Sensory Shopping

Today the postman brought an exciting package from Barnes and Noble: The Out of Sync Child, and The Out Of Sync Child Has Fun. Ironically, just this morning I also went online and bought Taylor's "wiggle seat" as his OT calls it. It is an inflatable disc seat with bumps on it, that seems to work to keep his little keester still. Depending on how big this thing is, I may fit it in my purse for the next time we go out to eat. Taylor seems to love deep pressure and "proprioceptive" activities, so I am attempting to find what we can do at home without breaking the bank. Taylor's favorite activity with his OT is the "Squeeze Machine", which is a measly $530. After quickly flipping though The Out of Sync Child Has Fun, I think we can make a similar type of activity out of inner tubes.

Day Trip to Tucson

Last Saturday we went to Tucson for the day, and had a blast! We started out at the U of A, and did pictures with an old friend from high school on the U of A campus. It was a ton of fun and we got some amazing shots! I love pictures of the kids, and these turned out wonderful.

After pictures, Taylor asked for lunch at McDonalds and then went to the Zoo. Taylor was very excited that we had a map and he chose which animals he wanted to see. After the Zoo, we met our friends Chris and Rachael and their two kids at Little Anthony's Diner. They kids were all wild, but had a great time. It was great to see them, but what was especially nice was that the kids are all the same age and it was tons of fun since they are totally where we are in life. Since this day went so well, I can't wait to do it again!

Six Kids and Crazy

Happy Belated Valentines Day!

And, speaking of love...Valentine's Day was also the special birthday of our newest niece Maria Andrea Back. She decided to give her mommy and daddy a little bit of trouble and their planned home birth turned into an emergency c-section and NICU stay. Mary and Araceli are both doing well and should be home today.

We picked up the kids when they were still at home, and then kept them for a little bit longer then our initial idea of a few hours. I often say God did not make me to have a lot of babies, and after this weekend I can't argue with myself. Don't get me wrong, there are many wonderful parents out there who can do it and do it well (such as Araceli and James). I am just not one of them! You just have to have a lot of structure and routine, and patience. The kids all did well, but long term I think 2 is just enough for us.

Bella, Michael, Sarah and Josh are now home with their Daddy. And we are happily snuggling and loving our two.

Germs and More!

Update to my TGIF Post:
Our Friday filled with fun was on a roll: speech started late which meant our hour drive/lunch break was shortened to 30 minutes, and then because of that I was 10 minutes late to Taylor PT eval which was dutifully noted in the printed eval I was mailed about a week later. Among his hypotonia and low muscle tone diagnosis mention was a reference by the therapist that she could not complete the full test because we ran out of time. Gee, thanks. The story of my life, it seems.

So anyway, after rushing back to Araceli's from PT to pick up Jasmine who Araceli had very kindly sat with during her developmental therapy session since mommy couldn't be there, we headed to an unexpected stop at the pediatricians. And the day came screeching to a halt with the diagnosis no mother who has taken her kids all over town and so unknowingly shared germs galore wants to hear: RSV. Since Taylor does not do oral meds, he was give an antibiotic shot for his ear infection I also was made aware of, and a breathing treatment at the office as well as nebulizer to take home for more breathing treatments. So, I called Jenny and sadly explained we would not be at the birthday party, then called my very pregnant sister to let her know I just brought some mega cooties into her home.

Over the course of the weekend, Taylor got much worse and breathing treatments were upped to once every three hours, even during the night. Something like RSV really must be shared, so by the next day little Jasmine was showing signs of this virus o'joy as well. On Monday, we were back at the Pediatrician's office and this time Taylor received a steroid shot for his poor little lings and airway. He also needed to go get a chest x-ray. Following this day of fun, my little guy decided he wanted McDonald's and he wanted ice cream at Ikea, so of course we obliged him.

The week only got better, with Jasmine getting even sicker, another trip to the pediatrician for her which was positive for both RSV and Pneumonia. We ended up at the ER that weekend when her temp spiked at nearly 105 degrees. By Monday, fortunately she was much better, but on Tuesday we received a call from the ER Charge Nurse saying her x-ray had an "infiltrate" and she needed to be switched to a 10-day antibiotic treatment.

So, anyway, after all that I hope and hope and hope some more that we are done with germs for the rest of the winter!