Happiness Week 16

Another observation through this project: I'm realizing how often my happiness photos involve Ainsley. That's okay though since this is her blog and the project is being posted here. The thing about having a special needs child is that it doesn't allow you to take all the normal things for granted. All the little things she does really do make me happy and that's not just blogging material, that's real.  I'm proud of every accomplishment no matter how small. I am proud of all she's overcome. I'm proud of her.

Daily Happiness Photos - Week 16

04/16 Bargaining

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Ainsley loves to watch DVD's. So much that it's a problem. Even though she can't speak she is relentless in her sign language requests for DVD's that start the second she gets off the bus from school. Oddly it's nearly as annoying as if she was whining. Today I said no to her many requests. After awhile she motioned for me to follow her to the formal living room and then she pointed to the TV(in the cabinet) and held up her finger for 1(meaning just one). I was really amazed at the higher logic this bargaining took. Sometimes in the past we've put a DVD on for her in this room when we don't want her in the regular TV room. So I guess she remembered that and figured that even though I said no to a DVD in the TV room maybe I'd agree to just one DVD in the other room. I figured I had to reward her for her efforts and let her watch just one. What a smarty.

04/17 Spring Paper Mural

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We had a long awaited Physical Therapy consultation today at Children's. In the waiting room was the cutest paper mural of green grass with daffodil flowers tucked in and birds. It was so cute and cheery it really made me happy. It's a little silly, but true.  It's so nice that the hospital and the people who work there try to make it a happy place to be. ~ I was also happy with the PT. She did a thorough assessment. She's going to refer us to a therapist in the community (though I'm still waiting on the speech and OT referrals from weeks ago) so I won't hold my breath.  She thinks it will really help Ainsley stand if we can get her legs straight (likely a side effect of them being bent in casts/braces/wedges etc. for far too long). She gave us some new stretches since the ones I have been doing aren't getting the job done. She also said something that made me very happy. I often refer to Ainsley as non-ambulatory(walking) but she pointed out that in fact she can walk, she just needs a walker. WOW! I never looked at it that way! Somehow that sounds so much better! I went from having a child who can't walk to one who can, with just a mental adjustment, and that makes me beyond happy.

 

4/18 Tunnel Fun
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Do you remember crawling through a play tunnel as a child? I do. The funny smell, the little holes in the pink vinyl (or whatever they were made of 40 years ago) that would get tacky when left out in the sun. I loved it. Toys have come a long way. My kids' tunnel is an adorable green caterpillar and lucky for them it doesn't stink. We pulled this toy out recently and Ainsley is now easily able to crawl through it. She LOVES it and that makes me so happy! She was having a total ball today kicking around inside it. I know she's making the kind of memories that will last a lifetime.

  04/19 Found Money

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Who doesn't love found money? Even better than finding a $20 bill in your pocket is when your husband adds up the items your kids bought that month with their own money and it adds up to $140!!! Before you freak out and assume they get an astronomical allowance I'll tell you that I encourage my kids to save their money and spend it wisely. They also often get birthday money from family (and just got some $ from Grandpa at Easter). Their allowance is only $1 a week. Shhhh. Don't tell them that's a bit under the average going rate. Still it adds up. Adrian bought a DS game, a case for his DS and a Pokemon collector tin of cards. Evie bought a watch, hat, headbands and a Harry Potter Lego book. I love that Steve did the collection.

 04/20 Our Driveway

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It's a funny thing to be happy about since it's just a big slab of concrete. I don't know if I've written about this, but at our old house we had a shared driveway and garage with the neighbor. It was one of those old Seattle neighborhoods that was built before everyone had cars so the garage was added in the 1930's as an easement. Having a disabled child I needed to pull up to the door and load Ainsley and her stuff into the car. Sometimes this was a problem with my neighbors if they needed to leave at the same time. Plus they decided to build a platform to place their garbage cans on right across from what was my front door, making it difficult for me to get in and out of my car. I don't miss those neighbors one bit!  What an amazing contrast to our new driveway, which I love.  Ainsley can walk in her walker, the kids can play basketball, they can ride bikes....And when we need to we have plenty of space to stack yard waste. Which is not in this picture, and that makes me happy. Today Steve's dad came over with his truck and they made 4 trips to the dump with our 42 bags of yard waste, and pile of branches that was as big as the truck. I wasn't kidding about the amount of yard work that needed to be done, and unfortunately there is still plenty to be done.

04/21 Chain Link Fence

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I really don't care for chain link fences most of the time but they are the perfect thing to keep a young girl busy at a baseball game. I made me so happy seeing her cruise the fence. You should have seen her face! She was having so much fun! She is getting to be so rambunctious (and tall) this little girl of ours.

04/22 Unsupervised Play

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Yes in this day and age of the "helicopter parent" dare I admit that I like to let my children play unsupervised? I think it's good for them to use their imagination. We decided to "unplug" the kids for the day and set them up on the patio with some large blankets and the box of Playmobil.  All three of them played happily outside while Steve and I worked in the yard. It was Earth Day  and the weather couldn't have been more perfect. All 3 kids had a blast. Evie setup a bunch of Playmobil scenes and asked me to take pictures of "her work". Cute things like a barnyard, a duck pond with bunnies, a girl with her dog etc. I had to laugh when I got a closer look at this one. The dog spilled the vase of flowers and there is a shotgun on the dining room table. Hmmm...They also rode bikes and ran through the sprinkler....in April....in "Seattle". That's a first! They rescued a couple frogs from the hot tub. And planted a sunflower. It was a great day for play, and for celebrating the gift of this Earth.

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I can't believe it's the last full week of April! In May we make a trip to Cincinnati for an opinion about Ainsley's airway. It's officially less than a month away now! I'm starting to get that familiar excited but sickly nervous feeling in my stomach that I get with every "big" thing that comes up. You'd think I'd get used to it but I don't. With any luck the weather will continue to be nice and I'll spend it doing more yard clean up. I hope you have a great week whatever you are doing.

To view a slideshow of the entire Happiness Photo Project click here. Confused about what this is or why I'm doing it? Click here for an explanation of what it's all about.

Happiness Week 15

I've been wondering the last week or so what would these posts look like if I decided to photograph what makes me unhappy each day? It's an interesting thought. (Of course it wouldn't make good blogging material that's for sure.) Sometimes it would be easy....the day Ainsley drew on my computer monitor, the mess of kids toys scattered about right after I clean the house, the piles of laundry that need to be done, the thousands of weeds that need to be pulled. But more often the things that make us unhappiest can't be seen and are hidden inside our heads. Luckily though that's not the nature of my project. Still, even though it's easier to photograph the happy things in life, it not easy. My days are busy and this project is a challenge on many levels.

So on that note here it is.......

What Made Me Happy - Week 15

04/09 Shepherd's Pie

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I'm learning things about myself doing this project. One is that quite often food makes me happy. I don't know about you but my whole family loves Shepherd's Pie. I love it every single night that we have dinner as a family and not.a.single.person groans and says "Awwhhhh!" when I announce "what's for dinner".

04/10 Goodwill Finds

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I LOVE the hunt for treasures. If I had the time to shop estate sales I would do it all the time. Next best is the Goodwill on Dearborn. It's more like a giant garage sale than estate sale but I did pick up some treasures when I went there today while I was in Seattle for a dental appointment. I've been wanting some soup mugs and "whattadayaknow" there they were! The sweet Asian teacups with miniature inlaid hearts I didn't need but had to have.  I also found an adorable antique shabby chic end table for $20 that I think I'm going to use in my dining room.  "Retail therapy" can be fun on occasion I just wish the effects were longer lasting, even when it is cheap.

4/11 Orchid Bloom

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Some people like to treat themselves to fresh flowers in their home. I like to buy orchids instead because it's a better value since the blooms last for months but it's always so sad when they finally wither and fall off. I always hope my orchid will re-flower but I've never been able to get that to happen. Let's face it, an orchid plant without the flower just isn't as nice. I was so super excited when my last orchid re-bloomed! I wish I could take credit for this mini-miracle but I think it's just in a better location at the new house. By a window in the kitchen, and it happens to be above the instant hot water tap, which I think makes it ideally warm. Just maybe this will be the last orchid I have to buy.

  04/12 Measuring for SMOs

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Ainsley has been faithfully wearing her rigid AFOs to school every day but when she gets home she cries until we take them off. I fought to get a prescription for SMOs to use when she's relaxing at home. After much consideration we decided to try SureSteps because we have friends whose kids love them.  I LOVE that they are custom but no casting is required. They are made to treat instability due to low tone pronation which is exactly what we need. With any luck we will have them in a few weeks and I'll do a whole post about them.

 04/13 Playing on the Grass

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Our old house had a very small patch of grass in the back yard. It was a 9ft circle and was more decorative than useful. I was so happy today when my kids were able to have neighborhood friends over after school and play outside. On the grass. And it was even better because Ainsley wanted to play too and she wheeled right out there in her walker. That is one of the many reasons why we bought this house, I'd hoped she would some day be able to play in the yard and it's looking like she will.

04/14 Playing Dolls with the Girls

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I need to take the time to play with the kids more often. It was a beautiful day and it was so nice to spend a short while in our pajamas on the patio dressing Evie's dolls before we headed to Adrian's baseball game.

04/15 Children Helpers

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I try to instill a work ethic whenever I can. After all it's a fact of life is that we must work to earn a living and to get what we want in life. (I don't want my kids to go into shock when they venture out into the world as young adults and reality hits.)  My area of focus for April is the yard. I could say it's to connect with nature but that is really glorifying the situation. We have massive amounts of weeding and pruning to do and not enough time to do it. I want my yard to look good so I've got to get to work. So we've been paying Evie and Adrian $1 an hour to keep Ainsley happy so we can work. Today after Adrian was done watching Ainsley he decided he wanted to help us. For free, he didn't even try to negotiate payment. It was so sweet, but what was even cuter was that Ainsley decided she wanted to help too. In years past she wouldn't even go on the grass because of sensory issues. Today she crawled across the grass out into the pine needles to help rake up pine cones. We were amazed and thrilled.

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I hope you have a funner week than I will. I have spent so many hours on my hands and knees that I can barely stand up straight or walk. I wish I could pace myself but if I do it won't get done and the weeds will just spread. In fact that is the problem, I am now paying the price for last year's neglect. Later this week we have a consultation at Children's Hospital for Physical Therapy. I'm hoping to hear back about the AAC device, SMO's, and make all the final arrangements for our medical trip to Cincinnati next month.

To view a slideshow of the entire Happiness Photo Project click here. Confused about what this is or why I'm doing it? Click here for an explanation of what it's all about.

Happiness Week 14

What Made Me Happy - Week 14

04/02 A Good Book

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Do you follow Stephanie Nielson's blog, The Nie Nie Dialogues? I have since I first heard about it from the Trach Forum shortly after their plane crash that left her and her husband badly burned. One central message that Stephanie shares that I appreciate being reminded of, is that life is good no matter what. Most books I reserve from the library, but I wanted to support her by buying her book and had it on pre-order. It was fun to get it in the mail today. 

04/03 Rescued Stuffies

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My kids developed attachments to stuffies later in life, when they were about 3. Before then when I saw other kids dragging a grubby stuffy around I was thankful that my kids weren't dependent on such things. But then it happened....they bonded. What I didn't realize is that kids find great comfort sleeping with their special "one" and that makes it easier to sleep alone. Which is great....Until they become misplaced. Like the years when Evie's Kitty went missing to be found in the bottom of a sleeping bag years later when nearly all hope was gone that she would ever be seen again....Or a week ago when Adrian left his Teddy (and a few less important stuffies-Teddy was a gift from Evie the day Adrian was born) at a friend's house when he slept over. He told his dad but forgot to tell me. So said friend left for Hawaii and the stuffies were locked in the house with a GIANT dog. Thankfully the dog sitter was kind enough to find them and put them outside so they could be rescued and all lived happily ever after. Adrian was SO relieved and kept Teddy near for the rest of Spring Break.  I was SO happy that they didn't get eaten by the dog, and that I was momentarily "the hero" when I brought them home safely

4/04 Evie's Scrapbook

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Evie started using my scrapbook software ages ago to create her own pages. She's actually pretty good at it, especially for a kid. She's been begging me to print them for a year. Ages ago we bought a special album for them and it's been sitting empty. Today we finally got started. It's going to be very cute. I hope she will feel better about missing her friends that she left when we moved when she can look at pictures whenever she likes.  Let's hope it doesn't have the opposite affect. She designed the cover "page" herself and is very proud she was able to make her name look like frosting.

  04/05 The Trolley Table

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We had a few medical appointments for Ainsley this week but we also squeezed in some fun. After the appointment and a day out we went to one of our favorite places to eat out with kids, the Old Spaghetti Factory. We were super excited when we got seated in the end booth of the full size Trolley car that is in the middle of the restaurant. In 20 years, this is only the 3nd time sitting in the trolley and the first time ever in the end (the best seats).  The kids loved turning around and looking out the windows.

 04/06 Brunch

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It was my birthday so Steve made brunch and we ate in the dining room. I got to read in bed for a couple hours while he got things ready.  Afterward we did a slide show (digital) of old pictures. Later we had Chinese take out, watched a movie and had cake. I'm a homebody, and it was the perfect day for me.

04/07 Spring Bird's Nest

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It's been a year since we moved and our large yard hasn't received it's share of attention. We spent 6 hours weeding and pruning and just scratched the surface of what needs to be done. While on my hands and knees pulling weeds I found a bird's nest in the ferns. It was a beautifully made of moss, grass with a little bed of hair (where the bird found hair I have no idea). I hope it's a sign of a good season to come. I'm hoping to spend a lot more time outside this year.

04/08 My Beautiful Children

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My children are my everything. Just in case I don't say that enough. I am so grateful for them. Though sometimes I complain about how much work it is,  I love being a mom more than anything! After all the trouble getting them ready I love seeing them in their Easter best.  For once we had beautiful weather. No galoshes required. Though it was challenging to find the perfect place to shoot among the shadows of the trees and the bright sunlight I was very happy with the results. I got great individual shots too.

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To view a slideshow of the entire Happiness Photo Project click here. For more about what this is all about click here.

Happiness Week 13

One thing is clear. I can't do it all.  When you set goals and measure your progress it is that much easier to see where the problems lie. I have a serious shortage of time and too many thing I want to do as well as a LOT of things I have to do that I don't want to do. Each month my area of focus for my Happiness Project needs about 4 times as much time as I actually have, except in the case of my photos, then multiply that times 10.  My photos are important to me but it is too easy to ignore them when they are just files on the computer and every week I just make more. I should clarify that I do work on them all the time, just not enough to bring me current.

Sometimes you just have to make time even when it isn't there. My area of focus for March was photography and even though I didn't get as far as I'd like I made a lot of progress.  I got a new much faster editing software (AcdSee Pro 5) deleted thousands of second rate photos and retouched the ones that needed it. Rotated the landscape oriented pictures with my new auto-rotate tool. Labeled the folders. Ran a backup. Now I am officially working on 2010 which is at least the right decade. So I've had less time this week to take creative pictures for my Happiness Photo Project so I'm sorry if you find this week's pictures and post a little boring or mundane.

What Made Me Happy - Week 13

03/26 Chicken Paprika

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This dish is inspired by a Chicken Paprika dish that Steve and I ate on the coast of Portugal on our honeymoon (which was there and mostly in Spain). The lady who cooked it made hers in a clay pot in the oven. Mine isn't as good as hers but it's good enough that the whole family likes to eat it. And that makes me happy because what mother doesn't love a complaint free meal?!

03/27 Bedtime Rituals

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Evie has always hated to go to sleep. When she was about 3 she created a ritual, a little saying that we say every.single.night. When she got older we started to save a kiss on the palm of our hands for later (Alla: The Kissing Hand). I too hated bedtime as a girl. Frequently I feel sad that another day has ended. I'm so glad that bedtime is a special time for our kids and that they go to bed every night knowing how much they are loved. It also makes me very happy that Ainsley wants in on this action. She now climbs up on Evie's bed for hugs and kisses and even kisses hands. I am so grateful to have such loving kids.

03/28 Changing Taste Buds

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Once upon a time my whole family LOVED spinich ravioli. It was my easy go-to meal.  Fast, healthy, convenient. Then one day it all changed because Adrian gagged on a too long strand of spinich and vomited on his plate. Then the next 3 or so times I served it he gagged so his favorite meal was then despised.  Evie also LOVED spinich ravioli and she's been more than a little miffed that we haven't had it for years. After a lot of begging by her I asked my sister Sheryl to pick some up for us at Costco. Evie was so excited we had to have it that day! I figure we may as well have Adrian try it, with a backup meal plan. When he sat down he declared, "Oh yay! I LOVE spinich ravioli!" And sure enough he ate it all and then had seconds. I guess it had just been long enough for him to forget. I had to roll my eyes and resist the temptation to remind him how for the past several years it used to "make him vomit".  Kids can be so funny!
 

03/29 Sibling Play 
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You can read more about this day here. I was so happy to see Ainsley use her walker by herself to track down her brother and sister so they could play together.

 

 03/30 Drinks with a New Friend

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My kids had a couple new friends from school over to kick off Spring Break.  They stayed for dinner and a movie and their mom stopped by to get them at 8:00 but didn't leave until midnight. We had that much fun drinking and chatting. It was so fun to make that kind of connection and I love that my kids have fun with her kids, a boy and girl E&A's ages.

03/31 Clean Cut Hair

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Adrian looks like a totally different kid with short hair. He's a handsome boy and with short hair you can really see his blue eyes. Too bad he HATES haircuts.  He calls them the "H word". LOL! I've been meaning to give him a haircut for weeks, maybe months. With Easter just a few days away it simply had to be done. Seriously every time he looks like a totally different kid to me. If I didn't know better I would swear he's nicer and better behaved, like the bad attitude is cut off with all that excess hair.  Every time I think I need to make sure to never let his hair get that long again.

04/01 Catching Up On Photos

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When I officially finished with my 2008 & 2009 pictures I did a little happy dance. My arm is sore from clicking the mouse that many thousands of times but it was worth it. I feel lighter. Have you ever had a job to do that feels too big to tackle? When you break it into chunks and start to see meaningful progress it is so exciting and motivating!

 

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Have a great week and Happy Easter! To view a slideshow of the entire Happiness Photo Project click here. For more about what this is all about click here.

Happy Walking and Playing

Most of the people who read this blog know us personally, but there are some who find this blog through the internet. I have information about making blenderized food for gastrostomy tube feeding, and a LOT of medical information which parents of special needs kids are always looking as a point of comparison. People researching hip dysplasia, sagittal craniosynostosis, pediatric ptosis, or cerebellar hypoplasia may find this blog. Then there are the YouTubers. I don't know why but the videos I've posted on YouTube for educational purposes (like tube feeding) and ones I've posted as a way to put videos on this blog have a lot of YouTube viewers and subscribers. So this explanation is mostly for them, but even if you aren't a "stranger" you might be struggling to understand why I am doing this Happiness Photo Project or Happiness Project.

Sometimes I find it a challenge to see the good because the bad seems so much easier to focus on. I know I'm not alone in the tendency to do this. If I can find the happiness or gratitude every day then anyone can. Doing it every day for a whole year, that will be a challenge because aside from life being life, having a child with complex medical issues is very difficult. Yesterday I spent about 6 hours on the phone with clinics, hospital billing, DMEs, insurance, Medicaid. Just trying to get answers and the best treatment for my child and tie up loose ends. I made some progress, but a lot of that time feels like a waste. And this was about the 4th day in the past week. The fourth day I'd planned to do other things that I wanted to do (my photos and get out of the house). We have all dealt with voice mail systems that don't let you get to a real person, or when you do the person is unable or unauthorized to help you.  After hours of that it creates a lot of frustration that can take your mind to very scary places where you wonder if it's all worth it. Early in this journey I had a lot of those days but now they are few and far between.

The answer is YES it's worth it. Even when it doesn't feel like it. Dark days like these really require that I look hard for the happiness that is there. When the older kids came home and required my attention with homework and a snack my mood lifted some. Even though it will somewhat spoil my Happiness Week 13 post I had to share what Ainsley did after that.

Evie and Adrian were in Adrian's bedroom and Ainsley decided she wanted to be with them. But rather than crawl down the very long hallways like she normally would she pushed her walker over to the step so she could use it. She got in it by herself (which is tricky because hers pushes really easily especially on the hardwoods) and then steered it down the hall, only needing a little help through the doorway (the walker has to be facing at a 90 degree angle.) You might notice that I wrapped the front wheel hardware in bubblewrap and black duct tape to try to protect the walls and doors from becoming gouged. We're hoping she will start using her walker regularly in the house. Hoping this is the just the beginning. And hoping one day the walker won't be necessary.

 

Hooray! I love that she feels SAFE and CONFIDENT enough to do this! The more she is motivated, the more likely it is that one day she will walk independently.

I know she should have her AFO's on instead of being barefoot, but that would have spoiled it for her.

Steve was out for the night with friends and Evie and Adrian decided to "dress up" Ainsley as a princess. Adrian was the magical tiger who rescues the princess and Evie was her lady in waiting. They used to play like that all the time, but as they've gotten older it's less frequent especially now that they are "plugged in" with a Nintendo DS and an IPodTouch since receiving them at Christmastime.

Ainsley was still a bit of a reluctant player, since she gets treated like a real live doll. It was funny, when one of the dresses was scratchy she signed over and over that she wanted it off, so Evie thought if she showed her "how pretty" she looked in a mirror she would be happy. It was hilarious. She looked in the mirror and then threw it. Message received. Looking like a pretty princess isn't worth being uncomfortable. I agree Ainsley. Comfort first before beauty.

Still she was a pretty good sport and had some fun. I think she liked this outfit better. Except the flower.

Evie tried showing her how pretty it was in the mirror again. We asked her if she was going to kiss herself in the mirror which she thought was funny. So then when we laughed she kept doing it over and over. It turned out to be a fun night. Especially compared to my awful day.  I'm a lucky mommy. I love seeing my kids spending time together and playing like this.

Today is Friday, the last day before spring break and Easter so hopefully there will be more of this kind of play over the next week and enough togetherness that they are happy to go back to school on the 9th.  I'm wishing you all a good weekend...and until Monday.

Happiness Week 12

Even during the most mundane and ordinary days of life there are things to be happy about.

What Made Me Happy - Week 12

03/19 Organized Closets

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I spent a huge chunk of time cleaning out the kids rooms and closets because it had reached the point of being a problem and although this might appear cluttered it is still so much better. The older I get the more I yearn to have all our spaces neat and organized. I'm sure my mother is rolling her eyes. I was a very messy child. I think having an organized environment provides some control in an often uncontrollable world. Also I find it difficult to be mentally organized when my environment isn't. I recently read a book a friend recommended,  Organized Simplicity by Tsh Oxenreider. What I got out of this book is that when we keep things we don't need or want we are choosing to live in a space we don't enjoy as fully as we could or that doesn't function as well as it could. Why would we do that? Good question especially once you realize that you can't have both a bunch of junk and a house you love to live in. It's as simple as that. The two are incongruous. So I decided to get rid of some stuff this week. Clothes the kids are too big for. Clothes with holes (Ainsley hates holes.) Toys we don't love. Junk from the junk drawers. Papers. Bits and bobs in the kids's rooms.  It's taken days. It wasn't fun. I had other things I'd rather do. But the result. Heavenly. For a moment....until it gets messed up.....in about a 1/2 hour.

  

03/20 Labels

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I like labels. At first glance my house looks pretty organized. I like that. But the truth is, within, things are still not. My binders have needed new labels for about 3 years. And inside were so many old papers that they were as good as useless. But not anymore. We are starting fresh.

03/21 Independent Children

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My kids have to be independent because I am busy. Even Ainsley has to. Sometimes I feel bad about this but I think it will serve them in life to be able to be self-sufficient.  During my reorganization week I looked over and found Ainsley playing Calico Critters at the table. "Who got those out?",  I asked, suspicious of her brother and sister. She raised her hand to say "I did." Way to go Ainsley!

 

03/22 When Children Follow Instructions

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Ainsley was playing with a game while I did paperwork and reorganizing. Then she brought me the medical kit to open. "No," I told her, imagining all those pieces mixed together scattered all over the floor. "Only one toy at a time. Put away the game first and then I'll open the medical kit." It took her awhile but sure enough she put all the cards and pieces back into the box and placed it on the shelf and then brought the medical kit back to me. I was so impressed that she listened and followed my instructions to the best of her ability (she couldn't put the lid on the box). It's easy to underestimate this girl.

 03/23 Sun and Blue Skies

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Finally we saw the sun today and it was glorious! I had a nurse for Ainsley and the other kids were at school and even though I was running errands I had time to open the sunroof and enjoy the weather while I ate my lunch in the car.

03/24 Improving

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I kind of grew up with this idea that people are born gifted or they aren't. True there are some exceptional people who are born naturally able to do certain things with little effort, but what I've learned is that those people are few and far between. The overnight music sensation has likely been a musician all their life. The little known actress who becomes a huge star actually grew up in a family of actors. The athlete, the writer, the strait A student, the artist, the entreprenuer etc.  Most people who are good at something are because they've worked hard at it. Adrian has been frustrated that he wasn't playing as well as some of the kids on his sports teams. We've been trying to tell him that many of these kids have played for years and he needs to practice if he wants to be good. He is not a gifted natural athlete (he's our child after all). I think it's finally sunk into his thick head and he has started to practice regularly and now understands that just a few minutes here and there won't cut it. I think he's starting to enjoy it, which is the best, when it doesn't feel like work. It seems to be paying off. He had his first baseball game of the season today and he did great! Even if he never becomes a star player we are so truly proud!

03/25 Increasing Confidence

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We've started keeping the walker in the family room. Tonight Ainsley saw Evie and Adrian chasing each other and she decided to get into her walker by herself and walked it over to the step and "asked" us to bring it up for her to use. It's so encouraging that she is feeling more confident in it. After many phone calls I got her scheduled to start outside (meaning outside the school system) PT in April. I'm hoping they can teach her to fall and reduce Ainsley's fear so she is comfortable taking more risks.

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I am hoping to spend more time this week paring down my photo collection. I've come to realize that I need an entire year dedicated to that. A single month just isn't going to cut it. I'm finding treasures but they are buried deep.

To view a slideshow of the entire Happiness Photo Project click here. For more about what this is all about click here.

Happiness Week 11

Just in case you missed it, click here to read my update about all that's going on with Ainsley.

What Made Me Happy - Week 11

03/12 Done with Thank You's

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If you are anything like me the thing you dread most about birthdays is getting the kids to write thank you cards afterward. I admit some years despite the best intentions I haven't done it and I feel terrible. I usually like to send along a picture so this year I printed the card to keep the writing to a minimum (though Evie did address all the envelopes).

03/13 Safe Spinning

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I can't say enough about the hammock chair that I bought for Ainsley's birthday! The only bad thing is that it's so fun the kids fight over who gets to sit in it. Including Ainsley which is great because she uses it a LOT. She likes to spin in it and one day when her nurse was caring for her she spun so much that the eye bolt unscrewed from the ceiling and it fell on her. But even that didn't stop her from getting back in it the same day. I knew I had to order a piece of hardware that would allow it to spin freely. It came today and it works SO well it's worth every penny and the fact that it makes it safe is a bonus. This rotational device is made for therapy centers and you can buy one here.  Let the spinning fun begin!

03/14 Nachos & Movie Mid-Week

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We were tired and decided to have nachos for dinner with a movie. It was nice. Except that the movie, The Grave of the Fireflies, was a bit of a downer so there was a lot of whining that it was too sad to watch.  It's a story about two Japanese children during World War II. But what can I say, I think it's good for my kids to see just how lucky they are. In the US most of us are fortunate our only food dilemma is figuring out what to make for dinner not worry that we won't actually have food, and few of us have gone for an extended period of time without food. I read recently that if you live in the US, that you are automatically in the richest 6% of the world's population. Millions of children have suffered without enough food to eat or have lived through war.

03/15 Free Special Socks

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With AFO's you need comfortable knee-high socks. Because of the pressure you really don't want cable knit or anything like that with pattern or seams. They gave us a single pair when Ainsley got her AFO's last week, which were fantastic. I called the ortho department for another reason and they offered to send me more socks, free of charge, which arrived today. I am so grateful! In case you want to know, they are Smart Knit AFO socks by Knit-Rite.

 03/16 Coffee

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OMG I can't say enough about how I love coffee. I have to drink a half a cup in bed before I can move in the morning. I think I need more than average amounts of sleep but often get less than 8. Last night I was up until 2am posting a blog update. I'd been feeling a little guilty that all my posts for 2012 have been for my Happiness Photo Project. I'm actually posting more than I normally would but I know it's not the same even if Ainsley is featured many of the days. It's hard for me to have enough time for everything so sacrificing sleep isn't uncommon. By the time the afternoon came around I was dragging so Steve made a pot. The thing about the Happiness Photo Project was that I hoped it would force inspire me to do some creative photography. Not every day, but some of the days. I had no idea how hard it is to capture steam. Tip #1 you need a dark background (white on white disappears), #2 the more visible the steam the easier it is so perhaps a cold room would help because of the temperature difference. You can see the steam in the reflection of the coffee but that wasn't what I was going for but I didn't care enough to relocate my shot. After all I was running on fumes. But at least I learned something even if I didn't get that perfect mug of coffee shot.  

03/17 Winning

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I'm not too competitive of a person and so sports aren't really my thing. I have enrolled my kids in team sports for all the other good things it teaches like how to be a good team player, to be good at something you need to work at it, all you can really do in life is try your best, and how to loose gracefully. Even so losing eventually gets old. I was super happy for Adrian's team that they finally won a game, that's the way to finish off a season! 

03/18 Graduating a Level with Ainsley's Walker

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Ainsley was 2 when we ordered her first walker. Seriously. We were at the birth-to-three center. Even then she was tall. I did my research and we ordered the next size up and I'm so glad we did so I don't have to fight insurance to get approval for a new one. She had arm troughs and a sling that kept her safe. But she has graduated to the next level and can use a walker without that additional support (though it will take practice before I'll call it safe). We had all the parts to convert her Nurmi Neo and I've just been waiting for Steve to have the time. Today he made time. Yay! I wish she loved it. I think she's a little scared. Normally she'd have shoes on which helps. But really I think it's more about change. Ainsley has a touch of OCD and I don't think she likes us messing with her walker just because....it's different. I love that she's licking the snot off her upper lip (from crying). Love the shirt? I'm 1/4 (+ a bit) Irish.

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I don't know what you have planned for your week but I hope it's a good one. Me? I'm reorganizing the kids closets and toys, having my teeth Zoom whitened (for free), Evie starts ballet at a new studio, and I'm hoping to do a bunch of photo editing, ie. deleting bad photos so I can find the good ones. Since orthopedics didn't call me back I'll be following up with them and calling PT since our referral should be in. I also need to get new glasses and a haircut (we'll see about those).  To view a slideshow of the entire Happiness Photo Project click here. For more about what this is all about click here.