Sometimes it can be difficult to remember what happened only yesterday. I believe we had a visit from Baby A's developmental coordinator in the morning. I can't really discuss that.
The kids did well at daycare. Henry had an incident report because he threw a fit when another child had a book he wanted and threw himself on the floor and fell into a book case. There was a bruise but it was actually something that he had already. He always has a bruise or two. Right now he has one on each shin and the one on his back.
Grammy and Poppy picked up the kids from daycare. They went to the mall because Grammy had her eye on a pair of shoes for Miss R. They have been termed the "blingy" shoes. They have sparkly toes and bright lights and are a shiny pink color with peace symbols on them. They stand out just a bit. At school today the teacher said Miss R spent more time in the bathroom because they keep the light off in there. The lights scared some of the other children because they thought the police were coming.
Henry didn't want shoes because none had Buzz Lightyear on them. Maybe we've indulged his Toy Story obsession a bit too much. I decided today he would wear a non Buzz Lightyear shirt which he did without too much protest. He did get to wear Buzz underwear and socks. I'm a real iron fist as you can tell.
After returning from Grammy and Poppy's last night the twins spent a good deal of time jumping off the ledge in front of the TV and yelling "To infinity and beyond!!!" We encouraged the activity in hopes they would wear themselves out. Then Henry decided jumping wasn't dangerous enough so he started jumping over things. He even jumped over Roger when he was standing between the couch and the bench near the couch. No wonder he always has bruises.
Today was unremarkable at school, at least as far as I know. When I pick them up I ask how they did and never get much info in response. Kate is always disappointed in how little info I get from the teachers.
The twins had swim lessons. Miss R had a screaming fit and didn't want to get in the pool. Fortunately she is the only one in her class and the instructor was able to get her calmed down relatively quickly. She did very well with kicking and bubble blowing and submersion. She did better climbing along the wall and getting out but still needs work there.
Henry didn't get into too much trouble in his class. The other little boy was much better behaved this time. He and Henry seemed to have fun together pinching each other. He is doing very well except for the back floats but he is getting better.
After swim lessons we went to Swenson's with Grammy and Poppy. Baby A slept most of the time. Henry was well behaved by his standards. Miss R is usually well behaved and was again this time. They both ate pretty well, almost finishing all their food which is rare. Maybe swim lessons work up an appetite.
Bedtime was a bit of a challenge. Miss R refused her nightgown and then when I took it away she wanted it. I've mentioned before how she has a habit of doing that and we want to discourage it. So I didn't let her have it and she cried and cried and cried. When trying to get her into another pair of pajama's she refused the top and refused to go to bed so she ended up in time out briefly. I think she was pretty tired. Before dinner she looked like she might fall asleep.
Henry decided he wanted to play with a toy and make a bunch of noise while I read a story. I told him I wouldn't read unless he was quiet and laid on his pillow. He didn't and so I didn't and that produced another screaming fit ending in time out.
Tomorrow we have a doctor's appointment for Baby A at 3pm and a double home visit from our foster agency worker and Baby A's new CPS case worker. It will be the first time we meet the new case worker and we are hoping things go better with her than with the previous one who was a bit of a disaster.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Monday, July 12, 2010
Swim Lessons and Astronauts
On Monday, we were slow getting out of the house. I'd been up all night working on finalizing some online appendices that are referenced in my recently published book. Jeff took care of Baby A when she woke up in the middle of the night. In the morning, all three kids needed baths or showers. Mondays are Baby A's visitation sessions with bio mom, so we make sure that she's had a bath in the morning. Henry and Miss R were in need of showers, which they didn't get the night before b/c we were at my parents' house for dinner. Henry and Miss R were super slow at their respective showers. Miss R was a bit poky about washing her hair. Once she was out of the shower, it took awhile to wrangle Henry into the shower, which he then didn't want to leave. They didn't make it easy when it came to getting them into daycare either. Mondays are tough. Three kids, a huge bag filled with their cot sheets, crib sheets, and blankets for naps, Baby A's bottles, a bag of things to accompany Baby A on her afternoon CPS visit, plus the infamous CPS car seat. Henry and Miss R refused to go out the free side door and instead insisted on going out the side door blocked by Baby A's usual car seat. Ugh.
In the afternoon, Jeff took The Twins to their swim lessons. Today was the start of the new session. Miss R is in the Flounder class, and Henry is in the Pollywog class. Jeff reported that Miss R is the only one in her class, so she basically has private lessons. All in all, she did really well. She even went underwater and didn't cry. She later told me that she blew bubbles out of her nose. Her one hang-up is touching the side of the pool. For some reason, the idea of hanging on the pool wall freaks her out. Henry is in a class with two other kids who are brothers (one is 3.5 years old and the other is 5). It was their first time taking swim lessons. Although Henry was admonished on several occasions, the 3.5 year old was admonished even more than Henry and was told to sit out of the pool after not listening (which happened to Henry last session). Jeff was happy that "Henry" was the most used word of the class. He suspects that Henry and the 3.5 year old will become friends. They got into trouble together at one point, sneaking off to the side to get pool toys while the instructor worked with the 5 year old. I stayed at home b/c that's where CPS drops off Baby A after the visitation.
After their swim lessons, Jeff took them to Sunflower. Henry dropped a jar of hummus on the floor, which made a mess. Jeff said that the staff was very nice about it. Then, Jeff took the kids to the fruit section. Henry picked out a red apple, which he dubbed "the poison apple!" He hasn't seen Snow White in a long time, but seems to remember the most vivid parts of it.
Henry ate fairly well at dinner. He at least tried carrot sticks (thin ones) dipped in ranch. He had a peanut butter and jelly bagel upon request. He also ate several grapes and a pickle. Then, he wanted his Panda Bear cereal. Miss R was cute, but not the most efficient of eaters this evening. I took Baby A on a dog walk so that she could see her favorite neighbor Hal and coo at him, which she did. When I returned, Henry was listening to his Toy Story book on CD. Miss R was playing with dinosaurs.
I put Baby A to bed. Jeff had the toddlers brush their teeth, and then tucked them in and read them a story. Henry visited me after Jeff left them, claiming that he wanted cold water with lemon (can't forget the lemon). He had a few sips and then marched back to bed.
Jeff and I talked after the kids were asleep. He really likes Henry's new class. The new class has a definite curriculum. This week, it is a space theme. Henry told Jeff about astronauts. We think that he really likes being exposed to new ideas. When I dropped him off this morning, the class was around the teacher who was reading them a book. Henry was absorbed. I took Miss R to class and then passed Henry's class again and he really has fabulous concentration (when he wants to, that is).
In the afternoon, Jeff took The Twins to their swim lessons. Today was the start of the new session. Miss R is in the Flounder class, and Henry is in the Pollywog class. Jeff reported that Miss R is the only one in her class, so she basically has private lessons. All in all, she did really well. She even went underwater and didn't cry. She later told me that she blew bubbles out of her nose. Her one hang-up is touching the side of the pool. For some reason, the idea of hanging on the pool wall freaks her out. Henry is in a class with two other kids who are brothers (one is 3.5 years old and the other is 5). It was their first time taking swim lessons. Although Henry was admonished on several occasions, the 3.5 year old was admonished even more than Henry and was told to sit out of the pool after not listening (which happened to Henry last session). Jeff was happy that "Henry" was the most used word of the class. He suspects that Henry and the 3.5 year old will become friends. They got into trouble together at one point, sneaking off to the side to get pool toys while the instructor worked with the 5 year old. I stayed at home b/c that's where CPS drops off Baby A after the visitation.
After their swim lessons, Jeff took them to Sunflower. Henry dropped a jar of hummus on the floor, which made a mess. Jeff said that the staff was very nice about it. Then, Jeff took the kids to the fruit section. Henry picked out a red apple, which he dubbed "the poison apple!" He hasn't seen Snow White in a long time, but seems to remember the most vivid parts of it.
Henry ate fairly well at dinner. He at least tried carrot sticks (thin ones) dipped in ranch. He had a peanut butter and jelly bagel upon request. He also ate several grapes and a pickle. Then, he wanted his Panda Bear cereal. Miss R was cute, but not the most efficient of eaters this evening. I took Baby A on a dog walk so that she could see her favorite neighbor Hal and coo at him, which she did. When I returned, Henry was listening to his Toy Story book on CD. Miss R was playing with dinosaurs.I put Baby A to bed. Jeff had the toddlers brush their teeth, and then tucked them in and read them a story. Henry visited me after Jeff left them, claiming that he wanted cold water with lemon (can't forget the lemon). He had a few sips and then marched back to bed.
Jeff and I talked after the kids were asleep. He really likes Henry's new class. The new class has a definite curriculum. This week, it is a space theme. Henry told Jeff about astronauts. We think that he really likes being exposed to new ideas. When I dropped him off this morning, the class was around the teacher who was reading them a book. Henry was absorbed. I took Miss R to class and then passed Henry's class again and he really has fabulous concentration (when he wants to, that is).
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Problems With Doing Things Too Early
On Friday afternoon, we were visited by Marsha, an OT who is nationally and internationally known for her work in the area of feeding behaviors in children. She visited our house to see Baby A. Henry had been a patient at her clinic (via early intervention) but was seen by one of her colleagues. The reason for the visit was that I felt that Baby A's sucking wasn't quite adequate. While she has gained weight (not setting any records but is slowly gaining), I have been concerned that if her suck continued to be "lazy," we'd run into problems in a couple months when she'll be expected to consume more. As it is, she is only taking 4-5 ozs at best in a sitting.
Marsha pretty much pegged the problem within 30 seconds of watching her eat. I could tell that she'd figured it out, but she let me talk about Baby A's history and our observations. I told her how it seemed like Baby A was ahead on several gross motor skills, but I thought that her trunk wasn't particularly strong, which is interesting because most skills develop from the trunk.
When Henry was 2 months adjusted, he "rolled over" and we thought we had a gross motor skills genius on our hands. As it turned out, his neonatalogist at the development clinic wasn't pleased because the way he rolled was by stiffening his legs and not by turning himself from the hips. Lesson: It isn't just reaching a milestone that matters but how that milestone was accomplished.
Fast forward nearly 3 years later, we thought that we had another gross motor genius on our hands. Baby A was doing tummy time like a pro before 2 months [Henry hated tummy time until AFTER he learned to crawl at 8 months adjusted]. Around 2.5 months, she could lift her head high while on her tummy for a good 5 minutes + and roll from back to tummy. It looked OK to us b/c she wasn't stiffening her body to do the roll as our son had done. Before 3 months, she was doing 180s on her tummy [Henry did his first 180 at about 7 months adjusted]. At 4 months, she was rolling back to tummy. Although she has a desire to sit up lately and has had pretty awesome head control since she came to use at 2 days, I've noticed that her trunk seemed kind of shaky.
During the bottle feeding, Baby A extended her back a bit, which Marsha noticed right away. Marsha suspects that the sucking issues are a result of Baby A having overdeveloped back muscles but underdeveloped tummy muscles. She says that when babies extend back, it affects their swallowing skills. One doesn't swallow optimally when in a extended position.
The good news for Baby A is that we've had her on reflux medication for a couple weeks now, which will hopefully minimize her need to extend backward to alleviate the reflux pain. Marsha has given us some excellent tips for encouraging the tucked position. She thinks that if we encourage more tucked positioning and a bit less back extending, the swallowing will come more naturally in the next month or so.
One observation that she has about child development is that when kids do things "early," it is usually because they are overcompensating with another muscle group. In Baby A's case, she has overdeveloped back muscles, which are allowing to her to do these skills, but not optimally. And that matters because if she doesn't have the balanced tummy muscles that could potentially impede skills down the road. Marsha said that if a kid ever seems like they are a month or two "ahead" on a skill, it gives a therapist pause. Optimal development tends to follow a set pattern. So while some kids may be a couple weeks ahead of another kid generally, when the gap is really huge, there's probably an underlying reason.
Marsha talked with Cuyler, Henry's former OT, before visiting. She didn't do an evaluation on Henry, but said that if we wanted one, we could set up an appointment later. We think that Henry's doing well on the fine motor and eating front. She did give us some great tips for feeding toddlers. Her approach for feeding kids 2.5-4 years old is: Dippers, Dips, and Crumbs. She said that kids like doing things, so the act of dipping foods makes a boring meal more fun. Dippers can be carrots, pretzels, dried fruit, whatever. Dips can be hummus, yogurt, guacamole, etc. And crumbs make the food extra exciting. For example, one could use dried apples to dip in yogurt and then dip in crumbs of graham crackers. That helps incorporate a couple food groups while make the act of eating fun. I mentioned to Marsha that Henry tested out of early intervention but I thought the DAYC test was for lack of a better term "lame." She had a smile on her face when I said that. She said that I should feel comfortable telling them that I wanted him retested if I thought the test wasn't appropriate. It's tempting.
It was Friday. She was about ready to go home when Henry rudely said, "You are going to go home now." He basically tried to usher her out the door because it was interfering with his plans to watch Toy Story 2. I told him that he was being rude. I'm sure it sunk in and that he learned a lot from the admonishment.
I took the dogs for a walk. Jeff made dinner. The kids watched Toy Story 2. Baby A slept.
The kids ate very well at dinner. Two kinds of french fries, meat balls, corn, grapes, and chocolate pudding. We didn't have to nag. That was so nice!
After dinner, Jeff took the kids up to Yvonne's house to see her sunflower. He took the dogs too, so they got two walks in the evening. Baby A woke up while they were out. She polished off a 5 ozs bottle within a couple minutes. I made sure that she didn't extend her body. Jeff brushed the kids' teeth. I read them their evening books. Henry did somersaults on his bed. I asked him if that was good idea. He said, "Yes!" Sigh. He managed to bonk his head against the wall and headboard but persisted in telling me that his stunts were good ideas.
On Saturday, we went to Joel’s in the morning for breakfast. Henry ran around the courtyard. He climbed on a ledge that was about three feet high. I said, “Henry, jumping from there is not a good idea.” So he jumped anyway and fell on his backside and said “Ow” under his breath. Occasionally mother does know best. We visited the turtle pond after that. It was hot and Henry looked exhausted from the heat. Jeff took Baby A to get the car. While we waited, Henry announced he had to go poop. Of course. I asked him to hold it for 5 minutes. I had my office keys in the car and hoped to run Henry over to my office, which was only a block away. Henry, however, hid behind a tree and things happened before we made it to the bathroom. Fortunately, it wasn’t a big mess. And the silver lining is that he definitely knows when he needs to go to the bathroom. He just needs some work on anticipating those needs a couple minutes before he hits crisis stage. I stayed at school and worked. Jeff took the kids to my parents for awhile and then took them home. They didn’t nap.
On Saturday night, we went to the Desert Museum with our friends Carolyn, Zak, Adelyn, and Spencer. The kids were relatively well-behaved, and Henry was excited to see Adelyn. Henry asked questions of one of the docents doing a station on owls. “What’s that?” was asked as he pointed at various objects on her table. We got to another station with a person holding an owl. Henry made his way through the crowd so it was hard for me to get to him as he tried to climb up on the table in front of the owl. He enjoyed the cave. I took him and Miss R up the top part of it, which I loved as a child. Miss R wasn’t thrilled with that part and wanted me to hold her, but the ceiling was too low and side walls too narrow. She and Henry really liked playing in the sand. The animal highlights included seeing the mountain lions walk around and watching the beaver swim. When visiting the museum during the day, the mountain lions and beaver are often asleep, so it was a treat.
On Sunday, I dropped off Baby A with my parents and took The Twins to see Toy Story 3 in 3D with Aunt Carolyn. The kids were well-behaved. Before the movie, we went to the play area in the mall. Aunt Carolyn gave the kids quarters to ride some play things. At the movie, Miss R sat in a seat by herself for the entire movie, which is a first. After the movie, we stopped by Party City. I bought the kids costumes. Henry picked out a Woody outfit. Miss R had a choice between Cinderella, Tinkerbell, Snow White, and Ariel outfits. She picked out an Ariel dress. I knew that Jeff wouldn’t be thrilled with the choice as Ariel is his least favorite Disney heroine, but I’ve heard that you are supposed to give kids choices. When we got to my parents, I let them put on their costumes. They looked as cute as could be.
I took Baby A back home with me and got some work done. We went back to my parents around 7PM for dinner. Aunt Gloria, Aunt Erin, and Uncle Brian also came to dinner. When we arrived, Henry was sound asleep. He started napping at 6PM. Miss R didn't nap at all. She got very silly toward the end of the evening as she often does when she is tired. Henry played with Aunt Erin afternoon dinner. They were in Erin's old room playing with toys that my mom had put back there since Henry hadn't played with them in awhile. He enjoyed that.
Marsha pretty much pegged the problem within 30 seconds of watching her eat. I could tell that she'd figured it out, but she let me talk about Baby A's history and our observations. I told her how it seemed like Baby A was ahead on several gross motor skills, but I thought that her trunk wasn't particularly strong, which is interesting because most skills develop from the trunk.
When Henry was 2 months adjusted, he "rolled over" and we thought we had a gross motor skills genius on our hands. As it turned out, his neonatalogist at the development clinic wasn't pleased because the way he rolled was by stiffening his legs and not by turning himself from the hips. Lesson: It isn't just reaching a milestone that matters but how that milestone was accomplished.
Fast forward nearly 3 years later, we thought that we had another gross motor genius on our hands. Baby A was doing tummy time like a pro before 2 months [Henry hated tummy time until AFTER he learned to crawl at 8 months adjusted]. Around 2.5 months, she could lift her head high while on her tummy for a good 5 minutes + and roll from back to tummy. It looked OK to us b/c she wasn't stiffening her body to do the roll as our son had done. Before 3 months, she was doing 180s on her tummy [Henry did his first 180 at about 7 months adjusted]. At 4 months, she was rolling back to tummy. Although she has a desire to sit up lately and has had pretty awesome head control since she came to use at 2 days, I've noticed that her trunk seemed kind of shaky.
During the bottle feeding, Baby A extended her back a bit, which Marsha noticed right away. Marsha suspects that the sucking issues are a result of Baby A having overdeveloped back muscles but underdeveloped tummy muscles. She says that when babies extend back, it affects their swallowing skills. One doesn't swallow optimally when in a extended position.
The good news for Baby A is that we've had her on reflux medication for a couple weeks now, which will hopefully minimize her need to extend backward to alleviate the reflux pain. Marsha has given us some excellent tips for encouraging the tucked position. She thinks that if we encourage more tucked positioning and a bit less back extending, the swallowing will come more naturally in the next month or so.
One observation that she has about child development is that when kids do things "early," it is usually because they are overcompensating with another muscle group. In Baby A's case, she has overdeveloped back muscles, which are allowing to her to do these skills, but not optimally. And that matters because if she doesn't have the balanced tummy muscles that could potentially impede skills down the road. Marsha said that if a kid ever seems like they are a month or two "ahead" on a skill, it gives a therapist pause. Optimal development tends to follow a set pattern. So while some kids may be a couple weeks ahead of another kid generally, when the gap is really huge, there's probably an underlying reason.
Marsha talked with Cuyler, Henry's former OT, before visiting. She didn't do an evaluation on Henry, but said that if we wanted one, we could set up an appointment later. We think that Henry's doing well on the fine motor and eating front. She did give us some great tips for feeding toddlers. Her approach for feeding kids 2.5-4 years old is: Dippers, Dips, and Crumbs. She said that kids like doing things, so the act of dipping foods makes a boring meal more fun. Dippers can be carrots, pretzels, dried fruit, whatever. Dips can be hummus, yogurt, guacamole, etc. And crumbs make the food extra exciting. For example, one could use dried apples to dip in yogurt and then dip in crumbs of graham crackers. That helps incorporate a couple food groups while make the act of eating fun. I mentioned to Marsha that Henry tested out of early intervention but I thought the DAYC test was for lack of a better term "lame." She had a smile on her face when I said that. She said that I should feel comfortable telling them that I wanted him retested if I thought the test wasn't appropriate. It's tempting.
It was Friday. She was about ready to go home when Henry rudely said, "You are going to go home now." He basically tried to usher her out the door because it was interfering with his plans to watch Toy Story 2. I told him that he was being rude. I'm sure it sunk in and that he learned a lot from the admonishment.
I took the dogs for a walk. Jeff made dinner. The kids watched Toy Story 2. Baby A slept.
The kids ate very well at dinner. Two kinds of french fries, meat balls, corn, grapes, and chocolate pudding. We didn't have to nag. That was so nice!
After dinner, Jeff took the kids up to Yvonne's house to see her sunflower. He took the dogs too, so they got two walks in the evening. Baby A woke up while they were out. She polished off a 5 ozs bottle within a couple minutes. I made sure that she didn't extend her body. Jeff brushed the kids' teeth. I read them their evening books. Henry did somersaults on his bed. I asked him if that was good idea. He said, "Yes!" Sigh. He managed to bonk his head against the wall and headboard but persisted in telling me that his stunts were good ideas.On Saturday, we went to Joel’s in the morning for breakfast. Henry ran around the courtyard. He climbed on a ledge that was about three feet high. I said, “Henry, jumping from there is not a good idea.” So he jumped anyway and fell on his backside and said “Ow” under his breath. Occasionally mother does know best. We visited the turtle pond after that. It was hot and Henry looked exhausted from the heat. Jeff took Baby A to get the car. While we waited, Henry announced he had to go poop. Of course. I asked him to hold it for 5 minutes. I had my office keys in the car and hoped to run Henry over to my office, which was only a block away. Henry, however, hid behind a tree and things happened before we made it to the bathroom. Fortunately, it wasn’t a big mess. And the silver lining is that he definitely knows when he needs to go to the bathroom. He just needs some work on anticipating those needs a couple minutes before he hits crisis stage. I stayed at school and worked. Jeff took the kids to my parents for awhile and then took them home. They didn’t nap.
On Saturday night, we went to the Desert Museum with our friends Carolyn, Zak, Adelyn, and Spencer. The kids were relatively well-behaved, and Henry was excited to see Adelyn. Henry asked questions of one of the docents doing a station on owls. “What’s that?” was asked as he pointed at various objects on her table. We got to another station with a person holding an owl. Henry made his way through the crowd so it was hard for me to get to him as he tried to climb up on the table in front of the owl. He enjoyed the cave. I took him and Miss R up the top part of it, which I loved as a child. Miss R wasn’t thrilled with that part and wanted me to hold her, but the ceiling was too low and side walls too narrow. She and Henry really liked playing in the sand. The animal highlights included seeing the mountain lions walk around and watching the beaver swim. When visiting the museum during the day, the mountain lions and beaver are often asleep, so it was a treat.
On Sunday, I dropped off Baby A with my parents and took The Twins to see Toy Story 3 in 3D with Aunt Carolyn. The kids were well-behaved. Before the movie, we went to the play area in the mall. Aunt Carolyn gave the kids quarters to ride some play things. At the movie, Miss R sat in a seat by herself for the entire movie, which is a first. After the movie, we stopped by Party City. I bought the kids costumes. Henry picked out a Woody outfit. Miss R had a choice between Cinderella, Tinkerbell, Snow White, and Ariel outfits. She picked out an Ariel dress. I knew that Jeff wouldn’t be thrilled with the choice as Ariel is his least favorite Disney heroine, but I’ve heard that you are supposed to give kids choices. When we got to my parents, I let them put on their costumes. They looked as cute as could be.I took Baby A back home with me and got some work done. We went back to my parents around 7PM for dinner. Aunt Gloria, Aunt Erin, and Uncle Brian also came to dinner. When we arrived, Henry was sound asleep. He started napping at 6PM. Miss R didn't nap at all. She got very silly toward the end of the evening as she often does when she is tired. Henry played with Aunt Erin afternoon dinner. They were in Erin's old room playing with toys that my mom had put back there since Henry hadn't played with them in awhile. He enjoyed that.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Guitar Found!
On Tuesday, we had a visit from a couple who are prospective foster parents. Our agency requires meetings between prospective foster parents and regulars to help socialize new foster parents and build networks. The prospectives honestly didn't seem like they were walking into fostering without a clear understand of what's involved. One gal works as a probation officer at the juvenile courts and has sat in on many hearings. The other gal was raised in a family that did a lot of fostering. And they have a son, so it isn't like the parent-thing will be new to them completely. They seemed like great foster parent candidates.
We then headed to my parents' house for dinner. Aunt Carolyn had arrived! Henry gave her a huge hug.
On Wednesday, my parents picked up The Twins at school. They gave them dinner. Sausage was a big hit. And then brought them home. At 8:30PM, I abandoned Jeff with the three kids so that I could meet Carolyn at the movie theater to watch Twlight: Eclipse. When I asked Jeff if that'd be OK, he said, "Well, there may be a lot of crying, but I'll manage."
On Thursday, I asked Miss Amanda if Henry had gotten into trouble. She said no. I mentioned that Henry thought a teacher was mad at him. She said that on Wednesday, a kid tried to kick Henry so Henry pushed the kid back. She called him over and asked what happened. Henry said, "He started it." She asked him to tell the kid "That's not nice" before resorting to pushing. But he didn't get into trouble. I had told her the first day that Henry wasn't usually a "first-strike" kid, but if pushed, he would push back. And I was actually pleased that Henry held his ground. I was a little worried about him being in a class with near four-year olds and getting pushed around too much. I just don't want him to be bullied. I don't think that will be a problem. And I *think* that we can get him to switch into using words before fists. And hopefully the kid who tried to kick him knows that Henry won't take things lying down so he won't do it again.
Henry had a good Thursday at school. Miss Amanda went on break before the kids' nap time and then got concerned b/c she forget to tell the other teacher to take off Henry's glasses before nap. But Henry had done it on his own. He put his glasses on a table near his cot.
Getting Henry and Miss R out of daycare was a big, huge pain. I picked up Henry first. Then got Miss R. She wanted me to hold her. Then she wanted me to put her down. I put her down and she threw a fit b/c she wanted to be held. We are not catering to her split-requests of yes/no, up/down, want it/don't want it. So she threw herself down on the floor while Henry sprinted down the hall toward the lobby. I ended up picking up a crying Miss R and running after him. I told Miss R that she was not allowed in the babies room if she was crying. So she balled right outside the door. Some baby is always sleeping, so I didn't think it was fair to bring a tantrum-throwing tot into the room. Henry loves the baby room. He got into their toys while I collected Baby A's things. Once Miss R stopped her tears, I let her into the room. Then, Henry threw a tantrum when I tried to get him to leave the room to go home. Oy vey!
While in the car, Henry announced that he wanted to watch Toy Story. I asked him about his day. He repeated his Toy Story request. When we got home, he said it again. I said, "You didn't tell me about your day, so no Toy Story." So Henry finally responded, "I went to school and played with my friends. I went to school and played with my friends. I went to school and played with my friends. And then I watched Toy Story." He is a bit cheeky.
Jeff put on Toy Story 2. That was fine until Henry decided to bop Miss R on the head. It wasn't a big bop, but it was a first-strike that was unprovoked. Miss R produced tears. I said, "R, you'll be fine. It wasn't a major hit, although it was uncalled for and inappropriate. Let's practice telling Henry off. Repeat after me, 'Henry, that's not nice. We don't hit in this family.'" Miss R practiced telling Henry off. The tears went away as she sternly said, "Henry, that's not nice. We don't hit!" Unlike Henry, Miss R doesn't have any interest in retaliatory hits. I think words are her preferred response (she only occasionally does something physically inappropriate, like her biting Henry the other day). Meanwhile, Jeff put Henry in timeout. Henry cried and cried. Jeff had turned off the TV before I left, but I told him that I didn't think that was fair to Miss R who had also been watching TV. So he put on her favorite movie Mamma Mia!. I took the dogs for a walk without Baby A as she was having lot of fun on her jungle mat. She loves her new found rolling skills. According to Jeff, when I left the house with the dogs, he heard the closing of a door. Apparently, Henry had gone out to the garage on his own, went through the garage and out the side door, and was found walking down the driveway calling out for me. Twenty-minutes later, I returned to find Henry still in tears over Toy Story being turned off. He made a plea to turn it back on. I told him that if he was on good behavior for the next day, we'd consider letting him watch it again. I managed to get rid of his tears by letting him play with my Russian doll set.
I abandoned the kids and Jeff in the evening again so that I could go to dinner with my mom and sisters. Baby A apparently slept as soon as I left around 7:15PM. She woke up shortly before I came home at 10:10PM. The kids didn't wear out Jeff too much. I gather that they made tunnels out of the couch cushions.
Baby A wasn't sleepy after her bottle. She wanted to play and was in her crib kicking up her feet. Very cute. We let her play on the jungle mat. And when she showed some subtle signs of sleepiness, I got her pacifier and held her on the couch. We fell asleep. At 2:30PM, I put her in her crib and went to bed.
Baby A slept until 8:15AM this morning when I woke her up b/c we had to get ready for school. She's normally quite happy first thing in the morning, but she was very grumpy over me waking her up. The kids were already fed. Baby A took a 5.5 oz bottle for me. I then switched off with Jeff so I could do Miss R's hair. Jeff found Henry's missing guitar. It had been missing for a year and had been a beloved toy from Aunt Erin and Uncle Brian. Henry was having fun with it. He played the music and Miss R danced. When the music stopped, Miss R asked with her arms shrugged, "What happened to the music?"
The drop off was uneventful. I like uneventful.
On today's docket, we have a visit from an OT who is one of the nation's experts in feeding issues. I called Meal Time Connections for Baby A at the recommendation of her developmental coordinator from the Blake Foundation. I want her suck pattern evaluated b/c I think it is a tad weak. Meal Time Connections also handled Henry's OT needs when he was in early intervention. His OT is out of town. So we were called by Marsha Dunn Klein, who has written books on child-food issues and gives seminars nationally and internationally on the subject. She mentioned to us when she made the appointment yesterday that she'd like to check up on Henry too. I've never met her, but I've heard about her. Am looking forward to this appointment.
We then headed to my parents' house for dinner. Aunt Carolyn had arrived! Henry gave her a huge hug.
On Wednesday, my parents picked up The Twins at school. They gave them dinner. Sausage was a big hit. And then brought them home. At 8:30PM, I abandoned Jeff with the three kids so that I could meet Carolyn at the movie theater to watch Twlight: Eclipse. When I asked Jeff if that'd be OK, he said, "Well, there may be a lot of crying, but I'll manage."
On Thursday, I asked Miss Amanda if Henry had gotten into trouble. She said no. I mentioned that Henry thought a teacher was mad at him. She said that on Wednesday, a kid tried to kick Henry so Henry pushed the kid back. She called him over and asked what happened. Henry said, "He started it." She asked him to tell the kid "That's not nice" before resorting to pushing. But he didn't get into trouble. I had told her the first day that Henry wasn't usually a "first-strike" kid, but if pushed, he would push back. And I was actually pleased that Henry held his ground. I was a little worried about him being in a class with near four-year olds and getting pushed around too much. I just don't want him to be bullied. I don't think that will be a problem. And I *think* that we can get him to switch into using words before fists. And hopefully the kid who tried to kick him knows that Henry won't take things lying down so he won't do it again.
Henry had a good Thursday at school. Miss Amanda went on break before the kids' nap time and then got concerned b/c she forget to tell the other teacher to take off Henry's glasses before nap. But Henry had done it on his own. He put his glasses on a table near his cot.
Getting Henry and Miss R out of daycare was a big, huge pain. I picked up Henry first. Then got Miss R. She wanted me to hold her. Then she wanted me to put her down. I put her down and she threw a fit b/c she wanted to be held. We are not catering to her split-requests of yes/no, up/down, want it/don't want it. So she threw herself down on the floor while Henry sprinted down the hall toward the lobby. I ended up picking up a crying Miss R and running after him. I told Miss R that she was not allowed in the babies room if she was crying. So she balled right outside the door. Some baby is always sleeping, so I didn't think it was fair to bring a tantrum-throwing tot into the room. Henry loves the baby room. He got into their toys while I collected Baby A's things. Once Miss R stopped her tears, I let her into the room. Then, Henry threw a tantrum when I tried to get him to leave the room to go home. Oy vey!
While in the car, Henry announced that he wanted to watch Toy Story. I asked him about his day. He repeated his Toy Story request. When we got home, he said it again. I said, "You didn't tell me about your day, so no Toy Story." So Henry finally responded, "I went to school and played with my friends. I went to school and played with my friends. I went to school and played with my friends. And then I watched Toy Story." He is a bit cheeky.
Jeff put on Toy Story 2. That was fine until Henry decided to bop Miss R on the head. It wasn't a big bop, but it was a first-strike that was unprovoked. Miss R produced tears. I said, "R, you'll be fine. It wasn't a major hit, although it was uncalled for and inappropriate. Let's practice telling Henry off. Repeat after me, 'Henry, that's not nice. We don't hit in this family.'" Miss R practiced telling Henry off. The tears went away as she sternly said, "Henry, that's not nice. We don't hit!" Unlike Henry, Miss R doesn't have any interest in retaliatory hits. I think words are her preferred response (she only occasionally does something physically inappropriate, like her biting Henry the other day). Meanwhile, Jeff put Henry in timeout. Henry cried and cried. Jeff had turned off the TV before I left, but I told him that I didn't think that was fair to Miss R who had also been watching TV. So he put on her favorite movie Mamma Mia!. I took the dogs for a walk without Baby A as she was having lot of fun on her jungle mat. She loves her new found rolling skills. According to Jeff, when I left the house with the dogs, he heard the closing of a door. Apparently, Henry had gone out to the garage on his own, went through the garage and out the side door, and was found walking down the driveway calling out for me. Twenty-minutes later, I returned to find Henry still in tears over Toy Story being turned off. He made a plea to turn it back on. I told him that if he was on good behavior for the next day, we'd consider letting him watch it again. I managed to get rid of his tears by letting him play with my Russian doll set.
I abandoned the kids and Jeff in the evening again so that I could go to dinner with my mom and sisters. Baby A apparently slept as soon as I left around 7:15PM. She woke up shortly before I came home at 10:10PM. The kids didn't wear out Jeff too much. I gather that they made tunnels out of the couch cushions.
Baby A wasn't sleepy after her bottle. She wanted to play and was in her crib kicking up her feet. Very cute. We let her play on the jungle mat. And when she showed some subtle signs of sleepiness, I got her pacifier and held her on the couch. We fell asleep. At 2:30PM, I put her in her crib and went to bed.
Baby A slept until 8:15AM this morning when I woke her up b/c we had to get ready for school. She's normally quite happy first thing in the morning, but she was very grumpy over me waking her up. The kids were already fed. Baby A took a 5.5 oz bottle for me. I then switched off with Jeff so I could do Miss R's hair. Jeff found Henry's missing guitar. It had been missing for a year and had been a beloved toy from Aunt Erin and Uncle Brian. Henry was having fun with it. He played the music and Miss R danced. When the music stopped, Miss R asked with her arms shrugged, "What happened to the music?"
The drop off was uneventful. I like uneventful.
On today's docket, we have a visit from an OT who is one of the nation's experts in feeding issues. I called Meal Time Connections for Baby A at the recommendation of her developmental coordinator from the Blake Foundation. I want her suck pattern evaluated b/c I think it is a tad weak. Meal Time Connections also handled Henry's OT needs when he was in early intervention. His OT is out of town. So we were called by Marsha Dunn Klein, who has written books on child-food issues and gives seminars nationally and internationally on the subject. She mentioned to us when she made the appointment yesterday that she'd like to check up on Henry too. I've never met her, but I've heard about her. Am looking forward to this appointment.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Like Grandpa, Like Grandson
When I dropped Henry at his new classroom today, Miss Amanda said that Henry did very well yesterday. I asked her if he socialized with the other kids. She said, "Not so much." He spent his time checking out the room. At one point, she didn't think that he was paying attention to the story that she had read the kids. So she asked Henry about the story. Despite appearing not to have paid attention, Henry recounted the whole story. She was impressed. It reminded me of my dad. On several occasions, I have not believed that my father was paying attention when I was saying something. But then at a moment of exasperation of not being listened to, my dad will recount what I've said. Couldn't help but smile at the resemblance between my dad and my son.
Jeff and I left in separate cars to get the kids. Miss R was scheduled to have her last bio sibling visit this afternoon. I went to pick up Baby A to take her to WIC to get this month's food vouchers for her formula. And Jeff took Henry to an eye doctor appointment.
We left the house and arrived at the daycare at the same time. I went with Jeff to pick up Henry just so that I could hear about his day. Again, "Henry had a very good day," according to Miss Amanda. He impressed her with his ability to answer questions at the end of the story. She read a story and asked questions at the end of the story to the class. Henry answered them. She asked, "What is the environment?" Henry's answer: "The world around us." Then she asked, "What is garbarge?" Henry's answer: "It's trash." She said that she didn't expect that ability of a young three. Jeff and I were of course pleased.
WIC was efficient and uneventful, which is good. I'm highly impressed by a government organization that actually runs efficiently (excluding the gobs of required paperwork). The eye doctor appointment was also uneventful, according to Jeff. They didn't dialate his eyes, and Henry wasn't cooperative when it came to reading the little pictures (used instead of letters to test kids' vision). He has another appointment scheduled for November.
Jeff and I left in separate cars to get the kids. Miss R was scheduled to have her last bio sibling visit this afternoon. I went to pick up Baby A to take her to WIC to get this month's food vouchers for her formula. And Jeff took Henry to an eye doctor appointment.
We left the house and arrived at the daycare at the same time. I went with Jeff to pick up Henry just so that I could hear about his day. Again, "Henry had a very good day," according to Miss Amanda. He impressed her with his ability to answer questions at the end of the story. She read a story and asked questions at the end of the story to the class. Henry answered them. She asked, "What is the environment?" Henry's answer: "The world around us." Then she asked, "What is garbarge?" Henry's answer: "It's trash." She said that she didn't expect that ability of a young three. Jeff and I were of course pleased.
WIC was efficient and uneventful, which is good. I'm highly impressed by a government organization that actually runs efficiently (excluding the gobs of required paperwork). The eye doctor appointment was also uneventful, according to Jeff. They didn't dialate his eyes, and Henry wasn't cooperative when it came to reading the little pictures (used instead of letters to test kids' vision). He has another appointment scheduled for November.
Monday, July 5, 2010
A New Class
With the fireworks and all last night, the kids stayed up late. So it wasn't a surprise that everyone was slow moving this morning. In potty news, Henry did it all this morning before we left the house. We were delighted, especially since he was starting his new class.
We didn't get out of the house until almost 10AM. Jeff and I decided that the kids should go to daycare today, so that we could get ahead on our work as we'll be taking some time off when Jeff's sister, mom, and nephews visit and we officially adopt Miss R in two weeks!
Henry started his new class today. He is now in one of the three year old classes. We gather that most of the younger threes are in the potty training class, but as Henry is in one of the two already potty trained classes, his class contains some older 3s (who are nearly 4). His new teacher will be Miss Lola, but she wasn't there today. Miss Amanda was his teacher today (and I think that she is in that class most of the time). Miss Amanda was great. She said "I know that this is supposed to be a potty trained class, but does he need the occasional reminder?" I was thrilled at that. Yes, indeed. He could use the occasional reminder. And she wanted to know if she should take his glasses off him before he goes out on the playground. Considering that he's on pair five, I thought that was a excellent idea if she was willing. And did he have any special dietary constraints? I was overjoyed by Miss Amanda's attention to detail.
Henry's new classroom has four computers in it. There's a cute cubby hole filled with pillows. It is a nice classroom. And, Henry now gets to use the big kids playground! After I dropped him off, the class was just about to go on the playground. I was tempted to stay and watch from the car, but I decided that I really needed to get some work done.
We picked up the kids at 5PM. We weren't sure whether or not CPS was going to hold bio parent visits today (no communication about changes to the schedule was given). But we figured that they might be closed for the holiday. Turned out that Baby A was not picked up. So, we took her and The Twins to get the car washed and to Basha's. Henry was a challenge at the grocery store. He and Miss R were in a police car that made up the front of the cart. But he managed to get in and out of it easily. He upset Miss R several times by using the word "monster." He would say "Monster! Roaaaaar!" and Miss R would burst into tears. I'm not sure what she did to Henry, but he claimed that she hurt his feelings. I honestly found this hard to believe as I wasn't aware that Henry had the capacity to internalize criticism of any sort.
The cashier gave Henry and Miss R balloons. She then peaked at Baby A who started crying, which made the cashier jump back and apologize several times (not that it was a big deal at all. Baby A was just wanting her pacifier.).
Jeff made a fabulous zucchini fettuccine dish. Henry wouldn't eat it of course. But Miss R really enjoyed it. She loved slurping up the long noodles.
I ate quickly and then took Baby A for a walk with the dogs before it got too dark. We ran into Hal. Jeff has taken Baby A for walks the last two nights, and he noted how Baby A coos every time she sees Hal. Tonight was no different. As soon as Hal approach us, she started cooing away. The funny thing is that Hal really isn't a baby-person. He said it tonight, but I kind of figured that was the case, although he's always been very nice to Henry and Miss R. He's looking forward to Henry being old enough to throw a baseball around. Baby A has certainly won Hal over with her sweetness.
When we got back, Henry and Miss R were taking turns wearing fairy wings. Henry found some high heels that matched the wings. I put Baby A to bed and Jeff put The Twins to bed. Henry added "boogie" issues and "I need a nightgown" to his list of ways to extend bedtime.
We didn't get out of the house until almost 10AM. Jeff and I decided that the kids should go to daycare today, so that we could get ahead on our work as we'll be taking some time off when Jeff's sister, mom, and nephews visit and we officially adopt Miss R in two weeks!
Henry started his new class today. He is now in one of the three year old classes. We gather that most of the younger threes are in the potty training class, but as Henry is in one of the two already potty trained classes, his class contains some older 3s (who are nearly 4). His new teacher will be Miss Lola, but she wasn't there today. Miss Amanda was his teacher today (and I think that she is in that class most of the time). Miss Amanda was great. She said "I know that this is supposed to be a potty trained class, but does he need the occasional reminder?" I was thrilled at that. Yes, indeed. He could use the occasional reminder. And she wanted to know if she should take his glasses off him before he goes out on the playground. Considering that he's on pair five, I thought that was a excellent idea if she was willing. And did he have any special dietary constraints? I was overjoyed by Miss Amanda's attention to detail.
Henry's new classroom has four computers in it. There's a cute cubby hole filled with pillows. It is a nice classroom. And, Henry now gets to use the big kids playground! After I dropped him off, the class was just about to go on the playground. I was tempted to stay and watch from the car, but I decided that I really needed to get some work done.
We picked up the kids at 5PM. We weren't sure whether or not CPS was going to hold bio parent visits today (no communication about changes to the schedule was given). But we figured that they might be closed for the holiday. Turned out that Baby A was not picked up. So, we took her and The Twins to get the car washed and to Basha's. Henry was a challenge at the grocery store. He and Miss R were in a police car that made up the front of the cart. But he managed to get in and out of it easily. He upset Miss R several times by using the word "monster." He would say "Monster! Roaaaaar!" and Miss R would burst into tears. I'm not sure what she did to Henry, but he claimed that she hurt his feelings. I honestly found this hard to believe as I wasn't aware that Henry had the capacity to internalize criticism of any sort.
The cashier gave Henry and Miss R balloons. She then peaked at Baby A who started crying, which made the cashier jump back and apologize several times (not that it was a big deal at all. Baby A was just wanting her pacifier.).
Jeff made a fabulous zucchini fettuccine dish. Henry wouldn't eat it of course. But Miss R really enjoyed it. She loved slurping up the long noodles.I ate quickly and then took Baby A for a walk with the dogs before it got too dark. We ran into Hal. Jeff has taken Baby A for walks the last two nights, and he noted how Baby A coos every time she sees Hal. Tonight was no different. As soon as Hal approach us, she started cooing away. The funny thing is that Hal really isn't a baby-person. He said it tonight, but I kind of figured that was the case, although he's always been very nice to Henry and Miss R. He's looking forward to Henry being old enough to throw a baseball around. Baby A has certainly won Hal over with her sweetness.
When we got back, Henry and Miss R were taking turns wearing fairy wings. Henry found some high heels that matched the wings. I put Baby A to bed and Jeff put The Twins to bed. Henry added "boogie" issues and "I need a nightgown" to his list of ways to extend bedtime.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Fireworks vs. TV
On Saturday night, the kids watched Mamma Mia!. Miss R requested repeats on the songs "Does Your Mother Know" and "Voulez Vous." She was cute dancing but refused to dance or sing when I had the camera out. She gets that from Jeff.
On Sunday, the kids slept in and played around the house in the morning. Jeff set up the flower sprinkler for them outside, so we all ran around the sprinkler for awhile. Baby A got fussy around 11:30AM or so. I took her to the back and we co-slept on the bed for two hours, which was really nice. Meanwhile, Jeff let the kids take a bath so that they could play in the water. They spent time on their backs floating in an inch of water. They seem to be getting more and more comfortable with the idea of being on their backs in water. The Twins took naps for 4 hours! They didn't get up until 5PM.
Baby A got up at 1:30PM, had a bottle, and then played around. She really enjoys being kissed on the cheeks. She was very talkative too. When the kids got up (I believe Miss R was first), they gave her Eskimo kisses. She liked that.
We headed over to my parents house. Aunt Gloria, Aunt Erin, and Uncle Brian came over for dinner. They left before the fireworks began. My parents took care of Baby A while Jeff and I took The Twins up on the roof to watch the fireworks. Henry was impatient and complained. The first fireworks to go off were at La Paloma. He was bored and repeated a billion times how he wanted to get down. So Jeff took him down eventually, thoroughly frustrated. Miss R, however, stayed on the roof. Jeff came back up and joined us. While La Paloma was still going on (a very long show), we also saw the fireworks go off at El Conquistador and A Mountain, plus a few from Marana and the occasional illegal fireworks. Being up on the roof, which was what we did as kids, made me realize how much the property has matured over the years. Trees that didn't reach the roof when I was a child are way above the roof line.
Miss R enjoyed having us to herself, I think. She sang "Honey, Honey" several times and did a very fine job. She requested that I say the Star Light, Star Bright poem several times. We had a long discussion about how the fireworks were "tooting."
Meanwhile, Henry was having a fine old time watching TV. Wubbzy was on, which Henry apparently likes. I don't think that we've ever turned on Nick Jr. before in our house, so it was a treat for him.
On the way home, Henry busted Jeff on driving through a light that wasn't green. According to Jeff, it was yellow. But Henry informed Jeff that it was only on green that one goes. "Green means Go! Not orange." [NOTE: Henry has trouble deciphering orange from red.] The "Green means Go" discussion carried us most of the way home.
When we got home, we played the "I love you more than..." game. Henry told me that he loved me more than Buzz Lightyear movies, which are a pretty big deal to him. Good to know that I rank higher than Buzz!
Jeff is currently trying to get the kids into bed. I can still hear Henry's melodious voice.
On Sunday, the kids slept in and played around the house in the morning. Jeff set up the flower sprinkler for them outside, so we all ran around the sprinkler for awhile. Baby A got fussy around 11:30AM or so. I took her to the back and we co-slept on the bed for two hours, which was really nice. Meanwhile, Jeff let the kids take a bath so that they could play in the water. They spent time on their backs floating in an inch of water. They seem to be getting more and more comfortable with the idea of being on their backs in water. The Twins took naps for 4 hours! They didn't get up until 5PM.
Baby A got up at 1:30PM, had a bottle, and then played around. She really enjoys being kissed on the cheeks. She was very talkative too. When the kids got up (I believe Miss R was first), they gave her Eskimo kisses. She liked that.
We headed over to my parents house. Aunt Gloria, Aunt Erin, and Uncle Brian came over for dinner. They left before the fireworks began. My parents took care of Baby A while Jeff and I took The Twins up on the roof to watch the fireworks. Henry was impatient and complained. The first fireworks to go off were at La Paloma. He was bored and repeated a billion times how he wanted to get down. So Jeff took him down eventually, thoroughly frustrated. Miss R, however, stayed on the roof. Jeff came back up and joined us. While La Paloma was still going on (a very long show), we also saw the fireworks go off at El Conquistador and A Mountain, plus a few from Marana and the occasional illegal fireworks. Being up on the roof, which was what we did as kids, made me realize how much the property has matured over the years. Trees that didn't reach the roof when I was a child are way above the roof line.
Miss R enjoyed having us to herself, I think. She sang "Honey, Honey" several times and did a very fine job. She requested that I say the Star Light, Star Bright poem several times. We had a long discussion about how the fireworks were "tooting."
Meanwhile, Henry was having a fine old time watching TV. Wubbzy was on, which Henry apparently likes. I don't think that we've ever turned on Nick Jr. before in our house, so it was a treat for him.
On the way home, Henry busted Jeff on driving through a light that wasn't green. According to Jeff, it was yellow. But Henry informed Jeff that it was only on green that one goes. "Green means Go! Not orange." [NOTE: Henry has trouble deciphering orange from red.] The "Green means Go" discussion carried us most of the way home.
When we got home, we played the "I love you more than..." game. Henry told me that he loved me more than Buzz Lightyear movies, which are a pretty big deal to him. Good to know that I rank higher than Buzz!
Jeff is currently trying to get the kids into bed. I can still hear Henry's melodious voice.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Synchronized Bubble Blowing
On Saturday morning, Jeff woke up and find Henry in-between us. He requested breakfast. Around 7:45AM, Baby A was still asleep. Jeff had last fed her around midnight. I decided to wake her up, change her, and get her a bottle. That was the longest she'd ever slept. And while that certainly has its benefits, she's had backend issues and I wanted to make sure she wasn't lying in a soiled diaper and was staying hydrated.
We gave the kids baths this morning. Jeff did Baby A. And then I got Henry and Miss R started. The purpose of the bath for Henry wasn't really getting clean. I was more interested in getting him comfortable with the idea of laying in water. So I let him play in the bathtub with water pouring out of the faucet. Then, I put in the plug and he splashed around. I got him to lay down with about 1" of water in the tub. He initially only did it for a few seconds, flipped on his tummy, but then did the back again, relaxing somewhat. Progress was definitely made. Miss R then joined him in their homemade swimming pool. I put a little more water in the tub and they practiced blowing bubbles together and getting their faces wet. They counted out "1-2-3!" just like Miss Natalie at swim school and then dunked their faces in the water.
Jeff took the "big" kids to the movies. That was his first time taking the kids to the movies on his own. They saw How to Train Your Dragon at the Oracle View, a second-run theater, and then went to lunch at Village Inn.
Today, Baby A turns 4 months old! I was hoping to get some work done while the toddlers were gone. But Baby A was in need of interaction and holding. She enjoyed me singing the ABCs to her and giggled during the song. That was the first time that she's giggled in response to me doing something she thought fun or funny. She slept but only if I held her. I ended up positioning us on the couch to co-sleep so that I could nap as well. Every time I tried to put her in the crib, she protested.
When Jeff came back home, The Twins were sacked out. Miss R got up around 5:30PM. She decided to wear a new blue dress that I got her. She's been looking forward to wearing it. When she got up, she informed me that Henry had to go potty. As he was sound asleep, I'm not sure how she knew that. Perhaps she and Henry have one of those telepathic twin things going on.
Our plans for the evening are simple. Miss R has been requesting "Honey, Honey" for a couple days now. By that, she means that she wants to watch Mamma Mia!. We'll probably give in even though they watched a movie today already. When Mamma Mia! is on, they listen to the music and play their toys rather than really watching it.
We gave the kids baths this morning. Jeff did Baby A. And then I got Henry and Miss R started. The purpose of the bath for Henry wasn't really getting clean. I was more interested in getting him comfortable with the idea of laying in water. So I let him play in the bathtub with water pouring out of the faucet. Then, I put in the plug and he splashed around. I got him to lay down with about 1" of water in the tub. He initially only did it for a few seconds, flipped on his tummy, but then did the back again, relaxing somewhat. Progress was definitely made. Miss R then joined him in their homemade swimming pool. I put a little more water in the tub and they practiced blowing bubbles together and getting their faces wet. They counted out "1-2-3!" just like Miss Natalie at swim school and then dunked their faces in the water.
Jeff took the "big" kids to the movies. That was his first time taking the kids to the movies on his own. They saw How to Train Your Dragon at the Oracle View, a second-run theater, and then went to lunch at Village Inn.
Today, Baby A turns 4 months old! I was hoping to get some work done while the toddlers were gone. But Baby A was in need of interaction and holding. She enjoyed me singing the ABCs to her and giggled during the song. That was the first time that she's giggled in response to me doing something she thought fun or funny. She slept but only if I held her. I ended up positioning us on the couch to co-sleep so that I could nap as well. Every time I tried to put her in the crib, she protested.
When Jeff came back home, The Twins were sacked out. Miss R got up around 5:30PM. She decided to wear a new blue dress that I got her. She's been looking forward to wearing it. When she got up, she informed me that Henry had to go potty. As he was sound asleep, I'm not sure how she knew that. Perhaps she and Henry have one of those telepathic twin things going on.
Our plans for the evening are simple. Miss R has been requesting "Honey, Honey" for a couple days now. By that, she means that she wants to watch Mamma Mia!. We'll probably give in even though they watched a movie today already. When Mamma Mia! is on, they listen to the music and play their toys rather than really watching it.
Friday, July 2, 2010
"Mommy hurt my feelings."
On Friday, Jeff and I took Baby A to the pediatrician's office because she's had goopy eyes (blocked tear ducts) and diarrhea. Soft stools started Monday night. But it wasn't until Thursday that it was clearly diarrhea. She thankfully is drinking her bottles, so she is not dehydrated. And she has no fever. At the doctor's office, she weighed 12 lbs. For her eyes, we'll be giving her eye drops and massaging the ducts. The staff commented on how cute she is and she demonstrated her new found skill of blowing spit bubbles.
The Twins had good days. Miss R proudly wore a hat that she'd made in class, decorated with red, white, and blue stars.
Henry begged for television. It had been a couple days since we'd had it on, so we let them watch Toy Story 2, which is enjoyable for us as well. Henry spent part of the evening launching himself off of objects. His latest stunt is to climb on the platform of the slide but then jump off it rather than use the slide as it was designed.
There was a pee incident. Henry ran to the bathroom but couldn't hold it and pretty much showered the toilet. If he wasn't so contrary, he might have gotten there earlier had he not tried to argue with us over his need to use the potty.
Baby A had a great time on the floor doing tummy time for several minutes.
Miss R loved a new nightgown that I bought her. Pink and frilly with Dora on it. Henry likes his new Star Wars Lego PJs.
After brushing her teeth, Miss R came out to the living and started drinking her juice. I told her that we don't drink juice after brushing our teeth. She burst into tears and ran to Jeff, telling him that "Mommy hurt my feelings."
I went into her room and told her that I was only trying to protect her teeth so that she'd continue to have a beautiful smile. She accepted this and asked me to snuggle with her as Jeff read them a night time story.
I've been doing foster care paperwork. Oh so much paperwork. I just sent it off. Now I'm going to tackle some professional work. The kids are in bed. So is Jeff. The house is peaceful. The perfect time to get some stuff done.
The Twins had good days. Miss R proudly wore a hat that she'd made in class, decorated with red, white, and blue stars.
Henry begged for television. It had been a couple days since we'd had it on, so we let them watch Toy Story 2, which is enjoyable for us as well. Henry spent part of the evening launching himself off of objects. His latest stunt is to climb on the platform of the slide but then jump off it rather than use the slide as it was designed.
There was a pee incident. Henry ran to the bathroom but couldn't hold it and pretty much showered the toilet. If he wasn't so contrary, he might have gotten there earlier had he not tried to argue with us over his need to use the potty.
Baby A had a great time on the floor doing tummy time for several minutes.
Miss R loved a new nightgown that I bought her. Pink and frilly with Dora on it. Henry likes his new Star Wars Lego PJs.
After brushing her teeth, Miss R came out to the living and started drinking her juice. I told her that we don't drink juice after brushing our teeth. She burst into tears and ran to Jeff, telling him that "Mommy hurt my feelings."
I went into her room and told her that I was only trying to protect her teeth so that she'd continue to have a beautiful smile. She accepted this and asked me to snuggle with her as Jeff read them a night time story.
I've been doing foster care paperwork. Oh so much paperwork. I just sent it off. Now I'm going to tackle some professional work. The kids are in bed. So is Jeff. The house is peaceful. The perfect time to get some stuff done.
Henry La Buff: The Case of the Missing Underwear
On Thursday, we had an 8AM visitor...a notary sent from our bank to refinance the house. We actually had no plans to do it, but our bank made an offer so good that we couldn't pass it up. Our theory is that the bank has categorized us as low-risk. By having us refinance, they can say that they've made progress helping X number of families refinance, blah, blah, blah...wasn't the stimulus money worth it. The kids were relatively well-behaved but disheveled looking. Baby A was pretty good during the notary visit. When she'd start to fuss, I'd kiss her face and she'd smile.
Patty came at 9AM to straighten up the house, and the kids were pleased to see her. They love cleaning windows with her. They took the paper towels, rolled them out, and used the bulky part of the roll as a pillow and laid on the flat part they had rolled out. It was cute.
The drop off at school was fine. I didn't get the kids there until 10AM. I went to school and made a lot of progress on my new office. I recycled, threw away, or filed two boxes of paper. It felt good to finally have time to truly organize...which hasn't really happened since before Henry's birth. I have two more stacks to go. I'll definitely be starting off the fall right!
I picked up the kids at 5:15PM. Miss R was sitting on her blanket with a friend when I arrived. I heard several voices say, "R, your mom is here!" She turned around and came running to me with excitement. Got to savor these moments while I can! We then went to get Henry. We watched him playing with play-doh through the window. He was happy to see us. And then we picked up Baby A. I was hungry, having forgotten to eat lunch. So we swung by Eegee's before heading home.
After dinner, the kids played. Around 8:35PM, I headed out the door to go to Babies R Us to pick up some red, white, and blue outfits for the kids as Friday's theme at school is red, white, and blue day. As Baby A was in need of her bottle routine before bed, Jeff only read the kids one book and told them that they had to go to sleep. Henry got out of bed. Jeff, without really looking at him, told him to go straight to bed.
When I arrived back home around after 9:30PM, all of the kids were asleep. I first went over to Miss R's bed and checked her. She had her face buried under a pillow, so I removed it. Then, I went to check on Henry who was laying on his stomach. He didn't have the shirt he'd had on earlier. When I readjusted his blankets, I discovered that he was sans clothing. I tucked him in with an extra blanket. I then went to Jeff and said, "Did you know that Henry wasn't wearing any clothes?" Jeff laughed and said, "No. He had clothes on when he went to bed." Jeff thinks that maybe Henry took off his clothes when he got out of bed and Jeff wasn't paying attention. For some reason, Henry takes off all of his clothes (including shirt) when he uses the potty. The pants part I understand. He has to stand on a stool to pee standing up in the regular potty. Standing up with the Elmo potty is a no-go. When he stands on a stool, he doesn't like the pants around his ankles. The no-shirt thing, I can't explain.
Henry got up this morning around 6:20AM. I was playing with Baby A in the living room. I asked Henry where his clothes were. He said the clothes hamper, but they weren't there. I did a search. Took awhile, but I found them at the top of his bed crammed between the mattress and the head board. They weren't wet, which was great news. Henry used the potty like a big boy when I asked him to. He is truly doing a good job with the potty training.
Henry brought a new pair of underwear for me to put on him. Dinosaur underwear. Then, he crawled into bed with Jeff and snuggled. Miss R then got up. She called out for Daddy. So I helped her out of bed and got her to Jeff's and my room. Henry wanted breakfast and came out with me to the kitchen. Miss R stayed with Jeff and snuggled.
We managed to get the dishes put away and the kids fed, clothed, and out the door by 8:45AM. The kids even had time to play a little before we left. At school, Henry and Miss R wanted to play with the babies. It took me forever to get Henry out of the baby room. I talked with the developmental coordinator. She's moving Henry up to Miss Lola's room Monday. I then introduced myself to Lola and Amanda. I've met Amanda once before (a couple weeks ago). She knew we had a new baby who wasn't on cow's milk formulas, so she offered me her son's soy formulas, which was nice. We weren't able to take her up on the offer as Baby A is on Alimentum, but it was nice that she tracked me down. Henry's new classroom has computers in it, so I'm sure he'll be thrilled at the location change. It will be sad, however, not to see Joaquin every day though.
Patty came at 9AM to straighten up the house, and the kids were pleased to see her. They love cleaning windows with her. They took the paper towels, rolled them out, and used the bulky part of the roll as a pillow and laid on the flat part they had rolled out. It was cute.
The drop off at school was fine. I didn't get the kids there until 10AM. I went to school and made a lot of progress on my new office. I recycled, threw away, or filed two boxes of paper. It felt good to finally have time to truly organize...which hasn't really happened since before Henry's birth. I have two more stacks to go. I'll definitely be starting off the fall right!
I picked up the kids at 5:15PM. Miss R was sitting on her blanket with a friend when I arrived. I heard several voices say, "R, your mom is here!" She turned around and came running to me with excitement. Got to savor these moments while I can! We then went to get Henry. We watched him playing with play-doh through the window. He was happy to see us. And then we picked up Baby A. I was hungry, having forgotten to eat lunch. So we swung by Eegee's before heading home.
After dinner, the kids played. Around 8:35PM, I headed out the door to go to Babies R Us to pick up some red, white, and blue outfits for the kids as Friday's theme at school is red, white, and blue day. As Baby A was in need of her bottle routine before bed, Jeff only read the kids one book and told them that they had to go to sleep. Henry got out of bed. Jeff, without really looking at him, told him to go straight to bed.
When I arrived back home around after 9:30PM, all of the kids were asleep. I first went over to Miss R's bed and checked her. She had her face buried under a pillow, so I removed it. Then, I went to check on Henry who was laying on his stomach. He didn't have the shirt he'd had on earlier. When I readjusted his blankets, I discovered that he was sans clothing. I tucked him in with an extra blanket. I then went to Jeff and said, "Did you know that Henry wasn't wearing any clothes?" Jeff laughed and said, "No. He had clothes on when he went to bed." Jeff thinks that maybe Henry took off his clothes when he got out of bed and Jeff wasn't paying attention. For some reason, Henry takes off all of his clothes (including shirt) when he uses the potty. The pants part I understand. He has to stand on a stool to pee standing up in the regular potty. Standing up with the Elmo potty is a no-go. When he stands on a stool, he doesn't like the pants around his ankles. The no-shirt thing, I can't explain.
Henry got up this morning around 6:20AM. I was playing with Baby A in the living room. I asked Henry where his clothes were. He said the clothes hamper, but they weren't there. I did a search. Took awhile, but I found them at the top of his bed crammed between the mattress and the head board. They weren't wet, which was great news. Henry used the potty like a big boy when I asked him to. He is truly doing a good job with the potty training.
Henry brought a new pair of underwear for me to put on him. Dinosaur underwear. Then, he crawled into bed with Jeff and snuggled. Miss R then got up. She called out for Daddy. So I helped her out of bed and got her to Jeff's and my room. Henry wanted breakfast and came out with me to the kitchen. Miss R stayed with Jeff and snuggled.
We managed to get the dishes put away and the kids fed, clothed, and out the door by 8:45AM. The kids even had time to play a little before we left. At school, Henry and Miss R wanted to play with the babies. It took me forever to get Henry out of the baby room. I talked with the developmental coordinator. She's moving Henry up to Miss Lola's room Monday. I then introduced myself to Lola and Amanda. I've met Amanda once before (a couple weeks ago). She knew we had a new baby who wasn't on cow's milk formulas, so she offered me her son's soy formulas, which was nice. We weren't able to take her up on the offer as Baby A is on Alimentum, but it was nice that she tracked me down. Henry's new classroom has computers in it, so I'm sure he'll be thrilled at the location change. It will be sad, however, not to see Joaquin every day though.
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