On with my Day!

Yesterday was Todd's 36th birthday. In his usual style, he had me laughing to start the day out. He was standing in front of the mirror, plucking out one white hair after another. "LOOK at this one! It's all squiggly, it's not even straight!..." Each time he pulled one out he would exclaim something new. "LOOK how WHITE this one is! It's as white as your shirt!" And the whole time he was plucking and wowing I was giggling! The signs of aging are beginning to show and yet we don't feel old. Okay, some times we feel old. We don't have the energy we once had, but our Spirits are young!

We were able to spend the morning of Todd's birthday in our first IEP meeting with the new Elementary School. What fun! They started out by telling us that they didn't understand how Alex even qualified for services in our previous school. As they continued and I stopped them and asked, "So if he doesn't qualify, what will happen to this child?" They could tell I was a bit distressed and quickly let us know that he could be put on a 504 plan which would allow for additional help. Whew, I thought, with a mental brush of my brow. I couldn't let Alex slip through the cracks. He has improved so much and needs to continue to improve.

So we moved on and decided what testing needed to be done for Alex and read through his IEP. Next we moved on to Max. His didn't take as long because Hyde Elementary has just done a bunch of testing for him at the end of the school year to assess his needs. We quickly determined what was needed there and moved on.

I think the one shocker was that there is no SpEd bus in the entire district. Todd nicely, but firmly, told them they needed to get one. I was chuckling inside. I don't enjoy driving them to and from school everyday and it does put a dent in our gas budget, but there is something I've noticed...During the small amount of time in the car I have a captive audience. Each day I ask each of the boys how their day went, what they liked about their day and if there was anything else they wanted to share. Each child gets his moment, uninterrupted. At least that's the rule. I remind them of the rule each day. I realized yesterday how much I enjoy the time, no matter how crazy, talking with the boys because once we hit that door they're done talking. They want to run off and play. So, even though it's a pain to drive them every day and walk Max to class, I think the benefits out weigh the negatives.

Max currently has a part-time one-on-one in the class room. She is there for the morning. We are concerned that once the student teacher, who is currently in Max's classroom, leaves there won't be any extra help in the afternoon. We have told them about the issues that can arise and so we wait...hoping that he will do just fine and they won't need any extra help.

We came away from the meeting feeling good, feeling like they would be taking care of our kids. It's nice to know that when your kids head off to school there are people there who care about them and their needs.

Since we have moved the one thing that I have struggled with is keeping up. The laundry is piled high all the time, the dishes are almost always piled in the sink and on the counter, the floors are in needs of being cleaned, the bathrooms are dirty, and I'm tired! I realized that I have less time now to take care of the home than I did before. Plus Todd comes home almost an hour later than he used to. By the time he gets home I should have dinner done, but I'm just barely getting kids finished with homework. Lyssa-Loo is teething and clingy. She would rather be on-the-go than at home. So I spend a large amount of time helping her to be happy, which I love. So, my question is, when is there any time to get anything done? I ask this with a smile on my face! I know that eventually we will move past this phase into a new one.

Today I am making more phone calls to find a new doctor. I keep praying that one will turn up, one that will be supportive, one who is perfect for our family.