who does she look like now?

I finally found a picture combination that says Piper looks more like me than Wes. People still tell me she looks like her Dad but I like to think she got something from me.

week 1

My dear friend Leslie and I have been going on walks every day wheather and children permitting. We put the kids in the strollers and off we go. Around the corner, down the road, to the park, or just around the block. Depending on the day we just walk to the park which is about a mile away and let the kids play. I have really enjoyed the time outside, the fresh air, the exercise, and the time spend together to visit and teach the kids to play together and share.
Monday we walked about 3 miles, Tuesday we went to the park then I carried weights up and down the stairs and worked on putting the weight machine together. Today we walked for about 45 minutes and will most likely go again with our neighbor Roberta and her new baby Jace. I am still working on that weight machine and am looking forward to being able to tuse it and the other 3 pieces of equipment in the room.

I have joined...

The enough is enough group. Okay so it is not so much a group but people who all want to lose weight and feel better about themselves. I am committing myself to 5 days of exercise a week. i really want to get back to what I weighed and looked like when I got married so anyone else who wants to joins us please feel free to do so. I will try to post about my feelings and how things are going. Hopefully that will help in keeping me commited to doing what I need to do.

The Harold and Merilee Waters Reunion

We went to Salt Lake City the night of June 29th to July 2 for a fun filled reunion with the majority of my siblings and my parents. We drove down after Wes got off work and arrived at the hotel around 11:30 pm. After unpacking the car and visiting for a little bit we decided it was time for bed. Piper had been awake for the most of the trip and I knew she was tired. Silly me thinking I could just put her to bed and she would be out for the night. Oh, how I was wrong. I layed her down with her bottle and she instantly started screaming. She screamed for about 45 minutes and nothing would console her. My parents and the younger kids were upstairs trying to sleep. My sister Cheary and her husband were right outside the door of our room on the pull out couch. No one could sleep due to the fact that my darling baby girl was no willing to go to bed. Finally around 1:30 am I decided she needed her tubby. I thought we could forgo the tubby since it was so late. Piper is so very stubborn that she calmed down as soon as I turned on the tub water. She splashed in the water for about 10 minutes and then was out for the rest of the "morning". I did not take a picture of her at the time because I was concerned that the flash might wake her and we would be starting all over again.

Any way, she sleeps in her pack and play much the same way as she is sleeping in this picture. She also is known to roll over bury her head and sleep with her bum in the air.

Then Tuesday morning we went to the Salt Lake Temple to do a session with my sisters, brother-in-laws, and my parents. I was quite the enjoyable time and I do not have pictures of that.

That afternoon was the part the kids were looking forward to the most. We went and spent the rest of the day at Lagoon.

It was so warm the Wes and I decided we were going to the pools to cool off and we knew that was what Piper would enjoy the most. We floated the lazy river.

Then Piper found the water volcanoe. She really found the stairs and she always liked climbing the stairs so that is where she went. Once climbing to the top of the stairs she found the water pouring down from above and the many slides that would take her down. Upon finding the slides she insisted on going down each one of them multiple times. So we took turns with the camera and going down with her.

This was her first trip down, she decided it wasn't so bad. We pretty much spent the rest of the evening in the water and then she was so very tired that we each went on a few rides.

Then time for refreshments with Grandparents, Thanks Mom and Dad for playing with the kids!

Wes and Dan took her and our neice Kaylin on the train and she was out.

More of our adventure to come later, now is time for bed.

Good Night!

15 months

So, Piper has been dealing with ear infections for the last 3 months. We have been to the pediatrician multiple times and then went to the ENT a couple of weeks ago. He said she is a good candidate for ear surgery and have tubes put in. At that time she had an infection in her left ear and lots of fluid in both ears. Apparently the fluid was so thick he did not think it would drain on its own. We started trying alternative methods and I was giving her collodial silver minimum of 3 times a day. The silver is supposed to kill bacteria on contact so we figured it would get rid of the infection and then a daily dose to maintain immunity. Then my dear mother-in-law called about a nature path who so goes to and had mentioned to him Piper and her current dilemmas. He thought he could help so we set up an appointment to see him. Through a series of muscle tests we learned the infection was a yeast infection in her ears and each time we used the antibiotics it was feeding the yeast and thus getting worse. My poor baby has been miserable. So, on to a new regimen to fight the yeast. We cut dairy, sugar, and lots of carbs. Not that she eats that much anyway but she went back to soy milk and is taking a pro-biotic twice a day and the yeast killer 3 times a day. Her attitude is so much better but her appetite is gone. We had her 15 month checkup this morning and guess what the results were...

The pediatrician chewing us out for taking a baby to a chiropractor/Nature path. "Babies do not need adjustments"
Ear infections - GONE, little bit of fluid in the left ear. The left was the worst so we figure a few more days and it should be clear as well.
Yeast infection- working its way out of her body, pediatrician commented that it is causing the slight diaper rash. Solution, let her run around with out a diaper anytime we are outside.
Over all health- Good, he did detect a minuet heart murmur, so small it is barely noticeable, will check it again in 3 months. "Nothing to worry about"

Piper 15 month stats: "She is officially big enough to turn her around in the car seat" said the nurse. Our car seat says 22-40 pounds forward facing, 34-43 inches tall. Let me know if you think she should be turned around according to her numbers.

Weight- 20.3 lbs 12%
Height- 29 inches 12%
Head- 17 3/4 inches 27%

Are all car seats built with the same weight restrictions or is mine just for bigger toddlers?

We have almost finished another room in the basement. I with the help of my wonderful husband primered and painted it this week and we plan to get the flooring in hopefully in a couple of weeks. The day bed in Piper's room and the exercise equipment we have acquired will go in the room and the closet is going to be used for food storage. It is a good sized room and we are so excited to be getting this much closer to finishing the family room. The plan still is to have it done in time for everyone to come to our house for Christmas. so if anyone out there has no plans for Christmas let me know and we will save a bed for you :) Also, I did promise Wes that he can get a Wii when the family room is finished and the TV/entertainment center is moved down stairs. So if anyone also gets bored or is looking for some service hours also let us know we first have to move all the furniture in that room out and then start hanging sheet rock.

As for the jobs mentioned in the last post. Nothing has changed, I did get a call back from Idaho Falls High School but they filled that position with someone from within their building who also got displaced. They did say they were impressed with me and asked to keep a hold of my information if something else comes up. I thought that was at least something positive. I am still planning to work in the autism classroom and have taken and am certified in Mandt so I am prepared for the kids. I also will be working a couple of hours after school for an independent service in town going into clients homes and working on developmental therapy/sign language acquisition. Wes has put in numerous applications (don't let that information get back to his current employer) but has not had any interviews. It gets discouraging but we keep praying and working at it knowing that eventually things will work out.

Nothing personal...

So, I was told about a month ago that my position as SLP-Assistant was not continuing next year. I asked about interpreting jobs and add kinds of other positions. All I was told was to put in applications and talk to building principals because they are doing the hiring. Okay, fine I put in internal applications, regular applications, submitted resumes, I sent emails to principals and the director of student services. The responses I got back were, submit an application and you might get called for an interview.
I been to one interview at an outside service and 4 interviews inside the district. I was told about a need for an interpreter in a kindergarten class and asked about it. They are "placing" a different interpreter there. How fair is that, I have been asking about this position since I was told to start looking. I have been offered and accepted since it was the only offer, a position to work in a new autism program starting up in the fall for kindergarten and 1st grade students with mild/high functioning autism. For my career, schooling, and education this is a perfect job for me and I am excited to jump into this new opportunity. The one draw back, reason I am still looking for an additional job. The pay in this new position is a huge pay cut, literally in half from what I have earned for the past three years.
Then to top the whole experience off my co-workers daily made the comment of "What am I going to do without you next year?" I had t different evaluations this week, one today and one yesterday. Surprise, surprise, they were both fabulous reviews, everything was satisfactory. Then my supervisor has the idea to say, "Your position being dissolved had nothing to do with you or how you handled your responsibilities. It was nothing against you." How am I supposed to not take this personally when I have been in the position since they brought it into the district and now are dissolving it, leaving me without the necessary income to pay the bills. Please pardon my venting but I am still quite disturbed at how they treated me and are not listening to anyone in the Speech Pathology department when they say there is no way they can get everything done without help. Now what??? I will keep you posted.

whats happening with the Jones'

Okay so we have not done so good about keeping people updated.
Piper is know running all over the house!!! She is on her 3rd round of antibiotics for ear infections in the last month and a half. She has 8 count them eight teeth, (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8) She got to the security gate before me one day after school. Yes, you guessed it, down she went. Pictures of the stair coming some day. She love being outside and has even tried to step into the window wells a few times. Anyone know of a cost effective way to cover the windows so she does not fall in but we can still get sunlight into those big beautiful although very dirty windows? We have had 2 different plumbers come out to look at the sprinkler system including Papa Joe. Trying to figure out why we can not get the water to come out of the house. No we do not have leaking inside but nothing comes out either, (sad). They now tell us we will have to cut a hole in the recently finished ceiling in the guest (Jana's) room, to replace the darn part.
Wes is currenty looking for a new job since his supervisor has decided to make every minute of everyday at work misearble. He has put in applications to both school disctrict as well as a few other places around town.
I am also looking for a new position. Hoping to stay with the school district but with the economy the way it is all the Certified SLP's have decided that private practice is not all it is cracked up to be and are coming to the schools where they can get a garuanteed paycheck. Is doing this my position as a SLP Assistant is not longer necessary. They can now fill all the vacancies and lower caseloads to a mor managable number. (SIGH) I have one more year before they will consider allowing me to work as an SLP while I also work my way through school. I have one more grulling year of Pre-professional classes before starting the Grad program. I do not want to work during the summer since it would give me days home with Piper but alas... I have called on a part-time summer job working with 2 young people who are mute. Making them accoutable for their signs, not getting sloppy/lazy over the summer. I am on the displaced Aids list at the school district and a good friend and c0-worker says not to worry she is not going to lose me, everything will work out.
Lark is loving her mission in Argentina and I can tell she is growing and learning so much each week from her very short letters to us.
Constant passed her GED tests and will be walking in the graduation May 16th at the CSI gym.
We are contstantly praying things will work out for us as well as all our loved ones who are struggling at this time as well.
We are not allow, the Lord is aware of out challenges and will not give us more than we can handle. That also means we will most likely be growing from the expereinces.

Love to everyone
The Jones