Bring It On

Some days are just like this:

Channeling my inner Kuzco. No touchee!!
(well okay -- click to see the film clip)

Behind on contract work. Still waiting for invoice payments. Van tires need replacement and alignment, but can't take care of it until payment received on invoices. Saw my husband for maybe 2 minutes in the last 24 hours. Daughter longing for one-on-one time together.

Up all night with a little boy who was very sick with the flu. Tried to keep blood pressure under control as I listened all night long to his moans. Five loads of laundry between 1 and 7 am. Can't see my folks all weekend now because my Dad has a newly discovered heart condition and colds and flu germs are very serious things for him. Hoping like heck I don't get it. Strapping in for the rest of the day.

Bring it on.

Back on Our Feet, And How!

Well, we've had 4-6 weeks of cold and flu cycling around. Almost sinister in that at first it seems a straightforward illness. Then it comes back. And if you don't watch it, the patient worsens. Went through this first with James' sister, then with James. She had the flu bug really badly, he got the cold and sinus infection in round 2.

If that was not enough, we had to deal with James' IEP and his triannual IEP. That will be a whole post in itself. Suffice to say it was a rude wake-up call and not very fun to hear. And there was so much good stuff in there too!

Lest we dwell in the alleys of downer stuff too long, another big milestone has been achieved: just yesterday, James had a bowel movement while using the toilet -- his first!!! And it was a healthy specimen. He tried again today, but sis not have anything to show for his efforts.

I was starting to worry about James' language skills regressing while he was sick and then down with a very sore throat. Not to worry, he and his sister were talking up a storm all afternoon long as they played together.

Here they are, playing at the local McDnald's. They said they were playing snakes.


Hmmmm. I am wondering if this is where he picked up his bug. James has a bad habit of wiping his nose with his palm & fingers, then licking the palm & rubbing some more. Yuck! I have been trying to break this habit by applying hand cleaner to his hands. I know that stuff tastes nasty.

Is the Coast Clear?

Wow, one bug, four people, a month of recovery. Let's just say I hate the summer flu!

For a couple of weeks, we all took turns succumbing to The Scourge. Oh, it was fiendishly clever. First it was James, poor baby! He was over the worst of it by Day Three. Um, but on Days One & Two he couldn't even keep water down, so in we popped to the doctors' office; we had to give him 2 shots in his legs to quell the raging ear infection that was his bonus prize. After that got under control, things headed uphill pretty quickly. By Day 5, I was down with it, as well as the grandparents.

My husband and daughter lingered in Healthland through Day 10, then fell to their dooms. By then I was able to make it through bedtime without collapsing on the sofa every couple of hours.

Then, the catch-up. No, not the laundry -- that would have been Truly Hideous. The paperwork, the phone calls, the delayed follow-throughs. James was accepted into the CATS program at Sonoma State U. It sounds like an internship that could be quite interesting. His sister is starting Kindergarten next month and can I just vent here and now about my amazement that this humble grade level involves almost more preparation than I had to do to get into college? The paperwork, lines, appointments, more paperwork, reviews, interviews, assessments ... Holy Rainbow Cow!

Some big shining rays of light:
* James is talking more and more; especially since he started the preschool camp/classes offered through our local city parks & rec.
* James did very well in a mainstreamed environment. His teachers all loved him too and he liked them.
* James is digging swimming. He has gone from panicking and clutching at me to letting me put my hand on his tummy to boost/guide him and he uses his arms and legs to "swim" in proper form. He also likes to get out of the pool, count to three, and then launch himself off the edge to me. This is more than his older sister can do, and she has two additional years and actual swim lessons to her credit.
* James' speech & language therapist says that swimming is great for fostering speech and vestibular activities.
* James gives me real hugs and kisses now. He really misses me if I am out of the picture and shows it with words. For example, this morning I went out to feed the cat. His grandmother said he saw me out there and said "wanna go mommy" for "I want to go to mommy." After a year or more of playing second fiddle to apple bars, this is a great feeling for me!

Oh, and James has been growing. He is over 40" tall and just 3 1/2 years. His feet look Amazingly Sturdy. And we have 6-foot (and more) giants in both our families. He is is still our big sweetie, and we love him so!