Nebulizers and Goose eggs oh my!

Yup the title says it all.  Tonight will not be a warm fuzzy night.  Tonight I've had to use the Nebulizer for the 3rd time today and before bedtime Tigger totally fell against a a corner and a humongous goose egg began to form.  It was off to the side so it looks worse than the usual bruises on the front of the head. 

It's official today is one of those days that I want to put the sign "fail" on my forehead.  As I looked at that bruise, I almost went to the ER until I had my mom look at it after calling and panicking and she said no....she didn't pass out, vomit, stay dazed, or act funny so an hour later, Tigger finally went to bed and she was her happy self singing over me while I was rocking her to sleep. 

I don't think I'll be up much longer, sometimes parenting just isn't fun or all smiles.  Of course as my mom always gives encouragement her parting words were "don't worry, just wait until the real accidents start happening and there's blood and stitches and casts."  Well thanks mom!  That just makes me look forward to the future. 

This Song is Exactly How I feel about Tigger

I love Martina McBride anyways....but wanted to share my favorite song.  This is dedicated to all of the mothers of girls that steal their hearts. 






I love you my Tigger....

Quote week II

Christmas for the First Time Again

By Jill Marshall-Work

You wander in wonder, your eyes open wide.
You cherish the magic adults take in stride.
In your fresh exuberance I realize
I see Christimas for the first time again through your eyes.
You sing bits of tunes about Santa and snow.
You hum hints of carols wherever you go.
Your laughter reminds me to stop and rejoice--
I hear Christmas for the first time again through your voice.
You dash to the window to catch reindeer dancing on snow.
While candles surround you, your bright smile eclipses their glow.
My heart takes a snapshot to capture the joy you impart.
My child, you're the reason this holiday season
will always remain in my heart.
You live in the moment, as most children do.
Allow me to savor each moment with you.
Together we'll celebrate wishes come true--
I'll know Christmas for the first time again with you.


I owe you nothing
I give to you
Love
Fidelity
Trust

You owe me nothing
You give to me
Family
Belonging
Connectedness


Owing brings forth
resentment
debt


and when it's paid
it's final


Giving offers
warmth
love
joy


and it is never done
it is always held close to the heart
-- Eun Mi on IAT

We Pray for Children


We pray for children who put chocolate fingers everywhere,
who like to be tickled,
who stomp in puddles and ruin their new pants,
who sneak popsicles before supper, who erase holds in math workbooks,
who never can find their shoes....
And we pray for those who stare at photographers from behind barbed wire,
who can't bounce down the street in a new pair of sneakers,
who never "counted potatoes,"
who are born in places we wouldn't be caught dead,
who never go to the circus,
who live in an X-rated world.
We pray for children who bring us sticky kisses and fistfuls of dandelions,
who sleep with the dog and bury goldfish,
who hug us in a hurry and forget their lunch money,
who cover themselves with Band-Aids and sing off key,
who squeeze toothpaste all over the sink,
who slurp their soup....
And we pray for those who never get dessert,
who have no safe blanket to drag behind them,
who watch their parents watch them die,
who can't find any bread to steal,
who don't have any rooms to clean up,
who pictures are not on anyone's dresser,
whose monsters are real...
We pray for children who spend all their allowance before Tuesday,
who throw tantrums in the grocery store and pick at their food,
who like ghost stories,
who shove dirty clothes under the bed and never rinse out the tub,
who love visits from the tooth fairy,
who don't like to be kissed in front of the school bus,
who squirm in church or temple and scream in the phone....
And we pray for those whose nightmares come in the daytime,
who will eat anything,
who have never seen a dentist,
who aren't spoiled by anybody,
who go to bed hungry and cry themselves to sleep,
who live and move, but have no being.
We pray for children who want to be carried,
for those who must,
for those we never give up on,
for those who don't have a second chance
for those we smother
....and those who will grab the hand of anyone kind enough to offer it.
--- Ina J Hughes © 1985 & 1995

It's quote week

It's a busy time of year, I"m tired, yet want to bring something you can enjoy.  Please enjoy the following quotes....two 'prayers' and a saying from an unknown author.  Hope you are enjoying the Christmas season still. 

Prayer for my shy child


Dear Lord,
Is this one of your little life lessons, a bit of heavenly irony? You give a loud-mouthed extrovert like me the shyest daughter in the history of preschool? Other kids aren’t staring at the toe of their shoe, thumb (or in this case index finger) in mouth, hanging on to their Mama’s knees for dear life. Only my little shrinking violet. She’s so considerate and cautious, such a peaceful, deep-thinking little soul. God knows the world could use more people like her, Lord. And yet, those aren’t exactly traits that play well on the playground. Please remind me that shyness isn’t something I need to “fix.” Please help me to remember that this isn’t anything she chooses, it’s not something I can push her to work through. Because I’m not going to lie, Lord, when I see my girl standing there, all alone outside the circle while everyone else is happily playing Wonder Ball, it’s like a knife to my heart. Especially then, God, help me to remember that the kids outside the circle in preschool can grow up to be adults who think outside the box, and that’s all good. Please help me to honor this shyness as an essential part of who my daughter is. But if it turns out that shyness is something she’s destined to outgrow, that’s good too--and if that’s the case, as always, sooner would be better. Thanks, God
~Tracy Mayor~

Prayer for my Unwashed Hair

Dear God,
I know I look like holy hell, if you’ll pardon the expression. I’d put on a little lipstick if I had any idea where one was--the last tube I used, as you might recall, ended up on the walls of my room. I’d wash my face if this clingy, teething, toddler you have blessed me with would let go of my kneecap for even one minute. *I’d wash this hideous hair if six moms from playgroup weren’t due to pull into our driveway in twenty minutes in their matching SUVs, expecting iced tea and homemade cookies and a family room cleared of choking hazards*. So for now, Lord, please bless my greasy locks and give me the power to fluff them into some semblance of a Perky Mom updo. Also, please give me the vision to find a scrunchie in the next thirty seconds. Thank you, Lord, and amen.
~Tracy Mayor~

*If I were writing this prayer, that’s sentence in bold would read “I’d wash this hideous hair if I didn’t have two IEPs with families that wanted every service known to man for their child and it is just a plain miracle I could find clean slacks and a blouse much less wash my hair with an inseparable child*

The man whispered, "God, speak to me" and a Chickadee sang.

But, the man did not hear.
So the man yelled "God, speak to me!" And, the thunder rolled across the sky.
But, the man did not listen.
The man looked around and said, "God let me see you." And a star shined brightly.
But the man did not notice.
And, the man shouted, "God show me a miracle!" And, a life was born.
But, the man did not know.
So, the man cried out in despair, "Touch me God, and let me know you are here!"
Whereupon, God reached down and touched the man.
But, the man brushed the butterfly away and walked on.

How many times have we missed out on a blessing because it isn't packaged the way that you expect?
~Author Unknown~

A Busy Weekend

This weekend was a great one for the family.  I wish I had the photos uploaded, but it's been a busy weekend so I just decided to share what we did. 

Saturday, we had the first Baby Dedication with some of the family at my Aunt's church.  Tigger loved it.  She was good on the church platform and went with my Aunt when it was the dedication prayer.  I decided to do one there (even though I have already planned her dedication at our church since way back when) because my aunt's church had been praying for Tigger and I wanted to take Tigger after finalization.  My aunt is the senior pastor at a predominantly African American church and I just wanted Tigger to go and meet the congregation that had been praying for us from placement to finalization and enjoy a more upbeat church service.  Tigger really enjoyed the service and while she's not fond of strangers, really hit it off with many of the individuals there which makes me think that we will be visiting my aunt at her church more often.  The church is about an hour away which is why we don't go often, but I think for Tigger's sake, we will make an effort to visit more often than what we have been doing as we have been dubbed honorary members there now lol.  While she likes her routine and children's classes at our church, the atmosphere at my aunt's church really was to her liking.  I've always noted that Tigger is a thoughtful child.  Maybe not in a deeper sense, but maybe she does know already that for some reason she is connected to African Americans.  I wouldn't doubt that maybe she just already "knows" even before she and I have more talks about people, race, and differences.  Children always amaze me with their abilities that we take for granted.  An overall great day!

Then today, we went to a theme park.  It was a good day sorta.  I give it a 6 out of 10.  Honestly, I think 16 months is still a bit early to enjoy a theme park the way it's supposed to be enjoyed, but we did the best we could.  Tigger went on the little rides and one I thought was a bit much for her.  I was holding on to her for dear life and looking at her to make sure she wasn't panicking. However, while serious for most of the day (new things never bring a complete smile from her) she did enjoy the rides where she could honk the horns and move.  She absolutely HATED standing in line and refused to take a nap because she didn't want to miss out on what was happening around her, which made for an interesting afternoon. 

Overall, a fine weekend.  I'll be glad to crash in bed soon. 

It Was 1939

Don't you want to know the history behind the silly carol "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer"?  Please go here for the full story, but did want to tantalize you with an excerpt:

            A Ray of Sunshine for a Sad Little Girl

"Rudolph's story begins sometime in 1939. The nation was still in the midst of the Great Depression but that didn't prevent people from celebrating and enjoying the good times of life. Times may have been difficult but that just meant that people had to be more careful with their money.

In the Chicago headquarters of department store giant, Montgomery Ward, that summer, executives were making plans for the coming Christmas season.

In those days cities were more compact and commerce was centered in the downtown. Scattered amongst the big banks and office buildings were the large, multistoried department stores. During the Christmas season shoppers would flock downtown and these stores competed fiercely for these people's shopping dollars. To attract customers the stores put up lavish decorations and, in their toy departments, they would create elaborate Christmas kingdom displays with Santa Claus enthroned in the middle. The highlight of the Christmas shopping season for children was a trip downtown with Mom and Dad to visit Santa Claus. They would stand in line and, when their turn came, would sit on Santa's lap. After assuring Santa that they had been good, or had at least were trying hard to be good, they would tell Santa what they wanted for Christmas. Santa would then assure them that he would do his best to give them the toy they most desired and then, after making their requests and got up to leave, Santa would reach into the big sack next to his chair and, reminding them to be good, give them a little parting gift.

For many years Montgomery Ward had filled their Santa's sack with a Christmas coloring book that they had specially printed each year. But this year the Montgomery Ward executives wanted something new and different. They also wanted to save money. So, instead of calling upon an outside firm to create the new item, as they had done in the past, they decided to have their own advertising department create the new giveaway.

Thus it happened that Robert L. May, a 34 year-old copywriter for Montgomery Ward, found himself charged with coming up with a new gift for their Santa to give to the little children. May went to work developing a Christmas story for children. As a child, May had always been small for his age and this had brought forth taunts and ridicule from the other children. Drawing upon his experiences of being somewhat different and an outcast, May set about creating a character with similar problems who, in the end, rises above his problems and is transformed.

The year 1939 was a difficult time in the life of Robert May. In addition to the worries of losing his job in the Depression that had engulfed the economy, his wife lay dying of cancer. Despite his own worries and grief, May had to be stoic and, setting his own grief aside, help his four year old daughter, Barbara deal with the trauma of seeing her Mother die. However, little Barbara, in her own way helped her Dad with the creation of Rudolph. Robert worked on the project in the office and then came home and tested out themes and story lines on Barbara. Work and home life converged in a way that both allowed father and daughter to come closer together as well as providing a diversion from the troubles that surrounded them. Some even credit Barbara with the naming of Rudolph, claiming that May tested different names on Barbara and Rudolph was the one that she enjoyed the most.

Robert May's creation was not the Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer song that everyone now knows so well and it was not the popular cartoon that is now shown on TV each Christmas. No, May's creation was a short story written in rhyming verse. It was the story of a little reindeer who was different due to a physical deformity – a bright red nose. Unlike the Rudolph we now know from the song and cartoon, May's original Rudolph lived an ordinary life with his parents in the woods. He did not live at the North Pole and his parents were not part of Santa's reindeer team. Oh, Rudolph had to deal with the taunts of the other little reindeer who shunned him because he was different. Like May as a child, Rudolph was lonely and had few friends. But, rather than dwelling on his problems, Rudolph had a positive outlook on life and did not let his deformity hold him back.

In the original story, Rudolph's big moment came when Santa landed his sleigh at Rudolph's home to deliver gifts to him and the other good little reindeer in the neighborhood. As Santa landed a fog started to roll in. By the time Santa had finished delivering presents to the little reindeer in the area, the fog had become dense, making it impossible for Santa to take off safely. With children all over the world expecting him to visit and leave presents, Santa had a dilemma – he couldn't see to take off in the fog but if he did not take off he would disappoint children all over the world. At that moment Santa noticed Rudolph with his shiny red nose and asked him to lead his sleigh. Rudolph agreed and Santa was able to make his deliveries. Following Santa's successful Christmas Eve journey with Rudolph in the lead, the story ends with Santa saying to Rudolph, "By YOU last night's journey was actually bossed. Without you, I'm certain we'd all have been lost!" This is a little different from the song and cartoon which end with the other reindeer praising Rudolph by saying he will go down in history."  Read about how Rudolph morphed here. 

Isn't it fascinating the information we find out?  I'll bet many of you didn't know the origins of where the song came from. 



Finding Christmas Tradition in New York City

I've been receiving information about what traditions are around from several states and today I'd like to focus your attention to NYC.  The big apple.  I have YET to spend a Christmas season there, and I would love it one of these years.  I think it would be neat.  There is so much to do and yet I'd like my New York city fans to weigh in with their comments if they'd like.  Also please tell what their favorite tradition is in NYC. 

Since it's always great to watch kids just have fun with answering questions, I've seen a collection of videos from MSG.com and they made me laugh.  Coming straight at ya from MSG Kids Cam filmed at the American Girl Store here are some kids talking about their favorite traditions

If you're into more cuteness then watch the "snow experts" and the kids talk about their favorite treats!  Love watching kids answer questions.  It just makes me laugh, especially when front teeth are missing. 

Also having seen Cirque de Soleil once before, had to put in a plug for their winter show going on now at Madison Square Garden Theatre through Jan. 2.  Seems like a great show!  I would totally be there if I were in NYC this year. 

If you're so inclined and in the area, check out show/ticket information here.


Well that's a plug for NYC.  Does anyone else have any good Christmas shows or information going on in their state that may become a family tradition or an event to behold and enjoy during the Christmas season?  Tell me and I'll be more than happy to tell blogland.