Gratitude

How do you say thank you for a life changing gift? How do you convey the emotions related to a gift that will bring your child joy for the rest of her years? Gratitude.

This past Wednesday, most of the individuals involved in creating Caleigh's pool came to our house to see the final product and to meet Caleigh. It was a cold and dreary day; the rain had stopped just long enough for the get together to happen. We gathered by the pool and the story of how Caleigh's pool came to be was told. The pool was blessed and then everyone huddled in for a photo.

Everybody was in and out fairly quickly. When everyone had gone and the house was once again quiet; we felt as though it just wasn't enough. Nothing we can say or do will ever be a big enough thank you. The Claffey family and their partners are amazing, humble and truly wonderful people. To see a little girl that wants nothing more than to swim; to take that wish and make it easily come true is just phenomenal to our family. Even though the pool is in and done, we still peek out into our backyard in total disbelief. It still doesn't seem real sometimes.

Over the nine weeks that the project took to complete; we were excited about each and every step. We absolutely enjoyed each area of the construction process. The anticipation for Caleigh was huge. It still is, and I guarantee that she will be excited each time she is able to swim. Our lives will never be the same again. Forever changed for the better. Forever joyful.

Once again a HUGE Thank You to the loving Claffey Pools Family and these wonderful partners that donated their services to Caleigh's pool.

Charlie Claffey
Brian Claffey
Shelley Claffey-Broder
Paul and Barbara Claffey
Mac's Excavating
Maddox Steel & Plumbing
Prestige Gunite
Gustavo Martin Tile & Coping
Alliance Materials
Avery Irrigation
Kel-Tex
Southwestern Plumbing
Pebble Technology
Zodiac Pool Systems
A & B Plaster
Mackie Electric
Kids Matter International

A special thanks, as well, to Caleigh's Mimi, Pop, Grammie and Grampa for all that you do to help with Caleigh and did do with the pool preparations. We couldn't do this without you.

Everything we do should be a result of our gratitude for what God has done for us. -Lauryn Hill

Caleigh's Pool - Week Nine - Completion

Day 29 - Manual vacuum, Rocks sealed and Clarity added 1-16-12
The manual vacuuming wasn't getting all of the fine plaster particles so a product called Clarity was added to the water and the filtration system was turned back on. The rocks were also treated on this day. We will have to seal the natural rocks at least once a year to protect them from the saltwater.

Day 30 - Chemistry Checked 1-17-12

Day 31- Deck wash, salt added and saltwater pump started 1-18-12
Something isn't working right on the saltwater pump. We are waiting on a repair at this time.

Day 32- Fill line and irrigation adjusted, Heater repaired and started, Saltwater training, Signed off 1-19-12
They had to put a new transformer on the heater. We are thinking there was a power surge at some point that caused the heater and saltwater pump some issues. When they were done, we started the heater in hopes of swimming the next day. The temperature was going to be about 75 degrees so we set the heater at 85 degrees.

That night we dipped our toes and talked about swimming the next day. Caleigh was kicking and squealing. She was so excited.

Day 33- Grass laid, Lift plumbing re-routed, Backyard prep and 1st Dip 1-20-12
Eric re-routed the plumbing line that will go to Caleigh's pool lift when it is installed. The lift will by hydro-powered, so some fresh water plumbing was involved to get it set up. We are looking at probably getting the lift installed this summer.

The landscaping company came back and laid more grass to areas around the pumps and by the new fence.

By the time all of that was done, it was almost 5 o'clock in the afternoon. The pool water was 85 degrees and you could hear the gas meter hissing from the street. I would say this was Caleigh's first dip, not so much swim. We only lasted maybe 30 minutes.

The water was chilly in spots and we learned a good lesson about heating the pool. Turn off the waterfalls, so that the warm water is flowing directly into the body of the pool and not losing it's momentum in the air.

It wasn't ooh la la comfortable, but had we swam a few hours earlier when the sun was higher, I think it would have been perfect. Caleigh was no doubt excited to finally get in, although she agreed it wasn't summertime splashing fun.

There is a lot of fine tuning that we need to figure out as far as the heating system goes. We've heard a lot of "comfortable" temperatures to set it at, i.e. 85. We've also heard a lot of times to heat the pool for, i.e. 10-12 hours. I think we will just have to test it out, see and hope that we don't rack up a huge electric and gas bill at the same time. The pool heater is mostly to extend our swimming season. So for Texas this most likely means March - early December.

Our next dip in the pool isn't in the foreseeable future, or at least the 10 day forecast. We've decided that it needs to be at least 75 degrees outside, preferably 80 before Caleigh's muscles will be comfortable enough in the water. The wind has a lot to do with how comfortable the experience is as well. We've downloaded a weather app on the iPad so that Caleigh can track the possible next swim.

It was 75 degrees yesterday, but the winds were kicking in around 20-30 mph. It would have been miserable. So instead of swimming we hung out on the deck and I painted Caleigh's toe nails in the warm air while Eric worked on the never ending landscaping tasks.

That's it. The construction is complete. Caleigh's been in the pool. It's done. Never in a million years could we express just how special this pool is for Caleigh. We have a get together planned for everyone involved with Caleigh's Pool this coming week. Somehow we will try to show our immense gratitude for this amazing gift.

Edit: Because I always get a ton of comments and emails, this is the neck float that we use for Caleigh. We use the large size. Waterway Babies

Teaching Her

I've been Caleigh's official teacher for almost two weeks now. I almost feel like this is the beginning, but really I've been teaching her for years now. The only difference is a more intense curriculum, record keeping and an official title for me.
Homeschool mom.

Let me talk about that title. It scared me to death. Mainly because I feel like I do not fit into this category. I wasn't one to grow up wanting to be my child's teacher. I didn't know the moment I got pregnant that homeschooling was for me. The only plan that I had was to stay home with my child until she/he started school. As in, out the door at a school...learning.

From my reading and research there are three different kinds of homeschool parents (my opinion here.) The ones that always knew they would teach their children even before their birth. The ones that started teaching their toddler, loved it and continued on. And the ones that had their child in a school system, didn't like the situation, for one reason or another, and decided to withdraw their child. Disabled child or not, that is what I have found.

With our case we fall in-between. Maybe that is the disability route? We kept Caleigh at home with a central line during her first year of would be starting PPCD. Her health was our concern. I started a day by day casual pre-k unit program. Then we were full steam ahead when she turned 4. She was central line free and at a point that we felt she could handle the exposures. We yo-yo'd if you will. We attended meeting after meeting. We attended preschool with Caleigh for over two weeks. Health concerns and teaching concerns just didn't fit. It wasn't right for our daughter. So here I am, homeschool mom.

Basically, I fought what I knew was right all along. I fought, what is still to this day socially "different." Maybe I wanted to fit in with the normal path that parents take. Maybe I was concerned that the professionals that work with Caleigh would think we were bucking the system. Maybe this was my last holdout of "My Plan" as a parent. Maybe I wanted Caleigh to have the school experience that Eric and I had. The stereotypes in my mind were pretty ingrained as well. The long hair and skirts, the large families, the evangelical christian co-op groups. It was hard for me to see myself in those stereotypes, but that's just what they are, stereotypes. They aren't always the truth, and so what if they are, differences make the world go round.

After I got over my issues and started focusing on Caleigh, all of my worries disappeared. I let go. At this point I wish that I hadn't put Caleigh through starting and stopping school. Although, hindsight is always 20/20; our experience by no means leaves us with "what if" questions. We already know the answers.

Today I attended our last ARD meeting. This meeting was set to go over the fact that our school district was denying Caleigh home bound education. They feel that their schools can accommodate "Caleigh's chronic diarrhea." Obviously we disagree with this. Mostly that "chronic diarrhea" is not really the issue here. They had missed the mark....again. It was a very short meeting. The home bound coordinator and teacher failed to show up....again. The coordinator participated over the phone after being called. This meeting was easier for me than the others because I was resolved to homeschool my child. I wasn't expecting anything from these people and I wasn't having to fight for anything. I felt no need to hash everything out. We're done. D-O-N-E.

Now on to the fun stuff, teaching her.

These past few weeks have been a lot of fun for both Caleigh and I. Our curriculum consists of just about every subject. Caleigh is doing 3rd grade math and actually gets a little annoyed with me sometimes because it is still pretty easy for her. I thought the mathematics load would be too much for her just because of fine motor skills, but she has proved me wrong. I've also started with the basics as far as phonics goes just so that I know that we have covered everything. She is doing some easy readers by herself while we are reviewing blending and letter sounds. I feel like I've been reading non-stop. Caleigh asks to read her library books and school books all the time. We've read through chapter books and re-read favorites. She has always loved to be read to, but it has really picked up since starting.

For holidays and special events we will do a unit study. Monday we talked about Martin Luther King JR a lot. We did a brown and white egg comparison. Caleigh spelled out on her iPad what was the same and what was different between the two eggs. We watched MLK's famous "I Have a Dream" speech on YouTube, and Caleigh watched the full 17 minutes of it intently. Having a child with a disability makes Mr. King's speech take on a whole new meaning for me personally. We also read a really good library book on the subject.

Our schedule is so flexible with teaching this way. Caleigh took a 3 hour nap the other day. She needed it and I was able to let her do that. A full day at a school couldn't offer such rest. It works perfectly with Caleigh's therapy schedule and doctors appointments. We also start art class back up tomorrow morning. By the time Caleigh is ready to go to bed we have completed everything that I had scheduled. So far so good.

You know that feeling of complete and total acceptance in your decisions? Confidence. The feeling deep down in your gut? I now have it. It's a good place to be.

Caleigh's Pool - Week Eight

Day 25 - Power wash rocks 1-9-12
We got several inches of rain this day. They came out and power washed the rocks, brushed and cleaned out the leaves in the pouring rain.

Day 26 - Masonry rock repair and start-up chemical check 1-11-12
There were a few rocks that needed to be repaired and reattached. The start-up process is a three visit schedule. This was the second visit.

Day 27 - Start-up chemical completion and Landscaping 1-12-12
To finalize the start-up chemical process, they clean out the filters and make any adjustments necessary.





Day 28 - Training Day 1-13-11
Eric and I bundled up Caleigh, she chose her stander, babies and music; and then we headed outside for our pool training.

Meet Becky.... Caleigh's new pool cleaner.
Most families name their pool robot. I remember a friend's from when I was a kid, The Octopus. So when we asked Caleigh what she wanted to name her new pool cleaner she spelled out Becky. Becky is a Polaris 480 Pro....and apparently female.

During our training we learned about the filtration systems, chemical balances and when everything needs to be cleaned and replaced.

The water in the pool is still very dirty. You can't even see the bottom right now. The landscaping is now covering the loose dirt. So that should help out a lot. We've put something called Alum into the water and shut off the filtration as of this morning. Alum puts a thin layer on the water. Once the filters are turned off the Alum sinks to the bottom of the pool taking all the dirt with it. Tomorrow they will come in and manually vacuum out the bottom of the pool.

By the end of next week the saltwater system, heater and chemical balances will be turned over to us. Today, January 15th, is supposed to be 70 degrees. We are hoping the unseasonably warm weather continues its pattern.

Caleigh's Pool - Week Seven

Day 20 - Dirt Work and Final Water Pump Out 1-2-12
Eric and Grampa spent the afternoon cleaning up the fence area and adding more dirt to spots that needed it.

That same day, the leaves and dirty water were pumped out of the shell for the final time.

Day 21 - Final City Inspection 1-3-12

Day 22 - Plaster 1-4-12
Pebble Sheen Aqua Blue



Day 23 - Plaster pressure washed, buffed and Water Filled 1-5-12

We started filling the pool with water somewhere between 10-11am.
Caleigh had her last chance to stand in the bottom of the pool with Daddy.

She was so incredibly hyped this day. We kept going outside to check the progress. She couldn't take a nap and told us that she felt "excited."

The weather was beautiful and unseasonably warm. We spent most of the afternoon outside soaking it up.

There was still quite a bit to go by the time Caleigh was ready for bed.

Eric stayed up and finally turned the water off around 1am. Our estimate on water gallons is about 8900 give or take a shower or two. By the next morning the pool was full and gorgeous.

Day 24 - Pump and Chemical Start Up, Gas Meter and Mastic 1-6-12
The pumps were fired up and the start up chemicals were added to the water. The chemicals made the water cloudy and changed the overall color a bit.

Since the final city inspection was complete, the gas meter was ready to be installed.

On the decking, there was foam inserted in the joints when it was laid. On this day, they applied mastic to those joints. We weren't allowed to step on these areas for 24 hours.

For the next 14 days the pumps will run 24 hours. We will also be brushing the plaster twice a day to loosen up any debris and push it towards the main drains. Today, I quickly learned that the simple task of brushing is quite the workout.

There is still a lot of little things that need to be done before Caleigh's actual first swim. Now that there is water in the pool, Caleigh asks to go swimming at least twice a day. Little things that she can participate in seem to help the growing anticipation.

The next two weeks will hold all the finishing touches.

Christmas Recap 2011

This year Caleigh's Christmas had one theme and one theme only.
Babies.

Meet Baby Abby. Santa pulled through and brought Caleigh the exact doll she asked for. Dolls galore, puzzles, swim stuff and books dominated the unwrapping this year.

Some of the baby dolls Caleigh received already had names. The ones that didn't quickly got named. Some of the names Caleigh spelled out for her new dolls were: Elle (Swimming Baby) Gail (Elf on the Shelf) and Daleigh (pronounced Daylee).

Overall, it was a good Christmas. I know I say this every year, but each holiday gets better and better with Caleigh. She understands and grasps more about the traditions. She participates more now that she is using her iPad and quite honestly people are listening to her more often too.

Caleigh will name off the babies that she wants to play with. This particular day she asked for them all by name and then slowly but surely pushed them all off of her tray.

With Eric's work schedule we were up checking out what Santa brought at 5am this year. Caleigh was in a bit of a sleep fog the whole time. We made memories, took photos and opened presents in just enough time for Eric to make it to work. Caleigh took a 3 hour nap that day!

I got a new lens for my DSLR. It's more of an art type lens, but I like the dreamy effects. I've got some plans for it. Maybe this new year will give me the time I need for my art. Just Maybe....

Caleigh would play with babies all day if I let her. I like to think there is imaginative play happening while she is wiggling around on the floor or chewing on them while in one of her many pieces of equipment. Either way this is her favorite spot right now.

The Gray family is in organization mode now that the holidays are over. We are working toward a fresh and organized beginning to our official homeschool start and the completion of Caleigh's backyard oasis. This Christmas flew by, but I definitely know a little girl that will be counting down till next year.