Durham

The girls enjoyed some fun time outdoors this weekend.  The weather was fantastic and company even better.  All three girls took to the trampoline.  I was surprised Adeline put up with being bounced around.  She couldn't stay on her feet when the other two were jumping.  Luckily, Lila and Savannah would stand still for Adeline's turn which allowed Miss Belle to jump her heart out.

The Wii was the favorite indoor activity.  We don't have any video games or hand held games in this house so Wii is quite novel for the girls.  They love to watch Joey and Brian be silly with their characters but when Joey started flying planes, Adeline was hooked.  Miss Adeline picked up the controller and started pushing buttons like she knew exactly what to do.  She didn't want help and needed to narate her flying patterns.  I was really impressed that she could physically use the remote while visually committed to a TV screen.  She is a kid who forgets the visual component to tasks and will, for example, start painting while not looking at her paper or address someone while looking at someone else.  You would have to see how Adeline works in her everyday environment to appreciate how impressive this was.

Sleeping was interesting.  The girls played musical beds and the two little ones both decided to give Nathan's crib a try - not at the same time however.  I thought it was pretty funny.  Lila went back to her old ways and spun circles all night.  How quickly pretending to be a baby becomes exciting even if they were the baby not so long ago.

Headed South Via National Zoo

We headed south for our annual Durham Easter stay and decided to break up the trip by visiting the DC zoo. It is an amazing zoo and is very manageable even when crowded. Better yet, it is free!! Alex had a conference call so he got us settled inside the zoo and then headed back to the car for some work.

I was more than pleased with the girls. They were on their BEST behavior!! Adeline, who struggles with the indoor exhibits (the monkey house etc.), still struggled but wasn't buried in my should the entire time. She was interested and participating.

Favorite exhibits included, the orangutan monkeys that were swinging overhead throughout the entire zoo, the octopus, butterfly house, pandas and turtle pond. The animals were very active which made it really fun.

Our camera was out of batteries so I could only use my blackberry. These are the pictures I took. Realistically, I couldn't take many because the "hand holding policy" was in effect.

Our trip south took eleven hours total. Two slept the last couple of hours but Miss Belle didn't close her eyes until after we got to Durham.

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.