So much for me be better at blogging more huh? I would love to find something to blame it on, but alas, there is no excuse. Other than I just haven't felt like blogging much anymore. Not sure why that is? I still read most of the blogs in my sidebar and a few others that I have found along the way. And every time I read someone's blog, I think, "I really need to post something on mine." I open up my blog, click on new post,....and nothing happens. I tell myself I will do it later, and then the same thing happens a couple of days later. Not sure what that is all about. So here is a little bit of an update if there is anyone that still reads this thing.
Caitlyn....
She is, in a word, amazing! At 9 years old (yikes!!) she is funny and smart and caring and any other positive adjective you can think of to describe a 9 year old. She had an exciting summer that consisted of going on vacation to the lake, going to Great America, swimming in my mom's pool, playing out front, sleeping in, hanging out with friends, playing softball, and just all around really enjoying summer. She goes back to school on Tuesday and is crazy excited! She has met her teacher and likes her (and tells me that I will too!). It scares me a little that she knows I have a tendency to be a little hard on her teachers. We went to the doctor last month for her annual checkup and she weighed in at 60 pounds and is 4'7". I can't believe how big she is now. She hasn't gotten much taller this year, but I am waiting for the growth spurt that happens every October. She is waiting so very patiently for 4'9" to come so that she can get out of her booster seat in the car.
Matt....
Football season is in full swing again. I love watching how excited he gets about practices, games, cutting up film, scouting other games, etc. It's amazing how much he truly loves what he does!
Nancy....
I finally finished school and officially have my Master's now! Thank God! Besides earning a new degree out of the program, I was offered an adjunct position to teach at the university as well. Which is fan-freaking-tastic! I would love to teach at the college level full time and this is my foot in the door. The position will also allow me to acquire my doctorate for free...should I choose to do so. I am not sure if that is in the near future, but I do think it is something that I will seriously begin to consider in the next year.
Cats....
We have a new addition in the Walsh household....by the name of Friday. Friday is one of the cutest little maine coon kitties I have ever seen in my life. She joined our family in June on the last day of school as a gift for Caitlyn. She has been wanting a cat of her own for some time now and Matt and I finally decided to give in to her. Marten isn't so sure about her, even after 2 months. But he is tolerating her even though he is now a crotchety old man.
Monday, September 06, 2010
Wednesday, May 05, 2010
Wordless Wednesday
This is our neighbor's son Connor. He is 3. And we think he is a little in love with Caitlyn :)
Monday, April 26, 2010
I am that Bad Mom you have heard about
Some time in the fall, I broke the news to Caitlyn that there was no Santa. Not because I wanted to be cruel on that particular day, but because she was asking about it and began doubting it a little herself. To spare her the embarrassment of being the only child in her classroom that still believed in him, I fessed up and told her the truth. In true Caitlyn format, there was drama. Tears and all. She threw out comments like, "It just seems like a little bit of the Christmas spirit is gone now that I know." OK? Well, there will still be the same amount of Christmas spirit under the tree as there was when you believed in Santa. She also learned the truth about the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy during that same discussion (which, by the way, lasted a good 24 hours). Despite her knowing the truth, we still play the game of Santa and the Bunny and the Fairy. All in jest of course, she makes air quotes and all when she says their names.
Fast forward to this past week. On Wednesday, Caitlyn's tooth fell out while we were at Family Night at her school. She was at another table with her friends and excitedly ran up to me with the tooth in her hand. (Side note, I hate the idea of teeth falling out. Grosses me out.) On the way home, we joke about the tooth fairy leaving her some money under her pillow. On Thursday, when we got home, she was very careful to tell me that she was surprised this morning that the "tooth fairy" didn't leave her any money. Yep, that's right. I totally forgot about it. I know that she knows the truth, but she still looks forward to it. I just completely forgot about it and went to bed. Instead of trying to talk my way out of it, I simply asked her if we could just forgo the formalities of putting the money under the pillow and I could just hand over the money to her. Naturally she agreed.
Yesterday, she was at a friend's house, and apparently she swallowed the other tooth that was loose. Either that was a really crunchy piece of chocolate or my kid doesn't chew her food well enough. Either way, I needed to give her money. Of which I had none on me. She woke up this morning and quickly asked if we could make the trade, tooth for cash, this afternoon.
Fast forward to this past week. On Wednesday, Caitlyn's tooth fell out while we were at Family Night at her school. She was at another table with her friends and excitedly ran up to me with the tooth in her hand. (Side note, I hate the idea of teeth falling out. Grosses me out.) On the way home, we joke about the tooth fairy leaving her some money under her pillow. On Thursday, when we got home, she was very careful to tell me that she was surprised this morning that the "tooth fairy" didn't leave her any money. Yep, that's right. I totally forgot about it. I know that she knows the truth, but she still looks forward to it. I just completely forgot about it and went to bed. Instead of trying to talk my way out of it, I simply asked her if we could just forgo the formalities of putting the money under the pillow and I could just hand over the money to her. Naturally she agreed.
Yesterday, she was at a friend's house, and apparently she swallowed the other tooth that was loose. Either that was a really crunchy piece of chocolate or my kid doesn't chew her food well enough. Either way, I needed to give her money. Of which I had none on me. She woke up this morning and quickly asked if we could make the trade, tooth for cash, this afternoon.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Wordless Wednesday
You can't see her very well, she is in the back corner wearing a white shirt and dark pants.
Monday, April 12, 2010
I'm Slipping Again
I know I said I would be better at generating updates and fun posts. But life gets in the way and things get crazy and all of the sudden, I am a month behind again. However, busy is good! I think about all of the things that I imagined being a parent would be like. And to be honest, 90% has been true. I love that Caitlyn is involved in so many extra curriculars. I love that I have to have a calender in hand when someone asks me what we are doing this weekend. And I love that I get to watch her enjoy ALL of it!
Caitlyn seems to be testing the waters when it comes to activities to determine what it is that she likes. And in order to determine that, she has joined all sorts of things. She is in her third year of girl scouts, and probably enjoys that the most. She looks forward to every meeting and trip and is constantly looking for ways to earn new badges when we are home. She is also enrolled in Hip Hop again this year. The park district has a new instructor and he is, in a word, AMAZING! He has gotten these girls to do things the instructors in the past have not been able to do. She has mentioned her desire to return to ballet though. And personally, I think that is probably the better choice for her abilities and body type. Whichever she decides to continue with in the fall, I am fine with though. She also signed up for softball this spring. She has attended 2 clinics and absolutely loves it. If you know my child, you know she is a "girly-girl." So I fully expected her to shy away from the ball or complain when she gets hit with it. To my surprise (and this kid always surprises me), she runs full speed ahead for the ball when it comes at her and barely flinches if she gets hit with it. (Yes, she has already gotten hit in the face with it and kept right on going.) She has also signed up for the knitting class that the school is offering once a week. I don't know where this came from, but she has always loved "creating" things. Hopefully she will enjoy this. And very soon, cheerleading registration is coming up and she has expressed an interest in that as well.
All of that on top of school work, and busy parents, and it's no wonder we don't have a minute in our day to spare. But like I said, I wouldn't change a minute of it. There were so many times from her birth to toddlerhood, to just a couple of years ago that we didn't know what the future would hold for her. To say that we question it anymore would be a gross misrepresentation of what actually happens. I don't doubt that she will be able to do anything that she attempts. Or at least decide whether or not she wants to pursue her interests.
Every so often, when she is riding her bike, or picking up another Harry Potter to read (she is now on Book 5), I look at her and think, "My God! You don't even realize just how far you have come and the odds that were stacked against you!!!" And then I take a moment just to be thankful for being able to witness that miracle and be part of it. When I think about all this kid has been through in her short little life, I am in complete awe of her will and strength. She is such an amazing kiddo. She has an incredible sense of humor, has just a touch of sarcasm, and is as smart (if not smarter) than most kids I know, and has a heart of gold!!
OK, enough of the sappiness, will save that for her birthday post ;)
I have finally finished my classes. Well, at least those that I have to actually be in class for. I am currently doing a narrative research project as my last course for graduate school. It is easy going, and because it is narrative research, it is not anywhere near as intense as qualitative research. Which gives me some freedom with the final product. I was really worried about what this last quarter would look like and now I am so relieved. There is light at the end of the tunnel; in just over a month I will be completely finished. For how long? Who knows. There may be some opportunities on the horizon which I will mention later on. Suffice it to say, it is something that I would love to do and I think it would really "round out" my career.
On the work front, things are starting to slow down now, which is nice. We are approaching the point in the year where people just don't want me coming in and changing things up. There are only 40ish days of school left and summer can't get here fast enough! I am starting to think about our trips to the lake and all of the other fun things that summer brings.
Until next time......
Caitlyn seems to be testing the waters when it comes to activities to determine what it is that she likes. And in order to determine that, she has joined all sorts of things. She is in her third year of girl scouts, and probably enjoys that the most. She looks forward to every meeting and trip and is constantly looking for ways to earn new badges when we are home. She is also enrolled in Hip Hop again this year. The park district has a new instructor and he is, in a word, AMAZING! He has gotten these girls to do things the instructors in the past have not been able to do. She has mentioned her desire to return to ballet though. And personally, I think that is probably the better choice for her abilities and body type. Whichever she decides to continue with in the fall, I am fine with though. She also signed up for softball this spring. She has attended 2 clinics and absolutely loves it. If you know my child, you know she is a "girly-girl." So I fully expected her to shy away from the ball or complain when she gets hit with it. To my surprise (and this kid always surprises me), she runs full speed ahead for the ball when it comes at her and barely flinches if she gets hit with it. (Yes, she has already gotten hit in the face with it and kept right on going.) She has also signed up for the knitting class that the school is offering once a week. I don't know where this came from, but she has always loved "creating" things. Hopefully she will enjoy this. And very soon, cheerleading registration is coming up and she has expressed an interest in that as well.
All of that on top of school work, and busy parents, and it's no wonder we don't have a minute in our day to spare. But like I said, I wouldn't change a minute of it. There were so many times from her birth to toddlerhood, to just a couple of years ago that we didn't know what the future would hold for her. To say that we question it anymore would be a gross misrepresentation of what actually happens. I don't doubt that she will be able to do anything that she attempts. Or at least decide whether or not she wants to pursue her interests.
Every so often, when she is riding her bike, or picking up another Harry Potter to read (she is now on Book 5), I look at her and think, "My God! You don't even realize just how far you have come and the odds that were stacked against you!!!" And then I take a moment just to be thankful for being able to witness that miracle and be part of it. When I think about all this kid has been through in her short little life, I am in complete awe of her will and strength. She is such an amazing kiddo. She has an incredible sense of humor, has just a touch of sarcasm, and is as smart (if not smarter) than most kids I know, and has a heart of gold!!
OK, enough of the sappiness, will save that for her birthday post ;)
I have finally finished my classes. Well, at least those that I have to actually be in class for. I am currently doing a narrative research project as my last course for graduate school. It is easy going, and because it is narrative research, it is not anywhere near as intense as qualitative research. Which gives me some freedom with the final product. I was really worried about what this last quarter would look like and now I am so relieved. There is light at the end of the tunnel; in just over a month I will be completely finished. For how long? Who knows. There may be some opportunities on the horizon which I will mention later on. Suffice it to say, it is something that I would love to do and I think it would really "round out" my career.
On the work front, things are starting to slow down now, which is nice. We are approaching the point in the year where people just don't want me coming in and changing things up. There are only 40ish days of school left and summer can't get here fast enough! I am starting to think about our trips to the lake and all of the other fun things that summer brings.
Until next time......
Tuesday, March 09, 2010
Looking Back
I was browsing through my pictures on photobucket yesterday, and I just can't believe how much Caitlyn has changed in just a few short years!
For example, look at how crazy long her hair is in this picture
Then, there's the pictures where she just looks so much younger. Her face was so much fuller than it is now, and her nose was so much more "buttonish" (I know it's not a word, but it's what comes to mind when I think of a way to describe it)
And then in this picture, I couldn't believe how short she was. She comes up to my chest now!
She really was one seriously cute toddler!
And an even cuter "big kid."
And has managed to turn into such a pretty little lady.
For example, look at how crazy long her hair is in this picture
Then, there's the pictures where she just looks so much younger. Her face was so much fuller than it is now, and her nose was so much more "buttonish" (I know it's not a word, but it's what comes to mind when I think of a way to describe it)
And then in this picture, I couldn't believe how short she was. She comes up to my chest now!
She really was one seriously cute toddler!
And an even cuter "big kid."
And has managed to turn into such a pretty little lady.
Sunday, March 07, 2010
What a Week!
As if my week wasn't rough enough with everything going on at work, I came home to absolute hell on Friday. My mom called me to tell me that Kelly went to get her hair cut, only to be sent home again because the beautician said she had lice. Caitlyn had spent the night there on Sunday, which meant that she probably had it as well. So I pick her up from dance and go to Walgreens to purchase the shampoo and special comb to get rid of it. Once that was done, I had to strip all of the beds, and towels and most of the clothes and begin washing them. Then bagged up all of the pillows that can't be washed and all the stuffed animal she had on her bed and put them in sealed bags. Luckily, my cleaning lady had been at the house on Friday. Why is that lucky you ask? Because the woman vacuums EVERYTHING!! And from what I have read online (and I have read a lot this weekend), that is one of the most effective ways to make sure they are gone from your house.
It took over an hour to comb through Cait's hair with that comb. And while doing it, I didn't find anything that I thought could be nits. However, that's not to say there weren't. The reason it was so difficult for me is because Caitlyn has a very dry scalp. Add to that dryness, the harshness of the shampoo, and you end up with a lot of flakes. So when you are looking for small white things in a head full of hair, it can be a grueling task to say the least. I did the best I could, crossed my fingers, and hoped for the best.
When we woke up on Saturday, I checked her hair again and couldn't really see anything other than flakes. So I took her to CCD. Naturally, she walks in the classroom and tells her teacher she might have lice. Mind you, this teacher is a freaking lunatic!! Because I haven't blogged in a while, I haven't shared the crazy things she has said to these kids. Things like, "God only forgives 50% of your sins." Looney tunes!! The teacher immediately sends her to the office. Rightly so. I would have done the same thing. The director calls me, and I tell her that I didn't see anything in Cait's hair, and I used the shampoo mostly as a precautionary measure. I assured her that I would not have sent her to class if I felt she was a threat to the other children. She agreed and escorted Caitlyn back to the Church where they were going over the stations of the cross.
I picked Caitlyn up and as we were driving home, I asked her how class was. She proceeded to tell me that this crazy bitch of a teacher, upon returning to the classroom, told Caitlyn that she needed to sit in the back of the classroom because lice can jump. Um, what???? First of all, the damn things don't jump, that is not how lice are transmitted. Secondly, if the director brought her to class, then clearly it is safe for her to be there. Lastly, if she had any issue with it, she should have called the director again and had me pick the kid up. How dare you ostracize my kid and make her sit in the back of the classroom?? Does she not realize just how cruel kids really are? They are kids, they make fun of other kids. It's their job I think.
I was so shaken and upset, I couldn't even speak. I called Matt and told him what happened (he was at a clinic all weekend), and he tells me to call the director back. I told him there is no way I could call her, as I was crying because my heart was broken for Caitlyn and the embarrassment she must have been feeling. He said he would call her and discuss this incident and the sin forgiving incident. And that he did. The director was absolutely mortified and said that she would be discussing this with the teacher. Now let's see how things go next week.
For the record, I don't know that Caitlyn ever really even had lice. I didn't see anything on her head, she hasn't scratched her head at all, and now she has the shampoo on her head that supposedly protects her from future infestations (yuck) for 14 days. Me on the other hand, I can not stop itching my head to save my life. I know it's completely psychological, but I can't shake it. I'm hoping it passes in the next couple of days or I am going to be driving myself crazy!
On a much happier note, Caitlyn had her first softball clinic this morning and absolutely loved it. She was a bit nervous about it the last few days. But once she started playing with the high school girls that were helping out, her confidence grew immensely and she had so much fun. She is counting down the days until the next one!
It took over an hour to comb through Cait's hair with that comb. And while doing it, I didn't find anything that I thought could be nits. However, that's not to say there weren't. The reason it was so difficult for me is because Caitlyn has a very dry scalp. Add to that dryness, the harshness of the shampoo, and you end up with a lot of flakes. So when you are looking for small white things in a head full of hair, it can be a grueling task to say the least. I did the best I could, crossed my fingers, and hoped for the best.
When we woke up on Saturday, I checked her hair again and couldn't really see anything other than flakes. So I took her to CCD. Naturally, she walks in the classroom and tells her teacher she might have lice. Mind you, this teacher is a freaking lunatic!! Because I haven't blogged in a while, I haven't shared the crazy things she has said to these kids. Things like, "God only forgives 50% of your sins." Looney tunes!! The teacher immediately sends her to the office. Rightly so. I would have done the same thing. The director calls me, and I tell her that I didn't see anything in Cait's hair, and I used the shampoo mostly as a precautionary measure. I assured her that I would not have sent her to class if I felt she was a threat to the other children. She agreed and escorted Caitlyn back to the Church where they were going over the stations of the cross.
I picked Caitlyn up and as we were driving home, I asked her how class was. She proceeded to tell me that this crazy bitch of a teacher, upon returning to the classroom, told Caitlyn that she needed to sit in the back of the classroom because lice can jump. Um, what???? First of all, the damn things don't jump, that is not how lice are transmitted. Secondly, if the director brought her to class, then clearly it is safe for her to be there. Lastly, if she had any issue with it, she should have called the director again and had me pick the kid up. How dare you ostracize my kid and make her sit in the back of the classroom?? Does she not realize just how cruel kids really are? They are kids, they make fun of other kids. It's their job I think.
I was so shaken and upset, I couldn't even speak. I called Matt and told him what happened (he was at a clinic all weekend), and he tells me to call the director back. I told him there is no way I could call her, as I was crying because my heart was broken for Caitlyn and the embarrassment she must have been feeling. He said he would call her and discuss this incident and the sin forgiving incident. And that he did. The director was absolutely mortified and said that she would be discussing this with the teacher. Now let's see how things go next week.
For the record, I don't know that Caitlyn ever really even had lice. I didn't see anything on her head, she hasn't scratched her head at all, and now she has the shampoo on her head that supposedly protects her from future infestations (yuck) for 14 days. Me on the other hand, I can not stop itching my head to save my life. I know it's completely psychological, but I can't shake it. I'm hoping it passes in the next couple of days or I am going to be driving myself crazy!
On a much happier note, Caitlyn had her first softball clinic this morning and absolutely loved it. She was a bit nervous about it the last few days. But once she started playing with the high school girls that were helping out, her confidence grew immensely and she had so much fun. She is counting down the days until the next one!
Tuesday, March 02, 2010
Vent Time
So I mentioned a while back that the person who works with me wasn't that spectacular at her job. Well, it turns out that she decided to turn in her letter of resignation a couple of weeks ago. She did so because she felt she wasn't going to be asked to return next year. I can accept that. However, when she began looking for jobs, she came upon one that starts around the time that we go on spring break.
....you see where this is going right?
Yep, she is probably going to accept the position and leave the school at spring break. Leaving myself and the intervention specialist to fend for ourselves. Between the 3 of us, we make up 3 full time positions; I am 1.0 as AT, IS is 1.0, and this coworker is .5 in AT and 0.5 in IS (this sounds crazy, but it works). So now, the IS and I will have to do the job of 1.5. Unfortunately, based on the number of hours that we work, there is no way for us to fill a 1.5 position each.
I understand that people have to do what is right for them and their families. Really. I get that. But why on earth would you even tell a place that you are available immediately, when in theory, you really aren't? It just proves to me the lack of accountability people have for their jobs these days. It also goes to show that she really doesn't care about the kids she is leaving behind as there is no way that their needs can be met until we find someone to fill her position.
And the kicker of it all....I came in to a message on my phone this morning from her prospective place of employment regarding a reference. Nice. I do hope she understands that while I will be honest about her abilities, I will also be honest about her short comings. She really should have thought about this prior to putting my name down on that application.
....you see where this is going right?
Yep, she is probably going to accept the position and leave the school at spring break. Leaving myself and the intervention specialist to fend for ourselves. Between the 3 of us, we make up 3 full time positions; I am 1.0 as AT, IS is 1.0, and this coworker is .5 in AT and 0.5 in IS (this sounds crazy, but it works). So now, the IS and I will have to do the job of 1.5. Unfortunately, based on the number of hours that we work, there is no way for us to fill a 1.5 position each.
I understand that people have to do what is right for them and their families. Really. I get that. But why on earth would you even tell a place that you are available immediately, when in theory, you really aren't? It just proves to me the lack of accountability people have for their jobs these days. It also goes to show that she really doesn't care about the kids she is leaving behind as there is no way that their needs can be met until we find someone to fill her position.
And the kicker of it all....I came in to a message on my phone this morning from her prospective place of employment regarding a reference. Nice. I do hope she understands that while I will be honest about her abilities, I will also be honest about her short comings. She really should have thought about this prior to putting my name down on that application.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
I Did it Again
Crap! I suck at this these days. I know it's because I spend way too much time on Facebook. It's the devil!
Let's see, what has happened in our world in the last month? After the cheating episode, Caitlyn managed to pass her multiplication test on her own, without cheating. She also got her report card and managed to get straight A's again. Her goal for the year was to get straight A's one quarter and get perfect attendance for the year. She has modified that goal and now wants straight A's for the year. So she is halfway there and she also hasn't missed a day of school yet! I couldn't be more proud of her. On her report card, her teacher commented that she "is a little bit of an overachiever and demands the best out of herself." Let's be realistic Mrs. C, she is not a "little bit" of an overachiever, she is a lot of one. That comment pretty much sums up the kind of person that Caitlyn has become. She DOES demand the very best of herself. And when she doesn't achieve something she is aiming for, she is very hard on herself. I know that can be a bad thing, and I try to help her understand that achieving the best and giving it your best are two very different things. While she understand that, she still demands more of herself. And I will be honest in saying that I think it will work out well for her in the future. Provided she can balance the two and continue to understand that, regardless of the outcome, I will be proud as long as she puts forth her best effort.
Caitlyn has signed up for softball. If you know my child, she isn't the most athletic kid on the block. She is more of a fan of sports, than a player of them. But she really wanted to do it, so we are going for it. To help her get started, we have signed her up for some fielding and hitting clinics. Just to teach her the basics, since she has never played the sport. To be honest, I don't think she has ever even seen a softball game played. We'll see how it goes. Either way, I know she will look fantastic in her uniform =P
She is still enrolled in dance classes. She decided to do hip hop again this year. The park district has a new teacher and he is, in a word, amazing!! These kids come out of that room dripping with sweat when he is done with them. Their routine looks great so far and I can't wait for the recital in May.
We are watching what the girl eats these days and how much she is eating. Not because she needs a diet or anything, if you have seen this child, you know that has never been the case, nor is it now. But she fainted a few weeks ago in the mall cause she hadn't eaten anything. Needless to say, that really threw me for a loop. It was absolutely terrifying to see her go as pale as she did and just fall into my arms completely limp and lifeless. It's amazing how the human psyche works. Cause as soon as I laid her on the floor and looked at her face, pale with lips as white as a sheet, I was immediately taken back to the times in the NICU and when she first came home that she would stop breathing. Even though she was breathing, it was as if I was looking at a tiny baby fighting to breathe again. Horrifying doesn't even begin to describe it. So, we are watching to make sure that she constantly has food in her. We have gotten the teacher to agree to allow her a snack in the afternoon as well. As long as it doesn't take more than a few minutes for her to eat. (I know I could fight with the school to allow her more than a "few minutes" and the teacher can't say if it's longer she can't have it. But I don't feel it's necessary as Caitlyn can consume a small snack of a cereal bar in under 4 minutes.
I am more than halfway through my final two classes for my master's and will start my collaborative project at the end of March. I will be done in June and ready to graduate. Thank God. Cause I am at my wits end with school at this point. While I love being a student and learning, I need a break. And with everything Caitlyn is signing up for and wants to sign up for, it's getting too difficult to manage all of our schedules. There just isn't enough time. And I want her to be able to do all of those things that she wants to do. In order to do that, I need to be more available to her. So school is ending for me at the right time!
That's about all for now. More to come "soon." LOL
Let's see, what has happened in our world in the last month? After the cheating episode, Caitlyn managed to pass her multiplication test on her own, without cheating. She also got her report card and managed to get straight A's again. Her goal for the year was to get straight A's one quarter and get perfect attendance for the year. She has modified that goal and now wants straight A's for the year. So she is halfway there and she also hasn't missed a day of school yet! I couldn't be more proud of her. On her report card, her teacher commented that she "is a little bit of an overachiever and demands the best out of herself." Let's be realistic Mrs. C, she is not a "little bit" of an overachiever, she is a lot of one. That comment pretty much sums up the kind of person that Caitlyn has become. She DOES demand the very best of herself. And when she doesn't achieve something she is aiming for, she is very hard on herself. I know that can be a bad thing, and I try to help her understand that achieving the best and giving it your best are two very different things. While she understand that, she still demands more of herself. And I will be honest in saying that I think it will work out well for her in the future. Provided she can balance the two and continue to understand that, regardless of the outcome, I will be proud as long as she puts forth her best effort.
Caitlyn has signed up for softball. If you know my child, she isn't the most athletic kid on the block. She is more of a fan of sports, than a player of them. But she really wanted to do it, so we are going for it. To help her get started, we have signed her up for some fielding and hitting clinics. Just to teach her the basics, since she has never played the sport. To be honest, I don't think she has ever even seen a softball game played. We'll see how it goes. Either way, I know she will look fantastic in her uniform =P
She is still enrolled in dance classes. She decided to do hip hop again this year. The park district has a new teacher and he is, in a word, amazing!! These kids come out of that room dripping with sweat when he is done with them. Their routine looks great so far and I can't wait for the recital in May.
We are watching what the girl eats these days and how much she is eating. Not because she needs a diet or anything, if you have seen this child, you know that has never been the case, nor is it now. But she fainted a few weeks ago in the mall cause she hadn't eaten anything. Needless to say, that really threw me for a loop. It was absolutely terrifying to see her go as pale as she did and just fall into my arms completely limp and lifeless. It's amazing how the human psyche works. Cause as soon as I laid her on the floor and looked at her face, pale with lips as white as a sheet, I was immediately taken back to the times in the NICU and when she first came home that she would stop breathing. Even though she was breathing, it was as if I was looking at a tiny baby fighting to breathe again. Horrifying doesn't even begin to describe it. So, we are watching to make sure that she constantly has food in her. We have gotten the teacher to agree to allow her a snack in the afternoon as well. As long as it doesn't take more than a few minutes for her to eat. (I know I could fight with the school to allow her more than a "few minutes" and the teacher can't say if it's longer she can't have it. But I don't feel it's necessary as Caitlyn can consume a small snack of a cereal bar in under 4 minutes.
I am more than halfway through my final two classes for my master's and will start my collaborative project at the end of March. I will be done in June and ready to graduate. Thank God. Cause I am at my wits end with school at this point. While I love being a student and learning, I need a break. And with everything Caitlyn is signing up for and wants to sign up for, it's getting too difficult to manage all of our schedules. There just isn't enough time. And I want her to be able to do all of those things that she wants to do. In order to do that, I need to be more available to her. So school is ending for me at the right time!
That's about all for now. More to come "soon." LOL
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Cheating
So we had to go to a wake yesterday. Which meant that I was picking Caitlyn up from school so that we could hurry home, start homework, and then head to the wake. I get there a few minutes early and hang out waiting with a few other parents. I see Caitlyn's class come out, but I don't see Caitlyn. My eyes start searching all over for her, and then I see her standing by the doors of the building. So I think, "Maybe she didn't see me standing here?" So I give her a little wave, then another, and then a third when there is no response. Then I see the look on her face and realize that she is standing with the teacher. So I start to head over to the doors to see what the problem is. I figured maybe she hurt herself or was upset about something. Either way, it was evident that the teacher needed to talk to me.
It would appear that Caitlyn thought it was a good idea to attempt to cheat on her math test. Not a huge test, like on a unit of skills, but on the multiplication test that they take a few days a week. The students have 45 seconds to answer 24 multiplication problems. All of the problems are in the same number family. So each kid could be on a different number depending on what their individual skill level is. Caitlyn is currently on 4's. She has created so much anxiety within herself over this silly little quiz. See, for every family they complete, they get to add a piece to their ice cream sundae on the bulletin board. Caitlyn has a dish, a spoon, and a banana (she has completely 1's, 2's, and 3's). When she completes her 4's, she gets her first of 3 scoops of ice cream.
Needless to say, she is dying to get that scoop and will apparently do ANYTHING it takes to get that scoop. Which includes taking out one of the quizzes from last week and turning it in as yesterday's quiz (she is one of those kids that completes it even when the 45 seconds is up to practice, so she has many completed ones). When the teacher called "time" on the test, she decided to pull out an old one and turn that one in as opposed to the one that she didn't finish.
And she wasn't even slick about it. Got caught immediately after.
And she prompted the student across from her to do the same. And get caught as well.
The teacher immediately pulled them out of the room and made them wait in the hall....ON THE BENCH!!! (There is a bench in the hall for students who are waiting to get a firm talking to.) It was there that Caitlyn began to cry uncontrollably.
So, the punishment from school is that an incident letter is written up and sent to the assistant principal, who acts as the dean and deals with most of the discipline. There is a possibility that she will have to talk to him. And this, I can honestly say, scares the ever living shit out of her! She is terrified of this man, and I have no idea why. I think she is just terrified of what he represents, she just can separate the two yet.
As for the punishment that is to come at home, well we haven't decided on one just yet. She decided that she needed to write a letter of apology to the teacher, which I thought was a good idea. Matt and I are trying to determine what to take away from her for a couple of days. More than likely it will be the TV. Which will torture her I'm sure. Or the Wii. There was also a loooooong discussion about why this isn't the way to go about getting something that you want in school. And I threw the honor roll and good citizenship awards that she has gotten at her. Made sure that she understands these things may not be possible to get if she continues to cheat.
As of this morning, the child was still upset over what she had done and what was going to happen because of it. Hopefully, she will be able to move past this very quickly....and just memorize her damn multiplication facts!!!
It would appear that Caitlyn thought it was a good idea to attempt to cheat on her math test. Not a huge test, like on a unit of skills, but on the multiplication test that they take a few days a week. The students have 45 seconds to answer 24 multiplication problems. All of the problems are in the same number family. So each kid could be on a different number depending on what their individual skill level is. Caitlyn is currently on 4's. She has created so much anxiety within herself over this silly little quiz. See, for every family they complete, they get to add a piece to their ice cream sundae on the bulletin board. Caitlyn has a dish, a spoon, and a banana (she has completely 1's, 2's, and 3's). When she completes her 4's, she gets her first of 3 scoops of ice cream.
Needless to say, she is dying to get that scoop and will apparently do ANYTHING it takes to get that scoop. Which includes taking out one of the quizzes from last week and turning it in as yesterday's quiz (she is one of those kids that completes it even when the 45 seconds is up to practice, so she has many completed ones). When the teacher called "time" on the test, she decided to pull out an old one and turn that one in as opposed to the one that she didn't finish.
And she wasn't even slick about it. Got caught immediately after.
And she prompted the student across from her to do the same. And get caught as well.
The teacher immediately pulled them out of the room and made them wait in the hall....ON THE BENCH!!! (There is a bench in the hall for students who are waiting to get a firm talking to.) It was there that Caitlyn began to cry uncontrollably.
So, the punishment from school is that an incident letter is written up and sent to the assistant principal, who acts as the dean and deals with most of the discipline. There is a possibility that she will have to talk to him. And this, I can honestly say, scares the ever living shit out of her! She is terrified of this man, and I have no idea why. I think she is just terrified of what he represents, she just can separate the two yet.
As for the punishment that is to come at home, well we haven't decided on one just yet. She decided that she needed to write a letter of apology to the teacher, which I thought was a good idea. Matt and I are trying to determine what to take away from her for a couple of days. More than likely it will be the TV. Which will torture her I'm sure. Or the Wii. There was also a loooooong discussion about why this isn't the way to go about getting something that you want in school. And I threw the honor roll and good citizenship awards that she has gotten at her. Made sure that she understands these things may not be possible to get if she continues to cheat.
As of this morning, the child was still upset over what she had done and what was going to happen because of it. Hopefully, she will be able to move past this very quickly....and just memorize her damn multiplication facts!!!
Thursday, January 07, 2010
Christmas and New Year's in Review
Again, I am terrible at this now. I used to be so good about it, but lately, just don't have it in me to update as frequently as I used to. Anywho....
Christmas was wonderful this year! I will confess that I went absolutely ape shit crazy buying stuff for Caitlyn. She got darn near everything on her list that she wanted. Spoiled? Yes. However, she is an appreciative kid and would love gifts that she hadn't asked for. Not to mention the fact that we only have one kid. So what else are we going to spend our money on right? The most popular gift under the tree in Caitlyn's eyes this year was her iPod. I ordered it for her at least a month before Christmas and had it engraved. My plan was to load all of her music on it (from my iTunes) so that it was ready to go on Christmas. Do we think that really happened? You would be wise to say no, if you know me at all. But I had good intentions, really I did. We also got her the dock with the speakers so that she could use it in her room and use it without having to have ear buds in.
Next exciting gift under the tree was the plethora of America Girl Doll goodies. Thank goodness for cyber Monday (the Monday after Thanksgiving) otherwise there would have been far fewer AG items under that tree. But they just happened to have most of the stuff that she had circled in the catalog on sale that day. So she was fortunate.
Of course there were tons of pj pants, not sets, pants. Cause she is all about wearing fleecy pj bottoms and oversized t shirts now. Must be an age thing. She got a bunch of clothes from Justice/Limited Too. (The entire store happened to be having a 40% off sale the day I went.) That is the only place that I have been able to find pants and jeans that fit her nicely. They make a super skinny slim that is fantastic! And Caitlyn loves all of the "funky" looks that they have. Personally, the store has far too many 80's fashions floating around for my liking. But the girl likes all of that.
Dad got the Black Hawks jersey that he wanted. We got the Wii Fit Plus for the "family gift" and I got the INstyler. I was so very excited to receive that. That is, until I went to use it for the third time and it refused to turn on. Seems it's not a very sturdy item. And of course, you can't take it back to the store that you purchased it from. You have to contact the company. Needless to say, I haven't done that yet. And I have no desire to do so, but the thought of losing $100 is looking over me. So I will get on that.
New Year's in the land of the Walshes was very low key this year. We didn't feel like getting all gussied up and heading out to some bar. Instead, we stayed home and lounged around with Caitlyn. She was soooooo excited to count down at midnight. Then once it was over, she was sort of confused. I explained to her that as she gets older, ringing in the New Year at midnight only becomes more anti-climactic. No, I didn't really tell her that, although I thought it and believe it to be true.
We are getting dumped on with lots of snow today. Which I love. And I am crossing my fingers, toes, legs, and eyes and anything else that I can get to cross in hopes of a snow day tomorrow. I would love for this to be a 4 day work week. Not that I have anything exciting going on this weekend, but it's the first week back in school after break. And that is always a tough week. So say a prayer, do a snow dance, whatever you have to do to get me a ton of snow here in Chicago folks!
My classes start up again next week. BUT....it is the last two!!! So I am eager to get them started in an effort to get them over. Once those two classes end in March, I have my collaborative project that runs through June. I can't student teach again because I am already certified, so this collaborative project is in place of student teaching. Hopefully that won't be too painful. But I am nearing the end and couldn't be happier!!
next update.....coming soon ;)
Christmas was wonderful this year! I will confess that I went absolutely ape shit crazy buying stuff for Caitlyn. She got darn near everything on her list that she wanted. Spoiled? Yes. However, she is an appreciative kid and would love gifts that she hadn't asked for. Not to mention the fact that we only have one kid. So what else are we going to spend our money on right? The most popular gift under the tree in Caitlyn's eyes this year was her iPod. I ordered it for her at least a month before Christmas and had it engraved. My plan was to load all of her music on it (from my iTunes) so that it was ready to go on Christmas. Do we think that really happened? You would be wise to say no, if you know me at all. But I had good intentions, really I did. We also got her the dock with the speakers so that she could use it in her room and use it without having to have ear buds in.
Next exciting gift under the tree was the plethora of America Girl Doll goodies. Thank goodness for cyber Monday (the Monday after Thanksgiving) otherwise there would have been far fewer AG items under that tree. But they just happened to have most of the stuff that she had circled in the catalog on sale that day. So she was fortunate.
Of course there were tons of pj pants, not sets, pants. Cause she is all about wearing fleecy pj bottoms and oversized t shirts now. Must be an age thing. She got a bunch of clothes from Justice/Limited Too. (The entire store happened to be having a 40% off sale the day I went.) That is the only place that I have been able to find pants and jeans that fit her nicely. They make a super skinny slim that is fantastic! And Caitlyn loves all of the "funky" looks that they have. Personally, the store has far too many 80's fashions floating around for my liking. But the girl likes all of that.
Dad got the Black Hawks jersey that he wanted. We got the Wii Fit Plus for the "family gift" and I got the INstyler. I was so very excited to receive that. That is, until I went to use it for the third time and it refused to turn on. Seems it's not a very sturdy item. And of course, you can't take it back to the store that you purchased it from. You have to contact the company. Needless to say, I haven't done that yet. And I have no desire to do so, but the thought of losing $100 is looking over me. So I will get on that.
New Year's in the land of the Walshes was very low key this year. We didn't feel like getting all gussied up and heading out to some bar. Instead, we stayed home and lounged around with Caitlyn. She was soooooo excited to count down at midnight. Then once it was over, she was sort of confused. I explained to her that as she gets older, ringing in the New Year at midnight only becomes more anti-climactic. No, I didn't really tell her that, although I thought it and believe it to be true.
We are getting dumped on with lots of snow today. Which I love. And I am crossing my fingers, toes, legs, and eyes and anything else that I can get to cross in hopes of a snow day tomorrow. I would love for this to be a 4 day work week. Not that I have anything exciting going on this weekend, but it's the first week back in school after break. And that is always a tough week. So say a prayer, do a snow dance, whatever you have to do to get me a ton of snow here in Chicago folks!
My classes start up again next week. BUT....it is the last two!!! So I am eager to get them started in an effort to get them over. Once those two classes end in March, I have my collaborative project that runs through June. I can't student teach again because I am already certified, so this collaborative project is in place of student teaching. Hopefully that won't be too painful. But I am nearing the end and couldn't be happier!!
next update.....coming soon ;)
Wednesday, December 09, 2009
Hmmmm
3 1/2 months huh? That might be a record for me. Want to know why I haven't? It's simple really. Facebook. It is much easier to update one or two lines of a status that to write a narrative. Naturally, the downside to this is that you can't be as descriptive as you would like to be. Take Monday night's status for example. It read something to the effect of "taking Tutti out for her first legal drink because she was turning 21 at midnight." What it left out was how bad of an idea this probably was. There are several reasons that this was such a bad idea. The first obviously being that it's a Monday night and I had to work the next day. Additionally, I had to be at a training that was 40 miles away. The status also failed to mention that apparently I planned on getting shit faced! Which led to my not coming home until almost 4 in the morning. Not really good planning on my part, considering I had to leave the house at 7 in the morning.
OK, all that aside, here is an update on the girl. She is amazing! She is growing so stinking fast and getting more mature by the minute. She is now wanting to shop at specific stores and buy specific types of clothes and shoes. By the way, my kid is a boot whore. She wants any and every cute boot known to man! We just had report card pick up and Caitlyn has finally achieved her goal of getting straight A's. she tried so hard for them last year and missed by just a hair. So this year, she was gung ho on getting them. And she did. For her achievements, we went out for dinner and then to the bookstore so she could pick out a few books that she wanted. It may sound like an odd reward to most. However, the kid is a reading machine. I can not keep up with her. At this point she is in fact able to read faster than me. She typically reads about 2 books a week, never less than one. And she is reading books that range between 200-300 pages. It's insanity really. But I won't complain. I have seen her vocabulary explode when she is having conversations with people. I often ask her if she knows what the word she just said even means. And lo and behold she is able to give me a very functional definition. for example, we were talking about something, I can't remember what. And it involved 2 people disagreeing, I think it had something to do with a news story. And she said "That's a schism mom." Now, I am not ashamed to say that I had to just agree with her because I was not 100% sure that the analogy was correct. However, I promptly googled to make sure that it was. When I asked her how she knew that word, she began this long diatribe about how one of the characters in one of the books she read used it to describe something that was going on. It literally took her 5 minutes to tell me how she knew the word because she loves to talk about the characters in the books.
So, she has managed to make it through the Lemony Snicket books, A Series of Unfortunate Events, all 13 of them. And she has read a few random ones in between there as well. While reading them, she tries to tell me all about them and sadly I can't participate in the conversation because I have never read them. What I have decided to do now that she has finished all of them, is that she is going to read Harry Potter. That should slow her down a bit ;) And I can talk to her about them cause I have read them all! So it's a win win situation really.
I am 2 classes and a collaborative project away from being done with my master's program. And the end can't come soon enough. I am so sick of doing homework! While I love being in school and the atmosphere of it, the homework really sucks. Luckily, I was able to register for an online class for next term. Which means that I will only be out of the house one night a week. Works for me.
will try to be more diligent about updating....but I am not making any promises!
OK, all that aside, here is an update on the girl. She is amazing! She is growing so stinking fast and getting more mature by the minute. She is now wanting to shop at specific stores and buy specific types of clothes and shoes. By the way, my kid is a boot whore. She wants any and every cute boot known to man! We just had report card pick up and Caitlyn has finally achieved her goal of getting straight A's. she tried so hard for them last year and missed by just a hair. So this year, she was gung ho on getting them. And she did. For her achievements, we went out for dinner and then to the bookstore so she could pick out a few books that she wanted. It may sound like an odd reward to most. However, the kid is a reading machine. I can not keep up with her. At this point she is in fact able to read faster than me. She typically reads about 2 books a week, never less than one. And she is reading books that range between 200-300 pages. It's insanity really. But I won't complain. I have seen her vocabulary explode when she is having conversations with people. I often ask her if she knows what the word she just said even means. And lo and behold she is able to give me a very functional definition. for example, we were talking about something, I can't remember what. And it involved 2 people disagreeing, I think it had something to do with a news story. And she said "That's a schism mom." Now, I am not ashamed to say that I had to just agree with her because I was not 100% sure that the analogy was correct. However, I promptly googled to make sure that it was. When I asked her how she knew that word, she began this long diatribe about how one of the characters in one of the books she read used it to describe something that was going on. It literally took her 5 minutes to tell me how she knew the word because she loves to talk about the characters in the books.
So, she has managed to make it through the Lemony Snicket books, A Series of Unfortunate Events, all 13 of them. And she has read a few random ones in between there as well. While reading them, she tries to tell me all about them and sadly I can't participate in the conversation because I have never read them. What I have decided to do now that she has finished all of them, is that she is going to read Harry Potter. That should slow her down a bit ;) And I can talk to her about them cause I have read them all! So it's a win win situation really.
I am 2 classes and a collaborative project away from being done with my master's program. And the end can't come soon enough. I am so sick of doing homework! While I love being in school and the atmosphere of it, the homework really sucks. Luckily, I was able to register for an online class for next term. Which means that I will only be out of the house one night a week. Works for me.
will try to be more diligent about updating....but I am not making any promises!
Sunday, August 30, 2009
You know you haven't blogged in a long time when....
You have completely forgotten your password. And no matter what you try, you can not get into the stupid thing. Obviously, I eventually got the correct one. Only to remember that I changed it at some point for some ridiculous reason. Needless to say, it has now been changed back to one that I know I can remember. That is, provided I log on more frequently than ever 4 months.
So I will make this recap pretty short and sweet.
Caitlyn made her communion, and looked absolutely stunning in her dress. Of course I cried, which means by the time her wedding rolls around and she wears a white dress just as gorgeous I should be a blubbering idiot that they have to physically remove from the church because I am frightening small children.
Dance recital was in May, and the girl was fantastic. She is looking forward to signing up again this year. We're just not sure what she is going to be taking yet though. She is thinking ballet, but that may fall on the same night as girl scouts. And she doesn't want to give that up. So she may end up in Hip Hop again for the first semester and ballet second semester. We'll see.
Once school was over (for both of us) we were in full swing with the birthday parties. She had her friends party at the glow in the dark mini golf place by our house. Everyone had a ton of fun, but I don't think we will be having another party there. I wasn't too impressed with the staff. Then the family party rolled around at our house. There were gifts a plenty.
Once the birthday festivities were over, we moved into vacation at the lake mode. It seemed we were gone for most of July. And when we were at home, my time was spent unpacking, doing laundry, and repacking for the next trip. While on vacation, Cate tubed by herself on her stomach for the first time and absolutely loved it. I am thinking that next summer we are going to have a hard time keeping her off of that thing!
By the time August rolled around, we were trying to spend some time at home chilling out and doing some things locally. Caitlyn also decided to take another trip with my mom to Wisconsin Dells at some point in there. By the time she came back home, it was just about time for me to return to school and for football practice to start up again for Matt.
Which pretty much brings us up to date. I am back in school and football is in full swing, with the season opener today (which we won!!!). In more exciting news, Caitlyn has finally conquered riding a 2 wheeler. Yes, she was late in acquiring this skill. You see, if there is one thing that I have learned about my kid, it is that she will do things when she is damn good and ready to do them and not a moment sooner. I have tried and tried and tried for the last 3 years to get this child to ride a bike without training wheels. Every attempt by me was thwarted by Cate saying "Nope. It's easier with the training wheels on." Yes, I know she is correct, but come on already, just ride the damn bike without the training wheels!! Well, apparently, she was ready to do so this past Monday. She got on the bike, Kelly gave her a push from behind, and off she went. Without any issues. So just like she did 8 years ago when she was born, she will do things at her own pace and there is nothing I can do to make it happen otherwise.
This evening while at my mother's, she was riding her bike and fell. She decided to break her fall with her face, as opposed to her hands and managed to give herself a fat lip and a chipped tooth. Of course it is one of the front teeth, and a permanent one. We should be at the dentist within the next few days. Fun. I suppose I shouldn't complain. She could have broken a bone or something right?
So I will make this recap pretty short and sweet.
Caitlyn made her communion, and looked absolutely stunning in her dress. Of course I cried, which means by the time her wedding rolls around and she wears a white dress just as gorgeous I should be a blubbering idiot that they have to physically remove from the church because I am frightening small children.
Dance recital was in May, and the girl was fantastic. She is looking forward to signing up again this year. We're just not sure what she is going to be taking yet though. She is thinking ballet, but that may fall on the same night as girl scouts. And she doesn't want to give that up. So she may end up in Hip Hop again for the first semester and ballet second semester. We'll see.
Once school was over (for both of us) we were in full swing with the birthday parties. She had her friends party at the glow in the dark mini golf place by our house. Everyone had a ton of fun, but I don't think we will be having another party there. I wasn't too impressed with the staff. Then the family party rolled around at our house. There were gifts a plenty.
Once the birthday festivities were over, we moved into vacation at the lake mode. It seemed we were gone for most of July. And when we were at home, my time was spent unpacking, doing laundry, and repacking for the next trip. While on vacation, Cate tubed by herself on her stomach for the first time and absolutely loved it. I am thinking that next summer we are going to have a hard time keeping her off of that thing!
By the time August rolled around, we were trying to spend some time at home chilling out and doing some things locally. Caitlyn also decided to take another trip with my mom to Wisconsin Dells at some point in there. By the time she came back home, it was just about time for me to return to school and for football practice to start up again for Matt.
Which pretty much brings us up to date. I am back in school and football is in full swing, with the season opener today (which we won!!!). In more exciting news, Caitlyn has finally conquered riding a 2 wheeler. Yes, she was late in acquiring this skill. You see, if there is one thing that I have learned about my kid, it is that she will do things when she is damn good and ready to do them and not a moment sooner. I have tried and tried and tried for the last 3 years to get this child to ride a bike without training wheels. Every attempt by me was thwarted by Cate saying "Nope. It's easier with the training wheels on." Yes, I know she is correct, but come on already, just ride the damn bike without the training wheels!! Well, apparently, she was ready to do so this past Monday. She got on the bike, Kelly gave her a push from behind, and off she went. Without any issues. So just like she did 8 years ago when she was born, she will do things at her own pace and there is nothing I can do to make it happen otherwise.
This evening while at my mother's, she was riding her bike and fell. She decided to break her fall with her face, as opposed to her hands and managed to give herself a fat lip and a chipped tooth. Of course it is one of the front teeth, and a permanent one. We should be at the dentist within the next few days. Fun. I suppose I shouldn't complain. She could have broken a bone or something right?
Monday, April 27, 2009
Communion Gear
The girl's big day is this Saturday. And believe it or not, we are actually ready and just waiting for the day to get here. I can't believe it to be true myself as I am never usually this organized. Though it seems that with how busy things are in our lives right now, I have no other choice but to be organized. Funny how that works out. The only thing I have left to do is pick up the dress and veil from the cleaners on Friday where it is being steamed to get all of the wrinkles out.
We found out on Saturday that Caitlyn will also be doing a reading during mass. She is a bit nervous about it, but I know she will do just fine. And I know that once she does it, she will be as proud of herself as Matt and I are of her.
We had our season opener of the fire pit on Friday and the weather could not have been nicer. Though it was a bit windy which made the smoke pretty bad at times. And on occasion would blow some cinders around. But no one burst into flames, so I consider that a success.
We are almost to less than 30 days of school remaining. I can't wait to begin my countdown here in my office. Every year, I find funny pictures on google to represent the number remaining for the day. For example, when there are 12 days left, I can put up a picture of a dozen eggs. So while it sometimes is just a picture of the number that has been made in a creative way, sometimes it is just a representation of the number. It really is fun and people are amazed at the pictures that I can find. So if you have any good ideas for numbers, pass them along to me.
That's about all I've got right now.
We found out on Saturday that Caitlyn will also be doing a reading during mass. She is a bit nervous about it, but I know she will do just fine. And I know that once she does it, she will be as proud of herself as Matt and I are of her.
We had our season opener of the fire pit on Friday and the weather could not have been nicer. Though it was a bit windy which made the smoke pretty bad at times. And on occasion would blow some cinders around. But no one burst into flames, so I consider that a success.
We are almost to less than 30 days of school remaining. I can't wait to begin my countdown here in my office. Every year, I find funny pictures on google to represent the number remaining for the day. For example, when there are 12 days left, I can put up a picture of a dozen eggs. So while it sometimes is just a picture of the number that has been made in a creative way, sometimes it is just a representation of the number. It really is fun and people are amazed at the pictures that I can find. So if you have any good ideas for numbers, pass them along to me.
That's about all I've got right now.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
I Have Returned
And I am going to try and stay returned. That is, unless life happens to get in the way....again!
Lots going on around our house these days. So I won't go into all of the gory details, rather I will just do a small recap.
1. There was a few weeks in March where we ended up with loads of rain. Lots of that rain somehow ended up in my basement. This has never happened to us before so we just assumed it was the catch basin in the back that needed to be cleaned. That turned out to be fine. However, the pipes under our lawn were not so fine and needed to be replaced. To the tune of $6700. And of course, they don't replace the lawn they damage in the process. Feels like the front porch drama all over again.
2. Caitlyn had her spring concert. It was very cute. They sang a song called Take me Out of the Bathtub to the tune of Take Me Out to the Ballgame. I am going to attempt to put a video up here. So please be patient with me while I demonstrate my lack of technology skills.
3. Matt and I flew to Oregon for Carla's wedding. We had a great time. I forget just how green everything is out there. Just so pretty.
4. I am currently in 2 classes again this term. One of which is Assistive Technology. This is the class that I tried my damnedest to get an exempt from. All to no avail. I could probably teach the class, so I think it's so silly that I have to take it. I don't mind being in the class. But I do mind paying the close to $2000 that it costs to do so. I am also in a research class. This is an online class (which I am not a fan of to begin with) and the research paper is to be completed as a group (another thing which I am not so big on). I am convinced this class is going to completely wipe me out this term. I am am just thanking God that I am taking it now right before summer break. So I will have some good down time after it's over.
5. Work is absolutely insane. I constantly feel like I am behind on everything and can't seem to catch up. No matter how hard I try. I am convinced it is because of the person that I am working with. No matter though. She will be gone at the end of this year. So I just try to keep telling myself that I am almost through it.
6. I managed to pass the Learning Behavior Specialist I test. My paper work is now sitting at ISBE waiting for them to approve everything and include that endorsement on my certificate. Hopefully it will happen soon as I have once again been riffed. Same situation as last year. Only this time, there is light at the end of the tunnel and this process is almost over. At least I hope. If not, I will in fact be a greeter at a Wal**Mart near you. So keep your eyes open for me.
7. Caitlyn is making her communion in 2 weeks on May 2nd! The dress and shoes and tights have been purchased. We are going for the veil/headpiece this weekend, and hopefully the banner will be made by Friday night. We have not yet started the banner, because I am a bad mom. But it will be made by it's due date of Friday.
8. Report cards came out and Caitlyn went from A's to B's in a few subjects. So she is beside herself about this. She can't even tolerate that she got a B. No matter how I try to explain to her that it still means she did incredibly well, this child is bound and determined to get straight A's!
9. Hip Hop is finishing up and we have the recital coming up at the end of May. So we are gearing up and practicing like crazy in the living room.
I think that's about all. I can't even believe how busy we feel these days. There just don't seem to be enough hours in the day to get everything done that needs to be accomplished. Hopefully once I am done with school, things will settle down some and we can all relax for a bit.
Lots going on around our house these days. So I won't go into all of the gory details, rather I will just do a small recap.
1. There was a few weeks in March where we ended up with loads of rain. Lots of that rain somehow ended up in my basement. This has never happened to us before so we just assumed it was the catch basin in the back that needed to be cleaned. That turned out to be fine. However, the pipes under our lawn were not so fine and needed to be replaced. To the tune of $6700. And of course, they don't replace the lawn they damage in the process. Feels like the front porch drama all over again.
2. Caitlyn had her spring concert. It was very cute. They sang a song called Take me Out of the Bathtub to the tune of Take Me Out to the Ballgame. I am going to attempt to put a video up here. So please be patient with me while I demonstrate my lack of technology skills.
3. Matt and I flew to Oregon for Carla's wedding. We had a great time. I forget just how green everything is out there. Just so pretty.
4. I am currently in 2 classes again this term. One of which is Assistive Technology. This is the class that I tried my damnedest to get an exempt from. All to no avail. I could probably teach the class, so I think it's so silly that I have to take it. I don't mind being in the class. But I do mind paying the close to $2000 that it costs to do so. I am also in a research class. This is an online class (which I am not a fan of to begin with) and the research paper is to be completed as a group (another thing which I am not so big on). I am convinced this class is going to completely wipe me out this term. I am am just thanking God that I am taking it now right before summer break. So I will have some good down time after it's over.
5. Work is absolutely insane. I constantly feel like I am behind on everything and can't seem to catch up. No matter how hard I try. I am convinced it is because of the person that I am working with. No matter though. She will be gone at the end of this year. So I just try to keep telling myself that I am almost through it.
6. I managed to pass the Learning Behavior Specialist I test. My paper work is now sitting at ISBE waiting for them to approve everything and include that endorsement on my certificate. Hopefully it will happen soon as I have once again been riffed. Same situation as last year. Only this time, there is light at the end of the tunnel and this process is almost over. At least I hope. If not, I will in fact be a greeter at a Wal**Mart near you. So keep your eyes open for me.
7. Caitlyn is making her communion in 2 weeks on May 2nd! The dress and shoes and tights have been purchased. We are going for the veil/headpiece this weekend, and hopefully the banner will be made by Friday night. We have not yet started the banner, because I am a bad mom. But it will be made by it's due date of Friday.
8. Report cards came out and Caitlyn went from A's to B's in a few subjects. So she is beside herself about this. She can't even tolerate that she got a B. No matter how I try to explain to her that it still means she did incredibly well, this child is bound and determined to get straight A's!
9. Hip Hop is finishing up and we have the recital coming up at the end of May. So we are gearing up and practicing like crazy in the living room.
I think that's about all. I can't even believe how busy we feel these days. There just don't seem to be enough hours in the day to get everything done that needs to be accomplished. Hopefully once I am done with school, things will settle down some and we can all relax for a bit.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Hmmmmm
I suck. No discussion about it. I just haven't had time to post regardless of all the really cool things that Caitlyn has been doing in the last few weeks. A new post will come soon. I promise.
And PS....Happy Birthday to me :)
And PS....Happy Birthday to me :)
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Now This Just Pisses Me Off!!
Remember I mentioned that I was currently working with someone I felt to be quite incompetent? Well, I just received this email from her. And I would say that I am so angry that I can't see straight. But that wouldn't be a good indicator seeing as I couldn't see straight before getting the email. So let's just say I am so fucking pissed I can't even respond to the email because I will say things that I know for certain I will regret in 2 hours time.
Here's what angers me:
1. I took over some of her case load because she couldn't manage to see the kids cause she was so overwhelmed. Yet, she can manage to work a 3 DAY workshop into her schedule. (I have never taken more than a day for a workshop.)
2. When I take time off for a workshop, sick time, whatever, I make sure that I tell the teams I am working with in advance. Not the day before. And regardless of whether or not I am in the building, I make damn sure to make myself accessible to them either via email or phone during that time. As an example, I had double vision and was gone from work for 2 days because of he flu, on Friday when I saw some of my teams, they didn't even realize I wasn't there or was ill. Because I was still available to them when they needed me to be.
3. How dare she just assume that I have time in my schedule to manage any problems that her teams may encounter for these 3 days. What if I got sick, or Caitlyn got sick??? Or, imagine this, I have my own teams and their shit to be concerned with????
4. Telling me the night before you are leaving for 3 days and pushing your work off on me, is certainly not the advanced warning that I would have preferred. Had you told me this at some point last week, I may have been able to arrange my schedule to at least be available should I need to be. Now I can't. And now I won't.
Here is the email that she sent to me and about 10 other teachers:
Hello!
I will be out of district at a workshop Mon 2/23-Wed 2/25. I don't know if I will be able to check my email during the day, but will be checking it in the evenings. If you have major AT problems and need help before Thur, email Nancy W. at email.
Take care,
Danielle
Really? Just another indication that this person sucks at her job.
Here's what angers me:
1. I took over some of her case load because she couldn't manage to see the kids cause she was so overwhelmed. Yet, she can manage to work a 3 DAY workshop into her schedule. (I have never taken more than a day for a workshop.)
2. When I take time off for a workshop, sick time, whatever, I make sure that I tell the teams I am working with in advance. Not the day before. And regardless of whether or not I am in the building, I make damn sure to make myself accessible to them either via email or phone during that time. As an example, I had double vision and was gone from work for 2 days because of he flu, on Friday when I saw some of my teams, they didn't even realize I wasn't there or was ill. Because I was still available to them when they needed me to be.
3. How dare she just assume that I have time in my schedule to manage any problems that her teams may encounter for these 3 days. What if I got sick, or Caitlyn got sick??? Or, imagine this, I have my own teams and their shit to be concerned with????
4. Telling me the night before you are leaving for 3 days and pushing your work off on me, is certainly not the advanced warning that I would have preferred. Had you told me this at some point last week, I may have been able to arrange my schedule to at least be available should I need to be. Now I can't. And now I won't.
Here is the email that she sent to me and about 10 other teachers:
Hello!
I will be out of district at a workshop Mon 2/23-Wed 2/25. I don't know if I will be able to check my email during the day, but will be checking it in the evenings. If you have major AT problems and need help before Thur, email Nancy W. at email.
Take care,
Danielle
Really? Just another indication that this person sucks at her job.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Oh Where Have I Been?
I have been to the eye doctor, to the penthouse suite at a resort, to the emergency room, to the neurologist, and back again. The last week has been littered with crazy goings on for me.
I will recap for those of you who haven't followed my facebook saga.
Last Friday (the 13th) I was driving home from work. I was on the phone with Matt and mentioned to him that I was going to take a nap when I got home because I was so tired that my eyes were crossing. There were points on the drive home that things looked fuzzy to me or just a little bit wonky. So I came home, crawled into bed, and proceeded to watch 2 hours of really bad reality shows. And didn't nap at all.
I got a call from a friend asking me to go to the movies with her and a couple of other people. I told her I would go provided I didn't have to drive, cause my eyes were still being weird and I was really tired. While I was on the phone with her, I noticed that I would occasionally see double on the TV screen. Again, figuring I was just reeeeeally tired, I got dressed and went with them.
When I woke up on Saturday, there was no question that I was seeing double. It would come and go, but it was definitely obvious that something was quite off with my vision. So I called the eye doctor and made an appointment to go in. Thinking that I just needed a vision test and some glasses and all would be right with my vision again.
No such luck. It turns out I have 20/20 vision. And while this is fantastic news, it doesn't clear up the issue of why I was seeing double. The eye doc put a good scare in me by saying that the double vision could be the result of anything from extreme stress/fatigue (which I have from work) to the onset of a stroke. That's quite a spectrum if you ask me. So I chalked it up to being stressed and tired from work.
Matt and I had reservations at a resort for Valentine's Day. So we went there on Saturday, figuring the rest would do me, and my eyes, some good. The hotel screwed up our reservation, so they upgraded our room. To the penthouse suite. Which was the most outstanding room I have ever been in. Fireplace, jacuzzi, deck, and an insanely comfortable bed with loads of pillows. By the time Saturday night rolled around, there was no escaping the double vision. It was there constantly, and I was well rested at this point, and convinced there was something seriously wrong with me.
On Sunday, we decided that once we checked out, we would just head straight to the ER and have them do a CT scan to see what, if anything, was going on neurologically. After the CT scan and an entire host of blood tests, it was determined that there was absolutely nothing wrong with me. At least nothing they could find. So they sent me n my way with an appointment to see the neurologist on Monday morning.
In the meantime, I can barely walk without holding onto Matt, I certainly can't drive, and I manage to get nauseous every time I am a passenger in the car. Good times.
The neurologist performed an entire host of tests. Some of which, I must admit, I found truly amazing. He also poked me again for more blood.
I decided to buy an eye patch, suck it up, and go to work on Tuesday. On the drive home, I felt sick again, and called Matt to pick up Cate because I could no longer be in the car. I barely had the car in park in front of the house before I was running in and throwing all of my crap on the floor. I ran up the stairs to the bathroom where I proceeded to.....well I don't have to go into detail about that. Let's just say that I spiked a fever, kept a pot next to the bed, and stayed in bed until Tuesday morning. I officially had the flu. Which I have not had since, I can't remember when, certainly before Caitlyn was born.
I have spoken to the neurologist and he has confirmed that there is nothing life threatening going on based on the results of my blood work. Thank God! But he believes that I have a condition called vasculitis. Simply stated, not enough blood to the eye for one reason or another. I have been instructed to take some aspirin daily and to return to him on March 3rd.
As of today, my vision is actually a little bit better. I was able to stop spewing long enough to go to work today. And I am feeling, overall, pretty good. Hopefully, the vision is on the up and up and will return soon. You can't imagine the looks I get when I am driving around with a pirate patch on my eye!!
Will keep you all updated as to what is going on!
I will recap for those of you who haven't followed my facebook saga.
Last Friday (the 13th) I was driving home from work. I was on the phone with Matt and mentioned to him that I was going to take a nap when I got home because I was so tired that my eyes were crossing. There were points on the drive home that things looked fuzzy to me or just a little bit wonky. So I came home, crawled into bed, and proceeded to watch 2 hours of really bad reality shows. And didn't nap at all.
I got a call from a friend asking me to go to the movies with her and a couple of other people. I told her I would go provided I didn't have to drive, cause my eyes were still being weird and I was really tired. While I was on the phone with her, I noticed that I would occasionally see double on the TV screen. Again, figuring I was just reeeeeally tired, I got dressed and went with them.
When I woke up on Saturday, there was no question that I was seeing double. It would come and go, but it was definitely obvious that something was quite off with my vision. So I called the eye doctor and made an appointment to go in. Thinking that I just needed a vision test and some glasses and all would be right with my vision again.
No such luck. It turns out I have 20/20 vision. And while this is fantastic news, it doesn't clear up the issue of why I was seeing double. The eye doc put a good scare in me by saying that the double vision could be the result of anything from extreme stress/fatigue (which I have from work) to the onset of a stroke. That's quite a spectrum if you ask me. So I chalked it up to being stressed and tired from work.
Matt and I had reservations at a resort for Valentine's Day. So we went there on Saturday, figuring the rest would do me, and my eyes, some good. The hotel screwed up our reservation, so they upgraded our room. To the penthouse suite. Which was the most outstanding room I have ever been in. Fireplace, jacuzzi, deck, and an insanely comfortable bed with loads of pillows. By the time Saturday night rolled around, there was no escaping the double vision. It was there constantly, and I was well rested at this point, and convinced there was something seriously wrong with me.
On Sunday, we decided that once we checked out, we would just head straight to the ER and have them do a CT scan to see what, if anything, was going on neurologically. After the CT scan and an entire host of blood tests, it was determined that there was absolutely nothing wrong with me. At least nothing they could find. So they sent me n my way with an appointment to see the neurologist on Monday morning.
In the meantime, I can barely walk without holding onto Matt, I certainly can't drive, and I manage to get nauseous every time I am a passenger in the car. Good times.
The neurologist performed an entire host of tests. Some of which, I must admit, I found truly amazing. He also poked me again for more blood.
I decided to buy an eye patch, suck it up, and go to work on Tuesday. On the drive home, I felt sick again, and called Matt to pick up Cate because I could no longer be in the car. I barely had the car in park in front of the house before I was running in and throwing all of my crap on the floor. I ran up the stairs to the bathroom where I proceeded to.....well I don't have to go into detail about that. Let's just say that I spiked a fever, kept a pot next to the bed, and stayed in bed until Tuesday morning. I officially had the flu. Which I have not had since, I can't remember when, certainly before Caitlyn was born.
I have spoken to the neurologist and he has confirmed that there is nothing life threatening going on based on the results of my blood work. Thank God! But he believes that I have a condition called vasculitis. Simply stated, not enough blood to the eye for one reason or another. I have been instructed to take some aspirin daily and to return to him on March 3rd.
As of today, my vision is actually a little bit better. I was able to stop spewing long enough to go to work today. And I am feeling, overall, pretty good. Hopefully, the vision is on the up and up and will return soon. You can't imagine the looks I get when I am driving around with a pirate patch on my eye!!
Will keep you all updated as to what is going on!
Saturday, February 07, 2009
Crazy Week
What an insane week it has been! We have come to annual review and transition time at work. That is always the busiest point of the year for me. It means that my days are always longer than usual, that I don't eat lunch until at least 1:00 (which isn't horrible, but is a long ways off from eating breakfast at 7:00), and that by the time I get home I am so completely wiped out that I don't want to do anything else but sleep. Which is proven by the amount of laundry that awaits me upstairs.
Besides the point in the school year that we are in, there have been some staff changes. The person who helps me with assistive tech left on maternity leave in November (silly babies!). Which meant I was working with someone new. And I am all for that. That is, when the person is actually competent. And I don't just mean being competent in the area of AT. When you are in an itinerant position, which we are, you really have to have a handle on social and communication skills. You have to be able to walk into a classroom with a teacher and paraprofessionals and just know how to jump in and help as well as when to step aside and let the teacher handle the situation. You have to know how to prioritize your time and things on your to do list in order to be the most effective collaborator that a team needs at that moment in time. I think these are the most essential skills for an itinerant. The person I received as a replacement has none of these skills. And because of that, she has made my life a living hell. You see, because she does not have the aforementioned skills, not only do I get multiple complaints from people, but I have now had to take over one of her classrooms. She just can't seem to find the time in her day to fill the needs of the students in there. All two of them. Because we are more than half way through the year, my schedule and routine are fairly set. Trying to find the time to fit in observations of students I don't know and meeting time with the teacher in order to determine her AT needs has proven to be very difficult while still maintaining the classes that I have had all year. Add to that the mess that she has made with the parents, and it makes for a very unhappy Nancy.
In addition to the craziness at work, there are also the 2 graduate classes I am taking. Which aren't terribly demanding, but it's just another thing on my "to do" list during the week.
On top of all that Caitlyn has her extra curricular activities. Which consist of Girl Scouts on Monday, Hip Hop on Wednesday, CCD on Saturday. Matt and I also have to attend a number of meetings from now until May in order to prepare for her communion.
So needless to say, I am wiped out these days and can not wait for summer vacation. Which is really sad that I am already thinking about that. Typically the countdown does not begin until at least after spring break. But with the added stress of this new person at work, it just can't come fast enough.
Besides the point in the school year that we are in, there have been some staff changes. The person who helps me with assistive tech left on maternity leave in November (silly babies!). Which meant I was working with someone new. And I am all for that. That is, when the person is actually competent. And I don't just mean being competent in the area of AT. When you are in an itinerant position, which we are, you really have to have a handle on social and communication skills. You have to be able to walk into a classroom with a teacher and paraprofessionals and just know how to jump in and help as well as when to step aside and let the teacher handle the situation. You have to know how to prioritize your time and things on your to do list in order to be the most effective collaborator that a team needs at that moment in time. I think these are the most essential skills for an itinerant. The person I received as a replacement has none of these skills. And because of that, she has made my life a living hell. You see, because she does not have the aforementioned skills, not only do I get multiple complaints from people, but I have now had to take over one of her classrooms. She just can't seem to find the time in her day to fill the needs of the students in there. All two of them. Because we are more than half way through the year, my schedule and routine are fairly set. Trying to find the time to fit in observations of students I don't know and meeting time with the teacher in order to determine her AT needs has proven to be very difficult while still maintaining the classes that I have had all year. Add to that the mess that she has made with the parents, and it makes for a very unhappy Nancy.
In addition to the craziness at work, there are also the 2 graduate classes I am taking. Which aren't terribly demanding, but it's just another thing on my "to do" list during the week.
On top of all that Caitlyn has her extra curricular activities. Which consist of Girl Scouts on Monday, Hip Hop on Wednesday, CCD on Saturday. Matt and I also have to attend a number of meetings from now until May in order to prepare for her communion.
So needless to say, I am wiped out these days and can not wait for summer vacation. Which is really sad that I am already thinking about that. Typically the countdown does not begin until at least after spring break. But with the added stress of this new person at work, it just can't come fast enough.
Sunday, February 01, 2009
25 Random Things About Me
This has been floating around facebook and I enjoyed doing it. I saw that Kari posted it to her blog, so I copied and figured I would do the same.
1. I am only doing this because I keep getting tagged and I think I have to complete it in order to stop the tagging madness.
2. I once lived in a residential school for the blind, with fantastic girls I might add. It was one of the craziest times of my life.
3. I sleep on my stomach, with my arms at my side. If I sleep in any other position, I wake up miserable.
4. I am a night owl by nature. I loathe waking up in the wee hours of the morning, but if I am awake until those same hours, I am happy as a clam.
5. I have a tendency to cry at the simplest things that Caitlyn does. It seems every time I see her accomplish something the doctors said she never would, I get teary eyed and a lump in my throat.
6. I am married to the most amazing man in the world.
7. Matt has the most incredible work ethic I have ever seen in a person.
8. I learned quickly that I am not immortal in the 10 hours prior to Caitlyn's birth.
9. I have the best set of friends from college that a girl could ever ask for. When I am with them, I laugh harder than I ever have.
10. My mom is quite possibly the most caring person on the planet. She has a deep seeded desire to take care of everyone around her, sometimes to her own detriment, but it makes her the incredible person that she is.
11. Two and a half years ago, I came to the conclusion that God mean for me to be only Caitlyn's mom. Now that I understand that, I am truly at peace with the cards that I was dealt in the child bearing arena.
12. My job is exhausting. Even though it is exhausting, and sometimes the rewards of it are hard to identify, when I do see the rewards, they are amazing. There is nothing like seeing a child do something independently for the first time in their life.
13. I never really believed that old saying about a mom feeling her heart burst with love until I brought my fragile girlie home from the hospital and watched her sleep peacefully. I came to realize that the feeling is one that can not be described in any words.
14. Despite hating my brother for the first 18 years of my life, I now realize that I love him with all of my heart and that we are more alike than I think even he realizes.
15. I miss my grandma and grandpa every day.
16. When Caitlyn was born, I learned that the strength of a person's spirit, no matter how small, is far more strong than any doctor or medical procedure.
17. I find myself criticizing other parent's style of parenting far too often. Matt often tells me that it must be hard to be as perfect a parent as I am. I need to be more understanding of individual differences in how people raise their children.
18. I wish with all of my heart that Caitlyn would have had the opportunity to meet her grandfather. I know Matt would have loved to see her sitting on his lap snuggling with him.
19. I am terrified of loud noises. Almost to the point of making me cry. If I her a motorcycle outside, I have brief moments of heart palpatations and get shaky.
20. I am fascinated by children who have Autism. If there was anything I could do for one day, it would be to change places with a child with Autism. Just to see what goes on in their head.
21. I worry that Caitlyn is going to struggle with some type of eating disorder when she is older.
22. I hate cooking.
23. If there was one thing I could hire someone to do one thing everyday for the rest of my life, I would hire a dentist to clean and floss my teeth everyday. There is nothing better than the feeling of a completely clean mouth when you leave the dentist.
24. I have never believed that parenting is the hardest job one will ever do. I believe most of it is common sense. However, I do believe that the emotional side of parenting is the most difficult part of parenting.
25. I eventually want to teach at the college level. You know, to impart all of the wisdom I have acquired ;)
1. I am only doing this because I keep getting tagged and I think I have to complete it in order to stop the tagging madness.
2. I once lived in a residential school for the blind, with fantastic girls I might add. It was one of the craziest times of my life.
3. I sleep on my stomach, with my arms at my side. If I sleep in any other position, I wake up miserable.
4. I am a night owl by nature. I loathe waking up in the wee hours of the morning, but if I am awake until those same hours, I am happy as a clam.
5. I have a tendency to cry at the simplest things that Caitlyn does. It seems every time I see her accomplish something the doctors said she never would, I get teary eyed and a lump in my throat.
6. I am married to the most amazing man in the world.
7. Matt has the most incredible work ethic I have ever seen in a person.
8. I learned quickly that I am not immortal in the 10 hours prior to Caitlyn's birth.
9. I have the best set of friends from college that a girl could ever ask for. When I am with them, I laugh harder than I ever have.
10. My mom is quite possibly the most caring person on the planet. She has a deep seeded desire to take care of everyone around her, sometimes to her own detriment, but it makes her the incredible person that she is.
11. Two and a half years ago, I came to the conclusion that God mean for me to be only Caitlyn's mom. Now that I understand that, I am truly at peace with the cards that I was dealt in the child bearing arena.
12. My job is exhausting. Even though it is exhausting, and sometimes the rewards of it are hard to identify, when I do see the rewards, they are amazing. There is nothing like seeing a child do something independently for the first time in their life.
13. I never really believed that old saying about a mom feeling her heart burst with love until I brought my fragile girlie home from the hospital and watched her sleep peacefully. I came to realize that the feeling is one that can not be described in any words.
14. Despite hating my brother for the first 18 years of my life, I now realize that I love him with all of my heart and that we are more alike than I think even he realizes.
15. I miss my grandma and grandpa every day.
16. When Caitlyn was born, I learned that the strength of a person's spirit, no matter how small, is far more strong than any doctor or medical procedure.
17. I find myself criticizing other parent's style of parenting far too often. Matt often tells me that it must be hard to be as perfect a parent as I am. I need to be more understanding of individual differences in how people raise their children.
18. I wish with all of my heart that Caitlyn would have had the opportunity to meet her grandfather. I know Matt would have loved to see her sitting on his lap snuggling with him.
19. I am terrified of loud noises. Almost to the point of making me cry. If I her a motorcycle outside, I have brief moments of heart palpatations and get shaky.
20. I am fascinated by children who have Autism. If there was anything I could do for one day, it would be to change places with a child with Autism. Just to see what goes on in their head.
21. I worry that Caitlyn is going to struggle with some type of eating disorder when she is older.
22. I hate cooking.
23. If there was one thing I could hire someone to do one thing everyday for the rest of my life, I would hire a dentist to clean and floss my teeth everyday. There is nothing better than the feeling of a completely clean mouth when you leave the dentist.
24. I have never believed that parenting is the hardest job one will ever do. I believe most of it is common sense. However, I do believe that the emotional side of parenting is the most difficult part of parenting.
25. I eventually want to teach at the college level. You know, to impart all of the wisdom I have acquired ;)
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