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April 11, 2003
Jaida starts public school on August 11!
Yes, you read that correctly. A while back, our speech therapist, Suzanne, mentioned that a special ed rep had suggested a school called Dannelly for Jaida. Besides having a good mainstream academic program, they also have a special needs program. I talked with the director and she explained a little about it. The children are allowed to be fully included and if the need arises, there is a separate room where they can go if they have trouble acclimating to a mainstream setting. The director agreed with me that starting Jaida in kindergarten now would be much easier than waiting until first grade.
They don’t use desks at Montessori and it’s in an old house where the children have free run. I can’t imagine going from that environment to having to sit in one spot and stay in one room all day long. That would make me nuts. Jaida and I are going to visit the school next week and see how she reacts. It is out of our zone so I will probably have to drive her every day. Since it is farther away, I’ve got Jarod on the fall waiting list at two full time preschools near her new school.
I also finally got to do that survey the school system was basing the change of Jaida’s classification on. It was the Gilliam Autism Rating Scale or the GARS for short. I filled that out with Suzanne the week before spring break. I guess it will depend on my answers as to whether or not Jaida is “autistic enough” to get her status changed and thereby receive more services (that she should be getting already from the school system). I will be meeting with a special ed rep as well as Suzanne on the 22nd for what I hope will be Jaida’s next IEP meeting. I can only pray that they will say she can go to Dannelly for sure and I will feel that I’ve won half the battle. Ooh, I have to get my hair done before then, LOL.
Jarod will soon be going to school full time
Jarod’s current preschool is more like a mom’s day out program. The regular hours are 9:00 to 1:00 but his teacher does a separate early drop-off and I take him between 7:45 and 8:00. When I picked him up on Wednesday, there was a note attached to his bag saying that for the summer, Dana and another teacher would be doing an after care program until 3:00. I was so excited because every place I called for full time care had no space or a waiting list for summer, fall or both. It looked like finding full time care for him at a place close by would be nearly impossible. I already know how much he likes this place and I was torn about switching schools so soon too.
I turned in his summer registration form and the before/after form for five days a week on Thursday morning. Dana said she had forgotten to note that the kids could be dropped off early once a week or every day, it didn’t matter to her. We just have to make sure we don’t sign up for three days and bring them on four. I’m hoping this all works out. Mom volunteered to pick him up for me but I’m not sure I’m comfortable with that. If I can help it, I don’t want to ask her to do anything. Summer session doesn’t begin until June so we’ll see. I figure that he will be discharged from OT by the summer and that will save me from driving all over the place several times a day.
Driving me insane
I drive a lot. Now that Jaida is going to OT, Fridays are full of driving too. Here is an overview of our normal week, if you can call it that.
Monday: Jarod has OT at 10:00
Tuesday: Jaida has speech at 9:30
Wednesday: Jarod goes to school too, pick him up at lunchtime
Thursday: Jaida has speech at 9:30, pick Jarod up from school
Friday: Jaida has OT at 8:30, pick Jarod up from school
I am trying to hold on until May 20 which is public school’s last day and Jaida’s last day of speech therapy until fall. Jarod’s school starts summer session on my birthday, June 2, so I will have my lunch hours back again. I can hardly wait. There is a park near my office and I plan to go there and eat lunch and enjoy the silence. Or I can go window shopping if I want to. They key being, I can do whatever I want for that one hour of the day.
I keep whining to Steve that come September, he will be the one schlepping everybody to school and where ever else they need to go. I’ll be at home nursing and changing diapers. He tried to bug me by saying, “I’ll be driving your van.” I laughed and said, “What will I need it for?” They tell you no driving for at least two weeks after birth anyway and Lambchop won’t be going to the doctor before then so what will I need a car for?
19 weeks and looking forward to having a newborn again
I am almost at the half way mark. Next Friday is the big ultrasound. How fitting that I may get to find out the sex of the baby on Good Friday. Steve says he is coming with me and that should be exciting. They didn’t know for sure with Jaida and it was a guess that she was a girl. He missed my ultrasound with Jarod and I called him at work and told him. This time, he can be there person to hear for himself, I hope. He is still saying it’s a boy. I hope to prove him wrong.
I am so looking forward to having a newborn again. Longing for sleep deprivation and night feedings may sound dumb, but I loved all that with Jarod. The difference in me as a first time mother and a second-timer was a complete 180. When Jaida was a baby, I was utterly terrified to be alone with her. When Steve left for work in the mornings, I would almost cry and beg him to stay. I called my mom out of desperation several times in the first three weeks. I had never been so sleepy and exhausted in my life. I couldn’t even relax enough to sleep. I can’t really explain it. It was almost as if I would rather wait for her to wake up instead of letting her wake me. Sounds stupid I know, but I never said I was competent during that time, did I?
When Jarod was born, I was ready in more ways than you can think of. I had read about seven breastfeeding books and scoured the internet for information on nursing with large breasts. Where the thought of Jaida waking up during the night struck panic in me, I just fed Jarod and went back to bed when he was a newborn. I even went grocery shopping with him when he was about three weeks old. I would never have attempted a trip like that by myself when Jaida was that age. Steve was so proud of me, it was almost sad. I just laughed about having to hide my boob from passersby as Jarod unlatched from the overactive letdown. I’d nursed him in the back seat before we came home from the store. That’ll teach people to peer into car windows to gawk at babies. They sure got an eyeful.
Ah, memories… I can’t wait to hold Lambchop and make some more. If someone had told me last year this time that I would be pregnant again, I would have laughed until I cried. But, I must say I am enjoying this pregnancy immensely. I have no doubt that I will enjoy our new baby even more.
As if my week couldn’t get worse
On Sunday, Jaida started to run a high fever. Mom and I were still avoiding each other and Jaida being sick didn’t help. She is never satisfied that we are following the right course of treatment when one of the kids is sick. Since Jaida had no other obvious symptoms, we gave her Motrin and put her to bed early. She got up several times during the night and it became clear she would not be going to school. The fever was the only symptom so I thought she was either fighting a virus or her body was still in upheaval from the spaghetti she ate.
As long as we alternated Tylenol and Motrin, Jaida was okay. It was in the middle of the night when the meds wore off that she would come creeping into our room. If we asked what hurt she would just stare at us. She scared the crap out of me one night when I turned over and she was just standing beside the bed. I guess she was feeling bad and she just couldn’t say that. She slept with us every night this week except Thursday. Steve tried to take her back to her bed but she just came right back. It was almost funny.
On Tuesday, Mom called to say her fever was 104o. I called the doctor’s office but since she had no other symptoms and she wasn’t coughing up blood or anything, they said to call back the next day if she was still feverish and make an appointment. Mom didn’t seem satisfied with that but what did she expect me to do? She called me at work two or three times a day and I finally took Jaida in on Thursday. Dr. Simon said it was probably another fever virus since there was new one making the rounds and she should be better by the next day or Saturday. Just like I thought, Mom was ticked about that too. “He didn’t give her an antibiotic or even a shot?” I said, “They don’t do that for a virus. He said to keep up the Motrin and Tylenol and let it run its course. He said fevers of 102o or even 104o didn’t bother him that much.” She just sucked her teeth and mumbled something. I gave up and went to another room.
Mom also announced that when I find full time care for Jarod, she is going to GA to stay with Chris for two weeks. Good, great, stay a whole month! They fight like an old married couple so I’m betting she won’t make it one week. She only lasted three days when she went back with him after Christmas. Besides he is in TX training and nobody said he won’t be going on to Iraq. How does she even know he’ll be back by then? Whatever…
Jaida seemed to be much better this morning and she didn’t have a fever when she woke up. She stayed in her bed all night too, another good sign. I took her to OT and then back home to rest. Tomorrow we are going to get the kids’ pictures taken in their million-dollar Easter outfits with live rabbits. Should be fun, for them anyway. I'm just hoping all the bunnies are still alive when we leave and they don't poop on the kids' outfits. I’ll post them as soon I get them back. We’re using a professional for the first time so I’m expecting something special. Well, I’ve gone on enough for this week.
Kim, Jaida, Jarod & Lambchop
PS~ Did I ever mention Tim Burton is in town filming a movie called Big Fish (based on a book by the same name)? I haven't seen him yet but a friend spotted him dropping $180 at a health food store. He had huge sunglasses on and his hair was wild as usual while he bought organic veggies and herbs. A lady in my support group was an extra one day. Well, I guess that officially makes me a hick since I'm gushing like he lives next door. Can you tell we don't get celebrities here often?
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