Find Out What Jen Finds

Success Sunday

• May 18, 2008 8:42 am

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I thought that I would also include an update on this post since I have improved from 2 weeks to 1 week between each post!

The Kiddos, The AP and I went to Myrtle Beach, SC. Before you think, oooooo-aaaaaahhhhhh, vacation…I’m jealous. It was a business trip. I also wanted to see my mom for mother’s day and both of my parents before they left for the Philippines for a month. I did play hookie on one meeting and went to the beach. BUT it was cold, windy, and not that much fun. But at least I got to take some great pictures of The Kiddos. It was funny because The Younger was in a jacket, I was in jeans, a jacket, with a towel wrapped around me to keep warmer, and The AP was in a bikini. She was determined to get a tan! The Elder didn’t mention if he was cold or not…

I did have my bikini under my layers and layers of clothing. I was so excited too because I finally looked decent in one after 5 years of motherhood. It’s a combination between new meds, better diet, and a free coupon to the American Laser Center! I decided to treat myself with a new technology that “fixed” what “she” had that I didn’t have! (Ha! I didn’t plan that connection) I’ve worn the same bikini bottoms (dd SpongeBob Squarepants….Sponge…Bob….Square….Pants! *nose flute* pp) ( for each treatment as a goal. And after 4 treatments I look fabulous if I do say so myself. The Hub even notices…wassupwidat? I still have 2 treatments left but I’m going to save them for later. We are going on a cruise in December and I might need a boost after Thanksgiving dinner!

Anyhoo, I did get great picture of The Kiddos on the beach though. I’ll link to them as soon as I download them off the camera.

So to catch everyone up. The Elder got approved for the transition class for next year! Yay! It will be the same days and hours as kindergarten but we have no idea which school, which teacher, or how many students in the class and if it will have inclusion. The ideal situation would be in our school zone with the same teacher he has now with inclusion and perhaps 12-14 students (there are 7 now, and in kindergarten the average is 20 students). We added some items to his IEP. He gets ESY this summer and ABA support (Yay!) and his official IEP review is not until October since he started school late in the year.

The Younger is potty training majorly now. He wears his diapers (cloth) when he sleeps and in public. He typically wakes up dry during naps and at night we don’t use any doublers. During the day, at home, he wears “pull ups.” They are actually the Gerber padded underwear, but he freaks out about wearing underwear so we just call them pull-ups and he is fine with that. He is really consistent about going pee pee in the potty and even held it while in SC from my parents house to the beach (about 13 miles). I thought he had a diaper on, but he had pull-ups on. Whew! So glad he held that one. And he was sooo proud of himself, as was I. Now he wears cloth pull-ups in public which are basically diapers in pull up form, but work as effectively!

Then yesterday while I was working at Panera, I get a PictureMail on my phone of The Younger smiling so big and a caption that said, “Guess who poo pooed in the potty?” Yahoo!!!!! Too bad I could be there to see it and take a picture of it to post on my blog. (JUST KIDDING, I would never do that…take the picture, that is, much less post it! So no worries…) The Hub said that The Younger called out to him and when he arrived, The Younger was sitting on the potty, clapping! When he stood up…surprise! However he had a blow-out later in the driveway. We counted back 3 days and it corresponded with the McDonald’s slide adventure on the way home. Crap! No pun intended.

I also got video of The Younger riding his bike! I can’t believe he is big enough to get on it. We got both of their bikes on consignment for a total of $15! Crazy I know. The Younger’s came with training wheels, so we had to buy some for The Elder’s. The Elder is still afraid to ride his. He prefers to ride The Younger’s Little Tykes Car. Pretty soon he won’t be able to turn the wheels on account of his knees getting in the way. His Proprioceptive Sensory Disorder makes him feel very unbalanced and like he is going to fall all the time so he needs to feel anchored down. He would NOT go down my parents stairway in the house because they are suspended steps (with no risers) and that area is surrounded by mirrors which reflect back through the “risers” where you can see the kitchen which is dizzying in itself, even without the optical illusion challenge of a reflection and trying to balance on stairs. Call me cruel, but I made him walk down by himself. He wanted me to hold him and carry him down, but I didn’t want to fall myself! He’s getting heavy! I offered to hold his hand but he wanted the security of two hands on the rails. He was so afraid to even put his foot on the top stair. Once he did that and realized they were not slippery (they are wooden, not carpeted) he gained a little confidence. About a third of the way down he got the hang of it. I had my hand on his back and he was cuing me to let go so he could do it by himself! What a milestone. He didn’t have problems with it the rest of the week. Of course The Younger is jumping down the stairs barely holding on if at all, swinging on the rails, climbing up the stairs on the wrong side of the rails…all that daredevil stuff that I used to do as a child. I got a flashback from the past of me turning flips on the rail at the top of the stairs. I don’t ever recall falling and we lived there since I was 5 years old. I looked at my mom and said, I must have scared you to death growing up! She looked at me as if to say, I’m so glad you finally recognize that! Maybe he will be a cheerleader….he’s definitely strong enough for it.

The Hub didn’t join us because he was in Utah learning fancy stuff with the stock market. It was a good thing because there wasn’t enough room in my car for him. However I am soooo grateful I chose the car over the SUV! I couldn’t imagine putting $100 worth of gas into my car! My friend and neighbor drives a Yukon and she informed me that the gas pumps will not pump more than $100 worth of gas, so she just pumps until it stops! I just couldn’t imagine… At least I only pay for gas and oil changes. Oh, I got to drive my mom’s new car that she picked up about a month ago. Reminds me of my Grand Prix. very sporty drive. very cute. I hit the driver’s side door on the concrete based of an AC unit that I parked beside at one of the meetings we went to. And then I ran the curve on the way out of Hardee’s. She was so stressed out! I just looked at her and put my hand on her to relax…Mom, at least it is free…That fixes every ding, scratch, scraping underneath the front bumper, accidental drive over the curb, pothole, etc. I’ll get a new one in 2 years so why worry! Oh, I looked at my odometer yesterday and I already have more than 10,500 miles on my car and I picked it up on September 26, 2007! I love it! Well, that was some tangent…

Back to Utah…The Hub was attending a training seminar with less than 10 students. He received one on one training and focus and detailed examples and got to practice them with supervision and advisors. Because it was a small group and this is a special interest of his, he was eager to participate and not afraid to offer his opinions, feedback, and ask questions. I’m so proud of him. He is really getting his money’s worth from these meetings. I kinda felt guilty at first when I practically forced him to sign us up for the initial free workshop. You could tell he was reluctant or suspicious, but more likely he was probably frozen in panic and anxiety of making a decision that quickly. This was before his diagnosis. I made a comment like, “Don’t you want to invest smart instead of letting our money lay stagnant in the bank?” Too many questions and too much thinking required, led to a blank stare. I was so annoyed at the time. Thanks goodness I know to approach him differently now. And now he loves it! I told him that trading was the perfect career for him. It requires a love affair with the computer; does not involve interacting other people; has numbers, charts, tech analytical stuff about it; it is imperative to follow the rules; and to make decisions on the rules and not on emotion. Could it be a better match?????

We also did the local JDRF Walk for this young lady. It was very fun and rewarding and gave me an excuse to exercise. I pushed The Kiddos in the stroller (except up the really steep hills, I passed them off to The Hub). Many kids walked on their own feet, but I really didn’t see The Elder going 2.5 miles on his feet. One of us would have ended up carrying him. The Team Goal was to raise $12,000. Please feel free to donate. If you know someone with JDRF of course donate to their team, but if you are looking to connect your dollars with a face, who could resist Clara’s precious smile? One day, I’m gonna arrange to betroth her and The Elder. Don’t you think they would make pretty children?

Boy I had a lot to say! I think I’ll stop for now and give my fingers and readers a rest!

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