What's up with us!

I guess I have been a little busy, because I haven't posted since September. I am not sure what all to update you all on. I did get some money towards the rechargeable batteries from the insurance company.....a whole $147.00 towards $800 worth of batteries....YIKES right? At least I didn't have to battle them for it.

Jacob is still working at a local electronics store. He needs to take a certification test and then start applying again. We hope that the certification will help him with getting a job. Elijah is in 10th grade and doing well. He is having a very good year and still likes ROTC. I married my girlfriend back in June and we are doing well. We have been together for six years, but this will be our first married Christmas. I am not sure if that is a big deal or not, but I love Christmas anyway.

I decorated over Thanksgiving break. There are lots of presents under the tree, but I have been saving for a while. I had some medical issues back at the end of October and early November. I am going back in to see the gynecologist to see what can be done to help with that. It isn't anything too serious, but something that needs to be addressed.

I haven't watched the news since the election. As a parent of a special needs child, I was not a Trump supporter and I am still not a supporter of him. Enough of politics though. We are still waiting on gutters, insulation, a mailbox and for the fence to be repaired since the storm in APRIL! It has been almost 8 months! At least we have a roof and the majority of the damage is fixed.

Tiger was sick for several weeks and the vet finally figured out it was a severe allergy to fleas. He is off medication and wearing a flea collar. The other three cats are have flea collars too. We give him melatonin at night. He is finally growing back some hair and seems better. The other three cats are good too! They are a big part of our family.

Overall, Life is good. I am happy as are the boys and my wife. I love saying "my wife". I'll try to write more often, but we our lives are not that exciting!

It's Been a While

I just realized I have not posted in over two months! I guess you can say I have been busy. The summer went by quickly. Elijah had SEVERAL doctor's appointments that kept us busy for the first few weeks of the summer. I kept my niece and nephew two days a week, plus we had to deal with the house. We finally got the ceilings repaired and new wood floors at the end of July. We had to move out of the house for a week. Insurance paid for the hotel and our meals, but boy was it still a hassle. There was a lot to pack up and put away so the contractors could do their work.

We arrived home on a Tuesday morning to clean up before moving our things back from the hotel, only to find the AC was broken. The repairman came that afternoon and we ended up having to buy a whole new unit which was installed the next day. He was able to put in Freon so that we could survive the night. It gets hot here in TEXAS in JULY! The house looks great. We have a few minor things to still have taken care of in the house. We also need new insulation, the fence to be restained, the house to be painted and the gutters to be put up. The contractors are busy working on other people's home right now.

I went back to work on Aug. 8th and school started on Aug. 22nd. Jacob is still working at a larger retail electronics' store in the computer components section. He hopes to gain experience and is currently seeking employment with higher pay and better things to offer. Elijah started the tenth grade on Aug. 22nd and all is going well. All of the teachers say he seems to have matured over the summer.

Work is keeping me very busy. I am doing a lot of what I did before, but now I have the responsibility of scheduling the ARD (IEP) meetings, prepping the for the meetings, doing the assessments and writing reports. There is SO much more I do, but I can't even remember it all to list it all. The people I work with are great and I feel fortunate to be where I am.

My honey and I have now been married for three months. Life continues to go well for us. She is working hard and still doing most of the cooking. I am looking forward to many more months with her!

The holidays are just around the corner and I am looking forward to all of them! I'll try to be better and post more often!

Slowing Down....A Little

I have spent the last five years rushing through life. In fact, I have probably been rushing through life for the last 14 years, since Elijah was born. Parenting two boys, especially one with special needs, is no easy task. Elijah came home on oxygen and has always needed more attention than a typical child.
I work full time and have been mystery shopping for the last four years, and now I am in grad school.

I just started getting child support again back in January, and I think I can finally slow down a bit and not work so hard. Of course, I will keep teaching and working on grad school. I am slowing way down on mystery shopping. I am finally at a point where I feel like I can slow down and enjoy the boys and spending time with my honey. Time has passed too quickly with Jacob and I want to be sure I can spend time with him and Elijah this summer. I am so used to rushing around and working so much, that I hope I can make myself slow down and smell the roses!

My Bookstand

Here is the bookstand that ordered, so I can do my grad school work. I have noticed that my neck and back have been bothering me after I do work on the computer for school. It didn't take long to figure out that laying the book in my lap and typing was not working! I went online to Amazon and ordered this bookstand!

I finally got a chance to try out the bookstand today and I love it! It is easy to set up and there are clips at the bottom to hold the pages in place. This is going to save my neck and back! I can't believe  I didn't think of this sooner.

Grad school is going well and I am ahead in both my classes by a few weeks. I should be registering for next semester by the beginning of November!

Elijah and the Alarm Clock

Elijah and my partner were out walking around the block today when they saw a garage sale. They decided to stop and look to see what they had. Elijah found a typical red digital display alarm clock and wanted it. My partner said he could buy it, so they went home and got the $1.00 to purchase it. I arrived home later and he showed me his alarm clock. He said he had it set to go off at 7:00 am. I told him how much I liked it. Later, my partner asked if I had seen what Elijah had bought, and I told her I had. She said she realized he couldn't HEAR the alarm going off in the morning, but he wanted it so badly that she just couldn't say no.

I was just now putting him to bed and he told me again that he had his alarm clock set for 7:00 am. I asked him how he would hear it in the morning and he just looked at me. I could see the realization hitting him that HE WOULDN'T be able to hear the alarm clock, because his processors would not be on his ears. I asked him if he was deaf and he shook his head no. I told him that he was deaf when he wasn't wearing his ears. I then told him that there was a special alarm clock made for people just like him. I told him it would vibrate to wake him up in the morning and we could put it under his pillow. I also told him, he didn't quite need one yet, since he was still living at home, but that we would get him one soon.

Elijah is almost 13 years old and I think it is time to be more honest with him about his hearing. He needs to be able to explain that he is deaf to others when I am not around. This is the reality of raising a child with a disability and I need to prepare him for the real world.

MORE TICS!

OH MY OH MY, those darn tics! Elijah is just making all kinds of noises! I emailed his teacher and two principals tonight giving them a heads up. He is out of school on Monday, but the holiday is over then and back to school on Tuesday. I hate to say it, but the tics were on my last NERVE today.(Hence the cat picture, we love cats!) This may be totally TMI and gross, so please skip ahead to the next paragraph if needed....but one of his tics is SNORTING. He blows his nose out as hard as he can with no Kleenex. He will do it several times in a row. I know this is a tic, but it is a gross and unhygienic tic. I gently inform him that it is not very NICE or CLEAN to have this tic and to try to stop. He will for a while and then there it is again!

I warned the school about this tic in particular, because it is so gross. It also looks very purposeful. I think sometimes they forget he has Tourettes and that means tics. They wax and wane and you just never know when they will hit hard. Elijah has a status sheet that comes home everyday with him, and sometimes there is a note that he was making annoying noises that bothered other students. WELL DUH, might we assume they are tics and keep an eye on them. Might you even ask him if they are tics, because he doesn't lie(I wrote about this in another post, one teacher was just SO SURE that Elijah's cussing was a tic. She assured me it was. I asked him and he admitted he was just saying the words and not a tic....so if he won't lie about that, then why lie about other tics?). I know Tourettes is hard to understand, but I wish his teacher would try to remember that! He doesn't get in trouble, but sometimes the more you ask him to stop the more he will tic. I wanted to give the school a gentle reminder and I suggested they have a plan in place JUST in case these TICS do annoy other kids. Asking him to stop his tics, is like asking someone to stop a sneeze. They can maybe hold the tic in for a bit, but it will come OUT at some point!

Hopefully this phase will pass and things will calm down. I know if it drives me crazy, it must drive him crazy. Tomorrow is another day, right?

LABELS!

We live a life in which we are all labeled at one point or another. When we are born, we are labeled as a boy or a girl. We are labeled by our race, hair color, eye color and how big we are and all of this happens on the day we are born. There are many other labels that come later. Some of them are nice to have. Labels that tell us how smart we are or that we are loved by somone. However, many labels that are given to children in school are usually not fun labels. Many of them are generic labels that are used on MANY children. Then there are the labels used in special education and medical professionals.

Elijah was labeled as a premature baby on the day he was born. He then received the label as a child with a hearing loss when he was five weeks old. This was confirmed four weeks later. He went home on oxygen and received the label as medically fragile having a reactive airway. Grant you, he was not as fragile as many children, but he certainly wasn't healthy.  These are the  labels he lived with for a long time. I like to remember that he was and still is a blue eyed red headed precious boy!

Elijah started school at the age of three with the label of auditorially impaired(AI) and wears cochlear implants. Auditorially Impaired is the Federal term used for a hearing imparied child. He started off as a total communication AI student and then later was labeled as an ORAL AI student. He was also a child with behavior issues and later earned the label of ADHD. He started medication and things were OK for about 18 months and then the tics started. At the age of eight he received the label of Tourette Syndrome and a few months later the label of OCD. These were given my medical professional and at school fall under OHI(Other Health Impaired). The school sent forms off to his doctors and one of them decided to put the label of Aspergers on the report. The school called me and DID NOT agree with this label at all and neither did I. I called the doctor and had it removed.

Elijah has lived with these labels most of his life and have overcome many obstacles. We are planning on taking him to a camp for kids with Tourette Syndrome in April. I completed the application and sent it off about two months ago. His doctors then needed to complete a medical form for all of his medications and I just recieved the form from his psychiatrist. All of his labels were listed along with PDD-NOS. This is an acronym for Pervasive Developmental Disorder that is non specific. Basically it is atypical autism. Well, here we go again. I looked up this disorder AGAIN and this is what I found.

As for the other PDD's, diagnosis of PDD-NOS requires the involvement of a team of specialists. The individual needs to undergo a full diagnostic evaluation, including a thorough medical, social, adaptive, motor skills and communication history. Other parts of an assessment can be behavioral rating scales, direct behavioral observations, psychological assessment, educational assessment, communication assessment, and occupational assessment.

I have to say I am more than just a bit irritated with his doctor. She sees him for 15 minutes every two to three months. A full diagnostic evaluation has never been done on him for PDD-NOS or any form of autism. Many hearing impaired children may show symptoms of autism as do some children with Tourette Syndrome. I don't believe hs is PDD-NOS and neither do the deaf educators who have worked with him for YEARS.  This is one label that I am not going to allow to be used with Elijah. Assumptions are made with labels, and he already has way TOO many and doesn't need another one. We go back to his doctor in May, and I guess she and I will need to talk.

Looking Back on 2012 and Forward to 2013

Here we are again at the end of another year! Overall, I would say it has been a good year. There have been several milestones this years for all of us. Jacob took driving classes and got his permit. He is now a junior and got his class ring! He is taller than me and growing up way too fast. He has a friend that is a girl, who has been over to our house several times. He and I have had some really good talks lately and he showing signs of becoming an adult and other times he is still such a teen. Next year brings him taking his test for his driver's license and turning 17. He still plans to referee soccer and then possibly getting a job in the summer.



Elijah is in sixth grade and will enter middle school next year. He will soon enter his teen years when his birthday rolls around in April. He told grandma today that he will be 13 in 2013! He is still such a little boy though. Children with Tourette Syndrome act 2/3 their age when it comes to maturity and I can definitely see this with Elijah. He is 12 but sometimes act more like an eight or nine year old. I guess he will grow up soon enough. He has had his ups and downs this past  year and we have made many changes in medications, but through it all we just keep on going. We recently made a new change in his medications and I think it has been a good change. We will know more when he goes back to school. He still sleeps with his stuffed animals and likes for me to tuck him in. One of these days he will grow up and not want me to "mother" him too much, so I think I will try to enjoy it while I can. Here is playing with a castle he made using styrofoam. He has a good imagination.

 

Things continue to go well with me and my honey. We have had a wonderful year together and are looking forward to many more years. We have fixed up the house and have plans to fix things up even more. We talked today about putting money away to travel to Germany in a year or two. I enjoy our family and I see such a difference in all of our happiness since my honey came along. My job is going well and keeps me busy. I enjoy my job and it brings me much satisfaction when I see growth in our students.

I am not sure what 2013 has in store for us. Jacob will have to start thinking about what he wants to do after he graduates. He still plans on being in ROTC next school year. Elijah will change schools in the Fall and have new teachers to get used too. I am sure something will change at work, it always does, but I will just have to roll with it. I know my honey will be there to support me through all of this as I will support her.

Please be safe tonight and Happy New Year!

Dealing with a Special Needs Child

This is a link to a blog titled, "I am Adam Lanza's Mother: A Mom's Perspective on the Mental Illness Conversation in America."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/16/i-am-adam-lanzas-mother-mental-illness-conversation_n_2311009.html

I read this blog and thought it was very well written. I hate to say, that since the shooting in Connecticut I have thought of nothing else then could this be my son? Elijah has a neurological condition and his brain doesn't always work right. He can get angry at time and have full rages. I don't share this too often on this blog, because it is hard to talk about. He takes four different medications in the morning and then two at night to help him with his implusivity and his tics. People with Tourettes can have Tourette Storms--he has trouble controlling his anger and when he is in the middle of one of these storms, there is no reasoning with him.

Thankfully, these storms do not happen very often and very rarely happen at home. When he is at home he is in his most comfortable place and there are not as many demands as there are at school. These storms seem to happen at school and we can go months without one and then when he has one it is out of the blue. When he does have one it is a lot of yelling and kicking at walls. He has been known to bite objects and people. He may also spit at people.

We manage as best we can with medication. I run a strict household with written rules. He has no access to the iPad, computers or video games during the week. He gets limited amounts of these things on the weekend. Many people may think I am too strict with him, but they don't understand. We don't go places during the week so we aren't out late at night. He needs to be in bed by 8:00 if it is a school night.

When I hear other parent's stories, I am thankful that Elijah's problems don't seem too severe, but then when it flares up I am saddened. At times, I wonder if I can continue, but there is no other choice. I am thankful for my partner and for others in my family who support me emotionally. Jacob is an awesome big brother, but even he has his limits.

I do love my little man though and we will keep on keeping on....it will get better.

What a Week We Have Had!

If you look at the time that I posted this at the bottom of this post you will see that it is 5:00 in the morning. I am sittng here waiting for the AC repairman to show up. We woke at at 1:15 this morning to a warm house. We checked out the AC and sure enough it was 80 degrees in the house. The sticker for the repair people was on the AC and it said same day service, so I thought I would call and at least see if they had an answering service. Well, someone did answer and he said they could get someone to me this morning if I was willing to have them come. I said YES of course! So here I am 3 1/2 hours later waiting for him to show up....and it is not considered an emergency visit so no extra cost there.

Now, that is not the only fun we have had this week!! I went to see my mom last weekend and my honey calls me on Sunday night and tells me that the refridgerator is not working. OH MY! She moved all of the freezer stuff to the big freezer and I came home the next day. This fridge was only four years old, but two years ago I put $500 in it for a new computer. I figured whatever was wrong with it this time was not worth sinking more money into, so we went out and bought a new fridge at Best Buy. They have 18 months no interest, 5% off when you use there card and we got three times the reward points! So we did that this past Monday and it was delivered on Wednesday!  We also bought a five year maintance agreement on it! I won't ever go without that again on a fridge, those things aren't built to last like they used to be.

Now two weeks ago the boys bathtub faucet was dripping. The plumber I use came out and fixed it, but said this may be the last time we can just fix the spigot. I'll probably have to replace the whole system next time. Well, last night I noticed it was dripping a LOT and called him today. He will come out and try to fix it again under warranty and if not he gave me an estimate on how much to replace it. He is coming the end of next week, because he is going on vacation.

Of course, we bought the new kitchen table this week too, but that was by choice. Let's just say, it has been a heck of a week. I hope after the bathtub faucet gets fixed that this is the last of repairs for a while. The dryer is brand new and the washer is only five years old!

Oh quick update, the AC guy just came in. It is a part on the outside unit. He is going to replace it and we should be up and running pretty soon! I am just glad it will be fixed and I am not having to wait until later today to get it up and running!

I hope everyone else is staying cool during this HOT summer!

Thanksgiving Break!

The boys were off for the entire week of Thanksgiving. I had to work Monday and Tuesday. They actually survived being home alone together for those two days! I spent Wednesday running some errands and then we had a pulmanologist appointment at 3:30 that afternoon that went to 6:30. Not my idea of fun, but it was the only time that day they had available and I was trying to avoid taking a day off from work. Jacob grew over an inch and gained a few pounds. Elijah grew 1 cm and lost two pounds! Elijah sounded great and had a great breathing test. Jacob has a sinus infection and his breathing test indicated he hasn't been taking his advair like he should, so I am going to have to step in and monitor that more closely.

We drove out to my mom's for Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday. My sister and her son were there as was my brother and his family. He has one girl and one boy, who is now about 15 months old and of course was the star of the day. He entertained us quite a bit. We ate way too much, as you should on Thanksgiving and enjoyed some great desserts. The boys and I drove back that evening.

A friend and I went shopping on Friday morning, but it was late that morning before we got out. We still managed to find some great deals though. I got our Christmas decorations up on that day too, including the Christmas tree! My sister and mom drove in yesterday and we had dinner last night. Elijah got to spend more time with his cousins and they enjoyed playing on the Wii. We are recuperating today and gearing up for the three weeks of school prior to Christmas break. I am hoping Elijah will stay on track with his behavior. He was doing well the few days before Thanksgiving break! Jacob needs to buckle down and get his work turned in!

I will be busy with work over the next three weeks and with baking. I like to give cookies as gifts and they aren't hard to back but do take some work. I am almost done with my shopping, but still have some things left to get! Christmas will be here before you know it!

Update on Us!

Just writing an update on what's been happening with us. Nothing too dramatic these days. Elijah really enjoyed Halloween and did a great job out trick or treating. We went with my brother, his wife and two kids. My niece was dressed up like a cat and the baby was a loaf of wonder bread! Both were two cute!

Elijah has been having so-so days at school and tics have been a little up these days. A few weeks ago he was falling asleep at school so I called the doc to see if we could lower one of his meds and we did. Well then he was having a harder time at school, so I called the doc back and we decided to put back on the original dosage, but move the time he takes to an hour earlier. That seems to have really helped. Not sure why tics are up right now, it is just part of having tourette's I guess. Today he had a good day at school and got bonus time on the computer, so he is happy.

Jacob is doing well. He refereed his last two soccer games this past Saturday. He liked earning his own money....and SPENDING it! His grades are staying up and so that is a good thing. He gets his bottom braces on tomorrow afternoon!

Work is going well. I am keeping busy. I am taking half a day tomorrow to take Jacob to get his braces. I am going to come home for a bit and may straighten up a little bit. Nothing major! I'll pick up both boys and then go down to the orthodontist.

We are looking forward to Thanksgiving. I have got to start my Christmas shopping!!! Time sure is flying right now!

Enjoying the Weather and my Sunday!

The boys and I are just hanging at home today with the windows open. It is actually a little chilly and so we only have three windows open. The cats are so funny, because as soon as they hear me open a window all three just come running. I mean they run full force and jump onto the window sill. I'll then move to Elijah's room and pull open the blinds and here they come. I can hear their paws pounding on the carpet as I open the window.

Later, when I start closing up the windows they run to the window with this pleading look of, "NO, don't close the window!" and then they run for the next onelike they can stop me!

I have cleaned house some today and watched a movie. Just enjoying not doing much of anything. I asked Jacob if he wanted to take a ride to the mall down the street, Firewheel, but he said NO! No good movies out and really not much else to do but enjoy being home with not much to do!

The rest of the week will be crazy. Tomorrow night, Jacob will march in the Homecoming Parade with the ROTC. On Thursday, I'll meet with Elijah's teacher to see how he is doing, then rush home to get Jacob and get him to his soccer game by 6:00 so he can referee. Tuesday and Wednesday are crazy too!! I guess that means I should enjoy not having much to do today!

Update!

Things are going well as we go into October. Jacob is enjoying ROTC and passed his classes for his six weeks. Elijah is doing pretty well in school. I have a conference with his teacher next week to get a true feeling of how he is doing. I just looked over and see him chewing on a sock. YUCK. This is one of his tics...chewing.

Jacob's soccer games got rained out last week and he isn't scheduled for another game until the 23rd. Hope a few more come up before then. He worked hard to get his certification!

Work is going well. I am staying very busy and doing a lot of driving. I got to do the cha cha with some elementary school kids today and it was FUN!

I Remember When.....

I am sitting here watching Elijah and my niece play Harry Potter on the Wii! She is spending the night with us tonight, because her baby brother will be arriving tonight. My brother, Jerry, and his wife, Peggy, went in for a test today to make sure the baby's lungs were devloped and they were. She is scheduled to have a C-Section this evening! They are having a boy and he will be named Jerome Ware Allen III.

As I sit here watching them, I began thinking of Jacob and Elijah's arrival. Jacob was born in the summer of 1996 and was the first grandchild on either side of the family. My water broke at home and off we went to Baylor in Dallas. It was a pretty easy eight hour labor, expecially when I got the epidural! He was born around two in the morning with RED hair. We did not find out the sex of the baby, so it was exciting to tell everyone it was a BOY! He was healthy and we were blessed. We enjoyed every minute of him and planned for our second child in 1999 and again were blessed with a pregnancy!

We again did not find out the sex of the baby! Things went smoothly until the 32nd week of my pregnancy when labor began and my water broke. Elijah was born at 7:40 on a Saturday morning. He was soon whisked away to a larger hospital in Dallas and spent five weeks in the NICU. His full story has a link on this page and I don't want to rewrite all that!!

I have been blessed with two wonderful children who each face their own unique challenges. Jacob is the oldest and now stands at five feet seven inches tall. He has a great many responsibilites as the oldest in helping me around the house, but he is also still a kid who needs to have fun! Elijah is unique in his own ways and I don't think I would change anything(well I think not!!) because then he would not be who he is. He is at a point in his journey in life that is very healthy and he is making so much progress! We may still have some bumps along the way, but I think we are over the biggest hurdles....at least I hope so.

I can't wait to see pictures of my new nephew and hold him! I am sure I will be remembering my own babies and when I first held them. A new life holds so many possibilites!

First Day of School 2010

Well we made it today! Elijah did well on his first day in fourth grade. I walked him in to make sure he knew where to go. I had a heck of a time getting out of the parking lot though! It took me at least 20 min. to get out of the parking lot.

Today was Jacob's first day in high school. I got him up around 6:45 right as we left, but his bus wasn't due to pick him up until 8:25. He called me around 8:30 wondering where his bus was, and after a few phone calls, the bus finally arrived a little late.

It was a good day for me and I have lots to do tomorrow. I came home and picked up Elijah who was quite excited to tell me he had a great day. No note stating otherwise so I went with what he told me. I got home around 4:30 and Jacob arrived home soon after(9:00-4:15 school day) around 4:45. Jacob had a GREAT day and wanted to tell me all about it. We also had to make another trip to Wal-Mart for MORE supplies. We went and did that, boy that place was crazy and then went to grab dinner and come home! I did treat myself to a Margarita!

Jacob loved all of his classes and said he liked his teachers! He is taking ROTC and also a video class as well as the usual core classes!

Jacob fell asleep some time after we came home, but not sure what time. Before falling asleep, he got all of his materials ready for tomorrow. Elijah went to bed around 8:45 and hopefully I won't be too far behind them!

Modern Conveniences!

So my fridge died yesterday and I heard back from the appliance repair company today. It will take seven to ten business days for the part to come in! OH MY!! We will be living out of a cooler for the next seven to ten days, maybe longer if you count the weekends and it truly takes ten business days.

I used one bag of ice yesterday and then bought three more. I bought one more bag today and have one and a half bags left! I have two coolers filled with stuff. One is for things that we don't use very often but still need and the other is for milk, butter, eggs....things we use almost daily. When making breakfast this morning I had to deal with everything dripping with water from sitting in the cooler. OH how I miss my refrigerator. Now at least I have my big freezer to store ice in and to put all of my freezer items, or I would have to ask family to store things for me.

I bought bacon last week, so we are going to be eating that up in the morning so it doesn't spoil. I'll have to buy more ice by Thursday morning, I am sure! A 10 lb. bag is $1.89, so I have spent about $8 on ice already! UGH! At least I am not in school having to deal with it and trying to get kids out the door every morning!

We will survive, I know, just a pain in the REAR!

My Monday and an Update on Doctor's appointments

Well I awoke to a refrigerator that was DEAD and I mean DEAD. I called an appliance company and they said they would call me and come out that morning. Jacob had an appointment at 8:45 with his pediatrician so off we went. He is now over five foot seven inches tall! His dad is five foot eight inches, so he may be passing his dad. While we were there the appliance company called and said they would be there soon, so we headed home!

It didn't take long, but the repairman found the problem! The computer in the unit had DIED, so I need a new computer. I didn't know the new fridges and stoves have computers, but they do. He said they would call me with the price for the part today or tomorrow, and it will be tomorrow because they haven't called yet. I'll call by noon tomorrow if I haven't heard from them. Most likely with parts and labor it will be around $500...UGH.

We stuck around at home and had lunch. Now for a surprise for you all. We are adding a new member to our family temporarily. Someone on the local message board needed someone to foster her cat while she starts college in Colorado. We met with her today and the cat is very nice. It is a Norwegian Forest cat, like our previous cat Ridgeway. She is going to pay me for litter and food and any vet bills. We will only have her until early June of next year. I know some people will think I am crazy, but I would hate to see this cat go into a shelter. The young lady has to live in the dorm due to a scholarship she received, but will move into an apartment next summer! The cat's name is Whisky!

After we left the cat and her owner, we headed to Children's Hospital in Dallas. Elijah has grown a little over three inches in eight months. Most boys his age on average grow two to two and a half inches in one year and here he is growing three inches in less than a year. However the doctor is worried about his weight since he is putting it on so rapidly, so we met with a dietician. She suggested cutting out all of his sugar drinks and move to sugarless kool aid and other drinks like that. Also adding more vegetables and dropping some of the starches. He doesn't really have to lose weight as much as NOT gain any more weight! I need to lose some weight myself so this will be a journey for me too.

After we left Children's we stopped by the Toyota dealership so Elijah could see his dad for a few minutes. Elijah enjoyed that. We then stopped at my dad's house to pick up another cooler to have at the house since we have no fridge! We then went to Albertson's to get three bags of ice, roasted chicken and some broccoli for dinner! Came home and made a good dinner and now Elijah is in the bath.

So trying to look at the brith side of today....at least the fridge BROKE while I was off work and not when I was working. Taking off to meet a repairman is not easy or fun. Of course, I wish it had not died. I also have a freezer in my garage and was able to put all my freezer stuff out there and I had a bag of ice to put in my cooler for my refrigerator stuff. Jacob had a great doctor's visit and continues to grow and BE A TYPICAL TEEN. Elijah is growing taller but needs to control the growing wider part.

Lots going on today and glad the day is done!

Batteries!

Oh how my life revolves around batteries. I think we all have this issue to some extent. Anyone with a cell phone has to charge it at some time or another. I know my Iphone requires at least one charge a day if not two. It really depends on how much I use it during the day. My son has his cell phone that has to be charged. We have two laptops in the house and at some point during the day, if we use them, they need to be charged.

Elijah has his Nintendo DS that is charged at least every other day and he even has a car charger for it. Oh and I have a car charger for my Iphone! I even bought an adapter that has a typical plug that can be plugged into a cigarette lighter in the car. I have given breathing treatments with a neublizer using that before. However, its main use is for Jacob's laptop when we travel. Do yout think these kids could ever live without their electronics?

Our Wii uses alkaline batteries in the remotes and those are changed every few weeks. Our Wii sensor bar is a wireless one that uses four double AA batteries. We had to buy it because the one that came with the Wii that plugged straight into the Wii console disappeared one day. We think the cats got tangled in the wires and drug it off. We have never found it and this happened months ago. Who knows where those cats drug that thing off too.

I now have a flip camcorder that takes two double AA batteries and I am sure to get those zin powered batteries just for cameras. I use those in my other camera too. They just eat typical alkaline batteries. I can buy a rechargeable battery for my flip camcorder, but haven't seen the need yet!


The batteries that matter most around here are the ones for Elijah's cochlear implant processors. We have two options, disposable and rechargeable batteries. Now during the school year he uses the disposable batteries. Dispsoable meaning you use them and when they run out of juice you throw them away. These are size 675 cochlear implant batteries. They have a lot more juice to them than the typical hearing aid battery and cannot be bought at your local drugstore. I purchase 300 of them at a time, and yes I did say 300. Each processor takes three batteries, so a total of six batteries for him to hear out of both ears. They last about three days, so you can see in one week he may go through about 12-18 batteries.

During the school year he wears the disposables, because once he gets to school he removes the battery rack(where the batteries go) and puts in his FM battery/boot. The school provides those batteries, so really during the school year his batteries are not used as much. At the end of the day he switches back. If his batteries in his battery rack go dead the school provides him the batteries to change the, so really they last about a week. Now on weekends we do use the disposables also. Now this means that I have to carry batteries with me all the time. I have them in my key ring zipper coin purse and in my purse. It never fails, that in the middle of soccer game I'll see his "ear" blinking red and know he needs a battery change. He can change his batteries, but I have to get them to him. As he gets older he will learn to carry batteries with him. We went to my mom's over spring break and about half way there I almost freaked remembering that I had forgotten to pack batteries. Thankfully I had three packages(six batteries to each) in several different spots. When we went to the beach recently I packed about six extra packs of batteries.

Now that we are home for the summer we use rechargeable batteries. I charge two batteries each night and then replace them in the morning. They last all day for him(about 14 hours) and I never have to worry about him needing a battery change in the middle of the day. Plus, it is nice for my pocketbook. If I don't have to use the disposable batteries for three months, then that is a lot less disposable batteries being used. HOORAY!

Oh I just remembered, my electric toothbrush is charged daily. Thinking back to my childhood the only batteries we ever used were alkaline batteries. I don't remember any toys have rechargeable batteries. Of course, I played outside more and spent less time on electronics. Was this just only 30-35 years ago. It seems just like yesterday. How things have changed!

Cat in a Box

I ordered some Vera Bradley items recenlty and when they arrived they were in this nice green box. I left the box on the floor and soon all three of my cats took turns checking it out. The box has been sitting in our den for several days and has made for some great entertainment for us. This picture is of Oreo sitting in the box. Perky got behind the box, under the lid. Oreo then started batting at Perky's head and of course, Perky jumped out and batted at him.

Sometimes one of them will hide under the lid(it makes like a triangle with the ground when the box is open) and waits for another cat to walk by, then attacks. I will keep it in the den until it just finally is too worn out to be used, or people are coming over!

Boxes are funny things! Whenever we have had something arrive in a big box, we'll keep it in the house for several days for Jacob and Elijah. Jacob is too big for that now, he says, but Elijah loves to play with boxes. He will draw on them and ask me to cut out windows. The best box we had was when we got our refrigerator! That one lasted for about 2 weeks, before I finally got rid of it. Elijah made it a boat, a house, a tree house....all using his imagination! Isn't it funny how the cats like boxes too. I wonder what they are imaganing!