Thursday, March 31, 2016
Morgan is 11 months
Late again on posting this! Here's Morgan at 11 months. This little cuddle bug is almost a year.
Twin speech delays in toddlers
Both Brooklyn and Bailey were pretty delayed with speech. Only saying "uh oh" at 18/19 months. I know it's fairly common for both twins and preemies to have speech delays, but generally they catch up around age 2. This did not happen. Now the girls are getting close to 3 and I'm starting to be a little more concerned.
Brooklyn seems to have finally caught up with speech but Bailey is still lagging behind. We've been doing the early intervention with the state (Help Me Grow) since they were 18 months. It's nice because it's free and they come to your house. But wanted to get a second opinion and a little extra help so we took them in to get evaluated at the Cleveland Clinic children's rehab center.
Brooklyn passed and didn't need any extra services. This didn't surprise as she's really exploded with words the last month or two. She is putting together sentences just fine and will repeat just about anything. No concerns anymore. She seems to still be a bit behind typical peers, but I know there is a range of normal and she is just on the lower end.
Bailey however needs some extra help. We counted and she can maybe say about 60 or 70 words but it's hard to really accurately count this since so much of what she says is inaudible. Bailey talks a lot, she just drops so many consonants it's difficult to make out a word without context clues. So, when we hold up the "car" flashcard, she can't really say "c" or "r" so she basically just uses the "a." And you know she is trying to say car when holding up the flashcard but if she were to say it without that clue, you wouldn't know what she was saying. It can be frustrating for her, and for us, that she can't communicate what she wants or needs. Even asking for more milk is difficult and usually results in her tugging at the fridge going "uh uh uh" rather than saying "more milk." So the inability to communicate does sometimes result in some tears for Bailey, though this could also just be toddler tears. Bailey CAN say milk, but it comes out sounding the same as mom, moo, and pretty much any m word since she drops the end consonants. Again, without context clues (her standing next to the refrigerator is a safe bet she's asking for milk) you don't really know what she's saying.
What makes it so difficult for Bailey is that her receptive language scores extremely high. She understand everything, she just can't communicate it.
So we are working on getting her to use two word phrases and expand her vocabulary. My Google adventures have pointed me to a lot of theories:
1. She is totally fine and all kids develop at their own pace.
2. As a twin and preemie, it's not super unusual to be behind. She tends to let Brooklyn (who speaks clearer) talk for her.
3. She is a smart kid and picks up that people have trouble understanding her. This makes her try less and use gestures instead to indicate what she wants.
4. Allergies. Bailey had a lot of ear infections last year and has always been a mouth breather. She seems constantly stuffed up. Could allergies be impacting her speech? Could she have fluid trapped in her ears? (We had her hearing tested about six months ago and she did pass that). Based on my Googling, yes, this could be possible. Will discuss this with the doctor and possibly follow up with a pediatric ENT.
5. She just has a speech delay and will catch up with early intervention.
The Help Me Grow program ends at age 3. Both Brooklyn and Bailey have an appointment with our school distract for evaluation to see if they qualify for the preschool program (this would include speech services). My initial thought is that Bailey will qualify and Brooklyn will not. While they do have peer models in the program, it's fairly competitive and I think we missed the timeline on Brooklyn getting in. So that leaves me with the possibility of splitting them up. I don't love this idea. I know a lot of research says it's better to split twins. But that looks at elementary aged children, not a three year old. I think it would not be good for either of them. We'll cross that bridge when and if we get there though. I would hate to deny Bailey a spot in the preschool when it would probably help her tremendously. Things to think about later.
Brooklyn seems to have finally caught up with speech but Bailey is still lagging behind. We've been doing the early intervention with the state (Help Me Grow) since they were 18 months. It's nice because it's free and they come to your house. But wanted to get a second opinion and a little extra help so we took them in to get evaluated at the Cleveland Clinic children's rehab center.
Brooklyn passed and didn't need any extra services. This didn't surprise as she's really exploded with words the last month or two. She is putting together sentences just fine and will repeat just about anything. No concerns anymore. She seems to still be a bit behind typical peers, but I know there is a range of normal and she is just on the lower end.
Bailey however needs some extra help. We counted and she can maybe say about 60 or 70 words but it's hard to really accurately count this since so much of what she says is inaudible. Bailey talks a lot, she just drops so many consonants it's difficult to make out a word without context clues. So, when we hold up the "car" flashcard, she can't really say "c" or "r" so she basically just uses the "a." And you know she is trying to say car when holding up the flashcard but if she were to say it without that clue, you wouldn't know what she was saying. It can be frustrating for her, and for us, that she can't communicate what she wants or needs. Even asking for more milk is difficult and usually results in her tugging at the fridge going "uh uh uh" rather than saying "more milk." So the inability to communicate does sometimes result in some tears for Bailey, though this could also just be toddler tears. Bailey CAN say milk, but it comes out sounding the same as mom, moo, and pretty much any m word since she drops the end consonants. Again, without context clues (her standing next to the refrigerator is a safe bet she's asking for milk) you don't really know what she's saying.
What makes it so difficult for Bailey is that her receptive language scores extremely high. She understand everything, she just can't communicate it.
So we are working on getting her to use two word phrases and expand her vocabulary. My Google adventures have pointed me to a lot of theories:
1. She is totally fine and all kids develop at their own pace.
2. As a twin and preemie, it's not super unusual to be behind. She tends to let Brooklyn (who speaks clearer) talk for her.
3. She is a smart kid and picks up that people have trouble understanding her. This makes her try less and use gestures instead to indicate what she wants.
4. Allergies. Bailey had a lot of ear infections last year and has always been a mouth breather. She seems constantly stuffed up. Could allergies be impacting her speech? Could she have fluid trapped in her ears? (We had her hearing tested about six months ago and she did pass that). Based on my Googling, yes, this could be possible. Will discuss this with the doctor and possibly follow up with a pediatric ENT.
5. She just has a speech delay and will catch up with early intervention.
The Help Me Grow program ends at age 3. Both Brooklyn and Bailey have an appointment with our school distract for evaluation to see if they qualify for the preschool program (this would include speech services). My initial thought is that Bailey will qualify and Brooklyn will not. While they do have peer models in the program, it's fairly competitive and I think we missed the timeline on Brooklyn getting in. So that leaves me with the possibility of splitting them up. I don't love this idea. I know a lot of research says it's better to split twins. But that looks at elementary aged children, not a three year old. I think it would not be good for either of them. We'll cross that bridge when and if we get there though. I would hate to deny Bailey a spot in the preschool when it would probably help her tremendously. Things to think about later.
Toddler activities
With spring weather still coming and going, I'e been on the hunt for more activities to do with the older girls when we are trapped inside after work or on the weekends. Got a few ideas from Pinterest and hit up the dollar store to get supplies.
Here's a few things we've been doing lately!
1.Matching colored popsicle sticks with colored paper. This kept the girls entertained for a long time. They would sort all the popsicle sticks onto the correct color, and do it again.
2. Gluing random shapes onto paper. Glue sticks have pretty minimal mess too. Added bonus: kept everything contained within this plastic container to make clean up easier.
3. Pipe cleaners. Sticking pipe cleaners into strainers is fun, if you are a toddler. Again, kept them entertained for a long time.
4. Colored puff balls. This was both a sorting and pouring activity. Also the baby loved trying to eat them.
5. More fun with pipe cleaners. And also painting.
6. This was a Pinterest idea. Looks simple right? Put the paint into a baggie and tape it over a white piece of paper. The writer claimed it would be days of messy-free fun (DAYS she claimed!) We made it about 15 minutes before they ripped the bags open and wanted real painting. Looked cool though, right?
7. The rice table. We used to do this all the time at the daycare where I worked in college at the sensory table. It obviously gets messy but it's a cheap and easy activity that really does keep them interested for a long time. We left this out for a week or so and they kept coming back to it and really having fun. Side note: the baby tried really hard to shove fistfuls of uncooked rice into her mouth.
1.Matching colored popsicle sticks with colored paper. This kept the girls entertained for a long time. They would sort all the popsicle sticks onto the correct color, and do it again.
2. Gluing random shapes onto paper. Glue sticks have pretty minimal mess too. Added bonus: kept everything contained within this plastic container to make clean up easier.
3. Pipe cleaners. Sticking pipe cleaners into strainers is fun, if you are a toddler. Again, kept them entertained for a long time.
4. Colored puff balls. This was both a sorting and pouring activity. Also the baby loved trying to eat them.
5. More fun with pipe cleaners. And also painting.
6. This was a Pinterest idea. Looks simple right? Put the paint into a baggie and tape it over a white piece of paper. The writer claimed it would be days of messy-free fun (DAYS she claimed!) We made it about 15 minutes before they ripped the bags open and wanted real painting. Looked cool though, right?
7. The rice table. We used to do this all the time at the daycare where I worked in college at the sensory table. It obviously gets messy but it's a cheap and easy activity that really does keep them interested for a long time. We left this out for a week or so and they kept coming back to it and really having fun. Side note: the baby tried really hard to shove fistfuls of uncooked rice into her mouth.
Wednesday, March 2, 2016
Morgan is 10 months! Takes a step
Morgan is now ten months old. She has take a couple one step journeys and is walking pretty well with the walker. She's also made it up the stairs on her own (with only a few slips while we follow behind).Tuesday, March 1, 2016
Three kids under three with the stomach bug...
This pretty much sums it up:
So all three kids were throwing up and running temps (fairly high, Bailey hit 103.5). I missed three days of work. The baby literally puked IN MY MOUTH. If they weren't sleeping and puking in their sheets, they were puking on me. You know how sick little kids just want to be held? It was such a violent illness that when they did throw up they didn't even have time to react and it just went all over the both of us. But everyone survived and we are all healthy now. Not surprisingly, I got it over the weekend too. Overall, compared to last year at least, we had a lot less sickness this winter. Spring, go ahead and bring your better weather and relatively healthy atmosphere please.
I have no strategies or survival tips. Stomach flu will win every time.
I have no strategies or survival tips. Stomach flu will win every time.
Thursday, February 4, 2016
39 weeks in, 39 weeks out
In and out pics below! |
| Still have some to go... |
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| Baby weight seems to come off faster with your first delivery |
Morgan is nine months, teeth, pneumonia and nearly walking
Morgan turned nine months a couple weeks ago. She had her nine month check up and is weighing in at 22 lbs and 1 oz and measuring 29 point something inches which puts her in the 95th percentile for height and the 93rd for weight. She is wearing 12-18 clothes and considering her sisters, who are 21 months older, are still wearing some 24 month clothes, I would say she is going to outgrow them pretty soon. For perspective, Brooklyn and Bailey both weighed 20 lbs 7 oz (same weight) and were nearly 29 inches at ONE YEAR. So she is bigger at nine months than her sisters were at one year. My giant baby!She also has two teeth officially in on the bottom. B&B didn't get teeth till 13 months. She is also pulling herself up on everything, furniture walking and desperately trying to walk. Probably within the next month.
 |
| Sick baby! |
Tuesday, January 12, 2016
The toddler bed switch
How I have been avoiding this moment. But it was finally time. They've been climbing into each other's cribs for a while and have each climbed over and out but we kept putting off the switch. We tried making mega crib for a bit (pushed the two cribs together after taking the sides off) but that resulted in too much wrestling and not enough sleeping.
Anyway, we now have two toddlers in big girl beds. I would warn anyone who makes the switch to expect a couple bad nights but they will get used to it. A lot of people will tell you to make sure that your kids never leave the bed. That's good in theory, but I think when you have twins you have to be realistic. If your best friend was in the bed next to you, you would probably get out and play for a little bit. So we let them run around the room and when they get tired they make their way back to the beds. Sometimes we have to play Sleeping Beauty "I know you" (I have heard this song 10,000 times the past week...) or sing "hush little baby" a few times through the monitor but they have been settling down by 830 or so the past couple nights. With three kids, it seems like someone is always waking up in the night. I'm sure they'll get more used to the toddler beds with time and hopefully sleep till morning without someone waking up!
Anyway, we now have two toddlers in big girl beds. I would warn anyone who makes the switch to expect a couple bad nights but they will get used to it. A lot of people will tell you to make sure that your kids never leave the bed. That's good in theory, but I think when you have twins you have to be realistic. If your best friend was in the bed next to you, you would probably get out and play for a little bit. So we let them run around the room and when they get tired they make their way back to the beds. Sometimes we have to play Sleeping Beauty "I know you" (I have heard this song 10,000 times the past week...) or sing "hush little baby" a few times through the monitor but they have been settling down by 830 or so the past couple nights. With three kids, it seems like someone is always waking up in the night. I'm sure they'll get more used to the toddler beds with time and hopefully sleep till morning without someone waking up!
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| Toddler beds! |
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| Sleeping in same bed still |
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| Darren sleeping on the floor one of the first nights, ha! |
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| RIP mega crib |
Morgie is 8 months!
Posted late again, but Morgan turned 8 months just before Christmas. She is now officially crawling like a Pampers commercial. Somewhat sleeping through the night. Has four teeth on the verge of coming through. Is standing when propped up and trying very, very hard to pull herself upright. She is still the most cuddly, relaxed baby ever. Eating pretty good. Also she is giant. I took her in right after Christmas thinking she had an ear infection (she doesn't, but loves pulling on her ears) and she weighed 21 lbs 2 oz. That's not too far off from her sisters who weighed 25 to 26 lbs at their 2 1/2 year check up. Morgan is going to be so tall!Brooklyn and Bailey are really cute with Morgan. I love on the weekends when Morgan wakes up from her morning nap and Brooklyn yells "baby up!" and then we all go upstairs to get her and Brooklyn says the entire time, "I come baby! I come baby!" The older girls are both interested in making her laugh but I think they will continue to get more interested when she can really play with them. They are starting to play with her a little (putting the blanket over her to play peekaboo, etc) but it often gets a little rough for the baby and we have to remind them to be careful. Or, Morgan will grab one of their toys or pull their hair which B&B don't care for! But it is cute to see them all interacting in the way that an 8 month old can interact with two toddlers. Melts my heart.
Watch Morgan crawl:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hq82EWt4ZN4
Friday, December 11, 2015
Morgan is 7 months!
She is saying "mom" and "dada" now and scooting/rolling/backwards crawling all over the place. She can't Pampers commercial crawl yet but she is trying sooo hard. I call it "rev the engine" when they rock back and forth and try to will their body to move forward. She is such a sweet baby. Knock on wood, but she's slept till at least 5:30-6:45 the past week or two. Not having to get up at 4 a.m. is a game changer. I am feeling so much better!
Watch Morgan do "down dog:" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AbCeBbcb9U
Morgan says mom: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdZ8_OCuABQ
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