Some lines...

from my current book.

you came

and made
my house
our home

you left
making
our home
my asylum

Thinking and wondering on my Saturday afternoon...

Dear current and future parents of early intervention,

Hi. My name is Beth and I am a Developmental Specialist or more commonly known in the EI world as a Special Instructor. I am apart, or should be apart, of your Early Intervention team. My job is look at the whole child and help them meet their milestones in each area of development. I am an asset to your team. I understand that you feel that your child only deserves the best and you feel that the BEST is a "Licensed Therapist". You feel that only people with an actual license should be working with your son or daughter. Let me give you some facts about Special Instructors.

We are the teachers on your team and we are trained and certified to work with your child and catch whatever your "Licensed Therapist" might not catch because they typically only focus on one area.

We are professionals. We were not just picked up off the street and told "Hey you want to work with children?"

We have the same amount and sometimes more education than that of your "Licensed Therapists".

When you turn down our services, your "Licensed Therapist" will often to come to us for new ideas and ways to work with you child.

We have letters behind our names too!

Please don't be naive and think that you can throw out offensive comments about us and think that your "Licensed Therapist" won't tell us about it. Our fellow therapists' respect us and we respect them as well.
Did you know that I can help a child learn to walk and talk without the need of a licensed therapist?? Did you also know that many families appreciate my services and see the value I add to their team??

We are all equals on your team, so please see the value of what I have to offer you and your family. My name is Beth. I am a Special Instructor. I am educated. I am a professional. I deserve your respect as such. Please do not question my ability to work with children...because I do not question your ability to parent your child.

Sincerely,

Beth, SI

Alert the Media!!!

I made dinner and it did not come from a box!! For any one that knows me even a little bit knows that I don't really enjoy cooking(plus when you have a hubby that cooks so well, you don't really want to). I am just not all that creative with cooking. I use up all my creativity at work. That's a great excuse isn't it? When I do cook, my food usually tastes very good, minus the baked spaghetti incident. Tonight I made Chicken Fajitas.Yes the chicken is green because(shocking I know) I made my own marinade for it. Spicy but good. I am lucky to have Hubby's mother that keeps us stocked in vegetables that she grows at her house, as you can see by the very pretty bell peppers. She is the Martha Stewart mother I never had(no offense mommy, you keep me stocked with other great things too:). Hubby doesn't like bell peppers so since he is working this week I decided to make it tonight. As you can see I still cook like I have a very large stomach. I will be eating on this for awhile.

Did anyone notice that my food matches my blog, hahahahahaha. I guess I like green!

Post Op Week 6

So I am beginning week 6 of my journey. I have lost 18 pounds so far. I am onto real foods and can stomach pretty much anything except for bread. I am starting to feel no restriction which is the sign it is time for an adjustment. My first adjustment is scheduled for next Tuesday and I am excited to get it done. Things are going well and have very little pain now around my port.
I have been losing about 2 pounds a week now. I would like it to be more but I know that it is a healthy way to lose. Hopefully by next month I will have a set of pictures to show some differences in my appearance. I am off to go make Chicken Fajitas for dinner!!

So I have been told that I need to explain...

My squeezy froggies! After my stroke I needed something to help strengthen my right hand. I was able to find different sensory balls and other weird things at the Dollar Tree to build my strength back up. This is where the addiction started!!! I can no longer sit at my desk without something in my hands.

Hello. My name is Beth and I am addicted to fidgets!!

I am always on the look out for something new and it needs to last because I am pretty rough on them. The squeezy froggies are probably by far the best that I have found. Unfortunately I have not been able to find something indestructible.
All children PLEASE look away!!!! This is the, lovingly nicknamed, Graveyard!

Unfortunately there are many more countless froggies that did not make it....but I ran out of room, hehehe.


Disclaimer: No REAL froggies were harmed by the hands of me....and yes that is an Octopus on the far left. He lasted a full six months!!! I felt he earned his proper place next to the froggies.

Things That Make Me Happy!

Sunshine!

The promise of spring!

The good ice in a large sweetened tea!

Music!

Seeing progress in my little ones!

Notes that my hubby leaves for me to find in the morning!

Squeezy Froggies!

A new toy to play/work with!

Going to see the Wizard of Oz this weekend!

Thoughts of my vacation coming up!

Interesting fact of the day... Only in Blounty County can you see a dead chicken...in the ditch...full of water...on the side of the road. I guess he forgot to swim ;)

How much is to much??

I have been asking myself that question a lot lately. So the weight loss appears to be going well except I didn't weigh myself this week for various reasons so I have no numerical proof of that. The only problem I seem to be having is my portion sizes. Just to be clear, my portion sizes have decreased rapidly since the surgery, as it should be because that is the whole point of the surgery in the first place. I have been having trouble knowing when I am full. People have told me to eat until you are satisfied but that doesn't really work because I am satisfied after one or two bites, then I am hungry again 20-30 minutes later. Snacking is not a good thing while using the lap band because you will either gain weight or not lose any weight. I am afraid of overeating because that causes a whole other host of issues because I could throw up. Throwing up can cause band slippage, esophageal dilation, and other unpleasant things. The recommended serving size right now is 4-6 ounces. So I stick with that and I stop eating if I am feeling nauseous. It is amazing how much control I need for this diet. The term "My eyes are bigger than my stomach" is so true. I still pack my lunch with way to much food and never eat more than half of it. I never knew eating can be so tiring and time consuming! :) I am still learning and I am excited to move onto to real foods next week!! No more pureed chicken!!