tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81937465313973235362024-03-19T14:49:20.677-07:00My Sweet MegMary Cameronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14485023166081013250noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8193746531397323536.post-71583513215872912462013-10-23T13:42:00.001-07:002013-10-23T13:42:25.894-07:00Remember<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">So, Meg is now eight and she is in the 2nd grade. I am struggling with Meg over food issues and somedays I feel like she wins. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I decided to write in her blog again because I had to go back to the notes I wrote when Meg and Jake were in NICU. It was difficult to go back to those pages and read and remember...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">But, I realized I do want to keep a journal for Meg. She is my world and that's all I do is think about her and Jeff and Jake. Meg does some amazing things and says some incredibly funny things and I want to remember those things forever.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>Mary Cameronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14485023166081013250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8193746531397323536.post-63850620539467051252012-04-16T18:07:00.004-07:002012-04-16T18:55:05.772-07:00Fancy Party<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAyLIpRnfzKTOX4-JDR5Pn3WiDYQqlg3fkL4zM9YaJZcytadgMwB6J6FiL_dE7jy5bVvDihllerWXTaV2jkibj2MznYQhGe-U74IhU8vzKIKfFbYqvkowl_nLfwj_FFcWq5Ptxi4QEa2yS/s1600/photo.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 240px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5732182014633580098" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAyLIpRnfzKTOX4-JDR5Pn3WiDYQqlg3fkL4zM9YaJZcytadgMwB6J6FiL_dE7jy5bVvDihllerWXTaV2jkibj2MznYQhGe-U74IhU8vzKIKfFbYqvkowl_nLfwj_FFcWq5Ptxi4QEa2yS/s320/photo.JPG" /></a><br /><div>Because of Meg, Be an Angel Organization asked us to be guest speakers at the Gala. Marti from the organization fell in love with Meg since the first moment she met her at camp in 2010. Marti called me a couple of weeks ago and told me she couldn't wait for everyone at the gala to meet Meg because "Meg radiates joy." </div><div> </div><div>I couldn't agree with her more. Meg was a beauty in her "fancy dress, at the fancy party with fancy music." </div><div> </div><div>Meg met a lot of new people. We stood by the entryway accidentally in the room where they served cocktails before the dinner started. I say accidentally because we came in the room and we just couldn't move any further in because it was so crowded. Meg sat up straight in her wheelchair, I was very pleased by the way she behaved. She was such a trooper. It was a late night, as we expected it to be, but she really enjoyed herself.</div><div> </div><div>I practiced my speech on the way to the gala and Meg was having fun with it, because, I don't know if you know...Meg loves to pretend we are in a show and she and I take turns being the announcer or in the audience.</div><div> </div><div>Once the MC got on stage to start the program, Meg told me, "Mom, I thought you were going to be the announcer."</div><div> </div><div>And, after our speech, Meg said, "why didn't Meg say anything?"</div><div> </div><div>I don't doubt that one day, Meg will be on stage. Who knows, she may very well be the spokes person for Be an Angel Organization.</div>Mary Cameronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14485023166081013250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8193746531397323536.post-83104420299812379792011-07-11T17:17:00.000-07:002011-07-11T17:43:01.491-07:00Family Leadership Conference<br /><br />Division Services for the Blind and Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired held a four weekend conference spread out since January to this past weekend and Jeff and I were so lucky to be asked to attend.<br /><br />Meg got to come with us this past weekend and it was the best thing for all of us. We met many families that we would love to keep in touch with, but there is this one family that has a 10 year old girl and Meg and her and Jeff got along so well. They went swimming together Saturday night and then Meg had a playdate with her after swimming. I can't tell you how good it felt to see them connect.<br /><br />There were lots of things we took away from all of the sessions, but Meg gaining a friend...awesome!Mary Cameronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14485023166081013250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8193746531397323536.post-4244304150004873092011-07-11T16:55:00.000-07:002011-07-11T17:16:08.237-07:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-kUHE1u-F6HJviQ0BjCR6bPLPhxWCnhI-O-Yl5mtGGB81Z1JjAKpnOhzkGhw9MDevHBJMNzsAo__VZPQ5PWUzkKPxpg0-VGZhDXKArFhIpP8Pa7G6YFjtuPH-DeoKMpoSnd0-IhxWfC5_/s1600/95.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 226px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5628251808286118594" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-kUHE1u-F6HJviQ0BjCR6bPLPhxWCnhI-O-Yl5mtGGB81Z1JjAKpnOhzkGhw9MDevHBJMNzsAo__VZPQ5PWUzkKPxpg0-VGZhDXKArFhIpP8Pa7G6YFjtuPH-DeoKMpoSnd0-IhxWfC5_/s400/95.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div>BELL Program 2011</div><br /><div>Meg had a great time at Braille Enrichment Camp. This is Meg and her new friend, Nicholas. Her personality is absolutely showing more and more out in public.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>I just love that girl.</div>Mary Cameronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14485023166081013250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8193746531397323536.post-155458646955886752011-05-02T18:59:00.000-07:002011-05-03T18:32:45.100-07:00Meg at the Drag Races<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdXwUeUOSxDbUX573XCMU5jFJppQQ3Nx3ym6DNWMsJCqnnWHuJxnYldvUG2_lyw4nqKwzcwpEFxgtKLG5kA6AyPZ5Eho2lY2-jZfp4TQJLsEDhq4bvL3ddtdWwQi1eQ4iqAOthT1o450Gp/s1600/with+tony.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602660462187930082" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdXwUeUOSxDbUX573XCMU5jFJppQQ3Nx3ym6DNWMsJCqnnWHuJxnYldvUG2_lyw4nqKwzcwpEFxgtKLG5kA6AyPZ5Eho2lY2-jZfp4TQJLsEDhq4bvL3ddtdWwQi1eQ4iqAOthT1o450Gp/s320/with+tony.jpg" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWYRnh9rKdynpqkLUtCh5t0TavxYDZ-ZyoQm68XteVzJXPn15M17LTU8IV0AXHCU0Ra3gAdNlDS4uvB2DIgbRv9PgCeCQUufKhzcYhz4iFO1eeANBmdQCs3I21NtrYcNVfA0CmcZYSHBuI/s1600/with+cap.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602660359422671778" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWYRnh9rKdynpqkLUtCh5t0TavxYDZ-ZyoQm68XteVzJXPn15M17LTU8IV0AXHCU0Ra3gAdNlDS4uvB2DIgbRv9PgCeCQUufKhzcYhz4iFO1eeANBmdQCs3I21NtrYcNVfA0CmcZYSHBuI/s320/with+cap.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho3dQn5Yz7bY-apul30xTjkEKJ6oCH75xEm7q-gRkr54H1EmyGgq2UVTPYPNPyKpEZeICfhyMP1ZTp8QF7cOzDCg5AsthFklgDFNvuKFK5Ntu8dIKiRz8glLCF_YdMSfcyK1vH0xqeeN_E/s1600/hospitality+ste.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602660233649554226" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho3dQn5Yz7bY-apul30xTjkEKJ6oCH75xEm7q-gRkr54H1EmyGgq2UVTPYPNPyKpEZeICfhyMP1ZTp8QF7cOzDCg5AsthFklgDFNvuKFK5Ntu8dIKiRz8glLCF_YdMSfcyK1vH0xqeeN_E/s320/hospitality+ste.jpg" /></a> Meg and Daddy went to the NHRA Drag Races in Baytown this past weekend. Jeff's friend, Scott, went, too and they got to spend the whole weekend on the campsite in the toter home. The only thing I was worried about was that Meg wouldn't enjoy herself the whole weekend. Well, I should not have worried, Meg and Jeff got along perfectly and she had plenty to do at the trailer when not out watching the races.<br /><br />Meg is such a lucky girl. She got to meet Tony Pedregon! He walked up to Meg and offered her his very own ear plugs and he invited Meg back to his trailer because he had a gift for her. They went to his trailer and he gave Meg his rosary beads that a very dear friend of his and his wife had given him. Just out of the goodness of his heart!<br /><br />Every child is special, but there is something about Meg that just draws people to her, (if you don't mind me saying so). We see it often, people want to meet her, pray for her...we catch people looking at her from across the room, but not in a negative way, I don't feel. I feel it's her beauty, her smile, her personality...something...everything...<br /><br />I am so proud to be "Meg's Mom."<br /><br />Happy Mother's Day to Me!Mary Cameronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14485023166081013250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8193746531397323536.post-63317376948560636052011-02-23T19:15:00.000-08:002011-02-23T19:31:53.816-08:00Meg and her Bubbletop<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk2gMilHk2VRqVD0eh2mn2xmcwziHzZPACPsIblp0BtLHFKcl3hwksQZktgajrdsLWE6bQiybu7vdbUhEj5tcLWUMglmfPLwBLD6f4-OQmB3d8Aj6IOrqq5FD5kpeUw7qkKWH3iwqQo1-O/s1600/NotStockPhotography021611_280.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk2gMilHk2VRqVD0eh2mn2xmcwziHzZPACPsIblp0BtLHFKcl3hwksQZktgajrdsLWE6bQiybu7vdbUhEj5tcLWUMglmfPLwBLD6f4-OQmB3d8Aj6IOrqq5FD5kpeUw7qkKWH3iwqQo1-O/s320/NotStockPhotography021611_280.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577093520682592066" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiotiiK5CfWc7XF6SRukDoyra7Zm3aqODo4KcH8t-1J1x7u_fn4w-T8MAx-5RyRKUX0WEGQws-vna1jfdEn1t62e4EBXwJjHnmx5jXDKCcAwxvN5-l5DIRCWr_QX86cLsFkANDdMNcdANzY/s1600/NotStockPhotography021611_281.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiotiiK5CfWc7XF6SRukDoyra7Zm3aqODo4KcH8t-1J1x7u_fn4w-T8MAx-5RyRKUX0WEGQws-vna1jfdEn1t62e4EBXwJjHnmx5jXDKCcAwxvN5-l5DIRCWr_QX86cLsFkANDdMNcdANzY/s320/NotStockPhotography021611_281.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577093139886638962" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT1GeyuTSbCRWcsxM521Lk2qzxDH6_FixHJE2K6XRFDaW4b7EOQC2fauRWpkrFtY8Kmb3tPkgBJZV4xTDBky9D-XYMzQDcX2o_yt2IjeXSvbE9eSmxt5PjeKKJ9KoUy6F93OiMmj5izjMX/s1600/NotStockPhotography021611_282.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 275px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT1GeyuTSbCRWcsxM521Lk2qzxDH6_FixHJE2K6XRFDaW4b7EOQC2fauRWpkrFtY8Kmb3tPkgBJZV4xTDBky9D-XYMzQDcX2o_yt2IjeXSvbE9eSmxt5PjeKKJ9KoUy6F93OiMmj5izjMX/s320/NotStockPhotography021611_282.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577093035206065602" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHDSLZfV9lRn8maEzJnaz5QBUO6I8svSGCUxWPcBRot9OkSC55W9s_PQ8EntnYEjcr44BgJDW1rcbnmx6j-McybeXSJ3QNXsX2ilzWSXSK1ZkvzMIJ4cLbVbXF5FLAmlyodEXdEWdthP3l/s1600/NotStockPhotography021611_284.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHDSLZfV9lRn8maEzJnaz5QBUO6I8svSGCUxWPcBRot9OkSC55W9s_PQ8EntnYEjcr44BgJDW1rcbnmx6j-McybeXSJ3QNXsX2ilzWSXSK1ZkvzMIJ4cLbVbXF5FLAmlyodEXdEWdthP3l/s320/NotStockPhotography021611_284.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577092673248518818" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYJ2yXCviYbF5FBefVP1jpqPLkEB7UCEpHGX-YpGZg_3TofvcfNynfCvULAA2dUBN4M5xB7-dCVvlSFh5M3n-EqHDgvdgbzO3vLdOZKn5SpHlpl9HnPqYO9i9LpJkdiYHr4WQzI03Bqy7v/s1600/NotStockPhotography021611_285.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577092102908405602" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYJ2yXCviYbF5FBefVP1jpqPLkEB7UCEpHGX-YpGZg_3TofvcfNynfCvULAA2dUBN4M5xB7-dCVvlSFh5M3n-EqHDgvdgbzO3vLdOZKn5SpHlpl9HnPqYO9i9LpJkdiYHr4WQzI03Bqy7v/s320/NotStockPhotography021611_285.jpg" /></a><br /><div>I love these pictures! Thank you, John! <a href="http://www.notstockphotography.com/">http://www.notstockphotography.com/</a> </div><br /><div>What can I say? I am so proud of this little girl (and her daddy).</div>Mary Cameronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14485023166081013250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8193746531397323536.post-83386344208927793682011-02-11T19:58:00.000-08:002011-02-11T20:13:25.574-08:00I picked Meg up from school today and on the way home she wanted me to tell her a story. I told her I had a bad day and wasn't in the mood to tell a story, but, that I would love to hear one. It was quiet all the way home.<br />When we got home, Meg watched Kai-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Lan</span> then Sesame Street. The word today was "comfort". Jason <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Bateman</span> tried to comfort a couple of characters, but none of them needed comforting, they were all having a pretty good day. So, Jason started feeling down, and up walks Elmo. Elmo gives Jason a hug and so, it's Elmo who ends up comforting Jason.<br />Meg might have watched another show while she was playing, but she was finally ready to eat. I went to pick her up and she surprised me with a wonderful hug. Normally, we have to ask for one. She then said, "I'm comforting Mommy."<br />What a girl!Mary Cameronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14485023166081013250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8193746531397323536.post-72683644474678409492011-02-10T07:02:00.000-08:002011-02-10T09:54:02.830-08:00Meg's appetite is finally coming around. She had a serving of milk during lunch and another serving of milk during her snack. When I picked her up from school she told me she was sick. She said she had <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">pringles</span> for snack and I told her she may have eaten too many <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">pringles</span>. Meg says, "I ate too many <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">pringles</span>. That's for sure."<br />She had music class on Wednesday and she could not stop talking about "The Garden Song." She wanted me to sing it like Ms. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Woodburn</span>. I asked her to show me. She would sing, "our work is never done, no, our work is never done. Let's sing <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">together</span>. No, that's not very good. Try it again. Listen." No matter what, I could not get it right. And talk about persistent, she made me keep trying.<br />It makes me happy to see her excited about things they do at school. And even though it didn't start out this way, she now loves to do homework! She has been identifying the beginning sound of a word for quite some time now. Around 2 weeks ago, her homework was to identify the ending sound of the word and also the vowel. She is doing great! She always has to change things up, so for her homework this past Monday, we were to sound out a 3 letter word. She wanted to do this in Spanish, so I called out the letters in Spanish and she would sound out the word. She did awesome!<br />As far as what Meg eats, she still loves <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">refried</span> beans or spaghetti with <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">frito</span> on top. She likes crackers, <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">ice cream</span>, pickles and she loves milk. We still try new things occasionally, but it's a real effort. Meg sits at her table most of the time to eat, but she now will sit at the big table with us when we have "dinner as a family." That was a goal we started around October and we met it in January.<br />A new goal is for Meg to start using a weighted spoon to feed herself. Also, she will be getting a gait trainer to use at home, so hopefully she will use it as well at home as she does at school. I've heard she can get down the hall at school using her gait trainer in half the time it takes to use her walker. I am really excited about getting it. It should get here in 4 to 6 weeks. Her physical therapist from school helped us get it since I haven't put Meg in private therapy yet.<br />That is definitely another thing I have to do is find private speech, physical and occupational therapy. And I want to put Meg back in <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">hippo therapy</span>. I let Meg take a break because she was having an issue with her right eye tearing constantly. It lasted about 6 weeks. I don't know what caused it, but I am so glad it cleared up. I was so worried about it. I took her to her retina specialist in Houston, her <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">ophthalmologist</span> and ear nose and throat. No diagnosis. But, at least it has resolved, whether it was because of increased steroid eye drops per day or the antibiotic the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">ENT</span> prescribed, who knows, some still say it could have been allergies. Whatever it was, it caused tears and heart ache in our household. Meg was tired of us wiping her eye and her nose. We were tired of wiping her eye and her nose. She was miserable and caused her to be grumpy. Wow! She is a different little girl since all that cleared up. She is happy and pleasant to be around. I couldn't be happier with her right now. Rarely does she have fits anymore. It's been really nice.Mary Cameronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14485023166081013250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8193746531397323536.post-40477173607485104482011-01-31T17:23:00.000-08:002011-02-06T20:32:26.966-08:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXrVt7nPyu6L7cYFEniF_4boG3ySS5MDOMhUiWobwOyUtq42oqvr7r_XCvmbxh_f0nzNdYHc0oc_ct3M6-NpH6ws9RTggh8ls99_tPPRzZM5eBLprwI4uvxfBux5HyMUHL0zAzVNk4dWNO/s1600/3.jpg"></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXn60GGTCoCXWr7ElWpy_4nbmq4qoXEpjNcjqRK_9hF569UNJsOOnvLjjGbj1i5dLJeEoApTmbmmWJsnBlbdzgEehrmAdc1yGsJ-q6P5NzWCi6gUs7C368Bujvc8CnoiOEu_Xu0CRKQTu4/s1600/3.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570797869043309282" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXn60GGTCoCXWr7ElWpy_4nbmq4qoXEpjNcjqRK_9hF569UNJsOOnvLjjGbj1i5dLJeEoApTmbmmWJsnBlbdzgEehrmAdc1yGsJ-q6P5NzWCi6gUs7C368Bujvc8CnoiOEu_Xu0CRKQTu4/s320/3.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV0wsmwepRK2t1ka6RdEuPtUEKUoDKmsjyIPXCIXSFEWVAYfq4_zhdrhbZDY7BJaOZBfD55r2pk7Ja9YraURuDixcp1qcO9Htw0CfDz5Rod6Ej404itlUthyphenhyphenjEpJr-Z6E6MQAuRVOCPbqc/s1600/4.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570796113802418530" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 229px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV0wsmwepRK2t1ka6RdEuPtUEKUoDKmsjyIPXCIXSFEWVAYfq4_zhdrhbZDY7BJaOZBfD55r2pk7Ja9YraURuDixcp1qcO9Htw0CfDz5Rod6Ej404itlUthyphenhyphenjEpJr-Z6E6MQAuRVOCPbqc/s320/4.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4_IF8s6N_-5n8M75Umj7UAEOnu2k0wPMvXOAlyB5sDMKvBLrMp7sW1XvKMJOUfodHauZ8yGF0Yg9DjFlmK_27zRUxZ_7_bUCZqQW0AQjMrD3PafQ5zVRqsjOAQECKHrnlG-CnYPbZabdp/s1600/1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570779552326809042" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 229px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4_IF8s6N_-5n8M75Umj7UAEOnu2k0wPMvXOAlyB5sDMKvBLrMp7sW1XvKMJOUfodHauZ8yGF0Yg9DjFlmK_27zRUxZ_7_bUCZqQW0AQjMrD3PafQ5zVRqsjOAQECKHrnlG-CnYPbZabdp/s320/1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>A new year and a new do! I asked Meg's cousin, Whitney, to cut Meg's hair. Not a trim, a hair cut! Whitney cut 12 inches and then gave Meg an absolutely adorable hair cut, I couldn't be happier.<br />I have been wanting to do this for such a long time. I explained to Meg what would happen to her hair and she was completely fine with it. I told her she could give it to someone who didn't have hair and she quickly considered her daddy or her new baby cousin, Eli. What a sweetheart, she is always thinking of her family. </div><div>Meg will be donating her 12 inches of beautiful hair to www.wigsforkids.org.</div></div></div></div>Mary Cameronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14485023166081013250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8193746531397323536.post-51109497331692792222010-07-15T18:26:00.000-07:002010-07-15T19:25:00.771-07:00BELL ProgramMeg's 1st day at the BELL (Braille Enrichment for Literacy and Learning) Program was today. I wanted to take her yesterday, but we were just too tired from flying in from Michigan so late on Tuesday night. I'll write about that next time.<br />I just had to tell you about today because I feel I had a pretty cruddy day! I am surprised at myself because I was so excited about this camp. Well, I think my feelings have everything to do with Meg's surgery on Monday. Things went great, but now we have to be extremely careful that Meg does not bump her head, have any sudden jolts, or that she does not rub her eye. I am so stressed about this, I just don't even know how to act. I went from deciding to be tougher and make Meg do more for herself to having her in my arms practically 24/7.<br />Coming back from the National Federation of the Blind convention in Dallas, I knew I was doing too much for Meg and I was harming her in the long run. I know this, I am conscious of it, but I don't know how else to act.<br />O.K. I'm just going to vent about today. I know I'm going all over the place with this.<br />I walk in with Meg to camp today with every intention of staying all day and feeling completely sure this was the right thing to do. We say "hi" to several people, Meg even draws in the attention of an 8 year old little girl, Lindsey, and a 5 year old little boy, Harrison. As these two new friends ask tons of questions about us, Meg puts her head down and grasps my hands tighter. I am just as close to her, we both have been quite clingy to each other this week. Then, Lindsey asks a funny question. She has already found out who we are, so she asks me, "So, Miss Mary, why are <em><strong>you</strong></em> here?" I know that I paused, or stuttered to answer. I let her know I was going to stick around and just watch. Lindsey let me know that her mother didn't bring her so she wouldn't be there today.<br />So, I decide to let Meg think I was leaving but I was really going to watch from a distance. I tell Meg, "Bye," and she just said, "mommy be back?" "Yes," I assured her. And that was that.<br />Meg sat up tall after being asked to lift her head and she sat with her head up for a very long time. I know, she's a little stinker.<br />Later on this morning, Meg was calling for me and the teacher that was with her didn't feel comfortable telling her I wasn't there, so she told Meg I could come see what they were doing. They were playing a game called the egg hunt and Meg was to find the spot the egg was placed and tell the teacher what place on the Braille cell it represented. After Meg showed me, she swiftly told me, "wait outside."<br />Wow! Could this be true? Did I really need to be there for my own sake and not for hers? I thought I was doing the right thing by making sure she was safe and of course she was, but, I also had to make sure she didn't bump her head or fall or....<br />Meg was in her wheelchair, but still, things can happen. This is why I am driving myself insane. I can't help but to worry!<br />So, anyways, I offer to help bring in lunch. While I am gone, I imagine Meg was the perfect student. When I return, we fall into our roles of "do too much mommy" and "whiny don't want to do anything Meg," and I can feel all the adult eyes on us. Truly, I could feel they were judging me.<br />I had that feeling. You know, like you are back in high school and everyone is talking about you. They glance over at you, then in a few moments, they give each other that look or say something under their breath. I wanted to explain myself, AGAIN, like I thought I already had. Couldn't they understand why Meg and I are like we are? But, no. They can not.<br />After, I took Meg to the potty and changed her wet pull up (had to throw that in) and I gave her her eye drops, I tried to sneak away to the hallway to let Meg enjoy her last part of the day. I couldn't get away fast enough.<br />Ughhhhh!!!!!!Mary Cameronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14485023166081013250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8193746531397323536.post-39499777290935951292010-06-28T18:36:00.000-07:002010-06-28T19:09:16.738-07:00Camp BuckarooMeg is having a good summer if I should say so myself. Camp Buckaroo was great. If they would have had animals every day, it would have been even better. By Thursday, Meg had opened up quite a bit to her "buddies." Meg had let them know she was learning Braille, she was learning to speak Spanish, and that "Party in the USA" by Miley Cyrus is one of her favorite songs. It has the word "butterflies" in it, so of course, it's a favorite.<br />I definitely noticed Meg's social skills are improving, just by this first camp she's attended. When we were getting ready to go, people would come by to say good-bye and Meg would ask me their name. I would have Meg ask them "What is your name?" After they would tell us their name, Meg would let them know what letter their name started with. It helped her remember their names because when we got home to talk about camp to Daddy, I couldn't remember some of the names but Meg sure knew. Betsy was "B" like bumblebee. Carolyn was "C" like cat. That is all I can remember.<br />Everyday had a different theme. On Wednesday they had races in the gym. Meg loved it. She held a spoon and had to balance an egg, they were plastic. During some down time, each kid did some favorite activities with their buddies and Meg's favorite things to do are still, reading books or making up stories. Apparently, Meg made up lots of stories where an animal was featured, of course, and she "ride on the back." She would race and she would always win.<br />On Friday, their "buddy" presented each kid with an award. Carolyn presented Meg with "The Best Racer" award. I loved it! I knew Jeff would love it. How appropriate. It's funny how things happen. Jeff spent so much time on his three wheelin' trike and on his bicycle when he was a kid, pretending he was racing an Anglia and he always won. Here Meg is, in her wheelchair, pretending she is racing on a horse... or a cow...and she always wins. We both left that awards ceremony with smiles on our faces, from ear to ear.<br />Well, there is one thing. Sometime before Meg received her certificate, a little boy received "The Best Speller" award. When we called Jeff to let him know about Meg's award, she wanted to throw in that she got best speller, too. That's a little bit of me in her. I think I've secretly wanted to win a "Spelling Bee", so we've kind of been pretending "Spelling Bee." Jeff did help her learn how to spell "orange."Mary Cameronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14485023166081013250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8193746531397323536.post-6814300003414686772010-06-14T22:26:00.000-07:002010-06-14T22:30:41.630-07:00pre-k graduation<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghnHnaIzA8OhRsNL7AsGKdczreU9uZId6HSsIjltxTLGEUrgQmJ-I_877BkV6TzbEEMGeXuMNyaWBumXxA1mllXFv8KCENDpNMPrThdBA8twHI0AqTx-jObZt_yM8y-faOGG8vEVSQrOu7/s1600/DSC00441.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482868481775890098" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghnHnaIzA8OhRsNL7AsGKdczreU9uZId6HSsIjltxTLGEUrgQmJ-I_877BkV6TzbEEMGeXuMNyaWBumXxA1mllXFv8KCENDpNMPrThdBA8twHI0AqTx-jObZt_yM8y-faOGG8vEVSQrOu7/s320/DSC00441.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjR4NUApdCBZudRnYiym2f17rVSE179WBTWCwDXl35dTMJ4tbRHtGD9CwFke6w90RfOeHCdl-1_IJUrG6ISpcz5s8s7ajx_23cCChRec0vqt2mtthVJW016TdJ1v9DKxaUeKbHb0GrhRmr/s1600/DSC00438.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482868475643712402" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjR4NUApdCBZudRnYiym2f17rVSE179WBTWCwDXl35dTMJ4tbRHtGD9CwFke6w90RfOeHCdl-1_IJUrG6ISpcz5s8s7ajx_23cCChRec0vqt2mtthVJW016TdJ1v9DKxaUeKbHb0GrhRmr/s320/DSC00438.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu_COGHRj796I3km7HFyLy2iidyY7pxkYm1c751XCXPFSAVuBUbeFJPSl5c662nfIWBDKXnQsyCo_GEndZYkWqnO1Me4EAcCI0bNrH_7Z6vg-p1lOweJqzyJRc8ZgKIW7_5Ff8tHgVR6px/s1600/DSC00439.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482868462816349858" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu_COGHRj796I3km7HFyLy2iidyY7pxkYm1c751XCXPFSAVuBUbeFJPSl5c662nfIWBDKXnQsyCo_GEndZYkWqnO1Me4EAcCI0bNrH_7Z6vg-p1lOweJqzyJRc8ZgKIW7_5Ff8tHgVR6px/s320/DSC00439.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;">Meg graduated from Pre-K on 5-28-10!!!</span></div></div></div>Mary Cameronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14485023166081013250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8193746531397323536.post-51969618673476669392010-06-14T21:19:00.000-07:002010-06-14T21:52:42.483-07:00Camp Buckaroo<div style="MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU0j_vmnUy3SfK7WP5CWaFgMuk-PabpmB3CItNJaDIQztYdcvaszQV_JtSTrRug2Z450N-M9EHHaqWm9pSRoNuVUcJAoespHKHQlzjFwtimUlagr3GyP0s-b74XJBRkiV-NIoarTHL7yVy/s1600/DSC00459.JPG"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU0j_vmnUy3SfK7WP5CWaFgMuk-PabpmB3CItNJaDIQztYdcvaszQV_JtSTrRug2Z450N-M9EHHaqWm9pSRoNuVUcJAoespHKHQlzjFwtimUlagr3GyP0s-b74XJBRkiV-NIoarTHL7yVy/s320/DSC00459.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div style="CLEAR: both; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: 0% 50%; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial" alt="Posted by Picasa" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" align="middle" border="0" /></a>Meg went to her very 1st day of Camp Buckaroo today. This is her "Buddie", Carolyn. She's a little quiet and reserved but maybe by the end of the week, Meg will get her going. I did notice that Meg got the attention of a girl named Betsy. I think they will be good friends soon. </div><div style="CLEAR: both; TEXT-ALIGN: center"> </div><div style="CLEAR: both; TEXT-ALIGN: center">The camp had a mobile zoo come by. Meg touched a real chinchilla, snake and gecko. Meg was so excited about the animals, this was the very first thing she mentioned about the camp. When we got in the truck, Meg said, "want snake at home." </div><div style="CLEAR: both; TEXT-ALIGN: center"> </div><div style="CLEAR: both; TEXT-ALIGN: center">"Oh, my," I am thinking, but the first words out of my mouth are, "OH, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!!!!!!" Meg laughs....</div><div style="CLEAR: both; TEXT-ALIGN: center"> </div><div style="CLEAR: both; TEXT-ALIGN: center">I love that Meg Loves ALL animals. But...I...no matter what...can not make myself love, or even remotely like...or even tolerate...a SNAKE. I try to express that it is O.K. to like a snake, but Mommy thinks they are scary. Meg laughs. </div><div style="CLEAR: both; TEXT-ALIGN: center"> </div><div style="CLEAR: both; TEXT-ALIGN: center">I am so glad Meg is having fun this summer. She is ready to take on the world! And again, it's Mommy and Daddy that has to keep up. We need to put on that tough layer of skin and brave the things that Meg is so ready to do. I have a fear of water, but thank goodness Jeff can show her its just fine. But the fear of slimy, gruesome animals, well, I don't know which one of us is brave enough to touch such a thing. She may be the one to teach us a thing or two about fears. It won't be the first time she has taught us something...she is amazing...we are so lucky to have such a brave little girl.</div>Mary Cameronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14485023166081013250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8193746531397323536.post-57400117933225383052010-06-14T21:00:00.000-07:002010-06-14T21:08:25.174-07:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-lwOPFJJyFgpeIhyphenhyphenpCifOamJjaXCkV8f8p2fKU7VEM3dAKhP2qEMdJZTUgwRWOoxTCnR_KC2agcqkOAcqwdPmgnXw3HZBmt-6HWlIHABPyScqJEwkCr5bl-km7xRVkI9YgGaSCsos3PLU/s1600/DSC00452.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482846177339116562" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-lwOPFJJyFgpeIhyphenhyphenpCifOamJjaXCkV8f8p2fKU7VEM3dAKhP2qEMdJZTUgwRWOoxTCnR_KC2agcqkOAcqwdPmgnXw3HZBmt-6HWlIHABPyScqJEwkCr5bl-km7xRVkI9YgGaSCsos3PLU/s320/DSC00452.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>I want to keep Meg busy this summer. This is a picture of Meg's 1st swimming lesson at the Lighthouse for the Blind, Houston. She is with Tori, her swim instructor. Meg had a blast. Daddy took her and Papa took pictures. Who could have a better crowd to show off for? Meg worked really hard. When asked to lay on her back, Meg said, "Nope!" I'm glad Tori can appreciate a strong willed girl. She said, "Meg, I love a girl who knows what she wants."</div>Mary Cameronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14485023166081013250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8193746531397323536.post-82096628409401709252010-06-10T19:39:00.000-07:002010-06-10T19:45:07.020-07:00Butterfly Song<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwxHwEDIiF8yseVWbimXWbxVRg_oZNpQDhz9gY0kimwtIV2u8YIP5deL6rx_LwzFuWtUDxIlGDDYtHHWnY-HA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Mary Cameronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14485023166081013250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8193746531397323536.post-85651053994755108852010-06-10T19:23:00.000-07:002010-06-10T19:48:10.741-07:00My Daddy...<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dweAE3txg4kSSm32WLMCUAcKezOTDc2iYB76FOZadxJdgOKd4_UQcO_tenqsQgL82gZEXcKw61A2_T9QJKDAQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Mary Cameronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14485023166081013250noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8193746531397323536.post-31513254250275443492010-05-18T19:14:00.000-07:002010-06-11T20:17:51.132-07:00What does Meg like to do?Meg loves to play with Papa in the playroom. O.K., well, she loves to spend time with Papa--PERIOD. Meg plays table toys with Papa, reads books with Papa, walks around outside and tells stories about butterflies and the big bad wolf...all this... among many other things... he holds the key to her heart and she holds the key to his. Her daily phrase is "Papa come play in the play room. After work." I assure her he will, but I hear this phrase several times throughout the day.<br /><br />Meg loves her Cheetos! Meg eats refried beans with cheese and sour cream, and here lately, we've added a Frito on top. This is Meg's lunch and dinner. During the day, Meg drinks water with ice, and we save her cup of milk for right before bed. Meg used to eat Chef Boy Ardee Spaghetti, but it has been several weeks since she has wanted that. Meg had Campbells Chicken Noodle Soup on two different occasions, but that has been at least a month ago. She tried a grilled cheese sandwich last week, also on two different occasions, and she managed to get 5 bites down each time. I had to sandwich the bites with Fritos on each side, but hey, she ate some of a grilled cheese sandwich!!!!!<br /><br />She has been asking for an apple after she eats her beans and she can eat almost a whole small apple! I had to put the pieces of apple in her mouth for her because she just couldn't handle the feeling of it in her hand. But, after some time, she has been able to tolerate picking it up herself and putting it in her own mouth.<br /><br />I believe Meg really wants to learn how to like bananas. She talks about bananas when she talks about apples. She's tasted a banana 3 times, but just can't seem to get a 3rd bite in at one sitting. I'm proud of her for even bringing it up, and I'm proud of her for being brave and taking a 2nd bite, but like I said, I just don't think she likes them. YET!!! If she'll keep trying, we'll keep trying.<br /><br />We are at the beginning of that stage now, with watermelon. She's talked about watermelon a lot lately. Last weekend, she smelled it, so maybe, just maybe, she's close to trying it!<br /><br />Meg loves her ball pit. She can sit in her playroom and play for quite a long time. She likes to listen to music, pick a ball out of the ball pit, ask what color it is, move her hand around with the ball in her hand, and when the song is over, she chunks it, and picks another ball. I like that she has a way to entertain herself, but I am concerned because I recognize this is a habit that a child with a visual impairment can form. We do add different elements in play, like after the color is called out, she names an animal in that color (ex. green grasshopper). We also say the colors and animals in Spanish, or we do rhymes, but ultimately, the same action is done with the balls.<br /><br />But, huge progress in what she does when we travel. Usually, as long as Meg's music or stories are playing when we're on the road, we're good. She does not like to hold anything in her hands or play with toys, normally. But, a couple of weeks ago, on our way to Dallas, Meg played with Wikki Sticks! If the song we were listening to was talking about bottle caps, Meg would hold the wikki stick, pretending it was a bottle cap and wave it in the air. When the song changed, we would switch wikki sticks, and continue with waving it in the air. It is the same type of thing she does in the playroom with her balls, but I call it success because it is a WIKKI STICK (not a ball), it's a thin string with wax around it (so, thin, she uses her fingers to hold it, AND it's a different texture!) AND she is holding something in the car for more than seconds at a time. And, not only that, she tolerated a table top on her lap to play! I have had this thing for years, and finally...she tolerated it! She kept it on her lap, and we pressed the wikki sticks on to it! HUGE, HUGE! We were so proud, but we didn't make a big deal about it. Dad and I cheered quietly, grinning from ear to ear and nodding our approval to each other!<br /><br />These small advances on a day to day or sometimes week to week basis are recognized and so appreciated. I keep using the word "tolerate". Even I have to remind myself that Meg is tactile sensitive and so many of her challenges come from sensory issues. Your 5 senses tell you so much about your surroundings and your place in space. Meg is hesitant to taste new foods. Meg is getting better at exploring new textures both with her hands and her mouth. Meg is hesitant to explore her surroundings. Meg's visual impairment has everything to do with all of the above. Meg's physical disability affects her confidence in wanting to explore her surroundings. Meg is so brave each and every day. She challenges herself. She is feeling stronger physically. When she walks, she tries to push my hands off her body because she wants to "do it all by yourself." Trying new foods is very brave. Playing with a new toy is scary if it makes noise, but the sound will eventually make it interesting because it will give her feedback.<br /><br />Meg has worked so hard for every single achievement and she continues to work hard every single day. Meg has to think about her movements and sometimes even her speech. That would be like you or me working out all day, everyday. Think about it...pushing your body to its limits and beyond, but all this to do what other people are able to do naturally.<br /><br />This is why I can't understand why some of the people that work with Meg JUST DON'T GET IT. They don't put themselves in her shoes to realize how much she really works everyday. O.K., I'll vent about that another day.<br /><br />I'll continue to write more about Meg's likes and dislikes because I would like to compare in a year, her changes .Mary Cameronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14485023166081013250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8193746531397323536.post-23276372615424185372010-05-16T19:56:00.000-07:002010-05-16T20:35:46.759-07:00Some funny things Meg saysPapa: You're a mess.<br />Meg: No. Sweetheart.<br /><br />Meg: Apple in <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Spanish</span>.<br />Daddy: I don't know.<br />Meg: <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Manzana</span><br /><br />Talking about animals in <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Spanish</span>...<br />Papa: Cow<br />Meg: <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Vaca</span>... with a "v"<br /><br />Trying to have breakfast together...<br />Meg: Eat beans later.<br /><br />Shopping at Toys R Us...<br />Meg: Put in the basket.<br /><br />On our way to shop for a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">floaty</span>...<br />Meg: <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Floaty</span>, no. Toys, yes.<br />Mommy: What kind of toys?<br />Meg: Mickey Mouse stuff.<br /><br />Meg knew she could not have <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Cheetos</span> for the rest of the day, she had thrown them at lunch. For dinner:<br />Meg: Cheetos.<br />Mommy: <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Hmmmm</span>, Meg. What do you think I'm going to say to that?<br />Meg: No Way!<br />Mommy: Yes, Meg. You are right.<br />Meg: No way, no way, no way. (giggling)<br /><br />Meg had a little pimple on the back of her leg I was watching:<br />Mommy: Meg, your pimple is almost gone.<br />Meg: Pimple in <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Spanish</span>.<br />Mommy: <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Granito</span><br />Meg: Grasshopper and pimple same in <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Spanish</span>.<br />Mommy: (I had to think about it for a couple of seconds) <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Grio</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">granito</span>. Yes, Meg, you're right. Grasshopper and pimple sound THE SAME in <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Spanish</span>.<br />Meg: Grasshopper, pimple sound same in <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Spanish</span>.<br />(except, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">grio</span> is cricket and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">chapulin</span> is grasshopper) I am really going to bring out my Spanish/English dictionary, now. I am having to correct myself to Meg. Not the first, and most certainly, not the last.<br /><br />This past week, Meg was incredibly excited about what she did at school. Wednesday, she ate <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">ice cream</span> during lunch, bounced on the peanut ball, and they've been practicing for <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">Pre</span>-K graduation. When we got in the truck:<br />Meg: Talk about school.<br />Mommy: O.K. What happened at school?<br />Meg: Take a bow at school.<br />They take a bow on stage. Can't wait to see it!<br /><br />I'll have to keep a note pad close by. Meg is talking non-stop, she keeps saying the funniest things.Mary Cameronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14485023166081013250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8193746531397323536.post-46998866083761159682010-04-27T21:20:00.000-07:002010-04-28T20:40:15.164-07:00O.K. So I just thought I had a lot to say about what goes on around here. Well, so what has happened? We visited family day at Camp For All in Burton, TX, this past Sunday. Meg had a blast. She heard hay ride and barn and she was all for it. Meg is really into talking about farm animals and even touching the animals which is amazing for a little girl who is tactile sensitive. Meg will touch real animals like a bunny, duck, iguana and she even cuddled with a "baby kitty cat."<br /><br />Jeff and I convinced her to get her face painted. She had a big red butterfly with yellow spots on her right cheek and boy, did it take a lot for Meg to endure the painting itself, but also wearing it for probably 30 minutes took so much. It is so hard for us to understand what something like that might feel like for Meg. She has been so open to try new things, which has been a goal for a very long time. I believe we have met that goal. She did not shut down at all on Sunday. In fact, when it was time to go she said, "stay at camp."<br /><br />Her speech is another thing that has been taking off. She is pretty good at putting her endings on her words now. She is even putting words together to make sentences. Sometimes she still tries to get away with using just one word or pointing, but I have to say, for the most part, she is putting those words together. Now she is even coming up with words for conversation. Today, when Nicole was saying good-bye, Meg said, "See you Friday." And, yesterday she started trying to use the word "so". Today she used it better by saying, "Meg go potty so go to playroom play ball."<br /><br />Potty training is also coming along. During spring break, I tried to tackle it, but, no. But since she turned 5, we have gotten so close. I haven't stressed about it, and I may remind her a couple of times that I will be taking her to the potty soon, so just like all things, this also comes when Meg is ready to do it.<br /><br />Eating is one of the things that is slowly improving. Oh, Meg still eats her favorites like <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">refried</span> beans, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">cheetos</span> and milk, but it is still on her terms. If we are out of town or we have family over, it pretty much means Meg will not be eating enough, even if we have her good old trusty meal in front of her. This can mean that by Sunday afternoon if all she is going to eat is puff <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">cheetos</span> and she wants to eat the whole bag, well, I'm pretty much going to let her. This happened in January when my nephew, Erik, watched her eat those <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">cheetos</span>, and I'm sure he was expecting me to stop her at any time. He finally said, "Aunt Mary, Meg almost ate that whole bag of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">cheetos</span>." "I know, Erik, that's what she wants to eat," I say. "But, is that O.K.?" he asks. "No, not really. But, I guess she's spoiled," is all I'm left to say.<br /><br />Meg also likes Chef Boy <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Ardee</span> spaghetti, twice she has eaten Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup and today....victory on my part. I got her to eat some macaroni and cheese spirals. I gave it to her one at a time between bites of her beans and she probably took seven bites. Hooray!<br />I guess I got a little pumped because today I talked to her OT, Rosemary, about increasing calories and introducing new foods.<br /><br />Meg has definitely been using her walker more. It is still not enough, but it is significantly more than it used to be. It is so much easier when more than one person expects her to use it. Janie <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Bason</span>, the orientation and mobility teacher, got Meg in the routine to use it at school starting at the sidewalk where we drop her off. They would walk quite a distance from the drop off point to her classroom. Once in the classroom, Meg was made to take her backpack off and put it in her <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">cubby</span>. I can't tell you how good it made me feel to see someone working that hard so Meg could learn to become independent. Ms. Janie B. would meet us outside in her working gear, meaning, knee pads so she could walk behind Meg, and her headband, so her hair wouldn't get in the way. Ms. Janie B. started some new habits for Meg to follow everyday and now, Ms. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Kourtney</span>, Meg's new Teacher of the Visually Impaired, is following the routine and has also become Meg's new O and M teacher. Meg loves Ms. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Kourtney</span>, Meg wants to see her everyday. Which is a good thing because <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Kourtney</span> will be coming to the house for 2 hrs. a week in the summer to work on Braille and O and M. I think Meg will have a lot of fun with Ms. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Kourtney</span> and I am excited too, to learn.<br /><br />Meg still is stubborn. She has been giving <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Kourtney</span> a hard time lately. Meg has an electronic <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Brailler</span> at school that she has named "Bob" because it speaks to you as you type. Meg knows how to turn Bob off and on, but when <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Kourtney</span> asked her to turn it on, meg simply didn't. Meg knew the consequence, which would be no library time, but still Meg waited out a whole hour.<br /><br />This brings me to my next <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">dilemma</span>. Meg will be going to kindergarten next year. I know...I can't believe it. But, I have three kindergarten teachers to choose from. Her <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">PPCD</span> teacher recommended one that has been a teacher for a long time and is very laid back OR one that is so very nice and sweet. I expressed my thought on maybe putting Meg with a strict teacher. She said, "Oh, she'll expect a lot from Meg." O.K. How am I supposed to take that? Good or Bad? I find I ask myself this question quite a lot. I guess I try to over analyze what people say. For example, I will not be putting Meg in the class of the teacher who is laid back. The reason being, for what she said to me when I was observing her class a couple of weeks ago. I was observing to understand what happens in the a.m. of the kinder class. She asked me what I thought of things, and I replied that the only thing I was pretty sure of was that I wanted Meg to have her own personal aid. Then, I asked her what she thought. Her reply took me quite some time to process, I didn't know how to respond...so...I didn't. She said, and I quote, "I know "those kids" deserve to be in here, but I don't know how the...," she paused. I filled in, "the typical child?" "Yes, the typical child. How the typical child will be affected. The state has thrown in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">sooo</span> much material that we have to teach, ...." BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH. And let me throw in a couple of POOR POOR POOR POOR ME!!!!! That's what I think of this teacher! To put it nicely, I think she has been teaching too long!! Too long to change her ways. She might be so laid back that, oh, I don't know, she might feel bothered by this extra material, not to mention "those kids" that only seem to take too much time to bother with. UGH!!!! I wished I could have said something, but still to this day, I don't have anything to say to that. She knew who I was and why I was there. Why would she say that? Did she really see nothing wrong with that? Well, Rosemary said I could look at it in a way that at least she revealed how she felt, and now I won't put Meg in her class.<br /><br />The truth is, other teachers may feel the same way and never come out and say it. It's hard to swallow, but I guess, it's up to Meg and me to change their minds. I plan on visiting the two other teacher's classes and I plan to ask them how they would feel if Meg was in their class. I would expect to hear that they would love to have her, but would that be an honest answer? Meg's other <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">TVI</span> explained most teachers are hesitant to have a visually impaired/blind child. My gut feeling tells me to Meg with the strict teacher. I have some time to think about it, but I feel like that is the right fit. Meg needs someone to expect a lot from her and she needs to know she has to follow directions. I am afraid if I put her with the kind teacher, Meg will run all over her.<br /><br />We have a lot of work ahead of us. Meg needs to mature. I didn't hear any whining or crying that morning I observed the kindergarten class. Of course, Meg saves most of that for me. Also, Meg needs to learn how to follow directions and she needs to learn how to work independently. Back to the camp idea...I hope to put her in a couple of camps this summer. Meg is so eager to learn and she is so accepting to new experiences. I hope we'll have a busy summer but a fun one, too.<br /><br /><p> </p><p> </p>Mary Cameronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14485023166081013250noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8193746531397323536.post-319220320931087752010-02-26T11:28:00.000-08:002010-02-26T12:05:43.638-08:00Little Miss Independent<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl7rlcOwk2ZEQ3oazUri4YABN9olE5xY_2A5cVblAzDFs25Od1OjbW5g1_PAsdGjiyGNN1wubzNTzVwGoL9o2HoE0UyvijLVE4DPk7EHP89JA7l3Z95J16oV7L3NYrsFbuuu5TjvcbfePw/s1600-h/DSC00394.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442645051501353778" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl7rlcOwk2ZEQ3oazUri4YABN9olE5xY_2A5cVblAzDFs25Od1OjbW5g1_PAsdGjiyGNN1wubzNTzVwGoL9o2HoE0UyvijLVE4DPk7EHP89JA7l3Z95J16oV7L3NYrsFbuuu5TjvcbfePw/s320/DSC00394.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Meg has had her new walker for a little over a week now. She looks so good using it and I really think she likes it. She stood up holding on to it while I finished braiding her hair yesterday. It was her idea! </div><br /><div>She also has become little miss independent. She likes to say, "Meg do it all by herself". This morning I let her dress herself. When she would get tangled up, she would get mad if I tried to help her. I finally learned to wait as long as I could and I would remind her I could help if she wanted me to. She would struggle for a while and finally ask for help. She did a very good job and it makes me so proud that she is so determined to do it herself.</div><br /><div>Then, Meg wanted to walk to the door using her walker. I was thrilled. I opened the front door and helped just a little to get her over the thresh hold. She made it to the front porch and said she was all done! Oh, I hope she feels so comfortable using it, that this is the start of something new. To me, this walker looks steadier, and maybe she realizes it.</div><br /><div>We had such a good morning!</div>Mary Cameronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14485023166081013250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8193746531397323536.post-26856961972470842522010-02-14T21:59:00.000-08:002010-02-14T21:59:13.797-08:00I made Meg hold Jessie and this is her very convincing smile<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqpq5CVBitRw0KAGcgVQ0QtnSw4haM90SNXva3R-tdwzQ8F4_o3m8ZPSOTX-u7sASxCVoDe3zGWNAT7ebJMNds7-187M1OZFtHIMYanEK-Giz8RMK3Y7PtATO9B_V0pu6t-hjP1AUdCvua/s1600-h/DSC00382.JPG"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqpq5CVBitRw0KAGcgVQ0QtnSw4haM90SNXva3R-tdwzQ8F4_o3m8ZPSOTX-u7sASxCVoDe3zGWNAT7ebJMNds7-187M1OZFtHIMYanEK-Giz8RMK3Y7PtATO9B_V0pu6t-hjP1AUdCvua/s320/DSC00382.JPG" border="0" /></a><div style='clear:both; text-align:NONE'><a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' style='border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' /></a></div>Mary Cameronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14485023166081013250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8193746531397323536.post-60130221447505329652010-02-14T18:11:00.000-08:002010-02-14T21:50:13.953-08:00Our Sweetheart<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjqNEp-826wzZeS8u7A-_wimFCEwBxzFpx4BZa_qchedFIjAojOZdVda5XB50myjERnC6JeIuasKUM9sCX2BRnmI5upsqx4DfDmmxBhfCaOFoo8RD_I3TzVrVgqlFIGoV7ZisMyLH-gk5U/s1600-h/DSC00382.JPG"></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMjA2AM5x40PMoxqb0-GaWr_oCUo0qqPDuw1UNLPQ58Gn7Xuh3oqgZfNPc6ZQz3syneqDmZz5bpHCGxsAsBH-TLrIQhDhrZsV7t9-rmCgoC0IfMhQ_ZvDxlzDlLnFi1OrdyfpRdRxUlQ6o/s1600-h/DSC00380.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5438341056584718978" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 250px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMjA2AM5x40PMoxqb0-GaWr_oCUo0qqPDuw1UNLPQ58Gn7Xuh3oqgZfNPc6ZQz3syneqDmZz5bpHCGxsAsBH-TLrIQhDhrZsV7t9-rmCgoC0IfMhQ_ZvDxlzDlLnFi1OrdyfpRdRxUlQ6o/s320/DSC00380.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>Meg was not excited about her Valentine's Day party at school. I think it's because other parties have gotten a little loud and Meg does not like for it to be loud. Okay...well, Meg does not mind it if she is the one that is being loud...let's put it that way. </div><div> </div><div>So, when I picked Meg up at school, and I asked her how it went, she told me she wanted to have more parties. Obviously, it was to Meg's approval. Mrs. Genzer, Meg's teacher, said it went over very smoothly. So over the weekend, we have talked about her party at school and now her upcoming birthday party has been the topic of conversation. She liked hearing what her past themes for birthday parties have been. Her 1st birthday was a butterfly party. Her 2nd birthday was Little Einsteins. I could not remember her 3rd birthday party theme so I had to come back to it later, and her 4th birthday was Dora. Now, what was that 3rd birthday party? Oh! How could I forget? It was Princess at the drag races!!!!! Meg got such a kick when I said that. She giggled and giggled. She wanted me to keep repeating her birthday themes over and over and when I would say "princess at the drag races" it was still as funny as the time before. Oh, what a silly girl.</div><div> </div><div>So, Meg has decided she wants a robot theme party for her 5th birthday. I know, so not typical for a girl, right? And, guess where she would like this party to be. The library! My sweet, Meg! Meg is not a follower. She definitely marches to the beat of her own drum. The question is, can Mommy and Daddy keep up?</div></div>Mary Cameronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14485023166081013250noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8193746531397323536.post-72798594217569410582010-02-09T18:43:00.000-08:002010-02-09T19:16:37.393-08:00Happy GirlMeg had a really good day today. She is such a trooper. She had <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">hippotherapy</span> this morning and it was 54 degrees outside but the chilling wind made it almost unbearable. Not cold enough to stop Meg from doing one of her favorite things, though. She rode like a champ. They worked on new skills like riding side saddle and even backwards. Meg was working so hard. She had a crowd and Meg performs when she has a crowd. Papa got to watch today and Meg put on a show. As the team stopped in front of us one time we cheered her on. She shivered and said "Mommy". "I know Meg, it's cold and you're doing so good," I said. She shivered again and this was my c<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">ue</span> to say, "Oh, shiver me timbers" and she shivered one more time. She got a laugh from the girls that walk beside Meg. Meg ate it up. At the time, she was riding side saddle, so Ms. Jeanie said it was time to lift her leg up to straddle the horse and ride forward facing again. Well, Meg had to go on with her show, so as she lifted her leg and shifted her body to the forward position she had to grunt several times to show she was working hard. All the while she had the biggest grin from ear to ear. More laughs from the girls and even a comment of "Oh, Meg, you are a ham." That she is.<br />I am so proud of my sweet Meg. She works so hard with such a smile on her face. She's getting there. She is getting there.Mary Cameronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14485023166081013250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8193746531397323536.post-20316088413636391322010-02-05T11:43:00.000-08:002010-02-05T17:20:41.804-08:00<span style="font-family:verdana;">Meg woke up asking to listen to "Redneck Girl" by the Bellamy Brothers this morning. I am sure you are wondering how she even knows this song because we don't even listen to country. Well, Ms. Kourtney is Meg's teacher of the visually impaired and when I told Kourtney that Meg liked John Denver's "Grandma's Featherbed", she put together a CD with these two songs and a couple more she thought Meg might enjoy. After a couple of times of listening to the CD, Meg picked her favorites and wouldn't you know, she started requesting to listen to "Redneck Girl" by saying "red". Now, a couple of days later, she is saying, "Redneck Girl". Yay, Meg!</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Meg was ready to sing it to Ms. Nicole, her speech therapist, this morning. Nicole was so thrilled. Just last week, Nicole said she had an a-ha moment when she heard Meg talking. Meg was putting her endings on words, using new words and speaking louder.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Meg had to sit in the thinking chair at school on Wednesday. She wanted a book. She insisted for a book. She was supposed to string beads first. No, let me rephrase that. All she had to do was string one bead and then she would get her book. Sweet, stubborn Meg. Sometimes when she has her mind set on something, she will not budge. This is a very good quality, I am sure of it. Meg is where she is today for having such a strong will. BUT, you can imagine how hard it is to put such value on stubborness in this type of situation. Thank you, Ms. Genzer and Ms. A, for having such patience with my sweet girl.</span>Mary Cameronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14485023166081013250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8193746531397323536.post-29562541200663294002010-02-02T20:36:00.000-08:002010-02-02T20:58:34.059-08:00Meg's Dream<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP14H-QdPCHKZkJxSM3JkLQCoiHJVyOX0ZV0MSiCACt1dcytIEOfKyneDUTmhOFxEtvXTb7-wohWVWlxwekNYM1WrVTxeGTIkRXSVzMue9Cl_-E6ykZwLG6_4xYnpNqer44-O6mM30trj9/s1600-h/DSC00373.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433872514997994162" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP14H-QdPCHKZkJxSM3JkLQCoiHJVyOX0ZV0MSiCACt1dcytIEOfKyneDUTmhOFxEtvXTb7-wohWVWlxwekNYM1WrVTxeGTIkRXSVzMue9Cl_-E6ykZwLG6_4xYnpNqer44-O6mM30trj9/s400/DSC00373.JPG" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">Meg's dream was to ride on her horse and have a butterfly fly beside them. Jeff and Meg talk about this every Monday night. We revealed this to the S.I.R.E team last Tuesday and wouldn't you know, so many S.I.R.E people brought "butterfly things" to work this week. Ms. Jeanie brought a lawn sign butterfly that was the size of Meg, but it was out in the outside arena and we didn't go outside today, it was misting, so we stayed under the covered arena.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Ms. Nancy, who you see standing to the left of Meg, brought some butterflies, too. If you look closely, Handsome Ransom is wearing this beautiful red butterfly on his mane...red is Meg's favorite color. Meg's dream came true today. Thank you, S.I.R.E. How wonderful it is when the people that work with your child, think of her enough to bring things to work to make her lesson more enjoyable.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span>Mary Cameronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14485023166081013250noreply@blogger.com1