Little Muffinhead

A Little Scary

2010-01-25T14:19:00.002-05:00

I am amazed at the fact that I had enough will power to do this diet for two weeks and not want to jump off the roof. I can't even wrap my brain around the fact that it is going so well. It's not that I have super human strength to resist all things unhealthy. It's because I was finally at a place that allowed me to follow through with what I wanted to do. I realized that I am not doing anything different, I just started this diet when my brain was stronger than my stomach. If I hadn't reached a place of utter determination, I would have failed at this one, too. It got to a point where the junk food was not worth looking in my closet and not seeing one item of clothing that I felt comfortable wearing.

I am now up to 12 pounds of weight loss in 13 days. I hesitate saying that for fear that I might get accused of having some sort of eating disorder. I promise, I love food too much to stop eating. This is just what happens when you replace the bad stuff for the good stuff. I replaced soda with water. I replaced snacks with fruits and vegetables. I replaced "I can't" with "Try and stop me".

Two weeks down and I have no desire to go back to the way I was in the past. Can't wait to see what happens next...

One Week Down...

2010-01-18T10:52:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow I will have completed the first week of my new eating habits. I would have thought that by now all I would want to do is complain. It really hasn't been that bad. Do I miss junk food? Yup. Do I miss sugar? Ummm...yes. Am I going to shrivel up into a ball of despair? I really hope not.

So far I have lost six pounds and feel great. People are actually starting to notice a difference. I must say the comments have been a great internal motivator. If people can see a difference now and it has only been a week, how much better and I going to feel in 2 weeks?

Hardest thing so far: Finding variety in my food. I am a self proclaimed picky eater. Vegetables and me are not friends. I have had to work hard to find flavor that fits in the scope of this plan. I think the flavor would come naturally if I liked flavorful things like onions and peppers. My menu would open tremendously if veggies were on there.

Tip of the week: Take it one day at a time. Things look really hard if you think about how long it will take to complete the life change. Instead, wake up and decide to do the plan perfectly for that day. Tackling one day is much less intimidating and a whole lot more manageable.

Hi-jacking...

2010-01-13T08:25:00.002-05:00

Well, I have decided to hijack this blog for a few weeks and start a journal of my newest adventure...my weight loss "challenge".

I have the unbelievable opportunity to do a weight loss challenge that is covered by my local news station here in Charlotte. For the next 8 weeks, I am going to completely turn my life upside down in hopes of creating new habits, new routines, and a new life style. My goal is not to be a size 2, (ok, maybe so maybe I would REALLY love that) my goal is to change the way I look at food.

Today is day one of my challenge. Last night, my friend and news anchor, Tonia Bendickson, came to my house to interview myself and my husband about our eating habits, our struggles, and our plan. It should air on WBTV news by next Friday. We will be checking in periodically to monitor our progress. I feel like this opportunity has given me the accountability that I need to make the changes. Who wants to gain weight or fail a diet when lots of people are watching? Not me!

This blog will give me the ability to share my struggles, pass on tips that I learn, and make me more accountable so that there is not a chance of me giving up easily.

Alright, here we go...

Doctor Time

2009-10-06T14:19:00.002-04:00

I took Lauren to the orthopedic office that did her surgery two years ago. The doctor looked her over and asked a lot of questions. I am glad we went since he didn't feel that there was anything to worry about. Even though he has no solid reason why it happened, the consensus is that she fell and pulled a muscle in her back. Since she is not completely verbal enough to communicate the real cause, we are going with that one.

I have to be on the look out for a fever or rash in the next few days. That could be a sign of infection in her hip joints. Unfortunately, she gave a big hug and a kiss to her best friend yesterday who went to the doctor for the flu today. Now I won't know if the fever is from her or an infection. Oh well, such is the life of a parent.

Weird Weekend

2009-10-05T11:35:00.002-04:00

Lauren woke up Friday morning with a terrible pain in her back. She wouldn't put any weight on her feet and was hunched over like an old woman for most of the morning. She was able to get dressed, but her daddy had to carry her to my room and lay her on the bed. Usually, she is up and off like a racehorse from the moment her feet hit the ground.

After about an hour or so, I was able to hold her hands and she started shuffling around my room. She was still hunched over, but she was not crying anymore. I gave her some Tylenol hoping that I would see some improvement.

Eventually, Lauren was walking fine for the most part. Every once in a while, she would turn funny and she would wince in pain and her leg would sort of give out for a split second. It was very weird to watch.

By Saturday, she was running around, but would not have the strength to pull herself up onto the bed or couch. Everything else seemed back to normal. We are going to the Orthopedic doctor that performed her surgery two years ago today at 3:45. I will keep you posted. I am sure that it will be nothing, but better safe than sorry.

Happy Birthday, Lauren

2009-09-15T08:20:00.008-04:00

Five years ago I made the comment, "Maybe I will go into labor and not have to go to Open House". Well, I did.

I am still in awe of how far this little girl has come in five short years. She started her life on a ventilator. Her first 12 days were filled with two seizures, kidney/liver problems, a stroke, feeding tubes, apnea monitors, and wires sticking out everywhere. To think that five years later, it would all be a distant memory is nothing short of a miracle.

Lauren, I am inspired everyday by your determination, your sweet spirit, and that infectious smile. I am so proud of how far you've come and how you never let anything stand in your way. I know God has great things in store for you. It is no accident that you are here with us. Things might be hard sometimes, but you have so much strength and can handle anything that comes your way. You are my joy and I am so glad God chose me to be your Mommy. Happy Birthday, sweet angel!

Greatest Neighbors

2009-09-08T17:27:00.002-04:00

We have an older couple that lives at the end of our street. They are pretty much the nicest neighbors I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. They took an instant interest in Lauren and our family. She buys Lauren Christmas gifts and has special treats every time we go over for a visit. Today they proved once again why I love them so much.

Lauren has a pretty dangerous bus stop, if I do say so myself. The bus stop is at the end of our road. It is a pretty busy street and there is a blind corner that cars come barreling around every day. I have put a request into the transportation department to change the stop. No surprise that it has been two weeks and I haven't heard a word from them.

My neighbor stops me this afternoon and offers to help speed things up. He knew that if other people called to complain about the dangerous stop that they might speed up the process. He said that he would love to call tomorrow if I would give him permission to help. Ummm, yes, please! I really love them....

Back Story

2009-08-31T08:11:00.002-04:00

A few of you wanted to hear the back story about why I had to wear scissors around my neck in elementary school. Here is the whole account of that fateful accident.

It was 1987 when I was in second grade. We had a great playground at our school with one major flaw. The playground was on cement. Just cement. No wood chips, bark, or rubber pieces under any of the equipment. It was also the era when I rode on the arm rest next to my dad while he was driving. Booster seats weren't even a blip on any one's radar and neither was a soft landing spot under a jungle gym.

We were playing a game of tag when I decided to run as fast as I could away form the person who was 'it'. What I didn't count on was a broken shoe and a sharp turn. Most people would put their hands down when they fall. I guess my arms were pumping to hard and I fell squarely on my chin. I fell so hard that I shattered the round part of my jaw into a zillion pieces. The last thing I remember is holding my jaw and screaming as I ran to the nurses office.

My mouth was wired shut for six weeks. I was not able to open my mouth. Luckily, I had four teeth missing, which I used to shove food through in order to eat. My mom would cut up bite size pieces of PB&J for lunch. I would shove it through my teeth and squish it on the roof of my mouth until it was easy to swallow. It was really fun to sit with me at lunch. No one lost their appetite at all.

To make this social nightmare even worse, some genius administrator at school decided that it would be a good idea to wear scissor around my neck in case I started choking. That way a responsible adult could cut the wires and give me any life saving procedure I might need.

The best part? They decided to use bright, yellow yarn to tie the scissors around my neck. Not white or tan or even pale yellow. No, highlighter yellow, as if it was a nerd beacon screaming, "Make fun of me!" as I walked through the halls. I wore the scissors in class, going to the bathroom, PE class, even to lunch. I guess no one told them that it could be dangerous for a 7 year old to be running and playing with scissors two inches from her heart.

Needless to say, the playground had wood chips all around the equipment a week after my accident, I survived the social torture of the scissor incident and I made it through second grade without any puncture wounds. Now, if I could just look at yellow yarn without twitching.

Hearing Loss and Genetics

2009-08-27T07:57:00.002-04:00

I learned an interesting fact when I took Lauren to her appointment in Chapel Hill a week or so ago. For those of you who don't know, Chapel Hill is the number one place to take your child if he or she has a hearing loss. They are the top teaching hospital for hearing disorders in the entire state of North Carolina. If you ever go, even just once, you will see what I mean.

While Lauren was getting her hearing aids fixed, I was talking with her audiologist. I asked her if there was any chance that Lauren's hearing loss could be an predictor to hearing loss of other family members. Could this be genetic?

Her answer was simple. Hearing loss can be familiar, meaning 'family'. If you have grandparents that can still hear great at 90 years old, you will probably hear fine for a long time, too. If you have grandparents that are losing their hearing, you might find that your mom, dad, or even you might lose you hearing later in life as well.

I guess it makes sense. Although, I have to lend some credit to how loud the world is now a days. Surely, listening to iPods, cranking the radio in the car, and the constant roar of traffic all can contribute to hearing loss. Since my grandpa can't hear a thing, I should get my hearing tested just to see where I stand. You never know...

Oldies, But Goodies...

2009-08-26T22:25:00.005-04:00

I found some old pictures of Lauren taken when she was about three months old. They were a surprise for my husband for Christmas. A fellow teacher in Shelby, NC took them for me in my third grade classroom. I can't believe how different she looked. I could still bite her cheeks off.

What's weird about these pictures is the fact that we had no idea that she had a hearing impairment or Cerebral Palsy at the time they were taken. It would be six months after these pictures were taken that we got the diagnosis of CP. It would be a year and a half before the diagnosis of her hearing impairment.

The journey we took still amazes me sometimes...

Did I Really Do That?

2009-08-25T22:50:00.002-04:00

Lauren's first day went great! She had a wonderful time and worked really hard. The first day for me ended up with a small, yet embarrassing, episode.

Lauren used to get picked up and dropped off in front of my house. I guess CMS decided that it was too much work to turn a giant bus around in a cul de sac, so our stop was moved to the end of the street.

I was waiting for the bus this afternoon with the husband and dog in tow. I wasn't sure which direction the bus was coming since it was the first day. There are a ton of buses that use this road so I was looking for a specific number.

After a few minutes I saw the bus heading towards our stop. It didn't slow down like I had expected. In fact, it blew right by us and started to turn on to our street. At one point I even started waving at the driver, but she never even saw me. Fearing that the bus driver would go to the house and not see anyone waiting, I started running after the bus. I didn't want the driver to think she was at the wrong stop and keep on going.

It started to get embarrassing when I decided to take off running after the bus like someone was chasing me with a chainsaw. I dodged a car and bullied my way through low lying tree branches in order to try to catch up to the bus. Buses are surprisingly fast, just so you know. My arms are pumping, I'm starting to sweat, and I am running as fast as my little feet will take me praying that I beat the bus.

What makes this even more embarrassing is that I realized after a moment or two that I was chasing the wrong bus. I was wondering why Tyler did not have the same sense of urgency and was just standing there watching me run after a bus like a deranged lunatic. It was a long walk of shame back to the stop, wondering who else saw me running like a crazy woman after a random bus. I almost didn't want to make eye contact with Tyler who was standing there with a look of utter confusion on his face. Even the dog looked at me funny.

After I picked the leaves out of my hair and caught my breath, Lauren's bus pulled up. Thankfully this time it did stop and I did not have another impromptu sprint down the street. At least I got some exercise...

New Game

2009-08-24T16:37:00.002-04:00

Lauren has found a new game to play this summer. It keeps her entertained, but makes me wonder a bit.

We kept Lauren's toddler mattress and slid it under her big girl bed in case her cousins came to stay over night. We figured there would always be an extra bed to use. Lauren decided one day that it would be fun to drag it out to the living room and use it as a make-shift trampoline.

Most of the time she just jumps up and down with the occasional somersault off the end. I guess that didn't get the adrenaline pumping enough. She now climbs on the couch and jumps as far as she can to the middle of the mattress. Sometime she hits the mattress, sometimes she doesn't. That doesn't discourage her, though. She loves every minute of it.

My major concern is not that she will get hurt. I just want to know how in the world she can get that mattress out to the living room by herself...

My Bad

2009-08-19T22:31:00.002-04:00

Ok, so I know that I have not posted in a decade and I probably am writing to no one, but here I go again. Back in the blog world to stay.

Here are a few updates to get us all up to speed:

1) Lauren is starting her last year of preschool in her hearing impaired classroom. There are some milestones to look for in order to get her in a mainstreamed classroom for kindergarten.

2) Tyler has not been hired back at Tommy Hilfiger, and is still technically unemployed. He has jumped full force into his creative company and hasn't looked back yet.

3) Lauren has a unique ability to not say a word until we get into the car and not stop talking until we reach our destination. Seriously, I am not kidding. She will not stop until the car is in park and we are out of the car. Then she barely makes a peep.

4) I have loved my summer with my family. I wasn't sure if I was going to be as entertaining as Lauren's friends at school. We had a blast together despite all the changes this year.

5) I have to put my baby on the bus this Tuesday. I really get nervous and hate to let her out of my sight. God bless her wonderful teacher who calls when she gets to school for the first few days.

I promise to be a better blogger. Thanks for being so patient. I think my brain needed a summer vacation as well. Now that Lauren is such a little person, I should have lots of fun stories to tell. Hopefully there will be some goods ones to bring back out on her wedding day....

Accident Prone

2009-05-26T12:58:00.002-04:00

Anyone who knows me well, knows that I am very accident prone. I trip and fall all the time. I used to blame it on being left handed in a right handed world. Too bad it's just because I am clumsy. Unfortunately, my clumsiness has caught up to me in a big way.

When I was in second grade I was running with my friends on the playground. I wasn't very careful and I fell down. Instead of putting my hands out to catch myself, I fell right on my jaw and crushed it into a zillion pieces. I had my mouth wired shut for six weeks and had to wear scissors around my neck in case I started choking. (That's another post)

It has been about 26 years since that happened, but it is causing me some unexpected problems now. I have been suffering from headaches the past few months that last for three or more days. I was finishing entire bottles of Motrin in a matter of weeks. I decided it was time to go to the Chiropractor to see if I could get some relief. I got some shocking news. He took some x-rays to see what was going on and discovered that the curve of my spine was reversed! The impact from the fall in second grade flipped the curve of my neck and I had no idea. To make matters worse, he thinks he saw a chip of bone on my spine! I was blown away at the news.

Now I am heading to a spine specialist before the Chiropractor will do any work on me. It should be an interesting few weeks. I hope that they don't find any more surprises.

Sweet

2009-05-25T13:08:00.002-04:00

I love when I can tell that Lauren is making progress with her language. What I love more is when I see progress and it makes my heart melt.

For a long time, Lauren was repetitive with her communication. I would say something to her and she would say something back. I am slowly seeing her initiate conversations without any prompting. Last night was the most precious conversation we had. It was only one phrase, but it was really sweet.

Lauren loves to crawl into my bed and cuddle with me before she goes to her room for the night. We were cuddling when she took my arm and squeezed it as hard as she could. She turned and looked at me and said, "I love you, mommy".

I have waited a long time to here her say it without me saying it first. It is a memory that I will hold dear for a long time.

Mystery of the Missing Spoons

2009-05-14T15:48:00.002-04:00

There has been a slow and perplexing phenomenon occurring in the Ford household. Every time I went to get a spoon out of the drawer, I would notice that there were never enough. I would think to myself that we were going through spoons at a very high rate. I was constantly fishing a spoon out of the dishwasher or washing one that was already in the sink. I had no idea why all the spoons had disappeared.

Until recently...

Lauren loves pudding. I mean LOVES pudding. I can get Lauren to do anything I ask if I promise pudding at the end of the task. She is such a big girl that she likes to clean up when she is finished. Her job is to put the empty pudding container in the garbage and the spoon in the sink.

Do you see where I am going with this?

Yep, she was following my directions, just in the wrong order. She was putting the container and the spoon in the garbage. I know what you are thinking. Why didn't I notice that there were never any spoons in the sink? Truthfully? My house is not one where the sink is always empty and the dishes are always in the dishwasher. If you come to my house at any given time, there are a handful of dishes in the sink. Shocking, but unfortunately true. I guess I just never noticed that there was an absence of spoons.

I am a little disappointed that the silver set we got from Ty's family is partially resting in a landfill somewhere. I hope some rats are making good use of the silverware Lauren provided for them. Don't worry, we have about six spoons left. We just can't have a dinner party where more than three people show up.

Yes. She uses plastic spoons for pudding now.

Blogger Block and Participation

2009-05-04T15:02:00.007-04:00

Ok, I know that I am a bad blogger for not posting in a while. But, I have an excuse. Now that Lauren is finally catching up developmentally and physically, I am out of material. I figured that you don't want to hear about my jam packed day of cleaning, making toast, or something else just as boring so I haven't been posting. I know, lame excuse and I am sorry. It's really Lauren's fault if you think about it. She hasn't been providing me with any humorous content. I am nothing without her inspiration.

So, I guess all that's left is your participation. Do you have a story about Lauren that you would like to share? I would love to hear how she has made you laugh, cry or pull your hair out. I think she would have a blast reading them when she gets older.

You can either leave a comment on the blog or email a story at tyleramyford@aol.com and I will post them in the next few days.

Can't wait to hear from you!

Good News

2009-04-28T14:59:00.003-04:00

Lauren went to get a check up at the Orthopedic surgeon's office last week. It had been 6 months since her last visit. This August will be one year since she had the surgery to lengthen her Achilles tendon. He was checking to see if the tendon was healed and made sure that there wasn't any further tightening of her foot or ankle.

The good news is that the surgeon said everything looked great and no further action needs to be taken at this time. He even took an x-ray of her hips to make sure that everything was in line. Since she is now walking correctly, we had to check the hips to see if they are working correctly, too. It is a relief to scratch another doctor off the list for a while. We don't need to go back to him for a year. Pretty soon, all we will need to go visit is the actual pediatrician. It's a good feeling.

A Little Culture

2009-04-20T15:41:00.002-04:00

Lauren's grandma came into town for a visit this weekend. We all decided to go to the Mint Museum to get a little culture. We thought Lauren might get a kick looking at all the cool stuff a museum has to offer. She got a little too much of a kick out of it.

We walked into the museum and started slowly wandering around. Lauren was walking with us, but I had the stroller just in case. Not 10 minutes into our experience, Lauren walks over to a display. She decided that she would start rolling a carved piece of volcanic rock from 300 A.D. back and forth across it's display stand.

My heart actually stopped for a minute and it was like I was in slow motion trying to get the word "STOP" out of my mouth. At that very instant I started wondering how much a piece of volcanic rock from 300 A.D. might cost someone if it were to break. It would have been really funny if we broke the world record for getting kicked out of a museum faster than anyone in history.

I think I will need some time to let my heart recover before we go back again.

Jammie Bottoms

2009-04-17T09:31:00.002-04:00

Lauren had been going through another little phase of getting up in the middle of the night appearing as if she was wide awake. She comes trotting out to the living room asking Tyler if it was time to get up. We usually put her back in her bed and she is out in a matter of seconds. Last night was a little different.

It started out the same as she popped into our room asking to get up. I got up to put her back to bed when I realized that she had no jammie bottoms on. She was halfway down the hall before I saw the flash of her bear bottom in the glow of her night light.

I asked why she didn't have any jammie bottoms on. Her response? "I no like pants, Mommy."

I hope that is just a phase...

Flashback

2009-04-14T08:37:00.002-04:00

Lauren brought this letter book home from school before Easter break and it caused me to flashback to my years in elementary school. I LOVED doing these books as a child and remember how proud I was when I completed one. They look exactly the same as they did when I did them. It's a very interesting place to be when your child is doing the same things you used to do. Ahhh, the good ol' days! Did you use these books, too?

Feeling Guilty

2009-04-13T07:22:00.002-04:00

Lauren and I had a great spring break. We played hard and had a lot of fun. But I am feeling a little guilty that I am excited that she is going back to school today. How many other mom's send their 4 year old to school ALL day, EVERY day? It feels weird to be happy about that. I don't like that she is away from me all day, but I am thankful she is in a place that is helping her develop language. I want her to stay but I am glad that she goes. Does that make me a bad mom or just a little torn?

Good, I Think...

2009-04-07T18:50:00.002-04:00

It is abundantly clear that Lauren doesn't care that I am not around her this week. She is in PA with her cousins and grandparents and I am not even a blip on the radar.

I am really happy that she is having a great time. I worried that she would have a meltdown and make everyone miserable. Instead she has been jumping on the trampoline, playing pretend with her cousins, playing on the playground, riding her bike, and going out to eat. I am a little worried that she will never want to come home.

It is a little strange without her here. I almost don't know what to do with myself. Only a few more days and I will have to remember how to take care of a kid again. I am afraid I might forget how if she doesn't come home soon.

Spring Break

2009-04-02T16:05:00.002-04:00

Lauren is on her way to West Virginia tomorrow. We are meeting her Grammy and Pappy and they are going to take her back to PA with them. I am coming back to Charlotte.

Lauren has her Spring Break next week. I have found from experience that Lauren finds us very boring when she is off of school for a while. We apparently do not have the energy that her classmates seem to possess. So I asked if she could come hang out with the grandparents and cousins for a week in hopes that she would have a little more fun.

I am picking her up from school tomorrow and we will be on our way. I will probably have more time to update my blog, but my material may be very boring. Lauren is my source of inspiration and I won't see her for a while. Maybe Ty will do something blog worthy....

Is That Bad?

2009-03-28T11:24:00.001-04:00

I just filled my dog's food bowl with Cheerios. He was out of food and I did not want to go out in the rainy, gray weather.

Is that bad?

Please Pray

2009-03-26T19:08:00.002-04:00

This week has been a little unsettling for the Ford household. For those of you who know us well, know that Ty is in the retail business. Ty's job is great, but never secure. We hold our breath once a year to see if there is enough money in the budget to continue his program. This week we are holding it a little longer.

Ty got an email on Tuesday that asked him (and the rest of his team) to be on a call with his boss on Monday morning. The title of the email and the reason for the call was labeled "Status". My heart sank. Status can have a lot of meanings. It could be just an update on something in the company, the 'status' of a particular item. It could mean the status of the company and it's financial well-being. It could mean a lot of things, I just pray it is not bad news. Unfortunately, when you hear about other companies that are tanking left and right, you assume the worst.

Please pray that it is nothing and we can continue life as normal. We will be fine whatever happens, I would prefer to be fine the way we are now. My husband is a strong, Godly man that would do anything that he needs to provide for our family. He even told me he would slap a Dominoes Pizza sign on the roof of the car and deliver pizzas, if that's what it takes. I know God will honor his willingness to the right thing. I just pray He honors it by letting him keep his job.

I really hate waiting this out...

Really Big "Boo-boo"

2009-03-23T14:59:00.003-04:00

Lauren had her first big injury this Sunday. I never really dealt with many bumps and bruises because she was never able to climb things like other toddlers. So I naturally avoided that normal 'climb on everything humanly possible' stage.

That ended after church, yesterday.

I was checking email at the dining room table looking in the living room where Lauren was watching a Dora DVD. She has started this new thing of getting the little step stool that I use to get into the tall cabinets, as her movie seat. She opens the stool up and climbs onto the top step, turns around and sits to watch her show.

I looked over at the exact time that Lauren lost her footing as she climbed up the stool and smashed her face on the metal handle that goes across the top. By the time I got there, the entire stool had folded up and she was on the floor screaming.

When I scooped her up I thought I saw a tooth just floating in the blood that was pooling up in her mouth. There was so much blood that I thought I would have to take her to the emergency room. It turns out that the tooth went into her lip pretty deep. I wiggled her teeth to see if she knocked any loose, but felt nothing. She was such a trooper as she held a really cold cloth on her lip for a while.

She woke up this morning with a fat and bruised bottom lip. I have hurt my mouth countless times, but it never bruised. I didn't know lips could turn dark purple. I felt bad sending her to school so black and blue. It looks like she caught the front of a semi-truck with her face. So far, a pretty nasty injury. Hope we don't have too many more like it.

Rhyming Words

2009-03-19T07:58:00.002-04:00

Every once in a while I can tell exactly what Lauren is learning in school by what she does at home. The past few weeks, Lauren has been practicing her rhyming words. What makes it hilarious is the fact that she thinks she's an expert, but her vocabulary doesn't support that claim. She is still so far behind in the amount of words in her repertoire that when she tries to rhyme, it cracks me up.

Here are a few examples of what I have heard this week:

Lauren: "Mommy, book and chair. They rhyme!"

Me: "Not quite, honey. Book and chair don't rhyme. Book and look rhyme."

Lauren: "No, mommy. Book and chair. They Rhyme!"

According to Lauren, clock and back, shoe and foot, mommy and door, and book bag and pop tart all rhyme. She is so proud of herself every time that it breaks my heart to correct her. I would just hate to have her enter Kindergarten thinking that foot and pen rhyme. I am hoping that this is just a vocabulary issue and not a developmental issue. The rhyming will probably get better as the vocabulary increases. You can't rhyme if you only know a small amount of words. At least that is what I am telling myself, anyway.

Wild Kingdom

2009-03-16T08:59:00.002-04:00

I know that when living in the suburbs, you are bound to run into some wild life from time to time. The occasional squirrel, cat, or dog would be expected in a quiet neighborhood. That is not the case for me.

I am either becoming Dr. Doolittle and the animals are coming for me, or this place is actually Wild Kingdom and Jack Hannah will be here any minute. In the past six months I have seen the following animals within spitting distance from me or my house.

I have seen a coyote walking down the sidewalk at the entrance of my subdivision. At first I thought it was a wolf. I have stopped next to two buzzards while turning onto my street. I swear they looked me right in the eyes. Creepy! I had a deer eating the shrub in front of my house. It even left droppings on the sidewalk as a 'thank you'. And today, I watched an opossum walk down the driveway of my next door neighbor and waddle across the street right in front of me.

I don't think this is typical animal sightings unless you lived in the country. Am I sending off a weird animal vibe that lets unusual creatures appear in front of me? Maybe this is a sign that I should become an animal whisperer. I think I'll stick to teaching. I wouldn't get bit as often.

Longest Sentence Ever...

2009-03-13T11:41:00.002-04:00

Ty and Lauren were playing on the floor yesterday after she got off the bus. I was doing important stuff online (i.e., Facebook) when I heard Lauren say the longest sentence ever.

Ty was laying on the floor while Lauren ran a purple car over him like he was a mountain. Since there wasn't much of a role for a mountain in this game, Ty was watching what was on the TV at the time. Lauren stops in mid-roll and says:

"Hey! Pay 'tenntion' (attention) me, Daddy!"

I nearly choked hearing her say a long sentence with such a long word that came out of nowhere. I guess Ty and I laughed too long without paying her the attention she so desperately needed that she walked over to the TV and turned it off, too.

She might be delayed in language, but there sure isn't anything wrong with her development! I love that kid!

In-Service

2009-03-09T08:16:00.002-04:00

Lauren was asked to be a part of an in-service for Orthotics and Prosthetics professionals in Charlotte tomorrow. She will be on stage in front of these occupational therapists, physical therapists, and orthotic specialists modeling the new brace she is wearing. It is a new type of brace for kids that I mentioned in a post a while back. It is very easy to use and is helping her foot stay in place to improve her gait. Since it is so new, they are using Lauren to show others how it works.

The jury is still out on how she will do in front of everyone. If she is anything like me she will love every minute of it. If not, we could have a nuclear meltdown of epic proportions. I think she will have a good time. Now, if I can just get her from school to the workshop without getting lost...

SPOOKY

2009-03-07T09:20:00.002-05:00

This is really weird to say, but the nickel is back! It is hanging out at the bottom of the commode and I am a little spooked.

Did it never go all the way down or is it back to taunt my mothering skills? It is just there staring at me...spooky!

Either way, how in the world do I get it out without actually touching it? Do I leave it there and hope that it just goes away?

Just when you thought this was over...

Change is Good

2009-03-03T12:46:00.005-05:00

Except when you eat it.

Yes, Lauren ate a nickel this weekend. Please feel free to send my "Mother of the Year Award" directly to my house. I will be waiting for it.

Lauren's Grammy and Pap-pap were in town this weekend for a visit. Lauren loves going through her Grammy's purse. I tried to train her to pull out the twenty dollar bills, but instead she was fascinated with the coins. Anytime she would find one she would put it in her pocket. She was thrilled to death to have some change in her possession.

For most of the day, the coins (a dime, nickel and penny) stayed in her pants pocket. She forgot they were there until she picked up her jeans to put them in her hamper and the coins fell out. As she was sitting on Grammy's lap, she picked up the nickel and popped it into her mouth. Her back was to Grammy and no one else saw her do it. She leaned back and swallowed the coin like she was a gumball machine. The funny thing is that she had NEVER done anything like that before. She was never a kid that put things in her mouth. She was the kid that like to play with everything in her hands. Things in her mouth never interested her. Why she decided to start eating random things at four years old is beyond me.

It has been a few days and I am happy to report that the nickel has made a full circle. It is now a permanent part of the Charlotte Sewage and Waste system. I didn't want it bad enough to go get it.

Unfortunate Language Issue

2009-02-23T09:03:00.002-05:00

Since Lauren got her new and improved hearing aids, she has been growing leaps and bounds with her language. Still, we are not where we should be. Bath time last night proved we still have a ways to go.

Lauren has a plastic fish that she plays with during bath time. She loves it and talks about it and to it during the entire bath. That is great until you realize that she can't say "fish". There are a few letters that are hard for Lauren to say until she gets a better grasp on her speech. The letters that are learned last for some hearing impaired children are /sh/, /f/, and /g/, to name a few. Here is what Lauren says for each letter:

/sh/ ends up sounding like /ch/
/f/ ends up sounding like /b/

Have you put it together yet? Every time Lauren tried saying 'fish' it came out 'b*#ch'! I was dying! She would say, Mommy, big fish (b*#ch)! My fish (b*#ch) swimming. For ten minutes straight she was talking about her fish accidentally cussing without even trying. Of course, I started laughing, which made her think she was doing something hilarious, which in turn made her say it more. Not my best parenting moment.

Note to self: Do not talk about fish with Lauren in public.

Mini-Survey

2009-02-20T08:47:00.002-05:00

I had a thought the other day and wondered what all of you would think about it. So, I decided to take a mini-survey of my friends. I was driving past a dance studio and wondered if I should sign Lauren up for dance class. Then I thought, hmmm, would she feel bad if she couldn't do the dance moves like the other kids OR would she view it as no big deal and do the best that she could? Then my mind wandered to other activities like soccer, softball, or swimming. How would she feel doing those types of activities? Since she is four and we might not know how she feels about it, I thought I would turn it over to you.

If you had a kid that had limited movement with her right side, would you sign them up for activities that might draw attention to that issue,

OR

Would you sign her up for things that you know she can do successfully?

Don't feel bad being honest. You can tell me what you think, I am strong enough to do what I feel is right. I am truly interested in finding things I never thought of from your answers. So, what do you think?

Morning Wake-Up Call

2009-02-19T12:46:00.002-05:00

This morning was fun (insert sarcasm). At 5:52 a.m. I was stripping the sheets off Lauren's bed, Tyler was changing his shirt, and I washed off Dora's head. Lauren decided it was time to throw-up all over her room and her daddy.

I can tell you that when Lauren is sick like that I am the most stressed. She can't really tell me what is wrong and I worry if it is something more serious. It is times like this that make me want her language to be on track. I wish she could tell me what is wrong or when she is going to throw up so at least we have a chance to get somewhere near the bathroom. Oh well, that's why they make buckets.

Right now, Lauren and her daddy are playing Candy Land. He is such a good daddy. But that's a different post.

Hearing Update

2009-02-06T13:01:00.002-05:00

Lauren had her 6 month appointment in Chapel Hill on Tuesday. Lauren went into the booth to get her hearing checked. The good news is that her hearing hasn't changed. That might sound weird to be happy about that, but it is good news. It means that her hearing is not degenerative, meaning that it isn't getting any worse.

They also tested her levels of hearing with her hearing aids in her ears. The audiologist said that she is hearing everything that everyone else hears with the aids in. That was a huge relief. The last time we went, we got the news that her old aids were not the right ones. I am glad that I don't have to worry about that anymore.

She told us that we can be confident that we don't need to worry about the aids and to concentrate on her language development. Her language has taken off since she got her new hearing aids. She pulls a new phrase out every week and uses it correctly. She is consistently talking in 4-5 words sentences. I am so happy to be able to actually talk to my daughter and have her be able to talk back to me. I have been waiting a long time for this. I am so thankful for all the people in her life that has helped her get to this point. I would have never been able to help her on my own.

Discovery

2009-02-03T20:55:00.003-05:00

I was talking to a friend the other day and discovered something that I never expressed before. I had just gotten off the phone with yet another medical professional and had to put out yet another fire. This thought hit me like a ton of bricks:

It takes more effort to deal with the companies that provide the services for Lauren, than it does to deal with Lauren's actual special needs. What makes Lauren's special needs so hard is the medical profession, not the disability itself.

I can handle the fact that she will wear hearing aids for the rest of her life. Got it, dealt with it, ready to move on.

I can handle the fact that she will struggle with using the right side of her body for certain activities. Got it, dealing with it, helping where I can.

What I can't handle are the institutions that do not make this process any easier. My frustration turns to empathy when I think of all the parents that don't have the time to deal with all the extra stuff like, phone calls to insurance companies, trips to doctor's offices three hours away, or fixing the things that slip through the cracks.

If you are a parent and you find yourself relating to this, then all I can say is hang in there. We can't change what other people do, but we can always be an advocate for our children. Remember, frustration is temporary. Doing what we need for our child is never wasted time.

Redefining Date Night

2009-01-27T18:21:00.002-05:00

For the past year or so, Tyler and I have been on a pretty tight budget as we prepare to buy a house in the near future. Because of the budget, our date nights have been a little scarce. The cost of a babysitter, the meal, and the movie all add up pretty quick. So, these past few months we have decided to redefine the date night.

We are fortunate as a family to have schedules that are pretty flexible. Ty is home most afternoons and I am back at the house by 11:50 a.m. The rest of the day is free and clear. Lauren is in school and does not get off the bus until 4:50 p.m. So I thought, why not have date nights during the day when we are home anyway? So we did. Once a week we will go out to lunch and enjoy some time together. Last Friday, we went to lunch and took Rugby to the dog park. We just sat outside in the nice weather and talked. There were no crowds to fight, no babysitter to pay, and no rush to get back.

There are still times when we will go out for the evening, but now the pressure is off and we can be more spontaneous. I definitely know that this is not a normal situation for everyone. I do not take that for granted. We are going to take advantage of it for as long as we can. If something changes, then we will get creative again. For now, I love the afternoons...

Worst Purchase Ever

2009-01-23T14:20:00.002-05:00

Very rarely do I get sucked into a product that I see on TV. I am usually prepared for the tricks advertisements use to separate people and their money. Well, my streak has ended. I bought the dumbest product ever made.

NOTE: If you have this product and use it without any problems, don't take this personally.

I bought the PediPaws from Bed, Bath, and Beyond. It is supposed to file your dogs nails down without hurting the quick of the nail. Seeing as though we don't take Rugby to get groomed, (ironically, to save money) I thought this purchase would help his fifteen inch nails get under control.

In the commercials, all the pets seemed to like it. They didn't tell me they were all drugged up on doggie Valium. Rugby freaked out and nearly took my eye out with his dagger claw. Not at all like the commercial, I must add. No one lost an eye there! At one point, Ty was holding him down while I got to try one nail. As it was going I started to smell something burning. Yup, it was the friction of the nail on the grinder inside the PediPaw. I nearly melted my dog's nail or burnt down my house. Neither is a good option and not sure which one would have happened first if I had continued.

Needless to say, the PediPaw is on the top of my microwave. I don't have the heart to throw it away. I will least look at it for the next six months to get my money's worth.

Got It!

2009-01-19T20:05:00.002-05:00

Those of you who are regular readers might remember that I caught my child reading a magazine on the potty, buck naked. Well, I caught her doing it again and this time my camera was charged. Enjoy!

The Results Are In

2009-01-16T13:16:00.002-05:00

I've had a great response to the great chili debate. Thank you all for participating, it was fun! Now for the results. I would like to take this time to share the outcome in the most gracious manner I can:

Nanny, Nanny, Poo-poo, Mom! I won!!

There were seven responses in total and five of you said that it IS the chili powder that makes a chili NOT the beans. All the responses were valid and everyone made good points. After all is said and done, I think it comes down to a matter of preference.

Good effort, Mom. You can call a re-match anytime you like.

The Great Debate

2009-01-15T14:23:00.002-05:00

I am asking for some help today from all of you. I was talking to my mother last night and got into a small debate. Now we need you to help find the right answer. I made chili the other day and was telling my mom about it. I came up in conversation that I didn't use beans in my chili. That's where the debate began.

I say that chili is chili because you put chili powder in to make it.

My mother says chili is not chili unless you have beans in it.

So I ask, what makes chili, chili? Is it the beans or the chili powder that actually qualifies the meal as a chili?

You are going to decide the winner of this debate. Please respond with you opinion and I will be glad to declare myself...oooops, I mean, declare the winner after I hear what you think. Thanks for playing along!

Too Cute

2009-01-14T16:00:00.003-05:00

OK, so this post has nothing to do with my daughter. I apologize in advance. Ty received these cookies from his company the other day. They were so cute, I had to show you. My favorite part is the tiny Tommy Hilfiger logo on the shirts. Since I knew that cookies don't last long in this house, I took a picture before I ate them. It's a good thing I did, too. The blue jeans, red purse, and white shirt are already gone! I have no will power! At least they taste as good as they look.

Like Father, Like Daughter

2009-01-12T15:40:00.003-05:00

Lauren has this thing of running around naked when we get her changed into her jammies. She actually runs in a circle yelling "make-ed, make-ed" while patting her belly. It is quite entertaining to see. Two nights ago, it went from entertaining to down-right hilarious.

Lauren was running her normal circles when she stopped and took off down the hall in her birthday suit. I was expecting her to return and continue her ritual, but she never came back. In fact it was really quiet. Not a good sign. I went to go investigate when I saw the bathroom light on. I peeked around the corner to see my daughter bare naked on the potty reading one of Tyler's magazines! She had the magazine open on her naked lap flipping through the pages as if there were some good articles that she wanted to read.

No, I didn't take a picture. The camera was dead. If she does it again, I'll try to capture it on film.

I guess I should move a small basket of books in there for her. Sports Illustrated is a little over her head.

Christmas Festivus

2009-01-08T19:22:00.004-05:00

Thought I would post a couple of pictures from the trip home. The first picture is of Lauren and her three cousins, (in order of age) Lily, Corban, and Chloe. Also, in the picture is Lauren's great-grandma, Dot. The other picture is of one of Lauren's presents. It was a vet's outfit that included a puppy and all the medical equipment a vet would need. She didn't take it off the whole time. Thanks Kelly, for sending these for me!

Web Cam

2009-01-07T20:21:00.002-05:00

One of my Christmas presents this year from my parents was a web cam. They gave my sister-in-law one, too. I finally set it up last night and gave it a try. Surprisingly, it was a lot easier to use than I thought. It plugs right into my USB port on the side of my laptop and is very small and compact. The picture is very clear and the sound is good. I didn't know what to expect, but I am pleasantly surprised.

Lauren got on the web cam with me and talked with her cousins in PA for about 20 minutes. Really, she just made faces at them and giggled. She had a blast seeing them on the computer and was so excited. She even cried when we ended the conversation.

Now that she is getting older, it is important to me that we stay connected to family so that Lauren knows her cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. I know this web cam is going to help us remain close. Now, I just need Ty's side of the family to get a web cam. Then the family circle will be complete (Hint, hint, Jason).

Sick-o

2009-01-05T08:28:00.002-05:00

The trip to PA was a fun-filled, action-packed couple of weeks. Except for the sicknesses. Someone in my family gets sick every time we go up north. It is usually me and I usually end up in the Urgent Care at least once. This time it was Lauren.

A couple days before the squirrel decided to make his debut, Lauren caught some sort of bug. No fever, no warning signs. She just cried for a minute and began to throw up. She started at 4 am and did not stop until 2 pm. At first is was every 20 minutes and tapered off to every hour. It was so bad that Lauren and Ty just slept on the bathroom floor. The scariest part was when she threw up so hard that she just collapsed on the floor from being so weak. Her legs gave out and she just kinda slipped down to the ground. By the time that happened she had been throwing up for 10 straight hours, so I guess her little body had enough.

After the 10 hours, she was right back to normal without any other signs of sickness. I really do not like when little ones get sick. They can never tell you what's wrong and you feel so helpless. I hope this is the last big sickness for a while. I don't think I can handle another one like that.

Attacked

2009-01-03T18:12:00.002-05:00

So here's the story....

I was taking Lauren up to bed last night, when I was subject to a surprise attack. I went to move the pillow and lay Lauren down, when I felt and saw a set of legs run over my shoulder and up the drapes. After my heart started again, I looked at the drapes and saw a set of big eyes staring back at me. I promptly left the room praying that the furry thing locking eyes with me was not going to claw my eyes out.

After closer inspection, there was a squirrel that got into my mother in laws house and decided that the bed I was sleeping in was a good place to hang out. My marine corps husband wouldn't go into the room until his mom was with him. I was the one with claw marks in my shoulder, but whatever.

Long story short, my mother in law and husband brushed the squirrel into a big pot and let him free. Shortly after, my mother in law was going around putting mesh on every vent. Hopefully, there will be no visitors in my bed tonight...

Fired Up

2008-12-31T09:15:00.003-05:00

I just found out that Time Warner Cable is taking Noggin and Nickelodeon, as well as 16 other channels off their programming. We are going to have to pay more to get them back by moving up to the next cable tier. There are very few things that fire me up, but greedy companies are one of them. Is it a coincidence that they are taking the kids programs? No, they are counting on the fact that the parents will pay to get these back. Now, our family does not spend hours in front of the TV, but Noggin is actually a recommended program for Lauren's development. The shows are made for preschoolers and are filled with singing, repetition, and educational material. All the things that are good for Lauren's language development. I don't let anything that is good for her development go without a fight.

I have already sent an email to Time Warner demanding that they do not remove these programs. Please join me, if for no other reason than for the principal of it all. If you don't want to email at www.timewarnercable.com, you can call 1-800-762-3786.

Deep Thoughts

2008-12-23T12:28:00.004-05:00

I just ate half of a leftover Chocolate Blizzard with Butterfinger for breakfast this morning.

I wonder why I am not a size 6?

The end.

Brace...Again

2008-12-19T07:39:00.002-05:00

I know all of you have already celebrated the fact that Lauren got the "all clear" to stop wearing her brace. And that is still true. However, there are professionals in Lauren's life that would still like to see the brace back on for a little while each day. She doesn't need it to walk, it would just help her gait get a little more like other children her age. Right now, when she walks she slaps her right foot as she is walking. Imagine yourself walking and your foot goes from heel to toe in one smooth motion. Because Lauren had never been able to move her right foot, she doesn't have the strength to move her foot in a smooth motion. It slaps on the ground without much control. It doesn't affect her ability to walk, but a new type of brace will help build the strength to correct it.

We have ordered a new brace to help. It looks like a bionic brace and is pretty much the coolest thing I have ever seen. I will do my best to describe it, but I promise I will get a picture of it when it comes in. The bottom of the brace looks just like a shoe insole. It is thin and rests perfectly on the bottom of her foot. There is nothing that comes up over her foot. There is one thin piece of metal that comes up the back of her leg. It is thin and flexible. You can hardly even see it. The bulk of the brace wraps around the top of her leg, right under her knee. You don't even know she has it on. It also gives her more flexibility in her foot and leg.

You might think that I am disappointed about the decision to get a new brace. I am not at all. She will only wear it a few hours at school and a few hours over the weekend. I don't look at it as a set back but as a step forward. We are now just fine tuning what was already corrected. I am happy that the people in Lauren's life are not settling for mediocre, but pushing her to achieve her full potential. Even if it is just getting her to walk as normal as possible. It would probably be hard to tell a parent that their child would benefit from a brace shortly after a surgery to correct the problem. I am proud of their courage to do that for Lauren's sake. I am thankful these people care enough about her to make sure she gets where she needs to be. You can't be disappointed about that!

Top Chef

2008-12-15T08:39:00.002-05:00

I think Lauren might enter the field of Culinary Arts. I decided that after I gave her lunch Saturday afternoon. I made Lauren an English Muffin with melted Swiss cheese on top. I gave her a cup of applesauce as well. I went into the kitchen to prepare my lunch and then join Lauren at the table. When I got back, a new food creation was born.

Lauren took the applesauce and heaped it equally on each side of the English muffin. So, I saw English muffin, Swiss cheese, and a pile of applesauce. She ate the entire thing like it was the best thing she has ever tasted. She even cheered herself on by raising both hands and yelling "I did it!" after she was done.

I guess I will need to be a bit more aware of the food combinations I give her. It could get pretty disgusting if I'm not careful.

Sneak Peak

2008-12-12T15:16:00.007-05:00

Our dear friend, Sean Lyon, is one of the most amazing photographers in the world. He did a Christmas shoot with Lauren and it turned out great. He never takes a bad picture and I am thankful that he is in our lives to help us capture these wonderful moments. I wanted to give you a sneak peek of a picture he took so you can see that I am not lying about his talent.

Potty Perfection

2008-12-10T16:08:00.002-05:00

I have no idea how this happened, but I thank the good Lord every time it does. Almost every day this week, Lauren gets up at night, walks into the bathroom, goes potty, and gets back into bed without calling for either me or Tyler. She shuts the door behind her and covers herself up with her blankets. She rolls over and we don't hear from her again until the morning.

I wish I knew how that happened. I would write it down and use it on the next kid.

Now, if I can just get her to flush...

Testing

2008-12-09T07:49:00.004-05:00

I've found myself doing things lately that end up making me chuckle out loud. Every once in a while I will be doing a daily task that I have done a million times before, and decide to do it with my left hand only. Just to see if it can be done as if Lauren was trying to complete the task.

For those of you who don't know, Lauren's right side was affected by the stroke and she has limited use of the right hand. She is making progress everyday and I encourage her to use it, but she is sometimes too smart and learns how to compensate without it. For example, she will hold things under her chin in order to manipulate objects and bypass the right hand. It's quite impressive to see her adjust and adapt.

Anyway, I was opening a two liter of pop (yes, pop, not soda. I'm still a little bit Northern) the other day and decided I would try it with one hand. Then I laughed at myself because I am not as resourceful as my four year old and I looked pretty silly. Every so often, I try to put myself in her shoes and see what things are like in her world. Maybe I could find a new method of doing things so she can learn to be more independent. Sometimes it works and sometimes it didn't. I at least feel like I'm doing something to help, even if it is just comic relief.

Not Boring!

2008-12-08T16:18:00.005-05:00

Thanks Steph for helping me make my blog a little more interesting. I don't feel so behind the times anymore. This could be a bad thing, I might not get any real work done. There might be a new background everyday.

Outfit of the Day

2008-12-06T11:11:00.003-05:00

Today, Lauren decided to get dressed, her way. After I got her clothed in a really cute outfit, she decided that the day needed to be a bit more formal. I guess there was a special occasion that I was unaware was happening today. Please note the glove on the left hand. I feel that she might be ahead of the fashion curve. You will definitely see this look in Vogue someday.

Boring...

2008-12-05T08:31:00.003-05:00

Can someone please help me get my blog into the 21st century? All I know how to do is change the color of the background from blue to another boring color. I want a cool background like I see all my friends getting. Maybe something a bit more contemporary and fun with designs or patterns. Anything would be better than the three different shades of blue I currently use. I don't know how to do it and I can't stand to look at mine anymore.

Can anyone help?

Early Morning Wake-up Call

2008-12-04T13:29:00.003-05:00

I was jostled out of my blissful slumber this morning at 3:18 a.m. by a little girl in search of her turkey. Yes, I said turkey. Last week in school, Lauren picked a small, orange, plastic molded turkey from the prize bin. It is small enough to fit in her hand. She hasn't left if out of her sight for two weeks. She takes it to bed with her and inevitably loses it in the covers or on the floor each night. It's never usually a problem because she only realizes it's gone when she wakes up in the morning. Last night was a different story.

I hear my name being called from the dark doorway with the words "turtee"(turkey) following close behind. I stumble to the door and start escorting my little bundle back to bed so I can crawl back under my covers as soon as possible. I pretend that I didn't hear her request hoping that she will forget what she got up for by the time she reached her room. No luck. It's 3:18 and I am on my hands and knees looking for the turkey. I give it one look and tell her I can't find it. Maybe the effort alone will suffice her for a while. I got her to go to sleep without it. Victory, right? Well, yes, for me anyway. I went back to sleep and didn't move for the next few hours. I didn't even hear her get up again.

This time Ty got up in an effort to get her back to bed. Apparently, Lauren got up around 5:00 and stood outside her door yelling for me like she was getting chased by the boogie man. Ty darted out into the hallway to see Lauren leaning against the linen closet door. As soon as she saw him, she got a big grin on her face. She held out her hand and said to Ty, "Daddy, look. Turkey." She had found her beloved turkey and was so excited that she needed to wake someone up just to share the good news. We didn't hear a peep from her for the rest of the night.

Yup, we have our hands full.

First...

2008-12-03T15:41:00.002-05:00

This year will be the first year we are in NC for Christmas. Usually, we all stay at my mom's house and wake up there Christmas morning. Now that Lauren is older, it's time to start our own traditions as a family. Besides, I don't want to be 80 and still be going home to my house for Christmas. I'm pretty sure my parents won't be there unless modern medicine allows them to live to be 115 years old.

Anyway, I am an emotional wreck. Not because I am sad, but I am super sensitive to seeing Lauren do the things that I used to do as a kid. For example, we let Lauren stay up and watch The Polar Express. She had so much fun and stared at the TV with her mouth hanging open. I don't think she blinked until the commercials. As I watched her, I realized that it's my turn to see the wonder in her eyes during this season. I got all choked and teary-eyed. (I guess that's not anything new to some of you. Many of my friends have seen me cry at Hallmark commercials...literally). This year seems different than the last few. I think it might be because she is more aware of what's going on around her. Whatever it is, this year seems more magical, for both of us.

Since this is our first year, I would love some ideas for cool Christmas traditions that you think would be fun to start in our family. If you have any suggestions, I would love to hear them. Chances are good that they will make me cry.

Change in Perspective

2008-12-02T13:01:00.003-05:00

I have decided to change the way I look at something that has made me a little blue in the past. It's amazing how different things can look when you look at them with a different set of eyes. It's not magic, it's a choice. I am tired of feeling this way and I have the power to change it.

For the longest time, I have viewed Lauren's hearing aids as a burden for her. Something she has to deal with every day. I worried that kids would make fun of her or she would feel bad about having them. That's no longer acceptable for either of us. How she views her aids (and herself) has a lot to do with how I view them (and her).

So from now on, I am looking at Lauren's aids as nothing different as a pair of glasses. People need glasses to see, and seeing is just as much of the five senses as hearing. No one cares if you wear glasses, they are no big deal. You need glasses to drive, read, or see something clearly. Lauren will wear her aids for driving and hearing something clearly. People take glasses off at night. Lauren takes off her aids at night, too. There's not much difference. So why not change my perspective? I wouldn't care if she had glasses, so why care if she has aids? They are very similar, after all.

One day she is going to come to me with questions as to why she has them or why she has to wear them. If I can get my perspective right, she has a better chance of accepting who God has made her to be. It's a big responsibility, but one that I accept with a certain anticipation.

Thanks Clemson!

2008-12-01T20:35:00.002-05:00

Thanks Clemson for confusing my four year old by making your logo very similar to Blue's Clues.

Here's my conversation while waiting for the bus today:

(A car rolls down the street with a Clemson flag flying proudly)

Lauren: Mommy look, Blue's Clues.

Me: No honey, that's not Blue's Clues. That's a football team.

Lauren: Blue's Clues car, mommy.

Me: Not quite Blue's Clues, but close.

Lauren: Bye-bye Blue's Clues.

Me: Bye Blue's Clues.

It was a lost cause.

Great Night

2008-11-27T07:27:00.003-05:00

I know I should probably post something I am thankful for or something turkey-like because of thanksgiving, but I'm not. I just need to take a minute and express how much fun I had last night with my hubby.

I usually have a softball game on Wednesday nights, but not this week due to the holiday. My hubby took it upon himself to call a babysitter, help me clean up the house, and surprise me with the best date we've been on in a while. The best part was that the entire date cost less than $40 (not including the sitter).

We started the night by running a few errands that we had been putting off. Not very glamorous, but a nice treat to be running them together. We went to dinner at On the Border and enjoyed some good Mexican food. The greatest part of the night was when we went to Starbuck's and wrote out our Christmas list over some coffee and hot chocolate. We put everyone we needed to get a gift for on paper and brainstormed what we wanted to get them. We can't spend a lot on each person, but we sure do put some thought into it. The funny thing was that I found an old gift card for Starbuck's that I forgot was in my wallet. Our frothy beverages were paid for completely.

By then end of the night we had our list done and a night of laughing and talking. It was nice to have a entire conversation without being interrupted every thirty seconds by a four year old. We didn't have to spend a fortune and we had a night that I will remember for a long time.

Pull-Up Free

2008-11-25T13:40:00.000-05:00

We have finally hit another milestone that makes us think it's time for another kid. Lauren no longer wears pull-ups at night! One less expense that I am glad to see happen in our life. I almost feel weird not buying things like pull-ups and diapers. It's all I've known for the last four years. Aren't you supposed to have more kids when you stop having to buy kid stuff? I better hurry, I might forget how to be a mother to a little baby and change my mind.

Drink and Eat

2008-11-24T08:18:00.002-05:00

Before we knew that Lauren was hearing impaired, we decided that we would teach her 'baby sign language' (much like all moms do in the early infant years). We taught her the basics like, drink, eat, more, sorry, please, help, ball, and thank you. She used them a lot and it made our life a lot easier.

After we found out about the hearing issues, we had to make a decision. We either had to continue to sign, do a combination of signing and verbal, or do a straight verbal approach in the household. In a nut shell, we either had to teach Lauren to sign and that would be her way of communicating, or we had to teach her to talk and that would be her way of communicating. Either way, we had to make a decision on a method and use it in our household consistently. We obviously chose the verbal approach which meant she was no longer allowed to sign. She had to ask for things and strengthen her language. It wasn't a hard transition and she took to it very well. The interesting thing is that she is now four and I can't get her to drop two of her signs. For some reason, she continues to use the sign for drink and eat. It never fails. Every time she says drink or eat, she sign it, too. She dropped every other sign like a bad habit and never looked back. I wonder why these continue to hang around.

Any theories as to why? I'd love to hear them.

Triggers

2008-11-21T08:14:00.002-05:00

I am not sure if I mentioned this before, but as a mom of a special needs child, I tend to be an emotional roller coaster. That is to say that there are good days and there are bad days when it comes to staying positive. It's like an ebb and flow depending on what's going on that particular month, week, or day. Some times I can go months without a change in my attitude. Other times I feel like its a daily battle.

I've noticed recently that I will see something that 'triggers' the not so good feelings that seem to creep up every once in a while. I never know what will spark these thoughts. I just see something and my mind goes off in sixteen different directions. For example, I was at a function the other day where I saw a group of middle school girls walking together and talking. They were all carrying their books the same way. They were all hugging their books across their chest with both arms. For no apparent reason, I flashed forward to when Lauren will be that age doing that same thing. I couldn't help but get a lump in my throat wondering if she will be able to do that with only having full function of the left side of her body. Why do I care how she holds her books? Why is that causing me to get sad? Why does a sight of kids carrying books trigger something years down the road? I have no idea, but I hate it.

Maybe it's a coping mechanism. There were a lot of things that happened to Lauren that were out of my control. All the trauma that occurred during birth happened so fast that it made our head spin. I wonder if my brain is trying to think of all the things that could happen so I can have some time to address them properly. Who knows? I am going to pretend that this is just a phase that I will grow through in time. I am realistic enough to know that thoughts will always creep in. I am a mom and I will always worry about my kids. That's no different from any other parent out there. I just hope that the frequency of these triggers decrease over time. I would be nice to get off the roller coaster some day.

Looking for a Wagon

2008-11-18T17:25:00.003-05:00

Does anyone know where I can get a cheap wagon in good condition? I am looking for one for Lauren's teacher. She has three kids in the class that have severe and multiple disabilities. There are ten hearing impaired kids in the classroom at any given time. It's harder to get all the kids out and about when a few of them need extra assistance due to other physical disabilities. If I could get a wagon in her hands, trips to the cafeteria, the playground, and even fire drills would be easier on everyone. And considering what she does for each of those kids everyday, it's the least I can do.

Any ideas????

There's No Way....

2008-11-14T13:10:00.003-05:00

There is no way that I slept in until almost 1:00 today. Even though Ty came in and woke me up and my phone said 12:44, there's no way that it happened. I even accused Ty of changing the time on my phone to play a joke on me.

I haven't slept this long since my college days. It's only Friday. I could see myself maybe doing this on the weekend, but Friday? Who does this? Oh well, I'll take it. Not complaining, that's for sure.

Off to get some lunch, I have apparently missed breakfast....

Happy Veteran's Day

2008-11-11T14:23:00.005-05:00

In honor of Veteran's Day, I thought I would take this opportunity to thank my veteran. This is a picture of Tyler during active duty in the Marine Corps. It was his military ID from the early 90's. I am so glad he kept it. I am not sure he will feel the same once he sees what I did with it.

Happy Veteran's Day, Tyler!!!

Breakfast Anyone?

2008-11-10T08:31:00.003-05:00

I had a little start of a headache this morning. So in the interest of prevention, I got up to take some Motrin around 5 a.m. I got to the kitchen and felt some crunching under my feet. It was dark and at that point I was too tired to care about it. I figured it was some dirt from my softball cleats. I had a game last night and I thought maybe some dirt fell off of them and I didn't notice. I went to bed and didn't think another thing about it.

This morning I went into Lauren's bathroom to help her brush her teeth. Again, I felt the same crunching under my feet. I looked down and didn't see anything in the little rug under the sink. So, I took my foot and brushed whatever it was onto the floor so I could see what it was first hand. To my surprise, it was Rice Krispies. I went to the kitchen and again found Rice Krispies all over the floor. Apparently, Lauren got a hold of the cereal container and was walking around the house eating (and spilling) Rice Krispies. I never saw the container in her hand so I never even realized she was doing it. Either she is a super stealthy person or I am clueless. Either way, I need to get the vacuum.

Best News...EVER

2008-11-03T08:14:00.002-05:00

Lauren went to Chapel Hill on Thursday to get her new hearing aids. They work really well. They are a brand new kind that allow her to hear almost all higher frequencies. A task that regular hearing aids have not been able to do until now. You would think that was the best news ever. No, it gets better.

The financial lady came to see Tyler right before the appointment was over. Keep in mind, at this point, we still haven't heard if they turned this into our insurance or the total cost of the aids. Ty thought he would be getting this information for the first time during this part of the appointment. Instead, the financial lady asked Tyler for a $2300.00 check. His mouth dropped open and asked if they had turned this into our insurance and she said yes, that they denied the claim. Ty told her that he needed to go home and have at least 24 hours to talk to the insurance company himself. The lady's response? She asked him for a $1200.00 check. Half of the cost. Again, Ty reminded her that he needed at least a day to talk to the insurance company. You would think that she got the picture. Nope. She wasn't going to settle for anything less than a check. She asked Ty what he was willing to pay today. So Ty said he was willing to leave her $20, the amount of our co-pay. I guess she knew he meant business, because she took his offer and Ty left with the hearing aids and Lauren.

Ty called me from the car and told me the story. After we hung up, I got onto the phone with United Healthcare. After about 60 minutes on the phone, it was discovered that United Healthcare had never even heard of UNC Hospitals (Chapel Hill) and had never received a claim form them regarding the hearing aids. By the time I was done on the phone, I had a representative tell me that the hearing aids would be covered 100%. Lauren will also be able to get new hearing aids, at no cost, every three years. It was like a weight was lifted off my shoulders and I could finally take a deep breath. We would have done whatever it took to get her those aids. It's just nice that we don't have to add that to our plate right now. It was a blessing that cannot be put into words.

It was the best news....ever!

Trick-or-Treat

2008-11-01T08:12:00.004-04:00

Lauren spent most of the day at her school practicing for Trick-or-Treating. The teacher would go in to the bathroom and shut the door. The the kids would come up to the door with a bag that they made and say, "Knock, Knock...open door...trick-or-treat!" They eventually made it all the way to the kindergarten classes and practiced some more. By the time she came home, she had a bag full of delicious candy. The good stuff, too.

So when it was time for the real deal, Lauren was a pro. We stayed around our neighborhood and went to a dozen or so houses close by. I have never seen a kid have so much fun. And yes, I did her hair. I am about to quit my day job and enter into the cosmetology field.

Phenomenon

2008-10-30T07:34:00.003-04:00

There's a phenomenon that happens at my house every once in a while and I can't say it's very fun for me. It happens almost every time and I am beginning to wonder if Lauren likes to play jokes on me.

Lauren and I get up at the same time Monday-Thursday to get ready to go to work and school. Ty gets up with Lauren and gets her dressed while I get ready to go to work. For as long as I can remember, Lauren has gotten up by herself and has come into our room about 5 minutes before the alarm rang every morning.

Lauren didn't have to go to school today since she was leaving later to go to her audiologist appointment in Chapel Hill. I had to get up and go to work. Do you think she still popped into our room at 6:55 am, just like she did for the past 90 days? Nope. She slept until a quarter til eight on the day that I had to get out the door. It couldn't be on Saturday when I can sleep in. No way, on those days, she's up at the crack of dawn. It would be one thing if I told her she was not going to school today. She had no idea that she was not riding the bus or seeing her friends.

For some reason, she sleeps in on the days that I have to leave and wakes up at the first hint of morning on the days that I can drift into blissful slumber. It's almost freaky how she only does it on the days I have somewhere to go. No fair! I think she's doing this on purpose.

Good News

2008-10-23T10:09:00.002-04:00

It is official...

No more brace for little Lauren Claire!!!!!

Lauren went to the surgeon that operated on her foot and he said everything looks really good. He thinks that it would be fine if she just wears her night brace every evening and not worry about the brace during the day. I am so relieved! No more wearing the only pair of tennis shoes that fit over the brace. No more breaking a sweat trying to get the brace to fit in the shoe. No more hearing Lauren cry about the boo-boo's caused by the brace. No more strangers staring at her leg as she walks by. It's almost too good to be true.

I am so proud of my baby girl. She sure has gone through a lot in her four short years. But her determination and strength has inspired me more than she will ever know. Nothing holds her back and nothing slows her down. She is truly a blessing!

Now, where's the best place to get cute, girly shoes?

Hopeful

2008-10-21T07:58:00.002-04:00

Tomorrow is Lauren's appointment with the Orthopedic surgeon that did her surgery a few months ago. It's been two months since the surgery to lengthen her Achilles tendon. He said we would have to wait until this appointment to see if the surgery would allow her to go without her brace in the daytime. I am hopeful that he will give us the 'all clear'. She has been walking great without it the few times we kept it off. The brace is rubbing her in places and causing her some discomfort. I am holding off ordering another one just in case we get good news tomorrow.

Also, we go to Chapel Hill on the 30th as a follow up with her new audiologist. I am hopeful we will get her brand new, state of the art, hearing aids. The ones she has now are loaners until her new ones come in. The new hearing aids will actually allow her to hear more high frequency sounds than before. They have come out with new aids that compress the higher sounds and allow more frequencies to be heard. They are a brand new type of hearing aid that Lauren will get the privilege of trying.

Hopefully I will have good news to report soon....

Create the Caption

2008-10-07T10:03:00.003-04:00

Your turn! Create a caption for this picture. I have a few in mind, but I know how creative you all are. Let's see what you come up with!

This is What Happens....

2008-10-05T12:53:00.005-04:00

This is what happens when your four year old learns how to use your digital camera and puts it back so you don't even know she ever had it in the first place. Sneaky little bugger!

Funny Stuff

2008-10-03T08:02:00.002-04:00

Lauren and I sit outside to wait for her bus. We sit towards the end of the driveway close to the street so I can see the bus coming around the corner. Lauren sits on my lap and we usually point at cars, birds, or airplanes.

The other day, a jogger comes running down our street. We saw him coming and Lauren asked "What he doing?" She started asking that question anytime she sees something that she doesn't have the words for. Most of the time she just repeats what I say. Unfortunately, that wasn't what she did this time.

As the jogger approached, she asked again what he was doing. I told Lauren that he was running. She didn't say anything, she just watched him get closer. Lauren waited until the jogger was at the edge of our driveway and yelled "HURRY, HURRY!!!" as the jogger trotted by. She even used her hand to motion him in the right direction as if her hand was making him go faster. He slowed down, looked at Lauren, and said in a shocked but pleasant tone, "I'm trying". Thankfully, he was laughing as he jogged away.

We haven't seen that jogger since....

Best Game Ever

2008-09-30T13:10:00.008-04:00

Now, I am not one that usually posts on things that I buy, but this is too good to keep to myself. Lauren got a gift from a friend on her birthday that has got me so excited that I need to blog about it. Both from a mom's point of view as well as an educator's point of view.

Lauren got a game called Cariboo. It is the best game that Lauren has ever been given. Maybe because both Lauren and I love to play it. Or maybe it's because it's something I can use to help develop language. I don't know which I'm more excited about, I just know I love this game.

Lauren gets an opportunity to match colors, shapes, numbers and letters at any given time throughout this game. It helps her with developing vocabulary because each flap has a picture on it as well. There is even an opportunity to make the game more challenging when she has mastered the beginner's section. All I can say is get this game or borrow it from someone who has one. You won't be sorry.

Back from PA

2008-09-23T11:58:00.002-04:00

Well, we just got back from another 10 days in PA. Tyler's younger brother got married and we were there to celebrate the joyous occasion. Since ten days is a lot to recap, I thought I would just give you a few of the events that happened:

1) Lauren got to celebrate her birthday with both sets of cousins and grandparents on both sides. That hasn't happened before since we are so far away, so it was pretty special for us all.

2) The bride got the flu and went to the emergency room a day before her wedding. She was better just in time for the rehearsal and everything went as planned.

3) Ty's mom got bronchitis the day before the wedding and felt a bit cruddy for the wedding day. She was a tough cookie and never let you know she wasn't feeling good.

4) I got the flu/cold the Thursday before the wedding and wasn't sure I was going to be able to sing the song the bride selected for the ceremony. I couldn't breathe very well and my nose was stuffed. Thankfully, my brother-in-law stepped up and sang with me. It went well, except when the 80 year old organist played an entirely different song halfway through our performance. We recovered well, however.

5) Lauren got "real" shoes. Cute, little, shoes that she can wear without her brace and that do not fall off the back of her foot. She looked adorable and they never slipped off. I am so glad we had that surgery. Putting those shoes on her this week made it all worth it.

6) Ty and I had two nights without Lauren. She stayed at my mom's house for the wedding weekend. Ty was a groomsman and I was singing, so taking care of a four year old during those times would have been difficult. She stayed at Grammy's two nights in a row. It was weird to be without her, but it was a nice break as well.

Thanks to my family for a wonderful visit. We had a blast and we will see you soon!

Happy Birthday Lauren!

2008-09-15T15:04:00.002-04:00

Lauren is four years old today! I can hardly believe that it's been that long. It was four years ago today that I joked about going into labor just so I didn't have to go to the PTA meeting at school that night. God was listening and I went to the hospital instead of the meeting. I wonder what would have happened if I had joked about winning the lottery that day.

Happy Birthday, Lauren. I love you and I am so blessed to have you in my life.

A Little Bit Jealous

2008-09-10T15:34:00.002-04:00

Ok, I can admit when I am jealous. Ty is in Atlanta getting ready for a visit from Tommy Hilfiger. Yes, he is going to meet him and all the celebrities that hang around events like the one he is going to on Saturday. If it wasn't cool enough that he gets to meet Tommy, Gavin DeGraw will be there, too (If you do not know who Gavin DeGraw is, look him up. You will recognize his song instantly). And since Ty works for Tommy, you know he is going to get to go behind the scenes and rub elbows with them both. He gets to do all the cool stuff. I need a few moments to work through this.

The Value of a Second Opinion

2008-09-08T08:02:00.006-04:00

I can't stress enough the importance of getting a second opinion from doctors. Not just as a mom of a special needs child, but for all moms. We were given an innate ability to sense when things aren't quite right. Trust that feeling, it's never wrong.

Lauren got her first set of hearing aids last October. She has been wearing then now for about 11 months. We have seen some improvements, however, there were things that both Ty and I noticed weren't happening. She still wasn't getting quite a few consonants. She couldn't say her s, t, h, j, q, and a few other high frequency letters. At first, I thought it would be just a matter of time. Then the gut started rumbling and I knew something wasn't right. I have no degree in audiology, but I knew something was wrong with the hearing aids. So we trotted up to UNC-Chapel Hill, the leading facility in speech and hearing in all of North Carolina.

After a full day of testing and talking with the doctors, our gut feeling was confirmed. The hearing aids in Lauren's ears were useless. They were the wrong kind for her type of hearing loss and they were programmed incorrectly by the audiologist here in Charlotte. We were told by the audiologist in Chapel Hill that she would have been better off not having a hearing aid in her left ear at all. The right hearing aid was just making the stuff she could already hear a little louder.

You go through a wide range of emotions when you learn something like that happened to your child. Mostly I cried. I cried for Lauren and for another set back that she never asked for and didn't deserve. I worried. I worried what kind of long term affect missing another year of hearing might bring in the future. I got angry. I wanted to drive to the Charlotte audiologist and kick her in the shins until she felt as bad as I did. I got determined. This made me even more set on insuring Lauren gets where she needs to be despite another person's neglect. It's a tiring thing dealing with all the emotions, but it's important to acknowledge them so you can deal with them appropriately.

Here's what we are dealing with now that all the emotions have fallen into place. Chapel Hill ordered us a new set of hearing aids that will amplify perfectly for Lauren's level of hearing loss. Until they come in, they gave us a set of 'loaner' aids. We are responsible for the cost of the new hearing aids if the insurance doesn't cover them. We will not know the outcome of that for a while. Please pray that they will. We have no course of action against the audiologist despite her gross incompetence. The best we can do is write a strongly worded letter to the Charlotte audiologist, hope she has a moment of clarity, and pays for the new hearing aids. That's the very least she could do since the first set we got from her was a waste. We would not have needed to order new ones if the she had ordered the correct aids in the first place.

If you have a gut reaction to something a doctor says or does, go get a second opinion. It will probably save you time, headaches, and money in the long run. Or it might just save you more than you could ever imagine.

Improvements

2008-09-04T17:45:00.003-04:00

A lot of people have asked me if I have seen any improvements to Lauren's leg after her surgery. For any new readers, Lauren had her Achillies tendon lengthened as a result of her Cerebral Palsy. She got her cast off the 18th of August and is now walking in her regular brace. I had to bribe her with ice cream and it took almost a month to walk on it again, but she is doing great.

The biggest and most emotional improvement happened today and I never even saw it coming. Lauren asked to ride her bike outside after she got home from school. Usually, that means she gets on the bike and uses her left foot to push herself around and holds her right foot up so it doesn't drag. Because of the tightness in her foot she has never been able to pedal her tricycle.

Today she got on her bike, put her feet on the pedals, and rode it like it was her job. She rode up and down the driveway, around the cars, and down the sidewalk. I just watched in amazement, beaming with pride, and trying to choke back the tears. There were times in the past where she was getting really close to doing it. She would put her foot on the pedals and try to pedal around only to make it a few inches before her right foot would slide right off. Today she went all over the driveway without missing a beat. I really am so amazed by her determination. I could learn a lot from this little girl.

So to answer your question, yes. I am seeing an improvement in her foot.

Pot Problem

2008-09-03T22:03:00.004-04:00

I think I might have a pot problem with one of my neighbors. Yes, I said pot. As in Mary Jane, Wacky Weed, joint, or grass. I opened the door two nights ago to let Rugby out when I caught a whiff of the most pungent smell. It was distinct and it took me a minute to realize what it was. There was no doubt in my mind it was pot and somebody close by was about to get the munchies.

****DISCLAIMER*****

I have not now or at anytime tried pot. I went to college with people who did and went to concerts were it was obviously in the air. That is the only reason I know the smell. Mom, don't panic.

*********************

I quickly looked around the room to find Tyler at the computer, Lauren in bed, and Rugby outside so I know it wasn't one of us. I even looked on the back porch to see if someone got confused in their drug induced stupor and parked themselves at our house for a short rest. Nothing. Someone close by was having a little too much fun and we were up wind.

I thought it was done, but I smelled it again today. I was heading out for a softball game this evening and the familiar scent wafted my direction once more. I guess I am going to have to go all Magnum P.I. and figure out if we have a random pot smoking stranger or if there is trouble in our neighborhood. Or, I might just ignore it and go to bed.

Pronunciation

2008-09-02T07:28:00.005-04:00

When your child is hearing impaired and you are trying to catch her up on language, a funny thing happens to you. Almost every word you say to her gets repeated and enunciated perfectly and you don't even have to think about it. It becomes second nature. You find yourself slowing each word down and breaking it up into parts. That's normal and that's what you do when you are talking to your child. I apparently do it all the time, and don't even realize it.

I went to get a shower before work the other day and walked into the bathroom to start running the water. I looked over at the hook and realized that the towel hanging there was wet from a previous shower taken by Tyler. In my head I said, "Oh, I need to get a fresh towel. This towel is wet." What it really sounded like was this:

"Oh, I need to get a fresh 'ta-well'. This 'ta-well' is wet." There was no one but me in the bathroom. I was sounding out towel as if Lauren was right next to me and I was making her say the word. This was the first time that I noticed myself doing it. I hope I've never said something like that out loud to anyone besides Lauren. If I accidentally did, I am going to just apologize now. Apparently, I have no control.

Bus Update

2008-08-31T10:45:00.006-04:00

Well, I gave the school a week's grace as they were working out the kinks of getting a new route down pat. After you see what Lauren's week was like, I think you will agree that the grace period is over.

Here is what happened bus wise each day. I am talking only about the afternoon bus route. The morning is running smoothly:

Monday:
Left school late and did not arrive home until 5:15 p.m. The bus was 25 minutes late.

Tuesday:
The bus got home at 4:55 p.m. Only five minutes late today.

Wednesday:
The bus got home at 4:55. Looks like we are on a good little rhythm. Wait! Not so fast.

Thursday:
The bus got to our house at 5:15, but only after it flew past our house and drove down into our neighborhood. It was a substitute driver and he couldn't read the notes that told him where to stop. He has a three year old student with communication difficulties that cannot tell him where her house is and he has no idea where to stop. We had to wait for him to drive through the neighborhood, turn around, and come back. I was in the driveway waving him down. He was laughing, I didn't think it was humorous.

Friday:
They did not put a Star Seat on the substitute bus and they could not put her on without one. She was at the school until 4:30 waiting for another bus to come get her. I was told that it was only going to have a few students on it and I could choose to come get her or wait for the bus. I had a thirty minute drive without traffic and my calculations would get her home on the bus faster than if I would go and get her. I was wrong. She didn't get home until 6:00! I called the transportation department, but they could not get a hold of the driver. The radio on the bus was not working. That's safe! The sub driver parked the bus in front of our house, got off, and asked to use my phone to call the transportation department. She wanted to tell them that she just delivered Lauren safely. I said sure and she proceeded to have a 10 minute conversation with a friend at the department about borrowing $10 since it was so late and she couldn't get to the bank.

I have to wait until Lauren's IEP meeting to get the bus changed. By law, it has to happen within the next thirty days. Meanwhile, I am going to be calling anyone related to the bus routes and trying to get it fixed before then. I hope this next week isn't as crazy!

The Bus

2008-08-26T07:45:00.004-04:00

Lauren had her first day of school on Monday. Pictures to arrive later. Anyway, we had a little bit of a bus issue. She is supposed to get on the bus at 7:38 in the morning (school does not start until 9:15). She is scheduled to get off the bus at 4:49 (school lets out at 3:30). Yeah, I know. That is s ridiculous time for a 3 year old to be on the bus. That will be handled later.

Yesterday, Ty and I were waiting on the front porch at a quarter til five anxiously waiting to see how the day went. At 5:10 we were still there. At 5:20, no sign of the bus. My heart was in my throat and I could feel my blood pressure rising. I called some people and finally found out that the bus left the school 30 minutes late and the whole route was behind. I felt a little better about her coming home, but sad that she didn't reach our doorstep until after 5:30 pm. That is one long day for such a little girl.

Hopefully today will be a little better.

Trauma

2008-08-19T09:57:00.005-04:00

Lauren got her cast off yesterday and the only word I can use to describe the event was traumatic. I had talked with her all week hoping to lessen the shock, but it apparently didn't work. Here's how the whole thing went down:

We got to the doctor's office and waited for a while to get in. They took us to a room that was obviously just used to take off casts. There was a vacuum to suck all the dust, towels, and other such things that let you know you were in the right place. When the technician came in to cut off the cast, Lauren was on the table giggling. When he left we were all sweating and exhausted. Lauren took one look at the little saw and screamed bloody murder. It got to the point where I was holding Lauren's hands and arms while Ty had to keep her other leg from kicking the technician in the head. At one point she just looked up at Ty and started screaming, "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy" while looking at him like she couldn't understand why he was letting this happen to her. Ty is still recovering from that. The doctor came in to check her foot after the shock of the event wore off.

He said the foot looks good. I even got to take her foot and bend it back and forth. Something I haven't been able to do before. To give you an idea of what her foot was like before you will have to play along. Take your right foot and point it like a ballerina as hard as you can. Without loosening the tightness, try to bend your foot back. That's how tight her foot was all the time. Now I can bend it back and forth with no effort at all. Lauren will have to wear her regular brace during the day and her night brace when she goes to bed. In two months the doctor will check her foot again and let us know our next step. I am hoping it's that we can just wear the night brace at bedtime and wear regular shoes in the daytime. Her foot is still a little sore and has some trouble walking on it without the cast. Slowly but surely she will get back to her normal energetic self. I am just happy she can now take a bath. A foot in a cast for a month is not a great aroma.

Today!

2008-08-18T07:33:00.002-04:00

The cast comes off today! Thank goodness! The cast looks like it has been through a war zone. The pink is wearing off the bottom. The white fabric around the top where the leg comes out and the bottom where the toes come out have reached a nice shade of dirty gray. I want to bring her home and throw her right into the tub for a whole day.

I am a little worried about what we will find when it comes off. Will it have worked? Our goal was to loosen the foot enough for her to walk with it flat on the ground. The worst thing that could happen is that she went through all of this and we didn't accomplish what we set out to do.

I want her to be a little girl and wear little girl shoes with little girl dresses. This week, I got a glimpse of what it would be like if she were able to wear "regular shoes". Since her foot was in a cast (and not in her AFO), Lauren got to wear a pink jelly shoe on her left foot. For the first time in her life, she got her shoe on each day all by herself. She was so proud and I was so happy for her. That's what I want for her every day. This surgery gave me hope that she will continue to find ways to feel good about herself. I think that's why I am hoping it turns out to be a great decision. We'll see today at 2:30 if we made the right choice!

Career Choice?

2008-08-13T14:39:00.002-04:00

This is what I found when I peaked in on her during nap time today. She either really likes to clean or she is getting ready for a career in the janitorial field.

Sympathy

2008-08-07T21:18:00.004-04:00

I have so much sympathy for Lauren being in a cast all summer, that I thought that I would help her feel better by getting one of my own.

I was playing softball last night when I decided that I would try to catch a softball with my middle finger and not with my glove. Turns out that it wasn't a great idea. I actually tried to catch it with the glove but lost sight of the ball in the lights. The ball came straight down on the tip of my finger and ripped a small section of my nail away from the finger. I ended up breaking the top knuckle. Oh wait, it gets better. As my finger bent to the side, the tendon was stretched. When the tendon snapped back into place, it chipped a piece of my bone off on my bottom knuckle. I was walking off the field bleeding all over the place and wondering if I would be able to drive myself to the hospital.

When I got to the hospital it was around 10:30 at night. There were 400 billion people there and no signs of anyone getting helped. That was because there was an accident a little while earlier that caused the whole ER to shut down until all the critical people were helped. It was 1:30 a.m. before I was called back to the actual treatment area. There were so many people there that I was asked to sit on a gurney in the hall since I wasn't in need of a bed. Turns out that it worked to my advantage. It only took 40 minutes to get an x-ray, have the doctor show me where the problems were on the x-ray, bandage me up, and discharge me. I guess it was hard to forget I was there when I was right next to the nurses station watching all the hustle and bustle going on.

I go tomorrow to a specialist that will look at my hand and decide if they need to remove the chip and tell me how long I will wear my splint. Right now I need to go take a Percocet and lie down.

Texting Fool

2008-08-04T10:54:00.004-04:00

Lauren has learned how to send picture messages from Tyler's phone. We didn't teach her, just figured it out. Here's how we know:

Lauren sent a picture of a fan that we use around the house to our good friend Allison. It wasn't the whole fan, just the buttons on the front. Somehow she learned how to take a picture, find a contact to send it to, and send it.

I don't even know how to send a picture message.

Either our daughter is a girl genius or really lucky.

I vote for girl genius.

Seriously

2008-07-31T21:33:00.003-04:00

Ok, this post is not about my daughter Lauren, but I need to let you know something that has made me laugh on several occasions. It will be short and sweet.

My 129 pound lab will not go in the backyard to do his business at night unless the light is on.

You heard me right. He will stand at the back door and look at me until I flip the light on. Then I guess he feels safe enough to roam the backyard with his beacon guiding him back to the house. Maybe he's worried he will get lost.

My dog is afraid of the dark.

Rip-off

2008-07-30T10:25:00.004-04:00

We got the bill in the mail for Lauren's surgery. Well, I guess it wasn't a bill since the insurance will cover it. Either way, my jaw dropped when I opened it. Before I tell you the cost, do you have a guess? Don't look at the bottom of this post yet. I'll wait a minute..go ahead. Give it your best shot.

Here's a little background of the day so you can have all the information first. Lauren was in out-patient surgery for about four hours total. That included the time it took to put her to sleep, do the surgery, and for her to wake up and leave. The surgery itself took about five minutes and didn't even require a stitch. She had happy juice to make her sleepy before the general anesthetic, a spinal block, and regular sleepy gas. Ty also took (stole) her little blue hospital gown, but I don't think they charged us for that.

Are you ready?

The total cost after four hours is....$6,687.91.

I am in the wrong profession.

She's Walking!!!

2008-07-28T09:42:00.002-04:00

It has been a terribly long time, at least in my head, since Lauren walked around. Mostly due to the fact that her foot was hurting after the surgery. I think there might have been a touch of "spoiled" in the mix as well. I guess when people carry you around the house for a few days, you get used to the attention and relaxation of it all. Either way, I was ready for this to happen.

I had to resort to a little 'tough love' and actually force Lauren to walk. I could tell that she was ready, but either a little afraid or a little stubborn. I think it was a combination of both. She had just finished using the potty when I stood her on the bathroom floor and backed up. I told her she needed to walk to me. She was half crying and half giggling. When she saw I wasn't kidding, she had a total meltdown. I hugged her for a minute as she was repeating, "mommy up!". Yes, it broke my heart, but as a momma, we always have to do the hard things for our kids.

I decided that the only thing I could do was bribe her with a freeze pop. This is probably going to be another post, but freeze pops are my daughter's version of crack, if she was ever allowed to use crack. I told her that if she would walk to me, she could have a freeze pop. She said, "Yellow freeze pop?" I said yes, yellow freeze pop. Lauren giggled and took two or three steps and the rest was history. She is walking with no pain and a little limp.

My life just got a whole lot easier and Lauren got her yellow freeze pop. Life is good!

Discipline

2008-07-25T09:57:00.005-04:00

Lauren is now at an age where discipline is a whole lot easier than it was a six months ago. Not because we watched Supper Nanny and learned a few tricks. It's because she actually understands what we tell her. I learned really quick that disciplining a hearing impaired child was pretty tough.

At first, time-out didn't work for Lauren. She had no idea why she was there and would repeat the behavior over and over. She just didn't have the language to understand what was going on. It was like putting an 8 month old baby in a chair and expecting them to realize why they were being punished. She would cry when I put her there, but then instantly get up and do it all over again. It was a very frustrating time and I felt like a horrible parent. I couldn't get my child to follow any rules. Luckily, she is a sweet kid and didn't do a whole lot wrong.

It feels like Christmas now that I can reason with her and reach a level of understanding when it comes to behavior. She gets choices and life runs a lot smoother. She knows the difference between the two choices I give her now that the hearing aids have opened her world to a new way of communicating. For example, Lauren has spent a lot of time eating, watching tv, and playing on the couch after her surgery. Not that she is scootching around, those privileges have diminished greatly. She still wants to eat every meal on the couch. Before I would just say no and move her to the table kicking and screaming. I would try to explain why, but it didn't do a bit of good. She would have no idea why she couldn't and I would be the mean mom that got frustrated because she wouldn't stop crying. Sounds like fun, huh? Since the language has progressed, I am able to tell her why she no longer gets to sit there and give her two other options that might work as well. I will let her choose whether she wants to sit at her small table or sit at the big dining room table. She chooses and there is not one tear shed.

Sometimes Ty and I get so excited that there has been such a drastic improvement that we give each other "Parenting High-Fives". Yes, I know. We are dorky. Nobody high-fives anymore! Maybe we should change it to a "Parenting Fist Pound". Either way, life is better with hearing aids.

Scootch

2008-07-20T14:45:00.003-04:00

Lauren has decided that her foot hurts to bad to walk anywhere. I have decided that Lauren is too heavy to carry everywhere. So Lauren has come up with a new way of moving around the house. She sits on her bottom and scootches across the floor. It takes her a while to get somewhere, but it works. She likes the freedom from the couch and I like that my arms aren't cramping. It's a win-win situation.

It shouldn't be long until Lauren's boredom takes over and she is walking again. Keeping a 3 year old entertained on the couch is a full time job. Dora is great, but it only holds her attention for so long. The doctor said she could start walking on her cast anytime. It's still a little too sore for her taste.

Still getting used to her cast and how that changes our routine. I am glad she got the surgery and anxious to see the improvement in her walking when it comes off. Now, if we can just get this whole potty with a cast on nailed down....

The Little Patient

2008-07-18T20:37:00.009-04:00

Things went really well with Lauren's surgery. Thanks to everyone who lifted us up in prayer. It was felt and deeply appreciated.

We started the adventure off right. Lauren actually went into surgery 5 minutes early. They gave her some "Happy Juice" that made her look like she had thrown back a few beers. Her eyes were half shut and she had a grin on her face from ear to ear. It was hilarious. She waved to us, without a care in the world, as she was getting wheeled off for the real anesthetic.

Ty and I thought we had around 45 minutes to waste until Lauren was done. Turns out that the surgery itself took five minutes and the Lauren was in recovery 20 minutes later. It took her about an hour and a half to wake up. She was a little confused about the cast on her leg and the IV in her arm, but a Popsicle took care of everything.

My friend, Shawna stopped by with her three daughters. Brooke, the oldest, had this same exact surgery when she was seven. They brought balloons, a teddy bear, and Skittles for Lauren. It was so sweet I actually cried in the recovery room. It's really nice to have someone to talk to about a surgery you know nothing about. Thanks, Shawna!

Thanks again to all my friends and family. You are so loved and I am blessed to have you in my life!