Look, Ma...No Hands!

Well, actually both hands. But who's counting!

We've been offering Ruby puffs on her tray since almost the first time she ate solids, about three months ago. She quickly figured out that she could use her hands to affect those puffs, and after some practice, she even got them into her mouth! We then moved onto all types of finger food, with varying degrees of success and mess.

Until recently, the floor to mouth ratio has been pretty even, but as of last week, this girl is a pro. Suddenly I noticed that after meals I only found a few random pieces of finger food in her chair or on the floor instead of the dozens I was used to. Team Ruby, rockin' again....

Crawling Track

Ruby has added a new piece of equipment to her ever-changing home gym. She now practices crawling on what we are referring to as a 'crawling track'. Our therapist had a client years ago that constructed several pieces of 'track' to go around a large family bed. Said pieces are not broken apart and she lends them out to clients as needed. The track is basically just some wood nailed together, covered in a a light padding and vinyl. We prop one side up so that she can 'crawl' downhill, allowing gravity to help, or we keep it flat; it works both ways :)

Let's be clear here: Ruby is NOT yet crawling. She's not even scooting, but we all know she's a quick study and it will only be a matter of time. Until then, she'll practice both skills (with much assistance from us) on her track. Go, Ruby, GO!

Dancer

Maddux opted to take a gymnastics class this spring instead of doing a team sport. I was able to find a class that offered gymnastics AND ballet/hip-hop, which she's come to really enjoy. Every other week she wears ballet shoes and practices her plies and sautes. On the other week(s), she dons sneakers and does some basic hip hop style moves. Every week she does gymnastics for the second half of class.

This girl is a natural when it comes to basic gymnastics: her upper body strength is great and she can balance fairly well on the beam. (This is a bit surprising since she walks into walls and will trip over her own feet sometimes. It just goes to show that her focus is necessary to stay injury-free.)

No pictures or video yet; the glass between me and the class is not easy to shoot through.

Stolen Moments

As usually happens when a new baby enters the house, things around here have been busy to say the least. And as stay-and-attempt-to-work-at-home mommy, my schedule is probably most affected. Gone have been the days of lounging around with the older kids, playing games or reading books or picking up for a picnic at the park at a moments notice. Not that any of us mind; we have been more than happy to make this shift in the name of Ruby. But I have missed reading with the kids before bed, running out for quick little 'dates', and playing outside after school with them like we used to. I think I'm still doing a pretty good job keeping them on track with their homework and making sure boo-boos are kissed and 'I love you' is said. And they are getting a lot of great time with Daddy, not to mention the serious bonding time with Ruby I'm racking up 4-5 times each day while she nurses, so no one is really 'lacking'. But I am missing my one on one, my intentional time, my time to just 'be' with Eli and Maddux.

This week has given us a turn-around in that department. Even though we had two baseball practices and a gymnastics class, this week has been a very intentional family week, specifically regarding the two older kids and me. I had a dinner with just me and the three kids, focusing on the oldest two. I started a chapter book with them at bed, and read (and snuggled!!) three nights out of four. I had a day off of camp and got up early to wake them both, snuggling in their beds for a few minutes before they got up, and then having breakfast together and walking them up to the bus. One day Maddux and I even got to flip through a girls' magazine together. She saw a page on how to do some fancy hairstyles, so we took 20 minutes and tried them out on her hair. Bam! Moments into memories.

And finally I got to do a full PT session AND throw the baseball with Eli on two separate days. Big time! I love playing catch and throwing practice pop-ups and grounder and line drives to my boy.  I remember when he was four and I'd play catch with him...I would always think about the time in the future when I could throw without fear of hitting him or without worry he wouldn't catch it. Those days are here and I lam happy, happy, happy.

Doctor, Doctor

It's been one of those weeks. One full of car seats in and out of the back seat, into this parking garage for this doctor, onto that massive parking lot for that doctor, finally in that waiting room for that doctor.....

This is not a complaint: only one appointment was due to Ruby not feeling well. The others were check-ups. But even if they were all sick visits, we are so blessed to live in Atlanta where we can access this doctor and that doctor (and the other doctor, too).

The check-ups this week for Ruby were the endocrinologist and the ENT. At her 6-month check-up, the doctor ordered another CBC for Ruby and included a thyroid check. The levels came back slightly high (possible indicator of hypothyroid issues), so she recommended we establish an endocrinologist and discuss a plan. The doc was great, as expected, and was not concerned with what the test showed. He did order another test to get more information, and said he'd like to run the same one again in 3-6 months so that we can check the consistencies. I was SO impressed with that doctor and his staff. Every single person in the office was so kind, so gentle and SO kid-friendly. It was like being at Disney World; no one broke character!

Ruby's appointment today was with the ENT. She's been once before, but it was six months ago and it was not too fun. Today was to be some of the same: clean her ears, use a microscope to see the ear drum, do a hearing test with ear drum moment measurements. The doctor was amazing and gentle with Ruby. So much so that she didn't even cry during the cleaning and microscope! The hearing test was not as 'positive' as we'd like, but the doctor wasn't too taken aback by it; he said many factors could have been affecting the outcome. He was able to get a good look at her ear drums during the exam and they looked very healthy to him. He will see her again in three months to compare as well.

My girl was such a trooper. We were at that office from 10AM until just before 1PM. Through her morning nap and second nursing of the day (neither of which she got at the office). She dozed on my shoulder for about five minutes between the hearing test and our final visit with the ENT, but even when she woke as he entered the room, she didn't fuss. Ruby rocks!

The GREAT news he gave us is that we are cleared to get her in the pool. We have avoided any submersion so far in fear of ear infections. He said ear infections from fluid caused by sickness is what they worry about at this age much more than water trapped from a bath or swimming. Game on!!

Random Notes of Kindness

I find the most awesome, the most creatively spelled, and the most random notes all around the house. Sometimes they are to me, sometimes they are to Lehr, sometimes they are to Eli or Ruby, and sometimes they just are....

This week I found one of those notes in Maddux's room. As always, the spelling was perfection, and as always, Maddux's heart shone right through the words:

That Girl

How many posts do I have with that title? If I had to guess, I'd say a dozen or more (per year)...

Maddux and I had a quiet afternoon with Ruby today; after school Eli stayed for a cardio program. While we talked about the day's events, I asked if she made good choices? She assured me she did, and we went through what that meant. One of my questions to her was, "Did you have your listening ears on?"

In true Maddux fashion, her answer was an emphatic, "Yes!" Then she followed up with, "I did not have my not listening ears on...." I laughed and asked her if she left those at home. She assured me they were saved for bedtime.

Snow Days

What a crazy week. We got a few inches of snow on Tuesday. It immediately turned to ice. The interstate froze over. Six million people were in their cars on their way to pick up kids and get home. The city stopped. To a grinding halt.
It took Lehr eleven hours to get home Tuesday night. That was a bit stressful for this mama, but once he got here, the rest of the week was a great little gift. Red noses, snow ball fights, sledding...it was a rare thing in Atlanta, but we welcomed it.

The kids were dismissed at noon on Tuesday, and it was already coming down in buckets. By the time we got to the backyard, you barely needed to swipe the railing before it recovered and fill back up with snow from the sky. All three kids and I played for a few minutes outside, and then they wanted to come in and do your homework before they went to play outside again. Yes, I just said that and I meant it: they want to do their homework. I said nothing to prompt them in that way at all. Eli kept saying "This is awesome!", as he'd look up from his math work. The boy was totally excited

After I put Ruby down for a nap, Eli, Maddux and I went back outside to play. We threw snowballs, slid on the front hill, and made snow angels. We met up with the neighbor kids had a blast for a good hour. Just before I went inside to get Ruby, Maddux had to go to the bathroom. She hesitated, switching her weight back-and-forth before finally saying "Okay, I have to go. You guys stop the fun for now. Wait till I get back. Can you guys pause the fun now?"
Love that girl.

I fed the kids soup or pasta or something warm that night and tucked them into fuzzy beds before coming downstairs to wait the long night before Lehr arrived home. The next morning there was no school, no boot camp, no work....

We spent the morning eating a lazy breakfast before suiting up to go outside. The older kids and I went to another street to sled with friends from the neighborhood. Watching Eli and Maddux try to walk up the icy hill was entertainment enough for me!
After lunch, we returned outside to sled some more. The kids' best buddies came over and we played all afternoon. Even Ruby came out in her snowsuit to check out the action.

The following two days found the kids out of school still, but by Friday afternoon, the snow had melted. No one was complaining too much; the amount of 'snow time' that was realized in less than three days was enough to last a year.

Nom Nom

Ruby is an eating machine. She started a little slow, but her speed of consumption is up there with McQueen these days. She eats three meals most days (along with nursing) and has yet to 'reject' a food. So far she's tried sweet potatoes, avocados, winter squash, zucchini, pears, peas, carrots, oatmeal, pinto beans, pumpkin, mango, peaches and pears. Add to that, she's sipping water or breast milk through a straw during at least one of those meals. Rockstar.

The video clip quickly shows the 'exercises' Lehr and I do with her before she eats. Sometimes we use a small spongy type tool to do the inner-mouth work, but mostly I use my fingers these days. These exercises are designed to help the muscles that Ruby uses for eating 'wake up' before she eats. Given her success, I'd say they're working!

The second clip shows Maddux helping Lehr feed Ruby. You'll notice her doing some sign language. We used some ASL with the other kids and have already started with Ruby, mostly during meal times. Maddux is always such a good helper and she loves to use the signs also. However, what you'll see on the video is a combo of real signs, signs that are 'close' and then Maddux just making some stuff up because it makes sense to her. She also goes through about 25 tissues when left to her own devices...good times.

MLK Day

60 degrees. Sun. Midway through January. On a day off from school and work. Awesome.

That pretty much sums it up. I would have to say that our day was perfection. I went to camp (I didn't have the day off) and came home to a lazy morning crew. We made pumpkin pancakes and eggs and rolled through some mandatory laundry folding. Then I went for a training run with the kids (the kids are going to run a 5K with me this spring), followed by Lehr making us smoothies for lunch. I suggested we enjoy them on the front porch because of the sun.

We never came back inside.

We played. And played. And played. At one point, we invited a handful of boys over to play football, and some neighborhood girls came down to play also; we had five boys and four girls and Ruby.

Awesome.

Exponential

That is honestly the only word I can use to describe Ruby's progress in many many areas over the last week.

When I guide Ruby into a sitting position, no longer do I need to hold her trunk to make sure she doesn't fall. No longer do I need to put something behind her so she doesn't topple backwards. No longer do I even need to place a few fingers on her hips/thighs to make sure she stays 'anchored' down. Nope. My girl is sitting for over a minute without toppling. Much longer than that at times, in fact. AND (and this is a big "AND") she is playing in that position. She's so balanced that she can lift her arms up from her knees or legs and use them. (That's big time.)

When I guide Ruby into an all-fours position, she will weight bear on her hands/arms for many many seconds, but not quite a minute yet. She will tolerate staying on her knees for a loooong time, but I do need to give her arms a break now and then. She will play in this position, which means she has to balance on one of the arms so she can use the other. And her newest trick is using her core to pull her knees in when I prompt her at the hips, which means she is doing most of the work getting into the position. She also pushes up into 'up dog' and holds it there for a looong time.

Ruby likes to say 'mmmm', but she is also giving some 'gggg' (usually when she's eating a toy), blowing lots of raspberries, and occasionally throwing a 'lllla' in there. Also, she gives a cute little cough/laugh very intentionally to Lehr or I and waits for a response from us. Total communication.

This girl can put her hands up like the ceiling can't hold her.... She is reaching for things over her head when standing (in the exersaucer) or sitting, or when I'm holding her in a standing position. And she's discovered her hands so she studies them so so intently. All of the time. And she eats her toes and that's just cute.

It's been a crazy busy week or so for Ruby; she's impressed the therapist thoroughly two weeks in a row and even her friends at group therapy have noticed her big changes. This girl is on a roll!

Baby Ruby

Most contacts I made online after Ruby was born told me that I would cherish each and every milestone Ruby reaches, even more than I would expect. They were right, as watching that little girl works so hard so much already at PT has been at least as exciting for me as watching Eli grow through baseball or Maddux learn to ride a bike. There is something about intentionally watching your child's every move that makes you so aware of the amount of work and learning they are doing every second of every day. No wonder they take a few naps each day!

It has become so obvious to me even just six months how incredibly blessed our family is, and what a blessing it is to be a part of this amazing new community that we've barely scratched the surface of. How awesome it has been to see through group therapy, and online through news stories and Facebook so many cool, cool things coming out of the Down syndrome family. What a gift it has been to have our eyes open to the world in a very different way.

I feel our family is so incredibly lucky to have Ruby and to be a part of her world, and I am so thankful that we are blessed in this way. It's almost to the point where I wish more of our friends and family were able to experience this in their houses as well. That is not to say that I wish a diagnosis that brings health problems or sorrow or sadness for anyone, but most parents of children with down syndrome would agree that this diagnosis is a bigger blessing than they could've ever imagined.

Outside of the milestones that we're constantly celebrating with Ruby, the best thing that I've experienced in the last seven months is Ruby's slower growth. My girl was born little. L.I.T.T.L.E. She wasn't even 10 pounds until she was over two months old! And while she is amazing with how much she is able to do, there has been some physical delays here and there, even if only for a few weeks or a month. Those two combined have allowed me to cherish Ruby's baby stage longer than usual. I feel like I blinked and Maddux was crawling, probably because I was dealing with two babies at the time. So this extended baby phase has been a welcomed gift.

Toys!

When we first started therapy for Ruby, I felt overwhelmed by the thought of picking out the *right* type of toys to help her advance in her gross and fine motor skills. We got rid of 99% of Eli and Maddux's baby toys, so we were starting from scratch anyway, might as well make sure we made our purchases count. I read blogs and reviews for hours on end about the pros and cons of most any toy you can think of for a 0-12month old. I'm sure I learned what most other parents of ANY child learns: to each their own. What works for some may not work for others, and Ruby is going to like and learn from what Ruby likes and learns from.

That being said, we've definitely found some tools that proved to be more beneficial for Ruby. I'll list them below and briefly give a reason. Hopefully this will help other new parents looking for a place to start.


LeapFrog Spin and Sing Alphabet

Ruby. Loves. This. I definitely credit this toy to Ruby's progress with reaching while in a prone position, and sitting in a kneeling or side-sitting position for longer than she would have without it. This toy is not too loud, has 3 settings of songs (though they all run together when your child plays with this toy on end, like Ruby does), and it's the perfect height to access while lying down or while sitting. PLUS, it's hard to knock over, so when Ruby was younger she could swipe at it with all of her might and it would stay upright for her.


Fisher Price 1-2-3 Crawl Along Snail
This is another of Ruby's all-time favorites. This snail moves as it 'sings', and she becomes mesmerized by it. The one thing that isn't great is it moves so much that it often ends up on the other side of the room when Ruby pushes it. This will come in handy once she starts crawling, but for now, Mommy ends up chasing it.


Therapy Chewy Tubes

We picked these up as soon as I noticed Ruby starting to gnaw on my fingers during her oral exercises. These tubes allow her to chomp down as hard as she'd like while she practices her chewing skills, and the different sizes and textures give her sensory therapy.


Vtech Move & Crawl Ball

This is becoming another favorite of Ruby's. This ball rolls around (on it's own) and signs and talks, but with a tolerable volume. (That is VERY important to Mommy's ears!) The ball continues to move as long as it is touched or pushed, but stops when it isn't played with. It moves in a circular pattern, so it ends up rolling away from Ruby and then back to her. She's gotten bonked on the head by it a few times, but it moves so gently that she's never minded. :)


Z-vib
I started using the Z-vibe with Ruby when she was about 3-months old. Before she would nurse, I would pop that gentle vibrating thing on her lips, then inside of her cheeks, and on her tongue for maybe two minutes total. This helps 'wake up' her oral muscles to more efficiently nurse.


Summer Infant Seat

Our Physical Therapist brought us this seat when Ruby was just a few months old. While we had a bumbo, it didn't seem to offer the right support for her when she was younger. This seat was shaped just different enough so that we could stuff a few burp cloths and wash clothes in there to make it work. Plus the spinnable 'tray' has fun things on there. I still use this with Ruby when I'm getting dinner prepped; now that she's big enough to not need any fillers, she works on her sitting while in there.


Honey Bear Straw Cup
We started Ruby with this as soon as we started offering her solids at five months. Most kids with low muscle tone are advised to use straws rather than traditional sippy cups, to help strengthen the muscles and gets them to focus their efforts in the right areas. When we first started, we put the straw on her tongue and squeezed the bear a little to let Ruby know that liquid would come through the straw. Then she figured it out and we were able to stop 'helping' her very soon after. For about a month, 90% of the liquid would fall back out of her mouth because once she stopped sucking, she would totally relax her lips and they would open. Now she's more of a pro and we only lose a few drops here and there.


Sweat Bands

This is our own invention. Our physical therapist started talking about hip helpers for Ruby right out of the gate. (Low muscle tone tends to make babies legs splay out wide, and their muscles learn to do things in a less than desirable way. Hip helpers keep their legs together which allows them to learn to move with their legs in proper alignment.) While she was not big enough for them yet, when she did tummy time, or back time, or bath time, or anytime she was not being held by us, we would wrap one of these around her upper thighs. Now that she's older and stronger, we have to twist them once or twice, to add some tension, but we still use them. Her hip-helpers are great, but between the stroller, upstairs, downstairs, and play dates, the sweat bands have served us better. We have at least a dozen of them scattered in different places so there is always one accessible.

Hurt

Every kid gets hurt in sports at some point, and tonight was by no means the worst it will ever be. But now it's starting to feel worse than it did when he was younger, even though he probably got hurt more then....

Eli took a really hard fall and got piled on by his entire basketball team towards the end of practice. It was all I could do to not run out onto the court and scoop him up into my arms. When the coach pulled all the kids off of him, he laid there on the ground, crying into his hands flat in front of him. It broke my heart, but I still hesitated to go out and get him.

Why? WHY did I hesitate? How silly is that?

But there are always those moments in parenting that make you second guess your initial instinct. For me, I felt frozen between my desire to make sure he was ok and comfort him and the realization that he's in that weird place the boys always end up in where it's no longer cool or even ok to show pain or to allow your mom to comfort. In the end, I jumped up right away, but took a step and stopped, took another two and stopped...continuing this silly pattern until I was at his side. I convinced him to go over to the sidelines with me to sit out for a few minutes. First he told me he wanted to go home, through tears, but once I realized that his injury was not from a broken bone, I encouraged him to stay and support his team for the remainder of practice, which was only another 10 minutes or so. He ended up going back on the court and playing a little bit, but then returned to me because his wrist was still bothering him.
When we got into the car we talked about it; the fall, the pain, him going back out. I apologized to him for not rushing out right away, as much as I wanted to. Then I asked him if he would want me to also, and my heart melted when he told me yes. Oh how I love that sweet sweet boy. I love love love that he wanted me out there helping him. And I will not hesitate next time..I will NOT. Eli still wanting and needing his mother's comfort when he's hurt reminds me of how 'young' my growing boy still is, even for his age. Eli has always played well with older kids, but he is younger emotionally and in wisdom of the world. How my heart already breaks for the many times that his innocence will be lost through teammates teasing him or kids at school or just life.... I love how 'protected' he has been so far from those rites of passage, but knowing they will come (because that's real life) makes me sad. Some hurts I will not be able to fix...

The Future

This article came out last spring, yet I didn't read it until about a month ago. I immediately started this post, but it's taken me forever to get all of my thoughts out..... Head's up: they are still jumbled!

As with anything in the medical field, new drugs, new technologies, and new studies are continually affecting life as we know it. Sometimes it's for the better, and sometimes, not so much. A new drug, RG1662, has been found to improve memory in mice, which in turn allows for improvements in their ability to learn and retain new knowledge. Scientist and doctors hope that clinical trials on adults with Down syndrome will provide the same results.

This sounds like great news, as improved learning and thinking can only improve overall cognitive functioning. However, no change comes without consequences. In a perfect world, improvements in medicine and technology offer only positives to the individuals who are affected by them, but how often is that the case? Many times side affects come into play. With this particular drug, there have already been tests on humans which resulted in no side affects. But sometimes those side affects are not as cut and dry as symptoms like headaches or decreased appetite. Sometimes the side affects are behavioral. Sometimes the consequences are changes that can't be undone.

Don't get me wrong, this could be really, really great. If this drug helps people with Down syndrome integrate into society more readily so that 'typical' people can be touched by their awesomeness, rock on. In addition, if this drug gives adults with bad stereotypes and questionable judgement a better feeling about those with Down syndrome in general, therefore increasing the chance that they or someone they know will choose to NOT terminate a pregnancy suspected to produce a baby with Down syndrome, resulting in an increased amount of awesome Rubys in the world...double bonus.

But I have to think about the 'what if'. My main concern with any of this is how will it affect Ruby. Even at her young age, she spends so much time intently studying those around her, especially those she loves. And she gives kisses so freely and lights up at the mere chance of a snuggle or hug. I have to think that's because her love is totally unfiltered, even more so than my other babies' love was at this age. I know with them, that love has remained awesome and 'more' than most adults I know, but it has slightly changed and become more guarded, less 'free'. Many things point to Ruby's love not changing in that way; she will likely love freely longer than her siblings. What if the improved cognitive ability she gains from this drug or another like it causes her to see the world differently? What if her new thinking leads her to the same slightly jaded view of expressing love that most 'typical' people have? Not trying to perpetuate the stereotype that all people with Down syndrome are happy and love to give hugs, but most people would agree that, in general, the Rubys of the world are a loving bunch. How sad would it be do compromise that amazing quality?

So here I sit, on the fence. Excited about advances, but scared about how far their effects will reach. Pandora's Box....

Maddux and Flat Stanley

Just before the holiday break we got an email from Maddux's teacher. Seeing an email from her teacher didn't raise any red flags immediately because Maddux's teacher often checks in with us about various things via email; it's one of the many things I love about her. Once I read the email though, I have to admit that my instinct was to chuckle rather than get mad...that girl....

...for our reading assignment, the kids were to pick books to read that are on their level, yet still challenging....She chose a Flat Stanley book. We did the same thing before she started reading and I felt the book would be okay for her to try and read independently. When she went to fill out the story elements for the book, I was amazed! The vocabulary and spelling were not what I usually see from Maddux. Come to find out…. She copied the summary on the back......When I asked her about it, she said she had trouble with the book and could not remember what happened or she did not understand.....Of course I will not force her to read a book that she does not comprehend, but I also want her to persevere and build that reading stamina. I want her to learn that if she starts something she needs to finish it, even if it is challenging. With that being said, I am going to send the book home with her to read with you guys......I will also send home a story map for Maddux to complete when you guys are done.
 
When Maddux got home I had a serious talk with her about this and explained the concept of plagiarism to her; my choice was to assume that she was ignorant to the concept and meant no ill-will. We then talked about her consequence, given by her teacher: she was to read the whole book and complete the homework for it over the break. Maddux didn't like that, but I reminded her that had she done what the teacher asked, she would have completed it in class over the last week or so instead of on her time off from school.

While Maddux has shown a lot of progress with her reading, she definitely gets distracted easily while around others. If she's in her room reading books, I watch her read one completely and then move onto another, never breaking her focus, but when she's in the classroom full of other kids, I know she doesn't quite know how to 'tune out'. And she is perfectly capable of reading most anything she wants, she will pretend to struggle sometimes if she doesn't feel up to it. Too bad Mommy's on to her.....

Let's All Go To The Movies

With two weeks off from school, and a few visits from Grandmas (to help after Lehr's surgery), I thought the holiday break would be a good time to steal away with the two older kids without Ruby. Don't get me wrong: that girl is a rock star and has yet to limit our ability to go to the park, the river, even the movies. But with her nap schedule falling more solidly into place (and there being only two of those each day), I thought it would be fun for Eli and Maddux to hang out, schedule free.

A few months ago when I took the kids (all three) to see "Planes", we saw a preview for an upcoming Disney movie: "Frozen". They asked me right then and there if we could see it at Christmas. So today found the two 'big' kids and I at the theater! What a fun movie; Eli and Maddux LOVED it. (So did I!)

As with most outings with the kids, funny things were said and realizations were made. I think I noticed them more because I was less distracted without Ruby.

• Eli saw some random preview over the summer and commented that he thought the actor that played some part was the same one from another animated movie we saw, just with his hair cut. Kinda funny, since he wasn't saying that the voice was the same, but the actual person (animated) on the screen. When Frozen started, Eli leaned over and said, "I think that's the same actress as in Rapunzel, just with shorter hair." Smart boy, as the two movies do have the same drawing style for the faces, but once again, I was reminded of my little boy's innocence.
• We had to park rather far away due to the large number of people who had the same idea as we did for the day after Christmas. As we were walking (and walking and walking!) to the ticket counter, Maddux chatted along the way but stopped when we got within throwing distance. "Mommy, I'm going to look to see if I know anyone here." That sounds about right because Maddux is *slightly* social and does tend to know a lot of people. Then wihtout missing a beat she said, "Oh, HEY ADDISON!" Yup....of course she saw a friend right away.
•  If you've see Frozen, you know there is a scene at the end that hints at the main character's death. This storyline plays out for about 1 1/2-2 minutes. Just long enough for Maddux to totally tear up and lean on my shoulder. When the character starts to 'melt' and come back to life, I watched Maddux wipe away her tears (many, many tears) and smile. Love love love that sweet girl.
• This one is unrelated to the movie, but it was awesome and I don't think I blogged about it yet. A long while back we were having a conversation about horses and unicorns (and maybe some other horse-ish animals). While we talked, I made some comment about unicorns being horses, but with a horn. Maddux insisted they were not the same at all, horn or no horn. We went around and around about it, but in the end Maddux's defense was that they are different because 'horseys are giddy-up' and unicorns aren't. I guess that's that!

Christmas 2013

Lehr had surgery two days before Christmas this year, so our holiday break didn't look quite the same as years past. No Christmas Eve service and no family bikes or hikes, but we still had a great time. One of the biggest highlights for me, as always, was the kids' gifts to each other. As usual, they picked out great gifts that they knew would be well received: Eli got Maddux a bow and arrow and Maddux got Eli a basketball. The older kids both picked out clothes for Ruby, which was odd but completely their choice, and Ruby got them each a framed picture for their rooms.

We did the Jesus stocking a little differently this year. Instead of me collecting all of the ways we've served in the name of Jesus this year and going through the items on Christmas day, I had the kids work with me leading up to Christmas. First, they helped me make a list of things we've done to be the hands and feet of Jesus. Then on another day, they wrote and drew on a piece of paper for each item. We never actually went through it on Christmas because I felt the prep time had been more impactful. Lehr and I planned to also make our annual Samaritan's Purse or Buy Less to Save More purchases online with the kids on Christmas Day this year, but between Lehr's knee and me feeding Ruby, we ran out of time.

While we weren't sure if it would be the case or not, we did have the magic of Santa for another year. The kids wrote him notes and left him cookies, and Maddux even left him a chalkboard note in the backyard. She seemed more skeptical than Eli this year, asking several times, "Is he really real?" Ruby woke up at 1AM on Christmas and when I walked to her room, I noticed Eli's bed was empty. Immediately I heard scampering up the steps and Eli's sheepish face appeared. I told him to go back to bed, but didn't follow up with him until later the next night. He said he was just so excited and he had to look. I asked him what he'd seen and he detailed the scene left for the kids by Santa. I do love the innocence in that boy's heart.

The kids had a great day, playing with the gifts they'd given each other and their two other homerun gifts: a skateboard for Eli and roller skates for Maddux. We played a few family games with Mom-Mom and finished the night with our traditional spaghetti and meatballs and birthday cake for Jesus.

Traditions

The kids and I have a bucket list every holiday season.

We don't call it that, nor do we physically make a list, but in the months of November and December we always:

• fill some Operation Christmas Child boxes
• make chocolate covered pretzels for teachers, bus drivers, my OBC instructors, and a few others
• watch typical Christmas specials (Charlie Brown, Christmas Carol, Prep and Landing, etc.)
• complete a wish list of holiday gifts for a child with an terminal illness (and their family)
• address holiday cards with decorated envelopes
• cut down our own tree
• prepare cards or notes for our Jesus stocking
  
• house decoration
• drive around and look at lights at least 3x
• make gingerbread house and cookies
• read our many Christmas books, again and again
• write notes to Santa on Christmas Eve
• make homemade spaghetti sauce, meatballs  and pasta for Christmas dinner
• put Jesus in the manger on Christmas morning
• purchase items for others on Samaritan's Purse or Spend Less to Give More
• make a birthday cake for Jesus for Christmas dessert

We love going through each of these items, and the kids always remind me of ones we have yet to do. This year we missed a few, but kept the tradition going for the majority. I love love love that both Eli and Maddux already know the tradition of how we do Christmas in our house, and I love love love that they look forward to it each season.

Gifts From The Heart

As we are in the season of Christmas, gifts are on everyone's mind. Because Maddux is who she is, she thinks at least about giving gifts to others as she does about receiving. This, I love.

When it came time for me to make my annual chocolate covered pretzels for my instructors, Maddux and Eli always ask to give some to their teachers as well. This year I asked if they could think of at least one other staff at school to give them to, preferably someone who may not have a specific class that would be showering them with gifts. As expected, Eli didn't think of anyone, but Maddux immediately asked to bring some to 'the lady in the lunch room that always helps me'. This could mean any number of people, as I have to imagine that Maddux receives help many times each day. But Mad Dog did have one specific woman in mind: the cafeteria staff worker who consistently helps my girl with opening her milk or her orange or her cheese stick or anything else packed in her lunch. Love it. Of course we made them for her and Maddux delivered the next day.

While Maddux made a card for her teacher and we sent in pretzels, the day before the holiday party found Maddux scurrying around for another present for her beloved teacher. She took one of the plastic bags i used for the pretzels and found a variety of gems from around our house that Ms. W may like. The items that made the cut were (overly) scented lotion (only used once by Maddux), two unsharpened pencils, an eraser, and a small page of stickers. While inwardly I cringed at the gift, especially the (overly) scented lotion, it warmed my heart to see Maddux thinking so intentionally about what her teacher may like or need.

When Maddux got home from school I asked if she'd given the gift, and if Ms. W had liked it. Of course, she did. When I touched base with her teacher letter, she sent me this awesome note:
Ah it was absolutely precious. Maddux is one of the most precious children that I have ever met. She may drive me up the wall at times, But I love her more and more each time. She has a beautiful personality and an even bigger and more beautiful heart. Not to mention she is as cute as a button. You and your husband have done an amazing job with her. I wish you all a very merry Christmas. Enjoy your Jesus cake and spaghetti and meatballs :) Maddux wrote a beautiful and very structured story of your special family tradition. I was a very proud teacher!