Conway Braves

Marshall played on the Conway Braves baseball team again this year. It is something that not only he enjoys, but myself as a parent enjoy too. It's nice to have sports that Marshall can participate in regardless of his disability. This year was different than any other year for Marshall though, he was able to leave his walker at home this year. Since he is walking independently, he is not interested in the walker at all. HOORAY!! This is such a step forward (no pun intended) that he not need his walker. He gets really excited when he gets around his fellow teammates and acts a little crazy, which is amazing to see his happiness in those moments. One of his first games he was just so overjoyed and acting a little wild that when we were in the field he got to walking so quickly that he tripped on his own two feet and fell head first on the dirt. Apparently the entire crowd in the stands had their eye on Marshall because as he fell the whole crowd gasped. I felt like a horrible mother but soon recalled the fact that Marshall just started walking and in the art of learning how to walk, he has to learn how to fall. Of course he was okay, just came home with a scraped up elbow and a dirty jersey. I guess nothing more than most mom's are used to seeing after a baseball game...right? Needless to say, this season was great and it ended with a news segment about the league and of course as we do...the Bailey's had to make the news! Below is the link to the segment of Marshall sliding into home for the season ending game of the 2011 Season of The Conway Braves. http://www.todaysthv.com/news/story.aspx?storyid=162345

My First Class

I had such an incredible group of kids this year! It was my first year to have my own classroom and my very own kids and I absolutely loved every minute of it. We all learned so much from each other. I had 16 kids in my class, 9 boys and 7 girls, so it was pretty evenly balanced. I was lucky enough to have some students that I had during my Student teaching days, that was one of the reasons I was so excited about teaching First grade! I learned a lot from each and everyone of my students and hope that they learned just as much from me. I told them everyday that they were like my own little kids and I truly meant that. There were days that I would go home thinking about something that one of them said or did, as if they were my own. I hope that I not only taught them the skills they need for Second grade, but life lessons that they will carry with them for years to come. I can't wait to see what amazing men and women they all turn into and hope that one day they will look back on their First grade year and remember Mrs. B.

Throwbacks

I was looking through pictures today and ran across these. Wow were we young!! These must have been taken Fall/Winter of 2000. The top one is at Mark's apartment at The Ridge. Looks as if he might be vacuuming?? Who knows? Of course I have a Mt. Dew in my hand! I couldn't go without caffeine for more than a couple of hours. The bottom pic is one that my sister took at the river. We were just messing around, can't you tell by the expression on Mark's face! He's such a goof ball. I'm really loving the black and white coat though, how trendy!! I sure did have some long hair back then. Before kids I guess I had time to spend washing, drying, straightening, etc. Just love finding old pictures and especially love how goofy we look.

Want a Ride?

Marshall and Jordan both had appointments at Children's on Friday to check on their tubes that Dr. Dornhoffer put in a while back. Marshall fell and hit his head last week and the following day his ear began to bleed. Mark took him to the doctor and they said it looked like he may have knocked his tube out and that's what caused the bleeding. Blood is never a good thing for me to see, much less coming from an ear after knowing that Marshall hit his head. I was glad to hear it wasn't anything more serious. They referred us to Children's for a check-up. It's been a while since we've been to Children's with both kids and since Marshall has started walking. We decided to leave the wheelchair at home and go all out! Marshall was a trooper and walked from the main entrance of the hospital all the way to the Eye Clinic to check in for our appointment, which is clear across the hospital. He actually pushed Jordan in her stroller for most of the way with a little guidance from dad and I'm not sure who enjoyed it more, Marshall or Jordan. They both had smiles on their faces. Dr. Dornhoffer saw both of them and said J still has both of her tubes (one has been said to have been missing for months now???) guess it grew back the night before, and Marshall of course has one. He suggested we wait and see if his ear will do well without anymore tubes. We will wait a few weeks and see if the drops help clear it up from the fall and stay clear of infections.

A Long Time Coming

I've been trying to upload a video and for some reason it is not letting me so I am blogging without the video for now and hopefully will have video to add later...

I've waited for this moment for...well let's see long enough now! Marshall is 9 and has decided that it would be the funnest thing in the world to walk by himself. He began this epic venture mid- January and hasn't slowed down yet! Mark and I have always held out hope that one day...one day this child would take off and sure enough, he's done it. There's nothing more gratifying than to see all of the years of hard work come to fruition. It's very easy for someone to look at your child and for them tell you all of the things that they will never be able to do. It is also just as easy to accept that and move on. Mark and I chose not to take the easy road with Marshall and wanted to defy all of the odds that everyone put against him and his disabilities. It was definitely not the easiest road taken nor the least expensive road taken; however, it was a road that taught us to believe in the power of determination and the willingness to sacrifice anything necessary for the sake of Marshall's success. I don't feel like we've done anything extraordinary for Marshall that any other parent wouldn't do for their child. The difference is, we were just given extraordinary circumstances in which to deal. In those extraordinary circumstances we find the special moments to treasure and this is one that is finally being treasured. I know for certain there are a few people in heaven with tears of joy in their eyes at this monumental occasion.

Belle Olivia Bailey

It's amazing how much of an animal lover I am. I guess it's because ever since I can remember I had a dog in my life. My first memorable pet was a black and tan dachshund named Bobette. My parents had her when I was born and I remember her always being a part of my life. Dogs just bring such love and joy to my soul! So it breaks my heart to have to blog about losing one. We had to put our beloved Belle to sleep on Memorial Day weekend. She was such a sweet dog and will be missed greatly. It's just not the same around the Bailey house without her. The pain eases slowly as time passes and I'm sure one day I'll be able to talk about her without crying...but for now it still brings tears to my eyes.

I'm Back!

So glad to be back to blogging. I didn't realize how much I missed it until I started going through my pictures on my computer and realizing how many moments I've not blogged about. Makes me sad!! So, now that I have my first year as a teacher under my belt, here goes. My aspiration is to not only blog about my family but my classroom at school. They become my family too and we share lots of amazing moments that are inspiring and worth blogging about as well.