Naming baby

Andy and I CANNOT agree on any names. The same thing happened when I was pregnant with Fischer. Maybe we had both been teaching too long... every name was associated with someone else's kid. We had input from everywhere - including the name jar that my second graders had with all of their name suggestions (which were mostly their own names). We were getting desperate. One day as we drove down the road we started reading random words and names off of business and street signs, that's where we came up with Fischer. We also liked Micah. My mom thought that naming the baby "Fischer" would be a huge mistake. She spent about 30 minutes describing what sort of therapy he'd need for being named that! Of course, she hung up the phone and called 10 minutes later, saying that "Fischer" was a fine name and she would be supportive of any name we choose. What?? My dad must have talked to her! ;)

Anyway, by the time we got to the hospital we still hadn't decided. In fact, Fischer was born on a Monday and we didn't actually choose his name till Wednesday!



Top names for our baby girl (as of today),

I like: Clara, Maya, Hannah, Presley...

Andy likes: Taylor, Jessie, Abby, Allie, Sydney, Willow, Rain...

Some family names (on my side) are: Daisy, Marie, Ann, Lillian, Virginia, Helen



We're open to suggestions.

Pregnancy yuckiness

My list of complaints:

• gaining weight everywhere
• all of my pants falling down
• peeing my pants when I laugh
• waking up multiple times in the night to go to the bathroom
• ankles feet and hands swelling
• peeing my pants when I sneeze
• giant bosom
• my pelvis attempting to split in half when I exercise
• stuffy nose and occasional nose bleeds
• peeing my pants when I cough
• getting tired easily
• moody
• suffering complexion

So, how are you feeling?

Sicky weekend

Lazy Saturday and Sunday. Andy is at a conference for work all weekend, and Fischer has a cold. Right now he is laid up on the couch with apple juice, snacks, blankets, books and movies.

I am just hoping that I don't have a cold. I think it is just furious allergies... it is that time of year! I don't want to be sick because BFF's momma is about to have her baby any day now! I REALLY want to be able to visit, and we'd love to have BFF hang with us while her mom and dad are in the hospital with baby "mystery" (we don't know the gender yet). Of course we can't afford to get BFF sick when she'll be going home to her newborn sibling. She is very adamant about taking care of that baby all by herself! It will be fun to watch BFF and baby go through that transition before we go through it ourselves in a few months.

Celebrate the earth with a book!

Happy Earth Day! While I realize that everyday should be Earth Day, it is still nice to have a day to remind us of all that we can be doing to help save the earth. It is also a nice reminder for those that are just beginning to do their part.

Here are a few books from our shelves that might help us celebrate today and everyday:

• Michael Recycle by Ellie Bethel and Alexandra Colombo is a fun recycling book with a cool new superhero to introduce. Fischer received this as a birthday gift from his buddy James. We've been enjoying it. I noticed that the Michael Recycle website has a list of great green tips. We also ran across a little computer game about recycling on Funschool. Of course Fischer is into recycling... because he is into the recycling trucks!


• Dear Children Of The Earth by Schim Schimmel


• One Less Fish by Kim Michelle Toft and Allan Sheather


• If the Earth...Were a Few Feet in Diameter by Joe Miller and Wilson McLean


• Keepers of the Earth: Native American Stories and Environmental Activities for Children by Joseph Bruchac and Michael J. Caduto


• 50 Simple Things Kids Can Do to Save the Earth by The EarthWorks Group

There are so many more fabulous earth books for kids, do you have any favorites? We're always looking for new books at our house.

Fischism

• Fischer wants us to sell our house so that we can go live with Jesus.

• At the grocery store, Fischer kept pointing to my breasts and asking me: "Are these out of milk?" I don't know what he and Andy were talking about to make him ask me about that later, but...

I guess we have a few little conversations in our future.

Easter In Pennsylvania

We spent Easter in Pennsylvania visiting Andy's Dad's side of our family. It was so wonderful to spend time with his Grams, parents, siblings, in-laws, aunts, uncles, cousins and our cute little niece. Many of the family members we hadn't seen in seven years!

It was wonderful for Fischer to get a chance to get to know his family and spend time with his Great Grams and his grandparents. His Aunt Bekah made us so comfortable at her house and she planned so many great things! She is also a fabulous cook - and promised me a few recipes!

We enjoyed egg hunts, pizza parties, play time, dinners, farmers markets, lunches. shopping and just hanging out. Fischer's great uncle let him drive his backhoe! That was a BIG deal in Fischer's book!

The trip was great, except for the part where we woke up at 3:30 am to take two flights home! Needless to say, we had a family nap when we arrived home!

Book of the day

Purple, Green and Yellow by Robert N. Munsch and Helene Desputeaux is one of my favorites and Fischer likes it too. Now, I know I told you how much I hate paint... and the same goes for markers... but I'm trying to loosen up a bit. Even worse than the mess, is the sucking on marker tips and the pounding them on the page till their tips disappear! OK, enough about my pet peeves.

This book is a lot of fun because the little girl in the story LOVES markers and gets her Mom to buy her enormous sets so that she can draw and draw and draw... never writing on the walls or herself... or does she? Who can resist that temptation? I know Fischer can't!

He's Alive!!

The Girl Who Spoke With Pictures

Today I'd like to spotlight a very talented artist who has Autism. We talked about Kim Miller's art a lot last year as she and her mother, Eileen, worked to get their book, The Girl Who Spoke With Pictures, into bookstores and ultimately into your hands. (The bookstore story) I've had the chance to read this book and view numerous examples of Kim's art, and I am inspired.

Eileen has written the personal story of her daughter and her autism. She describes the way that Kim began to communicate by drawing. It began very young, age 3 or 4, and has not stopped. Kim is now an adult attending the community college and her art is very powerful. Although she is able to communicate verbally now, her art still speaks volumes. She can relay an incredible amount of thought, emotion, and issue in each of her pieces.

The book itself is a great reference about autism and the experiences that can be related to it. What I really liked was the insight I felt that I gained into Kim's mind. Although everyone is different, it opened my eyes to other ways of interpreting behaviors and situations that I have experienced with my students. I was also inspired by Eileen and her persistent support and advocacy for her daughter. Together this mother-daughter team are changing the face of autism... in their community and hopefully in the world.

The Girl Who Spoke with Pictures: Autism through Art by Eileen Miller and Kim Miller can be found on Amazon.com as well as many other online stores.

You can also take a look around their website.

Check out Kim on Youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyJtYU4tA3g

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIk1KxEOF7c

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9QCm7DdvyI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHf9yUSEFFs

Book of the Day

A few days ago, Fischer told me that he wants to be fireman AND an astronaut. He has recently taken an interest in rockets and space shuttles. He received a space shuttle toy set for his birthday and a few books about space. Floating in Space by Franklyn M Branley and illustrated by True Kelley is our favorite. It tells all about the astronauts and what it is like to go into space. Fischer was especially interested in the fact that they could walk on the walls or ceiling and that they could slurp their drink out of mid-air! We've been learning a lot about space, shuttles. planets and astronauts through our books. He also likes Me and My Place in Space by Joan Sweeney and Annette Cable. This one tells all about the planets and the solar system in kiddie-friendly terms. Space is pretty abstract for Fischer, but he is interested in the planets (since he has glow in the dark ones on his ceiling with stars). He also loves to look at Rockets and Spaceships by Karen Wallace. He is very interested in the way the shuttles work.

April is Autism Awareness Month

I don't know if there is anyone left on the planet who is not aware of Autism. I think that we are all aware of it and how many people it affects (1 in 150). The question this month is:

Do we promote finding a cure for it? Or do we promote acceptance and neurodiversity and accomodation? There are many people who are quite offended by the idea that they or someone they love is "broken" in need of fixing or curing. There are also quite a number of people who believe that their loved one can't be who they truly are until we find a cure. The matter is deeply personal and very emotional for all who have autism or love someone who has autism.

You can never have too many sprinkles

Rolling and cutting the dough is a full body experience and needed a wardrobe change during the baking stage of our project. Independence... frosting and decorating...

OK, so maybe nobody else really wanted to eat one when he was done... but he was so proud, AND he made them especially for Daddy!

You know what totally sucks?

Kidney stones.

They are even worse when you are pregnant and there is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING you can do to help relieve the pain.

I'm fine now... until those little ticking time bombs decide to start moving and hurt me again.

The first time I had them I was 19. It was a hellish day and by the end of it, the ER doctor announced, "Now that you've had them, you'll probably get them the rest of your life."

She was right. They've snuck up on me every few years since then. It doesn't get easier.

I didn't have any bouts with stones while I was pregnant with Fischer, but two months after he was born, I was in pain. It turned out that the stones were so big, I had to have a lithotripsy to blast them into passable bits.

In the three years since then, I've had them a handful of times, but not quite as painful.

I have had them TWICE during this pregnancy already! Bad ones! No pain killers, no help, just had to "tough it out". Tuesday was unbearable! I needed drugs!

Waaa! OK, enough of the sob story.