tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-282271082024-03-13T16:58:39.809-04:00Russian Adoption JourneyI'm the single mom of a beautiful little girl from Russia. This is our story.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger120125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28227108.post-70553341607230794402009-08-01T13:51:00.004-04:002009-08-01T14:14:37.733-04:00Summer Fun<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SnSFLfKZmFI/AAAAAAAAAcM/4Nr7it6Gjbw/s1600-h/hardwork.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SnSFLfKZmFI/AAAAAAAAAcM/4Nr7it6Gjbw/s320/hardwork.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365059488495278162" /></a>Alivia and I are enjoying our three day weekends this summer! Yesterday we spent the day at the Cabana Club at the beach. Livi LOVES the beach and we played in the surf for an hour and then moved to the pool to swim. Livi found a couple shells that she had to bring home with her. Then we cooked hamburgers and hotdogs on the grill before going to visit Gran. And that was all just yesterday! Today is dress up day... Livi has a thing for playing with Mama's makeup so I bought her a makeup kit of her own. She's been totally enthralled and would spend hours "making face" if I let her.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SnSFLAfwKGI/AAAAAAAAAcE/7RHkvxuzvm0/s1600-h/royal.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 187px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SnSFLAfwKGI/AAAAAAAAAcE/7RHkvxuzvm0/s320/royal.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365059480263338082" /></a>Here's her royal highness on her throne. She held an audience today and I must inform you that crowd was thrilled. Such applause! Such fanfare! She then prepared a tea party for mama, Mickey Mouse and baby Gina. (We had baked the cookies a couple nights ago just for such an event!) <br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SnSFjidI26I/AAAAAAAAAck/MwYPxRSNdP8/s1600-h/DSCN1492.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SnSFjidI26I/AAAAAAAAAck/MwYPxRSNdP8/s320/DSCN1492.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365059901696039842" /></a>Livi's birthday was a few weeks ago on July 5th. We had a Mickey Mouse themed party complete with birthday cake and homemade ice cream. My cousin Stormy came over with her son Quincy and he just fell in love with Livi's tea cart. He was pushing the thing all over the house. His mama's going to blackmail him with this photo later...<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SnSFLn7HgUI/AAAAAAAAAcU/XPKjexThpXA/s1600-h/DSCN1493.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SnSFLn7HgUI/AAAAAAAAAcU/XPKjexThpXA/s320/DSCN1493.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365059490847097154" /></a>What else did we do in July... we rode the ferry just to watch the dolphins play, we went to the beach a couple times, we made several batches of homemade ice cream, and we played on the swings... a lot. It's hard to believe the summer is almost over and school starts up in just three weeks! We have to start looking at school clothes and supplies and planning for the Fall holidays soon... Whew! Time sure flies when you're having fun!<br /><br />~ JeanaUnknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28227108.post-67917236140112822562009-06-27T18:29:00.005-04:002009-06-27T18:59:43.164-04:00End of June<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SkahWhYZj2I/AAAAAAAAAac/UomujKZli_A/s1600-h/0070.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SkahWhYZj2I/AAAAAAAAAac/UomujKZli_A/s320/0070.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352142615466315618" /></a>We are quickly coming up on Alivia's birthday and our family anniversary day! It's hard to believe Alivia will be 4 years old in just a few days and that we have been a family for three years! I've been reflecting back on this last year and I am amazed at how much progress Alivia has made--especially in the last few months. Our toileting situation has its good days and its bad days. Alivia is in a new daycare situation and isn't thrilled with it, and as a result she's had a number of accidents. It's improving, though, and I think she'll do better once she feels more comfortable there. She's not crying when I drop her off, so I'm not too worried about her adjustment there--and it's only for another seven weeks.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SkaimvbMVEI/AAAAAAAAAbE/05rqOANHL_g/s1600-h/0041.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SkaimvbMVEI/AAAAAAAAAbE/05rqOANHL_g/s320/0041.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352143993625662530" /></a>Alivia is on a new medication--one meant to stimulate her appetite. It's working well--she's eating a lot more than she has up till now. I think she's put on a half pound or more just in the last few days. I expect I'm going to have to really start watching her snacking and make sure she's eating more fruit and healthier choices instead of cookies and sweets. It will be an unusual change from being thankful for any little bite of anything that she eats!<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SkainqbY25I/AAAAAAAAAbk/Qtf5jUYtAXk/s1600-h/0025.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SkainqbY25I/AAAAAAAAAbk/Qtf5jUYtAXk/s320/0025.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352144009464175506" /></a>Today we went to Portrait Innovations and got these lovely photos done. Livi was *not* in the best of moods and didn't cooperate too well for a lot of them. We did manage to capture several good shots, though, so I'm happy. I was really looking forward to finally getting some photos of her and her American Girl doll in their matching dresses. Everyone there commented on how cute they were together.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SkahW4dghXI/AAAAAAAAAak/2vMsn56c8v0/s1600-h/0083.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SkahW4dghXI/AAAAAAAAAak/2vMsn56c8v0/s320/0083.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352142621661758834" /></a>Next week I have to make the long drive to Tallahassee to get my final post placement report apostilled. I was hoping to do it on Monday when I'm off, but it looks like I will have to take a day (or at least an afternoon) off to do it. I'm really not happy about that! I've tried calling my social worker several times to find out where it's at (I haven't received it yet!) and she has yet to return my call. She was supposed to have had it to me last week. Grrrrrrr! <br /><br />Here's hoping the rest of you are staying cool! The summer is really starting to heat up here in Florida and we're expecting this weekend to be a real scorcher!<br /><br /><em>~ Jeana</em><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SkaincxwAEI/AAAAAAAAAbc/3wmPF4n9Myw/s1600-h/0013.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SkaincxwAEI/AAAAAAAAAbc/3wmPF4n9Myw/s320/0013.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352144005799870530" /></a><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SkainAiKU3I/AAAAAAAAAbU/i-24sOoSTeE/s1600-h/0029.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SkainAiKU3I/AAAAAAAAAbU/i-24sOoSTeE/s320/0029.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352143998218294130" /></a><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/Skaim_F1pZI/AAAAAAAAAbM/qYnZDmSqn14/s1600-h/0037.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/Skaim_F1pZI/AAAAAAAAAbM/qYnZDmSqn14/s320/0037.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352143997831062930" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SkahXn9BYvI/AAAAAAAAAa8/-ttnK0akGq8/s1600-h/0053.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SkahXn9BYvI/AAAAAAAAAa8/-ttnK0akGq8/s320/0053.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352142634410402546" /></a><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SkahXAZzZrI/AAAAAAAAAa0/7hYH1aPpa9A/s1600-h/0055.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SkahXAZzZrI/AAAAAAAAAa0/7hYH1aPpa9A/s320/0055.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352142623793702578" /></a><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SkahXFyhunI/AAAAAAAAAas/Wyckeyd_Kpc/s1600-h/0058.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SkahXFyhunI/AAAAAAAAAas/Wyckeyd_Kpc/s320/0058.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352142625239579250" /></a><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SkaiuJq82zI/AAAAAAAAAbs/vYWF4jwnnVY/s1600-h/0010.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SkaiuJq82zI/AAAAAAAAAbs/vYWF4jwnnVY/s320/0010.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352144120930163506" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28227108.post-27784279091457345242009-06-17T23:12:00.004-04:002009-06-17T23:28:03.912-04:00Cause for Celebration!<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SjmxA50cvKI/AAAAAAAAAaM/jBIX66kLTsU/s1600-h/speech.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SjmxA50cvKI/AAAAAAAAAaM/jBIX66kLTsU/s320/speech.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348500661558099106" /></a>Woo Hoo! I'm utterly thrilled to announce that Alivia is finally potty trained! She's had several days with no accidents. She absolutely loves wearing her big girl panties! Long Happy Sigh... You can't imagine how happy I am that she is no longer wearing pullups except at night. I think we'll be able to curtail that soon, too! Hurray! Hurray! Hurray! (Happy dancing all over the place!)<br /><br />This first photo is from Alivia's speech therapy. They are doing an electo-stimulus to her throat muscles. She has to eat and talk throughout the one hour session and it's supposed to help her with speech and cure a drooling issue that we have as a result of all the surgeries. She does pretty well with it for the most part and it seems to be helping!<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SjmxA8JuDyI/AAAAAAAAAaU/0l_1RdbV1Fs/s1600-h/cousins.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SjmxA8JuDyI/AAAAAAAAAaU/0l_1RdbV1Fs/s320/cousins.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348500662184185634" /></a>While we were on our trip last month we visited my brother and his boys in Indy. This shot is Alivia with her cousins Bradley and Corey. Bradley is in school learning the automotive trade and Corey has just graduated high school this year. I'm really proud of both of them! They are really nice young men and both just doted all over Alivia while we were there. Her uncle was even more nuts over her--I was amazed at how he tolerated all her spills and demands, but he was a real trooper. (I think he loved having the chance to play with a toddler after all these years of teenagers.)<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SjmxAlP_pTI/AAAAAAAAAaE/kmnrKPEDIaQ/s1600-h/amergirl2.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SjmxAlP_pTI/AAAAAAAAAaE/kmnrKPEDIaQ/s320/amergirl2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348500656036488498" /></a>These last two photos were taken at the American Girl Store in Chicago. We were there with Christy, Cindy and Katie. Alivia got her doll that day--one of the bitty twins--and named it Jeana (after me!) Christy ordered Katie's doll and they picked her up just a few weeks ago. They got her one of the new historical dolls whose story is that she is a Russian immigrant. Both girls enjoyed visiting the store. Livi wanted to also bring home a doll stroller, but I managed to talk her out of it as we already have a couple at home.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SjmxAcvjNzI/AAAAAAAAAZ8/QXqftpDoJiE/s1600-h/amergirl.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SjmxAcvjNzI/AAAAAAAAAZ8/QXqftpDoJiE/s320/amergirl.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348500653752923954" /></a>While we were there we treated ourselves to a lovely lunch in the store's restaurant. The food was surprisingly tasty and the girls got to have companion dolls with them during the meal. The service was impeccable! I would recommend it for girls slightly older than ours, though, to really let them get the most out of the experience. Here the two girls are lying on the floor next to the American Girl star. They're such little hams!<br /><br /><em>~ Jeana</em>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28227108.post-54111055101192990392009-06-07T14:07:00.004-04:002009-06-07T14:19:27.877-04:00A New LookOkay... I was getting a bit bored with the old look of the blog. I decided it was time for something fresh and new. I hope you like it! I've also added an IM function so if you happen to check here and see me online, feel free to ping me!<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SiwD1ayhV_I/AAAAAAAAAZs/4Gux5JfO9Ao/s1600-h/DSCN1397.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SiwD1ayhV_I/AAAAAAAAAZs/4Gux5JfO9Ao/s320/DSCN1397.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344651074041108466" /></a>As of this past Friday school is out for the summer for Alivia! She'll be spending her days with Gran and getting in lots of swimming, sliding, and playing. I'm hoping something will work out so that I can afford to put Alivia in dance classes over the summer, too, but things aren't looking too good in that area right now. <br /><br />It's hard to believe Alivia's birthday is coming up soon! And I think we may have finally broken the potty training barrier! Hurray! She's been wearing big girl panties for a couple days now and has only had one accident. I'm hoping this trend will continue! I'm ready to stop buying pullups in a big way! <br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SiwD_woam0I/AAAAAAAAAZ0/TcBqZnG4FoI/s1600-h/sepia+girls.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 244px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SiwD_woam0I/AAAAAAAAAZ0/TcBqZnG4FoI/s320/sepia+girls.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344651251702995778" /></a>Speaking of Alivia, these two photos are from our trip last month. One is of Alivia in front of the Sanrio store in Chicago. The other is one of my favorites--a group hug with her friends Katie and Grace. I think it would make a great book cover if I ever manage to get around to writing it...<br /><br /><em>~ Jeana</em>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28227108.post-42553417386661020772009-05-10T20:51:00.001-04:002009-05-10T21:20:13.518-04:00Happy Mothers' Day!Sorry for not posting recently. April was an extremely busy month. My conference was the second week and then we were getting ready for our vacation. We just returned yesterday. We had a fabulous time! And I have lots of new photos to share! Hurray!<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/Sgd9DA678cI/AAAAAAAAAZk/2Z1ikP_uK_U/s1600-h/pic4.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 293px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/Sgd9DA678cI/AAAAAAAAAZk/2Z1ikP_uK_U/s320/pic4.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334369774383919554" /></a>We spent the first week of vacation in Madison, Wisconsin with our friends Kelly and Grace. Christy, Cindy, and Katie joined us there, as well, and we all had a great time. We went boating on the lake, painted pottery, baked cookies, had a tea party, did a group photo shoot, went to the zoo, had a picnic, made homemade pizzas, and played outside a lot in the wonderfully mild weather. Us moms took advantage of the time together to hire a baby sitter and enjoy a childless dinner and movie. What a treat!<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/Sgd9DBUJbqI/AAAAAAAAAZc/nQAlhDvW-oI/s1600-h/pic3.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 258px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/Sgd9DBUJbqI/AAAAAAAAAZc/nQAlhDvW-oI/s320/pic3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334369774489661090" /></a>On Wednesday, Christy, Cindy, Katie, Alivia and I all left Madison for Chicago. We visited the Navy Pier, the American Girl Store, and Legoland. The girls really enjoyed the American Girl Store and Alivia got a new doll who she named Jeana after me! I thought that was really cool as up until this all of her dolls had been named Ali after herself. Her doll has blond hair and blue eyes just like her. I'm planning to take her and her doll to do some professional photos soon.<br /><br />Then on Friday, Alivia and I left Chicago for Indianapolis where we visited with my brother and his two boys. It was a great evening--and I'm hoping we can see them again before another two years passes. We go way too long between visits!<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/Sgd9CwQbE5I/AAAAAAAAAZU/tnYxj4V_JmM/s1600-h/pic2.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 236px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/Sgd9CwQbE5I/AAAAAAAAAZU/tnYxj4V_JmM/s320/pic2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334369769910637458" /></a>Okay--now for the adventure tales from the trip... Livi and I had an uneventful set of flights to Indianapolis. When we got off the flight we stopped by the ladies room before going to pick up our bags and our rental car and when we got to baggage everything was gone except for our stuff. I had Livi, two suitcases, and her carseat to deal with, so I got a skycap to help us get everything out to the car. I decided to upgrade our rental at the last minute--the original vehicle only had two doors which is really difficult with a car seat. We got on the road at about 11 a.m. in pouring rain and started the 5 and a half hour drive to Madison.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/Sgd9Cmdj5yI/AAAAAAAAAZM/g9_D5oeD7Ms/s1600-h/pic1.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/Sgd9Cmdj5yI/AAAAAAAAAZM/g9_D5oeD7Ms/s320/pic1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334369767281387298" /></a>About an hour and a half into the drive my cell phone rang. I had almost forgotten to bring it--in fact I had to turn around and go home to get it. Thank God I did! My dad was on the phone and informed me that we had the wrong suitcase! Apparently another passenger had a large red suitcase like ours and had picked up ours instead of hers. Since only a red suitcase and Livi's carseat were left at the baggage claim, I didn't bother to check the tags... We had to turn around and drive all the way back to Indianapolis and exchage suitcases.<br /><br />We ended up hitting Chicago at rush hour and our 5.5 hour drive turned in to a good nine hours. I was so ticked! Thankfully the conference I attended over the next two days was so great and the time we spent with our friends was so enjoyable that it made all the aggravation of getting there worth while. <br /><br />I hope you enjoy the photos!<br /><br /><em>~ Jeana</em>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28227108.post-54117461231378102652009-03-28T22:52:00.000-04:002009-03-28T23:01:27.921-04:00End of March UpdateLivi's surgery to remove her ear tubes went extremely well--10 minutes and they were done! While he was working on her, our ENT looked closer at her palette, though, and determined that the muscle doesn't go all the way across yet and so he's going to have to repair it. So... this summer we will be redoing her jaw and then next summer we will be doing her cleft palette. That really sucks! <br /><br />In other news... Livi has been a real terror lately. She's got a super independent streak going and she's pushing her boundaries in all directions. On the upside (so to speak) I now have a new bit of leverage. We built a beautiful swing for Alivia in her play yard that she absolutely loves! If she misbehaves she loses swing time. We'll see how that goes...<br /><br />We're both on spring break this week so we'll have lots of mommy and me time to try to get things back on an even keel. I'm hoping to go to Disney on Wednesday for my birthday, since I will get a $70 gift card to use in the parks. (I have a season pass so I already get in "free" on my birthday and they are giving me the gift card instead.) Livi's birthday is coming up in three months and I'd like to use the card to get her a nice Disney related gift.<br /><br />No new photos to share... hopefully we'll have some in the next couple weeks.<br /><br /><em>~ Jeana</em>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28227108.post-7565587540906647912009-03-15T00:51:00.001-04:002009-03-15T01:07:25.750-04:00March of the Livis...<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SbyM6-uj7vI/AAAAAAAAAZE/SqXNH6lM5Gc/s1600-h/pose2.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SbyM6-uj7vI/AAAAAAAAAZE/SqXNH6lM5Gc/s320/pose2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313276605288935154" /></a>Alivia and I have had an exciting March so far. We spent last weekend at Disney and Livi absolutely loved it! This was the first time she really knew who the characters were and she got so excited every time she saw one of them. She actually knocked Minnie Mouse over when she ran up to her and wrapped herself around the poor woman's legs! She also finally got to ride the roller coaster in Toon Town. She loved it, of course, and loved the Teacups, too. "Faster, Mama! Faster!"<br /><br />Next week Livi has surgery--a minor one to remove her remaining ear tube. I'm hoping she doesn't have a bad reaction to the sleeping gas this time. Last time she got really sick and kept throwing up... Yucky Poo! as Livi would say. <br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SbyM6fF4kRI/AAAAAAAAAY8/5qGJE8EZWLs/s1600-h/pose1.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SbyM6fF4kRI/AAAAAAAAAY8/5qGJE8EZWLs/s320/pose1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313276596796821778" /></a>Today Livi decided to try out Mama's mascara. Now, I hardly ever wear the stuff and I'm pretty certain she's never seen me put it on, but as you can tell from these photos she actually had a pretty fair idea of what to do with it. Thank God it was just mascara, though! At first I thought it was ink and we had a party to go to this evening. Yikes! She's also still into practicing her model poses, as you can see.<br /><br />I'm hoping to spend at least part of tomorrow at a park so Livi can do some sliding and swinging. I'm also hoping to get her play area set up in the backyard over spring break so that we can swing and slide at home. Spring break is going to be a bit on the busy side as I am planning to squeeze in another Disney trip then, too. We'll see...<br /><br /><em>~ Jeana</em>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28227108.post-49908008462361080532009-02-11T21:41:00.000-05:002009-02-11T21:48:07.928-05:00Livi's Trophy<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SZOMj1s5HNI/AAAAAAAAAYg/No916r4yZMA/s1600-h/livi3.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SZOMj1s5HNI/AAAAAAAAAYg/No916r4yZMA/s320/livi3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301735733683887314" /></a>Livi is so proud of her photo trophy. This photo was taken at the ceremony. She made the whole crowd laugh with her cute little scrunchy face. I'd love to capture more sweet smiles, but I have to admit that this one is cute!<br /><br />She's been on really good behavior lately (excluding the scissors episode) so I'm thinking about taking her to the zoo this weekend. I'm hoping the weather will be nice enough for it.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SZOMkPYFCRI/AAAAAAAAAYo/HjjLj_JOAYk/s1600-h/DSCN1278.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 246px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SZOMkPYFCRI/AAAAAAAAAYo/HjjLj_JOAYk/s320/DSCN1278.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301735740575910162" /></a>This photo was taken this evening. She was wandering around the house "watching" her trophy. I can't wait until her hair grows out a bit...<br /><br /><em>~ Jeana</em>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28227108.post-30789408006906046832009-02-08T19:48:00.000-05:002009-02-08T19:51:19.236-05:00Oh... My... God...<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SY997ra1RCI/AAAAAAAAAYY/i5079R90FL0/s1600-h/short2.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 272px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SY997ra1RCI/AAAAAAAAAYY/i5079R90FL0/s320/short2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300593750659384354" /></a>While I was in my office typing up my last post, Alivia was in my bathroom giving herself a haircut... Sigh... the bangs are her work. I decided there was no way to save it and cut the rest of her hair to match. Sigh... Thank goodness she waited until after the trophy ceremony to figure out how to open the medicine chest and find the scissors...<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SY997iQA-sI/AAAAAAAAAYQ/sxp-DSY9YfU/s1600-h/short1.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SY997iQA-sI/AAAAAAAAAYQ/sxp-DSY9YfU/s320/short1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300593748198095554" /></a> ~ JeanaUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28227108.post-29440564633585782882009-02-08T18:29:00.000-05:002009-02-08T18:43:47.377-05:00Livi Got Another Trophy!<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SY9tWQ5WH2I/AAAAAAAAAXg/i5DCkLShNTk/s1600-h/23c.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SY9tWQ5WH2I/AAAAAAAAAXg/i5DCkLShNTk/s320/23c.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300575515698405218" /></a>Well, last year, Alivia won two runner up trophies. This year she only received one trophy, but it was for Voters Choice Overall Winner for the Most Photogenic Baby Comic Category (2-3 year old). This is the photo that we entered in that category. We also had another photo entered, but it didn't win anything. It was really difficult to decide which photos to enter because she had so many cute ones. I'm posting the one that didn't win and a few of the other cute ones below. The organization that does this contest will be posting photos of the winner getting their awards tomorrow and I'll add that one, too. <br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SY9tWooTKNI/AAAAAAAAAXo/im_7DyJJr_A/s1600-h/23po.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SY9tWooTKNI/AAAAAAAAAXo/im_7DyJJr_A/s320/23po.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300575522069358802" /></a>Funny story--they give out dozens of awards at this thing--mostly the small runner up trophies like Alivia won last year. This year the crowd was rather quiet and sometimes clapped and sometimes didn't as the kids went up on the stage to get their trophies and pose for a picture with the trophy. Well, Alivia made a bit of a production out of getting her trophy and did a couple of her "model" poses and then did her signature squint face. Everyone in the crowd laughed and applauded for her. It was too cute! I wish I'd had my video camera with me.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SY9tWwKweII/AAAAAAAAAYA/9Fk5NB24h6U/s1600-h/JAX_0440.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SY9tWwKweII/AAAAAAAAAYA/9Fk5NB24h6U/s320/JAX_0440.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300575524092934274" /></a>Here's one of her supermodel poses--a la Tyra Banks and America's Next Top Model...<br /><br />~ Jeana<br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SY9tsaaGwvI/AAAAAAAAAYI/TNz5af9CSiU/s1600-h/JAX_0488.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SY9tsaaGwvI/AAAAAAAAAYI/TNz5af9CSiU/s320/JAX_0488.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300575896208851698" /></a><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SY9tWvvE1YI/AAAAAAAAAX4/ymHxH5s64ps/s1600-h/JAX_0444.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SY9tWvvE1YI/AAAAAAAAAX4/ymHxH5s64ps/s320/JAX_0444.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300575523976828290" /></a><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SY9tWjD6Y3I/AAAAAAAAAXw/eS8aMnX0UJk/s1600-h/JAX_0434.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SY9tWjD6Y3I/AAAAAAAAAXw/eS8aMnX0UJk/s320/JAX_0434.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300575520574563186" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28227108.post-44143517600798217952009-02-07T19:23:00.000-05:002009-02-07T22:41:11.035-05:00Finally a Warm Day!<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SY5UI_WdXWI/AAAAAAAAAXY/OgFC03lOkCc/s1600-h/nose.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 230px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SY5UI_WdXWI/AAAAAAAAAXY/OgFC03lOkCc/s320/nose.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300266324882972002" /></a>It has been miserably cold here for the last few weeks, but today we finally had a warm day. Alivia and I spent the day running errands--one of those errands was to check out the competition at the Most Photogenic Baby Competition. Tomorrow is the awards ceremony. I'm fairly confident that Livi will get at least one trophy. Speaking of photos, these are a couple of the photos from the photo shoot that I didn't enter into the competition. I'l post the ones from the competition tomorrow along with the results. I love doing this competition just because of the quality of the photos we get out of it. The photographer is great!<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SY4oVBw7vKI/AAAAAAAAAXI/5Hxkyr4E_bU/s1600-h/livi1.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SY4oVBw7vKI/AAAAAAAAAXI/5Hxkyr4E_bU/s320/livi1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300218153177693346" /></a>Another of our errands today was to check out summer camps at the Jax Camp Expo. Most of them catered to older kids, but there were several that she was eligible for. If we can get her potty trained it will open up more options for us. Of course all of the ones at the Expo were open to the general public and weren't specifically tailored to special needs kids, so I had to discuss our situation with each of the ones I was interested in to see if it would be a good fit. I also want to talk to some of the special needs camps, but most of them seem to cater to more profound issues than Alivia has, so I'll need to be careful in that respect, too. I'd love to find a place with a low child to adult ratio and lots of out door activities and active play that operates all day for several weeks. We'll see...<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SY4oVBvoRPI/AAAAAAAAAXQ/LMIoZr3PA78/s1600-h/livi2.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SY4oVBvoRPI/AAAAAAAAAXQ/LMIoZr3PA78/s320/livi2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300218153172223218" /></a>On a taking care of Mommy note, I've decided to go back to school and get my doctorate. The job market is just too scary and will be for some time, so I want to make sure I have as many options as possible. And my leg seems to be doing okay. I go back on the 13th for more x-rays, but at the moment there's little pain and it's more of an inconvenience that anything else.<br /><br />Cheers!<br /><br />~ JeanaUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28227108.post-43986928060915763212009-01-22T21:12:00.000-05:002009-01-22T21:25:11.235-05:00The Big ChillFor the last week or so Florida has been suffering through some majorly cold weather (for Florida anyways!) It's been down in the 20's at night and only getting into the low 40's during the day. It supposed to warm up a bit this weekend (to around 60) and I'm hoping that Livi and I can get out to the park or something. Maybe the circus... although I'm not sure she's ready for that just yet.<br /><br />My knee doesn't hurt at all and fortunately won't need surgery, although I do have to wear a hinged brace for three months. They will be doing xrays every few weeks to make sure the fracture doesn't depress and as long as it doesn't I should be good to go by the end of April. Right now it's mostly an inconvenience.<br /><br />We did get some not so good news with regard to surgery for Alivia, this week, though. The first is okay--they are going to remove her ear tubes in March. The other is very disappointing. It appears her lower jaw is not growing as fast as the rest of her face and they are going to have to repeat the jaw surgery on her this summer. I just hope she tolerates it as well this time around. Now that she's older she's a lot more difficult to handle at times.<br /><br />Otherwise, things are going well. We are looking forward to the results of the Most Photogenic Baby Contest in a couple weeks. We have two photos entered this time--one in the comical category and one in the precious category. I love them both and hope the judges like them, too.<br /><br />We are also looking forward to Spring Break even though it's still a couple months away. I don't think we'll do anything other than *maybe* a trip to Disney, but it will be nice to have the time off. (Yeah, I know I just had two weeks off for the holidays... it wasn't nearly long enough!)<br /><br />Speaking of Disney, Alivia is no longer just a Blue's Clues girl. She now loves to watch the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and she'll watch Sesame Street, too. Hurray! Now that she knows the Disney characters I can't wait to take her back to the Magic Kingdom. She gets so excited when she sees Mickey on the tv--just imagine her reaction to seeing him in person!<br /><br />~ JeanaUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28227108.post-26942220990334473782009-01-07T15:20:00.000-05:002009-01-07T15:26:29.975-05:00Post Holiday Blues...Normally I don't get them, but this year... Actually we had a great Christmas. Livi loved every minute of it and I hope to post some pictures shortly. It was the days after Christmas where things got a bit rough. Livi and I were riding the metro train in downtown looking at Christmas lights and had an unfortunate accident. We tried to slide over on the seat to allow other passengers to sit down, but part of my leg slid and part of it didn't. <strong>OUCH!!!! </strong>I seriously injured my left knee (tore cartilage and fractured the tibia.) I won't know until next week if it's going to require surgery, but at the moment it's looking like a minimum of 3 months in a cast... We won't be going to the zoo for a while...<br /><br /><em>~ Jeana</em>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28227108.post-90154900032851426062008-12-11T13:05:00.001-05:002008-12-11T13:07:06.542-05:00And the Classic Elf Dance...Couldn't resist doing another one...<br /><div style='background-color:#e9e9e9; width: 425px;'><object id='A954114' quality='high' data='http://aka.zero.jibjab.com/client/zero/ClientZero_EmbedViewer.swf?external_make_id=iU59uvLfBycywYb6&service=sendables.jibjab.com&partnerID=ElfYourself' pluginspage='http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' wmode='transparent' height='319' width='425'><param name='wmode' value='transparent'></param><param name='movie' value='http://aka.zero.jibjab.com/client/zero/ClientZero_EmbedViewer.swf?external_make_id=iU59uvLfBycywYb6&service=sendables.jibjab.com&partnerID=ElfYourself'></param><param name='scaleMode' value='showAll'></param><param name='quality' value='high'></param><param name='allowNetworking' value='all'></param><param name='allowFullScreen' value='true' /><param name='FlashVars' value='external_make_id=iU59uvLfBycywYb6&service=sendables.jibjab.com&partnerID=ElfYourself'></param><param name='allowScriptAccess' value='always'></param></object><div style='text-align:center; width:435px; margin-top:6px;'>Send your own <a href='http://www.elfyourself.com'>ElfYourself</a> <a href='http://sendables.jibjab.com/ecards'>eCards</a></div></div><img style="visibility:hidden;width:0px;height:0px;" border=0 width=0 height=0 src="http://counters.gigya.com/wildfire/IMP/CXNID=2000002.0NXC/bHQ9MTIyOTAxODcyMzU3NCZwdD*xMjI5MDE4NzQ5OTgyJnA9NDE4ODEzJmQ9MjAyNjc2Jm49YmxvZ2dlciZnPTImdD*mbz*2ZDJlMTMwMmJkYTU*YWQ1YTcxYzg2YjE5YzA3ZWZiNg==.gif" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28227108.post-88239357928611508892008-12-11T12:56:00.001-05:002008-12-11T13:00:27.132-05:00Alivia the Christmas ElfI played around with this a bit last year--it's really cute. This year they've added a couple new dances for your elves. Here's one of my favorites starring none other than my own dearest Alivia...<br /><br /><div style='background-color:#e9e9e9; width: 425px;'><object id='A373254' quality='high' data='http://aka.zero.jibjab.com/client/zero/ClientZero_EmbedViewer.swf?external_make_id=5VuKXj0dEdzhG69A&service=sendables.jibjab.com&partnerID=ElfYourself' pluginspage='http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' wmode='transparent' height='319' width='425'><param name='wmode' value='transparent'></param><param name='movie' value='http://aka.zero.jibjab.com/client/zero/ClientZero_EmbedViewer.swf?external_make_id=5VuKXj0dEdzhG69A&service=sendables.jibjab.com&partnerID=ElfYourself'></param><param name='scaleMode' value='showAll'></param><param name='quality' value='high'></param><param name='allowNetworking' value='all'></param><param name='allowFullScreen' value='true' /><param name='FlashVars' value='external_make_id=5VuKXj0dEdzhG69A&service=sendables.jibjab.com&partnerID=ElfYourself'></param><param name='allowScriptAccess' value='always'></param></object><div style='text-align:center; width:435px; margin-top:6px;'>Send your own <a href='http://www.elfyourself.com'>ElfYourself</a> <a href='http://sendables.jibjab.com/ecards'>eCards</a></div></div><img style="visibility:hidden;width:0px;height:0px;" border=0 width=0 height=0 src="http://counters.gigya.com/wildfire/IMP/CXNID=2000002.0NXC/bHQ9MTIyOTAxODE*MjY5MyZwdD*xMjI5MDE4MTc3ODAzJnA9NDE4ODEzJmQ9MjAyNjcxJm49YmxvZ2dlciZnPTImdD*mbz*2ZDJlMTMwMmJkYTU*YWQ1YTcxYzg2YjE5YzA3ZWZiNg==.gif" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28227108.post-70052076086053141382008-12-07T00:55:00.001-05:002008-12-07T02:08:35.127-05:00Happy Holidays!<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/STtugZhP0mI/AAAAAAAAAVY/Mb3Tg3bR9eI/s1600-h/scan0005-sm.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 217px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/STtugZhP0mI/AAAAAAAAAVY/Mb3Tg3bR9eI/s320/scan0005-sm.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5276932891279872610" /></a>I realize it's been forever (well, since September anyway) since I've had any time to post and I do apologize! This has been an incredibly hectic term at work and we've also been busy with Alivia's doctor appointments, vacation travel, and, of course, Livi's school. <br /><br />This week I'm wrapping up three of the four classes I had on my teaching schedule for this term. I can't believe how much work it was keeping up with the grading and the discussion boards for these classes! It's been really crazy! I'm hoping things will slow down at least a bit after the new year... Since Spring is generally my busiest time at work, we'll just have to wait and see how that works out! Ha!<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/STtvZHGIVWI/AAAAAAAAAWA/g9GltJ0vNlw/s1600-h/dolphin.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 227px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/STtvZHGIVWI/AAAAAAAAAWA/g9GltJ0vNlw/s320/dolphin.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5276933865586840930" /></a>Back in October we went on a wonderful cruise with my parents and some of our friends who are also families formed by adoption--the group we get together with each year in St. Louis. Alivia, Grace and Kelly all got along great, as usual, and had a wonderful time! We did a dolphin encounter that was so much fun for the girls! We moms all tried scuba diving--tried is the operative word there. Let's just say that it's not a hobby I'm going to be taking up. I did okay during the initial training session, but when it came to the deep water dive, my ears wouldn't clear and I couldn't go down past about 15 feet. I ended up injuring one of my ear drums and I never did get what I would call "comfortable" being under water like that. I'd much rather stay in the boat and drink margaritas...<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/STtugS_y4rI/AAAAAAAAAVg/l6WcL3kXBR0/s1600-h/scan0006-sm.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 230px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/STtugS_y4rI/AAAAAAAAAVg/l6WcL3kXBR0/s320/scan0006-sm.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5276932889528951474" /></a>Alivia is still loving school. She adores her teachers and get's excited every morning when it's time to leave. And she's got a boyfriend! She and one of the boys in her class, Brandon, are "an item". It's so funny to watch them together. They insist on sitting by each other at lunch, they play together, talk all the time... it's the cutest thing! He's in a wheelchair (cerebral palsy, I believe) and let's her climb all over him and ride with him on the back of his chair. They're just adorable together. Even the teachers comment on it all the time. <br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/STtvZZTcWuI/AAAAAAAAAWQ/erEaqye965E/s1600-h/scan0008-sm.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 210px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/STtvZZTcWuI/AAAAAAAAAWQ/erEaqye965E/s320/scan0008-sm.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5276933870474517218" /></a>We are dealing with some behavioral issues at school, though. Livi just can't seem to resist biting. We're trying some new ideas to try to nip her nipping, but so far we aren't seeing much success. We actually have a team of about eight people working on this right now! She also likes to pull hair, but they've given the other kids hats to wear which seems to block that activity pretty well. <br /><br />She also has difficulty sitting still and paying attention and the teacher has asked about having her medicated for ADHD, but we're not going to go that route. Livi's still having problems gaining weight and the drugs for ADHD kill the appetite. Not the direction we want to go for her at all! I think her attention span can be managed by behavior therapy so we're working on that right now, too. Academically, Livi is doing well, it's just the behavioral stuff that's a problem at the moment.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/STtvZRrGz4I/AAAAAAAAAWI/hXVfurhOdW4/s1600-h/scan0007-sm.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 223px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/STtvZRrGz4I/AAAAAAAAAWI/hXVfurhOdW4/s320/scan0007-sm.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5276933868426284930" /></a>I got Livi's holiday photos done--and I'm delighted with how they turned out! She can photograph so beautifully! She's still so tiny that most people are shocked to find out she's almost 3 and half years old now. Of course, in photos it's hard to tell how small she is, but she's still wearing 18 month sizes in most things. She's the smallest kid in her class--and probably always will be.<br /><br />I decided not to do a Santa photo this year, although Livi has been to see Santa twice. She never seems to photograph well in those rushed kind of situations. She really needs a photographer who can take his/her time with her and then we can get wonderful photos like these. I'm looking forward to the photogenic baby contest again this year for that very reason. The photographers they use really seem to know how to engage the kids and the photos we got from them last year were great!<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/STtugH2z3_I/AAAAAAAAAVA/aAT0wKZ-WHU/s1600-h/scan0002-sm.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 226px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/STtugH2z3_I/AAAAAAAAAVA/aAT0wKZ-WHU/s320/scan0002-sm.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5276932886538477554" /></a>Mom, Dad, Livi and I are planning a little jaunt up to Savannah over the holidays. We're going to go to Lady and Sons Restaurant and tour the historic district. That will be a nice little break. Otherwise we plan to take it easy and relax. I've got all my Christmas shopping done--most of it was done online--and now I just have to get everything put together and wrapped. I'm SO looking forward to Christmas this year! Livi is now starting to "get the hang of it" so to speak. She loves seeing Santa and is excited about getting presents. It's going to be so much fun!<br /><br /><em>~ Jeana</em><br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/STtugT--1DI/AAAAAAAAAVQ/Z3lWHnawpdU/s1600-h/scan0004-sm.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 229px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/STtugT--1DI/AAAAAAAAAVQ/Z3lWHnawpdU/s320/scan0004-sm.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5276932889793975346" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/STtugNg2Q1I/AAAAAAAAAVI/QXqr5KsKnzs/s1600-h/scan0003-sm.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 230px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/STtugNg2Q1I/AAAAAAAAAVI/QXqr5KsKnzs/s320/scan0003-sm.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5276932888056972114" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28227108.post-28939174555976680952008-09-04T22:28:00.000-04:002008-09-04T22:40:17.973-04:00September Already?Where did the summer go? <br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SMCby5mLZsI/AAAAAAAAAPA/02_7XH9_F4M/s1600-h/train.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SMCby5mLZsI/AAAAAAAAAPA/02_7XH9_F4M/s320/train.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5242361265015973570" /></a>Alivia, contrary to all my fears, absolutely LOVES school! She hasn't cried one single day at this school, and she cried EVERY day when I took her to daycare. It's a nice change! She's also getting chattier every day and mastering new skills, too! She's even started singing along with the music in the car! (I've been trying to get her to do that for months!)<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SMCbzJB8SWI/AAAAAAAAAPI/JH2AiaPavls/s1600-h/carousel.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SMCbzJB8SWI/AAAAAAAAAPI/JH2AiaPavls/s320/carousel.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5242361269158955362" /></a>I'm busier than a postman at Christmas these days--I'm teaching three classes (with a fourth to be added in November) in addition to my regular 9-5 stuff. Plus there's all the post-storm cleanup and the storms just seem to keep coming and coming. Thankfully Hanna has stayed off shore, but Ike looks rather threatening at the moment. And I'm hoping the storms will die down by the time of our cruise in just one month.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SMCbzen5iuI/AAAAAAAAAPQ/R6A2KdFVQPQ/s1600-h/carousel2.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SMCbzen5iuI/AAAAAAAAAPQ/R6A2KdFVQPQ/s320/carousel2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5242361274955303650" /></a>These lovely photos were taken by my friend Justin at different times over the last few months. The one on the train is from July 4th when we went downtown to see the fireworks. The others are from a few weeks ago at the zoo. If it's nice enough this weekend I'm going to try to take Livi to the zoo again. She loves it there! The last couple days have been a little more pleasant with comfortable temps and only a little rain. Here's hoping that holds for a few more days.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SMCbzkJ1NyI/AAAAAAAAAPY/lENVvONkg-k/s1600-h/water.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SMCbzkJ1NyI/AAAAAAAAAPY/lENVvONkg-k/s320/water.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5242361276439803682" /></a>Mom and I have already figured out Livi's Halloween costume for this year. She's going to be a ballerina. She has the cutest little tutu outfit. We also picked up a Princess Belle (Disney's Beauty and the Beast) gown for her, but it's a bit too big. It should do well next year, though! Of course, by then I hope to have a few other Disney costumes for her, too. Playing dress up is so much fun!<br /><br />~ JeanaUnknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28227108.post-88310523028900760572008-08-18T22:30:00.000-04:002008-08-18T22:39:07.842-04:00First Day of School<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SKoyMse8c4I/AAAAAAAAAOw/wNJn2nVZwpI/s1600-h/school.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SKoyMse8c4I/AAAAAAAAAOw/wNJn2nVZwpI/s320/school.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5236052710452392834" /></a>Today was Alivia's first day of school! Granted, she's in a Pre-K3 program, but it is at the regular elementary school with kids all the way to 5th grade! She's probably the tiniest student at the school. We took the obligatory first day of school photo--Livi wasn't too excited about having her picture taken first thing in the morning... Dropping her off for the first day was a lot harder on me than on her, too. She seemed enthralled with the new sights and people. Gran and Papa picked her up after school and said she was happy to see them (translation--she was more than ready to go HOME.) We'll see how she acts when I drop her off tomorrow... I have a feeling it won't go quite as smoothly as today did.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SKoyMzTic_I/AAAAAAAAAO4/OB8DVCvdP80/s1600-h/teaparty.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SKoyMzTic_I/AAAAAAAAAO4/OB8DVCvdP80/s320/teaparty.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5236052712283599858" /></a>Here's another photo from our trip to St. Louis last month. Livi was in her element playing tea party! I think purple is a pretty good color for her, too... In other news, Livi had eye surgery last week. It went pretty well results-wise, but she's been very "needy" ever since. Or maybe she's just coming in to the terrible 2s-3s. It's hard to tell.<br /><br />Only 7 more weeks until our cruise... Can't wait!<br /><br />~ JeanaUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28227108.post-73187317354802952712008-07-15T22:34:00.000-04:002008-07-15T22:39:39.757-04:00The CHI Annual Picnic Weekend<a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SH1fOBWJ0QI/AAAAAAAAAOY/vgsHJIC_LX0/s1600-h/DSCN1160_0128_128-sm.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SH1fOBWJ0QI/AAAAAAAAAOY/vgsHJIC_LX0/s320/DSCN1160_0128_128-sm.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223435837303804162" /></a>Alivia and I made it home late this afternoon after a long and exciting weekend in St. Louis with our friends Christy, Cindy, Katie, Kelly and Grace. We had a fantastic time and I've got a lot of pictures to upload, but I'm going to have to do a quick drive by post now with just a few and catch up with details and more pics later. I'm exhausted! So... please enjoy these few while I recover... <a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SH1fOcx-ZAI/AAAAAAAAAOg/jfl2zHeZJDE/s1600-h/DSCN1075_0199_199-sm.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SH1fOcx-ZAI/AAAAAAAAAOg/jfl2zHeZJDE/s320/DSCN1075_0199_199-sm.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223435844668253186" /></a>The one of the three girls all dressed up is from our tea party on Monday. The other two are at the CHI picnic when Livi and Grace couldn't resist joining in with the dancers. Too cute! Enjoy!<a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SH1fOvu_0zI/AAAAAAAAAOo/VAPXS29O0pA/s1600-h/DSCN1077_0197_197-sm.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SH1fOvu_0zI/AAAAAAAAAOo/VAPXS29O0pA/s320/DSCN1077_0197_197-sm.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223435849756037938" /></a><br /><br /><em>~ Jeana</em>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28227108.post-87929609825672424212008-07-06T22:38:00.000-04:002008-07-06T22:51:53.431-04:00Happy Birthday, Dear Livi...Saturday was Alivia's 3rd birthday! We celebrated on Friday with Livi's first fireworks outing. She thought riding the train (the elevated railway that runs around downtown Jacksonville) was the best thing she'd ever done. It was all she could talk about the rest of the night... She enjoyed the fireworks, as well, but the train was the best! <br /><br /><a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SHGEpgz9aGI/AAAAAAAAAOI/KyYjKGFcFz4/s1600-h/DSCN1028.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SHGEpgz9aGI/AAAAAAAAAOI/KyYjKGFcFz4/s320/DSCN1028.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220099291816487010" /></a>Saturday we both slept in and then spent the late morning and early afternoon running around town looking for Blue's Clues items for her birthday celebration. The Party City near us has quit carrying them, and we had to go to two other stores before we found any. Fortunately they did have the main thing I wanted--handy, dandy notebooks! We also got a bobble-head blue for her cake topper. After we finished our shopping we went the long way home and stopped at a park we had passed on our way to one of the shops. I wish I'd had my camera there--it's a great park and Livi had a blast. The whole thing is castle-themed--you enter through the castle gates and it's divided into several courtyard areas--each with swings, slides, climbing equipment, etc. There were several families there, but it felt like we had the place to ourselves the way everything was arranged. Really cool!<br /><br /><a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SHGEqONUzUI/AAAAAAAAAOQ/pLy4C5yVKDg/s1600-h/DSCN1032.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SHGEqONUzUI/AAAAAAAAAOQ/pLy4C5yVKDg/s320/DSCN1032.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220099304002473282" /></a>After Livi's nap we headed over to Gran's and Papa's house for her birthday celebration. We cooked hot dogs on the grill and had ice cream cake. Livi really liked her new car--although she kept trying to drive it Fred Flintstone style instead of using the pedals. Too cute! She also loved the card Gran gave her--a musical one that played "Dancing in the Streets." She played it over and over again.<br /><br />Overall, a nice birthday weekend for my little girl! <br /><br /><em>~ Jeana</em>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28227108.post-60957893731411871482008-06-21T21:51:00.000-04:002008-06-22T15:30:19.597-04:00My Little Gymnast<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SF22X1uD_MI/AAAAAAAAANw/x6iHvs8VJ40/s1600-h/DSCN0986.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SF22X1uD_MI/AAAAAAAAANw/x6iHvs8VJ40/s320/DSCN0986.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5214524464238427330" /></a>Livi is now taking gymnastics classes. It's a parent-child class that allows me to work with her as she is not yet ready for an independent class. It's a lot of fun for both of us. If I could just get her to quit pulling the other kids' hair, it would be great! Surprisingly, for a kid who has balance issues, Livi does really well on the balance beam. She just trots from one end to the other, turns and trots right back. She is great with the tumbling activities, too. She has significant upper body strength, but tends to let go of the bar when we try to turn her over on the parallels, but I have no doubt she'll do well with those, too, once she realizes she needs to hold on.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SF23SL99dyI/AAAAAAAAAN4/kplXvXR0HIs/s1600-h/DSCN0987.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SF23SL99dyI/AAAAAAAAAN4/kplXvXR0HIs/s320/DSCN0987.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5214525466643101474" /></a>Interestingly, tonight the US gymnastics trials were on television. Livi was riveted! Every flip got an exclamation of "Oh, gosh!" (Where she got that from, I haven't a clue!) When they would pause and throw up their arms, she would throw up hers. At the end of each routine she'd jump up and start doing tumbles across the floor. She was so excited by it and literally followed every move they made. It was incredible to watch.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SF23UCDkkZI/AAAAAAAAAOA/ivv_sLW21HQ/s1600-h/DSCN0985.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SF23UCDkkZI/AAAAAAAAAOA/ivv_sLW21HQ/s320/DSCN0985.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5214525498342019474" /></a>Later this week Livi and I are driving up to Atlanta. Livi is going to stay with my aunt there while I audition for Who Wants to be a Millionaire. It would be so cool to get on that show and win some money! Wish me luck!<br /><br />Livi also starts back at daycare this week... My mother is having surgery on her hand and won't be able to watch her for about a month. Livi's not going to like it, but it's got to be done. Thankfully, because of other things we have going on, she'll only be there three days each week.<br /><br />Hope everyone is having a great weekend!<br /><br /><em>~ Jeana</em>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28227108.post-47537806735675995822008-06-11T19:38:00.000-04:002008-06-11T19:54:04.000-04:00Rain Rain Go Away...<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SFBk0m7BPRI/AAAAAAAAANo/eGGZBOqtyl0/s1600-h/princess2.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SFBk0m7BPRI/AAAAAAAAANo/eGGZBOqtyl0/s320/princess2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5210775623831731474" /></a>The weather has been simply awful lately! If it's not so bleeping hot and humid that we can hardly stand to go outside, it's pouring rain! I know we need the rain, but why can't it rain late at night and give us the evening to enjoy the pool and the slide? Grrrrr!!!!!<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SFBkzAXG43I/AAAAAAAAANg/6vDiZgIZZFg/s1600-h/princess1.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SFBkzAXG43I/AAAAAAAAANg/6vDiZgIZZFg/s320/princess1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5210775596300690290" /></a>Livi had an appointment today with a genetics doctor. She agrees with us that Livi is most likely an FAS child. She is going to test for some other things, too, though. The appointment went well--I like this doctor and she talked to me like an equal, which was nice. Yesterday we had an appointment with Livi's developmental specialist. He was very encouraging this time--said he could see that Livi had made a lot of progress since he saw her in October. That was great to hear. I mean, we know she has made considerable progress, but it was really nice to hear his professional confirmation of it.<br /><br />This weekend Livi will be starting gymnastics and dance lessons. It's a program that was designed for the developmentally challenged child and focuses on building confidence and ability. They also say they can help improve her attention, listening skills, and ability to follow instructions. We'll see how *that* goes!<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SFBkw0zsZzI/AAAAAAAAANY/YSnc4m9ifNM/s1600-h/glamrock.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SFBkw0zsZzI/AAAAAAAAANY/YSnc4m9ifNM/s320/glamrock.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5210775558839625522" /></a>I'm taking lots of photos lately--trying to get a few good ones to send in with her post placement report. I thought these were really cute! Livi was trying out her princess look and her glam rocker look. She's such a little cutie!<br /><br /><em>~ Jeana</em>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28227108.post-90216359197443035062008-06-06T22:18:00.000-04:002008-06-07T21:33:01.540-04:00Summer of Insanity<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SEs2IGa3_hI/AAAAAAAAANI/9Gqy-qVFpWo/s1600-h/DSCN0768.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SEs2IGa3_hI/AAAAAAAAANI/9Gqy-qVFpWo/s320/DSCN0768.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5209316906774298130" /></a>So far this is looking to be one heck of a summer! Livi and I have been extraordinarily busy lately and it doesn't look to be slowing down any time soon. In the past month we have had Livi tested for school (cognitive, psychological, speech, occupational and physical evaluations), we have enclosed part of the backyard to make a play area for Livi, terraced that area so we could put up a swimming pool, pulled up a couple rows of hedges (roots and all!), planted several new flower beds, taken a long weekend vacation in Georgia to visit family, went to Canaveral to see the space shuttle launch, rebuilt the deck, and killed the front lawn (we're getting ready to put in a sprinkler system and resod...)<br /><br />Livi actually is a pretty good "helper". She loves to get right in the middle of whatever it is I'm working on, but can be entertained well enough with simple tasks to keep her from slowing me down too much. She loves to "clean up" after mommy and has her own Livi-sized broom and everything. I'm going to try to get some more pictures of her this weekend to post here--I need them for our post placement report anyway. We just had our visit from the social worker this past week and will be sending that off soon. It's hard to believe that our two year anniversary is coming up!<br /><br />I had, after much searching as reported in a previous post, decided on a private pre-school for Livi. Then I started debating whether to send her to school this year at all. She's not potty trained and has no interest in it at all and she loves the time with my mother and is thriving there. Livi is still receiving therapies (OT, PT, speech and early intervention services) from Early Steps until the end of this month, though, and they asked if we would consider having her tested by ChildFind to see if she qualifies for the State's ESE (special education) program. I agreed and she was tested and has qualified for their full program which will enable us to receive speech, OT and PT for as long as she needs it at no charge while she is in the school system here. So... now it looks like Livi will be going to pre-school in the Fall--and at one of the State's "A" schools (top-rated by the State and by the parents.)<br /><br />I have a meeting with ChildFind in a few weeks to go over all the details, but I'm very pleased with what I know so far. It will be a M-F 8:30-3:00 program with a max of 6 children per teacher. They will work on all the usual pre-school stuff, but also provide her with the OT, PT and speech therapies she needs. They will also work on special skills like potty training, dressing herself, and otherwise helping her become more self-sufficient. The goal is to have her ready to go to kindergarten with her peers with the option of continuing any therapies she may still need. I'm hopeful that they will help us come up with a sensory diet that works for her and that her socialization skills will improve, as well.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SEs2IgJD5YI/AAAAAAAAANQ/jGDnmg2sq1A/s1600-h/evileye.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SEs2IgJD5YI/AAAAAAAAANQ/jGDnmg2sq1A/s320/evileye.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5209316913678902658" /></a> On a lighter note, Livi and I had a fun day today (I'm off on Fridays in the summer and we try to make the most of all those three day weekends.) We lazed around the house in the morning, but this afternoon we went to the park and fed a huge flock of ducks and geese, played on the swings, and just enjoyed being outside. Tomorrow I plan for us to do a little shopping and then go swimming in the afternoon. Maybe a visit to the zoo next weekend...<br /><br />I hope everyone else is enjoying their summer as much as we are! <br /><br /><em>~Jeana</em>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28227108.post-6436044264054328952008-04-20T19:26:00.000-04:002008-04-20T19:39:43.061-04:00Spring Time<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SAvUF23wU5I/AAAAAAAAAMw/1D1qdiAKjw4/s1600-h/mirror.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SAvUF23wU5I/AAAAAAAAAMw/1D1qdiAKjw4/s320/mirror.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5191476192568431506" /></a>These last four weeks have flown by. My conference was this past week and both Livi and I survived... barely. I have to say that in some ways this was the roughest one I've ever had to deal with--and all because of one of the keynote speakers. It actually went very smoothly in all other aspects, but I had to deal with a major ego and came close to losing my temper more than once. Thankfully, I managed to hold on, but it was a close thing... Between that and going several days without my Livi fix... well, let's just say that I'm very glad that it's over and the next one is a year away! Speaking of Livi--she's really enjoying being a little girl lately. Here's a photo of her primping in front of our cheval mirror.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SAvUGG3wU6I/AAAAAAAAAM4/pi7iFXNx4FQ/s1600-h/shoes1.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SAvUGG3wU6I/AAAAAAAAAM4/pi7iFXNx4FQ/s320/shoes1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5191476196863398818" /></a>She's also discovered the joys of trying to walk in mommy's shoes. She actually did quite well. I was surprised. It might have been a bit easier if she'd selected a matching pair and worn them on the correct feet, but still... I also bought her a pair of platform shoes in her size and she again surprised me by walking in them very well. It only took her a few steps to get the hang of it.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SAvUGW3wU7I/AAAAAAAAANA/kelEdRfkGPw/s1600-h/shoes2.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/SAvUGW3wU7I/AAAAAAAAANA/kelEdRfkGPw/s320/shoes2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5191476201158366130" /></a>This week we will be meeting with a neurologist to get the full run down on the results of her MRI from last January. I'm hoping he will be able to give us some ideas on things we can work on to assist her brain with it's re-routing of processes. She is doing well, though, even without the expert intervention. She has managed to overcome almost all of the motor skills issues and we are now focusing on speech and self-care skills. I'm hoping the decision-making skills will improve as she gets a little older, too. She seems to have very little control over impulses.<br /><br />I hope to post more photos soon! In the meantime, enjoy!<br /><br /><em>~ Jeana</em>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28227108.post-49432084659918430032008-03-23T19:40:00.000-04:002008-03-23T19:54:32.191-04:00Happy Easter 2008!<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/R-brpTp-gJI/AAAAAAAAAMI/3F0dPEdv0tw/s1600-h/ape.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/R-brpTp-gJI/AAAAAAAAAMI/3F0dPEdv0tw/s320/ape.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5181087516219834514" /></a>Sorry for the long delay since the last post. This time of year is always a busy one for me and it's even tougher this year as I'm teaching three classes in addition to my regular job at the college. Livi and I are both doing great, though, and I wanted to share some recent photos. This first one is from the zoo a couple weeks ago. The gentleman holding her is Chris--one of the nicest men I think I've ever met. Livi simply adores him, too!<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/R-brqDp-gKI/AAAAAAAAAMQ/CQ6-g7QTLbY/s1600-h/easter1.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/R-brqDp-gKI/AAAAAAAAAMQ/CQ6-g7QTLbY/s320/easter1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5181087529104736418" /></a>Alivia looked quite the little lady in her Easter dress. She's such a fun child to dress--everything looks so cute on her! I hope it remains that way as she grows up. I also actually got her to pose for a photo before we went to Gran's and she smiled and kept her eyes open! It's a rare shot, so enjoy!<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/R-btFDp-gLI/AAAAAAAAAMY/8p0shH8B_78/s1600-h/easter2.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/R-btFDp-gLI/AAAAAAAAAMY/8p0shH8B_78/s320/easter2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5181089092472832178" /></a>These other photos are all from today--Easter. Livi had a great time hunting for Easter eggs at Gran's house--especially when she discovered that there was candy and money hidden inside them. She had to open each one of them as she found them to see what was inside. It was cute! <br /><br />Here are a couple others. Enjoy!<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/R-btFjp-gMI/AAAAAAAAAMg/MOQI086QlWU/s1600-h/easter3.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/R-btFjp-gMI/AAAAAAAAAMg/MOQI086QlWU/s320/easter3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5181089101062766786" /></a><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/R-btFzp-gNI/AAAAAAAAAMo/3YAjVMcEdJ4/s1600-h/easter4.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_mQw4ip6QDbA/R-btFzp-gNI/AAAAAAAAAMo/3YAjVMcEdJ4/s320/easter4.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5181089105357734098" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3