How Mel Got His Name

I've got lots and lots to post about (like the long-passed chol hamoed Pesach) (and more about our geneticist trip almost three weeks ago). But I'm not really up to it now, so today you get to learn about...

How Mel Got His Name

Our little cat, Mel, has a very rich history to his name.

As soon as we brought him home, even before we knew what we were going to do with him, Gedalya announced, "His name will be Bunana." Bunana [boo-nah-nah] is the boys' baby word for flower.

But Zusha wouldn't have any of it. He wanted to name our cat himself!

After thinking for a few minutes, random letters running through his head, he asked, "What does M-E-L spell?"

And that is how this cat earned his second name, Mel.

Well, when people would ask our cat's name (because the boys used to gleefully announce, "We have a catttttt!!" to anyone who would listen) (and to anyone who wouldn't) the boys would shout out, "Bunana Mel!" And nobody would understand the long (and weird) name.

So I told them to just say Mel. It's short, simple and recognizable. The boys agreed to do so, but they weren't thrilled with the idea. "But it's only half of his name!"

So now when we go to a bakery, or a grocery, or the library, or the park... and the boys come across a person who doesn't yet know we have a cat, they announce, "We have a cat at home!" And the person might ask, "What's the cat's name?"

Gedalya answers, "Mel."

And Zusha adds, mysteriously, "That's his middle name."

A Wonderful 18 Months!

Oh, I am getting so confused with Adi's month-days. Whether she turned 18 months on the last day of Pesach or on April 22nd, let's celebrate now!

(Photos taken shortly after Adel's Jewish 18 months birthday)

And what better way to celebrate than with a look at some of her latest and greatest accomplishments?

But this time, the accomplishments are of a different sort. They are not physical, not cognitive, or emotional.
What Adel accomplished is changing me. And it wasn't over the last month; it was over the last eighteen months.

I always heard parents of special needs kids say that their kids changed them, and now I see what they mean.

Adel redefined my definition of beauty. She opened my eyes and made me more sensitive and patient.
There are two men that work in the library to which we go that I thought were somewhat strange. Like, if the little kids' program finishes at 3:30, and one child is finishing up their arts and crafts, the program leader lets them stay longer. But if one of those men come in, they say that the program is over and everyone needs to leave. They don't get angry- they say it very matter-of-factly, but you can see that a breach of rules, no matter how small, bothers them. There is a no eating rule at the library, but most librarians would overlook a mother spoon-feeding a baby from a jar. These two workers would not.
I used to think, "What's the big deal? Why can't they loosen up a little?" They would also say awkward things sometimes (like when I took a photo of the library's schedule calendar, they were discussing in front of me why I would do that rather than taking a paper. I didn't mind, but most people wouldn't do that.)
Now it's so obvious to me that they have Asperger's Syndrome, and I am amazed that I didn't realize it before. They are overly proper, are afraid of breaching rules, socially awkward... But before, I wasn't in tune with people like this. Now I am. Now when they enter the room during an activity, I don't think what will they try to correct next (a child who decides to do the craft differently than the librarian showed?) I'm much more at ease with who they are and their personalities.

And that is just one tiny example. I feel as if Adel changed my whole outlook on life... made me embrace differences all that much more. And she continues to shape me.

But who am I kidding?
Of course I will also add in some of Adel's personal accomplishments.

This funny girlie is answering me when I ask her a question. She's been doing it for a couple of weeks, but I kept thinking it's just a coincidence. When she'd hear a questioning intonation, she'd reply with a monosyllabic yap like uh or heh or na. But recently she really bloomed. I ask her a question and she says, "Ye" or"Yo." It's the cutest thing in the world.
"Adi wants to put on this sock?"
"Ye!"
"Adi wants to put on this sock?"
"Yooo."
"Adi has shichalach?"
"Yoooo."
"Adi is baby?"
"Ye."

Excuse me while I go eat my one-and-a-half year old sweetie.

Fun With Friends

We love it when our friends come to visit! Unfortunately we get together way too rarely. But when we do, it's great fun!



This little cutie was having so much fun with this pillow on his head. He was sitting so still so that it shouldn't fall off. As opposed to everyone else behind him, who were not sitting still.




Bunk beds were also a novel source of fun! Sorry if they are still bugging you, Hila.


We hope to see you guys soon!

Brain Dump

I just dumped the contents of my brain onto this blank page before me. The contents consist of ten words. But I will expand on them.

All the kids are sick again, but it doesn't seem as bad as their illness a few weeks ago. It seems that when Adel is sick, she reverts to her jerking fits. (Watch the video at the end of that post.) They had all but stopped, and I had forgotten about them. Then when Adel was sick on Pesach, she started having these fits randomly throughout the night. This time is no different. On Shabbos morning, Adel would throw herself onto her stomach and convulse. Her whole body was shaking, and it was much worse than the video in the old post. It was too bad it happened on Shabbos, because I would have loved to video it for the neurologist and geneticist. I hope she doesn't have it again.

All the kids have been going to sleep SO late these days! Go to sleep late, wake up late. Late, late, late. One day I should just put them to bed at six and leave it at that. Maybe they will get back on a normal schedule.

Adel wakes up close to 10:00 AM these days, which is unfortunate, since she has therapy before ten two days a week. She didn't always have that. It's recent. I'll write about how that came to be in the next post. She missed half the session on Thursday and I have a feeling she will oversleep tomorrow. I kinda wish she would, because I requested to change to a different teacher for this therapy, and scheduling difficulties would be a great non-personal excuse.
Adel's sleep schedule looks something like this:

9:00-10:00 AM - wake up
anywhere between 1:00 PM and 4:00 PM- nap
wake up from nap 20-45 minutes later
10:00-11:00 PM - bedtime
awaken every hour or two to nurse
9:00-10:00 AM - up for the day again

Less than 12 interrupted hours. Maybe I should talk to her doctors about melatonin.

I bought reusable water bottles for me and the kids. We have a million sippies, but to cheider Zusha needs to take something less babyish. I normally get mini plastic bottles, but now we got reusable ones. They don't look childish, so I hope Zusha won't get teased. Adel got one as well. The speech therapist said she needs a Rubbermaid straw cup and that she will get one for her. She didn't get one for a long time, so I got one myself. I guess I will have to teach her to use it myself, because the therapist seems to have forgotten.

We bought marshmallows and bamboo skewers so that we can roast them over our stove's fire!

I also want to try to make sugar crystal candy on these skewers.

Talk about sweet stuff to make, I also bought several bags of REAL chocolate chips (not cocoa flavored hydrogenated fat, like all the baking bars sadly are) and chocolate molds. I am fully prepared to get down and messy with the boys and make our own chocolate shapes!
We'll also attempt chocolate covered bananas, and maybe chocolate covered marshmallows as well. Hey! We have graham crackers! Maybe we can make smores in the toaster oven. Pictures should be expected, of course!

Today the boys saw little American flags in a store and asked me to buy them. They are planning to make sand castles at the ocean this year, and want the castles to have flags.


Poor Adi has been working on making the same poopy all week. She manages to get a little bit out, but for an entire week her colon is stuffed! I cooked up some flax seeds and gave her the water and some seeds on Friday. On Shabbos I had to change her about five times, but it was just a little each time. I think she got a lot out, but not everything. And her tushie is raw again. Last week I went to a support group for mothers of special needs kids (it was very nice!) and someone there suggested Pedia-Lax glycerin suppositories. A few people suggested them, actually. I ordered a pack and am looking forward to trying it out!

I bought myself an MP3 player (my old one conked out), and now I'm waiting for the skin/case to arrive.

I haven't really tried it out properly because of Sefira, but I recorded the boys singing some songs for Adel because that girl really needs her music! She really loves to listen to the boys' songs.

Adel's hair is funny. It's straight and kinda curling up at the ends, and it's really growing longer. This picture is a couple months old, and by now Adel's hair reaches the collar of the shirt.

Well, as you can see, it's not awfully neat, her hair. I have to keep brushing it down throughout the day or else it looks like this. The top-most layer all around the back of her head looks like it's been heat damaged. It hasn't, but I don't know of a better way to describe it. It's very textured and does not lay on her head. It constantly hovers over her head like a little cloud.
Today Zusha said, "Adel's hair is messed." And I replied, "I think you mean Adel's hair is nest."
So I am thinking of cutting it so that it may grow back more normally. I've been Googling baby girl hairstyles to get ideas, but there is really nothing out there. I want to know how to cut the bangs- how far to the ear should they go? What about the hair by the ear. Leave it? Cut it so that it's all above the ear? Trim it slightly? I feel silly going to a stylist with an eighteen month old with short wispy hair, but I really want Adel to look her best. It's something I want for all my kids, obviously, but I feel that a kid with special needs needs to look put together and as neat as possible at all times. So, should I take her to a hair stylist?

My friend's sister cuts hair, so maybe I'll talk to my friend about it (hiiii if you are reading this! )

February 2010 Photos- Snow Edition!

Wheeew, was February a snowy month!

We were walking along one day and discovered this huuuuge ice puddle. It was half on the sidewalk and half on the street, so the kids couldn't really let loose, but with some supervision they were able to "skate" around somewhat.

I have no idea how it formed. Maybe someone opened a fire hydrant or something.


We made a little hill in our front yard and went sledding!


There was not enough room to really speed up and slide, though. Maybe next year we will build a hill from boxes and stuff before it snows, so then the snow will cover it and we can add more to make it steeper. I'll have to remember that!


Adi was fascinated with snow all winter long!


And here's my silly little snow puppy!

February 2010 Photos- Part One

Cutie Yaya


Little Zusha


Penguin Baby Adi


Swimmy little kidlets. Adel likes the bath, but it takes her a little while to acclimate.
So at first she looks like this:

And then she looks like this:


But pretty soon she begins to have fun.

Especially when she gets to play in the water with her brothers. That's a special treat for her!


These next two photos weren't edited. Can you tell how they got to be this way?