Live your Life

 

 

I have been thinking about this video ever since I first watched it last month. It's been circulating around social media so I am sure some of you have seen it, but for those of you who haven't, take three minutes out of your day and really listen to the message. It will make you think twice about your life, where you are going and what you are feeling.

 

 

I think we all need to make sure we are doing something we love every once in awhile. So many of us (including myself) get caught up in the daily grind and time just keeps on passing us by.

 

I wish it were as easy as this video makes it sound to be able to just go out and do whatever makes you happy, but the reality is that we do need SOME money to survive, especially if you have children. Ok, you need A LOT of money.

 

Just because we have bills to pay and mouths to feed, doesn't mean we can't set goals and aim to achieve them.

 

After watching this video with Eric the other night, we had a very in depth conversation about the way our life is going and how we need to make some changes to make our family unit stronger. We have a lot of goals and dreams and although we may not be able to make all of them come true, we are going to do our best to try. You should too. It's time to live your life.

 

 

  

 

Children's Museum

Today, Alex and Evan went on their first field trip to the Flint Children's Museum. My Mom and I were lucky enough to go as well and we all had so much fun. Evan had a ball running from thing to thing and I was pleasantly surprised at how many things Alex enjoyed as well. Afterward, we went to the mall (Evan's favorite place) and had some lunch and walked around. It was a nice day for all of us. Here are some pictures of the boys exploring at the Museum!

Stir Crazy!

March has been a weird month for us. Evan and I have been sick since March 1^st which has caused a lot of crabbiness between the two of us. Now, poor Alex is getting it and Eric has had it this past week as well. I think we are all at a point where we are ready for spring to officially be here. Today is technically the first official day of spring according to the calendar, but here in Michigan it looks and feels like the first day of winter. It is cold, blustery and snowy.

On top of being sick, the boys started preschool on March 7^th and it’s been going pretty well. I haven’t gotten any bad notes sent home, so it must be going well. I think their biggest adjustment is not getting a nap since their class is from 12:30-3:35pm. The bus comes and picks them up and drops them off, so that is exciting for them. The first day was hard for me, but now I view the break as a good thing between us. Friday we are going on their first Field Trip to the Flint Children's Museum. I am really looking forward to it!

Alex has been out of therapy for the month because of insurance delays. I was hoping that it would only last half the month, but due to people slacking off in the process, we are stuck for the month and probably won’t begin again until April now. I don’t like him having the break even though for him he could probably use the time off. His four month stint at Euro-Peds was busy for him and although I feel he should keep going going going, I am sure his little body could use a rest. I have been trying to do my best to work with him throughout the day, but I will admit it is very hard for me because I am not a Physical Therapist. When I watch his PT’s work with him, they make it look so easy and I struggle, I am not going to lie.

So with the cold weather lingering, not getting out as much and being stuck in the house is making us all a little stir crazy! The kids get bored so easily and with us being sick, we haven’t been able to have play dates. I wish I had someone to walk the mall with. At least it would give me the opportunity to talk with someone. I get tired of the mall because we just walk the circle and come home.

In the coming weeks, I am hoping for some warmer weather. I am ready to buy my park pass and get some walking in. I need the exercise and the fresh air. I know it will all do us some good.

34

Today as I turn 34, I sit here wondering “How in the world did I get here so fast?”

I have been driving for 18 years, out of High School for 16, together with my husband for 12, married for 6 and I have been a mom for 2 years, 7 months and 18 days to beautiful twin boys. Looking back, my twenties went by SUPER slow. In those ten years, I traveled the country, met my husband, moved out on my own, got married, bought a house and made a lot of wonderful memories. I am pretty happy with what I did with those ten years of my life.

So here I am four years into my thirties and it seems like I was celebrating my 30^th birthday yesterday. In thinking of what I have accomplished so far in these four years the only thing that I can think of is becoming a mommy to twin boys. That is one of the greatest things to experience in life but you don’t realize just how much your world revolves around your children and how fast the time flies. I am also realizing that I need to do more with myself, more with my life.

I love my children and they are my world, but I have let it consume who I am and control all that I do. I think a lot of that comes with being a stay at home mom. We have made a lot of good memories in the two years but I want more. More for me, more for my family. I don’t want to look back in another four years and wonder what happened to the time. I need to do more and make more out of these days that are passing by. It seems like we just celebrated the New Year and here we are into March already. I feel like if I blink, Halloween will be here again.

My boys are getting older by the minute and they are growing up so fast. I don’t want to waste anymore time. I want to capture as many memories and have as many experiences as we can and look back in 4, 8 or even 12 years with no regrets.

Here’s to hoping that this year will “slow down” a bit so I can truly enjoy being “34”.

Euro-Peds Comes to an End

Today was Alex’s last day at Euro-Peds. He started back on November 7, 2012 and was supposed to be done at the end of January, but they extended his program an extra month because of how well he was doing. (I also think the girls couldn’t handle saying good-bye to his super cuteness!)

Back in October when he had his evaluation he couldn’t sit for more than 30 seconds tops. Now, he can sit for up to an hour at home on the floor playing with his toys or while watching TV – sometimes longer.

I had two goals for him when he entered the program. 1. To be able to sit on his own and 2. To be able to get into the sitting position from lying on the floor. He fulfilled one of those goals and I couldn’t be happier.

You may not realize how important your core muscles are. You need them to be strong in order to do so many things such as sitting, balancing, getting into a sitting position, standing up from a sitting position, walking, crawling and so many more. If Alex had strength in his core then he would be able to do so many of these things. That is why I am not surprised that he cannot YET get into the sitting position because of how long it has taken him to just sit on his own. I believe some day he will though.

When I look at him sitting on his own, it warms my heart. I think I smile every time I look downstairs from the kitchen and see his little body sitting up, balancing and playing with his toys. He has no idea how proud we are of him.

He has begun to tolerate four point. It is a very hard position for him (all fours) because it requires a lot of upper body strength and with his high tone through his arms it’s hard for him to control it. He does better if he is on a ball but over time I am sure he will be able to do it on the floor.

The program in my eyes was a success. It came at the perfect time since my regular PT was leaving on maternity leave for three months. I am very grateful we were able to attend the program instead of missing out on PT for three months.  We plan on going back in the fall for another three month stint. Right now there are 100 people on the wait list! That is insane, but the program is one of a kind and I would recommend it to anyone out there who receives Physical Therapy for a disability.

We will be returning to our regular PT sessions in a week or so. Alex went for his evaluation last week and Kate was pretty impressed with Alex’s progress. She loved his sitting, made him show her four point and when she put him in the gait trainer he took off!! She couldn’t believe her eyes! I am looking forward to going back. She is very good at what she does.

He had the BEST day today. He was laughing so hard when he was walking in his gait trainer (which he did twice) and he also rode his bike which he can now pedal on his own while stopping for some breaks. He got an award for completing the program, a T-shirt to sport around this summer and a bowling set! He had a crowd around him and he was hamming it up as usual. He left a lasting impression for sure.

His Completion Award!



Walking in the Gait Trainer

Riding the Bike



With Karla and Emily

 



Alex couldn't do this before Euro-Peds!

 

 

One on One for Two

As a parent you want nothing but the best for your children and you want nothing more than for them to succeed. I have plenty to keep me busy when it comes to Alex but that doesn’t mean Evan should be left in the dark.

Recently I have been noticing some jealousy issues with Evan. I know I spend a lot of one on one time with Alex because of his mobility issues and up until recently, his inability to sit on his own for long periods of time. Evan has always been really good about keeping himself busy and playing well on his own, but I am seeing more and more that he is craving my attention. I am now wondering if some of that is attributing to some of his behavior issues.

When I take Alex to therapy Evan is usually left with one of his Grandmas. This is good for him because he is not sitting at therapy bored out of his mind and it is a great opportunity to spend time with his Grandmas and get the one on one time he needs. He really enjoys his time with them and when Alex comes back into the picture Evan tries to claim Grandma as his. Jealousy issue #1.

Just the other day, Evan woke up from his nap before Alex (which is rare) so he came down into the family room and began playing with his blocks. I got down on the floor with him and he played so well, he didn’t act up and was my sweet little boy. I left for a few minutes to get Alex up and brought him down to the family room where we cuddled for a few minutes so he could wake up. Evan began throwing his blocks all over the room and whining. He had such an angry little look on his face and I knew in an instant that he was upset that Alex was now in the room. Jealousy issue #2.

Evan has been throwing tantrums now for about a year and not all of them are jealousy related, but I am now recognizing the ones that are. I guess I didn’t realize just how much he needs me. I am home all day with them and I thought my presence could be enough at times but now I am seeing it's not. Evan has always been so independent and I guess I took advantage of that thinking this whole time that things were ok when clearly they aren’t.

I don’t neglect Evan by any means, but I need to make it a point to spend more one on one time with him. I have included Alex in the past, but now that he is sitting so much better on his own, it’s ok to leave him be with his station of toys while I focus a little more of my attention on Evan. Hopefully that will cut down on the whining and throwing of toys. I know it won’t relieve me of the tantrums all together but it may be good for both of us in the long run.

 

Evan has had some speech delays so his communication isn't always clear which can be frustrating for both of us. We have been working with a Speech Therapist through the school and he is coming along very well and I think things are progressing nicely. He tries to communicate with me and even though it’s not clear, I understand what he wants for the most part.

My emotions are tested everyday; whether it be the whining, crying, tantrums, not listening or lack of communication, the stress is present and I need to do my best to be patient and take everything in stride. I didn’t realize that when you become a parent you never stop learning how to do your job. I am Alex and Evan’s mother, mentor and teacher for the rest of my life and it’s important that I take a minute to assess the situation at hand. I am not perfect, but there's nothing wrong with wanting to be a great mother and do everything in my power to make them happy. This is just one of many fazes in life and it will all come together in time.

Evan and Alex February 2013
 

A Little Ball of Fire

That is what Alex's PT referred to him as this past week when he was unstoppable at therapy. He was doing everything from four point, to using his right hand, walking in the gait trainer and riding the bike. All of these things were done in the course of an hour and I am sure he would have kept going if his time wasn't up.

Four Point is Alex's least favorite position. He is on all fours bearing weight through his arms which is a hard task for him, but it is something he needs to learn in order to keep growing. He has learned to enjoy it more on a ball, but the floor or a mat is a little bit harder. He is getting there, he just has to keep practicing.

Alex's dominiant arm and hand are his left, but if that is restricted he is forced to use his right hand or do nothing. There was a time when he would do just that....nothing. He would sit there and wait for someone to help him, but as time has gone on, he has made more of an effort to open his right hand and use it to obtain certain objects. I am sure he will be casted again when we get back into OT. It proves to be somewhat effective for him.

Alex seemed to be getting bored of the gait trainer in his therapy sessions, so he took a week off from it and went back to it on Wednesday. I don't know if it was because he was on a roll or if the Botox injections helped, but he took of and was done walking his route in half the time as he normally is. It usally takes him 15-20 minutes to complete the course which leads him to the waiting room to meet me. On Wednesday, he made it in 7-10 minutes, so they turned him around and put him in the bike to finish out his session.

Normally on the bike his PT will guide him and push him along so he is feeling the rotation in his legs, but he isn't actually pushing the pedals himself. On Wednesday for the first time, he pedaled four revolutions on his own!!! I couldn't believe it when she told me. This boy never ceases to amaze me. He truly is a remarkable little man and my little ball of fire.