Ultrasound

We are having a girl! Everything looked great on the ultrasound. She is measuring right on target and she was in a good position so we got to see everything we needed to see. We so excited to have another girl join our family, but we were even more excited to see that she looks very healthy! Praise God for new life!

Sleep and a Few Other Random Thoughts

It has been a bit of a rough couple of weeks. We have all had cold/sinus infections and Ruby has not been sleeping good at all. When she can't breathe through her nose at night and suck on her pacifier like she normally can then she is a bear to deal with. When she is worked up it is very hard to calm her down. The combination of sickness and lack of sleep (and pregnancy) has left Mark and I exhausted and our house a mess. Both of the kids have been crabbier than usual and I think it is because they don't feel well. I really hope all this will pass soon. Please pray for better sleep! We are heading to Chicago for more ABR training this weekend so hopefully Ruby will be content through all the therapy.

On a more positive note...

-The frame of Ruby's wheelchair came in and she was fitted for the seat on Monday. We go back this coming Monday and if it all fits her well then we get to take it home. I am ready to start using the chair so Ruby can be up by us without having to hold her. I also love the fuscia frame we picked out. Hopefully she is content in her new chair.

-Ruby continues to drink out of the sippy cup. She fights it sometimes and it has not replaced the bottle yet, but she is making progress with it and I think it is only a matter of time before she makes the transition from bottle to cup.

-Charlie is talking and singing like crazy. He is so much fun to be around and every night Mark and I laugh about something he said or did. Lately he loves to play hide and seek with Mark, although he doesn't really understand the game. When Mark counts so he can go hide, he runs into the other room and then jumps out and says, "Ta-Da!" before Mark can even start looking for him. It is such a blessing to watch him grow and learn.

-We are 19 weeks pregnant and we have our ultrasound this Friday so hopefully we will find out the gender of our baby! I am very excited to see the little guy/girl on the screen! We are praying for a healthy looking baby on Friday!

Thanks for your continued prayers for Ruby and our family as new challenges and joys continue to arise. You all are a blessing to us and I don't know what we would do without a great support system like you all!

Tantrums?

I think Ruby is having tantrums. When she doesn't get what she wants she will scream and holler. No tears are shed usually, she just yells! This is actually a great devlopmental step for us. She is aware enough of her surroundings to know what she likes and doesn't like. She also has found her voice; she doesn't have words yet, but she uses her voice to communicate her needs and wants to us. I am thrilled that she knows what she wants and is trying to tell us, but it poses some problems as well.

For so long, Ruby got whatever she wanted and rightly so. She was so uncomfortable with all the seizures and she had been through so much, so we used a lot of cuddling and bottle feeding to soothe her. Now that her seizures have calmed down, she still expects to be held or get her bottle whenever she wants. This would be fine if I could sit on the couch and hold her all day long, but I have things I have to get done and another child to take care of. Also, we want to transition Ruby from the bottle to the sippy cup. She can drink out of the cup, but sometimes she decides she doesn't want to and then it is very hard to force her to.

So, we are trying to decide on some strategies to teach Ruby that she can't have tantrums or yell and holler to get what she wants. We have started to touch Ruby's mouth and firmly tell her "no" when she yells. We are also trying not to give her a bottle or pacifier until she has calmed down, instead of using the bottle to calm her everytime she gets mad. This is tough, especially when we are in public with a screaming child, but we need her to learn how to self soothe.

It is wierd to say that I am thankful Ruby is having tantrums like a two year old should. She is figuring out how to communicate with us and she is showing us she knows what she wants. Even so, I need to teach her she won't get what she wants whevever she yells.

Any of you have ideas? How have those of you with special kiddos approached disipline and behavior problems?

Sippy Cup

For a year and a half I have been trying to work with Ruby to get her to drink out of a sippy cup. It has been a struggle; she didn't seem interested and she would bite the cup or just get mad when I put it in her mouth. We spent many Mondays at Mary Free Bed Rehab hospital working with different cups with different nipples all with what seemed like no progress. To be honest, I gave up on the sippy cup a few months ago. I was really trying to be okay with possibility of having a 6 year old who drank out of a bottle.

Then on Monday, at feeding therapy, out of the blue, Ruby drank 3 oz from a sippy cup! Tuesday she drank 7oz! I was shocked and in tears at therapy because I really didn't think we would see this happen for a couple of years. Yeah! She might go to school this spring with a sippy instead of a bottle! We still have to work to get her to drink out of the sippy regularly, but I know she can do it!

This step was a huge reminder for me to be patient and continue to have hope that Ruby will make progress, it will just have to be on Ruby time.

Happy Birthday Charlie!

Today is Charlie's 2nd birthday!
It is hard to believe that my 5 lb tiny and sick baby is now a 32 lb two year old!

Charlie is full of life and we have had so much fun getting to know him these last two years. Here are a few of his favorite things....

Reading book, especially with Daddy

 

Listening to music, dancing and singing

 

Playing with his stuffed monkeys and watching the "Monkey Show" (AKA Curious George :)

 

Eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches

 

Playing outside

Eating ice cream with sprinkles (thanks Grandpa TenHaken!)

Loving on his sister (I promise they are both giggling here- even Ruby:)

Eating in general

Playing with friends

Charlie-- We love you like crazy! We are so excited to see what God has in store for you as you continue to grow. Thanks for always making us laugh. We pray you will never lose your zest for life. Love- Mom and Dad

Ruby's Hair

Ruby's hair is beautiful, but it is very different from mine. I do my best to take care of it, but I don't always know what products to use or how to style it. Also, Ruby has never had a haircut and I assumed she would need a trim sometime soon. All of these questions about her hair caused me to call for help. Friday a friend of a friend came over to help me out. She is in cosmotology school and knows a lot more about black hair than me. Here are a few things I learned from her...
1) Ruby's hair is healthy--which means I am doing okay :)
2) Her hair doesn't need to be cut for a long time; I guess she doesn't have dry ends like I do.
3) Twists and pigtails are an easy alternate to braiding (I was mostly doing the pigtails but I might add in twists here and there)
4) I can put conditioner in her hair even when I don't shampoo it. This will help her hair stay moisturized.
5) Walgreens and Walmart have the basic products I need. Before I bought hair products from Grand Rapids or the internet so it is nice to know that probably isn't necessary.

After my lesson in haircare, I learned how to put twists in Ruby's hair. She doesn't love it when I do her hair, especially when I have to comb it out, but she did okay. It is tough to get the back of her head done since she doesn't have great head control, but with a few pillows propped underneath of her, I got the job done.

Here is the before photo...(she doesn't look thrilled)

And the after shot:

Glad to be done :)

Crazy Snow

It is snowing like crazy over here. We have a four foot drift in front of our garage so it looks like we won't be getting out anytime soon.  The guy that plows our subdivision had the hood of his plow up on the side of the road this morning...not great on a day like today.

Every school in the area is closed and Mark can't get to work, so we get an unexpected day at home together.  I don't love being trapped, but it is kind of nice to have to take a day off with my family :)

Happy Snow Day! Stay warm and safe!