Animal Love

In preparation for the upcoming birthday party which would be featuring ponies, and simply because it was a gorgeous day, we took the family to the Phoenix Zoo for the first time all year.  I would say our attempt to cultivate love for our animal friends was a success.  Of course, Gabe and Bella have always had a natural affinity towards animals.  The same couldn’t always be said for Ari though.  As you know, she has been pretty terrified at many a farm and even zoo exhibit before.  And ponies up close and personal?  Forgetaboutit.  But last weekend, we made some real progress, and we had fun in the process.

 

We spent about half of the time in the new zoo addition, which features our Aussie friends.  We got annual passes so we didn’t feel pressured to see everything on the first visit.

   

The rest of the time we were there, we played at the petting zoo.  I sincerely thought that Ari would freak out the whole time.  I mean, there were goats wandering everywhere.  After the first few minutes of her wide-eyed look, Ari actually started to like the goats.  She kind of even wanted to touch them!  Amazing!  Look how far we’ve come:

From this (August, 2010):                                                                                                            and this (October, 2010):

 

To THIS:

  

Special Day

This was a day that was different from the ones that we have come to expect when we live in the weather bubble that is Phoenix.  We get so complacent, feel so entitled to the warm, sunny days that we almost forget that there’s anything else out there.  So when real life weather hits you with thick, cool, oatmeal colored skies and sunshine that comes and goes with the wind;a downpour of rain; and 35 mph gusts that rip your kite right out of your hand (twice)… well, you feel just a little miffed.  Not that it is all bad.  It is a little inconvenient, sure.  Disappointing, at times.  Unexpected, definitely.  But bad?  No, I wouldn’t say that.

And in a way, this different day reminded me of another different day exactly four years prior. 

That day my twins came into the world 6.5 weeks before they were due.  All I knew about what to expect was what I was told, and when none of that fell into place, I realized what I really knew.  And that was nothing.  That day and the month that followed shook me to my core and changed my life.  I realized that I had been living in a bubble.  I never new misfortune or grief or having to fight for anything, much less the most important thing – the health and survival of your own children.  There was a lot I didn’t know (there is still I lot I don’t know).  But there is also a lot I do.  And I’m not sad to say that I do.  I’m proud to say that I do; that I know; that I CAN.  And, I’m sorry to say that I probably would never have even been aware of this reality if it hadn’t been made my own.  I never would have known or cared what wind felt like if it hadn’t taken my breath away in my own front yard.  I’m grateful for this experience… this so very real experience.  But most of all, I’m grateful for my children who brought it to me.  Four years ago.  Happy Birthday Ariana and Gabriel.  I love you so!

Ari has turned the corner with her power chair (figuratively, that is).  She has taken the huge cognitive leap that has made her aware that she, and no one else, is in control when she’s in that chair.  It makes me high to see her going wherever she pleases.  I feel higher still when I realize that ‘wherever she pleases’ is now, more often than not, in safe, appropriate directions that we have requested.  She follows us with the chair!  She, of course, still gets distracted when she hears and airplane overhead or stops to check out the neighbor’s basketball hoop even after I’ve asked her to come back to our driveway, but that’s a part of being 4, and that’s okay for now.  But this girl is going places. 

 

The kite went rogue twice and, luckily, wrapped itself around a speed limit sign on the main road right before getting caught in the power lines.  A near miss (strung itself on the same sign both times too).  Gabe was not feeling well, so he clung to my leg most of the time we spent out there.  He had been begging to fly the kite every time a breeze blew through the trees.  I felt terrible that when it actually came time, he couldn’t even partake in the fun.

Ariana, on the other hand, had a hay day flying the kite.  She got so excited that she didn’t even realize that her right hand (not her driving hand) accidentally hit her drive button and kicked her chair into “full speed ahead” mode, thereby running over Bella and trapping her under 300 lbs. of vehicle.  It was not a favorite moment of the day, but no harm no foul I guess.  Ari got to learn a valuable lesson from the experience, which can really only be learned first-hand… when you hit someone with the chair, it hurts.  She got to witness that, and she had the appropriate response from watching the drama of it all – big terrified cries of guilt and panic.  Every dark cloud has a silver lining.

  

Ari and Gabe got to have red velvet cupcakes for dessert (not the right number of candles in the cake, I know.  I was just thinking one for each twin.  We’ll get it right at their birthday party.)  Gabe wanted to help blow out the candles, but when I offered him his cupcakes, he said sadly “I’m too sick to eat my cupcake.  Just throw it in the garbage.”  Broke my heart to bits.  So, we saved it, and he got to eat it the next night when he was feeling better.  Both kids are well now, thank goodness.  Just hoping that wind doesn’t show up uninvited to the party on Saturday.

 

The Bug Caught Us

Lately, between my school and first experiences with being a counselor and the kids’ hectic schedules and all my other excuses, I guess I can easily forget to take pictures of my babies.  It is a priority for me, and one I don’t intend to take lightly.  I have an awesome camera that takes beautiful images of my stunning little models.  Models that will only be young for a short while, that will only let me take pictures of their adorable sillyness for maybe a few more years if I’m lucky, that will only have chubby cheeks for… oh, well I guess those may stick around (*fingers crossed*).  But hey, when I remember to bring out my camera, even if it is the same time of day on each occasion – lunch time – I know I must. 

My kids weren’t feeling so well these past two weeks.  By that I mean, we all got the flu pretty bad.  Gabe got two rounds of it, which I didn’t know was even possible.  So much for building up immunity.  At least we all kind of took turns getting sick, so we weren’t all hit hard on the same days.  That’s the bright side.  But even ill and with a mouth full of her favorite lunch, an eggo bagel (scrambled egg and cheese bagel), baby still looks sweet.

This day happened to be one of Ari’s well days.  We went through three and a half bottles of Children’s Ibuprofin this month.  Keeping those fevers down is a job all on its own, especially Ari’s.  I can never let myself get overconfident when it comes to her seizure-free status.  Ever since getting her on Keppra, we’ve been blessed that way, but I never know when her body will decide to chase a fever with a seizure, so we stay alert.

Gabe has learned to blow his own nose and cover his mouth when he coughs.  Just one of the many, many ways he shows us he’s getting big. 

Gabe has quite the imagination these days.  I love sitting back and just listening to him act out a little drama right in front of me.  I try not to let him catch me eavesdropping, because that always gets him to flash me his sheepish smile and his nervous laugh and quit playing.  These days, he’s all about being a superhero, which thrills me.  I don’t mind that he experiments with trying on both good guy and bad guy roles, because that’s a part of being a child… oh who am I kidding, it’s just a part of being human.  But, I love it when he sets out on a mission to “help” or “save” his sister, Ari.  This usually consists of rescuing her sought after toy or asking me to reposition her when she tips over (something she often does for herself now) or clearing a path for her to crawl.

“Other Hand” Lunch

It blows me away that Isabella is getting fitted for her 3rd prosthesis!  This new one isn’t going to be snazzier in the tech department, but it will fit her arm more comfortably.  She has almost outgrown the one she has now, and she’s getting less tolerant of how it squeezes her arm chub into that little pocket.  We had to take some new pictures of Bella’s myoelectric prosthesis in action to illustrate how she uses it.  She’s not a leftie and she knows how to use her fork, but she likes showing off with her hand so much that she decided to eat her chicken with it almost exclusively.  She was out to prove her skills!

Little Ari was so inspired by Bella’s use of her “other hand” that she decided to give it a go and eat chicken (rare) with her right hand (rarer still), which used to be fisted almost completely up until this year.  She couldn’t let her sister hog all the applause and praise.  I’m so proud of my girls and how far they’ve both come.  They are both so determined to make the most of what they’ve been given.  They are a true inspiration to me!

Not to forget my adorable, bright, loving boy.  These kids, man… make my heart soar.