Brody has improved a lot in the past year. There are still so many health issues that we are working to figure out but I'm happy we've only had a couple of ER and hospital stays. I think one of the biggest improvements is how he uses his vision. You would never know that he is legally blind unless you were told. We've been very diligent in patching his eye every day for 4 hours since March and I hope the doctor gives us good news about his right eye next month. His vocabulary has always been the best out of the three and it's continued to expand. His memory is really good which is a huge blessing! Several months ago, Ricky's friend from work came over very briefly during Ricky's lunch break. They didn't know him and really didn't see him very much in the short time frame. Brody still will tell you in detail the man's name, about his truck, and that he came over. He is starting to get an opinion with his sisters but it's a loss cause with those girls. He is the best eater and will eat anything and everything. We still have to limit his food and drink intake. By limit that means we have to make sure he only receives a normal portion of food and drink since he will eat and drink until he is throwing up or unable to breathe. With all the eating, you would think he would be growing like a weed but unfortunately he isn't growing at all. He actually hasn't grown in over 2 years. We are currently working with a new GI doctor and have done a lot of test in the past month. We hope to have a good game plan when he goes back to see the GI next month. Due to his growth issues, Neurology that handles his brain damage, can't try medications they think could really help the static he has in processing. I feel like the major players in his care are finally getting on the same page to come up with a plan but I don't feel we are there yet. We also have to see Genetics for him this year to see if he has a certain gene problem causing the extreme hunger and thirst problems. He will actually cry when you tell him he is all done with his food and water. It's not the funnest part about being his parents. He still isn't potty trained and isn't anywhere near understanding. A lot of it we are told, is due to his sensory issues and brain processing. He does understand that big boys go potty in the toilet and that babies wear diapers. I'm not sure at what point he will be potty trained but we really hope very soon for not only our sake but mainly for him. It's socially unacceptable to be 4 in poop and pee your pants and I personally worry about him being able to fit in with his peers. He will test your limits! He does this more with Ricky. He actually will tell Ricky "no" when told to do things but doesn't dare do that to me. Mom means business! He is such a sweet little boy, probably the sweetest boy I've ever known and I don't just say that because he is mine. He is kind, considerate, easy to play with, laid back, and well mannered. When I get dressed up he goes on and on about how pretty I look and how my hair is pretty, my clothes, my shoes, and how good I smell. He says Truette is so sweet and so pretty. He often will say, "Mom, she is so pretty!" in his little man voice. Speaking of that little man voice, I LOVE it! He talks so deep and now he is starting to sing along to songs so it's pretty much the best thing ever! He loves music but he also loves to dance along too. If we are in the car and it's a "boy" song, he'll say, "This is MY song!" and start singing and dancing to it. He is getting comfortable to say prayers before we eat. He still loves to color and draw. He and Madi were playing mom and dad to the girls' baby doll yesterday. He was so involved with the baby's care making sure she was buckled in Truette's car seat, that she didn't cry, etc. In a house full of girls, you might as well give it your all to these pretend play episodes even if it is totally girly. Ricky keeps swearing he needs to buy him a gun for his birthday so they can do boy things. No worries, it's not happening until he is much older! He is still more tired than the girls and requires a nap and early bedtime. He always starts crying when you tell him to go lay down no matter how you go about it but is the first one snoring!
Gracie has improved a lot this past year as well. The biggest improvement is her talking. We still struggle a lot with her selective mutetism but more often than not, we can effectively communicate with her. She has FINALLY potty trained! We learned something major about her in the process of that, she is extremely strong willed! We are happy that she has had only a couple ER visits and 1 hospital stay this past year. Her leg that she had the 6 hour surgery on is messed up again but it's due to the way she does not use it. I didn't realize this until a couple months ago but she doesn't full put weight on that leg when she walks and when she stands all her weight is shifted to the other leg. I'm not sure if therapy will be able to fix it and I hope she doesn't need more surgeries but I wouldn't be surprised if she does. Her Orthopedic issues still seem so odd. Just the way she uses her body and the limited mobility in certain areas is puzzling. We've went to several Orthopedic specialist for certain parts of the body and were told that as long as she can function, it's good enough. Of course "good enough" is never good enough for me so we'll see about those specialist this year again. She is still her daddy's girl. He still saves her from most everything although, he is getting a little tougher on her because he is finally seeing the light! She is sweet but she fools everyone with her soft voice. She is so bossy to Brody! I think because that is the only person she can boss around so he gets the full dose of her attitude. She wants to be just like Madi. Anything Madi is doing, Gracie wants to do and just like her. For instance, if Madi is dancing in the living room, Gracie is standing right beside her trying to do the same moves. Her and Madi cook up great schemes together. The other day, after I told them over and over again not to climb on their dresser, they both climbed it while I was away at school. It actually fell over on them. They got in so much trouble for that! The thing I love most about Gracie is she believes in the fairytale. It doesn't matter what movie they watch, Gracie is on the edge of her seat every single time. When the princess is on the screen, she'll yell out to look at the princess. I took her and Madi to see The Little Mermaid the Broadway play on Sunday. It was a big deal because we dressed up for our big night in the city. Gracie was glued to the entire performance and kept making sure I was paying attention by telling me, "Look Mom!". When Aerial came on stage you would have thought it was the best thing in the entire world! She still requires a nap and early bedtime but usually has to be told a number of times to go to sleep. You usually don't have to tell her more than once to do or stop something (besides going to sleep). I jokingly say she is emotionally unstable, she will cry at the drop of a hat about anything! Life will be very fun in her teen years!
Madi is a mess! She now has things that she has decided are "her job" like putting a trash bag in the can or soap in the dishwasher. Don't you dare do those things instead of her. She has recently started talking with a lot of hand expressions and when she isn't using her hands in conversation, they are now both on her hips. She runs Brody and Gracie. Whatever she says they do and usually without complaining. It's crazy! Brody even says yes ma'am sometimes! She's had the most changes in the past year. She doesn't look anything like a toddler anymore instead, has turned into a beautiful little girl. Her latest thing is me needing to save things for her when she is older. "Mom, you have to save that for me so I can wear when I'm a big girl". I hear that all day long! This little thing is a carbon copy of me which of course I love unless Ricky is saying it. Or my very favorite, when she does something and he just points to me. He also says things like he and Brody will go live elsewhere when the girls become teenagers. They are so outnumbered! She tries to be the mom or dad for that matter. She is really about to be 4 going on 24. It's a test of the wills all day everyday! She has to be first at nearly everything and included in everything. In order for her life to run smoothly, she needs to be busy. If she is bored she will get in trouble. She is the hardest at getting to take a nap and if she doesn't get to sleep for an extended time, you'll wish for peace on earth. At night you have to tuck her in, turn her fan on because it's cold (we are still trying to explain that one to her), turn on her night light, make sure the closet doors are closed, and
"only crack my door a little bit, okay". As soon as all that is done and you think sweet victory everyone is asleep, nope! she suddenly needs to go poop which by the way she never does! I then get to repeat all the steps again. Our commuter car is called the crazy car. She loves to brush her teeth and take bubble baths so she can swim just like a mermaid. She points with her middle finger. Apparently kids her age do that or so we've been told but no matter how many times we tell her she still does it. She is the biggest helper. She made dinner a while back and was so excited. If she can't say something or doesn't remember how do something, with big hand expressions will say "just forget it... just forget about it!" She will ask you to paint her nails everyday and is so proud that she doesn't suck her two fingers anymore. She loves getting her hair cut. She is extremely excited to start school with Brody and Gracie in August (we hope we can get her in).
This is probably the worse summer for them in the sense that they are bored. We've always done things daily in summers past rather trips to the library, pool, park, etc. It's harder this year because Truette is still a newborn. They are use to a very busy life and I've noticed they thrive with a very scheduled busy day. We do have some stuff planned this summer just nothing like usual.
They are so amazing. We've not had any issues with having Truette. They are eager to help, holding her is the highlight of their day, and just being near her gives such big smiles. I am so thankful for that. They are so patient with us if we are tied up with Truette and they need to wait.
I am so thankful that they love like they do. It's a huge blessing. They are awesome kids and I am so very lucky to be their mom!
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KP
