Shame on Them

My niece's 2nd grade teacher (she's in 3rd now) was fired today. She'd begun to show signs of mental illness, writing things like "20+20+10" on the board and saying it equaled 30. Other teachers started to shun her. On the way to a staff outing she went back to her rm for her purse & returned to find everyone had left w/out her. I guess there's so little pain in the world they felt they had to add to it. A*holes

American Idol, Rupaul's Drag Race, and Match Game!

 AI was dull & unimpressive, and I'm really not liking the dynamic between the judges. Kara remains an awkward fit; too ADD, too much makeup, too unable to define her role on the panel. Although he was bad, they were waaaay too hard on Tim Urban, especially when they let equally sucky performers off the hook. Kudos to Ellen for (gently) calling Kara and Randy out for how they acted during Casey James' performance.

A great surprise on our DVR tonight: On Rupaul's Drag Race they (gasp! applause) did a full-out recreation of The Match Game, cleverly re-titled "The S*atch Game". Sure everyone was in drag and impersonating a celebrity, and they had too many people on each tier for a traditionalist like myself - but Gene Rayburn & Co. would've had a blast. Plus Tatianna won, so it was a great hour of TV all around.

A Full House

Crowded house. All the kids are home now, plus Lisa's watching Jess & Jason's newborn and a 3 yr old while they move. My my. Good thing (for me) that I'm leaving for work soon.

My Thoughts

 Lousy kids r rguing @the table over whether or not YaYa is actually swallowing her grilled cheese or just 'faking', & about who can upchuck into their mouth w/out spitting it out.

Ugh. Ugh. Ugh.

Here's what non-breeders and the 'bred because it was expected' fail to comprehend: you can hate 17.5% of any given day with all ur heart & still not regret any of it. It'd be like hating pizza because 1 slice was crap.

There is Beauty in It

 The snow is falling here in beautiful, gigantic snowflakes that look like they were shipped right off a Hollywood soundstage.

Lost

This weeks episode told u everything you need to know about Lost: It's all about Jack. Past, present(s), and future - the island, and the show, is all about Jack Shephard.

Smiley's IEP

A few weeks ago I promised I'd follow up on Smiley's IEP (Individualized Education Program) from his school. Here goes.

First: Smiley appears to enjoy coming to school and interacting with his peers. He follows all classroom rules and routines independently. Smiley is eager to help and to learn. He completes his work and art projects independently.

Then: Dad continues to have concerns regarding his speech production and Smiley knowing his letters and numbers.

Here's the pertinent part: Smiley's speech is approx. 50% intelligible during spontaneous speech to known listeners in known contexts. He often requires cues and/or reminders to slow his rate of speech and to use all hsi sounds. Smiley has difficulty producing the following sounds consistently and/or spontaneously: s, s blends, z, sh, ch, k, g, and th. He produces "s" and "s" blends at the word level w/ minimal verbal and or visual reminders. Smiley requires cues to use correct vowel production at the word level during spontaneous and imitative speech production. Smiley uses 3-4 word sentences to spontaneously to communicate. He uses correct prepositions during structured and unstructured language tasks. He continues to require cues to use articles and correct pronouns. He follows directions independently, answers "wh" questions with 75-100% accuracy and labels vocabulary w/ 80-100% accuracy. Smiley labels 9/9 colors and 8/8 shapes. He counts to eight, then skips to 10. He labels 4/20 numbers and 2/26 letters.

Then: Smiley's speech and language delays negatively impact his communication w/ peers and teachers and his ability to express wants, needs, and thoughts in an age appropriate manner.

Whew. Heavy stuff. Here it is in English. He still doesn't talk very well, but talks 1000% better than he would have if Lisa hadn't pushed to enroll him in therapy two years ago. If you know the boy, and have some idea about the subject that he's discussing, you have a 50/50 chance of comprehending him. I'd say it's closer to 60-70% for family.

The thing I find remarkable is that it really truly doesn't seem to wear him down. He just keeps plugging away. Oh, he gets happy when you understand him, and sometimes seems shocked when you do, but even when you don't he'll a) patiently repeat it until either you get it or b) he finds another way to communicate his needs. The only time I've seen him get annoyed is when a clerk at a store failed to understand him. After a few tries Smiley waved him off and said "nebber min'".

There's some drawbacks to his newfound intelligiblity. We discovered he's been 'secretly' sassing us, saying "shut up" and whatnot in Smiley talk. The first time we comprehended what he was saying we naturally scolded him. He was flabbergasted; he'd been saying it so long without a reaction I think he believed it to be a perfectly appropriate comment.

Forgetting that stuff, here's some famous Smiley quotes: "Di-ah-wee-ah!", said as often as possible in every context.

"Knock 'ock"

"Who's There?"

"Mommy"

"Mommy Who"

"Di-ah-wee-ah!"

He also very frequently asks "Is he weal?" of various characters in TV, movies, and in picture books. I think this is a developmental stage, but I don't recall it with the older girls. I think he's trying to sort out the real from the impossible, and fiction from reality. It's cute, but it's also fascinating to see his mind churn over the possiblities.

Anyhow, I've rambled on long enough. Have a good day.

Anne Frank, yams, and American Idol

Busy day. Topped off fluids on the car, took the kids to school & Junie to playgroup, (Smiley's bus never showed) had my crucifix fixed, cleaned fish & turtle tanks & kitty litter in btwn writing. Now Park and I r making a turkey, stuffing (w/ walnuts), rolls & yams for our Tues Family Nt. Then a game & we'll end by reading from Anne Frank's diary. Not 'fun' per se, but they seem woefully ignorant of the Holocaust.

Dinner was A1. Got the kids to eat yams by saying they were carrots. But L & the girls were late bcuz she left the lts on and needed a jump-start, so we xnay'd the game. I did read Anne Frank's 1st 2 entries to the girls. They liked her snarky & somewhat judgemental take on her classmates. Based on her bday gifts, they decided she was much richer than us We'll try reading a few pgs each nt.

I was going to go all in-depth on tonight's American Idol, but I think I can sum it up nicely: disappointing, boring, and almost enough to convince you the talk about this group being 'strong' is all smoke and mirrors. However, Katelyn and Crystal did well, Lily was @ least interesting, and Michelle was as good as Ellen said. My picks to go home: Janell and Haeley (sp?).

 So has Parker gone to sleep yet ? When you came in you said Laurie would be going down for a nap...........But Parker slept for over 5 hours!!!:) - Aunt Katie

A Danny Quote

One night last month a small group of our friends was sitting in my living room. Everyone was a little tipsy, and the mood grew melancholy. One by one folks started voicing their biggest regrets: that they never finished college, that they 'wasted' years on John Doe, that this error happened or that opportunity wasn't taken.

And then it was my turn. I sat there woefully underemployed, with a van that doesn't run, a gutter that needs replacement and a degree I don't use. And I thought, I really truly thought "Don't blow this off. Think hard and be honest. Deep down what's my one, most troubling regret of the last 35 years?"

After a moment it came to me, this deepest, most painful, most honest regret. And so I voiced it:

"I wish" I said, and sighed. "I wish I could rap."

 Feb 22nd, the day I met my husband....15 years ago. Still feel blessed for that day. - Lisa

 At ~ 3 AM this morning Lisa and I will mark the 15th anniversary of the first day we met. Feb 22nd 1995 remains the luckiest damn day of my life, and I wouldn't change a thing. Happy anniversary baby.

A special anniversary

At ~ 3 AM this morning Lisa and I will mark the 15th anniversary of the first day we met. Feb 22nd 1995 remains the luckiest damn day of my life, and I wouldn't change a thing. Happy anniversary baby!

For our anniversary we were granted 2 1/2 hr w/out children, all in the middle of the day. Long enough to stop and buy some needed pet food, wait for a table at Olive Garden, and scarf down some food. I'm grateful 4 the break, but 4 the record: on my bday, if I don't find a babysitter, I'm locking the kids in the shed with a water bottle, a loaf of bread, and a harmonica. Ok, 2 bottles of water. Maybe 3.

Cart Surfing

I'm on Club Penguin cart surfing to earn coins for Grace's penguin. Ain't nobody can top me in the mines, N-O-B-O-D-Y. If you think different, step on up pardner. I'm the penguin in the purple gown and the long brown hair racking up the points. Bring your A game and prepare to recognize!

"Activ-iaaaa"

 Proof that advertising seeps into the brain: I took my two oldest to the grocery store to look for plain yogurt. No luck, but there was plenty of Activia. As soon as they saw it on the shelves both girls pointed and sang, in harmony, the Activia jingle.😁

Smiley Breaks his Foot

Allright, I have another Smiley post planned but let's get this out of the way. Quoting my FB status at 7:51 PM this past Thursday:

Just back from wrestling w/ the kids, and Smiley hurt his foot goofing around w/ me. Now it looks like we're on our way to the urgent care. Lisa is furious @ me, I think they're both over-reacting. We'll see.

He and I ventured alone to St. Francis Hospital, where we spent a good two hours. All but five minutes of that was spent waiting in one place or another, and I must say the face-time with medical personnel was very limited. Two good things: they brought the X-Ray machine to the ER room, rather than make the little guy move. And two, the nurse was a dead ringer of Kendra from The Girls Next Door. Seriously.

Here was the result from 10:19 that night:

We're back. Smiley has a fracture of the 2nd metatarsal (sp?) of his left foot and was given a boot to wear. Officially its 'questionable'(?) and he has to see a specialist after this wknd. Lis is still mad at me & it will be a long night, but Smiley & I r cool. Most of Lisa's ire comes from my initial reaction - but yo...u know, Smiley is 4 & can be dramatic, and he was already moody in the hour leading up to the mishap.

The next morning at 11:19 AM:

Smiley's a mess. No complaining, but he can't put weight on the foot and he doesn't understand why, unlike his other booboos, this one isn't better in the morning. Plus he's wizzing all over the bathroom because he's hopping on one foot.

Lisa then took him to a follow up appt. At 1:33 PM:

Lisa's at the bone doc with Smiley. In her absence I should clean the house b4 work . . . but uh, yeah, no.

Finally, at 2:19 PM (I must really like sitting in front of the comp at 19 minutes past the hour):

Damn damn damn. Word from Lisa: the ER doc was full of sh*t. Smiley has not one 'questionable' fracture, but *three* clear broken bones that run up quite a-ways in his foot. He's gotten a cast, bright orange at his request. I'll have full details later.






The details are this: breaks in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th metaparsal, halfway up the bone, running straight across the foot. The doc expects them to heal well and not need any extensive follow-up. This is the first broken bone among any of my kids.

So, Smiley is at times quite annoyed with me, but usually only when other people *cough* my sisters *cough* are instigating him to rebellion. It was clearly an accident. While seated I put my palms up, and he placed his palms down on mine and locked his elbows. I then lifted him straight in the air - 'levitated' him - just as I have 1500X with the kids. On the way down he got wibbly-wobbly and bent his arm, falling all of about 2 feet and landing on his feet. He just landed too hard on his feet, or twisted his foot on impact, I'm not sure. And yes, since this took place during a sports team practice where he'd already been moody and cried I assumed he was exaggerating for effect. I do feel bad for that.

Sorry Smiley :(

Cart Surfer Extreme

I'm on Club Penguin cart surfing to earn coins for YaYa's penguin. Ain't nobody can top me in the mines, N-O-B-O-D-Y. If you think different, step on up pardner. I'm the penguin in the purple gown and the long brown hair racking up the points. Bring your A game and prepare to recognize!

Our Visit with TJ

Back on December 10th my friend Tre and his wife had their first child, a boy named Theodore John, or TJ. More than two months premature, he spent a month in the hospital before going home.





Today I took YaYa and LuLu to visit the little guy. It was their first time meeting him, although YaYa made a Christmas stocking for him that hung in the hospital over the holiday.

First tho', I finished feeding and burping the little guy.







Then it was YaYa's turn.









Now obviously, the little guy has a problem around his left eye. It's a hemangioma that's put pressure on his optic nerves and threatened his vision. It's been treated with steroids and has retreated internally. The last-ditch option of chemotherapy has been discussed but has been shelved, and yay for that.





Then it was LuLu's turn to hold him.







Here's TJ high-fiving YaYa:



A few minutes later, while distracted by talking to Tre, I looked over and found both of my girls talking to one another on the couch, their arms on each other's shoulders like the best of friends. Naturally, as soon as I drew attention to the fact they turned on one another, but they *tried* to pose for this shot:





Whatever problems he may or may not have with his eye, the boy seemed chubby, content, alert, and glad to be doted on. He's a great big blessing, and we're glad to have him in our lives.

Welcome TJ!

ISO

I'm looking for marbles to replace missing pieces from Smiley's Hungry Hungry Hippo game. None of Milwaukee's grand and varied Dollar stores carries marbles, or at least had them in stock. Any (really cheap) ideas on where I can find some? I don't want to spend $6 to restock a $9 game that's already well worn.

A Wrestler?

Aside from breaking my son's foot the day went well. I have pics from the wrestling practice, so hopefully a blog post will follow. The coach went gaga for LuLu; his eyes just sparkled. He said she was a natural, that her body instinctively reacted w/ the right moves as if trained; that right NOW she would do well in a tourney and be near the top of the food chain in her age bracket.

Wow. My LuLu, a wrestler?

 It'll be 4 years since I quit smoking and Newport still sends me coupons. If you smoke Newports, and would like $1 off/pack on the delicious, relaxing yumminess that is a menthol cigarette enjoyed with a cup of coffee in the dead of winter then [slap!]. Whoa. Maybe that's y they still send them, to tempt you. Anyhow, ur welcome to the coupons.

RE: Smiley's Foot

Smiley has a "questionable" fracture in his 2nd metatarsal. How can be questionable when they can name the bone? I'm not sure. Sees the specialist in 5 days. He doesn't whine, but crawls around the house instead of putting any weight on it all...my poor baby. I'm convinced it is not a questionable break at all and he needs a cast so he can walk instead of crawl!

And for those worried about my other baby, I'm not mad at him. I was mad for a minute by his less-then-sympathetic initial reaction, things are fine now. Shit happens.

Update 5:03pm: Smiley has three broken metatarsals (bones on the top of the foot). He now has a BRIGHT orange cast, and is much happier now that he can walk around (albeit slow).

- Lisa

The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad is posting FB messages in Arabic. Odd, and a wee disturbing, to see my 'wall' decorated by 3 posts in Arabic, w/ no English translation on hand.

Parent Teacher Conferences

Went right from work to YaYas parent-teacher conference. It went much better than I feared, w/ her teacher heaping praise and compliments on her. Still, she rightly pointed out that YaYa, if we can speak plainly here, rarely gives more than a half-ass effort in math and anything she finds 'boring'. Time to break her of that before it gets too ingrained (sp?) in her personality.

This week's Lost

Lost: Excellent episode, u can really feel the season picking up steam. So in alt. timeline Locke is happy; he has his woman, comes to grips w/ his paralysis, and is fufilled @ wrk - all by abandoning faith, making him a true opp. of his 'old' self. Will Jack be equally fulfilled by *embracing* faith in that timeline? Yin/Yang, etc?