March - April 7th updates

Thanks to my dear friend... who has texted me to post on my blog. You know who you are! Love you!! Well... anyway, a lot has been going on. I don't know where to start. It will be alittle out of order but here's an update!

March 14- 19th: We went to Galveston on my aunt Linda's Spring Break on the week of March 15th. We stayed at my aunt Bertha's beach house and then stayed at her house in Houston. My kids went swimming in her backyard and then we went to the Houston Rodeo afterwards. It was nice to see all the smiles on my children's faces! They had a blast!  Here's what we did:

Galveston: Beach, Shops at The Strand, Rainforest Cafe, Playground, Moody Gardens and 3D Theatre Films.

Houston: Rodeo Carnival, Indoor Playground and Swimming at my aunt Bertha's hot tub/pool which overlooked the lake.

I love watching my children have fun and who knew that I would enjoy the kiddie rides? 

March 26th: Andrew had his Endo check-up. He weighted 11 pounds and that was 6 months ago He had a check up this day, and he's still weighting in on 11 pounds. The doctor shared my concerns.  He is thinking of sending him back to see the GI. Send me to get his blood work done too. The Endo doctor also referred me to a nutritionist so that he can get the calories that he needs. The Endo doctor wants me to check back with him on Andrew's weight a month from now. Which is April 21st. If Andrew does not gain, he will be admitted.

March 28th: I attended DeafNation which was held in Austin. Not too far from where I am staying. About 30 miles away. Anyway, I was able to meet a few of my friends who work there selling their products and all. I even got to meet a few successful deaf. I always enjoy attending DeafNation events. They do travel to other states. So if you are interested in attending, then check out their website at www.deafnation.com The good thing about going? It's FREE! That's to yours and my advantage.

Here are the successful deafies that I met, they are:
Katie Leclerc, Actress: played Daphne from ABC Family's Switched at Birth
Chef Tom Scuderi, he uses American Sign Language while giving out instructions on how to cook some recipes through his videos. What a neat idea!
Patti Singleton, my first deaf counselor and now friend. Still works at ACC! Met her back circa 1997. It was so good to reconnect and catch up with her. 
Karen Issacs, actress for The Deaf Club (Rustic Lantern Films)
Matt Daigle is a deaf cartoonist, designer and illustrator, the creator of the popular "That Deaf Guy" comic strip.
Enjoyed meeting and talking with Matt. Since meeting him, I've been reading his comics online. Been laughing a lot since I can relate to most of them! You can check out his comic strip at www.ThatDeafGuy.com or on Facebook www.fb.com/thatdeafguycomic

March 29th: was my birthday and I ain't telling you how old I am! Nope, that's for you to guess. HeeHee (wink wink)
So my mom came over to drop me off a cake, presents and generous gifts. My mother-in-law gave me a generous gift too. My aunt will take me out this Friday and my husband will make up for not taking me anywhere. Well, okay.. it was on a Sunday and I was tired for whatever reasons. Jokingly, my father-in-law said I am getting OLD. Geez, thanks!

March 30th: Andrew saw the Neurologist for the first time. He wants Andrew to get his MRI and EEG. He said that the size of his head is that of a 3 month old. (Just so you know, Andrew is small and does wear 3 months old clothing. He is now 16 months). He wants those x-rays taken to make sure everything is okay with his brain and all.

March 24th and April 2nd: I was doing a small part in showing my support for Texas State School for the Deaf by going to the State Capitol. What did I do? Talk to my District Senator and Representative. Last week, Senator Charles Schwertner was wrapped up in committee hearings and legislative business. So I met with one of his staff, Taylor Borer, who handles TSD issues.
On April 2nd, I met with my District Representative Tony Dale. I think both meetings went well regarding TSD's budget request.

Next thing I plan on doing, Rally for TSD at the Capitol on April 27th.

For more information:
www.facebook.com/TreasureTSD1857 or http://treasuretsd.org

April 5th: We attended church and afterwards went to my aunt Linda's house to eat lunch. Since it was raining, we stayed inside and the kids played with toys my aunt had for them. She also gave them some Easter candies. They loved it! I didn't get to take a good family picture of us this Easter because Andrew was fussy. So no Easter family pictures this year.  Hopefully, next time!

I'm glad that I had time today to make an update on my blog. Thanks to Eileen! Oops. Here Hee Love you lots!

All in between I have been keeping busy. When I can I do like to cook and bake. Matt has been working a lot. We still haven't joined a church yet but we have been attending a church. That's about all I can think of right now. Eventually, when something comes to my mind, I'll remember to mentioned that on here.

Here are the pictures in random orders:

December flew by...

... kind of fast! Don't you think? Anyway, on December 14th, 2014, we took our family photos. I sent out this picture to a few dear friends and family. Then I posted one on Facebook and my blog to share with everyone else. Most of my family and friends just look at them online. You know?

Anyway, the kids did good even Peter. They were in a good mood. Joanna wouldn't smile with her teeth. Sad. I asked why. She said she didn't want to look funny. Really?! Seriously?! I told her next time to smile with her teeth showing. SIGHS. I must have said something to make her not smile big. I think it was that one time I told her that she looked funny or something. Wow, who would have thought a four year old girl would think like that and be conscious of her smiles?

Off the subject, I used to be good at blogging. Not so anymore. Although, I find myself blogging once a month now. At least you still get to be up-to-date with me. It all depends on what's going on with my family.

Andrew is still going to all his therapies. In fact, he'll be scheduled for his eye surgery soon. Please keep him in prayers. I'll definitely post when he's scheduled. It looks like it'll be sometimes this year or a couple of months from now.

Sorry I have to cut this short. I am typing with a fussy baby. I'll be back... let's hope this week. Hugs

8 more days until Christmas

Who's counting? Apparently, I am!  Ha. (clears throat)

Okay, so ever since I set up the Christmas tree. Joanna has been asking if it's Christmas yet. I kept telling her "NO". Then I marked off the days that are over and started the countdown.

I just started wrapping some presents. I thought I was done with Christmas shopping but I am not. I still have one more to go. Plus, I will have to get something for Peter's birthday which is on the 23rd. I.Kid.Not! He was born on the 23rd. My "Christmas" baby. *sighs* Sooo.... with that being said, I'll go shopping for another gift just for his birthday. It's only fair. Poor little guy. I think I will have to celebrate his birthday another day when he gets older and have friends, you know? No one will want to come over to his birthday party if I celebrate it on the 23rd. Come on! Everyone wants to be with family. True.

Then I figured I haven't been blogging. So I decided to change my background to make it fit in with the Christmas theme and blog a little. Being a mother of three small children is a lot of work. My kids constantly need me. They want a lot of attention. Sometimes I have my me time, I usually like to sit down and use my laptop. I LOVE technology. It offers A LOT of wealth of information and all. You know what I mean, right? Like right now, you can use it to read the news, shop online, research... on and on. I love it when my kids can allow me to sit down and have this kind of time. They usually like to play or watch educational cartoons. I always check on them to make sure they aren't doing anything dangerous.... like jumping on the bed (which they like to do) and who knows what?

Not only that, I am kind of spoiled with staying at my in-laws. Yes, we are still living with them. Eventually, we'll get a place of our own. I know it will be hard for my in-laws when the day comes when we do move. My children love their grandparents. When grandma leaves to go to the store, Joanna cries. It is hard for my mother-in-law to leave her. She just can't bear when her granddaughter cries. In fact, she'll cry too. SIGHS. Anyway, do I know when we'll be moving? No, not yet. Not anytime soon since Matt just started working a different job for a couple of months now. Until then...

What's new?  Well, I don't know where to start. Nothing major has happened yet. So there's no big news as of now. But a lot has been happening. Like things my children says and does.  They are changing. Growing. They look different. And when they do, I have to remind myself that we are changing too. NoooooOooooOOooo!!!!!  Whhhhhhhy Oh Whhhhhy?!?!  Why what you may think? Okay, why do we have to grow OLD? Who wants to grow old?  I wish we can stay young looking forever. Yep, wishful thinking. Even though some people think I look younger than I actually am. I find myself looking at products that can keep me young. I started looking at creams and stuff like that already. When I smiled. I noticed my forehead has a lot of wrinkles. I was like... that's UGLY! Goodness. What can I do to minimize my wrinkly forehead?! You'll see when I take a picture.

So I went to the thrift store to buy some cheap toys for my kids. Well, I was in a hurry and pressed the key to automatically closed the sliding door. A lady started waving a me and I'd gestured I couldn't hear her. Then she moved her mouth to let me know that I left my van door opened. I grab Joanna and then Peter and put them in the back of the cart and rushed out the store to make sure I get to my van in time. I didn't want anyone to steal anything. I do have a few expensive items like the carseats, baby carrier and stroller. Then of course, my van. Thankfully, the Lord send that sweet lady over my way. She didn't have to say a thing. You know? So I thanked the Lord for even little things like this.

Little things can add up and for the little things I am grateful. For example: I have been wanting a yellowish-mustard cardigan. They go well with some of my clothing. I like to collect different colors. I am always wearing black and white for the most part and need to start expanding my ware robe. Not that it's important or anything but I do like to look nice. I'm used to shopping at the thrifts. My grandma has taught me well. Anyway, I bought a mustard cardigan for $2 bucks! Then I went home and found a stain on it, I didn't see that stain before. So I took out the "Shout It Out" and sprayed it hoping that the stain will come off. And it did! YAY! The Lord saved this just for me! No wonder no one bought it because of the stain. I love that it was 50% off. He loves me, right?!

Another interesting day... Matt comes home from work. Joanna thought it was her grandma. She listens to the garage door opening and runs over to see if grandma has arrived home from work. Nope. It was daddy. Matt asked Joanna if she misses him. Believe it or not, she didn't! Ha! That little girl is something. She favors her grandma A LOT. And I know why. Because grandma spoils her rotten. Yep. There's a different between being a parents versus grandparents.

So... we are still looking for a church to join. We did find two but now we are leaning towards one. We still are praying about it. Both are good. KJV. Traditional. One has over 100 members and the other has around 30-40 members. In the meantime, we'll be hopping back and forth from these two churches until the Lord gives us the final say.  I'm like... if we get tired of one, we'll go to the other. Visa versa. Hee hee but of course I know better and that's not how it works. I just wanted to throw that in.

Also, today... I decided to purchased Young Living oils. I have my doubts but my friends from Georgia told me about them. I have heard of them before. I was even going to go to a friend's house to learn more about it. I decided to wait. I don't really know what to think about them. I still have my doubts then again I hear good things. The Cheek family use it for many things. I am grateful for Godly Christian friends. I know I can trust them. They have used it. So this will be my Christmas gifts. Thanks to my wonderful sweet thoughtful husband! It is pricey but I hope it'll be worth it. Of course, I'll share you my experience once I've tried it for myself. So.... I can't comment about it yet.

I guess that's about all I have to update you with. Other than, I just took my family pictures again this past Sunday. I'll be sharing it sometimes next week. Okay??

Update on Andrew

Last week, Andrew had his one year check-up. He's now weighting in at 11.5 pounds; 24 inches long. Still very small for a one year old.

For those who doesn't know, he has a missing chromosome:18p-

He is making small progress throughout his speech, occupational and physical therapy. He can't roll over, crawl... just about everything a baby his age should do. Hence, therapy. He can sit up for 2 minutes with assistance. A milestone. That's about the longest he can sit up before falling over. YAY! Go, Andrew! He hasn't babble yet. We've also started getting him to eat rice cereal. Another milestone.

He will be needing eye surgery. His left eye (which still drifts away) needs eye muscle surgery to help keep it align with his right eye. After that, he will need another surgery to lift (I think) both eyelids. That will help him be able to see better so that he doesn't have to "throw his head back" in order to see. Often people have asked if he is sleepy... well, no... it's his droopy eyelids causing him to look that way. That's just about as wide as he can open them.

In short, will you please pray for him to strive and grow? It's the little things we often take for granted.

Thank you to all those who have been praying for him. It means a lot to my family.

Throughout trials, I don't always see the good but I've learned to praise Him for everything because He has been good to us.

Below: You'll see a picture of me with my beautiful yet sweet little guy. And another picture with just my three beautiful children that God has blessed me with.

Andrew turned 1!

On December 3rd, Andrew turned one year old. It's crazy how fast this year has flown by! But then it's like that with all of us, right? ;)

Anyway, we had a busy day.. it started off with taking him to Speech Therapy. Then I waited until my mother in law and Matt got off work to celebrate. My mom stopped by earlier to bring him a birthday cake. Thanks mom! We gave Andrew is small bite of his own cake but he didn't really know how to eat it yet. He's in the process of learning to eat. I've been feeding him rice cereal one time a day. I haven't followed up with his feeding consistently. He is finally getting the hang of swallowing his own food. Praise the Lord!

Well.. it is 11pm on my time. I need to get some sleep so that I can take him to his Physical Therapy at 9am and then later on the same day he'll get his 1 year annual check-up with his pediatrician.

Hopefully I can do an update about what we have been up to lately. Sorry I haven't been able to post like I should. I hope you understand.

Well...

today I decided to try and play with my Final Cut Pro X program. I know... I know.. I still have a lot of work to do in order to make it look perfect, you know? I'm determined to and I know that I'll eventually get there. Well, I hope! And yes, I'm really trying hard.


I hope you enjoy watching. Hee hee

My girl singing in the choir for the first time.

It was so special to see Joanna singing in church with children around her age. I just LOVE it! We were visiting a church and this was our second time visiting and I was amazed at how quick my daughter could pick up a song. Okay, I am not too surprised because she loves to sing at home. I mean, she really loves music! Hmmmm... what does that mean? Do you know? I honestly didn't know that they were going to sing that day, Matt had point me to where Joanna was. I was like what?? Of course, I had to grab my phone camera to capture it. You know it! I wasn't going to miss her first time singing in a choir. NO WAY!! As you know, I wasn't sure how she'll do especially singing with a choir in front of the whole church. She can be shy sometimes. So I was very impressed with her and I think she did great! Don't you? Yes, I've noticed...she's a little dramatic at times. Hee Hee

My favorite was when she was up there waving at me (not captured on video) and when she kind of lost her balance.

I remember thinking back wondering what it's going to be like to watch them do things for the Lord. I thought when my children are old enough, I'll enjoy watching them participate in any activities for the Lord. Am I making any sense? Anyway, this was one of them. I just LOVE it.