JT

This morning? I showed the picture below to Julia and said, "Who's this?"

She said, "It's Daddy!"

She's not the first person to think that he looks like Justin Timberlake. When we were at the Middleboro Christmas Parade, a woman on the side of the street watching the parade actually stopped Ryun to tell him he looked like Justin. Ryun's cousin also said the same thing. I guess I can sort of see the resemblance. Here are some more pictures for comparison:

What do you think?

My Mantra For The New Year

"I'm going to love myself
More than anyone else
Believe in me even if someone cannot see
There's a stronger woman in me
I'm going to be my own best friend
Stay with me till the end
Won't lose myself again, never, no
'Cause there's a stronger woman
A stronger woman
There's a stronger woman,
A stronger woman in me."

Lyrics by Jewel.

I love this song, and, even though the rest of the verses don't apply, the chorus really does.

Nothing Says Christmas To Me Like...

...Karen Carpenter.

...snow!

...homemade gifts from the girls.

...handmade ornaments on the tree.

...sugar cookies!

Motivation

I am desperately trying to find the motivations somewhere...anywhere...to wrap presents. I managed to get a few smaller items that were "gift bagable" done but, that only made a very small dent in the amount I have left to do. I am going to try and get some done today, despite my lack of wanting to. I really would like, for once, not to be rushed to finish on December 23rd. We'll see if my wish translates to "real life."

Other than that, I have a very busy week ahead. Today is the only day in which I have no place to be while Julia is at school. I have a meeting with the principal of the elementary school tomorrow to discuss PTA stuff. On Wednesday, I will actually be at school with Julia helping to construct her gingerbread house. Thursday I have an appointment at 1 and am hoping to food shop afterward, before needing to be back for Julia to get off the bus. It looks like, with an exception of today, whatever wrapping I do manage to get done will be done at night, as I obviously can't wrap in the mornings while Julia is here (not because she wouldn't let me but because she can't see half of the stuff I am wrapping).

So, as if I haven't been neglecting this blog enough of late, I am not expecting t the next week to be any different.

True love is...

...chasing your husband down the highway, finally getting him to pull over, then standing on the side of the highway in your Santa Claus Christmas pajamas, hair uncombed to hand off...his cell phones.

Yes, that really happened.

Emily got up a little earlier than normal today to finish up a homework assignment that she didn't want to do last night. When she went over to the counter to get her breakfast, she saw both Ryun's work and personal cell phones still plugged in to the charger. Ryun had left about five minutes before. She ran in to my room and told me. I, knowing that he stops at the Dunkin Donuts just about a mile up the road every morning, went from barely awake, to flying out the door and into the car, driving at high speeds to try and catch him before he left. I missed him by a second, and saw him pulling out of the parking lot as I was about to drive in. There was one car in front of us, so I flicked the high beams a couple of times in hopes that he might notice me. He didn't and proceeded to get on to 495 North. I was directly behind him at this point, and was flashing my high beams at him like crazy. He made no indication that he saw me at all, so I switched in to the left lane, gunned it so I could get my car level with his, rolled the window down, held the cell phone up and screamed on the top of my lungs, "RYUN PULL OVER." He says he didn't hear me but happened to glance over and saw that it was me. I moved over in front of him, and we both pulled into the breakdown lane.

So, if you were driving between exits 3 and 4 this morning and thought you saw some crazy lady in Santa Claus pajamas and untamed red(ish) hair on the side of the road? No, you weren't hallucinating.

The lengths I'll go to sometimes are indescribable, but as Ryun put it, "Hey, at least you'll have something to blog about today."

Just Because

Your Thinking is Abstract and Random

You are flexible, adaptable, and creative. There's many ways that you can learn - and you're up for any of them. You relate well to other people, and you do well working in groups. You can help people communicate together and work with each other's strengths. You don't work well with people who are competitive or adversarial. You prefer to work toward a common goal... not toward conflicting goals.

What Kind of Thinker Are You?

You Are Checkers

You are very logical and rational. You are able to understand what is and isn't a factor. You're able to compartmentalize and focus on the essentials. You appreciate simplicity. You can see the layers of complexity and beauty in anything. You are also playful and good natured. You don't take life too seriously!

What Board Game Are You?

You Would Be Voted Most Shy

You're not exactly known for being a social butterfly. At school, you were content to be an observer. And while you are shy, going to school simply made you shyer. Your friends don't probably think of you as shy. You're happy to talk around the right people!

What Superlative Are You?

Julia's Appointment Etc.

It occurred to me that I never updated with the details of Julia's appointment with the developmental pediatrician. It was basically all that I thought it would be, with the exception of the doctor stopping short of making a formal diagnosis, due mainly to Julia's age and developmental history. The truth of the matter is? Julia has always been below or on the lower end of what would be considered normal developmentally, and the acquisition of her social skills might be the same. The doctor did have me fill out a rating scale to get sort of a feel of where she might be on the spectrum (we both lean toward Asperger's) but wanted to wait a little longer before recommending formal testing, due to these skills still being in the developing stage. We have an appointment scheduled in April to follow up and we'll go from there.

On a separate, but sort of related note, today was "parent observation" day at dance. It was the first time I have had the chance to watch because Julia was out sick the last time. She really seems to enjoy it and although it is apparent that she is having a little more difficulty with the coordination and balance part than the others, she is participating and seems to be enjoying herself. I wonder if this will all translate on stage at the end of the year when it comes to recital time. She definitely isn't interacting with the other kids much if at all, but, like the difficulty with the coordination and balance, I sort of expected this. All that really matters is that she is having fun, and that definitely seems to be true.

Weekend In Review

It was a busy one for sure! Thursday we spent Thanksgiving in Haverhill at Suzanne and Jack's house. It was fun and as usual, there was way too much food! I made my usual...potatoes and fudge. We got home around 9. The kids went right to bed, which I should have done too, seeing as I was meeting Kelly to shop at the crack o' dawn Friday. I didn't get to bed until after 11 and spent the 4 1/2 hours until the alarm went off tossing and turning. I still managed to drag my but out of bed and get to Kelly's on time, coffee in hand. We had a lot of success shopping, but more fun than that was the people watching. I was beyond shocked at the craziness of it all, and while I had been shopping on Black Friday before, I had never gotten to the stores that early. It was interesting, annoying and funny at the same time. Ryun handled the kids for the afternoon after I got back, and I managed to take a 4 hour nap. I still went to bed early (for me anyway) and woke up Saturday feeling mostly like myself, with an exception of a head cold that I still have.

Saturday was the Annual Middleboro Christmas Parade which both Emily and Katherine were in. It was a great parade and they really had fun. Julia enjoyed watching from the sidelines but did say it was "too loud" a couple of times. She made out well on the candy front, so much so that I gave a small handful away to Jay who brought the kids and watched the parade with us.

On Sunday, we decorated the house. Julia was absolutely mystified by the tree. She loved the whole process from the set up to the hanging of lights to the ornaments. It was fun to watch her. It really made me look forward to Christmas with her this year.

I took pictures.

Stringing up the lights...

The finished product.

Julia had a blast playing with the newspaper we had the ornaments wrapped in,.

She's been paying a little too much attention to her sisters, I think.

She really got in to the whole thing this year, including the silliness.

Julia started this by laying under the tress herself. I thought it would be a cute picture so Emily and Katherine joined in.

Three happy kids!

Katherine's Birthday Photos

As you can tell, the skateboard we got her was a big hit!

She is starting basketball in a couple of weeks so this was the perfect gift.

Cupcakes for breakfast...a time-honored tradition.

One of Mimi and Papa's presents was getting her ears pierced!

She did a great job...barely even flinched.

Goofballs.

Somehow...

...nine years have passed since Katherine was born.

I have no idea how, because it seems like it was just last week that I was peeling squash and potatoes at my mother's kitchen table, in preparation for a dinner I would not even get to eat. It seems like it was just last week when Thanksgiving Day came and gave me one of the greatest reasons ever to be thankful.

Somehow, nine years have indeed gone by...



...and she has gone from my baby...



...to my beautiful little girl.

Julia's Appointment

Symptoms/Examples

Below is the list of concerns I have for Julia, that I will be presenting to her developmental pediatrician tomorrow at her appointment. It's not in full sentences because I was writing just for my own information, so that I would not leave anything out. If I leave this appointment without even a slight mention of the possibility that she has Apserger's, severe sensory integration disorder, or some kind of social anxiety disorder, I will be shocked.

Symptoms: Social

Has difficulty socializing with others, does not know how to join other kids playing, does not seek out her peers, parallel plays, prefers to be by herself, interacts better with teacher/adults than peers, does not seem to understand how to play with others, lack of desire to interact with her peers.

Examples: Julia recently asked to leave a family/friends gathering when unfamiliar people walked in to the room. Her teacher indicates that when given the opportunity Julia does not seek out her peers. Rather, she stands in the middle of the room, unsure of what to do or where to go, even if directions have been given. When and if she makes it over to “play” with another child, she plays next to, but not with them. Her teacher described her interactions with other children as something Julia does not find “pleasurable” and as something she does not seek out. She also said that Julia prefers to be alone most of the time. Julia needs to be reminded at times to make eye contact.

Symptoms: Motor Skills

Hand flapping. Trouble balancing. Unusual gait (still waddle like sometimes). Limited use of “spontaneous” hand/body gestures. Low muscle tone.


Examples: Julia tends to “flap” her hands up and down when excited or over-stimulated. Sometimes she does this with no apparent reason. Julia still tends to walk with a waddle like pattern. She does not point or use other hand/body gestures “spontaneously.” Her muscle tone, though improved, is still low.

Symptoms: Sensory Sensitivities

Sensitive to food textures, stickiness and does not like to be “messy.” Startles even when warned of loud noise coming. Notices noised that others may not, “hyper sensitive” hearing.

Examples: Julia must wash her hands and face immediately if anything stick or messy gets on them. She seems to have an acute sense of hearing and hears things others may not even notice (for example the noises of the night…bugs, frogs etc). Julia will startle, even if she is warned ahead of time that a loud noise is coming. If I turn the vacuum on, she will hide in another room. The toilet can not be flushed if she is still in the room. If I need to call for someone that is in another room and have to raise my voice so that they will hear, I will warn Julia of what I am about to do, and she will still jump or startle when I do it.

Symptoms: Emotional

Does not adjust well to change. Needs excessive reassurance when change does occur. Is fearful of new or unfamiliar situations, to a larger degree than what would be considered normal. Is very anxious about her schedule and questions it frequently. Often gets stuck on something (a thought, situation etc.) and can not seem to change her way of thinking about it. Has amazing long term memory.

Examples: If something in Julia’s routine changes even slightly, she is unable to handle it. She will cry and cling, and has to be forced in to a situation. She is very anxious about her schedule and is constantly questioning what comes next, how long it will be etc. She has a hard time of letting go of things (for example if you were upset with her for something she did, she will think you are still upset with her hours later, even after being reassured that all is well). Julia seems to have a remarkable long term memory and can remember specific times and situations in her life in detail.

Thankful

I have many reasons to be thankful.

FYI

Adventures In Education has been updated.

Emily's Report Card

Four B's, one A- and one D+. So all in all, not too shabby. The D+ was in Math, and came as no surprise really.

I had spoken with her teacher a few weeks back and she had indicated that Emily was having trouble multiplying and dividing decimals. She also told me that Emily had done poorly on her last two quizzes, and had missed a few homework assignments. The teacher had been offering Emily all kinds of extra help but Emily was not taking the initiative and taking her up on it.

I asked Emily today why she thought she got a D+ n Math. Her answer was that she was stupid and hated math. I explained to her that she wasn't stupid and told her that everyone had things they were good at and things that they struggled with. I explained to her (which I sort of new I would have to) that her not doing her homework (or doing it and forgetting to turn it in) probably had a direct effect. I also explained that this is the one class, as is indicative on her report card that she needs to be on her game. My thought was that it's not like she is more organized in one area than another, or more disorganized in one area than another. Obviously, with her other classes, she can be a disorganized "mess" and still achieve a higher grade. With math, she has a bit more difficulty, so her organization needs to be right on target in that class. I explained that her grade may have been a C- or a C if she had turned in those assignments.

Grades are annoying and way too much of a focus to begin with, but she showed some concern herself with the D+ so I thought it would help her to point out some of the areas that may have lead to that grade.

Yesterday

It's nice to be up and at em first thing in the morning for a change. I actually managed to get close to nine hours of straight sleep which is practically unheard of around these parts (well, except for Ryun who could sleep through a bomb detonating right on his nightstand). My father took the kids over night last night, after taking us all out to dinner at the Outback. By all of us, I mean my family, my sisters, and my nephew Jack, whose birthday we were at yesterday afternoon. It was at Chunky's which is a table service movie theater, where you actually sit in limousine bucket seats that recline and are on wheels. The tables seat about eight and you order from a menu of pub style foods. It was very cool. I was pleasantly surprised with how well Julia did. This kind of situation (you know with people, noise, darkness etc) generally isn't something she handles well. For a few minutes in the beginning she kept saying it was too dark and too scary but she settle in with Ryun and was basically fine for the rest of the time. She wouldn't sit with the rest of the kids who were congregated in the middle of all of us, but, baby steps, you know?

Anyway, we are heading over to have dinner with my father and the kids later. Ryun is going to help my father with putting new kitchen light fixtures in which are recessed and have to be done by going through the attic, to which my father said, "I am too old to crawl around there now (hence Ryun's involvement)." We are going over earlier to do that, and then just hang around until dinner time.

Random Things

Today? Julia walked outside and said, "It smells chilly." I thought she misspoke at first but after a took a breath in, I realized she meant exactly what she said. It did smell "chilly." It reminded me of the time Emily smelled, "summer" when she was about the same age as Julia is now. I LOVE how kids are so "in the moment." They notice things I might otherwise not have. It's refreshing.

Speaking of Julia, she had quite a traumatic start to the day. For some reason (and without warning) they sent the handicap accessible bus to pick her up today. I say bus but really, it's a van that looks nothing even remotely like a bus. The bus driver was also new (or new to Julia anyway). Julia? Doesn't do well with change...especially when people change. I ended up climbing on the bus myself, strapping her in and she seemed to settle a bit. Before that, she was crying and saying, "No Mama!" Poor kid. As it turns out, this is going to be a permanent change on Thursdays so unless the previous bus driver just up and quit driving on Thursdays, like this morning, a little warning would have been nice. I could totally have prepped Julia for the change in bus and driver, making it least a little easier for her, if not erasing the bad feelings she had about it altogether. I might give the school a heads up so that they know, if there is going to be any major change in Julia's usual routine when it comes to the whole school process, to give me as much warning as possible so I can go over it with her. It seems reasonable, and honestly, she just "functions" a lot better when she knows what is coming and what is expected of her.

Anyway, that's it from this neck of the woods. On the agenda for tonight is a meeting at the Burkland School so I can be trained as an official volunteer (which is funny really, because I have been volunteering there for going on four years now but it's considered "required" regardless) and Girl Scouts for Emily.

I took this picture with my cell phone. I was quite impressed with the quality and couldn't believe how clearly the rays of the sun came through.

In an attempt...

...to cheer myself up, I actually listened to Christmas music in the car today. Three local stations are playing it all the time now. This seems absurdly early to me, but it seems like every year, this type of thing starts earlier and earlier.

Anyway, since I am one of those that actually enjoys Christmas music, I though this might help. It didn't. Instead I found it mildly annoying, and ended up switching to a country mix cd I made last week.

Anyway, the point? I am in a yucky mood. Ryun got news at work that he may be getting laid off in a few weeks, I had a phone call from Emily's teacher which in and of itself wasn't stressful, just Emily's reaction was, and I all but confirmed a diagnosis of Asperger's at Julia's PT conference last night.

So yesterday? Kind of sucked.

Julia...Through The Years

Katherine...Through The Years

Emily...Through the Years

I am ...

...so happy that things turned out the way they did.

Thank God, a million times over.

Just Because It's Funny.

Julia Cuteness

Everyone else is doing it...

talking about the election that is, so why not me?

In case anyone was curious as to how and why I am voting tomorrow, no need to wonder any more because I am going to spell it our for you right here. Before I do that though, I should point out that I am neither naive or stupid enough to think that my chosen candidate will necessarily be able to follow through with all of his plans, nor am I saying that I like everything about him and his plans. It would be next to impossible to find a candidate with whom you agree 100%, so you have top pick your personal crusades, and vote with the candidate that best matches those. It really can be that simple. The point is, that his plans were made on what he believes to be best for America, but more importantly, his beliefs (some of them at least) happen to coincide directly with some of my own, making him the best choice for me personally. So here you go.

Question 1 (a MA ballot question looking to get rid of the state income tax): I am voting no, and here's why. It will cut 12 billion dollars from the already financially strapped state budget. I would invite someone to share with me their ideas regarding how exactly this would be in any way ok, and how exactly, we would pay for things that the state budget helps pay for (specifically education)?

Question 2 (the Marijuana question...if you are caught with one ounce or less, you would face citations and civil penalties as opposed to criminal penalties): I'm middle of the road on this one but I think I am going to vote no. If it's illegal, it's illegal and that should be that. Now if they were talking about whether or not to make it legal, I might have a different answer.

Question 3 (looking to make dog racing illegal in MA): I don't care much one way or the other but if the dog track closes that means 1000 people will be out of work and about 41 million dollars or so will come out of the state coffers, I'm going to vote no.

And now for the big one...

President of the United States: Barack Obama. Here's why, taken right from the campaign website:

Barack Obama will reform No Child Left Behind:

Obama and Biden believe teachers should not be forced to spend the academic year preparing students to fill in bubbles on standardized tests and he will improve the assessments used to track student progress to measure readiness for college.

Invest in early childhood education:

The Obama-Biden comprehensive "Zero to Five" plan will provide critical support to young children and their parents. And they will help states move toward voluntary, universal pre-school.


Barack Obama will provide educational opportunities to Americans with disabilities:

Obama and Biden will fight to provide students with disabilities the public education they have a right to, invest in early intervention programs, improve college opportunities, and support universal screening of infants.

Supports a Woman's Right to Choose:
Barack Obama understands that abortion is a divisive issue, and respects those who disagree with him. However, he has been a consistent champion of reproductive choice and will make preserving women's rights under Roe v. Wade a priority as President. He opposes any constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court's decision in that case.

Barack Obama and Joe Biden believe that we owe it to the American public to explore the potential of stem cells to treat the millions of people suffering from debilitating and life-threatening diseases. Obama is a co-sponsor of the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2007, which would allow research of human embryonic stem cells derived from embryos donated (with consent) from in vitro fertilization clinics. These embryos must be deemed in excess and created based solely for the purpose of fertility treatment.


These are the most important issues to me, and the reason I am voting for obama.

Slacker

I haven't updated here in a week! WOW! I doubt it's a record for me, given vacations and whatnot but it certainly is longer than I like to go regardless.

Life has just been busy. Not unusually so, but sometimes, when there is down time, I am just too tired or have other things in mind that I want to do, like catch on recorded tv or read. It seems like I have been doing both in marathon sessions, rather than just a bit at a time.

This weekend, in particular has been and will continue to be busy. Yesterday we had trick or treating with the kids. We went to the old neighborhood as usual, and met up with the Ryan family. Ryun's sister and her family walked with us for a while as well, which was nice. Speaking of being busy, we don't seem them as often as we should/want to for that reason alone, so when we do, it's a good thing. Tonight is the big Halloween party we have every year. This year marks 10 years since the first one, so I plan on making it memorable...which of course they all are. It seems like we will have a good turnout which is nice. Tomorrow we are heading to my parents house for my nephew Jack's third birthday. How the heck he managed to go from being born to three so fast I have no idea...kids have a funny way of speeding up time.

Anyway, I am hoping to keep up here a little better than I have been. We'll see what happens.

Halloween Town Boston

We took the kids to Halloween Town Boston yesterday. It was fun, even if it was a little overwhelming for Julia. She had fun, but in her own way, which was, you know different from how the other kids enjoyed it. The kids got all kinds of goodies, candy included. Anyway, I took pictures!

She wanted something scary. This worked. I left the red eye in for effect, which also worked.

Emily wanted candy corn eyes.

That's Dan Zanes of Playhouse Disney fame. Katherine and Julia particularly enjoyed listening to him sing and dance.

As you can tell, Julia was totally thrilled with the whole event. As for Ryun, this picture was the result of my calling his name and just snapping the picture.

The kids got to draw on a zip car. Very cool! Here is Emily's art work.

Julia wanted nothing to do with face painting when the girls got theirs done earlier in the day, free. In typical Julia style she decided as we were getting ready to leave that she did want her face painted after all. The original place was all the way at the other end of the building, and the last time we had been by, the line was miles long. So, I gave in and paid $10 which seemed like a bit much. Honestly though, at that point I may have given them my life savings for her to Julia to get her face painted. When she wants to participate in something, you just can't let the opportunity pass her by. She sat perfectly still the whole time and as you can see, the tiger face she picked out came out great! Turns out the face painter was from Art on The Spot, a local art studio here in Middleboro, just down the street a ways from us.

We took the kids to diner at Friendly's on the way home, which, as is usually the case at Friendly's, was a huge hit.