Fired Up

I just found out that Time Warner Cable is taking Noggin and Nickelodeon, as well as 16 other channels off their programming. We are going to have to pay more to get them back by moving up to the next cable tier. There are very few things that fire me up, but greedy companies are one of them. Is it a coincidence that they are taking the kids programs? No, they are counting on the fact that the parents will pay to get these back. Now, our family does not spend hours in front of the TV, but Noggin is actually a recommended program for Lauren's development. The shows are made for preschoolers and are filled with singing, repetition, and educational material. All the things that are good for Lauren's language development. I don't let anything that is good for her development go without a fight.

I have already sent an email to Time Warner demanding that they do not remove these programs. Please join me, if for no other reason than for the principal of it all. If you don't want to email at www.timewarnercable.com, you can call 1-800-762-3786.

Deep Thoughts

I just ate half of a leftover Chocolate Blizzard with Butterfinger for breakfast this morning.

I wonder why I am not a size 6?

The end.

Brace...Again

I know all of you have already celebrated the fact that Lauren got the "all clear" to stop wearing her brace. And that is still true. However, there are professionals in Lauren's life that would still like to see the brace back on for a little while each day. She doesn't need it to walk, it would just help her gait get a little more like other children her age. Right now, when she walks she slaps her right foot as she is walking. Imagine yourself walking and your foot goes from heel to toe in one smooth motion. Because Lauren had never been able to move her right foot, she doesn't have the strength to move her foot in a smooth motion. It slaps on the ground without much control. It doesn't affect her ability to walk, but a new type of brace will help build the strength to correct it.

We have ordered a new brace to help. It looks like a bionic brace and is pretty much the coolest thing I have ever seen. I will do my best to describe it, but I promise I will get a picture of it when it comes in. The bottom of the brace looks just like a shoe insole. It is thin and rests perfectly on the bottom of her foot. There is nothing that comes up over her foot. There is one thin piece of metal that comes up the back of her leg. It is thin and flexible. You can hardly even see it. The bulk of the brace wraps around the top of her leg, right under her knee. You don't even know she has it on. It also gives her more flexibility in her foot and leg.

You might think that I am disappointed about the decision to get a new brace. I am not at all. She will only wear it a few hours at school and a few hours over the weekend. I don't look at it as a set back but as a step forward. We are now just fine tuning what was already corrected. I am happy that the people in Lauren's life are not settling for mediocre, but pushing her to achieve her full potential. Even if it is just getting her to walk as normal as possible. It would probably be hard to tell a parent that their child would benefit from a brace shortly after a surgery to correct the problem. I am proud of their courage to do that for Lauren's sake. I am thankful these people care enough about her to make sure she gets where she needs to be. You can't be disappointed about that!

Top Chef

I think Lauren might enter the field of Culinary Arts. I decided that after I gave her lunch Saturday afternoon. I made Lauren an English Muffin with melted Swiss cheese on top. I gave her a cup of applesauce as well. I went into the kitchen to prepare my lunch and then join Lauren at the table. When I got back, a new food creation was born.

Lauren took the applesauce and heaped it equally on each side of the English muffin. So, I saw English muffin, Swiss cheese, and a pile of applesauce. She ate the entire thing like it was the best thing she has ever tasted. She even cheered herself on by raising both hands and yelling "I did it!" after she was done.

I guess I will need to be a bit more aware of the food combinations I give her. It could get pretty disgusting if I'm not careful.

Sneak Peak

Our dear friend, Sean Lyon, is one of the most amazing photographers in the world. He did a Christmas shoot with Lauren and it turned out great. He never takes a bad picture and I am thankful that he is in our lives to help us capture these wonderful moments. I wanted to give you a sneak peek of a picture he took so you can see that I am not lying about his talent.

Potty Perfection

I have no idea how this happened, but I thank the good Lord every time it does. Almost every day this week, Lauren gets up at night, walks into the bathroom, goes potty, and gets back into bed without calling for either me or Tyler. She shuts the door behind her and covers herself up with her blankets. She rolls over and we don't hear from her again until the morning.

I wish I knew how that happened. I would write it down and use it on the next kid.

Now, if I can just get her to flush...

Testing

I've found myself doing things lately that end up making me chuckle out loud. Every once in a while I will be doing a daily task that I have done a million times before, and decide to do it with my left hand only. Just to see if it can be done as if Lauren was trying to complete the task.

For those of you who don't know, Lauren's right side was affected by the stroke and she has limited use of the right hand. She is making progress everyday and I encourage her to use it, but she is sometimes too smart and learns how to compensate without it. For example, she will hold things under her chin in order to manipulate objects and bypass the right hand. It's quite impressive to see her adjust and adapt.

Anyway, I was opening a two liter of pop (yes, pop, not soda. I'm still a little bit Northern) the other day and decided I would try it with one hand. Then I laughed at myself because I am not as resourceful as my four year old and I looked pretty silly. Every so often, I try to put myself in her shoes and see what things are like in her world. Maybe I could find a new method of doing things so she can learn to be more independent. Sometimes it works and sometimes it didn't. I at least feel like I'm doing something to help, even if it is just comic relief.

Not Boring!

Thanks Steph for helping me make my blog a little more interesting. I don't feel so behind the times anymore. This could be a bad thing, I might not get any real work done. There might be a new background everyday.

Outfit of the Day

Today, Lauren decided to get dressed, her way. After I got her clothed in a really cute outfit, she decided that the day needed to be a bit more formal. I guess there was a special occasion that I was unaware was happening today. Please note the glove on the left hand. I feel that she might be ahead of the fashion curve. You will definitely see this look in Vogue someday.

Boring...

Can someone please help me get my blog into the 21st century? All I know how to do is change the color of the background from blue to another boring color. I want a cool background like I see all my friends getting. Maybe something a bit more contemporary and fun with designs or patterns. Anything would be better than the three different shades of blue I currently use. I don't know how to do it and I can't stand to look at mine anymore.

Can anyone help?

Early Morning Wake-up Call

I was jostled out of my blissful slumber this morning at 3:18 a.m. by a little girl in search of her turkey. Yes, I said turkey. Last week in school, Lauren picked a small, orange, plastic molded turkey from the prize bin. It is small enough to fit in her hand. She hasn't left if out of her sight for two weeks. She takes it to bed with her and inevitably loses it in the covers or on the floor each night. It's never usually a problem because she only realizes it's gone when she wakes up in the morning. Last night was a different story.

I hear my name being called from the dark doorway with the words "turtee"(turkey) following close behind. I stumble to the door and start escorting my little bundle back to bed so I can crawl back under my covers as soon as possible. I pretend that I didn't hear her request hoping that she will forget what she got up for by the time she reached her room. No luck. It's 3:18 and I am on my hands and knees looking for the turkey. I give it one look and tell her I can't find it. Maybe the effort alone will suffice her for a while. I got her to go to sleep without it. Victory, right? Well, yes, for me anyway. I went back to sleep and didn't move for the next few hours. I didn't even hear her get up again.

This time Ty got up in an effort to get her back to bed. Apparently, Lauren got up around 5:00 and stood outside her door yelling for me like she was getting chased by the boogie man. Ty darted out into the hallway to see Lauren leaning against the linen closet door. As soon as she saw him, she got a big grin on her face. She held out her hand and said to Ty, "Daddy, look. Turkey." She had found her beloved turkey and was so excited that she needed to wake someone up just to share the good news. We didn't hear a peep from her for the rest of the night.

Yup, we have our hands full.

First...

This year will be the first year we are in NC for Christmas. Usually, we all stay at my mom's house and wake up there Christmas morning. Now that Lauren is older, it's time to start our own traditions as a family. Besides, I don't want to be 80 and still be going home to my house for Christmas. I'm pretty sure my parents won't be there unless modern medicine allows them to live to be 115 years old.

Anyway, I am an emotional wreck. Not because I am sad, but I am super sensitive to seeing Lauren do the things that I used to do as a kid. For example, we let Lauren stay up and watch The Polar Express. She had so much fun and stared at the TV with her mouth hanging open. I don't think she blinked until the commercials. As I watched her, I realized that it's my turn to see the wonder in her eyes during this season. I got all choked and teary-eyed. (I guess that's not anything new to some of you. Many of my friends have seen me cry at Hallmark commercials...literally). This year seems different than the last few. I think it might be because she is more aware of what's going on around her. Whatever it is, this year seems more magical, for both of us.

Since this is our first year, I would love some ideas for cool Christmas traditions that you think would be fun to start in our family. If you have any suggestions, I would love to hear them. Chances are good that they will make me cry.

Change in Perspective

I have decided to change the way I look at something that has made me a little blue in the past. It's amazing how different things can look when you look at them with a different set of eyes. It's not magic, it's a choice. I am tired of feeling this way and I have the power to change it.

For the longest time, I have viewed Lauren's hearing aids as a burden for her. Something she has to deal with every day. I worried that kids would make fun of her or she would feel bad about having them. That's no longer acceptable for either of us. How she views her aids (and herself) has a lot to do with how I view them (and her).

So from now on, I am looking at Lauren's aids as nothing different as a pair of glasses. People need glasses to see, and seeing is just as much of the five senses as hearing. No one cares if you wear glasses, they are no big deal. You need glasses to drive, read, or see something clearly. Lauren will wear her aids for driving and hearing something clearly. People take glasses off at night. Lauren takes off her aids at night, too. There's not much difference. So why not change my perspective? I wouldn't care if she had glasses, so why care if she has aids? They are very similar, after all.

One day she is going to come to me with questions as to why she has them or why she has to wear them. If I can get my perspective right, she has a better chance of accepting who God has made her to be. It's a big responsibility, but one that I accept with a certain anticipation.

Thanks Clemson!

Thanks Clemson for confusing my four year old by making your logo very similar to Blue's Clues.

Here's my conversation while waiting for the bus today:

(A car rolls down the street with a Clemson flag flying proudly)

Lauren: Mommy look, Blue's Clues.

Me: No honey, that's not Blue's Clues. That's a football team.

Lauren: Blue's Clues car, mommy.

Me: Not quite Blue's Clues, but close.

Lauren: Bye-bye Blue's Clues.

Me: Bye Blue's Clues.

It was a lost cause.