Valentine's Day Party take 1

We had Isabel's Valentine's Day fun today at preschool.  There really wasn't a set party time.  I just sent her with her Valentines (she was a rock star and personally addressed them all this morning) and strawberries for the fondue.  I took some pictures.

And here are a couple of pictures of my ankle this morning.  Just because I want sympathy.

Right is the jacked up one.

I'm taking donations to get a pedicure.  Hahahaha.  I found that way more funny than I should have.  Probably because a pedicure is about item 495939494 on my list of things right now.

Tonight I'm off the Bunko.  I had coffee with a girlfriend I hadn't talked with in a long time today.  It was so nice to catch up.  She has been such a great friend to me for the past 7 years.  We met at my very first playgroup with Vivian in Austin where she introduced herself and was so kind and welcoming.  Anyway, said friend is going too so we're carpooling.

Tank

Little Tank went to the vet this morning to see what he had to say about the return of his skin lesion.  He had the same thing in the same place last January.  We had it biopsied and it came as a bad form of melanoma.  Last year it literally popped up overnight.  This year I saw it after tank went in for a groom.  I'm not sure exactly when it showed up because Tank was pretty furry, but I don't think it's been that long.  So I opted to see what the chest x rays showed.  Tank needed to get the mass removed ASAP if the scans were clear or not, but I wasn't sure I was going get his teeth done if the cancer had spread.  So the scans were completely clear.  We are going ahead with the mass removal and teeth cleaning on Wednesday.  One of the hardest things is doing a cost vs benefit on your beloved pet's health.  I was clearly distressed about the whole thing and the vet was so great.  We 100% need to get the mass taken care of.  It's starting to bleed a little.  After that we'll see what happens.

It will be a busy week.  I'm making goodies for teachers, etc.  Logan's holiday party is on Thursday but after being told Isabel can attend I was informed 3 hours later that siblings aren't allowed.  So I guess I won't be attending his party. :(  I was more upset about that than I expected.

Isabel's holiday party is also Thirsday, but after lunch.  Gotta get on making those gingerbread houses.

The Bus

Today Logan rode the bus home from school!  He didn't get home until 11:20am!  That's a long bus ride considering we live less than a mile from school.  He played it very cool getting off the bus.  I think he was a little scared and unsure of what the whole thing was and didn't understand that he was on his way home.  Once he walked in the door he was 'starving' and wanted lunch.  As I was making lunch and trying to understand what he wanted he started to melt down.  I think it was a big day with not enough sleep last night.  I let him watch one of my new favorite holiday short movies "Prep and Landing.'  I seriously love that show.  So cute.  He calmed down and helped me clean the cabinets after lunch.  We went to pick up Isabel from preschool and it was another tough time for Logan.  I didn't anticipate (but should have) that it would be difficult for him to go back to his old school and not actually be attending school there anymore.  He didn't want to leave Izzy's class.  Ms. Jill saw him and tried to play with him a little, but that made things worse.  I think he was just so confused.

This was yesterday.  Logan's first day at Kiker.  Isn't his shirt awesome?!!

Logan is seated in an integrated car seat on the bus and there is an aid that rides with them.

Bye bus!

We picked up Maddie for an afternoon play date.  Usually the girls play so well together, but the first half of this play date was exhausting.  They just could not get along.  Once we went outside and ran off some energy and then came back in all was good.  Four year old girls...I tell ya, sheesh!  All I wanted to do was get the grout in the entryway clean.  Not an easy task.

Logan has been repeating a lot this week.  I'm sure it's a combination of factors.  New school and routine and also the fact that he doesn't have speech therapy this week.  We are missing it!  We'll pick it back up next week with new times after school.

Tonight I have a Mom's night out at this new restaurant that just opened right up the street from us.  I've really wanted to try it out and they were kind enough to comp the Mom's club dinner!  I'm not sure what the stipend is, but I've been told 'very generous.'  Nothing like free food!  The menu is very small, but looks amazing.  Everyone else in the house is having frozen pizza.  Sorry I'm not sorry.  :-)  I did finally remember to marinate the meat for dinner tomorrow, so hopefully that will be good!

First Day, Dentist, and Walking Pneumonia

Logan's first day at Kiker was today!  He did great!  He told me he had fun.  Ms. Martha said he had a little tear at the corner of his eye and was asking for Mommy, but it was at the end of the 3 hour day and it didn't end in him getting upset.  Tomorrow he can ride the bus the very short ride home.  I wasn't planning on doing the bus at all, but everyone of the 3 year olds rides the bus and I guess a couple of kids who weren't riding initially got really upset because they wanted to, so now everyone does.  It was definitely a challenge getting them out the door at 7:35am this morning!  Brian came home and asked Logan how school was and he said 'better.'  How sad/cute is that?  I think it's going to be a great fit.  :-)

After school we hit up a park, came home for lunch and then headed out to Isabel and Logan's dental checkups.  Logan's teeth looked good (thank the good lord), but Isabel had a tiny cavity.  It was so small that they didn't even numb her, just gave her some nitrous oxide and drilled and filled.  Easy peasy.  She was a rock star.  They both were SO good.  After that we raced over to dance class.  It was costume measuring day today.  Got that all done.  We hit up another park and then went home to wait for Brian so that I could go to the doctor.  I finally broke down after almost 3 weeks of this horrible cough and made an appointment with the easy care clinic for 6pm.  Turns out modern medicine does have its place in my body.  Something about walking pneumonia, whatever that means.  I'm now the proud owner of my very own peak flow meter.  Isabel and I will have contests.  At least with both of us taking the same meds we have tons of them on hand at any given moment.  But seriously, this cough has got to stop.  It's kept me up at night for way too many nights.

Brian also went to the doctor up North at lunch today.  He got loaded up with meds.  He's just on the 3rd day of a sinus infection and decided to seek help.  Because he's smart like that.  I really wish they would let you put in like $50,000/year in your healthcare flexible spending account.  We would use that up in about 3 months.

Logan's Last Day at CDC

Today was Logan's last day at the CDC.  He will start the PPCD program at our local elementary school tomorrow.  I told Brian that it was such a bittersweet day and he put it bluntly when he replied 'Why?  It's clear that his current teacher can't handle him.'  Sigh.  Logan did make a very deep connection with his assistant teacher, Ms. Jill.  She is amazing.  She has 2 or 3 grown boys and really really gets Logan.  When all he's hearing is 'don't do this or don't do that' she says 'YES!  Please give me big hugs and tackle me!'  I really feel like she understands him and his issues and sees it not as an imposition or problem, but as a positive.  She loves getting tackled by Logan and getting hugs and squeezes daily.  She regularly stood up for him and was his advocate.  I know she truly will miss him just as much as I'll miss her.

Logan has all of his (many) school supplies ready to go for tomorrow.  We've been slowly pushing up his bedtime so that the 6:30am wake up call won't be so traumatic for him.  He really needs at least 11 hours of sleep at night, especially since he's not napping at all.  Fingers crossed he sleeps through the night tonight.  He will be going to school 5 days a week for 3 hours a day.  Not very long, but I feel like the constant routine will help him a lot.  Next year he will be going 5 days a week for 6 hours a day.  A big change!  My schedule is changing drastically too.  I will no longer be getting the 4 hour break 2x's a week that I've gotten used to.  Now it will be at most 1.5 hours twice a week.  I'm not complaining.  I'm excited to have the extra time in the morning with just Isabel and the extra time mid day with just Logan.  I have lots of activities planned.  Maybe too many!  And by activities I mean things that we will be doing around the house.  Isabel is anxious to try and start reading.  I'm really going to look books and things to help her achieve this goal.  I'm excited to do some heavy work with Logan.  Heavy work is crucial in Logan's OT plan.  A goal I have for him is catching a ball.  This is a big goal.  He uses his peripheral vision to track objects, like balls, being tossed to him.  Once we figured this out a huge light bulb went off.  When I was talking to his OT and she mentioned it I was like 'aha! that's it!'  I couldn't put my finger on what was going on, but now it's so obvious.  Just a clear example of his motor planning disorder.

Ms. Jill!

Logan and Ms. Julie

Isabel took control of the camera.

Room Parent....M&Ms

We're in the 2nd week of school (for us).  Isabel continues to do really well.  She's making new friends and is slowly asking about her BFF from last year less and less.  Today when I dropped her off out of the blue she yells across the room 'MOMMY!' (at this point my 'INSIDE VOICE' yell is about to happen) YOU LOOK REALLY BEAUTIFUL TODAY!!!'  Oh my heart.  She must have known that I'm sick, feel like shit, have been eating like shit, haven't worked out, etc, etc.  What a way to make Mom feel good, right?!  Especially in my shorts with two tiny holes in the back pockets (I forgot and wore a thong for the first time in, oh, 5 years, today...hello butt cheeks) and pitted out shirt.  High five little miss!

I'm somehow room parent, but that's ok with me.  If we hadn't been gone the first couple of week of classes I would have volunteered anyway.  It's just so much easier with Izzy's allergies.  It seems like it should be a pretty easy job this year.  The teacher is amazing and said she prefers to plan most of the parties herself.  Score!  I think I'll just be in charge of teacher bdays and appreciation gifts.  We will go see the cardiologist tomorrow for her exam post-fainting spell.  Her regular pediatrician wanted her to see the cardiologist to be cautious.

Logan is still adjusting to his new class.  Actually, I think his teacher is adjusting to him.  She seems geniunly surprised by him.  This is the same lady who taught Isabel all last year.  She saw Logan all the time.  I'm not sure what she expected.  She has made a couple of concerning comments that lead me to believe that maybe he is not in the right environment.  I gave her Logan's OT's phone number today and I hope she calls her.  I told his OT what his teacher said about him and she was really surprised.  She told me that if I hear anything like that again to have her call.  So that's exactly what I did today.  Logan's evaluation with the school district is on Thursday.  I am really hoping that he gets into the program.  I would be very surprised and upset if he didn't.

Logan has been doing well.  He still is pretty rigid and tantrums frequently, but full meltdowns are becoming fewer and fewer.  His repeating has gotten SO much better, except with books, and where he holds consonants for a long time (can't remember what the clinical term is) has gotten much much better.

We have had a lot of stressors in the household recently and I remembered that we have tons of M&M bags leftover from the flights.  Bad bad thing to have in the house.  Sure, I could save them and give them away with Halloween candy (Isabel can't eat them because they are a 'may contain' food), but no, we just eat them.  So good.

We have family pictures this Saturday.  I bought a voucher last Christmas when my favorite photographer was having a promotion for a mini session that donated half of the amount to charity.  A cheap session and a charity donation?  Yes please!  I have the perfect outfits for everyone.  That never happens.  Usually I'm running around trying to find things that semi don't clash and I forget about myself and then end up wearing a black shirt.  Not this year!  I am ready.  I just had to get a tiny bit of pink nail polish out of the dress that a certain little princess will be wearing.

I think Brian and I both would kill for a date night.  It's been a really really really long time since we've gone out just the two of us.  I actually can't remember when it was.  My goal is for this to happen in the next 4 months.  It probably won't, but I can wish.

And I'm now very excited that New Girl is new tonight.

Last Day of School

The kids had their last day of school on Thursday.  They have a week break and then they move on to their classroom for next year.  They both had great years!  I was beyond thrilled with both of their teachers.  I will miss Logan's teachers tremendously.  They have both been huge cheerleaders for him and I really really appreciated that.  Isabel's lead teacher will be Logan's teacher next year (yay!), but this means that his classmates will not be in his class as they all have a different teacher.  I think this was the best decision for him.  Because he already knows the teacher and room I feel like it will be an easier transition on him.  At least I hope so.  We will miss his friends, but honestly, it wasn't a very cohesive group.  I'm excited to see what this year has in store for Logan!  We're still waiting on his AISD evaluation and to see if he will go into the PPCD program.

I'm so pleased and excited about Isabel's teacher for next year.  I've heard great things about her and I'm so excited that Isabel will be in her class!  She is very sweet and has a masters degree in early childhood education.  She has had children in her classroom with peanut allergies, so it's not new to her.  She was very receptive to the letter we gave her to pass along to the other parents in the classroom about Isabel's allergies.  We also printed out the snack safely list that I printed out online.  She was happy to have that information and hand it out to the parents as well.  Isabel was excited to demonstrate the new Auvi-Q epinephrine injection trainer.  She nailed it again!  I know we (obviously) can't rely on Isabel to inject herself, or know when to inject herself, but the fact that she knows how to do it and hopefully will not be as afraid if we ever need to use it on her.

I'm currently writing lists and then more lists trying to prepare for our Montana/California adventure.  There is a lot to think about.  We packed and sent a suitcase ahead in the RV, so I'm trying to just take carry on luggage.  I'll have a car seat, carry on luggage and both kids to wrangle with a 37 minute layover in Denver.  Oh, and I also have to try and be really nice and ask the passengers around me to not open peanuts during the flights. At least Frontier doesn't serve peanuts during the flight.  We'll have at least 6 auto injectors of epinephrine with us.  We also need to carry on our nebulizer and all of our liquid xopenex.  It's not huge, so that's a plus.  Just lots to strategize and organize.  I'm really really excited though!  Isabel has been talking about going to GGBs house and the trail she pained with chalk last year.  Can't wait to see my brother and sister and nephews!  We all miss Tank too, so it will be nice to see him again!

Big week for the US of A!

I can't believe it's Friday!  Actually, that's a lie.  The week has been looong.  But...but so much has happened!  Between the things going on in the Texas Senate and the DOMA stuff, my head is about to explode!

And then there's Aaron Hernandez.  OMG!

Ok, on to things that actually happened in my home.  Well, not much.  I swear, it must be the heat, but I just can't seem to do anything around the house!  The A/C units are going almost constantly trying to cool the house.  The upstairs unit is especially getting a workout on this 106 degree day.  Yep, we set a record!  It still hasn't been nearly has hot as last summer, so I can't complain too much.  We've been spending most afternoons at the pool.  Not exactly relaxing for me, but the kids really love it.

I know you might have been confused, but this isn't me.  And this isn't our neighborhood pool.

Snack at the pool.

Dancing at the pool.

Logan has another follow up dental appointment.  All went well, but he STILL had some damn plaque buildup.  We're using a rotating brush on his teeth at least 2x's a day and flossing!  I'm like come ON.  What is the deal?!  It's so frustrating.

I also had a quick chat with his speech therapist and she was thinking about reevaluating him soon because he's made such huge strides in the past few months that she thinks he might be 'on target.'  Say whaaa?  That's huge!  I actually hope she doesn't cut us off, because obviously he's made such big improvements with her that I would hate for us to lose this momentum!

Logan also had his preschool conference this week.  I talked a lot about what it would mean if Logan has an ASD diagnosis in a couple of weeks and what our options are.  Logan's teacher taught for 14 years in the PPCS program, specifically with children on the ASD, so she is a huge help.  Our neighbor also happens to teach there too.  Coincidentally I caught her the same day I had Logan's conference and we talked for a long time about services, etc etc.  She is amazing.  She has a special needs child, so she has the unique perspective of being an educator and mom of a special needs child.  While our preschool teacher thinks it would be so great for Logan to be in the program, our neighbor definitely told me to proceed with caution.  It seems like I've been really getting 2 very different opinions from people I talk to this about.  Hopefully when he is done with his evaluation and we go over everything we'll have some more clarity.

Isabel has had a pretty good week.  She is growing up so fast.  Some of the things that come out of her mouth just floor me.  She's definitely not a toddler anymore.  She is very opinionated and competitive, but is so fragile right now.  She gets absolutely crushed when she's disciplined for something unexpected or when she doesn't get the attention she wants.  It's hard to see her feelings hurt.  She's very curious about family and who is in her family and when she gets to see them, etc etc.  We WeChatted with Joanne today and she was thrilled to hear her voice!  She's been watching "Ni Hao Kai Lan" and picking up some Chinese.  It's pretty cute to hear Logan and Izzy repeating words back in Chinese.

A very rare 'safe' ice cream treat for Isabel (and Logan).  She dresses herself.  You try to tell her completely different flower patters/colors don't match.  I dare you.

Isabel's Birthday Celebration at School

Today we celebrated Isabel's birthday at preschool.  I arrived a few minutes before school was over and we sang Happy Birthday and celebrated Isabel's birthday.  Ms. Julie always makes the kids wait until the birthday boy/girl has the first bite of the birthday treat.  Today was no exception.  You could hear crickets while the kids were waiting for Isabel to take the first taste of her cupcake.  It was really cute.  Isabel was both shy and so thrilled to have all of the attention on her.  I was so glad I made the decision to wait to pick Logan up until after the little party.  I don't think Izzy gets enough special attention and I'm glad she had it today, if only for 15 minutes.

I've also added some pictures from Isabel's Easter Egg hunt last week.

Find those eggs!

Sweet Logan missed his egg hunt because he was busy.  On the potty for about 20 minutes!  At least I got this cute picture.

Izzy and her BFF.

Aftermath of Isabel being colored in the Hindu Festival of Color celebration at school.

Isabel on her bday celebration day.

Carefully taking the cupcake wrapper off.

The first taste!