Second Grade Field Trip

Let's just say it was a little bit silly and a lot of fun. More details to follow ...

Sensory Afternoon

Even after a full hour of their weekly OT session, the boys were still in the mood for a little sensory play time.

Who needs a real bed when you can have a swing in your room, right Sawyer?

We took his bed apart a few months back and just put his mattress on the floor so that we could give them more room to swing (a few too many cuts on their ankles from banging into the foot board). The light fixture keeps us from truly centering it in the room, but it's close.

We were actually going to get rid of his bed altogether and had ordered him a giant crash mat. Amazon somehow managed to lose this 5 foot by 5 foot, incredibly heavy (as in nearly $40 in shipping charges) item in transit. And they also forgot to tell us about it, because they charged our credit card and we never got it. But my annoyance with Amazon isn't the point.

The point is moving the swing and making Sawyer's room a virtual gym for the twins was worth it. And Sawyer couldn't be happier with the arrangement, in case you can't tell from the video. Gives him something to do on those days when he decides 2 a.m. is a good time to be up for the day and the rest of us still think it's a good time to be sleeping.

Just another day in the life ...

Stocking Up

My apologies to the other GFCF parents shopping at our local grocery store. You have no idea how hard it is to find some of the more popular items, and this expensive little box of Gluten-Free Bisquick is one of the more elusive ones. Our local store has been totally out of it every time I've shopped there the last month or so.

And it's probably because of parents just like me. When you see it on the shelf, you stock up. I took all four boxes, and those were the only ones that were left.

We won't talk about how I had nearly the same experience with the Snyder's Gluten-Free pretzels at Whole Foods. I may or may not have bought 12 bags the day I finally found them. And also ordered another case of 12 from an online retailer.

This diet is hard. Really, really hard for our boys. They are already extremely picky eaters. Xander is a vegetarian, refusing to take more than a tentative bite of any kind of meat before attempting to either gag or screaming "No Thanks!" in your face (usually with tears to go along with it). Sawyer might be joining him. We've had a hard time getting him to eat meat after a recent overdose of bacon (perhaps half a pound) one day at lunch. He's been squeamish about touching most meat since that day and the resulting stomach ache.

The boys eat the same things over and over again. Fruit. Applesauce. GFCF chips and crackers. GFCF cereal. Soy yogurt (Xander only). GFCF spaghetti (Sawyer only). Non-starch french fries. And that's pretty much it. For every single meal, every single day. Variety is hard to come by, and I know it has to get old for them.

We have seen pretty remarkable improvements in both boys since we began the diet over the summer. Eye contact is so much better, for both boys, but especially for Sawyer. Focus and attention are better. Ability to sit still and perform tasks at the table is better.

I didn't want to believe in the diet. I didn't want to see improvements. But not that I have, I can't go back. And as much as I would love to let the boys cheat now and then (we did that for a while), I've also seen what a little cheating can do. Massive behavior changes. Xander unable to sit or focus, bouncing off the walls and vocalizing and scripting all day long. Sawyer withdrawing into his own world, not meeting your eyes or seeking your attention.

So we're continuing with the diet. We're trying harder and harder not to cheat at all, because it does make a huge difference. The boys are handling it as well as could be expected. There have been a few moments of Sawyer trying to steal gluten from any available place (Connor's Buffalo Wild Wings the other night at dinner, for one). It breaks my heart when I hear how hard he tries to get in line at the school cafeteria on pizza days. We've not had any luck on finding a dairy-free cheese that is both tastes good and doesn't offend their extreme texture issues. And it break my heart when Xander painfully points out every single Arby's we see in our daily travels (and there are more than I had ever really noticed, quite frankly).

Thanks goodness for Chick-fil-a and their efforts to provide GFCF food. Just yesterday Xander has some of their french fries, and Sawyer tentatively ate the new grilled chicken nuggets (no breading). That whole meat issue still working itself out, but I think he will eventually be happy with them.

Like I said, it's hard. But the benefits are definitely worth the effort. And who knows, maybe someday some of the other restaurants will work a little harder to make some GFCF food.

Until then, you'll just have to forgive me for picking up the last four boxes of Gluten-Free Bisquick. Or the last dozen bags of Snyder's Gluten-Free pretzels. We stick with what works around here ...

Where We Live

Four games in seven days, and the season ends.

Neighborhood Field Trip

On Friday, the first grade class took a walking field trip around the local neighborhood. They stopped for visits at three local businesses - the post office, a grocery store, and a restaurant - as part of their social studies segment on community helpers. Parents were invited along.

And as it often goes with twins (or all three boys actually), I couldn't be in two (or three) places at once.

The first grade classes were staggered to prevent too many kids at one place at one time, and as we've always requested the boys be in separate classrooms, their classes were going to different places at different times.

I opted to take this trip with Sawyer, who I thought might have more trouble on the walk and the long talks at each location. Both boys were already in excellent hands with their aides, but I wanted to tag along. Next trip, I'll tag along with Xander.

Here are a few photos from the day (the rest are here).

 

As soon as we returned from the neighborhood field trip, it was time for lunch. Both boys are there at the same time, so we all sat together at the same table for lunch.

Working from home has advantages and disadvantages. Spending the day at school with my boys is definitely one of the positives.

Special thanks to Mrs. S. for sharing some of her photos of Xander.