Our local wildlife

Is that a skunk I smell??? Wow....and a viciously fragrant one too! We didn't have this problem at the apartment, but here at the new house I have had the misfortune of detecting one malodorous creature. MALODOROUS. We will not be enjoying the patio or opening the windows this evening. The man across the street also informed us that a coyote usually strolls between our houses around 9pm each evening. Steve witnessed a duck waddle across our yard over the weekend. We have our own little animal preserve...skunks, coyotes, ducks...and CUBS!

To eat or not to eat.

There hasn't been much going on here at Cub Central. We've had a few playdates since Mother's Day. We went to Jessica's last week and then Kelli and her girls came over yesterday. It seems like it has rained every weekend, especially if it happens to be one of Steve's days off. We spent this weekend putting flooring in the attic so we can store some things that we don't need right away. I have been putting off the unpacking because I just don't want to do it anymore. It seems like I spend more time moving boxes than unpacking them. We have been trying to spend more time outside. I have taken the cubs on a few walks this week. It is really nice to be in a neighborhood where I feel safe to do this. I didn't feel comfortable taking the cubs for walks around the apartment because of all the crazy drivers speeding through the complex and there were no sidewalks. I never felt safe taking them for walks at the old house either. SAD. I'm really happy that they have done so well in their stroller lately. I'm sure it is only because we are walking outside. If we are inside a mall or department store, the stroller is not very well liked by the cubs. Inside our house it becomes a playpen, they can't stop crawling all over it. Silly cubs.

Zach had his first therapy session with the new speech therapist for his feeding aversion issues. I'm a little irked that they have only scheduled him for two half hour sessions per month. However, today I received some encouraging news. Zach was accepted into a summer feeding program at Texas Women's University. Specifically, it is a group feeding program for toddlers with sensory-based feeding disorders. He will be introduced to a variety of foods with different textures, tastes, and temperatures to increase sensory experiences and improve oral intake. The sessions are led by master’s level graduate students under the direct supervision of a licensed speech-language pathologist. It runs for 6 weeks, from June 16 to July 23, on Tuesday and Thursday mornings for 1.5 hours per session. Each session is planned around a weekly theme and includes circle time, rotations through non-food sensory exploration, sensory exploration with food, and language enrichment activities. I am so hopeful about this! As an added bonus, Emily will receive individual speech-language therapy at the same time. Can it get any better than that?

I haven't updated in ages about all of the new foods we've introduced. Lately (because it will probably change tomorrow) Emily likes black olives and broccoli. She recently started eating steamed carrots but stopped eating potatoes. She likes the small frozen individual pizzas. She likes toast but not bread. She loves fish sticks, especially when she can dunk them in ketchup. She doesn't like sandwiches, but will dunk her toast in jelly. She likes waffles without syrup. She loves to share cereal and milk with Mom. She loves burritos but not mexican rice. She likes chips and hot sauce from Taco Bueno. She loves mandarin oranges. She will eat a whole banana but doesn't like it if you slice it up. Silly cub.

Zach's list is much shorter but at least it consists of things other than baby food in a jar. He still loves refried beans from Taco Bueno. I still add sour cream to them for the added calories. He still likes macaroni and cheese. I give Emily a chicken and rice meal and he will eat the rice, but not the chicken. He likes potatoes but no longer seems to like McDonald's fries. He will eat the cheese from the individual pizza but not the crust. He tried the sauce from Mom's chicken enchilada casserole. He still eats his daily yogurt and Pediasure. He thinks crayons, books, and chalk are meant to be eaten. Foods, however, are not. Silly cub.

The good ol' outdoors

Playtime:

So helpful:

This looks like Emily's ball:

Giving Husky a kiss:

Feeling generous enough to give Mom a kiss too:

The week in pictures.

Sharing their space:

Close-up:

Another close-up:

Playing:

Sweet little man:

Who me???

Sweet girl:

Little Emily Bear:

Mom and Zach:

Mom and Emily:

So cool that she has to wear shades:

Soccer ball:

Hanging out in the "fort":

Such a sweet little guy:

Mine, mine, mine:

Fun times:

Happy Mother's Day to our moms!

Steve and I would like to wish our moms a very happy Mother's Day. We wouldn't be who we are today without your love and guidance. Thank you for all you do!!! We love you!!!

My Mother's Day

Mother's Day is a special day for me, especially considering how long and difficult the road was to get me here. I definitely don't take it for granted. As I celebrate my third Mother's Day I reflect on how lucky we were to be able to undergo IVF and to have it be successful. We are so grateful to Dr. Nackley and Lisa, our embryologist, who paired up our little guys and watched over them from the very earliest stage. We are also grateful to Dr. Zwernemann and Dr. Thigpen who kept such a close eye on me during pregnancy so that our little miracles would be brought into the world as safely as possible. We also thank the Doctors and nurses at Cook Children's who took care of Emily and Zach during their first weeks. I remember celebrating my first Mother's Day in the NICU and praying for the day that I could bring them home. What a difference two years makes. Today we celebrated our third Mother's Day at home together.

Random happenings around the Swine Flu

Emily and Zach had their two year check-ups on April 29th. We got out of there with only one shot each, however I think they managed to pick up a cold while we were there too. BOO HISS! I originally thought that they were suffering from allergies due to this crazy weather, but then it developed into a crummy cold. Commence nose mopping. UGH.

Stats:
Emily weighs a whopping 28 lbs. which puts her in the 68%tile for weight. A few weeks earlier she weighed 29 lbs., so she actually has thinned down a bit. I guess all of the running in, out and around the house has really melted away her baby fat. She is 36" tall which puts her in the 95%tile. That means that 95% of children her age are shorter than her. YIKES. She's going to be a tall girl.

Zach weighs 23.4 lbs. which finally puts him on the growth chart at a stunning 5%tile. That means 95% of children his age weigh more than he does. Big surprise. He's going to be tall and skinny. I'm ok with that. He is 34" tall which is the 40%tile. That's pretty close to average. Good enough for Mommy. He isn't throwing up anymore and for that I am so thankful.

That night I celebrated with another one of those tasty raspberry margaritas with my "scrapbooking" girls. I have a lot to be thankful for.

Thanks to the Swine Flu we didn't even attempt to go to Paradise Pond. Or anywhere else for that matter. Most of the school districts were closed here, so the Pond was probably closed anyway. We've been staying at home and playing outside when the weather cooperates.

On Saturday (May 2) Steve treated me to a day away. He took care of the cubs while I had a spa treatment (if I had money to waste I'd have one of these every day) and then lunch with my fellow moms at Brios. What a great day. Except for the weather -- it was pretty crummy. That afternoon a storm collapsed the roof of the Cowboys' training facility. We were fortunate and didn't receive any damage but sadly others weren't as lucky. Mother Nature can be very ugly.

Tuesday night was another GNO with my friends. I love that Steve is willing to put the cubs to bed so I can enjoy dinner with friends. We went to Cheddars, where I of course indulged myself in the onion rings (yum) and a Cookie Monster (more yummy)...and a raspberry something or other. This has become such a frequent order that Steve actually bought me my own bottle of Raspberry mix so I can make my own at home. I hope he doesn't think that this means I'll stop going to GNO. Hee hee.

Yesterday was Emily and Zach's ECI evaluation. Emily qualifies for speech therapy and I'm excited to get started with that. She speaks in her own little language. She changes her tone and uses facial expressions and hand gestures as if she's telling a whole story. Unfortunately I can't understand a single word. I do think that once she starts talking, she'll really take off. Zach also qualifies for speech therapy and occupational therapy to help with his eating aversions. No surprise there. That is the reason I called them. Zach has come a long way but he still has a way to go. We know he'll get there!