ANOTHER Festive Photo Fiasco!

Why did I think it would be different this time? Sigh. This was, by far, the worst photo session--wait, I mean SESSIONS--yet. The first time, Kevin cried so much that we had to re-book it! The second time, he cried the whole time again, but we managed to get him at least to not-cry (smiling was out of the question) for a few shots! Admittedly, it was the afternoon after the second attempt that I ended up in Urgent Care with him for a fever of almost 104, an ear infection in both ears, and infected tonsils. Ack. To get the few decent shots we could, it involved several falsely-cheerful (and slightly manic) renditions of "Wheels on the Bus," "Twinkle Twinkle," and "If You're Happy and You Know It" (oh, the irony on that one!). The pictures really tell the story.

Daddy: "Julie just had to get a family picture . . . sigh."

Andrea: "Cheese! . . . um, am I doing this right?"

Kevin: "If you take away my thumb, I will shriek."

Mommy: "For the love of God, can we get just one decent family picture together?!"

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Andrea: "I am so cute, and I'm being a good girl."

Kevin: "Who are you people? What do you want from me? I want my mommy!"
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Andrea, from our first photo session: she did a great job!

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The originals really show Kevin's red and teary eyes, and Mommy's determinedly-gritting-her-teeth and over-the-top smile.

Maybe we'll have better luck next year. :p

Appointments and Assessment

It's been a busy week for the little Gagnon family.

Kevin's Assessment
On Tuesday afternoon, a speech therapist and a physiotherapist came out from Children First to do an assessment of Kevin's skills. His situation is very similar to what Andrea's was, two years ago: he has to be walking by the end of January, to move up to the Toddler Room in daycare. Otherwise, he will likely have to leave daycare for a while. My concerns about Kevin are even greater, though: he didn't start crawling until 3 weeks ago, and he barely says "Mama" and "Dada," let alone anything else.

So, the ladies came to our house to observe Kevin, and decide if he could benefit from services offered by their program, and their related providers. The visit went well. They were very positive about what they observed. They say that Kevin has a great attention span, he is very curious, he interacts well with others, and he has excellent emerging/foundation skills. So, yes, he's a bit behind the time-frame for certain milestones, but there's really no serious issues holding him back. Nevertheless, they do feel he will benefit from speech and physiotherapy sessions. They are starting him soon, and gave him priority status on their wait list, because they feel he's at a critical point in his development; with his emerging skills suddenly blossoming these past few weeks, it's the best time to build on them, and give him that extra boost.

The physiotherapist says he is definitely not ready to walk yet. She says we need to build up his foot and hip strength first, so she showed me some exercises to to with him. I explained about our daycare issue, and she was really annoyed (with them!). She said he may learn to walk sooner, but it won't be properly, and he won't be confident, if we don't let him do it in his own time. I agree, but what can we do? She said she'd talk to the daycare about it.

The speech therapist said we should practice sounds with Kevin, to get him used to using his voice. There's nothing physically wrong with his vocals, he's just not a talker! She suggested working on animal noises, transportation noises, etc. She even suggested we teach him a few simple signs to help him communicate in the meantime--but we are to SAY the word along with the sign, of course. She's going to start working with him on Monday at daycare, because she is often there seeing other children, already.

We will also be seeing a resource consultant who will be in charge of Kevin's case. She's the same one we had for Andrea, so it will be nice to be dealing with a familiar person. Actually, we have the same physiotherapist, too.

Andrea's Allergist Appointment
This morning, Grandma and Grandpa took Andrea to the allergist for us. The issue was whether or not she could have the flu shot. He (the doctor) told us before that she was allergic to eggs, but not severely allergic to them. People who are allergic to eggs can't have the flu shot, because eggs are part of the base of the serum. However, with Andrea's asthma, it would be dangerous if she got the flu.

So, the doctor decided to test her for the egg allergy again (the skin scratch test). This time, the result was negative. He said it was probably a "transient" allergy--she had it once, but now it's gone. We have never seen her react to eating eggs, so I'm not sure she ever had the egg allergy; but who wants to take chances? It's good to know for sure, now, that she doesn't have the egg allergy.

Once they knew she wasn't allergic to eggs, the doctor gave her a flu shot (well, half a dose--it's her first time getting one. Kevin only got a half-dose too). Apparently she cried quite a lot :(( , but was soon consoled by Grandma and Grandpa, and an Ariel Princess bandage.

Kevin's Pediatrician Appointment
This afternoon, I took Kevin in for his follow-up with the pediatrician, who we saw three months ago. Kevin weighs 24 pounds. (I didn't hear how long he is.) The pediatrician looked Kevin all over. We talked about the progress he's made in the past few weeks, and also my concerns that more progress is needed. Well, Dr. G. seemed confident that Kevin is just fine. He must have said, "This is a completely normal child!" about 10 times. He said he sees no signs of any hormonal, chromosomal, or cognitive issues. He said Kevin "is just taking his time. He'll do it when he wants to!" He said he wouldn't even say that Kevin has any delays. I was so glad to hear that!

I told Dr. G. about our involvement with Children First. He seemed to have an amused toleration for it. He basically said, "Well, they're just doing what they have to do," and seemed to be suggesting that he didn't think Kevin needed any extra help. I think he saw my hesitation because he said, "It won't hurt him. Might as well do it."

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So, there it is . . . we move forward, with our two little munchkins who like to do things when THEY feel like doing them! :))

xoxoxox

Don't get to say it enough lately . . . very busy, very tired, often grouchy and stressed . . . but I love these guys with all my heart!

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P.S. Kevin started crawling about 2 and a half weeks ago. There will be more updates about him soon . . . he has a Physiotherapy and Speech assessment this week, and a follow-up with the pediatrician. We are also going to book a hearing test soon.

P.P.S. Andrea's doing better on the potty. It's still inconsistent, but there's been progress.

Two Birthdays!

Caitlin's Surprise 16th Birthday Party
On Saturday night, we went to Aunt Donna and Uncle Greg's for Caitlin's surprise 16th birthday party. Yes, she was truly surprised! A big part of the surprise was a visit from Grama Marty, especially for her 16th birthday. (Remember, Rod had picked Grama Marty up from the airport on Halloween night? That's why!)

Aunt Donna, Caitlin, and Grama Marty***

We had fun waiting for Caitlin to arrive, too. There were plenty of people there: some family, and a lot of Caitlin's friends! Andrea was shy at first, but when the big kids started showing her how to blow her party horn (and totally egging her on to blow it every two seconds), she had a blast!


Daddy and Kevin, waiting for Cait's arrival

Caitlin greeting Kevin (while Grama Marty tempts him with a pepperoni!)

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They had a bonfire and DJ at the next-door neighbour's for the teenagers, so we went out for a few minutes to say goodbye before taking the kids home. It was chilly out there!

Grandma Gagnon's Birthday

The next day, we celebrated Grandma Gagnon's birthday. The girls "helped" Grandma open her presents (got into them is more like it!).Grandpa ordered pizza, and he made a cake for Grandma all by himself! Of course, it was decorated more with the kids in mind, with sprinkles and Smarties and all kinds of fun decorations . . . :)) YUMMY!