Only in her dreams..

Tatum: "Mommy, can you make me a dress like Giselle?" (from Enchanted)
Me: "Do you want me to cut the fabric out of the curtains and whip up a dress just like that?"
Tatum: "No, you can just use strings and have help from the birds."

Gotta love the mind of a 4-year-old!

Corbin's evaluation today..

So Corbin had his early intervention specialist come over to evaluate him today. I was almost embarrassed to have her come over because he is really starting to improve. For the past few weeks, I've really been working with him and he's just grown in so many ways. But the pediatrician recommended it and it was really good to know for sure. She did a small evaluation over the phone about 3 wks ago and he scored pretty low, so she just knew he was going to qualify and in the end didn't. He is basically speaking at an 18 month old level and his motor skills were much more advanced for his age (which I knew already..can't wait to get that boy in sports). She only got through half of the list and basically said she didn't need to waste our time anymore since he will not qualify for anything. I really could have lied and told her he couldn't do certain things, but I really wanted an accurate diagnosis and plus, I know of so many kids who really do need the help and I didn't think it would be fair to add his name to the already long list of kids. If he needed the help, we would have gladly taken it, but he just doesn't. If she asked me if he could do something, I had him demonstrate it for her instead of just saying no he can't. Honestly, I think he would have scored a much lower score and qualified if I were to have done it that way, but I just couldn't do that. So for his speech, he scored a 25% and he needed at least a 50% or higher to even qualify. So all in all, we are super pleased that he is doing really well. We can just move on from here. I will continue to work with him (which can't help) to see if he can't keep progressing to eventually be at his age level for speech.

"Mommy, can you tell ghost stories like on Max and Ruby?"

So for a while now, Daryl has wanted to set up our 2 bedroom tent in our backyard for the kids and have a campout. We roasted marshmallows and Daryl and I ate smores while Corbin just wanted to keep roasting and Tatum just wanted the chocolate. Then we sat around our table outside coloring and reading stories. Tatum then wanted ghost stories before bed. So everyone got in the tent and I grabbed the laptop (hey, it's 2008 and why not lol) and found a kid friendly site. Corbin still sleeps in a crib, so this may be a bit of a challenge for Daryl tonight. The three of them are out there right now sleeping as we speak. I don't know how, since the neighbors behind us are having a small party and I hear kids in the backyard running around and screaming. I'm just not ready for bed, so I figured I'd blog their first semi-camp experience.

Just what I thought...

So I set my alarm for 6:30 this morning to get ready to go to my cousins little girls shower and stood on my bed and peaked outside and saw a dove fly into the nest. So I'm thinking this is fantastic! Well after my shower I peaked outside again and saw the dove sitting on the wall behind it and thought, okay, now since she/he's been back and will come back, I need to peek on those babies. The dove flew away instantly, but I had to see. Not good! The smaller one had already been removed from the nest and the other one was dead and just laying there. I saw a few drops of white on it's beak where I'm assuming the mama/daddy bird tried to feed it. But it was too late. Last night was just too cold for them to be on their own and survive without food.
**Later that day, I checked again and the other bird had been removed from it's nest as well.**

The mama bird did what?!

So on Easter Sunday, the kids were finding eggs and I noticed a dove sitting in our oregano garden and I remember thinking how strange. When I got a little closer she flew off and spotted a nest with two small eggs in it. The garden is sitting on top of a barrel (which is not very high at all). I quickly took a picture and then tried to stay as far away as possible from that nest so she/he could do their thing. We had some friends over tonight and I was showing my friend the dove sitting on her/his nest and we must have gotten a little close, because he/she flew away and revealed two baby birds (not more than a day or two old..the eyes were still sealed shut..I've done a little research tonight on hatchlings). I checked a few hrs later and the mother/father bird had not yet returned. I thought that was very strange since he/she's been scared off before a few times and had returned within 10-15 mins. So then I'm getting nervous wondering if the mama/daddy bird will ever return and if they just simply abandoned the nest. So then, of course, I can't sleep and kept thinking about the babies and went outside (it's now 11:30 and 60 degrees out) and still no sign of the big bird. I held my flashlight over the nest and thought they were both dead. The one on the bottom is much smaller than the one on top. The one on top begins to finally move (eyes still shut) and is opening it's mouth as if to say 'feed me'. So this just kills me (but it looks really close to death). I feel completely helpless in this situation and want so badly to take care of these needy birds. Do I take them to a warmer area, cover them up (risking the chance the bird will come back to them just to re-abandon them again because she can't see them), run to Petsmart and buy a dropper and something to feed them with (but still risk the chance of possibly doing it wrong and drowning them). So I have to just let nature take it's course and hope the mama/daddy bird comes back soon and does their thing before they freeze/starve to death. I'm terrified what I might find in the morning. I know you are probably thinking 'it's just a freakin bird', but I've watched this nest for the past few weeks now and it kind-of feels like they are mine as well. I did a little research and they said that the parents will not abandon the hatchlings if you touch the nest or them. So that made me feel a little better (we didn't touch the hatchlings or the nest by the way). I will update you soon!

Happy Easter!

I'm not posting a long blog on this one..just wanted to share a few pictures of our day. Enjoy!

Say What??

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

So Corbin finally had his two year well check and was diagnosed with disarticulating expressive speech. We are on a waiting list to have the state come out and reevaluate him to see if he qualifies for speech therapy. He is far more verbal than a few months ago, but he is nowhere near where he should be by now. He repeats whatever you ask him to say, but when you ask a simple question such as, "What is your name?" he will just repeat me by saying, "Name?" or just babble or say nothing at all. He will tell me no if he hasn't pooped or if he doesn't want a nap, so it's not all repeating, but probably about 80% of it is which the ped didn't like. He also pockets his food (in his mouth) which could be another sign of speech problems. One really good thing that came out of the new visit is he's gained 6 lbs in about 3 months! He is finally now 26 lbs (bumping him from the 5th to 25%) and 32 inches (bumping him down from the 35th to 15%). Oh well, I don't think we'll have a basketball star on our hands, but perhaps a baseball player since that boy loves to throw baseballs around.



A few of Corbin's favorite things to say (on his own):

~cheese
~mimi or mimi, where are you?
~shishy (sissy) or ta-tum
~gank you (thank you)
~bease (please)
~mu me (excuse me after he sneezes)
~wel-um (your welcome)
~bobop (lolipop)
~Oh, yer is (oh, there it is)
~mommy and daddy (daddy was first for him and mommy was first for Tatum)
~nigh-nigh



So Corbin has been working on a few new teeth. He still only has 2 in the front, 3 on the bottom front and a total of 6 molars now. It's so odd how he had two molars before he even sprouted his front teeth (right after he turned 12 months). He's got a great little smile despite the homeless man look he's been showing off lol.



I finally decided to introduce the potty to Mr. Man and he peed the first time he sat on it..well the 2nd. I tried about a week before our trip to Disney and twice since (including today during the video lol).

Year of a Million Dreams

So we just got back from an amazing trip to Disneyland and California Adventure (5 day pass). We went with Daryl's brother Aaron and his family. It was the kids first time to Disneyland. Tatum did amazing and even tried some of the scary rides (i.e., Space Mountain, Thunder Mountain, Soaring Over California, etc..etc..). She was right at the 40 inch mark, but she wouldn't try any rides like Tower of Terror (she only went on the other "scarier type" rides once). Corbin was definitely more of a challenge as he doesn't understand the concept of standing in lines and waiting for his turn to come. He would point to (lets say) the Peter Pan ride and say, "Oh cool" and when we were still back like 20 turns, he would freak out and try and push the people forward. Since this was a Year of a Million Dreams, we were constantly on the lookout for the vested men walking around giving away the dream suite, cruise and other things (but were mostly hoping for the dream suite and cruise lol). On the 1st official day of Disneyland, Jen and I took the babies home to nap and the guys stayed with the girls and they were pinned and got to bump up to the front of the line as their dream win. Then another day I was buying a few odds and ends and the kids each got an honorary pin. So no dream suite or cruise, but still a nice keepsake. We'll probably wait and take the kids back when they are 6 and 4 so we will all be able to all go on the 40 inch rides together. Plus, waiting in those fun lines without the speed passes will go much better when we don't have a 2 year old with us lol. We had dinner at Goofy's kitchen and lunch at Ariel's Grotto. It was definitely worth it since the characters come out to your table and sign the kids autograph books and take pictures. We had really good memories and I took over 400 pictures. I'm already having Disney withdrawals lol.

So Nostalgic...

As a child I lived 2 worlds. I had two loving parents who wanted the best for my brother and I. We lived a meager life at my moms during the week full of early bedtimes, chores, limited t.v., and plenty of leftovers. My mom didn't have much money back then, but she still did an amazing job with what she had. We had the most amazing Christmas and birthdays. She ran a home daycare out of her home so she could afford to stay at home with us. I remember we would all be playing out back and she would every once in a while throw handfulls of gumballs to the daycare kids and she was always coming up with some new craft for everyone to do. She was always doing fun things like that for us. Although coming in for lunch after playing in 115 degree weather just to be greeted with a hot casserole was not always fun, but my mom did what she could with what she had and she did good. Back then I couldn't wait for the weekends when my dad picked my brother and I up and took us to his home where we weren't limited on what we did, had late bedtimes, sleepovers with friends, lunch at the country club, horseback riding at my papa's and junk food gallore. It was like my brother and I lived a double life. Looking back, I'm glad that I had that ballance. From one extreme to another..it gave us character and it helped me as a parent on what to do and what not to do. Although my mom and dad seperated shortly after my brother was born, my dad was still always there for us. He would pop in some nights just to play puppets with my brother and I. Or he would come over and go trick-or-treating with us (even if it weren't a weekend). My dad married a wonderful lady who really stepped it up as a weekend mommy (she even showed me how to wear mascara for the first time..and remove it). My mom married a man whom was good to her and us. They divorced right as I started dating Daryl back when I was 19.
The pictures above are vintage Enchanged Island at Encanto Park when I was two and a half(wheck out my Suri Cruise haircut..who knew that 26 years later it would be the rage for toddlers). The park closed in 1983 and then reopened in a different location at the park with a few different rides. It was really fun being back and watching my children ride in the same rides I once rode in. The cars even had that same familiar beeping sound lol.

Loved it!

So Tatum and I attended a fabulous birthday party a few weeks ago and I just had to post a few pictures from the event. I really cherish our "girl time" together and am such a lucky mom to have such a special little girl ♥ .