Almost a month! So much to update . . .!

I can't believe it's been almost a month since I've posted anything. I guess that gives you an indication of how crazy-busy I have been lately!

Kevin Updates

Kevin is doing really well. He is making a lot of progress. On May 1, Kevin took his first solo steps! He took about three or four steps from my dresser to Daddy, just as we were leaving the house for work! It was totally unexpected. Of course, since then, I have only seen him do that twice more. However, he uses everything to help him walk now--he walks along the furniture, the walls, and often uses his push toys. He usually walks barely holding on to one of our fingers. I think he just needs to build up some confidence. He has also become proficient at climbing onto things, and opening doors!

In terms of his speech, he still has a lot of grunts and non-verbal sounds, but he is also doing well with the words from the speech therapist (we are moving up to the next sheet of words next week). In addition, he often randomly imitates words that he hears on TV or from one of us (for example, "rainbow"--"rah-bow").

Kevin's had a lot of doctor's visits in recent weeks, too. We went to the neurologist, who said there's a 95% chance we won't find the cause of Kevin's delays, and eventually he'll catch up to other kids. She's still scheduling an MRI to make sure his brain structures look good (just to rule anything out) and we may do some genetic blood tests to check for any diseases/syndromes, but she hasn't decided yet.

Kevin finally had another hearing test, too. The results were pretty much the same as last time: fluid in both ears, and they are not sure what is causing it. Therefore, they're sending us to an ENT (Ear-Nose-Throat specialist) who will hopefully sort out the cause of the fluid, and decide if Kevin will need any intervention, like tubes in his ears. The audiologist said Kevin is definitely hearing sounds, but the fluid could be muffling sounds, which could be what's affecting his speech. Still, we aren't sure. So, off to another specialist in the search for answers!

Indoor/Outdoor Fun

With the arrival of the nice weather, we are either at the park or in the backyard almost every day. Andrea, especially, has reached a stage where she gets bored very easily. Kevin isn't as adventurous, but he enjoys the outing, too.

Andrea likes to help Kevin when they are outside. She likes to push him on the swings, and show him how to climb up on the slide. He always gets excited when she plays with him. There is still a lot of sibling rivalry between them, especially as Kevin doesn't understand some of his actions, and Andrea gets bossy at times. Overall, though, they seem to be enjoying each other's company a lot more lately.

(In the video above, Kevin is trying to imitate Andrea jumping off her stool. It's too funny how he just kind of crawls over it, and goes "mwah!" when he makes it over, like a big grunt of effort!)

Easter Weekend 2009 (April 11 and 12)

Saturday

On the Saturday of Easter weekend, Gram and Papa Gagnon had an Easter egg hunt for the kids at their house.

Hannah's First Easter :))

Hannah found an egg!

Kevin found some eggs, too!

After all the eggs were found, Gram and Papa sent the kids upstairs for an extra surprise--special Easter gifts!

Kevin and Hannah have to put up with our whims . . . they can't protest too much.

Thanks Gram and Papa! Group hug!

After the egg hunt, we stayed for a visit and a tasty lunch. Of course, the kids were too excited to eat much, and were more focused on the sugary treats. Andrea was thrilled with Gram's Marshmallow-Peep-and-jelly-bean-topped cupcakes. Cupcakes, with more candy on top? Andrea's favourite!

Kevin demolishing a Peep--it didn't stand a chance!

As Papa cleaned up after lunch, the girls amused themselves by sticking flower and smiley-face shaped post-its on his behind. I can't believe the things he lets these kids get away with. :))

Kevin discovered the cupboard with the pots and pans. Notice that he was "decorated" by Izzy and Andrea, as well (although he pulled most of them off).

Easter Sunday

The Easter Bunny came! He left a little trail of chocolate eggs from both Andrea and Kevin's beds to their bedroom doors. In fact, Andrea woke us up by running into our bedroom with her hands full of half-melted chocolate eggs, and she was so excited about the eggs in her room that she could barely tell us what she'd found! When Kevin saw the eggs on his bedroom floor, he crawled right over, grabbed one, and popped it into his mouth foil and all! (Don't worry; we got it in time.)

The Easter Bunny also hid chocolate eggs all over the living room. As many of them were at/near floor level, Kevin actually started finding the eggs first. He also spotted the baskets right away. Once Andrea started finding eggs, she was so thrilled with each one she found. Considering there were about forty of them, it was funny how she exclaimed over every single one she found!

Kevin checking out his Easter basket

Andrea sporting her chocolate-scented bunny ears

Kevin: "I'm only wearing these so Mom will give me more chocolate."

Andrea received a special Easter dress from Grama Marty and Grampa Rick. She still loves being a princess, and wanted to put it on as soon as she saw it in the morning. Of course, I made her wait until we went out in the afternoon, so she wouldn't wreck it (mean mommy that I am). Once she got to put it on, I had no problems getting her to pose for me. She knows she's beautiful. ;))

We went to Gram and Papa's for a visit and supper. Kevin had left some of his eggs there from the day before, so he had some treats to enjoy while we were there.


Are there any more?

Gram and Papa have a princess bike that they bought for the girls to play with when they come over. Papa was giving Andrea a ride around the basement.

Kevin wanted a ride, too! Daddy wasn't thrilled with Kevin being on the princess bike, but what can you do? All his cousins there are girls!

Both Andrea and Kevin enjoy colouring. Gram made sure they were playing nicely (and they were!), while the men watched the Masters golf on TV.

Did I mention that Andrea loves to dress up, and to pose?

(I like this one because of the cowgirl hat; it goes well with the dress sent from Montana!)

***
Papa always likes to give the kids a bath when they come over in the evening. Of course, it's more like a swim and Gram and Papa's big tub!

Kevin enjoys simple, repetitive activities. He seems to enjoy focusing on/analyzing things. Pulling the strings through these cards kept him entertained for ages.

Andrea, on the other hand, is a social butterfly and must move from activity to activity to be entertained. At the end of the night, I think she was working all the sugar out of her system. She was pretending to be Bouncing Tigger. Gram would push down on Andrea's head just like you would do with the toy, and Andrea would bounce like the toy! (Hey, at least it made her nice and tired for bedtime.)

Overall, Easter was a lot of fun this year. Kevin was able to participate more, and Andrea was really excited and enjoyed all the Easter activities. :))

More Kevin Progress :))

Kevin is making lot of progress right now in his development. I wanted to mention some things before I forget!

He's saying more new words over the past few days: "Empty" (referring to his juice cup), "Night-night" (saying goodnight to everyone before bed), and "Hiding!" (he has a new game where he closes himself in the closets, and I ask, "Where is Kevin hiding?").

I've also gotten him to stand up and walk with his walking toys. He's still pretty hesitant about it, but seems to enjoy it once he gets going.

He is also pulling himself up to standing well now, and frequently cruises the furniture. He loves climbing stairs, especially at Gram and Papa's house.

He is also starting to nod his head "yes" to things that he wants or agrees with, which is new, and point to things that interest him. He likes to point to objects and have me tell him what the word is for them. His comprehension seems much stronger, as well; when I ask him to do things like "Go get the ball, and bring it to Mommy," he responds appropriately. He is also doing a lot more independent babbling this week, like he's trying to tell me things. I can't understand it, but it's great to see these sudden leaps in those pre-language skills he's been working on. :))

***

That's it for now. It might be awhile before I get a chance to post about our Easter. It was busy and fun, so I have lots to say about it, but not much time to do long posts this week!

"Hockey" and "Bubbles"

The title of this blog refers to Kevin's two newest words. :))

Daddy has been trying to get Kevin to say "hockey," well, since Kevin started making sounds. Suddenly, a couple of night ago, he repeated it while he was in the bathtub! Now, he says it all the time. Daddy has even made up his own "hockey" flashcard to put in Kevin's word bowl. I'm not sure what the speech therapist will think of that!

***

Yesterday evening was beautiful--sunny, and about 60 degrees. Daddy I and took the kids for a wagon ride to the park, so they could get some fresh air, and go on the swings. Andrea's also been asking me to do bubbles lately, so I brought them along with us to the park. When Daddy was blowing bubbles, I got Kevin to say "bub-ble" several times!

***
Kevin and Andrea did their annual HOP for Muscular Dystrophy at daycare yesterday. Here they are, sporting their bunny ears, after school. Notice they got into their Easter treats from daycare the instant they got home. Gotta love Kevin's chocolate face!

I'll be posting about more Easter Weekend fun in the next few days. :))

Kevin's New Pediatrician

Today Papa G. and I took Kevin to Dr. A's office. He is our new pediatrician, who is going to help us investigate the underlying causes (if there are any) of Kevin's delays.

My first impression of Dr. A's office was great. There was a TV playing Elmo in the waiting room, and some little tables and chairs for the kids to play at. The rooms had big cartoon characters painted on the walls. The nurses were cheery and friendly, and there was even soothing/cheerful music being played in the examining rooms! Dr. A. himself seemed friendly and knowledgeable (although Kevin screamed when he saw the doctor--he hates doctors).

Dr. A. asked lots of questions, and then did a quick but thorough exam of Kevin. He said that in 90 percent of cases like Kevin's, the child will drive everyone in the local medical community crazy for a few years, and then will be fine, and caught up to the other children, by the time he is four or five years old.

However, he did have some concerns about Kevin. One, of course, is Kevin's low muscle tone, which we are all well aware of. The other is that the soft spot on top of Kevin's head hasn't closed up yet. Most babies' soft spots close by about 18 months of age.

So, Kevin has to go for some blood tests to check his vitamin and mineral levels (soft spot sign of low calcium? metabolism/enzyme issues?). He is also being referred to a neurologist, to see if his low muscle tone is due to a problem with his nervous system.

I hope that Kevin falls into that 90 percent of kids who just need some extra time to build up their strength.

***

By the way, Kevin officially moves up to the Toddler Room at daycare tomorrow. He has been spending time in there this week, and seems to be doing well. I'm not sure if they've ever had a toddler that doesn't "toddle" yet, but they seems to be doing their best to accommodate his needs. Right now, I think he's a bit overwhelmed by all the new faces and new activities; however, I also believe the new stimulus will be good for his development.

Actually, we witnessed a new skill last night: as Papa left our house, Kevin pulled himself up to standing at the railing by the stairs. Then, with Papa's encouragement, he walked from post to post for a couple of steps, until he got to Papa!

***

Here's a video of Kevin I took about a week and a half ago, when he started climbing up on Andrea's bed!

***

Random Kevin Pictures . . .

Accountant in Training

Practicing Sounds from his Word Bowl

Waiting for Andrea to Finish Going Potty

(He was banging on the door and calling to her!)

Heartache

Pregnancy number three ended yesterday.

It still hasn't really settled in for me yet.

Briefly, I spent 8 hours in the ER on my birthday (Thursday) because the spotting got heavier. I went back to the hospital on Friday afternoon for an ultrasound. I went to the ER, and sat there for about 4 hours before I finally got the results, that I'd had a partial miscarriage. Then, I waited in the ER until past midnight to see the OB/Gyn on call, who decided a D & C was the best option, and also decided to admit me. I was finally brought upstairs at 1:30 AM. They were supposed to do the D & C by around 9 AM, but I ended up waiting until 7 PM. I got home around 10:30 PM last night.

Physically, I'm doing okay. Emotionally, I'm kind of on shut-down.

The doctor said it looks like the pregnancy made it to about 6 weeks, 6 days. This means that I must have lost it just after that last ultrasound, where I saw the heartbeat.

Today, Andrea asked about the baby again. That was tough. I explained that there wasn't one anymore. Thankfully, she didn't ask too many questions, but just said "it's not fair." I have to agree with that. But I know this is God's/nature's way of taking care of a baby that was probably very sick.

I'll be okay. We'll be okay. It's just been a rotten few days . . . sigh.

The Cutest Conversation . . . about Babies

I don't remember how our conversation started, but after school, Andrea informed me that she wanted "a girl baby." We were playing, so I thought she was talking about wanting one of her baby dolls. But she kept insisting, "I want a GIRL baby," so I said, "Okay, we ARE going to have a new baby, but I don't know if it's a girl or a boy." (I'll admit, I hesitated a bit to open this conversation, only being 8 weeks pregnant, and still spotting daily, but she was so insistent about pursuing this topic!)

Andrea: "What kind is it? Is it a girl baby or a boy baby?"
Mommy: "I don't know. We have to wait a long time until we can find out--maybe not until it's ready to come out of my belly."
Andrea: "Can I SEE it?"
Mommy: "Not yet, honey, it's in my belly."
Andrea: "How do you eat with it?"
Mommy: "Well, it's not IN my belly where the food goes. It's kind of in a special place just under my belly."
Andrea: "Where is it? I wanna see it!" (as she starts patting her hands on my belly, and jiggling it)
Mommy: "Well, it's deep down inside, and it's very small right now, so we can't see it from the outside. Would you like to see a picture of what our baby looks like right now?"
Andrea: "Okay!"

So, I got out my pregnancy week-by-week book, and showed her the illustration of baby at week 8, and its actual size. She was very impressed by the book, and asked to see more images.

Andrea: "So it's in your tummy, and it comes out of your mouth!"
Mommy: "Well, no, honey . . . the doctor will put a little cut in my tummy, and gently pull the baby out, when it's ready to come out."

I showed her an illustration of a baby being removed by c-section (not at all gory, so it was entirely kid-friendly), and she was again quite impressed.

Andrea: "So when can it come out?"
Mommy: "Around Halloween. It's going to take a long time to grow. See how tiny it is now? It has to get big like a baby doll before it's ready to come out."
Andrea: "And THEN we'll have a girl baby."
Mommy: "I don't know . . . you don't think it might be a boy?"
Andrea: "I'm having a girl baby. "
Mommy: "You are?"
Andrea: "Yes. It's in my belly."

Later in the evening, she asked to "see the baby" again (meaning the pictures). She especially likes the 8 weeks one, the one at 25 weeks of a side profile of a baby in utero, and the c-section image.

Tonight, while brushing her teeth, she brought it up again. (I think she's seriously pondering this whole process!)

Andrea: "Mommy, when they take the girl baby out, the doctor will have to put your belly back in. It will be a hole."
Mommy: "It's just a little cut, and they don't take my belly out--just the baby. Then the doctor will sew me back up. But it doesn't hurt too much."
Andrea: "That's good!"

Then once again, at bedtime . . .

Andrea: "Mommy, when's the girl baby coming out?"

Sigh . . . I'm glad she's so interested, but it's going to be a LONG seven months for both of us if she keeps asking for her "girl baby" every day. But at least she didn't ask how it got in there! :))

Various Updates (Mommy, Kevin, Andrea)

Mommy and Baby
Nothing much has changed with my pregnancy in the last week. I am still spotting every day, but it hasn't gotten worse. I haven't heard from my doctor because she's off for March Break.

Morning sickness is setting in. I'm feeling pretty rough most mornings (and some whole days)now.

I saw my endocrinologist (diabetes doctor) yesterday. My sugar levels are ridiculously high--averaging 15 to 17 most times (when I should be 7 or under). So, I'm back on insulin injections 4 times a day, and blood testing 5 times a day. I'm going to see the dietitian and nurse educator on Monday afternoon to get my pregnancy diet set up. The doctor is happy with my weight loss (about 17 pounds since January), but my high blood sugar is really a concern right now. I was surprised to see such high numbers, because I've been eating much better (as the weight loss shows). I guess I'm going to have to be meticulous to get my sugar under control.

Kevin
Kevin has some doctors appointments and assessments next week, so hopefully I'll have some more information about his needs after that.

Last week Kevin went for an assessment at the John McGivney Children's Centre, where his Gram worked until her retirement in June 2008. I hadn't mentioned it here because their findings were similar to Children First's. However, it was good to get a second opinion and some more details about his condition:

1. Kevin has extremely low muscle tone. This is why he has such a hard time supporting himself on his feet, and why he gets tired so easily. He tends to sit in a slumped position, with a rounded back, because it requires less effort; but this could be bad for his spine in the long run. They estimate that it will be another 4 to 6 months before he begins walking. However, the worst thing we can do is force him to stand up and walk before he's ready, because it could injure his feet and joints. We have to work slowly with him on strength-building activities for his muscles.
The big question is, What is the cause of the low muscle tone? Our hope is that the new pediatrician he is seeing next week will order some investigative tests.

2. Kevin's communication (speech) is in the range of a 10 month old. Again, some investigation is needed into the cause(s) of the delay. They have referred us to a special parent-and-child language program which will help us to communicate better with Kevin. I'm not sure when we'll be starting that.

Kevin is making some progress on his own. He now says "hi" and "bye-bye" spontaneously and appropriately. He likes blowing kisses to people. New words that he repeats include "Izzy," "A-ee-ah" (Andrea), "Ba-pah" (Backpack), and "Poop!" He also repeats "Hi, Mama" and "Hi, Dada." He is starting to point to objects in his picture books when we ask him to, and gets most of them right. His sense of humor is developing; a lot of shows on TV make him laugh, and he does silly things to get me to laugh (like big, cheesy grins).

Physically, Kevin loves pushing around his walking toys while he walks on his knees. He tries to walk a bit on his knees alone, but usually topples over. He regularly pulls himself up to standing by the furniture, and has even cruised down the length of the couch a couple times. One time, I helped him up to standing with his walking toy, and he walked it across the living room, but he was pretty shaky. He tries to climb up on to the furniture (but can't quite make it yet).***Actually, he just crawled up on Andrea's bed from a step-stool! Then, he turned around and crawled back down! (added 7:00 PM)*** So, the good news is that he has the desire to walk. He tries; he wants to move and climb. Believe me, he already tries to get into everything on the end tables, shelves, drawers, etc. He is very curious. When he does start walking, he is going to keep me busy!

At daycare, Kevin has started to visit the toddler room. They say he is doing well so far. He will probably move up at the start of April. I think it will be good for him to be with the toddlers.

Andrea
I'm not sure if I've mentioned potty training in a while. She is doing great--hardly any daytime accidents (usually only during nap, and even then, not often). She only gets a diaper at bedtime, because she's not night-trained yet. When she starts waking up dry, or asking to go in the middle of the night, then we'll do the night training. She's not ready yet.

Our big issue with Andrea right now is how she expresses her feelings. She's very sensitive, and yells or cries when she gets frustrated. At daycare, too, they are working with Andrea to help her express her emotions in a more appropriate way. Everything is drama with this child! Of course, now it's always, "Mommy, you're making me TERRIBLE!" (feel terrible) whenever she doesn't get the answer she wants. It's a double-edged sword. Sigh.

She also has to have a "grown-up friend" with her at all times. What happened to the child who could entertain herself for hours?

Nap-time is disappearing, too. She doesn't nap every day. I miss it a lot more than she does.

She's funny and sweet, too. Right now she declares she loves me and I'm her best friend (same for Daddy). She even shows signs of concern for Kevin, and seems to miss him when he's not around. Today, for example, she's at home sick, but Kevin went to daycare. She keeps asking where Kevin is, and whining, "but I WANT him!" She also gets upset when I do something like wipe Kevin's nose (which he hates), and he cries. She says, "Be nice to Kevin! Stop making him cry!" Sometimes, if Kevin's being naughty, and I scold him, she'll say, "But he LIKES it. He's just being funny!" It's amazing how she can get so annoyed with him, but if she thinks anyone else is "picking on" him, she jumps right in at his defense. I guess that makes her a normal big sister. :))

A "Dot" and a "Flicker" :))

I went for my second ultrasound today, and it was a much happier visit this time. As soon as I heard the tech talking to the student tech about measuring the "flicker" (heartbeat), I knew everything was okay.

They told me that I'm measuring about 2 weeks earlier than what I'd expected; they are saying I'm only 6 weeks pregnant, whereas I worked it out to be 7.5 weeks. That's probably why they couldn't see anything last time; I'd have been just over 5 weeks, which is really too early to see anything on ultrasound.

These techs were great--really friendly, and showed me things on the monitor. They even gave me pictures!

(Our little dot is just above and to the left of the arrow.)

Of course, we have to keep in mind that I'm still spotting, and it's still very early (earlier than I thought!), so anything can happen. But it was a happy moment when I got to see that tiny dot and flicker on the ultrasound screen. :))

Quick Update

I called and bugged my doctor's office for the blood test results from Wednesday. The doctor came on the phone (seriously, unheard of at her office, so I appreciated her effort) and told me that my hCG levels are normal--I went from 1,600 last week to 10,000 this week. So, something is going on in this uterus; what is it?

The earliest I could book another ultrasound was next Friday morning. I had to BEG to get in after calling at least 5 different imaging places. Everyone was booking for late March and into April. Thankfully, I found a kind-hearted woman who could tell I was distressed, and she managed to slide me in for Friday morning.

I am also anxious because I got this good news that the hormones are increasing, but I'm starting to see a teeny bit of bleeding again over the past 2 days. :(( I told my doctor this when we were on the phone, and she immediately told me to get off my feet, rest this weekend, and NO lifting Kevin (really emphasized it this time).

I think Rod took her message seriously this time because he picked me up from work, and cancelled some activities he had planned this weekend, so he could stay home with me and help care for the kids. It's hard for him, since this is tax season, and he's already insanely busy. He is a sweetie. ;)

Baffled :((

The first ultrasound results are well, quite simply, baffling.

They wouldn't show/tell me anything yesterday, and told me to go talk to my doctor today. Last night I did another home pregnancy test, and it was CLEARLY positive.

When my doctor walked in to talk to me, she was absolutely confused. Here's my results: the tech said she couldn't find anything in there!

WHAT?!

Okay, so my doctor flipped back to my blood work from a week ago, which showed a normal hormone rate. I was definitely pregnant a week ago.

Since that time, I have had NO cramping or bleeding. (?)


Oh, and here's some other info.: my doctor said my hCG hormones were at 1600 last week. I looked it up on the American Pregnancy Association site, and that is well within normal range for 5 weeks. Here's another interesting point from the same page:

"A transvaginal ultrasound [which I had] should be able to show at least a gestational sac once the hCG levels have reached between 1,000 - 2,000mIU/ml. Because levels can differentiate so much and conception dating can be wrong, a diagnosis should not be made by ultrasound findings until the hCG level has reached at least 2,000. "

I dunno . . . make what you will of that.

So, we discussed the possibility that I had my dates messed up, and maybe it was too early to see anything on ultrasound yet. But, we went through a calendar and I gave her all my dates. I should be six and a half weeks. (?)

Here's what we decided to do: I went for more blood work tonight, to check if my hormone levels are rising. If they are, good. If they're not, then something has happened without my knowing it.

She's also having me book another ultrasound for next week. By then, I would be 7.5 weeks, and definitely should be able to see anything that's there. I also requested to go to a different ultrasound centre, because for many reasons, I was NOT impressed with the first one.

So, I am confused and upset. How can it be that I haven't miscarried, I'm still getting positive pregnancy tests, but the tech says there's nothing in there? I hope that tech was just a f'n idiot. But now, I'll have to wait another week to see. I'm not impressed.

Another One on the Way!

Well, I was going to wait a bit longer to share the news, but I went to an event tonight that required drinking, and I knew I'd have to explain why I must refuse, so I figured I'd better tell everyone . . .
Yes, it's faint, but the line is there. This test was from Thursday, the 19th (last week). I have been doing more, and the line's much darker now.

I went to the doctor's on Wednesday this week, and she did some blood and urine tests, just to check everything (no results yet). She has given me a due date of October 18th (but my calculations say the 26th; I think she's off about a week). It's still early; I'm only about 6 weeks along.

However, you also need to know that this pregnancy has started out a bit unusual for me. I'll try to skip the physical details, but I did have some VERY light bleeding for a week and a half, which, thankfully, stopped about 3 days ago. The doctor didn't seem too concerned yet, but she has booked an ultrasound for me on Tuesday, just to make sure. She also told me not to do any heavy lifting (including Kevin!), and let her know if things got worse. Thankfully, like I said, I've actually had 3 good days in a row. I am hopeful.

I was going to wait until after the ultrasound to let everyone know, but I went to a party for my cousin's 30th birthday, and I had to explain why I couldn't drink with her tonight! :))

Bear Crawls

Kevin has made some progress this week. He started doing the "bear crawl," and he seems to enjoy doing it. He does it all the time. I got a video of Kevin doing his bear crawl, and Andrea playing along, too. Admittedly, he was a bit whiny the day I filmed this, but it was still cute. :))

Andrea loves it when I take out the camera now. She always wants to take silly pictures and videos so she can see herself. She requested a picture of herself bear crawling. Here it is. :))

***

As I said, Kevin was a bit whiny and cuddly that night, and he did something that surprised me. He's not usually interested in stuffed animals or dolls. However, he crawled up to the couch and pulled down Andrea's Dora doll. (Of course, she wasn't paying attention, or he'd never have gotten away with this!) Then, he sat holding the Dora, playing with her dress and hair, and murmuring to her.

Soon, he laid himself down next to her, and had a little nap with Dora! Too cute!

A Weekend With the Kids

With Daddy gone for the annual ski trip this weekend, the kids have been especially attached to Mommy this weekend.

***

Andrea has been really cute. She misses Daddy SO much. She keeps asking when he's coming home, and being extra snuggly and lovey with me. Last night, when I put her to bed, she made me promise that I wouldn't go away, and that I would stay and take care of her! She is also constantly after me to do the tings that Daddy does with her: play computer games, do gymnastics, do the midget toss, etc.

***

Kevin has been his usual self, meaning, a STINKER. That is my new nickname for him: "Stinker," or sometimes, "Monster." He may be delayed in some areas, but his attitude is definitely heading toward the Terrible Twos! He still has the bad habit of throwing things from his tray when he's tired of eating. Today, I took his breakfast away after he "dropped" the first thing. He still had one last bite of food he was chewing, so he put his hand in his mouth, pulled out some of the chewed up food, and threw it at the wall--SPLAT! Gross! When I scolded him and started to clean it, he laughed, and did it again. MONSTER!

Then, at lunch time, I was making something in the oven that needed to be flipped. As soon as I opened the oven door, he came running in on hands and knees. I had a flipper in one hand, a pan in the other, and I was trying to shoo him away. He laughed at me! He thought it was a game! Then, when I yelled because I didn't want him to get hurt, Andrea came running in and said, "Stop being mean to him! Stop yelling at Kevin! You're being bad to Kevin!" This is funny because Andrea is usually the one yelling at him, so she's probably repeating what I've said to her a zillion times. They're three and one, and they're already banding together against the parents! Actually, I was happy to see Andrea defending her little brother.

Kevin also gets into everything (cupboard locks are constantly on) because he is incredibly curious. He drives Andrea crazy because he crawls after her everywhere, and he tries to tickle her feet all the time! His other difficulty is staying still (when WE want him to); I have never seen a child crawl so fast! Kevin RUNS on his hands and knees! The worst times are clothing and diaper changes; I usually end up chasing him down the hall, crying, "Naked baby on the loose! Naked baby on the loose!"

Still, Kevin is a lovable little guy, and very cuddly with the people he knows and loves best. Who can resist his toothy grin? The other night, I was filming some videos of him (I'll post those after) and he wanted to grab my camera. I was holding it, but he was pressing the button, and snapping pictures of himself. Every time the camera flashed, he laughed like crazy. I'm posting all the pictures here because they made me laugh so much!

***

Kevin's really been into blocks lately, and he recently discovered Andrea's set of Pooh-bear Mega Blocks. (Isn't it great when toys get used by both kids?) I was surprised by how well he puts things together, and how long he can spend quietly amusing himself. He's very focused, too; I can barely get his attention when he's playing.

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As far as Kevin's gross motor skills, there's been some small improvements. He likes to play in high-kneeling position, and he'll walk on his knees with a toy. He pulls himself up to standing once in a while. We've even gotten him to take a few steps with his walking toys (but he always cries--he doesn't like it). His communication skills are still a work in progress. Today, he said "Map" and "Bac-ac" (Backpack) when we were playing a Dora game, so that was good. I got a video of Kevin and I doing our songs and sounds practice last night. It's long, but it gives you an idea of where he's at (and he's just too cute!).

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Andrea still loves singing and music, too. Last night, she started singing the cutest little song about Peter, James, and Jesus out on the water. I know she learned this one at daycare (it's Christian--they do a brief church service each morning). I just thought she was so sweet singing this little song to herself, so I asked her to do it on video for me. Of course she was glad to, and then we had to watch it about 50 times!

One more video of Andrea singing. They were learning "Skinnamarink" for Valentine's Day at daycare. She doesn't have it quite right yet, but I just love her ending ("Say it one more time!").

Meeting with Children First: Update

Last night, three people from Children First, who have been working with/assessing Kevin, came to share their initial reports with us: the primary partner (in charge of Kevin's file), the speech therapist, and the physiotherapist. Basically, their observations and concerns mirror my own. Here's a summary of what they said:


Speech Therapist's Report
"At the present time, Kevin has delays in all aspects of communication. He is not yet producing the typical repertoire of vowel and consonant sounds. . . . Kevin occasionally responds to his name, and follows some simple one-step directions. . . . . More information around Kevin's hearing acuity . . . is needed."


"Need: To provide support around developing Kevin's overall communication skills, in particular, prelanguage skills." In other words, she can't really help him until he starts making more consonant/word sounds. She is also anxious to get the results of his hearing re-test.


Physiotherapist's Report
"Kevin is delayed in the acquisition of his motor milestones. This is no doubt related to his low tone and lack of endurance of his muscles, which limits his opportunities for practicing movement to build strength and learn skills. Kevin demonstrates low tone throughout his body, evidenced by his sitting posture, inability to maintain upright positions, and difficulty reaching with arms. It is unclear at this time what the cause of the low tone and muscle fatigue is."


"Recommendations: . . . the need for further medical investigations . . . to identify the reason for his muscle fatigue and low muscle tone. . . . . We will focus on increasing strength and tone to enhance motor function; however, it is unknown how effective this will be without knowing the underlying cause of these issues."


Where we go from here:
Kevin will be going for his 18-month check-up/immunizations the week of February 15th (our doctor is away until then). Our Primary Partner from Children First is going to come to the appointment. She is going to present the reports to my doctor, and briefly explain our concerns. She will also suggest further medical investigations (blood work, developmental specialists) are needed for Kevin. Our P.P. is also going to request that Kevin be sent to a new pediatrician, as the one we currently have is not taking our concerns about Kevin seriously. (For example, he said Kevin is "perfectly normal" just because Kevin reached for a cookie! Plus, he's only seen Kevin 3 times, for about 5 minutes each.)


I am anxious to discover the "underlying causes" of Kevin's delays. How can we help him, if we're not even sure what's wrong?


However, I don't want you to get the idea that Children First only focuses on what's wrong. They also had plenty of positive things to say about Kevin: he's curious, has a good attention span, plays well one-on-one with adults, interacts well with others at daycare, and is starting to build some good basic skills now: animal sounds, crawling, pulling up to/playing in high kneeling position; stacking blocks; taking things in and out of containers; nodding and shaking his head; waving hello and good-bye; etc. Plus, they always talk about how cute and friendly he is with them. He is always happy to see his "friends" from Children First. :))