Porter Turns 4

All about Porter at 4 years old: 

• After an 8 month plateau in Porter's development we are starting to see a flourish of new skills and vocabulary.  We love seeing him be confident and healthy enough to try new things out.  We are so proud of him.  We had backed off therapy a lot but after getting the all clear from specialists on Porter's health and development, we decided aggressive therapy would be the way to move forward.    Porter has been seeing an Occupational Therapist twice a month a Speech Therapist every week and doing Equestrian Therapy every week.  These things are a sacrifice for our little family because even with insurance they cost a great deal in time and money.  We're so grateful to the handful of friends that help with Priya while we are at appointments.  These things have been paying off and Porter is progressing.  We are currently headed into a rest period where you take a break from therapy after 12 weeks on and I'm really looking forward to that break.

• Some of you know that we had become suspicious of Porter having Autism.  The specialist we visited also told us that while Porter does have Sensory Processing Disorder and Anxiety, two very common side issues with Autism, Porter doesn't at this time have Autism.  She told us it may emerge in the next year but for now sensory issues and anxiety are just those problems on their own.  

• Pretending is a new daily game at our house.  The most popular one is "Scary Bear" (Brave)  Porter will go into scary mode and wait for your reaction, then he growls and chases you around the house.  We also play "Bad Guy" (Ralph from Wreck It Ralph), "Monster" (Sulley) , "Dinosaur" (Rex- from Toy Story) etc.  He'll also cook in our play kitchen and mimic our daily tasks.  Yay!
• From Porter's little game it's probably easy to tell that his favorite way to escape his frustration and honestly his true joy in life, is movies.  He loves most things Disney and I'd dare say any animated movie I'll let him watch.  It's borderline a problem some days. 

• Porter and Sydney are learning to play together.  I love it.  I think this is more a change in our dog than in Porter.  Sydney is getting old enough that he's softening up to the children. 
• The most challenging thing about Porter these days is dealing with his Sensory Processing Disorder.  We're learning how to deal with it and how to help him cope when he is overwhelmed but if we deviate from his comfort zone too much or break routine it can get really tough.  The most frustrating part of that is trying to explain to others something that we don't completely understand ourselves.  It also breaks my heart when others assume Porter is just being naughty when we know there is a reason behind his behavior and that it's not something he can control.  Like any diagnosis it takes time to learn and adapt to it.  We're still learning but it's nice to know he's not being naughty.  

• Because of SPD (sensory processing disorder) Porter will pull you down to the ground and wrestle with you.  He does this because his body craves the pressure he feels in his joints when he wrestles.  I'm so grateful our Priya Lynn has picked up many skills in wrestling and nicely holds her own with Porter.  
• Porter is a big fan of Birthdays for anyone.  He loves the cake, presents, candles and sings happy birthday to others.  He always pretends to blow the candles out and is a little sad when it's not his turn.  It's really sweet. 

• School this past year was a really good thing for Porter.  He learned a lot and really enjoyed being at school.  He has been missing it a lot this summer.  We did not make great progress on goals because of the plateau we encountered and in some aspects we saw regression which is always discouraging to see in a report.  We changed his goals and some of them we saw a lot of growth others will continue to need work.  I'm excited for our IEP for next year and setting new goals (I know I'm a weirdo).  I was so proud of Porter when he sang the words at his end of year program along with his classmates.  It was obvious he was fighting with his urge to just run away because the room was full of adults, it was noisy, and he was overwhelmed, but he did great!  He also had many people laughing at him and I was so glad I was in the front row so I didn't see any bad looks (if there were any) because of his shenanigans. 
• So this may seem silly but Porter is fully drinking thin fluids these days, making it a lot easier to keep him hydrated.  He still needs a little bit of flavor to his water but we can get away with a 4:1 ratio of water to juice.  A small victory! 

• Porter's favorite meal is Cereal without a doubt.  He has become very stubborn about what he'll eat and when he'll eat it.  But he's always game for cereal. 
• Part of SPD is not liking textures or in Porter's words, "Eww, messy!"  He absolutely hates being messy and is starting to generalize messy over to his sister and has a hard time when she's messy-- which is constantly.  He'll say, "Mom Messy" as he points at Priya. 

• Like any respectable brother he harasses Priya just for the fun of it.  This morning he stole her blanket and ran down the hall as she chased him screaming.  He giggled with delight as he ran down the stairs away with her blanket.  He had one big mischievous grin. 
• Porter really likes to rock out to a good tune but we're also finding that his favorites are always instrumental.  He loves dynamic movie soundtracks and he also really loves calming classical music.  It seems to bring him peace when his world is over stimulating. 

• The last 6 months Porter has had a love/hate relationship with his glasses.  His favorite frames were discontinued and he has yet to find a pair he really likes.  However, he's a smarty and knows he needs his glasses to see so he keeps trying and so do we.  We've been through 6 sets of frames in the last 6 months due to some of that hate coming out in our boy.  I hope we find something that works soon! (update: we have indeed found a pair he loves and wears without destroying) 
• Porter will run away from me and never look back.  It scares me to death!  I just keep praying he'll learn to have a little fear and stay close.  He is a skilled runner and is so extremely fast for his size.  It's something friends comment on a lot because no one really suspects it and then they try to catch him.  Another reason for me to keep running.  I'm gonna have to be able to keep up with Porter as he continues to grow up on us. 

• Porter has A LOT of attitude.  If he doesn't want to do what you've asked him to he'll put his hands up, walk away, turn the corner and then when you're out of his sight he'll say, "What?" 
•  He is also very frustrated these days.  While we've seen more vocabulary in his language this also means there has been a burst in understanding and receptive vocabulary (thank you Priya).  The gap between his expressive language and his receptive language often results in screaming.  He can't say what he wants to.  It's frustrating to both of us.  We'll just keep working and hoping we can help him through this with patience and love. 
• PORTER IS POTTY TRAINED!!!  *Happy Dance*  It still needs some shaping so he can be completely independent at it, but he wears underwear all day except for night time.  So proud of him! 
• Porter is my little lover.  Porter has a need to be built up every day.  He needs contact and cuddles with people who love him.  If you can imagine his frustration with the world he experiences it's no wonder he has a hard time.  The world to Porter is very different from what the rest of us experience so he needs love.  

• We have learned and are trying to create a shame free parenting style because of Porter's tender spirit.  Porter has shown us that love and positive reinforcement is the best way for him and we've seen the same to be true in our experiences with Priya.  Porter maybe a super sensitive soul but I've come to realize that every child has a tenderness about them and I really don't want to be the one to influence that sweetness out of them.  We still set limits for our children but we do so with encouragement, kind correction that doesn't isolate our children and lots of patience.  It's one of the hardest and scariest concepts I've been learning but example and modeling are the most powerful ways to teach Porter.  The pressure is on to be the Adult I hope my children will one day be... no pressure, right?   I'm so grateful Porter has lead us to this path of parenting  because it just feels so right for our family and our children.  

 As you can see my brain is a constant stream of thoughts, concerns, ideas and use of energy concerning Porter.  That may seem like a lot to others but it's so worth it.  When I have a peaceful moment with Porter I remember that we communicate best in stillness and quiet.  As we really stop to look at each other his spirit whispers to mine, "Hello, remember me?  I remember you dear friend!"  In those moments I awe that this incredible spiritual being in my son!  I have chills and our spirits share secrets with one another of the life we lived as friends before we came to Earth.  I weep with his tiny body wrapped up in my arms as I feel the full joy of the privilege  it is to be his mother!

WE LOVE YOU- PORTER!!!

June Headlines

Umm... if you could see me my body language it would reflect that of a 4 year old in trouble who doesn't dare make eye contact with Mom.  A month... that's just sad.  I'm gonna try to get you caught up as quickly as possible.

Porter Turns 4 

So this actually was May 31st but to help prevent sensory overload for Porter we broke up his celebration over 3 days.  This event will have it's own blog post.  Did you know Porter 3rd birthday never got posted?  I find that lots of things about Porter don't get posted, mostly because they're very special to my heart and I just can't find the words... still not a good excuse. 

Released

With Aaron being called into the Elder's Quorum presidency and me serving in Young Women's, our family was apart more than we liked.  I mentioned it and prayed about it and talked with my Young Women's President.  I came to the conclusion that whatever was decided we'd be just fine and that either way would be a blessing.  In the end I was released and called to serve in the Nursery!  It's been such a fantastic change, I really love it! 

Thompson Family Retreat 

36 hours, 7 rooms at the Little America, 7 children, 2 huge Pie pizzas, 2 birthdays and some VERY unhappy hotel neighbors.  We were spoiled and loved getting to be a complete family. 

 I felt the bathroom was a little over kill. 

Well Checks 

I was a brave Momma and did back to back well checks with a new pediatrician on my own.  It went as well as possible with Porter.  We're doing good.  Priya wasn't happy about shots. 

Last Day of School

It was a much sadder day than I was expecting.  We get to go to our Preschool another year and we're keeping our favorite teachers.  But it was goodbye to our bus driver and bus aide, which broke my heart a little.  They played a huge role in Porter's well being.  He was so handsome and we were so proud of him at his end of year Program. 

First T-ball Game

We are blessed with wonderful friends who arranged to allow Porter to play in a T-Ball game so we could see how he handled it.  He did okay, but the heat ended up being more than he could handle.  

Summer Time = Play Time 

I covered our play set in shaving cream and filled up some dishes for the kids to play with.  In accordance with their personalities Priya loved every second of the messiness and Porter hated it! 

Horse Therapy

We decided to follow through on some spiritual promptings we've been having for a long time.  We were lead to a wonderful place called Hoofbeats to Healing.  They use World Champion Fox Trotter horses and there is a theory that their unique stride strengthens the connections between the two hemispheres of the brain.  We found this information after a new research study was published showing brain mapping for a brain with Down Syndrome.  The study showed that the Down Syndrome brain doesn't connect like yours or mine does.  While this was fascinating and helpful information it breaks my heart to learn these things because that makes it that much harder for my little boy.  Put it all together and it feels like answered prayers.  We're seeing improvements and are excited to observe how things continue.  Therapy is expensive and we cannot afford it on our own.  My Grandparents have been offering us help for a long time and I finally swallowed my pride and asked for their help.  They agreed to help pay for his therapy before I could even get the question out and I'm so overwhelmed by their kindness.  

Zoo Trips

We love the zoo as much as ever.  I really love the hand holding that happens. 

Hair Cut 

I've always wanted to donate my hair to a wig making program for cancer patients.  I cut it off when I was 13ish but I still have the braid that got cut off.  I vaguely remember my Dad having a hard time with me sending it off so I kept it.  I wanted to follow through on this goal so I cut twelve inches off and sent it into Pantene Lengths.  I took this picture just after leaving the Salon, this was my OH. MY. GOSH! moment.  I was so scared to come home to Aaron, but he actually really likes it. 

RUN

We like to run!  We had a successful Ragnar Relay this year and really enjoyed how everything played out.  There was no sleeping for me and very little for the people who were able to sleep.  Our team was made up of strong and fast runners with the exception of yours truly ;-)  I am a strong runner I'm just slow and I'm okay with that.  It really is an amazing experience and I really enjoy running with Aaron. 

 My cute cousin and runner extraordinaire, Randy!

24 hours between these two photos. :-/

Aaron Conquering Ragnar Hill 

Our Van #2

Tired and happy to be done 

With my training going well and being halfway to a Half Marathon I decided to sign up for a race.  I feel a little crazy.

Daddy went to Tennessee 

Aaron had fun listening to the bands on Broadway in Nashville.  Maybe I can get him to blog about it.  We missed him so much and were so excited to have him come home. 

Everyday Cuteness

Dancing and pretending to take pictures on a paper phone at the same time.  This girl's got skills. 

Making Rain Inside

Donuts 

 Whitley Jane Turned 1 

My Mother's Day

If you've followed me for very long you know the one thing I expect out of Mother's Day is photos with my kids.  It's a tall order for one of the busiest days of the year, but we managed some decent shots  this year.

Being the mother of our two beautiful children is all I want to do right now in my life!  There are no words that can express my love for them, but I know every mother knows what I'm talking about.  They are my world and I'm so grateful, even for that furry white baby of mine ;-) 

Hopefully I'll get to posting the details of the 48 hours of celebrating Mother's Day weekend.  We partied hard and made an effort to hug each of the very important women in our lives. 

Our Little Grease Monkey

One good old regular week night Aaron and I agreed that I should go do our 2 week grocery shopping while he got the kids ready for and put to bed.  I had a peaceful time doing the massive amount of shopping and came home to a quiet house with kids in their rooms.  Aaron turned to me and said, "They're both still awake." and since it was an hour past bedtime I knew we'd need to help the kids out and check for dirty bums.  Aaron took Porter's door and I was headed for Priya's when Aaron let out some loud frightened exclamation upon opening Porter's door.  I hurried over to look and Porter was covered in something reflecting the little bit of light we had.  We quickly started asking the same questions, "What is that?  He's covered. Is that vomit?  Blood?  Diarrhea?"  While we fumbled for the light.  Once we got the light on we were able to quickly start putting the pieces together.  Porter was having terrible eczema with the changing of the seasons, we were applying aquaphor (a healing ointment) multiple times as day to his skin and we were just keeping the container on his dresser.  Well Porter didn't get any before bed, was having a hard time sleeping, found the container, opened it (kind of a big deal for our boy who struggles with fine motor skills) and then completely emptied the entire container and applied the ointment all over himself.  Once Aaron and I realized Porter was not in any apparent danger we curled up on the floor next to each other laughing until we cried.  Thank goodness we could laugh about it.  The clean up process was not easy. It was impossible to hold on to Porter and everything he touched became a slippery as he was.  The internet is amazing and we found some tricks.  We covered Porter in Corn Starch to absorb the oil based ointment.  Once again grateful I keep corn starch in my food storage because it has endless play recipes, we had plenty on hand to clean up the mess, we do need to restock now though.  We did this several times then we used his regular soap with a little bit of baking soda to cut through the oil and clean him off.  It works pretty well but it took 2 hours.  Then another hour to get him carpet to a point that we could leave it over night until we had enough energy to clean up the whole mess.  The next day we used a Dawn dish soap solution in our carpet cleaner to attempt to get the mess out of our carpet and it worked.  Not harm, no foal!  It could have been so much worse and what's life without a few curve balls.  We sure do love the adventures and laughs our children provide for us.

We took this at almost midnight.  He watched a show while we worked on his room.  Porter had some really awesome spiky hair the next few days that followed.  

It actually cleared up his eczema.  Guess he knew what he was doing!  

Priya's 2nd Birthday Party

Before I get into the party details I just wanted to make sure and note that per tradition Aaron took a day off to spend with Priya for her birthday.  We took the kids to This Is The Place Park.  It was so much fun and the kids really love everything we did as a family. 

From the moment Priya got up she knew it was a day for her.  We kept the party simple and only invited family with the exception of one of Priya's best friends.  We did a Tinkerbell/fairy theme and she was very into it. 

Cousin Whitter came early to the party and Priya loved the gift Whitley brought her.

We served pancakes for Priya's dinner because pancakes are her favorite.  I had a picture but lost it when my phone broke down on me.  We cooked up with pancakes with Purple party sprinkles adding a little flare for the party.  She was crazy about them and so was everyone else.  It was a labor of love to make that kind of meal for everyone but I knew our guest were the most patient, easy going people that I wasn't concerned about it.  

Addison was also pretty excited about the fairy wings.  While Porter refused to wear his.  Porter went into hiding when our house go crowded.  He hates crowds so he parked his behind in front of the Tinkerbell movie and stayed put most of the night. 

Opening presents. 

The guests:

When she started to get clothes she had to try them all on.  It was not an option.  You'll notice by the end of this post she's in a completely different outfit. 

A soft fuzzy princess blanket that she now sleeps with every night.  She still snuggles her baby blanket but this one is actually big enough to cover her body.  I'm grateful my Mom knew this was something Priya would love and need.  It's been a big help with bedtime. 

All night long Priya begged for her cupcakes.  I kept telling her she had to wait after opening presents I asked, "Priya do you want a cupcake?" and I will forever remember the excitement as she threw he arms up in the air and ran from the front room to the kitchen with her arms in the air squealing with delight.  My girl loves her cake...like mother...like daughter. 

Friends 

While I was researching possible big gifts for Priya this Little People Disney Princess castle showed up #1 in multiple toy review for her age group so we decided it was the winner.  As you can see Grandma Judy thought so as well.  It has proved to be worth every penny.  It's such a cute toy! 

We had fun decorating and the canopy we put up in the kitchen is still up a month later.  Priya comes down each morning to say, "Beautiful star for me!" then she spins around dancing underneath it.  Melts my heart every time.  

The after party. 

Throwing this girl a party was the most fun I've had in a long time.  She loved every little bit of it!