Doctor Appointment

See doc tomorrow at 4:40---

Nothing to do until then except keep it iced.

Bored.

B

Mallet Mommy

Remember the Gypsy Curse? It struck again.



Last night, I was cleaning ice cream off the seat of my car. I was scrubbing it good....heck, the car is still new right? Anyways, I jammed my left ring finger and heard a crack. I thought I just cracked my knuckle.



When I got done cleaning a minute or two later, my finger looked like the picture above. I couldn't straighten it. That finger and parts of my hand were tingling. Troy said a visit to the ER was in order. Since Steven was asleep, I decided to drive myself to the ER.



The doctor looked at it and said it could be (A) or (B).



(A) is an easier fix....this would be the tip of the finger broke and the tendon with it. All it requires is a splint for 6-8 weeks while the bone heals and the tendon is already attached to the little broken piece of bone. When the bone heals, the tendon is ready to do its job.



(B) is a little more involved.....this is where there is no break, just the tendon is ruptured. Since the tendon needs to be attached, it requires surgery.

Then he did the x-ray.

Guess who got (B)?

If you guessed me, then you are right.

I see the orthopedic surgeon tomorrow morning and they will schedule surgery for sometime Monday or Tuesday. Fortunately, it doesn't hurt. It's just irritating because I am left handed and the splint makes things awkward to do. Let's hope it heals quickly before Troy leaves for South Africa.



Thanks Gypsies.



B

Gypsy Curse

We have bad luck.
We've come to accept it.
It's the little things that make us know how bad our luck is.
For instance, we buy an HD DVD player and everything goes Blu-Ray.
We buy a truck with a diesel engine because that gas is cheaper and then diesel gas prices go higher than unleaded.
We get a kitten to keep our cat company and they BOTH meow all night long to go outside.
We finally give in and install a cat door.

This was Tuesday night. They meowed that night a little bit, but I got up and reminded them how to use their kitty door.

Last night, we finally slept great. The cats used their kitty door, Steven got a little extra dose of sleep meds and life was good. 7 straight hours of sleep. It was heavenly.

Until this morning.

Megan found our kitty "Spaz" was limping. It appears that he has somehow broken his leg while outside (after using the fabulous kitty door) last night.

Spaz has an appointment at the vet at 2:30. They will do whatever it takes to fix his leg....assuming that's what it is.

It's the gypsy curse.

It followed us.

We'll update you after the vet bill.....I mean visit.

Betsy

Creating a Chain Letter

As most of you know, Steven is fascinated with silverware. Since he has mastered the art of NOT swallowing the utensils, he has moved on to incessantly tapping silverware. On any surface. When he's done, he simply throws the silverware wherever he deems appropriate.

We find silverware in random places. In the car. In the backyard. In the sink. In the bathtub. In drawers. On top of the piano. In the fireplace. In the couch. Our neighbors have even been known to find them in their yard when he throws them over the fence.

This morning, we found a new hiding place. The photo above is a picture of the kitchen ceiling light. Evidently, Steven threw a fork and this is where it landed. Kind of impressive. Troy and I discussed it and don't think either of us could aim and reach that target. So, we have decided to celebrate Steven's success rather than freak out.

It's a coping mechanism in the land of autism.

Anyways, because silverware is a hot commodity, it often gets lost. On my regular trips to Walmart, I always buy the cheap silverware. It's like a staple. You buy milk, coffee, bread and silverware. Everybody does, right?

I'm tired of buying silverware. I've decided to start a chain letter. I'm thinking of sending it to all of my relatives and having them send it to 3 other people not related to them. Each letter will say, "send one piece of silverware to the name at the bottom of the page and send this letter to 3 other people." The name and address at the bottom of EVERY letter will be Steven's name.

What do you think? We could amass huge amounts of silverware. I could host dinner parties for the entire church and we wouldn't need plastic silverware.

If it works, maybe I'll create another letter that says to send $5 to the Land of Autism Charity Fund and see how much money we can accumulate!!!

Who's up for getting the chain letter?

Bets

Technology doesn't come easy....

I'm married to the most "techie" guy I know. He has the technology to launch the space shuttle from his home office. I, however, have to call for help when my printer jams. Texting is a foreign concept to me. I have tried, but I would just as soon talk to someone as type on those tiny little buttons on my phone.

I recently decided that it was time to get rid of the Arizona cell phone number and switch to a Texas number. The schools have difficulty calling me on my cell because it's long distance. It was time to fill out all of those beginning of the year papers for the kids. So, I figured I would change the number. I did that Monday night. I filled out the paperwork for the kids for school. I sent everything back in.

Today, I realized that my cell phone hasn't rung lately. I used our house phone to call my cell phone. It rang once, then a recording said, "Your call cannot be completed as dialed." I checked the number thinking I input it wrong. I even called Troy from my cell phone to ask him if what I THOUGHT was my cell number really WAS my cell number. (I was right! And, yes, I now know there is a way to find out your cell phone number on your cell phone.) Whatever.

I called my friends at Verizon. After 25 minutes on the phone, and talking to 4 different people, they thought the problem was figured out. The tech support guy updated some stuff on their end and he walked me through a "soft reboot" of my phone. All was well in my world. I had conquered technology and solved my problem with limited phone calls to my techie husband.

I was proud. I was practically gloating. Until my home phone rang. It was Steven's school calling to say that my cell phone isn't working when they call it. hmm....

I called my friends at Verizon again. This time, I got a lady that rivals my husband on her tech abilities. She realized that my cell number prefix was a long distance call from our area, even though we have the same area code. She had to assign me a new phone number.

Easy fix right?

Wrong.

Yesterday, I distributed 100 substitute teacher business cards with my long distance cell number on it. I also completed all of the kids' school paperwork with the wrong number. And, the newsletter for the special ed PTA that I am a board member of was distributed yesterday with the wrong number on it.

This morning, I spent time making calls to tell my new number to various institutions and people. I even sent an email to the people whose contacts I haven't lost in my email contact list.

If you can't reach me, send me an email and I'll be happy to give you my new cell number!

Oh, and I'm still not texting.

B

Two Days down....

The kids have finished their second day of school. So far, they both like it!

Megan is enjoying her classes and learning Spanish. She had benchmark testing today for Science and thinks she did better than she originally thought she would. She got her PE uniforms---to the tune of $74! Yes, they are proud of their uniforms! Students get shirts, shorts, sweat pants and sweat shirts because the weather requires a combination of all of them at some point during the school year.

Steven is also enjoying his class. I had an IEP meeting at his school today and it went well. The teacher reports that Steven hasn't had any aggressive moments. He is adjusting to the new classroom and a new student well and doing well overall.

We are excited that our school district was recently awarded National Blue Ribbon of Excellence --which only 14 districts in the US received.

I spent my second day of freedom running errands and surfing the internet!

B

And They're off!

It's true! We survived Summer 2009 at Casa de Fishgod! There were days we weren't sure everyone would survive, but somehow we made it!

The day started with the traditional first day of school breakfast---monkey bread. For those that don't know what monkey bread is, it is biscuit dough, brown sugar, cinnamon and butter layered in a dish and baked. The kids can pick it apart or can eat it with a fork. I figure every teacher deserves a room full of sugared up kiddos on their first day! After breakfast, it was time for Megan to shower, Steven to head to the bus, and Troy to go to work. Obviously, EVERYONE needs to be gone for mommy to celebrate!!!

Steven waited patiently outside for the bus....we always go out on the driveway about 5 minutes before the bus arrives as a transition. We went out at 7:25....the bus finally arrived at 7:50. Needless to say, Steven was not elated by the time the bus arrived. See picture below.

While we waited for the bus, Megan got herself ready for school. Isn't she gorgeous?!

At 8:25, I drove Megan to school. She clearly stated that she wanted to get there between 8:35-8:40 as it "not cool" to be there earlier than that. When we arrived at school at 8:31, there were very few kids there and Megan opted for me to drive around the block. I did and at 8:38, she got upset because she "was going to be late". I reminded her that she wanted to be there 8:35-8:40 and we were in that timeframe. (Not to point out the obvious, but duh!) She settled down and got out of the car hastily. But, I did worry that maybe our clock was off a few minutes from the school clock. I felt better when three other cars pulled up behind me and their kids got out too. If she was late, she wasn't the only one who was late.

Today, I am rewarding myself with loud music and some house cleaning. I know it's not that exciting, but it needs done and is so much easier when no one is around!

By 4pm, I will get Steven off the bus, go get Megan at school and go for our traditional ice cream after the first day of school.

YAY!

B

16 hours.....

That's how many hours are left until the kids go back to school. But who's counting?

Today we are having a lazy family day. Megan and Troy have been busy playing WoW and watching the convention on directv. I made it to church this morning, then home to do a few loads of laundry, and take a nap on the couch. Steven has found there is an empty closet under the stairs and that has become his new hangout.

Tonight is the kick off for the Jr. High Program....so we get dinner and lots of information. The boys will stay home and relax.

Tomorrow morning we start the morning routine again! I think we are all looking forward to it!

Hooray for Captain Autism!!!

Today, the state intake lady visited. Steven was on his most "autistic behavior" today. The first lady that came, Tammy, is our service coordinator. She wanted to discuss Steven's needs, etc. She got to see some of it.

Evidently, she saw enough of it to determine that our case needed to be expedited for approval. We were told that the intake nurse would call us within 7-10 days. Instead she called 3 hours after Tammy left.

The nurse, Renee, came about 3:30 pm and left about 5:00. Steven really gave her a show! He pulled out some of his favorite tricks that we haven't seen in a while. Let's just say that Renee agrees that our family needs some help sooner than later and will be inputting Steven's case tomorrow....Saturday. Oh, and I need a shower after some of that clean up.

About 10 minutes after she left, Tammy called to make sure that we had heard from Renee. Because, if we hadn't, then she wanted to bring another nurse over TONIGHT so they can get things going.

Based on Steven's initial screening, they believe we will get approximately 40-52 hours of help PER WEEK. Did you read that? PER WEEK!

There are a few hoops to jump through.....one of which is a 2 day inpatient hospital stay for THE WHOLE FAMILY. I about choked when I heard that. Then, they explained that the two day stay can be worked around....For instance, we can arrive at 11:45pm and leave at 12:15am. Technically that is two calendar days. They are making this recommendation as it appears to be in Steven's best interest.

We will be having a celebratory party as soon as we hear final approval!!!

B

State Visiting Today

Today is a very busy day in the Fishgod house. Fortunately, Steven arranged for us to have a few extra hours by starting our day at 3:30am. (How do I go about finding him a paper route?)

At 10:30, the GREAT STATE OF TEXAS is sending an evaluator to determine if Steven qualifies for a respite program and medicaid. They are unable to take the word of the State of Arizona, so we get to go through one of my least favorite pasttimes. Today, she will ask me about 300 questions relating to Steven's abilities. Can he dress himself? Can he tie shoes? Can he write his name?....the older he gets, the more questions there are. While we know how far he has come, it is disheartening to be reminded of how much we still have to work on. The only positive is that the less he can do, the more help we can get. I'll try to remember that when answering questions.

Between 12-4, Directv is coming back to reinstall our service. We decided to try bundling with Verizon, but found that the DVR service is severely lacking (in our opinion). Because we don't get out much, our TV is our entertainment. We love our family movie nights, watching the shows we have on tivo and hanging out. This week, we found that Verizon's dvr deletes our shows automatically because of the HD status.

At 4:30, the school district team is coming to help tweak our home program. This time, the team of 4 comes. Next week, we have Steven's ARD (IEP) with our team of 20 professionals. So, we have to get this out of the way today.

Our new nanny, Sarah, has had a rough week. Her uncle was diagnosed with terminal cancer on Monday and given a week to live. Yes, a week. Then, her friend died unexpectedly on Wednesday night. She has time off until Monday.

Somewhere in there, we have to take Megan's school supplies up to school, buy her PE uniform, take Steven's school supplies to his school, go to the store, go to the bank, and tidy up the house. I guess I should get off the computer and get started on the house now.

Then, we can go out in the tremendous thunderstorm to run our errands!

Tonight, I get to go out with the girls from my book club. We are going to a movie house that serves full meals while we watch the movie. I'm looking forward to getting out of the house! And, Troy is equally looking forward to a night at home because he's still working crazy hours and entertaining the South African team that is visiting the US for two weeks.

Whew. I'm glad we have the weekend to recover from today. Oh, and school starts in 72 glorious hours. I'm feeling like the dad in this commercial!

http://video.aol.com/video-detail/back-to-school-most-wonderful-time-of-the-year/4018121236

Enjoy your day!

B

Score: Steven 1, Dentist 0

Yes, it's true. Steven won round 1 with the dentist! According to the plan, Steven was given a small dose of a calming medication prior to going to the office. We waited nicely in the waiting room for 15 minutes. We waited nicely in the patient room for 15 minutes. Then, all heck broke loose!

They took my advice that we would need several extra hands to help us. The problem is they sent the doctor, the hygienist, and a front office girl.....I don't think any of them weighed over 100 lbs. They all walked into the tiny patient room and started talking to Steven immediately and giving him orders. Suffice it to say, it didn't go too well.

After I was bitten, the doctor's hair was pulled, the hygienist's arm was pinched, the office girl was kicked, they decided maybe Steven didn't even need to SIT IN THE DENTAL CHAIR. Yes. All of that excitement was just to get him to SIT IN THE CHAIR!

I explained that less is better. I explained that having him sit in a regular chair and ASKING him to open his mouth will produce better results than TELLING him....all he hears is "BLAH BLAH BLAH, STEVEN!"

The hygienist was ESPECIALLY helpful by getting into Steven's face and speaking broken Spanish to him while wagging her finger in his face. I had warned her. She got what she deserved!

The doctor finally agreed that it would probably be best if Steven were sedated and all work was done in a hospital setting. I was so proud of myself....I didn't even say, "I told ya so!!!!" Whatever.

While the doctor and I were trying to iron out a few details, I told Steven that it was time to go. The "helpful" hygienist decided that Steven needed a little more Spanish language immersion and even SAT ON THE FLOOR, IN FRONT OF HIS VERY STRONG FEET and put his shoes on him.

I sat there amused.

Sarah, the new nanny, was bewildered. She was wondering why I didn't say anything to the hygienist. She was worried about the hygienist's finger. She was worried about the hygienist getting kicked in the face. She wanted to tell the hygienist that Steven doesn't SPEAK--much less SPANISH!

Steven gave the hygienist a little "love tap" for her efforts.

The hygienist CAN'T say I didn't warn her!

So, we left the office and are awaiting a call from them to schedule his procedures, in the hospital setting, with anesthesia. Sarah and I decided that next time WE need to be sedated.

Final Score: Steven 1, Dentist 0

Or maybe that should be Steven 3, Dentist 0

The Dentist is being initiated!!!

Steven has been poking at one of his teeth for a few days and is now picking it until it bleeds. Add to that, the aggression that he woke up with today.....evidently, something is going on with his tooth.

When most people have a toothache, they call the dentist and make an appointment. When we make a dental appointment for Steven, I interrogate the staff BEFORE we even drive there. This morning, I spoke with our new dental office. They are confident they can handle Steven's needs as a dental patient. They come highly recommended from other moms on the SEPTSA group.

I explained the situation and we have an appointment for today at 2:45. I explained that it takes extra hands to keep Steven seated during a dental visit. She offered to have one extra hygienist available to help. I laughed. She asked if I thought we needed more. I said, "well, an x-ray takes 6 people....you can decide."

Unfortunately, Troy has the team from South Africa in the office training these next two weeks. So, I guess Steven and I get to attempt this adventure on our own!

Updates later.....maybe even photos! haha!

Betsy

Welcome Sarah! And other good news!

Our new nanny started today! Her name is Sarah and she is 24. She is a nursing student at UNT and previously was an EMT. We are thrilled to have her join us! Steven seems to like her and Sarah is enjoying getting to know Steven. She will be coming each weekday from 3:30-5:30 and will stay later one evening a week for date night!

I was thinking today that we have only been in Texas for 3 months and have experienced so many things--a tornado, more rain than we saw in 3 years in Phoenix, new people and places. We enjoy the lakes, the trees and the green grass yards. We enjoy having malls, restaurants and stores in close proximity! Even the humidity and traffic aren't nearly as bad as everyone warned us!

All in all, things are going good! The longest summer of our lives is almost over. Before long, we will start to meet new people and fill our social calendar full of events! We have some things to look forward to in the next few months. Megan and Steven start school next Monday and I will start substituting soon. Chris and Melanie are coming to visit for Labor Day. We are heading to autism family camp in mid-September. And, Dad and Bev are coming to visit sometime in October! Before we know it, the holidays will be upon us. (No, Dad, I haven't started the countdown to Christmas YET!)

b

Girls Day Out!!!

Today, Megan and I are having a girl day! We are going to lunch, a movie, shopping for school clothes and hanging out at the mall. I'm really excited for our girl day!

Yesterday was Megan's school orientation day. We have never experienced such a thing--didn't know what to expect. I called the school to see if parents come or just the 8th graders. They said yes, parents are encouraged to attend. I told Megan that I get to go. She was pretty excited about me getting to go, getting to see her friends, getting her school schedule, etc.

Until we got there.

Then, she walked in front of me about 10 steps and said, "Mom, you wait here and I'll go see if any other parents came."

Fortunately, there were tons of parents so I was allowed to enter the building! The parents sat on the bottom rows of the bleachers and the kids sat as far away from their parents as possible.....up high on the bleachers! It was funny how that happens at this age!

The principal talked for a 45 minutes about school expectations and accomplishments. Her school is rated "Exemplary" by the Texas Board of Education based on student achievement. They showed their TAKS scores (equivalent to Arizona's AIMS) and I was impressed! In 3 subjects (social studies, writing and reading) 100% of their students met or exceeded grade level expectations. In math and science, 97% met or exceeded. These are huge accomplishments! We're excited she is at such a good school!

After the principal finished talking, we were excused to go "take care of business" as he put it! He sent us to the "small gym" (yes, the school has two separate gyms!). In the small gym the PTA had everything we needed in one place!

1. PE uniforms

2. Spirit Tshirts, sweatshirts and sweatpants

3. Join PTA

4. Volunteer for PTA committees

5. Buy school supplies (all the supplies the kids need to start the school year, shrink wrapped in a carrier.

We didn't even have to write more than one check! They had stations all set up......once I paid, they gave me colored tickets that represented my purchase. I took my ticket up to each of the tables and they gave me everything. It was so neat!

Megan and her friends went to the cafeteria and picked up their schedules and compared them to each other! She was excited to see she has two morning classes with Leila. She will be taking two classes that are high school credit courses. I think it's going to be a good year!

I better go shower and have Megan pick out my acceptable clothing to be seen in public with her:)

B

Ketchep is a vegetable

This morning started normally,
I was in a fog.
Little did I know
I’d soon have fodder for our blog.

I shuffled to the kitchen,
Where coffee smelled so sweet.
Steven followed closely,
Awaiting his coffee treat.

He got my morning coffee,
I fought to no avail.
I needed my own coffee,
I was living in hell.

I opened the fridge
And got my sacred creamer.
Steven wanted ketchep
He turned into a screamer.

I’ve long touted ketchep as a vegetable,
If you must know the truth
So when my children ask for it,
I gladly mind my youth.

I went to the couch with my coffee
Still in my fog
Steven stayed in the kitchen,
And became a refrigerator hog!

He got out the sacred ketchep.
He took it in his room.
Ketchep over everything.
He even used the broom.

Ketchep is like honey.
It gets sticky really quick.
It doesn’t come out easy.
The mop doesn’t do the trick.

If you come to visit,
I’ll share this handy tip,
Remember to lock the fridge
After EVERY single trip.

It's official!

It is official. It's been recorded. It's been funded. Our house in Queen Creek aka San Tan Valley has been sold. The new people will move in this weekend. No more worrying about a vacant house sitting there, easy prey for anyone to damage it. No more worrying about it. Aaah.

I think we will celebrate with pizza for dinner tonight!

Betsy

Things are looking up

Steven has done remarkably well with the move to Texas. However, some things still need to get worked out. His home program and a respite provider have been the biggest goals of mine. Unfortunately, neither of those were coming along with any certainty.

Yesterday was a particulary rough day. I made a bunch of phone calls and we are finally getting somewhere! The behavior specialist from the school district came over today. He will helping to design, train and implement Steven's home program. He will be coming twice a week for 6 weeks to get things going.

I've interviewed several potential respite providers, but none that really felt like a good fit. Today, I interviewed Sarah. I believe she is going to work out nicely.

We have 19 days of vacation left until school starts. Sarah will start on 8/17. Kids go back to school 8/24. I will begin subbing whenever I'm needed at the district. I think it will be good for all of us to get into routines and start meeting new friends!

aaah. Now I can sleep again at night!

Betsy