Thanksgiving

It's been a long time since I've posted anything and I hate that. I have just been consumed with my Student teaching these past few months and haven't really had any extra time to do the things that I use to. So, blogging has lost its importance in the Bailey household lately. I'm glad to have only one week of student teaching left after Thanksgiving break and finally graduate. These past two years have been long and hard for me. The moment has finally come to graduate and I can't wait. I'm so excited!!
I was lucky to have the entire week off for Thanksgiving and got to spend it with Marshall. I forgot how much time I haven't had with him and Jordan lately because I've been at school all day teaching and then had tons of homework when I got home. It's been crazy, but thankfully Mark has done a great job at helping me out as well as La-Trelle. She just happen to come along at the most perfect time for us. I'm so thankful that she loves spending time with both Marshall and Jordan and they love her just as much.
Our life isn't easy, but somehow we always seem to make it through, thankfully with each other.

Daddy's Little Girl

Jordan is definitely spoiled by her daddy! After her baths, he likes to blow dry her hair so it will be nice and pretty. I think he just enjoys pampering his baby girl. He also likes to paint her fingernails and toenails. He picked out Fuschia Bling Bling for her latest color. There is no doubt she will be a diva. It's so cute to see him trying to paint her tiny little fingers and toes, but he has it down to an art these days. She is one lucky little girl.

We got a last minute sitter and decided to go to the UCA game. Amazingly it was the first UCA game that either of us had been to. It's crazy that I have been in school there for almost 10 years and never attended a football game. We had a really good time. It was nice to get out and spend time with Mark, just him and I. This was a picture he took of us from his phone. Not the best picture of me, but since we have so few of us, I just had to post it.

Nina Mae Brown

Mrs. Nina Mae Wilbanks Brown, age 94, of Benton died Saturday September 19, 2009, at Saline Memorial Hospice in Bryant. She was born February 19, 1915 in Haskell.

Mark's great-grandmother passed away this weekend. She was truly a very special women who will greatly be missed. We were so blessed to share the moments that we did with her, although we wish there would have been more. It is times like this when we realize that our lives are so busy these days that we didn't get to see her over the last couple of years like we should have. She was so great with Marshall and I wish that she would have gotten to see Jordan and love on her like she did Marshall. I remember being so nervous about taking Marshall over to her house for the first time and as soon as we put the carrier down in the floor, she was taking him out. She bounced him on her knee and signed to him and I remember him smiling and laughing at her the entire time we were there. She wanted to make sure that she told him that she was his great-great grandmother and she would sign that to him over and over. She would always ask if Marshall could have candy when we went over to her house and when we go to celebrate her birthday, she would always feed Marshall cake. He had his first bite of birthday cake from Grandma Nina Mae. She was a very special woman that we were lucky to have in our lives and we will miss her. Grandma Nina Mae you were loved.

Getting work done...

Marshall and Jordan waiting to go back...
Jordan playing with her feet in the bed

Marshall trying to go to sleep

Jordan asleep before they took her back Jordan recovering

Marshall recovering

Both of the kids were referred to Children's for dental surgery a few months ago by our local dentist. He typically cleans their teeth and does any minor procedures, but feels more comfortable sending us to Children's for any x-rays or any fillings that need to be done. Both kids needed to go so Mark and I decided to schedule them both for the same day since he only gets one day off for the week, and I'm student teaching right now. Although it made for a crazy day, it was a good thing we did them together.

Both of the kids went back together and got all of their information taken and we got to stay in one room together to get ready for Jordan's surgery. After playing with her feet for a while, she ended up falling asleep so they didn't have to give her any "goofy" juice before they took her. Marshall on the other hand, needed the "goofy" juice and it did in fact make him goofy. He laughed the entire way down the corridor when they took him. It was so funny because when we went to see Jordan in recovery, we could hear him down the hall laughing. It was nice because their Anesthesia lady was Leslie, whom we've had several times and she is so sweet and loves both of the kids. She even did Jordan's implant anesthesia, so we have seen her several times. Both of the kids did good for Dr. Koonz. Jordan drank almost all of her drink when we finally got her up and held it down. She went back to a room and we waited on Marshall to get finished. When he got finished we moved to a different room and tried to get him to drink a little bit, because as soon as they drink something and hold it down, we can be discharged. Marshall took a little bit of his drink and then threw up. This was the first time that anesthesia has ever made him sick. He threw up once more and then was fine. We finally got discharged and in the truck to head home. Mark and I were starving because we had been up since about 6:45 and hadn't eaten anything all morning so we stopped at Sonic and grabbed something to eat. As we were sitting there, Mark turned around and panicked because Marshall was as white as a ghost. I looked and it scared me. As soon as I reached for my phone he threw up. He looked terrible, but once he threw up he got his color back and was fine. Luckily, Mark anticipated him throwing up and grabbed a bag for him to do it in so it wasn't all over the truck. Glad he was ready for it. The rest of the afternoon was spent holding and rocking everyone. We were all very tired from a long day. Glad Marsh and J made it through okay and everything went well.

WHAT A MESS!!

Marshall has really started playing in his room lately, which is nice sometimes. It's nice that he is enjoying playing in there; however, this is what I found when he played in his room this past weekend. A knocked over drum set, empty shoe box with one boot on the rug and the other one MIA. A dresser drawer pulled completely out of the dresser, all the toys out of the bucket, and sheets in the floor. WHAT A MESS!!

Then, Marshall spotted Mark left his newly poured cup of cherry coke on the counter to go let Belle outside and he grabbed it before we knew it. Of course, he thought it was funny and laughed as he held onto the cup upside down. I couldn't find it in myself to get onto him because we have been working so long on some of these milestones. So we just let him enjoy it and clean up the mess.

Jordi Bear

So, the first week of school is over and Marshall absolutely loved it. It was like he never even left. He was upset Thursday afternoon when I picked him up for therapy, he kept looking at Ms. Boykin, hoping that she would let him stay. I hate to see him upset when he has to leave school, but it is so comforting to know that he truly enjoys his time there.

He rode the bus home on Friday, which is kind of his treat at the end of the week, and he enjoyed it as usual. Marshall works so hard during the week, that Mark and I feel like he deserves something fun on Fridays. He again cried when I got him off of the bus. At this point, I'm thinking there is probably someone watching and wondering why every time I pick my kid up he cries?

Jordan is doing good in her new classroom, but change is definitely hard. Mark and I are both trying to be patient with the new teachers and allow them time to get to know J and learn what her needs are. This definitely is not an easy thing to do, but it is necessary. We have a meeting with everyone on Thursday to discuss seating and expectations in the classroom, so hopefully it will go great.

It's such a hard thing for any parent to watch their children grow up. Sometimes I think it is much harder for parents like Mark and I for the fact that our children require help from so many people to participate in activities, eat their meals, & get from one place to the other, just to name a few. Marshall and Jordan are doing so well in all of their therapies that we are so excited for what the future holds. May this new transition in all of our lives be a smooth and gentle one and M and J learn lots of new things this year.

Fun times outside

Marshall has been wanting to go outside so much lately, so every time we open the front door he scoots straight toward it. We've been letting him go out the door a couple of times and he will go straight for the stairs so I just hold onto the back of his shirt and he scoots down those stairs as fast as he can and off he goes. He loves scooting on the sidewalk and driveway, but actually went in the grass and turned around and looked at me like, hmmmm this feels different, and then off he went. He is so fast these days that I can't turn away from him or he will be into something that he isn't supposed to be. I'm so glad that day is finally here, but he is wearing me out with all of his energy and will power.

Marshall started back to school on Wednesday, thankfully with the same teacher. He didn't sleep the night before, I think he was trying to get every last minute out of his summer that he could. Mark and I both took Marshall to school yesterday morning and he walked in and it was like he never left. He immediately smiled and was so happy and his teachers were too cute. They were wearing cowboy hats, bandannas, and badges. They had a saddle set up by the classroom for the boys to take their picture on and they all had wanted posters hanging up on the bulletin board outside the classroom. It was so cute. Marshall definitely knew where he was and was excited to be back. I don't think he missed us one bit, which is the way I like it. He loves his friends and teachers so much that it's great to see him excited about going to school. He had a great first day and made sure to show them all of the things he is doing now. I think he pulled up on everything possible. What a great way to start off the school year. WANTED!!!

We were so lucky to meet him!!

It has been such an amazing experience to travel around the world with my children and get the opportunity to meet amazing families that have children with special needs. Although we are not all the same and neither are our children, we do have something in common and that is the will and determination to never give up on our kids. We were very lucky last summer to spend time in Canada where we met a lot of fantastic people. Today, I got word that a little boy that attended the camp with Marshall passed away. At first, I thought that my eyes were reading the screen wrong, then I realized that they weren't and I wasn't even sure how to react? We celebrated this child's 8th birthday with him last summer at camp, and now he's gone. I have come to realize that with the friends that we make along this journey in life, we will lose some along the way. How lucky we were to be able to meet this strong, courageous young boy and to meet his mother and grandmother. Karlene, may peace be with you and your family during this difficult time. Aaron was an amazing little boy and we were so lucky to meet him!!

Watching her favorite

Jordan sitting on her bench like a big girl. Of course the only reason that she tolerated it was because I let her watch Spongebob Squarepants while she sat. Sometimes it takes manipulation to get her or Marshall to do what they need and can do. She has been working so hard at this sitting thing and her intensive program is over with her physical therapist, so she now goes back to three days a week of PT. Hopefully, we will continue to see great progress although we will be losing two hours a week. Jordan can do this, she just has to want to do it.

My, what big eyes you have!

Jordan had her annual eye appointment today at Children's. She has been doing great with her glasses, so it was more of a follow up appointment. The doctor wanted to dilate her eyes, so we had to get the yucky drops put in her eyes, which she definitely did not like, and wait in the waiting room for about 20 minutes. This is a picture of her in my arms sitting in the waiting room, waiting for her eyes to dilate. She is such a sweet girl. The doctor checked her eyes and said everything looked good. He said something that I had not heard, even though I have two children with seizures? He said he was glad to see her nerves/veins in the back of her eyes weren't swollen because when seizures are present, they sometimes cause swelling and create changes in a person's vision. It was definitely interesting to know, since Marshall and Jordan BOTH have seizures. So, everything checked out good, we will go back in 6 months for a follow up.

Trip to Children's

It's back to our usual trips to Children's hospital. The kids had dentists appointments this week and both were schedule for dental surgery on September 10th. They both have a few teeth that the dentist wants to fill and they want to be able to get a good set of x-rays of their teeth. It is usually easier to do it all at one time, so they will go through ambulatory surgery and Dr. Koonce will put them to sleep, get their x-rays, clean/repair their teeth and be all done.

I had to take Marshall on Tuesday by myself and he was completely fine until we got into the waiting room and he began crying, luckily there weren't any other patients in the room. Thankfully, another family showed up and there was a nice little boy that came and played beside Marshall, which quickly got him out of his crying mood. He started laughing and he laughed so hard that he tooted. He is so silly!! I was just so glad that little boy was there to entertain him. Then on Wednesday, Jordan had an appointment and we had to take both kids because we had no sitter and amazingly once we walked in the waiting room, Marshall was all smiles. I guess he knew that he wasn't there to see the dentist, sister was.

Just because

I don't think I ever posted these pictures of Jordan and they are some of my favorites.

New places to see

Just a few new pictures of Marshall at the new things he has figured out he can stand at.

Happy 50th Birthday mom!!

Mom turned 50 today and although she knew she was having a party, there were lots of other things she didn't know about! She of course did not know that I would return the favor (she made a big yard sign for my graduation party) of putting a sign in her front yard to let all of the neighborhood know that it was her 50th birthday. I did, however, go one step further and bought two big gold balloons to add to the sign. The numbers were huge, which made it all the more fun! Unfortunately, the 5 ended up flying away, so I had to go back and buy yet another 5.

Mom came over to our house after she got off of work and got ready for the party and helped me get the kids ready too. Although she knew she was having a party, we wanted her to walk into the house and everyone already be there all together. So, Marshall helped her roll her hair so she could get ready for her birthday party.

Marshall and Cameron

Marshall and Jordan got mom a mouse pad that said: "I'm too sexy to be 50!"

Lauren and I couldn't decide on how to tell her that we were taking her to the Bahamas, so we decided to make a board and wrap it. It said: Pack your bags, You leave Monday, for the Bahamas, love the Kunz's and the Bailey's. I put the itinerary on it, the map of the Bahama Islands and a cake with Happy 50th Birthday mom on it. When she opened it, she opened it to the crowd and everyone was so surprised and when everyone said, "oh my gosh", she got a worried look on her face. I think she was very surprised.

Jeremy's sister Maggie trying to make the punch drinkable. Obviously we should have put it out sooner because it was a not thawed out, but a few rounds in the microwave solved that problem. We decorated with navy, bold, and cream colors to coordinate with the cake. We found a nautical theme cake from blue cake company and everything turned out looking so good.

Jordan sporting her flower hat before she goes to school. She is such a fashion diva. I don't know what her father is going to do when she gets older? But sometimes I think he is the one I'm going to have to worry about, because he definitely likes for his little girl to be stylish.

Swimming at Grandma's

We went over to mom's house to let the kids swim in her pool because it has been sooooo hot. Of course, both Marshall and Jordan love the water. Jordan floated around on one of mom's raft things and Marshall played between the rafts and me and Mark. Marshall had fun throwing the diving sticks for Molly to go and find, even though he hit Jordan in the head with one. OOPS!

What's for Breakfast?

Last Baseball Game of The Season

Marshall really enjoyed playing baseball this season. A lot of his friends were out there and he truly enjoyed it. I don't know if he enjoyed fielding or batting the most. He was excited about all of it. He just loved getting outside and having something fun to do with all of his friends. We were glad that we were here this summer for him to get to go to all of the games this year. This was the last game of the season and it was the hottest night of the season. Both kids and parents were sweating before the game even started.

Marshall had a great time, but when he hit, he didn't want to go past 1st base, so Mark sat him on top of his walker and away they went. Of course, he loved this and smiled the entire way to home plate. For the last bat of the season, Marshall had to get a big hit and what would a big hit be without a slide into home? This was a great end to a great season. Thanks to the Patterson's for all that they do to make this possible for our kids.

Trip to Russellville

Mark took the kids to see Billie and Tenn in Russellville. They haven't seen the kids since Christmas and Mark had the day off. They were excited to see the kids and of course Billie had to rock both of them. She rocked Jordan to sleep and she rocked Marshall for a while. I guess that's what grandmothers are for. Tenn just had eye surgery, so he was kind of tired, but couldn't believe how good Marshall was doing and was surprised when Marshall pulled up on his leg to stand up. They all had a good visit and it was nice for all of them to get to visit. Hopefully, it won't be so long before the next visit.