Little Guy has been getting out of sorts again about his remedies (that puts it mildly). He was fine for a while but now he's worse than when we first started all this; he runs at the sight of my little dropper & is putting up a major fight. Three times a day this goes on; whew... He fought me like crazy about getting his nails clipped the other day, & that's not like him, so it's got me wondering what's up. I even had a problem getting his goat yogurt into him this morning; that's a major issue since I "hide" most of his supps in there.  I may call our homeopath about it tomorrow when their office is open. Sometimes they can help folks through these things; I hope so.

Big Guy is doing well, barring the occasional meltdown, but has so many red flags for parasites that it's got me concerned. I think I will have to look into a new approach to that our homeopath mentioned. I can't say anything about it as it's so new & I haven't done the research yet. It's a little scary in that I'm totally unfamiliar with this territory, except for a few basic herbs. Parasites are so very difficult to get rid of; homeopathy can help, but this will definitely take years of work to try to resolve if it's the case. That's the kind of thing that happens when the gut is a mess.

RDI training is at a standstill & has been for too long. I'm at the point where I have a module to do that, in the end, requires a videotape of us using what we've learned. Mike hasn't yet finished the previous module, which is quite long, so since I could easily forget a lot of it, I'm waiting for him to catch up & we can work on that one at the same time.

Our schooling has slowed a bit, but we had a full day today, & will the rest of the week. Storyman still has lots to finish up before starting anew again. I haven't made a decision about what to do next for him, although I'm fairly certain I'll be going with My Father's World 1st grade for Butterfly. I don't think I will for Storyman though, partly because the library usage can be a problem, & partly because I had been looking forward into their high school programs (way ahead of us but was checking it out; they're just being written) & wasn't too thrilled over a resource they have as part of the program there. I'd like to follow something through with him if possible, but we'll see. I'll probably do a post listing our resources for the coming year when it's finally planned.

In the meantime, we will work through the summer, with Storyman finishing his geography program. He may get a small "break" before starting out fresh again, but not totally, because we will continue our "core" subjects straight through. Butterfly will finish her "K" work, technically, this week. I haven't ordered first grade & lined that up for her yet, so while waiting she will work on math facts, handwriting, & reading. I've planned a little surprise for her soon; Storyman will have a surprise as well. More on that as it happens...

I am sure I don't ever plan on taking summer off. There's no reason for us to do that. Summer is just like any other season for us, except it's hot, which we don't handle too well anyway. We don't go on vacation as it's just too hard right now (I can't imagine traveling with the amount of remedies & supps we use daily, never mind special diets!), & the expense is not warranted right now. It's not good for us to get totally out of our routine, & I like being able to take a day off here or there as needed whenever, all year round, for illness or anything else.

I'm working on a token system to help rid of us of some bad habits & behaviors around here. For me to have this work, it needs to be simple. Simpler is better, for all of us. There will be rewards, but not all the time. When there is one I'd like it to be worth being earned. I'd rather not "junk up" our lives with a bunch of little plastic things that the little ones could choke on anyway. There are certain things they really enjoy, but should be earned through good behavior.

They both really like Webkinz now, & need to limit that time (very addictive!). I resisted computer games for a long time; they only have a couple of little kid type games which are rarely played. Butterfly has a white poodle she named "Whitey" (wonder where she got that name), & Storyman has a monkey named "George". I have my own, which is a pug named "Puggy" (yes, I'm very original too). Recently I treated them again, because there was a racoon that was retired & really cute; I won it on Ebay for Storyman. He's actually for everyone, in particular the boys, even though his two brothers are not interested right now. Storyman named him "Remus" (from the Roman legend about the children who were raised by wolves; he read about it in Mystery of History I). I also had wanted a cat, so I bought a cute persian with pink ears which I will share with Butterfly . She named her "Princess", but I haven't had time to set her up with her codes yet.

Storyman has blogged about all the latest happenings & these current interests so you can check it out at his blog.

He really enjoys Christian comedian Brad Stine. I really need a laugh now & then, & although I don't agree with everything, he is very funny. We have our favorites. I'm not real fond of the latest one "Wussification". There are moments but he seems to have stooped a bit to get laughs in this one unfortunately, & lost some of his typical great satire. "Put A Helmet On" is very good. I liked the deer jokes, as we can relate to that around here. There were a lot of great moments in that one, like the stuff about road signs, animal rights activists, fishing, the chopsticks joke, etc. The best thing is the great salvation message at the end. "A Conservative Unleashed" is great too, particularly his stuff about wanting to be old.

My personal favorite is "Tolerate This" though, as I think it has the most great moments, like the jokes about people who are always late, the loss of common courtesy, men & women, & his stuff about his wife being afraid of spiders. Storyman & Butterfly know a lot of his jokes by heart & can deliver them so much like him it cracks me up. I've got to get some of that on video!

The Ladybugs are doing well, except they're teething like crazy, which is tough on them (& me!). They really enjoy playtime down more now, but require a lot of watching with the way Little Guy tends to fall all over the place & step on everything, including people. We have a little "pen" of sorts for them, but that isn't even totally safe as Little Guy tends to lean on it & since he's heavy & it's only plastic, he could break it. He is always after their toys too, grabbing them from them, out of their crib, carrying them around or away & depositing them somewhere (definitely seems like a displaced sibling issue going on here). Our homeopath's reaction was to laugh & say, "That sounds like very "neurotypical" behavior!"

Well, back to life on the spectrum...

The day started out as any other, in fact, everything was going rather smoothly. I had an unusual head start in getting all the remedies & supplements ready before all the kiddos were down for breakfast, & the Ladybugs were uncharacteristically content during the whole morning routine.

Here's Ladybug II, happy as a clam yesterday morning.

And quiet little Ladybug I...

After we finished up breakfast, the babies had their nursing. I was looking online for some birthday presents for them (yes, it's coming up fast!). Afterward, I had them on my lap for a little while, as I typically do. They are both very squiggly now, & Ladybug II has learned to stand up too. Here she is standing up in the crib with her sister the other day (she's on the right):

She was trying her standing thing out on my lap, when she was just getting too squiggly. It was time to put them into the crib, or other plaything, so I could start getting things ready for school. Somehow she just wiggled too much, & I started to lose my grip on her. She fell onto the floor & hit her head. I was still sitting at the time & was trying not to lose her, so I don't believe it was from any more than a foot or foot & a half up, but still, too much for a little one!

She was startled at first but then started to cry, which I saw as a good sign & was told the same later. I had Storyman come get Ladybug I & put her in the crib so I could tend to her sister. I don't mind saying I was panicked & holding her tight. At first she seemed fine, just understandably upset. Then she didn't seem "right" somehow. She became very quiet, & kind of sleepy, even though she had already just had a short nap. Storyman got a slight smile out of her, but she seemed "whoozy" to me, & I was very concerned. I managed to get a couple of Arnica into her (a homeopathic for trauma & injuries) which I hoped did something to help a bit.

I called our natural family doctor, & they said she should be checked out at the ER. I had already planned to take her but wanted more info. I was worried about driving her there with her in the backseat in a car seat & me not seeing her & her falling asleep. I called my husband who started home right away (thank God for His protection there as he probably set a record getting home in about 30-35 minutes, & he's almost an hour away). Then I sent out a prayer request to a bunch of folks. It was quick & to the point, & probably a bit frightening in its tone, but we needed that prayer right away!

My next call was to the ER to get their advice, but they were way too busy & couldn't talk to me. They just said to bring her down. While I was on the phone with them I noticed a call from a friend & homeschooler coming in, who I knew would only be calling because she got the prayer request email. I didn't take the call as I didn't want to cut off the ER. After hanging up with the ER Ladybug II threw up. That definitely sent me over the edge. I called our doctor's office back & they noted that as a "red flag". We decided due to not wanting her to fall asleep, a need to watch over her (& my tone!) that I should call the squad to get her to the ER.

So my next call was 911. I prepped Storyman so he would sort of know what to expect, & tried to calm him as he was very upset (everyone else seemed fine). The EMT's arrived quickly & assessed her; they said all seemed normal so far. Even so they had procedures to follow so Ladybug II ended up immobilized on a papoose board (sniff). She had been okay in my arms up to that point but now she became hysterical (can't blame her). They said this was also a "good sign".

I was still waiting for my husband to get home but he was close by this time. Before we were to leave Storyman told me he wished it were him & that he would relive his broken arm for her rather than her suffer at all (double sniff).

Mike arrived home & I left right away afterward. We're a good 30 minutes from the hospital but they used lights & sirens to get us there quickly, even though no one was panicked. We tried to keep little Ladybug II awake. I had a toy that Storyman had given me to bring for her, & they had a new toy for her in the ambulance. It worked for a long time but then she wavered. He wasn't worried however, because after everything he expected her to be sleepy, especially because another naptime was close for her by then too.

After several minutes, many bumps, & a sick mommy (I get motion sick; ambulance rides are not fun for many reasons) we finally arrived. Then came the typical waiting, & finally a room & a few questions. Thankfully, they could finally get her off the board & into my arms. There was a very quick evaluation of her, during which the worst part was trying to get her temperature. Everything turned up normal. The doctor came in, then left us for a while, then came back & gave her a once over for bruising (there wasn't any). He started to leave when I asked what they needed to do (our doctor's office had warned of x-rays & catscans). He said "Nothing". He felt she was fine, that it was a mild head injury, & we would be discharged shortly. With a smile & a "thumbs up", he left.

I finally got a chance to call home & let them in on how she was, so he finished up helping get the kiddos some lunch & then came to pick us up, & brought Ladybug I along for the ride. The second time I called home my friend Jenni answered (the Lord had her in place for us that day for help; what a huge blessing she & her daughters were!). I gave her the short version & she so wisely said something along the lines of, she wasn't doing well, you asked for prayer, people prayed, & now she is doing fine! Let's give credit where credit's due! So right!

 I will bless the LORD at all times;
         His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
 My soul shall make its boast in the LORD;
         The humble shall hear of it and be glad.
 Oh, magnify the LORD with me,
         And let us exalt His name together.
Psalm 34:1-3

Praise Him for His protection & healing, & for hearing our prayers & answering mightily!!

After we left the ER I noticed a little red bump on the back of her head, so I've given her Arnica & put some of the cream on it as well. Later I called our doctor's office & they were happy to hear she seemed fine, & asked for a follow up call on Monday & probably a follow up visit with them next week. She only required watching for 24 hrs & waking up every 2hrs (not a problem; she nursed a lot last night!).

The EMT left the little toy she had traveled to the hospital with in our room for her. I was almost going to leave it there because I didn't know if I wanted the reminder around (not that I would ever forget!). But I went to pick it up & she noticed & immediately smiled at the sight of it, so I had to take it with us.

Here she is, looking wonderful & happy today with the little toy bunny from the ambulance:

Her sister was thrilled to have mommy back too! Poor little thing was so confused & hungry; we missed each other. She's happy today too. We're having a nice, low key day of playing.

I don't think either of them are as happy as me though, that my little ones are home & well...!

As a mom I wish I could always do everything for them, & keep them safe always, but as a very fallible human being that's really out of my hands. My job is to rest in Him because everything is in His control, autism, injuries, everything. His plans are good for us, & His strength is made perfect in my weakness...

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Jeremiah 29:11

And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
2 Corinthians 12:9

Storyman went back to the dentist today. The original plan was to pull 4 teeth & put a spacer in place.   I was praying for him! Turns out the dentist only saw the need to pull 2 teeth, & no need for the spacer! Seems his big teeth are on their way up, so hopefully they will get here fast & he won't need anything else done (except braces when all the big teeth are in). He goes back in 3 months for a follow up.

His dad was there with him, & said he took the novacaine easily, & only got upset upon the first tooth getting pulled. This dentist is fantastic. He joked around & really put Storyman at ease.

Praise God for His blessings!

The kiddos has some fun yesterday when their daddy came home early. It was really nice out so we all got some much needed fresh air. It's tough for me to watch everyone in our yard alone, so with help it was good to get out.

Little Guy got a taste of the "big kid" swing:

For a few minutes, until he kept slipping off.

He really enjoyed the slide for a while too.

The swing is Big Guy's favorite thing.

Storyman made a nest out of some weeds & twigs...

The nice thing here is room to run, since they all like to run so much! (Little Guy is in the background falling; something he's too good at unfortunately).

The twins enjoyed their first time in the baby swing (I think we need another one now!). Ladybug II went first; she really liked it.

Ladybug I wasn't as impressed...

She seemed to be perfectly happy chewing in the stroller.

We played a few little games from a really nice book, The Ultimate Homeschool Physical Education Game Book by Guy Bailey. The kiddos loved it (I did too!)...

Trying to organize around here is kind of a futile effort. I've gotten buckets, boxes, slotted things, etc, but it doesn't much matter when little ones (& not so little ones) are randomly grabbing things, stimming with them, & then depositing them wherever they may be at the time.

Big Guy has his own corner of the couch he typically likes, & he can often be found with a book open to a certain page. He doesn't appreciate having the book removed (by anyone wanting to read it), nor does he want the page changed. I suppose he may be able to read it as is often the case with severe ASD kiddos. But even if not I know he's got that page open for a reason; maybe someday I'll find out why!



He also has his own unique way of "cleaning up". Something might actually be in its place but if he feels, for whatever reason, that's not right, it goes behind the end table next to him in what we've come to call "The Dumping Ground".

It often looks like this:



Books & videos are fair game too, not just toys end up there.

Big Guy has a spot upstairs where he likes to sit & anything in the surrounding area ends up next to his chair; it's the "mini dumping ground".

Little Guy does his fair share of the mess, in fact, much moreso, because he moves around a lot more than Big Guy does. The bottom of the bookcase becomes a wreck fairly quickly, as he takes one book at a time, scans it quickly & drops it, only to take another & do the same.

Puzzles were a disaster, but since they are stored in another room, he doesn't get as much time to get into them now, so this is actually "neat"!



There are also several things there that should be in other places, which is typical of every area of the house.

Butterfly's room is often a mess, & it's often not her fault. When we're upstairs Little Guy enjoys going through everything in her room including books, various toys, & the items that belong to her dollhouse. I've gotten buckets for her room & a little bookcase, but still everything's usually mixed up together somehow.



I'm going to have to get some sort of covered thingamajig for all the hairbands now, before he's able to reach those!

It's not always Little Guy's fault though... she does tend to take things & use them in different ways, so they leave their assigned spot & end up somewhere else in the house being used for another purpose. Storyman does this as well.

This area is constantly being cleaned up only to end up like this again...



...or worse, because Little Guy goes in there looking for something (usually something long or stringy; his obsessions) & tosses everything else out in the process... & there are many things in that bucket that don't belong there either.

Storyman & Butterfly have gotten much better about trying to get things into the correct places while cleaning up. This is a particularly frustrating endeavour when Little Guy is following behind though... it's like trying to clean up while a tornado is following you!

To be fair I have my own clutter that I have trouble keeping up with. I have a ton of books (autism, treatments, Christianity, homeschooling related), & not all are kept on bookcases in the office; some are on my "desk table" in the kitchen, where I also keep my record books & programs I need to look at. Some are in the dining room on a little table (& under the little table in a box), & their current daily work is in a pile on top of the dining room table which gets brought into the kitchen each day for school. There is what is typically used as a china cabinet or some other sort of "brick a brack" storage thing in the kitchen that I use for their books; Storyman & Butterfly each have a shelf for schoolbooks, & there's a shelf for other storybooks, & any kinds of educationally related CDs go in there too. There are multiple things there that I like kept closer to me so I don't forget about them (I can be out of sight out of mind sometimes). Often things end up on kitchen counters for that reason as well.

The dining room has also ended up being "storage" for many games. I have a huge game cabinet downstairs, & had started putting just certain games & educational activities upstairs, but now we've got so much overflow they don't fit in the cabinet anymore so multiple games & such are piled up. I also have a bunch of Ebay things to sell & they have made it into a box under that same table...



Sometimes it can get me a little crazy, other times I just forgive myself & realize life is just what it is right now with the way we all are & this too shall pass. I typically know where my things are so that's what's important! 

We have kids, & they're ASD kids besides, so things aren't ever going to be very pretty or perfect. Sometimes houses can be a source of pridefulness & vanity, & that's not a good thing for any Christian. He's given us everything anyway, & He can take it away too. As I tell the kiddos, we're blessed to have what we do have, & we need to try to take care of it as best we can & appreciate it all.

I won't always be weaving my way around little toys, throwing them in a box here & there, finding a spot for a new homeschool book, or going through little clothes to see what fits who...

...and someday I'll miss it!

We were long overdue for a family day out, so we took a ride to a small zoo/farm type place, that also had a museum & playground. It's a low key place & wasn't crowded which was great. There's also a very short video clip here.

Butterfly was very excited to see the animals. This is a small place, so there isn't a huge variety of animals. Right by the entrance were the bears. They were cute; like big teddy bears (but not!). I actually don't have a picture of them though. There were lots of deer, which is not too unusual for our own area, although it was nice seeing them happy & alive rather than by the side of the road...



Lions are always a hit. The sheer size of them is amazing. However, no matter what zoo we visit it always seems the lions are acting like big lazy cats!



The nice thing about this zoo being small is the animals are closer up than at a large zoo. I did find it tough to get good pictures though, because of the chain link fences around all of them (which I didn't mind being there, by the way ).

Monkeys are always fun to watch. It's tough to see him with the fence, but he's staring right at us here.



Butterfly is really into sheep so this was a great find for her...



We found it interesting how the wolf exhibit had been placed right next to the sheep. We wondered if the sheep taunted them all day. The wolves were pacing in circles with their tongues hanging out!

These pigs were enormous! And smelly! But then what can one expect from pigs...



These pigs were really cute. They made me think of Wilbur.



The farm sells feed corn, so many of the animals were following us expecting to be fed. These guys were particularly expectant, but we hadn't bought any feed. The kiddos tried to improvise with whatever was on the ground.

 
 
I'm not sure how much Little Guy liked the animals, but he did enjoy getting out & about, & of course, having his picture taken.



The babies were enjoying a day out too.

 

This red fox was so adorable, but again the fence is in the way...



My personal favorite was the kangaroos:



There was a museum with antique cars. Storyman was enjoying that but Butterfly was trying to direct us out to where the animals were.



They also had antique bikes, toys, sleighs that were pulled by horses, & this covered wagon (sorry for the blurry picture):



The man & horses were fake, but a nice touch.

There was also a buckboard used by Teddy Roosevelt:



After all the sights, the playground was a nice treat. Little Guy really enjoyed swinging with daddy!



It was hot in the sun, but we really couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day! And we brought lots of water, so everyone was fine.



We didn't use their infant seats this time, & the Ladybugs didn't even fall asleep. There were no baby swings, but they were enjoying watching all the playground action here anyway.



I really didn't like the stroller much, but it did the job. I have a side by side coming in, so next trip they should both be able to see better.

The kiddos really wanted to climb this hill. Storyman said there was a great view from up there.
We all had a great time!

I've been really enjoying watching the Ladybugs interact more together lately. There are certain things they've been doing for a while now, like holding hands while they nurse which is really sweet, or pulling on each others faces when together in the crib. Sometimes they irritate each other by doing that. Today Ladybug I used Ladybug II's hand as a teether, & she has 2 teeth! I was wondering why Ladybug II cried out wierd, so I took a look & pulled her hand out of her sister's mouth! Ladybug II gave me a grateful look afterward. I don't put them in the crib together much anymore, or at least not when I can't keep a good eye on them!

Since they are starting to sit up the infant seats are not safe anymore, at least not up on top of anything. So when I'm busy or need to be hands free (or just need a break!) I often put one in the Exersaucer & the other in the Jumperoo next to it. Ladybug I makes these cute little noises that are tough to explain, & even tougher to spell, but she was doing those noises in the Jumperoo yesterday. After a while I heard another little noise after it, & back & forth, & when I went over they were looking at each other, making almost the same little noise back & forth at each other & smiling & having such a good time interacting! Of course it all stopped as soon as I took out my little video camera! Then they were smiling at me & making noises. I still have to check the footage I got, because if I got any of it I will post it as it was so cute.

The other day I had them next to each other on my lap & Storyman  & Butterfly kept giving them different toys. Everytime Ladybug II got a toy, Ladybug I wanted what she had. She would pull it right out of her hands. I didn't interfere; Ladybug II didn't care much so I wanted to watch what was happening. They would give Ladybug II something else & each time, without fail, Ladybug I would lose interest in whatever she had & grab the toy away from her sister. This went on for a long time, & happened today too, although Ladybug II has caught on & would hold the toy away from her sister's reach, & then sometimes she would grab Ladybug I toy too! Ladybug I actually got upset though; she can't take her own medicine!

I also can't pick up one now without the other getting really upset... jealousy already??

In other news, as I was playing with the Ladybugs my Little Guy was doing his usual wandering around, & would sometimes land in my arms for a little cuddle & interaction with mommy that I enjoyed. He does that when we are playing. Then, after a while, he tends to start walking right into the babies, as if they are not even there. I watch him closely & catch when he starts doing this so I make sure no one gets hurt, but I think I figured it out today. I wasn't certain at first but then I felt sure that Little Guy was displaying some jealousy in trying to run over his sisters & get my attention in the process! For Little Guy, this was really excellent. It shows he cares & that's important, so I was happy to see it. Then the balancing act; lots of cuddles for Little Guy but not allowing him to run over his sisters for attention!

My pink laptop, which I had fried with hot coffee (it being decaf didn't help), is back earlier than expected & working well again! I now use a covered cup at the computer.

Butterfly lost TWO teeth end of today. The first popped out with the help of her little brother. She was laying on the floor, which is a hazardous thing to do here, when Little Guy came running beside her & accidentally kicked her in the mouth. Her front tooth was very loose so it popped right out. She wasn't expecting it so there were a few tears, but then she was okay & actually let her daddy ease the other one next to it out as well. So now she talks like a young Cindy Brady (she had no idea who her daddy was talking about). Her phonics lessons should be more interesting now.

More tomorrow with a picture, hopefully!

I fried my my pretty pink laptop...

I spilt hot coffee, yes, hot coffee, right ON TOP of the keyboard. And I fried my laptop.

So now I'm using the yellow one..for now. I have records for the kids & great links & stuff on my pink one, so we'll try to get it fixed.

For now it's fried.

The babies are both teething. Ladybug II hasn't gotten hers in yet, but they are trying.

They have both started playing in the Exersaucer, & they both like it.

Ladybug I enjoys it's nice selection of cheweys:

Ladybug II seemed overwhelmed by all it had to offer:

Little Guy seemed to get a kick out of seeing them in there. He used to enjoy it a lot as a baby; all of a sudden with his sisters in it, it's very interesting again.

He also enjoys popping into pictures.

Here Butterfly was showing a cute little bunny, & when Little Guy saw me taking her picture he got right in there:

Butterfly is never too thrilled when little brother steps into her camera space.

And I fried my laptop.

We have a little play yard for the Ladybugs. It gives them some extra freedom & keeps them (somewhat) safe from the others jumping, bouncing, & circling around them.

Of course they must be supervised, even in there. Little Guy tries hard to get in there with them, but it's just not enough space or safe enough for all of them together.

He likes circling the thing with them in it...

See the little red face? Yeast die off. He had a bad day yesterday with some crying episodes & red ears. All yeasty type stuff. Turns out that probably the little bit of OLE I gave him caused some viral die off which caused more yeast flareups. If anything good came out of it, I can say he's a "viral kiddo" & try to concentrate on those areas for him in healing now. I'm increasing his biotin to help & he seems better. He did start saying a "dada" sound & when he was upset he came to me with the "mama" sound too, which was good to hear.

Big Guy got a little bit too attached to a musical book so that's been put away (major stimmy). The ball he's holding was a hit even with the babies. It looks spikey but it's soft. There are 3 others in different colors.

Storyman & Butterfly got their very first Webkinz pets...

He named his "George" & she named hers "Whitey". The bunny she's holding is named "Brownie". I can usually remember the names she gives her animals.

I can see how addicting these things can be. Storyman spent a long time setting up George's room & trying to earn money to buy him new things. (Hmmmm... this could be a nice "incentive" type thing...).

They started piano lessons a few weeks ago. Now their teacher has a job substituting during the day until the end of summer, so they have no lesson this week & then we'll have to find a new time, maybe in the evening or during the weekend. They both seem to be doing well with it so far.

We meet with a new RDI consultant in a couple of weeks. I sent all the paperwork in & completed the video of daddy interacting with Big Guy. Now I just have to get my video done & send her the links. I hope to get lots of ideas for Little Guy as well, if not from her then from the RDI Yahoogroups.

Continuing antifungals & antivirals for Big Guy. Nothing to report so far except for a few meltdowns & some yeasty behavior.

Butterfly is getting better at her cutting & pasting projects. These were cute. There was a little lamb puppet made with a paper bag, & the thankful plate with food on it. The peas were made by hole punching green paper (I did that for her). The mashed potatoes were tissues scrunched up with a little yellow marker on top for the "butter".



Little Guy got hold of it & ripped off most of the mashed potatoes, but it's still cute.

Oh, yeah, & I fried my laptop...

We had a big check up day. Since our natural family doctor is about an hour away, we took 4 kiddos at once today.

Butterfly had fun, because as always everything is an adventure for her . She checks out fine, but does have some horizontal ridging in her nails. This is typically a nutrient thing. Since she eats well & is well supplemented it may be that she's not absorbing the nutrients, or that she needs more B6 or B12. I'd love to try the shots on her, so I'll probably have a talk with her about that soon.

Little Guy didn't enjoy the appointment at all. At one point we had tears . Ironically no one was touching him at the time . At one point he tried to make a break for it but the dr was right outside the door & brought him back in the room. He did not want to stand on the scale but we did get him measured. The whole thing was almost nothing, really, & a lot of just me & dr chatting, but still Little Guy was happiest when we were leaving.

Ladybug I was kind of uptight from the minute we got there. Even though no one has ever hurt her there, she seemed uptight & worried . I left her in the waiting room with her daddy & siblings while I took Little Guy first, & then Butterfly. Then I brought the Ladybugs back together. Ladybug I really panicked in the room, & would not let me put her down one second. Ladybug I didn't mind being weighed & measured too much, but she did not like the dr looking at her little ears, nose or tummy ! Ladybug II was just fine until the dr started with her, then she lost it until he was done . Then she was fine again.

Anyway, the Ladybugs are still tiny at about 12.4 lbs, but everyone noted that they have grown quite a bit & they are healthy. Developmentally they're also fine at this point. It's certainly nice to go see a dr who is into the naturals & isn't asking when they're going to be weaned, & pushing solids too early... 

The most painful thing at this doctor is for daddy -  receiving the bill!

Thankfully, it will at least be partially covered. And hopefully, we won't be back until July, with the Ladybugs, Big Guy & Storyman.

Storyman & Butterfly had an eye exam for the first time today. I took them to my eye doctor, who I saw for the first time last year. I liked him just as much. He explains everything he's doing, likes my choice of homeopathic eye drops (Similasan) & was great with the kids. After it was over Butterfly said "That was fun!". Everything is an adventure for her; hope it stays that way! She did very well; her eyes are healthy. She did inherit an astigmatism in both eyes, similar to mine. That pretty much guarantees her a pair of glasses - someday. For now it's not bothering her & she can see just fine.

Storyman, however, as we suspected, needs glasses. He has astigmatism as well although not as much as Butterfly. His father & I both wear glasses, although contacts mostly, but we can commisserate. He is also "color challenged" (the dr & I laughed about that one), as I've suspected for a long time. He said 8 in 100 men are color blind, er, "challenged". It runs down the mother's side, & her mother's side etc. If the mother has a brother then they are probably color blind - challenged - as well. Thankfully, this won't interfere with his life & his eyes are otherwise healthy, from what the doctor could see. Storyman didn't really like anything getting too close to his eye so that part of the exam was a bit difficult to complete. Otherwise he did great.

He picked out a really nice pair of oval wire frames. They were actually just the kind I had pictured for him & he looked so nice in them. They should be ready for him in two weeks. I am glad to report Storyman is excited about his new glasses. Pictures to come!

As for me my eyes are healthy, my glasses are still just fine, & my contacts will be a little weaker this time. Turns out the old ones I was wearing (before he gave me these new ones) were tight on the cornea & causing swelling. Now that I've been wearing these there is no swelling & my eyes have adjusted & don't need as strong a lens. Of course, it's not that big of a difference, but that works for me!

We had a few family members over for Butterfly this weekend. She was very excited about her birthday this year; moreso then other years. She also really enjoyed herself.

She enjoyed playing with her cousins. Here she is with one cousin taking a "play break"  ...

And opening presents...

Little Guy jumped in to get his picture taken too!

She received some nice clothes, including one shirt with a butterfly on it! (thanks Grammy)

We had a pull down pinata - no bashing. They each take turns pulling a string & one of the strings breaks the Clifford open. (There weren't many choices in pull downs in our local party store, but the kids like Clifford so this worked)...

This kind of pinata is also safe for a grown up to hold.

It only took about 3 strings to bust it open; oh well. But they did enjoy the treats; even Little Guy got in there...

He got a little treat or two, but no candy! (We're fighting those "yeasty beasties" around here )

Cake is always a hit. We had a small one & then I made a bunch of GFCF cupcakes from our favorite mix by Namaste. Butterfly waited all day for those. She's limited in those though; they're full of sugar & she's got yeast as well...ugh.

The babies were all dressed up for the day:

The headbands are pretty but they came off shortly after the picture. I'll be using the pink for a portrait of them, hopefully to be done this week.

Ladybug I spent a lot of time in arms; my cousin enjoyed some "quality time" with her:

Ladybug II spent a lot of time resting...



She woke up toward the end & had some "quality time" with folks as well.

Little Guy had a "flashback" when someone popped him into his old Exersaucer...

He used to have fun in that as a baby.

Their little cousin enjoyed their "dizzy disc"... in fact, that was kind of a hit with everyone (the kids, that is).

Big Guy was in a "mood", looking for sugar, & making sure we knew what he wanted in no uncertain terms, & making sure we knew (& everyone else knew) that he was not happy with taking "no" for an answer... oh well. I'm NOT feeding his yeast! Lovely timing ... life on the spectrum you know...

Little Guy was in full form as well, grabbing things & wandering around being "spacey"... fighting yeast is not fun. (Anyone see a "theme" here? Gut brain connection?! Yeast is tough.)

I wish I could have gotten the full picture, but I was nursing at the time & couldn't step back. I did get a picture of each. We have 2 windows in the family room that are on opposite sides. Both Big Guy & Little Guy like to pull the shades back to look out of those windows. Well, after everyone left they were each at one of the windows...

Big Guy sensed his picture was being taken & looked up...

Little Guy at the other window, at the same time...

And lastly, later on in the evening I was changing the Ladybugs, when they both got hold of the same toy & each chewed on an end... (Ladybug II wasn't in her jammies quite yet):