Reading Eggs Online Learning Games Review

My family had the privilege of trying the online learning games from Reading Eggs for this review to use in conjunction with our own homeschool curriculum. This is a Homeschool Review Crew Review. All opinions expressed are my own or those of my family.

Reading Eggs is an online program that helps kids learn better literacy through reading lessons, activities, and ebooks. Reading Eggs is made up of  5 different kids learning programs: Reading Eggs JR for ages 2-4, Reading Eggs for ages 4-5, Reading Eggs for ages 6-7, Reading Eggspress for ages 7-13, and Mathseeds for ages 3-9. These self-paced educational games are recommended for kids ages 2 to 13. They are created by a team of qualified teachers, educational writers, animators and web developers. These online reading programs will engage your child or student to keep learning.

Student Menu

Reading Eggs JR is a brand new online reading game that teaches toddlers ages 2 to 4 words, sounds, and letters. These pre-reading skills are the first step to literacy. This has games, videos, and e-books to help motivate the younger child.

Reading Eggs is an online reading game that teaches kids ages 3 to 7. There are two parts: the lessons for ages 3 to 5 and the lessons for ages 6 to 7. The first teaches phonics, sight words, and essential reading skills needed to get ready for school. The second part gives the child practice with bonus activities and lessons that teach spelling, vocabulary, and comprehension skills.

Reading Eggspress is an online reading game that teaches kids ages 7 to 13, grades 1 to 6. This game continues the online learning from previous Reading Eggs lessons. This teaches structured comprehension, vocabulary, spelling and grammar with live games, an online library, and more!

Mathseeds is an online math learning game that teaches kids ages 3 to 9. This program teaches early math skills. Great for beginners and young children in their first years of school.

Teela and Zari on Reading Eggs.

How We Used This and Our Thoughts:
I have two young daughters. Teela is 9 years old and Zari will be 7 on October 19th. They are in 4th and 1st grades. My daughter Teela has done Reading Eggs before in 2013 because we got a free trial to try it out back then. Teela has grown to love reading and is doing so roughly at a 6th grade reading level now. My daughter Zari hadn't tried Reading Eggs at all and is just starting to read. We hadn't tried the other programs that came with our subscription.

Reading Eggs Navigation

We received a six month subscription to Reading Eggs this time around. This included access to Reading Eggs Junior, Reading Eggs, and Reading Eggspress. We also got a six month subscription to MathSeeds. Both Teela and Zari worked on this educational game an average of three days per week since we got signed up.

Both started with a reading assessment to see where they needed to be. Since Teela had already done one in 2013 she needed to redo hers to see where she was now. They both started with Reading Eggs. I believe Teela made some mistakes on her assessment because she was trying to plow through it...so she was put at a lower level than she should have been. When she went on to the games in Reading Eggs at lesson 111, map 12 they gave her she said the games were boring and that she already knew this stuff. I agreed with her that she already knew it and asked her if she wanted to redo the assessment for a second time and she didn't. So, she just did the rest of the Reading Eggs games and then moved onto Reading Eggspress. Zari was placed in the right place. She started on lesson 41, map 5. There are 120 lessons total in Reading Eggs with about 6-14 games per lesson.

Reading Eggs Lesson Maps

Reading Eggs Lesson Map

• Step 1 Starting Out in the Zoo (Lessons 1-40, Map 1-4): For children ages 4-6 that have little to no reading skills. Children will learn first reading skills, including: learning sounds and names of the alphabet letters, reading their first sight words, and phonetics to read three letter words. Includes simple stories to read featuring Sam the Ant.
• Step 2 Beginning to Read in The Playground (Lessons 41-80, Map 5-8): Builds on skills learned in step 1 focusing on short vowel words and constructing reading skills. Children will learn more high frequency sight words, make word families, and read 40 more books that build vocabulary.
• Step 3 Building Confidence at the Theme Park (Lessons 81-120, Map 5-12): These lessons cover long vowels words and focus on reading for meaning, comprehension, and understanding of longer words and sentences.

Reading Eggs Lesson Parts Examples

Reading Eggs Lesson Parts Example

• Parts 1 & 2 The Main Lesson: interactive animations that are led by a character modeling the concepts. Students need to get 7 correct responses to move on.
• Part 3 Dot to Dot: Students learn correct letter formation with dot to dot.
• Part 4 Letter Recognition: builds letter recognition of upper and lower case letters.
• Part 5 Vocabulary: activities that build vocabulary to be able to read the books.
• Part 6 The e-book: electronic book with audio support so kids can read along.
• Part 7 The Egg Hatches: students are rewarded with creatures that hatch to add to their online collection.

With each reading program there are colorful graphics, characters, and designs to engage the student to keep going. There are fun games, videos, and e-books to also teach the concepts. The students are awarded golden eggs to be later used in the store to buy things for the house and avatar, etc. The navigation around the program is fairly simple. My daughters liked that they could change the look of their avatar, buy things in the shop with golden eggs they acquired through doing well in the lessons, and see their certificates in the My Awards section. I loved that I could see their progress at a glance.

Program Guides for Homeschoolers

Also, in the Parent Dashboard (the home page after signing in) under the menu that has "Bonus Material" you can find Program Guides for Homeschoolers. These are free and downloadable once logged in. These colorful, detailed week-by-week overviews help homeschooling parents to see learning outcomes for children in Kindergarten through 2nd Grade. Each guide contains a 36-week teaching and learning sequence for Language Arts, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies. These map out online lessons, books, quizzes, and assessments.

This is an excellent interactive game that teaches kids better reading skills. I definitely saw improvement in my daughter Zari's literacy skills. My girls loved Reading Eggs and I recommend it to anyone who homeschools or wants a reading supplement for their children or students.

Follow Them on Social Media:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/readingeggsUSCA
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/readingeggs @readingeggs
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/readingeggs @readingeggs
• Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/readingeggs
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ABCReadingEggs
• Hashtags: #hsreviews #readingeggs #learntoread

BUY IT
My readers get 4 weeks FREE trial access to the program to try for themselves! This offer expires on November 30, 2017.

Read other homeschool curriculum reviews for Reading Eggs...

Talking Fingers Inc. Talking Shapes: A Supplemental Curriculum for Early Literacy Review

My family had the privilege of trying a one-year subscription of the new online version of the Talking Shapes: A Supplemental Curriculum for Early Literacy app from Talking Fingers Inc. for this review to use in conjunction with our own homeschool curriculum. This is a Schoolhouse Review Crew Review. All opinions expressed are my own or those of my family.

Talking Fingers Inc. is an educational program developer that is largely funded by National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). Their programs help young children with early literacy. One of their educational programs is called Talking Shapes.

Taking Shapes up until just recently was an app for iPad that teaches preschool and kindergarten age children to learn to identify letters and their sounds and learn to read. It now is available as an online version in which you can access though your computer browser. Dr. Jeannine Herron, a neuropsychologist, developed this program. Talking Shapes involves both left (logic, math, science) and right (creativity, arts) sides of the brain for more proficient reading. This program is intended for ages 4-5 and shows children that the words they can say are made up of letters they can see! Talking Shapes is seven interactive storybooks that when completed will introduce all 40 speech sounds (phonemes) from the English language and the letters that stand for those sounds. This program raises phoneme awareness.

How We Used This and Our Thoughts:

My daughter Zari is going into kindergarten this upcoming homeschool year so we decided she would be great for this Talking Shapes. She has had a hard time learning her letters and their sounds. We hoped that this program would help her.

We found that the Talking Shapes online program loaded super slow on our computer, but we do have sluggish internet speeds. When you first login to Talking Fingers Inc. Talking Shapes and finally get to the storybook map you will see only the first book in color and all the others greyed out. There are seven total books/lessons to do. You must have your child do this in the order that is given by numbers by the book covers in order for them to progress through the series. Your student will be able to move on to the next book when the first story and lesson is completed, but not before.

Zari enjoying the Talking Shapes story.

When you click on a story book in the series it loads and sings a song to start about the vowels. It then has a starting menu with Story, Letters, Spell, and Read to pick from. We just clicked on the first one, Story. It tells the story of two girls from the past that want to remember their stories that they have told others and devise a plan to create letters and an alphabet to be able to write the words down. This is the listening part of the program.

Zari Drawing Letters in Talking Shapes.

This story goes on to show the child the Letters that are introduced first in this story book. The child also learns through pictures how to recognize the letter. For example, a snake in the shape of a S, a tree in the shape of a T, a mountain in the shape of a M, a pear to form the uppercase P, or an acrobat with her arms in the general shape of an A, etc. These are the Talking Shapes that help the child remember the sound and shape of the letter. When the student clicks on the pictures they say the sound of the letter. The student also goes through a sequence of tracing the letters (with the mouse pointer or finger/stylus on a touch screen) on the Talking Shapes picture with outlines of the letter, on an actual letter outlined, and a Talking Shapes picture without outlines of the letter. You also draw letters to make two-three letter words. This is the drawing part of the program.

Zari spelling words in Talking Shapes.

The Spell portion of the activities is next. Words are introduced with the letters they learned previously. The program first has the student spell, trace, place together, and sound out each letter in the picture they give for three letter words. They have to find the correct letter to place in the highlighted box, trace it, go on to the next letter, trace it, place them together, find the last letter, trace it, and place it together with the rest of the letters. We liked how the letters had to be manually placed together so that the blend could be heard. The student does this with the letter outlines on the pictures first, then just the letter outlines, then just the pictures without outlines. This is the game part of the program.

Zari reading words in Talking Shapes.

After this section is the Read section in which the program first reads the child a short four sentence story with the words they learned then it leaves out one of the words. Words go by in flying pictures at the top of the screen and the child has to click on the correct one for the sentence to complete it before the word disappears off the screen. When the correct one is picked the pictures pop and the word appears correctly in the sentence where it was. These fill in the blanks help reinforce the words that were taught before.

A Preview of Some of the Stories and What They Teach...

1. The Fat Cat: Introduces the uppercase consonants C, F, S, H, and T along with some sounds they make and the short vowel sound of uppercase A. The words CAT, FAT, SAT, and HAT are also introduced.
2. The Silly Hen: Introduces the uppercase consonants P, N, M, L, along with some sounds they make and the short and long vowel sound of uppercase E. The names PAT and NAT and the words MAN, FAN, PAN, CAN, MEN, HEN, PEN, PET, MET, NET, LET, HE, ME, TAP, SET, NAP, MAP, LAP, HAM are also introduced.
3. The Dancing Pig: Introduces the uppercase consonants  B, G, J, D, W, along with some sounds they make and the short vowel sound of uppercase I. The words PIN, BIB, BIG, JET, DIG, WIG, LEG, BAG, BED, SAD, JAM, BAT, DAD are also introduced.
4. and so on...

What we disliked about Talking Shapes:

• It loads super slow. This is very frustrating!
• To draw/trace the letter the child only needs to move the cursor or finger around the picture area until the letter is filled in. This encourages scribbling rather than actually tracing the letter correctly. 
• We have only seen the program cover uppercase/capital letters and we are on the 4th book.

What we liked about Talking Shapes:

• The story is cute and engaging.
• The program is educational and interactive.
• It is fairly repetitious which is great for this age group.
• It is great for visual, tactile kinesthetic, and auditory learners.

My daughter Zari loves Talking Shapes. I could see it actually help her grasp letter concepts that she hasn't been able to before. She is finally beginning to understand basic phonics, letter sounds, letter shapes, and how to build words better. I am very happy with this program and its ability to help my daughter learn her letters and simple words easier so that she can learn to read.

Follow Them on Social Media:
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TalkingFingers/
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/talkingfingersvideo
Twitter - https://twitter.com/ReadWriteType/with_replies
Hashtags - #hsreviews #talkingfingers #phonics #lettershapes

Read other homeschool curriculum reviews for Talking Fingers Inc. Talking Shapes...

Tatutina Wooden Letters Review and Giveaway

Tatutina is a wonderful online store with unique products that are all very colorful and happy. Most of their products are hand painted and all of them that are, use paint that is certified non-toxic and lead free. They now can also personalize by hand painting a name in their own Tatutina style. They have such a fun and funky way of painting their designs! I fell in love with the colors and bright patterns.

We were asked to review their wooden letters and so I got to pick a name or word to have the wooden letters spell. My girls want an enchanted forest, woodland themed room. I picked the word ENCHANTED for the girls room because it basically encompasses the feel they want their room to have. I also chose pastel colors and mostly floral, rainbow/stripe, and hearts...with the occasional polka-dot.

Tatutina Pastel Wooden Letters: ENCHANTED

I picked these letters:
Wooden Letter E - Pastel Green w/Dots
Wooden Letter N - Pastel Pink w/Dots
Wooden Letter C - Pastel Rainbow
Wooden Letter H - Pastel Pink w/Heart
Wooden Letter A - Pastel Pink w/Flower
Wooden Letter N - Pastel Pink w/Stripes
Wooden Letter T - Pastel Pink w/Flower
Wooden Letter E - Pastel Pink w/Hearts
Wooden Letter D - Pastel Orange w/Heart

The letters you can pick from on Tatutina's website are painted in either pastel or bright colors. They are approximately 7" tall, with keyhole mount on the back for easy hanging. They are not heavy because they are hollow inside.

The wooden letters came all in one box and were individually wrapped. The box was fairly heavy, but held all the letters without leaving too much room for movement which is great so they wouldn't get broken in shipment. All of the letters arrived safe and sound to me.

I hung them all easily with thumbtacks above the girls window in their room. I didn't even have to get out any tools or hardware. I love how simple they were to put up and how they look in the room. These are a wonderful room decoration!

FOLLOW THEM
“Like” them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter!

BUY IT
You can purchase Tatutina Wooden Letters for $8 each on Tatutina's website. They also have a wide assortment of other fun things to buy there as well.

WIN IT
Prize: A word or name of choice in Tatutina Wooden Letters of choice of pastel or bright colors.

I am trying out Rafflecopter on my blog. Please click on this post link if you do not see the script for it below. Also, if there is anything that is wrong with it let me know by emailing me: finamoon AT gmail DOT com I will try my best at fixing it. Thanks for being awesome readers!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received this product free to facilitate this review and post. Many thanks to Tatutina for providing the prize for the giveaway for free as well. Winners are picked randomly on rafflecopter. Opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation or altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review and giveaway. Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.

Green Giant “Raise a Giant”

This post is sponsored by General Mills and Green Giant through MyBlogSpark.

Green Giant® knows that raising kids is a lot more involved than just getting them to eat their vegetables.

Bullying is something that unfortunately we have all been exposed to at one time or another. In fact I can attest that it isn't just kids that are bullied. Unfortunately bullies come in all sorts of forms, but the fact that kids are targeted, especially by peers, is really sad. Not only do kids these days have to watch there backs in school, at the playground, etc. but in this day and age kids can even be bullied on the internet. This is why I believe that our children need our help by giving our encouragement and support to help them learn and grow with confidence.

Green Giant has teamed up with PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center and We Day Minnesota to help parents Raise A Giant and put a stop to bullying in their community.



What Does it Mean To Be A Giant?
Being a giant isn’t about being the biggest or the best. Being a giant means standing up for others. It means lending a hand to those who are in trouble and speaking up for those who sometimes find it hard to speak up for themselves.

Studies show that an effective way to stop bullying is for kids to simply speak up and say, “That’s not okay” when they see bullying happening.

But asking kids to have the courage to stand up to bullying is a tall order and that’s why they need our help.

How Do You Raise A Giant?
Green Giant is asking parents to write a letter to their kids telling them how special they are and encouraging them to be part of the bullying prevention solution by being a giant.

1. Visit RaiseAGiant.com to find inspiration from the letters parents have written to their children.
2. Start your letter by letting your child know how special he or she is. Give examples of the unique things you love most about your child.
3. Encourage your child to always be proud of who they are, no matter what others may do or say.
4. Help your child recognize the signs of bullying.
5. Ask your child to not stay silent when they see someone being bullied. Show them that the right thing to do is help the person being bullied or go tell an adult. And, if they are comfortable with it, to speak up and say something.
6. Explain to your child how bullying is never ok, no matter what.
7. Share a story from when you were a kid of a time you experienced bullying and how you handled it.
8. Offer some suggestions for how to deal with bullying and explain how just one kid saying “that’s not ok” can influence other kids and help them become giants too.
9. Make sure your child knows that you will always protect and support them.
10. Let your child know that they are not alone and reassure them that you will always work with them to overcome whatever problems they may experience.
11. Share your letter at RaiseAGiant.com to inspire other families to be a part of the bullying prevention solution.

With your encouragement we can help all of our kids create a safer, happier world.

My Letter to my kids:
My Dearest Children,
I am so grateful to have you all as my children. You are so very special to me and I love you so very much.   Each of you have special talents and interests unique to you and that is what is so great about each of you. It is very hard for me to admit that you are all getting older. Each step into adulthood from childhood brings with it more responsibility. Standing up for truth and right are some of the things I have taught you.

When a child at school is bullied by another, speak up! Tell an adult about what is happening. Know that you are not alone and what ever problems arise I am there for you. Bullying is never right, no matter what the circumstance. Have courage to stand up for what is right and defend the one being hurt. Always be kind and caring to everyone. Don't ever make anyone feel bad about themselves. Lead by good example. I have faith that each of you will make the correct decisions. CTR and hold to the rod!

Love, Mom

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I was given the opportunity to give someone of my choosing a $25 Gift Card and have $25 donated in my name to the PACER Center for Bully Prevention. Information were all provided free by General Mills and Green Giant through MyBlogSpark. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this promotion.

Free Eggy Alphabet App from Reading Eggs

Reading Eggs is offering a FREE download of their Eggy Alphabet app for one week only from today Monday October 28^th. Offer ends Monday November 4^th! Eggy Alphabet normally costs $2.99.

Eggy Alphabet is compatible with iPad, iPhone and Android devices and available to download from iTunes or Google Play today!



About Eggy Alphabet app for iPad, iPhone and Android

• Suitable for children aged 3+.
• Includes 5 alphabet games that cover all upper and lower case letters of the alphabet.
• Children learn to identify and write letters in both their upper and lower case forms, while developing phonemic awareness and letter sound recognition - all essential skills for early literacy success.
• Fun rewards to earn include 624 golden eggs and 18 critters to hatch and collect. 

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received this promo information to post. Thanks to Reading Eggs for providing me this promotion information. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for posting this promo. 

Reading Eggs FREE 5 Week Offer

All information is provided by USFamilyGuide.com and Reading Eggs. I am  receiving 3 months FREE for posting this promotion.

Reading Eggs is a program that focuses on a range of online reading lessons, activities, and ebooks for literacy skills suitable for kids ages 3 to 12. These have been produced by a highly qualified team of teachers, educational writers, animators and web developers. Since its launch in the US and Canada in 2011, Reading Eggs has logged on more than 500,000 members and given more than 15 million lessons in North America.

Readers of Eccentric Eclectic Woman receive a FREE Five-Week Trial Offer. No credit card required. This offer is good until 9/30 then Reading Eggs will go back to a two-week trial.

Sign up to get the offer and get lessons to teach your child: phonics, letter recognition, sight words, learning to read, vocabulary, online reading, spelling, and comprehension.

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: Because I am posting about the Reading Eggs I am getting 3 months FREE. Thanks to USFamilyGuide.com for providing me this promotion information and free subscription. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for posting this promo.

Letters From Santa At TheHolidayLetterShop.com 50% Off Offer

We have a great new promotion with The Holiday Letter Shop. See the joy on your child's face when they open up their personalized letter. Even the most skeptical child will be amazed. Or send a special message to to the special someone in your life. There are a variety of packages starting at just $9.95 all include a Personalized Letter and Nice List Certificate, some also include activity books, stickers, ornaments and other extras.

Eccentric Eclectic Woman Readers Get 50% off your entire order at theholidaylettershopcom. Use the following Promo Code at checkout SLUSFG to instantly save: #theholidaylettershop

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: Because I am posting about TheHolidayLetterShop.com I am getting a FREE Letter From Santa for one child. Thanks to USFamilyGuide.com for providing me this promotion information and free product. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for posting this promo.

Letters to Darcy: a mother’s heartfelt letters to her unborn child by Tracy Ramos FIRST Wild Card Tour Book Review

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!

Today's Wild Card author is:

Tracy Ramos

and the book:

Letters to Darcy: a mother’s heartfelt letters to her unborn child

Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. (November 9, 2009)

***Special thanks to Maggie Rowe of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. for sending me a review copy.***

MY THOUGHTS:
This is a heart wrenching story about a pregnant mother who found out that her unborn child had Trisomy 18 and was told to abort the baby by her doctors. She chose not to and the book that follows are her diary entries written to her unborn child. This is a wonderful book about determination, spirit, hope, despair, depression, beauty, grace, and love. God gives us our challenges to overcome them and become better people and this is a book about how one woman did just that. The loss of a child is sometimes unbearable. You just have to remember that God is always with you every step of the way and he is there to help you through all trials and tribulations.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Tracy Frisbie Ramos is the mother and home educator of six living children, ages two to eighteen, and is joyfully expecting a new child to join their family in November. Tracy’s mission in life is to serve God by raising godly children who will make a different for His Kingdom on earth. It is Tracy’s hope that the legacy of her seventh child, Darcy Anne, will continue to spread the message that children are a gift from God and that the life of the unborn is sacred and should be protected. She and her husband, Jason, currently live in Magnolia, Texas.

Visit the author's website.

Product Details:

List Price: $9.99
Hardcover: 160 pages
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. (November 9, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1414333846
ISBN-13: 978-1414333847


AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:

Foreword

There comes a time in one’s life when a single decision changes everything. For Tracy and Jason Ramos, that decision was to allow their unborn daughter Darcy Anne to live. Faced with the reality that she was carrying a baby with trisomy 18, Tracy was given the option of ending the pregnancy early, after being assured that her baby was not compatible with life. The Ramoses chose life over death because of their faith in a sovereign God who does all things for His glory. Darcy Anne arrived a few months later as a beautiful bundle of joy, just like the Ramoses’ previous six children.

Although Darcy Anne’s life expectancy was only a few hours, God kept her alive for fifteen amazing days to teach each of us some valuable lessons about life. This gift from God reminded us that life is measured not in days but in daily experiences. Tracy and Jason knew that because their time with Darcy Anne would be short, their memories would have to be long. And so, each hour of Darcy’s life was filled with the joys that most girls have years to enjoy: birthday parties, hugs and kisses, painted toenails, and even a ride on her daddy’s motorcycle. Tracy and Jason treasured each memory with Darcy Anne as if it would be the last.

You are about to read Tracy’s thoughts that were captured in her Web diary. Hundreds were reading about the daily emotions the Ramoses experienced. People who did not know Tracy and Jason began watching a fragile life change the world, one heart at a time. As it turns out, this little four-pound-seven-ounce bundle of joy provided an international audience with a message that should never be forgotten: Each day we live should be for God’s glory, and each of us brings glory to God by the way we live each day.

Tracy and Jason chose life over death for their daughter, and she brought great glory to God as a missionary for life. Those of us who lived this journey with the Ramos family will be forever changed. For those of you who will read of this journey, my hope is that you will see how God has a plan for everything He creates. Darcy Anne is a testimony that life is precious from the moment of conception and that it is given to humankind to fulfill a purpose. Darcy Anne’s purpose was to bring a family together, to unite a church, to remind all of us of how we are to live our lives, regardless of their length.

—Ted Seago

Honored pastor of Darcy Anne Ramos

Grace Community Church

Magnolia, Texas

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

This was one of the most beautiful days of my life. I just found out that I am pregnant. Even though we were not planning on having any more children, God had other plans. I always said that you were our first surprise baby and that you were special because God chose for you to become part of our family. Inside, I was leaping with joy. I saw the plus sign on the pregnancy test, and joy filled my heart. I had felt a void from the decision we made to not have another baby. But God intervened and filled that void. I was overwhelmed with gladness. I waited a week to tell your daddy because I knew he would be shocked. I actually first told your aunt Nekita and then your big sister Ate Brittany.1 I wanted to explode with excitement and tell everyone, but for the first time in your mommy’s life, I showed self-control.

Saturday, February 16, 2008

Today was our church’s Valentine’s Day party. We had a great time. I was mostly excited about telling everyone that I was pregnant with you. Darcy, our church really loves babies and got so excited to hear about you. They really were so happy. Daddy even sang me a special song. He forgot the words, but it was still really pretty. He sang “And I Love You So.” Now whenever I hear that song, I will think of you.

Saturday, February 23, 2008

This was my first real scare. I started having crippling pains and bleeding. I just knew that I was going to lose you. I was devastated. I knew that I was given this seventh chance and now it was over. I gave up all hope.

Sunday, February 24, 2008

The bleeding continued all night. I decided to stay home from church and rest. The bleeding finally stopped at noon. I was so relieved. I was glad but still very anxious.

Monday, February 25, 2008: First Sonogram

Today, I decided to go to the doctor and have an exam. I wasn’t scheduled for my visit till next week, but since I was having problems, they went ahead and saw me. They did a sonogram and said everything looked good. I even got to see and hear your heartbeat. Never was I happier. You were a fighter from the very beginning, just like Mommy!

I love you, Darcy. I love you so much.

Saturday, March 1, 2008

Well, the bleeding started back up. It seems like this is happening again. It only lasts for about twelve hours and stops. This time isn’t as bad as the last. It sure does scare Mommy when this happens. I hope you are okay.

Sunday, March 2, 2008

I decided to stay home again from church. I am very nervous about doing anything strenuous. I want to make sure you are okay.

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Today was my first legitimate doctor’s appointment. I got so sick that I threw up everywhere. Don’t worry, Darcy. I think it was food poisoning and not morning sickness (even though I’ve had a lot of that, too). Dr. Ritter was very nice and did not make me endure the exam but rather just talked to me about what to expect and the extra tests I could get if I wanted them. I also had Daddy pull over along the side of the road on our way home to throw up some more. I was very sick.

Saturday, March 8, 2008

The bleeding started up again. This seems to be happening once a week, on Saturdays. Maybe it is because I tend to do more on the weekends. I hope that I am not overdoing it. I will try to be more careful on weekends. I have continued to have crippling pains, and they seem to be getting worse. It affects my arms and legs. I love you. I have a doctor’s appointment on Wednesday. I will ask him what is going on then.

I love you and hope you are all right.

Sunday, March 9, 2008

I missed church two Sundays in a row and thought I would go today. I talked to some ladies at church about my symptoms and asked if they could be a sign that something is wrong. But they gave me some advice, and I am going to take it. When I got home, my symptoms got really bad. I got a rash all over my belly, and it itched so much. I am going to my regular doctor tomorrow to see what he says. I hope this is not a result of something being wrong with you. I will pray.

Monday, March 10, 2008

I went to my doctor to see what is wrong with me. He didn’t want to diagnose me and referred me back to my ob-gyn. I guess I will see what he wants me to do.

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Remember when Mommy said that I was a fighter? Well, I am stubborn, too. I waited till today to go see Dr. Ritter. The pain is too bad to endure anymore. So I went after I had Well, the bleeding started back up. It seems like this is happening again. It only lasts for about twelve hours and stops. This time isn’t as bad as the last. It sure does scare Mommy when this happens. I hope you are okay.

Sunday, March 2, 2008

I decided to stay home again from church. I am very nervous about doing anything strenuous. I want to make sure you are okay.

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Today was my first legitimate doctor’s appointment. I got so sick that I threw up everywhere. Don’t worry, Darcy. I think it was food poisoning and not morning sickness (even though I’ve had a lot of that, too). Dr. Ritter was very nice and did not make me endure the exam but rather just talked to me about what to expect and the extra tests I could get if I wanted them. I also had Daddy pull over along the side of the road on our way home to throw up some more. I was very sick.

Saturday, March 8, 2008

The bleeding started up again. This seems to be happening once a week, on Saturdays. Maybe it is because I tend to do more on the weekends. I hope that I am not overdoing it. I will try to be more careful on weekends. I have continued to have crippling pains, and they seem to be getting worse. It affects my arms and legs. I love you. I have a doctor’s appointment on Wednesday. I will ask him what is going on then.

I love you and hope you are all right.

Sunday, March 9, 2008

I missed church two Sundays in a row and thought I would go today. I talked to some ladies at church about my symptoms and asked if they could be a sign that something is wrong. But they gave me some advice, and I am going to take it. When I got home, my symptoms got really bad. I got a rash all over my belly, and it itched so much. I am going to my regular doctor tomorrow to see what he says. I hope this is not a result of something being wrong with you. I will pray.

Monday, March 10, 2008

I went to my doctor to see what is wrong with me. He didn’t want to diagnose me and referred me back to my ob-gyn. I guess I will see what he wants me to do.

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Remember when Mommy said that I was a fighter? Well, I am stubborn, too. I waited till today to go see Dr. Ritter. The pain is too bad to endure anymore. So I went after I had lunch with Daddy. Dr. Ritter prescribed some steroids, and I need to take them. He didn’t want to refer me to an allergist yet, just in case my symptoms cleared up. He did say that it has nothing to do with you and that you are not experiencing any bad side effects from the steroids or my symptoms.

Friday, March 14, 2008

Dr. Ritter has cured me. Steroids took all of my symptoms away. I must have been allergic to something. I’ve stopped eating all weird stuff. I hope I stay well and you are okay.

I love you, Darcy.

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

All of my symptoms have come back with a vengeance. I went back to Dr. Ritter. He is sending me to an allergist. I went to see her, and she gave me more steroids. She said to be careful with them because of the risk of getting gestational diabetes and having a big baby. She also referred me to a rheumatologist. The allergist wants me to make the earliest appointment with the rheumatologist, which is the middle of April. She ordered some blood tests. I will go tomorrow to have blood drawn.

Thursday, March 20, 2008

I went to have my blood drawn. Daddy and I have our regular lunch date since it is Thursday.

Sunday, March 23, 2008

It is Easter! And Bella gets to share Easter with her birthday. We were going to go to Incredible Pizza, but they were closed. We took her to CiCi’s instead. We will have to go to Incredible Pizza some other time. Isabella’s little secret sis made a special cake for her. It was so pretty and yummy!

Postscript

Although life at the Ramoses is starting to resemble a somewhat routine pace, life after Darcy has felt as if we are suspended in another reality. Darcy shook our complacency by causing us to reevaluate many of the ways we viewed circumstances and treated people. She compelled us to rely fully on God and to trust in His providence.

It’s true that we experienced new depths of pain and anguish, but as is the case with any life-changing experience, we are forever changed because Darcy accomplished the purpose God had for her coming. Little Darcy led us to love more deeply, to forgive, to have faith, to never limit God’s power, to accept His grace and pass it on, to seek more closeness with God, and to abandon our sinful pasts and move ahead to new beginnings.

Our children Brittany, Isabella, Alexys, Mallorie, Roman, and Bryson learned that living the abundant life is about making the right choices and that the choices they make have temporal and eternal consequences.

God sent Darcy to us to help us heal. This is our new normal.

As for the thousands of family members, friends, and caring strangers from all over the world who visited the Web site, Darcy’s impact on them was profound too. Perhaps the greatest change occurred in the hearts of those who, before reading about Darcy, had already made the choice (and had even set up appointments) to have abortions but later changed their plans. Many have renewed their relationships, not just with the Lord but with their loved ones, especially their children.

In that day the wolf and the lamb will live together; the leopard will lie down with the baby goat. The calf and the yearling will be safe with the lion, and a little child will lead them all.

Isaiah 11:6