Priorities

Priorities in life are a funny thing sometimes. Usually, the priorities you need to address are not the ones you really want to. Like picking up the living room, or mopping the floor, or finishing college that seems to be dragging on forever. Wait, those are all MY priorities.

I am so over school. I know I must finish in order to not waste the money that we have spent on my education so far. We have over $20,000 out on school loans. However, since I started school our plans and priorities have changed. We were planning on me starting to teach part time right after I finished my degree. At least enough that I could pay for my student loans. Now with Bree we do not feel that that is an option. She still needs special care with her G tube and neither of us feel comfortable leaving her with a babysitter or a daycare. We do not want to impose on our friends as we feel that we have hurt some friendships by asking them to watch Riley too much due to Bree's needs. We don't know what we are going to do when my student loans become due. My friend Anneke has gotten a forebearance (spelling?) on her student loans and will try to help me get the same.

So, for now...I finish school because I must. Because it is a priority. Because wasting money is a sin (it is, isn't it?). Priorities suck sometimes.

Hold your babies tight tonight

The horrible earthquake in Haiti seems to have put things into perspective for some people. Myself included. Not that I don't appreciate my family, but Riley is quick to irritate me, Bree seems to always be underfoot, and Adam is always leaving a trail of shirts he has already worn strewn about on the ground or the couch.

At least my children and husband are still alive to irritate me, be underfoot, or leaving dirty clothes in inconvenient piles and not dead in the street or crushed under a collapsed building. My heart breaks for the orphaned children, the now childless mothers, or the fathers who cannot find their families. I cannot imagine the grief, panic and anxiety they are going through. The thought of it bring tears to my eyes.

So tonight, I held Bree longer at bedtime. I kissed her little face, and squeezed her tight. When it was Riley's bedtime, she got to rock longer, read the same book three times, and I have indulged her with "Rock-a-bye baby" about thirty times.However, I still do not feel that is enough. So, I will appreciate more.

I will appreciate that my husband does the dishes, AND dumps the garbage and recycling.

I will appreciate Riley and her wonderful sense of humor.

I will appreciate that Bree can crawl, and is striving to learn more.

I will appreciate that I am alive.

I will appreciate that I CAN appreciate.

Straight from the mouths of babes

Now we all know that Riley is a talker...she tends to get that from me. As much as Riley is a talker, Bree is the opposite. It is going to be so interesting seeing these two grow up through the years. Even though Bree is less of a talker than Riley was at her age, she does still utter and use a few words correctly. The words that she uses are:

Up

Mama

Dada

All done (sounds like Ah-du, complete with shaking of hands)

Her speech therapist reassures me that this is completely acceptable for a one year old. I have nothing to compare it to except super speech Riley. For example, Riley and Grandma were playing with some stuffed animals two days ago. Riley had a monkey she was making say Oooo ah ah!, and Grandma had a frog that she was making to say Oooo ah ah!. Riley DID NOT like that and kept correcting Grandma, "It say Ribbi Ribbi!!!!". Well, after a few rounds of that, Riley clapped her hand on her forehead and said "I don't KNOW what to do with you!!!" Grandma and I just busted up laughing...it was so appropriate and cute!

Another story...last night the girls and I went to a friends house (Carrie Fay and Fernando's). On the way there, Riley was watching the previews to whatever movie was in the DVD player. About 30 seconds from their house, Riley proclaims "I watching a woowie (movie)....I need a cokcorn (popcorn)!". Now, I think we have only watched a movie and ate popcorn about twice in her lifetime. She is one smart cookie....or should I say, one smart kernel!

Disney on Ice here we come!

Grandma Gonce is treating me and Riley to the Disney on Ice show that will be in town this week. We are not going until Saturday, but I am excited! It is late tonight, I do not normally post this late. Today was the last day of my science class so I had to finish up some schoolwork, and pick up the trashed house. (It really wasn't trashed...just toy strewn) And since I have school to observe in the morning, I am going to make this short and sweet.

Good night all.
Sweet dreams.
I know I will sleep well...I am going to go take some sleep medicine because I have not slept well for two nights. I hope tonight is much better. I hope I sleep so well that I have no dreams. Know what I mean?

Bliggity Blog, Bloggity Blig.

I have not been feeling the blogging vibe lately. I think it is because my life is all filled up with plans, play dates, observations, and school work. It seems to suck all the creative, witty juices right outta me.

Here's our schedules right now:

Monday: Bree has therapy at 8. I observe at school from 8-12 while Adam is taking care of the girls.

Tuesday: School observing from 8-12

Wednesday: Bree has speech at 11.

Thursday: Bree has PT at 10.

Friday: I observe at school from 8 -12.

Now that I have written that out I can see that my afternoons are pretty free...Riley naps from 1-3 and Bree needs to eat at 8, 12, and 5. It doesn't allow for much "going" to happen in the afternoons so we are either at home, or up the road five houses at Anneke's house. After the girls go to bed I pick up the house, eat my dinner, get ready for bed and then do my schoolwork.

Life is good.

Drowning.

Right now I am drowning in schoolwork. Please forgive me for not writing more tonight. Sorry, but the class I am paying over $800 dollars for takes precedence right now. I still love you all. I really do. Really.

It's update time!

It has been a while since I outlined what the girls are up to, and how life is going/has changed for us. Life is in a constant motion of changing and rearranging in our house so we are always kept on our toes. Here's the updates:

Riley: She has hit the terrible two's. We talk much of choices and of time outs MULTIPLE times a day. I am hoping that by being firm now, I am reinforcing habits and good behavior for later on in life. Only time will tell.

She is quite the little chatterbox (wonder where she gets that from!) and is quite advanced with her language. She talks in sentences and will make connections that I assume most two year olds don't make. For example, this morning we were watching Go Diego Go! and there was a part in it that showed a bigger giraffe and a baby giraffe. Riley ran up to me saying "That's you Mom! You're the mom!!! I'm the baby!" She did the same thing later on in the evening when watching Ice Age: The Meltdown. She told Adam that he was Manny. He was the daddy elephant.

Bree: This little miss is a crawler! She crawls everywhere and is just starting to discover that she can get into stuff. Along with her crawling has come more talking...more babble and a few reinforcements of words. She knows and recognizes that I am Mama, and Adam is Dada. She can say "up" and requests it sometimes. We are working on a 'word' to stand for Riley, because apparently it is a really hard name for a little one to say. The "R" is hard to pronounce, but so is the "L" in it. I guess we'll start calling her "i, e". Ha ha!

Bree is getting better with her eating and we are up to about a tablespoon and a half at every feeding. (so three times a day) It's a start, and when she gets better with the eating we will start working on drinking from a cup. I do not want to throw too many things at her to be 'learning' and have her shut down and not allow us to be putting anything in her mouth. It's a hard balance, but we are working on it!

Adam and I are doing well, and getting back into the groove of things since the holidays are over. Life is good for now, and that's all I could ask for!

(mini) New Years Resolution

I plan on doing mini resolutions each month since the "year" resolutions never seem to work out. This month I am working on my language and speech. I want to speak more kindly to my children and husband. I find myself (and I am sure many of you do too) snapping at them too quickly,  raising my voice too fast, and getting irritated at the drop of a hat (or the whine of a voice). Namely, at a certain two year old:

The irritation normally starts with a face like that and whining of "Mommy! Mooooooommmmmmmmmmmmmmyyyy! Mooommmmmmmmmmyyyyyyyy! Where are you?????" when she is directly below me, leaning on me and stretching up at me. I love her dearly, but my goodness can she quickly push my buttons!

So, deep breathing is my new friend this month. January is the month of deep breathing.

Strike is over!

Ha ha, just kidding! I really wasn't on strike, I was just enjoying the time with my brother and sister while they were visiting. Next time I will be sure to let everyone know when I will be back as to not create any confusion or worry.

We had a great visit with my brother (Caleb) and my sister (Danielle) while they were here. They went home this afternoon despite Riley's attempt of keeping them here by refusing to give them goodbye hugs. Auntie stole a goodbye hug against Riley's will and Uncle Oo-bah just refused to deal with the screaming, crying, flailing rag doll of a two year old. (I have no idea why!??)

I thought it would be easier for Riley to see them off if we all went to the park before the time they needed to take off to burn off some extra energy and have a bit of fun. Then, when it was time for them to leave I could take the girls back home while Adam took Danielle and Caleb to the airport. I was right about the energy burning and the bit of fun, but was wrong about it making the goodbye part easier.

We did manage to get quite a few photos at the park though...hope you enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Isabella Grace Minard

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another year drawing to a close

As this year ends and another begins, I look forward to what it holds. This last year was the most interesting I have had so far. I have learned many things about myself, and changed my views on quite a few things. One of the most important things that I learned and plan to keep with me is to not judge others based upon what you can see. They have had many different experiences and their life has taken a different path than my own. I cannot judge their way of parenting because every child is different and until you are in that situation yourself you have no idea what it is like. This was a great concept for me to learn, and has been even harder to accept and practice. This lesson has always been repeated to me, but with the experiences I have had with Bree I got to learn this one the hard way. We have had many suggestions and stories told to us about how we should be raising her and what we should be doing. However, it has made me more thankful and opened my eyes to the fact that the life we are sharing as a family is our own, and it is ours to take our own path with.

We will be ringing in the New Year with my brother and sister here to celebrate with us and I wouldn't have it any other way. Surrounded by those we love, we will be looking forward to what the year of 2010 has in store for us...and for all of you!!!

Isabella Grace Minard

We all have a new member of our family! Isabella Grace Minard was born by emergency C section on December 26 at 8:29 in the morning. She weighed 8 lbs, 12 ounces and was 21 inches long. She has already proved herself to have a good set of lungs, and is just as cute as can be. Pictures to follow in a few days.

Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday (potentially)

Merry Christmas to all our blog followers, family, friends and everyone in the world! We have had a wonderous Christmas day full of surprises, and lots of love. Bree stood up for the first time today without someone holding onto her! She was holding onto her Uncle Ooba, but he was not holding onto her! What a big girl! The girl's got a lot of gifts, and my brother and sister seemed to enjoy their gifts we got them as well. It is hard for me to pick out gifts for them since we live so far away from them we do not know them as well as we would like to. So, we might be making some trips back to the stores to exchange a few things before they go home. As long as they are happy with everything that's all that matters. :)

My aunt and uncle also get a Christmas surprise today. My aunt's water broke this morning so I am typing this from her hospital room right now! Little Izzy will either be here today or tomorrow!! New babies are so precious and exciting.

I hope that all of you are enjoying the time with the people that you love. Eating food, sharing stories or even just playing board games with them. It is the time that is spent that is most precious. Merry Christmas everyone!

Apple soup

Tonight I made grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup for dinner. Not extravagant, but it gets the job done. While it was cooking Riley had suckered Auntie into holding her while she stood in the kitchen with me. Riley happened to see the tomato soup cooking and said "Yum! Apple Soup!" (It's red like an apple, right??)

*Fingers crossed*

My fingers are crossed in hopes that this time tomorrow evening my Aunt Shrrene and Uncle Rick will be holding their sweet new little girl in their arms. Tomorrow is Isabella Grace's official due date...and her Mama is sure ready for her to come on out!

Sweet Izzy, we can't wait to meet you!

The warm fuzzies

You know what I am talking about...the warm feeling you get when all feels right with world? Well, I have that. Right now.

My brother and sister are in town visiting until January fourth and I always have a good time with them when we get together. Riley absolutely adores both of them. In fact, she told me tonight. First with her actions, and then with her words.

After bath time tonight my sister helped me by dressing Riley in her pj's. After some bedtime blue's clue's it was time to brush Riley's teeth. Auntie volunteered to help Riley brush her teeth so I told her to holler for me when they were done and I would do the bedtime routine of books and bed. However, when I sat down in Riley's rocking chair to read her her two nighttime books I was told "Scoooz eeee....it auntie turn. scooooz eeeee. Move mommy!" She loves her Auntie.

After Auntie had put her to bed, she called for me and I went in to rock her as she requested. She laid her head down on my shoulder and said "wow". I kind of chuckled and said wow back to her. She sighed and said "Oooba very fun". (Ooba is her name for her Uncle Caleb) I asked her "Oh, yeah?" She informed me that "Oooba fun on slide". I asked her if Uncle Ooba was fun on the slide today and she said "Okay, let's go!". I laughed and told her it was bedtime right now but maybe they could play on the slide again tomorrow. She loves her Ooba.

My posts may be few and far between lately because I am going to take the time to enjoy my wonderful family visiting. :) Or I might just have many stories to tell because they are here. Only time will tell.

GO BREE!!!

This week is getting better and better! Yesterday and today she has been on full strength formula at feeds of 150 cc's 3 times a day and we've had no vomiting. Tonight is the first night we are doing half strength formula instead of pedialyte so wish us luck! I should start blogging about sleep deprivation more often because last night Bree slept from 7 to 530!!! Much improvement from previous nights!



 We had a check up  with Bree's eye doctor on Thursday and he said she is the fastest healing kid he's ever seen. :) In other news, she has started crawling!!!!! She surprised both us and the physical therapist. She is taking off and is pulling herself up on stuff and standing on her knees. She is such an amazing little girl! GO BREE!

Sleep deprivation

When we decided to have kids, I knew that when they were babies they would rob me of my sleep. However, I thought that it would only be 'the worst' when they were first born and woke up every two hours. Ahhh..those were the days! At least there was a schedule of sleeping. Wake up, feed baby for 30 minutes, lay down....try to go to sleep for 1/2 an hour...wake up in an hour to feed baby again. Now, since they are bigger...we have good days and bad days. (okay, so they are really nights...that's what I meant to say)

Lately, we have had more bad days/nights. Bree caught a bug after her surgery and has been throwing up 24/7. It doesn't seem to be contagious because no one else has it so I wonder if it is a reaction to anesthesia. She is a sensitive little girl ya know! Today was the best day we have had in a week. She took 3 feeds of full strength formula at 150 cc's each. We are going to do a night drip of pedialyte tonight again just to make sure she is back on track (night drips of formula make her vomit pronto right now). So, wish us luck that she sleeps better than the 3 hours of sleep we all got last night. Sigh. Good night everyone. Sweet dreams.

Smiles

Smiles can melt my heart. So can hugs, but today it was smiles. The sweetest smile I got today was from our friend's daughter Ella. (You can read her story here) She has a critical immune system and was unable to make our Christmas craft playdate so Riley, Bree and I brought the crafts to her, her sister and her mom.

When we first arrived Ella was relaxing and resting on the couch. Celine, Ella's mom, informed me that Ella had been like that for most of the week. She just didn't have the energy to get up and do much. However, after some coaxing, Ella built some towers with Bree, then took a rest again. She played a little...then would rest again. However, when Ella found the bag of construction paper, stick glue, and cotton balls she perked right up. She was very patient when asked to wait until I was done feeding Bree.

While we were doing the crafts, her little face light up and you could tell she was really enjoying herself. It was when I brought out the red paint to fingerpaint the nose on the reindeer that she smiled. She was so proud of herself for making the nose AND the eyes out of the red paint. My heart seriously melted into a puddle of happy goo tonight. Ella is such a sweet little girl and I love every little bit of her!

It's a Dora song!

Sunday night we had a family boogie down party complete with Christmas music! Riley played her guitar, danced, sang and spun in circles! Bree played drums, sang and danced by rocking back and forth and shaking her cutie booty! Adam and I supervised, danced along with, clapped and made fools of ourselves...and we loved every minute of it!

At one point in our festivities, Adam and I were playing with Bree while Riley was spinning circles in the living room to the music. All of sudden Riley stopped, put her finger in the air and declared "It's a DORA SONG!". I reassured her that no, the tv wasn't on, so it isn't a Dora song. Thirty seconds later, I started really listening to which song it was because Riley was again declaring it was a Dora song. Lo and behold....it was Feliz Navidad! My smart little cookie realized that it was Spanish!

Sometimes Riley amazes me. She's a unique, silly, smart, special little girl. And she's mine. She makes me proud.