Hahahaha -- the title is a mixed message -- between being completely exhausted and the way I assume the Principal of Lily's school might have felt a little bit, this morning.
Yep, as suspected, I'm dragging. 4 days, 48 hours. Those are the 'in-office' hours.. I also was on-call those four nights (tonight, included) and I've said it before, I just never really sleep well when I'm on-call. I'm waiting for the phone to ring. I'm afraid I'm not going to hear it, though I have the volume set to the equivalent of the siren of a firetruck. Ok, maybe not that loud. But it's loud. And it would wake me up.
The worst part of working these hours? Arriving before the people you watch leave at the end of the night. The best part of these hours? I'm off ALL OF next week. I have Saturday through Friday off. My next day to work is Saturday, February 4th. Doesn't that just sound awesome? Totally did the "I'll see you in February!" to my supervisor. Lame, but true. :)
Another not-so-great part of working these hours: the cleanup crew has been sick / working / exhausted / confirmed strep positive / working / sick / etc.... so our house suffered this insane hurricane season for the past four days. Last night, I finally attacked the kitchen. The dishwasher was full of clean dishes, and Brandon wasn't well enough to stand vertically long enough to unload it, so it didn't get done. I just wasn't home, and by the time I was... I was EXHAUSTED. So I unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher and started that. That cleaned up most of the chaos. The rest just was relocate toys. *how do toys end up on our kitchen counters? And then the MOUNTAIN of school papers. I pulled Lincoln's backpack out and took out about 6 pages of beautiful art that he has done over (at least) the last four days. Checked his communication log -- which is how his teacher tells us the highlights of his days and any additional information. I just keep writing - "My kid is awesome", and leave it at that. (j/k. -- well, he is, but I don't write that in the book. I just assume she already knows that.) I started a couple loads of laundry last night... trying to put a dent in that, but it was barely noticeable that I touched it.
These are all things that will be properly addressed on my 7-day reprieve. Home made dinners every night... laundry caught up, house clean, toys put away, closets sorted and organized for matching outfits (yeah, I do like to do that. I might have a touch of OCD.) And I'm going to enjoy doing all of that. As stressful as parenting can be some days, I'd take being a stay at home mom, any day.
So, Lily's bus incident is pretty much resolved in my mind. The school apologized profusely -- which was nice, but also said they would start taking Lily's word more seriously -- she KNOWS where she's supposed to be. She will (and did) tell the bus driver if she is supposed to go to daycare and they're taking her home instead - or the other way around. My kid is smart. She made me so proud. When she did get home and was locked out. She didn't sit in the breezeway and cry, she went out and shoveled the deck and the back patio. Then she decided to start building a snowman... and made a HUGE base snowball. We're SO finishing that this weekend... and tie-dying it with our food coloring spray bottles. Gotta get it moved out to the front yard though, to proudly put it on display! :) I think we're going to get together with Brandon's little sister and our niece Mills Lane this weekend. Will be fun to see and play with them.
Monday, I'm sending the kids to daycare and will be helping my bro with some paperwork. He told me 'probably my only fault is forcing myself to fill out paperwork.' Yeah, Michael. :) It will be cool to hang out for a little bit.... then the rest of the day is Michelle time. Recharge. Rejuvenate. Not sure what I'll do, but something fun.
Have a great weekend ~
Friday, January 27, 2012
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Our story....Lincoln's birth day....
Some have asked... some know.... some don't... some have wondered.... here's our story.
Lincoln would be his name...
I remember so clearly, doing the early screening for Downs... because I was considered 'advanced maternal age'. I was 34, but would be a month into 35 by the time he was due.... I remember sitting in the Genetics Counselor's office... watching her map out our family... using shapes, circles - squares - triangles... and drawing them to perfection... with some stupid little tool... and she was nice, don't get me wrong... but I sat there thinking... I. don't. need. this. Just give me the test, the results and let's move on.
I remember going in for the blood draw, and being a little nervous about it... the thought of having a baby with a disability scared me. But I've ALWAYS been one of those who thinks, "it'll never happen to me." Nah. What am I so stressed about, waiting for these results?
I remember sitting at work, knowing that I was getting the call at work, with the results -- and I seriously contemplated taking the day off... just to guard myself. But totally reconsidered that morning... knowing 'we'd be fine.' The genetics counselor called, introduced herself to me and where she was calling from... and the next thing I heard was 'positive'. and '1 in 262' .... what ??? what did you just say? Positive? yeah. that is correct. Positive. I thanked her. Hung up and couldn't even begin to hold back the tears. I went and told my supervisor that I needed to go home. And left. Everyone knew we were expecting the results. And everyone knew they weren't the ones we expected.
Brandon and my dad were both -- 1 in 262?? PPSsssshhhhh! That's like less than a 1% chance. I remember my dad saying, "I have a better chance of growing all my hair back.".... and the rest of the next few days were just a blur.
I remember the conversations prior to the results, with the counselor, about all the false positives, and the only true way to know was through an amnio, which I wasn't willing to do. I just told myself, you know -- it was probably a false positive... and it'll never happen to me...
We went to our 18 week ultrasound... and you know, I'm SO naive. With our first baby -- literally -- the only thing we were there for, was to find out if she was a boy or girl. Everything else... what do you mean, everything else is ok? What else were you looking at? The only reason we were here was to know if we needed pink or blue clothing. Oiy. So we go in for our 2nd baby's ultrasound....and we know, there's going to be further scrutiny. We know, they're going to be 'looking'. To see if they can find anything pointing towards - yep, he has Downs.
We walked out with, everything looked 'normal' and it's a boy! We both were relieved. Normal. No indicators pointing towards a confirmed DS diagnosis. Whew. At that point, and for the next 20ish weeks... we swallowed our fears and presumed we were in the 'false positive' results.
Fast forward... contractions... come in to the hospital... monitoring.... labor stopped by next morning. Induction. For anyone that hasn't had a baby - or experience with induction, it's not a quick process... I was checked, checked, and rechecked. As I was progressing, we were told it would still probably be a while -- if Brandon wanted to get something to eat, now was probably the best time to do it.... he called, ordered a pizza... I called the nurse back in and said, you better check me again... I think it's time. She said, well, I'll check you, but I don't think ... OH. Yes, it is... on your next contraction, we'll start pushing.... *2 or 3 more nurses filed in... and in literally minutes, Lincoln was born.
We were taking pictures, he was perfect, we were so happy.... and oh, Brandon ordered that pizza... after getting baby Lincoln weighed and a few more pictures, he went to get his pizza.
While he was gone, more doctors, nurses, doctors, more nurses.... kept coming in, looking at my baby... I said -- what? Is everything ok? Oh, yeah -- we're just checking him out, he was born really quickly and his Apgar scores are a little low. More doctors... more in and out. No. This is not normal. I've had a baby already... something was not right. I said, "Mary (our midwife), what? Please tell me. What are they all looking at?" She came over and sat on the edge of my birthing bed, and said, "Michelle, we suspect he may have Down Syndrome."
WHAT? Everything was in slow motion. I don't think I asked another question. I just sat there. And cried.
Brandon came back with his pizza... walked in -- and all I could say was, "They think Lincoln has Down Syndrome." And Brandon's response, "Well, that sucks."
The doctors came in, there was a Cardiologist, a Geneticist, all kinds of residents, nurses, our midwife... they were going to do some further tests and exams... they took him. The doctor came back and said they were going to do a blood test that would identify the marker for Downs, a 3rd copy of Chromosome 21. And I remember Brandon asking him if they were just doing it as a formality, and the doctor said yes. They were pretty certain he had Downs.
I remember when they moved us from the birthing room and took us to the postpartum floor, and placed my new baby on my lap, and I cried.... the whole way to the new room. I remember having a conversation with our midwife, who knew we planned on 3 kids... that we were done. I didn't think it was a good idea to have anymore. And she said... "Michelle, don't make your decision yet. Give yourself time to figure out this new journey." And with that, she handed me the poem, "Welcome to Holland" by Emily Perl Kingsley.
When we were in the hospital, we had to stay a little longer, Lincoln needed oxygen and he was being fed through a tube in his nose. He wouldn't latch and wasn't 'organized' as they called it, in the Level 2 Nursery, to coordinate his 'suck, swallow, breathe' pattern. I ended up experiencing some abdominal pain about 2 days after he was born, and by day 3, I seriously was doubling over.... it hurt so bad... and it would come in waves of cramping. I had an uterine infection. Really? As if coping with everything else, now I'm getting re-admitted to the hospital and being put on an I.V. with antibiotics that were so strong, they made my mouth taste metallic. I remember laying in bed, sleeping as much as I could and rocking back and forth when I was awake... because it hurt so much. The nurses would come in and check on me and all I could say was, Yeah, I'm ok. While I was thinking GET OUT!!! *when I'm sick, I like to be left alone.
Finally, I got better, was released and was able to go back to the Level 2 nursery and touch my baby's arm through his little enclosed bassinet.
I remember finally getting to go home... with the horrendous mountain of papers, books, pamphlets, phone numbers and instructions on what to do if he stops breathing and turns blue. O. M. G. are you kidding me?
The Community Health Nurse came over to our house probably about a week after we were home... to make sure we were doing ok. She came in, sat down at my kitchen table and everything was going fine, until she started telling me that my baby would probably never drive, never have a real job, never .... never....
WHAT? I stood up, Lincoln was in the other room, in his bassinet, and I remember standing up and looking at her dead in the eye, and said, HOW DARE YOU ?!? which was followed with get the f(*k out of my house. *I was still very hormonal, but seriously?!? We're going to have this conversation of all the things you don't think he'll be able to do? Who the hell are you!??! I don't think she was even turned around in our street to leave, and I was calling her supervisor... I won't repeat the conversation she listened to, but I was thankful she was silent and just listened. And then the apologies started. No. I don't need an apology. Just make sure it doesn't ever happen again, to any other new mother.
I remember coming home with so many more papers of informative pamphlets to read 'when you're ready.' Starting to read it and putting it down, because I couldn't read two sentences without crying.
I was grieving. And I grieved for probably the next 4-6 months. I couldn't talk about it. I went from sad, to angry, to sad, to ok, to ANGRY, to sad.... and it took a LONG time before I wouldn't cry when I talked about him... a long time....
On his first birthday, I made him a book -- which ended with, "And I promise... I will never cry again, on your birthday. Only happy tears."
Lincoln would be his name...
I remember so clearly, doing the early screening for Downs... because I was considered 'advanced maternal age'. I was 34, but would be a month into 35 by the time he was due.... I remember sitting in the Genetics Counselor's office... watching her map out our family... using shapes, circles - squares - triangles... and drawing them to perfection... with some stupid little tool... and she was nice, don't get me wrong... but I sat there thinking... I. don't. need. this. Just give me the test, the results and let's move on.
I remember going in for the blood draw, and being a little nervous about it... the thought of having a baby with a disability scared me. But I've ALWAYS been one of those who thinks, "it'll never happen to me." Nah. What am I so stressed about, waiting for these results?
I remember sitting at work, knowing that I was getting the call at work, with the results -- and I seriously contemplated taking the day off... just to guard myself. But totally reconsidered that morning... knowing 'we'd be fine.' The genetics counselor called, introduced herself to me and where she was calling from... and the next thing I heard was 'positive'. and '1 in 262' .... what ??? what did you just say? Positive? yeah. that is correct. Positive. I thanked her. Hung up and couldn't even begin to hold back the tears. I went and told my supervisor that I needed to go home. And left. Everyone knew we were expecting the results. And everyone knew they weren't the ones we expected.
Brandon and my dad were both -- 1 in 262?? PPSsssshhhhh! That's like less than a 1% chance. I remember my dad saying, "I have a better chance of growing all my hair back.".... and the rest of the next few days were just a blur.
I remember the conversations prior to the results, with the counselor, about all the false positives, and the only true way to know was through an amnio, which I wasn't willing to do. I just told myself, you know -- it was probably a false positive... and it'll never happen to me...
We went to our 18 week ultrasound... and you know, I'm SO naive. With our first baby -- literally -- the only thing we were there for, was to find out if she was a boy or girl. Everything else... what do you mean, everything else is ok? What else were you looking at? The only reason we were here was to know if we needed pink or blue clothing. Oiy. So we go in for our 2nd baby's ultrasound....and we know, there's going to be further scrutiny. We know, they're going to be 'looking'. To see if they can find anything pointing towards - yep, he has Downs.
We walked out with, everything looked 'normal' and it's a boy! We both were relieved. Normal. No indicators pointing towards a confirmed DS diagnosis. Whew. At that point, and for the next 20ish weeks... we swallowed our fears and presumed we were in the 'false positive' results.
Fast forward... contractions... come in to the hospital... monitoring.... labor stopped by next morning. Induction. For anyone that hasn't had a baby - or experience with induction, it's not a quick process... I was checked, checked, and rechecked. As I was progressing, we were told it would still probably be a while -- if Brandon wanted to get something to eat, now was probably the best time to do it.... he called, ordered a pizza... I called the nurse back in and said, you better check me again... I think it's time. She said, well, I'll check you, but I don't think ... OH. Yes, it is... on your next contraction, we'll start pushing.... *2 or 3 more nurses filed in... and in literally minutes, Lincoln was born.
We were taking pictures, he was perfect, we were so happy.... and oh, Brandon ordered that pizza... after getting baby Lincoln weighed and a few more pictures, he went to get his pizza.
While he was gone, more doctors, nurses, doctors, more nurses.... kept coming in, looking at my baby... I said -- what? Is everything ok? Oh, yeah -- we're just checking him out, he was born really quickly and his Apgar scores are a little low. More doctors... more in and out. No. This is not normal. I've had a baby already... something was not right. I said, "Mary (our midwife), what? Please tell me. What are they all looking at?" She came over and sat on the edge of my birthing bed, and said, "Michelle, we suspect he may have Down Syndrome."
WHAT? Everything was in slow motion. I don't think I asked another question. I just sat there. And cried.
Brandon came back with his pizza... walked in -- and all I could say was, "They think Lincoln has Down Syndrome." And Brandon's response, "Well, that sucks."
The doctors came in, there was a Cardiologist, a Geneticist, all kinds of residents, nurses, our midwife... they were going to do some further tests and exams... they took him. The doctor came back and said they were going to do a blood test that would identify the marker for Downs, a 3rd copy of Chromosome 21. And I remember Brandon asking him if they were just doing it as a formality, and the doctor said yes. They were pretty certain he had Downs.
I remember when they moved us from the birthing room and took us to the postpartum floor, and placed my new baby on my lap, and I cried.... the whole way to the new room. I remember having a conversation with our midwife, who knew we planned on 3 kids... that we were done. I didn't think it was a good idea to have anymore. And she said... "Michelle, don't make your decision yet. Give yourself time to figure out this new journey." And with that, she handed me the poem, "Welcome to Holland" by Emily Perl Kingsley.
When we were in the hospital, we had to stay a little longer, Lincoln needed oxygen and he was being fed through a tube in his nose. He wouldn't latch and wasn't 'organized' as they called it, in the Level 2 Nursery, to coordinate his 'suck, swallow, breathe' pattern. I ended up experiencing some abdominal pain about 2 days after he was born, and by day 3, I seriously was doubling over.... it hurt so bad... and it would come in waves of cramping. I had an uterine infection. Really? As if coping with everything else, now I'm getting re-admitted to the hospital and being put on an I.V. with antibiotics that were so strong, they made my mouth taste metallic. I remember laying in bed, sleeping as much as I could and rocking back and forth when I was awake... because it hurt so much. The nurses would come in and check on me and all I could say was, Yeah, I'm ok. While I was thinking GET OUT!!! *when I'm sick, I like to be left alone.
Finally, I got better, was released and was able to go back to the Level 2 nursery and touch my baby's arm through his little enclosed bassinet.
I remember finally getting to go home... with the horrendous mountain of papers, books, pamphlets, phone numbers and instructions on what to do if he stops breathing and turns blue. O. M. G. are you kidding me?
The Community Health Nurse came over to our house probably about a week after we were home... to make sure we were doing ok. She came in, sat down at my kitchen table and everything was going fine, until she started telling me that my baby would probably never drive, never have a real job, never .... never....
WHAT? I stood up, Lincoln was in the other room, in his bassinet, and I remember standing up and looking at her dead in the eye, and said, HOW DARE YOU ?!? which was followed with get the f(*k out of my house. *I was still very hormonal, but seriously?!? We're going to have this conversation of all the things you don't think he'll be able to do? Who the hell are you!??! I don't think she was even turned around in our street to leave, and I was calling her supervisor... I won't repeat the conversation she listened to, but I was thankful she was silent and just listened. And then the apologies started. No. I don't need an apology. Just make sure it doesn't ever happen again, to any other new mother.
I remember coming home with so many more papers of informative pamphlets to read 'when you're ready.' Starting to read it and putting it down, because I couldn't read two sentences without crying.
I was grieving. And I grieved for probably the next 4-6 months. I couldn't talk about it. I went from sad, to angry, to sad, to ok, to ANGRY, to sad.... and it took a LONG time before I wouldn't cry when I talked about him... a long time....
On his first birthday, I made him a book -- which ended with, "And I promise... I will never cry again, on your birthday. Only happy tears."
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Work, work, work, work, work....
The title gives it away... what am I doing this week?? In 4 days, I'll have clocked 96 hours. (*includes on-call time)... I work the next four days and am on call those evenings. I'm sure by Friday, I'm going to be DRAGGING butt... but the pay off: I will be off Saturday - Friday next week ... all of next week! That is going to be nice. :)
Lily and her friend played outside yesterday... they were making snow angels, then we took some spray bottles filled with water and a few drops of food coloring and 'painted' the angels. They turned out super cute. I'll get those pictures posted soon... they also were excited to model our new sun catcher that Lily and I made... I was pretty pleased with the way it turned out... and Lily thought it was cool. :)
Yesterday, the kids didn't have school. An in-service day - end of the quarter, whatever they called it. I forgot about it. So, because the weather wasn't great, and we were watching the cancellations happen all around us, I figured I'd just drive her to school... and, we were running a little late, getting Lincoln and Lucy up and ready. So.... we come pulling into the school parking lot and there are four cars. The lot is being plowed, and I'm thinking... did school get canceled and KTTC (news) didn't put it on their website? UGH. So I called Sarah - our daycare mom and asked her what was up. After I explained that we're in the school parking lot... all she could do was laugh. Yeah, I'm that mom. Oiy. *rolling my eyes.
Lily was happy to have the day off though, but made sure to tell me that she "...could have slept in this morning, mom!" :) Yeah, we all could have. Oops.
Here's to the next four days flying by! And the bliss of a week off!
Lily and her friend played outside yesterday... they were making snow angels, then we took some spray bottles filled with water and a few drops of food coloring and 'painted' the angels. They turned out super cute. I'll get those pictures posted soon... they also were excited to model our new sun catcher that Lily and I made... I was pretty pleased with the way it turned out... and Lily thought it was cool. :)
 |
| Lily's friend that came to play, was happy to help model the new sun catcher. :) |
Yesterday, the kids didn't have school. An in-service day - end of the quarter, whatever they called it. I forgot about it. So, because the weather wasn't great, and we were watching the cancellations happen all around us, I figured I'd just drive her to school... and, we were running a little late, getting Lincoln and Lucy up and ready. So.... we come pulling into the school parking lot and there are four cars. The lot is being plowed, and I'm thinking... did school get canceled and KTTC (news) didn't put it on their website? UGH. So I called Sarah - our daycare mom and asked her what was up. After I explained that we're in the school parking lot... all she could do was laugh. Yeah, I'm that mom. Oiy. *rolling my eyes.
Lily was happy to have the day off though, but made sure to tell me that she "...could have slept in this morning, mom!" :) Yeah, we all could have. Oops.
Here's to the next four days flying by! And the bliss of a week off!
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Is your bum warm enough??
We are a three-car family, even though we only own two... and even that isn't real, we own the van... we lease Brandon's. I never thought I'd ever lease a car, but we're on our second leased vehicle and it seems like it's been a good choice for us. We had our blue Camry, that we returned with less mileage than the lease was for... increased the equity we owned in it, and made for a larger down payment on our current leased car.
We leave the van at home every day. Since I work 12 hour shifts and have to be to work by 6:30 a.m., Brandon drives the kids to daycare at 7. He takes them there in the van, brings it home, drops it off and goes to work in his work car. He has to be to work by 8, so after he's dropped the kids off, he drops the van off at home and still is able to get to work on time. That leaves me driving our leased car to and from work every day. When I get home I drop it off, pick up the van, and go get the kids. It works well for us.
So the third car that comes into play is part of Brandon's job, he is test driving used vehicles nightly, that are traded in, to make sure they are in good working order... that the options / features in the cars are all in working order. I'm sure by now our neighbors are used to seeing a new car in our driveway every night, but initially, I wonder what they thought... :)
The car we rented is a reddish/orangeish Rav4. Four wheel drive, which was my only request when he selected our next car. He brought it home, I drove it said it was fine with me. We signed the papers, it was ours. So about a week after driving it, he asked me again what I thought of it, and I said there were only a few things I would change if I could... and he said, like what? Well, let me preface this with my van is LOADED. I have EVERY feature that was available to the van, when it was new. Granted, newer vans have more features, but it's not staring me in the face, in my van, like that big dash area that really looks weird, that's where (if you had it) the GPS system would go. I have it, in the van. That space below the shifter, that's where your seat heater controls would be... if you had them. I have it, in the van. So I said the one thing I really miss are seat heaters... yeah. Lame. I know. But you get spoiled. Seat heaters. He said, "Suck it up." *GASP, what did you say to me?!?!? Suck it up????? Really??!! He watched and let me react... and I'm pretty sure he enjoyed it all. Then he said, "Your seat heaters are getting installed on January 4th." He spoils me. :)
So our after-market seat heaters were installed. And let me tell you something about after-market seat heaters... holy burn your ass hot, on the high setting.... I swear, it's impossible to sit the entire trip (20 mins) from my house to work, with the seat heater on high. Brandon said they are warm, "they work fast and the high position is just used to warm up the chair initially, you're supposed to turn the setting to low." Oh. Didn't know that. Because in my van, I have it on high setting all the time... and it's the perfect temp... unless you're on a long trip (over an hour) -- then it gets you a little warm -- all over though, not just on the bum....
All this said, don't get me wrong... I'm NOT complaining... I've learned how to use these new seat heaters and they're fabulous.
The only other thing I wanted was leather seats. They haven't gotten installed yet. I'm pretty sure, they're not coming. But I do have them in my van. ;)
So, I have a four wheel drive vehicle, with no snow in Minnesota. Well, we have a dusting, but nothing major. It was 20 degrees when I came into work this morning... chilly, but not a typical Minnesota January morning. I'm waiting for it to snow... we have some fun ideas to make some colorful snow creations that I read about in my new Disney Family Fun magazine... if and when we get some snow, and we're able to play... I'll post the pictures.
We leave the van at home every day. Since I work 12 hour shifts and have to be to work by 6:30 a.m., Brandon drives the kids to daycare at 7. He takes them there in the van, brings it home, drops it off and goes to work in his work car. He has to be to work by 8, so after he's dropped the kids off, he drops the van off at home and still is able to get to work on time. That leaves me driving our leased car to and from work every day. When I get home I drop it off, pick up the van, and go get the kids. It works well for us.
So the third car that comes into play is part of Brandon's job, he is test driving used vehicles nightly, that are traded in, to make sure they are in good working order... that the options / features in the cars are all in working order. I'm sure by now our neighbors are used to seeing a new car in our driveway every night, but initially, I wonder what they thought... :)
The car we rented is a reddish/orangeish Rav4. Four wheel drive, which was my only request when he selected our next car. He brought it home, I drove it said it was fine with me. We signed the papers, it was ours. So about a week after driving it, he asked me again what I thought of it, and I said there were only a few things I would change if I could... and he said, like what? Well, let me preface this with my van is LOADED. I have EVERY feature that was available to the van, when it was new. Granted, newer vans have more features, but it's not staring me in the face, in my van, like that big dash area that really looks weird, that's where (if you had it) the GPS system would go. I have it, in the van. That space below the shifter, that's where your seat heater controls would be... if you had them. I have it, in the van. So I said the one thing I really miss are seat heaters... yeah. Lame. I know. But you get spoiled. Seat heaters. He said, "Suck it up." *GASP, what did you say to me?!?!? Suck it up????? Really??!! He watched and let me react... and I'm pretty sure he enjoyed it all. Then he said, "Your seat heaters are getting installed on January 4th." He spoils me. :)
So our after-market seat heaters were installed. And let me tell you something about after-market seat heaters... holy burn your ass hot, on the high setting.... I swear, it's impossible to sit the entire trip (20 mins) from my house to work, with the seat heater on high. Brandon said they are warm, "they work fast and the high position is just used to warm up the chair initially, you're supposed to turn the setting to low." Oh. Didn't know that. Because in my van, I have it on high setting all the time... and it's the perfect temp... unless you're on a long trip (over an hour) -- then it gets you a little warm -- all over though, not just on the bum....
All this said, don't get me wrong... I'm NOT complaining... I've learned how to use these new seat heaters and they're fabulous.
The only other thing I wanted was leather seats. They haven't gotten installed yet. I'm pretty sure, they're not coming. But I do have them in my van. ;)
So, I have a four wheel drive vehicle, with no snow in Minnesota. Well, we have a dusting, but nothing major. It was 20 degrees when I came into work this morning... chilly, but not a typical Minnesota January morning. I'm waiting for it to snow... we have some fun ideas to make some colorful snow creations that I read about in my new Disney Family Fun magazine... if and when we get some snow, and we're able to play... I'll post the pictures.
Friday, January 13, 2012
A week off - well almost...
Yesterday was the first day that I didn't lay there and think of all the things I should be doing, after I crawled in Lily's bed to take a nap. It has been a busy week and I was exhausted. I think I laid there for maybe a minute, before I could feel myself starting to snore. Three hours later, I felt SO much better. Recharged.
Also yesterday, Lily had state testing at school. I wanted her to have a hot breakfast, so my girl chose a Soup at Hand... chicken and stars it was. :) When she came home from school, I asked her how she did on her testing and she said, "I did awesome, Mom." How cool is that? I don't know if she'll always think she's that awesome, or if she'll always think her school work is that easy peasy... but I hope so.
Lily and I had a DS conversation last night... right before bed. Lincoln was laying on his changing table, I was getting his jammies on and changing his pants... getting him ready for bed... and Lily asked why his face looks different from hers. I said, like what do you mean? He has ears, nose, eyes, mouth -- just like you... how is it different? She said his eyes look different. He has a big tongue ... those were the only two things she pointed out, but she was spot on... I told her it was because he has Down Syndrome. I said, "See how his eyes are slanted a little like this?" *and I showed her with my fingers. She said yes... and I said -- that is because he has DS. His tongue is bigger than ours... because he has DS... she said is he really flexible in his legs because of DS? I said, yes. She said, Mom, that's really cool... he can be a good gymnastics person. :) It is really cool, you're right Lily... *as I was trying not to cry.
He is normal to us. His eating problems, delayed speech, his amazing flexibility... along with the extended time it's taking to teach him not to hit, push, pull hair, etc... it's our normal. And I'm glad that my family is exposed to this... it's an exposure to acceptance and inclusion, that I probably wouldn't have known otherwise... it's different when it's your family. You see the people walking around, with DS... you understand their learning disabled, and different in other ways... but until those people, are your people... it doesn't really affect you. The inclusion in regular school.. it's not just for him, it's for the other kids too... do you know my boy? He's pretty awesome. *and my girls are too. -- just ask Lily. She'll tell you she is. As I know Lincoln will... and Lucy will... and they'll be right. They are.
I'm making a chicken wild rice soup for dinner tonight in the crock pot... hoping it turns out... it's a new recipe... Lily will let me know if it's awesome or not. She's my most honest critic. :)
Also yesterday, Lily had state testing at school. I wanted her to have a hot breakfast, so my girl chose a Soup at Hand... chicken and stars it was. :) When she came home from school, I asked her how she did on her testing and she said, "I did awesome, Mom." How cool is that? I don't know if she'll always think she's that awesome, or if she'll always think her school work is that easy peasy... but I hope so.
Lily and I had a DS conversation last night... right before bed. Lincoln was laying on his changing table, I was getting his jammies on and changing his pants... getting him ready for bed... and Lily asked why his face looks different from hers. I said, like what do you mean? He has ears, nose, eyes, mouth -- just like you... how is it different? She said his eyes look different. He has a big tongue ... those were the only two things she pointed out, but she was spot on... I told her it was because he has Down Syndrome. I said, "See how his eyes are slanted a little like this?" *and I showed her with my fingers. She said yes... and I said -- that is because he has DS. His tongue is bigger than ours... because he has DS... she said is he really flexible in his legs because of DS? I said, yes. She said, Mom, that's really cool... he can be a good gymnastics person. :) It is really cool, you're right Lily... *as I was trying not to cry.
He is normal to us. His eating problems, delayed speech, his amazing flexibility... along with the extended time it's taking to teach him not to hit, push, pull hair, etc... it's our normal. And I'm glad that my family is exposed to this... it's an exposure to acceptance and inclusion, that I probably wouldn't have known otherwise... it's different when it's your family. You see the people walking around, with DS... you understand their learning disabled, and different in other ways... but until those people, are your people... it doesn't really affect you. The inclusion in regular school.. it's not just for him, it's for the other kids too... do you know my boy? He's pretty awesome. *and my girls are too. -- just ask Lily. She'll tell you she is. As I know Lincoln will... and Lucy will... and they'll be right. They are.
I'm making a chicken wild rice soup for dinner tonight in the crock pot... hoping it turns out... it's a new recipe... Lily will let me know if it's awesome or not. She's my most honest critic. :)
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Slumber parties ROCK
You know what's cool? When you pick your kid up from her first slumber party... and she's sad that you're already there.
I remember when she was a baby, she would cry when I dropped her off at daycare... not that she didn't like it there, but that I was leaving her... *and it would b.r.e.a.k. m.y. h.e.a.r.t. Then she got a little older, and she would cry because I was already there to pick her up, at the end of the day. *and it would b.r.e.a.k. m.y. h.e.a.r.t. :) But now, (probably also has something to do with three kids later) I am happy to know that she's perfectly fine without me being right by her side. She still can be shy. If we're in an environment that she's not sure of... she wants me to stay with her... but for the most part, when she's with her friends... she's in her comfort zone. And that's cool.
I'm planning a Valentine's party for Lily and her friends... nothing major -- going to set up a long table in our living room, plant some chairs around it and load it up with crafts... then have some cookies or cupcakes... and call it a party. Mostly, it's just about having friends over... I can't wait until we live in a bigger, nicer house, so that we can entertain all the time. Until then, they're only little once... I'm not letting excuses get in the way of creating memories for my kids...
The Polar Plunge is coming up fast... I just registered, and I'm hoping to raise $400 this year... it's for a good cause - near and dear to our hearts - Special Olympics. I'm pretty certain, my boy is going to be playing some type of ball for them... if I had to guess, it's probably going to be basketball. He LOVES to shoot baskets. This will be my 2nd year jumping, and Brandon's 5th. Never thought I'd be a Polar Plunger.... Never say never. What you won't do for your kids.... if you're interested in donating, follow this link: https://www.plungemn.org/index.php?page=pledge&pledge_reg_id=4206
And lastly, it's official. Lucy is a Daddy's girl. She was all kinds of mad at her mama tonight, for changing her diaper... and Daddy rescued her, just as soon as she was all done. I went to pick her back up from his arms to hug and kiss her to tell her I love her, and she just reached back for her Daddy and cried harder. She wanted her Dad. :) I'm ok with that. My girls love their daddy. That's the way it's supposed to be. *and a funny side note, Lucy calls Lincoln, "Boy". Pretty sure she's heard him called "The boy" a few times. Love that girl. :)
I remember when she was a baby, she would cry when I dropped her off at daycare... not that she didn't like it there, but that I was leaving her... *and it would b.r.e.a.k. m.y. h.e.a.r.t. Then she got a little older, and she would cry because I was already there to pick her up, at the end of the day. *and it would b.r.e.a.k. m.y. h.e.a.r.t. :) But now, (probably also has something to do with three kids later) I am happy to know that she's perfectly fine without me being right by her side. She still can be shy. If we're in an environment that she's not sure of... she wants me to stay with her... but for the most part, when she's with her friends... she's in her comfort zone. And that's cool.
I'm planning a Valentine's party for Lily and her friends... nothing major -- going to set up a long table in our living room, plant some chairs around it and load it up with crafts... then have some cookies or cupcakes... and call it a party. Mostly, it's just about having friends over... I can't wait until we live in a bigger, nicer house, so that we can entertain all the time. Until then, they're only little once... I'm not letting excuses get in the way of creating memories for my kids...
The Polar Plunge is coming up fast... I just registered, and I'm hoping to raise $400 this year... it's for a good cause - near and dear to our hearts - Special Olympics. I'm pretty certain, my boy is going to be playing some type of ball for them... if I had to guess, it's probably going to be basketball. He LOVES to shoot baskets. This will be my 2nd year jumping, and Brandon's 5th. Never thought I'd be a Polar Plunger.... Never say never. What you won't do for your kids.... if you're interested in donating, follow this link: https://www.plungemn.org/index.php?page=pledge&pledge_reg_id=4206
And lastly, it's official. Lucy is a Daddy's girl. She was all kinds of mad at her mama tonight, for changing her diaper... and Daddy rescued her, just as soon as she was all done. I went to pick her back up from his arms to hug and kiss her to tell her I love her, and she just reached back for her Daddy and cried harder. She wanted her Dad. :) I'm ok with that. My girls love their daddy. That's the way it's supposed to be. *and a funny side note, Lucy calls Lincoln, "Boy". Pretty sure she's heard him called "The boy" a few times. Love that girl. :)
Friday, January 6, 2012
To disassemble, or not to disassemble... that is the question.
Our Christmas Tree is STILL up. I keep passing the aisle at Walmart that has those great containers that put each one of your ornaments (or two) in a little sectioned dip, so they aren't crushed or broken next year when you pull them out. That looks like a great idea... the problem is where / how to store those great containers... somehow, I think because I don't own any of those, I can't get our tree undecorated and put away. Well, I'm going to give it another shot tomorrow. It's a new day. We'll see how it goes. :)
It's 11:30 and Lucy is crying herself to sleep again... did I mention I'm looking forward to moving? So that child can have her own room, and doesn't have to be moved from her pack and play in our room, out to the front living room, which doubles as her make-shift bedroom, every night when we're ready to go to bed.... yeah, I'm looking forward to moving.
Lily's at her sleepover tonight... we walked up to the door at her friend's house, when I was dropping her off and they were already at the front door, the greeting committee... jumping up and down with excitement... and my girl was trying to be all cool, and act like she didn't want to jump up and down too... She's funny. I KNOW they had a great time tonight and will have more fun tomorrow. I have to pick her up around 3.
Tonight, we rented the movie, "The Help".... it was good. If you haven't already seen it, I'd totally recommend it. Hard to believe people were really treated like that because of the color of their skin. We also rented (and by we, I mean I), "Bridesmaids"... heard some good feedback on that one too -- hope it doesn't disappoint.
I'm thinking about a Valentine's party for Lily and some friends... at our place, make some 'heart' bead necklaces... decorate some cookies... punch... we'll have to see what other fun ideas I can come up with... I bought the plates, napkins and invites (blank Valentine cards)... I know they'll love it no matter what we do... I don't remember going to any parties I didn't love... *not when I was their age, anyway. :)
Ok... the Goose is done crying... this mama is going to bed. Big day tomorrow.... lots to do.
It's 11:30 and Lucy is crying herself to sleep again... did I mention I'm looking forward to moving? So that child can have her own room, and doesn't have to be moved from her pack and play in our room, out to the front living room, which doubles as her make-shift bedroom, every night when we're ready to go to bed.... yeah, I'm looking forward to moving.
Lily's at her sleepover tonight... we walked up to the door at her friend's house, when I was dropping her off and they were already at the front door, the greeting committee... jumping up and down with excitement... and my girl was trying to be all cool, and act like she didn't want to jump up and down too... She's funny. I KNOW they had a great time tonight and will have more fun tomorrow. I have to pick her up around 3.
Tonight, we rented the movie, "The Help".... it was good. If you haven't already seen it, I'd totally recommend it. Hard to believe people were really treated like that because of the color of their skin. We also rented (and by we, I mean I), "Bridesmaids"... heard some good feedback on that one too -- hope it doesn't disappoint.
I'm thinking about a Valentine's party for Lily and some friends... at our place, make some 'heart' bead necklaces... decorate some cookies... punch... we'll have to see what other fun ideas I can come up with... I bought the plates, napkins and invites (blank Valentine cards)... I know they'll love it no matter what we do... I don't remember going to any parties I didn't love... *not when I was their age, anyway. :)
Ok... the Goose is done crying... this mama is going to bed. Big day tomorrow.... lots to do.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Content
I don't know what's causing this overwhelming feeling of contentment, but it's cool. I love feeling like everything's right in my world... like there's not one thing that I would change -- (or very few -- mostly just that my kids would make it through the rest of this winter without the colds, coughs, and snotty noses....)
Lily's headed to her first overnight slumber party this weekend. Oh, she's excited. :) We bought a new sleeping bag, (she outgrew the kids one we had before) and for Christmas, she got a great 'overnight bag', that we'll pack her stuff in.... they're going to tie dye t-shirts... sounds like a ton of fun... and I know my girl is going to love it. There is a ((tiny)) part of me wondering if she'll be ok and stay there all night, or get homesick and want me to come get her.... I remember my first sleep over, at Julia Munson's house... middle of the night, my dad had to come pick me up -- I was in tears and needed to come home. Needed. Key word. :) So there's a baby shower this weekend that I was supposed to go to -- but because Lily's going to this sleep over, I'm sending my present and won't be attending, because I need to be home. Need to be... in case my girl decides to bail.
Lincoln's catching and throwing a ball like a pro. Please consider this a pre-warning: if there is a ball and Lincoln in the same room... most of the time without warning, you will be included in a game of catch.. My boy throws overhand, and aims at your head. Just so you know. :)
I think we're going to start potty training Lucy sooner than later.... she will tell me when she poops, and she will also tell me "potty" and point to the toilet, when she's accompanied you in the bathroom. I wonder if this will also spark an interest in Lincoln... I'm not sure how I would react if I was done buying diapers. Probably would feel similar to winning the lottery.
2012 is starting off to be a good year... loving life and everything about it right now.
Lily's headed to her first overnight slumber party this weekend. Oh, she's excited. :) We bought a new sleeping bag, (she outgrew the kids one we had before) and for Christmas, she got a great 'overnight bag', that we'll pack her stuff in.... they're going to tie dye t-shirts... sounds like a ton of fun... and I know my girl is going to love it. There is a ((tiny)) part of me wondering if she'll be ok and stay there all night, or get homesick and want me to come get her.... I remember my first sleep over, at Julia Munson's house... middle of the night, my dad had to come pick me up -- I was in tears and needed to come home. Needed. Key word. :) So there's a baby shower this weekend that I was supposed to go to -- but because Lily's going to this sleep over, I'm sending my present and won't be attending, because I need to be home. Need to be... in case my girl decides to bail.
Lincoln's catching and throwing a ball like a pro. Please consider this a pre-warning: if there is a ball and Lincoln in the same room... most of the time without warning, you will be included in a game of catch.. My boy throws overhand, and aims at your head. Just so you know. :)
I think we're going to start potty training Lucy sooner than later.... she will tell me when she poops, and she will also tell me "potty" and point to the toilet, when she's accompanied you in the bathroom. I wonder if this will also spark an interest in Lincoln... I'm not sure how I would react if I was done buying diapers. Probably would feel similar to winning the lottery.
2012 is starting off to be a good year... loving life and everything about it right now.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)