Seize the Break, Day 2

Today's highlights:

• Slept "in" again until around 9. Much needed.  Woke up to sunshine.
• Took some pictures of the boys in hopes of getting a holiday card completed.  We'll see.  Here's one I have been toying with.

• Let's not forget my little diva and his love of the camera.

• Finally got my box sent to the PA contingency.  A Christmas miracle!
• Went out into the world of shopping.  Found a few additional items.  I think I am "done," but who knows?  One of the things I got for Scott does not work, so I must return it (maybe tomorrow if I feel brave).
• Took an afternoon nap after the sun hid back behind the clouds.
• Spent some of the evening wrapping gifts and helping Ignatius with the latch hook project.  He is really going to town on it.  Good purchase!
• Worked a few minutes on a scholarship essay. Less than 500 words = torture JoLynn.  I'll do anything for a thousand bucks, though.
• Spent some time on Facebook.  Became irritated hearing how WalMart employees must say "Happy Holidays," and are forbidden to say, "Merry Christmas."  Wondering where the ACLU is when it comes to these types of freedom of religion violations.

And now,  we enter Jesus' Birthday Weekend!  Woot!

Flashback

Over the summer, a few of my pals and I dubbed ourselves the "Pinky Swear" ladies.  We are all teachers, and we were all bemoaning the scurrying summer months as we sat by a good friend's pool.  We reflected on the fact that this stretch of time each summer is a wonderful gift which very few professions have.  I remember pondering, about two weeks before school began, as we let "we only have two more weeks" slip through our lips, that the two weeks of Winter Break seem like a blessed gift from God, and we should try to make the last two weeks of summer "feel" like the two weeks of Winter Break.

Here we are, months later, at the start of the coveted two weeks of Winter Break.  The first half of our school year is over.  Report cards for second quarter will be completed over this break.  Plans for serious ISAT prep will happen as we return.  But, for now, these fourteen days are precious and it feels great to have a break.  My goal is to document, at least here if not in scrapbook form, how we spend our days.

Today was my first day of "break."  Here's a run down of the day:

• For whatever reason, I was able to sleep until about 9:45 AM.  What a blessing!
• A friend called me a little after 10 to tell me she was engaged.  That was very good news.  I have constantly called her guy a "keeper."  He is incredibly thoughtful of her.  I continually asked, after every trip or special evening, if a ring was involved, and this time, it was!
• I traveled out to get my teeth taken care of at the Foehr Group.  Three teeth drilled, two temporary crowns, lots of novacaine.  I had already broken one of the teeth, so it was a much needed visit.  I found out that Dr. Foehr, my previous dentist who recently retired, has ALS, which is manifesting itself first in his throat.  He is unable to speak, communicating through his iPad.  He recently had a feeding tube put in.  Dr. Foehr is a great guy, and I hate that this is happening to him.  
• I went to Lincoln Leisure and, still quite numb in the mouth, shook my boom boom at Zumba.  Good times were had by all.
• We had a lovely dinner of carry out Olive Garden, sponsored partially by a gift card from one of my students.  Where I teach, those types of gift cards are few and far between, so I was really touched by the thoughtfulness of this parent.
• Ignatius and I ventured out to Hobby Lobby.  I needed adhesive for the "Holiday Cards" that might eventually get made by me before 2012.  We bought some latch hook kits, inspired by a conversation I had with some younger colleagues regarding latch hook (and their blank stares as I mentioned it).  I figured it would be nice for him to learn something crafty from his old ma, and for him to have something non-electronic for passing the time.  He took to it pretty nicely.  Max was VERY interested in it as well, and wanted to help in any way he could.

• As the night wound down, and the children finally went to bed, I began wrapping the gifts that have been needing attention.  I packed a box that will finally be heading to PA (hopefully FedEx tomorrow). Truly, I only have a few other odds and ends to get together, and then I think we're set. 

Now, it's really Friday, but I am backdating this.  Friday will have a narrative all its own.  To bed!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hope everyone had a great day!

Grad classes...

...exhaust me.  Bleh.  That is all.

In Which There's a Little Self Pity

I go about my day-to-day in a day-to-day manner.  There are ups, there are downs.  Yin meets yang.  And so it goes.

Sometimes, the most unexpected thing, however, can stop me in my tracks.  Like a simple video.  I just watched a video of a scrapbooker's nine month old twins.  Adorable!  Yet, there it came creeping back.  That feeling of being robbed.  The two were acting completely developmentally appropriately.  They were starting the babblings of a typical child of their age.  And in the cuteness of it all, I just felt robbed.  

Now, mind you, Ignatius hit fairly regular milestones...surpassed some of them.  He was able to show much of what I had seen in that video.  It was Maximilian who was robbed of these critical milestones.  I am not just wallowing in the past.  We are dealing with that in the present.

He is so proud of himself this year.  He is a "big boy."  A first grader.  He has been in the gen ed room pretty exclusively, with the help of an aide.  The homework comes home, and it is BRUTAL.  Writing and reading.  Reading and writing.  I have never seen a child try so hard to read and write.  I know I should seize the day...he's on his way.  But I can tell that, to Max, being with the other kids in his first grade class is critically important.  However, I also know as a teacher that he is behind where they are.  As his mother, I truly do not care.  He will get to his destination when he gets there.  

What I care about is that I think he will care as the gap becomes more apparent.  What happens when he gets just a wee older and differences are pointed out to him with shocking bluntness that only 4th graders can deliver?  I try to stay in the now, but living with ASD means you rarely get to do that.  You are constantly thinking one step ahead...what might trigger a bad situation?  How might this trip, perhaps your 100th, to the grocery store end in sure and certain disaster?  Once you get him in to Chuck E. Cheese, and he has dealt with that overstimulation, what's your plan to get him out?  What education plan is best for him?  What might be detrimental?  When has damage been done...when did you wait too long?  Did you hover too much?  Did you not advocate enough?

Every parent of a child on the spectrum will tell you that s/he loves his/her child.  But they would be lying if they said there are not days when you just ask why they couldn't be like every other kid their age, at least academically.  Why must they struggle this much?

And then, after your pity party, you wipe off the tears and move back into reality.

A fitting "Re-Blog"

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2008

We Remember

We remember...
...the firefighters
...the police officers
...the veterans
...the civilians
...the innocent victims
...the sadness
...the horror
...the strength
...the American spirit to overcome
...September 11, 2001

Autism Run 2011

Today, 9-10-11, I participated in my 4th Autism Walk/Run.  The key difference this year? I was a runner, not a walker.

And run I did.  I ran 3.1 miles in 38 minutes and 41 seconds.  It's been a long time since I have been able to finish 3.1 in under 40 minutes. It was epic (for me, at least)!  I think it was also epic for my friend, Sally, who was running her first 5K and was running in honor of her daughter who passed away.  We all do Zumba, and we all feel its positive effects on our mental health, so our group was called the Zumbalicious Runners.

And of course, there was the cause: Autism Society of McLean County.  I am grateful for its outreach to the community and all the services it provides.

This week was also major for me because I hit the 50 lbs lost.  So it's time to look at where I have been and where I am:

Sally and Karen wrapping it up

June 12:

Chest (sports bra on) 39 7/8"
Right arm 14 1/2"
Left arm 14 1/4"
Waist  33 7/8"
Hips 42 1/2"
Right Thigh 27 1/4"
Left Thigh 27"
Weight: 194.6 lbs 

July 10:

Chest 39 1/4"

Right arm 13 1/4"

Left arm 14"

Waist 33"

Hips 42 1/2"

Right Thigh 26 1/2"

Triumphant (and sweaty) at the finish

Left Thigh 26 1/2"

Weight: 195.6 lbs

September 10:
Chest 38 1/2"

Right arm 13 1/2"

Left arm 14"

Waist 32 1/2"

Hips 42 1/2"

Right Thigh 25 1/2"

Left Thigh 25 1/2"

Weight: 188.8 lbs


In other Plato news, Ignatius participated in the Woodruff Invitational in Peoria today, which is why he could not run with me.  He ran 3 miles in 22 minutes, 50 seconds--a personal record for him.  He keeps shaving off time!  So proud of his efforts!

105th finish

In all, a fine day for the family.