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Tuesday, December 29, 2015
Monday, October 12, 2015
Behind the Lens
Photography has been a small side hobby of mine for the last 5 years (since Drew was born. Coincidental? ;) ). I'm not anywhere near professional, but I do enjoy trying to capture life from behind the lens. I have a few photos I've taken over the years that are favorites of mine.
And now I have a new one to add to the list...
Again, I'm not a professional, so it's slightly grainier and blurrier than it ought to be, but I literally shouted when I saw the photo on my camera's screen. You really can't get much more precious than that! This is little Samuel, my best friend Stacey's son. He just turned one last week and Stacey decided that, instead of hiring a photographer, she'd rather fly me down for the party. I, of course, was more than willing to accept that offer.
It's not hard to get good pictures of such an adorable baby, though...
Happy birthday, Samuel!
(Check out some pics of Samuel's sister Alyson when she turned one here)
Oh, and while I'm at it, I have to brag on my cousin again and show off the shoes she painted for Samuel (alongside the ones she painted for Alyson).
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| Drew |
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| Iris in my garden |
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| James |
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| Samuel |
It's not hard to get good pictures of such an adorable baby, though...
Happy birthday, Samuel!
(Check out some pics of Samuel's sister Alyson when she turned one here)
Oh, and while I'm at it, I have to brag on my cousin again and show off the shoes she painted for Samuel (alongside the ones she painted for Alyson).
Sunday, August 30, 2015
"You're getting up there..."
"You're getting up there for having cystic fibrosis." This was a rather impolite comment I recently received from a dermatologist who was obviously rather lacking in the bedside manners department. It was wrong to say, not just because it was rude, but because it's actually not so true anymore. When I was diagnosed, my parents learned that the life expectancy for someone with CF was about 14. But in my lifetime alone, that number has more than doubled because of the amazing work the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation has done funding research that has led to new treatments for this life-shortening disease. My dermatologist is not the only one behind the times (though maybe the only one so rude about it). I've surprised doctors in many fields with the fact that I'm not only a relatively healthy adult with CF, but that I'm married, I have kids, I work, I run, and I lead a very normal life. And I smile ear to ear every time I smash through the stereotype of CF being a childhood disease and get the opportunity to teach people just what the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation has done for people like me and my sister.
I would be lying if I said I lead a completely normal life. I take handfuls of pills multiple times a day. I spend up to 2 hours a day doing breathing treatments. I often have battles with pharmacies and insurance companies to try and get necessary medications or treatments. I spend a good portion of a day every three months trekking into the city for my quarterly appointments. And don't forget the yearly x-rays, DEXA scans, glucose tolerance tests, blood work... I don't say any of this to complain; I say it to make people aware that, although life for those with CF is better, it still isn't perfect. There's still a lot of room for improvement.
And that's where you come in. The CF Foundation supports some pretty amazing research to make life longer and easier for those with CF. In fact, I'm currently participating in a study for an exciting new drug that could have a real impact for a lot of people with CF. But there would be no new studies, no new drugs, no hopes for a cure, if it weren't for your donations. Your support allows for that life expectancy number to continue to grow, and for more people with CF to be able to smash through those stereotypes.
I am currently training to run my second half marathon in November. It's been quite a while since I ran my first one, so I need a lot of work. But with every step, and every mile, and every breath, I will be getting stronger, and I will be helping to make CF stand for "cure found". Please cheer me on by making a donation that will support me, my sister, and the 30,000 people living with cystic fibrosis in the United States!
If you would like to cheer me on by making a donation, you can go to my page here or you can contact me by email, Facebook, or simply leaving me a message here to find out how you can contribute. If nothing else, your prayers are always welcome and greatly appreciated, and feel free to share my page!
I would be lying if I said I lead a completely normal life. I take handfuls of pills multiple times a day. I spend up to 2 hours a day doing breathing treatments. I often have battles with pharmacies and insurance companies to try and get necessary medications or treatments. I spend a good portion of a day every three months trekking into the city for my quarterly appointments. And don't forget the yearly x-rays, DEXA scans, glucose tolerance tests, blood work... I don't say any of this to complain; I say it to make people aware that, although life for those with CF is better, it still isn't perfect. There's still a lot of room for improvement.
And that's where you come in. The CF Foundation supports some pretty amazing research to make life longer and easier for those with CF. In fact, I'm currently participating in a study for an exciting new drug that could have a real impact for a lot of people with CF. But there would be no new studies, no new drugs, no hopes for a cure, if it weren't for your donations. Your support allows for that life expectancy number to continue to grow, and for more people with CF to be able to smash through those stereotypes.
I am currently training to run my second half marathon in November. It's been quite a while since I ran my first one, so I need a lot of work. But with every step, and every mile, and every breath, I will be getting stronger, and I will be helping to make CF stand for "cure found". Please cheer me on by making a donation that will support me, my sister, and the 30,000 people living with cystic fibrosis in the United States!
If you would like to cheer me on by making a donation, you can go to my page here or you can contact me by email, Facebook, or simply leaving me a message here to find out how you can contribute. If nothing else, your prayers are always welcome and greatly appreciated, and feel free to share my page!
Sunday, June 21, 2015
Terrible and oh-so-sweet Twos
Continuing my lengthy update (proof that I'm not ready to give up this blog- I do love to "write", which we can really interpret as "talk" but it just takes written form here :P)
As is always the case, James seems to be growing a mile a minute. He's talking in bigger and bigger sentences, and unlike my sister who often took a back seat to my own non-stop mouth, James will not be outdone by his talkative older brother. I wouldn't say he talks quite as much as Drew does, but he definitely likes to get his two cents in as often as he can (and as loudly as he can).
He has phases of being a "pure" two-year-old in a way I don't remember Drew being. Drew threw his fair share of tantrums, but I do not remember the "disjointing my arms and melting to a slippery pile of mush on the floor" kind of tantrums. And did I mention yet that James is loud? But I do have to admit something. I handle his tantrums a lot better than I handled Drew's. I think Drew always had to his disadvantage being a very verbal child, which always led me to believe he understood a lot more than he did, and was therefore capable of controlling his own behavior in a way no 2-year-old can. Now that I have a direct comparison (comparing my 2-year-old that won't listen to my 4-year-old that also won't listen), it's a lot easier for me to recognize that James often simply can't help himself, he's doing what 2-year-olds do, and I usually just kind of laugh as he throws his ridiculous tantrums (though I don't find myself laughing when he melts into a puddle in the middle of the road while we're crossing...). Not that I don't have expectations for James or that I let him off the hook for inappropriate behavior, but I don't let it get to me worked up the same way Drew did. I probably shouldn't admit that, but it's true, and maybe it offers hope to another mom out there.
Drew and James have both been taking once-a-week Spanish classes at a nearby language school. As a former Spanish teacher, I obviously have a passion for language learning and have loved the opportunity for them to be a part of a program that is specifically designed for young children to learn a foreign language. The classes have been great. Drew is in a class for ages 3-5, and James is in a moms and tots class for ages 1-3. Drew, being my language boy, has been doing very well and picking up a lot of Spanish. But James is the one who has surprised me. We've kind of always pegged him for being a more physical kid, not as verbal, but not only is he picking up the language quite well, he actually surprises me with how well he sits still, pays attention, and follows directions. I'm also quite pleased with how much he's picked up and uses unprompted at home- he now consistently calls a fly swatter a "matamoscas", interprets words Jason and I use to try to be secretive, and I often hear him singing little Spanish songs to himself. With both of them enjoying the Spanish classes, they now often ask me to speak in Spanish to them, which I really enjoy. And the classes have been good for me too in that respect because I'm using and practicing my Spanish more.
I do think it's getting time for James to start doing a preschool program of some sort. He spends a lot of time at home with me, and he's getting to be quite shy with adults. Even though we've been doing the Spanish classes for three months now, he still freaks out at the beginning of every class (even though I'm IN class WITH him) and won't get off my lap and won't speak. I'm working on getting him registered for a "Children's Day Out" program at a local church for the fall next year. CDO seems to be a big thing here, but I'd never heard of it. It's a great idea really- it's not quite preschool, but it's not day care either; it's a nice in-between.
I'll come back for a little more updating on what Jason and I have been up to.
As is always the case, James seems to be growing a mile a minute. He's talking in bigger and bigger sentences, and unlike my sister who often took a back seat to my own non-stop mouth, James will not be outdone by his talkative older brother. I wouldn't say he talks quite as much as Drew does, but he definitely likes to get his two cents in as often as he can (and as loudly as he can).
He has phases of being a "pure" two-year-old in a way I don't remember Drew being. Drew threw his fair share of tantrums, but I do not remember the "disjointing my arms and melting to a slippery pile of mush on the floor" kind of tantrums. And did I mention yet that James is loud? But I do have to admit something. I handle his tantrums a lot better than I handled Drew's. I think Drew always had to his disadvantage being a very verbal child, which always led me to believe he understood a lot more than he did, and was therefore capable of controlling his own behavior in a way no 2-year-old can. Now that I have a direct comparison (comparing my 2-year-old that won't listen to my 4-year-old that also won't listen), it's a lot easier for me to recognize that James often simply can't help himself, he's doing what 2-year-olds do, and I usually just kind of laugh as he throws his ridiculous tantrums (though I don't find myself laughing when he melts into a puddle in the middle of the road while we're crossing...). Not that I don't have expectations for James or that I let him off the hook for inappropriate behavior, but I don't let it get to me worked up the same way Drew did. I probably shouldn't admit that, but it's true, and maybe it offers hope to another mom out there.
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| We won't let him sleep in the bath tub. ;) |
Drew and James have both been taking once-a-week Spanish classes at a nearby language school. As a former Spanish teacher, I obviously have a passion for language learning and have loved the opportunity for them to be a part of a program that is specifically designed for young children to learn a foreign language. The classes have been great. Drew is in a class for ages 3-5, and James is in a moms and tots class for ages 1-3. Drew, being my language boy, has been doing very well and picking up a lot of Spanish. But James is the one who has surprised me. We've kind of always pegged him for being a more physical kid, not as verbal, but not only is he picking up the language quite well, he actually surprises me with how well he sits still, pays attention, and follows directions. I'm also quite pleased with how much he's picked up and uses unprompted at home- he now consistently calls a fly swatter a "matamoscas", interprets words Jason and I use to try to be secretive, and I often hear him singing little Spanish songs to himself. With both of them enjoying the Spanish classes, they now often ask me to speak in Spanish to them, which I really enjoy. And the classes have been good for me too in that respect because I'm using and practicing my Spanish more.
I do think it's getting time for James to start doing a preschool program of some sort. He spends a lot of time at home with me, and he's getting to be quite shy with adults. Even though we've been doing the Spanish classes for three months now, he still freaks out at the beginning of every class (even though I'm IN class WITH him) and won't get off my lap and won't speak. I'm working on getting him registered for a "Children's Day Out" program at a local church for the fall next year. CDO seems to be a big thing here, but I'd never heard of it. It's a great idea really- it's not quite preschool, but it's not day care either; it's a nice in-between.
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| Always our snuggly boy |
I'll come back for a little more updating on what Jason and I have been up to.
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
Long time no write
My posting here has become less and less frequent over the years, and in this most recent break (one of the longest I think this blog has seen) I've pondered whether I want to continue the blog or if it's maybe time to say goodbye. Most of the time when I think about writing now, instead of being excited or thinking through the words I want to put down (as I used to do), I feel a pang of guilt and push the rest of my thoughts aside. But this space has always been a comfort to me. Even if the words I write go unread, the process of putting my thoughts to "page" has often been therapeutic.
Spring has brought lots of outdoor play time on the trampoline in the backyard, or with the neighbors in the front yard. The boys really enjoy playing with the neighbors' boys across the street, and I just can't get over how much I enjoy that. We really didn't have a lot of kids the same ages as our boys in our previous neighborhood, and it makes me so happy that the boys have that here. I remember so many happy hours playing outside with neighbors growing up and it's something I've always wanted for my children.
Since my last post, Drew has progressed even more in the reading department. He's reading full books now and only seems to get caught up on fairly difficult words. At risk of sounding like I'm bragging, he's really shocked me with some of the things he's reading. He read the word "island" the other day (which isn't even the most shocking of words he's read... try "wainscot" from a Beatrix Potter book. :P Not that he, or I, knew what it meant :P), but that stood out to me because I vividly remember a student in my class when I was in 1st grade reading the word island as "iss-land" but Drew didn't even hesitate in reading it correctly. My mom and dad constantly give me looks when he reads words that are much too big for a 4-year-old to be reading and all I can do is shrug. I don't know if it makes me sound more or less bragging to say I really didn't teach him that. For reasons that are kind of complicated to explain, I actually didn't really want him to read until kindergarten. Not that I discouraged reading, but I definitely didn't sit down and work on phonics with him. But he's definitely reading. I posted on Facebook last night that TWO HOURS after I'd put him to bed, I found him reading in his room. His biggest concern? "How could you tell my lights were on??" Sigh... I completely understand how difficult it is to put down a good book, but I didn't expect to begin this battle so early.
It seems words are just the name of his game. He likes to do crossword puzzles with me and occasionally guesses an answer based on a clue or letters provided and he has taken to figuring out how to say words backwards in his head (like "milk" is "klim"). But for as much as he's into words, he seems to struggle the same amount with many physical tasks. Even using a fork seems to be quite difficult for him. And he's still struggling with writing and pencil grasp. He definitely gets the concept of spelling but pencil to paper is still very difficult. Despite a lot of effort on my part, he continues to hold his pencil in a full fist. And as if I wasn't worried about it enough already, at kindergarten orientation they told us to "make sure your child has a mature pencil grasp by the time they enter kindergarten". I've tried everything I can think of (and everything everyone else on the internet has thought of) to build hand strength and to get him comfortable with the correct pencil grasp, but at this point it's become a battle of wills and I've decided it's a battle better left for professionals. He's more interested in coloring, drawing, and writing now than he was even a few months ago, so at least we've made progress there. And he did shock me by writing a number of sentences inside a fortune teller at my mom's house. My mom said he sat down for a half hour and did it all by himself (using the death grip, of course, but hey... it's legible). I'll take it!
I think two things have contributed to my lethargic/apathetic attitude towards my blog. First, when I began this blog one of the main purposes was to share updates with my family and friends that are spread far apart. At the time I began the blog (in 2009!!) Facebook wasn't as popular as it is now, at least not with generations other than my own, and not as many of my family and friends were on it. Now that they are, I find myself sharing a lot of the fun photos and small updates there that I used to share here. It's quick and easy and you get to be "liked". Who can argue with that?
Second, my laptop had been slowly dying making the process of writing and uploading pictures incredibly slow and painful. With limited time as it was, I just didn't have the patience to wait on the computer.
Second, my laptop had been slowly dying making the process of writing and uploading pictures incredibly slow and painful. With limited time as it was, I just didn't have the patience to wait on the computer.
But it really didn't take much pondering to decide that I'm really not ready to say goodbye to my blog. And I just recently got a new computer so I'm hoping that will help me to write more frequently. But, even if it doesn't, it's just nice to have this outlet for writing the occasional update, venting a frustration, or sharing something interesting.
All of that said, I think we're due for an update...
I left off my last update hoping that the coming winter would not be a long and harsh one. As we're finally on the other side of it now, I can say that my predictions that it would be a bitterly cold winter were not too far off. We got some snow, but overall I didn't feel like it was a lot. The problem (for me anyway) was the cold cold COLD temperatures! It was so hard to go out and do anything with the boys because of all the necessary layers and the time it took to get bundled. I also didn't expect it to get dark so early! I mean, yeah, that happens in Georgia too, but it didn't occur to me that more northern latitudes would get dark even earlier. The sun was setting usually around 4:30. That's crazy!! As can be imagined, none of us were big fans of feeling cooped up AND in the dark. We welcomed spring with open arms, and I can say that I think it was one of the most beautiful springs I have experienced in my life. I don't doubt that a large part of that was simply the juxtaposition of the two seasons, something you don't experience to the same extent in Georgia.
Spring has brought lots of outdoor play time on the trampoline in the backyard, or with the neighbors in the front yard. The boys really enjoy playing with the neighbors' boys across the street, and I just can't get over how much I enjoy that. We really didn't have a lot of kids the same ages as our boys in our previous neighborhood, and it makes me so happy that the boys have that here. I remember so many happy hours playing outside with neighbors growing up and it's something I've always wanted for my children.
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| Star gazing with friends |
Drew is a few short months away from starting kindergarten. He is super excited! As any mom facing it for the first time, I have mixed feelings of excitement and sadness, but I think overall we're looking forward to it. I think Drew is ready for the challenge. We had applied for him to go to the dual language program (Spanish immersion) our local school offers, but unfortunately there is only one class so entry is lottery-based and he got waitlisted. I'm still waiting and hoping, but, after freaking out initially, I've calmed myself by trusting God's plan. What's meant to be will be. Between Spanish DVDs, Spanish classes we've been taking, and my own Spanish abilities, I don't doubt he'll learn some Spanish anyway. And, on top of that, I became fluent in Spanish even though I didn't begin learning it until 7th grade. So it's not the end of the world if he doesn't learn it now (though I really wanted him to have that native-like fluency I feel I lack...).
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| Kindergarten Orientation |
Since my last post, Drew has progressed even more in the reading department. He's reading full books now and only seems to get caught up on fairly difficult words. At risk of sounding like I'm bragging, he's really shocked me with some of the things he's reading. He read the word "island" the other day (which isn't even the most shocking of words he's read... try "wainscot" from a Beatrix Potter book. :P Not that he, or I, knew what it meant :P), but that stood out to me because I vividly remember a student in my class when I was in 1st grade reading the word island as "iss-land" but Drew didn't even hesitate in reading it correctly. My mom and dad constantly give me looks when he reads words that are much too big for a 4-year-old to be reading and all I can do is shrug. I don't know if it makes me sound more or less bragging to say I really didn't teach him that. For reasons that are kind of complicated to explain, I actually didn't really want him to read until kindergarten. Not that I discouraged reading, but I definitely didn't sit down and work on phonics with him. But he's definitely reading. I posted on Facebook last night that TWO HOURS after I'd put him to bed, I found him reading in his room. His biggest concern? "How could you tell my lights were on??" Sigh... I completely understand how difficult it is to put down a good book, but I didn't expect to begin this battle so early.
It seems words are just the name of his game. He likes to do crossword puzzles with me and occasionally guesses an answer based on a clue or letters provided and he has taken to figuring out how to say words backwards in his head (like "milk" is "klim"). But for as much as he's into words, he seems to struggle the same amount with many physical tasks. Even using a fork seems to be quite difficult for him. And he's still struggling with writing and pencil grasp. He definitely gets the concept of spelling but pencil to paper is still very difficult. Despite a lot of effort on my part, he continues to hold his pencil in a full fist. And as if I wasn't worried about it enough already, at kindergarten orientation they told us to "make sure your child has a mature pencil grasp by the time they enter kindergarten". I've tried everything I can think of (and everything everyone else on the internet has thought of) to build hand strength and to get him comfortable with the correct pencil grasp, but at this point it's become a battle of wills and I've decided it's a battle better left for professionals. He's more interested in coloring, drawing, and writing now than he was even a few months ago, so at least we've made progress there. And he did shock me by writing a number of sentences inside a fortune teller at my mom's house. My mom said he sat down for a half hour and did it all by himself (using the death grip, of course, but hey... it's legible). I'll take it!
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| If you can't tell, he's still obsessed with superheroes And his "fortunes" are more like "commands" |
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| In case you weren't sure what I meant by "fortune teller" |
Because I can see that this is already getting quite long, I will save the rest for (a) future post(s). But don't worry, I'm already writing them as you read...
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