FFF: Karis' Recent Therapy

Here are some things we've been working on in therapy lately:

 

Learning to stack blocks into a tower

Chewing on "hard munchables" like raw carrot sticks
(this strengthens Karis' jaw muscles and gives her practice biting)

Working on standing, and especially transitioning to standing
(as mentioned here)

Wearing kinesio tape on belly & back

(this reminds her muscles to work and helps support them similar to a girdle... our PT applies it on Thurs and we remove it around Mon or Tues so her skin has time to breathe before it is re-applied on Thurs.  It can be tricky to remove, but we think it is worth it!)

Karis has also been working hard at learning how to use her spoon.  This is a special spoon that our OT ordered for her, and she just loves using it!  It has a slightly curved handle and is on the smaller side of spoons since her hands and mouth are still petite. We typically support her elbow and lightly hold her hand to help guide it; however, just last week she began showing some increased coordination, which our OT and I were both so excited about:

We've also been working a ton on talking/verbalizing, and Karis is now quite the little chatterbox!  Her main sounds are "ba" "da" "aaah" and lots of yells.  ;)  Our ST (the one who comes to our home to work on the talking side of speech therapy) told us a few weeks ago that she wanted us to begin making Karis verbalize something before receiving a bite of food for mealtime (this was to capitalize on her fondness of eating).  Prior to this, Karis had been using sign language very well before bites (bringing her hand to her mouth for "eat" or "drink"), so our ST knew she understood how to communicate the idea of wanting a bite or drink.  I worked on verbalizing with Karis for a few weeks but had a difficult time getting her to make any sounds except yells.  Then, what do you know, but I was out of the house for a day helping some friends as they delivered their first baby, and Daddy took care of both kids... sure enough, after just a few meals with him, Karis was verbalizing before bites!  Our ST was so pleased the next time she stopped by!  These days when I say "Karis, do you want a bite?" there is a quick "ba, ba, ba" response and an open mouth (she doesn't even mess with signing anymore).  So now we are working on verbalizing before other things as well like when she wants a toy or wants to be picked up, etc. and we are also working on increasing the types of sounds she is saying.  The only challenge with this new development has been our level of noise during our church service.  We used to sit at the back and slowly eat through a bowl of cheerios.  Each time Karis was ready for a bite, she would sign "eat" quietly, and I'd give her another bite.  Now, instead of signing, she says "ba, ba, ba" in a not so quiet tone.... let's just say Mama's getting quick and we are working on learning the word "wait" as well.  ;) 

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Enoch's 1st Football Game

Daddy and Enoch got to enjoy a Mississippi State football game a few weeks back thanks to some thoughtful friends of ours.  It was Enoch's first football game ever and Hugh's first MS State game, so they were both pretty excited! 

The game began around 6:30, but we weren't real sure how long Enoch would last since he has an early bedtime and isn't usually a big fan of loud noises, so the boys went early to watch the team warm up and then stayed for the entire first quarter.  They enjoyed a funnel cake and some lemonade along with some beautiful weather.  I think the picture below summarizes their feelings quite well... they both had fun but it was a little on the loud side.  ;) 

When they returned home, Enoch was talking non-stop about the game.  I got a little bit of it on video just because I thought it was funny what all things he remembered.  Hopefully you'll be able to understand his excited talking! {You'll hear him talk about the crowd saying "woo," going home, white things on their hats, little flags on the grass, playing football again and again, ringing his bell, not wanting to ring his bell, white funnel cake with crumbs, the stadium, the crowd saying woo (which he didn't like), and matching Daddy a little bit.}

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FFF: Karis Learning to Stand/Pull Up

Our big girl has been working on her standing skills for the past few months now.  Our PT (Physical Therapist) was so sweet to offer for us to bring home one of her standing frames (below) back in September for Karis to practice standing in.  The frame provides support around her torso, hips, and shins/ankles so that she can maintain the correct position for standing longer than if we were just holding her up.  She began at 12 minutes twice per day, and now she can easily do 30 minutes twice per day (which was the goal).  The standing frame really helped strengthen her muscles and prepare her body for standing, so that now she can stand without the frame for 20-30 minutes at a time! 

As you can see in this animated image, Karis really liked knocking over Enoch's block towers he would build for her.  It was a great source of entertainment during that stage of standing workouts.

Now that Karis has some stamina and strength, she is able to stand against our coffee table.  She doesn't yet have fear of falling over, so she doesn't always hold on, but she will put her little hands up on the edge of the table to stabilize herself when she wants to pull up or sit back down.  Since she has ultra flexible joints, she needs to wear her little high-top shoes when she stands (to protect her ankles and feet), and since we put those on every single time that we stand, those shoes have become her cue for standing.  She will stand without them, but she doesn't yet realize that she can pull up without them on, so she typically only pulls up on the table when her shoes are on and I'm helping her.

Below is a video of her standing by the table.  Usually I put some toys on the table and have Enoch play on the other side, both of which provide enough incentive for her to stand for 30 minutes or so at a time.  As you can see in the video (hopefully), she is very good at pulling up from a bench seat (my leg is serving as a bench in the video) and also at sitting back down onto the bench.  We are working right now on the transition up from the floor, and that is much harder, especially with those shoes on because they get all caught up on the floor and her clothes, not to mention that it's straight up just more work.  So she doesn't like that practice as much, but she's a trouper and tolerates it for at least a little while.  Our PT is also very helpful in learning how to correctly teach her those transitions, so I'm (yet again) thankful to have her assistance!

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Baby #3 is Coming!

For some reason, I guess chasing around and caring for two kiddos has been keeping us busy, because this is the first picture of our pregnancy with baby #3... and I'm already 32 weeks pregnant!  :/  oops!!!  Better late than never though, right?  (And how amazing that both kids were actually looking at the camera at the same time!!) 

So far this pregnancy has been similar to my others with no major complications (praise God!!).   At the beginning I had some slight nausea (what I'd call food aversions) and my belly pooched out much sooner than with Enoch (which is expected).   I'm also carrying this baby very low, and I feel like my body is much looser than normal which has called for more soaks in the tub before bed to ease my achy muscles.  Enoch understands that there is a baby in my belly much better this time around, and he even likes to talk to her and give her kisses.  We've been praying for a safe birth during our family prayer time, and that is often his prayer request now, that God would give baby a safe birth.  (Isn't that too sweet???)  Karis has no idea what's going on, but I'm pretty sure she doesn't like the fact that my growing belly is limiting her space in mama's lap.  ;) 

As for gender, this little one is supposed to be another girl!  We are very excited about that, and have named her already, though we are still deciding on how to spell her name (sorry if I told you we knew the spelling... we keep going back and forth!!).  The pronunciation is like this though:  "Ah-lay-thee-uh" with the emphasis on "lay."  It means "truth" in Greek, which is the language that the New Testament is written in.  (Hugh chose it before we were even pregnant, which I think is sweet.)  I'm including the verse her name comes from below our picture... it also includes "grace," which is where we got Karis from, so both sisters are actually in this verse.   Her middle name will be Ruth, which means "friend." 

"And the Word [Jesus] became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth."
(John 1:14)

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Running with the Chickens

Our three chickens are the most curious creatures... they just always love to know what we are doing and typically follow us up and down their fence when we are outside playing.  Enoch really likes the extra attention, especially when they run with him.  Here's a video:

Some photos of the running action

Feeding them some corn as a reward

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FFF: Sharing Some Ice Cream

We love going to Chick Fil A for lunch, especially on cold winter days because they have an indoor playarea!!  After we're all done eating, Enoch gets to choose between keeping his book (from the kid's meal) or exchanging it for a small cup of ice cream.  I'd guess that 75% of the time he goes for the ice cream, and I don't blame him because they have some delicious, creamy ice cream at CFA!  Anyway, he has learned how to walk up to the counter and ask to "pwease twade my book for an ice-kweem cup,"  which he then patiently waits for.  The one thing we are still working on learning is how to wait to eat it until we are back to the table... he always tries to sneak a few licks while walking, which often makes him bump into people and chairs, but oh well..  ;)  And because he really likes feeding Karis, he will also usually share with her once we get back to the table, which she just loves!  

Karis, enjoying her brother's generosity

Enoch, thinking about how he's so glad he traded in his book for some ice cold sweet stuff that melts in his hungry little mouth

And a video of him sharing with her..  this is a long one, but it's pretty funny near the end... and I think Karis licking her lips as she prepares for the next bite is just too cute!  Enjoy!

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Feeding the ducks

We went for a walk around one of the lakes on campus early last week while it was still warm to enjoy the weather and stretch our legs a little.  While we were there, we also fed the ducks!

 These 3 ducks are always around, checking to see if any of the walkers have treats for them.  They're probably quite spoiled ducks by now, but it makes for some fun for the kids, so we give in almost every time we come by feeding them just a little something.

And this is the walking trail they put around the lake.  It's a beautiful mile loop, but we didn't have enough time to finish the whole thing last week, so we just did a small section.

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FFF: Fun Fall Day Out Back

We had such a nice fall day outside last weekend (especially compared with this week's winter blast)!  We spent the morning and afternoon outside playing, raking, and enjoying some family time.  Here are some photos and a video:

Daddy and Karis chasing Enoch (she just LOVES this!!)

Enoch playing in Daddy's leaf piles

Daddy & Karis enjoying the leaves too

Karis deciding which leaf to eat first

Boys being boys and wrestling in the leaf pile

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Autumn Books We're Loving (for a 3 year old)

We've returned to our habit of reading almost daily now, which has warranted quite a few trips to the library lately.  Because our leaves down here are just beginning to change colors and fall, we've been scouring the library's shelves for good books about Autumn.  I just wanted to share a few of the ones we've been enjoying that I think are appropriate for a 3 year old:

• Every Autumn Comes the Bear  (Jim Arnosky)  {this is my favorite because of the beautiful pictures}
• Count Down To Fall (Fran Hawk) {this one also has great photos and teaches about tree leaves}
• Clifford's First Autumn  (Norman Bridwell)
• I Know It's Autumn (Eileen Spinelli)
• I am a Bunny  (Richard Scarry)  {this one actually covers all of the seasons}

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FFF: Karis Eating

Just a quick video of Karis eating some grapes from around a month ago.  The first sign she learned was "eat," and she is now quite proficient at saying it when she wants another bite!  In the video, she also uses her raking grasp to pick up grapes.  This has made meal time so much easier since I can just put food out on her tray and she eats independently, though I do still have to limit how much I put out at a time because she is like a greedy little vacuum - always trying to suck up however much she can as fast as humanly possible.  ;)


We are working toward a pincer grasp these days (using thumb and pointer finger only), but she will only try that if we are very careful about how we give her each bite. 

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Enoch can... put on jeans!

One of Enoch's newest accomplishments is putting on his jeans by himself.  We've been working on it for a few weeks now, and as long as the jeans aren't too tight on him, he is pretty reliable about being able to put them on independently.  I thought I'd post a video of my Little Man practicing with us girls a few days ago.  (Karis' little laughs in the background are also fairly typical of how she interacts with Enoch when she is around him these days... she thinks he is just too funny & exciting, and she loves to watch him, laugh at him, and reach for him.... and he certainly doesn't mind the extra attention from his admiring audience!)

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FFF: The past two weeks in photos

The past two weeks have been full and fun.  Not too much out of the ordinary happened, but the sweetness of time together and simplicity has been good.  Here are some photos:

Checking out our flashlights in our emergency kit after a big storm came through 2 weeks ago.  Enoch enjoyed the headlamp and was sad to see it get packed away again!

 And my shaggy Little Man finally got his long over-due haircut!  It was so hard for me to take the scissors to those sweet curls, but it was time.  He got to watch a movie about a sled dog while I cut his hair, and he really enjoyed it.  He recounted the story to anyone who would listen for days.  ;)

 

Enoch has also begun reading to Karis recently.  Sometimes it's too rowdy to be helpful or safe, but the past few times have been really sweet and he actually points to the pictures when he tells her the words.  I love to catch little moments like these (both in photos and by praising my helper who showed love to his sister).  

Karis and Enoch have begun playing back and forth while they wait to eat by laughing really loud to one another - first one, then the other, and then repeat.  This is Karis in the middle of one of her loud belly laughs.  :)

Enoch got to play in the play area at Chick Fil A last week as an end of the week treat since we had stayed home and worked on some of Mama's projects/cared for a sick sister all week. 

And last weekend, Hugh took the kids to a high school robotics competition that was being held on campus.  As you can imagine, Enoch had a lot to say about that afterwards!  

And I couldn't help but snap this pic of sweet Karis waiting in line for her turn in the shower.   These days Hugh lets both kids shower with him a few times per week.  Enoch loves playing in there with his bucket of toys, and Karis enjoys it these days as well, though she only stays in long enough to get clean at this point.

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FFF: Karis Grace 12-16 months

Here is a much over-due update on my sweet Karis Grace.  As I type, she's about to be 17 months, so this update is covering from around the 12 month mark to the 16 month mark... and a lot has happened in this little one's life!!

Eating- Karis is doing a great job eating table food these days.  She eats 3 meals per day with an additional afternoon snack on most days.  At each meal/snack, she gets a cup of milk, which she is doing well with (though we still hold it for her when she drinks).  Her breakfast is usually cut up pieces of fruit (grapes, strawberries, peaches, etc.); lunch is typically cooked veggies, also cut up (peas, carrots, green beans, etc.); and dinner is almost always black beans and sometimes a little dessert.  Snack often consists of yogurt or graham crackers or cheerios.  She was really struggling with constipation a few months back, but the black beans (and also maybe the yogurt, which promotes good gut health) have pretty much fixed that issue.  So far there isn't much that Karis doesn't like to eat.  As she gets more teeth, we'll continue expanding her diet.  (And I'll note that she is also officially weaned, which happened without much fuss when she was about 16 months old.)

 chomping on a carrot while Mama preps for dinner

Sleeping-  Sweet Girl typically gets 2 naps per day, one starting around 9:30 and the other starting around 2.  Neither are especially long yet (45-75 min on average), but she has learned to play contentedly in her crib after the morning nap and sometimes after the afternoon one as well.  Bedtime is usually around 6:30 or 7, and she wakes up around 7 or 7:30 in the morning (though she often plays and talks in her crib until 8 when I have breakfast on the table).  We've recently had to re-sleep-train her, as she had become quite accustomed to being rocked to sleep.  Now our nap/bed time routine is to change her diaper, turn on her fan, read a story, and sing a few lines of 'Amazing Grace' to her before laying her down awake in her crib.  This has been going well, and she is consistently able to fall asleep by herself (unless something crazy happens like a poopy or one of her limbs getting caught between the crib slats).  However, just this month we've realized that she is quite confident that ONLY mama can perform said routine, and no one else will do.  So we are (again) re-sleep-training her a bit so that daddy can also put her to bed. 

 

Sleeping in the big crib now that Enoch has a big boy bed!

Size- These days Karis fits into 12-18 month clothes.  (Her legs are long, needing a 18 mos size in pants, but her waist is small, needing more like a 9 mos size...)  She wears a size 3 or 4 in shoes, and she's about to jump to a size 4 in diapers.  She technically lost a few pounds around the 12 month mark, but we've been diligently adding them back on with all that food she's now consuming.  At her 15 month doctor check up, she weighed 17.5 pounds and was 28.5 inches tall (both hitting around the 25th - 30th percentiles on her charts).

Playing-  Karis' number one choice when it comes to playing is still Enoch.  She can't get enough of the boy!  When they're both awake, playing usually consists of them sitting together in the floor and entertaining one another (my main job is keeping them nice and gentle).  Sometimes he even reads to her, which she thinks is just grand. :-D  When Enoch is napping, I have mama-Karis time for 1-2 hours.  On any given day, we play a little, do some at-home therapy, and sometimes a few of my chores.   Karis is not quite able to entertain herself when Enoch isn't around, but I think that skill will come soon, especially as she learns how to interact with her toys more.  Speaking of toys, these days Karis is more interested in her toys, specifically ones she can pick up and throw.  ;)  Her favorite toys right now are blocks, rings from a ring stacker, Enoch's Thomas trains, and board books.  She also loves being tickled, and she really enjoys one on one attention from Mama or Daddy. 

 

 Enoch & Karis playing together while Mama cleans the kitchen.

Developmental Milestones-   Here are a few notable milestones:

• scooting around in circles or backward on her bottom
• standing a little (we practice standing everyday, twice a day with a standing frame that our PT is allowing us to borrow.  It basically gives her enough support to allow her to stand 20 min without getting too tired.  Our goal is 30 minutes.)
• pushing up from laying on her back, onto her side, and then into sitting
• giving kisses and hugs
• giving toys to people when asked to "give"
• putting toys into a container/bucket when asked to "put in"
• turning pages in a board book when asked to "turn the page"
• learning to touch animal pictures in a book when asked to "touch doggie" and then showed where doggie is
• throwing toys (she has moved out of the mouthing stage mostly, and is now very interested in throwing anything that is given to her... just another stage for our OT to be patient with.  ha!)
• learning to use a spoon with her yogurt (this is something our OT is working on with her because it involves fine motor skills)
• using a straw cup (our old speech therapist helped us a ton with this, and we still see her every once in awhile when I have questions about feeding)

Karis wore her eye patch everyday for 3 months, but the doctor told us at the end of Sept that she can stop wearing it because her weak eye is stronger now and is working as it should be with only her glasses.  :)

therapy tape to engage and support her ab muscles

Current Therapy-  We took the month of August off from therapy in part for a break to our schedule, and in part because Karis had begun forming the bad habit of wailing whenever she was forced to work at therapy... and she would continue wailing until the work stopped.  I was concerned that she might learn the lesson that crying = no more work, so we withdrew from therapy for one month and practiced the "no ma'am" command a lot at home while we were working with her.  Thankfully she learned the command and has pretty much come out of that phase (though she does still cry when quadraped happens).  When we started the new Fall schedule for therapy, we decided to drop down to one OT session every other week and one PT session every other week (they alternate weeks, so we go to therapy once per week now).  And we found an amazing speech therapist (to work on speaking, because our other speech therapist mainly handles feeding) who comes to our home once every other week now also.  She has honestly been such a blessing and has seen such good progress from Karis.


Extra pictures-

11 months - smiling after getting a clean diaper

12 months - enjoying her birthday cake

14 months - celebrating Cow Appreciation Day

15 months - cheering on Enoch as he uses the potty

16 months - heading to the eye doc with Mama

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