Get a Move On

With your first child, you are in a hurry for them to do everything.  Talk, crawl, walk.  You work with them, spend hours putting them into the crawling position.

Once subsequent children come a long, you are hoping that they don't move too early.  Because the day will come that you will need to go grocery shopping with both kids in tow, and unless you go to Costco or Superstore, the carts are only built for 1 kid.  And really, if you have kids, you need as much space in that cart available for groceries.  So you let them walk, and sensing your weakness, this will be the time they will run in opposite directions.  It's like herding cats.

I will pause so you can picture that.

For me, as much as I dread that day in the grocery store, I am hoping Kayla starts motoring soon.  Even adjusting for her being preterm, she is behind in her gross motor skills.

She just started sitting on her own for short periods of time.  And she will now keep her knees under her if you place her in the crawling position, but she will not put any weight on her arms.  

I am going to start thinking of song to sing to her to get her moving.  Maybe something like "I can't Drive 55" or "Motoring."

Suggestions?

To my Husband

Happy Anniversary.  I can't believe it has been 6 years since we said "I Do."  We have packed a number of adventures into that time, and I can not think of anyone else I would want at my side.  I love you.

  

Am I Overanalysing or am I just Overanalysing?

Kiera has been seeing a speech therapist since she was 16 months old.  Her speech was slightly delayed, so we wanted to be proactive.  In February, the speech therapist told me that she has noticed Kiera has been displaying some red flags that may indicate Autism.  The first thing I did when I got home was to start researching autism, red flags and treatments.

My first thought, after reading some of the indicators, was "that might explain a lot."  

Delayed speech or no speech - check

Focused, gets lost in her own word - just like her daddy

Repetitive play - she loves to build towers, actually she just likes to stack things

Likes to spin - but isn't that normal

Behavour issues - sometimes she gets frustrated easily or has a tantrum for no apparent reason but then again, she is 2

Oversensitive to stimuli (feel, light, noise) - she usually takes her pants and socks off by the middle of the day and she isn't very affectionate with people

No imaginative play - check

Independent - check

Hmmmmmmmmmmm...

At our next appointment, B, the therapist, conducted a speech and language assessment.  She found that Kiera scored normally in expressive comprehension, but scored low in auditory comprehension.  My translation is her understanding of vocabulary and ability to express herself is normal, but her ability to understand and process what is said to her is low.   Her brain processes input differently than ours, so she has difficulty following directions.

 

Fast forward to now.

We are awaiting assessment, which may take up to another year before that can be completed.  And now I am starting to doubt my initial reaction.  She has started to play imaginatively, she is social and can make eye contact, she is verbal and is not stuck to routines.

Maybe she is just quirky.

Is she autistic or am I just looking for behaviours that mimic autism?

Tracks and Brains

Well, I told everyone the story of beginning of Kayla`s life, but I failed to introduce her.  I am going to blaim mommy brain.  I love that excuse, it covers so many forgetful moments, and off trackedness. Off Trackedness, I know it`s not a real word, but I like it.  I just made it up, and it is so good at describing my thought processes. 

Wait, what was I talking about?

Right, introducing Kayla. Without further further ado, and before I forget again, here is Kayla.

Kayla

December 8, 2011 (4 weeks early)

1:22 am

7 lbs

19.5 inches

December 2011

January 2012

February 2012

March 2012

May 2012

June 2012

Happy Birthday my Little Girl

It's Kiera's third Birthday, so this post is dedicated to pictures of her.

Do Over...

With no job to go back to after maternity leave, I have been thinking a lot about what I want to do.  If I want to change careers, now is a good time.

When I was 6, I wanted to be a professional baseball player, a teacher or a business woman.

If life was perfect and I could do anything, what would I do?

Photographer

Psychologist
Event Planner
Singer
Chef
RULE THE WORLD

Actually, not that last one, too much work.

It's Never Too Early to Start

I am not sure why, but I am on this creativity kick right now.  Thinking about it, but not really doing anything with it yet.

Creativity is something I want to encourage in our girls.  Even if you are not artistic, musical, etc, you can still be creative.  Even in the business world, creativity helps you think "outside the box" (I wish I knew what box they are talking about), and come up with new or innovative solutions.

Kiera loves to colour and draw and paint, and do anything that makes a mess, so we do those kinds of things.  However, I just discovered something else they can do, BLOG.

I know, you would think that something like that would be obvious, but I never thought about it as something kids do.  Until I heard about blogs written by kids.

Veg (Mary) is a 9 year old girl in Scotland that has been photographing and talking about her schools cafeteria food on her blog NeverSeconds.  She even started Mary's Meals to school lunch programs in developing countries.

In Toronto, KJ, who is 8 years old and the worlds youngest blogger, posts news stories that are interesting to children and adults alike on his blog.

What an amazing way to allow kids to express themselves, share their interests and develop language skills.  Perhaps one day Kiera and Kayla will have their own blog, and they can talk about "Life with Mommy and Daddy."

Family Bucket List

While surfing the net, with a baby sleeping in one arm and dog napping on my legs, I came across this article: 25 Activities To Do During Maternity Leave. I was intrigued.  This might give me some ideas of things to do with the kids.  I opened the article and started reading.

What I thought was just a list of activities turned out to be a Bucket List for the Family.  The author is actually doing 101 things to do in 1001 days (Heather's List).  Now, that might be a little too ambitious for me, but I have come up with our Family Bucket List.  To me, it's on going.  As we discover new things, I will add to the list.

Short Term (next 5 years)

Personal

Learn to shower when home alone with kids

Brush Teeth regularily

Get a Pedicure

Get a Haircut

Make a 50 Things I Enjoy List (I like Lists)

Read 15 books just for fun

Reach goal weight, and maintain it for 3 months

Family

Take kids to a movie

Go camping

Build a snowman

Take the kids tobogganing

Take the kids to the Library

Create a list of favourite places we visited as children

Take kids to the zoo

Romantic

Go out for just dessert

Go to a play, concert and movie together

Friends

Start a monthly Mom's Night Out

Sport

 Try Roller Derby on their open night

Food and Drink

 Make olive oil infusions

Do the city's cocktail tour

Household

 Clean out my closet

Mud and paint hallway

Hang framed photos

Finish reno's to living room

Open RESP for Kayla

Update will

Create a 72 hour disaster kit

Professional/Creative

 Take a Photography course

Print and frame 1 creative photo I've taken

Update Resume

Work on Dillon Family tree

Long Term (10 years)

Family

Take kids to favourite places on list

Romantic

Plan an anniversary weekend away

Tour a winery we have not been to before

Friends

Go on a motorcycle road trip with another couple

Sport

Skydive

Learn to SCUBA

 

What would be on your list?

Run away little balloon

Recently, on our way somewhere (I don't remember where or when exactly since no one was bleeding), I saw a balloon floating up into the sky.

Wondering where it came from, I looked around.  I was frightened by what I saw.

A mother, on her knees, looking under her van.  A 2 year girl in one hand, playing a toddlers favourite game "Dead Weight".  There were 3 or 4 balloons in the other hand and a 6 year old boy beside her.

My first thought was please don't let that happen to me!  

My second thought was we must stop and help her.  

And my third thought was "Oh My Goodness.  I'm a mom!"

The Truth Things New Mom's should know

12 things I wish I had known as a new momBabyCenter Blog |

I read this article and thought "Exactly."  Of course, as a first time mom, I doubt I would have listened.

I have definitely noticed a change in attitude and priorities, and time in raising Kayla compared to Kiera.

If the soother falls in the floor...
Kiera - taken away, spare one pulled out of the purse, dropped one washed then boiled for 10 minutes
Kayla - pick it up, inspect it for hairs, wipe it off, put it back in her mouth

Feeding solid foods...
Kiera - cereal for first 2 weeks, then vegetables for 1 month waiting a 4 days between introducing new flavours in case of allergies
Kayla - cereal for 2 or 3 days, mixed vegetables right away, wait a day or 2 between introducing new flavours

Kiera - 4 months

Photographs...
Kiera - monthly growth photo's taken with her giraffe and shared on facebook
Kayla - random photo's taken with cell phone and posted on facebook (no monthly schedule)

Toys...
Kiera - age appropriate toys and nothing else
Kayla - anything that she cannot choke on or otherwise hurt herself with or that she can damage (we let her play with the DVD remote)

Kayla - 4 months

Illness...
Kiera - temperature taken at the slightest sign on anything
Kayla - temperature not taken at all, she is always happy

In the end, I think both of the girls will out to be happy, well adjusted adults.
I hope...