After the evaluation.

I'd hoped that we would have some answers after The Boy's evaluation. We don't. We do have some ideas, a tentative diagnoses of Cerebral Palsy, a very MILD case. It effects his mouth, so he drools. It effects the way he puts words together so he seems to be a bit behind in the way he communicates. It effects the way his body moves, so he's a bit awkward when he runs. It effects his hand-eye co-ordination so catching a ball is difficult for him and it effects his hands and fingers so his writing is and will probably always will be difficult.

We need to get a MRI to find out more and to clarify for sure that it's C.P. and not something else. We have an appointment with his Doctor for April 23rd, we will discus the reports from all the specialists who saw The Boy on Wednesday and she will then refer us to the MRI clinic. Hopefully it will only be a day or two from his appointment with his Doctor. And then we wait for the results to be sent to the Doctor, who will call us to make an appointment to discuss the results. From there I don't know what we will do. I'm not sure of treatments or therapies or if he would be a good candidate for any of them. I do know that it will help his school to help him so he can find the ways he learns best.

There is a medication that the Developmental Pediatrician recommended that would help with the drooling. It limits the amount of fluid his body produces. So less spit, less tears, less liquid in his intestines. Which also means that he might have severe dry mouth and eyes, not be able to cry tears, sweat less and it could cause constipation as well. I'm kind of torn about the medication, it would make things at school easier for him if he didn't drool. But the thought of medicating him twice a day ... not a good thought for me. The side effects could be a problem, and he doesn't take medications well. Maybe we will let him know it's available to him and when he's ready he can choose for himself.

Right now I'm feeling a little ... scared, frustrated, in a hurry to find answers, happy we have some kind of answer, and yet unhappy that it isn't THE answer. This boy is so important to me, more than I thought possible. Not more than my other boys, including my Grandson, but just as important in a different way. Probably because I'm older, and I think I'm more knowledgeable about things, I feel I'm doing a better job of being a Mother this time around. I don't think I was a bad Mom before, just young and inexperienced in life.

So, we haven't received our copy of the report, I'll post what that says or at least how I understand it when I've had a chance to read it. I may have misunderstood what the Doctor and the Social Worker said.

Messed Up Daddy doesn't want to believe that it could be C.P., I think he envisions someone who has Spastic C.P. and perhaps has some retardation, and he can't reconcile that with who The Boy is. He will have to learn the different types of C.P. and how they effect the person who has it. C.P. does not mean retardation, it is brain damage but that doesn't always affect learning and mental ability.

I'll stop rambling now. I'll be starting a new exercise session in a couple of days. I got 2 new "games" for the Wii, the Wii Fit Plus with balance board, and EA Active More Workouts. I think I'll do the More Workouts, it has a 6 week challenge, and do the Wii Fit Plus in the afternoons and on rest days because it's more like playing and the kids can do it with me. I'll post more later about everything.

The first day of the last week.

I forgot to weigh myself on Saturday, the last day of the third week like I planned to do. I finally got around to doing it today. I weighed myself after my workout and after I had a sandwich for lunch. I now weigh 322, which is 2 pounds more than I weighed last week. It's kind of discouraging, I know I don't eat as well as I should, but I AM eating less and I'm eating better than I used to even a month ago. I know it takes time to loose the weight, I just didn't expect to keep gaining. Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to stop exercising or working on what I eat and how I prepare it. It would be nice to have a number that shows that I'm actually doing something that makes a difference. I tell myself that I'm building muscle and muscle weighs more than fat, so maybe I've actually lost a few pounds of fat and the gain is muscle. I REALLY hope I'm right.

Evaluation

We finally got an appointment for The Boy up in Portland at Dornbecker Children's hospital for an evaluation. I'm not sure what all will be done, but we will be there for about 6 hours, and he will see different specialists. My Mom is coming down to take us up there, which works out since she was able to get an appointment for some tests she needs. Hers are at the same hospital one floor up and near the end of the time we expect to spend with The Boy's appointments.

My concerns are:

• He drools nearly all the time. He says that he isn't aware of it when it's happening.
• He's still behind other kids in the way he communicates, to me it seems like he's 6 months to a year behind. The kinds of things he talks about, what he is interested in, and the way he behaves with other kids is part of this.
• He runs awkwardly, can't really catch a ball, and doesn't really draw or color well.
• Sometimes, when he is stressed or tired his head shakes and he blinks his eyes more than usual.
• He over reacts, emotionally, to some things, and under reacts to others. Mostly over reacts.
• He is unaware of basic social cues, he doesn't understand about personal space, even though we have been talking to him about it for years.
• He has a very big imagination, and sometimes it seems that he forgets that he isn't Lava Girl or someone from some other movie or TV show. (Usually girls.) He doesn't understand why people might feel uncomfortable with that when dealing with him.

So, we are hoping that they can help us figure out what is happening, and if there is a medical reason for any of it. We need to know so we can help him work with whatever is happening so he can do as well as possible in school and in his social life. He's a good kid, he is fun to be with, he's usually well behaved, and he's learning to read in leaps and bounds.

Half way through. Day 14 of 30.

Today was the half way point, according to the program, in my 30 day challenge. I guess that's because day 30 will be a rest day and tomorrow is a rest day. Anyway, it was a good work out. I'm starting to enjoy it most of the time. Except for squats and some lunges, and that's because my knees hurt when I do them. Actually it's not my knees exactly, because it's not the joint, it's just above my knees. I'm hoping that will stop as I get in better shape.

I weighed myself this morning, after my workout. I've gained back the 4 pounds I lost last week. I don't know why.

I started a food journal to keep track of what I'm eating, and since I'll probably be the only one to see it, I have been very honest about what I eat. The next step will be to actually measure it out. I've done pretty well keeping the sweets to a minimum without feeling deprived, and not having too much fatty food. I'm only eating when I'm hungry, not just when it's expected. For example, yesterday I didn't eat dinner with the kids because I was still full from snack. I ate my dinner a couple of hours later. I do need to increase our vegetable intake, neither of the kids like veggies except for corn so that might make it harder but I'll just have to try.

Day 10/30.

I really didn't feel like working out today. My stomach felt ... heavy is the best way I can describe it. I'm tired, I feel like I should sleep another couple of hours. I pushed through thanks mainly to Howard's support. I had a long run near the end, and felt like I was going to throw up once I finished it. After resting, taking a shower and eating some lunch I feel much better now. It might have been because I was hungry even though I didn't think I was, but if I eat before I work out I feel uncomfortable, over stuffed and it causes my breathing to be restricted during some exercises. Maybe I drank too much water at the wrong time. All I know for sure is that I really hope I don't ever feel that way ever again.

I just finished the first week of the second 30 day challenge. I weighted myself and I'm 4 pounds lighter than I was when I got the scale. I've noticed one little change, when I sit in chairs with arms on them I don't ooze through the spaces any more. I just barely fit, but I can sit down without squeezing myself in and I can stand up without prying myself out or lifting my chair up on my hips and thighs like I used to do! Progress is encouraging.

I think I'll either get books or the second EA Active workout, as a reward for finishing my second 30 day challenge. I'll have to decide which I want more when the time comes. I need a lighter cooking cook book, and I've been reading the Percy Jackson books, I have 1, 2, and 4 I need to get 3 and 5 some day soon. Oh heck, maybe I'll get the books AND the exercise game at the same time. :)

I got a bathroom scale the other day. I won't tell you how much I weigh, but it's quite a bit more than I thought it would be. It's more than the last time I remember having it taken at the Doctor's office. So I need to adjust the amount of weight I need to loose, by about 30 pounds.

What this means to me is that I was quite a bit heavier than I thought when I started to eat less fried foods and reduce the sugar I eat. I can now wear cloths I couldn't get into a before we moved here, so that's 3 years. I still believe I've lost about 20 pounds since I started to reduce the serving sizes back then. I should be loosing even more because of exercising regularly. I guess I might have gained a little because of muscle weighs more than fat. I know that I've gained some muscle in my legs and arms mostly. Howard says that my bottom is less jiggly and more muscular, so that would make a difference.

I started another 30 day challenge on the seventh. I decided that I needed to do it on easy again, because it still gets my heart beating fast and hard, and sometimes breathing gets kind of labored. It IS easier now than it was the first few days of the last one, so it's working. I'm in better shape now, I feel better too. I have a long way to go, even longer than I thought, but I'm determined to get it done.

Weight loss and exorcise.

I've had a slight bit of success loosing weight by cutting back on the portion sizes I eat, and eating less fried and sugary food. I'd guess I've lost about 10-15 pounds over the last couple of years. Now I think it's time that I actually do some scheduled exorcise.

Today was my 5th day using EA Active for the Wii. (2 days working out, 1 rest day and 2 days working out)

I think I can keep this up for a while. I hope I don't find something else to distract me from working out, like I've done in the past. The easy level is almost too hard for me, but I'm getting through it. I have to take out the jumping exorcises, so I don't bother my downstairs neighbors. The running is really hard for me, I get out of breath really easy. But, so far anyway, I have been able to push on through with only a minute or two pause to get my breath back. The last couple of workouts seemed much easier than the first two, I still have one more work out to do to have done all of the variations. We'll see how I do when I do the first two again.

Howard says that he can tell that I'm getting more toned, especially my legs. I don't see it or feel it yet, but I like that he says he can. He tells me how well I'm doing and encourages me to run just a little bit farther before I stop to breath. When I get the second player equipment, I'm going to get him to workout with me.

Wii Sports came with the Wii, so we have been playing that some too. Bowling, and golf are my favorites, tennis is okay, but I have a problem with baseball and boxing is a real work out. So all of us do some active playing, and we have a lot of fun together.

Hot Wings, peanut brittle, and a scarf.

I've recently learned how to make peanut brittle, well actually it was pecan brittle. I've made one batch, I poured it too thick, so it was kind of hard to eat. I put in too much salt too, but that was okay. I'm planning to make another batch, maybe with walnuts or almonds or pecans again, this time I'll be really careful with the salt and try to make it thin enough to eat properly.

Messed Up Daddy made some Hot Wings for me over the week-end. I LOVE hot wings! They are actually very easy to make. I like the traditional recipe, with a hot sauce like Frank's or something. It needs to be spicy and taste of vinegar. But I also like some not so traditional flavors too. Tabasco has a flavor called Sweet and Spicy that works well and tastes great. I think I could eat Hot Wings nearly every day of the week.

When I get my next pay check, I'm going to go get some green and yellow yarn. I plan to make The Boy a scarf some time soon. It will be half Ducks and half Beavers, because I'm a Duck lover and Messed Up Daddy loves the Beavers. That way he can display colors of which ever team he feels strongest about that day. I'll try to post pictures when I get it finished. I might try to put OSU on one end and U of O on the other. We will see what happens.

50th birthday party.

I turned 50 on October 16. My family, well all of them that could anyway, took me to dinner on the 18th to celebrate. One of my best friends and her children were there too, helping to make the day special. We had a great time visiting and catching up with the comings and goings in each others lives. My niece and her family were having some trouble getting the people they bought their house from to move out. So they weren't feeling very festive, but they came and I think they had a good time anyway.

Here are some pictures the Howard took during our dinner. We got trainer chop sticks for the kids, and some dollar tree whistles for them as well.

Traditional family roles.

I may have mentioned before that I feel at conflict with myself sometimes. On the one hand, I'm very much an old fashioned wife and mother. I like stay at home with the kids, I like knitting, sewing, cooking and even feel a bit of pride when I manage to keep the house clean for several days at a time. I like planning things for my family, and bringing it off well.

On the other hand I also enjoy working, or going to school. Maybe because the kinds of jobs I'd be doing would revolve around kids and families. I like being out and about, spending time with other adults, and making money.

I think I've found a good compromise, at least for now, watching kids in my home. I can usually find the time to do the things I like to do, and still make money. Being a good housekeeper is harder to work out, because I feel that my JOB is watching the kids not cleaning the house. Right now I work for 11 hours 5 days a week. I do the big cleaning on week-ends, and do the daily dishes in the morning between waking up to get The Boy to school and walking out the door to get him on the bus. Sometimes I do some dishes or other cleaning while the girl I babysit is napping. I can knit and watch her, but sewing has to wait until the week-end because it's kind of noisy and demands more attention than I'd like to take away from watching her.

My husband and I are equals in our marriage. We are not the same, however. Our talents and educations differ and that helps determine our roles. I'm much better at watching the kids, cleaning, and other domestic things, he is better at things that need more physical abilities, like moving the furniture, and dealing with tools. I deal with the people stuff, he deals with the mechanical stuff. He fixes our computers, I call and deal with people about bills or other problems. I'm sure I could make it without him, I just wouldn't like it as much. I'm sure he could make it without me, he just wouldn't like it as much either.

We seem to have fallen into more traditional gender roles. It's not because either of us thinks that's the way it should be, but because that's the best way to use our individual talents and strengths. There are people who seem to feel that I'm not a very good feminist because I do more of the old fashioned wifely things. Or that my husband is a male chauvinist because I don't work out side the home. Neither is true. I'm learning that what other people think doesn't really matter. It's been a hard lesson for me to learn. I have to keep reminding myself of some advice my Grandmother gave me, "Do what makes you happy, because at least one person will be happy. Trying to do things just to make other people happy doesn't always work." I'm trying to remember that as long as our family is happy it doesn't matter what other people think.

Dried Chiles - Samples from Marx Foods.

Just before I went to my parents house for vacation I received a box with some dried chile samples. I talked to to Dad, who grew up in the South West, about what he would do with some of the stuff I got. The only thing he thought of was to use the New Mexican Chile to make either Enchilada sauce or Chili con Carne. I'm still looking for a good Chili recipe.

I use some of the De Arbol Chiles to make some Chile oil. I put several of the dried pods in a bottle of Olive oil. It's been sitting on my counter for about a week now, I haven't noticed much of a flavor from the Chile just yet, but I'm hoping I'll be able to taste it eventually. I wonder how long it will take? I guess I should check around on line and see if I can find the answer.

It looks pretty, but I wish more of the chile would sink to the bottom.

The other chile's I got, and need to find recipes to use them in, are:

Japones Chile

Puya Chile

Smoked Serrano Chile

New Mexico Chile

and Chipotle Chile

All of them, except for the Chipotles, are medium in heat. I took a small piece from each of them and re hydrated them to taste them. That helped me pick one for the oil, but didn't help me think of anything to do with the rest.

So if any of you have any ideas, I'd love to hear them. I'm excited and frustrated about them. They smell wonderful. If all else fails I guess I could ground them up and have some Delicious chile powders.

The First day of First Grade.

I somehow didn't get things together early enough to get pictures of The Boy on his first day of school this year. He was so interested in changing to go out to play I didn't get any after school either.

He didn't want to talk too long, he wanted to go play, but said that he had a good day. I'll get him to talk later, after dinner and find out some more information. I'll ask about the kids in his class, and his first school lunch.

I missed him all day! Little Day Care Girl missed him too. I couldn't wait for him to get home, and he just wanted to leave me again. LOL

I'll try to get pictures tomorrow, no promises though.

Turnovers.

I finally got around to making my own puff pastry. I think it will be easier this winter when the weather is cooler.

Anyway, I made a pineapple-apricot filling and made turnovers. I don't know if it's because I cut it wrong, or because of the way I tried to "seal" the edges but it didn't puff very well. The flavor was out of this world! They were rather light and flaky, but not as puffed as I thought it would be.


I have half of the dough left, and some cherries that were frozen that I'll make some filling out of, and I'll try again soon.

Here are some pictures:

Why The Boy won't be using the clippers any time soon.

The Boy gave himself a hair cut a few days ago. Don't worry, it's okay, really.

His Dad was trimming his beard with the clippers, The Boy was "helping" and at one point he held the clippers for his Dad. He decided to find out how the vibration would feel against his forehead. He liked it quite a bit and before he knew it, or his Dad could stop it, he ran the clippers across the side of his head. Cutting his hair to about an eighth of an inch. But that isn't were he stopped, he moved the clippers almost to the top of his head and clipped another strip of hair. Dad told him to come and show me what he had done.

After looking at it and discussing what needed to be done, it was decided that the only thing that could be done was to cut the rest of his hair to the same length. It's shorter than I would have liked, but it will grow out again.

Here are some pictures.

Last week the weather was too hot for me, so we got an air conditioner. Things have cooled down quite a bit, thank goodness. I haven't done much, I've researched how to make puff pastry, but didn't make any yet. I've kept up with the dishes, and kept the apartment mostly clean. Of course I've babysat. I haven't done much creative stuff. I'll get in the mood again pretty soon, I'm sure. I put up the curtains I ordered, they are WAY too long, so I'm slowly getting them hemmed up. Instead of being floor level they are now just long enough cover the window. I think I'll hem the other pair one inch longer.

Day Care Girl is learning more and more words all the time. We are working on body parts, beyond the starter parts like eyes, nose, feet, and tummy. I'm adding in colors now too. She can count to 4 without help, so we are working on that as well. I really want to get those little puzzle mats with the alphabet pieces on one and numbers on the other.

The Boy is excited about going back to school. I'm going to miss him very much, he will be in first grade so will be in school all day. They are going to try to get him in a regular class room for reading and math, but he will have the special class room for support and social stuff. He still doesn't understand when other kids are being mean to him. I'd say his social interaction level is closer to a 4 or maybe even a 5 year old, he seems so innocent to me. School starts September 8th this year, I think.

Howard sometimes seems to appreciate what I do, the home baked bread, and the fact that I'm here for The Boy whenever he needs me to be. Other times, he seems to resent that he has to go to work and I get to stay home. He will mention that I don't make much money, and that he thinks I should get an other job or more kids or in some other way I should do more. He sometimes just says that he wishes he could stay home and cook, clean, take care of the kids, and whatever else he thinks I'm doing all day.

He wants a car, but if we get one all the extra stuff we can get now, and the savings we could be saving, will not be affordable any more since we would have to pay insurance, gas, upkeep and maybe even car payments. I know it's hard for him to have to ride the bus to work 4 days a week and have to hitchhike the other day, it's hard for me not to be able to go get groceries whenever we need them, or go run errands around town. However, he is the one who applied and was excited about working some place so far from anyone we know. He is the one who says he wouldn't take a day schedule no matter what, and he is the one who doesn't have a license and so wouldn't even be able to drive himself to work anyway. Most of the time he is okay with things, and is happy that I am making some money so we can get some of the extras we have had to live without for so long. He usually likes the things I do around here and often tells me how much it means to him. I just needed to vent about the rest of the time.

The last day of Kindergarten.

Today was The Boy's last day of Kindergarten. I had thought of dressing him in the same outfit as he wore on the first day of Kindergarten, but the bright yellow shirt is a little stained. Messed Up Daddy took these pictures after school today.

Hiding behind his certificate.

With Mom, showing off the certificate.

It used to be a "Black Butterfly".

I'm glad it's over. I've missed him since he's been in school. He seems fine so far about not going to school next week, and for the whole summer. However, I'm not sure that will last very long, since I can still use not going to school as a threat to get him to behave the way I want.

The wedding, a story in pictures.

My favorite before the wedding picture.

The Bride and her Grandmother.

They had just finished doing the Brides hair.

The Bride and her Father.

The Bride and Groom's first kiss as a married couple.


Introducing Mr. and Mrs.

The wedding party at dinner.

The Bride hugging her Father. During their dance.

The first dance as a married couple.

Preparing to cut the cake.

Grandpa taking a walk with the Daughter of the Bride.

Walking with Grandpa, with Mom's wedding bouquet.

THE END.



(There are many more pictures, of the Bride and Groom, Their children, Family and Friends. Pictures of the dancing, and kids playing. I'll post some of them later.)

The perfect bike for me.

Madsen Cycles has a cargo bike that looks like it would be perfect for me. I could take the kids for a ride across the bridge to the farmers market, and bring home our purchases. It would be terrific for shopping, or taking everyone out for a picnic. Here's the link to the cargo bike MADSEN Cargo Bikes what do you think?

Results of our IEP meeting at The Boy's school.

The Boy is doing quite well in school, academically at least.

He's right on track with reading, maybe even a bit advanced, and he's doing well in math. He loves to read and is always playing with letters and words.

His speech is still a bit off, but it's more of a communication problem. He speaks clearly, and has a fairly large vocabulary, but doesn't know how to explain, or describe something.

He was screened for vision, and seems to have depth perception problems and distance vision problems. We need to take him in for an exam.

He didn't finish the hearing screening, he says that the beeps made his head feel wobbly.

He is going to stay in the ERC, where there are more adults in the class room and is set up for adaptive educational opportunities, for the rest of this year and for next year. They will main stream him for reading and math next year, if it works out the way we all think it will.

He needs to learn some basic social stuff, like personal space, and how to read non-verbal clues. He doesn't seem to understand when people are being mean to him or want him to step back a pace or two.

His hands are fairly weak, and he hates writing and drawing. We are working on that still this year in school and home. Next year we will continue and see if we can find anything new to do to help him.

The Doctor's office is looking into getting him a referral for some neurological testing to see if there is a neurological reason for some of the things we have been seeing. They want to get him in as soon as possible, so they are looking at a few places in Portland that do the testing we think he needs to see which one will be quickest and which one our insurance will pay for. I don't know what we will do if the insurance doesn't pay for any of the testing.

He is showing some signs for epilepsy, but there are also some signs for other neurological disturbances. Of course it might not be any thing we have thought of, it might be nothing except for is own personality.