Watercolor Hundred Chart

Today during school, we combined math and art and created beautiful watercolor hundred charts! When I saw this idea at nurturestore.co.uk I knew we had to make one for ourselves! I found a set of 36 watercolors on Amazon for about $8 (affiliated link below).  As soon as those came in, we got right to work.  This project took about one hour to complete.

The concept of this project is to fill each square (or in our case, rectangle) with a different color!  This was quite the challenge and we ended up with several different grays since the boys wanted to mix so many colors at once!  I let the boys lead the color mixing and we each painted our own chart.  These were so fun to make and I love how they turned out!

                                                          

 

Introducing Eleonorah Sparrow Corbitt

She's here! She was born at 3:02pm September 3rd, 2016 via VBAC! She was 9lbs 1oz and 21 1/4 inches long.

Both her and I are doing well! She's nursing like a champ and her brothers are in LOVE with her. When they came to visit her, Boaz and Emory took turns holding her and reciting what they know of the Ten Commandments.  It was absolutely precious! 

Ok, here is my birth story: 

I started having prodromal labor contractions around 38weeks.  These progressed me to 4cm but never got longer/stronger/closer.  Friday night, I went in to L&D because I thought I might be leaking amniotic fluid.  I was not and contractions were still only 8 minutes apart so they sent me home. Around 2am I could not sleep in between the contractions any longer but they were still 8 minutes apart at best. One of my amazing online friends is a doula and she texted me to ask how I was doing as she knew I had been having prodromal contractions. I confirmed that I was up and contracting and she helped me get labor going. Contractions were getting more intense at this point and with her coaching we got them to be consistently 3 minutes apart.  Around 5am we called Josh's mom to come watch the boys and we headed off to the hospital. Once there I was 5-6cm so they admitted me right away. I was in a lot of pain at this point and exhausted from the week and a half of prodromal labor. I got an epidural and was able to relax. After a nap, I started to notice that I was having a lot of pain in my hip with contractions.  The nurses determined that Norah seemed to be occiput posterior meaning she was head down but facing my abdomen instead of my back just like Emory was. They moved me into a couple different positions to try and spin her but she's stubborn and would not move. My body stopped progressing at 9cm (again just like Emory) so we started pushing to try and spin her on the way out. I was determined to have another VBAC and NOT a c-section.  I pushed for an hour and a half and right as the doctors were ready to do a c-section I pushed her out! She came out laying on her side because she decided to partially spin last minute. Pushing an OP baby out is hard work and I could have never done it without my amazing doctor, nurses, husband, and the support crew that surrounded me in person and online. 

DKA and Pneumonia

Boaz has been sick the last couple of days with what we thought was a cold.  His blood sugar has been all over the place as is common with an illness and he has had some ketones though we have been able to get them down at home.  This afternoon he had a slight fever, his blood sugar was in normal range, he had large ketones, was lethargic and nauseous.  All of these (except the fever) is consistent with symptoms of DKA. Knowing this we decided to head to the ER.  Once there they ran some bloodwork, started fluids, and took a chest X-ray.  The X-ray showed some slight pneumonia and the bloodwork confirmed that he was borderline DKA. He gets pretty irrational when he is in DKA and it is difficult to do the tests and such that is needed.  Please pray for peace for him, that he will understand that everyone is trying to help him feel and get better. 

Bird Seed Feeders

These bird feeders are inspired by this post over at Pink Pistachio.

When I saw the post over at Pink Pistachio I knew the time had come for us to make some bird feeders. The boys had picked up some pine cones at Grandma and Grandpa's and I had promised them we would make some bird feeders, but of course they were still sitting in a box. 

I realized this simple recipe might just be perfect for the pine cones.  I gathered everything up and got to work. 

I made the gelatin and mixed in the bird seed. 

After letting it cool for several minutes, I called the boys to come help me.  

First, we scooped the bird seed with spoons into the cookie cutters and put a straw in at the top to create a hole.  

After we had scooped all we could do, we started rolling the pine cones in the seed/ gelatin mixture.  This worked better than I thought it would! 

We shoved all of this stuff into the fridge to set and waited. When it had set, I took it out and attempted to string them.   Several of the cookie cutter ones broke at the hole but the pine cones held up well!   We did hang one cookie cutter one on the fence but the weight of itself eventually brought it down. 

The pine cones have held up well and we've even seen several birds enjoying their treats!  The boys love to see the birds and had a blast making the feeders!   Head over to Pink Pistachio for the full instructions and let me know how they turn out! 

Greyson's New Trick

This evening after an exciting day of worship and afternoon birthday parties, Greyson decided to show off a new trick.

He pulled up!   Over the last couple of weeks he has been pulling to his knees and I have started to see signs of him wanting on his feet but he just couldn't figure it out.  But tonight he figured it out all on his own! 

Now, about those birthday parties I mentioned earlier. Grey turns TWO on Wednesday.  Can you believe that?!   Also, Josh's birthday was yesterday so this afternoon we celebrated their birthdays together.  It was a lot of fun! 

Here are a few pics from the day: 

Thanks for celebrating Greyson's new milestone with us! 

Inclusion in the Church

As I was studying for an upcoming blog post I stumbled across this verse and it hit me. Hard.

May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.  

Romans 15:5-7 (ESV)

This hit me because this is true inclusion. We (special needs parents) spend so much time and energy trying to help our kids be included, and that is necessary, but this, this is true inclusion. Inclusion because, despite all the differences disability brings out and causes, we always have Christ in common. I challenge you to read this verse, memorize it, lock it in your head and your heart and make an effort to welcome and include one another as Christ has welcomed you.

To the families at IPC: thank you.  Thank you for including and accepting my family. Thank you for never thinking twice about my children's disabilities. Thank you for modeling all of this to your children so that my children have found true friends.  Thank you with the utmost sincerity. Thank you. 

In Case You Haven't Heard...

Yep!  You read that right, baby number 4 is on its way! Baby is due September 6, 2016. We had an ultrasound and got to see our little baby.  I am so in love with this beautiful ultrasound pic! Also, just one baby (there was some speculation of multiples from several people!)! We are overjoyed!

Our Scary Day at the Hospital

Our whole family passed around RSV this week.  We all got over it pretty quickly but any infection can be bad for a diabetic. Boaz was acting tired and had a low grade fever on Christmas Day. I decided he should go see the pediatrician in the morning so we can knock out whatever secondary infection he had gotten (I thought ear infection).  When we woke him up, we check his ketones with his blood ketone meter as per sick day intructions. The meter read 5.4 which is considered large. Ketones are produced when the body uses up fat for energy instead of carbs. They are common (but still dangerous) with high blood sugars but can come with low or high sugar when you are sick. The ketones are a byproduct of the body burning fat and can be toxic if too many get into the blood stream.  We have often flushed large ketones at home (as has many diabetic parents), but know to head to the hospital if he is lethargic or vomitting as these are signs of ketoacidosis (DKA). 

After fighting Boaz, to no avail, to look at his ears, his pediatrician sent us over to the hospital to get labs for infections and DKA.  At the lab, Boaz fought and thrashed and screamed just like he did at the pediatrician.  He totally broke our hearts because we could tell that though he was physically fighting us, there was no fight left inside him. He even whimpered when we check his sugar! 

We left the lab and were driving through Wendy's for lunch when the doctor called and told us we needed to head to the ER.  His bloodwork showed that he was in DKA and we were just a few numbers away from being admitted into the PICU!  We arrived at the ER and told them that we had a diabetic in DKA and we needed to go straight back (which our doctor had told us to say). We ended up waiting about ten minutes (a diabetic in DKA should NEVER have to wait!) and while we were waiting, he vomited- a major sign of DKA.  At that point I got up and went and told them AGAIN that he needs go to straight back. Thankfully, they took us back a few minutes later.  Once we got back, I took Emory and Greyson to the pediatric waiting room while Josh stayed with Boaz for the doctors to start an IV and do a chest X-ray.  The X-ray showed a spot that they thought was pneumonia but later determined it was just puffy from his RSV.  

After a few hours in the ER, we were told we would be admitted. Boaz had fallen asleep and they came in to check his vitals. He was SATing at 88 so we had to wake him up to see if that would bring the SATs up. We had a REALLY hard time waking him up.  It freaked us out!   The nurse wasn't concerned but we were! 

Somewhere between the time of being told we would get a room and actually GETTING a room, my parents came and picked up Greyson and Emory and then my sister and brother-in-law brought coffee and came to visit.  It is so nice having family nearby when we have to stay at the hospital! 

Shortly after they arrived, the nurse took us up to our room. Boaz was still out of it but he was slowly getting better. Before long, he was sitting up and had most of his color back.  His nurse brought in a few Christmas presents from the hospital and that perked him right up! We were all amazed to see him sitting up and playing!  

His next set of bloodwork came back better, which was a relief. We ordered him some dinner (more then I thought he would eat) and he scarfed it all down when it came! He hadn't eaten since that morning so we were happy to see an appetite again! 

At this point, he is eating and playing and watching tv. His ketones were up a little this morning (4.2) so I requested they run his bloodwork again. The talk is that he will be discharged today but we will see what the bloodwork says.   Thank you all for your prayers and visits! Please continue to pray and I will update you as we get more info. 

A Talker for Boaz

We (well actually I mean his awesome Speech Therapist) is working on getting Boaz a talker!   A talker is a device, much like a tablet, that Boaz will carry everywhere and be able to use to communicate what he wants and needs by pressing buttons on the talker.  The talker will say aloud what he pressed so it literally will be his voice.  He has been using this at therapy for a little while now and is doing well with it. We are so excited to get this awesome tool for him! Our aforementioned amazing therapist is filling out the billions of pages of paperwork and sending them into insurance so we should have it soon(ish)! Thanks Caitlin! 

No G-Tube for Grey (For Now)

    Yesterday we went to Jacksonville for Greyson's GI check up. Since he started moving around in February he has hardly gained more than a couple of ounces.   We weren't seeing any improvements with adding calories so we were moving towards a g-tube. At the last appointment we talked about adding more calories and seeing how he was in two months.  We were fully expecting to move forward with a g-tube but then he started to gain weight! The GI was happy with his weight gain (a full pound!) at the appointment yesterday and we decided to see how he was doing in another 3 months.  If he continues to gain weight, then we will just continue to monitor him, if he doesn't gain well we will do an endoscopy and consider a g-tube.   Overall, we are happy with those answers but please continue to pray that God will grow him! 

Book Review- Say Goodbye to Survival Mode by Crystal Paine

I first heard about Say Goodbye To Survival Mode by Crystal Paine on the Homemaking Foundations Podcast. Jami Balmet couldn't stop raving about this book and since I was already so encouraged by her podcast, I knew I had to read this book.  I am so glad I did.  I was in survival mode and I didn't even realize it. In the first part of the book, Crystal (from moneysavingmom.com) talks about routines and the value of them.  She says on page 33 that 'routines allow you to get your life in order so you can say goodbye to survival mode and start living your days with a purpose'. With this in mind, I was ready to start setting up routines (with the help of this book, of course!) and it's made a world of a difference in my life. Having a routine helped me realize how much time I actually have (and don't have, some days!) and has helped me enjoy my kids and focus on my business because I can slow down!

Something else of great value that she taught me was how to set goals.  Daily goals, weekly goals, lifetime goals. This has been very valuable to keep me focused! 

Crystal does a fantastic job of balancing biblical principals, her own story, practical tips, and answers to her reader's questions. This book is full of wisdom and sanity. Trust me, this book is for you no matter what stage of life you are in! 

I hope that you will pick this book up (affiliated link below) and start learning how to say goodbye to survival mode and start living your life! 

The Letter E

The next letter we did was 'E'.  This was an easy one because it's easy to think of things that start with 'E'.  This was a particularly busy week so we didn't do any crafts but we did do our usual dot-a-dot pages, Handwriting Without Tears, and How to Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons.  We also made deviled eggs.   These were a lot of fun but did not turn out edible; yet, the boys still ate them up!  Emory added way too much salt so Josh and I did not eat them! I didn't get any pictures this week because we were so busy!


  

Peanut Allergy Answers and Some More Tests

Good news!  Greyson DOES NOT have a peanut allergy!  His bloodwork and skin test were both negative so it is simply an intolerance.  Of course, we are still avoiding giving him peanut products because we don't him to throw up but it's not dangerous as an allergy would be. We are so glad to have answers about this and are praising God it is not an allergy! 

Also on Monday, I took Greyson to the Neurologist. I hadn't told anybody about this because I wanted to see how the appointment went first. For months (basically since Greyson was born) we have wondered if Greyson had Cerebal Palsey. When he was a baby he was so low toned that he felt as if he would slip right through your fingers. We only let a couple of people hold him besides us and when I did hold him I would usually wear him (if I was moving around anyways) because it kept him secure in the proper position and there was no risk of dropping him. His therapists agreed that he was more low toned than any other baby with Down syndrome they had worked with so we took him to the Neurologist in Jacksonville when he was a couple months old.  He agreed that CP was a possibility but the test required anesthesia and Greyson was so young and newly off of O2 so he wanted to wait.  He told us to bring him back in 6 or so months of he wasn't making strides in therapy. 

We moved to Savannah right around that mark so I just got him into a local neurologist.  I went in saying that I didn't want to leave without getting orders for a MRI to test for CP.  Several people (not doctors) have acted like I was crazy so I was half expecting this doctor to act the same way but she didn't at all! She agreed with my concerns and promptly ordered a MRI, a blood test for a muscle disease, and a DNA test to look for a depletion.  I do know what a depletion is, but I don't know exactly what she is looking for and why but I will let you guys know when I learn more.  

At this point, Greyson is receiving all the early intervention he would if he did have Cerebral Palsey so it is more for our piece of mind. We are nervous about the tests (just because who wouldn't be?!) but we are excited that the doctor took us seriously and is moving forward for answers.  

Feel free to ask me any questions you may have! 

Greyson is Sitting Up!

This week we are praising God for Grey's new found strength. After putting the kids to bed, Josh went back in to deliver drinks or something and discovered Greyson SITTING UP and he hasn't stopped since! All he wants to do is practice sitting up. He is even getting more brave and trying to pick up his hands!  We are so proud of him and we can't wait to see him grow stronger! 

Allergist Update

Shortly after I posted about Greyson's possible peanut allergy yesterday, I received a call from the allergist about his referral.  They had a couple openings THIS WEEK. So I scheduled the appointment for this morning at 10 o'clock. 

The appointment went smoothly and I really liked the doctor we saw. He took me (and my concerns) seriously. He explained that the way Greyson is reacting *sounds* like a peanut intolerance not allergy, but it is definitely possible he is allergic. He gave me an order for bloodwork and told me to continue avoiding peanuts until we get some answers.  The bloodwork will tell him if Greyson is allergic though it's negatives are not always correct.  We scheduled a skin test, and if the bloodwork is negative we will go forward with a skin test.

After we left we headed to our church for their Wednesday Noon Service.  We are not usually in town on Wednesdays so it was a blessing to be able to go. Also, Greyson makes some really cute faces when Daddy tickles him. 

After church, we headed to the labs for Greyson's bloodwork. Thankfully, the boys were very refreshed! While we were there, Nana took her lunch break so she could meet us there since she works at the hospital. It was a huge help having her there to watch the older boys (thank you, Nana!). Greyson did as well as expected with his bloodwork, though he only cried for a couple of seconds afterwards, opting instead to cuddle with the person who had just taken his blood. We will have results for this bloodwork in about a week.  Thank you guys for your prayers! 

Possible Peanut Allergy

Back in May or June, I was making baby food for Greyson.  I was stuffing it with calories to make him gain weight and  after we saw the GI, we started adding pediasure and PB2 (which is powdered peanut butter) for extra calories and protein.  Since we do not have a history of peanut allergies, I did not think twice about this.  

This same week, a stomach bug plagued the Corbitt's, going through each and every one of us. But then there was Greyson. It seemed odd that he was continuing to vomit when everyone else was well.  His nutritionist said it was probably the pediasure as some children cannot handle the calories. We stopped adding pediasure but he continued to vomit.  At this point, I knew that the only thing new in that food was the PB2. I was told not to jump to conclusions of an allergy but to hold off on peanut products for a little while until we could test it again.  I waited a few months and then gave him a simple breakfast of peanut butter toast.  After about two hours, he vomited again. After speaking with the pediatrician, we have decided to avoid all peanut products as a family until we can see the allergist and get more clear answers. We have the referral but we are waiting to hear about an appointment. So, at this time Greyson officially, unofficially is allergic to peanuts.

Image:  http://www.peanutallergykids.com/products.html

The Letter L

The second week of school was focused on the letter 'L'.  The boys had a blast making lavender L's and lemonade. As usual, we started the week off with dot-a-dot pages on Monday. We continued reading lessons with Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy lessons, and working on writing with Handwriting Without Tears (affiliated links below) throughout the week. 

On Tuesday, we made Lavender 'L's. I had Josh pick up some real Lavender at one of our favorite stores, The Paris Market, and the next day we stuffed fabric 'L's with it.  This was great motor skills practice and the boys loved playing with and smelling the lavender. 

On Thursday, we made lemonade.  I did most of the prep work earlier in the day, but left something for each boy to do.  They each juiced a lemon half, measured and poured simple syrup, and helped count the cups of water. And of course, they LOVED drinking it. 

The Letter F

The first week of school we studied the letter F.  The first few days were a little bit of trial and error to see what each boy could do but they both did great! Emory and Boaz both loved the Dot-A-Dot markers (affiliated links below)! I found several cool worksheets that use Dot-A-Dot markers and the boys have been going to town with them!  Boaz is learning to use a pencil to make intentional lines and scribbles and Em is using the Handwriting Without Tears worksheets to write his letters.

We kick off each week with some Dot-A-Dot letter sheets and Find a Letter sheets; then we do a craft and (sometimes) a snack that begins with that weeks letter.  This week we made foil fish and paper plate fish, though we did not do a snack. 

We fill in the rest of the time (that isn't at therapy or a doctor's appointment) with coloring sheets, math sheets, books, and learning to read with Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons.  

Both boys did really well in their first week of school and we couldn't be more proud of them! 

 

Greyson's Swallow Study

    

    This morning we woke up early and headed to Jacksonville for a Swallow Study for Greyson.  Well actually, we woke up late, but we made it there on time, by God's grace! 

     Greyson wasn't allowed to eat anything 6 hours before this study so we fed him in the wee hours of the night and then held and played with him while we waited for his Swallow Study. I went back with him fed him the sippy full of 'chalk tasting liquid' for the study.  They took X-ray pictures of his stomach and esophagus while he drank it and after it had time to leave his stomach.  After the study, we went to lunch and then headed to the Kid's Walk to kill some time before his GI and Nutrition appointment.  The boys loved the view of the trucks and had a blast playing up there. 

     At his GI/Nutrition appointment we discussed his diet and how to pack more calories in. The results from the Swallow Study were normal and so for now we are just going to continue his high calorie diet. We will see the GI in November again and if Greyson hasn't gained weight by that appointment then we will talk about the next steps for a G-Tube (tests and so forth). Please keep us all in your prayers!  At this point we just want Grey to gain weight and if he needs a g-tube to accomplish that, then that is what we will do but do pray that he will be able to put on weight on his own! 

The Corbitt's Homeschool

    Two weeks ago we started preschool with Boaz and Emory.  So far each week we are studying a letter, working on writing, working on reading, and doing lots of playing!  I am going to be posting about what we study at the end of the week. We are just starting out so come check out the blog and learn along side us as we learn what it looks like to homeschool our two crazy sons, one with only 2 copies of the 21st chromosome and one with three.