And the verdict is...

Carleigh will be going to the same preschool as Cody starting in March! The Meeting yesterday went quite long. She didn't qualify on her speech scores, however her fine motor and gross motor scores were very interesting. We think they somehow were calculated wrong. Based on her scores, she would definitely qualify just on OT/PT, but we highly doubt they were as low as what the test scores said (they were lower than Cody's). So the big discussion was trying to decide if she should be eligible.

Ultimately, Matt and I made the decision. We are going to be extra cautious and put her on an IEP (Individualized Education Plan) for at least a year or so. If her preschool teacher feels she doesn't need it, we will regroup and decide what to do then. We want her in a preschool setting due to her speech concerns and to help with her shyness around others. She will not be in the same classroom as Cody (I requested). I really think both of them need their own classroom and Cody would REALLY be distracted if his sister was in the same class.

We also requested that she and Cody ride the same bus and that will happen also. I can't believe my little girl will be going in March!! I cannot believe that she will be 3 years old in just a month or so. Time flies!!

In other news....I am hoping for a snow day for Friday. I am under ALOT of stress at work and a snow day would alleviate the stress for one day. And I have to go to a Spelling Bee on Saturday so it would be nice to have that time I will lose due to the bee.

LET IT SNOW! LET IS SNOW! LET IT SNOW!

Saying Hi!

Silly Moments

A friend from church gave us a few things for Carleigh which included this homemade quilted poncho. Carleigh enjoyed running around the house in it and Cody wanted to put it on so I had to snap a few pictures.

Happy Gotcha Day Cody!

On Tuesday, January 27, 2004 our lives changed for the better. On a cold, snowy Tuesday morning I got the call on my break at school. For the next few hours, my mind was set in a whirlwind and I could hardly belief what was happening. Waiting patiently for the social worker to bring our baby boy home, we got the call that it would be easier for us to come to the hospital. It was snowing and freezing and the 10 minutes to the hospital felt like an hour. After meeting with the social worker, we met the birthmom (highly unusual at the beginning) and once I laid eyes on our son, my heart melted. Once the social worker handed him over to me in the Emergency Room exit and I strapped him into the borrowed agency car seat, I couldn't wait to get him home! We were new parents! I was a bit scared to take care of a newborn and a premie on top of that, but the joy in my heart was incredible. After 4 years of trying to build our family, our dreams came true. My mom, sister and dad were sitting on my sister's porch waiting for us to come home (mind you it was probably only 30 degrees outside. Matt's parents came over also after we arrived home. I remember that first night how tiny and how excited I was to take care of him. I was praising the Lord all night long as I fed him every 3 hours.

Happy Gotcha day Cody! On this special Gotcha Day, we will be dedicating Carleigh in the morning service at church. What a special day!

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Dancing Queen and King LIVE!

Update on Carleigh

We have had a few challenging days with Carleigh. Sunday evening, Carleigh came down with a cough and then it went downhill from there. She was coughing all night Sunday night, Monday night, and most of the night on Tuesday. I took her to Urgent Care last night and they diagnosed her with at least one ear infection although the doctor couldn't get a good look at the other ear. I highly suspect that both ears were infected. So, she is on antibiotics for the next 10 days. She had another rough night last night and I have been sleeping on the couch although I haven't gotten much sleep because I can hear her coughing or playing in her room all night (the negative side of having a one story house!). Matt has been staying up with her which has been a blessing since I do have to get up so early. We are both hoping that tonight will be different and ALL of us can get the rest we need. She has eaten better today so I think she is on the mend. (For the past 3 days she hasn't eaten much because she coughs so hard that it makes her vomit at times.) I am so thankful that she didn't have pneumonia or bronchitis or croup. Her lungs were clear and to that I am sooo thankful! She will be having her dedication service at church on Sunday morning and I think by then she will be back to her normal self. She also has been very active and chasing Cody so I say she will be better in a few days.

Part 2 Slideshow

I have so many pictures that I created 2 slideshows that celebrate Carleigh's life from birth - Adoption Day (Nov. 3, 2007)

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Celebrating Carleigh Elizabeth - Part I Slideshow

In the beginning:

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Rough Night

We had a rough night last night. After putting Cody to bed, we gave Carleigh cough medicine for a cough she had developed earlier in the day. She gagged a little bit but the medicine went down. As she was brushing her teeth on the lap of Matt, she started this Exorcist spewing! Ick!!!!!! It went everywhere: on her, sofa chair, carpet and on her daddy! It tramatized her and it took a half an hour to get her to calm down. After everything was cleaned up, I took her to bed and we read a couple of books until all was calm. Then around 3:30am, she woke up coughing bad and she wouldn't go back to bed. After moving her around everywhere, she finally crashed around 5am. Reminds me of those good ole days when they were infants! I moved to the couch, but didn't get much sleep thanks to garbage trucks, people talking REALLY loud, and the sound of engines outside my window. Not a fun night! The only one who really got a good's night rest was the Codeman.

We are going to try the cough medicine again because she sounds really bad and is running a low grade fever. We are hoping we do not have to make a trip to the dr's office. (When Carleigh gets a cough, it usually ends in croup or bronchitis so we are hoping to prevent both of those scenarios.)

Thank goodness I had today off or I would have been a zombie in the classroom!

Curious George Party

Cody's 4th party was a smashing success! We had 23 people attend and the banquet room at Richard's was really nice. Carleigh ate two pieces of pizza and Cody ate half of my hoagy sandwich! All of the cake was eaten (yeah!) and just a few cupcakes were left. Cody received alot of summer and winter clothes, Curious George toys & movies, cars, very cool garage/ramp, trains, and his favorite was the light up "Trouble" game. We bought the Little Tykes Basketball stand and his first pair of roller skates. (I think Matt is having more fun with the basketball hoop than anyone else!!!)

Cody loved running around the room. This was nice for us because the room was enclosed and he could not get out. Dancing broke out at the end although we were disappointed that Aunt Michelle didn't dance on the tables! It was bitterly cold when we left with the temps at 12 degrees and it is supposed to drop to 5 degrees for church in the morning! All in all, he had a great party!

Girl Power!

Girl cousins unite! Raygan and Carleigh are the only girl grandchildren on the Schmidt side.

The Motley Crew

What do these four people have in common? Well, they are Wii addicts!
Above: Aunt Michelle and Jesse
Below: friends Shannon & Niki

Grandparents

Above: Matt's parents
Below: Jen's parents

The cousins

Cousin Brittany and boyfriend Jeremy
Cousins Raygan, Ryan, Riley & Devon

Partygoers

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Above, Aunt Connie, Emily & Cody.
Below, friends Sherry, Michelle and Christina

Blowing out the candles

This year, Cody really blew to help blow out his candles!

Opening Presents

Carleigh is curious about Shannon's camera...budding photographer maybe?

Dancing King & Queen

The Monkey Cake

I baked and baked last night! I must admit that it was fun and I think icing was the most enjoyable part of cake decorating. This is my first cake to decorate (crazy huh?!) and now I am itching to take a cake decorating class! It's not the best cake and I want to improve in certain areas so hopefully with a class or two, I can make really cool cakes for kiddos' birthdays. I wanted to make something special for Cody's birthday and I think he will really enjoy it this evening.

Funny story: While was was finishing up on the cake, Carleigh leans over the kitchen gate and sings "Happy Birth--day Co-deee!" Once she saw the cake, she said "Monkey...hoooewwwhooooo(imagine the monkey sound)!" While I was icing the banana, she yells "Banana! Eat it!" The girl LOVES bananas so I think she will get the small banana cake.

My girl

Yesterday, I got to see Carleigh play and have fun at her playgroup through the Early Intervention services that she is apart of. She had a blast! She could do basically anything and everything available. I think her favorite part was the gym where she dove into the pool with balls (and of course loved throwing them!), played basketball (which gives me birthday ideas), and loved going down the slides. Boy, I wish we had a gym like that at home, the whole family would stay physically fit and the kids would sleep well every night!

We are waiting for her last evaluation which will determine if she qualifies for Cody's preschool. So far, she isn't qualifying on speech and gross motor. Although we would love for Carleigh to go, if she doesn't qualify I will be elated as well. She has made amazing progress. For those who didn't know, Carleigh wasn't rolling over at 6 months. She was walking at 18 months which is great progress from her slow start. After she starting walking, her progress was really amazing! She is such a funny, sweet and very bright little girl.

Happy 4th Birthday Cody!

Four years ago today at 10:23 a.m., Cody Matthew was born weighing 4 lbs 12 oz. Although we didn't know about him at the time, we were dreaming and hoping that we would get a call very soon. We got the very call on January 27th while I was at school. We met Cody around 5:30pm and we brought home our precious little boy. I can hardly fathom that it has been 4 years! Cody has overcome many major obstacles and changes in his little life. God has blessed us with this incredibly sweet and loving little boy. He has definitely changed our lives for the better. Each year, he continues to amaze us with the accomplishments that he has done.

Today, I went to his classroom to celebrate his birthday. He was shocked when I came from behind and hugged him. His expression was like "Hey! What are you doing here?" Happy 4th Birthday my sweet boy!

The top picture was taken on the day he was born. The bottom picture was taken today.

Cody at Preschool

We celebrated Cody's birthday at preschool with yummy sugar cookies with blue icing and sprinkles. Cody ate the whole cookie and loved it!

Playing together at home

I opened Carleigh's playhouse that her Papaw and Mamaw Hibbard bought her. She loves the sound of the doorbell, the phone ringing, and the best feature she likes the most....the sound of the toilet flushing! Every time she flushes it she yells "potty! potty!" (Sidenote: I decided to hold off on potty training until next weekend since it is a 3 day weekend and I will be home...I don't want to torture Matt with trying to start potty training all on his own!) We also opened Cody's barn and they love the sound of the cow, chickens, and horse when you touch different areas of the barn.

They had so much fun playing in Carleigh's room tonight! I also had a lot of fun playing with them. Carleigh's little personality is coming out. Some of the things she says is too funny. Sunday afternoon as Matt is carrying her to bed for her naps she asks Matt "Where Mommy go?" (to which I was eating lunch in the kitchen.) Or if I am cooking, she will lean over the kitchen gate and ask "What you doing?"

Being Silly

Cody likes hanging out in Carleigh's bed. Carleigh was being silly by "hiding" from the camera. Do you think she gets tired of my camera?

Hard at play!

Birthday Preparations

Tonight, we went grocery shopping and shopping for Cody's birthday party. We picked a "Curious George" theme since Cody absolutely LOVES Curious George right now. He has a soft George that he sleeps with and when you squeeze its belly, his face will glow! We found Curious George plates, napkins, party horns, hats and candles. I have decided to be adventurous and make his birthday cake this year. In the past, one of our friends has made it, but I found several cute ideas online and am excited to make his cake. I have reserved next Saturday morning for baking, cooling, and decorating. There is nothing like a fresh cake!

I am taking his birthday (January 16th) off from school and going to his school to bring treats and celebrate his birthday with his class. On his birthday last year, he went to school for the first time! I cannot believe that my little guy will be 4 years old in a few days. I can vividly remember bringing home a 5 lb. 2oz premie that could hardly wear premie clothes (some swallowed him in fact!).

I have NO IDEA what we are buying him as for as birthday presents. With his birthday being 3 weeks after Christmas, it is so hard to think of something special! Hopefully I will get some ideas this weekend. His birthday party is next Saturday at Richard's Pizza.

I will post a pic of his birthday cake and party pics next weekend.

Fun Fun Fun

I didn't know that a squirt bottle could be so much fun! Last summer, I bought a very cheap water bottle for the kids to play with outside in the heat. Well, I forgot about it until last week. I squirted Carleigh (with warm water) and she LOVED it. So, as a fun way to clean their hands after dinner, I squirted their hands with warm water and they were begging for it. So, being the fun mommy that I am, I think I will fill it up with warm water and let them take it to bathtime tonight. Who would think that a cheap-o water bottle could bring so much "Fun Fun Fun!" as Carleigh said.

Update

I received a reply from our social worker this afternoon. She was very excited and happy that we decided to keep our foster license. She did tell us that foster to adopt placements are "less frequent." We are patient to wait for God's plan and timing. We are taking "less risk placements" and "foster to adopt" placements. This will allow us less emotional risk for fear of the child leaving and it also gives us time to prepare for the child in advance.

Very few things will change right now. We will continue to take classes and go through the re-certification process in about 2 years. Other than that, no social workers will come out until we get a placement.

Our name is officially into the pool of others and I am excited to see what the Lord has in store for us!

Update to our decision....

We can officially tell you about one of our decisions....

I just emailed the BIG email to our social worker. We are back in the pool, however, this time, we are in the foster to adopt pool only. Confused?!! Well, Cody and Carleigh's placements were "foster" at first, then after a few weeks, our caseworker called me and said, it will be long-term and do you want to adopt?!

So now, we will be waiting for a foster to adopt placement. Boy or girl (although I am heavily wanting a sister for Carleigh) will be a waiting child or a child who our agency is getting ready to get permanent custody of (termination of parental rights). He/she will be between the ages of 1 year - 5 years. We have the space for one more child (unless we move which isn't an option in the near future).

So, gulp, swallow, we are back on the rollercoaster! My heart has been yearning for 3 children for quite some time now. We haven't had a new placement since Carleigh was placed with us in March of 2005. Matt and I are excited, but in not a real rush. We are trusting in the Lord's timing and the His plan for our future child. We are filled with so many emotions now, but wanted to tell everyone about our decision.

Ready for church

Carleigh is wearing a new dress that I bought at the Sauerkraut Festival that I bought back in October. Cody is wearing a new outfit that his Aunt Connie bought him.

I surived the first "week" back and other ramblings

Well, I made it through my first "week" back at school! Of course it was only 2 days, but thank goodness it was only two days! It is so hard to get back into the routine of getting up at 5:45am and going and going until 11pm.

Matt and I are going to make a big decision regarding our family this weekend. Please keep us in your prayers. I will go into more specifics once we decide what is best for our family.

We are also trying to decide on job situations for the both of us. In the next few months, I have a major decision to make. We are praying for the Lord's guidance and His plan in all of our decisions.

Brrrrr! It has been soooo cold here in Ohio staying in the low teens at night. I love my new coat because it is nice and soooo warm! And the best thing about it all is that I got it for 50% off!! Woohoo! I just love sales!

Reflecting on 2007

2007....wow! I never would have imagined in my wildest dreams that we would finalize both of our children's adoptions in the same year and only 9 months apart! I think 2007 will always be etched in my mind for the year that I am truly grateful and thankful for. It was such a long road for Cody. He was in our home for 3 years (all of his little life) before he was available for adoption. Praise the Lord for the strength and endurance He gave us during that time. Then, Carleigh's case seemed to glide so quickly and easy due to Cody paving the way.

In 2007, Matt worked a variety of jobs, but we are blessed that he did have a job from June - December! I enjoyed my summer off with my children and truly enjoy my career except for the challenging group I have currently. We were able to go on two vacations: one to Virginia Beach and the other with Matt's family to Holiday World in Santa Claus, Indiana.

In 2007, Cody learned all the letters of the alphabet, his numbers 0- 12, shapes, and colors as well as added new words to his vocabulary which amazed his preschool teachers in the fall.

In 2007, Carleigh blossomed into an inquisitive, sweet, stubborn, yet bright little girl who can count to 14, identify all her letters, identifies all shapes, identifies most colors, identifies the name and sounds of most animals, can understand lots of commands/directions, understands humor, and started to talk in 2-3 word phrases. She has come a LONG way!

All in all, 2007 was quite a year! I am very hopeful and confident that 2008 will be filled with as many and maybe more blessings and possible surprises for our family. I can't wait to see how it will end!

Extra day off!

Woooohooo!! Our Superintendant gave us an extra day off due to the snow and the fact that most schools are not going back until Thursday! Doesn't matter to me! I just love having another day home with my little ones, although Cody goes to preschool for the morning (if no delays due to possible snow).

Here is something really strange. We were over at our friends' house this evening and I was joking around saying that I hope we get a snow day. I said this last year when we were over at their house for the Super Bowl and it started to snow. Well, when I got home, there was a message on our machine saying school was cancelled due to a water main break. Well, we arrived home to find a message on our machine saying that school was cancelled for tomorrow. Deja' vu? Blessing in disguise?! I think we need to go over to their house more if school continues to get cancelled!!