A few pictures

Well I do believe the warm weather is about done for. Cold weather is going to be here this week.  I didn't get many fall pictures as my camera hasn't been taking clear pictures.  I'm hoping to purchase a nice camera after Christmas.

The boys are doing good and continuing to grow.  They were both weighed and measured last week.  They are very close in size.  Isaac is 36 inches tall and 32.4 lbs.  Caleb is 35 1/8 inch tall and 31 lbs.  Caleb is catching up to Isaac very fast!

Both boys have been good at using the potty when we ask but they aren't to the point where they tell us when they have to go.  The other night both boys insisted on wearing big boy underwear.  I let them do it for a little while as bath was going to be soon.  I know Isaac isn't ready to be potty trained yet. He had wet his pants and didn't even tell me.  I found a wet spot on the floor.  Caleb stood up and told me he had to go potty and ran to the bathroom but it was too late and he made a big mess in his pants.  I'm pretty sure Caleb will be ready before Isaac but at least they're attempting.  It's definitely a start!

Well here's some pictures from this fall and a few pictures with all 3 of my "men" in their blue shirts.

Happy Halloween

I had picked a couple Halloween outfits up a few months ago and pulled them out a few days before Halloween.  I realized one was a size 24 months and the other 2T but they looked small.  Thankfully they did fit the boys but Isaac was almost too tall for his.  They were the cutest frog and duck I've ever seen, but then again I may be biased.

I was afraid Isaac wouldn't wear it because of his sensory issues but he was so excited I could hardly get the outfit off of him before bed.  He really got into trick or treating this year.  He would run to the houses yelling "trick or treat" before he even got to the door.  Caleb was shy and stuck by Mommy but loved it too!  The third house we went to was quite scary and we learned our lesson to not go back there again, at least not until they're older.  It was hard to convince Isaac to do more trick or treating as he thought they would all be scary.

It was a good night for trick or treating in Milford and Ross got to go with us which was really fun for us.  Grandma went for part of the time and Daddy finished with us.  What a great night!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ISAAC AVERY!

10/20/2010

Is it really possible?  My baby is three years old!  It still feels like we brought him home from the hospital.  Isaac had a great birthday.  We celebrated on the 17th at our house.  We had Papa Murphy pizza, chips and of course cake and ice cream.  Isaac requested a tractor cake just like Caleb had.  My Mom made the tractor cake and Ross' mom made the chocolate cake that Grandma Winter used to make.  We had a lot of fun.  Grandma and Grandpa B, Grandma and Grandpa K, Uncle Nolan, Aunt Gina, cousin Caden, Great Grandpa W, cousin Kim and Emily were all able to make it. 

We had gotten Isaac a jumpolene for his birthday which he loved and played in it at his party.  But we found a hole in it that night so it went back to the store and we replaced it for a big tractor and wagon.

Isaac moved to the 3 year room at daycare and the transition went pretty well.  We had a few rough days at home which happens with any type of transition as it's all related to his sensory processing disorder.  Caleb had a hard time too and was quite upset the first day of daycare without his brother in his room.  They're both adjusted now so that is really helping.  The boys really need their time apart as they're together all the time so it's nice when they are in separate rooms.

Isaac is a busy boy and hyper as ever.  He loves farming and riding in the truck.  He has spent quite a bit of time with Daddy this harvest which is really nice for him and for Mommy.  He's talking quite a bit and telling lots of stories.  He's counting up to 10 and is singing songs.  He knows most of his colors and is doing awesome at matching.  He has his last developmental screening with Early Intervention and he passed all screenings with flying colors!  He's considered "too advanced" to receive anymore services.  We are beyond thrilled about that but that also means we need to look into private occupational therapy for his sensory issues which we haven't done yet.

We're still working on potty training.  Isaac isn't real interested right now and I'm not pushing because everything we want Isaac to do becomes a power struggle.  He may be 4 before he's trained but I know I want him to do it when HE is ready.

Sleeping is still a major struggle and we're not really sure why.  We may do a sleep study this winter but haven't really made a decision yet.  We've been giving him melatonin to fall asleep which works for a few hours but then he needs to sleep with us in our bed which becomes quite crowded.  It's a process and he's still young. 

Isaac will have his check up on Friday so I'll get his official results then but I am sure he's about 32 lbs by now and 36 inches or so.  He's still a small fry and is still in 24 month and 2T clothing.  So much for him passing his clothes onto his brother as Caleb is into 2T already.

On Isaac's actual birthday Mommy and Grandma took the boys to Sioux Falls.  We picked up Isaac's pictures and went to eat at McDonalds.  It was a good time and I think Isaac enjoyed his birthday!

We love you Isaac Avery~ you are the most precious, amazing, smart little 3 year old we know!

Clay County Fair

9/12/10-

Another year at the Clay County Fair.  The boys really enjoyed it this year.  It was a beautiful day for the fair.  In fact a little too warm for my liking.  The boys were so excited to see all the animals and test out all the tractors, combines, lawn mowers and any other type of farming equipment with Daddy.  The boys behaved really well.  We stayed about 4 hours and they missed their nap so I think they did great.  Once we got in the car to head home, I don't think we were out of the parking lot when they crashed and slept all the way home.  Then it was a little tough to get them to bed, but not as bad as it could have been.

Of course I got some pictures of them by the tires of the tractors.  I wanted to get Isaac by the John Deere but by the time we saw them he was not in the mood for pictures- oh well.

September photos

Is it really September already?  Wow.  What a change in the weather the past week.  We wake up to 50 degree weather and so I've already pulled out some jeans for the boys.  Let me just say, that adjustment was not an easy one for Isaac.  He has a hard time with transition and going from shorts and t shirts to pants and sweatshirts wasn't easy.  We still have battles when it comes to pajama's but at least he's accepting his jeans and sweatshirts for the day.

Ross had purchased an old tricycle at a garage sale last summer.  I just brought it out this weekend because I didn't think Isaac could pedal yet.  Boy was I wrong.  He took off on it like he'd been doing it forever.  He doesn't have the hang of pedaling on his hot wheels at Grandma's but the tricycle was a whole different story.  Now we need to buy another because Caleb wants it too!

It's hard to believe Isaac will be 3 years old next month.  Time has just flown by.  He still isn't potty trained but he's getting there.  I really haven't pushed the issue at all because with his personality it could really backfire on me.  I have let him lead the way so far and he usually is willing to go when I ask.  In a few weeks I might pull out the big boy underwear and let both him and his brother wear them and give it a shot. 

We had a good Labor Day weekend.  Saturday the boys and I spent almost all day outside.  I didn't mind because the weather was perfect.  The little house that we own has been vacant for a long time.  We had someone buy it from us to add onto his current home.  The demolition took place Saturday and the boys loved watching the John Deere take it down.  Sunday after church we headed to the lakes and stayed with my parents for the day up at West Oaks.  It was a good time.  Ryan, Bjorn and Daryan made the trip down so we got to see them for a little bit too!!!  Unfortunately we arrived at nap time so Bjorn and the boys didn't get to play...next time!  Sunday night we went back to my parents house and stayed over and then hung out at West Oaks on Monday.  We stopped at the flea market but it was rainy and chilly so we didn't stay long.

Here's a few pictures from Labor Day weekend!

Boys outside Arnolds Park

Boys being silly outside on a nice day

Watching the house demolition

Wow a tractor to watch too!

Cute little Caleb Benjamin!

Riding the trike is fun!

Ready to go swimming!

He looks so innocent!!!

Sponge Bob swimmers

Watching the boats from the patio

One of the 4 kittens

Sensory Processing Disorder

I debated whether or not to put this out there on the blog.  I decided why not, if someone else has a child with similar symptoms then maybe that will allow someone to realize their toddler isn't just being a "typical toddler" going through the "terrible two's". 

Isaac has not been diagnosed with anything nor have I taken him anywhere to be diagnosed.  I am not a doctor but I can tell you from doing my own research that I am about 95% sure that Isaac has what is called Sensory Processing Disorder, a/k/a Sensory Integration Dysfunction. 

Sensory Processing Disorder or SPD is a neurological disorder causing difficulties with processing information from one or several of the five senses.  For those with SPD, sensory information is sensed but perceived abnormally.  Unlike blindness or deafness, sensory information is received by people with SPD; the difference is that information is processed by the brain in an unusual way that may cause distress or confusion.

Some symptoms of SPD include:

• Fearful, anxious or agressive with unexpected touch
• Becomes fearful when touched from behind
• Resists friendly or affectionate touch from anyone besides parents or siblings
• Dislikes kisses
• Avoids messy play
• excessively ticklish
• Distressed by clothes rubbing on skin
• Distressed by seams in socks
• Distressed about having hair, toenails or fingernails cut
• May refuse to walk barefoot across grass or sand
• May crave touch, needs to touch everything and everyone
• Frequently hurts other children or pets while playing
• Avoids/dislikes elevators
• Afraid of heights
• In constant motion, can't seem to sit still
• loves being tossed in the air
• Always jumping on furniture, trampolines, etc.
• is a "thrill seeker" and dangerous at times
• Likes sudden quick movements
• Seeks out jumping, bumping activities
• Kicks feet on floor or chair when sitting at a desk or table
• Likes to be tightly wrapped
• Prefers clothes to be tight
• Loves roughhousing
• Frequently falls on floor intentionally
• Loves jumping off furniture from high places
• Frequently hits, bumps or pushes other children
• Seems to do everything with too much force
• Plays with animals with too much force
• Distracted by sound not normally noticed by others
• Often does not respond to verbal cues
• Needs directions repeated often
• Sensitive to bright lights
• Easily distracted to other stimuli in room
• Enjoys playing in the dark
• Difficult getting along with peers
• Difficulty accepting change in routine
• Can't go from sleeping to awake without distress
• Severe/several moodswings throughout the day

These are just some of the symptoms and Isaac does not have all of them but he does show the majority of them.  Raising a 2 year old with SPD and raising another 2 year old is not easy.  What causes SPD is unknown.  Can it be related back to his adoption?  I suppose so but who knows.  Isaac was adopted at 3 days of age, so no he technically won't remember being separated from the woman who carried him for 9 months, BUT unfortunately odds are that he will at some point in his life feel a loss.  All adoptees experience loss at some point, because they have lost a relationship with parents that God intended to occur.  It's up to Ross and I as his parents now to help him through this loss he will experience.  Is he experiencing a loss now?  It's possible but I don't know.  Isaac seems to have some anger built up inside of him and trying to understand the mind of a 2 year old is tiring.  He can't express his feelings in a way that we understand so we are going to find the help we need. 

Until then we're trying to be as patient as we can and figure out what things work best for Isaac.  Isaac is a true blessing to our family.  A little more than 3 years ago I thought I'd never be a Mother.  Then we were placed with Isaac.  The ironic thing is that we received the call about Isaac just 4 days after another expecting mother looked at our profile and chose another family.  Within days I was bonded to Isaac and I felt at peace.  All the feelings I felt during our wait had vanished instantly.  I had even told my family that if I never gave birth to a child I would be fine with that because of the deep love I had for Isaac.  I can't explain it, but it didn't take long for me to feel like he was my son and some days I honestly forget he's adopted.  Of course you all know how the story continues, God had more exciting plans for our lives with another precious boy.  My boys are true miracles in our lives.  It's not easy raising them.  Each stage in their lives is different.  The infant stage was hard because Isaac was still an infant when Caleb came along.  Then things got a little easier after they turned 1.  Now things are getting a little harder with having a 2 year old and almost 3 year old.  They are at very trying stages of growing up but I wouldn't give it up for anything in this world.  There's never a dull moment at our house and it's insane sometimes, but it's worth every cent!

Tonsillectomy/Adenoidectomy

August 17, 2010

5:45 A.M.  I woke Isaac up from a deep sleep, which is not something I wish to do on a normal occassion.  Lets just say he's not a good one for waking up before he's ready.  We left Isaac in his pajama's and changed his diaper.  We told him we were going for a ride in the van.  What 2 1/2 year old wouldn't want to ride with Mommy and Daddy?  On the way to Sioux Falls he kept asking where we were going.  I finally told him that we were going to Sioux Falls.  The prior week I had been telling him about his surgery but our conversation always ended with him upset because he didn't want to go to the doctor.  We arrived at the surgical tower a little after 7:00 and checked in.  Isaac was such a big boy.  He stood on the big scale without a fuss and allowed them to get his height.  The first battle came when it was time to put hospital pajamas on.  He has a hard time transitioning from shorts to pants and since he's still wearing shorts, he was not having any part to do with the pajama pants.  The next battle came when it was time to put on his identification and allergy bracelets.  We had to put them on his ankle and cover them up with his socks.  The biggest battle was trying to get his blood pressure taken.  That was one hard task and he fought it the entire way.  The anethesiologist came in and spoke with us.  He asked if we wanted to give Isaac some medication prior to sedating him.  It would relax him a little and easier to put him to sleep.  Because Isaac is not good at taking medication we all decided we would skip it.  The anethesiologist thought it would be better not to have to hold him down and scare him even more. 

Surgery was supposed to be at 8:30 and the doctor thought we would be ahead of schedule.  It was a little after 9:30 before the nurses came to get him.  Isaac did pretty well watching cartoons while we waited.  The nurses wheeled him away in a red wagon.  He had no problem with that but I am guessing once he went through the double doors he was screaming.  Surgery itself took about 20 minutes and then he went to recovery.  We were able to be with him about 11:00 or so.  He was quite upset and in pain.  I held him and he fell asleep on my lap.  His oxygen started to drop.  They want it 92 or above and his had dropped to 84.  They put some oxygen on him for a half hour or so until it started to come up.  Then we were checked into a room at the Children's Hospital.  Isaac did amazingly well.  He downed about 4 popsicles in the first couple hours and only improved from there.  We kept him medicated every 4 hours to keep on top of the pain.  He was hooked to his IV for over 24 hours but seemed to do quite well with it. 

Good friends from Church, Dennis and Gracia came to visit before Isaac went into surgery.  That was nice that we were able to have them there.  Grandma and Grandpa K came to visit in the afternoon and Isaac was happy about that.  Daddy stayed until about 8:30 or so and then headed home.  I stayed with Isaac and slept in his bed with him.  He slept well until the meds wore off.  We started giving him oral meds in the night so we had to wake him up to get him to take it.  He did pretty well with how awful the medication tastes.

The doctor filling in for our surgeon made his rounds early Wednesday morning and told us we could leave whenever we were ready.  Daddy came and picked us up around 10:00 or so.  Isaac was very happy to be going home.  Wednesday afternoon Isaac had trouble with pain and it only continued from there.  It was darn near a week before he could ease up on his pain medication and didn't complain about pain every 2 hours.  It was a hard go but he's finally on the mend.  He still tells me his throat hurts every so often but he's been medication free for almost a week now which is a huge relief.  The medication he was on had some nasty side effects.  He was very restless, mood changes, dreaming,  no fun for a 2 year old.

Tomorrow is his 2 week check up and I expect that everything will have healed nicely.  I can already say that his sleeping habits have improved a ton.  It still takes him quite a while to fall asleep, but once asleep he does not snore, he sleeps with his mouth closed and he hardly moves all night long.  The next step will be to get him to his own bed.  I think he likes sleeping with Mommy a little too much!!!!  I don't mind now that he isn't restless.  We're not going to push the issue quite yet.  I'm pretty sure he won't be sleeping in bed with me when he's 15. 

Isaac was a trooper during his surgery and recovery.  I can only imagine how much his throat did hurt but he did great.  It's nice that he's eating now and not on a popsicle diet anymore.  His little brother didn't understand why he couldn't have popsicles for breakfast too!

Caleb had a good time staying with Grandma and Grandpa B while Isaac recovered.  He was very excited to see Isaac but it took a few days for Isaac to come around to wanting to play with Caleb.

Here's a few pictures of Isaac at the hospital. 

IV he had in for over 24 hours

First sip of water after surgery

Snuggling with Daddy

Having a popsicle

That was good

Finally a little smile

Exhausted but ready to go home!

Surgery has been postponed

Isaac's surgery to have his tonsils and adenoids removed has been postponed until August 17th.  Let me just say I was not a happy camper when I found this out.  Apparently our doctor will be out of the office on August 6th.  I'm not sure why he'll be out, but I guess  I would have thought that beings we had this appointment set for well over 2 months, we could have been notified much sooner.  The nurse I spoke with said she left a message.  Come to find out she did leave a message on my cell phone but my cell phone does not notify me when I have a new message.  The nurse did not try contacting me at work or at home or any other time so we missed out on having the surgery reset for August 5th.  Now we have to wait a few more weeks. 

Surprisingly Isaac slept from about 8:15-7:00 last night but because of his constant moving he's not getting complete rest.  Once he is done with surgery and recovered we'll worry about getting him back into his own bed. 

In the meantime I'm not sleeping well and it's not all because of Isaac.  Ross and I take turns sleeping with him in our bed but he moves  A LOT.  On other other nights we sleep in the twin bed that Isaac used to sleep in.  My back and neck are not adjusting to the twin bed very well. 

In the meantime I'm reading a book that will hopefully help us get him back into his bed.  I don't care if I have to lay with him until he falls asleep every night for a while, I just want him back in his own bed.  He's also fallen out of our bed about 3 times so I've now placed an order for another side rail since Caleb is using the one we have in the toddler bed as he's fallen out of that already.

The joys of toddlers!!!!!