I Will Always Come

It was a rough morning at our house. Olivia's excitement for kindergarten turned to the realization that kindergarten meant less time with me. In her words, that "shattered" her heart. She loves her teacher, yet is so afraid of the rock wall in P.E. She cried and cried. She cried because her favorite pants have a hole in the knee. She cried because her favorite socks are too small and all of the others have bumps in them. I was so upset all day. I read this tonight and it really rang true today. I just hope Olivia knows that I will always come.

http://lisajobaker.com/2013/08/a-promise-for-my-daughter/

Right now that means putting her on the bus only to drive to school, get out of the van to watch her get off the bus, give her a hug and a kiss, get back in the van and drive home. Or telling her about the funny things she did when she was three and watching videos of them. Or sitting with her on the couch so that she can calm down and tell me what's wrong. Or telling another scary story about us getting lost in a deep dark cave while sitting on the floor of my closet. I've been here for 6 years and I'll be here for 60 more!!

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Most Viewed Post

I have had this blog for almost 6 years and have written about a variety of topics. The most viewed post (by a wide margin) is one I wrote about gestational diabetes. Multiple people still view it every day and it comes in as the top post every week and every month. I am not sure how people are finding it. Is it, like, the first site that pops up when googling the topic? Do doctors hand out the web address to every woman diagnosed with gestational diabetes. I just find it hilarious! And I'm sure by drawing attention to it, it will quadruple in hits. Man, I should have proofread it more seriously had I known that many people were going to read it. LOL!!

http://loganssisters.gluntfamily.com/2012/09/the-diabetes-post.html?m=1
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9 Months

I told you it was a big day today. Abigail also turned 9 months old!




She is just amazing! She says baba, mama, dada and baaa (for bath.) She also claps and waves bye bye. She has two teeth and thinks that entitles her to a steak. She loves to eat and knows when what you are eating is better than what is on her highchair.

Our baby scale broke, so I don't know what she weighs. I would guess around 19 lbs. She is the most mobile child I've ever seen who doesn't crawl. She scoots, army crawls, rolls and hops like a frog to get where she is going. She transitions from sitting to laying down ( and vice versa) very well. She is not yet pulling to a stand, but will bear weight on her legs. She does not seem interested in taking steps at all. At this stage in development, Olivia was riding/walking her pony all over the house. I put Abigail on the pony and she looked at me like," Are you going to push me?" LOL!

Abigail loves anything electronic and seems bored by baby toys. The other day she was surrounded by about 10 baby toys and chose the random computer mouse laying around. Her fine motor skills are exceptional! I love watching her little personality develop. She is just so incredibly sweet ( and really takes after daddy!!)




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My Moment

Every parent whose baby faces a life or death situation chooses a moment in the future to cling to.

Olivia was given a 30% chance of survival and a 90% chance of a major disability. I remembered having to bury my baby boy as my daughter still fought to survive. One day, my dad said to me, "Someday she will be running off the school bus with her friends." At first I was a little irritated (sorry, dad.) Did he not grasp the severity of the situation? I may not even get to take my baby girl home. . .let alone watch her go to school. There is a good chance she may not walk and if she did, it may be with assistance. But then. . .that became my "moment." It was the moment that I pictured in my mind as I saw my baby girl struggle for each breath. It gave me the hope that I desperately needed.




Someday this nightmare would end and she would be riding a school bus to school. And at that moment in the future I could say,"We made it!"

That moment came today, almost six years later.



To most people, this picture signifies the beginning of school, but to me it means so much more. It means that we beat the odds. It means she not only survived, but continues to thrive. It means we made it! It means that we WILL get through any challenges that lie ahead. It means I finally made it to the moment that I prayed for over and over again when she was a baby. Yes, I'm a proud mom of a kindergartner, but more than that. . .I'm a proud mom of an amazing girl named Olivia Paige, who said she loves kindergarten!



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I Have A Kindergartner!

Olivia started kindergarten today.  I’m doing better than I thought I would.  Praying she has a wonderful day. . .wonderful enough that she’ll want to come back again and again. 

She was actually very excited to go and to ride the bus.


She even showed off some superhero poses.  She is my superhero.

And took some pictures of her own to remember her special day.

She took pictures of me because, well, I guess it’s kinda my special day too.  I have a kindergartner! LOL!

Here she is waiting at the bus top.  We followed in the van to make sure she got settled in okay. 

No tears getting on the school bus which was huge!! Olivia didn’t even cry either. LOL!  I was so proud of her. 

And here she is in her classroom.  Right after this picture is when the tears started. . .my sweet girl.  The teacher came right over to her and seemed to do a great job of getting her engaged in something. We watched from the hall a bit and she wasn’t crying when we left.  Please pray for Olivia as she begins this new, important endeavor. 

BIG Day, BIG Girl

Tomorrow is the BIG day! My 1 lb 1.5 oz miracle starts kindergarten. My baby Abigail also turns 9 months old tomorrow and my niece turns 6 years old. BIG day. Praying for a very successful, amazing first day that will set the tone for the entire year. What a BIG girl she has become!





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Letters

So, this is one reason I could never homeschool like some of you do so wonderfully.

We are brushing up on some skills before kindergarten. I have laminated letter cards and just wanted to double check to make sure Olivia knows all of her upper and lower case letters. It's a fight to get her to sit still and work on them. Then, when she does. . .she won't tell me the letters. For example, we get to J and she says:

Olivia: Its best friend is K. It's the first letter in mommy's name.

Me: And the letter is?

Olivia: P, M, R??

Or she will say a wrong letter and tell me that was her teddy bear's guess and not hers. Or she is pretending that she's two and doesn't know them. I'm pretty sure she knows them all, but I just want her to say the letter.




Then, I catch her putting them all in alphabetical order perfectly. She's got it. She just likes to keep me on my toes I guess.

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