Fabulous Feet

A recent post from A New Kind of Normal got me thinking about feet. AnnaKate's feet are always a topic of discussion not because of the RTS chubbiness (which she does have :), but because they are so little! She has the tiniest feet. She wears a size 3! One of my favorite things that she does is get up on her tippy toes. Sometimes she gets behind the shower curtain and all you can see are her precious feet.

My friend Marsha was over today and took some adorable pictures of AnnaKate and her fabulous feet.

Ballerina AnnaKate



No feet--but really cute!

I think everyone should post some feet pictures! :)

Random thoughts

First---I am obsessed. I am obsessed with Orbit gum. Those marketing people are smart! They keep coming out with new and intriguing flavors. I just can't get enough of those fabulous names--Mint Mojito, Sangria Fresca, Strawberry Mint and drum roll please...Perfectly Pomegranate. I just love it! It is flying off the shelves..so friends, if you find any of the above fab flavors...I expect you to get if for me!

Second---to lie or not to lie! (Don't ask my friend Lori this...she will say to lie! HA) AnnaKate and I were in the ENT's waiting room. Another mom was in the play area with her child and she asked me how old AnnaKate was. I answered honestly and politely. You should have seen her face. She was puzzled and trying to work through it. It was an awkward moment and I was just dying for the nurse to call us back. She kept making weird comments like..."Boy she's busy." and "I really like her hair." It is such an innocent question but really causes strife for me. As soon as I get asked this question from a stranger(which happens a lot) I run through the same dialogue with myself. "Should I tell the truth and have the awkward silence or just lie?" (By the way...I don't make it a habit to lie to anyone) It doesn't bother me that AnnaKate is tiny (I think it is cute) or that she she is developing differently, but it turns small talk into uncomfortable silence. So..I usually answer honestly but the thought of an easy way out still runs through my head. This predicament has really made me think twice about what I say when making small talk. Do I really need to ask that pregnant stranger how far along she is?

Third---Why do doctors not tell you what to do? Aren't they the professionals? I have had so many doctors leave the decision making up to me. I did not go to medical school. I want to know what they think! Today we went to AnnaKate's ENT follow-up to check on her blocked tube. Well--the salt water did not unblock it so we are heading for tube set number 3. I inquired about AnnaKate's enlarged tonsils and asked him what his thoughts were. He said he could remove them but it was up to me. Me...how can I make this decision. I have a hard time deciding which Orbit gum to have. I can't decide on this. I really pressed him for an answer but I got a real on the fence response. So..I am going to dive a little deeper into to this and enlist my pediatrician. I guess malpractice is so bad now that doctors really have to refrain from giving definite decisions. Being a parent is so hard----

Fourth---AnnaKate's eating update. I think I was way to stressed out by this. After I made my plan I felt much better. AnnaKate has done fine. She has not had to go go to bed hungry! :) Right now she has the makings of a summer time cold (so I am sure an ear infection is on the way) and she is not eating great due to that. But overall, things are looking up.

Fifth---We had a busy day today. AnnaKate was way fussy due to fact that she did not sleep well with her cold. But I had to run some errands so she had to endure. I did sit in the mall parking lot for 30 minutes when she decided to take a cat nap (how kind of me!) We went and visited with Cathy and Emerson this afternoon. AnnaKate loves to play with other kid's toys and their steps are always a hit! I don't have any new pictures but here is one of Cathy and the girls from a few months ago.



That felt good to get those random thoughts out. My mom said today that she read article about how blogging is good therapy. I do believe that it is!

Great Expectations

Billy is still on vacation so we enjoyed taking a walk in the park this morning. We always have great discussions when we walk. AnnaKate's eating has been a big topic of discussion lately. We used to have feeding issues due to reflux we now have feeding issues due to the fact that AnnaKate is two. She pitches a fit, throws the food and refuses to eat most of the time. It seems that you have to trick her into thinking that eating is her idea or distract her. Most meal times are very frustrating for us. (I think she is very entertained at the lengths we will go to just to get her to eat:) I tend to try everything under the sun until I find something that she will eat. I have been over-thinking this issue for a few weeks now (as I do everything!). Today we talked about our expectations for AnnaKate. We both want to have high expectations but don't want to have unreasonable expectations for her. We know that she is going to struggle with lots of things but we think it is reasonable to not tolerate this behavior at meal times. We also feel the same way with behavior and manners. It may be difficult for her at first but it is not an option. It is very important that she learn acceptable behavior and manners. We are not going to lower our expectations on things that we feel are important life skills.

So...new game plan. At each meal, we will fix her plate and that is what she is going to get. Hopefully after a few food fights and missed meals, AnnaKate will understand that these are her only options. I think setting high expectations now will help AnnaKate with lots of things later in life. What do you think?

Home Again...Home Again!

Whew---I am glad to be home. We have been gone so much the last two weeks. We had a blast at the beach! The weather was perfect. It was fun to be with family and relax. We were able to stay on the beach a good bit each day--and everyone was happy! AnnaKate adored the water. All she wanted to do was play in the surf, jump and splash. We did take an inflatable pool to the beach with us which kept her entertained. Enjoy the pictures!

Maisy was big help with the 4 hour trip! Check out all of the stuff piled around her...


AnnaKate loved crawling in the sand.


What excitement!


Such a pretty girl.


I love this!


Cousins!


Mommy and me


The pool was a big hit!


I feel so lucky that we were able to have such a fun vacation. Milestone alert---we did not have to seek out a doctor or urgent care on either trip!! Baby girl is growing up!! :)

Milestones and Miles!

Milestones...I really need to invent a baby book for moms of special needs children. The "regular" ones just don't fit. They make you feel bad that your child doesn't fit the template. AnnaKate makes progress in her on time...and we are thankful for the progress. Today we got her progress report. It is really amazing to look back at how far she has come since her goals were initiated in the fall. I could not possibly list all of her accomplishments in this post. We are so proud of her!

I was able to take AnnaKate to school today and pick her up. I don't normally get to do this so it was fun. Her teacher, Diane, was so excited this afternoon because AnnaKate got out of her chair today on her own. (Not like she does in the previous video-worm style) She scooted her bottom forward, leaned forward and then crawled out. She did it again for me and I was so proud! Last fall, I went to observe Diane's class. I saw these little babies pushing their chairs to Circle Time and sitting in their precious minature chairs. I never could believe that AnnaKate would do that. Diane assured me that she would...and she is!! YEAH!

Miles...Well---we are off again! We are headed to the beach tomorrow. It will be a long trip so I bought a few new toys that I am hoping to bust out just when needed. We are looking forward to relaxing and being with family. I know I will have some great pictures to post when we return.

Father's Day

We had a great Father's Day today. We had a perfect walk this morning, went to Asheville to visit Billy's dad and Lynn, Jim and the kids and went swimming at my dad's house.
I thought this picture of Billy and AnnaKate was precious. She is so lucky to have such a great daddy!!

Girls Trip!!

AnnaKate and I just returned from our visit with Holly and Jackson. Holly is my "golden" friend. We have been friends for over 25 years! (Lots of history with that girl!) She lives with her husband, super good dog and her precious little boy, Jackson, right outside Washington, DC. This our third trip to visit her. We had such a great time! We shopped, scrapbooked and just played. Oh--and we did some monogramming. A little girl can never have too many monogrammed clothes! Jackson is just a hoot. He and AnnaKate really enjoyed each other. I think they are both now going through withdrawl...not to mention the withdrawl Holly and I feel! Enjoy the pictures.

AnnaKate is a great traveler.


My HEAVY bag. It was 55.5 pounds. (I had to pay extra...darn those airlines!)


AnnaKate looking adoringly at Jackson in the car!


Jackson and AnnaKate watching The Wiggles...Jackson's favorite!


Holly's fancy new Phil and Ted stroller. AnnaKate was not jiving with the bottom seat that day. I know "Deuce" will like it better (the baby on the way).


Enjoying a concert in the park.


Playing in the pool.


Cute...Cute!!

Another great day

We had another great day today! We went to Finn's 2nd birthday party. Check out the pictures...GraceAnna does an amazing job with parties. It was a Choo-Choo theme...complete with a little train that went up and down the street!! It was so much fun. Happy Birthday Finn!

AnnaKate and the birthday boy

The cool table setting

The awesome cake

Let's ride the train





Happy Birthday to Finn!

After we left the birthday party, we went to the pool to cool off. AnnaKate liked the water last year but she LOVES it this year.

AnnaKate and Aunt Ash






It is off to bed for more adventures tomorrow!

Heading out....

AnnaKate and I are flying to Washington, DC to visit Holly and Jackson on Monday. We both can't wait! I will try to post some pictures while I am there. Holly and I will enjoy scrapbooking, shopping and being mommies together.

First Day of Summer!!

Wow...we had such a busy first day of summer! Here's a recap...

6:33am- The princess wakes...much better than the 5:30am wake up the day before. So much for sleeping in on the first day of summer.

9:00am- Meyer Center Family Picnic
We were so excited to go to our first Meyer Center Family Picnic. It was such a great event...very balmy, spring like weather! NOT!!! It was already 85 degrees by 9:00 am. It was fun to see AnnaKate’s teachers and therapists (We missed you Melissa). Another neat thing that happened was that I got to meet some of the other parents that have children at the Meyer Center. Some of them I already feel like I know since I read their blogs. AnnaKate did not want to eat much of the delicious food but she did really enjoy the cake. What princess does not like to eat cake! We had such an enjoyable time and look forward to more Meyer Center family events.

AnnaKate and her wonderful teacher, Diane.


AnnaKate enjoying the playground.


AnnaKate and Robbin! They love each other!


Wendy, AnnaKate's speech therapist while Melissa is home with Will


2:00pm- My weigh-in....I have lost 17 pounds!!! WOW---Bermuda here we come!

3:30pm- AnnaKate's hair appointment
I believe this was AnnaKate's fourth haircut. She has so much hair and we have to keep it neat and tidy. Charla, who cuts my hair, loves to have AnnaKate come to the salon. AnnaKate is always good when she gets her haircut but today she was really funny. She loved the hair dryer! Check out these silly pictures.




4:00pm- Off to my mom's house. She has been diligently working on making AnnaKate some really cute shorts with a ruffle at the hem. She is a perfectionist so she can't quit until they are just right. I think she has made 4 pairs of shorts in the past few days. Thanks TT!

5:30pm- Come home, we both kiss Billy and he heads off to go out with a friend.

7:00pm- Princess goes to bed.

8:00pm- I fall asleep on the couch watching my recorded Top Chef.

Whew---what a day! I sure hope my summer slows down a little :)

Neighborhood Party

We had a neighborhood party last weekend. It was a lot of fun to see neighbors and let the kids play. I did not take lots of great pictures so I am glad that Cassie took a few. Cassie and Dave's little boy, Taylor, is in the wagon with AnnaKate. We are lucky that he lives right across the street from us. We love walking with them a few days a week. He is so cute!

** Notice that AnnaKate is reading a Maisy book. It is an obsession!

Blog Makeover

Ohh----I had so much fun doing a Blog Makeover!! What do you think? I have a few little glitches I need to work on. Thanks to SJH Blog design and ShabbyPrincess for the artwork and advice.

Books, Books and MORE Books

In some of the things I have read about RTS children it says that they love books. I am unsure how a syndrome can make you love books? (maybe I have a syndrome and that is why I love ice cream...)But AnnaKate does ADORE books. She always has. Of course, a Maisy book was the first one she came to love. But now we have so many books that she just can't get enough of. We have a VTech electronic nursery rhyme book that has been in her "library" since her first Christmas (thanks Lou-Lou and grandaddy)We have a Winnie the Pooh electronic book that is equally important. Board books, small books, big books, paperback books, whatever...books are a hit at our house. But we have not had a book become so important until her second birthday when Barbara gave her the book, Love From My Heart. Thank goodness a sticker on the front of this electronic book says, "Free Batteries". We have had this book for 6 weeks and have gone through 3 sets of batteries. (Actually the batteries aren't free because you have to pay shipping...) AnnaKate loves this book. She constantly sits in front of her mirror and flips the pages, puts it on her head, puts it up to her ear like a boom box and even hugs it! I took this picture of AnnaKate this morning, sitting in front of her beloved mirror with her beloved book! :)So mark it down...another RTS child loves books!!