Time has a way of slipping away...

I can't believe that I haven't posted in over a month. A lot has been happening. For the most part, we were busy with the usual- soccer games, family events, birthday parties, and day to day mundane chores! I'm really looking forward to school letting out next week and spending some time with the kids. Charlie has already voiced his desire for swim lessons and wants to know daily if its hot enough for the slip-n-slide. Surprisingly, Abbi also seems to have taken to the water this year and really enjoyed her float at the pool. She looked soooo cute in her cherry swim suit!

I've been battling lately with not only my own mood swings, but the bureaucracy of private insurance. My employer has changed providers, and Abbi's therapy group is no longer in network. Ok. So, I switch to one that is, right? Easy enough. BUT, (and there's always one) the waiting list in our area for OT and PT is between 6-8 months at the groups within network. SO logically, (mistake there) I would think my insurance would provide a waiver for my current OT until a place within network became available. I'm on three waiting lists. Because anyone should know that a child with a syndrome noted for developmental delays should not forgo therapy for any length of time!!! Suffice it to say, that I've been blessed once again. After battling this for almost two weeks, I received a call on Monday that a local (5 min drive) group has vacancies for the summer in PT & Speech. But, OT is still a little questionable. In the meantime, I'm thankful we have those two set, and I'm especially excited about the Speech therapy since she's never had this before and I think she will benefit the most from it right now.

While I'm venting, may I also just state that I'm sick of every physician and agency spouting off the wealth of support available to families with special needs children. Why? Because though support and services are available, they are very limited in their outreach due to the lack of funding and manpower. Therefore, for the most part, they offer a band-aid type fix!

Whew! Enough! As I stated, I'm battling my own moods right now. I'm just a little more quick tempered lately and I tend to focus too much on the negatives. When, I really have a lot of positives right now and should thank God for answering our prayers! Abbi is finally beginning to sleep for 6-7 hours at a time, and she is also starting to turn the pages of books and really cruise the furniture. Her sweet, bubbly and playful personality is starting to shine through. I'm amazed at how determined she is and curious about everything! She's Miss Nosey!
AND, I finally made our reservations for the National conference and confirmed some travel plans. I'm really looking forward to it!

Finally, the title of this blog- it has recently struck me that my baby boy only has one year of preschool left before he goes off to Kindergarten- I can't wrap my mind around that! And, that means that Abbi, my baby, is going to turn two and with some timid steps become a toddler any day now. Already, the struggle with her sleep is becoming more of a memory (still rather vivid at times :) and I'm focusing more on the joys of having both Charlie and Abbi. Time does have a way of marching on...

Busy, Busy, Busy

I can't believe its been three weeks since my last post. We've been so busy with Charlie's birthday, the start of soccer season, work and life in general that I've not had time to really blog. So, here's a quick update.

Charlie's dino party was dinomite! He loved being in the center of it all! I think we started celebrating on April 5, and he was still asking if we had any more presents to unwrap on April 10! His birthday is actually the 8th!! In fact, the morning of his party, he sneaked a present early. We had placed two wrapped gifts on top of the kitchen cabinets, which he saw and devised a makeshift ladder out of the kitchen drawers and counter to reach. He's never been a climber before that morning! Anyway, I loved having the party at COSI. The kids loved the hands-on activities like making a star gazer and shooting a bottle rocket. Plus, they made their own ice cream! It was delicious along with the dino cake! I think everyone enjoyed themselves. Abbi kept crawling into the session circles for each activity. She was so curious, and after the party, several families stayed to enjoy the large play area, which has a water table. Abbi loved playing in the water! I have such cute pics of her playing in the water and the little girls pushing her around on the push toys.

Soccer has started and Charlie scored two goals the first game. Or, I should say session since score isn't really kept ( except by proud moms like me when their kids score!). However, today he decided that he wanted no part of team play and we had to sit him out. It was rainy and he was whining! Both weeks, Abbi has slept thru the whole event!

As for Abbi's PT, we've found a new person! She's evaluating Abbi over the next two weeks and deciding if a recommendation of increasing her therapy to once a week rather than every other is necessary. I'll have to battle that one with our insurance if she decides in favor of every week. Abbi's doing really well with her mobility. She's pulling up on everything and has officially began cruising the couch and ottoman. Today, while I was doing laundry, I noticed how quiet she was being and decided to investigate. I found her in the bathroom, and she'd pulled herself up by the toilet and proceeded to play in it! Thank God my son flushed it! Needless to say, I think toilet locks are on the list for next weekend. Despite all this exercise, she's not sleeping well these days. She's cutting her back teeth and is very fussy. So, we're getting even less sleep. I really hope she outgrows the sleep issues, and I know teething has an end in sight! Despite her nightime crankiness, she wakes up in a good mood. Friday morning, she woke up giggling and laid in the bed for at least 10 minutes just rolling and playing with her feet. Then, when she realized she had an audience, she decided to play a game of peek-a-boo. She's a charmer!

Well, as for work, my student teacher has started and she's wonderful! So, I'm hoping to coast into May. I might even read a book. Of course, not one for leisure, but for the class I'm teaching next year. But nonetheless, a book!! Sorry this entry was long, but I wanted to recap what's happening with Abbi. I'm hoping to post new pics this week and catch up with everyone else's lives.

Take care!

Spring Break's Over

I hope everyone had a joyous Easter! We had a wonderful time visiting with my sis in Virginia, and my parents loved spoiling Abbi some more! She took a few steps behind her walker and tried pushing her cousin Allison's Pooh car around the dining room. My dad was so proud of her; in fact, you would have thought it was the first time he's seen a grandchild take a few precarious steps! Of course, Charlie also received plently of love! His grandma happened to buy him a Tshirt with a Triceratops on it! He wore it even though the temps were only about 50 degrees. He looked so cute in it with his cool, new blue jean jacket that his aunt Veneicia bought him. He even dragged us to the National Natural History Museum for the Dino exhibit! My little niece wasn't to be outdone by her older cousin and demanded a souvenir dino as well. Except, her's was a large TRex and she kept calling it her "dinaho"! LOL!
Yet, despite a restful week, the stress of going back to work is pressing down on me. I have a million things to do, like grade, since the quarter is ending this week. Plus, I still need to find a closer OT and our PT just left and there's no replacement yet. And, I really need to address Abbi's sleeping issues with our Pediatrician. She's so restless at first and she never self comforts. She's sleeping better now that we're using Melatonin, but she's still up every four hours or more often if she loses her bink or jerks awake! Will we ever sleep thru the night? Will Tim and I ever sleep in our own bed again? Well, those questions will remain unanswered for now, and I'm off to bed. We have our first soccer lesson tomorrow and I've got to email the guest list for Charlie's party. I can't believe he's almost 4! By the way, I finally gave in to my overwhelming exhaustion and perhaps utter laziness, and ordered his birthday Dino cake. But, I'm still planning to make cupcakes for preschool! I had planned to make his and Abbi's Bday cakes from scratch until they're five; but, I think really cool dino cupcakes should still count for something!:)

Thank goodness for spring break!!!

I haven't posted for about a week, so I thought I might update everyone before we head out to the D.C. area for Easter. I can't wait to see my sis, parents, and my cute little niece Allison! I'll post some new pics next week since my mom' s bringing my camera to me, which I left in WV over President's Day weekend!

This last week has been hectic. We had a busy weekend with Easter Bunny photos, a big egg hunt, and of course shopping for an Easter dress! Needless to say, I was tired before Monday even arrived. School was busy with OGT practice tests to grade and parent/teacher conferences both Tuesday and Wednesday night. I feel like I've barely said hello to my husband and the kiddos the last few days! So, I realllly can't wait to leave for our trip!!! Seven hours in the car with two small kids- Yeah!!!

Anyway, I had a cool moment today when a coworker asked about the kids. I was relaying Charlie's 4 going on 16 attitude and how obsessed he is with dinos when I decided to share Abbi's diagnosis with her. After she listened intently for a few minutes, I noticed how she seemed to know about WS. That was odd! Then she shared that a girlfriend of hers had a son with WS! What's the odds of that with the rarity of this syndrome? Anyway, he's now 25 years old. He does live at home, but drives and works an independent job. She went on for several minutes about what an awesome kid he was ( he grew up with her daughter) and how much she loves him. She described him as being the type of child that everyone wishes their child could be like: kind, thoughtful, respectful, hard working, etc....! I was so psyched!

On that note, I'm going to attempt to finish these reading projects and update my gradebook before heading home for the evening! I hope everyone has a joyous Easter!

Blessings

Thank you to everyone who said a special prayer for Abbi. She had echogram today, and we heard nothing but good news. She's stable and the condition hasn't progressed any since birth. Therefore, we don't have to go back for a year!!:) Of course, if we experience any changes, we're to call. What a blessing!! Plus, it was almost 60 degrees today and the sun was shining. I was able to tour the MMRD preschool today, and we're considering enrolling Abbi next year for two half days per week. I think she'll progress even more with their focused training. In addition, daycare today mentioned transitioning her to the pre-toddler room. My baby girl is growing up!
Plus, I was able to take a walk to the nearby Walgreens with my Charlie Bear for some much needed Easter eggs and candy. We really enjoyed the outing and had a picnic in bed before going down for the night.
This has truly been a beautiful day!!

Enjoying the little things

Well, I think we've finally dug out from all the snow! It was a record snowfall with a total of 20.5 inches in a 24 hour period! Charlie tried to play outside,but we only lasted a about 30 minutes on Saturday because it was too deep. It was up to his waist in places with the drifting snow. Anyway, we enjoyed being snowed in and making snow cream. It was also nice to get a day off from school on Monday!
Abbi continues to do well. Today, a child was crying and she told him "No, no,no.." That's her latest word. She also ate her first chicken nuggets and some avocado. What a weird combination. I'm praying all goes well at the echo gram on Thursday. I believe she's still stable, but I'm always apprehensive before one of those. I believe I hear my little princess, so I'm off to soothe her once again.
Good night!

What really matters?

For the first time this week, I feel a real sense of calmness. Perhaps, it's because the weekend is finally within sight or I'm too tired to whine, moan, or complain one more day. Either way, I feel at peace tonight. After bickering last night with my hubby over stupid household chores & overreacting to my almost 4 year-olds accident (yes, on my bed), I woke up and felt terribly tired, sad, and still frustrated. I wanted to kick something! Why did I fuss so much at Charlie over wetting his pants? Yes, he's too old for accidents, especially when I had just changed him into his PJs and told him to go potty. But, more importantly why would he sit down to a favorite show on Noggin and wet himself (and did I mention on my bed)? Who was I really angry with, myself or him? A little of both, but really myself. Why has he had two accidents in the last week or so? Is he trying to tell us something? Is he mad at me for taking a class on Wednesday nights? For being too tired (grumpy) lately? Does he feel neglected or jealous over Abbi? Is he mad that Daddy is taking classes? WHY? Then, already feeling this stress, I realized that we had missed the bulk trash pick-up by minutes! At this point, I wanted to just kick my husband. Somehow it was his fault that the trash was piling up and my life was filled with chaos. Yes, it would take several hours and a little " Where for art thou, Romeo?" and some upper classmen's laughs about a video on Utube before I'd realize that the problem is really me. Yes, my life is chaotic at times. Yes, my husband can be a slob and forgetful. Yes, my son can throw tantrums and have accidents! Yes, my princess can be demanding. But, overall, what really matters? I smiled thinking about my son Charlie's recent fascination with dinosaurs and mastery of his alphabet. He loves to tell us what different things begin with, like cat starts with C. Abbi is doing remarkably well. She's crawling so well and pulling up on everything. I think she's said a few words like "No" and "Yes" in addition to Mama and Dada. She's resting better. She's starting to play with toys!! What's my problem? I'm forgetting to focus on what really matters! Who cares if the house is a mess or if the laundry/trash piles up? I'm reminded that I've been blessed with two beautiful children and a husband that truly loves us. The rest doesn't matter. At least, not for tonight!