Week One!!

(all images are clickable!)

Since this planner starts the week on Monday, I guess I will, too. *shrug* No big difference to me.

MONDAY:

We were supposed to have the first session with our NEW speech therapist, but she was sick that day so we skipped it.
We went to a program at the library.
On the way we passed a public school. The lawn sprinklers were on, and the boys could not have been happier to chance upon such unexpected loveliness.

That day Zusha was entitled to a free book, and we chose one of my childhood favorites:

I also learned a lesson: Budget cuts affect everyone. If the library elevator is broken, it will be broken the next week, as well. And the following week, too. And three weeks hence. So unless you want to hold 22 pound of sleeping child (because your stroller is downstairs and there is at least 1/2 hour wait between the toddler program and the RIF program your older child is part of) you should bring the Ergo next time.
You meaning I.
Unless you attend the same library as me. (Which some of you do.)
And refuse to drag your stroller to the second floor.
And use an Ergo.

TUESDAY:

17 Tammuz. I didn't fast because I'm still primarily nursing Adel.

I mentioned before that the physical therapist wanted to do kenisio-taping on Adel's ankles to align the heels with the leg. She did that on Tuesday.
You are just-just able to make the tape out in this photo. Because it's still clean and blends in with her skin color.

By the time I took it off this morning, almost a week later, it was dark gray.

Although Adel screamed during the application of the tape, she now totally ignores it.

I planned to go to ShopRite to get nighttime diapers for one of the boys because our supply was running low. Well, we went... we got cat litter, baby food, diapers for another kid, some other random stuff... and should I even mention what it is that I forgot?? Today that child went to sleep in a diaper that barely fastens on him. (I haven't night trained any of the kids... it will come on its own. I'm not a fan of waking the kids at night.)

We got home and I wasted no time in setting up paint for our next craft.
In retrospect, I should have done something for 17 Tammuz, but I hadn't thought it through. We did a craft that has been waiting patiently in the closet since before Pesach. I bought wooden model vehicles that you need to paint and assemble with glue and nails.

Zusha got a train.

Gedalya got a helicopter.

The great part of this craft was that the pieces were all separate.
Which means they get painted separately.
Which means after they are assembled, the finished project looks really neat! No need to stay within the "lines."

The train was very simple to assemble. I did it in no time flat. But the helicopter... it had little toothpick-like sticks that were supposed to go into holes narrower than their diameter. After struggling half the night (and then silently apologizing to Gedalya for having to chuck all the tiny toothpicks he slaved over painting) I just glued the uh... ski-like sticks right onto the helicopter's body.
I thought I had gotten rid of all the pieces, but this morning I found one in Adel's diaper. It hadn't gone through her system, thankfully. It just ended up there somehow. *shrug*
There were many more issues with the helicopter, but I will spare you the details. Luckily, the boys were none the wiser the next morning.

We also started a mini project for the summer... letter hunting. The boys keep a lookout for letters - in alphabetical order - and then photograph it when they find one.
They are having a great time. Right now they are up to "Q." They walk around shouting, "Q hunters, to the rescue!!"
I wasn't sure what to expect of this idea, but it looks like the project is off to a creative start!

WEDNESDAY:

I got a package the day before that was padded with paper. Lots and lots of paper. One looooong stretch of crumpled up butcher paper. I hadn't put it in recycling yet when my boys discovered it in the morning.
Guess what they are.

Little birdies in a nest!


The boys also wrote letters to send to friends. It's one of their favorite activities!

What makes it all the more fun is that the postage rate keeps changing. Well, that's not the fun part. I gave up buying new stamps because the rate goes up before I can even open the packet. Instead I buy stamps that are 1, 2, 5, 10, and 27 cents worth. That way we can always choose the right combination. And that's the fun part. The boys get to choose many "stickers" and get a lesson in math!

THURSDAY:

We finally met our new speech therapist! I haven't been this satisfied with the therapy setup ever before. I'm feeling very hopeful that we'll finally teach Adel how to chew instead of spending half of each lesson arguing the same point- what food to use.

The therapist we had for many months uses yams to teach most of her kids to chew.
I am trying to feed Adel as much of an organic diet as possible. Yams are one of the food most affected by pesticides, but I haven't been able to find organic ones. I do have many other organic veggies available at local stores, and I offered the therapist to use regular potatoes or carrots. But no, it needs to be yams. I buy organic pureed yams for Adel, but obviously that won't help with chewing.
I understand that the combination of taste and texture might make yams the perfect food to learn to chew on, but I don't think it's inimitable.
So instead of teaching Adel to chew, we started each session with, "Do you have sweet potato we can use today?" and followed the rest of the script.

But that's all in the past. Soon she'll be chomping away like a pro!

On Thursday we had some repair work in our home as well, so by the time the workers left, Adel was ready for a nap. We didn't leave the house until about 5 PM that day!

FRIDAY:

At first I didn't think I had anything to write about for Friday... shopping, cooking, cleaning... but I actually do have something.
My mother got a fun, fun present for Zusha's birthday (which I MUST write about some time SOON!)
Light up wheels for the scooter! There were two wheels in the pack, but instead of putting both on Zusha's scooter, we decided to put one wheel on each boy's scooter. We had the wheels for a long time, but didn't have the tool. I had ordered one, and it took its sweet long time in arriving. Well, it finally arrived, and on Friday the boys rode all over town with sparkly wheels!

SUNDAY:

Look what we made!

Sand art!
But not just any sand art.

We used salt and chalk to create our own colored sand!

It was the boys' favorite part.

And then we filled up the bottles.

We are planning to make flowers to stick into the top and then seal the opening with glue. Fun stuff!