Lunchlady Land

As I've mentioned before, I am excited about packing Ella's lunches and afternoon snacks.  They are pretty much the same every day, but it's still fun.  Here's this week's run-down.

Monday: leftover pizza, fresh fruits and veggies, turkey and crackers, two chocolate covered cookies, and a yogurt pouch.

Tuesday: salami roll-ups, fresh fruits and veggies, hummus and crackers, a Cliff bar and a yogurt pouch.

Wednesday: hard-boiled egg, fresh fruits and veggies, string cheese and crackers, graham crackers with no-nut butter and a few chocolate chips, and a whole banana.

Thursday: turkey wrap, fresh fruits and veggies, two chocolate covered cookies, string cheese and crackers, and a yogurt pouch.

Friday: chicken nuggets, hard-boiled egg and crackers, fresh fruit and veggies, chocolate graham crackers with no-nut butter.

Ella drinks water at school.

I did learn some small lessons this week. For one, even though Ella is really good at peeling eggs, she doesn't have enough time to do so during lunch.  She brought some of her hard-boiled egg back home on Wednesday and when I asked why, she said, "Lunch was over, so I couldn't finish it."  Hence, I peeled her egg for her on Friday.

I also realized that doing the roll-ups is a lot messier than doing wraps, so I think I am going to stick with the wraps.

This isn't a novel trick by any means, but I like freezing her yogurt pouches, so by lunch, they are refreshingly cool for her to eat.

Apraxia In The News

Apraxia of speech, the neurological condition affecting our Emilia, has been in the news lately.

To me, the most important quote from this report are these words by Ronda Rousey: “But it was really I had all these words perfectly arranged in my head, it’s just when they tried to come out of my mouth they sounded different,” she said. “It was kind of like there was a divide between my brain and my mouth.”   I think this is exactly what Emilia would tell us if she could.

Emilia, I know you fight hard every single day to communicate all the wonderful thoughts, ideas, and feelings that I believe, without a doubt, are alive and well in your head.  Last night you looked at a picture of an alligator and told me it was a "dinosaur snake."  This morning for the first time ever, as I put you on the school bus, you said clear as day, "I love you" and blew me a kiss.  I love you, too, my brave, determined girl, and I will never ever let people write you off because you have apraxia.

IAC 324, 325, 326 & 327 Results

The following referrals were issued in IAC session 324 which was held on July 2, 2015:

1) French dossier from April 2011 referred a female child aged 6 years

2) German dossier from October 2011 referred a female child aged 7 years and 2 months with features in health status

3) US dossier from July 2012 referred a waiting child (#2545) with a profile on the MOJ site

4) US dossier from December 2012 referred male twins aged 2 years and 6 months with features in health status

5) US dossier from July 2014 referred a male child aged 1 year and 9 months with features in health status

6) US dossier from February 2015 referred a waiting child (#2921) with a profile on the MOJ site

7) US dossier from June 2015 referred two waiting children (#2665 & #2569) with profiles on the MOJ site

8) US dossier from June 2015 referred two waiting children (#2831 & #2832) with profiles on the MOJ site

9) US dossier from June 2015 referred two waiting children (#2216 & #1049) with profiles on the MOJ site

10) US dossier from June 2015 referred a waiting child (#2756) with a profile on the MOJ site

11) US dossier from June 2015 referred a waiting child (#2885) with a profile on the MOJ site

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The following referrals were issued in IAC session 325 which was held on July 9, 2015:

1) US dossier from November 2011 referred a female child aged 2 years and 3 months with features in health status

2) Italian dossier from September 2012 referred a male child aged 2 years and 11 months with features in health status and a family history

3) Italian dossier from January 2013 referred female child aged 4 years and 6 months with features in health status and a family history

4) French dossier from April 2014 referred a female child aged 10 years and 5 months

5) Spanish dossier from November 2014 referred a male child aged 1 year and 8 months with features in health status and a family history

6) US dossier from June 2015 referred a waiting child (#2838) with a profile on the MOJ site

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The following referrals were issued in IAC session 326 which was held on July 23, 2015:

1) Norwegian dossier from November 2010 referred a female child aged 1 year and 4 months

2) Irish dossier from November 2010 referred a female child aged 1 year and 4 months

3) Spanish dossier from December 2010 referred a male child aged 1 year and 7 months

4) Spanish dossier from December 2010 referred a male child aged 1 year with features in health status

5) US dossier from April 2013 referred two waiting children (#2880 & #2881) with  profiles on the MOJ site

6) Swedish dossier from May 2013 referred a female child aged 1 year with features in health status

7) Italian dossier from October 2013 referred a waiting child (#2936) with a profile on the MOJ site

8) US dossier from April 2015 referred a male child aged 1 year and 5 months with features in health status

9) US dossier from July 2015 referred a waiting child (#2698) with a profile on the MOJ site

10) US dossier from July 2015 referred a waiting child (#2670) with a profile on the MOJ site

11) US dossier from July 2015 referred a waiting child (#2682) with a profile on the MOJ site

12) US dossier from July 2015 referred two waiting children (#2592 & #2539 ) with profiles on the MOJ site

13) US dossier from July 2015 referred a waiting child (#2702) with a profile on the MOJ site

14) US dossier from July 2015 referred a waiting child (#2889) with a profile on the MOJ site

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The following referrals were issued in IAC session 327 which was held on July 30, 2015:

1) Spanish dossier from December 2010 referred  female child aged 1 year and 4 months

2) Italian dossier from June 2012 referred a male child aged 3 years and 2 months with features in health status

3) Italian dossier from April 2013 referred a male child aged 8 years and 7 months with features in health status

4) Italian dossier from December 2013 referred two brothers aged 7 years and 3 months & 9 years and 6 months with features in health status

5) Italian dossier from March 2014 referred a brother and sister aged 8 years and 5 months & 9 years and 7 months

6) US dossier from March 2014 referred a male child aged 1 year and 7 months with features in health status

7) US dossier from July 2014 referred a female child aged 10 years and 1 month

8) US dossier from April 2015 referred sisters aged 10 years and 4 months & 9 years and 1 month

9) Italian dossier from July 2015 referred three siblings, male and female, aged 5 years & 6 years and 7 months & 8 years and 11 months

10) Italian dossier from July 2015 referred a female child aged 12 years and 2 months

11) US dossier from July 2015 referred a waiting child (#2842) with a profile on the MOJ site

12) US dossier from July 2015 referred two waiting children (#2369 & #2370) with profiles on the MOJ site

13) US dossier from July 2015 referred a waiting child (#2748) with a profile on the MOJ site

Picture Of The Day

During a nature walk with his therapist this afternoon, Rex wanted to sit in a tree.  He was able to convey this wish by saying "up" and signing "stick" in combination.  He uses the sign for stick for any wooden sticks, man-made or nature-made.  Once again, he was so creative with the words and signs in his repertoire.  We're very proud of him.

Summer Vacation 2015

A few weeks ago, our little family headed south for our long-awaited eight day beach vacation.  Earlier in the year I had been stalking the travel websites until I found tickets that allowed all five of us to fly to Florida and back, non-stop, for about $1000 total.  There couldn't have been a better way for our bunch to get to the ocean, so after securing those tickets, I looked for a house to rent in the area.  We prefer to stay in houses rather than hotel rooms because it gives us more space, privacy, and the ability to cook our meals.  Again, we lucked out with an affordable-to-us place that was about 450 steps from the sand, nothing fancy, but perfectly suitable.  When I spoke with the owner about accessibility and safety due to the special needs in our family, he was so moved by our story that he took 25% off the weekly rent to give us a break.  Kindness still flourishes in some hearts!

Our game plan was to swim, play, eat and sleep and that's what we pretty much did with two exceptions: 1) we had some time to kill before we could check into our rental, so we went on an air boat tour in the Everglades and 2) Emilia seemed to be running a low grade fever one day, so we opted to stay out of the heat and visited a local museum.

Here are lots of pictures.

The Everglades

We saw a few alligators.

Emilia playing at the museum

The trees were trimmed on the street we stayed
so we got to explore the foliage up close

Local wildlife was our daily companion

The king on a poolside break

Laid back mornings

Ella on the waverunner

Rex on the waverunner

Here's my version of other people's vacation photos
where pretty painted toenails hang over sparkling blue water

This vacation was summer's last hurrah for us and just two days after returning home, the girls started school.  We're thankful for the no-stress week we got to spend as a family, free of the demands of our everyday life in the Midwest, leaving us with hours upon hours of fun, relaxation, and togetherness.

First Day Of Kindergarten 2015

My chubby buddha baby has grown into a handsome Kindergartener.  Today is his first day.

This is his daily schedule for the new school year:

8:00 am to noon: 1:1 therapies - ABA, OT, SLP as well as circle time, swim, playground and/or gym
Noon to 1:15 pm: lunch and quiet time
1:15 pm to 2:45 pm: Kindergarten curriculum instruction (4 students, 5 instructors)
2:45 pm to 3:00 pm: snack
3:00 pm to 6:00 pm: aftercare plus additional therapies

We're so proud of our big little boy and can't wait to see what he will accomplish in Kindergarten.

First Day Of School 2015

Today, my girls started school.  Emilia is in half day Kindergarten and Ella is in first grade.  They ride the same bus in the morning.  Being together at the start of the day is great for both of them.

In Germany, the first day of first grade is considered the official beginning of a child's formal education.  It's a special day with celebrations not only at the schools, but also at home with family and friends.  On the first day of first grade, parents give their new student a Schultuete (school cone), filled with some treats, but mostly with school supplies and practical items, like a child's first wrist watch or small tissue packs.

I was so excited to share this tradition with Ella today for her first day of first grade.  My mom had brought the Schultuete from Germany earlier this year, so it's authentic.  Insert chuckle here.  The difference was that I didn't fill it with school supplies because I paid the PTO through a fundraiser to purchase all required materials for both Ella and Emilia which saved me a ton of time and hassle while supporting the school.  So, instead, I got Ella a few things she's been wanting: her own personal bottle of essential oil, some stick-on earrings, and the DVD of Eloise at Christmastime.

I know it's crazy, but I am also really excited about packing Ella's lunches and afternoon snacks.  I got a bento box which I think will work out well for the foods she likes.  Here's what she has today, plus a yogurt and a bottle of water:

And now here I am with four hours home alone.  It's quiet and maybe I should just bask in it, but my to do list is long.  So, off I go.

Understanding His Silence

For the first time in my journey as a mother, I have a fully verbal child though the term verbal doesn't quite capture the experience.  My oldest daughter is exuberant, she is loud, she is constantly conversing with anyone anywhere.  I told her once to sit still and she said, "Okay, but I can't stop talking."  And while hearing about her thoughts and feelings, the daily occurrences and the minutiae of her six-year-old life has been a blessing, the most unexpected and amazing effect of parenting a verbal child is that it has brought me infinitely closer to my nearly nonverbal one.  The incessant chatter of my daughter has shown me the beauty in the relative silence of my son.

When Rex communicates, it's boiled down to the essentials, the bare minimum of what he feels important enough to share with or ask of the world.  There's nothing superfluous, nothing indulgent, nothing exaggerated.  He's straight-forward and concrete.  I don't have to read between the lines or worry about hidden agendas.  When Rex communicates, it's from the depth of his being.  It takes true effort and motivation for him to produce a holophrase or sign a single word.

I enjoy and appreciate chatting, discussing, explaining and joking with both of my daughters, but until our loquacious eldest joined our family, I wasn't fully aware of the immense gratitude and peace I feel in the times that I sit with my son in near-silence when a single touch, a broad smile, a long look in the eye, or a spontaneous giggle take the place of a thousand words.  Connecting with someone who is nonverbal forces you to dig to your core in search of your humanity beyond and beneath linguistic behavior to create a unique system of communication in which the community of "speakers" (or more accurately communicators) may  never consist of more than two members.  The intimacy forged by such a system is intense and rewarding.  And its worth has been magnified to me since I began parenting a gabby girl.

Rex may never be able to speak the words I love you, but he undoubtedly loves and is loved.  Over the course of years, he and I have created our own way to express our love for one another. I use it nearly every day and, in the most miraculous moments of our relationship, my almost nonverbal child has been able to convey his love for me spontaneously in the same way.  There's not a word, not a sound in those moments, only a pure connection between a mother and her son.

He who does not understand your silence

will probably not understand your words.

Elbert Hubbard

Summer In The Kitchen

Summer in the kitchen is so much fun, so easy and so healthy. Thought I'd share a few photos.

Since we've had our weekly farm share, there's been a lot more kale than usual in our house.  It's not typically something we would buy at the store for just the five of us.  However, I don't want this super healthy food to go to waste, so I have been trying my hand at kale chips.  After some trial and error, I think we have them to where we like them (though not as good as yours, Shelley).

I followed some basic recipes I found online, but instead of all kinds of complicated coatings, we simply do olive oil and a citrus and spice rub that we also like on roasted veggies.  The key seems to be to dry the leaves very well after washing, really massage in the oil and spice mix, and cook on low heat (300 F for about 25 mins).

Washed and dried

With oil and spices

Baked

We had our first pool party with family and friends in July and while I got dinner from a local restaurant, I made the dessert myself: triple lemon cupcakes - lemon cupcakes, lemon icing and a bunch of sour candy for the kids to decorate theirs.

Grilled peaches and a slice of yummy chocolate cake made with steamed, then pureed beets as one of the main ingredients were the finale of one of our Sunday outdoor dinners.

This is my starter for Rex's pizza topping (the veggies vary).  I saute the veggies, add a pound of ground beef and some kind of tomato product, cook, then puree it all and spread it onto gluten-free rosemary focaccia bread.  I usually make at least six servings of this pizza at once, sometimes twelve.  They freeze well.

As Eloise would say, "I love, love, love summer lunches."

This impromptu dinner was made up entirely of farm share provisions plus olive oil and salt/pepper. It was fantastically delicious.  Despite initial hesitation, Ella tried and then enjoyed the purple potatoes.

Prior to baking

What do you like to serve in the summer?

Picture Of The Day

While driving this evening, we saw the most beautiful, complete rainbow over our little neck of the woods.  Ella has been waiting for a rainbow ever since she learned what it was shortly after joining our family.  Today nature finally obliged and Ella couldn't have been more delighted.  We stopped and just looked at the rainbow until it started to fade away.

And just now, with the kids in bed, Craig and I saw this arrow in the clouds behind our house.