Jacob's Big Shoes

Jacob is somewhat obsessed with his daddy.






I couldn't have asked for a better role model for my son. It makes me very happy to think Jake is looking to Josh for a definition of what it means to be a good man...

Comparisons

I read a great article in this month's Clarksville Family titled "Confessions of a Mom" by Kim Edmondson. The portion that I really liked follows:

"I have found that some of the biggest challenges I face as a mom come from within myself and have nothing to do with my children. One of those areas is the comparison game. I can easily become focused on how well dressed, well mannered and well behaved other children may be and miss seeing the fabulous things my own children are accomplishing. I am learning that my boys couldn't give a flying flip about designer clothes, or being recognized for the best etiquette. They need to know that I love them, no matter what. They do not spend time comparing me to other moms, so I do not need to spend time comparing them to other children. "

I am guilty of the "comparison game". I really think ALL moms do this at least occasionally. Sometimes I even find myself comparing one of my children to the other. I compare behavior, developmental milestones and athletic ability. And even though I might have good intentions, that doesn't make the comparison okay. All people, big or little, are different and individual - so comparison really is pointless.

I particularly like the last line of the exerpt because it got me to thinking. My kids DO think that I am the perfect mom, even though I am definitely not. I need to make sure and remember that my kids are not perfect people but they are perfectly normal (and exceptional!) kids.

To read the entire article: http://www.clarksvillefamily.com/05_May_2009.pdf

The article begins on page 14.

And the Verdict Is...

Jacob had a visit from TEIS today. For those of you that are not familiar with TEIS, it is an acronym for Tennessee Early Intervention System. By law, each state is required to provide develpomental/educational assistance to children with special needs. TEIS works with children age 0-3.

We have had issues with Jake's speech. It is pretty impossible to understand him and he communicates mainly through gestures, pointing and grunting. After talking to his pediatrician, we decided to get him checked out.

A wonderful lady came out today to give Jacob a screening. She asked me questions, asked him questions, asked him to perfom different tasks, watched him play, etc.

TEIS evaluates kids in five areas:

1. Personal-Social Skills - interaction with other people


2. Adaptive Skills - handling different tasks


3. Motor Skills - using his muscles


4. Cognitive Skills - problem solving


5. Communication Skills - understanding and using language

Jacob passed all areas. The screener acknowledged that Jacob is quite a bit behind in his language usage. But because his language comprehension (he understands what we tell him) is so good, it offset that score.

The conclusion we came to is that Jacob is probably just a lazy talker. He doesn't want to put out the effort to talk when he can just point and we will try to figure out what he needs/wants. TEIS is going to send me some info on ways to encourage him to use words and get talking. I hope we can find something that will work.

The screener also said that if the situation doesn't improve by October, they will come back out and reevaluate or see what they can do to help. That is very encouraging.

The main reason I wanted to write about this is because I wanted to make everyone aware of a great resource that is available if you need it. Everyone I spoke to was so friendly and helpful. I wouldn't hesitate to call them again if there was a need. It seems like a great program and it is free!

Memorial Day Feast

I wanted to brag about our meal last night - YUM!

Grilled corn on the cob with butter, salt and pepper.

T-Bone steak (to share) and bacon-wrapped scallops.

Lemon wedges for the scallops and asparagus. Apricot chutney for the scallops.

Roasted aparagus with parmesan cheese.

Homemade strawberry shortcake. Abby and I made this and it is SO good. The shortcake is similar to a sweet biscuit dough. Of course the strawberries are freshly picked. The whipped cream is heavy cream, sugar, vanilla and lemon zest.

Things That Make Me Happy - Part I

• Jacob's kisses - they are something new and so sweet.
• Abby's knock-knock jokes - she is a natural comedian. Her mind is CONSTANTLY working trying to think up ways to make us laugh. Most of her jokes have to do with booties. I blame Josh for that.
• Coffee - Folgers and Hazelnut CoffeeMate
• Josh's hugs - usually by the time he gets home from work I need one of these.
• Crab Casserole - YUM!
• The kids playing together. This happens (successfully) about once a day and it is beautiful! They are both happy and usually giggling. The kids' giggles are intoxicating to me. I love it and for the brief (very brief) moment before they start to fight again, it makes me daydeam about having 12 kids. :)
• Our bunny, Emmy. She leaves a trail of rabbit poop through the house but I love her. She follows me around the house like a puppy and enjoys being petted. She also tolerates crayons in her cage and Jacob laying on her. Bottom line - she's a good bunny and a much better pet than most we have.
• Grilling out and having a "campfire" at home. We try to do this once a week. I am not sure why I like this so much. I think it reminds me of things I miss since we had kids - camping, riding jetskis and having time alone with Josh.

Strawberry Fields

Today We took a MOMS Club trip to The Orchard in Cross Plains to pick strawberries. It is a great place. They owners are very nice. They grow strawberries, blackberries, peaches and blueberries. They have a picnic area and are very kid-friendly.

Getting started with the picking...

It was hot. After an hour the kids were ready to go to Gammy's and eat their berries...

Abby picked beautiful berries. Jacob got a few brown and green ones. Luckily, he didn't eat any though - I was pretty surprised by that!

Jacob on the way to Gammy's after picking strawberries.


Our strawberries on the way to Gammy's house. YUM! I hope we eat them quickly so that we can go pick some more...

Salamander Hunter

Abby caught 5! salamanders at her Gammy's house today. She agreed to let them go if I took pictures and posted them on our "dot com". Here they are....

We Are The Champions

I have to brag a bit. "Our" kids won the soccer tournament yesterday. Josh and I are so proud of all of them. They really gave the game everything they had. This weekend Abby played better than I had ever seen her play. I am so proud and excited for her. She almost scored a goal!

The championship game was everything a championship game should be. The two best teams were playing. The game stayed very close (tied for most of the game) and it was so exciting.

Mess of the Day

Never give your kids a bowl of peanut butter. What was I thinking??? And just so you know - the spoon is not laying on the sofa. It is standing up thanks to the huge blob of peanut butter. Nice...

Trampoline

Our Garden

Abby and I finally planted our garden today.


We didn't plant alot - just a few things we really like. It is basically just an herb garden. Maybe it will save us some $$$ at the grocery store.


We planted:

• basil


• tomatoes


• mint


• parsley


• cilantro


• rosemary - it smells so good!


• jalepeno peppers
  

We also planted tons of flowers - they were my Mother's Day gift from Abby.

A small garden with baby plants - hopefully they will grow quickly!

A tomato plant with basil in the background.

A few of the flowers Abby picked out for me.

My garden sign. :)

It is not really in our garden but this is our first christmas tree. I can't believe how much it has grown.

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day Mom! I love you very much. I know it is a bit early, but in true mom fashion I will be busy for the next few days and I wanted to be sure and make this post.

Each day I spend with my kids helps me to realize everything you have done for me and the boys. I love you and appreciate you more everyday. I hope this is your best Mother's Day ever! I know that it will be mine. :)

Puddles No More!

As many of you know, I have been struggling for some time with trying to keep a diaper on Jacob.

I have gotten many great suggestions. One of the best was to put his diaper on backwards. This worked great for about an hour... then the smart little guy figured out how to reach back there and take off the tabs.

Then I decided that I would just have to keep him in pants all the time. It did not take him long to learn how to pull down his pants and take his diaper off.

We have hard floors (no carpet) so the little puddles left everywhere were not a big deal - I would just wipe them up. I even caught Jacob a couple times going to the bathroom to get a towel to clean up his own mess! hahaha - unbelievable!

The big problem was when he would take the diaper off in the middle of the night and poop in his bed. I won't give you all the details, but it was very gross and happened pretty frequently.

Finally! I have found a solution! A friend gave Jacob some underwear (thanks Danielle). Jacob loved them. They made him feel like a big kid. So in my infinite mom wisdom ;) I got an idea... Jacob LOVES Thomas the Train. I picked up some Thomas underwear. He wears the Thomas underwear over his diaper. He doesn't want to take off his Thomas underpants so he leaves the diaper alone! So far it has worked like a charm. Why didn't I think of this months ago??? Aren't they cute?

Things That Bug Me - Part I

• Finding empty juice boxes all over the house.
• Running the dishwasher twice because the dishes did not get clean the first time, then having to towel dry the dishes because Jacob started the dishwasher a third time.
• "Unballing" Josh's socks before I can wash them.
• Seperating Josh's shirts before I can wash them - he wears layers then takes them off together.
• Cheerios - I find them stuck to the bottom of my feet, in my shoes, in my bed, EVERYWHERE!!!!
• Forgetting to add the bleach to my bleach load.
• Telemarketers - especially the recorded ones for vehicle warranties.
• Stepping on small toys in the middle night. My cousin once told me that there is no greater pain than stepping on a Barbie shoe. Amen!

To Be Continued....

Kindergarten Here I Come!

Yesterday our county held a "kindergarten round-up" at all the area elementary schools. Josh and I took Abby. She was very excited - she had been counting down the days all week.

First we met the kindergarten teachers. There are 4 and each typically has 15-20 students per class. The class rooms were very nice. The rooms were packed with activities, audio-visual equipment, computers, artwork, etc. It was exactly what I pictured it would be. Abby liked that each desk had a nameplate with that student's name on it and a basket of school supplies.

The teachers gave her a "goodie bag". Its contents were:

• pencil
• beanie baby
• pamphlet on "No Child Left Behind"
• pamphlet on literacy
• pamphlet on preparing kids for school
• list of things to work on for kindergarten (raising hand, not interrupting, etc.)
• blue t-shirt that reads "Watch Out Kindergarten Here I Come"

Next we took Abby to have a language/speech assessment . She seemed really comfortable and didn't have any problem with it.

We went to the gymnasium next and met the principle. The kids played on an inflatable bouncer while we talked. She has been at this elementary school for 20+ years and actually lives near some of our friends. She was wonderful and I feel really great about her being in charge.

Then we took Abby to the cafeteria. She walked through the lunch line and met one of the cafeteria workers. She gave Abby a breakfast box (pre-packaged cereal, juice). Abby was very happy to see that the cafeteria sells apple juice boxes.

So that was our tour of the school. Overall Josh and I were inpressed. Being in a rural community, we weren't really sure what to expect. The school was in good shape and clean. The library was beautiful - I hope Abby gets alot of enjoyment from that. It seemed that the school had everything to provide a good learning environment.

Now it is up to Josh and I to provide a good learning environment at home and help her understand the importance of doing well in school and getting an education.

Be a Friend - Move a Turtle

As the weather gets warmer, turtles start coming out of their winter nests looking for water, food and mates. Please take a moment out of your day to help these vulnerable animals across the road. I promise you that saving a life, even if it is just a small one, will brighten you day!



If you do stop to help a shelled friend across the road, here are a few points to remember:

1. Never put yourself or your family at risk... always find a safe place to stop and park your car. Never try to stop and get out of the car on a busy street.

2. Never take wildlife home. I know they are cute and the kids love them. But please don't do it - even for a day!

3. Always move the turtle to the other side of the road in the direction they were heading. If the other side of the road is not safe, try to find the nearest safe area in the direction they were heading. Water turtles should always be released near a pond, etc.

4. Always thoroughly wash your hands after handling a turtle. They can be Salmonella carriers.

5. If you find an injured turtle, call Walden's Puddle in Joelton, TN. I have taken 3 turtles to Walden's Puddle (all 3 had been run over by cars). I was sure that each of the turtles I brought in would die. Amazingly, they were able to save them. They patched them up and I helped release them a few weeks later. Walden's Puddle is a great organization that is always in need of donations and volunteers. You can check them out here: http://www.waldenspuddle.org/