A Little Catching Up

It’s been far too long since I wrote a milestones post.  Those long posts were the most daunting ones I wrote, and every month, I did it so diligently.  But now, life has gotten way ahead of me, and the kids are busy and not really changing at the same pace as they used to when they were my chubby babes who went to sleep and woke up doing different things the next morning.  At least that’s how it seems when the months now feel like weeks.

So, a quick catch up, because I know that I’ll want to look back and read it.

Gabriel:

• rides a trike and can actually drive his Ford F1-50 power truck (finally!)
• uses a spoon and fork proficiently
• can memorize movie lines and song lyrics like nobody’s business
• has a social life.  He has buddies (right now, Miles tops the charts) and a girlfriend (Lana, though he won’t admit it)
• wants to marry Mommy & Daddy
• loves to play pretend
• is a pack rat.  His collections include his “treasure” (play money & coins), his toy soldiers, pirate gear, and other random trinkets that he finds or earns at school (yo-yo’s, bobbleheads, spooky characters, glow bracelets, etc.)
• still loves his bear, blankie, and doggie.
• can trace his letters using a marker or pen (not a crayon yet).  He can write many on his own without tracing.
• can read short words and recognize about 40-50 sight words.
• wants to be the good guy!  At times, he’s a superhero who helps his sisters (his idea).
• is all boy… but still likes his shoes to match (he’s his Daddy’s son)
• is obsessed with Toy Story and Toy Story 2.
• has two favorite toys: his Buzz Lightyear and his pirate sword (still – best $6 I ever spent!)
• asks tons of questions.  The one I hear the most: “What do we do with [object]?”
• loves school and begs to go every day.
• isn’t too old for cuddles and tickles and kisses and squeezes, which he requests all the time.
• weighs 37 lbs. and is 42 inches tall.

Ariana:

• says “Mama” (which sounds more like “Ma… ma”) and it’s beautiful.
• sometimes says “apeee” (‘please’) while signing ‘please’ when she really wants something
• has turned a corner with using her talker for communication.  It was a long, rounded corner with no sidewalks, full of boulders and fencing and prickly bushes… but she turned it.  Ari’s SLP and I decided to use a new teaching format with her talker, because the old way wasn’t working for her.  So, now when she whines for something, we tell her to use her talker, and she get’s this “aha!” look in her eyes, points right at the talker and with it, proudly announces, “Want drink” or “want go” (when she’s finished eating or wants to use the potty), or just “want” when she wants another bite of what we’re giving her, or “want read! want read! want read!” when I get distracted while reading her a story, or “want turn” when she wants to hold the baby or to turn the page in the book.  Amazing.
• still has difficulty with the power chair.  Sometimes, she great at directionality but forgets to stop.  Sometimes, it’s the other way around.  Sometimes, she doesn’t want to move it at all, and protests just being in it.  Overall, she’s very inconsistent.  I never know what I’m gonna get.
• moves across the floor in her army crawl with lightning speed.
• doesn’t really get into most movies (compared to her siblings), but LOVES Mary Poppins and The Princess & The Frog for the music.
• likes to sing.  No words yet, no real melody yet, but she’s singing without a doubt.  And it’s music to my ears.
• can sit up from laying on her back to an Indian-style (sorry, not PC) sit position or from tummy to a kneel or a W-sit (sitting on her heels).
• likes to kneel and can get there with minimal assistance.
• is getting great at identifying colors and shapes.
• is using her right hand more than before as a helper.  She often tries to unclench her right fist with her left hand, which signals a growing awareness of it.  Botox is likely in our future.
• is a daddy’s girl through and through.
• is very moody lately, which we think has to do with her seizure medicine Keppra.  We are going to try to wean her off of and onto a new med called Zonegran.  Not excited about the process of switching, the new capsule form, or the new possible side effects (kidney problems, allergic reaction) but willing to try it if it makes her happier.  If not, we’ll switch back.
• weighs 35 lbs. (16 k.) and is 40 inches tall.

Isabella:

• speaks as well as Gabe.  Uses complete sentences and manners (when she feels like it) and expresses her opinions on everything.
• still loves to dress up.  She has favorite costumes and headbands and shoes, and I catch her smiling at herself in the mirror and exclaiming how pretty she thinks she is when she thinks I’m not watching.  It gets me every time.
• knows the alphabet and recognizes almost all letters (a couple still get confusing), capital and lowercase.
• sleeps in a big girl bed and doesn’t wake up until about 7:30 AM.  She’s very particular about her bear, bunny, and blankie, and she refuses to have anything else on her bed.  Poor girl’s going to be cold this winter!
• is still a good eater.
• loves affection, especially family cuddles, kisses, hugs, and tickles.  She’s a loveable little cuddle bug and a charming flirt, but she will determine when and to whom she doles out her lovin’.  Last night, I tried to get on her bed while tucking her in, and she exclaimed, “No, Mommy!  Get off my bed right now!  I don’t want to cuddle.  I’m going to sleep!”  So, I said (kind of laughing to myself), “Okay, Bella… goodnight ”.  To which she replied, “BYE!”… humph!
• can pull down her pants and take herself potty when she needs to (but we usually do it for her).  She stays dry all day, including during nap and most nights too.
• Is getting much better at naming colors and shapes.
• can use her prosthetic hand to pick up/release objects.
• weighs about 27 lbs. and is tall for her age (but don’t ask me how tall until I break out the tape measure).