Also,we have our first Early Intervention meeting with the state on Friday morning. A case manager and physical therapist will come out to our house to evaluate Pacey,and then make a family plan of things we can work on with him. I am very much looking forward to this. I do some "therapy" type things with Pace,but there are times when I feel like I should be doing something else,but I'm not sure what.
Plus,our normal weekly things like homeschooling,dance class,AWANA's,etc. I'm feeling a bit more confident this week,so bring it on.
One of my buddies Meri asked me if I am wearing Pacey in the Ergo carrier..and how often. The answer is yes,and more with each day. I have mastered the back carry now,which is slightly harder with a low muscle tone baby,since they don't really 'help' you by holding themselves up. I can also wear him quite comfortably in the front. Once last week,we went to the PX to shop for a Mother's Day gift,and once to the commissary for groceries,and I wore him,putting the cover over him so he could sleep. There is a time in the afternoon when I'm cooking dinner,and he's tired,but not ready to nap,when I strap him on while I cook/last minute house pick up. I've been keeping it in the car for the past few days since I like to have it when we go places. He's not quite steady enough to sit up in a cart for long periods,so I wear him for trips to w*al-mart/t*arget. He does like the carrier,and though I have another one,the Ergo is really the only one that works for us. He is kind of a contortionist,and can move his body in ways that my other children couldn't,so the soft structured is where it's at for us. It's great for bonding and attachment,and with the other children,it's nice to wear him and have two hands free.
On that note,Meri also asked if I take the girls to doctor appointments and stuff. The answer is yes,I take them everywhere I go. I don't have any family in the area,we don't have babysitters,and Erik can't help, so we're always together. I took them to all the blood draws he had this week,and X-ray. I figure it's kind of neat for Julianna,since she gets to experience different things.
I've found the key to bringing all 3 is to be ORGANIZED. One thing that helps is to set the alarm and get up before the children to shower and get ready for the day.Otherwise,I can't get one in during the day! Also,I try to make sure the diaper bag is packed and ready to go at night. Three mornings last week,we had to leave at 8:30 for appointments. That's not terribly early,as I realize that working mothers are out of the house much earlier,but alas,I would not consider myself a morning person,so it's tough. What I did was get up,shower,dressed down to shoes,and then go get the kids up. While I feed Pacey,the girls would get dressed,then I put him in the swing for a few minutes to let his food settle,while I fix their hair. Then,I grab the packed diaper bag (with breakfast bars/snacks packed the night before),and we head out the door.
Now,I will say that sometimes the girls are a bit difficult to entertain while we're out. If I had one wish,it would be that I could have an IPAD or something that I could download games/apps on so the girls could have something educational to do while I'm attending to Pacey. I mean,it was a little hairy at one point this week when Pacey was screaming and throwing up exorcist style at the doctors after the blood draw that went bad. The girls aren't used to this kind of thing,either. However,we are sitting on empty after paying for the adoption,and I feel selfish to ask for anything. So,we press on,and I try to think of ways to entertain them that don't involve me carrying around lots of unnecessary stuff.
Thanks for the questions. This week,I hope to take a little about Pacey's first month home,and some of the things we're doing to help him thrive. :)
1 comment:
Thanks Linds:) Great post! You are doing an amazing job getting everyone acclimated to having Pacey home. Thanks for the Ergo plug, you totally sold me!
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