Archives for April 2013

The other day the kids were playing outside and I checked on them and noticed Bethany was sitting under a tree. About 15 minutes later I checked on them again and Bethany was still under the tree with a bunch of paper and a pencil. I was surprised she was still there as she never stops running and jumping and playing.

When I checked again and she was still sitting there drawing, I ran and got my camera  — I had to capture her sitting there as I never see her sit so quietly for so long. 

She brought me one of her finished pictures so I could take a picture of it. 

With such nice weather this week, the kids have played outside a lot. Nothing too exciting going on but a few little updates. 

Thursday morning, Abigail left for New York. She will be playing the harp with the American Youth Harp Ensemble at the Lincoln Center in New York City. She was very excited about the trip and I’m sure that the kids are going to have a great time. 

We have seen some changes in Sophia — some pretty small but still significant. We have thought for some time now that she may not be hearing. We call her, make funny sounds, play music behind her back and finally actually banged two lids very loudly behind her, but she never even flinches. We came to the conclusion that she could not hear and made an ENT appointment – which is next week. But, for some reason she has started to respond — very slowly — to sounds. The first time I noticed it was when I had been gone for some time and when I came in the door the kids said that Sophia was unhappy and sitting in the floor crying. Nobody knew what was wrong — she was just unhappy. I walked into the room she was in and said “Sophia, what’s wrong”, and she actually turned toward me. It was the first time she had ever responded to us saying her name. Now, she will sometimes turn when I say her name or talk to her softly. I have no idea what is going on, but I do think she hears some. For some reason it has taken her a while to respond to noises — loud or soft. 

Sophia also seems to be more aware of what is going on around her now. She is paying a little more attention to things and people. She will reach for a toy but not play with it. She will now reach up for me with her left arm when she wants me to pick her up  — this was a really big thing to us. I finally feel like she wants me to hold her. 

Then, the other day we were sitting in the family room and Sophia was in the floor watching us when all of a sudden she pulled on the edge of the chair and actually went up on her knees. I ran to get my camera, but she was only on her knees a few seconds and I missed getting the picture. We couldn’t believe she did it. Amazing. 

Then there is Bella. If I ever thought she would not want to be with me, I sure don’t now. She follows me around everywhere I go. If I sit, she is there trying to sit with me. If I eat, she is there to share with me. If I read to Bethany, then Bella is climbing up on me to listen to the story. When I feed Sophia her bottle, Bella tries to get up in my lap, too. She is like glue. She doesn’t even like me to hold anybody else. If I won’t pick her up immediately, she just stands in front of me and cries. She definitely wants to be near me. She also loves to eat! She will eat all day long if I let her. If anyone is eating something, she runs to see if they will give her a little piece — and they usually do. 

My granddaughter, Reagan, came to see me several times this week. The kids love her and can’t stay away when she is in the room. They all want to talk to her and get in her face, etc.

The kids played outside a lot and it was nice just to watch them get out and run around. I sat on the porch with Bella and Sophia several days this week and just enjoyed the beautiful weather.