Great Night

I know I should probably post something I am thankful for or something turkey-like because of thanksgiving, but I'm not. I just need to take a minute and express how much fun I had last night with my hubby.

I usually have a softball game on Wednesday nights, but not this week due to the holiday. My hubby took it upon himself to call a babysitter, help me clean up the house, and surprise me with the best date we've been on in a while. The best part was that the entire date cost less than $40 (not including the sitter).

We started the night by running a few errands that we had been putting off. Not very glamorous, but a nice treat to be running them together. We went to dinner at On the Border and enjoyed some good Mexican food. The greatest part of the night was when we went to Starbuck's and wrote out our Christmas list over some coffee and hot chocolate. We put everyone we needed to get a gift for on paper and brainstormed what we wanted to get them. We can't spend a lot on each person, but we sure do put some thought into it. The funny thing was that I found an old gift card for Starbuck's that I forgot was in my wallet. Our frothy beverages were paid for completely.

By then end of the night we had our list done and a night of laughing and talking. It was nice to have a entire conversation without being interrupted every thirty seconds by a four year old. We didn't have to spend a fortune and we had a night that I will remember for a long time.

Pull-Up Free

We have finally hit another milestone that makes us think it's time for another kid. Lauren no longer wears pull-ups at night! One less expense that I am glad to see happen in our life. I almost feel weird not buying things like pull-ups and diapers. It's all I've known for the last four years. Aren't you supposed to have more kids when you stop having to buy kid stuff? I better hurry, I might forget how to be a mother to a little baby and change my mind.

Drink and Eat

Before we knew that Lauren was hearing impaired, we decided that we would teach her 'baby sign language' (much like all moms do in the early infant years). We taught her the basics like, drink, eat, more, sorry, please, help, ball, and thank you. She used them a lot and it made our life a lot easier.

After we found out about the hearing issues, we had to make a decision. We either had to continue to sign, do a combination of signing and verbal, or do a straight verbal approach in the household. In a nut shell, we either had to teach Lauren to sign and that would be her way of communicating, or we had to teach her to talk and that would be her way of communicating. Either way, we had to make a decision on a method and use it in our household consistently. We obviously chose the verbal approach which meant she was no longer allowed to sign. She had to ask for things and strengthen her language. It wasn't a hard transition and she took to it very well. The interesting thing is that she is now four and I can't get her to drop two of her signs. For some reason, she continues to use the sign for drink and eat. It never fails. Every time she says drink or eat, she sign it, too. She dropped every other sign like a bad habit and never looked back. I wonder why these continue to hang around.

Any theories as to why? I'd love to hear them.

Triggers

I am not sure if I mentioned this before, but as a mom of a special needs child, I tend to be an emotional roller coaster. That is to say that there are good days and there are bad days when it comes to staying positive. It's like an ebb and flow depending on what's going on that particular month, week, or day. Some times I can go months without a change in my attitude. Other times I feel like its a daily battle.

I've noticed recently that I will see something that 'triggers' the not so good feelings that seem to creep up every once in a while. I never know what will spark these thoughts. I just see something and my mind goes off in sixteen different directions. For example, I was at a function the other day where I saw a group of middle school girls walking together and talking. They were all carrying their books the same way. They were all hugging their books across their chest with both arms. For no apparent reason, I flashed forward to when Lauren will be that age doing that same thing. I couldn't help but get a lump in my throat wondering if she will be able to do that with only having full function of the left side of her body. Why do I care how she holds her books? Why is that causing me to get sad? Why does a sight of kids carrying books trigger something years down the road? I have no idea, but I hate it.

Maybe it's a coping mechanism. There were a lot of things that happened to Lauren that were out of my control. All the trauma that occurred during birth happened so fast that it made our head spin. I wonder if my brain is trying to think of all the things that could happen so I can have some time to address them properly. Who knows? I am going to pretend that this is just a phase that I will grow through in time. I am realistic enough to know that thoughts will always creep in. I am a mom and I will always worry about my kids. That's no different from any other parent out there. I just hope that the frequency of these triggers decrease over time. I would be nice to get off the roller coaster some day.

Looking for a Wagon

Does anyone know where I can get a cheap wagon in good condition? I am looking for one for Lauren's teacher. She has three kids in the class that have severe and multiple disabilities. There are ten hearing impaired kids in the classroom at any given time. It's harder to get all the kids out and about when a few of them need extra assistance due to other physical disabilities. If I could get a wagon in her hands, trips to the cafeteria, the playground, and even fire drills would be easier on everyone. And considering what she does for each of those kids everyday, it's the least I can do.

Any ideas????

There's No Way....

There is no way that I slept in until almost 1:00 today. Even though Ty came in and woke me up and my phone said 12:44, there's no way that it happened. I even accused Ty of changing the time on my phone to play a joke on me.

I haven't slept this long since my college days. It's only Friday. I could see myself maybe doing this on the weekend, but Friday? Who does this? Oh well, I'll take it. Not complaining, that's for sure.

Off to get some lunch, I have apparently missed breakfast....

Happy Veteran's Day

In honor of Veteran's Day, I thought I would take this opportunity to thank my veteran. This is a picture of Tyler during active duty in the Marine Corps. It was his military ID from the early 90's. I am so glad he kept it. I am not sure he will feel the same once he sees what I did with it.

Happy Veteran's Day, Tyler!!!