David & Amy

Ok, so we've been sick and I have done my fair share or whining about it--but in other news: Kylie's speech therapist came this morning (and yes Emily was still home from school--go away fever!). So Kumar came over, yes, yes the ironies have having a middle-eastern, heavy accented, speech therapist have been laughed at, but he doesn't actually work on her speech at all. He does oral motor, or works on her ability to swallow. So, he comes every week and stretches her mouth. She cries or screams and pulls his gloved hand out of her mouth. We repeat these same stretches every morning and evening and she cries and screams and pulls our non-gloved hands out. She hates it. Even though Kumar has told us repeatedly that she will soon begin to enjoy the mouth exercies, it doesn't happen. We have seen slight improvements, but not anything big in our unprofessional opinioin. I digress. So Kumar came this morning and after working with her asked me to bring him a bottle of water. What?! A bottle?
Now, out of hope and desparation I have placed a bottle in her mouth a couple of times just to see what would happen and she licks it and that is about it. So today, I handed him the bottle and I watched my daughter suck on it and swallow. She only swallowed once or twice, but again the very tiny things with her are huge mountains to us. After almost two-years of life she sucked and swallowed from a bottle for the first time today. He recommended that in a month that we should go in for another swallow study. That is the test that will officially "prove" that she is allowed to take thin liquids. She has failed three in the past and she hasn't had one since she was 6 months-old. So, here's to hoping! The thought of getting her off the feeding tube would be miraculous. We dream of it. This is one tiny step in that direction. So hooray Kylie! We're proud of you!

Emily is home with the real flu. Yea! Influenza type A--are you kidding me??!!?! Isn't that why we all got the flu shot?! What is going on? Three weeks. Three weeks of crazy sickness going on in this house. I want to set off a Purell bomb in my house. Anyone know where I can get one?

Alright, enough is enough. Last week was colds. We all had them, but David. This week Kylie started off the stomach flu--again--we had it in November. Dallin, Emily and I ended Thursday evening and Friday filling bowls and toilets. Disgusting I know, but so very true! Now to top it off Emily has an unexplained fever. She got it yesterday morning and it won't break. Her energy is fine and she's eating fine, but she just has a fever. So Happy Valentine's Everyone! So enough of my grumpies we are at least all together and spending time together with the people you love is what it is all about.

Anyway, our friends, Scott and son Tyler, brought over their new adorable puppies this morning so the kiddos could play with them. They are just precious! Apparently I said that too many times because Dallin started saying, "Oh, they are so precious!" That got on David's nerves a bit. :)

Last night, David was at Young Men's (working with the youth at Church) and I was trying to get the girls bathed and in bed, so that I could head out to my presidency mtg as soon as he and Dallin got home. Anyway, I dressed Kylie laid her on the floor and David and Dallin got home and came upstairs as I was finishing. I was talking to them for just a moment when we all stopped and stared at Kylie. My little world stopped and went into slow-motion for a second. She started to crawl. She got up on all fours and moved one arm, then one leg, then one arm, then one leg...about three or four times. I cried (I do that a lot!) and I stared at David to verify what I had just seen and his mouth was hanging open. She did it again a second time and then only once so far today. (She hasn't been willing to do it for the camera yet.) With her everything is slow and it will be a very long time for sure before we are chasing her (if that day ever comes). But what a blessing; she is trying and she did crawl! Plus, she did it on a day when I had gotten very discouraged with her physical therapist and some of things she is doing. I was told that in that last six-months she hasn't advanced past the 7-month old status she was declared to be last summer. The Lord definitely sends his tender mercies at the moments when we need them. By the way, I was late for my presidency meeting and cried my way through the first 15 minutes I was there!