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.

Refrigerators, Refrigerators, Refrigerators, Oh My!

Our refrigerator has died. Well, almost anyways. Our freezer is not freezing any more and all our food has defrosted. We were finally able to get a repair man out yesterday. The compressor is not working and there is only a small portion of gas remaining. It is very expensive to fix a compressor so we need to buy a new refrigerator, not that they are inexpensive either. Arrrghhhh....

I did some research on the web and decided that bottom freezers are the way to go. They are relatively inexpensive and they are the least expensive to run. They even have the official Energy Star label. After much searching on the web and at the various stores within our vicinity, we finally found one at Lowe's. We spent a little more than what I was planning on, but if we have to buy a new one, we might as well buy one that will last and have the features we want. We bought a Whirlpool Gold. It has an ice maker and a water dispenser. This made Ian very happy as he will only drink cold water and he prefers to have it from the fridge. I'm hoping this will cut down on the consumption of bottled water around here.

The bad part is they didn't have it in stock and they had to order it. They are hoping it will be in next Wednesday. I'm bummed, but our food in the freezer is ruined anyways, so what's a few more days? At least the refrigerator part is still working.

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!