I've done it!!! I made an acceptable loaf of bread! (Mary Louise approved:)
So, my criteria for the recipe were as follows:
1. low sodium
2. low confection (processed sugar)
3. stone ground whole wheat / grain
4. bread machine friendly
It took 5 tries - 3 were total failures. But number 5 was the charm. Hands on time: about 15 minutes (I had to wrestle my ingredients away from the toddler brigade!). I can do this! Fresh homemade preservative free bread!
Mary Louise and David were wild most of the day. We needed some organized activity and the weather was questionable. Enter: cookie experiment. Before bread, we (yes we) made cookies. Mary Louise and David are total fans of the stand mixer. They helped measure, drop, measure, spoon and of course EAT! The cookies came out really well (apparently, it was a spot on baking day - and believe me, I am no pro baker). Thanks Bob's Red Mill for coming through with some really nice whole grain recipes! I only substituted a Splenda baking blend for the sugar (Brent follows Sugar Busters).
The fiascoes of the day:
1.Mary Louise and David spilled (and played in) an entire box of quinoa IN the pantry and on the kitchen floor
2. David tried to "paint" the TV - using yogurt and a metal baby spoon
3. food was smashed, smooshed, and stomped into the floor - numerous times
4. David absolutely destroyed one of his story books
and the grand finale:
Brent was playing with Mary Louise and David and their toys. Mary Louise had a few dolls and her pink tub from the NICU. Brent said, "Mary Louise, did you know that was your very first bath tub? It seemed huge at the time because you were soooo tiny! But it was! It was the first place you took a bath. David, you have one too. You each had your own tub and Mommy and Daddy would visit everyday and loved giving you baths in those tubs."
I was turning the bread out onto a cooling rack. Brent came to take a look and we talked for a minute about something. I noticed that David was at our feet - but the house was very quiet and Mary Louise had disappeared from the play room. I called for her...nothing. I looked for her and noticed the laundry / bathroom door slightly open...
I heard water running...
I found Mary Louise standing on her little stool at the sink - water on - pink tub overflowing in the basin - water covering the floor. She was stripped down to her diaper (which is why she is in only a diaper in the videos). She turned to me and sheepishly whispered, "my take a baff Mommy?"
Sweet baby girl. That's all I've got for that one.
A little while later, I caught Mary Louise showing her true colors:
The above depicts our regular routine during "the witching hour" just before we start bed time preparation. It also demonstrates why I HATE phone calls, unannounced visits, or any other outside interruptions during this time. The kids are about all I can handle that time of day.
David was so sweet "cooking" soup and exploring the different sounds on different pots. Note that he is totally and 100% un-phased by Mary Louise's shenanigans...same birthday - but that's about it as far as similarity!
LOVE these kiddos.
xo,
Heather
P.S. I forgot to mention that Mary Louise spontaneously counted to 8 correctly!! It's in the above video - a little hard to weed out, but it's there! This is the first time she's counted past 3! Amazing! Also, The breathing treatments seem to have worked. She had just one today and had 2 doses of OTC cough / decongestant. He nose and sinuses are still congested, but she's getting better everyday. This evening, she went to sleep snoring, but only gently and her mouth was closed - win. David is getting better as well - just a very slight runny nose left - no meds, no cough. I feel better as well. Brent has allowed me to squeeze in a couple of naps which have worked wonders along with salt water gargling. I've cleaned and wiped and cleaned in hopes of keeping this sniffle contained to a one time showing. We'll see - but we seem to be on the mend for now!
Monday, February 20, 2012
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Every 2 weeks from here on out!
That's right!! Little Suga Bean is 28 weeks old (gestation) today!!! Because I identify with preemie milestones...for obvious reasons...I acknowledge this day for what it is in preemie terms: making it to 28 weeks in pregnancy means your baby generally has a 95% chance of surviving. This is a mortality rate only - not a morbidity rate. From here on out, the general survival rate does not go up, but morbidity rates get better (less chance of profound disabilities) about every 2 weeks. Make sense? (sometimes, I jumble my words...). This is, of course, to be considered a general rule and can be adjusted for individual situations. However, as I haven't had any major complications thus far, I am assuming the general rule applies here. Accordingly, not only is there a cause for celebration everyday this journey continues, but even more so every 2 weeks from here on out (which, if you're keeping count, is around 12 weeks now!!! 3rd trimester!!! Oh. My. Great. Golly!)
So, I invite everyone who has spent moments, months and years in thought, prayer, tears and smiles for our family to commence with their most favorite happy dance moves right this very minute. It's ok - with this belly, I guarantee I look more ridiculous than you do - but since it's Mardi Gras time, I can also guarantee that even at 10:30am, there are people not too far from here looking more ridiculous than all of us.
This morning: a conversation with my sweet baby girl Meesey:
ML: My watch Tom Sawyer Mommy?
Me: Ok. Let me see if Netflix will cooperate...(hiding my surprise at her completely understandable request to view a Mark Twain classic...)
ML: My have sumping to eat Mommy?
Me: (this was after she'd already had yogurt raisins, cheese, crackers, cheerios, bananas, pancakes, bacon, 2 cups of juice and water and I'm sure a few other nibbles) ok, I'll find a nice snack for you.
ML: very casual - almost teenage tone: Thanks.
...and she walks out of the kitchen and makes herself comfortable on the sofa with a Micky Mouse birthday book and begins singing - in correct tone, "Happy Birf-day hoo-hoo!" while flipping the pages.
Is she seriously turning 3 in 2 months? Surely she's more like 13 right? Oh - but then again, I suppose if she were turning 13, she wouldn't be talking to me at all -and more than likely would be sleeping at 8 am rather than eating after being up for 3 hours. Yep. Thanks kids for the 5am wake.
More importantly, thanks Brent for taking them downstairs so that I could try to sleep off this nasty sore throat and post nasal drip that I have acquired after caring for the 2 sickies all week.
It literally rained all day yesterday over here. Miserable, damp cold and torrential rain fell all. day. long. I'm very happy the sun is high and bright today - hoping for a little vitamin D therapy this afternoon!
Gracious thanks for the continued prayers and support...
xo,
Heather
So, I invite everyone who has spent moments, months and years in thought, prayer, tears and smiles for our family to commence with their most favorite happy dance moves right this very minute. It's ok - with this belly, I guarantee I look more ridiculous than you do - but since it's Mardi Gras time, I can also guarantee that even at 10:30am, there are people not too far from here looking more ridiculous than all of us.
This morning: a conversation with my sweet baby girl Meesey:
ML: My watch Tom Sawyer Mommy?
Me: Ok. Let me see if Netflix will cooperate...(hiding my surprise at her completely understandable request to view a Mark Twain classic...)
ML: My have sumping to eat Mommy?
Me: (this was after she'd already had yogurt raisins, cheese, crackers, cheerios, bananas, pancakes, bacon, 2 cups of juice and water and I'm sure a few other nibbles) ok, I'll find a nice snack for you.
ML: very casual - almost teenage tone: Thanks.
...and she walks out of the kitchen and makes herself comfortable on the sofa with a Micky Mouse birthday book and begins singing - in correct tone, "Happy Birf-day hoo-hoo!" while flipping the pages.
Is she seriously turning 3 in 2 months? Surely she's more like 13 right? Oh - but then again, I suppose if she were turning 13, she wouldn't be talking to me at all -and more than likely would be sleeping at 8 am rather than eating after being up for 3 hours. Yep. Thanks kids for the 5am wake.
More importantly, thanks Brent for taking them downstairs so that I could try to sleep off this nasty sore throat and post nasal drip that I have acquired after caring for the 2 sickies all week.
It literally rained all day yesterday over here. Miserable, damp cold and torrential rain fell all. day. long. I'm very happy the sun is high and bright today - hoping for a little vitamin D therapy this afternoon!
Gracious thanks for the continued prayers and support...
xo,
Heather
Friday, February 17, 2012
(sort of) Back on Track
Brent got home Wednesday night after 3 days away on business. His welcome home consisted of an overly exhausted pregnant wife, 2 sick kids - but at least I got the dogs washed, cooked a nice dinner including my first attempt at homemade stone ground whole wheat bread and kept up with minor house cleaning and laundry. So, not a total disaster right?
We are continuing breathing treatments for Mary Louise 3 times per day and as needed at night. For the most part, she wakes in the wee hours of the morning with coughing and we do a treatment. Then one in the morning, one at night with steroids mixed in long with one mid day with just Xopenex are all done making a total of about 4 to 5 treatments in a 24 hour period (this morning, she woke at 4am needing a treatment so we just did her morning dose with steroids and she was fine until around noon). She has a ton of mucous, but it seems to be staying in her sinuses as opposed to sinking into her bronchioles and chest as it has before.
David is doing well recovering from his sniffles so far. He was doing well enough to attend his speech session today. There he did wonderful things - repeating correctly and appropriately, spontaneous utterances that were appropriate and intelligible and rambling on in his David sort of way. He came out and proudly told me about his session, showed me his sticker picture and his pencils he'd chosen for himself and for "my meese" (his Mary Louise). He then jumped (literally) all the way to the car and sang all the way home. (So I think he felt pretty good today).
The Sugs and I are doing well too. Sweet baby kicks constantly (I know I say this all the time, but it's true!). Brent sat next to me touching my belly through a movie last night. Just over and hour in, he said, "no wonder you're always tired! That baby hasn't stopped moving yet!" A few minutes of thought later, he looked at me worried and asked, "umm...the baby does stop at some point during the day right??" *sigh*. My belly is certainly growing, but I tried on a little jumper I wore with the triplets during our hospital stay today only to find it ridiculously enormous. So, as big as I think I am now, it doesn't seem to compare to what I was before - that dress worked quite hard while I was in the hospital but today it looked as if I'd lost weight with the pleats flowing empty around my (apparently little) lump. We have our next OB appointment on Wednesday afternoon. My home blood pressures have risen slightly with exercise (if I take my pressure after climbing the stairs, it is high normal) but at rest have remained just the same - quite low and routinely around 104ish/ 70's. The rise is expected during the next few weeks, so I'm keeping an eye on things just to make sure my medication doesn't need adjusting. My rings still fit just fine and my feet don't seem or feel swollen at all so things are going well there too.
Taking things one day at a time and hoping our feisty Meese is back to telling us all what to do tomorrow!
Big news this week: David has been eating so well that my little string bean needed his diaper snaps adjusted around his waist!! "Too tight wite heeya Momma!"
xo,
Heather
We are continuing breathing treatments for Mary Louise 3 times per day and as needed at night. For the most part, she wakes in the wee hours of the morning with coughing and we do a treatment. Then one in the morning, one at night with steroids mixed in long with one mid day with just Xopenex are all done making a total of about 4 to 5 treatments in a 24 hour period (this morning, she woke at 4am needing a treatment so we just did her morning dose with steroids and she was fine until around noon). She has a ton of mucous, but it seems to be staying in her sinuses as opposed to sinking into her bronchioles and chest as it has before.
David is doing well recovering from his sniffles so far. He was doing well enough to attend his speech session today. There he did wonderful things - repeating correctly and appropriately, spontaneous utterances that were appropriate and intelligible and rambling on in his David sort of way. He came out and proudly told me about his session, showed me his sticker picture and his pencils he'd chosen for himself and for "my meese" (his Mary Louise). He then jumped (literally) all the way to the car and sang all the way home. (So I think he felt pretty good today).
The Sugs and I are doing well too. Sweet baby kicks constantly (I know I say this all the time, but it's true!). Brent sat next to me touching my belly through a movie last night. Just over and hour in, he said, "no wonder you're always tired! That baby hasn't stopped moving yet!" A few minutes of thought later, he looked at me worried and asked, "umm...the baby does stop at some point during the day right??" *sigh*. My belly is certainly growing, but I tried on a little jumper I wore with the triplets during our hospital stay today only to find it ridiculously enormous. So, as big as I think I am now, it doesn't seem to compare to what I was before - that dress worked quite hard while I was in the hospital but today it looked as if I'd lost weight with the pleats flowing empty around my (apparently little) lump. We have our next OB appointment on Wednesday afternoon. My home blood pressures have risen slightly with exercise (if I take my pressure after climbing the stairs, it is high normal) but at rest have remained just the same - quite low and routinely around 104ish/ 70's. The rise is expected during the next few weeks, so I'm keeping an eye on things just to make sure my medication doesn't need adjusting. My rings still fit just fine and my feet don't seem or feel swollen at all so things are going well there too.
Taking things one day at a time and hoping our feisty Meese is back to telling us all what to do tomorrow!
Big news this week: David has been eating so well that my little string bean needed his diaper snaps adjusted around his waist!! "Too tight wite heeya Momma!"
xo,
Heather
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Parental confessions: sometimes, things aren't all that fun.
Gah. This week. This week has been - well, less than stellar.
Mary Louise has been on a clingy streak for a number of weeks now. She whines constantly and she and David vie and fight for attention all. day. long. Don't get me wrong: the fact that I've now gone from "Momma" to "Mommy" is really endearing. Also the fact that Mary Louise and David are exploding with new and fun vocabulary has been amazing. But life, none the less, has been over exhausting; and things don't seem to be letting up any time soon.
David woke with rosey cheeks on Monday - not like him at all. Mary Louise was so whiny I could hardly take it. Honestly, it was the equivalent of someone following me all day long letting air slowly leak from a balloon while scratching a chalk board.
The culprit? teething. 2 year molars, as it turns out, are a beast to cut.
Mary Louise has one that has pushed through but the others are still just below the surface of the gum tissue. She has the meanest rash on her bum and I've started a 3 day round of yeast cream just to be safe. (in case you're wondering, she's in disposables right now) None of David's teeth have come through but they are obviously bothering him. Their digestion is completely wrecked - as in constipation - it only took thinking about dosing them to slow things down. The up side is that they are both eating and drinking like mad.
Last night, Mary Louise got up about midnight and had developed some really nasty sinus congestion, sneezing, and a slight wheeze. David had a tiny drip of a runny nose yesterday and I was REALLY hoping it was teething related. Obviously not. My current guess is another cold- type of virus. Mary Louise is no worse this morning and we're through 2 steroid breathing treatments so I'm hoping the snot stays in her face rather than seeping into her chest...but I'm on edge just thinking about another round of this mess.
She was doing really really well since the last illness finally subsided - off of treatments for weeks with no sign of wheezing or coughing. Even now, she is playing, "reading" and this morning asked for pancakes and syrup of which she ate a good portion. So, it **seems*** run of the mill right now. Time will tell.
A side note - maybe one day a teen Mary Louise and David will read this and think better of trying whatever the "cool" inhalant is at the time: The only (environmental) thing we have really noticed that the kids react to is cigarette smoke. It drives them crazy - coughing mostly. We've encountered it at parks a couple of times - a parent will sit on a nearby bench and light up, the wind will carry the smoke in our direction and we typically have to just leave. Nevermind that these places, in my opinion, should be smoke free...
So, life has not been a party here during the past few days. We'll get over it. There are other factors in play as well: anyone want to come give my spoiled dogs a bath and some attention?? How about opening a heart healthy take out place offering low sodium options??
*sigh* Hoping for a restful couple of days and nice Mardi Gras weekend without too many shenanigans.
xo,
Heather
P.S. David has been learning to hit a ball with a bat! He's working really hard and doing well with it...sometimes I wish he would maybe wait for outside time to do it - but his hand eye coordination is definitely improving so I'll just encourage him to limit his hitting to the ball...in the playroom or hall...and tell Mary Louise to duck and run when he has the bat. They'll work it out - it's not a very hard bat anyhow...ha.
Oh - and Mary Louise just pooped! My day has gotten infinitely better!
Mary Louise has been on a clingy streak for a number of weeks now. She whines constantly and she and David vie and fight for attention all. day. long. Don't get me wrong: the fact that I've now gone from "Momma" to "Mommy" is really endearing. Also the fact that Mary Louise and David are exploding with new and fun vocabulary has been amazing. But life, none the less, has been over exhausting; and things don't seem to be letting up any time soon.
David woke with rosey cheeks on Monday - not like him at all. Mary Louise was so whiny I could hardly take it. Honestly, it was the equivalent of someone following me all day long letting air slowly leak from a balloon while scratching a chalk board.
The culprit? teething. 2 year molars, as it turns out, are a beast to cut.
Mary Louise has one that has pushed through but the others are still just below the surface of the gum tissue. She has the meanest rash on her bum and I've started a 3 day round of yeast cream just to be safe. (in case you're wondering, she's in disposables right now) None of David's teeth have come through but they are obviously bothering him. Their digestion is completely wrecked - as in constipation - it only took thinking about dosing them to slow things down. The up side is that they are both eating and drinking like mad.
Last night, Mary Louise got up about midnight and had developed some really nasty sinus congestion, sneezing, and a slight wheeze. David had a tiny drip of a runny nose yesterday and I was REALLY hoping it was teething related. Obviously not. My current guess is another cold- type of virus. Mary Louise is no worse this morning and we're through 2 steroid breathing treatments so I'm hoping the snot stays in her face rather than seeping into her chest...but I'm on edge just thinking about another round of this mess.
She was doing really really well since the last illness finally subsided - off of treatments for weeks with no sign of wheezing or coughing. Even now, she is playing, "reading" and this morning asked for pancakes and syrup of which she ate a good portion. So, it **seems*** run of the mill right now. Time will tell.
A side note - maybe one day a teen Mary Louise and David will read this and think better of trying whatever the "cool" inhalant is at the time: The only (environmental) thing we have really noticed that the kids react to is cigarette smoke. It drives them crazy - coughing mostly. We've encountered it at parks a couple of times - a parent will sit on a nearby bench and light up, the wind will carry the smoke in our direction and we typically have to just leave. Nevermind that these places, in my opinion, should be smoke free...
So, life has not been a party here during the past few days. We'll get over it. There are other factors in play as well: anyone want to come give my spoiled dogs a bath and some attention?? How about opening a heart healthy take out place offering low sodium options??
*sigh* Hoping for a restful couple of days and nice Mardi Gras weekend without too many shenanigans.
xo,
Heather
P.S. David has been learning to hit a ball with a bat! He's working really hard and doing well with it...sometimes I wish he would maybe wait for outside time to do it - but his hand eye coordination is definitely improving so I'll just encourage him to limit his hitting to the ball...in the playroom or hall...and tell Mary Louise to duck and run when he has the bat. They'll work it out - it's not a very hard bat anyhow...ha.
Oh - and Mary Louise just pooped! My day has gotten infinitely better!
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Family time
This morning, Mary Louise and David decided 5:30am was an absolutely perfect time for a "Monkey George" viewing. (They absolutely adore Curious George). Brent and I reluctantly obliged and I set about defeating the developing laundry beast while Mary Louise and David snuggled on the sofa and Brent tended to the dogs and Mills (the cat).
We then settled in together and had a little family time. David graciously sang us a song while Mary Louise read aloud.
We made our way out of the house a little later for a family breakfast and to run a few errands. Mary Louise and David have taken to yelling, "GO FAST DADA!!" when Brent drives places...I have no idea where they picked that one up?! They were just so good during breakfast. It was the first time Brent and I were both able to finish our meals and head out the door without feeling as if we needed to stop at each table and apologize for even attempting to bring our heathens in public.
Once home, I rested for a bit on my own while Brent and the kiddos relaxed awhile downstairs. Brent and I divided and conquered the weekly house cleaning when I got up.
Suga and I hit 27 weeks of pregnancy today! 13 weeks (at most) to go! I am still feeling really good and am so thankful for the stronger and stronger kicks and rolls...ok - some of the rolls feel a bit concerning - but I'm trying to keep my over sensitive nerves in check and just enjoy this ride. Brent is sitting here next to me with his hand on my belly trying to feel the kicks as I type. I love watching Brent's face light up as my ever growing belly jumps and jerks.
xo,
Heather
We then settled in together and had a little family time. David graciously sang us a song while Mary Louise read aloud.
We made our way out of the house a little later for a family breakfast and to run a few errands. Mary Louise and David have taken to yelling, "GO FAST DADA!!" when Brent drives places...I have no idea where they picked that one up?! They were just so good during breakfast. It was the first time Brent and I were both able to finish our meals and head out the door without feeling as if we needed to stop at each table and apologize for even attempting to bring our heathens in public.
Once home, I rested for a bit on my own while Brent and the kiddos relaxed awhile downstairs. Brent and I divided and conquered the weekly house cleaning when I got up.
Suga and I hit 27 weeks of pregnancy today! 13 weeks (at most) to go! I am still feeling really good and am so thankful for the stronger and stronger kicks and rolls...ok - some of the rolls feel a bit concerning - but I'm trying to keep my over sensitive nerves in check and just enjoy this ride. Brent is sitting here next to me with his hand on my belly trying to feel the kicks as I type. I love watching Brent's face light up as my ever growing belly jumps and jerks.
xo,
Heather
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Totally Blog-worthy Moments and Stories (mostly poop related).
Me: Mary Louise? Do you have a stinky diaper?
Mary Louise: (matter of fact voice while shaking her head) No Momma. I no poo-poo. I just toot toot in my jammies.
In light of our switch to cloth, poop and toileting discussions are definitely the norm here lately. Things are going well. I've adjusted my washing routine a little to compensate for our hard water. I've also happily taken advantage of the sunny weather for diaper drying purposes which easily removes any remnant stains. Brent and I both keep saying how much we really like this whole experience - well - we like it as much as any parent can like dealing with excrement and awesome amounts of urine. We will soon run out of disposable wipes and switch completely to cloth there as well. If I'm washing one thing in a poop load, why not wash more? (no, I didn't buy the fancy reusable wipes - baby wash cloths and a few stitches in layers of "all too small" receiving blankets work wonders for a quick bum wipe).
The diapers have proven to provide some unexpected benefits as well:
Mary Louise and David LOVE to choose the color of their "fwesh fancy diaper Momma!" and get so excited when the color of their diaper matches their chosen outfit for the day. (ha - connoisseurs of fashion already those 2!) They are quickly becoming pros with all of their colors and the choosing process has pushed David to really start to grasp that colors and textures can match (a concept he didn't quite get before).
AND:
Flipping the solids with the flushable liners into the potty has offered a visible connection between poop and toilet - putting "things" where they go. Mary Louise and David proudly flush after a dirty diaper - an easy reward that is hopefully laying the ground work for potty training in the near future. Mary Louise has also asked to actually sit on the toilet a number of times - though the success of the squat is limited to the fact that she asked - nothing produced quite yet.
I'm still hopeful...one day...
They are both surprising me more each day with their speech as well. They differentiate between soy, goat and "dada's" milks when asking for milk in their sippie cups. (Brent drinks the 2% - I've never been much of a milk drinker - if they get "Dada's milk, they think it's just about the best treat ever!). Speaking of sippies, they are doing very very well with them and also working with open cups much much better as compared to just a few weeks ago. They regularly bring me books and often "read" them to me by attempting to describe the pictures and reciting the stories from memory.
They use words such as, "excellent", "beautiful", and "delicious". (they also say "yummy" and "good").
I have a cleansing spray that smells of orange and herbal oils to use when cleaning their bottoms. David makes me laugh when each time I clean him he says, "oooh, mells niiiiice Momma." He seems to have developed quite a southern drawl as he also replies in the positive, "yay-ah" like a little old lady from South Carolina.
David had a really rough time in speech today. The lady with the state program came to our house for her weekly visit and David actually seemed excited at first - but when they sat down to begin working, he burst into tears and wouldn't even face the therapist for the session. We moved outside thinking it would make him more comfortable, but he screamed even more. Finally, I tried going inside and looking through the window. With quite a bit of effort on the part of the therapist, and Mary Louise coaxing him along, David finally began to come around and played a little - though he didn't fully cooperate speech wise the entire time. I am hoping last week's evaluation hasn't somehow scarred him for future speech sessions...but it was really sweet to watch Mary Louise getting David involved in her made up game. I'm still not really sure what happened. David has never acted that way with his home therapist before...she gave compliments again saying that though Mary Louise and David have a ways to go as far as their maturity, she feels they are very bright and will eventually catch up and possibly surpass their peers universally. Amazing. (I have to say, I do agree...*grin*)
Suga is doing well too (it seems): kicking, moving, turning. No doctor appointment this week or next believe it or not. 27 weeks on Sunday!!!!
xo,
Heather
Mary Louise: (matter of fact voice while shaking her head) No Momma. I no poo-poo. I just toot toot in my jammies.
In light of our switch to cloth, poop and toileting discussions are definitely the norm here lately. Things are going well. I've adjusted my washing routine a little to compensate for our hard water. I've also happily taken advantage of the sunny weather for diaper drying purposes which easily removes any remnant stains. Brent and I both keep saying how much we really like this whole experience - well - we like it as much as any parent can like dealing with excrement and awesome amounts of urine. We will soon run out of disposable wipes and switch completely to cloth there as well. If I'm washing one thing in a poop load, why not wash more? (no, I didn't buy the fancy reusable wipes - baby wash cloths and a few stitches in layers of "all too small" receiving blankets work wonders for a quick bum wipe).
The diapers have proven to provide some unexpected benefits as well:
Mary Louise and David LOVE to choose the color of their "fwesh fancy diaper Momma!" and get so excited when the color of their diaper matches their chosen outfit for the day. (ha - connoisseurs of fashion already those 2!) They are quickly becoming pros with all of their colors and the choosing process has pushed David to really start to grasp that colors and textures can match (a concept he didn't quite get before).
AND:
Flipping the solids with the flushable liners into the potty has offered a visible connection between poop and toilet - putting "things" where they go. Mary Louise and David proudly flush after a dirty diaper - an easy reward that is hopefully laying the ground work for potty training in the near future. Mary Louise has also asked to actually sit on the toilet a number of times - though the success of the squat is limited to the fact that she asked - nothing produced quite yet.
I'm still hopeful...one day...
They are both surprising me more each day with their speech as well. They differentiate between soy, goat and "dada's" milks when asking for milk in their sippie cups. (Brent drinks the 2% - I've never been much of a milk drinker - if they get "Dada's milk, they think it's just about the best treat ever!). Speaking of sippies, they are doing very very well with them and also working with open cups much much better as compared to just a few weeks ago. They regularly bring me books and often "read" them to me by attempting to describe the pictures and reciting the stories from memory.
They use words such as, "excellent", "beautiful", and "delicious". (they also say "yummy" and "good").
I have a cleansing spray that smells of orange and herbal oils to use when cleaning their bottoms. David makes me laugh when each time I clean him he says, "oooh, mells niiiiice Momma." He seems to have developed quite a southern drawl as he also replies in the positive, "yay-ah" like a little old lady from South Carolina.
David had a really rough time in speech today. The lady with the state program came to our house for her weekly visit and David actually seemed excited at first - but when they sat down to begin working, he burst into tears and wouldn't even face the therapist for the session. We moved outside thinking it would make him more comfortable, but he screamed even more. Finally, I tried going inside and looking through the window. With quite a bit of effort on the part of the therapist, and Mary Louise coaxing him along, David finally began to come around and played a little - though he didn't fully cooperate speech wise the entire time. I am hoping last week's evaluation hasn't somehow scarred him for future speech sessions...but it was really sweet to watch Mary Louise getting David involved in her made up game. I'm still not really sure what happened. David has never acted that way with his home therapist before...she gave compliments again saying that though Mary Louise and David have a ways to go as far as their maturity, she feels they are very bright and will eventually catch up and possibly surpass their peers universally. Amazing. (I have to say, I do agree...*grin*)
Suga is doing well too (it seems): kicking, moving, turning. No doctor appointment this week or next believe it or not. 27 weeks on Sunday!!!!
xo,
Heather
Monday, February 6, 2012
Time's a Flyin'
I would say that I'm not sure where the past 2 weeks or so went...but I know exactly where they went - we've been busy. There are times when I literally feel like a secretary for Mary Louise and David...many times...and lately, that's been the case:
David had his evaluation with the public school system while Mere and Pops were here helping us. It went, well, badly really. I've never seen him so uncomfortable (and that's saying an awful lot). He clung to me so tightly that there was no way I was even going to TRY prying him loose. They didn't want me to leave or anything. The people were all very nice. But something about just walking in the building made David tense up like I've never seen. There were toys set up in accessible areas and he wanted nothing to do with them. There were 2 boys there when we first arrived to wait and he wouldn't even consider playing with them (they were MUCH bigger than him and seemed pretty aggressive...and one of them had a grandmother who constantly yelled at him - a little bizarre.)
Anyhow, they decided to do a brief hearing test as he hasn't had one in awhile. The audiologist actually walked around with us with the little headphones attached to David's ears to get a clear reading. (He had to be completely quiet - as opposed to hysterical - for the test to work). He passed and we were off to the next evaluation.
When the kids turn 3, they officially age out of the Early Intervention system here and are eligible for continued services (if qualified) through the public school system. It gets a little complicated from there. Certain deficiencies require trips to group therapy in a school setting and certain ones are offered in home from what I understand. I'm obviously still navigating it all and learning with the help of our Family Service Coordinator (who happens to be fantastic) and haven't asked that many questions as I'm not sure what, if anything, David will be eligible.
After the hearing test, I took a break with David in a little rest room. We talked for a minute and I explained, again, that I was not going anywhere and there were some very nice people who just wanted to see him and get to know how great he is - then we'd go right home. He nodded and seemed a little better - for a minute or 2. Then we walked into the room with 2 therapists and a social worker.
Toys were on the table, they all spoke very quietly and gave him plenty of time to warm up (which eventually he did) and by the end, he was sitting in the lap of the speech therapist after kicking a ball around the room and digging in every drawer he could reach. He didn't say all that much though so to complete the evaluation, the therapists and social worker thought it best to schedule a home visit. They'll be here at the end of the month and we'll see where things go from there.
Sweet David was totally exhausted after the - umm- experience...to be honest, so was I. We'll continue to follow through though and see what the completed evaluation says about our little guy and go from there...
In other news, we have officially and completely switched to cloth diapers! I'm pretty excited about it - and the money it's saving:
We were still spending about $100 per month in disposable diapers and supplies. David still had relatively chronic irritation warranting constantly application of diaper creams to keep his skin as healthy as possible - and let's not forget (for a second) about our little Sugs on the way!! So, the start up cost for 14 pocket one size diapers (I chose Fuzzi Bunz brand after MUCH research and milling over the issue) is right at $340. No joke and no small expense. It included the diapers with inserts- which fit babies from 7 to 35 pounds and are wildly adjustable - detergent for about 3 months (or a little less time than that), 2 dry diaper pail hanging bags, a natural cleaner for the kids' bums that I plan on making myself after this small bottle runs out, and 100 flushable liners (to catch poop) rather than using a "dunk and flush" system or a sprayer. The 14 diapers have proven to be enough of a stash for now with the little ones. I will likely order some cloth contours with a few covers for the new baby - at an estimated expense of $100 bringing the total investment to $440. There will be recurring costs for flushable liners which I have since found for about $8 for 200 as well as the detergent cost which is $15 for 90 loads and I do a load of diapers every day and a half or so - many times daily. There are no long soaks - unless the diapers get stinky which depends on the washing machine, water level, diet of the child, and proper detergent use from what I've read. It's actually comparable to loading, running and unloading the dishwasher: an extra thing in the day that can pretty easily just become part of a routine. The diaper "pails" make things easy and touch free with the way they are made and with very little practice, this has simply become part of our everyday. Oh - and that almost constant irritation sweet David had been experiencing is completely gone - no more creams (though we could use some in a pinch with the flushable liners in place) and the wash I got has made cleaning so much easier.
So that's that - I'm still learning - but I'm really loving the ease of this transition - and again, the money we'll save in the long run doing things this way. 4 to 5 months to almost no diapering costs? yes please! (oh, and I suppose it's work mentioning that this makes my hippie side pretty stinkin' happy as well - as in, it's doing a Woodstock-ish jig as I type).
And finally, my dear dear Granny made her way here for a visit. We've had Granny, Collin, and his girlfriend Lhee here for a few days and have so enjoyed their company. Though it's been an exceptionally difficult time for Granny, we've had a few laughs, a number of trips down memory lane, and a good cry - or 14: all part of life - especially now.
Granny has read to Mary Louise and David each afternoon as they snuggled with her on the sofa for a few minutes. Of course I took photos- desperately wanting to freeze each minute in time.
My burgeoning belly made 26 weeks yesterday. Today, I'll administer my progesterone shot and start the final 10 countdown (for those) as I stop the injections at 36 weeks gestation. Little Suga kept me up for awhile last night by beating up my right side. It was pretty fantastic even though I was exhausted. At times, my belly jumps and wiggles so much it can easily be seen through my clothes. Active little buggar - yep - another LeBlanc baby for sure!
xo,
Heather
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