Thursday, February 28, 2008

Bus Stop

We got the bus to stop at our house in the morning and afternoon. I feel like such a mom when I put her on the bus to go to school. Before, I drove her to the theater at Stonecrest and waited until the bus came each morning and afternoon. Now I just sit at the computer and listen for the sound of a big vehicle and run out the front door. I feel a little spoiled. All I need is a head full of rollers, fuzzy slippers, a big, fluffy bathrobe and I am set!

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Tell the Truth Tuesday

The truth is...

I am the world's most accident prone person.

I think I might have broken my toe on Friday. Yes, I was running in the house. Something my mom warned me not to do. I rounded a corner into the kitchen and I misjudged how far my foot was from the cabinets. My big toe is a great mixture of black, dark blue and purple. The colors run clear down the side of my foot. Add that to the toe nail polish that is chipping off and I am one hot momma!

Friday, February 22, 2008

Fun Friday

Alright, this post might not sound like fun, but it really ended up to be a blast.

Last night I woke up at 2 am with a splitting headache. You know it's a bad headache when the pain gets incorporated into your dream right before you wake up. I rolled over to see that Ty was not in bed. Did I kick him out from snoring again? No, he was being creative on the computer. If you happen to be married to a creative type, you get to see how their minds work. Ty seems to get the most creative at night. His brain starts going and there's no chance of sleep until the ideas in his head come out on paper (or computer). Usually, when the creative juices start flowing, he gets to bed around 2 or 3 am.

Since I needed to go to the kitchen to get my medicine, I stopped to talk to Ty. He was wrapping up and headed to bed. We both crawled in and settled down for the night, ready to drift off into peaceful slumber. Or so we thought. Ty's brain would not turn off and I was waiting for the medicine to kick in. We were both wide awake.

We decided to make the best of it. We started talking about everything under the sun. The kind of talk that was not interrupted by a 3 year old, a talk that was not competing with having to load the dishwasher or wipe a dirty counter. We had each other's full attention. We had so much to say that when we finally ran out of things to discuss, it was 4:10 am!

Even though we are both a little tired, it was a really fun Friday!

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Vocabulary

I see a huge improvement in Lauren's vocabulary lately. With that new-found freedom comes new-found laughter. My favorite Lauren phrase comes when she goes potty. Don't worry, I got permission to share.

When Lauren sits on the potty, she says the same thing everytime, "Daddy round". At first I had no idea what she was talking about. It never failed. As soon as she sat down she would smile and say that phrase. She would even move her finger in a circular motion. She was very sure about 'Daddy round'.

Then it hit me. She said 'Daddy round' in the bathroom because that's what Daddy does in the bathroom. He turns around to go potty. Boy, I am so glad that that was the first concept she learned. Way to go, kid! I guess Daddy will have to start locking the bathroom door.

Monday, February 18, 2008

Memory Monday

I remember how Lauren used to get around the house before she was able to walk.

We didn't get a diagnosis of Cerebral Palsy until Lauren was nine months old. I knew that she wasn't using her right side like I thought she should, but I had no idea why. Lauren didn't walk until she was a year and a half, when she got her brace. But that didn't stop her from getting around.

Even though Lauren didn't get from point A to point B like most kids, her method of movement was quite entertaining. Lauren was a roller. She would be sitting or laying when she played on the floor. If she wanted to go anywhere she would simply roll across the floor to get where she wanted to be. She was so good at one point she could actually steer around corners and roll to other rooms of the house. If she was in a big open space she would sometimes have a hard time judging distance and just roll around in circles. Eventually she would get there, but she was dizzy when she was done.

I used to get so frustrated when she would roll to the tv cabinet and pull out all the video tapes from the bottom. She was a quick roller and would get to that cabinet, pull out 20 tapes with one swipe of the arm before I even knew she left the room. We had to stop chasing her during the rolling stage. She would get to laughing so hard that she didn't pay attention to where she was rolling and ran into a couple walls. How would you explain if she got bruises from that?

Friday, February 15, 2008

Fun Facts Friday

I'm not sure if this is a fun fact, but it was pretty interesting to hear. I had to meet with the speech pathologist at Lauren's school last week. We went over her progress and the things I need to do with her at home. I learned a lot about her hearing impairment and what to do to help.

One of the interesting things she said was how children aquire language. Children who hear normally gain 90% of their language by listening and 10% of their language is taught to them. That means they just learn by listening. There are some times you will have to teach specific words that might be part of the daily language you use in your environment, but otherwise they pick up on most of their language by listening to how the people around them talk.

Hearing impaired children aquire 90% of their language through teaching and only 10% of their language from listening. That means Lauren needs to be taught how to use the language she gets in her environment. For almost three years she wasn't hearing all the letters in the alphabet or all the words in a conversation. It would be like taking you fingers in and out of your ears as someone was talking to you. Lauren missed most of what everyone was saying. Now that she hears normally, language will start to develop. Yes, we will still have to teach her how to use language, but I can't help but think she will start picking up more cues from the world around her.

Either way, I am excited to see the language starting to emerge. I know she has a lot to say. I can't wait to hear what it is.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Tell the Truth Tuesday

The truth is...

I sometimes get really impatient when putting on all of Lauren's equipment.

I know, I am a horrible person for feeling that way. I am so thankful she has all the stuff she does. It will help her develop into a perfectly normal little girl. I just get tired of putting it all on sometimes. It's like I finally get her dressed, teeth brushed, on the potty, hair done and then I've got to go back and put in hearing aids, struggle with her brace, and put on her shoes. It doesn't even take that long, so I don't know why I'm whining. Most days it doesn't even phase me. It's part of the routine and I would do it a hundred times a day if it would help. Other days it feels like an act of congress to get it all on and out the door.

Well, there it is.

Monday, February 11, 2008

Beta Flashback

Our TV quit working Sunday afternoon. I turned it on and there was sound, but no picture. I could hear people talking, but all I saw was a circle of faded red, blue, and yellow in the center of a black screen. The picture tube had failed. Realizing that Lost is on Thursday, I thought I might need a new TV. Then it hit me. Do they even make TV's with picture tubes anymore? The answer is, not really. I got on Walmart's website and found seven TV's that had tubes. Circuit city had five. Best Buy had one or two. I feel like the people that never switched from Beta to VHS when they came out years ago. Only now, I haven't switched to LCD or flat screens. I feel like an 80 year old woman who now had a cell phone. It feels like technology just took off without asking me if I wanted to come along.

Maybe someday I'll get a flat screen, but for now I'll stick to the tube TVs. Besides, if I find one that lasts, I can take it to The Antiques Roadshow some day.

Friday, February 8, 2008

Fun Friday

No facts today. Instead, I would like to share with you what I saw when I came out to my living room this morning.

I was getting ready for a 10:00 meeting this morning and Lauren was playing with me for a while in my bedroom. She wandered off after a few minutes to go see her daddy in the living room. A few minutes later I noticed that I didn't hear anything except Tyler snoring. (He likes to take naps when Lauren watches her Noggin. Yes, we have it rough here at the Ford household.)

Anyway, I went out to inspect the silence and nearly fell over laughing. Lauren had gotten a package of unopened boxer briefs from my husband's closet and took them out to the other room. I had no idea she lifted them right out from under my nose. By the time I got out there, she had opened the package and managed to put two pairs over her head using the leg hole. There's Lauren, two pairs of her dad's underwear draped nicely around her neck. The extra material is even hanging down her back like a Fruit of the Loom cape. I wonder what her super power would be?

Oh, well. At least the colors complimented her skin tone.

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Would You Rather...

If you could have any super-power in the world, what would it be and why?

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Tell the Truth Tuesday

The truth is....

I have an small obsession with my daughter's cheeks.

I cannot stop pinching them. I even pinch and pull at the same time. She looks like she is made of rubber by the time I am done with her. I just can't help it. It's like there is this small voice calling, urging me to get two hand fulls of soft baby cheek and have at it. I feel like I want to pull them off and walk around with them in my pocket. Ocassionally, I could pull them out and squeeze away.

There, I feel better.

Monday, February 4, 2008

Memory Monday




I am replacing Memory Monday with an opportunity to welcome a new addition to our family. Riley Anne Smith was born Thursday, coming in at 9 lbs 13 oz. Big sister Megan and big brother Ben are very happy she is finally here. I hope to get up there as soon as possible to meet this little one. This is when it is hard to be so far away. You can't be the favorite Aunt unless you are there to give them gum when mom says 'no'. I guess I'll have to find another way to earn that title.

My sister-in-law, Kim is a stronger woman than I will ever be. Her epidural wore off before Riley was born and she had that kid naturally! My heart (and respect) goes out to you, Kim.

Congrats Smith family!