Jesse Bear What Will You Wear

I couldn't resist I have already started the little ones back to "education" David banned the word "school" in our house a few years ago. (It was such a relief for me no more school.) Well, anyway I just love educating our children and I love, love good books. Especially really good children's books that teach simple concepts in a fun way. Jesse Bear What will you Wear by Nancy White Carlstrom is one of those books. We have just started making our way through one of my favorite home school mom's books Before Five in a Row by Jane Claire Lambert. I love her simple style of reading good books and fostering a love of learning. I am particularly pleased with her selection of books for this volume. Especially for internationally adopted children these simple books that following the pictures and a few key words in English they can quickly understand and mimic the activities in the books.



Andrew and Kathlena can't wait to do their book each day. It is so fun to see them so excited and eager about learning. It is great one on two time for me with them and great snuggle time fostering attachment and sweet memories together. We did a fun activity where we tried on footed pj's just like Jesse Bear...it was so cute. They both loved the footed pj's but, I told them we would have to put them up until winter b/c it is just too hot in July in Houston to be wearing flannel footed pj's. We had fun matching and trying on clothes and talking about clothes we wear in the summer vs. winter. It was lots of fun and produced many giggles...one of the best parts of learning. Below is a video of one of our days together reading Jesse Bear. Just a taste of a day in the life of the Shiflet household. Thank you J.Michael for videoing...great job--keep up the good work preserving memories for your family.

Wash'n Sheets

Well we have been a wash'n a lot of sheets lately. We have had some regression in the area of potty training with Kathlena almost since the beginning. This of course was to be expected with a 3yr old who just had her whole world turned upside down and inside out. With that said about a month ago we set out to re-train and have seen some ups and downs and last week was one of the down weeks.

There for a while it seemed we were constantly changing a pull up which, Kathlena affectionately calls "pullies". Then it would improve or so I thought...she can put them on her self, change herself when wet knowing exactly where they are in the cabinet as well as putting the wet one in the trash can leaving not a hint of suspicion for me...until emptying out the trash can--that potty training is going less than desired. Occasionally, an exceptionally wet one spills over on to the sheets(despite what the huggies package says they do not hold 28-36lbs :)) which also tips me off that all is not as it seems. So, I decided it must be the "pullies" so I started using some cloth training pants. This proved it was not the pull ups but now I had to wash these that were getting soiled...no trash can to save either of us! The other amazing part of these all in one training pants from Target is their ability to hold in the "smell". This also made our progress deceiving as I thought we were doing better then I open the back of one of these and someone on the other end of the house says "MOM, I think Kathlena needs changing!!" WOW! how can a tiny little, cute as a button, sweet smiling, girl pack such a stink!!! Well, maybe the kefir and pumpkin seeds contribute. So, we are back to the real "pullies" only now we have the kind that turn cold when you wet in them so we will see if this gives any incintive to get to the potty faster.

Through all this potty training the Lord is teaching me patience and to cherish the one on one time with my little ones that comes in smaller doses when you are raising 4. I do, however, get to spend a lot more time squatted down in front of our toilets giving me a better view to inspect the older's bathroom cleaning jobs. Hmmm...girls bathroom is looking pretty good....Boys bathroom needs a tune-up.

Andrew has been doing very well with the potty or "toiliet" as he calls it. We have had a few nighttime accidents but, usually I can trace it to too much to drink right before bed, kombucha consumption too late in the day or being half awake and can't get to the bathroom in time. He is so cute coming in the morning and telling me "wet, please hellup (help)" So, we set off to change big boy pants and sheets and get a quick shower...again, we expected to have more potty issues with such a dramatic change in his little life but, this has been a very mild transition so far. We have had nothing alarming or out of the ordinary...just wash'n sheets a little more often and that is okay. I love to see sheets hanging out on my line. Thank you Emily for your great pictures of sheets for my post and all your help with the additional laundry!

I am sure that Andrew and Kathlena will delete this post from their blog memoirs but, as Momma this is a sweet memory for me to preserve. As of the posting of this blog I am happy to report that Kathlena is having more good days and keeping her "pullie" dry. Hurray!!!

Sibling Sympathy

Andrew is doing so well with his patch therapy. Today at breakfast he asked me for his patch. Since we were going on our bike hike/walk I told him we would wait and put his patch on after since he rides his like a bike and it would be too dangerous for him to ride through the neighborhood patched. He said, "Okay, Mom. Yes, ma'am"

After we returned we put his patch on and curiosity from his brother and sisters got the best of them. I decided it would be worth the cost of patches for them to understand a little what it is like for Andrew to do this. J.Michael had his on for 5 mins and began to complain that he wanted to take it off. It was too hot and uncomfortable, but he kept his on until noon (1 1/2hrs). Kathlena didn't last long but longer than I thought she would (whew! thank goodness it is not her we are patching!) Emily kept hers on for over an hour but too said it was hot and that the adhesive stung her eyes. She was able to read and do some "normal" activities but it impressed upon her how limiting it is and I think it gave us all a greater sympathy for what Andrew's world is like right now. We all agreed he is very determined to improve his vision and that he fully understands that this is what will help him therefore he is very motivated to keep his patch on. We are all a little more patient and very proud of Andrew's perseverance with the patch therapy.

Andrew's Workout

Andrew is working on building his leg muscles in this video with a little help from his big brother. Also, note he is wearing his eye patch. He is quite the trooper! He has been wearing it for 8hrs a day and we are already seeing improvements in his eye straightening. Wow! I am impressed. We will keep at it and pray for perfect 20/20 vision to be restored in his left eye.



*note when listening to video you can pause the background music I added. For those who are unfamiliar with this feature scroll down to the end of posts for the playlist box or click on this post and the playlist box will come up at the bottom.

Opthamology Report

Our really cool glasses we got to wear after

having our eyes dilated. Andrew has huge

pupils...I have never seen any so large!



Kathlena with her eyes nearly fully dilated. I think it

made her feel a little funny.


Look at those pupils! I can hardly see anything else except

for that adorable Andrew smile!



Beginning patch therapy right away.


What a trooper...this is hard but Andrew is doing so well.



Well today was like letting out a deep breath for me. We have known from the beginning that Andrew has vision issues, but we have only speculated about Kathlena's multiple issues all being related to vision. Today confirmed what we were thinking. PTL!

We had a great visit with Dr. Coats from Texas Children's. He confirmed what we suspected about Andrew that he has Esotropia (eye drift to the middle and up), mild hyperopia or hypermotropia (same thing) and as a result developed amblyopia in his left eye. The great news is that he has 20/20 vision in his right eye and was reading his letters very well in English. He did so well throughout his exam. He didn't seem nervous at all but interested in how everything in the office worked. His left eye is at 20/50. At this time the Dr. would like for us to do patch therapy where he wears a patch over his "good" eye (right in his case) for 2 months to begin strengthening the left eye. He must wear the patch 6-8hrs a day...he is not liking it but he has been persuaded to wear it. ;) Now, the Dr. thinks that surgery is unavoidable and has asked us to go ahead and schedule it for 3 months from now. We are praying that the patching helps strengthen his vision thus correcting the amblyopia, but in order to straighten the muscle (hypertropia), surgery seems to be the only option-we continue to pray for healing without surgery, Lord willing, and if the Lord chooses to heal him through surgery we will trust Him in this also. We go back in 2 months to see the progress with the possibility of pushing back surgery at that point if patching is making improvements along with his weight gain and overall health improvement.

For Kathlena this was a home run day for us to find out what we have suspected all along. All of her issues were related. No CT scan needed nor neuro follow ups. She did so well in her exam. The Dr. was amazed at how she would sit still and allow him to look into her eyes. We have often attributed this to all of her Dr. visits she has had in Russia, but usually kids who see many Dr.'s and have lots of tests done tend to fight it more. I definitely think we are beginning to see the fruit of lap training. She sat in David's lap the entire time. Even when she and Andrew both had to have their eyes dilated they both did well, no screaming or squirming. While we waited for their eyes to dilate they got to watch Monsters Inc., which was so funny since Andrew has not seen it in quite a while, but still loves it all the same.

Kathlena was diagnosed with nystagmus (her eyes bounce, difficulty tracking). Dr. C ruled out the Spasmus Nutans even though she has the head bobbing. His best explanation of how this could be related to the "birth trauma" we were told at the orphanage is that oxygen was restricted during birth to a particular area in the brain that effects vision, including the pigment for the eye color. He also ruled her out as having albinism (ocular or otherwise) even though her eyes are very light. He did not see the other characteristics that usually mark this. He did say that she could be on the spectrum of it though due to the birth trauma. For now, we wait and see how much good food and activity improve her situation. It is expected that eventually she will also have to have surgery, and providentially it would be the same surgery that Andrew will have. Is that not amazing! Two biologically unrelated children placed in the same home who will have the same surgery...the Lord knew and placed together for His glory. It may sound strange, but I am thankful that I have already gone through surgery with J.Michael when he was young (again, providentially when he was 6yrs old just like Andrew will be if we do have surgery). I know it will not be any easier to have Andrew wheeled out to surgery, but the Lord is so good to prepare us and strengthen us through these times. Here is what to expect from the surgery and recovery stage. I have lots of reading up to do and will post more soon. Thank you for your continued prayers.

Favorite Pics of the Week

Sweet Sugars!

Mommy and Kathlena

Mommy's Sweet boy

A rare smooch from my boy!

A new twist on chinese jump rope.

Reverse limbo maybe?

Andrew's favorite thing to do is ride his "like a bike" Thank
you Grandmommie and PawPaw.


Kathlena pushing "Mi Bubbie"



We painted the kitchen this weekend...yahoo!
Kathlena wanted to be just like Mommy even
wearing my shoes!

She loved helping put the tape in trash or accessorize w/it.

Here is another I want to be like Mommy moment. Kathlena is proudly displaying her
"rod" (which is really a straight piece of train track) in her pocket just like Mommy carries a rod.

This is the back pocket version like Daddy!

Andrew lovin' on sister

Back in the pool...we are now loving to splash and jump in.



This is the life! Hanging out in the pool or "Poo wah" as
Kathlena says.

Andrew and his bike.


















Kathlena reacting to Chase getting a little too close for
comfort.

























Kathlena helping with the laundry.

Strabismis

We have known from the beginning that Andrew would have some vision issues. We also found out that Kathlena has them too after being seen by our pediatrician (we suspected this in Russia too). Both children were diagnosed as strabismis in Russia but Kathlena's was not noticeable.


What is strabismus? Well here is what I have been researching and have come up with.


Strabismis-Symptoms Typically it is when the eyes move in different directions (crossing) but can also be less noticeable...eyes are straight but the child will tilt his head to see and likely run in to things because of depth perception problems.


Strabismus-treatment Simple explanation of possible treatments available. We will know more after our visit to the Pediatric Opthamologist next Mon. for both Andrew and Kathlena.


Amblyopia This is what is sometimes called lazy-eye, wandering eye and characterized by loss of vision due to the brain compensating through the other eye that is straight or stronger. Thus making it more of a neurological issue than muscular although usually they go hand in hand. Another good article explaining Amblyopia also has some great pictures of corrective surgery. Possibly to a degree what Andrew has...we are waiting for our Pediatric Opthamologist visit on July 21st to know for sure. Amblyopia-Exams and Tests what to expect. Hypertropia is a verticle drift which we see in Andrew's left eye mainly when he is looking up at you.



Nystagmus Uncontrolled movement of the eye usually from side to side. Also, characterized by a head tilt to compensate for the "null zone" This is generally thought to be genetic. Nystagmus Spasmus Nutans is a form that occurs generally between 6 mos. and 3 yrs. but resolves itself from age 2 to 8. Possibly what Kathlena has...would explain the head tilt issue that has been with her since birth. Albinism, "Albinism is the name given to a group of inherited conditions in which there is a lack of pigmentation (colour) in the eyes (ocular albinism) and often in the skin and hair as well. This causes most people with albinism to have a very fair, almost white, appearance, although in some people albinism affects the eyes only. People with albinism find their greatest problems arise on sunny days and in brightly lit environments. Virtually everyone with albinism has nystagmus", Understanding Nystagmus Again, only my limited knowledge of surfing the net and connecting some vague dots...we hope to know more specifics after our P.O. Dr. visit.


An interesting article on Vision and Learning. He even references poor nutrition(over consumption of processed foods and sugary sweets, sodas etc.) as one of the causes of visual problems in children. Hmmm...quite interesting info.

We are praying for a clear diagnosis and that the Lord would direct our steps(Psalm 37:23) to the best solutions to help Andrew and Kathlena function the best visually. We appreciate your continued prayers as we continue to grow their trust with us, developing good communication skills and seek to do what is best for them. I will update next week what we find out and give more specifics for prayer...thank you for lifting us up.

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1

Walks and Talks

Something that I really love to do with my kids is take walks in our neighborhood. We are blessed to live in a neighborhood that is covered in trees and lots of wild life to observe. A little over a year ago Emily, J.Michael and I began walking for exercise and fun. We got serious about it and Google mapped our whole subdivision printing maps to make 2 mile routes. It was fun...we have a notebook of color coded routes that we rotate so that we cover our entire neighborhood on a two week rotation. I know this sounds so much like a home school Mom project! :)

The best part of these walks have been the great conversations we have been able to have. A time to hear what is on each others hearts and discuss what is going on that day in our studies, an article someone has read or discuss a scripture we have been wrestling with. We have even walked and sang hymns...this will make you out of breath and contrary to Snow White the deer actually run away from you instead of towards you when you do this.

Our walks have had interesting tales of meeting neighbors, finding deals at garage sales or curbside freebies! We have been caught in the rain (or waaaynin as Andrew calls it) We have been on the other end of the subdivision and heard thunder and prayed that we would make it home only to set foot on our driveway as the rain begins...amazing-(not because my feeble prayers bend the will of almighty God, but because He so graciously displays his power for His glory to us.)

I remember days not so long ago when Emily, J.Michael and I would talk about "one day" when their brother and sister are here they will be walking with us. Through God's faithfulness we are now living in those days. It is so exciting to experience our neighborhood through Andrew and Kathlena's eyes too. To see them get excited about seeing a deer or squirrel, to be startled by a passing car or hear a motorcycle to which Andrew shouts with glee "motorcycle!, motorcycle!" -in English. For now Andrew and Kathlena both ride in the stroller as 2 miles is too much for them to walk, but they are getting stronger and learning to love God's creation daily through these walks and talks.

A fun activity we do on our walks to help Andrew and Kathlena learn their numbers and pre-reading left to right skills is to read the numbers on the mailboxes. At first, only Andrew would do this but, now Kathlena is beginning to catch on and repeat what Andrew says. Andrew is most familiar at this point with single digits so I have him call them out this way. It goes something like this:



Mommy: "Andrew look at the green mailbox what number is it?"



Andrew: " one, seven"



Mommy: " good job, one, seven-seventeen"



Andrew: "good job, seventeen"



My favorite of Andrew's numbers is the number 9 which he pronounces "nion" like lion with an "n". Too cute! We also work on knowing our address which has become a game to find our house on the way back from our walks. He now loves to tell you his age and any time he hears the number "5" referenced he exclaims "5 like Andrew".

Baby Einstein great for internationally adopted children

I am not sure what made me think that these DVD's would be good for Andrew and Kathlena except that they are simple and have lots of music in them. I bought one the second week we were home and Andrew watched it 5 times back to back. He was hooked. Kathlena was not as interested at first in the one we had(Animals in the neighborhood). We later found out that our library carried many of them so we began trying different ones out. Our favorite by far and most helpful has been...My First Signs.

My First signs I think is particularly great for international adoptive families because it teaches the children a very simple sign language that they can mimic and use quickly. Andrew had memorized the signs from watching it twice and began using it in context. Kathlena would use it when prompted but not usually take the initiative to use it in context at first. After a few more times of watching it she is now using the signs for more, please, and bath in context just to name a few. It is also great because the signs that are taught have to do with family life. It introduces the concept of family...Mommy, Daddy, baby, etc. I wished I had known about it sooner...it definitely would have been one that I would have packed with us for Russia to have them watch right away.

The second favorite one is Baby Da Vinci that explains eyes, ears, mouth, nose and teaches the familiar Head and Shoulders song that Andrew now sings along with the motions. There are several other DVD's in this series that are great because it is geared towards teaching a child who is in the pre-verbal stages of language. While it is different for a child who is going through language attrition of their birth language. It is normal when learning by immersion a new language and losing your native language when young to revert to non verbal communication before progressing to context verbal language. Simple sign language and music has been a great help for Andrew and Kathlena to pick up English quickly. Baby Da Vinci is actually in French, Spanish, and English. For those adopting from countries whose children speak French or Spanish it might be a good learning tool especially.

Of course just naming everything we see Andrew and Kathlena parrot it back to me and very quickly learn to pick up the names or words for things, then the context comes and last the grammar or usage. Andrew right now has moved to using words in context but the grammar is not there. He will say things like "You like the banana" instead of "I" although he is already catching on to this and has started to use " I" sometimes but not consistently yet. Also, he will say "I like the Babushka Nana" always using "the" whether an object or person. This will fade quickly as he will pick up usage from hearing us speak just as a young toddler does as they grow and hear more language.

An interesting article from Answers in Genesis on language, entitled Words are Us.

Andrew loses his first tooth

Andrew has been wiggling this tooth for weeks now. It has been on the verge of falling out for days now and it finally came out. He just pulled it out. He would do the hand signs for this to tell you about it. He was very proud of his tooth and we were too. It is actually his 2nd tooth to fall out but the first one with us. We put his tooth in a baggie and he carried it around most of the day. At bedtime we had a panic as he had been playing with the tooth out of the bag and he had lost it in his bed. He was quite upset about this. His big brother, J.Michael helped him look and found it. He then wanted to put it under his pillow(didn't know this was practiced in Russia?). We asked him why and he didn't really seem to know other than he thought it a good place to keep it or maybe he had seen others doing this. Not sure what the orphanage did when he lost his first tooth maybe they gave him candy or something. We have decided not to do the mythical "tooth fairy" thing, but we did give Andrew lots of praise and hugs for this mark of growth.

Andrew has been growing in other ways too. His new phrase is "I like the ____" On our way home from Nana and Dodad's he got to see a real train running along side of us and he would say "I like the train" it is so cute with his sweet little voice and accent. His other favorite phrase is to point at something he has been told no about or not to do and look at me shake his head and say "That's a no!" It is so cute that it is hard to keep it a no, but I do for his good.

He is still eating bananas like crazy so I have to limit them and he will come in and see some bananas and say "bananas, that's a no!" I keep thinking they will tire of bananas but they are still bananas for bananas. Placing ownership to things is another thing I am noticing about Andrew. He will point to things and say Andrew's drink or Mommy's drink showing who owns it. I can't help but notice how his face lights up when he says something is his and I agree with him. I can't imagine what it must be like to understand this concept at 5 when you haven't owned anything previously.

As far as attachment we are seeing healthy signs of growth in this area as we are all getting to know each other as a family and the communication is improving for us. Andrew is such a loving child. He is very generous with his younger sister and other children.

First 4th of July part 2

It was a beautiful day at the Ranch in Hillsboro, TX. Andrew and Kathlena meeting their extended family of Shiflets, Davis's and Martin's for the first time. It was a great time and I got to meet some kids too and see some I hadn't seen since they were little...time flies. Thank you to all who made time to come and see us and meet Andrew and Kathlena...such a blessing to see you all.


Kelly holding Kathlena and having fun with bubbles.

Katelyn, Blake and Andrew having fun in the pool.

Andrew and Cheyenne keeping cool on the slip n slide.

Kathlena really like cousin Clint...her broke the ice by
introducing her to ice you could put on the end of your fingers.

Whitney Martin playing with Kathlena.


Great Aunt Ava and Uncle Euel.

Kathlena got his pen and is giving Great Uncle Euel...
...her autograph.

Kathlena really liked Great Uncle Darrell...I do not think
it had anything to do with his proximity to the chips. :)

Grandmommie Shiflet

Gregory Martin and Draven playing a little golf.

Ring around the rosies....

pocket full of posies...

We all fall down...well except Kathlena she didn't want to
get grass on her suit. She sure had fun with Andrew and
Blake though.