Gearing up for Christmas.

It's been a good 6 weeks since our last update, but I suppose that's because there hasn't been a whole heckuva lot of news to share.

Eva is very slowly adding words to her repertoire. The problem we're having is getting her to actually use the words and respond to ours. You know...the same problem we've been having since day one. I guess the silver lining is that now, when she actually does decide to talk, we can actually understand a little bit of it.

We usually lay her down at night with a sippy cup of juice, and about an hour after laying her down we go in to retrieve the sippy cup and check on her. Last week, when we went to get the sippy cup we found her asleep on her bed, stark naked! On the floor we found her pajamas, a diaper (a pull-up) with a small pile of poop in it, and about 50 wipes. Apparently she was uncomfortable with the dirty diaper so she took it off and attempted to wipe herself. We took this as a sure sign that it just may be time to potty train her!

Earlier tonight when I went in to check on her and get the sippy cup she was awake on her back unzipping her pajamas. The strong smell of poop overwhelmed me, so I obviously had to change her diaper. I asked her, "Did you poo poo?" and she responded with, "Poo poo." Followed with, "diaper." I guess the next step for her would be to volunteer that info rather than waiting for us to ask her. Next week, when Christmas break starts and we're all at home we're going to work hard to potty train her and hope for the best.

On a different note Eva and Mollie are starting to interact more....in the form of fighting! It's actually pretty funny. Eva will have a toy that Mollie wants to play with, so Mollie will walk over to Eva and hold our her hand asking for the toy (she seldom snatches the toy away). Eva then willingly gives her the toy, but then breaks down crying saying, "No! No! No! Mine!"Of course Eva is strong enough to simply take it back, but I don't think she realizes it.

Eva is also finally recognizing that she has her own Elf on a Shelf...now that it's her third Christmas with him. We decided to call him Leroy...not sure where that name came from! Because Eva can't comprehend the story and that she's not supposed to touch Leroy we have to be sure to keep him out of reach during the day. He's usually hanging from a light fixture, sitting on a shelf, or something similar. She won't initiate the hunt for Leroy, and if we don't bring it up she'll go the entire day or days not giving him a second thought. However, the instant we ask, "Hey Eva. Where's Leroy?" she will start saying "Leeeeeeeeerrroyyyyy" (she tends to really draw out her words!) and walk around the house looking up until she finds him. She then stands looking at him for several seconds saying, "Leeerroyy! Leroy!"

She's also recognizing Santa Clause, but it still a little hesitant to go up to him. Trace Crossings had a Santa visit the preschool program for pictures last week. Eva wouldn't sit in his lap, but she at least stood next to him. We're still waiting for the pictures, but as soon as they get here we'll post them.

We'll try to remember to update a little more frequently!

Pumpkin Patch

We have a wonderful, yet cool afternoon at the Clanton Pumpkin Patch today. We met up with some old friends and made some new friends too from Charlotte and Jason's new church. We rode the Twactor Twain and Hayride out to the pumpkin patch to find out Halloween pumpkin to carve. After the pumpkin patch we all gathered at the Harley's home for chili, gumbo, cheese biscuits, and sweets. A perfect way to spend a Saturdqy evening.

Eva Kate actually played with some of the other children there tonight which is always so exciting to see.

Family Photos Tomorrow and a Busted Chin

I was monogramming EK a shirt tonight at Mom's and heard a scream. I ran down stairs to greet Toddler Dracula! Blood dripping out of her mouth and off her chin. She must have been climbing on something and fell- in the process biting her tongue and scraping her chin. Ahhhh! Hope our sweet photographer has some mad photo shopping skills.

Few more photos from our trip to Gatlinburg

Great Trip to Gatlinburg

We are finally home and settling down after a 5 day trip to the Smokies. It was a great fall get-away. Eva Kate had a blast. She saw and did so many fun things: like spend time with her cousins, family friends from Georgia, went to Ober Gatlinburg to "kiddie land", saw black bears, river otters, went to Ripley's aquarium, explored nature, and much more.

She only had a handful of melt downs with sharing toys with her cousins and ending fun outings that she was really into. Overall she travelled well, ate well, slept great (because she got to sleep with Mommy and Daddy (:), and behaved pretty well. We heard her say many new two word phrases over the trip too. My favorite was when she called the mountains "Big Dinosaurs". She would repeat "Look Big Diosoars" over and over. Too cute!

We have a big week ahead. We meet with our new pediatrician this week to see what recommendations he has for the next step in getting EK evaluated by a pediatric neurologist. I'm anxious but ready to go to the next step in getting her the evaluations and help she needs.

Big Changes for Mommy

Well since I posted last we have had quite a few changes. I resigned from the Birth Suites as a mother baby nurse after 7 1/2 years. It was such a hard decision to make, but one that I hope to be happy with for EK's sake. I am still going to work PRN for Wellness services and teach prenatal classes. The hours are just much better for me with EK in a 5 day a week special needs program from 7:30-10:45. We are paying quite a lot for her after care on T, W, and Th, just so I could work on the Birth Suites a few days a month.

We have really liked her new MDO (after care) but have recently been told that EK doesn't get to participate in many of the "extra" activities because she gets over stimulated. This maybe true, but I would like to know that she gets to have music time, gymnastics, dance, sports, Spanish, and chapel like her typical peers, especially since I am paying $350+ a month. I am going to have a meeting with her teachers on Tuesday to hopefully see just what she is included in and find out what her behavior is like at MDO.

On Thursday I picked EK up from MDO at 4:30 and she her other late care friends were having a snack. Four of the other children were eating together at one table and EK was at another table eating her snack alone. The late care teacher said "Eva Kate eats her snack by herself because she doesn't do well eating with the other children." What does this mean? This broke my heart for her. She looked so lonely. My thought was... Does she really not do well with them or is she just a little different or more squirky than they are? These things I am interested in knowing. I do not want EK to be a burden to her teachers and be distracting to her peers. I know she is different, butI wanted her to be involved with normal peers for a few hours each week to hopefully see how other 3 years are suppose to act. If she is being held out of the fun activities to play alone in a nursery how will she ever learn and hopefully mimic normal three year old behaviors?

Sometimes I ask "Why EK?" She is so beautiful, smart, and sweet. Why does my 3 year old have to have this disability where she rarely speaks and appears "strange" to outsiders? My prayer is for her to eventually be able to fit in and be understood by people other than Paul and me. Please continue to lift her in your prayers and us too! Sometimes I feel so beat down and like a failure. I often wonder what did I do to cause this? I know I didn't make her autistic, but sometimes I wish I knew what caused this horrible thing to happen to my precious little girl.

LC

Liking the new bed!

Well... We are going on night 5 in the big girl bed!  She is now loving the new bed and has no problem going right to sleep.  I guess there were just too many changes Monday night.  My mom ordered her this cute quilt from JCPenny and we have had a good time this week finding shams and sheets to coordinate with the new bed quilt.  I think EK's face says it all in this photo.  Mom and Nana (EK's great grandmother) came over for dinner tonight and to help get her new/updated room put together.  After it was all done EK kept running to my mom giving her lots of giggles and big bear hugs... as if to say "Thanks Grandmommy".  It was so precious. 

EK also had a great visit last night and thismorning with her KK at the lake house.  She loves her KK to pieces.  Last night when we arrived at the lake she ran to the back door and knocked and said "Halo KK" with this little southern twang.  We are starting to see EK put together 2-3 word phrases more and more.  She also is having more appropriate pretend play each day.  Today she and her daddy were playing with Mrs. Potato Head and then Eva Kate started putting the facial parts on her own face and Paul's face.  I captured this funny moment with a photo.

LC