Speech Therapy Update

Matthew and Kayla have some speech sound development 'problems'.  Kayla definitely has a higher speech intelligibility than Matthew (ie. more of her speech is clearly understood when the topic is unknown by listeners who are unfamiliar with her), but still has some problem areas that need to be worked on.  These 'problems' definitely became more noticeable when Remy and Carly  moved here because they are younger and much more intelligible.  I was hoping we would be able to fix these problems on our own (without professional help) because speech therapy is expensive and our extended health benefits plan only covers a portion of the costs.  In May, I discovered that our local public health unit offers free speech therapy until the child is in school.  AWESOME!  The only problem, as with many free resources, is that there is a waiting list.  I filled out all of the forms and sent them off.

This past July, I received a phone call from the audiology division of the public health unit requesting that Matthew and Kayla come in for hearing tests, to rule out any hearing issues.  Kayla passed with flying colours, but only one of Matthew's ears was fine.  They wanted me to see my family doctor about Matthew's other ear, but he had a cold at the time of the test so I chalked up his lessened hearing because of the cold.  They said I could come back in September for a re-test instead, if I wanted.  We went back this past September and both ears passed.  (P.S. I caught Matthew's cold in July and it carried over into August...and remember how I mentioned I had lost my hearing in my one ear?  Pretty sure that's what had happened to Matthew, too).

At the beginning of October, I received a call from the speech therapy division and Matthew and Kayla were both scheduled for assessments for today.  Kayla was excited to have an appointment because it's always Matthew that has appointments and so it's always Matthew that gets prizes and stickers :).  Anyways, the speech therapist was awesome.  Most of Kayla's 'problems' will resolve themselves by the time she's seven or eight, but her two more concerning 'problems' are her "S blends" (words that start with 's', followed by a second consonant.  For example:  Skirt.  Kayla can't/doesn't say the second consonant sounds, so she says, "Sirt") and "Sh" words (ex. Shirt).  We are going to be practicing her S blends daily.  The speech therapist gave me a tip/activity on how to teach her to say both consonants, and when she does it, it totally works!  Now it's just a matter of making it second nature to say the words correctly.

Matthew has a few more issues than Kayla.  His most pressing issue is that he can't/doesn't say hard 'g' and 'k' sounds, both of which he should have mastered by the ages of 3.5-4.  Our first focus is the teaching him how to do the 'k' sound.  Because it's a more pressing issue, we'll go back for a 45-minute speech therapy appointment every two weeks.  And because we're there for Matthew, Kayla will come too to get a little more practice (otherwise she would only go monthly).

I'm really impressed with the speech therapist, and I hope Matthew and Kayla are as eager to practice the sounds with me as they are with her!

Kayla's Negativity/Criticism Towards Me

Kayla's latest 'thing' is to criticize me.  She likes to criticize my 1) mood, 2) hair style, and 3) clothing.

1.  Mood
If she's in a bad mood, I call her "Grumpy Gills" (I have no idea where that came from!).  Anyways, she hates it.  She's started telling me that I'm Grumpy Gills, or that I'm "being bad today" or that I'm "not nice."

2.  Hair Style
As Kayla was watching me do my hair this morning, she said, "Mom, you always do your hair the same way, down or in a pony."  I told her that's because I didn't know what to do with my hair ever, to which she replied, "You should wear it in a braid."  So I did.

3.  Clothing
Also this morning (I know, a lot of criticism to take in a matter of 10 minutes!), she said to me, "Mom, you always wear the same thing.  I think you don't wash your clothes, you only wash ours."

I think she might be the one to nominate me for "What Not to Wear."  (Which I would definitely be a prime candidate for!)

"Matthew Did It"

You would never guess who said, "Matthew did it."  NATHAN.

On the hallway wall upstairs I have a growth chart.  Each year on each child's birthday I measure them, type out their name/age/height, and sticky tack the nice little label to the growth chart.  Over the past few months I've discovered that Nathan has pulled the labels off.  Yesterday, I caught him red-handed.  When I asked him if he pulled the labels off, he said, "Matthew did it."  He's only a few days into being two and he's already causing trouble :)

Nathan is TWO!

 At two years old Nathan is exactly three feet tall and weighs 31.8 pounds.  He is wearing size 3T shirts, size 2T pants, size 8 shoes and size 4 diapers.

It's weird that Nathan is just turning two, because it feels like he has been two for a while now.  To me, he seems wise beyond his (now two) years.

Nathan, you are a very independent child.  You very-capably do most things yourself:
- You feed yourself every meal, and very seldom ask for help.  You are also quite a neat eater.
- You have graduated from sippy cups and now drink out of a normal cup.
- You put your own runners on, even though this results in the tongue getting pushed down and squished near your toes.  Sorry that you're wearing Matthew's cheap hand-me-down runners.  I'm sure it will only be a matter of a month or two before you have to move up a size.
- You have discovered the garage door opener and help yourself to opening the garage so that you can have access to the outdoor toys when you feel like going outside, which you do on your own if I leave the door unlocked.
- You have discovered how to turn on the bathroom tap, so you can often be found brushing your teeth, washing your hands, or washing your crocs if they are sandy from being in the sandbox.
- If you feel like colouring, you help yourself to paper and crayons and seat yourself at the kitchen table to create an artwork of scribbles.
- If you're thirsty, you help yourself to your water bottle in the fridge.
- If you're hungry, you help yourself to an apple from the fridge.  I put a stop to this because you need to ask for permission first.
- If you want a bubble bath, you grab the bubble bath out of the cupboard and bring it to me.
- Older/Other kids don't intimidate you.  You're not scared to join in with whatever they're playing/doing, even when/if they're bigger than you.  You often can be found joining the "big kids" (Matthew, Kayla, Remy, and Carly) in a group-hug.

This past month has been huge for you, in terms of speech development.  You easily say three-word sentences, and the occasional four-word sentence.  You willingly repeat words, and are learning new words and expressions all the time.  I love it when you say, "Oh man", when something hasn't worked out the way you intended it to.  You can say everyone's name: Mat-yew (Matthew), Dee-ya (Kayla), Ya or O-ya (Olivia).  You still talk about Auntie Tan-dis (Candice) and Mand-ma (Grandma) all the time.

You don't like to take a bath by yourself.  The few times you have, you won't sit down in the water.  I think you're so used to bathing with both Matthew and Kayla at the same time that you don't know what to do when you're in there by yourself.

You LOVE helping me prepare breakfast/lunch/dinner.  If you see that I'm doing anything in the kitchen that involves food, you ask to be lifted up so that you can sit on the counter.  You love it when I'm chopping veggies because you know you get to eat them off of my cutting board.

You like to help set the table, and know exactly which plates go to which person (Matthew is always blue or green, Kayla is always pink or purple, and Nathan is always orange or yellow).

You often call Jon, "Jon" rather than "Dad".

The past few mornings you've gotten out of bed after 7am, but rather than coming to our bedroom full of energy, you climb up on the bed, find where I'm sleeping, lay down (on top of the covers) between my sprawled legs, use my pelvis as a pillow, and fall asleep.  It's so strange.  Luckily it's not uncomfortable for me so I can just fall asleep again.

This past week you've acquired a room-mate in your bedroom, Olivia.  You were quite concerned the first morning when you came to my room and Olivia wasn't in the bassinette!  The transition has been great!  Even when she's crying in the middle or the night or I'm feeding her in your bedroom, you don't wake up.

You love to wrestle/play rough.  If Jon's not home after dinner, I can tell that he needs to release his rough-housing energy because that's when he starts trying to tackle me.

In addition to your wonderful qualities, you possess some that are not-so-nice...some that are quite typical for a two-year-old.  If you're in "a mood", you can be a pain in the butt :).  It's when you're in those moods that you try to do everything possible to annoy Matthew and Kayla.  It's in those moods that you think it's funny to see how many games/puzzles you can dump onto the floor upstairs before I notice (I think it was eight the other day).  And, it's in those moods that you think it's funny to keep coming out of your bedroom during nap/bed time before I notice and put you in the playpen as as time-out.

You are getting really good at your balance bike.  You're not scared to go fast, nor are you scared to lift your feet off the ground so that you can balance while biking.  Even when you fall you get right back on again.

You've also mastered how to do wooden puzzles.  You can easily tell which piece goes where, and know exactly how to turn pieces around to make them fit in.

All-in-all though, you're a fantastic kid.  I often find myself shaking me head (in a good way) after you've done/said something new, and saying, "Only Nathan".  I love that you fit in so well with Matthew and Kayla because you never are jealous of the attention that I give Olivia.  You (seem to) never feel left out...but maybe that's because you just force others to include you :).  I really look forward to this next year, and seeing you mature even more.

Like Father, Like Son

When Jon and I were dating (he was sixteen, I was seventeen), he spent a lot of time at my house.  Because of this, and because he was so young, he very quickly became very comfortable around my family and just became "another kid".  

One evening, Jon thought it would be funny if he pretended to have a difficult time getting his spoon to his mouth when eating chocolate pudding:

This evening, we had chocolate pudding for dessert.   I took one look at Matthew and told Jon to quickly grab the camera and take a picture, because it was a flashback to the above photo.  Like father, like son...although Matthew was actually trying to eat neatly!  When I picked up his bowl to help him get the last bite, I noticed there were piles of pudding stuck to the underside of the bowl.  Only Matthew!

Jolly Jumper & Pajamas

I put Olivia in the Jolly Jumper this afternoon for her very first time.  She did fantastic.  I didn't have to worry about her neck control, and she even got a bounce in.  After fifteen minutes I took her out so that she wouldn't over-tire herself.

And just a picture of the kids right before bed :)

{People say Olivia looks like Matthew...}

Olivia is Two Months Old!

At two months old you weight 13 lb 2 oz.  You are wearing size 1 diapers and comfortably fit into your 3-6 month clothes.

You sure do make life interesting!  As much as you have just fallen into place in our family, you don't let us forget that you are around.  You definitely make your presence known by crying.  And crying some more.  And then a little more.  If (when!) I come and pick you up, your stop instantly.  Because of this, we have nicknamed you, "Princess".  You definitely favour me over anyone else, too.  Luckily for you, I'm very patient (can you believe it?) with your crying and try to comfort you as soon as I can...but, with three other kids, this requires a little bit of patience on your behalf, too.

You know what you like and what you don't, which is why you cry.  There are times when you want to be held, and then there are times when you prefer to lay on the ground and look at your playmat.  There are times when you want your soother and times when you don't.  There are times when you want to be held by someone standing and times when you're fine to be held by someone sitting down.

When you are getting tired, you like to be swaddled tightly.  The swaddling calms you down almost instantly.

You are happiest when you first wake up in the morning.  You typically don't wake up crying, but wake up and smile instantly when I talk to you.

You are ticklish.  Tickling you makes you squirm, but has yet to produce a giggle.

You are a spitter.  It's so disgusting.  I'm currently working through various formulas, one at a time, to see which you spit less with.  Of course, I'm starting out with the cheapest and working my way up.  Please, oh please, like one of these quickly...the more expensive formulas will make a large dent in our bank account!

(I just noticed her hoodie says 'Princess' on it...how fitting!)

You are still loved by all of your siblings.  They are all more than willing to try to quiet you by giving you your soother or your blanket.  Nathan likes to lay on top of you to kiss you, or to just hover his face only inches above yours while kissing you repeatedly.  He means well :)

You have been doing quite well with sleeping at night.  Most evenings it takes a bit of work to get you to sleep, only to have you wake up again after twenty minutes or so.  Once you are asleep though, you are out!  The last three nights you have slept until 7am before requiring a feed, which is quite nice!  If you keep sleeping well then you will be moved out of our bedroom and into a bedroom with Nathan.

You don't have a fixed feeding schedule.  I like for you to eat, be awake, and then sleep, and have this cycle repeat every three hours.  It gets messy when you don't sleep long enough, or if we are doing errands and you sleep too long in your carseat.  Oh well!  I've learned the past couple of weeks that I have about an hour to an hour and a quarter in the mornings after you wake up before you require your first nap.  After that...it's all a guessing game :)

You are extremely strong.  Your head control is fantastic, and you are very good at tummy time, though it's something that I only make you do once or twice a week.  I look forward to introducing you to the jolly jumper in the next few weeks!

Matthew and Kayla are 4.5 Years Old

I don't typically do a half-year entry for Matthew and Kayla, but there are some things about them that I don't want to forget.  They are growing up quickly and before I know it they are going to be heading to Kindergarten.  *tear *tear

Kayla:
- Never forgets anything
"I'm almost forgetting that Grandma bought me princesses for Christmas," she said a week after she helped my mom choose her Christmas gift.

When we were driving through Golden Ears last month I was explaining how we had camped there before with Nicole and Colin.  Kayla pipes up, "No, they didn't come because it was raining."  Right...two years ago we had gone, and then last year they didn't end up coming.

- LOVES princesses.  Her favourites are Rapunzel and Aurora
"Mom, can we go to Disneyland some time?  I think we can only go one time because it pays (costs) a lot."
"Sure, we'll probably go when Olivia is old enough."
"Okay.  I think maybe when we're five we'll go."

- Gets confused between using next year vs. tomorrow
"Mom, next year can I choose my clothes?"
"Next year when you're five?"
"I mean tomorrow..."

- Likes to do things correctly the first time, and always do her best.  On the way to swimming lessons I was warning her to do her best, and she replied, "Mom, I'm not going to do my best, I'm going to do gooder than my best!"

- Likes to whisper to tell secrets to me.
- Squints when she smiles for a picture.
- Dresses and undresses and goes to the bathroom independently.
- Loves Kraft Dinner and Mr. Noodles.
- Loves helping my Dad with whatever chores he's doing outside.  Last month she was pulling onions and carrots out of the garden for him.
- Loves colouring.  She does try to rush through large colouring sheets so she goes out of the lines, but she is able to stay in the lines if she tries.

Matthew:
As we were crossing over the Golden Ears bridge you could see really low clouds.  We had just passed by the train tracks along 96th Avenue, so when Matthew saw the clouds he said, "The train must be close because I can see the steam."

- Is a pain at meal time, complaining that he can't do it himself.  If he's not in a booster seat (ie. at my parents' house) then he's half hanging/laying on the chair.  It's not uncommon for him to take one hour to eat.  Our rule still is that everyone eats everything on their plate, so Matthew is often left at the table by himself while everyone else plays etc.
- Is a very messy eater.  There are always crumbs under his chair and stains on his shirt.
- Loves mashed potatoes or a classic dutch meal of boiled potatoes with a vegetable that can be mixed with gravy into a "prucky".  He eats so fast when I make them.
- Is Super dramatic.  He makes the biggest deal out of the smallest things.  For example, if you ask him to help clean up and then notice he isn't helping so you tell him everyone else will get a treat, he freaks out...but still doesn't help clean up...and then freaks out even more when everyone else gets a treat.
- Is very affectionate.  He likes to run his fingers through my hair or sit with me just after I've gotten mad at him.
- Is still very obsessed with trains, especially Thomas.
- Loves it when he finds something or notices something no one else has: "I have good eyes, Mom!"
- Is very aware that Kayla is bigger than him, but he is completely okay with it because he knows that "boys get bigger than girls when they are older."
- Has a love-hate relationship with Nathan.  They can be the best of friends and the worst of enemies.