My Little Cherubs

Oh how I love these little guys! They are so stinkin' much fun - along with being so stinkin' difficult and challenging! The vintage suit Cdc is in was made by Pmc's mom for his oldest brother. I don't know if you can tell, but it's the full 3-pieces! These brown cords Cpc is wearing were also worn by daddy!

I forgot to post this a while back - This was Cdc's art project from the library at Valentine's Day. I just LOVE how he put the eyes on the ears of the teddy bear. He also figured out the bookmark thing, and putting the heart on top of the heart. I am so amazed sometimes by the things this kid comes up with. He certainly is creative.

Cpc has an amazing memory. He can learn the words to entire songs just from listening a few times. He comes home from church singing songs I don't even know, and I thoroughly enjoy walking through the grocery store with him singing "ba-ba-ba ba-ba-baran'" at the top of his lungs! Along with his love of music, he is also really into his identity. This is what he drew on the sidewalk the other day - you can't really see, because it had rained a little by the time I took this picture - but he wrote his name in that circle and told me that it says "C's family." I love the hearts too - four of them for four of us!

I am so excited that Cpc is finally into drawing something more than his name. He is a lot like me, he sees a blank piece of paper and he's just not too creative about what he can fill it up with. It started with church about 2 months ago, his teacher asked them to draw their family I think. So this was his first attempt:

It sure is fun to see how he's progressed (Danni is his therapist):

These kiddos are THRILLED when their cousins are in town, and we enjoyed a great day at the zoo this time. We asked that extra kid what his name was, and now I can't remember!

Cpc loves his horse-riding class. The first week it didn't seem to help regulate him, but this last time it did, and I'm relieved. He also loved that daddy bought him his own real cowboy hat, and let him wear his belt-buckle.

Jazzy Date Night

On Monday afternoon Pmc called me and told me to do my very best to get a babysitter within the next hour. He said to trust him, it would be worth it.

Boy was he right! I won't go through all the details, but my sister-in-law ended up with some Lexus Club tickets to the Jazz Game that night, which meant they were pretty much front row, plus dinner and the whole she-bang was included. Notice the face value on these tickets - WHOA! We have a serious thank-you card to write!

So we started off the night by getting special parking across the street from the Delta Center - or whatever it's called now. Once we figured out where to go, our tickets were clipped onto lanyards to keep them around our necks. Then we enjoyed one of those super fancy meals with an assortment of things like crab claws, new york cuts, baby back ribs, et cetera et cetera. We got to enjoy a little chit-chat with Elder L. Tom Perry, who kindly shared his hand sanitizer with us, and then eat and gaze around the room to find Mark Eaton and Greg Miller. After discussing for a while whether or not we were supposed to leave a tip on our table, we headed out to the game. As we left the room, we were asked for our drink orders, which we would be receiving between the 1st and 2nd quarters, and the 3rd and 4th quarters. We also enjoyed a little cup of mints!

During the game we sat in cushiony office-style folding chairs, and had a little table in front of us with a place for our drinks, a little personal television (as though we needed those being feet from the players themselves!), and candy dishes. During half-time we enjoyed dessert back in the room we enjoyed our dinner in. There were also desserts we could bring out to the game with us.

It was such a fun experience, probably our first and last of it's kind! We are so grateful for such a fun night though, and for Sdc and Mbc for inviting us to use their tickets with them!

The best part might just have been that the Jazz actually pulled off a win against Oklahoma! Go Jazz!

Frederick, Pierpont and Arc

This is Freddie - his full name being Frederick. He is our Ford Fusion that we have owned for the past 3 years. We have loved him! We felt so fortunate to get him because he was rated so well in Consumer Reports. And he has treated us amazingly! Unfortunately there is no way we're getting 3 car-seats in his back seat! So we're selling him. Let us know if you know anyone looking for an amazing Sedan. We're trying to get rid of him before the end of March because the registration expires. We figured it was a good time to make the switch.

On Friday, after months of looking at Minivans and SUV's with a 3rd row, we finally bought a car!

Meet Pierpont the Pilot. Ponti for short! The name comes from the show "How to Succeed in Business Without Even Trying" and the nickname is definitely a play on Pontius Pilate. The kids were thrilled to have input on the name.

Speaking of names - we have decided on a name for little sister. The boys and I have mostly been decided for the last week or two, but Pmc decided he agreed this last week. There's still the possibility that when she comes we'll change our minds - but for now calling her by name is giving us a little stronger bond. So, ARC, we are anxious to meet you in July. Don't worry though - we are perfectly willing to wait - no early arrivals out of you ok?

Occupational Therapy

People have been asking us lately what it means exactly when we say we need to do about an hour of therapy with Cpc each day....


I don't always know how to explain it. Usually as I attempt to explain it, I feel like it just sounds like normal childhood things and I start to wonder, so what's the big deal? And then I do these things with Cpc and see how it affects him, and speak with the Occupational Therapist and realize it's so much more.

There are a few important factors to his therapy. 1- It has to include heavy work and deep pressure. 2- It has to include some cool down/calm down time. 3- It MUST be directed and focused.

So here are some examples:

This swing is great because he has to hold up his body weight. We have it hung over our ABC play mat and he tries to land on certain letters. This helps to give direction and focus. We usually have him spell out certain things like his name.

Sometimes he holds something between his feet and tries to make it land in something (like the wheelbarrow) as he swings. If you look close there's a little beanie baby between his feet.

Jumping on the tramp is great, but it's even better if he does it while holding a 6-pound medicine ball. Also, the little trampoline is way better than a big backyard one - it takes much more work to bounce on. Also, it doesn't really help if I just let him jump on the tramp. He needs specific directions and focus - like "jump 10 times with the ball," otherwise somehow it just doesn't help him.

Climbing up this ladder is AWESOME work for him. The focus and direction are easy because he has the top to get to and back down. We use velcro to attach puzzle pieces to the top and he can get one piece at a time and put the puzzle together.

Pmc still has some work to do on this swing, the handle isn't very secure yet, but it is still great work for Cpc. We tell him a certain number of swings to do on it or something.

The swing he's in here is his cuddle swing. It's made out of lycra and it gives him great deep pressure. Also, climbing into it is great heavy work. It has multiple purposes - he lays in it and uses his hands to walk around the mat to move things around, like a puzzle or putting beanie babies in his wheelbarrow.

He also likes to just wiggle around in it, and that is fantastic deep pressure for him. This is also where he gets a lot of his cool down time. When he's overstimulated or having a meltdown, climbing in the cuddle swing really helps him calm down - hugging him usually just aggravates him.

We also have him carry our water storage up the stairs to "stop the monster." We tell him there's an 8-jug monster or something coming and he has a certain amount of time to stop the monster by putting the jugs in front of the door.

If he's not doing a puzzle or stopping a monster, usually we have to give him some sort of obstacle course and tell him each step and how many times he has to do the whole course. That could go something like: Climb through your cuddle swing, then bounce a medicine ball 10 times, then climb up the ladder, then spell your name using the swing. And we'll do it 3 times.

He needs cool down time interspersed in there all over, without it he zones out and it's almost like he's gone deaf - he literally doesn't hear. The same goes for not having the directions of what to do. We've got lots of really fun things for him to do, but if we just tell him to go play, it doesn't improve his ability to self-regulate at all.

Essentially the point of all of this is to help him self-regulate. Without the therapy he needs, he seems like a pretty hyperactive kid with ADD or something. He is also very emotionally volatile. Cpc rarely throws tantrums - instead he has meltdowns. For most people it's pretty tough to tell the difference. We've learned that tantrums are an attempt to manipulate situations, whereas a meltdown is caused by sensory overload. For example - most kids have meltdowns when they're tired or hungry. Well, Cpc does too - but it also happens when he hasn't had enough input, or if he's had too much. Sometimes instead of melting down, he zones out - and it's really not under his control. He's not trying to zone out, he just can't handle things. When Cpc is well-regulated - he is a quick learner. He is starting to read a little, and is writing much more than just his name now too. His musical skills, rhythm and imaginative play are improving. He is learning awesome social skills. But when he's not well-regulated - his ability to learn anything is halted, and sometimes it even digresses quite a bit. Things that we know he can pick up or that he has previously learned - he just can't seem to get. He gets frustrated easily and can quickly meltdown. He can quickly become the obnoxious kid in class that nobody wants to be around. And THAT is the most heartbreaking thing of all - because he is such a sweet kid. It's also pretty heartbreaking when he's learned something and then can't do it. When he was just barely 2 years old he learned how to put together 24-28 piece puzzles. Then, about 2 months later he literally couldn't figure them out anymore. Trying to put a puzzle together would make him cry with frustration. He also learned to climb the little climbing walls on playgrounds, and then couldn't do it anymore a couple months later.

Some of you may remember way back when we very first discovered SPD that we started taking him to the playground each night. At first it seemed to help, and this was because he was getting a lot of the input his body was craving. However, over time it stopped helping because of the lack of direction. We love the playground, and Cpc craves the playground. However we have learned that it's usually best if we can find a playground with very few other children, and set up an obstacle course of some sort. This way he's not overstimulated by other kids, and he's getting some direction in his play.

Learning to understand the need for direction has probably been the hardest thing to figure out, but we think we finally have a good handle on that. The best thing about the Occupational Therapy we take him to each week is that the goal is to learn what we need to do at home so that we don't need to go to therapy each week. We're excited that we're about ready to take a break from therapy for a while. We are feeling like we've got lots of tools in our toolbox and know how to help Cpc. Cpc is a little sad about that, because he definitely likes his therapist more than us when it comes to these things, but alas, that's what parents are for right?

At therapy last week, Cpc sat down in the little desk they have and asked to make a picture. So his therapist got some markers and a paper and told him to draw himself. The drawing on the left is the one he drew of himself. I love the arms coming out of his head - such perspective! Then he wanted her to draw herself, so she did. Then she told him to draw me, so he did - and he copied the way she drew herself instead of his original drawing - so the blue one is me! I love how he insisted that a nose is an "A."

I'm so grateful for the understanding of how Cpc is different, and how to help him to still be able to learn just like other children.

Snow!

We were afraid we weren't going to get to take the boys tubing this year. But alas, we finally got some nice snow last week! We had such a blast, the boys could hardly get enough of it. We hid on our very own private hill at the park, and discovered afterwards that the big hill that everyone usually goes to was already green because of overuse! Our hill wasn't as steep, but the boys probably enjoyed our own space more than they would have enjoyed the speed!

I sure wish I could express just how handsome I think this guy is, and how amazing he is in every way! I guess I'll just keep it to myself, which I'm sure others prefer anyway!

Aunt Cse goes to Spain!

My little sister finally got her visa and left for Spain last week! Or was it the week before? I can't remember. It was the day before the ultrasound I think.

Anyway, I'm so proud of her and so excited for the experiences she has ahead of her. Serving a mission was one of the hardest things I've ever done - and also one of the most valuable experiences I've ever had.

Cdc is still TWO!

In case we haven't mentioned this enough to get our point across lately - Cdc is as TWO as can be. His favorite thing in the world is Chocolate. He loves to smear it on his face. This is what he's like when he doesn't get more chocolate.

And this is what he's like when he does! I just love how his emotions can so easily switch back and forth. He is pro at getting the tears to come to his eyes even when he's fake crying. I am trying so hard to be strong, but I'm finding I melt for this kid far more often than is good for him!

Cdc is so much like his brother too. We have a zillion pictures of Cpc in this same pose. We never once set either of them up this way. But they LOVE laying like this! We have also discovered that if we go in and check on them sleeping before we head to bed, they are almost ALWAYS laying in the exact same position as each other. It's such a funny coincidence!

Now that Cdc doesn't suck his thumb anymore, he also doesn't cuddle his dog very much anymore. But he still loves it, and I guess he's letting his dog cuddle with him!

February Community Exploration Pass

Our awesome library system here in SLC allows us to get a pass once a year that will let us go to 4 different fun places for kids in the community during the course of a month - Discovery Gateway, The Leonardo, Red Butte Gardens, and The Utah Museum of Natural History. So we got the pass for February and had a blast enjoying those places. We've been to the Gateway before, but the new Natural History museum just opened a few months ago. The Gardens were really quite beautiful even though nothing was blooming, and The Leonardo had a few things that were good for my kids - although it's really a better place for school-age kids. We'll be excited to do this again next year!


Discovery Gateway - these boys LOVE helicopters with a passion. I love Cpc's face in this picture. This is how he always poses for pictures - CHEESE! And Cdc rarely looks at the camera long enough to get a good picture!

This is at Red Butte. I was impressed with how much the kids enjoyed it up there. We might go again sometime!

Our Baby Girl!

These are the pics from our little baby girl's ultrasound.

Here she is giving a thumbs up!


Here's her profile.

Here's the profile of the other side of her face. Not that it looks that different - but she was a little dancer during the ultrasound. She started head down and end up the opposite way. But the ultrasound tech had no problem keeping tabs on her and still figuring out that she's a girl!

Like I said, this little girl likes to move. And stretch she did - that is her legs fully stretched out.

I think in the past two days she's realizing that she can't quite stretch out as well - because she's been rockin' and rollin' non-stop. It's been really reassuring to me though because I've been doing my motherly thing and worrying about everything. I had some pretty bad lower back and abdomen pain this weekend, and I just couldn't help worrying about whether I was going into early labor or something. But - no worries, all's well!

Asking Questions

I suppose some may be tired of my wordy posts with no pictures. I know most of our family and friends really just want to see pics of our kids - what can I say, they're cute! But alas, I remind you again that this is also a family journal. So you'll just have to skip this post or deal with it!

I've been thinking a lot about curiosity and asking questions lately. I have a son who asks "why" to everything I say, whether he's heard the answer or not. I have always had a natural insatiable curiosity to understand everything around me, and so I can only imagine where this son of mine got this habit! I have also noticed lately a lot more criticism than usual towards our church about members being "blind followers" or people saying that we are discouraged from asking questions or finding answers. We even have some relatives that have recently left our church, and have cited this as being one of their reasons. And so, these are the things that have led me to thinking on this topic.

The thing is, I have no idea whether my insatiable curiosity is something that was nurtured in me, or just a natural trait. I can only presume it is a little of both, since my siblings and I are all pretty similar in this way. (Totally off topic here, but the more I write these little posts about my thoughts, the more I appreciate my siblings - we really are very similar even though we're so totally different at the same time!) I have never been able to quench my thirst for more understanding - all that happens when I learn is I find more things I want to know. Mostly, I believe this is a gift from God to most people. Think about the curiosity children have. It drives them to learn to crawl, walk, and play all day long. Children don't just play. The discover. Everything around them, from the tupperware in the cupboard to the leaves on the trees is FASCINATING. They figure something out, and then come back to discover it anew a few days or months later. And so I ask, why would God give us this curiosity, only to tell us to sit down, be quiet and do what we're told.

I truly believe that is NOT what He does. And I don't believe that He tells his prophets and apostles to tell us that either! In fact, I'm finding more and more of the exact opposite lately. I recently read a talk by Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf that expresses very clearly my feelings on the matter. The following are my favorite lines:

"We human beings have a strange tendency to complicate simple things. We set up rules, laws, bylaws, processes, and subprocesses. Eventually, we pile up load after load until we end up under a huge weight of expectations that are so complicated it is difficult to keep track of them, let alone meet them.

This is one of the reasons Paul said, “The letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life” (2 Corinthians 3:6).

Too often, we complicate the beauty and simplicity of the gospel of Jesus Christ with endless lists of meticulous expectations. However, when we focus on the “why” of the gospel, much of the confusion fades away. Why are we here? Why are we asked to obey the commandments? Why is the Atonement of Jesus Christ of such value to us?

The proper “why” questions will lead us to the proper “who,” “what,” “when,” “where,” and “how” decisions."

"Unfortunately, we sometimes don’t seek revelation or answers from the scriptures or the handbooks because we think we know the answers already.

Brothers and sisters, as good as our previous experience may be, if we stop asking questions, stop thinking, stop pondering, we can thwart the revelations of the Spirit. Remember, it was the questions young Joseph asked that opened the door for the restoration of all things. We can block the growth and knowledge our Heavenly Father intends for us. How often has the Holy Spirit tried to tell us something we needed to know but couldn’t get past the massive iron gate of what we thought we already knew?

Another topic I would like to discuss is the difference between growth and real growth. We have heard some about this today. In Church terms, growth could be defined as new members. New members come through children baptized at age eight as well as convert baptisms. Real growth, however, is defined as growth in the number of active members."

I am not exactly sure what I am getting at. Maybe mostly I just want to share my testimony that I know I have a Heavenly Father who loves and cares about me. ME. A-T-E-C. I am my own person, but my Heavenly Father Loves and cares about me. He did not give me commandments as a list of things that I have to do to return to live with Him and be happy. He gave them to me to teach me the ways to be happy. And if I complicate them by setting up my own rules about them, I'm only creating a barrier between Him and myself. I want people to know that because in our family we try to wear our church clothes throughout the day on Sunday - instead of just at church, it's not because I think that is required to "Keep the Sabbath Day Holy." It is merely something we've found that helps us to remember the types of activities we should be engaging in on Sundays. I believe that there are many effective ways to keep all of God's commandments, and that for the most part He doesn't give very specific instructions on HOW to obey His commandments, because He understands that we are individuals and that different things work for different people. Just like, as a parent, different things work for different children. And no 2 parents can parent different children exactly the same - because it simply won't work. Those 2 kids are different and those 2 parents are different. I know this, and it has become a vital asset to me as I have parented Cpc, because he's simply not that close to "normal" in a lot of ways - even though he looks that way to everyone else. I hope that I can treat everyone else as an individual too. And when I go seeking the "why" in everything, just like Cpc does, I need to recognize that there isn't always ONE answer. In fact, often there are so many answers, that we will simply end up with more questions. And THIS just might be my answer in learning to not squelch Cpc's enthusiasm for learning/curiosity - which has worried me a lot lately because I'm so sick of telling him that I've answered that question already. Just maybe I haven't actually answered that question yet...

Oh, and lastly, I wonder if maybe this criticism of "blind followers" comes from the encouragement that comes from the Bible to "not doubt." The definition I found of doubt that I think is interesting is: "to distrust". There are many definitions of doubt, but I like to think that this is what the Bible is referring to. I believe it is good and right to question and wonder about things we don't know - to seek answers to things that are truly important to our faith. But we should do so with a believing heart. If we don't trust that God will give us the answers that we need, and help us to be okay with not getting an answer to something - then why would He give us the answer? I believe that is what Faith is about.

Fruit and Chocolate

Last night I finally found a recipe that Pmc likes that uses cucumbers. In case you didn't already know this Pmc and I are not very similar when it comes to food. That's kind of a big deal in marriage when it's something we do throughout almost every day! The best way to sum up my idea of great food is "if I haven't tried it I love it." His is "I know what I like, why mess with a good thing?" Polar opposites pretty much! He'd be very nearly perfectly happy if I rotated about 30 particular recipes that he loves and never made anything else.

But Bountiful Baskets has helped us to bridge our gap a bit over the last while and simplify our meal-planning in an immense way. Now if I make something new, it's not me he has to blame - it's the basket - which he is fully supportive of.

However, Cdc apparently isn't feeling the same way. Cdc has his daddy's tastes and doesn't understand why we're feeding him things so foreign. His favorite phrase lately is "I don't like it!" which he commonly says upon having food placed on front of him, without having tasted it. It's a good thing Pmc is around because I have no patience for it.

However I really think I'm pretty lucky, because our kids really do a pretty good job eating! They both love fruit, and we have to use it to eat their other fruit. Cpc loves veggies just as much, and Cdc will eat them, even after all his "I don't like it!" Our kids LOVE water, they always want a water bottle with them, and they need refills throughout the day. They love snacking on nuts and they even like fish, just not as much as mommy!

On top of that, these boys beg to read books all the time, and can even sit through 30+ minutes of reading stories, including long ones! They love to be active, try new things, and get outside even in crummy weather. I am not saying all this to brag, in fact I feel like more than anything it's their personalities and the way they influence each other. I recognize that I have played my part by making sure these things are surrounding them and expected of them, and other things that aren't so healthy are limited. But I also feel like I have no idea how hard these things are for other moms/kids, despite great efforts.

I know that at least the fruit thing is something that is innate for my boys, because I craved fruit incessantly during pregnancy with both of them. However, this time around fruit is not nearly so satisfying to me, nor as refreshing! But chocolate on the other hand! I literally can't get enough of it! It just might be reaching addiction levels! Does this mean I'm in for a whole new world of parenting with this little girl? Did this little girl get my mom's sweettooth? Because that is really something serious, and I'm not kidding! That and the fact that this girl is barely 20 weeks and she already has daddy worried about being wrapped around her little finger. He's been talking about the need to learn to be less of a softy with his boys, so that he has some practice before she comes!

And those are my meandering thoughts for the day!

By the way, our little girl looked as healthy as can be for the ultrasound. And we met with a doctor today who specializes in VBA2C, who gave us high hopes of being able to so just that! I know a c-section is still a good possibility, but we also have high hopes that I can finally avoid it! We finally decided to stick with the midwives clinic at the University Hospital, and feeling great about that choice. I know none of that deliberation has been posted on here, but it's been on our minds and in our discussions ever since Cdc was born. We want me and baby to be as healthy and safe as possible, and we feel like our best chance of that is to go this route.

As long as we're on the topic I might as well add in that we have been purposefully secretive about this baby. We thought it would be fun, and it has been. But we also felt so strongly that now was the time to add to our little family, but there were so many unknowns. Pmc hadn't even gotten into school, I was suspicious about not getting sick at all in the first trimester, and not getting to hear the heartbeat at my first appointment. We've almost been afraid to believe it ourselves! But now that Pmc is in school, and loving it, and his job is more stable, and we have student loans, and we've seen our baby healthy as can be - we're just so excited that we're already halfway to meeting our little girl! I wonder if the next 20 weeks will go by as fast as the first 20? Probably not, but a girl can dream can't she?

Baby name opinions

Apparently Cdc feels pretty strongly about the name we will be choosing if this baby is a girl. Over the past 5 years Pmc and I have chosen 3 girl names we like: Jec, Arc, and M-c (we're still not in total agreement on the middle name for that last one). Anyway, we're currently just discussing the first two for this baby (we have NOTHING for boy names!). So this morning we asked the boys at breakfast which name they think this baby should be. CDC very firmly stated that it should be J, and Cpc said "no, I like A." Well, apparently that was not okay with Cdc because he said "NO, J!" to which Cpc again argued "A!" At this point Cdc couldn't take it anymore and lifted his hands up by his face in claw-form and growled with all his might. We nearly cried laughing. We really don't know yet - but apparently if this IS in fact a girl, and we decide on ARC, we will have Cdc to reckon with!

P.S. I wrote this in early February.

Coming to This Little Cundick Family in July 2012