Change Before We Have To...

I would like to announce - strictly as a public service announcement - that today is Wednesday. You're welcome.

Miss Anna came back this morning - yippee! - and today was her first day in the Hyperbaric Oxygen Chamber with Gavin. I held my breath - hoping she wouldn't call me from inside to get her out or tell me at the end that she'd never do it again. Luckily, neither happened. She was able to get over an hour of school work done while Gavin sat next to her with his oxygen mask on and watched his "Signing Times" DVD. He's such a good boy. I smiled later on in the day when, after an hour and a half of downtime while the boys were "napping" Anna said to me, "This is a very student-friendly job!" I aim to please.

Brian had therapy this morning with Miss Christi and she noticed very quickly that he is imitating a LOT more. He's been using words and signs spontaneously - and even getting creative with little phrases and expressions. Yesterday when Gavin started banging his teeth on the kitchen counter, I went over to get him and said, "Gavin! No no!". Brian said, "Gavin! No no!" and then looked at me. He made sure that I was looking at him so I could see him let out a big, exasperated sigh.

Christi also noticed that Brian's attention span had improved...and he did a great job following directions today, too. They worked at the art table using markers (which is a big treat for him as they're not something EVER left out on the table)...they played "farm" with all of his animals...and played with his trains, of course. He has such a great time with his therapy and loves the attention!

During Brian's therapy, Miss Anna got acquainted with Gavin's walker! She had him walking around the house for a while and he did a great job.

Today was also a first in the meal department. I had Anna feed Gavin twice today. It may sound silly, but there is definitely a learning curve for feeding Gavin. He's not easy! I tried to give her tips and tricks without making her feel like "Ummm...I have fed a kid before" - only because he's so different. He doesn't like a lot of extra chatter...here comes the airplane games or when the food starts to get cool. So basically, he's a bit of a food snob. Anna did a great job and by the 3:00 snack, she and Gavin hit their stride.

Speaking of food...

There are going to be some major changes around here for the Mr. and me. We've decided that we just don't eat well. I've written before about how well the boys eat - I could spend an entire day whipping things up for them. But Ed and I are a different story. Boxed food...take out...pizza...and my beloved (and I do mean beloved) desserts. I wonder if my poor diet - which sometimes includes completely forgetting to eat at all! - is contributing to my infertility. And I worry that either of us could be at risk for Diabetes if we don't make changes. So today is the day. I tossed a lot from our overstuffed pantry and now I feel like I'm standing in an empty field all by myself. I'm embarrassed to say - I'm clueless. Basically, we want to "Change before we HAVE to"...which is a great quote from Jack Welch.

So I turn to all of you, as I always do. Have you been in a position like this - wanting to make a big nutritional change in your house but didn't know where to start or what to buy or what to make or blah blah blah?? Is there an app for this? I'm only half - okay LESS than half - kidding. I need help and suggestions and support and I will sit at this computer letting my children fend for themselves and change their own diapers while I'm waiting for your responses...

But no pressure or anything.

First Day...

Welcome, Miss Anna!!

Today was Anna's first day with us. I interviewed her about a month ago and knew from our first meeting that she'd fit in perfectly. She has a sense of humor - a must around here - a sweet and patient demeanor - also a must - and she doesn't scare easily. I learned that pretty quickly after having a few major screw-ups and making a dazzling first impression. The worst one was thinking that today was Monday and not Tuesday. Monday means therapy at 1...so I thought we'd have time to go out for an hour. Unfortunately it was Tuesday - which means therapy at 11. I came home feeling so "together" only to press play on the answering machine and hear poor Miss Jen's voice saying, "Hi Kate - I'm in your driveway. I hope you're okay! I knocked on every door and window and thought about calling the police..." Okay, I made up that last part, but it could have been true based on how horrified I felt!! Brian missed his speech therapy. *sigh* Anna took it all in stride...but I'll let you know if she shows up tomorrow. *wink*

The boys had a fun time playing with Anna today! Brian was pulling her here and there all day...playing trains, jumping in the Jump-o-Lene, playing "farm", reading books, coloring and doing puzzles. And Gavin was able to show off his skills in his walker, climbing up the stairs, doing some spin art and having a great feeding therapy session with Miss Maggie.

The first week or so is an adjustment for everyone when there's someone new....but I think I made an excellent choice. So here are five interesting things about Anna so YOU can get to know her, too!

She is the youngest of eight children and has SIX brothers!

Her Mother, who is likely a candidate for Sainthood, home-schooled all of them until they were ready to leave for college. I HAVE to meet this woman.

Anna is currently in school at night and online studying to be a dental hygienist!

She loves classical music and will often hop the train into Philadelphia to see if she can score last minute tickets to see the orchestra. And her boyfriend is a trained opera singer!

With six brothers, it's not a big surprise that she knows a lot about cars. She recently - oh my, I don't even recall what she said because I had no clue what she was talking about. I think it was something like "I replaced my car's exhaust by myself." Whatever it was - it was impressive! She loved cars so much that at one point she aspired to be a NASCAR driver!

I look forward to getting to know Anna more as the days go by. As you likely know already, we tend to get attached to people around here.

So welcome to Anna! We're happy to have you here.