Half Year Milestones

Yesterday at Dinosaur Park

Collin is officially 3-and-a-half today, even though he has been telling everyone, including random people at stores, parks, etc., that he is at least six months older than three since January. I suppose I've been fooled into thinking he is much older than three too, especially when I caught him doing a word find last week and getting frustrated that he couldn't find "pap-er" (he said it like 'flapper'). "Mommy, I can't find paper!" Confused, I say from the kitchen, "What is pap-er?" He replied, "Here, in this activity book." I go over and see he is pointing to the word, "paper," and then see some attempts at circling other words from the list in the puzzle. "Oh, you mean the word paper!" Collin assures me, "No, Mommy, it's pAAHp-er." Instead of arguing, I say, "Right, paper. Let's look...oh, here it is." Then I made the mistake of circling it for him, and I heard about five straight minutes of whining and crying about how he wanted to find it and circle it, and now that I did it in crayon, he couldn't erase my marks. Really?? Last I checked you were three, not five or six. Shouldn't you be coloring outside the lines or singing ABCs? No, not Collin. He is always trying read by sounding out the letters, and he is successful as long as there isn't some dumb English language rule preventing him from getting it right. Another example of Collin's big boy status happened this morning. He proved that he was up for the challenges that come with getting older by dressing himself from head to toe with no complaints or commentary. I just picked out his clothes (t-shirt, jeans with a snap and zipper, socks, underwear), put them on the stair landing in a folded pile, and told him to go get dressed...and he did. Perfectly. He even switched out the socks for a different pair. It was wonderful! And Olivia put on her own shoes this morning as well (minus threading the Velcro straps). What a time saver! I'm really grateful to have such independent kiddos, at least in this scenario. :)

Practicing going down the stairs solo

Olivia had her 18-month checkup today (she turned 1-and-a-half a couple of weeks ago). Her growth chart remains the same (75th percentile for weight at almost 26 pounds, 90th percentile for height at 34 inches, and 90th percentile for her big head). She cried as soon as we entered the room when she saw the infamous white paper-covered table and instantly remembered what that means ("ouch, boo-boo"). The nurse left and the pedi came in for the exam, which calmed her down (she likes her doctor), but when the nurse came back to do the you-know-what, it was all tears again...until the lollipop came out. Then "pee-POPPPP!!!" It was a good visit -- she is doing well across the physical and intellectual boards for her age. She walks up and down stairs by herself holding on to a railing, and she not only understands everything you say but also attempts to repeat every word back to you. It helps having big brother and teacher, "Eye-in," to emulate.

The one disconcerting take-away from Livi's appointment was a retest on hemoglobin coming back on the low side again. She got a 10.8 a few months back (it's supposed to be 11-13) but then a 9-point-something today. Low hemoglobin means low red blood cell count, or anemia. It can be caused by several factors from nutritional deficits to heredity. So now I have to oh-so-fun job of taking her for a CBC blood draw next week to find out the cause of the low count. Booo.

Here are some fun shots from the park yesterday!

Crossroad, Turning Point, Epiphany, Whatever You Want to Call It

Today is the 10^th anniversary of my graduation from JMU (whoa, starting to feel old now), which has inspired me to think about who I have become over the past ten years.

I am a scrapbooker and a writer.

I have two degrees in teaching English writing and literature.

I edit a literary anthology written by children and adolescents.

I am a mom of two.

I enjoy photographing my kids and their friends.

I love arranging pictures and videos with music to tell a story.

Funny how these traits are have developed in chronological order and how one quality follows from the previous one...is this a coincidence or does God have a plan for me?

As I sit here thinking about the direction my talents and interests have taken me thus far, a textbook about teaching children with emotional and behavioral disorders stares at me, scolding me for writing this blog entry instead of writing one of my papers for class, a class I am only taking because I need it to keep my teacher's license current. UGH. Is this what a I really want to do the rest of my life? Because if I could combine my knack for arranging a creative visual layout, my writing and editing skills, my photographer's eye, my love for children and family, and my interest in putting it all together in a tangible keepsake AND be able to do this from home AND get paid for it, this is what I would want to do for a living.

Think about it. How many pictures and videos do you have collecting cyber dust as they sit in your computer or your camera? Digital photography is both a blessing and a curse. You can take all the pictures you want to get the best of the best, but transferring them from the computer to something you can actually see and enjoy takes too much time and effort, especially if you have to learn how to use an editing program or spend hours gluing and cutting and embellishing your memories.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, how about a collage? A slideshow? A montage of stills and video clips put to music that tells the story of a precious moment in time?

*Baby's First Year   *Our Wedding      *Child's First ____     *Birthday Party      
*Reunion        *Memorable Vacation    * Tribute to ______    
*From Baby to Child to Graduation     *Baby Shower       *Bridal Shower      
*Girls Weekend         *An Emotional Journey

The list of life's greatest moments goes on and on and on and on. Shouldn't they be preserved so that these special times can be relived over and over again? Of course they should. Who wants to take on the task of organizing a collection of honeymoon pictures in a meaningful way? I do. I can do this for people!

So there it is. My business proposal. I have all the skills needed to make this happen.

But I'm lacking a business background.

I have people who could help me make a website, no problem. My husband is a software engineer, and my dear friend has made a career out of designing websites and increasing traffic to those websites. I have a top-of-the-line computer and the software needed to make the shows. I have the creative vision.

Unfortunately, I don't know squat about copyright, and that is going to be a big deal, especially with the music. Let's face it, the music is really what helps tell the story, but even though I don't know the technicalities of using music for profit, I do know that I'm not allowed to use any music I want to without permission, even if it is the perfect song for showcasing Johnny's winning season as pitcher on the school's baseball team. How would my customers send me their content? What product would they get in return and for how much? What other questions do I have that I'm not thinking of?

Sigh.

This feels so right but also so overwhelmingly stressful and scary too. The fact that I have five papers and two lesson plans to write, dozens and dozens of pieces to read and edit, and teaching four nights a week on top of my usual responsibilities as mother and wife is not helping. I'm feeling good about this idea, though, and I'm hoping to get something going by the end of the summer maybe. MAYBE.