Say Cheese!

I take so many picture of Mackenzy throughout the week, but rarely do they all make it to the blog!  Some pictures are just taken from one spot (ie. my camera) and moved to another spot (ie. my computer).  Eventually they all make it in to a photo album when I decided to get hard copies! 

People think it's strange that I put Mackenzy to bed between 6:30-7:00pm.  She sleeps all night and this is what I deal with in the mornings before work!  I have to wake her up most of the time because she is playing possum in her crib! 

I don't know what she does all night, but in the morning it looks like she's been doing sleep gymnastics!  I put her "nigh nigh" on her pillow and with her "bankie", "pabi", and "baby".  In the mornings she always in a different position and usually in a different direction.  I guess she got her sleep habits from me!  My mom said I used to tick like a clock...

Wake up Mackenzy!

Please ignore me in the background!  It was a Saturday morning and Mackenzy was sporting fro because it was hair washing day.  Luckily her hair blocked my face!  Anyways, this is what happens when you tell Mackenzy to "say cheese"!

 Does anyone else's kid love stickers?  Well mine sure does!  She has stickers everywhere and they always seem to end up on her face.  Last week she even decided to decorate Mommy and Daddy's faces with Mr. Incredible and Mickey Mouse stickers.

To a doctors appointment with an 18 month old...

Going to the pediatrician with Mackenzy has become such an event.  When she was an infant, I just carried her in and she sat still in her carrier and just smiled away... Now that she is a big 1.5 year old I have to stock the diaper bag with snacks (even though the sign says no snacks due to food allergies) and books to keep her attention.  She has to talk to everyone as she walks in, call every child a baby, and point out every "fi" (fish) in the fish tanks.  If she loses interest in the fish, she begins running around the office because she thinks it's funny to have mommy chase her!

She has learned that the doctor is a nice guy because he just looks at her and lets her hold the stethoscope, but she has other ideas about the nurse.  Unfortunately, her doctor has one nurse that works with him, Reynolda, and Mackenzy has now associated shots with her.  She immediately began to cry when she saw her take out the needle, screamed during the shot, and after the shot told Reynolda to "get out".  Once she calmed down we went to the check out nurse and Mackenzy was all smiles because she knew she was going to get a sticker!

And now for her 18 month stats:

She weighs a whopping 20lbs 7.5oz (5th percentile), is 31.75 inches tall (50th percentile), and her head is 46cm big (35th percentile).  We are very proud of her progress and the doctor was more than happy that she has made her way back on to the charts!  She gained about 2.5 pounds!  She's still a tall, skinny, child but she's staying consistent and is growing so we're all happy.  I guess I have a long road of sewing in my future!

And just so this post isn't picture free, below is a picture of Kenzy on her "pot".  She told me she had to go poop so we got the potty out and she sat, but the urge quickly passed...  She later pooped at "school" with Mrs. Karen!

The Poop Face...

Beware...  If you ever see Mackenzy stand still as a statue and make this face hold your nose!  It's the poop face!  Aren't you glad I shared this valuable piece of information!



"Mommy. Swing. Peas!"

It's days like this that I love being a teacher and being able to leave work at 3:20 and spend time in the sunshine with my little one!



The serious, thoughtful look she gets from me.  She spotted one of my students playing on the slide and was intrigued by him.  Only 18 months old and already staring at the boys!

Such a cutie!

Our 1 1/2 year old!

It's hard to believe that our baby is already 1.5 years old!  She's growing up so fast and becoming a big girl!

What's new:  Well she loves to take off her shoes and put on other shoes.  her favorite pair of shoes to put on are her black dress shoes and she even gets them on the right feet sometimes.  She even loves putting on my shoes and will try to put on Ray's shows, but his are a little to big for her to move around in.  In the mornings I have stopped putting on her shoes and socks because as soon as I put them on she is taking them off... If they do stay on she'll take them off in the car, thrown them on the floor, say "uh-oh", or get mad at her shoes because she can't get them on.  I've even caught her sucking on her toes...  eewww..

 Thanks to The Little Gym and her amazing balance and agility, Mackenzy has learned to climb up on the couch and in to her highchair.  On the weekends you can catch her and Nicholas on the couch looking out the window!

Her well visit insn't for another week or so so I can't provide you with a status update.  I know she has gotten taller and fatter because we've had to put so many of her clothes in boxes.  She's talking a lot and is starting to put 2 words together.  She signs eat, more, cracker, please, thank you, apple, and help.  She can identify her nose, head, elbow, knee, hair, mouth, ear, toes, hand, fingers, eye, belly, butt, belly button, and boobies!  She loves giving kisses and hugs, and follows simple directions.  She loves bubbles, balls, birds, dogs, hangers, pens, and Dora the Explorer (still calls her Digo).  She can recognize and read the words in a book at my moms house and can point out various objects in the book "Goodnight moon".  Her favorite phrases are "eewww", "sit down", "bird tree", "wow", "bad , bad, bad", "go bye-bye", "hungry eat", and "no no Nick Nick".

She's a little sponge and she says something new everyday!

Random Happenings...

These are just a few of the random pictures I have taken over the past few weeks that are just now making it off of my camera...

Um.. Mackenzy.  Are you wearing my shirt?

 This is my step dad.  He's been home for a month of so now and is enjoying retired life!  It's great to have him home and Mackenzy is getting used to having him around.  She even calls him "J"!

On Mondays, Mackenzy spends time with Mimi.  They like to watch Dora the Explorer, read books, and learn about the alphabet!  On this particular day, they were practicing the letter "A" which Mackenzy now recognizes!

Mackenzy loves climbing on the couch now...  She also loves stealing every cup we have laying around and drinking out of it which explains why her shirt it all wet.

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions...

I've decided to take a break from Mackenzy updates to provide everyone with an update on me!  This story begins on a cold December evening....

As some of you know, I got a call in his past December from my "boss" telling me that Guilford County Schools was going to implement the RIFF Policy (reduction in force) and that my job was in jeopardy for next year.  She informed me that the RIFF would mean that 7 out of the 13 teachers in my specialty area would be cut and that the cuts would be based on seniority and years in service.  Naturally I freaked out because I was the last one hired and that meant that I would be the first one to go...

So I went in to panic mode, freak out mode, cried, yelled, prayed, and thought of everything that could go wrong if I were to be let go for next year.  My mom offered comforting words, my coworkers tried to be positive, but it was my husband that kept me together.  He allowed me to cry, yell, and mope around the house for a few days and then he looked at me and said, "I know this sucks, but you kind of knew it would happen sometime in the future.  The state has no money and budget cuts have to be made.  Crying about it isn't going to make it better, so you've got to get tough and make a plan babe!"  Althought I didn't appreciate his words at the moment I made a plan!

I believe everything in my life happens for a reason, so this obstacle was God's way of testing my faith and letting me know that things will not always go according to my plan.  I've been wanting to go back to school for a while, but in the past the timing wasn't right and financially we weren't able to take a paycut.  I've thought about transitioning to a classroom instead of "just being a specialist," but I was afraid of stepping out of my confort zone.  Well the thought of not having a job finally gave me the courage to step out of my box!  So to prepare for next year I:

1. Took and Passed the Praxis II tests in core content knowledge and severe and profound applications which means that I can teach in a classroom... 

2. I applied and was admitted to The University of North Carolina at Greensboro's Doctoral Studies Program in Special Education

 

3.  I've cut my spending, begun to pay off unnecessary debt, and I even manage to save a little money each month...



4.  I got a part time job that I absolutely love!

Never in my wildest dreams did I believe that every element of my plan would become a reality.  I prayed that He would give me strength and enable my heart to trust that He would provide for us.  Because of Him I am no long asking "What will we do?" but I am evaluating my options and asking for guidance as we make the best decision for our family.  This experience has taught me that He is in control, not me.

My future is still unclear for next year, but either way I have a plan...

You'll have to stay tuned to read about my decision!