Imma's Teeth Are Having Babies

Imma thinks that A) Her teeth are going to have babies or B) A baby is going to come out of her mouth.

She is a little confused over the loss of her first two teeth.

They came out within about ten minutes of each other a couple of weeks ago. I've never heard of that happening before. Both of her bottom, middle teeth. And she literally lost both of them. The first one we think she may have swallowed. The second one she was playing with and we couldn't find it.

But the tooth fairy came anyway. She brought her a dollar and a new swim suite. Imma was proud to have both.

She was really upset at first.  She didn't understand that teeth are supposed to come out.  She thought she would never have teeth their again. She kept asking everyone if they had babies, too, if their teeth had come out, if their teeth were big or little, etc.  In the last few weeks, she has probably asked me if she could look at my teeth about 50 times a day.  She still doesn't quite understand, but she can see her new teeth coming in now so at least she isn't worried that she's going to have a gaping hole in her mouth for the rest of her life.

I tried to take a picture but she didn't quite understand that either. These are our attempts.

You can see the new teeth popping through in the bottom/middle.

You can't really see anything at all in this picture, except for a silly girl.

Does anyone else have experience explaining tooth loss to a special needs child?  What worked for you? What didn't work?  What misconceptions did your child have?

To My Precious Daughter On Her Birthday

Dear Imma,
Many years from now, I hope that you can look back upon this post and know just how much you are loved and cherished.  This year has been one of tremendous growth for you.  I can't tell you how extremely proud I am of all you have accomplished. You continue to amaze me each day with your enthusiasm, curiosity, and perseverance. It is impossible for anyone to meet you and not instantly fall in love with your beautiful smile and your loving spirit.
This year, you graduated from kindergarten. You proved you could accomplish anything with your determination and hard work.  You made lots of new friends, started reading, learned that "1 + 1 eagles 2" and you love to write. It warms my heart to see you hug your friends good-bye at the end of the day and I love it when you come in after lunch, throw down your lunch box, hug me and bound back to class.  School was so much more fun knowing you were just down the hallway.  You learned to keep your hands--and your teeth--to yourself and you learned to do uncanny impersonations of many of your teachers.
You have grown leaps and bounds in your ability to communicate.  You have gone from short phrases to complete sentences, asking and answering questions, explaining things, bringing up references from the past, and carrying on conversations. It's hard to remember that just a year ago, you couldn't really answer questions.  Now, you can answer just about anything.  I also love all of the questions you ask in your own special way. If you don't know someone's name you say, "I don't know what nat's (that's) name." Though abstracts are still extremely difficult, you are getting there. I see progress every day and we have gone from wishing you would speak to wondering if you will ever pause to take a breath.
You played softball this spring. Pawpaw would be so proud of you.  You were a part of a team and you worked with the other girls to accomplish a goal.  You are an amazing hitter and got several hits from the pitcher, as well as hitting off of the tee.  You would make funny, "wha, wha, wha" sounds when you missed that cracked everyone up.  Though you had to have a coach's help to run the bases, that's something we will continue to work on, as well as throwing the ball and not clumps of dirt.  To me, playing a sport was the true symbolism of doing something "normal" and you certainly did it this year.  Your coach even said she would be happy to have you on her team again next year and we are looking forward to that.
If I would let you, you would stay in the pool all day.  You love to swim.  This year, you've finally began to understand how to hold your breath, go underwater, and paddle.  Swimming lessons this summer have been extremely successful. I'm so proud of how well you have listened and I'm relieved that you no longer seem to think you can walk on water--although I certainly think you walk on water in many other ways.
You love Alice in Wonderland, Lizard of Oz, Roman (Despicable Me) Cinderella I and II, and The Backyardigans.  You love to read and often have a book in your bag.  You love to color, paint, draw, create.  You hate wearing dresses and shorts and having your hair brushed.  Your best friends are Peyton, Gracie, and Colton.  You love your dog Duke and you wish you had a horse named Peanut. You loved the Dumbo ride at Disney World but not the characters and you would "getta go water owl" every day if Great Wolf Lodge wasn't so expensive.
I love watching you play with your baby sister when you are being kind to each other.  You try to teach her things and she imitates so much of what you do.  She repeats your words and movements because she looks up to you.  I am so looking forward to seeing the two of you grow into lifelong best friends.
There are so many things that I love about you, I couldn't possibly list them all.  I think the one attribute I love the most is that you never complain about your differences. You never even seem to notice that most people don't have to work as hard as you do, everyone else understands, everyone else can say whatever the want. You just keep trying until you convey your point or until you know what to do. Sure, it has to be frustrating and we can see that sometimes but you just keep trying and persevering, no matter how difficult the situation is. That is an amazing quality to have and I hope it is one that I can help cultivate in you so that you can always be successful, no matter what obstacles you come across on your journey.
I have always known that you were an exceptional child, a soul with a purpose.  Sometimes I have questioned my abilities to guide you as a mother but I've never regretted being chosen for this most important of roles.  Each day we grow closer to meeting your potential. I  pray for strength and guidance so that I can help you fulfill all that God has planned for your extraordinary life.
You are a beautiful child, a generous spirit, a loving soul.  I am so  very blessed to be your mother.  May your seventh year be filled with love, laughter, learning, and abundant life.
Love,
Mommy

Imma and two of her best friends at the zoo

Imma changes into her "nother one clothes" the second she walks in the door.

I find lots of self-portraits on my phone.

We had Imma's birthday party in May so that friends from school could make it. It was Alice in Wonderland themed.  Imma loves cake!

The Peacock Purse

Imma got a purse for her birthday with a peacock on it that she can color herself.  She loves it. She takes it everywhere with her.  She picks up random items and puts them inside.  One day, we found an ipod, a swim suite, and a civil war history book.  I guess she was going to the beach.  In Manassas.
However, we had a little issue today.
Imma insisted on taking the bag to swimming lessons and she left it on the patio at her teacher's house.  We didn't realize this until we were home and Lucy was taking a nap.
She actually handled it better than I thought she would. She was upset but she didn't actually cry.
Luckily, Daddy was able to stop by and pick it up on the way home from work.  Catastrophe averted!
Something tells me this might not be the last time we lose the peacock bag if we're not exceptionally careful!
What items do your children insist on taking with them?  Have you ever lost one?  What did you do?

Imma's bag, which she colored herself, exactly like the one pictured on the box. It was pretty extraordinary to watch her do this., ask her Uncle Cristian! He was blown away watching her color all of the intricate parts by glancing at the drawing.

Let's Catch Up!

So, it's been a while since I've posted. We've been busy with the end of school, end of baseball, end of dance, end of cribs, end of bottles. Yes, that's right--end of bottles.  I know, I know, Lucy's almost three, she should have let go of that bottle years ago. But anyone who was around when we were taking Imma's bottle away can completely understand why no one would ever want to go through that twice.  So, Lucy got to hang on to hers a little longer than most.  But the Bottle Fairy finally came a few nights ago and she's been sans bottle ever since. She's been pretty upset the last couple of days but I think we are starting to see the light--maybe.
She is also sleeping in a big girl bed now, which she loves.  We bought her mattress and side rails this weekend.  She also got a new owl bedspread which is right up her alley. So far, she's happily climbed in bed for naps and at bedtime and hasn't gotten out.
Imma graduated from kindergarten.  It was a bitter sweet moment for mommy.  It's been so nice to be at the same school all year. I've gotten to see her grow and blossom. She'll still be at the same school as me next year but there's something a little less magical about first grade compared to kindergarten--no offense, first  grade teachers, I've taught both.
We were sad and happy--mostly happy--to see softball end.  She had amazing coaches and she even got to lead off the last game by batting first, but it was such a struggle.  Her coach said she would love to have her on her team next year, which is awesome.  We will have to work on a few things, like running to first and not throwing dirt or taking the ball away from your teammate in the middle of a play.
I already posted about Lucy's dance recital.  I was absolutely thrilled with how well she did.  Both girls will be taking dance in July with Lucy's teacher, Ms. Lexi at Dance Techniques in Rockwall.  I'm looking forward to seeing how Imma does. She did really great last year.
The girls are taking swimming lessons this summer with one of our amazing kindergarten teachers at Safe Swim in Sachse.  I put them in private lessons so it's only four sessions, but it's completely one-on-one with a seasoned swim instructor.  Today was class two and both girls did really well.  They came home and swam in our little pool and Imma was actually going under water without worrying about getting water in her nose or anything like that. This is actually Imma's third year of lessons (You'll remember the "there's something wrong with your kid" story from year 2) and I didn't ever think she was going to understand that A) You can't breath water and B) You can't walk on water. But with her teacher this year, she seems to be getting it.
We are going to Florida next week.  This will be our third trip to Amelia Island. We went there right after Lucy was born and once before we were even thinking of having children.  I loved our room last time, perfect ocean view, so we decided to stay in the same place. Last time we were there, Imma was as sick as she has ever been in her life.  Hopefully, we won't have that happen again.  Imma is looking forward to flying on the airplane to the beach.
Imma is really looking forward to another stay at "Water Owl" or Great Wolf Lodge as most people call it.  We will be staying there for Lucy's birthday. I think Imma loves it more than Disney World and would live there if we would let her.
I'm also trying to get a lot of new items made/listed this summer. I feel like I've been spending more time with the family and less time working on my stuff, which is good  for the fam but not so great for business.  I started Glitter and Tulle Boutique as a way to distract myself from my dad's death and it's been a great way to occupy my mind, but now that I am not quite as upset as I was, I want to make sure I continue to grow the business because I have worked so hard and I love it so much.  I've made a lot of sales and more importantly, I've been able to make a lot of people happy with items I have created.  That's an awesome feeling.  I'm expanding my crafts and listing more types of items, such as cards, dresses, and party decor, so theoretically, that could expand my clientele.  I would really like to open a brick-and-mortar boutique someday so I'm hoping to get some major work done this summer while still focusing on my kids.
We are going to keep working on school this summer as well. I have work to do and Imma has work to do. Now that we've got the behavior well in check and the processing is coming along, we've got to get the reading up to speed.  She needs to stop being afraid to try and just work through the words she doesn't know.  I see her comprehension starting to come along, which is awesome, even though I'm still petrified about state mandated testing in third grade, which is looming ever closer. I subscribed both girls to abcmouse.com for the summer and they really love it though I need to get Lucy started on her curriculum. She really loves "abcd's!"
What are your plans for the summer?  Do you have any family time planned?  Any vacations? What's the one thing you are really hoping you can get accomplished before the summer ends?

Imma's softball picture.  This girl can hit the ball!

Kindergarten graduation! 

The whole family--photo courtesy of Lucy's other mommy, Amy!

Last lunch as a kindergartner, with our sweet little friend Sarah.

Water babies!  You'll recall we had a redneck/car port swimming pool last year.  This year, it's on the back patio instead.

The Bottle Fairy brought Lucy a new princess dress (pardon our mess!)

Lucy chasing the ducks in a park while we waited for her turn at swim lessons. She was kissing her hand and saying, "Here duck, duck ,duck!"

Lucy's Dance Recital

I sat in the crowded theater, anxiously awaiting the moment that the curtains would swish back, the music would start, and my beautiful little princess would begin dancing the piece she had been practicing for so long.  Beside me, a squirmy five year old reminded me that she had been sitting a very long time. There was a chill in the air, restless mommy's across the aisles glanced nervously at their watches, wondering how much longer.  And then, at last, the curtains opened to tiny ballerinas sitting nervously on the stage, staring at their dance teacher through the over-whelming glare of oh-so-bright lights. As the song, "April Showers," from Bambi began to play, the familiarity registered on those precious  faces. Some began to sway, others began to cry, one literally tried to crawl off of the stage.  But not my Lucy.  No, despite the anarchy surrounding her, my little ballerina danced.  She danced, and danced, and danced.  One other small tot did her best to stay focused, but she, like the rest became frozen, much like their title character in the proverbial headlights.  Around me, I heard other mothers quietly begging, pleading with their children, "Come on honey, dance! Do it, just dance!"  But their little princesses were too far away to hear and in this case, where there was a will, there was simply no way.  Those little angels were overwhelmed and dancing was the furthest thing from their minds.
Despite the lack of actual dancing in this number, a the end of the recital, these sweet babies were brought back out on stage to do the dance again. Apparently, there was a technical glitch with the lighting and the pre-purchased DVD was going to be extremely disappointing if the girls did not recreate their, uhm, dance.  The second time was perhaps even more devastating than the first. Terrified little girls shrieked, some refused to budge and were scooted into position.  One lone child ran around the back of the stage as if she had just consumed an entire bowl of sugar.  And Lucy?  Well, she danced.  She danced like a pro!  She danced even better than she had the first time! She was amazing! It was as if she were born to dance! I am sure that every mother was extremely proud of her daughter's efforts. There were some amazing pieces, some exquisite costumes, some enchanting numbers. But, at the end of that recital, I guarantee no one's mother was more proud than I was of Lone Lucy's. She was a little star! And while I have also been the proud parent of the shrieking child who refuses to get on stage--and I would have been very proud of Lucy if that is what would have happened this time as well--I must say, it was an amazing feeling to see my child shine up there. We can't wait to get that pre-purchased DVD.

Dancing Lucy! I know lighting is terrible but you can see what my baby is doing--dancing!

(Note to the reader--I am very proud of all of the girls in Lucy's dance troupe!  They all did an outstanding job and I am a firm believer that we should always be proud of our children's efforts, whether they dance or whether they are only brave enough to go out on stage.  To be only two and standing on stage in front of hundreds of people is quite an accomplishment! Way to go girls!!)

With the princesses before the recital.

Has it Been a Year Already?

It doesn't really seem possible that it has been a year since my dad passed away.  Technically, the anniversary is this Sunday, May 19th, but I am fairly certain that he actually died on May 18th, which was a Friday last year.  So, in my head and in my heart, it's been a year ago tomorrow.
For a few weeks leading up to my dad's death, I was constantly bugging Brian about going camping.  I really wanted to be outside for some reason.  I would go out at night to take out the dog and just stare at the lake. The frogs and insects were especially loud, the weather was beautiful.  It was all very peaceful outside and that's where I wanted to be. I haven't been camping since I was a little girl.  Dad used to take us from time to time and I was never really a fan.  But this time last year, that's all I could think about.
The Friday night that my dad died, I took Barkley out, stood and looked at the pond as usual, but I didn't feel right. My stomach was really bothering me.  I had a very uneasy feeling.  I decided to take a bath and see if I could calm down a little bit. But it didn't help. I just had a horrible feeling that something was going to happen to Lucy.  I was extremely worried about her. I know most mothers worry excessively over their children, but this was different. This was a feeling of dread, of overwhelming doom. I just couldn't shake it.
I have had these feelings from time to time in the past.  When I was almost 10, I was sitting in church one day and just had a horrible feeling that my grandpa was going to die. He did a few weeks later and ever since that happened, I've always paid careful attention to that feeling that something isn't right. I often think that, if I talk to someone about it, whatever I'm worried about can't possibly happen, because, after all, I'm not a fortune teller. From time to time, I would get that feeling that something bad was going to happen and I almost always talk to Brian about it. I remember telling him around Christmas Eve that I was nervous about 2012.  I told him that I didn't think it was going to be a good year. He joked that the Aztecs didn't think so either.  But then I told him I felt like someone was going to die that year. I was hoping that, by voicing my concerns, they would not come true. Unfortunately, this time, that was not the case.
For all of my feelings of uneasiness, however, I honestly never saw my dad's death coming. Of course I worried about him, he was getting older and had some serious health problems, but it never occurred to me that we were so short on time.  In fact, I was so obsessed that evening with the idea that something bad was going to happen to Lucy, it never crossed my mind that something terrible was happening to my dad.
My understanding is that he went out fishing that Friday evening, after having returned home from Sienna's graduation.  She never saw him, didn't even know he was there.  He was supposed to go to her house but he didn't, he drove home instead. My brother, Chris, saw him after he returned to Liberal.  He apparently came by the baseball diamond for a bit.  Then, he went home to get ready to go fishing.  As far as I know, no one saw him again until he was found in the pond the next morning by a sheriff's deputy.  My dad could not swim and was always concerned about drowning. I really can't think about how awful this must have been for him. It's too painful to think of how he may have suffered. I just have to hope that the heart attack was quick and that it was all over soon.
The next day, Saturday, May 19th, my mom called.  I was sitting on my bed with Imma watching her play a game when the phone rang.  I almost didn't answer it, but I decided to interrupt Imma's game because my mom doesn't call very often.I will never forget her exact words to me because they completely caught me off-guard. She said, "Levi died yesterday."  I remember every step of the mental process I went through to try to figure out what she had just said.  I remember thinking I had to have misheard her or she must have been talking about someone else named Levi because, surely, if she were talking about my dad, she would have said, "your dad," and she would have done something to prepare me for what she was about to tell me. So, I asked her to repeat herself.  After she said it again, I still had no idea what she was talking about.  My exact thoughts were something to the extent of, "My dad wouldn't die and not tell me about it," which clearly makes no sense, but that's what I was thinking.  I made her repeat it once more time before I asked, "Are you talking about my dad?" By then, my sister, McKinley, was ripping the phone out of my mom's hand and she began to explain the story, or at least what she knew at the time. No one was sure of anything.  I hung up with her and went to find Brian. He was outside. I remember having a horrible time breathing, sobbing, almost unable to talk.  He came in and called Chris.  There were a lot of phone calls made. No one knew where Kelley or Braidi were.  No one knew if they knew. No one knew much of anything.
Even though it's been a year, I still don't feel like I know much more about what happened to my dad that night then I knew that day on the phone.  Since that time, my family has started to crumble.  There's not a lot of glue to hold all us together. I'm doing the best I can but without a patriarch, it's difficult.  My brother, Chris, was outstanding during the whole funeral process and I think this has brought him and I closer together but it's hard to be in the position of oldest male in the family when there are so many of us. I am hopeful that we will all be able to stick together. I know that's what my dad wanted above all else. He talked to me about it often.
He talked about what would happen when he was gone all too frequently for someone who was only 55.  He was very nostalgic those last few years. Now that he is gone, I wish I would have asked more questions. I wish I would have written things down.  I catch myself thinking, "I need to ask Dad about that," all the time but, of course, I can't.
I have learned a lot of life lessons through this experience.  I've learned I'm stronger than I thought I was, I'm older than I thought I was, I'm wiser than I thought I was.  But, at the end of the day, I am, and always will be, a Daddy's Girl.
I often wonder if I was drawn to the pond for those weeks leading up to my dad's death because that's where he was when he passed. He loved fishing and being outside.  Some of my best memories are of him taking me fishing. In the end, he was doing something he loved when he died.  It's just completely unfair that he was so young.
I also wonder why I was so fixated on the idea that something was going to happen to Lucy.  It certainly occurred to me pretty quickly after my dad died that both of their names start with an L. In a way, I feel like he may have made some sort of a sacrifice to keep her safe.  That will sound ridiculous to some people but Lucy talks about PawPaw all the time. Lots of mornings, the first thing she says has to do with my dad. She even points across the room, as if he were there. I'm not saying she's seeing ghosts, but it is nice to think he is looking out for her. He's definitely still an important part of our lives, whether we can see him or not.
This weekend marks the last first--the last time we can say this is the first anything we've done since Dad died. I will be glad to have this year behind me. There have been moments of anger, moments of extreme sadness, moments of despair.  But there have been good moments, too. I have had a lot of support from my friends and family, and people I don't even know.  Those are the things that keep us going and moving forward. Sometimes it is difficult not to dwell on the question of "why?" but our loved ones help us realize it's not the "why?"hat matters--it's the "what now?"
This weekend will not be an easy one. I'm sure there will be moments of tears. There will be moments of celebrating memories of an amazing musician, faithful Christian, sports enthusiast, Civil-War-history-buff-extraordinaire, loving father.  Those are the things we remember most about my dad.  He touched so many lives in so many ways. I can only hope that, when I am gone, half as many people can say I was a positive influence on their lives.  He truly was an extra-ordinary person.

Imma's Unbirthday Party

I've been away for a while because I've been spending every spare moment on Imma's Unbirthday party.  Her actual birthday is not until June 13th but we wanted to have it early so that she could invite all of her friends from school.  I think it went really well!  We had a ton of friends over. The kids had so much fun in the petting zoo and bounce house.  The Candy Bar was also a huge hit.  I have to thank my husband, step-mom, little sister Braidi, and her boyfriend Cristian for all of their hard work the last few days in getting everything ready.   I'm sure I had a few moments of unpleasantness! It was a lot of planning, a lot of prep, a lot of craftiness, a lot of staging, a lot of decorating--and most importantly--a lot of fun! I will let the pictures tell the rest of the story. :)

The birthday girl in her Birthday Princess rhinestone bling t-shirt.

Getting ready to bounce.

One of Imma's best friends and little sister Lucy.

Braidi made a beautiful Alice.

Lucy and Alice, with Grandma looking on.

Lucy is getting tired!

The bounce house was a big hit!

Imma loved the petting zoo, even though she got bitten by a rooster.

Imma loved the birthday cake.

Photo props were a big hit!

Lucy was zonked out!

Pink popcorn boxes and Alice in Wonderland played in the movie room.

A few of the Queen of Hearts table for presents, and the Mad Hatter's Candy Bar from the cat walk.

Alice's photo area.

The photo prop basket with tutus, and the birthday girl.

The Candy Bar was a huge success!

The banner on the mantel reads, "Imma in Wonderland."

The kitchen area where the cake and snacks were ready to be eaten!!

Signs point the way to upstairs activities.

Imma's gorgeous birthday cake.

The banner on the cat walk read, "Happy Unbirthday!"

Cristian and Braidi blew up 144 balloons to line the street, driveway, and decorate the yard.

The sour gummy worms were the first to go!

Braidi made the playing cards banner that decorated the Queen of Hearts present table.

Two of the decorations on the cake table.

A cluster of balloons and pinwheels in the yard.

Imma says, "I'm ready for CAKE!"

Just a few of Imma's friends stopped by!

"Here goat, goat, goat!"

All herded in!

More candy!

View of the table before we set up the cake and "grass."

Another view of the petting zoo.

We waited until our friends went home to unwrap the presents.  Imma got so many wonderful gifts from her generous friends.

This was one of Imma's very favorite gifts!

We have lived in Nevada for almost two years now and we are steadily making more and more friends.  We are so blessed to have such wonderful children in Imma's class and at her school.  The parents are equally kind and supportive. If you've read much of my blog, you know that I believe it takes a village to successfully raise a child, especially one with special needs. We are very blessed to have these families as part of our new village!  I am looking forward to many years of play-dates, birthdays, and get-togethers with Imma's friends.

I'm so glad it's Mother's Day today so that I have a chance to rest! :)