So we are in full fledge summer assault. We did three hours at a local pool today and lived to tell about it. I’m trying to put structure somewhat into our day and my nine year old is resistant…oh well 2 out of 3 isn’t too bad. So here are the latest updates:
Yaya:
Turns out that after extensive testing by the state of Alabama for early intervention services through the local school system, Yaya only qualifies for speech. She is too stinkin’ smart! Which is such a blessing and a gift! Hard to believe that for all that she has endured she literally is not in anyway developmentally delayed other than speech, which is an obvious delay due to her previous cleft palate/lip. Glory, glory, all the glory to God for this news! So she will be attending the Riverchase UMC preschool program in the fall with sister Eden. We have them in the same class currently. It will be Mon-Thurs, 9 am – 1:00 pm. Please join with me in prayer that our little girl will be prepared and excited to attend. Our biggest hurdle this summer will be…potty training. (wince, wince) If she cannot master that then she will not be allowed in the program.
We are still working on speech once a week but that is about to increase to 2 times a week this month. We are still with Hand in Hand for services but when Yaya turns three, she won’t qualify for free services anymore. We will pay out of pocket for July and August until the state school year starts and then the state picks her up. They also will do speech twice a week and we will do it at the school that is literally 5 minutes from our home. We will do it before preschool at 8:00 am – 8:30 am. She will be doing Physical Therapy for at least this next month and then that will likely stop, which makes me sad because we are in love with her physical therapist. Actually we love all our therapists at Hand in Hand, it will be hard to say goodbye. As of last week when I shared my fears about Yaya in the classroom with her speech therapist; she offered to change up what we are focusing on and work towards school preparedness. So we are going to be joining some different classrooms at Hand in Hand (they have a preschool there as well) and seeing how Yaya manages in a classroom setting. We are going to look at what kinds of speech her peers are using and will work to help her communicate with her peers. We will also be trying to help her learn how to play and just generally interact with other children, she doesn’t do this yet. She plays with her siblings but not other children, she is a bit socially awkward or just reclusive currently.
On the food front, we are making great strides! Her feeding therapist came by the house today and I showed her what we were feeding Yaya and her jaw dropped down. She couldn’t believe we were feeding her diced fruits and veggies in baby food. We actually had moved to putting only half a container of baby food but leaving the same amount of fruit or veg this week. She did a food therapy session, and Yaya willingly ate small bits of strawberry and pears (I mean small folks) and she bit off a miniscule bit of Ritz cracker (which was AMAZING) AND she put bite marks all over a piece of apple! Friends and family…you have no idea (or maybe you do) the progress this is!!! Patty told us that she was ready for us to start leaving the baby food out completely. We were told today to give her one challenge food a meal, meaning one food diced up small without any baby food. We normally give her three options each meal. So tonight I diced up some canned pears as the challenge food and she didn’t even bat an eye! She even fed herself most of the meal (another HUGE thing) AND she finished the pears first. She has been PLAYING us!!!! Just kidding, but if sure feels that way. We are so proud of her though! Patty believes that Yaya will not be eating baby food much longer. Praise the Lord for that encouragement! I do have to get her to a pediatric dentist though to check out the layout of her teeth to assess her ability to chew and eat more substantial food. I am feeling like there might be light at the end of the ole food tunnel! It still will be some time before she eats without hesitation and eats normally for a child her age, but we are coming out of the baby food fog soon I believe.
The most significant update thus far is this…
YAYA IS SLEEPING IN HER BIG GIRL BED IN HER ROOM WITH EDEN!!!!! SHE IS OUT OF OUR ROOM!!!!
Yes sports fans I tell you the truth! It only took a year. We came back from Memorial Day weekend at Grandma’s house and thought we’d start discussing the possibility. We didn’t even finish our sentence about “one day” sleeping in her big girl bed and she shot out of the room and ran to her bed and climbed up in it. She hasn’t really looked back. It’s been a week. I checked this out with her attachment therapist and she agreed that now is the time. We have to break down the crib together so it just doesn’t disappear and she wonders what else can just disappear. We are taking turns sleeping on the floor in the girls bedroom, but I don’t think we will be in there much longer. It is amazing that we get both girls to sleep at the same time! And it takes less time!!! So there are many big things happening around here. Yaya has come out of her almost month long funk that we think was related to her one year anniversary. I don’t feel like going into it all because well…it’s over and why relive all that. So all in all I’d have to say our girl is doing really well. It feels good to be able to say that, it has been a long time in coming. She is becoming so fun and personable, she is blooming as they say.
Eden:
Eden is potty training! Another major accomplishment in our home!!!! Woot! Woot! She is almost there! Then we will work on staying dry at night. I tell you, I was more worried over Eden being potty trained than Yaya. Eden has been able to do it for awhile but simply was choosing not to. But she has decided she is a “big girl.” Praise the Lord! One almost down, one to go. Eden is increasingly precious as of late. She is funny, funny, funny! She is kinder and gentler and much more herself…again, it only took a year to win her back. We are seeing way more hugs and cuddles. She willingly and unprompted will give out kisses occasionally. She is much more loving and it is wonderful to see that again. She is also eating better now. We have her back on Prilosec and it really has helped her. She is eating a bigger variety of foods and we are so grateful. God is so faithful to her and to us. He is restoring her back to herself and to us. She has come into more separation anxiety than we are used to with her but it is about the right time for that to happen. Noah went through this stage as well when he was her age. So while she loves her Grandma and Grandpa she refuses to go to their home without Mama right now. Which is wonderful and horrible all at the same time. She has reconnected with me again, but it would be nice for her to have a break and for me to have a break. She loves swimming in her floaties and we hope to do some swimming lessons this summer. Eden is doing so much better and we are loving watching her transformation.
Noah:
He is just amazing. I could end right there. He is out of school for the summer and is glad about that except for that he and his friends at school became really close at year’s end so he is missing his buds a little. He is now doing gymnastics 3 times a week. Three hour practice, three times a week…it could kill me before it kills him. However, he is really liking gymnastics and is preparing for his next competition season. He moved up a level and the competition in his age range is pretty fierce, he is gonna have to step up his game this season. He is still growing out his hair as you can see and he does look pretty cool. He is great with his sisters and is really helping out around the house with them. We are preparing for home school in the fall and we are making new friends and hanging out with people that he will be with in the fall. We are doing a co-op program called Classical Conversations that I am super geeked about. More on that later. He and his Father are obsessed with a computer game called Minecraft. I hate it. But it keeps him off the streets and engages his brain. He has scout camp next week and his Dad is going to take vacation the entire week to be a walk along leader with him and Noah is super excited about that. Noah is simply wonderful. He has his moments like we all do but he is such a gift and blessing. Love that boy!
