NY Jets Fan - I think not!

Okay so we have some house renovations going on that have been going on since June but that is a story in itself. My parents were over helping with the project and Craig and Gillian were home too. My parents and Craig are football fans so Craig kept checking on what is was going on and updating us. Well at one point Craig checked and Mark Sanchez from the NY Jets was taken out of the game so Craig yells, "Sanchez is injured!" So Gillian goes running in the living room and yells, "Santa Claus is injured, who is going to bring the gifts?" She is way too cute!

Christmas is coming...

So I had promised Gillian as soon as Thanksgiving was past we could start preparing the house for Christmas. So today I asked Craig to get all the decorations down from above the garage so Gillian and I could start with the tree. I don't do real trees, don't want the maintenance, not sure I could handle the smell, just prefer the fake tree. Anyway, Gillian was thrilled that our task for today was to get the tree up and decorate it. She did really good, I put the branches in but she had to bring me the branches by color when I asked for whatever color was needed. Then she did lights on one side of the tree while I was on the other and then it was time for ornaments. I took them out and she found spots on the tree for them. Gillian did a wonderful job...pictures to come later...

So while getting ready to decorate Gillian brought up the purple Christmas tree she had seen at the store. She kept asking if our tree was purple and I told her that our tree was green and finally the last time she asked I said, "our tree is green like the trees outside." Her response,"All trees are different colors, they aren't exactly the same." How do I argue with that logic? I can't. So after we were done the tree for the living room, Gillian and I packed into the car and drove to the store to buy the purple Christmas tree. We got a few princess ornaments for the tree too. She again did a wonderful job decorating it. Then when we were done and turned off the lights in her bedroom so the tree would light up her room, she asked,"Do you think that Santa will leave a gift under my tree too?" I said,"Of course Santa will, he checks in on all the good little boys and girls that he delivers gifts to and surely he would leave a gift under the beautiful tree." I don't know how she is so smart but I'm so thankful for it...

Happy Thanksgiving!

I figured in the spirit of Thanksgiving I would list 26 things that I’m thankful for since Thanksgiving is on the 26th of the month. (They are in no particular order)

1 – I’m thankful for my daughter, she brings me happiness everyday.

2 – I’m thankful for my husband, he is much sweeter than I probably deserve, I am so lucky.

3 – I’m thankful for Pooh Bear, I know that I will never find a better dog.

4 – I’m thankful for my wonderful parents who are amazing and supportive parents and grandparents.

5 – I’m thankful my brothers have found women that make them happy.

6 – I’m thankful for my in-laws; they are amazing and always have made me feel like a part of their family.

7 – I’m thankful for my family’s decent health (it could be worse).

8 – I’m thankful for balloons…they always make people smile especially the little person in my home.

9 – I’m thankful for memories…bad or good they make us who we are…

10 – I’m thankful for the support that I have received for Team Gillian each year.

11 – I’m thankful that I’m able to help provide for my family.

12 – I’m thankful for my useless knowledge; I’ve never understood how I can remember the things that the average person forgets and really it gets me no where in life but it makes me laugh.

13 – I’m thankful for the wonderful daycare that we found for Gillian. The owner runs it like a school so I don’t doubt that Gillian will be ready when it is time to go. And she also treats the kids like her own kids so I know my daughter is safe and taken care of all day.

14 – I’m thankful that my newest niece that is due any day now is being born full term…every baby deserves a healthy start.

15 – I’m thankful for date nights with my husband; although they are few and far between I do enjoy them.

16 – I’m thankful for photographs, I love to look at them now, love to share them and they will help me remember when I’m older.

17 – I’m thankful for all the doctors and nurses that were involved with my pregnancy and Gillian’s birth, they help make miracles happen.

18 – I’m thankful for health insurance, in the last 4 years Gillian and I would have racked up some crazy bills if we didn’t have health insurance.

19 – I’m thankful for vacations, sometimes I really need a break to do whatever I want which sometimes means absolutely nothing.

20 – I’m thankful for family gatherings, as hectic as they may seem I do look forward to them and always enjoy myself.

21 - I’m thankful for Birthday celebrations, I don’t think getting older is horrible and I love making someone’s day special.

22 – I’m thankful for 4 seasons, although fall is my favorite I can’t imagine a year without all 4.

23 – I’m thankful for my relationship with my brothers, I know siblings that don’t speak and I feel like they must be missing out.

24 – I’m thankful that my niece/god daughter is enjoying school.

25 – I’m thankful for chaos and silence; it’s nice to have both in your life.

26 – I’m thankful for my husband’s sense of humor…he always makes me laugh.

I hope that everyone has a Happy and Safe Thanksgiving!

Still Puzzled...

Gillian is putting all sorts of puzzles together....

Thanksgiving projects

Gillian brought home Thanksgiving projects that she did at daycare. I love Gillian's daycare, I don't think that I can say that enough. I love the projects they do, they play time, the school time, the story time...I'm so lucky that I found it, I know they are extremely hard to find.

Puzzled

Gillian is always on the go...she will sit still to watch a show but other than that she will keep going. Today she put this puzzle together 4 times with some assistance from Dad and Grammie Brooks...It's the toys from the dollar store that she really enjoys.

The small things...

Thursday and Friday Gillian was super excited to get home...I'm actually surprised she could keep the secret. All she would say is,"I have to show you something Mom." We would get in the entry way and she would yell,"See! We decorated for you."

Team Gillian's Teams

Gillian was born in March which is prime March of Dimes time as their walks are held in April and May. Prior to Gillian being born I didn't really know anything about the March of Dimes...I had heard of it and donated money to them but never really looked at what they do or why they do it. I learned a lot while I was pregnant. Their site is where I found out the pregnancy I had only happens to 10% of pregnancies (how did I end up in that 10%?) Their site is where I went to to get information after Gillian was born, it is also where I went to find stories when I needed a pick me up and needed to know that everything would work out...The research that they do does change lives...it has changed my family's life. It gave us a child that had better chance of survival because of the work and research they have done.

So I did not walk in April 2006...it was just too overwhelming. So in 2007 I formed Team Gillian in honor of Gillian and to share Gillian's story and hoped to raise some money for the cause. The first year consisted of me, my parents, Craig's parents and Craig's sister...and of course baby Gillian. My hope was to raise $500 for the whole team....we did $1840 that year.






In 2008, we took it a step further and recruited a school club to help, more people came out, people that didn't have the money the year before donated that year. That year consisted of....me, Craig, my parents, Craig's parents, Craig's sister, my friend E, my friend D and her Mom, toddler Gillian and my neice E. Not pictured was the school club. My goal for the team was to raise what we had raised the year before...we did $3160.



In 2009, we took again a step further and added some new members. The team consisted of, me, Craig, my parents, Craig's parents, Craig's sister, Craig's sister's friend L, my friend D, my friend T and her daughter E, Craig's Mom's friend S and her son J and still toddler Gillian. My goal for the team was to raise what had been raised in 2007 due to an economic nightmare going on...we raised $3163.45.

I have already started fundraising for 2010 and have another amazing team forming. Currently we have...me, Craig, my parents, Craig's parents, Craig's sister, my older brother T and her wife E, my younger brother S and his GF A, my friend D and her husband B, Craig's brother-in-law, my friend L, my friend T, her daughter E and her parents and we aren't even into 2010 yet:) I am so thankful for the people that have been here through the years. So thankful that for the people that donate. Team Gillian wouldn't be a team without everyone who can't forget what we have been through for our little girl.

My goal again this year is to raise $1840...people probably will wonder why I would aim for an amount less than the last 2 years. My reasoning is first the economy is still terrible and second this amount would bring us above the $10,000 mark for what Team Gillian has raised since being started. It means a lot to me to get to that mark.

2010 is a big year for Team Gillian. We are sharing our story this year with all the walkers. As terrified as I am of speaking publically I feel that it is going to be an incredible experience. My daughter is the center of my world and sharing her amazing journey I think will help. She is proof that the March of Dimes/March for Babies is doing incredibile work.

Imagine

November 17 is dedicated to raising awareness of the crisis of premature birth. Here is my blog today in honor of being a preemie Mom....

Imagine being taken out of work 19 days after finding out you are pregnant because the doctors can't get your blood pressure under control.

Imagine finishing your first trimester and being told by your doctor that you will have a preemie just not sure how early.

Imagine finding out the sex of your baby and being thankful because you have read statistically preemie girls develop faster than boys.

Imagine being told by your doctor that getting to 34 weeks is great, 32 weeks is good, 30 weeks is okay and anything before you need to pray.

Imagine being told that your baby has an 85% of survival.

Imagine being told your baby won't cry when born.

Imagine hearing that baby cry and believing everything you have been told was wrong.

Imagine being scared to ask to hold your baby because mentally you can't handle the possibility of a no so you wait patiently 7 days for a nurse to offer the opportunity.

Imagine watching a machine help your baby survive everyday for 33 days because she can't breathe on her own.

Imagine every time your phone rang, your heart drops and you get choked up because it could be life or death.

Imagine having a baby but going home without one.

Imagine having to go back to work before your baby even gets out of the hospital.

Imagine having to plea with your baby that if she can hold on you will make all her dreams come true.

Imagine wanting to show off your proudest accomplishment and not being able to because her immune system could not handle it.

Imagine waiting till you reached your car for the tears to fall because your baby needs you to keep it together for them.

Imagine thinking that life will be normal once your baby is home to find out this was just the beginning of the journey.

Imagine having a micro preemie.

Can you imagine?

March for Babies

We have started our fundraising for the March of Dimes March for Babies. I normally wait until January 1st but then I’m going out of my mind from January until the last weekend in April. So this year I decided to fundraise November and December so that I can focus on the speech (I’m the local ambassador Mom) and enjoy the walk. I stress myself out. Craig tells me I shouldn’t be stressed about it because I’m doing everything possible but of course I have high expectations for myself. How much money is enough money to thank an organization for saving your child? I truly don’t believe she would be here without the care she received as a result of the research of the March of Dimes. I’m trying to be relaxed but who am I kidding…lol. This year we are doing a lottery. I figured this would be fun for everyone and raise a decent amount of money for the cause…my fingers are crossed that this works.

Family Slow Dance

Today we went to a sweet sixteen birthday party. It was nice to see family. Gillian had a blast. I actually think she had the best time. They had balloons, music, lights and food….all her favorite things. We stayed for a couple hours. Craig’s aunt caught the below picture while Gillian, Craig and I slow danced…it’s a bit blurred but you can get the point.

I sit corrected

I was driving Gillian to daycare this morning and on the road that daycare is on there are cows and horses at two different locations so I drive slowly by them so we can check everything out. So we passed the cows and the babies were out so Gillian was thrilled. We passed the horses and they were out to, one was facing us and one was not. So Gillian says, “That horse was sticking his butt out at me.” My response, “Silly horses.” And Gillian corrected me with, “Not horses Mom, just 1 horse.” Corrected by a 3 year old….

Day with Daddy...

Today Gillian spent the day with Craig. She adores her Dad, he’s her #1. It was Craig’s last day of vacation and daycare was closed. I had to go to Albany for training so I left way before they got up. Craig didn’t want to sit at home so he took Gillian out.

They went to the park.



They went to McDonald’s and on the way there Gillian said they couldn’t go because she didn’t bring her money…she really is too cute.

Gillian didn't want to leave McDonald's and landed herself in time out because she had a complete meltdown...she fell asleep in time out.

Tonight we went to meet Jacob. Due to illness we hadn’t gone sooner but I was dying to see him. He is very cute. He will be going to the say daycare as Gillian which will be nice. Gillian warmed up to him and even gave him some kisses. She even warmed up to Bill (very unusual as she doesn’t normally warm up to men at all) and Danielle (this one I expected). They recently moved to our neighborhood so I’m looking forward to play dates when Jacob is up and moving around:)

Shopping

This morning we went to dance class like the normal Saturday morning. My Mom was bringing my niece over to paint the stepping stones since now my niece was sick and because my brother's GF is pregnant my niece couldn't be around her. The girls painted their rocks for their Grandpie. At 3pm I had to pick up my Dad's birthday cake so I asked Gillian if she would like to come with me to the store. I wasn't sure she would come because Craig was home and he is her #1 but she got super excited and said she really wanted to come with me. Bonus for me that she wants to hang out with me. I figured this would give Craig some quiet time...living with 3 ladies that doesn't happen often. So we start getting ready to leave and Gillian wants to bring her money just in case there is something she wants. We are about to leave and she sees my purse so she has to bring a purse to which I remembered she had a purse that she got for her 2nd birthday. So we go through her toy box and found her purse and she was so proud. I took the below picture but had a hard time getting her to stand still because she was so excited. Right after I took the picture I realized that she was holding her purse the exact same way that I hold mine...it made me proud. So you are wondering what her 1st big purchases with her own money were.....a purple pumpkin for trick or treating for $.20 and 72 balloons for $4.50. Such a bargain shopper...

Payday

Today was Gillian's 1st payday for a job well done. She was super excited and we had to count her allowance and all the other change she has been saving....She was so proud of herself.

Expanding our family...

My younger brother came up with the idea of making my Dad stepping stones for his birthday (November 9th). My Dad is very into gardening and I had thought of it on numerous occasions and I just had never gotten around to it so I thought this was great. We first attempted a stepping stone for my niece on Sunday the 1st, the directions say to ask a parent for help, Craig and I removed it from the mold on Monday night and broke the stone:( So Tuesday I did Gillian's and it worked and this morning it just popped out of the mold. My younger brother and his GF are both sick so I had to call my brother's ex wife and ask to take my niece for a couple of hours to get her stepping stone done. She said it wasn't a problem so I picked her up on my way home from work.

Like most people we are in a routine, the 3 of us and Pooh Bear pretty much do the same things everyday. So adding another child to the mix was very interesting and different. Right from the minute they saw each other there was yelling and excitement. They were off running and playing within seconds. I went in and greeted Craig who was already cooking dinner. We had dinner and did the stepping stone right off which seemed like it was going to work. I had said I would have my niece back home around 7 so that would give the girls a little while to play together. This gave us a preview of expanding our family....The ratio of 2:2 is more overwhelming than 2:1. Not that they did anything bad or were awful to deal with but I guess we are just not use to all the noise and commotion. Craig was all sorts of our of place, normally he is Gillian's #1 playmate and he didn't really exist to them other than he had to remind them to keep the tone to an inside tone.

I had been really wanting a second child and felt our family was missing out on something since I don't know many only children but after a preview, I think our only child is definitely what suits our family.

Allowance

Tonight Gillian and I were home, Craig was out for the evening. We were picking up and I noticed Pooh Bear's dish was empty. Gillian loves to fill Pooh Bear's dish, she loves to help with anything we are doing. So I was thinking and wondering what age kids start getting an allowance....after some consideration I asked her if she wanted the responsibility of filling Pooh Bear's dish. I explained that she needs to make sure that Pooh always has food and if she does this she will get $2 per week. Gillian of course got excited (not sure that she really understood what it all meant) and she went off to play. I sent Craig a txt letting him know that Gillian is on our payroll. When Craig got home he asked why I didn't start at a lower amount since now she will only want more money that what she makes....I obviously hadn't thought it out that much.

Doctor Visit from Hell!

Okay this post will be quite long and people can voice their opinion if they want...I've been trying to calm down before I call the doctor office to voice my complaint. I may just write a letter because there is nothing they can say that will make me feel better.

So on October 22nd we had to take Gillian to the ER, she had a105 fever and she was diagnosed with the flu. The ER told us to call the Pediatrician in the morning to let them know she was diagnosed and see what follow up care they wanted to do. So Friday October 23rd I called and spoke to our pediatrician nurse, explained everything that had happened the previous day and she said to keep an eye on Gillian and if she got worse to call the office, I asked if she should still go for her flu shot on Wednesday October 28th (I know it sounds crazy because she already has the flu). The nurse said definitely bring her in just for extra precaution.

So Wednesday October 28th we got up told Gillian we were going to the doctor, Gillian had a meltdown, I promised a toy if she did got herself together for the appointment. We went to the appointment and waited to get in for the shot. We got called and I explained to the nurse how she no longer had the fever and was feeling much better. The nurse asked what I was talking about so I explained the previous week and the nurse said she is on medication? I said yes. Immediately she said we can't give her the flu shot if she is on Tamiflu. So I became annoyed and said but I called on Friday and explain all this and was told to bring her in anyway. So the nurse went to see the doctor who definitely said no flu shot and the nurse said they were researching whether we actually needed a flu shot and would call back with the answer that day. She actually promised. Never heard back.

This is where the story gets good.

So today I decide no one is calling so I need to call and find out what is going on. I call and leave a message for the nurse station. I get a call back saying the nurse doesn't understand what is going on and asks me to call back her specific extension so I do and I get a different nurse so I explain my situation and she says I need to speak to the previous nurse because she must know what is going on and I tell the nurse she doesn't know either. So the nurse on the phone asks which doctor my daughter sees and I tell her and she said oh you need a totally different nurse than either of the two I have spoken to...go figure. So eventually I get the correct nurse and she tells me to bring Gillian in between 5 and 5:15 that evening and she would get her flu shot and I'm thinking great! We can get this done. We get to the doctor's office at 5:11, we wait in the waiting room, we get called to the back and are seated in a room by 6:02 at 6:45 I open our door because I'm hot and angry and at 7pm the doctor walks by and asks if we are waiting to be seen as we are the only ones left at the office besides him and the cleaning crew....GREAT! So the doctor proceeds to tell me the nurse should have done the shot and my patience although a blessing was a true hindrance in this situation because I should have spoke up after 20 minutes in the waiting room and 20 minutes in the actual room. I explained to the doctor that there is no sign anywhere that says I have to remind people I'm there. And he proceeded to tell me that it is the busy season and it was a complete oversight by the office. Gillian finally got dinner at 7:35 - 5 minutes past her bedtime and finally got to bed at 9 that night - an hour and a half past her bedtime. I'm completely appalled and disgusted with this office. I feel that I was poorly handled completely. I'm including the pictures that I took while at the office, I did everything that I could possibly pull out of my purse to entertain her for our 2 hour doctor visit. I know Gillian does not look 3 in either picture.

Fall Clean Up

So today we cleaned up the yard. Took the Halloween decorations down and raked leaves. My yard looks naked now. Gillian, Craig and I played tag too. I haven't laughed like that in a long time. I feel like a little kid (although my body definitely did not feel like a little kid running around my yard). Lol! It is never too young for children to help out....Gillian thinks its fun. I will remind her of this during her teenage years when it isn't as fun anymore.