The Year in Review

This is going to be a lame post! But I felt I needed to say something about the end of 2006 and the beginning of the new year.
Bad News and Good News
Bad news:First and foremost, we were supposed to move to St. Louis, where I could pick up my very full ride scholarship at the #2 rated Grad school for Social Work. Where am I instead? In an apartment of all things, still in Utah.
Good news: I am near my beloved Little Pea. And our newest soon to be grand baby.Here she is last Christmas, only 4 months old and sitting up soooo well!

I miss my cats, I miss my house, but ya gotta love central air conditioning, high speed internet and cable TV.
While we are still unsure of what will happen, we had to re-sign our lease, so we are here til August. After that, who knows?
Bad news: The last week of May, JJ (age 17 now) had a seizure and they found a large brain mass.
Good news: It isn't a brain tumor. We did see the neuro last week and we will get the results from the latest MRI fairly soon. Whether or not medical science has developed a way to do micro surgery on the very, very small brains of teenagers is a question we have yet to ask.
Bad News: Little Man was hospitalized in Sept.

Good News: Hey it was the ONLY time in 2006! That is a record. For the last few years it is usually three or four times. So Whoot!
Bad news: With his weight loss, we will be lucky to make it through Jan without a hospitalization for the insert of the dreaded g-tube.
Good news: Hey he won't starve and that is not a small something.
Bad News: Little Man had a horrific summer.
Good News: We survived it and it is over.
I got a trip to Cali and a trip to South Dakota to visit my family this year. That was super.
We are on a list for extra funding in Jan, we will most likely get it and that means we will get respite hours. Good news that!

While things could be better at Chez Tangled, things could have been much, much worse. I will take the good news, try not to focus on the bad. I found good friends on the internet, and I have good friends and family in real life. I am not going to cry that 2006 is over, but I am sure looking forward to 2007.
I don't believe in making resolutions, but if you do, I hope you do a good job with them this year. I hope your new year brings dreams come true in your life. Thanks my bloggy friends, you have been a great part of the last year.

Up In Smoke

I suppose I should be more grateful that nothing terrible happened, but honestly I am just so heartsick at what is lost, I don't have any room for gratitude right now.
Checklist of GONE:
1.My new sheets. They were over 90$, high thread count and were the nicest sheets we have ever owned. I have had them less than a month.

2.Our mattress, fairly old, but in good shape still and we just don't have the many dollars it would cost to replace it.
3. King Size Comforter, less than a year old

What caused it? My reading light that I have been refusing to use until Bald Man put it on the wall, because I thought it got WAY too hot to use reading in bed.


The culprit?

My innocent boy who is so clueless as to what happened. There is nothing to even say to him. He can't understand why this light was so much more dangerous than the other lamps on our house. Disaster is just one step away and he really needs to be watched very closely.
Little Man turned on the lamp, left it on the bed and then went into another room. Bald Man caught it before it actually erupted into flames, which is the ONLY bit of good news in this fiasco. A HUGE piece of good news, but as I said, I am having a hard time being grateful. I am just utterly aware we don't have the money to replace those things and heartsick over it. Poof.

Weird Dream

I had such a strange dream last night. Should have been a nightmare, but my feelings in my dream kept it from being such. I believe what is real about our dreams is our feelings in them, and they reveal a great deal about what we really think and feel about things.
I dreamt that bad people killed my husband. We, (I know I was with someone else, but can't remember who) were going in the building where I knew they had killed him, to see what had happened. In the doorway, inside the building, they had hung Bald Man and it was obvious to me, that his body was lifeless. This is where it gets interesting though, dream wise. I was upset that he was dead, but the feelings that were bigger than my sorrow was my deep seated knowledge that we would be together again. I kissed his lips, said goodbye softly and with the most bitter sweet sorrow, said I would see him again soon, wait for me. And I knew, he would be waiting for me when I got there.
I really do believe in an afterlife and I know that love is bigger than anything else.

Post Holiday Wrap Up

We had a very nice Christmas here Bloggy dears. I hope yours was full of laughter and love too. It was just nice, the kids were really good so there wasn't any fussing or fighting, and honestly? As a parent to 6 kids, all I want is some peace! And there was.

Note the red circled area, devoid of all ornaments. This was courtesy of our Little Pea and I am sure she would have de-ornamented the entire lower 1/4 of the tree if it had been up longer. The joys of little ones.
Here is some Christmas cheer


I love Little Man's face, cause he just looks happy.
Princess kept getting comments on her nice rack, by not just her brothers, but even her dad!





The Princess's rack:


What Christmas would be complete without the joy and wonder of a child? Ours was complete and now yours is too.


Hope your holidays are filled with all that you want as this year rounds out to 2007.

My Christmas Present for You

Here are the Christmas presents I am giving to you. If you don't celebrate Christmas, (I know I have an international following, know that I still am gifting you with these things at this time of year)
Laughter. You will laugh and feel the release and joy of a good laugh.
Love. You will reminded in the next couple of days, that you are loved, not by just one person, but many hold you in their hearts and care for you.
Gratitude. You will be able to be thankful for gifts, both material and those not able to be held in your hands.
Peace on Earth and Good will to all men and I mean it with all my heart. My bloggy buddies have become an intregal part of my life and I am thankful for each and every one of you. Happy Holidays.
Your Jo

Christmas Prep

Get Your Own! | More Flash Toys

Isn't that the cutest thing? You can even leave me a present, so feel free.
I have a TON of Christmas shopping yet to do. I am sorely annnoyed at JJ. Let me start at yesterday, before I got annoyed. He had a appointment with the neurologist, (remember the large brain mass?) and found out that his recent hearing loss could be linked to a growth in the same said mass. Great. Day after Christmas, JJ has another MRI to check out what is going on. Yay. I let him have a friend sleep over. I am not kidding you, they stayed up ALL NIGHT! GRRRR. They woke me up at 6:30 this morning. I am not a happy momma. Even more annoying, he is supposed to watch Little Man so I could get my Christmas shopping done. What is he doing right now? Sleeping. Double GRRR. That is the end of the sleep overs. Bald Man and I are DONE. Teenagers. Sheesh.
I do love Christmas shopping though, late or not, it is fun, so once I get out of the house, I will be fine.

And a bit of merry making here:
Peter is not a partridge and it isn't a pear tree, but it is a rather merry Christmas picture.
Peter in the Christmas Tree

You Just Got Lucky!

Little did my Bloggy Cream Puffs know what they were in for when they began to read my blog. Ups and downs, the aesthetically pleasing and the seamy underside. And today, well today is a special day. Today is the day I share with you one of my favorite Christmas traditions, one that my family concludes is it NOT Christmas without and in fact would refuse to celebrate this much vaunted holiday without. Everyone always wants to be Jo's friend at this time of year because of this incredibly delectable mouthful. My gift to you this season, I am sharing with you, not just the ingredients, but the should be patented method of making:

Jo's World Famous, Better than Brown and Haley's Almond Roca!

1 cup butter
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
3 tablespoons water
1 cup coarsely chopped, toasted almonds,
1 bag milk chocolate chips
1 cup finely chopped, toasted almonds


Melt butter in a large saucepan. Add sugar, corn syrup, and water. Cook over medium heat, stirring now and then, to hard-crack stage (290 F on your candy thermometer) - (Don’t let it scorch!) watch carefully after temperature reaches 280 F. Quickly stir in coarsely chopped nuts; spread in well-greased 13x9 inch pan. Let the candy sit until barely firm, just a minute or two. Spread ½ bag of milk chocolate chips on the top, cover the candy with aluminum foil to keep the heat in. When the chocolate chips are shiny, spread with the back of tablespoon, (don’t lick it yet, you need it for the other side!) Sprinkle ½ cup of finely chopped almonds, press in. Turn out on waxed paper;(you might need to pry it out with a knife, it will still be flexible) spread top with the other half the chocolate chips; Cover with the pan to keep the heat in, when the chips are shiny, spread with the spoon, (when you are done with this part, you may now lick the spoon!) sprinkle with ½ cup of the finely chopped nuts. If necessary, chill to firm chocolate. Break into pieces.

Makes 1, 13x9 pan

Serves: 1 (but it is nice to share)

Celebrate and enjoy the holidays.

I Have Been Tagged!

Oh my very first time to be tagged for a meme! Thanks to Eliza's Mom for the tag. Now five things you didn't know about me:


1. I lived in Europe for my young childhood, I have been to France, Germany and lived in Italy for 3 years. But I don't remember much of it.
2. I used to speak fluent Italian.
3. When we lived on the reservation, we lived in a trailer with no running water and used an outhouse.
4.I was almost kidnapped when I was 7 years old. They never found the two little boys I was with.
5. I have walked on fire! more than once!

Now tagged in return: Pixie, Jenny,Priscilla and Melissa

The Days Fly

And another Mountain Monday is upon us. This post is a bit later than I had wanted it to be, but Pygmy Child was writing one last paper and I needed to wait until she was finished. I can't believe my little girl is leaving tomorrow to embark on her new life. The next time she comes back here will be for her wedding prep. The upside of waiting so long is my Bloggy Puffs get to see my mountain with the rosy sunset glow upon her flanks. Tell me what you think:

Pretty amazing, huh? Love those Utah mountains.
Speaking of wedding prep, Pygmy Child designed the pattern and I will be carrying out the beaded design on her veil.
The Pea thought she would be helpful by modeling the before picture




And lastly, Little Man has eaten really well this weekend. Doesn't fix anything, but it should put us out of the danger zone until after Christmas! Whoo hoo!

Ups and Downs

I am trying to figure out where to start this so it is coherent and understandable for my bloggy readers.
Okay, we shall start with Thursday and the prescribing of the medication Periactin. Periactin if you go and read, can be used to increase appetite, which is great. After having a visit with Little Man's psychiatrist yesterday, we also found out it is a Serotonin antagonist which for Little Man turns out to be very, very bad. If you don't know what mania is, you are welcome to come borrow Little Man for a few days while he comes down from this drug induced insanity. He is WILD! Bouncing off the walls crazy. He didn't sleep last night and he is belligerent and a bit violent. Uh,yeah, no more Periactin.
The good news? His weight loss has turned around a bit, he is up 2 pounds, so that gives us some room to breathe.
Fun, fun fun in the Tangled House today. Poor Bald Man, he is so tired, since he was the chosen one to stay up with Little Man last night.
Smootches to all of you and I hope your holiday prep is going better than mine.

Cool Quiz

Really, go take it. And then tell me the results. Please?

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The West   Your accent is the lowest common denominator of American speech. Unless you're a SoCal surfer, no one thinks you have an accent. And really, you may not even be from the West at all, you could easily be from Florida or one of those big Southern cities like Dallas or Atlanta.
The Midland
Boston
North Central
The Inland North
Philadelphia
The South
The Northeast
What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

I Lied! (But not on purpose)

Sorry, before I could get a post up yesterday, Pygmy Child was over and we were gadding about town doing wedding prep shopping. I ran, ran, ran yesterday, and then fell asleep putting Little Man to bed. And that was the end of my day. So for your viewing pleasure, mountains! Not the usual ones, but other ones, not too far from my house. Because now I can not see a beautiful mountain shot without thinking of you, my Bloggy Dears.









ENJOY!!

Preempted

***Mountain Monday will be moved to Tuesday this week, due to a celebration.****

And the cause for this celebration? Princesses' 24th birthday. I could write a whole novel about that child, she has been a feisty, unusual child from birth. But I will keep it short for my audience.
Princess was my first home birth. After my doc tried to schedule me for a c-sec saying I would never deliver a baby bigger than 6 lbs, I decided there must be something better. And there was. I loved my homebirth and loved my sweet 8lb 4oz daughter. She followed her sister quickly, there is only 16 months between the two of them.

Her older sister was such an easy baby, Bald Man and I were quite sure it was because we were such good parents. Well God sent us Princess to humble us. She was such a fussy baby. She really didn't stop fussing until she learned to crawl at 5 months. She was even happier when she learned to walk at the precocious age of 7 months. People would stop us in the streets, exclaiming at what a small child she was and walking!

Headstrong and spirited, she kept her parents on their toes. She was always curious and got into everything. From buttering the table to criscoing the tent, she dropped 10 lbs of honey on the floor and then threw oatmeal into it. She ate everything and Poison Control knew her by name. I am surprised I didn't go gray by the time she was three. She was convinced she could run faster than cars and would pull her hand out of mine and dart across the street to announce, "I told you I could run faster than the car!"
Two things she didn't do early, grow hair and talk. She finally talked and grew hair at about 2 1/2 years.
One of our favorite Princess stories had to do with her imaginary friends. She was not three yet. Her friends were Pele, the mom, John the son and KiKi, the dad. We had gone camping and were warned to watch out for the skunks.
Princess pipes up, "Gunks? Where are the gunks? I see a gunk! There in that tree. That is where gunks live. You know, Pele and John have a pet gunk. It has no nose, so it can't smell." We almost all died laughing.
The Princess was born with the most loving heart. She has donated her hair 3 times to Locks of Love.

She has loved all of our foster children fiercely and cried bitterly when they left. She has been blessed with a sharp intellect and a beautiful singing voice. If I knew where they were, I would scan some of the newspaper pictures of her. She has been on TV and even won our local Fox singing competition to earn an audition with American Idol in Las Vegas!

Of all the gifts she has given me though, the most precious one of all is my little Pea. The Princess, in spite of her primpy ways, has turned into the most dedicated mother. She loves her sweet girl with all her heart and delights in her every day. The birth of the Pea has brought a new closeness and sweetness to the relationship between my daughter and me and I am grateful for the new road we travel together. Happy Birthday Princess. Life with you is NEVER boring!

Update

The GI doc's office called this afternoon. After two phone calls on my part for a follow-up. Nope, his gut is not full of poop. Good news that! Although the Nurse practioner did say he had an awful lot of gas. She wanted to know if he was getting any lactose, I said no, we don't let him have any milk, seeing as how he is allergic to it and all that...sigh.
I said I had ordered the Boost Breeze, which is one of the things they insisted we try, we are waiting for Walgreens to deliver it. I did say we doubted it would help, since he has plenty of formula here, but refuses to drink it. But we really must do what we can to help him.
And a clarification since Manuela asked
"But honey... what did you write yesterday that left you feeling vulnerable... I'm confused... your Doctor is an ass and you are worried about your child... did I miss something?"
I figure she might not be the only confused Bloggy Pudding. The reason why I dreamed I was naked in front of a group of people last night has to do with feeling so very vulnerable. This has to do with putting in words and speaking it publicly of the fears for my son. The horrible reality of certain death by starvation and possible death by infection. You have to realize the day to day fear we deal with. The non stop medical problems and crises. Very often Bald Man and I don't even talk about it, how scared we are. When Bald Man looked at me the other night and said that Little Man was having seizures again? He also said, "I feel like this is the beginning of the end." What do you say to your husband when he says that to you? My eyes filled with tears and I just tried to breathe. Still am. Trying to breathe, through the pain and the fear and the helplessness.
I hope that clarifies my fear and my sense of vulnerability. I told you what I haven't said to anyone, not my family, not my friends, not my husband. You know my heart.

Feeling Shy

Hey my Bloggity darlin's. I am feeling a wee bit weird right now about posting. I thoguht for a long time before I did that last post, then I did it and now I feel, um, rather sheepish, a bit embarrassed, and more than a little vulnerable. I guess that is why I dreamt last night that people saw me naked, because you did, my heart and soul.
Posting is a weird thing in terms of relationships, because you get to choose what you show people. About your life, about yourself. And until right now I hadn't realized that was one of the big draws for me, was choosing what you saw. And for the most part, what I say on here is the same stuff my closer friends know. But my friends in "real life" also get the bigger picture, because they get to see the uglier side of my life and the whole me.
What I told you yesterday is some of my deepest fears, even the stuff I won't admit to myself because it scares me so very much.
And yet, how kind you were to my naked, scared self. Thank you. And that is that, because if I go on, I will cry and I hate to cry.
Instead, let us end with something very cute!
Cuteness shields raised? (excuse the messy living room, it was picked up before my grand daughter arrived! She manages, as most small children do, to undo quicker than I can do!)

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Hawaiian Roller Coaster from Lilo and Stitch is one of Little Man's favorite songs and he and the Pea were just so darn cute dancing.

Gut Punch

Ya know when someone says something to you, and you feel like someone just punched you really hard in the gut? Ya, that's me. Been feeling that way for like a week now, only yesterday it got worse.
First gut punch. Little Man's appointment with the GI doc last Friday. He has now lost 10 pounds since the medicine debacle. He is still refusing his formula, still not eating enough to keep his weight up. We are just dang lucky he had some extra pounds to lose, because it is stretching out this inevitable part of his life.
Here is the news from the GI. And it was a horrible appointment. (Not Little Man though, I made sure to give him two of his happy pills before we went and he was such a good boy!)
GI:Mrs Tangled, we don't have any good answers here.
Me: I don't either!
GI: He either needs to eat or drink his formula
Me: (grinding teeth in frustration) Don't you think we are trying?
GI: Can't you fortify the calories he is getting?
Me: How in the world do I do that when he eats so little? It's not like I can just put peanut butter on it!
GI: What about his formula? Have you tried anything else?
Me: We can try again, but we have in the past. You do realize this has been a lifelong problem from infancy?
GI: Can you get him to poop more? Maybe his gut is so full that he isn't hungry.
Me: I asked you to do an xray last month to see if gut was too full, but you said no.
GI: Ignoring me completely and yelling out the door, " Mom is agreeing to an x-ray!"
(have I ever said no? And they still haven't called me back)
GI: A feeding tube is not a good option in his case with his immune problem
Me: (head exploding) Don't you think I already know that? What do you think we can do about this??
Bottom Line: 8 more pounds lost and we can no longer put off the feeding tube issue.
He will either face a certain slow death by starvation or possible death by infection and really? Both those options suck! He is currently losing a little more than a pound a week.
The second gut punch:
Bald Man turns to me yesterday and says, "Little Man was having seizures again this morning".
We had less than 8 seizure free weeks. I can hardly breathe.

Mondays Are My Favorite

While many people decry mondays as the worst day of the week, I am of the opposite opinion. Of course my love of mondays could be compared to the idiom of the hammer.
Don't ya love hitting yourself in the head with a hammer? It feels soooo good when you stop. And there ya go. Mondays rock because they are NOT the weekend.
Weekends are crazy, weekends involve a great deal of dealing with Little Man and all his various insanities, weekends are work. Mondays are on the other hand, a tremendous relief. Yay!
First, A chilly but beautiful Mountain Monday picture. The snow deepens.

It took winter a while to arrive, but when it did, oohhh boy, it got cold, and fast! It was in the 60's for Thanksgiving and down in the teens for the day after. The highs have been in the mid twenties lately, or even the low twenties. I have been spending a great deal of time wrapped up in blankets.
The update at the Casa Tangled for my Bloggy Buttercups.
Still no van for me. Bald Man will pick up the new tranny this afternoon and put it in tomorrow. Christmas shopping is calling my name, so I am anxious to get at it. One of the benefits to being home is getting my shopping done during the week, early in the day, before it gets crazy!
Ah, a funny from the work van fire.
Bald Man was driving, wondering where the smoke was coming from. Tank and Oldest Son were both in the van too. A person drives up next to them, frantically gesturing and pointing at the van. Bald Man rolls down his window and the other driver yells, "you are on fire!" Bald Man and sons pull over and attempt to put out the fire on the transmission. They were not having a lot of luck and decided to call the fire dept. Oldest Son looks at Tank and says, "What is the phone number for the fire dept?" Tank yells at him, "It's a fire, dude! Call 911!!!"
Pygmy Child and Brown Boy have decided she is flying to move to Florida and thereby avoiding a long road trip for her and me. Sadly, that means no road trip for her and me. I am a bit saddened, I was looking forward to it. A bit relieved too, because it was mighty close to Christmas. Why the child couldn't wait til after Christmas is beyond me, but you know kids, you will probably never really understand why they do what they do.
One last funny from Little Man. He was mightly upset to find out Pygmy Child was marrying Brown Boy. He told her she was supposed to marry him! It was very cute. I don't know what he is doing to do without her when she moves in a few weeks.
Hopefully this good Monday is a harbringer of good things to come this week, both for me and for you, my Bloggy Dearests!

When Does Your Birdy Need a Bath?

When they give themselves one! Silly, silly Meeko.

I Did It!

I did it, I did it! I blogged every single day of November for Nablopomo!
And here is today's post, this is something I have been thinking about for a while.
The FCC says:
"Recent data indicates that, on average, children in the United States spend almost three hours a day watching television. This invited "guest" into our homes has the potential to significantly shape our children's development"
With this in mind, I am going to share with you some disturbing images that my child and perhaps even your child have been exposed to. You might wish to shoo your children away while you read this post the images are graphic and disturbing.
Case Number One:
Dora the Explorer

We will not even touch upon the relationship between these two cousins!
Instead I wish you to focus on the unnatural shape of Dora's head. Her head resembles a football. She is obviously a victim of hydrocephalus and perhaps even a premature closing of her fontenelles. Her cousin has a normal shaped head and so do her grandparents and parents. I think Dora is a victim of medical neglect, since she has never seen a cranial specialist, nor does she have a shunt for her abnormal amount of cerebral spinal fluid. Neglect and medical abuse. And to think! Your children too are being exposed to this! Daily! Sometimes, if your kid is obsessed, MANY times a day. I just want you to think about what you are letting your children watch!
Case Number Two:
Lilo and Stitch,
Agent Pleakly

While this image may not seem disturbing on the surface, once you apply some critical thought, I am assured you will be as horrified as I was when I realized what Disney was doing to my child!
In the above image, you will see Agent Pleakly dressed, as Agent Pleakly often is, as a woman. What you have failed to note is that Agent Pleakly is a MAN! Referred to as a HE and MR!!!
Cross dressing on Disney!!! What has this world come to. My child can't even watch a cartoon without being exposed to the liberal, new age influence.
I am sure once you begin to apply your mental faculties to this issue you too will be able to find more examples of disturbing images your family is being exposed to day to day.
Good luck, go out there and get um!

Feeling Blue

Feeling a bit blue about my boy today. Yesterday was just so awful and I get tired of fighting every inch of the way for what he needs and what we think is best for him. Today I remembered this wonderful book and CD Bald Man bought for me a few Christmases ago. It is a good thing to remember today.

Sometimes Miracles Hide


Bruce Carroll
They were so excited
It was coming to be
Two people so in love
Now soon there would be three

For Many years they'd planned it
Now it would soon be true
So she was picking out the pink clothes
and he was looking at the blue

The call came unexpected
The doctor had bad news
Some tests came back and things weren't right
He said, "You're gonna have to choose"

"I'll wait a week for your decision"
Then the words cut like a knife
"I'm sure everyone will understand if you want to end its life"

Thought they were badly shaken
They had just one choice
They knew God creates no accidents
and they were sure they heard His voice saying,

(chorus)
Sometimes miracles hide
God will wrap some blessings in disguise
You may have to wait this lifetime
To see the reasons with your eyes
'Cause sometimes miracles hide

It seemed before they knew it
The appointed day arrived
With eager apprehension
They could barely hold inside

The first time they laid eyes on her
Confirmed the doctor's fears
But they held on to God's promises
'Cause they were sure they both could hear

(chorus)

Though she was not like the other girls
They thought she was the best
And though all the years of struggle
Neither whispered one regret.

On the first day that she started school
And took her first bus ride
They remembered the words that God had spoke
And they both broke down and cried

See to them it just did not matter
Why some things in life take place
They just knew the joy they felt
When they looked into her face

They learned sometimes miracles hide
They said, "God wrapped our blessing in disguise"
We may have to wait this lifetime
To see the reasons in our eyes
But we know sometimes miracles hide.

I Survived (with a Thesarus)

I started another post earlier, but I was interrupted by an urgent call from Bald Man who said his work van had caught on fire and could I come pick him up? Time just slipped away and I had a meeting with Little Man's school today, so the other post shall have to wait til tomorrow.
This time I took an Excedrin BEFORE the meeting. It worked, I didn't have a headache when I left. Not through ANY lack of trying on their part.
I got them to make the concessions I wanted, and in return, I said I would leave Little Man at that school for now. They apologized. The teacher even said, "I sent a note home apologizing." I told her it said she was sorry for the way it made me "feel", which wasn't the point.
The coat, the coat. I can't believe this whole coat thing. I will now post a copy of one of Little Man's goals from his IEP.

When I saw this goal, (you may now choose the adjective that you think is most likely to describe me at that moment) I was: choleric, convulsed, cross, displeased, enraged, exacerbated, exasperated, ferocious, fierce, fiery, fuming, furious, galled, hateful, heated, hot, huffy, ill-tempered, impassioned, incensed, indignant, inflamed, infuriated, irascible, irate, ireful, irritable, irritated, maddened, nettled, offended, outraged, passionate, piqued, provoked, raging, resentful, riled, sore, splenetic, storming, sulky, sullen, tumultuous, turbulent, uptight, vexed, wrathful.
Any or all of the above apply.
What I was, was incredulous. Can you believe it?? With all of the brouhaha that happened before this meeting, they had the NERVE, the unmitigated GALL, the cheek, arrogance, brashness, brass, brazenness, chutzpah*, conceit, effrontery, guts*, haughtiness, impertinence, impudence, insolence, overbearance, pomposity, and presumption to write a goal for Little Man to put on that coat!!!
I made them take it off. Plus they apologized for ever saying it. I told them I never wanted to hear another word about his clothing. EVER!
End of story on the coat. (I am still shaking my head in disbelief about the whole coatastrophe. Pun intended)
The principal had the NERVE, gall, (see above) to say to me, "You wouldn't want me to go ahead and do what I think is best for Little Man, even if you disagree?" I bet I sat there for 30 seconds til my jaw hit the floor and I picked it back up. I said "I can not believe you are even asking that question! Of course I would not want you to do ANYTHING I disagreed with, no matter how good you thought it was for him. What a question!" What about Parental rights? GRRRR. I would love to punch that smug little jerk right in the nose. He is do darn patronizing. I said right to his face that his attitude is part of the reason I wanted Little Man moved from that school. I said we were willing to try to make it work, but if there was ANY more of this nonsense, it would be over.
See all of the words above pertaining to anger, I bet I fit everyone of them. We shall see.............

Mountain Monday Comin' Atcha!

And yet another Mountain Monday is upon us. I think I shall leave the pic for the end.
Instead, let us first discuss how fun it is to watch people watching you! By this I mean my stats counter. Fun thing. I have way more traffic than I expected. There is terrific little area where you can read how people got to your blog if they were referred by another webpage or google, or bloglines.Pink Elephant's Randomizer has given me lots of hits. I hate to see what happens when Nov is over!
The weird things people type in google, I mean really! Torturing rats, mormon funeral potatoes, breaking up with your girlfriend. I think I shall start posting the most interesting one of the day. Let me see.... Oh boy! This is by far and away the most interesting today! Fussy! of Nablopomo no less, was peeping in on me today! Must be checking to see if I have been a good blogger, (I have!) and been posting every day of November. We shall see if I win any of the good prizes from randomly chosen rule following November bloggers.
Other interesting tibits about stats. Global! Wow. I have a fair smattering of people from Canada, and Australia even. One Hawaii visitor and it seems I might have a regular reader from Dubai! Way cool. Any of you lurkers, feel free to come out for a brief moment in the spotlight and say howdy! We don't bite very hard and most of my readers are harmless.
I am shamelessly addicted to checking my stats counter, many times a day. It is fun to watch those who are watching me. Maybe I will ask for an upgrade for Christmas??
So your reward for hanging in to the end. My beautiful mountain, picture taken from my window.

Happy Monday to all of you. I have grocery shopping in my future today. Seems as though all these folks have eaten us out of house and home. Turkey soup for dinner with homemade noodles no less. Yum.

The Twilight Zone

Weird, it was just weird. I am still not sure if I can explain how it happened. But here goes!
As long as we have lived in in Utah, we have known there was another man with the same name as Bald Man. So if my hubby were Sherman Bleep, then this guy is also Sherman Bleep. But we are the only Sherman Bleeps in the phone book. The other Sherman Bleep is unlisted. We have gotten many phone calls over the years for the other Bleeps. We have found out he works on VW bugs, that he works at a local large business, they are raising their grandchildren, they have a nephew named Mike, etc.
While we have often wished we had their phone number, we never have found it.
I was napping yesterday and ignored my cell phone ringing for the sake of sleep. When I got up I checked my missed calls and there was a number I didn't recognize. I called the number back, the lady answered and and I told her I was Jo. She said she hadn't called me and yelled to her hubby, did you call someone named Jo? He said no. I informed her their number had come up on my missed calls. She said well this is the Bleeps. I gasped and said, well I am a Bleep too. We both laughed and laughed and acknowledged we had both gotten both calls for each other over the years. We were both amused that our paths had finally crossed after more than a decade. Funny small world isn't it?
The part I can't figure out is, how in the world did they get my cell phone number and who called me from their house? :::: insert Twilight Zone music here :::::::::

Peek A Boo, I See You!

A couple of you already know about this, because I emailed you about the whole thing. Now that I have decided not to close down this blog and restart another one, I will explain what happened.
When I first started my blog, I chose not give anyone I knew in real life my blog address. It isn't so much about being anonymous, but about having the freedom to say what I needed and wanted to without having to censure myself or worry about hurt feelings. And really, I don't think I said anything that I wouldn't have said anyway. There are a couple of things, that I might not have told you if we weren't better friends, but otherwise, if you and I know each other well, then you have already heard everything that I put on my blog.
I recently found out that a group I used to belong to had posted my blog address publically. After a great deal of thought I finally figured out why it bugged me so much.
These are women I know in real life, not great friends, but people I would consider friends anyway. You know what? Even if they read my blog, knew that Little Man was in the hospital and with all the problems we have had in the last year, not one of them bothered to call me.(They all either have my phone number or know someone who does) But, they didn't offer a prayer, a meal, or even a kind thought for our troubles. That bothered me. Still bothers me.
I seriously considered starting a new blog, but changed my mind about being chased away from my blog. Intead I put on a stats counter. So now I am peering back. Peek a boo!

Post Thanksgiving Debrief

Yesterday was incredibly eventful day. In fact probably the most eventful Thanksgiving we have ever had.
First off, Pygmy Child walks in the apartment in the morning with this!

Brown Boy wrote her a song, telling her how much he loves her and then proposed on one knee. Everyone is pretty pleased about the whole thing.


Eating was enjoyed by everyone. Meeko enjoyed some Wheat Thins and Peter the Rat LOVED the stuffing he got for his Turkey Day.
Little Man was not very happy. Too many people and too much commotion for him. He was grumpy and difficult. Everyone was very happy that he went to bed early.
Before he feel asleep though, our family got to enjoy another holiday gift.
The sound of Oldest Son's baby's heartbeat. Ah, the benefits of being a retired midwife with a doppler! There were smiles and tears. The baby's heartbeat sounds great, from a professional standpoint. What a Thanksgiving! There was gratitude, laughter, stories and love aplenty. Who could ask for anything more?
Oh yeah, I almost forgot. You know what the end of our Thanksgiving meal? Perched like a cherry on top of a large pile of whipped cream? Pea proceeded to vomit all over our table. Thank goodness we were all done eating, cause suddenly no one was hungry anymore. I hear from the Princess she puked all night long. Hoping she gets feeling better today.

Thankamony

I don't observe Thanksgiving as a recognition for being "discovered" by the white folk or use it as a time to bemoan the destruction of my culture. Instead, I like to use it as what I see as the essence of Thanksgiving. Giving Thanks.
Once a month, generally on the first Sunday of the month, we have a fast and testimony service. Members who are able are supposed to fast for worthy causes. When we attend church, the members are invited to go to the front of the congregation and declare their testimonies. (A witness to what they know.) The elders of our church are often encouraging us to stop giving Thankamonies, but this is my blog, it isn't church and a perfect place for my Thankamony.
This year has been a difficult one for myself and for my family. But even with all the things that have made me whine and cry and long for release, there are also many things I am grateful for.
First and foremost, I am grateful for my family. And for the GROWTH of my family. A wedding in April. (it's official, she has a ring!), so a new son in law, a new grandbaby in June, my little Sweet Pea. My sweet hubby and his longsuffering, my mom and my sisters and various other extended family. (Don't forget my new baby Meeko, I adore her, what a sweet birdie she is!)
Health issues have been rampant this last year, but I am grateful that JJ's cyst is not a tumor and that in spite of everything else, it looks like we have Little Man's seizures under control for the first time in about 3 years.
We have plenty of food, money is better this year than it was in years past.
And don't forget yourselves. I am grateful for my bloggy friends. Who knew, when I started this how much I would end up loving you? Caring about you and your circumstances?
Hoping your giving thanks takes up more time than you realized and that the list is longer than you ever imagined. I know mine is.
THANKS!

Thanksgiving Eve

Thank you for your kind and heartfelt responses to my Gotcha post. I wrote it with my heart and you got it! Hugs to you for letting me share that with you.
I don't think I am capable of writing two deeply felt posts in a row, so you will have to settle with an update from Utah. And I already had this post mostly written when the power went off, so who knows how it will suffer for having to be written twice.
I spent all day yesterday getting ready for tomorrow. Brown Boy arrives today, (we think the formal proposal will happen tonight!) and my carpet was beyond filthy. Ya know it is time to clean the carpet when you are having to photoshop spots out of it in pictures! We rented a steam cleaner, (mine died) and the carpet looks lovely again. I don't much like day to day cleaning, but there is a certain amount of satisfaction in deep cleaning, the kind that stays done for more than 5 minutes.
Shopping had to be done, so the turkey had time to thaw. Good thing I got all that done, cause Little Man did not have school today as I had thought. The paper said he did, but alas, he didn't. So I took the boy to go see Happy Feet. Cute movie, I only got bored once. Little Man laughed out loud a few times and I LOVED the penguins with the mexican accents.
Our Thankgiving will consist of all the regular stuff. Turkey, mashed tatoes, green bean casserole, jello, pies, (cherry, apple, pumpkin, cheesecake, and chocolate)rolls. Things I am willing to take shortcuts with: Stovetop stuffing, (my family doesn't care), a turkey oven bag, (love it!) and frozen pie crusts.
Things I won't take shortcuts with: my rolls (homemade, light and fluffy!) my mashed tatoes and gravy, and the pie fillings. I can and have done it all homemade, but as I have gotten older and tireder, I found what I was willing to shortcut and what I wasn't. I hate yams so I never, ever make those. ewww. No one really likes cranberry relish either, so we usually skip that. But I found out Brown Boy likes the canned stuff, so we shall have to pick up a can.
I need to get my pies done today and the rest of the cooking will get done tomorrow. And then? This homemaker ain't cooking again for at least 3 days!
Hope your holiday prep goes well.

Gotcha!

Adopting a child is infinitely more complicated than giving birth to one. Our story is no less heart-felt, grief-filled and miraculous than most adoption stories.
I HATE it when people say about adopting a child, "oh you decided to do it the easy way!" I look them straight in the eyes and say there is no road more heartbreaking or difficult you will ever set your feet on than a journey to adoption. And I mean it.
When we started, we thought it was going to be easy. It wasn't. The loss of our beloved children, the ones we hoped to keep and couldn't is a story for another day. A little girl, two newborn boys, a slew of foster children and five years of tears, led my husband to request we remove our names from any adoption list we were on. He said he couldn't bear the heartbreak anymore, couldn't stand to see me suffer. Angry and desolate, I did as he requested, what else could I do? He laughed bitterly and said, "if God wants us to have another baby, He can jolly well knock on the door and give us one!"
And yet the heartbreak was still there. The dreams of the lost children. I had one recurring dream, where I could hear a baby crying, my baby, and I was looking in a huge house with hundreds of doors for my baby. Desperate, I would open one door after another, to nothing, as I heard their cries, needing me. I would dream of my little boys, the ones we didn't get to keep and I would pray to never wake up, because in my dreams, they were still mine.
So even with the withdrawal of our names, I could not withdraw my dreams, my heart's longing for another child. It seems so selfish and it is. I had five, who did I think I was? Daring to ask God for another. But yet, even with those thoughts in my mind, I could not find a way to have my heart stop the yearning.
One day, nine years and three days ago, I poured out my heart to the Lord. Please, God, please, don't make me do this anymore. I ask just one of two things. Either send me my child, or if it is not to be, allow me to shut the door on this longing. I can't bear to hurt like this anymore. Just please, stop the pain.
The next day, the phone rang. A baby boy needed a forever home. Did we think we could take him? He was a drug baby, but there was little risk in a placement. Shaking, I called Bald Man and waited with my breath held for his answer. The yes was all I needed to call the social worker back and say YES!
Less than 24 hours later, Little Man arrived. We had no information, no weight, no clothing size, diaper size or anything. 24 hours of frantic preparation. He came, with almost nothing. A snowsuit, a pair of socks that were too big, a short's outfit in Nov! In Utah! The diaper on his butt. Nothing else. No car seat, no letter, no wipes, no bottles, nothing at all. He was 3 months and 3 weeks old.
9 years ago. Gotcha darling boy. Nothing has been the same.

The social worker didn't look like God at all, yet there he was knocking on the door, handing us our baby. Watch out what you tell God Bald Man!

What Day Is It?

Say it with me... Mountain Monday! Ooooppsss sorry, a little too much Dora and Deigo. But still, it is Mountain Monday. But I think I shall save the mountains still the end of my post, just to switch it up a bit.
First. Big sigh of relief, Little Man wore his coat today! Yay! I wrote a note to the teachers saying they were not to work with him on getting him to put his own coat on, since the repercussions of his refusing to wear it actually impacted his health. I also mentioned he wore other clothes if they really felt the need to work on getting him to be more independent with his clothing. (A little sarcasm, but I couldn't help myself, really!)
Second, Bald Man got his work van running! Yay again! I have my mini van and my freedom back. Of course that means I get to babysit for Pea today, but there are worse things in life than being snuggled by the cutest 15 month old in the whole world! Here she is, going shopping with Gramma after a quick trip through Mickey D's. What a big girl! Chicken nuggets and apple juice, with a straw! (Her mommy won't let her have apple juice undiluted, but gramma will!)

Her feet in her cute boots are blurry cause she kept kicking them, non stop. That kid is cuteness in motion.
Our new kid is doing very, very well.

Meeko is stepping up very nicely more and more. Nipping less and less. She hopped off her cage last night to come hunt me down for some loving. Of course she got it. What a cute birdie she is and she is adding a new note of joy and delight in my daily life. She even gives me kisses whenever I ask for them now. So cute!
Okay, Okay, what you have all been waiting for! My beautiful view! Lucky lady, aren't I?

Hope all your mondays are good ones.

Sabbath Musings

Bald Man and Tank worked ALL day yesterday while it was daylight, taking the old tranny out of Bald Man's work van and putting a new one in. Bald Man continues to work on it today, and I am praying it is running, cause this thing of having no car is wearing thin.
Bald Man and I managed a date after the sun went down. Very nice! Applebee for dinner and Casino Royale for a movie. I am not enthralled by the new Bond dude. One, he isn't my type, I didn't think he was sexy at all. Now Pierce Brosnen? Oh yeah! The movie was entertaining, but not my favorite Bond movie. It was very nice to be out with my sweetie. It has been way too long.
And yesterday? I was able to talk Oldest Son into babysitting while the we girls did some more wedding dress shopping! Pygmy Child is so very small, just a smidge over 4 and half feet, she has a hard time finding dresses that don't make her look shorter. She also inherited from her mother, a VERY short waist so finding anything that doesn't make her look really blocky isn't easy either. But guess what? We found a lovely style that makes her look like her slim self. For your approval, I present what very well may be the winning style, if not dress!

The picture quality stinks cause we snuck a camera phone shot. I love the chiffon draping from the side, it lets you see how very slim she is.
So today is Sunday. We are all supposed to be going to church. The Mormon church is a family thing, with children always welcome. Well, we are having serious problems with Little Man and church. Getting him ready? Yikes, melt downs and violence. Being there? Even with his happy pills, more meltdowns and sometimes violence. (When I say violence, I mean on his part. My scratches from last week have healed now) So I really don't think church is a good thing for our boy. So what do we do? Trade off perhaps, Bald Man one week, me the next. It would have been done today, except Bald Man is working on his van, which leaves me with the boy. So instead, I am blogging to you. I know without a doubt God understand, I just hope the people at church do.
We will be having everyone over, lasagna for dinner tonight, another family favorite. With garlic bread and salad of course!
Thank you, thank you, once again for your support of my issues with Little Man's school. I can't tell you how much it has helped and made me feel better about the conflict. I might have to break the Sabbath today and get him a new coat, since he continues to refuse to wear his old one. He has to stay warm. Darn them anyhow.

A Coat Too Far

It looks innocent enough. I didn't sense any evil coming from it and it hasn't done anything untoward that would make us think it was inhabited by evil spirits. In fact I think it looks rather forlorn, laying there, abandoned by its' owner.
The coat! How in heaven's name and all that is good and holy did a coat become a Waterloo?? An unpassable pass? A bridge too far? I do not know why Little Man's teachers have decided this coat is the everything of anything, but they have.
I realized yesterday, even though I want Little Man out of that school like yesterday, it was not going to happen. Monday will come and if the weather was what it has been it would be 27 degrees and I will have my son refusing to wear his "stupid" coat. My son with the weather related syndrome
Raynaud's Phenomenon who needs to keep his core body temp up or he can suffer from a very painful attack of his condition. He is most likely to end up in the hospital from this at this time of year.
So I call the teacher and explain to her that Little Man refused to wear his coat that day because she had called it stupid. She said, "well it is! It is a real pain in the butt!" I absolutely could NOT believe what I was hearing. I repeated to her that this was his only coat and he needed to wear it AND I would appreciate her fixing what damage had been done. I also said that no one else had ever complained about his coat before. She snorted and said she was surprised. When did people get so lazy??
If I was mad when I posted yesterday, I was even madder by the time I got off the phone. I called and called the district and even though I left numerous messages, by two thirty no one had returned my call. I called again and FINALLY got ahold of someone. I proceeded to vent my pressurized spleen at her for the next hour. She was saying, oh we can work this out, and I said NO! Absolutely not, we will not work this out, we will change schools. I repeatedly asked her to please call Little Man's after school program so she could talk to someone who had witnessed the teacher's unkind and brusque attitude with my son. I also refused to meet with their "team" unless Little Man's team could also be there. That would be the director of his afterschool program and his case manager from his
waiver program and of course me.
Yesterday afternoon when Little Man got home, there was a note in his backpack with an insincere apology about the teacher's comments about his coat. They were sorry for the way it made me "feel" and they were trying to teach him to put his coat on, but it was hard with that particular coat. Ya know what?? I do NOT care! Why are they so focused on his coat? Why not work on helping him with his underwear and pants and shoes and socks?? Why are they being so awful about it?? My thought is that they are using the excuse that he is struggling with his coat, but the real reason is they are LAZY and they do not like the extra step of having to make sure the sleeves are in a proper position. (His coat has a zip in liner so it has the layers he needs and he always has the proper attire, no matter what the weather.)
I will NOT be buying him a new coat. (Okay, I might, if he utterly refuses to wear it again, I will blame them and buy him a new coat, because his health determines it, not because his teachers are idiots.) Would someone like to explain to me why I am having to defend my choice in my son's outerwear at all? I am royally furious that I am having to explain why he is wearing this kind of coat, and why I don't want to buy him a new one. What if he didn't have a health condition? What if that the the coat he has? (and it is, actually) but I am so angry that I am having to do this at all!!! Why?? WHY???
So there ya go. We will be meeting next week and he will be going to a new school soon or some heads will be rolling. Gosh darn it all anyway. Like I needed this. Stupid people, don't they know better than to back someone into a corner? What else am I supposed to do? I need to protect my boy. I guess since they don't care about his coat, I had better double check on making sure they are putting on his mittens too, when the temp outside is below 50. Who knows what other short cuts they are taking with his health, safety and welfare????
Thank you for the abundance of supportive comments,I really need them.

Fury!

I am so angry today! I am ready to dance on someone's head in rage. There is nothing that can elicit this kind of wrath in me except when I feel that one of my children is being harmed.
This is about Little Man and his school. I have been unhappy with his new school since the beginning, but I haven't said anything about it because I was trying really hard to make things work and I was making sure I was keeping things as positive as I could with my thoughts and words.
We had a parent teacher conference last week. Little Man's old teacher had kept meticulous records on a daily basis of everything he was doing or not doing. When you have a child like our son whose performance varies from day to day, it is important to not take a day's work and say, this is what he knows.
It was very clear to me at his conference the teachers had never even looked at the binder of things his old teacher had sent. They were talking about setting a goal of knowing his time to the hour and half hour, I said, he already does that! Oh, they said. That went on and on until I had a horrible headache by the time I got home from being polite when I was so angry.
They are not watching him on the playground during recess and he got in trouble for inappropriate behavior. I was soooo upset. This child needs to be in line of sight and earshot of an adult at all times. He is not a safe little person. The principal was a complete jerk about it when I asked for more supervision.
I got a report from his afterschool program that when they pick him up, the teachers are brusque, unkind and one even shoved him to get him to hurry one day.
I could go on and on, but this is the LAST straw!
Parent teacher conference? The teacher complained about Little Man's coat. He has one of those coats where it has a zip in liner, so you can use different pieces depending on the weather. The teacher said it was hard to put on and they wanted us to buy a new coat. I said no, we like his coat and I like knowing no matter what the weather is, he always has appropriate clothing. She said it it too hard to put on. I said, sorry, we like it.
Yesterday? Little Man came home and announced he needed a new coat because his teacher said his was stupid. I told him it was a nice coat and no we were not going to buy him new one.
This morning? We had a melt down because he REFUSED to wear the coat the teacher thinks is stupid. WE ARE SO ANGRY!
Geez I bought him new shoes without asking them first if they approved! I didn't realize I now had to pass his clothing through a approval process!
That is it. I am calling the district today and having him moved to a different school. This school has proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that they do not have my son's best interest in mind. Heaven and earth know no fury like a mad mother bear, watch out, my claws are out and I am smelling blood!!!!!!!

Miracles Happen

I didn't get my answer about my eagle messenger until my day was almost over yesterday.
The message was a confirmation about choosing social work as my current life's work. It was confirmed to me that I can do good things with this and bless other people's lives. I am supposed to be doing this. Cool mail system, eagles from the spirit world!

Parenting a child with disabilities is a different road to travel. It is not the one you expected and in many ways it is grief filled and heart breaking. Once you put aside your expectations, the most amazing thing happens. Pebbles that just looked so ordinary before, markers on the path of raising a child, become extraordinary. While we were proud of our other children for learning to pedal a bike, or to achieve any of the other so expected milestones, they were expected and sort of ordinary because we never thought of any other outcome.
With Little Man, the ordinary milestones become shining bright jewels in his life and ours. I present to you something we didn't expect. Come celebrate with us, my heart is filled with joy and wonder at the miracle we call our Little Man

Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing - Share Photos
I know I sound all matter of fact in the video, but what you can't see is our hearts bursting with joy and gratitude.

That Kind of a Day

I am sure you are looking at that picture and wondering, what the heck? Some of my bloggy friends with the potty mouths are probably using stronger language.
Know what that speck is you can hardly make out?
THAT, my bloggy puddings, is an EAGLE! As in bald headed, amazing, soaring, incredibly beautiful bird. Wow!
For many Native American tribes, the bald eagle is a sacred symbol, often seen as a spiritual messenger. In the Lakota tradition, the bald eagle is considered a spirit which may be called on for aid, traditionally presiding over councils, hunters, war parties, and battles. In addition, the bald eagle is central to many ceremonies,including marriages and burials, with bald eagle feathers and other parts playing an important role
Hopefully I will be able to figure out what the message was being sent to me today, through this magnificent creature. Seeing this fellow tribal member of mine, I feel watched over and cared about.
Any of you have any ideas?
Otherwise, I am still car-less which is less than optimal, but still okay. Feeling a bit hemmed in and not really wanting to do housework all day.
So that is all the news that is fit to print bloggity dears.

Cute On Every Level

Today shall be an exercise in cuteness. Lucky me, I am surrounded in cuteness on a daily basis.
First there is my new baby, Meeko, (4 yr old Bare-Eyed Cockatoo if you are newcomer)

Here she is right after a shower

And there is my Little Man, always handsome and sometimes sweet.
I love his laugh!


Put the two together, and what do you get???

Super Cute!


And another!


Last but certainly not least, The Pea! A source of delight, wonder and cute, cute, cute!
On Sunday, she and Uncle Tank were playing with each other's tongues.

Let me have that!


Hmmm


What does my tongue look like anyway?


There ya go! Hopefully Blogger won't post any cuteness related deaths due to this post.

Mountain Monday And....

First off, your regularly scheduled Mountain picture. The clouds finally cleared up and left you with a very nice glimpse of the first real snow.

Very beautiful, don't ya think? I erased the power lines this time, I figure there is room for some artistic license in our relationship. As I sit here and type to you, I can look up and see this beautiful landscape. Some days I feel so lucky.

And now, the AND part....
It is Nov 13 and JJ is 17! I can't believe it. He is our youngest bio kid. He was born at home, like most of our kids.



Right away things were a bit funky with him. He was not a good nurser and just seemed, well, lethargic. By the time he was 24 hours old, he was inpatient at the NICU. They didn't know at the time what was wrong, but we would find out later he had had a stroke before he was born. We were unsure if he would even survive his first week, but he did and we rejoiced. Weeks passed and he was just not meeting his milestones like our other kids did. It soon became apparent that he was paralyzed on the right side of his body. We did alot of praying and we had a nurse coming out and giving us exercises to do with him. By the time he was 9 months old he was army crawling and mostly dragging his right arm and leg. Then the miracles began to happen. After a couple of weeks he began to have more movement on the right side of his body. Within a few months he was walking and you would NEVER known anything was ever wrong with him. He continued to struggle with other health issues for the next couple of years, but they eventually resolved too. Even his doctors called him a miracle. They said they had no idea why he got better, but he did! His neuro released him from care with a final eeg that showed NONE of the abnormalities of his other ones. The doctor said he must have rerouted around the damaged areas. We don't know how, we are just grateful it happened.

This kid was such a risk taker! By the time he was one, he was swimming under water. He was always such an eccentric child. We figure it is because he was just so dang smart. He was playing chess by the time he was five.

He has always had a fascination with money. When he was small he would ask us for our pennies. After he collected 25 pennies, he would trade us for a quarter. It took us months for us to realize we were buying and rebuying our own pennies!

Along with his passion for earning money, this child has been blessed with the most generous heart. He always wants to share, and to this day, it is the delight of his heart to be able to share anything of his with his friends or family. He would make a great rich man, he could do alot of good with it.
What an imgination! He once, for about a week, pretended to be a monkey. He had a belt for a tail and he wore gloves on his feet instead of shoes. What a hoot he is.
He went to kindergarten, and his K teacher said she had never heard another 5 year old sing opera!
He has always been the leader of the pack and our house is often the gathering point for stinky teenaged boys. He is such a free spirit, I guess his friends like that.
The last six months have improved his teenaged attitude a great deal, much to our relief. Instead of a hormonal grump, he is once again, our bright, smart aleck, a bit strange but funny kid. Happy Birthday JJ. We all survived!