Ingoings and outcomings

This will be a brief one.

Like I needed something else to contend with, the yarks that the kids all had several days ago descended on Bodog and myself on Friday.

Bodog mostly had diaroeah to contend with but I had the whole pie.  I spent all night Friday night vomiting (what does one vomit up after the first few times?  There's nothing left in your stomach!) and felt queasy all of the day Saturday. Sunday morning I was able to tentatively sip coffee and by supper time I felt good enough to eat a bit.

Fast forward to 1am this morning.  I had to get up and puke and by the time I woke up for the day (at 3:45, oh joy) I had to go hang over the toilet and retch several times an hour.  If I even sipped water, I threw it back up.  Bleh. How could I get better, then feel bad again?!

Now, let me interrupt the bulletin for some good news (it'll all tie back in):

Ms B, the teacher of the 4-year-old Kindergarten, had a child move out of district and had an opening!

BITTY GOT IN SCHOOL!

We found out Friday and she actually started today! w00t!

Now, recall the whole mummy-blowing-chunks thing.

Yeah.

So, this morning, I'm fixing lunches, fixing breakfast, getting school clothes out - my normal routine - in between running to the loo to briefly worship the porcelain god, scrub my hands and dash back out, hoping the whole time that I can make it to the school this morning, because, by golly, unless I'm in an ambulance somewhere, I'm going to be there my child's first day of school.

Well it went fine.  Bodog went with us (he's her focus parent) and she was really really excited.  I had to drag my sorry arse up to the front office and fill out the paperwork again that I'd already bloody filled out the first of the year and then the two wee boys and I dragged home.

So now I'm once again cautiously sipping coffee and resisting the urge to ring the school and make sure Bitty is OK.

I don't know why I'm so worried. Thousands of kids MUCH farther 'along' the autism spectrum attend school happily every day.  I guess because she's never been away from both me and her father; never been in another's care or away from her siblings or home.

Well, I'm terribly happy with all of my children's teachers, and I trust them and the school staff, and, of course Daddy is just a phone call and 4 minutes away right there in the district.

More later when she gets home!

No 4K for the Bitty Girl

Well, we are pretty sure Bitty will NOT be going into 4K.

The 4K teacher who evaluated her, a lovely, bubbly, sweet woman SO unlike last year's teacher, told us she was 6th on the back-up, if-a-slot-comes-open list.  So the chances are slim.

In a way I'm pleased and in a way I'm disappointed.

During open house, when we asked what the chances were, the teacher (who does NOT choose - a computer ranks the kids based on the findings), told me that Bitty aced every question.  Every one.

She said; "She's really smart!"

I had to stop myself from doing what every proud momma will and blurting out: "well, duh!"

ROTFL.

I did tell her that Bitty could read at the same level as her sister (they can both read simple books like Sandra Boynton books, and the simpler Berenstain Bears ones).

So I'm glad she's doing well and I'm glad she'll get to be home with me another year, but I'm disappointed for her because she was SO excited to be going.

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Sort of on-topic, I have begun giving my three oldest fish oil for the omega-3s. I have read a LOT of stuff saying that kids don't get enough Omega 3s and that the human brain needs them to the point where it can help with things like ADD, Autism, and general memory and concentration.

Anyone out there have any feedback on using fish oil?  The whole family is taking them (except the two youngest), lol!

The times they are a-changin'

Quick update!

Fiver has two wee teeth! He can eat a soda cracker by himself! He can caterpillar along on the deck (unbeknowst to me) and scare me witless by almost falling down the steps! He's been sleeping in his crib downstairs in his room (as opposed to upstairs in the pack-n-play next to our bed) for several weeks now!

Yep, it's amazing to me how big he's getting. Why don't I remember the others growing so fast?


Just yesterday he hiked himself up on his hands and knees and swayed there for a half a second before flopping back down again.

*sigh*


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Boy loves school. So far he hasn't conflicted with any of his classmates (although a few of them are pretty naughty and disruptive, apparently). He adores his teachers. Their schoolwork goes like this: each week they work on learning a letter of the alphabet. Lessons on familiarisation with the letter go home as homework, they colour a pic of the 'letter person', they practice writing the letter.

Meanwhile, at home, Boy is writing and illustration a book about dinosaurs entirely on his own. He's up to over 70 pages.

Their math work consists of learning to count to 50. Boy can do simple addition and subtraction including a bit with double digits and a limited amount of multiplication.

To say that he's not captivated by the current schoolwork would be an understatement.

Fortunately, he's totally absorbed socially, and probably will be for the rest of the year, learning things he needs to know; how to deal with people and the wide world.

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I have already observed a few behaviour changes - both in Boy and THCTD.

As I predicted, the Queen of Crash quickly and eagerly took up the reins of Bossy-ness as soon as Boy was out of the house during the day. She now spends the entire day telling everyone what to do (including me: "Momma, (wee fists on hips) Fiver needs his bottle! You should give Fiver his bottle now!").



Then he returns home, hyped up, bursting to tell about his day, ready to be the centre of attention, and you have ... The Perfect Storm.

Every day.

I quickly instituted the same method of discipline that Boy's teacher uses; three 'tickets' (she has them shaped like crayons) one green, one yellow, one red. First infraction, you lose the green ticket and are 'on yellow' and thus at the warning stage. Second infraction, you lose the yellow and are 'on red' and lose such privileges as treats after supper, or getting to play outside, etc.

It works well because Boy knows it from school and the rest of the brood are awed by anything relating to school right now.

I also put up a chore chart and a 'going' chart (everyone gets to go with me, singley, for some alone-time-with-momma, any time I run an errand after EGH gets home.)

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On a related note, I have also noticed that *I* am more organised and tidy now. I keep my calendar marked, I get up early and fix lunches, I clean more consistantly, and so on.

Me, cleaning. What's the world coming to?