Greetings to all! Long time, no typing. I didn't figure that summer would be this hectic with two small children, neither of whom are in any type of sports or other extra-curriculars (save A's therapies). Alas, I was sadly mistaken. We've been busy, busy, busy!
Between church activities, potty training adventures, keeping my daughter off the dining room table and counters, and going on vacation, I haven't had time to check my own e-mail more than a couple of times in the last month. (As a side note, it is disgusting the amount of pure junk mail that accumulates during that time, and you have to fight the urge to just delete the whole mess instead of weeding through and sifting out the important missives from the detritus).
We went to Florida to see Z's family, then up to Georgia where my parents are currently stationed, spending about a week at each location. It was exhausting, great to see family, and wonderful to be back at our home when it was all over. Driving nearly a thousand miles one way ~ and all at once ~ can really try one's mental state, especially when you have a teething 16-month old in the back seat. We left at 3 a.m. with the intention of stopping after we went through Atlanta. A friend of ours graciously let us borrow her portable DVD player for the trip. We saved it for the afternoon, after lunch and naps and after the books, singing Itsy Bitsy Spider ad nauseum, and playing with toys had all lost their appeal; however, at 2:30 in the afternoon when we switched it on it DIDN'T WORK. We fiddled with it for a half hour; still nothing. I called the owner to see if there was something special you had to do to it to get it to work, but apparently not. The thing was just old. Apparently the last person who tried to use it had had some problems, too. (Hindsight is 20/20; we should have checked it out BEFORE we left...). It was at this point that Z decided to just press on and drive the last five hours instead of stopping. There was no way we were going to get the kids in the car again for another long day of driving, not with K already screaming her head off. So we grimly pressed on. A was superb; he was an angel, not one fit the entire trip. In contrast, K's voice was pretty much gone the next day.
The kids enjoyed running around like maniacs with their 6 others cousins. I loved that my kids could play with all their cousins from the H-- side (in contrast, they're the only grand kids on my side). Six of the eight cousins are A's age and younger. Ad-- is two years older, and S-- is Z's brother's wife's daughter from a previous relationship (say that ten times fast!); she's eight. The kids had the best time, and literally fell into bed every night after a day of very hard play. A actually did very well with all the mayhem, he only sought a quiet place a couple of times the entire week. His cousin Ad-- (who is five) didn't understand why A did some of the things he did and why he still needed to be in diapers when her own younger brother who was two was already potty trained. We explained that he needed some help with some things and that he didn't talk much, but he could understand you (her). That was all she needed; the rest of the time, she was grabbing his hand to go play somewhere, or trying to help him go potty (we did stop the last activity early in the game).
K had such a huge grin most of the Florida week, Z and I thought her little head would just split in half if it got any bigger. She is such a social creature; the more people around, the better. She's also a fast learner. Two of her cousins have the art of the temper tantrum and getting their way down pat. K has since tried to do the same with us and has been disappointed with the results. Tantrums are not tolerated at our house, and they most certainly don't get what they want if they throw one. She has stopped throwing them after a week or so. Did I mention she was a fast learner? :)
They had a great time at my parents' too, even though there weren't any other kids running around. My parents got one of those big inflatable pools that's 6x10 feet for the kids to splash in, and that was a blessing. The temperatures were over 100 degrees the entire two weeks we were down in the South, and the heat index hovered between 112 and 117. Yuck. We'd been having temps right at 100 degrees most of the summer here with some humidity, but we lack the intensity of the humidity rising off the Gulf. It's amazing what a difference that makes! A is a little fish, he was swooping down in the water and pushing himself along. The only thing he won't do is put his face in the water, though. He freaks. We still have to be careful when we wash his hair so we don't get water in his face.
Oh, and I have to tell the fire ant story.
We were in my parents' back yard, and the house they're renting has this nice, plush Bermuda grass. It's tall, even after the lawn service cuts it. This is bad, because it makes it harder to see the fire ant hills unless they are really tall. We don't have such things in Maryland, so K had no idea they weren't normal ants, and I haven't lived down there in so long I didn't even think about fire ants. All of a sudden K comes tearing across the yard, screaming, and we thought it was because A took her ball away. Until we saw the ant on her face. And the ones on her arm. And her legs. She had apparently stepped right on a mound, and the ants were mad. We stripped her right there in the yard, diaper and all, and turned the hose on her (which she absolutely hated). She had bites on her face, back, chest, arms, and legs, and they all blistered up. For those unacquainted with the joys of getting a fire ant bite, I will tell you quite frankly that they suck. Fire ants have some sort of acid (sulphuric, I believe) in their saliva that causes their bites to feel like, well, you're on fire. I actually had to drain some of K's bites, because they were getting infected. She also ran a fever for a couple of days, but we couldn't tell if that was from teething (which it very well could have been) or from the sheer number of ant bites she had received. The bites all healed up once we got the acid out, but I think she may have a couple of scars on her arms where they were the worst. I bear a few scars on my feet from my own childhood encounters with these pests, and they're not super obvious unless you look for them, so I don't think she's going to be horribly disfigured or anything like that. They'll be little.
All in all, we had a great time, and we're also really glad to be home. A got excited when we got into our town because he knew where he was and that we were almost back to our house. Our parents blessed us with a car DVD player to take with us on the return trip, so that helped tremendously as a distraction once the kids were done with books and toys (and that Itsy Bitsy Spider) again. What a great invention; I remember car trips when I was a kid, and we were all crammed (and I mean crammed) into a Pontiac station wagon with that nasty plastic "leatherette" seating your legs got sweat-glued to. We played the alphabet game, read books, and sang songs, too, but I think my parents would have killed for a portable movie player on more than one occasion. A total frivolity, but man ain't they great for the driver's sanity.
We're home, we're home, and we've already hit the ground running. Z and I did a four hour concert on Saturday, but we were gone all day (left at 9 a.m. and returned twelve hours later). Then of course Sunday is busy with church, although our small group Bible study was cancelled for the evening. And Z left this morning for a few days; he'll be back at the end of the week. He gets to go crawl around in the mud and shoot at things; oh, goody. We've had steady rain here since Sunday, and it's not supposed to let up until Thursday. Heh. He's going to look like the Swamp Thing when he gets home. He hates this stuff; 18 months and he's out!!! He is NOT re-enlisting.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Pass With Care
We were driving down one of the roads in Pennsylvania recently (it's literally a half hour north of us) when I saw one of these common road signs: Pass With Care.
It really struck me, because K is rapidly passing her brother in a lot of key areas, even though she's only 15 months old. But she still tries to help him with his language, getting dressed, or sitting on the potty. She has a little potty to sit on too (completely diapered, though, we're not doing anything with her yet) right next to her brother. She gets a concerned look on her face while she watches him and yells, "NO!" very loudly when he tries to get up before he's finished his duties. Bossy little thing.
She uses phrases regularly now, like "want to get down", "want juice", "milk please thank you", etc. And we are amazed by it because it's a first for all of us. A had some language, but I can't remember if it was ever this much.
Her motor skills surpass her brother's, too. While he was a climber, he lost a lot of his physical abilities apparently when he lost some of his communication skills. His OT is working on a variety of strengthening exercises for his gross motor skills. Running and jumping constantly has only strengthened certain muscles a certain way, and he lacks in big ways in other areas, especially hand strength and core abdominal strength. He has just started climbing into his car seat by himself in the last 6 months or so, and still needs help sometimes. K, on the other hand, has mastered stairs, climbs up on the couch and on chairs regularly, and can make it all the way up into her high chair and try to buckle herself in while you go to the bathroom. And then she'll cheerily holler "HEY!" when you come out and start looking for her (because it's far too quiet).
At least I haven't found her on top of the refrigerator. Yet.
She's working on climbing out of her crib; I am going to have to move the dresser that's beside her crib, because she can grab the top of her rail and put her feet on the top of the dresser. She hasn't hoisted herself out yet, but I suspect this is because as soon as I hear her wake up I'm in there to get her. I've caught her in the act, but haven't seen her go over. Again, I'm assuming this is a (very short) matter of time, so we're about to get creative. She already scales baby gates with ease. We had to put her playpen in front of the stairs with 70 pounds of dogfood in the bottom (in the bags of course) so she can't move it out of the way like she did the chairs and boxes. She can't quite make it over the mesh from the outside, it's JUST BARELY too tall for her. From the inside, the floor of the thing is higher up the side so she can scramble out with a little effort.
As she makes her new discoveries, she somehow senses that her brother needs help with some things, so she tries to do so. It really is funny when she tries to dress him (something he's still needing assistance with, but she is almost better at it than he is right now) because he gets this long-suffering look on his face that's about the same intensity as the determination on hers.
A is doing well with paying attention now, much better than ever before. He will wait for his ABA therapist or his OT to give him directions if they're sitting at the table. If it's free play, he knows that too and will do whatever he wants. He actually engaged in some nice pretend play yesterday ~ a rarity for him ~ so that was really neat to see. Miss Jenny, his ABA therapist, has a huge Clifford the Big Red Dog puppet that she uses to eat, sleep, drink, kiss, etc. as a visual aid. A took it and started repeating some of the targets they were working on, but came up with his own scenarios. Most excellent.
We're working on adjectives still. He's got colors down (red car, purple flower, etc) but now we're working on big and small, short, tall, and so on. It's a process, but he is a very smart kid and generally only has to be shown something once or twice before he's got it. At least, now that he's got some forward momentum. There was a long time where the communication gap between him and everyone else was great enough, he tuned everything out and didn't seem to get much of anything.
We're excited to see where the next few months take us! And even as his sister passes him, she still does it with care.
It really struck me, because K is rapidly passing her brother in a lot of key areas, even though she's only 15 months old. But she still tries to help him with his language, getting dressed, or sitting on the potty. She has a little potty to sit on too (completely diapered, though, we're not doing anything with her yet) right next to her brother. She gets a concerned look on her face while she watches him and yells, "NO!" very loudly when he tries to get up before he's finished his duties. Bossy little thing.
She uses phrases regularly now, like "want to get down", "want juice", "milk please thank you", etc. And we are amazed by it because it's a first for all of us. A had some language, but I can't remember if it was ever this much.
Her motor skills surpass her brother's, too. While he was a climber, he lost a lot of his physical abilities apparently when he lost some of his communication skills. His OT is working on a variety of strengthening exercises for his gross motor skills. Running and jumping constantly has only strengthened certain muscles a certain way, and he lacks in big ways in other areas, especially hand strength and core abdominal strength. He has just started climbing into his car seat by himself in the last 6 months or so, and still needs help sometimes. K, on the other hand, has mastered stairs, climbs up on the couch and on chairs regularly, and can make it all the way up into her high chair and try to buckle herself in while you go to the bathroom. And then she'll cheerily holler "HEY!" when you come out and start looking for her (because it's far too quiet).
At least I haven't found her on top of the refrigerator. Yet.
She's working on climbing out of her crib; I am going to have to move the dresser that's beside her crib, because she can grab the top of her rail and put her feet on the top of the dresser. She hasn't hoisted herself out yet, but I suspect this is because as soon as I hear her wake up I'm in there to get her. I've caught her in the act, but haven't seen her go over. Again, I'm assuming this is a (very short) matter of time, so we're about to get creative. She already scales baby gates with ease. We had to put her playpen in front of the stairs with 70 pounds of dogfood in the bottom (in the bags of course) so she can't move it out of the way like she did the chairs and boxes. She can't quite make it over the mesh from the outside, it's JUST BARELY too tall for her. From the inside, the floor of the thing is higher up the side so she can scramble out with a little effort.
As she makes her new discoveries, she somehow senses that her brother needs help with some things, so she tries to do so. It really is funny when she tries to dress him (something he's still needing assistance with, but she is almost better at it than he is right now) because he gets this long-suffering look on his face that's about the same intensity as the determination on hers.
A is doing well with paying attention now, much better than ever before. He will wait for his ABA therapist or his OT to give him directions if they're sitting at the table. If it's free play, he knows that too and will do whatever he wants. He actually engaged in some nice pretend play yesterday ~ a rarity for him ~ so that was really neat to see. Miss Jenny, his ABA therapist, has a huge Clifford the Big Red Dog puppet that she uses to eat, sleep, drink, kiss, etc. as a visual aid. A took it and started repeating some of the targets they were working on, but came up with his own scenarios. Most excellent.
We're working on adjectives still. He's got colors down (red car, purple flower, etc) but now we're working on big and small, short, tall, and so on. It's a process, but he is a very smart kid and generally only has to be shown something once or twice before he's got it. At least, now that he's got some forward momentum. There was a long time where the communication gap between him and everyone else was great enough, he tuned everything out and didn't seem to get much of anything.
We're excited to see where the next few months take us! And even as his sister passes him, she still does it with care.
Friday, July 6, 2007
Carpe Carp
Our goldfish, Wakko and Dot, have decided that nearly a full year of rooming together was too much tension for them to bear, so they had to lay eggs. Lots of 'em.
Goldfish are a type of domesticated river carp, so the babies would like algae or river plants to hide in. Unfortunately, real plants don't last long in our small tank, so we did what any technologically savvy modern American would do: we set up a small net box called an aquarium breeder in one corner. This way Mommy and Daddy don't cannibalize the entire lot (although with the number of eggs they've laid -- twice -- this perhaps isn't such a bad thing. Our fish have laid eggs twice in three weeks.).
The next step is catching the fry (baby fish). (Hence the title, Carpe Carp. Seize the Fish.) They are so small, they fit through the holes in the fishnet. I had to put a knee-high stocking over the net portion so they wouldn't fall through. They are also lightweight enough to swirl crazily around the tank if you move the net too fast ~ even though the water displacement is extremely minimal, it's still enough to toss them around like ships on stormy waters.
So after about a half hour of giving the babies concussions, we managed to scoop five or six into the breeder box. The rest will just have to fend for themselves in true Survivor:Fish Aquarium style. The lucky few have recovered from their recent shock and are darting about normally.
We'll see what they look like. Should be interesting, because although both are fantail goldfish, Wakko is white with very long fins, and Dot is a calico with shorter fins. They're still pretty much clear right now and extremely tiny. They won't get their normal color for weeks yet.
Goldfish are a type of domesticated river carp, so the babies would like algae or river plants to hide in. Unfortunately, real plants don't last long in our small tank, so we did what any technologically savvy modern American would do: we set up a small net box called an aquarium breeder in one corner. This way Mommy and Daddy don't cannibalize the entire lot (although with the number of eggs they've laid -- twice -- this perhaps isn't such a bad thing. Our fish have laid eggs twice in three weeks.).
The next step is catching the fry (baby fish). (Hence the title, Carpe Carp. Seize the Fish.) They are so small, they fit through the holes in the fishnet. I had to put a knee-high stocking over the net portion so they wouldn't fall through. They are also lightweight enough to swirl crazily around the tank if you move the net too fast ~ even though the water displacement is extremely minimal, it's still enough to toss them around like ships on stormy waters.
So after about a half hour of giving the babies concussions, we managed to scoop five or six into the breeder box. The rest will just have to fend for themselves in true Survivor:Fish Aquarium style. The lucky few have recovered from their recent shock and are darting about normally.
We'll see what they look like. Should be interesting, because although both are fantail goldfish, Wakko is white with very long fins, and Dot is a calico with shorter fins. They're still pretty much clear right now and extremely tiny. They won't get their normal color for weeks yet.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Ay, mon! It's Potty Time!
So, we've started the....what attempt are we on now? I've lost count. We're trying to do some potty training with A.
This is the second week.
He's not getting it. He will sit on the potty for 10 minutes, we'll pull up his pants (he still needs help with that) and then he'll run straight to the corner and pee in his undies. Doesn't faze him, but it sure rattles us. Thank God for Pergo flooring. We've tried rerouting him back to the potty, but he just holds it. I've tried taking him every half hour, every 20 minutes, and every 15 minutes. Doesn't matter. We even put the cotton briefs on him, figuring that maybe the pullups were wicking enough moisture away that it was still comfy even if he'd peed himself. He's gone in the potty all of 3 times in the last 2 weeks, and I've done everything short of standing on my head to praise him and act excited when he's actually done so.
He doesn't get the reward system of M&Ms/whatever (I've heard one for pee and two for the other) or stickers that get put on a sheet, whether for the sheer joy of sticking something on something else or for the cumulative effect (if you get 5 stickers, you'll get [insert object here]). Nor does sitting vs. standing have any effect. Although he will try to reach in after Cheerios to eat them. Toilet paper just sinks and dissolves.
Any suggestions? Anyone?
Any one? We'll try just about anything, as long as it's not harmful to him. Would he still be able to walk if we duct-taped his heinie to the potty? Just (mostly) kidding...
This is the second week.
He's not getting it. He will sit on the potty for 10 minutes, we'll pull up his pants (he still needs help with that) and then he'll run straight to the corner and pee in his undies. Doesn't faze him, but it sure rattles us. Thank God for Pergo flooring. We've tried rerouting him back to the potty, but he just holds it. I've tried taking him every half hour, every 20 minutes, and every 15 minutes. Doesn't matter. We even put the cotton briefs on him, figuring that maybe the pullups were wicking enough moisture away that it was still comfy even if he'd peed himself. He's gone in the potty all of 3 times in the last 2 weeks, and I've done everything short of standing on my head to praise him and act excited when he's actually done so.
He doesn't get the reward system of M&Ms/whatever (I've heard one for pee and two for the other) or stickers that get put on a sheet, whether for the sheer joy of sticking something on something else or for the cumulative effect (if you get 5 stickers, you'll get [insert object here]). Nor does sitting vs. standing have any effect. Although he will try to reach in after Cheerios to eat them. Toilet paper just sinks and dissolves.
Any suggestions? Anyone?
Any one? We'll try just about anything, as long as it's not harmful to him. Would he still be able to walk if we duct-taped his heinie to the potty? Just (mostly) kidding...
Monday, June 18, 2007
Adventures in Chicagoland
I had a terrific time two weeks ago in Chicago. I was able to witness (and take part in) nearly every form of art imaginable ~ including painting. The conference center we were at was doing a project for people in the Dominican Republic and wanted the attendees to paint a picture or abstraction of "hope" to send to them. All week, people added to the ginormous canvases that were prominently displayed in the main walkways.
I was able to meet people from 4 other countries (21 were represented, as well as all 50 U.S. states), and enjoyed seminars on everything from vocal artistry to dramatic arts. I also had a fantastic time listening to Dewitt Jones, who spent years as a photographer for National Geographic magazine, and also does work for private companies' advertising departments. It really struck me, while watching his pictures on the screen slide past my vision, that God has really blessed us. He is kind; as a creative God, he allowed this part of Himself to be included in us when we were formed in His image. He apparently felt that this was important enough to add to our beauty ~ I just wish that everyone understood the importance of arts. Since the age of enlightenment, when we (as humans) try to explain everything logically and scientifically, artists capture the mystery that is around us every day, often in surprising ways.
I am refueled and already working on 5 abstract designs for 5 different sets on a current dilemma, am writing some music that will be performed shortly, and am working on a theatrical program set for production at Christmas involving both adults and children. And in my spare time, collaging and scrapbooking ~ but not in the traditional way. See my link to Ali Edwards for the style I like. I haven't actually set scissor to photo since I've been back, with everything else going on.
Which reminds me:
Sorry it took so long to post, but we had to take Aunt H back to the airport, Z's mom has a heart condition that was very serious, and between therapies and K's MRI on Friday, and a music writing session with our group on Sunday I just haven't had much extra time to myself. Kids are in bed now, so I can finish this (I started to write this on the 18th, and today is the 26th....). I know; *wah*, right? ;) More to follow soon.
I was able to meet people from 4 other countries (21 were represented, as well as all 50 U.S. states), and enjoyed seminars on everything from vocal artistry to dramatic arts. I also had a fantastic time listening to Dewitt Jones, who spent years as a photographer for National Geographic magazine, and also does work for private companies' advertising departments. It really struck me, while watching his pictures on the screen slide past my vision, that God has really blessed us. He is kind; as a creative God, he allowed this part of Himself to be included in us when we were formed in His image. He apparently felt that this was important enough to add to our beauty ~ I just wish that everyone understood the importance of arts. Since the age of enlightenment, when we (as humans) try to explain everything logically and scientifically, artists capture the mystery that is around us every day, often in surprising ways.
I am refueled and already working on 5 abstract designs for 5 different sets on a current dilemma, am writing some music that will be performed shortly, and am working on a theatrical program set for production at Christmas involving both adults and children. And in my spare time, collaging and scrapbooking ~ but not in the traditional way. See my link to Ali Edwards for the style I like. I haven't actually set scissor to photo since I've been back, with everything else going on.
Which reminds me:
Sorry it took so long to post, but we had to take Aunt H back to the airport, Z's mom has a heart condition that was very serious, and between therapies and K's MRI on Friday, and a music writing session with our group on Sunday I just haven't had much extra time to myself. Kids are in bed now, so I can finish this (I started to write this on the 18th, and today is the 26th....). I know; *wah*, right? ;) More to follow soon.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Motormouth
A continues to surprise us. Today, at his occupational therapy session, he randomly started saying, "Cow. Milk. Chicken. Egg." This was not related to the activity at hand, which was a car puzzle. He asked for help today several times, at appropriate times. His therapist made sure to look away if he was having trouble, so he would ask for help ~ and he surely did, every time. A also, in the middle of his session, looked straight at Miss Brigid and said, "I'm having fun."
*
She was telling me this in the lobby of her office, and after the shock wore off, I asked A if he had fun today. All he did was smile and go back to playing with a toy car. He apparently also said his sister's actual name today (instead of his usual mis-pronounced word) when she told him they were going to see mommy and sister out in the lobby.
He's turning into a veritable chatterbox. Good.
*
She was telling me this in the lobby of her office, and after the shock wore off, I asked A if he had fun today. All he did was smile and go back to playing with a toy car. He apparently also said his sister's actual name today (instead of his usual mis-pronounced word) when she told him they were going to see mommy and sister out in the lobby.
He's turning into a veritable chatterbox. Good.
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