Day 1055 | The Dynamic Duo

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Watch out EC, we've got two scooters now!

Thanks to this pretty awesome consignment sale, we scored this brand new scooter for $25! Yep, that's right, they're two wild and crazy kids on three-wheels. Woo hoo!

Side note: By "wild" and "crazy" I don't mean that we'll be riding in the middle of the street all the time. Our first foray this afternoon led us down to a Jazz Festival (and a closed road) downtown. Safety first remember!

Day 1054 | Speech Therapy

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After our meeting yesterday, Robbe is officially starting speech therapy. He has an IEP (Individualized Education Plan) for the next year. It was a heavy day. After two months of various assessments, phone calls, meetings, and emails, we've got a plan for our sweet three year old: he'll start one-on-one speech therapy through the end of the school year and then will start at a speech + language focused preschool (the only one like it in the state) in the fall.

I'm filled with mixed emotions about all of this. First and foremost, I'm feeling relieved. I've known for a year and a half that his speech wasn't forming the same way Chase's had. I told myself (as did countless others), that every child is different. He's probably fine. So we waited on any action. We gave him time. Now he's three and we all could tell frustration was mounting over not being able to communicate his more complex thoughts. Now we have reassurance from professionals that, with some focused assistance, he'll make progress and probably [hopefully] catch up quickly and get back on track. That's exactly what we wanted + needed to hear.

So, aside from relief and joy for my little guy finally getting the help he needs, I've got *just a few* other emotions that I'm trying to sort out in my tends-to-over-analyze mind.

My guilt:

Did I do something to create this challenge for our little guy (someone or something must be to blame after all). Here's what I've come up with as the possible reasons that our situation *may have* exacerbated his delay (insane or not):

  • Having babies close together: Chase and Robbe spend a lot of time together. Like, a lot a lot. They love it. And I love it. But I can't help but think having them close together has meant Chase talks for Robbe a lot and fills the silence with his own words so much that Robbe hasn't had as much opportunity for finding his own voice.
  • Staying at home with him: has my ability to predict his every need and translate his unrecognizable words and actions slowed his need to communicate? If he was forced into an environment where he had a different caregiver or kids he wasn't around as often, would he have been encouraged to communicate in a clearer fashion? Or maybe he just would have been more frustrated and started withdrawing. Who knows, right?
  • Not enough one-on-one time: I remember having a conversation with Chris when Robbe was about nine-ish months old. Chris would come home from work and want so badly to play with the boys. Chase ate that time up. Robbe? He was so content doing his own thing that when you tried to insert yourself into his play, he would leave and find something else to do: alone. And, although he now enjoys playing with anyone and everyone, he's still so content to just be that it's a hard balance of recognizing he needs (and craves) this down time so he doesn't get over-stimulated and amped up. Maybe more interaction when he was a little guy with the abc's and one-on-one discussions would have allowed his speech barrier to break down without intervention. Just maybe?
  • Thumb sucking: as of last month, Robbe is officially done sucking his thumb. Yay! But I can't help but wonder if I would have been proactive in nipping the habit in the bud earlier that it would have benefited his speech. 

My fears:

More than anything, I just want Robbe to be a happy + healthy little man. If I could take this on for him, I totally would, but, alas, I cannot and therefore I'm also filled with these anxieties:

  • Struggling with the challenge: no parent wants their little one to have to go through challenges. I know these bumps in the road of life build character and encourage hard work, resilience, etc, but I'm pretty sure if you, as a parent, could choose a smooth, clear, sunny road for your child, you would. I know he'll get through this. I'm just sad that he has to. 
  • Wondering if it’ll get easier for him: as much as the speech therapist can reassure, and my gut instinct can tell me, that he'll catch on quickly and be over this hurdle before he is even old enough to remember it, I still worry. I don't want these challenges to overshadow him living his little toddler-life the way he wants to (and I want him to!).  
  • Figuring out the best way to help him: I'm hoping [with every part of my being] that this speech therapy track will help our little guy. There are so many options for speech intervention (the preschool, one on one therapy, home programs, + more), that I hope we're on the right track with the right plan for him. 

There it is. You can all tell me (and some have) that none of this is my/our fault. I hear that. I really do. But, no matter how logical and reasonable that seems, doubt creeps in. I've learned in my five years of being a mom that you can find a way to blame yourself for practically everything. We're a lucky bunch, aren't we? 

I'll keep you all posted as our journey through speech therapy progresses. I'm hopeful. I'd appreciate all of your optimistic thoughts, too. :)

 

Day 1052 | Looking Back

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I spent the good part of last night ordering photos for the boys' baby books (turns out I was a little behind on the photo collecting) and left them out when I went to bed. Robbe and Chase were immediately interested in looking over their books. So much so that Robbe carried his around all day and needed to dig out his hedgehog Halloween costume because it was pictured in the book. To be fair, it was Chase's costume (for obvious reasons), but it was a nice trip down memory lane.  

Day 1050 | Collages

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It's was a surprisingly busy weekend around here.  Somehow limited plans turned into lots of running...but it was really great! 

As a result, though, the boys and I decided a quite morning at home was in order. We did puzzles, read books, did some superhero graphing, played a couple of games...oh, they also made these collages.

It started with Robbe wanting to practice his cutting skills (a pretty regular occurrence). Chase obviously got on board with that idea (also, not surprising). I gave them Menards ads instead of the normal computer paper so they started circling and cutting out items in the catalogue. I added some gluesticks to the mix and voila: two collages. 

Can you guess which boy made which collage? I bet you can!

Day 1047 | Dying Easter Eggs

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The boys and I had a blast dying Easter eggs with friends yesterday. And, best of all, we tried two new dying techniques that were much more fun than the traditional dipping method. 

My friend Ashley (thanks again!) set us up with a tie-dying method (top photos) and a rice dying method (bottom photos). Check out her post for the full details (why duplicate efforts, right?). 

I would definitely dye this way again next year! 

 

 

Day 1046 | A New Dentist

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If I were to write a parenting book, it would be entitled, Short Term Pain for Long Term Gain. I'm not writing one, for the record (because what do I know?), but I've realized over the last year or so that this is definitely my parenting strategy (although it took me about four years to realize). I don't make decisions regarding my kids + their behavior to make things easier for me. I don't give into them when they kick + scream + fight. This has been my strategy with nursing habits, toddler tantrums, eating habits, sleeping issues, etc. I deal with the challenge in the short term so that I don't have to deal with craziness for the long term. And, for the most part, it's worked for our kids (I know everyone's kids are different and everyone's situation is different so I'm not suggesting this should be everyone's parenting philosophy). 

Today, I threw that philosophy out the window by taking the boys to, gasp, a "fun" dentist. This one. Normally, I would say that tricking kids with things like movies and prizes (and a slide in the waiting room!) isn't necessary and only leads to problems later on...but not today. 

This pediatric dentist was able to get such a better look at my kiddos' mouths by distracting them with all the shiny lights that it was TOTALLY worth it. Even though there were the typical dentist-chair-challenges (the x-rays...sheesh!), both boys walked out as happy as can be arms full of random swag and cheap toys and they asked why they can't go to the dentist every day. 

They might be onto something...and we'll definitely be back.

Day 1044 | Mr. + Mrs. Quackers

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Remember when this duck came to visit? Well, it's been a bit over a week and we've seen her almost every day. It's been a dream come true. The problem? They seem to have claimed this area around the block from us as their "home".  

I think it's a bad idea. They've mistakenly accepted this gross cigarette butt-ridden puddle as a pond and hang out there nearly all the time. I don't get it. Our backyard seems like it would be close enough to the water to meet their needs *and* they wouldn't have to deal with trucks parking in their "pond" all the time. 

Can you tell I'm a little worked up about this?!? As upset as I am about giving up on my dream of a pet duck, I'm also worried about those little ducklings that are inevitably joining the world soon (the lady duck has already started molting!). What's going to happen when that "pond" dries up?

Why do I see the boys and I delivering buckets of water to the edge of that sidewalk in our future?

Day 1043 | The Making of a Superhero Birthday Party

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Are you curious what Chris and I have been spending our free time on for the last couple of weeks? Take a gander below. Our little superhero had the best party ever and it seemed like his superhero friends felt similarly. Thanks to my mom for help with the capes and all the last minute prep! Thanks to Chris's mom for cutting out all the superhero paper dolls. And thanks to all our other friends + family for pitching in in a million ways. It definitely takes a village. 

A picture perfect day and party...

Day 1041 | The Five Year Old

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This guy. This funny, sweet, thoughtful sweet pea is five today. I've always thought of five as a turning point. All of a sudden my baby is old: he's a real kid. I've been joking with him the last few months that I decided he was going to stay four forever. He always gets appropriately outraged and I give in and *allow* him to turn five. There is some truth to this request, though. Four was a good age for Chase. He has made huge strides in his confidence + personality + social skills and is a total joy to be around. I'm going to miss four year old Chase, but boy am I excited to see what surprises five year old Chase has in store for us. 

Without further ado... 

MY Top Ten Favorite Things About Five Year Old Chase

  1. His voice. Someone said to me the other day, I hope Chase's voice sounds like that forever. He does have the sweetest, high-pitched little boy voice ever.  It also never stops, in case you're wondering. Our days are filled with incessant chatter, story telling, made up words, and singing.
  2. His vocabulary. He gets complimented on this frequently, actually. I think it might just be because of lots of practice (see above). 
  3. His love of puzzles, superheroes, wedgits, and legos. He's really honed his interests this year. No more baby stuff for this guy!
  4. His mad scooter skills. You saw the post, no further elaboration needed
  5. His empathy. This has been a Chase characteristic that started way younger than it should have and just keeps developing. He's so kind and compassionate to those around him...except, on occasion, his brother, but what can you expect? 
  6. His morning breath. I used to love the smell of Chase's breath when he was teeny. Somehow it never smelled bad and that was endearing to me. He's definitely grown out of that phase, but this new big kid with his new smelly morning breath, continues to warm my heart. I know...it's just morning breath. Call me crazy. 
  7. His favorite people: Family. Chase loves family. Chris, Robbe, and me but also his grandparents, cousins, aunts + uncles. He just lights up whenever they're around. 
  8. His rash disappearing. As more of a historical note, his crazy rash (that appeared before Robbe was born!!) disappeared this year. We're fairly certain the rash was hinting at a cat allergy and the move this year proved that to be true. 
  9. His sense of humor. He's got his dad's sense of humor, that's for sure. And, if you've spent any amount of time with Chris, you know that's about the best thing he could have inherited from either of his parents. Chase manages to crack himself [and the rest of us] up on a pretty regular basis with all the crazy stuff he says. It's good to laugh. 
  10. His sensitive soul. He's a feeler, this one. Although I often struggle with the need for him to "use his words" to express these strong emotions, I know that having the capability to feel the way he does is only going to fill his life with strong relationships and people that can appreciate and reciprocate these intense types of emotions. 

Day 1039 | Monkey Bread

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Although I  *try* to promote sugar free snacks and baked goods, I'm definitely not above splurging on sugar-filled deliciousness every so often. Case in point: this monkey bread. It brings me back to my childhood and is Just. So. Delicious. I would never consider eating an entire tube of biscuits but for some reason, eating that same tube of biscuits covered in brown sugar and butter seems totally possible. Ha!

Here's the recipe for those of you looking for a little indulgence in your life:

Monkey bread

Ingredients:
1 7.5 oz tube of 10 small biscuits (that some times comes in a four-pack like this).
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp water
2 tbsp butter

Directions:

  • Add brown sugar, water, and butter to a bowl and microwave for 1.5 minutes. 
  • Stir to combine after cooking.
  • Cut up biscuits into quarters and add to the sugar mixture. Stir until evenly coated. 
  • Use a spoon to create a whole in the center of un-cooked biscuits. Place a narrow-ish glass in the hole (provides more surface area for cooking).
  • Microwave for 2.5 minutes. Let stand in microwave for additional two minutes.
  • Remove from microwave and flip onto a plate (sometimes it doesn't come out in one uniform ring as shown above...that's ok).
  • Try to enjoy with several other people so you don't eat too much of it.

 

Day 1036 | A Duck

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We did a lot today. It was a busy, but really lovely day. One of the highlights, though, happened before we even got in the car to start our adventures. We had a duck in our yard! I've been secretly dreaming of this day for some time (we live close to the river, after all). Today it happened!!

We even fed the little lady and she brought her male friend back with her. I hope we see them again really soon.