an aunt named shimmy

We call my sister many names, such as:  boo, boo-boo, boo baby, sissy, sister, nanny mcphee and the list goes on and on; however, the name she is probably most proud of is "Shimmy."  Kimberly had decided that she wanted her aunt name to be Kimmy, that is, until Madeline started calling her Shimmy and boy, did it stick! 

Well, Shimmy hasn't been feeling too swell lately and has been in the hospital in Hattiesburg since last Sunday, the 19th.  She was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis on the 16th, but has been battling it for a while now.  She has good days and bad days, but my parents are there with her, saying that they know she is feeling better when she starts being mean to them!!  haha 

Please keep Shimmy in your prayers...not only do we want her to feel better, but we miss her LOTS!!  Papa J made a flying trip home on Saturday and we were able to see him for just a few minutes.  When he left Madeline said, "Next time I am going to to the hospital and see Grammy and Shimmy.  Shimmy's tummy hurts and she is sleeping.  Shhhhhh!"  Both Madeline and Chandler (and myself) miss her dearly and can't wait for her to get well so we can have our play dates and sleepovers again.  She is a super important part of our lives, and helps me out more than she knows!  She is truly our Nanny McPhee and if you have seen the movie, you know what I am taking about...without the warts and ugliness!!  She also reminds me to be nice to Kris..yes, even she is on his side..well, most of the time!  We are so thankful that our girls have such a special bond with their aunt! 

Again, please pray that she will get well enough to go home and that this won't ever happen again.  Also, please pray for her nurse maids, especially when Kimberly starts feeling better! :)

We love you Shimmy and sure do miss you!!  Get well soon!!

And wouldn't you know I searched and searched for a picture of me and her and couldn't find one!!  We will have to do something about that!!!  And for those of you who know me, it's got to be about me, too!! :)  Also, for those of you who know Shimmy, you know that she will be checking herself out, saying, "Doesn't my make up look good?!  My eyebrows look trendy!"  haha  Shimmy, you know we looooove you!!!!

praying Shimmy gets well very, very soon,
Megan

a tale about asprin and the zoo

Chandler has had to take 1/4 of an aspirin, crushed, with water in a syringe since she was discharged from her surgery.  She had to take it for three months.  On Wednesday, May 15, we were able to celebrate her last dosage of aspirin!!!!  YIPPEEEEEE!!!  It's the little things in life :)

the little piece of aspirin

crushed

water added

syringe with aspirin

Aaaaand this is what Chandler thinks and has thought about the aspirin for three months!!!

So glad to be done with that yucky stuff!!  Just means we are one step closer to being fully healed!  Our girl is so tough, though, and we are super proud of her!!  We go back to see Dr. Parnell on June 5, and we are praying for more good news!

Hooray for our first trip to the zoo!!

This past Saturday, our little family of four went to the Baton Rouge zoo for Madeline and Chandler's first trip to see the animals.  It was such a nice (and hot) day!!  Seeing Madeline's face was priceless.. "I wanna pet it!"  Was what she said after seeing each animal.  Not sure she would've been so brave had there not been a fence or glass wall between her and them!!  Her absolute favorite was the elephant and kept wanting to go back and see it.  I am so glad we went when we did, because they are in the process of shipping her to her new home at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C.  Kinda cool, but we would've had one disappointed three year old if that elephant hadn't been there.

"My favorite animal was the elephant!"

Having fun at the zoo!!

And I'm having fun at the zoo, too!

A lot of the animals were sleeping, like the tigers, leopards and the hippos.  ("Shhh...they are seeping!")  But of course the monkeys put on a show..kinda resembled a certain little girl in our house whose Daddy calls her "monkey."  haha  The giraffes were eating their lunch when we went by them and they are my personal favorite.

WOW!!

"Can you see those giraffes?!  They eating their lunch!"

She even wanted to pet the snakes, believe it or not!!  Little sissy had a bottle while I watched them walk through that part and enjoyed the cool air.  However, we were leaving this section headed to get something to drink when one slithered in front of us across the sidewalk.  Um, talk about almost had a heart attack!!!  Yep, that would be me!!  And poor little Madeline even had a bad dream about that darn thing!  Oh well, it's that time of year, I suppose, but I am so very afraid of them!  Yuck!!

In the snake section...Mama and Chandler just watched from here!

just chillin

this is the pouty face we saw when we didn't go somewhere she wanted to go OR when I wanted to take her picture!!

We were almost to the end when Chandler started fussing, she had had enough of the stroller and being hot!!  Madeline fell asleep immediately..she was whooped!!

going to the zoo is hard work!

 Madeline also started throwing up as soon as we got home, so Kris ran Chandler to Nana and Pops' house so that she wouldn't get it if it was the stomach virus.  After thirty minutes, she popped up from her nap and said, "I feel better!"  And never looked back, so we are hoping that it was something she ate or drank.  In fact, when she woke up Sunday morning, her first words were, "I wanna eat!"  So Nana and Pops enjoyed some one-on-one time with Chandler, while we got to snuggle our first born. :)

I am counting down the days until the 29th...my last day of school for summer!!!!  But I will work on Tuesdays, but will be more laid back. 

looking forward to a break,
Megan

Mother's Day 2013

I feel that one of my greatest accomplishments in life was becoming a mother...and I have been fortunate to be a mother to two amazing children.  Being a mommy has to be the most rewarding, yet hardest job that I do on a daily basis.  Madeline and Chandler are the greatest blessings that I have ever received and better than any gift.  I have been blessed with one of the greatest mothers ever and I strive to be half the Mama that she is to me and Kimberly.. 

My Mother's Day started out kinda crazy..of course you already knew that because this is my life we are talking about and nothing is ever simple!  haha  Anyway, Shimmy and I had arts and crafts on Saturday and made the grandmothers and great grandmothers their gifts (thanks Pinterest!) and I will post a pic later since Nana and Mamaw Dot haven't gotten theirs yet.  My wonderful husband was going to help and spray them with a clear coat of paint before he went to work.  Well, when I went to get them, the paint had smeared some and it was brown in some places, like a coffee stain.  I was so upset but I think Kris was worse because he felt responsible!!  And to make matters worse he had to work at the fire department, that's part of his job, but I surely don't have to like it!  Anyway, moved on from that just in time to find Madeline in my closet with her underwear full of poop!  Really...on Mother's Day?!?  Didn't she know that this was MY day?!?  ha  And when I asked her what happened, she said, "I couldn't get out of Mama's room!"  Poor dear..  The three of us and Papa J flew to church, where the tears continued to flow as reminders that Mrs. Mary Ellen is no longer with us..  But on the bright side (I guess), I got youngest mother!!  At (33) years old..haha!! 

We ate lunch at Grammy and Papa J's with Mamaw and Shimmy and enjoyed our day spent together.  And completed the day with a well deserved nap for this tired Mama.

Hope every mother enjoyed her day and felt as special as I did, even if she had to clean up poop!! :)

loving being a mommy,
Megan

These precious blessings made me a "mommy!"

Mamaw and her girls!!  (Shimmy and I used to be her girls, but we have been replaced!)

3 generations...those are some pretty strong genes, huh?!

P.S. Madeline REFUSED to sit in our laps or stand beside us, she HAD TO HAVE that darn chair!!  Her green chair!!  Oh my, what are we going to do with her?!?  I am afraid we are going to have our hands full! :)  Also, look at Chandler's facial expressions..never the same!!  haha

running up for downs 2013

Saturday, May 11, 2013 will be a day I remember as a very good day!!  The Inaugural 3.21 Run Up For Downs/Running for Lily was held at Old Trace Park in Jackson.  Lily was born in September, same month as our sweet Chandler and was also born with Down syndrome.  The race was to increase Down syndrome awareness and acceptance in Mississippi and the proceeds went to the Central Mississippi Down Syndrome Society and the Little Light House of Central Mississippi. They only expected 150-200 participants to show up and that number doubled!!  A 5k race is usually 3.12 miles, but to represent the third replication of the 21st chromosome, which is Down syndrome, the race was 3.21 miles. 

We had 27 friends and family show up and support our girl, and had three little supporters, Madeline, Sawyer and Niley!!  Yes, you heard me right...29 people took time out of their busy lives to run and/or walk in honor of one special little girl!!  As Hunter and I discussed, we should've gotten an award for the most supporters! :)  Everyone finished the race and to me that in itself was a big accomplishment and even Madeline walked across the finish line saying, "I DID IT!!!"  Which were my thoughts when I crossed it!!  Big sissy probably walked a little over a mile..those little legs were working overtime!  Needless to say I was an emotional wreck pretty much all day..my cup runneth over, that's for sure.  We would like to thank each and every supporter from the bottom of our hearts..means so very much to us..

We even had some supporters who placed in their age groups..
Alexa Manning placed first in her age group.
Bro. Brent Causey (our preacher at Fernwood Baptist) placed second in his age group and gave his award to Chandler and said he won it for her!  Yes, this Mama was really a mess by this time!!
Papa J placed second in his age group and Chandler was so excited..she just knew that he won for her!
Chandler's Daddy and Mr. Doug "placed" fourth and fifth in their age group and didn't like it too much that Papa J placed and they didn't...better luck next time!!  Doug ran for our sweet girl and also for his sweet nephew Ferris, who lives in Orlando.

Hooray!!!

 Overall it was a very good day and we are looking forward to next year!  I might even train to run...I said MIGHT!!!

Here are some pictures from this fun day...

Hunter and Madeline are running/walking for sissy!

We are going to say that she was Diva #1 on this day cause she expected to be carried!! ha

These folks are here for me (Diva #2)!!

Aunt Colleen, Shimmy, Jillian and me..let's get this race started!

Me and my co-workers/friends, Melanie W. and Melanie K.

Just chilling!

This 5k is hard work!

I DID IT!!!!  She crossed the finish line with Nana and Kayla (one of her fwends!)

This is better than any trophy!!

And so is this!!

Kris and Doug...best friends forever!!  haha

Doug, Sawyer and Kris were Running for Ferris and Chandler!

Awwww...sorry Daddy, it looks like Sawyer is smitten, already!!  Chandler is checking him out, too though!

Nanny B ran for her sweet girl!

We love our friends, Ginger and Josh!

First 5k for the Smiths!!!

Again, thanks to everyone who came out for such a wonderful event and we hope to see even more next year, Running/Walking for Chandler!!

overwhelmed with appreciation,
Megan

busy, busy, busy

We have been super busy lately, and it doesn't look like things will slow down until school is out, which thankfully is the 29th of this month!!  We are so looking forward to this summer, spending time with our two sweet girls!  Madeline CANNOT WAIT to get into Grammy and Papa J's pool and "fwim" like a mermaid.  She even says that she is going to go down the slide, but only if her Daddy lets her!  We will see how Chandler likes the water..Madeline didn't like it too much her first summer, so we saw a lot of the "bulldog" face. Haha 

Madeline continues to surprise us with how smart she is on a daily basis; however, she has been showing us a side of her that we do not like and I will just call it "sassy."  She has been showing out at daycare too and gets into time-out at least once a day.  One day, she slapped one of the little boys across the face and when we asked her why, she said, "He pushed me first!"  Needless to say that her Daddy was pretty proud of his tough little girl taking up for herself, but me on the other hand, not so much!! :)  She has really been giving me a hard time, and I am hoping and praying that it is just a phase and doesn't last until she is 25!!  She doesn't mind me and then when I tell her that I am going to put her in time out or (spank her), she says, "Don't talk to me like that!" or "I am going to tell my Daddy!"  REALLY?!?!?  I want my sweet girl back!!  However, she does want her Mama when it's time to go nite nite, so I will take what I can get and hope that my patience doesn't fly the coop cause I already feel like I am headed straight for the loony bin now!  haha  Also, sister does not forget a thing, which is sometimes good and sometimes bad!

Enjoying cousin Conner's 1st birthday party, especially the cupcakes!

As for Chandler, she had her speech evaluation yesterday.  I know what you are thinking, "How the heck will they evaluate her speech when she doesn't talk?!"  It was more of a checklist for her language skills and breaks it down for her expressive (verbal) skills and receptive (thinking) skills.  Again, it is strange being in the parent seat and answering questions pertaining to my child, instead of asking them to a parent about their child.  Anyway, she has higher receptive skills than expressive, which is expected and she is doing well and is basically where she needs to be!  In fact, the speech therapist got to the 12 month range on the receptive skills!!  Go Chandler!!  Our "homework" is to begin to call her by name so that she will recognize it and to speak directly to her when giving her a bath, feeding, going bye-bye, etc.  It really made sense to Kris and I, because we did that with Madeline, but now that she is able to communicate with us, we talk more to her in front of little sister instead of talking directly to Chandler.  Also, it was recommended to not let Madeline talk for Chandler nor to do things for her so that Chandler will develop more independence.  Whoa, this is going to be a hard task for that little Mama, but she suggested making it a game and letting us hear what Chandler has to "say" or "do."  The therapist bragged on our girl and that is just what this nervous and hard-on-herself Mama needed to hear!!  I know that Chandler is delayed and will be delayed, but it makes a difference when you hear what she CAN already do and that in itself is a Blessing!  My personal experience has certainly changed how I speak to my student's parents, and I am trying to be more positive.  We all work better from a positive perspective!!

Now, as for the Occupational Therapy (OT) and Physical Therapy (PT) evaluations, that is another story.  My main concern from day one were her fine and gross motor skills.  Early Intervention had to refer us to a facility to provide these services.  Of course, there are steps to follow and it took a little while for this to happen.  The Summit Health and Rehab called Monday and stated that they have a waiting list of four children ahead of Chandler, and the way it works is that when one child is dismissed, they pick up another child.  Goodness, who knows when they would get to child number five?!  I told them to keep her on the waiting list for the time being.  Early Intervention then referred us to the hospital in McComb, Southwest, and they have no waiting list.  Hallelujah!!  Now we just wait for them to call to schedule the date for the eval. 

I got this!

Look at me!

Oh and speaking of Chandler's motor skills, sister now has this rolling over thing down pat!!  She will roll over and proudly stick that head up like "I got this, what's next?!"  She is also doing much better with her spoon feeds and LOVES avocado!!  Now, of course, I can't feed her without the supervision of big sissy and her telling me, "That's a big bite, Mama.  She likes that! She doesn't like that!"  What would I do without her "help?!"  As she is in the way, bugging me to help, I constantly remind myself that one day she will be grown and will be too cool to help her Mama and sister.  I am trying to do better about savoring every single moment, because they are only little once.  These two girls are my pride and joy and are certainly the best things that I have ever accomplished in my life (with a little help from their Daddy)!! 

love these two more than words can describe..

The girls and I are headed to see Shimmy Friday afternoon for a SLEEPOVER and to go to Brody's birthday party on Saturday!!  Not sure who is the most excited about this..we treasure these times, even if Shimmy and I feel like we have ran a marathon!  We wouldn't trade these memories for the world..

until next time,
Megan