Well last weekend I decided to take a walk with both dogs before I started some Spring Cleaning. The coon dog unexpectedly got "locked" on something and bolted. Neither me nor the other dog were expecting it or prepared. I ended up with a possible broken foot and some seriously sore muscles.
We ended up at the Priority Care. They ignored all injuries except the purple swollen foot-they did x-ray it. The x-rays were inconclusive since there is a chipped bone in my ankle and we couldn't position my foot well due to pain & swelling. We're pretty sure the chip is old from when I broke it 14 years ago. We're going with the diagnosis...severe sprain/strain now. The upside is that I ended up with a lovely air cast walking boot instead of a traditional cast.
I still have numbness in my thumb and forearm that hasn't been addressed so I'm going to see the chiropractor this week to be realign my spine and "un-tweek" what I jarred out of place when I fell.
Needless to say there has been no college, no sewing, and no spring cleaning going on here and there won't be for a while. The orthopedist says anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 months for healing. *sigh* I'm already so bored.
Showing posts with label mom. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mom. Show all posts
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Chaos!!
August 2010...the kids started school, I started a new job, 4 relatively large custom orders were placed in a rather short period of time, both kids got very sick (102.5 fevers for 2+ days-still have them), new job just isn't working out so resignation tendered (Sun is my last day if I'm not too sick to go), I enrolled in college again, I'm still working on custom orders, and to top it all off.....I got the bug the kids brought home. Ahhh the chaos of August. Here's hoping September will be much more boring, LOL!
Sunday, February 7, 2010
What a stress filled week we've had....
Let's see, I've been absolutely terrible about keeping regular updates so that won't be a "New Years Resolution" again but I will try to do better so here goes...
The "good" news...
Gracie is doing pretty good in school right now. She still needs to get some help from OT but the school is still declining. I talked to her health care coordinator and we're working on a few options we have.
Boo is doing OK but he has a low grade temp and a cruddy cough so we're hitting the doctor in the morning just to be safe. I refuse to have a hospital stay because I didn't get antibiotics quick enough.
We had a lovely snow storm over the weekend. The kids even got to leave school early on Friday. It was only about 2 hours early so they don't have to make it up.
Last week my MIL came to stay with us for a while. She's going to live with or near my SIL later but SIL is moving to another state so she's going to get settled first. MIL may even get to be there when SIL has her first baby if all goes smoothly. That will be nice for both of them. MIL has been here for the baby time with both of ours so it will be nice to have that for SIL.
The "not so good" news...
Lastly, my wonderful grandmother passed away sometime Thurs night very unexpectedly. I think right now it's not really sinking in. I will miss her dearly...she's the only on who really understood the "mommy" side of having a special needs child. (You know "been there, done that" kinda thing.) My sister and I were talking about it yesterday. You see we have a rather different view of death. We both have worked with geriatric patients for many years and it's a part of life for us. I've been home for several years now but I still see things very differently than many members of my family do. I will miss her very much as I still do my grandpa but I'm not sad for her. She would have turned 79 in about 2 weeks. All in all she was pretty healthy and still able to be completely on her own. She drove herself and didn't need any homecare aides. She raised 9 children and helped raise many of her grandchildren and even great-grandchildren. She was here to see and hold some of her great-great grandchildren. How many people get to do that? She was able to complete her GED last year which was a huge goal for her. She's spent the last 2 years doing what she wanted when she wanted. I'm sad that she didn't get to go on the cruise my parents were planning for all of them this spring. I'm glad she didn't suffer-because I'm sure she didn't. I really feel that God called her and it was not a bad thing. Before my grandpa (her husband) passed a few years ago I was with him in the hospital and we were talking. I told him I wasn't ready for him to go and that it wasn't fair. He simply told me it was his time and he was OK with it. I guess that was all I needed to hear because after that I spent as much time as I could with him and when he passed, I was OK with it. My mother was able to spend most of the day with her mom the day she passed. I thank God for that. While we didn't get to prepare and say goodbye like we did with grandpa I know grandma is right where she should be and that she's happy now. There's no doubt. I will miss her as will all of my family but I am not sad-I refuse to be. She lived a long and full life. That is what I will treasure. I make a point of not taking note of dates when people pass because I feel like that is not what they would want me to remember or dwell on. Instead I choose to remember as many positive things as I can. From my grandmother I learned many things.
I gained a love of sewing, gardening, cooking, and family time. I see the importance of being there for your children passed down to my mother and then to me. I see many little things I picked up from her. I've really begun to notice them these last few days. Life wasn't always easy for her and grandpa. I know there were a lot more challenges than I will ever be told. I wish I had gone to Christmas last year and had her fill in a bit more of my memory book but unfortunately that cannot be changed. I will write what I know from memory and ask mom about the rest. We'll make note of what we can and the rest will just be unwritten memories. I miss you grandma and grandpa.
The "good" news...
Gracie is doing pretty good in school right now. She still needs to get some help from OT but the school is still declining. I talked to her health care coordinator and we're working on a few options we have.
Boo is doing OK but he has a low grade temp and a cruddy cough so we're hitting the doctor in the morning just to be safe. I refuse to have a hospital stay because I didn't get antibiotics quick enough.
We had a lovely snow storm over the weekend. The kids even got to leave school early on Friday. It was only about 2 hours early so they don't have to make it up.
Last week my MIL came to stay with us for a while. She's going to live with or near my SIL later but SIL is moving to another state so she's going to get settled first. MIL may even get to be there when SIL has her first baby if all goes smoothly. That will be nice for both of them. MIL has been here for the baby time with both of ours so it will be nice to have that for SIL.
The "not so good" news...
Lastly, my wonderful grandmother passed away sometime Thurs night very unexpectedly. I think right now it's not really sinking in. I will miss her dearly...she's the only on who really understood the "mommy" side of having a special needs child. (You know "been there, done that" kinda thing.) My sister and I were talking about it yesterday. You see we have a rather different view of death. We both have worked with geriatric patients for many years and it's a part of life for us. I've been home for several years now but I still see things very differently than many members of my family do. I will miss her very much as I still do my grandpa but I'm not sad for her. She would have turned 79 in about 2 weeks. All in all she was pretty healthy and still able to be completely on her own. She drove herself and didn't need any homecare aides. She raised 9 children and helped raise many of her grandchildren and even great-grandchildren. She was here to see and hold some of her great-great grandchildren. How many people get to do that? She was able to complete her GED last year which was a huge goal for her. She's spent the last 2 years doing what she wanted when she wanted. I'm sad that she didn't get to go on the cruise my parents were planning for all of them this spring. I'm glad she didn't suffer-because I'm sure she didn't. I really feel that God called her and it was not a bad thing. Before my grandpa (her husband) passed a few years ago I was with him in the hospital and we were talking. I told him I wasn't ready for him to go and that it wasn't fair. He simply told me it was his time and he was OK with it. I guess that was all I needed to hear because after that I spent as much time as I could with him and when he passed, I was OK with it. My mother was able to spend most of the day with her mom the day she passed. I thank God for that. While we didn't get to prepare and say goodbye like we did with grandpa I know grandma is right where she should be and that she's happy now. There's no doubt. I will miss her as will all of my family but I am not sad-I refuse to be. She lived a long and full life. That is what I will treasure. I make a point of not taking note of dates when people pass because I feel like that is not what they would want me to remember or dwell on. Instead I choose to remember as many positive things as I can. From my grandmother I learned many things.
I gained a love of sewing, gardening, cooking, and family time. I see the importance of being there for your children passed down to my mother and then to me. I see many little things I picked up from her. I've really begun to notice them these last few days. Life wasn't always easy for her and grandpa. I know there were a lot more challenges than I will ever be told. I wish I had gone to Christmas last year and had her fill in a bit more of my memory book but unfortunately that cannot be changed. I will write what I know from memory and ask mom about the rest. We'll make note of what we can and the rest will just be unwritten memories. I miss you grandma and grandpa.
Monday, June 1, 2009
School's OUT!!!
Today is the last day of school for the kids. Gracie was up at 6:15 am by herself....why can't she do that everyday? She was ready to leave 10 minutes early...she needs to "get there early enough to get a yearbook". We didn't get the order in on time in the fall so now she has to hope she gets one. Last year she missed it.
She found out that she made choir for next year but there's a catch. If the class is full then she has to try out again in the fall. You'd think they'd have a waiting list but I guess not. The director was going to ask the schedulers to see if there is room so she'll know before school gets out but they haven't said yet.
Boo has no idea it's the last day-though I did tell him. I'm sure he doesn't really understand that he's leaving Miss Sarah's class and moving into kindergarten in the fall. That means most of his preschool classmates will go into regular classrooms and he's going into lifeskills. I do know that there are many of the kids who will be in & out of the class throughout the day for different subjects so he will still see them. He will also still go with them to the "specials" classes (art, music, gym, library).
Summer is looking long already though I am looking forward to the break. Boo will have therapy on alternate Monday's @ St. V's and 6 sessions for school throughout the summer. We are continuing respite too so I have some time that I don't hear "we have a diaper emergency-come change him" or "Boo needs his medicines" or "time to feed Boo-are you going to make him wait?" OK, enough boys and girls....there is a clear schedule on the fridge so everyone knows when he needs to eat, when to get his meds, and the minimum times to check his undies for a change. I love my family but I'm not the only one who can care for this child; not to mention I shouldn't be the only one since his pappa is still laid off and sissy is more than able to change a wet bum. Now if I can just get them to understand that respite is "complete care for Boo" so they get a break too. Not that they really want anyone to come in but they don't want to do it either. Hmmmmm, I'm still not "SuperMom" even though I try.
I agreed to cut respite to 1 day a week from 10-3 for June. DH is due to return to work in July (I hope!!!) so I may go back to 2 days a week then. I plan to use 1 day to spend completely with Gracie and 1 day to sew. Cleaning can be done on the other days. :-p
My shop is nearly empty so I reminded/told everyone that if the door to my sewing room is shut and I'm in it then I'm "at work" and to LEAVE ME ALONE!
Money is tight and I can't get anything done and posted to help supplement if I can't get the time.
OK, enough whining. DH wants to go for a bike ride and I need the exercise so we're going while both kids are at school. We've got about 45 minutes before Boo gets home so I've got to get my bum out of this chair.
Have a great week!
She found out that she made choir for next year but there's a catch. If the class is full then she has to try out again in the fall. You'd think they'd have a waiting list but I guess not. The director was going to ask the schedulers to see if there is room so she'll know before school gets out but they haven't said yet.
Boo has no idea it's the last day-though I did tell him. I'm sure he doesn't really understand that he's leaving Miss Sarah's class and moving into kindergarten in the fall. That means most of his preschool classmates will go into regular classrooms and he's going into lifeskills. I do know that there are many of the kids who will be in & out of the class throughout the day for different subjects so he will still see them. He will also still go with them to the "specials" classes (art, music, gym, library).
Summer is looking long already though I am looking forward to the break. Boo will have therapy on alternate Monday's @ St. V's and 6 sessions for school throughout the summer. We are continuing respite too so I have some time that I don't hear "we have a diaper emergency-come change him" or "Boo needs his medicines" or "time to feed Boo-are you going to make him wait?" OK, enough boys and girls....there is a clear schedule on the fridge so everyone knows when he needs to eat, when to get his meds, and the minimum times to check his undies for a change. I love my family but I'm not the only one who can care for this child; not to mention I shouldn't be the only one since his pappa is still laid off and sissy is more than able to change a wet bum. Now if I can just get them to understand that respite is "complete care for Boo" so they get a break too. Not that they really want anyone to come in but they don't want to do it either. Hmmmmm, I'm still not "SuperMom" even though I try.
I agreed to cut respite to 1 day a week from 10-3 for June. DH is due to return to work in July (I hope!!!) so I may go back to 2 days a week then. I plan to use 1 day to spend completely with Gracie and 1 day to sew. Cleaning can be done on the other days. :-p
My shop is nearly empty so I reminded/told everyone that if the door to my sewing room is shut and I'm in it then I'm "at work" and to LEAVE ME ALONE!
Money is tight and I can't get anything done and posted to help supplement if I can't get the time.
OK, enough whining. DH wants to go for a bike ride and I need the exercise so we're going while both kids are at school. We've got about 45 minutes before Boo gets home so I've got to get my bum out of this chair.
Have a great week!
Sunday, May 10, 2009
"Facebook Fridays"
OK on MommyBee's blog Jenni's talking about her "Facebook Friday" updates. Well I rarely get on my Facebook page so there are never updates for that so I think I'll continue to try do my updates here. Like I remember to do them anyway...but I'm gonna try.
Here's a recap of our week...
Sat/Sun-Gracie is sick (cough, runny nose, etc) the walk-in Doc took her off the Zyrtec to give her a different kind of allergy med (D-Allergy) because it *might* make her cough better. No such luck! I doubt we sleep much tonight here.
Mon-I got a new monkey pul diaper done for Boo. This one is a frankenstein pattern I've created because nothing seems to fit his super skinny booty. I used touchtape fasteners for this one. I 'm going to do a snap one later this week.
Tues-nothin' new today
Wed-Gracie is not anybetter and calling from school to tell me how sick she is. I'm going to have to call the doc tomorrow since her doc is off on Wednesdays.
Thurs-Called Dr. P. She wants Gracie in first thing tomorrow morning to be tested for flu since they didn't do that (like required right now!) last Friday when I took her in. Glad we don't have copays anymore. They forget these visits cost money sometimes. She's to start doing the inhaler 3x a day again. I did finish the snap version of Boo's monkey diapers today. It came out nice. :)
Fri-Gracie's flu test came back negative but she's to continue the inhaler and add an antibiotic. If she's not much better in a few days we also get to add prednisone.
Sat-Gracie is getting better and Boo is now getting sick too.
Sun-Happy Mother's Day to all the mom's out there!
Here's a recap of our week...
Sat/Sun-Gracie is sick (cough, runny nose, etc) the walk-in Doc took her off the Zyrtec to give her a different kind of allergy med (D-Allergy) because it *might* make her cough better. No such luck! I doubt we sleep much tonight here.
Mon-I got a new monkey pul diaper done for Boo. This one is a frankenstein pattern I've created because nothing seems to fit his super skinny booty. I used touchtape fasteners for this one. I 'm going to do a snap one later this week.
Tues-nothin' new today
Wed-Gracie is not anybetter and calling from school to tell me how sick she is. I'm going to have to call the doc tomorrow since her doc is off on Wednesdays.
Thurs-Called Dr. P. She wants Gracie in first thing tomorrow morning to be tested for flu since they didn't do that (like required right now!) last Friday when I took her in. Glad we don't have copays anymore. They forget these visits cost money sometimes. She's to start doing the inhaler 3x a day again. I did finish the snap version of Boo's monkey diapers today. It came out nice. :)
Fri-Gracie's flu test came back negative but she's to continue the inhaler and add an antibiotic. If she's not much better in a few days we also get to add prednisone.
Sat-Gracie is getting better and Boo is now getting sick too.
Sun-Happy Mother's Day to all the mom's out there!
Happy Mother's Day
I just wanted to wish all the mothers and mothers-to-be (expecting, TTC, or just waiting for the right time) a very Happy Mother's Day!
Please, relax and enjoy your day and your family. You've earned the time to take a breather and relax. Today isn't a day for housework and stress-only for relaxing with the ones you love...besides it's all going to be there on Monday. ;)
Please, relax and enjoy your day and your family. You've earned the time to take a breather and relax. Today isn't a day for housework and stress-only for relaxing with the ones you love...besides it's all going to be there on Monday. ;)
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Sick kids (again) but it's getting better...slowly
Ah well, here we go again...."Gracie" is still sick. She sounds horrible-cruddy cough and runny nose but no real fevers. I took her to the doctor last Friday (had to get thru ISTEP first 'cause the school would FREAK if she missed any time even if she was dying!) . The walk-in doc we got is really nice but decided to take her off the Zyrtec and use D-Allergy. Ummm, why? Anyway she didn't get any better and I called to leave a message for Dr. P. (her doc). Well long story short, Dr. P wanted to see her the next morning because she wasn't tested for influenza or anything else when she should have been.
She was flu tested (negative) then put on antibiotics and her inhaler 3x day for the next 10 days plus OTC cough meds as needed. She's already feeling a bit better and not nearly as cranky. (YEA!!!)
Now it seems that Boo may be getting sick too. He's started coughing and feeling warm but no real fever and boy is that child CRANKY!
My sewing time has been minimal to say the least but I did get 2 diapers done for him over the last few days. I've had to "frankenstein" them. He's just too skinny for the KCKOne large child. I've tried to narrow it and make it work but no luck. I just decided to take my youth pattern and mix in all the parts of the diapers he has to make one that fits and will grow with him for a while. I like the 2 I've finished. I did one with touchtape and the other with snaps. I do think I'll narrow the wings on them and allow enough room for 1 snap instead of 2. I also think I"ll have to do the front loop differently for the ones for school since I don't like snap down rises and they (school staff) need touchtape on the ones for school.
On a better note, we finished the summer IEP for Boo and it's pretty good. His kindergarten teacher loves the idea of cloth diapers and used them on her kids so she's great with more frequent changes. She's also trying to get another aide in the room so there are 3 adults since there will be a few kids in there that are very physically dependant. I still worry that he won't get the attention he needs but Angie is a great teacher and will make sure I'm keep current on everything. I want him to have an aide that is no more than 1:3 but so far that's not going to happen. I know because of his health issues and his needs I can push it and press for a 1:1 aide (least restrictive environment-Article 7 and medical necessity) but I'm going to wait and see how many kids there are and how many aides we end up with before I do that. I think the extra funds a nurse would cost could be better spent educating these kids. Time to "hurry up and wait".
Oh and Boo got a new haircut-just like the big kids. I'm still not sure I like it but everyone agrees he looks so much more grown up!
She was flu tested (negative) then put on antibiotics and her inhaler 3x day for the next 10 days plus OTC cough meds as needed. She's already feeling a bit better and not nearly as cranky. (YEA!!!)
Now it seems that Boo may be getting sick too. He's started coughing and feeling warm but no real fever and boy is that child CRANKY!
My sewing time has been minimal to say the least but I did get 2 diapers done for him over the last few days. I've had to "frankenstein" them. He's just too skinny for the KCKOne large child. I've tried to narrow it and make it work but no luck. I just decided to take my youth pattern and mix in all the parts of the diapers he has to make one that fits and will grow with him for a while. I like the 2 I've finished. I did one with touchtape and the other with snaps. I do think I'll narrow the wings on them and allow enough room for 1 snap instead of 2. I also think I"ll have to do the front loop differently for the ones for school since I don't like snap down rises and they (school staff) need touchtape on the ones for school.
On a better note, we finished the summer IEP for Boo and it's pretty good. His kindergarten teacher loves the idea of cloth diapers and used them on her kids so she's great with more frequent changes. She's also trying to get another aide in the room so there are 3 adults since there will be a few kids in there that are very physically dependant. I still worry that he won't get the attention he needs but Angie is a great teacher and will make sure I'm keep current on everything. I want him to have an aide that is no more than 1:3 but so far that's not going to happen. I know because of his health issues and his needs I can push it and press for a 1:1 aide (least restrictive environment-Article 7 and medical necessity) but I'm going to wait and see how many kids there are and how many aides we end up with before I do that. I think the extra funds a nurse would cost could be better spent educating these kids. Time to "hurry up and wait".
Oh and Boo got a new haircut-just like the big kids. I'm still not sure I like it but everyone agrees he looks so much more grown up!
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Autism Awareness month
April is Autism Awareness month! Please take a few minutes out of your day to read a bit about this spectrum of disorders. There is so much more to them than "Rain Man". I know that's what most people picture when they hear "Autism". There are many different forms of several different disorders on this spectrum.
I once had it explained like this...
Autism is like a double rainbow. The bright inner rainbow is your basic Autism disorder. One end is the mildly affected person the top/middle is the moderately affected and the other end is the severely affected. The second, less visible, rainbow is for the other Austim disorders like Asperger's Syndrome and Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD). This rainbow is marked the same way...mild, moderate and severe.
My DD is somewhere in the mild to moderate category. To look at her you'd never know there were any issues, to speak with her you think...Albert Einstein, then as you get to know her you begin to notice the differences. Some people say, "brat" or "needs better discipline". Her teachers are fond of "she should know that". My response to that is "she would if you'd take the time to TEACH HER-which, by the way, is what you are being paid to do". I've gotten so discouraged that my tact is gone after 7 years. I try to remember that each year is a new set of teachers and I let them form their opinions before I make known what the school & co-op don't. They have a special needs child in their class. I frequently hear things like "she's too smart to have anything like that". Ummm, maybe they need to read up on this stuff again.
I'm getting so tired and frustrated with this fight.
At least they don't fight me with her brother. They're quick to give him whatever I ask for. I guess the fact that he's so obviously physically and mentally delayed that they can't deny it is in his favor. That would make our school system look really bad. It's such a shame that they deny children like my daughter and another of her classmates any help and services even with diagnoses from expert physicians. It does such a disservice to them and our area.
I'm asking that you, please, read up on the different Autism Spectrum disorders. Maybe you will look a little differently at that child who's having a melt down in Kroger or a tantrum in WalMart next time. We aren't bad parents, we do provide discipline for our children but sometimes we have do deviate from our regular schedules and these little ones just can't handle that. Bear with us and please don't judge...you may not have all the information to make the right judgement.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/aspergers-syndrome/DS00551
www.autismspeaks.org
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/autism/detail_autism.htm
I once had it explained like this...
Autism is like a double rainbow. The bright inner rainbow is your basic Autism disorder. One end is the mildly affected person the top/middle is the moderately affected and the other end is the severely affected. The second, less visible, rainbow is for the other Austim disorders like Asperger's Syndrome and Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD). This rainbow is marked the same way...mild, moderate and severe.
My DD is somewhere in the mild to moderate category. To look at her you'd never know there were any issues, to speak with her you think...Albert Einstein, then as you get to know her you begin to notice the differences. Some people say, "brat" or "needs better discipline". Her teachers are fond of "she should know that". My response to that is "she would if you'd take the time to TEACH HER-which, by the way, is what you are being paid to do". I've gotten so discouraged that my tact is gone after 7 years. I try to remember that each year is a new set of teachers and I let them form their opinions before I make known what the school & co-op don't. They have a special needs child in their class. I frequently hear things like "she's too smart to have anything like that". Ummm, maybe they need to read up on this stuff again.
I'm getting so tired and frustrated with this fight.
At least they don't fight me with her brother. They're quick to give him whatever I ask for. I guess the fact that he's so obviously physically and mentally delayed that they can't deny it is in his favor. That would make our school system look really bad. It's such a shame that they deny children like my daughter and another of her classmates any help and services even with diagnoses from expert physicians. It does such a disservice to them and our area.
I'm asking that you, please, read up on the different Autism Spectrum disorders. Maybe you will look a little differently at that child who's having a melt down in Kroger or a tantrum in WalMart next time. We aren't bad parents, we do provide discipline for our children but sometimes we have do deviate from our regular schedules and these little ones just can't handle that. Bear with us and please don't judge...you may not have all the information to make the right judgement.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/aspergers-syndrome/DS00551
www.autismspeaks.org
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/autism/detail_autism.htm
Saturday, March 21, 2009
I found another great blog by another wonderful mom of a special needs child. It's called Dream Mom (also a Blogger blog). She's a really sweet lady and took the time to respond to me when I emailed about the Compleat. She's a single mom with her hands full but she's going about it happily (as often as we can) and quite an inspiration if you need a pick me up. There is a very good post about what our faces show when we look at our kids. I never thought about it much but when I'm worn out I wonder what Nikolas sees when he looks at me. I hope he understands that I wouldn't trade him for anything and he's not a burden to me at all. I hope Mikayla knows that too. I try tell them both these things but I'm not sure if they really "know" it. I'm making the mental note to remind them again (and again). The post is titled "If your child's face were a mirror what would you see?" Quite an intereting thought, even for those with typical kiddos.
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