the Heald Family Blog

Back to School

2010-09-09T17:57:00.004-04:00

Joely had a great first day. She told her teacher a story about a cocoon (I have no idea where it came from). It is a more structured class, which is great, I think she is ready for the challenge. Thankfully, the bus ride is much shorter, but she still managed a nap on the way home.

Mommy's Little Mermaid

2010-07-20T10:18:00.007-04:00

Last summer, Joely would tolerate knee deep water, this summer she is LOVING water. If she would let me call her a nickname I would call her my little mermaid or a fishie (but Joely wants us to call her Joely). July 5, she would not let me hold her in a friend's pool, but by the weekend she was in 30 inches of water and voluntarily went under the water. Since then, we have been to Lake Michigan and another small lake and she has me in deep water with her - good thing I was a water rat when I was little.

Take Me out to the Ball Game

2010-06-09T10:54:00.003-04:00

A little baseball fun with the family:

Spring Soccer

2010-06-05T18:26:00.003-04:00

Calla has her game face on. It has been a great season of soccer, the Vardar girls have come a long way. Calla has improved so much with her skills, but has also stepped up to being a leader on her team. It will be sad next week when the season is over.

Memorial Day Weekend

2010-06-04T11:49:00.003-04:00

Joely at a Memorial Day Parade - the parade had no candy, but there were flags.

2010-05-25T16:44:00.001-04:00

"A Sunny Day", that is what Joely is calling it. She played outside with the hose - watered the plants, dirt, and the dog! She was pretty pleased with herself.

Hip Hip Hooray!

2010-05-23T20:02:00.002-04:00

The pediatrician told me to give Joely Benadryl to sleep at night. A full teaspoon is not easy to get into her, it tastes nasty. But, she slept all night long! I can't even remember when she last slept through the whole night. Her comment was "I slept until the daytime." She was definetly proud of her accomplishment!

Sweet and Sour

2010-05-21T13:20:00.007-04:00

I have to include a sweet picture of Joely in a hat she made at school this year. She was too interested in the TV to smile at the camera, but it is sweet nonetheless.

The school year in winding down - 3 more weeks to go. Joely at the IEP meetings has been described as sweet by her teacher, O.T and speech pathologist. But lately, she has been showing her sour side.

Since April 2, I have had been told by Joely's bus driver, weekly, they are having an episode of her crying, arguing with one of the other little girls, temper tantrums or just plain being difficult/stubborn. As a mom, it is so hard to hear. Last week, I heard "she is all yours." after a difficult ride, today was "we almost didn't let her ride the bus." The episodes are increasing to 4 or 5 times a week the last three weeks.

On one hand, it is very good for her teacher and the adults who work with her to see the full picture of Joely's behavior, good and bad. But, I have never had a problem with children behaving poorly in school, so I feel clueless as to what to do.

Sleep as been issue again. Joely has not this school year, had a stretch of sleeping through the night, but it is getting worse. Cory and I feel like it is interfering with school. There was no evidence that anything medical was disrupting her sleep. So there we sit with behavior as the problem. Now the problem we have is Cory and I are tired, very tired. Parenting any child takes lots of energy, but anyone with a strong-willed child with any kind of special need knows that is takes even more.

Please keep Cory and I in your prayers for wisdom with how best to help the behavior and sleep, grace as we parent not just her but the other two kids as well, and for me personally, focus on the sweet moments while handling the sour ones appropriately.

More Therapy

2010-03-24T15:40:00.003-04:00

But for someone new this time, Calla.

She has been living with knee pain for a month now. After icing it, wearing a brace, and resting it. I decided it was time to have it looked at. She has had a foot turn in since kindergarten and it has caused her knee to be out of alignment , so Calla will need physical therapy. Thankfully, it is near our home.

Born to Worship

2010-03-21T19:54:00.003-04:00

Carter was in our church's kids musical production. He did a fantastic job acting! I wish I had his ability to memorize lines and keep my nerves under control.

Progress Report from Joely's Classroom Teacher

2010-03-17T13:21:00.003-04:00

I had Joely's conferences yesterday.

She is doing very well in school and making lots of progress!

Her teachers comments:

- Joely attends circle and sits independently for 10-15 minutes or more daily.

- Joely plays cooperatively with preferred friends daily.

- Joely needs adult support during clean up time daily, and some reminders during free play in order to participate and follow classroom rules.

I asked about the preferred friends and she mentioned they don't require her to converse with them, and she genuinely likes what they are playing with. She also said she is a follower and that with the kids she prefers, it might not be the best choice of friends (yikes).

The recommendation for next year is to stay in this program. Cory and I are glad, we know this has been a good year for Joely, we love her teacher and the program she is in.

We All Survived

2010-03-14T20:23:00.000-04:00

Cory was away for a week to San Fransisco, while he was having fun (mostly working) I was at home (in warmer weather than in CA) with the kids.

Goodbye Winter!

2010-03-14T15:17:00.001-04:00

This year Joely enjoyed playing in the snow, she looked forward to the big kids coming home and taking her outside to play.

But with 50 degree temps in the forecast, it is so long snow, hello SPRING!

Father Son Night

2010-03-13T15:14:00.000-05:00

The Star Wars people came to the school for a great night of father/son bonding. I think both of my guys were pretty geeked!

Whatever You're Doing

2010-03-13T06:56:00.001-05:00

There is song by Sanctus Real, "Whatever Your'e Doing," that moves me to worship. Joely and I have been known to dance around the living room to it. The lyrics of the second verse (with chorus) are what best describes my heart and mind these last few months:

Time for a milestone
Time to begin again
Reevaluate who I really am
Am I doing everything to follow Your will
Or just climbing aimlessly over these hills
So show me what it is You want from me
I give everything I surrender...
To...
Whatever You're doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but somehow there's peace
It's hard to surrender to what I can't see
but I'm giving in to something Heavenly

I can't begin to concisely write out the process, the journey really, that I have been on. After lots of tears, prayers and some wise council, a few decisions have made:

- I am going back to school, a degree in communications.

- I am not necessarily going back to begin a career.

- I am going to be involved in the middle school ministry at my church again.

I feel at peace (and I am excited) and know that at any point God might direct my steps in new place.

Nara is Getting BIG

2010-03-12T15:05:00.004-05:00

Nara graduated from puppy school last week. She knows sit, down (lay down), stay (but not well), shake, drop it, come, and maybe a few others. Calla was a huge help in training.

The poor girl gets fixed next week, she weighed in at approximately 57 pounds today. She can slow down anytime now!

To Blog Again

2010-03-12T14:48:00.002-05:00

Last September we had a hard drive fail, the one that had many of his projects and all my photos. As an instructor at a state university, my husband stresses the importance of backing up hard drives, but he didn't back our home computer for 16 months. I lost 16 months of precious photos, however, I had blogged most of that time. Thankfully, some photos were spared and many memories, stories and therapy progress was well documented.

Recently, I was putting Joely's 2 year album together, and realized that because I blogged I have a better picture of her life preserved for her (even with missing photos) than I had of my other kids.

So I back at it again.

Under Construction

2010-01-16T15:17:00.004-05:00

2010 has begun and it has been busy here. Finally after 4 years of talking about making a fourth bedroom, we building one. We meaning my husband, his father and uncle. Only one "wall" needed to be built, which is actually a long closet. We are finishing off a little storage section ofr a walk in closet for us too.

But before all this began, we spent our days cleaning out, organizing, donating all kinds of stuff. Then the fun of painting bedrooms. Carter was getting our old room, Joely moving in to Carter's room, and Calla could say goodbye to bunking with Joely. Carter choose a grey color, it is pretty dark, but we all love it for him and his Legos pop against wall. Joely's color is perfect for Joely - pink. One wall is a darker/brighter pink that we renames "Sassy Pink" from "Sexy Pink" it seemed too inappropriate for a three year old girl. The other three walls a lighter pink. She was a bit disappointed that the ceiling wasn't painted pink too. The painting is done - yahoo!

However, painting will resume after the room is built. I am not sure what color. It is a nice size room, but in the basement with a small window. I LOVE bold color, but because of the limited daylight, I may need to be muted. I am thinking about the grey in Carter's room, because it looked gorgeous with our dark wood furniture. But I don't want a cave for a room either.

In the meantime, I am looking for fabric to break of the pink in Joely's room. I am thinking about this line, from Erin McMorris, as of today, but there is sooo much out there that is beautiful for a little girl's room.

BTW, Calla was not left out, because of Cory's office furniture background, Calla has a unique desk in her room - great for studying and artwork.

I will post before and after pictures soon.

First time in 5,6,7 Years

2009-12-30T08:48:00.000-05:00

I sent out Christmas cards. Hope you had a wonderful Christmas, remembering all God's blessings this year.

Cookie Decorating

2009-12-30T08:24:00.004-05:00

This was the first year we decorated cookies. There were no special family recipes just Betty Crocker. The older two kids and I were rolling and cutting out the sugar cookies into snowflakes and the gingerbread into, well, gingerbread men. Joely came up to the table we were working took a deep smell of the fantastic gingerbread and said I "I smell it." She then sneezed all over the unbaked cookies and dough. We finished the rolling and cutting, baked them to perfection (almost), and then decorated the cookies Christmas Eve.

We had fun. Next year, I think I will try to find a wonderful homemade recipe and make them with Calla.

Nara Loves the Snow Too

2009-12-12T15:57:00.000-05:00

Nara has been having fun in the snow too. She loves to be outside and play with Pepper. The only thing she was unsure about was sledding down our tiny hill with kids.

Happy Birthday

2009-12-12T15:52:00.001-05:00

Calla turned 12! I can't believe she is twelve, one more year and I have a teenager! Cory and I have truly blessed these 12 years with a thoughtful, respectful and loving daughter. She brings much love and joy to our lives.

The Big Snow Storm!

2009-12-12T15:32:00.002-05:00

Joely was very excited to see the snow. Being three, she had no memory of snow from last year. This worked in favor because she had no memory of hating her winter coat, hat and mittens. I had purchased the coat earlier in the week - pink with a princess (daddy's genius idea enticing her into one). I had the mittens and hat, but no snowpants or boats. She is double layer pants and triple socks in crocks!

We treked out to Target, found pink (of course) snowpants and princess boots to make her winter clothes complete. Joely is loving the snow and is getting dressed.

Nara is Home

2009-11-13T10:26:00.004-05:00

Just like new babies, puppies can arrive early. We were anticipating picking her up Saturday, but I got a call Wednesday afternoon, asking if we wanted to come get her. We jumped at the chance and surprised the kids. I made a quick trip to PetSmart to get some necessities - collar, leash, food, etc. A friend dropped off a crate later that evening.The kids had church activities that night, we went to Cornell's with Joely to pick up our sweet little Nara. It was really sad leaving because she was only the second puppy to go. She played with her parents and siblings before we left. She seemed to know what was going to happen, but of course that wasn't possible.

We drove to church to pick up the kids. I had a sleeping puppy on my lap and we made it home and in the house before the kids noticed her in my arms. Calla saw first and with a dropped jaw and then a big smile she welcomed Nara home. Carter, was talking a mile a minute, stood next to me holding Nara and didn't notice until Calla said something. The kids were thrilled.

We all were wondering how our 11 year old lab would respond to a puppy. Pepper seemed scared, she was shaking a bit. Nara was very happy to meet her, thought she would have a playmate to rough house with, but not so far. Cory and I petted Pepper and gave her lots of attention and love while still trying to play with Nara. After a couple hours, Pepper returned the interest in Nara, sniffed and licked her, reassuring the rest of us, that all would be ok.

As expected, we had a loud first night (and second too). But having a strong willed child has helped prepare me to be in control of the dog and not let my heart melt too much.

Nara sleeps a lot still during the day. Her first day my goal was to get her in crate without too much crying - it was a success and right now she is sleeping in it voluntarily!

Family Update

2009-11-10T12:18:00.003-05:00

Yikes, it has been a month (almost) since I last blogged.

Here's what has been happening in our family:

Cory - moved into an office early October. He had been working in our basement with a couple other people doing some side work. they were so busy with it (and it keeps coming) that they needed to move out! Thankfully, they found some great space downtown, near his full time job, and it has helped my stress level, having our house to ourselves.

Calla - soccer ended. Calla went on a middle school retreat to Camp Geneva. I got to go with and it was so much fun! Days later, she came down with H1N1. The 106.9 fever brought her and I to the ER. Luckily her fever was starting to brake before we even got there. And she did really well being so sick when her fever was under control. Midterm reports came out and all A's!

Carter - is in the middle of Lego League Robotics. He practices 4 times a week, twice during lunch, twice after school. He is an alternate, so he is taking the year to learn. He has contributed good ideas and has fun with the team. The competition is November 21, if someone is sick, he will be ready to fill in. Carter has also discovered he misses playing soccer. We talked to the coaches and owner of Vardar and they are letting him train with the team. He is trying it out to see if he wants to commit and they get to try him out too. Carter too is all A's.

Joely - has been better with getting dressed and off to school. She loves it, loves having friends and teachers. It is so fun to see her learning new songs and have some fun experiences of her own. We had conferences for her. Her teacher loves having her int he class. She loves circle time - singing and listening to stories. The one thing that surprised me is that she is quiet at school. Her teacher said bashful. Hmm, not expecting that, at home she exudes confidence. Calla was like this too at this age. But she behaves quite well at school, so maybe this is the flip side of her not be overly comfortable.

Myself - I got to go with Calla to the retreat and realized how much I love working with the youth at church. I teach confirmation, but miss the weekly interaction with students. I have been walking in the mornings 3-5 times a week. It hasn't been nice outside, although November has been great! Our church moved locations, so I helped there a bit cleaning. Somehow I just stay busy!

Our puppy comes this week. I am sure many more pictures and stories will follow, keeping me on track to blog more regularly. Now I realize this sounds more like a poorly written Christmas letter - sorry!

She's Smarter Than I Think

2009-10-15T18:03:00.004-04:00

For a year now I have worked with Joely regarding sequencing in regards to time. I say "first socks, then shoes." or "first clothes (get dressed), then car (we go out)." this never seems to phase her. She is constantly frustrated that she is not getting her way. But of course, Joely likes to prove me wrong.

Today we brought Cory to the airport, then Joely I had to drop the kids off at school. During this time she is so excited to go back to school after being absent fot the three days. We pull in the parking lot for the big kids' school, and Joely said, "I want to go to Joely's school." I replied, "first Calla and Carter's school, then Joely's school." He pleasantly sweet response, "Oh, I wait."

I should never underestimate her.

Our Newest Family Member

2009-10-14T14:15:00.002-04:00

Yes, I am crazy, this is Nara, our puppy. She is not at our house yet, she's just 4 weeks old and needs her momma. But we have been very fortunate to be able to go and visit Nara and her siblings (there were 10!). She changes so much week to week. Normally I would go visit tonight, but maybe the whole family can visit Sunday. We are excited for November when Nara can come home.

School Update

2009-10-13T11:43:00.002-04:00

Joely has been in school for a little over a month. She is doing well. She like school, but doesn't always want to get ready for school. This is our daily struggle. It is hard to tell if it is getting her moving and ready after she has been able to take it easy over the summer or if it is transitioning into new clothes. She had trouble last year at this time getting dressed and we are experiencing a similar struggle this year.

Because Joely rides a bus, I don't speak with her teacher on a daily basis. Her teacher called and let me know how Joely was doing and emails regularly. Conferences are at the end of the month.

We get to visit a pumpkin patch with the am and pm classes next week. The whole families are invited. Carter is really looking forward to it, you would think at age 9, hanging out with preschool classes wouldn't be high on his priority list. But truthfully, we haven't carved pumpkins in a few years, so it could be that he glad to get a pumpkin.

Joely's school pictures were bad, retakes next week. Hopefully she will smile, and they will do a better job with photographing on a green screen.

One Year Ago

2009-09-17T14:46:00.003-04:00

It is around the year mark that Joely was evaluated for speech. A year ago, she had several tantrums a day, she was very frustrated not being able to communicate verbally. She had a vocabulary of 20 words or so.

After a year of therapy, we now hear Joely say:

"Mommy I want a doughnut with sprinkles." - luckily we had them.
"I can't take it anymore." - she didn't want to get dressed that morning.
"Stop, go the other way." - we hear this when she recognizes that we are on our way home.
"The big, giant ant crashed into the house." - she was telling us a story today.

We are so proud of her and the progress she's made in such a short time.

A Peaceful Demonstration

2009-09-09T15:05:00.007-04:00

Joely's newest way to show here displeasure in leaving a store, church, restaurant, etc is to calmly sit down. She sits just outside the door and invites us to sit with her. It is quite cute and thankfully, it's a peaceful demonstration of her feelings, but a little irritating when in a hurry.
Her latest one was when we had to leave school, she calmly said "I'm Not." After I told her it was time to leave. This happened in school and then on the playground on our way to the car.

The First Day of School

2009-09-09T14:58:00.004-04:00

The kids went back to school yesterday.

Joely's morning back was an open house. She and I went, took a bus ride, played on the playground, free play and then circle time. She had lots of fun.

Joshua

2009-08-23T08:21:00.004-04:00

About a week ago I was tucking Carter in at bedtime. In a quiet voice he said to me "I don't feel like God is with me." After he said it, a couple tears came. Oh, it breaks my heart! Earlier in August he went to Camp Geneva. He had a great time, they talked about how God looks at us in the inside, not on the outside. It dawned on me that maybe he was experiencing what many feel after a time of really sensing God's presence and a spiritual high - a low.

I explained that God doesn't leave us, we turn away from Him. The way for us to "feel" close to Him is to spend time with Him - in prayer and in His Word. We decided that night that we should be reading the Bible together.

Knowing that Carter is very interested in battles - such a boy, I thought about where I left off from my study last year: the Isrealites were ready to enter the Promised Land - Joshua! There were going to be some big battles for the Isrealites.

Our first night reading, we read Joshua 1:5b, "As I was with Moses, so I will be with you: I will never leave you or forsake you." This was a promise to Joshua, but as Christians we can apply this to our lives. What an assurance!

We are reading about remembering what God has done in the past, how he has proved faithful and mighty, to remember His great deeds. I know Carter needs this time before bed to read, but I do too. I am excited for this time with him, and of course Calla had to be a part of it too. What a privilege to have this time with them to talk about God and help them grow in their faith.

Happy Birthday Joely Bean!

2009-08-21T07:00:00.011-04:00

Here's some pictures to celebrate your three years!

Joely's One Year!

Joely's Two!Joely's a Three Year Old!

On the Farm - Puppies

2009-08-16T07:10:00.005-04:00

We also got to visit some puppies. They were two week old baby golden retrievers. We were even offered one. It was so tempting!
After Calla saw how much I love puppies, she grabbed my cell phone and called Cory and asked if we could have one. He was not too pleased that he got ganged up on like that. But really, I never said she could even ask. He was brilliant though, he said he was neutral to the idea, it was up to me, my responsibility too. That helped clear my brain a bit. In our little 3 bedroom house, I wasn't so sure I wanted to add another big dog - we still have our black lab Pepper. So then I had to be the mean one saying no.

Calla is still holding out hope. I still think about the cute little things too. But then I remember how much I hate dog hair, the chew phase of a puppy, and the idea of training a puppy is overwhelming! But they were so adorable....

On the Farm - Wild Life

2009-08-15T08:35:00.004-04:00

The kids were so excited to be right on a river - the Clam River. They LOVE to find turtles, frogs, minnows...anything they can catch in their nets. Cory went and bought the kids new nets - huge nets to use. They were on the hunt for crayfish and clams! They caught over nine crayfish (Calla knows the exact amount), 3 whole clams (my uncle said he never sees whole clams). The caught one giant frog. He scared Joely. It jumped out of the pail while she was looking at it.

There several bird feeders around. We saw gold finches, morning doves, cardinals, orioles, and many hummingbirds. The birds kept hitting the windows. One didn't make it, but there was one that needed a little tlc. Calla was able to hold it in her hand and pet it. When i went to get the camera, it flew to the tree. here's her bird:

On the Farm - the Cows

2009-08-14T20:25:00.008-04:00

We were blessed by my aunt and uncle who invited us to come up to their farm. I have lots of memories of being on the farm as a little girl myself.
Two baby calves had been born that day, these are them. Another was born just minutes after we left (I was thankful, Carter wanted to see it!).

The calf was so young, he(?) was still wobbly on his feet.

Carter feeding on of the calves his first bottle.

Calla after feeding the calf the bottle let him suck her finger! She loves farm life.

All the excitement was too much for Joely, shortly after we arrived she took a little snooze on my aunt. Yes that is Joely holding her nose as she sleeps!

Joely did not want to go back to the barn, she named them "stinky cows." Good thing she didn't understand that is where her beloved milk comes from or she might give it up!

2009-08-07T14:50:00.006-04:00

It had been a rough and emotional week for me. I was dreading the appointment we had with the intensive feeding program. I knew that a decision would need to be made and honestly Cory and I just didn't seem to be on the same page. We both want what is best for Joely and our family, but we had different ideas of what that is. After my day or two having my grown up kind of temper tantrum, I came to the conclusion God was going to prove Himself powerful. He would either change Cory's heart or mine and give us both peace.

The morning came for us to meet. We met with a nurse practitioner, not the doctor or the other experts like the time before. Joely was weighed and measured. She weighed in at 25 pound, 13 ounces! This was a HUGE weight gain. Last month, at the sleep doctor, she was 24 and a half pounds. She was weighed with her dress on - she never gets weighed with clothes. But even still, she made huge gains. She is 35 and 1/8 inches. She just can't make it to the 3 feet mark, but if the past serves as an indication, that will come very soon. She has her weight and height spurts at different times.

We went over her food intake as of lately. They saw what we see - improvement! Joely is eating more meat, which is good because the blood work done in May showed lower levels of zinc, which is explained by the lack of protein. It wasn't too low where they were concerned.

Here's what we found out: If she had gone in to be evaluated as of today, she would not have qualified for the intensive feeding program!

Ephesians 3:20 says; " Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work with in us."

I asked God would unite our decision, (which was no small task!) and He did! I asked for peace, and He gave it! It never occurred to me to ask Him to grow Joely, to nearly disqualify her from being a candidate in the program - but that is what He has done! I am so thankful He knows what we need and goes beyond my prayers.

I also have to thank God for the many of you who keep us in your prayers.

We are staying on their list (thus the near disqualification), we go back in three months to follow up just in casse she isn't doing better, but I am confident in the answer God has given us.

Tough Love is Working?!

2009-07-28T08:25:00.002-04:00

Joely has managed to have some long stretches of sleep - 8:30pm until 5am. Usually she goes back to sleep, once in awhile she is wide awake, so the day starts early. The pattern is two good nights, one disrupted night. It is improving and we celebrate the progress!

She is a smart one though, she has the last two nights very quietly climbed into our bed. The first night I woke up and brought her back to her bed. Last night she slept at my feet so I it took a bit for me to notice she was there. Luckily daddy got her back in bed and she slept until morning.

On the nights she sleeps well, she wakes up well. But, on most of these early mornings have brought on early morning meltdowns. It has been a struggle at these times to play hard ball with her. I want the rest of the family to sleep, but I have to let her cry it out. Usually at these times, there is nothing I can do, if I go near her she screams, if I leave her she screams. So I let her be - thankfully I am getting better at this. The tantrums seem to be shorter 30-40 minutes instead of 45-60+ minutes.

Being consistent is the hard part. Too many things during the summer take us away from home and keep us out later. We are trying very hard to make the bedtime routine set her up for a successful night sleeping.

Flippin Tables

2009-07-15T07:59:00.004-04:00

My husband and some friends started up a new business!
Check out his new website.

If you enjoy a good video game, try being a beta tester for Roaming Fortress. This was Cory's grad school project gone wild!

A Day at the Cottage in Pictures

2009-07-14T08:00:00.002-04:00

Splashing in the water

Checking out the Fishies

Relaxing in the water

Joely in a floating for the first time with out a tantrum

Carter is the motor for JD's boat ride

Calla's working the hula hoop

Fishing with Uncle Ed

Joely in the kids' room, two sets of these awesome bunk beds

Our First Beach Day of 2009

2009-07-13T10:30:00.006-04:00

My sister and her kids were in town from Columbus, OH, and staying in Grand Haven with our Dad. So we had to spend a day at the beach! The weather had not been cooperating, seasonably cool, but it was better. The water temp for Lake Michigan was 53 degrees! The air was 63 degrees when we got there, it did warm up a little. Too cold to swim for long period of time, but he kids had fun building sand castles. Joely actually jumped into the water on shoreline! She is getting more tolerating of extreme temperatures. She has come a long way from a year ago!
I am just learning how to do this and now I know that with my limited knowledge I need to NOT turn the camera! But the footage was cute anyways

Tough Love

2009-07-13T08:50:00.002-04:00

Last week, after the appointment regarding Joely's sleep, I decided it was time for some tough love. We were given the go ahead to treat the night time wakings as behavioral.

The melatonin we have been giving her at night has helped her mellow out and fall asleep better, but not 100% of the time. We did find that the earlier in the evening we gave it, the better. Her usual bedtime was 9pm, and we gave it to her at 8pm. The PA wanted us to move up her bedtime, so the melatonin is now given at 7:30pm, and we are in her room by 8:30pm, she is usually asleep now by 9pm.

Sadly though, we had gotten out of the habit of making her cry it out, because it had gone on for hours. So my first step is to get her to fall asleep by herself. Cory or I sit by the door while she falls asleep and this seems to be working well. We will soon be in doorway and then in the hall, and at some point not needed (I hope this day comes soon!). And then at night when she wakes, I bring her to the potty, and then I sit in the same spot until she falls asleep.

The first night she did well at bedtime. Unfortunately, she was up at midnight, she didn't fall back asleep until 3am! Cory and I both took a shift during those long 3 hours. She slept from 3am until 6am. And then she was up for the day!

Bedtime went well the second night, she seemed to understand that we were not going to lay with her, she knew the drill! She still woke up twice and was back asleep within 40 minutes (big improvement) and was up at 6am. But each night has gotten a little better. The last few nights she has only woken up once, but but occasionally struggles falling back asleep.

It seems though we are on the right track and with some sleep, we are all doing much better!

Calla's Picture of Ming

2009-07-10T09:07:00.000-04:00

Cory's parents got a kitten in May - Ming. She is a pretty Siamese cat. Calla had lots of fun photographing her. This one is a favorite!

Joy Comes

2009-07-10T08:28:00.002-04:00

I have been in a Beth Moore Bible Study this summer, studying the Psalms of Accent. We have a theme verse going:

"Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy."

After last week's post (rant), I feel it necessary to find the joy. And although, we are still walking though the unknown with Joely, there is so much to be thankful for.

God is with us.
I am thankful for medical insurance with all these appointments/tests.
Joely is growing, in two months she gained a half pound.
She is eating more meat, she tried ham last nigh off of pizza, she was led to believe it was bacon.

My prayer now is that God will make His will known for us regarding this feeding program and that my heart will be open to what that is. Thanks for keeping our family in your thoughts and prayers.

I Could Just Cry

2009-07-07T15:39:00.007-04:00

The phone rang today, the caller id identified it as one of the doctors offices. Sure enough, it was the pulmanologist calling to reschedule (again) Joely's appointment. Her appointment was scheduled for her 3rd birthday (Aug 21), but they said there were opening today, so I took it.

It was strange, her doctor wasn't even the one I met with. We met with a very nice PA. She informed us that the doctor was not too thrilled with the ENT, he wanted us to see, for not opting to do a tonsillectomy. She explained there was is something going on with Joely breathing while she sleeps, and even though it is mild, it still needs to be addressed. So a second opinion is in the works. If this new surgeon doesn't do the tonsillectomy, we will need to do another sleep study (the last thing I would ever want to willingly do again) in December to moniter how she is is doing.

So, now we wait and find out if surgery is needed. We don't even have an appointment scheduled for the second opinion and then if she does need surgery, it could be fall - when she is in school.

On the brightside, no two hour appointment on her birthday!

Swallow Study

2009-07-02T16:35:00.001-04:00

Even with minimal cooperation from Joely, the conclusion of the the swallow study is that everything is normal. She does not have difficulties swallowing, at least from a mechanics standpoint. This was the outcome I suspected all along, but I am thankful I can confidently say she isn't in any danger of choking when she eats.

Picture Update

2009-06-30T17:21:00.001-04:00

How We Spent our Days in June

2009-06-29T22:43:00.012-04:00

It has been over two weeks since I blogged last.
I am finding that the lazy days of summer, just don't exist - at least not here.

Calla had her last soccer game of season - sorry no pictures because it was raining so Joely and I stayed only for 10 minutes before we needed to go home - it was also week 1 of potty training.
She had two nights of soccer tryouts, which lead to stressful week of not knowing what was going on, but then we signed her up for another season of Vardar with Coach Carl! That's who she played for this past year.
She didn't get to relax for too long because her figure drawing class at Kendall began. She proudly states it is with clothed models. She is one of three students so she gets a lot of attention. She is learning so much, and even though she is a cartoonist, this is providing her with a great foundation for her future in art. She has another class in July on African Animals - should be fun!

Carter went camping with a friend for 4 days immediately after school got out. He learned how to ride his bike like an expert! Every day he takes at least 1 bike ride, most days he takes two or three. Carter signed up to be a part of the Lego Robotics team at his school.
In the fall, the students will participate in challenges and compete. They have to program the robot, it's well above my head, so sadly, I can't explain it very well. Because he is signed up for the fall, he has been able to participate in some challenges already this summer. He spends Mondays (7 hours) at a school learning how to build, program, work as a team, problem solve, and lose graciously (not so easy for him). This week, his team placed 2nd!!
So, Joely has had a little of running around with her mom or dad getting the big kids to their destinations. But she has been a trooper! She has continued her therapy on Friday mornings with Suzanne. She has a break for a few weeks and then only two more sessions. I can't belive a whole year has almost gone by, but when I consider how far she has come I can only be thankful and full of hope!
Last summer, Joely hated water - a sensory thing. She cried if I made her go in it, even a bath. Again this year I would fill up a little tub of water on the deck so she can play with it. She now plays with it and in it! I think it is her favorite thing to be doing. She would never put her head in water, or even let it drip down her face. I wonder if she'll go in a pool this year?!

Cory has been finishing up his video game that he has created (with help from other creative geniuses). It is his grad school project gone crazy! According to people who like video games it is one of a kind game ( I don't really get into games like that).

I have been working out again, finally! With Cory home more, it is so much easier to make the time to work out. I have been doing the Wii Active - its a love/hate relationship, I have been walking 2- 3 miles a couple times a week, and we have been biking as family a couple times a week. It has been a beautiful summer so far, the one week of high humidity slowed me down outside, but with the Wii, I really have no excuses.
I am also in a Bible Study this summer at church, Stepping Up by Beth Moore (love her studies). It has been helpful to be accountable to my small group of ladies to get my work done and enjoy some time alone with God.

Hope your June was fun too!

Potty Update

2009-06-14T23:36:00.002-04:00

Joely has had a great week going on the potty. Very few accidents, truly not what I had anticipated. She is very independent, using without an announcement, just doing it, she also transfers the pee and poop to the toilet herself (not my choice). The one problem is, Ilstarted her off in on the little potty in the living room, and now I want her in the bathroom. She had one major meltdown, a couple accidents (daddy was with her:D), she moved it to the living room to use it too. Tonight, she finally,with some prompting,and went potty in the appropiate room, the bathroom!

Here's what we are up to...

2009-06-09T14:55:00.008-04:00

Potty Training!

Joely has been showing signs up readiness, but because of busy therapy schedules and soccer life, it has been hard to find a good time to potty train. But really, a good time never happens, so I made time. She has done well so far, not perfect, but better than I thought it would go. She loves her panties and doesn't want them wet, so she'll go naked and have an accident instead of wetting them. What can I say, she is smart and a good problem solver too! Joely did not want her picture taken, she was telling me "no pictures."

Be Still

2009-06-05T13:57:00.005-04:00

Exodus 14:14 states, "The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still."

This year I learned, God fights for His people. My part is to be still. I am trying to be still - trust Him to fight my battles. I have found that when I fight my own battles, I make it bit messy.

The very next verse says, "Then the Lord said to Moses 'Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on.'"

I am a firm believer that crying out to God is ok, but today, I am going to trust that He has heard me, and knows my heart and will indeed fight for me ( I will keep asking though). It's the moving on part I am struggling with. Since I am not sure of where to go from here, the safest place is to be still with Him in prayer and expect His guidance.

Rockin' Out

2009-06-02T16:55:00.004-04:00

We have had Rockband 2 for 1 week now. Collectively, our family has 4 bands so far. Our instruments of choice are:

Calla - guitar
Cory - bass
Carter - drums
Me - vocals
Joely has her own drum set to play, she has fun playing with Carter too.

The kids are doing amazing on their instruments. Cory picked up bass really easy, singing for me is something I tend to do on a daily basis, however, this is a far cry from my madrigal days.

We are having so much fun together!

Ruling Out

2009-05-29T07:54:00.002-04:00

Yesterday was a day of ruling out some issues. First we had a simplified upper GI. They looked at Joely's esophagus, stomach and throat. All are in proper working order. They don't rule out reflux, so for now we proceed with medication.

In the afternoon we went to the ENT, the same surgeon Carter had last fall. He seemed very quick to do surgery on Carter so I expected he would want to schedule surgery for Joely too. After read the sleep study results and asked us some questions, he seemed puzzled as to why we were there. Joely has no need to have her tonsils/adnoids removed. He said the sleep study didn't give much good information because Joely wasn't very cooperative.

Overall, very good news for the day. Still we have some possible explainations for the sleep being so disrupted and feeding being such an issue (reflux, restless leg), but as much I as I don't want it to be behavioral, it seems like that is where we are headed.

Monday morning we are having a consult with Joely pediatrician to pick his brain and hab=ve him help us sort some of this out.

Market Day

2009-05-27T13:43:00.003-04:00

Carter had Market Day at school today, all part of the mini economy they have been hands on learning this year. The third grade classes make a product and sell it to the second and fourth grade classes as well as moms and dads using fake money their teacher provides. Carter made Pipecleaner Pests. He had fun making and selling his pests.

Garden Pictures

2009-05-26T14:18:00.001-04:00

Joely was saying cheese - oh to have a naturally occuring smile in a picture!
We did some yard work Memorial Day. Cory put Calla and Carter to work, I was planting flowers and trying to keep an eye on Joely. She kept herself busy watering the flowers, unfortunately for me, that meant every two minutes I had to fill the watering can with a enough water to keep her busy but not too much where she couldn't lift it. She had so much being a big helper.I love my poppies. I'm not sure they will make it after I have to redo the flower beds in the fall, at least I'll have my pictures.

Canton Cup Tournament

2009-05-25T09:11:00.006-04:00

This past weekend, Calla and I were able to travel to Canton, MI for her soccer tournament. This was her team's (Vardar-West) first tournament. We left Dad, Carter and Joely at home and went with her friend/teammate Anna and her mom.This is Calla in our hotel room - love Hyatt Place! Calla made herself at home!
They played two games on Saturday - 8:10am, and 6:40pm. The first game was a battle. Our girls looked small in comparison, even my 5 foot 3 inch Calla! The team they played was aggressive, so our girls learned quickly to match their aggression. They lost 2 -0, Calla came off the field crying because she was exhausted and gave it her all, I was so proud of her!We went to IKEA for a little bit, went back to the hotel to rest (I napped), out for lunch, a little card playing with teammates and off to the next game.

This second team was another really good team. Our girls were warned about some of these players because they played dirty. Calla was called not so nice word by one of the players, who didn't even treat her own teammates well. But is made her angry enough to play her best ever! The game was a tie 2-2.Pep Talk from the coach - it worked - the girls fought hard!

We had a late dinner, Calla swam and ran around the hotel with her friends, and them off to bed.

Our game Sunday was at 12:50pm, so there was time to sleep in. Calla did, but my body was still ready to get up Joely, and even though she wasn't there, I was up at 7am. After a late breakfast, we went to the soccer fields, watched a great game of boys soccer.

Calla's last game of the tournament, was agreat great game of soccer. The teams were a good match. her coach said this was the toughest team. I think because they really new how to play soccer and did not rely on brute force. Our girls won 2-1! It was great to end the weekend with a win. No playoffs this year, but nontheless a victorious weekend for her team.

She's Enrolled

2009-05-14T16:21:00.003-04:00

Joely is officially on a classroom teacher's list for school next year.

The plan is for Joely to attend a ECSC preschool program. The classroom teacher focuses on speech and incorporates many sensory activities. They have an OT that once a week leads a sensory motor group. A speech therapist comes once a week also.

It is 5 days a week, for 2 hours and 35 minutes. As of today, she will be riding the bus (equipped with car seats), which is highly recommended. They will pick up and drop off her in front of the house. According to my neighbor up the street whose son is the preschool this year, it is a long ride. I am not sure how well Joely will do. The car can be a hit or miss thing with her. I would not like for a poor bus driver and bus full of kids have to listen to her scream because she doesn't want to be in car seat straps. If I am remembering correctly, her son is gone 4 1/2 hours a day. Which would mean 2 hours on the bus!! I don't think I can do that, but the routes change every year, so maybe hers wouldn't be so long.

What will I do with 5 mornings to myself? :D

The Sleep Results are In!

2009-05-09T12:46:00.002-04:00

The first thing the doctor did was shake my hand for being the most patient mom (truly I am not but I had a video camera on me all night) after a very difficult night. Is was a bad night, so I'll take the praise!

The lab results from before were told to us completely. Joely does not have food allergies, same as before. The iron levels are normal, however, one of them is on the low side of normal. It was low enough to be a cause of restless leg syndrome. The iron levels are not a sign of anemia but the iron in her brain is low. She will be starting an iron supplement today. This could be a struggle since iron doesn't taste good.

She is suffering from some seasonal allergies, there is some inflammation in her nose, so a nasal spray will also be given to her. Also, we cannot giver her any milk 2 hours before bed, this will be a big switch to our day. In the past if she didn't eat well, I'd let her have a cup of milk with Carnation Instant Breakfast.

He also asked how the Zantac was going with her. I was honest and said I can't get her to swallow a whole dosage she spits it out and fights with me. He switched it to preveset which we will start today also. 3 medications to start! It doesn't seem like we are messing around here!

The sleep study indicated their is some airway obstruction, we will be referred to an pediatric ENT to see if her tonsils/adenoids should be removed. She does have pauses in her breathing where she stops breathing for 3 seconds. She has several partial arousals all night long - no wonder she wakes up so often! She kicks frequently in her sleep (probably the restless leg syndrome). The delta waves indicate she could be having or might later have night terrors or sleep walking. We are going to use his earlier suggestion for playing music all night, something with a similar tempo and volume.

We left feeling very good. Some parts of her behavior can be attributed to not sleeping well. The doctor seems very helpful. Hopefully we will all be sleeping better soon.

Am I alone in this?

2009-05-08T21:13:00.004-04:00

I hated reading the words inconsistent. I don't want that label. They asked where Joely ate her meals - breakfast almost always on her pink chair watching some TV, her sweet daddy, when he can eats at the table with her. Lunch and dinner is at the table in high chair. Unless we are eating out - maybe 1 time a week (Joely isn't fun in restaurants). Aren't we kinda normal? I understand structure is important, but having a little flexibility is helpful in life.

Sleep we know is a mess. When we met with the intensive feeding panel, we had no direction to go in. Joely could have sleep apnea, reflux or behavior. We wrestle every night with Joely waking up. We are tired too. It is hard to be consistent when you are exhausted. Do we let her sleep with us or lay in her bed? Should we give her a drink of milk if she didn't eat well (yeah probably not)? Until we met with the pulmonologist (sleep dr) again we didn't know how to handle nighttime waking. Is it really our fault?

Evenings at our house are inconsistent also. Cory is in grad school, one night a week he teaches, 3 nights of the week there is soccer for the other two kids. Does routine have to mean every night is exactly the same as before?

I just wonder if we are really any more inconsistent than any other family with kids. I don't mind suggestions for improving - I know I am not consistent in many areas that I can control (exercising!),. But what about about letting the other two kids have a life or the fact Cory is an instructor and his semesters change his works hours. Once again I am question what it means to have balance.

Candidate

2009-05-08T07:13:00.006-04:00

Yesterday, we had our intensive feeding evaluation. Scheduled at 2 pm, otherwise known to most moms of two year olds as nap time. After a quick weight/height check, Joely along with her dad and I met with 5 professionals - neurodevelopmental pediatrician, pediatric psychologist, OT, nutritionist, and a medical social worker. They were very friendly and warm, and put us quickly at ease. 3 or 4 other doctors were there merely to observe. Joely didn't seemed phased by many adults in a room, she was after all the star, and we were her audience - she danced, climbed, jumped and sang for us. We settled in and answered many questions. Questions about our family, sleep, general health, behavior, eating and mealtimes, and many more. It was nice to be asked the questions one time and not haviung to answer the same question 5 times!

Finally, Joely got to eat. She sat in the high chair buckled! This was a really good start. I barely fed her all day, so she would eat in front of them. She did pretty well. She ate lots of noodles with cheese and ground up chicken.

The Doctor examined her, while the other 4 professionals conferred. We waited a briefly, then the Doctor and behavioral psychologist came in to tell us their recommendations.

Impressions for:
Medical
-underweight
-disordered sleep
-possible reflux
-concern of behaviors

Nutrition
-inadequate fruit and veggie intake

Oral-sensory Motor
-adequate OM skills

Psychology
-restricts range of accepted foods & decreased volume likely
-decreased structure around scheduled eating

Medical Social Work
- inconsistent structure and routine

The plan:
Medical
- UGI
-obtain sleep study issues
- chem profile (some other scribbles I can't read, but it's blood work)

Nutrition
-recommend 5 meals per day - milk at meals
- no juice
-food logs

Psychology
- candidate for the day program due to control/strong will

The 1st of 3

2009-05-04T15:01:00.002-04:00

We met with three therapists for an evaluation for Joely today at Ken-O-Sha. She was a bit distracted, but cooperated very well! They are recommending preschool next year for speech with OT services. We are thrilled because we think she will do great with her teacher and being around other children her age.

The one thing we heard today that has been differnt than anything else is her muscle tone - She has huge calf and thigh muscles (all the jumping!) and the PT thinks that if we massaged her legs it could be helpful for her because the muscles look tight.

Personally, her dad and I think she is bound for greatness and you will all see her in the Olympics some day as a gymnist - since she climbs, loves to spin and has incredible balence. Who knows what God has in store for her, but I am trusting the plan is good!

May

2009-05-01T11:43:00.006-04:00

It's been a little while since I last posted. Joely along with Cory and I visited her potential classroom for next year. We met her teacher and got to see the toys. She really liked the kitchen and the Sit and Spins. I think if she goes she will have lots of fun.

Today before therapy we played with bubbles! I had trouble getting a good picture her hands were always in her face trying to catch a bubble.
After therapy it was time for lunch - fettuccine, this is when I can hide a little ground up chicken. I took some out of the freezer, thawed it and Joely wanted to try it. I let her and she liked it. Here is her with a bit and nodding her head that yes she likes it. Next week we have three major appointments - school assessment, an intensive feeding program, and the sleep specialist. We are praying for clear direction as to what is best for her.

Life Outside

2009-04-17T07:52:00.004-04:00

Joely discovered bugs on her slide. They didn't upset her, they entertained her!for at least 20 minutes.

Glasses!

2009-04-14T19:48:00.002-04:00

We picked them up today. Carter had no idea he was supposed to be able to see distances - what a difference glasses make.

Carter's Glasses

2009-04-09T09:28:00.000-04:00

Carter came home last week sad because he thought he failed his vision screening. A letter soon followed from the county confirming his fear. I called our eye doctor and got him in. Sure enough, the conclusion is, he is nearsighted and needs glasses. Today (at least that's the plan) we are going back the eye doctor's to pick out the frames.

Pictures will follow...

Joely's Favorite Book

2009-04-09T09:00:00.001-04:00

This is Joely's favorite book and Daddy and I both love to read it with her. She is so cute with this book she shakes her head answers the questions in her sweet little voice saying"no, not a box." The illustrations and story are simple and well done. The story is fun and creative, she learned a few new words - mountain, robot, and building, while reinforcing other words she knows. Hopefully this will spark her creativity some day while she's playing in her "not a box."

(If I can figure out how to get a video up and take one of the book being read to her I'll put it up.)

I think we'll need to follow it up with Not a Stick. I hope it is as cute and fun to read with Joely as the other!

Statements not Questions

2009-04-07T10:04:00.005-04:00

While Joely's speech therapist was here last week, I let her know that I am not able to get into conversations with Joely. I am struggling with getting Joely to reply when I am playing with her. She observed and then talked me through. She noticed that I ask lots of questions.
"Do you want to slide?"
"Does your puppy want to eat?"
The more she sits in silence the more I question.

She had me make statements.
"I am going to slide."
"My puppy wants a snack."
Then Joely has an opportunity to join in and sometimes she does speak, other times she is still silent.

It is hard to retrain my brain and ask less questions. I catch myself often still asking her questions. Suzanne thinks it puts her on the defense and over- stimulates her too. Adults don't like to be pounded with questions, I guess kids might not either. Joely will often ask us "what is it?" when we are "reading" her picture book of animals, this could have been a clue that she is mimicking me - at least we know she catches on!

Road Trip to Columbus

2009-04-06T14:23:00.006-04:00

The family was out of town this past weekend - off to Ohio to visit my sister and her family. We had an easy ride down, Joely slept over half of the way! We stopped for dinner let her run around and then kept her entertained with Finding Nemo.
We left Joely with my sister to play with her four year old cousin, and took the older two kids COSI, we saw rats play basketball, saw and heard some explosions, lifted a car, saw a huge variety of frogs, explored space and the oceans. The best part for me was watching my brave girl ride a unicycle 2 stories high! The wait was about an hour because it takes time to get one person safely harnessed. A few kids in front of her panicked while out there, which made her nervous. But she told her teacher and a good friend that she was going to do it and if you know Calla she doesn't back down from a challenge!Not a great shot, however it gives perspective on how high Calla was off the ground!Carter's holding up the moon - what a goof!

The problem with traveling with Joely was sleep, she was not to thrilled about sleeping anywhere but home. The next best thing was with mom and dad in a full size bed (we barely get through a night at home in a queen size bed). So all three of us had a rough first night. But she took good naps because she was tired.

They took us to park with 8 miles of trails, with 7 kids and only 2 moms we stayed at the playground and the pond. Calla spotted 8 turtles sunning themselves on logs and she so badly wanted to catch them! Thankfully we had no net - this was not the place to go on a turtle hunt.

Just us adults went out Saturday night and we toured Columbus. Cory and I agree it is a beatiful city and really want to come back and explore more of the city.

Splash Kingdom

2009-04-02T20:14:00.006-04:00

The kids were in a children's musical at church, Splash Kingdom, they had been rehearsing since January. Carter was doing a vignette during one of the songs. His role was to scare his sister with a frog, and when he got so mad he kicked the dog. Calla was a dancer in a song. I was so proud of her for giving it her all. She did great.

Calla was asked to pray before the musical began. She prayed in front of 600+ at the first service. She worked on her prayer earlier that week, She thanked God for the musical, and for the message it gave of salvation. She thanked God for the adults for their hard work and for being with the kids while they performed and all the time. These were her words inspired by the Holy Spirit! I could not have been prouder.

The message of the musical was the ABCs of salvation:
A - admit you are sinner.
B - believe God saved you through Jesus, and
C - claim Jesus as you Savior.

I love and appreciate how our church and the leaders of the productions, always do devotions with the rehearsal to help the kids understand the songs, scriptures and messages in the musical. Carter really listened, and took it to heart. Although he prayed with me when he was 5 and asked Jesus into his heart, he was very worried that he wasn't a Christian because he isn't always nice to Calla. He was afraid that because it didn't happen just like the ABC prayer maybe he wasn't going to heaven. He started to cry because he afraid. What a great kid I have, I was so thankful that he talks me (I pray that this will remain).

We talked about that we are saved by grace not by being good enough or doing enough good things. I assured him that God loves Him even though he sins. And God will forgive his sins too. We prayed and I had Carter pray from his heart, he asked God to forgive his sin and told God he believed Jesus died for him. The part I loved was he asked God to help him know Him better. I love talking to my kids about what they believe, and what I believe. I am so thankful for what God is teaching both of them and teaching me through them. What a a good reminder for me and their dad to help them grow by talking, praying and reading the Bible with them!

Pictures from the Sleep Study

2009-04-01T20:45:00.010-04:00

Because they only allow one parent I could not get any of Joely hooked up to monitors. My hands and arms were needed in helping her not to take everything off.

The first one was when they gave her a snack, the second when she was busy watching Blue's Clues waiting for them to hook her up. These are the "ignorance is bliss" pictures. She had no idea what was coming (in some ways neither did I)! I saw how she was playing with her toes and knew that having the oxygen monitor was going to be a big battle! We tried to make it comfy with books, puppies, and blankets from home.

This one was taken just after 6am, when they unhooked everything and she was free from the electrodes. Her hair shows the signs of the struggle of the night. She sweated because she was so stressed and angry. The goopy stuff took two or three washing to get out too! I don't know if you can see it, be the electrode that was placed on her forehead left a mark. The mark was actually a hard bump on her head, it lasted for two weeks. Notice she's playing with her toes again.

Sleep Update - Lab Work

2009-03-26T09:53:00.004-04:00

The lab work came back all normal. They checked for food allergies and for anemia(correlates with Restless Leg Syndrome). So these two are ruled out as reasons Joely wakes up frequently. I am thankful for no food allergies because they are so hard on families, but I so wanted an answer that could explain the sleep and maybe some the food issues.

We still have the sleep study for apnea or reflux as the problems before we jump to behavior. The sleep study results won't be given to us until May, so we wait. In the meantime, we can give her the Zantac for reflux, get a dim nightlight, play music all night, and buy her a new mattress (this one was around when I was her age).

We have done better at establishing a bedtime routine. The TV goes off about 8pm, on some nights 8:30pm. We read, put on PJs, brush teeth, read some more. The biggest struggle I have is keeping the older two calm, along with the fun Dad! Somehow TV off means tickle time? We just keep trying.

Naptime

2009-03-25T16:21:00.006-04:00

After 5 minutes of panic, I finally saw this little foot sticking out from underneath the blanket. Unknown to me, Joely brought a blanket down the basement and took her afternoon nap. If only it was that easy putting her bed at night!

Sleep Study + 2 Year Old Does Not = Sleep

2009-03-17T08:24:00.004-04:00

Joely was very good for the first 40 minutes or so, checking in, going to the room, having a snack, jumping on the bed, even the first monitors on her legs and chest. Start messing with the girls face and head and then the unthinkable is her big toe. When the tech put the one on her toe, Joely flipped out. They had to bandage it up well, to keep her from ripping it off. The worst was the the piece they put in her nose to record the oxygen and carbon dioxide levels - she really hated having that in, she removed it immediately along with several others that weren't secured for a persistant 2 year old.

Here's a run down of what was hooked up to her, taken from this site:

The recording devices used during a sleep study are similar in adults and children. These generally include an electroencephalogram (EEG) to measure brain waves and an electroculogram (EOG) to measure eye and chin movement, both to monitor the different stages of sleep; an electrocardiogram (EKG) to measure heart rate and rhythm; chest bands to measure breathing movements; and additional monitors to sense oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in the blood as well as monitors to record leg movement.

The best way to get her to stay hooked up to all this stuff was to let her fall asleep, and then mess with the electrodes to get them in proper place. Joely fell sleep around 10pm, the tech (who was wonderful) got the stuff in place, but Joely woke up around 10:30pm and pulled most of it off. She was awake until midnight, fighting me, kicking and screaming, I belive she was scared. After she was in a deep enough sleep the tech would come in and put the thing back in her nose and check the other pieces. Joely slept for 45 minutes (I got my first minutes of sleep).

As soon as she woke up (every time) she took out the piece in her nose. This time she went really crazy and unhooked most of her stuff. Two techs came in to get her hooked up again. They really taped up her foot because the monitor was really making her mad. They re-taped her head because the sweat from the temper tantrums was making it slide off. With my permission they tried to restrain her arms, keeping them in locked position down at her sides. My little Houdini managed to brake out of the restraints! Around 2am Joely was asleep, and the night finally got easier.

She woke up several times between 2 - 6am, when the study was over. My guess would be 5 maybe a could more. Every time she pulled the tube out of her nose. And usually one on her face, but fell asleep much easier.

The techs nicknamed her The Hulk. They also noticed how smart she was to get out of the restraint. We have certainly been blessed with a strong and clever little one. I am so glad it is done and over with. I did ask out tech if they did got enough of the info they needed, she said yes. Hopefully, in April we'll have some answers to the study and lab work and the reflux medicine will either help or not be necessary.

**Our appointment to go over the results, is scheduled for May 8. We will nothing until then. It makes me all the more thankful we got in when we did.

Sleep Study Update

2009-03-13T16:50:00.003-04:00

We were told they had an opening this Sunday night. So Joely and I are going to spend the night Sunday at the hospital. Please pray for patience for me and cooperation for Joely. We check in at 7:30pm and leave around 7am.

Sleep

2009-03-12T15:24:00.002-04:00

Yesterday was the appointment with the sleep specialist. It went well, long - but good. Joely was an exceptionally good girl while we were there. I came armed with snack, books and toys. Daddy, Joely's personal jungle gym was there too to help :D

The possible causes of her waking could be breathing issues, reflux, restless leg syndrome, or food allergies. Breathing problems would/will be determined by a sleep study. They scheduling 2 months out. In the meantime, we are going to put her on Zantac for reflux and have blood drawn to test for restless leg syndrome and food allergies. It was refreshing to have a Dr not immediately jump to behavior issues. He also has some helpful suggestions for bedtime routine, music playing all night, and (yikes) no TV in the later evening.

The sleep study will happen if the other tests indicate no problems or the reflux doesn't seem like an issue. It was still a rough night getting up with her 4 times last night, but was easier to be compassionate to a child who could be in pain and can't help waking up so often.

The Comforter

2009-03-03T12:45:00.004-05:00

Truthfully, I have dreaded Tuesdays for the last few weeks. They have been discouraging and emotionally exhausting. Joely has therapy for a hour at Mary Free Bed working with feeding issues and all we've seen is major behavior issues.

Two weeks ago, I wanted to give up and never go back. My tendency is to want to quit (usually I don't out fear of what other will think of me - yes I have my own issues.). I came home from therapy after a hour and half long temper tantrum drained. It was one of those days that you wished you never got out of bed.

I remember some wise words a women in Bible Study said years ago, "Are you going to go under the comforter or go to the Comforter?" I have been studying the life of Moses this year, but decided to turn to Psalms.

Psalm 27:5-6, 7-8, 13-14

For in the day of trouble
he will keep me safe in his dwelling:
he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle
and set me high upon a rock.

Then my head is exalted
above the enemies that surround me;
at his tabernacle I will sacrifice with shouts of joy:
I will sing and make music to the Lord.

Hear my voice when I call, O Lord:
be merciful to me and answer me.

My heart says of you, "Seek his face!"
Your face, Lord, I will seek.

I am still confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living.

Wait for the Lord:
be strong and take heart
and wait for the Lord.

I went to my Comforter, told Him how I felt:
I'm tired. I want to give up. I can't do this anymore.
I have nothing to give anyone else today. This is too much for me, for our family.
All my energy is spent on one child and You blessed me with three, why? (yup I was pointing fingers.)

I love God, He is so patient and tender with me. He heard my arguments, my honest feelings and let me cry. And after of some time of silence, He gave me strength to face the afternoon. He did turn my pity party into joy, I can sing to Him, He is good. His grace is enough!

In this wonderful blog world, I read about so many hurting families. My troubles seem so few in comparison. When you are hurting, please turn to the One who gives comfort - He has big shoulders to cry on.

Sleep Study

2009-03-01T15:54:00.003-05:00

After many weeks of frustration over regression in Joely's behavior, all therapists were wondering about her sleep. I called the Doctor and he agreed it is time to do a sleep study. If nothing else it might rule out some issues. So March 11, we get to go over to the Children's Hospital for a 2-3 hour consult - yikes! Hopefully they will see the need to investigate further and set us up for a night (all be it a difficult one). More news to come...

Back At It

2009-02-26T10:28:00.003-05:00

I think we are through the worst of it over here. Carter went back to school, Joely has two days without a fever, and Calla is hanging in. There is a chorus of coughing at night coming from the kids' rooms.

Since I have been able to sleep through the night again, I decided it is time to workout again. I had been doing well in January, but lost the momentum. I have many excuses to not work out, but I was inspired to get moving. Today was the indoor walk. A friend of mine walks laps in her house for an hour a day. I don't have a a house that I can circle around, but I can make do with what I have. Since we live in a ranch style house with a finished basement, I decided to use the stairs in my walk too. The biggest problem was the obstacles on the floor - the dog, kids' clothes and toys. Joely thought it looked like fun and wanted me to carry her while I walked. This is the same problem I have with the Wii, she sees me doing step and wants me to hold her! I only got 20 minutes in (better than none), I might need to wait until naptime to get more exercise in (one more thing to fit into naptime, that's why it wasn't getting done in the first place!).

Pretty Puny

2009-02-20T11:23:00.006-05:00

Not a fun week here. Carter has been sick since Monday. The irony is, his birthday was Sunday and the poor kid is usually sick for his birthday. At least this year he made it through the day. Wednesday I took him the Dr and found out it is influenza, luckily his lungs were clear, if anyone is prone to pneumonia it's him.

Joely caught it late Wednesday night. She did okay yesterday, pretty clingy (that's to be expected). But the night was awful. She was up at least every hour, crying/moaning in pain. At 3am she was asking to watch "Diego." I held her off until 5am. I tried putting in Memo ("Finding Nemo"), just so I would have to wake up to put a new show every 20 minutes, but she demanded "Diego" and at 5am I wasn't in the mood to win and she was feeling pretty puny.

Sometime after 6am, we both feel asleep, me on the couch, Joely in her tent. We slept until 8am, Calla missed bus, but somehow we are surviving the day.

Did She Get That From Me?

2009-02-16T19:16:00.005-05:00

When I was little my parents had quite a collection of photographs of me sleeping in odd places - in closets, half way under the bed, sitting up next to the radio, under tables. My mom even titled the page "Anna Sleeps Around" (thanks mom).

Friday, Joely found some blankets and some of her favorite animals, crawled into her tent and took her afternoon nap. It was so cute, she definitely likes her cozy spaces.

February Sunshine!

2009-02-14T07:46:00.010-05:00

This past week we finally we had some days of sunshine and warmer temperatures. We had to take advantage and not waste these days, so I dressed Joely for outdoors. We went to the backyard to swing! She was thrilled. It was also great to hear Joely say "Ready, set, go!" Last fall she wasn't saying those words.

She was very unhappy about needing to go inside for lunch - it's just one of those things she would rather not be bothered with.

We took walks down the street and met new neighbors too.

This was also the first time all winter she wore boots, thankfully they were hand me downs from a friend. Joely doesn't like to walk in snow or have it on her shoes, she doesn't like to touch it either. She won't wear a hat or mittens. So it makes it hard for me to take her outside. Since I am not a cold weather mom, I don't push it either.

Today we woke up to a fresh blanket of snow and Joely sadly looked out the slider doors and said "Uh oh, snow."

Hopefully, the next warm sunny day won't take too long to come.

I had to post a couple pictures of Calla we took that day too, she was good company while I pushed Joely on the swing.

In 12 Years

2009-02-07T10:07:00.002-05:00

Cory and were laying in bed and thinking about the last 12 years.

In 1 marriage, we have:
lived in 2 states,
have 3 children,
moved 4 times,
Cory's had 5 places of employment,
owned 6 different vehicles,
had 7 years with no medical insurance,
have 8 years worth of digital pictures stored on our computer (it's a lot!),
owned our house for 9 years (the plan was 5),
have acquired 10 different chair styles (he has a furniture background),
been parents for 11 years,
All in 12 years of marriage!

Happy Anniversary!

Unofficial News

2009-02-06T13:51:00.004-05:00

Today we met with the speech therapist, whom Joely and I both love. We also had a vision test today too. The vision specialist (I can't remember her actual title) came to the house and tested Joely. Our oldest daughter has an eye turn (out) which can run in families. Everything looks good right now - she did see a slight eye turn, but inward, which is common. So thankfully, nothing to worry about.

This month Joely will be re-evaluated. To see how and where she is progressing. At 2 years children should have about 200 words or at least understand them. Joely could say about 25 words. At three years, a child should have about 1000 words. I was quite surprised by this number. Joely has come along way in 5 months, but it was sobering to hear how much further we have to go.

I asked what the foreseeable recommendation would be for next year. She thinks that working with Ken-O-Sha or our district for Early Education would be the best options for Joely. She thinks that working with a OT would benefit her greatly, and set her up for success for her school years.

I really was looking forward to a year without preschool, but it looks like she will be attending school of some kind (2 or 3 mornings in district or 5 mornings at Ken-O-Sha). I am glad that the resources exist to help her and us with the sensory and speech. It will be interesting to see if in May/June these are the recommendations given for Joely.

A Few Wet Dogs

2009-02-06T08:40:00.005-05:00

Today I caught Joely in the middle of caring for her puppies, she loves her puppies. She had propped two puppies up on our dog, Pepper's, dog dishes. Of course the card wasn't in the camera for a quick picture. However, she wasn't finished helping them get a drink or maybe she decided to bathe the little one. I love to see her using her imagination in play, even if it means a few wet dogs.

Fun in the Gym

2009-01-29T11:59:00.005-05:00

We started our therapy today in the gym. We had weighted balls, a wedge to climb and slide down, a trampoline and other fun stuff to play on and in today. Joely had so much fun. It was a great way to begin therapy today, too bad it didn't allow her to sit much longer.

She had peanut butter on celery sticks again. She licked the celery clean and was rewarded with a sticker on her paper butterfly (her reward for getting a food in her mouth). She played with the Cheez Whiz, painted her finger nails with it. She wouldn't touch the chocolate pudding or the noodles I brought with chicken. I sometimes wonder if she gets sick of it, but they reassure me to keep trying it. No pictures of the gym this time, maybe next week I will remember a camera.

C is for Cookie

2009-01-29T11:48:00.005-05:00

I made cookies today to bring with us to therapy. The healthier ones - with chic peas. Joely was such a stinker we didn't even get to try then there. She refused to sit in a high chair, so no cookie.

At home I did get her to sit in a high chair and she didn't like them at first, but she was determined (a strong will pays off some times!) to have a cookie so tried one again and ate most of it.

Pears, Chicken and Celery

2009-01-27T15:41:00.000-05:00

Pears hiding in chocolate ice cream, chicken hiding in fettuccine and peanut butter on celery sticks are Joely's newest food additions. She isn't eating the celery, but really just licking it off. Today she bit, chewed and swallowed one bite. I also hid some of the chicken in mashed potatoes and had success!

The ideas came from therapy, but are working better at home. She truly had been doing very well there, but these last two visits she is showing her ugly side. The one she usually only reveals to Cory and I. She gets in the highchair just fine, is in for a few minutes and eats(picks at or plays) whatever she is offered (within reason) and then wants out. She throws a tantrum in the high chair, I am supposed to ignore her, but all I think of is she is going to get hurt. She can get herself out of the 5 point harness straps. She is strong and smart. Our sessions are now one hour(they were 45 minutes). She thinks we are done within the first 15 minutes.

At Mary Free Bed we have not focused on her sensory issues other than the messy play. I usually try to do that on my own while we wait for the food to be made. I jump with her, we reach up high, push the wall, etc. I try to set her up for success, but I have limited resources in the little room we are in. Today it became quite clear that a new approach might be needed.

I think we will start by brushing her and getting in the joint compressions and then some other activity to get some of the input her body is craving. Hopefully she will transition well into the feeding. And if it goes well then her reward could be going down the slide or swinging (if we start with those we'll never get her off). I believe the goal is to build a sensory diet. We might try a sticker chart too.

Hopefully we'll see some improvement at therapy, but still thankful for all the new foods we've added these last couple of months.

No More Excuses

2009-01-22T16:22:00.000-05:00

I have avoided knitting these socks for a year. My sweet girl Calla picked out the yarn for me Christmas 2007 to knit my first pair of socks. My reasoning was that once you finish a sock, you have to knit another one before you can use it. I tend to be a bit more of an instant gratification kind of gal, but the yarn is so pretty I had to give it a try.

I finished them last night and I love them. There is nothing better than warm toes on cold days.

2009-01-15T11:41:00.000-05:00

Sometimes God uses my kids to teach me more about Him

My husband and I have been a bit perplexed by our 11 year old's soccer games. Some days she plays awesome - she runs fast, is appropriately aggressive, she plays like she loves it and is having fun. Some days, she acts like we must be forcing her into this (we don't). And mostly her games fall somewhere in between.

I have never been an athlete. I have terrible hand I coordination and I don't enjoy sacrificing my body to a sport - I avoid pain! After her last game I asked her, "Why are some games so great and other okay, and some you don't play like you even like soccer?" Her reply, "I don't know." Not being an athlete, I haven't been able to understand this, my husband reassured me this is normal.

I was thinking about how I wish she would play consistently, she doesn't need to be the best, or score the goal, or never make a mistake, but what about being reliable out there? We want to her to just do her best, and improve from game to game even if the improvement is hard to measure.

Thinking about my life these past weeks, the very thing I have been dealing with is consistency - As a parent with discipline, following through with Mary Free Beds recommendations, eating better, working out and especially my time with God. I want to be consistent in these areas of my life.

The desire is there, but how does it happen? The words I tell my daughter are "try harder" or "give it your all." I know that I can't try harder or give it my all in these areas because it really just isn't good enough. I think what I am beginning to realize is I need God, I need to rely on Him. He can open my eyes to the inconsistencies in my disciplining, He can help me follow through with recommendations. He can and does provide the time for me to spend some time with Him in prayer and in His Word, He also gives me time to work out. I just need to obey. What a patient Heavenly Father I have to love me and accept me as I am, but He also sees the potential I have and has the power to transform. I pray He gives me the patience to help my girl be who He made her to be.

Canos!

2009-01-13T19:54:00.000-05:00

In the car today, Joely in very excited voice said "Mommy, canos!" It took me a couple a repeats, but then realized she was pointing to the large buildings near the expressway which had smoke coming from the chimney. She saw the smoke and was saying "mommy, volcanos!" She learned the word from Dora, great word, just not in the right context. It was a sweet moment.

New Foods!

2009-01-07T13:14:00.000-05:00

It's the first full week of 2009 and life is good.

Joely had the switch in therapists at MFB, and wow what a difference. We are so thankful for the new foods she is tasting and eating. Yesterday, she had spaghetti I made at home and brought in, they added a meatball puree to it. She may have detected it, but she ate it up. My girl ate some meat. She played with cooked carrots and beans, mashing them up and got her finger's painted with them (not her favorite). She got a taste of carrot and some pepper. We discovered she likes the taste of pepper - she likes her food to have flavor.

Joely also grew a centimeter this month, she is at the 3rd percentile for height and is below the chart for weight at 22 pounds.

I bought the Deceptively Delicious Cookbook by Jessica Seinfeld. Soon I will be making some yummy chocolate chip cookies with chic peas in them. My hope is that we all in this house will be eating a bit healthier.

She is also a bit better about her clothes, we have larger variety of outfits she will wear - even a few she hated a month earlier.

I am noticing she is seeking out more visual sensory, looking into flashlights repeatedly, and she loved the toy yesterday at therapy that spun, and lit up in different patterns. Nothing to worry about, just to watch. It is common for sensory diets to change. She still jumps and is seeking out higher ground to jump from. Luckily she is not trying anything too dangerous. We had a break from Ken-O-Sha and start back up again this Friday. It's been amazing to think back to how little she said 5 months ago, and now it would some work to record the words she uses on a regular basis.

Better Late Than Never?

2009-01-01T20:00:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas.

A New Therapist!!

2008-12-18T23:08:00.000-05:00

The decision was to see a new therapist. Joely will get to meet her next week. I am hopeful that she will be nice to this one. We had a good week at Mary Free Bed. Because we are doing so well at home playing with food, we now will concentrate on eating - getting her to eat new things!The new food we added was sprinkles. Joely loves to put sprinkles on her food, applesauce, jello, graham crackers with a little frosting, yogurt, anything really. Tonight was green apple flavored sprinkles - did you know they came in flavors?

Small Victories

2008-12-16T13:31:00.000-05:00

Discouragement comes so easily to me. It's hard to see the good (the progress) when the focus is on the what needs to be done. At church Sunday Pastor Brad used an example of a black blob on a white background and asked "what do you see?". I really don't like these tests. I always want a clever answer and read way too much in to it. But the interesting thing to note wasn't the picture we saw, but that we (including me) saw the dark and didn't focus on the light.

I find that so true with many things I am going through. I forget to remember the good, the blessings, the small victories. I have to be intentional in remembering to give God thanks for what He has done and what He is doing.

So here goes, in regards to therapy here are the small victories:
~Joely put corn in her mouth (and then spit it out), I just set it on her plate and she did the rest.
~Joely ate a new flavor of yogurt (with sprinkles).
~She rubbed her finger on pineapple and licked the juice off and she liked it!
~She ate new kind of macaroni and cheese, at first she spit it out and then after some parmesan cheese, she gobbled it up.
~Joely's vocabulary has exploded.
~She is also following simple directions very well.

I am learning that God is trustworthy at all times. In the hard and sometimes scary places I'm in, He shows me Himself in special ways. I find three days of therapy difficult, but I am thankful for the ways He equips me with what I need - strength, patience, time, and joy. Our family has a great support system of family and friends who pray and encourage me. I am so thankful for God's care for Joely and our family. There is still a long way go, but I know He is with us always.

Let It Snow

2008-12-06T11:11:00.000-05:00

Calla and Carter can't get enough of it - snowforts, sledding, and "snowboarding". The wore down our little hill from sledding on it everyday. Lucky for them, the day that I was going to have to say no to sledding, for fear of tearing up the lawn, 4+ inches of fresh snow fell.Joely easily learned the word snow. It has been snowing for days with more to come this weekend. She likes to say it, and stomp in it. But she does not like the snowflakes falling on her head or getting in her eyes. I put a handful on her tray, but she wouldn't touch it with her hands, she barely tolerated it on her tray.

Here's the Scoop

2008-12-04T05:46:00.000-05:00

It was another morning at Mary Free Bed with Ellen (Joely's not so favorite therapist). Ellen treated Joely to Doritos (her favorite chip ever!). Gave her one after she was sitting in the highchair. Then gave her a Tic Tong, let Joely play with a favorite toy, tic tong again, then toy. The goal was to establish a give and take pattern. Joely fully understands what is expected, but refuses to cooperate. She screamed, kicked, fussed, scratched her head with her nails. She would quiet down when the timer went off, she has learned that she can get out of the chair. She even calmed herself down enough to play during her two minutes out of the highchair.

Homework for the week is to work on the give and take with Joely. I have tic tongs to use and will make her lick them and then she can have a piece of a Dorito. I have to do this 5-6 times a day.This was our first attempt at home, she wasn't to happy about it.The girl does love her Doritos.

Ellen again mentioned the intensive program. My understanding is that this is not with Mary Free Bed, but with DeVos Children's Hospital. The resources they would offer for us would be a social worker, an occupational therapist, speech therapist, a behavioral psychologist, pediatrician. It is an all day, everyday program for 8 weeks (tears, questions and frustration set in). Joely would eat all her meals there, I would be daytime living at the clinic (which I think is at Mary Free Bed- its all a little confusing).

I believe the reasoning for doing this is Joely's behavior on Thursdays is so tough. She is difficult to work with. We are spending so much time on behavior that we are barely able to work on feeding. Although, on Tuesdays we are beginning to get to the feeding. Because she has two different personalities at therapy, the other possibility is that Joely could have a different therapist on Thursdays (not Ellen), because Joely isn't cooperative with her like she is with Deb.

The next step is seeing how therapy goes Tuesday. We meet with Deb and I will be in a room with Joely and let Deb observe us. I will do the give in take with her. And depending on how that goes, Ellen will let me know how to proceed. It could be to get an evaluation with DeVos, switch therapists, or will continue as is (I'm not sure how much of an option this is).

Please pray for wisdom for me and truthful communication to Cory ( he doesn't see what happens at therapy). Also, for consistency in following through with give and take this weekend.

Breaking the Rules

2008-12-02T13:33:00.001-05:00

Apparently rules are meant to be broken. At therapy today, we spent 30+ minutes playing with food - applesauce and sprinkles. We put a frog, dog, cat and dinosaur in the applesauce lake. Joely finger painted with it and sprinkles were great to mix in and change the color. She did eat some sprinkles and by "accident" got a taste of applesauce.

One of the other suggestions from Ken-O-Sha was to have her put food in her mouth and say "look no hands." She caught on quick.
Another suggestion was an "all done bowl" (I really like this one, because Joely usually gives food she doesn't want to the dog.) She has a bowl, plate or napkin on her tray and when she is done with her food, she puts it in there. It helps keep things she doesn't like to eat still near her. After the meal or snack she is responsible to empty it into the trash. So the rule of "clean your plate" has new meaning.

Fit Family Fun

2008-11-20T20:14:00.000-05:00

I haven't been doing my Wii Fit regularly (or at all), but this week I began doing some yoga and step aerobics. Tonight I tried something new, I challenged Calla to go against me on the balance games and see how we measured up. It was so funny when we did the heading the soccer ball challenge. She went first and did not so great, I went and tripled her score. She thinks because she plays soccer she should be good at it. Really its about balance (and mom has been doing her yoga). I told her not to worry that it was just one good score and sure enough, my next time I did worse than her. I am definitely the hola hoop champion, but she beats me at all the rest. At least we getting off the couch and having some fun together. I better practice more before I challenge her again.

A Great Day

2008-11-18T16:40:00.000-05:00

We had therapy today at Mary Free Bed, it went so well. She met a new therapist, Deb, who will be working with us on Tuesdays. Joely immediately went into the highchair (she doesn't do that there), she played with a toy she recognized, then played with some therapy toys (quiet whistles, and chew toys that have different textures). She loved the tic tongs (flavored sticks) and then we moved to food! Joely ate some pudding. She ate chocolate, she has had this at home, and has usually eaten it well for me. Because she was doing so well, we tried a new flavor, lemon. Joely wouldn't eat it, but we did get her to put her fingers in it, paint with it, put it on her lips and she did lick her lips once or twice. Before I knew it, time was up. She sat in the highchair for over a half hour with no fuss or tears! Deb admitted that she was a little nervous meeting Joely becasue of how therapy has gone in the past. I am so thankful for a great day of therapy and knowing that the hard days are paying off.

Therapy Updates

2008-11-15T07:57:00.000-05:00

Thursday
Joely and went to MFB (Mary Free Bed) for feeding therapy. We had a much better morning. Joely new she did not want to sit in the highchair, but we got her in, kick and screaming, three times. She stayed in for the two minutes each time. The interseting part was that Joely knew she needed to calm down before I would pick her up, and she was trying! That was huge progress compared to Tuesday. Also, she began to trust Ellen and let her pick her up at the end. I have a feeling this won't be hard forever. I prayed that morning for emotional strength and I knew God gave it to me, I fought back my tears.

Friday
Suzanne came for speech and sensory. It is going so well, Joely says more and more words on a daily basis, I can't keep up. Today she said "owl" because there was an owl on her shirt. (That's my new trick to dressing her, she needs animal on it and then she happily gets dressed.) She told us to keep up what we are doing because it is working.