Saturday December 5th, 2015

The reason we hung out on a Saturday was because of the Holiday gala at the YWCA. There was crafts, snacks, pictures with Santa and more. Although Lilly wasn't that enthused with any of it she did make a few crafts. They had this cute little booth where one could make a pair of mittens with foam stickers and then pick a real pair from the tree. I thought this was the cutest idea. We were at the Y for about an hour and a half and then Lilly got bored so it was on to the next thing. Lilly's birthday is tomorrow so I took her to get her nails done. She wanted fake nails put on and every place claimed she was too young. Usually soon to be eight year olds don't get fake nails put on but I am not her mom, I can't tell her no. It took us roughly an hour to even find a place that allowed fake nails to be on someone so young. Once we finally found the place, being a Saturday, there was a line out the door. We decided to wait because we really had no choice. I sat in a big massaging chair and Lilly did for awhile to but finally got called for her turn. While waiting for a pot to open, we watched 2 movies, Bridesmaids and then they played a Disney movie, Tangled. I was glad that they had movies playing because it gave Lilly something to do while we waited. Finally, after two and a half long hours, Lilly got called for her turn. She went into the salon thinking that she wanted pink and purple nails; however, she came out with red sparkly nails. They looked super cute on her! The ladies at the nail salon asked if I was her sister and I explained to her my relationship to her. This lady getting her nails done was thrilled when she heard my explanation. She told me that what I was doing was great and told Lilly that she was one lucky little girl. This made me feel so good about my time with Lilly because someone else recognized what I was doing. After Lilly's nails were complete, we headed home. The nail salon took a lot longer than we both intended but it was fine, she was so happy.
A long and crazy 5.5 hours took place today between the Gala at the Y and the nail salon
For a total of: 28.5

Thursday November 19th, 2015

Since Lilly is part fish I think, we decided to go swimming at the YWCA again. She absolutely loves swimming but I cannot blame her. Swim starts 7:30 and Lilly didn't want me to wait that long to pick her up so I decided to pick her up at 5 after we both ate dinner. Lilly showed me her room and toys because she got a new stuffed animal. I talked with her siblings and her mom and then Lilly showed me her swimsuit that a relative bought for her in Las Vegas. It was a cute suit, it reminded me of the ones I used to wear, the bright and wild colors and patterns. We got to the Y extra early but it was fine because there is so much to do there. It like a kiddie paradise. We played on yoga balls, we played tag, hide n go seek, we colored and read books. She read me some books about Halloween and I was very impressed with her reading. She is a strong reader. After several games of tag and balancing on yoga balls, it was finally time to free swim. I unfortunately took my swimsuit home to wash it and forgot all about so I had to sit on the edge of the pool. I still participated just as much as I would have in the pool. I took videos on my phone of Lilly jumping into the water and then she'd climb out and watch them and then make me take another one. We played across the pool with a giant beach ball and I threw sinking toys into the water to see how fast Lilly could go retrieve them. Family swim is only an hour and it went by all too quickly. Before we knew it we had to exit the pool. I waited for Lilly to shower and brush her hair and then she wanted to drive this little car around the upstairs gym for the last half an hour before the YWCA closes. Lilly has the hours of the YWCA down to a science so she knew she had just enough time to drive around the gym. It was a successful trip, better than last week so I felt better. I dropped her off at her house but couldn't leave until I met some of her little cousins who were there. They are all around Lilly's age so she has lots of friends who happen to be family too.
Lilly reminded me consistently that her birthday was during the next month (December) and she requested that I get her a pair of pink cowgirl boots. Don't tell her but I ordered her a pair of pink cowgirl boots, I hope she likes them!
Hours today: 4.5
For a total of: 23 hours 

Friday, November 13th, 2015

I switched it up and picked Lilly up on a Friday this time. I had an event to attend on Thursday and although Lilly was sad, she went along with our date being on Friday. My intended idea was to take Lilly to get a physic reading done on Cortland campus. We both agreed that it would be something fun for us to do. However, plans changed really quick when we learned that there was a waiting list and Lilly was too young anyways. I felt so bad because we were both looking forward to it and I didn't have a backup plan. The best thing I could come up with was to go to the Student Life Center and play some of the arcade games. I was unsure if they would let me take Lilly in there but I figured it was worth it. Turns out they guy working the desk didn't care anyways and let us all in. We played air hockey, and other typical carnival games. Since there are only three different types of games in the upstairs, she got bored with it pretty quickly. We walked a few laps around the track and then Lilly's mom ended texting me anyways asking if Lilly was coming home for dinner soon. I got lucky this time that I ended up taking Lilly home earlier than usual because I didn't know what else there was to do. From today, I learned that I need to always have a working plan B in case plan A fails. I felt really bad that this time with Lilly was boring for her but I promised her more fun next time.
Hours today: 1.5
For a total of: 18.5 hours 

Thursday, November 5th, 2015

Last time I went to pick up Lilly she and her sister Bri had their swimsuits ready to go swim but I broke them the news that we weren't actually going swimming. This being, I decided to go swimming with them today. I knew that I shouldn't be taking Bri along but once again, I couldn't say no. I knew all too well that Bri would want to come. Once I arrived I made the climb up the steps of their new apartment! The family had moved literally to the house next to their old one but this apartment was bigger. Even though this apartment was located in a little different spot, I still felt unsafe when picking/ dropping them up/ off. I was hoping that my feelings of safety would change; however, they remained the same.
Lilly and Bri dug what swimsuits they could find out of the moving bags. Lilly ended up only finding a swim top so she grabbed a pair of her brother's shorts- too funny. They grabbed their shower towels and Lilly explained to me that they were only allowed to use one towel per week so her and her brother shared one.
Family swim at the YWCA was not until 7:30 pm so this was special because usually I am returning them around this time. We grabbed what we needed and headed to the pool!
On the way to the Y, Lilly and Bri told me all about their Halloween fun. The girls went Trick-or-Treating with their cousins and some family friends. They both got lots of candy.
Once in the YWCA, there were specific things to do to check into swimming hours. Since I had never done this before Bri and Lilly helped me through it while occasionally arguing over what next. Whatever Bri did, she signed us up for something in which my total was $9. I asked if it was that much for Bridges for Kids members and the lady exclaimed that it wasn't. Thankfully, because I did not have any cash on me. We changed unto our bathing suits and headed to the water.
The pool at the Y is nice, it is long rather than wide and is heated, thankfully. Lilly and Bri jumped in while I slowly waded in. There were quite a few people in the pool, including; young boys who were rowdy, a family that did not speak English, a mother and her mentally disabled daughter and then an elderly woman swimming laps. There was quite a large crowd but they had forgiveness for the silly, upbeat kids. I showed Lilly and Bri some of my favorite pool games from summer camps, some of which are dibble, colors and the classic Marco Polo. The girls enjoyed hitting a beach ball around the whole entire pool room. I have to give the Y credit because they are so accepting for the kids, they really cater to them.
Swim was only 7:30 to 8:30 so before we knew it we had to clear the pool. Lilly and Bri made sure to be the last ones out and were thrilled when the lifeguard asked them to dive down and retrieve a sunken toy. Of course, they "accidentally" dropped it a few times on the way to the steps.
We changed our clothes and the girls were not thrilled at the fact that it was almost time to go. So, they proposed the idea to go play in the gym until the Y closed at 9. They outsmarted me, they know everything about the Y so I couldn't say no. I texted their mom to ask if it was alright and she responded with an "I don't care," so off to the gym it was.
We shot hoops and I tried to teach Lilly how to make it in more since she was missing a lot compared to Bri. Bri didn't help because of sibling rivalry, I was there once so I know how it goes. Once 9 hit, a staff member came up and made sure we shut the lights off properly and off it was. We headed back to the girls house, as I promised we would swim again.
I dropped them off and was expecting a hug from Lilly or something, but barely even got a good-bye. Subway's subs were waiting on the table and I just couldn't compare to that. I told Lilly I would see her in exactly one week!

Hours today: 2.5
Hours at South China Sea Presentation: 2
for a total of: 17 hours 

Thursday, October 29th, 2015

Halloween excitement is in the air! Lilly is being a girl from Candyland, her costume consists of a colorful dress with lollipops all over it. Trick-or-Treating is taking place in the dorms tonight and although we were planning on swimming, Trick-or-Treating is better. When I picked Lilly up she was in her mom's car getting her swimsuit out of it. I immediately warned her that the plans were changing and that we were going to dress and get candy and then hand some out. Lilly was thrilled at this idea and she dropped her swimsuit and swimming thoughts to go get her halloween costume. I told Christina what the plan was and she handed me all the parts to Lilly's costume that Lilly was forgetting. Bri overheard candy and wanted to join and I didn't have the heart to tell her no. Sara E. from the YWCA, said that it is best to have one-on-one interactions with your child because that is the whole point of the organization. I took Bri along anyways, she was dressed up as a zombie bride. We got to the dorm a little late because it took forever for Bri and Lilly to change and then they ended up forgetting important pieces of their costumes that I had to turn around for. Being that we were already late I parked my car in the 15 minute parking, knowing that I would be a lot longer than 15 minutes. I hoped I wouldn't get a ticket but the girls were just too anxious to drive around and find a spot. We got into the hall, Hendrick hall, and there was all sorts of activities set up for the kids to do. It was incredible! Bri and Lilly started off by drawing pictures on big cut out pumpkins, and drinking apple cider. There were donuts hanging from strings that the kids had to nibble off. Lilly and Bri promised me that if I did it first that they would do it right behind me. So, I went first and got white powdered donut all over my chin. Bri didn't go at all, she broke her promise because she said she didn't want to get food all over. Lilly said she would do it but she couldn't reach it so I picked her up and she ate the donut off. There were so many cute kids in the room. We played pin the bow on the skeleton and then it was time to go on our tour for candy!
Walking around the halls, I couldn't tell if people knew that I was with Lilly and Bri or if I was just walking around. Despite whether they knew or not, everyone smiled and I could tell that Lilly and Bri were having lots of fun. We got back to my "house" and both girls immediately dumped all of their candy out on the floor to compare and contrast who got what. They counted and organized their candy, every now and then they would trade one another for a specific kind. This reminded me of when my brother and I were younger, we would fight over candy and who had more.
In between trading candies, trick-or-treaters would come to our door and ask for candy. Bri and Lilly made little bowls of candy and let the kids pick which they wanted. It was so fun to see the different costumes and just in general, the people. I got to see more of the types of people who live in Cortland. I had fun people watching and costume judging. After the candy dispute was settled, Lilly had a contest with herself to see if she could jump up on my high bed. I didn't support her climbing all over my begin her sneakers but didn't stop her either. Bri had fun drawing bat pictures. I taught her how to draw a bat and she tried to replicate it. The kids stopped coming around 6:00 pm and I let Bri and Lilly take the rest of the leftover candy. We watched Casper the Ghost for awhile and then I took them home. I enjoyed Trick-or-Treating with them and I think they did too! It was another fun night.

Hours today: 3
For a total of: 12.5

Thursday, October 22nd, 2015

Earlier this day I was at Walmart with my roommate wondering what Lilly and I could do together later. As I walked through the baking aisle I remembered how much Lilly loved to bake. I decided to get cookies for us to bake later and then frosting to decorate with. I picked out the "Easy Bake" sugar cookies that aren't from scratch but it was as good as I could find. I picked out purple frosting because I knew this was Lilly and my favorite color. After Walmart, my roommate, Dana and I went to pick up Lilly. When I pulled up to Lilly's house, I noticed Christina's car wasn't in the driveway but figured they were still home. I knocked on the door but there was no answer. Whenever I go to pick up/drop off Lilly I always like to get into the apartment quickly, I don't like standing in the hallway. In all honesty, I get a little scared being alone in her apartment building. So when there was no response after the first few knocks, I opened the door a little. The door was unlocked but no one came to the door so I walked back down to my car so I was not alone. I met Christian and his 'big brother' half way down the steps. I asked Christian where everyone was and he said he didn't know but he wasn't going upstairs alone if there was no one waiting in the apartment. I asked his mentor if he knew anything and then Christina pulled up. Christina said there was an incident at school that held the kids late. They would be there soon but until then we could only wait. My roommate texted me from my car asking where Lilly was and what was going on. Dana had never met Lilly before. Eventually the school bus pulled up and Lilly waved to me from the bus window. She basically ran off the bus with Bri in tow. I over heard Lilly yell to a friend, "That's my big sister!" It made me smile and warmed my heart when she called me her big sister. I could tell that she was super excited to see what we had planned.

Lilly hugged me right away and whispered in my ear "I see you have a friend with you," I laughed and said that Dana was my roommate and Lilly got very anxious to go meet her. Lilly ran her school bag upstairs and we headed off to my dorm. Lilly doesn't call them dorm rooms, instead she calls them houses. We arrived in the dorm and Lilly was very fascinated. She loved scanning my ID card to get in and out of the halls. She also enjoyed using the key to open my "house" door. We got the necessary baking items, but I soon realized that I had forgotten most of them o didn't have access to them. Baking in a dorm is not nearly as simple as it is at home. Anyways, Lilly and I mixed together the ingredients and balled dough onto the trays. We put the cookies in and it was on to the next game/activity.

Lilly took immediate liking to the pool table in the lounge. We rolled the balls back and forth and she laughed whenever she made it in a cup. Once the pool table got boring, I suggested we get games out of mine and Dana's room. Lilly asked if she could use the key to open the door, and of course I let her. She loved doing something so simple, which made me feel relaxed. We played with Jenga blocks; however, we didn't play by the rules. Something I have learned is, kids rarely play by the rules, they make their own and I didn't have the heart to tell her no. The cookies were done and we frosted them and added an excess amount of sprinkles. I allowed her to take the rest home, I knew her family would enjoy them more than just Dana and I. After we packed up the cookies, it was dark and I hadn't gad dinner yet so I suggested we leave. Lilly suggested one more Jenga game including Dana so we did. After, I dropped her off at home. Whenever I drop Lilly off, she never really says good-bye, she is usually over taken by the fast food dinner waiting for her or her sister. I always say "Bye Lilly" and get no response from Lilly or her mother.

While at the dorm with Lilly I loved how everyone came in and visited her. They all wanted to meet her and know more about her. Some people thought she was my sister, and although she refers to me as her big sister, we aren't by blood (who cares though). I had fun in the dorm and I know she had more. I think she really enjoys seeing the "houses" and getting attention from older kids.

Hours today: 2.5
For a Total of: 9.5 hrs.

Problem/Solution Project in Relation to my Time with Lilly

For our Problem/Solution Project we started off with the idea of enhancing Cortland with parks, statues, and gardens. Although it morphed into just focusing on gardens, it still relates to my time with Lilly. A community garden is a wonderful way to spend time with a kid, it teaches them so many different attributes. Lilly and I could spend time together at the garden. I am sure Lilly would love it, especially on a nice day. Even if it was more than just a garden, such as parks and hiking trails, Lilly would love it too. She has a nice bike, that just got 2 new tires on it, I am positive she would love to ride it.
In relation to the gardens, I asked Lilly what she thought of gardening and she said it would be fun. If Lilly thinks that gardening would be entertaining than I am sure other kids, older and younger than Lilly would be just as thrilled. Hopefully, the current garden will continue to grow and we can plot a second community garden somewhere else in Cortland.

Thursday, October 15th, 2015

Today I picked Lilly up at our normal time, 4:00 pm. She was waiting right at the door and when I opened it she greeted me with a smile. I told her mom that we would be back soon, but it wasn't to her concern. I decided to take Lilly to the YWCA today to make Halloween themed crafts. We marched up to Sara's office and I allowed Lilly to grab whatever crafts she wanted. She had a handful of stickers, paper and a marker box. I grabbed whatever she missed. We do crafts in a specific room in the YWCA. The room holds a summer camp and day camp for holidays when kids don't have school but parents have work. The room is full of blocks, crafts, toys and books. There is even a piano in there that caught Lilly's interest. I set all of the crafts down on the table and played music from my phone. Just to be safe I played KIDZ BOP and Lilly enjoyed singing along. I would say Lilly sat down and did crafts for probably 10 minutes and then it was on to something else. I was enjoying coloring a ghost but didn't mind doing something else. Lilly loved playing the piano, she made me sit and watch her for a good 20 minutes. In all honesty I was getting a little bored but we mixed it up by playing with these large balls. We drew on the chalkboard an then it was on to bigger and better things. We headed to the gym where there is a closet full of balls, hockey sticks, bowling balls and pins, little bikes and even a little car. Lilly had more fun exploring this closet and pulling out whatever toys she could. We got out the car, some balls and hockey sticks and made a course that she could drive around. She had to "stop" and get gas or "stop" at stop lights. Every now and then I would throw a ball her way and she had to brake. We had a lot of fun and laughs throwing balls and bean bags back and forth at each other. After 2 hours at the YWCA, I told her it was time to go home. She asked, "One more time around in the car?" I couldn't say no so I let her. One more turn ended up being 5 more times but that's okay. I took her home and she asked what we would do next. I thought it would be fun to show her the dorms, or what she calls "houses inside one big house". I gave Lilly a hug and promised I would see her in exactly one week.

Hours today: 2.5
For a total of: 7 hrs. 

Thursday, October 8th, 2015

Today I picked Lilly up from her house. I walked up the second floor where their apartment is. Lilly's brother, Christian, opened the door. At first, Christian was unsure of who I was and closed the door. Once I said "Hi Lilly" he let Lilly get the door, he wasn't going to open it again. Lilly opened the door   with another large smile on her face. Once I went in the apartment I asked Lilly what it was that she wanted to do that day. I gave her the option of riding bikes and getting ice cream, or mini golfing and getting ice cream. Christina explained that Lilly was waiting on new bike tires before she could ride bikes so mini golfing it was. I told Lilly's mom what we are doing and how long we would be but Christina didn't seem to mind how long we were gone.

Lilly and I headed off to A&W to mini golf. She climbed into my car and I almost forgot I had to check to make sure she was buckled up. I am not used to having to check to make sure my passenger(s) are buckled. Lilly knew her way around the booster seat and buckled up just fine, I verified it. As I drove I checked in my review mirror to make sure Lilly was alright. Every now and then I caught her checking the very back of my SUV, possibly for anything fun or interesting. We talked about school and Halloween. I definitely want to take her Trick-or-Treating on one of the nights. Halloween is such a fun time of year and want to share it with her. Maybe she can come to the dorms when they give out candy to younger kids. I bet she would feel cool if she got to hand out candy with us after making a round to get our own candy. Anyways, we went to A&W to mini golf. She seemed thrilled at this idea and was even more thrilled upon arrival. Lilly said how she'd been mini golfing once before with her Nana but it had been awhile.

Once we got into it, Lilly did well. Her swing was a little crazy because she basically did a full golf swing but once she watched me a few times it calmed down a little. Lilly had more fun watching me from the other end of the hole than she did putting the ball. She enjoyed watching where my ball ended up and how close it was to the whole. At times she hit my ball in or closer to the hole for me. it was cute to watch her. On the 18th hole, Lilly wondered where the ball went and I had to break it to her that it disappears into the shack where the worker will pick it up for someone else to use. Lilly was disappointed and asked why there couldn't be 20 holes of golf.

After mini golfing we went to Foote Freeze and got ice cream. she knew just what she wanted, coffee ice cream on a cone with rainbow sprinkles and that is exactly what she got! We sat together at picnic table and ate ice cream and talked. Ants were crawling all over the table and she blew them off. Ice cream was all over her face...reminded me of my brother, except he is 16! Lilly got cold at one point and so I went to my car which was just across the lot to get her coat. I remember Sara telling me not to take my eyes of the kid because they won't stay in one spot so I checked on Lilly. She was standing up facing me so I asked her if she was planning to hide from me (thinking that is what i would be doing) but she just said "No, I was going to dance!" I felt bad for wrongly accusing her and assured it her it was okay to dance whenever she wanted to!

After we left the ice cream store, Lilly asked "What's next?" Since it had already been an hour and a half I thought time was up and dinner was around the corner. I parked outside her house and walked into the building with her where her older sister, Brianna, was doing laundry. Brianna was struggling so I helped her do the family's laundry. After, I walked Lilly up the stairs and told them I would be back next Thursday a little after 4:00 pm. Next time I plan to bring cat treats for all the stray cats that hang in and around the building. Overall, my first date with Lilly was fun and I look forward to next Thursday. I am thinking next time we will make Halloween crafts and possibly swim all at the YWCA. Will post after!

Hours Today: 2
For a Total of: 4.5

Meeting Lilly

Today was the first time I met Lilly and her family. I met Sara at the YWCA and we drove in her car to Lilly's place which is near downtown Cortland. Lilly has two siblings that live with her in the apartment. I met Brianna who is in fifth grade but unfortunately didn't meet Christian, who is Lilly's brother. I also met Christina, Lilly's mom. The family members I met today were sweet people and I could tell there was lots of love under their roof. Upon arrival, Lilly seemed thrilled that Sara was there with a mentor (me) in close tow. Lilly opened the door with a huge smile on her face. Not just any smile though, the biggest smile full of half grown in teeth. I miss those days- waiting for my tooth to fall out so it could be replaced with an "adult" tooth. Lilly and I started talking immediately. She told me about school, her favorite activities, her brother and sister and so much more. I am really looking forward to spending time with Lilly because it seems that we like to do a lot of the same things. Lilly explained to me how she likes to ride bikes, bake and play baseball. These hobbies fit perfectly to my hobbies. Lilly likes to sing and dance in addition to the other activities, as embarrassed as I am to sing and dance I think Lilly will bring out the courage in me to sing and dance alongside of her. I have lots of fun things planned for Lilly and I. Some of which include, trips to the Sciencenter (Ithaca), visiting parks around Cortland and Ithaca, tubing at Greek Peak in the winter, getting ice cream together, playing on the playground, reading, doing arts and crafts, and of course a trip to Build-A-Bear at the end of the year (Shhh this will be a surprise though!). I hope that Lilly is just as excited and ready as I am because our first date to meet is this coming Thursday. I have arranged that every Thursday at 4:30 p.m. I will pick Lilly up from her house and we will go on our next adventure.  Christina was perfectly okay with this and I am sure she will be with additional times if Lilly and I please. Lilly's living situation is very different from mine and I think that we will both learn a lot about how other people live and what other living situations are out there. Not only will it be a fun experience, but an eye opening and educational one too. Overall, my first visit went well and I will update things on Thursday after I meet with Lilly!

Hours today: .5
For a total of: 2.5 hours