Therapy

I won't lie, I am not a fan of therapy. Maybe it's the fact that Avery absolutely HATES it or maybe it has something to do with going 3 times a week, or I guess it is both! I am working with the sweetest lady, who has been in this business of pediatric therapy for 30+ years. She is amazing! I just dread going because Avery really has a tough time doing what other people ask of her. She gets so worked up. She barely will leave my lap and when I do get her to do the exercise, she scoots right back over to me. The added challenge with her therapy is the issue of trusting others. She trusts me. The sweet baby loves me to death. In fact, she only wants me and is not too keen going to others. She is so funny because she will just wave and smile from afar at you like she is the friendly little thing, and so people are drawn to come closer and then she will let out the loudest growl like scream at them. It is really quite embarrassing, but funny to see people's reaction to it.

So, even though it is tough going to therapy 3 days a week, it has already paid off because in this video she is doing something she has yet to do...pull up over and over and even put a little booty shake into it.
Please disregard all my chattiness....ugh...I hate hearing myself on video and the rather obnoxious 7 year old all up in our business, but it is hard to get quiet time around here.
so, enjoy...we are on the road to walking!

Pt and more....

Last week we tool Avery to the Orthopedist to get her legs checked out.  For those of you who do not know, she was a special needs adoption, so we knew that we would be dealing with some sort of orthopedic issue before officially adopting her.
With that said, she is scooting everywhere on her bottom and crawling on all fours, she just cannot pull to stand or walk.  The Doctor did multiple x-rays and Avery's hips and spine look great (praise God).  The knee is hard to tell on an x-ray because the knee cap will not show up until a child is 3 or so.  With that said, our Doctor, who is known to be the "best" in Birmingham, recommended we begin Physical therapy as soon as possible and if we do not see any progress we will do an MRI of her knee. 
In short, he thinks it could be that the tendon is not attaching the muscle to the bone, therefore she has no extension or flexion from her quadriceps.   If this is the case, we are looking at some reconstructive knee surgery and much more PT down the road.
I met with the PT on Monday and she is fabulous.  Avery is a determined, spirited little girl and I believe she will walk.  She is so strong and wants to do it.  With the PT, we also have to work past the issue of her will!
She has an extremely strong will and if it is not her idea to do something, she is mad and shuts down.  She will scream and scream and arch her back and just lose it!  I am hopeful that the more comfortable she gets with Mrs. Patrice, the more willing she will be do to what is asked of her. 
At home, my job is to exercise her legs, encourage her to pull up (even just for a little) not to carry her on my hip, but out front with her legs together.  She also wants me to start binding her legs together at night!  (I haven't got around to that one yet).
We brought out Kate's old ride on princess toy and sat her on it so she could push with her feet.  She was so mad at me for putting her on that thing because she could not get off, but I persevered and with help from the kids---lots of cheering and clapping--she started to move and she hasn't stopped.  She will just wheel herself all over the house now!  It is so cute.
So, I am going to spend the next few months doing lots of appointments for the PT and for early intervention program.  It should be an adventure for sure!

A Weekend in pictures!

When we were not drilling abc flashcards this weekend, this is a glimpse at what we did...

(quick side note: I really love gray's preschool and all the teachers he has had....for those who truly "know me" you can understand my candid postings)

a little driving...

 crazy driving

 football during half time of the AUBURN game!

 Still driving...

 Climbing Trees...mark my words-we will visit the ER at some point during this kid's lifetime

 Acrobatics

 Truck push

 and another in a tree

 bubbles and grass.  Avery does not like grass.  We are trying to get her to give it a chance!

 loving the camera

 Bathtime!

 Jumping

 Movie Night

 Family picture. 

there is one child to the far left who did not make the picture because he refused to scoot over to the right!

(quick side note: I really love gray's preschool and all the teachers he has had....for those who truly "know me" you can understand my candid postings)

I Dropped the Ball...

Gray has been in preschool for 3 weeks now and today when I picked him up, I took the walk of shame back to my car.  Apparently, every kid in his young 3's class knows ALL their ABC's and can recognize them!  I wanted to cry right there that I am such a bad mommy that I haven't even thought about working with Gray on his ABCs.  I mean, he just turned 3 in July!!
The ironic thing is, Matt and I are always talking about how smart Gray is.  I mean we still truly believe he is a bright child (that would be a gene passed down from Matt). 
On top of that, a few days earlier, I was informed that all the other 3 year olds can wipe their own bottoms after going number 2.  Now, I may be naive, but I have 5 kids (4 that I have potty trained) and not one could wipe their own bottom efficiently when they were 3...especially my boys!
I guess today was one of those days that I just feel like a terrible mom. 
I called Matt in tears that Gray didn't know his ABC's AND he needs to wipe his own bottom! 
I got in the car and found a CD with the ABC song and played it on repeat all day.
We made flashcards of the letters.
I downloaded TEACH ME Toddler on the I-pad!
Then, I put on my big girl britches and got over it.  He will learn his ABCs, he will one day be able to read, he will know his numbers, he will graduate high school, he will go to college (if we can afford it-ha!) , and maybe just maybe one day he will be able to wipe his own rear end!

Activities

This week has been our first full week with "fall" activities beginning. I thought we were going to stay "low key" and easy, but with each child doing one activity, it makes for quite the busy week. So, we have Wills and Owen taking tennis lessons on Mondays and Wednesdays after school, Kate doing cheerleading after school on Wednesdays, Gray doing gymnastics on Thursdays at 11:00, Owen doing Boy Scouts (no comment on that---it will take a LONG post) on Thursday nights, and Avery starting Physical Therapy Mondays at 11:00. I am trying to manage getting everyone everywhere. Thankfully, I have really sweet friends who have offered to help me out with carpools. So, that is what we have been up to this week....oh yeah, I had one home from school with strep on Monday and Tuesday, 2 Doctors appointments, a few friends over to play (which was great fun) , multiple trips to the grocery because I cannot seem to remember anything these days, and I was able to teach a few classes at the gym this week---to which I am paying for because I am SOOOOO sore! Life is busy...God is good and we are blessed.

My Boy Scout Owen! 

My China Baby

This is what a few of the kids friends at skate night came up and said,

"Wills, is that your China baby?"

or

"Is that Chinese baby"...straight from the mouth of Owen's Japanese friend, Ken.

With that said...Yes!  I took all 5 to Skate Night...one word:

Hilarious! 

 My Gymnast, who may need to work on some listening skills!

Divide and Conquer, Avery's STATS and a 7 year old!

 We celebrated Owen's 7th Birthday this weekend. We had a "friend" party for him on Friday, which turned out so great. The weather was perfect for playing outside. He had 6 little friends over and we played good old fashion games....spoon and egg race, three legged race, and water balloon toss. I spent a long time filling about 100 water balloons for the party and they were gone is about 10 minutes.

I think he enjoyed the day and I am glad the party is over.
Happy Birthday to Owen

 He spent his actual birthday (saturday) at the Auburn game with Dad and Wills.

Divide and Conquer....Matt got the easy two today!

 Thank you God for my spirited child.  He makes things fun and challenging.  

  We cannot wait to see the plans YOU have for his life.

 Love this picture...My dad (POP) with Kate!

So, Avery's appointment went well this past week.  She did me proud and threw a few fits, so the Pediatrician was able to see her in true form and give me positive feedback as far as how I am handling it.  I never felt guilty about putting my bio kids in time-out for fits or not holding them when they are screaming (fit throwing), but something about doing it with Avery breaks my heart...I mean, she spent a year of her life without a mommy!  But, Dr. Darby made me feel much better and we both agreed that setting boundries and expectations early on is the best thing.  She also needs to learn that I will not pay attention to her when she is having a "fit".  It is not easy to ignore, but I will say it works.  She throws her tantrum.  Gets it out of her system and we move on!

For those who have been through all 4 of my big chunky bio babies....here are her stats...

95% height....hello...she is Chinese--crazy!

75% weight...yep....she is mine for sure!

50% head...I found this hard to believe, but the Doctor re-checked it for me and assured me her head size is average!

Let's just say, she will probably NOT be our gymnast or ballerina after all!

 Meme and Avery

Flu Shot anyone?

The other day I took Kate and Gray to the pediatrician for their yearly check ups...Kate turned 5 in May--(little late on getting her in), and Gray turned 3 in July (a little better).
The check ups went well and both are healthy as a horse, aside from the fact that Kate said her favorite food to eat was ice cream and she did not eat vegetables.  Now it was time to get their flu vaccines.  I was surprised because normally we wait until October, but she said they had them and it was fine to go ahead with it.
I asked Kate if she wanted the shot or the mist (up your nose).  She opted for the mist...smart girl!
I then asked Gray if he would like the shot or the spray up your nose and he said with absolute certainty...
THE SHOT!
I repeated the options again, this time slowly.  A SHOT that will hurt or the spray that does not hurt.
THE SHOT MOM!
"Are you sure, Gray?  It might hurt because it will be a pinch in your leg"
"I'm sure, Mom"
I look at the Doctor, who is looking very concerned at my child, probably thinking...maybe I should re-do his exam and look further into his mental state.
I tell her matter of factly...He'll take the shot!
So, the nurse came in and gave Kate her mist and turned to give Gray his shot.
It was pitiful...He so happily laid down on the table, with a big smile on his face, all ready to go!
At this point, I am just hoping my very strong willed child will learn a BIG lesson.  It is a good thing to listen to your mommy!  He was going to have his way, no matter the cost with this one.  He was willing and ready to get a shot over the mist just because I suggested the mist.
I will admit that a very small little part of me felt bad that he was about to get a needle in him.  He was so innocent laying there.  I stood there holding his hand as the nurse gave him the shot and his little demeanor turned sour very quickly.  The shrieking scream of my child echoing down the halls of the office.  I sat him up, wiped away his tears and walked out of the room holding him. 
I am pretty sure that next year when it is time to decide between the shot and the mist...he will pick the latter.

Low Key

Because packing a suitcase and going out of town sounds like an absolute nightmare to someone who just spent 2 weeks living out of a suitcase...we decided to stick around and have a low key weekend here in Birmingham.  We spent Friday watching a movie together, Saturday watching Auburn football, and Sunday hanging with Nana and Grandad.  It has been a fun family weekend and it is nice to have Matt around to help over the long weekend.  I am not jet lagged anymore, but it is amazing how physically exhausted and drained I am at the end of the day.  I guess it probably has to do with not getting a night's sleep without interruption.
I must say I have the best friends who have brought dinner and goodies over the past few weeks.  I really haven't had to even think about dinner because so many wonderful people are taking care of us.   It has been a huge help.  In fact, Owen asked me the other day who was bringing us dinner tonight!  I hope he realizes that soon Mama will be back in the kitchen.
On another note, life this past week went so much better.  I feel that each day we are taking big steps in adjusting to life with a, now 17 month old.  She is a busy little girl with a lot of spunk and she is not afraid to show it! 
I started back to teaching at the gym this past week, and it was so good to be back.  I really missed the people and energy.  I am easing back into it because I have to put Avery in the childcare, but I am excited to be back to somewhat of normal life.  I teach 3 classes this week and 4 classes the next

This upcoming week I also take Avery to the Pediatrician and the Orthopedist.  I am very anxious to get to both appointments, especially the Orthopedic Doctor.  Most of you know that Avery is considered "Special needs", although this term hardly seems applicable at all.  We know she is Special to us and God,  and we know she had a need....a family to love her.  We feel like now that we have her home and with her forever family, we can tackle how to help her start walking.  She is a determined little girl and I know that whatever life throws at her, she will stay strong.  I am hopeful, of course, that it is something that will not require surgery, but we are just not sure.  Please keep her and us in your prayers as we begin the journey to help Avery walk....(she is quite a load to carry and quite a wiggle worm too).
On yet another note, Avery is not so sure about her newest brother...Superman/Obi wan

I Tried My Best...

...to get a picture of the kids. 

All 5 of them!

Unsuccessful, but I did try.