May 18: Another Growth Update

Isla had her follow up with the endocrinologist today.  The purpose of the visit was to measure her height again and see how much she has grown in the past three months.  As always with these types of posts, brace yourself for more details than you ever wanted to hear!

I wasn't sure what to expect.  Based on the way her clothes fit her, I was guessing that she had gained weight, as her belly is definitely bigger than it used to be and she fills out her shirts more.  But her 18 month pants are still plenty long, sometimes too long, on her and this doesn't seem to have changed at all over the past few months.  So my guess was that she hadn't gotten much taller.

And I was right.  She gained almost two pounds in the past three months, weighing in at 23.8 pounds today.  (I'm not 100% convinced on the accuracy of this measurement, as Isla wasn't being very cooperative.  They had to weigh me, then weigh us together, then subtract the difference...and Isla was very squirmy the whole time.)  I don't know what percentile that put her in today, but she has definitely gained weight at a good rate recently.

The problem is that she is not gaining height.  And if she continues to gain weight without getting any taller, that is definitely a problem!  I'm afraid she is going to just keep getting rounder and rounder.  Over the past few months, Isla has grown just under 1 cm taller (they do everything with a metric scale).  She was 78 cm on February 1, and today she was 78.8 cm.  That translates to just barely over 31 inches, and it puts her into the 1% for height.  Her percentile in February was 6%.  She has been borderline on the bottom of the growth curve for a while now, but she has now officially dropped off the bottom. 

So the good weight gain combined with the not very good height gain signaled to the doctor that something is not right.  If she were just "small stature" as we talked about at her last appointment, her weight and height would remain proportionate.  But since her height has almost stopped growing while she continues to eat well and gain weight normally, the doctor thought it likely that something else was going on to stunt her growth.  So she ordered some tests.  A lot of tests.  A lot of tests that are not very much fun for an almost two year old.

Isla and I headed down to the lab, where she first got some x-rays.  This was the second time Isla got x-rays in her short life (the first was for her neck as a baby).  How many almost two year olds can claim that?  Isla did not cry at all during the x-rays, but she was very nervous.  She kept saying "Mama? Mama? Mama?" in a scared little voice.  But she laid perfectly still, and they were able to get all three pictures (one of her arm and hand, one of her leg, and one of her foot) easily.  These x-rays will help the doctor to look at her growth plates and bone age to determine if something is not right there.

After the x-rays, we went back out to wait for our turn in the lab.  Then it was time to get a urine sample and draw blood.  Getting a urine sample on command from a non-potty trained almost two year old is not easy, and we were not successful today.  The doctor said not to worry about it, and if they need to, they will try again at a later date. 

Drawing five vials worth of blood from an almost two year old is also not very easy.  Isla took it like a champ.  The worst part was that they had me hold her down on the table even while they were getting everything ready.  Isla was looking straight into my eyes, whimpering, with the most confused look on her face, like she was saying, "Why, Mama?  Why are you doing this to me?"  It was horrible.

While drawing her blood, Isla cried, but she remained perfectly still which made it easier on everyone.  It felt like an eternity for them to fill up all the vials, though I'm sure it was just a couple of minutes.  Once they finally finished, Isla lost it and just started crying and sobbing uncontrollablly.  It took forever for her to stop crying, and then once she stopped, she just laid still and wouldn't move until she finally fell asleep at home.   She was not happy.  Fortunately, after she woke up from her nap, she was back to her usual happy self.  Poor girl, it was not a fun morning at all!

After all of that, I thought Isla deserved a special treat.  Though she did come home with eight stickers this morning, as everyone at the doctor's office felt sorry for all she had to go through.  Daniel and Audrey went out on a date night tonight (more on that in another post), so Isla and I went out to get ice cream!

And while I am writing about Isla, I finally got a little video of her talking!  Yesterday, she was all of a sudden ready and willing to talk to me on camera.  It's not much, but it is the most she has ever talked in front of the camera!

Packing

8 days until we move out!  Crazy!  It is definitely bittersweet.  We have lived in this house for eight years, and we have made many wonderful memories here.  This is the place where we brought home both of our daughters, and where we have spent countless hours with friends hosting various parties and events.  It is our HOME!  So it is going to be really weird adjusting to a new place.

But it is also exciting!!  Now we just have to get everything packed up and ready to go in time.  There are boxes (both full and empty) piling up in every room of our house.

 Most rooms also look like this, because I have given up on cleaning and picking up for the moment.

I have also developed a system for organized packing.  When Daniel saw my system, he laughed and said I was just spending time organizing to avoid packing.  And he knows me so well!  This system has MUCH more to do with me procrastinating than it does with my desire to be super organized. 

So the system is:  each room in our new house is assigned a color.  After packing the box, I put a piece of colored tape on the box.

Then when we move in, each room will have a sign with that color of tape on it.  I made the signs today (which is when Daniel started laughing at me!).  So everyone will know where to put the boxes, and everything will end up in the room where it is supposed to be! Lovely!

May 12: Happy Mother's Day!

We had an enjoyable Mother's Day around here.  The girls woke me up with a present in bed...a new cup with a straw (I love plastic cups with straws but I am constantly losing mine) and a Sonic gift card (to feed my Diet Dr Pepper addiction). 

We had lunch at Jersey Mike's.  It was my choice, and I just wanted to go somewhere that wasn't overcrowded and that didn't have a wait.  Jersey Mike's was the perfect fit for that, as I'm guessing it is not the number one choice of many moms on Mother's Day.

This afternoon, Daniel told me to go and do something by myself, something that I very much enjoy.  It seems a little backwards to want to spend time away from my kids as a Mother's Day present, but it was very nice to have a couple of hours of quiet time.  I went to Barnes and Noble and Panera, browsing and reading books.  It was enjoyable.  And it was nice to come back home and see my sweet girls!  They were super sweet today...a perfect Mother's Day gift for me!  =)

In my Sunday School class this morning, I planned a craft that would include a printed photo of each kid as a gift to their mom.  I took the pictures in class and planned to print them on the church's copier, then cut them out and attach them to the craft, all before the parents came back to pick their kids up.  Well, it didn't work!  Lots of technical difficulties.  The kids took home their craft without the picture. 

But I still had all these pictures, and I wanted to do something with them.  So I came home and made a Mother's Day e-card, personalized it with each kids picture and name, and then e-mailed it out to each kids' mom.  They turned out pretty cute.  Here is Audrey's that she "sent" to me! 

May 10: Isla's Speech, An Update

It's been a long time since I have written anything about Isla's speech.  She has been making good progress lately!  Here is a list of words that I know she can say:

1.  Mama
2.  Dadda
3.  Bye-bye
4.  Ball
5.  Duck
6.  Bubble
7.  Go
8.  Cracker
9.  Baby
10. Block
11.  Hello
12.  Shoe
13.  Juice
14.  Down
15.  Nana
16.  Papa
17. Mimi
18. Adam ("Aa")
19.  Elliot ("Ee")
20.  Anna ("Nanna")
21.  Steve ("Tee")
22.  School
23.  Grow
24.  Bible
25.  Tall
26.  Milk
27.  Cup
28.  Church
29.  Me
30.  Mine
31.  Key
32.  Hold
33.  Chair
34.  Dress
35.  Shoe
36.  Nose
37.  Eye
38.  Ear
39.  Bus
40.  Car
41.  Amy
42.  Grover
43.  Eat
44.  Cookie
45.  Hi
46.  Blue
47.  Green
48.  Pink
49.  Purple
50.  Mouth
51.  Hair
52.  Bottom
53.  Cat
54.  Giraffe
55.  Pig
56. Done
57.  Food
58.  Roll
59.  Pat
60.  Boat
61.  Please
62.  More

I'm pretty sure she can say more than that, but that's all that is coming to mind now.  Now, when I say she can say them, it means that I can understand what she is saying.  She still has a long ways to go to master correct pronunciation.  I can probably understand 60-70% of what she is saying, but I am guessing most people might only be able to understand 30-40%.

The one thing that she will not even attempt to say is Audrey's name.  It frustrates Audrey because she will hear Isla say many other names.  But when you ask her to say Audrey, she is just silent.  I would think she would at least be able to say "Au" but most of the time she won't even try.  It's strange, because she will try to imitate most words now.  Just not Audrey's name.

She doesn't really put two words together very often.  But occasionally she will try.  She has mastered "Go Da!" (dad), and she says it repeatedly every time Daniel leaves the house to go running.  Tonight I heard her say, "Hi Ma" (mom) for the first time!

This is all a huge improvement over a few months ago when she was sparingly saying only five words.  I think she would still fall in the low range of normal for speech, but she is improving daily.  And it is just so much fun to hear her talk!!

She is also starting to sing more songs.  She manages to get a few words on pitch in several different songs including:
Row, Row, Row your Boat
The Wheels on the Bus
Deep and Wide

I also caught her playing Pat a Cake with her baby the other day, and it was the cutest thing ever!  She was doing the motions with the baby's arms and saying, "Roooooo, Paaaaaa....Meee!  Translation:  Roll it, pat it...(and mark it with a B, and put it in the oven for baby and ) me!

I would love to capture all of these words and songs on video, and I am constantly trying.  But Isla is a stubborn little thing, and she does NOT like to perform for the camera.  I will keep trying though!  I have so much video of Audrey's first words, because she was a little show off and would do anything for the camera.  I would like to have at least some of Isla's early words recorded, but I am going to have to figure out a way to do it so that she doesn't know I am recording her!

May 9: Happy Birthday, Daniel!

We had a pretty good day celebrating Daniel's 31st birthday.

Our friend Jody, whose husband is our senior minister, also has her birthday today.  So we went out to lunch with them and some others from the church staff to celebrate. 

We have been eating out a lot lately.  Getting ready to move in two weeks has made me less motivated to cook (and do dishes, we have also been eating on paper plates a lot).  But for Daniel's birthday, I thought we should have a nice home-cooked meal.  I made this garlic cheddar chicken (my go to baked chicken recipe), this roasted asparagus (because Daniel LOVES asparagus!), these drop biscuits (which were super simple and tasty!), and a fruit salad.

It would have been nice if the girls would have cooperated in making this a nice family meal for Daniel's birthday.  During prayer, Audrey was being ornery and goofy and not very respectful.  She ended up having to leave the table for a little bit.  When I went to bring her back and talk to her about why we should be respectful and use a nice voice when talking to God, she said, "But Mom, God always loves us.  He loves when we pray any way."  Ugh, what am I supposed to say to that? 

Then we told the girls they had to eat their green beans before having cake.  Audrey quickly ate up all her green beans (which isn't TOO hard for her, since green beans are one of her favorites).  Isla refused.  All I wanted her to do was eat two small green beans, then she could have her cake.  This was her reaction.

So Daniel, Audrey and I enjoyed caked while Isla watched.  She didn't seem to be too upset by it, but she was very determined that she would not eat those green beans. 

The cake was designed by Audrey!  We were brainstorming ideas on what we could do for Daniel's birthday.  Audrey, my party planning protege, wanted a themed cake, of course!  She decided we should have a running cake, because Daddy likes to run.  She wanted to make a road that went all across the cake, and then she wanted to put a picture of Daddy running on the top of the cake.  And so, that is what we made!!

May 6: On Parenting

(Source)

I am the first to admit that I have no idea what I am doing most, if not all, of the time as a parent.  I parent mostly by trial and error, and there seems to be lots of error in that process!  I have very little confidence that I am doing anything correctly, and my greatest fear is that my kids will end up totally screwed up because of something I did as their mom.

(Source)

I know of parents, and have read books by parents, who seem to have great confidence in their ability to raise children into kind, loving, well-adjusted, successful adults.  They seem to be able to discipline in a loving manner with ease.  They know what to say in each and every situation, and they don't doubt their parenting skills.  I am jealous of parents like this, because I am nothing like them.

However, I am also skeptical of parents like this, because is it really possible?  I am pretty sure the perfect parent doesn't exist.  Does anyone really have it all figured out?  I like to tell myself that I am in good company.  I hope and believe that there are plenty of other parents floundering around in this confusing world just like me.

Randomly, I've stumbled across some interesting thoughts on parenting this week that have encouraged me and my parenting abilities. So I thought I would share them here in case there is anyone else out there struggling with parenthood.

I'm the kind of person who likes to read and research everything before I do it.  So with parenting, I want to read every book on the topic so I can learn the right way to parent.  It didn't take long for me to realize that many people have views on how to parent the right way, and no one seems to agree on what that right way is!  Especially when it comes to babies and sleep.  When my girls were babies, I read way too much on this topic, and I was left feeling much like this mom, who posted an amazing and hilarious piece on the conflicting advice about getting babies to sleep.  My favorite line is:  "Using the "Cry It Out" method (CIO) will make them think they’ve been abandoned and will be eaten by a lion shortly."  Too funny!

Discipline is the other area where everyone seems to disagree on the right way to do it.  Since my kids have mostly outgrown the sleeping through the night problems, discipline is the new issue for us now.  And wow, there is so much advice out there!  Everyone seems to have an answer on the best way to discipline their kids...except for me!  I just don't know what to do sometimes (a lot of the time!).  Again, I have read books on the topic, but trying to implement some of those techniques in real life is so much harder than they make it sound in the book!  Then I read this post by Kevin DeYoung about parenting this week, and I loved every single word.  Specifically this exchange about disciplining according to a book's guidelines:

I really do believe in gospel-powered parenting and shepherding my child’s heart. I want conversations like this:
Me: What’s the matter son?  Child: I want that toy and he won’t give it to me!  Me: Why do you want the toy?  Child: Because it will be fun to play with.   Me: Do you think he is having fun playing with the toy right now?  Child: Yes.   Me: Would it make him sad to take the toy away?  Child: I guess so.   Me: And do you like to make your brother sad? Child: No.   Me: You know, Jesus tells us to love our neighbor as ourselves. That means loving your brother the way he would want to be loved. Since Jesus loves us so much, we have every reason to love others–even your brother. Would you like to love him by letting him play with the toy for awhile?  Child: Yes I would daddy.

 I try that. Really I do. But here’s what actually happens:

Me: What’s the matter son?  Child: I want that toy and he won’t give it to me!   Me: Why do you want the toy?  Child: I don’t know.   Me: What’s going on in your heart when you desire that toy?  Child: I don’t know.   Me: Think about it son. Use your brain. Don’t you know something?  Child: I guess I just want the toy.   Me: Obviously. But why?  Child: I don’t know.   Me: Fine. [Mental note: abandon "why" questions and skip straight to leading questions.] Do you think he is having fun playing with the toy right now?   Child: No.   Me: Really?! He’s not having fun? Then why does he want that toy in the first place?  Child: Because he’s mean.   Me: Have you ever considered that maybe you are being mean by trying to rip the toy from his quivering little hands?  Child: I don’t know.   Me: What do you know?   Child: I don’t know!   Me: Nevermind. [I wonder how my brilliant child can know absolutely nothing at this moment.] Well, I think taking the toy from him will make your brother sad. Do you like to make him sad?   Child: I don’t know.   Me: [Audible sigh.]   Child: He makes me sad all the time!   Me: Well, I’m getting sad right now with your attitude! [Pause, think, what would Paul Tripp do?  Thinking . . . .thinking . . . .man, I can't stop thinking of that mustache. This isn't working. Let's just go right to the Jesus part.] You know, Jesus wants us to love each other.   Child: I don’t know.   Me: I didn’t ask you a question!   Child: [Pause.] Can I have some fruit snacks?  Me: No, you can’t have fruit snacks. We are talking about the gospel. Jesus loves us and died for us. He wants you to love your brother too.   Child: So?   Me: So give him the toy back!

That second conversation is totally how things go in our house!!  You should go here and read the whole article, because I thought it was spot on and something I needed to hear.  He ends with this statement, which is something that really resonated with me and my desires as a parent:

I want to spend time with my kids, teach them the Bible, take them to church, laugh with them, cry with them, discipline them when they disobey, say sorry when I mess up, and pray like crazy. I want them to look back and think, “I’m not sure what my parents were doing or if they even knew what they were doing. But I always knew my parents loved me and I knew they loved Jesus.” Maybe it’s not that complicated after all.

 (Source)  Don't you just love the random pig in this picture??  =)

One more link that really clicked with me this week:  20 Things Every Parent Should Hear.  A few that I particularly liked:

The crazy, the crying, the cuddles. The screaming, the sacred, the scared. The minutes, the magic, the mess. It’s all part of it. And it’s all worth it.

 You will never regret parenting. Except for the teeny, tiny tons of times when you secretly wonder if you maybe regret it just a little. But, overall, never. And overall is what counts in the end.

If you pay attention, kids will teach you how to laugh loudly, how to love deeply and how to live fully. They will also ruin all your stuff.

Parenting will bring you face to face with yourself. It may be terrifying. It may break you. But it will also rebuild you, and you will be stronger than you ever thought possible.

Okay, so this was a really long post (mostly made up of other people's words).  But reading through and thinking about all of this stuff this week, I've come to the conclusion that it's okay if I don't have this parenting thing figured out yet.  I'm thinking it might be a good idea if I get at least a few things figured out in the coming days/weeks/months/years.  But I don't think I ever will have it all figured out, and that's okay.

I really love the idea that parenting is more about who I am rather than what I do.  (Another thought from Kevin DeYoung's article.  Seriously go read it if you haven't!).  Rather than focusing on the techniques and rules of parenting, I want to focus on being the best person and Christ-follower that I can be.  And I think that good parenting will come as an outflow of that.  Hopefully.  =)

May 2: Another House Update

We heard back about the appraisal on our house today!  It was appraised exactly at our asking price...what a huge relief!!  We were very concerned that the appraisal would be lower than the asking price due to an extremely cautious appraiser, and that it could potentially cause the whole deal to fall apart.  But all that worry was for nothing.

We also got the all clear on our termite inspection, which means that our house has now passed all tests necessary for us to sell it.  It's really going to happen!  We are really going to move!

I've know all along that we would probably move, but until the inspections and appraisal were finalized, in the back of my head I always knew there was also a chance that we wouldn't move.  Now that everything is final, reality is setting in...we move three weeks from tomorrow!

In honor of this exciting news, I'm going to share a sneak peek of our new house!