Things To Do (in May) List

There are a few things that I need to work on with Belli that I have been putting off for various reasons.  Most of them are logical reasons but some of it is that I'm kinda lazy.  So I am going to write out this to do list so I can hold myself accountable.  I really have no reason to put these things of any longer after May so I'm just going to have to buckle down and do it!  Ok, so here is my list and my reasons why I haven't done it yet.

1.  Potty training.
This one is probably the most logical and reasonable one as to why I haven't done it yet.  Obviously since Belli can't walk yet her getting to the potty by herself is sort of out of the question.  Our bathroom is upstairs so that means I have to walk up the stairs while carrying her every single time she need to go potty.  This isn't so bad now but when she had the halo on for almost 6 months I wasn't really all about that.  But then once she got the halo off I started school and working another day out of the weeks so I am never home enough days in a row and since the key to potty training is consistency I didn't think we would be very successful.  Lastly, I have always heard that the best way for them to train is to just let them go without a diaper on so they can feel themselves be wet.  Since I already have work, school, homework, and doctors and therapy appointments cleaning up pee that Belli has dragged across the floor while scooting was not something I wanted to add to my list.  But, I will be finished with this semester at the beginning of May so I will be home everyday except Friday and Saturday so I should be able to do it now.  She is pretty close to being trained so hopefully it won't be too hard.

2.  Teach her to eat with a spoon and fork.
There are a couple of reasons I have put this off too.   I had always planned on waiting until she either got her collar off or she was two.  My reasoning behind this is that when a child learns to use utensils it's not exactly a clean experience.  Her collar only comes with two sets of pads so I would have to wash and clean them each time she ate because they would obviously get very dirty, and then smelly if I didn't.  So I thought that if she didn't have her collar off by the time she was two I would just suck it up and get prepared for a lot of collar pad washing.

Well, as most of you know in August when she turned two she was in the halo and vest so self feeding was again out of the question.  The fake wool underneath the vest didn't come out so there was no way to get it clean.  So I thought I would just wait until she was out of the halo and collar free.  Well that didn't happen either.  She came out of the halo and straight back into the collar for what was supposed to be only a few months.  So again my plan was to wait until she got her collar off.  Well if you read this post you will know that we found out recently that Belli will not be getting her collar off until after her next fusion which will probably be around five.  So seeing as that I can't wait until she is five to teach her how to feed herself I guess I will not just suck it up and do it. 

She also has some problems with arm and hand strength that is needed for feeding.  Also, since she can't look down because of her fusion we are going to have to figure out a way for her to be able to see her food to be able to scoop it up and put it in her mouth. 

3.  Teach her how to hold an open cup
I have avoided this for all of the same reasons as above.  Can you guys tell that I really don't handle mess well?

So there is my to do list for May.  Wish us luck!

Fun in the Sun

When I was in New York at the Bronx Zoo I bought a box that came with materials to make and paint a bird house.  I thought that would be a fun thing for Belli and me to do when I got back home.  So on the next pretty day we had we sat outside and I built the bird house and the let Belli paint it.  She did a great job!

FYI...Yes there is a roof to the bird house.  I just forgot to take pictures of it.

Getting to Know You

As I sit here in bed bored and missing Belli who is away for the weekend I thought now would be as good a time as any do Keely's Getting to Know You.  So here it is!

1.  Why did you start blogging?
I started blogging in June of 2009 when I found out Belli would need a spinal fusion.  I wanted to be able to keep everyone updated and not have to worry about calling people.

2.  Who is the one blog friend you would want to meet most in real life?
Probably Kate or Mama M.  They have both been really great friends to me!


3.  Why are you always concerned about losing that "extra 10 pounds"?
Because then my pants would probably fit better.  Duh!

4.  What's the one thing you wish guys could understand about you?
Well I guess it's not really important right now because I'm not dating but when or if I ever do again I hope that I find someone who understands that all I need is to feel loved and honesty.

5.  Tattoos-how many do you have and how many are visible when you wear everyday clothes.
One. None.

6.  What was the best year of your life and why?
My freshman year of college!  It was awesome.  I was 3.5 hours away from home.  I joined a sorority, met lots of new people, had a boyfriend, partied all the time (until 11pm when it was time for me to go to bed), and still managed to make dean's list my first semester. 

7.  Name three things you would do if you were a man for a day.
First, I would pee standing up as many times as I could.  I am so jealous that I can't stand up to pee.  It's so convenient!
Second, I would try to drive some where that I didn't really know how to get to so I could test the "men have a better since of direction" theory.
Third, I would join a tackle football team.

8.  What's your alcoholic drink of choice that usually raises a few eyebrows?
My drinks of choice are usually girly frozen drinks so that doesn't really raise eyebrows.  

Five Question Friday

Here are Belli's answer to this weeks Five Question Friday by Mama M.

1.  Did you pass you drivers test on the first try?
Well if the way I drive my walker is any indication of how I will drive a car, then no probably not.

2.  What is your most embarrassing moment?
I'm only two.  I don't get embarrassed yet!  Although I do embarrass my mommy frequently.

3.  What TV show would you like to be on?  Oprah, Biggest Loser, or What Not to Wear?
Well I definitely don't need to be on Biggest Loser and my mommy has impeccable clothing taste for me.  I think I would like to go on Oprah and spread awareness about Larsen's Syndrome.

4.  Would you ever get plastic surgery and what kind?
Plastic surgery?  On this pretty face?  No way!

5.  What are your favorite jeans to wear?
So far the ones that have fit the best are from Children's Place.  The only problem is that I have grown out of the 18 months but the 24 months are too big.  So I guess their jeans really aren't that great.

The Serenity Prayer

You know the one...

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

The part about accepting the things I cannot change and the wisdom to know the difference has always been hard for me.  But I have made a vow to myself to try a little bit harder to figure out the difference and to accept those things I deem unchangeable.  No matter how badly I want to change them or they need to be changed for the sake of others.

Can I get an amen!

 

Belliisms 2

Here are some more of Belli's recent misspeaks and funny sayings.  You can read my first Belliisms post here.

When Belli goes to physical therapy at Children's her favorite thing to do it jump with the jumbees.  Also known as bungees.

One of her favorite nursery rhymes is, "Sing a Song of Picnics."  AKA "Sing a Song of Sixpence."

Since she has been sick the past couple of days with a sinus infection I gave her a popsicle to try to help her throat feel better.  She keeps telling everyone she ate a bicycle.

Yesterday when we got to out car after leaving Target there was a little boy sitting in a cart right next to our car.  I went to open the car door and put the stuff in an I could here Belli say, "Hey!  Well hey there!"  I don't know if the little boy didn't hear her or if he just didn't understand her but he didn't say hey back.  So then Belli looked at him and said yelled, "HEY!  Say hey to Isabelle!"

Yesterday we were sitting outside and Belli was eating crackers.  Our dog kept trying to come over and eat her crackers and Belli kept telling her, "No no Bagel.  Don't eat my crackers."  Each time Bagel would back away and then she tried again and Belli looked at her and said, "Don't you even think about!"

Tonight she was trying to open one of those Silly Puddy eggs.  After trying for a little while she mumbled, "I'll figure it out."

Oh Belli.  How you make me laugh.

Food for Thought

I have had a lot on my mind the past couple of days with the new health care bill being passed.  If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook you know my stance on the matter.  To say I am ecstatic about this might be an understatement.  This bill could mean so many great things for so many people, myself and my daughter included.

I have heard and read what the naysayers think about this bill and it hurts my heart to see the hatefulness in some people.  The lack of caring for others less fortunate is really sickening to me.  There are many statements that I have heard over the past couple of days that I won't go into detail about but there is one in particular that I wanted to touch on today because it has stood out the most to me for two reasons. 

It has been said in various forms but the gist of it is that this health care reform is socialized medicine.  There are two reasons this has stood out to me and bothered me the most.  The first being that this reform IS NOT socialized medicine.  There is no reason for me to argue the point because I'm sure it will not do any good so I'm not going to.  But the second, and really most important reason, is that most of the people making these comments are Christian.  I know this because I either know them or they have it on their info page on Facebook or I have been a member on message boards with them long enough to know.

My problem with this is that the majority of these people are the first ones to throw the Bible in your face, quoting scripture, and telling you what Jesus would want (like they know).  So my question (however cliche it may be) to all of those people is, "What would Jesus do?"

He would be a socialist. 

Wouldn't he want the same care for everyone no matter what he had to sacrifice for it.  Didn't he sacrifice his life so that everyone else could live a happy life?  So if he can sacrifice his life for us what is such a big deal about you sacrificing whatever it is that you think you are going to lose with this health care reform?

For those who are angry because they have to pay more taxes...isn't that better than having people who cannot afford health insurance and are dying or drowning in bills because of it?

For those who are angry because they think the quality of our health care will now go down (which I do not believe will be the case)...Isn't it better that everyone get the same quality health care than some people getting great health care because they can afford it while others don't get any at all?

I believe these are all things Jesus would agree with.  And wasn't the whole point of God putting Jesus on Earth to give us a human example of him to try and strive toward? 

Just a little food for thought.  I hope I gave some of you a different perspective on the matter.  Feel free to leave comments.  Feel free to disagree but please keep it friendly!