4th Birthday Interview

1. How old are you? 4

2. What is your favorite toy? Princesses and Castles and Princes

3. What is your favorite thing to eat? Princess Soup

4. What is your favorite TV show? My Little Pony and Little Bear

5. What is your favorite movie? Little Mermaid…Cinderella…Rapunzel…Sleeping Beauty…Snow White

6. What is your favorite game? Pop Up (Perfection)

7. What is your favorite animal? Horses

8. What is your favorite color? Pink and Purple

9. What is your favorite song? Cinderelly, Cinderelly, she’s so pretty, but she’s smelly! (Her Daddy's original version!)

10. What is your favorite book? Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Little Mermaid

11. Who is your best friend? Mommy and Daddy

12. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Play with Daisy

13. What is your favorite drink? Sprite

14. What is your favorite outfit? Dresses and pretty gowns

15. What do you like to sleep with at night? Lovies (little blankie, Moo-Moo and Bear), Horse, White Blankie and Cinderella Blankie

16. Where is your favorite place to go? On Bacation

17. What do you want to be when you grow up? A Momma

18. What makes you happy? Mommy hugs and kisses

19. What is your favorite thing to do with momma? Play with dollies

20. What is your favorite thing to do with daddy? Play with dollies

'Tis The Season

It's that time again. I really can't believe how quickly this year has passed by. 2 more "sleeps" until Christmas Eve. We can't really decide how Christmas will go for MG this year - it will either be the best yet or the worst yet! Ha! She's to the age now that she knows what she wants and made herself a long Christmas list each time we went to the store. But she also hates any kind of attention so opening presents may not go so well. We shall see!

Speaking of Christmas lists, she was so funny this year. Each time we went anywhere (Dollar Store, Walmart, Target, didn't matter!) she would ask for my phone to take pictures of everything she wanted! Any and everything princess was on her list. And her most requested item? Some princes! She has princesses of all sizes, but really needed some princes for them to marry!

Jamey and I both really thought she'd be all about Christmas lights this year, but she really could care less! She wanted our house decorated and wants them turned on every night, but she's not really into driving around and looking at lights. The Christmas tree hasn't been as big of a hit as I thought, either. She had fun decorating it, but past that, it's just there for looks! The one decoration that she is all about is an old wooden nativity set that a friend of my mom's made her years ago. It's really neat. MG loves to act out the Christmas Story with it. And she's really good at telling it! That makes me so happy. I'm so glad she's getting to understand the true meaning of Christmas. I don't want it to be all about Santa or gifts - I hope we can teach her and show her the true meaning.

Of course it's the season of sickness, too! MG and I are both sickly things right here before Christmas. I've been fighting it for a couple months now and it finally hit full force. Of course the next day she came down with it, too. Cough, sore throat, and all that snotting, snorting, hacking fun! We hit up Walmart last night and bought out the cold/flu aisle so hopefully we'll both be well soon!

Sassy Pants Update

My sweet little toddler has made the switch to a feisty (she's always been feisty, though), smart-mouthed little girl! She is definitely getting braver and testing her limits a LOT here lately. She's always been one to push buttons and test her boundaries, but my goodness gracious she is braver than ever.

Today walking through Target she told us to "shut your mouths". She didn't say it mean and I don't think she knew it was really bad, but we stopped right then and there and had a "come to Jesus" talk!

Tonight when I told her it was time for bed and refused her "just 5 more minutes" of rocking she told me she was very disappointed at me!

My new nickname is the "mean one" or the "evil stepmother"! And that actually makes sense, I cross her more than anybody else!

The last 2 times she's been at her Granny and Pap's she's said "Oh Dammit!".

Her newest dramatic show it to cross her arms and stomp off as loudly as possible. And if she thinks it wasn't dramatic enough, she'll come back, yell something about how mad she is and stomp off again. It's really entertaining. My favorite, though, has to be when she says "FINE!" and stomps off. I honestly have flashbacks to my childhood! That was what I got in the most trouble for. It really makes me wonder if that's genetic. Where/How else would she learn to say that exact word with that exact attitude?! It's really amazing! LOL She doesn't realize that she's fighting a losing battle. One day she will learn that she's the exact miniature of me. Boy won't that make her mad!

Lucky for her (and us!) MG also has the sweetest, cutest little personality, too. Her other self is really funny. Tonight I was carrying her into Target and looked at her and said "You are just the sweetest little thing ever". Her response..."aww that's very nice of you". She was just as serious as could be!

We bought a CD of Bible songs a couple weeks ago. She makes us listen to it every time we're in the car. It absolutely melts my heart now because she sings along to these songs about Jesus and it's just the sweetest sound I've ever heard! Her little voice is so angelic and precious.

A couple weeks ago we started MG in Awana on Wednesday nights. As is normal, she has thrown a short and dramatic fit when we drop her off, but her teacher (who just happens to be a friend of mine) says it never lasts more than 15-20 seconds! She really has a good time. We even got lucky enough to spot her class walking back from the gym the past 2 weeks. It's so fun to see her walking in a line with her little class. I love it. We worked really hard and she learned her verse from last week, but wouldn't say it to her teacher so she didn't earn her sticker in the book. But just the fact that she's there and not freaking out is a 110% improvement! It's the little things. She has taught me that.

Long Overdue Update

I've been meaning to sit down and update for awhile now, but who has time?! I feel like we go nonstop anymore and at the end of the day we all just crash! MG is doing so well. She's made such progress in so many ways. She's really growing up. We've taken a couple steps back when it comes to the hair pulling...and it makes me want to pull mine out as well! But the progress she's made socially and emotionally are so much more.

Ok, let's see...highlights from our life lately...

School is going good for MG. She loves her teacher and looks forward to going. Her developmental therapist, Mrs. Julie, sees her every Thursday and MG is crazy about her. She sends me an update each Thursday telling me what they worked on together. At the bottom there is always a sweet note telling me how sweet MG is or what a wonderful job she did. MG gets so excited on Wednesday nights when I tell her that tomorrow she gets to see Mrs. Julie! One morning she even made her a picture! I love that she's developing relationships with people outside of family. It's a huge step for her.

OT has been a God-send for us. We were kind of bummed because Mrs. Kim who she saw for a few months graduated and moved. But she's started seeing Mrs. Zam, who did her initial evaluation. The first week was a tough transition, but since then she has fallen in love with Mrs. Zam, too! Today was the very first day since she started OT that I did not have to go into the gym with her. I walked her to the door and gave her a kiss. She took Mrs. Zam's hand and walked right in like a big girl! Wow! Talk about progress! We went from me literally dragging her in crying to walking right in and never looking back! She always gets a positive report from OT, too. Today she did have a little trouble transitioning and didn't want Mrs. Z to correct her grip on the crayon, but she also has a nasty cold and feels awful so that may have a little to do with it. That and she just doesn't like being corrected, she's my child! Ha!

We have gone the longest streak ever with no ear troubles. Unfortunately our streak ended Saturday night. All good things must come to an end, so I hear! We just had MG at the ENT a week and a half ago for her 6 month checkup. She had a lot of congestion, headache and a cough - which she said was a virus going around - but ears were perfect. Saturday night she woke up crying with an earache saying that there was water in it. Sure enough, it was draining. We started drops and have an appt. first thing tomorrow morning. I'm hoping we caught it early enough that it's not a battle to get rid of it this time. These tubes have lasted way longer than I ever thought!

One of the biggest things I need to add is that MG sang in church with her Sunday School class! Never in a million years did I dream she would go through with it, but she did! All of the 3s, 4s and 5s were scheduled to sing during the 11:00 service. We brought the CD home and listened to nothing else in the car for 3 weeks! The week before she was supposed to sing, she flipped out when we tried to take her to class. I mean, seriously flipped out. Ran after us screaming and everything. So we left church and went straight home to bed. May not have been the best choice, but I felt we needed to call her bluff. She didn't get to go on our special trip we had planned to Parker Homestead and she had to go to bed. After that incident, I really didn't know what to expect the morning of the singing. We talked it up all week, though. I told her it was for Granny's bday (it was the day before) and we talked about being brave. We even planned a trip to Parker Homestead with ALL the family to celebrate - we would've gone either way, but she didn't know that! Anyway, that morning, I dropped her off in the room with all the other kids and she went with her teacher like a pro. She walked out on stage with her class and never cried, never freaked out, never panicked. It was amazing. I was so afraid that the huge crowd and loud music would send her into a panic, but it didn't. She looked so big and so adorable up there. I almost cried! She was so proud of herself and we were so proud of her.

We did go to Parker Homestead afterward with her Mamaw, Papaw, Granny, Pap, Mamie, Jon-Jon, Josh and Caleb. We had a really good time. We actually ran into her Sunday School teacher there and she wanted to go over and say hi - and she did! Not just baby steps...GIANT steps!

Last weekend was busy for us. We took her to Disney Live Friday night. It was the same show we took her to 2 years ago. She loved it then, but she loved it even more this time. It was so fun to see how different the experience was for her 2 years later. I wasn't sure how she would react to the wicked queen in Snow White, but she didn't flinch. The lights and music weren't too much for her either. It took her a little while to get completely at ease. She spent the first part on my lap and wouldn't let me take my arms from around her at all! But by the end she was standing up, waving at the characters and yelling back when they asked something. Good times! Precious memories!

Saturday night we went over to Memphis to Zoo Boo. I've always wanted to go and I'm so glad we did. She got to trick-or-treat at the zoo, we went on a hayride, she led us through a hay maze, and even rode a camel with Jamey. She had such a good time! She didn't feel 100% so she tuckered out early, but we still had such a fun night.

Prayers

Dear Lord Jesus. Thank you for my momma and taking care of her because I love her. And I love my daddy, and Daisy, and Granny, and Pap, and Mamie, and Jon-Jon, and Josh, and Caleb. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Out of the Mouth of Babes...or a Diva!

MG told her Daddy she didn't want to go the the store with him. He told her he was sad because he'd be all alone. "Don't worry Daddy, Jesus will be with you. Jesus is always with us." At that moment, I knew we were doing something right as parents!

MG and Jamey were playing "lions" and MG was shooting the lion aka Daddy. She made her gun, made the shooting sounds then said "I shot you Daddy. Lay down, you're dead until I kiss you!". 1/2 tomboy/redneck...1/2 girly girl princess!

Last week at OT, I heard the therapist ask Molly if she'd ever seen a kangaroo. "No". So the therapist asked her if she'd ever been to the zoo. Her response? "No, but my brothers have!". She then went on to tell about her brother Josh who was really big and her other brother Caleb who was just a little big! A little while later they were talking about snow and the therapist asked if she'd ever played in the snow. Her response this time... "No!". Thank goodness they didn't ask her if her parents beat her. Or if we feed her!

Me: Molly Grace, I don't like how rude you're being right now MG: Hey...rude is like Rudolph. Listen...rude...olph. Yep! Rude and Rudolph. Oh Momma, you're soooo funny! Pretty sure she didn't get the point!

I think I already posted this one, but just in case here it is again... Mg hung up her pretend phone and I asked "talking to your boyfriend?" MG: No, it was the prince. He's coming to our castle. Me: Really? Then you should probably put some clothes on. MG: Yeah, I don't really need a dress, but I guess I should get some panties. Baby steps people!!

O/T

Today was MG's first OT session. It went great! Mom met me up at school with her this afternoon. MG had that "pissed off at the world" look on her face and mom said she had to wake her up to come. I was kind of terrified how it was going to go! She ate a snack on the way and pepped up a little. She was pretty reserved when we first got in there, hiding behind my legs and not wanting to talk. I sat down with them while she worked a puzzle then snuck out only a few minutes later and she was fine. I prayed the entire way there that her therapist would be compassionate and kind and someone who would be patient with MG. We got exactly that person! Mrs. Kim is young, soft spoken and very sweet. It's obvious she loves what she does and loves the children she helps. That made a huge difference for MG. I waited in the lobby, so I could only see her a little, but she got on the big swing, went down the slide, jumped on the trampoline, kicked the ball around and had a great time. She was smiling and just looked so confident. Made my heart smile, for sure! We stopped at Harp's for a Howl cookie on the way home. She's already excited to go back next week and play with Mrs. Kim!

The Prince is Coming!

MG hung up her play phone today...

Me: Who you talking to, your boyfriend?

MG: No, it were the prince. He's coming to our castle.

Me: Really? Don't you think you should put a dress on? (because she's naked, of course!)

MG: Nah, but I should get some panties.

And speaking of princes and princesses...this is how my little princess left for church Sunday morning!

Little Girl

MG has started talking about her "little girl" lately. It's all she talks about. She tells us stories all the time about her little girl and what she's done. Last night while I was rocking her she said "One time my little girl were walking through the woods and she saw a lion. Her daddy got his gun and did this (pretended to cock it and shoot it) and shooted it and it died!". She's always telling us about her little girl's bday party, which is coming up soon, evidently! And we are invited. For a long time she wouldn't tell us her little girl's name, she would say "I don't know" or "she can tell you". Today she has decided that her name is Sour! Last night a big girl appeared too. Her name is Alice! We laughed at Chad for so long because he played with "Brother and Son" and now we have a "little girl"! It makes me laugh. The stories are so far-fetched and detailed. I love the imagination she has!

First Day of Pre-K...Success!

This is the morning picture! She wasn't as thrilled...

This is the afternoon picture! Big difference!

MG is still going to Mother's Day Out, but this year she moved up to a class with a teacher other than her Granny! Jamey and I were excited for her because we knew it was time, but my mommy-mode kicked in and I was terrified for her, too! She doesn't have a good track record of leaving any of us. Sunday School has always been a nightmare and she was attached to my hip this summer so I just didn't see it going well. But once again, my girl proved me wrong in a big way! And I loved it!

It was my 2nd day of school, so I didn't get to take her. I was a little bummed, but I think it was probably best that way. I don't think it would have been as smooth if I was the one leaving her. They way it was, she went with Granny and stayed in her room until it was time for the other kids to start arriving. Granny walked her down and MG went right in and started playing! She even let Granny take a picture of her and Ms. Roxanna (her new teacher). At playtime, MG's class was outside already when Granny's class went out. MG's class had to line up and go in shortly after. Mom said she hesitated just a minute and said "I want to stay with you Granny", but when Mom said no she went and got right in line! Yay! When I picked her up that afternoon, she was so excited to tell me what a big girl she was!

Day 2 (Thursday) was just as successful! She didn't take a nap, but it wasn't because she was crying or upset. It was just because she wanted to play! She told me (and showed me!) how she crawled on her belly over to her buddy Jack's mat and talked to him during naptime! She met with the behavioral interventionist for the first time on Thursday, too. She spent 30 minutes with her and did great according to the report Ms. Julie sent home. They read a story about friends and talked about why it's fun to play with friends. Then they practiced lacing up cards.

I'm so proud of my big girl! We've been talking to her all summer about moving up to the big girl class and being Ms. Roxanna's helper. We also used the word "brave" at least a million times! I guess it worked. MG actually told me she was "brave" when I picked her up Tuesday! I'm just so excited and happy and proud that I can't stand it!

It's so crazy because in the last 2 weeks we have seen such a major change in MG. Her tantrums have calmed a little. She's using her manners. When she started whining or crying about something, all I have to say is "is that going to change my mind?" and she stops! It's just amazing. I'm one super proud Momma these days! Now if we can just get that OT started and stop the hair and finger sucking! Baby steps... :-)

Back to School

Summer's officially over! Today was my first day back to school. My kiddos don't start back until next week, but I am there all week. We are slowly adjusting to earlier bedtimes, earlier wake times, and routines! I have loved every second of being home with MG this summer. We didn't do anything too spectacular, we just hung out. And it was awesome! We layed around and watched a movie in my bed every single morning! We went to junk stores and got some goodies. We swam in our pool, chased Daisy around, read books, built blocks and colored. My very favorite part of every day was naptime. Not because it was quiet and I got a chance to catch up on things while she slept (although that was nice, too), but because every day we would snuggle up in her rocking chair and rock. And everyday she'd fall asleep on me and I'd just hold her and enjoy the snuggles. Next summer she'll be 4 and probably won't take naps or want to rock, so I enjoyed every single second of those afternoons in the rocker!

SPD

I started this post a month ago, but am just now getting around to finishing and posting... :-)

I'm thankful God gave us Mother's Intuition. Without it, Molly Grace wouldn't be about to get the help she needs! I guess I should backtrack a little so that makes sense. I've written about the hair pulling before. It has stressed me out for the longest time. No mom wants to think that there's something "wrong" with her baby. The thought of her having Trichtillomania was heart-wrenching and terrifying - especially after I did what no mother should do...I googled it! So sometime at the end of the school year (around April I guess), I really just was at my wits end. I was stressed, I was sick, I needed help. I had done all the research I could and tried everything with no success. So, here comes the part where God steps in and gives me the nudge in the right direction...my favorite part!

I called around to places checking into Play Therapy. If she had this disorder called "Trich" I needed to get her help asap. I didn't want her to be one of those horror stories I found on google about 16 year olds with bald spots and no eye lashes. Everywhere I called about therapy was OUTRAGEOUS!! Of course if I was a single parent and my kid was on Medicaid, it would've been fine. Then I could've gotten any therapy I wanted at a preschool the government paid for and they'd even come pick her up. But that's a totally different frustration! Since my husband and I are both hardworking citizens and have chosen to raise our daughter in a loving family, it's nearly impossible to get services. It was going to cost us over $1000 just for the initial evaluations and testing before ever even getting any therapy. So...I was at my wits end and just dropped down on my knees one day and cried out to God. I needed help and He was the only one who could give it to me! I simply told Him that I couldn't handle it anymore, I needed Him to take control. And you know what? He did! Just like He always does when I finally give up my stubborness and listen. I don't even really remember exactly how it happened. But in my heart I just knew that this "Trich" wasn't her issue. That little voice inside me kept telling me to dig deeper, so I did. And that night I found an article linking finger sucking and hair pulling to Sensory Processing Disorder. Wow! So I dug a even deeper. When I found a description of SPD, it was MG to a tee. It was like someone had come in and written a detailed list of all my child's quirks. I can't explain the feeling I got...relief, joy, and a little sadness. All of these emotions because "it" finally had a name.

Now I had a starting place. She needed OT. From here things moved pretty quickly. I contacted our local educational co-op who provides state funded services to preschoolers. The nicest young girl was in charge of MG's age group and she has been the biggest help. I truly feel like we would still be waiting and searching if I hadn't gotten in touch with her. We spent weeks getting different evaluations done and having meetings. They tested her for speech, worked with her a little at school, did some observations and I took her for an OT evaluation.

Yesterday we had her IEP/placement meeting. I got to see the results of all of her testing, find out her diagnosis and sign her IEP. As a teacher, I have signed lots of IEPs; sat in countless evaluation conferences; comforted parents who didn't like the findings and urged parents to think of the best interest of their child. Sitting in that seat as a parent was a surreal experience for me. I felt blessed because I knew the lingo, I knew the tests, I knew what an IEP was. But I also felt a little numb. Don't get me wrong, I am so thankful to know that MG is going to get the help she so needs. I'm also relieved to know that these fits and anxieties are normal for her...the normal of having an SPD child. But I was numb because now there is a label on my child. A diagnosis. An IEP. My heart and mind are still so full of mixed feelings. Thankfully, I have a partner in life who sees things in a completely opposite way than me. He simply said...there's nothing wrong with her, this just is her. And that's why I love him! In such a simple statement, he summed it all up.

Mother's Day Out starts back next week. She will get 60 minutes a week of OT and 30 minutes a week from a behavioral therapist to help with social anxieties. She's also moving up into a different classroom with a new teacher...not her Granny! Since the day she was born she has either been in my care of my mom's. This is a whole new experience for us. I'm really excited for her, though, because this is a great step. She will be in the MDO program where she's comfortable, Granny will be in the classroom next door, she'll be with her sweet little friends, but getting some of the preparation she needs to go off to Pre-K (for real) next year. I'm hoping with these changes plus her therapies, we'll see a big difference in her shyness. I so want others to be able to see the spunky, funny, smart little girl I have!

Big Words

MG has really grown this summer - not just in size, but in personality. She's talking more and more. The things she says are so funny and so grown up. Tonight we were trying to convince Jamey to take a walk with us and he was giving us a hard time. She looked at me and said "I'm so disappointed about Daddy not going with us"! So serious! Then while we were walking she said "Daisy is so wound up tonight". Then a little bit later she said "this is terrible". Her vocabulary is definitely impressive! The speech path. who evaluated her told us she had the vocabulary of a 6 year old! I believe it!

Molly Says

Hey! I know who can fix Baby Cinderella (her dress is torn) ... God!

You're the best!

(after asking a question and not getting an automatic answer)... is it a yes or a no?

Hey! When I were a wittle girl...

When I was Jesus, I died on the cross, too!

When you were a wittle girl, I were you!

One day when you and daddy weren't here I drived the car and I saw a deer!

Umm, sure!

It's ok, it were an accident. You don't have to be sorry.

What the heck?!

Smoky Mountains 2013

We finally made it back to the Smoky Mountains! I'm so glad we got to take MG there. I've been there as a kid, as a teenager, I got engaged there, and the last time I was there I was pregnant! It was really awesome to show my little girl all the things I saw as a little girl. Seeing it through her eyes was amazing! What made it even better was having my parents and sister (with her family) there. There's no place in the world like the Smoky Mountains!

I have been dreading the car ride for a year! I wasn't sure how our very active little one would handle riding in the car for 8 hours. But she did amazing! She never complained, no fits, barely even got restless. I couldn't have been more pleased. On the way there, we left at 2am. My hope was that we would get her out of bed and slip her into the car still asleep...HA! She woke up as soon as I picked her up (which never happens) and was too excited to go back to sleep! She did end up falling asleep somewhere along the way, but only slept about 1-2 hours! The rest of the time she colored, watched movies and played on the Ipad.

We stopped at Jamey's favorite place - Smoky Mtn. Knife Works - on the way into town. MG got her first souveniers there. Her granny bought her a stuffed black bear (which they names "Smoky") and she picked out a deer family of figurines. She pointed out the mama, baby and the daddy with the horns. Her daddy was so proud of her that he bought them! Ha!

The creek behind our cabin was a big hit. She spent a lot of time the first 2 days in there with her bucket and shovel finding rocks. We got a couple days of rain, though, and the water got too swift and high for her to play in.

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We ate breakfast at our favorite place - Flapjacks - 3 or 4 times! She wanted "graby" the first morning, but after that she got a bear shaped waffle. She really enjoyed the big glob of butter they put on the plate! Yuck!

One morning we took a hike. The trail was .75 miles - straight up on way, straight down the other! This was the same trail that Jamey and I walked the last time and a bear crossed our paths. Thank the Good Lord we didn't meet up with any wildlife other than a few cute little chipmunks and several bugs! The path was pretty grown up, but MG LOVED it! She was the leader and made us follow her most of the way. She did get a piggy back ride for part of it which was a great workout to make up for those yummy breakfasts!

I think it's safe to say the MG's most favorite part of the entire trip (and I totally knew it would be!) was Fannie Farkles! I mean who doesn't love Fannie Farkles?! We spent tons of time (and money) there as kids and so did she! We went uptown several times and always had to go play games. We considered hopping in the car and crossing the line into NC to visit the casino after she hit "jackpot" on several of the games! We walked away at the end of the week with a lot less money, bigger bellies from the corn dogs/sausages/cheese steak sandwiches and lemonade, several prizes and lots of memories!

I had no idea what a love my child has for live music until our trip. They always have the Tunes and Tales downtown when we're there. There is live entertainment all over the strip. We hear a couple singing/playing some folk songs one night and she made us stay until they were done! She kept saying "let's hear one more song". We spent some time in the Whiskey outlet one afternoon because they had a bluegrass band and she wanted to hear them play! The smell was terrible, but the music was great!

Mom and Dad treated us all to a dinner show one night. We were all talking at breakfast one morning about how strange it is that we've been going all these years and never been to a single show other than Dixie Stampede. We had all seen signs and brochures for the "Hatfield and McCoys" dinner fued and decided it would be fun. I'm so glad we went, it was great! The outside of the building had all kinds of fun scenes, signs and animals. The show was amazing - so much talent. It was full of signing and dancing. MG spent most of the time sitting on her knees up on the table, eyes wide and giggling like crazy! She had the best time. She did get mad at one point because they sang "Amazing Grace" but they didn't go onto sing "my chains are gone"...she kept saying "why they didn't sing my chains are gone?"!

We planned all along on taking her to the aquarium while we were there. She was pumped up to see some fish and sharks! That was another great experience. She was in awe the entire time.

Mine and Jamey's favorite part of the Smokies is always Cade's Cove. We like to go early in the morning. There's just something about the mountains in the background, the quiet, cool morning air and history. I could spend every day out there and be happy! I'm fascinated with the history of the Smoky Mtns. I think I would have loved living back then...but that's a whole different story! MG wasn't too impressed with the old buildings. She did like the churches. She tried to steal a Bible from one! She spent a long time flipping through a Bible looking for "new stories"! Evidently she was tired of the old ones! The best part was that we saw about 4 bear! Two different times through the park we saw bears pretty close eating the berries. MG wanted to ride them and was pretty bummed when she found out we couldn't!

We really had a great trip and I'm so thankful that we were able to go and spend that time together as a family. She asked us tonight if "bacation" was closed! She's ready to go back...and so am I!

All Grown Up

I don't know when or how it happened, but it happened...my baby girl is no longer a baby! There's no trace of a baby or even a toddler left (except maybe the tantrums that are still hanging around! Ha!). She's 100% little girl now. I knew it was happening, but last week while on vacation we had her in the stroller for the first time in forever and it hit me...she's big, she's tall, she's independent, she's a little girl now. I'm a little happy and a little sad over this new discovery!

Married

MG is always talking about who she's going to marry...always! She teeters between Heath and Jack. And sometimes Caleb and Josh! Today at naptime I was rocking her (and she was nowhere near sleepy, so I guess her mind was wandering!). She looked up at me and said "I'm not going to marry anyone. I'm just going to stay with you all the days". Be still my heart! And can I get that in writing, signed and notarized! :-)

Fingers

Let's move on to the "finger situation". Here's what I've decided...my child will be 16 and still sucking her fingers! Ha! Seriously, I'm starting to think that. She did so well for so long, but in the last couple weeks has decided that she really likes sucking them and she's just going to! How do you argue with that? We've tried reward charts, yucky stuff, praise, getting on to her...I'm pretty much out of options! The good (no, great) news is that she really only sucks them at bedtime and the hair pulling has stopped completely. That was my major concern anyway, so as long as that has stopped, I can deal with a little finger sucking. I'm pretty sure we could dip her fingers in gasoline and she'd still suck away! The yucky stuff doesn't phase her at all. MG - 1, Momma and Daddy - 0!!

TBall

I let another month slip by with no updates, something about chasing a 3 year old around, enjoying my new role as tball mom and working full time just kept me really busy! But summer if finally here and I feel like I have time to breath again and jot some things down.

Let's start with Tball...BEST thing we ever did for MG! I kind of worried about putting her in sports so early, but hands-down, best decision we made. The changed I saw in her over those 6 weeks was amazing. She came out of her shell so much. We started with a little girl who cried the entire game, had to hold my hand while I drug her around the bases and wouldn't talk to anyone. What we ended the season with was a miracle! MG went up to the on deck circle (by herself) and talked to the mom there. She would walk up to Mr. RJ, her other coach, and let him help her get ready to hit. She ran the bases BY HERSELF and gave all of the parents and coaches high fives when she passed them. WOW!!! Seriously, wow! By the last 2 games she even races the other little girls to the ball when we were fielding. At the last game she even fought a little girl for the ball and never let go (I know that's not really something to be proud of, but seeing as how she usually just backs down and gives up, this WAS something to be proud of!). I'm so proud of my little ball player! And the best part? She had FUN! She loved it! Last week we even went swimming with one of her little tball friends and tomorrow night we have our awards night/pizza party where she will get her very first trophy!

First Game

We had our first tball game tonight and it was great! MG freaked out a little at her first at bat. She got up there and hit the ball, but wouldn't run. So we went back to the dugout with her crying. But she decided right then that the next time she was going to run the bases - and she did!! She smacked that ball out of there and took off running! I had to run with her and got more exercise than I planned on, but that's OK!

The first time out on the field she took 3rd, but nothing came to her and she really just played in the dirt! She decided she wanted to hover around mid field with all the other girls, so we did! 2nd time on field she took 1st base and it was so fun for her! All the other little girls chased the ball and fought for it (which she wants NO part of!) then they threw it straight to her and only her (which is exactly what she wants!). She did great. She chased every ball thrown to her and threw it in to the coach (who happens to be Daddy!).

She was so proud of herself and her Daddy and I were so proud, too. Granny and Pap even came out to cheer her on and she loved that.

MG just spend 15 minutes giving her Mamaw a play-by-play of the game and it was hilarious! She told them about hitting it way far out there and getting a home run, running the bases and playing 1st. I love love love how proud she is of herself and how excited she is! It's just awesome!

My boss's little girl plays with us, too. As we were walking out she said "Beth I wish I had a camera when she hit that ball...the look on your face was pure pride...I would've taken your picture"! I felt pretty proud!!

TBall... Continued

Practice #2 was a little better and Practice #3 was A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.!!! She did awesome and I was so proud. She was fascinated with the dirt - but who wouldn't be! It was our first time to practice on the infield so it was their first time to experience the fresh, new dirt! Ha! It was more than they could handle! MG spent a little bit at first building a very impressive dirt castle, complete with a flower in the middle and the white chalk sprinkled on top! I just left her alone and let her build. When it got to be her turn to bat, she got up there and acted silly a couple times. Acted like she had no idea how to hold or swing the bat! Jamey was just about to make her walk off and give someone else a turn. I walked up there and said "hit that ball"...and she did! Several times. She hit it further and harder than any other little girls on our team! Everyone was impressed! She fielded the ball and threw it back when it was her turn, hit the ball again and ran all the bases, then ran the bases with the other girls. Talk about proud...her Daddy and I were beside ourselves! It was so fun to see her step out of her shell and enjoy something! How she does at our first game Monday may be a different story!

Yucky Fingers *Update*

We have been finger sucking free since April 8!!! That is 16...yes, I said 16...days!!! WOO HOO!!!! Can you hear my shouts of joy!? I can't believe how smooth and easy it has gone (yes, I realize I probably just jinxed myself!). I don't really even paint the yucky stuff on anymore. Some nights I pretend to if she brings it up.

I really thought nights would be miserable, but they have been smooth, too. It's been almost scary-easy!

As for the hair-pulling, my gut feeling was right...when the finger sucking stopped, so did the hair pulling!!

I am seriously so relieved. I don't have this sick, worried feeling in the pit of my stomach all the time anymore. That hair pulling issue was going to be the death of my mental state!

Lots of prayer is what got us through!

TBall

So we signed MG up for TBall...not sure what we were thinking! Ha! We've had 2 practices so far. #1 was a total bomb! Last night's practice was a little better. I'm pretty certain she is going to freak out at the games and not do anything, but that's OK! She's just like I was as a kid.

She LOVES playing tball. Her favorite is to hit the ball. Everyday when we get home she wants to play in the backyard. We have to get out the Tee, lay out the bases and play ball! She has the best time! But when we get to practices and there's people standing all around, she freezes up and doesn't want to do anything. It's that social anxiety getting the best of her - and I remember feeling the exact same way as a kid. That's why soccer became my thing, it was a team sport, all eyes were never on me alone.

The first practice was a nightmare! Jamey is coaching and I'm organizing everything so we were pretty busy. She didn't want to do anything. She spent 95% of the night sitting on the fence in timeout/calm down mode/throwing a huge temper tantrum! She did forget herself for a minute when all the other kids started running the bases and took off running with one of our friends from church whose little girl is playing, too. But when they got to 2nd base and Jamey was there, she fell down in a meltdown again.

Last night was 1000 times better! I was so proud of her. I totally sympathize with her shyness, but it also irritates me because looking back now I can see all the things I missed out on because I was so shy. I don't want that for her! But I'm trying really hard to just be patient and not push, but encourage. It's so hard!!!

Last night she stood out in the field (with me, of course) with her glove on and watched the other girls go after the ball. She started after it a couple times, but as soon as someone else headed that way she came right back to me. But she was pouting because nothing came to her! But it was a humongous step forward just for her to be out there with the other kids! When it was her time to bat, she put her helmet on and was so excited. But she wouldn't do anything when she got up there so I made her move and let another little girl go. She was so upset and cried like her heart was broke so I gave her another chance. But she still just acted silly and wouldn't hit the ball. But had a meltdown when I made her turn be over. I sent her over to the fence to calm down and she did. Next came time to run the bases. All the other little girls ran and laughed and had a wonderful time. MG made it to 1st base with me then stopped and pouted the entire rest of the time! I just let her be. But when Jamey and I went to take the bases up (because practice was over - and she was still just standing there) she went into meltdown mode again because she wanted to run them. GRRRR!!! She's so frustrating sometimes!

We stayed a little bit after and watched some older girls play a real ballgame while she ate her snack. Her friend from church, Piper, hung out, too. She was her happy little self!

Here she is happy and having fun before everyone else got there!

Yucky Fingers

Yesterday we decided to bite the bullet and use the yucky stuff you paint on fingers to help MG stop sucking them. It wasn't getting better, she was sucking them more and more. We tried reward charts, little gifts, reminders, replacements...nothing else worked. I feel pretty certain that the hair pulling will stop when the finger sucking does, too, since they go hand-in-hand (literally!). I have read a couple articles relating the two so I'm hoping this will kill 2 birds with one stone.

Yesterday afternoon I sat MG down and talked to her about what we were going to do. I told her how I used to suck my thumb and Granny helped me quit so I could be a big girl and now she was going to get to be a big girl, too. I showed her the stuff I was going to paint on them and talked about how it would taste really yucky if she put either finger in her mouth. She was surprisingly calm about the whole thing. She gave me her fingers like a big girl and watched me paint the stuff on. She went the rest of the afternoon/evening with no troubles at all! I couldn't believe how grown-up she was about it. Made me super proud and really shocked!

Bedtime last night was a different story. She's been difficult at bedtime lately anyway, not having her fingers to settle her down did not help! She fussed, whined, cried, yelled, tossed and turned until 10pm or so. It was really frustrating, but really sad, too. My poor girl did not know how to settle herself down without those fingers. It was her ritual, her safety net, her comfort zone. I felt like the world's worst mom for taking that away from her! I just kept reminding myself that it was for the best...it was for her own good...it's what she needed...blah blah blah!

This morning I celebrated and cheered for her when she woke up. One thing I always want her to remember me for is being her biggest cheerleader! I asked her if we should put more stuff on there before school and she actually answered "yes"! So we did!

She had a really big day today. No fingers, no hair and she did it all while being in a new class at school...without her Granny!! Yay! That is HUGE! There were several teachers out today, so they moved some of mom's kiddos up to the preschool class where MG will be next year. Mom sent MG over and she did fantastic! She played, napped and ate lunch. Mom said she even told everyone bye when she left. I am so super duper ridiculously proud of my girl! It may not sound like much, but for a little girl who has always been with her mom or granny and refused to even look (seriously) at strangers, it's huge! I'm actually really excited for her to move up to a new class. I think it will be an amazing experience for her and I think it will help her grow so much.

Bedtime has been difficult tonight, but nothing compared to last night. I honestly can't tell if it's the no fingers or just her lovely 3 year old personality causing the problems tonight! There were several minutes of fake and forced "crying" and whining. But it's quiet now. She tried pulling her hair just to get a rise out of us...she's a smart little girl...too smart!

We shall see how this goes. I'm hoping and praying this is the solution we've been looking for.

Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad (and still amazingly awesome)...Threes

You know the "Terrible Twos"? Well we are in the 3s and they are worse!! So much worse! Of course she's still amazing, silly, sweet, smart and the most wonderful blessing we've ever received, but wow! This season we're in is a tough one. Some days I wonder how we'll ever make it out alive! I feel like our day to day goal is to not lose it. We are in a constant power struggle. Being a hard-headed, strong-willed adult and raising a hard-headed, strong-willed 3 year old can be hard work! I'm always reminding her to be "my sweet Molly Grace". When I say that, she'll give me this fake, sugary sweet smile! Ha! She's something else.

I guess I should backtrack a little and catch up...

We made it almost 2 months without an ear infection! YAY! She just got over one. And it was a bad one. Luckily it didn't turn into MRSA, but it did come with a high fever and just a very sick little girl. We participated in a study at her ENT. She got all her office visits and medicine free of charge and we even get paid for each office visit we took her to. They approached us about participating because she was such a perfect candidate. Her yucky ears finally came in handy! Ha!

Spring Break came and went. That's when she was sick so we didn't do anything fun. But, the blessing was that I was able to be home with her the entire time she was sick. I didn't have to take her to my moms then wish I was with her all day! See, it's the little rays of sunshine you have to find! I got to spend 4 days snuggling and holding her.

The hair pulling issue surfaced again with the ear infection. It's pretty much gone again now that she's well. We're in the process of deciding if it's Trich. or Sensory Processing Disorder. Or if it's just something she'll outgrow. When she was 1 everyone told us not to worry. When she was 2 they told us she would grow out of it. Now that she's 3, I'm just not sure. I feel like it's time to be proactive. Even if it is something she will outgrow, I'd rather get her help she doesn't need than not get her help she does need.

She was screened for speech therapy last week. I have her evaluation conference this week. The therapist who did her screening said she is very intelligent. Her vocabulary and expressive language is on a 4-5 year old's level. Developmentally she was way above her age! Make a Momma proud to hear that! I'm mostly concerned about articulation with all her ear infections...we'll see what the experts say Thursday. Sometimes the downside to being a teacher is that you tend to over do it on the worrying about developmental delays!

MG is still princess-obsessed and very enthralled with getting married. Jamey and I have to get married in the living room several times a week! MG has told us over and over that she is going to marry Heath and she's going to kiss him! They are going to live with us and sleep in her room! My girl knows what she wants! Anytime she sees flowers she says she can use them when her and Heath get married.

TBall starts in 2 weeks! I can't wait to see how that turns out! I can see it going either direction...very good or very bad. There won't be an in-between! There never is. It's very black and white in our world these days. She will either have the time of her life or she will refuse to participate. She hates attention of any kind and can't stand the spotlight. My fear is that she will get up to bat and freeze up. I'm so afraid she's going to miss out of fun stuff because she's too shy. That breaks my heart for her.

Some fun things from MG's mouth lately:

"Thank you Mother Dear" "I so eh-sited" "What does that mean?" (leave it up to my kid not to just ask "why"!) "Are you happy, sad or mad?" "One time when I were a baby..." "Me and Daddy were in your belly" "Thank you berry much" "I love you berry berry much" "You are the best" "You are a good girl Momma" "Certainly" "I be done in 2 seconds" "Can I be nekkid?"

Prayers

It's a nasty, stormy night tonight. When I was rocking MG, it started pouring rain, lightning and thundering. My little drama queen started doing her fake shiver and went into a five minute explanation on why thunder scares her! Now, I know thunder really does worry her a little, but she can put on a pretty impressive show! I asked her if she wanted to pray and ask Jesus to help her not be scared. I'm really trying to make it a point to pray in front of MG and show her that we can go to God with anything. I think it's working! After I prayed for her, she calmed down and snuggled up with me. Then she did the best thing ever...she said "Momma, want me to pray that you won't be afraid of the thunder?". And she did! Then she prayed that Jesus wouldn't be afraid of the thunder, either! The best part is that she laid right down and went to sleep, never moved during any of the storm. She hasn't gone to sleep that easy in forever!

Jesus in our Hearts

Tonight as we were rocking, after prayers, I asked Molly Grace where Jesus lives. Very matter of factly, she replied "in my heart". She then wanted to know if Jesus lives in my heart, too. "Yes He does" was my response. She looked at me with the sweetest fact and very sincerely said "can I feel Him" and put her hand on my heart.

I love her sweet innocence and her love for Jesus! I hope she always knows that Jesus is in her heart!

Pure Joy

This morning at Josh's Upward Basketball game, MG was dancing and spinning around, squealing and having a wonderful time.

There was a very sweet old lady in a wheelchair sitting close by. I noticed her watching MG with a smile on her face the whole time.

As we were walking off when the game was over, she motioned me over to her. "I have seen pure joy," she said. "She is just so joyful."

My heart was full at that moment, and still is. As parents, we hope that our children are happy. For someone else to see the joy radiating out of my baby girl is proof enough for me!

She IS joy!

3 Year Check-Up

MG had her 3 year old well visit today. We saw the new pediatrician that is in the office and just loved her! Well, I loved her. MG doesn't really love anyone that isn't family! Ha! She got a really good check-up. Everything is perfect! She is 3'3.75" (95th%) and weights 34 lbs (90th%). She's always been in the 90th% for height, but she really shot up in the weight percentile! I'm almost positive it's the first time she's been above the 50th%! They took her blood pressure for the first time and it was great. Her ears are both clear and tubes are in (always nice to hear!). Temp was normal. Heart sounded good. We are going to go to the hospital next week and get some blood drawn to see if she has a milk or soy allergy. I had been thinking for awhile maybe that was the cause of her ear infections. She seemed to think it was a pretty good chance. My plan was to cut all dairy and see if it worked! Her way is much easier! Before we left they gave her a flu shot in her leg. She layed up there like a champ, but when they stuck that needle in, she screamed like I haven't hear her scream in a long time! She only cried a minute, though. Later on the way home she said (out of the blue), "I don't want them to get my leg again...cuz it hurts!" She was pretty mad at them! We are going to start weaning her from sucking her fingers. The ped. didn't really have any good suggestions that I hadn't already thought of or read about. I think we're going to try the positive reinforcement way first. We're starting small. I made a Chuck E. Cheese picture with 8 squares in it. If we catch her not sucking them 8 times this weekend, she gets to go to Chuck E Cheese. Eventually I guess I will move to a sticker each day. That may take awhile, though. I don't see this going well at all! Molly Grace does what Molly Grace wants...and she wants to suck those fingers! ha!

My child has kept us laughing all night! We had to have a dance party in the living room. Her Mamaw gave her a bday card that sings part of "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun"...well now she can sing along with it! It's so funny. Then she came out of the bathroom completely naked, ran to my bed and started jumping up and down singing "Nekkid girl...I'm a nekkid girl"!! I'm a little concerned that she will be either a stripper or a nudist when she grows up! Ha! We were watching a funny skit on Mad Tv and she started mocking it...cracked me up!

Happy Party Day

Today was MG's party! I struggled with whether or not to invite some of her little friends, but ultimately decided to make it only family. I'm glad I did. She had a great time with all of her cousins and it was nice to visit with family. The theme was, of course, Disney Princesses. She went back and forth a lot and finally decided she wanted all of them at her party!

We had her party at the church again. You just can't beat it. There's plenty of room for the kids to run. They can play basketball and there are 2 blow up bounce houses. It was perfect. The cousins played their little hearts out in the jumpers. We opened presents next. MG is so spirited and full of personality, but she does NOT like the spotlight unless we're at home! She hated everyone sitting around and watching just her! It was all I could do to get her to open her gifts! She got some fun stuff, though.

We went with a cupcake cake this year. It was so simple and cute, I will never do a cake again! MG ate her weight in icing!

MG had one request that she was adamant about...she had to have a "pin-yaya"! All I could find was a pull-string one, but she insisted on hitting it, so we did! I think it's safe to say that was her favorite part! The funniest part was when all the other kids were scooping candy up as fast as they could, she was so delicately choosing one piece at a time and picking it up!

Luckily we moved things along pretty quickly. My plan was to have plenty of time at the end for the kids to just play. But MG got sick! She started her new antibiotic last night (that's a totally different post!) and it's really strong. It makes her sick everytime and this is the strongest dosage she's ever been on. I debated not starting it until after the party, but really wanted to go ahead and get it in her system. Anyway, she started bawling and yelling that her head hurt. She was pitiful and it didn't help that she hadn't had a nap. So we rushed to clean up and get her home.

We are so blessed to have such great family. They all made her day so special.

Her Grandma, Auntie, Amber (Mamer), Aunt Pat, Uncle Big, Matt and Leigha came all the way from MO!

Her Mamaw, Papaw, Uncle Kenny, Aunt Manda, Eli and Maddie came from 2 hours away.

And of course her Granny, Pap, Mamie, Jon-Jon, Josh, Caleb and Ms. Melanie were there, too.

I still can't believe my girl is 3 years old! Time really flies by.

Birthday Interview - 3 Years Old

I saw this idea on Pinterest and fell in love with it! It took me 2 nights to get all the questions answered! I loved her answers!

1. How old are you? 3

2. What is your favorite toy? The cupcakes (she got a set of wooden cupcakes for her bday. She had just opened them before I asked her this question! If I had to answer, I say her favorite is play-doh, it's what she plays 90% of the time at home!)

3. What is your favorite thing to eat? Chicken Noodles

4. What is your favorite TV show? Bo on the Go

5. What is your favorite movie? “Alice” aka Alice in Wonderland

6. What is your favorite game? Princess Candyland

7. What is your favorite animal? Horse

8. What is your favorite color? Pink

9. What is your favorite song? Jingle Bells

10. What is your favorite book? The Lion Book

11. Who is your best friend? Momma

12. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Slide down…my swingset

13. What is your favorite drink? Apple juice

14. What is your favorite outfit? Little Mermaid dress

15. What do you like to sleep with at night? My sparkle thing (a piece of pink sequined elastic that she fell in love with and convinced Granny to buy her at Walmart one day. She sleeps with it in her hand every single night!)

16. Where is your favorite place to go? Chuck E. Cheese

17. What do you want to be when you grow up? Little Mermaid

18. What makes you happy? My dollhouse

19. What is your favorite thing to do with momma? Hug and Read

20. What is your favorite thing to do with daddy? Play my puppy dog game (LeapPad2 game)

Goodbye 2012, Hello 2013

Happy New Year! We spent a fabulous night at home - just where I wanted to be. We cooked burgers, watching movies, played Princess Memory, made stuff with play-doh, had balloon fights and laughed...a lot! I'm pretty sure it was my favorite New Years ever! My kid is so much fun. And thanks to the steroid she's on, she was able to stay up all night! We did all finally crash at 11:30. I still can't believe we got so close and didn't push through until midnight, but this momma was tired!

2012 was a good year. I got to be MG's mom and Jamey's wife...what more could I want? We took several small trips as a family. Spent lots of weekends at the lake. My baby turned into a little girl. We stayed in the same house and jobs are completely OK with that! We lost our sweet Cooper, but gained our psychotic and cute Daisy. We found our church home and the most amazing Life Group. MG learned to pray and started loving Sunday School and asking to go to church. Nothing spectacular, but still fabulous in my eyes!

So what do I want for 2013?

I want to be healthier. I want to start eating better and taking care of this body that the Lord has blessed me with. He gave me a healthy body and I have abused it. I will eat better and exercise. I won't diet - I will become healthy. My goal is not to be skinny, it's to feel good.

I want to be more patient. It's no secret that I'm not the most patient person. I tend to lose my temper pretty easily. I can't change it on my own, but I can commit to pray about it and let God change my heart.

I want to spend more quiet time praying and reading my Bible. My relationship with Christ hasn't been first in my life. But in 2013 it will be. And I know that because of that, I will be a better wife, mother, teacher and person.

I will be a better wife. I will be more supportive and loving. I will pray for my husband and pray for my marriage. It's so hard for me not to put MG first. But this year I will make more time for dates, I will hold my sweet husband's hand more often, I will put away the computer and talk to him and listen more. I will be who he needs me to be.

Basically, I am re-prioritizing my life. #1 God #2 Marriage #3 MG #4 Everything else

Happy New Year from the Princess!

Here We Go Again With The Ear Troubles

MG has an ear infection...again. Most likely it's MRSA...again. I am absolutely at my wits end. Don't get me wrong, I am so grateful that it's not leukemia or something fatal that we're facing. I really am. BUT, I am so sick of this. My poor baby has been sick since a few months old. She hasn't been able to hear for 3 years. She can't talk plainly because she can't hear. She can't sleep because her ears hurt. She can't keep her fingers out of her ear because the MRSA makes it itch so badly. Her little ear lobe is raw and the skin is peeling off from a reaction to the drainage (we think) and from scratching it.

I am literally sick at my stomach over this. She's not a full month out of her last surgery and already another infection. I knew it was coming, I probably should've taken her in sooner. She's been digging at her ear for a couple weeks, but she never complained and it never drained. Until Sunday. I was rocking her Sunday and the smell was awful. We went in first thing Monday morning and sure enough, it's horribly infected. She cultured it and we'll know in a week if it actually is MRSA, but she was pretty positive it is. She's on a steroid for the inflammation (hello crazy, wild, steroid-hyped child!!), eye drops for her ears that are effective against MRSA and a cream for her poor outer ear.

Waiting is the worst. If it is MRSA, I feel like we're wasting precious time just waiting on results. Not that there's anything we can do, we have to wait, it takes time for the results. I know that, I just don't like it!

I have spent all day today googling, reading, asking and researching all I can on fighting MRSA naturally with essential oils. MRSA is caused by over-use of antibiotics. My poor child is the poster child for over-use of antibiotics! Her Walgreens prescription history is longer than mine! Seriously!

I have found several good routes to try. But researching was the easy part. The hard part comes with deciding what path to take. I'm so torn. Do I continue with doctors and their drugs? Do I take her to a larger children's hospital for their opinions? I mean the Lord gave man the knowledge to create these drugs for our benefit. He called people to be doctors to help. Or do I turn to the natural remedies from our Earth that God created? He made the plants and knew their healing powers. Grrrr...being a mom is so hard! I just want what is best for my child. I just want her well.

So what have I decided?? Here's what I decided to do...PRAY! I won't know the results until Friday at the earliest. So, I am going to continue with what the dr. prescribed until then and I'm going to pray. Every single day, every time I think of it (which is a lot!) I'm going to stop and pray for guidance. I will not take this into my own hands, I will listen and follow God's lead. I've learned from past experiences that taking things into my own hands does not work out too well!!