Sunday, March 10, 2013
Swimming season has arrived!
For Mother's Day, I wanted to get in the pool with the babies. They have been in their baby pool and seemed to do just fine. Except, as soon as they figured out they could lean out and reach the grass, the race was on. Both of them in opposite directions, trying to eat whatever may lie outside the pool. I love the pool and plan to spend a lot of time in it, if the babies will allow it. So, yesterday, the three of us got in. It was a little chilly, but Jack enjoyed splashing and Annabelle enjoyed twirling around in her floaty. Overall, it was sucessful and I am hoping we will have many more pool days in the future. continue. It is already 95 degrees - I can only imagine what August will bring.
9 months
The babies are just over nine months. It is amazing how quickly they grow and develop. They are both crawling all over the place and pulling up on everything, including moving object like myself. Over the weekend, we have installed a baby gate and child proof latches on all of the cabinets. But, it still seems they are able to find something to get into. They both are very interactive with each other. They laugh at each other and have started taking one another's toys. Usually Annabelle is the "taker" and most of the time, Jack does not care. But, on the rare occassion when he does care, Annabelle will take his toy and his face will go from happy to sad in slow motion. Annabelle will also scream while eating and Jack's face will go from happy to sad in slow motion. And then he will cry and cry. By the time he is calmed down, she will scream again - almost as if she knows what she is doing. According to Granna, he is the "thinker" and she is the "do-er". They both say lots of words that do not mean anything, Annabelle talking more than Jack. It will be fun to see what they do next!
A little update
Just feeling like I will never remember all of the fun toddler things if I don't write them down.
Annabelle is going to school at St. Paul two mornings a week. She seems to enjoy it and brings home art projects. She is super smart and very verbal. She wants to know who and where and why and what all the time. And, answering one question does not end the conversation, but just fuels two more questions. She has even asked about things I am just not ready to discuss with her yet. So far I have been able to appease her with my answers. It won't last much longer though. She has a great memory and remembers details and fun facts that I do not even remember. She has a great imagination and still prefers to make tacos, but does lots of other imaginary play in her kitchen and with her dolls. Annabelle also enjoys art - cutting, stamping, coloring, and most of all sticking stickers. She loves books and will even listen to longer stories, a nice change from the board books. She knows most letters of the alphabet and the sounds they make. She can count to ten pretty well and then continues on to twenty without as much accuracy. She finally has enough hair we can put it in a pony tail or pig tails! She is an amazing eater. She and Jeremy have "muscle smoothies" and she loves eating collard greens, kale, and various meat that Jeremy has on his plate. There are very few things she does not like to eat. She sleeps well. She is napping in our room, which works well. She typically naps for 2 or 2 1/2 hours. Bedtime is 7:30 and she wakes up around 6:30. She wears a diaper during nap and bedtime, but not when she is awake. Knock on wood, she has been pretty healthy. She has gotten a stuffy nose quite a few times, but otherwise, she is healthy!
Jack is in therapy all day every day. We have finally finished ECI speech therapy and started with private speech. He went once a week in February and is going twice a week starting mid-March. He goes to OT once a week at Big Sky and we continue to enjoy it. He is in ABA the rest of the time. We have had some therapist change over the past few months, but I think we have a good team in place. Rebecca still oversees the program, but we now have Sally as our lead therapist, and Megan, JoAnn, and Cameron as the line therapists. I am happy with the way things are going and Jack is conitnuing to make progress. He has play dates twice a week with the therapist. Once a week is Wesley and once a week is Mason. He also goes to the park a couple times a week. He has been showing an interest in the kids at the park and interacting with the kids during playdates, which is great! Jack love to jump, jump, jump! He also enjoys being outside, looking at books, and playing with his train set. He has a few words, but they are difficult to understand. He is communicating more and more, so we are moving in the right direction. We just have to get the talking down! He loves to sing and hum and knows a lot of different songs. He is a fairly good eater. He is not very consistent with what he likes, but he seems to be a typical toddler. He sleeps fairly well. Sometimes he will take a really long time to fall asleep for a nap or even skip a nap. But, for the most part, he sleeps 2 1/2 hours for nap, goes to bed at 7:30 and wakes up around 6:30 or 7. He takes a lot of supplements and is GFCFSF. He has been pretty healthy too, other than a few stuffy noses.
That is the update! Funny comments are being made and lots of laughter is happening. I LOVE when Jack and Annabelle place and chase each other or giggle and giggle. I LOVE when they share and give each other things. And, I LOVE when Annabelle hugs and kisses her brother. We will be okay!
Annabelle is going to school at St. Paul two mornings a week. She seems to enjoy it and brings home art projects. She is super smart and very verbal. She wants to know who and where and why and what all the time. And, answering one question does not end the conversation, but just fuels two more questions. She has even asked about things I am just not ready to discuss with her yet. So far I have been able to appease her with my answers. It won't last much longer though. She has a great memory and remembers details and fun facts that I do not even remember. She has a great imagination and still prefers to make tacos, but does lots of other imaginary play in her kitchen and with her dolls. Annabelle also enjoys art - cutting, stamping, coloring, and most of all sticking stickers. She loves books and will even listen to longer stories, a nice change from the board books. She knows most letters of the alphabet and the sounds they make. She can count to ten pretty well and then continues on to twenty without as much accuracy. She finally has enough hair we can put it in a pony tail or pig tails! She is an amazing eater. She and Jeremy have "muscle smoothies" and she loves eating collard greens, kale, and various meat that Jeremy has on his plate. There are very few things she does not like to eat. She sleeps well. She is napping in our room, which works well. She typically naps for 2 or 2 1/2 hours. Bedtime is 7:30 and she wakes up around 6:30. She wears a diaper during nap and bedtime, but not when she is awake. Knock on wood, she has been pretty healthy. She has gotten a stuffy nose quite a few times, but otherwise, she is healthy!
Jack is in therapy all day every day. We have finally finished ECI speech therapy and started with private speech. He went once a week in February and is going twice a week starting mid-March. He goes to OT once a week at Big Sky and we continue to enjoy it. He is in ABA the rest of the time. We have had some therapist change over the past few months, but I think we have a good team in place. Rebecca still oversees the program, but we now have Sally as our lead therapist, and Megan, JoAnn, and Cameron as the line therapists. I am happy with the way things are going and Jack is conitnuing to make progress. He has play dates twice a week with the therapist. Once a week is Wesley and once a week is Mason. He also goes to the park a couple times a week. He has been showing an interest in the kids at the park and interacting with the kids during playdates, which is great! Jack love to jump, jump, jump! He also enjoys being outside, looking at books, and playing with his train set. He has a few words, but they are difficult to understand. He is communicating more and more, so we are moving in the right direction. We just have to get the talking down! He loves to sing and hum and knows a lot of different songs. He is a fairly good eater. He is not very consistent with what he likes, but he seems to be a typical toddler. He sleeps fairly well. Sometimes he will take a really long time to fall asleep for a nap or even skip a nap. But, for the most part, he sleeps 2 1/2 hours for nap, goes to bed at 7:30 and wakes up around 6:30 or 7. He takes a lot of supplements and is GFCFSF. He has been pretty healthy too, other than a few stuffy noses.
That is the update! Funny comments are being made and lots of laughter is happening. I LOVE when Jack and Annabelle place and chase each other or giggle and giggle. I LOVE when they share and give each other things. And, I LOVE when Annabelle hugs and kisses her brother. We will be okay!
A couple funny stories
I have been impressed my many of my friends' blogs and always wondered how they had so much to write about. One friend told me that eventually my kids would say funny things and it would be easy to write about them. Well, that time may be fast approaching...
About a month ago, Annabelle got me with a funny one. She was having a difficult time following directions, which seems to be occurring more and more frequently. I have heard that 3 is harder than 2 and I can see that may be the case. I asked Annabelle if her listening ears were on because she seemed to be having a hard time listening and following directions. She said to me very matter of factly that her listening ears were not working because the batteries had died. And that was the conversation stopper!
Another funny thing happened around the same time. We were sitting at the dinner table and Annabelle fell out of her chair. I made sure she was okay and she was just fine, just a little scared. It was pretty funny, but the kind of funny you don't want to laugh at until you know the person is okay. Well, Jack started cracking up. He was laughing and laughing and could barely contain himself. Then, he carefull stepped out of his chair and onto the floor where he quickly "fell down" and laughed and laughed again. It was great! Great that he noticed Annabelle, great that he laughed, and great that he copied her behavior!
About a month ago, Annabelle got me with a funny one. She was having a difficult time following directions, which seems to be occurring more and more frequently. I have heard that 3 is harder than 2 and I can see that may be the case. I asked Annabelle if her listening ears were on because she seemed to be having a hard time listening and following directions. She said to me very matter of factly that her listening ears were not working because the batteries had died. And that was the conversation stopper!
Another funny thing happened around the same time. We were sitting at the dinner table and Annabelle fell out of her chair. I made sure she was okay and she was just fine, just a little scared. It was pretty funny, but the kind of funny you don't want to laugh at until you know the person is okay. Well, Jack started cracking up. He was laughing and laughing and could barely contain himself. Then, he carefull stepped out of his chair and onto the floor where he quickly "fell down" and laughed and laughed again. It was great! Great that he noticed Annabelle, great that he laughed, and great that he copied her behavior!
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Goodbye 2012 and Welcome 2013
2012 has been a wonderful year in many ways and a challenging year in many ways. I am excited to see what 2013 brings and am hopeful it is a little more wonderful and a little less stressful than 2012.
2012 was fun. We took several trips to the beach, including the Outer Banks, NC, in June. We also went to Port Aransas once or twice. We had quite a few visits from Gma and Gpa and Grandjan. The kids had a fun pool party birthday bash. We dressed up as the Flintstone Family for Halloween, with Fred, Wilma, Pebbles, and Bam Bam. I made the costumes and have to say I impressed myself. We have been to the zoo and Sea World, as well as a theater production of "Guess How Much I Love You" and several music shows, including Miss Staci. Along with Granna, we had Gma, Gpa, and Uncle Josh for Thanksgiving and Grandjan and Grandpa for Christmas, so we were lucky to have family for the holidays.
Annabelle - 2012 was a wonderful year for her. She started going to school two mornings a week beginning in September at St. Paul Lutheran Church. The logistics worked well for us and they are so kind and flexible. Annabelle took a while to adjust, but now she loves her teacher, Ms. Wurchen, and her teacher loves her. Annabelle seems to be very bright - she knows all of her letters and the sounds they make and various words which start with each letter. Thanks to the Little People zoo animals, we have Yak and Quail down. She can count to ten (most of the time). She sings songs and has a sweet voice. Her school had a "Christmas Program" and Annabelle participated. It was very impressive, as the church is very large and the school goes up to 8th grade, so there were a lot of people. She went to the front of the church with her class and stood while they 3 and 4 years olds sang. Most of the 2 year olds just sat quietly, even though she knows the words. She did great! We were all in our "Sunday best" and I felt like a grown up in a real family, possibly for the first time in my life. Annabelle is an amazing eater and requested black-eyed peas and collard greens for New Years day. She enjoys "muscle smoothies" with Jeremy almost every morning. Annabelle loves cooking in her kitchen and makes pizza, tacos, soups, and all sorts of other treats. She likes to do art activities and thankfully her school sends her home with many fun projects that have been completed. She has an amazing imagination and I do not know where some of the things she says and does come from. It is really fun to watch! Annabelle still loves to read books and snuggle with her lovey. She has been healthy for the most part, with a couple little colds thanks to her new school. Annabelle is sleeping well and still takes a nap for two hours. She is usually in bed by 7:30 and up by 7.
Jack - 2012 has been a growing year. We started the year off with OT and ST and eventually added and autism diagnosis and ABA. We got things going into full swing in May and since then have been fortunate to make a significant amount of progress. Jack is now able to play appropriately with toys, such as cars, train, pretend food in the kitchen, books, puzzles, and the list goes on. He is able to attend and pay attention to things (when he wants) and make eye contact. We were up to about 25 words, but it seems like they are not there as much, so we are going to work on them some more. Jack is communicating so much more than he was before. He does not necessarily have the words, but he looks and points and "talks" in a way that makes it very clear what he wants. He is able to imitate, which is amazing and something I would not have known was such an amazing skill a year ago. Jack loves to jump and jump - on the floor, in his crib, on the bed, or on the trampoline. A few months ago, he climbed out of his crib, so we put the mattress on the floor. Luckily, that has solved the problem for now. He is no longer challenged when it comes to elevation changes and he will climb on everything. I love it! Jack is having "playdates" with Samaya and so far, he is doing better than she is. He is also going to the park and doing well. I am excited to see the new things he will learn. Jack will sometimes take a while to fall asleep for his nap. In general, he naps for 2-3 hours every day, although once a week or so, he will skip his nap. He sleeps well at night and is usually in bed by 7:30 and then up around 6:30. He has been healthy for the most part with just a couple little colds or allergies. He takes a bunch of supplements and vitamins, which we are hoping will help with some of the autism stuff. He is also on a GFCFSF diet. It all seems to be working well. The past couple of months, Jack has been on a steady incline of progress and I am hopeful it will contine.
Jeremy - 2012 has been a shrinking year. Jeremy is "paleo" and eats what the cavemen ate - meat, nuts, fruits, and berries. As a result, he is in the best shape of his life. He feels good and looks good, which is all that matters! He is going to cross fit a few times a week and really seems to enjoy it - a great way to deal with stress. Jeremy is doing great at work and continues to get raises (which we all like). He has not been able to go fishing as much as he would like, but he did get to go off shore over the summer and had a fun time. Hopefullee he will have more fishing in 2013.
Becca - 2012 has been the most stressful, frustrating, and probably depressing year of my life. Nothing can describe the feelings that go along with having my child diagnosed with autism. But, as a result, I have grown and become strong in ways I would never have imagined. We have an amazing home based ABA program for Jack and he is making tons of progress. We are in a law suit with ECI which will help Jack, help our pocket books, and help other children whose parents do not know any better. I have met some mothers who are warriors and give me home and inspiration and motivation. I am in school, taking classes to get my BCBA. I have learned what and who true friends are and what values are important to me. I could go on and on, but I do not want to. I want to appreciate the challenges I faced in 2012 and use them to help me be a better person for myself, my child, my family, and my world in 2013.
2012 was fun. We took several trips to the beach, including the Outer Banks, NC, in June. We also went to Port Aransas once or twice. We had quite a few visits from Gma and Gpa and Grandjan. The kids had a fun pool party birthday bash. We dressed up as the Flintstone Family for Halloween, with Fred, Wilma, Pebbles, and Bam Bam. I made the costumes and have to say I impressed myself. We have been to the zoo and Sea World, as well as a theater production of "Guess How Much I Love You" and several music shows, including Miss Staci. Along with Granna, we had Gma, Gpa, and Uncle Josh for Thanksgiving and Grandjan and Grandpa for Christmas, so we were lucky to have family for the holidays.
Annabelle - 2012 was a wonderful year for her. She started going to school two mornings a week beginning in September at St. Paul Lutheran Church. The logistics worked well for us and they are so kind and flexible. Annabelle took a while to adjust, but now she loves her teacher, Ms. Wurchen, and her teacher loves her. Annabelle seems to be very bright - she knows all of her letters and the sounds they make and various words which start with each letter. Thanks to the Little People zoo animals, we have Yak and Quail down. She can count to ten (most of the time). She sings songs and has a sweet voice. Her school had a "Christmas Program" and Annabelle participated. It was very impressive, as the church is very large and the school goes up to 8th grade, so there were a lot of people. She went to the front of the church with her class and stood while they 3 and 4 years olds sang. Most of the 2 year olds just sat quietly, even though she knows the words. She did great! We were all in our "Sunday best" and I felt like a grown up in a real family, possibly for the first time in my life. Annabelle is an amazing eater and requested black-eyed peas and collard greens for New Years day. She enjoys "muscle smoothies" with Jeremy almost every morning. Annabelle loves cooking in her kitchen and makes pizza, tacos, soups, and all sorts of other treats. She likes to do art activities and thankfully her school sends her home with many fun projects that have been completed. She has an amazing imagination and I do not know where some of the things she says and does come from. It is really fun to watch! Annabelle still loves to read books and snuggle with her lovey. She has been healthy for the most part, with a couple little colds thanks to her new school. Annabelle is sleeping well and still takes a nap for two hours. She is usually in bed by 7:30 and up by 7.
Jack - 2012 has been a growing year. We started the year off with OT and ST and eventually added and autism diagnosis and ABA. We got things going into full swing in May and since then have been fortunate to make a significant amount of progress. Jack is now able to play appropriately with toys, such as cars, train, pretend food in the kitchen, books, puzzles, and the list goes on. He is able to attend and pay attention to things (when he wants) and make eye contact. We were up to about 25 words, but it seems like they are not there as much, so we are going to work on them some more. Jack is communicating so much more than he was before. He does not necessarily have the words, but he looks and points and "talks" in a way that makes it very clear what he wants. He is able to imitate, which is amazing and something I would not have known was such an amazing skill a year ago. Jack loves to jump and jump - on the floor, in his crib, on the bed, or on the trampoline. A few months ago, he climbed out of his crib, so we put the mattress on the floor. Luckily, that has solved the problem for now. He is no longer challenged when it comes to elevation changes and he will climb on everything. I love it! Jack is having "playdates" with Samaya and so far, he is doing better than she is. He is also going to the park and doing well. I am excited to see the new things he will learn. Jack will sometimes take a while to fall asleep for his nap. In general, he naps for 2-3 hours every day, although once a week or so, he will skip his nap. He sleeps well at night and is usually in bed by 7:30 and then up around 6:30. He has been healthy for the most part with just a couple little colds or allergies. He takes a bunch of supplements and vitamins, which we are hoping will help with some of the autism stuff. He is also on a GFCFSF diet. It all seems to be working well. The past couple of months, Jack has been on a steady incline of progress and I am hopeful it will contine.
Jeremy - 2012 has been a shrinking year. Jeremy is "paleo" and eats what the cavemen ate - meat, nuts, fruits, and berries. As a result, he is in the best shape of his life. He feels good and looks good, which is all that matters! He is going to cross fit a few times a week and really seems to enjoy it - a great way to deal with stress. Jeremy is doing great at work and continues to get raises (which we all like). He has not been able to go fishing as much as he would like, but he did get to go off shore over the summer and had a fun time. Hopefullee he will have more fishing in 2013.
Becca - 2012 has been the most stressful, frustrating, and probably depressing year of my life. Nothing can describe the feelings that go along with having my child diagnosed with autism. But, as a result, I have grown and become strong in ways I would never have imagined. We have an amazing home based ABA program for Jack and he is making tons of progress. We are in a law suit with ECI which will help Jack, help our pocket books, and help other children whose parents do not know any better. I have met some mothers who are warriors and give me home and inspiration and motivation. I am in school, taking classes to get my BCBA. I have learned what and who true friends are and what values are important to me. I could go on and on, but I do not want to. I want to appreciate the challenges I faced in 2012 and use them to help me be a better person for myself, my child, my family, and my world in 2013.
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
How Sweet It Is
How sweet it is to see my husband and my daughter playing together. Annabelle has a vivid imagination and loves "cooking" in her kitchen. Tonight, I watched, as she and Jeremy cooked up a storm and fed it to various babies and sheep.
One conversation went like this:
A: This (knife) has poopie on it.
J: No, the knife doesn't have poopie on it.
A: PRETEND it has poopie.
J: Oh, pretend. Well, then you better wash it.
A: Yes!
Annabelle then "turns on" the water in the sink, makes a shhhh sound, and washes her knife. Then, she dries it on her lovey and said, "pretend its a towel", and finally she hangs her lovey on the oven door.
It was so hysterical to watch and so sweet all at the same time. I am constantly amazed by how much she knows and how well she can "pretend".
I also feel very lucky to have a husband who is willing to sit down on the floor "right heeere", wear a chef's hat, and make pizza and tacos with my baby girl over and over and over and over!
One conversation went like this:
A: This (knife) has poopie on it.
J: No, the knife doesn't have poopie on it.
A: PRETEND it has poopie.
J: Oh, pretend. Well, then you better wash it.
A: Yes!
Annabelle then "turns on" the water in the sink, makes a shhhh sound, and washes her knife. Then, she dries it on her lovey and said, "pretend its a towel", and finally she hangs her lovey on the oven door.
It was so hysterical to watch and so sweet all at the same time. I am constantly amazed by how much she knows and how well she can "pretend".
I also feel very lucky to have a husband who is willing to sit down on the floor "right heeere", wear a chef's hat, and make pizza and tacos with my baby girl over and over and over and over!
Thursday, September 20, 2012
It is beginning to feel like fall, well almost...
September seems to be racing by...A couple of fun things have happened this month, so I will fill you in.
Jeremy and I took Jack and Annabelle to Mayfield Park and we went on a short "hike" with the kids. It was great! It was Jack's first official hike. Annabelle and I went with the Pattersons a couple weeks before, so that would have been her first official hike. Both were in September! Jack did really well - he has the energy of an energizer bunny when he is outside and he just ran and ran and ran. Whichever parent was with him, would have to turn him around to run back and catch Annabelle and the other parent. Jack was able to stay on the path and walked by himself for the majority. It was nice to be involved in a typical family outing.
We went to Amanda, Wesley, and Holden's birthday. Annabelle loves birthday parties. The triplets had a petting zoo in their backyard and Annabelle was in love. She was shy and timid, but also really enjoyed watching the other children interact with the animals. Jack just hung out with Jeremy.
The weather is cooling off. When I say cooling off, I mean it is only 90 degrees instead of 100. But, I can't complain. We have gone to the park and out for walks much more frequently and it is wonderful! Annabelle has started a part-time preschool program. She goes on Thursdays and Fridays for a few hours in the morning. She usually cries when Jeremy drops her off, but she is always having fun when I pick her up. We have started music again, which is always a fun treat. And, Jack is saying a few words. He says "ah-h" for help, "wawa" for water, "bereee" for strawberry, "p" for chip, "uhu" for up, and he has "mama" and "dada" down pretty well too! It is fun to see the progress he is making. Annabelle knows most letters and can count to four. She knows most colors and quite a few shapes. She is a little sponge and is just soaking life up.
I am excited to see what other adventures we have this fall!
Jeremy and I took Jack and Annabelle to Mayfield Park and we went on a short "hike" with the kids. It was great! It was Jack's first official hike. Annabelle and I went with the Pattersons a couple weeks before, so that would have been her first official hike. Both were in September! Jack did really well - he has the energy of an energizer bunny when he is outside and he just ran and ran and ran. Whichever parent was with him, would have to turn him around to run back and catch Annabelle and the other parent. Jack was able to stay on the path and walked by himself for the majority. It was nice to be involved in a typical family outing.
We went to Amanda, Wesley, and Holden's birthday. Annabelle loves birthday parties. The triplets had a petting zoo in their backyard and Annabelle was in love. She was shy and timid, but also really enjoyed watching the other children interact with the animals. Jack just hung out with Jeremy.
The weather is cooling off. When I say cooling off, I mean it is only 90 degrees instead of 100. But, I can't complain. We have gone to the park and out for walks much more frequently and it is wonderful! Annabelle has started a part-time preschool program. She goes on Thursdays and Fridays for a few hours in the morning. She usually cries when Jeremy drops her off, but she is always having fun when I pick her up. We have started music again, which is always a fun treat. And, Jack is saying a few words. He says "ah-h" for help, "wawa" for water, "bereee" for strawberry, "p" for chip, "uhu" for up, and he has "mama" and "dada" down pretty well too! It is fun to see the progress he is making. Annabelle knows most letters and can count to four. She knows most colors and quite a few shapes. She is a little sponge and is just soaking life up.
I am excited to see what other adventures we have this fall!
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