21 months 16 days

Day 655. Last night it was after 1 am again, which has become my regular bedtime, and in the morning we got up at 8 o'clock. Again it was Emmy who I was hearing. We now have summer pj's for boys and girls. For Tammy, we put it on backwards, so the buttons are on the back, and Emmy has one like a T-shirt, so no buttons, and just buttons on the bottom. Tammy can open the buttons on her bottom, and Emmy had opened the diaper without taking his pj off, and so it was loose under his pj's and got everything dirty. When I got him out of bed and put him on the floor, the diaper fell out and onto the floor.

After breakfast I took them downstairs, where we worshipped God and prayed, and then read the Bible together, once Sammy came downstairs and joined us. A little while later Randy came with his breakfast, which was my cue to go upstairs to work.

I did the cleanup and then sat down to do office work. At 10:30 Randy put Sammy down for a nap, and it still surprises me that he actually sleeps, when he's been having just one nap after lunch now for quite a while. I don't think his siblings would sleep.

Just before 11 am I stopped to go cook lunch for everyone. Who would have ever thought that I'd one day cook for 5-6 people every day. At 11:30 it was ready, and Sonja arrived and sat down to feed them. Since we were leaving at 12:30, I was still pretty busy getting Tammy's and Emmy's afternoon meal ready, as well as getting everything else ready. Today they ate little for some reason, even though they usually like the pasta with cheese sauce and ground beef.

I cleaned up and dressed Tammy and Emmy, and they went downstairs to play with Sonja. Randy finished up with Sammy, cleaned him up and dressed him for the trip, and took him downstairs where he spent a few minutes before leaving with me. We took three subways, which is always wearisome, and we need to leave an hour before our appointment to be on time. I have to go through a container in front of the building, where they ask me for the reason I'm there and take our temperature. Once we walk inside the building, I have to show proof I've gone through the container, the appointment paper, and my negative Corona test. Only then can I go in.

Today we were there half an hour early, as we had an appointment with the dietitian. In the six weeks since we last saw her, Sammy has gained 0.3 kilos and now weighs 8.5 kilos. Some babies are born with this weight! Today Sammy had shorts on that were size 62, when he's actually 74 cm tall. Today the dietitian gave us special high caloric drinks for kids and told us to give him one a day, spread over the course of the day, which will add 300 calories to his diet and should make a difference.

Then we went to see the physiotherapist, which is what we were there for. She'd been on vacation, so we hadn't been there in weeks. She started with us early, because the guy making special equipment for handicapped kids was coming, and so she wanted to work with Sammy before that, in case he was too upset after. Sammy was in a great mood, and so he had a great time today. He never got upset, never cried, but had fun, and did a great job. She tried to teach him to move to the side while he's on his knees, and worked on going from sitting to kneeling position.

At 2 pm the equipment guy arrived; it was the same guy who had made the special chair for Sammy. He told me that there was a second kind of standing apparatus that Sammy could have instead of the one the therapist had suggested, and the therapist actually preferred that other kind. I took a picture of the catalogue (below). He took Sammy's measurements for it, and Sammy did not mind at all, as he just had to lie there. The apparatus will primarily help him socially, being on the same level as the others, but also a little in strengthening his muscles, and especially helping him grow by putting weight on his feet. Now we still have to go to a shop so he can be fitted special shoes.

The therapist had to leave to get the paper work finished, while Sammy and I had fun with the ladder. I helped him climb up which he enjoyed. Once she was back and everything was done, she continued working with him by the ladder for a little bit, but not very long. So I dressed him again and we left to go home.

We got home at 3:40 pm. Tammy and Emmy had finished eating and were downstairs with Sonja. I took Sammy downstairs and stayed with them for nearly an hour, having fun with them. Randy went to the grocery store for a few more items. At 4:30 I left them to get some work done. I worked until 5:30, and then went to the kitchen to get their dinner ready. At 6 pm I called them upstairs to eat. Emmy had not eaten anything in the afternoon, and so he ate more than I've ever seen him eat at the dining room table.

Then they went into the bathtub, where they all finished their food, and then had a milk-cereal drink, before coming out, brushing their teeth, putting their pj's on, and going to bed. When I left them, Tammy and Emmy were jumping in their beds.

Then not only Sonja, but also Randy left, as he was picking up a little bike for them. I sat down to do office work, but Tammy started fussing quite a bit, and so I took my computer and sat down next to her bed to work, and after a while, she fell asleep.

When I was getting hungry some time after 8 pm, I made my food and ate, which took a while. Then I went back to work, took a break to clean up the kitchen and dining hall, and went back to the computer to write my update. It looks like bedtime is about 1:30 tonight.