A Single Krisp of Rice

When I was just out of high school I volunteered for a special needs class at a local elementary school. I worked mostly with a little girl who had cerebral palsy. She was a cute kid; smiled all the time. Her fine motor skills were at a 4 month old level. She held her hands out to her side waving in the air. Yet she was quite smart, she knew her colors and how to count. If you asked her to choose the yellow block she would swing her hand down and sweep the yellow block to the side. I worked with her for over a year. Her knowledge blossomed in that time, but her fine motor skills never did. I have been thinking about her a lot lately. I have been fearing Evelyn would have the same fate. All that changed with one krisp of rice.

Evelyn's trials with her fine motor skills have not been a secret. She has been slow to develop them. She often has her hands out to the side, waving in the air. If you put something in her hand she will hold on and bring it to her mouth but she will not reach out to grab things on her own. I talked to Pat, the developmental specialist from the NICU about it. In her opinion Evy can grab at things she just won't. She explained it like a sort of NICU PTSD (Post Tramatic Stress Disorder). Pat encouraged me to keep offering her things to hold, and so I did. One thing I gave her was food, a big motivator for me. Mostly things like bananas and carrots. I would put them in her hand and she would put them in her mouth but she showed no desire to grab them on her own.

One day I put Evy in her high chair and poured a few Rice Krispies on her tray. I put her hand on the pile and told her they were crunchy. Then I went about preparing her breakfast. One moment later I turned and Evy was chasing one krisp around the tray with her thumb and pointer finger. She had a look of determination on her face. For several seconds the krisp alluded her. Then she got it. It stuck to the tip of her finger with her thumb pressed down on it. She brought the piece to her mouth and opened her grip. The Rice Krispie fell down the front of her and back onto the tray. She staired at the pile, opened her hand and grabbed several pieces. I stood there and cried. Evelyn brought the handeful to her mouth, ate a krisp, decided she did not like it and spit it out.

Now Evelyn grabs at anything in her path. She pulls at my shirt when she is hungry, she grabs at my glasses and hair. She tugs on toys and she loves to put Rice Krispies in her mouth. I can not wait to ask her to choose a yellow block and have her hand me the purple one. Someday...

Baby on the cheap

Evelyn is a million dollar baby. That being said I have made it my mission to raise her on the cheap. I would rather have her in second-hand clothes now and in college later. Yet, there are those days when "momma's gotta shop". So here are a few ways I save money in order to buy "the fun stuff".

First, you should realize you are going to spend more money before you bring the baby home then you will afterwords. Before you drop a ton of money at Babies R Us remember the only "essential" is a car seat. They will not let you take the baby out of the hospital without one. Other than that it is all up to you and your life style as to what gear to buy. Babies want to be in your arms for the first three months and on the floor after that. One big question for the first few months is: Swing, bouncy chair or both? We have both, I bought the bouncy chair at a thrift store for $4.00 and my mother-in-law bought the swing. Even so, I wish I would've had her buy something else and gone without the swing. The swing did save us a few hours of pacing the floor early on but Evelyn rarely uses it now (at 5 months developmentally). The bouncy chair has the added feature of seconding as a feeding chair and so it still gets used on a daily bases.

Second (this really should be first), you have gotta nurse the baby for a year. I have not, and do not intend to buy a can of formula. Formula is expensive, and if your baby needs to switch a lot to find the right brand then you pour a ton of money right down the drain. Of course there are a lot of health benefits to nursing but for me it was the money that got me to do it. Even if you have to rent a good breast pump and go to a lactation specialist to make it work you will save money in the long run. Locally there is a great place called The Lactation Station. A stop there is a must. Another way I saved money on nursing is by buying only a one nursing bra. I found that my sports bras and camisoles work great.

Third, buy store brand diapers. There is no amount of leakage control that can make up for the $4.00 a pack the name brands charge over store brands. With the money you save you can buy an other outfit and some laundry detergent and wash the leak away. Now keep your eyes on the ads and stock up on diapers when the stores have their brand on sale. Walgreen's often has buy two get one free. Free! That is more money for laundry! Speaking of which, Oxyclean is a must. It takes out poop, spit-up and blood.

Forth, make your own baby food. Buy a food puree machine of some sort and make your own stuff. Homemade baby food is healthy and it is cheap. Remember, many cultures feed their babes right off the plate. Just take it slow. Only introduce one new food a week.

And that is how you can have a baby on the cheap.

Give your child a hug today.

I am declaring today "Give Your Child a Hug Day". Big kids, little kids, furry kids, twinkle in the eye kids, give them all a big, big hug. Life is too short.

I was reminded of this by an email entitled Sad News. Indeed it was. The son of a friend of mine has passed away. We met as parent support volunteers for the NICU. Little Jacob had many health issues and his mom was an inspiration to me, giving of her valuable time. Now I am left feeling helpless as to how comfort her. Alas I know the only comfort to loosing a child is time. Eventually time spares us the constant sorrow and provides us blessings along the way. So in honor of Jacob and his grieving family please search your life for such a blessing and give it a hug.

Rollin' with the punches

To mom's great relief Evelyn rolled from her back to her belly this week. Mom, that is me, was trying to keep it cool and not worry as it has been obvious for some time that Evy would do it. But I admit, I was worried. I guess it goes with the territory. When your child suffers a brain injury and you are told to watch for missed developmental benchmarks, you almost live and die with every twist, tug and smirk. Today I no longer have to worry that Evy will never roll from belly to back. It is truly a gift.

Speaking of gifts, my sister Janet sent me some pics she took of Evelyn back in October when we were in the NICU. I had to post my two favorites. It was great to see them and remember that we shared some very tender moments together in the hospital. Evelyn was probably 36 weeks gestation when these pics were taken. In a perfect world she would be 4 weeks from birth. Yet in this world I could cuddle with her at will and we were already learning to be the lean mean breast feeding machine we are today. I would have never chosen this, but having a preemie does have some great times. Yah for the preemies of this world and to their parents I wish many tender moments.

A Poem

Evy and I shower together. Mostly for convenience but it also makes for a great cuddle session. I love this time together. During our shower this morning I composed a poem from Evy's point of view. Enjoy.

On the floor
Cold, Hard
naked
cuddling
skin to skin
splish splash
soapy sudsy
hold breath
all clean
towel dry
Warm, Soft
On the floor again

Dog barks, baby babbles and neck bobbles

I have uploaded some pics taken two weekends ago at Evelyn's first dog sled race. It was the first annual IDidaRace to help support the Arctic Dog Rescue in Park City UT. Evelyn and I were just spectators this year but we hope to help organize the second annual race next year. As you can see it was a gorgeous day. Evelyn did very well. We had to sneak off to the car a few times to nurse, but otherwise she was a great cold weather warrior. Also, I learned I must carry sun screen in the diaper bag. Luckily a kind man saved her from her first sun burn this time.

Evelyn is turning into such a little talker. She has been chattering with us for a few months but presently she has began to babble to herself. This usually happens in the morning when she wakes up. She sucks and coos, coos and sucks. Her favorite sound to make is a rolling K. She will even recognize this sound in my speech and repeat it. If I say kiss or drink she will repeat the K back to me. I am not sure but I think this behavior is advanced for a 4 month old. I would like some feed back on this. I would like to know when all you moms out there remember your little one started to babble. I can read in a book the expected age but I want to know your experiences.

Lastly, I have began to wear bobbling necklaces for Evelyn to grab onto. It is to encourage her to reach out and touch things. She is a bit slow to really explore outside her mouth with her hands. She has a soft doll she likes to have on her lap to touch but she is not a big fan of other toys yet. I thought if she reached for me and grabbed wood, glass, or plastic beads she might feel better about her toys. So far I have just used beads I had laying around on a thick twine. I am planning on shopping for more so I can make a necklace to match each outfit. I am looking for big beads (wood, plastic and glass) and I would like to find some magnetic clasps as well. Respond if you have any thoughts on the subject. Please.