Football and celebrations

Happy Anniversary to Ricky's mom and dad. They celebrate 29 years today. The two of you raised an amazing son. I'm so thankful for what wonderful grandparents you are to Regan. Even though we make fun of you for obsessed ways we are so thankful you are so active in Regan's life. I hope you have another 29 years.

Football season has officially begun. We had a great time Saturday night watching the first game of Alabama's season. They won a game that no one expected them to win, Ricky was and is very happy to see the improvements from the past few years.

I saw a cake on a recipe book that looked like a football field. It was really cute and so Regan and I made one to pass the afternoon by. I need to get the correct things for cake decorating but did the best I could with zip lock bags to do the team names in the end zones.

I ran out of red food coloring so the brown football looked a little bit like a dark olive green. I thought it was cute and we had a blast making it. The green grass was coconut that had been dyed green with food coloring. Since Regan doesn't do cows milk I made the icing from powder sugar and soy milk. I couldn't tell an difference in the flavor and the coconut added a good sweetness to it. Regan loved the process and is begging for some cake! Have a great week!

Mccain and the VP pick

Just wanted to say how excited I am that John McCain has announced his VP pick today! I'm not usually into politics but this announcement excites me!!
Sarah Palin of Alaska is a mom to 5 and her youngest was born in April and has Down Syndrome. What an amazing opportunity for Down Syndrome Awareness and a policy maker to have life experience in things that we deal with everyday!

Update to the bad yesterday!

As you most know I haven't been ovulating. Its been really depressing for me and well I posted yesterday that it just wasn't happening and I was so upset. Ricky can tell you that I've been very very ill and depressed the last few days because it wasn't happening! I've been for two years and two months!!!




Well ............. (drum roll please)

I ovulated!!! Ok so I'm really excited and no it doesn't mean that I'm pregnant or may be pregnant but its a sign that all these meds are doing their job and well it just makes me feel so much better. I haven't been taking them exactly right because well I forget to take them at lunch lots of times. But I'm more motivated now to keep taking them!

Here's how I know that it happened. I have been taking temps and also doing a ovulation predictor kit. I did the test yesterday morning but I don't remember looking at the results, kinda gross to know that a pee stick was sitting on my bathroom counter I know but anyway I was having some pressure in my pelvic area lastnight and I keep telling Ricky it felt like my ovary. I had these pains when I was younger and that was the explanation that I got before. So I went to the potty lastnight and looked down at that stick and there it was (||) I was having an LH surge that meant that ovulation was near. So I retested thinking that it might be that the stick had sat there all day but nope the new one showed || So anyway then this morning I checked my temp and its up! which is another sign that I ovulated!!! I'm just so excited! Its a great start!! WooHoo! Keep us in your thoughts that things keep getting better for our fertility issues. We are so ready for another child!
Bring on the baby dust!!

The good,the bad and the ugly + more

THE GOOD



Happy Birthday Shasta!! I hope you have a wonderful day today. Enjoy your last day before school starts and maybe we can get together next week for lunch.




The BAD
No ovulation. I don't think we will be able to have another child. I've been taking these med for over a month. The doctor thought that it would happen in the first month. I'm not sure what else we will try. I'm not interested in paying thousands for the possibility of a child. We are still looking at adoption. We need to add on to the house. I have tried talking Ricky into changing things around inside instead of adding on but he loves the large living room so an addition is our only option. I'm trying to find a way to make it happen without a loan. We have worked so hard to get out of debt and all we have left is the car and the house. About 57k to go! I'm looking to find a bag of cash laying on my front step any day now :)


The UGLY
Our trash can somehow got dumped into the trash truck yesterday when they picked up. I talked to the trash company today and that is what they said happened. The bad part is that it could take up to three weeks before we get a new one!! What!! You dumped my trash can and now I have to wait up to three weeks before you bring me another one? I just don't get it. But, I'm at their mercy as to when we can get a new one.

The +
I'm so glad it stopped raining. I am however thankful that we are more than likely out of the rain deficit that we were in. The sun is so bright today it feels just wonderful, the blue skies are beautiful blue and its just amazing how God works things out.

Legislation passed for Higher Education for people with Disabilities

WOOHOO! I received an email tonight about new legislation that has been signed by President Bush on August 14 that will help make it easier for people with disabilities to attend college.


Here are some of the provisions for students with intellectual disabilities

• Allows students with intellectual disabilities, who are attending programs designed for them in higher education, to be eligible for the first time for Pell Grants, Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants and the Federal Work-Study Program.
• Authorizes the development and expansion of high-quality, inclusive model comprehensive transition and post-secondary programs.
• Authorizes the establishment of a coordinating center for the new model programs. This center will provide technical assistance, evaluation, and development of recommendations for model accreditation standards as well as outreach and dissemination to post secondary programs, families and prospective students.
Ensure equal college opportunities for students with disabilities
• Establishes a national center to provide support services and best practices for colleges, students with disabilities, and their families.
• Helps colleges recruit, retain, and graduate students with disabilities and improves education materials and facilities.


I am so thankful for the advocates that are fighting for the rights of people with intellectual disabilities they are changing the world for us.

Its almost here!

College football starts this week! Thursday to be exact. So from Thursday into January it will be all about college football at our house. Ricky has been waiting on this week since......well, the end of last season. He has been able to tell me how many days for about 8 months now. I don't really claim any team. I feel like I know so much about Alabama but that's because my hubby tells me something new everyday. I promised that I wouldn't claim to be a Bama fan but I guess will have to do a silent Roll Tide. Don't tell Ricky cause I don't want to hear the whole I knew you would, I knew one day you would get smart. I just love to see a good game. I don't care if it's two small colleges as long as its a good game I'm all into the game.

We've been looking at tickets on eBay. We found some really good deals for the Tulane game on September 6Th but that is the day that we are going to six flags with the Honda world. We are going to be home in time to watch the game but I don't think we can make it to Atlanta and then to Tuscaloosa for the game. Can we? :)



I'm looking for some recipes for Football food. Something besides just chili. It gets old by about the 3rd game. If you have a recipe or suggestion comment me of email me!

Cleaning out

I have spent the last few weeks cleaning out.I have cleaned out Regan's clothes, the kitchen and some of my clothes. Today I took off about 10 bags ans 2 diaper boxes full of stuff. I was a little sad because the donation boxes that were just a few miles from our house were taken away sometime last week But we have a thrift store in Alexandria and so they will find LOTS in the morning. I even realized when I got home that I had forgotten some things so I'll stop by tomorrow with more stuff.

In this process I have went through all the clothes that I have been buying for Regan for this Winter. Oh my! The kid has too many clothes. 20 pair of pants, 40 or so shirts,10 fleece pullovers, 6 jackets, 2 thick and 4 thin and even 2 snow suits!! We of course live in a place that only has had a dusting of snow since he was born. But hey we're ready! Maybe I can convince Ricky to go to the mountains during the winter to get our money's worth out of the snow suits! Actually I still have most of the tags on the stuff and the most expensive thing was a Ralph Lauren Polo sweater that was 4.88!! Got to love the thrift stores!!! I am having more trouble now finding pants. Kids in 3T and 4T are rough on their jeans!!


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We have only 6 more pay checks till Christmas! YIKES!!! We have been trying to buy some things since the end of December last year but man I'm behind!! I've been looking for some cute crafty things to do this year. Be ready for something cheap people but its a tight year but we're trying.


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Speaking of cheap.. I love my good gas mileage car. I'm still getting about 38mpg which I love. I did find some gas in Ohatchee at 3.52! Woohoo! I was excited. I sure do miss the days of .99 a gallon but that's just the way it is.
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Regan has a new favorite snack. Frozen grapes. My mom has been freezing them and Regan will sit down and eat them like crazy. He brings the bowl and asks for more please (well signs for more please)
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I know this has been a crazy post sorry! Thanks for reading!

Please don't go see the Movie Tropic Thunder

I have received so many emails about the movie Tropic Thunder with Ben Stiller in it. The reason for the emails is for the way the movie portrays people with disabilities. It make constant jokes about "retards" and even has started producing shirts about never going full retard. I just posted about this subject a few days ago so I won't waste time with it today. If you want to know more go to www.patriciaebauer.com for more info about the movie and the planned boycotts of it.

Time to take temps!!

I'm pretty sure that I'm all excited for nothing but I am excited! I have been wanting/hoping/praying/trying to get pregnant for over two years now. Its been a long road of disappointment. I've told you all that I have PCOS which prevents you from ovulating and so this medicine is supposed to control the horomones that will help me ovulate. Anyway long story short its been a month and now I'm starting to track my temps so that I can see if I've started to ovulate! I'm hoping that it works. I'm so so so tired of not being pregnant. It seems like the whole world is pregnant and I want to be happy for them but it's also depressing! Anyway Wish us luck!!

The "R" word and others

I love to spend time on Myspace and look at others profiles. I just can't seem to get over the number of people who use the "R" word and other offensive sayings. I have to admit that before I had Regan I didn't think much of it. I probably even used it.

When Regan was just a few weeks old I heard the "R" word and it just killed me. I took it to heart and I started crying. No it wasn't aimed at my child, me or anything that I had a part of but just hearing it hurt.

Since that day I have went through many stages about THE word. A few months there I would cry when I heard it, then I went through the stage of ignoring it, I think the next stage was to laugh it off and then say how it bothered me, then I went into the angry with who ever said it. I remember Ricky saying something to some teenagers one time and they just looked at him like he was crazy. I have stopped shopping at a certain grocery store because the cashier said it twice while checking me out, once about the bags and then about the register. I was in my not saying anything stage and just vowed to never return to that store and I haven't. I was apart of an email group of SAHM and they had a often made a joke about who needed to be on the short bus that day. I finally got fed up. Wrote the group a email and then left it. I loved reading from the group but just couldn't sit there and feel the pain anymore.

Ya see, I know that my child is considered "retarded" he is slow, he develops at a slower pace than his peers, he doesn't talk, he doesn't know his colors, he isn't a typical child in so many ways. But when people make it a joke to have the struggles that Regan has faced and will face I don't think its a laughing matter.

If your a parent and you have taught your child the short bus jokes and encouraged the use of these demeaning words I wish you could for one moment feel the pain of knowing that one day your child is going to say that towards my child and then I'm going to have to explain to my children what that "joke" meant. Better yet I'll let you come to my house and look in my child's eyes and tell him why you allow a joke to be made out of his struggles. For now I'm going to make sure that I teach my child not to make fun of others who weren't raised with consideration of others and respect for people with different abilities.