Next Chapter

I have 5 1/2 more days left of this school year and then I will be a stay at home mom.  I don't know how long I will be able to stay home and not work out of the home, but I plan to enjoy it while I can!

Being a Special Education teacher has been a huge part of my life for the past 6 years.  It is extremely challenging and the most rewarding thing I had done until I became a mother.  As excited as I am to stay home with Austin, I am going to miss teaching so much.  I had my last IEP of the year (a meeting where we determine what kind of services that child will receive and the goals we will be working on for the year).  I assumed I would be elated after having this last meeting, but I was so sad.  This child made such amazing progress in one school year, I just want to know where she'll be in 1, 5, even 10 years from now.  The look on that parent's face when I reported her child's progress was unforgettable.  Those are the moments I will truly miss. Knowing that the work I do all day really does make a difference, no matter how small the progress may seem.  And that these children need someone to fight for them.  I loved that part of my job!  I have been so lucky to have a job that is so rewarding.  It is emotionally and physically draining, but so rewarding.

Because it is so draining, it's hard to come home and feel like I don't have the energy I need for my OWN child.  I look forward to spending more time with Austin and making more of a difference in his life and being the person that fights for what he needs, just like I did with my sweet students.  I miss him so much during the day. It will be hard to leave teaching, but I can't wait to spend more time with my buddy.

I look forward to always being an advocate for children with special needs, in any way that I can.  It's something I feel very strongly about. (Just ask Jeff - he gets to hear ALL about how I feel about my job).  I'm sure I will go back to working in the Special Education field in the future.  I can't wait to teach my own children about being accepting of EVERYONE.  I truly hope they will be understanding of the differences between them and their friends/peers.  It is heartbreaking to see a child not be accepted by their peers because they are "different."  Although I am quitting in a few days, I feel like I will always be a Special Educator.  I don't think I could truly quit, even if I wanted to. :)

In the past year (especially the past 7 months) I have been reminded that prayers are answered in the way that is best for us and/or  according to God's will.  The realization that a prayer has been answered is an overwhelming feeling, one that makes my heart feel so full.  This is a short post, but I just want to document how grateful I feel today for how my family's prayers have been answered.  

Easter and Stats

Since we have 9 a.m. church and we didn't wake up in time, the Easter Bunny visited after church. Austin was really interested to see what was in the strange basket in the living room. I think the first thing he pulled out was his new green bouncy ball. He loves to throw balls - footballs, soccer balls, bouncy balls, it doesn't matter to him. It's one of his favorite things to do - especially with his dad. He then pulled everything out 1 by 1 and inspected it. It was so fun to watch. I think his favorite thing was the bubbles that the Easter Bunny stuck in at the last minute! He is really growing fond of his tricycle. He actually likes to sit on the seat backwards and push himself with his feet. Whatever works! We were lucky to have Gran and Grandaddy in town. Austin has so much fun with them. One of his favorite things to do is take the trash out with Grandaddy. Austin is a mover and doesn't often sit down on your lap and give you sugar, but I think Gran and Grandaddy were lucky enough to get quite a few kisses and hugs while they were here.

I can't find the paper with Austin's 15 month stats, but he's a healthy boy! He was in the 90th percentile for height and weight. The pediatrician recommended we get rid of the bottle, so I worked on that this week while I was on Spring Break. He doesn't seem to be upset about not having a bottle. He just won't drink milk from anything else - except a normal cup. He is so fun right now. I enjoyed spending so much time with him this week. We had a few good park days, and the days it was raining we went to the play area at the mall. He LOVES for me to sing Itsy Bitsy Spider and tickle him at the end of the song. And of course I love it because I get to cuddle with him. His dad was gone a lot this week for job interviews, and he said DaDa a LOT. He loves his daddy. When they are together, it's like having two little boys in the house. They run and jump and throw balls and jump on the bed. And I love it.

So much has happened since I last blogged. We spent Christmas in Washington (which I have pictures of but they are on the camera that I can't find the uploading device for). All of Jeff's siblings and their spouses were there, so it was so great to be able to spend time with everyone. Austin and I spent some time in NC and had a birthday party for him there. We have been so fortunate to be able to see family as often as we have (even though sometimes it was so they could come take care of us - thank you!). The rest of our time has been spent watching Austin grow and wondering how it is happening so fast.

Everytime I get everything looking nice for my blog post, I preview my blog post and all the pictures are mixed up. So here are the captions for the pictures - not necessarily in order! First haircut - although I only cut off the old man hairs growing over his ears. I just couldn't part with the curls in the back yet. Spaghetti night was awesome. It made me think we should have done a spaghetti cake for his birthday. This little boy loves balloons. Everytime he sees them he gets really excited, points at them, and tries so hard to say balloon. He LOVES watching Elmo on the computer, not so much on the TV. Most of his day is spent walking and running around the living room playing with balls and his golf club. All of daddy's training is paying off already! Life is crazy, but we are doing great. My shoulder is getting better everyday, Austin is healthy and happy, and Jeff graduates in two months!!

"Everything Happens for a Reason"

That has to be the most accurate cliche ever. Over the summer I slipped down some stairs and injured my arm. I have been in some pain ever since. I tried Physical Therapy for a month, but it just wasn't getting better. When I woke up in the middle of the night a few weeks ago with terrible pain, I decided I better go back to the doctor. They decided to do an MRI, where they discovered a tumor inside my shoulder bone. After 7 very emotional days and a biopsy, I found out the tumor is benign (whew!). It is very aggressive and has nearly destroyed the top of my humerus. I am having it removed on Wednesday, which I hope will be the beginning of the end of the pain. I am so thankful for that fall over the summer and that it led me to get an MRI. I'm thankful for the many sighs of relief since finding out it's not cancer. I'm thankful for amazingly knowledgeable doctors who were so willing to get me the help I needed so quickly. I'm thankful for my loving family (immediate and extended) and friends who have offered many prayers and words of support. I'm thankful for my health. I am so blessed.

Toddler Section?!

My sweet little boy is 9 months old, so I feel like I should still be shopping in the baby section. Oh no, I have to shop in the Toddler Section! Tonight I bought him a sweater that was 24 month size. Yikes! (He is usually in 12-18 month size. That sweater was unusally small). Even though he's a big boy, he's still my sweet, 9 month old BABY. He loves to wave hello and bye, even if no one is coming or leaving. He has been crawling since he was 6 1/2 months, but doesn't have much interest in walking. He loves pulling up on things and climbing on things - but the whole walking thing doesn't seem too cool to him yet. He loves playing chase with his dad. His two favorite things are climbing on things and reading books. He will crawl over to his books and pick up the one he wants to read. I miss him so much when I'm at work, but I'm so grateful I get to come home to him in the afternoons.

This is how he laughs when he thinks something is REALLY funny.

8 Months

I can't believe my baby is 8 months old. He is so much fun right now. I say this at every stage, but this is really my favorite stage so far. He is so funny. He keeps amazing me at what he knows and how quickly he learns things. My new favorite thing he does is playing peek-a-boo behind the curtains. It is hilarious and so sweet. He is crawling all over the place and pulling up on everything. He even couch-walked this weekend! Love love love him!