BUT!! Praise God! She has gained weight, even through all of this! She is at 20 pounds even!! She has been at 20 pounds before, but went back to 19 when this ear trouble started. They added more therapy, doing hippotherapy now, as well as her clinical therapy. It has worked wonders! She has had 700 calorie days since the day we started the hippo -- Where before, a good day was getting 500 calories in her. She was actually averaging about 300 calories a day. Kids her age are supposed to be getting around 1000! I just know that the tubes will help her even more, too.
For those of you not well versed on all this therapy (like I was before Landry), hippotherapy is where they work with horses - not hippos - ha! I'd seen it on TV before, watching Celebrity Rehab. They took those addicts out to work with the horses as part of their therapy. So, I guess it has a wide range of uses, because I have mainly read about it helping autistic kids since researching more about it. In Landry's case, it is supposed to overstimulate certain parts of her brain so that the oral sensory part calms down. That's what the purpose of her clinical therapy is, too. For one, they try to change her negative association of food and meal times by playing with food, but they also swing, climb, slide, and push heavy things, etc. while incorporating food to overstimulate the part of the brain required to do those things. They've found that when they do, it helps with her "oral tactile defensiveness".
So for those of you praying for her, thank you!
Now, the reason I wanted to write closer to Mother's Day was because I wanted to jot down what I love about my kids at this time in our lives. I've done this before on here, but I'm sure they're both grown so much since the last time, so I wanted to catch up on that.
For Luke -
The thing I love most about you at almost 4 (yikes!) is how loving and tenderhearted you are. You still want to "hold you" when you're tired or have just woken up, and I just soak it up knowing you're just around the corner of thinking you're too big for it. Even when I hear you say "I wanna hold you", I wonder if it's going to be the last time you say it that way. You still think your Daddy hung the moon, and I don't blame you! I think he's pretty awesome, too! Now that it's getting hot outside, when you get dressed in the mornings, you want to know what Daddy was wearing when he left because you don't want to wear shorts if he's not wearing them. You still call me "babe" when you really want my attention. I've been on the phone before and had you standing there tapping my leg saying "Mom, Mama, Mommy, Mom, Mama, BABE!" One morning we were getting ready for church, and Daddy had on a shirt I didn't think fit right. So, after he changed, he asked, "How's this, babe?" Now, anytime we dress you up, you stand in front of me and say, "How's this, babe?"
Daddy has been making you feel special when he takes you out to the farm... because he lets you ride shotgun! You love going. If there's a car in the driveway, you want to be in it. You go with Daddy a lot so I can take sister to her therapy appointments, and you get pretty spoiled when you go! I hear you get cokes and candy at the gin, Wilbur Ellis, and Len's barn. I told Daddy it kinda makes me jealous that I'm always the rule maker, and he's always the rule breaker. When sister gets to feeling better, I want to be the rule breaker with you for a change!
And last, I love soaking up these last few months of your innocence before you start school. I love watching how excited you get about "almost" making the ball in the goal. I dread the day you realize almost doesn't count. I love how good your manners are, and I hope you keep that up forever. I called Daddy and told him to go by Walmart and get you and Landry a little pool for the back yard, and when he brought it home, you gave him all the credit! "Thank you Daddy for our new swimmin' pool!" I think I heard you say that 15 times that day. You're very complimentary, and I think your wife will appreciate that one day. You tell me how cute my hair is (Yers hairs cute, Mama!), and you notice if I've gotten a new shirt. I wouldn't change a thing about you - even when you are a terd. You're my biggest challenge some days, but those days also make me realize my own need for the grace and mercy of the Lord.
For Landry -
What I love most about you is how happy-go-lucky you are. When people are around you for a while, they'll ask, "Is she always this happy?" We always say, "Yes!" You're proud of everything you have. You'll show off everything from your bow to your painted toes when we meet a total stranger. You'll even let anyone hold you, but you tend to like men better. You're a total girl, and you love sitting on the bathroom counter getting pretty while I get ready. You also love super heroes, capes, and wearing bubba's clothes, so it's a healthy balance over all! I think it's pretty cute to see you strut around here in a cape anyway. And "strut" you do!
You're a perfect little mama to all your babies. At this rate, when you're grown, you'll be the best mom ever! One night this week when you had fever, you were laying in bed shushing your "bebe" to sleep. It always amazes me to watch you with your babies since I still consider you a baby, too!
You've taught me to be less judgmental of the parents who bring McDonalds into nice restaurants for their kids, as we have had to do this with you a time or two! Not my proudest Mommy moment, but if those other people in there only knew how proud we are of you for eating meat, period!
I love how playful you are, too. Anytime I go get a diaper, you giggle and take off running wanting me to catch you. Daddy started that game when he put your PJs on you at night, and now I'm stuck chasing you down for every single diaper or clothes change. I can't help but laugh every time too just watching you try to run while you laugh so hard.
You're starting to put words together better, despite all of your ear troubles. It's a fun age to watch you try to communicate, too. You're making the difference between "Daddy tuck (truck)" and "Mama tar (car)". If you want me to open something for you, you'll bring it and say, "Nit" for "OpeN it". You call yourself Nanny, which I think is pretty darn cute. You'll say "Nanny doose" when you want some juice. You get excited when I understand what you're asking for, and I do too! It's a relief to know what you're needing or where you're hurting.
You're still a wonderful sleeper, you love doing things on your own, and you too are loving as can be. You kiss all the characters in the books we read at night. I'm still thankful for you completing our family. You have been a true gift since the day you came!
If you aren't following me on instagram, come there to see more pictures! (@saragresham) - I'll post more next time, too. Luke is turning 4 next month!!
