Hello to all,
Another busy year has passed for us all. I thought I would take a moment to overview the year.
Kyle and I definitely feel another year older. We're starting to notice the lines on our faces and dark circles under our eyes that never go away. Kyle's head hair keeps transplanting itself on his chest and back. We struggle to hold our fingers straight, I even notice them become more and more stiff making it even more difficult to become speedy and accurate at fingerspelling. But all that aside, we still continue to try and try to change the rest of ourselves a new.
Kyle competed in his first triathlon in July. He started after me and passed me on the last leg about 1 mile into the run. He loved the experience. Regardless of how tired he is, he is very good a consistently running about 3 miles 4 to 5 times a week. He continues to amaze us all with all the new construction skills he acquires. In January he tackled our bathroom renovation which included swapping locations for our AC handler and the toilet. Kyle did an awesome job.
I have learned a ton again this year about parenting and teaching. We began homeschooling Isaac this year. I have learned more than I ever imagined about World History through teaching a 4 year old. I have also learned a lot more about the Bible and training kids to live Godly lives. In July I competed in my second triathlon. It was a struggle for me, as I felt very exhausted but still very enjoyable.
Prema has had quite a few new things this year. She began the fall with 2 new teachers after 2 years with the same teacher. She became a permanent rider in Horses For the Handicap. She rides horses every Saturday for 45 minutes. The horse she rides, Dominic, is the largest horse on the grounds and beautiful. Prema is slowly learning to lead the horse herself through an obstacle course and trotting. She loves it. She also is starting to learn to clean the horse stalls and groom the horses. If you haven't seen Prema;s performance yet at her Holiday Deaf Extravaganza, you'll want to check out her performance. We had lots of laughs.
Isaac started pre-school at home this year. We are a part of local Classical Conversationscommunity. Every Wednesday we meet at a church with the rest of the CC community. During that time Isaac and I are in a classroom with 7 other students and their parents learning the new material for the week. The rest of the week we review all of the material at home. He is studying World History, Latin, English Grammar, Math, Science, music, and art. Each family is responsible for teaching their own child how to read and write and daily math with their own curriculum. Isaac has amazed us with his ability to memorize. Isaac and I both love our CC community and all that we are learning. Isaac has shown us this year his love for teaching and organizing people. He has also become very good a ASL which is a huge help to me when the kids play together. I no longer need to be the interpreter, just the referee.
Eli's character has shown itself a lot more this year. At first you would think Eli is a very shy child, but that is only in new situations and upon meeting new people. After Eli is feeling comfortable any place becomes his stage. He is a performer. He loves music and dancing. He has the moves and the tunes. He is even a performer whenever he is hurt, needs something, doesn't get what he wants or is corrected. Eli still loves to talk in a low rough growl most of the time. His will is almost as strong as Kyle's and mine. However, he still loves to snuggle close and cuddle.
Merry Christmas to you all,
love Kyle, Michelle, Prema, Isaac and Eli
Nov. 2012
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Friday, December 4, 2009
She is Serious
WATCH THESE VIDEOS
Prema is performing her 2 holiday songs with other kids from her school. This is not a joke...she is so serious when she is performing. She LOVES to perform. She knew where we were sitting so during the performance she stops at times to say "My mom", waves to us, and signs "Hi Isaac" Prema can't hear the music. Her teacher is in the front row showing her what to sign for the songs.
I had just had a night of prayer last night with other mothers and we specifically prayed for Prema in knowing her limitations that we could love her, accept all of her, and know her purpose. At the start of watching her I cried in thanksgiving for the joy this one moment was giving her, myself and so many other people in the audience. Then those tears of joy and humility turned to tears of laughter as we watched her funny "Prema-isms" take center stage. What a wonderful gift this day was to all of us. Enjoy!
y
Prema is performing her 2 holiday songs with other kids from her school. This is not a joke...she is so serious when she is performing. She LOVES to perform. She knew where we were sitting so during the performance she stops at times to say "My mom", waves to us, and signs "Hi Isaac" Prema can't hear the music. Her teacher is in the front row showing her what to sign for the songs.
I had just had a night of prayer last night with other mothers and we specifically prayed for Prema in knowing her limitations that we could love her, accept all of her, and know her purpose. At the start of watching her I cried in thanksgiving for the joy this one moment was giving her, myself and so many other people in the audience. Then those tears of joy and humility turned to tears of laughter as we watched her funny "Prema-isms" take center stage. What a wonderful gift this day was to all of us. Enjoy!
y
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Our Chocolate Factory
Isaac and Eli love listening to books on tape. They listened to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at least 15 times. Last week they decided to pretend they had their own chocolate factory. They dug up some dirt and added some water to make the chocolate river. At first there was a stick that was Augustus Gloop stuck in the pipe, Isaac was Willy Wonka and Eli was an oompa-loompa. Then it became more fun to have Eli be Augustus. Watch the video of all the fun the ensued.
Please don't mind the nudity. Eli is potty training. My camera work is bad too, trying to follow the running boys.
Please don't mind the nudity. Eli is potty training. My camera work is bad too, trying to follow the running boys.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Lizards
Long time again since my last post. LIfe is busy and doesn't seem thrilling enough to post about.
One thing that has been happening at our house a lot recently is lizard catching. If you have never visited Florida, then you might not know that lizards are everywhere. Small ones that fit in your palm. Sometimes they get in your house if you leave the door open too long and your choice is to let them die or catch them and free them the outside world again. You could pretty much coin the phrase "you're a true Floridian child if you catch lizards as a pas time."
Prema has discovered the thrill of catching lizards. This month she finally caught her first lizard unassisted. A neighbor boy came and caught 10 + lizards one day for her and Isaac. Since that day Prema spends at least an hour our more a day trying to catch lizards herself. The trouble is that Prema's coordination is not nearly as refined as the other boy and thus many lizards have either lost their tails or died due to traumatic amputation of a limb. The good thing is that lizards' tails grow back, so we don't worry about that. The death of the amputated lizards causes problems because Eli is determined to sit vigil with each one watching it take each last breath until it's death. He will say, "Mom it's still breafing. He not dead yet."
Isaac is also enjoying the challenge and excitement of catching lizards but he can only catch the ones who are in shock after Eli has let them loose. Prema and Isaac will want to keep them in their jar for a few more minutes and so Isaac will then be able to gather them all again back into the jar since they don't move as fast.
Eli likes to take the lizards for rides in his dump trucks.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
New Beginnings
Last week marked new beginnings for our family.
Kyle competed in his first triathlon on Saturday morning. I also did the triathlon, which was my second. Kyle did a great job! He worked really hard for 2 months training. i started about 9 min ahead of him in a different wave. He passed me about 1.5 miles into the run (last leg of race). My biggest goal was to not walk during the run and I was able to accomplish that. We're hoping to both do another one before the end of the season in early October.
Prema started school again on Tuesday. She is now in 3rd grade and thus has new teachers and classmates. She spends the morning with her Language Arts teacher and the afternoon with her math, science and social studies teacher. Her first week with the change she did very well. Both teachers have been extremely accommodating and are really trying hard to keep her time structured and consistent with home so that she feels safe. Hopefully the trend continues. We were very worried she would spiral down hill with all the changes.
Isaac started school this week as well. We are doing a homeschool curriculum this year. We meet once a week with other Classical Conversation families at a church about 5 minutes from our house for 3 hours. During that time a tutor goes over each week's new material for both students and moms, so I stay in the room with Isaac learning myself. Classical education believes in training your brain to memorize during the early years of schooling so Isaac is working on memorizing History (from creation to present), Latin, scripture verses, English grammar, science vocabulary, geography, and math facts. I am responsible for teaching him reading, writing and math on my own time.
Eli has started going to kid's church during mass and went to Tot's class during Isaac's first school day. Eli doesn't jump into new things too quickly. He tends to sit back and observe before he exposes his animated and rough personality. He definitely prefers being home so most of the time he will probably be with Grandma Cullum when Isaac is in school instead of being at the Tot's class. At home Eli is potty training which means most of the time he is naked. He has also started to love playing the ukulele and compose new songs singing about his life and life around him. The naked ukulele player/singer is often performing for the family.
here are some random photos of the family. I'm not up to date yet on uploading so these are a little old.
Kyle competed in his first triathlon on Saturday morning. I also did the triathlon, which was my second. Kyle did a great job! He worked really hard for 2 months training. i started about 9 min ahead of him in a different wave. He passed me about 1.5 miles into the run (last leg of race). My biggest goal was to not walk during the run and I was able to accomplish that. We're hoping to both do another one before the end of the season in early October.
Prema started school again on Tuesday. She is now in 3rd grade and thus has new teachers and classmates. She spends the morning with her Language Arts teacher and the afternoon with her math, science and social studies teacher. Her first week with the change she did very well. Both teachers have been extremely accommodating and are really trying hard to keep her time structured and consistent with home so that she feels safe. Hopefully the trend continues. We were very worried she would spiral down hill with all the changes.
Isaac started school this week as well. We are doing a homeschool curriculum this year. We meet once a week with other Classical Conversation families at a church about 5 minutes from our house for 3 hours. During that time a tutor goes over each week's new material for both students and moms, so I stay in the room with Isaac learning myself. Classical education believes in training your brain to memorize during the early years of schooling so Isaac is working on memorizing History (from creation to present), Latin, scripture verses, English grammar, science vocabulary, geography, and math facts. I am responsible for teaching him reading, writing and math on my own time.
Eli has started going to kid's church during mass and went to Tot's class during Isaac's first school day. Eli doesn't jump into new things too quickly. He tends to sit back and observe before he exposes his animated and rough personality. He definitely prefers being home so most of the time he will probably be with Grandma Cullum when Isaac is in school instead of being at the Tot's class. At home Eli is potty training which means most of the time he is naked. He has also started to love playing the ukulele and compose new songs singing about his life and life around him. The naked ukulele player/singer is often performing for the family.
here are some random photos of the family. I'm not up to date yet on uploading so these are a little old.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Triathlon for Kate Clark
August 2, 2009
Dear Family and Friends,
On May 29th 2009 I received some sad news from my family. My cousin Kate had been involved in a freak accident resulting in a severe spinal cord injury. That Friday Kate was volunteering at her son’s school supervising kids during recess. As she passed under the slide a boy jumped off the slide and landed on Kate’s head. After arriving at the hospital the doctors diagnosed a severe spinal cord injury at C4, the very same injury of Christopher Reeves. Kate was paralyzed. That same night Kate endured 5 hours of surgery. Immediately following her surgery doctors could not fully determine Kate’s prognosis. Only time would tell how much mobility and function Kate would regain.
Kate’s story is unfolding as a miracle. I myself am in awe of God’s faithfulness in this situation. The very next day after surgery Kate experienced a “heavy sensation” in all four of her limbs. She was also able to sit and stand twice with assistance from her physical therapists. Kate was progressing so well that she was moved to a rehab hospital one week after the accident (a week sooner than expected). Through the power of prayer, determination on Kate’s part and wonderful therapy, Kate is now able to walk unassisted after only 1 month! Kate still has many small and gross motor skills she is working diligently to regain. Her spirit and faith is strong.
I write asking for you to become a part of Kate’s story. Kate is married with 2 young children. Due to Kate’s injury her family does not have her income to help with family expenses. On July 14th Kate was discharged from the rehab hospital because insurance would no longer cover her stay. Kate’s doctors and therapist have said she will require about one more year of outpatient therapy. Her insurance does not cover outpatient therapy or the medicine she needs to keep the nerve pain under control.
Since Kate’s accident I have offered each time I run, bike and swim as an intercessory for Kate; praying that she too will one day again enjoy those same activities with her family. Now I would like to take one more step in helping Kate. I will be competing in my second triathlon on August 22nd to raise money on Kate’s behalf . I hope that you will be a part of Kate’s journey toward healing by sponsoring me. If you would like to sponsor me please send checks to Kate’s church. Her church has set up a foundation for Kate to receive tax-deductible donations to help cover her medical costs.
Please send checks with “Triathlon for Kate Clark” in the memo portion to:
Church of the Servant
3835 Burton SE Grand Rapids, MI 49546
616-956-7611
In Thanksgiving for God’s Goodness,
Michelle Cullum
Dear Family and Friends,
On May 29th 2009 I received some sad news from my family. My cousin Kate had been involved in a freak accident resulting in a severe spinal cord injury. That Friday Kate was volunteering at her son’s school supervising kids during recess. As she passed under the slide a boy jumped off the slide and landed on Kate’s head. After arriving at the hospital the doctors diagnosed a severe spinal cord injury at C4, the very same injury of Christopher Reeves. Kate was paralyzed. That same night Kate endured 5 hours of surgery. Immediately following her surgery doctors could not fully determine Kate’s prognosis. Only time would tell how much mobility and function Kate would regain.
Kate’s story is unfolding as a miracle. I myself am in awe of God’s faithfulness in this situation. The very next day after surgery Kate experienced a “heavy sensation” in all four of her limbs. She was also able to sit and stand twice with assistance from her physical therapists. Kate was progressing so well that she was moved to a rehab hospital one week after the accident (a week sooner than expected). Through the power of prayer, determination on Kate’s part and wonderful therapy, Kate is now able to walk unassisted after only 1 month! Kate still has many small and gross motor skills she is working diligently to regain. Her spirit and faith is strong.
I write asking for you to become a part of Kate’s story. Kate is married with 2 young children. Due to Kate’s injury her family does not have her income to help with family expenses. On July 14th Kate was discharged from the rehab hospital because insurance would no longer cover her stay. Kate’s doctors and therapist have said she will require about one more year of outpatient therapy. Her insurance does not cover outpatient therapy or the medicine she needs to keep the nerve pain under control.
Since Kate’s accident I have offered each time I run, bike and swim as an intercessory for Kate; praying that she too will one day again enjoy those same activities with her family. Now I would like to take one more step in helping Kate. I will be competing in my second triathlon on August 22nd to raise money on Kate’s behalf . I hope that you will be a part of Kate’s journey toward healing by sponsoring me. If you would like to sponsor me please send checks to Kate’s church. Her church has set up a foundation for Kate to receive tax-deductible donations to help cover her medical costs.
Please send checks with “Triathlon for Kate Clark” in the memo portion to:
Church of the Servant
3835 Burton SE Grand Rapids, MI 49546
616-956-7611
In Thanksgiving for God’s Goodness,
Michelle Cullum
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Waiting for Kyle
It is 5:35 p.m. and it is that time of day where sometimes each minute passes so slowly. I feel like I can't make it too many more minutes with the kids. So as each minute slowly ticks we are blaring some music. Isaac is wearing a Bob the Builder hat and Bob the Builder apron dancing on one side of me. Eli is naked and wearing a green safari hat dancing on the other side of me. Prema is waiting for me to check how well she scrubbed the kitchen floor.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
TOO TOO BUSY
And yet again a lot of time has passed since I have update this blog. I will try and post a quick update here in hopes to spur some more writing in the NEAR future.
let's see...
Isaac is now 4 years old. He is blowing us away with his interest in so many many things, an outstanding memory, his ability to hold in depth conversations, and his AMAZING insights into life. It is so much fun to listen to him explain how he "sees" life.
Some examples are: He thinks all adopted kids are Deaf because he knows Prema and another girl Tiana are both Deaf and adopted. Last night in a conversation about the use of the word "pastor" he thinks that Fr. Mike will soon not be the pastor at our church because his hair is turning grey. He once listed all of his favorite baseball teams which coincidentally were the names of every team he could remember at the time.
Every morning Isaac asks if the Rays baseball team won. He has to be first and always win or he will will have a meltdown. Everything is a competition. He LOVED his first experience of VBS. He didn't enjoy his first trip to Disney World because he got scared at just about everything since he hates all of the evil/ scary characters and events.
Eli is now 2 years old. The poor dude has been sick A LOT so most of the time his moodiness has been worse. He loves to sing and dance and whenever he is in a good mood you will find him performing for anyone who will watch. You will often hear him using either a grumbly/ deep/ rough voice with facial expressions to match or a very sweet soft spoken voice as he cuddles up to someone. He still loves to copy just about anything Isaac is doing. It has also been fun to watch him attempt to sign with Prema. He will move his lips and wave his hands in the air whenever he is trying to "hold a conversation" with her.
Prema is doing pretty well. She is now in summer school 4 days a week and on the Fridays she is attending a Deaf summer camp. She absolutely LOVED her first trip to Disney World. We have been excited to see her Jump rope for the first time. She has now acquired all the large motor skills she needs to function in school so she will no longer be receiving PT.
let's see...
Isaac is now 4 years old. He is blowing us away with his interest in so many many things, an outstanding memory, his ability to hold in depth conversations, and his AMAZING insights into life. It is so much fun to listen to him explain how he "sees" life.
Some examples are: He thinks all adopted kids are Deaf because he knows Prema and another girl Tiana are both Deaf and adopted. Last night in a conversation about the use of the word "pastor" he thinks that Fr. Mike will soon not be the pastor at our church because his hair is turning grey. He once listed all of his favorite baseball teams which coincidentally were the names of every team he could remember at the time.
Every morning Isaac asks if the Rays baseball team won. He has to be first and always win or he will will have a meltdown. Everything is a competition. He LOVED his first experience of VBS. He didn't enjoy his first trip to Disney World because he got scared at just about everything since he hates all of the evil/ scary characters and events.
Eli is now 2 years old. The poor dude has been sick A LOT so most of the time his moodiness has been worse. He loves to sing and dance and whenever he is in a good mood you will find him performing for anyone who will watch. You will often hear him using either a grumbly/ deep/ rough voice with facial expressions to match or a very sweet soft spoken voice as he cuddles up to someone. He still loves to copy just about anything Isaac is doing. It has also been fun to watch him attempt to sign with Prema. He will move his lips and wave his hands in the air whenever he is trying to "hold a conversation" with her.
Prema is doing pretty well. She is now in summer school 4 days a week and on the Fridays she is attending a Deaf summer camp. She absolutely LOVED her first trip to Disney World. We have been excited to see her Jump rope for the first time. She has now acquired all the large motor skills she needs to function in school so she will no longer be receiving PT.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Isaac Loves Spirit FM
Isaac loves our local Catholic Christian radio station . Every morning we listen to the "Big Big House Morning Show" with Carlos and Abby, especially to hear the Veggie Tale song of the day. We also listen every Saturday Morning to "Kid's Kingdom" to listen to all the kids Christian songs including many Veggie Tale songs. The week of Isaac's birthday we went to the radio station twice. Once to meet Carlos and Abby and the other time to have Isaac talk to Fr. Mike on Kid's Kingdom on the air. Fr. Mike calls into the station live every Saturday morning for a few minutes to discuss the weekend Bible readings and encourage vocations to the priesthood and religious life. Fr. Mike arranged for Isaac to be in the studio when he called in so he could talk with Isaac on air. Both trips to the studio were great experiences. You can listen on-line to Spirit FM so my family also got to hear Isaac when he was on the radio. The video clip is from his time with Ms. Elle and her daughter that do Kid's Kingdom every Saturday. They announce kids' birthdays on the air so during this visit they announced Isaac's, Eli's and Prema's birthday.
Prema's 10th Birthday
On March 21 Prema turned 10 (legally). This year was an exciting milestone for her birthday party. She now has 2 friends that she plays with somewhat regularly. So this year she had a kid only birthday party. Her two friends (both deaf) came over to celebrate for a few hours. They painted, had a scavenger hunt, played dress up, and ate. Prema loved the party. The next day Kyle and I took Prema out to dinner alone to an Indian restaurant. It was her first trip to an Indian restaurant since she came home 2.5 years ago. She loved it!!! She got to have chai (tea), eat fish curry with her hands and watch Indian movies. Any time she puts on the new shirt she wore that night she wants to go back there and eat again. For dessert that same evening we brought the rest of the cake from her party to Grandma and Grandpa Cullum's house where we all sang "Happy Birthday" and she opened some more presents.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
"Why?"
Eli just began speaking a ton within the last 2 months. He is now speaking in 2-3 word sentences most of the time and is willing to try just about any word he hears immediately. One habit he has picked up quickly is asking "Why?" when I tell him to do something he doesn't want to do. Just now he knocked down all the blocks I just picked up for him in exchange for him picking up the kitchen toys. Immediately after I was done he went and knocked the blocks all over again. So yes he will be picking them up himself this time. But instead of yelling I just said "Eli go to your room". His response, "Why?".
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Happy 4th Birthday Isaac
Today April 1st Isaac turns 4 years old. His birthdays are both a celebration and time of sorrow for me. I am excited to celebrate his birth, for he has brought us an immense amount of joy. I get sad thinking of our little boy growing up and feeling like time is moving too fast and I've missed or have forgotten little things along the way.
This year Isaac has planned his birthday party again. We are basically celebrating all week long. He is an avid fan of Spirit FM the local Catholic/ Christian radio station. On Monday we went to the radio station and met the morning show team Carlos and Abby. Today he is eating breakfast at Bob Evans with Grandpa Cullum and Dad (Kyle). Later we will go to Heritage Village (historical place) and attend the preschooler class. Then tonight we will go to the library for a play "ABC Adventures". Saturday evening we are having the party at our house. Fr. Mike is trying to work it out so Isaac can go to the radio station again on Saturday morning and talk on the "Kids Kingdom" show when Fr. MIke calls into talk at 10:00.
you can listen on line
Happy Birthday Isaac! We love being your mom and dad. Thank you for all the laughter and joy you bring to us.
I'll post pictures later.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Where Have I Been?
I've been a blogging slacker. To be honest I haven't gotten too much done besides watching and playing with my kids and trying to keep the house somewhat organized.
random updates:
Kyle started remodeling the kids' bathroom 2 weeks ago. He has been working every weekend and just about every night on the project. Our roof was leaking where the AC duct came in from the outside so the project included switching the placement of the AC handler with the toilet. Thus he had to cut into the floor and change the piping. His dad and brother Sam have been a huge help! We are very grateful. I tried to help one night climbing into the space between the roof and ceiling to help Kyle put insulation there. I wasn't strong enough to keep my weight only on the 2x4s so Kyle (the stud) did it all and i just stayed on a few boards near the opening feeding him the insulation.
Kyle has also been VERY busy at work. So far they have sufficient work considering the economy. Everyone has been bidding just about anything they can to make sure they have enough work in the future.
I have been super busy as well. They kids and daily chores of course keep me busy. I also have been busy with the Adoption Support Group. With the help of a friend I got a website and discussion board set up. I am still learning how to add other things to the website. check it out As I come in contact with more families raising their adoptive child with attachment issues I have also been consulting with families more often. Recently Prema's school asked for my assistance with a new student.
This week I started my first "green thumb" project since living in this house. My mother in law has a true "green thumb" so up to this point given that I have been either very pregnant or with a toddler at the time of spring I have asked her to help with the planting. This year I decided to try some things on my own. I've planted some new plants and patched up the lawn with plugs this weekend. Now the true test: will they grow.
Prema turned 10 years old yesterday (legally). She is doing quite well. Prema now has 2 friends whom she invited over to our house yesterday for her party. They played and ate for about 3 hours. It was nice to see her celebrating her day with friends never feeling left out of conversations, etc. Tonight Kyle and I are taking her to an Indian restaurant.
In school Prema is doing very well. She is now reading at a beginning first grade level and doing simple addition of one digit numbers. Almost all of the reports from school with regard to her behavior are good. She has just started spelling tests so we'll see how fast she can retain words. Her language is still not fluent and she is not understanding questions so this will severely limit her abilities if she doesn't improve. We can understand the language she does have a lot better.
Prema's adenoid surgery was on Monday. She did great and there were no complications. She has only complained of a pain a little bit this week. The worst part is her breath. It is potent. We've been told she can have bad breath for up to 3 weeks. The smell is so bad we have every window in the house open and I still get a gag reflex when she is close to me. It is horrible to eat the same table with her.
Isaac is busy busy busy and loud loud loud. He is always talking or singing even with made up words. Some of his words sound like bad words. One of his favorites is "dicky docky". As I write he is shouting at the top of his lungs "grace grace of your Lord." He loves numbers. He is often asking a math problem. "How many people are in the house right now?" "How many will be here when the boys leave?" Isaac has also been having more play dates. He LOVES to play. If you try to sit him down to do anything "academic" he refuses. He only wants to play so we don't push anything. You're only a kid once, might as well play while you can. He is very excited for his 4th birthday on April 1st.
Eli is at an AWESOME stage. He is talking, using tons of new words every day. The minute he hears a word he gives it a try. Eli is also at the place where he copies anything his older brother does. Isaac and Eli are always playing together. It works out well for now because Eli will do anything Isaac tells him to do including give up his toys. Most of the time you hear Isaac asking Eli a question and Eli will say "ya". Eli has caught onto pretend playing really fast since he has Isaac to model and play with him.
We think we have dodged the ear tubes with Eli. We heard about taking kids to a chiropractor for ear infections. We didn't want to do the ear tubes at all so we decided to give it a try. I know some of you are thinking how could you possibly take your child to a chiropractor to have them man handled, but it is very different than you think. There were some x rays to determine if he was out of a-line. Then ll the doctor does based on some measurements from the x ray is tap with an instrument a few times behind one of Eli's ear. We've visited 4 times once a week and have one more visit. Right before we went to see the chiropractor for the first time Eli saw the ENT the same day. The ENT reported tons of fluid in both ears. Two weeks later Eli got a cold and the flu and the pediatrician reported fluid but no infection. Every time in the past when he has gotten a cold he has gotten an infection. Since that check he has not had an infection at all!!! So I believe the chiropractor has helped.
I think that is it for now.
random updates:
Kyle started remodeling the kids' bathroom 2 weeks ago. He has been working every weekend and just about every night on the project. Our roof was leaking where the AC duct came in from the outside so the project included switching the placement of the AC handler with the toilet. Thus he had to cut into the floor and change the piping. His dad and brother Sam have been a huge help! We are very grateful. I tried to help one night climbing into the space between the roof and ceiling to help Kyle put insulation there. I wasn't strong enough to keep my weight only on the 2x4s so Kyle (the stud) did it all and i just stayed on a few boards near the opening feeding him the insulation.
Kyle has also been VERY busy at work. So far they have sufficient work considering the economy. Everyone has been bidding just about anything they can to make sure they have enough work in the future.
I have been super busy as well. They kids and daily chores of course keep me busy. I also have been busy with the Adoption Support Group. With the help of a friend I got a website and discussion board set up. I am still learning how to add other things to the website. check it out As I come in contact with more families raising their adoptive child with attachment issues I have also been consulting with families more often. Recently Prema's school asked for my assistance with a new student.
This week I started my first "green thumb" project since living in this house. My mother in law has a true "green thumb" so up to this point given that I have been either very pregnant or with a toddler at the time of spring I have asked her to help with the planting. This year I decided to try some things on my own. I've planted some new plants and patched up the lawn with plugs this weekend. Now the true test: will they grow.
Prema turned 10 years old yesterday (legally). She is doing quite well. Prema now has 2 friends whom she invited over to our house yesterday for her party. They played and ate for about 3 hours. It was nice to see her celebrating her day with friends never feeling left out of conversations, etc. Tonight Kyle and I are taking her to an Indian restaurant.
In school Prema is doing very well. She is now reading at a beginning first grade level and doing simple addition of one digit numbers. Almost all of the reports from school with regard to her behavior are good. She has just started spelling tests so we'll see how fast she can retain words. Her language is still not fluent and she is not understanding questions so this will severely limit her abilities if she doesn't improve. We can understand the language she does have a lot better.
Prema's adenoid surgery was on Monday. She did great and there were no complications. She has only complained of a pain a little bit this week. The worst part is her breath. It is potent. We've been told she can have bad breath for up to 3 weeks. The smell is so bad we have every window in the house open and I still get a gag reflex when she is close to me. It is horrible to eat the same table with her.
Isaac is busy busy busy and loud loud loud. He is always talking or singing even with made up words. Some of his words sound like bad words. One of his favorites is "dicky docky". As I write he is shouting at the top of his lungs "grace grace of your Lord." He loves numbers. He is often asking a math problem. "How many people are in the house right now?" "How many will be here when the boys leave?" Isaac has also been having more play dates. He LOVES to play. If you try to sit him down to do anything "academic" he refuses. He only wants to play so we don't push anything. You're only a kid once, might as well play while you can. He is very excited for his 4th birthday on April 1st.
Eli is at an AWESOME stage. He is talking, using tons of new words every day. The minute he hears a word he gives it a try. Eli is also at the place where he copies anything his older brother does. Isaac and Eli are always playing together. It works out well for now because Eli will do anything Isaac tells him to do including give up his toys. Most of the time you hear Isaac asking Eli a question and Eli will say "ya". Eli has caught onto pretend playing really fast since he has Isaac to model and play with him.
We think we have dodged the ear tubes with Eli. We heard about taking kids to a chiropractor for ear infections. We didn't want to do the ear tubes at all so we decided to give it a try. I know some of you are thinking how could you possibly take your child to a chiropractor to have them man handled, but it is very different than you think. There were some x rays to determine if he was out of a-line. Then ll the doctor does based on some measurements from the x ray is tap with an instrument a few times behind one of Eli's ear. We've visited 4 times once a week and have one more visit. Right before we went to see the chiropractor for the first time Eli saw the ENT the same day. The ENT reported tons of fluid in both ears. Two weeks later Eli got a cold and the flu and the pediatrician reported fluid but no infection. Every time in the past when he has gotten a cold he has gotten an infection. Since that check he has not had an infection at all!!! So I believe the chiropractor has helped.
I think that is it for now.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Adenoid Surgery in Future
I took Prema to the ENT last Friday. The doctor took one look at the x-ray and a quick glance up her nose, in her ears and mouth and told me she needed her adenoids removed. Her surgery is scheduled for Monday March 16. It is 20 min outpatient surgery. She will be able to do whatever afterwards but is going to feel like she has a cold for at least a week.
She has told us some traumatic things about a hospital visit in India. The only hospital visit we know about from that time was when she had her adenoids removed the first time. She recalls peeing the bed and the nurse yelling at her and the IV pulling out and bleeding. So hopefully she won't be too scared this time and will feel safe so we don't have any behaviors develop.
She has told us some traumatic things about a hospital visit in India. The only hospital visit we know about from that time was when she had her adenoids removed the first time. She recalls peeing the bed and the nurse yelling at her and the IV pulling out and bleeding. So hopefully she won't be too scared this time and will feel safe so we don't have any behaviors develop.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
What Happens When You Spend All Night At Choir Practice
Your husband gets on and posts things that you were hoping to post about...That's right.
The news is Prema has actually started to tell us some stuff about being back in India. She remembers eating pizza with Michelle and Kristin when Michelle first went to get her and playing on the roof of the orphanage. There are some other things that she has told Michelle also, and in true Prema style she has mixed in some obvious and total fabrications just for our enjoyment.
This is great because maybe one day we will find out enough to have a real story of what has happened to her....but I'm not really sure that I actually want to know.
BTW the picture is right after I yanked a really loose baby tooth recently.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Another Doctor
We got the results from Prema's x-ray. Her adenoids have grown back. In January of 2005 her medical records show that she had the removed in India while she was in care of the orphanage. Our pediatrician says that if you don't get all the tissue when you operate they can regenerate just like a lizards tail. The x-ray is showing they are present and somewhat enlarged but we won't know the real story until we visit the ENT. In the past 2.5 years for Prema:
Pediatrician - same as any kid
Neurologist- included an EEG for seizures (no seizures detected) and MRI at hospital for brain damage information (non detected)
Genetics- nothing discovered, but ruled out Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
Orthopedic- Shriner's Hospital provides Prema with orthotics for balance problems
Physical Therapy (private and school)
Attachment Therapy (LMHC)- 2 years of visits and finally done
Neurofeedback specialist - 1.5 years of sessions and soon will be done
Oral Surgeon- tooth removed in hospital
Dentist
Orthodontist- starting braces in one year
Pediatric Optometrist- no sight problems at this time
Occupational Therapy (school)
Speech/ Language (school)
X-rays several times for several things
A lot of Lab tests
Hearing Tests
Each time we go to a new specialist/ medical facility it is always very interesting. Prema is a bit of an anomaly in the medical field. The people have never had any experience with a profoundly deaf child, adopted later in life, severely neglected, and with no history until her arrival at the orphanage. We've gotten recommendations to give up and stop putting any effort into her because her brain is the size of a 14 month old baby and can't do that much to lots of encouragement to keep doing anything we can because the prognosis of her achievements is unknown. We've met some incredible people along the years who are willing to do whatever they can to help us. And thankfully we have extremely supportive family living close by to help watch the boys during or accompany us to appointments so I can focus on everything the doctors/ specialists are telling me.
I keep you updated on our ENT visit. We are scheduled for February 3rd. Hopefully this is the last specialist for a few years.
Pediatrician - same as any kid
Neurologist- included an EEG for seizures (no seizures detected) and MRI at hospital for brain damage information (non detected)
Genetics- nothing discovered, but ruled out Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
Orthopedic- Shriner's Hospital provides Prema with orthotics for balance problems
Physical Therapy (private and school)
Attachment Therapy (LMHC)- 2 years of visits and finally done
Neurofeedback specialist - 1.5 years of sessions and soon will be done
Oral Surgeon- tooth removed in hospital
Dentist
Orthodontist- starting braces in one year
Pediatric Optometrist- no sight problems at this time
Occupational Therapy (school)
Speech/ Language (school)
X-rays several times for several things
A lot of Lab tests
Hearing Tests
Each time we go to a new specialist/ medical facility it is always very interesting. Prema is a bit of an anomaly in the medical field. The people have never had any experience with a profoundly deaf child, adopted later in life, severely neglected, and with no history until her arrival at the orphanage. We've gotten recommendations to give up and stop putting any effort into her because her brain is the size of a 14 month old baby and can't do that much to lots of encouragement to keep doing anything we can because the prognosis of her achievements is unknown. We've met some incredible people along the years who are willing to do whatever they can to help us. And thankfully we have extremely supportive family living close by to help watch the boys during or accompany us to appointments so I can focus on everything the doctors/ specialists are telling me.
I keep you updated on our ENT visit. We are scheduled for February 3rd. Hopefully this is the last specialist for a few years.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Why I Haven't Posted
So as you can tell it has been a while since my last post. Of course you can assume busy times with the holidays and raising 3 kids. All of this is true.
We had a wonderful Christmas.
Our church was in the midst of a "facelift" from the last week of October until Christmas Eve morning. We decided to move our altar from the north end of the worship space to the south end and spruce things up a bit. With Kyle (Florida Electrical Service) in charge of the electrical for the project, Isaac and Prema performing in the Christmas Eve nativity, and I signing in the choir; we spent a lot of time the week before Christmas at church. The unveiling of the new sanctuary was on Christmas Eve and it was beautiful. Every did an awesome job putting in a lot of extra hours to make it all happen from the construction all the way to the music and decorations. Isaac was the Drummer Boy and did an awesome job at 2 performances and Prema signed "We Three Kings" at one performance on Christmas Eve.
Christmas Morning we boarded a plane and traveled to Wisconsin for Christmas with my family. We spent 4 days enjoying the snow and spending time playing with aunts, uncles, cousins, and Grandma and Grandpa. It was the first time our kids had seen snow and played in it. Eli hated it, and only wanted to eat it. Prema and Isaac loved it, but Prema was not the smartest when it came to keeping herself warm while playing. She would pull off her mittens and play in the snow with bare hands later to come inside crying about how sore her hands were. Kyle and I enjoyed watching the kids in the snow but we didn't like the whole production of getting them ready to play or the cold itself. Needless to say we were quite happy to come back to sunny Florida on the 30th.
Since then we've been busy with the daily routines. Prema is back at school. The boys and I have enough to keep us busy during the day with playing and keeping the house relatively clean and smoothly running. I had the chance to ride my new road bike once with Kyle and loved it. We've also been on some fun family adventures. Kyle's parents and I took Prema and Isaac to the Barnum and Bailey Circus in Tampa. The next week Kyle and I took the kids to Planet Jump with some friends (a warehouse filled with blow up bouncing things). This weekend we took the kids to "Touch a Truck and Clown Day" at our local park.
The other thing that has been keeping my busy are my New Year's Resolutions. I have a list posted on my kitchen cupboard which contains 10 things. Some are daily must do's and others are a one or two time thing but will take a lot of work to make it happen. This list can be daunting at times when other things take priority, but I persevere.
My hope is that I will load my pics from Christmas until now soon and post them on here too.
We had a wonderful Christmas.
Our church was in the midst of a "facelift" from the last week of October until Christmas Eve morning. We decided to move our altar from the north end of the worship space to the south end and spruce things up a bit. With Kyle (Florida Electrical Service) in charge of the electrical for the project, Isaac and Prema performing in the Christmas Eve nativity, and I signing in the choir; we spent a lot of time the week before Christmas at church. The unveiling of the new sanctuary was on Christmas Eve and it was beautiful. Every did an awesome job putting in a lot of extra hours to make it all happen from the construction all the way to the music and decorations. Isaac was the Drummer Boy and did an awesome job at 2 performances and Prema signed "We Three Kings" at one performance on Christmas Eve.
Christmas Morning we boarded a plane and traveled to Wisconsin for Christmas with my family. We spent 4 days enjoying the snow and spending time playing with aunts, uncles, cousins, and Grandma and Grandpa. It was the first time our kids had seen snow and played in it. Eli hated it, and only wanted to eat it. Prema and Isaac loved it, but Prema was not the smartest when it came to keeping herself warm while playing. She would pull off her mittens and play in the snow with bare hands later to come inside crying about how sore her hands were. Kyle and I enjoyed watching the kids in the snow but we didn't like the whole production of getting them ready to play or the cold itself. Needless to say we were quite happy to come back to sunny Florida on the 30th.
Since then we've been busy with the daily routines. Prema is back at school. The boys and I have enough to keep us busy during the day with playing and keeping the house relatively clean and smoothly running. I had the chance to ride my new road bike once with Kyle and loved it. We've also been on some fun family adventures. Kyle's parents and I took Prema and Isaac to the Barnum and Bailey Circus in Tampa. The next week Kyle and I took the kids to Planet Jump with some friends (a warehouse filled with blow up bouncing things). This weekend we took the kids to "Touch a Truck and Clown Day" at our local park.
The other thing that has been keeping my busy are my New Year's Resolutions. I have a list posted on my kitchen cupboard which contains 10 things. Some are daily must do's and others are a one or two time thing but will take a lot of work to make it happen. This list can be daunting at times when other things take priority, but I persevere.
My hope is that I will load my pics from Christmas until now soon and post them on here too.
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