Backfire

My previous post about how my girls play together endlessly without fighting and bugging me backfired yesterday.  As I dosed on the couch, my girls decided to wreak havoc in their room.  Groggily, I opened my eyes a few times and noticed their clothing was different with each time.  I called up to them and reminded them that I don't want a mess and that they should leave their clothes alone.  I remember hearing a very enthusiastic, "Okay," and a "We aren't making a mess.  We just have a pile."  Well in my half asleep state, that didn't register as a red flag.  It wasn't until I walked into their room an hour later that I knew what they meant by pile.

Each dresser drawer was completely empty.

Putting the Fire Extinguisher to Bed

Alex has been driving around with a fire extinguisher on his lap. The Explorer  sprung a leak, a gas leak. While trying to find a way to avoid the purchase of a new car, Alex has had to drive to various mechanics to try and get the fuel line serviced. The consensus is that the car is too old, the part isn't manufactured anymore, and the part is unattainable. He was told to stop driving it and if he absolutely had to drive the car, make sure he had a fire extinguisher with him.  The news forced us to say goodbye to our little dumper and replace it with something new, at least new to us. It was hard to walk away from the car that brought every one of my girls home from the hospital. It was a dump of a car, but it held a warm place in our hearts.

Savannah being loaded into the Explorer

Lila Grace, strapped in the car for the first time.

Adeline settled into the Explorer for her first car ride.

One thing I learned after looking at way too many SUV's, is that the minivan has it all figured out.  Everything just works in a van.  It was meant to carry children.  What I don't understand is why the large SUV's  (which are 8 passenger) haven't figured out some of the minivan's conveniences.  Like, why don't they have cup holders that you can reach while strapped into a car seat?  Where is the mommy mirror?  Why does changing a DVD have to be a major production?  And what about the cargo space?  Seriously, shouldn't a SUV be able to carry more than a van?  SUV's are large, but they just don't have the flow of a van.  We ended up buying one of the big SUV gas guzzlers but each time I drive it, I find one more thing that it doesn't have.  Yep, I like my swagger wagon. . .

Going to the Station

As I have mentioned before, the twins just play, play, play, together.  There is rarely fighting or checking in with me.  After school, the girls come home and eat lunch quickly so that they can get their playtime started.  Once down from lunch, they disappear into their make believe world.  There are days that I can't break it up for nap time.  It is just too precious and sweet.  This play is unique and is rooted in the twins' special bond.  Having twins is really paying off now.

Lately, the girls are always pushing a stroller or shopping cart, or pulling a wagon.  They are always packing for a trip which typically involves going to the train station.  We are mildly obsessed with trains in this house.  Savannah loved them, Adeline lives for them, and Lila has decided that being for them is much more fun than being against them.  We are members of a train museum and ride the Santa train annually.  Trains are a part of our life.

The girls will play this game for hours.  They will ride to and from the station, take naps along the way, catch a boat in between, and sneak in some time for a little mommy/baby role play.  They leave me completely alone!  Shh. . . don't tell them I said so because it will jinx it.  I remember when I couldn't go to the bathroom without someone crying and forget making dinner.  It had to be done during nap time.  Just last night I told Alex that I kind of miss the little girls.  It seems that they like spending time with each other more than they like spending time with me.


Lately, I feel that we haven't had any real family unit time.  I have also heard Adeline ask me over and over again if she can ride our local rail line that she sees daily.  She is convinced it is Geo from GeoTrax.  Finally, it dawned on me.  Why don't we hop the local rail and ride it down a few stops?  And so we did it last night.  We hopped the train to Paoli where we had nice dinner with Charlotte and her family (minus her mommy).  After dinner, we experienced waiting for the train in the dark which was very exciting.  Adeline didn't want to get off once back at our local stop.  She would prefer to live her life on a train. 

Working Together

The little girls have become best of friends over the past couple of months.  It really warms my heart and makes life much nicer around the house.  Just this morning, I heard them getting down a puzzle that they have never put together before.  They were very resourceful as they pulled the bean bag up to the closet and scaled the shelves to get to it.  I assumed that they would start arguing and grabbing pieces because they have never worked on the same puzzle before without adult supervision. 

Adeline and Lila amazed me.  They took turns, worked on different parts and completed the puzzle with only encouraging words for one another.  I was pleased with their behavior and that they had the skill to complete it too.  The puzzle wasn't complete for more than two seconds because the girls immediately tore it apart.  What they did next blew me away.  They carefully put all of the pieces into the box and walked over to the closet. Then Lila said this. . ."Okay Adeline, which puzzle do you want?  It is your turn to choose."

Ahh, music to my ears and it was a mere 8:00 a.m.  I wish every morning could start like this.

Spread Across Four Different Schools

When you have three children spread across four different schools, you might find yourself in my shoes.  For example, when your four year old is studying a new letter each week, you may take a picture of Lila holding LEAVES to serve as her picture of something that starts with L. 

When you come and pick your child up you might glance at the alphabet tree and notice a helicopter hanging right beside Lila's picture.  You might look a bit harder and notice a hamburger, hammock, and Haunted House.  Then you might feel like a complete idiot because you did the the letter L when it was supposed be H!

I can't keep up.  I did find it amusing that Lila's teacher was able to turn Lila holding leaves into Happy Lila for their H alphabet tree.

And the Hard Work Pays Off!

 (Miss Belle working on her smile)

I had the opportunity to chaperon Adeline's class field trip to Milky Way Farm today.  I signed up because I knew that I had to be there if Adeline was going.  I couldn't expect her teacher to deal with her sensory issues while herding 13 other kids around the farm.  One never knows how Adeline will handle situations such as this.  Today, I just crossed my fingers and put on my patience hat.  The rest was out of my control.

When we arrived, I realized that three other preschool classes were joining us.  It was controlled chaos, but chaos no less.  I was pleased to see that Adeline knew who her classmates were and naturally gravitated toward them.  Since Miss Belle is spread across two different schools and has missed numerous days of school already, I fear that she doesn't know the kids in her classes.  Apparently, this fear is unfounded.

Soon we were moving toward the barn.  While walking into the barn, Adeline had to walk by a large tractor that was sitting in the very dark entry way.  To put this in perspective, part of her Hippotherapy session is to ride past a tractor and touch it.  Can I just say that Adeline really dislikes tractors!  She loves them from the safety of her car but being up close to one makes her panic.  Well, Miss Belle walked by that tractor today.  Her pace quickened and her grip tightened but she walked past it in such a normal fashion that no one knew how difficult it was for her.

Once in the barn, we were surrounded by flies.  They were every where.  There was also a cow that was very close to all of the children.  Adeline demanded that I hold her hand but I was able to pawn her off on her friend Lauren for some hand holding which worked.  I was pretty sure that Adeline was pushed to her limits by the flies and the moving cow and straw underfoot.  At this point, I was confident that all of her energy was put into just being in that barn.  I was wrong!  Adeline was listening and was answering questions.  In fact, she was the first one to answer, "What do cows eat?"  I just have to say it again.  Adeline was the FIRST response!  Her voice was quiet and went unheard (she suffers from the raspy preemie voice), especially since all the other kids were chiming in right behind her, but she answered first.  I was so proud.  In the middle of a very challenging sensory experience, Adeline was still on her game.  I was amazed.

Next we moved into the room with the robotic milker.  Again, noisy machines throw my little girl off of her game.  But. . . she held it together and fit in with the group.  No one would have know that she was initially terrified of the monstrous machine on the other side of the glass.

We moved on to the other animals.  Adeline pet a chicken, goat and calf.  She navigated very rough terrain and continued to battle bees and flies along the way.  Miss Belle didn't let me leave her side but she walked the entire way.  If we would have been anywhere other than with her classmates, she would have begged me to hold her.  Thank goodness for peer pressure.

The day ended with a hayride.  And what pulled the large carts covered in hay?  A big and noisy tractor.  Not to worry.  Adeline climbed up the steps and sat on the hay.  I wanted to take a moment and point to all around how brave my little girl was being but, instead, swelled with pride quietly on the inside.  Seriously, Savannah doesn't even like hayrides because of all the poky hay.   To the contrary, my Adeline put a smile on her face and enjoyed her ride.  The tractor took us to the pumpkin patch which was one too many battles for Adeline.  Walking over thick vines with bugs and leaves biting at your legs, wasn't Adeline's idea of fun.  She solved the problem by quickly choosing a pumpkin.  It wouldn't have surprised me if she didn't step foot in the pumpkin patch.  She didn't like it but she completed the task that was expected of her. 

So once again, my little Belle takes the high road.  She overcomes her sensory fears (which are VERY real) and finds a way to enjoy herself.  As we drove home, I couldn't help but think that all of the hard work is paying off.  I remember when Adeline was one, her occupational therapist would make her touch a certain ball that she couldn't stand.  Soon after, she was forced to have part of her sessions sitting in grass.  When she could walk, multiple therapists would incorporate walking in grass and many other sensory noxious experiences into each session.  Adeline would fight it every time but always powered through in the end.

I am so pleased to report that it is working.  Therapy works.  It becomes a way of life.  Four years down the road of prematurity and my little girl is touring a farm with very little additional support.  This is the same girl who would not touch grass for the first two years of her life.  Her brain is being retrained and Adeline's coping skills are getting better each day.  I can't imagine where we would be if we didn't meet this head on when she was released from NICU.

Adeline Belle - I am so proud of you baby girl!  You make my heart sing!  You make me want to work harder, be better, and complain less.

Savannah's Ladybug Party

Although it was a TON of work, it was worth it.  I questioned it along the way but, looking back, I would do it again - hopefully not until she turns 10 though.  The decorations, the planning of activities that keep 11 six year old girls entertained, and the pulling it off the day of the party were tall orders.  Fortunately, the girls made me feel as though I succeeded.  Most importantly my big girl loved every minute of it.  She felt special and that is all I could ask for.  The icing on the cake was that the other girls had a great time too.

Being that I was Mrs. Doodlebug, the fictitious teacher of Savannah's 10 friends, I was never behind the camera.  I don't have the pictures I would like, especially the ones that could have captured the moments of delight and silliness.  Nor do I have pictures that do justice to the details because I was scrambling until the first girl walked in the door.  I have taken what I have and made it into a little movie for posterity's sake.  Hopefully, it will also remind me of how much work a home, activity packed, party really is.  Possibly a weekend away will be a better choice for next year?