6 Months Today

Mattie is six months old today. Where does the time go? What a joy she has brought to our lives!

Her doctor is so happy with her progress. She is really doing well in most areas, all things considered. I was worried that she is having a hard time sitting straight up without the support of being held. She said that was to be expected and she would get stronger with time. We have a cardiologist appointment set up to do a final check to see if the hole in the heart has closed. They don't foresee any problems there. Her doctor is also making appointments to see a pediatric ophthalmologist and have her hearing screened again. She has had what I call "jiggly eyes". Her eyes move back and forth in a rapid movement. It's called Nystagmus . She says it is time to get her eyes checked anyhow. The only concern I have about her hearing is that she doesn't always look for a face when you call her name. Most of the time, you have to get in her view. I know she hears because she has jumped at loud noises. I'm wondering if it may be particular voice tones. I don't know. Last but not least, she is going to get her thyroid checked again next week. There doesn't seem to be issues with this, but her doctor likes to keep a check on it. So we are going to be very busy with appointments. I can't complain since we really haven't been to any specialist since she was 2 months old. I feel better knowing they are checking everything out.

Yummy Toes!

Forget the thumb for now.......just give me the toe!

We Survived.....

our first day of school! The girls were so excited. Both of them were going to new schools this year. I walked downstairs about 5:45 and Abby is there to meet me. She is dressed and has her bookbag on her shoulder and says "I'm ready." She didn't have to leave until 7:45. Let's see how long that will last. Last year, her daddy had to drag her out of the bed every morning.

Caroline loves her new school and loved riding the bus for the first time. She seems very excited and really loves school. We are hoping for a great year!

My kiddo's were great today too......but I am so exhausted! I'm heading to bed. 5:15 will be here soon enough.

Here is a picture of the girls. Not our best back to school picture, but I'll take it. Daddy did his best!

Buddy Walk? Help....

I am interested in the Buddy Walk but not really sure what you do to get started. I did look up on the main page, but saw nothing in our area. I was surprised since we live in a large town. I know there is one about an hour away. How do you join? What do you do there?.....well besides walk (hee,hee). How do you go about raising money and is there a deadline? On my....I am so new to this! If you have any blogger friends that can help, please send them my way. I would love to learn more about this! I even asked our EI coordinator and she had never heard of it. Thanks a bunch!

Wordless Wednesday

For A Better Life

Check out the commercial for The Foundation for a Better Life. One of our favorites! My hubby saw it first and couldn't wait to share it with me.

Back to Work

I'm heading back to work tomorrow...bright and early *sniff...sniff* I am not looking forward to having to leave the baby but she'll be in good hands. My mom will be here tomorrow. That means dinner will be cooked before I walk through the door. (Thanks Mom! We love your cooking!) Not having to drag a baby out in the morning is nice. I didn't have the luxury of my other 2 girls staying home. Mom hadn't retired yet and that meant taking them with me every morning. So having her at the house is a definite plus!

Our random acts of kindness has been going pretty well. Their gestures have been so sweet. Today I came home and found my bed made, a vase of flowers, and a beautiful picture colored ever so carefully. I wanted to take a picture, but the camera had died. Trust me. It was nice! Daddy got a keychain and a nice note, Caroline had a vase of roses and a kind note, and Abby had a nice note with 3 quarters attached. Let's see what awaits us tomorrow!

Random Acts of Kindness

Last night, I was laying in the bed and this idea popped into my mind. Don't ask me why? I was so tired and I really didn't have a lot on my mind. I had just closed my eyes and pop! there was the idea. So here it is. We write each family members name on a piece of paper. Each person draws out one name, making sure they don't get their own. They keep that name a secret. Now their job is to do little acts of kindness for that person thoughout the week, trying to keep it a secret. Doing a chore for them, dropping a kind note (in a different handwriting of course), picking flowers, making something for them, etc. So I shared the idea with the family and we decided to give it a try. Caroline is seven and we said many times, "You have to keep it a secret." She draws a name. She says, "Oh No!" Then later when we are trying to give the girls ideas she says, "Let's just say I have Abby......" Hee..Hee! Let's say we all have a good guess at who she has! On Friday, we will let everyone know who we had and draw new names. I think this would work great for large families. It would be harder to guess who has your name.

Anyway....I was thinking maybe this would be great to start at home and then spread to outside the family. Are there any fun ideas that you do at home to bring your family together? How about in your community?

No Peas Please!

We found out that Mattie does not like peas. I was alternating peas, then pears, peas, and pears. My older daughters would eat anything. Mattie made it very clear that peas are not for her!

**Don't worry....I promise we don't put her through this at every meal and I didn't make her finish the peas. This was a first and her reaction was such a surprise to me. This child hardly ever gets fussy!**

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Tropic Thunder

Today is the release date for Tropic Thunder. I'm going to make this short and sweet. DO NOT GO SEE THIS MOVIE! This movie makes fun of those with mental disabilities. Such things being said and created that say things like, ""Everybody knows you never do a full retard." and "Once upon a time there was a retard". What an awful thing to say! I would feel the same even if my child did not have a disability. Here is a link if you are interested in reading more.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/10/AR2008081001869.html?hpid=opinionsbox1

Thanks for helping take a stand for those who are not able to do so on their own!

Counting Down Our Beach Days!

Matt & I went to the beach for the day on Friday....Alone! I felt so guilty leaving the kids behind. As soon as we got there I said, "We should have brought the girls." About an hour later a family arrived and sat near us. They had several girls. It wasn't long before they started telling on eachother and whining about sand in unmentionable parts. Matt asked if I still wished the girls were there. I then decided it was kind of nice enjoying the beach without worrying about the children. Besides, they have been to the beach several times with family and friends and left me behind, right? We are planning one more trip to Emerald Isle this week before I head back to work. This time with the girls. We have to leave Daddy behind since he has to work. We'll be thinking of him though. Here are some pictures from our June trip. I never did get around to posting them. So here are a few.

Abby and Ashley "girl talk"

Mattie's first trip to the beach.
Caroline was digging for Sand Fiddlers. The water was beautiful that day!
Another picture of Caroline. This day they were gathering Jellyfish.(The non-stinging Ones!)

All Smiles

Mattie was talking up a storm the other day while hanging out with a friend. As soon as I grabbed the camera she stopped. It didn't stop her from smiling at her big sister though.

My New Bumbo

Look at me and my new Bumbo Seat! I'm learning to sit like a big girl. Sometimes I like to lean over and play with my toes, but I work really hard to pull myself back up.