Quinn's ENT appointment

On Saturday, we went to Children's to see an ENT about Quinn's ears.  I got both kids packed and ready to go and we were there at about 10:30 (appt at 10:45).  We got checked in and sent back to the waiting room.  Got called back at about 10:40.  Nurse asked a few questions, namely why we were there.  I told her primarily due to the fluid in her ears and the delayed speech development.  The doctor came in about 5 minutes later.  He had me sit with her while he looked in her ears, and he said that they didn't look too bad so he wasn't thinking tubes.  He then said that we should have her hearing tested anyways due to the presence of fluid before and the speech delay.  Back to the waiting room we go.

We didn't sit down for much more than 5 minutes when we got called back again.  First they did some Tympanograms which help measure how well sound is bounces off the ear drum.  They should be "spiky", but Quinnie's were flat.  Then they did a hearing test which has someone in front of us sort of keeping her attention while noises are made on either side of her.  I could even tell that her right ear was better than her left ear.  Finally they tested to see if she had permanent hearing loss (they put the sounds under your ear so that it doesn't have to go through the fluid) and luckily, there was no sign of permanent damage.  Audiologist then discussed the results and our options.  She basically said Quinn has what they would call "temporary hearing loss."  But, the temporary could be a couple days, weeks, months or even years depending on how long the fluid remains.  So we could watch and wait or consider tubes.  I am tired of watching/waiting.  Back to the waiting room.

Then about 5 minutes later, we got called back to see the doctor again.  When he came into the room, this is what he said:  "It appears that I'm going to need to change my mind and put some tubes in."  Alleluia!  We have her appointment in early May to get her some tubes!

Quinn's progress

Quinn has been receiving extra "help" for about 6 months now.

It started with a developmental interventionist.  She started working with Quinn because of her lack of "self-help" skills (she wasn't wanting to feed herself) and because she wasn't walking yet (she was 15 months at this time).  She made great progress pretty quickly on this.

Then in December, there was concern about her lack of language and thus, her hearing.  I had her hearing tested, which was "normal" but found middle-ear fluid.  Needed to have her ears looked at again in 2 months, but she got an ear infection so we have to wait another 2 months (so hopefully can get that done here soon).  So, we started working with a speech therapist as well.

The speech therapist started working with Quinn in February.  The first few sessions was more about getting to know Quinn (and letting Quinn get familar with her).  We have switched Quinn to a hard-spout and/or straw cup as suggested and we're incorporating more signs to help Quinn communicate (for anyone who needs suggestions for signing, the app "sign4me" is really good and shows you many angles).  The signs are just supposed to help keep her from getting overly frustrated while learning to verbally communicate.  The therapist also said that she would begin to "drop" the signs after she learns the words better.

Every day she is getting better in my mind.  She may not be on the "normal" schedule, but in reality what is that?  So some people may read this blog and believe that it is my fault as to why Quinn is behind ("She shouldn't be working" or "She obviously isn't spending enough time with her").  However, I know that I have been a great mom to Quinn and will continue to do so.  Thanks to everyone who is willing to support us through all of this.  We couldn't do it without you!

What is normal?

I remember not so long ago when I had my son, Owen, how much I looked forward to every doctor's visit to be able to tell them all the cool things that he had been doing.  How great of an eater he was, how he had surpassed any milestone they believed he should have reached. 

Owen was a relatively easy baby when it came to many things.  He was a great sleeper, ate almost everything you gave him, transititioned off of the bottle without even blinking an eye.  He even just "lost" his pacifier one day at daycare and never looked back.

Now with my Quinnie, I actually don't want to go to the doctor to find out what she is "behind" on this time.  Everyday, we make progress with her.  Yet everytime that I have gone in, it never fails, that all of the hope I had that we were finally get her back to "normal" I would find out that we're "behind" on something else.

I don't feel like I did things much differently with Quinn than I did with Owen.  The main difference was needing to make sure that she gained weight (where Owen had no concern with this!). 

I still believe that I'm a good Mom and that I'm doing what I can for my little girl.  We're playing even more with her now, working on signs to help with communication as she tries to pick up more on speech, taking more control with eating, but it is so hard with her not talking.

Each child can be so different and deserves to be treated as an individual.  I am confident that things will get better and better with time.  Yet as we get closer and closer to Quinn's next check-up (at 2 years in June), keep me in your thoughts please as I'm now the parent who no longer looks forward to "bragging", but I'm the parent who is constantly made to feel like a failure.

Lent - giving up?

I remember when I was in high school, some of my friends would talk about giving something up for lent.  I had never really heard of that before (they were Catholic, I am not).  Yet one year, I decided to give it a try.  I decided to give up chocolate.  Now my Dad was pretty skeptical about me being able to do this.  He bet me $5 that I couldn't do it.  Now, I have to admit, I never realized at that time how many things I ate that had chocolate in them that weren't just "candy bars" - I mean, even my Quaker granola bars had chocolate chips in them!  The closest I got to losing the bet (unintentionally of course) was when I was helping out for a veteran's fundraiser and got done cutting a chocolate cake and I almost licked the knife :)  But, I did end up doing it. 

Now as an adult, I haven't really thought much about "giving something up" for lent anymore.  I had a hard time with this idea as then I would just go back to my same habits after those 40 days.  So this year, I'm going to try something new.

This year I'm going to take something on instead of giving something up.  I'm going to take on trying to drink more water (and then hopefully less pop).  I'm going to take on trying to eat healthier, especially snack healthier (and then hopefully less sugary snacks). 

So today I stop trying to only be better for a short time and try to become better for the long run. 

Anyone here doing anything special for lent?

Almost TOO Enthusiastic

The title here is a comment that was on my evaluations this past semester...in a class for elementary teachers.

Ok - so maybe I am a bit enthusiastic when I teach.  However, I have never viewed this as a negative, and I still won't.  When I helped evaluate other teachers, a comment I would give to some is "if you aren't excited about the material, how can you ever expect the students to be?"  Now, I can't guarantee that my students will be excited about the material I cover, but I CAN guarantee that I will do my best to make it exciting by showing the students how much I love teaching, and teaching this particular material.

I believe that one of the things that I have going in my favor is what I majored in as an undergraduate - Secondary Education with math and speech/drama subjects.  Already having an education background is a very strong asset when teaching at a college (for those that don't know this, you do NOT need a teaching background to teach at a college).  In addition, the speech/drama subject has also helped me - I am somewhat good at "acting" like I know what I'm doing even if I just prepared the material a day (or hour!) before class.  Probably all of my students who only know me from a classroom setting would probably guess that I'm an extrovert.  Well, I'm not really - I can try and act like one.  Is this a bad thing...that I pretend to be an extrovert?  Standing in front of 75 students I'm getting better and better everyday and I think that I may have even convinced myself that I'm an extrovert. 

So maybe my moral of this story is if you want to have a certain characteristic, maybe forcing it on yourself is a good idea.  How else are you going to become more of what you want to be without actually "going through the motions?"  I could list off many things that I want to be better at - being a good mom, drinking more water, eating healthier, becoming more organized, etc.  But until I actually start doing those things, I will never get better at it - they are just empty words. 

When people ask me how I got to be so "outgoing"  I say that the first thing I had to realize is that I can't please everyone and if I try, I'll please no one.  I needed to be comfortable with the person I was first before I could put myself out there.  Have I ever been rejected or hurt?  Oh yes!  Do I regret putting myself out there?  No - this is who I am.  You can take it or leave it.

Quinnie Update

Now as most of you know, in late October Quinn started receiving some help from First Steps.  At the time, she qualified based upon the "self help" category (as she wasn't feeding herself).  In addition, she wasn't walking yet.  Both of those things have been "fixed" partly thanks to the help of our developmental interventionist.

At Quinn's 18 month check-up, there was concern about her lack of speech.  So we had her hearing tested and although her hearing was in the "normal" range, they also found that she had middle ear fluid.  When I was driving back home from Nebraska, the pediatrician called and they have decided to watch and wait - retest her hearing in 4-8 weeks to see if the fluid is still there or not.

However, due to the worrying about the speech, I talked to our First Steps people and Quinn is going to start getting a speech therapist to help her with this - starting in February.  So please wish us luck and hope that this works as great of wonders for Quinnie as her developmental help has (she will still be getting this through March).

Baby Steps

I have always been a girl who took things one step at a time - I was so afraid that if I looked too far ahead I would trip and fall right where I was.  So the fact that my children appear to be doing the same thing is not too surprising.  Yet for them, I appear to be looking far ahead.  I'm looking so far ahead that I am not taking the time to enjoy where we are and every step we've taken - even if they are baby steps.  Yet, at least we are moving forward.  So here is a tribute to the baby steps that they have made recently.

Owen

• He has his first spelling test today which he is ready to ace!
• He has started to listen much better and helps Mommy out when she asks.
• His eating has gotten better, not great, but better - baby steps!  (We don't cry much at the table any more, he will eat a few bites of veggies, and he is eating a better variety of foods)

Quinn

• She is starting to "babble" much more (which I'm told is the first step children must go through before doing much real talking)
• She is walking almost everywhere and wearing herself out!
• She is beginning to be a bit less picky about what she will pick up to eat.

Now, I'm not saying that I'm not going to look ahead for my kids as I feel it is my job to help lead them down the correct path.  They themselves need to be paying closer attention to what is right there in front of them and I need to stop for a minute and enjoy it too!

             

A few reminders for students going back to college

As we are approaching the beginning of the spring semester, I believe there are a few things that students should be reminded of (though if you're reading this, I'm probably preaching to the choir!)

1. Make sure to come to class on the first day or at least email the professor if you're sick or something.  Many universities have an attendance policy the first week or so and you could get dropped for non-attendance.  In addition, this isn't high school and we do generally actually cover some material on the first day.  Miss it and don't communicate it - already starting off on the wrong foot!
2. On that note, when you email your professor (or anyone in a formal manner) be sure to use an appropriate title (if you don't know if they are a "Dr.", "Professor" is a safe bet).  Don't use any texting lingo, proofread it (we all make typos, but try to keep them to a minimum) and be careful of  "tone."
3. In addition to that, if you have a question that you think you need to ask the professor, spend at least 10 minutes trying to figure it out on your own first before sending an email.  This will prevent the "nevermind" emails.
4. If a professor makes a textbook "optional" it is just that - however, if you are struggling in the class and you didn't buy the book, don't blame the professor or use up all their precious time because you didn't want to spend the money on a book.
5. Do actually take the time to READ the syllabi for your classes - a lot of it might go without saying, but each professor may have their own policies or nuances that you want to be aware of.
6. If you can do exactly what we do in class (i.e. - regurgitation), this is worthy of a C in a class, nothing more.
7. This class costs $$$!  Why is this one of the few things that cost money that we don't care if we get short-changed on?  Go to class, expect every minute to be utilized, and if they go over a minute or two, think of it as a bonus :)
8. Remember that students are expected to spend about 3 hours (for an average student) per week outside of class for every hour you are in class.  Thus if you are taking 15 credits, you're expected to spend about 45 hours per week outside of class working on things for class.  (Notice that is more than a full-time job and count the 15 hours in class and you're at 60 hours.  Please also note that there are 168 hours in a week, about 56 of which you should be sleeping.  Thus, this leaves about 52 hours for commuting/eating/working/fun/etc.)

~~*~*~*~~

Education is not a spectator sport!!   

~~*~*~*~~

You will only get out of a class what you put into it!!

~~*~*~*~~

via msnbc.com

Brain Dump

So this might not be the greatest post in the world, but I have always promised to give you an honest look into what is going on in my head!

1. About two years ago, I drove back to Nebraska after they had a pretty large snowfall the day before.  I drove over 700 miles to get to the Nebraska border and the interstate was closed (found another way).  Then on Monday on our way back to Kentucky, everything was fine until I got to the Kentucky border (about 15-20 miles away) and suddenly the roads were icy and speeds were around 10mph.  Seriously!!!
2. On that note, my kids were amazingly good on the trip.  Owen was very helpful and listened to me.  That sure does make it easier.  Quinn did get pretty fussy toward the end and didn't eat the greatest, but all in all, they were really good!
3. I'm still having a hard time adjusting back to Eastern time (from Central).  I believe this has a lot to do with leaving at 4:30am  (central) on Monday morning more than losing the hour on the way back!
4. Quinn has not been eating very well for about a week now.  I'm not sure exactly what is going on.  Normally she gobbles up peanut butter jelly and she wanted nothing to do with it yesterday as well!  This is a hard decision for us as I want her to eat what we give her but she is also so tiny that we can't afford for her to not eat and lose weight!
5. No one who works for a college in any way (including book reps) should not be allowed to be "out of the office" the week before classes start!  Argh!
6. How can kids be so tough on things?  Owen has already burnt through a backpack and his folder is almost split into 2 already.  Next year I need to buy one backpack early and then wait for the school supplies to be on clearance and buy a few back-ups!
7. Finally, and this I need responses to please!, any quick ideas for how to save some extra money?  We've had a few extra medical bills coming in and I need to find some more ways to save some money!  I already coupon on things I know I'll buy, we're at the lowest cell phone minutes, got rid of the "extra" unneeded channels on our cable.

So there you have a lot of what is going on in my head.  Anything you'd like to share?

Happy HumpDay!

Quinnie Update

For all of those parents out there who get to take their child to the doctor and are told that "everything is looking good" - you are so lucky.  Right now, that is all I want for Christmas.  I want to take Quinnie to the doctor and be told she looks great and is doing well.  That is all!

Last week at our visit, it wasn't all good news.  This time the doctor was concerned about the lack of speech development in Quinnie.  She then referred us to have Quinn's hearing tested to make sure that it was not hindering her development. 

So yesterday, we had an audiology appointment.  She first put something in both of her ears which I later was told does not actually assess hearing itself, but assesses how sound is bounces off of her eardrums.  Then we went into a booth that had speakers on a couple of different sides with sponge bob or minnie mouse lights.  The doctor would then have different types of sounds coming from the speakers to see if Quinn would turn her head toward the sound.  After all of this, we sat down to talk about the results.

Great news - she is hearing within "normal" range!  Bad news - sound wasn't "bouncing" off her eardrums properly which means that she has middle ear fluid.  Supposedly, this can cause temporary hearing loss.  The problem about this - we don't know how long it has been there.  That is - has it been there since her one ear infection in March or did she just develop it with the cold that she currently has?  So, the doctor will send her report to Quinn's pediatrican and we will go from there.

Possible remedies that I investigated -

1. Observation - watch and wait and have this test done again in 3 to 6 months.
2. Antibiotic that should speed up the length of time it may take to go away on its own.
3. Ear tubes :(

We are also looking into Quinn getting some extra help with speech development too.

I know that in the scope of things, this is not a "big deal."  However, I can't help but feel like "what am I doing wrong?"

Important things in life

As we are heading into Christmas season head on, I like to take this time to reflect on the important things in life.  It is so easy for people to start focusing on the wrong things during Christmas.  I find myself at times forgetting what is important.  This time is not about gifts and Santa - this is a time for faith and family. 

I really miss being around my extended family at this time of year.  Not getting to be at my Grandma Rue's on Christmas nor getting to participate in the wrapping paper fight!  I miss being at my Mom's on Christmas and opening presents with my brother's family.  (At least I still get to do this...just a few days after Christmas now).  I miss having Valentino's pizza with my Grandma Graham and family.

I do also enjoy the new traditions I'm making with my own little family and community that I live in.  We will have a ham on Christmas Eve.  Owen and I will make some gingerbread men (which I didn't do with my Mom).  Some of my colleagues have had a stocking stuffer party the last few years.  The things that are important here is that I'm spending time with people who mean a lot to me!

All of the little, petty things aren't important at this time.  I try to reflect on the real reason for the season and to be the person that God has intended me to be.  I know I'm not perfect, but I do know that I want my kids to know what Christmas is really about.  It is very hard to do this when you are surrounded by presents, Santa, etc.

So at this time I ask all of you to remember what is important in life.  Christmas baking, gift giving, caroling, ... all of these things that we do this season are not meant to be competitions of who bakes the best cookies or who spends the most money on the gifts, they are mean to be in celebration of our faith and friends. 

Remember, the best present that you can give is your presence!  (Ok - that came from a Dove Milk Chocolate Promise candy...but I think it is a good one!)

Thanksgiving

I know everyone else is probably doing a post just like this, but it is a good time to remember what we are thankful for.  I personally hope that this day of reflection puts a lasting memory of what we are thankful for as we turn toward Christmas.  I say that as I have found it a little ironic that after we sit around a table with lots of good food telling each other what we are thankful for (which are generally NOT material things) we turn around the next day (or this year in a few hours?) to fight someone over a tv!

So here is my list (not exhaustive) of the things that I'm thankful for:

1. My husband and kiddos - I am very thankful to have a pretty good husband and kids.  I am most thankful about that we are all currently in (relatively) good health.  Especially with Quinn being a bit behind, we were a bit concerned that something was medically (either physically or mentally) wrong.  We are very glad that it is just a developmental delay and that she is making some good progress.
2. Jobs - I am thankful that both my husband and I have stable jobs.  We went through a tough time at the beginning of this year with my husband losing his job, but he was able to find something pretty quickly.  Without having these jobs we would be unable to help provide so many things for our family (shelter, food, and the non-necessities)
3. My parents - I am so thankful to have been raised by two parents who not only loved me (and now my own little family) unconditionally, but have been such great role models individually and as a couple.  I am especially thankful that my mom seems to be recovering well from her hip replacement surgery and that my dad is happy in his semi-retirement.
4. My health - Although I am not exactly "fit" I have been very lucky to (knock on wood) not have had a lot of health issues.  Minus my little fainting spell that put me in the ER for stitches, I have been pretty "sick-free." 
5. Technology - this may seem to be a strange one, but without technology, my life would not be as filled.  All this technology allows me to talk to my family that I am not close to (either via phone or webcam!), or share pictures with each other.  Although the distance between where we currently are and our family is pretty far, these luxuries make it a bit easier.
6. A new church family - some of you may have already read about my most recent church experience, but I am so thankful that I have found a place that makes us feel so welcome and restores my faith every time that I attend.

I will be cooking our own little Thanksgiving for just us.  Although it might not be as good as what I'm used to (Grandma's gravy, Aunt Jodi's rolls...mmm), it will still be good!

• turkey
• gravy
• rolls
• mashed potatoes
• green beans
• snicker salad
• cheesecake

Have a great Thanksgiving!  What are you most thankful for?

Are there really coincidences in life?

I have been having a pretty tough time lately in many aspects of my life, but probably the biggest is the amount of work that I need to do for my job and how it gets in the way of the other things in my life.  I had so much to do this weekend (I had 2 sets of quizzes, 2 sets of small homeworks, 1 set of large homeworks and a set of in-class and take-homes to grade).  In addition, I had a few other things to do.  So I had planned to "skip" church on Sunday so I would have some more time to get things done.

Yet my son woke up on Sunday and asked me if we were going to go to church as he really wanted to go.  I told him it was a little late to get ready for early church but that we could go to late church.  As we made our way into church, many people greeted us with smiles and saying how glad they were to see us. 

Owen got to hear a children's message about being thankful for so much around us and that all the things around us are made possible by God.  He then went with the rest of the children to their "children's church."

We sang some pretty songs, we all had a good laugh when it was time for the offering as the baskets were not in their normal spots and we could put our offering "anywhere" up front, to which someone put theirs on top of the pastor's coffee cup.  Then we got to the "sermon."  Instead of the pastor doing the sermon, he made in an open mic about what we are all thankful for.  As I listened to people talk about what they were thankful for - someone in their family being saved during a horendous car accident, about being saved from cancer, having lost their job and a new one was found, about a family who was thankful for food being provided when they were out, it brought tears to my eyes.  One little girl said this which just made me smile:  "I'm thankful for God and Jesus because they are like magic!"  When I heard these people talk about what they were thankful for, the thing I was most thankful for at that moment was that my son is the one who wanted to go to church this morning and had I not, I would have missed out on all of this.  Is all the grading that I have to do really all that much of a "problem?"  At the end of the service we also had a father and son join the church and they were asked to "remember their baptism." 

At the end of the service I found Owen and asked him for a great big hug and thanked him for wanting to come to church today and that I loved him so much!

I don't think that this was just a coincidence.  I believe I was guided to be there on Sunday so that I too could remember what was most important and to remember my baptism as well.  I am thankful for this lesson that God has taught me!

"but with God, all things are possible."  Matthew 19:26

A day in my life...

November 15th, 2011

A lot of people may wonder what I do all day.  So I thought I would give you a glimpse of what one of my days is like.  I tried to pick a more "typical" day vs. a jam-packed or extra-light day in my life.

I guess that technically November 15th started with me going to bed at 12:15 am (up grading papers).  I haven't been feeling to well so I was up a couple of times coughing but was able to go to sleep pretty easily.

Around 7am I got up and got myself dressed.  I then woke up Owen and Quinn to go downstairs.  Got Quinn a cup of milk (she eats her breakfast at daycare) and Owen some frozen waffles for breakfast.  I then usually put on The Backyardigans or Word World for them to watch while they have their food/milk and while I finish getting ready (It also so happens to let them know when we will be leaving as we leave about right after the show is done.)  When Owen is done eating breakfast, he goes upstairs to get dressed and brush his teeth.  Once I'm done getting myself ready, I get Quinn dressed, do her hair and brush her teeth.  I then take everything out to the car that I need that day and then come back inside to get the kids to go (around 7:50)

First, I drop Owen off at daycare around 8am (he had kindergarten there before he is bused to "regular" kindergarten).  Then Quinn and I get back in the car and we make the drive to her daycare for drop-off around 8:30.  Then I go to work and am in my office around 8:45.

I get my Diet Dr. Pepper, log-on to my computer to answer emails and get my examples printed off for class and then make copies of those.  I eat my granola bar and head down to my first class around 9:20am and get out of my second class around 12:15pm.  I eat my lunch and work on editing a paper.  I have office hours from 12:45 - 1:30 and one student pops in around 1 and stays for about 10 minutes.  I head down to teach my third class around 1:30 and get done teaching around 3pm.

I go upstairs to drop my stuff off, grab a pen and paper to go down to my meeting at 3:05.  Meeting lasts until 4:15 and then I am asked some extra questions by colleagues until 4:45.  I head upstairs, get a few things ready for the next day, pack-up my backpack with some more grading and head out to get Quinn around 5:15 and we make our drive home.  We get home around 6pm.

Brandon had started making chili before I got home and I finished it.  We have supper around 6:45.  We clean up and get the kids ready for baths at 7:30- Daddy takes Owen and I take Quinn.  Both kids are in their jammies and we give them their bedtime snack (or treat if they earned it).  We read a couple of stories downstairs before brushing teeth and going to bed.  Quinn is in bed around 8:30 and Owen shortly after around 8:45 (we get his clothes out for the next day).

Around 9pm I watch a show that I had taped (GLEE).  Then I watch another show (Chopped) and another show (90120 - I know!) while I am grading some exams.  I then go through Owen's backpack and get it ready for tomorrow and head to bed around 11:30pm. 

So there you have it - a typical day in my life!

C25K Update

The day is upon us...Saturday.  Am I ready?  I am ready to be there and try my best.  Will I be running the entire thing - no.

Unfortunately this has been a rough semester and although I hate making excuses, my family comes before my running.  My health comes before my running.  So I WILL be there will bells on this Saturday and I WILL complete the entire "race" but for me the race I want to do is complete in under an hour.  That is a realistic goal.

To all of those out there who knew I would fail at completing this, you may have been right...for now.  I WILL try again and I WIll succeed.

(I will always be honest about it, but I will succeed one day!)

Quinnie Update

Quinn has been making some good progress in the last few weeks.  She has started walking more and more, and a lot of it she is initiating herself now.  By that I mean, about a week or so ago, if we stood her up a few steps away from, say the couch, she'd take some steps to get there.  But now she will let go of the couch and walk toward something (or someone else).  I think it will only be a matter of time before she is walking like a pro and I begin to wonder why I was looking forward to this as I chase her around :)

Her eating hasn't made as good of strides.  Don't get me wrong, she is eating a good amount of food and I'm really thinking that she will be ON the chart at 18 months (in December) when it comes to her weight.  However, when she drinks out of her sippy cup, she still "dribbles" a lot.  Anytime we try to give her a different cup (with a non-soft spout) she is not having it!  I'm trying (as suggested by our developmental specialist) to try to giver her a different cup once a day and not to be overly pushy about it.  At daycare, she is picking up quite a bit of her food to eat, but she isn't really doing that at home.  It is partly our fault as most of the food I've been making lately hasn't exactly been finger food (potato soup anyone?).  This Friday, the specialist is coming to our house to help so she can see how she is in this environment and give us suggestions, so wish us luck!

As another update which is sort of a random aside, I have finally broken down and bought her some hair clips.  Her hair wants to go straight into her eyes (even when I part her hair, it makes its way back to her forehead (and thus over her eyes!).

67 Truths

Many people have been asking me (by forwarding it to me) to fill this out, so here you all go!  I would love for other people to share yours and leave a link to your blog as well!  (I edited/deleted a few due to inappropriateness)

1. Last Beverage:  Coke Zero
2. Last phone call:  A student
3. Last text message: hubby
4. Last song you listened to:  You and I by Lady Gaga
5. Last dance: with my kiddos while singing to them

HAVE YOU EVER
6. dated someon twice: technically yes
7. been cheated on?: I think so...way back in h.s.
8. kissed someone & regretted it? No
9. lost someone special?: Yes
10. been depressed?: Down, not depressed
11. gotten a speeding ticket?: Yes...first (and only) is a story in itself!

LIST FOUR FAVORITE COLORS:
12. Pink
13. Green
14. Navy
15. Burgundy

THIS month HAVE YOU:
16. Made new friends: Yes - a few at work, few at church, and at trivia
17. Fallen out of love: No
18. Laughed until you cried: Yes!  Owen can make me laugh very hard!
19. Met someone who changed you: hard to answer with having only known for a month, but defiintely making me think more.
20. Found out who your true friends were: Definitely
21. Found out someone was talking about you: Yes
22. Kissed anyone on your FaceBook friend's list: Yes - my hubby is my friend :)

ODDS 'N ENDS
23. How many people on your FaceBook friends list do you know in real life: All but 2.
24. How many kids do you want to have: 2 - done
25. Do you have any pets: just got a kitten - another post in itself!
26. Do you want to change your name: It is who I am, so no
27. What did you do for your last birthday: movie with a friend, out to eat with family.
28. What time did you wake up today: 7:00
29. What were you doing at midnight last night: Sleeping
30. Name something you CANNOT wait for: Quinnie to be an independent eater.
31. Last time you saw your father: in person:  late July, via webcam: about a week ago
32. What is one thing you wish you could change about your life: have my family closer.
33. What are you listening to right now: World Series of Poker on DVR
34. Have you ever talked to a person named Tom: uh, yes - a few.  Coolest one is Tom Osborne :)
35. What's getting on your nerves right now?: "The Backyardigans" and lack of time
36. Relationship Status: Married
37. Zodiac sign: Scorpio
38. Hair color: Brown
39. Long or short: Medium
40. Height: 5'4
41. Do you have a crush on someone?: Always ;)
42: What do you like about yourself?: I'm realistic, loving, forgiving, but can also be blunt when necessary
43. Piercings: Ears
44. Tattoos: Yes, on my left shoulder (back) - dragonfly as they are beautiful in their own way.
45. Righty or lefty: Righty

FIRSTS :
46. First surgery: Had surgery when I was 5, then C-section
47. First piercing: Ears
48. First sport you joined: Softball
49. First pet: Spooky, a black cat
50. First vacation: I think Kansas City
51. First concert: 3 Doors Down

YOUR FUTURE :
52. Want kids?: Got them
53. Want to get married?: All ready am
54. Careers in mind?: Doing what I wanted!

HAVE YOU EVER :
55. Kissed a stranger: No
56. Lost glasses/contacts: Don't have them
57. Broken someone's heart: Yes - my parents' when I moved
58. Had your own heart broken: Yes
59. Been arrested: No
60. Turned someone down: Yes
61. Cried when someone died: Of course

DO YOU BELIEVE IN:
62. Yourself: Most the time
63. Miracles: YES
64. Love at first sight: No
65. Heaven: Most of the time...have my moments
66. Santa Claus: Yes
67. Angels: Yes, always

Quinn's progress

So, for those who have been reading, you have seen about some of the issues we'd have with Quinn's development.  Now, don't get me wrong - she has made some great strides with progress, but I know that I'm not an expert when it comes to development.

When our pediatrician asked us to get Quinn evaluated for the second time (the first time, she was "far enough" behind to qualify), I was a bit frustrated.  After I realized that it wasn't my fault and that I wasn't a failure, I thought to myself  - if this can help, why on earth would I not do it?  So, we had Quinn evaluated again.  The entire process took over a month due to regulations set for the program about how much time had to be between the steps.

This time, she qualified for services, but ironically not in the area the pediatrician referred her for (gross motor skills - not walking).  She qualified for my biggest concern - that she is being stubborn when it comes to self-feeding (this falls into the "self-help" category) and this is what she was most "behind" in.

(Complete aside - but I have to say it.  How they measure your child is a z-score (how many standard deviations your child is away from the average).  If they are more than 2 standard deviation below in one category or more than 1.5 standard deviations below in two categories, they qualify.  So now, for all those out there - someone just talked to me about Z-scores that you learn in statistics!  They were glad that they didn't have to explain it to me :)      )

They ruled out any neurological or physical concerns (so they don't recommend a physical therapist or anything yet).  It appears to just be developmental.  So now, she is getting a weekly visit from a developmental expert to help her (and us) get her past these hurdles.

In other news, Quinn is now out of her infant car seat and into the convertible seat.  She has to stay rear facing for now as they recommend rear-facing until at least 22 lbs (and actually say they should stay that way until 2 now).  I find this hilarious as Owen out grew the 22 lb weight limit of the infant car seat at 6 months :)

I'll keep you updated on Quinnie's progress

A Rough Weekend

It all started on Friday night.  I picked up Quinnie from daycare and got a pretty good report - she wasn't quite as fussy as usual and she even ate her snack (she doesn't usually).  So, we were off to meet Owen and Daddy at Olive Garden (for our anniversary meal).  Last time we were there, Quinnie ate awesome.  I would soon find out that this wasn't going to be the case tonight....

Normally, she LOVES bread/breadsticks.  She opened her mouth for every bite.  She would chew it for about 10 seconds and then spit it out.  My guess is she ate about 5 bites of the breadstick.  Then once the meal came, I tried both my pasta (penne with pizziola sauce) and some of Owen's (shell macaroni cheese).  Same scenario - opened her mouth, chewed a bit, and spit it out.  Again, got a few bites.

Unfortunately, this was just the beginning.  Same thing for Saturday's breakfast attempt (waffles and applesauce) and even for lunch (I broke down and tried pizza and a cookie just to see if she'd eat - but she spit it out)  Finally for supper we got her to eat a bit of peanut butter and jelly. 

Sunday, we ate all of our breakfast - biscuit and bananas.  Thought we made a good turn.  But lunch didn't go as well - tried turkey sandwich (and even a pb&j again).  Supper (meatloaf and mac and cheese) again didn't go so well.

Throughout the weekend, she was FUSSY at times.  She'd be doing great and then break out crying.  She even woke up a couple times in the middle of the night screaming - which is not like her.  She did continue to drink her milk well and never got sick or ran a fever.  Ibuprofen seemed to help thus we believe that all of this was....teething!  Man, if this is how every tooth is going to be, we are in trouble!!    I feel slightly ashamed to admit that I looked forward to Monday.  Please tell me I'm not the only working Mom out there that has done that..., please?

Reflection - Balance

I think every now and then we need to be reminded that the human memory is not always accurate.  Most of us think that we remember how things worked out perfectly - yet, our perception helps to form that memory.

In church this week, the pastor had three main points that led him (and us) through his lesson (sermon).

• We romance the past - When he spoke about this he emphasized that we have a tendency to remember the good as part of our memories.  We have a tendency to block out the "bad" or, in reality, the things we don't want to remember.  Being a Mom we do this all the time about our kids, remembering the day the child was born as well as forgetting most of the minor accidents, etc.  However, with as nice as it can be to block things out, we have to remember that humans are not perfect.  We may have fights with the ones we love most, but we have a tendency to focus on all the things that were perfect - "_____ was my best friend.  She was so great.  Now that she has moved, I'll never have anyone like her."  Yet, was there ever a time I was angry at them or they were angry at me?
  
  However, I don't think that this just applies to the "good."  When we don't like someone or the situation that we were in, we seem to only remember the bad.  This is where I think there are some problems.  It is bad enough when this applies to a situation (ever remember having an awful day where everything went wrong?  I bet on this day there was something good that happened, but we don't remember it!), but it can become a real issue when it applies to relationships.  We constantly here "experts" say that the past should be addressed, forgiven, and "forgotten."  We shouldn't bring up what has happened in the past all the time within our relationships.  However, how many of us are guilty of doing just this?  I know I have been.
• Which jeopardizes the future - hopefully we can all see how this can jeopardize our future - especially when it comes to our relationships.  If we can't move past the rock or the fork, whatever you want to call it, how can you move into the future?  Let alone, how can we live a fulfilling life by holding on to all the negativity?  Even as I write this, it seems like no matter what we have a problem - we don't want to "cover-up" the bad (only remember the good and "idolizing" someone/something), but we don't want to dwell on it either.  How do we find the balance?  I guess negativity is the elephant in the room - address it and move on!
• By trivializing the now - by having our focus on either just the good or the bad, we miss out on the present.  First off, we have a tendency to remember the "big" things, but maybe not the small.  For example, I remember being "saved" when I was in the hospital going through some pretty serious surgery complications.  But do I remember the little things, or even notice them.  How do we know that the day that our alarm didn't go off in the morning didn't prevent us from being in a car accident had we left at our definition of the "right" time?  Do we miss opportunities that are being presented to us because our current focus is not allowing us to see them?

So this was a synopsis of the sermon I heard.  I think for me it boils down to live in the present reality - try not to focus on just what is "perfect" or what is "horrible" in my life.  I need to learn to be content.  I don't want to miss out on opportunities because of the frustration in life, I don't want to miss out on challenges (which are also opportunities) because I'm just focusing on the positive.  I can try to do this for myself, but I can't force anyone to do it with/for me.  Yet I do believe that we all need balance in our lives and we need to trust the path that He is putting in front of us.