Making HUGE improvements

Not in the sleeping area..... unfortunately! But days are going awesome!!! Tantrums are lessening and she is letting me do more and more!  She will play with her toys while I do my work and isn't screaming for me to hold her the entire time.  For the last 2 years I have had to wait until she was asleep to go take a shower, if I didn't want to hear non stop screaming.  If I said "I'm going to go take my shower" she'd start screaming, crying and just down right upset.  She'd cry pretty much the entire time I was in the shower.  If she calmed down, the second I came out of the bathroom she would run to me screaming and I'd have to calm her down.

Tonight..... I said "I'm going to go take a shower".  She hesitated, so I told her it would be ok, I'm going to shower, then I'll be right back and I'll cuddle you.  She said "ok" then went to daddy!  I took my shower, heard NO crying.  I came out.... she was sitting in daddies lap talking to him.  I sat down and she stayed in his lap talking!  This was a FIRST EVER!!!! WOW!! Something people take for granted .... it was a miracle in our house tonight!

Today at the store I asked her if she liked a shirt I picked out, it was purple.  She said "no, blue one!" and starting flipping through clothes in the rack.  She is talking so much lately, I can't even think of everything to write about it! 

We went and took her 2 year old portraits.  The lady would tell her how to pose and she would actually pose the way she asked her to.... then she'd make up her own poses, clap for herself, and start dancing.  It was cute to watch.  I dont have the pictures back yet, but here is a watermark proof of one of them.

Cailey is going through a stage right now.  It's understandable with everything she has put up with with Kymber, she's seeing her mom every other weekend again (that's a stress I can see it in her) and just kindergarten changes.  She's starting to yell at Kymber alot (kymber does torment but I want the yelling to stop too), and just getting selfish at times.  She starts up her cheerleading again on Tuesday... she hasn't had cheerleading since before Christmas so hopefully that gets her back in the swing of things and gives her something to focus her attention on.  She's still the same girly girl, putting on makeup and dresses almost everyday after school :)  She has lost 2 teeth now .... her bottom 2!  She's also been asking for months and months to get her hair cut.... we have been telling her no but finally told her she could cut it however she wanted.  She got it short and she looks cute!

Creating my own solutions for SPD

"Children with sensory integration disorder may have a hard time tolerating the tactile pressure of a seat belt, the auditory onslaught of a rumbling engine, the olfactory offense of car exhaust, the vestibular challenge of stops and starts and bumpy motion."  http://www.netplaces.com/sensory-integration-disorder/sensory-integration-in-the-community/in-the-car.htm

Kymber screams a lot of the time in the car.  I haven't figured out everything about her SPD needs but her therapist mentioned that she is needing pressure in the car to handle the motion.  She LOVES motion, but it has to be HARD and FAST.  The car is not.

I took just a back pack that was in the garage and stuffed it with some blankets.  I then took the one strap and hung it over the back of the seat that she sits behind.  She can now take her legs and press against this "squishy" bag for pressure.  It hasn't helped completely, she's still screaming at many times (but Im still looking for all the different ideas ... still not sure what to do for her to tolerate the seatbelt??? thats a BIG one).  but she does use this!

Bye 2011, Hello 2012!

The girls had a great Christmas.  Last year we were having a lot of financial struggles so we really didn't do that much.  This year I was able to shop clearance all year long and really give them a good Christmas and not spend a fortune! Cailey's favorite this year were her Holiday Barbie, Cupcake Maker, and Easy Bake Oven but she also loved her and Kymbers Sing a long Cd Player which is one of Kymbers favorites.  Kymber got a set of veggies that you "cut" with a toy knife and they come apart, that was a favorite, and her play kitchen.  Her and Kymber play house, restaraunt and LOVE it.  It's really cute.

Kymber and Cailey Sing A Long Player

We had our annual Christmas gathering at Grandma and Grandpa Thompsons.  The girls had a great time and Kymber warmed up towards the end, and actually let Gen hold her! First time ever letting someone hold her without crying!  (I'll have to download that pic!)

Kymber has had 3 meetings with her regular therapist and 1 meeting with her occupational therapist.  Things have already improved some and she is making such progress. They are teaching techniques and tips on what to do throughout the day to help her get the senses that she is seeking, and when she doesn't get those senses fulfilled she would normally be having tantrums,fits, frustration, anxiety etc.  She is not sleeping through the night at all, but last night was the first night that she woke up and just came and got me, without screaming!

Kymber is talking SO much.  She copies so many words, putting two words together (sometimes they are more of the beginning sound of the word, she can't complete the full word) but it is really progressing!  She is also working on saying letters and loves it when Cailey and I sing the alphabet and she tries to sing a long with us.She is learning animals and the sounds they make.  She has said more and please for quite awhile now, but in the past few weeks she has started using the sign language for them as well.  She LOVES itsy bitsy spider and does the hand movements and asks to sing it over and over and over.  Books is also her favorite right now.  Read the same books over and over, and every morning we go through about 10-12 books. so much right now that she is doing more and more and little improvements with the sensory issue make a HUGE difference.

Cailey has now mastered all of her letters and all of the sounds.  She is spelling more words and able to read a few words.  She loves writing and asking how to spell, I think by the end of the year she will have made a big progress.  It's already night and day progress!  She had her last day of Cheerleading and received her medal for it. She can't wait to start back in February but is wanting to maybe do tumbling instead, but also is asking about soccer and Tball.  Not sure what we are going to do.

Showstopper Dance

Cailey had her birthday party.  We did a Barbie theme and she had 3 of her friends from school over.  They had a lot of fun playing a game "pass the wand" and putting on makeup!  She LOVES having parties, she had a great time :)

I know I forget so much that goes on that I wish I remembered to write down.  :(  Hopefully I will eventually get better at doing this more often!

Been awhile....

So it has been way too long since I have updated!  So much has gone on but I'll try to put a little so it's not too long... plus I am swamped and can't be on the computer that long either!

Kymber was evaluated by First Steps last month and she has what is called Sensory Processing Disorder.  She does not have a delay that would qualify her for free services, but they feel she could greatly benefit from Occupational Therapy, so we will have that 1x a week for a copay.  YAY! Hopefully this is some relief for us all!

Kymbers starting to really talk more and more.  She started out only talking for me and Cailey, she is talking more around daddy and Grandma.  Within the past few days she is starting to say more 2 words together as well.  She's using the potty more and more, so Im pretty sure she'll be in panties all day soon!! (I think!) 

Cailey had her first parade this weekend for her cheerleading group.  She has her 6th Birthday party with her friends on Saturday.  She is having a barbie party.  They will each be making a Tiara, playing a "pass the wand" game, and putting on makeup. 

We had their first Christmas for this year at Grandma Pats and Grandpa Rons before they left for Florida.  Kymber ripped open all her presents.  Now she tries to open the ones that we have under the tree... she's gotten two ripped =/ 

I'll leave it at that, just because I really need to get off here, everyones doing well and staying BUSY! :)  I dont have new pictures up on the computer yet, so heres a couple from November.

Did I hear that right!?

I haven't had a chance to type up anything in awhile! Getting alot of hat orders and only get a chance to do hats and the computer at night after Kymber goes to bed.... but she's with Grandma right now so I'm trying to cram in as much as I can into a few hours!

Monday morning Cailey came out of her bedroom and said how she wishes she could have a day off today.  I told her that I wished I could too.  She looked at me with a very confused look and said ...."A day off from what?????"    FROM YOU! Ok, I didn't say that ( I was about to have a 7 hour break from her and she would most definately kindly remind me I was about to have a break from her), but I did tell her Id just like a break!

I left the bathroom after getting Kymbers teeth brushed and she always stays in there with Cailey and brushes them more herself.  Cailey came and got me and said I had to come see this.  I walk in and Kymber was cleaning the toilet with her toothbrush =/


Can't think of much to write about right now, my brain is going everywhere trying to decide what I can get done.... so off to do all that!

Halloween

Kymbers scabs are starting to fall off from when she had her tonsils removed.  I read that the pain can flare during this time.  Her attitude and behavior is SOOOOO demanding and hard right now.  It's already hard, and then pain and discomfort on top of it, she is TERRIBLE.  Hopefully better in a few days.  I can't take much more!  Poor thing doesn't know what's going on so I know its hard on her too.  We aren't having to do pain medicine as often as before so it is slowly getting better.

Saturday we went to the pumpkin patch again, but a different one with Jerime's boss and his wife and daughter.  The girls had a lot of fun playing and seeing the animals.... but I didnt get any pictures except the one Jerime took of us before we left :(

Kymber went as Dorothy again tonight...  Originally for Halloween Cailey was going to be a Butterfly... she wore it to the event on Friday.  Then over the weekend she wanted to be something else, so she dressed up as a witch to match Grandma Pat in her outfit. :) I had bought a shirt to wear, it was too small so I took it back and was just going to wear a dress and boots, and Cailey's cowboy hat.  Well, the dress was too tight and the hat didn't fit.  So I didn't dress up at all.  I got Jerime an Angry Birds shirt this year and forgot to get a picture of all of us together.  Kymber was super cranky all day and up til we were actually out getting candy.... of course that made her better!  The first couple houses she didn't know what was going on, but then she started running up to the doors with Cailey... it was so cute to watch... and it reminded me of the first time with Cailey going trick or treating. 

Tonsils and Misery

WOW! I have not had a chance to write on here in awhile.  Alot going on.  Kymber had her tonsils taken out Monday morning (October 28, 2011).  I woke her up that morning at 530am and headed to the hospital.  She was quiet the whole car ride which is so unusual for her and she couldn't even have a drink.  She normally wakes up first thing and has a drink.  We checked in and she walked the halls and waited to have her pre-op "relaxation" meds.  After they gave that to her, they took us back to the holding area to meet the dr.  She was sooooo loopy.  She was throwing her head back, laughing and just making the craziest faces.  They wheeled her away at about 720am and at 809am they called me to meet the dr.  He said everything went great.  They then took me back to her and she was awake and hysterical.  I had planned on reading or relaxing most of the hospital stay .... I figured after a major surgery she would be so exhausted and drugged up she would sleep.  WRONG.  In the next 24 hours she slept 4 hours. We are on day 5 and hopefully tonight it will be more sleep.  Right now, cross my fingers, she is in her bed and might stay there.  We were taken to her room for an overnight stay.  She was dying of thirst, screaming for a drink.  They finally brought her drinks, and she took down 2 apple juice containers within minutes.  She ate her jello and was doing great.  She played the rest of the day like nothing ever happened. Then that night.  WOW.  She was up ALL night.  She slept an hour, was up a few, slept an hour, up an hour.  Total of maybe 4 hours of sleep max.  The next day was terrible.  She refused to drink or eat and we couldn't leave the hospital until she would.  She finally took enough sips to leave at 3:30pm.  That night she didn't do any better and the next day was MISERABLE.  She was in so much pain and frustration that nothing calmed her.  I was not expecting this type of reaction from tonsil surgery.  I mean.... if she was a few months older it is an outpatient procedure.  We are still consistently taking the pain meds.  Instead of a dose of 4 every 4 hours we are now doing 3 every 3 hours and it seems to be better for her.  It brings back so many memories of how she was when she was colic.... identical excpet now she is old enough to throw and kick and toss.... very hard.  Also, 30 lbs is alot harder to constantly carry around than 9lbs.  Hopefully in the next couple of days she will start getting back to her self, which isnt always cake but a lot better than this.  On that note, things with Kymber still are very difficult.  I am the only person that can soothe her, no one can hold her, her dad can barely take care of her.... if I am in the room she will kick and scream to get to me.  She has horrible intense tantrums, super easily frustrated, cannot self soothe... I could go on.  First Steps is going to be evaluating her to see where she is developmentally (in all areas) but most specifically to see where she is in her social/emotional development.  If she is delayed enough they will start services.  Not sure what all it means yet, but I'll find out more next week.  I actually disabled my Facebook because people can be so ignorant in their opinions and advice on Kymber's behaviors.  Dr. Sears definition of a High Needs Baby/Toddler fit her to a T and people don't seem to grasp the concept that she is not the typical 2 year old... which means the typical solutions to problems do not work with her.  Just as when she was a baby and people say how babies love car rides, swings, etc..... she screamed entire car rides and never used a swing.  She is different and some people cannot understand that.

Tonight we went to a Halloween event.  Cailey dressed in her butterfly costume and Kymber in her Dorothy.  It wasn't a lot to do, and wasn't that neat to us.... but Cailey said she had a lot of fun.