Crafty ladies

I am one lucky momma. I love all types of creating-sewing, photography, painting, crafting, making the world more beautiful. Maggie loves it all too.

 One thing I loved in high school art was paper making. I found a kit at a garage sale and jumped on it, knowing Maggie would love the process. She likes things complicated. It did not disappoint. We had so much fun! 

This process is easy to master, and I'm glad now to have the stuff to be able to do this whenever. All you need is a deckle and mold- basically a frame with a screen stapled on. Start by tearing up used paper adding leaves or dried flowers then blending with water. Pour the pulp on the mold and use fingers to even out the pulp. Sponging and rolling out the water. It's just wonderfully full of textures and patterns. We both had a great time. 

Small and not at all simple

Maggie LOVES crafting. Creating, painting, gluing, making, baking, all of it. She wanted to do a valentine craft today, so I figured we could start on her valentines for her class. She quickly brailled her name to put on each one then wanted to laminate and punch holes and paint and I was already tired having cut out a few hearts. Having help from a kid is frustrating. They do it all wrong! And take so long! And are SO messy. Having help from a blind kid...we've established that it makes me a little crazy. 

So when she wanted to keep crafting I wanted to scream a little, but I just told her she had to find something to do by herself. Maggie wanted to use the little circles from the hole punch to do something, so I get her a puddle of glue on a price of paper and cleaned up the rest of the mess we'd made doing the valentines. 

She did it. She glued all the pieces together on top of each other to make a tower. I'm so happy! I could dance. This is incredible use of finer motor skills, which is difficult for a blind kiddo. She did it all by herself!! I didn't have to help! I didn't get frustrated because she took too long or got too much glue or didn't align the peices perfectly. Yea, I know, I have a problem.   

I love my daughter. We have some struggles because we both like to be right and have things our way. It's good for both of us as we learn to compromise. 

Baby sister

Welcome to the family little Penny! December 26, 2015 this cute little one made her debut. Maggie has handled her like a pro. Of course she's had 3 years practice with a crazy brother, but really, she's doing great. 

We've had a bit of a struggle at bedtime because it is such a set routine. She's shown some patience when I cannot come help her immediately. And some incredible impatience. I guess that's life.

Take time to see progress

I have told a few people about my blog lately and had to say that I haven't updated in awhile. Trying to make excuses for why not, I found myself saying that not much had changed and you don't want to hear about the same frustrations over and over again, it gets annoying. 

But someone posted about their anniversary of diagnosis day, and it made me look up mine, because I didn't remember what day it was. December 5th, according to my journal. Then I started reading. It's interesting reading what my feelings were back then. I was heartbroken, yet still held a lot of hope that she would get better, that things would change, or at least not be as bad as blind. Blind was the worst possible thing ever! (Which is totally not true but in my mind then, it was.) My heart healed quickly as Maggie wrapped us around her tiny fingers. 

Brandon and I used to pray everyday for a miracle, for her sight to improve, for things to change, basically for us all not to have to deal with this. I haven't prayed for that in a few years now. 

I read through old blog posts, seeing how much she's grown, physically and otherwise. How my worries and frustrations have changed and evolved as she learns new skills and develops new quirks. And I see how much has changed in the last year. 

This time last year we were having interviews with her kindergarten teacher, aide, TVI (teacher of the visually impaired), and the principal. Maggie struggled so much with change and with things not going her way. She would throw monumental tantrums that interrupted the whole class, and usually made it so she would have to be manhandled to the resource room so she could take the 20 minutes necessary to calm back down. I can't tell you how many times I was called to come pick her up because she wouldn't calm down. Being around her was exhausting. 

We just had parent teacher conferences the other day. Her teacher had so few complaints I was almost in shock. She kept apologizing because we didn't really have anything to talk about. Maggie has always been smart, so academics are not what we focus on, she loves to learn and has a mind like a super sponge. Not the normal sponge that every kid has, but a super sponge. I think she's bordering on an idetic memory for which I am so thankful, because it will make her life so much easier. 

Maggie struggled a little at the beginning of the year, getting used to routine and lean ring how to handle the changes coming at her. Overall though, this year has been amazing! I pick her up from school and she tells me all about math and how her friends played with her on the slides and how she loves adaptive PE. Mrs. Thelma, Maggie's aide, that is one of the most patient, kind, and loving people I've ever met, tells me all about how well she's handling things lately. 

I am so grateful to be able to see progress. It's been slow, as I suppose progress usually is. But to be able to look back and know that my stress levels are so much lower is so relieving. And it's really nice that being around my daughter is no longer a constant trial of patience and my ability to stay calm.

Things change and get better. I promise. And when they do, make sure you take note. And thank God. He's helped you out a lot along the way. 

Stacking blocks

All through the growth and development of you child there are milestones they're supposed to be hitting, proving that they're "normal". I'm not sure where they get these from but from talking to lots of moms every kid is different so I don't know why we all try to judge them against each other. However, comparison is in our nature, so we'll keep on keeping on comparing. 

I remember being so frustrated when Maggie wasn't hitting some of the milestones. She's supposed to be able to tie her shoes and jump on one foot and know the alphabet. Luckily, she loves learning, so the alphabet came easily and early. It's nice when your kiddo gets something down pat, and you can really see the progressing. 

Another mom once told me that it's ok if they never learn to tie their shoes. Just get slipons or Velcro. Nice. And when are you ever going to need to jump on one leg? Never? Ok, cool. 

Somewhere before one even they are supposed to be able to stack block. Sigh. Maggie just did not get that one. I'm not sure what sensory information she was missing to make the connections, but it did not come. 

I know she's been able to do it for a while now, but it really made me feel happy when I came down from putting Brooks down for a nap to find that Maggie had searched for and found a toy to enjoy. And then that it was block stacking. And she's good at it now. Yea, she's almost six, but I know that if I give her time she'll figure anything out on her own. 

Sometimes I cry

Unproud moment right here. But my excuses first: 

I'm tired. I was up til 1:30 as one of my best friends had her baby. I was there as support and photographer, but this being my third birth to photograph, I think I'm going to train to be a doula. It was amazing and exhausting. I loved it. 

Brooks is in the terrible twos now. He's so amazingly good at throwing tantrums. He screamed all the way to Maggie's school because my husband buckled him into his seat, not me. Sigh. So much screaming and whining. 

So he's finally down for a nap and I get up from dozing on the couch to get Maggie off the bus. She's happy and excited about school, despite not having a great day. I'm not sure our form of discipline is working when the first words out of her mouth are the ways in which she didn't behave at school, but to visit at another time. 

She plays with moon dough for 15 minutes or so to unwind and we dive into "pretend school" aka homework. This is kind of fun, because she has different kids in her pretend class. They even have different voices! She raises her hand at the beginning of each math problem so that I can call her a different name to answer the question. 

It's pretty fun until I call her Maggie. There is no one named Maggie in room 20 (her pretend classroom). I must call shoes foot coverings and hair is fur and only girls with two syllable names are at the math table. So stop calling on Angelina, Mom! For reals?!?!? 

I lost it today. I kept forgetting to call her by a pretend name, called the braille writer a brailler, and mentioned a one syllable name. There are NO one syllable named people around here. She corrected me every time with this whiny haughty voice. How could I possibly forget these simple rules of pretend school? 

We had a shouting match and both cried which lead to more shouting. We're ok now. After I explained why I was upset. And she asked me nicely to please try to remember to call her Miya. We both apologized. She just finished her homework and now we're off to make banana bread. Hopefully I can handle the stress of this impending mess and make it a good time spent with my daughter.

Here's to redefining "perfect"

Maggie's TVI called today, telling me all about a symposium she had attended last week. It was on ONH and spoke a lot on the behavioral effects that tend to come with it. Most children with ONH are also on the autism spectrum or at least exhibit behaviors similar to those with autism.  Sigh. I have been thinking this for a long while, that Maggie may be autistic. Since I'd been thinking it, I told Laura it was fine, she wouldn't offend me and to please give me all the information she could find. After the wonderfully informative and overall positive conversation I called Brandon and broke down. 

Having someone else confirm those thoughts was gut wrenching. I know it's not changing anything. She's still the same person she was before someone said the "A".word. But to my mind came all the sigmas we attach to the word autism. All the judgments and stereotypes. All the intensely negative things. 

When I was pregnant with Maggie I had this picture of my daughter's future, bright and shiny and perfect. When I found out she was blind, that perfect future came crashing down around me. She would never be able to do all those things I wanted her to experience. She would forever be dependant on other people. Slowly I put the picture back together. It wasn't ruined, it was just a little different and spattered with a few more difficulties than the "normal" life I had dreamed for her. She would still be able to have amazing experiences, and she would still live a full and beautiful life. 

Today felt the same. I had my pieced-back-together picture of Maggie's brilliant, fabulous future, but now she's got behavioral issues that tear my picture apart.  

I thank God for Brandon. He's so stable and rational. He knows how to calm my fears. Nothing is different from this morning. Maggie is still stubborn and has some quirks. She's still got that same dazzling smile and sense of humor. She still has an amazing, marvelous future ahead of her. Now that we have an idea of where to head, Brandon and I and Maggie's teachers are going to do a lot of research. 

I got off the phone with Brandon and listened to an NPR podcast (Invisibilia-How to Become Batman) on how our expectations can effect those we interact with. The main focus was on a man, Daniel Kish, that learned how to echolocate to compensate for his blindness. He grew up with few restrictions and his mother felt that if he didn't experience the falls and bruises he wouldn't learn or grow. They explained through the episode how sighted people disable the blind with their help. By having the expectation that "a blind person can't do that" we take away their opportunity to see if they can. 

How do you know I know if Maggie can or cannot do something? I don't. I have to let her experience things on her own, and teach her how to do things on her own. I cannot lead her everywhere and bring her everything she needs. She's already so independent, it honestly makes me crazy. She wants to do things by herself and will NOT let anyone help her. I love it, and hate it. I know that the mentality will help her go far. She can do anything.

What we do for fun!

Trying to keep Maggie involved in all that we do is sometimes difficult. Here are some fun things she's been able to experience lately. 

Splashing in fountains

Building marble runs. She was so thrilled by the sounds of the marbles going down she couldn't hold still. :)

Playing the piano 

Stamping. Sometimes the messes are worth it. Unfortunately that may depend on my mood. I need to be more flexible. But at least she gets to be crazy messy sometimes. 

Giving and getting high fives

Loving kinetic sand. Seriously, it's amazing. Also, the cute owl hat with button eyes! She loves it. 

Playing baseball. Or playing with a baseball at least. 

Threading Pom Pom balls on a long string to make a garland. Nice and time consuming. :) I need to find a duller needle, but she only poked herself a few times before she got the hang of it. 

Making biscuits. See I do let my kids get messy sometimes. I feel better. 

And really I'm just grateful to have my wonderful kiddos and to be able to help them explore and discover the world. 

Homework for mommy

I know most kids' homework, especially in the first few years ,requires lots of help from parents. But sometimes I think it gets a bit ridiculous. Luckily today I had time for and enjoyed the ridiculous.  I'm still getting the hang of the slate and stylus, so things don't end up where they're supposed to on the page. Oh well, Maggie will never know. And she had fun with the stickers!

Control issues

Maggie loves to paint. Usually it's not paper she wants painted, but things. Small marbles or glass vase fillers (aka pebbles) or golf balls or bottle caps like you see below the baking tin. I could not understand why she had this need to change the color of things when she doesn't even really know what color is. 

Now this is just speculation but knowing her personality I think I'm pretty accurate, but I think that she wants to have control. She wants to know she can make things just that certain way. 

And she does it every day. I no longer bake with this pan because it is used everyday to paint in. Sometimes she'll use a paintbrush, but it's rare. Normally Maggie is hands in all the way or rolling it (the marbles and golf balls) around the baking pan making as much noise as possible. 

We've established that I don't like messes. This one doesn't bother me much. Maggie does a good job of keeping most of the paint in the pan. And it entertains her for at least 10 minutes. That's a long time in mom world. 

Plus I want her to have those successes in life. When her opinion matters and is respected. This also lets me get my way other times.  A five year old can not have their way more often than me. That's teaching patience right? 

Or am I just needing my own times to be in control?

Hidden Frustration

Maggie loves to do things herself. In fact, in her mind she NEEDS to do things by herself.

Example A. This morning she wanted an english muffin. She was already seated at the table and had her milk and cereal, which came to the table in the wrong order and caused screaming. Sigh. I cut the muffin in half, placed them in the toaster and pushed down the lever. She hears the lever go down. "I want to do it! I want to make the english muffin!" she screams. "Calm down and hurry over here then." I say and push the up button so she can come pull the lever down herself. She gets to the toaster, which is not a quick process for my little blind one. It takes at least twice as long as it does for my son. She has to climb out of her booster seat, find her way around the table and into the kitchen. Doesn't sounds like a lot but those little things add up and we're on a tight schedule. She realizes the muffins are already cut and in the toaster and just melts down, crying about how she needs to do it. I cannot uncut the muffin so that you can do it. Even if I could I wouldn't. It's ridiculous.

Example B. There are more incidents than I can count of Maggie wanting to get her own toilet paper after using the potty. Great! Yes! Please, learn how to do this all by yourself. The toilet being full of paper because she doesn't realize she's unrolled it all is more than a little frustrating. And gross. She's been put on time out from getting her own toilet paper on multiple occasions.

Example C. We are making cookies, which she thoroughly enjoys. And I love that she likes cooking. So I find ways and things she can help me with. She loves the measuring and pouring and mixing.  Maggie touches, and sometimes tastes, each ingredient before measuring and adding it to the bowl and turning on the mixer. After the dough is all mixed she LOVES snitching some, especially when we've added chocolate chips.

It's so adorable and such a neat experience for her. A part of me hates it.

I really dislike messes. Now, don't expect my house to be all clean, because it's not; but in certain things where I can contain the amount of mess made, I like to do that. I need to do it. Painting should remain only on the paper. I hate sidewalk chalk because it get's all over your clothes and body. Craft supplies need to remain in an orderly organized fashion so that everything can be found and appropriately utilized. And I want clean counters while I cook.

This results in a very uncomfortable experience for me while cooking with Maggie. I want her to learn and enjoy it. But my chest tightens and my throat constricts with every egg she gets half in the bowl and half on the counter and every grain of sugar she spills on the floor. Every time she puts her hand into the flour container then pulls it out and brushes the excess onto every thing around her I want to scream. I usually have to stop for a second during some part of our cooking time to remember to unclench my teeth.

In her efforts to feel and experience what we're doing Maggie's small adorable hands inevitably get into something gooey or just in the way of me seeing what is going on and getting things situated just so. I don't want to feel this way. I don't want to be so physically angered by her need and desire to experience life and to do it her way and by herself. So I keep it in. I walk away when I need to and I have my husband help her finish up whatever was bothering me. I can't let my anxieties stop her from learning and living.

I will continue to work hard at enjoying our experiences and at helping Maggie to learn and understand that there are times when it's ok to let other people help you. I need help sometimes too.

Helping hands

One of those things every parent worries about is the independence of their children. Will she ever learn how to get up at night to go to the bathroom? When will I get to stop badgering him to put his dishes in the sink? Please let her just get dressed by herself today. Why can't he stop biting people?!? I don't think his college roommates are going to like that attribute. And please PLEASE make her stop screaming when I put her milk into the wrong cup. This too shall pass. In the moment it doesn't seem like it will ever pass.

There is a special heap of worries that come with a special needs child, with blindness offering it's own difficulties. When will she learn to put her hands up so she stops hitting her head on everything? When will she be able to find the bathroom by herself so I don't have to be with her every step of the way? When will she learn how to use a spoon without spilling food ALL over? Why can't she seem to remember where the toy chest is? It's been in the same spot for months.

Today I got a glimpse into that future of not having to worry. I ran up the stairs for a quick two minutes in the bathroom by myself, to discover that the toilet paper was out. Why do we keep the extra in the hall closet? I don't know, it seems a little more than inconvenient now that I think about it. I was able to ask Maggie to get the a roll of toilet paper.

She did it!!! Out of her room, across the hall, opened the door, found the package of paper, got a roll, then brought it to me in the bathroom. Monumental achievement here. What incredible independence she displayed and an ability to accomplish multilevel tasks. I am thrilled!

Sadly, this feeling of accomplishment also comes with frustration and a sense of injustice. This is something I could have asked my son to do. If the closet door was open he could have done it too. He's not even 2 years old and can only say like 15 words.

Why? Why are such simple things made so difficult for my daughter? Why does she have to work so hard for things that are so easy for a toddler? Maggie is such a smart, capable girl when given the opportunity and taught how to do things.

I know God has a plan for her. I know that Maggie has a lasting effect on everyone she meets. I know that she will move mountains when her time comes. She has such conviction and strength when things matter to her. We work, really really work, to make sure that Maggie knows and understands how to be a kind, humble, helpful person, and I know it will pay off. It's just hard to remember that. Because it is hard work. Hard, frustrating, seemingly unrewarding work.

Then one day you don't have to run down the hall with pants around your ankles to get your own toilet paper, because she's learned how to help you.

Buttons on ALL the things!!!

So, new fascination - buttons. Cool. I like buttons too! I have a huge collection of them. 

However, she's refusing to wear clothes without buttons on them.  

Problem SOLVED! And I put them along the bottom hem so she can play with them during school but not cause too many distractions. 

Maggie really enjoys picking which special buttons will be on her shirt. 

Something I find interesting, she really wants her clothes to match. So she's careful to make sure the buttons match her shirt. 

She already favors neutral colored pants because she knows she has more options in what shirt she can wear. Smart girl. :)

She also takes special pride in being modest. She doesn't want anyone to see her panties. Tights are a must on Sunday in case her skirt comes up. Like, we've had multiple power struggles on hot days because she just HAS to wear tights to church. The compromise was lace hemmed shorts.  Yay for compromise. 

I feel like it's my life now. At least I get my way sometimes...

Stop and Feel the Tile

Usually when the kids head out of the play area at the mall, I quickly usher them back in to the safety of the padded walls and climbing toys.Instead, yesterday Brandon spent more than 5 minutes playing "patterns" with Maggie. She would step onto the tile, and be in the mall, then onto the foam, and be in the play place. Back and forth, back and forth. Mall, play place, mall, play place. You get it. And she loved it! 

I know there are more little things like this that I would normally hurry her long or stop her from doing. 

I'm going to try and give her time to find things she enjoys instead of hurrying her along like usual. 

She can do anything

As the months zoom past and the days crawl by, I love looking back for a bit to find the progress made. 

Maggie just amazes me. She is SO independent, wanting to learn and do and snap and pull and scoot and shut and touch everything all by herself. 

I looked through her Oregon Project book recently and was so pleased. She's accomplished so many of the little nit picky things I was worried about. She can stack four blocks and string beads and do puzzles and get herself dressed. She can mostly successfully use a fork and spoon and has made leaps and bounds with Braille. She wants to read ALL the time, which I love. 

A year ago, she couldn't do these things. And I was worried. She's behind. She doesn't want to talk to or even be near other kids, let alone play with them.  

Things change. 

They get better. 

You gain more patience and understanding. 

She'll ask to have one of her classmates come play marbles with her. 

And she'll eventually gain the courage to jump off a ledge. 

She'll learn how to tie shoes or always wear slip ons. Either way, she's going to be fine. 

Lesson learned : I don't need to worry if she's not doing all the stuff her peers are now. She'll get it. Because my daughter is amazing!!

She can do anything. 

Pills are not yummy

My poor daughter has started taking thyroid meds along with her growth hormone injection every day. Normally I crush a pill and mix it with a bit of juice and have her drink it  Today she didn't want to drink her "hormone juice" she wanted to just take the pill. Ok, saves me a step if she can do it. I told her they were yucky, so don't bite it. She accidentally spit it into the cup the first time she tried to swallow it down with a swig of juice. She said it did not taste yummy. Second sip, gone. My four year old can swallow pills! I was 12 before I could. I'm both awed that she can do it and saddened that she needs to. At least she's happy and healthy.  I love my little girl. She's amazes me every day. Love her little leather jacket. :)

Little Show Stopper

Photography by Jarod Ormsby

Today, Maggie stole the show. We had the primary program during church, where the children age 3-11 get up in front of the whole congregation to sing and give little talks bearing testimony that they are children of God. It's amazing, uplifting, inspiring, and encouraging to see such little people speak of spiritual things with such conviction. Maggie is only 4, so at her age they give them a line to memorize and say into the microphone in front of everyone. She had her line memorized the first day they told it to her. We spent the next few weeks asking her to repeat it, just to make sure she would remember.  We would go over how she would get up to the pulpit and hold the microphone and say her line. We practiced on our little toy microphone at home.  She was really excited, but still every once in a while she wouldn't want to do it; just refusing to participate. This is not out of the ordinary.  Maggie is a very stubborn, opinionated girl.  She does what she wants, when she wants, only varying from this course when bribed and coerced to do otherwise. I said a little prayer that she would be willing to do it, and not throw a fit because she was being forced to do something she didn't want to do.

When her turn comes, she marches up to the podium with the other kids in her group.  She waits patiently in line, then steps up the two steps to grab the microphone. You can barely see the top of her head over the pulpit, but she says in a clear loud voice, "My testimony is strengthened when I share the gospel!" A smile is threatening to split my face and tears are pricking my eyes. Then....
She won't let go of the microphone and says "I want to say it again!" Bless the hearts of her teacher and the primary leader who was helping the kids, they let her say it again. Everyone was laughing.  I couldn't stop. I was crying I was laughing so hard. Luckily a song was next and the kids were loudly singing about the prophets as they pulled her away from the pulpit.  She threw a bit of a fit, but her teacher knows just how to calm her and had her standing in front of her seat singing along with the other kids in no time.

I'm so grateful for patient, determined teachers and leaders that are in place to help Maggie. I'm grateful for a loving, supportive husband, and for an adorable and exhaustingly active son. I'm grateful for an energetic, stubborn, outgoing, curious daughter. My family brings me so much joy. I love them.

Parents of Picky Eaters: There is hope!

Meet the pickiest eater I've ever come in contact with: Maggie. 

She was pretty open to new flavors of baby food but once we started introducing real foods she started gagging and throwing up. Often. She hated chunks in her food so the higher stages of baby food were out of the question.  She did love all the crunchy little finger foods though.  So we kept offering her those. Eventually she didn't really want the baby food anymore, which was fine because I didn't want to buy it anymore.  That stuff is not cheap.  We'll ignore my obvious mistake in not making my own. Out of laziness and/or not thinking we didn't really keep offering her new foods, we just gave her what she liked, because at least she was eating.  She was doing ok until about 18 months old she refused to eat anything gooey, mushy, or "gross" in any way.  She was eating crackers, chips, dry cereal, popcorn, and milk.  For a while it was almost exclusively milk.  Any attempted introduction of new food resulted in monumental tantrums. I had to chose my battles, for my own sanity, and that was not one I chose then. I had other things to deal with, like getting her to walk, and interact in any small way with other children, and.... yea, you know, it was a long list.

The tides have changed. This is my recent battle of choice. We've progressed slowly over the last 2 years, adding juice and smoothies, apples and carrots, because there were some really awful constipation problems.  Now, Maggie is reeeeeeeeally good at compromising and bargaining.  She'll do almost anything to get what she wants. If I can get what I want out of the situation too, I figure it's a win-win. She's also big into making Mommy and Daddy proud. Which makes me so happy!  So now she's discovered the benefits of trying new things. Sometimes she hates it, but she still gets what she wants, ie, another cup of milk or a bite of Mommy's candy bar.  Sometimes she just gets to brag about trying new things, which is fun too. And sometimes she even finds new favorite foods.

Here she is trying watermelon at Grandma Ralph's house. She ended up eating probably a quarter of that watermelon over the next few days. 

She now loves peanuts and fresh peas, discovered she does not like tomatoes, and is willing to try any type of drink, chip, or candy.  She'd have quesadillas every day if I let her.  I was seriously so happy when she wanted to eat a normal kid food.  There is now enough variety in her food choice that I don't have to bring food to a restaurant.  We can usually find her something off the menu.  YAY!! I'm seriously so happy. Making sure your kid eats right and gets enough X nutrients is stressful, and almost impossible when they are so picky.  I am so glad this phase is coming to a close. On to the next one...

Preschool.  A wonderful 3 hour break for my day, and often during Brooks' morning nap.  I get to do dishes and laundry, blogging and sewing, and my favorite - I usually get a shower! That didn't happen very often during the summer. :$ 

Brandon is wondering if maybe we should hold her back a year because she'll be one of the youngest in her grade.  Opinions? He said he had a hard time sometimes being a young one as well.  I don't want to make school unnecessarily difficult for her. Luckily I've still got a year before that decision needs to be made. I know she definitely won't need the help academically, but maybe socially...

Summer Fun

I was honestly dreading summer. I was so worried about having to spend all day with both my kids. That may sound awful, but I need this break while Maggie's at school.  I give the biggest kudos to those who homeschool.  You are made of stronger stuff than I. I love my children, but being their mom is my full time job. And by full time I mean 24/7.  Every few weeks I'll take a few hours and go out on a date or have a girls night and I get to be away from my beautiful kiddos.  But almost all the time it's us. The Maggie, Brooks and Mommy team. And what would I do without my fabulous husband? I would be a disaster. Even more kudos go out to single parents. I am so grateful I have a helpful, loving husband. And he's handsome to boot!

Anyway.... thought summer would be awful, turns out it wasn't.  YAY! We had lots of fun outings with family and friends. Here is a barrage of pictures to prove what fun we had in no particular order:

Learning the joys of a squirt gun.  She most liked squirting herself, but found great enjoyment in getting other people wet as long as their reaction was over the top.

Playing at the beach.  Brooks was learning how sand feels....with his mouth. 

Touching sea anemones at the Pacific Science Center with Daddy and Auntie Michelle.

Loving on a lollipop at her birthday party. (She's 4 now! Crazy.) There was a bouncy castle and pinata as well. Lots of fun!

Getting free slurpees on 7/11

Picking plums off our plum tree. We also went to a friends house and picked tangerines.  The picking was made much easier for her when some of the branches broke off the tree and she could just sit on the ground and feel through the leaves to find the fruit.  She really enjoyed it.

Shopping next to Brooks. He LOVES her! Now that he can crawl he just follows her around the house trying to see what she's doing.  The fact that he pulls her hair and takes her toys means that she's still not a huge fan of him being near her.  She does like to talk to him and about him though.  We're making slow and steady progress.

The inevitable eggs. You'll see them pop up in a number of the pictures.  Yes, she still loves them.  Luckily we have moved past the obsessed phase.  I am so SO glad that's over. There were a couple months at the beginning of the summer where she would only talk about and play with eggs, screaming and throwing tantrums if we tried to get her to play with or talk about anything else.  Through a few days of almost constant screaming and crying we established rules.  She was allowed to play with them for only a few hours every day.  This evolved into: if she was obedient she would be able to play with them, and if not she had to wait until tomorrow.  Now, they are still fun for her, but they don't entertain her for hours like before.  And she rarely chooses them when asked what she wants to do.  She's moved to reading books again.  Which is good. And so tiring.  She loves the ones that have been brailled. Which is good. She needs to be practicing more with braille. It's also mind numbing since we only have so many books that have braille. At least I get to interact positively with her. And I've learned that this too shall pass and we will move on to the next fixation.  

Back to the adorable pictures.  She went down a waterslide for the first time, and very much enjoyed swimming.  Though after our first adventure, she now knows "I have to wear floaties when we go swimming so I don't sink." She brought an egg in, was standing on the stairs and when it floated away she jumped after it. And did it again in the hot tub. Which was just deep enough in the center that she couldn't reach.  Nerve wracking. But we're good now that we have the floaties!

Ball pit. So much fun!! Brooks loved it, Maggie loved it. They spent a good half hour in there before we had to move on and go get some lunch.  Maggie tried to count all the balls. I think she got to a hundred and twenty something before realizing she wasn't getting anywhere.

 

Riding the quad with Daddy.  As you can see by the ridiculous grin on her face, she absolutely loved it.

  

Mini golfing with family.  She could still use a little practice.  :)

Helping Daddy wash the car.  She loved spraying him with the hose.

And this last weekend she went on a Daddy Daughter Campout and they had a great time.  This is her feeling the fire. (Ok, so this picture is actually in our backyard around a little firepit we borrowed from a friend to make some s'mores, but I'm sure this is exactly what it was like. Though I can't really say since I was at home with Brooks eating ice cream and watching chick flicks.)

As you can see, lots of fun, and lots of new experiences.  My belief is just go out and do it.  Do the things you want to, but make sure to find ways to help your kids experience them too. I am sad summer is over, but I'm also glad I have a bit of time for myself again.  Hoorah! for Brooks napping at the same time Maggie is in school!! Now, lets keep this up so I can actually mop the floor.

Last Day of School

I love Maggie's school. I love her classmates, the art easl, the playhouse and dress-ups.  I love the trampoline, the play dough table, and how there are like 8 different types of tiny chairs. I love the huge sensory bins of rice and beans and that they play with bubbles and shaving cream and finger paints.  I love that Maggie comes home singing new songs and telling stories of where she and Lori have gone on a walk. I love the books she comes home with every week that have been lovingly brailled and texturized so that she can experience the pictures. 

I love love LOVE her teachers. I cannot say enough good things about these wonderful women. They've provided Maggie with such a loving, supportive, structured, fun experience.  She loves school.   Maggie made leaps and bounds this year in so many areas!  She willingly touches almost anything for at least a little bit. She likes play dough, and dressing up, and painting, and playing in shaving cream.  She allows other kids in her class take her hand and lead her to the next activity.  She wants to be near them.  Not necessarily play with them, but she enjoys having other kids next to her.  That's monumental!! She's still not great at sharing, but most preschoolers aren't so that doesn't worry me. 

Her last days of school were full of lots of bitter and not so much sweet. We tell her when changes are coming to our normal routine so that she can prepare herself and hopefully transition better.  So she had known for about a while that school was coming to an end. I don't know how well she understood until it happened, but she knew the idea.  I was dreading having to spend all day every day with her again. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my daughter, but sometimes I don't want to take her to the store, or have her "help" me do the dishes or listen to her talk about Easter eggs all day. 

She was pretty frustrated when she realized that the last day of school meant she wasn't coming back for a couple months. I was frustrated. But that didn't stop her from having a great last few weeks.  She went the last month or so without any tantrums. Again, unheard of awesomeness! Maggie transitioned willingly and was much better at following directions. Our last day of Braille class we were able to stay after for a bit and just chat with Laura.

As per usual, Maggie spent most of the time spinning in circles on the dirt surrounding this tree.

Which she would sometimes stop to bonk her head on. Apparently that's a fun thing to do.  Weirdo.

 But she is just so happy when she gets her way. How can I say no to her desire to sprinkle dirt, rocks, and sand everywhere? I can't. It leads to lots of scrubbing it all off in the bath.

 We had to say "Have a great summer!" to Laura first.  Maggie really loves learning Braille.  She can tell you the dots of all the letters in the alphabet.  Now we're working on her knowing them by feel.   Laura is a very attentive TVI and a great friend.  Lucky for her boyfriend she was also able to get her baby fix every so often via Brooks.  He flirts with Laura to no end, always smiling at her.

Then the last day with the whole class they enjoyed an ice cream social!  Maggie is such a beautiful girl. I love her. Side note: If you're wondering why she usually has braids in her hair its because she insists on them.  She loves the feel, and we get some good one on one time together talking and singing as I braid her gorgeous hair. It's fun for both of us.

This is Patty. She's also visually impaired and she is SO sweet. She's a year older than Maggie and they had Braille class together. They get along very well. We'll miss her when she goes off to Kindergarten.

And Ella and her sister Jenna. Ella and Maggie were in a little play group together last summer trying to help adjust them both to a classroom.

Maggie loved the ice cream.  So I'm sitting sideways on this bench holding Brooks in my left arm against the table trying to convince Maggie to let me help her eat the ice cream so she only makes a smallish mess. Brooks proceeds to grab someone else's ice cream off the table and fling it over all of us. 

It's a very different experience having a sighted child after having Maggie. I never had to worry about keeping things out of her reach because she didn't know it was there.  Well, we'll figure it out eventually.  Until then, life is a happy mess. 

And it turns out I can handle two kids around all the time. Even if it means I only find time to shower every few days. Don't judge.