Essays by BabyGirl herself.

Essay #1. If I had 100 Dollars, I would.... I would byu a TV and a neckless and I would byu a brasless (that's bracelet) and I would get my ears perst.


Essay #2. I Have A Dream. My dream for our world would be everyone would have a house and have stuf that they have everything the need because they could die. They can get sick or they can get hurt.


Essay #3. I wish no one would litter. I want the world to be safest. It will be the hardest job. I hope the pariry (prairie) will get bigger. I want the cleanest water. I want the biggest pool of water and....


Mrs. S says she's smart. Very smart. But she's also very worried about her attention issues. She just cannot seem to focus & get her work done in time. She's so easily distracted by any thing going on around her. But I know she also uses the excuse "the other kids are distracting me" to make up for just gazing off in to space frequently.

She's learning what she needs to learn, she's just not finishing her work. I'm at a loss as to what to do.

In much better news, she's doing great with her clothing. She's even willingly worn layers & socks to play out in the snow (a major battle last year). Her wardrobe is expanding by her own choice. In fact, I don't remember the last time she wore the stand by khakis to school. And bed sheets have ceased to be an issue at all. She even sleeps under a blanket & a comforter now, something she would never have tollerated last winter.

Her Uncle Bubba is getting married in September. He & Aunt Bec have asked her to be the flower girl. She's over the moon about the prospect. When Bec first asked, I was a bit nervous thinking BabyGirl might never agree to wear the dress picked out for her. But with the improvements she's made lately, I'm not nearly as concerned. Shoes may still be an issue, but I'm trying to plan ahead. I want to get her some white patent leather flip-flops for church this year. If I can find them, I'll tuck away an extra pair to keep nice & clean for the wedding.

Looking down from the mountain top

Our life seems to move in peaks & valleys. The last post, written about 5 weeks ago, was at the bottom of a rather deep valley. At the moment we seem to be reaching a summit of sorts.

In the past 2 weeks or so, BabyGirl has begun digging out clothing I worried would never see the light of day. Perfectly good clothes that lingered at the bottom of her drawers or the back of her closet never to be worn.

Last week she began wearing clothing she's never had one for more than 30 seconds at a time. Most weeks I wash laundry two or three times during the week to be sure she has pants she'll willingly wear. Last week she wore a different outfit everyday. She wore pants I've tried to get her to wear a hundred times before. She did it all on her own. She would come out of her room randomly wearing something she'd dug out & put together on her own.

Last night she let me fix her hair complete with hair clips, something she's never tolerated in the past. She even asked if we could start fixing her hair for school in the mornings! I'm not holding my breath, but it sure feels good to see such improvement.

At the same time, there may be a new valley approaching. B.B., BabyGirl's four year old little brother, has begun complaining of his clothing. He melts down quickly when he doesn't like something he has on. So far, a quick & firm call back to the here & now stops him in his tracks, but I fear he's heading down a path similar to his sister's. I'm praying it's not the case & watching him carefully, but I'm also thankful to know what to watch for.