Friday, May 31, 2013
Follow-Up
Inspiration struck.
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I put matching socks on Shane, pulled out a sharpe, and sent him off to playtime at Nana's!
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I put matching socks on Shane, pulled out a sharpe, and sent him off to playtime at Nana's!
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Allergy Season Sucks
I WAS writing a post about how painful it is to listen to my son cough and hack up his lungs at night due to allergies.
Shane had a coughing fit and I heard him *hurk!* something down wrong, so I stopped writing and went upstairs.
I was just in the nick of time.
A few minutes later, Shane was done puking his guts and mucus out and we were taking a hot bath/shower. The steam helps clear Shane out. I've been trying to train him to blow his nose and/or spit out any snot he coughs up. Shane seems to think it's an archaic form of infant torture half the time. Thankfully, the snot rockets he produces the other half relieve the coughing and mouth-breathing for a time.
Shane's back in bed and I'm back downstairs. His clothes are in the sink soaking, and my busted (and now puked on) shirt is in the trash. I'll go up to bed after I'm sure Shane's down again. I don't want any noise on the monitor to wake up Carrie. The heart-wrenching I feel listening to Shane feeling unwell seems to be doubled in her!
Earlier, I was curious and I started looking back through old posts to see if I complained about Shane's allergies before. There was one time he woke up puking last May I mentioned them, but there wasn't anything else that stood out. I think Shane's allergies were something of a common knowledge, so I didn't see the point in complaining about it too often. ( Besides, there were the constant ear infections, lack of speaking, and a number of other things to worry a parent! I'm glad that those first two issues were solved!)
I'm not hearing anything else over the monitor, so it's time for me to turn in. I pray that Shane will stay down and get some rest 'till the morn!
Shane had a coughing fit and I heard him *hurk!* something down wrong, so I stopped writing and went upstairs.
I was just in the nick of time.
A few minutes later, Shane was done puking his guts and mucus out and we were taking a hot bath/shower. The steam helps clear Shane out. I've been trying to train him to blow his nose and/or spit out any snot he coughs up. Shane seems to think it's an archaic form of infant torture half the time. Thankfully, the snot rockets he produces the other half relieve the coughing and mouth-breathing for a time.
Shane's back in bed and I'm back downstairs. His clothes are in the sink soaking, and my busted (and now puked on) shirt is in the trash. I'll go up to bed after I'm sure Shane's down again. I don't want any noise on the monitor to wake up Carrie. The heart-wrenching I feel listening to Shane feeling unwell seems to be doubled in her!
Earlier, I was curious and I started looking back through old posts to see if I complained about Shane's allergies before. There was one time he woke up puking last May I mentioned them, but there wasn't anything else that stood out. I think Shane's allergies were something of a common knowledge, so I didn't see the point in complaining about it too often. ( Besides, there were the constant ear infections, lack of speaking, and a number of other things to worry a parent! I'm glad that those first two issues were solved!)
I'm not hearing anything else over the monitor, so it's time for me to turn in. I pray that Shane will stay down and get some rest 'till the morn!
Clothes Malfunction
My wardrobe is not suited for spontaneous acrobatics like it used to be. I must be getting old.
Shane and I were coming back from the church playground today and I decided to blow his mind. I dived forward, threw out my hands, and kicked my feet up in the air for a handstand!
My shirt ripped instantly. It wasn't a small rip either. I had extra air-conditioning the whole way home (which bad since it was a muggy 90 degrees out).
I popped up and started walking around on my hands again. My shirt was a goner, but I didn't want its loss to be for naught.
Turns out, Shane could care less if Daddy is upside-down and walking on his hands. There were cars, lawn mowers, airplanes, and any number of other things he was interested in seeing instead!
Shane and I were coming back from the church playground today and I decided to blow his mind. I dived forward, threw out my hands, and kicked my feet up in the air for a handstand!
My shirt ripped instantly. It wasn't a small rip either. I had extra air-conditioning the whole way home (which bad since it was a muggy 90 degrees out).
I popped up and started walking around on my hands again. My shirt was a goner, but I didn't want its loss to be for naught.
Turns out, Shane could care less if Daddy is upside-down and walking on his hands. There were cars, lawn mowers, airplanes, and any number of other things he was interested in seeing instead!
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Well Timed
Memorial Day was a well-timed holiday for me.
I left work Friday ready to "kill'em all!" and came back on Tuesday thinking "Once more into the breach, my friends! Let's do this!"
The effect has worn off, but at least there's only 14 days with kids to go!
I left work Friday ready to "kill'em all!" and came back on Tuesday thinking "Once more into the breach, my friends! Let's do this!"
The effect has worn off, but at least there's only 14 days with kids to go!
Happy Birthday Mornings
I wake up to the sound of Shane moving around. I hop out of bed to the tune "HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!"
It was a strange evolution.
This week, Shane has started singing every morning when he rouses. I use the same tune to sing "Good morning to you," but we practiced "Happy birthday to you!" a few times for Cole's birthday. Now, it seems to have overwritten Shane's memory!
It's a good way to start the day with a grin.
It was a strange evolution.
This week, Shane has started singing every morning when he rouses. I use the same tune to sing "Good morning to you," but we practiced "Happy birthday to you!" a few times for Cole's birthday. Now, it seems to have overwritten Shane's memory!
It's a good way to start the day with a grin.
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Mwa Ha ha!
"Mike, we're running out of socks for Shane!" Nana said. "He always comes in mismatched socks!" When Nana finds mismatched socks, she swaps them out for a matched pair from her house.
Strangely, our sock drawer for Shane is overflowing! Yet, he always seems to arrive at Nana's with opposites...
Evil plan working as intended!
Four Little Surprises
Shane and I rolled home from daycare to find four fledglings hopping and flying around the garage! They were flapping awkwardly and bumping all over the place! They were a bit hesitant about us, but they let us get awfully close before they'd bumble away!
We spent a good half an hour watching the birds. A thunderstorm started within minutes after we got home, so known of the birds wanted to leave. They kept hopping from shelf to shelf and singing!
When Mommy got home, she scooped one of the little birds out of the 'window sandwich' he'd stuck himself in and showed Shane the baby bird up close. It was a lot of fun. I'm not even going to worry about the potential bird poop at this point!
This guy crawled up the screen and ended up sandwiched between the screen and window. There was another fledgling who had done the exact same thing on the other side of the garage! I pushed the window up to help him out.
We spent a good half an hour watching the birds. A thunderstorm started within minutes after we got home, so known of the birds wanted to leave. They kept hopping from shelf to shelf and singing!
When Mommy got home, she scooped one of the little birds out of the 'window sandwich' he'd stuck himself in and showed Shane the baby bird up close. It was a lot of fun. I'm not even going to worry about the potential bird poop at this point!
Monday, May 27, 2013
Muay Tired Redux
Sadly, I haven't been to Muay Thai in a long while. It's not BJJ or wrestling, but it's something I wanted to do (much like joining the SCA back in the day). Carrie's working on weekends again, so the only day of the week I can go is on Monday. Class starts at 7:30, but child care ends at 8:00. There were a couple of times my wife encouraged me to go (God bless her), and then at other times she's been in bed and asleep by 8:00 (God bless her x2)! I know class is not something I can count on doing routinely, so I haven't been able to dredge up the energy for it.
The bottom line is: what does my family get out of it?
Not much.
If there was more of a gain for Shane or Carrie I'd push harder to make time for it, but I can't really think of one. It's been 4 months since I went last, so i guess I technically quit a while ago. Coach is a neat guy and I wouldn't mind keeping in contact with him, though. We bumped into him, his wife, and his new daughter at church yesterday.
If the gym adds more classes at times where child care is available, then this post may need to be redacted.
Sunday, May 26, 2013
Memorial Day Weekend: Saturday
It was a super busy Saturday!
The day started with Daddy's usual Throw-the-Boy-in-the-Car-and-Go-Somewhere tactic! We got groceries, my cat meds, and we stopped by the local library to get a library card. The kids area had some cool toys for Shane to play with.
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I was incredibly bummed to find the bagel shop had closed. I've gone without for too long and I wanted my bread fix!
After nap time, we went to Nana and Pop's for Cole's first birthday! Kathleen and Stu's friends descended for pizza and fun! Shane joined several kids for trampoline mayhem. Later, he enjoyed perusing through Cole's gifts and Nana's toys. Shane didn't quite get 'Cole's toys' vs 'HIS toys,' but Nana has enough shiny objects both boys enjoyed each other's company! I'd love to throw up some pics, but I don't have any. If Kathleen puts some up on Facebook I may swipe some of those. Cole looks very dignified in his glasses (or as I told Stu, "He looks too academic for NASCAR.") I'm praying that Stu lands a job nearby, so that the boys can grow up together. Hopefully, my son won't be the one getting Cole into trouble, though....
Our final stop of the day was at my friend Igor's. He and his wife threw a BBQ! I really don't see all my old friends enough. Shane was shy at first, but Carrie had him running up to John and everyone soon enough. Shane didn't pick up on the 'G' in Igor's name at first. I laughed every time he called him "Eyore!" I tried to get Shane to present his poopy diaper bag to someone and say "I made this for you!," but he was too distracted by all the new sights, sounds, and people.
Another little boy, Carson, showed up at the party later. He was shyer than Shane! Whereas Shane eventually started running in circles and shouting numbers, Carson clung to his mother. I drew him out after an hour or so. He and Shane traded cars and sat to watch Fraggle Rock together in the basement. There was a cute scene where Shane and Carson locked eyes. Shane crept up to him slowly. Carson looked up at his mom and then looked back at Shane. Shane cautiously reached out a hand and plucked a toy fire truck out of Carson's shirt pocket! It worked out fine, because Carson got to play with Shane's 50 cent batmobile we nabbed at a garage sale that morning!
Once again, I have no pics. I may have to upgrade to a fancy phone one of these days, so I don't miss out on so many photogenic moments!
Saturday, May 25, 2013
Friday, May 24, 2013
Voyager
I would have blogged tonight, but my wife made me watch both parts of the finale for Voyager.
I asked her "What's next, Enterprise?"
She replied, "No."
I asked her "What's next, Enterprise?"
She replied, "No."
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Diarrhea Butt-Boy
Shane's butt is at Code Mustard Yellow Runny.
It's been that way since last Saturday.
I just thought I'd let the world know.
It is slightly relevant. The two times Shane's managed to poop in a toilet it's been when he was pooping four to five times a day! Wednesday was the first time I've ever managed to get him to produce on the potty.
I also have a pair of soiled shorts from a back-end explosion at daycare soaking in the bathroom sink!
The joys of potty training, right?
...
Actually, writing about it online and imaging a few "GROSS! Why did he write that!" faces brings a grin to my face.
I must like potty humor.
Shane's Eligibility
Shane's eligibility meeting was today. Last Friday was the data review.
It lasted all of three minutes.
The eligibility team members introduced themselves, they started to read the criteria, and then they said "we don't see any evidence of a developmental delay. Your son is not eligible for services at this time."
I said "I understand. Thank you very much," and that was it.
Not a very exciting story to tell, but a piece to the puzzle that will be Shane's life (and my parenting 'career').
What's more ironic is I forgot about the meeting entirely! I do this for a living!
It lasted all of three minutes.
The eligibility team members introduced themselves, they started to read the criteria, and then they said "we don't see any evidence of a developmental delay. Your son is not eligible for services at this time."
I said "I understand. Thank you very much," and that was it.
Not a very exciting story to tell, but a piece to the puzzle that will be Shane's life (and my parenting 'career').
What's more ironic is I forgot about the meeting entirely! I do this for a living!
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Star Trekkin
Can you guess who went to see the new Star Trek movie on the IMAX screen at the Air and Space Museum?
One of Carrie's oldest friends, Charles, came down for the weekend with his fiance, Jenn. Charles and Carrie used to be part of the same Star Trek sim-ing club back in the day (under 14.4 baud!) My wife arranged for a babysitter, and we (mostly) enjoyed the new Star Trek! It was a fun bang-'em up lights show that I'd rate a B to an A for any non-fan.
Carrie and Charles both had their own strong opinions!
My wife insists that the first reboot is a good 'fan fic.' Way back when (in a galaxy far away), my wife and I went on a date. It was later than 8:00 PM, and we went to see the first Star Trek reboot premiere on the IMAX at the Air and Space Museum on a work night. While the rest of the theater cheered at the end, my wife turned to me with tears in her eyes. She told me that the movie essentially destroyed everything canon from all the subsequent series, because of the way time travel works in the franchise.
No Next Generartion, no Deep Space 9, and especially no Voyager.
Carrie was one unhappy camper.
She eventually came to the "it's a good fan-fic" resolution, so that she can enjoy the reboots while knowing the real timeline is still in effect elsewhere.
God, I love my wife. Thanks for sending her my way!
I believe one of the best solutions to deal with any situation is enthusiasm. The more you have the more epic things get.
My wife engineered the whole adventure. My sole contribution was "Let's go get a picture in front of the shuttle!"
PS - Carrie actually enjoyed the movie for the most part (in case you're wondering). She was pissed about switching the ethnicity of a certain character and swore the original actor was "rolling in his grave!"
PPS - Charles is welcome to visit any time. He introduced Shane and I to elevated train tracks. Shane was calling his name out and dragging him over to the train table every chance he got! My train track engineering skills have risen to a new level, as well!
One of Carrie's oldest friends, Charles, came down for the weekend with his fiance, Jenn. Charles and Carrie used to be part of the same Star Trek sim-ing club back in the day (under 14.4 baud!) My wife arranged for a babysitter, and we (mostly) enjoyed the new Star Trek! It was a fun bang-'em up lights show that I'd rate a B to an A for any non-fan.
Carrie and Charles both had their own strong opinions!
My wife insists that the first reboot is a good 'fan fic.' Way back when (in a galaxy far away), my wife and I went on a date. It was later than 8:00 PM, and we went to see the first Star Trek reboot premiere on the IMAX at the Air and Space Museum on a work night. While the rest of the theater cheered at the end, my wife turned to me with tears in her eyes. She told me that the movie essentially destroyed everything canon from all the subsequent series, because of the way time travel works in the franchise.
No Next Generartion, no Deep Space 9, and especially no Voyager.
Carrie was one unhappy camper.
She eventually came to the "it's a good fan-fic" resolution, so that she can enjoy the reboots while knowing the real timeline is still in effect elsewhere.
God, I love my wife. Thanks for sending her my way!
I believe one of the best solutions to deal with any situation is enthusiasm. The more you have the more epic things get.
My wife engineered the whole adventure. My sole contribution was "Let's go get a picture in front of the shuttle!"
PS - Carrie actually enjoyed the movie for the most part (in case you're wondering). She was pissed about switching the ethnicity of a certain character and swore the original actor was "rolling in his grave!"
PPS - Charles is welcome to visit any time. He introduced Shane and I to elevated train tracks. Shane was calling his name out and dragging him over to the train table every chance he got! My train track engineering skills have risen to a new level, as well!
Monday, May 20, 2013
Squatters (and squawkers)
Some 'squatters' have taken residence in our garage. They're parked right over the washer and dryer. I can't imagine it's the quietest place to raise hatchlings.
Carrie has informed me that she heard babies and we will not be putting the garage door down until further notice!
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Shane's Data Review
Friday, I had to sneak out of work a little early for a data review meeting with the county. The results of the testing they did on Shane are compiled and it's custom to review the data with parents prior to eligibility meetings.
The bottom line: there is a 99.9% chance that Shane will not be found eligible for special services through the county.
The people were very professional and helpful, but the message I read between the lines was "Your son is doing well; He's not perfect because no child is, but we don't see anything we'd call a disability. Here's more info and contact us again if there's a change."
Shane has made a lot of progress since the doctor dropped the "your child needs to be evaluated" bomb on us last summer and he had tubes inserted. Shane's expressive and receptive language skills were at the top end of the average spectrum (75-80th percentiles) and they said it was typical to find half of what a two-year old says unintelligible. There are certainly times I don't understand a word coming out of my son's mouth, but he does get the point across more often than not.
The bad news is: this means no free preschool.
The good news is: Shane's development is back on track and we still get support through Child Find until Shane turns three in December.
I'd say the good far outweighs the bad! I'm glad that I got to experience what many of the parents of my students have gone through. I remember the initial shock and sadness of "your son needs help" and what it felt like to be on the other side of the table without the cliff notes.
The bottom line: there is a 99.9% chance that Shane will not be found eligible for special services through the county.
The people were very professional and helpful, but the message I read between the lines was "Your son is doing well; He's not perfect because no child is, but we don't see anything we'd call a disability. Here's more info and contact us again if there's a change."
Shane has made a lot of progress since the doctor dropped the "your child needs to be evaluated" bomb on us last summer and he had tubes inserted. Shane's expressive and receptive language skills were at the top end of the average spectrum (75-80th percentiles) and they said it was typical to find half of what a two-year old says unintelligible. There are certainly times I don't understand a word coming out of my son's mouth, but he does get the point across more often than not.
The bad news is: this means no free preschool.
The good news is: Shane's development is back on track and we still get support through Child Find until Shane turns three in December.
I'd say the good far outweighs the bad! I'm glad that I got to experience what many of the parents of my students have gone through. I remember the initial shock and sadness of "your son needs help" and what it felt like to be on the other side of the table without the cliff notes.
Parenting
Parenting requires "L's."
Lots of Love and a Lack of SLeep!
Carrie and I have had out of town guests visiting. Shane and I woke up at 6 AM. It's 9 AM now, and they're still snoozing!
Lots of Love and a Lack of SLeep!
Carrie and I have had out of town guests visiting. Shane and I woke up at 6 AM. It's 9 AM now, and they're still snoozing!
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Carrie's First Day of Work
It started with puke.
Shane's allergies have been acting up. He's been a regular snot faucet.
This morning, you could tell it had been pooling overnight. Shane coughed as I got him ready. The flavor was audible.
It must have been tangible, too. Shane coughed, swallowed wrong, and flash-urped on the floor. There was another cough, but the training potty caught round two.
I checked Shane for fever, gave him a sip of juice, and couldn't find anything wrong with him. Carrie and I swapped his socks, and continued getting ready.
Next, Shane threw up on his car seat. It was another, cough, cough, urk, blegh. One paper towel scooped up all the chunks, but Shane managed to get his jacket with the dribble this time around.
It was an auspicious way to start Carrie's first day of work!
Shane's allergies have been acting up. He's been a regular snot faucet.
This morning, you could tell it had been pooling overnight. Shane coughed as I got him ready. The flavor was audible.
It must have been tangible, too. Shane coughed, swallowed wrong, and flash-urped on the floor. There was another cough, but the training potty caught round two.
I checked Shane for fever, gave him a sip of juice, and couldn't find anything wrong with him. Carrie and I swapped his socks, and continued getting ready.
Next, Shane threw up on his car seat. It was another, cough, cough, urk, blegh. One paper towel scooped up all the chunks, but Shane managed to get his jacket with the dribble this time around.
It was an auspicious way to start Carrie's first day of work!
Monday, May 13, 2013
Mother's Day 2013
I thought Carrie was going to be gone for Mother's Day weekend. She surprised Shane and I at church.
One moment, I'm singing a song and the next a beautiful woman throws herself at me and gives me a kiss. I was so surprised, I pulled back to double-check that it was my wife! Carrie's excitability and passion are two of the things I love about her!
We got to surprise her, too!
Shane and I spent the whole weekend cleaning the house from top to bottom (he wasn't much help). Before church, we went to Wegman's and grabbed Mommy a fruit tart treat!
There's a lot of history (and flavor) behind those tarts. Carrie and I used to visit the same Wegman's when we were dating. I'd never discovered a grocery store I could call awesome before and Carrie wanted to fill me in. It became a tradition that Carrie got a fruit tart whenever we went to buy groceries.
After we got hitched and moved to Centreville, there was still a Wegman's within a reasonable distance. Sometimes I would try to surprise Carrie with a fruit tart or something else from the bakery. That all stopped when we moved to Chantilly and Carrie wanted to eat healtheir, but Mother's Day is a good excuse for something sweet.
Shane and I love you, Carrie! You're a great mother and great mothers deserve the best fruit tart your boys can find!
FitFest
On Saturday, Shane and I went to our gym/church's FitFest. It was a fun adventure while Mommy was out of town!
There were swimming pools full of Legos...
...including some train pieces!
Then came not one, but two moon bounces!
Shane was a wild child! He ran and bounced all over!
Other times he would lay down so that the bouncing of other kids would buck him around.
And, of course, Shane had to go in both bounce houses to get the full experience.
It was a lot harder to get pictures of him in the tunnels!
Outside, we got to sit in a fire truck...
..and then an ambulance.
To cap it off, Shane saw a monster hill. It begged to be climbed.
So we did!
Shane wore himself out and I got some pictures. Mission Accomplished!
My only regret was the giant mud puddle. The boy went straight for it.
It only took a second for Shane's foot to take a plunge.
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Kick-Started
I caved and supported a Kickstarter campaign.
The idea of crowd-funding always intrigued me, and this campaign managed to hit several of my nerd and nostalgia buttons all at once.
It's for a Robotech Tactical Table-top game.
I remember loving Robotech back when I was five. It was my gateway to animation, science-fiction, robots, and role-playing games.
Yes, role-playing games.
Palladium books made a Robotech RPG that I saw a book for when I was in sixth grade. I bought it out of sheer "THAT'S ROBOTECH!!!!" I remember Bill and I played it after hours at church camp at Camp Highroad the summer after 6th grade.
So...yeah. I decided to throw in some cash to support a game that I don't know how much time I will ever have for. A part of me is kicking myself, but I figure if I call off Christmas it will even out. The game would ship around then anyway!
It would be fun if Shane were to show an interest when he's older, but I'm not going to push it. Shane will be Shane. I want to encourage him to be the best he can be, but I'm not going to be one of 'those' parents who assumes that their children are going to like everything they like.
It would be super cool to play something like this with my son, though...
A Worry and Hope
Shane does not play nicely with children his age. The day-care people have mentioned that he doesn't really interact with the other children. He has a tendency to scream, screech, or cry if another toddler or preschooler comes too close or tries to use the same playground equipment he's using. There was a girl on the playground near Carrie's parents when we visited. Shane would throw an absolute fit whenever she tried to come within ten feet of him or interact with Carrie or I.
It doesn't help that our therapist through the county wanted to make sure they tested Shane for autism. She thought that his intense/borderline-obsessive interest in certain things might be an indicator that he was on the spectrum.
The specialists concerns did not concern me at first. Shane's fixating on his interests comes directly from me. Nana coined it 'what I liked, I REALLY liked." An addictive personality. My brother, Patrick, was similar. There was a span of time he refused to wear or drink out of anything that wasn't green.
The lack of interest in his peers does pull at me. Originally, I was going to write about my concerns and use how nice he is with Baby Cole as a counterpoint. I've seen Shane interact, but his current screaming and raging around peers definitely caught my attention. The specialist's mention of autism keeps creeping back.
I don't think there's a lot of substance to it, though. I think Shane is more spoiled with attention and not needing to share than anything (the perks of being the only child, I suppose). I've seen him interact very nicely with younger and older kids.
Yesterday, Yordy and Kirby visited Nana and Pop to celebrate Kirby's birthday. Shane asks about the boys whenever Nana takes him to watch the school bus at the bus stop. He remembers them.
When Yordy and Kirby first hopped out of the car, Shane began to go into tantrum mode. I told him to "be nice! Nice boys are happy and friendly!"
Thankfully, he recovered.
It was an absolute blast to watch all of the boys play with Pop-Pop on the trampoline. Shane charged around saying "I gonna get choo!" Kirby and Yordy laughed and stayed just out of reach or turned the tables and started chasing Shane!
There were some pics on Nana's camera, but here's what my crappy phone captured:
Shane's in the dark blue shirt. He's dive-bombing Pop in the second photo!
I was an outside observer through the festivities. The trampoline's weight capacity was already close to maxed so I just sat and guarded the entrance. Indy kept me busy by begging me to throw her nasty tennis ball!
If only Shane didn't say "Daddy go away?" it would've been perfect! Somewhere along the way I picked up the rep as the "Taking Care of Business" parent. I'm sure he was partly afraid I was going to make him leave party-land before he wanted! One day the toot will be old enough to realize I revel in watching him cackling, hyper, and enjoying himself.
The IEP for Shane is set for next week on Friday. I don't think they're going to find him on the spectrum, and I'll be relieved to hear that confirmed. Even if they do say Shane has some form of autism, I think he'd be super high functioning and it'd be more something I'd define as "quirky."
Quirky just means you're more interesting, because you're not cut out of the normal mold.
You know, like Shane's old man!
Babysitter
It's taken two and a half years, but someone has passed the Carrie-Test.
We've found a babysitter.
Meghan is a 17-year old in our neighborhood. Carrie invited her over for a trial run last Sunday. My wife and Megan talked while Shane played with them (I went out to mow).
Carrie wants Shane to get more used to Meghan before she is willing to leave him with her. My wife just called to let me know she's scheduled another 'mother's helper' visit for tonight! I've got to scramble and get cash so I can pay up!
I'm glad my wife called to warn me. Shane and I are planning on going to a 'FitFest' after he wakes up from his nap. There's going to be a moonbounce! We can hit up Harris Teeter on the way back and buy something small so I can grab some cash from the credit card. I'm bad about carrying lots of change and plastic, but not much greenery.
Speaking of greenery: It looks like I'll be mowing again tonight!
We've found a babysitter.
Meghan is a 17-year old in our neighborhood. Carrie invited her over for a trial run last Sunday. My wife and Megan talked while Shane played with them (I went out to mow).
Carrie wants Shane to get more used to Meghan before she is willing to leave him with her. My wife just called to let me know she's scheduled another 'mother's helper' visit for tonight! I've got to scramble and get cash so I can pay up!
I'm glad my wife called to warn me. Shane and I are planning on going to a 'FitFest' after he wakes up from his nap. There's going to be a moonbounce! We can hit up Harris Teeter on the way back and buy something small so I can grab some cash from the credit card. I'm bad about carrying lots of change and plastic, but not much greenery.
Speaking of greenery: It looks like I'll be mowing again tonight!
Friday, May 10, 2013
Erratta
Tonight was more of an "Catch up on some random Mike stuff" rather than a "tell a fun story" sort of night.
Shane and I did have a great time at Nana and Pop's that I need to write about, but that will have to wait for tomorrow. I didn't feel like I had the focus required to write a good Shane post.
Shane and I did have a great time at Nana and Pop's that I need to write about, but that will have to wait for tomorrow. I didn't feel like I had the focus required to write a good Shane post.
Tutoring
Did I mention I'm tutoring again?
My tutor family asked me to help their boy get through the 4th quarter. I really like the kid and the family, so I would've done it for free.They insist on paying me and it's good gas money, so who am I to argue?
The kid has basically pulled himself together since I've shown up. He likes me, but he doesn't want to need a tutor. I told him that there were no hard feelings if he wanted to get rid of me. I told him to "get his act together, pull his grades up, and prove he didn't need me."
He's taken the motivation and seems to be running with it!
I'll probably only need to show up a couple of more times this year. It's a little bittersweet I want to see him succeed, but I'll miss the side income and the making a difference when he doesn't need me anymore!
I will also miss the connection to this family. I taught the daughter's math class my first year at my school. I made an impression then without knowing it! Both of the boys were on the same team as me in 7th grade, and I've bumped into the mom at school on parent nights and the like. Outside of school, the mom and daughter watched Shane when Carrie and I had the home inspection of our house that was not to be.
Moving forward, I'm not sure how much longer I'll have this job, but I'm glad I had the chance to do it.
My tutor family asked me to help their boy get through the 4th quarter. I really like the kid and the family, so I would've done it for free.They insist on paying me and it's good gas money, so who am I to argue?
The kid has basically pulled himself together since I've shown up. He likes me, but he doesn't want to need a tutor. I told him that there were no hard feelings if he wanted to get rid of me. I told him to "get his act together, pull his grades up, and prove he didn't need me."
He's taken the motivation and seems to be running with it!
I'll probably only need to show up a couple of more times this year. It's a little bittersweet I want to see him succeed, but I'll miss the side income and the making a difference when he doesn't need me anymore!
I will also miss the connection to this family. I taught the daughter's math class my first year at my school. I made an impression then without knowing it! Both of the boys were on the same team as me in 7th grade, and I've bumped into the mom at school on parent nights and the like. Outside of school, the mom and daughter watched Shane when Carrie and I had the home inspection of our house that was not to be.
Moving forward, I'm not sure how much longer I'll have this job, but I'm glad I had the chance to do it.
Homebound
Being a Homebound teacher was interesting. I think I'll do it again if I ever have the time.
Monday, I got to see my student punch a wall. He told his mom he wouldn't work, so she cancelled the session. I drove by to pick up some work, so that it wouldn't be a total wash. The student left the house when I did and asked if I could drive him to Burger King.
Can you guess what I didn't do?
The rest of the week went smoother and I was expecting to be done today. There was a meeting scheduled this morning to place the student somewhere in the county.
Something happened.
I was told the student's mom got angry and hung up the phone before the meeting could really get underway. When they tried calling back, she would not pick up. I wasn't there so I don't really know.
My department chair told me that there would not be another meeting scheduled for TWO WEEKS! Yikes!
I had to email the Homebound Office to tell them I could not continue.
Carrie starts her new job Monday, and it's going to be my job to pick him up from daycare on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Plus, my SOLs are around the corner. I have had students asking me to stay after for help for the past three weeks. I've had to tell them "I'm sorry, but I can't" many times only to have my Homebound lesson cancelled. It feels wrong to deny help to multiple kids who want it to chase after one kid who makes it very clear he does not.
Anyway, no one wrote me back, so I don't know where I stand yet. I probably won't find out more until Monday. I really hope my student finds his way into a school/program of some sorts as soon as possible. I don't think any progress or good will come from him being left on his own to run wild for another two weeks.
Hungry Mother
Carrie is out of town for the weekend. She's on her last big hurrah with State Parks. She and Gaston are running an AmeriCorps training at Hungry Mother State Park (if I'm not mistaken).
For the duration of Mommy's absence, Shane will get plenty of Daddy time!
For the duration of Mommy's absence, Shane will get plenty of Daddy time!
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Oh Dawn (and Oh Irony)
I realized an error in parenting too late.
Whenever Shane used to do his pre-dawn wake-ups, I would go into his room, point at the closed blinds and say "It's dark. Go to sleep."
Guess what? Shane's been waking up around 5:30 lately.
It's light outside.
Shane has 'blackout' blinds, but you can see a small halo along the edges.
Boo, sunlight!
Whenever Shane used to do his pre-dawn wake-ups, I would go into his room, point at the closed blinds and say "It's dark. Go to sleep."
Guess what? Shane's been waking up around 5:30 lately.
It's light outside.
Shane has 'blackout' blinds, but you can see a small halo along the edges.
Boo, sunlight!
Interjection!
::BLACK SCREEN, voice over starts to sound::
Today's broadcast of Mike's Blog, is being temporarily interrupted, to give you.....
Carrie's Memories!
::camera fades in, Carrie is standing in the living room of an old manor house, leaning against the fireplace::
"Thank you, you're so kind... I'm so glad to be here tonight! You know.. it's not often when I take over my husband's blog. In fact, I think it's been over a year since I've done so. But when I do, I always try to make my segments funny, memorable and sometimes (though inadvertently) informative!"
::Sits in posh high back arm chair, making herself comfortable while she holds a book in her hands. A cat decides to jump up in Carrie's lap, making herself at home and she snuggles up::
"I have been at my current job for going on four years now. It's been a noteworthy and eventful four years to say the least. But I find myself now starting a new chapter in my professional journey, which means that I must move on. Now that the reality is settling in, I can't help but think back on some of the moments that made my time with Virginia State Parks so memorable."
::Carrie opens the book and thumbs to a specific page. Once she's found her spot, her hand rests on the cat's head giving her an affectionate rub. The cat responds in kind with the sound of approving purrs::
"June, 2010. This time of year was nearing the end of my first preparation for the start of the Youth Conservation Corps. I was given the arduous task of reviewing all the old documents, changing forms, elaborating, changing and creating policies. All very daunting work that required a keen eye and more than my fair share of patience.
"Things seemed to have been going well. I was learning all the ins and outs of the administrative piece of the program. We were a week out from the start of the Supervisor Training that was going to be held at Bear Creek Lake State Park. This meant we were making sure everything that needed to be packed and ready to go was checked and accounted for. The last piece of the equipment boxes that we packed and organized was a simple sheet of card stock paper. The card stock had an equipment check off list on it, for supervisors to check to make sure they received everything they needed, as well as make an inventory of anything extra they may have.
"This piece of card stock had been reproduced in the hundreds... it was the same list that had been used for at least the past 5 years, sitting in a box that had been in the YCC storage shed. Only seeing the light of day once a year when it was time to prepare the boxes.
"I knew what needed to be packed. I knew what the Supervisors needed. Heck, I WAS a Supervisor for more than three programs. This was second nature for me. I had this very same sheet in MY boxes three times already. What could possibly be wrong with it?
::Carrie smiles and looks at a picture on the fireplace mantle. It's an old picture of herself posing with her first crew at Sky Meadows State Park. She gives a slight chuckle and then looks back into the camera::
"I'm honestly not sure, to this day, what propelled me to review this sheet. But I started reading it thoroughly. Just before I was about to put the first sheet into the first box, lined up and waiting, a typo caught my eye. Now normally I wouldn't care too much if it was missing a period here, or an apostrophe there... but all the punctuation was correct. The error I found was a simple misspelling of one word. Not the end of the world, right?
::Carrie closes the book and places it on the nearby end table. Keeping the cat close she gently stands up, holding the cat in the crook of her arm, then transplanting her back on the chair seat. Carrie then walks over to the mantle and turns to face the camera, smirking::
"List of items to be packed:
Eye Protection
Ear Protection
Gloves
First Aid Kits
Crewmember Journal
Crewmember Manual
Water Bottles
Head Bands
Hats
Back Packs
Forms Binder
Health Forms Binder
Crewmember Shirts "
::Carrie's smirk turned into a full grin and the camera pulls in on her face...::
"The word 'shirts'.....was missing the 'r'. And that, my dears... is the rest of the story..."
::FADE OUT::
Today's broadcast of Mike's Blog, is being temporarily interrupted, to give you.....
Carrie's Memories!
::camera fades in, Carrie is standing in the living room of an old manor house, leaning against the fireplace::
"Thank you, you're so kind... I'm so glad to be here tonight! You know.. it's not often when I take over my husband's blog. In fact, I think it's been over a year since I've done so. But when I do, I always try to make my segments funny, memorable and sometimes (though inadvertently) informative!"
::Sits in posh high back arm chair, making herself comfortable while she holds a book in her hands. A cat decides to jump up in Carrie's lap, making herself at home and she snuggles up::
"I have been at my current job for going on four years now. It's been a noteworthy and eventful four years to say the least. But I find myself now starting a new chapter in my professional journey, which means that I must move on. Now that the reality is settling in, I can't help but think back on some of the moments that made my time with Virginia State Parks so memorable."
::Carrie opens the book and thumbs to a specific page. Once she's found her spot, her hand rests on the cat's head giving her an affectionate rub. The cat responds in kind with the sound of approving purrs::
"June, 2010. This time of year was nearing the end of my first preparation for the start of the Youth Conservation Corps. I was given the arduous task of reviewing all the old documents, changing forms, elaborating, changing and creating policies. All very daunting work that required a keen eye and more than my fair share of patience.
"Things seemed to have been going well. I was learning all the ins and outs of the administrative piece of the program. We were a week out from the start of the Supervisor Training that was going to be held at Bear Creek Lake State Park. This meant we were making sure everything that needed to be packed and ready to go was checked and accounted for. The last piece of the equipment boxes that we packed and organized was a simple sheet of card stock paper. The card stock had an equipment check off list on it, for supervisors to check to make sure they received everything they needed, as well as make an inventory of anything extra they may have.
"This piece of card stock had been reproduced in the hundreds... it was the same list that had been used for at least the past 5 years, sitting in a box that had been in the YCC storage shed. Only seeing the light of day once a year when it was time to prepare the boxes.
"I knew what needed to be packed. I knew what the Supervisors needed. Heck, I WAS a Supervisor for more than three programs. This was second nature for me. I had this very same sheet in MY boxes three times already. What could possibly be wrong with it?
::Carrie smiles and looks at a picture on the fireplace mantle. It's an old picture of herself posing with her first crew at Sky Meadows State Park. She gives a slight chuckle and then looks back into the camera::
"I'm honestly not sure, to this day, what propelled me to review this sheet. But I started reading it thoroughly. Just before I was about to put the first sheet into the first box, lined up and waiting, a typo caught my eye. Now normally I wouldn't care too much if it was missing a period here, or an apostrophe there... but all the punctuation was correct. The error I found was a simple misspelling of one word. Not the end of the world, right?
::Carrie closes the book and places it on the nearby end table. Keeping the cat close she gently stands up, holding the cat in the crook of her arm, then transplanting her back on the chair seat. Carrie then walks over to the mantle and turns to face the camera, smirking::
"List of items to be packed:
Eye Protection
Ear Protection
Gloves
First Aid Kits
Crewmember Journal
Crewmember Manual
Water Bottles
Head Bands
Hats
Back Packs
Forms Binder
Health Forms Binder
Crewmember Shirts "
::Carrie's smirk turned into a full grin and the camera pulls in on her face...::
"The word 'shirts'.....was missing the 'r'. And that, my dears... is the rest of the story..."
::FADE OUT::
Monday, May 6, 2013
She Doesn't Min-imize the Strange
What a weird cat.
Min has always loved shoving her head in boots, socks, shoes, and anything that smells bad, but I think hugging and rubbing her face all over Dan's used underwear is a new one! Ha ha!
She looks cute, but with what you now now would you pet her?
Life Lessons
This week, I'm teaching my students about Gregor Mendel, and how heredity works. I love teaching genetics.
To make the lab more real (and because I like showing family pictures) I projected this picture on my board.
"What color is my wife's hair?" I asked.
"Dark." (Several girls also said "She's so pretty!")
"What color is my beard?"
"Red."
"Right! The opposite of dark. What color is my son's hair?"
"Dark."
"My son has one gene from his mommy, and one gene from me. He looks like my wife, though, because her gene is dominant."
There were more than a few puzzled looks, so I continued.
"Dark hair is dominant. Light hair is recessive. My son is a hybird; he has one dark hair and one light hair gene, but what color hair do you see?"
"Dark."
"That's because it's dominant!"
My wife, son, and I are perfect examples of this. I went through our eye colors next. Carrie and Shane are brownies, and mine are a "Blue!" "No! Green!" according to my class.
Then something memorable happened.
One of the girls in the front of my class, looked up at me and asked "Does your son have your ADHD?"
I was totally surprised and cracking up on the inside.
"Yeah, he's probably doomed!"
To make the lab more real (and because I like showing family pictures) I projected this picture on my board.
+(1).JPG) |
| From Sensory Play |
"Dark." (Several girls also said "She's so pretty!")
"What color is my beard?"
"Red."
"Right! The opposite of dark. What color is my son's hair?"
"Dark."
"My son has one gene from his mommy, and one gene from me. He looks like my wife, though, because her gene is dominant."
There were more than a few puzzled looks, so I continued.
"Dark hair is dominant. Light hair is recessive. My son is a hybird; he has one dark hair and one light hair gene, but what color hair do you see?"
"Dark."
"That's because it's dominant!"
My wife, son, and I are perfect examples of this. I went through our eye colors next. Carrie and Shane are brownies, and mine are a "Blue!" "No! Green!" according to my class.
Then something memorable happened.
One of the girls in the front of my class, looked up at me and asked "Does your son have your ADHD?"
I was totally surprised and cracking up on the inside.
"Yeah, he's probably doomed!"
Saturday, May 4, 2013
Use Difficult in a Sentence
It is difficult to use tweezers to remove a tiny tick from the where the fatty chin meets the neck on a tired and thrashing two-year old who is screaming bloody murder and doesn't understand you're trying to help.
You an interchange "difficult" with "frustrating" in that sentence. I had to wrap Shane's arms in a blanket and attempt some wrestling/jiu-jitsu wrangling.
The tick is dead and flushed.
The toddler went down for his nap.
The father kicked up his feet, wrote a quick blog, and rejoiced.
Hooray for tick-free naps!
Friday, May 3, 2013
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
At the Park
Carrie, Shane, and I went down to the park as a family unit last Saturday. Carrie wanted Gaston to see how much Shane had grown! When Carrie and Gaston went to work, Shane and I went out to play. That's what parks are for right?
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