Best Friends

This is the conversation that Beau and I had yesterday - I had to write it down so I would always remeber it.

Mom - "Did you have fun playing with Elle?"


Beau - "Yeah! She is my best friend."


Mom - "I thought we were best friends?"


Beau - "No, but Bailey could be your best friend."


Mom - "Okay.... You know, I like to give treats to MY best friend."


Beau - "Well.....You could be my cousin!"






Here is a picture of Beau and his best friend Elle (who happens to be his cousin that lives next door).

Birthday fun!

Over the weekend we celebrated both Bailey and Clay's birthdays. Bailey's birthday was on Friday. Beau and I went into school to take balloons and goodies. We started out in the special ed room with Bailey's cute friends there. Bailey was so excited to see me with balloons and her choo choo bike! The kids had so much fun with the balloons, I decided that they each needed to keep one along with the goody bags that we brought. Next we headed down to Bailey's kindergarten room (Bailey chased her bike and yelled "choo choo" all the way down the hall). The kids were so excited to celebrate her birthday. Mrs. Beus made Bailey a laminated crown, so she wouldn't rip it, and a spotlight letter that she read to the class. The kids loved the goodie bags that we made with all of Bailey's favorite things.

That night we had a party for Bailey. She was so excited when everyone came to her house, especially Elle and Emma. I made homemade chicken noodle soup for everyone, this is one of Bailey's favorite. Bailey reacted more to her presents than she ever has. As she started opening each one, and got a glimpse inside, she would start shaking and squealing until we helped her get it out. She loved all of the presents she got. After opening her presents, I brought in the cake I made for her. She took one look and started yelling "ORA"!! We helped her blow out the candles, then I gave the cake to her. She immediately poked her finger in Dora's mouth. The whole day was a lot of fun! Even though Bailey doesn't understand what a birthday is, she knew that it was a fun, special day for her.

On Saturday we celebrated Clay's birthday by snowmobiling into Granite Hot Springs with Clay's mom and dad. The kids had so much fun on the snowmobile ride. Bailey loved when I would slow down, then punch it to about 55 mph - the faster the better! She also loved the "puppies" on the trail. Beau said he liked going fast up the hill the best. The kids were both excited when we changed and got into the pool. They both love swimming. Beau is really becoming a great swimmer. I took his life jacket off and went with him to the deep end. I let go of him and he just stuck his head under water and started swimming (as well as a 3 year old can without lessons). When he ran out of breath, he came backup to the surface and I would catch him. He also did well at floating on his back for a few seconds. After swimming for a few hours, we had a snack and got back on our snowmobiles. Beau fell asleep about two minutes into the ride. To top off the day, Clay's Grandma Skinner made a wonderful dinner for us and invited Grandpa and Grandma Erickson to join us. The whole weekend was very tiring, but so much fun!

Miracles

March 5th, 2003 started out like any other day. I got up, got ready, and drove to work. I spent the day teaching thirty 6th graders and catching up on ungraded papers. As soon as the bell rang, I scooted all the kids out and hurried to my doctors for my 37 week check up. I was a little nervous because I had been having problems with my blood pressure and was getting results from the tests that I had done the previous day. As I checked in with the nurse, she took my standard measurements. When she got to my blood pressure, she had a very worried look on her face, and told me not to move. After trying to rest for a few minutes, the nurse took my blood pressure again. It was around 160/110!! When I got into see the doctor, he examined me and sent me staight to the hospital. By that time I was in tears! Believe it or not, my biggest concern was not having a substitute for my class. After settling in at the hospital, getting Clay there, and fiding a substitute, I felt much better and was ready to have a baby.

Giving birth is a miracle in itself, so I guess on March 6, 2003, I was blessed with two miracles. Bailey was born at 8:00 a.m. without any complications. She was the most beautiful little girl, only weighing 5lbs 11 oz. The only problems that were noted was that she was jaundice and had to go home with lights. It was about six months later that we realized Bailey was not developing as fast as she should. It wasn't until she was almost 1 that her doctor decided that we should start testing her. To this day, we have no answers, and are still testing her.

Bailey never stops amazing me! She truly is a miracle and a blessing to our family! She didn't even sit up until she was one, now she is running and climbing stairs independently. She started school with only about 25 words and now has over 130! Even without a diagnosis, I know that the future is bright. Bailey will have all the opportunities that she wants, and then some. I am so thankful to a loving Heavenly Father who knows us better than we know ourselves. I never planned on having a child with special needs, but I can't imagine my life without one. I love you, my little Princess - Happy Birthday!