Highlights From My Day

I am feeling extremely blessed and full of gratitude for my life today. I'm not sure why it has struck me today...but I'm enjoying it.

* Spending time with a friend. I haven't seen her in years, and we aren't even particularly close. In fact, at one point I would never have expected us to become friends. But she recently moved close by and today we had some time to just sit and talk. For a couple hours. It was a nice break from my day, the kids played, and we just chilled. It was a really  nice morning.

* Shopping with Micah and Callie. We went to Sprouts and Target. Nothing fancy, but I really enjoyed it.

* Feeding James. We stopped by and saw Analisa. She's here for the week. James was awake and I fed him and just held him. I got a few smiles and was able to just hold his sweetness for about 20 minutes before we headed home. My longing for a baby was stilled while I held him. I was just in the moment with tiny little James and my heart was so full of love.

* Seeing Sammy when she got home from school. She was so happy. So so happy. She went on a field trip today and I received an email from her teacher saying that she had fun on the train, with the bubbles, and water play. When I saw her, it was as if she wanted to tell me all about it. And it melted my heart.

* Dinner. Marcus wasn't home for dinner, but we had left overs and watermelon. And everyone was happy. We ate and talked, made crazy faces at each other and laughed.

* Writing. I don't have as much time to write what I'd like, but I do have the honor of writing for Adoption.com. I actually really love it. And today I finished up an assignment they asked me to do yesterday. I enjoyed being able to sit down and write down some feelings about the topic. I enjoy writing. A lot. And working for Adoption.com gives me the excuse to sit down and write, often. It brings me joy.

* Clean house. Our house isn't cute. You don't pull up and go, "Woa, cute house." You don't walk in and say, "What a cute house." You just don't. It's not a strength of mine. I try to have it put together and make it feel somewhat like home though. And being organized...well, that's also not my strength. The past 6 months have been really difficult for me. And this week, it felt like I was able to catch up. The house has been relatively organized and cleaned for the past couple days and the freedom I feel from it is so relieving. I feel calm and peaceful with a tidy environment.

* Bubbles. There's something simple and completely joyful about children playing with bubbles....well, at least until the frustration overflows and they start screaming because they can't get the bubbles to work. But still...it was a nice way to end the evening.

Reunited

Cool story here.

Small Steps

We just recently had Sammy's IEP (Individual Education Plan) meeting. I was dreading it. It normally isn't that big of a deal, but I've been in a funk, and kind of emotional, and the last thing I was prepared for was sitting down in a meeting surrounded by professionals who, though they really do love Samantha and I feel that, would fulfill their job of telling me that she hadn't reached her goals for the year. We've sung that tune every IEP and I went in with a bad attitude.

I entered the meeting smiling, but I was feeling weak. 

Yes, she didn't accomplish any of the goals that were set for her. But there was so much love in the meeting, I was finding myself feeling better, even though I had come to the meeting predetermined to be sad. It clearly wasn't working out because I found myself getting happier and happier. And then, they shared something with me that just delighted me.

"Sammy is, by far, the most talkative member of our class."

This didn't surprise me. She can be very vocal. But they used the word talkative.

The teacher continued. She told me how Sammy will call out students' names. She will repeat what is said, often, and she even has quite a high opinion of herself and shared it. Last week they were at the table doing a craft. The teacher was across the table from her and she said, "You can do it Sammy!" and Sammy yelled her reply, "I CAN!!!"

Sammy no longer gets speech in school because she wasn't progressing, but this new speech therapist is keeping a close eye on her, constantly consulting with the teacher and sharing ideas. I do believe that Sammy has a lot she wants to say and will one day get it out.

Her teacher sent me this picture today. I asked that we add a goal that she can drink on her own. I don't care if it's an open cup. Who cares? I want her to have more independence and if she's thirsty...that she can take care of that. How liberating would that feel for her? I suggested a water bottle since she has a hard time holding onto a cup, and it would spill if it was dropped. Sippy cups are difficult for her to suck from at times. And straws are hit or miss. She's good with them, but then sometimes she just chews.

From this picture, it sure looks like she's getting the hang of it, and I couldn't be happier about it.

Our little girl is such a gift. She reminds me daily to not take things for granted.

 Each small step forward is a success...no matter how small.