I logged onto Utube and showed her some videos of the "All I Want For Christmas...." and so then she sang it for Paul and I we were rolling...the line "sither Shusy thitting on a thisle"...LOVE IT!!
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
All She Wants For Christmas Is Her Two Front Teeth
Madelyn's other front tooth was knocked out when she was only 2, (trying to trapeze on her canopy bed!). Four years later she has finally lost the other one! It was wiggling for days. Mommy absolutely cannot stand a loose tooth, I want to pull them or wiggle them or tie string on them. Carson is such a sissy he never lets me have much fun, I eventually put him in a headlock and yank them! Well Madelyn is such a trooper she let me try everything! She has pulled all of her other teeth herslef so I thought it was daddy's turn, so Madelyn let him and boom it was gone!
I logged onto Utube and showed her some videos of the "All I Want For Christmas...." and so then she sang it for Paul and I we were rolling...the line "sither Shusy thitting on a thisle"...LOVE IT!!
I logged onto Utube and showed her some videos of the "All I Want For Christmas...." and so then she sang it for Paul and I we were rolling...the line "sither Shusy thitting on a thisle"...LOVE IT!!
Week in Chicago!
Daddy's friend Mike that he grew up with is in the military and is stationed in Japan. He was home for a visit so we headed up to Chicago to visit with him. Pauls sister still lives there so we also squeezed in a visit with the fam!! We spent one day with the friends (no pics ) having lots of fun eating and playing Pictionary (GIRLS RULE!!). We always have a blast with Pet and Mandy, Mike and Natalie and the 9 kiddos!! Too bad we are not closer to Chicago...or Japan!!
We spent one day in the city at the Shedd aquarium (now Camden wants a dolphin for Christmas!) and we spent lots of time eating all of daddy's favorite foods from the city!!
We spent one day in the city at the Shedd aquarium (now Camden wants a dolphin for Christmas!) and we spent lots of time eating all of daddy's favorite foods from the city!!
Camden's First Haircut!
The hair! Paul and I said before the boys were even home that we would let their hair be longer or I guess the appropriate term would be a "fro"! We love it and we think it is precious. Lincoln has a good curl and is doing really well...Cam's on the other hand...not so much! His curls are different and it was more boxy than Linc's. Carson recently got a cut and Camden has been asking for a cut, so it was time!!
His first American haircut!!
I wonder what the process has been like in the orphanage because he did very well, but at the same time was a bit timid and nervous (not a normal trait of Camdens!!).
We had been told about an African barber shop in J-town, so we headed out! As I peeked in the door I got the weird look from all of the men waiting like "lady your in the wrong spot"! So I go in and snuggle my white self among all the black men waiting annd black barbers. Who I am sure were all just giggling inside!! When Camden's turn came he jumped up into the seat.
With his big knotted up afro getting bigger and bigger as the barber picked it out, I was sinking lower and lower into my seat! So then I figured I would cut some of the tension as I announce to the entire shop "I am pulling the mommy card and taking out my camera because this is his first haricut". At that point I started taking pictures and had small talk with a couple of the men...wheww tensions relieved!!
Back to Camden...he did great, sat as still as a mouse. When it was over he ran to me and held me for dear life, so I think he was more nervous than he was letting on! He loves his new cut and is showing everyone, telling them "I no cry when my hair cut little"!!
So withour further ado...pictures!

His first American haircut!!
I wonder what the process has been like in the orphanage because he did very well, but at the same time was a bit timid and nervous (not a normal trait of Camdens!!).
We had been told about an African barber shop in J-town, so we headed out! As I peeked in the door I got the weird look from all of the men waiting like "lady your in the wrong spot"! So I go in and snuggle my white self among all the black men waiting annd black barbers. Who I am sure were all just giggling inside!! When Camden's turn came he jumped up into the seat.
With his big knotted up afro getting bigger and bigger as the barber picked it out, I was sinking lower and lower into my seat! So then I figured I would cut some of the tension as I announce to the entire shop "I am pulling the mommy card and taking out my camera because this is his first haricut". At that point I started taking pictures and had small talk with a couple of the men...wheww tensions relieved!!
Back to Camden...he did great, sat as still as a mouse. When it was over he ran to me and held me for dear life, so I think he was more nervous than he was letting on! He loves his new cut and is showing everyone, telling them "I no cry when my hair cut little"!!
So withour further ado...pictures!
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Mommy/Annastyn/Camden Date Night
With the cold weather that hit us we had to head to The Mall to my favorite store...Children's Place. It was mostly Annie that needed to try on the pants so I decided to make it a date night for us. Then my sweetie pie inssited that Camden join us...so we had a triple date!
We spent the first couple of hours in the store and then we headed to get "chicken and fries". The lady at the counter asked if they were both mine with a weird expression, I think she even surprised herself because she then ran over and handed each of the kids a stuffed cow!!
On the way out of the mall we stopped by a photo booth and the kids hammed it up for some precious pics! It was a great night of fun, laughter and comments like " You are the best big brother in the world!" and " we need to hold hands Camden and skip like this..." and "Annie is my family in America".....fun times I tell ya!!
I do want to point out that it is a great testament to the good that comes out of "twining" through adoption. They are becoming closer every day!
Here is pic of Annie and I before we left! photograph by Camden
Here is Camden and myself. Photograph by Annastyn
We spent the first couple of hours in the store and then we headed to get "chicken and fries". The lady at the counter asked if they were both mine with a weird expression, I think she even surprised herself because she then ran over and handed each of the kids a stuffed cow!!
On the way out of the mall we stopped by a photo booth and the kids hammed it up for some precious pics! It was a great night of fun, laughter and comments like " You are the best big brother in the world!" and " we need to hold hands Camden and skip like this..." and "Annie is my family in America".....fun times I tell ya!!
I do want to point out that it is a great testament to the good that comes out of "twining" through adoption. They are becoming closer every day!
Here is pic of Annie and I before we left! photograph by Camden
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
vaccines...fun, fun, fun!!
I guess it is that time again, to explore the world of vaccines! I stopped vaccines when Annie was about 1 year old. I just had a gut instinct about those 18 month shots and just stopped..cold turkey on all the kids. I have researched SO much about these shots. The hardest part of this information gathering process is that when you look at information the positions are extremely left or right and nearly nothing in the middle. I feel like I am in the middle or at least the 60/40 mark. I think some of the older vaccines that have been around for years are important to get and are worth the risk....I feel like some are just silly (why get a vaccine that can cause death rather than the Z-pack to treat the illness)...and then I think some are down right dangerous and too new to administer.
I also think that our children are "recommended" triple what we got as children, meanwhile cases of ADD, ADHD, allergies, asthma, SIDS, Shaken baby, learning disorders etc seem to have tripled...ironic huh! So you might find the occasional post on a vaccines....because now that the adoption is over...I may have to time to dwelve into this area again!
I do not want any haters please ..however if you have had experiences on either side please share. EX. Your child was helped from a vaccine or contracted the disease through the vaccine or did not get the vaccine and contracted the disease.
`thanks Bethany :)
Vaccines - Know the Hidden Dangers
by MT from The Bon Bon Gazette
As parents we bring our children into the world and obligate ourselves to protect them. Vaccinations: a necessity to keep your child healthy and to provide immunity against life-threatening illness. Or, so we are taught and are told to believe.
But, could these same vaccines cause our children to be sick, or even die?
Sadly, yes.
I write this from the standpoint of a mother. A mother of a child who has been hurt by the shots that I trusted him to receive at the hand of a respected pediatrician. I was a first time mother who listened to my doctor and didn't ask questions. My son received a total of 8 shots over 2 visits shortly after his first birthday. After returning home from his well-visit where he received a cocktail of shots including the then Thimerosal containing MMR (this was in 2001) he wailed in his Pack 'n Play crib and began to bang his head repeatedly on the top rail. He had never done this before and it scared me. When I lifted him out of the crib he was hot and feverish - the crying did not stop. He had trouble breathing and we took him to the ER where they gave him breathing treatments and told us he had "reactive airway disease" or Asthma. He proceeded on a path of always being sick. He stopped babbling and did not develop speech the way that a child his age should. What happened to the words he already had? We had his hearing tested and it came back fine. My child who had been otherwise healthy, hitting milestones as a baby should - slipped away. He later was diagnosed with PDD-NOS.
My son has Autism. I believe it was triggered by all the shots he received. Too many shots, packed with toxins were too much for his fragile immune system to handle.
Our story is not all that unique. More than hundreds... thousands, maybe even hundreds of thousands of parents of children with Autism will recount similar histories. The rate of Autism is 1 in 150 children or 1 in 94 boys. In my state (New Jersey) it is 1 in 60 boys and 1 in 94 children. New Jersey also mandates more vaccines than any other state.
They may have removed thimerosal (they claim) from vaccines but other neurotoxins (i.e. aluminum) remain [and thimerosal in some still]. The number of vaccines for children has also increased, drastically. In the past when kids got 10 shots, not they get more than 30! With that we have also seen a rise in other auto-immune and neurological related disorders. More children with autism, asthma, severe food allergies, irritable bowel, ADHD, sensory processing disorder, "failure to thrive",.. the list goes on. More infant deaths than ever from SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) and SBS (shaken baby syndrome).
This is America, there should be no forced vaccination here.
To learn more about the author and vaccines visit The Bon Bon Gazette
I have to thank Mary Tara for taking the time to put this together for my blog, and here's a little more of her story....
So, for all of us who may not know, tell us a little about what autism is exactly.
Autism is a neuro-developmental disability that affects 1 in 150 children. It is a spectrum disorder meaning the symptoms and characteristics present themselves in a variety of ways ranging from mild to more severe. Diagnoses on the Autism spectrum include: Autistic Disorder, Pervasive Developmental Disorder- NOS (not otherwise specified), Aspergers Syndrome, Rett Syndrome, and childhood disintegrative disorder. Characteristics of someone with autism often include: difficulty in communicating, poor eye contact, self-stimulating (ex. flapping or spinning), sensory processing issues. However, it is important to know that Autism is not a "one size fits all" disorder - it is exactly the opposite from that. Two children with the same diagnosis may behave and function completely opposite from each other.
So when was it that you realized that the problems your son was experiencing were a result of the vaccine?
My son was developing typically until he received shots after his 1st year well visit. He got very ill after receiving the shots and then proceeded to miss milestones (he even lost the language he did have). I asked my doctor if his illness was related to his shots, of course they told me no. By 2 years old when he was clearly not hitting the milestones he should have we had him in Early Intervention services receiving therapy. I tried to believe what the doctors told me - that it wasn't related to shots, but the more and more I talked to other parents and did research for myself I could see that my gut was correct.
Tell us what was going through your head when you realized this.
Anger, Guilt, Blame. I was mad that my son wasn't getting the childhood that I envisioned and would likely not have the future we would have hoped for him. I blamed the doctor, the shots, and myself. I was packed with guilt for letting them poison my son and hurt his brain.
I felt it was my fault. It made me depressed but at the same time I knew that I needed to snap out of it, get over it, and get to helping my son. I couldn't and wouldn't sit around and have a pity party for myself because that would get my son nowhere.
So what did you do from there?
I don't even really remember those months after the diagnosis. It truly is a blur. I think like most mothers when their child gets diagnosed - I proceeded fast forward in every direction to make sure that my son had every therapy service in place for school and home. We had a lot of doctor's appointments and therapy sessions. My door was a revolving door of therapists coming to help Alex and I remember thinking during that time about how I'd completely lost any sense of privacy for myself but that privacy was no longer my priority. My priority is/was my child.
So, from your research, what have you concluded is a possible reason for some kids' negative reactions to the vaccines and not for others? I subscribe to the belief that genetics pre-loads the gun and environment pulls the trigger. I believe my son's immune system was not great and he got too many shots that were loaded up with too many toxins for his brain and body to handle. In the Hannah Poling case, they were able to show that her Autism developed after receiving shots which "aggravated a pre-existing mitochondrial condition".
And what lifestlye changes has your family made to help your son's autism? The biggest thing we have done is to put my son onto a special gluten and casein free diet - essentially no wheat and no dairy. You may have heard about it from Jenny McCarthy, but parents with autistic children have been 'onto' this diet for years. It doesn't work for all kids with autism, and there is a alot of debate in the community about it. It also takes a lot of commitment and can be costly - not every can do it but I am a firm believer in giving it a try. I struggled with doing the diet in the past too but when my son was 6, we were able to put him fully onto the diet. Everyone noticed a change in him immediately - relatives, teachers, neighbors. I don't need any convincing now about the gfcf diet, it has made a huge difference in my son's life. Looking at cleaning up his diet and what that did - it made me pursue a greener approach for the entire family. I try to get organic foods as much as possible and use household products that are non-toxic. I'm very mindful about what goes into my kids bodies.
Do you have hope that your son will ever be cured? I have hope that my son will live a happy, healthy, rewarding life. I do not believe that he will be "cured", there isn't a "cookie-cutter" cure for Autism, though I do know many people who have been able to reverse Autism though DAN! protocol (biomedical practices).
Hello Kittie Mama shares the joys and struggles of her life at The Bon Bon Gazette.
I also think that our children are "recommended" triple what we got as children, meanwhile cases of ADD, ADHD, allergies, asthma, SIDS, Shaken baby, learning disorders etc seem to have tripled...ironic huh! So you might find the occasional post on a vaccines....because now that the adoption is over...I may have to time to dwelve into this area again!
I do not want any haters please ..however if you have had experiences on either side please share. EX. Your child was helped from a vaccine or contracted the disease through the vaccine or did not get the vaccine and contracted the disease.
`thanks Bethany :)
Vaccines - Know the Hidden Dangers
by MT from The Bon Bon Gazette
As parents we bring our children into the world and obligate ourselves to protect them. Vaccinations: a necessity to keep your child healthy and to provide immunity against life-threatening illness. Or, so we are taught and are told to believe.
But, could these same vaccines cause our children to be sick, or even die?
Sadly, yes.
I write this from the standpoint of a mother. A mother of a child who has been hurt by the shots that I trusted him to receive at the hand of a respected pediatrician. I was a first time mother who listened to my doctor and didn't ask questions. My son received a total of 8 shots over 2 visits shortly after his first birthday. After returning home from his well-visit where he received a cocktail of shots including the then Thimerosal containing MMR (this was in 2001) he wailed in his Pack 'n Play crib and began to bang his head repeatedly on the top rail. He had never done this before and it scared me. When I lifted him out of the crib he was hot and feverish - the crying did not stop. He had trouble breathing and we took him to the ER where they gave him breathing treatments and told us he had "reactive airway disease" or Asthma. He proceeded on a path of always being sick. He stopped babbling and did not develop speech the way that a child his age should. What happened to the words he already had? We had his hearing tested and it came back fine. My child who had been otherwise healthy, hitting milestones as a baby should - slipped away. He later was diagnosed with PDD-NOS.
My son has Autism. I believe it was triggered by all the shots he received. Too many shots, packed with toxins were too much for his fragile immune system to handle.
Our story is not all that unique. More than hundreds... thousands, maybe even hundreds of thousands of parents of children with Autism will recount similar histories. The rate of Autism is 1 in 150 children or 1 in 94 boys. In my state (New Jersey) it is 1 in 60 boys and 1 in 94 children. New Jersey also mandates more vaccines than any other state.
But, haven't the studies shown that the MMR is not linked to Autism? Hasn't Thimerosal been removed from vaccines? Depending on who you ask, the answer is Yes or No, or even Maybe. Trace Amounts = Yes.
Sadly, mercury is not the only neurotoxin or "problem" with vaccines.
They may have removed thimerosal (they claim) from vaccines but other neurotoxins (i.e. aluminum) remain [and thimerosal in some still]. The number of vaccines for children has also increased, drastically. In the past when kids got 10 shots, not they get more than 30! With that we have also seen a rise in other auto-immune and neurological related disorders. More children with autism, asthma, severe food allergies, irritable bowel, ADHD, sensory processing disorder, "failure to thrive",.. the list goes on. More infant deaths than ever from SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) and SBS (shaken baby syndrome).
Related to Vaccines? I say, Yes.
Before you do any vaccinating, do your homework.
Before you do any vaccinating, do your homework.
Educate yourself on the risks and hidden dangers
- Become familiar with the vaccination law in your state. Start with the NVIC (National Vaccine Information Center). Find state by state regulations here. Heed their Vaccination Tips.
- Read the inserts that your doctor provides about the shots your child will be receiving.
- Do not vaccinate a sick child. Ever. Their immune system is already compromised.
- Avoid giving Tylenol before your child gets a shot to help alleviate anticipated side effects. It will hamper their effect to naturally de-tox from the shot.
- Research the ingredients in each shot. You will find toxins - Formaldehyde, Aluminum, Antifreeze, Aborted Human Fetal Tissue, Methanol, MSG, Latex and more. An eye-opening list of vaccine ingredients
- Watch the movie, Vaccine Nation.
- Read the books: The Vaccine Book: Making the Right Decision for Your Child (Sears Parenting Library)
, What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Children's Vaccinations
- Use the "University of Google" and read, read, read.
Where to start:
Vaccine Awakening
Vaccine Nation Documentary
National Vaccine Information Center
Vaccines Exposed
Vaccination News
Vaccine Safety
Immunization Action Coalition
Vaccine Ingredients
VAERS - Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System
Vaccines and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
What I am saying is this:
Vaccines are not without risks. Kids are getting sick, hurt, and even dying. My personal stance is not anti-vaccination. I believe in vaccination choice. The right for parents to decide whether to vaccinate or not, all/none/or some.
Educate before you Vaccinate.
This is America, there should be no forced vaccination here.

I have to thank Mary Tara for taking the time to put this together for my blog, and here's a little more of her story....
So, for all of us who may not know, tell us a little about what autism is exactly.
Autism is a neuro-developmental disability that affects 1 in 150 children. It is a spectrum disorder meaning the symptoms and characteristics present themselves in a variety of ways ranging from mild to more severe. Diagnoses on the Autism spectrum include: Autistic Disorder, Pervasive Developmental Disorder- NOS (not otherwise specified), Aspergers Syndrome, Rett Syndrome, and childhood disintegrative disorder. Characteristics of someone with autism often include: difficulty in communicating, poor eye contact, self-stimulating (ex. flapping or spinning), sensory processing issues. However, it is important to know that Autism is not a "one size fits all" disorder - it is exactly the opposite from that. Two children with the same diagnosis may behave and function completely opposite from each other.
So when was it that you realized that the problems your son was experiencing were a result of the vaccine?
My son was developing typically until he received shots after his 1st year well visit. He got very ill after receiving the shots and then proceeded to miss milestones (he even lost the language he did have). I asked my doctor if his illness was related to his shots, of course they told me no. By 2 years old when he was clearly not hitting the milestones he should have we had him in Early Intervention services receiving therapy. I tried to believe what the doctors told me - that it wasn't related to shots, but the more and more I talked to other parents and did research for myself I could see that my gut was correct.
Tell us what was going through your head when you realized this.
Anger, Guilt, Blame. I was mad that my son wasn't getting the childhood that I envisioned and would likely not have the future we would have hoped for him. I blamed the doctor, the shots, and myself. I was packed with guilt for letting them poison my son and hurt his brain.
I felt it was my fault. It made me depressed but at the same time I knew that I needed to snap out of it, get over it, and get to helping my son. I couldn't and wouldn't sit around and have a pity party for myself because that would get my son nowhere.
So what did you do from there?
I don't even really remember those months after the diagnosis. It truly is a blur. I think like most mothers when their child gets diagnosed - I proceeded fast forward in every direction to make sure that my son had every therapy service in place for school and home. We had a lot of doctor's appointments and therapy sessions. My door was a revolving door of therapists coming to help Alex and I remember thinking during that time about how I'd completely lost any sense of privacy for myself but that privacy was no longer my priority. My priority is/was my child.
So, from your research, what have you concluded is a possible reason for some kids' negative reactions to the vaccines and not for others? I subscribe to the belief that genetics pre-loads the gun and environment pulls the trigger. I believe my son's immune system was not great and he got too many shots that were loaded up with too many toxins for his brain and body to handle. In the Hannah Poling case, they were able to show that her Autism developed after receiving shots which "aggravated a pre-existing mitochondrial condition".
And what lifestlye changes has your family made to help your son's autism? The biggest thing we have done is to put my son onto a special gluten and casein free diet - essentially no wheat and no dairy. You may have heard about it from Jenny McCarthy, but parents with autistic children have been 'onto' this diet for years. It doesn't work for all kids with autism, and there is a alot of debate in the community about it. It also takes a lot of commitment and can be costly - not every can do it but I am a firm believer in giving it a try. I struggled with doing the diet in the past too but when my son was 6, we were able to put him fully onto the diet. Everyone noticed a change in him immediately - relatives, teachers, neighbors. I don't need any convincing now about the gfcf diet, it has made a huge difference in my son's life. Looking at cleaning up his diet and what that did - it made me pursue a greener approach for the entire family. I try to get organic foods as much as possible and use household products that are non-toxic. I'm very mindful about what goes into my kids bodies.
Do you have hope that your son will ever be cured? I have hope that my son will live a happy, healthy, rewarding life. I do not believe that he will be "cured", there isn't a "cookie-cutter" cure for Autism, though I do know many people who have been able to reverse Autism though DAN! protocol (biomedical practices).
Hello Kittie Mama shares the joys and struggles of her life at The Bon Bon Gazette.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
It is about that time......
So this year we are trying a new curriculum....we have always used a literature approach to learning. I love this method of learning, the children actually digging into stories to learn about topics. The past two years we used Five in a Row and used www.homeschoolshare.com for lit units using classic childrens books. While I have loved using these, there is alot of work that goes into organizing the year, finding the book, printing the goodies for the lessons etc.
Knowing this year was going to be a bit different with 5 kiddos in the classroom and the fact that Carson is getting older and needs a bit more "beef"....I decided to find a lit based curriculum that is laid out day by day for me!
I have decided on Winter Promise and the themed unit we have chosen is Amercian Story 1. This will cover our geography, history, social studies, Bible and reading. We have chosen our own grammar, spelling, math and science to add to it.
I am very excited to try this method of opening a binder and doing todays blocked off activities. The other great thing is that it is a 4 day a week curriculum so that leaves meour extra day for co-op!! So I will let you guys know how it goes later this fall!
Our other curriculum choices for 09/10 are:
Carson(3rd)
Grammar-First Language Lessons
Math-Math-U-See
Handwriting- Handwriting without Tears
Art- How Great Thou Art
Science-Apologia Astronomy
(Co-op classes will be Apologia Astronomy, karate, Sign Language, Little House)
Madelyn (1st)-
Grammar-First Language Lessons
Math - MAth-U-See
HAndwriting - Handwriting without Tears
Art-How Great Thou Art
Science - Apologia Astronomy
Phonics - Explode the Code
Reading - 100 Lessons
Spelling - Dolch SIght Words
(Co-op classes karate, sign language, Animals in Their Worlds, PE)
Annie 4 years old
MISC. - ABC units
Rod & Staff K program
Handwriting without Tears
Camden-
Handwriting without Tears
ABC Units
Knowing this year was going to be a bit different with 5 kiddos in the classroom and the fact that Carson is getting older and needs a bit more "beef"....I decided to find a lit based curriculum that is laid out day by day for me!
I have decided on Winter Promise and the themed unit we have chosen is Amercian Story 1. This will cover our geography, history, social studies, Bible and reading. We have chosen our own grammar, spelling, math and science to add to it.
I am very excited to try this method of opening a binder and doing todays blocked off activities. The other great thing is that it is a 4 day a week curriculum so that leaves meour extra day for co-op!! So I will let you guys know how it goes later this fall!
Our other curriculum choices for 09/10 are:
Carson(3rd)
Grammar-First Language Lessons
Math-Math-U-See
Handwriting- Handwriting without Tears
Art- How Great Thou Art
Science-Apologia Astronomy
(Co-op classes will be Apologia Astronomy, karate, Sign Language, Little House)
Madelyn (1st)-
Grammar-First Language Lessons
Math - MAth-U-See
HAndwriting - Handwriting without Tears
Art-How Great Thou Art
Science - Apologia Astronomy
Phonics - Explode the Code
Reading - 100 Lessons
Spelling - Dolch SIght Words
(Co-op classes karate, sign language, Animals in Their Worlds, PE)
Annie 4 years old
MISC. - ABC units
Rod & Staff K program
Handwriting without Tears
Camden-
Handwriting without Tears
ABC Units
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)