We're Back

Sorry it's been a few days since I've updated...life has been VERY busy. I've been spending most of my computer time doing work...I've also been trying to keep up with Christmas, though it is coming faster than I can get ready. Thanks to Grandma and Paw-Paw, we have a few decorations up, and I've done a little shopping.

It seems like so much has happened lately. Lydia...my poor Lydia...eating not so well again. I tried to increase the oatmeal to decrease the reflux....she couldn't get it from the nipple. I'm trying all sorts of combinations to get this kink worked out right now because she has not been taking as much formula as she was...only 2-3 oz per most feedings. She did take 4 oz last night, but she also only took 1 oz at a feeding this morning. We will keep working on her! I want her to feel good and eat well again...please pray for that. Dr's and therapists are all concerned that she needs to keep gaining weight because it is critical for brain growth. I wanted to take her to get weighed today after my dentist appt, but she and Elise both fell asleep in the car and I didn't want to disturb them. I'll try to make it there within the next few days to make sure that she is still gaining weight. Thanks a bunch to Granny for keeping Elise and Lydia company while I had my dental appt this morning!

Appointment with Susan-PT on Monday:
Absolutely amazing... it is unbelievable how much Sue-Sue can tell from just looking at and holding a baby. I'll try to remember everything she told me, but as I told her, my brain is having trouble holding onto all of the information lately....suggestions for Lydia from PT, OT, Speech therapists, dr's, etc....suggestions for Elise's speech therapy. I try to incorporate it all, but I realize I fall far shorter than I would like. Here are some things she noticed about Lydia:
She shows a huge preference for turning her head to the right...her daddy says he notices it because she's always "batting left-handed." She does not have the strength to hold her head up for long periods of time...though she is trying. She does actually see and fixate on things, she just is slow to track when they move. Susan thinks that it could be that she has trouble moving her head to the left. She actually sometimes moves only her eyes to follow an object, which Susan says is a 5-month-old skill. Lydia realizes that she can't get her head to move like she wants it to, so she has compensated by moving only her eyes when she really wants to see something. When she doesn't really want to see it (like her momma's face :) she just doesn't follow at all. Susan also noticed that while on her back, Lydia moves her feet a lot...she holds them high in the air sometimes, which is actually another 5-month skill. She doesn't really use her hands like she should at this age. She also noticed that her feet have a little arch...babies are not supposed to have arches in their feet until they are about 2 years old. When you brush the bottom of her feet, her big toe comes up (Dr. Hollman also noticed this and said she didn't like it, but didn't really tell me why.). Susan said it tells her that Lydia's nervous system is on overload (which also causes the arch). This is also what Dr. Superneau eluded to... a possible defect of her nervous system...causes her to cry a lot....makes her feel tense and jittery all the time. Susan said that everything we do with her should be gentle and slow...which makes a lot of sense: she hates when Audrey and Elise get too close real fast and shake her up too much. I was really excited about this: she suggested a toy that she thought would be perfect...and it was already on Santa's list. She also said that she already signed Lydia and me up for an infant massage class that she will be teaching on Saturday mornings starting in January. I think that will be great! Here is the homework she wrote down for us to do (some things related to some suggestions from Teresa -OT)
1- hold her over our legs with her belly between our legs...use gravity to move the middle of her body down so that her head is a little elevated...hold a hand under her chin.
2- practice visual tracking...hold toy 6-8 inches from face (that is how far she can see: her arm's length away) and move slowly a little bit.
3- move her legs in bicycle motion at each diaper change
4- use a donut shape to rest her head in (she suggested a tube sock filled with a towel tied in a circle)...she said that the boppy is too big for her right now.
5- hold her chin to under her jaw and turn to left very gently
6- cross my right leg over my left leg and hold her in the bend of my knee...it is a good supported position for her and it encourages her to turn her head to the left to see me.
7- use black/white/red toys...having trouble finding many of those...they are not as popular as they once were.
8- encourage her to grasp light-weight rattles

Susan said that she felt that Elise and Lydia's conditions were not at all related. None of their symptoms are the same. When you pick up Lydia, her body sort of tries to curl up...whereas Elise was so loosey-goosey, all of her body was so relaxed. In fact, I told her that Elise still doesn't have an arch in her foot, and she said that she never will. It's just part of the low tone. She thinks she may need to re-evaluate Elise again soon just to give us some more tips about things to do with her. She said she may need some type of arch supports or something. I also want her to see her anyway...Elise is trying to start running some, and she twists a lot at the waist when she runs. It is the cutest thing you've ever seen, but I don't think it is exactly the correct form. Granny likes to tell this story...when Lydia was in the hospital, she was walking around with Elise, and a lady just burst out laughing when she saw her...she said, "Look at that girl twist. It took me half my life to get a twist like that."

Elise's speech has been good lately. I really feel like we are communicating more. I feel like I am learning more of her words better so that I can understand what she is telling me. Recently, I had felt like she was doing a lot of groping for sounds without really completing any one sound to communicate, but that is much better again. Our latest fun is that she'll say what Santa says (when she's in the mood)...Ho, Ho, Ho.

Audrey is doing well too....learning more and more... and teaching all of her baby dolls. One of her favorite things these days is rhyming words. She makes up rhymes all of the time. Her daddy and I can be sure that she has never heard any foul language because she is so proud of herself for making all of her silly rhymes...we can tell that she has no idea when she says words that she shouldn't be saying....I'll leave that to your imagination. She also has been trying to sound out and write words lately. We were hanging out at Papa's the other day, and this really impressed me. She wrote this word: Mule...and proudly said, "Look, Mom...I wrote Emily!" Not even close, obviously, but...the teacher in me saw that as very impressive inventive spelling for a 3-yr old.

Time to wake Lydia for a feeding...she has portraits scheduled this afternoon. Keep your fingers crossed that she is in good spirits for them. :)