Naptime Creations with Emma

So Friday I spent both nap times of Little T working on a Easter door decoration.  The first nap of the day, I worked on the background layer of paint, which I picked a happy yellow color, and then making polka dots using a cup dipped in paint to make the outline then filled it in with a brush.  That afternoon, I was able to write my families name over the dots, add a bow and then hang it finally on my door.  I love how it turned out! It makes me so happy because I love yellow and I love Easter Eggs.  So thankful to my friend Cassidy's husband who cut the egg out of light weight wood for us.  This might be one of my favorite decorations I have made lately.  It just makes me smile:)  I looks really good on my black front door. (the picture above is not on my front door)

Emma saw my Egg and wanted to paint a bunny, so when T took his afternoon nap, I helped her create a bunny painting.  I traced a bunny onto a canvas I had in the art closet and let her go to town painting her bunny.  She talked and laughed while we painted together.  She was so happy and so was mommy!  I love crafting with my sweet girl!  After her great paint job was dry I re outlined the bunny with a black paint pen and called it a wonderful addition to our Easter decor.  So proud of her and her little bunny!

Friday was a great Nap time crafting day and loved that Emma joined in on my fun.  Taylor got some great sleep Friday and our house became more festive and beautiful!

A Few New First Time Adventures!

Taylor is constantly changing and growing right now.  The other day he had two new first time adventures !  He used crayons on paper for the first time, which I am thrilled to start encouraging another budding artisit.  Then, that same afternoon he started to pull to stand over and over again.  He had done it a few other times, but now he is doing it all the time!!  Who knew that if I sat up the water table and took him out, he would get so excited and decide enough was enough with sitting all the time:)  Now my world has been rocked with him getting into more and more, but I think it is so stinkin cute to watch him get up on his chubby little legs.  (Oh his standing also lead to his first black eye, when he fell on the cup he was trying to drag around)

Busy week full of fun!  Enjoy a few photos of these special moments:

 A dear real life friend of mine, who writes an amazing blog you can visit here recently wrote this on her blog:  I was recently nominated for a 3-in-1 blog award by Kristen at Let Life in Practices. Her blog is very inspiring and you should check it out when you get a chance. I am humbled that she finds my blog interesting enough to read each day! Kristen’s words are not only soothing to read, but her life lessons will make you stop and reflect on the choices and attitudes you choose each day. I thank you so much, Kristen, for offering this award to me!  As part of the award, I will list seven facts about me and then pass the award onto seven others.

 I am one of the seven she choose to pass the award onto and I am so humbled and honored that she finds my ramblings of importance.  I write my blog to hopefully help other's who might not have the easiest roads to ride when it comes to parenting and recently I have started showing, my way of dealing with the hard stuff of parenting one special needs child, my crafty creations as well. 

So here are seven things about me

1.  I have two blessings in my life that take the shape of children.  My oldest is almost six and has mulitple medical and special needs.  She keeps us very busy and despite all her hardships is a constant joy and miracle in our lives.  My youngest just turned one and is taking his first steps into walking and standing, and that is adding a whole new level of craziness in our house.

2.  I have a degree in K-8 teaching but became a stay-at-home-mom five years ago.  I currently work a few days a month at a local one room library which brings me so much joy.  I love love books!!

3.  I love to craft and love nothing better then making something for my house or my kids in the few quiet moments when the kids are sleeping.  Pinterest has become my therapy:)  I work out my frustrations of raising a special needs child by creating something new.

4.  I secretly want to be a children's book writer.

5.  I love anything salty and good.  Chips and salsa are my downfall especially with a diet coke!

6.  I do not pump my own gas.  I know weird but true.  My hubby drives my car on the weekends since it is the only car with air and that will hold our two kids in carseats and he fills it up then.  I have only pumped gas about two times in my life.  Yep I am spoiled:)

7.  Life might not have turned out like I dreamed, but I love my life anyway.  God has a plan and He is in control.  I praise Him in every storm we face (and we have been through many)!  His plan is better then mine.

Check out these other blogs:

1.Days with Abby is a blog my wonderful cousin writes about her cutie pie Abby.

2.Debbie is a great friend of mine that recently started blogging about the wonderful creations she makes.  Check out her cool new blog.

3.  I Can Teach My Child is my go to blog to find activities for both my children that are amazing and easy to do.

4.  Coupn Help! This blog is done by a blog friend that will help you safe money and get great freebies in your mailbox.  As SAHM we need all the help we can get.

5. Black and White and Loved all Over is written by a high school friend and tells the story of her creativity and her raising her amazing daughter.  She inspires me often!

6.  Cooper is done by a new friend.  She tells her story of raising her own two sons.  One with Downs.  He is a classmate of Emma's and they are such close friends.  I am thankful for them in our life.

7.  Green living is a new blog I am following by a friend from Emma's dance class.  I strive to become more green as I learn more about how it will help my kiddos.

Thank you Lauren for thinking of me and I hope all of you enjoy all the blogs I shared!

Rachel

Naptime Creations

Sometimes while the cute little one picture above is napping in the morning I clean, sometime I admit I nap or read a book in the quiet, but sometimes I just have to make something.  Those days I try to work on a project that does not take long but will spruce up the house or make one of the kiddos happy.  I call these days Naptime Creation Days!

The other day was one of those days and I decided to make a cute bunny backside bunting to go on my windows for Easter.  I had started this project at one of my wonderful Pinterest MNO's but did not get finished.  So out my gluegun came and I got to work.  It took no time at all since I already had cut out my bunnies and just needed to glue on the cottonball tails and glue them to the dollar bin ribbon my Emma had picked out at Michael's.  I think it is so cute and makes me smile to see it hanging.  The kiddos think it is funny too so I think it is a win!

 Close up picture of the scrapbook page bunnies I cut out using a template I made myself.  Then just glue on a cottonball to make the cute tails.

Glue onto ribbon of your choice and hang where you want it!

Naptime creation!!! 



Being a special needs parent is not always easy and to be honest most days it is hard and sometimes heartbreaking as well.  To go on any outing takes prior thinkng to make sure you have extra outfits, plenty of water, and diapers/pullups etc.  Going to the unknown can cause my heart to race and a cold sweat to break out. Will she fall, can she move around safely, can we change her diaper, will people stare and so on and so on.... 

However, there are days or maybe just a few hours sometimes where Emma is just Emma and I can relax and just enjoy watching her just be.  This afternoon was one of those rare moments when Emma could just be.  We spent the afternoon at my parents playing in the warm spring afternoon air.  She was just a kid, not a special needs kid for almost three hours.  She laughed with her cousin, played with her Aunt and Uncle and ran all over the yard.  I looked over at one point (I was chasing T all over the yard for most of the time) and she was yelling at me from the swingset, she had gotten on a swing by herself and was just swinging.  She was so proud and so was I.  She painted a birdhouse she made with her Uncle Bob and was just squirting paint onto her plate and laughing and painting to beat the band.  She would turn around and tell us to look:)  She played ball with her favorite cousin and had a big old time.  She talked nonstopped and smiled the whole time.

I just got to set and watch it all.  VERY VERY RARE moment.  She could get around with no help, play with no help and just have tons of fun.  I loved her freedom and the time to be with Taylor who was learning to explore his new freedom of crawling in grass.

Tonight everyone is sleeping soundly after a full afternoon of outside play, and I am feeling blessed.  I thank God for the rare afternoon of Emma being Emma and those sweet moments will help me through the rougher ones that are looming just around the next corner.

Today Emma was free, even if it was just for a little while. 

The Good, The Bad, The Annoying; Taking Taylor for his one year check up

The good:Yesterday was T's one year check up.  I went alone thinking no big deal, I was ready for the screaming when it came shot time etc.  T and me got up, ate breakfast and got ready to go.  It was a pretty easy morning.  T weighs in at 22.3 oz, is 30 inches tall and has a head size of 18.6 inches.  Not to bad, he has lost some weight due to illness (more on that in the bad section).  He was not a fan of the doctor but all in all did a great job.  We were told to go ahead with whole milk, which we will start trying today.  I am sad for this, since I love love to nurse but my supply is dwindling so on to whole milk we will go slowly. 

The Bad:
Now, I will say I waited way way to long for this check up.  Over thirty minutes in the room, with a wiggling naked one year old.  Not so fun, he wanted down to crawl so bad, and I being silly did not bring many toys, we never have to wait long for check ups.  When, the doctor finally came in, I mentioned a few times that he still has a runny nose and it has been over a month of this.  He thought nothing of it, since he checked out fine at the quick glance he was given.  (barely looked in ears).  I mentioned it a few more times and he finally heard me, and decided to lay T down to look into his ears better, well duh we have another ear infection.  Thank you for listening!!  So on to round three of meds to get this cleared up.

The Annoying:
If I had not kept mentioning the nose thing he would not have looked closer and missed his infection.  This makes me so mad, hello do you forget that I have a child with hearing loss!!  Which more then likely was from missed ear infections!  He did say we should bring him in with any signs of runny nose etc, since T does not run a fever or pull on his ears with infections.  Finally you listen and remember grrrrrrr!!!!!

This mommy wishes that doctors would listen closer and remember that each child is important and unique!  Do not blow a mom off when they have concerns, I am normally about 85% right when it comes to medical issues with my kids.  I call it my special needs MD schooling. 

Luckily T is happy and likes his new medicine and is taking it much easier then the last set.  He is growing and changing so much and I am loving every minute!

A year ago today....

A year ago today, I was staring at this precious new face through my tired eyes, but already so much in love with him my heart was bursting.  I remember staring at him in my husband's arms from my hopital bed and forgetting all about the pain of the surgery, the being away from Emma longer then I ever had been before and how tired I was from being at the hospital so early that morning.  I had been waiting on him for 41 count them 41 long weeks and he was finally here!  My Son was finally in my arms and I was just amazed.  He was perfect, he was mine, and I thank God everyday for him.

Today I watched as he crawled around the house inside and outside on his little knees, laughing and playing while we celebrated his first birthday.  My little tiny baby boy, is now a toddler, but I love him just the same if not more.  He is such a happy, loving boy, who loves to laugh and play all day long.  He has brought so much joy into our house and lives and I pray that as he continues to grow older, that he continues to be such a happy, fun loving child.  I look forward to what the next year brings as he learns to talk, walk and grows.  I just pray it finally will bring teeth, since at one he is still toothless.

We had a great birthday despite him hating the cake and wanting goldfish instead.  The weather was perfect and we played outside in the freshly mowed grass.  My sweet boy was surrended by family who loves and supports him and it was just a wonderful day.  Owl Be One! was a fun theme and I loved making all his decorations and yummy treats!  Thank you pinterest for the help:) 

I am so tired so I leave you with just some snapshots from the day.  Tomorrow we go to the doctor for his one year check up so I will post stats etc then.  So for tonight, I will marvel at how fast the year has gone and enjoy the look back at the last 365 days on my camera.  I hope you all enjoy his pics from his special king of the day moment!

You know you are a special needs mom....

So today the weather is suppose to get really bad with possible twisters.  To get prepared I am cleaning the laudry room floor out for us to get in there and putting a few items to have as well.  I first packed a basket with a few diapers, snacks and small toys.  Then, I started thinking about worse case scenes.  So, as a parent with a child with special needs I packed another basket to put on a shelf.  In this basket went: her hearing aid bag with her supplies, extra batteries for her aids, a pack of diapers for both, wipes, all of our family medicines in plastic bags, her comfort item, and any emergency meds that we might need that we do not use often.  I also have lots of water filled up since Emma requires lots of water.  Luckily Taylor still nurses so he will be fine. 

Praying today does not get bad, but prepared if it does.  Emma is at school right now, wearing her Snow White costume for book character day today.  Hoping she is having a good time and is safe within her amazing school.  We might be picking her up early though just to be safe.