Dear Daddy Dearest,
If you have the GALL to stand your daughter up on Father's Day with not even a phone call informing her that you are not going to her house for a BBQ in your honor, nor do you pick up your god damned home phone...or cell phone...or your wife's cell phone... or return any of the messages she left you, kindly do NOT share your stupid Farmville crops with the world on Facebook while you are supposed to be at said BBQ,, thereby letting her know inadvertently that you are indeed home and fucking off online. Kay? Thanks.

Love, your ONLY child, who lives but a mere 30 min away

PS: I MOPPED, for cryin out loud.

Posted via LiveJournal.app.

Hanna is on a potty-talk kick. She thinks the word "poop" is the funniest thing in the English language. She could be mid-wail over something very serious (like her frustration over not being able to put on her own socks or the fact that I won't give her ice cream for breakfast), but if I interrupt her and say "Poop!" she just cracks up. Every song she now sings is injected with Poop.

"Mary Had a Little POOP!"

"Twinkle Twinkle Little POOP!"

"Take Me Out To The Ball POOP!"

Her brother only eggs her on and is now singing poopy songs right along with her, to her delight. They giggle together like there's no tomorrow.

I'm mortified in public, but it's cute to see how they relish this humor together. Do I discourage it or just let it slide and hope they grow bored of it? It's like diarrhea right now...

For the first time in almost a YEAR, I am now ONLINE. The proud owner of a brand-spanking new, shiny, gorgeous MacBook (with a bright pink cover, thankyouverymuch!), I am thrilled to say that the portable thumbdrive-online-connection-thingy is finally working on my computer, and I can now type, unabated, from a keyboard! Oh, the bliss of typing, not texting from my iPhone!!! I am so thrilled, I can hardly find words! Now I just need to update my typing skillz. ;) That said, Adeeb has to take the aforementioned portable-thumbdrive-online-connection-thingy with him on his business trip next week, but for now, I can post to my heart's content, and I am heartily going to make use of that. Oh, how I've missed being able to post random stuff, and while Facebook has been my savior in that regard (thx to my iPhone), it doesn't hold a candle to a computer. So be forewarned...

Now where was I since my last update?
I've talked about Zeuz. Oh, but my Hanna. My Hanna is something else entirely.

( Read more... )

So while I have the laptop handy...an update on Joe.

Who actually goes by "Zeuz", for those of you not in the know...Joseph was named after my FIL 'Yousef', whose nickname when he was little was "Zu-zu". When Zeuz was born, my niece shortened it to "Zeuz", so that is how he is known. (Joe is just shorter and easier to type...;p). Anywhooo.

Zeuz is in a regular Ed. Kindergarten this year, with his own specific aide at school. She sits with him through everything to keep him on track, and she is WONDERFUL.



With his Autism, he has difficulties keeping on track, so having her there with him at every step of the way is KEY to his success.

We have also started him (after a 6 month fight with the school district) on At-home ABA (ie: one-on-one, it stands for "Applied Behavior Analysis) therapy. This just started last week, and the guy (therapist) is VERY new. It's been a struggle for the two sessions we've had, to show the new guy how Z rolls, and how to best engage him, but I hope things work out. If not, I'll ask for a more experienced therapist, but for now, I'm willing to give the guy a chance. He's into guitar (a BIG plus in Z's book!) and is patient, although I'm not sure of the experience he's had with autistic children.
As a mother, is SO HARD not to be able to take him into any kind of social situation and not have to explain his gifts vs. faults. He doesn't engage kids in social play really (although he's getting better at bossing his little sister around!), and mostly, he has a really hard time with staying on task if it's not the way HE wants to do it. For those of you who have met him in the past, he's a different kid, but he's still well behind where he should be with kids his age.
I have him on a Gluten-Free diet, because I'd read that it can really affect Austim. Apparently, gluten (found in wheat (flour), barley, rye and oats) attaches itself to the oppiate receptors in the body and causes one to "tune out". If I hadn't witnessed the repurcussisons in Joe, I wouldn't have believed it, but he is SO much more present when we cut it out of his diet. I mean, if he grabs a piece of bread off the table from a restaurant, within 20 minutes he's off spinning in a corner. It's AMAZING the impact it has on him, so I spend most of my time cooking gluten-free meals for him or coming up with something for him to eat. Eating out (except for In-N-Out burgers, protien-style (no bun), of course) has become non-existent for us, unless I bring him his own food. Sugar had a similar effect, as does too much dairy, and Nitrates/Nitrites found in deli meats, but they seem to exit his system more quickly than does gluten (2-3 days, vs. a week or longer). It makes snacks and meals hard, especially given a sister who craves regular food, but needs to keep up with her brother. But SO worth it.

He's still amazing in his math skills (exponentials!), and reading, but we've really tried to tone back the math so he can focus more on his verbal abilities. He still gets speech therapy at least 2-3 times a week. We introduced the "Rosetta Stone" program to him (the language disks) in Greek, and the kid is already up to level 8 in three weeks. He's spouting Greek to me and and I have no idea what he's saying. Crap....running out of laptop batteries...GTG for now. SO much more to say.

We're housebound today. Joe has yet another cold and gave it to his sister. Hanna is miserable, poor baby, only because she can't breathe to eat. So she pops off, looks at me beseachingly and starts to cry. Breaks a mother's heart, I tell you. I keep using that bulb syringe on her, and it comes as no surprise that she HATES it. I would hate someone stealing my breath away, too. It's POURING outside today, too, with strange bouts of hail, so we're home for the day.

I recently succumbed to a "free trial" offer from Netflix, and decided that I Cannot Live Without It. It's been a mind-saver for the late nights with Hanna, who has been staying up until 2:30 or so every night. One can only watch so much Celebreality without going nuts, and I'm finally able to catch up on movies that I missed over the last 2.5 years. I thought I signed up for the one-movie-at-a-time deal, but apparently, Netflix decided that I'm better off with three, and I now have to agree with them.

I'm also back on the wagon when it comes to Weight Watchers (online--no time or $ to go to meetings right now). I'd forgotten how tedious it is to count points, but I am also realizing how disgustingly slack I've become when it comes to portion control or what I've been eating. I'm already down a pound and that's just from yesterday. The hard part is staying good late nights. Those late nights kill me when I'm practically falling over asleep in my chair, and I'm constantly hungry. Dinner was 6 hours ago, you know?

Hanna's crying, big shock, so off I go to re-boob her. :)

Current Mood: blah

My pregnancy calender entry for today says,

"If you have other children, this can be a poignant time, because it is the last few weeks of being a family in the way that you're used to. It can seem hard to imagine that there will be enough of you to go around, and you may wonder if it will ever be possible for you to love a new baby as much."

Totally true. We're just over 4 weeks away, if I last that long. Wow.

Current Mood: pensive

OMG. I just got this email for one of the eBay auctions I listed/sold this week:

"Hello, I JUST STARTED USING E-BAY AND MADE A MISTAKE AND ACCIDENTALLY WON
YOUR BID.
I AM SORRY FOR THE MISUNDERSTANDING AND ANY INCONVIENANCE I HAVE CAUSED."

WTF? Now I'm out the listing fees? The second chance offer is less, but I think I could get more if I just relisted. I have no idea how to reply to this lady. She had no previous history, and I was skeptical, and now I'd wished I'd listed to my gut. Grr.

*and I just love how she started in normal type and then moved on to all-caps. Can we say Copy and Paste?

Current Mood: annoyed

He didn't go to sleep last night until 11:30 (so I didn't go down until 2:00 after getting stuff cleaned up around here), and he woke up bright and cheery at 7:30. He has total dark circles under his eyes, so I KNOW he's tired. He's in that wild and crazy stage of being too tired, and it's just wearing me out. Uuuuugh. I'M so tired, I want to cry.

Current Mood: exhausted

Just a couple, as I'm trying to get out of here before nightfall. ;)

1. He has these "alphabet" cards, that have a picture corresponding to whatever letter is on the card. (ie: A is Ant, etc.). The one for R is a rat (why?!?!?), so I was trying to explain to him what a rat is. It's a "big mouse", says I. Now, whenever he sees the card, he says, "Big Mickey Mouse!"

2. He just found one of my bookmarks, the kind with long fringe off of the tail. He's now running (bare butt-ed) through the house, yelling "Kite!!" and "flying" the bookmark behind him.

:)

Current Mood: amused

Can someone please explain to me the allure of drawing all over oneself--especially the bare legs of summer!--with ball point pen? Not naming any names, or anything....

Current Mood: amused

Went to mandajuice's house tonight for friends, pizza, playtime and booze. I left booze until last, since that seems to be the remaining effect of the evening. I'm STOOPID drunk. I just took an Alka Seltzer flu pack just to combat the hangover I'm bound to have in the middle of the night, so cross your fingers that it helps. Ouch. Those pink frozen concoctions are just too good/bad, but they ARE befitting a holiday weekend. Too bad my boss won't let me have the day off tomorrow, so I'm off to bed.

Current Mood: drunk

Well, I'm not sure if it's from the full moon or not, but I feel like ass. Total achey, runny-eyed, sore sinuses kind of ass. I'm running a bit of a fever, too, but my current boss(es) won't let me take time off. I'm afraid I'm laying around like a slug, coveting one of those new Starbucks Mint Mocha Fraps (dammit, Erika, you HAD to mention it, didn't you?).

Thank you all so much for your sympathies regarding my sweet kitty. You're so amazing when a gal needs a mental lift. I'm dreadfully tired of thinking about it, honestly, or I would answer each of you, so please bear with me and know that it meant the world to me to know you were thinking of me. MWAH!

Off to go replay my videotape of Rob&Ambers' wedding. Am I the only one who LOVED every second of it (except for Rob's robotic utterance of his vows)? I laughed, I cried, it was probably better than Cats, although I've never seen it to compare. But that was some damn good TV right there, let me tell you and I am THRILLED to have it on tape for posterity. Rob is so in love with her that it makes me *heart* him, even if he can be quite the ass when he wants to be.

Current Mood: sick

http://www.saab-stuff.com/pop.swf

Current Mood: amused

I tell you, when the matriarch dies (or anyone, I suspect, but ESPECIALLY the matriarch!), there is one function after another. Formal dinner last night, Mass today and then another bout of food. A leaves tomorrow for Dallas, and while I hate to see him go, it's almost gonna be nice to have a couple of days to catch up around here.

Current Mood: busy

This same night last year was my vigil. Gam's last night. We stayed up with her all night, watching as her stats slowly dwindled, wishing that it were over and yet not wanting to let her go. She was on heavy morphine at this point, unable (hopefully) to feel anything. I would talk to her, tell her that I loved her and she would utter a small noise, just enough for me to know that she heard me and understood me. She held on until 12:30pm the next day.

I wonder about the coincidence that my son has this same sickness right now. This week. THIS sickness. I don't understand the meaning, but surely there must be one. I am just glad that I can help him---that I don't feel as powerless as I did to help her.

As I sit here in tears, I could write a novel about her. Indeed, over this past year, I feel like I have done just that. But simply, there is only one thought that goes through my head tonight.


I miss her with every fiber of my being. I miss my sweet Gammie.

Current Mood: sad

Pneumonia :( We definitely have to postpone our trip, but his health is obviously more important. The two dreaded days this week will be hard no matter where we are, and maybe this is the Universe's way of showing me that.

It's unbelievable to me that I've cared for someone with Pneumonia during this exact same week for two consecutive years.

Poor child.

Current Mood: indescribable

My horoscope says this:

"You have way too much running through your head. Don't take too much for granted or take on too much. Concentrate on what you know you can handle, and do it well. You may not be inclined to take a cautious approach but you should. Think twice."

[whimper] Have I mentioned that I'm scared? [/whimper]

Current Mood: worried

I'm scared. My poor child is SICK. He's never been this sick with a stomach bug before, projectile vomiting and then wretching continuously afterwards, ending in dry heaves. He puked all over me within me being home for 5 minutes. I got him into a bath and into his jammies and into bed (with a bottle of milk--STOOOPID, STOOOOPID ME!!!-), and he let loose again an hour after the first time, this time soaking his bedding and then me AGAIN once I picked him up. We made it for Round #3 in the sink. He's also passing this horrificly smelling gas, and even in his sleep, he's tossing and turning and obviously feels miserable.

I've given him a sip of water, and he just started to cry. I'm afraid he'll get dehydrated if he doesn't drink fluids, though. I have some "unflavored" *my ass* Pedialyte in the 'fridge mixed with water, and I'm hoping to sneak some of that into him later. He hates the flavored stuff, so I'm hoping the unflavored (which still tastes salty) won't be as bad.

I'm feeling bit pukey myself, but I wonder if it's just nerves or the smell of vomit permeating the place.

I hate that I'm all alone, although if A were here, we'd probably just end up arguing over what to do. My AAP book says to continue with the electrolyte stuff, and if it continues to call a doctor. I know that this is probably just one of those childhood illnesses, and that it always seems more dramatic when coming from a small child. I'm trying not to overreact, but at what point should I freak? It's been a couple of days that he's been throwing up, but not continuously. It just seems worse tonight. He has a lower than normal temp, no fever, and other than feeling crappy tonight, he's been his normal-acting self, with the exception of a couple of barf-fests. But tonight, he's scaring me. If he's not better tomorrow, I'm calling the ped. Of course, this also has to be the week that I'm training my replacement at work and have NO TIME TO SPARE. And what if he's not better before our trip?

[whimper] Have I mentioned that he's never been this sick before? [/whimper] :(

Current Mood: worried

I didn't let him sleep the rest of the day. I figured I'd rather him burn up all that excess energy at Gymboree THEN the playground, then home for dinner and a bath. we didn't stop the rest of the day, in fact, and I put him to bed promptly at 7:30. He NEVER goes down that early, so we'll see if he sleeps through the night. God help me if he wakes up at 5:00 ready to start the day. If that's the case, then I should be getting to bed, but I still have to clean the litterboxes, balance my checkbook, take a shower and dry my hair. No rest for the weary. Got the dishwasher running, at least. ;)

Current Mood: accomplished

GAH, the boy woke up after only 45 minutes. It's 'cause he went to sleep before eating lunch, and he already didn't eat much for breakfast, so he was hungry. I wasn't about to wake him up, though, after he fell asleep in the car on the way home.

SHIT.

Current Mood: drained