re: Testing

Sorry for the suspense, everyone! I was demonstrating to Colby's friend Andrew how a blog works and only intended for the "testing" to be there until I could delete it. Now I am finding I can't delete a posting (??) and so here it is...

ANYWAY!

We are almost all packed and ready to head out! We will be spending a few days with my family in WA and then the hubby and I are off to Playa del Carmen, Mexico! I CANNOT WAIT! I keep going back through and paring down the clothes I had ready to pack. It's supposed to be hotter than Hades next week down there, so I probably won't need nearly as much as I have set aside. I will make one last cut tonight, and then everything will be all packed up and ready to go. That way, tomorrow night will be relaxing and we won't be stressing out trying to get it all finished at the last minute. YAY! I actually planned ahead AND executed!!

Things are awesome here otherwise. I promise to get in touch with all my friends once we get back home. I have been nothing short of horrible about keeping in touch with people. But I am finally seeing exactly how stressed out/exhausted I was: since Colby has been home, I have started dreaming again! Also the circles under my eyes have started lessening. I am starting to look like a semblance of my old self anyway, which is good! My mom even said it was nice to hear me laugh again. I promise to try to do that more!

Hope everyone has a great couple of weeks! Will talk to everyone soon, we get back on the 9th!

ADIOS!

My heart is back home.

...and he's on American soil now!

Colby just called, he has landed safely in D.C. and is on a 3.5 hr layover before coming home! YAY!!

I am so excited now!!

The girls talked to him on the phone and Ally still said, "OK, Daddy, see you on the computer tomorrow" so when her bedroom door opens in the morning and it's Daddy who wakes her up, she's going to just be beside herself! I can't wait!

The sign is up and we're ready!!

And just because I couldn't resist...

Is it me, or seriously, are they just about the cutest things in the world??

AAAAACK!!!

Holy cow, people! Husband is home in just over 24 hours from now!

AAAAACK!!

(that is excitement, nervousness, exhaustion and adrenaline all rolled into one fun little sound)

Addictive!!

http://www.freerice.com

It's like a game I could not stop. I was both intrigued with using my brain (considering how many brain cells I must lose per minute, this is crucial) AND knowing I was feeding a child who desperately needs it! I could not take a break until I hit 2000.

Try it! This is a great way to kill time!!

Emily the Anomaly

Today Emily participated in an food clinic evaluation, which was at
the recommendation of the speech therapist who conducted her barium
swallow study in May because she was swallowing food whole with little
or no chewing. In the room was a developmental pediatrician, a speech
therapist, an occupational therapist and a pediatric dietitian.

To make a verrrrrrrrrry long story short, Emily was diagnosed with
Sensory Integration Dysfunction
(http://www.spdfoundation.net/aboutspd.html). In a nutshell, most
things that you and I do not "freak out" over, she does. We have
always jokingly called her "sensitive," and well, she is but with a
clinical diagnosis now! : )

The neat thing is that the treatment for this does NOT involve drugs
or medication of any kind. Basically, every 2 hours when she is
awake, I have to perform a type of physical therapy on her joints (the
actual term is the Wilbarger Protocol for any of you who like to
google things!) that releases calming chemicals into her body, as well
as a brushing technique on her skin that eventually, I believe,
desensitizes her from perceiving everything as overwhelming and
painful (and therefore, she becomes hysterical). The goal is to
"reprogram" her brain to begin producing the chemicals that occur
naturally that help us calmly deal with things. The term the
therapists use is "reorganizing."

In addition to this, the doctor and the therapists have requested that
I pursue testing for celiac disease and make that a high priority.
Hopefully an order will come from the doctor soon to have that blood
test done.

I am greatly simplifying the issues, mainly because I am still trying
to process and understand everything myself, but also because too much
information can have a negative effect as well!

So that is it for now...more as I learn more and have additional info.

Will again be pursuing a bubble to put Emily in...seems the safest
place for her! lol

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AMERICA!!

recipe: here

7 Fascinating Facts about my Children

Was tagged...

Here is how it goes...
1. Link your tagger and list the rules on the blog.
2. Share 7 facts about your kiddos on your blog…random, weird, funny…whatever you want!
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post

~all about my kiddos~

"The Gator"-
1. Got her nickname from Colby's "Uncle Faye" ("Allygator")
2. Can put together a puzzle of the United States all by herself
3. Ate sugar snap peas at her 2nd birthday party instead of cake because she doesn't like sweets
4. Will always say "thank you" when you give her a hug or a kiss
5. Believes she was brought here by a stork after watching Dumbo
6. Can eat shelled edamame correctly
7. Is a southpaw

The Divine Miss Em
1. Can successfully find the beat/rhythm in a song and keep it for the duration of the song (yay Kindermusik!)
2. Would eat nothing but yogurt if I let her
3. Favorite song is "Five Little Ladybugs" by Karyn Henley, and she knows the words AND the sound effects
4. Adores cats
5. Prior to 10 months old, said nothing. The day she turned 10 months, began speaking in 2-3 word sentences.
6. Has successfully overcome her food allergies (with God's help of course)

I tag anyone reading this because I don't think I know 7 people with blogs!!

Pooped

Me: "Goodnight Ally, I love you, sleep well, sweet dreams!"
Ally: "Are you going to bed too, Mommy?"
Me: "Yes, I am soon, I am pooped!"
Ally: "Do you need a Pull-Up?"

(after laughing hysterically, I finally explained to her that being pooped is not the same as pooping in my pants....)