My foray into the school fortress, and the winners of the Lularoe giveaway!

I unexpectedly had some time during the day after 埃维's doctor appointment last week, and decided to just bite the bullet and register her in the public school system for 学前班 (I know! I'm not ready yet either).

I had no idea. I had no idea the level of bureaucracy involved for 学前班. Just to get in the building was a challenge. I had to walk all the way around to find the ONE set of doors I could enter (totally smart to keep our children safe), and then buzz the doorbell to be let in by the security guard.

Then I had to wait for the administrators to finish chatting with each other before I could go in the office for 注册. Then the lady asked me if I had the birth certificate, utility bills, immunizations, physical, and license. I proudly and confidently said yes. Then she asked me if I had filled out the 注册 packet, and I felt deflated. She handed me a 15 page packet and told me to tell her when she was ready. I stood there and filled out the packet, frantically searching my phone for phone numbers and other info. I stated that 埃维's only language was English, remembering how my little brother had to take the TOEFL because my mom wrote on the form that his first language was Mandarin. I had to write on a blank piece of paper that I was officially requesting a special education 评价 for 埃维. The lady informed me that I would have to contact the 评价 office. I smiled in victory, saying that our service coordinator in 早期干涉 had already sent everything over. She looked surprised that I had dodged an extra step in her bureaucratic game, and acknowledged a point for me with a look of surprise. I finally finished the paperwork, and the lady buzzed around, doing her thing, and then I was sent to the school nurse to show her the immunizations and copy of the physical (thank you, Boston Childrens for having everything available to print on the portal!).

Walking through the high school to the school nurse's office felt surreal. This 70's-ish building felt like something off a movie set. I got lost, asked someone for directions, found my way across a skybridge, and then found the nurse's office. The nurse reviewed the papers, and informed me that I was missing the results of a lead test and a TB risk assessment test. I was given a business card with a fax number on it, and sent on my way.

I almost just went out the closest exit door. But then I realized that maybe this would trigger some kind of alarm. God forbid that I caused any trouble even before my child had entered the school system.

This probably seems like nothing to the veteran moms who have done this for their kids. But for a first-timer, it is the first step of a big adventure into the unknown. I am signing 埃维 up for a huge milestone full of unknowns. Will she walk by December? Will she need the nurse to give her milk through her 进料管? Will she have friends? And then there's the question of whether she will get the support she needs--occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech and language therapy, andvision (mobility) assistance, while being able to be included with her peers. It's a huge undertaking to get a child into school! I am thankful for the many parents who have gone before us, especially in the special ed arena, so that I can learn from their experiences.

In the meantime, I am just going to enjoy 埃维 before she becomes a little schoolgirl! My baby is growing up!

现在，宣布Lularoe赠品的获奖者！
特等奖：Kim W.
二等奖：克里斯蒂·L。
三等奖：Diana L.
I will e-mail you with more details about how to get your prizes! A huge thank you to Lularoe DressWell GiveWell for her generosity!

妈妈和我，我的痴迷和赠品！！

I'm not sure when it occurred to me that I could dress to match my daughter. I think maybe when I was looking back in old photo albums and remembered that my mom had sewed matching dresses for us to wear. I am not as handy with a sewing machine, so that was not an option.

However, the day that I saw such a thing as matching Mommy and Me leggings on a friend, that was the day that a monster was created. That monster is my obsession with matching clothes for me and 埃维.

In case anyone else has a Mini Me (and this doesn't apply just to daughters!), here are some good sources of matching clothes:

Jane.com
Jane.com regularly has specials on matching leggings, and usually for something like $7.99 per pair. They have really cute prints. I started with leggings, but then saw matching skirts and got those. Then I saw that they had matching Daddy ties and Daughter dresses, which I thought was adorable, but didn't get to them before they were sold out.

丽思精品酒店
My first few pairs of matching leggings was through 丽思精品酒店. They have a cute selection of prints that seem to change by the season. They also have other cute baby accessories. Ritz Boutique sometimes has special deals on jane.com.

炫耀The Ritz Boutique的Aztec印花

老海军
If you're on top of it and check frequently on the website, 老海军 often has matching or similar prints when they come out with the choices for the new season. They have an actual Mommy and Me site: http://www.oldnavy.com/products/mommy-and-me-outfits.jsp I still haven't found the perfect match, but they definitely have coordinating pieces.

Lularoe
This is where I essentially became obsessed. You can't beat the buttery softness of the Lularoe leggings. I was willing to overlook that and not spend the money, but then I found out I could get a matching pair for 埃维, and I couldn't say no. (Thanks, Jennie!) The thing that makes you obsessed is that they only make several thousand of each print, and then you can't get it anymore. So when you see a print that you want, you just HAVE to buy it, because you may never have the chance again! These leggings are only sold by private consultants through Facebook or pop-up shops.

情人节配套打底裤！

And now I'm not just looking for the leggings. Now I've discovered that Lularoe has matching dresses for mommies and daughters, and I they also sell shirts for boys with complimentary patterns!

The best part is, if you buy a Scarlett, which is the new dress model for girls (2T-12), they donate $1 to the National 唐氏综合症 Society because the owner of Lularoe has a granddaughter who's rocking the extra copy of the 21st chromosome!

Squinting in the sun, but showing off our matching Mommy and Me Scarlett and Nicole dresses!

埃维 wearing an Adeline and I'm wearing a coordinating Carly dress at the MA 唐氏综合症 Congress New Family Social!

One more thing about Lularoe. I'm happy to spend the money, because it helps to empower women (and some men) who want to have a small business (There is such a thing as a Lulabro!). In addition, I want to highlight a DressWell GiveWell， which is run by a friend in Austin, TX (Thanks for the intro, Julie!). DressWell GiveWell's vision is to partner with outstanding organizations who strategically give to those who come from abuse, neglect, or poverty, whether it's locally or internationally. If you are on Facebook, check out tLularoe为DressWell GiveWell工作！  请访问他们的网站： www.dresswellgivewell.com 进一步了解他们的业务和使命。

Gymboree
I have not found these yet, but apparently Gymboree makes Mommy and Me pajamas!

Macys
This takes some hunting, but it's possible to find some cute matching patterns! I was determined to find 埃维 and Erick a matching Easter outfit! I found Erick a nice Easter tie to match her dress. What do you think of this combo?

我在全世界最喜欢的人

I want to say that no matter what clothes 埃维 wears, she is beautiful! I am thankful for the friends and family around us who constantly tell us that they agree. I can't believe that when we first found out that she had 唐氏综合症, that I was worried about whether or not she would be cute. She is even more perfect than I ever imagined.

好的，给时间！
DressWell GiveWell has generously offered to do a giveaway with us!
特等奖： 1 matching set that will be either matching leggings or matching Mommy and me dresses, depending on size availability to match the winner. (This is optimally for a mommy-daughter set, not for mommy-son set.)
二等奖： 1对惊喜成人护腿
三等奖： 1对惊喜小童绑腿
To enter, please comment on the blog (not on my Facebook wall) where you would wear your matching outfits! Entries will not be taken after midnight on Saturday, May 6. Winner will be picked on Saturday, May 6 by 10 pm! (Be sure to include contact info!)

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