How is everyone doing? Things are going well here...moving right along as always! Let me catch you up...
~I finished my first semester of teaching classes for my license and did well with an "A" and an "A+" I'm off for the summer and will return for another two classes in August.
~I had been training for a half marathon which I completed on Sunday @ 2:40:40. While I am very glad I did it, I am also glad it is over with. The last few weeks of hard training meant more evening time away from Autumn & the hubby. I'm glad we have our evenings back.
~Autumn is now 15 months! At her checkup she was 31in (2 inches in 3 months!) so she's pretty tall. No one us surprised by this. She's also 22.4lbs, which means she gained exactly 2 pounds in 3 months. She received a few shots. We'll return at 18 months for a regular checkup and to get the MMR vaccine.
~I will officially call my daughter a walker - FINALLY! She took her first steps several months ago, although the exact date I couldn't tell you. (Does that make me a bad mom?) It just kinda happened. But she never wanted to walk. She didn't "keep it up." I called it laziness...because she knew how to, but she didn't have the "want to." And while she's continued to practice and cruise furniture, only in the past few days has she actually started walking consistently around the house, from furniture to people, standing up in the middle of the room and walking to where she wants to be, etc. This makes us very happy! And she seems to realize that she can get where she wants to a little more comfortably without skinning her knees!
~She dislikes her diaper getting changed and often fights me. Brat.
~She MUST have a person's undivided attention in the car or she proceeds to YELL. I don't mean scream, or cry, I mean just YELL...ramble on at the top of her voice for no particular need other than for you to turn around and say, "What can I do for you?" It's rather annoying sometimes and has given me a headache. While I love she's learning to use her voice, THIS is not what I expected nor hoped for.
~I will have to write a separate post about the day I wanted to start potty training her...that was awful!
~She says: Fish ("ish"), Dad ("Da"), Mom ("mamamamamamamamama" and ONLY when she wants something), Dog ("woof"), Cat ("meow"), Elise ("eese"), and SH! ("shhhhhh") and she's getting better at saying Ball, Duck, Clock (you can imagine how that one comes out! lol) and a few others
~She sign languages for "more" and "please" all the time now!
~This weekend we're headed to the beach. Although we did take her out last summer, this will be her first real weekend at the beach where she will be exploring the sand and water with knowledge of what it all is. We're very excited. Note to self: still need to buy that sunscreen!
~She has 10 teeth...4 top front, 3 bottom front, 1 top molar right side, 1 bottom molar right side, and 1 top molar left side. I think the next one is a bottom molar on the left side. Canines no where in sight.
~Our summer schedule is very open and I'm hoping to fill it with lots of fun things to do in town and awesome playdates. After August I still don't know what I'm doing for work, so it's all very open and I'm learning to accept this and just not stress about it. Grandpa may come down from NJ in July to visit and we'll be very excited to see him!
Like I said, overall, we're just moving right along. We spend time with friends as much as possible. Work is going well for Shawn and myself, so we're enjoying an extra night out or two at dinner - which she LOVES because she can socialize very loudly with random strangers who think her simply adorable. We seem to be spending time with family a lot, too, which I love. I love how she's spending time with her cousins. Our door should be a revolving one with all the ins and outs of this house. Hope everyone else is doing well! Again, as always, I apologize for not blogging enough!
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Random Tues Thoughts
Sorry this isn't a regular update but I need to write these thoughts out to process them better...
~Current job ends in August when kiddos head off to school; therefore,
~I NEED to know about a possible source of income before then
~Teaching jobs in my field are rare and despite my resume being out there
1) I'm not certified yet and I lack experience, which means I'm low on their top choice list
2) Given school budgets this coming year, there is talk of people being let go instead of being hired - and my area isn't one of those that are considered high needs like math/science teachers in this area
3) While I have been looking up to almost 2 hours outside of Raleigh, given the gas prices and how they're saying they're going to rise...I just cannot FATHOM a long commute to work. And it's stupid to move while I finish the teaching program until next spring.
So...new idea...stay in Raleigh. Still look into jobs in 30-45 min commuting area, but don't count on the availability. Be a stay-at-home mom (SAHM!) with Autumn and look to take care of other children in my own home.
Do what I do now, but do it in my own house. I already have one person interested. And with a flexible schedule I could still provide a decent income comparable to the one I bring in now.
Finish the teaching program until next spring. After the classes are done there is nothing inhibiting us from moving anywhere I need to go for a teaching job. We could finally move to the mountains or anywhere that offers a position. In the meantime, I could also be looking at volunteering with tutoring or other activities to provide experience with the ages of the kids I look to teach, putting more on my resume!
It makes sense in my head. It's possible. It's a PLAN. A plan I feel more comfortable with than "look and hope for a job come August!" which has really been ripping apart my brain these past few months.
I should do what I know best. Keep doing what I'm doing, finish one project at a time before jumping the gun into a classroom and feeling ill-prepared. Get the knowledge first and then dive in head first. Right? Right.
I think it's a good idea. We'll see...
~Current job ends in August when kiddos head off to school; therefore,
~I NEED to know about a possible source of income before then
~Teaching jobs in my field are rare and despite my resume being out there
1) I'm not certified yet and I lack experience, which means I'm low on their top choice list
2) Given school budgets this coming year, there is talk of people being let go instead of being hired - and my area isn't one of those that are considered high needs like math/science teachers in this area
3) While I have been looking up to almost 2 hours outside of Raleigh, given the gas prices and how they're saying they're going to rise...I just cannot FATHOM a long commute to work. And it's stupid to move while I finish the teaching program until next spring.
So...new idea...stay in Raleigh. Still look into jobs in 30-45 min commuting area, but don't count on the availability. Be a stay-at-home mom (SAHM!) with Autumn and look to take care of other children in my own home.
Do what I do now, but do it in my own house. I already have one person interested. And with a flexible schedule I could still provide a decent income comparable to the one I bring in now.
Finish the teaching program until next spring. After the classes are done there is nothing inhibiting us from moving anywhere I need to go for a teaching job. We could finally move to the mountains or anywhere that offers a position. In the meantime, I could also be looking at volunteering with tutoring or other activities to provide experience with the ages of the kids I look to teach, putting more on my resume!
It makes sense in my head. It's possible. It's a PLAN. A plan I feel more comfortable with than "look and hope for a job come August!" which has really been ripping apart my brain these past few months.
I should do what I know best. Keep doing what I'm doing, finish one project at a time before jumping the gun into a classroom and feeling ill-prepared. Get the knowledge first and then dive in head first. Right? Right.
I think it's a good idea. We'll see...
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Hi. I have a blogging problem.
I don't blog. Dude...it's been almost two months since I updated Autumn's blog. WTH?! I can update my 101 blog & my community service blogs in like 5 minutes, but have a hard time finding time to update this blog. And the longer I wait to write an entry? The longer the entry becomes...the more time it requires...it's a never ending circle.
My sincerest apologies:o( I suck.
Autumn is almost 14 months. She's rocking at about 22+ lbs. We went ahead and flipped her carseat around a few weeks ago and she's really enjoying it. I, however, do not like it so much. It is easier to get her in and out. And the carseat was getting heavy to put in and out of the car. BUT, when she falls asleep in the car I desperately miss just being able to pull the whole seat out. 99% of the time now she wakes up when I have to get her out of the car and that really sucks.
Autumn is not walking, still. Actually, she has taken a step or two, but she refuses to walk. She can walk with her push along walker, cruise furniture, walk along with you only holding one hand, push her body to the standing position without holding onto anything and stand alone...until she realizes she is standing and then she gently eases herself to the ground. Don't get confused - the girl has control of her legs and balance, she probably CAN walk but she doesn't have the "want to" attitude. Which is okay by me. She is rather fast as a crawler and I think that dooms me once she does start walking. Also, she walks on all fours, which is actually quite funny looking and provides some amusement.
She can roll a ball. For example: a large soccer ball, she will roll and chase and roll some more and chase, etc. A smaller ball she will actually toss! She can stack one block on top of another, but once it gets past a tower of 3 blocks she usually knocks them down. She can take a necklace and put it over her head. She tries (and is sometimes successful) at putting headband and other dress-up headgear on her head.
Let's talk about block sorting! She CAN place a block (circle, square, star, etc) in its correct hole BUT ONLY if it's the closest hole to her. If the closest shape-hole to her is the circle and she is holding the square, she will persistently try to put the square through the circle. But I am glad that she knows the blocks CAN go through the holes and she is very happy when she does successfully put one away.
She LOVES to clap. And give "five" and "ten." She will blow LOTS of kisses and wave bye-bye. She a big snuggler:) She knows that hats go on her head and she will tap her head if you point to a hat.
She says "woof" for dog (and just about every other animal). She says "Da!" for Daddy and "Mama" for Mommy, but she doesn't call my name as often as she calls for Daddy. She understands A LOT, but does not say a lot of specific words. She definitely communicates her needs and what she is thinking/feeling though and I think it shows she is developing just fine.
She HATES having her diaper changed nowadays. Also, Autumn doesn't mind the carseat, but she does hate if she's just been in the carseat, you've taken her out, and then you have to put her back in again. It's like a "not again!" attitude and really, who can blame her? Sometimes I hate getting in and out of the car, too.
We've been playing outside a lot. She knows how to climb her little play gym and go down the slide. She also has a sandbox that she likes to crawl in and out of.
She eats EVERYTHING. She's starting to learn how to use a spoon. She wants whatever we are eating - good luck trying to give her something different. SHARING is something we have had to relearn as parents. I agree with all young children - sharing sometimes SUCKS!
She loves bath time. She is sleeping rather well. She tends to wake up, look for a pacifier and then go back down. Occasionally she has nightmares or can't find a paci which means I have to get up, but most of the time she goes down between 8-9pm and doesn't get up til 8-9am. Her napping schedule is still weird, but we're pretty flexible.
Did I miss anything? Of course I did. I should keep a notebook of all the cool stuff she does. Some of it is too cute or funny to even explain in words - like her evil "I'm up to no good" laugh.
I love her. She's such a big girl already. I kind of forget what she was like as a baby, but I love her just the way she is now, too. I don't want her to change, but I cannot wait to see what she will be like as she continues to grow up.
Oh my monkey...
My sincerest apologies:o( I suck.
Autumn is almost 14 months. She's rocking at about 22+ lbs. We went ahead and flipped her carseat around a few weeks ago and she's really enjoying it. I, however, do not like it so much. It is easier to get her in and out. And the carseat was getting heavy to put in and out of the car. BUT, when she falls asleep in the car I desperately miss just being able to pull the whole seat out. 99% of the time now she wakes up when I have to get her out of the car and that really sucks.
Autumn is not walking, still. Actually, she has taken a step or two, but she refuses to walk. She can walk with her push along walker, cruise furniture, walk along with you only holding one hand, push her body to the standing position without holding onto anything and stand alone...until she realizes she is standing and then she gently eases herself to the ground. Don't get confused - the girl has control of her legs and balance, she probably CAN walk but she doesn't have the "want to" attitude. Which is okay by me. She is rather fast as a crawler and I think that dooms me once she does start walking. Also, she walks on all fours, which is actually quite funny looking and provides some amusement.
She can roll a ball. For example: a large soccer ball, she will roll and chase and roll some more and chase, etc. A smaller ball she will actually toss! She can stack one block on top of another, but once it gets past a tower of 3 blocks she usually knocks them down. She can take a necklace and put it over her head. She tries (and is sometimes successful) at putting headband and other dress-up headgear on her head.
Let's talk about block sorting! She CAN place a block (circle, square, star, etc) in its correct hole BUT ONLY if it's the closest hole to her. If the closest shape-hole to her is the circle and she is holding the square, she will persistently try to put the square through the circle. But I am glad that she knows the blocks CAN go through the holes and she is very happy when she does successfully put one away.
She LOVES to clap. And give "five" and "ten." She will blow LOTS of kisses and wave bye-bye. She a big snuggler:) She knows that hats go on her head and she will tap her head if you point to a hat.
She says "woof" for dog (and just about every other animal). She says "Da!" for Daddy and "Mama" for Mommy, but she doesn't call my name as often as she calls for Daddy. She understands A LOT, but does not say a lot of specific words. She definitely communicates her needs and what she is thinking/feeling though and I think it shows she is developing just fine.
She HATES having her diaper changed nowadays. Also, Autumn doesn't mind the carseat, but she does hate if she's just been in the carseat, you've taken her out, and then you have to put her back in again. It's like a "not again!" attitude and really, who can blame her? Sometimes I hate getting in and out of the car, too.
We've been playing outside a lot. She knows how to climb her little play gym and go down the slide. She also has a sandbox that she likes to crawl in and out of.
She eats EVERYTHING. She's starting to learn how to use a spoon. She wants whatever we are eating - good luck trying to give her something different. SHARING is something we have had to relearn as parents. I agree with all young children - sharing sometimes SUCKS!
She loves bath time. She is sleeping rather well. She tends to wake up, look for a pacifier and then go back down. Occasionally she has nightmares or can't find a paci which means I have to get up, but most of the time she goes down between 8-9pm and doesn't get up til 8-9am. Her napping schedule is still weird, but we're pretty flexible.
Did I miss anything? Of course I did. I should keep a notebook of all the cool stuff she does. Some of it is too cute or funny to even explain in words - like her evil "I'm up to no good" laugh.
I love her. She's such a big girl already. I kind of forget what she was like as a baby, but I love her just the way she is now, too. I don't want her to change, but I cannot wait to see what she will be like as she continues to grow up.
Oh my monkey...
Saturday, February 19, 2011
My daughter deserves the right to choose!
Let's get some things straight first. I don't believe in abortion. I do believe life begins at conception.
But to say I'd never get one means that I never predict that I'll ever be raped and get pregnant. Means that I never expect myself in a life or death situation in which I might have to choose between the fetus or myself. Means my doctors will never tell me that something has gone wrong in my pregnancy in which termination of the pregnancy might be the safest, only, or logical option. Means I never expect to be told that my child has abnormalities or defects that would make life horribly cruel. Means that, despite birth control methods I ended up pregnant at a very wrong time in my life and bringing a child into this world just seems impossible. And many more possibilities...
Never say NEVER. Even with my strong beliefs, I cannot say NEVER because I have not been presented with the some of the experiences mentioned. And I cannot say for sure, given any of those circumstances what I would do. I like to think I know the choices I would make, but none of us really know until the choice is presented to us.
I believe in life. I believe conception means a child, a human being. I believe abortion is killing a child. But I also believe that God and only God has the right to judge us and our decisions. I believe in forgiveness. And you can bet your ass that I believe this is a PERSONAL and PRIVATE choice.
Unfortunately, unless you have the education and the financial resources, it's still personal, but not private.
In an age of technology and information we'd like to believe that everyone has access to knowledge about birth control, sex, stds, etc. It's called SEX EDUCATION. But people think it's not proper to have in schools. Let it be taught at home. Seriously...HOW MANY OF YOU TALKED WITH YOUR PARENTS ABOUT SEX?! If you had parents like that, consider yourself lucky. I didn't. It was a taboo subject. And school was the only place I got this information. For those who don't have school or parents, there's peers. And as sex seems to become a topic for younger and younger children, one can only imagine the twisted and incorrect information that gets passed around. Luckily there are people who in the community who try to reach and educate others about these things, one of them being Planned Parenthood. Besides education, community organizations like this also provide pregnancy tests, screening, checkups, and sometimes...yes, abortions. For who? Usually people who don't have the financial resources to get information or help from private physicians.
If you're a judgmental person (and we're all guilty of it), check your bias and stereotyping at the door and step into someone else's shoes. Are there people who take advantage of the situation? Yes. They're called people who can afford certain rights in life, but call them privileges and think they ought to be taken away from those who don't have the same opportunities to education and resources. There are also people who take advantage of help provided for them and fuel the fire for bias argument. But these people are NOT a majority. And even if they were, if the help provided were to only reach ONE person, is he/she not worth it? Now, that's extreme, because programs like Planned Parenthood help so many people who REALLY need the help, and aren't they ALL worth it? Just because we don't agree with someone decision does that mean they don't deserve our help?! Do we have to judge? Haven't we all done something we're not proud of?
Now...where did this all come from? My lovely and random rant...check here (or the news). Budget cutting and such...I don't have an answer. I will admit I don't know a lot. But I know this, that at some point Planned Parenthood funding came up and some people decided to make it into an abortion discussion. First off, Planned Parenthood is NOT just about abortion. Think about it...wait for it...PLANNED PARENTHOOD. Planning + parenthood = responsible decisions about when/when not to have a family and all the education that comes along with it. Maybe? A good thing? Yes?! Anywho...certain individuals (men) thought it was best to bring out their judgmental attitudes and turn it into a pro-life outweighs all pro-choice reasons, good or bad. And then a woman steps up. And puts herself out there and tells her story and says, "I'm one of those people...I'm one of those who had to have this procedure..." and while she may have been one of the lucky ones to have it done privately, she understands what many women go through and why it's important for those who can't afford to have it done privately.
I don't give a hoot who is Republic or Democrat. I am most certainly not a man-hater. And I respect other people's opinions. But I don't respect people who think that taking money away from less fortunate just because they don't like their decisions. I don't like how budget-cutting can get turned into an abortion debate. Abortion was declared a RIGHT for women. It is NOT a privilege to be taking away from those who can't afford it. How many congressmen/women's wives have had abortions with/without public knowledge? More importantly, with or without their spouse's knowledge? Let's get that poll and see who changes their story. PRIVACY goes a long way when you have money to hide behind.
Children have always been my passion. Parenthood is now my privilege. And the rights protecting women, children and families may have just become my cause.
But to say I'd never get one means that I never predict that I'll ever be raped and get pregnant. Means that I never expect myself in a life or death situation in which I might have to choose between the fetus or myself. Means my doctors will never tell me that something has gone wrong in my pregnancy in which termination of the pregnancy might be the safest, only, or logical option. Means I never expect to be told that my child has abnormalities or defects that would make life horribly cruel. Means that, despite birth control methods I ended up pregnant at a very wrong time in my life and bringing a child into this world just seems impossible. And many more possibilities...
Never say NEVER. Even with my strong beliefs, I cannot say NEVER because I have not been presented with the some of the experiences mentioned. And I cannot say for sure, given any of those circumstances what I would do. I like to think I know the choices I would make, but none of us really know until the choice is presented to us.
I believe in life. I believe conception means a child, a human being. I believe abortion is killing a child. But I also believe that God and only God has the right to judge us and our decisions. I believe in forgiveness. And you can bet your ass that I believe this is a PERSONAL and PRIVATE choice.
Unfortunately, unless you have the education and the financial resources, it's still personal, but not private.
In an age of technology and information we'd like to believe that everyone has access to knowledge about birth control, sex, stds, etc. It's called SEX EDUCATION. But people think it's not proper to have in schools. Let it be taught at home. Seriously...HOW MANY OF YOU TALKED WITH YOUR PARENTS ABOUT SEX?! If you had parents like that, consider yourself lucky. I didn't. It was a taboo subject. And school was the only place I got this information. For those who don't have school or parents, there's peers. And as sex seems to become a topic for younger and younger children, one can only imagine the twisted and incorrect information that gets passed around. Luckily there are people who in the community who try to reach and educate others about these things, one of them being Planned Parenthood. Besides education, community organizations like this also provide pregnancy tests, screening, checkups, and sometimes...yes, abortions. For who? Usually people who don't have the financial resources to get information or help from private physicians.
If you're a judgmental person (and we're all guilty of it), check your bias and stereotyping at the door and step into someone else's shoes. Are there people who take advantage of the situation? Yes. They're called people who can afford certain rights in life, but call them privileges and think they ought to be taken away from those who don't have the same opportunities to education and resources. There are also people who take advantage of help provided for them and fuel the fire for bias argument. But these people are NOT a majority. And even if they were, if the help provided were to only reach ONE person, is he/she not worth it? Now, that's extreme, because programs like Planned Parenthood help so many people who REALLY need the help, and aren't they ALL worth it? Just because we don't agree with someone decision does that mean they don't deserve our help?! Do we have to judge? Haven't we all done something we're not proud of?
Now...where did this all come from? My lovely and random rant...check here (or the news). Budget cutting and such...I don't have an answer. I will admit I don't know a lot. But I know this, that at some point Planned Parenthood funding came up and some people decided to make it into an abortion discussion. First off, Planned Parenthood is NOT just about abortion. Think about it...wait for it...PLANNED PARENTHOOD. Planning + parenthood = responsible decisions about when/when not to have a family and all the education that comes along with it. Maybe? A good thing? Yes?! Anywho...certain individuals (men) thought it was best to bring out their judgmental attitudes and turn it into a pro-life outweighs all pro-choice reasons, good or bad. And then a woman steps up. And puts herself out there and tells her story and says, "I'm one of those people...I'm one of those who had to have this procedure..." and while she may have been one of the lucky ones to have it done privately, she understands what many women go through and why it's important for those who can't afford to have it done privately.
I don't give a hoot who is Republic or Democrat. I am most certainly not a man-hater. And I respect other people's opinions. But I don't respect people who think that taking money away from less fortunate just because they don't like their decisions. I don't like how budget-cutting can get turned into an abortion debate. Abortion was declared a RIGHT for women. It is NOT a privilege to be taking away from those who can't afford it. How many congressmen/women's wives have had abortions with/without public knowledge? More importantly, with or without their spouse's knowledge? Let's get that poll and see who changes their story. PRIVACY goes a long way when you have money to hide behind.
Children have always been my passion. Parenthood is now my privilege. And the rights protecting women, children and families may have just become my cause.
Friday, February 18, 2011
ONE YEAR UPDATE!
Monkey is ONE! YAY! And what a happy healthy one she is:o)
20.6lbs. 29 ins.
I didn't really care for the pedi that we saw. I might have to look for a new pedi office that is willing to do an alternative vaccine schedule. We'll see...I'm not stressing over it right now.
What can Autumn do? It's actually a lot easier to figure out what she's NOT doing. She's NOT walking. That's about it. She pulls up on everything, she can put big bead necaklaces on herself, she can put balls down this "slide" toy we got, she can sign "more" and "milk." She says "Du" for dog and "Da" for Daddy and "Maaaa" for me. She presses buttons to make her toys make noise. Overall, she's just doing A LOT! The pedi was impressed with her large and small motor skills.
She had a lot of fun at her birthday party. She loved playing with everyone - kids and adults alike. She also tore into her cake!!!! I can't wait to get the pics uploaded:o)
20.6lbs. 29 ins.
I didn't really care for the pedi that we saw. I might have to look for a new pedi office that is willing to do an alternative vaccine schedule. We'll see...I'm not stressing over it right now.
What can Autumn do? It's actually a lot easier to figure out what she's NOT doing. She's NOT walking. That's about it. She pulls up on everything, she can put big bead necaklaces on herself, she can put balls down this "slide" toy we got, she can sign "more" and "milk." She says "Du" for dog and "Da" for Daddy and "Maaaa" for me. She presses buttons to make her toys make noise. Overall, she's just doing A LOT! The pedi was impressed with her large and small motor skills.
She had a lot of fun at her birthday party. She loved playing with everyone - kids and adults alike. She also tore into her cake!!!! I can't wait to get the pics uploaded:o)
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