I've been reminded a few times lately that my blog has been, and I quote, '..quite boring' lately. Alas, life has caught up with me a bit and I haven't been taking the time to blog. My apologies. I'm attaching some photos and video to catch you up a bit on the past couple of weeks! Here is a quick update: * Devika did very well with her cast, other than kicking us all the time and inflicting injury to our bodies. She finally was able to have the cast removed yesterday, and she was SO very excited! There is a photo in the slideshow, if you can see it very well, that shows her ecstatic expression. It was hilarious! She has been running and climbing like an animal ever since. * Both girls have had colds this week. Devi's is, of course, now an ear and sinus infection. Poor kiddo! Always on some type of medication. Maya doesn't seem to be getting worse, so hopefully we will go without a pediatrician trip for her this time. * Devika had an allergist appmt a couple of wks ago. Turns out she is allergic to peanuts and tree nuts. Yikes! We went to the allergist regarding her milk and egg issues.. and it turned out to be a simple protein processing issue and not an allergy. In fact, she had a hideous 'blow out' approximately 2 minutes after the skin test was administered. The doctor was amazed, as this was the first time a patient has ever had a systemic reaction to a skin test that she has administered. Go figure! The good thing is that it is caused by her colon not being developed 100% (possibly due to prematurity), and she should grow out of this issue within the next 3-5 years. I sure hope so!! She has major reactions to anything that has milk in the first 6 or 7 listed ingredients. It is ridiculous. * My mom has been quite sick lately, in a tough fight against pain caused by either the cancer or her treatments. She has horrid pain in her left side, and they can't find anything wrong. This is the worst I've seen her (well, I can't see her from here.. but I hear from my siblings).. and the first time she is admitting to really feeling horrible. She has lost weight and is not able to go out and do anything. We're all praying that this pain gets resolved soon so that her quality of life can improve. Please pray with us!! I wish I could go visit and help her out, but it is very challenging when you have 2 little girls and your hubby travels. I'm trying to work something out very soon. Hopefully after Maya's oral surgery. * Oh yeah, Maya has to have oral surgery to have her 4 back molars filled/sealed/whatever. The dentist warned us that her teeth were very porous from in-utero malnutrition, and here we are. Same with Devika's teeth - tho I hope she will seal them before they are decaying as badly as Maya's are. Arrggh. So Maya will have this done at Children's Hospital on the 13th. My poor baby! She will be so freaked out. The hospital has a 'pre-surgery' tour you can take with your child a few days prior, so I'm going to sign up for this. Maybe she will be more calm if we do this. She is not one for new experiences, that's for sure. * We had our 2nd post-placement visit last week for Devika's adoption. Only one more to go.. things are in line for the legal adoption to happen in April (we hope). Yay! We actually spent more time worrying about Maya at this visit than Devi. Maya has some 'stranger' issues.. as in, she isn't scared of them - especially men - and has no prob going up to them in public places, etc. She def. bonds quickly with men vs women. I also see some bonding issues b/t her and her dad. Sooo.. we were advised to schedule her for an evaluation with the Int'l Adoption Clinic at Children's.. which does this type of evaluation, etc. I'm not super worried or anything, but our social worker thought that this might lead to more major issues in her teen years if we don't look into it now. * Both of our girls are actually adjusting very well these days. Maya's behavior is soo much better. I believe she is pretty much 'normal' now.. whatever that means for a 3 yr old! She loves her sister and calls her 'my baby'. :) Devika also loves Maya, though she still enjoys alone time with me or with Daddy. She is such a very very happy baby! And very snuggly!! Maya was never a snuggly child, which was disappointing for us in the past. I don't know if it was an attachment issue or what (our social worker believes that it was.. in retrospect).. but it is an amazing difference to have a lovey child. Devi loves to snuggle into my neck when she is tired. She also loves to run at me and jump into my lap.. if she is ever sitting (and it only happens for very short periods of time!), this is her favorite spot. Maya is doing well with helping with Devika, she is doing well at school, and she is becoming a bit more active (tho still won't go up or down stairs w/o holding onto something tightly or going down on her behind). Her behavior issues are improving - partly I believe b/c I'm using some new parenting methods. Need to change it up on occasion I guess. I'm now using some methods from 'The Happy Toddler' book by Harvey Karp MD. I'm working on myself to do more 'rewarding', and I've noticed improvements already. Yay!
So I know the girls have done and said soo many cute things lately, but I'm tired/sick (caught the cold today) and need to rest up for Super Bowl Sunday! Time to go to sleep. Hopefully I'll blog again in the next few days and catch up on some funny stories/cuteness that I don't want to forget!
Toy! Ahh.. I am typing today on my BRAND NEW desktop computer! I am so very, very excited!! A totally FAB way to start the new year! Not only was my last desktop on it's last leg (seriously - it took me 1 1/2 hrs just to upload a photo from a SD card the other day).. but this one is uber-fast (quad core - w00t!). It is so fast that I just want to do some work now! Bring on a slew of RAW images! Bring on a 30-minute custom video!! Hm. Too bad I'm taking some time off. Might have to allow myself the odd job here and there just to keep myself sane. (And really.. obviously my work isn't 'work'.. I LOVE it and I miss it) Soo.. what's new in our little section of the world? Not terribly much, thank GOD. ;) Devika is dealing with her broken leg. She still cannot walk with the cast.. but it is SO heavy compared to her body weight, that I will be surprised if she ever is able to do so. I have seen her take 2-3 steps, however, so never say never. She is staying happy.. but is very cranky by the end of the day and I think it might be bothering/hurting her. Of course, she is also cutting 2 teeth right now. I've noticed that after a little Motrin the past 2 evenings, her disposition has dramatically improved. A New Year, A New.. Concern. I'm a bit worried about Devi's weight. Ok.. I'm quite worried about her weight. I decided to step on the scales with her today and see what she was up to. I"m thinking.. hm.. this cast is HEAVY.. I bet she's weighing in at 17 lbs with it. She was just under 15 lbs at her last weigh-in, just prior to our xmas travels. So we step on the scale.. then I step off, set her down, and re-weigh myself.. and.. uh oh. Only a 14 lb difference!!!!!! I re-weighed 4x to be sure it wasn't a weighing error. Holy cow. That means that she is maybe down to 12 lbs?? The cast is heavy.. so I'm guessing 2 lbs. ARGH. I've really been trying to beef her up.. though maybe our traveling messed it up a bit - there were several days when we could not add in some margarine or oil to her meals or find her something super-fatty. We've been consistent with the 4 scoops of formula:6 oz water though.. but she only drinks maybe 10 oz per day. She just won't drink it later in the day. Obviously I need to be more creative - push the formula into her and ensure super-fatty meals as often as possible thru-out the day. I try to do 6 small meals (b/c she doesn't eat much at each one). Remember she is lactose-intolerant.. so I have to find non-dairy fattening food. This is DIFFICULT. If anyone out there has any thoughts/advice for me, please please share. I've been looking online.. we've talked to a nutritionist.. no one has good ideas. I'm going to take her to an allergist to determine exactly what her food issues are.. maybe that will shed light on things that we can give to her. Scary. She also still fits perfectly in her size 6 month pants that were given to her upon her arrival home. :( She seems to like french fries, so I went to McD's a couple times this week to get her some. She only eats like 4 of them.. but I guess that might be a lot for someone her size. Poor little peanut! A New Year, A New.. Attitude. Maya is doing well lately. She's better with Devika and not so 'treat me like a baby!'. Phew! I think all of the attention given to her over Xmas was very helpful to her. I was afraid she would backslide after returning home, but she has continued to be better-adjusted. She is doing better in school - participates much more than before and is more social. Unfortunately, she does not EVER want to go to school in the mornings anymore.. so every morning has become a complete nightmare. At least she does well once she arrives and is basically pushed/carried/prodded/bribed into the classroom. This morning she laid down in the entry hall and refused to get up. Luckily a nice teacher came by and teased her about a hole sucking her into the carpet. She was confused and amused.. and got up and walked to her classroom. I guess I need to try to be a bit more 'light' and humorous. I'm getting too stressed by it, I'm sure. I'm just not used to having to do this - she was always great about going to school before Devika came home. Now I have an active baby in one arm (who can't grip me due to the cast), Maya's backpack in the other (she refuses to carry it b/c it's heavy with her boots inside), and have to use the rest of my energy to try to stay calm and upbeat in order to cajole her into school. Argh. Single moms - how DO they do it??? So that is Maya's newest 'thing'. We are pretty well past the hitting-phase.. and now we are in the 'throw our bodies on the ground and curl into a ball' phase. ARRRRRRRRRRRGH. EVERY time I ask her to do something.. even if she was in a nice, happy mode.. she will react this way. I think that the only way to deal with it is with humor. Not let it bother me. {on the outside!} I think I will put up a bunch of post-it notes tomorrow - all around my house: "MAKE A JOKE!" "LAUGH, DON"T GLARE!" "HAHAHAAHAAA!" "IGNORE AND MOVE ON!" Maybe that will help. Maybe. I've been taking toys away - the 'ole Love and Logic method. "Uh oh.. so sorry.. looks like Thomas is going away for a few days." She isn't phased by this strategy lately. She responds with "Take Barney too", or "I DON'T CARE! I DON'T WANT TOYS!" She's going to be a joy when she is a teenager. In the midst of all this new attitude she is sporting, she is also very entertaining in a good way. :) She loves to sing songs and perform (you've seen the videos!), she loves to drive her plasmacar around the house and make up stories about where she is going and what she is doing. She loves to help in the kitchen, she goes to bed immediately (usually.. though she still gets up pre-sun and kills my will to live), she is super-chatty and just hilarious, she constantly tells me how much she loves me and gives me hugs and kisses. Tonite she was running around the house singing, 'Is you is or is you is my baaaaay-beeeeeeeee!'. {if you don't know, the words to the song are, "Is you is, or is you ain't my Baby.."} 3-yr olds.. must be the 'manic stage'. {Please don't tell me that it is always the manic-stage.. even if it is.. I don't need to know that yet!}
.. literally. Poor little Devika can't stand on her left foot b/c her left leg is broken! It would be great if the orthopedic doctor doesn't think she needs a cast (appmt tomorrow), but I would be surprised. She keeps trying to stand on her leg - she just cannot sit still. Poor little thing.. it must be so confusing to her!
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