For Teagan

A while ago, I posted a poem that I had found on Pintrest that was my entire relationship with my son. I hadn't forgotten about my daughter, I just hadn't found something that felt like it was meant for her.  This one tends to be more for Teagan & her Daddy. Makes me cry every time I hear it. So, here it is:

My Little Girl : Tim McGraw

Gotta hold on easy as I let you goGonna tell you how much I love youThough you think you already know
I remember I thought you looked like an angelWrapped in pink, so soft and warmYou've had me wrapped around your fingerSince the day you were born
You beautiful baby from the outside inChase your dreams but always know the roadThat'll lead you home againGo on, take on this whole worldBut to me you know you'll always be, my little girl
When you were in trouble that crooked little smileCould melt my heart of stoneNow look at you, I've turned aroundAnd you've almost grown
Sometimes you're asleep I whisper 'I love you'In the moonlight at your doorAs I walk away, I hear you say"Daddy, love you more"
You beautiful baby from the outside inChase your dreams but always know the roadThat'll lead you home againGo on, take on this whole worldBut to me you know you'll always be, my little girl
Someday, some boy will comeAnd ask me for your handBut I won't say yes to him unless I knowHe's the half that makes you whole
He has a poet's soul, and the heart of a man's manI know he'll say that he's in loveBut between you and meHe won't be good enough
You beautiful baby from the outside inChase your dreams but always know the roadThat'll lead you home againGo on, take on this whole worldBut to me you know you'll always be, my little girl

Read more: TIM MCGRAW - MY LITTLE GIRL LYRICS 

A Time Out

This weekend, we were blessed with a fantastic overnight in NYC. I owe my sister BIG for making our stay possible (THANK YOU!!!!). We left early Saturday morning and made it to the city by 10, checked into the Hilton and went off the explore the city. We had tickets to The Phantom of the Opera- it was FANTASTIC. If you ever have a chance to see a Broadway show, make it POTO. I promise, you won't be disappointed. After our 2pm show, we headed back to our room to get all fancied up for a dinner date at Mesa Grill. Seriously, a dinner at Bobby Flay's restaurant. It was Heaven on Earth. I've never been full without feeling gross before, Bobby made it possible. I highly recommend it. We went back to our hotel after to change and do some more exploring. My legs are KILLING me. It was worth every achy bone in my leg. We got a quick bite at Starbucks's this AM before heading out. I feel refreshed and loved getting some downtime with the hubs. It was exactly what we both needed. It's nice to do something and not feel guilty about it.

We stopped at Ikea (Oh.Dear.Lord) on our way home and ended up getting lost in New Jersey. I have to say, while I loved exploring Ikea, Elizabeth, NJ is probably one of the smelliest places I have ever been. Jersey is just kind of gross. No offense to any of you who might be from there. It's funny, even with the stress of getting lost (no thanks to you Insignia GPS), we still had a good time. We laughed about it. Normally, that would have caused us to flip out and yell. It's fantastic what checking out and giving yourself an adult time out can do. I recommend doing that too. Sometimes, you just need to remember who you are as people and a couple. Make the time for each other, it's always worth it.

Anyway, while we were gone, my amazing sister tackled the job of a 3 yr old & an 8 yr old. Gavin had two birthday parties this weekend and seems to have had a great time at both (yay). Teagan, well she may have given her Aunt a hard time. Silly girl. I have to say, I'm impressed with my sister. She woke up at 4:30 this AM with the said small girl and still managed to do an art project with them, take them out to lunch and out to play in the gorgeous weather today. Rock.Star. I came home to a great surprise. 

Gavin's above, Teagan's below

These will both be displayed proudly in our home. I love them! The hubs thinks they're just as cool as I do. It helps when you love the artists too! We're blessed to have such wildly creative and imaginative kids.

bloodwork

Gavin had blood work done again yesterday (the 3rd time in less than 6 months). Finally, after pleading for what feels like forever, his doctor agreed to test for Celiac Disease. He's also testing this Thyroid, magnesium levels (again) and doing a complete blood count. I'm praying *SOMETHING* shows up that will explain years of illness. While I hope it's an "easy" fix, I'm just want answers. Something needs to show up. If not, we'll keep fighting for answers. There's an explanation to why he gets so sick, why he's so skinny and I am determined to find out what it is. We should know by the end of the week, I'll keep you posted.

Progress

Gavin started off the school year a little shaky. When we pulled him out of his private school, his reading and math skills were poor at best. I'm not sure if it was a lack of confidence or if he just wasn't getting what he needed. At any rate, sad as we were, it wasn't a good fit for him. He entered his new school ( the very one I grew up in and loved so much) behind. I expected progress to be slow. I had a parent/teacher conference  Thursday afternoon. I wasn't expecting overly great news. What I got was, FANTASTIC news. I was told by his classroom teacher and reading room instructor that, they couldn't really justify another year of remedial reading (he's just barely missing 2nd grade reading level) or math aide. I'm thrilled. It's amazing how far he's come this year. I know how hard he's worked and how far he's come. This is all him. He's worked his but off and his hard work paid off. They'll continue to work with him for the rest of the year (due to his IEP plan)  but are confident that his IEP goals for next year will be strictly behavioral (not to say he has issues but, he'll get help learning to modify his body and controlling those impulsive issues). THANK GOD!!!