Sentiments From Yours Truly

Lots of Ladybugs! Counting by Fives

2012-08-15T20:21:00.001-07:00

Lots of Ladybugs! by Michael Dahl is a children's book that emphasizes counting by fives to fifty.

Throughout the book, as it introduces the numbers by five, it has them hidden in the picture. The above picture shows five to the right of the ladybug.

It also has the number words in the book to help with number recognition. On each page the ladybugs have five spots so you can add or multiply by fives.

The end of the book had some fun ladybug facts! One fact was the colors of the ladybugs. We looked up pictures of ladybugs that are pink, orange, yellow, gray, black and blue.

Below you will find our sight words and reading rule that we worked on throughout this book.

Sight words:

It's an easy reading story that your beginning reader can help you read. Some of the sight words are like, on, my, of, the, red, etc.

Reading Rule:

If you are working on words with silent e, your can help your child decode the words.

Silent e rule: Silent e at the end of the word makes the vowel say it's name.

Examples of words: like, line, five, race

Click here for a ladybug craft.

Click here for another poem by Jean Warren (Preschool Express)

LADY BUG, LADY BUG

Lady bug, lady bug, crawl, crawl, crawl.
Lady bug, lady bug, on the wall.
Lady bug, lady bug, look out don’t fall!
Jean Warren

A House for Hermit Crab

2012-08-13T11:50:00.002-07:00

I can't believe summer is almost over and school will officially start five days a week next week. In a state of panic, it makes me realize that I have only one more year at home with my 'baby'. She's growing up way too fast. In my attempt to soak up as much of her awesomeness as I can, I am going to attempt to blog about more of her last year in preschool with me.

Today, we read an Eric Carle book titled A House For Hermit Crab. We discussed title, author, front, and back of the book.

We found all the months of the year throughout the book and talked about our current season of summer and described today's weather.

After reading the story, we discussed a crab's habitat. Click here for crab facts.

We wrote a sentence by sound about a crab. We used our handprints and circle sponges to make our artwork for our picture.

Raileigh: Four years, twenty seven days old

This activity not only connected reading and writing, but also worked on other skills: directionality of print, capital and lowercase letters, phonics, sight words, first and last word on a page, spaces between words, and punctuation.

We counted the number of words in our sentences, the spaces in our sentences, the number of bubbles in our picture, eyes, mouth, and our fingers shown in our picture.

We also learned a new fingerplay. It's from Preschool Express by Jean Warren. Click here for more of her amazing stuff!

CRAB FINGERPLAY (Math/Language)
One little crab by the sea so blue, (Hold up one finger.)
Along came another crab, and that made two. (Hold up two fingers.)
Two little crabs swimming in the sea,
Along came another crab, and that made three. (Hold up three fingers.)
Three little crabs playing on the shore,
Along came another crab, and that made four. (Hold up four fingers.)
Four little crabs so glad to be alive,
Along came another crab, and that made five. (Hold up five fingers.)
Five little crabs just having some fun,
Crawling on the sand in the hot summer sun. (Wiggle fingers.)
Liz Ryerson

We made a list of our rhyming words and pointed out our sight words that we already know.

To connect this book even farther, If you have a puppet theater, you may want to make these puppets to go along with your book. Click here for Puppet Patterns to the story.

Happy Anniversary!

2012-08-10T20:05:00.004-07:00

Five years ago today, we were strolling the streets of Vegas without a care in the world. We were hand in hand one day from getting married.

Five years ago tomorrow marks one of the most memorable days of my life! In some ways it seems just like yesterday and in other ways it feels like we have been together forever. Patrick, I am prouder now to call you my husband than I was five years ago! I love you with every beat of my heart!

Happy Anniversary!

Minnie Mouse Birthday Party

2012-08-09T11:23:00.002-07:00

In March, we took our mini to Disney for the first time. The magical moments were amazing. She was so over the moon for princesses and it was so magical to see her quickly fall in love with Mickey and Minnie Mouse. She decided in Disney, that her fourth birthday would be a Minnie Mouse pool party. Well her birthday is in July, in Texas and gosh it's soooo hot here, but she wasn't having any other party than a Minnie Mouse pool party. Fast Forward to July, it started raining and didn't stop. Even the morning of it poured down rain so we had a Plan B just in case. Magically right before her party it stopped and the sun came out, so she got the best of both worlds She got the swampy yard pool party and the games inside. At first she wanted a red and white party and later decided she wanted to throw some pink in.

I first started by making Minnie and Mickey Mouse hats for all the guests. I got some black foam sheets from Hobby Lobby and straight edged one side and glued them on party hats that I picked up from Dollar Tree. The Minnies had cute little red and white bows that I just tied a knot in the center and hot glued on. VOILA! The girl hats were silver and gold and the boys were red and blue.


Inside the goodie bags are bubble baths. I used pink bubble bath inside clear containers and added Minnie and Friends stickers. They also had some candy			.

The boy hats

The girl hats

Next I made a Happy Birthday banner. I got Mickey Mouse scrapbook paper from hobby lobby and used the black foam to make the banner. The scrapbook Paper says Happy birthday and the ears say Raileigh.

This was the Minnie Mouse Timer Game. I took a brown lunch bag and glued the Minnie Mouse ears to the front of it(like pictured above) and put a timer inside. They passed it for ten seconds and whoever had the bag when the timer went off was out. They went from here and got to choose their ears and played the Say Cheers for Hopping Ears Game. They put their ear hats on and raced down our hallway in potato sacks. I Can't believe I don't have any pictures of the hoppers!

The Minnie Mouse Timer Bag

The starting circle ages one and up.

The last two in the timer game. It was SERIOUS!

We then played a bean bag toss game. i took a red bucket and glued Minnie ears on it and they got to toss in four bean bags, two red and two black.


The red basket with Minnie ears for the bean bag toss.

We then played pin the bow on Minnie. I took the red and white ribbon and made little bows and cut out a minnie head from black construction paper.

There were balloons everywhere the the long Happy Birthday balloons because a balloon sword fight.


The cakes, Thanks Debbie!


Silly Faces with Party Hats


The Birthday Kiddo Crew

And I mentioned it was a pool party, here's some pool pics!


balloons!

The birthday princess

Happy Birthday Raileigh!


Enjoying cake

Presents Time! Thanks to everyone who came out and made her day special and to those that sent gifts in the mail. We love you all!

A Peek into our Home Learning through Literacy: Cold Little Duck, Duck, Duck

2012-05-16T11:13:00.002-07:00

Some of you have asked me what I do during the day to establish a solid educational and play environment. I have decided that I would blog about some of these things and maybe it can help you find a balance at home whether you are a stay at home Mom or just a Mom who wants to do a more 'structured' learning time. Let your child's curiosity drive you and it will be an amazing experience for you to watch your child learn and grow and mature into a fine young lady or man.

As an early childhood educator, I cannot stress the importance of reading with your kids. From the time Raileigh was growing inside me to the second she took her first breathe in my precious arms, I have made it a priority to read to her. Reading is a bonding moment and to this day she LOVES books and I can't be more excited. I hope that she always loves books and no one ever takes that love away from her when she is 'forced' to read books she may not like.

In today's society, everyone is busy. It's true, but I hope that you find a moment everyday to read to your child. It's a great way to climb into bed each night and get in those last snuggles and read a story to your child. It's can be a very peaceful moment especially if it's a book your child wants you to read. I allow her to pick out the books we read unless it is a book that is tied into our theme of the week to incorporate various skills.

Because I have taught elementary school, I have over 1000 books (I know call hoarders!), but Raileigh still loves going to the library. Because our lives had been super busy, we hadn't been in a while. I mentioned going to the library to Raileigh and she lit up. She loves to march over to the children's books, sit down and browse and pick out her stories. She loves the feel of the book in her hands and she loves the scent. She loves the big oversized chairs and the coziness of reading a good book. She loves becoming the characters because I see them over and over in her playtime. She has an amazing imagination.

I am fortunate to get to stay home with my kiddo and make sure she gets some basic literacy before her wings are ready to fly into the world of kindergarten one day. As a former kindergarten teacher, I have watched many light bulb moments where kids begin to connect all the puzzle pieces of reading together and the light comes on. That is one of the happiest teaching moments ever!

I have decided to document some of my book talks and share with the world in hopes that more parents begin to read with their children. If you don't have time, there's always storytimemom.com If you haven't visited her, visit her. She's also on youtube! She reads one of Raileigh's favorite stories, Pete the Cat, remarkably!

My first book I am going to talk about is.

Before we even start the book, I have her show me front of book and the back of the book.

We then take a picture walk. We look at each picture and since this book is about the beginning of the season of spring where it is still cold, we look at the pictures to talk about the weather and the characters and what the characters are thinking.

I ask her where I start reading and where I will finish. Sometimes we count the words on the page. I point to the beginning of each word as I read.

Here are some questions that I ask at the end.

Why was little duck's pond stiff and white?
What did little duck's feet freeze to?
Which season was little duck thinking of?
What made the ice disappearin our story?
What sound did the ice make when it started disappearing?
What colors were the beetles in the story?
Who are the characters?
What was your favorite part?

Since this story was read during our 'school' day, we then talked about different shapes we could use to draw the duck and I modeled a duck and wrote my sentence, The duck said, "Quack, Quack, Quack." Here is a picture that one of my littles that I work with drew. I think it looks amazing!

For more activities visit Scholastic and Lisa Westberg Peter's Page.

Dear Mom

2012-05-11T20:24:00.000-07:00


Me and My beautiful Mom

Dear Mom,

All my life, I looked up to you as a role model. All my life, I wanted to be just like you! You were an amazing Christian example and you taught me great morals and life lessons. You have always been the first person I call when I need advice and I thank you for always helping me sort through the pros and cons of each situation.

You taught me to treat others the way I wanted to be treated. You taught me to look inside people's hearts and not look at their skin or sexuality. You taught me to love from within and you taught me to look at life's beauty.

You always make sure I am okay in everything that I do and you gave me wings to fly and become a woman. You always became Mom to my friends and you drove us wherever we wanted to go before we had our license! You opened your home to love and you always were a positive role model in my life.

You have never once judged me for mistakes or disappointments. You have always been an ear and have always been the rock that keeps me going. You put up with my stubborn and strong willed ways as well as my eye rolling teenager days where I swore you were turning into Grandma! Guess what? At this moment in time, I am turning into you and it's a blessing!

You taught me what it was like to be the PERFECT mother and you gave me an amazing childhood. You never once looked tired, you never once complained when you were sick, and you just kept going and painting a million memories for me. You made me a priority and you always made me feel loved!

Thank you for painting a beautiful life for me! Thank you for always being my shoulder no matter what the situation was!

You are an amazing Grandma to Raileigh and you have painted a million memories with her already! Thanks for being awesome!

My beautiful Mom with my beautiful daughter

I love you, xoxo, Jamie

A Message to my Daughter

2012-05-10T13:56:00.002-07:00

You are so beautiful! Photo by Scott Stevens Photography

Dear Raileigh,

I am so proud to be your Mom! As Mother's Day approaches, I want you to read that I love you to the moon in back. You are my mini me, you are so much like me at times it's like looking at myself in the mirror. At times, I think the only thing that makes you like Daddy is the fact that you don't like to sleep. Daddy didn't either as a child. You are strong willed and passionate, you are stubborn and loving, you are everything and more than perfect to us.

This is one of our first pictures taken together.

When Mommy had you, they said that you would have to have heart surgery, but you defied the odds. At one year old, your PDA heart murmur closed and to this day your VSD is still open. You have grown past the failure to thrive and turned into an amazing young lady. They also said you may have problems learning but you are right on top of where you should be for your age. You are so smart and we are proud of who you are.


So Perfect even from the start!

Recently, we were at a gathering and you overheard two adults ((that you admire greatly) mocking another adult ( that you admire greatly) because he was in a wheelchair. I heard the conversation, but noticed you were not 'listening' so I said nothing. The next day, I learned you did however hear what was being said because you asked me why so and so was making fun of so and so because he was in a wheelchair. My response was I'm not sure, but it sure wasn't nice. You also said that it would make your friend Rachel very sad because she was in a wheelchair too. In that instance, it reminded me how easily those around you make an impression. In that moment, it made me realize you got something that most adults do not. It is not okay to make fun of someone who is handicapped no matter if they brought the handicap upon themselves or were born handicapped. I took that instance to remind you of the Golden Rule. Treat others the way you want to be treated.

I have also told you, my princess, on many occasions that you will meet people that are not so nice, but to use your love to rise above them. There are times I wish I could wrap a bubble around you and protect you from the world.


If only life were this magical all the time...

That's one of the reasons Mommy chose to stay home with you. I wanted to make sure you got morals that would last a lifetime. I wanted you prepared for the future and I wanted to make sure I was there for all your firsts.

People often make the comment that you are so attached to Mommy and Daddy and all about Mommy and Daddy. I am okay with that because I think it's important to need your parents as a child. We don't like to see you upset and crying. It breaks our hearts just as much as it breaks yours!

This year you were in dance once a week and away from Mommy for the first time ever. You walked in the first day like such a big girl and like you owned the classroom. On the second day of class, you said that you would drive yourself to dance when you were six. I told you that I really hoped that your bike didn't have a flat tire on the way. You have grown your big girl wings and are ready to take on the world.

Your First Dance Pictures Photography by Scott Stevens Photography

Recently at your very first dance recital, you got to stay in a room with your friends from dance and two new teachers and get ready together and hang out until you had performed both your dances. I went to get you at dress rehearsal and you looked up at me and said, "Mom, why are you here? I am okay. I am with my new teachers and we are having fun!" I told you I was there because it was time to go and you were okay with that. In that instance, I also knew that you were going to be okay. In everything that you do you will be amazing. It doesn't mean that at times you will not disappoint me, but you are going to rock this world just like the princess you are!

Until about a month ago, you said when you grew up you wanted to be a princess. Now you say with your big blue eyes shining bright, that you want to be a pediatrician just like yours, Dr. Hilbert. That makes my heart smile with happiness to know that you look up to him so much!

Your Professional Role Model

You never meet a child that's a stranger. Wherever we are you always seek out children to play with and to include in what you are doing. You look at each child with an open mind and you make us so proud always including everyone you are around in your playtime.

You can be shy around adults, though. Until we hand you a microphone or get you on stage. You are a performer and you love to entertain. Since you were a tiny tot, your favorite thing about Daddy's concert is going on stage and helping him conduct. Recently, at an academic banquet, you got on stage and sang a tune from Jack and the Neverland Pirates. A year ago, you sang God our Father at a band banquet and this year you also beamed with pride as you danced your dances in front of an audience. This is another trait from Daddy. He loves to entertain others :).

You love roller coasters! You love to sing! Your favorite music is folk and you love to rock out to Raina Rose. You love to dance and you love gymnastics.

You also have your future husband picked out. Not long ago, we were at HEB and you got a buddy buck to put in the machine and after you collected your points you said that you wished you had more. Out of nowhere came a brown eyed boy who gave you his buddy bucks and points. He then proceeded to open the door for you. I told you to make sure when you dated and got married that you married a guy that looked out for you and opened the door for you because your Daddy still opens the door for me. You looked at me and said that you would train R.J. to do that. I think it's amazing that you already have love for a perfect little gentleman.


The future husband is very handsome indeed!

My sweet pea, my angel, in everything that you do, I want you to do it to your best ability. I want you to always be nice to those around you. I want you to be that exceptional person that you are. Your strong willed and stubbornness as well as your love and compassion will continue to help you blossom into an amazing young lady. I am so proud that God chose YOU to be my DAUGHTER. I will never stop being proud of you.


At your Recital: Daddy and I are super Proud of you!

I love you,
Mom

I will not leave you as orphans, I will come for you!

2012-03-22T07:48:00.000-07:00

I have had a million thoughts running through my head for weeks/months/years now. I am pretty sure if I started talking it would result in a jumbled mess. So here's my attempt to sort through it all.

It all started when Patrick and I were dating. We talked about having children and adopting. It's something I have always wanted to do. As a teacher, you 'adopt' children five days a week for part of each school month. Throughout that day, you learn what makes each kid happy and what makes each kid sad. As an elementary teacher, children will tell you EVERYTHING and you will learn to nurture where it lacks. You will learn to tell a joke to make a kid laugh and you will learn to parent each child in the unique way that they deserve. Each year you get a brand new set of children that you watch blossom and grow and deserve the best life possible. As a teacher, I have sent home meals with children because their parents lost a job. I have picked up kids for school because their house burned down and they didn't have a way to school. Some think of those things as unethical or it's not your job or what if something happens and the parents sue you? I guess I took all the what ifs with a grain of salt and treated each kid the way that I wanted to be treated. Did that make me the perfect teacher? No, but it allowed me to teach children to respect each other and make the best of each situation. Did I see eye to eye every day with each parent? No, I didn't but we settled for a solution for what was in the best interested of the child.

The recent miscarriage was sad. I am not even going to lie and say it wasn't. But you know what is just as sad? The number of orphans in this world. There is an estimated 163 million orphans and many countries that have such strict laws that it limits who can take this child. They would rather the child stay in the orphanage than have two moms or two dads or be raised in a single home. Just SAD!

And the thoughts of the little girl crying her heart out in line for the safari at Disney. Why on earth the Dad didn't pick her up and nurture her and hush her to sleep is beyond me! As an adult if he wants a hug, he simply reaches for someone to hug him and they probably do. She was reaching and he was ignoring her. I just don't get it!

Also what's been on my mind alot lately is sorting through International Adoption and Fostering to Adopt or just Fostering. It's all overwhelming because I feel like I should travel the world and just collect the orphans.

Let me say this first though. When you mention adopting or fostering to adopt to some people, they smile and say you are awesome and others may say it's amazing, but they have this look on their face of pity or shock or something that seems untouchable to them. But this is how I feel about it all. It is our choice as a family to embrace this one day. We have talked to Raileigh about sometimes a baby grows in Mommy's body and sometimes it grows in someone else's and that would mean we would have to go get it from another 'home'. She prays every night for a baby sister and she asks almost daily when we are going to get her sister.

Adoption is a choice you make for whatever reason. Mine is I have always wanted to adopt. I feel like sometimes God picks a child for you mother and father. It's not one you carry but one chosen for you. John 14:18 states I will not leave you orphans, I will come for you. This scripture has been running through my head a bunch lately.

Looking into adoption is very emotional and very overwhelming.The videos that families have made to share with the world are amazing. I often wonder how we survived without google or youtube! But the questions for adoption based on which route you take are: How long it may take? How much it will cost? Who they will pick? etc etc etc! So if I talk to you about it and I tear up, it's just happy tears so continue on, It's just very exciting that somewhere out there, whether it be Texas or another place there is a child that is ours that we need to bring home. It almost makes me want to run out and buy a van just to fill with precious children. I can't imagine the heartache that it feels like to not have a Mommy or Daddy. I grew up in such a nurturing home and I want the same for other children out there. When Patrick and I got married, I told him I wanted four. We often joke about four on a teacher salary = poverty level, but I feel like if it is meant to be, it will happen.

In researching adoptions, it annoys me how LITTLE money actually goes to the orphanage that cares for your child. It just seems bizarre that airlines don't give up the cost of the flight or let you fly minimal so that you can bring a child home forever.

Patrick and I were driving in the car the other day and we had this discussion. I said, "You know babe, if 400 people gave us 100 dollars, we would have it all paid for." (May I insert right here, that having Raileigh, being a NICU baby and with many weekly visits to the doctor/gastro/cardiologist we hit 25,000 out of pocket the first month she was born.) So 40,000 isn't really that much more if you say it really really fast! He said I don't know 400 people that will give me a 100 dollars. So we looked at our facebook friends, then we subtracted who we knew in common. I have 415 friends. Patrick has 491. We have 122 friends in common. Do the math! We have 784 friends together. Even if they couldn't give 100.00, I said they could find ten people to give ten dollars. And then he became cynical. Would you give ten dollars to someone you don't know because they want to adopt? YES I WOULD! Why not? It's not like I am handing a homeless person ten dollars to go buy more crack. I am sending paypal or a bank money to direct the parents into bringing home their child. And what money you can't raise this way, you fundraise. Then he said our community is fundraised out. And he's right, people are always being hit up for meal dinners or fundraisers. But we always try to help where we can and I can cut ten dollars out of a monthly budget just for not eating meat for a meal or getting a starbucks coffee! So it was almost like he challenged me right there. Do I think it would be that easy? No, but I do think that we have enough loving friends and family that would push for us to give a child a forever home.

As a matter of fact, I gave ten dollars to help bring this child home! Can you spread the word for my best friend's sister's daughter if you can support it? If not can you just share the link so that maybe someone else can donate? Robin Bracken's Ethiopia is CALLING

And then there's this family that I have been following for about a month that I have never met. $7.00 four our 7th

I am going to close by saying this: we are always referring our friend's children for picture contests. We are always liking a picture so someone will win something. We are always sharing something to help our friends win something or spread some sort of awareness. Is it really any different trying to cut a dollar or ten out of your budget and spreading the word? I don't think it is.

Now comes prayer. We will see where we are led. Will it be overseas? Another state? or right here in Texas. Will it be now? or next year? But I am sure this is a path that God is calling us to follow. What do you think friends? Is it IMPOSSIBLE to get to the goal since we clearly don't have $40,000 laying around to bring home a child?

As my friend Lizzy would say: With much hope and a lot of PRAYER!

My Thoughts On my Recent Miscarriage

2012-02-24T19:10:00.000-08:00

This blog may be a bunch of rambled thoughts as I have written it many times in my head and it always has a different start, but it always has the same message and the same ending: Jamie had a miscarriage.

It's funny how much things can change or stay the same in one year! Last year about this time, since I am such an avid blogger (ha! I blog in my head. I just don't always have time to get it HERE!) I was writing about celebrating CHD awareness. Well tomorrow we are celebrating Raileigh's heart spreading awareness and collecting items or money for It's My Heart. That part is the same!

But if last year you would have told me that in a year you would have a miscarriage, I probably would have not believed you. That's how much has changed in a year. I went from a female with zero miscarriages to a female with one. I became a statistic. My doctor sees one to two miscarriages a week, I was her one or one of her two. Chances are you didn't even know I was pregnant. That's the reason most people don't tell you they are pregnant, they don't want to have to go back and say hey, I'm not pregnant anymore or I miscarried or according to my paperwork at the doctor's office, my threatened ABORTION became a complete ABORTION. I wish it had said miscarriage. I know my body aborted the baby, but it gives a very unsettling feeling reading ABORTION when you know you didn't drive to a clinic and have it, that you lost it because your body knew something was wrong with the baby. But there's light, there's an 80 percent chance I will have another successful healthy pregnancy one day.

People are so nosy. It's just in our blood to be nosy. You date someone, they want to know when you are getting married, you get married they want to know when you are having kids. You have one and they want to know when you are going to have another one. I am guilty of all of that as well, but I will say that Monday, I learned my lesson in this. Because most people don't tell they are pregnant until after 12 weeks, most people don't even realize when someone has a miscarriage unless they have told you. So my guiltiness of asking people when they are having more will hopefully not happen again because of what we experienced Monday.

Let me back up to say this: Jaunary 25, we found out we were pregnant. February 2, I went to the doctor and confirmed that we were pregnant. Our little Peanut would have been due on September 29th. We were not 'trying' to be pregnant. I had finally just given it to God. If it was meant to BE, I would get pregnant.

As many of you know, football season is not the best time to have a baby for a band director because of all the away games and the marching contests. With that being said, we were happy. What my Mom doesn't know is that I was going to kidnap her, I had said a month, but I was sure I'd grind her car keys into the pavement and hold her hostage to not let her leave. Because football season is a very busy time for my dear hubby and having an active three year old and a newborn is exhausting.

However, I never really quite felt right with this pregnancy. I can count on my hand twice where I felt nauseous. I was praying for morning sickness. Yes you read that right, I wanted to PEWK! Because with Raileigh, I had the 'perfect' pregnancy, I had awful morning sickness but it felt normal for me and honestly other than that I didn't have any issues being pregnant. It was an easy pregnancy.
By the way, if you don't like details, you might want to leave this article now because I am still hormonal (haha as if I am ever NOT) and I may just place it ALL out there.

So the spotting began. At first it was the same as with Raileigh at eight and thirteen weeks, so I was calming myself by reminding myself that I did this with Raileigh; however, I just felt different. Then the spotting started becoming pink and bright red. So February 16th, my hubby called and talked to the nurse. Yes you read that right, but I was working and keeping myself together for my kiddos so my lovely hubby called in.

They wanted to do a HCG test to check my levels all by 4:30. I told my lovely little diva that she was not going to dance because Mommy didn't feel well. Let's just say that she is very scheduled oriented and threw a whopping fit about dance so let's just say she went. She got to go because Debbie rushed to our house to get her, while Patrick rushed the kiddos to their Mom, and then came back and rushed me to the doctor because driving myself wasn't possible because of the amount of 'pressure' I felt.

The weekend was tough. The pressure became more intense. I like to think of myself as having a high pain tolerance and you will not catch me taking medication unless i just HAVE to have it. With that being said, when you are pregnant, they don't want you to take anything in the first trimester and I knew I wouldn't take anything even if the ER doctor told me I should. Stubborn much? Maybe but I still have a child to take care of. So I have the bloodwork drawn and found out on Thursday that I would know Friday. Friday my levels were 6000 something. Fast forward to Monday.

Monday at 2:00 am I woke up and felt like I was in labor. I told the hubby and went to the couch. I could feel the cramps and contractions begin and I was in a lot of pain. I had to go in at 8:00 to have my levels rechecked so I knew that I could just pass time before I saw the doctor. At 2:45, I began bleeding and passing 'tissue' and until 5 o'clock am, I was COMPLETELY MISERABLE. I didn't want to go to the ER because I didn't want them to dope me up on medication and I didn't want to possibly leave with a Staph infection. I knew in my heart it was better for me to be home. So at 7 o'clock Debbie comes to watch Raileigh and Patrick and I head to the doctor. I signed in and told the receptionist that I was in a lot of pain and needed to see the doctor. She took my co-pay so I assumed that after labwork, I would see the doctor.

I have the blood drawn and then the nurse calls me in. I of course am quite emotional and can't talk so my lovely hubby (after what felt like he was starring at me for five minutes as the nurse held her breath) told her what was going on. He starts by saying Jamie has a high pain tolerance. I know they hear this alot but I feel like I do. He told her what was going on and since the doctor was in surgery until two, she gave me the very supporting talk about how we would compare my levels and sometimes there's just blood behind the sac. I was scheduled for an ultrasound Tuesday but I knew that the pain was too much to wait until Tuesday. Not just the physical pain, but the emotional pain. So I gained control and told her that I could feel my uterus shrinking back and the toilet was full of blood and clots and I really needed to see the doctor. (See I told you it may get gross!) She told me that since doctor was in surgery until two, she would call and leave her a message and send her an e-mail. I was then sent on my way home. ~~What I wanted to do was go running through the OR and have her see me (ha! crazy much?) But I knew I'd get arrested and it would just be back so we went home.~~ I did ask the nurse at what point did I go to the ER and she said not to unless I just was losing too much blood. That was comforting knowing that I had made the right decision.

I got home and sent Patrick and Debbie back to work and then within ten minutes, around 10:00 am, the nurse called to tell me that their very full ultrasound schedule had a MAGICAL SPOT and that I could be seen at 1. Okay I am normally a very positive person, but I knew that this appointment wasn't going to be a very good appointment. So at 12:00 Debbie and Patrick came back and off to the doctor we go.

I get there, have a completely full bladder and I know I will have to pee in a cup, so I have to hold it, cramps, pressure, bladder full, and contractions, I am MISERABLE, but I hold it for what seems like an eternity and they call me back. After about five minutes, they ultrasound lady calls me back.

Because I am that person, and I always like to be 'warned', I told the ultrasound lady what was going on and she said that she would go about the ultrasound a different way then. So the ultrasound starts and I can see my uterus and no baby. What seemed like an eternity, with a million different 'angles' of my insides (knowing that I was eight weeks today) she confirmed that the baby had already passed through and she went to get the doctor. So of course the waterworks turned on and my doctor comes in and I do love my doctor. She is the most gentle calming person and although she confirmed what we already knew, she told me that we would move to another room to talk. I go to the bathroom and Patrick follows me, I come out, and because Patrick is still in the bathroom, the ultrasound lady looked horrified that Patrick wasn't in the room. Maybe they see crazy situations where the husband or baby daddy run out of the room, I don't know, but mine just had to Pee. No more drama from the Flans today!

So we went in to talk to the doctor and she said that she felt like the type of miscarriage that I had was a blighted ovum which caused it to pass so quickly. My HCG levels had already dropped to 3000. She felt like my body would finish cleaning itself out so no D&C for me which is a good thing because I have really negative feelings about having one unless it is a medical emergency. I have to go back on March 5th to take a pee test to see if I am reading negative and if I am not then I have to have more bloodwork done. I go back and see her in a month to make sure everything is 'back to normal' and then she said we could start the process all over again.

I guess I am writing this blog to say life is all about choices, life is all about the way you view things. This situation royally sucks and I am not going to say that it doesn't. But Monday, I had a choice to make. I could go to bed and wallow in my self pity or I could pick myself up and be thankful for the daughter I have already been blessed with. I could live all week complaining and complaining about how no one tells you have physically painful a miscarriage is or I could just suck it up and deal with the pain and go on for my daughter. What I never thought about before was this. Having a miscarriage was very much like giving birth. It's all the same physical pain and what is obnoxious is the milk leakage because that's another reminder that there is no baby. September 29th will be a bittersweet day for sure, but I also know that something would have been wrong with the baby and I wouldn't want the baby to be born into this world suffering. I am not opposed to adopting one day. As a matter of fact, I think there are LOTS of children out there that need loving Mommies and Daddies and Sisters and Brothers to comfort them and find their forever family. Patrick and I had already discussed adopting one day no matter how many children we can have on our own because it is something that I have always wanted to do.

The blessing in this is that Raileigh didn't know nor do we want Raileigh to know. Raileigh prays every night before she goes to bed for a brother or sister. Raileigh woke up this morning talking about how she wanted a brother AND a sister which is a big deal because for a while she only wanted a SISTER because she wanted to teach them to crawl and to walk and she wanted to teach them about love and feed them and just be a big sister. That's the part that sucks in all of this. She wants it so bad. My response to her is baby girl one day God will grant you with the most wonderful sister or brother, he's saving the perfect one just for sure. Giving this situation to God is what helped pull me through this. Having faith knowing that everything happens for a reason and that I am surrounded by awesome family or friends. I don't understand why this happened, and only time will tell what our future holds. If you pray, keep us in your prayers. Miscarriages are just as tough on men as they are on women and I am blessed with a wonderful husband who I will continue my journey with to see what our future holds!

Spreading CHD Awareness!

2011-02-14T12:01:00.000-08:00

I have sat down to write this blog many times over the past few weeks and I have been walking away from the computer. When someone tells you a story, you want to remember it. You want it to make an impression. In telling our congenital heart defect story, I want to tell everyone's story. I want to educate you, so that we can save a babies life. I will be telling 'our' story: for all the warriors and angels out there who were born fighting a fight,but I can also tell you that words will not do justice.

I will start by saying this: I'm going to go off on tangents, you must follow me through the end. Grab a coke and some donuts and educate yourself! I will begin by giving some facts. One in one hundred babies are born with CHD each year. I had a one in one hundred. All the babies that are pictured here are 1 in 100! As a parent of a child with CHD, we don't want you to feel sorry for us. We don't want you to EVER walk in our shoes. We want you to know as much as you can about CHD so that you spread awareness in hopes that we find a cure and in hopes that is saves a baby's life! We don't want you to judge us as our kid walks up silently to play and maybe our child's only form of commuincation is sign language. We want to share our story with you just like you want to share your child's story with us. Every parents most precious gift is their child, Don't ever forget that!

Approximately 40,000 babies that are born have this number one birth defect. CHDs are the number one cause of birth related deaths. CHDs originate in the early weeks of pregnancy. I have a tell a story here. I was almost two months pregnant with Raileigh when I started cramping and spotting. I felt horrible and I thought I was going to lose her. We had a baby shower for friends of ours at Patrick's school. That was the longest shower of my life, trying to smile, hearing lots of people say you're next! We hadn't told anyone but our parents that we were pregnant. I didn't want to jinx myself and end up losing the baby. We left the shower and I called my OB and was told to watch myself and was given the list of things to watch for in case I was miscarrying. I don't think I slept much that night, wanting God to give my little peanut a voice. I had a scheduled ultrasound for the next week and seeing our little peanut was the most amazing experience! As parents, you have all been there. There's nothing more special than hearing the beating heart and seeing the most perfect baby on the monitor. Some women find out while they are pregnant that their baby has a congenital heart defect. Put yourself into that parent's shoes. You go in for your scheduled ultrasound to only have the person tell you the doctor will be in momentarily. Fear surrounds you as you find out that your perfect peanut has a defect and may or may not need surgery. Fear, I tell you: fear as we all compose ourselves to work with doctors to compose a plan that is the perfect plan for our babies! I didn't know at the time that my little peanut's voice was going to be one to spread CHD awareness! How blessed we are!

As I stated above, sometimes, it shows up in an ultrasound, sometimes when the baby is days old, months old, adolescence or even adulthood! Nearly twice as many children die from Congenital Heart Defects in the United States each year as from all forms of childhood cancers combined, yet funding for pediatric cancer research is five times higher! I'm not saying don't fund cancer research, let's just raise some money to fund both :)! This year approximately 4,000 babies will not live to see their first birthday because of Congenital Heart Defects.I think we all are capable of skipping a starbucks coffee or an extra bag of potatoes to give a few dollars to raise awareness for congenital heart defects. It's My Heart is a wonderful resource that funds research for this! You can support Team Raileigh at http://imhwalkforchd.kintera.org/keepthebeat/raileighbrooke

So back to 'our' story, I continued my pregnancy as a very normal pregnancy. I went into ultrasounds and saw the baby move. We found out it was a girl and started looking for pinks and purples. I had Raileigh via c-section at 39 weeks. As I was being wheeled into the OR, I remember thinking something was wrong. Something wasn't right. I was a little scared and pushed it off as first time Mama syndrome. Dr. G brought her out and cut her cord that was very snugly around her neck! Can we get a PRAISE GOD for the c-section! Amen! Her apgar score was a 9! She was 'healthy.' I was completely numb from my neck to my toes and Patrick went running out with the baby after I got to hold her and got the first picture. They were going to clean her up and get us both back to the room. Raileigh was perfect, but I kept asking the nurses and her pediatrician why her hands and feet were purple. I must have asked about 1000 times and were always told that it was 'normal' Then the night before we were suppose to be discharged, Nurse S came in to do some stats and noticed elevated respiratory. Raileigh was having a hard time latching and we had chalked that up to first time Mommy nurser! The next day, we were told to get our bags ready, that the doctor would be down to discharge us. This was at 10:00 in the morning. At 5:00 when Raileigh was 52 hours old, the doctor finally shows up. She was from India so she had a very thick accent, but was very patient in helping us understand her. She listens for a while and asks if we knew the baby had a heart murmur. She asks lots of family history. She then tells us we're not going home, the baby is going into the NICU for an ekg/echo and she rattled off so many medical terms that I can honestly say my mind went blank. So here I sit thinking we are going home to only find out that Raileigh has to be monitored. As a chd parents, we've all been there. This is when fear strikes us, we think it's going to be the last time we hold our child. We can no longer do what is 'best' for our child, it's put in the hands of doctors. I can tell you this I am very thankful for every OBGYN/cardiologist/pediatrician/neonatal doctor/nurses/etc. that have made our shoes much better with the knowledge they have for our babies and the plan of action that we should take. I can tell you we feel like we're on the verge of a nervous breakdown because our baby is no longer tucked nice and safely inside us, the baby is now in the hands of a doctor to be researched. We have to put complete faith in the hands of a doctor we may know or have just met to help us give our child the best life possible!

This folks is when all the tests start and we feel like we're running around like chickens with our heads cut off. There is not one mold for a child with chd. They all experience similar 'side effects. For one, they aren't hungry and two they have reflux! Do you realize that when you pewk it puts a tremendous amount of pressure on your heart? This is exactly what our babies do not need!

Raileigh's neonatal doctor walked in to meet me because the nurses said I was completely hysterical and he needed to calm me down and that my obgyn would be on her way. First, I must say, anyone of us are completely hysterical whether they show it or not. I just happen to be born with the month of July (a cancer) so I wear my emotions right on my face. The neonatal doctor was at least six foot six inches and I thought maybe professional football player fit his job description better. I did not get one picture of him with Raileigh, but I can tell you he was the biggest teddy bear in the world and he was the BEST doctor for her. He was very patient and he would talk and coo to them and they would just turn and listen to his every word! I know that's how all of us feel about our neonatal doctors! It takes a special person to do that job! He told us about the tests and said that he would be back in for results, but not to worry in the meantime that he would keep us posted! That's alot easier than said! Did I mention that Raileigh was born in July, right in the middle of the beginning of summer band for my husband! We thought we were having a baby to come home so he could do some work! God bless the students who stepped it up to take care of business!

So we get the results back and like many parents with CHD here's what we find out: She has a VSD and PDA, so she not only has one heart defect, but two. She has elevated respiratory. She is jaundiced. She has severe reflux. She was already pewking before she was eating! She had delayed gastric emptying. She was PERFECT, just like all the other chd angels and warriors. Our babies are perfect despite all the health problems and they are born fighters! Raileigh was also labeled finicky eater (Really, they haven't seen me try to get her to eat now that she's 2.5 haha) and noisy breather. We were told that we had a higher chance of SIDS because of her health problems. She also had congenital hernias that would need surgery, but the cardiologist would have to okay the surgery. He didn't by the way and they disappeared on their own, so how's that for AWESOMENESS!

We were discharged a week later. Raileigh dropped from 6 pounds .7 ounces to 4 pounds 9 ounces and she had five doctors that would do followups: cardiologist/neonatal/pediatrician/gastro/ent. So we left with lots of appointment cards and were told to watch for blue hands and feet/ blue lips and her not breathing and to call if we had any questions. We now had a baby who was failure to thrive and who had to beat the odds against her. That is when I decided right then and there that I would give Raileigh the best life possible for her and I would do everything in my power to make sure she lived a very happy life!

Many parents don't even get to hug their little peanut before they are rushed off to surgery! Do you know how hard it is to hand over your baby to a doctor who is going to stop your child's heart to fix it? Do you know how much faith you have to put into another human's hands when you do this? Many children have had three heart surgeries by their second or third birthdays. Each time, a Mommy and a Daddy kisses their child goodbye praying that the doctor will be able to repair their child's heart. Again, stopping a heart to fix it. I think you can skip a Coke today and help us raise some CHD awareness. Don't say it will not happen to you. Many athletes have died on the court/field because of an undetected heart defect yet babies are leaving the hospitals every single day without testing!! Why are we letting this happen?

Right now, I want you to pray for all the families that have CHD angels! May God give each family the strength to spread CHD awareness and may the angels live on and their stories be heard! We have been very fortunate in that Raileigh's PDA closed at a year, yet her VSD remains open. It is open at the aortic valve which we are monitoring for leaking. We go to the cardiologist in March. This appointment consists of four blood pressure readings which royally irritate her, followed by an EKG which she just wants to pull all the cords off and then an echo which she wants to rip the cords off again. Each time we pray for patient nurses and doctors who understand our child's fear of invaded personal space.

Our children do not look or act sick. If you relook at the pictures above, you will see this. They are normal kids trying to live very normal lives. Some have restricted activities and some are able to participate in sports. Some have delayed speech and walking. Some walk before they are a year. Some have already gone home! They are all different, yet they all share the same characteristic: CHD. As parents, we want to make you aware. As parents we want you to help us spread awareness! As parents, we wan you to treat our kids the same as you treat your own, even if they are just a little different in the playgroup! We want you to teach your children that all of us are different, yet we can all be friends! We want you to keep your sick kids at home so that our children can enjoy going places without getting sick. We want you to understand that we don't always fight the typical infection like your child. A simple cold to you may mean a hospital visit to us. We want healthy kids just like you! We want you to take our stories and share them with other people! We want you to love our CHD angels and warriors just as much as we love them! Collect items as a family and take them to the children's hospital! You never known, you may get something back in return one day. I ask that you take this story and you use it to Pay It Forward. Share some HEART LOVE today! Please if you have a dollar, donate to Team Raileigh! http://imhwalkforchd.kintera.org/keepthebeat/raileighbrooke
I have been blessed to meet so many heart families and wonderful children. Here are 12 pictures of angels and warriors who fight the CHD fight! I would be honored if by the end of February if I had 28 photos to share with you. Each child with a very unique CHD story! I'm just one Mommy with one voice, but if you join with me, that would make our story continue! Educate yourself; it will save a life!

I would also like to thank everyone who gave donations and came to our ugly sweater party on January 29th to kick off CHD awareness month! We have two laundry baskets full of donations for It's My Heart to place into comfort bags! This was a very special experience for Patrick, Raileigh, and me! May God continue to bless our community as we raise awareness! A blog to follow soon on the Ugly Sweater Party!

What My Hubby said.......cloth diaper......WOAH! :)

2011-01-25T12:27:00.000-08:00

I love my husband! As I hear about other husbands, or remember the ex *cringe* I realize that he really is a one of a kind! Now, if I told you he never got on my nerves or made me ~~want to shake him~~ want to go for a nice long walk, I'd be lying. But I will say we have this relationship: ~~I'm right and he knows it!~~ We agree to disagree! I'm sure I drive him crazy because I get on these 'kicks' and it's like oh oh oh I want I want I want or let's reorganize the whole house in an hour starting five minutes ago.

I will get back to one of my kicks in a moment.

The other day Hubby was on the phone with a very good GUY friend. They are about to have a baby boy, awww. I asked him to ask if they were going to cloth diaper or use disposables as we want to get the baby a gift, but I also don't want to throw my cloth diaper at them for them to tuck away. I want them to fluff it, smell it. wash it, use it, love it just like I do. Okay so back to the convo. Dear friend says, "Cloth diaper? Are you kidding me?" So then it starts, he starts to tell him how easy it is, WOAH! I love him. He tells him how you just put it on, rinse it, store it, wash it, repeat and save loads of money. Because so many people are afraid to try it, I'm going to do several reviews of products and my 'take' on things. The next thing he asked was how it was for a Mama who was at home. I am at home yes, but I also work. I don't wash and clean, I ~~tame~~ ~~wild~~ ~~lions~~ educate children and teach them skills :) However, as with anything, what works with one, may or may not work with another, but that's the loving thing about cloth diapers now. Use with or without a cover, pocket, all in one. I could go on and on, but the first one I'm going to describe is a pocket: The Fuzzibunz all in one.

Here's one of the kicks: cloth diapers!
The fuzzibunz:
1. It comes with two microfiber inserts: one for newborn and one longer. So when you are out of the newborn stage, just use it as a doubler! SUPER!
2. You can stuff it with one or with two or with three inserts depending on how long you need it.
3. It is adjustable at the LEGS and WAIST! It has buttons on the elastic just like adjustable pants for kiddos!
4. It has snaps so it's easy to get the fit you need!
5. It's not bulky at all!
6. Colorful solid colors, Sometimes I wish they had a print.
7. It adjusts to fit babies 7-36 pounds. Raileigh is 29 pounds and still has loads of room to go.

So how do you wash/use/etc?
We use them mostly for nap/nighttime/gymnastics time (there's just something about her making a puddle on the floor there..she's always dry, but I don't want to chance it). So the legs are adjusted for her and so we just stuff them, snap them and go. We either stuff them with a microterry insert for nap or a microterry and hemp combo at night or bamboo inserts. You literally lay them on top of each other and place in the pocket. So let's say Raileigh poops in it. No big deal. Unsnap it, shake it in the toilet, spray the fleece with the diaper sprayer that is attached to my toilet so that it's all off, (I rinse in warm water afterwards) place in bin and wait for washtime. I don't want to touch the poop is probably what you are thinking. First of all, I didn't touch it and second of all if you read the fine print, it says to flush the poop in the toilet before you dispose of the diaper anyways! They sell wet bags, but I keep those in her diaper bag and I only use a dollar bucket at home from the dollar store. We actually have two buckets, one for microfleece liners and one for diapers. The microfleece liners are liners I cut up using microfleece to use when she has a diaper rash. I use CJs BUTTer cream which is safe, but I use a liner anyways and I wash it separately. When she's in a pullup or diaper that's disposable, she constantly has a rash. Now's she rash free!

It's wash time: Cold pre rinse. HOT wash with one tablespoon of Lulus or whatever safe cloth diaper detergent you use. (I have used Allens, Rocking Green, Charlie's Soap, and Lulus and my favorite is Lulu's in the Fluff) and additional rinse. I hang them to dry or throw them in the dryer occasionally. I normally do this while I'm cooking dinner so it's not like I have to find the time to do it. I get dinner started, wash the diapers and trainers, and keep on going.

It's just that simple. We are saving loads of money and we don't have to worry about horrid chemicals near her bum! To us, it's pure bliss or maybe it's just me and the hubby goes along. He wasn't always on board, but I said I'd just change them all if he hated it and he has realized it's really not a big deal. We've been on a twenty hour drive to SC from TX and cloth diapered the whole way. She did poop in one and I just dumped it in the toilet, stored it in the wetbag and kept going. Our car did not smell like pee or poop nor do the diapers if you rinse them before you store them. The bag seals shut anyways so it contains a smell if you can't get it rinsed. I have also used these at football games, it's really no big deal! To all the parents, try it, you might just fall in love and use the money you save to go on a cruise! If you would like to see a picture, look on the lefthand side of the page and click the link, that will take you to a fuzzibunz!

You didn't read the fine print!

2011-01-21T18:46:00.000-08:00

In driving to the store today, jamming to some Rayna Rose and Matt the Electrician, listening to my daughter sing along was lovely. We get to Wal-mart, parked the car, open the door, and get out. You know the typical routine stuff. *Alarm beeps VERY loudly to cover the word I almost let slip in front of my two year old* Back up...I open the door and foot almost steps ON A POOPY DISPOSABLE DIAPER! GROSSGAGBARFTHROWUPINYOURMOUTHALITTLE! Seriously, this is a close park. Why in the name of your child who's poopy diaper you just changed, could you not have walked twenty feet to throw it away! Oh wait, I know: because you didn't read the fine print! If you would read the little print on a pack of disposable diapers, you would find that the directions read ~~dear genius please throw the turd in the toilet and flush~~ you must dispose of feces in the toilet before trashing the diaper.Yes you read that right! Why on earth would I do that??? Okay, I'll be completely honest, I haven't always flushed the poop either, but I sure didn't leave it in the parking lot for someone to step on in their brand new NEW BALANCE! Okay, back to why we are flushing he poop! This is because human waste is not supposed to go in the trash, where it can seep into ground water etc. Would you care for a fresh glass of ice water next door to Wal-mart at Chilis? Or wait, maybe a glass of fresh tea that they used tap water to make. MMM Tastey! So I write this in saying, we're cloth lovers and so glad that we are! You can be assured that our poop goes in the sewer where it should!

Dear God, She didn't get the Memo, Love, yours truly

2011-01-20T12:29:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I'm a people watcher, I admit. I moved from the lovely four seasoned South Carolina to the hot Texas with a few cold days four years ago. I was in culture shock. I moved from a city where everything was at my fingertips to plan your trip because it's at least thirty miles away.

I'll get to the titled part in a minute, I want to ~~bore~~ entertain you for a few.

I'm also a teacher, so I became a great children watcher. I have this list of "I'm never naming my child THAT" because let's face it, there's just so many times you can get bitten or slapped or told NO! before you scratch that darlings name on their list. And then there are those families. You know there's at LEAST ~~ten~~ one in every school: Dear God, please don't let them conceive anymore! The gene pool is too shallow and we're drowning in an inch of stupidity!

So here's my story: I was at Wal-mart people watching as you'd say when I heard a Mama tell another Mama this:
Mama A: I can't believe your child still has a paci! (My head jerked around, almost completely off my shoulders..because yes my 2.5 year old still has her paci. For Goodness sakes people, I HAVE TO SLEEP! Note: Mama A's child had coke in a sippy cup.)
Mama B: I know. I am going to try to get her off this weekend! (I think haha me too, yeah right!)
Mama A: Did I tell you Charlene is pregnant with her seventh child? I reckon I'm going to have that one at my house too, she just ain't got time since she's always alookin' for a job. (Then it hit me Mama A is Granny! And folks, this is that family that really needs to STOP having kids)

And I so gladly in my best southern accent wanted to so kindly tell Granny that when she took her daughter to get her tubes tied, got the milk out of the sippy cup, and started raising her grandkids rather than the TV, that she could tell Mama B to get the paci from the child.

So then I started to pray:

Dear God, She didn't get the memo from the teachers that she shouldn't have any more offspring. Iunior will come to school knowing his ABCs yet, all he can do to the teacher is barely sing the song and Lord, please teach her child that LMNOP is not ONE LETTER, but five! Love, Yours Truly

I decided not to tell Granny what I thought for fear that she'd bite me with her one tooth and I might get ~~rabies~~ an infection where she bit me! On another thought, I wonder if Raileigh wants to go to Granny's house for a week to get rid of the paci..Afterall, one week of pure heck is what it took to get the child off the bottle! As my child walks into kindergarten with her paci in her hand for naptime, I shall frame my MOTHER OF THE YEAR award and come home and enjoy my bon bon!

Some fun Preschool Activities we will be doing with letters :)

2010-09-29T12:12:00.000-07:00

Activity 1:

I got this from www.kiddiefreebies.com and edited it with dots. Enjoy! Copy the copy picture and paste into word. Drag it to the size that you would like it to be. Print. Glue to poster board and use a hole punch on the holes. Give your child a piece of yarn and let them practice lacing. You can clip or tie the yarn on a clothes pin so that they don't lose one of the ends :)

Activity Two:

Read The Little Red House (click title for story)

Then use the pieces to paint in apple colors. See Picture Below

Check back later for more fun to come? Bored now with your kiddos? Make Goop!

What I LOVE to do for FUN :)

2010-09-28T09:50:00.000-07:00

Dryer balls

Hooded Towel

Memory Board

Princess Tutu Basket

Tutu gift basket

Bow Board With Bows


Bow Board

Diaper Cake


Diaper Cake

Tutu


Tutu

I have also been making pacifier clips and hooded towels. Pictures to come soon :) I love having a girl and being able to do all of this in my 'spare' time!

I think it's somehow instinctual for her!

2010-09-22T11:02:00.000-07:00

Beautiful Mountains! :)

For the past week, my child has been obsessed with mountains and Dollywood. I think it must be instinctual for her to love the mountain atmosphere. Did I persuade her somehow when I was pregnant that the mountains were the best?

Or maybe it's this nice lovely fall weather we're having here. I have to say this. I DISLIKE HURRICANE SEASON! The rain, the mosquitoes, the following the path to make sure we don't have to evacuate, I just don't like it and apparently she doesn't either. She woke up, looked out the window, and said, "Mommy, it's raining again. I want Dollywood today!" I said, "Me too pumpkin, but it's too far away!" Raileigh says, "My Papa will take me!" and that's been her answer for getting there for the past week. Dear Dad, please send a plane ticket and Dollywood tickets for Raileigh. She needs out of the mosquitoes and rain! Love, Jamie

If only it were that easy right? But what's not to miss about the mountain in the fall? The leaves changing color, the crisp mountain air, the wind blowing your hair, the cold mountain water, white water rafting, apple picking, pumpkin farms, hot spring jacuzzis! I could go on for days! What's not to love?

Beauty!


Fun rides!

Going on a bear hunt!

What's not to love?

And then it dawned on me while I'm writing this, where the connection is coming from. After we came off the train ride at Dollywood, it started to rain! We ate lunch and then rode rides and had a fun filled day because the rain stopped. I wish a train ride would make the sun come out. We need sunshine! And I wish Dollywood were much closer, I'd take her back today! :) Family filled fun times are the best! Living life through her eyes is PRICELESS!

Happy Birthday Mom :)

2010-09-16T07:56:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to my beautiful Mom today! She's the perfect role model on what a Mom should be! I love you, Mom!

I had the child from Cheese, Peas, and Chocolate Pudding!

2010-09-16T07:42:00.000-07:00

Can you see that kid? The one from Cheese, Peas, and Chocolate Pudding by Betty Van Witsen! He's crawling on the floor, he accidentally eats a bite of hamburger, oh it's so YUMMY good, so he now eats Cheese, Peas, Chocolate Pudding, and Hamburger. That kid is my diva and here's my cheese, peas, and chocolate pudding experience.
Raileigh was born to two wonderful parents (haha) who love to eat and try new foods. Raileigh was also born with two food strikes against her: REFLUX (I'm now in the corner quivering) and two heart murmurs (VSD and PDA). So Raileigh has too much acid in her stomach to even feel hungry enough to eat and the fact that she has a heart defect makes her not want to eat. So if there's one thing I can tell you is this: You can't force a baby or toddler to eat. It...just...won't...HAPPEN! We learned this about our precious princess when she was fifty hours old. We were those parents who sat coaching our child to eat for the first year of her life because let's face it, if she doesn't get a little in her tummy, the acid became silent and then she'd start choking on it. If you ever saw us coaching her to eat, you probably praised God you didn't have to barter with your child!
She was never hungry. Give her breast milk, she didn't want it. Give her Alimentum aka the GOLD formula, she didn't want it. She'd eat, she'd barf. We'd measure how much went in verses how much came back. We were those parents. I assure you an oz. of liquid looks like A LOT! Rice cereal: she hated with a passion. Vegetables, she liked at first then refused. Fruit, she hated at first then LOVED. From two months until six months, she lived on Alimentum then from six months to a year she lived on Alimentum and pureed fruit. If you think I'm a horrible mother because I gave my child formula, I'll tell you that you're just as horrible for wanting me to give her ~~something~~ breastmilk that she pewked up more than formula and put more strain on her hole in her heart! Did I want to breastfeed? Yes! Could I? No! I had to pump, put it in a bottle, feed her every hour, hold her up for forty five minutes and repeat. I fed her once an hour twenty four times a day to make sure she was gaining weight. And I tell you what, giving her alimentum was the best thing I ever did. It allowed her to keep it down with the proper dose of prevacid. It allowed her to gain weight and grow to meet her milestones. And to all the Moms who formula fed their babies and had people throw it in their face, I will promise you one thing! YOUR CHILD WILL BE JUST AS SMART AS THE OTHERS AS LONG AS YOU GIVE YOUR CHILD THE TOOLS FOR LEARNING AND SUCCESS! In my book of pet peeves, there is number 14: people who tell you your child will be dumb and not successful because you gave them formula and then they turn on the TV to let the TV raise their child while they share a Coke with their child! Do you hear the sirens going off?? Annoying, I tell you.
Now back to my story! When Raileigh was old enough to eat a cracker/cheese puff (gasp, i know horrid isn't it), we gave it to her. She's definitely my mini me. I used to drive my Mom crazy because all I would eat is cheese puffs. Pay back sucks! :) So we learned that Raileigh eats this: Cheese, ~~Peas~~, chocolate pudding, chocolate, crackers, other pudding, chips, cheese puffs, bananas, strawberries, smoothies, yogurt, cereal, eggs, peanut butter, french fries, HOMEmade tortillas (her favorite from the restaurant Pinto Bean), ice cream (can't be whole milk as she only drinks soy milk, but she can have reduced fat...), goldfish, grilled cheese, cookies, vanilla wafers...Get the picture?
We tried the approach, she will eat when she's hungry. No she will not eat anything other than those foods when she's hungry and you will pay for it at night because she's hungry and it's bedtime. Call me sucker! I might even pucker up like a sucker fish! That's okay, I'm no mother dearest, I don't demand she eat the food or she eat it every meal until it's gone. I wasn't raised like that and through my own experience, I have learned that she will eat the vegetables/fruits/proteins etc. when she is ready. It's more important that she get calories and enough fat per day to help her heart hole close. We offer her meats and vegetables, and we move on. We don't harp on her not wanting the food. We want her to eat healthy amounts and thrive. We don't want that child who was labeled failure to thrive which I might add is NOT her label anymore. I made sure she would be able to stick her tongue out at Dr. Dingdong and say ha, you were incorrect!
What made me think of this story to write is today's lunch adventure. And I'm that provider that offers choices to the kids, I don't make them eat what they don't want to because I don't want the stress of it. If they eat it fine, if not okay. WIth that being said, I don't have Doritos and M&Ms for lunch, it's healthy choices that I know the children will like.
Moving right along. So today at lunch, Raileigh is eating her famous grilled cheese, banana, pudding, while the other kids are eating, chicken, pudding, carrots, and bananas which is what they wanted. I offered the kids ranch to go with their carrots and Raileigh says, "Mommy, I want ranch and carrot!" YAH! So I give it to her. She holds it in her hand and says, "Lucas, carrot is yummy. Laila carrot is good! MMM! Hunter eat your carrot, it is so tastey! while eats her grilled cheese, still holding the carrot in her hand. Mommy, I like carrot. It GOOD!" So all through lunch, she's eating and repeating to the kids how fantastic this carrot is. And then the MOMENT, we've all been waiting for comes. I'm watching from the corner of my eye. The other kids, are brushing teeth, washing hands, nothing different than any other day, she's my slow one and will finish eating last, she redips it in ranch, she takes a bite, it rolls from her tongue, she tucks it under her leg. She SHOUTS: 'MOMMY IT'S GOOD, I LOVE THOSE YUMMY CARROTS!' I didn't react any other way, than saying ME TOO RAILEIGH! I love ranch and carrots. She didn't have her hamburger moment today and it's okay. She will one day. I'm just proud that at 25 months, she will taste something new (on her own time) and she will finally crawl in your lap to see what you're eating.It's okay to us that she's that kid who wants a spoonful of peanut butter to lick while playing. It's who she is.
We have had other people try to give her foods she doesn't want because they 'bet' they can get her to eat it. Guess what? They couldn't! If they could or you could, I'd love it! But I'm okay with her waiting for her hamburger moment. I'm okay with raising the beautiful girl who likes her Cheese, ~~Peas~~, And chocolate pudding. Every day the same ol' thing...cheese, ~~peas~~, and chocolate pudding.

I love...

2010-09-15T10:02:00.000-07:00

I love this blog! I love that I can write down whatever I want and it doesn't matter one way or another. You can read it or not, but at least I'm back to doing one thing I love a.ka. sharing my opinion! I love that I can write whatever/whenever and it doesn't matter!

I love kindergarten kids. I love the desire to learn. I love teaching reading/writing. I love the making connections. I even loved the first day screamers/criers and parents that sealed their kisses with a stamp so the kids would have a great first day! What I didn't realize after my first day teaching kindergarten is that this would be me someday! If you told me, on my first day as a kindergarten teacher that I would stay home one day with my children, I may have decked you. I never saw myself as a stay at home Mom. Teaching fourth grade (oh by the way, those kids are graduating this school year. When did I get old? ), Four years in kindergarten, remarrying a man who I can honestly say is my best friend, teaching third grade, and getting pregnant is when it hit me that this is what I wanted to do.

I didn't want to send my kid to an unsafe daycare. I didn't want someone else to raise my child while I raised others. I wanted to be selfish. I wanted to see the first steps, hear the first words, get all the smiles, hugs, cries. I wanted to be selfish. What I LOVED even more is that my husband was okay with that. He was okay with me taking a $42,000 pay cut to stay a home. ~~Remind him of this now and he may make me get three jobs!~~ He was okay with not getting the extras in life to be able to come home and hold me accountable for Raileigh. I mean let's face it, if he has one problem with the way she's being raised, he can talk to me about it all night.

What I love even more than teaching fourth grade/first/kindergarten/third/etc., is teaching my child. I love watching the world evolve right before her eyes. I love hearing her language develop and her big girl talk. I love her potty 'learning' and I love her tantrums. I love all of it because it is who she is. Some people have a misconception about stay at home Moms. I'm not Peggy Bundy. I don't sit on a couch all day and eat bon bons. I could go off on a tangent about this because I assure you I had it made teaching with a uninterrupted lunch and a planning period. There are days that I want to run to work and then I hear a giggle and it reminds me how special being a Mommy is. I got to capture that giggle in my head and cherish it in my heart. There are days I wish Patrick could stay home just to witness it. I can only hope that I capture enough pictures to show him how awesome she is. Yes Mom and Dad, you love me because you sent me to Clemson to acquire a degree in Early Childhood Education so I could become a Stay at Home Mom. I promise it will not be forever :)

And then when Raileigh was one, I decided she needed someone to play with/to learn with/to grow with and that's when I decided to open a preschool in my home. Last year, I had another one year old and a four year old. It was the most amazing experience to watch these kids learn to talk/read/write and socialize. I was very blessed that two teachers wanting me to capture their child's learning and share it with them through pictures and activities. This year I have a two year old full time and a two and four year old part time. I now pick up a five year old (who was four last year) from school once a week. I love my job! I love measuring success in how many times I cleaned up poop and pee. I love watching these kids read/write/communicate and learn. I LOVE the giggles and the "i love you's" to me and to each other. I love the fact that they treat each other with respect one minute and scream mine the next. I love watching these minis develop their personalities. I'ts amazing! I love watching two and four year olds read and if you tell me they can't I'm going to prove you wrong!

I got to witness this yesterday:

He's two! :)

She's two! :)

He's four! :)

She's two! :)

I love teaching these kids to learn to love and I love learning along the way! I love life and it's all about what you make of it! Not everyday is a rose petal, but let's face it, the grass is only greener on the other side

because the septic tank overflowed!

Joy is...

2010-09-12T19:16:00.000-07:00

Joy is:

jumping in the rain in a hula hoop at a princess birthday party with your new friends.

Joy is...

a first lick of a lollipop!

Joy is...

buckets and water on a hot summer day getting soaked and not one adult telling you not to get dirty!

This folks is a little about the joy that life should bring you!

My Mom Made It Look So Easy!

2010-09-12T19:00:00.000-07:00

Just a friendly reminder before reading. I don't edit. You must read all typos and grammar mistakes. I'm a Mommy, not an author of a book :)

Looking back and now chasing a very active 25 month old, I realize how easy my Mom made being a Mommy look. I never remember her looking tired. She never told me that she didn't want to read to me. She never told me I couldn't help her cook and splash eggs and flours all over the kitchen. She never looked sick. I never heard her complain.
I babysat a lot. I've been a Nanny. I've worked in daycare. I graduated from Clemson with a degree in Early Childhood education.
Words can't describe how happy Patrick and I were when we found out we were pregnant with our little peanut. How Happy she makes us everyday of her life even when she's throwing a major tantrum. I wasn't nervous at all. I loved being pregnant and folks let's face it, I had morning sickness for six months. But there's absolutely nothing better than a baby kick or hiccup. It's a miracle. I remember the first time Patrick felt Raileigh kick. I remember putting ice on my belly so my Daddy could feel her move. AMAZING! I remember the ultrasounds, how tired you could feel, and I always felt like if I could model myself after my Mom, I'd be amazing.
I was scheduled to have Raileigh via c-section on July 17th, my beautiful niece's birthday also one day after my birthday. I was wheeled into the room, while Patrick stood outside, complete panic on his face because they wouldn't let him be with me to have my spinal. At 12:26, I had Raileigh Brooke, a beautiful girl with an APGAR of 9. That's the moment, I knew something was wrong. Her reflexes were good. Her pediatrician said she was wonderful. Day two, the night nurse kept running in every thirty minutes, doing vitals and watching her respiratory.
I knew something was wrong, but she just smiled, told me that her respiratory was up and she'd be back. The next day another nurse said to pack our bags to get ready, a doctor would be there to discharge us. That was at 10:00 in the morning. At 5:00 that night, my heart ached, as my gut feeling was right. Raileigh had a heart murmur. I can't explain to you the emotions that I felt. I can't explain to you how much I wanted that button to push to make it all go away. A whirlwind trip in the NICU with an amazing neo doctor and we left the hospital seven days later with a diagnosis: VSD/PDA heart murmor, GERD, right toricollis, jaundice, delayed gastric emptying and appointments with three doctors to follow Raileigh and two clinics for supervision. I was a Mommy on a mission. My daughter was perfect and I was going to show the world just like my Mom did that my daughter could meet milestones and that she would conquer her goals!
My Mom flew in three weeks after Raileigh was born and I went back into the hospital, not fun, but was blessed that it happened at a time where my Mom could take care of her with my Aunt there by her side helping!
Raileigh pewked at minimal 30 times a day. I do not wish Reflux on anyone. The doctor changed her formula to the more calorie supplemented with breastmilk because she went from 6.7 to 4.9 with breastmilk. In doing this, it curdled in her stomach after my Mom fed her and was holding her up and she barfed what looked like oatmeal. My made made it look to easy as she flipped her over and got it out of her mouth onto the towel (which we had plenty because she couldn't keep anything in her tummy). Mom then called me into the room to look at it and to call the pediatrician. I wanted to shout fix her Mommy to the top of my lungs. I had to become the adult, the Mommy, and take charge. I did and after finding a gastro and the right pediatrician for her, Raileigh's reflux is now controlled. But I must mention something here for first time Mommies and Daddies:
Here is what they don't remember to tell you:
1. Breastfeeding does not feel natural and when you have to pump to send it to the NICU you feel like you belong on a dairy farm right beside the cow. (There's a funny story about this, but I shall share it in another blog).
2. HORMONES are horrible. You will feel like killing your spouse one minute and thinking he is king the next. Men back away, far away, and tell your wife you will take the baby so she can sleep. I promise you, the hormones will go back to normal. Beware. I think mine were not completely back to normal for six months, Patrick still says I have my moments, haha!
3. You are exhausted. You haven't slept for months and now you are responsible 24 hours a day for this little miracle. When I babysat babies overnight, I could go home and nap later. What they don't tell reflux Mommies that have to feed their babies every hour is how to survive on zero sleep. The angelcare sleep monitor can rescue you. I promise you! The sleep will come or you will just adjust to none! :)
4. Cloth diapers are not gross now. Get a diaper sprayer and be on your way to saving money. I wish I would have listened early on because I could have saved about 1800 bucks!
This list could go on and on.
Mom you made it look so easy! I think when you retire, you should move in! Being a Mommy is the most amazing thing I've ever done. Having her say I love you Mommy or jumping in puddles in the rain giggling is awesome, but I must admit there are days where I am so tired, that I wonder how my Mom did it. She always had a house full of us with friends and cousins and I never saw her look tired/exhausted/sick. She's my hero. I can only pray that the eye cream and lotion and coffee will keep me going so I can allow Raileigh to see the world as my Mom allowed me to see it. She's my hero!

Everyone loves freebies!

2010-09-11T08:48:00.000-07:00

Win a Leslie's boutique's Diaper bag set and Rockin Green detergent by going to this blogspot! Go here!

http://designerclothdiapers.blogspot.com/2010/09/rockin-green-and-leslies-boutique.html

Who Is Yours Truly?

2010-09-10T11:12:00.000-07:00

Just a little FYI: I don't proofread these so if you're here for grammar, there is a nice x button in the top right hand corner of your screen, that will save you the annoyance! Just read between the lines, I don't have time to edit these posts, I spend that time being a Mommy!
I am me! I'm a Carolina girl born to two amazing parents, one amazing sister, and an amazing brother. I have amazing nieces, nephews, and in laws. I love my family and if you mess with them, I may haunt you :)

I'm a transplant in South Texas where we have four season: hot, hotter, hot as Hades, and Christmas. I'm a teacher by heart and I'm a Stay at Home Mom who runs a very simple preschool in my home. I love my job, but I must admit there are days where I feel like my little ones will tie me up, pee all over, and SHOUT super children to the top of their lungs while they pull all the toilet paper off the roll and flush me and my head down the toilet. ~~Aren't you jealous?~~ Nevermind, I know you are because 99 percent of the time, it's all giggles, learning, and random hugs and kisses.

My husband is my rock unless he's sick and then I want to ship him home to his Mom's house. He works hard to support our family and is very supportive of me.

I have one amazing, opinionated, mini me who is two and she's fabulous. Her name is Raileigh and it's amazing to see the world through her eyes. She's a CHD warrior (VSD and PDA) <congenital heart defects> and she has horrid acid reflux. She's takes gymnastics and she's an amazing boss :)

I secretly want Angelina Jolie's money so that I can rescue all the babies from Reece's Rainbow. I'd love to own an orphanage. I'd love to take all the kids without a Mommy and Daddy and give them the life they deserve!

In my ideal world, I own a dress up boutique, where I sell tutus, bows, cowboy hats, birthday cards, etc where kids can dress up and have their picture taken. I love taking pictures and I will drive you crazy constantly having my flash in your face.

I'm also very opinionated so many sentiments from yours truly can be found here. ENJOY!