On a footnote...

  Random thoughts and sayings:

      My little man is 16 weeks old today. The time has flown by so quickly. He rolls from his tummy to his back now. His first roll over was the first of the month. He is having some trouble breathing at times. I know that God is our healer and I am too blessed to be stressed. One of the young adults is suppose to take pictures of the kids but our schedules don't meet. The meaning of the name David is beloved. My baby has a smile that brings out the best in people.

      I was told last week that I can no longer have kids.Yes I'm laying it out. I was afraid, hurt, broken hearted, confused, wish I would have done something different, and then had to tell the family. Only three people outside the family in this town knew. I asked for some prayers that the final decision would be the right choice. Some people may be saying "finally, she already has enough kids", but my family wasn't complete yet. Still broken hearted. Over the weekend I would get in the shower only to cry out in prayer that if it was by God's will not to have children I wanted to know by last night. Risky, I know. But I think I had to triple check on it. It was confirmed last night. The Lord spoke and I listened. Even if it wasn't what I wanted to hear. He did however, tell me that I do not only have 4 children but that I have more. I couldn't understand what he meant. I asked him, "how Lord? How do I have more then four when I see their existence in my home?". He let me know that I have been a spiritual mom to several kids for the past 17 years. I still can't pinpoint what he meant, but I know that he loves me enough to know what's best for me. He set it in stone while in my mother's womb.

   I may not fully understand this right now but I know that he has comforted me through it all. My husband seems to know that as well. Though tears may shed at times, I still know he loves me so much......

They Grow so quickly

  It's hard to believe that my baby is 14 weeks. I have tried to write down all the milestones but it happens so quick that I know I have missed some. I have known they grow so fast, after all I have 3 other children but I never attempted to write down every little thing they did. I wanted to this time because I wanted to remember the feelings I had, you know the joy you get experience with your baby only once.

  Some how in between staring at him and kissing him, he found his hands. His feet came first though. He's wanting to sit on his own, you know? His sweet little hands ball up into fists and when he's tired, he rubs his beautiful eyes. How did I miss the moment when he learned that he had full control of his hand movements?

  Yesterday was Sunday. We spend our Sunday mornings at church. My oldest two got to experience something they never have before. I find myself looking back at the works of the Holy Spirit and truly thank the Lord for bestowing his blessings upon my children, HIS children. I can not explain to you the joy it brings me to see my kids worshiping and praising the Lord.

  Thank you Lord for taking my children into your arms...I give you all the glory and praise. Children are the greatest gifts from God.

Mom's Empty Chair

A woman's daughter had asked the local minister

to come and pray with her mother.

When the minister arrived,

he found the woman lying in bed with her head

propped up on two pillows.

An empty chair sat beside her bed.

The minister assumed that the woman

had been informed of his visit...

'I guess you were expecting me, he said.

'No, who are you?' said the mother.

The minister told her his name and then remarked,

'I saw the empty chair and I figured you knew

I was going to show up..'

'Oh yeah, the chair,' said the bedridden woman

'Would you mind closing the door?'

Puzzled, the minister shut the door.

'I have never told anyone this,

not even my daughter,' said the woman.

'But all of my life I have never

known how to pray.

At church I used to hear the pastor talk about prayer,

but it went right over my head...'

I abandoned any attempt at prayer,'

the old woman continued, '

until one day four years ago, my best friend said to me,

' Prayer is just a simple matter

of having a conversation with Jesus.

Here is what I suggest..

'Sit down in a chair;

place an empty chair in front of you,

and in faith see Jesus on the chair.

It's not spooky because he promised,

'I will be with you always'..

'Then just speak to him in the same way

you're doing with me right now...'

'So, I tried it and I've liked it so much

that I do it a couple of hours every day.

I'm careful though. If my daughter saw me talking

to an empty chair, she'd either have a nervous breakdown

or send me off to the funny farm.'

The minister was deeply moved by the story and

encouraged the old woman to continue on the journey.

Then he prayed with her, anointed her with oil,

and returned to the church.

Two nights later the daughter called

to tell the minister that her mama

had died that afternoon.

Did she die in peace?' he asked.

Yes, when I left the house about two o'clock,

she called me over to her bedside,

told me she loved me and kissed me on the cheek.

When I got back from the store an hour later,

I found her .

But there was something strange about her death.

Apparently, just before Mom died,

she leaned over and rested her head on the chair

beside the bed. What do you make of that?'

The minister wiped a tear from his eye and said,

'I wish we could all go like that.' 

Found it from a friend and Thought I'd pass it on.

Diane Adreon, M.A.

Teaching adaptive behavior is one of the areas that are often overlooked for high-functioning individuals with autism spectrum disorders. However, adaptive behaviors have a tremendous impact on our ability to use our skills in common situations in everyday life. The following adaptive behavior skills are important if our children are going to experience success without our daily assistance. Of course, every child is different. Often it is not possible to master these skills by the end of high school. However, most of our children can improve and become more independent if we consciously work on skills in these areas.
1. Teach your child to wake up to an alarm clock. It is common for parents to wake their children for school. However, as your child grows older, it’s a good idea to teach him to wake up to an alarm clock. You may have to experiment with buzzers, music, and various degrees of volume. Sometimes, for individuals who are particularly hard to wake, you may need to have them walk across the room to turn off the alarm clock. Eventually, this skill would include having the child learn to set the alarm clock. A more advanced skill would involve developing the child’s ability to accurately estimate the amount of time needed to get ready and determining to what time the alarm should be set.
2. Teach your child to refer to a clock and/or watch to complete a task in a certain period of time. A visual timer, such as the Time Timer*, may be helpful. The Time Timer dial graphically shows the child how much time is left. One way to begin teaching this is to have the child guess how long the task will take and then comparing how long the task really took to accomplish.
3. Teach your child grooming (shower or bathe within the last 24 hours, hair combed or brushed, deodorant, clean clothes). Our children find routines comforting. Therefore, help your child establish healthy routines. Many children find it easier (in the long run) to follow rules such as having a shower or bath every day, rather than every two to three days. Specifically teach your child each step in washing properly (i.e., 4 times across each armpit with a soapy washcloth). Poor hygiene is a problem poorly tolerated by the community (Peter Gerhardt, personal communication).
4. Teach your child to be responsible for his/her belongings. Start with things such being responsible to keep track of the toy train that he/she brought to your relative’s house or into the car. Build into the routine that it is the youngster’s responsibility to find the toy after the visit, bring it to the car, & bring the toy from the car into the house. Progress to items such as school backpack & supplies.
5. Teach your child to learn to use visual cues to remember tasks. This might be keeping medicine in a certain place, so he/she remembers to take it at breakfast each morning. Or, it might mean, writing lunch on a piece of paper & taping it onto the school backpack to remember to bring lunch.
6. Teach your child how to cook. Young children can learn to make a sandwich and prepare snacks that do not require cooking. Later, teach your child to follow a recipe independently and use kitchen appliances safely.
7. Teach your child to use the phone. Start by teaching your child to answer the phone, take a message & relay the message to the appropriate person. Progress to skills such as calling information to obtain a phone number, calling a store to see if they have a particular item in stock, calling technical support to fix a computer problem, and ordering take-out food.
8. Teach your child how to go places independently. This may be walking to areas nearby, riding a bike, using public transportation or driving.
9. Teach your child to carry certain items when he/she leaves the house. This would include: Important phone number, money, house key, and possibly a cell phone.
10. Teach your child about personal safety. Consider skills such as knowing who to hug and kiss, and when it is more appropriate to shake hands, how to discretely carry money, NOT giving personal information to others over the internet, and what to do if you are walking down the street & someone unfamiliar approaches you or you feel that you are being followed.
Diane Adreon, M.A., is associate director of the University of Miami/Nova Southeastern University Center for Autism & Related Disabilities. She is also the co-author of Asperger Syndrome and Adolescence: Practical Solutions for School Success
Courtesy of APPC
Source URL: http://www.autismsupportnetwork.com/news/life-after-high-school-ten-skills-teach-your-child-autism-223421

Your eyes, your smile, your lessons to me.

  Oh my son.
  I'm quite in awe over you. Your siblings taught me so much and yet I still sit here and stare at you listening attentively to all that you have to say. A week ago today, you began to show me that you were then able to recognize your family and friends. You smiled ever so gently with those cute little dimples. Oh how prominent they are.
 The past two days you have cracked a chuckle here and there. You look up at the fan and in your mothers eyes, I see you as if you are speaking with your angel. You smile so big. Your arms and legs move with excitement and you bring your mother her knees. There is no greater joy my son then to watch every monumental milestone in your short life. I want you to read this one day and remember that at this moment you were and always will be my baby.

 As a log here is what you did 10 minutes ago:

Me to David, "okay papas, mama is going to feed you some more, but I don't want you to throw up okay?". I guess he disagreed with me. How he proved his point after I was done asking that from him. He threw up on me. Down my shirt, on my pants and it found it's way to my socks. Yeah he didn't quite concur!

Family Poem/Had to share

Inspirational Family Poem

Matthew 20:20-21

from The Rhyming Gospels, a poetic paraphrase of Holy Scripture,
by Bernard Williams.

Then the mother of James and John
Came forward at their bequest,
She knelt down before Jesus
To make known her request.

Jesus looked down upon her,
Asked, “What is your desire?”
She said, “To serve in your kingdom
My two sons do aspire.”

“Command one to stand at your right,
For both I want the best,
The other put at your left hand,
This, then is my request.”

"Kathy with a K"

Yesterday my baby boy smiled the sweetest smile for the first time in his life. He was listening to Kathy talk to him and he looked up and smiled. What a beautiful moment it was.

The day before he cooed when I was talking to him......Some of the greatest moments with our children are these moments. Milestones like this come once in their lives. Live to enjoy ever second and never ever forget them.

There is so much to talk about!!!

   First things first! I had my precious baby boy! We had a face to face introduction April 11th! Before I continue with that part let's talk about the week before.
  
It was bad. Actually let me rephrase that; it was beyond miserable! The swelling took over every part of my body and walking to the restroom was a task. It caused pain in every inch of my living being. I couldn't really be comfortable in my pants because they were tight all over my legs. Even my sleeves to my shirts were tight on the arms. It wasn't good. I had put on a massive amount of water weight (30lbs). That wasn't including the baby weight. I guess I had something call ph something rather. It's potentially a danger to the mom. The word is close to edema; maybe.

 The Docs struggle to figure out what they had to do. My blood pressure runs pretty low on a normal day. Around the low end of the 90's. When they were taking my BP it was nearing the 130's. Well for a normal person with normal BP that's fine, but with me that was 40 points. It was difficult for them to truly diagnose me because they couldn't decide if they should.In the very end they did and said, "We have to have you come in in the am ma'am. You'll be having the baby tomorrow. We're inducing.". I wasn't reluctant at all that's for sure. I asked them, "So you're inducing, how long will it take before I start to see the swelling go down"? Their response, " Almost over night". "Then let's do it!" I replied.

I showed up the next day April 11th.... To be continued!

27 days left!

I kid you not I slept with my feet in the air all night. I think I may have to purchase 2 pillows just for this. Only because I'm sure my hubby is going to want his pillows back very soon. On a good note; one foot looks a little more normal now!!!!

I seriously thought I would be going in last night. I've had these things called "quickening". Oh and not to mention just a tad bit of fluid. I decided to go to sleep since it wasn't uncomfortable.I probably could get in trouble from some of the nurses but as the nurses know the L&D would end up sending me home.

It's nice to be able to walk on my feet or should I say foot without feeling the pain! I really hope someone can rub the water out them soon. Anyway, a small but I guess semi important update! 

Just like the month of February

The countdown has begun. We have about 28 days before we are to see our little one. Honestly I expect to see him sooner. Let me start by telling everyone what’s been going on in the Aguilar household.

Sis is now old enough to drive and has her permit to prove it. She drives better than some people I know. Trust me.  She is a cautious driver and already knows to respect the rules of the road. I have a feeling she’ll be ticket free for a long time.

My goodness her being 16 soon enough is striking a cord with me.  By the end of the year she will be enrolled in college and on her way to earning her Associates. Now don’t get me wrong we have our moments with her but most are pretty darn well!

She’ll be going to prom this year which is officially her first date. As a mom I’m a little nervous but I know she’ll be the most beautiful girl in the room! Her dress is classy and sophisticated and her shoes are just the same, just as a young lady should be.

Buggy just got back from a 120 mile bike ride. He made it all the way in 3 days. He was a bit disappointed because of lack of faith but now sits in pure satisfaction knowing that he proved others wrong. One thing about our family is that we can hold our own.  We’re just private when prepping our bodies for anything.

His birthday is right around the corner. He’ll be 14. In a year he’ll have his permit. Now unlike sis, he’ll end up with a ticket sooner than later. Beware of the future driver.

I love to sit back and watch him in church. He has such intimacy with his father. He praises him. What an awesome relationship he has with the Lord.

So far with Cici she seems to be a little excited that she will get to share the room with her baby bruder. She’s helped organize the room for her and him. She’s put his little socks away and talked about how well she will take care of him when he gets home. Hopefully that doesn’t change when daddy holds his little boy for the first time.

Speaking of daddy; he’s doing pretty darn well. He tolerating me isn’t he? May I ask that you lift him and his parents up in prayer? Recently we got news that his dad not doing so well. We’re preparing ourselves for an unwanted trip. His mom called to let us know that he feels he’ll never get to meet his grandson.  That he also knows he will not see his grandchildren again. He’s not doing well at all and we’ve known this; but never to this extent. All this has us at the edge of our seats.

Going back to the man of the home; good things are going to happen. He doesn’t know I feel this way though. There are a few glitches but you just wait and see. I’m going to one day face a whole new man that will walk with a glow on his face and be someone we never expected him to be. All the glory will be to God when it happens!

Myself let’s just say I feel like a WHALE!!! The past 4ish days I’ve had nothing but swelling. My feet get so bad it hurts to walk. Braxton Hicks seem to become a little stronger each time. I can defiantly feel the end is near. His head is down already and has been for about 3 weeks now. I can feel him roll back and forth now. At times I feel his little behind up against me.  What a wonderful feeling. Isn’t it amazing how our bodies can conform to the needs of a babe? I was told not to be surprised if he arrived sooner. Honestly I won’t. I actually think he will be here sooner.

I had my first shower ever! The women of the church got together and helped celebrate the soon to be birth of our precious baby boy. Really I never expected there to be 20 plus women there. It was a nice surprise. They saved me so much money too! I was blessed with plenty of towels, receiving blankets, wash clothes and more! Sis and I got home and hubby was pleasantly surprised that we got so much. So was I. I thank the Lord for placing us with such a wonderful church family. We have been blessed by them from the moment we arrived in that church.

We do have someone people though that really adore my husband; so much so they have learned to pick on him with love and kindness, of course. I love that they have also built a relationship with my sweetheart and often bring a gentle smile to his face. He’s just loved around here, more so by us. He does have to give one of the youth a scowling once in a while but this guy deserves it! Lol!! He’s a great kid though even if he ONLY listens to Mike. My husband never ceases to amaze me. He’s pretty content where he’s at and loving every minute. So for that I thought he deserved a new toy. We purchased a bike for him. A nice beautiful ruby red bike!

Welp, it’s time for me to hang this up. Since my sleeping schedule is off right now so is everything else. God bless you all until next time.

Latest Pregnancy Symptoms

   I am 8 months today!  Funny as it seems the past 2 weeks have come with it's fair share of..... Let's see here, HEADACHES. I think I'm misbehaving, AND I DON'T LIKE IT!!!
   At 32 weeks, my symptoms are mood swings, hot flashes, urinating like mad, lack of sleep (due to being uncomfortable), lower back aches, swelling of what sometimes are to be known as cankles, and lastly this large amount of energy that comes and goes.
                                         "This too shall pass (1Corinthinas 10:12)".
 Okay so you would think that with me becoming so energetic at times I would not get cranky. Boy have I been fooling myself. This is the first time in 4 pregnancies that I have endured such feelings.   
   Did I mention, I'm emotional as well? About EVERYTHING! Oh and I'm also having some Braxton Hicks now. Yep, while I walk, sit, eat, think, sleep, rest, and well did I miss anything? I feel like my mother did when she went through her "change of life". At least I think I know how she felt.
  Despite my raging hormones, there are those perks. I get to deck out the room with baby stuff again. I have the opportunity to reminisce on what my other 3 children were like when they came into this world. Their innocent angelic faces, their bare behinds, and their thick chunky legs, which I could have taken a bit out of! Their cries of knowing instantly that someone will be able to care for them. Being trustworthy of a person they just met seconds ago. Me knowing and enjoying one of the greatest gifts the Lord has lent me.
  As I write this, I'm feeling the little man kick. He seems to be taking a liking to kicking me in bladder by the way. You know he worships with us. In service when praise and worship starts, he does too. Sometimes I sit there in hopes that our worship leader will go just a little longer, so I feel him move just a little more. He's spirit filled and he isn't here yet! I absolutely love feeling him move inside me! He will grow strong in spirit! Praise God, Praise God, Praise God!!!
                                                                   (Psalm 22:10)
             " From birth I was cast upon you; from my mother's womb you have been my God."

 My motherly instincts tell me he'll be here sooner then we would like. I keep praying he'll stay in there till he's 36 weeks baked. I doubt he'll be born in the next couple of weeks but after that I'm not sure. I know my due date is were it should be and if anything, give or take a day.
  Do me a favor would you? Pray for me. I think I need it. I don't like that I fall asleep and wake up so cranky, even though I am good at hiding it from people other then my family. I guess perhaps I should make sure others are around so I don't cranky. Poor solution I know, but it might work.
              " For You have formed my inward parts; You have covered me in my mother’s womb.                                       (Psalms 139:13)."
 

You're kidding me! 9 weeks already!!!

Yes sir/ma’am, we only have nine weeks left come tomorrow! I constantly feel this man move around and I love it! Each of the three other times I’ve been pregnant this was and is my favorite part.

A couple of the ladies of our church are throwing me a baby shower. Some may not get an invite because they don’t know you. So let me personally invite you. It’s going to be March 12^th at Milton 1^st Assembly of God Church @ 11am.  You can RSVP at 850-623-2854. I’ve been asked quite frequently where I’m registered at. To answer your question I’m registered at Target, JCPenny’s, and any yard sale that has baby boy stuff! I love me some second hand in good condition! Please join us for a mid morning day of fun.

Guess what I’m doing this week? I’m getting the entire house baby ready. I’m going to make sure there is nothing big that I’ll need. When you come into my home you will begin to think David is here already. Crazy as it seems; I can wait till he gets here. I am enjoying all the little movements.  No need to rush what the Lord has given me. I said that twice..lol.

Our youth are sparking a fire! I see it in my Sunday school class. Move over people because they are about to overfilled with the Holy Spirit! There is no more waiting on others to move; they are just going to get up and do it! I love to see our children on fire for God. It brings tears to my eyes every time.

Hey locals! I have something for you. Click

Yes sir/ma’am, we only have nine weeks left come tomorrow! I constantly feel this man move around and I love it! Each of the three other times I’ve been pregnant this was and is my favorite part.

A couple of the ladies of our church are throwing me a baby shower. Some may not get an invite because they don’t know you. So let me personally invite you. It’s going to be March 12^th at Milton 1^st Assembly of God Church @ 11am.  You can RSVP at 850-623-2854. I’ve been asked quite frequently where I’m registered at. To answer your question I’m registered at Target, JCPenny’s, and any yard sale that has baby boy stuff! I love me some second hand in good condition! Please join us for a mid morning day of fun.

Guess what I’m doing this week? I’m getting the entire house baby ready. I’m going to make sure there is nothing big that I’ll need. When you come into my home you will begin to think David is here already. Crazy as it seems; I can wait till he gets here. I am enjoying all the little movements.  No need to rush what the Lord has given me. I said that twice..lol.

Our youth are sparking a fire! I see it in my Sunday school class. Move over people because they are about to overfilled with the Holy Spirit! There is no more waiting on others to move; they are just going to get up and do it! I love to see our children on fire for God. It brings tears to my eyes every time.

Hey locals! I have something for you. Click http://www.angelfoodministries.com/ your location will be here in town. If you don’t feel you need it, please, PLEASE bless someone who does. We all know someone who could even just one box. They even have it so you can give to a local military family. I highly recommend that you give it a shot. You may even find coupons for a bigger savings! If you like let them know I referred you.

I have so much I want to talk about but I am going to wait. I have a 4 year old student to teach. God bless you all!

your location will be here in town. If you don’t feel you need it, please, PLEASE bless someone who does. We all know someone who could even just one box. They even have it so you can give to a local military family. I highly recommend that you give it a shot. You may even find coupons for a bigger savings! If you like let them know I referred you.

I have so much I want to talk about but I am going to wait. I have a 4 year old student to teach. God bless you all!

Correction: The time for the shower is 10am

2010 in a glimpse

2011; what to say about it? Lots happened last year. Let’s do a year in review.

I was finally able to open up about a few things of the past. I was set free! By doing so; I released a lot of anger that had been bottled up for years. I have thanked God everyday for all that he has done in my life, even when I turned my back on him.

I am not innocent; I am a human being that makes mistakes, sometimes often. I am not perfect but made in the image of Christ. I am not the most beautiful woman in the world, but he loves me with my flaws. I am a mom and a military wife. I raised my kids alone for eight months. I made mistakes. I have learned to admit to them which make it perfectly okay for others not to enjoy/like me or my company. I am not asking for your judgment but only for the judgment of the one who so graciously gave his life for me; and you.

Our family has lost some friends this past year, some in death while others it was just time to say good bye. We think of them often. Quick lesson; NEVER EVER speak ill of those that see you differently. It is not your place. Do not let what they say control you. It is not their place. Instead love these people with all your heart. As Jesus has done so to us.

My husband deployed. I saw and felt the pain of others when they were hurting. I learned to trust God with EVERY aspect of my heart; meaning patience. I learned to trust women and to become friends with them. They are not all alike. I learned that being a tom boy didn’t make me ugly but made me, well, me.

We have learned that we may not always fit in where ever we go, but we can still be loved and thought of.

I spent a week in the hospital. Friends became family. They came together and did all that they could. My husband came home on emergency leave and the Lord blessed us with a soon to be here babe.

My heart grew closer to Christ, more then it has ever been before. I sought consoling, from the GREATEST counselor I know! He helped me get through all the obstacles I had to face and may continue to face.

One thing has been different, I’m 6 months pregnant. For five months I had morning sickness; day and night. I still get it, just not so bad. Once that seemed to have subsided some I started getting pretty swollen. I have other symptoms. Here is my list; abdominal pain, faint, fatigue, pale, and dizziness. Sometimes it comes on out of the blue. You’re question must be, “Have you seen a Dr.?”, my answer is no. I see him this week.

For these reasons, I have felt so sad because honestly I have yet to enjoy being pregnant. Matter of fact, I do not want to have another one. I get moody, grouchy, irritable, whatever you want to call it. My activities have been put to a minimal because I refuse to risk my babies’ health.

My goals this year, devote myself (more then ever) to Christ. Become submissive to him. Be a good example to myself, my children and to others. Learn to pray without ceasing, forgiving, loving others as I should love myself, FORGIVING, and again sharing a little more about me, to help me heal in other aspects of my life.

The relationships that have been built here in this small town will not fade. All of what I have mentioned have been relationships; relationships in my life.

 I am welcoming the new year with strong grip on my fathers hand.