Where do I even begin!? I had a fourth child and homeschooled 2 kids this last school year and time flew by! So I guess we will start there-the fourth child. Addie has definitely been the hardest child we have ever had. We love her so much, but she has made things difficult. Homeschooling a Kindergartner and a 1st grader was not easy while Addie screamed all day every day! Im not exaggerating either. Over time we figured out that Addie was allergic to dairy, soy, and strawberries. She had sleep apnea, acid reflux, and aspirating while drinking. After fixing all of these issues Addie wouldn't eat anything or drink anything except through a bottle until a month ago and still threw massive screaming tantrums. Needless to say it was exhausting. At Adelyn's 15 month checkup we started the first steps process for feeding therapy and speech therapy. Like Caleb Addie wasn't making any sounds other than screaming then. At Adelyn's evaluation they quickly figured out through observation that Addie had a terrible aversion to being locked up or being tied down. How come I never saw it!!?? So immediately we started making changes. The first time we put Addie on the bench to eat at our table instead of her high chair the girl ate 3 chicken nuggets and green beans. Since that day the girl has not stopped eating. We were so worried she had aversions bc of her aspirating, but it was just being strapped in. Addie's feedings were so worrisome too bc she had not gained a single ounce in over 3 months. But as you can imagine a 15 month old started feeling a whole lot better now that she was eating. Her behavior improved greatly, but still not where we wanted her to be. She started taking much better naps and sleeping all night, but still a lot of tantrums. Once the therapist came in at 16 months she immediately noticed the snotty nose and draining ears that had been a problem all winter no matter what we did. But being an OT she said we were using the wrong kind of cup for an aspirating child. She made us switch to a straw cup only and to watch closely that she didn't use siblings water bottles. By the following week Addie's nose and ears cleared right up. We thought that since she wasn't choking she wasn't aspirating anymore but apparently she was silently aspirating. Anyway, this also stopped the screaming tantrums! We figured out that when she would get ahold of siblings water bottles and drink the tantrums would happen. Instead of crying she screamed and seemed angry and throwing herself and anything else she could find and then the nose would start running. So when this was happening all day long she was getting extra fluid in her nose and ears. Once again so simple! Why didn't I figure this out!?? Ok so at 18 months old Adelyn is the happiest easy going little girl! We have now been able to put her back on dairy and soy and she has been doing great for 3 weeks. We also put her in a toddler bed bc of the fear of being locked up and she wakes up so happy now because she used to wake up so crabby for over an hour everyday. Those who hadn't seen Adelyn in a few weeks have recently been making comments about how big she has gotten. That makes this Mommy so happy! My little girl is eating, sleeping, playing, and growing! Scott and I cant believe how different Addie is now, but we are enjoying it and beginning to relax so much. I feel like I have spent so much time with the other kids lately too that I couldn't do before. We are praising God for putting the right Doctors and therapists in Addie's life to help her feel better.
Here is a little about Addie at 18 months old in 2 days!
Starting to babble.
Only two words are Loo for Look and Ma for Mama
Sleeping in toddler bed
Cant scoop and pour enough whether it be water or sand
Loves Dora!
Goes to Bekah if she wants something
Understands everything we say
Loves to climb, wander, and swing
Soothes herself by sucking her left thumb while playing with her pony tail with her right hand
Loves her Mommy the most
Eating with spoon and fork
Loves Kix, Frosted Mini wheats, Pizza, Hot dogs, and Popsicles
Likes to pick out her own clothes.
Loves to go Bye Bye and hates to be left behind
Favorite song is Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
Insists on sitting on the potty and pushes and grunts (maybe she will potty train early!)
Loves to color.
Sticks her tongue out anytime we hold up a camera and say cheese!
Always wants her hair fixed and her teeth brushed
18 months going on 7 years old!
Thanking God for our sweet Adelyn Mae!!
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