On Monday I worked over at the Duplex while mom watched Lily.  I have to admit that it has been a little fun, well painting isn't my favorite thing but it is nice to get out of the house and do something different for a change.  I come home tired but it is a good tired knowing I have worked hard and it is so sweet to come home to a beautiful little girl and all I want to do is snuggle with her for the rest of the night.  I worked over at the duplex a few more days that week too.  We finally have all the rooms painted and this week we are working on the baseboards.  I am heading over there tomorrow to work on it and Noni is staying with Lily.

On Wednesday Donna, Zachary, Lily and I headed up to Newport to go to the Aquairum.  Lily wasn't so hot on it but I loved it!  Lily was bored within 30 minutes and kinda zoned out from that point on trying to fuss and moan but it wasn't working.  I figured I had paid enough money to get in there so I was going to get my money's worth out of it.  I did enjoy it and Lily did like the shark tank AND the Peguin exhibit.  It was raining so we didn't get to do any shopping but I would like to go back up and spend the day walking around, it is a really nice place!  It was worth the drive up just for that.

The rest of the week we just hung around the house OR did our favorite thing, shopping.  We had a nice week with nothing going on, no school and such. 

She was back to preschool today and I think this morning she was actually excited to see her teachers and did a great job, she was very happy and 'talked' the whole time.  She had a good day and afterwards we spent a long time just snuggling on the bed since it was a rainy day.  It was nice.   We recieved her new head support called a hessinger head support and so we tried it out and she sat up and did well with it for a long time.  We have a PT visit on Wednesday so I am going to take all her stuff in so she can check it out and make sure she is sitting up fine and not putting stress on anything, I want to keep her upright as much as possible but I also don't want her slumping or putting stress on anything either.   Her back is straight and she shows no signs of scolosis at this time and I don't want to see and signs for it for a loooooong time.

Next Monday we head up to Cincinnati Childrens for her Powerchair evaluation.  I am excited and am looking forward to chasing her around in a powerchair, I know she is ready for it and it will make her more independent, it will be a proud mommy moment when I can step back and let her be mobile!

I guess that is all that is going on for now.  Karen, if you are reading this we are still coming to Augusta but now dad is talking about not being able to come until maybe November.  Hopefully it won't be to cool....he is just so busy right now with working on the duplex and stuff and we have to get it done so someone else can move in so right now we won't be able to come so keep your fingers crossed that we can come in November AND have good weather!  I will let you know when we are coming.

Lily says "HI" to all and HUGS to all her buddies!  Here is the picture of her at the picnic from last Sunday playing with her beloved balls :)

                                           ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

October 9-     I know it has been a while since I have written but it seems like time can just get away from me so quickly!  Not alot has been going on, just pretty much the same things.

Preschool is going well, Lily is doing a fabulous job with it and seems to like her teachers that come, she is learning so much, has a grasp on her colors very well.  She can be inconsistent when she wants to be a bugger but that is a typical 3 year old for you!   Some days she just doesn't seem to want to pay attention and wants it to be over with NOW and other days she really enjoys doing the school stuff, but over all she is doing wonderful with it and proves each and everyday how smart and funny she is about things.  Her teachers enjoy her very much and I am enjoying watching her being challenged and seeing her responses to people outside of me.

You would think with fall being her we would be slowing down some and I guess we are but still we have been on the go quite a bit!  We have been helping my parents work on a duplex that they rent out and have been busy painting, cleaning, etc.  Somedays Noni comes and watches Lily so I can go over and do things then other days Lily gets to go, but really she thinks it is quite boring so I don't make her go over every time we are there.  We have been very busy with that stuff and by the time I get home in the evening I am exhasted and don't have much energy for anything much.

Of course I have been watching alot of politic's and researching some of the things the candidates spout out of their mouths....but of course I am NOT telling who I am voting for, not turning Lily's website into a political haven here! :)  Lets just say I am informed and know what is going on right now, I have watched all the debates, and I know WHO I am voting for and why.   Enough about that!

Lily and I have been a slight bit under the weather this week, not sure what was going on there but Lily seemed GREAT today and I am certainly over whatever it was.  It was the weirdest thing, I was never fully sick but I could feel it and I am not sure what it was.  Earlier in the week I felt like I had a cold coming on so I started taking Zicam and giving Lily the Zicam as well (figuring if I had something she was bound to get it) and it never really became anything much.  On Friday Lily seemed to be having a hard time with thicker secretions and she wanted her bipap on for most of the day so I figured she was going to be sick BUT before she went to bed last night she wanted off her pap and she was fine, she slept great and this morning she was raring and ready to go.  If it was a cold the Zicam certainly did work and I would recommend it to EVERYONE, I was faithful with using it all week for myself and with Lily so I guess it did it's job!  You can get it anywhere, it is a homopathic Zinc product and I am VOWING to always have it on hand for times like this when I am feeling a little yucky as well as Lily so maybe that will help out with any colds she may get this winter.  We will see!

I have to tell you, all this week Lily's brother Zachary has had soccer games starting on Tuesday night right through Friday.  Now Lily and I have been faithful going to almost ALL of his games on Saturday mornings (we missed I think 2) and this week was tournment time.  We ended up missing Tuesday night because I didn't know about it early enough and we were over at the duplex painting but on Wednesday when I got home from painting we rushed over to Zachary's game, it was so exciting!  They lost (YUCK) but it is a double elimination so Thursday night we were back again.  Lily didn't have a good time that night (she was getting sick) so on Friday night mom stayed home with her so I could go, it was the final games....if they won the first one then they played again right afterwards for the Trophy.  Now, Zachary's team has not lost a game ALL season except that one game was a tie, against the yellow team so on Friday night they had to play the Yellow Team (they lost to the yellow team on Wednesday night...their first loss but not during the season...am I making sense???).  Anyway, the first game on Friday night was EXCITING to say the least!  They were down by 1 goal and it looked like they might lose until the last few minutes of the game when the scored.  They had to play 3-5 minute over times then go to the sudden death!  We were ALL screaming!  They won the first game in the sudden death so off they go to play the next game.  They were so fired up from winning that first game that they scored within the first minute of the next game.   Over all it was 4-2 in their favor so they won...this is the FIRST year Zachary has EVER been on a winning team!  Yeah!  It was exciting and even though Brian and I are not together I still consider Zachary my step-son...after all he is Lily's brother and a very sweet kid at that who really cares about not only Lily but me too.  Donna (she is the ex-wife before me :)) is one of my BEST friends as well.

I know this is Lily's journal but I have to tell you one more thing about Zachary.  One day I had picked him up from school and while we were on our way home I could tell he was thinking about something.   Finally he looked at me and said "boy, I bet you wish you had NEVER met Brian (his dad...he refuses to call him dad)."  What do you say to a 9 year old???   Well, I calmly told him, "Well Zachary, you can always turn bad things into good things.  Had I never met your dad I would not have had Nathan, I would not have had Lily, and I probably would never have met and loved you either and my life is much richer and fuller because of all of those things."  He just looked at me then he cried a few tears and told me he had never thought of it like that and that he loved me.   Isn't that sweet?  This is the SAME kid who this year on Mothers day which is still a hard day because of Nathan and really Lily is to young to know...anyway on Mothers day I hear a knock on my door, I open the door and there stands Zachary with a dozen red roses, a beautiful framed picture of himself, and 2 beautiful cards (one funny, one a tear jerker) and a HUGE hug and kiss for me.  That is the kind of boy he is and I am so proud of him.  He loves Lily so much, loves to spend time with her but not only that he also loves and remembers Nathan.  He asks to go to the cemetary with his mom and even with me as well, he remembers his birthday, and is always talking about Nathan too.   Zachary was only 3 when Nathan passed away but he never has forgotten he has a brother in heaven...and he will NEVER know how much that means to me because so many other people have 'forgotten' Nathan but he never does and it touches my heart.  Zachary is an amazing AMAZING little boy who means the world to me.  I love him!  He has been shafted by Brian as much as Lily has.....

Ok, enough about all THAT, I am in tears here!  Lily is doing just fine.  She has fall break this coming up week so there will be no school for that and I think we are going to take a trip to the Newport Aquarium with Donna and Zachary sometime this week so that will be fun.  I also think next weekend we are going to the Zoo for the Halloween thing they have each year so that should be fun too.

Tomorrow is a family picnic so I guess I better get to bed...sorry I rattled on and on tonight!  I haven't ever really talked about Zachary but I wanted everyone to know what a wonderful brother Lily has.   I will have to post some pictures of him on here as well so you can see what a handsome boy he is too!  HUGS to all

                                                       ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~