Rain Rain Go Away

After a pretty rainy week and very rainy day, the girls were busting down the door in order to play outside. A brief cloud break fooled us into the thinking the storm was over. Boy were we wrong. The girls didn't seem to mind though. Well, Adeline wasn't so hot on the rain but did eventually run around barefoot on the wet surfaces. Savannah and Lila are just getting started in the video below. Soon, they were off to find the biggest puddle. There was no shortage of big puddles after this much rain.

Listen for the thunder at the end of the video (it is 2.5 minutes so hang in their until the end)

The Belle

Camp is really wearing Adeline out. It is taking a lot of work to get her through the three hour camp schedule. She is easily distracted, in a new environment, with new kids and expected to rise to age levels that are far beyond that of 2.5. Regardless, she is making progress. I have therapist lined up for almost every day so that she has one on one direction and support. This is what she will be up against in the fall so I feel inclined to slowly break her in throughout the summer.

It has been reported that Adeline is squirmy and very clingy by the end of the day. Clingy isn't new for her. She is always asking other people to hold her because I am dominated by Miss Grace. Each day I pick them up during their outdoor time. Each day she is sitting on the teacher's lap. It warms my heart that they hold her but at the same time I wish she was running with the other kids. Just another jolt of the "we aren't typical" reality. And squirmy, well it is pretty clear that Adeline suffers in the attention department.

According to her therapists, Adeline is trying very hard to follow directions. They are often lost once she is two or three steps in. Today, each kids was given different pictures of animals. They were to look around the room for the match that was strewn about. Adeline started looking around but visually scanning something is very hard. She will walk forward while looking to at the wall on the right. Today, she walked right up to where the fish was (on the floor) and forgot to look down. Her OT said, "Adeline, look on the floor" and immediately Adeline bent down and picked up the fish. We were both very pleased that she had held the direction of matching the fish in her head for that long. As I always say, it is all the other issues preventing her from succeeding. This time it was motor planning and visual scanning that caused her to need help, not cognitive deficits.

How does this all add up? I wish she was more independent and engaged like that of her sister. However, she is trying very hard to hang with the others and can do it with help. Eventually, that help will be weaned when things become routine. She will always be a creature of habit and need structured routine but there are worse things to be. One thing I know for sure, she is exhausted when she comes home. She shuts down, doesn't talk and takes long naps. When I woke her this morning at 8:10 she looked up at me and refused to stand up to be lifted out of her crib. I asked her if she wanted to get up and Adeline rolled over and said, "No, I sleeping." Now that sentence is progress.

Preemies at the Zoo. . .

don't always mix. At least that is what The Belle had to say. Sometimes I forget that we aren't your average family on our various outings. Today reminded me that we aren't typical. Although Adeline looks just as typical as can be on the outside, she often struggles when taken out of her familiar surroundings.

I have previously discussed her sensory issues and how they hold her back. I feel that most people don't understand this or how it impedes her development. I get frustrated because it sooooo obvious to me. For example, (you knew this was coming right) today at the Zoo was not much fun for Adeline. For most toddlers like Lila Grace, the Zoo is a place where you bounce from one animal exhibit to the next in complete excitement. Lila and Savannah were always three steps ahead, searching for that next animal and laughing at its behavior. For Adeline, well let's just say we had to hold her the entire time. She was stiff, buried into our shoulders and just trying to hold it together before the experience was over. I tried many times to put her down, entice her in the cute monkeys or distract by the tiger but nothing worked. She was climbing up my leg before I could even get both of her feet on the ground. The sounds, the smells and the quick movement of the animals were too much. She tried, she really did but it just wasn't in her sensory limits. The kicker was lunch. One of the larger birds was screeching its head off and oh boy, did Adeline turn heads. She cried big crocodile tears for a good 15 minutes. For those of you who are not a parent to a micro preemie you most likely would turn your head to the sound of Adeline's hoarse cry. It sounds like she is being strangled and is rather unique. Unique means everyone looking with confused or sympathetic eyes. Really, how could a toddler be that unhappy at a zoo, right?? It is after all the tiny Brandywine Zoo.

So how does this impact development? For most children, the zoo is a learning experience or at least an experience they can later draw upon. Not so for Adeline. She didn't look at half of the animals and didn't enjoy it enough to want to remember it. A zoo is a place where you learn about different diets, different habitats and other differences exhibited in a wide range of animals. I am sure Lila could tell you the otter was swimming in the water and the monkeys were playing in the trees. Although the otter was one exhibit Adeline attended to, she will most likely not remember it. Her stress level was all encompassing. When I read a book about the zoo Lila will connect the book to her real world experience. Adeline will not. This experience, albeit not crucial to development, is an example of how Adeline is unable to learn from some typical toddler experiences. There are too many of these experiences to note but when put together, they leave their mark - a gap in the typical road of development.

I should give Daddy credit. He had her smiling in the pavilion in no time at all!

Now that I have all of that off my chest, I must say we had a great time. Adeline clung to Daddy while Savannah and Lila were two peas in a pod. It is nice to watching them enjoy each other. The zoo is located on pretty fantastic grounds which left plenty to do besides animal gawking. We watched the mighty river flow after our last couple nights of hard rain, we played in the pavilion and threw pennies in the fountain. The weather was perfect and by the end of our time there all three girls were smiling.

I must note that Adeline and I were left down on a large rock on the river's edge while Alex hiked the other two girls up to the bathroom. It all the sudden dawned on me that I had sat on those rocks before hugging a two year old. That two year old was Savannah. We were into week three of our very long NICU stay with the twins. At that moment, I was still clinging to Savannah for strength and love. The twins were still very much engaged in their fight for life. I remember having my picture taken with Savannah with my tired and plastered on smile. Today, although no picture was taken, my smile was authentic. I was sitting on rock listening to Adeline giggle after throwing each leaf in the running river. Sensory issues or not, we are still so darn lucky.

Signs of Summer

1. We had to wake the girls for therapy this morning at 8:15

2. I saw lightening bugs on my run a few nights back

3. Lila is barefoot and fancy free every time she exits the house for more than 10 minutes

4. Tan lines are appearing

5. Baths are a nightly ritual instead of every other night and sometimes had with friends (notice the filthy water from playing outside).

6. I put my kids to bed at 9:30 pm tonight

7. The girls run with the neighborhood kids in the cul-de-sac after EVERY dinner - cabin fever has been cured!

8. Fingers and toes are painted

9. Swinging, swinging and more swinging

10. Everyone is happier and in better moods

Growing Up

Someone is growing up. She is thriving in her new camp/preschool, wanting to do everything that Savannah does and starts everything with "I do." I am pretty proud of my Lila Grace. She is meeting her milestones, and more importantly, growing into a very capable and sweet girl. She will most likely remain my "tough nut," but for now I celebrate her fantastic progress. Just today I spoke with the psychologist who has been evaluating and observing her for the transition to the 3-5 program. She was thrilled with Lila's attention, focus and overall "getting it." She may run circles around me at home but in school and more formal settings, she is right on the money.

Keep it up "Miss I Do It."

Here she is in braids for the first time. I didn't do such a great job and one side is puffed up which makes her head look funky. All preemie moms are very self conscious of the child's head.

Here is her older sister in braids for the first time (just a few months older and same shirt). Lila clearly needs to grow some more hair.

A Girl and Her Balloon

The first balloon

Lila Grace has recently adopted a fascination of balloons. Her particular, borderline obsessive behavior is perfectly demonstrated by her love of balloons. One day, I took just Lila to the store. What a treat that was. She asked for a balloon and I gladly obliged. I didn't know at the time that she was going to hold that balloon for EIGHT hours. She quietly sat in the cart holding the string with both hands as if it were a bouquet of flowers. When arriving home, she continued to hold tight to her balloon and even ate with it in one hand. It was a bit tricky when putting her down for a nap. She flipped her lid when I took the balloon away. Not her typical orneriness but hysterical - something is very wrong in my world - cry. It has became obvious that she was terrified that her balloon was going to float away. I ended up letting her sleep with the balloon and checked on her a few times to ensure it wouldn't become tangled around her body. When she woke up, she was in the same position and still holding that darn balloon.

That night we decided to go to Costco and, of course, the balloon came too. Unfortunately, Daddy didn't anchor it and it slipped through Lila's fingers just as I looked up. We all watched it float away and suffered through Lila's heartbroken screams. Thankfully, Costco was pushing the Children's Miracle Network with balloons and only by the grace of God did Lila take to one of those. Of course that started the cycle all over, potty, sleeping etc. In fact, that night Lila started crying at 11:30 pm and we believe she had laid there awake the entire evening. She was so tired but too scared to take her eyes off of her balloon. She settled for Daddy tying it to her crib.

Frustrations grew when the balloon sagged the next morning. Luckily, our trip to Chuck E. Cheese brought a Chuckie balloon into Miss Lila's grasp. It has been over a week now and Chuckie still sits tethered to a a corner in my kitchen. Lila panics if anyone moves it. Somehow the balloon is "safe" if in that corner which relieves her of the holding duty.

Same position she started in


The Costco replacement finally tied to the crib for the very tired girl

The sagging balloon the next morning

All I can say is this behavior is not unlike Miss Grace. It is this behavior that also makes her undeniable cute but a pain in the you know what to raise at times. God give me patience. I don't know what I will do when Chuckie starts to deflate.

A Night in Philly

Although the girls are rooted in Philly, they very much associate themselves with the burbs. The twins never experienced the city outside my belly and Savannah was 2.5 when we moved. Since Alex was at a conference in the city, I decided to take the girls into the city for night. It was strange to be back in the same city I taught for for five years and traveling down the same road I used to take to work every morning.

First, we headed to the Please Touch Museum. It was open late Wednesday night so we were able to enjoy all it had to offer until 7:00 pm. The girls really liked it and were lucky to be joined by neighbors and friends. Daddy met us there which was a good thing because it was one big free for all playground. Below you can see the girls having fun.

After the museum closed, we were off to dinner with our neighbors. We trekked into the city which made me wary. My girls are never good in restaurants and it was already passed their bedtime. Of course they surprised me with fantastic behavior which allowed me to eat my first adult restaurant meal in quite some time. Kids always seem to remind you to not underestimate them.

We headed to the hotel around 9:30 and were bouncing on the beds by 10:00. The girls loved the windows overlooking city hall and got a kick out of the cars beeping below. We colored, played with balls and watched TV until everyone looked as though they were ready to crash. Lights were finally out by 11:00 pm. All but daddy's of course. It still surprises me that the girls will just lay down and sleep while Alex works and I watch TV. Of course the next day we paid for the late night.




All tired out and assuming her position at the hotel. (as if she knows how to work a remote)