What We Learned (February 9th Edition)

Who's looking forward to spring?! We are! Today the Mamas dish about their weeks. Tell us about your week in the comments.

Lisa:

1. It is hard sometimes for a parent with a special needs child to not look for those telltale signs that something is off(yes even at 2mos! The earliest test at Kennedy Krieger is at 3mos. Cool, huh?). So, as I was playing with Cubby and worrying he wasn't making eye contact, he gifted me with this:

Cubby smiles and makes eye contact

Yup, here's looking at you, Mama! Thanks, Cubs.
2. I was able to enjoy an episode of Swamp People. Sweet!! I love watching those tough guys and gals because they remind me of my father's uncles. They fish in the high seas and it's a tough job. I like that they know the value of hard work. Also, I like to eat gator on rice, so it makes me a bit hungry. I'm a huge fan of The Landrys, Willie and Junior, and Trapper Joe and Trigger Tommy. Good stuff!
3. We hurried to get chores done today so we could play. The ice is now gone and it was snowing lightly, but we needed time out!  The girls were restless. They went out to play for a bit and then Sailor took them to our gym to play in their daycare. He wanted to go run for a bit too. Turns out the girls got to dance, play with a friend or two, and do some crafts...all in the hour while he was running! I stayed home with Cubby and got some paperwork done. Win win!

Robyn: 

1. Could you, would you, in a car? I could, but never again will I pump and drive a car. 

2. I've learned that Kasen wants to go to a Spanish church to learn Spanish songs. "But I hope the guy doesn't speak Spanish, cause I don't understand it, " he said. 

3. After one week of playing Flappy Bird, my high score is a 12. A damn 12. Flappy Bird is the devil. Eff you flappy bird. Until we meet tomorrow...muahaha!

Liz:

1. Flappy Bird is the devil, I completely agree with Robyn. If it makes you feel any better, my high score is a 4. Mike's is a 5. Silas' score is 0 (he flaps once and then doesn't keep tapping). My students were playing this game before class started and I made the mistake of asking what it was and trying for a turn. For some reason the noise when the bird hits something makes me giggle every time. But I only downloaded the free version...I'm not invested ;)

2. This week I was reminded that people do appreciate when you work hard and enjoy your work. I was notified Friday that I'll be receiving a NISOD (National Institute of Student and Organizational Development) Teaching Excellence award in May in Austin. Pretty cool stuff!

3. I've never been one for co-sleeping. I think it's a fantastic idea but it's just not for us. I tried it when the boys were babies and I never felt comfortable doing it - it's as if I was worried about something bad happening (baby falls out of bed, baby gets rolled on, etc.). I also kind of worried that I wouldn't be able to sleep because I'd be constantly vigilant that the Bad Things previously mentioned might happen. Now that my sons are older, I think that it's sweet whenever Silas comes into my room at night and asks to sleep in our bed so I always say yes (to Mike's chagrin). But I always forget that he moves around a ton in his sleep and that I end up almost falling out of bed myself because he takes up over 1/3 of the bed. Cute but not so restful.

Your turn! Tell us about something amazing that happened to you in the comments.

What We Learned (February 2nd Edition)

Every week we review, reflect, and recap our weeks. Tell us what you learned in the comments!

Liz:

1) After months of taking a "wait and see" approach to Sage's not talking, I went to his doctor and asked for a hearing evaluation. He assessed his hearing, his ears, and his behaviors and agreed that Sage is delayed in expressive language and gave me the Early Intervention (EI) referral I was willing to fight him for (without a fight). We have his EI evaluation February 13. After working for EI in MA for a while I'm excited to see what happens next.

2) Speaking of what happens next, you know how you take your car to the mechanic and it doesn't "make the noise?" Well Sage was true to form at the doctor's, no talking, no pointing, screaming fit if you said no...BUT the day after his appointment he said 3 words and now it's 1 or 2 new ones every day. Wednesday he waved and said, "Bye-ee Da-ee" as we left for school. Friday he said "football" and Saturday he chased a "ball ball." Thursday he brought me a toy and made an "Ehh?" sound as if asking me to play with it. This is also brand new. Apparently he now realizes I'm serious about this "you need to talk" bit.

3) I am so very glad every day that I have a job that I enjoy and that I can have fun at. While my students and I were chastized for disrupting other classes (OK, I was), we had fun competing for the title of Loudest Class and I think we did it with the most style.

4) When you're doing kickboxing at home don't do it on the carpet if you're wearing sneakers. It seems like a "No duh" but for weeks I couldn't understand why I couldn't move my feet as well as I could at my actual class. Der Liz.

Robyn:

1. I've learned that I need to associate public breast pumping with people. I've been so used to pumping at home, that I have no need to cover up! I should get used to it again, because the dude with the briefcase that walked by and looked in and smiled while I was pumping in the car...you're welcome, if you're into that sorta thing! 

2. I've learned that the smell on coins isn't actually the 'smell of money'. It's the oils and skin cells from everyone that has touched it before you. 

Lisa:

1. I went out on a date!! On an impulse, and thanks to Pixy having a half day, I took the three spawn to the Frozen sing along. We had a blast singing at the top of our lungs. Thankfully, Cubby slept throwing most of it. It helped me break out if the weekly routine. Here they are after we got home:

Girls post Frozen sing along

2. Animals, like children, know who they can trust. That's a saying I've heard many times over the years and this week, Nature proved it to me again. Cubby was screaming his head off at Kennedy Krieger, so I took him out to the truck to calm down and so he wouldn't disturb anyone. While I was nursing him, we had someone spy on us:

Bird watchER not watchING

Mr. Mockingbird braved the cold breeze and came to check that Cubby was all right. I sent him on his way quietly and assured him everything was all right. Nature rocks.

3. We've enrolled Pixy in aftercare at her school because I can't make it down from the city to pick her up at dismissal. I'm prepping her again on what to expect, just so she doesn't get sad. Unfortunately, with all the schedule conflicts, poor Pixy is the one dealing with the discrepancies. The cool thing is, she has friends at aftercare to play with and it is run by the most grandmotherly and sweetest nun ever. Just what Pixy needs to ease her abandonment issues. She's been having a tough time since my father's death. Hopefully, she will forgive me not being able to teleport places or have octopus genetics: "Mama, I'm always the one having to wait for you and Banshee and Cubby. Can we make them wait sometimes too?" You're breaking my heart, kid. Wish us luck!!

Now it's your turn - comment with something you learned below. We look forward to reading about your week!