Speaking of Eggs. . .

It was very serious business this year. . .

Grass-a-pillar

Adeline's absolutely in love with everything caterpillar.  This stems from her love of what she calls Baby Einstein.  She found this toy in our baby box of toys in the basement and has never been the same since.  She loves it!!

When I saw this art activity I knew we had to do it. The girls painted old egg cartons to look like Baby Einstein. We embellished with some eyes and antennas. Then we loaded them up with grass seed and soil in hopes that we will grow a Grass-a-pillar. Only time will tell. . .

Miss Grace and Behavior Therapy

After visiting the behavior therapist, we learned that Lila Grace is an escape artist.  Her very poor behavior, sometimes destructive behavior, followed a pattern.  First, we ask Lila to do something.  That something could be get dressed, go potty, or get ready for a nap.  These requests would send Lila kicking, screaming, and throwing.  She would run, yell, and find something she could destroy.  Often, she would throw books off of a shelf, dump a glass of water, or knock everything off of the coffee table.  The destruction would immediately grab our attention while we were grabbing her.  Alex and I would force her to fix what she made wrong.  It wasn't until after we fixed it that we would go back to the initial request.  Ultimately, Lila escaped the request and bought herself time.  She took control of the situation.

We were instructed to ignore the destructive behavior and follow through with the original request.  After an initial defiance, Alex and I are to say, "Try again Lila," and give her a brief amount of time to oblige.  If she doesn't submit to the request, we physically use hand-over-hand.  For the non-therapy folk out there, it is taking a child's hand and making me them do something.  An example would be taking her hands and forcing her to take her pants off, or forcing her to walk up stairs by carrying her so that her feet drag along the steps.  Children HATE this, and, truthfully, so do I.  But it works!!!  The hardest part is to not loose patience while having to ignore the destructive behavior that, for example, leaves 100 beads thrown about the living room.

The results are amazing but not perfect.  For the most part, Lila got the message that the destructive behavior wasn't going to change anything and that mommy and daddy were going to force her to do what they were asking.  No more escaping!

The strangest part in all of this is that Lila has become unrecognizable in terms of behavior over the last two weeks.  I don't think I can give our new strategy all the credit for this amazing change.  There were still moments of complete defiance after it was implemented.  I think the strategy coincided with a little maturity.  I would even buy into a behavior fairy at this point because Miss Grace has turned into the most willing and patient little girl.  She often answers my request with an "Okay Mommy!"  She loves to carry out the requests in front of me and say, "Watch Mommy, watch.  I make you so happy."  Happy I am!  Her positive changed has giving her the opportunity to showcase her sweet and thoughtful side.  An example of this sweetness is when she comes up to me and rubs me and kisses my cheek.  It is followed by an, "I like Mommy."  She is the first one to tell me that something is "fine" or "okay" when my tone starts to sound stressed.  It is amazing what she picks up on when she isn't the cause of the change in tone or stress.  Lila is also willing to TRY, something that has always set her off in the past.  She will try to put her shoes on, try her coat, and try to do her car seat straps.  Her perseverance is thriving due to this change in behavior.

What is most noteworthy is the face I see on my little girl.  She is all smiles and love.  That, in turn, puts a smile on my face and inevitably has changes the tone of this house.  Behavioral therapist, maturity or dumb luck, I don't really care.  I just care that the change has come. 

Eggs

Thanks to the celebration of Dr. Seuss's birthday, which included green eggs and ham at both of Adeline's preschools, Adeline has become an Eggaholic!  Everyday and every meal she asks for eggs.  Forget the sought after yogurt, she wants eggs.  I limit her to a helping of two scrambled eggs once a day.  It is strange that my child with sensory/food aversions will eat what many typical kids are adverse to.  We will see what a little protein will do to her slight and delicate frame.

Worth Reporting

We can go on family runs again without both parents pushing 75+ pounds in stroller weight.  Previously, we have pushed the twins in one stroller - 100 lbs, and Savannah in a single jogging stroller -75lbs.  It is quite a task.  I remember running with the twins in the double jogger when they were about 15 lbs a piece.  Times have changed and the run has become much harder and less enjoyable.  Well, the girls probably like it more, but the parents don't. 

The change. . . Savannah can ride her bike!!  She rode for three miles the other day which took her out of the neighborhood.  The route includes many hills with a combination of roads and paths.  She tackled the hills and kept ahead of us the whole time.  She was pretty proud of herself and so were we. 

In the end, not much has changed for daddy as he is still stuck with the double jogger but I run hands free!!  That only took me six and half years to achieve.  Now let's see how long it takes the twins to ride their bikes.  For some reason, I bet Lila will be pedaling beside us next year.  Only time will tell.

Good Bye Grammy

We had a great three weeks with Grammy. The girls really adore her. We love her lots and miss her already.

Double Trouble

Seems that Adeline has been spreading some germs around. . .

Hospital and Home

Adeline had a hard time bringing her sats above 90 this weekend which sent us to the ER.   Thankfully,  her pulmonologist was on-call again.  We were triaged immediately and sent directly to a room.  After taking a quick peek at Adeline, the first doctor mentioned that we should prepare for admission.  I knew that would be the case.  Adeline, at the time, required an oxygen flow of 3 liters which is pretty strong and usual.  Luck was on our side, and Dr. Chidekel (our amazing pulmonogoist) made it down to our room.  Adeline was all smiles and presented as a shining star.  After seeing that she was in good spirits, he was confident we could manage her needs at home. I just need confirmation that we weren't being negligent by keeping her at home rather than monitored in the hospital. 

We were out of the ER in 2.5 hours which is record time!  Adeline was very happy when we got home.  Little did I know that my other two would be running fevers when we arrived.

Heard from the Sick Girl

Smoke is going in my nose  (from cannula)

My string, my string  (when her tubing gets caught on something)

First, listen to my heart (when being examined by the doctor)

I want to go bye bye in Mommy's car (tired of being house bound)

Lung Infection

Adeline has been fighting on and off fevers, some as high as 103.5, and a pretty bad cough for a week and a half.  Neither of these symptoms are out of character for Adeline so I didn't take her to the doctor.  I have learned over the past couple of years that the girl has some pretty stellar lungs.  Yes, they have BPD but they haven't given her any problems once she kicked the O's.  She has landed in the hospital for upper airway inflammation and obstruction due to mucus but never for lung function.

This time I was wrong.  I didn't want to push into the weekend without our pulmonologist listening to Adeline so Alex drove her down to duPont yesterday afternoon.  Our pulmonologist was in a deposition and couldn't break free which left us under the care of a new doc.  Adeline was satting in the low 90's which was surprising.  We have a pulse ox at home but I rarely put it on her because her sats are ALWAYS within range.  Adeline was also x-rayed to rule out pneumonia after the doc heard some noise in her lower lobe.  It ends up that she has a lung infection but not pneumonia.  We were told to manage it over night and get in touch with our pulmonologist in the morning. 

We didn't make it that long.  Adeline was satting 88 when she went to bed last night.  It took a 2L flow to get her up to 94, 95 and above being the safe range.  We called our doctor and he was very surprised that Adeline had such an oxygen requirement.  After a lengthy discussion, we felt comfortable managing it home with our doctor a phone call away.  The only other option was admission to the hospital.  Luckily, our doc let it be our call.

Adeline fought the cannula and pulse ox probe but, once reasoned with, accepted her fate.  She has been a trooper.  We are all out of practice when it comes to the O2 equipment and dragging around a 50 line of tubing is less than desirable.  We have our fingers crossed that we stay out of the ER this weekend and that Adeline is off the O's by Monday.

Here are some pictures of The Belle and her cannula.

I wasn't prepared to come home from work and see my girl on oxygen. She was miserable.

We finally got her to sleep and she slept the whole night through. She woke up very happy which makes me think she was enjoying her easy breathing.

How do you tame hair this wild? A stocking cap, even if it is 65 degrees (she can't stand hair blowing in her face). Her batting session didn't last long and soon she was asleep in a stroller.

Spring has Sprung

My "Spring Meter" is Miss Grace.  When she can go barefoot and fancy free outdoors for hours on end, spring has sprung in my book!  I should also mention that it was 70 degrees and sunny!!  Not bad when thinking back to two weeks ago and how the ground was still hiding under a foot of snow.

Think Green

This morning we woke up to a great big green surprise! Savannah and Grammy had planned a St. Paddy's day celebration. The table was set, cards and gifts purchased, and green food prepared. I have to admit that I was in the spirit after seeing Savannah and Grammy's hard work.

Adeline thought she looked like her favorite Baby Einstein caterpillar with her headband on. Lila ended up wearing her headband to school with great pride!

Later, we found green milk and green water in our refrigerator. Those sneaky Leprechauns!! Gold coins were also discovered in very strange places too. We had a fun dinner with great green sides that consisted of: pineapple in green jello, pumpkin bars with green cream cheese frosting, and shamrock cookies. Quite healthy too!

To close the day, Savannah had written out steps to a shamrock scavenger hunt. She had some great one on one with Adeline while she did her hunt first. It was so sweet to see how much they loved each other.

Here is a video of Miss Adeline wishing you a Happy St. Patty's day while a 103 fever was raging away in her body.

Walk On Lady

A Hippotherapy update.

Here is a video of Adeline getting on Lady. First, she pats the horse and then mounts using a stirrup. After she is comfortable, she tells the horse to, "Walk on." She sits so tall and appears very calm and confident while riding. I am very proud of her progress. Recently, our insurance stuck it to us with Hippotherapy and I momentarily questioned whether or not her weekly rides were worth nearly $2000 a year. I just have to watch this video and compare it where she was when she first started and I am a believer.

A Daddy Afternoon

The girls had a fun filled daddy day today. They spent hours at Monkey Joe's (Bounce House) and then headed to McDonald's for lunch. It sounded like the girls had a great time. Savannah and Lila were all over the place bouncing and climbing to their hearts' content. Savannah, also, took time to help Adeline navigate the different bounces and help her get comfortable but soon, Adeline was left to her own devices when having to overcome her insecurities about unstable ground. Before the afternoon ended, I am very proud to report that she climbed up the big slide and slid down all on her own. Pretty impressive when considering her delay in gross motor skills, not to mention her sensory issues. Very brave for the The Belle.

Please bare with the sideways video. Alex remembered halfway through that the SLR can only be used on its side when taking pictures and not while using the video function.

Pirate Day at School

Lila didn't know what a pirate was when her Pirate Day at school took place. I gave her a crash course on saying, "Arrgh," and put a bandanna on her head. Not so fierce but pretty cute instead!

A Very Serious Matter

Last year, we had really bad luck with mice. We couldn't seem to pick a ripe strawberry before a little chunk was taken out by a mouse. We never confirmed that they were mice, in fact our friends told us they were voles. Another friend saw one run through the garage and told me they were rats. I am pretty sure they were of the mouse variety because I saw their tiny bodies scurry through the grass in the back yard whenever I walked to the garden.

In any case, these creatures left some pretty serious trails through our grass. Now that the grass has thinned and gone dormant, it is easy to see the pathways of these mice. Savannah and her friends recently discovered these paths which catapulted them back into last summer's battle with the mice.

One one of our warmer days last week, Savannah and her friends observed, planned, and executed their mouse strategy.

The Plan. . .

1. Cover up the hole that is up against the house to prevent them from going to the basement. This required little rocks and dirt so that the debris would wedge down inside the hole.

2. Find another hole that isn't up against the house and lay bait outside of it. The bait was worms that girls dug for. They laid a path of worms that lured the mice away from the house.

I am not sure how the girls planned to keep the mice out of the hole once they exited. The play date ended before that part of the plan was in place.  The girls felt as though they accomplished something as they walked away. 

A green leaf and a caterpillar... Possibly a sign of spring?

Breakin' Out in Song

She is my musical one. . . .

Ernie, Ernie, Ernie

One would think Lila's love for Ernie was why we landed at Sesame Place last weekend. It was a contributing factor but the real reason was to kick off the March of Dimes, March for Babies walk. All the team captains were invited, which includes us. Yes, we are a one man team called, "Small but Mighty." Feel free to join our team and walk with us. We would love to feel the support. Just email me and I will explain how.

The girls watched a kick off a video which included shots of micro preemies in the NICU. They immediately thought it was them. It was cute but also a sad reminder of their rough start. They will never see cute hospital pictures where they are swaddled in my arms. Lila looked up at me and said, "I was a little baby Mommy." Yes she was! And so were many of the other children that surrounded us that afternoon. We were in a room of miracles.

Here is a picture of all the preemies and their siblings. I wanted to point out the March of Dimes button on the side of my blog in case you are interested in supporting the walk this year. We are excited to participate again, knowing the girls will remember walking this year and going forward. We have so much to give back to the March of Dimes!

To engage the kids, the Sesame Street characters came to play. Lila talked about it all day and could barely wait for their appearance. First came Cookie and Elmo which was exciting to Savannah and Adeline but disappointing for Miss Grace. I had to tell her to hug them as she was looking over their shoulder for her beloved Ernie. I was very worried he wasn't coming but a nod of Elmo's head told me he was on his way. While we waited, Savannah and Adeline enjoyed some Elmo time. Savannah sunk right into Elmo's arms, possibly the last time she will be able to hug him and truly believe.

Ernie, finally arrived and Lila was beside herself. She ran right into him for a big hug and broke away with a big pucker and head pointed up. She got many kisses from him but nearly as many as she was willing to give. It was one of those moments that brings tears to a parent's eyes. I wonder how that happens over an Ernie but for Lila, Ernie is a deep love. Seeing her feel as though the love is returned is priceless. I should mention that Lila has recently included Bert into her list of favorites. I think she notices that Ernie doesn't really exist without Bert. She was very excited to spend some time with the yellow guy too.

The characters spent much of the the time dancing with the kids. Since most of the children loved Elmo, I let Lila DOMINATE Ernie. If she didn't have his hand, she was reaching for it or hugging him. At the end of each song, she reached in for a hug and up for a kiss. She was too cute. I knew she would cry when he left and she proved me right. Every day since, she has asked to go see him again. Her first love!




The Belle bustin' a move