Chic-fil-A?

My neighbor Melanie invited me to Chic-fil-a after preschool today. That was before I dropped off the big kids carpool, took Isabelle to pre-school, took Owen to the Dr.s for a "I think he has strep" but doesn't office visit, back to the house to get Owen's backpack because he wasn't contagious, a stop by Sonic to get him to go to school, sat as he ate lunch at school, a chat with his teacher, a visit with Ansley's teacher and to tell Ansley that Owen was at school, a call from my loving husband to come eat lunch him at Heavely ham and off to the car line at pres-school again.
As I sat in Chic-fil-a, all I could think was wow, I am glad that we are so over this stage. There were all these cute little Mommies with their infants and toddlers. I kept getting flashbacks of those hard times. Kept getting flashbacks of why I stopped going to public places like that. It made me a little sad. Sad because I stopped doing things like that b/c it got too hard. Sad because I wonder how many things I have done to protect one child but never let the other experience.

Clarification

Okay. I need to clarify a few things. The first, I have always loved my son. But, it has been very difficult. Especially when he was younger. I was trying to figure him out, trying to figure out what I was doing wrong. Trying, trying, trying. When at the same time he was trying to tell me something too but didn't know how to. SO, I think we are even. :)

Secondly, the sensory processing disorder. It is not exactly a diagnosis. It can't be--it is not in the big DSM book. Owen has symptoms of this, especially the vestibular sense. As far as getting help for him at school, there is not much more that can be done unless he is diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. Those tests are coming next week. But, it is a start and has helped me understand all the frustrations I have been feeling for nearly 6 years. Ultimately, it has given me peace of mind and a way to let go of a lot of guilt.

And, there is treatment. Therapy usually helps a ton with this disorder. I am optimistic. It is going to take a lot of time, commitment, and money.

My parents came for the weekend to babysit for us. Our friends eloped and had a reception in Greenville on Sat. When we got back, my Mom told me Owen missed me. I have hardly ever heard that before. Now, I don' t get away very often, but when I do, I don't get or hear the greeting I long to here. But yesterday was different. It was probably the first time that I felt really connected to Owen. I think he knows that I am starting to understand him. And, that feels good.

It's official

It's official. After seeing a specialized OT, Owen indeed has sensory integration disorder/sensory processing disorder. I am not sure that the label is worth $500.00 but...
One of the therapies that this OT uses is brushing. It is kind of odd at first, but I am a believer that it works after our first try at home. Lots of commotion at our house and I could not get Owen to settle down to do his homework. So, I decide to try the brushing. All the kids wanted a try. So, i indulged them a bit, obvioulsy paying Owen way more attention. After the brushing, he settled down a bit and we were able to get though almost all his work with no problems. I mean, NO PROBLEMS. Was it a fluke? Not sure. Stay tuned to find out.

I have recently come to the conclusion that I love Owen. I mean really love him. I would explain Owen like this. He is an acquired taste. At first you don't know what to do, don't know how to handle it. YOu want to like/love it but can't almost. So you wait. Years. And wait. And then somebody guides you in the right direction. You put it all together and then...then you are able to love completely. Because you understand. And you know that it wasn't your fault. And love prevails.

Report Card time!

Congratulations go out to Ansley for making the ALL A HONOR ROLL again!! It was close. She had a high B in Reading but managed to pull it up after a good week of tests!
Congratulations go out to Owen for making some good progress this nine weeks! He improved in all areas. Way to go Idaho!

How long does it take to make a scarf?

Hmm...that depends on who you are. If you are me, then one year, almost to the date.

Pretty sad, huh.

I consider myself a pretty crafty person. However, I will be the first one to admit that I like to dabble in lots of things, but don't consider myself "good" at anything. Sounds like I may need to take a class or two. Or, just consult my very crafty sister in law Carrie. I know she will probably chastise me for saying this, but I often wonder if there is anything she can't do? I am not saying I am jealous--well maybe a teeny bit, but I am not sure that she knows how much I admire her. She follows her Coast Guard husband around the country, raises three kids, goes to nursing school full time, works part time and then goes back to school again. She cooks, cleans, and crafts, all while maintaining a pleasant personality. And I never hear her complain.
So, I am posting this in honor of her. Because, she is the one that taught me, for over a year, how to knit. Are you proud? My first completed scarf!

The Tooth Fairy came to our house!

Well, Owen finally lost a tooth, with a little help. The last time the kids were at the dentist (in November), the dentist warned us that Owen had permanent teeth that were about to abrupt in back of the baby teeth that had not fallen out yet. Literally, the next week while helping Owen brush his teeth, I saw that one of the permanent teeth pushed its way through. A quick call to the dentist and we were literally getting the pliers out trying to loosen his tooth. It was that or let the dentist pull it. I was a little scared. If you know Owen at all, you just have no idea how he might act to things like this. Astonishing enough, he loved the fact that Daddy was using the pliers. He looked forward to it everyday. And, he even got mad at me when I refused to do it when Daddy wasn't home. ( I was afraid I would loose my grip and end up putting a whole in his mouth!) Monday night we worked on the tooth but It was attached by one little root. Tuesday morning Owen made me brush his teeth because he did not like the way his tooth was feeling. Then off he went in the carpool. The about 15 minute after the kids left I got a call from very pregnant neighbor's cell phone who was driving them to school. I picked up the phone and all I could hear was kids yelling! I panicked and so did Greg (who was home doing work). I thought the worst. I though that Kelly had either had a car accident or she had gone into labor. But, alas, it was her giving the phone to Owen to tell me that he twisted his tooth and it came out. He was so proud! And, I was so relieved. Who would have thought that Owen screaming into the phone telling me he lost a tooth could bring me such pure joy. Whoa! When did I turn into my pessimistic mother (Sorry Mom!) After all the excitement he even forgot to put it under his pillow. But boy did he remember the next night. And you know what? He got eleven whole dollars. And you know what I got? Probably eleven years shaved off my life. LOL

Do I get a cookie for this?

I finally started a blog! Wow! I'm not even sure I have time for this, but I am going to give it a whirl. There are so many things that happen each day, good and bad, that it would be a shame to let it go. So, here I am.