tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48854430645190971372024-03-05T12:02:26.756-08:00This Momma's JourneyThe journey of a Mommy who married her high school sweetheart, gave birth to a daughter and then a son, said good-bye to her son much to early and the path that her life takes her.Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17644442451132026851noreply@blogger.comBlogger648125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4885443064519097137.post-4245053964546509912015-01-04T16:50:00.000-08:002015-01-04T16:50:02.637-08:00March for Babies -Matthew's Team 2nd Annual Crab Feed<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">We are so excited to announce our 2015 March for Babies Team fundraiser for Matthew's Team!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb6uXf8W6txbgWk27naoQdNlh4f2TYUVnmMnYulkkDqB-L5iXS5qGnRrbjR2U5s63vB46ta8y_wbgjzZVfcU2rUfyt7E3H5y58-finfGntMNn9BpmdKBezpps3cW24PM5AHPad3rZ2UhGf/s1600/2015flyer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb6uXf8W6txbgWk27naoQdNlh4f2TYUVnmMnYulkkDqB-L5iXS5qGnRrbjR2U5s63vB46ta8y_wbgjzZVfcU2rUfyt7E3H5y58-finfGntMNn9BpmdKBezpps3cW24PM5AHPad3rZ2UhGf/s1600/2015flyer.jpg" height="320" width="247" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Our crab feed will be held on Saturday, March 14th, 2015 at American River College!</span></div>
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<option value="Adult crab feed ticket">Adult crab feed ticket $40.00 USD</option>
<option value="Child crab feed ticket">Child crab feed ticket $10.00 USD</option>
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<b style="font-size: x-large;">Available Sponsorships Include:</b><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>$500 - Bar Station Sponsor</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">* Sponsor will be displayed at bar station and on all drink tags. Includes featured listing on program of</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">events.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>$1,500 - Table Sponsor</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">* Sponsor will be displayed at raffle prize station and silent auction station. Includes 2 adult crab feed </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">tickets and featured listing on program of events.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>$2,500 - Crab Sponsor</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">* Sponsor will be displayed at crab station, on all crab buckets, on all tables as well as at entry way. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Includes 4 adult crab feed & 2 child buffet tickets and featured listing on program of events.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>$5,000 - Crab and Child Buffet Sponsor</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">* Sponsor will be displayed at all buffet stations, on all crab buckets, on all tables as well as at entry </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">way. Includes 6 adult crab feed & 4 child buffet tickets and </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">featured listing on program of events.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>$7,500 - Crab Feed Dinner Sponsor</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">* Sponsor will be displayed throughout the dinner, recognized on </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">stage at all tables as well as at entry way. Includes 8 adult crab feed</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">& 6 child buffet tickets and featured listing on program of events.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">If you are interested in sponsoring, please contact me at </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">916.955.9170 or Denise.MatthewsTeam@gmail.com.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Together, we walk for healthier, stronger babies, one step at a time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Denise Miller</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>www.marchforbabies.org/team/MatthewsTeam</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">For more information, questions or sponsorship information, please contact: denise.matthewsteam@gmail.com</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Thank you to our sponsors! </span>
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Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17644442451132026851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4885443064519097137.post-87249673335326053162014-04-03T11:05:00.000-07:002014-04-03T11:09:54.944-07:00#WhyIWalkRecently, I've been asked rather frequently by well-meaning (I hope) people why we participate in March for Babies. Considering that we did not have a "happily ever after" story to share, some feel that it's weird, or that we should focus our efforts more on organizations centered around SIDS.<br />
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March of Dimes is a cause that I am passionate about. For two very simple reasons, gratitude and hope, we walk with March for Babies. March for Babies is the only walk that remembers, honors and celebrates babies.<br />
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Being born premature greatly increases a baby's risk of SIDS. By reducing the rates of prematurity, we can reduce the risk of SIDS. Not only does March of Dimes fund research in premature labors, births and babies, but, they also fund research in newborn and infant health. This includes SIDS. <br />
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Research done by March of Dimes has resulted in medical advances that gives even the littlest and sickest babies hope. Matthew benefited from two medications developed as a result from that medication. One, helped his lungs continue to develop outside of the womb. It allowed him to have the ventilator removed, it allowed him to come home without oxygen. It allowed him to breath on his own. The other medication he received closed "holes" in his heart. It allowed his heart to work as it was supposed to and properly pass blood through his body.<br />
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This research gave us 70 days with him. 70 days of hugs, kisses, diaper changes, cuddles, naps, adventures and memories. All things we may not of had if he had been born 20 years ago. I have nothing but gratitude for the amazing doctors, nurses and March of Dimes for the time, pictures and memories we have of Matthew.<br />
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After Matthew, we had three consecutive miscarriages. The outlook for having more children was not bright. We had no desire for Kaitlyn to grow up as the only living child in the house and this was heartbreaking. How do you have one healthy, normal pregnancy followed by a premature birth and then three miscarriages? It didn't make sense. There were not any answers, just despair.<br />
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But, more research, more studies, more findings came to light and with the addition of a very simple medication daily and a less simple medication (that we had to fight for) weekly, we had Samantha. Full term. Healthy. She brought so much happiness and joy with her. <br />
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Just over two years later, her baby sister was born, ginormous. Also, full term, healthy and with a head full of hair. The medication we had to fight for with Samantha was almost standard procedure in mother's who have had a premature birth. We didn't have to fight, it was easier to get and ready to go when we hit 16 weeks. This is because of pregnancy research.<br />
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I am incredibly grateful not only for the time we had with Matthew, but for the two little girls that we had after. For the healthy little girl that came before them all. For the memories, the laughter, the priceless photos and family hugs.<br />
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We have three daughters. One day, they may decide to get married and have babies of their own. I want to be sure they have that choice, that option. I would never want to watch them suffer through miscarriage, prematurity or infant loss. The progress made in the last 10 years is astonishing. Premature rates are decreasing all over the nation and that is amazing. The advances in care for premature babies is also improving as astonishing rates. Not only are babies surviving today that may not have 20 years ago, but they are thriving.<br />
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In 23 days, we will be a part of the Greater Capital Division March for Babies in Sacramento. We will proudly walk with our amazing team, decked out in our matching team shirts and sparkly team bows and we will know that we are making a difference.<br />
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#whyiwalk : I walk out of gratitude for all that research funded by March of Dimes has given our family, but also out of hope that we continue to reduce prematurity and increase how many babies are born both healthy and full term for future generations.<br />
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<a href="http://www.marchforbabies.org/MatthewJacksonMiller">March for Babies - 2014</a><br />
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<br />Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17644442451132026851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4885443064519097137.post-38065578940006818462014-02-11T23:10:00.002-08:002014-02-11T23:10:56.597-08:00Beachside Vow RenewalOne of the greatest parts about marrying your best friend is being able to celebrate 10 years of marriage!! <br />
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SO EXCITING!<br />
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I know 10 years isn't really that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things. However, we've been through a lot in just 10 years. 7 pregnancies, 4 live births, 3 gorgeous rambunctious little girls and 1 incredibly missed little boy. Through it all we grew together, stronger and closer.<br />
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When we got married, we rushed it. As in, we had already been in a serious relationship for 5 years, living together for 3 of them and planning on getting married a year or two down the road. <br />
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Prom - 1999</div>
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Then, surprise, I was pregnant. It was an incredibly exciting and happy surprise. And we both wanted to be an official family before our little one was born. So, we planned our wedding in just a couple months with our wonderful families. <br />
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The beach wedding we both wanted simply wouldn't work. There wasn't enough realistic time for a destination wedding and the beaches nearest us wouldn't work with the sizes of our family or the ones that couldn't walk down steep hills. So, we did the next best thing, a beach themed wedding in my soon-to-be sister-in-law's backyard. It was perfect.<br />
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Our wedding - August 2004 - 27 weeks pregnant</div>
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A few months later, Kaitlyn was here!<br />
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This August we will celebrate our 10 year anniversary with a beach side vow renewal with our family and close friends. Our bonfire after is all planned out and Matthew's birthday will be included with an eco-friendly balloon release.<br />
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Thanks to pinterest, I have a gazillion ideas and am super excited.<br />
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<br />Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17644442451132026851noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4885443064519097137.post-76748930445702912932014-02-11T22:47:00.002-08:002014-02-11T22:47:22.492-08:00Our near 14 month old had a first birthday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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You know, I thought I understood what it was like to have a kid with a "holiday" birthday. I mean, Kaitlyn's birthday is 10 days before Dusty's and my dad's. And Samantha's birthday is 8 days before that. Dusty's birthday falls on Thanksgiving regularly and Kaitlyn's birthday has almost always fallen during Thanksgiving break. I truly thought I understood the stress of planning a party around the holidays, figuring out two awesome gifts so close together and all that jazz. Then, Charlotte came along.<br />
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Having a birthday 6 days before Christmas is a lot of work! I do not think I truly realized what that meant. It's the week before Christmas, so you're already trying to cram in all the holiday fun, adding a birthday is just exhausting.<br />
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For Charlotte's actual birthday this year, we started a tradition of having that be the day we head out with hot chocolate, Christmas music and not a care in the world and look for beautiful light displays. Charlotte enjoyed it in her new car seat so much she fell asleep before we left the driveway and woke up when we got home...<br />
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For her birthday party, we planned a Winter ONEderland. <- a="" eah="" excited.="" get="" i="" in="" it.="" nbsp="" one="" p="" urning="" was="" wonderland=""><br />
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I took a whopping like 15 pictures. I know. Total crap! But, it was a super perfect party. It was simple, sparkly, low-key, filled with yummy food and a happy little girl who toddled from one room to another.<br />
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I loved the decor so much, I kept all 200+ snowflakes up until after the New Year! For favors, I made everyone a personalized coffee travel mugs. I just love my silhouette machine even more since discovering vinyl.<br />
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Charlotte has grown by leaps and bounds. She still doesn't say a word really. She babbles, once in a while we catch a mama or a dada, but it's pretty rare. But, she knows so much. If I ask Samantha if she wants to go potty, Charlotte grabs at her diaper and goes to the bathroom to sit on the potty. She knows who we all are, she isn't shy with her hugs, kisses or love. She loves baby dolls so much more than either of the other girls did. She throws garbage away, puts dirty dishes in the sink and is just so amazing I can't express it in words. If only she would start talking...<br />
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She's pretty petite. She's at 20 lbs still, but nearly 33 inches tall! She's wearing 12 months and starting to outgrow her tops a little. Between Samantha's and Kaitlyn's clothes, she is set for the next several years regardless of what size she wears... Her and Samantha nearly have the same size foot. Well, that might be an exaggeration, but Samantha is finally almost into a 9 and Charlotte is cruising into a 5... So, it's not too far off.<br />
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Charlotte wants to do everything the big girls do. She plays hide and seek, tag and runs after them everywhere they go. I love it. She's just a joy. A miraculous little joy.<br />
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<br /></->Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17644442451132026851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4885443064519097137.post-58115103091070492762014-02-08T23:46:00.001-08:002014-04-01T11:58:47.205-07:00Memorial JewelryThose who know me or have seen me at all since the end of October, 2007, know that I have a soft spot for memorial jewelry.
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The first piece of memorial jewelry I ever bought was a week or two after Matthew died. I bought this little number a white gold and diamond necklace from <a href="http://www.picturesongold.com/products/14k-gold-diamond-photo-pendant-p63012.html">Pictures On Gold</a> that had one of Matthew's photos engraved into the gold. I wanted some way to have him near him, with me, visible to the world as still existing.
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I wear it nearly every single day. It has it's pros and it's cons. The pros are that it's gorgeous, it sparkles and it shines. The cons are, it has already had the photo replaced. It just doesn't look good after a couple of days. The way the design is, the plate sits inside of a disk that is set in the middle of the diamond heart. It isn't completely flush, so it fills with gunk. The photo discolors so quickly and I hate having it gone for a couple weeks when they replace the photo. It's even more frustrating given that it is ridiculously expensive.<br />
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About 2 years ago, I got a tattoo. I had been planning it for years, but just needed the design, timing and planning to all come together. I love it. But, again, it doesn't replace the need I have for memorial jewelry.
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About 6 months ago, I bought an origami owl locket. Again, I love it. But, while I adore that it incorporates the entire family, all the babies I've birthed and my amazing hubby, it doesn't feature just him. It doesn't have his picture, his big brown eyes, his beautiful skin.
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Last week, I was contacted by Hallie of <a href="http://www.jewelrykeepsakes.com/“ rel=“nofollow">Jewelry Keepsakes</a>. She asked if I would be interested in reviewing a piece of their Memorial jewelry and I had no choice but to say yes.<br />
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I selected the Silver Round locket with the 18" silver chain. It was incredibly easy to order and because of how busy last week was (having 4 kids 3 and under 2 days a week and the rest of the days with 3 kids 3 and under, and Kaitlyn, the crab feed, life... things have been crazy), I dropped the ball and didn't email over the picture I liked or engraving until Thursday afternoon. Even so, I was excited to open the mail box today and have an awesome surprise!
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It is simply gorgeous.
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It sparkles. It shines. It is smooth and the perfect weight. The photo turned out beautiful.
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The back is engraved with "Twinkle bright our little Matthew 08/06 - 10/15/07" It is deeply engraved, making it hard to photograph. But, it does feel like it could be worn on a daily basis without "wearing down" the engraving.
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I love the way it looks, feels and carries. It is a longer chain than I normally wear, but comfortable.<br />
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Charlotte likes to grab my necklace whenever I hold her and has caught her mouth and hangs on my diamonds. I've also snagged it on sweaters, my robe and things. This charm fits exactly in Charlotte's little hand. She can "hold" her big brother every time I hold her.<br />
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This is the perfect every day necklace. With it, I can keep him close to my heart and share his beauty with the world. Thank you <a href="http://www.jewelrykeepsakes.com/">Jewelry Keepsakes</a> your work is amazing, heart warming and a touching keepsake.
Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17644442451132026851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4885443064519097137.post-54866273595979951402014-02-01T17:27:00.000-08:002014-02-01T17:27:27.318-08:00Obviously, I'm behind...Charlotte's 13 1/2 months old and I haven't done a 12 month update, Christmas update or shared any of the good things going on in Matthew's honor.<br />
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My goal this week is to get caught up!Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17644442451132026851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4885443064519097137.post-7984567405022851042014-02-01T17:13:00.001-08:002014-02-02T00:02:25.841-08:00March for Babies - Crab Feed<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">We are so excited to announce our 2014 March for Babies Team fundraiser for Matthew's Team!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Our crab feed will be held on Saturday, March 15th at American River College!</span></div>
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<option value="Adult crab feed ticket">Adult crab feed ticket $40.00 USD</option>
<option value="Child crab feed ticket">Child crab feed ticket $10.00 USD</option>
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<b style="font-size: x-large;">Available Sponsorships:</b></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b><i><span style="display: inline ! important; float: none; font-family: 'lucida grande',tahoma,verdana,arial,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">$250 - Wine Sponsor</span></i></b><br style="font-family: 'lucida grande',tahoma,verdana,arial,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" /><br style="font-family: 'lucida grande',tahoma,verdana,arial,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="display: inline ! important; float: none; font-family: 'lucida grande',tahoma,verdana,arial,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">* Sponsor will be displayed on all tags accompanying souvenir glasses.</span><br style="font-family: 'lucida grande',tahoma,verdana,arial,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" /><br style="font-family: 'lucida grande',tahoma,verdana,arial,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" /><b><i><span style="display: inline ! important; float: none; font-family: 'lucida grande',tahoma,verdana,arial,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">$500 - Beer and Wine Sponsor</span></i></b><br style="font-family: 'lucida grande',tahoma,verdana,arial,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="display: inline ! important; float: none; font-family: 'lucida grande',tahoma,verdana,arial,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">* Sponsor will be displayed on all tags accompanying souvenir glasses. Includes 2 a</span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-family: 'lucida grande',tahoma,verdana,arial,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">dult crab feed tickets and prominent listing on program of events.<br /><br />$750 - Child Drink Buffet Sponsor<br /><br />* Sponsor will be displayed on all signage at the buffet station. Sponsor will be recognized in child goody bags. Includes 2 adult crab feed, 2 child buffet tickets and prominent listing on program of events.<br /><br />$1000 - Child Buffet Sponsor<br /><br />* Sponsor will be displayed on all napkin/silverwear sets for all children buffet guests as well as signage at the buffet station. Sponsor will be recognized in child goody bags. Includes 2 adult crab feed, 4 child buffet tickets and prominent listing on program of events.<br /><br />$1500- Adult Buffet Sponsor<br /><br />* Sponsor will be displayed on all napkin/silverwear sets for all adult buffet guests as well as signage at the buffet station. Sponsor will be recognized with signage at all tables. Includes 4 adult crab feed, 2 child buffet tickets and prominent listing on program of events.<br /><br />$2500 - Crab Sponsor<br /><br />* Sponsor will be displayed at crab station, on all crab buckets, on all tables as well as at entry way. Includes 4 adult crab feed, 2 child buffet tickets and featured listing on program of events.<br /><br />All sponsors, including auction and raffle prize donors, will be recognized at the event in multiple locations and frequently through the presentations.</span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">For more information, questions or sponsorship information, please contact: denise.matthewsteam@gmail.com</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Thank you to our sponsors! </span>
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Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17644442451132026851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4885443064519097137.post-59747500207553469592013-11-27T08:40:00.001-08:002013-11-27T08:40:27.154-08:00A life long processOnce upon a time, the holidays were my favorite time of the year. I love everything about them. Being together with family, the warmth of sharing stories, laughter and memories, the look of amazement of a child's face when they see Santa, the twinkling lights everywhere you go, the smell of cinnamon scented pine cones, finding the perfect gift and then watching, with excitement as it gets opened. I love it all. <br />
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Kaitlyn's first Christmas, she was a little over a month old. There are so many pictures of her opening her presents, asleep, me piling open gifts on top of her. Her second Christmas was awesome. She woke up and ran down the stairs, super excited by all of her gifts and just the magic of the holidays. Her third Christmas, she was sick with the rotovirus, lethargic and ended up spending the following day in the hospital for dehydration. Kaitlyn's third Christmas was nothing like I thought it would be.<br />
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When we prepared for Kaitlyn's third Christmas, I was so excited. It was going to be the first year she not only "got" it enough to ask for anything, but she was going to share it with her baby brother. <br />
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When Matthew died, we already had Christmas presents hiding in the closet (Kaitlyn actually found her gift from Santa, a giant Dora), stockings for all of us and plans on how to keep him safe and isolated from all the germs cold and flu season brings.<br />
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While I do think that Christmas was still magical for Kaitlyn, it was really, really hard. And really, in a lot of ways, I still find them hard. It's so conflicting, loving and enjoying so much of the holiday and so badly wanting to share it with your children and knowing that one will never be in your arms again. I will never see one of their reactions Christmas morning. I will never see his little handwriting making a Christmas list, or embracing Santa. Or having a complete melt-down at the site of him. I'll never hear that little voice ask for hot coco.<br />
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I do think, Samantha and Charlotte both have brought back a lot of joy into the house. There are so, so many laughs and so, so much happiness. They gave Kaitlyn a living sibling, though there are times she is super annoyed by little sisters, she is so proud and in love with them. But, there are unanswered wishes, that I think will always be there.<br />
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I find myself getting really emotional during the holidays. Probably more so than any other time of year. I think it's why Samantha was given to us in November and Charlotte in December. It certainly keeps our minds busy and our hands occupied.<br />
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Grieving the loss of your child isn't something you just get over, conquer and move away from. It's something that becomes a part of you, a part of your daily life, a part of who you are. Not a day goes by that I don't think of Matthew, or long to hold him, kiss him or see him. It is something that just becomes you. You work to get through the hard days and find blessings in the good ones. <br />
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I believe that the most important thing in life is family. Family shapes you, it supports you, it builds you and it's forever. I am so incredibly blessed to have such an amazing family. One that remains strong through thick and thin. And, for those that have been toxic in the past, I have an amazing husband that helps protect us and our family.<br />
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I know that time shapes things and people. Both change and grow. People mature and realize the true importance of life, and I am always open to second, third, fourth chances... Especially during the holiday season. <br />
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I think part of the changes in a person, after losing someone close, is the realization of just how short life is. It is so much more than a cliche. It is life changing to realize that in just one breath, everything can change. It can be overwhelming at times to realize just how true that is. It can make the entire world stop spinning sometimes. <br />
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This holiday season, hug easily and judge less. We are so quick to make assumptions about a person's behavior or demeanor, but often, we do not know if someone is hurting or just really needs a kind word or a friendly touch. Do something kind in memory of someone you love. One kind act will not change the world, but it can change the world for one person.<br />
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Tomorrow is never promised. Live each day to the fullest, find joy everywhere you can and embrace life. Forgive easily, celebrate often and share your love with the world.Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17644442451132026851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4885443064519097137.post-46671602672262608592013-11-22T11:48:00.002-08:002013-11-22T11:48:22.030-08:00There's a three year old in the house. And a 9 year old. And an 11 month old.And they are cute, snuggly and oh so much fun!<br />
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Obviously, I'm behind. Things have been pretty intense lately. <br />
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Saturday, November 9th, Samantha turned 3. When she finally woke up (after I went in there at 9:30!, with fresh donuts!), she told me her birthday was already over and she slept through it. I had to convince her it was her birthday and presents were waiting for her. That barely got her out of bed. This kid has the sleep patterns of a teenager. It's insane.<br />
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Once she opened her presents (a few LaLaLoopsy dolls, a "lamby" and Doc McStuffin's blanky), and ate the sprinkles and frosting off of her donut, we all got around and ready to go. She decided that she wanted to go to the zoo to celebrate her birthday.<br />
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I've learned that the Sacramento zoo is perfect for kids aged 2-8. It's small enough for a kid to be able to walk around the entire zoo without being overwhelming. And you can usually see everything in about 2 hours without rushing. Which, is what we did. Followed up by a trip on the Merry-Go-Round with daddy. <br />
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Of course, part of the fun with the zoo is Fairytale Town. Which, we wanted to avoid since her arm is still broken and Fairytale Town is all about climbing, playing, swinging and exploring. The exact opposite of what she should be doing.<br />
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So, there was a fit to be thrown. Which was heartbreaking. Who wants to tell a 3 year old that they cannot play on their birthday?!?! <br />
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She chose Denny's for lunch and then we headed to Nana and Papa's to say hello. We stopped by Sam's Club where she got yet another LaLaLoopsy doll, refusing any other toys or books in addition or instead of. Our plans to go to dinner and have cupcakes after were dashed when she fell asleep in the car at 6:30 and didn't wake up until the next morning! Lucikly, the next day was Sunday dinner and it was her turn, Uncle Scotty's turn (his birthday is November 5th) and Auntie Jamie's turn (her birthday is November 7th!) to celebrate their birthdays, so she still got to blow out the candles!<br />
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Most of the week was spent convincing her that she was three, needed to get rid of her diapers and working on birthday party stuff! Her favorite part of the week was asking to put candy in the pinata. Putting in the candy and then begging every 5 minutes to "smash the pinata all up and eat all the candy."<br />
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Samantha is incredibly bright, stubborn and absolutely hilarious.<br />
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She loves to be video tapped and constantly asks to have her picture taken. But, she refuses to look at the camera.<br />
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She loves Doc McStuffins, Sofia the First, Minnie Mouse and Adventure Time. She sings so many songs and makes up her own versions constantly. For example, on "You are my Sunshine" she likes to replace sunshine with anything else and gray clouds for purple, or rainbow, or green.<br />
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She knows her ABCs and recognizes a few words. She loves to be read to. Her favorite books are "There was an old woman who swallowed a" and she's great at playing make-believe. We spend a lot of time with me as Mommy Pirate and her as Baby Pirate. She has so much personality and is such a dare devil. She's just amazing. She brings so much joy and so much laughter.<br />
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She tells everyone her best friends are her big cousins Camaryn and Lisa. And is pretty decent about sharing. Unless it's with Charlotte, then she prefers she get her own toys. She is a good eater, once a day. But, she just picks and chooses the rest of the day. <br />
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Samantha is 40 inches tall (98%) and 30 pounds heavy (30%). She wears a 3T pretty much for length and still has tiny little feet. <br />
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On Saturday, we threw a totally, awesome, 80s Karaoke party. It was so much fun to throw. I only wish I would have gotten more pictures. I wish I would have gotten one of me with the girls. Samantha before she took off her bandage cover. More of the decorations. More of the guests, who dressed up awesomely. More of Kaitlyn and her friends. More video. Any video. You get the drift. <br />
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Karaoke was a HUGE success. Once Kaitlyn got it started, there was always a line. A double sided list. Originally, we were only going to "offer" songs from the 80s. But, how many 9 year olds know Madonna... So, we opened it up to everything. They had a blast. We used an app I found for streaming karaoke on the iPad and it worked great.<br />
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We did pac man tables, arranged like the game, tons of 80s posters, decorated water bottles, had neon balloons, a table of board games, the pinata, 80s dress-up stuff for everyone (lace gloves, slap bracelets, friendship bracelets, glasses), a photo booth section and it was just a good time.<br />
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<br />
<br />
<br />
On Sunday, Kaitlyn woke up saying "I can't believe I'm 9." Our plans for the days changed a lot, but she ended up picking going shopping. To Target. I couldn't even talk her into the mall! But, she had gift cards and money burning a large hole in her pockets. After some lunch at Chili's her and Samantha did a little shopping before heading to my parents for Sunday dinner. Since it was Kaitlyn's birthday she got to pick what we had. And she chose spaghetti tacos. Again. Lol.<br />
<br />
Kaitlyn and Samantha both have physicals coming up in 2 weeks, then I'll update with their stats. <br />
<br />
****<br />
<br />
Kaitlyn did have her parent teacher conference. We've had some serious issues with her school recently. She was switched into another class about 2 weeks into the year. It was a disaster. The school wasn't prepared. A teacher hadn't been hired yet, they didn't have enough students and after a period of time it appeared that there simply wasn't an ability to make promises become realities. <br />
<br />
Kaitlyn found out they were getting a new student from Africa and was super excited. She wanted to learn all about the country and asked that they be seated next to each other. After a week, it was horrible. Kaitlyn thought the girl was rude and asked to be moved. She said she broke an entire box of her crayons, one at a time. She would take her work away. She was disruptive. Then, she started hitting Kaitlyn. Then, kicking. Then pushing, pulling and just being violent. <br />
<br />
I went to the teacher, who was finally hired and obviously overwhelmed. There wasn't any communication, I felt ignored. I went to the principal, who was new and there were still constant problems. Kaitlyn has never had a problem making friends or getting along with kids, so to be constantly harassed and physically attacked daily was obviously something new. <br />
<br />
After we went two weeks of complaining about being attacked daily, and her not wanting to go to school, and the teacher brushing it off, and her bruised and swollen and me feeling like I was being given the run around, I went to anyone in the district and school board would listen and she was transferred back to her original class.<br />
<br />
This made her happy and now the girls are almost friends (crazy how resilient kids are?!?). The attacks have stopped and both girls are being given a chance to succeed. <br />
<br />
But, it made it hard for Kaitlyn to get accurate grades on her report card. Her class was several lessons behind the one she transferred in the day before they did the big test that accounted for their grade. Even after not being introduced to the material yet, she pulled out a 96% on the test, only missing 2! She got an A in just about everything and the two sub-subjects that she got a B in, her teacher is confident she'll have A's by next report card. He commented that she was one of those rare students that are strong in many subjects. <br />
<br />
She also recently got two medals at school for doing so well on her STAR testing. She was only 3 wrong answers away from a perfect score in Language Arts! Way to go!<br />
<br />
Kaitlyn has found her 9 year old attitude and I think she hates it as much as I do. We battle a lot over her room and her attitude. But, she does try to correct it. And I don't look forward to puberty. At all. <br />
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****<br />
<br />
And Charlotte is 11 months!!<br />
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We only have one more month sticker to do. I cannot believe it.<br />
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<br />
She will walk all over holding one of our hands. She'll take 5-6 steps on her own. She loves to dance and looks hysterical doing it. She is climbing on everything and getting down just fine. She is our most loving baby. She loves to hug, give cuddles and kisses. She acts shy, but goes to anyone. She hates clothes. She hates the car. She loves food. She easily out eats Samantha each and every day of the week.<br />
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She is in 12 month clothes and is pretty petite. She's long at 31 inches (98%), but thin at 19 lbs 6 oz pounds (36%). She has little feet and wears a size 2 in shoes still.<br />
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Her hair is growing like crazy. She is up to 5 teeth, and spent the last week sick with Roseola. Some days, I think she'll potty train before Samantha. <br />
<br />
<br />Charlotte's invitations are made, I am picking them up today and then we are going to work on the guestlist. We are going to celebrate her birthday on a smaller scale this year. On the Saturday before Christmas. Gifts are not at all expected and really we just want to celebrate our little miracle with friends and family. :)<br />
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<br />Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17644442451132026851noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4885443064519097137.post-32245157363893919532013-10-28T14:11:00.000-07:002013-10-28T14:11:43.249-07:0010 months oldI know this post is a <strike>few days</strike> a week behind. Maybe part of me believes that if I delay the posting, she will stop growing as fast??<br />
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Charlotte is just growing so fast. She's absolutely adorable and melts hearts every single day.<br />
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She's just shy of 18 pounds and 29.25" tall. Although, I wouldn't be shocked if she grew another inch this week.<br />
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<br />
Our
littlest little baby is teetering on toddlerhood. She's taking a few
steps at a time, at most 5, at few 2. All on her own. She wants to run
and jump so bad you can see the determination in her eyes.<br />
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She makes a lot of sounds and a few sound like words. The basics mostly, mama and dada. <br />
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Charlotte is trying to climb on absolutely everything. Which leaves me absolutely terrified. <br />
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<br />
She
loves food. We're up to three meals a day and a lot of snacks,
combined with nursing every few hours around the clock and a bottle of
formula at bed time and a cup of juice in the afternoon. She has snuck a
few things I wouldn't dream of letting her have. You know, Samantha's
chocolate covered marshmallows, Samantha's cup of milk, Samantha's
oreos, Samantha's mustard sandwich. Notice a pattern? <br />
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<br />
Charlotte
has 4 teeth, is sleeping in about 4-5 hour increments. She goes to bed
around 9:30 and gets up around 1:30, then goes back to sleep in her
crib (in our room) and gets up again at 6:30, then sleeps until about 8.<br />
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We're in cloth diapers about 90% of the time. I am using disposable at night because it is just easier. <br />
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Charlotte is probably the cuddliest baby we have. She loves giving hugs, kisses and acting shy. <br />
<br />
I can't believe she is nearly 1...Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17644442451132026851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4885443064519097137.post-19002699164865186212013-10-16T17:47:00.000-07:002013-10-16T17:47:07.555-07:00A busy weekLast Monday, October 7th, Samantha kept climbing into Kaitlyn's bed. I kept running in there and getting her down. Considering how terrified of heights she is, I was shocked she would keep going up there. It's a super high loft bed.<br />
<br />
I was getting Charlotte and Jaxon ready to go pick up Kaitlyn from school, finishing up nursing Charlotte when I heard a thud. It sound like it came from Kaitlyn's room so I ran back as fast as I could and there was Samantha, on the floor. Doing the I'mgoingtoholdmybreathandthenletoutascream cry. <br />
<br />
I carried her to the living room. After a moment, she calmed down to tell me that she was on the bed and tried to reach the light in the middle of the room and fell.<br />
<br />
She was acting pretty normal. She had a tiny cut on her chin, maybe a 1/4 inch if I was generous in the size. But, I was so nervous. I called the advice nurse. She said there were two general rules of thumbs about when they go to the ER for falls, if they are acting normal. The first is if the fall is more than twice their height. Since the bed is above my head and I'm 5'8" that's a yes. The second is if there is a cut to the face 1/4" or longer.<br />
<br />
So, we went.<br />
<br />
The ER doctor was hesitant to do a CT scan since she was acting so great. The only reason he did was because she had some redness above her hear. If there was bleeding, that location would be an indicator.<br />
<br />
Samantha did GREAT. Her CT scan came back normal. She was diagnosed with a concussion and we were sent home.<br />
<br />
On Tuesday night, Daddy, Samantha and Charlotte were playing Monsters and Goblins. They were sword fighting with remotes. I said it was time for bed. Samantha started screaming in pain. She said her arm hurt. I mostly thought she was faking it. A couple hours later she woke up. While Samantha is a terrible sleeper, normally, if she is asleep, she stays that way. I debated taking her back to the ER off and on until about 4:00 a.m. Dusty and I stayed up with her almost all night. By 3:30, Charlotte was up with us. By then, I figured I would just take her with me to Charlotte's appointment at 8:30 and see what their doctor suggested.<br />
<br />
Samantha is normally super excited to see her doctor. She didn't budge. She didn't laugh at his jokes or silliness. She winced when he touched her arm. He sent us for x-rays after Charlotte's appointment was over.<br />
<br />
Charlotte weighs 17 lb and 15 oz. She's 14% for weight. She's 29.25", which is 90% and a head circumference of 44.9 cm, which is 70%. She's growing like crazy, took several steps yesterday and just a ton of fun. Unless you put her in the car. Then, she is very angry.<br />
<br />
We took Samantha for x-rays and went back to the ped's office to wait for the results. Not long later, her doctor walked into the waiting room with a sling and said "Oh yeah, she broke it."<br />
<br />
*So sad*<br />
<br />
They were able to get her into orthopedics about an hour later. We were given the instructions to keep her in the sling and wrap an ace bandage around her body to split it. Because she broke it from the shoulder down towards her elbow they cannot do a hard cast. We just need to keep it immobilized to allow it to heal. <br />
<br />
The next morning, we made a cover to help keep it clean. She has absolutely no desire to keep it still. She is just so active.<br />
<br />
Today, we had her follow-up appointment and x-rays. She is healing perfectly. The orthopedic doctor says it looks great and to keep it up. She will wear it for at least 3 more weeks and go back a few days before her birthday for more x-rays. Fingers crossed it keeps healing!!Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17644442451132026851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4885443064519097137.post-10686674750976515042013-10-15T21:36:00.002-07:002013-10-15T21:36:49.219-07:006 yearsSince we said good-bye.<br />
Since we gave final kisses.<br />
Since we said the deepest of prayers.<br />
Since we gave hours of hugs.<br />
Since we changed. Forever.<br />
<br />
It's hard to believe that six years have passed since Matthew died. I can still remember so many things. I can remember how his hair went just past his ears. It was so silky and so dark. But, so thin on top.<br />
<br />
I can remember him trying so hard not to smile, and being so stubborn.<br />
<br />
I can remember him eating his hand. All the time. <br />
<br />
I can remember cuddling him. Teaching him to nurse. Never wanting to put him down.<br />
<br />
6 years is such a long time.<br />
<br />
Matthew is forever missed. Forever gone and forever here. He is a part of everything we do and everything we are. He is why we do what we do. His life brought us so much hope and so much happiness. His death brought so much heartache and so much sadness.<br />
<br />
We love you our little prince.Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17644442451132026851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4885443064519097137.post-20195159694183205802013-09-21T09:35:00.000-07:002013-09-21T09:37:58.185-07:00Matthew's WebsiteWith 5 days left until the 6 year anniversary of Matthew's due date, I went to visit his website.<br />
<br />
I discovered it wouldn't connect.<br />
<br />
I did a google search. Perhaps, they were having technical difficulties.<br />
<br />
They were. The difficulties were that the owner/creator of babyhomepages.net, the website I used for Kaitlyn and Matthew's first websites decided to charge everyone their fees, close down the site and take off.<br />
<br />
It's gone. Most cannot get any content back.<br />
<br />
I'm fortunate in that there is a "way back machine" website that shows you cached versions of websites. I'm doing my best to copy and paste it into word for now so that I can create a new website in his honor.<br />
<br />
I cannot get back any of the pictures that were stored there. Or the captions for each one. Or any of the comments. Many of the story pages are gone. Fortunately, most of them are backed up on this blog already.<br />
<br />
But. I'm disgusted. Annoyed. Sick to my stomach. And incredibly angry.<br />
<br />
Wish me luck.Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17644442451132026851noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4885443064519097137.post-17829520372244198842013-09-19T18:09:00.004-07:002013-09-19T18:09:54.278-07:009 months!!!I don't even know where to begin. She's just so big. So grown. So on her way towards being a toddler instead of my sweet cuddly baby.<br />
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<br />
She has a face that you cannot say no to. She hides her little face and smirks the sweetest way.<br />
<br />
<br />
Charlotte is up to 18.4 lbs and inches. Her hair is growing like crazy and has this pretty ombre look. It's getting blonder. I think. It's so hard to tell sometimes. Her eyes are as blue as the brightest, prettiest sky and I wish I could get them to look in pictures even close to how they look in real life.<br />
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<br />
She loves her family so much. She screeches so loud when daddy or one of her big sisters walks in the room. She gets so excited when her little cousin is here. She loves her grandparents and aunts and uncles and goes to just about anyone.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Charlotte is so fast. She can crawl the length of the house in under a minute. Which means the floors constantly have to get cleaned because absolutely everything goes in her mouth. Everything. Every string, every pebble, every possibly anything. And Samantha is of absolutely no help. She is pulling herself to stand and taking steps while holding onto things. She is standing on her own for 30-45 seconds at a time. A few times she has tried to walk off without holding onto anything. She falls. She hasn't realized yet she can't walk like the big girls. But soon she will. Soon she will toddle, walk, run and jump. She'll be unstoppable.<br />
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Charlotte has said a couple of words. Only if you ask Kaitlyn though. Kaitlyn swears she says Bye and Mama. I disagree. I think she makes noises at the same time that would make sense for them to be words. It's a bit of a debate in the house.<br />
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Charlotte is a hider and a pointer. She is always pointing at something or someone. And if you look at her, she'll hide her face into the carpet, or couch or me or anything for a moment. It's so heartwarming.<br />
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Charlotte is a great eater. She is still nursing (which is about a month longer than Samantha and a month shy of Kaitlyn), which is great. But, I'm not going to lie, while I want to get to a year, we do supplement with one bottle of formula a day and I do kinda look forward to weaning at a year. She loves pretty much all foods, but goes insane for a cracker. We've been transitioning to fewer baby foods and more table foods. She really likes bananas, avocados, chicken, cheese and little pastas. <br />
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She still only has two teeth. But, some nights, I think she's working on more. Her sleep goes back and forth from great to horrible. Last night, for example, she went to bed at 9 and didn't wake up until 4:15 and then went right back to sleep after nursing. But, the few weeks before that, she was up every hour to nurse. So, time, hopefully will help her have better sleep habits! At least I can say we weaned from the paci. We've never had a baby with a paci so old, but, one day I just didn't give it to her and there wasn't an issue. And I didn't go back.<br />
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She has started dancing. All the time. I love it. She loves it. She loves music and everyone singing to her. She hates the car. Still. But, loves the ergo. And baby dolls. She's just such a great baby.<br />
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<br />Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17644442451132026851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4885443064519097137.post-31176215149233312612013-08-28T13:08:00.002-07:002013-08-28T13:08:22.627-07:00Inspirational ParentsI have some pretty incredible friends. Many of them are parents. They are all so incredibly inspirational, encouraging, motivating, genius and simply amazing.<br />
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It got me to thinking about what made them those things. None of them share any of the exact same parenting philosophies. Not all of them have easy or always happy kids. Not all of them are two parent households. And some are like night and day if you were to compare them. Yet, they are all such great parents.<br />
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They all have one thing in common. They love their kids. Sincerely and genuinely. How can you not respect that? And they recognize that they do not have all the answers. They are open to discussion about why they make the choices they do and listen earnestly. They are creating the next generation of critical thinkers and empathetic contributors to society. <br />
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To all the parents who:<br />
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* breast feed or formula feed or extend breast feeding into toddler hood<br />
* cloth diaper or disposable diaper or skip diapers all together<br />
* bed share or co-sleep or have baby in their own room from night 1<br />
* had epidurals or unmedicated labors<br />
* had cesareans or vaginal deliveries<br />
* are super mom or hero daddy or laid back mommy or care-free daddy<br />
* have playrooms or man caves<br />
* home school or private school or public school<br />
* vaccinate on schedule or modify vaccine schedules or do not vaccinate at all<br />
* teach their child about Santa or tell the truth from the beginning<br />
* have an adventurous elf on a shelf or do not have one or has a lazy elf that's always being touched<br />
* have staycations or travel frequently<br />
* have strict bed times or lax bed times or no bedtimes at all<br />
* stay at home or work from home or work out of the home<br />
* have cookies for breakfast or ban sugar<br />
* watch Adventure Time with their kids or don't own a TV or only allow educational shows <br />
* make homemade costumes or buy them on Halloween at the store or not at all<br />
* are helicopter parents or "they'll be fine" parents<br />
* have date nights or mommy nights or daddy trips or family time all the time<br />
* throw big parties or little parties or no parties at all<br />
* take too many pictures or too few pictures or no pictures at all<br />
* live in the moment or plan months in advance<br />
* make decisions for their children based on what works for their family despite any social beliefs, peer pressure or traditional ideologies<br />
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Thank you. Thank you for parenting. Thank you for being the boo boo kissers, the story readers, the first teachers, the playground referees, the chauffeurs, the rainbow makers and the parents that inspire me to be a better mommy each and every day.Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17644442451132026851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4885443064519097137.post-33056436714702896092013-08-26T22:33:00.001-07:002013-08-26T22:33:29.037-07:00Potty Training<div id="yiv1017070756yui_3_7_2_38_1377115308958_59" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /> One thing I know absolutely for sure about Samantha's personality is that she is incredibly stubborn.</div>
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I don't even think stubborn adequately describes it. </div>
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She can hold out to get her way for a really long time. Longer than Kaitlyn ever did. Longer than I sometimes want to. Long enough to make me question what we're even battling anyways. </div>
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Potty training has been no different.</div>
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Samantha knows how to use the potty. She knows when her body is ready for her to go. She will run and tell you. She just doesn't always feel like using the potty. Which is fine. But so frustrating. She is on her way to being 3 this November, and I'm a little tired of cleaning up her poppy diapers. Especially since they are so massive. And stinky. And, did I mention she's going to be 3?!</div>
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Originally, I had wanted to follow the new guidelines and wait until she was 3 to even begin. Then, one day she started taunting me when she used the bathroom in her diaper. And I realized, she was beyond ready. It would cut down on diaper rashes and she is really mature and expressive for her age.</div>
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So, about a month ago (she was 32 months), we potty trained in about a day and a half. All it took was 1 jelly bean each time. She would hold the last part of her pee, and go every 4 minutes to get as many jelly beans as possible. She would go on her own, running to the toilet, using her step stool and then yelling super excited when she was done. We even ventured to the store a couple times where she used the bathroom there as well. All was going good. I bought her some new jammies and panties as a job well done gift. We just had to work on poop. Only about half went into the toilet and the rest were accidents. I seriously thought we were done.</div>
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Then, after a week, she said she didn't want to anymore. No reasons. No excuses. No explanation. I asked her why. She said she didn't want to. I offered a jelly bean. Nope. I offered a bike. Nope. I offered everything under the sun and it was still a big, fat no.</div>
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So, I backed off. We went back to diapers for another week. And now, if I don't even mention it, we will have a complete day without diapers or accidents without any prompting. Followed by another day of the same. Then, out of no where, a day of diapers. I have to commend her for sticking to her guns so well...</div>
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In other Samantha news, she is growing like crazy! </div>
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She's been off Benadryl for about 3 weeks now and mostly sleeping at night. It was another issue of backing off. </div>
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Once we hit the point of her taking a full dose and still staying up until 1-2 a.m., I knew it was a lost cause. So, I stopped giving it to her, made sure her room was super safe and just started asking her to go to sleep. Once she knew I wasn't forcing it anymore, she started going to sleep at 9:30 and sleeping for a full 12 hours. We've had a couple of nights where she woke up, but she always goes back to sleep.</div>
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I stopped forcing her to brush her teeth and now she is begging to several times a day.</div>
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She has recently went through a growth spurt, so I really need to measure the princess. And she's exploded where vocabulary is concerned. She is talking all the time. In complete paragraphs and asking questions. She remembers things from months ago and mentions them in conversations. She says some crazy stuff and always has a funny story. For example, yesterday, she kept stealing Charlotte's puffs. Then, she asked me to put on her wings. I said no, She was being mean to Charlotte. She said she was not. I told her "you took her treats." and she said "I did not! My belly did! Remember?" And she has totally mastered the "Ugh Moooom" as well as tattling, keeping secrets, playing make believe with her dollies and just acting far older than I think she should be. </div>
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I cannot believe she's going to be 3 so soon.</div>
Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17644442451132026851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4885443064519097137.post-20520144148551947352013-08-21T09:24:00.002-07:002013-08-21T09:24:28.953-07:00Joshua ReaganA few months before Kaitlyn was born, I really wanted a way to share her with family and friends near and far. It was before social networking sites were as popular or as easy to use as today. I discovered Babyhomepages.net and Kaitlyn had a page. I would update it just like a baby book and then share it. My nieces had one, Matthew has one, I had started one for the first baby we miscarried and updated them often.<br />
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BHP (babyhomepages) was similar to a message board once you started posting. You would see the pages other people created for their kids, and could leave comments. It started friendships from one side of the world to another with people who had the same interests, kids of similar ages and who were going through many of the same trials as you were.<br />
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A couple of years ago, I had received a message that someone was using Kaitlyn's pictures as their own. I didn't really pay much attention to it and didn't take it too seriously.<br />
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Over the last year, it's changed. I've been contacted by numerous people with more information regarding the craziness this woman has created.<br />
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From the sources, I was able to gather that they were using the persona Joshua Regan. A single father of now three girls and one little boy who passed away. They had a facebook page and mostly found relationships on dating websites. Their mother died in labor when Charlotte was born, and prior to the birth of each child, there was a different story as to mom's whereabouts.<br />
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Joshua Reagan was a woman. Obviously sick in the head and from Florida. I was able to track down their IP address and knew they were visiting the blog and the BHP sites. I enjoy blogging and described why I started putting watermarks on my photos <a href="http://thismommasjourney.blogspot.com/2013/06/catfishing.html">here</a>. I made the BHP sites private. I, naively, assumed they were only getting the pictures from the blog.<br />
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Until I received a friend request on facebook followed by a message. The messages included a photo.<br />
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<a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/v/1079173_10201544483871400_1456512366_n.jpg?oh=8c37a00f2247e3e00eeade2b643e765a&oe=521735A1&__gda__=1377245843_a2f31dd2be3f256215b872cbe83c4787" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/v/1079173_10201544483871400_1456512366_n.jpg?oh=8c37a00f2247e3e00eeade2b643e765a&oe=521735A1&__gda__=1377245843_a2f31dd2be3f256215b872cbe83c4787" width="213" /></a></div>
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Those first 4 photos were found only on one place: facebook.<br />
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The middle one of Matthew was also on facebook, but not directly on my page. Rather on friends pages. The next three were all on instagram and shared on facebook.<br />
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They all had facebook in common. And I had over 475 friends. So, I started deleting everyone that could have possibly been someone else. Someone who could have been pretending. Someone who could have actually been "Joshua Regan." <br />
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After I deleted the first 10, the woman who had given me the photo said that "his" instagram page was going crazy and photos were being deleted.<br />
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I kept deleting. I mean, to be honest, I didn't know who this person was that was messaging, or the people who had messaged me about it before. All of them could have been the same person for all I know. <br />
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I learned rather quickly that facebook is not a fan of you just deleting friends. After about 50, it started glitching. I ended up accidentally deleting many that I didn't need to. I ended up getting down to closer to 150 friends. Which, has made my newsfeed feel naked.<br />
<br />
Throughout the time of unfriending, I continued to receive FB messages from the woman with photos of the texts she had received.<br />
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I removed the information shared by the person who shared them with me for a couple of reasons. The main one being she talks about her kids, and I'm not sharing anyone's kids information. And, it's not really necessary to get the creepy factor of what "Joshua Reagan" did.<br />
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I also received these:<br />
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I then received more texts after "Josh" was called out in regards to not being who he said he was:<br />
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He also sent a picture of his real daughter. Who I thought about posting as well to find the true parents of, but have decided against. <br />
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This, according to "him", is his sister and her family:<br />
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Disgusting. Right?<br />
<br />
So, the next morning, I received this email (from carrie.mcguire@icloud.com):<br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #454545; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">Hi my name is Carrie. I'm 27 years old and I am sending this because I want you to know that your blog about cat fishing is wrong. As a freshman in high school, I lost my little sister to leukemia. I got really depressed and started spiraling downhill. I started doing drugs and I was known at school as the gothic girl. There was a specific girl, holly, in my grade who used to be so cruel to me. So I went home one day and created Josh Reagan. I found pictures of a guy who was attractive on aol profiles back when that was our social media. I messaged her, and made her fall in love with this guy only to break up with her and break her heart. Cruel I know. But at that point it made her weaker than me and that's what I needed. So I became addicted. I came across your family when your oldest was a baby. On babyhomepages. My sister had one for her memory and I was just browsing and came across your family. I don't know why I did what I did from there on out. I did use your children's pictures. I don't know why. I don't really have answers. What I can tell you is I'm sorry. I'm done with it all, and I'm trying to get my life back where it needs to be. I no longer have a computer, I got rid of it. I'm in a program to help with Internet addiction and the first step is to apologize to the people you hurt with your addiction. I am very sorry for doing what I did. It was wrong, and stupid. I you have any questions you can email me back, but I want you to know I won't be doing it any longer.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #454545; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #454545; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #454545; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #454545; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #454545; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">Sent from my iPhone</span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #454545; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #454545; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span>
<br />Obviously, this person has some serious mental illness issues. I have absolutely no sympathy for them and I hope that they seriously stop what they are doing and realize how much it can hurt others.<br />
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I think it's another example of how we cannot control what happens to us in life, the only thing we can control is how we react.<br />
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If I accidentally unfriended you, and you're not a psycho, please friend request me. :) And be safe on the internet people!<br />
<br />
Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17644442451132026851noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4885443064519097137.post-1609317873287583872013-08-20T22:26:00.004-07:002013-08-20T22:26:53.860-07:00Only 4 months until Christmas!And 5 days.<br />
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Which means that this little princess is 8 months old.<br />
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Charlotte has grown so much in the last month. I haven't weighed her or measured her yet, but there is absolutely no question that she's gone through a growth spurt.<br />
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But, she's also grown in other ways. She has such a personality. She is incredibly outgoing but likes to play shy. She does not like to see anyone upset, but laughs when she hears someone else giggle. She is curious about everything going on around her. She is quick to smile, quicker to stick out her tongue and goes to just about anyone these days. And she does the cutest little thing with her nose. It gets crinkled all the time. I love it.<br />
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She is crawling so fast and getting into just about everything lately. She loves to be in the kitchen. It's the best place to open drawers and cupboards. She loves to get out all the sippy cups and play with the lids. She's just so fast, and wants to be where the action is. <br />
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Charlotte is anxious to stand up. If she's in her bassinet (I know we need to move her, more on that in a moment) she can put her hands on my nightstand and then pull herself to stand. But, her body is more like a triangle. She spends a lot of time pulling herself to her knees and grabbing onto anything to pull herself up to stand. If we help her up to stand, she'll stand for a really long time. Like minutes. If we hold her hands, she'll make a lot of stepping motions to get where she wants. She's so excited about every single movement.<br />
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She loves to be picked up and reaches her arms out to you and waves her little hand towards you like, please let me love on you. And when you pick her up, she will love on you. She will turn her head into your chest. She will give you wide open mouth kisses. She will just love you. It's the sweetest thing.<br />
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She is babbling a lot and can say mama, but I don't count it yet. If you ask her where mama is or dada, or Kaitlyn or Samantha or bottle, she knows. There are actually a lot of words she understands. She loves the dogs, is just absolutely crazy about Archie. <br />
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A few things about Charlotte this month:<br />
* She is clapping<br />
* She dances to music<br />
* She loves having a blanket. All the time.<br />
* She still has 2 teeth!! She was the earliest to get them, but the slowest to get more...<br />
* She still loves the paci. The only baby to go past 6 months with them.<br />
* When she wears disposable diapers, she's a size 3; in cloth, she's in the middle rise<br />
* She is wearing a 6-12 month in clothes. She hasn't really worn shoes yet...<br />
* She is sleeping through the night. Kinda. She sleeps from 9 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. and 3 to 7<br />
* She nurses every 2-3 hours day, has baby food 3 times a day, loves puffs and <br />
gets 6 oz of formula at night.<br />
* We have been very slowly adding in table foods. So far she has had watermelon, mashed<br />
potatoes and bananas.<br />
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I have so many things to write about. I'm going to work on them tomorrow. Some things I'm working on:<br />
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* Being catfished again! And this time I have texts and emails to share. ;) And why I ended up deleting 300 facebook friends...<br />
* Kaitlyn's second year in cheer!<br />
* Kaitlyn starting the 4th grade!<br />
* Samantha potty training and all the hysterical things she says<br />
* The miraculous recovery of Archie<br />
* Our new daily schedule. What it's like with having my 4 month old nephew here 4 days a week!Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17644442451132026851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4885443064519097137.post-24696937815683159812013-08-06T09:02:00.001-07:002013-08-06T09:02:14.227-07:00A 6th BirthdayToday is the 6th birthday of a very special little boy.<br />
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A boy born crying and kicking with a head full of dark, silky hair.<br />
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A little one at just under 5 lbs, with quizzical blue eyes and long, skinny fingers he just couldn't keep out of his mouth.<br />
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Today is the 6th birthday of a special little prince who changed our worlds. Who taught us all about faith, determination and strength. <br />
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6 years ago today, after 10 weeks on hospital bed rest, after 10 weeks of having such a limited amount of amniotic fluid surrounding him, Matthew was born.<br />
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When he wanted out, he wanted out. He did not show the same patience and restraint he had the weeks leading up to his birth. My contractions started around 1 in the morning, by 3:30, I was fully dilated and he did not care one bit that he was bottom first, he was going to descend all on his own, if I wasn't going to push. By 4:30 a.m., mere moments after reaching the operating room and finding an OB (who just happened to be mine!) on the stroll down, he was born. He cried. He was shown to me over the curtain and he was quickly whisked away to the NICU.<br />
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And so started our roller coaster.<br />
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26 days in the NICU. A place we called home. The place where he met his big sister.<br />
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The place we spent our spare time. The first place I held him, 5 days after he was born. The place where he had his first baths, his first bottles, his first change of clothes, his first ultrasounds, so many of the only firsts he would ever have were here.<br />
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The following 44 days of his life were spent at home. Reading stories with his big sister.<br />
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Being cuddled.<br />
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Being photographed.<br />
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Going to the park.<br />
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Meeting family. <br />
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Taking baths.<br />
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Getting Spoiled.<br />
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And then one day, the morning after this picture was taken, it was over. <br />
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There would be no more of that. There wouldn't be anymore memories created or shared. There would be a dark spot where he should be.<br />
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6 years can be so long and so short all at once. Today, Matthew is turning 6. His golden birthday. There are so many things we should be doing. So many things I wonder.<br />
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Would he like his birthday pancakes plain like Kaitlyn or filled with chocolate chips and doused in whipped cream and sprinkles like Samantha? Where would he want to spend the day? Would he chose to go to Chuck E. Cheese, or take advantage of a rare beautiful day in August by going to the zoo? Would he want pizza for lunch or chicken McNuggets? What would he chose for dinner? What kind of cake would he like? Or would he want pie instead?<br />
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There are so many things about him we never had the opportunity to learn. To know. So many things that we take for granted. So many things I wish we could be doing with him. So many experiences we would have had together.<br />
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I walked by Kaitlyn's room last night. She had built a big bed on the floor and her and Samantha were watching Looney Tunes together. Charlotte had already gone to sleep for the night. And it was hard to realize there should have been a little boy under there, on his birthday eve, too excited to sleep knowing there would be presents.<br />
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But, he wasn't.<br />
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Instead, we carry him in our hearts. We honor him in our actions. We celebrate his life, no matter how short it was. Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17644442451132026851noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4885443064519097137.post-639335446079530062013-07-28T09:26:00.001-07:002013-07-28T09:26:05.698-07:007 months oldThe two weeks leading up to Charlotte turning 7 months (so, about 3 weeks ago since I'm a total slacker this month!), Charlotte woke up so grown up.<br />
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She decided that she no longer wanted to crawl like a frog. It started with getting her knees up for 2-3 crawls, then flopping on her belly. Then, an hour later, it would be 4-5 crawls on her knees, then another hour would pass and she would get halfway across the room. By July 1st, she was officially crawling. Everywhere. Without flopping. So cute. So fast. So not ready for it. And she's so proud of herself. She'll be crawling and look behind to give you this shy, sweet little smile. Of course, now she doesn't like to be held nearly as much.<br />
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When Charlotte wants to pick something up on the ground, she rocks on her knees, almost to judge where she should stop, to be in a good place. Then, she flops herself down to get it. So stinkin' cute. <br />
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The next morning, she had 2 bottom teeth. She's the youngest of the girls to have had teeth break through, so I was shocked. And, although it was a couple of days where she fussed a bit, she was actually pretty darn good through them cutting. She continued sleeping through the night, and would just want to chew on everything. Really, we were pretty lucky. Knock on wood. Hopefully it continues.<br />
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Since then, Charlotte has started sitting on her own. Not just sitting, she goes from crawling, to a sitting position, and from sitting to crawling. Or to her tummy, or her back. I remember Kaitlyn and Samantha both having a lot more time crawling under their belt before accomplishing the transitions. Of course, they both sat on their own earlier too..<br />
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She loves pulling herself up. She can get onto her knees and sit up fully without support, but she likes to use the couch, table, our legs or anything else to get as high as possible. It'll only be a matter of time before she is standing. Then walking. It feels like time is going by so fast. Someone asked me the other day how old she was and I found myself nearly saying 4 months. 7 months is just so close to 1. And so close to not being a baby.<br />
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Charlotte is a wonderful eater. She is still nursing every 2 hours through the day, finishing off 2 stage 3 jars of food a day, plus 6 oz of formula before bed every night. She's still pretty petite though. Just hitting 16 lbs (26%), but so long. 28 inches (92%). So far, she loves it all. Except things tomato based. Which kinda shocks me. Especially considering how the girls are. <br />
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<br />Charlotte is a cuddly, loving and nosy little girl. She loves being in the middle of everything and does not like to be left out of the playing. She doesn't like Daddy and her sisters rough housing, it makes her lip quiver. She cracks up at Kaitlyn and Samantha both and is so spoiled by those girls. She has an amazing personality and squishes up her little nose and does all sorts of funny things with her eyebrows and lips. She is pretty happy most of the time. As long as she isn't in the car. She absolutely despises the car.<br />
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Our little red headed, blue eyed little princess is growing before our eyes. She is loved, adored and treasured beyond measure.<br />
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Charlotte's hip ultrasound is tomorrow (Monday, July 29th), so think happy thoughts. I'm fairly positive it will come back normal, and they ended up cancelling her appointment last week to make it with a specialist, so I'm confident we will have answers tomorrow.Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17644442451132026851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4885443064519097137.post-24431916169630878992013-07-08T22:40:00.000-07:002013-07-08T22:40:04.396-07:00Summer CampWhen I was younger, I went to summer camp once as a camper. I was 12. I think. If I remember correctly. It was a 4-H camp. I remember making so many friends and having so much fun. I also remember being incredibly nervous, excited, homesick and wondering what in the world I was even doing there. <br />
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In the years that followed, I was a camp counselor for the West Sacramento Kiwanis camp. A week away. A week with 9 - 11 year old campers who were experiencing a lot of what I was feeling once upon a time. It was so much fun. It was also hot, dirty, memorable and a special opportunity.<br />
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For as long as I can remember, my grandma has helped run Kiwanis camp. It's just one of those things that she's done. 50 kids go. Half boys and half girls. Teens are counselors and adults are staff. They are broken down into groups of 5. They hike, camp, fish, explore, learn important skills, sing silly campfire songs and make life long friends.<br />
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This year, Kaitlyn asked to go to camp. Kiwanis camp. For an entire week, a 2 hour drive away. Holy moly. That's a long time. And with limited cell service with my grandma, and kids not allowed to bring electronics, it feels like forever since we've talked to her. Instead, it was Sunday afternoon. About an hour after she left, I told Dusty that I wish I would have told her no.<br />
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For all of her attitude, dramatics and inability to listen, she's also hysterically funny, insanely helpful and one of my most favorite people.<br />
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On Sunday, Kaitlyn took her own (huge) duffel bag to the bus and helped her daddy load it on. She found a friend to sit with after they loaded up, and she waved good-bye as her 2 year old sister cried hysterically for several minutes. I worry that she's not having fun, that she misses us too much, that she's not making friends, that there are too many mosquitoes, that she isn't eating or brushing her teeth. I worry that she is just absolutely miserable and wishes we would just come and rescue her.<br />
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But, this is Kaitlyn. She misses us at night I'm sure. But, just for a little bit before falling asleep. Kaitlyn is making friends and making memories. And on Wednesday we will sneak away for a couple hours and surprise her. And it will be hard for me not to snatch her away and force her to come home with us.<br />
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<br />Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17644442451132026851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4885443064519097137.post-23247722111208985902013-07-08T22:27:00.000-07:002013-07-08T22:32:56.688-07:006 month appointmentThis morning, Charlotte had her 6 month appointment. I usually try to do it right on the day they turn that age, but she was late on her 4 month one because of scheduling, which pushed them all back. I hate it.<br />
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At 6 months, they measured Charlotte at 26.75 inches (which I think was off , way too short), 15 lbs and 12 ounces and a 42 cm head circumference.<br />
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The appointment was going fairly well. Samantha kept insisting it was her turn to get a check-up and Charlotte was acting as though she'd be thrilled to switch places. Her heart murmur is still there, which we expected. She's showing some growth from her last visit. She's hitting all of her milestones and then some. (She's finally sitting up on her own in a steady fashion) And then it came time for her hips to be checked.<br />
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That did not go so well.<br />
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Her doctor thinks that Charlotte might have an issue with her hips. She said there's a possibility that her hip is not properly in the socket and that her left leg appears to be a tiny bit shorter than the right. There's no way to know for sure without an ultrasound and the earliest we can get in is July 24th. So, July 24th it is...<br />
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The rest of her appointment involved her vaccines, and Samantha still wanting her turn. If only it were time for flu shots, it would have worked out perfectly!<br />
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Since vaccines, we've been nursing away a low grade fever and playing with a baby who goes back and forth between pure joy and pure misery.<br />
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Here's hoping tomorrow is a better day and the doctor is beyond wrong about her poor little hips.<br />
<br />Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17644442451132026851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4885443064519097137.post-83790984291445754522013-06-26T12:35:00.000-07:002013-06-26T13:09:50.267-07:00Charlotte is 6 months old!And I'm a week behind! Which I am not at all proud of! But, we were enjoying the summer in Santa Cruz and I came back to something yucky going on in my tummy.<br />
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Charlotte is growing at an insane rate. She's definitely not a newborn anymore. I don't even know where to begin when it comes to her rapid development.<br />
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Much to my surprise, Charlotte still has all of her hair. After all of our time in the sun, and despite spraying the sun screen into her hair, it has a lot of gold in it. She's finally starting to get some fat rolls on her legs and her cheeks and chin are starting to look chunky. I love chunky babies. And really, she eats enough where she should be nothing but rolls.<br />
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Charlotte is nursing every 2 hours during the day. Before bed (around 8:30) she eats 2 ounces of formula after nursing. Then, she sleeps until 5 in the morning most days. For some reason, if I skip that 2 ounces, she will be up every 2 hours at night. I know formula has nothing to do with sleeping through the night, but I swear she knows the difference. In the morning she eats about 4 ounces of baby food and another 4 ounces in the evening. Unlike Samantha, she is not a picky baby at all. She'll use any type of bottle/nipple and eat any kind of baby food. She does absolutely love melons in her little mesh feeder.<br />
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With Samantha, we didn't use baby food because she hated it. We did baby led weaning and she would just eat food. She was about the same age and eating teething biscuits and whatever was on our plate. Charlotte does not like solid food in the same way. I've given her the baby rice cups and she has no interest in doing anything other than shoving them between her toes...<br />
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Charlotte has started to HATE the car. If we time it right at nap time, she'll sleep in there. Otherwise, nothing will make her happy. She's already weaning herself off the paci and chewing it instead of sucking (unless she is super tired) so that's not much help, toys do not interest her at all in the car and basically we just have to try and get wherever we are going. This means Kaitlyn has been our best in the car baby by far.<br />
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Charlotte also does not like for me to leave her. At all. For any length of time. She's better if she's at home, but we have tried going out to dinner and letting her stay with grandparents and it was horrible for her. She just cried and cried. She is so stubborn, she will not cry herself to sleep in any situation, she will just cry for hours on end if she doesn't get her way... This could be trouble later...<br />
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Charlotte wears disposable diapers when we travel (size 2 pampers swaddlers) and cloth at home. Once we run out of disposable, we'll hopefully be rid of them for a good long while! She's outgrowing her 3-6 month clothes, but some still fit. She wears a lot of 6-9 month stuff, but the waist is so narrow on some of the things.<br />
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Charlotte is currently (unofficially until Monday the 8th of July) 28 1/4" long (98.9%) and 15 lbs (27% and not even double her birth weight yet).<br />
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She is so close to crawling it's ridiculous. She gets on all fours and pushes herself front and back and then usually either goes backwards or falls on her face. She is able to quickly go from one side of the room to another, scooting or rolling. She isn't sitting up on her own too well yet. She can tripod for a minute or so, but isn't too secure... She has a million looks she likes to give and such a fun personality. Kaitlyn and Samantha can really get her laughing and playing.<br />
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<br />Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17644442451132026851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4885443064519097137.post-64133107632489508872013-06-26T11:10:00.005-07:002013-06-26T13:12:01.925-07:00The Story of ChicoBy 2009, Kaitlyn really wanted a sibling. She asked for another baby pretty much every day. She turned 5 that year and was absolutely obsessed. By Christmas, I'd experienced 3 miscarriages and I was starting to accept that it just wasn't going to happen. A few days after Christmas, Dusty's uncle was visiting and brought the cutest, tiniest puppy in the world with him.<br />
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He was only a few weeks old. He was the runt. His mom had killed all the siblings and he only survived because he was tiny enough to hide behind a hot water heater. He had been bottle fed and was just so tiny with such a massive head. His head was so heavy, when he bent down to eat, his feet would go in the air.<br />
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Kaitlyn begged for him. I begged too. Dusty was pretty strong about saying no, reminding us that we didn't need another dog, and reminding me of the cons of another dog right then. But, he quickly gave in.<br />
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His name was Chico. I don't know if Archie was more irritated when we brought home Chico or a baby... But, I thought Chico would help keep Archie active and young longer. Makes sense, right?<br />
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I took Chico with me everywhere. He was so tiny and so cuddly and I was so scared to leave him. After we had him for a few months, we found out I was pregnant with Samantha. I took Chico pretty much everywhere with me until Samantha was born. By then, he was 10 lbs, neutered and good at being left at home.<br />
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Chico is such an interesting looking dog. He has a severe underbite, so bad the vet asked if we wanted to get him braces. Since he has no problem eating, it would be $5,000 (or so) for a cosmetic procedure. He has "bat" ears, squinty eyes and a muscular chest. He is part chihuahua and part pit bull. He is amazing with kids and not always the brightest crayon in the box...<br />
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We were out of town for about a week earlier this month. We had a family member house sit and watch the dogs. Normally, we just have a family member check on them, but Archie is getting old and having a hard time getting in and out of the doggie door, so this made way more sense. And we were so grateful.<br />
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Chico decided to get out of the backyard while we were gone. We figured it out when we returned. Somehow, it went unnoticed, which can be easy to do since sometimes Archie barks enough for both of them and will absolutely devour Chico's food if given the chance.<br />
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At first, I figured he was in the field behind our house. He had gotten out there before, but always came back. We searched and searched. He wasn't there. I whistled for him and called his name and nothing. We went to the neighbors. No one had seen him. The man next door that just moved in said he hadn't barked at him in 2-3 days.<br />
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Within a couple hours we had posted 25 flyers in the area. We had talked to everyone whose house touched ours or the field behind ours. Dusty did most of the talking. We walked through that awful field over and over again.<br />
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One man said he saw him on Saturday running away from the field. A few other men said they saw a group of pitbulls around the area. We hoped and prayed that he was just ok. I put ads on facebook, with the pounds and shelters and on craigslist.<br />
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The next morning, I was browsing craigslist and came across an ad of a dog that looked like Chico.<br />
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They found him on Friday night, in the direction he was last seen running. I called their number. I emailed them. I text them. I didn't hear back. I did it all over and over again. A few hours later they called.<br />
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They said he had been picked up by his family. I asked if they were sure because that looks so much like our dog. She said "they fell in love with him" and she had no way of proving it. But, if I called her back that night when she got home, she would give me their information.<br />
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I called her at the time she said. No answer. I text. I left messaged. I called again. And again. And again. She finally called back and said she wasn't home, but she talked to them and they admitted it wasn't their dog. They were taking him back to her and we could pick him up. She would call when he arrived.<br />
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That was at 8:30 p.m. By 10:30 p.m. We hadn't heard anything. So, I text. No response.<br />
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The next morning I called. Again and again and again. Nothing. Around noon, she text they were bringing him by at 2 and we could get him then. I responded asking her for her address. I heard nothing. 2 came and went without a phone call or text. I emailed, I called, and called and called.<br />
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We were getting frustrated, upset, irritated, angry. I called the police who said it was a civil matter. I couldn't understand why she didn't just call back to give us an idea of what was going on?<br />
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I started calling every 20 minutes. At nearly 7, my phone rang. It was a friendly voice, a different one explaining that she had our dog.<br />
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Chico had found his way into the garage of her mother-in-law, the woman who posted the ad. The kids saw him the next morning and fell in love with him. They took him home to their 4 year old son and 2 year old daughter. They named him Turbo. They bought him toys and specialty food and gave him a bath. The didn't know his family was looking for him. They didn't know there was a craigslist ad. They didn't know he was microchipped.<br />
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Dusty and Kaitlyn picked him up. The little boy was upset. Kaitlyn was happy. Samantha was beyond thrilled. And it was bittersweet. I felt for them, they had a few days to grow attached to "Turbo" and fill the void left by their dog that ran away and never came back. They didn't expect him to be "found."<br />
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Chico is home where he belongs and I sincerely hope that little boy has a puppy of his own to love and grow up with.Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17644442451132026851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4885443064519097137.post-18716707297879106912013-06-04T17:52:00.003-07:002013-06-04T17:52:35.462-07:00Catfishing...In today's society, catfishing refers to more than just casting out a line in hopes of catching a delicious dinner. It also refers to "whackadoos" doing "whackadoo" things. Urban dictionary defines it well: <span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 21px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">The phenomenon of internet predators that fabricate online identities and entire social circles to trick people into emotional/romantic relationships (over a long period of time).</span><br />
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We have been "catfished." In a way at least. A woman by the name of Monique Spears has fabricated a character she named Joshua Reagan. Joshua is the father of two, a daughter named Kaitlyn and a son named Matthew. What a coincidence. To give proof that this character actually exists, she had to have photos of "his" children. Anyone want to guess what photos she used?<br />
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Yeah. I don't take too kindly to the photographs I post on my blog being used by "whackadoos." So, in between a day of editing footage and caring for three little ones, I spent some time finding out a lot of information about Monique. I verified that Kaitlyn and Matthew's websites (that I keep mostly for me to go back and look at) are password protected, my facebook is still nice and private and since there is only one other place "Joshua's" cover photo could be found, I'll be watermarking all of my images. <br />
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It has been suggested that perhaps I make the blog private. Which I did consider. But, it's theraputic for me. And, I enjoy helping people who may be going through a little bit of what we have, or who would like to try and understand what it is like to lose a child, perhaps to be a better friend to someone hurting.<br />
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Just a personal message to Monique, in case you didn't receive the one on facebook before quickly deleting Joshua's profile: I spent more time than I'd care to admit researching you today. I have more information about you, your life and your "characters" than ever necessary. You really should get a healthier hobby.Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17644442451132026851noreply@blogger.com4