My Baby's Gone

Isn't it funny that when Arion is here he drives me crazy and when he's gone I miss him. The airport trip was highly stressful. We left at about 4 pm for the airport. It should have taken about 1 hour to get there. The flight was at 7pm. I really thought it was at 7:30 pm but whatever. The problem was it took 2 hours to get there. We RAN in to find the check-in counter and found that Southwest worked out of 2 terminals. The check-in was at the other terminal. So we had to run over to that one and there was a long line. I was freaking out. When the woman in front of us finished with the computer I didn't even wait for her to move out of the way before I was putting his bank card in. He needed to check a bag, but the computer had an error and said we would have to see customer service. To hell with that. I grabbed his bag and said he would have to take it on the plane. We ran back to the other terminal to see that security was way backed up. It was 20 minutes to 7:00 at this point. I quick kissed him and said I would call him on his cell phone and wait till I was sure he was on the plane. What I forgot was the stuff in his bag that he couldn't take on the plane. SHIT. They found it in security and threw it all out. I then realized that I could see his gate from the window and there was no plane. WTF. He finally got through security and I talked to him on the phone. I kept checking the board and then the gate. At check-in I had called Jim to call Shannon and tell her not to leave until I was sure he got the plane. Now I was calling Jim and Shannon to tell them he would make it, but there still was no plane. The plane didn't pull up till 7:00 pm. Nice. Arion called at 7:15 to say they were starting to board. I waited to 7:25, but they still hadn't left the gate. The funny thing was, they never changed the board to read DELAYED. It never even said BOARDING. In fact the plane just disappeared from the screen all together. I was a wreck the whole way home. Arion called later that night and was laughing and joking around. Same old Arion. Finally I calmed down enough to get to sleep. What the hell am I going to do when he goes to college. By the way, this is Arion at 2. It is one of my favorite pictures.

ENOUGH ALREADY

Here's the deal. After Lauren's IEP I was sort of waiting for the next shoe to drop. You see for 4 years there has always been something to deal with. Some school to fight with, some doctor to see, some problem. After Lauren's IEP there was nothing. It felt weird to not say, now I can focus on _________. Well yesterday, a closet full of shoes dropped.

First, I think the washer is going. I really started to figure this out over the weekend. It's not really spinning right. I thought it might be that the load was too big or that the load was towels, but yesterday I did a small load and still needed to spin it twice. They are 18 years old. Timing just stinks. Hopefully I can limp them along till June when Jim gets his bonus.

Second, Jim talked to the school about Arion being suspended. My bad. I should have known that the boy was lying to me because his mouth was moving. Arion had said it happened after a field trip, that he had just gone to the wrong class. Jim called up to yell at the Principal for being unreasonable and then was informed that Arion had also skipped two days earlier. I could kill him.

Third, Jim found out his sister is back in the hospital. Not Good. This leads to the discussion about him going out. When, for how long, with or without his brother.

Finally, we have Lauren and the stamp. I go to help Brandon with brushing his teeth this morning and find one of my GOOD washcloths covered with pink. I know who did it from the color. Turns out it's from a stamp. I know this is minor in comparison, but it just sucks.

Tonight I drive Arion to the airport. It will be good for him. Just a get away and then he can finish up this year.

I Hate Being Sick

The last couple of days, Brandon and I have been sick. It really stinks. On Tuesday we both stayed home and then went to both our doctors. We both got put on meds. I really thought we had strep, but we don't. Brandon is still not himself today. Today my throat is better and my nose is running like crazy.

Arion flies out tomorrow to visit his Godmother for a week. I find I have mixed feelings about the trip. On the one hand I will miss him, but he has really been getting on my nerves lately.

This weekend will be a crazy move, move, move time. Lauren and Brandon start T-Ball and Lauren has a girl scout activity at the same time. I guess we will start with one and then quickly move to the other.

Big Day Over the Weekend

Yesterday was a big day. First we went to church where Brandon showed everyone that would look, the picture of his new bird. I was good because he doesn't really like to talk to people he doesn't know. When we got home he was showing Superman some of his writing. This bird might be a great learning tool.

Later, Lauren, Brandon and I went on a frog hunt with the our Girl Scout troop. It was great fun and we even had good weather. At the end, Brandon freaked because his feet were wet in his new boots. Lauren had fallen in and was soaked from the waist down. What a mess. We were all wiped out by the time we got home.

Welcome Superman

I must have lost my mind. I guess you could look at it that I got off easy. You see a couple of months ago, Brandon stated that he wanted a parrot. He was very definite about the type. What he wanted was a big, red macaw. Emphasis on the Big. Their pretty noisy too. We definitely were not going to get one of those. Well, after Rosie died, both Brandon and Lauren wanted to replace him. NO. One is good enough for now. It wouldn't be so bad if I didn't have to carry the cage to the laundry room every night and then back again in the morning. Anyway, we had been looking at birds and the different types. We were trying to push for something small and cheap. Well, today while picking up wood chips for the living hamster, we saw they were having a special on the starter kits. Not bad. Cheaper than what I had priced at Petsmart. The kids agreed on which one and I called Dad. He didn't really care. He knows I'm going to be the one to take care of the thing (just like the fish and hamster). So now we have a parakeet. He is a very pretty light blue. Brandon and Lauren picked the name Superman. OK . . . . Right now the poor thing is just trying to adjust. Hopefully, it won't take to long. He is in the dining room. This way I don't have to move him every night and he will see us (and us him) more.

Alone Time With The Kids

Last night was a big night for everyone. Lauren had her Girl Scout Father Daughter Dance and Brandon and I went out. At first Brandon wanted to go bowling, but the alley was all booked up. We ended up at Chuckie Cheese. Poor Arion had to work and it was crazy. Everyone ended up having a pretty good time. Jim wasn't so sure about Lauren, but she told me she did have fun, but the music was very loud. Brandon look kind of detached, but said he had a good time.

Fear?? Yes, We Had Fear

One of Brandon's problems is that he has a lack of fear. It really scares me some times. I will find him scaling the pantry to get something off the top shelf. He will literally be hanging from the shelves. Lately, he has started to use the chairs or stools to get what he wants. Not real safe, but better then the raw climb up the shelf or counter. I have also found him climbing up the wrong side of the stairway. Pictures me finding a child one floor up hanging on to the railing. Very scary for me.

Last night he proved there is a limit to his fearlessness. At swim class they wanted the students to jump off the starting blocks. At first he didn't even want to get up on the thing. On the second attempt he get up, but wouldn't jump. The teacher said that next week they want us to hold their hands while she waits in the water.

Great Dinner Conversation

Tonight at dinner there was lots to talk about. Lauren started in her new class today and was very excited. She liked the class and the teacher. She was even excited about the color of folder they gave her for her communication book. Brandon was excited about some work at school about boats. The communication book mentioned him drawing a pictures about a boat being blown across water. He even put the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4 across the top. We discussed the possibility of getting a model. He had lots of fun with the last two car models and this might be a great hobby for him and Dad. At one point Lauren mentioned that one of the boys at school had called her a name at lunch time. Brandon piped up and had a suggestion for her. He said to tell them "Mother of Pearl, Fire on the Poop Deck". This is one of his favorite saying from Sponge Bob. He then explained that it would make the boy laugh and leave her alone. It was great to see them both so happy and talkative.

Lauren's IEP and New Class

Yesterday was Lauren's IEP meeting. I guess I shook them up because we had a big crowd in the room, including the principal. They are still sticking to the "not dyslexic" point of view. After listening to what they had to say and the services they are planning on providing I let it go for now. They are giving her the main things I wanted and I'm not sure what else they would do if they were working on the dyslexia. One thing they are doing that I didn't expect was having to flip back and forth from her regular class to the supportive services class. Here is a list of what we got:

1. Lauren will now attend the supportive services class for all language arts related studies. This is a small class with a special ed teacher. I met her. Very nice.

2. Lauren will have all time restraints removed from her testing and class work.

3. All testing will happen in the supportive services room.

4. All directions for testing will be read to her to insure her understanding. Math questions will be read to her.

5. She will be allowed to take frequent breaks upon getting overly emotional

6. The hope to increase her phonemic awareness and she has a goal of being able to omit final and medial phonemes.

7. They have a goal of getting her reading to 60 words per minute.

8. They have a goal of getting her to write 22 correct writing sequences in 3 minutes. This is a term for writing 3 words correctly with proper spacing.

9. They will also work on her emotion issues by trying to correct the negative talk that goes on in her head.

10. They are to teach her new memory cues.

11. She will have a communication book sent home every night.

12. She will also attend summer school.

Like I said, it's a start. If I continue to see her flipping words and letters, you can be sure I will bring it up again. I also plan on researching to 3rd grade teachers and requesting which one I think will be the best fit. Lauren is to start her new class today. We had to hurry because they start Terra Nova testing next week and I wanted her to have the services for that test. She was very excited and sees this as a new start. I met the teacher and she seemed very nice. She mainly does special ed, so one would hope she will make a big difference in how things go.

The House That ADHD Built - Explained

In my profile I mention this, but I realize that I never really explained it. Some might think it's because both the boys have ADHD, but it started long before Brandon came into the picture. You see it runs in my family. I'm ADD, I know this, I have never been treated, but it's cool. My mind is all over the place. It gives new meaning to multi-tasking when I get going. One of my brothers has it two. He has now started taking meds as an adult and has found clarity of thought for the first time. My sister has problems with impulse control and organization. Sorry Mary, you do (we can talk later). But it's not just us and our kids that inherited it that caused my house to be this way. You see one of my best friends is ADHD. Her daughter (my godchild) has it along with her now step-son. At one point, before I married Jim, we lived together. This is really the root of the saying. Jim gave us that name because the house was always in motion. It really has grown since then. With more kids getting diagnosed over the years it has gotten crazier and crazier as we gather together. I will say, it does give you a good support system. I also have another long time friend that also has a son with ADHD and a little Asbergers thrown in for good measure. She is also helps with the support system. It's at times when we gather, that thing can get really crazy. The problem is, to us it's normal. To an outsider, well, they get tired just looking at us.

Goodbye To Rosie

Today I discovered that one of our hamsters had pasted away. Last weekend I noticed that something was wrong with his back. I asked around to a local expert (or as close as I could get without paying ) and the thought was that he had slipped a disk in his back or injured it in some way. The thought was that he probably wouldn't make it. I was kind of hoping he would for the kids sake. I had told them he was sick and may die. Lauren took it kind of hard. Brandon took it bad the other day, but seemed fine today. We are hoping that we can get by without replacing him. We still have Posie who is his brother and going very strong.

Third Times a Charm

Today Jim and I both took off work to take Lauren to the third person who was supposed to help with her broken tooth. I realize that I haven't really mentioned what has been going on. You see way back before Christmas I took the kids to the dentist and Lauren had broken a tooth. The problem is the tooth was an adult tooth. This is very important to remember. The dentist didn't want to touch it and sent us to an endodontist. I had Jim make the appointment (after much bitching) and also had him go alone. This is were our trouble began. You see the woman didn't really want to work on the tooth. It was very complicated. She gassed Lauren up, applied the local gel and then the Novocain. When she went in Lauren kind of jerked. Not knowing what to expect, she was a little scared. The endodontist then turned off the gas and pretty much threw Jim and Lauren out. She said that Lauren needed to be sedated. Jim and I didn't realize that this was just not going to happen. Here is the basic problem. Pediatric dentist will knock out kids but don't work on adult teeth and adult dentist don't knock out kids. Jim must have called about 50 people. He even called the insurance company. They were no help. Everyone said we would have to go to one of the major kid hospitals. We took a trip to one in the center of Philadelphia. The place turned out to be very scary and weren't able to do anything. Jim and I got really pissed and they then referred us back to a endodontist back near where we live. I spoke to them and they said they could give her a Valium or the like and try that with gas. Well this guy was great. He took his time and answered all Lauren's questions. Of course I was a reck. I have a major fear of the dentist myself and the smell alone can give me a panic attack. The nurse was joking that I should have been the one to take the Valium. In the end, the root canal was done. Lauren was great and raved about how great the dentist was. I hope I never have to go through that again.

Which is Worst???

OK, test time. Which is worst:

1. A little boy waking you up at 2:20 am because he can't find his cuccy Rat; or

2. Waking up at 3:30 am with you hand on a cuccy Rat and then finding a little boy next to it in the middle of your bed???

Sorry, it's a trick question. They are equally as bad, because you can't get back to sleep in either case and the next morning you feel like sh*t.

The Age Wars

Brandon's latest thing now is that he wants to be 8 years old. He doesn't want to hear that he's only 6. I think it started with Lauren getting to give up her car seat. In PA they are supposed to stay in their seats till they are 8 or 80 pounds. Well, she'll be 8 this summer and is 75 pounds. I let her out early because it looked like she bearly fit in it. I felt she was safer out so we removed her seat from both cars. So, now every time we need to get in the car he starts telling me he's big or 8. He has been getting very upset when I try to explain that he needs to get a little bigger before he can give up his seat. I'm also trying to use this to get him to eat more. He still hasn't gained any weight. I'm not real good at this junk food thing. He really doesn't like half the things I've tried. The only sure thing at this point is chocolate.

Looking Great

The bathroom is looking great. We have very little to do at this point. The ceiling still has some repair work and we want a new fan with a light. The present on does not have a fan. Overall we are very happy with the results. We did realise that the light blue paint is the wrong color. When I went to have the paint mixed I was a little distracted and I didn't really check what they did. The card had 3 colors on it. They were supposed to give me the dark on the bottom and the light on the top. They gave me the middle color instead. I must say, I am still happy with the results.

"Ours" and Pointer Finger

Last night was definitely a Brando's World occasion. It started when we asked Brandon where he wanted to go for dinner. A simple question, but no. Brandon wanted to go to "Ours". Where the hell is that. After several minutes of questions to try to figure out where "Ours" was we gave up and decided to go to the Chinese Buffet. When we got there Brandon informed us that this was NOT "Ours". Things went OK at the restaurant, the boys were trying to embarrass me as usual. Monkey dance and all. Then Brandon saw a baby at a table near to us and decided to "point" it out to us. The only problem was the finger he was using to point. Yes, you guessed it. He was definitely using the wrong finger. I tried to explain that he was using the wrong finger. That he had a special finger just for pointing. Of course Arion is laughing and this just gets Brandon going all the more. He loves it when he can make Arion laugh. So, of course he continues to point at everything with the wrong finger. I don't think I got through to him at all because this morning he was pointing at the monitor with the middle finger again.

A Night at the Races

Last night was the Pinewood Derby at Brandon's school. Lots of fun. Brandon was very excited. It was a much bigger thing than I expected. The track was 56 feet long. They had given out 160 kits. The cars were great. Brandon's car came in 3 for his heat. He was a little disappointed that it was slow. I kept telling him that it was more about having fun. He did get a ribbon and a certificate. VERY COOL. He stood at the finish line and watch every race. We definitely will be doing this again next year. Here are some pictures. Brandon's car is the red one in the middle, to the left.

Lauren's Test Results

I have had the results since Tuesday night, but I'm so disgusted that I'm just now dealing with it. The information was interesting, but I don't totally agree with the results. For one thing, we still don't agree on whether she is dyslexic or not. They said in the report that they note that she flips letters and such but they feel she will grow out of it. OK, who are they trying to kid. This morning we were going over her spelling words and she spelled "father" as F-A-T-H-R-E. She was reading off the paper. Also, the teacher and I seem to be profiling different kids. We both filled out a surveys about Lauren. They are very different. Could it be that she's not very observant. I think so. PLEASE. She didn't check that Lauren cries in school. I know she does. Another child in her Brownie troop told me she does all the time. Her first grade teacher made note of it last year and nothing has changed at home with the crying. She also didn't note that Lauren fears making mistakes, but the report suggest that this fear keeps Lauren from trying. The only thing they seem to have found is that she is doing very poorly in reading and that she has a "weak working memory." They do suggest an IEP, so that's a start. I have contacted a local re-hab facility that works with dyslexic kids and they have a program. They are sending me info and I will see if I can get her help there. I plan on calling the school today to discuss the findings. That ought to be good.

Renovations Continue

We are continuing to work on the first bathroom and hope to begin on the second bathroom in the next week or so. So far the sink has been replaced and the floor is finished. I have put the second coat of spackle on the walls and ceiling. We are hoping to be painting by this evening. I have some pictures of the floor tile and paint colors. The sink pictures are of the sink in the second bathroom. It too will be replaced when we get in there. I can't wait to be finially rid of the Harvest Gold.

Let the Renovations Begin

On Sunday we started the renovation projects. We were supposed to start on Saturday, but Brandon kind of threw us off. It was kind of like that Home Depot add. It is the 5 trip project so far. And some trips to the True Value down the road. So far the old floor has been riped out and most of the new floor is in. The toilet is still out so we can paint. The old sink has been pulled and the new one is in place. One problem is that the U is leaking. I plan to stop for a new one on the way home from work. I still need to pick up the new mirror. Once we finish fixing the walls and ceiling, the painting will begin. My room is a disaster. Everything is in there from tools to the entire contents of the bathroom. I hope to work some more tonight, but I have to go to the grocery store or the kids won't have anything for lunch.

Not the Day I Planned

Yesterday started out as planned. I got up with the kids. Lazed around. Worked on the computer. Printed out the finial pictures for Brandon's Race Car. Worked with Arion on funding and college stuff. By the way, after deciding to go to one of the campuses of Penn State, he got a letter from one of the campuses of University of Pitt and now wants to go there. Around 1:45 we all got in the car, dropped Arion off at work. Stopped at Rita's for opening day and then it was on to Home Depot. YES. We start looking around and discussing which project to start first. We need the tub, but can't fit it with the kids, so someone will have to come back. Then it happens. Brandon had climbed under the cart. I had just said that it wasn't safe to Jim. "He's going to get caught in the wheels". Suddenly Jim stops the cart. I thought Lauren had gotten to close and he got her toes. Nope. It was Brandon. He caught his thumb in the wheel. I look back and there they are. Brandon is screaming. Jim fighting to see the thumb. I get there and see the blood. Jim wants a tissue. I grab Brandon and say I'm heading for customer service for the first aid kit. Luckily they had one with ice packs. Well, long story short. We spent the next 2-3 hours at the emergency room having X-Rays. Nothing broken, just smashed.

Mad As Hell and Not Going to Take It Anymore

Today I had had enough. Lauren's 60 days is up next Friday and I still have heard nothing from the school. Being the BI*CH that I am I called the Director of Elementary Education for my school district. Of course I didn't get her but her assistant was somewhat helpful in taking a message. I gave her my name, my WORK number. She asked the name of child and school. After all basic info was taken she asked what was the problem. I told her I was calling to complain because I had had enough. I told her that I requested testing on November 30th and their time was up next Friday. I then informed her that if I didn't get results by then they would be talking to my lawyer on the following Monday morning. The assistants response was a slow "OHHHH". She told me that she would pass my message on right away. I waited all day and heard nothing. I was really pissed when I got home till Jim said there were a couple of messages on the machine. Of course they called me at home when I gave them my work number. Same tactic, different day. The two messages were from the principal from the school. Guess she got her butt chewed. The second message said I would have my result on Tuesday. Mission Accomplished.