Outside

Boy, they were all glad to be outside! We didn't empty everything out, though, so V got her boots all wet the first few minutes we were out there. I put another pair of boots on her but one kept falling off. Then I put her shoes on her and she went out in those, but with no jacket. You can't see here but she was FILTHY and wet and dirty. So I just snapped a few pictures and let her walk around for a few minutes and then Mike took her in.

My father cut her hair, with kitchen scissors, while I was out of the room, so I am blaming him for her demented look. I'm going to try to straighten them out but it's a bear. It would be MUCH easier if she would keep anything in her hair, but she just won't. I've tried everything. Sometimes, if I have a barrette in my hair, she'll take it off my head and point it toward hers. Then (like a dumbass), I put it in her hair and she takes it out. Repeat repeat repeat.

Her evaluation is Tuesday at 10:30 and we'll see what's going on with old Veevsy Voo. I can't wait!

Gorgeous

Look at those teeth!

Red Cheeks

With Mike's mom, the day after Christmas. Poor Veevsy, I don't think she feels good here lately. I don't know if it's teeth or what. She has been up yelling pretty much once a night and this morning, I came downstairs and took her in the bathroom with me. She has been having some horrible freakouts when I walk away so I figured I'd take her with me. She was eating an apple and she started to cough and I thought 'uh oh' and next thing I knew she was throwing up all over us, while I was peeing! Nasty! She seems fine since, I just wish I knew what her deal was. The First Steps people came today for the intake, now we wait a few days for them to have a therapist call to schedule the evaluation. Ugh. I hate starting all this, I am nervous all the time about it.

Blurry

It's blurry, but come on! She is a cute thing. It's good because she would drive me crazy if she were an ugly child, constantly, CONSTANTLY reaching and pulling at me. Clingy is not a strong enough word for how she is behaving lately. She has moments where she is fine, like we went to a playgroup today and she played on her own for quite a while. Then I went out to my car to get something for someone and she cried and screamed like I was ripping off her ARM. She took a SUPER long nap today, like from 12:30 to 4:00 so what does that mean? Does that mean she can go to bed at her regular time tonight? I wanted to go to bed RIGHT AFTER her regular time tonight so I am hopeful it works out. I wonder if we'll ever have the kind of life where we can go to sleep and feel relatively certain that we'll sleep for like six hours in a row. I hope so.

Holiday Party

Veronica, at Anthony's school's party. She had a high old time. She's in an old outfit of Anthony's here, I LOVED this outfit. It's size 12 months, ha, Anthony wore it when he was like six months old. I just found a bunch of his clothes, though, and I wanted to get her in it. She was good at his party, but it was hard. There was a BUNCH of people there and it's hard to explain to ANY of my kids that it's not their turn yet for the swing, or whatever. We left before Santa came because we had to get to church last night, but it's fine by me. I don't care if they ever get a picture with Santa.

Can you believe this is our little Vivi, one year ago? So cute, then and now. She is having the hardest time sleeping. Oh, she is up for HOURS in the night and she is wide awake. The other night, I got up with her - I was hoping to let her cry and cry but she has a cold and I felt bad to hear her coughing. So I went and got her, around 3:00, and we went downstairs and I was hoping to just hold her on my shoulder and lie on the couch. But she scrambled down and climbed up in her high chair and patted the table, looking at me expectantly. I got her some raisins and cereal and she ate the HELL out of everything. Last night we just let her cry though, the hell with it. I can't be up all night - then I am really tired and then Anthony has a meltdown or Maria is impossible and I just don't have the - whatever it is I need to deal with it. So for everyone's safety, she has to figure it out and sleep in the night.

She is going to be 19 months old and here is what's worrying me. She doesn't talk at all. Not at all! She babbles quite a bit and she certainly asks for things and she shakes her head 'no' in answer to questions. But she doesn't talk, she doesn't even try. She also seems to have some sensory issues, to me, in that she never, EVER sits still in her seat. She pedals her little legs when she is in the car seat, when she is in her chair eating, and when she is sitting on the table. Is there something wrong with her development? Who the hell knows. We have to call First Steps and have an evaluation and just the idea of it freezes my heart and makes me want to cry. I don't feel like I can go through it again. But I have to, I have to get her checked out because if there is something wrong, we should start early. But if she wakes up from her nap and starts talking away, that would be fine with me too.

Friday

This child! Two nights ago she was up overnight from 2:15 until 5:40 and last night she was up from 11:30 until 3:00. The hell? What could it be? We think maaaaybe it's teeth but who knows. She does have some new ones. I do know that it's killing us. Thank GOD Mike was home this week. I am just praying it stops. The first night Anthony fell asleep at midnight and Veronica was up at 2:15. I put her back at 5:40 and Maria was up at 6:30. So for those mathmeticians out there, that's like less than three hours where we weren't with one or other of the kids. I love them a lot but that is too much! Anyways. I am hopeful she sleeps tonight and that it gets better. I have been going to this little prayer/mom's group thing on Friday mornings and this morning Veronica couldn't stay with the other kids and the babysitter. She is just ... tender, or something. So I hope it doesn't last because although it's sweet, it's also annoying and tiresome.
She is still not talking but man can she boss a person around! She plays peekaboo, plays catch, gets whatever she wants to eat, and the only thing she'll really do is nod her head 'no'. I am hopeful that she starts talking soon, it would just ease my mind a little.