Happy birthday Mama!
29 Apr 2011 1 Comment
in Uncategorized Tags: eating, parenting, sensory processing disorder, SPD
Greta had an appointment yesterday which also happened to be my birthday. Perhaps it’s just coincidence, but it was the best appointment ever! 
The past few days she’s been pretty “on” and things have been going fairly well. So, the night before her appointment she asks for an apple. Normally she’ll take some bites and spit them out. I asked her if she could move it to the back of her mouth and swallow it. To my utter shock, she did it! Fast forward to her appointment, which I got to go to because I always take off work for my birthday, and I’m really not expecting her to actually eat the apple for Adrienne. She surprised me though! She ate 1/4 of an apple. Then she put on the headphones and did the listening therapy which she had been very willing to do lately. While she was listening to the music she ate (swallowed and all!) two grapes and at least one carrot stick! How awesome is that?
Of course, lest I get too excited, today I couldn’t even convince her to take a bite of an apple…..tricky little kid…
Bites!
07 Apr 2011 4 Comments
Today’s therapy session resulted in Greta now being willing to take bites of an apple! Woo-hoo! She spits the pieces out as soon as she takes the bite, but just the biting it is major to me. She also put a carrot stick in her mouth, rolled it around between her teeth and even sucked on it a little. She wouldn’t bite the carrot, though. She has been asking for a banana in the evening a lot lately and tonight she asked if she could mush up the rest of it with her hands after she was done eating it.
We haven’t really had any “homework” the past couple of visits. She’s just told us to keep trying to get her to take bites of things. Which is what we’ve been trying to do forever…so it doesn’t really feel like anything special is happening on the home front. That’s part of the reason I didn’t update after last week’s session. Nothing very exciting happened, so I didn’t even know what to write.
Anyway, that’s what I know for today. Hope everyone reading this is having a great day. Lots of love to all.
H
Happy thoughts, think happy thoughts.
22 Mar 2011 Leave a Comment
in Uncategorized Tags: insurance, parenting, sensory integration disorder, sensory processing disorder, speech therapy, toddler
Greta’s appointment with the speech therapist was two weeks ago today. Her insurance only approved two visits initially. So after those they had to submit new paperwork. Adrienne told Ira that she would be requesting 12 sessions. We finally heard back from them yesterday. She’s approved for four right now. I’m really tempted to go on a rant about insurance companies, but I’m sure everyone has been there done that with their insurance over some issue or another so there’s really no point in my ranting. I’m going to focus on the positive point that she gets at least four more sessions. However, Adrienne is on vacation starting today, so Greta’s next appointment isn’t until next Thursday. *sigh* Oh wait. I’m focusing on the positive. Right.
It’s been a trying week or so. Both kids have been in terrible moods more often than not. Greta has been more and more likely to break down crying over every little thing which is taxing on everybody. Darcy’s been crabby, too. I think she’s cutting some new teeth. They’re both prone to squabbling with each other over every item that one of them picks up. Only Darcy doesn’t really talk beyond “Mama” and “Hi” so her end of the squabbling is that lovely whiny cry thing that toddlers use to get their way because the grown-up in the room just wants it to stop. I sent Ira down to his shop last night to take a break from the kids. I don’t think he even got half an hour before I had to go get him. How sad is that, that I couldn’t take for half an hour what he’d been dealing with all day? *sigh* Oh, crud. I keep forgetting. I’m supposed to be focusing on the positive.
Ok, here’s something positive. Greta’s been pretty willing to at least taste most things on her plate. She’s licked peas, carrots, cabbage to name a few things. She even scraped her teeth on the carrot! She spit it out right after, but at least she tried it! See, positive stuff there.
Can’t think of anything else happy to say right now, so I’m just going to stop. Wanted to update so I stayed somewhat in the habit. Any uplifting prayers, positive vibes, happy thoughts that could be sent our way to improve the mood in our house would be greatly appreciated.
Messy success
11 Mar 2011 5 Comments
in Uncategorized Tags: farsighted, glasses, messy time, oral defensiveness, parenting, sensory integration disorder, sensory processing disorder, SPD, speech therapy
As part of Greta’s homework for the week we’re supposed to encourage her to get her hands messy. It is one of her quirks related to SPD that she doesn’t like to get “gunk” on her hands. On Wednesday night we had ice cream. Since we hadn’t done any messy work yet that day I asked her if she could stick her finger in her ice cream. She did, barely, but with a happy little grin. So I kept asking if she would stick more fingers in and she kept doing it until she did all five fingers. Granted it was just the very tips of her fingers and only for half a second, but still, it was all five.
Last night I put the girls in the bathtub after supper, got out a can of shaving cream and sprayed a bunch of it on the wall. Greta gingerly poked at it with one finger. Then she smiled, so I encouraged her to get more. Soon she had both hands completely covered and was spreading it around on her face and belly! So exciting!
As for the eating part of this whole thing, that’s still the same really. Still putting a little of everything on her plate and she’s only eating a couple of bites of the “safe” things. That’s going to be a much slower road. Her oral defensiveness is one of her bigger issues. Learn more here. That whole site is full of information about SPD. I realize that I just jumed in to talking about Greta’s therapy without giving the background information about her quirks. Sorry about that. Maybe this weekend I’ll try and post some back story. Maybe.
Anyway! Moving on, since this is a blog about both girls. Darcy is doing pretty well. She got glasses for farsightedness about a month ago. We took her in for an exam because she was crossing her eyes way too often. She does well with the glasses, she really only takes them off and gets fussy about them when she’s tired. They do seem to be helping. Her right eye still crosses sometimes, but not nearly so often as it was before the glasses. We’ll keep watch and see if it continues. If so she may need a stronger perscription. Poor little thing.
Even though the messy time “homework” may be for Greta, Darcy is enjoying it as well. She had lots of fun with the shaving cream last night. Although she did discover that it tastes nasty! Ha!
Ok, time to get to work! Thanks for reading.
Speech Therapy
09 Mar 2011 2 Comments
in Uncategorized Tags: eating, parenting, sensory integration disorder, sensory processing disorder, SPD, speech therapy
Greta had her first session with a speech therapist today. She’s going there for “feeding difficulties related to sensory integration disorder.” Quite the mouthful, eh? No pun intended. Today she ate a third of a banana and she licked an apple slice four times. She’ll usually do both of those things for us. It’s nice, though, that she did them for the therapist, too.
Adrienne, the therapist, mashed up part of the banana and apple and tried to convince Greta to play with it. She would only touch it with her index finger. Greta refused to put more fingers in, much less get her palms in it. Adrienne pointed out that if we could even get Greta to hold a banana in her hand sans peel that would be something.
So, the assignments for this week are twofold. One is messy play! I think tomorrow Ira is going to get out the finger paints. Or maybe some shaving cream to play with on the table. Assignment two is to have something that Greta refuses to eat on her plate at every meal. She doesn’t have to eat it, she just needs to be able to see it and tolerate it’s presence.
Weekend update
17 May 2010 Leave a Comment
The weekends go by so fast!
Both girls spent the weekend in a pretty good mood. Greta seemed a bit out-of-sync on Sunday, but Ira and I both did a pretty good job of being patient and understanding with her. Our attitude determines whether or not we have a horrible day more than anything, I think. And so, since we were mellow, we rode out her storms with very little drama and had a nice weekend.
When we decided to run out to Wal-Mart on Sunday evening Darcy fell asleep in the car on the 10 minute ride. I realized then that she’d only had one good nap that day! Oops! Thankfully, she’s a pretty easy going little peanut. When the cart going over a bump woke her up she didn’t cry at all or even get fussy. She pretty much just takes the world as it comes. We joked on the way home that it’s the trade off we get for her tendency to wake up and need attention at the most inopportune times. Like when you’ve just stuck your hands down in the bowl to start mixing up the meatloaf….she has a knack, I tell you.
Dishes & laughter
13 May 2010 Leave a Comment
Greta likes to “help” me wash the dishes after supper now. She has a cup that she repeatedly fills up and dumps out while I actually wash the dirty dishes. She so much fun if you can just relax and follow her lead.
Darcy loves to laugh. If you pick her up above your head and lower her back down toward you she’ll smile and laugh as long as you have the arm strength to keep doing it.
Life is so sweet. Truly.
Working Mom Blues
09 Apr 2010 Leave a Comment
Nothing in my life has ever been as hard as being a work-outside-the-home mom. Getting out of bed when the alarm goes off is the first killer. When Darcy is all snuggled up next to me, making little contented cooing sounds while she nurses in her sleep, there is nowhere else I’d rather be, ever.
Once I’m up and moving Greta usually makes it known that she is also awake. I go get her and we snuggle on the couch while we eat our breakfast. Then I have to go wake Ira up and get ready for work, so the snuggling must end. At least half the time this results in wailing and tears from Greta. Bonus points of awful because it makes Ira’s first experience of the day one of frustration and tears. Super. How can I be upset with her though? She little, she doesn’t have much control over her emotions. She’s not a miniature adult, she’s a toddler. I can’t fault her for expressing her sadness and I certainly can’t fault her for not being ready to stop snuggling on the couch. I’d much rather stay snuggled up and happy all day, too.
So I get to leave the house with everybody grouchy. Well, everybody but Darcy. She was still blissfully snoozing away, God love her.
It’s just a part of life though. My mom worked outside the home, too. I think that might be part of the reason I learned to tell time; watching the clock, waiting for Mom to come home. She had a schedule where usually she got home at 5, but one week a month she got home at 5:30 instead. I always hated that week! Now I know how much harder it was for her than it was for me (although I don’t remember ever expressing myself quite as dramatically as Greta.)
Hmm…anyway, I guess I don’t have much of a point. I’m just whining about my terribly hard life. That’s so ridiculous. Days like this may feel like everything is awful and chaotic and never going to get better, but I know it’s not true. I know eventually Greta will gain some more control over her reactions. Eventually she’ll be a teenager and not want me around at all. So I should enjoy the clingy phase while I’ve got it, right? Easier said than done, but I’m trying.
Early Birds & Night Owls
06 Apr 2010 Leave a Comment
in Uncategorized Tags: babies, girls, parenting, sleep, temperment
Greta, God love her, is an early bird. If given the choice she would eschew sleep altogether. Sadly for her, she has evil parents who insist that she gets some sleep. Most mornings she is awake by 6:30 or 7, no matter how late she got to bed the night before. So, she is usually in bed for the night around 7:30 or 8.
Darcy, on the other hand, is perfectly content to sleep in. Usually at least until 9:30, sometimes even 10 or later. Sleep in general seems to be less of an enemy for Darcy than it is for Greta. However, since she sleeps in and naps well, she’s also pretty content to stay up for a while in the evening. Sometimes she even makes it until I decide to go to bed around 10.
This is just one of the many ways that Greta and Darcy seem to be total opposites of one another. Greta didn’t smile or laugh much until she was 6 months or more. (Don’t worry, she’s done plenty of making up for it since then!) Darcy has already been smiling and laughing for a while and she’s only 4 months. Greta is all about extremes. She’s either wild with joy or equally as wild with tears of sadness or rage. Not much middle ground with that one. Darcy though, seems to be a pretty even keeled kind of girl. Oh, don’t misunderstand, when she’s mad, she’s definitely mad (as Ira can certainly attest) but overall she seems pretty content and mellow.
I love watching these little people develop and learning more about who they are every day. I’m so lucky. I don’t think I can say that in a way that will really convey how I feel when I say that sentence. So, lucky I can hardly believe it.
Froooooog
25 Mar 2010 Leave a Comment
in Uncategorized Tags: books, frogs, kids, lizards, reading
I was reading The Pokey Little Puppy to Greta one night. On one page there is a picture of a lizard. Admittedly, this particular lizard has a very froggy looking face, but when Greta pointed to it and squealed “Frog!” I felt it my duty to correct her.
“No sweetie, it’s a lizard. You can tell because it has a tail.”
She looked at me, then back at the book.
“Frog,” she said.
“Lizard, see the tail?”
“Froog,” she tried again, stretching the word out a little.
“Lizard.”
This went on back and forth a few more times. Each time Greta stretched out the word a little more, like I was just slow and having trouble understanding her.
Finally she wore me down and I said, “Ok, fine. If you want to call it a frog it can be a frog.”
“Frog!” she said happily, finally having taught me something.
The next evening, when I got home that book was lying on the floor. Greta picked it up and opened it to the controversial picture. She looked up at me and grinned, “Lizard!”
Surely she hadn’t just been messing with me the whole time……right?
