Monday

I haven't written a basic "here's what's going on with us now" post for awhile, so here goes! :)

SYDNEY

is FLYING along with her language development. She is using more words and concepts all the time and it is so much fun seeing her progress. Some of the newer things she is saying:
- "Hi there!" to tons of people out in the community. This phrase is from her beloved "bubble guppies' show. We have worked on her initiating greetings for a long time...all of a sudden it just clicked.
- "Look Mom, I'm x'ing!" She'll stop and get my attention to tell me all kinds of things she's doing (jumping, climbing, cooking, rolling...whatever!) and also to just show me things in general ("look mom, a firetruck!")
- She is trying to have conversations and will jibber jabber this long phrase and then end with 1-3 words you understand.
- She LOVES her chocolate milk (still) and sometimes I have to tell her she needs to eat something first before she can have some. She has started saying, "No eat...you have to DRINK something first!" Then looks up at me with this smirky grin. ;) I think this is some of her first talking back!!

Socially she still needs a lot of help...she pretty much ignores her peers unless they are very forward with her. She plays great with Natalie and even approaches Jacob occasionally. We have started peer play with a little girl in her preschool class, and have more plans for working on socializing in the coming months.

She is still having lots of issues with food, but she is willing to try a new one here and there, usually in therapy. She has developed a LOT of anxiety issues and we're trying to work through those. When the credits roll after a tv program, she has to hide behind our recliner, and often covers her ears too. She covers her ears a LOT out in public...any car passing by or loud sound. Today she covered them as we left preschool and I couldn't hear anything that might bother her so I asked what she heard. She said "I hear grass." Sure enough, the wind was blowing and the grass was rustling. But I wouldn't have expected that to bug her! She has been very fearful of machines like ice dispensers/soda fountains in restaurants but we've been working on it and now she just shuts her eyes and holds her ears rather than having a full meltdown.

My favorite thing is that she is becoming a big kisser. She gives me TONS of loud (m-wah!!!) kisses and says "I love you" and "nice, sweet mommy" all the time. She's a sweetie!

NATALIE

is still doing awesome in school. She has gotten her success ticket EVERY single day this year and we're almost done with school. We are so proud of her! I ran into her teacher at the grocery store the other day and she told me Natalie is just a little sponge and comprehends much more than the other kids in her class. That was nice to hear! She seems to be better navigating things socially and isn't coming home with her heart broken all the time anymore.

She is still having daily stomachaches. It's been about a year and a half of them now. The latest doctor's visit again suggested stress or anxiety and that we make some lifestyle changes for her. Perhaps some counseling if they don't get better. She takes the role of "big" sister (in many ways) to her brother and sister very seriously. I am going to take her to a gastroenterologist to rule out any more tricky-to-spot explanations and we'll take it from there.

After over 2 years of being obsessed with dinosaurs, things are starting to change. DRAGONS are starting to take over! And now instead of being a paleontologist when she grows up, she says she wants to be a veterinarian. She loves to paint her toenails and brush/floss her teeth...sometimes she wants to put on makeup too. And she loves to scrub in the bath and wash her hair with fancy bath & body products. She is a girly little tomboy! Finally, she is still our fruit and vegetable eating queen...right now she especially loves getting new kinds of fruit or fruit juices and she fights Chris over the "fruit 2day" drinks. We went to the grocery store today and she decided to get radishes and try them. She also has started trying some of the foods that she swore she wouldn't eat...ravioli, potatoes, and peanut butter. She is a dream eater, especially for this mom! :)

JACOB

is finishing up his 1st grade year! He will be taking summer school this year (same class, teacher, aide, etc) but I am not sure how many therapy hours he'll be approved for. Thankfully his teacher will be doing 2nd grade next year to follow along with the kids, so he won't have to get used to a new classroom. I'm hoping this will help him make some more progress. This was a slow going year academically, probably because we had aggression to deal with at the beginning of the year and the results of all of the crappy stuff he went through from his last therapy program to correct. But....the aggression is almost completely gone, his eloping is under control (probably because everyone at home/school/therapy is working very hard together to keep it that way!) and we now seem ready to LEARN. :)

At home we are still having some of the same behavioral issues we've always had...some potty issues, keeping clothes on, dumping things out (soap, shampoo, paint, whatever is liquid and in a bottle!), and general messiness. But he is also getting more complex ideas out verbally and sometimes he tries so hard to make a point with me. We are starting to have some basic conversations and I am floored at the concepts he can get across to me with so few words sometimes.

Every night he asks for his schedule board and we write the next day's activities with a dry erase marker. Sometimes he'll tell me to "cross it out" if he doesn't like something, and he lets me know how he'd like his day to go. I love seeing how he's thinking! Tonight he let me know that tomorrow he wants to go to Walmart, and he wants to get blueberry jello. I am not sure if they even make blueberry jello so that could be tricky, we'll see! He also wanted me to cross out school so we had a little "conversation" about having to go. Once we get the schedule all done the way he likes it, he'll give me a quick nod and say "Good" or "Yes." I feel like I've gotten a huge sign of approval when he says it!

CHRIS

is working soooo hard. He's putting in tons of time at the office...too much, really, and I'm a little (lot) worried about his health. He's also taking classes towards his master's degree through Phoenix and spending what little spare time he has studying. He is doing so well with school and I am really proud of him. He's also working on our master bathroom and we've got some big updating plans for our bedroom/closet as well. Woohoo! But he is burning the candle at both ends and I'm hoping some balance is in the works for him.

He is trying to develop a few rituals with the kids since he can't spend much time with them - one of my favorites right now is bedtime with Jacob. Usually Chris is sitting in bed doing homework, listening to classical music. Jacob will say "Go lie down with Daddy!" and then run to the bedroom and fall asleep next to Chris. There are also some tickles involved. :)

ME

Trying SOOOOOO hard...so, so, so hard...to figure out how to get this house organized. In the next decade if possible. Most of my spare time involves researching laundry systems or how to get more work done in less time. Then there's also farmville and bejeweled blitz when I need a break for my brain! I usually spend some time with those when I put the girls to bed, since they like me to stay in the room while they fall asleep. I'm making myself a goal to get my health in better order in the coming year...hopefully there will be more time to dedicate to it with Natalie in 1st grade next year. My thyroid still needs to get to the right levels, and I need to get my constant stomachaches (wonder where Natalie gets it?) and anxiety issues worked out. Not to mention my TEETH. Lots to do, but I am making steps.

Whew. The longest post ever!