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On Sunday Dec 14 it began to snow:
She liked it!(This Hannah's first time handling snow)
It has since snowed some more!
Gabriel and His cousin got to sled. Unfortunately Hannah
had a cold and had to watch inside with mean mommy who wouldn't let her go out.
--Mom
"Hey! We're supposed to be Garden Gnomes! See any gardens?"
"Yeah, we we're up to our eyeballs in snow until that kid rescued us."
"Weird. Remember when we were born in the Old Country? That 'just north of California' line really sold us on the climate. What happened?"
"Don't know. But look around - the snow is everywhere!"
"Mmmmph."
"What'd you say?"
"Mmmmph."
"Oh, great, another couple of inches. I hope that little boy and his sister come out to rescue us again - ssssooooooon!"
-- The Garden Gnomes
Last Thursday, Gabriel had an interesting day.
To begin with, I had had an ardorous night without a great deal of sleep. Robert came and gave me time in my bed around four in the morning. I couldn't rouse myself from the layers of sleep, but I did hear Robert loudly remind Gabriel that he only had three minutes to get to the bus stop. I later asked what happened and was told that Robert asked Gabriel to put on his shoes. When Gabriel went to his room to do this, he came out completely naked with shoes on and crying that he had forgotten what he had gone in his room for.
Nevertheless, when I woke up from father-in-law's ring of the doorbell, the house was quiet. I had asked my father in-law to come and watch Hannah while I went to a four-year-overdue dental appointment. I was running late and started getting ready because surprisingly Hannah was still asleep.
When I was ready to go and had only twenty minutes to get there, the phone rang. It was Gabriel's school; he needed a new shirt. Could I bring a clean one by. Of course, the school was the opposite way. I grabbed a clean shirt, reviewed some of Hannah care with my father-in-law, then ran out the door.
I made it to the office and waited patiently as the women finished their conversation, then was directed to the nurses office. Gabriel looked at me timidly. "Hi Mom."
"Hey Gabriel" I lifted the clean shirt to his eye level. "Let's get you changed." I pulled his old one off and pulled the new one over him. I got down to his level and hugged him. "Mom, this is the nurses office; this is the first time I've been here." I smiled stood and hugged him again and said "That's impressive since you are a (Our family's last name)" I escorted him back to his room and left quickly.
Later, when Gabriel came home, he was dragging, walking to the front door. "Did Mrs. H send you the email?"
I felt my eyebrows rise as I opened the door for him. "An email, huh? I haven't checked online yet today." I had a schedule to keep. We were meeting my father, who normally lives in Florida, at the airport. We had to get Gabriel's homework for the week finished. I needed Hannah to go down for a nap and make sure her bag was ready for the two hour, rush hour freeway trip.
"Why don't you tell me what the email is about."
"I got in trouble for giggling."
This sounded incomplete. The conversation got pretty vague after this. But the gist of what I got was he and other kids were putting their hands in the stream of light from the overhead projector. I was sure I'd get a better picture from the email, but we had his homework and spelling words to go over before we left. I figured Robert would help me decode the event later.
I eventually got everyone in the car. We picked up Robert. He spent the trip interrogating Gabriel once he found out the Gabriel had been sent to the principal's office. Gabriel was looking at a grounding. We finally let the subject change.
Once we got to the airport, Gabriel said, "I can't find my shoes."
I wanted to bang my head on the wheel. I had told him to get in the car. I had praised him for getting his seat belt on by himself. I thought we had gotten past me checking if he had shoes.
He hadn't brought them.
It's not easy to find shoes for a seven year old in an airport - even with a Nike store there. We ended up with blue slipper-socks; that's what got us by and beyond this rather awkward day.
--Mom.
This is Hannah in the Rifton Pacer. Currently we use it as a stander since she never seems to want to take a step in it. We can coax her sometimes. She has her back brace on, and she usually has on feet braces. They cracked three weeks ago, so we are waiting on reordered ones. I prefer to put her in bare feet while we don't have them so I can see what she is doing with her weight. Sometimes I loosely tie a scarf in a figure eight around her ankles to keep her from spreading her legs too far apart.
The reason her head is up is that she is watching Sesame Street. It works as a great timeline for me because it is an hour long show. It is great show for her because she loves it and doesn't complain because I only let her watch it if she is working.
The past two weeks instead of collapsing in my arms when I take her out of it, she has let me walk her to the family room. The way I do this is to stand her in front of me while I hold her below the arms. While I step, I help her move her legs with mine. When she stops bearing weight, I encourage her to rest a moment or guide her to the ground to save my back.
It is a day-to-day battle. But I am seeing progress.
--Mom
Two Saturdays ago I opened a letter that I found disappointing. It was from my General Practicianer. The last line said "I fear you have diabetes."
I growled in frustration. I was disappointed in myself. When I was pregnate I had gestational diabetes with both children. As soon as the pregnancies ended I was fine again. I promised myself that I would keep eating right to avoid getting it permanently. I would develop an exercise routine. Well in the past four years it hasn't happened.
Between the exhaustion of keeping Hannah alive, Gabriel well centred, the dishes and the laundry done. I failed to implement these things. I depended on Coke- A Cola to keep me up and chocolate to keep me happy. The universe is slapping me in the face and telling me to get my act together. I'm listening but I still rather have a soda and a nap day to day.
There is a light at the end of the tunnel. If I loose twenty-five pounds it may go away because in my family it is a weight thing.
My diet really hasn't been that bad just the coke a-cola and the lack of cardio exercise is the real problem. So when I get Hannah in the stander I'm not doing chores anymore I'm on the life cycle now doing a work out. I've managed it three times this week so far.
Nothing like a scary you can die from this, or worse go blind from this to put me on the straight and narrow.
Mom
P.s. I want a candybar and a Soda.
Reading the papers and watching the news runs its risks. The job losses, foreclosures, and financial trends are staggering. So far, we've kept our jobs, health insurance, and like things, but even I, ever budget-resistant, am pulling back here and there. Granted, I did go a little crazy at our synagague's Hannukah Faire today, but the splurges are more limited. We're looking at ditching our last credit card. We're staying in more & playing games rather than go to the mall (not a bad thing altogether). Things are changing on the home front some.
My bigger concern is next school year: when Hannah started kindergarten. I've heard all the excuses parents have encountered for not fully supporting children with disabilities with special education services, and I'm wondering how bad things will be financially when Hannah makes her way to public school.
Kind of random thoughts tonight, but trying to get back on the writing wagon....
Hope our readers are doing well on holding things together until the financial world totters back on to its axis.
-- Dad
I am the human clock. During the week, my alarm clock bleeps at 6:15 am. If I'm really good, I get up at first bleep; if not, I snooze-bleep-snooze.
Shortly thereafter, I'm routing Gabriel from bed. "It's time to wake up. Quickly! Let's go. Gotta shower & get ready for school!"
In parallel, albiet slightly later, Janette or one of our nurses is repeating the process with Hannah across the hall. "C'mon, Hannah. Got school today. Singing class - yeah! C'mon. No, let's wake up."
Throughout the day, Janette and I continue to play the clocks. For Gabriel, that's enough game time, you need to wait five minutes, it's bed time. For Hannah, hold it together for another few minutes, you've been on the potty for twenty minutes, Hannah, and it's bed time (no, really, it's bed time).
The one clock I'm really bad at running is my own. My work self has been very busy, turning in almost all projects on time thanks to a great teammate & lots of homework. My personal self, though, really stinks at the time thing: no time to blog, a little time to relax, and not enough time with the family.
My little apology for not writing more. Will try to improve right after I get this project done... and then this one 
.
-- Dad
