6

Em and Roo turned.... 6! 

We kicked off the morning with their new t-shirts and donuts...

...with candles to blow out.  Plus, they let me sing a very soft birthday song to them.  They still feel a little wiggy having the song sung for them and requested no singing at their party. 

Marmee arrived soon after donuts and we headed to the American Girl store.  

 Welcome to the family, Josefina!  Your new mommy, Em, is super proud to have you.  

Next up, lunch at the American Girl Bistro.  Dad joined us and that made it perfect.  

 Then, Roo's turn!  The Lego store for all the mini-figures she's been wishing for.  She built them all from scratch and couldn't be more pleased.  

 We made the cakes the day before.  Em requested a pink American Girl cake.  Her cake has vintage American Girl pewter game pieces as the cake toppers. 

Roo asked for a blue-green Sesame Street cake.  We found some cool 1970's cake toppers that fit the bill perfectly.  

 They invited all their friends from co-op, plus family and our dear, life long, since the NICU, friends, Abbey and Porter.  First up, cook-out, then cake, finally The Muppets on the screen in the backyard with popcorn.  

Up bright and early the next morning, despite the late party.  They couldn't wait to rehash it and also had the added treat of tons of birthday wishes, blessings and greetings awaiting them on Facebook.  

Happy Birthday to my darling Rowdy Girls.  I can't wait to see what amazing things you do this year!

cheese twins

Not who you expected to see seated next to Roo, huh?

But none the less... the smiles are "twinny"

Maggie Dog always rises to the challenge.

Roo masterminded this photo.

Complete with dog and doll placement. I just pressed the shutter.

KangaRoo

wherein Elmo is a joey in her 'pocket'

what tomorrow are we going

Em and Roo ask at least once a day "what tomorrow are we going?"

Because there's always something to look forward to...

...the Christmas stroll that included a parade and tons of neat kid-sized activities.

...errands with Daddy (and 5 Sesame Street dolls shoved into pockets)

...outings with Mama to get new shoes

...impromptu side trips to the Disney store for secret presents and a special Mrs. Potts ornament that just wear you out

... enough extra time before school to drive around the kitchen 3 or 4 times.

Elmo is the new Bono

Em and Roo,

Even children in Africa like Elmo. This little boy came to watch us
fix a water pump. I thought of you when I saw him.

See you soon.
Love,
Mammaw

I don't want to go on the cart

I found this the other day and couldn't quit laughing.
It reminds me, for all the world, of the 'dead' cart from Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

a space of her own

Tonight, the smell hit my room again.

J and I tiptoed into the RGs bedroom to determine the culprit.

It was tricky to find her. They were dog piled on Em's bed. Em at the foot, Roo at the head and a menagerie of Muppets in between.

We moved Roo back to her bed, changed out her pull-up and tucked her in.

As for Em, bless her heart. She must have fallen asleep first. Roo had tucked her Sesame Street friends into every nook and cranny she could find on Em.

I found Bert in the bend of her knee. Grover under her arm. Cookie Monster up against her belly. Ernie in the crook of her neck. And so on and so on.
Roo currently has 9 Sesame Street friends.

It explains a bit about what I witnessed this afternoon.

After swimming all morning, the RGs were exhausted. To ensure a proper nap, I split the girls up. Roo napped in the guest room in her PeaPod (with all of her friends). Em got the bedroom all to herself.

Shortly after tucking everyone in and closing the doors, I peeked at the monitor.
Em was doing a little boogie, celebrating the space and the freedom. Then, she hopped into bed and spread her arms wide.
And sighed, loudly.

second time around

Monday's trip to Sea World was a serious success. Em and Roo were beyond thrilled to return and visit the "do-fins" and "shawks" and "Dory fish" and "wayules".

Roo was totally excited about the first show at Sea Lion Stadium.
Seals, Walruses and Otters, Oh My!

Then, we got some up close looks at the sea lions goofing off and eating.

We made a pit stop at our favorite jumpy house and the girls ran and bounced off some energy.

Waiting for Daddy to make it through the line to order lunch was a little tough, but the iPhone came through again. Well, the iPhone and Sesame Street podcasts.

Look! They held hands while they watched The Street.

The beluga whale and dolphin show was amazing. And one of the whales had her calf swimming with her through the performance. Super sweet. Em kept pointing and yelling "baby wayule!". *We also saw a dolphin mommy and calf up close at the Dolphin encounter.

By this time of the day, a wardrobe change was needed. Both girls got fresh pants. And then, Roo conked out for a 45 minute nap in the stroller.
So, Em got Daddy all to herself in the penguin exhibit. She loved the whole thing. Each time they finished the conveyor belt sidewalk, she ran up to check on Roo and myself. Then, she grabbed J's hand and asked for "Penwens, Peeeeze!" They went through the exhibit at least 5 times.

Roo woke up towards the end of our stay in the dark, cool, Celtic music'd penguin habitat. Just in time for us to jet over to the Sesame Street Beach Party.

Oh. My. Word. She loved it! Once she got rid of the sleepies and realized that Elmo was really on stage, she was in heaven. J laughed when the staff announced during the pre-show that parents should make sure their children did not run onto the stage. (They also had bouncers to assure there wasn't a toddler bum-rush). But, seriously, if he'd let go of Roo at any point during the performance, I think she would have made a run for it.

When the Sesame Street gang said goodbye, J and I were concerned that Roo would cry. She sucked it up and managed to transition well. Phew!

Em enjoyed it all, but she's not hardcore like Roo.

The last show of the day was Shamu's. We were all a bit worn out by this point. The girls totally dug it and Em was all over the crowd participation parts. Very very adorable.




After Shamu, we headed to the car, changed the girls into their jammies, grabbed some supper and headed home. Five minutes into the trip I looked back and saw Em crashed.
Roo watched and sang along to Singin' In The Rain all the way home and then slept the sleep of the Sea World-ed that night.

It was a super day and we're looking forward to going back and doing the water park next time.

A Sweet Ride

Happy Good Days

It's been a month since Roo began occupational therapy for a sensory integration disorder. Her particular issues have affected her ability to be comfortable in groups of people, among other things. Our wonderful therapist immediately recommended the Wilbarger Protocal for Roo. It's a deep massage with a surgical-type brush that delivers deep-pressure input to her nervous system. The purpose is to reduce her sensory defensiveness. Roo's brain seems to read light wispy touches as painful. She instintively avoids contact that might result in a touch like that. She will flinch away or even manufacture a fall rather than encounter a light touch that she is unprepared for.

Over the last month of therapy, a wonderful new Roo has emerged. She is calm and settled in her world. She voluntarily offers a hug now. She relaxes into you and allows you to stroke her hair. She initiates contact with Maggie the dog and no longer flinches away from her wagging tail.
And that's not all.
Her vocabulary has rocketed into orbit over the last few weeks. She went from a few 2 word sentences to complicated sentences. Like, "Sesame Street was brought to you today by the letter H and [the number] 2."

My take on the recent changes is now that her brain is relieved of the constant fight or flight danger signals her sensory issues sparked, it's able to spit out all those words she's learned and been storing up.

Today, her teacher, Jackie, remarked that Roo has become so social over the past month. She loves school and her friends. As we left, she said, "Bye Jackie." and then turned to me and prounounced that it was a "happy good day".