abby, nannie, baby bean, mouse, etc.) This is a new phrase - popping up in just the last few days. I'm not sure exactly where they picked this up. It seemed to start after they were at Ya-Ya's and Grandpa's last weekend. Perhaps they picked it up from hearing us tell them we missed them. Today, after PT, Abby took her car mouse, gave it a big hug and said, I missed you, Mouse.
She/he/it's so cute - This especially comes from Abby. I think this is a combination of me saying things are cute and the Wonder Pets. There are a few episodes, particularly the "Save the Kitten" episode where one of them says, "she's so cute..."
"mommy, mommy" - this is not actually about me - but what one animal (the baby) says to another (the mommy). If they have a pair of animals (two sheep, two pigs, two cows, etc), one is also a mommy and one is a baby. Natalie likes to take her kitties and play mommy and baby. She has one large mommy black and white stuffed cat (Abby has a gray one) and then several little stuffed kitties. She also has a larger "mommy Elmo" (a plush Elmo from Grammy) and a Daddy Elmo (A tickle-me-elmo from Aunt Joyce) and then the two plush Elmo's I bought for them serve as the babies.
Come on Mommy/Daddy/Abby - This is usually from Natalie. She will hold out her hand and say, "come on mommy" and want to take me to see something or do something. She says it to Abby a lot too. The response she gets is Okay, I'm coming Nannie.
I love you, too or even just I love you - Hearing your child say this to you is the most amazing thing in the world. They are starting to say it more and more and very often in response to us saying it to them.
What's that, Mommy - *sigh* this is said nearly every other minute. It's their version of "why?" They even say what's that to things they can easily identify. I think they are just saying it out of habit at this point.
Abby, are you okay - Natalie is so incredibly concerned about Abby. If she coughs, she'll ask, are you okay, Abby. Abby will say, yes, or I'm okay. Natalie will then say, ok. Abby sometimes checks on Natalie, but usually it's Natalie to Abby. Today, during a diaper change I was just wiping the tinkle off of Abby while she was standing. She was fussing about it and Natalie came over and said, it's okay, Abby, I hold you - and she held her hands while I did it. She is such the caretaker.
Excuse me, Abby/Nannie/Mommy/Daddy - manners are just so cute coming from little people. They use this quite appropriately too. When they want you to move or get past you, they sweetly say, excuse me please...
Bless you - again - cute little manners - if someone sneezes, they'll say bless you mommy. Once I heard Abby sneeze and then to herself she said, bless me :-)
please (pease), thank you (tank you), and no thank you- the girls use these phrases all the time and appropriately. They direct them to us, each other and to grandparents, aunts, etc. We are actually pretty proud of this.
Last (that I can think of), but not the least important, by any means...
more Wonder Pets, I want Wonder Pets, Wooooonder Peeeeets... sadly, this becomes the refrain if they watch one or two episodes and we then turn it off. This, we are NOT so proud of. They are far too addicted to Wonder Pets. We are ashamed. But, I have to say, it does have its merits. They are learning to identify a number of animals. If they see an animal seen on Wonder Pets they will say, wonder pets save the baby .... So, we then test their memory and talk about how they saved the animal, etc. They remember quite a bit. It also enhances their imaginative play. They take their little animals, like a large stuffed kitty and a smaller stuffed kitty, and have the mommy say, thank you wonder pets for saving my baby or I missed you baby. It's really fun to watch and listen to them play.
These are just a few of the most repeated phrases. They are both talking more and more. Natalie has especially come out of her shell. She talks all.the.time. She narrates what she is doing a lot and describes what she sees. She also speaks in really complex, long sentences. For instance, the other day she saw a picture of a dolphin and she said, the Wonder Pets save the baby dolphin in the water in the net. The problem is, I can't always understand what she is saying. Sometimes, I can piece a few words together or use context clues, but sometimes - not. Abby is a little easier to understand, but not always. Obviously, their diction is the focus of their speech therapy. In fact, we are trying to get an extra day each week added so they will have it twice a week.
I keep trying to capture some of this cuteness on video, but it's really hard. By then time I grab the camera, they've stopped or gone on to something else. I'll keep trying though!
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Bone Update
Abby is doing very, very with her broken clavicle. At about 12 days out, she has started moving it and using it more. She still doesn't reach up with it, push on it or pull hard on it, but she is reaching out for things, and starting to color and eat with it. The most delicate times are when changing her clothes - and when we forget and start to pick her up the wrong way.
Someone suggested to me I wrap an Ace bandage around the sling to hold it in place. I did this for a few days and it was very effective. Yesterday, I dropped the sling and just used the bandage. I think it did help Abby, but it's most important use was to remind us that her arm is hurt. It's helps us to remember not to pick her up under the arms or hold that hand.
Abby has learned a few phrases to help us remember too. "No touching, no touching" - usually if it's already been moved wrong. "Be careful with my arm, Mommy" or "Watch my arm Mommy" when I get her in or out of her car seat so I don't hurt it.
Natalie showed a great deal of compassion for Abby by rubbing and kissing her arm when we told her about it. She forgets about it though, as easily as we do, because if Abby has something she wants, she has no hesitation in trying to grab the arm or push her.
So, over all, Abby is doing very, very well. A doctor in our church said that if you put two clavicle bones in a room, they will grow together. So far, they are mending as easily and fairly painlessly as expected. A follow-up X-ray in about another month will make sure she has healed properly.
For now, it hasn't slowed her down. She's quite the little trooper.
Someone suggested to me I wrap an Ace bandage around the sling to hold it in place. I did this for a few days and it was very effective. Yesterday, I dropped the sling and just used the bandage. I think it did help Abby, but it's most important use was to remind us that her arm is hurt. It's helps us to remember not to pick her up under the arms or hold that hand.
Abby has learned a few phrases to help us remember too. "No touching, no touching" - usually if it's already been moved wrong. "Be careful with my arm, Mommy" or "Watch my arm Mommy" when I get her in or out of her car seat so I don't hurt it.
Natalie showed a great deal of compassion for Abby by rubbing and kissing her arm when we told her about it. She forgets about it though, as easily as we do, because if Abby has something she wants, she has no hesitation in trying to grab the arm or push her.
So, over all, Abby is doing very, very well. A doctor in our church said that if you put two clavicle bones in a room, they will grow together. So far, they are mending as easily and fairly painlessly as expected. A follow-up X-ray in about another month will make sure she has healed properly.
For now, it hasn't slowed her down. She's quite the little trooper.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Heard 'Round the House
Abby and Natalie love to sing. And Mommy and Daddy love hearing them sing. They've been picking up a number of songs and it's so cute.Natalie and Abby's Songlist
Old MacDonald Had a Farm
Itsy Bitsy Spider
The Wheels on the Bus
Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
ABC - alphabet song
5 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed
and the beginnings of Row, Row, Row your Boat
and the crowd favorite...
The Wonder Pets!
They sing so much that it's hard to tell when they are talking and when they are singing. They move easily from one to the other. I've mentioned before how Abby even uses the songs as a comfort mechanism. When she's upset or crying, she starts singing - even through the tears.
Not too long ago, the most often heard song was easily ABC's. Now, it's a toss up between Wonder Pets and Old MacDonald. There are actually a number of different parts of the Wonder Pets song. There's the initial "Wonder Pets, Wonder Pets, we're on our way, to help a baby animal and save the day" theme song. Then there's "the phone, the phone is ringing, there's an animal in trouble, an animal in trouble, there's an animal in trouble some where". Additionally, there's "what's going to work, TEAMWORK, what's going to work, TEAMWORK". And and all of these verses can be heard throughout our house.
The verses from various songs can also be intermingled. For instance, you might hear, "Old McDonald had a farm, EIEIO, with a moo-moo here, GOOOOO Wonder Pets!" It's really funny.
Abby is definitely the singer. She sings as much as she talks. I've been playing a game with her when we brush her teeth. We open our mouths and sing "Ahhhhhh" on different pitches. Abby does an amazing job of matching my pitch. She and Natalie are both very accurate at coming in on pitch when I start a song and with each other. If one starts a song and the other joins in, they are right in unison.
Natalie is a talker. She has been talking so much lately. She talks to her babies..."here you go Baby Bean, okay, I'm sorry, come on Baby Bean" as she puts her in and pushes her stroller. She is also extremely aware of Abby. If Abby coughs, Natalie says, "are you okay, Abby?" Abby will say yes and Natalie says, "okay". The girls have also picked up on the niceties of common courtesy. If one sneezes, the other says, "Bless you Abby/Nannie". The other day Abby sneezed, and said, to no one in particular, "Bless me". Natalie will also call to Abby, "come on Abby" if she is lagging behind. It's all so very cute.
Oh, Abby has a new phrase too. "It's so cute". She applies this to animals usually - the cows, our cats. I'm sure she picked it up from me. I'll try to catch it on video, along with Natalie's little sayings, because it is really, really so cute:-)
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
My Achy-Breaky...Clavicle
One little monkey climbing out of bed
she fell out and broke her...
If you can't see the very prominent break in her clavicle, I suggest you visit your local eye doctor.
Which little monkey, you ask? Well, the prize for 1st broken bone goes to our little Abby.
Yesterday, about 3:30pm, during their (non)nap time in which Abby had already presented me with poopy fingers, she tried to climb out of her bed and fell right on the floor. I heard the thump - and then the crying. When I rushed in, I found her on her hands and knees, crying, of course.
Nap time was clearly over, and I spent some time checking her out. She had a bump on her head but knew her name and her sister's name. (I would have asked her the name of the President but that seemed futile:-)) She calmed down after a short while and didn't seem to be in intense pain. We read some books and she identified what I asked and named things she pointed to. I wasn't too worried about her head - or anything else at that point.
An hour or so later, she was still periodically crying and seemed unhappy if she moved her right arm too much. I did a few tests - asking her to grab something above her head (she refused - even chocolate) and decided we might have a problem. I called our doctor neighbor who agreed if she still had a reduced range of motion in another hour or so, I should probably take her in. She fell asleep in my arms for a while and even in her sleep would react if I moved her arm or pressed her shoulder. My mom happened to call around this time who insisted I take her to the doctor, citing her experience with my sister when she rolled off a table and broke her clavicle as a baby.
Fortunately, Ben was on his way home, and about 6:30 Abby and I headed off to a local Urgent Care for x-rays. This was my attempt to avoid the ER. They had us back quickly - and just as quickly booted us out. As soon as the doctor was told she also bumped her head (and was sporting a little abrasion), he said we had to go to the ER to be evaluated for a CT scan. Great. They did kindly refund the $20 I had already paid, so at least there's that.
I took the time to get gas, since I didn't want to walk to Duke, and a quick drive-through dinner for Abby and I. We settled in to the Duke ER about 7:30 to wait. And wait we did. The ER was full - with many pitiful, sickly-looking people with masks. I just praying we didn't catch something awful. 6 hours later, and with NO head CT, her little broken clavicle was confirmed and, finally, home we went.
Abby was really such a trooper though. She was so, so good at the ER. She finally fell asleep on me about 11:30 and got an hour or so of sleep before we headed home.
I have to tell of one sweet, sweet thing between Natalie and Abby. As we were in the car leaving for the doctor's, Abby was saying "Nanny, Nanny?" I told her Natalie was staying home with Daddy. Apparently, at the same time, Natalie was crying and asking for Abby and Mommy. Ben distracted her with the ever-useful Wonder Pets. A little later, Ben was sitting with her on the couch and asked Natalie if she would pray with him for Abby. She immediately bowed her little head and put her hands together. Ben prayed and Natalie appeared to be praying too, or at least repeating what he said. After Ben's in Jesus' name, she gave a hearty, Amen! Then she promptly asked, more Wonder Pets, please. :-)
For the most part, there's nothing the doctors can do for a broken clavicle. They told me it's the best bone to break though, because it heals to quickly and without any real intervention. Basically, her own discomfort will keep her from using it. They did give her a sling - which she can only wear under direct supervision for fear of strangling (in other words NOT while sleeping or playing out of our sight). That's if she will wear it, of course. She wore it a while today, but her elbow slips out of the pocket so her arms basically hangs straight anyway, so it's pretty useless. Cute sling, though:-)
For the most part, Abby is fine. The doctors saw no reason to scan her head. She'll take it easy for a while and her shoulder will heal.
I am a bit disappointed that one of the few things Abby has inherited from me is a propensity for broken bones. She even beat me to the punch as I was 3 when I had my first break - a severe concussion and skull fracture from falling out of a moving car. Five concussions and four breaks later, it's a wonder I'm as witty and charming as I am:-) I'm hopeful that this was a fluke for Abby and not the beginning of a childhood pattern.
At the very least, I do think she's learned her lesson for now. I've been asking the girls if they are going to climb out of their beds again. Natalie grins and says, "yes!". Abby's eyes get wide and she vehmently shakes her head while she answers "NO!" Hopefully, the lesson will stick.
she fell out and broke her...
If you can't see the very prominent break in her clavicle, I suggest you visit your local eye doctor.
Which little monkey, you ask? Well, the prize for 1st broken bone goes to our little Abby.
Yesterday, about 3:30pm, during their (non)nap time in which Abby had already presented me with poopy fingers, she tried to climb out of her bed and fell right on the floor. I heard the thump - and then the crying. When I rushed in, I found her on her hands and knees, crying, of course.
Nap time was clearly over, and I spent some time checking her out. She had a bump on her head but knew her name and her sister's name. (I would have asked her the name of the President but that seemed futile:-)) She calmed down after a short while and didn't seem to be in intense pain. We read some books and she identified what I asked and named things she pointed to. I wasn't too worried about her head - or anything else at that point.
An hour or so later, she was still periodically crying and seemed unhappy if she moved her right arm too much. I did a few tests - asking her to grab something above her head (she refused - even chocolate) and decided we might have a problem. I called our doctor neighbor who agreed if she still had a reduced range of motion in another hour or so, I should probably take her in. She fell asleep in my arms for a while and even in her sleep would react if I moved her arm or pressed her shoulder. My mom happened to call around this time who insisted I take her to the doctor, citing her experience with my sister when she rolled off a table and broke her clavicle as a baby.
Fortunately, Ben was on his way home, and about 6:30 Abby and I headed off to a local Urgent Care for x-rays. This was my attempt to avoid the ER. They had us back quickly - and just as quickly booted us out. As soon as the doctor was told she also bumped her head (and was sporting a little abrasion), he said we had to go to the ER to be evaluated for a CT scan. Great. They did kindly refund the $20 I had already paid, so at least there's that.
I took the time to get gas, since I didn't want to walk to Duke, and a quick drive-through dinner for Abby and I. We settled in to the Duke ER about 7:30 to wait. And wait we did. The ER was full - with many pitiful, sickly-looking people with masks. I just praying we didn't catch something awful. 6 hours later, and with NO head CT, her little broken clavicle was confirmed and, finally, home we went.
Abby was really such a trooper though. She was so, so good at the ER. She finally fell asleep on me about 11:30 and got an hour or so of sleep before we headed home.
I have to tell of one sweet, sweet thing between Natalie and Abby. As we were in the car leaving for the doctor's, Abby was saying "Nanny, Nanny?" I told her Natalie was staying home with Daddy. Apparently, at the same time, Natalie was crying and asking for Abby and Mommy. Ben distracted her with the ever-useful Wonder Pets. A little later, Ben was sitting with her on the couch and asked Natalie if she would pray with him for Abby. She immediately bowed her little head and put her hands together. Ben prayed and Natalie appeared to be praying too, or at least repeating what he said. After Ben's in Jesus' name, she gave a hearty, Amen! Then she promptly asked, more Wonder Pets, please. :-)
For the most part, there's nothing the doctors can do for a broken clavicle. They told me it's the best bone to break though, because it heals to quickly and without any real intervention. Basically, her own discomfort will keep her from using it. They did give her a sling - which she can only wear under direct supervision for fear of strangling (in other words NOT while sleeping or playing out of our sight). That's if she will wear it, of course. She wore it a while today, but her elbow slips out of the pocket so her arms basically hangs straight anyway, so it's pretty useless. Cute sling, though:-)
For the most part, Abby is fine. The doctors saw no reason to scan her head. She'll take it easy for a while and her shoulder will heal.
I am a bit disappointed that one of the few things Abby has inherited from me is a propensity for broken bones. She even beat me to the punch as I was 3 when I had my first break - a severe concussion and skull fracture from falling out of a moving car. Five concussions and four breaks later, it's a wonder I'm as witty and charming as I am:-) I'm hopeful that this was a fluke for Abby and not the beginning of a childhood pattern.
At the very least, I do think she's learned her lesson for now. I've been asking the girls if they are going to climb out of their beds again. Natalie grins and says, "yes!". Abby's eyes get wide and she vehmently shakes her head while she answers "NO!" Hopefully, the lesson will stick.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Co-winky-dink? I think not.
As part of my New Year's Resolutions of socializing Natalie and Abigail, I have filled up their social calendar this week. Tuesday we visited the Barnes and Nobles Bookstore at Southpoint for story and craft time. The girls sat quietly and listened to the story about Splat the Cat. Valentine Day hearts were handed out for coloring and Abby did a great job on hers. Natalie was a little distracted and didn't really color much on her picture.
B&N also has a train table and the girls did venture over and play a bit with the trains - even near some other children! which I was pleased with. We stayed quite a while and the girls enjoyed pulling books off the shelves (which I replaced, for the record) and looking through them. When we finally left, they were fascinated with the escalators so we took a quick trip up and down.
Thursday, we didn't get up in time for story time at the library, but we did go to Southpoint Mall for lunch and playing. This was partly because Mommy was really tired and was afraid if she sat on the couch, she would fall asleep. So, after a big bowl of extremely delicious Broccoli and Cheddar soup at Panera Bread, we made our way to the indoor play area. The girls were actually quite excited when they saw where we were going and were much less timid than they have been in the past.
We did have some issues of being willing to climb on things if other children were already there. For instance, Abby kept trying to go up the steps to go down the little slide. Every time another kid would get on the stairs with her, or pop their little heads at the bottom of the slide as if they were going to climb up the slide, Abby would turn and run back down the stairs. It took a while before she finally made it down the slide.
After a while, they did much better and were playing and climbing like old pros. They even played next to other children and didn't run off if someone got too close. They really had a great time.
We had more plans to attend a Valentine's Day playgroup and craft time through Triangle Mommies today (Friday). Unfortunately, we couldn't make it. Why? Well, within a few hours of coming home from the mall, Abby started sporting a runny nose. After she went to bed, she started coughing so hard she threw up. This morning, when I went in to get the girls, I found poor little Natalie with her hair all stuck to the snot all over her face. I've spent the day chasing after them with tissues.
The girls haven't been sick in forever. Well, Abby had a weird little stomach thing at Thanksgiving but they haven't had a cold in forever. So, literally hours after hanging out with a bunch of kids, they are both sick. Coincidence - I think not. I'm not actually sure you can pick up a cold in a matter of hours, so I suppose they could have been exposed at the bookstore. Either way, it's way not cool.
So, now I have to wait for them to get well so I can then take them to another play group and wait for them to get sick again. And thus begins the viscous cycle. I can only hope, though, that they continue to eat well enough to hold their weight steady. I hope they build up some immunity - FAST.
B&N also has a train table and the girls did venture over and play a bit with the trains - even near some other children! which I was pleased with. We stayed quite a while and the girls enjoyed pulling books off the shelves (which I replaced, for the record) and looking through them. When we finally left, they were fascinated with the escalators so we took a quick trip up and down.
Thursday, we didn't get up in time for story time at the library, but we did go to Southpoint Mall for lunch and playing. This was partly because Mommy was really tired and was afraid if she sat on the couch, she would fall asleep. So, after a big bowl of extremely delicious Broccoli and Cheddar soup at Panera Bread, we made our way to the indoor play area. The girls were actually quite excited when they saw where we were going and were much less timid than they have been in the past.
We did have some issues of being willing to climb on things if other children were already there. For instance, Abby kept trying to go up the steps to go down the little slide. Every time another kid would get on the stairs with her, or pop their little heads at the bottom of the slide as if they were going to climb up the slide, Abby would turn and run back down the stairs. It took a while before she finally made it down the slide.
A slight tangent on kids and play areas: seriously, parents, if your kid is keeping another kid from doing something, say going down a slide because your kid is climbing up it, please stop them. If your kid is pushing past all the other kids and not waiting their turn - stop them. If your kid is butting in to something another kid is doing and making that poor little kid cry, STOP THEM. And, if you won't, I will. I have no problems telling your kid to wait their turn or to stop trying to climb up the slide while other kids are trying to go down. If you aren't interested in teaching your child proper playground etiquette, I am more than happy to. End tangent.
After a while, they did much better and were playing and climbing like old pros. They even played next to other children and didn't run off if someone got too close. They really had a great time.
We had more plans to attend a Valentine's Day playgroup and craft time through Triangle Mommies today (Friday). Unfortunately, we couldn't make it. Why? Well, within a few hours of coming home from the mall, Abby started sporting a runny nose. After she went to bed, she started coughing so hard she threw up. This morning, when I went in to get the girls, I found poor little Natalie with her hair all stuck to the snot all over her face. I've spent the day chasing after them with tissues.
The girls haven't been sick in forever. Well, Abby had a weird little stomach thing at Thanksgiving but they haven't had a cold in forever. So, literally hours after hanging out with a bunch of kids, they are both sick. Coincidence - I think not. I'm not actually sure you can pick up a cold in a matter of hours, so I suppose they could have been exposed at the bookstore. Either way, it's way not cool.
So, now I have to wait for them to get well so I can then take them to another play group and wait for them to get sick again. And thus begins the viscous cycle. I can only hope, though, that they continue to eat well enough to hold their weight steady. I hope they build up some immunity - FAST.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Busy, Busy, Busy
We have been very busy of late and blogging has taken a back seat. But hopefully things are calming down now and I can do lots of updates.
The last two weeks have been busy. Of course, Mema died two weeks ago and everyone was up there for a few days. I brought my mom home with us the Wednesday after the Monday funeral. We stayed until Monday (an extra day thanks to the snow) then headed back. I stayed at her house until Thursday (I didn't want her to come home to an empty house her first days back at work) and we arrived home in the evening. Since then, it's been clean, clean, clean.
We have FINALLY gotten our house to a point where we can sell it. We think. The weekend my mom was here she helped us out immensely. We never could have done it without her. She washed windows, cleaned the stove (yuck!) and helped me in the yard Thursday - the only pretty day we've had here in forever. I hated that she worked so hard, but she called it "work therapy".
The girls were really cute the day we worked in the yard. It really was beautiful and they just played all around us, helping us pick up leaves and rake. We put the leaves in huge trash bags and after we tied them up the girls sat on them like big bean bags! Abby was so funny; at one point, she laid down on one all snuggly like she was going to sleep. It was a great day and we got SO much done. The only bad part of the day (other than the later aches and pains) was that Abby took a tumble down the front steps. Scared me to death. She fell from about half way up (maybe 4 or 5 steps) and fortunately landed on the last step and NOT the concrete sidewalk. It was horrible to watch though. She landed with her neck all sideways. I think she lucked out because there were some things on the steps below from where she fell. She tumbled over them and think they helped break her fall and slow her down so she didn't go all the way down. She was a trooper though. She only cried a few minutes and after I asked her if she wanted to sing "ABC's", we did, and she ran off to play some more. I think it scared her more than hurt.
When we got back from Mom's Thursday, there were still a 1000 things to do. Understand that we've been "getting our house ready to sell" for about 4 months. I was getting kind of embarrassed to keep telling our buyer's agent, "this weekend, really". But we've worked like crazy all weekend and finally had another decent day (cool, but at least there was sunshine) to work outside, and we are basically through. I say basically because we still have to take about 2 more loads to storage, take another load to the dump, clean off the front porch and powerwash the house and deck. But that's all. Really.
Nevertheless, I listed the house anyway last night on owners.com - a for sale by owner site. One of our problems was that we needed to finish cleaning up outside and clear the porch (darned weather) so we could get a picture of the front of the house (not in rain or snow). We still don't have one, so I used one from about 5 years ago - just to give the idea. We can change it as soon as we take another. I figured people weren't house hunting on Superbowl Sunday anyway, and it would help truly motivate us. At least it's out there now. Now all I have to do is make the flyers, get the little flyer box, put the sign and box in the yard and put out a few more signs. Oh, and the list of other stuff above:-(
The girls have been amazing through all of this. This is where having twins comes in handy. The completely entertain each other. They have just played, played, played. They were outside with us some today and were playing in the dirt with me, "planting" and generally getting wet and messy. It was great. When they do start needing some attention, I have tried to stop and read books or color and play a little. And if I really can't, there's always the 6 or 7 Wonder Pets episodes we've DVR'd. That's good for what, 3 or 4 hours of babysitting...
It is nice to have a house so clean. I am not the best housekeeper. Stop laughing. Really, I'm not. But, I know it. And, for the record, since everyone always thinks it's just me, it's not. Ben is messy too. It's a joint (non)effort. At this point, once we take the last few boxes to storage and Ben's tools are all put up, there's just not much left in the house to create a mess. We have 2 storage building stuffed full of 70%-80% of everything we own. Even most of the kids toys are packed away - or at my mom's. There's more stuff there than here. (And there it shall stay until we have a new huge playroom in which it can go!) The girls still manage to leave a small path of destruction with the things they do have around, but it's not too bad.
My biggest concern is actually how to keep the floors clean. Ben installed the most beautiful bamboo hardwood floors everywhere but the bedrooms. They are dark - kind of cherry wood colored - gorgeous, and show every.single.speck.of.dirt.ever. I can't believe how dirty our floors are - or how dirty our carpet must have been at all times. I feel like I could dustmop every hour. Oh well. Hopefully, it will be worth it and some one will fall in love with them and make an offer on the spot. Ahhh, a girl can dream.
I have many Abby and Natalie adventures to relate, but they will have to wait. For now, know we are back and now that the house is ready, I should be blogging again regularly.
The last two weeks have been busy. Of course, Mema died two weeks ago and everyone was up there for a few days. I brought my mom home with us the Wednesday after the Monday funeral. We stayed until Monday (an extra day thanks to the snow) then headed back. I stayed at her house until Thursday (I didn't want her to come home to an empty house her first days back at work) and we arrived home in the evening. Since then, it's been clean, clean, clean.
We have FINALLY gotten our house to a point where we can sell it. We think. The weekend my mom was here she helped us out immensely. We never could have done it without her. She washed windows, cleaned the stove (yuck!) and helped me in the yard Thursday - the only pretty day we've had here in forever. I hated that she worked so hard, but she called it "work therapy".
The girls were really cute the day we worked in the yard. It really was beautiful and they just played all around us, helping us pick up leaves and rake. We put the leaves in huge trash bags and after we tied them up the girls sat on them like big bean bags! Abby was so funny; at one point, she laid down on one all snuggly like she was going to sleep. It was a great day and we got SO much done. The only bad part of the day (other than the later aches and pains) was that Abby took a tumble down the front steps. Scared me to death. She fell from about half way up (maybe 4 or 5 steps) and fortunately landed on the last step and NOT the concrete sidewalk. It was horrible to watch though. She landed with her neck all sideways. I think she lucked out because there were some things on the steps below from where she fell. She tumbled over them and think they helped break her fall and slow her down so she didn't go all the way down. She was a trooper though. She only cried a few minutes and after I asked her if she wanted to sing "ABC's", we did, and she ran off to play some more. I think it scared her more than hurt.
When we got back from Mom's Thursday, there were still a 1000 things to do. Understand that we've been "getting our house ready to sell" for about 4 months. I was getting kind of embarrassed to keep telling our buyer's agent, "this weekend, really". But we've worked like crazy all weekend and finally had another decent day (cool, but at least there was sunshine) to work outside, and we are basically through. I say basically because we still have to take about 2 more loads to storage, take another load to the dump, clean off the front porch and powerwash the house and deck. But that's all. Really.
Nevertheless, I listed the house anyway last night on owners.com - a for sale by owner site. One of our problems was that we needed to finish cleaning up outside and clear the porch (darned weather) so we could get a picture of the front of the house (not in rain or snow). We still don't have one, so I used one from about 5 years ago - just to give the idea. We can change it as soon as we take another. I figured people weren't house hunting on Superbowl Sunday anyway, and it would help truly motivate us. At least it's out there now. Now all I have to do is make the flyers, get the little flyer box, put the sign and box in the yard and put out a few more signs. Oh, and the list of other stuff above:-(
The girls have been amazing through all of this. This is where having twins comes in handy. The completely entertain each other. They have just played, played, played. They were outside with us some today and were playing in the dirt with me, "planting" and generally getting wet and messy. It was great. When they do start needing some attention, I have tried to stop and read books or color and play a little. And if I really can't, there's always the 6 or 7 Wonder Pets episodes we've DVR'd. That's good for what, 3 or 4 hours of babysitting...
It is nice to have a house so clean. I am not the best housekeeper. Stop laughing. Really, I'm not. But, I know it. And, for the record, since everyone always thinks it's just me, it's not. Ben is messy too. It's a joint (non)effort. At this point, once we take the last few boxes to storage and Ben's tools are all put up, there's just not much left in the house to create a mess. We have 2 storage building stuffed full of 70%-80% of everything we own. Even most of the kids toys are packed away - or at my mom's. There's more stuff there than here. (And there it shall stay until we have a new huge playroom in which it can go!) The girls still manage to leave a small path of destruction with the things they do have around, but it's not too bad.
My biggest concern is actually how to keep the floors clean. Ben installed the most beautiful bamboo hardwood floors everywhere but the bedrooms. They are dark - kind of cherry wood colored - gorgeous, and show every.single.speck.of.dirt.ever. I can't believe how dirty our floors are - or how dirty our carpet must have been at all times. I feel like I could dustmop every hour. Oh well. Hopefully, it will be worth it and some one will fall in love with them and make an offer on the spot. Ahhh, a girl can dream.
I have many Abby and Natalie adventures to relate, but they will have to wait. For now, know we are back and now that the house is ready, I should be blogging again regularly.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Changing of the guard?
I think I may be a little sad. For as long as I can remember, Natalie has been attached to her Elmo. I know she's only two, but I can't remember when we got Elmo - at least a year ago. And ever since, Elmo is her number #1 comfort item and companion when having her bottle.
About 3 or 4 days ago, Natalie started taking her bottle with Baby Bean (an adorable baby cabbage patch doll that we used to tell mom and mema I was pregnant). I'm really not sure how I feel about this. I am extremely attached to the visual of Natalie, blanket, and Elmo (and Abby, blanket and Mouse). I'm not sure I like this little switch-o-roo.
Fortunately for me, she still snuggled with Elmo (and Baby Bean and something else) when she settled down to bed. Maybe Elmo's dethroning is temporary. I think I hope so.
About 3 or 4 days ago, Natalie started taking her bottle with Baby Bean (an adorable baby cabbage patch doll that we used to tell mom and mema I was pregnant). I'm really not sure how I feel about this. I am extremely attached to the visual of Natalie, blanket, and Elmo (and Abby, blanket and Mouse). I'm not sure I like this little switch-o-roo.
Fortunately for me, she still snuggled with Elmo (and Baby Bean and something else) when she settled down to bed. Maybe Elmo's dethroning is temporary. I think I hope so.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Mema
This morning, at 3am, Mema passed away. I had spent about an hour before holding her hand and singing to her. I was actually on the other side of the bed next to her when she took her final breath.
My mom, her brother and I were able to sit with her for the next 2 hours or so while hospice and the funeral home arrived.
We are thinking that the funeral will be Monday. Thanks to all who have sent their prayers and kind thoughts.
Here and Back Again
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.
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.
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!
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