The Fight Against Headbanging and the New Light...Oh, and CT scan results, too!

So, this is Korban...my little headbanger! Let me update those of you who are unfamiliar. At just four months old, Korban started headbanging himself to sleep every night, back to sleep in the middle of the night several times, and awake in the morning. We went through several attempts to control and limit the amount or existence all together! Hmmm...let's see...we tried padding his crib, giving him melatonin, rocking him, reasoning with him, keeping him up later, putting him to bed earlier, teaching him how to rock or kick his feet instead...the list goes on. However, my sweet little boy quickly learned how to move the bumper pads, start over after being rocked, add it to the foot kicking and rocking! He HAD to bang his head! I can't tell you how many helpless nights I have spent crying over the frustration of not being sufficient enough to stifle the action. I have prayed every night since he began.

It even got so bad, that shortly after beginning through about 2 1/2 (until he got a new bed) He had a reverse mohawk, bald in the center from the constant force of hitting his head in the same spot. And when all else failed and he couldn't find a hard place to bang, he would bang his head on his knuckles, actually causing him to sport a bloody scabby bump for weeks. Nice, let me tell ya!

I think the best solution has been replacing his crib and pack and play playpen with a big boy bed, complete with marine grade, high-density, 4 inch foam upholstered in fleece, courtesy of a desperate mommy! I finally gave up stopping the head banging and went straight to protection!

Well, in comes therapy. We have tried brushing, pressure clothing, weighted blankets and pads, and finally, we are on day 2 of a quiet night, and I have to admit, I am holding my breath! One of the therapy items we found for his sensory issues is a l.e.d. color morphing light. he goes to bed with it and can keep it and press the button as much as he wants...as long as he stays in bed and quiet. I kid you not, he fell asleep in less then 5 minutes last night and tonight!

So, I can not begin to tell you the peace in my heart, knowing that for at least 2 nights in a row, my poor hypo-sensitive little angel has gone to bed peacefully. Now, you are more than welcome to pray with me that this is a permanent change!

Now, total change of subject...My mother in law w/ cancer...rare cancer...began a new chemo a while ago, and we got results today that there has been no more new detectable growth, and even a bit of shrinkage! So, praise God!

Peace in Him.

Want to vs. Have to...

So, it's not all that easy to balance the want to and have to...especially when you are a homemaker w/ no official "boss" to keep you moving!

I have learned in the past several months how important quality time is...WAY more so than a spotless house, and have been trying to apply that principal to life at the Holts. I really like to spend time doing something memorable w/ the kids either individually or together each day...That is really important to me. Like Monday (I was gone all day Tues) we went outside after nap and made homemade ziplock bag ice cream. YUM! I will put the recipe at the bottom, the kids had a blast doing it...All three of them! ha!

So, since I WANT to just hang out w/ the kids all day, but I HAVE to have some organization around here, the plan is to work all morning, break for lunch and naps, then have time w/ the kids in the afternoon. Which means, I get to tackle the dreaded dirty dish tower in a few minutes!!!

After all, who wouldn't want to spend every waking second ignoring housework and playing w/ these angels??!!!?!

Anyway, here is the recipe, I gotta get my but movin' and shakin'...sorry about the mental image, hope you didn't just throw up in your mouth! lol!

Gracie's Zip Lock Bag Ice Cream

You will need:

thick gloves to wear for shaking
quart sized freezer bags
gallon sized freezer bags

Vanilla-
1 c. whole milk
1 t. vanilla
1 T sugar

Chocolate-
1 c. whole milk
squirt of chocolate syrup

(this basically works w/ any flavor...be creative!!!)

AND
lots of ice
lots of table salt

Directions:
add milk and other flavorings to quart sized bag, seal (removing as much air as possible) and place in a second quart sized bag, seal

fill gallon bag 1/2 full w/ ice (crushed or store bought works best, large cubes are hard to work w/) and pour salt generously over ice (about 1/3 of a cup!)

push bag of ice cream ingredients into center of ice and seal gallon bag.

Now shake shake shake shake shake shake.....you get the picture...for about 5-8 minutes, or until ice cream is desired consistancy.

Remove inside quart bag, snip the corner, and squeeze into a cup or bowl, and enjoy!

Hope you try this, the kids had a ball, and I think kenny and I had more fun than they did!

Well, I better get to work, have a great day!

Peace.

So, Here I am Blogging

I just wanted to welcome you to my blogging home with one of my favorite pictures this year from the boat. . .

Here we are mid-July already, and I can't figure out for the life of me where the years have gone... I'm not quite sure how to begin my first blog post EVER, so I think I will start w/ something fun, a list of my favorite things. Things that make me smile, giggle, belly laugh, thank God, tear up, or cry - OR all of the above!

So, for those of you who know me, you are aware that I am an "old soul." And am happiest hobby-wise when I am creating. I love to quilt, crochet, sew, and anything else that involves making something for someone else. My most recent creation was an outfit for McKayla that turned out quite cute if I do say so myself. And here are some more favorites:

McKayla's manly laugh
Korban's kisses
the smell of fresh cut grass
riding across the lake at dusk
pizza
Jack Johnson
the smell of corn in late July
driving in the country
holding hands w/ Kenny
snuggly Sunday mornings
looking at pictures
watching movies
breaking boards
getting dressed up
sitting on the glider watching the kids play
the latest klutz story from my sissy
cruising youtube for klutzes bigger than us!
getting to know new friends
monthly margarita night w/ the "fire girls"
watching my children be sweet to each other
knowing that McKayla loves organization as much as I do
hugs from my dad, I think his are still the very very bestest
myspacing
camp fires and smores
Sunday Funday lunches grilled by chef Armstrong
learning about my children and seeing them succeed
singing to my babies in the rocking chair from Papi
Hearing McKayla say blue-teee-ful
cooking yummy stuff for anyone I can rope to the table
laughing with my husband
connecting with people
insightful talks with my mother-in-law
that my mom is my friend
one-on-one time with my kids
every single of the hundreds of times a day that Korban tells me that he "wuvs" me
little kisses from my hubby in public
telling my family that I love them
driving with the windows down singing at the top of my lungs...
and catching someone else doing it
when Kenny tells me he loves me in front of his friends and they razz him

So, these are just a few, but I did this for a specific purpose. I know how easy it is to focus on the negative, and I can easily be a glass-half-empty type of gal. But I hope this has made you think. Hopefully you have a list twice as long as mine of things that make you happy.

Well, there is way more to come, but I am tired, and Grandpa has surgery in the morning.

Peace In Him.