Eloped!

So, many congratulations to our beloved Wisconsin babysitter, Colette, who got married in January in San Francisco on the sly!  Josiah was so excited he wouldn't put down the card. We wish you many years of joy and happiness.  However, Addie is still concerned that Brian will take you away from her:)

Card Carrying Member?

My little guy snuck this into his crib last week.  When I got him up from his nap I found him sweetly cuddled up to a weapon.  Nothing cuter than a toddler juxtaposed with a Nerf gun.  Oh, vay.

The Bathroom--almost there

Here is the freshly painted bathroom along with the beautiful finished tiling.  We await the return of the tub and the sink and toliet into the room.  Then we will add a new light fixture and a new medicine cabinet.  And, viola, our new space.  Hmmm, may have to figure out some type of curtain for that window--or maybe we can just assume that none of our neighbors have a room on that level.

All in a Day's Work

Before

After from front

After from back

We have become motivated around this home to get things in order once the bathroom renovation work began.  Our basement was in need of a thorough clean and organization day.  So, Saturday as the winds were wailing I took the kids to the Y and the library while Adam hunkered down in the basement.  He spent seven hours down there.  After he was done, we had two bags of trash, a few odds and ends to throw away, but more importantly, the space was clean and organized all at the same time.  Because we don't have a garage or an attic, our basement becomes a bit of a catch-all.  I think it looks great--and I'm really appreciative of the hard work.  (He even mopped the floors.)  There is nothing better than decluttering and organizing a home to make you feel like you accomplished something.  Onward and upward...

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

Our rectory has two and half bathrooms.  Our second floor bathroom is shared by all five of us--with one small closet, potty seat, rubber duckies, and the gift of kids' toothpaste left on my towel every morning.  Our third floor bathroom is a large bathroom with a claw tub and a toilet that really doesn't flush.  Each year the rectory has money allotted for our use.  Last year, we had curtains made for our living room and dining rooms.  For last year's budget and this year's we are lumping the sum together to update our bathroom.

Our hope is to retain the old-fashioned feel, but maker it possible for me ( and maybe Adam) to use this bathroom as our primary bathroom.  I would like to be able to leave out some lotions and a hair-dryer and bathe without commentary about my belly.  The project was supposed to involve updating the tub by adding a shower fixture, replacing the toilet, updating the fixtures on the sink, and replacing the floor.  Of course, first they found a problem with the floor that involved ripping up lots of it so they could then fix the pipes.  Then another issue with the flooring.  What would you expect from an house built in 1870?  And who knows if the bathroom was original to the house or not?

Day 1

Day 1

Day 1 with floor that was here when we got here

After fixing plumbing and ripping up sections of wood floor

Day 3- new tiling for our floor

So, right now our tub, toilet, and sink and everything else from that room is in my study/guestroom.  I shot some pictures of the progress.  It has been fun to watch.

Bouncy Castles for Bouncy Kids

A wonderful trip

We had the opportunity to make a visit to see my grandmother, and the kids' great-grandmother, this past weekend.  My mom hosted us and made it all possible.  We took the train to Hartford and then hopped in a car on Saturday to see her.  She had had some health issues lately so we were extra pleased to see her.  Addie was excited to go to Bibi's church on Sunday and told us over and over again that she got to wear two dresses that day.  We wrapped up Sunday with a visit to the bouncy house.  Monday morning we hopped on Amtrak for the long trip home.  What a great visit we had.  Eli's favorite part of the trip was pulling onions out of his great-grandmother's garden.

Administrative Assistant

I haven't taken any pictures lately of the kids so I have nothing to post visually.  However, since last week I have managed to push forward with my other part-time job as chief scheduler, bureaucratic aficionado, and appointment chauffeur and scheduler.  Last Monday, I collected all the paperwork to have Elias registered for the public school system.  I had to secure a letter saying we were residents at our home because we do not have any official paperwork saying that we are residents of this town.  (No rental agreement or lien for the house.  Not even a utilities bill)  I got the parish administrator to write a letter saying we were full time residents. 

I then got copies of shots and health paperwork.  I followed that with a letter to the director of pupil services so we could get Elias rolling with testing in preparation for next year.  This letter was the culmination of a game of phonetag with that director for three or four calls.  I then had to appear in person with the Jedster to register Eli.  Later that week, Elias and I had a follow-up consult with his pediatrician after the pediatrician and I failed to connect over the phone.  He made the referral for Elias to go to Theraplay, upon seeing the report from his evaluation. Now I have gotten Elias on the waiting list for Theraplay to continue his OT work.  In the meantime, our pediatrician would like Elias to be seen by a developmental pediatrician.  I made that phone call this morning and left a message. 

Just a random picture of our kitchen post-dinner party two weeks ago.  Adam had 12  clergy to dinner.  The kids and I hid.

In addition to appointment scheduling, I also have to remember to be on top of snacks, counting, and procuring white t-shirts.  I had to scrounge for a white tshirt for today for Elias to decorate for his 100th day of school, buy Ritz crackers to go along with said project, and we still have to count 100 things from home, put them in a Ziploc bag, and get them to school.  And, let us not forget Valentine's Day--cards to bring in, cards being made, and cards purchased. 

Anyone have tricks for managing home and school details?

The Sense of Touch for a Sensory Kid

Many of you have kindly asked, "Have you noticed any changes since Elias did his intensive OT therapy?"  I wish I could resoundingly say yes.  However, as I have been thinking about it, I have noticed one slow, gradual change over time and one large shift as a result of his therapy.

The first one is that Elias now seeks out physical touch and comfort from us as parents.  As a little baby, he had poor sucking reflexes and made it very hard to breastfeed him.  He never liked to be snuggled.  He would allow you to be close to him because he loved to be read to, but he was always the one who controlled how he was touched.  Even as recently as last spring, his teacher commented on how Elias would snuggle with her if she was reading a good book, but he never liked to give hugs.  We had a saying with him which was, "Elias, give a hug--with arms."  Looking back on all that, I realize that that physical kind of touch was not soothing for Elias--even irritating, perhaps.

I can now say that my son jumps into my arms--at 6 years old--when I come home from work on Sundays.  He voluntarily gives us hugs and wants to often curl up in a fetal position next to us.  At first I found it a bit disquieting because he reverts to baby-talk when he does this and pretends to be Josiah.  Then I thought, "Hell, I'll take whatever we can get."  Lately, we have been stalked by bed invaders at night.  Mind you, sleeping next to Elias is like having a pile of bones poke you every hour or so, but even so I'm just glad that he wants to snuggle and seek out good touch from us.  Finally, the most radical moment for me was when Elias requested a massage before bed and he said, "Mom, can you give me a massage? It's soothing for me."  You see, at the beginning of his OT they always started with a massage to center him and to calm him.  He usually recoiled or tried to get silly.  But by the end of twenty hours of therapy, Elias began to feel that sense of touch as calming and regulating rather than uncomfortable and distressing.  Now, that is progress to celebrate.

The noticeable change from his OT therapy is that Elias can now articulate what is going on inside his body.  They used a chart with him which has three levels: turtle, happy man, and rabbit.  A state of regulation is happy man.  So, at school Elias reports that he is happy man and then comes home and is a rabbit for a while.  Then we try to have him enter a turtle state at night before bed.  His teacher shared with me that he now begins to regulate better when she uses gestures to calm down, rather than having to verbally remind him.  He is really taking in clues from around him to adapt his behavior.  However, we still get the brunt of the meltdowns, especially during the therapy.  Lots of tears of tiredness and frustration, I'm guessing.

So, yes, we are seeing changes, and that is terribly good news.