Bathtime

 Tess LOVES the bath! If she hears the water running she goes tearing into the bathroom and hopes she can get in....which means she often has a bath with Ethan!

Sensory Processing Issues

We are now considered "enlightened" parents. We have learned that Ethan has sensory processing issues. This winter we had been struggling with Ethan getting dressed (clothes, tags or certain textures would bother him), putting on socks (the seams or whatever else bug him), and getting water or rain on his clothes. We had other issues with his frustration levels and coping mechanisms in social situations. We have had these problems since birth but everything seemed to have exacerbated the last few months.

I had asked my friend Melissa if I was missing something as a parent and later she sent me a sensory processing checklist to check out. Ethan fit many of the areas of the sensory processing. This started the ball rolling and we got Ethan evaluated. He now goes to occupational therapy twice a week to help him.

For kids with sensory processing issues they can't interpret all of the sensory things going on around them which then prevents them from behaving "normal" or learning appropriate ways to behave. They often turn processing problems into adrenaline which is why a lot of these kids are also high energy. The problems they have with textures or water are real to them and so they take some understanding and accommodations to help them cope with them. Ethan often expresses his frustrations with anger and screaming but since we have started learning and implementing some of the techniques we have already seen vast improvements in his behavior. We are grateful to be enlightened and hope to see continued improvements. 

Tess is 11 months

Tess is 11 months. She got 4 new teeth this month and has started taking a few steps. We will see when she starts walking officially. She was getting sick so this photo shoot wasn't our best. I will see if I can retake in a few days.

 This little lady is a professional drooler! I don't think it helps to get several teeth at once but she is always soaked!

She can stand without holding on!

Bad hair day?

I LOVE Tess's fun hair, but this is how it looks.....a lot! It is rather hard to pin down a mobile baby and fix it. Even if I get the elastics in it, she or her brothers pull them out or mess them up. We have taken to calling her the orphan when she looks like that. She is one cute orphan!

Sinus Surgery

During the winter I am always sick! The frequency has decreased the last two years thanks to some revolutionary advice from my friend Melissa -- to eat raw garlic. She told me to do that whenever I could feel it coming and that has decreased the number of colds on a yearly basis by at least 50%. It has been extremely helpful. However, whenever I do get sick, I am sick. I am sick for at least two weeks, I can't sleep, I stay up all night coughing or I come down with random ear/sinus infections. The latest cold perforated my ear drum. I finally went into an ENT to see if there was anything I could do. I had the idea that I needed my tonsils out but it turns out I had another problem. My sinuses were clogged with bacteria and I had inflamed turbinates and a deviated septum (which explains why I can't breathe when I am sick.) So he recommended sinus surgery.

I had the procedure done on Thursday. I had heard horror stories and good stories so I wasn't quite sure what to expect. Everything went smoothly and probably the worst part was the nausea from the anesthesia. I took some pain pills the first day but haven't needed any since. Matt and I even went and saw a movie the next day. I have avoided the children mostly because the few times I have been around them they have either whacked me in the nose or been close to it.

We will see how it goes in a few days. For now I just feel like I have a cold. Hmmmm, I've done that before! If it makes me healthier and eases my colds it will all be worth it.  

Mia maids

I have been in young women's for almost two years. For New Beginnings we had a "Leap" theme as it was on leap day. Here are the pictures of the lovely ladies I get to work with.

Olivia

Mckenna

Maddie

Shelby

Katie-She looks as young as the girls but is my fellow leader!

And yours truly. It is a little harder than it looks to jump and get a good pic!

Tess at 10 months

This has been a big week for Tess. She went from eating nothing but cheerios to eating almost everything! I unexpectedly weaned Tess after I got an infection and discovered that when she isn't full with milk she loves food. It is almost a full time job keeping her fed all day long. I also discovered that she isn't very good at drinking from a sippy cup and half of it ends up on her clothes. So when I am not feeding Tess I am changing her outfit. She is great at saying "all done." (a baby version of that anyway)

She still just has 4 teeth.

 She is SOOOO big.

 She can stand by herself even if it is for just a bit.

 And she LOVES her walker. She is quite good at getting it around and loves to do it.