Monday, December 7, 2009

Memory card Monday--Cribz edition

The only thing constant about our bedtime routine is that it's constantly changing. A few months ago, when I was having a rough time putting my boys to bed and having them stay there, I decided to convert Cooper's toddler bed back into a crib for the time being. It has been better since, with Cooper remaining in the crib for the duration of the evening. Around the same time, after finishing up another brief stint in the tent, Jackson decided to join him there. Love!


Ellie has taken to sleeping on her tummy more often than not, all the while kicking off every last sock and blanket given her.


Here she is, the masterful sitter. She's come a long way in physical therapy and is getting stronger all the time.


Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Coo Cooks



I guess it was bound to happen. It is part and parcel of growing up, so I hear. Cooper has been asserting his will and is really wearing my patience thin lately. The transition seemed to occur overnight. One morning, he woke up on the whiny, demanding side of the bed and hasn't been quite right since. I'm not the only one who has noticed, which makes me breath a little sigh of relief to know it's not just me. For instance, I ran into a friend of mine from the New Life Ranch days at Sam's yesterday. My two youngers were in the front of the cart. Cooper was almost completely obscured behind a double-sized box of Lucky Charms and working hard to keep himself there (out of shyness? where'd THAT come from?), when he wasn't fussing about his sister touching him (does it really start this early?) that is. I said, "Can you say "hi"?" He quickly shouted in response, "No!" And sweet, understanding Marla replied, "Ohhhh, you're two, aren't you? I have one of those at home."

This is new territory for me. Jackson didn't have The Terrible Twos until he was three, and even then I'd consider them merely Mildly Troubling Threes. Though I have vague memories of not enjoying his fits of stubbornness or tearfulness over the slightest thing, it just didn't seem as big of a problem as Cooper's strong-willed, demanding, sullen ways of late. Like that's his default mode now. Makes me sad. I find myself saying "Can you just be happy, Coop?" frequently these days. Oh, and because I like hopeless causes, I also can often be observed trying to reason him out of his fits. Yeah. It's going as well as you might imagine it would.

I still have much to find joy in, however. The boy is brimming with life. Notices everything. Is completely fearless (gonna be the death of me, this one). Jumps up and down when he gets excited about something, which is often. Says things like, "Mom, this is 'licious!" "I see uh 'Bama flag (thinks the American flag is called "Obama" and I have no idea how he made that connection, but I think it's pretty smart.) "Look, Momma, it matches. Like the 'nother one matches." "'Kay, mo-ore, Momma." "To fini and beyond!" "Momma, I miss budder." And perhaps my favorite right now 'cause it's fairly new: when I say I love you, he responds with a breathless and very serious, "too." He's quite the conversationalist, employing that same seriousness, when talking on the phone too.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

My hair is ridiculous

A post in which I started to write about my hair but then realized I had a far greater purpose to write about today. Instead of trying to split them up into two separate posts, I put 'em both in here, with barely a segue. 'Cause that's how I roll.

(with lots of parentheses thrown in)

(and some hyperlinks) (sorry, couldn't resist)

First of all, yes, my hair--specifically the bang-al region--has achieved new levels of ridiculousness that must be witnessed to be fully appreciated. I would take a picture to demonstrate this ridiculosity for you, but unfortunately the camera battery is currently charging. So you'll just have to trust me on this one. After the baby was born, my hair did that mass exodus thing that many of you have also experienced, and then it began growing back with a vengeance. The bangs, dear goodness the bangs; how can I describe them to you? Let's go with: part lion's mane and part Flock of Seagulls. As I mentioned on facebook last week, they have achieved near living, breathing organism status; so much so that Ellie is reaching out for them and (what one could only be described as) trying to talk to them. I really have tried to do something about these crazy bangs (on the rare occasion when I've passed in front of a mirror and make the time), but no amount of product has been able to spackle it back into place satisfactorily. So, I have just embraced this new (hopefully temporary) look of mine. I choose to consider it a daily test in living out the principles of 1 Peter 3:3-4--

"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight."
At least, that's what I'm telling myself anyway.

Second of all, sorry for the bloggy absence last week. We traveled south to visit family for Thanksgiving, and internet access was not available. It was actually kind of a nice break.

Fun fact: Ella's pediatrician could be the stand in for the dad who plays opposite Julie Bowen on Modern Family. (If you aren't watching this show, why not? It's hilarious!) I stopped just short of telling the good doctor that because if he knew what I was talking about he just might have been slightly offended. See, the character is somewhat of a boob, though that's not why I believe there's a resemblance.

And now for the serious portion of this post:

This month, as part of the Megaphone of 1,000 Voices movement, I will be blogging about Children's HopeChest. It is an orphan care ministry, currently partnering with orphanages in Africa and Russia, in order to give these special children "confidence to fly and a safe place to land." My participation in this all stemmed from reading a based-on-real-life-can't-even-fathom-living-this-way novel that I won last month. The book is called Scared, and it focuses on one hardened journalist's journey to AIDS ravaged Swaziland and a precious little girl who gives poverty a voice. The book is written by Tom Davis (CEO of HopeChest). I will be giving away the copy that I won later this month in my own (first ever) blog contest.  And soon, I hope to have information to share with you about another, even more exciting giveaway.

Today is World Aids Day. Prior to reading Scared, I probably wouldn't have given this much thought because the problem seems daunting and what can little ol' me do to help? Well, here's a good place to start. I encourage you to get involved in whatever way you can in releasing children from poverty and the devastation of the AIDS epidemic. Sure, it seems overwhelming, but if even one child benefits from your efforts, you will have made a lifetime of difference.

Monday, November 23, 2009

How about an Ellie update?

Seems like ages since I've talked about Ella's progress. So here goes.

My girl is sitting up for several minutes at a time now. It was like she developed this skill overnight. When she had her re-evaluation with Charity her new physical therapist less than a month ago, she could only sit for a few seconds at a time. One morning, a week or so later, I was on the floor with her, and I realized that a long time had passed while she sat unsupported. I hadn't been watching the clock, but did I dare think that she had stayed up for more that a minute or two? Last Thursday, with new script in hand, we finally resumed therapy (it's been a long, frustrating process). I told Charity that she was going to be impressed with E's progress, and she was; she could hardly believe it and confirmed my observation of several minutes of unsupported sitting. So now, we'll forge ahead with working on side sitting and bearing weight through her knees and rocking on all fours because next comes crawling. I am incredibly encouraged with Ella's physical development, even if it takes pauses and then comes in spurts. And even when she is around other babies her age, and I see the gaps. Because I have the utmost hope for her that she will meet her milestones, no matter how long it takes her. And in comparing her progress to herself, which is the only measure that should matter, she's come a  long way.

She can get around on the floor pretty well now, using a combination of rolls and methodical belly crawling, especially if she is enticed by a toy or some otherwise-forbidden thing-that-shouldn't-be-on-the-floor-when-a-baby-is-in-the-house-but-with-two-older-brothers-somehow-always-ends-up-there.

Ella continues to be pretty happy-go-lucky and smiley. She is incredibly social. She's taking even more notice of us. She can tell when I enter a room, and she lights up immediately. Very gratifying. She can play "Where's the baby?" and thinks it's hilarious. She loves being close to her brothers. They are very good with her most of the time, especially Jackson--he's so tender and doting, he celebrates her every move. Cooper is quite affectionate toward her, but he also views her as a little bit of a threat, especially when she gets close to items he believes are his. We have to remind him that "she's just a baby" often.

She vocalizes and babbles, but still without consonants most of the time. And I think she is more quiet than not. Still. But I think that's okay for now. I'm choosing not to be too terribly concerned with her verbal development at this time. We have a time frame to work with; if she's not further along by the time she is twelve months old, I'm supposed to ask that her speech be evaluated. Until then, we'll just press on.

Food is our battleground right now. I don't pump enough breastmilk to be away from her for very long (which makes work difficult), and formula makes her throw up (not spit up, actually throw up & she then continues to dry heave for hours afterward). I've just implemented a pump-on-one-side-while-feeding-her-on-the-other-side system that I think will help keep my supply up, but what a hassle. I've thought about trying soy-based formulas, but I'm not convinced that will make a difference and don't want to waste money on more formula if it doesn't stay down. She's close to the age where I might consider whole milk, but I worry we'd have similar results as milk-based formula. Baby food is hit or miss. When she was not willing to take any bottle (breastmilk or otherwise) a few months ago, baby food was our saving grace. But now, she will hardly touch it and must essentially be force-fed to get any down. After two other babies, one might assume that I have this baby food stuff down, but it is my absolute weakness. I can't stand this phase because it just doesn't make sense to me, and I feel like I'm just winging it. How many fruits in the morning? When do I do veggies? Breastfeeding before or after the food? Arrrrrrgggghh!! Fortunately in the past, I've grinned and beared it, and it's over soon enough. With Ellie, though, I'm afraid we're in for more than the average length of time with battling baby food. I'm thankful that despite all these challenges, she continues to gain weight. And it could be a lot worse: there is a treatment called the ketogenic diet that some children have to go on if no meds control their seizures, and from what I've read, it takes several hours to prepare each meal and breastfeeding is a big no-no. So, I definitely know how blessed we are, I just wish we could get a better system going.

Once Thursday evening and three times Friday morning, Ella forcefully dropped her head forward (not in clusters or anything thankfully). It was the first time since gaining seizure freedom almost five months ago that she did something that legitimately scared me, and got me wondering if the spasms were returning. If so, they were different than before, and I seem to recall that they usually do not change in nature, but what do I know. So far, she has not done any more of them, so I'm chalking it up to losing control of her head because the sitting position is still so new and tires her out quickly. At least that's what I'm trying to convince myself to do. It's hard not to "go there."

Friday, November 20, 2009

You'd be surprised at how verklempt I got during this exercise

EDITED TO ADD: verklempt: adj. overcome with emotion; also written faklempt. Yiddish. See Coffee Talk with Linda Richmond for more info.

Or maybe you wouldn't, since you probably know me and all.



p.s. who knew the MagnaDoodle was so educational?

Monday, November 16, 2009

Memory card Monday--Art gallery edition

Ahhhh, I love this age. The artwork and the effort. How he lives for every little bit of praise. The tongue stuck out. Even the mess. Because I know it is fanciful and fleeting. You see, soon there will be a day when the world will speak to my little boy louder than I, when the message will be filled with you're-not-so-special's and anybody-can-do-that's, and perhaps a little dose of perspective is a good lesson in humility. But today is not that day, and for that I am so thankful. And today, I celebrate a master artiste.




Friday, November 13, 2009

Non sequitur

None of these tidbits makes a full post by itself, so I've decided to group them together, if you don't mind.

  • Baby girl is sick. Fevers and congestion. And is little fussier but generally a trooper about it all. Double ear infections, says the doctor. So she's back on antibiotics. 
  • I'm taking a semi-break from Facebook. Basically that means I am not looking at the live feed right now and only occasionally posting links and such. Not even writing my own status updates for the most part, which is a little hard to get used to but a welcomed break. This is not a commentary on anyone else, but for me it means I'd like to be busier living my life than writing about it. And now I have a lot more time for more important things. Like dishes and impromptu dance parties.
  • Jackson's teacher thinks Jackson in love with one of the girls in his class. I've seen them in action, and heard him talk about her, and I don't disagree. But I think it's innocent though and not really based on a physical attraction (let's hope not!).
  • The other day, I asked Jackson what he wanted to be when he grows up, as soon as I realized he probably did have an opinion about such a thing and that I hadn't heard it from him yet. He didn't understand at first, and so I reworded it to say, "What job do you want to do when you're big like Mommy and Daddy?" Without hesitation, he said, "I want to go to work with Daddy [at the bank], so I can pay money to people." Awesome :)
  • Cooper is in a great phase right now. So on the go. Able to pretend and act things out and entertain himself for a few moments as I rush around to do some housework. But he still loves to do things with me. Which is wonderful. "Mama, come 'nuggle with me." To which I respond by absolutely dropping everything and running to him as if that's the last time I'll ever hear that. 'Cause one day, it will be, and I don't want to miss this.
  • Cooper's also quite the eater. Better than his brother a lot of the time. "Mama, this is 'licious." Ask him if he wants ANYthing, and the answer is always "yep." He'll try anything once. Definitely his father's son on this one.
  • As I finished feeding Ella yesterday morning, I could tell that she had dirtied her diaper. I looked down at her and said, "You know, it's a good thing you're cute, what with all your runny noses, and fevers, and stinks." She grinned her toothy grin and promptly filled her diaper some more right as I said "stinks".
  • Chris has a CPAP machine now. He was diagnosed with sleep apnea, as I've suspected for a while that he had. We both are hopeful that it will allow him to feel more rested. Time will tell.
  • Jackson's back to sleeping in the tent these days. I cleared out a corner in the boys' room a while back, so at least it's no longer in the living room thankfully. One advantage is that I can hear him as soon as he tries to get up. That velco is a dead give away. 
  • Cooper had an unsuccessful run in the toddler bed a couple of months ago. He just kept getting up. And running out to the living room. And giggling. And keeping Jackson up. Bedtime was a battle for many rough nights. So, having had enough, at least an hour after I first sent them to bed, I converted the toddler bed BACK into a crib one night, and have breathed a huge sigh of relief ever since. He just wasn't ready and didn't understand my attempts to invoke consequences. 
  • You might remember that Jackson was in a toddler bed before he was two years old and a twin bed by 2 1/2. So I thought I needed to press the issue with Coop. But that was a different set of circumstances; he didn't have a big brother to play with instead of going to sleep, and the door to his room at the duplex actually shut, instead of hanging by one hinge like their bedroom door does here.
  • Well, the kids are done with their show and the hubby is home, so off I go.
Have a good weekend!

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Proof that I might have gone a little OCD when Ella was on the way

I went into the office looking for just one document. You know how it goes. Three hours and more than a bag full of trash later, I still haven't found what I originally set out to find, but I have happened across some gems in all the clutter.

And I just had to share. Because that's what I do. I'm a Sharer.



I had to smile at Myself From a Year Ago because very little of this was ever implemented. Especially since Chris was laid off two months before Ella was born. Like most things, we made do with what we had and found sales where we could, and I realized again that such details and decorations just don't matter in the grand scheme of things.

We did end up using the navy blue infant carseat that the boys had used, and it didn't kill us. A little self-conscious, I put accents of pink in it most of the time. Maybe one person said something about a "cute little boy" that whole time Ella was in it. I did find a new pink cover on Ebay, but by that time, she only had a few months left in that carseat anyway.

In addition to this list, I spent hours online searching for the perfect bedding set that used light blue in a girly way, and finding nothing pre-made even spent time picking out fabrics as if I'd ever sew such a complex set myself. After all that effort, I found a girly nursery set with blue in it (as well as pink, yellow, green, and purple) for $30 at the consignment sale. Then, I purchased two pink crib sheets on sale for $4 each at Target. You know what? Ellie hasn't complained about the lack of a stylishly coordinated nursery even once. She does have a very nice furniture set in there, and that is more than enough.

Oh, and that grey kitty with the pink nose? Cooper found it sitting in Ellie's crib before she was born and claimed it for his own, which solved the problem of trying to bring grey into the mix.