Winding down March

These are just some pictures from our weekend. It was an eventful end to our week last week with Mack starting speech/feeding therapy. He's had 2 sessions so far and has done awesome! We realized that he has tightness on the right side of his face and mouth and weakness on the left side. I think it was because of his torticollis (he was tilted to the right with a tight right side of the neck.) Anyway, the speech therapist gave me lots of oral motor stimulation exercises to do with him which are torturous, but I push through it because I know it will make him better.

After the exercises, we have to feed him. We use a special spoon, called the EZ spoon (it is a magic spoon!) We have to bypass his tongue and gag reflex and put the food on the right side of his mouth so he will use his tongue to reach over and get it down his throat. The first time I did it, I anticipated an immediate gag, but he swallowed with no gag! The next thing I knew, he had eaten an entire tablespoon of rice cereal! Without spitting any of it up! I thought I was going to cry. We have since tried several fruits and vegetables and also attempted some meat. He is doing so good! Today was the first day he didn't really even cry with the oral motor exercises. I can tell his tongue and mouth are getting stronger! We follow up with the feeding specialist one more time this week and I think she will be impressed at how good Mack is doing. We aren't eating like a normal 7 month old yet, but he definitely turned a corner this weekend. 

Give them all the outside toys they can want and all they really want to do is play in Daddy's truck when he's cleaning it out.

The red neck playyard. Yes, my infant son is sitting on cardboard boxes in the driveway. What can I say? We did live in Alabama for 4 years.

Mack and a small glimpse of his half smile

Emma AKA "Hollywood"

I took this picture, pulled the camera back to look at it, and my heart skipped a beat. She looks so grown up in this picture! I can't stand it!

Feeding in the side of the mouth with the EZ spoon. Yes, there are usually tears during this, but he eventually gives in.

He likes to fight us with that right arm - He's incredibly strong for a 7 month old.

Liking it!

Tolerating me snapping pictures and this whole feeding thing

How Emma wears flip flops (right foot.) I tried to get her to change them but she never seems to be bothered by it.

Mack at 7 months and Bunny Hop Fun

This past Friday, March 21st, Mack turned 7 months old. Time is flying by! He had his 6 month check up today and the stats are as follows: Weight: 15lb (3rd percentile)  Height: 26 and 1/4 inches (21st percentile) and head circumference was 18th percentile but I can't remember the exact measurement. They don't write it down for you at  this pediatrician's office so I remembered the best I could in this allergy fogged, sleep deprived brain of mine.

Clearly, Mack is small. No surprise there, but he has decreased on the growth curve since his 4 month visit. The main problem is that the kid won't eat solids! We are trying everything to make him eat his rice cereal, baby oatmeal, vegetables, and fruits, but he is refusing them. He actually will get it in his mouth, he just won't swallow or his gag reflex kicks in and he flat out refuses any more food.

Through lots of trial and error and discussion with his pediatric MD and NP, we have decided that he may have reflux. We are going to try reflux medicine and then we are being referred to a feeding specialist that can evaluate him and help us make sure we are doing everything we can to get the food down him.

I think I said this in another post, but this kid is full of drama so far! We love him so much though. He adds yet another ray of sunshine in our home. He is full of smiles and laughs and has FINALLY begun to sleep all night with an occasional need for paci during the night. He is crawling all over the place, and for the first time today in the doctor's office, he pulled from sitting to standing independently. He is so strong and determined to be a walker already. He loves his sisters and gives a huge grin when they walk in the room. He is definitely keeping Worth and I busy these days and I know it's only going to get busier when he figures out how to get those feet moving!

Much harder to get him still for a picture this month!

Only way to get him still for 2 seconds is to give him this football, it mesmerizes him

Little Stinker!

The Member-Guest golf tournament was this weekend (sadly, I didn't get any pictures of Worth and his dad prior to or after playing in the tournament. ) They didn't bring home a win this year, but maybe next year?! In addition to this, was Saturday morning's annual Bunny Hop at Ellie and Emma's preschool. This is the preschool's fundraiser that is a pancake breakfast, games, bouncy houses, and ends with an egg hunt. It was awesome this year, with better and bigger games, 3 huge bounce houses and a much more organized set up. I won a cookie tin and the girls got lots of candy prizes as well as candy eggs in the egg hunt. Ms. Pendy was here for the Member Guest festivities so she kept Mack for me Saturday morning, so the girls and I could go and have a good time!

Ellie and her best friend, Anna Beth.

Emma attempting the football throw

Emma cheating on the football throw

The sack race sans the sack (Emma wouldn't put one on)

Decorating Easter Eggs

Ellie in her sack race - she beat the other kid by the way.

And the hunt is on!

2 sisters on a mission

Ellie is becoming a pro at grabbing eggs

My 2 sweet girls. No, I didn't dress them in an expensive Easter smocked dress or outfit - they wanted to wear their bunny hop t shirts. We started out with bows and they were pulled out. I had to force shoes back on Emma after a bouncy house run. So, what I'm getting at is, when they look back on this in 20 years and try to tell me they look like homeless children, they will know it wasn't my fault! They were clothed, fed, and they had a great time. That's all that really matters!

Mack on the Move

He may not sleep all night long, but he can certainly get to where he needs to go. (I think this is the root of our non sleeping problems) Developmental changes have always affected how my kids sleep:( This is also not his best performance yet, but I just happened to be beside my phone this morning to get this shot. Please excuse the girls arguing in the background (actually just Ellie bossing Emma around.) I have to referee all day long now(ugh!)

My, how times have changed!

One of my very best friends came to Tifton a couple of months ago and I went to see her. I haven't seen Mandy since I was pregnant with Emma (which was 3 years ago). She has recently moved back closer to Georgia and I was thrilled to see her again in January. She had a little girl, Logan,  a year ago and I had not even met her daughter!

 When we are together, it's like no time has passed. I feel like we pick up right where we left off. My, how times have changed since the beginning of our friendship until now.....

Mandy and I on our graduation day from Occupational Therapy School, May 2002. We thought we knew everything!

Mandy and I this past January.  11 and 1/2 years and 4 kids later. 

 

Mack Giggles

Phone pictures

Just thought I'd post some pictures I have taken on my phone recently! These are in no particular order.

This is Mack's 3rd attempt at vegetables/fruits. As you can see, he wears more than he eats. He has decided to refuse most solid food we give him. We have tried sweet potatoes, bananas, green beans and prunes. He's got major eating issues- (another day, another blog post)

Ellie at her class Valentine's Party

Emma at her class Valentine's party

I snapped this of Emma the night of the Daddy/Daughter dance. She was so excited about getting all dolled up to go out with her Daddy

The 3 stooges

 

Poor Freddie will take attention however he can get it!

Aunt Pat

Dear Death,

You've made your presence known enough around here, now please leave. My heart can't take it anymore! The only solace I have is knowing that you really don't exist. Because of the Cross, my family members are still alive, but with Jesus. They aren't in this world anymore, but I know they are singing the Lord's praises in heaven. 

I can't hear my sweet Aunt's voice anymore giving me advice, telling me about her community and church activities, or the latest of family drama. I don't have my godmother anymore to send me a birthday card or call me to check in on me and my babies. She's not here, you took her, but you still didn't win because I know she's in heaven looking down on us now. Most importantly, she isn't suffering anymore.  Yes, death, your friend cancer that you bring on to take our loved ones away, did break down her physical body, but her spirit has just moved on to  another place. She is in a place where there is no pain, no swelling, no nausea, no exhaustion, and none of the other terrible symptoms that come along with that disease.

Death, don't come back for a while. We've lost 3 family members in 6 months. We don't need anymore hints of you hanging around. We need some time to heal. 

Thanks, 
Ashley 

John 6:55-59

In loving memory of Patricia C. Whitley 5/4/1939 - 2/25/2014

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Half Birthday!

Mack is 6 months old today. I feel like I just did the 5 month post. He hasn't had his 6 month check up at the pediatrician's office yet, so I will post those stats later. As far as what he's up to, he is very soon going to be VERY busy.  He is scooting and rolling and is almost crawling. He can certainly get to where he needs to go without hesitation now. He sits unsupported, he is reaching for us which is really sweet, and he is slowly easing in to the 2 nap a day schedule. (I think mainly because he has no choice with his sisters' schedules.) He is taking his bath with his big sisters now, which makes it easier for us to manage bath time now. Having them all together at once speeds up the bathtime/bedtime process (which still takes us about 45 minutes on a good night.) Mack sleeps through the night now, waking up 3-4 times a night for paci, but he is starting to figure out how to get paci in his mouth by himself:) At least I don't have those 30-45 minute feedings anymore during the night. He is a sweet little boy and loves attention from others (like Ellie always has!) We start solids tonight, so get ready for gross food spitting out pictures to come! Mack is proving not to be a foodie so far. His gag reflex makes feeding times so difficult. Worth and I do rock, paper, scissors to determine who will feed him rice cereal because we dread it so much! So sad, I know, but hopefully he'll figure this eating thing out and be a better eater soon!

Boogie Shoes

Father/Daughter Dance 2014

Worth headed out tonight for a special date with 2 of his 3 girls. The annual Father/Daughter dance is tonight. I had to get a few pictures before they left, and I can't wait to hear how it went when they get home. Worth is taking them to dinner, to the dance, then out for ice cream. Hopefully there will be no potty accidents from Emma and Ellie won't fall and break anything showing off her dance moves.