So far, Charlie's latest bug appears fairly mundane. He made it through the night with minimal drama -- although a lot of getting up to check on him by the big person in the house -- and he has moments of cheerfulness (brought to us by our DVD friends, Thomas the Tank Engine, the Backyardigans, and the Wonderpets).
Jamie and Jack have Little League games, which I am missing. The benefactor of all this time in the house is, yes, the laundry room. Not only can I see the floor but I'm down to just one lowly load left -- that and getting back in touch with my inner alliterative self.
Tonight is the big trip with the Northwestern Alumni Assn (of San Diego) to the Opera. Jack and his friend, Sam, are accompanying me on a "very special backstage tour" at 5:30 p.m. and then to the 7 p.m. performance of The Pearl Fishers by Bizet. Will be my first trip and Jack's third to the opera. Sounds a bit "sexy" for my pre-teen companions -- Aida's wars and pyramids would probably be more intriguing, but will be a diversion from the House of Tylenol.
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Day Six: Another Fever
An otherwise productive day ended with ANOTHER fever for Charlie. Three days of no-fever is the current streak of luck. Too grumpy to blog last night as I contemplated rearranging another weekend to be house-bound. On countdown for Aunt Erin's arrival big-time!
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Day Five
They always say the first week of deployment is the worst. My children are definitely carrying through on that maxim.
Charlie ~ The Protester.
As of this week, he doesn't like the toaster being used. He really doesn't like that right turn from Balboa onto Clairemont Drive. Today, for example, "School scary...no St. Mark's." Combined with a super neck stretch to bang his head against the van window (no small feat) and then a horizontal launch to the opposite side, to lie along the seat and -- for extra degree-of-difficulty points -- a launch of his eyeglasses and sippy cup simultaneously. Then, shrieking all the way into his classroom, back down the stairs, into the bathroom. (At this point, I leave in abject horror at the scene, the drama, and the attention of innocent on-lookers).
But it doesn't end there, there's plenty more protestation where that came from. He has the right to object on the drive home (same repertoire, except now "home scary"). He has reason to find fault with not one, but two in-home ABA therapists. He tolerates dinner, but only if he can eat 1 out of every 3 bites in a squirrelly-hanging-off-the-chair or better yet, leaning-way-back-so-that-I-must-leap-to-save-his-cranium manner. He wants a shower-bath without the shampoo, thank you very much. He doesn't like the pj's. You get the picture.
Tim ~ The Aggressor.
No surprise, Tim has had a different reaction to the change in scenery around here. We had a mega-meltdown this afternoon. Funny how you can feel it coming...must be similar to how animals sense a pending thunderstorm or earthquake. He got off the bus and I was struck with that "it's gonna be one of those days" feeling. As always, Jamie pinged (blubberfest) to something unrelated (and likely unwarranting of the reaction) and Tim seized the opportunity to create chaos.
Having just had 2 gi-normous wall-holes repaired along with the cracked bedroom door fixed in the last 48 hours, I gave my body for the cause of an intact residence...completely violating the "evasive" tactics I'd been taught to employ by the behavior specialist.
Stay tuned tomorrow for my description of Jack and Jamie.
Parenting HIGHLIGHT of the day: Jack's Math Project is complete!
Parenting LOWLIGHT: Moira's Math Project is complete!
Charlie ~ The Protester.
As of this week, he doesn't like the toaster being used. He really doesn't like that right turn from Balboa onto Clairemont Drive. Today, for example, "School scary...no St. Mark's." Combined with a super neck stretch to bang his head against the van window (no small feat) and then a horizontal launch to the opposite side, to lie along the seat and -- for extra degree-of-difficulty points -- a launch of his eyeglasses and sippy cup simultaneously. Then, shrieking all the way into his classroom, back down the stairs, into the bathroom. (At this point, I leave in abject horror at the scene, the drama, and the attention of innocent on-lookers).
But it doesn't end there, there's plenty more protestation where that came from. He has the right to object on the drive home (same repertoire, except now "home scary"). He has reason to find fault with not one, but two in-home ABA therapists. He tolerates dinner, but only if he can eat 1 out of every 3 bites in a squirrelly-hanging-off-the-chair or better yet, leaning-way-back-so-that-I-must-leap-to-save-his-cranium manner. He wants a shower-bath without the shampoo, thank you very much. He doesn't like the pj's. You get the picture.
Tim ~ The Aggressor.
No surprise, Tim has had a different reaction to the change in scenery around here. We had a mega-meltdown this afternoon. Funny how you can feel it coming...must be similar to how animals sense a pending thunderstorm or earthquake. He got off the bus and I was struck with that "it's gonna be one of those days" feeling. As always, Jamie pinged (blubberfest) to something unrelated (and likely unwarranting of the reaction) and Tim seized the opportunity to create chaos.
Having just had 2 gi-normous wall-holes repaired along with the cracked bedroom door fixed in the last 48 hours, I gave my body for the cause of an intact residence...completely violating the "evasive" tactics I'd been taught to employ by the behavior specialist.
Stay tuned tomorrow for my description of Jack and Jamie.
Parenting HIGHLIGHT of the day: Jack's Math Project is complete!
Parenting LOWLIGHT: Moira's Math Project is complete!
Day Four
So, for those of you who have kept score at home, Charlie has been a huge focus for our family. After much legal wrangling and negotiating, he began receiving District services in February of this year. It has been difficult to introduce another 4 entities into his already-busy week and on April 29th I received a professional opinion that he hasn't progressed the way an evaluator had anticipated (between November 2006 and April 2008). Attention, verbal skills, and behaviors just don't match his cognition. One likely culprit: too many cooks in the kitchen. Another likely villain: ongoing seizure activity.
With that backdrop, I was not in the best mood to bring him to the District Spec Ed Early Childhood offices for another round of "team" assessment, where Charlie is encircled by adults from various disciplines and put through his paces so that everyone can write a report about what-Charlie-did-during-the-2.5-hours-we-saw him. The happy news: Charlie provided glimpses of Charlie. The bummer news: We're not done...and have to come back for another hour on May 14th, and I'll have to return a third time for "parent interview".
Phase II of the Day was driving around town--Charlie to OT, Charlie to school, rush home to discover Tim's bus never fetched him so then drive to Hillcrest, back to PB...pause, go get Charlie, and home again.
Phase III: Jamie's Cubbies vs. Jack's Giants. Neither boy had a superlative game but Jack's team bested Jamie's. Home to work on Jack's Math project and discuss the beauty that is regression analysis.
Another day in the books.
With that backdrop, I was not in the best mood to bring him to the District Spec Ed Early Childhood offices for another round of "team" assessment, where Charlie is encircled by adults from various disciplines and put through his paces so that everyone can write a report about what-Charlie-did-during-the-2.5-hours-we-saw him. The happy news: Charlie provided glimpses of Charlie. The bummer news: We're not done...and have to come back for another hour on May 14th, and I'll have to return a third time for "parent interview".
Phase II of the Day was driving around town--Charlie to OT, Charlie to school, rush home to discover Tim's bus never fetched him so then drive to Hillcrest, back to PB...pause, go get Charlie, and home again.
Phase III: Jamie's Cubbies vs. Jack's Giants. Neither boy had a superlative game but Jack's team bested Jamie's. Home to work on Jack's Math project and discuss the beauty that is regression analysis.
Another day in the books.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Day Three: A Grim Start
Just know that any household disaster involving the bathroom (specifically, a toilet) and Tim in the same sentence is not to be heralded.
While sparing the odious details, know that it was a Catch-22 dilemma this morning: To Open the Window or To Keep the Window Closed.
If I keep the window shut, I may expire of bleach fumes.
BUT
If I open the window, the neighbors will hear my 7 a.m. ranting at the boys.
Newly-established Household Rule: Specificity is required when alerting the sole adult resident to a pending restroom disaster. (No, Jamie, tapping at my door and saying that the other bathroom is "weird" is neither sufficiently detailed nor adequately alarming).
Parenting lowlight: Shrieking like a banshee. Tied with: Clearly, failing to impart the (was-it-Jennifer-Aniston's-rule?) virtues of limiting one's t.p. use to my sons.
Not an auspicious start to an already electrically-charged Day of Cleaning.
Item #2 to tackle: Charlie's Sty (before the neuro-psych is here to observe his ABA/DTT session).
While sparing the odious details, know that it was a Catch-22 dilemma this morning: To Open the Window or To Keep the Window Closed.
If I keep the window shut, I may expire of bleach fumes.
BUT
If I open the window, the neighbors will hear my 7 a.m. ranting at the boys.
Newly-established Household Rule: Specificity is required when alerting the sole adult resident to a pending restroom disaster. (No, Jamie, tapping at my door and saying that the other bathroom is "weird" is neither sufficiently detailed nor adequately alarming).
Parenting lowlight: Shrieking like a banshee. Tied with: Clearly, failing to impart the (was-it-Jennifer-Aniston's-rule?) virtues of limiting one's t.p. use to my sons.
Not an auspicious start to an already electrically-charged Day of Cleaning.
Item #2 to tackle: Charlie's Sty (before the neuro-psych is here to observe his ABA/DTT session).
Monday, April 28, 2008
Day Two
Theme: Productivity Now, Serenity Later.
Amazing what a "to-do" list can do. Many tedious details that had flown under-the-radar suddenly turned urgent. Opera and baseball ticket re-orders, maintenance requests, et cetera.
Technical highlight of the day: Establishing service for my 6-week-old mobile replacement phone before I owed penalty fees.
Boon of the day: Actually programming at least a dozen or so frequently-called numbers into the device! Yahoo for me! (Or, perhaps, yahoo for Verizon's "User Guide"?)
To my delight, 2 respite providers appeared for their scheduled evening shifts. Took Jack to Boy Scouts and Jamie to the Cub Scout Pack meeting. My den received their Bear patches and off to fetch Jack again.
Amazing what a "to-do" list can do. Many tedious details that had flown under-the-radar suddenly turned urgent. Opera and baseball ticket re-orders, maintenance requests, et cetera.
Technical highlight of the day: Establishing service for my 6-week-old mobile replacement phone before I owed penalty fees.
Boon of the day: Actually programming at least a dozen or so frequently-called numbers into the device! Yahoo for me! (Or, perhaps, yahoo for Verizon's "User Guide"?)
To my delight, 2 respite providers appeared for their scheduled evening shifts. Took Jack to Boy Scouts and Jamie to the Cub Scout Pack meeting. My den received their Bear patches and off to fetch Jack again.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Day One...
So "Sand Crab" promulgated his blogspot last night. Naturally, erudite and witty...putting the pressure on me to keep up. I'd note that he's been carefully crafting his prose since November 2007 whereas I'm going on the fly.
I must say the "Navy of One" reference rung true this morning. We six awakened at o-too-early to drive Ben to SAN airport. Lacking all the pomp, circumstance, TV cameras, and other sobbing families, his departure heavily favored the "individual" in I.A. (Individual Augmentee). No manning-the-rails, no familiar faces, and no sense of safety that the gray hulls have represented. The anonymity was not just palpable, but almost overwhelming. Just a fellow with a crew cut in civilian garb toting a gi-normous sea bag into the terminal.
Naturally -- and probably fortunately, the boys afforded me only the drive home for boo-hoo'ing before the ordinariness of the minute-by-minute tasks of our day commenced. Laundry, dishes, meal prep, searching for Scout uniforms, a run to the pediatrician, and even a Mrs. Melin-organized 2002 Windstar washing. ("It practically looks like a new Honda Odyssey!")
Boon of the day: Erin (er, Saint Erin) will arrive in SD on May 8th! Mother's Day is saved!!
Family Trend of the day: Spillage. Charlie primary offender, 3 successes, 2 different beverages, 2 of 3 on carpet.
Parenting "low-point" o' the day: Report that my 2nd son helped several other impressionable lads discover the wide, wide world of wrapped magazines at 7/11. A proud moment, to be sure.
WHILST I WAS BLOGGING...Charlie was applying marker in flagrant attempt at body art.
I must say the "Navy of One" reference rung true this morning. We six awakened at o-too-early to drive Ben to SAN airport. Lacking all the pomp, circumstance, TV cameras, and other sobbing families, his departure heavily favored the "individual" in I.A. (Individual Augmentee). No manning-the-rails, no familiar faces, and no sense of safety that the gray hulls have represented. The anonymity was not just palpable, but almost overwhelming. Just a fellow with a crew cut in civilian garb toting a gi-normous sea bag into the terminal.
Naturally -- and probably fortunately, the boys afforded me only the drive home for boo-hoo'ing before the ordinariness of the minute-by-minute tasks of our day commenced. Laundry, dishes, meal prep, searching for Scout uniforms, a run to the pediatrician, and even a Mrs. Melin-organized 2002 Windstar washing. ("It practically looks like a new Honda Odyssey!")
Boon of the day: Erin (er, Saint Erin) will arrive in SD on May 8th! Mother's Day is saved!!
Family Trend of the day: Spillage. Charlie primary offender, 3 successes, 2 different beverages, 2 of 3 on carpet.
Parenting "low-point" o' the day: Report that my 2nd son helped several other impressionable lads discover the wide, wide world of wrapped magazines at 7/11. A proud moment, to be sure.
WHILST I WAS BLOGGING...Charlie was applying marker in flagrant attempt at body art.
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