Hooray For Friends

We are so excited that our friend Alex is going to start hanging out with us every Wednesday. Alex is four and she and Emma get along so well. I LOVE having her here because she keeps Emma entertained. :) Here's some pictures of the two of them watching a movie this week. So sweet!

Pardon My Cynacism

Having spent all but the last year or so of my life in the west, I am more than accustomed to hearing about drought and forest fires. I've even seen several from a less than comfortable distance.

The past couple of days, I find myself glued to the internet reading the news and looking at the countless pictures of the fires in California. The images are frightening. Knowing that there is so much destruction, so much devastation, is overwhelming. (We have some dear friends that are there and are, thankfully, safe.)

Being as obsessed with the stories as I have been, I was more than a little disgusted today to see this headline..."Stars Whose Homes Are In Danger." Really? Do we really live in a society where we are more concerned with which tv, movie or music star's home may be destroyed by fire? Please don't get me wrong, I do not want to see anyone's home destroyed. I hate the thought of anyone losing their home, their possessions, their memories. The story itself didn't bother me. It's the absence of the other stories that disturbs me. What about John Q. Public and his wife Jane who worked for forty years to finally afford their dream home? What about Sara, the single mom of three children who lost the only rental home they could afford? I'm sure all those folks who could afford their $17 million or more homes aren't too worried about whether or not they have enough insurance coverage. It's the average folks who are laying on a cot in a shelter somewhere praying that they will be able to re-build. It's those people, who struggle to make ends meet, that I feel sorry for. It's those people whose stories should be headlines. I really don't care that John Travolta was overwhelmed by the smoke when he flew in to attend some awards show. Or that Tori Spelling gave an exclusive interview to Access Hollywood about how her gardener had to pack up and leave the estate. I do care about the little children who can't attend school because of the smoke. I do care about the thousands of people who have had to evacuate and don't know if they will have homes to go home to. Those are the stories that are worth reading. What a shame those stories aren't the ones being printed.

Field Trip!!

Tyler had his first field trip today to Gro Moore Farms. It was so much fun!! The best part was seeing his reaction when he realized I was there. He laughed and clapped and cheered for several minutes! So nice to know how much I am loved.



The tractor ride started out kind of boring.....



A little better now that we're actually moving....



Holy cow, this is so fun!!!



I LOVE IT!!!! YAHOOO!



Down the slide with Miss Carolyn



Check out my perfect pumpkin!!

Feeding the goats was a blast!





Walking through the straw maze with Miss Carolyn

21 Things About Tyler....

October is Down syndrome awareness month. Down syndrome is also known as Trisomy 21. In honor of this, I am following the lead of my fellow bloggers and posting 21 things about Tyler.

1. Tyler is generally very, very happy! He is easy going and super mellow most of the time. He is the easiest three year old I have ever known!

2. Tyler has very beautiful chocolate brown eyes. I love them!

3. Tyler's smile can light up a whole room. It is impossible to be sad once he flashes that smile.

4. Tyler has silly little laugh when he is truly happy. We call it the "W" laugh because it sounds very similar to George W. Bush.

5. Tyler is adopted and yes, we chose to adopt a child with special needs. (We get this question a lot!)

6. Tyler had cataracts in both eyes when he was born and had to have them surgically removed. Because of this, he now has glasses.

7. Tyler gives the best kisses ever!

8. Tyler is learning new words all the time. He is also learning to combine the words with the sign which is awesome!

9. Tyler loves to sleep on his tummy with his hands tucked under him. He does a little sort of shimmy to get into a comfortable position.

10. When Ty wakes up from a nap or in the morning, he rarely cries. He usually just starts "talking" until someone comes in to get him. Once we go in his room he either claps or yells, HEEEYYYY!

11. Tyler loves to go, go, go! He will ask to go about a million times a day. He really doesn't care where we go, as long as he's invited along.

12. Tyler loves to pull hair and thinks it is really funny when we tell him no.

13. Ty loves his Daddy!! He is a Daddy's boy through and through and will spend hours laying on Daddy on the couch watching TV.

14. We are all in the habit of calling him Bo Bo because that's what Emma has always called him. Now he will pat himself and say "BO BO!" It's adorable!

15. Tyler LOVES music. Any kind of music but especially Brent playing the piano. He will stand next to the piano bench and dance and clap. He is Daddy's biggest fan!

16. Tyler love the Doodlebops and gets really excited when they are on TV. Again, I think it is all because of the music.

17. Tyler loves to stand on the couch and look out the window. He likes to wave to all the cars.

18. Tyler loves the cold! He is truly a winter boy. He loves the cold wind on his face. He really dislikes being too hot and that is one of the few things that will make him really unhappy.

19. Ty has a huge crush on his speech therapist, Tasha. When he gets home from school I always ask him, "did you see Miss Tasha?" and he always giggles and gets really shy. I love it!

20. Tyler can make even the crankiest person smile and giggle. He can melt the hardest heart.

21. Tyler is perfect in every way and we are truly blessed to have him in our family!!

And Then There Were Two....

Tyler's little fingers continue to heal. He got his cast off on Friday. I must say, it is a good thing the doctor prepared us for how they would look. They were really scabbed over and sort of yucky looking. However, as the days go by they start to look better and better.

I still find it strange to see two separate fingers. He is using them more and seems to be getting used the idea. He is so amazingly resiliant and easy going. Such a good boy!

What's Your Name?

Stephanie over at Adventures in Babywearing had this meme posted on her blog and I thought it was too cute not to play along. You all should do the same. :)

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car) Freckles Chevy Malibu

2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fave ice cream flavor, favorite cookie) Cookies and Cream Thin Mint

3. YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name) Jgar

4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal), Chocolate Brown Polar Bear

5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, hospital where you were born), Lee Lander

6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first), Garjo

7. SUPERHERO NAME: (”The” + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink),The Burgandy Diet Coke

8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers), Donald Harold

9.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s & father’s middle names ), Loretta Lee

10. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter), Hunzie Houston

11. SPY NAME: (your favorite season/holiday, flower). Spring Daisy

12. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now + “ie” or “y”)Mango Socky

13. HIPPIE NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree), Cookie Crab Apple

14. YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME: (”The” + Your fave hobby/craft, fave weather element + “Tour”), The Reading Snow Storm Tour

October Is.....

Just a reminder that October is Down Syndrome Awareness month. It is a great time to ask questions and get to know someone with Down syndrome. So, if you have any questions, please ask! I am always happy to share stories about Tyler and information on Down syndrome.

Such A Trooper!

Wow, Tyler is just amazing! Of course, we already knew that. His surgery went great. He went in about 9:30 this morning. The surgery itself took about two hours. They told me that he would then move to the first recovery room where they would help him wake up all the way, etc. Then they would move him to the second recovery room to make sure that he could hold down some juice and crackers and make sure his pain was under control. They told me to expect him to be groggy and fussy. I knew they would be wrong. And they were! He got done with surgery and the nurse came to get me to take me to the first recovery room. She said they were all amazed at how well he was already doing. He was happy and chatty. He was so excited to see me! He did fuss a bit but I think it was more a desire to leave than anything else. They brought him some juice and he promptly drank the entire cup. He smiled and waved at the nurse. He was happy and cheerful. So much so that they let us come home without having to move him to the second recovery room. That kid is something else!

After we got home, he ate some lunch and slept for several hours. Then he got up, ate some more and went to bed. He isn't complaining, not fussing, not crying. He's happy. And that truly makes us happy. We know he will have some recovery time but if today is any indication, he should be good to go!

Here We Go Again!

As you may recall, Tyler was supposed to have surgery in July to separate his "Spiderman" fingers. But, because of a new heart murmur, we had to cancel.

http://jodiegirl.blogspot.com/2007/07/tyler-keeps-us-hopping.html

We rescheduled and the big day is tomorrow. We aren't necessarily nervous about the surgery but still. :) Please keep him in your prayers, especially as he recovers. I'll update again soon.

Tyler LOVES School!

Tyler and Emmalee have both been sick the past few days. I kept Tyler home from school on Monday and Tuesday. I don't think Tyler was too excited about that. On Saturday when he woke up I went into his room and he was doing the "GO, GO, GO" chant. I told him there was no school that day and he cried. It was so sad! On Sunday we had the same conversation with the same results. Monday he did pretty well. Yesterday he didn't ask at all. Then today when I went to get him he was doing the chant again. I told him, "today, you get to go to school!!" He clapped and said, "YAY!!" He was so excited to see the bus driver that he nearly jumped out of my arms before I could hand him off. His teacher sent home a note saying that he was so happy in school this morning.

I am just thrilled that he loves it so much. I hope he always feels this way about school.

Strawbeddy Mecadine For My Heckache

The kiddos both have bad head colds. Blah! I feel so badly for them. I knew this would happen as soon as Tyler started school. He has such a weak immune system and anything he gets, Emma seems to get as well. Poor littles.

We have been giving Emmalee cold medicine at night to help with her symptoms. (We'd love to give it to Tyler also but he refuses to take it. That's another story!) Anyway, at bed time I asked her how she was feeling and she said, "I need some strawbeddy mecadine for my heckache." Talk about just plain adorable! I love her sweet little voice, even with the added nasaly sound due to congestion. What a little love bug!

Here's hoping they both feel better soon!

Play, Play, Play!!!

On Saturday we went to Strong Museum of Play with some of our friends we've met through the miracle of adoption. It was a total blast! The kids had so much fun and boy, did they ever take good naps that afternoon. :)

And she's off. They have a mini Wegman's grocery store to "shop" in. This picture reminds me of that old game show, 'Supermarket Sweep.' Emma was in her element.

Sibling Love

Tyler just got home from school. Emmalee and I went out to get him off the bus. We came in and I took Ty's shoes off, turned around for a second and then turned back to see Emma taking his socks off and rubbing his feet. (He isn't a big fan of shoes.) Then she said to him, "I miss you all day, Bubba!" Talk about making your heart melt! He gave her a big smile and giggle. I think he missed her too. Nothing makes me happier than seeing the love my children have for one another.

Pre-School, Day Two

Tyler was so excited to go this morning. In fact, at about 2:00 this morning he was laying in bed giggling and laughing. Brent went in to get him and he said, "go, go, go!!" He was ready for school! He finally went back to sleep around 4:00 and we figured he'd sleep in a little past his usual 6:00 to 6:30. Nope. He was awake and ready to go, go, go again. He is such a hoot. When his bus driver got here, he gave me a kiss and hug and went right to Larry! He will do well at school and I am so happy for him.

Emmalee was not so happy this morning. She told me, "Bubba not going to school anymore!" And then after he left she said, "Momma, I want to see Bubba again." Poor girl. This is going to be tough on her. She already asked if he has to go tomorrow. I was happy to be able to tell her no.

As for me, I think reality is setting in. I cried last night and again this morning. I miss him already. Thank goodness it is only a few short hours until he is home!

Tyler's First Day of Pre-School

Click to play Make your own Smilebox

Yes, it's official. Our sweet little guy headed off to his first day of pre-school this morning. (Or, as Emma says, "big boy school.") I knew this day would come, I have thought of it and planned for it. But, I certainly couldn't predict how I would actually feel. I did really well. I didn't cry. I didn't feel sad. I didn't get overly emotional. Well, at least not until I started looking through the pictures and realizing that it truly did happen. He really did get on the bus and go to school. He really did spend almost three hours away from me. I really did turn my little baby over to others and trust that they would take care of him and teach him and love him. I really did. There's no going back now. My baby is no longer a baby. He is growing up and there is nothing I can do to stop it. Not that I would want to.....but still. It seems like yesterday that I held him in my arms for the first time. Time flies, as they say.

Honestly, the morning went by rather quickly. Emma and I got a chance to spend some time together and run some errands. We got home and waited for the bus to come. Tyler was so happy! He went on and on trying to tell me all about school. I wish I could understand what he was telling me. It was beyond adorable and I could not have been more pleased. I know he will love school and will learn so much. Of course, that won't stop me from missing him every single day!!