Smoking and children

I am a past smoker. I understand the urges that smokers have. I understand how smokers feel like they need to smoke 24-7. I truly do understand....BUT i also feel like our children have the right to clean air--- as do people like myself who are non-smokers! So days like today make me very, very frustrated! Let me start at the begininng...
My biggest pet peeve is going to a public place and having someone blow smoke in my child's face. I try to aviod situations like this at all costs. Days like today make me wish i was a lawmaker and could make cigarette's illegal. During the Halloween season??if that is a word...we usually have lots of local events that are great experiences for our kids. Ways to get out and do some trick-or-treating in a very public place with hundreds of children present. Usually these activites last between 1-4 hours and have places away from the main events for smokers to go and enjoy a cigarette if them must, but many of them have signs that strictly say NO SMOKING!!!! Very clearly shown...
Today unfortunately there was not a sign but there was 1000000000000000 (i think you get the picure) children. It was our mainstrees trickor treating downtown. We have never been before and will never go again. EVERYONE was smoking all crowded down this narrow street in front of all these small children. There was no where else for us to go to get away from them.
The worst part was one lady behind us whom i did not realize was smoking was holding her cigarette down towards the ground.
Sure enough Grant was walking around(within two feet from me)..since we had to wait in lines an hour long..and the woman almost burnt his face with it cause she wasn't paying any attention. Luckily it was only ashes on his costume and on his hair but i was livid. I made a comment a little loud that it would be polite if people would not smoke at an event where lots of children were located so incidents like this did not occur. The women had the nerve to give me a lecture on her rights and how i should be watching my child better. Then her friend kept saying i better walk away..like she wanted to fight. I got very frustrated and almost left at that point...it was crazy, i am like this is a kids event-we are adults-fight-are you crazy-that is so high school!!! They didn't even apologize instead just acted rediculous abou the whole incident. Within about 10 minutes it seemed like every person we encountered smoked so we ended up leaving.
I guess i just don't understand why you can't go an hour without smoking. Even when i smoked i have a little consideration for others who didn't smoke. I think it is all about manners and thinking about others over yourself. I was so frustrated. Do you think i overreacted? What would you have done? Would it bother you to have your kids around all that smoke, why or why not?

Today is the day my son must grow up!

I hear him scream and i hate it but i must let him go...i know it sounds mean BUT he bit off two nipples yesterday and i decided it was to dangerous to let him have another bottle ever again. He had been starting to bite little cracks in them but never before had he bit the top completely off, TWICE!

Hailey was never addicted to bottles like he is so at 1 year old we switched her to a sippy cup without much of a transition. But with Grant i have babied him...partially cause he was so little and sick around the year old mark and partially cause he is my baby and he begged for them, so i gave in.

Well today is a transition for us both. He still has a sippy cup full of milk in his bed but it is not a soothing bottle...i don't think that is enough. I am fighting hte urge to run to target and buy up more nipples and just chance him doing in again....he is still screaming after 35 minutes of laying in bed! I am praying for some peace for him and me.

I know my little boy is growing and he isn't so little anymore, he is a toddler. I know i must let go of my need to keep him little and let him grow and learn! I also know that it is just as much my need to make him happy as it is his need to take a bottle for comfort.

Holy moly.......the crying has just stopped.

Has God heard and answered my prayed...i think he did!

Woohoo...our first nap bottleless....

How many faces can you make??

I think these speak for themselves.

BUT. BUT. BUT

I have been starting the dreaded job hunt...well sorta...i am getting antsy to start my career. I have applied for a few select jobs that look perfect. Our goal is to wait until next Summer/Fall when i finish school, to then start back Full-time, but if an opportunity comes i will take it! I want to work so bad but i also want to be home with my kiddos. I wish life was that easy where i didn't have to go to school or work.

BUT. I wish i could just play with my kids all day and be there for every new milestone. I have been home for seven years and i feel the timer slowly ticking down and i am scared. I am scared that my future employers won't want a stay at home mom/student almost in her thirties...who is just starting to work outside of the home. I am worried i haven't networked or volunteered enough and that no one will want me. I worry that i don't have time for an internship and that the lack of experience will deter many new possible opportunities.

BUT i know i have done my best. I know that i have been working hard 24-7 trying to balance my home and school life. I have gotten good grade, volunteered my eyeballs out, and enjoyed keeping busy with my family. I am dedicated to finding a job that wants me as much as i want them and in return i will give them my soul. I am a hard worker. I am willing to do what it takes to get the work done right. I can do anything!!!

BUT.BUT.BUT. I am still nervous. I am still scared. Not as much about working, but about leaving my family. I like taking my kids to school. I like volunteering for PTA and seeing Hailey with her friends and teachers. I like helping Hailey with her homework and making her an afternoon snack. I like giving Grant a bottle and putting him down for a nap...so that when he wakes up i am the person who can see his happy little face. I like meeting Hailey at the bus stop and seeing Grant's excitement knowing she is home and hers knowing we are there to see her. I just like spending every minute possible with my kids. I don't want someone else raising them!!

BUT. I am having a major complex about what to do with Grant when i go back to work. Do i do a Daycare, Preschool, Grandparent...what are my options??? I don't trust others with my children. Especially the daycares...i worked there i know to much...i like preschools especially our churches but i would still need part-time care from someone. My mother-in-law is retiring in December but i have no clue if she would want to watch him for a year or two??? I don't want to shove the burden on a family member..unless she wants too do it!

BUT. Another completely different issue revolves around the idea of having another baby. I desperately want another.. Jason has said that he "MIGHT" be fair game but that he wants it done soon. That would mean that if we decided to try for another we would most likely be pregnant, very pregnant, during my job hunt. Yeah, that should go over great with a new employer! And then i need to find childcare for a new infant which is even harder for me to fathom....i raised my first two and swore i would never use daycare for any of my children under two years old...so what then??

BUT. I think i am off on a tangent. But the point is that i am freaking out a bit. I am torn. I am sad. I am happy. I want to work BADLY. I want to stay home even more badly!! I am just confused and optimistic. I know it will all work out in its own time. Right??

What has Grant been doing??

Uh Oh! Mom caught me playing with the tackboard! I better get away and fast.
I didn't do it!

Awww mom another picture!

Do you care if i take the car for a spin real quick??

Grant has been a handful lately. He is contantly on the lookout for another gadget to play with or something more interesting than what he is supposed to have. He does not like any of the 10 billion toys we have here but loves tvs, remotes, playstation 3 controllers, x-box buttons, computers, laptops, cell phones, lasers, flashlights, microwaves...i think you get the picture!

In addition to embarass my son in the very distant future he is in love with lipstick. The child would wear my lipgross or lipstick every minute of every day. He knows where it is and if he can't get it he wil get in his sisters drawer and get hers. He also loves all my lotions and hair products. Unfortunately he doesn't know the difference so many times hair gel is covering his legs or lotion is in his hair. Hmmm...at least he likes to look and smell good, right?

He is doing well in his speech therapy. I think his therapist likes to talk to me more than work with him but overall he loves her and has a great time "playing" with her. She is actually a developmental specialist so she works on all areas with him not just speech. He loves all of her toys since they aren't ours. He has said a couple of words with her and seems to be making baby steps worth of progress. Lately i haven't noticed a huge difference in vocabulary but alot more humming along with things and trying to do the different changes in pitch sounds have.

He had his 6 month check-up with Dr. Logan-Ear, Nose, and Throat Dr., this morning and he said he is doing great and tubes are still in place. He said that is good with Winter approaching and in six months we will check to see if they are still in place. He said they might come out before that but you never know. I am hoping they stay in as long as possible so we don't have to worry about those darn ear infections for awhile if ever.

Other than that he is growing well. We have his 18 month check-up next week even though he is going on 20 months old. Long story but basically with the change of insurance it pushed us back a month then i totally missed his apt last month...never done that before but schedule was so full i just overlooked it, woops!!! I am excited to see where he is on the growth chart. He has ben running aroung the 20% for height and 50% for weight until now so we will see....i would like for him to be aoud the 50th for both weight and height but i doubt it.

I ended up having to go and buy him smaller clothes for this winter becuase everything i bought last year is enormous on him. He is just barely wearing 12-18 month pants...most are to big on him in the waist and around an 18-24 month shirt. Hailey was wearing all 2-3T clothes at his age...not that i want him to grow or anything. Also he doesn't look scrawny or anything. He looks healthy and normal and that is exactly how we want him.

He was but is no longer a very good eater. He has ben just picking at his meals for the most part.
I think he has realized that snacks come after meals and he likes snacks. So i have been starting to introduce less snacks and give him less milk and reoffer lunch to him if he doesn't eat it. I think it is working a little. Guess we will see what happens!

Rain + Headlights=Proper Driving Habits, Rain-Accident=Possible Death, You Decide

Nothing makes me more upset than driving through rain, or sleet, or snow and seeing only a handful of drivers using their headlights....but it isn't night time you say....that does not matter. It is said at the DMV when you get your license at a ripe young age of 16 that you should use your headlights anytime the conditions are not perfect....that would mean at dusk, dawn, fog, rain, snow, sleet,.......ANYTIME it isn't perfectly sunny and gorgeous! Why does this irritate me so much you say...well mainly cause i have children in my car and when it is raining so hard you can barely see the front of your car it is IMPOSSIBLE to see a grey car without headlights on in front of you until 2 seconds before they turn in front of you and almost cause a head on collision. BUT if they had headlights on i would have had more of a warning that someone was heading my way and maybe could have saved a life of myself, my children or for Gosh sakes maybe even the driver or the children of the person who was driving...without their headlights on....USE YOUR HEADLIGHTS..it won't waste more gas or deplete your battery. It doesn't take more than 1 second to flip the switch. Why is it so hard to do?? What do all you people have against using your headlights?? Do you know that many cars have been designed to have headlight son 24-7 because it is so dangerous in certain cities not to have them on...that is even more of a reason to USE YOUR HEADLIGHTS. PLEASE.please. please.please. For gosh sakes, please!!!!!!!!!!!!

My beautiful daughter got her first sting!

I was polite enough not to stick the camera in her face after her encounter with the lovely hornet or wasp that decided to attack her thumb. As to not be cruel i restrained myself and just helped her the best that i could.

If you would have heard her scream after the sting you would have thought the wasp bit her thumb off...it was a yucky looking HOLE right on her thumb close to the webbing. Since she has never been stung and others in my family are highly allergic i was a wee bit freaked out when it started swelling and was very red all over her hand. But i tried to stay calm since she was freaked out enough for the both of us.

Digressing a bit, she had received some fake flowers from the neighbors as they cleaned out their flowerpots and she was so excited about having them. She had wanted to bring them in the house but i declined (luckily) and told her we needed to keep them outside it our flowerpots. She was walking around the culd-e-sac when i assume the wasp who had been napping in the flowers woke up and became irate that she had disturbed him so he found her thumb to punish.

I carried her to the table and remembered from my childhood them making a past from baking something....so i searched the cabinets for this mysterious substance. Soon, finding i had baking powder but not soda and hoping this was correct i made a paste and rubbed it on her wounded thumb. I am still unsure this was right but it was a start i figure.

Next i got cold water, ice, Tylenol and diet coke(the first two go together as do the last two) and applied while i tried to go online and figure out what to do next. It was just as i assumed. Give Tylenol for pain, Benadryl for itching and swelling, and watch for an adverse reaction. Usually occurring immediately but can happen in the first couple of hours. Luckily within an hour or so she was basically back to normal will little pain. By the time i got out of school 5 hours later she was sleeping on it and in no pain at all.

One thing she kept saying in the beginning was that she was never going outside again or playing with flowers....then she compared it to her jellyfish sting over the summer and was not happy this was all happening in the same year....luckily she played outside all night or i might have been worried that i would need to come up with fun things to do with her everyday...i am just not that creative.

On a different note, she has been doing amazingly well at school. She started out doing well but was having some issues with focusing. She would get A's on everything she did if she answered the questions but then sometimes she just wouldn't answer anything even when the teacher told them the answers. We talked about the importance of school and last time i saw her teacher she said Hailey was fabulous and how proud she was.

She has had four spelling tests so far this year and she has gotten 100%'s every time. I am so happy for all her effort and not complaining every night when we sit her down to practice and finish up her homework. I am hoping we will instill a love of learning. Also since i am in school i hope she will see how much effort i put forth and she will want to do the same.

I feel like she is growing up fast and it is scary. She now wants me to just drop her off so she can walk in the room by herself. It was so hard for me to give up that little part but reluctantly i did and she is doing fine. She continues to ride the bus only three afternoons a week and no major problems. We have some new neighbor kids that are just darling and Hailey has become very close to them both. It makes me feel much better about her riding the bus knowing other nice kids are close by...does that sound silly??

I added these pics cause i haven't been shooting my camera much and it seems like Grant has been the focus of my pics lately. My daughter is so beautiful and on this day she just lit up the room. It was before school and when i told her i wanted pics cause she looked so darn cute she just giggled and gave me the cute little funny faces about. She is growing and not a baby anymore. No more doing everything mom says...starting to push the limits...starting to have her own ideas and thoughts...she is beautiful inside and out!! I love my baby girl!!

Where have you been??

I have been right here watching the rest of the blog world update their status while taking on my own tasks. It has been busy, maybe not busy enough not to blog for a second since i haven't missed reading others blogs for more than two days at a time, but busy none the less.

I am in school full-time still and we have a new-er puppy biscuit who is 10 wks old...so we have actually had him for almosty 4 wks, and hailey is in school and girl scouts and i am still volunteering at church...and in a study group to get ready for my PHR exam for Human resources...and, and, and the list will go on.

Fall is always busy around the house but it seems this year it has been even more so. Grant is at that age of constant need...he is in to everything and loves to tear everything apart. Especially electronics....all of them in sucession. He is also vetoing nap times oor pushing them back and it is messing up my normal sit down and relax time.

Then the dog is still puppy training so he must go out every couple of hours...and eat..and walk...and puppy stuff! So it hasn't left me much me time to do much of anything. And then times like now i let him have freedom from the kitchen and he poops on the living room carpet twice...ewwwww....right as i get writing.

I have gotten most of my winter clothes shopping complete..my favorite thing to do! Hailey is good except for some dress shoes and her christmas outfit. Grant seems fine but he is so much smaller than i expected i have had to buy smaller sizes since most of my outfits were around a 2T that i bought last season...i just got him some 12-18 mth pants from gymboree and they about fall off. So i might even have to get even smaller ones....little bugger better start growing. He is doing well in speech therapy. Slow progress but it is happening. He is becoming more verbal every day and is starting to experiment with more sounds all the time. My goal is that by christmas he start saying real words other than mom, dad, puppy and papa...we will see!

Also if my life wasn't chaotic enough i might have talked my hubby into having a third and final baby. I have been very depressed over the past 6 months or so about being finished after having Grant...and i had this deep longing for a third child. I have always wanted a big family. Friday night my mom kept both kids for the first time ever and Jason and i had a perfect night out. We truly enjoyed our night and got to have some very good conversation.

He said that he would think about having another if it would make me happy...we decided that if we do try it will be ASAP. For many reasons but first is the fact that i want to go to work in the fall next year and looking for a job pregnant is a little difficult. Also Grant is still young so we have all the supplies and baby things already here so we wont have to buy much. In addition, we are not getting any younger. We want our kids grown and out of the house (we hope) in the next 20ish years so we can retire. If we wait much longer that is impossible to plan for.

So i am going to make an appointment in the next couple of weeks to get my IUD taken out then i will talk to Jason one more time and decide if we are going to definitely try again. I am hoping so....very much! How awesome would it be for Grant to have a little brother he can hang with...or a darling little sister i can dress up and dote on...a the dreams. I have been in heaven since he mentioned the possibility.

I have been doing alot more volunteer work through our church and have joined our local SHRM group and USI chapter at school. I have also talked to our church preschool about filing in for a maternity leave next spring two mornings a week for the full semester. It would be a little extra money and something else to add to the resume. Also i have taken on the job as coordinator for meals for moms for new moms in our church. I got a meal right after grant was born and it was such a blessing and i felt appreciated and loved to know they thought of my family. To pass on this to other new moms is a really cool thing. I am hoping to expand the program and maybe add some sort of gift basket or something for them...but i have to be ceative because we don't have a church fund or anythign for this it is strictly donations. Currently we have a group that gives up a mothers love book and a personally knitted baby hat. I am very excited about starting these new experiences.

Hailey is doing well also. Tonight is her first night of Daisy's(Girl scouts) for this year. I am hoping she enjoys it since it will be an all new leader. First grade has been good for her. She has started having weekly spelling test and she has gotten A+ on all of them. I am very proud of her. She doesn't fight me about doing her homework and seems to enjoy school. Her teacher said she is a great student but she needs to focus more sometimes. ....i wonder where she gets that....must take after her mother. She is always hungry and i haven't figured out where it all goes cause she is still skinny! She is a fasion diva and doesnt really like getting dirty. Just today she asked if she could take her lunch on pizza day. I asked her why cause i knew she liked their pizza. She told me that she always got it on her and she didn't want everyone to see her all messy for the day. haha....

Other than that just the same ole thing. Trying to get the house cleaned up and ready to sell. So much more to do before the spring and i just don't see it all getting done. We are just to busy. Then again isn't everyone busy!! I am having a hard time just keeping up with the laundry, dishes, and cleaning...nothing else has been getting done, especially my blog!

I will try to get back into a groove and start posting pics soon. My arm has been doing better. Still not 100% and hurts some still when lifting anything over a couple fo pounds but it isn't excruciating anymore and that is what is important. So hopefully i will pick up the camera more and start getting some pics of the kids. I also told some friends that i would take some pics of their kids to get my portfolio started. We will see....i also got photoshop CS2 but haven't even installed it yet. We just got our desktop computer back from devirusing it..is that a word??...so i am hoping to put it on soon and start getting to use it. I hear that the editing is the best way to make any picture great. I think my pics are ok but if i had that i bet they could be great...all in time.

So be patient. I will return. But i can't guarantee how long it will be. I keep telling myslef every week or every couple of weeks i will post but then i get side tracked. I will try to stay on task and post more frequently. Everyone have a good day. You never know next time i write...i could have News!!!

We have a new addition to our family

Biscuit

He is a puggle and only seven weeks old. He is so sweet and a true lap dog. He is everything i wanted when i asked for a dog. We have been very blessed. He came to us potty trained(only rare accidents), sleeps alot, and loves to cuddle. His vet says he is healthy and he looks like it with his cute little round belly.

The kids love him and let him kiss all over them. He was named by Hailey after the first reader books about a puppy nasmed Biscuit! Her favorite series.

He currently sleeps in the kitchen but we hope after he grows up and learns some more manners he will sleep with us. He is a chewer like most puppies so we have lots of toys but must really keep an eye out for him when he is running the house. He still sleeps alot(sometimes 3-4 hrs at a time) but loves to get out and go for walks or runs!

It is helping me get active also which is always a good thing.

I really miss running.

He sometimes is a nibbler but has been getting better. We are going to attempt our first bath later today. We will see how that goes. I haven't been posting lately with so much going on. Having a new puppy is like having a newborn all over again. And Hailey and me have started back to school so it is early rising and late to bed. Lots of stuff to fill our day with. Hopefully i will have some new posts soon...especially with so many things coming up and the last couple of months of this year come along.

It is flying by sooo fast!

Twin's B-day party at Splash Park

Grant in the splashpark

Kim and Jason "The Parents"

Hailey loving the party

Jason's son Cameron

Abby

Izzy

I love this pic

Jason and his birthday girls

Give me some sisterly love

On Saturday we went to a birthday party for Izzy and Abby and loved it! The girls are adorable and the party was so much fun for the kiddos. I got to take pictures all night and all was well in the world. Luckily i did since kim's camera decided to have dead batteries about 30 minutes into the party. It was at a splashpark and the kids went nuts playing in the water. They knew the perfect thing to make my little rugrats wear themselves out. The food was great: lots of pasta salad, crackers, vegies, dips and hotdogs, beans, mutton and another tasty bbq'd meat. It was fantastic. The shelter was huge with fans and screens, keeping the bees and bugs away from the food and us. I think we are going to plan our next family gathering there soon.
The twins got alot of cool clothes, pink bedspreads, some toys and giftcards! Lots of gooey butterfly cupcakes smeared all over the kids and adults ended the party on a sweet note

and soon after we sent ourselves packing.

The Dreaded Bus

Today my baby girl starts her fourth day of first grade and her first day to ride a school bus (EVER)!!! I am freaking out a little but i know it is going to simplify my life and help with our daily routine...and maybe save me some gas money along the way. I am still planning on taking her to school in the mornings but we might take advantage of the bus in the mornings occassionally. My main concern is that i have to wake grant up from his nap to go get her and i hate messing with his sleep schedule. Also hailey has been begging me since last year to ride the bus.

I know she will be fine and have a good time but i remember horror stories about the bus. I don't want my daughter getting involved in any crazy shenanagins. We are testing new waters and momma is really freaked out. I am trying to release the reigns and let her grow up but it is very very hard...i didn't want to leave her classroom again this morning. I just want to be there the whole time checking on her.

Do you have any horror stories from your bus rides in school or good stories that might ease my fears?? I don't remember the little kids getting in trouble much but just seeing and hearing the big kids doing the things they do really freaks me out...have you heard the things that come out of the kids mouths nowadays??

My BIG handsome man

Grant got his second haircut yesterday and he looks like such a big man. He sat very still without having to be distracted and let her cut his whole head of crazy curls off without even a budge. He looks so cute!!

I think someone REALLY likes his new haircut...do you like his winky smile??? I do.

The day before hailey started 1st grade!

To prepare for school we went shopping yesterday and found the kids some cute shoes at JcPenny's. It was a great deal but 1 get 1 free. We got hailey some adorable brown leather mary janes and grant some lowtop brown leather boots(look like Doc martin's). And we also found hailey some cute little shoes for next spring.

We originally went looking for a new backpack something a bit smaller and cuter(more grown up, brown with pink and multi-colored polkadots)) but the one we wanted was already sold out. So she went to school with the same one she used last year. Not like she really needed a new backpack her's barely looks used. I don't think she is really old enough to notice yet but i wanted it. I will look later this week and see if target or khol's has any left that are cute.

I tried to get pictures off their website but they are not cooperating. And they didn't have the right sizes so i had them order them for me(with in store pick-up instead of catalog shopping i have no shipping costs). So they will be here in a couple of days. And over the weekend hailey got new nike tf -shoes to start school with, also from penny's. I love their shoe sales this time of the year. So now we need winter dress shoes and the kids will be done shoe shopping for awhile.

Then we went and got grant's and hailey's haircut. They both look so grown up now. My baby's aren't exactly babies anymore. Grant sat perfectly and barely moved. It helped that he was 2 hours past naptime...i thought he would scream and cry but instead he was an angel. I didnt even give hima toy or sucker. Maybe he was scared whatever it was it went great. Hailey just got a trim. She says she wants her hair to grow long now so i think we will try. BUT we will only let it grow long if she takes care of it and doesn't complain. If it gets to be problematic then it will go back to a bob...which i think looks great on her and is soooo easy to maintain!

Other than that we spent the rest of the day at the mall getting some gifts and looking at the winter clothes that are coming out. Some really cute stuff is out right now...i am ready to finish up winter shopping already(we are almost done)! Then let the kids play at the mall play placebefore heading home.

Once home hailey swam(then took a bath) while grant took a nap. Then we made brats for dinner..yum yum with kettle chips(my favorite)and yams! Then it was almost bedtime for the kiddos. It took hailey longer than normal to fall asleep since it was so early but since she got up very early this morning i am hoping tonight will be easier.

I'm a Big Girl Now

Well she did it. I have a big girl now.

A. First. Grader.

I loved seeing her in school again.



She thrived last year and grew up so much.




I hope for a wonderful year making new friends and loving her teacher. I know how important this year is in terms of what she will learn and carry with her in future classes and i just hope she really learns everything she will need to succeed.

I want her to have the world and i know a quality education is the cornerstone of reaching the stars. A saying me and hailey have been saying lately is "Reach for the moon and if it is to far out grab a star and hold on tight"...she is a big girl now and she makes her own destiny!!! I want her to know how important school is and that it isn't for playing but for learning. I want her to have fun but know that is not the true purpose. She's a big girl now!!!

1st Grade Jitters

Tomorrow is the big day. Hailey starts first grade. I am excited but sad, as is she. She misses her kindergarten teacher so much. She doesn't understand why she can't have her beloved Mrs. kassenbrock back (only the best kindergarten teacher ever)!!! But on to new things. Her new teacher is Mrs. Shoulders. I have been praying for a nice teacher. I still remember my first grade teacher. She was so mean with long fingernails. She would grab kids by their ears when they were bad....i didn't like her much. But i am regressing. We haven't met her yet but we are hoping for a good day.
Only one thing we can't decide on yet and that is her riding the bus. I am having a hard-time deciding what will work for us. I am not really wanting her to ride the bus all the time because i like to meet her teacher occassionally and i think pick-up for first graders are outside anyways. So we are going to take her this week and then next week we will see what happens. It is all new for us.

So today we are going shopping to look for a new more modern backpack and i think i willlsuprise her with a new haircut. I want her to be excited about this new year and understand how important shcool is. I want her to grow and learn and be excited about the process. Last year she thrived and really loved going to school and i hope this year will be no different. I am hoping her jitters go away the first moment she gets up and sees all her friends. I pray some of her girlfriends who came for a slumberparty will be in her class.

She doesn't want to leave us. She doesn't want to get up early or go to bed early but last night was better. She was asleep before 9 and up by 7:45. Hopefully tonight we can have her asleep by 8-8:30 and up by 6:45...we will see! If not then she will go to bed extra early tomorrow night. We will try to post pics from the first day. I haven't really been taking many with my wrist being sore and the camera being so heavy and big. But i want to start picking it up again asap...i really miss capturing all of their precious moments in life!

Try living with one arm-it sucks!

I am still in a hard cast for another couple of weeks and i am starting to go stir crazy. I hate it. I feel helpless. I can't iron, can't do dishes, can't give kids a bath, can't pick kids up, can't push stroller, can't fix my hair, can't braid hailey's hair or put a ponytail in, can't shave my legs, can't paint my toes, can't use a can opener, can't lift anything over 5 pounds, can't write well, and many many more than that. All of those daily tasks we take for granted are borderline impossible for me.

I have been using my left arm more and more but it hurts 24-7 from using so much when it isn't used to it. Then they have me doing exercises 2 times a day on my right hand. Some of the exercises are ok but the others hurt like hell. They had me stop one of them cause of pain and left me in this cast longer to make sure my arm is healed. I have a feelign they didnt fix it. I am a little freaked out that it is worse than ever.

I go back on the 10th and get my semi-soft brace and i guess we will see how i am doing then. She said she is hoping only one more appointment after that but i am thinking it will be more since i am still having so many problems.

What sucks even more is the fact that my hubby is out of town and i am doing all of this myself. Try to do all of your daily taks with just one arm..it is exausting. I am trying to look at the bright side but it is hard to see right now...i am not happy how long it has taken and still is taking to recover. I was never told about this. I am frustrated with my surgeon for not giving me the rundown on the fact i woud even be in therapy and the recovery time...very frustrated. I am praying it is going to get better and i can forget all this pain and enjoy the daily life tasks without having to think about if tey will hurt or not.

Allergy Testing and speech therapy

Today we went to the dreaded alergist but Grant didn't know what he was about to dread. We discussed his file and problems and decided he needed to have all environmental allergies tested, all main foods and a small amount of other foods that might be problematic. It was slightly traumatic seing him get so many sticks. It was around 24 total pricks..give or take a couple! Covering his whole back and both arms. Hailey wanted to stay in the room and once they got to the individual pricks on one arm she was very upset. Probably worse that Grant was taking it.

The doctor said he might be lactose intolerant but he isn't old enough for the test yet. It is normally done on older people who can drink the fluid/meds then after 4 hours they blow and it can tell results. They said to keep him on soy because he has a strong likelyhood of having an intolerance and to give him lactaid pills ground up. If he takes the pills everytime he has lactose it will help him digest the lactose properly and keep him more comfortable.

In the end he didn't have any food allergies, thank God!! BUT he does have environmental allergies. The big one DUST. We are supposed to change his sheets often and wash stuffed animals and blankets very frequently. Also he have to get a HEPA air filter thingy for his room and keep his door shut. The obviously clean/vacuum/dust the house and try to keep dust to a minimum. He said all houses have dust so it has nothing to do with if our house is dirty or not. Cats are also a big problem. Luckily his dad is allergic also so we aren't arround cats often but we have some family with cats that we need to try to avoid if possible. But if we go visit we got a prescription that will help him tolerate the environment better. In addition he is allergic to cockroaches(gross) and mice. SO they said to keep our shoes off in the house because when you walk around outside you can get these allergens on your shoes. Ewww even grosser yet!

So that was interesting and told me what i wanted. I am happy he doesn't have food allergies and i can keep feeding him whatever he wants(within a healthy guideline). Also i am happy to know he can take the lactose pills and drink milk without any problems. I am going to look in to the lactose problem more and do some research but i think i am happy with the results overall.

Yesterday we had our appointment with first steps and set up his IFSAP and found some developmental specialists that specialize in speech delays. We are waiting for them to call us back with the one that is picked but they all seemed well qualified to help push him along. We had him tested earlier this month because he was lagging behind is his speech skills compared to what most kids his age are doing. Sure enough when they came to do the assessment he was actually behind in two areas both speech and social skills. The social skills are behind mainly because a component of it is speech. We set up his long term and short term goals and i am really excited to get started. They said his cognitive ability and ability to understand what is going on is above average. I am hoping that will work to his advantage and push him along.

They gave us a list of things kids to at certain ages and he has a few in the 7-12 mth category he hasnt met like his lack of jabbering and running vowels/consonants together. But most of his shortcomings are in the 12-24 month area. Some goals include getting him to imitate sounds, animals noises, etc. and get a vocabuary of 10-25 words for now. If he reaches these goals quickly we will advance him and try to get him caught up to his age range. If he hasnt caught up then in one year he will be reevaluated for eligibility and seee if he still needs therapy. I am very excited for him to get help and start talking up a storm. He is such a bright child i want him to be ready for preschool and talking like his sister did....well he doesn't have to talk quite that much..he-he! I will kee you updated on his progress.

Daddy's gone

Jason just started a new job at Abengoa Bioenergy at the beginning of the month. They have plants in the US and internationally. Well the first couple of weeks he trained locally and then on the 25th he got to fly to Nebraska...what is in nebraska you say??? I have no clue...anyone know what is in Nebraska?? Well if u are there, say hi to my hubby. He has been gone for 6 days and it feels like 36. Only 7 more to go. I kinda thought it would be nice getting a break and watching MY shows on tv, and doing whatever i wanted. BUT i was very wrong. I just miss him! I miss him waking me up every morning as he got ready for work(he is so loud), i miss the kids missing him all day, i REALLY, REALLY miss his cookin, i miss him cuddlin me, i JUST MISS HIM!!

Hailey misses her daddy also. She didn't think she would miss him. She said it would be nice to have him gone so he wouldn't worry about he and wouldn't be here to yell at her. Then he told her right before he left that he always worries about her and when he is gone he will worry even more. So right after he left she tells me that she is missing him alot and is really worried about how he is doing since he worries so much about her. It was very sweet!!