Protein is not good when it escapes through the kidneys. We’re hoping to solve this mystery soon. If sickness continues much longer, Mama Bear is going to cause a ruckus.
Suzie made a second visit to Grandma’s tonight. I think Grace has Grandpa convinced. Suzie, too, seems to be more accepting of the transition than we expected. We’re still searching for a home for Sarafina.
Aric, Andrew, Askala, Melaku and I spent the day in Sioux Falls. I’m so glad Aric was along. We came home tired - some emotionally and some physically. It was a blessing the three youngest were asleep by 7:30PM.
Our first news: we need to find homes for our pets. If Maddie softens Grandpa’s heart, Siamese Suzzie has a home with my parents. (Maybe he should have heard the hour of crying that ensued when I broke the news?) Our kind-hearted vet is exploring options for our Golden Retriever Sarafina and we’re doing the same. Finding homes for our pets is hard because we love them. I don’t know many pets who allow toddlers to body-slam them while alternately dressing them in baby clothes. I’m glad someone made the decision for me.
The rest of that appointment was intense. Andrew’s back on steroids and has more appointments in the next few weeks. Melaku also saw the pediatric pulmonologist. He’s doing pretty well and was quite charming.
Askala did not get new hearing aids and her left T-tube is out. We are getting different feedback about the test results and the implications for amplification. Today’s recommendation: don’t amplify a good ear and consider a cochlear implant for the left if language development doesn’t increase as expected. We plan to check back this summer and earlier if she starts getting ear infections. Maybe she’ll be lucky enough to have outgrown the need for tubes?! Askala was equally charming for the specialists today - pronouncing all sorts of multi-syllable phrases like “More butterscotch pwease Mama.”
We’re blessed with great health care and praying for good results for Andrew.
5 appointments, 4 doctors, 3 kids, 2 parents and 1 at Grandma’s/1 at school.
Melaku has a fever and Askala’s ears are draining. I’m not sure how this will affect the schedule but I’m sure we’re heading to the right place.
2 years have passed since we first learned of our twins. It was a Friday and the weekend was spent entertaining the idea - could we be so lucky? I was guarded. Aric was confident. Monday came. Aric made a crucial contact - the details private - but so amazing we still recall the exact words. I prematurely picked up two small, soft blankets - one pink and one blue and tucked them in our bed. Monday evening we bumped into a family literally just back from ET with their daughter. They had met our babies (who were a long ways from ours at that point!!). Our relentless pursuit began… and continues today. Instead of blankets, we now tuck Melaku and Askala in our bed in the wee hours of the morning. In our sometimes uphill battles it’s important for me to remember how far we’ve come. We are blessed beyond measure to be the parents of Melaku and Askala.
Yesterday I took a bunch of photos of the twins in their new “Elmos” a.k.a. Elmo underwear and panties. (Seriously there isn’t anything cuter than twin toddler buns in fresh undies! We’re still not ready to be without diapers and that’s okay.
Askala and Aric cheered for Andrew today. Andrew and his team had a great day of hockey. Aric applied Harvey Karp’s methods and when Askala began to melt down, he joined her. Aric said the results were spectacular. Her tears/screaming/hitting turned to giggles:) The trick: you have to be more dramatic than a toddler girl! (And unconcerned with everyone around you!)
Back at home, we loved on baby Gavin and cooked up an Ethiopian feast. The Heits and us teamed up for a Katelyn’s Fund auction item of an Ethiopian feast. We had a great time with a local (and adoptive) family tonight!
We’re all enjoying outside time - especially the huge puddle!
Askala’s teacher brought cookie dough for the lesson this week:)
Whoville hair day and Comet basketball prompted the new hair styles.
The streak continues.. I nearly ran over a V.I.P. today after narrowly escaping an accident with a incessant texting driver who never noticed I was driving on grass to avoid collision. My profuse apology to the almost-injured was impeded by my inability to get my car window down.
One toddler was in timeout when I got to at daycare. (This is new turf.) It was more of the same until that child found sleep in my arms. Things turned around when Mr. Miske, our teacher, arrived with chocolate chip cookie dough. That same toddler was a model student for our teacher Mr. Miske who let the twins make cookies while talking non-stop! (Thank goodness I had managed to clean up the dog vomit in time - bleaching the entire floor.) We’re ramping up “school” for the next couple months and hoping to see a burst of words and phrases. I’m thankful for our teachers and their fresh ideas:) Our assignment for the week is sorting. We’ll divide various edible items into muffin tins. Since I’ll be home full time during the day, I hope to be more intentional about enrichment activities.
Before Andrew’s final hockey tournament this weekend, he allowed me to clip off the Whoville hairdo leaving him with a nice short haircut. We’re hoping to see Baby Gavin this weekend and cook an Ethiopian feast with the Heits for guests on Saturday.
Visiting with a government official while single parenting 5 children at supper hour - I’m praying I did my neighbor a favor! We went to Grandma’s for support.
Aric started a spring course related to his work tonight. He assures me he is not heading back to school yet. He was a bit intimidated by the abundance of 20 year olds.
Between Aric’s marathon day, a visit from a government official, unpleasant work calls, toddler tantrums and a diet coke withdrawal - today was tough. I brought supper to my parents and was happy to do dishes while they controlled the chaos for 10 minutes.
Back at home Andrew let me cut off more hair so he can wear a funky glittery Mohawk for Whoville hair day. After school I have permission to cut the rest off - HOORAY for the end of hockey hair!! Unfortunately Andrew is wheezing again. He hooked himself up to the machine before bed - a true sign he knows what he needs. I’m hoping things turn around by morning because we want to avoid the side effects of oral steroids.
The three youngest are crazy about books and reading stories is helping us get through the end of this long winter. Melaku will cuddle for an hour listening to stories. I sometimes find him curled up with a pile of books - “reading.” Melaku has several favorites that we read again and again. Askala prefers to look at a small book while pretending not to listen to me read to Melaku and Grace. And Grace inserts herself into all the stories. She also finds suitable characters for her siblings and is quick to correct me if I mess up a corresponding pronoun. With 5 kids that’s tricky reading! Melaku chooses a child with dark-skin with I ask him which one he wants to be:) As much as I love reading and cuddling under the blankets - I am really ready for spring and trips to the park.
As an assignment I analyzed the number of made-up words in an average grad school lecture with raw data provided to me by professors. So when I heard homoscedasticity and commonest I looked them up. These words do exist.
The big kids and I attended their parent-teacher conferences today. We are blessed by great teachers and awesome kids. I love to hear compliments about my children - not soley about academics - but also about how they interact with peers. Their teachers have taken interest in them as little people and that makes putting them on the bus each morning a whole lot easier. I’ll quit bragging right there!
It was a quick supper, then off to hockey practice and theater lessons. It’s non-stop action for the Van Voorsts ’till Sunday.
Hooray for the weekend and boo for lots of homework. The quarter is winding down with 3 big tests, 2 papers and 1 statistical project left. Aric and I are crunching numbers to make this wild dream of mine work.
Andrew played hockey tonight. Although he was tentative to get back on the ice after a long break, he really seemed to enjoy himself. He plays Saturday and Sunday too. Mom and Dad have volunteer duties as well.
The twins had school this week with an even better ratio. We had 1 teacher and 3 student teachers. Unfortunately Mom forgot about the appointment and was still in PJs when they rang the doorbell. The carpet was in need of vacuuming and breakfast dishes were on the table. The twins were a bit shy, Grace was not shy and we all had fun singing and playing with frogs.
The University of Iowa research group called today. They would like Askala to participate in an additional study called Lena. Askala will wear a recording device to count her words per day. I will have to be mindful of the device myself!
Have a great weekend!
Andrew and I enjoyed Aunt Pam’s Pesto Pasta on our Chicagoland adventure. We’ve been eating it weekly since. This is the recipe for our family of 7.
Chicken Breasts - 2 or 3
Knorr Pesto seasoning pkg x 2
Olive Oil
Angel Hair Pasta or Mini Penne
Pine Nuts
Directions: Season and cook the chicken breast in a little olive oil. (We season with sea salt, basil, and pepper.) Meanwhile cook pasta of your choice as directed. Prepare pesto sause as directed (Knorr brand uses water and olive oil - in a sauce pan.) When the chicken is cooked, remove from skillet and set aside. Using the same pan, lightly toast the pine nuts. Mix everything together and enjoy.
We can’t wait to try this recipe with fresh basil from our summer garden. Speaking of growing, my aspiring botanists planted their bare root predatory plants last night. They sprang out of bed before me this morning to check on the Venus Fly Trap and Sundew - already soaking in the sun.
Askala’s hair is free and beautiful for 2 whole days! I hope combing it out tonight goes better than expected.
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