My pretty princess and my little middle angel are sick, once again. It started on Friday and has been getting better and then worse all weekend. Yesterday, we finally went to the doc. Kay has an ear infection, or the start of one, so she's on the pink stuff again. She loves it and always signs for more after she takes her dose. Thank goodness she doesn't mind taking meds!! She may be on them for another few years at least, possibly for the rest of her life. ACK! Being sick hasn't slowed her down one bit! No rest for the wicked. We did cancel therapy today.
We had her mid year progress review of the IFSP through the Regional Center. She has made partial progress on all of her goals, so we are happy. They plan to continue all of her services and we have also added the class for me Hannen's It Takes Two to Talk which I will be going to in about an hour. I am really looking forward to the class. Thank goodness daddy will be able to help out with the kids while I go to school ;) Weird to say that again!! Thanks daddy!!
Ethan stayed home from school today. I had sent him yesterday, but his teacher said he was so run down all day that he didn't really participate. I thought it best to keep him home to relax today so he could recoup a little.
Javi is already experiencing the effects of his dad being gone (six months in the CHP academy). These changes are really hard on him (and the rest of us). He had a MAJOR meltdown after school today. He is finally calm now after, breathing exercise, a run around the block and some alone time in his room, but we have gotten NO homework completed, despite trying to work on it for almost an hour...before the melt down really kicked in. He has done the same page twice over and answered all but 2 questions wrong out of 25. UGH!! It's going to be a tough adjustment. Poor baby!! Combine that will us also having more trouble with the school and the bus driver!!! I am sooooooo ready for a glass of vino. It's about time for the mama lion to pounce again. I wrote a long winded post in his comm log today, basically asking for extra patience and understanding during this transitional time for him.
Well, that's all for now. Just another fabulous day in the life...you know you envy me!!! LOL
Showing posts with label bad day. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bad day. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Monday, December 8, 2008
IEP Warrior, take 2
Well, we had our second IEP meeting to finish up what we hadn't finished previously at the first meeting. It was completely pointless. I came out feeling 10x's more frustrated than before I walked in to the meeting. Javi is not really making a lot of progress in his current setting. In fact, he has regressed to the beginning of the year last year academically. His teacher said he is making slight and slow progress, but that is progression from a regression, so I wouldn't exactly call it real progress. Just as I said in my last post about this, it seems to be a complete class mismatch.
We attempted to use the "easy way out" and use an address change to switch him to a new class. Javi technically lives with his dad now, so using his address would put him at a different school. It was recommended and affirmed by a few people that this would be the easiest way to avoid all the complication of pointing the finger and saying that this was a crappy fit for Javi. The program specialist, flat out said he will not even be considered for a move until next year. She also said "considered", not guaranteed. She also seemed completely insensitive to the fact that Javi has no friends this year and that the kids in his class are starting to "tolerate" him now a little more than they were before. I guess in her eyes, the fact that he is tolerated instead of flat out ridiculed like he was before, is progress. I can also tolerate a pebble in my shoe, but it doesn't mean that I am going to learn to like it being there. I don't get a sense that Javi will ever truly be accepted in this classroom. I think his behaviors will be tolerated sometimes, but he may always be considered "the pebble".
We did at the very least, get a better feeling about the teacher. Definitely not to the level of caring we have felt from previous teachers, but a better feeling than we received in previous meetings with her. She seemed to show more of an interest in Javi being in a good place and making progress.
Ultimately what it comes down to is this, you can have every modification, assistance and service set in place in the IEP, but what matters most is whether or not the child is happy. Happy children typically produce better work and progress (just like happy employees). It's obvious to us that while Javi may be getting "used to the routine" he is not happy, not by comparison to previous years. I know that we can't go back to Deer Canyon (his previous school, the program specialist had eluded to the fact that this was not Deer Canyon and that there was no placement for him there) , nor do we care if we can. We just want our son to be happy and succeed to the best of his abilities. We want him to be well-liked and accepted and feel like he has friends, just like any other parent.
How long do we have to wait before we say enough is enough? How long will he have to struggle before they do something about this? I am willing to give it to the end of January, which would be when the semester is over, but if we don't see some positive changes and improvements, I think we may consider taking this to the next level. I think half a year for an "adjustment period" is long enough.
We attempted to use the "easy way out" and use an address change to switch him to a new class. Javi technically lives with his dad now, so using his address would put him at a different school. It was recommended and affirmed by a few people that this would be the easiest way to avoid all the complication of pointing the finger and saying that this was a crappy fit for Javi. The program specialist, flat out said he will not even be considered for a move until next year. She also said "considered", not guaranteed. She also seemed completely insensitive to the fact that Javi has no friends this year and that the kids in his class are starting to "tolerate" him now a little more than they were before. I guess in her eyes, the fact that he is tolerated instead of flat out ridiculed like he was before, is progress. I can also tolerate a pebble in my shoe, but it doesn't mean that I am going to learn to like it being there. I don't get a sense that Javi will ever truly be accepted in this classroom. I think his behaviors will be tolerated sometimes, but he may always be considered "the pebble".
We did at the very least, get a better feeling about the teacher. Definitely not to the level of caring we have felt from previous teachers, but a better feeling than we received in previous meetings with her. She seemed to show more of an interest in Javi being in a good place and making progress.
Ultimately what it comes down to is this, you can have every modification, assistance and service set in place in the IEP, but what matters most is whether or not the child is happy. Happy children typically produce better work and progress (just like happy employees). It's obvious to us that while Javi may be getting "used to the routine" he is not happy, not by comparison to previous years. I know that we can't go back to Deer Canyon (his previous school, the program specialist had eluded to the fact that this was not Deer Canyon and that there was no placement for him there) , nor do we care if we can. We just want our son to be happy and succeed to the best of his abilities. We want him to be well-liked and accepted and feel like he has friends, just like any other parent.
How long do we have to wait before we say enough is enough? How long will he have to struggle before they do something about this? I am willing to give it to the end of January, which would be when the semester is over, but if we don't see some positive changes and improvements, I think we may consider taking this to the next level. I think half a year for an "adjustment period" is long enough.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Prayers Welcome
When it rains it pours...why does bad news seem to come all at the same time?
Please pray for Mark's Grandma as she battles Stomach Cancer and recovers from abdominal surgery.
Please pray for my Grandparents and hope that they will get some answers at their next docs appointments. I have told most of you what's been going on with them. Please pray that they will not suffer in pain for the rest of the time we have with them.
Please pray for my little princess, so that we can get good control of her seizures.
and last...
Please pray for strength for me and my family to see us through the rough road that lies ahead.
Please pray for Mark's Grandma as she battles Stomach Cancer and recovers from abdominal surgery.
Please pray for my Grandparents and hope that they will get some answers at their next docs appointments. I have told most of you what's been going on with them. Please pray that they will not suffer in pain for the rest of the time we have with them.
Please pray for my little princess, so that we can get good control of her seizures.
and last...
Please pray for strength for me and my family to see us through the rough road that lies ahead.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Frustrated
I am so frustrated with the EEG department at our Children's. We have been trying to schedule an EEG for nearly a month now. First, the doc said we had to wait for approval and they would call when it was approved. So me, trying to be patient, I waited two and a half weeks to call to see what was happening. I called the insurance group to see where we were at and they said, "Oh, you don't need approval. You just need a referral." UGH!!
So I called the doc, they transferred me to the EEG department and gave me the direct phone number. Well, that was on Monday. Left a voicemail, no call back. Wednesday, left another voicemail, no call back. Thursday, called again, then got voicemail and decided to press the extension for emergencies or immediate contact and it kicked back to the same voicemail!!!! Ahhhh!!! So then, I hung up and called the neuro's assistant. I got her voicemail. She did call back an hour later and said she tried to contact them, but they were gone for the day. She asked me when I would like to be scheduled, in case she could just make the appointment for me when she called them this morning. To which I said, ASAP, just needed a 24 hour notice to arrange for childcare.
The assistant did call me back this morning while we were in therapy and got my voicemail. She said that she spoke with a tech and that they would be calling me this afternoon to schedule. Well, guess what????
NO PHONE CALL!!!!!!!!
If it's taken me a week, just to try to get a hold of them, and still unsuccessful, it may be a month before we can actually get an appointment. I'm ready to just go down to the hospital and demand an appointment.
So I called the doc, they transferred me to the EEG department and gave me the direct phone number. Well, that was on Monday. Left a voicemail, no call back. Wednesday, left another voicemail, no call back. Thursday, called again, then got voicemail and decided to press the extension for emergencies or immediate contact and it kicked back to the same voicemail!!!! Ahhhh!!! So then, I hung up and called the neuro's assistant. I got her voicemail. She did call back an hour later and said she tried to contact them, but they were gone for the day. She asked me when I would like to be scheduled, in case she could just make the appointment for me when she called them this morning. To which I said, ASAP, just needed a 24 hour notice to arrange for childcare.
The assistant did call me back this morning while we were in therapy and got my voicemail. She said that she spoke with a tech and that they would be calling me this afternoon to schedule. Well, guess what????
NO PHONE CALL!!!!!!!!
If it's taken me a week, just to try to get a hold of them, and still unsuccessful, it may be a month before we can actually get an appointment. I'm ready to just go down to the hospital and demand an appointment.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Emotionally Spent
Well, after today's IFSP with Regional Center, Kaylee's OT Eval and PT Eval, potty training and my ongoing battle with everyday life of special needs kids, it's safe to say I'm emotionally spent. My stomach has been in knots for the past week with everything going on. It's really hard to constantly rehash all that your children aren't capable of when compared with "the norm" or typical children their age. I am dreading the next big appointment, Kay's neuro appointment (in exactly two weeks), where we may have another hospital stay in our near future to perform more tests to see why her gross development is so far behind. We try really hard to focus on all the good things and their capabilities, not their shortcomings, however, when trying to decide the best course of action for treatment, the areas of concern are always at the forefront. I wish their was an easier way, but it's just an unfortunate part of the process when trying to get help for an SN child. I try really hard not to let it get me down most of the time, but sometimes the harsh realities just swallow you up and spit you out. My insides churn, I feel nauseated, my head pounds and an overwhelming feeling of emptiness consumes me.
I try so hard to just appreciate what we do have. We have beautiful children, that are healthy (for the most part), we have a roof over our head, family and friends that love and care for us. What more could we ask for, right? I guess sometimes it's hard to see the sunshine when the sky is full of clouds. Just hoping the weather clears up soon :)
I try so hard to just appreciate what we do have. We have beautiful children, that are healthy (for the most part), we have a roof over our head, family and friends that love and care for us. What more could we ask for, right? I guess sometimes it's hard to see the sunshine when the sky is full of clouds. Just hoping the weather clears up soon :)
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Nice
Its nice to have great friends and the love of my best friend, Mark.
Of course I was feeling down yesterday and I called up Amber to see if
she could meet up for dinner. Turned out she was meeting a good friend
of ours Chris at a great Mexican place in Old Town, so kids and all,
they said come on out and meet us (Mark works until 7-7:30pm, so he's
home late). It was nice of them to be so understanding and let me drag
my heard out. They were really well behaved, so that made it easier.
We didn't talk about any of Kay's issues. We just talked. It was nice
that we didn't talk about it. We just talked like friends talk, which
is what I needed.
Then when Mark got home, we talked. He's my number one best bud for
life (got the ring to prove it;)). He knew all I needed was lots of
hugs and encouragment, that we would love our kids no matter what and
deal with things as they were presented to us. Gotta love his simple
logic. I tend to over complicate things :)
Anyway, just want to show my appreciation for friends. Including all
the friends reading this right now.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Summer Snowstorm
Ethan decided his room was a perfect place to create a snowy condition for his trucks. He took an entire bottle of "papa powder" a.k.a. Shower to Shower Talcum Powder and spread it all over his room. Just another one of those kid things that drive you crazy, but are a good laugh. I couldn't punish him. He knew he was busted when I came up stairs. He was sorry and knew it wasn't a good idea when it got all over the room. Daddy helped clean it up when he got home, so no real harm done. Yesterday was just one of those days ;)
Here are some funny pics, enjoy!
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Arrrggggh!!!
Some days I just feel like running out of the house screaming. Normally I work well under pressure, but sometimes the pressure is to much and I just feel like dropping everything. The week started out pretty good, busy, but still good. It is going down hill fast.
To sum up:
Kaylee, neuro on Monday, outcome was extremely positive, already blogged about it by mobile blogging, yay first time doing that.
Kaylee, PT, things are going well and don't know what I would do with out Summer!! She is great and feels more like a friend than a PT for Kaylee.
Javi, new art class on Monday afternoon, outcome positive, although behaviors lately have been hard to manage
Javi, behavior mod initial meeting to overview treatment on Tuesday, outcome was confusing. Don't feel I really know what the plan is other than to calm his stimming and flapping, and get him to be more compliant, DUH!! That is what I asked for!! Still want to know how they plan to help?? I asked and the answer was dodgy. They have had seven weeks to plan this out and I don't feel like there is an actual plan, combined with the fact that she doesn't have any availability during hours when Javi is actually here at the moment, but she wanted to schedule time anyway. OK, whateva!
Ethan, still fighting the good fight with potty training. Had success at school yesterday, which we celebrated by going to McDonald's. Yay, Ethan!! Still, to anyone that has potty trained a kid on the spectrum. This is a very frustrating process for which you need unlimited patience.
Ethan and Kaylee are still sick, it's going on almost two weeks with the runny noses. Kept Ethan home today. I think I will call the doc to see if we need to be seen. I feel like I live in a Doc's office. We were seen just two weeks ago for all of them being sick. Could go broke off the co-pays for three kids.
Javi, very stimmy and frustrated this week, STAR testing going on and our Wii is broken, so his main motivator for good behavior (the Wii buck token system) has been taken out of action. Wii bucks don't work so well if you can't spend them. Have to send that in this week.
Kaylee, teething, need I saw more? She's been biting, crying, wakeful, etc...
House, in a complete state of disarray. I have been trying to purge, spring clean, finish the flooring in the bathroom, clean up the back yard. They are getting ready to paint and our side yard looks like a dump since I cleaned the garage on Friday. Need to call to have a pick up service to take that cr*p to the dump.
House hunting, well, for now, just staying on top of the market, home prices and what you get for the price. We are not looking to buy til next year, but still need to keep an eye on things. Someone please tell my husband that most people start looking about a year before they buy to get an idea of what they are looking for in a house and what they can get for the money!!!!!!!
Holy moly!! Don't have anything in my schedule today!! Wow!! That will change if I call the doctor.
Tomorrow, we have Ethan's IEP, to which I have scheduled respite care for Kaylee. I still have not had a confirmation call, so I called this AM and they said they would confirm it this evening. Hello?? The appointment is tomorrow and I called on Monday to schedule it. If I need to cancel or find someone else, I need more than the night before to do this!!! They totally ditched out with out calling the last time I called and my husband had to take off work. So, I am calling Regional Center to switch respite care service tomorrow. This is unacceptable.
Let's not forget that I also have to squeeze in laundry, cleaning, blogging, researching for my new client, and finding some time to play with the kids, work on things with Kaylee to help her development, potty train Ethan, do homework with Javi (though minimal during STAR testing), play referee to two fighting boys, cook dinner, clean the damn juicer, shop for all the healthy food in the house (which takes twice as long because you have to read labels and everything has to be made from scratch, washed, makes twice as many dishes and twice as long to prep) feed children, bathe children, get them to bed, schedule appointments, and also finding sometime in there to spend time with my husband. Where does that leave time for me??? Which other than the blogging and taking a shower is the only free time I get.
Can you say ARRRGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!???????
To sum up:
Kaylee, neuro on Monday, outcome was extremely positive, already blogged about it by mobile blogging, yay first time doing that.
Kaylee, PT, things are going well and don't know what I would do with out Summer!! She is great and feels more like a friend than a PT for Kaylee.
Javi, new art class on Monday afternoon, outcome positive, although behaviors lately have been hard to manage
Javi, behavior mod initial meeting to overview treatment on Tuesday, outcome was confusing. Don't feel I really know what the plan is other than to calm his stimming and flapping, and get him to be more compliant, DUH!! That is what I asked for!! Still want to know how they plan to help?? I asked and the answer was dodgy. They have had seven weeks to plan this out and I don't feel like there is an actual plan, combined with the fact that she doesn't have any availability during hours when Javi is actually here at the moment, but she wanted to schedule time anyway. OK, whateva!
Ethan, still fighting the good fight with potty training. Had success at school yesterday, which we celebrated by going to McDonald's. Yay, Ethan!! Still, to anyone that has potty trained a kid on the spectrum. This is a very frustrating process for which you need unlimited patience.
Ethan and Kaylee are still sick, it's going on almost two weeks with the runny noses. Kept Ethan home today. I think I will call the doc to see if we need to be seen. I feel like I live in a Doc's office. We were seen just two weeks ago for all of them being sick. Could go broke off the co-pays for three kids.
Javi, very stimmy and frustrated this week, STAR testing going on and our Wii is broken, so his main motivator for good behavior (the Wii buck token system) has been taken out of action. Wii bucks don't work so well if you can't spend them. Have to send that in this week.
Kaylee, teething, need I saw more? She's been biting, crying, wakeful, etc...
House, in a complete state of disarray. I have been trying to purge, spring clean, finish the flooring in the bathroom, clean up the back yard. They are getting ready to paint and our side yard looks like a dump since I cleaned the garage on Friday. Need to call to have a pick up service to take that cr*p to the dump.
House hunting, well, for now, just staying on top of the market, home prices and what you get for the price. We are not looking to buy til next year, but still need to keep an eye on things. Someone please tell my husband that most people start looking about a year before they buy to get an idea of what they are looking for in a house and what they can get for the money!!!!!!!
Holy moly!! Don't have anything in my schedule today!! Wow!! That will change if I call the doctor.
Tomorrow, we have Ethan's IEP, to which I have scheduled respite care for Kaylee. I still have not had a confirmation call, so I called this AM and they said they would confirm it this evening. Hello?? The appointment is tomorrow and I called on Monday to schedule it. If I need to cancel or find someone else, I need more than the night before to do this!!! They totally ditched out with out calling the last time I called and my husband had to take off work. So, I am calling Regional Center to switch respite care service tomorrow. This is unacceptable.
Let's not forget that I also have to squeeze in laundry, cleaning, blogging, researching for my new client, and finding some time to play with the kids, work on things with Kaylee to help her development, potty train Ethan, do homework with Javi (though minimal during STAR testing), play referee to two fighting boys, cook dinner, clean the damn juicer, shop for all the healthy food in the house (which takes twice as long because you have to read labels and everything has to be made from scratch, washed, makes twice as many dishes and twice as long to prep) feed children, bathe children, get them to bed, schedule appointments, and also finding sometime in there to spend time with my husband. Where does that leave time for me??? Which other than the blogging and taking a shower is the only free time I get.
Can you say ARRRGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!???????
Friday, March 21, 2008
Yesterday was a Bad Day!!
Yesterday was one of those days where you wish you could just hit the reset button. Let's see, started ok, but quickly turned in to a disaster. We have had a lot of fraudulent activity with our accounts, since our credit report was stolen from a mortgage lender credit check service when we got pre-qualified for a home loan about 18 months ago. Since then it has been a non-stop battle to keep identity theft at bay.
Well, our Best Buy account was one of the 5 accounts effected and we have had a lot of problems mitigating the account since then. We no longer use the account, but we still maintain a balance because we purchased quite a few major appliances from there. We have had our account number changed several times which doesn't do a bit of good protecting us because they stole our credit info with our SSN's. All they have to do is run another credit report and they will have the new account number. Anyway, Mark had a phone call at work yesterday saying our account was in collection. It is an account I maintain, so he called me and told me to handle it. I knew this wasn't possible because I had just made a large payment at the beginning of the month. I called customer service immediately, and just as I had said, the account was up to date, no payment due. I kept hitting 0 until it transferred me to customer service. At that point, I was transferred to a woman who barely spoke English. I realize that most customer service centers have been transferred over seas because labor is cheaper, which I realize it helps them out with jobs, but c'mon!! This woman barely spoke English and she is dealing with people that are usually already upset, not only from going through the useless automated menus, but from the problem they are calling with to begin with. Then you have to speak to someone that is worse at understanding them than the AI automated menu!!!
After 35 minutes of telling her exactly what I thought the problem was, her every two second reminder of "just a moment while I review your account", which I am guessing she kept telling me because she thought my English was as bad as her's, and two times of being placed on hold, I was finally transferred to a supervisor because it was just to complicated for the lady I was talking to. She told me that 'the account was in collection because I had fraud and that I should pay closer attention to my statements with my Best Buy account.' WTF????? First of all, I have paperless billing, which pretty much tells me to log in to see the statement. Well, with a freeze on the account and me only making payments, why do I need to look at a statement?? I pay the bill when I get the email reminder and I usually get a "Thank you for your Payment" a couple days later, so why would I have any reason to suspect there was a problem??
Anyway, I got transferred to the supervisor and we figured out the problem (well, I told him what I thought the problem was and he verified). Our payments were being made to the old account (they changed our account number about 4x's from the fraud). So, he transferred all the payments I had been making to the new account and removed all the late fees. He also said he would send a letter to the credit agencies to fix the 30 day late notices. It got taken care of, but it was an extremely frustrating process.
By that point, we just had enough time to eat some lunch and head to pick up Ethan. Javi was at home with me because his lip was still really swollen. We made plans to go get some ice cream after picking up Ethan from school. We pulled up to the ice cream place. The lot there is pretty tight. I was trying to be nice by letting the car in the adjacent row out before I tried to park my monstrous SUV. Well, I was a little cockeyed half way in a parking space and I had checked my rear and was staring in my rear view as I was backing out, but there was a Mercedes in my blind spot and I backed right in to him. It was totally my fault because he was in my blind spot and I was in motion. There wasn't much I could have done about it. It was just bad timing. He came around the corner just after I had checked my blind spot. The kids were going nuts yelling "what happened?". Javi is hanging out the window yelling and I am frantically looking for my insurance card. The gentleman I hit was very nice, so we just exchanged insurance and left.
Well, that was a $500 mistake!! Needless to say, yesterday was just one of those days!! There are many of those days when you have SN children, but this was above and beyond the usual. Kids were in complete meltdown when we had to leave the yogurt place empty handed, which added fuel to the fire. I was ready to just give up and go home and go to bed, but we persevered. We went to the park so I could deal with the insurance and keep the kids occupied then we went to the McDonald's drive thru for a sundae. Ended on a sweet note and kids were happy, so what more could I ask for?
Well, our Best Buy account was one of the 5 accounts effected and we have had a lot of problems mitigating the account since then. We no longer use the account, but we still maintain a balance because we purchased quite a few major appliances from there. We have had our account number changed several times which doesn't do a bit of good protecting us because they stole our credit info with our SSN's. All they have to do is run another credit report and they will have the new account number. Anyway, Mark had a phone call at work yesterday saying our account was in collection. It is an account I maintain, so he called me and told me to handle it. I knew this wasn't possible because I had just made a large payment at the beginning of the month. I called customer service immediately, and just as I had said, the account was up to date, no payment due. I kept hitting 0 until it transferred me to customer service. At that point, I was transferred to a woman who barely spoke English. I realize that most customer service centers have been transferred over seas because labor is cheaper, which I realize it helps them out with jobs, but c'mon!! This woman barely spoke English and she is dealing with people that are usually already upset, not only from going through the useless automated menus, but from the problem they are calling with to begin with. Then you have to speak to someone that is worse at understanding them than the AI automated menu!!!
After 35 minutes of telling her exactly what I thought the problem was, her every two second reminder of "just a moment while I review your account", which I am guessing she kept telling me because she thought my English was as bad as her's, and two times of being placed on hold, I was finally transferred to a supervisor because it was just to complicated for the lady I was talking to. She told me that 'the account was in collection because I had fraud and that I should pay closer attention to my statements with my Best Buy account.' WTF????? First of all, I have paperless billing, which pretty much tells me to log in to see the statement. Well, with a freeze on the account and me only making payments, why do I need to look at a statement?? I pay the bill when I get the email reminder and I usually get a "Thank you for your Payment" a couple days later, so why would I have any reason to suspect there was a problem??
Anyway, I got transferred to the supervisor and we figured out the problem (well, I told him what I thought the problem was and he verified). Our payments were being made to the old account (they changed our account number about 4x's from the fraud). So, he transferred all the payments I had been making to the new account and removed all the late fees. He also said he would send a letter to the credit agencies to fix the 30 day late notices. It got taken care of, but it was an extremely frustrating process.
By that point, we just had enough time to eat some lunch and head to pick up Ethan. Javi was at home with me because his lip was still really swollen. We made plans to go get some ice cream after picking up Ethan from school. We pulled up to the ice cream place. The lot there is pretty tight. I was trying to be nice by letting the car in the adjacent row out before I tried to park my monstrous SUV. Well, I was a little cockeyed half way in a parking space and I had checked my rear and was staring in my rear view as I was backing out, but there was a Mercedes in my blind spot and I backed right in to him. It was totally my fault because he was in my blind spot and I was in motion. There wasn't much I could have done about it. It was just bad timing. He came around the corner just after I had checked my blind spot. The kids were going nuts yelling "what happened?". Javi is hanging out the window yelling and I am frantically looking for my insurance card. The gentleman I hit was very nice, so we just exchanged insurance and left.
Well, that was a $500 mistake!! Needless to say, yesterday was just one of those days!! There are many of those days when you have SN children, but this was above and beyond the usual. Kids were in complete meltdown when we had to leave the yogurt place empty handed, which added fuel to the fire. I was ready to just give up and go home and go to bed, but we persevered. We went to the park so I could deal with the insurance and keep the kids occupied then we went to the McDonald's drive thru for a sundae. Ended on a sweet note and kids were happy, so what more could I ask for?
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Down and out...
It's been a rough week for Kaylee. Her two bottom teeth are coming in, so she has been absolutely miserable. Today, she went all day with out taking a nap, not even for five minutes, UGH!!! She cried and cried and cried! If she wasn't crying, she was on the boob juice or I was holding her. If I even motioned to put her down, she cried and half the time, if I tried to even sit while I was holding her she cried! She finally went down a couple of hours ago, but she has woken up twice.
For a while there, I felt like we were on ACTH all over again, only worse because today's cries were actual "pain cries", not "I'm grumpy cries". Isn't it funny how a mother always knows her baby's cries? I resorted to driving the kids around in the car to try to get her to sleep. With gas prices these days and my SUV, those teeth better come in soon!! She did manage to sleep for about 20 minutes after we drove around for nearly 20 minutes, so the break was short lived, but it was nice while it lasted. I think I will try that trick that was in that movie Collateral, where Jamie Foxx kept a picture of an isle of paradise on the sun visor of his cab, so he could go on vacation when ever he wanted. Here is my paradise:
Ahh...welcome back!
Here is a dose of my reality, the dreaded playroom off the living room (heh, see my exercise machine, still in the box. Those credit card rewards sure went to good use:)
On top of all that, the boys were not getting along. Ethan was having a "bossy, no share day" and Javi was having another "I don't want to do my math homework" nights. It took us an hour and 45 minutes to get through one worksheet with about 15 problems. There was Kaylee on the boob, while I was explaining carrying the number to the ten's column to Javi for what seems like the millionth time. We did get through it, but not in time to use his "Wii bucks" to play Wii before his dad arrived to pick him up, so that was another freak out. When Javi is hell bent on playing Wii, it is like trying to talk down a jumper. I think I missed my calling, with all my experience with defusing tantrums, I could be in hostage crisis management. We were doing breathing exercises, counting to ten and breathing with each number, which usually the first few numbers are more of projectile saliva (sorry to be gross), than breathing. Countless reminding of "making good choices today, so we can play tomorrow". We have been trying to use more natural consequences for those types of situations to control "behaviors" rather than time-outs. Time outs are currently not recommended by ABA, but we still use them for certain situations. Anyway, just one of those days in the G-funk family. Fortunately, it's not like that every day. Speak of the little devilette, she is up and crying again!
Here is a dose of my reality, the dreaded playroom off the living room (heh, see my exercise machine, still in the box. Those credit card rewards sure went to good use:)
On top of all that, the boys were not getting along. Ethan was having a "bossy, no share day" and Javi was having another "I don't want to do my math homework" nights. It took us an hour and 45 minutes to get through one worksheet with about 15 problems. There was Kaylee on the boob, while I was explaining carrying the number to the ten's column to Javi for what seems like the millionth time. We did get through it, but not in time to use his "Wii bucks" to play Wii before his dad arrived to pick him up, so that was another freak out. When Javi is hell bent on playing Wii, it is like trying to talk down a jumper. I think I missed my calling, with all my experience with defusing tantrums, I could be in hostage crisis management. We were doing breathing exercises, counting to ten and breathing with each number, which usually the first few numbers are more of projectile saliva (sorry to be gross), than breathing. Countless reminding of "making good choices today, so we can play tomorrow". We have been trying to use more natural consequences for those types of situations to control "behaviors" rather than time-outs. Time outs are currently not recommended by ABA, but we still use them for certain situations. Anyway, just one of those days in the G-funk family. Fortunately, it's not like that every day. Speak of the little devilette, she is up and crying again!
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