Thread: Update :)

It looks like everyone is doing well! (Except for the hand-foot-mouth... ouch! I hope that clears up soon!)

Spark and Silas are 2 now! They're both doing well. We had a run of colds in the house (my cough lasted nearly 4 weeks, Sparks' over 2) They also both had a stomach flu, which fortunately only lasted half a day.

The big news is that we are moving back to Vancouver in the next couple months. Silas has been officially put on the Autism spectrum and there will definitely be more resources there than here. Other factors in play are the fact that we are STILL in this tiny apartment, no other housing options have come along. Also, Robb is suffering, at worst, 2-3 migraines a WEEK.

Spark is still learning something new every day. She's started counting, but doesn't know how to apply it to objects, and skips a few numbers "Twooo Twooo Fwah Sis! It nine teh! Yay!" lol It's quite cute. She knows a few colours, and is learning more words quickly, though her pronunciation is very garbled. Her "purple" is "buhboh" her "kitty" is "tee". "hungry" is "uhgee" etc. I'm not sure how to correct that, as from the start I've tried to be very clear with pronunciation. I suppose in time it'll fix itself. Silas is still way behind. He rarely says a word. He says a lot of garble, but we only hear one word every few days or so. I can get him to repeat nonsense, just not words. Oh well. He IS getting better with eye contact though.

A few days ago I'd had it, and shut off the TV for good. They watch way too much, and it's been 4 days without. I didn't even imagine how liberating it would be. It's so quiet in here, and (if you can believe it) Silas actually put himself to bed for naptime on the first day! It was quiet in here, I was reading, Spark was cuddling me, and he was playing quietly. He got up, went to his bed, found his bear and a blanket and was gone! I was so impressed! Spark wasn't taking the change very well at first. She was super clingy and throwing tantrums every few seconds. It's evened out a bit, but she is still super sensitive, and I find it hard to get her to play on her own. She constantly wants my attention, and when I can't give it, she throws a fit. It's a little nerve-wracking, but for the best... I am determined to keep the TV off! She's ever so slowly getting used to it...

Anyway, I'd better get back to sorting and packing. Unfortunately we have no one helping us move this time, so everything we own has to fit in our car, along with 3 cats in their carriers! (Luckily we have a roof rack, but it's still limiting.) I am actually finding getting rid of stuff a lot more fun than I thought it would be. I'm actually looking forward to moving day, where it won't take a whole crew to get out of here!

Sounds like a move to more civilization will be good in many ways, especially for Silas! As to Spark's speech, totally normal. I just repeat things back to my kids, when they say "uhgee" I say, "are you hungry" and just constant talking and they really do come along. I was super worried about my 7yr old when he was 2-3, and he caught up just fine, and has an excellent vocabulary now.

Good for you for turning off the tv. I need to be better at that. Sometimes it is my only way to get things done, but I really should not use it for a babysitter.

Yeah, I do that too. I repeat the word "hungry?" then ask her "are you hungry? Do you want to eat?" and sometimes she responds with "et. ughee?" lol Super cute.

I am LOVING the no TV thing. But I don't have 4 kids, either! I consider a tiny bit of TV at the odd time so I can get something done as well, and I don't feel guilty about it at all. (Plus, they like it more when they don't see it all the time!)

Glad to hear everyone is doing great and glad you are excited about your move. We need to turn the tv more often as well. I'm very guilty of leaving my 4 year in front of it while dealing with the babies. It's just the easiest thing to do when I need to tend to the babies or am looking for a little alone time. I think even if I limit it to maybe an hr a day that would be better then allowing the tv to raise my DD! Thank goodness for school days! Let us know how the moves goes with twins (I'm doing the same in 2 months but I don't have to move as far as you).