The girls are fantastic! As always they are simultaneously hilarious, crazy, loving, frustrating and noisy. They still play extremely well together, unless Maren decides to be a stinker and pull Addi's hair, slap her, or like this morning, poke her directly in the eye. Since we have told Maren many times that this hurts sister and makes her sad, but she still does it, we have had to send her to a few baby time outs. Maren hates baby time outs (we simply remove her from play and we all leave her alone), she screams the whole time, but her behavior is surprisingly better after she endures one . . . all 30 seconds of it.
Here are some recent monkey facts -
Maren:- She loves to eat -- but she refuses to use any utensil other than an adult fork. I'm just hoping she doesn't poke her own eye out during dinner. She also loves to sit in her booster seat on occasion like a big girl.
- She loves to talk. She tries to parrot whatever Addi says. My personal favorites are strawberries "tabba tabbas," and love you "Lo Lu." She has also dubbed herself "May May," which we all seem to call her now -- and we thought there would be no nickname for Maren, go figure.
- She loves to dance -- in the car, in the morning when the radio alarm goes off, or whenever we all just break into random song. She now waves her arms around and shakes her hips -- super cute.
- She is on the verge of truly running, but right now she is more in the speed-walking category. Maren especially loves to attempt running when it is time to change her diaper or get dressed in any way, and after lengthy negotiations these tasks always end in her screaming and thrashing about as though she is being tortured. She also tries to jump, but her feet don't really leave the ground -- also super cute.
- She loves to give us kisses. They vary from lip mooches, leaning in so we can kiss her, and blowing kisses (a favorite for seeing Daddy off to work every morning).
- She only very recently has allowed us to read her books from beginning to end. Addi was the opposite and would want us to read her the same book over and over as an infant, but Maren would never sit still long enough. Just last week she would bring us her two favorites Goodnight Moon and I Love You Stinky Face, and sign "more" until we would read the story again.
Addi:Addi is now gearing up for another year of preschool. She will be going to regular preschool MWF from 9-12, speech preschool on Tuesday morning and OT on Tuesday afternoons. She will be one busy girl, although we anticipate that she will only be in speech and OT for a few months.
Her OT has been great, and it seems as though her biggest issue, other than general SPD, is a condition called ideational dyspraxia. Normally the biggest calling sign of dyspraxia is trouble with motor planning and coordination, but Addi is extremely coordinated. She does however have problems with motor planning in a different way. Addi can do things very well if she has seen them done, or has done them before. However, if Addi is told to do something that she has not seen done she shuts down and won't even try to do it (like not doing the obstacle course at speech school last year, even though it is seemingly easy and within her scope of activity). She can't conceive of how some sequences of activities are done, and she can't talk herself through them (even in her head), so she is stopped in her tracks.
Her OT, through Children's Hospital, is fantastic and works with Addi doing lots of sequencing activities that include heavy muscle work. For instance, they start their session by writing down everything they will do in the order it will be done, then they will do something like set up a mid air obstacle course (they have a room with a soft mat floor and pulleys hanging from the ceiling). Addi will be in charge of picking the elements of the course, and then she will have to complete it in the correct sequence. She also has been wearing a weighted vest during her sessions to help with her proprioception, and curb her SPD hyper highs. At home we have been doing a lot of bike riding, swimming, hopping on the hippity hop (the ball with a handle you bounce around on), etc. -- all things that help with proprioception.
Other than that Addi is still doing great with her writing skills, grammar, letters and numbers, coloring, bike riding and swimming. She is getting better and better with her self play skills (it helps to have Maren around to play with) and her food texture issues (she is much more open to eating a wider variety of foods).
Here is a fun Addi quote from our last WP trip:
Kara: Addi, would you like some milk while I make breakfast?
Addi: No, I want to drink coffee like Daddy.
Brian: Sure kiddo, why not! (totally kidding)
Addi: (walks over to me with a very serious face and one hand on her hip) Mama, I am a big girl now because I am 4, and I want to drink coffee, so I am going to. Plus, Daddy said it was ok (then walks away).
Here is how the girls said good night the other night. Addi picked Maren up and gave her a big, spin-around hug, a big mooch and then . . .
Addi: Good night Maren, you are my best friend, I love you!
Maren: (waves as she walks away) Lo Lu!
I tear up just writing that -- those little heart melters :)
