Family of Five

I'm finding it harder and harder to keep up with blogging. I pop in and out of your blogs when I can, and if time permits, I certainly try to let you know that I've stopped by. Becoming a family of five is amazing. It's also a juggling act! The laundry room seems to be overflowing on a daily basis, and every week when I think we're winding down, the next week begins and seems to be busier than the last.

We contemplated on whether or not we should take family photos before the holidays, and I am so glad we decided on it. To capture Addi as an almost newborn and to see our family grow by one more sweet pea is so deserving of the time and the investment. And that "investment" involved many trips to the mall and many on-line hours of shopping to find the outfits for all THREE kids that were just perfect, to only end up in each kid wearing something from a totally different store and one kid in "hand-me-downs"! Have I not learned yet that it's so NOT about the clothes but it's about US?!

 

In 1 year and 11 days we grew from a family of 3 to a family of 5! Peyton is still enjoying his new school and is really growing up. He loves to make Gracyn laugh and is almost always successful! He shares his room and his bunk beds with "Gracyn" and probably will until Addi-boo is old enough to move into the girls' room with her big sis. The big kids play so well together. You know, the biggest kid always finds a way to get the middle sized one to play what HE wants to play and he's mastered the art of negotiation so he inevitably always ends up with the toy of his preference. (His Dad actually taught him to fake show interest in something he does NOT want, so his little sister will "take the bait" and he can get his toy back. Hmmmm. . .DH is the youngest in his family so must have learned from always giving up the good stuff!)

 

 

Gracyn's MRI and CT Scan were clean. She does have brachycephaly so her misshapen head is not due to sleeping on one side rather she was born with it. She does not have craniosynostosis. Praise God! Having no information on her birth parents we don't know whether or not it's hereditary or if it's affecting her development. The Neurologist did feel it would be a good idea to see a geneticist. Not because of the brachycephaly alone, but because of the brachycephaly and the combined global delays. We also determined that she does in fact have two motor ticks. I share this because I noticed from very early one that would squint one eye and that side of her face with crinkle. She also lifts one shoulder up to her ear when she's not happy or nervous. When I brought this up to the Neurologist he explained that these alone can go away over time, or learned to be controlled. Without an oral tick it's not diagnosed as Tourette's. I've read and read and read about so many different topics associated with Gracyn's delays and her "episodes". So many things overlap and so many things can sound like one thing when they're really another, or nothing at all. We will go through genetics counseling and take it from there. She's developing in the right direction which is important, we've now ruled out anything structurally that could be impacting her brain, so the last step will be screening for other potential chromosomal abnormalities if the geneticist feels it's appropriate. Gracyn has come a long way in the year that she's been home. I'm so proud of her, and she can now count to five with a little help from Mama. She's learning to string together 2 or 3 words, and her vocabulary is starting to include multi-syllabic words. She can convey without words when her brother is being mean and needs to sit on the wall, and she makes the cutest face when she tells him to "shh!". She adores Addi and is always helping to take care of her. Every night she brings me Addi's wash cloth and baby wash! She's such a great big sister!

 

 

Addison continues to be the best baby ever. She tolerates being toted around to soccer games and every other errand on our to do list! She has almost retired her bouncer and has moved on to her swing. She can sleep for hours! I can't believe how big she's getting. When she wakes she tries not to cry and just fusses. And when she does cry, it's such a sweet cry. She has real tears now too! She seems to recognize voices and her smile is enough to melt anyone who catches a glimpse. Tomorrow she'll be 8 weeks old. That means a vist to the Pediatrician complete with shots for Addi-boo, a weigh in, of which I'm guessing she's over 9 lbs, and what the heck, we'll all go get shots while we're at it to ward of the unwelcome buggies that the upcoming season always seems to bring.

I can't believe that in just a few short weeks we'll be enjoying a turkey and putting up our Christmas tree. Our holiday season as a family of five is about to really begin. . .Hang on Addi, here we go!