Christmas is Closing In! (and Other Updates....)

I realized that Christmas is closing in on us today, at some point between 4:20 and 4:30 on Sandis's and my drive from SPOT rehab to pickup my peanut Gracie. Christmas is almost here! Holy Shit!

It really isn't all that stressful. Should it maybe be more stressful? I won't wish that on anyone. I guess that everything feels like a stress vacation when compared to the end of October and beginning of November. Christmas feels like a stress vacation! Yikes! (What the hell is going on here?)

I've done most of my shopping, and Bob and I have worked the ins and outs of Christmas shopping for my dazzling duo (Sandis and Gracie, better known as pumpkin and peanut). Bob bought them one of those piano video game sets, and got them each their own game. I bought Sandis an outfit, a pair of shoes, a hot wheels car case, a drawing book, and a pretend city (for all those hot wheels cars to inhabit!) I bought Gracie a baby (complete with diapers and bottles), an outfit, a jewelry box, two bracelets, a pair of earrings and a watch. What is left is Dance Dance Revolution (for both kids to share), stocking stuffers, and a CD for each of the kiddos. Bob is getting a cymbal. Don't freak out because I wrote it up here. He knows what he is getting, so no surprise there! I can't believe that with not managing to make 40 hours ONCE in the past six weeks, that I've budgeted this all in. AMAZING!

We are driving 5 hours north to Warren, MN to be at my dad's house for Christmas. It should be fun and mildly uncomfortable. Anyone else ever have holidays like that? I've got to buy my dad and my little brother a present, but Bob is volunteering to (more like I volunteered him to) buy my dad's wife a present. I told him what to get, so the only thing out of his pocket, is well, the money out of his pocket!

Sandis has completed his PT, ST, and OT evaluations that I had done privately. The school is running short on their prescribed thirty school days to complete evaluations for the IEP, so it looks like my ambitious therapist's evaluations will be the evaluations the school uses to help determine needs. I'm not sure that many of you will be able to grasp just how cool that is! To sum it up, the therapists who did the evaluations were not biassed to the school's needs, but biassed to my son's needs. A-W-E-S-O-M-E.

Sandis had no recommendations for PT. He is a strong little bugger and was running at speeds more common for a 7-1/2 year old than a 6 year old. I can say without a doubt that he didn't get that from me! I also can say that I was far from surprised about his speed, as he has been running from me since he could walk! For ST she told me she would recommend 1 therapy per week focussing on social skills and then on his S (apparently my boy has a lisp.....). Occupational therapy is going to recommend twice a week with home programs as well. I knew that Sandis needed the most help with sensory integration, and I was not surprised that his evaluations showed this as well. I am EXCITED to start learning more about how to help my son, and my FAMILY function better in day to day tasks!

Gracie has been doing awesome! Although, she really is quite a pistol. It must be those curls, because damn, she has a rage that can move mountains! She had her highest blood sugar EVER a couple nights ago of 199. It was enough to make me weepy for a night, but I recovered and she woke up with a blood sugar under 100 so I was back to pretending everything is peachy and normal. It is all I can do until they aren't!

I have been spending a lot of time reading. Recently I had my cable shut off (and my cable internet a couple weeks before that) essentially because Charter sucks major assage. The only thing Charter can get right is an upgrade. If you downgrade ANYTHING expect multiple unapologetic F*** ups and right along with it inflated and incorrect billing. The whole things still makes me seethe. I will be seeing a 116 buck refund. Go Charter! Yay! Anyhow, without the t.v. I suddenly and miraculously have oodles of time to READ! I love to read, and have fooled myself into believing I have no time. But I do have time. This proves it. I was choosing to spend my time otherwise. I need to join a book club that gives me classic fiction I've never read for FREE and then lets me keep the books. I don't care if they are soft cover.

We have been busy, all in all. Have you? Ours is a good busy. Ours is a productive busy. Ours is the busy that God gives us when he enriches our lives with things we love and are passionate about.

Here is to busi - ness!