Llama Queen's Don't Do Homework

14 years

2010-11-17T10:12:00.006-05:00

14 years ago today was my due date with my first baby - Ryan Patrick (at that point, he wasn't Ryan yet, because he was either going to be named Ryan or Sean. It wasn't until he arrived that I was sure of his name).

He tried to come early a few times, but when my due date actually arrived, he decided to stay put for an extra 9 days!!!

And he has continued to live life in the same way, in his own timing. Ryan is not one to be rushed, he simply just goes with the flow and does things when he's ready. This can be a bad thing when it comes to school, but in most aspects of his life, it's a quality that I wish I had. To be able to just go about life relaxed and not worrying because you know everything will get done eventually...

14 years ago today I was 18 years old and terrified of becoming a mother. I had no clue what to expect and had no idea how I would handle motherhood. Everyone else in my life was confident that I would be fine, but inside, I doubted myself. In some ways, Ryan and I have grown up together. There are times now that I think back and wonder how I actually managed to keep him alive. I struggled and those early years were rough, but it was worth every minute!

I hope to post some more pictures in the next few days leading up to Ryan's birthday!

I'm such a bad blogger

2010-11-17T10:08:00.002-05:00

I really want to find more time to keep up with blogging. I enjoy it when I do it, I just can't keep up!

I've been using my calendar reminders on my Blackberry a lot lately to help me to not organize my life, maybe I'll add a daily or weekly entry to Blogging!

Back to School!

2010-09-09T08:43:00.002-04:00

Ryan started 8th grade!! We realized that morning that it would be his last "first day" of school at his current school. Next year he will be off to high school!!

So far he is happy. He already knew his teachers because 7th and 8th grade classes have their own section of the building and they rotate between the same teachers so the only thing that changed this year is his homeroom. He isn't too thrilled to have math for 1st period, but he will adjust. He's not a morning person (what teenager is?) so he is worried that he will have trouble focusing in math. I will just have to make sure he is getting enough sleep. Besides, math is his best subject, so I know he will be fine.

Katie loves 3rd grade so far. She was amazed that she got to pick her own seat and that her name wasn't taped to the desk. She loves her teacher - luckily she already knew Ms. Hawkins from an after school reading group that she was in last year. She is able to talk to Ms. Hawkins so we are already off to a good start.

I was a little frustrated that the teacher hadn't been given a copy of Katie's 504 plan before school started, but we got everything worked out. I met yesterday with the teacher and the school nurse so that I could explain everything about Katie to her. She was wonderful about it and didn't seem bothered at all by the requests that I have made.

So far it seems like this will be a great school year. Of course now the kids have off for a 4 day weekend, so Monday will be like starting all over again.

Katie Update

2010-09-01T10:08:00.004-04:00

Katie had her check-up with her GI doctor yesterday. Dr. B said she is doing GREAT, her tummy seems to be soft and healthy (before, her constipation made her tummy HARD at all times, even when she was on an adult dose of myralax every day).

She is still very small for her age, but that will take time to catch up. At least she is ON the chart now. She is 46 inches and 54 pounds. She is in the 2% for her height and the 29% for her weight. She did have to get some bloodwork done, but she handled it amazingly well, as usual. As long as the labs come back normal, she doesn't have to come back for a year!!

Now if only we could find a quick fix for her Selective Mutism. I thought it seemed like she was doing better, but these days she isn't talking much to anyone other than the people she is closest to. She spoke not one word at the doctors yesterday...I think it may be time to find a new therapist, since the one we are seeing now doesn't seem to be helping much, and when I try to talk to her about Katie's lack of progress, she just says "Let's just see how she does".

Arrgghhh...

Do Fun Stuff — A Kids Record For Parents

2010-08-30T09:44:00.002-04:00

Today, an amazing album has been released on iTunes. What's even better than the awesome kids songs, is the fact that 100% of the money raised goes to a great cause!

Check it out and then go buy the album:

Sorry, your browser does not support iframes.

Me Rambling about Making Appointments

2010-08-26T13:09:00.003-04:00

So I decicated some time today to making some necessary appointments.

I went to the doctor yesterday for some pretty bad shoulder pain, and she told me that my shoulder muscles are spasming, and that she reccomends I go get a deep tissue massage. Not gonna hear me complaining about that!!! Even better is that a few months ago, I entered a raffle and won a gift certificate for a one hour massage. I guess it's time to use it!!

So, today I called and made my appointment for my massage. Then I called and made myself an appointment to see my dentist and GYN (2 things I ALWAYS put off way longer than I should).

So far so good, I got all my appointments set in my blackberry calender with reminders so I don't miss my appointments (which I do way more than I'd like to admit)...

Next I started making appointments for the kids. Called the dentist and tell them that we missed our last appointments (see...) and that I need to reschedule. Well, lucky me, apparently, we missed Katie's filling appointment, not their cleanings, so nothing left to do but add the date to my calendar!

I was feeling good, excited that I was checking alot of things from my mental "to do" list. Then I hit a brick wall!!!

When Katie was first diagnosed with Celiac, we were seeing a pediatric GI doc at St. Christopers Hospital. We LOVED him and he was great with Katie. Well, just as she was due for her most recent follow-up appointment, we got a letter in the mail that he was leaving the practice. The only other doctor there was going to be overwhelmed with patients now so they had to either move her appointment or we had to agree to see a PA. I have no problem with seeing a PA for normal routine check-ups with the pediatrician, but for any specialists, I want to see the doctor!

So, anyway (I'm rambling)... I called the office where our original doc moved to, and told them that I wanted to switch. They were thrilled to have us and we made an appointment for next week. I was on the phone for almost an hour!!! That's how long it took for us to get the insurance info in order, get the primary doc to do referral, get the old office to do a records transfer, etc...

Not that any of this was a problem, I just had no clue it would take that long! I guess it's good that I didn't make that call first or I probably wouldn't have had it in me to make the rest of my appointments!!

New Hobby

2010-08-06T22:41:00.004-04:00

Katie and I recently starting GeoCaching !

We've been having alot of fun with it locally and we are excited to start going out of our own neighborhood to search!

If you aren't familiar with GeoCaching, I highly recommend giving it a try. All you really need to start is a GPS.

You go online to get the coordinates of where the "Cache" (or as Katie's calls it - the treasure) is located and you plug the coordinates into your GPS and go find it.

I'll try to remember to bring my camera the next time we go out and get some video of Katie, she gets sooo excited when she finds the treasure!

Growing Up

2010-08-06T12:17:00.004-04:00

I am having such a hard time with my babies growing up. I am 100% certain that we aren't going to have any more kids (unless of course God has other plans for us), so I guess that's why it's hard to see Katie growing up.

It's always been so hard for Katie to communicate with others, and we've always had to do alot of her talking for her. I think that combined with her smaller than average size, has always made her seem much younger than she really is. Even Jamie and I, as her parents, are guilty of not treating her as a typical 8 year old because she "seemed" so much younger than most kids her age.

This summer she has grown up so much. Not just in size, but she has really matured alot. It makes me sad but excited for her at the same time. The therapy she has been doing has made such a difference in her communication. Don't get me wrong, she still has a long way to go, but we are so proud of her for how hard she is working. We are hopeful that 3rd grade will go much better than 2nd grade did, and that Katie will adjust to her new teacher faster than she has in the past.

I just have to adjust to her being a "big-kid" and not a "baby" anymore.

Katie doing the dishes a few months ago (using a stool)

Katie doing the dishes last night (no stool needed)

**Just a side note-the dishes is not one of Katie's usual chores, but she actually "likes" to do them!! We'll see how long that lasts!

I'm not ready!!!

2010-07-07T09:51:00.003-04:00

Back in November, my oldest child became a teenager. Ryan has always been so well behaved, kind and polite. On November 26th, 2009 that changed! The boy became a teen, and he left all of those qualities behind. I feel like I don't know this person anymore. Every once in a while, he will surprise me with a voluntary hug, but other than that, his goal in life is to make my hair turn gray! He has gotten himself into so much trouble lately, trouble I didn't expect for a few more years.

I was a teen myself when I had Ryan. I was 18 and just out of high school. I don't regret having him so young, because I couldn't imagine my life without him, but I do still try to use my story to help teens realize that life with a baby when you can barely suuport yourself is not fun. I've given this lecture to my cousins who are teens and my nephew and now my own son has heard my little speech that probably goes in one ear and out the other.

But now that I am heading into this new phase of parenting, I'm realizing that it's not just hard to have a baby when your young. The age difference between you and your child never change, I will always only be 18 years older than Ryan. Now, at 32, when some of my friends are just starting their familes, I am trying to figure out how to parent a teen. I'm not ready for this, I don't know what I'm doing!! How am I supposed to know how to teach a child about drugs and sex! How do I tell him that he shouldn't have a baby until he's married because it will ruin his life? Won't that make him feel like having him ruined my life? That's the furthest from the truth. Having Ryan changed my life, yes, but my life was not ruined at all! But telling him that might make him think it's ok to have unprotected sex! Do I ask my parents for advice? They really weren't all that convincing to me! Maybe their advice isn't a good idea.

See, I'm not ready! I just want to pause Ryan at this age and keep him there until I am older and wiser. I'll push play when I'm about 45 and hopefully by then I will have read enough books and asked enough questions and I will have all the answers.

But since that can't really happen, I'm left to figure it out all by myself, like a grownup. Sometimes being a grownup sucks!

Please pray for me and my husband, and most importantly, for Ryan. I pray that we all make it through these teenage years still speaking to each other.

Oh, and just as Ryan is moving past these wonderful teen years, Katie will be starting, and than I get to learn what it's like to parent a teenage GIRL!!!

Ryan

2010-07-01T13:58:00.002-04:00

Ryan is out of his cast!!! He still has to take it easy (no jumping or running) but he is happy to be out of the cast for the rest of the summer!

Update

2010-07-01T13:53:00.002-04:00

The last time I wrote, I was asking for prayers for 2 situations that were happening in our lives. I thought I would update and thank anyone who prayed since we have had lots of good new lately!

#1. My brother-in-law, who was in jail, is now home. He went to court and the judge allowed him to go home and complete his probation. He was able to be home for his daughter's birthday and the whole family couldn't be happier.

#2. My friend who was going through fertility treatments is pregnant. She is 6 weeks along and everything looks great!

Thank you for any prayers!!!

Class Trip

2010-06-03T11:59:00.003-04:00

Since Ryan's ankle is not still feeling 100%, I am going to join him on his class trip tomorrow. The 7th grade is taking a trip to Baltimore to visit the
Baltimore Aquarium and the Inner Harbor.

It's an exciting trip and the class has been talking about it and preparing for it all year. I am going to let him go on the bus and I will drive down in my car. That way if he is hurting and feels like he can't continue, we can just go home whenever he is ready.

Prayers for some friends and family

2010-06-01T10:50:00.002-04:00

I know I don't have very many readers these days, but if anyone is reading this, I am asking for prayers for 2 very different situations.

#1. My brother-in-law got himself into some trouble back when he was a teen and in his early 20s. Now in his mid 30's, an old arrest warrant that he didn't know about has come back to haunt him and he has been in jail for the last 2 weeks. Today is his court date to find out if they let him come home while waits for the judge to decide what happens next. Apparently he was on probation back in 1998 and he violated his probation. Of course everyone understands that he commited a crime and is responsible for "doing his time", but he has changed his life around compeletly since then. He is now engaged and has 2 little girls and another baby on the way. My prayers are specifically that the judge he has today allows him to come home to his girls and that any "time" he has to do can be done from home either as probation or house arrest so that he can continue to be with his family and that he can work to support them as he has been doing.

#2. One of my best friends and her husband have been struggling with infertility. She has been going through treatments and should know in about 2 weeks if this most recent round was succesful. Part of the problem was that even with the drugs, she wasn't producing very healthy follicles. This round she produced 3 very big healthy follicles. The doctor seems to think that of all the attempts, this looks to be the best round so far, so my prayers are that she does become pregnant and that has a healthy pregnancy. Also, if this round did not work, I am praying that she finds comfort in the fact that everything happens for a reason and that she will have a baby when God is ready.

Thanks for any prayers. Sorry for not posting names, but I don't want to share such personal details of other peoples lives without permission.

Another Doctors Visit

2010-06-01T10:47:00.002-04:00

Ryan has been feeling pretty good the last few days and was even up and walking around the house. Unfortunately, he woke up this morning in alot of pain, so we are heading back to the doctors this afternoon.

Praying that it's just from him being more active, but they told us to come back if the pain got worse.

Not a great way to start the summer....

2010-05-27T15:08:00.003-04:00

Ryan broke his ankle!!!

He was jumping on the trampoline (which was wet) and next thing I knew were in the ER getting X-rays. They think he will be in the cast for about 4 weeks and then they will take it off and let him wear a brace so he can enjoy his summer. We'll see what happens.

Right now he is living on the sofa since he can't get up and down the steps to his room. Luckily there is a bathroom on the first floor. At some point we are going to have to get him upstairs to shower though, because teenage boys don't smell all that great when they don't shower!!

Of course he doesn't mind that he is missing school this week, but I hope to get him back there by next week. He is getting pretty good on the crutches and once the pain subsides, he will be allowed to walk on it. Still trying to figure out how we are going to handle his school trip to Baltimore next Friday...

Yet another diagnosis

2010-05-20T16:10:00.006-04:00

** I wrote this a few months ago but somehow never posted it **

The good news is that Katie has been doing fabulous with her Gluten Free diet. She is the healthiest she's been since well, ever! She's gaining and growing more than ever and she feels good!! That makes me a happy Mommy!

Unfortunately, things haven't been going as smoothly at school. Normally when my kids gets report cards, I meet with the teacher, they say how well they are doing, and it's over. I was shocked when I was asked to come to a CSAP meeting about Katie. I didn't even know what CSAP was (now I know that it stands for Comprehensive Student Assistance Process). So I am asked to come to this meeting where the teacher, a counselor, and 2 other people (can't remember their titles) sat and talked to me about how far behind Katie's reading level was... I was dumbfounded. Up until this very moment, I was under the impression that Katie was doing fantastic in school and all of her reading grades have always been above grade level. I insisted that there must be some sort of mistake and that they had her mixed up with some other kid. Katie's teacher assured me that she did the testing herself and that she is very concerned about the results.

After a long conversation where I asked a gazillion questions about how they are getting the results, we came to an agreement that the way they are testing for reading comprehension may be the problem. Katie has always been known as a "shy" kid. I've always though it was more than just typical shyness, but found no reason to pursue it as a problem. Well, now that this has come up, I realize that Katie isn't just shy, she is at times, unable to speak to other people. At home, she is a typical, loud, bossy 8 year old girl. When she is with new people or people she isn't comfortable around, she is mostly silent.

In school, Katie has always been very quiet. Several teachers from pre-school til now have commented on how little she speaks and that when she does eventually speak, it's barely a whisper. As the school year progresses, Katie gets a bit more comfortable and by the end of the year she opens up a little bit and will speak softly. This year has been different because the teacher that she started with in September had to leave for Knee surgery and there was a sub for about 6 weeks. Now there is a new teacher who will be there until the end of the year. So, Katie hasn't had the time that SHE needs to get comfortable with a teacher this year.

When testing for reading comprehension, the student is required to read out loud and then re-tell the story and answer questions. Because Katie is not comfortable speaking to this teacher, she is not passing the test. Her inability to speak is not affecting her in any other subjects because all of her other tests are written. It seems to be only her comprehension that is scoring below average. Her actual reading level is well above average and every reading assessment she passes with 100% accuracy.

So, we took Katie to see a psychologist, who evaluated her and eventually diagnosed her with a condition called "Selective Mutism". It's a form of anxiety and now that I know about it, it makes perfect sense and describes Katie perfectly. We are choosing not to put her on any anxiety medication at this time. I personally don't like the idea of medicating children unless absolutely necessary and the doctor agreed that it makes sense to wait.

At this point in time, Katie is seeing an Art Therapist who works with children with communication problems. She is helping Katie to express herself through art. I don't know if this will be the answer to the problem but for now it's worth a try. The therapist comes highly recommended by my cousin who is a psychiatrist.

At one point the school told me that Katie would have to repeat the 2nd grade if her level didn't come up enough, but I fought that! I put my foot down and I insisted that it is not fair to make her repeat the grade and re-learn all of the subjects that she is already ahead in, just because she can't talk to the teacher. They agreed to pass her to 3rd grade as long as I agree that she joins a reading group that is set up to help kids who need help catching up in reading. They agree with me that there may not truly be a comprehension problem, but they have to treat her as if there is, just in case, while we have her treated for the SM. Luckily the reading group teacher is a teacher that Katie has spent time with throughout her time at the school and she is seeing her daily now and will continue seeing her next year.

I know that starting out next year will be hard for Katie, since she will have yet another new teacher to get used to, but I am hoping that if she continues her therapy thru the summer, that she won't struggle as much in September.

The Llama Queen is Back

2010-03-18T11:09:00.002-04:00

After a nice break from Katie's Drama Queen attitude, She's back! I don't know what has gotten into this girl lately but her attitude has got to go! The eye rolling and door slamming is driving me nuts and when she gets mad she yells "Don't talk to me".

There have been lots of time-outs in our house lately and lots of tears. She is sooo emotional.

Katie just turned 8 this month and we have been trying to be really strict with NOT allowing her to sleep in our bed anymore. We've been working on it for a few months now but once she turned 8 we got serious and told her no more! I'm sure this could have something to do with her change in behavior.

The other night she was crying about wanting to sleep in my bed. Jamie said to her "Crying won't make Mommy change her mind" and her response was "No, but it will make her feel bad"!!!!

Gotta love this kid!!!!

Celiac Center Kick-Off Event

2010-03-18T10:48:00.004-04:00

Last night my mom and I went to the Celiac Center Kick-Off Event at Paoli Hospital.

Since Katie's diagnosis, I have done tons of research and learned so much about the disease, so I can't say that I learned anything new last night, but it was still a nice event. Paoli Hospital isn't too far from us so it's good to know that they have a Celiac Center where they have docs and nutritionists and counslers all in one place if we do decide to leave the practice where she is now. We're still debating if we want to leave and follow her original GI doc to his new practice, or stick it out with the old office.

The best part of the event was that they had many food vendors that were serving gluten free foods. I took every business card I could find. We are always looking for new foods and things for Katie to try. Some of the stuff was really good and had I not known, I would never have guessed they were gluten free.

It was pretty amusing listening to the doctor who spoke because he had a strong accent that sounded very much like Franck from Father of the Bride (Martin Short's character).

Spring, is that you???

2010-03-10T10:04:00.002-05:00

I can't believe the difference in the weather! We went from digging out of massive amounts of snow to ditching the winter coats and just wearing spring jackets in such a short time.

It was so nice to be sitting outside last night after work talking to the neighbors and watching all the kids ride their bikes. We got the basketball net set back up so Ryan could play.

And this morning when I woke up, we heard birds chirping away outside.

I love spring! Let's hope and pray that it's here to stay!

Snow Snow Snow

2010-02-23T11:05:00.002-05:00

We have had record breaking snow this winter!

I think we have had something like 73 inches so far.

I just heard today that we could be getting another 12 inches on Thursday and next week there could be another Massive storm.

Seriously??? More snow??

I just can't wait for warm weather!

I can't wait for the first trip to the beach!

Last year our first day trip to the beach was in April.

This year it doesn't look like the snow will be melted until July!!!

Enough Already

2010-01-25T12:57:00.002-05:00

Some facts about my day so far:

It has been raining buckets since last night.

My cat refused to come in the house last night.

There was a river running down my street this morning.

There was a wet cat crying at the door this morning.

I had to climb in my car from the passanger side to avoid swimming thru the river to get to the driver side.

I parked in the expensive parking lot at work to avoid walking 4 blocks in the downpour.

We had a fire alarm which forced us to have to go OUTside in the rain (of course that's better than burning with the building,but still not fun)

It was a false alarm!

My boss called out today because of the rain! (Seriously, I know it's a crappy day, but we all made it here.)

My husband takes the bus to work and was soaked thru his clothes by the time he got there.(luckily he works in a mall and was able to buy new pants)

Of course this is NOT by any means the worst rain we've had, but it's really driving me nuts today. Of course I should be happy it's almost 60 degrees out and that this came as a rain storm and not a snow storm.

The End of 2009

2009-12-31T11:11:00.013-05:00

Well the year is coming to an end tonight. So much has happened this year that I don't even know where to start.

I guess I'll just talk about the good stuff first.

We moved into our new house. It's the first time since we've been married that we live in a house rather than an apartment. The house is big enough that we were able to bring my mom and step-dad along with us. The kids LOVE our new backyard, which is bigger than any yard they ever had.

(Don't know why but I can't find a pic of the front of our house -I know I took some. That's Ryan and Katie on the first day of school and Katie and her cousin Gabby playing in our yard)

Ryan got his braces off. He had them on for so long, we forgot what he looked like without them. He's matured so much this year, he looks like a man. At 13 years old he is 5'8" and has a mustache! He also got his first pair of glasses this year. He loves them and looks even more handsome with them. 7th grade has been great so far. His grades are better than ever and he is really coming out of his shell. I'm pretty sure there's a girl he likes but he won't tell me her name.

(Ryan Last year)

(Ryan This Year)

This year we finally got a diagnosis for Katie - Celiac Disease. For some, finding out you have a disease would be bad news, but for Katie, it was great news since it meant we could finally get her healthy! She has been on her Gluten Free diet for 7 months and she has grown more than an inch, which for her is HUGE. She has also gained several pounds, which is also good! She's still much smaller than her classmates, but she's healthy and that's what matters! She still loves her diet, and rarely complains about it. Maybe someday there will be a cure, but for now, we are happy that we are able to manage her condition with a diet change. 2nd grade has been going well so far. Her grades are great and she has lots of friends. Her teacher left right before Christmas break so after the break there will be a new adjustment period of getting to know the new teacher.

(Katie last year)

(Katie this year)

We found our new cat this year. Pixie joined the family this summer when he was just a few weeks old. It's amazing how much he looks like Tinkerbell, our 2 year old kitty. They seriously look like twins and now that Pixie is older, it's very hard to tell them apart. You have to look at their faces to see the difference. It took a while but it seems like the 2 of them are getting along now.

The not so good parts of the year:

Jamie lost his job at Lowes, which made things rough for a while, but he found a new job and things have gotten better.

My Step-Dad Jim had an accident in November. He fell off a ladder while fixing a roof. He had a bad concusion and 7 broken ribs. He is finally feeling better.

We lost Jamie's grandfather this year. He was 73 and had been fighting multiple cancers for a few years. The entire family is heartbroken to have lost him, but we all know he is healed now.

(Pop-Pop)

I have a few New Years Resolutions I want to make this year. As always I want to lose weight this year. I was doing good for a while but slacked off and gained it all back. I also want to put more effort into getting our credit cleaned up. And I hope to find us a new church and start going regularly.

As for tonight, we are staying in. We will play games with the kids and munch on some junk food and try to stay up til midnight.

Happy New Year Everyone! Please be careful tonight - DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE!

Snow

2009-12-20T11:55:00.001-05:00

I know I haven't posted here lately.The holidays have got me really busy. Seriously though, we got 2 feet of snow yesterday and now we are attempting to shovel out and find places to put all this snow.

It looks pretty, but it's alot of work!!!

2009-11-10T16:32:00.001-05:00

Ive been taking the bus lately instead of driving to work. its funny to hear the conversations that people have on the bus!

2009-11-10T15:21:00.001-05:00

My hubby started a new job today! i have been thinking about him all day. i cant wait to hear how it went. he is working in a watch repair store.