Bella.. Because

There are a lot of things I'm homesick for in Ontario. Friends and family are definitely at the top of my list, but it's of great sadness to me that I am not there to watch my friends' and family's children grow up. Right before we moved, Kevin & Yaremis added Lucas to their clan, Jenny and Ian added Isabella and Phil and Kelly had Mitchell. Since we have been here, Hannah was born to Meaghan and Chris and Lily was also born to Phil and Kelly. I really feel like I'm missing out on playing the auntie role, but I suppose I'm too busy in the role of 'Mom'.

Jenny just sent me this photo of Bella and I wanted to post it.. just because.

It's Wiggle Time!

We are- and always have been-- a Wiggles family. Like it or not, Dorothy the Dinosaur, Henry the Octopus, Captain FeatherSword, Wags the Dog, Anthony, Greg (now Sam), Jeff and Murray are all members of our clan. Many a therapist has come to work in this house and upon leaving, you can guarantee that they have a Wiggles tune or two, playing in their heads. Lucky for Jon and I, they've grown on us but I know for some, the sound of a Wiggles song is like nails on a chalkboard.

Back in Ontario, I think we counted that Jake has seen them in concert three times and the twins, once. In fact, when we took Owen and Will to the concert, it was there that I really noticed that some of Owen's 'quirks' weren't normal. He flapped so hard (in excitement) that I thought he was going to fly to the stage. It wasn't long after that we received their diagnosis. I digress.. So Jonathan saw that the Wiggles were coming to Alberta and he was on a mission to get tickets. We knew that if the seats were far away, the boys probably wouldn't sit through the whole show because they wouldn't be as involved. Jon lucked out and found a family through the classifieds, who was selling 10th row floor seats. We bought 4, then later tacked on 3 more in a not-so-great section for Jake and Erin and Courtney. Jake understood that this day was for his brothers, since he had not only seen them 3 times previously, but he had also been to many other concerts and plays that his brothers had not. Erin and Courtney's reason for joining us... they begged to come. Can you blame them?

the New Wiggles (Erin and Courtney)

Jonathan and I were so nervous, probably because we were SO excited for the boys and wanted them to enjoy themselves. Did I mention that they are Wiggles-obsessed? The biggest disappointment for us would be if they couldn't care less that they were there. Well.. they more than impressed us. When the dancers came out on to the stage, Owen started flapping and Will just looked shocked.

checking out the Wiggles

Now just for some background, we don't really go anywhere with all of the boys. Like.. nowhere. Not because we don't want to, but the behaviours are so bad that it's not worth it. I shouldn't say that. The boys need to experience everything they can, from popping in to pick up milk at the variety story, to eating in a restaurant. We have learned to tolerate the looks that people give us when there is a tantrum and I can assure you that more than once we have left our shopping cart in the middle of the store and high-tailed it outta there with a wailing kid under each arm. The problem now is that Will is just too quick and too strong for one adult to handle both of the twins at once. When things are going great, they're great. But in the middle of a grocery store, if one decides to run away, while the other is kicking and thrashing on the floor, which one do you abandon to help/find the other? So I opt to not put ourselves in that position so that I don't have to make that decision. Admittedly, it's a bandaid solution that is not fair to the boys. Hence, taking the risk and going to the Wiggles.

So when we managed to sit through an entire concert without a single meltdown, or runaway attempt (besides the minor detail of Will trying to steal another concert-goers Wiggles dolls), we were thrilled. About halfway through, Owen started to get a bit restless and seemed to prefer watching the dancing kids over the crazy guys on stage, but Will was absolutely awe-struck. I haven't seen him that calm and compliant in AGES! He just kept staring at them as if to say "how did they get from my tv to right in front of me?". He really seemed to make the connection, whereas Owen was entertained because it was something fun, but I'm not sure he really got it.

So Kudos to Jonathan for making a memory for our boys. We really did have fun. I must admit that I can't wait for the day when we can graduate the concert-going to something a little more mature. Someday.

Jake had fun.. but I'm sure he would have rather seen Taylor Swift again instead

Boom & Retro Sno Cones

Auntie Boom came out for a short but sweet visit. It was sweet because Steph missed out on Ontario's 20+ degree temperatures, only to instead revisit what Ontario has gone through all winter long-- another snow storm but this time in Calgary!

While here, Boom and Jake busted out the old skool Snoopy Sno Cone machine. I found this toy gem at a specialty toy store in the West Ed Mall. Ah! the memories....

Avert your eyes towards the end of the clip. I just noticed that there's a streaker in our living room...

Owen and Dr. Tom

Owen was born extremely pigeon-toed and bow-legged. He was a toe walker and his favourite sitting position was in the W-position. When I was pregnant with the twins, I would always envision little Owen all crunched up in an uncomfortable, squashed ball, while Will did somersaults and cartwheels, oblvious and uncaring to the fact that his brother had no room to move. There were even times when I couldn't feel Owen move at all, but Will would kick the heck out of me... very indicative of the personalities they would have and DO have - today. I often believed that Owen's ortho challenges were due in large part to his nine months in utero. It makes sense to me. When he was younger back in Ontario, he saw several orthopaedic specialists, who all recommended that we wait it out and let nature and his natural growth, correct itself.

So here we are in his 5th year and Owen still has difficulty. His feet and legs have definitely straightened themselves out, but his gross motor skills suffer so much. It's a combination of many things: decreased muscle tone (brain is not providing adequate feedback to the muscles unless he is consciously thinking about activating), poor motor planning, etc. Owen received a year's worth of physical therapy and we noticed a significant improvement. For one reason or another, the p/t stalled and Owen's gross motor skills were suffering. At Halloween when we were trick or treating, Jonathan was very upset because it became glaringly obvious that Owen's walk was seriously impaired. He literally tripped over his own feet every three or four steps.

Jonathan decided to take matters into his own hands and brought Owen in for an assessment at his chiropractor's. I've always been a skeptic. Probably because when I was in a car accident 20 years ago and suffered a neck injury, I always remember our physio-therapist saying "stay away from chiropractors". This time I thought that Jonathan wouldn't be taking O if he didn't trust it on himself (which he does), so I thought it was worth a shot. I would at least humour him. Owen's first visit was last November, I believe. Fast forward to April and to me-- the difference is amazing. The improvement in Owen's walk has been subtle, but progressively better. When I say better, I mean that he is not tripping at all. As I say, we could not go for walks with Owen, without having him ride in the wagon, because he would fall soooo often. Just last week when Stephanie was here for a visit, we went for a long walk in the provincial park and Owen ran, skipped and walked alongside me without ever tripping once. I won't deny that his body is maturing and there could be some other factors at play as well, but neither can I deny that all good things have come since Owen's initial visit.

An incredible side effect to Owen's visits, is that the chiropractor's office is the ONE place that Owen goes to outside of school, without any fuss at all. No behaviours, no making strange, just complete ease and trust. He loves it there. Absolutely loves it. Dr. Tom has his dog, Griz running about the office and Owen is a huge fan. He giggles and beams when he sees him and all it takes is for us to say "Owen- let's go see Griz!" and he is at the front door of the house, with his shoes on, waiting to go. In the beginning of his visits, Jonathan tells me that Owen was apprehensive and had a very difficult time with the process of being on the table and getting adjusted. Jonathan would have to hold him and lay down with him while Dr. Tom uses a very gentle (and very quiet) activator technique (no manual adjustments). A couple of months ago, Owen impressed us all by getting on to the table all by himself and sitting through the session without making any fuss. He has never needed any help since. Just watch for yourself:

Dr. Tom & Griz

Check him out for yourself! It's so nice to find a place that is not only beneficial to your health, but is also so kid and pet-friendly. http://www.spinalguy.com/

Oberon "Do the Owl"

What better way to start off a post, than with the Wiggles? Today the twins enjoyed a special treat at school. Oberon the Great Horned Owl visited the classroom and the boys got to learn about him up close. Here's a quick little clip of Ella and Oberon that I took as we were leaving for the day, but hopefully some pics will soon follow.