Ring Around the Rosy...

I was teaching history to my student last week and came upon the most disturbing realization. So naturally, I thought I would share it with you. The chapter was talking about the origin of nursery rhymes, particularly 'Ring Around the Rosy'. Some people say that this rhyme came about during the time of the Bubonic Plague outbreak in England. Apparently, the Ring around the Rosy referred to the rosy red rash in the shape of a ring which showed up as a symptom of the bubonic plague. People used to fill their pockets with sweet smelling flowers (poseys) because they thought that the plague was transmitted by bad smells. Ashes, Ashes, we all fall down, referred to the cremation of the bodies after they died. Another version says 'A-tishoo, A-tishoo, we all fall down. Some people believed that this referred to the violent sneezing that occurred when you caught this disease. Pleasant, huh? I can't wait until Lauren learns this nursey rhyme and does it over and over again. I'm sure that horrible images won't flood my head for too long. Aren't you glad I shared? Enjoy!

Can I just say that I will never look at this the same again. I just hope that my student's history book doesn't share anymore nursery rhymes anytime soon.

I Hate Playdates....Part 2

A few months ago I posted about my dislike of playdates. My reasons were completely selfish. I didn't get a chance to visit with my friends on the playdate because Lauren wasn't able to do much on her own. Times have changed and I was hopeful that playdates would be back on my list of fun things to do. We almost made it.

I had a playdate on Saturday with two of Lauren's hearing impaired classmates. I was feeling really good about it. She could climb on the playground, communicate with her friends, and entertain herself enough that I could carry on an actual conversation. So we headed off to her friend's house with a new sense of excitment. That lasted for about 30 minutes.

The plan was to play inside, grill some hots dogs and go out to the playground after lunch. Lauren's plan was to play for 30 minutes and break one of her friend's toys. Lauren was playing with a drum and sliced a hole in the top with the drum stick. What makes it worse is the fact that I don't know the mom very well. We've only ever said hello to each other in the hall of the school. It would be different if she broke a toy of someone that loved us and knew it was an accident. Pretty sure we won't be invited over again. When I asked where she got it so I could replace it, she said she didn't know because someone sent it to her. My luck it would be a family heirloom that is virtually irreplaceable. Ok, a little dramatic, but I felt that bad.

So, if you are having a playdate anytime soon, we probably won't show up unless everything is protected in bubble wrap.

Disbelief

Since Lauren has started her school in December she can now say/do the following things:

1) Count to five without help
2) Repeat the alphabet
3) Say the names of friends and family
4) Identify the seasons
5) Identify types of clothing
6) Say her colors
7) Identify most of the colors when asked
8) Say two and three word sentences
9) Look at pictures and tell me who she is looking at
10) Knows animal sounds and pictures


That might seem like a silly thing to get excited about until you realize that she was only saying seven words in December. I could count her vocabulary words on one hand. Now, in only three months, she has grown more than my brain can comprehend. Praise the Lord for putting her in the place she needs to be. I can't wait to see what the next three months will bring.

Knock on Wood

I was thinking the other day that things in my life finally feel like they are falling into place. Especially the things that have to do with Lauren. There hasn't been any bad doctor's visits. Her school is helping her grow leaps and bounds. My husband is wonderful and I have been able to spend time with him. I just spent time with my family in PA and strangely feel closer to them even if they are so far away. I felt like I spent a lot of time in the past complaining about the bad stuff and not celebrating the good. So here I am, not bragging, but sharing the peace and harmony that has stopped by for a visit.

I almost didn't want to post about it. I was afraid that the other shoe would fall. Then I decided that I wouldn't give the devil the pleasure of muffling my good mood. I am happy that things are going good and I am not ashamed to share.

Maybe I feel positive about life because the sun has been out, I have been wearing short sleeves, and have been taking walks in this beautiful southern weather. Vitamin D does a body good. Proof positive that God wants everyone to move to NC.

Anyway, thanks for letting me share some random thoughts.

Tired

I am so tired I think I could cry. Lauren has decided that she needs to come into our room every hour starting at 1 a.m. We lay her back down and go back to bed. Without a peep, she comes back into our room in an hour or so tapping on my face to wake me up. By the end of the night, she has entered our room five times.

I've started putting her back in her room without so much as a whisper from me hoping that she will get bored enough with getting up that it will just stop. Last night she only got up twice. I don't want to get my hopes up. I need to have a few nights of peace before I can get excited.

For now, I am looking forward to afternoon naps.

Substitute

I spent an hour and a half in Lauren's classroom today. Myself and another mom came in to let the teacher and her assistant attend a luncheon in honor of teacher appreciation week. I was responsible for 8 hearing impaired 3 year olds. After spending less than two hours with all those 3 year olds, I am pretty sure Lauren's teacher will be escorted into Heaven with trumpets blaring. I couldn't even keep them in a straight line for five minutes.

There was one little boy that won my heart. He has a cochlear implant and Down's Syndrome. He was so tiny that he held onto my pinky finger when we walked from the lunch room to the classroom. Every once in a while he would look up at me and smile. I wanted to put him in my purse and take him home.

Another little boy kept asking me, "You Lauren's momma?" in the biggest southern accent I ever heard. His smile lit up the room. I could see a sparkle of mischief hiding in those eyes. I quickly saw why. When I was reading a story to the group, he kept pulling the chair out from under the other kids when they stood up. I had three year olds falling on the ground left and right because they had no chair when they sat down. It was a good thing they were already close to the ground.

Most of the children were at the same vocabulary level as Lauren. Only a few were very verbal. I was relieved that Lauren wasn't the only one having to improve her vocabulary. I always felt like she was the only one that couldn't communicate and worried that she would feel left out. I am happy that she will get to grow and learn with her friends without having to struggle to keep up.

I had a good time and learned a very important lesson as well. I will not be quitting my job to teach a classroom of 3 year olds. They are too quick and I am getting too old.

God Bless Old People

I love my grandparents. I got a chance to hang out with them this weekend in PA. They are both 93 years old and in excellent health. The one thing I love about old people is there ability to say it like it is and not care one bit. It's very refreshing in an age where people only tell the truth if they know they can stay anonymous.

When my grandfather saw me on Saturday, he said it like it was. He poked me a few times on the side and said: "There's a lot more of you than there was the last time I saw you."

God bless old people.

I need to go to the gym....