Meds Update

So this week has been terrific! I met with a potential IEP team at Talia's school yesterday and had the PT, OT, speech and regular ed teacher there. She was too good to qualify for all, but the OT is weighing one section of tests more heavily than others so she can qualify for OT. The OT will serve her through a 504. I tried to call and get some community based OT to supplement the school therapy. The one place the school's OT recommends has a 25 kid waiting list. I'll try to call other places tomorrow! Anyway, the OT thinks with the lack of touch, nutrients, normal stimulation, etc. that Talia experienced in the orphanage is causing some sensory processing gliches, So, when she is anxious, everything goes in her mouth.
But the most important part of the meeting was her teacher saying that Talia is behaving perfectly! Its been amazing listening to her come home and tell me what she's done that day. 4 days=4 blue faces!

Day and a little rambling

Talia ate almost the entire mini bagel for breakfast...a container of yogurt and a few goldfish crackers for lunch and I shoved soup down her at dinner.  A friend at work has a protein shake that she gives her kid..supposed to taste better than Pedialyte.  She had a tremendous day at school, though!  Her teacher wrote an entire page of the great day she had.  Yay for that!  So, we traipse on.

Kate is 6 months old on Wednesday and we have her 6 month checkup on Thursday.  She learns so much everyday!  I have said it to a few people, but if we'd adopted Kate first, we would not have adopted Talia.  I was petrified of an infant.  I knew I did not want one.  I was devastated when we couldn't adopt internationally for the second child.  But, all things for a reason.  I LOVE the baby stuff!  I don't share night time feedings with Mike because I am stingy!  I love kissing her cheeks and rubbing noses.  Anyone that knows me is probably yacking because I am NOT this gushy normally.  But babies! MY baby.  Wow.  Love.  I also see what we missed with Talia and how remarkable she is without having the first 10 months with us.   Tonight I let her sleep in my arms even longer than normal because I didn't want to let her go.  Me.  These words are coming from me.  Again-if you know me-you are fainting from shock.

Day 4

Really, I'm just posting this for my own recollection later.  Yesterday, last day in Atlanta, it took and HOUR AND A HALF to get the medicine in her.  Yes, that long. Kicking, screaming, threats (from both of us), bribery, Facebook posts/begs, M&Ms, etc. etc.  I finally "hid" the medicine in between pudding and it went down like butter.  Only wasted a pill a day...gunna have to explain that to someone at some point.  So, the medicine got in her at 9:30am...I almost didn't give it to her, knowing it had a 10-12 hour effective period...But it was fine.  Had her strapped in the van for over 5 hours..that'll make anyone ready for bed!

So, today.  Did the ole hide-the-medicine-in-the-pudding trick.  Down in 10 seconds.  Very interesting day, too.  After I hounded her to eat a peanut butter and jelly roll up sandwich, she ate nothing else all day until dinner at 7pm.  This can't go on more than a week.  She is 32 pounds!!! She wanted to start crafting and spent at least 4 hours making paper crafts-mainly little books.  Very interesting.  Talia has NEVER been able to sit still long enough to do anything...FOUR HOURS, and probably longer, but I didn't count.  Too much going on.

So, this is it so far. 

Day 2

Talia was awake until 1am last night and woke up at 6:51am. I finally brought her downstairs at 7:30 for today's dose, which almost didn't get taken. (She swallowed the pill yesterday but couldn't today. Finally put it on yogurt that she also said was impossible to swallow, but eventually did.). Her affect is better today but eating still stinky. All day-only 2 mini pancakes. All day. Again, just needed to vent. Will this get better?

What a long, strange trip its been...being...

So, among other things with which I've been dealing, Talia has been struggling at school. Her entire kindergarten day is spent unfocused and inattentive. She hunts for things in the carpet. She wanders off while heading to lunch. She chews her sleeves. The only way she can get her work done is if an adult sits with her. So after visits with the teacher and a community psychologist, we've diagnosed her with ADHD and today she started Adderol. Heaven help me. She already is a tiny, thin girl that only wears a size 4, and all she's had today is half a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and 3 1/2 chicken nuggets. I've been counting. I've been watching her in hyperfocus today. I should be carrying around a scientific journal in which to document her behaviors. Everything she has done today I've viewed through the Adderol lens. For the past two hours she's carried around one of Liam's shoes asking him if he wants Lightning McQueen. Over and over and over. She hasn't laughed all day. Its only day one. I'm trying to remember that.

State Fair 09

These black and whites made the fair more eerie than normal...

State Fair 09

Sate Fair 09!

If Kate had more mobility, she'd be eating that corndog!


Fisk french fries!

More pics at http://www.flickr.com/photos/28380864@N06/

Sidewalk City

Kids had a blast drawing a city on our driveway...Oh, you know my name is Simon...and the things I draw come true...

Burp clothes' fun continues!

Really not sure why this amuses me so much...

Walk for Life

We're last. Last. Last. Last.

Bath Time

First bath with a camera handy...and another hand to take it!

Like a freight train..

Life. Moving. fast.  Been 5-6 weeks since I last touched this page. Yikes.   Kate just rolled over! I figured I had to document it somewhere!   3 1/2 months old.  Left her watching the Gamecocks and went to check on Talia and came back...on her tummy.  Time's a'flying! 

So...last 6 weeks.  Talia's Gotcha day # 5 was Oct. 12.  We were going to the fair on Oct 15 but it was monsooning.  So we went this week (pictures to follow).  Talia had the H1N1 flu, of course, since everything goes in her mouth.  She missed a week of school, and then she gifted it to Kate.  So then I missed a week of work.  Both girls are better now.  My father-in-law was at work and some uber-enormous water pressure knocked off the nozzle of the hose he was holding and it slammed into his chin, breaking everything.  Actually, splintered the TMJ joints and disintegrated the chin.  He now has a metal plate in lieu of his chin (looks perfect) and mouth wired shut.  Doctor hopes the splintered joints will reform and reconstruction surgery will not be necessary.  Ow.  Ow.  Ow.  I whine when I have jaw pain from sinus problems.  Ow. Ow. Ow.  But he's doing awesome.  What else?  A couple of other sad events.  My favorite cousin from Louisiana lost her husband.  I feel lost as to what to say.  We've lost touch for the better part of 20 years and Facebook just got us back together.  I can't stop thinking about her and wishing I knew what to say.  I have learned just to say something, rather than nothing because you aren't sure.

Lemme go get some pictures posted....

Body Art

So, we've been promising that the kids could do some face painting. Actually weeks ago I brought it to the parents' house and it never was used. So, for 2 days the kids whined about face painting. I, in true democratic style, asked the kids if they wanted to swim in the lake for a short time or do face painting, assuming of course they would choose face painting. Yes, wrong. So Talia and Elias went to the lake and Bella and I, then Julie, started painting. LUCKILY I did not paint my face because the purple and the pinks are not washing off. Lower calf is rather strangely decorated. But we had a blast.



Orange washed off. Dark pink did not. Just imagine.

Our Bugs

I am more and more amazed each day as I see more and more creatures in our yard (not all welcome). We have salamanders (including a baby) and a turtle, birds and squirrels, fireflies, wasps, mosquitoes, frogs, praying mantisis (not sure of the plural) and on and on.

This was a beautiful web, which of course I tried to photograph, but the sun was in the wrong place, as was the web. This was as good as I could get.


Wow. Huge. An an inch from getting inside my house. And eating us.

Umbrella Party

So, for whatever reason, the kids have always loved playing with Talia's umbrellas. E and Bella have recently earned an umbrella each for their good behavior. Elias has held that umbrella each second he was not in school. So, I guess, it was only fitting that we had an Umbrella Party on Wednesday afternoon. I am still not sure what transpired at the "party," but the 3 kids ran around and acted like, well, kids.

Catching Up-July 15-more home arrival pics

Catching up-July 15-Arrival home!

I was explaining that there was going to be lots of excited people at the house that would be holding and kissing her. She said, "oooh."


Heat killed the welcome home balloons.


Talia meets Kate for the first time.


And Grandma meets Kate for the first time.

Catching up-July 13th-Last night in Hot Springs

We found this delicious Mexican restaurant. It has beautiful murals on the walls and these ornate chairs (you can kinda see one behind mom in the second picture). We feasted on delicious food-so much more delicious than we expected to find. Even had a guacamole/green pepper dip that came with the chips. Yum.




Even Kate got into the act-8 days old and hogging the chips!

Zoo Date

Some of you know that my biggest challenge with two kids (so far and right now) is bedtime. Talia LOVES her baby sister, but is struggling with the massive reduction of exclusive mom/Talia time. That manifests at bedtime. She may also be afraid Kate and I will do something that she will miss. Bedtime is a nightmare some days. It is also Kate's fussy time. Not colic fussy, but just your regular fussy. Talia switches back and forth from having a fit to her tummy is hurting so much she "is going to die!" The most recent behavior modification technique (remember I am a special educator...I have techniques) is to let her earn time with me by going and staying in bed. Each time she gets out to tell me about a phantom pain, she loses minutes. (Thanks, Fred Jones). This week was the first trial of the most recent attempt at control of the 5 year old. We were working towards time at the zoo. She earned 1 hr and 27 minutes. Much better than last week. She earned the full time on Thursday evening after the zoo, then has spent the weekend with the grandparents, so no idea what tonight will bring.

So, we get to the zoo, see the flamingoes and then....


Owen and Christian!!! This is the fallout after Ring around the Rosy (yes, that was random.)


They totally made the trip 50 times more fun.