Happy Thanksgiving!

I feel bad for Thanksgiving. It often gets skipped over because people go right from Halloween to Christmas. It's always been a favorite holiday of mine because it isn't over-commercialized...just lots of good food and family! Plus, I love to watch the Macy's Day Parade! :)

Here are a few of the many things I am thankful for this year:

* We're home celebrating rather than in Baltimore. As much as I love RMH, there's no place like home! We celebrated 4 holidays there last year, and it's just really hard to be away during this time of year.

* My kids. They are both so great! Caleb is absolutely the best big brother for Abby. I also love that I'm getting glimpses of some of his strengths as he heads into school. He loves to build things and solve problems as he builds, and he is also really good at math. Maybe he'll be an architect! Abby has overcome so many obstacles and is really developing well now. She is learning something new every day and loves to play. She's really a happy baby and is pretty content with a box or a water bottle to play with!

* Matt. What a wonderful man God gave to me! He's not perfect (and I venture to think he would say the same thing about me!), but I am convinced more now than ever that he was created for me! We have been through a lot together this last year. I love to see him with his kids and appreciate the hands-on dad he is. He's not afraid to change a diaper or give them a bath!

* My job. WHAT. A. BLESSING! There are very few jobs out there that give me such great insurance and a flexible schedule--not to mention great coworkers! It's definitely been a learning experience as I started in on something totally new, but I really love it. I enjoy working with so many different teachers and have already gained a lot of experience. I think having this position will make me a better teacher.

* Abby's "playmate." That's what our day nurse calls herself, and she is so wonderful! It is awesome to finally be able to know that Abby is in good hands when I am not there. She truly is there to play with Abby, and she seems to really enjoy herself too! It's cute to see how much Abby likes her. I don't have to worry about Abby being left in her crib or that she isn't getting therapy while I'm gone, because her "playmate" just does it! I tell her all the time how thankful we are for her (and that she can never leave!!) :)

* Our therapists. All 3 of them (OT, PT, and speech) are absolutely amazing. They are so good with Abby and have the mix of gentleness and firmness down pat! They don't let Abby get away with anything! I have complete trust in their abilities and am so thankful for the insights they have given me. At times, they've also been a support when I feel like none of the therapy is working and things are just not moving fast enough. They're always there to assure me that Abby is doing a great job and "she'll get there!" They have also been a great resource for us when we go to the doctor and often give us info or ideas to share with them regarding Abby's development. They are a huge reason why Abby has made such great gains.

What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving?

Cerebrocostomandibular Syndrome

If you happen to pick up the latest Reader's Digest, there is an article in there about Piper Breinholt , a four year old with CCMS. If you've been around here a while, you'll remember wayyyyyy back when we first received Abby's diagnosis that I was able to speak to Piper's mom, Reagan. The article is more about their story and not as much about the ins and outs of CCMS, but I think it's probably enough to get some people googling it and I'm hoping a few will end up here. Every once in a while, I give a blog post the title of Cerebrocostomandibular Syndrome so that it would show up in Google. My ever-present hope is that people will stumble across my blog and 1) be encouraged by the hope we have in Christ, 2) feel a connection with someone in a similar situation as them, or 3) get excited over the miracles that have been performed in Abby's life!! (a combination of all 3 is great too!) :) Notice that it's not to get famous and it never wi

The Potty Man

Caleb LOVES to go potty! I have never heard a potty training story like this one....Caleb tells us when he needs to go, we take his diaper off, and he goes! Now, is it perfect? No, not at all! We aren't trying to potty train at at all, but we figure every time he goes is one less diaper we have to change! The only time we consistantly put him on the potty is when we give him a bath (he always pees in the tub, so we know he needs to go!) He almost always goes on the potty now instead of the tub though. When he's not "really" going potty, he's pretending to go potty! He's such a funny kid!

Lego Party: Favors

I'm a little slow in posting the Lego Party pictures, but I think I have a few excuses I could use. At any rate, I wanted to share what I did for the party! It will take a few posts, so stay with me. I'll start with how I did the favors. These are the goody bags I made. I just bought solid colored gift bags and matched scrapbook paper to each bag. Then I punched circles and attached them with the 3D foam tape so that the circles were raised. I used the keychain (explained below) as a name tag on the outside. These are Duplo blocks. I put a round magnet on the back and...voila! A magnet! (note: hot glue doesn't work so well...I ended up reglueing them with my apoxy because the magnets fell off.) I made crayons using Lego man crayons. Yes, I know this guy has lost half of his leg. The others were already packaged and I didn't want to open one up just to get a picture. I used a Lego mold to make the crayons. Caleb put small pieces of crayon in each m

Life as a Leach

Search This Blog