IT'S THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME.....

Yes, it's almost here, it has just about arrived. SCHOOL STARTS IN ABOUT 10 HOURS! Yippee!. Okay, I've calmed down a bit. I just wanted to make sure everyone was aware that SCHOOL STARTS TOMORROW!
We spend the last day of summer vacation enjoying an afternoon at http://www.adventureaquarium.com/. We walked through the shark tank and watched the sharks swim above and around us. We caught glimpses of the large teeth that so many sharks are famous for and the stingers on stingrays which can kill. We had a chance to pet starfish, sea cucumbers?? and jellyfish. It was pretty exciting for both the kids and myself. We sat through the 4D SpongeBob show and ducked out of the way of flying pickles along with getting sprayed with water. It was all fun. I don't quite think S knew what was happening but I'm pretty confident that she enjoyed it well.
My favorite part of the aquarium have to be those graceful hippos. Being such large animals one would think that they're footing would actually be much heavier. Perhaps out of water it is. But swimming, the hippos are graceful creatures appearing actually happy. They were so cute and I wish I could have watched them longer.

So that's it. Summer is drawing to a close and a hint of sadness is creeping in. Soon the leaves will accept their pushes from the trees and begin their descent to the earth while covering the ground with their magnificent colors. It shouldn't be long now...Cool nights, crisp days, Halloween costumes, Thanksgiving turkeys and Christmas shopping. YIKES! Where does the time go?
B will be big man at the school as he enters the 6Th grade while E enters 4Th. My boys are growing so fast..turning into little men. I can remember when B entered Kindergarten with Mrs. M at McKinley. It's hard to believe that this will be his final year at the elementary school.

Also, another ending to mention as well. After 9 years I have decided to resign from HRH.
I am accepting the fact that I will have this pain forever. Even though the doctors cannot find what's causing it I can help prevent it by not standing for long periods of time. Therefore, I needed to give up staff nursing.
I believe that when one door closes another one opens. I have been offered another position working in s business environment using my nursing background. What can be better than that? I will keep you posted on my journey to find a right childcare for S.

Until the next time,
J

BEEF 'N' BEER - OCTOBER 11TH!

If you live in the area, keep the date open. We will be holding our first Beef 'N'Beer to benefit The Katie Elise Lambert Foundation http://www.katieeliselambert.org/ for child safety at the Rockledge Fire Hall on October 11th. Come enjoy a night of dancing, auctions, and food and help raise awareness of furniture tip-over. All proceeds will help continue our mission of keeping children safe from unsecured furniture by allowing the Foundation to provide tethers free of charge, brochures and participating in safety fairs.
Tickets are $25.00 and can be purchased by contacting me, J!
CLICK ON THE MONARCH TO THE RIGHT FOR MORE INFO!

Thanks,
J

Friends and Updates

Today we had a really nice visit from our dear friends R and D. We've known R and D for many years and now also share the bond of international adoption. They met their beautiful daughter M, back in November when they traveled to
China. She's full of spunk, knows what she wants and is another precious example of the incredible joy in which adoption brings. She brings true happiness to two very special people. Watching our daughters together is a moment to be treasured.
Once again I feel the need to say how grateful and how lucky I am to have been given the chance to adopt S. Sometimes I still can't believe that she's my daughter.
I posted several pictures from today which will give you a chance to see beautiful M and beautiful S. Two vastly different personalities yet both sharing the deepest of bonds.
Enjoy.

A BIRTHDAY!

Today was Big B's birthday...the big birthday number 4.... We spent a quiet day...well he spent it working most of the afternoon. SIL A came over as well as mom mom. Each brought their dog so we had 4 dogs here each with his or her own personality. (I guess you know where this could be going.) Everyone was well-behaved for most of the visit both the kids and the dogs. Buddy, JD, Eddie and Meadow seemed to all get along wonderfully even falling asleep under the dining room table during dinner.
It was afterwards that the fun started during the time I was trying to separate them for feeding. Eddie and JD together because they are the ones who get along the best while Buds and Meadow were outside. As I was trying to bring Buddy in and make the others go out something happened and before we knew it Buddy was on top of Meadow in an outright brawl. JD and Eddie were trying to get involved as well but I was able to drag them out while making sure my kids were out of danger. "A" sprung to her feet and was able to separate the dogs..as dangerous as it was. Buddy is an 85 pound yellow lab and Meadow is a sheltie type maybe half his size. We got all dogs outside except for Meadow who now was favoring one of her paws. She was shaken up but was okay. It was soon after the fight that the small get together ended.
I have a soft spot in my heart for dogs. They can be cute, gentle, loyal and a constant companion. However, dogs are dogs. They have an instinctive nature that makes them an animal to respect. Yes, humans need to be their alpha in all respects. We can love them and cuddle them but children should be taught to respect the dog and learn the proper ways to deal with them.
This fight had nothing to do with our kids...but it had everything to do with food and the alpha had not been established yet between the four of them. It's always scary to be near a dog fight.

Now back to the birthday. It turned out to be a very nice visit and I hope Big B enjoyed the time that he was home.

I also just wanted to post some pictures of S that I took tonight right before she went to bed. She is so pretty and I wanted to capture her beauty. I'm so lucky to be her mom.

Letter to Pediatricans

It is with heavy heart that I tell you that there has been another death from furniture tip-over. My husband and I have learned about a 3 year old little girl whose precious life was lost as the result of her dresser tipping back in April of this year. My heart aches for her parents as there is no greater pain felt than that of the loss of one's child.Each time that I learn about another death I realize that our job is not nearly completed. We have not warned nearly enough people that furniture can kill.Although we try our best to raise awareness of furniture tip-over, I believe we need the help of others to accomplish our mission.
One group of people who I believe should be educating the public are the pediatricans that we entrust our most precious treasures. We look to our doctors for guidance, for help and to maintain the health of our children...who better than to help educate parents than our pediatricians? Several months ago I searched the American Academy of Pediatrics' website to find their information on furniture tip-over. After looking and searching, I realized that there just was not any information on furniture tip-over there. I thought back to the many times that I have taken my children for doctor's visits, both routine and non-routine and realized that prior to Katie'[s death, bolting my furniture was never even mentioned. Perhaps, just perhaps if one of our doctors had mentioned to me that my furniture should be anchored to the wall, just maybe my Katie would still be with me. So I decided to email one of the contacts at the AAP. I received no respone. So, I looked onto the website again and emailed several contacts our story and asked about adding furniture tip-over to their website. Once again I received no response. So this time, I revised my letter and sent it certified mail to Washington D.C. and to another location of the American Academy of Pediatrics. It was sent a little over a week ago. I am presently waiting to hear if they would respond. I don't want to appear pesty but if it means that one life could be saved than I will do it. The following is a copy of the letter sent on what would have been my Katie's 7th birthday. She would have been getting ready to enter the 2nd grade this September.

July 30, 2008

Dear American Academy of Pediatrics,I am writing to you as not only a concerned parent but also one who has learned firsthand the devastation of losing a child. On January 21, 2005 my 3 year old daughter, Katie, was killed after a large, unsecured wardrobe cabinet tipped and fell on top of her, crushing her little body. Since her death my husband and I have worked very hard attempting to warn parents and caregivers of the hidden hazards of unsecured furniture.We founded the Katie Elise Lambert Foundation, a 501 (3) (c) organization, whose mission is to raise awareness of this preventable danger.According to the CPSC, between 8,000 to 10,000 people are injured yearly as the result of falling furniture. Between the years 2000 and 2005, 101 deaths have been attributed to furniture tip-over and 80% of those deaths were to children. I feel very strongly that if parents and caregivers were aware of this danger, precautions could be taken, and that we may begin to see a decline in the number of deaths associated with it. It is truly heartbreaking to learn of another innocent child’s life cut short due to the lack of awareness of the danger of TV/furniture tip-over. As the mother of 3 children I have found myself visiting our pediatrician’s office several times each year with each child, not only for unexpected illnesses but also for routine check-ups. At each routine check-up I have been given the appropriate age-related TIPP sheet for the particular child being cared for at that visit. I have answered the routine questions posed by the doctor, “do we have smoke detectors in the house, do we use car seats, do the children wear bicycle helmets, etc?”However, prior to my daughter’s death, I had never been informed or asked, “Is your furniture/TV secured to the wall?” I have never seen furniture tip-over mentioned on one of your TIPP sheets, unless I have missed it, nor have I read about it on the AAP website. I am a firm believer that education is the key to our children’s safety. I know from experience that if I had been aware that furniture could tip, my daughter may still be with me. Please take into consideration adding furniture tip-over as an issue to be discussed during well-child visits from baby age throughout toddler and preschool years up to and including the late elementary school ages. Furniture tip-over is now considered one of the top five hazards for children listed by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. We can help prevent this type of tragedy.I believe that The Academy of Pediatrics can play an important role in helping to decrease the number of deaths and injuries associated with TV/furniture tip-over. Remember, education is the key in helping to protect our children.

I thank you for your time,
Judy Lambert
Katie Elise Lambert Foundation
www.katieeliselambert.org
Posted by Judy at 2:31 PM

VACATION and NO INTERNET!

I apologize so much for not keeping up with the blog for the past week. However, I had every intention of blogging while away for vacation using my laptop but my laptop had other plans...again. On the 2ND we took our two labs, Buddy and JD to the new pet hotel in Petsmart in Willow Grove to begin their one week of vacation. Poor things, I always feel so sad leaving my dogs anywhere and I feel terrible looking at the sad faces looking back at me wondering why...why? Dogs really don't understand that their owners will be back for them. All they probably are thinking is that "I've been left here and my humans don't love me anymore."
After many hugs we left our dogs and went home to pack the van and begin our week away. We headed to LBI, New Jersey and stayed very close to the ocean. The kids had a great time. The boys spent much of their time in the ocean riding the waves and staying clear of the jellyfish. S was a bit cautious of the ocean when she first saw it, and clung to my leg for the first several minutes of our encounter with it last Saturday. Soon I had her looking at seagulls and playing in the sand. I tried to get her to collect shells but she really had little interest in them. She would show me pieces of shells so I don't think she had quite grasped the idea of seashells just yet. We also watched a thunderstorm come rolling in as we were playing on the beach and when it got a bit too close, we headed back for the house. The lightening was beautiful as it lit up the entire night sky.
Storms always are better down at the shore...
I tried to blog several times but connection was choppy at best the first day or two and them completed lost the rest of the week. Big B went to the Internet cafe there to catch up on some work and I just looked with sadness at my laptop which was broken ...again.
We spent the next few days at the beach...until S got sick. She kept saying she was cold on Tuesday evening and I just assumed it was due to the ocean breeze. She was up several times that night, feeling very warm and the next day I went out to buy a thermometer. Her temp was 101.4 and she was complaining of a sore throat. Mom mom came down to visit that day, S slept on the beach and we took it easy the next couple of days. Big B took the boys Fluke fishing on Thursday while S and I drove to Kohl's to look for a new bathing suit for me. She still has been running a low grade fever but plays like she's not even sick.
Yesterday, our vacation came to a close too rapidly for my liking. None of us wanted to come back home and Big B and I could feel our stress levels rise as soon as we crossed the Tacony Palmyra Bridge into Philly. We assured the boys that if we could do it again, we would rent again next year.
Even though the vacation ended too soon, it is somewhat good to be back in our home not having to worry about things getting broken or the kids making too much noise. I slept well last night and I hear S waking as I type.
I hope you enjoy the pictures from our vacation and I promise to blog again soon.
Until the next time,
J

Happy Birthday Katie!

Summer 2004. My beautiful baby girl.


Christmas 2004

Christmas 2004. My Katie's last Christmas.

The following is a letter that I had written on what would have been my Katie's 4th birthday. Today.....she would have turned 7 years old. When reading the letter, my Katie was gone for just a few months. Today...3 1/2 years. I often wonder what she would have been doing if she were still with me...would she still be a tomboy or would she have turned to barbies and babies? Would she have liked to keep her hair long and would she be bugging her mommy to get her ears pierced ...what would she like to eat, or watch on TV....could she ride her bike, who would have been her friends.....Would she enjoy shopping with her mommy or want to play with frogs with her brothers.... What would she look like? Would she allow her mommy to still try to brush her hair...what would she say after I would kiss her goodnight....
These little things that many of us take for granted with our children....I will never know. my daughter died 3 1/2 years ago and the ache in my heart reminds me of what could have been..each and every moment of my life. I miss my baby and I hate that she is not here for us to sing Happy Birthday to her today. Instead, her brothers, sister and parents with sing in honor of her life tonight, remembering how special those short 3 1/2 years with her were. We miss you Katie. Fly free with the butterflies baby.

Letter written in 2005 on Katie's 4th birthday.

Itwas approximately 4 years and 7 months ago that I was given the most wonderful new that a woman could be given. That news…was that I was going to become a mother, a mommy, a mom, for the 3rd time. I remember feeling so happy, elated, so incredibly blessed to be carrying this little miracle inside of me.
For the next 7 months, I therefore tried to eat the right foods, play the right music for my growing baby, read the right stories and think relaxing thoughts---all for the good of my baby. I vividly remember Bob and I discussing quite frequently whether or not to have the sex of our baby disclosed to us. After our ultrasounds, we even asked my physician to write the sex on a piece of paper. I then stuck that folded piece of white paper deep inside my wallet – never to peek at the mysterious secret until months after my baby’s birth. Yes, it was a beautiful, busy and mysterious time.

And so the months of pregnancy crept by as I eagerly anticipated the arrival of my 3rd little miracle. We prepared a neutral-primary colored nursery with sponge-paintings of red, blue and yellow. Bob rebuilt our 2nd crib; I bought new sheets and baby blankets that fit the crib perfectly. And before we knew it, July 2001 rolled in and my 9 months of pregnancy were just about completed. I recall my physician asking me to choose a date for the planned cesarean section. I thought and I thought of which date may be good for a birthday and finally chose July 30th. Not exactly sure why I chose that date, but I did. And so our preparations were coming to a close. Diapers were bought, my suitcase was packed and we told our 2 little boys, Bobby and Evan that mommy was going to the hospital and soon they would be the proud big brothers to either a baby brother or baby sister.

I remember lying in the O.R. thinking, “wow, this is it!” The O.R> was really crowded that day. There were many nursing students present, several med, students, along with the normal nurses, anesthesiologist, nurse anesthetists, and my regular physician. Several of those present asked if we knew the sex of our baby and we responded proudly, “no.” We had wanted to be surprised. We proceeded to inform everyone that we had 2 little boys at home waiting for us and that whatever sex God gave to us, we would be happy---Please just let our baby be healthy.

Within a few minutes the doctors were busy doing their doctor thing, when before I knew it…a tiny cry emerged from the direction of my belly and I breathed an enormous sign of relief. Within a moment someone shouted, “it’s a girl!” A low roar then erupted from the delivery O.R> room. The joy, which emanated from each person witnessing this miracle of birth, was overwhelming. God had sent to us a baby girl! – A special, special baby girl. She had dark, brown hair and big brown eyes. We felt that she had completed our family. And our 3rd little miracle’s name? We chose Katie Elise….just because we liked it.

And so my baby girl was born. My child, one of life’s greatest loves, my daughter. I spent the next 3 ½ years getting to k now my daughter better not realizing what life events were to unfold. I watched in awe as this tiny, helpless infant grew into an independent one-of-a-kind toddler and then into a shy, beautiful preschooler. Her smile still radiates in my memory, her laughter echoes in my dreams. I am so proud to have spent 3 ½ years with my precious daughter. The joy that Kati gave to me from her birth until the present is immeasurable. NO words can describe the heartache which I feel each and everyday that she is not with me on this earth. The pain…I wish on no one.

My daughter has touched more lives in her 3 ½ short years than most of us will touch in a lifetime. I am so proud of you, my Katie. Mommy misses you and I wish you a happy 4th birthday. Fly free with the butterflies my angel! I love you!