Days 71-90 of 365 Days of Thankfulness

3/21: I am grateful that our dog, who is a 85lbs Rottweiler is so awesome with Riley.  She climbs all over that poor dog and Ella just takes it or moves away when she has had enough. 

3/22: I am grateful to the paramedic that kept me calm and in control while trying to get Riley ready to go in the ambulance.  See this post to why we where in the ambulance.

3/23: I am thankful to the Disney store in White Marsh that were able to hold a Peter Pan costume for me for my cousin.  I have been looking for one since Christmas and he is going to be so excited for it when he comes to visit this weekend.

3/24: I thankful for my understanding friends.  Riley and I were suppose to go to a birthday party at the bounce house but since she had been in the hospital on Friday.  I decided that it was not a great idea and my friend totally understood that I had to cancel at the last minute.

3/25: I am grateful that my job has some flexiblity when it goes to working from home.  We only have one car that is good in the snow and today we got a spring snow storm, so hubby was able to take the safe car and I was able to work from home and not have to take leave.

3/26: I am grateful for my mom, she washed my floors today.

3/27: I am thankful to my husband for helping get our house in order for my family visiting.

3/28: I am thankful for my wonderful hairdresser.  He always makes me feel like a million bucks

3/29: I am grateful for my wonderful family.  We had a wonderful day at the train museum.

3/30: I am thankful both sides of my family are so awesome.  My parents had a big Easter celebration and both my dad's and mom's families where there. It was so much fun.

3/31: I am grateful that Riley is so good in church.

4/1: I am grateful to have a extra day off from work.  We had a great weekend but it was very tiring.

4/2: I am grateful for my cousin Lauren, because today was her birthday.

4/3: I am grateful that my Godson Ian is doing so well after being in a feeding program for 8 weeks.

4/4: I am grateful that I had friends that had wonderful senses of humor.  I posted a really old picture from the 80s and take several of my old friends and they all had awesomely funny comments about it.

4/5: I am grateful that the weather is starting to get nicer outside and our neighborhood is starting to come alive again.  When I came home from work today I found Kyle and Riley out at the park with

4/6:  I am grateful for my cousin Harrison.  He turned 2 today.

4/7: I am grateful that I have another day off before I have to go back to work.

4/8: I am grateful for the beautiful weather that we are having today.  i actually slept with the windows open in my bedroom last night

4/9:  I am thankful for one of my coworkers.  She is a wonderful photographer and knows that I am trying to teach myself.  She lent me a book all about composition of a great picture.  I can't wait to read it.

Days 66-70 of 365 Days of Thankfulness

3/16: I am grateful for my loving family.

 

3/17: I am grateful that we have a finished basement.  Riley and hung out and played all day down in the basemen.

 

3/18: I am grateful that our car did not need major repairs that it was only some low fluids.

 

3/19: I am thankful that had invested in Carbonite (even if it did take forever to backup my computer) as we had to replace the hard drive (again) in our laptop

 

3/20: I am grateful that I did not get pulled over or in an accident (actually I am thankful everyday when these things don't happen) as I left my wallet at home today!

Days 60 - 65 of 395 Days of Thankfulness

3/10: I am thankful that I got to spend the day with my future sister-in-law.  We had a very nuce day exploring Ellicott City and then had tea.  It was alot of fun.

3/11: I am thankful that I still get together with my friends from high school for dinner.  we try to get together at least once a month.

3/12: I am grateful to the Mary Kay ladies that taught me how to do a smokey eye.  I have watned to learn how to do that so awhile now.

3/13: I am thankful that Kyle and I are in a position that we are able to make improvements to our house. 

3/14: I am thankful for my in-laws who made us dinner last night after we had to drop our car off to be fixed.

3/15: I am grateful to come home after a long day to Riley smiling face and then spending time playing in the floor with her. 

The Great Sippy Cup War of 2013

Our household is embroiled in The Great Sippy Cup War of 2013. And I am sad the admitted that the 3 year old is winning.

Riley was never bottle fed. She went right from her G-tube to a sippy cup. You can read more about that journey in this post. And when we picked out a Sippy for her then we went with this Munchkin cup.

It also came in one that was bigger with no handles:

Riley will drink from either one of these without a problem.  The problem now is that Munchkin doesn't make that exact cup any more.  They change it to this cup:

Which looks very similar.. I know.  But my Riley can tell the difference.

Her cups mouth pieces look like this:

And the new cup mouth piece look like this:

It is wider.  It also is more floppy.  The part that the fluid comes out of is lower on the new cups.

So she won't take that cup.  I now am the proud owner of 13 different kinds of sippy cups.  And she refuses all of them.  Some of them she chooses to throw across the room when offered them.

Our collection of sippy cups.

We have tried other soft tipped cups:

And a few cups with straws.  But she doesn't know how to suck on a straw.  And I am kinda of at a lost as to how to teach a child that doesn't understand everything I say to her had to suck on a straw.

I have even gotten a few cups that open spouts.  But I am afraid to just offer her these as she throws her cups and leaves them on their sides on the floor.  And I am sure that I will be cleaning up more milk than she drinks.

So the search continues.  If any one has an suggests on a cup to try I am all ears.  I may have lost all of the battles so far, but I will win the WAR!!!!!

Riley: 12
Mommy: 0

Days 57, 58,& 59 of 365 days of thankfulness

3/7: I am thankful that this y is over. It was one of those days that drags on and on.

3/8: I am thankful that the days are getting longer and that I am able to see the sun when I leave work.

3/9: Today I a, thankful for how well behaved Riley is. I was out running errands with my future sister-in- law and we were out for several hours and Riley missed her nap. She was so good and complained very little. She is the best little kid.

Appearance of a disability

I came across this blog and it is one of my fears in regards to Riley.  When people look at Riley she does not look like your typical special needs child.  When you take a closer look, or watch her behave, or find out how old she is then it becomes more clear.

We have had handicap parking since around the time Riley turned 1.  And until recently she was always in a stroller.  I was always afraid that when I used the handicap tag that we would have some idiot come up to us and say something.  Riley now has a wheelchair, a very heavy wheelchair.  But at this point she really only uses it when she is at school, at other times she is in a stroller or goes right into a shopping cart.  I am still afraid or the person who will stop me and say something or give me a dirty look.  But I can't live my life in fear, so I live day by day.  Enjoying every minute (or at least most of them) that I get to spend with my beautiful, special daughter.

Here is what a child with a disability looks like.  And she is beautiful!!

Quiet Book

As I said in my last blog I am obsessed with Pinterest.  I blame my cousin Elizabeth for introducing my to the site in the first place.  

I have been seeing these quiet books show up on my board for awhile.  And I thought to myself.. "Hey I  could do that!  Riley would love it.  She is totally into books.  I should make one!"  This coming from the girl who got a sewing machine for her birthday 4 years and has used it once with the help of my mother (Who is awesome at sewing.  The woman made me a prom dress for goodness sake.  Side note on that my Dad actually taught my Mom to sew, cool parents I have right!?!) to make curtains for Riley's bedroom.

So I started collecting ideas, and fabric, and buttons, and zippers, and felt (oh so much felt) and all the things that I thought that I would need.  Well last night I started cutting out my templates.  I am realizing that I might first my first book by the time Riley turns 5.  Goodness me is it time consuming.  First I cutting the templates out in paper, because I can;t get any of the fabric pencils that I have to write on felt GRRRRR!  Then I am pinning my paper templates onto the felt to cut it out.  I brought embroidery scissors, because A) They are small enough to cut the small templates and B) They are super sharp.  

I have not even started sewing anything yet.  Hopefully I can get into a rhythm and get a few pages done.  I will keep you all updated.

These are some of the pages taht I have found my ideas on:

http://jocelynandjason.blogspot.com/2013/03/free-butterfly-quiet-book-template.html

http://quietbookblog.blogspot.com/

http://theintentionalmomma.blogspot.com/2013/01/our-quiet-book.html