bad week

well, this was an "ice-cream w/ cherry on top" week. well, no; not really.

I picked up a bug from work last weekend, I have two prime suspects in mind, and am fairly sure what I had, neither requiring antibiotics, merely time flat on my back in bed since monday...time I really didn't have to be flat on my back in bed.  But there I was in bed feeling like a ton of bricks landed on me.  Meanwhile, we find out on Monday that Bub has grown/developed/advanced enough that he doesn't "Need" summer school.  Yayee for Bub, but boo for me and Joe.

We are freaking out.  what the eff are we going to do for 3 months?  no horse riding all summer.... no school... no little friends to expect to see...  no bus ride...  no packing lunches/breakfasts in the am w/ momma... no ritual of getting the backpack and jumpsuit... more...

so I'm in bed half dead and freaking out.  Joe is struggling to occupy a very intent on being contrary Zber, and a Bub who misses seeing momma doing the momma stuff around the house.  I stayed in my room so they wouldn't get sick from kissing on me.  It seems to have worked. so the house is a disaster.

Living room before I got sick

Kitchen before I got sick

Living room Saturday nite

Living room saturday nite

Kitchen saturday nite

I worked Saturday night, and wasn't tired this morning yet, so I tackled the dishes and made french toast.  Joe helped get the kids dressed for church and we went.  disaster.  we made it 1 hour into the service.

Bub was angry that Grandma didn't bring HER Ipad...his wasn't good enough. (Grandma didn't think we would make it since I worked last nite)  Z didn't want to sit still, and kept screaming "no" at every attempt to do something quiet.  Joe was not feeling well.  I had been up for 21 hrs at that point.  we left.  didn't have the power to keep at it.  neither the packet of starburst Grandma fed Bub nor the sensory soothers I was doing to Bub seemed to be helping, and Z was jealous both of us were focusing on keeping Bub from crying/screaming.  So we left church.  All I can say is, I really tried.

I stayed up until 4 today so Joe could start on mowing the lawn, it's been so rainy (thank God for the rain!!!) that he hasn't been able to get to it, and we have a wilderness on our lot that I am heartily ashamed of.  It was so bad that Joe decided to borrow his parent's tractor mower rather than even attempt it w/ our push mower.  well, a belt broke just as he finished the front lawn, so tomorrow while I sleep, he will be purchasing a new belt and attempting to fix it so he can finish the lawn...but in the meantime we are forcasted for more rain in the next day or two.  So the wilderness continues.

My hope of starting a container garden this week will have to wait until at least Thursday.    meanwhile, maybe I can get the house back up to snuff.  maybe. 

I passed out around 4pm today, and got up around 11pm.  Now I'm just trying to motivate myself to NOT go to the 24 hr Whataburger and stay home and start cooking some stuff so Joe can feed the kiddos some good food for the next two days I work and not feed the kids nuggets and hotdogs.  lol    But I really want a cheeseburger and onion rings.  I really suck.  lol

Nite, here's hoping for a better week.  :)  At least I got the kitchen cleaned up this morning. 


nubs

picked up a bug

I am feeling really crappy today.  it's pretty sucky cuz I have tons to do, and my next rotation starts tomorrow nite.  my head hurts like hell.  I hate this.

But on the plus side....I HAVE A NEW JOB!!!!  I got hired on at one of our local hospitals in the pediatric department!  Yayee me!!!  I'm still working nights, but I am very cool with that.  I'm really used to it by now, so that isn't an issue.   And yes..this was what my "mystery meeting" was all about. 

I would be bouncing around about this but I'm getting either thru some bug or I'm still recouperating from working all night on Sat-sun in floor stripping fumes. floor stripping fumes are not my friends apparently.  I had the worst headache on Sunday and pretty much slept all day and night. I barely spent any time with the kids the whole day.  I feel like a terrible mom.  :(

Other exciting news....Bub has poo'ed twice in the potty all by himself since last week, and Zber is saying "kitty" and "STOP"  and "y-sssssss" (it's not fully vocalized "yes", but I will take it!).  ECI visitied and Zber is not showing any need for therapies at this time. (whew!)  Masquerade (our new kitty) lets Zber pick her up carry her all over w/o complaint, and Joe fixed our old PC. our brakes AREN'T complete toast (we just needed to add brake fluid).  and we didn't bounce a single thing financially after paying all the bills. 

Somehow, we are doing things right for once.  hope we can keep it up.  :)

Nubs

results of Bub's ARD

So, Bub finally had his ARD on Friday, April 1st.  Originally it was scheduled for the Wednesday before, but we rescheduled b/c our meeting time was 9:45am, and no one had come out to tell us anything by 10:30am, and I was scheduled to work that night and I had been up since noon the day before.  I was TIRED!  I needed SOME sleep so I could competently take care of my kiddo's at work that night.  as it was I only got about 4 hours, and the nurse I relieved gave me a hard time about looking like the cat dragged me in...but I digress.  Joe was pretty upset about the meeting being held up, but I knew something had happened, that they were having a dispute and had to resolve it before the meeting could end...and I was right.

Anyhow, it went really well.  Bub has made improvements, not as much as I hoped for, but enough to be very happy with.  Next year Bub will be in a classroom of 7-12 y/o's and will spend at least 1 hr a day w/ a kindergarten class where he will also be with kids from the Deaf Education program and their ASL interpreter!  Also, the time he will spend in the Kindergarten class will be MATH!  Bub loves numbers and counting.

It was a very good meeting, and I am so looking forward to Mr. Man's next school year  :)


Nubs!

preping for ARDs

For anyone out there who has kids w/ special needs, we have entered the time of year for ARDs...yayee us.  For those of you who don't have to go thru this process w/ the public school system, and ARD is a meeting w/ your child's teacher, administrator, speech therapist (if applicable), occupational therapist (if applicable), physical therapist (if applicable), and the person who decides if the child qualifies for special needs education (Forgot the job title...oops.) and the parent/s.  so there is a lot of folks in one room.  and we discuss his progress over the past year and plan what his goals for the next year will be and what the setting will be.

Thankfully, most of my ARDs have been very calm and agreeable, as I have a rough idea what I want to see for Bub and what they want to do w/ Bub.  This year, when I got the invitation I sent it back w/ a note saying I wanted to discuss options to see Bub have more inclusion w/ his neurotypical peers (for those of you who are not autie parents, neurotypical means NORMAL)  *lucky bastages*   lol.  *kinda*

So Bub's teacher asked me to come for a parent-teacher conference today.  It went well, and she really liked my ideas for Bub to have greater inclusion.  Oh yeah, I haven't mentioned specifically what my idea was, have I?  I am a nerd...sorry.

Bub's campus has a deaf education classroom, Bub's main modality of communication is ASL, sooooo  (kinda see where I'm going???)  Let's get Bub in w/ the deaf education kids who ARE behaviorally "normal" and age appropriate normal, and get Mr. Man to model more signing w/ kids his age.  cuz right now, Bub is one of the oldest kids in his class,

So, Me and Bub's teacher are on the same page, which will make this idea much more likely to happen next year.  Yayee for parent involvement!

However....his teacher shared some disturbing info about how special ed is going to be managed under the current school superintendant...info this autie mom is going to have to start doing something about and start advocating and riling up some other parents...which isn't easy cause we special needs parents are TIRED ALL THE TIME!  you have no idea.  think of taking care of your kid after your kid just took a hit of acid...that is our ALL THE TIME!!!  so getting additional parental involvement may not happen, but I can try.  I'll write about that next time.  I'm running on 4 hrs sleep following a 18hr day.  must sleep.

loves to all! N

Last day of freedom...for the next 16 mo. anyhow..

On the eve of starting Nursing school, I'm actually feeling pretty relaxed & ready to go to bed. (It's about 11:15pm)
I am going to be getting up at 5am tomorrow...not for me however, for BUB.

As always, no one in the school system is able to let me know bub's bus route # nor what time the bus will come. As I missed the bus on the 1st day of ESY, bub and I will be in the front room waiting for the bus no later than 6am. I'm excited because bub and I will be able to watch PBS mr. rogers! "It's such a good feeling to know you're alive....it's such a happy feeling (sing with me) you're growing inside...."

Yayee!

Joe has the day off in case of any Bub emergencies on the 1st day of school. So I am not stressing out for once. (can you believe it?)

I have all my laundry washed and put away (except 1 load currently in the dryer), bub's room has been cleaned and reorganized. Bub's breakfast, Lunch and snack are all packed & in the fridge, his backpack is ready...

I think I shall go off to bed now..... love to all!!!