A Teenager!

Did I tell you we now how a teenager in our house? Yes, Jewel turned 13 recently! I can hardly believe it. Seems like yesterday she was a newborn and made trouble from the moment she came out! LOL No seriously, she is great! She is just growing up so fast before our eyes it is scary. She is a beautiful person inside and out.

I took her to the bowling alley for her birthday with a couple of her friends. Dad stayed home with the little ones and it was a good thing. I was amazed by the behavior of the people in the league that was finishing up. They were inebriated and rude. You see my daughter wanted a Dora cake but I could not find a Dora cake anywhere. You'd think a 13 year old would want something different but all of her friends are into Dora for whatever reason. So we bought her this really cute cake with a terra and a wand. Well Jewel thought she'd wear it out to the bowling ally. She drew some attention from one or two really drunk guys. Made me really uncomfortable but the girls thought it was funny. They knew that the guys looked ridiculous! We waited an hour for the league to finish and we were finally able to grab a lane. Good thing because I had had enough. They we suppose to be done at 8:30 not 9:30. The girls had fun but I will not let any of my kids go there again at night and def. not alone!

Update

Twink is doing fantastic! Her therapists are all amazed by how well she is doing. Yesterday we went for her outpatient therapy and they took her cast off. I was praying that they were going to put it back on because I still think it's too soon. You would have though someone was torchering her the way she was screaming! I had to go and check, that's when I saw them taking the cast off. After it was off she was whisked back to a "play room" for her therapy.

We were there for about 45 minutes maybe an hour. I was relieved to see her come around the corner sporting a brand new cast! :) Her therapist said she played for 30 minutes with just her right hand but then realized her left hand was "free". She told me that it is good and she is learning that she has two hands instead of one. We will go back next week but it will be a crazy week. We have our 12 month post placement visit with our social worker, two neurology appointments (one for Dash and one for me) and my monthly lunch I host for the ladies of our church. It should be interesting. Anyway, thought I'd share and I will have video soon.

Wordless Wednesday

White Thanksgiving!

Well the snow started falling Friday and this is what we woke up to on Saturday. Not a real lot but enough for the kids to play outside. Plus it was actually cold enough where it did not melt the minute the sun came out. This is the first year Spitfire has really enjoyed playing out in the snow. Last year she didn't mind it but this year she begs to go out. Only problem is her little face gets so chapped from the cold. After she is all bundled up she reminds me of the little boy in the movie The Christmas Story who could barely walk after getting all his snow clothes on! LOL Ok so she is not that bad but it is still cute to see her all bundled.

As I was taking these pictures the snow was still falling, big beautiful flakes. These are my favorite shots from that morning. We are suppose to receive snow on and off the rest of the week. Did I tell you I can't stand to drive when it is snowing?!?! I'd rather just be a shut in for 5 months. OK, so it doesn't snow here everyday but when it's not snowing it's cold! LOL I'm looking forward to spring or a above average warm winter. ;) A girl can hope can't she?

99 Things I've Done

OK i;m snagging this one from Carla

1. Started your own blog

2. Slept under the stars

3. Played in a band

4. Visited Hawaii

5. Watched a meteor shower

6. Given more than you can afford to charity - Well in all honesty I'd be broke if I had it my way. I love to give to charity as does dh.

7. Been to Disneyland/world

8. Climbed a mountain

9. Held a praying mantis

10. Sang a solo

11. Bungee jumped

12. Visited Paris

13. Watched a lightning storm at sea

14. Taught yourself an art from scratch

15. Adopted a child

16. Had food poisoning

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty

18. Grown your own vegetables

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France

20. Slept on an overnight train

21. Had a pillow fight

22. Hitch hiked

23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill

24. Built a snow fort

25. Held a lamb

26. Gone skinny dipping

27. Run a Marathon

28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice

29. Seen a total eclipse

30. Watched a sunrise or sunset

31. Hit a home run

32. Been on a cruise

33. Seen Niagara Falls in person

34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors

35. Seen an Amish community

36. Taught yourself a new language

37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied - Maybe this one should read content.

38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person

39. Gone rock climbing

40. Seen Michelangelo’s David

41. Sung karaoke

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt

43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant

44. Visited Africa

45. Walked on a beach by moonlight

46. Been transported in an ambulance

47. Had your portrait painted

48. Gone deep sea fishing

49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person

50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling

52. Kissed in the rain

53. Played in the mud

54. Gone to a drive-in theater

55. Been in a movie

56. Visited the Great Wall of China

57. Started a business

58. Taken a martial arts class

59. Visited Russia

60. Served at a soup kitchen

61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies

62. Gone whale watching

63. Got flowers for no reason

64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma

65. Gone sky diving

66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp

67. Bounced a check

68. Flown in a helicopter

69. Saved a favorite childhood toy

70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial

71. Eaten Caviar

72. Pieced a quilt

73. Stood in Times Square

74. Toured the Everglades

75. Been fired from a job - after I went out on comp they terminated my position!

76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London

77. Broken a bone

78. Been on a speeding motorcycle

79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person

80. Published a book

81. Visited the Vatican

82. Bought a brand new car

83. Walked in Jerusalem

84. Had your picture in the newspaper

85. Read the entire Bible

86. Visited the White House

87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating

88. Had chickenpox

89. Saved someone’s life

90. Sat on a jury

91. Met someone famous

92. Joined a book club

93. Lost a loved one

94. Had a baby

95. Seen the Alamo in person

96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake

97. Been involved in a law suit

98. Owned a cell phone

99. Been stung by a bee

Creative Play

As I said in my last post it's cold here! I've had to try and think of things for the kids to do in the house that is different. Well Twink loves to play with the sensory table at school. Sometimes it has tried corn, beans, oatmeal or rice for the kids to play in. Well I decided to try the rice. I bought a big bin and a 20lb bag of rice and dumped it in. Bought a few measuring cups and tada a great new toy! Wellll, it gets every where. LOL As you can see it is big enough for BOTH Spitfire and Twink to sit and play in it. I have decided that when the rice is gone I will do beans. It will be easier to pick up. :)

Can you see Jewel getting in on the action? Oh yes, let's not forget that both Jewel and Dash like to play with the rice also. I ran to the store and left Jewel to babysit and when I returned I told them it was time to put the rice bin away. I started to vacuum and couldn't believe all rice I was picking up. I asked Spitfire why there was rice all over and she told me that her and Jewel had been throwing it. No lie I must have vacuumed up a pound to two. You would have thought that a 13yr old could refrain from throwing rice! LOL I guess it was too tempting.

In the bottom picture Spitfire was using glue and placing erasers on a note book. I have no idea why but this kept the two of them busy for an hour! Twink loves to glue but only watched this time. She did try to snag a couple of erasers though. I find it amazing that kids can be so creative. I think my creativity is all dried up! LOL

Take A Peak

Of course I have to place the sippy cup in her hand but the fact that she was able to hold it there until every drop was gone amazes me! She amazes me and gives me strength on days when I am feeling overwhelmed. Things are going so much better than we could have ever imagined. I hope to upload some video of her eating this weekend. Kind of where she was earlier in the week and where she is now. Now off I go to show off what this baby girl can do to her therapist who has not worked with her since the cast was put on. :D

So Far So Good

Things here are going very well so far. I would have to say the most challenging thing would be meal times. Twink wants to eat the minute the food is seen! Actually, I think the minute she smells it she starts to whine. :) She LOVES food. Twink starts off with the help of us bringing the spoon or fork to her mouth and she brings it up the rest of the way. She gets very frustrated if we do not keep "shoveling" the food in her mouth.
Bath time has been another issue. We can not get the cast wet at all. What I do is lay her on the counter while holding her head over the sink. That is the easiest way to wash her hair. As for washing her body, I stand her up in the sink and wash her from the waist down. She hates having her hair washed so she totally hates this new way of bath time!
We have had extra OT and the therapist is thrilled to see the movement in her hand. She is still have some trouble keeping her thumb out but we have some stretchy therapy "tape" that is helping keep it out. Over all, we are thrill with the progress. I can't wait to see where we are at in four weeks! :)

Burrr

Ok, I can't stand the cold weather! LOL Boy do we live in the wrong state. It is freezing here. We've had snow the last couple of days but nothing that really sticks long enough for the kids to play in. I must admit it is beautiful though. To see fresh snow after it has just fallen is as beautiful as the leaves changing in the fall.

We have been busy with doctor appointments and therapy for Twink. She is doing very well. Growing like crazy. She loves to play with Spitfire but it is not always a two way street. It depends on if Spitfire feels like Twink is more in the way or not. We are working on that. They are sweet to watch though. Twink now weighs 30lbs and is 36in. She is catching Spitfire fast. I don't think she'll ever catch Spitfire in weight (Twink has a super fast metabolism) but I do think she will pass her in height. We'll have to wait and see.

Jewel and Dash are doing really good also. Jewel went to her field hockey banquet last night so field hockey is officially done. She is thinking of doing basketball for her winter sport. Dash is doing bible quizzing again this year and I think will have a practice quiz after the new year. Other than that nothing much other than keeping up on school work.

I've had a lot of migraines this past month. More than the usual and will have to talk to my neurologist about it. I'm praying that it was just a fluke and won't mess with my medication. If they increase it I won't be able to think clearly and my blogs may be jumbled words. Maybe the blogs already are! LOL

Well I hope your all having a great week!

New SN Site

I came across a new special needs site this morning and thought I'd share it with anyone who might be interested. You can find it here. It seems to be a very well put together. I see one of my buddies adoption story is on the Family Story page! :) Hope this helps some of you.

Steph From Tenn

Could you please e-mail me at mrschawk2000@yahoo.com I do not have your e-mail address and I need that to add you to Twink's site. :) I'd also love to chat with you.

Speechless

I stand in awe that Twink is doing as well as she is with her constraint therapy. The Lord is so good and I see him working with Twink!

Twink reacted much like we suspected she would at the doctors office. As you can see in the pictures in the post below she was angry. She did not want us restraining the arm and then when she could not get the cast off, OH MAN! She held her arm up in front of me and yelled. I imagined she was telling me that she did not like it and she wanted it off right now. That's when she proceeded to throw herself on the floor. I felt bad, but not as bad as some of the other things I've had to do. She finally let me pick her up and I looked at the OT as she is telling me instructions of how to cut it off it is just too much over the weekend. I looked her in the eye and told her that we she would be OK and that she will do well with it. I'm not sure she heard me through Twink's screams but I did hear her repeat that she will do well.

We left her office and Twink relaxed. When we returned home Twink was running around and playing with Spitfire like nothing even happened. Jewel yelled upstairs to tell me that she was signing with her right hand. Sure enough, she was. She was trying all sorts of different things that she had never done with it before.She was building block towers, opening doors (pull down handle) and pushing buttons.

Things have gone much easier than we could have ever imagined! We really thought she would have fought us longer but I am so relieved. She has been happy and playing like the cast is not even on. She is even trying to feed herself which is a bit hard but she is getting better at. I'm speechless with Twink's strength and determination. She is stronger than any child that I know and yet she has weakness on one side of her body. God has made her perfect in every way.

Thanks to all of you who have been praying for us. We have felt those prayers. I pray that Twink continues to stay as relaxed about the casting as she starts therapy's this week. I will post more pictures later in the week. I will also do a video update on Fridays. The video below is from Friday night just hours after the casting. Look at Twink go! :) Speechless

Day One Down

Only 29 more days to go! I'll let the pictures and video's speak for themselves and post more later tonight.

Tomorrow's The BIG Day

Please keep Twink in your prayers tomorrow as I will be bringing her in for the constraint (casting) therapy of her dominant left arm and hand. This will force her to use her non-dominant right arm and hand. We have tried a modified version at home and it did not go over well. Besides screaming, crying and full body thrashing I'm not sure how long I could have handled that if I could not have taken the "modified " version off after so long. I guess we will find out. Her appointment is at 1pm.

We are praising the Lord as we have seen great improvements in her right side where she had the botox injections. Twink was using BOTH arms to push around a doll stroller today and she actually opened her hand on the right arm to help push the stroller at one point! Let me just remind you, this is the hand that is usually in a fist. I know this therapy will be hard for all of us at first but it will benefit her SO much in the long run.

These are our pray requests

-That the casting goes without any problems
-Twink's frustration is short lived
-For The Count and I to have patients for a child who can tantrum like no other ;)
-That Twink gains some new skills of her arm and hand

I know it will take more than one casting but I know she will gain from this. Thank you all for your support. Do not be surprised if it is a day or two before you hear from us again.

Need Christmas Ideas?

Are you stumped as to what to get for Christmas for you children this year? Need some ideas? Well so did I . You see I didn't want just any toys, you know the kind the kids play with for a couple of days and then they are tossed to the side to collect dust. I want toys for Twink that would stimulate her in all areas she needs to strengthen. I Googled "Special Need Toys" and up popped this link for Toys R Us. It is actually under their category section and is labeled "Differently-Abled Kids." What a brilliant idea for a toy company to do this for parents who just want to improve their children's abilities. They break the toys down into categories (speech, fine & gross motor, auditory and more) which makes it very helpful for someone looking for something specifically for their child's delays OR maybe they need to be challenged.

These are regular toys that you can find at Toys R Us, Wal-Mart, or Target. Nothing special about them so their prices are not outrages. I know I have found some great gift for Twink and I can't wait to look for more. Here are a few that we have bought.


Thanks to a WONDERFUL speech therapist for recommending this toy. I actually bought one slightly different but the same concept. You can find CC here at her blog If Only I had Super Powers. She always has wonderful ideas!


Our SLP also recommended this toy. I figured it couldn't hurt and thought CC would approve! LOL The very last toy with the blocks that makes sounds was also something she suggested and something she has used in therapy.


These last two items are something I really would just wanted to buy for Twink. I think they will be great for her to work on.


Now there is a ton more that I could list that we would love to buy Twink but I don't want this post to get too long. I will be e-mailing a thank you to TRU for giving much thought to ALL children. I hope this is as much of a blessing to you as it was to us! :) Huge hats off to TRU!!

Wordless Wednesday

Check Your E-mail

Did you receive your invite? If not than I do not have your e-mail address. Please e-mail it to me so I can add you.

Please note that I will still be posting here. I am NOT closing this blog. We will still talk about Twink and post pictures here of her we just will not talk about her medical in depth on this public blog. We will still talk about it to some degree.

I have some new pictures to share with you so check back later. I'll add them when the kids go down for a nap. :)

Special Needs

** Kate and Ros, I need your e-mail addresses. My e-mail is under my profile.

I'm not sure if any of you are thinking of switching to special needs but I came across a great list that informs you of different special needs. You can find it here and i do believe it covers a wide range of different SN. I know when I started looking at different SN for our medical check list I started looking up different items I didn't know about. It was a great way to learn if we would be able to handle a specific SN. If you have any questions you can always e-mail me. :)

Rejoicing

Twink has been getting Speech therapy for almost 8 months now. For the last three months she has been receiving it twice a week. I think it also helps that she is going to a "pre-school" two morning out of the week. She can some times repeat a word but never recalls a word on her own. Well The Count and I were sitting our bed and Twink walks up to the edge and starts whining. Nothing new, right? This is what the following minute sounded like.

M-"What?"
T-"WHAAAA"
M-"What do you want?"
T-"UP!"
M-"UP-YEAH"
mommy and daddy clapping hands and cheering wildly!

So now it seems Twink has mastered up and how to use it! :) We are so stinking proud. She works so hard most days. She cheers for herself after trying to say a new word. It's really quite cute.

As you all know Twink had her Botox injections last Monday. She did really great with them. It was interesting to see how many people they had in the room to hold down this little person. I must say they have been the most prepared group I've been to in ALL of my visits with different doctors. Twink had two injections in her bicep and one in her thumb (the fatty part). I think she was more upset that we were holding her down then the actual injections. I'm told they feel like an immunization. I was able to give her a topical numbing cream to help with the initial poke which seemed to help. I was told I would see some improvement in 3-5 days and max. improvement 7-14 days. We actually saw some improvement the next day. It wasn't in her hand or arm though, it was her mood! LOL She seems much more happy and loving since the injections. I'm sure it has nothing to do with it but it just seems funny.

We have started to see some big improvements in her arm. She does not keep it tucked in close to her and bent most of the day. She is now straightening and reaching for things. Her hand is slowly starting to open as well but I'm thinking we'll see the most improvement in the 14 day range. She tucks that thumb pretty tight. This coming Friday she will have a cast applied to her stronger arm (the left arm) in order teach her to use her weaker arm. She is going to be HIGHLY frustrated.

We have had her preschool eval. and learned that they would like her to receive speech therapy 4-5 times a week, physical therapy 3-4 times a week and I'm not sure about occupational therapy because they come on Tuesday. She is severely delayed in most areas (no big surprise) but she is making progress. :) She was scored on the two year scales but will be three in in two months. If they scored her with the three year old she would be grossly delayed. I'm not worried because I see the progress she is making and I truly believe she is going to make huge "Twink" gains. She does qualify for pre-school but I don't think they will have an opening until September. That means all of Twink's therapies will be done here at home except for the two she can receive at the school she goes to now. It's OK, there will be an end in site.


We are getting ready to do our 12 month post placement report and in doing so took some pictures this past weekend. Here is one of the three of us. We were actually able to get one of all of us that we are going to use for our Christmas cards but as usually our little squirm worm was trying to get down. At least we have one to send this year. Last year we were heading to China and then I thought (LOL) I'd do them when I returned from China. HA if only I knew how stinking tired we would have been. So I will be sending cards out! :)

Yo Gabba Gabba

Did you think I was speaking mumbled jargon? This is an actual kids show for those of you who don't know what it is. It is shown on Nick Jr. and Noggin. I'm not real sure what it is about this show but Twink is memorized by it. Sometimes they will do a 2 minute commercial and she will run to the T.V. and watch it intensely. I did not know it was a program at first. I came across it one night and almost died laughing. It reminds me of a 70's show for some reason.

I am not sure what it is but Twink will watch the whole show and not move. I am beginning to wonder if the producers put subliminal messages within the show! LOL She literally freezes in her tracks. It's almost as if she is in another world. Honestly I think it is the beat of the music and all the retro shapes they throw up on the screen. Anyway, she likes it and I just laugh every time she happens to catch it on. Anyone have kids amazed by this show?

Better Late Than Never

Here are some of our Halloween pictures. I thought I better post some because before I know it, it will be Thanksgiving! LOL We went with another couple and their children and they are below.

Dash went as a ninja this year. It's a good thing it was a warmer year because the child only wore his under clothes under this paper thin costume! YIKES!

I bet you can all guess who Spitfire is. Better yet I bet you all had one of these dolls growing up. I love this costume and will def. keep it for Twink. Only problem check out her reaction to her hood going on in the picture below.

Not sure Spitfire's costume will work for this little one. She still does not like things to cover her head unless it is her pillow at night. LOL I have a few more picture of her with tears just rolling off those cute cheeks. Oh well, maybe it will get better before she grows into it. I do have to add that once the hat came off she was happy as can be! :) Oh well, what are you going to do. It so was not worth the fight.

Landslide In Chuxiong

Please pray for the people in the city of Chuxiong Yunnan Province and surrounding areas. It seems there has been some heavy rain which has caused some mudslides. This is where Twink spent the first two years of her life. Her first family is there, her foster family is there as well as the orphanage staff and children. I have no idea how the foster family is or the orphanage. Hopefully I will here some thing more.

P.S. Twink's botox injections went well today. I also exchanged phone numbers with a mom in the waiting room of a little boy adopted from Korea who has CP and will be 3 yr. old next month! :)