Happy Hoildays!!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Biddle Babies!! 

My little Turkeys!

I quickly wanted to share what the kiddos made Rob and I for Thanksgiving. Carter is always making things at his Mother's Day Out which I love! His MDO invited the parents for pie to celebrate the holiday and he surprised us with a leaf telling us what he was thankful for and a super cute little bear with an adorable smiling face! :)

Madilyn works very hard every day at ABA, but she does get a little bit of down time. Since the Thanksgiving holiday was coming up, she was able to help make us a cute little gift!!

2.5

Two and a half. That means we are that much closer to our "babies" turning three! Unbelievable! Here are a few pictures we had taken of our Biddle Babies!

Halloween

Trick or Treating with the kids was so much fun this year! Because Carter had a little practice going trick or treating before Halloween, he kind of understood what he needed to do in order to get candy. When we went around our neighborhood on Halloween, he would see a light on and would go up to the house and try to knock or ring the doorbell. When the people giving out the candy would try to just put the candy in Carter's pumpkin, he wouldn't let them because he wanted to put the candy in himself. At one point, a lady had a handful of candy, and Carter took about 5 minutes taking candy out of her hand piece by piece! As far as saying Trick or Treat -- Carter would just say "treat!" I guess he knew what he wanted so he just left off that first part! Madilyn loved being outside (of course) and even went up to several doors to get candy. Since we all love Batman so much, we all wore our Batman shirts and were a Bat family for Halloween! 

Pre-Halloween Fun!

Last week we had a Halloween party with my twin group - KAMOM. We went to Old McDonald's Farm and we were able to see and even pet lots of different animals. Madilyn and Carter even got to have a pony ride, and to our surprise they loved it! There was also a train that I think the kids could have stayed on all day! We were able to enjoy a yummy lunch with cookies for dessert. Later that night, we joined some friends and went to a trunk or treat at the Episcopal church - actually the same place we went for the pumpkin patch. It was fun getting to walk around with the kids and watch Carter really start to understand what Trick or Treat means. Although, all he says is "treat" - probably because that's all he wants! The kids went as JJ Watt and a Texans cheerleader.

Madilyn & Carter checking out the ducks

Family photo on the train ride!

Madilyn on her pony ride - She loved it!

Carter (with Daddy!) on his pony ride

Carter.. not so thrilled about petting the sheep!

 And here are two shots from the Trunk or Treat in Kingwood!

Madilyn loved the pumpkins.. But phones can be so much more entertaining!

This picture pretty much sums up my life! These kiddos make life so fun!! 

Grown-ups come back!

Ever since I can remember, both my kiddos have loved watching Daniel Tiger. And though I can quote quite a few episodes by heart, I really like that there are so many different episodes that relate to the life of a toddler. One of these would be the theme that "grown-ups come back", and it even has a catchy little song to go with it. Well, since Carter started going to places that had childcare, I incorporated that song on our way to either the gym or MOPS. Granted, the first few weeks of dropping him off were not tear free - but what can you expect from a little boy who has only been with his Mommy at home and out on play dates while Mommy stayed and watched? As I mentioned before, Carter also recently started a Mother's Day Out program twice a week and yes, we still use the song and talk about how "Mommy comes back". I remember one of the MDO workers telling me how cute he was at nap time because he would soothe himself by saying "Mommy back.. Mommy back.." So he is definitely old enough the get the concept that I'm not leaving him forever and I think that makes it easier on both of us. But -- I am so proud of Carter because at the beginning of the week, he and I went to the gym twice and he was a total champ when we walked into the childcare center. Once the door was opened for him to go into the play area, he went right in.. Turned around.. And started waving and said "bye Mommy!" And off he was to play! It only took a few weeks, but I think he's starting to realize that even if I'm not right there with him, he knows I am going to come back and get him. Another incident happened this week as I was getting ready to go to a meeting. I usually try to sneak out so that my kiddos don't get upset when they see me leaving. I had to get my bag from the kitchen before I left, and Carter saw me and said, "Bye Mommy!" and was giving me air kisses! It was so nice to actually get to say bye to both of them and not have to sneak out!

So, it's been a big week for Carter -- although he was still not 100% happy when I left from Mother's Day Out today. But, he stopped fussing pretty quickly afterwards. Here a few pictures of Carter's life being a big boy at different places without Mommy!

First Day at MOPS - we started off good...

Playing at the end of MOPS!

First Day at MDO - coloring letter E

 Using glue to make the letter G at MDO!

If you look in the back and center, Carter is in the gray shirt playing away at the gym!

Long Update Post!

This blog has been so neglected, so I am going to try to update everyone as to what has been going on in our lives for the past few months, and then hopefully keep everyone updated on the good, the bad and the ugly on a more current basis! And sorry in advance that this is a little long - but there is lots to update about and I don't want to leave anything out! Writing has always been so therapeutic for me, so this will be beneficial in that regard - but this will also make it easier to keep friends and family updated and in the loop! So here goes!

After Madilyn's 18 month check up, we felt like she wasn't making many new sounds and though Carter was not speaking all that much either, he was at least attempting new sounds and trying to say words. After a gentle nudge, Rob and I thought it would be a good idea to revisit our pediatrician again and at the beginning of the year we let him know about some of our concerns.We were given several different referrals and suggestions, the first being speech therapy. This route would be considered private therapy, and we were excited to get her started. We took her to Kingwood Speech, and met with the owner Elizabeth who conducted her evaluation and did agree that Madilyn would greatly benefit from speech therapy twice a week for 30 minute sessions. Not too long after that, we also did an OT evaluation at Kingwood Speech, and found that Madilyn would totally benefit from having that twice a week as well because she has always been very much a sensory seeking girl. Another service that we started was ECI which is a state program for babies under three who have delays in one or more areas of development. Madilyn had a few delays, and qualified for services, and so we started that once a week for 45 minutes. During that time, we have someone come into our house and play with Madilyn and help her work towards the goals that have been set out for her. While all of these things were happening, we were also filling out a massive amount of paperwork for Madilyn to be tested at the Autism Clinic downtown. We were on a wait list for a few months before they called and told us our appointment day and time. The initial appointment was just under 4 hours - with a little break in between. Madilyn was given an evaluation while I answered lots of questions with the psychologist. Later, we were taken into another room where they observed how she played with toys and how she interacted with other people. We had another appointment at the same clinic but this one was with a developmental pediatrician and was only about 2 hours - but it dealt with a lot of background information and patient history. So Madilyn didn't really have to do too much at that appointment. Just a few weeks later, I went in to get the results and that was probably a day that changed my life and won't be something I'll ever forget. Rob was there in spirit - but on speaker - because he stayed home to watch the kiddos. As you can probably guess from what I just said, the doctor said that she does indeed think Madilyn is autistic. And yes, of course, Madilyn is perfect and beautiful and I love her just the way she is.. But it was still hard to hear.

We had a few more tests done recently just to make sure everything else is looking normal. We did an EEG - which was lots of fun! We had to wait a little while in the waiting room before they took us back. And then once we got back, they had to connect 30 some odd wires to Madilyn's head. And on top of that -- they needed her to nap for about 10-15 minutes. Yeah. Not fun. But thankfully, after a bit of fighting it, she did end up napping for a little bit and they were able to get what they needed so that we wouldn't have to come in another day to do the test again. We got the results back pretty quickly from that, and they said everything looked normal. They were just making sure things were firing off like they should be, and wanted to make sure there weren't any little seizures going on that we weren't seeing. So, that was good news!

We also just recently had to go downtown to Texas Children's to do some blood work for genetic testing. That was another long wait - which was pretty annoying because we had already talked to insurance prior to going down there, but that didn't seem to matter. Thank goodness I brought my ipad because there is no way my kids would have been able to entertain themselves for such a long wait. (As a side note, my Uncle Bill has been going to a good portion of these appointments with me because Rob does still have to go to work, but having some extra support for me has proven to be pretty beneficial!) We did finally get called back after what seemed like forever, and Madilyn did pretty good during the blood draw. It did help that I had my iPhone with her favorite Daniel Tiger game playing during the blood draw because she was a little bit more distracted.

So -- as far as treatment options for autism, there really aren't lots of options. Autism is still something that is being researched and understood. And we as a family are still learning and reading up on things we can do to help Madilyn in the way that she needs it. But, the best plan of action for most kids with autism that has proven to be the most beneficial and with the most results is ABA therapy. ABA stands for Applied Behavior Analysis and the therapy is super intensive therapy.

"ABA is simply the application of behavioral principles, to everyday situations, that will, over time, increase or decrease targeted behaviors. ABA has been used to help individuals acquire many different skills, such as language skills, self-help skills, and play skills; in addition, these principles can help to decrease maladaptive behaviors such as aggression, self-stimulatory behaviors, and self-injury."

Currently, Madilyn is getting 20 hours a week of ABA therapy at Spectacular Kids. They would like to increase her time eventually, but because she is only 2 1/2 and still takes a nap, it is hard to get more hours in. So she is going Monday through Friday from 8:30-12:30. She works one-on-one with a few different people during her time to get her used to having to work with different people. We just started her fourth week of ABA this week, and she is already making so much progress with the programs and goals that they have in place for her - which we are thrilled with! Of course, that does mean that things are going to get a little more challenging because she has completed so many of her goals and new ones will be made, but we have all the confidence in the world that she will be able to work just as hard to get those new goals mastered. We are so thankful that our insurance company specifically mentions ABA because it is not the cheapest of therapies but it has already proven to be so helpful to Madilyn. Rob and I actually got to go in for some parent training on Tuesday where we got to work with Madilyn and her therapists on some of the things she has been working on there. And then this morning, I observed her through a mirror and saw her working hard on completing a variety of tasks and with minimal fussing. It's just amazing to get to see all of the progress she has made in this short amount of time, and it is exciting to think of the things she will be able to accomplish in the future because of her hard work!

Carter has been a champ during this process. He has come out of his shell so much since the beginning of the year and he is just so much fun to listen to and laugh with. When we first took Madilyn in for a speech evaluation, we mentioned that we might want to have Carter tested just to see if he had a delay of any kind. He was pretty close to average, but we thought that going to speech once a week would really just boost him and push him towards being able to communicate better and more frequently. He has made a lot of progress working with his therapist, and know that it's only going to get better! We have loved getting to go on play dates with my Mom group, and since Madilyn has started going to therapy in the mornings, Carter and I often have a little bit of time to spend together which has been nice. I have a friend who suggested going to a MOPS group (Mothers of Preschoolers) which is a great program for Moms that also includes childcare! Woo! So, that is twice a month on Wednesdays from 9 to 11:30. Carter was a little hesitant at first, but since we have been a few times, he is definitely getting more used to it. I also joined a gym recently which has childcare as well -- and bit by bit, Carter has adjusted pretty well. He isn't always the happiest when I drop him off, but we have a little song that says "Mommy comes back" and he repeats it with me in the mornings so that when I drop him off, I can remind him that I'll be back. Of course it's a little hard on him because he has been at home and not in daycare of any kind, so I am really proud of the progress he has made in the last couple of weeks. That being said, Rob and I just this week enrolled him into a Mother's Day Out program that meets Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 to 4. His first day was Tuesday, and while it was a bit of a hard day for him, I think that with him having some practice with me dropping him off and coming back, it wasn't quite as hard as it could have been. We really wanted him to have the chance to be around other kids to be more social, and to just have fun and do other things that I may not have thought of. Plus - it does give me a little break two days a week which is awesome!

So. That's been our lives for the past few months. Things have definitely been busy, but sometimes I do think that staying busy is what keeps us going. Like I said, I will try to update this more often - especially with progress updates on both of the kiddos. And in the meantime, send us your thoughts and prayers for those days when things aren't as easy as we wish they would be! All in all though, I do consider everyday a blessing even when it is rough, and wouldn't trade these two kids for anything!

Madilyn after her first day of ABA

Carter's first day at in childcare at MOPS!

2 year pictures

So, I know I just inundated you all with pictures, but I wanted to share some pictures of the kids wearing their cute 2nd birthday outfits. Our theme for their birthday was Daniel Tiger because that PBS show is hands down their favorite. I found some cute outfits on Etsy and just had to get them for the kids. Hopefully you can see them in these pictures!

Picture Explosion!

So.. It seems that a few months may have passed by since I have updated this ol' blog. We just celebrated the twins turning two, and it was brought to my attention that my followers have had nothing to read recently. I'm sure I could write a million excuses why I haven't had time to update.. but instead, I'll post about our more current happenings. Since moving to the new house, we have been really busy! I joined a Mom group and the babies and I have been on several play dates. We also have really enjoyed getting to know our neighborhood a bit better, as well as playing outside more since the weather has been nicer. Since it would be a super long post to tell you all about what's gone on since my last update, I thought I would just share some pictures and show you some of what's been happening. And then maybe I'll be able to keep up with this blog more consistently! So here goes!

We have learned that Push Pops are best eaten with only a diaper!

The kiddos were invited to a birthday party for their friend Thomas who turned a year old. Carter chowed down on the cupcake! Yeah, he is just like his Momma!

Super cute shot of the kids playing under the chair! I could just eat up those toes!!

For Valentines Day, we met Rob for lunch and we had a few little gifts for him.

Here are the kids on Valentine's Day wearing their cute shirts from Grandma and Grandpa Biddle

We took the kids to meet the Easter Bunny this year, and as you can see they preferred for us to sit with them!

Going out for a walk in the local neighborhood 

One COOL chick! :)

And one cool dude!

Play date fun!

Carter developed a love for "OGs" and loves to make them hop

Even Madilyn got into the frogs

Of all the space in the living room.. this is where they wanted to sit and watch their morning cartoon

My future engineers! 

Alright -- that's all I have at the moment! I will post their two years pictures shortly. And if you don't see updates on a regular basis -- give me a guilt trip and tell me to POST! :)