The Silver Lining

When I took my job teaching children with autism, I didn't know what I was getting into. I have been punched, kicked, bit, drooled on, sneezed on, held snotty hands, changed messy diapers, been peed on, and experienced an assortment of other less than desirable situations. And yet I've never left work feeling like I never wanted to go back. That's the silver lining to everything. Despite the less than desirable moments, there is so much good that was in each day usually in the smallest and most seemingly insignificant moments. These are some of the lessons I've learned.

1. Patience beyond human belief

2. How to connect with another human being without sophisticated words or thought

3. That autism, or any other disability is not a death sentence for a unfulfilled life.

4. You're never too old to hold hands.

5. Sibling love transcends all disability; this I learned from watching the siblings of my students interact with their brothers and sisters.

6. The previews in the movie theater are too loud and it is OK to cover my ears.

7. Running water of any kind is absolutely beautiful and fascinating.

8. Sometimes you just need to yell.

9. Learning to tie your shoes isn’t all that it is cracked up to be.

10. IQ scores and labels do not define what a person can do on a daily basis.

11. I need a lot of sensory touch (massage, back scratch etc) before I go to bed.

12. Giggling is contagious and so good for everyone.

13. Playing with kids means your jeans will get worn out.

14. Eye contact is a beautiful thing.

15. Getting or giving a high five can feel so good.

16. Music creates universal joy.

17. Chewing gum will always calm me down.

18. A peaceful walk in the woods can cure just about anything.

19. Get a good night’s sleep, it makes the day so much easier.

20. There are no perfect answers.

Since working with children with a disability, it is so easy to get caught up in the challenges and the needs and the “what ifs”. It’s easy to always think about what that child needs to learn or what I needed to teach him next. At first I was always contemplating how to help my kiddos fit into our world and it is only recently that I have begun to want to know how our world can learn from them.

And that's my silver lining.

Priorities

After reviewing our budget, savings, investments, we realized that we are we are not millionaires. Shocking...I know.

Not that this is a huge revelation...we decided awhile ago that I would stay home when the baby came and thus that we would need to save save save and that finances would be a little tighter.

But seeing how tight they would be getting, made it all the more obvious that we cannot afford all the adorable things I had planned for our little guys nursery. And I have been pouting about it.

I know that our baby will have a normal, healthy development without the adorable bedding and wall art from Pottery Barn (which is on sale...)

But I'm having a hard time...my dreams of nesting are fading slightly.

And then I found this quote from another friends blog and it's helping me put things in perspective.

"I don't want to drive up to the pearly gates in a shiny sports car, wearing beautifully, tailored clothes, my hair expertly coiffed, and with long, perfectly manicured fingernails.

I want to drive up in a station wagon that has mud on the wheels from taking kids to scout camp. I want to be there with a smudge of peanut butter on my shirt from making sandwiches for a sick neighbors children. I want to be there with a little dirt under my fingernails from helping to weed someone's garden. I want to be there with children's sticky kisses on my cheeks and the tears of a friend on my shoulder. I want the Lord to know I was really here and that I really lived."

Marjorie Pay Hinckley

So while I am still resolving my pottery barn nesting urges and trying to find alternatives, I agree with what Sister Hinckley says. And I'm trying to grow up and realign my priorities.

52 degress

This is our fish. Poor baby. Our heater broke and with Utah's freak snow storm on Monday our house was 52 degrees. I can barely survive at that temperature so poor Rhino was struggling. We put my flannel PJ's in the dryer, wrapped them around his tank and put the heating pad on top.

Thankfully he made it through the night. We would be pathetic pet owners if our fish died from abnormally cold temperatures.

Week 31

We just love our little guy. He's a cutie. And a mover and a shaker. We are amazed at how much he loves to dance and flip and shimmy and bounce. He's already a little dancer. When I have the radio playing anything with a good beat he starts to move...a LOT. One of our favorite things to do together is to waltz around the house. Sometimes when he's moving a little too much for my comfort I hold my belly up a little and we waltz in hopes of calming him down a little. I'm sure we'll be waltzing when he get's here too. :)

9 weeks to go. :)

Dear Baby Boy

I know you're busy growing, but I have a few questions. I'm working on your nursery and I've hit a road block. Which do you prefer?

I want to make sure when we bring you home that you like your new room. We're so excited to see you. :)

And as a side note will you please remove your foot from my ribs?

Love, Mom

So Proud

My Dad is a professor at UK. He's an amazing professor. He learns his student's names, gives them his home number, doesn't choose exorbitant costing text books to use for his students and so on and so forth. Even according to Rate My Professor he's considered pretty awesome.

And I quote:

"Holbein is a GREAT teacher and he actually cares about his students. He is actually a genius and is only teaching because he retired from his real world job."

"Holbein is the best. He is extremely personable, and he is very passionate about what he is teaching, which makes students care as well. I am so sad that I won't be able to have him again!"

"One of the best profs @ UK"

"Awesome laid back dude. Makes class interesting and has a very fun, unique teaching style. "

"A college student's dream teacher."

And my personal favorite: "Reminds me of Dr. Phill"

And his students aren't the only ones to have noticed. He just was awarded the Humana Inventive Professor of the Year Award. This was only given to one professor in all of UK.

Go Dad go. I'm so proud of you! :)

Good Catch

What should a pregnant woman, married for a year and a half, do at a wedding?

Sit and eat her cake.

Should she catch the bride's bouquet?

Traditionally no.

But I did. :)

Not intentionally. I was just playing my pregnant lady role and eating my cake, my second piece, and watching the single ladies crowd together to catch the soon to be flying flowers.

And then the bride put a little more umph into the toss than anyone anticipated and it came flying my way. I just stretched my arms out a little and presto, I caught the bouquet.

Pregnant lady catches the bouquet.

I was pretty proud of myself. :)

Nursing 101

To be perfectly honest, at times I have mixed feelings about breastfeeding. I had a dream the other night that I was out in public, shirtless and feeding our baby like it was no problem.

Well in real life I do have a problem with that, so I went ahead and ordered my very own Udder Cover!

Not the most flattering name, and I don't think I'll look this glamorous while I'm feeding our baby, but hey, I only had to pay shipping for it.

The Sandman

A few months ago I blogged about some the of the off the wall dreams I'd been experiencing since becoming pregnant. (As a reminder they included giving birth to cinnamon gummy bears, $1000 worth black lamas, and kissing Taylor Swift's dad.) As we enter the final 12 weeks of pregnancy Jake's sleep patterns are also being affected. He's not so much of a dreamer as he is a sleep walker. Over the past few nights I've woken up to him...

on his knees clawing at the overhead light pretending to be a bear

on all fours surveying the room

and waking me up, with a total serious expression and telling me that we need to counsel about toaster strudels.

He's cute when he's awake, but sometimes he's even cuter when he's asleep. :)