One Year

Millicent,

I know I'm late.  I've been busy chasing you around the house.  You're pretty fast, Mater!

Yes, we still call you that.  You have the same gap between your two front teeth as your Mama.  I love it.  It's something I can see and smile because it makes you feel like mine.  I see it a lot because you are always smiling and laughing.  You laugh at your big brother and sister as they race through the house.  You laugh at your Daddy when he tickles you.  You laugh at me when I hide under the covers in my bed and then pop out at you.  Your laughs are a constant soundtrack to our lives.

You don't have much to say yet.  You'll come looking for me and say "Mama!" if you're happy or "MAMAMAMAMAMAMAMA" in a pitiful wail if something has annoyed you.  You'll grin and walk to your Daddy while saying "Da..da.da..da..dadadaDADADADA!" because he is just so cool.  If he annoys you then you just screech.

And screech you can!  If you're unhappy then you let us know PRONTO.  These teeth are bothering me!  I fell down!  Sister took my toy!  I'm dirty!

MY CHOCOLATE MILK ISN'T WARM ENOUGH!

Cripes, you're a diva.



You've been walking since December.  Scratch that...you walk everywhere at home and then we go places and tell people "She's such a good walker!" and then you go all noodle-legs on us like you've never taken a step in your life.

STOP MAKING MAMA LOOK LIKE A FIBBER.


You're still my baby.  That thumb rarely leaves your mouth.  You are a thumb-sucker, Mei.  It's OK.  I think you look precious.  Of course, I would rather you refrain from sucking your thumb while I'm feeding you oatmeal but that's another discussion altogether.

My favorite time is when you cuddle to my chest, jam your thumb in your mouth and hum.  It's almost like a purr.  You are perfectly content to just cuddle and let me hold you.  There are days where tears run down my face as I hold your little body and feel your downy fine curls with my fingers as I sing to you.  It's the most healing and wonderful thing I can imagine.

I know that there's a lot going on right now.  Sister is taking up a lot of attention and Brother is being a buttheaded 2-year old.  You are a beam of sunshine in all of this.  You make me smile on the worst of days with your sweet kisses and proud applause.  I could cuddle you and twirl my finger around your curls for hours while you hum around the thumb in your mouth.

I love you, Curly Bear.
Mama

The Street

Lining up the troops.

Monday Brain Dump

I am one tired Mama.

I'm watching the monsters run around and act out the Minnie Red Riding Hood episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and thanking God for On Demand.  Where was that when I was little and wanted to watch my favorite episode of Sesame Street?

Ugh.  Kids these days.  Back in my day we had to use our imaginations to make a forest into an Ewok village and suffer through the Shemp episodes.  We learned to watch and like the commercials.

I think I'm going to need to go get my nose ring and my pink / red hair streaks just to balance out that comment.

I'm still in the mood for good action movies.  Good blow-em up stuff. Any suggestions?  Funny action is even more appreciated.  Like Red.  That movie was awe-to-the-some.

I got a day out with my bestie this Saturday and had a blast.  I came home with a bag of clothes in a size smaller than what I usually wear and chocolate bath stuff.  We also had fun making each other laugh until we cried and getting a little too loud in public.  I'm pretty sure at least 4 people thought we were drunk.

I sound like Amy Farrah Fowler when I call her my bestie.  I'm pretty sure this means I need a tiara.

Sophie RAN to the potty this morning and went potty for her Sunday School teachers yesterday.  It's sinking in!  Now if she'll just stop pooping in her pants.  That would be nice.

Milly has a cold, teeth coming in and had a really poopy diaper this morning.  Poor miserable baby.  She needed extra cuddling.

Gideon is finally over his cough.  The asthma makes me nervous every time he gets a cold.  I feel like I can breathe a little easier, too.

Lifechurch.tv is starting a series on Samson.  I'm very intrigued.

Lake Pointe just started a series on Fixing Your Marriage.  The first message was yesterday and hasn't been posted yet.  When it is then you should watch it.  It was REALLY good.

All done.  Time for laundry.

Yellow Means I'm Happy!

Daddy and his colorful girl.

Line, Please?

So.

PDD-NOS.

Ben and I have accepted Sophie's diagnosis.  Now we're attacking it like the geeks we are; by reading everything available and studying like we're two weeks away from a final exam.  Sophie has not yet had her evaluation by a Special Ed teacher because she needs some medical tests done first.  Until then, we're trying some things we've read about.

Sophie uses something called echolalia. She hears us say something and can't process or understand it so she just repeats the last thing we said.

Before:
Ben:  "I love you, Sophie!"
Sophie: (just repeating) "I love you, Sophie!"

Sophie also uses "scripts" to describe how she is feeling or what she wants.  She usually takes these from her favorite TV shows; Mickey Mouse Clubhouse,  Imagination Movers and Sesame Street.

Sophie:  "Whassa matter?"
Meaning:  "Something is wrong!"
Origin:  Mickey Mouse Clubhouse episode "Doctor Daisy, M.D."

Ben and I have been watching and listening to Sophie to see how she uses language and scripts.  We've been trying to modify how we speak to her and see if she responds.

Now:
Ben:  (pointing at himself) "I love you, Sophie!"  (pointing at her) "I love you, Daddy!"
Sophie:  (understanding her line) "I love you, Daddy!"

Now Sophie will come up to me with a grin and say "I love you, Mama!" because she knows that I'm supposed to say "I love you, Sophie!" back to her.  She no longer needs the prompt.

We're working on some more scripts for when she's hungry, tired or needs something.  Basically, we're teaching her how to use pronouns correctly which makes her connect to herself and others the right way.

It's a lot of work but Sophie catches on quickly.  We're already thinking of some flash card ideas and games that we can play.  We also use dialog from Mickey Mouse to see what's going on.  God knew what he was doing when he put me in theater and made it easy for me to learn a lot of lines!

Memories are now Nightgowns

Wearing Daddy's old Quest shirt.

Music Therapy

One of my girlfriends wrote a post about how music affects her. I love how she describes how the music envelops her and is able to soothe her fears. Music brings her back to the past and she is now adding new memories to color those same songs. She ends with a list of her favorites. I thought it would be fun to give myself the same challenge. Music affects me the same way. When my babies are upset, my first response is to sing to them. When I'm happy, I crank up the music in the car to dangerous levels. (And hopefully remember to crank the volume down before my husband drives the car again.)  I tweaked her categories for me.

1. My All Time Fave - Carry on My Wayward Son Kansas
2. Fave Religious - Before the Throne of God Above Selah
3. Fave Classical - Brahms Requiem (ORIGINAL GERMAN, PLEASE.)
4. Fave Love Song - Love Petra
5. Fave Christmas Song - One Small Child   
6. Fave Weird Al Yankovic - Trigger Happy
7. Sophie's Lullaby - Slumber, My Darling Yo-Yo Ma and Alison Krauss
8. Gideon's Lullaby - La, la, Lu from Lady and the Tramp
9. Milly's Lullaby - Goodnight, My Angel Celtic Woman
10. Fave Soundtrack - Blues Brothers
11. Fave Score (YES, THERE'S A DIFFERENCE!) -Braveheart
12. Fave Workout - Black Betty Ram Jam
13. Fave Feel Like a Bada$$ - Supermassive Black Hole Muse
14. Fave Musical - Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
15. Will Always and Forever Make Me Smile - Nightswimming R.E.M. 
16. When I Need to Get Angry - Faint Linkin Park
17. When I Need To Cry - Winter Tori Amos
18. When I Need to Dance - She Bangs Ricky Martin (shut up.)
19. To Cover with My All Girl Punk Band - Breed Nirvana
20. Our Song - Look Around Blues Traveler