Hello! 

I just can't get enough of this face!! 

4 months old 

Four month check up

We took Lindsey to her four month check up today. She is 17 pounds and 27 inches long. These are both in the 95%ile. If you want to buy her a fitted hat, her head circumference is 441/2 cm. This is also in 95%ile. We were at first disturbed by our giant baby, but then I came to the realization that as long as everything is in the 95%ile then she is ok. If one of those was in the 50%ile then I would worry. Example: 95%ile in length, 95%ile in pounds and then 50%ile in head cir. she would look really silly! Or 95%ile in length, and 95%ile in head circ. but only 50%ile in weight she would look like a balloon head on a string!
She received four shots for vaccines. That was no fun!! She cried. So, when she wants a tattoo I will remind her that she cannot handle needles and I will not hold her hand (even if the tat is of a heart with "mom" written in it)
Everything seems to be looking good though. I asked about her spitting up SO MUCH, but the dr. said it was not a problem just a nuisance. She spit up on his floor twice... how's that for nuisance?!
She received some adorable outfits from Nana yesterday. They make us pine for SPRING!
Well, she just spit up again...

4 months old

Lindsey turned four months old on Saturday. She is growing leaps and bounds, both physically and mentally. We informally weighed her at 17 pounds today! She is wearing footy pajamas that are 6-9 months. She is smiling all of the time and really likes to focus on people's faces and hands. She also likes to put her hand on your mouth as you talk to her. I just know her little brain is taking in everything she sees and hears.
I took pictures of her today, but I will have to put them on the Blog tomorrow or sometime this week.
My emotions are being tugged in so many directions. I see little girls and think that I cannot wait until Lindsey is that age. At the same time, I never want her to grow up. I want to always be able to pick her up and snuggle her under my chin. I alway want to be able to sing to her and make her giggle. I always want to be able to hold her close to calm her down.
I look forward to the time when she will be able to say real words, but at the same time, I love to hear her babble and coo. It makes me all teary eyed to listen to that beautiful sound.
Sometimes I think my heart might burst out of my chest with love for her. And when I see her and TJ together, just forget it!!! I am a blubbering idiot! They are so cute together. I love to listen to him talk to her. Again, I look forward to when she is old enough to understand what she means to him. At the same time, I want him to always be able to carry her safely in his arms.
How did I earn such a great reward?

They say babies like to look at other babies so we put pics. in her crib. I went to turn the radio up and found this when I turned around. 

Question

I have been a middle school special education teacher for eight years. I will be done with my masters in special education this summer.
Where do I go from there?
I could just end it there. I could just stay in my classroom in Halstead Middle School until I retire.
I could get my Doctorate in Special Education and sit in my classroom in HMS and be DR. WARSNAK.
I could get my Doctorate in Sped. and teach at the college level.
I could get my Doctorate in something else.
What I really want is answers in life. How do students learn best? How can we motivate students to want to learn? How can we help parents be better parents? I love to do research. I love to go to the library and read articles for ideas to apply to my classroom.
I would like to have teachers come to me with problems. Then I could give them ideas and observe. I would like to teach students one on one in twenty to thirty minute increments. I don't want to worry about other people's schedules. I don't want to teach writing to two students, math to three students, and reading to one other student ALL AT THE SAME TIME!!!!
I am not very good at being a boss. I am not very good at telling people what they are doing wrong. I am not very good at confrontation. So, being an admin. is out of the question!!
I want to go into work, told what to do, left alone to do it, and then I want to go home. (data entry, McDonalds?)
So, please tell me what to do.

2005 Book List

Jan. Drowning Ruth
Feb. Unbearable Lightness of Being
March Hamlet's Dresser
April The Cloud Atlas
May Lovely Bones
June Blue Moon Circus
July Ellen Foster
Aug. I Capture the Castle
Sept. Plainsong
Oct. Bel Canto
Nov. Isabel's Daughter
Dec. Cupid and Diana

Lindsey Mitchell 

2004 booklist

Several people have asked me to list the books the book club has read. Here ya go:
The Secret History- strange college students gone bad
I Wish I had a Red Dress- woman mad at men teaches girls to stick up for themselves, falls in love
Remains of the Day- starchy butler
In the Castle of the Flynns- cute Irish boy grows up with family members since his mother and father die in car accident
Harris and Me- middle school book, but funny!!!
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn- poor girl grows up in Brooklyn with big dreams
Alias Grace- based on true story- murder
Running with Scissors- soon to be movie- NASTY- true story- I was ashamed that I checked it out at the library
Crescent- Iraqi American loves to cook loves Iraqi man
Ahab's Wife- I did not read this one, I was too busy birthing a baby
Back When we Were Grown Ups- adult woman looks back on her life and wonders if she has lived the right life
The Awakening- college requirement, woman has affair even though she has a perfect husband

Diaper changing 101

Materials:
one HASMAT suit
three baby wipes (warm)
six hands (warm)
a plastic sheet (warm- but not melted)
tongs
soothing music
two diapers
diaper rash cream
disposable gloves
nine volt battery
diaper pail
air freshner
duct tape
one baby
three outfits for the changee
two outfits for the changer
sturdy surface that baby can not roll off of

I think the list is self-explainitory.
I was joking about the nine volt battery.

This is Lindsey's cousin Katie. Aren't they cute together. We hope they will be friends for a long time. 

Early morning ponderings

Ok, so at 4:30 AM I am pondering why it takes so much effort to burp a 14 pound human being! What else am I going to think about that early in the morning with a screaming baby on my shoulder? It takes at least four hands. One to hold her neck from going all willie nillie on you. It takes one to pat, pat, pat. One hand to keep the little hand that is swinging wildly about your face-you need your hand to keep that little hand from scratching your face and pulling your hair. If you have glasses just forget it. Now, you're thinkin' - what is that 4th hand for? Well, my nose itches! Then I realize, she hasn't even burped yet and when she does, she is going to puke, that takes another two hands at least!
Oh, who invented those cute little burp cloths? You know, those daity things that come in wonderful pastel colors? First of all, they never stay on your shoulder- that would take another hand, and the baby never pukes on them! They puke two centimeters away --down the front of their outfit or down your shoulder. What we need is to use a giant towel to cover the half of our body. A drop cloth for the floor, and a rain poncho for the baby. I find it amusing when the baby pukes down your back, but you don't know it. That's is classic slapstick comedy there folks!
Next week: Diapering 101

My friend Mandi is eleven weeks pregnant!!!! We are so happy for her. She did the neatest thing for Christmas! She put santa hat stickers on the sonogram pics. and gave them to her parents as gifts! She is going to be a great mom, and we can't wait to hang out together with the youngins'!

I'm three months old! 

3 months old!

Lindsey is three months old today! It seems like she has been with us forever or at least a quarter of a year. Why didn't anyone tell us she would change our lives!!? Okay, you warned us. I didn't think it was possible to love her more each day. She does something new every day. Today she was sucking on her top lip and making wierd noises. While she is holding her head up well, she hates to be on her stomach, but how is she going to swing a golf club with weak arms? She loves it when I make pig noises. I am not sure how this even came about, but I will do anything to make her laugh! She still laughs whenever TJ smiles at her.
We are looking forward to the weekend so we can go to the big family get together.

This is Lindsey. 

I'm back

Okay, being a mom is difficult. I barely have time to do what I am supposed to do. But enough complaining.... no time to complain!
Lindsey is growing so quickly. Her smiles, coos, giggles, and babbling are so enjoyable, it is difficult to leave her at the sitter. Tonight I put some footy pajamas on her and they were not long enough- they are 3-6 months! I feel like I should take a picture every day with all the changes.
We just had a beautiful ice storm. It is hard to believe that something so beautiful could be so destructive. For pictures you can go to History in Halstead.
The book club that I am currently read "Drowning Ruth." We haven't discussed it yet. If you have read it- let me know what you think. I found it very interesting. I wanted to beat Amanda for being so selfish and Mathilda for being so inmature. I felt sorry for Ruth for having to be the adult her whole life. Even Mathilda's husband was a dependent whiney baby. I think that Christina Schwarz is great at weaving the tale back and forth from past to present. She also does a great job of leaving you hanging and explaining at the same time. It is kind of a long read, but great for this cold weather!
I am almost done with my Masters in Special Education. I have no idea what I want to do after that. What can you do with a doctorate in Special Education. Any ideas or thoughts on a PhD. in Educational Psychology?

Howdy!

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