Merry Mead Farm

I couldn't wait to get out the door this morning. The weather was perfect and we had plans to visit Merry Mead farm for our annual apple slinging. We started this tradition when Savannah was the girls' age - very hard to believe. Savannah has great memories of the place. It is funny what she remembers and what she doesn't. One thing was certain, she remembered the Apple Slinger.

When we arrived at the farm, my "perfect day" quickly dissolved. We had a camera but no battery (it was conveniently laying on the desk at home). Since I have been to this farm before, I know what a wonderful photo opportunity it is. I was also determined to document our last trip to the farm as a family of five. Who knows what we will be doing for harvest fun in Texas.

Alex left the girls with me and ran to WalMart. Unfortunately they didn't have a battery that matched our camera which forced him to return with a $20.00 piece of crap digital camera. My cell phone could have done a better job! So when you are looking at the pictures below please understand that I realize they are horrible quality. They are all I have.

After the shock of the camera debacle wore off (I am sure Alex will tell you that it never really did) we had a great time. I saw my little girls do the same things Savannah was doing three years ago. They participated in the bean bag toss, Apple Slinger and ring toss. Lila sat like a champ for face painting but Adeline wouldn't let the brush come near her. They went on wagon train and scaled the numerous pumpkins.

My big girl had the best day of all. If you haven't been to this farm, you have no idea how fun the Harvest Slinger is. We have tried for years to shoot our apples into an old bathtub sitting in the middle of the pasture. Wouldn't you know that Savannah walks up, places her apple in sling and rockets it off right into the tub. For that she won a gigantic pumpkin! She was so excited. The girls tried very hard to do the same but weren't quite on target. They were very cute as they picked their three apples from the bin and then placed them in the Slinger. They knew exactly what do to and loved every minute it of it.

Weather permitting, I think we will return next weekend. There will never be a farm as good as Merry Mead and this is our last year to experience the fun.
Here are some pictures of the past and present. Double click on the slide show below to see an option for a larger slide show

Add it to the List

That's right. Adeline's food list is getting longer and longer. Her willingness continues to improve and the light at the end of the very long tunnel might just be giving off a flicker of hope. Things are still hard and there are always moments like today when she whacked the cup of milk (open face, just like the big girls use) right out of my hand.

Here are the latest additions to the list:

Cheese Omelet - oddly enough Miss Grace won't touch it but the Belle loved it

Bananas - after spitting the bite out 5 times she finally chewed and requested more

hot dogs

Taco Soup

Some rice and chicken concoction out of a box (daddy's dinner not mine)

Chips (much to my chagrin)

Cider doughnuts (an odd texture with all of the sugar on the outside)

This evening, the Belle was very hungry as she didn't eat a great lunch at the farm we visited earlier in the day. She was fussy and wanting up. Up wasn't good enough though. Finally, she spied the rice that daddy had laid out for dinner and frantically signed for more. I gave her a bite (her mouth was waiting wide open) and she immediately reached for more. I think this is the first time she has requested to eat something that is dinner material.

YMCA

Just a quick update about my kids and strangers. I have heard a lot about how the girls should be watched by other people or consistently go to story times or music classes in order to get them used to strangers. Since we don't have family around and all of our friends seem to have their hands full with their own children (why does three kids have to be the trend right now 3+3=6!!!) our girls are with me 24 hours a day 7 days a week 365 days a year. Okay, 364 days a year because my parents watched them once for us this year when we were out in Washington. Our therapists have expressed concern about how they will react when they go to preschool and are watched by someone other than me. I understand this concern because Lila Grace flips her lid if a neighbor tries to pick her up let alone a stranger.

To take matters into my own hands and in order to kill two birds with one stone, I joined the YMCA. Yes, I am in desperate need of some exercise. It really does make me a better mommy. While I work out, the girls are dropped in the babysitting room. I am shocked but incredibly pleased to say they do just fine. Lila may whimper but moves on to the toys by the time I am walking out the door. This babysitting room is a disaster and the staff are terrible about interacting with the kids. I am very fortunate that my girls have taken the high road on this one because I couldn't leave them crying in that not so nurturing environment.

I feel the need to share an aside. I took Savannah to the babysitting room today (I usually go when she is in preschool) and she was brought down to me crying 45 minutes later. Somethings never change. We took all three on Saturday and Savannah was happy as could be. When we picked her up she was walking around holding Lila's hand. That moment defines the reason why we worked so hard to give her a sibling(s). She found comfort and love in her youngest sister. Isn't that what siblings are for? To fill the void when parents aren't there to do so. Today, Savannah told me she never wants to to go to the babysitting room without her sisters again.

Feeding Update II

Adeline has made huge strides in the feeding department. Now that daddy is home for a few consecutive days and Adeline is feeling better, we have hit two out of three meals with the feeding protocol. Surprisingly, she is very accepting for the most part. She hasn't had a naptime bottle in almost a week and has done a pretty good job of supplementing her calories. By good job I mean at least half. Here is how this every evolving process works for the moment. . .

Adeline has a bottle when she wakes up and sits out of breakfast. There is a strong "skipping breakfast" gene running through this family anyway.

For lunch, she is up to a quarter of a PB&J or 12-16 centimeter cube bites. There is certainly work involved with the lunch time feeding as she isn't starving and is used to having yogurt and puffs. She tolerates the PB&J but there needs to be a lot of play with the cars or peek-a-boo in between bites. Realistically, this will be dropped when daddy leaves because lunch time is a crazy - walk in the door from preschool and two kids are wanting food etc. - time. Hopefully, in the next few days, Adeline will be willing to self feed some of her sandwich. Finally, when the girls go down for naps, I hold Adeline up for a few minutes and get 4 oz. of whole milk yogurt in her (140 very quality calories).

Dinner has gone exceptionally well the last few nights. I made a roast with baby carrots and garlic mashed potatoes. All of my family, except Lila, love the potatoes. Even Adeline will take decent sized bites and sign for more over and over again. The best part is they are made with heavy cream that has simmered with smashed garlic cloves. Yummy and super high in calories. In addition to the potatoes, every one except daddy devour the baby carrots. It is the only thing Lila Grace will eat from this dinner. Adeline has taken almost two whole baby carrots each night without too much encouragement. I still haven't pushed the roast on her. Tonight she ate a half cup of applesauce too which is something she was refusing a week ago (120 calories). Not bad for a dinner.

We follow all this up with nighttime bottle.

I am trying not to get my hopes up because things are running smoothly due to two parents in the house. When everything falls on me (cooking, feeding, cleaning up afterward etc.) meal times get a bit hairy. Regardless of how quickly we progress from this day forward, we are miles ahead of where we started. Let's just hope this isn't the preemie pattern or two steps forward, one step back.

The Cake

We had cake for Savannah tonight. It was very informal and consisted of friends from the cul-de-sac. She had a nice time celebrating with her girl friends. It is the last birthday she will celebrate in the Keystone State. Hard to believe this is her fifth time blowing out the candles.

Earlier today, Savannah helped me decorate her cake. She told me she wanted a cake on her cake, so that is what I did. She was very pleased with the final product. Everyone else was pleased with the taste. You can't beat a Costco cake! Of course, I feel the need to personalize/decorate all of my children's cakes so I order them with just white icing and let the kids decide how it should be decorated. I was surprised that Elmo wasn't ordered for yet another year. I am sure it will be requested next year by the little girls!

The little girls seemed to enjoy themselves during the first five minutes of Savannah's party. Unfortunately, they were soon upstairs getting ready for bed as their beastly disposition was too much to endure. I think we are all partied out in this house. Even the five year old seems a bit feisty.

Sesame Place

All Savannah wanted for her big day was to spend time with Mommy, Daddy and Elmo. Thus, we headed to Sesame Place after dropping the twins with Neely (God bless her for taking both of them when she has three kids 5 and under). The weather was misty which set us up for an amusement park all to ourselves. Savannah got ample time with all of the characters and most importantly, was able to show some love to Elmo. He was so excited to see her and helped make her birthday extra special. I have been hearing for weeks that she hopes Elmo holds her. Well, he held her up and swung her around like she was his long lost friend. I couldn't have planned it better.

We had a great time and Savannah repeatedly told us that she was having a great birthday. She thanked us time and time again which makes days like this priceless. She is so deserving of days like this.

The Face of Five

I couldn't resist posting this picture of my little girl, moments away from 5 years old. Her head still sleeps on bunny just like it did when she was oh, so little. A promise from her to me that she is still my sweet little girl!