Megan's got 47

Stationery card

2011-12-01T20:14:00.001-08:00

Snowflakes Ribbon Christmas Card

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Movies

2011-03-26T15:28:00.001-07:00

At movies to see Rango
$38 for 4 tickets
$4.75 for a small soda
$6.00 for small popcorn
This better be a good movie.

Megan Meets Pinkalicious Author

2011-03-22T10:08:00.001-07:00

Feeling Disconnected

2011-03-22T09:19:00.001-07:00

I have not really been online much lately. I am actually posting this from my phone and not the computer. I miss my downsyn/facebook world so much because it keeps me connected to everyone.
I gave up facebook for lent and have found that I have wanted to check in but I have resisted temptation.
I still have 33 days to go!
if anything is going on that I'm missing that is important please email me at stessieb3@gmail.com

God Bless America

2011-03-09T16:40:00.000-08:00

xmas10

2010-12-08T11:27:00.001-08:00

Modern Cranberry Noir Christmas

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My Site name is gone!

2010-12-02T06:13:00.001-08:00

Got to figure out how to get it back!

Gotta Live it Big Time

2010-10-11T19:10:00.000-07:00

Go on shake it up, what you gotta lose?
Go and make your luck with the life you choose
If you want it all, lay it on the line
It's the only life you got, so you gotta live it big time

LOVE these lyrics. And now Megan is in LOVE with James and listens to this song constantly. So we will now start living more by these lyrics. I think we all should.

It's the only life you got, so you gotta live it big time

We got to meet James Maslow tonight, oh and Carlos, Kendall and Logan from Big Time Rush at the Best Buy by our house! It was surreal! They were so sweet with the girls. Guess we live it BIG TIME!

Forgot I had a blog....but I am sure nobody noticed but my mom

2010-09-24T19:32:00.000-07:00

Just thought I would check in on here and just say all is well.
Megan is doing amazingly well in 1st grade.
She is 98% included in 1st grade. She gets pulled once a week for 1 on 1 ST and the rest of the day she is in the classroom. All other therapies come to her. It is a GREAT set-up and she just LOVES being there. Loves her teachers, therapists, EVERYONE!
We do once a week private ST so I am good with the 1 session at school.

Megan has been doing a great job with both her reading and math skills. She amazes me everyday with her knowledge.

We figured out tonight Megan is smarter than her dad when it comes to direction. It was pitch black out and we were coming from a strange direction when we left her school picnic...we barely ever drive this route and my husband was confused. Megan pointed out (let me remind you it is pitch black out) the playground we play on on occasion. Joe was still clueless.
--------------------------------

I feel like I have dropped the ball with my blog. I do want to continue to update it with special events and such but I am just so busy. Right now I am Communications Officer on Megan and Olivia's schools PTO Board, I am troop leader for both of their Girl Scout Troops, I am on the Yearbook Committee, I do watch care and library aide...oh and let's not forget Kid Writing helper and now I am homeroom parent for Olivia's class. That is a full plate which leaves me no time for the computer. I will try to update more just for you mom, but can't promise!

Transition to 1st...step by step

2010-05-21T07:16:00.000-07:00

8:15 a.m. till 12:30 p.m.

Meeting Attendees: Both parents, principal, kindergarten teacher, 1st grade teacher, guidance counselor, speech therapist, occupational therapist, special educator, special education supervisor for district, IU consultant and IU assistive technology

IU consultant did a presentation to explain the SAS Toolkit.

We sat and brainstormed all of Megan's Strengths and Interests.

We then went through what level Megan is at in her reading, writing, phonics and math subjects.

After that, the 1st grade teacher filled out the poster sized toolkit page where we discussed areas of 1st grade, Megan' Strength's and what we could do to make her successful next year. (i.e. what supports, modifications or technologies that would help Megan be successful)

It was an amazing meeting. We will continue the discussion on June 1st. Will update again soon.

Favorite Food

2010-05-19T14:34:00.000-07:00

5:30 p.m.
Megan asks "Mom, can I have sausage pancakes"
Mom responds, "Umm, no, it is almost dinner"
Megan, "Well, can I have cheese then"

I love this girl!

The Costume

2010-05-18T15:11:00.001-07:00

Can you guess the song?

2010-05-17T07:37:00.000-07:00

It is that time of year again. Dance Recital is right around the corner.
Rehearsal is next Wednesday and we should be getting the costume today.
Megan is home with me today so we practiced doing her hair and I decided to have her sing the song they are doing.
This is not a common song that you hear every day but she does sing it more clearly today.
So here it is...what is the song?

2009 2008

Waiting for the bus

2010-05-10T14:45:00.000-07:00

Before we went out to the bus stop this morning Megan said, "Mommy, you stay here, I do it, I big girl now"....she marched to the driveway took a seat in the sun and waited as I watched from the porch...when I tried to come to her she signed "Stop" and when I stopped, she signed "I Love You"...Miss Independence I tell ya.

The bus pulled up and she ran to it and climbed those big stairs all by herself. Who needs a mom anyway? LOL

Kid Writing

2010-05-10T14:42:00.000-07:00

Megan did a great job again today with kid writing. She wrote the date, her name (first and last) and smart copied 'went' too. I also sounded out P-A-R-T-Y for her and she spelled it like this p-a-r-t-e....so proud when she does typical stuff!

A letter from Megan's teacher

2010-05-06T05:43:00.000-07:00

Hi Mr. and Mrs. Bissol,

Good evening! I just wanted to take a moment to touch base regarding the wonderful things we are seeing lately with Megan. We sent home to you today, a copy of the Kid Writing that she did today. You can see how clear the letters look in the words mom and Olivia! I have been sounding out words for her and she is almost always correctly identifying the letter that makes the sounds! We are still working on forming the letters independently, but this is tremendous progress from the beginning of the year. Also, I have noticed that Megan is forming sentences that are much longer and detailed than earlier in the year. Today she went on and on about Mom, Dad, playing...it was awesome!! I didn't want to wait another day to let you know of all of the positive progress we see happening in Kindergarten!
Enjoy your evening! See you soon!

Thank you,

Megan's Kindergarten Teacher

sniff sniff, proud mommy moment!

Jillian Michaels come to me, please!

2010-05-05T09:30:00.000-07:00

How do I sign up? I want her to come to me and help me get my shit together!
I feel like I want to get healthy and fit but it would just be another thing to add to my list of a gazillion things to do.

I think Jill could totally help me get my life, mind and food issues in check. I would totally never want to piss that little lady off...lol
How do I sign up?

Fun Run

2010-05-04T09:00:00.000-07:00

Today Kindergarten ran 1/4 mile fun run. Megan although a cute runner has no ability to keep up with the kids her age. I watched her class finish as Megan was not even half way done. As we continued to run to the finish line her music teacher came running up to cheer her on to finish along with all her girlfriends! It was so awesome to see them care about her and come to help her finish! It was a great moment! I was a very proud mom.

Sesame Place

2010-05-03T14:27:00.001-07:00

Do you all remember this?

Well as season pass holders of Sesame Place we actually get to see Dan Zanes, FOR FREE this summer, can you believe it? Megan is going to flip! So excited.

Also on the list of FREE summer concerts are:
The Fresh Beat Band
Father Goose
The Doodle Bops
Choo Choo Soul

So excited for this awesome summer ahead! Thanks Mom for getting us the passes!

A must share

2010-04-28T11:22:00.000-07:00

DSRTF Volunteer Spotlight

This section of our website is dedicated to acknowledging parents, children, companies, community leaders and others who have gone above and beyond to support DSRTF and Down syndrome cognition research….

Thank you for all of your support!!!

* * * * *

Sarah Kearney- Yardley, PA

When Afton Elementary 3rd grader Sarah Kearney received a letter from her principal explaining the importance of "Acts of Kindness in the Community", Sarah was immediately on board.

Earlier this year Sarah met an amazing kindergartner named Megan Bissol. Megan was born with Down syndrome and after Sarah received the letter from her principle, she had an inspired idea. Sarah decided to get in touch with Megan’s mother to ask her all sorts of questions about Down syndrome. Sarah also wanted to do something to help Megan and everyone else living Down syndrome. Megan's mother immediately started telling Sarah about DSRTF and all the work the foundation is doing in the field of Down syndrome cognition research. After hearing about DSRTF, Sarah was "on it"!

Sarah asked the manager of the local Friendly's Langhorne restaurant to hold a fundraiser in honor of Megan to raise money for DSRTF. The event raised $632 and the night was amazing! Sarah's efforts will definitely make a difference and she plans to do this fundraiser again next year!

Everyone at DSRTF would like to extend a very special thank you to Sarah, Megan, Afton Elementary and everyone who attended the event at Friendly's Langhorne!!! Thank you all for your effort, generousity and support!

Here one day...gone the next

2010-04-27T13:10:00.000-07:00

Life is not fair. Rest in Peace Sweet Carly.

The Teacher

2010-04-23T13:54:00.000-07:00

Had to share. Today at the playground in the little tree house Megan held class. All her students were little boys...it was too funny she had them lined up facing her. She would tell them what to do and say and they would listen. She is always trying to imitate her teacher...she just loves her! I think I was most amazed today at how much more vocal she is being. I heard her say "Hi, I'm Megan, whats your name" several times....when she would get a response, she would then say "Hi __(fill in name)___"
And once Megan knows your name she won't forget it!
So proud of her lately!

Thinking Ahead

2010-04-14T09:34:00.000-07:00

Anyone out there who has BTDT please respond. I am thinking ahead to 1st grade. We have a perfect day set up for Megan right now but it is half day so there is more time in a day for therapy. I hate the idea of "pull-outs" but she will be full day so when will she get it? What do you give up...not math or reading or writing or specials? I hate the label on children who get pulled out, it disrupts everything and also makes the child feel different and left out. But do push-in's really work? Can the child get all they need in a classroom environment? Or do you spend your evenings going to private therapy? So much to think about...anyone out there have the perfect schedule let me know! Thanks!

Catching Up here

2010-04-14T07:45:00.000-07:00

So I have been absent on my blog for a while. Just been extremely busy with the kids and their activities. Megan and Olivia are both in dance and soccer, Megan started with her Daisy Troop, Joey is on 2 baseball teams and I am hoping to start up basketball again soon. Life doesn't get easier when the kids get older like I thought!
I need to upload some pictures but my monitor for my PC is busted and I can't store photos on my laptop. SO, we wait. Hopefully we will win the lottery or something and I can go out and buy things without saving first.

Megan has been doing extremely well at school. She just loves her teachers and her friends. Yesterday we got such a nice note on Megan's school work. The teacher was thrilled that Megan completed her worksheet completely independent w/o re-direction.

Next Tuesday the 20th, our school is doing a fundraiser for DSRTF. A third grader who helps Megan during lunch came up with the idea. If you go eat at Friendly's in Langhorne, PA between 5 and 8pm, 15% of your total bill will be donated in Megan's name to DSRTF. It was such a nice gesture that I am speechless. Megan's school has really welcomed her with open arms and we are blessed to have our community in our lives. If you are around, come out and have dinner with us!

C25K

2010-01-06T14:02:00.000-08:00

I think as soon as I heard what that stood for I was in!
Then I read my friend Bethany's words here and I was motivated!

Here is what it is in a nutshell.
From your couch to a 5K run in 9 weeks! It almost sounds too good to be true! I won't know for sure until the 9 weeks are over. I am posting it here on my blog to make it official and make sure I follow through and also to enter for a chance to win a gift certificate and ipod (BONUS)!

Read more about it on Bethany's Blog as she already has done a great job of posting all the information.

You can also join our facebook group by clicking here.

The Photobook

2010-01-05T16:02:00.000-08:00

I thought since we gave the photobook to my parents it was ok to share some more of it on here.
So here are just a few of the pages out of the book.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-22T14:41:00.000-08:00

Therapy at Home

2009-12-15T13:09:00.000-08:00

So I ordered some items for Megan to use at home to help her with her homework.
Megan's biggest issue is with strength and grasp (Fine Motor Skills).
She tires quickly and wants to give up after just writing her first name.
We found that if her feet are on the ground and her work is raised off of the flat desk then she can work for longer periods of time.
So now we have a slanted work board.

It is clear so that you can put papers underneath so she can work on tracing.

Here is head phones so she can hear back everything she speaks. This helps with her speech issues....She said "Pennsylvania" yesterday very clearly just by hearing herself in these headphones/microphones.

The last items are: 1. wrist band to help her hold her pencil in place 2. 3 tiny u shaped pencils to help strengthen her grasp 3. Blacked strips with blocks to help her focus on reading words in her books. So far all of these products have been useful. We are hoping with reinforcing at home that she will become more confident in her work at school.

p.s. If you are wondering, we purchased these items on Therapy Shoppe.

Photobooks

2009-12-12T08:08:00.000-08:00

On Shutterfly are buy 1 get 1 50% off right now. They make GREAT gifts and they are fun to make. I just finished one myself. It is really cool and I cannot wait to get it.

Also use the code SHIP50 and get FREE Shipping on orders over $50.

Here is 2 pages out of my book.

Hero

2009-12-10T06:18:00.000-08:00

Dr. Randal Betz.

He is an exceptional doctor but a more extraordinary person.

I know Dr. Betz personally because he and my father are best friends. He takes really good care of my dad and makes him feel like a part of his family. They are very close. My dad has his own room at his home which he uses often.

When my daughter Megan was born 6 years ago with Down Syndrome I would never have thought that Dr. Betz would provide so much in way of exceptional care for myself and my friends. After Megan was born I joined the online community, Downsyn.com, where I also became a moderator.
I spent the first few years of Megan's life connecting with these other families on the site and becoming close with them, talked on the phone everyday and met them at the annual NDSC Conferences. We are now connected forever even if we have moved on and do not talk as regularly we would do anything for each other.

My friend Renee, she has a 5 year old daughter Kennedy and when she got neck x-rays (which is a routine check-up for our kids because they have a higher chance of having AAI) the first person I thought of was my father's best friend, Uncle Randy.
So without thought I had my dad give him a ring and he and I continued to swap emails until eventually he took over Kennedy's care. Kennedy went on to have spinal fusion surgery at Shriners in Philadelphia and today is doing amazingly well.

With Renee and Kennedy's success I have had so many people contact me to get in touch with Dr. Betz. And every time, I send on the email, and every time he reviews the case and helps in any way he can. He is my hero because he isn't looking to get anything out of it, he just wants to help. He again is an exceptional doctor but more importantly he is an extraordinary human being and I wish more doctor's were just like him. So thank you so much Dr. Betz for never saying I can't! I am sure you are a hero to more than just me!

Some insight from my 12 year old

2009-12-09T16:16:00.000-08:00

Mom: "Hey Joey I want you to read my blog"

Mom: read my blog out loud to Joey.

Mom: "Joey do you know what segregation is?"

Joey: "Ummm, not sure."

Mom: "Did you know when Nana was little that blacks and whites couldn't go to school together?"

Joey: "seriously"..."that wasn't that long ago"..."Man I can't imagine that, Nigel is like my best friend, I can't imagine not being able to go to school together"

Mom: "So maybe when you are talking to your son 20 years from now, he will answer the same way about his friend with a disability....now wouldn't that be cool?"

Joey: "Now that would be awesome"

Got Inclusion? Part 3

2009-12-09T15:14:00.000-08:00

LDA? Anyone know what this stands for?

LDA= Least Dangerous Assumption
Anyone know what that means and how it is connected to inclusion?

In 1984, Anne Donnellan, a respected researcher in special education, wrote that “the criterion of least dangerous assumption holds that in the absence of conclusive data, educational decisions ought to be based on assumptions which, if incorrect, will have the least dangerous effect on the likelihood that students will be able to function independently as adults.” From Disability Solutions Volume 6 Issue 3 Fall 2005

Case in point. I watched a film during our conference where a mother fought to get her disabled daughter included. Her daughter grew up in the 70's when it was much harder to get a child mainstreamed. The mother fought an up hill battle. She had a daughter who had limited use of her hands and was non verbal with violent behaviors. All the doctor's said she was mentally retarded and not to waste anytime trying to teach her, it would be lost. So this child went through life not being taught any general education curriculum. When this child grew into an adult she was completely dependent on her mother but with strides in Assitive Technology they were able to introduce a computer system that she could type through. What they found out through this new technology was that this child now an adult was trying to scream out to everybody without her voice that she was capable. She understood EVERYTHING everybody was saying but was incapable of speaking or writing the words. All her violent behaviors were her trying to get people's attention. Can you imagine how you would feel if this were you or your child? So now as an adult she still requires the use of a nurse and cannot care for herself. This story is a DANGEROUS ASSUMPTION....So now go re-read the definition of LDA. Make sense now?
What do we lose if we assume that EVERY CHILD is competent? Say we send a child who has the label of MR through the general education classroom and she grows up and she still cannot understand, what have we truly lost? The alternative is the case in point above. Do you want that to be your child?

Got Inclusion? Part 2 continued

2009-12-09T14:26:00.000-08:00

"I see inclusion as the last frontier of desegregation....if you read the brief from Brown v. The Board of Education...the board of Education argued that if we let blacks be integrated that the next thing you know is that we will be letting people with disabilities be integrated"
From the Documentary Including Samuel
Joe Petner
Principal, Haggerty School

All children no matter their gender, race, nationality, religion or disability should all be afforded the same educational opportunities surrounded by their peers.

Some people fear that their child's behavioral problems are to extreme to include them in general education. Some people fear their child's medical needs are too great to have them in the general education classroom. Some people feel that since there child can't write or speak or are mentally retarded that they somehow should not be included in a regular education classroom. As a parent to 1 child with special needs whom is mentally retarded and 2 typical children I say please include your children. Challenge your system to make it work. It can be done appropriately. Not only will your kids with special needs benefit but my typical children will too.
I imagine a world where your child in a wheelchair who cannot speak is the best man at my son's wedding.
I imagine a world where your child who requires deep pressure to get his behaviors under control is settled by the touch of my daughter.
I imagine a world where all our children no matter their gender, race, nationality, religion or disability walk side by side in a world that doesn't see labels.
Am I delusional to think this is possible?
I FEARED the disabled growing up, I do not anymore.
I do not want that for my children.

Can you imagine being that parent who just wants there child included and to get it the mother must say "Just let her burn"....well then, as a mother....I will join this other mother and say it too...."Just let her burn" because all our children deserve a chance at a more accepting life and it starts with a sense of belonging.

Got Inclusion? Part 2

2009-12-09T08:09:00.000-08:00

I wanted to talk about a conference I went to back in October.
The guest speakers were husband and wife (The Theoharis's) and also professors at Syracuse University. Here is Julie's website for those interested in learning more.

When I first decided I wanted Megan included my husband and I talked about where we thought Megan needed to "be" to do it. We set 1 goal...that she needed to be fully potty trained or otherwise she would stand out in the classroom as different.
What I didn't realize was that it was ok that she was different. Her speech and her physical ability would make her stand out and that was ok. That was why we wanted her included, to make her "difference" one's others could accept.

Julie Causton-Theoharis started the conference by talking about a mom and her disabled daughter. Julie was assigned to this family as a 1 on 1 and was told she would be doomed as a para-professional because this mother was CRAZY (or so that is what the other teachers and school administration had said). Her daughter could not walk and barely spoke, she was in a wheelchair and she wanted her daughter to go to her home school. NOW THAT IS CRAZY ISN'T IT???? Julie spent a lot of time with this family. The mother started out by telling her their story. They moved into town and her daughter was assigned to go to a special school where they were prepared to deal with her extensive needs. Her mother would have to wake up extra early and put her daughter on a bus that goes 1 hour away. But her mother didn't want that. She wanted her daughter to go to the same school as the kids next door. The school was not even a mile from her home. Shouldn't her daughter get to go to that school? It saves her daughter 2 hours of riding on a bus a day...10 hours a week. So the mother wheeled her daughter right into the home school and signed her up. The school looked at her and her daughter and nicely said, "oh, your daughter needs to go to the wheel chair school, not here, we are not equipped to help her here."
So the mother was shooed away and told to send her to the other school.
The mom still did not want to go to that other school so she marched right into the school the next day and wheeled her daughter into the 1st grade classroom where she belonged. She walked out and went home. She received a phone call right away telling her to come pick up her daughter that the teacher was not equipped to handle her and didn't know what to do with her. The mother responded,"just teach her like you would teach the other kids" and hung up the phone. The phone rang again and it was the school administration telling the mother to come pick up the child. That the building had fire safety rules and that they would not be able to get her daughter out of the school in time and she would most likely die in a fire.
The mother instead researched and found that not only were there no fires ever in that school, but there were no real fires in any of the schools in that state in the past 50 years. So the mother went right into that school and said, "I give you my permission that if there is a fire in the school then you can let my daughter burn."

THINK ABOUT THIS AND I WILL BE BACK TO BLOG LATER.

Got Inclusion?

2009-12-08T13:05:00.001-08:00

So many people ask me, why inclusion? Why send Megan into an environment that is set up for her to fail? So many teachers have gotten used to finding the kids with the "disability" and sending them to the appropriate classroom for the right support....you sent Megan into a place that has no idea how to handle her....Well, I say....

I do it because I want what is best for MEGAN. Community and socialism is more important to me than academics. I can help and supplement at home....I cannot supplement the socialism and community she needs to build for herself.

I am going to be brutally honest here. Growing up I was SCARED of the people with special needs, they did not go to school with me and when I saw them out in the neighborhood I STAYED AWAY from them. All the kids in the neighborhood were mean to them. I remember this boy with Down Syndrome vividly, his name was Chris and people nicknamed him Purple Duck (not sure why). Chris liked one of the girls in the neighborhood and wanted to kiss her (I was in 5th or 6th grade and had no idea how old Chris was). Behind his back, this "girl" made fun of him. She told him to eat dog #$%^ and she would kiss him. It was so sad and gross and I just was not a strong enough person to get involved and I am ashamed of who I was, even being present for something like that.

My fear surfaced again when Megan was born. I was scared of her and scared I couldn't love her. Boy was I wrong. I did a lot of soul-searching and recounted my old memories the first couple of weeks after her birth. I realized people were mean to Chris because they did not know him, he was sent to a "special" school and so nobody was used to his speech and behaviors. He was not the norm. It was now my job as a parent to make it the norm. To expose Megan to all the kids who she would grow up around and be expected to work with in the future. So inclusion works for us. Megan is known in the community and treated with respect, she is not feared and she is part of the norm. So when we went to the mall on Friday and we ran in to kids from her school they did not stare and point, they did not gossip about her or make fun of her...they all walked right up to her and gave her a hug and asked her how she was doing....and so, this is why inclusion is important to me. I don't want anyone to fear Megan.

If I had to guess...

2009-12-08T06:04:00.000-08:00

I would say...

Megan will most likely grow up...

And be on stage.

It is where she shines!

The Holiday Shoppe and Friends

2009-12-03T06:20:00.001-08:00

Yesterday I went in to Megan's school to help her "shop" for presents for her brother, sister and dad. She did all the picking out herself. It was so cute to see her like something and pop it into her bag. I was very proud of her. Once we were done shopping she sat with her friends going over their purchases while I helped some other kids in her class.
She bought her sister an Angel Necklace in this cute velvet pink heart box, she picked out basketball book marks for Joey's books he is reading and she bought her daddy a ______ (sorry, daddy always reads the blog).
We had such a nice time and she gave me my hug and went back to class. She is finally getting used to seeing me at school and then going back to class w/o getting upset.

Had to share. Before the Thanksgiving holiday there were presents coming home in Megan's bookbag for her birthday. There were stuffed animals, necklace, movies and a cute note which reads like this:
Megan, Happy Birthday! You are so cool. I hope you like the stuffed animal dog. Love, Kara

OK, I had tears in my eyes reading that. How sweet! Looks like Megan is doing very well in the social department. When I spoke to one of the teachers at her school she told me Megan's new nickname was Megan the Movie Star since everyone knows her and says hello to her. I don't think I could ask for anything more!

Christmas Greetings

2009-11-30T19:46:00.000-08:00

Here is our 2009 X-mas card. Wasn't sure if I would be able to get this out this year. I did not last year...sorry! But they were ordered tonight so here is a spoiler for all of those who actually check my blog.

Megan's 6 year check up tomorrow

2009-11-30T17:28:00.000-08:00

So I thought I would pull out the old baby book that documented her growth over the years and see how far she has come!

11/08/2003 Birth- 7lbs. 3oz 18 3/4 in.
11/17/2003 11 days old- 6lbs. 6 oz. 18 3/4 in.
11/24/2003 2 weeks old- 6lbs. 7oz. 18 3/4 in.
12/12/2003 1 month- 7 lbs. 13 oz 20 in.
01/13/2004 2 months- 10 lbs. 0 oz. 21 in.
03/17/2004 4 months- 12 lbs. 4 oz. 23 in. (height 12% weight 25% Head Cir 20 %)
05/17/2004 6 months- 14 lbs. 9 oz. 25 in.
08/19/2004 9 months- 17 lbs. 8 oz. 26 1/2 in.
11/29/2004 1 year- 19 lbs. 3 oz. 27 1/2 in.
02/10/2005 15 months- 20 lbs. 3 oz. 28 1/2 in.
05/04/2005 18 months- 20 lbs. 12 oz. 29 in.
11/09/2005 2 years- 23 lbs. 14 oz. 30 1/2 in.

And now at 6 she weighs in at 42lbs and 41 inches tall.
My how she has grown!

Domain is back

2009-11-20T09:45:00.000-08:00

FINALLY got my domain name back after a year hiatus! I was paying an arm and a leg through Yahoo but once they released the name I bought it through google! So now you can go just type in Megansgot47.com to get here! I hope to get back into blogging soon. Been really busy with no time to update. Not much going on here either and having a hard time coming up with things to talk about.

Happy 6th Birthday Megan

2009-11-08T20:22:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe you are 6. It seems like such a big number for such a little girl.
You started Kindergarten this year and your 3rd year of dance.
You amaze me everyday and your spunk will get you through life with flying colors.
Everyone you meet, everyone whom you talk to, loves you forever.
You are contagious...in a good way.
You are so special that you had no issues what so ever letting everyone help you open your presents, who does that? All kids I see are very territorial but you...you smiled and invited all to join in the fun. I wish everyone had a soul like yours, the world would be a better place.
Happy Birthday my beautiful girl....you make my life enormously better!

Halloween

2009-11-07T09:09:00.000-08:00

Thought I would share our Halloween pictures with you. Megan was sick in the pictures and we had a low key Halloween but at least we were all together. We put the camera on the tripod and got a family shot which is rare. Enjoy!

The Adoption Bug?

2009-11-03T21:38:00.000-08:00

Is it contagious or what? LOL

I really tried NOT to look at Recee's Rainbow (I know that sounds terrible).
For me it was easier to ignore it cause when I paid attention I cried.
The more my friends started adopting the more I questioned in my head "why"...."how can they afford this"..."isn't it too stressful on their families"...so I started looking at the site wondering....reading blogs, looking at pictures.
I stared at faces wondering how each of my friends happened upon their chosen one. What drew them to a particular child? Did they decide on a child or a country, did they look domestically first? This all just seems like so much work.

I can not explain for me what changed in my head or what makes me go back to the same picture everyday wondering what this orphaned child is doing. If she is loved, kissed, played with, fed good food...if she is warm at night, if she longs for a family or if she is happy and content where she is (not knowing the looming fate that is ahead if she doesn't get adopted). So for now, we have pictures in all our rooms, we are praying hard, we are soul searching and working on things at home that need to be taken care of, I am working EXTRA hard on making my husband get to the same place I am....so for now we are just going to start raising money and getting people to pay attention. We can do that! I am hoping in the mean time God speaks to us and tells us his plan (cause sometimes I truly think that is what my husband is waiting for).
I know my thoughts are all over the place but I really wanted to get them out there, I wanted others to know it is on our hearts and minds too all of the time.
This will probably be shocking to some considering I haven't really said all this out loud to anyone yet, not even family.

Olivia asks me everyday, "Are we going on the airplane today to get my sister"....I know she already loves her! We have talked a lot about all the children who need a home and I know she would bring them all home if she could!

Haven't posted in a while

2009-10-23T06:57:00.000-07:00

Thought I would post an update about school.
Megan is overall doing quite well in school. We had some days where the teacher didn't know how to respond to Megan's stubbornness but it seems as though we are getting less and less emails about Megan crossing her arms and refusing to follow. So that is good, she has either stopped or the teacher realized in the grand scheme it wasn't such a big deal.
Megan is doing great with writing. She still hates anything to do with crayons and writing but can really write her name well on her papers. The "M" "e" "g" are always visible.
Megan is doing GREAT with anything in math. She is so good with counting and patterns.
The "kid writing" is proving difficult but that has been modified a little bit to her level...although I still think Meg would benefit from sequencing or site words during this time frame.
The school and staff have just been so great in wanting this to be a successful year for Megan. I just need to stay on top of things and make my voice heard when I see things. Sometimes I don't speak up when I should and I am working on it. I need to advocate for my child all the time and so I am working on it....which reminds me, I need to go make a phone call.
I will try to update more.

HAPPY DOWN SYNDROME AWARENESS MONTH TO ALL MY FRIENDS, WE LOVE YOU!!!!!

M-E-G-A-N

2009-09-24T14:03:00.000-07:00

Megan is FINALLY writing her name or approximating which is a good start!!!!!

She did this in school today and I am not even sure if the teachers noticed!

Here is Megan's homework that we worked on...you can see she even tried writing her name here too. She is soooo smart, but soooo stubborn! I love her to pieces and am SO STINKIN' PROUD!

4...but still Literal

2009-08-30T12:04:00.000-07:00

Since Olivia is 4 now, it will change to the "Literal Mind of a 4 year old"

Olivia got new high heel sandals and LOVES to wear them wherever we go!
We went to Burger King the other night and played inside for a little bit because of rain.
Once it cleared up we decided to move to the outside playground and needed to get our shoes back on.
Joe sat Olivia down to help her with her shoes and said "Its gonna be hard to play with these shoes"....Olivia responded "Don't worry daddy, I am not going to play with them, I am going to wear them!"

Kindergarten changing for the better

2009-08-24T16:02:00.000-07:00

After going over the day with the teacher, I decided I wanted to change to my 1st choice for Megan's day. Here in our district Kindy is only 1/2 day's so we were pushing to get her in both AM and PM.

So I decided since we only have the 1 on 1 1/2 day I would rather it be in the AM. So Meg will go in the AM fully included w/ a 1 on 1 with no pull outs. She will then stay for lunch to practice for 1st grade and then receive her Speech, OT and PT after lunch M-F. That way she goes from 9 to 1 and her day isn't as long and I still get my afternoons with her. That way she can still do dance class with Olivia too.

I was concerned mostly with safety. Meg would have been out on the playground with nobody watching just her and I worry that she may wonder or fall and get hurt trying to do what the other kids are doing and the last thing we want is daily runs to the nurse.

I know I could have fought for the 1 on 1 for the full day but I truly like the idea of just an extended 1/2 day for her. I don't want her getting tired and cranky and making the PM kids think she is always crabby. She will be on her "A" game in the AM since that is when she is happiest.

This was my ideal day for her and now we have it all squared away.

p.s. Meg was also approved for the Van, so she will get a car seat to go to school. We will do the bus next year when she is a little older and heavier.

AM and PM approved

2009-08-10T12:18:00.000-07:00

Megan will be going to Full day Kindy in September. It is pretty much how I explained in my last post but opposite. Where the 1 on 1 will be there for PM....she will take her to lunch and recess and then into the PM.....She will have all her services in the AM.

I am so excited and so appreciative to her school for how much they are doing to make this all a success. We are going in Thursday to spend some time with her new teacher.

IEP for Kindergarten

2009-08-05T13:30:00.000-07:00

Our new team has put my fears of Kindergarten to rest. I was nervous that somehow she wasn't wanted there and she was going to be a burden and I would have to fight for what I wanted but that is not the case. The principal, the special ed supervisor and our case worker have made our experience so far exceptional. They have been so positive about Megan being in the right place and it has made me relax. I can now enjoy my girl growing up and moving on knowing we made the right choice.

I mentioned today in the meeting that a friend "Marlene, Aleena's mom" (I know this is not the case now) was doing AM and PM. So I mentioned that Megan would not do any pull-outs during one of the sessions and she could experience the class like the other children and then in the PM she could receive her therapies...and they all loved the idea. They are now going to work on logistics and see how they can extend the one on one for a few more hours.

So this is exactly how the day would work. Megan would take the van to school and be met by the 1 on 1. The 1 on 1 would walk her to the class room and get her settled. Meg would do the entire AM with her class w/ the 1 on 1 present. The 1 on 1 would take her to lunch at dismissal and then to another short recess w/ 1st grade and then she would do PM and have her therapists in and out of the room.
This would give Megan the chance to finish her work she started in AM which may take her longer and also have a double presentation to help her retain it better.
I hope this all works out and gets put in place soon so we can prepare.

Very excited about this!

Graduation

2009-07-30T12:19:00.000-07:00

Video to follow.

After almost 3 years in this pre-school, Megan graduated today and is now officially a kindergartner. I have many mixed emotions. Sad she is leaving behind a great team, sad she is growing up but happy for her success! She made me so proud today as she participated in the ceremony. She was absolutely beautiful!

Here she is getting her diploma and with her teacher Ms. Barb

Summertime

2009-07-09T20:54:00.000-07:00

Every summer I get a picture of the kids on the beach together but I am having a hard time gathering the pictures through the years. Here is the 1st pic I took back in
2004

2005

2006

2007

2008
(I know I have a matching bathing suit one somewhere)

2009

Maybe in a few years I can actually get all 3 of them to cooperate at the same time!

100+ Words

2009-06-15T13:35:00.001-07:00

We have reached 100 words so far in reading. I am so shocked with how much the girls retain. All I have done is make it fun and they WANT to do it! They love showing people they can do it too.

Here are a few photos of our board.
Food

Animals

I print out pictures, laminate and apply the velcro. Every week we change the group (household, animals, food, travel, beach etc.)

I am also making them their own books with the words they learned. They love being able to read. I get them bound at Office Max.

Dancers

2009-06-08T07:58:00.001-07:00

Just because she's cute...

2009-06-04T13:13:00.000-07:00

Olivia's Movin' On

2009-05-29T06:25:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics from Olivia's 1st Day of Pre-school and Last Day (yesterday).
She has grown so much this year.

Pop Pop and Olivia on the 1st day, she was so nervous!

Olivia and Pop Pop on the last day of pre-school

Olivia during their procession

Olivia jumping for joy! as they sang their songs

Olivia with her teachers that she will miss so dearly!

Thanks Woodside for an incredible year!

Dance Rehearsal

2009-05-29T05:45:00.000-07:00

I was very overwhelmed last night. Dress rehearsal is a chance to get in your videotaping and pictures because you cannot do that at the actual recital.
Well 1st, the girls were at opposite ends of the stage so I could not get them both in the actual videotaping. My zoom was broken off the video camera and so I could not zoom in or out and it was slightly out of focus. So of course instead of enjoying my talented beautiful children I got stressed, flustered and upset. They truly were amazing.
My sister used my new camera to get some pictures but couldn't figure out the settings and so most pictures are blurry. BUT I'M OK today just a little upset still. I will share what I have and start trying to find others who got some better pictures. I am pretty sure my friend Paula got some good shots of my girls.

Here is before when we were waiting in line for pictures

The girls with their best friend Sophia

The girls after the certain opened

Worst of all you never call baby when you say you will
Can you tell Megan is on the phone, totally in character ;)

Olivia was checking her dance teacher and followed her lead to remember this part of the dance

Megan adding in a wave to us as she was taping....she is good at making us feel loved!

I will add the video I took soon. I am going to try and get my friend Paula's video too since her daughter was right next to Megan.

Lots to share but no time

2009-05-26T10:12:00.000-07:00

I have pictures from the beach to upload.
Videos of week three site words to upload.
BUT no time. We start swim this week. We have dance rehearsal Thursday.
I have no food in my frig from being away.
I need to get hair gel and make-up for dance pictures.
I have to steam the outfits.
I now have to leave because I am mom volunteer today at Olivia's school....just wanted to let you know there will be some stuff posted in the next few days!
Now I am off!

The Literal Mind of a 3 yo

2009-05-22T06:10:00.001-07:00

I forget sometimes that what I say sounds much different to the kids then what I intended.
This morning the girls were having a tug of war over the fold up laundry basket.
They beckoned me to come and make a choice on who should get the basket.
I said, "OK, which one of you is gonna be the bigger person and let go"
Olivia then said, "Mommy, you are the bigger person so tell Megan to let go"

Dance costume/practice pictures

2009-05-19T19:24:00.000-07:00

Site Words 2

2009-05-18T05:06:00.000-07:00

Week 2- 5/11 - 5/17

Megan

Week 1 review

Olivia

Did not video week 1 review

Site Words

2009-05-10T19:19:00.000-07:00

Week 1 5/4 - 5/10:

Megan

Olivia

No Hints Required

2009-05-08T07:12:00.000-07:00

Shylo Wins!

It's that time of year

2009-05-06T17:24:00.000-07:00

This game is closed to those of you who know the actual song. Thanks!

Last year it was fun to have people guess what the heck Megan was singing!
Megan is going to sing some of her dance recital song for this year and you all have to guess what it is! No glitz and glamour this year as we do not have her costume yet. I will def. post pics when we try them on.
The winner will get a bottle of my new Port Wine Reduction Sauce.
Only 3 guesses a day so make them count!
I believe Bethany got the correct answer last year because of the hints! I will do that after 3 days if nobody gets it right.
I do not believe Megan has a future in singing!

ok, I tried twice so I will post both videos although they are both pretty hard.

Will video tomorrow

2009-05-05T18:31:00.001-07:00

Megan is doing so well with her site words. We have our house labeled with words and Velcro so you can remove them. I have been lax in going over them with her the past few months and she totally lost what she knew. Well the past 2 days (Monday and today) Megan has got them all down again, so well that she was whispering the answers to Olivia. Megan is SO visual that she can identify the word like an image. Olivia is polar opposite. Olivia is working on sounding out the words. It should be fun to have to teach reading in 2 totally different ways.

Megan made me so proud tonight! Tomorrow I promise to video!

Excited to share

2009-05-01T13:07:00.001-07:00

I am going into business for myself. My husband Joe got a pay cut and it got my butt moving! I did apply to CVS but my experience at Merrill Lynch must have made me seem over qualified to be a cashier so I didn't get the job! I am really ok about that!

Now on to my business. It is "Port Charles"....it is a Port Wine reduction sauce which is a family recipe, thanks to my brilliant Father Charlie whom it is named after!
It can be used to marinate meat or used as a dipping sauce. It is kind of like an A-1 but with a much better flavor. It is addicting!!!!! I am going to start out just selling online and locally.

I started a web page through blogger but am not very good or creative so I am going to reach out to my friend Rebecca whom helped make this page so beautiful! I am sure she can whip something up that looks professional!

I will hopefully soon be sending some of my readers a FREE bottle to TRY and review on their blogs, to get our name out there.

It's been a while

2009-04-30T17:12:00.000-07:00

But wanted to come and post that Olivia is writing her last name now....

and drum roll please....

Megan FINALLY has decided to write an "M".....YAY! I so wish I got a picture for you but she did it on the white board (and erased it before I got the camera) and we have more practice to do before I show off the finished product anyway!

Pictures from the Weekend

2009-04-20T11:35:00.000-07:00

Friday Night Carnival--

Saturday Morning Soccer Game--

Sunday Baseball--
Joey made a great play in the game. He was playing 2nd. The ball passed the 1st baseman and Joey backed him up....tripped....and managed to still tag the bag to get the runner out. Joe was able to get the play with the camera....very cool!

Kindergarden Evaluation

2009-04-20T09:21:00.001-07:00

Has not gone the way we hoped. They botched the report pretty bad. I sent in my "discrepancy" letter today and hope to hear from them soon as placement is my main concern. I want to get it squared away before the school year is out. I want to see any classrooms they suggest in action. I still hope they consider the "least restrictive environment" first and do not blow me off. I do want to try and include Megan as long as possible in our home school. We loved our home school for Joey and Olivia will be going the following year. I will keep you all posted as the process continues.

Some updates:

Potty Training is no longer training, hooray! We are over 4 months in and have had 0 accidents in over 3 months, including at night. She will wake up in the middle of the night if she has to go, what a relief!

Soccer
She scored an "orchestrated" goal at soccer this weekend. She is too funny and gets so mad when the girls "steal" the ball. She crosses her arms and refuses to move (I was a bit embarrassed). The coaches let her dribble the ball to the goal unattested and she scored and it made her motivated to continue.

Riding her bike:
I think she is now a semi pro on her bike. It is a tricycle and is too small and she needs a new one but she is too funny....She wants to ride it 24/7

I will post some pictures soon!

Magic Hands

2009-04-16T09:10:00.001-07:00

It must be magic because when I try to get her to use those chubby little hands they do not work. BUT she can open any child proofing cabinet, drawer or door, she can dress her Polly Pockets, but write her name, NO WAY, can't do it...She just ripped open the yogurt and got herself a spoon out of the baby proofed drawer....MUST be magic ;)

Game Ball

2009-04-09T07:50:00.000-07:00

Joey won the 1st game ball of the season. He was awarded it on Tuesday night for his game this past Saturday. He had a single, stole home, knocked in a double to tie the game in the last inning, fielded several balls, played 2 good innings at 1st base and then pitched to close out the game and hold the other team. I see him improve every year I watch him. It is my most favorite thing to do. He makes me so proud. Here are some photos of him playing this past Saturday.

1st at bat...single

getting ready to steal home

blurry slide

called safe at home

Running the bases

Pitching to end the game

Happy Birthday Mom!

2009-04-09T06:32:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday to you!!!
Happy Birthday to you!!!
Happy Birthday dear Nana!!!!
Happy Birthday to you!!!!

I present to you John for the sacrament of Confirmation

2009-04-06T10:09:00.000-07:00

I am a proud mother to my now Confirmed Joseph "John of God".....he is amazing!
He passed his final with flying colors and is one of those boys who raises his hand when the Bishop asks questions. Me, never, I would hide if I could. Here are pictures of the day

Joey and Nick (cousin/sponsor)

The girls

Joey and the Bishop

Megan and Pop Pop

Megan and Pop Pop

The 1st Soccer Game

2009-04-05T07:58:00.000-07:00

Was a success! Megan scored a goal...but the stars aligned to do it!
The weather was dismal. It was FREEZING. The winds were blowing and it helped carry the ball into the goal...Didn't matter to Megan she celebrated just the same!
Megan's team is good they are aggressive for 5 year olds. So Megan got a few kicks in...but at the end of the game the coach held back the team and Megan went 1 on 1 and did it! She was very happy.
This was the 1st time the coaches got to meet Megan and it went well. They were very good with her. I cannot wait till better weather. I know she will do better.
I need to have Olivia and Joey play Megan in the back yard so she is used to people stealing the ball, LOL, let's say she crossed her arms and huffed and puffed in the game when it happened....she was not ready for that. Enjoy the pictures.

her teamate stealing the ball

Megan not so happy

Megan 1 on 1

Megan kicks and the wind carries it

Yup that ball is in the goal

I did it!

YAY Megan!

Running her victory lap

Mommy is soooooooooo proud!

Tea for Ruby

2009-04-03T12:40:00.000-07:00

My girls LOVE this book. And today Olivia had a wonderful tea party with her friend Sophia....so we came home and set one up for Megan when she got off the bus....So here are some pictures of it...notice the new glasses Megan are sporting! She always has to be POSH (that is Fancy Nancy)!

Not such a good day

2009-04-01T06:44:00.000-07:00

So I woke up yesterday trying to come up with a joke for "Tell a joke Tuesday" when I heard Megan having difficulty breathing. I ran into her room and she was sound asleep but wheezing. UGH! WHY? I hate that she is going through this. I need to be more vigilant about keeping away people with runny noses, anything gets her sick now. So I wake her up and she coughs it out a little and I do the Albuterol inhaler and get her something to drink. She seems fine and happy so I am thinking maybe it was just an asthma attack or something and she is ok now. So I continue with the day. Olivia wakes up, I feed them breakfast and get them dressed for Dance class.
My sister calls and Joe didn't email his resume to her like he was suppose to. She wanted to try to get him a teaching gig at night at her school to teach programming. I was mad because we need extra money coming into our household....this economy has definitely hit us here....I applied for night work at a pharmacy close to home too ;)
So I would have walked out the door to dance instead I needed to head to the basement to forward the email. I could hear the girls on the back porch patiently waiting for me (NOT).
The phone rings, it is the dance studio, class is canceled. I have two little girls dressed ready to walk out the door, GREAT! They are gonna be mad.
I forward on the email and go call my friend Paula who has a daughter in dance with us, we do pretty much everything together. We decide since class is canceled that we will go to BJ's to do our shopping.
I decide to rejoin BJ's wholesale for $45 instead of getting a shopping pass. There gas is always cheaper but you need a card to get it and so I gave into the temptation of 3 extra months for free and $100's of dollars in coupons.
So we walk around BJ's me adding tons of well needed food to my cart when I get a text message from my husband...."I just got a pay cut".....WHAT!!!! We are already struggling we can't possibly take a hit to his pay but YUP. They took his $700 a month from his expense check away and $300 a month from his pay....$1000 a month.
A family of 5 losing $1000 a month.....that's the groceries and gas right there. We are screwed as I look into the cart and think "should I be buying all of this if we don't have the money?"
So I walk around and put stuff back when I realize it is time to get Megan on the bus. I check out and head out back home putting Megan directly on the bus w/o feeding her lunch @@....where is my head? She did eat a pretzel at BJ's and they give snack at school I will feed her when she comes home, she won't starve.
So I take Olivia to school and am child free. I drove around the business park right by my house and made a list of businesses close to home so Joe could do applications for them....we need to be on top of this. Joe's company cannot afford to lose him so we need to get a counter offer from a company. After making a good list of possible opportunities I go get my tooth drilled and end up paying $100 out of pocket. I payed more than the insurance I supposedly have for dental.
I go get Olivia and we meet Megan off the bus. They decide they want to play outside. They ride there bikes, they ride the motorized car, they go play on the swings, they come back and play hockey in the drive way and then switch to baseball. I was setting up the tee when I turn to hand Megan the bat. She is not there but standing on the yellow line in the street in front of my house @@. I screamed her name and ran for her. There was a car who stopped traffic and I about had a heart attack. I start crying and make the girls come in. Megan goes directly to time out. I still do not think she understands that she could have died. I am shaking as I type this, it was not a good feeling, one I FEAR. So to top off the day the girls feel asleep at baseball practice at 5:45 which totally messed up there bed time....I still went to the gym and burned 600+ calories, it was sooo needed. I hope today will be a better day, at leasr ir isn't nice enough to play outside.

Spreading the word

2009-03-31T05:34:00.000-07:00

Take the pledge to end the word. Why? Because you love her!

Update

2009-03-27T14:00:00.000-07:00

We saw the Pulminologist today for Megan. It went well. Megan cooperated and her saturation levels were 94....they seemed happy with that but we have a sleep study coming up. The doc also upped her Flovent from 44mg to 110mg. We will be starting Singular and Prevacid again as well to see if that helps. We go back in 2 months after the sleep study to discuss if we need oxygen full time here or not. He thinks she may need it at night while sleeping. No real answers to why her sats are low though so that is disappointing. Meg had Chest x-rays again today and the doc told me he would call on Monday to discuss. He is very thorough.

Tell a joke Tuesday

2009-03-24T13:42:00.000-07:00

I found Wayne through PSF and LOVE his Tell a Joke Tuesday's. Joey and I read through his blog and had some laughs (good for the soul). So here is Joey's joke from last week that I already shared with Wayne.

What do you call a Mexican with a rubber toe?
.
.
.
.
.
Roberto

and here is my bad joke for the day
What do you call a woman with 1 leg?
.
.
.
.
.
Eileen

adding....

From my husband.....
There are 2 cupcakes baking in an oven.
1 cup cake says to the other "Boy its getting hot in here"
The other cupcake replies "Holy Shit a talking cupcake"

POP

2009-03-23T15:24:00.001-07:00

Can you believe this....in the middle of taking pictures today my camera went POP. Then it smelled like smoke. Joe came home from work and turned it on and POP. Smelled like smoke again....he thinks internal electrical fire or something.
ARE YOU SERIOUS????
We have Joey's confirmation on Saturday and probably won't get a replacement in time...

Photo Story Friday--Joe and Megan

2009-03-20T12:55:00.000-07:00

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Cheryl over at Twinfatuation (which I encourage you all to check out, she is GREAT) gave me the idea to share a photo that I love. She posted one of her husband and daughter and it made me think of the below photo and how much I love it. This is a part of Photo Story Friday which you can link to here

This was a time in our life where we were starting down a new path in life. Megan was the center of our universe and everything in my life centered around her diagnosis. I met all my friends at downsyn at this time and became a member of my local group. Joe was a rock, he never and still doesn't see the "Down Syndrome," he sees his wonderful perfect daughter and his smile and hers say it all. So thank you Cheryl for making me remember a poignant time in my life!

Lilli Kelly Shoes

2009-03-19T12:49:00.000-07:00

Just went shoe shopping with Megan as it was just me and her today. I splurged and bought her Lilli Kelly's because they fit her nicely, they are washable and she can wear them without socks for the spring and summer. Hey mom if you are reading this Olivia wants a pair now too, so I need your coupon for Olly's (in your kid stuff book).

WAR--Princess style

2009-03-19T08:46:00.000-07:00

So I bought a pack of playing cards at a going-out-of-business Kay-Bee store for .25 cents and the girls just asked me to play a game. I taught them 'WAR' and thought it would be way over their heads but they both got it and did a GREAT job. I am so excited for the potential of having card sharks in the family. LOL
They are both playing each other right now saying "one two three four I declare a princess war"....so incredibly cute!

MOM

2009-03-18T08:21:00.000-07:00

So Olivia requested stickers to continue on making crafts or as she calls it, "her homework"....she finished and wrote her name on the back.

I hugged her and told her it was awesome and she is such a good writer.
She then proceeds to make me a picture to hang on my wall.

She says, "Mommy look"....she had written MOM on the back of it....O-M-G!!!!
We practiced it the other day but only once and she remembered, I know it is an easy word but I am just shocked! And soooo proud!

Crafty Kid

2009-03-18T07:43:00.000-07:00

Today it is Paper Flowers now she is constructing a 'band hat'....I love Olivia's imagination.

Olivia's is on the left, Megan's on the right

A Natural

2009-03-16T12:24:00.000-07:00

Who or what is the problem?

2009-03-16T09:33:00.000-07:00

I would say ME! I am the problem when my daughter says, "I can't do it, you do it" on a regular basis.

We are working on writing today. Megan is working on "M" and Olivia is working on "Bissol"....Megan will not even pick up the pen w/o saying those dreaded words. So today, yes today, I will no longer do ANYTHING to help Megan, she will do everything herself. Geeze, why have I played her games for so long. I now refer to myself as her little Monkey, she tells me what to do and I do it. To avoid fights and time, I do it, except after today.....

Oh crap Megan is calling me, she needs me to wipe her butt :)

Pictures of the Day--no editing

2009-03-14T15:30:00.001-07:00

This picture would have been awesome if it was Megan in the swing beneath Olivia.

Camera is pretty good, now we just have to work on the person taking the pictures ;)

New Camera play

2009-03-14T15:19:00.000-07:00

Here is a pic of Megan drinking Powerade today at the playground. Her eyes were so stunning in the picture that I played around with Photoshop to get her eyes to stay blue and the rest turned to black and white. I had trouble making the outline of her eyes go away and to get the blue to stay more realistic. Help if you can! Thanks.

The Party

2009-03-14T13:20:00.000-07:00

The Surprise

The Basketball

The Cake

The Games

The Bowling

The Next Morning

Suprise a BUST!

2009-03-14T07:48:00.000-07:00

So when the boys arrived (4 of them, 5 were invited) they said they thought Joey knew about the surprise. I said why do you think that, one boy said "because he came up to me at school and asked me if I was invited to his surprise party"...WHAT, "yeah, he said unnamed kid told him in gym class."

What would possess a kid to ruin a surprise????? not to mention how the heck he knew.
I called all the moms who told me they were not going to tell the boys until that night so that they wouldn't ruin the surprise....so I guess somebodies mom told early. And all a kid has to do is tell 1 person before the entire school finds out.

So I am assuming the boy who didn't show up was the tattler or at least the other boys pinned it on him. OH BROTHER.

So I knew before Joey got home that he knew....so quickly I had all the people (family and friends) go hide in Joey's room. My parents brought him home and me and Joe pretended like nothing was going on, we hid all evidence of a party. Joey was peeking in the living room and basement and looked puzzled. He then walked his bags up to his room where everyone yelled SURPRISE, although he was not really.

Oh well, there is always a next time.
Pictures to follow.

Party Time

2009-03-13T09:08:00.000-07:00

SO excited today my new camera came via UPS man! YAY!!!!!
Just in time for Joey's surprise party tonight!!!!
I hope I will get some really good 'surprise' shots of him and also some good bowling shots tonight.

Olivia and Camera Update

2009-03-11T14:48:00.001-07:00

1st the Camera. I didn't get what I really wanted, a Canon Rebel Xsi. 1) because we didn't have the money anymore after Joe totaled his car and 2) I had a zoom lens from a previous camera (a camera I bought when I wanted to be a photographer back in the day but realized you needed some talent) It was a 35mm Minolta. Joe's co-worker told us our zoom lens was compatible with the Sony model so we bought the Sony Alpha DSLR-300....it will save us a few hundred dollars on buying a good zoom lens since we already had one....so here is the camera we bought:

Now onto my bug. Olivia. She is getting so big and mature...she is so much fun to hang out with. She comes up with such good ideas. The other day she suggested we make paper dolls. So today we went to AC Moore and walked around picking out paper and yarn. Olivia proceeds to tell me "No more stopping, we need to go right home and make our dolls"....she knows me so well, LOL! So we drove home and got to work. Here is our finished product:

Olivia is also doing really well with writing her name. She started off writing her letters all different sizes and all over the paper but has since started writing much better on the lines and in proportion to each other. Here is a recent writing:

Update

2009-03-10T14:16:00.000-07:00

Great updates all around so far.

No cardio issues, "her heart looks beautiful" in the doctor's words. The day could not have gone any better. Megan was happy and in a good mood. The nurse asked if we wanted to try the echo w/o sedation and I was up for that, of course, cause I was concerned being put under would mess with her sats and they would end up keeping us there. All the nurses came around to give the big girl a high five and she collected about 15 stickers. A little fussing but a great job on Megan's part. We are forever released from Cardio so we never have to go back!

As for todays eye appointment, no surgery on the eyes but need to follow up in 4 months, her prescription has gotten stronger.

So now we wait to go to the Pulminologist at the end of the month. Hopefully he will have some other ideas on why Megan's sats are low.

Prayers for Tomorrow

2009-03-08T18:14:00.000-07:00

Hi all, we have a busy schedule coming up with Megan and I would love to get your prayers. She goes in Tomorrow to CHOP for a sedated echo to check her heart. They want to make sure her low saturation levels are not from any missed heart issue. My concern is that they knock her out and her sat levels are so low they don't let us go home. Next Tuesday we go back to the eye doctor to see if she requires surgery or a stronger prescription for her A pattern estropia, so if we are stuck in the hospital we miss this appointment for the 2nd time and they get so mad....

I am truly worried about Megan she just has not been herself since her bout with pnuemonia in Nov/Dec. We see the pulminologist at the end of this month. And of course she is going through transition for Kindy and has missed her ST eval 2 times already, the report was due this Friday so the ST eval will be missing (UGH!)

14th Station of the Cross: Jesus is laid in the tomb

2009-03-07T20:14:00.000-08:00

Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
All: Because by your holy cross You have redeemed the world.

Jesus, your body is prepared for burial. Joseph gave you his own tomb. He laid your body there and rolled a large stone in front of it, then went home. What a sad day it has been for so many people.

As a child, sometimes I try to keep everything for myself. I find it hard to share my things with my brothers or sisters and with my friends.

As an adult, I can be selfish too. I can accumulate things and keep them for myself. I try to make sure I have what I want before I share what I have with anybody else.

Help me think of Joseph of Arimathea, who risked his own life as he accepted Jesus' body for burial. Help me think of how Joseph loved Jesus so much that he gave him his own tomb.

My Jesus, beside Thy body in the tomb I, too, would lie dead; but if I live, let it be for Thee, so as one day to enjoy with Thee in heaven the fruits of Thy passion and Thy bitter death.

Our Father.... Hail Mary.... Glory be to the Father....

Leader: Jesus Christ Crucified.
All: have mercy on Us.
Leader: May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, Rest in peace.
All: Amen.

13th Station of the Cross: the body of Jesus is taken down from the cross

2009-03-07T20:13:00.000-08:00

Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
All: Because by your holy cross You have redeemed the world.

Jesus, how brutally you were put to death. How gently your are taken from the cross. Your suffering and pain are ended, and you are put in the lap of your mother. The dirt and blood are wiped away. You are treated with love.

As a child, sometimes I treat others better when they're sad or in pain. When somebody dies, I become very gentle and kind. I notice the good and kind things people say about those who have died.

As an adult, I seem to be kinder when someone dies. If only I could learn to see the good things about them while they were alive. If only I would tell those around me how much I love them, while I still have the opportunity to do so.

Help me look for the good in those around me, especially those I love the most. Help me live this day as if it were the last. Help me become a more gentle and loving person through my greater appreciation for those around me.

O Mary, Mother most sorrowful, the sword of grief pierced thy soul when thou didst see Jesus lying lifeless on thy bosom; obtain for me hatred of sin because sin slew thy Son and wounded thine own heart, and grace to live a Christian life and save my soul.

Our Father.... Hail Mary.... Glory be to the Father....

Leader: Jesus Christ Crucified.
All: Have mercy on Us.
Leader: May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, Rest in peace.
All: Amen.

12th Station of the Cross: Jesus died on the cross

2009-03-07T20:12:00.000-08:00

Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
All: Because by your holy cross You have redeemed the world.

As Jesus hung on the cross, he forgave the soldiers who had crucified him, and prayed for his mother and friends. Jesus wanted all of us to be able to live forever with God, so he gave all he had for us.

Jesus, let me take a few moments now to consider your love for me. Help me thank you for your willingness to go to your death for me. Help me express my love for you!

My Jesus, three hours didst Thou hang in agony, and then die for me; let me die before I sin, and if I live, live for Thy love and faithful service.

Our Father.... Hail Mary.... Glory be to the Father....

Leader: Jesus Christ Crucified.
All: Have mercy on Us.
Leader: May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, Rest in peace.
All: Amen.

11th Station of the Cross: Jesus is nailed to the cross

2009-03-07T20:11:00.000-08:00

Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
All: Because by your holy cross You have redeemed the world.

You are stretched out on the cross you have carried so far. The soldiers take big nails and drive them into your hands and feet. You feel abandoned by the people you loved so much. People seem to have gone mad. You have done nothing but good, yet they drive nails through your hands and feet.

As a child, sometimes I hurt others. Sometimes I join with friends and decide not to like another. We gang up against another and cause them hurt and pain. Sometimes I say or do hurtful things to my brothers and sisters. I can wonder what they'd think about themselves if they believed everything I told them about themselves.

As and adult, sometimes I discriminate against others. Even without thinking, I judge others because of their color, intelligence, income level or name. I forget that I am to live as a brother or sister to all people. Sometimes I use harsh words when I speak to my children and family members. I can find it easy to look for something that isn't very important and make it very important.

Help me look again at the people around me. Help me see the hurt and pain I have caused in others. Be with me to help me make amends for the harm I have done.

My Jesus, by Thine agony when the cruel nails pierced Thy tender hands and feet and fixed them to the cross, make me crucify my flesh by Christian penance.

Our Father.... Hail Mary.... Glory be to the Father....

Leader: Jesus Christ Crucified.
All: Have mercy on Us.
Leader: May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, Rest in peace.
All: Amen.

10th Station of the Cross: Jesus clothes are taken away

2009-03-07T20:10:00.002-08:00

Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
All: Because by your holy cross You have redeemed the world.

The soldiers notice you have something of value. They remove your cloak and throw dice for it. Your wounds are torn open once again. Some of the people in the crowd make fun of you. They tease you and challenge you to perform a miracle for them to see. They're not aware that you'll perform the greatest miracle of all!

As a child, sometimes I'm tempted to repeat stories I know are unclean and disrespectful. I sometimes try to act grown up by using crude and bad words.

As an adult, sometimes I repeat stories that are disrespectful of others. I can entertain thoughts that are not clean. Sometimes I give the young people around me a bad example to follow.

Help me to keep myself pure and clean. Help me say things that build up the people around me. Help me overcome worldly desires that I may become more like Jesus. Help me set a good example for others to follow.

My Jesus, stripped of Thy garments and drenched with gall, strip me of love for things of earth, and make me loathe all that savors of the world and sin.

Our Father.... Hail Mary.... Glory be to the Father....

Leader: Jesus Christ Crucified.
All: Have mercy on Us.
Leader: May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, Rest in peace.
All: Amen.

9th Station of the Cross: Jesus falls a third time

2009-03-07T20:10:00.001-08:00

Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
All: Because by your holy cross You have redeemed the world.

Jesus, your journey has been long. You fall again, beneath your cross. You know your journey is coming to an end. You struggle and struggle. You get up and keep going.

As a child, sometimes I fail time and time again. I find it hard to get along with my sisters and brothers, sometimes I'm not honest, sometimes I'm lazy. I'm tempted to stop trying. It's just too hard sometimes.

As an adult, I often feel I should have conquered my weaknesses by now. I become discouraged when I'm confronted by the same problems over and over again. Sometimes I get weary. When I have health problems, I can become discouraged and depressed.

Help me think of the cross you carried. Help me continue to hope that I can make the changes in my life I need to. You didn't give up. I can have the strength to get up again as well.

My Jesus, by all the bitter woes Thou didst endure when for the third time the heavy cross bowed Thee to the earth, never, I beseech Thee, let me fall again into sin. Ah, my Jesus, rather let me die than ever offend Thee again.

Our Father.... Hail Mary.... Glory be to the Father....

Leader: Jesus Christ Crucified.
All: Have mercy on Us.
Leader: May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, Rest in Peace.
All: Amen.