End of School Updates

School has been out and lots has happened in the past couple weeks.

Zach had an awesome end of the school year. As the 5th grade award assembly was starting the principal and school secretary got up on the stage and announced that they had a very special award that was unannounced to everyone including the teachers. This of course had all the kids looking at each other with curiosity. With a huge smile the secretary removed a letter a from an envelop and began reading. The letter was from President Obama and congratulated the children on their hard work, effort, and the importance they have placed on their education. They then started calling names and had all the students keep standing until all the kids were called. As Zach's friends were called he shot them all thumbs up and was beaming for them. Then his name was called along side the Presidential Educational Academic Achievement Award, and he was no longer just beaming but trying not jump up and down.

Later he came across the stage to receive his elementary school completion award, and also received awards in music, orchestra, choir, and received the RWES Overall Musician of the Year award. Again he was beaming and beyond thrilled. Oh and he made honor roll.

Summer is off to a great start for Ellie. She ended the school year very well with a music award, honor roll, and a really GI appt. One of her friends became a big brother, one friend moved, but she has already become best friends with a new little girl who just moved into a house just down the block. (The best part about being on a military base, when a family moves another moves right in)

Her GI appt went very well. We were told to start out with letting her be off her pump for 2 hours a day during play time, and if she does not lose weight and keeps her energy up by Christmas time we may be looking at up to 4-5 hours a day off her pump. She is also able to perform without her backpack and pump! This is the most exciting thing for her right now as this means we will not have to have costumes altered to allow her backpack and pump for this musical!

Just as School was ending Corbyn and Jade attending marching band camp and both kids learned a lot and loved band camp. Once again Jade is playing her flute, and Corbyn will be playing percussion this year in marching band. He will be playing a variety of instruments within the auxiliary section, he will be supporting the main drummers. When not on the field he will be playing his bassoon.

Zach spent a week with the Cub scouts as a volunteer at the camp and had a total blast. he camp home each day totally exhausted, but excited to return the next day. This same week Celidah left for Girls Camp as a youth volunteer. She too had a blast but is saddened because her time attending Girls Camp as youth or a youth volunteer is over.

Just as Zach was finishing Cub Scout camp, Jairon left for High Adventure Scout Camp. This was totally exciting for him as this is the first time he has been able to attend this kind of camp. While Jairon was away at camp, Musical Theatre Camp for Zach and Ellie began. 

Celidah has been working with the preschool and kindergarten kids since musical theatre camp began. Jairon missed the 1st week and has been working the 2nd week. This week (2nd week of camp) Jade is helping babysit a friends little boys so she and her husband can spend time with their littlest one in the NICU. 

This week everyone has something going on. 

Yes we like keeping the kids busy, and they like being kept busy.

Being "inconsiderate" and inconvenient

Inconsiderate and inconvenience are two words I rarely have thrown back at me, especially concerning doctor appointments. Well, yesterday, I was told that I am inconsiderate because I got upset that my appointment on Monday has been cancelled and needed to be rescheduled due to the doctor being "busy" and I demanded new appointment ASAP within the same week. 

Suddenly, when one appointment was during a Federal Job Employment Workshop, which I am signed up for and refused to cancel my spot, the other appointment during my neurology appointment in Baltimore (scheduled 3 months ago) I am now inconvenient.

I let the person on the phone know I've have multiple blood tests come back abnormal, had blood tests redrawn, and wanted to see my doctor to understand what what is going on. Again, I was informed how inconsiderate and inconvenient I was being about my appointment being changed on me.

At this point I lost it. Instead, I informed the person on the phone that I fully understand something is not right, and that I don't understand what's going on. I now have additional specialty appointments that have been made around that appointment. I have children, 2 with medical needs and their appointments, 1 child off to scout camp, 1 child off to cubscout camp, 2 children in musical theater camp and 2 children helping with the same musical theater camp. 1 child being admitted for week long seizure testing where an adult must be present at all times. 2 kids doing marching band camp, and one doing summer school. With this schedule, shuttling kids back and forth, making sure all appointments are attended, do not tell me I'm being inconsiderate and inconvenient when you cancelled and chand my appointment.

She was also confused why I was pissy and upset these calls were coming during Zach's 5th grade ceremony where he received several amazing awards. Was even more upset when I missed the best picture opportunity. 

Since I didn't hear from the clinic today about when my "new" appointment is, I'm not sure if this means I still will be seen on Monday, or if the appointment was simply totally cancelled...

Unintentional Cheese Trial- Failed

For years now I have been learning what kids can and cannot have to eat and have gotten fairly comfortable with labels on boxes, cans, and packages because most of the ingredients are able to be to read. For some time I have been teach Chantelle how to read labels so she can eventually transition over to shopping for and managing her food.

Well Friday the girl's had a fundraising activity at church where a potluck style of Mexican type foods were served. All was good until I told Chantelle that she could have the beans ONLY if she asked and they were plain beans. She came back with a plate with of olives and a small amount of beans saying that they were safe. The olives I knew were save.

Then a little while later I was talking with one of the ladies at church and we talked about the beans and when I discovered there was a small amount of cheese, like not much for a HUGE pan, my heart skipped a beat and I almost swore.

I let them know we had to go immediately, not only because Jade was not feeling to well from the procedure she had the day before, but because we did not have any liquid Benadryl in the car and I needed to get some and get all of Chantelle's GI meds in her ASAP.

I very quickly passed off the rest of the tickets I got for mt kids for the games they had, gathered the kids and we left. Once we got liquid Benadryl, I gave Chantelle her allergic reaction dose right there in Walgrens, then we headed home. I then gave her the rest of her meds, had her get ready for bed and we watched chopped as she snuggled with me for the night. She was not going to sleep in her own bed if she was going to have a bad reaction.

About 20 minutes after we got home, she started with some serious venting and diarrhea. However, thank heaven, she did not have a super severe reaction like she did in the NICU. Knowing how allergic she is to soy and corn, I barely slept Friday night as I was ready to scoop her up and take her to ER or call 911 and use EPI-pin on her if needed.

All day Saturday we had her feeding pump running just Pedialyte, and today she seems to be okay. This is not the way I wanted to trial cheese. But we do know now that that she is no longer anaphylactic , just reactive still.

What a day...

Oy Vey... What a day....

This morning started early and ended late.

Yesterday as I arrived home I was greeted by a sheriffs deputy who informed me that our car tags had been suspended due to something with the emissions. Well that totally changed our night. Zach and Ellie had to miss the after school Lemonade War Activity and Book Fair. Poor kids were so upset and I do not blame them. They were kind of okay with it when they were allowed to get into a water fight.

We still had to go pick Celidah up from her drivers ed class anyway. There was no other way to get her home, so dad left to get her.

This morning I left early with Corbyn for his neurology appointment because he needed to get his blood drawn.  Knowing the tags were suspended and the car would fail the emissions again, I had to take it in anyway and see what would happen.

Taking the car in turned out to be a good thing because another failure, extended our time to work on the car and lift the suspension on the tags. With the emission test done, Corbyn and I left and headed to his neurology appointment in Baltimore.

Using the GPS I got onto the freeway, then turned it off because I knew where I was going. During the drive there, the University of Maryland called to cover the needed information for Jade's scopes tomorrow (Thursday) and while talking with the nurse I missed the needed exit because I was on the toll road. I normally do not take but today I did, because I did not have time to deal with traffic.

Taking the next exit, I figured I could turn around and get right back onto 895, then take the correct exit. This is not what I did. Instead, I hopped onto 95 heading towards NYC, the EXACT opposite direction that I needed to be heading. Baltimore was now in my rear view mirror. At least I was not heading into the toll road and into the tunnels. So I drove for about 5 minutes (maybe more), hopped onto 695 heading towards Essex and hoped I could take the 1st exit, turn around again, get back onto 95, go back to Baltimore, and then be back on the right path. Good thing, I was right.

However, by this point we were already late and I had tried calling neurology to lat them know we were late (very late now) and lost, but still coming, but I did not have their number in my cell phone. So I had to teach Corbyn how to use my phone and totally talk home through it while driving, so I could contact his doctor through the scheduling office. We could not connect. Instead, We got the message "This office is closed for lunch, call back after 2:30" ?????

Oh goodness, I was not having a good day so far. I had already lost it at the emissions office, yes, lost tears there. The lady was wonderful and helped me understand the process, re-grip, recollect, and gather myself again. She was wonderful. Got lost driving to a hospital I have been to a million times and could probably drive to in my sleep. Arrived and discovered we were 40 minutes late for Corbyn's appointment 0_o

His doctor did not have a 2:30 appointment, so she was able to see his after all. We had a good appointment and a game plan set in place. He will have a 4 hour EEG, if nothing is captured then he will have an in-patient EEG with hopes of capturing something. If they still do not capture anything while in-patient then we will know that his passing out episodes are not cardiac or seizure related. However, like his neurologist said, it will not help us know why he is spacing out, and passing out like he is. But until we know what is up he still not able to participate in golf, archery, any sport other than swimming. He can still do his music, drama, and art based things, just nothing with running, contact, unless he has close supervision and nothing with quick movements.

We left Johns Hopkins with just enough time to grab Celidah and Frank, get Celidah to her drivers ed class, for Frank and I get the house paperwork signed and notarized and in the fed-ex drop box, run home, grab the rest of the kids, and get Zach to the Elementary school for his concert.

One spring concert and 1 play down, 2 concerts to go.

Migraine from Hell...

I have been having increased migraine issues for some time now and recently started botox injections to reduce the number of migraines and headaches I have been having. Well the injections seem to be helping reduce the number of headaches.

However, this week I was hit with one of the worst migraines I have had in a very long time. Normally, I will do everything I can to avoid the ER, but I called and got permission to go in and get the needed stronger meds that I do not have at home.

Every time I stood up, I had no balance, felt like I was going to fall over, like my head was going to explode. I could not handle the light, any movement, sounds, smells, anything. The meds I was given in the ER helped a lot, but did not get rid of the migraine. Good thing I see my neurologist again on the 14th. I am sure this insane migraine has nothing to do with starting the botox injections because I had them 3ish weeks ago so to be reacting this far out does not seen likely to me. But we'll see what my dr says...

Baltimore Riots

Last night while Frank was with Celidah at drivers school, the kids and I were watching the news about the riots in Baltimore and I asked them what they knew about the Ferguson riots. The older kids all let me know that they were not even allowed to talk about the riots in school and had no idea what really happened. At this I realized that neither nor I had even discussed what happened then.

So I silenced the news, searched a few articles and we began to learn from a variety of perspectives about what happened, the results, and how the Ferguson riots affected the communities.

Naturally, the kids are stunned with the behavior and cannot believe that teens and adults would even allow themselves to hurt people, destroy property, and behave like they have been.

Throughout the discussion, we talked about the 4 differing groups of people involved, varying reasons for the behavior, and possible outcomes.  I had the kids identify the different groups they saw on the news: media, emergency personnel, aggressors, and peace makers. (Their ability to identify made me proud)

According to the kids the media was there to cover the situation, emergency personnel covered several, police to diffuse and stop, paramedics, treat the injured, and firefighters to put out the fires. The peace makers were trying to help diffuse and protect property. The rioters were the angry and out of control ones unwilling to listen.

We talked about how the looting is stealing. The kids could not comprehend how damaging, stealing, hurting, and setting fire were more important to the rioters. As we discussed various possible reasons for the behavior we also began to discuss ways they can use to avoid becoming involved if a similar situation happened close to home. We talked about how the kids have learned to say no to drugs and several other situations and relate these same lessons to the current happenings with the riots.

I am glad to know that I can talk to my kids about stuff like this. We can take past lessons and apply them to new situations. Knowing that the gospel lessons also apply really helps when needing to talk with kids about serious subjects.

Then while listening to a talk radio show today, on the show, the topic of parents talking to their kids about the riots, how to say no, and avoid such situations came up. It was mentioned that the riots first in Ferguson, now in Baltimore are likely not over. We have to prepare our children now to know what to do in the event of peer pressure to participate. My first thought was, "I am so glad I have already started this with my kids." I was even more glad when my oldest came home from high school saying she has heard rumors that there are posts in twitter, facebook, and other places saying the riots need to be brought to Bel Air.

Bel AIr is much closer to us than Baltimore, even though Baltimore is still very close.

Celidah AHS Prom 2015

Celidah Prom Night Two!

 Celidah and Caleb