Music

Last Nov the kids decided to become a band called "The Rockers". They made a big poster and set up a backdrop on my bed to hide the books behind it. They put some music on and danced and played to their sole audience: mom. They were very cute.

Stand your ground

Our refrigerator was supposed to arrive Wednesday evening and be delivered on Thursday morning. Thursday came and went and we heard nothing. Friday morning was easing it's way out and still there was nothing. So I called. Our refrigerator did not arrive until today. Well that was okay, until he told me when they could deliver it. Sunday! Sunday morning no less when we are at church. Well, that was unacceptable.

He had many reasons why they could not deliver tomorrow. I of course, had a counter argument to why they definitely and would be delivering tomorrow. For example, when I asked him about the "next day" delivery, he told me that it was only for those appliances that were in stock.

My response: "It is in stock".

"Well, when we have delivers from our warehouse, we don't offer that."

"Really, the refrigerator was supposed to come in Wednesday night and be delivered THE NEXT DAY."

I also told him that our freezer was not working and we were losing hundreds of dollars on food and I couldn't buy groceries. (Just a slight exaggeration.) He finally asked me to hold and he would get the delivery manager. A few minutes later the original person got back on the phone. "We can deliver the refrigerator tomorrow." (Yes, I thought you would be doing that.) I told him great, and I even remembered my manners and told him thank you.

Don't mess with me. It won't be to your advantage.

Oh those fall colds

On the very first day of school, the VERY FIRST DAY, Kristin came down with a cold. She already was feeling anxious about school without adding in the factor of a cold. Colds just wear you out and it can be very difficult to enjoy things. Her very first week of school didn't turn out to be the best. Of course, she also shared her little virus with me. Isn't that just lovely? I started feeling sick on Sunday. I had a terrible sore throat that just wouldn't go away. Now it's turned into a chest cold, for both of us. We're still fighting it.

To make matters worse, we both have Asthma, and the air quality here is HORRIBLE. My Asthma has been okay, but Kristin's has been acting up in P.E. Does she say anything to the teacher? Of course not! I read her the riot act and sent her with her medicine. I told her Asthma can kill and to not mess around with it. If she starts coughing and having trouble breathing she needs to stop and take her medicine. I also talked to the coach and he is going to keep a watch on her. Hopefully, she'll listen and we won't have to make an emergency trip to the hospital.

Today's theme is Dirty.

This picture was taken on a trip to Mt. Lassen, CA in 2002. Mt. Lassen is a national park. It is a dormant volcano and thus there is lots of volcanic ash on the ground. The kids of course are covered with it, much to their delight.

Today's theme is Happy.
Happy is eating Ice Cream....

Results from the doctors

We've heard back from Stanford and all of Ian's tests came back negative, except for one. His CK levels are still a little high, but nothing to worry about according to the doctor. They had tested him for Fragile X and a Coenzyme Q10 and both were negative. His Carnitine levels were also normal. He has been on a supplement since November and it obviously has helped to normalize the Carnitine in his body. This is great news. The doctor did feel we should still follow up to determine if he is on the Autistic spectrum. She does feel that if so he would be on the high functioning side. His pediatrician is out until next week, but I will be following up with him to get another referral to Stanford.

On another good note, Ian saw his neurologist yesterday and the doctor said Ian is doing much better than he was last time the doctor saw him a few months ago. Ian's coordination has improved as well as his muscle tone. The doctor Ian looked great and that we wouldn't need to see him for a while. Obviously if anything crops up we are to call, but hopefully Ian will keep improving.

The East Bay Regional Center is assessing Ian too. We are still waiting for a call back for further testing. I was told they would be calling this week, but as yet I haven't heard anything. I think I'll go call them.

All in all, things are looking up. We certainly know alot more than we did just a few months ago. Ian is happy and is looking forward to going back to school, a big accomplishment in of itself!

We're Back!!

We got back yesterday from our trip to Montana and Yellowstone. We had a great time! I'd show you some pictures, but my digital camera died a while ago and I only have my regular camera. I'll have to develop the film soon so I can show you how beautiful everything was.

Ian did very well on the trip. Though once we got to one place, he was ready to go on to the next one. He kept asking over and over when we going to get to Montana and get to camp, at the beginning of the trip, and as soon as we were there, he wanted to know when we were going to go to Yellowstone. Oh well.

Ian developed a new tic while on the trip. Of course I couldn't get a hold of his regular doctor, but the next day I was able to get the on call doctor. She thought it was due to the Focalin and told us to take him off of it. We've been watching him for the past few days, but the tic is still present. Hopefully taking him off the medicine will help, it probably hasn't been enough days. He does see his regular doctor on Wednesday. We'll see what he has to say.

Vacation

We are heading off for Montana and Yellowstone today. We'll be back in about 10 days.

Autism

5 minutes for mom has posted a blog about Autism and has asked readers to share their stories.

I'd like to share ours, but before I do, here are some statistics. There are 1 out of 150 children on the Autistic spectrum. There are 67 new cases every day in the U.S. and a child is diagnosed every 20 minutes. The CDC says it is a national health problem. Certainly as a teacher, I have seen more and more cases every year. Working with toddlers, many times we are the first to notice something is different. There are a lot of people out there who have no idea even what Autism is about. Even my own family didn't know what it meant. I was and am more than happy to explain it to everyone.

A wonderful website is Autism speaks. They have a 13 minute version of the film Autism Every Day. It is worth watching. It gives you a glimpse into the lives of families living with children on the Autistic spectrum. The children have varying degrees of Autism.

Our child Ian has exhibited many traits of Autism, but does not fit into the "box" or Autism or Aspergers. As his doctor once put it "He is touched by the feather of Autism". We have been referred to Stanford and the East Bay Regional Center. Stanford is testing him for fragile X. If anything is even slightly off, they will be able to tell. The Regional center has referred him for further testing also. Now we are just playing the waiting game. Ian has had a tough time over the past 12 months and many activities he previously enjoyed have become much more challenging for him. We never know if he will be invited back, even to a friend's house. It seems he has regressed in his behaviors. He has had accidents and is unable to care for himself. Eating out if often a challenge for us. We do get looks, but I never hesitate to explain that he was special needs and what that means. Often people are surprised and will ask more. For those with their noses in the air, who cares. We know that we are the lucky ones and I feel sorry for them. Life is challenging, but it has its rewards too. He is a very loving child, has a great imagination and is cute as a button.

Wordless Wednesday

This is my great, great grandfather, Ben Falk. He was one of the original founders of Anaconda, Montana. We'll be heading up there on Friday. I wrote a little post about our trip here.

Photo Hunt - Funky

I had to really search through my photo collection to find this. This is a picture of Tim and I so, so many years ago. This isn't our normal attire. We had actually dressed up for a halloween party as a couple of rock stars. I think we did a pretty good job of it.


PhotoHunt

Anaconda, Montana

I am so excited!! We are heading to Montana next week and I just talked to a historian in Anaconda who remembered my ancestors. My great, great grandfather was one of the founders of Anaconda. He was the first butcher on the first street in Anaconda. Supposedly none of my ancestors live there now, but there is a Gulch named after my grandfather. The historian will be at the historical society when we are in Anaconda and he invited me to come talk. I can't wait. We will have to go by the cemeteries too. I do know some of my ancestors were buried there. This is so exciting....

Mocha

Today we had to put Mocha down. His cancer was spreading and he was losing weight. We didn't want him to suffer. I told the kids that today was the day and to take the rats out this morning and play with them and give Mocha extra love. Kristin and I have been crying off and on this morning. Ian doesn't seem to really understand. When I got home he asked where Mocha was. I tried explaining again.

Mocha really enjoyed the romping around and the extra attention from the kids. He loved to be tickled and to be held. We will miss Mocha very much. He was very loved. Goodbye Mocha...

Ahhh, the fair...

Yesterday we went to the Alameda County Fair. It was a beautiful day! We couldn't have asked for a better day, the temperature was warm, but not too hot and there was a cool breeze. The kids did great and there was only minimal arguing between the two.

All four of us had entered something into the fair and that was fun to see. It was a little difficult looking for the kids art projects, but it was a great chance to see all the different types of art done by children in the area. Ian entered a drawing through school and earned a 5-8 participation ribbon. Kristin entered a painting on her own and won third prize. Both Tim and I entered a hobby case. I won first place as did Tim and he also got best of the show. He was quite surprised. I wasn't. He did a beautiful job. He should be more confident of his abilities, but he won't listen to me. He'll have to discover it for himself.

We then headed down to the little kids rides and the kids rode several, even Ian. Usually we can only get him to ride one very slow ride, but he was willing to try different ones this year. Kristin and I rode the Ferris Wheel and that was fun. The only nerve whacking time was when we stopped at the very top. I'm getting old in my age. Ian of course didn't like us on it. I don't know what he thought was going to happen. Of course we were fine.

On the way out we stopped to see the animals. Ian had never seen the cows up close before and seemed fascinated though a little scared of them. We looked at the pigs and the sheep and the goats. There were two goats that were very, very talkative. They kept saying "baa" over and over. Ian said "They really do say baa!"

The fair was alot of fun this year. If you have a chance you really should head on over there. It's in Pleasanton and it goes until July 8th. Wednesday they will have fireworks.

Happy July!!

Cancer in a rat?

Our rat Mocha is ill. His scrotum is very swollen. He's been acting lethargic and won't come to me when I call him. Usually Mocha and his brother Max follow me every where and they will come right up to me when I click my tongue. Kristin and I took him to the vet today and we were told that his liver is swollen and it feels like there is some kind of mass in there. His kidneys were okay though. There might be two things going on. One is he has an infection in his testicles and while it's not usual for it to spread to other areas, it can. Two, Mocha could have cancer. Wow! Big word for a little guy. You wouldn't normally think about animals getting cancer, but they can and do. Poor Mocha.

We are hoping that it is just an infection. The vet sent us home with some antibiotics and we check back in 10 days. If it is an infection we should see some sign of Mocha getting better within 3 days to a week. We are praying Mocha will be okay. I'll let you know how he is doing in a few days.

The Saturday Photo Hunt for this week is Shiny. I had a little trouble with this one, but after thinking about it for a while (and rummaging through my stores of photos), I came across this one. The year is 2003 and Kristin had just finished reading her 100th book. The library gave her this beautiful medal and ribbon. She was very proud. And yes, I know it's Sunday. Better late than never!

This is my niece after a trip to Libby Lu. My daughter Kristin and my niece both love to go and have their hair done. When we travel to Atlanta, Libby Lu is always on the agenda.

Wordless Wednesday

My daughter had just made a smoothie with ice, whip cream and vanilla. She loved it and apparently so did the cat!

Today's theme is colorful. I took this picture back in April of 2005 at Safari West. Safari West is located in Santa Rosa, CA. At Safari West you get on a safari vehicle and they drive you around a large preserve with free ranging African animals. It was amazing to be that close to the animals. A little safari right at home.

Today's photo hunt theme is five. Trying to think of something even remotely interesting I came up with the idea of 5 hands with 5 fingers. Has anyone ever wondered why we have 5 fingers and 5 toes on each hand and foot? Why cats and dogs and 5 digits on their paws? Why there are 5 bones in a bats wing?