A few updates

Sorry, folks, no pictures this time. Just thought I would let you know how things are going.

I went down to the public schools AGAIN yesterday to sign a release for them to observe Mairead because even though I signed one ten days ago, turns out that was not the 'right' one, so I had to go down there again. They are not making this easy on me, that is for sure.

They arranged to observe her on Tuesday the 23 (it was originall scheduled for the 16th but they didn't make it happen). The advocate is trying to get them to meet with us on Dec 1 or 2 to discuss the observation. She is as frustrated as I am about this whole mess. I rejected her IEP on JUNE 30. JUNE!!!!! And nothing has happened since.

In the midst of all of this, Mairead is awesome. She is getting much better at answering yes or no questions and about being able to recall what she did earlier in the day. Ashley, the OT we have hired for private sessions, is making a lot of headway with Mairead in helping her learn self care skills like dressing and undressing. She is initiating more sentences and more novel phrases. Her pretend play is great and she is a very happy kid. I do try to remember that all things considered, she is really amazing in where she stands right now. I mean, she could have died, or had CP, or been profoundly disabled, etc, but instead she is singing Christmas carols with me every night. She knows almost all of the words to The Twelve Days of Christmas (as performed by John Denver and the Muppets, of course).

Yesterday, we had a playdate with our friend Connor and his mom, Cheryl. We went to a sports complex type place that had one of those huge white domes that looks almost inflatable. We pulled up and Mairead said, "Look Mommy. It's a igloo." So cute!

She is obsessed with Christmas. I fully support this as I love Christmas! We listen to Christmas carols and read Christmas books. We will have lots of fun holiday activities to enjoy- Last year we took her to Zoo Lights at the Stone Zoo and she liked it a lot- we will probably take her again this year (but probably not the boys). We drive around and look at Christmas lights, bundle up and take after dinner walks through the neighborhood once everyone has their decorations up. We will go see Santa at some point and we have some holiday parties/events to go to. That's all I can think of right now. When Mairead is ready, we will take her/them to the Nutcracker, but definitely not yet.

Right now, she gets excited when we go to Target. She says, "Go to Target, Mommy? See Christmas?" We walk through the Christmas aisles to see the trees, lights, etc, so she MAY think that Target is where Christmas happens... need to do something about that...


The boys' toddlerhood is very different than Mairead's was, and they are SO fun right now. I feel guilty saying that and it's not as if I did not enjoy Mairead, but the boys are blowing me away with their language, what they understand, etc. They are little tornadoes of destruction, but they are SO cute and so funny. I love this age!

My dad does a lot of projects around the house, so whenever he gets home from work, Jack says, "Grampy. Fix it. Fix it!"

When I tell Ben, "I love you," he leans over and says, "MMmmwah" to give me a kiss.

The other day I said to Jack, "Come here, little man." So now he runs up to me and says, "I little man." Of course, when I try to get it on video, both of them run right up to the camera yelling, Cheese!!!

They love elephants and when they see one, they yell, "Eh fant! Eh-fant" and try to make elephant noises.

They are obsessed with hugging the cat and run around yelling, "Molly! Molly" until they find her.

If they see a paw print of any kind, they say, "A clue! A clue!"

Jack loves phones. He has full on conversations with imaginary people on the other end. Usually, they are getting yelled at for something or another.

Ben is so good about saying 'thank you.' He says it whenever you give him something or do something for him. He says it all long and drawn out so it is even cuter.

There are just so many cute moments every day- I am so blessed! thanks for letting me brag a bit about my kiddos!

And- a story/PSA--
The other day, I was in the kitchen when I heard a huge crash. A guy had slammed his SUV into the neighbor's SUV (a Sherrif's truck), which then hit the car parked in front of that.

The guy had two kids in the car (maybe 4 and 6)... thankfully, they were in carseats and seemed ok. He seemed to be ok but was in bad shape- shaking, crying, back and neck pain, etc. He was SO upset about his kids being ok, the considerable damage to his car and to the other cars... I feel bad for him. I guess he turned around for a second to give something to one of the kids, and just slammed into the parked SUV. Scary-- I called 911 to be sure they are ok. If you are counting, that is three times that I have called 911 in seven months. They are going to start thinking I am a lonely housewife who needs attention. I have to say- the responders have been awesome every time.

Anyway, it ust makes you think-- how many times have you turned around just for a second to check the kids, give the kids something, etc? Be safe, everyone!_______________