OUR LIFE WITH AUTISM....

12 years ago

2011-04-25T20:24:00.002-04:00

As April 26th rolls around each year, I never quite know what I'm supposed to do, how I am supposed to reflect on probably the most difficult day I have ever lived on this earth. 12 years ago I gave birth to our first born child, a son, Billy. But God's plan for Billy was different than mine. Billy was born still. He never experienced the tragedies and disappointments of this life, but rather went straight to the arms of Jesus.
12 years ago I felt as though my life would never be the same - and I was right.It wouldn't. What happened that day has changed my life forever. Although it took much time for me to see what those changes would be, God used that tragic day to help define who I am today. I was taught the fragileness and value of life. I was taught not to take anything or anyone for granted. I learned, over time, that God can get me through any situation, no matter how difficult. I learned that God loves me and that He needed to teach me some things before I could be the mother that he wanted me to be. He was teaching me to love and appreciate the future children I would have, in a way deeper and more complete than I ever could have if I had not experienced the loss of my son.
He was preparing me to love a special child, one with a disability. Not that I couldn't have loved Katie without losing a child before her, but because of my loss, my love for her has come without question. As I often say, I am thankful that God gave her to me so that I could love her and try to be the best mother I can be to her.
He was also preparing me for Miss Mary, the child that I believe God allowed to heal my broken heart. She continues to be a reminder to me of God's love and faithfulness to us, even 10 years later.
I write this mainly for myself, to look at and reflect on. Maybe that is the best thing I can do, look back and be thankful for all that God has given me. I can hardly believe that my precious baby would have been 12 tomorrow. I am thankful that he is in heaven and is enjoying God's presence where I know that one day I will join him for eternity. Happy birthday, Billy.

A Sunny Afternoon

2011-03-26T14:45:00.003-04:00

Well, living in Michigan, March can be an unpredictable month for weather. Thankfully, the sun is shining today...but it's just a little cold for my liking. I can't complain though. It's a pretty quiet afternoon here. We have been struggling with sickness (strep, bronchitis, ear infections, etc.) all month. Most everyone is feeling better, except Miss Katie whose cough is keeping the house at a moderate noise level even though she and I are the only ones home.

Katie is doing really well. We were finally able to slowly take her off all of her medications, and she is definitely a new girl. Believe me when I say that removing the meds hasn't changed her autism....but it has definitely given us back the "real" Katie. She is "talking" more (I use the term talking loosely...she is babbling a lot...like a one year old would.), she has a range of emotions back....happy, sad, excited....she didn't have any emotional range when she was medicated. She is also sleeping better and has lost almost 10lbs. since stopping the meds. Those are all great things for her. My hope is that we will be able to keep her off medications indefinitely...which would be great.

Not too much else happening in our world. Just taking it a day at a time. Spring Break is now less than a week away....maybe we'll try to do something exciting! Hopefully the weather will cooperate!

Back Again

2011-03-11T23:36:00.002-05:00

Well, eight months have passed since my last post. Thanks to a new laptop and wireless in the house (finally) I may be able to get back into the habit of blogging more often. One good thing about blogging for me is that it allows me to keep a record of how Katie is doing. It was good for me to read my post from last summer and see where she has come from that point.

We actually did go ahead and buy her a protective helmet to help prevent injury to her head when she has a self-injurous behavior episode. Unfortunately, self-injury is very common in children with autism and in some cases can be quite severe. Thankfully, we believe Katie is making good progress in this area. We recently went through the process of getting her weaned off of all of her meds and she is now a med-free (and much happier) girl. Her "speech" is returning, her smile and laugh have returned, and now we only see the self-injury when she becomes frustrated and unable to communicate her needs effectively. I am thrilled to see the progress she is making after making these changes.

She also needed to have extensive dental work done last month. This included removing 2 abcessed teeth along with many fillings. Unfortunately, her dental work had to be done under general anesthesia at the hospital, but Katie has a wonderful dentist who was extremely patient with her. I am just glad that her tooth pain has been relieved and as a result of the dental work and changes in her meds she is back to sleeping through the night on a regular basis.

That about sums it up for Miss Katie. I hope that when I post next time (with wishful thinking that it will be sooner than later) I will see the continued progress that she is making. I am also hoping that warm weather decides to show up soon so that we can get the pool open and let Katie return to her happy place of swimming and the sandbox.

Too Long...

2010-07-01T20:50:00.003-04:00

Once again, it has been far too long since I have last posted on my blog. My intentions are good, but life is crazy and hours turn into days, which turn into weeks...and you get my drift. Life has not been boring or easy as of late. Katie's struggles have increased, which means that our struggles as a family have also increased. Autism is a life long disability. As much as I loved reading Jenny McCarthy's books about her son and his "autism" and how she "healed" him of his autism, I have to tell you that in my opinion, if you can "heal it" - it wasn't autism in the first place.
Because this blog is really because of Katie, I will use this post to talk about her and her progress. She is doing well. She completed her first year at her "new" school - which is now no longer her new school - and just "her school"......Mary and I joke about that. She gets to go to school year round with only 2 week breaks at a time, which helps with her routine and retention. It hasn't been a year without struggles. She continues to battle off and on with sinus issues...although thankfully they seem to be staying away so far this summer. She has started to have some significant behavior issues.... She has good days and bad.....we are exploring options - even a football helmet, to help protect her head when she has one of her "fits". I am also learning that it is difficult to find support when your child has issues like this. Some doctors don't consider autistic behavior issues to be a medical problem, but getting into a behavioral therapist isn't easy. Long waiting lists, little or no coverage from insurance...it makes me feel compassion for families who are in even more difficult situations than we are. Where we live there are only 2 options within 60 miles for a behavioral therapist (and no, we don't live in the middle of nowhere).
I am thankful for a swimming pool and a sandbox to help keep her occupied. And we have had fabulous weather so far this summer, so that has helped too.........
Since I know myself well enough to know that I won't be posting again most likely until after the 4th....Happy 4th.......

Field Trip

2010-05-06T09:32:00.004-04:00

One of the highlights for fourth graders at Mary's school is to go on a field trip to Lansing, the state capitol of Michigan. Lots of parents were able to go along on this field trip, including myself. Mary was so excited to go. The kids were able to visit a children's science museum, the Michigan history museum, and were given a tour of the capitol building. Here are some highlights:

It was a pretty long day on the bus...but we still managed to have fun!

Mary getting "chewed up" by the big mouth at the Impression 5 Museum. The kids loved this hands-on museum and had a great time learning all about magnets, water, gravity, the human body and lots of other great topics.

This is Mary's class standing in front of the capitol building. It was a beautiful sunny day - great for being able to walk from the history museum over to the capitol for our tour! It was a super day!

The journey

2010-04-28T19:44:00.004-04:00

A little over five years ago, when Katie was first officially diagnosed with autism, I felt as if my world was falling apart. I gradually progressed into a stage of grieving - grieving the loss of a "normal" childhood for her, knowing that she will most likely never graduate from college, never get married, never have children of her own.

I then moved into a stage of action. I almost went off the deep end trying to get Katie every service, every therapy, every potential help that was out there for her. Once her services were well on their way to being established, reality started to set in. The reality of who Katie is and all the things she was capable of....pushing out the screens from the windows and "escaping" the house, climbing things, eating things that aren't meant to be eaten, the list goes on and on. Reality is a long stage - as least it was for me. I think reality was age 3-5 for me. The reality that spoken word will never be Katie's primary or preferred method of communication. The reality that she might never be completely toilet trained (although she totally proved me wrong on that one and is doing a fabulous job!) The reality that God chose Katie for us to raise. He gave her to us. He entrusted us with this precious life. A unique life, unlike many, but one that has since become the norm for us. I have often told people that I am thankful that God chose me to be Katie's parent. Not because I'm a great parent, because that is not what we are called to be, but rather because I love Katie, and I try to teach her that Jesus loves her, and I am grateful that she is in our home where she is treated with love, respect and equality to the fullest that we are able to give her. It took a long time for me to be able to say those things. It was definitely after I had passed through the "reality" stage....it was more like what I call the "routine" stage.

Although nothing in our life is really routine (except for Katie's schedule) I believe that I (and we as a family) are now in the routine stage with Katie. This is where, even though things are never easy - and if you are my friend on facebook, you will already know that things lately have been anything but easy. Katie has been extremely emotional, tantruming all the time, appearing to be completely out of sync, which leaves me standing there, looking at her, and wondering - "how can I help you? Why can't you tell me what is wrong? -- I feel horrible for her that in many ways she is "trapped" - unable to tell anyone what she is feeling, if she is hurt, if she needs help. That is the routine stage - learning to know how she communicates - and being able to meet her needs even though she can't verbal tell you what she needs. I write all this really only for my own reflection - to look back and say - look how far we have come...how much progress we have made, how much progress Katie has made.

It has been a very tough week so far - probably the roughest we have had in quite some time - and maybe that is what is causing me to be reflective - to say out loud that I wouldn't want my life to be any other way - that having Katie in my life makes me a better mother, a better wife, a better friend - and most of all has taught me a lot about God's love and acceptance - and how His hand truly does guide all things. Thank you Lord for our precious Katie. Help me to remember what a blessing she is, especially during the trying and difficult times.

Found It...

2010-04-18T22:14:00.001-04:00

Here is the picture of Mary from the Autism Walk.....just so we have proof that she was there too!

Walk About, Talk About Autism

2010-04-18T21:52:00.004-04:00

We had a wonderful day Saturday at the annual "Walk About, Talk About Autism" walk for our local chapter of the Autism Society of America. It was a bit chilly out....49 degrees to be exact, but Bill and the girls walked a little over 3 miles. (I walked a little bit less than that :)

Mary was with us, too, but for some reason I must not have uploaded the really cute picture I have of her with her autism tattoo on her face...I'll have to figure out where it is on my phone and add it later this week....but it was a great time for the 4 of us...and Katie did exceptionally well.

There was a clown with balloons, crafts, games, prizes, lunch and of course the walk itself. It is a really nice opportunity to see and meet people from our local autism community. Many people who have been a part of Katie's education were there as well as several families we know who also have children with autism.

I think Katie was pretty tired by the time this picture was taken. We were there for about 4 hours....and with all of that walking, she definitely was a trooper!

A Day of Pondering

2010-04-12T21:16:00.002-04:00

I usually use this blog only to reflect on our family and the things that take place on a daily basis -- our journey through autism, school happenings, vacations, etc., but today...my mind is full of thoughts - and I find this the best outlet to express what is bottled up in my mind.

If you know me personally, outside of the blog world, you know that God has taken me on many journeys during my walk with Him. Journeys of both joy and pain. Happiness and Sorrow. When going through many of these journeys, especially difficult ones, it is often hard to see the big picture, to understand the whys and hows. I am the first to admit that I have gone through some very dark times in my walk with God. He has, and will, always remain faithful, even though the circumstances of this life would cause me to doubt and question Him and His ways. "Why would you do this God?" or "How could you allow this to happen?" With time, many of these questions are answered. God gently reveals His plan and purpose to us, in His time, in His way. For me this is usually after a period of great sorrow, and then great growth and healing.

Today, I was exposed to great sorrow. Although this sorrow was not in my own life, it has impacted me greatly as I have tried to process this sorrow throughout the day. It has taken me back to a time when I personally experienced great sorrow, and I again found myself traveling down the road of questioning. "Why, God, why would you allow this to happen?" Maybe it is the human nature in me - the desire for everything to make sense. The difficulty of allowing my finite mind to understand the complexities of an infinite God, whose wisdom, mercy and grace are far beyond what I will ever truly be able to comprehend this side of heaven - or perhaps it is lies in my inability to find anyway to comfort those who are experiencing the sorrow. For Christ alone is our comfort - and until the questioning, and often even doubting are complete - that can be a difficult concept to grasp.

What I do know is this,"God is our refuge and strength, an everpresent help in times of trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea."

2010-04-10T14:47:00.003-04:00

Just a few of the things I missed blogging about...

I'm BAAAAAAACK!!!

2010-04-10T14:18:00.003-04:00

Okay everyone (all 2 of you)....don't die of shock, I'm back. I know, I've become so dependent on Facebook to keep up with everyone that I haven't done much (well, any) blogging in months. A lot has happened since September. School started for Mary and Katie has continued on at her new school. We took a 10 day trip to Disney which was amazing, we endured another Michigan winter, Katie had a broken arm, and needed 5 staples in her head (2 different occasions)....yep, a lot has happened. I promise to be more faithful to my blogging...and maybe I'll even throw in some retro (well, from January) pictures to get everyone caught up........

Sick Day

2009-09-28T13:22:00.002-04:00

Well, it's our first official "sick day" of the year. Katie is home with me. It's so hard for me - even at her age of soon to be 7 - to know exactly when I should keep her home. She has an off and on cough which I attribute mostly to allergies - and this wonderful sinus thing that I have had for the past week. She seems happy - just kind of spaced out...I'm hoping to be able to send her back to school tomorrow.

Not too much else happening around here. Girl scouts starts this week. Mary is also going to be playing on a volleyball team -- she is excited about that. We are trying to "steer" her towards sports in which her height may be an advantage. I"ll keep you posted on that one.

I continue to read, read,read. Just finished "Catching Fire" - the sequel to "The Hunger Games" - if you are looking for good fiction, I highly recommend this series.

Well, I guess that's it for now. Back to hanging out with Katie and trying to get her well....

I Know...

2009-09-20T23:28:00.002-04:00

I know...I haven't quite gotten back into the blogging routine yet. We are barely getting into the school routine, so hopefully the blog routine will follow soon after. The school schedule is basically kicking my butt - there is no other way to put it. Between my haphazard work schedule which has me working all kinds of assorted hours and having to get up at 6 am every day to get Katie ready for the bus, I am basically spent.
The girls are both doing well. Katie is loving school. She is so happy...it is a great thing to see. Bill and I went with her class to the fair last week and it was amazing to see her class as a whole and how the teacher and aides are so awesome with the kids. I can see why Katie loves it. We are so happy to have her there - and she really seems to be fitting in as well as she could anywhere. At this point I believe she is in the best, most ideal place for her - and that is such a great place for her to be.
Mary is loving 4th grade - although she did make me aware that 4th grade was a bit "too stressful" for her. (I think she is over that now). Homework is not something many 4th graders are fond of, but Miss Mary would much rather be riding her bike than learning how to spell marvelous or hazardous...so let's just say --- we're still working on the routine. Maybe we'll have it down by Halloween. :)
As I mentioned - I am back to work for the most part - but my hours are kind of all over the place. I am thankful for a good job, so no complaints - but I do find myself needing a nap here and there to get caught up....
I continue to be reading some amazing books. My most recent book club book was a mystery - which I don't usually read or like - but I really enjoyed it. "Whispers on the Bayou" by Mindy Starns Clark.
Hope this finds you all well - and I will try my hardest to get back into the blogging routine!

Back into a routine

2009-09-08T09:45:00.003-04:00

Yes, I'm back. Hopefuly blogging will once again become a habit for me. It seems the summer was so crazy -- between Katie's new school schedule complete with summer classes and Mary's desire to always be going somewhere and doing something - I didn't find myself blogging too much. Well -- now both of the girls are back in school. Mary is in 4th grade - which is mind blowing to me ---she was so excited and nervous this morning. I'm praying for an excellent year for her. Here we are this morning in one of Bill's famous self-portraits ---

I am continuing to be a ravenous reader - it's almost like I just can't get enough of a good book. :) My book club keeps me in great Christian fiction and my "want to read" list of new releases continues to grow.

Here's to a great school year for all of our kiddo's out there....and hopefully to more regular blogging from me :)

Vacation Rocks

2009-08-21T18:54:00.003-04:00

Yes, I'm back. Guess I'm not doing so well at blogging in August. We are finishing up a great week of vacation - complete with a trip to the Carfax 250 at Michigan International Speedway. If you are my facebook friend, you have possibly already seen this picture ----

It's no secret that I love NASCAR...so when the opportunity was given to Bill and I to once again go to the race and spend time on pit lane and in the garage - we definitely jumped at it. Thanks friend...you know who you are!

We also just got back from three days in the Wisconsin Dells at Great Wolf Lodge. This was our first visit to the Dells - and we loved it. I don't love the Chicago traffic (hard to believe I lived there for 6 years - and for all practical purposes that is really where I learned to drive!)...but now, Chicago traffic does nothing for me. We got home a little after midnight last night and let me just say we are all a little tired - and I may never get the laundry caught up - but oh well, that is what vacation is all about.

I hope all of you are enjoying your summer .....more blogging to start soon.....school is almost back in session!

August Already?

2009-08-01T20:46:00.002-04:00

Sorry for the extended absence from the blogging world. Sometimes I get a little caught up in the girls being home (Katie's two weeks at school went very fast!!! She is now beginning her second week at home before heading back to school for two more weeks). I also have been tryinig to knock off some projects around the house. Bill and I drained the pool today - scrubbed it out and are in the process of re-filling it. What a lot of work! But it was definitely needed. Hopefully it will make it until school starts and then we will take it down and put it away.I have a feeling we are about at the end of the life of this pool anyway -- and a new purchase will need to be made when pools go on clearance here in the next few weeks.

Not a whole lot else going on. I've just been spending way too much time on facebook, reading (see the new additions to my reading list) going to movies and just having a good summer with the fam. More as it becomes available. Hope you are having a great summer, too.

Schools In ....for the Summer

2009-07-16T07:54:00.003-04:00

Well apparently Katie is taking to this new school thing much better than we had anticipated. Today is day 3. She loves the bus, so that has been extremely helpful. She has over an hour ride in the morning...which we aren't thrilled about, but unfortunately that is really our only option. We could drive her, but it's 30 minutes each way - not the ideal situation either - so for now, she is on the bus.

I talked with Katie's teacher from last year yesterday. She has been going to school with Katie to help the new school and their staff get adjusted to Katie and vice versa. She is pleased with how things are going - and so far, we are too.

Mary is still at camp, so this has been a pretty quiet week around here. I have actually been able to dig into a few projects - like organizing Mary's bedroom. Wowza - I think she likes to collect things - like rocks, paper, etc. She'll be surprised when she comes home tomorrow :)

Have a fabulous Thursday.

Back to School? What Happened to Summer?

2009-07-14T07:37:00.002-04:00

Well, you read it right, Katie started her new school year today. She was a little confused - and there was some whining when she saw the bus pull up to our house. But once she was on, she was good. Happy. We are thankful that she enjoys riding the bus.
Mary is off at camp this week, so the house is quiet. It's almost strange. It's a little weird for summer break. The good news for Katie is that she is in school for 2 weeks and then she will have another 2 weeks off. It's an unusual school schedule, but I think it will work for her. She only had 5 weeks off for her main summer break - and let me tell you, she is ready (needs) to go back to school. She has loved the pool and watching videos, but trying to keep her actively engaged was starting to become a struggle. I'm sure she will run for the pool as soon as gets off the bus this afternoon - and that will be just fine with me. I'll post more once she's home and I find out how her day went...

4th of July 2009

2009-07-05T21:26:00.006-04:00

It was definitely a fun-filled afternoon and evening at the lake. Mary enjoyed lounging on the back of the boat while we watched fireworks.

Bill and I had our "annual" 4th of July picture taken by Mary -

and we added a new one - a family shot.

This is one of my favorites from earlier in the day - an underwater shot of Katie swimming!

Happy Independence Day!

2009-07-04T09:07:00.005-04:00

Well, it's a cool morning here - only in the low 60's. So much for a warm holiday weekend - but it's supposed to be a little nicer this afternoon. I hope so. We are looking forward to our traditional "fireworks out on the boat at the lake"evening. This was the event last year where we took these great pictures :

Katie truly enjoying fireworks for the first time :)

matching swimsuits - wow they look so young here!

And this picture that Mary took is definitely one of my most favorite pictures of Bill & I - enjoying the sunset on the 4th.

Happy 4th of July everyone - and here's hoping for some more great pictures tonight!

So much for the lazy days of Summer

2009-06-26T19:01:00.003-04:00

So far, Summer vacation has been a good one. We are keeping Mary very busy which has helped a lot - but there certainly haven't been very many "lazy days of Summer" for us yet. Next week should quiet down a little bit as Mary only has "obligations" on Tuesday and Thursday. I can hardly believe that the 4th of July is next week already. Katie only has two more weeks off and then she will be starting at her new school. Crazy!

This picture is of Mary at basketball camp last week - I never posted a picture of her. She enjoyed that camp so much!

The girls (especially Katie) are also enjoying the pool --this week it has been 90 or hotter each day, so it has gotten a lot use. I had to invest in some really good sunscreen for Katie because she is spending so much time outside. I'm sure she will miss the pool when she goes back to school. The weather here is supposed to be much cooler - and wet- next week, so I'm not sure how much swimming she will get in.

Well, here's to a great summer weekend....and maybe even a lazy day or two.

Swimmer's Ear

2009-06-24T21:59:00.005-04:00

Well, I am learning a lot about what swimmer's ear truly is. Katie has it, in both ears. Yikes. I almost thought she had a "regular" ear infection because she was acting like she was in so much pain. We went to the pediatrician today - and she has true swimmer's ear -- which is not water trapped in your ear - what people often call swimmer's ear. It is an infection in the skin that lines the ear canal. Basically when the ear canal gets exposed to water it reacts as the rest of our skin does by "opening" and becoming puffy or shriveled. When in this "state" it is more able to pick up bacteria -- and some bacteria that we normally carry on our skin can actually cause swimmer's ear. I felt very educated by the time I left the office. We now have some drops for her ears that act similar to how neosporin would act on a cut if it were on our skin. She isn't too fond of the drops, but I am hoping that it will do the trick -- and quickly. I am actually amazed with all the swimming she does that we haven't had to deal with swimmer's ear before....but to the best of my knowledge - this is the first time for either of the girls.

On a brighter note, Mary is having a splendid time at her first VBS of the summer. She is a big fan of vaction Bible school, just as I was as a kid. She has at least one more in July --possibly two. It's a great way to keep her busy. As I've said before, she gets bored far too easily in the summer.

Well, that's about it for now. Hope everyone is enjoying their summers. The heat here the past few days has been almost unbearable for Michigan...but it could snow tomorrow (just kidding), so I'll enjoy it while it lasts.

Muggy Thursday

2009-06-18T17:21:00.002-04:00

Yep, it's muggy. We're expecting a doozy of a storm tonight, so I guess that explains the humidity. Yick...but Katie loves it. She has spent the afternoon outside teetering back and forth between the pool and the sandbox. I am so thankful for a fenced in backyard, a huge bonus that is for sure. Mary is loving basketball camp. I wish it was for more than one week. I was able to get a sitter for Katie so that I can go watch her last day of camp. She is pretty excited about that. She wanted Bill to come see her, but he is so busy at work right now (which we are thankful for) so instead she gets me -- but that's okay.

Not too much else going on. Just trying to keep up with laundry and work on some projects around the house. I need to shampoo the carpets, but in this humidity I'm not sure that is a great choice.

Have a great weekend.

Pool Time....

2009-06-15T09:13:00.004-04:00

Well, after the fabulous "mud-day" (see previous post) we broke down and put the pool up. It hasn't exactly been a warm May/June here in Michigan, so we were hesitant to put it up -- especially knowing that Katie is unable to stay out of the pool - even when the water is freezing. The pool has been up 4 days and Katie has a better tan than I will get all summer. The next stage is that her hair will turn this fabulous blonde color -- and the best part is, she doesn't even realize that she is so adorable with her "tanzilla" look as we like to call it.
Hopefully the pool will hold out for the whole summer. It's our third summer with it. The girls are both ready for a bigger pool - especially now that Katie can swim - but for now it does the trick.
I'm glad to be on summer vacation (well - truly, I am not on vacation as I continue to work on a limited schedule) - but I'm happy that the girls are on break. Mary starts basketball camp this afternoon -- and we have several VBS's scheduled for her to attend. We are trying to keep her busy this summer - as boredom is usually quick to set in with her. I always tell her - if you were an adult you wouldn't even know what it is to be bored!!!!

Happy Summer!

It must be time to put up the pool....

2009-06-10T17:03:00.004-04:00

When it rains....

2009-06-07T11:44:00.004-04:00

...it pours. How true, how true. It seems as this past week has been a whirlwind. I know the last week of school is always crazy, and sometimes a bit overwhelming, but this week....well, it's been a doozy...and I still have a few days left.

Bill is in Chicago today (well, Joliet actually) at the NHRA race - and I am home with Katie. Mary went to church with my parents and I am home - trying to recover, re-coup, figure out how to proceed through the next couple of days. I must say that I am so thankful for my parents and how they help Bill & I out in so many ways. They have Mary this morning (they actually kept her overnight last night). They watched both the girls last evening as Bill & I needed to attend visitation for his grandfather who passed in the night on Thursday. His funeral is tomorrow - so that will be most of our day tomorrow. The girls have school (Katie's last day) so that complicates things a bit, but this week hasn't been anything if not complicated.

This picture is of Bill & Mary right before they headed out on her 13 mile 3rd grade bike trip. They biked home after the trip so it turned out to be about a 15 mile ride - and they had a great time. I'm not sure about Mary's "angry" face - but it makes for a funny photo :)

Katie's school transitioning seems to be going well. She had a visit last week and we have another on Tuesday - as well as her new IEP - so more things to make a full week. I'll be ready for summer vacation by Wednesday. I guess we need to get our pool open. I'll just make that number 99 on the list. :)
Have a great week.

Just keep swimming.....

2009-06-03T12:25:00.003-04:00

Yes, to quote Dorie in "Finding Nemo", "Just keep Swimming, swimming, swimming." That is truly how I feel these days. Big "to-do" lists and I just have to keep "swimming" away at them. Life is good, just busy. Katie visited her soon to be "new school" this morning, and even though there was a considerable amount of crying, it was a good visit. It's going to be a HUGE transition for her, and for us as a family too. This will be the first time Katie has changed buildings in over 4 years - so this is a big one considering she's only 6 :). She has another visit next week, so that will be good. I'm just taking things one day at a time as we figure out what Katie's future will hold.

All else is good. Bill is crazy busy at work. I am juggling work, the kids, the house and trying to wrap up all of the end of year activities including parents club, Katie's school change, girl scouts, soccer, etc. Yep, we're busy.

4 1/2 days of school left for Mary. Only 3 days left for Katie. Can't believe that the school year is over already!!!!

Cloudy Thursday...

2009-05-28T08:46:00.003-04:00

Yep, it's a cloudy Thursday here. I'm home with Katie today because she is supposed to have a picnic with her class this afternoon. I hope it clears up because I'm a wimp when it comes to having picnics in the rain!

On some brighter notes, Katie is adjusting to her new meds fabulously! We are so thrilled. Hopefully once she is completely off the risperdal we will see the weight she has gained from the meds start to slip away! We have already noticed a decrease in her appetite and I personally am really excited to see the cool gestures she is making and new sounds she is saying on this new med (abilify).

Also, Mary had her awards ceremony for girl scouts this week. Due to another commitment I was not able to attend :(, but my awesome parents filled in for us and my Dad took some great pics.

Oh, and by the way, gas is back up to 2.66 here. Bummer!

Holiday Weekend Update

2009-05-24T13:14:00.002-04:00

Well, the weekend is already flying by - as holiday weekends often do. I wish we had more than just tomorrow left :) I wanted to update that Katie is doing really well on her new meds and I am hopeful that this will be a great transition for her and one that will help her shed some of the pounds she gained while on risperdal.

This pic is of Katie and her fabulous teacher, Heather. Notice the chocolate ice cream on Katie's shirt. This was their field trip/walk to the local ice cream store. Yummy, yummy!

This, on the other hand, is the result of Katie's new meds (which are making her tired as she is not yet used to them) and swimming for 2 hours at our neighbor's pool party. Thus, falling asleep in the sandbox. You can laugh, I think I'm still laughing ! Don't worry. I brought her into the house so that her legs wouldn't get sunburned. What a precious one she is! Hope you are having a fabulous Memorial Day Weekend. YEAH SUMMER!

Just a quick note..

2009-05-22T11:29:00.002-04:00

I don't have much time this morning, but I wanted to update that we are still working on regulating Katie's meds and life has been a little crazy. We had a horrible weekend of tantrums when she was off of the meds - but we have gone back to the "old" routine of meds and she is doing much better. We are going to try a different new med that seems to work well for a lot of children with autism. It's called "Abilify" - but we wanted to once again wait until the weekend to try the meds so that we have her at home in case of any weird side-effects - and so that her teacher doesn't have to deal with her if she freaks out or reacts to the meds.

She did really well on her field trip to the nature center earlier this week - and we are headed out on the annual "ice-cream walk" in just a few minutes - so hopefully later today I will have great pics to share... But, if I don't make it back to the blog world before then, have a great Holiday Weekend. YEAH SUMMER!!!

P.S. - Yes, I was disappointed that Adam did not win American Idol - but that is a whole different post!

Katie Update

2009-05-15T23:40:00.004-04:00

I am happy to report that our ENT must know what he is doing (we know he does, and actually he is great)....the antibiotics seem to be working for Katie. Her nose and sinuses seem clearer than they have been in months. She has been on the "mega-dose" for one week now - 5 to go. That seems amazing to have her on antibiotics that long - but if means not having to put her under anesthesia to "flush her sinuses" (doesn't that sound like a great time) I will continue to (slightly) battle her to get the antibiotics down. :)

We are also changing around some of her other meds - so we are are having some good days and some not so good. I have talked about risperdal before on this blog -- Katie has been on it for probably 18 months now -- and as a result has gained about 25 pounds - not a great side effect of the med. We are trying to reduce her to nighttime only on the risperdal and are going to try an ADHD med for her during the day. I wasn't sure how I felt about this -- especially after I read a few of the possible side-effects (and let me just tell you they make weight gain seem like a walk in the park) -- but after a good talk with Katie's neurologist, and realizing that this new med is in and out of her system in 10 hours - and if we don't like how she reacts to it, we can just choose to stop giving it to her. Risperdal is different in that it builds up in their system over time and it isn't really safe to just take them off of it cold turkey.

We are still in the process at looking to change Katie to the new school for their start of the year in July. We have 2 visits and an IEP to try to squeeze into the next 4 weeks - so I'm not sure how all of that will unfold, but we would like to get Katie's meds regulated before the switch .. so basically, we have our hands full for awhile... I'll keep you posted.

Finally some pictures, and a Happy Mothers Day

2009-05-10T21:46:00.005-04:00

Here, as promised are the blue eyed Mary's from the Nature Center.

Now to Mother's Day. It was very good. Katie got to ride on a wagon with Bill's cousins' son Brandon's horse.

So did Mary ...they both loved it..can you tell?

A great day for Katie - it's hard to ask for anything more than that....

Happy Mother's Day.

Crazy Week

2009-05-09T08:25:00.002-04:00

Well, what a week. That's all I can say. I have oodles of pictures that I need to upload...I'll try to get to that later today. Mary has a soccer game this morning, but it looks as though we are in for a major storm...so I'm not sure the game will happen. A bunch of 7 & 8 year olds running around in a rain-storm is not my idea of a splendid Saturday morning :)

Mary had a field trip to the Nature Center on Monday. We did the Spring wildflower tour which was actually very cool. I got some great pics. One flower we saw was called the blue-eyed Mary..and everyone in her class thought it was very cool that Mary has blue eyes - so it was kind of "her" flower. That was the highlight of the field trip for her.

I also toured a new classroom for Katie this week. If all goes as planned she will be starting at a new school mid-July. They are on a year-round modified schedule where the kids never have more than 2 weeks off during the school-year. It helps for autistic kids not to have long gaps in their routine, so this schedule will be very nice for Katie. It will be kids who are her age, and no-longer in a preschool type setting. They also have a pool in their building which will be great for her to have access to each week. They also have a great sensory room that she will love. I'm praying for a smooth transition, but expecting a few bumps along the way. New things are always difficult for her, so we will do everything we can to help ease her into it. We also finally had our visit to the ENT for Katie's ongoing sinus infections, and for now, no surgery. We are going to a mega-dose (literally -- 6 tsp a day) of an antibiotic for 6 weeks.. He feels confident that this will clear her up. The next step if that doesn't work would be taking her to the OR to have her sinuses flushed. That doesn't sound too exciting, so we will pray that the antibiotics do the trick!

My foot pain is also back which had added to my crazy week. My last cortizone shot didn't seem to provide any relief at all, and actually the pain is worse than it has been in the past 6 months. We feel kind of lost on how to proceed. I really don't want to have surgery, but unfortunately if they can't find a way to help with the pain, I may have to consider it. The pain has gotten to the point where it interferes with my ability to work, walk, and even take care of the girls - especially Katie. You should have seen my trying to "run" after her as she tried to escape the hospital yesterday. Running in birkenstocks (which my Dr. says are the best things I can wear for my feet) after a 6 year old with athletic speed while wanting to scream with each footstep - yep, hilarious for spectators, I'm sure :)

Well -- I'll try to get those pictures up as soon as I can - maybe this morning if we don't have soccer. :) Happy weekend!

Sickos...but no, not the swine flu :)

2009-05-01T22:04:00.002-04:00

Yes, I live with sickos. Bill has come down with this icky Spring cold thanks to his friends at work that like to share their germs with each other. He took Nyquil 30 minutes ago and is completely crashed out.

Down the hall I can hear Katie hacking away. Her story of sickness is one that may truly be the end of me...I'm serious. Her ENT appointment is still a full week away. I called our pediatrician today (and thankfully, because he is our friend) and talked to him for about 15 minutes about if we have any other treatment options for her until she sees the ENT. Basically, the answer is NO...unless she starts running a really high fever or something of that nature. I'm pretty sure both of her ears are infected..one moreso than the other as she is tugging it constantly. Her nose is disgusting, as it basically has been for the past 3 months. We get a brief reprieve each time she starts antibiotics (which, yes, she is on as I type this) but after awhile they stop working. She has a lovely "allergy" cough as I call it ...as a result of all the post-nasal drip that she is suffering from. There is truly nothing I can do for her. She is already taking so much medication. (risperdal for the autism, claritin/xyrtec/singular for allergies, omnicef -antibiotic and ibuprofen for pain. It's getting a little ridiculous at this point. I'm definitely pro-medication if it works, but now nothing is working. I am bracing myself for the fact that Katie is most likely going to need surgery. I'm guessing tubes/tonsils and probably some kind of sinus surgery as we are probably looking at some sort of sinus blockage. I can't really worry about it until it happens, but as I said, I'm tring to brace myself.
We also are considering some different options for Katie's schooling next year, even though 2 months ago I would have told you that we were locked in for next year. I'll give more details on that as it develops. Here's praying for a healthy Saturday.

Sunday Morning Update

2009-04-26T09:08:00.001-04:00

We were able to pick up Mary's glasses yesterday (thankfully) and when she put them on, all she could say was "Woah!!". (Which tells me that her previous prescription was completely wrong!) We are so happy that she can see :) She also scored two goals at her soccer game...and Katie had a pretty good day, too. It was nice to have a "good" day... it felt like we had been on a bad day stretch there for awhile. Well, it's a new week, and I'm praying for a great one. Hope it is for you, too.

Busy Saturday

2009-04-25T08:18:00.004-04:00

I shouldn't be posting...too much to do this morning. But sometimes I think it is almost therapeutic for me to write about the crazy-ness in my life :) We have basketball and soccer this morning....and Katie would prefer to be outside already. 70 degrees at 8 am - pretty good for Michigan in the Spring! Katie's week continued to be frustrating, so I'm not really sure where we are at with that...praying for a better week next week, but as the weather improves her desire to be in school continues to diminish. Thankfully she has a great teacher who works with her daily to help her maintain her focus.

Speaking of maintaining focus, if you remember back to October, Mary had to get glasses. Here she is back then, proud of her new specs :

In our county the kids get an eye exam in the Spring of 3rd grade. Well, only 5 months after getting her glasses, she failed the eye exam. Seriously? I was floored. We took her back to the eye doctor and her prescription has changed 3 full prescriptions in 6 months. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? No wonder she is having so much trouble with her handwriting, she can't see what she is writing. I about flipped out. We don't know if they messed up the original exam, or what happened, but after some persuasive conversation, they agreed to give her new lenses (and the re-check exam) at no-cost. The downside is that she is completely without her glasses for a few days while they swap out the lenses, but hopefully with the warm weather, she'll be outside a lot and won't miss them too much :)

Happy Saturday....(I hope!)

Kind of a Blur...

2009-04-23T13:09:00.002-04:00

Yep, my life, a bit of a blur right now. It's been a crazy few days. Katie has been having some trouble in school because of her stimming activity. It is very common in autistic children, but right now it is interfering with her ability to function in school. She stimms to the point that she is not willing to participate in classroom activities. She doesn't want to be directed. She isn't sleeping (she woke up at 3 am today and 4 am yesterday) and basically - I'm spent. She came home from school early yesterday because they weren't able to get her to "engage" with the class - she just wanted to stim. But then she comes home and she is "fine". She only wants to be outside (and that will increase as the temperature rises into the 80's over the next few days) and while she is outside all she wants to do is stim. She picks grass and watches it fall to the ground over and over again...when you call her name she screams, as if we are "interfering" with her agenda. Not sure where we are going to go from here. We may be able to change some of her meds...she has a neurology appointment in May - but that's not a guaranteed fix, either. So until then, maybe I can learn to nap in between work and the girls getting home from school......

Too Long...

2009-04-17T14:53:00.002-04:00

It's been a week since I've posted -not intentionally, but more due to the craziness that is April. Back to school, back to work, back to soccer, basketball, Girl Scouts, Girl Scout cookies, and the list goes on and on. Today was my first day off since Easter - and I needed it! Katie was off, too...but she's enjoying the warm weather out in the sandbox and on the swingset. So ready for Spring, yes we are!

I promised a little blurb about Chinese food for Easter. Let me begin by saying that I have also had Chinese dinner for Mothers' Day, my birthday, Father's Day, possibly Thanksgiving,(but that is a bit blurry....) My parent's love Chinese food and they have instilled this love in their grandchildren (not Katie). I like Chinese food, but LOVE would be too strong a word for it. Bill LOVES chinese food and orders something different everytime we go. It seems that for holidays when you would often have a family dinner at home, we end up going out. Mainly this is due to the fact that my parents are extremely busy. My dad has a "normal" full-time job in addition to being a full-time minister - and as a result, the prep for cooking and having people over is often a lot for my mom to manage in addition to all of their church responsibilities. The result is that we end up going out...and almost always for Chinese food. The waitresses know my parents by name there. That makes me laugh. Mary loves to read the menu and figure out the animal that represents the year each of us were born. My mom and dad always say that the chinese calendar explains why my brother and I have never really gotten along all that way... I know he's kidding, but it does make for good conversation. So....there it is a nutshell....and check back with me...Mother's Day is on the horizon and we could very well be heading to First Wok.....

Sunny Saturday

2009-04-11T10:05:00.002-04:00

Hard to believe that Spring Break is already drawing to a close. It's been quite the week. I wasn't able to post yesterday due to all of the craziness that was happening here -- and then I had to work last night...but today is a different story. The sun is shining, Mary has soccer practice this morning and then the rest of the day is going to be just about hanging out together. I'm looking forward to a little relaxation. I also think I'm going to make a "pre-Easter" or "Easter-Eve" as I like to call it, Dinner tonight. A little ham, some potatoes....we're going out for dinner with my parents tomorrow - so the pre-Easter Ham will be a good thing! (We're actually going out for Chinese food for Easter - but that is a whole different story - a blog post in and of itself :)

I've also moved on to my 3rd book in the Twilight Series -- I've read over 1000 pages already this Spring Break - that might be a record read for a week for me.....but I'm loving it - I'm just a little tired!

Happy End to Spring Break - and if I don't blog again before then, Happy Easter.

Rom 5:8 But God demonstrated His own love for US, in that while WE were yet Sinners, Christ DIED FOR US.

Spring Break Day 4 - Is it Friday yet?

2009-04-09T17:20:00.001-04:00

Can I just say ..... I AM TIRED! This Spring BREAK has not really been a break. I'm beat! Between hanging with the girls, doing eggs, watching movies, going Bowling (I haven't told you about that) and stay up 'til wee hours of the morning reading my books (I have almost read 1000 pages during Spring Break alone)...and getting up at 4 am for work today - I am done! Tired, Spent, Kaput! Finished! I took pictures at the bowling alley - and no, Katie didn't bowl. If I am still awake after supper I will upload them for your viewing pleasure :). I may need to take a nap so that I can finish another book tonight! And by the way, the weather was actually beautiful today. What a treat for Michigan during Spring Break!

Spring Break, Day 3. Same Song, Different Verse

2009-04-08T09:26:00.003-04:00

Is this starting to look familiar?
Katie's up!

And Mary's not! It's only 9:30...but it's starting to make me laugh!

Spring Break, Day 2

2009-04-07T14:18:00.005-04:00

Well, it Tuesday. Spring Break Day 2. No sleeping in today. At 8 am Mary asked me why I wasn't boiling the eggs yet? Go figure, I thought sleep was a bit more of a priority! Anyway, by lunchtime, the eggs were boiled and colored and the girls were fully into the Easter mode! Even Katie got into the fun!

No snow today, so that's a bonus. But it's really cold out. Not quite the warm sunny Spring Break we had hoped for, but for now it will have to do. We did go see this yesterday. It was okay. The kids seemed to like it more than the adults. I have no desire to see it again...but it was a fun outing and a good start to Spring Break. No other big plans for today. I WILL finish this today. I cant wait to start reading this. Happy Tuesday...see you tomorrow!

Spring Break?

2009-04-06T09:51:00.003-04:00

It's the first "official" morning of Spring Break. 9:45 am...and here is what I see...

In Mary's room....

and out my bedroom window...

Katie's been awake since 6:30. Happy Spring Break!

Fabulous Friday

2009-04-03T13:31:00.003-04:00

Less than 2 hours until Spring Break. I'm actually excited even though we aren't really going anywhere. I won't have to work very much, and it will be nice to just hang out around the house and read (yes, my new favorite free-time activity.) I'm reading this and this. The latter for book club and the first for personal enjoyment. I just wish I had more time to read! I also have several "autism" books scattered around, but I have a feeling that Spring Break will be all about reading for pleasure -- and those books tend to be more for education - to help me better deal with Katie's autism, if that makes sense.

Wishing everyone a happy Spring Break!

As an added note....the reading is going really well...and I actually was able to take a nap this afternoon! Gotta love Spring Break!

Just Another Manic Monday....

2009-03-30T21:06:00.006-04:00

So it goes, another Monday and more events to report on....I didn't have to work today for which I was very thankful. I was able to run some long overdue errands and even get a little reading done. I'm on a huge reading kick lately. Not sure why, but so much so that I had to go out and buy a pair of "readers". I'm nearing the big 40 and my eyes are not what they used to be. I bought a cute purple pair of 1.5's and let me tell you how much easier the reading is now :)This isn't the greatest picture but it gives you the idea....

I am not going to do any more posts stating that we are all healthy because without fail that has proven to be a bad move on my part. Katie has an ear infection as earlier reported, but she is doing much better. We have her on "permanent" allergy medicine now too - and I think that is helping a lot. Mary started with congestion yesterday and a cough today - so I'm not sure where that is headed. Spring Break is next week and it would be nice if they could both be healthy so we might be able to do some fun things. We aren't going anywhere out of town, but maybe we can catch a museum, a movie, you know...cheap, fun, local things :)

Also, because this is really Katie's blog - I have to share this picture of Katie putting her own coat on because she wanted to go "out" (this happens a lot). When she takes her coat of she just slips it off of her body so the bottom remains zipped. As a result, this is what she looked like when she tried to put it back on without assistance :)

What a week...

2009-03-27T23:07:00.004-04:00

It's been a crazy one here. Katie has had quite the week. She has an ear infection .... I know, it seems to never end. We couldn't get her into the pediatrician's office - so I ended up taking her to immediate care yesterday. I think that was a great move actually. They got us in and out in less than 20 minutes. They gave her the numbing drops for her ears that seem to work amazingly, as she seems pain free for several hours after using them. She wasn't a big fan of having the drops put in, but once she realized that they made her feel better, she liked it :) We've also had to change her allergy meds in hope of improving her overall health. 6 months of the year with cough and a runny nose are getting a wee bit tiresome!

Mary also has had a busy week. Her third grade musical was last night. I will post more pics once I get mine uploaded..but here's a small sampling. She's the serious looking elephant :)

Bill and I finally got to watch "Fireproof" tonight. I would highly recommend it for anyone who is married, who is getting married, or who hopes to be married one day. Great movie. Great reminder of what God truly intends for marriage to be.

Well - that's it in a nutshell. I post more pics hopefully tomorrow....Happy Weekend!

Almost back to "Normal"

2009-03-19T22:10:00.002-04:00

I hesitate to write this, but I think we are finally getting back into the routine of life. Both girls have recovered from influenza (which was the cap-off to a month of illness) and are back to school. Katie thrives on routine, so after 11 days off between winter break and illness, it has been a bit of an adjustment but she seems to be loving the predictability of school. Mary always loves school, so for her it's now all about finishing 3rd grade well and making her "AR" (Accelerated Reader) goal for the last trimester.

Not too much else happening here. Bill is headed out of town for a quick trip to Alabama -- flying down and driving a car back...so he'll be gone for about 36 hours. Not quite enough time for a room remodel or anything, but I may see how much CLUTTER I can get out of the house. I keep seeing the Oprah episodes with that organizational /de-clutter guy who talks about how much easier it is to enjoy life when you don't have all the clutter. I started today...but I'm saving a few of the big projects (linen closet and kitchen cabinets/drawers) for his absence...I think he'll be surprised. I probably need to do before/after pictures so I can realize and take a bit of pride in how much work it's going to be ...but it will be so nice when it's done :)

Vacation

2009-03-14T09:33:00.004-04:00

So...we're back. My pictures were delayed because Katie came down with a 105 degree temp while we were away. She's still struggling a bit - missing the entire week of school. Her class is off on Monday, so she'll have been out 11 days by the time she goes back on Tuesday. That will be a difficult adjustment for her....but part of life that she needs to learn. Mary had the temp before we left (the pediatrician says they both have/had influenza...yucko!) but was fine while we were there. She still has a bit of cough, but is overall doing well. She went back to school when we got back from here. This is one of our favorite vacation spots...

I've got the LYSOL out again today, trying to kill all these germs that have plagued us all winter. They are forcasting warmer weather for the upcoming week, so hopefully we will get to air the house out and get some "good" germs in here!

I Almost Forgot

2009-03-08T00:08:00.003-05:00

I almost forgot...this is what Mary learned to do when she was home sick (the first time) with Grand-moo :) She actually made a pillow-case for herself!!!!

Almost Unbelievable

2009-03-07T14:13:00.002-05:00

Well, no sooner had I written the previous post that we were getting healthy, and BAM, Mary woke up Thursday morning with a 103 degree temp...so needless to say, we must not have been healthy yet. She missed school Thursday and Friday - which makes 5 days in the last 2 weeks. Thankfully, she did get a good report at conferences so I guess not too much damage was done... we are happy that 3rd grade is going well....

The girls have Monday and Tuesday off - and we have some fun activities planned - I will post on Tuesday or Wednesday complete with pictures and give you the full update... It's raining here - but I guess that is better than snow...enjoy your weekend!

Onward and Upward.....and maybe even healthy!

2009-03-04T21:27:00.002-05:00

Yep, I hesitate to say this, but I think we might actually be getting healthy. Wow, it's been a long time coming. Katie is back on antibiotics, but they actually seem to be working this time...so that is a huge bonus. Mary is on the mend, too....so I think we're getting there.

School for Katie does continue to be a challenge. With two new children in her small (6 students) classroom - and her routine has been blown to bits. She has been a bit uneasy, naughty, and almost irritable. She didn't eat anything today at school, but when she got home she pigged out. She's been "hitting"( I hesitate to use the term hitting as I think it is more of an expression of dislike as to what she is being asked to do. Often when she is stimming and someone -- a teacher etc-- asks her to stop stimming, she almost slaps or hits them in a reactionary way as if to say "NO, I'm not stopping". ) and actually did try to run away as she often did in previous years. Only once though..teacher put an end to that at the first sign of fleeing.... We have conferences tomorrow and that will be a good time to see where she is. We do have that classroom locked in for next year, so that is a good thing....I think we are just in a period of adjustment for her as she gets used to the two new students that are finding their own way into this unique class.

The girls have half days tomorrow and Friday - and then are off Monday and Tuesday, so we are looking forward to a little family time. We have some fun things planned ....so there will be a lot to report on next week. Happy March!

Happy to be Thursday...

2009-02-26T19:25:00.003-05:00

Well, I'm honestly glad that it's Thursday. It's been a week, as usual. Mary has been out sick from school for 3 days - she is going back tomorrow. She showed vast improvement today. We do have a re-check with the pediatrician tomorrow, so hopefully we won't be headed to the ENT for tubes.

Katie was home sick today too.... she was a "vomit comet" sometime in the middle of the night... we think it was just from her sinus' and her stomach couldn't handle all the drainage. It's hard because even at age 6 she isn't able to blow her nose independently -- so sometimes she becomes victim of more "toddler-ish" issues. She should be going back tomorrow too -- as she had a great day and according to my mom didn't appear to be sick at all... :)

I have the next 3 days off of work. After a week of 6 am's and taking care of "sicko's", I'm looking forward to it. The girls only have a half day tomorrow - so I'm going to get my butt in gear in the am with a nice latte' and get my errands done before we head off to the pediatrician in the afternoon....

And can I just tell you..it's going to be a great season of American Idol!

Sick of Being Sick

2009-02-23T21:15:00.003-05:00

Well, I'm just back from the ER...has this been a winter or what? Mary has some weird infection in her ear where there is a bunch of fluid that has actually bubbled or blisted on top of her ear drum. It could rupture (we are hoping not)...and she has a fever and feels horrible. Her wonderful teacher had the office to call me to pick her up as she was so lethargic the teacher was concerned she wouldn't be able to ride the bus home successfully. She got a shot of rocefin in the ER. If you've never had the pleasure, I call it the miracle antibiotic. It truly knocks the bacteria out of their bodies - and considering that she has had 2 other courses of antibiotic in the last 6 weeks, I am ready for this to be done....

On a lighter note, I received a note home from Katie's teacher today which read:

"...Katie took all of her clothes off during circle time :), but other than that she had a great day!"

How can you not laugh when you read that!

A Day Off

2009-02-20T13:33:00.002-05:00

So it's Friday - and finally a day off for me this week. Katie didn't have school today (her teacher's get one day a month off in lieu of planning time each day) so we are "hanging" out, running errands, etc. It's actually been nice to just spend some time with her. I should be cleaning my house, but at least I'm getting caught up on laundry (no pictures this time) and I think (cross my fingers) that we are all almost approaching the healthy stage! Woo-hoo! It's been a long-time coming. This has been the snowiest and "sickest" winter I can remember in ages. We are expecting another huge snowstorm tonight into tomorrow - isn't Spring supposed to be here soon?

Well, enjoy your Friday....more later.

This About Sums it Up...

2009-02-15T21:07:00.004-05:00

These two pictures pretty much sum up today. Mary has been in a crazy mood...she must be feeling better! Katie got into Bill's "slurpee size" kool-aid and basically turned herself into a purple "joker-ette".....she thought it was funny, too!

A Long, Hard Winter

2009-02-15T13:44:00.002-05:00

Well, yes, it is February and it is definitely still winter here in Michigan. We got several inches of snow yesterday -- and 8 more are predicted for Wednesday - yes, 8 inches. I was ready for winter to be finished about 2 months ago--- so for now we are just taking it day by day and praying for some significant sunshine :)

We have all been very sick lately, too. Bill, Katie and I are all on antibiotics. Mary finished her second round earlier in the week. I'm not sure if it is because of the weather, or the kids' school, or what, but it just seems like we have all had a lot of trouble getting healthy this winter. I invested in a jumbo size can of Lysol at the grocery store (1/2 off this week - so that was an added bonus) and I've been walking around the house spraying everything with Lysol. Window sills, sinks, doorknobs, remotes, telephones...all that stuff...in hopes of eliminating whatever germs have managed to set up shop in our home. I really wish we could just open the windows and air things out - but at 30 degrees I don't think that is a realistic option!!

Not too much else happening here....Mary is going to be an elephant in her 3rd grade musical in March...too funny! Can't wait to see it. Katie continues to be doing well, and we are happy with the fact that she is now "locked in" to the same classroom for next year with her amazing teacher!

Hope you had a fabulous Valentines' Day!

Father Daughter Dance 2009

2009-02-10T19:39:00.005-05:00

They had a great time this year - complete with dinner at Applebees'. No blizzard this year - the weather was perfect. Hard to believe this is their third year going to the dance.

Patience - Part II

2009-02-06T17:12:00.002-05:00

Well, the lesson in patience has continued today.

Mary has lost her snow pants - or should I say, someone "accidentally" took them out of her locker. And remember, I work in retail - there are no snowpants to be found in the store right now. I am praying that maybe they will show up on Monday when someone realizes they picked them up...the whole situation is still a little unclear - but I spent 20 minutes digging through "smelly" lost and found - and no snowpants.

I am sick. Whatever this cold is that Bill and the girls have had is now fully engaged in my body and is kicking my butt. My head ...my throat, my sinuses. Okay, I'll stop now.

I think I just need sleep.
Happier posting tomorrow - it's the Father Daughter Dance!

Patience

2009-02-05T09:34:00.004-05:00

I think God is teaching me to be patient - and no I didn't ask Him to...but I think that is where we are headed. Trusting, depending, walking daily. Waiting. There are so many components to this, but I think that is what God is trying to teach me.

First - I have plantar fasciitis - I think I have mentioned this on the blog before. My foot is in pain - a lot of the time - especially when I am working a lot. I am seeing a great podiatrist, but it involves taping and meds and insoles and stretching and icing, and a night splint....you see where I am going with this..it just takes a lot of work to help reduce the pain - and a lot of visits to the doctor. When I have a few days off work the pain tends to reduce dramatically - but unfortunately, we are not in a position where I can just stop working.

Secondly, I have a very emotional 8 year old living in my home. (And no, we don't wonder where she gets this from.) She has always been an emotional creature, but since her acceleration to 3rd grade it has gotten a lot more "constant". There is just a lot of crying..and often over just very small things. Like I said, she has always trended more toward the emotional side - and I don't know if this is just a phase or what, but it is one of those things that we just don't really seem to be able to get a handle on.

Have a mentioned winter yet? (and no, this isn't meant to be a downer post - it's just where I am right now.) We have good things happening in our life --Katie's progress is great this year and we have a great situation locked in for her again next year -- so that is positive and encouraging. Mary is doing well in 3rd grade despite some emotional challenges, and Bill and I both continue to be employed in good jobs - so yes, we have a lot to be thankful for. I think I just have the February blah's and I need some sun.... It's been a long, cold winter in Michigan -- with no end in sight thanks to that little groundhog:) So, I'll be thankful today - for the good things in my life - and hope that I will quickly learn my lessons in patience and move on to a new life lesson! Happy Thursday!

Katie's World

2009-02-04T15:27:00.004-05:00

We have been having a few really great days with Katie -- complete with a lost top front tooth (literally lost - we think she swallowed it!) and lots of smiles - You can see her purple kool-aid mustache in the last picture...she wears that around a lot...we've gotten kind of used to it.
It seems since we pulled her out of kindergarten and changed her daily programming at school she has just generally seemed a lot happier. That in and of itself is enough confirmation to us that we made the right decision. So all this to say, it's been a happy place in Katie's world lately - and I'm loving it!

A little life lesson....

2009-02-01T21:26:00.004-05:00

My college friend Jennifer wrote an amazing post on her blog today, and I wanted to share it with all of you. She, too, is a parent of a child with autism, but a few things that she said really hit home for me. God knows what He is doing, even though when you are dealing with a situation like infertility, or a special needs child, or whatever the problem may be, we don't always remember that God is truly in control. Thanks, Jen, for sharing this great reminder with all of us.

Another week gone by...

2009-01-31T09:47:00.002-05:00

I really need to try and blog more than once a week - so I will work on improving that. But honestly, between work and trying to spend time with the kids & Bill ( whose birthday is today:) ) I often don't feel awake enough by the end of the day to sit down and write... So here I am, before 10 am, trying to get myself up and going with a blog entry.

Lots has happened this week. After pulling Katie out of kindergarten last week, we have been very pleased with her progress. She is spending about an hour a day in an early childhood classroom with non-autistic children - and it has been great. She spent 2 years in that classroom with that teacher before she was moved to the AI classroom - so she is very familiar with it. We think this was definitely the right move - at least until the end of this school year - and then we will have to wait and see what next year brings.

We went skiing on Tuesday - and Katie is really starting to get the hang of it. She can do almost the entire bunny hill now, but stopping is a fine art she has yet to learn. We were going to go again on Thursday, but the girls (especially Mary) have been fighting ear infections and colds..so we opted out on that this week!

Mary's adjustment to third grade continues to go well. She is keeping good pace academically - so as soon as work through a few social adjustments we think she will be just fine. She is working on multiplication tables and just finished a unit in Earth science (which she absolutely loved). She has always had a thing for rocks -- it's kind of funny. Who knows, maybe she will grow up to be a geologist !

Well - I think that is it. We are just going to spend a leisurely day at home enjoying Bill's birthday. There is about 3 feet of snow on the ground now - with more to come...so staying nice and warm inside is a great option! Hope you have a great weekend!

What a week...

2009-01-24T16:04:00.004-05:00

Well, it has been a week alright. 5 days of work for me (which is a little much when I'm trying to balance everything else.) Trying to make adjustments to Katie's school schedule and deal with Mary's transition to 3rd grade - basically, I'm spent. Seriously...a mini-hibernation sounds ideal right now - but that's not in the plans anytime soon.

Bill is gone today - slot-car racing. He loves it....and once you have purchased the cars for each class that you race, it's really not that expensive...so he's gone and I'm here --- doing my favorite hobby (just kidding) laundry. It seems like with work and all I end up spending either one of my days off or Saturday just trying to get caught up on laundry. I also did our taxes today - and e-filed them, so I guess I should be proud of myself for accomplishing that. And no, we don't usually have our taxes finished and filed before the end of January - but I guess I was just feeling motivated - and so while Bill was away, I did them. There is so much good software out there now that basically if you can fill in the blanks you can do your own taxes and e-file them too -- so that is one more thing I can mark off of my 'to-do' list!

If you are wondering about Katie's continued progress, well, all I know right now is that she is officially not going to Kindergarten (probably for the rest of the year) and that her teacher (whom I adore) is trying to find some other options for her. I have been invited to the AI (Autism Impaired) monthly staff meeting for February where they are going to discuss the plan for Katie for next year - so hopefully after that meeting I will have a better idea of where things are headed. To be honest, I'm just glad that she is happy and enjoying school - and that she has a teacher who is all about helping these kids be the best they can be. I couldn't ask for much more than that :)

Well, I should get back to that laundry and probably think about something yummy to make for dinner.....but at least I did get some big things accomplished today ! Yee-hah~

A Step in a Different Direction

2009-01-20T20:36:00.005-05:00

So today we decided to take a new step in Katie's educational plan. For the past year and a half Katie has been spending time in a kindergarten classroom for a period of time each day. Today I had a really candid conversation with Katie's teacher about the fact that Kindergarten is just not relevant for Katie - and as difficult a decision as this is, she needs to stop going. It is only frustrating to her - and we certainly don't want school to be an unpleasant thing for her.

A few examples of the frustration would be last week when they were working on money concepts during circle time. Each child had a bowl of pennies. Money has no meaning to Katie so she chose to play with and throw the pennies - b/c she didn't know what else to do with them. Today they were talking about the inaguration during circle time. Okay, seriously, what does a non-verbal 6 year old child care about the inaguration? So of course, she was bored, frustrated and started being a distraction. Basically - kindergarten isn't working for her. She is making excellent progress in her Autism Impaired classroom - but the mainstreaming attempts just aren't working right now. And the good thing is - I'm okay with it. For the first time in this long journey with autism, I'm okay with where she is - and it's okay that it's not where I wish she could be.

Bloglifting, Part II

2009-01-18T15:28:00.006-05:00

Okay - here's the continuation of the bloglifting post. Once again, credit to Alysa for the idea.
Items in blue are the things I have done.

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling.
52. Kissed in the rain.
53. Played in the mud. (football even).
54. Gone to a drive in theater.
55. Been in a movie (yes, I have).
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business (sorry, no desire to do this.)
58. Taken a martial arts class (no, but we are getting ready to start Mary in one).
59. Visited Russia (1991).
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout cookies (Mary is a Girl Scout)
62. Gone whale watching.
63. Donated blood.
64. Gotten Flowers for no reason.
65. Gone Sky-diving.
66. Visited a nazi concentration camp.
67. Bounced a check (thank goodness for overdraft protection!)
68. Flown in a helicopter (would love to).
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy (thanks, Mom.)
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial (several times).
71. Eaten caviar (in Russia -- it was disgusting.)
72. Pieced a quilt.
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job (yes, but it turned out to be a very good thing.)
76. Seen the changing of the guards in London.
77. Broken a bone -- yes, 6 in my foot when I was in fourth grade.
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle -- yes, very stupid, but I was young.
79. Seen the Grand Canyon - yes, but I don't remember it.
80. Published a book.
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a new car.
83. Walked in Jerusalem.
84. Had my picture in the newspaper.
85. Read the entire Bible.
86. Visited the White House (I've seen it, but have not toured it.)
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating.
88. Had chicken-pox.
89. Sat on a jury.
90. Saved someone's life.
91. Met someone famous.
92. Joined a book club.
93. Lost a loved one.
94. Had a baby.
95. Seen the Alamo in person.
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake.
97. Been involved in a law suit.
98. Own a cell phone.
99. Been stung by a bee. (more than once).
100. Married the love of your life...yep!

Life In A Snowglobe....

2009-01-16T13:22:00.006-05:00

Yes, it's a cold winter's day here. I should be doing part 2 of my "bloglifting" post, but I"m too tired today -- the girls are home with a "snow" day, but it's more like a "sub-zero" day. I think the teachers were getting tired of having indoor recess all week. I went into work for a few hours and came home so Bill could go to work. The girls are doing crafts, watching videos and basically just chilling out. I, on the other hand, am doing this:

and this:

and I'm really glad to not be out in this:

Well, back to the laundry...and hopefuly more of the bloglifting post later. Happy Friday!

Bloglifting

2009-01-11T21:31:00.005-05:00

Yep, I "bloglifted" this from Alysa's blog....
The items in Blue are the things I have done :

1. Started my own blog.
2. Slept under the stars.
3. Played in a band -- no desire really - but I love guitar hero.
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Viewed a meteor shower.
6. Given more than you can afford to charity.
7. Been to Disney land/world.
8. Climbed a mountain.
9. Held a praying mantis.
10. Sang a solo -- many times.
11. Bungee jumped.
12. Visited Paris (the airport ...but it was still Paris :)
13. Watched a lightening storm at sea.
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch.
15. Adopted a child.
16. Had malaria.
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty - no, but I have seen it. It's amazing.
18. Grown your own vegetables - we do every summer now.
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France.
20. Slept overnight on a train (and tour bus, car, van...you name it.)
21. Had a pillow fight (too many to count).
22. Hitchhiked.
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill (in my pre-married days).
24. Built a snow fort.
25. Held a lamb.
26. Gone skinny dipping.
27. Run a marathon (okay, if you no me you wouldn't have even asked this :)
28. Ridden a gondola in Venice.
29. Seen a total eclipse.
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset.
31. Hit a home run.
32. Been on a cruise.
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person (from both the US and Canada)
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors (I have no idea....)
35. Seen an Amish community.
36. Taught yourself a new language.
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied - to me money isn't what satisfies....
38. Seen the leaning tower of pisa in person.
39. Gone rockclimbing.
40. Seen Michaelangelo's David.
41. Sung Karaoke.
42. Bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant.
43. Seen Old Faithful erupt.
44. Visited Africa.
45. Walked the beach in the moonlight.
46. Been transported in an ambulance.
47. Had your portrait painted.
48. Gone deep sea fishing.
49. Seen the Sistene Chapel in person.
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

50 more tomorrow....your turn.

Life in a Snowglobe.

2009-01-09T20:09:00.004-05:00

Yes, I feel as though we live in a snowglobe. It has basically been snowing non-stop here since Thanksgiving. Honestly, I'm tired of it. We got 6 inches today and are expecting 7-8 more overnight. And yes, I have to be at work at 5 am tomorrow - so driving in ought to be nothing less than a treat.

Mary's first week of third grade is behind us, and overall I think I went fairly well. It is going to be an adjustment for awhile...but I still think we made the right decision. Hopefully things will only continue to improve.

Katie is loving school. She actually did very well at therapy yesterday and we didn't have any self-harming incidents, so that made it a great day. Her therapist was really pleased with her progress since our last visit (which had to be all the way back in November). I'm going to try and be more committed to her speech therapy -- and hopeful that it will continue to yield excellent results for Katie - especially when it is combined with her excellent classroom situation this year!

I am glad to be entering back into some level of normalcy. Happy to have the girls back into school and adjusting - relieved to be getting some decent sleep - and thrilled to actually be crossing many things off of my 'to-do' list which seems to be at an all-time length as of late. Always so much to do -- so many post holiday errands and organizational things that kept getting postponed. It feels good to have cleaned closets, thrown away papers, and to be making progress to a more clutter-free life (which is really the only thing I have that is even close to a New Year's Resolution this year).

Well I should go to bed soon...3:30 am will feel like the middle of the night (because it is!).

3rd grade update...

2009-01-07T20:54:00.002-05:00

Yes, after 3 full days in 3rd grade, Mary (and mommy, too) seem to be adjusting well. I think we have most of the kinks ironed out (Monday was a little rough). Mary seems to be making friends fairly well...and I am anticipating good things. They started learning their multiplication tables yesterday...so I am glad she is there and somewhat settle to begin that learning process with her new peers.

Katie is also adjusting well to the return to school. Almost surprisingly so. She seems quite happy to be back in a daily routine with her teacher and friends...so we are thankful for that, too. I am going to try and take to speech therapy tomorrow afternoon. She hasn't been since early November, so I'm not sure what her reaction will be. It seems her aversion to transition has grown -- and when we leave school and go places - or vice versa - this is when she often develops self-harming behavior (like when she slammed her face into the sink at school and blood was basically everywhere....). So, with that said, therapy days are always kind of a wild-card. I'll be interested to see how tomorrow goes. We have skiing tomorrow night, too -- but it has become very cold here - and is supposed to keep dropping - so we'll have to see how that develops -- maybe I'll actually get to take some pictures.

Third Grade?

2009-01-05T12:02:00.003-05:00

Today is Mary's first official day as a third grader. Just before Christmas break we completed the testing to have her accelerated. We weren't sure what that would mean - at first we had anticipated a split day between 2nd and 3rd grade - but the schedules of the two grades are completely opposite and made it impossible for a partial day split to work successfully. As a result we decided to go ahead with a complete grade acceleration in hopes that Mary will finish the year in third grade and then progress to fourth grade in the fall. This morning was a little bumpy - but I am hopeful of a good report when I pick her up this afternoon.....more details to follow.

A New Year...

2009-01-03T12:00:00.004-05:00

I'm always excited about the new year....a new chance, a new start. A chance to get organized, to catch - up, to re-group. It's a good thing. I can't believe how quickly the break has flown by and now I am working tirelessly to get things around for the girls to go back to school on Monday. Mary is accelerating to 3rd grade...a big move in the middle of the year, but we know it is the best move for her. She is a little nervous, which I would expect ..so we've been working through that. We finished reading "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" this morning. What an awesome book. Every time I read it I see more and more in it. I think Mary was surprised to see tears welling in my eyes during the final chapter...but if you haven't read that book -- you need to.

We have had great family time over break. We've watched a whole bunch of movies -- I finally saw "The Dark Knight" -- what a great movie - yes, it was dark, but a great movie. We bought "Iron Man " which was one of our favorite movies from this past year -- and watched it two more times. We laugh out loud a lot during that movie -- so if you haven't seen it - you should!

I am thankful for the retail holiday to be over and am looking forward to resuming a more normal work schedule. I actually have 3 weekdays off this upcoming week, so I should be able to do some additional organizing once the kids return to school. I need to get my calendars changed over and update my address book -- but those tasks can wait 'til next week... We are using today (yes, I'm off work today) to go to the store and get what we need for school lunches (and to return all of the holiday pop cans - yes, we have bottle deposit in Michigan - and those cans and bottles add up quickly) and then a little family movie night. Star Wars Episode II is on Spike tonight...we watched Episode I last night.....

Happy New Year friends...and here's to a little more consistant blogging on my part in the upcoming year!

A Return to Blogging...

2008-12-28T09:14:00.004-05:00

So..yes, I'm still alive. December is notoriously a difficult month for me. I work retail, thus long (and very early this year) hours contribute to a lack of sleep. I also have Mary's birthday to handle the week before Christmas - and then of course, Christmas itself. January is usually a nice slow-down month for us...I am definitely hoping for that this year.

I will just highlight a few things from this past month ....

Build-a-Bear. My first official trip. Wow, why couldn't I have invented that place! A true windfall for sure...but my kids both (yes, even Katie...seemed to love it.) Here are the girls modeling their new Holly & Hal Moose "Bears".

We also have started doing the Special Olympics downhill skiing program. It is truly a highlight each week. The pics I have taken aren't great, so I will try and get some when we go this week. Both of the girls (and Bill & I) are able to ski and use the lifts at no charge - which is truly an amazing gift for us. Both of the girls are taking to it with rather amazing quickness...only a few tears so far - so we're doing well. The place we ski has a "magic carpet" which is basically a conveyor belt that the girls can ride up the "bunny" hills - this prevents them from having to learn the rope tow right away - and if you are a skiier - you know that the rope tow can actually be harder to master than most basic skiing skills!

Well - I guess that will do it for now. I need to go and get caught up on all of my favorite blogs..it's been way too long.... See you soon!

Christmas With a Capital

2008-12-08T17:26:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas!

The World in Which We Live...

2008-11-22T14:12:00.004-05:00

Well it's been another week in our world....Gas is "cheap" 1.63 here. I can't even remember the last time gas was that price. That has definitely been the highlight of the news lately. It is nice to be able to drive around town without feeling guilty about "wasting" expensive gas.

We are getting ready to start Katie on a new med. We are also increasing her risperdal, so we'll see how that goes. There are concerns whenever we adjust Katies' prescriptions, so we're hanging on for the ride to see how things go. The risperdal is the one that gives her such terrible constipation, so we are a little concerned about how the dosage increase will affect her. The new med is commonly used for ADHD - we are giving it to her to try and decrease her OCD which has become completely out of control. ADHD meds aren't commonly used in autistic kids - because it's a different part of the brain - but for OCD this one is supposed to be helpful. I'll keep you all posted on how it goes. We are hoping to start it on Monday. Bill has the week off, so if we have any issues/side effects with the medicine, Bill will be around to help.

Well..not much else happening here. I have a busy weekend of work in the world of retail.....More later.

Back to the Land of the "Blogging"

2008-11-17T22:18:00.006-05:00

Wow, have I ever been out of it. I returned from Girl Scout Camp a week ago - sick -- very sick. Then the girls and Bill both became sick -- and it just turned into a sicko week. So no blogging for me. I did take some really cute pics at Girl Scout Camp - so I wanted to post those..and we also have now had our first "real" snow of the season - complete with icy roads and a snowman in the back yard - so I wanted to get the snow pics up too. I had to laugh because when I was uploading my pics, I realized that I hadn't even finished uploading the girls Halloween (70 degree Halloween :) pictures - so I guess I'll post some of those too -- so hang on- because I have no idea how many pictures I am going to post :)

This is the Halloween pic that I love. The crazy snow-white and the tom-boy. Too cute with their pumpkins. The warm weather made for an awesome trick-or-treating night.

This is Katie enjoying her PBJ before trick-or-treating...I couldn't sit like that and eat even if you paid me the big bucks!

They made pumpkin pie from scratch at Girl Scout Camp.

First attempt of the year at a snowman. Too funny :)

So that is it...the week I missed in the blogging world. Now I need to get caught up on the happenings of all my friends....They are forcasting more snow for this week....some good pictures could lie ahead. Have a great week!

Sick & Tired - Literally

2008-11-07T15:29:00.003-05:00

Yes, I'm getting sick. I've had a relatively healthy Fall - even the kids for the most part other than a random ear infection and Katie's whole issues with the toilet -- but otherwise, it's been good. However, I woke up today feeling that horrible "I'm getting sick" feeling..the scratchy throat, runny nose, wishing you could crawl back into bed and never get out" feeling. (especially at 4:30 in the morning.) The extra bad part of it is that Mary and I are leaving for girl scout camp tonight. Nothing like sleeping in a cabin on a mattress on the floor with 25 girls to help you feel better :) I'm trying to be positive about it - as I know Mary will have a blast - but I am exhausted. This is actually a special camp where the girls are going to prepare a Thanksgiving feast for all of us to eat Saturday night. I know it will be fun -- I just pray that my body can hang in there. I'll try to take some cute pics. Last year Girl Scout camp provided this entertainment :

A Blonde Snow White

2008-10-30T21:45:00.006-04:00

The girls don't have school tomorrow - so they celebrated Halloween today. (By the way, Halloween was the bonus spelling word in Mary's class this week :) Anyway, I hardly recognized my own child once we got the wig & make-up on...she was one interesting Snow White -- not exactly meek and mild - she's a little too outgoing for that. Katie did not "do" Halloween at school this year - after last year's disaster - when I determined that autism and Halloween don't mix very well - we decided to let her party with the kids in her room, but to not dress her up and not have her walk in the 30 minute parade around town. Yes, the whole school parades around town in their costumes -- it's a treat :)
More later - need to go nighty night. ..but as a quick note, Mary and I went to see High School Musical 3: Senior Year tonight. It was cheesy - but that's another post. I know Mary will be trying out the new dance moves soon....if you have young girls it is definitely a must see, but I'm prediciting "Beyond High School Musical : the Wedding" in about a year or so :)

Dancing with the ???

2008-10-24T08:37:00.003-04:00

I saw this on a blog I enjoy reading when I visited this morning. Just thought it might make you smile as big as I did. Too funny...any thoughts?

Wow...lots to update...

2008-10-23T20:20:00.002-04:00

Well, first I must apologize for my absence from blogging -- or only brief blogs - the past two weeks have flown by. I'm now sitting at the computer as Mary lies in our bed reading "Judy Moody Gets Famous" to me. I am amazed that I am old enough to have a child who lies in bed and reads to me. It's funny. When she's done I will read this to her. A chapter a night and we are making good progress. I am so thankful that we took her to get glasses. It has helped her in so many ways. She has always been a good reader, but with her glasses she can read longer without headaches and it provides a good opportunity for she and I to spend time together each night. :)

If you are a facebook friend of mine, you are probably aware that we have had some issues with Katie's health --let's just summarize by saying that autism and toileting don't always go very well together -- and if something doesn't change we may end up with a child in the hospital at some point. We are praying for some long term solutions to her ongoing issues in hope that we will somehow be able to teach her the importance of being able to go "#2" :) So if you are a praying person, please pray for her that somehow, someway we would find a long term fix for this.

Bill & I are both very busy at work -- October is always crazy for us. We are hoping to take Mary to Cedar Point for a Halloweekend visit soon -- we bought buy one day get one free tickets earlier in the season and haven't used the second day yet. We're hoping the weather co-operates.

Much more to tell, but I'll save it for another post...Narnia is calling. Goodnight :)

Gotta Love Fall

2008-10-21T16:40:00.003-04:00

What a nice Fall we're having..and gas is 2.68 here...so that makes it even better.

Addicted to Craig's List

2008-10-17T20:38:00.004-04:00

Well, here it is..my new "addiction" -- Craig's List I know it's not a "new" thing - but I have that same giddy-ness that I had when I first found e-bay. I still love e-bay...but e-bay costs money - and often takes a long time to sell things. On Craig's list I have had things sell within a few hours -- and usually the person lives close-by and you can just arrange to meet and swap or pick up the item. Much more convenient. Now that my ten-shift-in-a-row work marathon is over I was able to spend a little time on my favorite new website...and it was fun.

We have a busy weekend planned. Mary's last soccer game of the Fall is tomorrow morning - followed by traditional last-game-ice cream at the best local Ice Creamery (which is open until 10/31 --so we can get the yummy pumpkin flavored ice cream -- it is amazing!) Special Olympics swimming follows. That went "swimmingly" :) last week, so I am looking forward to seeing how tomorrow goes. Bill is able to come along tomorrow - so that should make things even a little easier on everyone.

I'll try to update more after tomorrow is in the record books - and I definitely need to get some new pics....so I'll do my best...Happy Fall!

Got Bacon? Katie Does.

2008-10-15T15:29:00.002-04:00

Happy Birhtday Katie-Bug

2008-10-14T15:16:00.004-04:00

Yes, today is Katie's 6th birthday -- hard to believe..... We're having a bacon & eggs party for dinner tonight. That's what she wants (well, we think that is what she wants). I'll post pictures later...but HAPPY BIRTHDAY KATIE -- WE LOVE YOU!

2008-10-11T22:56:00.003-04:00

It's late and I'm tired. NASCAR is on in the background and I'm not happy because Dale Jr. crashed early...but that's typical as of late. Everyone (even the pets) is/are sleeping except me..but that is okay. I'm just wound up. I had to work tonight (that happens every now and then on a Saturday night) and I can 't just come hope and fall right asleep. My body doesn't work that way.

We did have a great day. The weather was beautiful (70 degrees) and Mary had a soccer game. Then we went to Katie's Special Olympics swimming for the first time. This is actually a new program that Special Olympics is working on where they partner a special child with a college graduate student who is working on a Masters Degree in some Special Education related area. The student partners with the child for 10 weeks. Katie was able to swim for an hour - with no cost to us - and Mary was also able to swim - so that was a big bonus. Bill & I can swim, too - but Bill wasn't there - and I took the "pass" option this week. Katie is a very good/strong swimmer for a soon to be 6 year old -- she really doesn't need someone "on" her - just someone to watch her. Her student partner was great with her. She is a gym teacher who is working on her Masters Degree. She was great with Katie -- and we got to talk a lot about autism - so that was great, too.

It's been a busy week and the next one looks to be just the same. I'm not sure what it is about October, but it always seems like such a crazy month. Monday is Katies' IEP (Individualized Education Plan) which is a legal requirement in the state of Michigan for all Special Education students. I am not anticipating any problems this year - which is new for us. We have always had issues - but the new teacher has made our life MUCH easier this year. We are thrilled. (Katie - with the help of a sentence strip - actually said "I - See - Bat" this week - on several occasions). In case you are wondering why she would say that she saw a bat - her teacher has a surprise box with halloween items in it - and the item Katie picked just happened to be a fuzzy little bat - which was actually kind of cute. Monday is also Bible Study Fellowship - which Mary and I both attend - and (of course) I have to work during the day - so that ought to be a nice full day.

Tuesday is Katie's 6th birthday -- words cannot express my feelings about that. I am hoping to get my brain together and do a special post for her birthday.

Wednesday is just another busy day with work, music makers and more miscellaneous activities .

Thursday - can I even think that far ahead. Soccer practice - work (both morning and night for me -- I don't want to talk about how I was "suckered" into doing that......)

Friday - my first day off after 9 days of work in around (or 10 shifts in a row if you count my double on Thursday) I should be in great shape by then ;)

I could go on, but I'll spare everyone the details! Have a great end to the weekend...

Facelift

2008-10-07T14:00:00.003-04:00

Well, it's October and life is busy - and I thought that perhaps my blog needed a facelift - so I'm trying out a few new looks - don't be surprised if I change things up for awhile until I'm completely happy - but hopefully this "new look" will spur me on to more consistent blogging! Enjoy - and let me know if you see anything that you like -- input is always welcome. :)

Mary's Glasses

2008-10-05T15:35:00.002-04:00

Yep, Mary now has glasses...so I told her I would post her beautiful face here. Katie was "jealous" so I am posting a pic of her in her "glasses" -- which are actually one of my great Dollar Store deals! Enjoy!

Brrrrr..

2008-10-02T16:11:00.002-04:00

Well with the beginning of October, cold weather has descended upon Michigan. That makes life a little more complicated for us. No more outdoor swimming for Katie -- she was still "swimming" as of last week -- it was still in the high 70's here - even though our pool has been down for several weeks now. It also means that Katie has to wear socks -- which is on her list of "dislikes" - but she is becoming more tolerant of them as she gets older. They fly off of her feet the second she gets in the house after school! Cold weather also means that these are not a good option for her - even though they are her favorite.. She likes to wear them all winter -- but we often get weird looks for that! (and no, I don't buy the brand name ones, Family Dollar has great ones for 2.99 -- and sometimes Meijer has them for 4.00 - so that is usually my preference -- HELLO! we're on a budget people! Although I must say that now that gas has come down under 3.50 a gallon here - our budget is much improved !!!

Not too much else to report. The girls have a big walk at school tomorrow - it's the fundraiser for the parents club, of which I am the Sr. Co-chair, so I'll probably be spending a few hours at school tomorrow. I'll try to take some new pics -- it's been awhile -- and I need a new profile pic for my facebook page, too!

Faces of Autism

2008-09-29T14:43:00.000-04:00

Check out our beautiful Katie on this awesome website.

Weekend Update...

2008-09-28T21:35:00.003-04:00

Well the weekend has flown by...and I have a few updates, so here goes.

Katie is doing much better. Her mouth has healed up nicely and her ears seem to be feeling better - so I'm hopeful for an "event-free" week of school. We were going to start Special Olympics swimming this weekend - but we postponed it for one week to make sure she is feeling 100 percent. I'll try to do a post on that next weekend after we go. We're very excited about getting involved with Special Olympics.

Mary had an awesome soccer game on Saturday. She has two games this week. Her coaches cancelled practice - for which I am thankful. Once again we are in a "something is happening every night" week - so that will help a bit. She is continuing to do very well in school. We are a little concerned about her vision. I need to call tomorrow and get her an appointment to have her eyes checked. We have been noticing that she has been sitting closer and closer to the TV when she watches it - and when she reads she holds the book/paper right in front of her face. Bill has "eye issues" - and so does my Dad - so we figure we better check it out just to be safe.

On a "Jill" note - I have enjoyed the first week of "new TV". I'm so thankful to have a DVR so that I can watch the good shows whenever I have the time - even if that means 3 days after they were originally on. Bill & I all skate to Survivor & Amazing Race - but everything else is a singles skate for the most part. Knight Rider and the Sarah Connor Chronicles could end up on the couples only list too - but I don't have enough time right now for all of those.....I did watch the first episode of the final season of ER - and I have to tell you - if you missed it - it was amazing! I used to watch that show years ago --(12 years ago to be exact - when Bill & I were dating) and we both loved it. I have watched it off and on since then - but I must say that it is shaping up to be an incredible final season. So, if you used to watch it, you might want to think about coming back for the final season. (and no, NBC is not paying me --it's free advertising :)

As not to leave him out, Bill is good - but catching his annual Fall cold. His work will start getting busy here in a week or two -- usually when the weather turns colder, which is supposed to be this Tuesday here - so we'll see. He and I are planning our annual Chicago business trip for his work for the end of the month - I'm looking forward to that -- it's always nice to get away. My mom watched the girls for us - so it's a nice mini-vacation.

Well, I probably should think about bed for the night. All of the other members of this house - even the animals - are sleeping - and it's not even 10 pm -- so we're doing very well tonight!

Too much to tell...

2008-09-23T22:35:00.003-04:00

Wow - a week since my last post, it must be the school year. No new pics - or if I do have them I haven't uploaded in awhile. Things have just been crazy here. Mondays are BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) for both Mary and I. Tuesday is Girl Scouts. Wednesday is Music Makers for Mary (school aged after school music program). Thursday is soccer practice and speech therapy for Katie. Friday might be the only weekday that we don't have a regular commitment. Saturday is soccer and soon starting will be Special Olympics swimming. (I'm really looking forward to that for both of the girls, as Mary will also get to participate in the practices). Sunday is church day and then we start all over. Yikes!

Anyway -- what a day today was. Katie had a small accident at school today. Thankfully I was in the building when it happened -- she had a tantrum in class. She was tired. She had speech therapy first thing in the morning and then we went to school. She didn't want to go to school. After therapy she usually just wants to check out for the day. I had gone down to the office to speak with the principal when I was "summoned" back to the classroom. Katie had thrown a "tantrum" if you want to call it that. She was standing at the sink to wash her hands for lunch when she whipped her head back and then slammed her face into the counter. Blood was everywhere. She ripped the piece of skin inside her mouth which connects your lip to your gums. She also shoved one of her top front baby teeth up into her gum a bit -- but those teeth were already loose - so that isn't a big concern. It took 30 minutes to get the bleeding to stop. We ended up going to the pediatricians office in the afternoon just so they could check her. They said those injuries usually heal fine if the lip can be left alone (hello, this is Katie we're talking about). She also had a slight infection in both ears - so that combined with the need to keep her mouth from becoming infected demanded amoxicillin (sp?) (free at Meijer - big bonus) - hopefully she will be doing much better tomorrow.
Well - that's it for now. Did I mention that good T.V. starts this week? Not like I have time to watch it :)

Tag, You're It!

2008-09-16T19:59:00.002-04:00

My friend Merri tagged me on her blog...so here it is....

1. Four Places that I go over & over - The kids school, work, home, the store.

2. Four people who email me regularly - (I'm counting facebook contacts in this one) - Julli, My Dad, Joy, TS

3. Four of my favorite places to eat - Qdoba, McDonalds, Red Lobster, Giordanno's

4. Four places I would rather be - Chicago, Chicago, Chicago, Chicago (Okay, maybe Disney World).

5. Four people I tag- Alice, Alysa, Connie, Jen P.

6.Four TV shows I watch - Biggest Loser, Survivor, Amazing Race, Flashpoint

TAG, YOU'RE IT :)

Busy, Busy

2008-09-16T16:12:00.002-04:00

I can tell school's in session. "Busy Busy" is my slogan as of late. It's the third week of school already - that is hard to believe. Katie's class is going exceptionally well, so for that I am thankful. God is good - prayers are being answered. I can't wait to see where she is at at the end of the school year. I have a meeting with Katie's teacher tomorrow to prepare for her IEP (Individualized Educational Plan) which is due next month. I'm excited for what lies ahead for her this year.

Did I mention that I am the "President of the PTA" this year? That isn't what it's called at my girls' school - but that is essentially what I am. It's a huge commitment...I must have had too much coffee when I made that decision - but it's a good thing. It's just another "BUSY BUSY" part of my life. I spent the better part of this afternoon tracking down popcorn supplies and lemonade mix for the school's open house on Thursday. I'm tired...have I mentioned that ???

We also have AYSO Soccer, Girl Scouts, Bible Study Fellowship (Mary gets to come with me this year), Music Makers, Speech Therapy, and did I forget to mention WORK!!! and just being a mom. Nope, I"m not busy!

Well -- off to soccer practice....gotta go

The Fair

2008-09-11T22:15:00.003-04:00

One of the coolest things about where we live is the fair. We have one of the best fairs in the State of Michigan not too far from our home. The best part is that this fair offers something really awesome to all the kids in the county who have something in common with our Katie - they are disabled in some way. All children in the county who are classified as "disabled" are able to attend the fair for free each year. They have a special day (which is always the same day that the Veterans are honored at the fair) where all of these special kids come to the fair. They get free rides for 2 hours in the afternoon (before the rides open to the public) and they get to tour all the animal barns and exhibits for free. This is the fourth year that Katie has been able to come to the fair... Wow, has she come a long way! When we went just before her third birthday we couldn't get her to go into any barns or get near any animals. She was completely disturbed by the smells, sounds, and everything that goes along with the fair. Today...this was Katie.

Do you remember...

2008-09-06T23:17:00.001-04:00

...that scene from E.T. where E.T. is hiding in the closet and blends in with all of the stuffed animals....

First Day of School

2008-09-02T21:21:00.004-04:00

Hard to believe ...but I am now the parent of a second grader -- and of course, our special Katie. The new header picture is my favorite...Katie getting ready to leave the house for school. Here are some of our other "traditional" first day of school pics...

Overall it was a great day. Katie had a little trouble adjusting first thing, but seemed to calm down into a great day. I still like the new teacher...so that's good. Mary loves her first "boy teacher" as she calls him. He' s all about manners - so I love that...it will be good reinforcement for her. :)

Well...the hectic school pace is already setting in, but I love it. Back to the routine that makes us tick....it will be good.

Summer Wind-down

2008-08-31T23:01:00.010-04:00

I can't believe that we're less than 36 hours from the start of school..and yes, I'm ready. I am sad to see the Summer go...it doesn't feel like it's going anywhere. It was 90 today - and is supposed to be 90 the next four or five days.... funny, considering we've only had 2 90 degree days all summer before today :)

Anyway, Katie did something funny tonight while I was at work and her daddy was watching her, and I had to share. She has a "beloved Dora couch" that stays in her room - and many nights she actually sleeps on the Dora couch which she puts on top of her bed. Well, daddy was watching TV -- or doing something in the front room. He got up to go check on Katie, and this is what he found...

Yep, this is Katie with her Dora couch on the counter. Funny, I would have thought she would have turned it around to watch the TV....but regardless, this is pretty funny :)

Tomorrow is family day -- finalizing things for school - early bedtimes for the girls (which we have been doing for several nights, and it's actually working well). Maybe a little swimming - yes, the pool is still up. We usually take it down before school starts, but with the hot forecast, we weren't quite ready to take it down.

I am really looking forward to our family getting back into a regular routine. Regular sleeping habits, daily habits (school, sports practices, Girl Scouts, etc.)...and regular work for me... life seems to flow a lot smoother at this house when we are all on a good schedule! So farewell friend Summer..... Fall, here we come!

Excited....

2008-08-29T15:09:00.002-04:00

Well, we got our "home" visit (it wasn't at home, it was at school) on Wednesday...and let me tell you what...I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS YEAR FOR KATIE.... We met the new teacher and she is awesome. I really think she is going to be a great fit for this classroom. She "gets" these kids - and if you know or love someone with autism, you realize that is the key -- you have to "get"them - understand how they operate. That was really missing last year.

Katie and I went to school on Wednesday afternoon (Mary went out with Grand-moo). We got to the school and all of the aides and therapists were "ooh-ing" and "aww-ing" all over her - and she loved it. They commented on her "newly blonde" hair -- and once again we got the "where did you take her to have her hair highlighted" questions, which still crack me up. She only "complained" once when we pulled into the school parking lot, but other than that there wasn't a whole lot of screaming or crying -- and we had anticipated a lot of opposition - considering that as of last week, she was still screaming every time we headed down the road that leads to their school.... So, YEA!!! I can't wait for Tuesday. I'm really excited to see what lies ahead for Katie this year.

How Time Flies

2008-08-25T09:32:00.002-04:00

I can't believe a week has flown by since my last post. Bill was on vacation all week - so we stayed pretty busy. We spent a lot of time out at the lake where Bill's Dad lives...with Katie learning to swim and jump off the diving board we had a great time.

We went here on Wednesday. It was loads of fun as it always is. We try to go once in the summer and then back on a Saturday in the Fall for Halloweekends. We left Katie with my mom this time..and that seemed to work out better for everyone, Katie included.

School finally starts a week from tomorrow. I think that 13 weeks is far too long of a break...especially for kids like Katie. They lose so much in that time. I'm actually already in my "advocate"mode. There is a new teacher in her classroom this year. If you follow my blog or know me personally, you know that we had far too many problems last year with Katie's school situation. I'm hopeful that this year will be much better. We were promised that the kids would have the opportunity to either have a home-visit by the teacher prior to the start of school, or at least would have the chance to meet the teacher at school prior to the first day -- but it's not looking promising. Katie still cries everytime we drive down the road towards her school - so I'm trying to remain positive - but next week could be a little trying - so keep us in your prayers.

Well, I'm off to soccer practice for Mary and then work.... more later.

Milestones

2008-08-18T15:33:00.003-04:00

Katie lost her first tooth yesterday. She also proved to us that she can swim in deep water (she's only 5) and she can jump (over and over again) off of the diving board. It was a big day for her. Don't laugh too much at the picture -- that was the only way we could make sure you'd be able to see her teeth ;)

MIS

2008-08-18T15:19:00.005-04:00

If you know me, you know I love NASCAR..and especially Dale Jr. He's it for me! (Bill knows, and he's okay with it :)....

Well, a dear college friend of mine who has been involved with MRO was able to call in a favor and get Bill & I passes for the pits and the garage area of the Nationwide race at Michigan this past weekend. My mom and dad watched the girls so that we could go -- and let me just tell you, it was amazing. We had a great time, the weather was great - and I got to see so many cool things and people. It was one of the best days of my life -- and I think that is saying a lot.

The only thing that would have made it even better is if my Moody friend could have come out from Phoenix and gone to the race with us...... Thanks for everything, Tony. We had a blast!