September Milestones

Would you believe that my kids didn't change that much this month? This is *not* just an excuse to write less because I am way behind on my to-do list, due to a crazy busy month with trips, out-of-town visitors, a birthday, and no respite provider. Really, I think my kids have been just kind of going with the flow this month, because it's just been so busy.

Isabella has been turning into a big girl right before my eyes. She is not walking yet, and I still think it might take her a while to get there yet. But it isn't because she's lacking strength. Oh no. This girl is getting to be a total pro at climbing. She can climb up on the couch without any assistance, and she's attempting larger feats like getting up on the beds by herself. As I mentioned last month, she can climb up the stairs in seconds flat, but now she's able to come down the stairs safely (for the most part). Most of the time, when she's headed down, she comes on her tummy, feet first. Every now and then, when she's in a big hurry, she'll try to scoot down on her bottom (which has caused her to tumble down a few stairs in the past), so we highly discourage that. In terms of mobility, Isabella still prefers crawling. She is really good at four-point crawling now, and she surprises everyone with how she manages that despite the fact that she's missing a hand. She also loves to cruise and will sometimes let go and stand unsupported for short periods of time.

Bella has also begun to wean. Okay, so it hasn't been entirely without my encourgagement, but it is happening pretty naturally. Since she turned a year old, I have started introducing some new foods, including whole milk (others are honey, peanut butter, eggs, etc.). Instead of just water in her sippy cup, she has been getting whole milk throughout the day. She doesn't like to drink large quantities all at once (blame in on her nursing habits!), so I offer it at mealtimes and sometimes let her carry it around with her. Consequently, she's only been nursing three times a day, instead of five like she was before. She gets nursed when she wakes up in the morning (this is pretty funny, because she gets so angry if Daddy tries to hug, hold, or kiss her before she's had her morning milk, and she will throw a fit, complete with yelling and hitting), in the afternoon before her nap, and right before bed. So far, this is working for us.

This month, Bella had her nap schedule altered. When we went to Disneyland, she only got one nap a day usually (unless she managed to sneak a short one in the stroller), so I figured that it would help us out a lot if I could get her and the twins on a similar nap schedule. Staggered naps was just not working for me anymore! So, what I do now is put Isabella down for her morning nap at around 10 AM like normal, but I'll wake her up by 11. Lately, she's been waking up on her own after just an hour, so it works out (she used to sleep till 12 or 12:15). Then, by the time the twins go down at 1:30 PM, she's ready to join them again. And let me just say that I am so relieved that I got her back on her sleep schedule, because her sleep patterns at Disneyland (or lack of sleep patterns) just about cost me my sanity. During and just after our trip, Bella thought that she didn't have to sleep for naps or at night. We cleared that one up real quick.

This month, Ariana has been really communicating her wants and needs a lot more. Here's a little example: One afternoon, I put Ari down for her nap after a really fun, active, and hot morning at the park. I thought she'd be exausted and would sleep for hours, but I was mistaken. She awoke after only 30 minutes. When I got her out, I lay her on my bed and told her, "Ari, you need to go back to sleep." She smiled knowingly and shook her head 'no'. So I said, "yes, you do. It's naptime." She shook her head 'no' again. Then I said, "then what do you want to do Ari?". Ari put her hand to her mouth and signed (as in ASL sign language) 'drink'. So I said, "oh, you want a drink?" (thinking, it makes sense that she'd be thirsty, because she didn't really get enough water after playing outside). She vigorously nodded her head 'yes'. So I told her that I was going to go downstairs and get her some water. When I turned to leave, she started to whine at me, so I turned back around, reminding her that I'd be right back. Then she gestured 'up', raising both arms for me to lift her. I said, "do you want to come with me?". Again, she nodded and smiled. That may not seam like a big deal, but that was Ari having a conversation with her mama, and I was so proud.

Along the lines of communicating, Ariana just received her Augmentative Communication Device (Springboard Lite) this month. I will make a post specifically about this device in detail, but it's basically a small computer that allows Ariana to push buttons that speak for her. She will learn which buttons to push to get to say the words she wants to meet her needs. It will also help Ariana expand her spoken and expressive vocabulary at the same time. Ariana is thrilled with it. And unfortunately, so are Gabe and Isabella, which makes it challenging to work directly with Ariana, because her siblings are always wanting to "take turns". I am really excited to learn it inside and out so as to maximize Ari's potential with it.

Speaking of pushing buttons, Ari has really been getting the hang of pushing buttons of all kinds this month. Just a few short months ago, I was nervous that Ari wouldn't be able to isolate her index finger for pushing the buttons on her communication device when it arrived. Now, that's a thing of the past, as she's determined to get better at it all the time. Ari has been pushing buttons on her toys with great accuracy. Music or sounds of any kind are fantastic motivators for her.

One gross motor acheivement: this month, Ari climbed her first step! It wasn't a reglar stair by any means, but it was a step nonetheless. We were at my parents house, and they have a step that separates the family room from the kitchen (maybe 6 inches high). With a lot of cheering and encouragement, Ariana raised first her left arm up (her good arm), then slowly put her right arm on the step, then pulled her body while raising her legs to try and clear her knees. She did it twice. She's so awesome! On a side note, this made me think of Eden's video when she was 2 years old (*fellow blogging friend's daughter with CP), and it was really encouraging to see.

This month, Gabe gave up his pacifier ("binkie"). It didn't happen on its own, and believe me I've tried to take it away on many occasions prior and it wasn't happening. This time, after slept over at Nana and Papa's house, I told Gabe that we left his binkie there. I told him that Nana needed it, it was at her house, and we would get it when we went there next. Every time he went to bed, he'd ask about it. But when I repeated my little reply, he reluctantly but sweetly would let it go. I was shocked that he did this, so we decided to run with it. I never gave the binkie back. I feel cruel saying that, but it had to happen sometime, right? The next time we went to Nana's house (maybe 3 weeks later), he started asking me questions about the baby equipment she had in the spare bedroom. Then, before I knew it, he had put it altogether, "Mommy, we're at Nana's house! Binkie's at Nana's house! Where's binkie Mommy?". What did I do then? Well, I lied of course. I told him that Nana needed the binkie and we'd get it later. When we got home, he asked about it again. I felt like giving in because I hated lying to him and he genuinely loved his binkie, but I didn't. Now, he's over it, and in the rare event he brings it up, I just tell him that binkies are for babies and he doesn't need it anymore. Finally, the truth has set me free.

Gabe has been having much more in-depth types of conversations latey. He likes making references to the past, like telling stories about his day or his vacation. He has been getting much better at using the past tense too. Some of the things that he has been telling people about our Disney trip are that "Peter Pan is scary. Um hmm. Danger. Flying in the stars scary," and "Dumbo is my favorite", "Rided the teacups and the rocketships. I love it." At least once a day, I am amazed by the things he says. He can be so surprisingly sweet, "how are you Mommy?", or with it "hey Mom, what time is it? It's 9:30 Mom" (and he was right), or just plain funny "My butt hurts". I am going to start writing down the things that he says that amuse me and catch me off guard and I'll post them when I get a substantial list.

Along with telling stories to people, Gabe has been having frequent chats with inanimate objects, most commonly his teddy bear, but sometimes other things too. Recently, has has developed a fear of his video monitor camera, more specifically, the green light on the camera. We have always had a video monitor in the twins' rooms for Ariana's seizures and lately, to hear Gabe screaming "go pee pee!" when he needs us to come take him potty in the middle of the night. He's never been aware of it until now. For about a week, he would throw a fit every time we put him down at night, and he'd always been so good about going down at bedtime. When I asked him what was bothering him, he told me "Green light is scary". Ahh, like mother like son. So, remembering my childhood fear of the plug socket in my bedroom (it looks like a robot face!), I told him to be friendly with the green light. I told him some things to say to the green light, such as "Good night green light. I love you green light. You're a good light." It's a little early to call it a victory, because fears in children tend to get worse before they get better, but for the past week or more, he hasn't cried at bedtime.

I love my kiddos! :)