Here's a collection of holiday photos of our big girl!
4th Birthday Photo Session
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
Friday, December 19, 2014
VIDEO: HOLIDAY PROGRAM
Here's the video from Andi's Holiday Program at school! Andi is front row and center!
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
Monday, August 4, 2014
Practice, Practice, Practice...
As we approach the beginning of a new school year, I find myself hoping this year will really help Andi make friends. Earlier today, I took her over to 'Catch Air' to play and get a good workout in, mainly practicing walking. She was so desperate to make contact with other kids, that at times, she didn't even want to go play. She just wanted to try to engage others who weren't really into it. She was very excited, and very sweet, but some kids just aren't. One boy almost got a taste of my version of Madea (the Tyler Perry character). Andi was trying to follow these kids up the stairs to this raised box landing. It is surrounded in protective netting, but looks out over half the building. This lil' sh*t was trying to push those big rubber bouncing exercise balls down the stairs... the same stairs Andi was trying to get up. Thank goodness I'm one of those overbearing parents that is right there in the action, because this kid could have chucked one of those big balls down, and taken Andi out, causing her to fall down the stairs. I told him to wait and let her get up there. Andi got up there, stood up at the opening, and the lil' sh*t was blocking her entrance. She thought it was funny, and was tapping him in the belly and laughing. I wasn't amused, but I told myself to let her play this out and see how she handles it. Next thing I see her on the ground and he's holding a ball over her... then he's laying on the ball pushing it on her. I went up to retrieve her and told this lil' sh*t not to lay on people, that it's not nice. No parent to be found. WTF?! I know I'm hover-Mom (with reason), but what you're going to let you lil' ill-behaved child practice their WWE moves on my child? Oh HELL No! So, I took her downstairs and tried to explain that not all kids are nice, and we immediately went to climb up the other play-structure so we could fly down the slide. I took Andi here to play for about an hour, because it's really good therapy (and only $8.55), it's socially engaging -- which she absolutely craves, and because I've had her cooped up in the house for nearly two weeks due to her nasty case of impetigo. The scabs are gone, but the dark purple marks where the scabs were remain. Pretty nasty thing she had.
In any case, she burned some serious energy and has now resumed position on the couch with her iPad. I'm so excited for her to start school next week so she can play with her peers, and those kids will be supervised and likely to have better manners than wrestlemania's evil grandson. Asshat.
Andi's just such a good kid, and so eager to socialize, I'm excited for her to get regular doses of it. We all need to take some lessons from her on being outgoing and friendly. As the older we get, the more we seem to forget how we're supposed to behave (especially the rude-drivers here in Atlanta! Yes, you, the eager beaver who felt the need to cut me off so you could beat me to the red light!) So, six more days of summer break, and then Andi is back in school. She will have a new bus driver, whom according to Andi's babysitter, used to play with Gladys Knight & The Pips... how cool is that?! So, I'm anxiously awaiting word of what time pick-up will be this year. Every day this week, I'm working on waking her up a little earlier than usual to prep for bus-time. This Thursday evening, she has open-house at school, which we will attend. Hopefully, they did relocate her classroom, because that last one I lobbied to have reevaluated was simply way too small for 8 kids and three adults. It was also the furthest away from the bus drop-off area. She's excited to go back to school and is looking forward to seeing Miss Joan, her teacher! I keep telling her to never lose her passion for school, because as of now, she's never getting out! (HA!)
In any case, she burned some serious energy and has now resumed position on the couch with her iPad. I'm so excited for her to start school next week so she can play with her peers, and those kids will be supervised and likely to have better manners than wrestlemania's evil grandson. Asshat.
Andi's just such a good kid, and so eager to socialize, I'm excited for her to get regular doses of it. We all need to take some lessons from her on being outgoing and friendly. As the older we get, the more we seem to forget how we're supposed to behave (especially the rude-drivers here in Atlanta! Yes, you, the eager beaver who felt the need to cut me off so you could beat me to the red light!) So, six more days of summer break, and then Andi is back in school. She will have a new bus driver, whom according to Andi's babysitter, used to play with Gladys Knight & The Pips... how cool is that?! So, I'm anxiously awaiting word of what time pick-up will be this year. Every day this week, I'm working on waking her up a little earlier than usual to prep for bus-time. This Thursday evening, she has open-house at school, which we will attend. Hopefully, they did relocate her classroom, because that last one I lobbied to have reevaluated was simply way too small for 8 kids and three adults. It was also the furthest away from the bus drop-off area. She's excited to go back to school and is looking forward to seeing Miss Joan, her teacher! I keep telling her to never lose her passion for school, because as of now, she's never getting out! (HA!)
Thursday, July 31, 2014
Potty Training and Job Hunting ... Pretty Much The Same Thing
Today, Andi has tried several hours of potty training, unsuccessfully. She seems to know not to go when she's bare-butt. But, she hasn't yet made that connection to let it go on the potty. She just seems to "hold-it", which isn't good for a long time, per her former urologist. After a few hours, she wouldn't let me put a diaper back on. I pushed and pushed, and thankfully, she relented. Will try again, but I really seem to lack the patience and consistency of potty training. I'm about to beat my head against a wall over it though.
At the urging of Daddy Bean & a lack of job offers blowing up my phone, I've resurrected Anna's INK, which is also now Anna's INK 123 -- due to some unfortunate tattoo lady stealing my old name. There's a Facebook page, Twitter, LinkedIn, and a website showcasing a small sampling of my portfolio. For some of the jobs I've applied for, they've required a portfolio or writing samples. Being I have four Facebook pages, four Twitter accounts, four g-mail accounts, this blog, two videos out on You Tube, and a book that I haven't yet finished... this website might be a great one-stop shopping showcase of all things I do. Not to mention all this dazzling personality and talent! HA! Here's a quick list of links of all my greatness. May it help me find a dreamy job to replace my current one that is ready for me to be gone.
At the urging of Daddy Bean & a lack of job offers blowing up my phone, I've resurrected Anna's INK, which is also now Anna's INK 123 -- due to some unfortunate tattoo lady stealing my old name. There's a Facebook page, Twitter, LinkedIn, and a website showcasing a small sampling of my portfolio. For some of the jobs I've applied for, they've required a portfolio or writing samples. Being I have four Facebook pages, four Twitter accounts, four g-mail accounts, this blog, two videos out on You Tube, and a book that I haven't yet finished... this website might be a great one-stop shopping showcase of all things I do. Not to mention all this dazzling personality and talent! HA! Here's a quick list of links of all my greatness. May it help me find a dreamy job to replace my current one that is ready for me to be gone.
Calendar Website:
Anna’s INK Website:
Twitter:
Facebook:
Friday, July 11, 2014
Priceless Patience
I've started the process of creating the 2015 edition of CHARGE Through The Year calendar. I'm just sitting here waiting for a burst of creative inspiration to take over. This is the time of the day where my yawning starts and I'm starting to feel tired. So, instead of throwing some images on a page that I'll likely hate... I spend time with the blog instead.
Yesterday, I filmed Andi with a new iPad app I recently downloaded called, Sight Words. It's like electronic flash cards. It put up a word and Andi read each word. She did amazing through 5 levels of words. It blows my mind how many words she can read. It's awesome. So, we're going to work on her reading more sentences. Yesterday, we also worked on tracing numbers. Well, we did '1'. She needs a lot of work on her hand/eye coordination as far as control. She can't seem to do an up/down stroke very well. Also, I've noticed that she does not show favoritism to one hand or the other. We're going to watch that and let her decide which hand she favors.
As for me, I'm still trying to find full-time work. I've met with several recruiters. I've had a few opportunities but had to pass them up. One was a totally ideal 2-day temp job making a tri-fold brochure, but I didn't have daycare for Andi and by the time I paid for that, plus drove, the job wouldn't have been worth it. The other opportunity was only part-time work, and again, it just wasn't enough to justify the daycare and commuting expense. I know something is coming, but having to be patient is sometimes tough on the ego.
We are taking one last mini-break before Daddy Bean's work gets extra crazy and Andi goes back to school. Poppa & Ginga are going to take Andi for a few days, while Daddy Bean and I are going to escape to New Orleans, and some beach we haven't yet secured. Neither of us were really in a New Orleans mood, but the cost to stay there is way cheaper than trying to park our butts on the beach for a few more days. I guess everyone is trying to get to the beach before school starts back. It's making finding an affordable (tolerable) room a bit of a chore. Late next week, Andi is going to do a few trial half-days at the daycare facility. The thought is when I find a job, Andi will start being dropped off at the daycare attached to Daddy Bean's building, and stay there until he gets off work. Our roles are going to change drastically. We've talked about it, but I still hope he's prepared for how different things are going to be. I will likely get Andi up and put her on the bus. And then Daddy Bean will be responsible for everything else: dinner, baths, Dr. & Therapy appointments, bedtime, etc. I am very excited to have my own sense of self back after being just "Andi's Mom" for the past four years. While I will still be "Andi's Mom", I will have my own identity outside of that to embrace and explore. YIPPIE! We're so tight now, I wonder if and how this will change our relationship, our dynamic. I do worry about what I will miss, having been the first to witness most of her accomplishments. But, it will be very nice to be able to treat myself to a mani-pedi and not feel all that bad about spending a little bit of money on myself. I'm excited! Just have to be a bit more patient I think. I hope.
Saturday, July 5, 2014
Julie McCoy -- Our Social Director
Andi Bean has been rather busy. Wednesday, we went to go see Poppa for his birthday. Before we left, Princess Maddux was lounging on his throne of pillows!
Now that we don't live that far away, it's not that big of a deal to pop over and hang out. Before dinner, Andi went for a swim in her pool with Ginga. She had a ball splashing a bit, but mainly just wanted to walk around the inside perimeter of the "pool" (an in-ground hot tub!) After swimming, Andi just helped herself to Poppa's phone, so she could entertain herself.
We went to the club for dinner, where Andi was the premiere table to stop by and say Hi!
She kept calling for her new friends, "Mister Wayne" and "Miss Terry". The next day, Andi decided she didn't want to sit in her high chair, but at the table like a big girl! Sadly, she didn't eat much.
The next morning, the 4th of July, we went to a place called Yellow River Game Ranch. It's a place where you can go meet and feed wildlife. There were peacocks, goats, deer, sheep, donkey's, black bears, eager squirrels, pigs, and Beau -- the groundhog who successfully picks Superbowl winners. Andi loved it. Her walking wasn't that good due to the terrain, but she'd pull our hand and say, 'let's go this way!' And she was very vocal saying hi to all the animals. We hand fed deer, goats, donkey's. We dropped peanuts down the tube for the black bears. We also dropped an apple over the fence for the biggest pig we'd ever seen. It was super cool and the temperature was perfect.
After seeing all the animals, we went to the neighborhood pool, where Andi wanted to sit in the lounge chair by herself and work on her tan. We met a neighbor at the pool who teaches swimming lessons. She was smitten with Andi the moment we walked in. We got to talking with her, and within minutes I told her Andi had CHARGE Syndrome. She said, 'oh yeah, I know what that is, my nephew has it.' She worked with Andi a bit in the pool and told us of another program we should contact. One thing is for sure here, they really have A LOT of options for kids with special needs.
After dinner, we headed over to one of the local parks here. They had a bunch of bouncy houses (although we did not join in that fun!), food trucks galore, music, and a gazillion people. We set up our blanket by the music stage. In true Andi form, she instantly started making friends. Waving to people, smiling, and saying "hi!" She ended up ditching us and hanging out with her new friends -- all of which work at a private special needs school in Roswell. No joke. This place offers 1 on 1 teacher/student work, so the advancement is huge. Unfortunately, I'm guessing the tuition is probably huge as well. *insert pouty face here.* But, if nothing else, Andi's favorite new friend said she'd be happy to babysit if she's available.
Andi was pretty exhausted by the time fireworks happened. But she managed to stay awake and watch them as we 'ooh'd and aah'd' with each burst of color.
It was yet another night where we walked back to our car just thrilled with the fact that we not only relocated here, but exactly where we landed. We have just be very lucky with the people surrounding us. The opportunities of services and support here have been immense. Andi is our networking guru. People are drawn to her. She's our Julie McCoy -- our social director.
Now that we don't live that far away, it's not that big of a deal to pop over and hang out. Before dinner, Andi went for a swim in her pool with Ginga. She had a ball splashing a bit, but mainly just wanted to walk around the inside perimeter of the "pool" (an in-ground hot tub!) After swimming, Andi just helped herself to Poppa's phone, so she could entertain herself.
We went to the club for dinner, where Andi was the premiere table to stop by and say Hi!
She kept calling for her new friends, "Mister Wayne" and "Miss Terry". The next day, Andi decided she didn't want to sit in her high chair, but at the table like a big girl! Sadly, she didn't eat much.
The next morning, the 4th of July, we went to a place called Yellow River Game Ranch. It's a place where you can go meet and feed wildlife. There were peacocks, goats, deer, sheep, donkey's, black bears, eager squirrels, pigs, and Beau -- the groundhog who successfully picks Superbowl winners. Andi loved it. Her walking wasn't that good due to the terrain, but she'd pull our hand and say, 'let's go this way!' And she was very vocal saying hi to all the animals. We hand fed deer, goats, donkey's. We dropped peanuts down the tube for the black bears. We also dropped an apple over the fence for the biggest pig we'd ever seen. It was super cool and the temperature was perfect.
After seeing all the animals, we went to the neighborhood pool, where Andi wanted to sit in the lounge chair by herself and work on her tan. We met a neighbor at the pool who teaches swimming lessons. She was smitten with Andi the moment we walked in. We got to talking with her, and within minutes I told her Andi had CHARGE Syndrome. She said, 'oh yeah, I know what that is, my nephew has it.' She worked with Andi a bit in the pool and told us of another program we should contact. One thing is for sure here, they really have A LOT of options for kids with special needs.
After dinner, we headed over to one of the local parks here. They had a bunch of bouncy houses (although we did not join in that fun!), food trucks galore, music, and a gazillion people. We set up our blanket by the music stage. In true Andi form, she instantly started making friends. Waving to people, smiling, and saying "hi!" She ended up ditching us and hanging out with her new friends -- all of which work at a private special needs school in Roswell. No joke. This place offers 1 on 1 teacher/student work, so the advancement is huge. Unfortunately, I'm guessing the tuition is probably huge as well. *insert pouty face here.* But, if nothing else, Andi's favorite new friend said she'd be happy to babysit if she's available.
Andi was pretty exhausted by the time fireworks happened. But she managed to stay awake and watch them as we 'ooh'd and aah'd' with each burst of color.
It was yet another night where we walked back to our car just thrilled with the fact that we not only relocated here, but exactly where we landed. We have just be very lucky with the people surrounding us. The opportunities of services and support here have been immense. Andi is our networking guru. People are drawn to her. She's our Julie McCoy -- our social director.
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