Not the (real) Momma

I am soooo not a gardener, but...

2010-02-20T09:13:00.002-06:00

I find this idea simply irresistible. Tipsy Pots. Absolutely too cool. Has anyone made them in real life? Any tips? Because I plan to make two towers very soon.

At his best...

2009-09-14T20:26:00.000-05:00

Nobody puts Baby in the corner... *sigh* RIP Patrick

Wow.

2009-09-12T08:05:00.001-05:00

How many of us have lived this?

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/parenting/2009/07/a_daughter_gained_a_daughter_l.html

Kindergarten....

2009-09-06T20:02:00.003-05:00

...kicks Elvis' butt. He's so tired after school. Want to know just how tired he is? Check out the picture. He is passed out. However, he LOVES school so it's well worth the exhaustion. We're a month into school and it's going well. Answered prayers, for sure!

I did it...

2009-09-06T19:55:00.003-05:00

I opened the box. Here is most of what was in it. Now, I don't know what to do with all this. Logically, Miss Piggy could use it. Alli, however, said it wouldn't feel right "because it wasn't bought for her." So, I guess it just hangs in my closet for now. Luckily, my closet is so full of junk. It will just join the chaos.

We have a new Batman!

2009-08-01T16:21:00.002-05:00

It was a long summer of waiting but it's official....Our old Robin is our new Batman, um BatWOman???

We've actually been back to work over a week now. Teacher training started on July 22. The kids came for registration day Wednesday. We have a million kindergarten kids this year. Well, not actually a million but it may was well be. As of yesterday afternoon, we have 219 kids registered for kindergarten. I guess I also need to mention that we have 8 kindergarten teachers. Do the math and, well, YIKES!

Luckily, Robin can also do math and we had a little faculty meeting before we left yesterday. She's moving a 2nd grade teacher to kindergarten and we are getting not one, but TWO new teachers. So we'll have 11 kindy teachers this year. We'll all still be at 20 or 21 students but that's much better than 30. Thanks, Robin!!!!

Adoptive Parent Survey

2009-08-01T16:10:00.002-05:00

I got an email asking me to post info on this survey. It's for parents who have adopted children from the foster care system. I got the email a week or two ago but didn't want to post the link until I had taken the survey. I just did and it was painless.

Rather then try to summarize the info for you, I'll just copy and paste the email. If you are so inclined and qualify, please take the survey. It never hurts to help someone else out. She is one of us, after all. I'm sure she will appreciate all responses.

"Hello. I am a foster and adoptive parent in Charleston, Illinois and am also a graduate student in Family & Consumer Science at Eastern Illinois University. I am currently working on a thesis examining post-adoption birthparent contact in families that adopted through the foster care system. I am trying to recruit a national sample for my thesis survey and am trying to reach as many adoptive parents as I can. I have started contacting adoption related blog owners to get some help spreading the word about my survey. It appears that your blog would attract the people I am looking for to take my survey. Would you consider writing a short post on your blog about my survey? I have included sample language below. Feel free to contact me at this email with any questions. If you have suggestions for other ways to reach adoptive parents in your area, that would also be helpful! :) I would also appreciate it if you would take a minute to take the survey yourself if you meet the guidelines. Thank you so much for your help!Michelle Roberts

If you adopted an unrelated child from foster care, your input is needed for a survey on post adoption birthparent contact. Michelle Roberts, a foster and adoptive parent herself, is doing a graduate thesis on post adoption contact in foster care adoptions. Even if you have had no contact with your child's birthparents, your input is valuable to the study. The online survey takes less than 10 minutes to complete and contains no identifying information. As a special thank you, you will be entered into a drawing for a chance to win a $100 gift certificate to the store of your choice. Please take a moment to help with this study. Go to www.AdoptionStudy.org for the online survey or contact Michelle at meroberts2@eiu.edu if you would prefer to have a paper survey mailed to you. Your help is greatly appreciated!"

Ms. Patsy

2009-07-17T14:52:00.004-05:00

Many, many years ago (I was in first grade, just to give you an idea of exactly how many years ago this was), a new girl showed up in my classroom at school. Her name was Renae. She lived in my neighborhood (with her mom and grandmother). She also began attending my church. We had so much in common that we became fast friends. We were in the same class almost every year of elementary school. We went to the same junior high and high school. We were in band together. We still attended the same church. We were together a lot for many years.

Somewhere along the way, Renae's parents divorced. I didn't know a lot about that word then but I did understand that her mom was no longer married to her father. He worked away from home and this didn't directly affect my life. Soon, Larry appeared on the scene. He and Mrs. A had been friends in their teens and had reconnected after her divorce. Larry was cool. I could call him by his first name because Renae did. This was unheard of back in the day when your friends' parents didn't have first names. We were always taught to address them as Mr. Last Name and Mrs. Last Name. Larry didn't have a last name as far as I was concerned. His joining the family (bringing with him a young daughter), becoming Renae's stepfather eventually, just added to the fun. Mrs. A became Mrs N. (I still didn't dare call her by her first name!) He was one of the most fun adults I'd ever encountered. Even at my young age, I knew Larry and Mrs. A were destined to be together. They just seemed to complete each other...sounds corny, I know, but it's still true.

We grew up. Renae moved away out of state. I was in college and had other friends. I was home a lot but didn't see much of Renae's family. My mom was still a part of their lives so I kept up with them all through her. I'd occasionally see them in passing at church. Even though I was legally an adult, I just couldn't bring myself to call her by her first name. I did finally drop her last name and call her Ms. Patsy.

Then came one of my favorite holiday traditions... Thanksgiving at Larry and Ms. Patsy's house. They opened their home to anyone who needed a place to go for the holiday. Both sides of their families were invited. My mom and I joined them many years. My brother and his family came a few times. My assorted foster/adoptive kids came. People who worked with Ms. Patsy at a nearby hospital lab were invited to drive down on their lunch breaks to share the meal. It was always a nice mix of people who got along well together. That is just the kind of people the whole family is...They will do anything to help anybody. What a great world we'd live in if more people were like them!

As always happens, times change. Both of their daughters (and their families) moved to FL. Larry and Ms. Patsy retired from their jobs and headed to FL to spend more time with their daughters and grandchildren. They kept their house here and traveled back and forth. My mom was in frequent contact with them and I, again, got my updates on them through her.

About 5 years ago, I heard from my mom that Ms. Patsy had been diagnosed with breast cancer. She had surgery and chemo and radiation. After a long, difficult battle, our prayers were answered and she was declared well again. She looked great. Her hair grew back. In my mind, it was over. I honestly never considered the fact that it could happen again. My mom had cancer three times during my school years and she's been fine for years. I'd heard stories of others getting cancer over and over and eventually losing the battle, but in my personal experience, once you beat it, you were done.

I'm sure by now you have guessed where this is going. Last month, Ms. Patsy went in for a routine scan as part of her cancer follow up. Three spots were detected on one of her lungs. We all tensed up but still had hopes for the best. A PET scan was scheduled for about 3 weeks later to better assess what was up. That scan was on a Thursday and the results were not to be available until Monday. What a long weekend. And the results were not what any of us wanted. The three spots on her lung were confirmed to be malignant. And, in addition to those three spots, the scan identified three more cancerous spots. Those were in her backbone. A brain scan was ordered and thankfully, that was normal. That has been the first piece of good news in Ms. Patsy's new battle.

The prognosis is not good. However, a treatment plan has been established and there are numerous prayer warriors on the case, too. We've got that part covered. Here is what I need from you (well, more prayers are ALWAYS welcomed) but please click on this link and consider donating to Renae's 60-mile walk to help end breast cancer. (Proceeds go to Susan G. Komen For The Cure.) Clicking on Renae's link will give you the chance to donate online. She's determined to do this walk again. She's been very dedicated to raising funds in the fight against breast cancer. ALL donations would be greatly appreciated. Don't worry about an amount - even $5 will help.

Your donation will help Renae. It will help Ms. Patsy. It will help me. It will help my mom. And, more importantly, it might be helping you or your mom or your sister or your grandmother...or even your "Ms. Patsy." All women are at risk for developing this disease. I can't haul my big butt on a 60 mile walk to raise money. I can donate what I can and help find others to donate. I'm doing my part. Will you do yours?

If you donate, please add a comment here. You don't need to post the amount - just the fact that you donated is all we need. If you are unable to donate, feel free to post any comments or thoughts for the family. Even if you will just commit to praying for Ms. Patsy and the family through the tough days ahead, please add that in a comment. Sadly, many women have to fight this battle every day. I sincerely hope no one has to fight it alone.

Updates...I've got your updates

2009-07-03T08:05:00.004-05:00

Elvis' surgery went fine. We got there at 2:00 and they took him from us about 3:30 after I'd answered the same 20 questions for about 10 different people. Beth and I sat in the waiting room and watched the Jumbo-tron which scrolled the first name of the patients and where they were in the process - getting ready for surgery, in the operating room, recovering in PACU, and finally - discharged. He was in surgery for longer than we expected but the doctor said everything went well. After a little while in recovery, we were sent home with a very drugged little guy. He needed Lortab every 6 hours the first day and you could still tell he was hurting when moved or jostled. However, he slept really well Wednesday night and I could tell he felt much better Thursday. Motrin seems to be handling the pain although I did give him a dose of Lortab last night before I had to peel the sticky bandages off. It just seemed the compassionate thing to do.

Before:

After:

Baby Briley arrived on July 1 at 1:31 PM. (7 pounds, 13 ounces; 20.5 inches long) She has ten fingers and ten toes and is learning to nurse like a champ. Mom and baby are doing well...tired but good. They were discharged from the hospital last night and have hopefully survived their first night at home. (The day of her birth was a really difficult day for me emotionally. I'll spare the details on the public blog but will probably attempt to sort out my thoughts on my private one. If you haven't joined that one yet, feel free to email me through my profile. All I'll need to add you is your email address. Don't fear rejection...as long as you don't live in my house, I'll add you. ;-)

Elvis' surgery day

2009-06-30T10:47:00.002-05:00

Today is the day the urologist goes looking for Elvis' testicles. What fun! When he locates them, he'll pull them down and stitch them in place where they belong. I've never owned that equipment but I'm 100% sure that my day today will be better than Elvis'.

We don't have to be at the hospital (an hour from home) until 2:30 this afternoon. I fear we may be there well into the evening hours. I'd much rather have gone in the wee morning hours and be done by now. We didn't get a choice. He did get to eat breakfast this morning. He could eat before 8:00 and then can have only clear liquids between 8 and 1. He can't have anything after 1.

Alli is not going with us. She's pretty miserable with the pregnancy so she's staying home. Beth is going with me. I was afraid to try this adventure without another set of hands along for the ride. Elvis loves his Aunt Beth and she's great with him. We'll be fine. And, Elvis will be cranky afterward but he will have earned that right.

Still no baby

2009-06-29T09:37:00.002-05:00

I went with Alli to her appointment on Friday and she was still only dilated to "a loose two but we can call it almost a three if it makes you feel better." However, the baby is measuring BIG - 88 percentile and he wants to get her out soon. So, unless she goes into labor before, she will be induced on Wednesday...Boy Wonder's birthday. Can you tell I'm just thrilled about that last part?

Elvis has surgery scheduled for Tuesday so it looks to be a busy week around here. I'll keep you posted.

Baby Watch, 2009

2009-06-20T07:49:00.002-05:00

Alli had her cerclage removed (fairly painfully, evidently) yesterday. That means the baby could join them at any time. All of her restrictions are removed and she can carry Elvis again. After 5 months of toting that guy around, I think this part makes me happiest of all. ;-)

So now we wait...and wait. She's not technically due until July 13 so the baby may come soon. Or we may still have a month.

Thinking ahead...Father's Day

2009-06-14T08:45:00.003-05:00

My own father has been dead for about 9 years. I'm single so my kids don't have a father here. Their own bio father is...interesting, to put it nicely. Elvis' bio father surrendered parental rights several years ago. Father's Day just isn't an issue in my house. There's really no mention of it since it doesn't apply to anyone.

In the spirit of the season though, I'd like to "introduce" you to someone - Dick Hoyt. If you've already seen/read about/heard about "Team Hoyt" take the time to meet them again. Their story is a blessing. It kind of restores my faith in fathers.

Team Hoyt website

June Birthday-mania

2009-06-13T10:15:00.002-05:00

Lots of family members have June birthdays. Alli's is June 2. Beth's is the 10th. My brother's is also the 10th. My aunt's is the 12th. Add to that the birthday of a close friend's son on June 1, and we have a looot of June birthdays.

I combined Alli's and Beth's birthdays and took them out to lunch right between their actual birthdays. We also went to a local park Wednesday and celebrated Alli, Beth, and friend's son's birthdays all together. The candles on the cupcakes were the numbers 52 - their ages added together.

I took my brother and aunt out to eat last night to celebrate theirs. It was a nice evening. I can't remember the last time just the three of us did anything together. It was a different vibe without spouses or kids but it was a nice change.

Today, we are getting up and heading to my mom's hometown for...another birthday celebration - LOL! However, we will be celebrating everyone's birthday there today. Her family lives about 2 hours away and we don't get together as often as we should. So, we pick a Saturday every summer and celebrate all at once. Everyone brings a funny birthday card. We sign them and drop them in a box. Everyone draws one out and reads it to the group. Surprisingly, both my girls (and SpiderPig) are going along today. (Just Elvis and I went with my mom last year.) I'm not quite sure why the change of plans but I'm glad they are going. They really like one of my aunts there and she may be the draw. Doesn't matter. It looks to be a good day!

Up to no good

2009-06-07T21:55:00.002-05:00

Remember Beth's former BFF's brother? Take a moment to refresh your memories from last summer here and here.

Bff came by to visit me last Monday. We had a nice visit. She even brought me flowers and her new boyfriend for me to meet. I asked about her brother and she said he was still making horrible choices. The very day of that visit, this occurred:

"Xxxxx Co. Sheriff's Dept.

Monday, June 1

Xxxx Xxx Xxxxxxx, 19, (address deleted), was arrested and charged with theft, two counts of sale of marijuana, possession of marijuana for resale, attempted sale of a schedule I counterfeit narcotic, burglary, tampering with evidence, underage consumption of alcohol, possession of schedule IV narcotic and possession of drug paraphernalia. He remained jailed Tuesday in lieu of $73,500 bond."

Bless his heart. From 8th in his huge high school class to all those charges. He's not just using drugs now, he's also selling them. Everyone hoped he had learned from his problems last summer. Obviously, not. He seems determined to self-destruct. What can you do?

Hi, Fielding! Hi, Blair!

2009-06-05T11:24:00.002-05:00

*waves toward Heaven* It's June again and I'm thinking of you both. In some ways, last June seems like just last month. In other ways, it feels like 10 years ago.

Breaking up

2009-06-05T11:09:00.002-05:00

Elvis' speech therapist is breaking up with him. She's worked with him since before he was a year old. It feels like she's always been there. We've followed her to 3 different clinics, driving further to see her each time, just to continue the great working relationship with her. Now, she's quitting at the current clinic and won't be taking his insurance in her private practice. I feel like I've been dumped, too. You search and search for people who will love your kids and really make them work. This almost feels like a death in the family. We've got to find a new therapist and then spend the time to build a relationship with the him/her before expecting Elvis to make any progress.

On the upside, we've been driving a long way to these therapy sessions - over 100 miles round trip each week. Hopefully we can find a super speech therapist (who takes his stinky insurance) who also happens to be in an office with a great OT and PT and who all happen to be much closer to our home. That's not asking too much, is it? **insert hysterical laughter from parents of other kids with special needs here**

In other news, we've been busy here. Alli went with us to Elvis' speech appointment yesterday and we stopped at Walmart on the way home. I'd been invited to a baby shower and needed to buy a gift. We were gone a long time but had a good afternoon. This morning Elvis and I went with Alli to her OB appointment. We got to watch her ultrasound. Alli is 34 weeks pregnant and the baby is measuring 35 weeks and the doctor said she looks good. They will take out her cerclage two weeks from today and we'll wait for nature to take its course. Now, we're off to the baby shower. It's for a girl who was a student at a day care I worked at in college. (Yes, I'm that old.) It's at the park and the family is....different. So there promises to be many funny moments from today's shower.

They are sure this time

2009-06-02T07:28:00.002-05:00

Alli got another text yesterday telling her that her uncle had died.. (again - LOL). I asked if she was sure he was really dead and she read me the text message from her cousin that said, "Uncle C is dead. I'm sure this time." The family has no money for final expenses so he's being cremated and not having a service.

Pardon me if I seem a little cavalier about this death but, simply put, he was not a nice person. He was young enough and (until a couple months ago) healthy enough to work. He chose to spend his time pursuing illegal activities instead of honestly trying to provide for himself and his family. This left his now 19 year old daughter to financially support the whole family (bum father, 21 year old sister, and herself). Ordinarily I could have gotten past that but literally hours after his mother's funeral in January, he demanded that his father give him some of his mother's furniture and belongings. He wanted them so badly that he almost came to blows with his father. Did he was them for sentimental reasons? Nope, wanted to sell them to pay off a drug debt. That was the last straw in my book.

I feel really sorry for his daughters. As most good daughters do, they loved him dearly despite his faults. I'm sure his siblings and father (on some level) will miss him, too. The rest of the world? Should probably breathe a sigh of relief. RIP, Uncle C.

11/20/09

2009-06-01T10:31:00.001-05:00

The new movie in the Twilight saga will be released. The trailer was released last night. I.can't.wait!!!

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON trailer in HD

Someone had their wires crossed

2009-05-30T20:35:00.002-05:00

Alli and Beth's bio uncle (father of Cousin It, grandfather of this baby) has been declared terminal with cancer for a couple of months now. He has hospice services in place. Alli got a text yesterday that he'd had another stroke and a seizure. It was really no surprise tonight when Alli got a text saying he'd died. I was sitting here trying to figure out when the service would be and what I had appropriate to wear to it when I got a text from Alli saying, "He's still alive. LOL!"

Alli had called Beth to get the details. (Beth works with Cousin It now so she has all the family news more accessible to her.) Anyway, Beth said he HADN'T died. He was still gravely ill but very much alive. She even called Cousin It to confirm that he was still breathing.

Guess someone along the texting chain sent or received the wrong message. Kind of like that old game of Telephone or Gossip where everyone sits in a circle and you whisper a word around the circle and the word at the end usually doesn't even come close to being the word they started with. Only this time, we didn't have a funny word at the end. We had a dead uncle that wasn't dead. Again, only in my family...

Endings, Beginnings...

2009-05-29T09:09:00.003-05:00

It's that time of year when some things come to an end and other things are only beginning. The school year ended yesterday. The kids came just for a few minutes - grabbed their report cards and left. It's usually bittersweet but this year I was just ready for it to be over. I liked my class but it was a stressful year (both at home and at school) and I was just ready for the end. As of noon yesterday, I'm officially on summer break. I'm off work until July 23. It will be a busy summer. Elvis has one surgery scheduled for the end of June and many, many other appointments (speech therapy, neurosurgery consults, etc.) so I'll be busy but I can handle that.

Beth graduated from high school Tuesday night. She got her diploma and everything. She's been with me just over 5 years and there were many, many times over those 5 years that I didn't think she'd ever graduate. I'm proud of her for sticking with it and graduating. With that ending comes a new beginning. She's officially moved in with her boyfriend. While I wish she hadn't been in such a hurry, she's old enough to make that choice. Of course, she left almost all of her stuff here. So she's making a new start and I've got a room full of her stuff and no idea what to do with it all.

It's also time for an ending with Alli and Boy Wonder. Two weeks ago he snapped and came into my bedroom waving his arms, cussing me, and making some threats. All because I'd had a conversation with Alli about the ethics of raising kids on welfare. That one action on his part was a loud, clear message to me that they needed to move on. I will NOT be threatened in my home. I will not be afraid to live in my own home. I've not given them a time frame yet but it's coming. It's time for a new beginning for them to learn to live on their own. The new beginning for me will be to learn to live alone. It will be an adjustment but it will be a peaceful one and I think I'm ready for it. I'm not naive enough to think it won't hurt when Alli leaves. I just think the relief of being free from BW's outbursts will be worth it.

So, the summer of 2009 will be one of endings and beginnings...some good and some painful. I'm just glad it's starting because the sooner it starts, the sooner it's all done. It's time. We all know it.

Happy Memorial Day

2009-05-25T14:32:00.003-05:00

Lest we forget the reason for the holiday...

Thank you to those who serve.
Thank you those who served.
Thank you to the families of those who gave their lives.

Holy Bat-Retirement!

2009-05-23T20:53:00.002-05:00

Our Batman is retiring. He called the faculty and staff together Thursday afternoon to tell us. I've been expecting him to retire at the end of every one of the past 5 years. This year, however, I'd never even considered it. He's had, what appears to me anyway, a great year - maybe one of his best. I'm going to miss him. He kept the school running without trying to micromanage all the details. He trusted us to do our jobs and we knew - with 100% certainty, he had our backs when we needed him.

I don't do well with change and transitions. I'll spend my summer wondering who will take his place and what the new school year (with a new "Batman") will be like.

Looking on the bright side

2009-05-20T19:29:00.003-05:00

Despite all the crap in my life these days, some good things are happening, too.

A week ago, my brother graduated from nursing school! He skipped his actual graduation but the whole family went to his pinning the night before. It was a lovely ceremony and my brother was even a speaker. He was, evidently, quite the presence in his classes, as a few of the other speakers mentioned him by name during their speeches. And, never one to risk being boring, he gave the interim director of the nursing program a little surprise after she pinned him...

And, in Elvis news, I survived his IEP meeting yesterday! For those who have never had a kid in special ed and never had to sit through meeting after meeting of professionals telling you everything that's wrong with your kid, you'll never understand the feeling of relief when you can survive a meeting without crying before, during, and/or after. Well, I did it yesterday! I'd gotten a heads up last Friday that this meeting was going to be okay but I can't relax until it's actually over. The special ed class that Elvis has been a part of this year is moving to another school next year. A school quite far from both my home and my school. However, my principal agreed to let Elvis continue attending my school! He's going to be based in a regular kindergarten class and spend an hour and 45 minutes a day with a resource teacher. They doubled the amount of speech therapy he got this year AND gave him a full-time assistant. I didn't ask for any of this. They just offered it all. If I could have written up my dream placement for him, this would have been it. And I didn't have to ask for any of it...they just offered it!

So Elvis is going to real kindergarten in the fall. I hope they are ready for him and his attitude!

The Tooth Fairy came!

2009-05-12T23:26:00.002-05:00

Elvis' bottom front tooth is finally disconnected from his head. For the first time in my life, I pulled someone else's tooth. Yuck. When my students need one pulled, I take them across the hall to another K teacher who doesn't mind yanking them. Since she doesn't live with me however, I had to be the one to pull Elvis' tooth when it was obviously time for it to come out. I did get it out without much effort (but there was quite a bit of blood, though).

After I pulled it, we cleaned him and it up and then stuck the tooth in a ziploc bag and put it under the pillow. Since he's non-verbal, I really felt we were doing this more for us than for him but it felt right to go through the motions.

At bedtime, he wouldn't go to sleep. He just laid in bed and laughed. All night long, he dozed then laughed. We were up and down all night but not in the usual way. He wasn't crying or upset - he was just giggly. Finally, about 5:00 AM, I put him in bed with me, planning to doze until the alarm went off at 5:30. However, as soon as I put him down, he curled towards his bed and was staring intently at his pillow. It finally hit me that he was wanting to see what the tooth fairy had brought. As soon as I picked up his pillow and he saw his money, he was fine. He clutched the dollar but kept on laughing. I felt better at least knowing what his deal was. I also felt better knowing he had the cognitive ability to know about the tooth fairy and know that it was something to be excited about. Way to go, Elvis!!!

Mother's Day

2009-05-10T21:20:00.002-05:00

I didn't invite my girls to our family Mother's Day lunch this year. We didn't really have any concrete plans until the day or so before. Beth had already texted me that she was working. I haven't had a holiday with Alli since Boy Wonder joined us. I went ahead and made plans with my extended family and a close friend.

About an hour before I was leaving for the park, Alli asked what time everyone was coming over. Umm, they aren't. Boy Wonder was working so she did end up joining us. My mom, aunt, brother, sister-in-law, and nephews, along with friend and her husband and 5 kids all joined us at the park. It was a calm, low-key gathering for once. A good time was had by all.

Alli got me a card and Beth dropped by while I was still at the park and left a DVD for me. Meanwhile, I actually managed to get my mother a gift she really liked! I'm never good at buying gifts for her but this time, I did well. I got her a stand mixer. (Not an expensive KitchenAid one but it is a decent Sunbeam brand.) I was so sure she was going to return it for whatever reason (too big, didn't need it, etc.) that I taped the receipt inside the top of the box. She shocked me by being very excited about it and assured me she was not going to return it. It's nice to have found something she liked so much.

The countdown is on to the end of school. I'm ready to be out for the summer. Beth is still on track to graduate in two weeks. Let's hope she makes it.

Sleeping in?

2009-05-10T12:19:00.002-05:00

What's that. Elvis got my Saturday off to an early start by having a seizure before 5:00 yesterday morning. So much for the increased med dose, huh? Anyway, I got up, dealt with that, and did sleep a little more before getting up for the day.

This morning, I was awakened at 5:30 by my nephew who had spent the night. I don't know how long he'd been up but he had lights on in 3 rooms and TVs on in two of those rooms. I didn't go back to sleep this morning because I was a little bit afraid of what he'd find to get into. By staying up with him, I could (hopefully) head off some of the mayhem.

And to make my morning even better? I went to get my laundry from the dryer. Only is was no longer in the dryer. It was on the laundry room floor. And it was still quite damp. I guess Boy Wonder needed something washed and dried last night and chose not to wait until mine got dry. If he'd put my wet stuff back in the dryer, I wouldn't have cared. Leaving my damp clothes on the floor however? Pisses. me. off.

Well said, Claudia

2009-05-09T19:09:00.001-05:00

I needed this reminder during the lovely Mother's Day weekend.

Shark Boy

2009-05-08T20:56:00.002-05:00

Elvis always does things the hard way. This trend is continuing with his teeth. He has his first permanent tooth growing in...behind the baby tooth it's supposed to replace. I"m intrigued to see if the trend continues and he actually grows a whole second row of teeth like some sharks have. The better to bite us with, I guess.

The good news is that the baby tooth in front of the permanent tooth is a little loose. It's hard to wiggle, though. When he sees one of us reaching in to wiggle it, he shoves his tongue forward and folds his lip of his bottom row (rows) of teeth. On the odd time we do get to touch the tooth, it's hard to wiggle because you can't rock it backwards. It just hits the big boy tooth back there.

It's a good thing I love this kid. He'd be pretty tough to take otherwise.

Cori update

2009-05-06T17:17:00.001-05:00

I got a text from Cori this afternoon. As of 9:00 this morning, she's officially adopted. I'm so glad this family is working out for her. She's 17. It's time she has a forever family.

Duh...

2009-05-05T13:51:00.002-05:00

I forgot to include the outcomes of the neurologist visit in the last post.

#1 He's outgrown his current dose of seizure meds, as evidenced by the fact that he had 4 seizures in April. (He usually averages less than 1 a month.) So we kept one med the same and increased the other by .5 mls twice a day. Seems like a tiny increase to me but he says we shouldn't even average 1 seizure a month with this new dose. Sounds good to me. His seizures still scare me to death.

#2 I told the doctor to go ahead and refer Elvis for the surgery consult for the Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy. It's been a year since the neurologist first suggested it. It's time to, at least, meet with the local doctor who performs this surgery and see how he compares to the out-of-state doctor who invented the procedure. Bottom line: Elvis' insurance will cover the local doc but not the far away one. If we like the guy and he thinks the surgery would be in Elvis' best interest, I guess we'll schedule the surgery.

#3 The doctor filled out the paperwork for Elvis' school special ed certification. I'll drop it off at school tomorrow and we'll get down to scheduling his IEP. Yuck. I hate those meetings.

A day off

2009-05-05T12:48:00.002-05:00

I'm off school today to take Elvis to a neurologist appointment. It was at 9:00. We had to leave home by 7:15 to get there, even though it's supposed to be about a 50 minute drive. Morning traffic stinks.

We were in and out of the appointment in about 40 minutes. Gotta love that. I enjoy the waiting room there. It's a group of parents (well, grandparent in my case) who all have something in common - a kid they love that just happens to have some sort of neurological deficit. Though their disabilities may vary, we're all in the same boat. We all enjoyed the handsome teen boy (with autism, I'd guess) who doesn't speak a word but sang beautifully. When his caretaker (she just said she wasn't his mom but she'd been taking care of him for many years) asked him if he was ready to get something to eat, he replied with a huge grin and nodded his head enthusiastically. The other family in the waiting room with us was a dad there with his son. I'd guess the little guy to be about 7 or 8. He was wearing a Superman shirt and carrying a well-loved baby doll. In most settings, that would be odd. There in our little private world, no one thought anything of it.

Sometimes I wish the real world was more like our little private waiting room world...a place where every one gets along and accepts others for the unique things they have to offer.

After the appointment, we went to lunch at Golden Corral. We don't have one at home and I hadn't eaten there in years, so stopping at this one was a treat. We were the first customers there and several of the female employees stopped to flirt with Elvis. He tends to have that effect on women.

We were back home a little after noon. Alli's gone off to her room. Elvis (who napped in the van on the way home) is lying on my bed watching a movie. I'm enjoying the peace of not being in kindergarten at this time of year. (Kindy gets a little wild during the last weeks before summer.) All in all, it's been a good day...except that we heard this song FOUR times and this song THREE times in the van this morning on the same radio station. Give 'em a break, people!

The bunny's big day

2009-04-12T08:55:00.000-05:00

Someone sent me this last year and I loved it!

For those keeping track...

2009-03-30T12:47:00.001-05:00

Today is Alli and Boy Wonder's first wedding anniversary. How time flies, huh? A year ago today....

Disheartened

2009-03-30T11:51:00.003-05:00

There is so much going on here that I don't even have the ability to process it enough to post it here. I will soon. Bear with me, please.

In the meantime, nothing takes your mind off a little emotional trauma like a good home renovation project. So, I've hired a "carpenter." I use the quotations there because he's also my lawn guy. He came to cut my yard last week and happened to mention that he liked yard work but his favorite thing was sheet rock repair. I dragged him into my kitchen (which I stripped the wallpaper from well over a year ago) and said, "Help!"

So, he's stripped the paneling that covered my kitchen walls from the middle down. He's going to replace it with sheet rock. He's also going to skim coat the existing sheet rock to give me a smooth surface for painting. If all goes according to plan, by the end of spring break, I should have kitchen walls! Hooray!

To give you a visual -

Kitchen walls in February, 2008, before I tackled this project

Kitchen walls after I stripped wallpaper but did nothing else in March, 2008 (Explains the need for the skim coat at the top, huh?)

Kitchen walls with newly discovered moldy insulation, March, 2009

Kitchen walls as they currently are - stripped of 70s paneling and moldy sheet rock

This picture?

2009-03-18T17:41:00.003-05:00

It's my principal and assistant principal from school. This is the opening page of our school website. Last month, their heads were photoshopped into the American Gothic painting. It was good, but this is much, much funnier. I love working for them when they have good senses of humor.

Invitation

2009-03-15T20:43:00.003-05:00

I got an invitation to a party this week. I can't remember the last time I got an actual invitation. Not a phone call or an in-person "hey, come on over." An actual, on-paper invitation to a no-kids party. Can you tell I'm a little excited?

Twilight is being released on DVD Saturday. One of the teachers from school is having a Twilight viewing party. I feel like such a nerd for being so excited but we all are, so at least I'm not the only nerd. The party host teaches first grade. She invited 3 kindergarten teachers and 4 first grade teachers, as well at 4 of her friends who don't teach at our school. We are going to be total dorks - watch the movie, have Twilight-themed snacks, and participate in a Twilight trivia game.

Aren't you jealous?? LOL!

Heidi Noelle Lenhart

2009-03-15T09:58:00.003-05:00

10 years ago, my oldest nephew (then age 5) became obsessed with a kids' movie shown on Fox Family Channel. The name was "Au Pair." However, my nephew, prone to repeating phrases from TV and movies, called it "The Au Pair with Heidi Noelle Lenhart." It aired repeatedly, as most kids' movies do on channels like that and in the commercials, seen over and over, it was always referred to that way. He heard it so many times that he called it that, too.

None of us knew why he liked it so much. We just knew that if it was on, he wanted to watch it. So, watch it we did. Over and over and over. He had it memorized. We had it memorized. It wasn't a bad movie but over time, it did get a little boring. Thankfully, the movie finally faded from the play list and nephew moved on it other interests, until...

2001, when ABC Family Channel (which had replaced Fox Family Channel) started running ads for "Au Pair II." I can't honestly say if nephew chose to watch this movie or if the adults in his life planted in his head that he wanted to watch the movie. Either way, we happily watched "The Au Pair II with Heidi Noelle Lenhart" many, many times. And then, like with everything else, it also faded from our lives. Forever, or so we thought. Until...

TODAY! The ABC Family Channel is having the world broadcast premier of "Au Pair 3." I first saw the add over a month ago and immediately texted my sister-in-law. She was as excited at I was. Nephew, now 15 years old, couldn't care less. We do, however, plan to force him to watch it. Won't hurt him and it will amuse us to no end. So, if you need a little family entertainment today, check it out on ABC Family. Just for fun, they are showing 1 and 2 right before the premier 3. I highly recommend them!

One of these girls...

2009-03-09T18:20:00.002-05:00

One of these young ladies died today. It's not Beth, thank goodness. I still don't have all the details but she (dead girl, not Beth) had been drinking and decided to go play on four-wheelers with friends. At 18, her life is over...9 weeks before her high school graduation.

This time last year, Beth and this girl were theverybestfriendsever. Literally, they were inseparable, despite my best attempts at separating them. I believe I even referred to this girl as "idiot friend" on my blog. She wasn't outright evil but she was a bad influence on Beth. She was definitely in charge in her family. Her mother and Nana seemed to have little ability (or desire) to rein in her behavior.

And now? They can't. Ever again.

How sad. For them. For Beth (who is shaken, even though they weren't still best friends). For the other kids in their school who will again have to bury a classmate.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-03-04T18:12:00.003-06:00

Snow!

2009-03-01T10:30:00.002-06:00

It's totally wasted on a weekend but it's still exciting to see.

It'd be even more exciting if Elvis felt better. He stopped throwing up but still isn't eating much at all. My stomach is really hurting. I wonder if we are sharing the same bug. I gave him a dose of Motrin last night (early this morning, really) and he finally got some sleep.

I guess the rest of my day will be spent comforting Elvis and watching my dreams of a snow day tomorrow melt away...

Stomach virus! ACK!

2009-02-28T10:01:00.003-06:00

For the first time in his whole life, Elvis has a stomach virus. I guess, in retrospect, it's a miracle that we haven't had one before. He's thrown up before. He had a full year of hellish reflux as a baby. He projectile vomited many, many times a day during that year. This, however, is his first time to actually be sick with vomiting. And let me tell you - it wasn't pretty.

The first instance occurred on his Aunt Beth's bed. No one actually saw it happen, but I can only imagine it resembled a volcanic eruption, only with chocolate milk instead of molten rock. This event necessitated another bath and some heavy-duty laundry. There was lots of conversation about whether he was sick or had just gagged himself, chewing on his fingers (cutting six-year molars, but that's another story). Alli witnessed the second eruption while I was stripping Beth's bed. There was no finger-chewing involved so we decided he was actually sick.

I vividly remember each subsequent eruption - 11:30 pm, midnight, 1:10 AM, and 2:05 AM. The logistics of throwing up seemed impossible for him. He can't sit up alone. It was the middle of the night so we were, obviously, in bed. He was in my bed. I'd do my best to get him into a sitting position, as I can only imagine that throwing up while lying on your back as to be extra-gross, along with making him quite likely to aspirate the nastiness. However, it pretty much takes both hands to hold him in a sitting position. That leaves no hand to attempt to corral the offensive substance spewing from him.

Thankfully, the vomiting stopped. (Guess he's run out of ammo.) However, there was still no sleep for us. He wanted to be held. He was hot. He was cold. He was lonely if I dared close my eyes. We did doze some but never more than 30 minutes at a shot. My left arm and the right side of my neck are sore from holding him all night.

We did, at least, make it through the night. He's had a little tea this morning and, since that stayed down, he's had a cup of yogurt. (Sounds gross, I know. But that's his comfort food. Praying it stays down because I really don't want to be showered with regurgitated Trix yogurt. That stuff smells foul going down.) I've got to get his seizure meds in him and they have to stay in him. Last night's dose did not. If today's dose meets a similar fate, he's guaranteed to have a seizure and I just don't think I can deal with that today on no sleep.

Updates on us

2009-02-26T19:08:00.002-06:00

First - 22 more days until Twilight is released on DVD. I'm looking forward to that. It's a bright spot in my life.

Beth - Quit her job and started a new one. She's now a server at a Cracker Barrel. Everyone's dream job, right? Never in a million years or for a million dollars would I want that job. This is her first week. We'll see how it goes. She'll make more money that she was getting as a hostess at the other place. However, they will also work her every minute they can. That could jeopardize her graduation. She's not much for studying anyway. Given the choice between making money and studying - she'll work a lot - LOL! I just have to keep reminding myself she's 18 and knows it all. It's hard, though.

Alli and BW are having a girl. I still don't know the due date. I guess I'm lucky(?) to know the gender.

My mom fell and broke her ankle. She's more than a bit bummed. She never wants to sit still. Now, she's got 8 weeks of sitting and healing ahead of her. It's going to be a looooong 8 weeks.

Unless something dramatic happens overnight and I miss work tomorrow, I will have worked a five-day week for the first time since mid-December. And you know what? I really prefer 4-day weeks!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-02-25T16:40:00.001-06:00

7 years and 5 days

2009-02-22T18:04:00.002-06:00

I got a call from Cori last week. It was the first time I'd heard from her in about a month. I actually got a few calls from her, as the battery on my cell is dying and I couldn't actually talk to her on it until I got home and put it on the charger.

We chatted a few minutes about life in general. Her adoption is coming up. (I didn't ask specifics. She just mentioned that it was approaching.) I asked if her family was still planning to move out of state after the adoption and she said yes. I asked about her bio sisters. I asked about her siblings in her current home. On and on, I just made general conversation because she wasn't saying much of anything.

After a bit more of inane conversation, she blurted out, "7 years and 5 days." I didn't have to ask what that meant because I knew. She'd first come to my home 7 years and 5 days earlier.

Man, what a 7 years and 5 days it has been with us! She has been placed here (and removed from here) 3 times. She's been in 3 other adoptive placements not counting here or her current one. I've lost count of the number in-patient hospital stays she's had. I have 6 entries for her in the contact section of my cell phone. Each is listed with her first name followed by the city of that placement as her last name. I just can't bring myself to delete any of them.

All I can do for her is pray - that this home sticks, that she's happy there, that they meet her needs. What a rough life she's had for someone so young. Sadly, I worry how much harder it will be as she becomes an adult.

Good luck, Cori. I love you!

What a day!

2009-02-19T21:19:00.002-06:00

A first in my teaching career - One of my students (remember I teach kindergarten) was suspended today. I've never had this happen. This little guy is a significant behavior problem. His home life is erratic, at best. He's said to me on more than one occasion, "I like Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday the best because I get to come to school. I have to stay home on Saturday and Sunday. I want to come to school every day."

Sadly, he crossed a big line several times today and the result is a 3-day suspension. With the weekend thrown in, he'll be home for 5 days. He cried. I cried.

Do I think the others in the class deserve to come to school without being injured by another child? Absolutely. Do I think the suspension will stop the behaviors? I doubt it. Another tough situation where there are no black and white answers.

Hang in there, little guy. I'll see you Wednesday...and I'll miss you every day until then.

LOL! What would you think is wrong?

2009-02-18T06:04:00.003-06:00

Yesterday, I seemed to have a million errands to run on the way home. At the last stop, I got this message from Alli (who was at home and supposed to be starting the broccoli to go with the ribs I had cooked in the crock pot).

4:37 "I made a really big boo boo :-(" I didn't hear my phone and didn't get this message until she sent the next message.

4:46 "Do you want me to tell you what I did before you get home?"

I replied "Sure!"

4:47 "Ok. Plz don't be mad at me :-("

At this point, I can't imagine what in the world could have happened that she thinks would upset me so much.

You want to know what it was? She'd turned on the wrong stove eye. The one she turned on was the one my crock pot was sitting on. The results? See for yourself:

Poor crock pot!

That darn cat

2009-02-16T07:24:00.003-06:00

It's not quite 7:30 AM on my day off and I'm awake. I didn't want to be awake. However, Beth's cat had other ideas. Beth spent the night with a friend, making her cat lonely. To lessen her loneliness, the cat joined me for the night. This means the following people/creatures were in my room for the night: Me, Elvis, my elderly flatulent dog, and Beth's annoying playful kitten. I realize that's only 4 beings but it was at least one, if not two, too many.

Elvis, the dog, and I peacefully live together most nights with no real problems (well, other than the dog's gas issues, but a strategically placed can of Clean Linen air freshener helps with that). We all know how to live together and leave the others alone. Kitty hasn't gotten that message yet. Several times during the night I awoke feeling like I had trouble breathing. Gee, I don't know why I couldn't breathe...Maybe because there was a cat ON MY FACE?? I pushed her off each time and did it a little more roughly each time. She didn't seem to get the message that I didn't like breathing through cat fur because she kept coming back. Honestly, the last time she was on top of me, I think I threw her (literally) out into the hall. That last, desperate act seemed to have given her the message that she could not sleep on my head.

I finally snuggled back in to sleep (I thought) for a looong time. That dream ended when the cat started trying to look out my window. The window covered with a shade. The window with a really narrow ledge that she can't perch on for long without falling (loudly) to the floor - bouncing off the corner of Elvis' toddler bed on the way. After hearing her scratch at the shade and then lose her balance and fall several times, I realized I was up for the day. The only thing that could make that worse was if Elvis was up for the day before 7:00. I got her down a few times but she kept trying to get back in the window. I looked for things to throw at her. Something that would sting or at least startle her, hoping she'd avoid the window to avoid being startled. I tried socks, a glove, and a lollipop Elvis brought home from his Valentine party. I did manage to hit the cat with all those items. Instead of being scared of them, she seemed to think I was tossing her things to play with. She'd hop down and investigate each item before returning to her quest to look out my window. I finally found something to accomplish my task...a box of Nerds. Turns out a small box of Nerds, carefully aimed at the backside of Beth's cat, thrown with enough force to relieve my stress from dealing with that darn cat through the wee morning hours, will indeed cause the cat to abandon her attempts to perch in my window.

You know what else that small box of Nerds, carefully aimed at the backside of Beth's cat, thrown with enough force to relieve my stress from dealing with that darn cat through the wee morning hours will do? You guessed it. It will wake Elvis. That darn cat!

I know it's a bit early

2009-02-15T19:49:00.002-06:00

But I've dressed my blog for spring. I still want a few more snow days before winter totally leaves us but I'm getting ready for spring time.

I've had a blissful day of doing NOTHING and I've loved every minute of it. Alli, Boy Wonder, and Elvis are visiting BW's father and stepmother. They'd rather I'd have kept Elvis but I didn't offer. I needed some time off. And they, honestly, need some time on. Beth worked the lunch shift and now she's out being a high school senior on a long weekend. Spider-Pig's birthday is tomorrow so I doubt I'll see her much then either.

I have done a minimal amount of housework today. I'd moved the couch in the den Friday night so Alli and I could sit on it and face the TV while watching a movie. Before moving it back today, I vacuumed under it and dusted the wall behind it before moving it back. I was amazed at the amount of odd items I found under there. Most notable was a collection of bottle tops belonging to the cat. She loves to play with small plastic top. I'd wondered where they all went. I found them! Anyway, it's nice to have things a little neater around here. No one but me will notice but it still feels like an accomplishment.

And the best part of today?? I don't have to work tomorrow! Hooray!

Hi. Remember me?

2009-02-14T20:44:00.002-06:00

I used to blog here. I don't know why I stopped. God knows I have plenty to blog about. I've blogged in my head a lot. Too bad you can't read my mind. Then I could just skip this step.

I'm here. I'm alive. All is well....well, as well as it can be in my life. Alli's still pregnant. Boy Wonder is employed. Beth is in school and employed. Aside from a seizure late last night, Elvis has been relatively healthy.

I just survived one of the longest work weeks of the school year. Thursday we had parent/teacher conferences after school until 7:00. Friday was our Valentine party...on Friday the 13th. We have a long weekend with the Monday holiday and that makes me very happy.

I haven't worked a five-day week since December and I kind of like that. We've either been out of school for weather or I've taken a sick day every week since the start of the new year. And, they haven't been fake sick days, either. First my aunt died. Then the girls' grandmother died. Elvis had to go to the eye specialist in the big city. Elvis had to go get casted for new leg braces. The list goes on and on. It's always something.

I'm going to blog more regularly. Really, I am.

Fun with the nephew

2009-02-01T20:31:00.004-06:00

Interesting exchange with the little guy today. He had a box and he wanted to put Elvis into the box and mail him to Australia. Alli vetoed that idea and suggested he mail himself to Australia. He pondered that a minute before deciding that a) he wouldn't fit in the box, and b) he'd rather be mailed to Japan.

He thinks for a minute and runs down the hall towards the bathroom. I could hear him talking to himself but couldn't understand what he was saying. He then comes out of the restroom looking like this:
On his forehead? Why that's his mailing label, of course. It's even written in his version of Japanese writing. And on his hand? Well, that's his bar code for scanning while being shipped. If you look closely you can see he's drawn lines and written numbers under them. What a boy! His mother is always saying he'll use his skills to support her in her old age. I think he just might.

Bothering all the restaurant workers in the family

2009-01-31T23:06:00.002-06:00

Today we drove up to have a late lunch at the catfish restaurant where Boy Wonder is now working. It's brand new and just opened officially yesterday. He said they were busy all opening day.

Alli, Elvis, and I were joined by another friend, her husband, and son. The lunch was good. The place was nice. All the employees were really sweet. And BW got a break just before we finished eating so he joined us for a bit, too. Since we are now out of restaurants that employ family members, I guess we'll be eating at home the rest of the weekend.

My nephew is spending the night tonight. He's 8 and has very unusual verbal skills to go along with a really creative imagination. He's entertained me all evening. I let him stay up until he absolutely melted down from exhaustion. I'm hoping he'll sleep in a little in the morning.

In an attempt to better track my money, I've kept track of every penny I've spent in the month of January. I hope so spend some time tomorrow afternoon, weeding through all of that and see what I spent money on and look for ways to spend less. I have to admit it's a rather daunting pile of papers but I do think it's worth the effort. However, I'm also dreading seeing how much I spent in certain categories (fast food, for example).

She's ready to face the world

2009-01-30T20:16:00.003-06:00

Beth's been working for a month today. It was time to see her in action. Alli, Elvis, and I joined a friend and some of her kids for a dinner out tonight at Beth's restaurant. The place was hopping and we didn't see her much. She sat us (with a server who was rather a dim bulb) and the next time we saw her, she was seating one of her teachers - LOL! Other than one other random sighting, she may as well not have been there. But I knew she was there. All grown up and employed. I went with her to open her bank account last week. Her PIN for her debit card came in the mail Tuesday. The actual debit card arrived today. She was so excited as she put it in her wallet. To her, that means she's grown. (OK, so it also reinforces it to me, too.)

She's got less than a semester of high school left. She's got a job, a boyfriend, and a debit card. What else does she need? In her mind, nothing. I have to admit that after watching her flounder through life acting as if she didn't have 2 functioning brain cells, she's suddenly making much better choices. She's thinking things through. She's listening and processing what she hears. She's a lot less impulsive. So, she may not really be ready to face the world but she's definitely moving in the right direction. Way to go, Beth!

Granny's funeral

2009-01-28T18:31:00.002-06:00

I had to wait and get Blair's anniversary over before I could recap the funeral of the girls' bio grandmother. It was definitely one of the more unusual funerals I've ever attended but I'm sooo glad I went.

This set of grandparents (the parents of Alli and Beth's bio father) are members of a church with very different practices than those I've grown up with in a Southern Baptist church. This funeral was quite unlike any I've ever attended. The minister, the husband of one of my girls' bio aunts, let us know from the very beginning that this wasn't going to be a regular funeral. He said we were there to "have church," just like Granny would have wanted. And have church we did! There was a mini-choir, a few hymns, a sermon, and even...what's the word I'm looking for...an alter call or an invitation at the end. While some of the practices were not what I was used to (speaking in tongues, etc.), the whole service was a tribute to Granny who became a Christian as an young adult and did her best to make the world a better place.

The funeral was a little reminder to me to not be so judgemental. Years of fostering has conditioned me to believe the worst of bio families. I know all about the girls' bio father and one of his brothers. Both are interesting characters - generally much more interested in what they can get from people instead of how they can help others. Between those two brothers, they have six children. I've been directly involved in meeting some basic needs of five of those six children.

Three of them have been placed with me in foster care. (I've adopted two of those.) Cousin It (daughter of the girls' uncle) stayed with us for 2 months because her father went out of town for some kind of job and left her home alone at age 16 in a dangerous neighborhood. Cousin It's sister gave birth unexpectedly last fall and I bought her a car seat and a few other necessities. That leaves only one child of the six that I haven't been involved in caring for in some way. (And he was already placed in a kinship foster home when I got Alli. He's been around our house to swim a few times and we catch up when we run into each other in public. I haven't seen him in a few months but he went out of his way to catch my eye at the funeral home and wave to me.)

Because those are the two siblings I have frequent, sustained contact with, it's all too easy for me to base my thoughts on the whole family on just what I see from them. However, I forget that there are 4 other siblings. The others seem to be just regular, middle of the road folks. They are productive adults, have raised their kids well, and do the right thing.

The grandparents certainly didn't raise these two sons to break the law and treat their families the way they did. They were undoubtedly just as appalled as I am when I hear about some of the things these two sons choose to get into. Not only appalled but ashamed and embarrassed, too. Bless their hearts, I'm sure they did their best.

And, how dare I base my opinions on the whole family based on my observations of the two black sheep of the group! Again, I'm so glad I went to this funeral. I needed the wake up call it provided. It was one of those, "There, but for the grace of God, go I," moments. Raising these girls has been hard! I seem to rarely agree with many of the choices they make. However, the choices they make and the consequences they live with from those choices is not an indicator of my success or failure as a parent. Just like the preacher at the funeral said that Granny's heart was broken many times by the actions of some of her children and grandchildren. All parents can do is their best. Then, it becomes the child's responsibility to deal with the consequences of their own actions.

Before I was called about the initial foster placement of the 3 different siblings (Alli, then over a year later, Beth, followed by Little Brother more than another year later), DCS called these grandparents and asked if they would be willing to take them in. They, obviously, said no. At that time, I wondered how in the world grandparents could refuse to take their own grandchildren in.

It didn't take me long after watching the bio father in action, to realize that the grandparents made the absolutely best decision for all involved. They loved these kids enough to do what was best for them and get them away from the negative influences of their bio father. And I'm so thankful they did because if they hadn't made that difficult decision, I would never have met any of them.

So, rest in peace, Granny. Please forgive me for any preconceived notions I might have had about you. Not that you ever needed my approval, but I think you were a wonderful grandmother to my girls!

Happy Birthday, Baby Blair

2009-01-27T20:07:00.005-06:00

We are fast approaching what I guess can only be described as Blair's first birthday...which is also the first anniversary of her death. Emotions are running high around here. We are each handling the event in our own way.

In honor of the one-year anniversary of the birth and death of our baby, you are getting a present. Well, not actually a present but definitely a first for my blog. For a very limited time, the montage of all things related to Blair will be at the end of this post. You'll see pictures of most of the characters from my blog. There they are in all their glory - Alli, Beth, Boy Wonder, and, of course, Elvis. Luckily for you, I am not in the montage. (I took most of the pictures.) So, if you happen to be reading and the video is still below, feel free to watch and meet the crew. I don't plan to leave it up for much more than 24 hours, so be quick.

I took the video down but added this picture. It's one of my favorites from our one day with Blair.

Sleep? What's that?

2009-01-25T08:24:00.002-06:00

I'm exhausted. Elvis has been sick again. His nose is really, really stuffy. I took a half day off on Friday to take him to see his Dr. Girlfriend. (His doctor's diagnosis? "Yep, you're snotty." Thanks, Dr. Girlfriend.) She did go ahead and give him an antibiotic because it was Friday and she knows his history with illnesses. Elvis can't sleep when his nose is stuffy. He just can't do it. I think he doesn't have that reflex or instinct or whatever it is that lets you easily switch to breathing through your mouth when your nose is stopped up. He really struggles with it. Anyway, he's miserable because he can't breathe and so am I. I never get to sleep straight through the night but I usually get a lot more sleep than I have the last several nights.

Elvis woke up a little before 4:00 this morning. He had a dirty diaper so we had to get up and deal with that...with the 1.5 wipes left in the box., but that's a different story. I got him changed and gave him a Pediasure. He wanted to go lie on Aunt Beth's bed and watch a favorite DVD. I got him settled there and dozed for about 30 minutes before he was screaming again. I put him back in my bed and he continued to fuss. I fed him his breakfast and gave him his meds. He finally went back to sleep about 7:00. And then had a seizure at 7:10. It's going to be a looooong day.

Visitation for the girls' grandmother is from 11:00 until 8:00 today. I plan to make a quick appearance with Elvis and then hit the road. We'll go back tomorrow for the funeral. Beth is working the lunch shift today and then I'm taking her to buy something to wear to the funeral, as we realized yesterday she doesn't really have anything appropriate. Somewhere in all the running, I need to go to school and get lesson materials ready for tomorrow. (I'm working in the morning but not teaching. I'm giving the district-mandated tests to some of the first graders. Then, I'm leaving at the half-day mark to get ready for the 2:00 funeral.) I have emergency lesson plans done (only because the principal made us all do them) but I hate to use them tomorrow. I'd rather save them for those days I wake up sick or with a sick Elvis and don't want to go in and write plans in my pajamas at 6:30 in the morning. I also need to make a grocery run, as we are out of things for me to make my lunch with. Won't this be a fun day on a couple hours sleep??

Another first in my life as an adoptive parent

2009-01-24T08:45:00.002-06:00

The girls grandmother died early this morning. Alli had told me she was sick last night and wanted to borrow my van to go see her at the hospital. I asked her if she was supposed to be up and around so soon after her surgery. She said probably not. I told her to text Beth (who was at work) and see if she wanted to go when she got off. Alli could go with me to pick up Beth and I could take them to the hospital and drop them at the door so Alli wouldn't have to park in the outer lot and walk all that way. She left to text Beth and I didn't hear anything else for a while. Then, for some reason, I felt like I should go ahead and take Alli now. I put my socks and shoes on and texted Alli to see if she still wanted to go. She said that she was in a lot of pain now and she'd just wait and go today. Beth got home from work and I asked if she wanted to go see her and she said she'd wait until today, too.

Beth texted me at 7:30 this morning. Beth is never up at 7:30 on a non-school day so I knew something was wrong. Her cousin had just texted her to tell her their grandmother had died early this morning. So, neither of my girls got to see her. I'm sure there will be some regret from both of them. That's just how life goes sometimes.

I haven't heard the service details yet, but I do plan to go. I can't miss school on Monday or Tuesday morning (district-mandated testing and I give part of the test to the first graders) but if the service is at any other time, I will be there. This grandmother wasn't always nice to my girls (she called one of them - Alli, I think - the devil and actually meant it). However we also know now she was struggling with Alzheimer's and was probably doing the best she could. She's still an important part of their childhoods and their history and they will want to honor that. I get along well with this part of their family and enjoy seeing them. I just wish it was under better circumstances.

6 years ago today/1 year ago today

2009-01-23T18:27:00.002-06:00

Today is now one of those days that is a good anniversary and a bad anniversary all rolled into one. First the good:

Six years ago today, Alli arrived on my doorstep. She had nothing but the clothes on her back and a critically-ill 2 month old preemie son in NICU an hour away. Her "ten-day" stay in my home has now been over 2,000 days (but who's counting?). And, yes, there's been a lot crap along our journey but I'm still glad she came and I'm glad she's mine.

Now the bad:

One year ago today is the day that we found out Baby Blair was trying to sneak out early. Alli had gone back to work for the first time in months. I picked her up from work with a vanilla milkshake to celebrate the day. Before she even finished the shake, we were headed to the hospital. While today is not, thankfully, the anniversary of Blair's death, we all remember it as the day the trouble started.

I wasn't sure how to or even if I should acknowledge the day. In the end, I felt it should be low key, at best. The first year is usually the hardest. However, I came home from school today to find a lovely gift on my bed. Alli had gotten me a sweet card and added a sweet message of her own. She'd also gotten me a beautiful pair of earrings.

So, our bittersweet day has a little more sweet than bitter. Let's hope that trend continues!

$85 worth of freedom

2009-01-22T19:51:00.002-06:00

I didn't mean to go so long without posting. The 4-day weekend was great but it made it hard to get back in school mode. Tuesday was a little wild at school. I wanted my class to see the inauguration but it was right at our lunch time. I ended up taking them to get their lunches a few minutes early and I took them back to my room so we could watch the event. No matter what side you were on in the election, history was made Tuesday and I felt like my class should see it. They were actually excited to see it all...except for one student who kept saying, " 'arack Obama is going to get shot today." For a while I couldn't decide if her family just thought it could happen or if, perhaps, they were planning something - LOL! I could not get her to stop saying it. Thankfully, he's alive and well.

Alli and Boy Wonder have news. Alli had her cerclage today and all appears to be well. She's to stay off her feet for a few days but no one expects any complications. And....Boy Wonder has a job! He starts training next week. He'll be cooking at a new catfish restaurant. And, for the curious, no - he doesn't know how to cook catfish. That's why he's training next week.

Beth is still doing well. She's gotten the hang of her job. Sadly for her, this means it's time for the family to go eat there and see her in action. If any of the local readers are interested, let's plan a night at the steakhouse in the next week or so! She's also settling into her classes at school - the last set of new classes of her high school career...I hope. Just kidding. I really expect her to graduate.

In "me" news, I have $85 to spend at Target. I have $25 from a car seat I ordered last fall but they weren't able to fill the order. Target sent me a gift card to ease the pain. I got a $40 gift card from the grateful mom of a particularly difficult student for Christmas. Trust me - I earned that one! And, a wonderful, grown child of mine (who doesn't get mentioned here often but who I love dearly) sent me a $20 Target card for my birthday. So, when you add them all together, I have $85 just for me. I can't decide what to buy. I'm tempted to wander the aisles and see what strikes me. I never spend money frivolously on myself. I think in this instance, I WILL! If you have any suggestions, feel free to leave me a comment.

And the heat wave continues...

2009-01-18T10:25:00.002-06:00

I don't know that it ever got above freezing yesterday. The highest I saw was 32 degrees with a windchill still in the mid-20s. However today, it was 40 degrees at 10:00 AM! I'm almost sweating - NOT!

I'm still doing nothing on my break. I went through the McDonald's drive-thru for breakfast yesterday. I'd woken up with a horrible headache and thought something with caffeine might help. (We have nothing with caffeine in the house, except Beth's coffee, and I'm not a coffee person.) It helped so I must have been having withdrawals.

Alli wanted me to watch a movie so I did. She didn't watch it with me but ran in and out to see parts of it with me. Whatever. It was Step Brothers. She's a big Will Ferrell fan and I could see why she liked it. It was funny in parts....and really filthy in other parts. It was kind of like Bad Santa. Do I really want to admit that I watched it? And, do I really want to admit it was funny?

My mom offered to come stay at my house with Elvis for a couple of hours yesterday to let me get out and do something but I didn't have anything I wanted to do - LOL! It was nice of her to offer. She took my van to Walmart Monday, thinking I needed new tires and she was going to do that for my birthday and Christmas present. However, the guy thought if he rotated my tires (moving the back ones to the front) I could get another 10,000 miles with my current tires. Sounded good to me. They did the rotation and changed my oil while she was there. Her time was a wonderful gift! I budget for those expenses but often lack the block of time to get them done.

She also took Elvis to the dentist Monday. It was his 6-month check-up and Alli had planned to take him. However, my school had several teachers out Monday for various reasons and subs were in short supply. If either Alli or I had taken him, they would have needed a sub they didn't have. So my mom did the driving and we recruited a homeschooling friend's 15 year old son (who loves Elvis and who Elvis loves) to do the lifting and carrying. From what I've heard, that worked out fine. Elvis was very excited to have his MiMother and his friend with him at the same time.

I've got to get out of the house today. We are deficient in groceries. I'm leaving Elvis here and going alone. I either have to go to 2 stores (if I am willing to fight Walmart) or 3 stores (none of which are Walmart) to get what we need. I do the bulk of my shopping at Aldi. Their prices have gone up just like everyone else but they are still the cheapest around. After that, I need to either go to Walmart and get everything Aldi didn't have or I need to go to Dollar General for the other household stuff and Food Lion for the other grocery stuff. Traveling by myself, this isn't a problem. Trying to haul Elvis and his wheelchair (plus purchases) in and out at 3 different stores by myself is a huge problem.

One more day off. I love long weekends. They are even better when the weather makes them extra long!

We're having a heat wave!

2009-01-16T14:04:00.003-06:00

I just checked weather.com and we are up to 21 degrees. At 2:00 PM. Of course, the windchill is still 17 degrees but, compared to last night and this morning, we're pretty toasty.

And what have I done on my bonus day off? Not. One. Thing. Well, I have taken care of Elvis, as his mother hasn't come near him today. About 5 minutes ago, she came out, looked at him, and went back to her part of the house. I'm tired of fighting it. They don't do what he needs anyway. I'm better off just taking care of him myself. It will make me less angry. Maybe. I just keep thinking how in the world can/will they take care of a newborn if they don't take care of Elvis?

In other (less bitchy) news, I'm still basking in the glow from seeing Twilight again last night. I'm going to start reading the first book again later today. Obsessed, you say? Is that a bad thing? I think not. I also have some Netflix movies to watch: Swing Vote, Into the Wild, and The Business of Being Born. I chose Swing Vote because sometimes I like Kevin Costner movies (like this and this and this and this). Of course, sometimes I really, really hate them ( like this and this). So, I may or may not like Swing Vote. I got Into the Wild because the actress who played Bella in Twilight is in it. Good reason to choose a movie, huh? And, I don't remember why I chose The Business of Being Born. I saw part of it on TV in some news-type show and thought I'd like to see the whole thing. We'll see.

I'd planned to have a good lunch today. I was trying to decide between take-out Chinese and McNuggets. (Quite the discriminating palate there, huh?) In the end, I decided it was just too cold to bother with either one. I ended up with leftover ham and party potatoes. Elvis loves ham these days so he was quite happy.

Guess what movie I saw tonight!

2009-01-15T22:38:00.004-06:00

Baby, it's COLD outside!

2009-01-15T05:41:00.002-06:00

It's before 6:00 in the morning and I just checked the weather. It's 17 degrees out with a windchill of 4 degrees. And I left my coat at school yesterday. And I have early morning bus duty today. Aren't you jealous??

And the worst part of all this? This time tomorrow morning, the forecast says it's going to be ZERO degrees. We don't have weather like this often. It hasn't been this cold for six years. The highs today and tomorrow will be in the mid-twenties. I can't imagine sending my kid to the bus stop with a windchill of -10 degrees. Especially when it's likely the bus will be later than usual because it wouldn't start in the cold.

Wow, what a week!

2009-01-11T18:52:00.002-06:00

As last I posted, my aunt died unexpectedly Tuesday morning. She had multiple health issues but no one had any warning that she was near death. Her husband was having chest pains Monday night and, after a trip to the ER, ended up spending the night in the hospital for further testing. My aunt had felt a little sick that day and stayed home. (Another aunt came to stay with her.) Oddly, my aunt and uncle would have been married for 40 years in April and this was the FIRST night they'd ever spent apart. No one knew it at the time it would be my aunt's last night ever.

All I can think is how sad this is. She leaves behind a son and daughter, both adults and on their own, and two beautiful granddaughters. She was such a part of all their lives. I'm sure they'll be lost without her. Hug your friends and families and tell them (don't just assume they know) how much they mean to you. You never know when (if) you'll get the chance again.

I spent the rest of the week teaching during the day and staying at the funeral home for visitation at night. Beth came to the funeral home on Thursday night. Alli couldn't be bothered, I guess. I was off Friday for the funeral. I called the court clerk about the subpoena. She said I needed to talk to someone at DCS. What fun! I called DCS and ended up with the supervisor who doesn't really care for me. I explained my problem and she said she'd talk to the lawyer and have someone get back with me. I never heard anything back so I just didn't go to court Friday. We'll see if I end up in jail over this.

We had a couple other deaths in our extended family this week. My sister-in-law's co-worker lost her husband and my mom's aunt died, too. They say these things come in threes so I'm hoping that's my "three." I guess we'll see as this week progresses.

In Alli pregnancy news, she is having a cerclage done January 22. She will have to stay home a week after that but if all goes well, her doctor says she can go back to subbing after that.

Beth started her last (we hope) semester of high school last week. So far, she seems to like her classes. She's still new at her job, too, but things are going well there, too.

And me? I'm just hoping to stay afloat. I'm working on getting my house in order and keeping up with things at school. Let's hope I make it!

RIP (again), Auntie Jo

2009-01-06T19:44:00.003-06:00

My mom called me last night and told me she was going to the hospital this morning - not for her but for my uncle (her ex-brother-in-law, if you want to be totally accurate). He was having some kind of test done and they needed a family member there during the test. I asked where his wife (my aunt) and Mom said she didn't know the details but that Auntie Jo was sick and my other aunt was staying with her while my mom took care of hospital duty with my uncle.

Sometime during the morning, I glanced at my cell phone and noticed the message light was blinking. I checked and saw I had a voicemail from my mom but didn't check it. I don't use the phone while my students are in the room. When they went to art class an hour later, I checked the message. Mom just basically said that my aunt was dead. No details - just the fact that she'd died. I still don't have the details. And, I guess the details don't really matter.

This is the first time I've had an aunt die. No uncles have died. It feels odd. I didn't see her often in my adult life, but have great memories of her from childhood. I don't remember her not being in the family. She married my uncle before I turned 2 so, in my memory, she was just always there. Now she's not. I just saw her at Christmas. I'm having trouble accepting that she won't be there next year. Wow, what a day!

To further complicate matters, her funeral is Friday...the day I was subpoenaed to court for the TPR hearing of a former foster daughter. I don't know what to do about that. I guess I'll call the court clerk and ask her. Surely this can't be the first time this has happened.

RIP Jett

2009-01-05T21:31:00.002-06:00

I've watched the news unfold since John Travolta's son's death was reported. I remember when the child was born because he has such an unusual name (at the time, anyway. Who knew then that Jett would seem normal compared to Apple or Moxie Crimefighter or Pilot Inspektor?). 16 years have passed and the name Jett Travolta was not really on my radar screen. And then, he died. And all weekend, I knew the autopsy was today. So, without really thinking about it, I avoided the news all day. I guess because I was afraid the cause of death would all boil down to one word: SEIZURE. And it did. And this terrifies me. If it can happen to Jett Travolta, it can happen to Elvis. I'd hoped and hoped that we would find out that he hit his head as he fell. And I can explain that away because Elvis will never walk, so then he can't die like Jett did. But that was not to be. With that one word, my heart sank.

We do all we can to keep Elvis from having seizures. He sees his neurologist regularly. He gets all his seizures meds according to a strict schedule. We keep his daily schedule as predictable as we can. We do everything the doctors ask of us and yet, he still has seizures. They are considered "controlled" by the medication. He averages less than one a month and the neurologist is happy about that. Me? I'd be much happier with zero per month/year/decade. If I've learned nothing else from Jett, I've learned that "just one seizure" is one seizure too many. Not that I didn't know that before but it's been burned into my brain now.

So, rest in peace, Jett. I realize to most of the world your parents are a little odd, or could at least could be considered odd because of their non-traditional religious views. I'm sorry they felt the need to hide/disguise the true nature of your disability. However that is their choice and, since we live in America, that was fully within their rights. Despite all that, according to most reports, they were good parents. And they loved you and did what you needed. And they are hurting tonight because they have lost you. And that makes me really, really sad...and really, really scared that I could be in their shoes one day.

Success

2009-01-04T21:03:00.002-06:00

My last day of winter break was a rousing success! There was a small hitch when Elvis woke up at 6:00 this morning. I had not planned on that. However, I gave him a quick breakfast and a Pediasure (chocolate, his favorite) and then we had a little snuggle time while watching his shows on Disney Channel. He was looking a little tired so we took a morning nap from 9:00 until 11:30. It felt good. I just hope I can sleep tonight.

I spent the day doing exactly what I wanted. I'd been craving McDonald's chicken nuggets so I had some. I came home and watched my marathon of Secret Life. While watching, I cleaned out the drawers in my dresser and organized some of the assorted crap that seems to live in my bedroom. When Elvis was in my part of the house and got fussy, I had Alli come get him. Today was all about me...at least as far was I was concerned.

Beth came home from work and, after hearing about my McNuggets earlier, craved some of her own. I offered to ride along if she wanted to drive. (She'd lost her driving permit back in June - physically lost it, not had it revoked or anything.) He behavior was so erratic at the time, I didn't do anything about getting it replaced. Of course, she needed ID for work so she just got it replaced and updated Friday. This was her first time driving since June. I can't believe I let her drive in the rainy weather after dark but I did. She only scared me a couple of times. Her driving was fine, I'm just nervous when she drives. Anyway, we're home and she has her chicken nuggets. She's on the phone with Spider-Pig and I'm half watching the marathon, which is still on, and half thinking about what I need to have ready to make my morning easier. The first morning back is always a little rushed and chaotic.

Oh, and my other big new, the Chargers beat the Colts in overtime Saturday. The Colts are done for the season while "my" Titans are in the playoffs. All is right in my world...Take that, Boy Wonder!!

My break is almost over

2009-01-03T20:34:00.002-06:00

School starts back Monday. I have no complaints. We had a good, long break. I haven't worked since December 19. I realize that not everyone gets that much time off for the holidays and I do appreciate that I do have it. I was just thinking that I'm not even sure I can name all my students right now. That means it was a true break. I'm kind of excited to see them. Kindergarten kids grow up a lot over the holidays. They'll come back excited to see everyone and pick up where we left off.

I also realized today that I've barely been out of my house for over a week now. I went to the movies a week ago Friday afternoon. I went to Walmart late Tuesday night. I ran a few other "drive-thru" errands but that's it. I haven't been in public since a middle of the night Walmart trip Tuesday. Again, I'm not complaining. I just don't usually stay home this long. I haven't been bored. Today I've watched two of my favorite movies of all time - Sleepless in Seattle and You've Got Mail. Can you tell I like the pairing of Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks? How odd that they were both on TV today on different channels. I was startled to realize how old they are. You've Got Mail was all about the internet when it was new. They had dial-up AOL, for goodness sakes! And in Sleepless in Seattle, Meg Ryan's character uses a type writer. YIKES!

Being as tomorrow is the last day of my vacation, I have big plans. The ABC Family Channel is showing a marathon of The Secret Life of the American Teenager. Beth and I watched these episodes back in the early fall when they were new. The new season starts Monday night and I've planned to devote my last day off to catching up on what happened last season. And I'm looking forward to one last day of not doing anything I don't want to do. I think I'm in good shape for school to start back. We've got food in the house for dinner and school lunches. There is nothing I have to do tomorrow. That feels good right now. Because there will be a LOT of things I have to do starting Monday.

Cop at the door

2009-01-02T11:53:00.004-06:00

I was the only one up this morning. I've been enjoying a little peace and quiet but heard Elvis beginning to stir so I was gathering up his breakfast when the doorbell rang. Considering how I looked at the moment and the fact that no one who knows me would ring my doorbell at that time of the morning, I thought about ignoring it. Then they knocked...loudly. So, fashion plate that I was (my pajamas consisted of a lime green t-shirt and grey shorts that I haven't worn in public for 5+ years), I went to the door, figuring if they dared to knock that early, they deserved what they got.

And there stood a deputy sheriff. And he asked for me. I don't know why this scared me, as I'm almost obsessive about following rules and laws, but it did freak me out a little. I was made even more nervous when I realized that I was holding the door just barely cracked open and he might be thinking I was hiding something. (I was just being careful not to open the door very wide because we still have the visiting greyhound and you have to be really careful about them taking off when the door opens. They've been trained since puppy hood that you run as fast as you can when the door drops. We'd never catch her if she got away.)

Anyway, all he needed was to subpoena me into court. What fun! I read it quickly and had the real name of Deb (a long ago foster daughter, see info here and here and here) on it, followed by the letters TPR. (In the world of foster care, that means termination of parental rights.) So, I relaxed a little. Of all my 30+ foster kids, if one ever needed to have parental rights severed, it's her. The hearing is next week. I'll have to miss a day of school. I'm good with that. What worries me is having to spend the day (yes, the whole day) at the court house in the company of the same DCS workers who closed my foster home. Sound like fun?? Not to me, either.

However, I'll do it (as if I had a choice because I think the word "jail" was mentioned if I failed to show up) because it's what is best for Deb. I just hope I can remember the answers to the questions they'll ask me. She left my home over a year ago and a lot has happened since then. If they go asking me questions regarding the specifics of phone calls and visits, it's quite possible I may not remember.

Woof

2009-01-01T10:36:00.001-06:00

After a year of breaking every tradition I've ever had with the kids, I shouldn't be surprised that 2009 started off the same way. Our New Year's Eve tradition of board games, sparkling grape juice, and experimental fondue was gone with the wind.

Beth was out with Spider-Pig. Alli and Boy Wonder were in their part of the house. I sent Elvis with them. I rang in the new year sitting on my bed watching a marathon of Dog, The Bounty Hunter. Don't feel sorry for me, though. I LOVE that show! I don't know why. I certainly can't explain it. It's not a fact that most people who know me well would even expect. I will usually stop channel surfing and watch it whenever I find it on. They are rough and tough, and have unquestionably bad taste in clothing and hairstyles, but they are a great family. I guess that's what draws me to them. Very few of them are actually related through blood or marriage but, they love each other and support each other, and all of them know that. If you haven't watched it, give it a shot. Not just one episode, though, because you'll never be able to "get it" that quickly.

Goodbye 2008

2008-12-31T23:00:00.004-06:00

Wow, what a year. A year ago, I listed the highs and lows of 2007 and made some predictions about what I thought might happen in 2008. As you can see, I nailed some and missed some and could never have predicted some. The highs and lows of 2008 are pretty much represented by updating last year's predictions:

Alli didn't only move in with Boy Wonder...she married him. Only she didn't move out. He moved in. Good idea? Bad idea? A little of both maybe, at least for me. However, for Elvis, it was the RIGHT decision. He's still here so I can keep an eye on him and make sure he's being cared for. I can put up with a lot of crap from the "happy couple" for the peace of mind that fact gives me.

Beth did not go to Brazil with the mission trip. She wanted to on some levels and then didn't on others. Money was a factor but if she'd absolutely wanted to go, we'd have found it some where.

Cori did leave my house and drama was involved. The drama was the closure of my foster home based on false allegations by Cori that were never investigated. While this hurt my feelings, I was okay as I really think I was done fostering.

Elvis did start kindergarten this fall and has LOVED every minute of it. He gets mad at us on holidays and breaks because he can't go to school. As much as he likes school, I've had some concerns about the classroom. We'll finish the year there this year but will be looking at alternate placements for next year.

Alli did have Baby Blair but not at all the way any of us thought it would happen.

And, as stated above, I was done fostering. I just could never have predicted how that came about.

So, here we go with a new year. Do I dare think about what 2009 has in store for us?

Here we go again, I think Alli will have a baby (duh)! (Sound familiar? Let's just hope for a different outcome with this pregnancy.)

I think Beth will graduate from high school. There have been many times I thought this would never happen, but if she stays on her current path, she will graduate. She's passed all the tests. She just needs to pass two classes and attend school. She can do it!

I'm planning to get my life under control (about time, huh?). I want my house put back together (finish home improvement projects, pleasantly decorated and presentable, and kept decently neat, clean and tidy). I want my body put back together (lose weight, much better fitness level, and much better social life). And I want my emotions put back together (stop basing my mood on the actions of the turkeys around me). It's time to grow up and take charge of my future. If I don't, no one will. I haven't always believed it, but I AM WORTH IT!

I would not be surprised to see Beth and Spider-Pig join their lives in 2009. I don't know that it will be through marriage just yet but it wouldn't shock me if they moved in together. Don't judge me. They are both adults and they will make that decision, not me. All I can do is love her and support her (and make sure she knows my feelings on that subject - which she already does).

I think Alli and Boy Wonder will continue their path of ups and downs. I do hope they find some sort of employment or I may have to kill them. If they think their lives are hard now, just wait til they add a newborn to the mix. That situation continues to worry me.

Everyone at our house is into Twilight

2008-12-31T12:57:00.003-06:00

Even the cat. It's Beth's cat. Guess what her name is. That's right - Bella! Just like the girl in the book. Only at our house. And yes, she's really asleep in the picture.

And, just for fun, here's a picture of our house guest. Her name is Faith. Sorry it's not a very good picture. I took several but her eyes are really reflective and she looked like something out of a horror movie if she was looking at the camera.

Spider-Pig to the rescue!

2008-12-30T20:25:00.003-06:00

Beth started her training at work today. She called when she was ready to leave and I left the house to go get her. I hopped in the van and it wouldn't start! Horrors! I knew my mom and brother were going to dinner about that time, so I called Mom to see where they might be. She was still at home but told me my brother had just left his house on the way to hers. Luckily, my brother lives near Beth's new job. He turned around and headed to pick her up. I started cleaning some crap out of my van so the mechanic wouldn't know how nasty we can be. When the interior light went out, I put the key back in the ignition, trying to get it turned back on. Wouldn't you know, the van started! My brother said it sounded like a battery problem. I told him I could get Beth and thanked him for his help.

I went on and got Beth and headed towards the pharmacy. (I'd picked up one of Elvis' seizure meds last night and noticed there was a piece of paper floating in it. YUCK! I needed to return it ASAP.) Beth sat in the van so I left it running so there wouldn't be a worry of it not starting back. While I was inside, she called Spider-Pig who told her he could replace my battery. He did! He went to an auto parts store and bought the battery. I paid him for the battery and gave him extra for his time, even though he said I didn't need to. I assured him I appreciated the effort and it was nice to know my van was going to start in the morning and I didn't have to deal with going to the mechanic.

Thanks, Spider-Pig!

No more HGTV...for a while, anyway

2008-12-30T09:33:00.004-06:00

I woke yesterday morning feeling odd. It took only a couple of hours before realizing the "odd" was actually a stomach virus. I never get those! (In 14 years of teaching, I seem to have built up an immunity to them. And, getting this one while out of school is particularly unusual.) Sadly, neither of my kids noticed I was sick. I spent the day in my bed, not sleeping, just shivering and trying to stay warm. My TV was on for company and it was on HGTV. I didn't watch much but I heard it all. I can honestly say I'm done with that channel for a while. I love to watch some of those shows but seeing them over and over all day kind of burned me out...for a day or two.

By yesterday afternoon, I'd ventured out to the den. Beth was playing the Wii when her phone rang. She looked at the number and recognized it as a local restaurant where she'd applied for a job back before Thanksgiving. It was 3:53 PM. They wanted to know if she could come in for an interview between 4:30 and 5:00. She quickly got ready and I steeled myself to venture into the outside world. She was in there less that 15 minutes and got the job! She'll be a hostess. She trains tonight and starts working Friday. We had to buy her some black, non-slip shoes and a black belt. The rest of her uniform consists of blue jeans and assorted witty t-shirts supplied by the restaurant. Of course, I can't find her social security card. I'm sure I put it somewhere for safe-keeping (along with her adoption decree) but can't find it. We're going to run by the social security office and apply for a new one. They'll give her a temporary print-out that will work until her replacement card comes in.

We have a visitor for the rest of the week. A friend and her family went out of town today and we're dog-sitting for their greyhound. She's a sweet, well-mannered, and kind of shy dog but she'll be fine with us. Luckily she and our elderly mutt get along well. For whatever reason, the visiting dog has taken a liking to Alli. This is rather odd because Alli dislikes most animals. We'll see how the week goes. We used to have a greyhound and still miss him terribly. He got hurt over a year ago and had to be put to sleep. They are "greyt" pets, if anyone is in the market!

Perspective

2008-12-28T08:55:00.002-06:00

Compared to this, suddenly my Christmas wasn't so bad. I guess there is some truth to the point that, no matter how hard your life is, there is always someone out there whose life is even harder.

I'm less than 50 pages from the end of Breaking Dawn (Twilight, book 4). I'm practicing incredible restraint to still have pages to read. I want it to last forever! It's actually something of a miracle that I'm not already through.

I laid down with Elvis last night to get him to sleep. He would NOT go to sleep. He wasn't cranky and he seemed tired but he just wouldn't give it up and go to sleep. I finally turned the light back on and gave him a favorite toy to wave around for a while. I read while he played. I made myself stop before I finished the book. I tried again to get him to sleep but he was still resistant. At this point, it was nearing midnight and I dozed off waiting for him to sleep. At 12:17, he woke me with a seizure. Needless to say it was almost 1:00 AM before he was in bed for the night (morning?). And, at that point, I was WIDE awake. I resisted the urge to finish the book, though. I got up and played online until I was ready to sleep. And now, as soon as I finish the week's menu and shopping list, I'm going back to bed and finish my book. Farewell Bella, Edward, Jacob, Alice, and all my other new found vampire and werewolf friends. Thanks for the memories. And, Stephenie Meyer, GET BUSY WRITING MIDNIGHT SUN!! I need it!

100 pages

2008-12-27T20:58:00.003-06:00

That's all I have left to read in the Twilight Saga. I'm on book 4 with just 100 pages left. I made myself put the book down, planning to stretch it out until tomorrow to finish it. I have to admit, I'm getting a little obsessive about it. I saw the movie for the 2nd time yesterday. I rarely see a movie even once in the theater, preferring to save the hassle and just Netflix most that I want to see. Seeing a movie twice in the theater is a big deal for me. (I did see Titanic three times, back in the day. I think I was truly hoping Jack would live the next time I saw it - LOL!) Anyway, depending on how much longer our local theater has it, I just might see it one more time...

How'd our Christmas go, you ask? (Since it's rather obvious I'm avoiding posting about it.) Pretty much nothing special. Everyone got what they wanted/needed...except me. I got notonedamnthing. *sigh* I know, I know - It's better to give than receive, but would it have killed them to at least get me a card? Walmart has a whole section of cards for 99 cents each. Am I not worth that, at least? And now, perhaps you have a little better understanding of my fixation with Twilight. When real life disappoints you, you can count on some fictional vampires to lift your spirits a bit.

'Tis the reason for the season

2008-12-24T23:31:00.000-06:00

Christmas Eve = Fondue Night

2008-12-24T10:30:00.003-06:00

Only in my circle, I'm sure, but we're sooo excited. We've done this every Christmas Eve for years. My family joins a family of 7. My mom comes, too. Boy Wonder is refusing to go but I'm happy to announce that Alli is going without him. (A few short months ago, she'd have missed one of her favorite events of the year just because he didn't want to go.) Beth and Spider-Pig are coming, too. By the end of the evening, we are stuffed full of bread dipped in cheese fondue, venison cooked in oil, and every kind of sweet dipped in the chocolate. It's a long, loud, fun-filled evening that we eagerly anticipate every year!

I'm about to make my last shopping trip out in the frenzied city. I need to buy the items to dip in the chocolate fondue, along with a few drinks to share. I still need to buy for a friend's husband but he's easy. He likes scratch-off lottery tickets. Those are always one of the last gifts I buy. I don't have my nephews' gifts yet, either, but their mom is helping me choose those. They got a Wii so Wii accessories might be better than the traditional gift cards. It also occurred to me late last night that Elvis' main gift must need batteries. I need to open it and make sure I've got what we need.

Of course, completing my tasks requires me to put down my new book. I'm in page 346 now. I just started it late last night. I've done a lot of reading and not very much sleeping. I got even less sleep than I'd intended because after I stopped reading at 1:30 AM, Elvis decided to wake up at 2:00 AM. Thanks, Buddy. I couldn't tell that he needed/wanted anything...he was just awake. I'm really hoping to squeeze an hour nap into my afternoon. Of course, even if I do block out that time, I'd probably just end up reading instead of sleeping. I'm going to be really sad when I finish that last book. I don't like it when good things end.

So, let the festivities begin!

You'll all be glad to know

2008-12-23T18:02:00.002-06:00

I am in possession of book 3, Eclipse. Beth and I went back to the same Target I went to yesterday and they still didn't have it. Since Books-a-Million was there in the very same strip mall, I asked Beth if she'd run and and check. THEY HAD SOME! I didn't have any cash with me so I'd sent her in with the money my aunt had given Elvis Sunday night. I have already replenished his envelope, though.

So, I'll quit whining and start reading.

Just because...

2008-12-23T11:25:00.000-06:00

Christmas Eve Eve

2008-12-23T10:55:00.002-06:00

It's almost 11:00 AM here and I'm the only one awake in the house. We are bad about staying on schedule during school breaks. Even Elvis all too quickly adapts to staying up late and sleeping in. I like being the only one up for a while. It's rather peaceful, except for having to cater the whims of the pets. Our elderly dog demanded for me to get up and let him out this morning. I staggered down the hall, barely awake, and opened the back door for him. He stuck his nose out, sniffed twice, and retreated to the den. Thanks, Jerry. You got me up because you needed to smell the outside world? Then, Beth's cat decided she needed to get in to Beth's room (where her litter box and food are). I heard her pulling at Beth's door but Beth didn't get up to let her in. So I did. And, about 15 minutes later, she was trying to get out. I, again, got up and let the cat out of Beth's room. (I really hope she took a giant stinky poop in the litter box while she was in there, so Beth and her friend can enjoy the smell.) So, at 11:00 in the morning, I've catered to our weird pets and had leftover spaghetti and a few Hersey's Miniatures for breakfast. Aren't you jealous of my glamorous life??

Today, I must accomplish the last minute stuff. I have a few odd gifts to buy here and there. I would just give my nephews cash but if I do, my brother makes them save it. I think Christmas money is meant to be blown so I give them Walmart gift cards. Luckily the bank doesn't have a system to deposit those...yet. (Give my brother time and he'll find a way for them to do it.) I need to make a list of what I've gotten for Alli, Beth, and BW, and make sure it all balances out in some way. Elvis' gifts don't have to balance out with anyone else's. He is Elvis, after all. I really need to shower today since I didn't yesterday. I did clean the den and kitchen yesterday. They both look decent. Today, I need to straighten the living room and my bedroom/bathroom. I do have to admit our house looks half-way decent. I can't honestly say that often.

Tomorrow will fly by. Alli, BW, and Elvis are going to BW's father and stepmother's house for breakfast. Tomorrow night is our annual Christmas Eve fondue with a friend and her family. We look forward to that all year. We are in charge of bringing things to dip in the chocolate fondue - usually marshmallows, apples, mandarin oranges, Nutter Butters, rice krispie treats, and pound cake. I'm open for suggestions if anyone has other ideas.

Christmas Day, I'll hang around the house until going to my mom's for a late lunch and then stay for leftovers for dinner, too. I don't know what the girls' have planned for the day. I'm hoping they'll at least stop by for a little while during the day. In fact, I'm sure Beth will come by because I heard Spider-Pig tell my mom he'd see her on Christmas Day.

Now, if I just had book 3... (just kidding - I've decided to re-read book 2 while waiting. I'll survive.)

I failed

2008-12-22T18:19:00.002-06:00

I couldn't find Eclipse in stock anywhere. I even drove 20 miles away to Target and Books-a-Million. They both had books 1,2, and 4, in the series but NO ONE had a single copy of book 3. Guess it wasn't meant to be. I'm beyond bummed. I would have driven on to the next big city if I knew for sure someone there had it. However, this is not the time for a wild goose chase. So...I'll wait....none too patiently. Hopefully someone will get it in stock or someone who owns one will finish it and loan it to me. In the meantime, I have plenty to do. I'd just rather be reading about Edward.

ACK!

2008-12-22T00:17:00.002-06:00

I finished New Moon. Today. Actually, I started it late last night but only got to page 21 before going to bed. Today I started on page 21 and read all the way to page 563. And it was wonderful. So I headed to Walmart at 11:30 PM to buy the third book in the saga, Eclipse. And guess what? THEY WERE OUT! ACK! I don't know what I'm going to do. My plans for tomorrow (well, today now) involved Eclipse and little else. *sniff, sniff* I guess now my Monday plans involve driving around trying to find Eclipse.

The family party was nice. Loud, but nice. Assorted cousins have 5 little girls, 5 and under. They had a lot of fun running up and down the hallway, shrieking in that high-pitch that only little girls can hit. Add to that the wrestling maneuvers of my 3 nephews and you've got yourself a loud party. I have to say that, despite the volume, it was a great evening. We are all together only this one night each year. It's nice to catch up. In the shock of my holiday so far, both Alli and Beth went. Spider-Pig came along, too, but Boy Wonder stayed home. Elvis had no shortage of people to tell him how cute he is. It was a nice evening. Count me in for next year, too.

Beth accompanied me to Walmart afterwards. As a result, she's seen (picked out, actually) a few of her presents. At least I know she's getting what she wants. Until earlier this evening, I was without Beth's big present. I knew what she wanted but didn't know where to find it. Right before leaving for the family gathering, a friend called to tell me she'd located what Beth wanted and the store had exactly ONE left. She snagged it for me and that's a relief. I'll go by tomorrow and pay her for it.

I'm not exactly sure how to handle Christmas this year. Santa has always brought gifts for all. I'm assuming Santa doesn't visit married daughters at their mom's house. I'd assume he visits them and their husbands separately? Based on this, Santa is putting gifts under our tree for Beth, Elvis, and me. I'm guessing it's up to Boy Wonder and Alli as to whether or not he visits them in their apartment. I will, of course, buy them each a few gifts but this is my first year to have a married kid living in my house. I've had a lot of firsts in 2008. This is just another in the long line of situations I've had to figure out this year. Who knows if I'm figuring them out right? I can only do my best.

So, the big family party is tonight...

2008-12-21T08:16:00.003-06:00

The one with my father's family that I skipped for years and years. However, we went last year (mainly because I couldn't come up with a reason not to go.) But we got there and had a great time. We've actually looked forward to this year's gathering.

Being all crafty and good in the kitchen (NOT -LOL!) I decided to try and make mice out of chocolate-dipped cherries. However, I didn't use these instructions. I used the directions from a magazine. And those didn't involve the Hershey's Kiss. These instructions sound much better. Too bad I didn't find them first. I couldn't keep the ears on the ones I tried. They were supposed to magically adhere to the cherry, I guess. I can see how the Kiss would be much more structurally sound. So, my mice flopped.

One track mind?

2008-12-21T08:08:00.001-06:00

Not that I'm obsessed or anything...

I'm just glad I'm not a vampire.

I'm with the vampires, of course!

2008-12-20T18:48:00.002-06:00

I'm officially one of "those people." You know, the ones who read and a love a little set of kids' books referred to as The Twilight Saga. I've been resisting. People kept telling me I needed to read them. I refused. Hello - I don't read books about vampires. I'm a big chicken. I don't read/see/think about anything scary. So, I politely refused to read them.

Then I found Beth reading a book. At 18 years of age, she read her first book. And it wasn't a little book. It was about 550 pages. And she read the whole thing! All 55oish pages. And I was soooo happy...and shocked. Of course, the book was the first in the saga, Twilight. And if a book was good enough to cause Beth to break her 18-year streak of no voluntary reading, I obviously had to read it. And so I did. And I LOVED it.

I loved it so much that I bought the second in the set. I've had it almost a whole week but haven't touched it. Well, technically I have touched it. I've walked past it and rubbed the cover lovingly. I've resisted the temptation. I just didn't want to read it before I'd had a chance to see the movie of the first book. I know the movie is only about the first book but I didn't want to read ahead and know what happened after the movie ended. I wanted to see the movie and only know how it ends.

Alli and I finally got to see the movie this afternoon. (We wanted to go badly enough that we left Elvis with Boy Wonder while we went. You never know how that will go.) It went fine, though. They kept each other occupied while Alli and I spent two hours in the company of Bella and Edward, along with the rest of his vampire family. And it was two hours well-spent. It wasn't as good as the book. Most movies never are. However, I enjoyed it. And I enjoyed having a little Alli-time.

And now, excuse me for the rest of the evening. I have a date...with Edward the vampire in the second Twilight book, New Moon. It's been waiting for me for almost a week.

At least I'm not tired

2008-12-20T09:31:00.002-06:00

The pediatrician deemed Elvis as "better" Tuesday afternoon. I didn't specifically ask if he could go back to school and she didn't tell me he couldn't. So, Wednesday morning, Elvis and I rejoined the world. Wednesday was wild in my class. A giant otter came to talk to my kids about seat belt safety. When the highway patrol trooper was showing them how to properly wear a seat belt by saying the lap belt section should be over their "waist bones" I almost lost it. In all my free time, I do plan to email the coordinator of that program and ask her to pleeeease check that fact and pass the info on to the trooper. The rest of the day passed with excruciating slowness but it did, eventually, end. Thursday was wild, too, especially with the addition of a stage show by "Safari Greg." He brought along a few animals, which freaked out several of my kids. Evidently, my class isn't fond of snakes. There was lots of screaming and crying. Other teachers had to help hold and comfort my students, as my lap was already full. They may not have liked the snakes but I loved the 12-foot long Burmese python.

And then came Friday - the longest day of the school year. Of course, by measure of time, it's one of the shortest days. It just feels never-ending. It's our Christmas Party Day. We are supposed to carry on business as usual (yeah, right) from 8:15 until party time at 10:00. Then, we are descended upon by what feels like hundreds of parents/grandparents/step moms/great uncles' best friends' next-door-neighbors that have nothing better to do than come to kindergarten for 45 minutes of Hell. And, the high was 73 degrees. And our heat, once turned on in October, can't be turned off until March. In lieu of a party, my class makes gingerbread houses. I pre-glue graham crackers to small milk cartons. At the party, each child gets a cracker-covered-carton, a huge glop of icing, and enough candy to rot every tooth in their heads. The idea is to use the icing to stick the candy to the houses. In reality, much more candy is consumed than actually stuck to the houses. That's why we call it a party, I guess. That 45 minutes is loud, hot, wild, and lot and lots of fun! I'm always so relieved when it's over. To add to the fun yesterday, I had late bus duty, which, just like it sounds, meant I had to stay until all the kids who ride late buses had left. Lucky me, I know!

When bus duty was finished, I had to clean up the horrendous mess my room had become and get all the food safely thrown away (hoping to leave nothing for the mice to survive on over the holidays). We got home a little before 1:00 PM. I flopped across my bed with a new edition of People magazine and was sound asleep before 1:30. I remember nothing else until waking at 5:30. I was back asleep by 11:00 and slept until 9 this morning. So, I've slept 14 of the last 24 hours. Not a bad way to pass the time. I do feel pretty good. My back's a little stiff, I guess from being in bed so much, but I'm ready to tackle the world.

Darn weather

2008-12-16T06:54:00.002-06:00

The weatherman tempted us with the possibility of sleet/freezing rain overnight. Sadly, it didn't hit our area. It's all around us and many, many school districts are either closed or opening late. Ours, however, is open and on time. Not that it really affects me. I'm home today with sick Elvis. However, it would have been nice for schools to be closed, thus saving me a sick day.

Alli is working today - subbing in the PreK class. Boy Wonder is taking her to school. I asked if he'd rather take her or come sit in the den so he could hear Elvis if he woke up. He chose to take her and that's fine by me. I've got frozen sausage balls in the toaster oven. I'm thinking I'll make a cup of hot chocolate and have my own personal little snow day until Elvis wakes. Once he's up, the day is all about him. He does have an appointment with his "Dr. Girlfriend" this afternoon. (He LOVES that woman.) We're hoping (well, I'm hoping) he's cleared to return to school. There are only 2.5 more days of school before Christmas break and I've got things I have to get done.

Last week

2008-12-15T12:10:00.002-06:00

Thinking back, the last week of my life is one confused jumble in my brain. Let's see if I can straighten it out.

I first realized that Elvis was getting sick on Tuesday night at bedtime. He had just a little bit of a cough. For a normal kid, no problem. For Elvis, this means something is going wrong. Due to his cerebral palsy, he can't cough well - those muscles don't do anything well. When he's actually coughing, there is a problem.

By Wednesday morning, he was coughing more. He maybe felt a little warm but I couldn't find a thermometer. I knew he needed to see a doctor, though. I took him on to school (bad me, I know) and requested a half-day sub so we'd leave early and I'd take him to the doctor. He did fine at school. The mentioned he wasn't his usual perky self but he didn't seem to feel terrible. We got to the doctor's office and were waiting in the exam room. He was still coughing occasionally but not too often. I was actually worried he wouldn't cough while we were with the doctor. As luck would have it, he coughed while she was still in the hall outside our door. She walked in, commented on his wheezy cough, and said it sounded like RSV to her. She jammed a q-tip up his nose to get a snot sample to test and said we'd have to wait about 10 minutes for the result. Eleven minutes later she walked back in and said, "RSV. He's got it." We've seen this doctor since Elvis was less than a year old and just love her. This is the first time I've ever seen uncertainty in her face. She said we'd caught it early and she could guarantee me he would get worse before he got better. She let us go home, warning that we'd need to come in every day or two for them to listen to his lungs and for chest x-rays. I thanked her and we left.

He had one bad coughing spell Wednesday night but did fine other than that. Thursday was another story. Coughing spells all day long. He coughed until he gagged and threw up. He couldn't eat or drink. Through most of the day, the spells would come and go. By about 4:00 PM, the coughing just wouldn't stop. He was literally coughing every breath. At that time of the day, my only option was the ER. I gathered up what we'd need for a couple of days, fearing they'd admit him. It was 5:00 by the time we got on the road and...it was snowing....lots and lots of snow. We made it to the hospital and there were no parking spaces anywhere near the ER. I had to park in a low spot and haul myself and Elvis up the hill to the ER in the blinding snow. It was blowing my my eyes, my nose, and my mouth. I could barely breathe and see to get us to the entrance. By the time I got in, I was dripping wet from melted snow. It took hours for me to dry out.

Sadly, I had hours to dry. They took us right back as RSV is contagious. They stuck us in an isolation room and left us. They didn't do anything for 2.5 hours. By then his temp was 103.8 and they got a little panicky. In the end, we were in the ER for just over 5 hours. Guess what? Elvis has RSV. Thankyouverymuch. They admitted him a little after 11:00 PM. We were put in a tiny room. The cleaning lady later informed me it was the smallest room on the floor. At that point, I didn't care. As long as it was a private room, I was good.

Most of the hospital stay is a blur. NO sleep. Lots of coughing. I didn't eat anything except 8 crackers until the middle of Friday afternoon when my brother paid for them to start bringing me a guest tray at meals. (Thanks, Bro.) I had money with me. I just hadn't had the time to think clearly enough to request it. Time in the hospital is weird. Nothing makes sense. All I could think about was soothing Elvis. And he was almost inconsolable.

And, Friday was my birthday. I did have a few surprises. A friend from school had sent me a present by Alli. I was able to open it just past midnight on my birthday. Beth and her friend showed up mid-afternoon with a pan of cookies they'd made. (see picture below) My brother and sister-in-law stopped by in the early evening with a giant cookie/cake. By late Friday evening, the coughing had eased some. He could sleep for about 45 minutes at a stretch. By midnight, he seemed to be out for the night. I finally opened the chair that thinks it's a bed about 1:30 AM and got a little sleep myself. Nurses and respiratory therapists came and went regularly, rousing me as they cared for Elvis. I still got some much-needed sleep and felt soooo much better when Elvis demanded my attention in the pre-dawn hours.

The pediatrician on-call visited about 9:00 and cleared us for discharge, thus ending one of the longest 2-day periods of my life. It still took more than an hour to get out but it felt good to be headed for home. He's still sick. He's not eating much and not able to keep most of what he does eat. He's not got a stomach virus. He's just coughing so much and so hard that he gags. I've been sprayed with partially-digested chocolate milk more times than I care to count in the last few days.

I'm home today and tomorrow, at least. We go back to the doctor tomorrow, hoping for clearance to return to school. Elvis isn't 100% yet but he's definitely better. What a week!!

Got soup?

2008-12-14T21:41:00.002-06:00

I pulled off a soup hat trick today. I had soup for all 3 meals. Good, homemade soup, mind you, but still soup, none the less. I didn't mean to. I woke up before Elvis this morning and went to straighten the kitchen a bit while I had a few minutes. I got a little hungry but there was nothing in the cabinets that looked good. However, in the fridge was the was cabbage soup I'd been making Thursday when I had to leave to take Elvis to the ER. I'd not had any of it. So, I heated it up and had a bowl for breakfast.

Then lunch time came. And nothing sounded good again. However, in the freezer was an individual serving of taco soup I'd made a couple of weeks ago. I'd frozen it thinking I'd take it to school for lunch one day. I ate it at home today instead.

I'd started dinner this morning in the crock pot. Yes, more soup. It was pizza soup and it was delicious. It was a good way to end my soup day.

Tomorrow...NO SOUP! I'm taking sick days Monday and Tuesday to stay with Elvis. I don't exactly know what I'm having tomorrow. I only know it won't be soup!

Retroactive blogging

2008-12-14T09:03:00.003-06:00

This was to have been my first "Wordless Wednesday" post...last Wednesday, obviously. I'd gotten tired of trying to round up whatever medicine Elvis needed at any certain moment and just thrown them all in a basket to keep nearby.

I learned

2008-12-14T08:59:00.000-06:00

Things I learned from spending 2 days in our local hospital with Elvis:

~ NEVER give chocolate milk to a child with a temp about 102 degrees. It apparently curdles in the heat of his tiny tummy. Upon completing the curdling process, it shows itself again...and again. *shudder*

~ Chocolate milk, once curdled in the tiny tummy of Elvis, bears a strong resemblance to cottage cheese - just a different color, obviously.

~ I can live 24 hours having only consumed 8 Ritz crackers.

~ That hospital smell can and will cling to every available surface.

~ Food service employees aren't permitted to enter the room when your child has a communicable disease. No one can enter without gloves and gowns. Some even wear masks.

~ Elvis doesn't much like people who wear masks.

~ When Elvis' temp hits 103.8 degrees, he can't move at all.

~ Elvis' heart can beat 202 times a minute and not kill him.

~ Washing your hair with a bar of soap helps some but not enough.

~ Contact lenses aren't actually super-glued to your eyeball after being worn for 50+ hours...it just feels like they are when you try to remove them.

~ If I'm tired enough, I can actually sleep on one of those ancient chairs that pulls out into a bed.

~ Elvis' body may be tiny but it can evidently produce/hold an insane amount of mucous.

~ There's no place like home...even my wacky home.

Wow

2008-12-13T17:56:00.001-06:00

I just took Elvis to my room to give him Motrin and a breathing treatment and then we both woke over 3.5 hours later. Guess we were both really tired, huh?

Please excuse

2008-12-13T12:46:00.002-06:00

Dear Blog, Please excuse my absence. Elvis has been sick with RSV and ended up in the hospital. Happy birthday to me, huh? Details to follow. First, I must rid myself of the funky hospital smell...

Hey, Mongoose

2008-12-07T17:09:00.003-06:00

We nearly lost Spider-Pig this week. He and Beth had some kind of big blow-up Thursday night. Beth was inconsolable. She even missed school Friday because she couldn't stop crying. (I've always given the girls a "boyfriend trauma" day during each school year. If they've broken up with or had a huge fight with a boyfriend, they sometimes need a day to chill.)

The source of this blow-up actually made me a proud. Spider-Pig was scheduled to work Friday night. Beth had made plans to do something with a girl friend. When Spider-Pig unexpectedly got the night off, he assumed Beth would cancel on her girl friend to go out with him. Beth didn't want to do that. In the past, she would have done that, leaving the friend dumped and alone. I'm very proud that she cared enough about the friend to not want to dump her at the last minute. Shows me she's growing up a bit.

As of now, Spider-Pig is still around. Beth said she doesn't hate him...she just "dislikes him right now" - LOL! Actually, they are still talking/texting quite a bit and I think they had plans together today. I'll keep you posted!

Wish I was there

2008-12-07T10:27:00.002-06:00

Every December (for at least the last 6 years) I've loaded up whoever happens to be living at my house (and often a few spare people) and headed here for a long weekend. We always go with my friend and her family of 7. This year...today to be exact, they are there and I am not. This is just one more reason that my holiday season sucks this year.

We'd actually planned to go. However, we miss two school days for this adventure each year. And Alli just got that interim subbing job at my school. And she's already missed some days for pregnancy-related doctor's appointments. And if she has to miss any more, they'll give the interim job to someone else. So, we're not there. Yes, I could have gone without her. But Beth's social calendar is jam-packed, as always. I don't know that she'd have wanted to go. That would have left Elvis and me to go on the trip. Elvis and I function quite well here at home but he's harder to manage on the road. The other family would have gladly helped with "Elvis management" but he's not their responsibility.

So, I'm sitting home, bummed. Christmas is so different this year. I've always done what we call "calendar gifts" and others might call advent gifts. Each child got a small present to open each day of December. It was usually nothing big - a flavored chapstick or a pair of gloves or a piece of candy. But it was a fun tradition. I didn't do them this year. Alli is married. Beth is rarely home more than 5 nights a week. It seemed a waste to do all that when she's not here. I decided I'd just do Elvis gifts. I borrowed another friend's idea and was going to do just books. He'd have a Christmas book to open each day of December. (The friend stores the books and re-wraps them next year and her son opens one a day again. Sounds like a great idea.) I bought all the books. I just never wrapped them.

Yes, gathering and wrapping all those gifts was a huge hassle each year, but I enjoyed it and looked forward to it. It got me into Christmas-mode. Instead of being relieved at not having to do it this year, I'm sad. The planning and effort required to pull off our multi-state trek to the water park was huge. Instead of being relieved to have all that extra free time, I'm sad.

Depression? I guess so. However, I also think it's situational. I'm moving into a new phase of my life. I'm becoming an "empty nester." The odd part is, my nest is far from empty. They are all still living in my house. I see them on a daily basis. I can't get away from them yet I can't do anything with them, either. It's like the empty nest from Hell.

Funny from my classroom

2008-12-06T21:50:00.000-06:00

One day this week, one of my students asked me where we were going that day. (Meaning what specialty class did we have that day.) I was in the middle of 5 other things and I told him we had music class. I quickly remembered that it was actually their gym and apologized. I told him I had a bunch of things in my mind and I'd gotten them all scrambled up. Another student, who what standing nearby and had overheard the conversation, said "That happens to old people." Thanks, Sweetie.

I summarized the conversation and sent it home with the child who said that. I loved it. I thought it was hilarious and wanted them to enjoy it, too. The mom sent me a note the next day telling me that when they'd read it at home, their older son (a second grader) said, "Well, she's not THAT old." I had to laugh again because, some days, I do feel that old. And, with a birthday fast approaching, I'm getting older by the second.

Heard this on the radio

2008-12-02T17:45:00.003-06:00

And it intrigued me. I came home this afternoon and looked them up. What talent! (you'll want to pause the lovely Faith Hill song on my blog to properly enjoy this)

Darn trojan spyware viruses!

2008-12-01T16:47:00.002-06:00

I'm still here. I've had a heck of a time getting online this weekend. I got some stupid spyware trojan. We didn't open it but it wouldn't go away. I ran my malware remover time and time again but it didn't catch it. Spybot failed me, too. Finally, after googling and googling, I realized that this was a brand new terror. There was no mention of it before last week. So, duh, I updated my malware remover and it caught it right away. All that aggravation and the solution was so simple. All that to say, I couldn't post because my online time was being hijacked by fools.

My Thanksgiving weekend turned out okay. Mom and I ate alone on Thursday but others came in and out during the day. We had the pleasure of the company of a young couple who regularly join us on holidays. (They don't have much family here and what they do have don't celebrate holidays.) Alli, Boy Wonder, and Elvis stopped by. (We were the middle stop in their series of three family dinners.) Beth didn't show at all. A long-ago, now-grown kid of mine and her beautiful family was in town for the holiday. They had bio family celebrations to attend, too, but I got to spend a lot of time with them. It was a joy! So, pity party over. Even though my kids may be done with me on holidays, I still had a decent day and an even better long weekend.

The weather guy got my hopes up, forecasting snow last night and today. We got it, alright, but it was above freezing so it didn't stick. We trudged on to school and I tried to make the best of it. My students were loud but happy all day. We enjoyed watching the snow fall. It's still snowing a little and sleeting...maybe it will stick as the temps drop tonight? I'm hopeful!! I really like my job. I just like days off, too.

Dinner for two

2008-11-27T11:34:00.002-06:00

I've always loved Thanksgiving. Growing up, all of our family (mom's and dad's sides) came to our house. I loved the season and getting things ready. It was such a fun time. Seeing ALL the family together. One weird aunt always brought lasagna for some reason. It was just a nice day. Then, I grew up. My parents separated. Big Thanksgivings were a thing of the past. There are honestly a few years that I have no memory of how/where we celebrated. I adjusted.

Then, in college, a long-time friend's parents started hosting Thanksgiving for people who had no where else to go. The wife worked at a hospital that was about 20 minutes from their house and they even invited the people who were working on the holiday to drive down on their breaks and eat a meal. So, in addition to their extended family (both sides) and our family (including my brother and his wife & kids many years) we had a steady stream of people coming in and out during the day. Then, that family moved to FL. And we were without a celebration once again. I adjusted.

Then, my mom took up the hosting duties. For years, we've hauled food and assorted family members to her house for turkey. It was modeled on the dinners of Thanksgivings past at the friends' house. Anyone who needed a place to go was welcome. Our group has varied widely over the years. We've always had a houseful (thanks in large part to my foster kids). This year, however, I have no one to join us. My brother is working. His wife and sons are going to her parents. I'm foster kid-less. My girls have grown up and chosen to join the families of husband/boyfriend for the holiday. And here I am, going to my mom's alone. I guess I'll adjust. I have to adjust. But right now, just for a while I hope, I'm sad...really, really sad.

Not the (real) Momma

I am soooo not a gardener, but...

At his best...

Wow.

Kindergarten....

I did it...

We have a new Batman!

Adoptive Parent Survey

Ms. Patsy

Updates...I've got your updates

Elvis' surgery day

Still no baby

Baby Watch, 2009

Thinking ahead...Father's Day

June Birthday-mania

Up to no good

Hi, Fielding! Hi, Blair!

Breaking up

They are sure this time

11/20/09

Someone had their wires crossed

Endings, Beginnings...

Happy Memorial Day

Holy Bat-Retirement!

Looking on the bright side

The Tooth Fairy came!

Mother's Day

Sleeping in?

Well said, Claudia

Shark Boy

Cori update

Duh...

A day off

The bunny's big day

For those keeping track...

Disheartened

This picture?

Invitation

Heidi Noelle Lenhart

One of these girls...

Wordless Wednesday

Snow!

Stomach virus! ACK!

Updates on us

Wordless Wednesday

7 years and 5 days

What a day!

LOL! What would you think is wrong?

That darn cat

I know it's a bit early

Hi. Remember me?

Fun with the nephew

Bothering all the restaurant workers in the family

She's ready to face the world

Granny's funeral

Happy Birthday, Baby Blair

Sleep? What's that?

Another first in my life as an adoptive parent

6 years ago today/1 year ago today

$85 worth of freedom

And the heat wave continues...

We're having a heat wave!

Guess what movie I saw tonight!

Baby, it's COLD outside!

Wow, what a week!

RIP (again), Auntie Jo

RIP Jett

Success

My break is almost over

Cop at the door

*Woof*

Goodbye 2008

Everyone at our house is into Twilight

Spider-Pig to the rescue!

No more HGTV...for a while, anyway

Perspective

100 pages

'Tis the reason for the season

Christmas Eve = Fondue Night

You'll all be glad to know

Woof