Bittersweet Holidays

The holday season. A time of wonder, delight, and sometimes sadness.

That's what we felt, the day before Christmas Eve. Chloe had her appointment with the Developmental Pediatrician finally. We rode with my grandmother, who insisted on riding with us since the other half couldn't go. (Cue my life flashing before my eyes a few times... she's a terrifying driver...) We ended up about 10 minutes late, but I got us checked in on time.

Long story short, after a long discussion, my baby was finally given the other diagnosis... she has Autism Spectrum Disorder, Sensory Processing Disorder, Language Disorder, and he said that she is heavily likely to be diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 4.

I don't think I've had a blow that bad since we started trying to work out what was going on with her...

It explains it all, though... every detail can be explained with the diagnosis set she has been given. It doesn't make it any easier to swallow.

Both of us needed a mourning period, so to speak... this was the diagnosis that we were expecting, but not what we had hoped. That said, once we got a chance to talk, after he got off work... It's not like we feel any differently about our Chloe-bear, mind you... it's just a lot to take in. You have to understand, it's the realization that, depending on how she does later on, she may not go to college... she may be in special education her whole time in school, she may never have a true career, move out of the house... it will all depend on how she develops the next few years. And that's what scares us the most, we have no idea what we're getting into long-term. That takes time to understand, even as her parents. But, we came up with a tentative game plan, we're figuring out the therapies we need to get her into, and making sure she will continue what she already has. We will give her the best chance she can get, no matter what we have to sacrifice.

But, the news did make the holidays start out on a bittersweet note.

We trudged through Christmas Eve, went to see family and have dinner that evening. I watched a movie that I will begrudgingly admit was pretty funny... I suppose I have to let Mike have a win for that one... National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, I can say, albeit a bit hesitatingly, really was amusing.

Christmas Morning hit, and we all got up around 7am and began the day. Kids got their Santa gifts, and I gave Mike the cologne and cookies I had been able to afford, even though I felt bad it wasn't more. He was making me wait for my gift though.

When we got to my grandmother's, I figured out why.

He told me to open it, and initially, I had no idea he was filming me. He had wrapped a bunch of junk in a Christmas Light box. I thought I was being trolled, honestly, and I was laughing. I found one box, and thought it was a necklace. Nope, thumb tacks. Cue me chucking the box at him and snickering.

I pulled all of the stuff out, and an earring sized box fell out. I figured, ok... earrings then.

Needless to say, it was not earrings. And I cried my eyes out. After almost 6 years and two gorgeous daughters, I'm engaged to the man I saw myself marrying in high school. We're tentatively thinking of having a ceremony around April of 2017. I'll be setting up a savings account for the wedding, so that we will have a budget in concrete, but you know what this means?? That's right... expect to see wedding planning stuff on this blog now.

As we move on to the New Year, we're doubly dedicated to what our girls need and making their life better. We're planning our trip for Disney in a couple of months, during my Spring Break, and I am absolutely excited about that. Our girls deserve a nice trip, and we can go on a budget. Disney seems to get more affordable if you stay at the resort.

Anyhow, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a Happy New Year!! The munchkins and I will be back in January of 2016!!

Happy Holidays!!!!

Hi all! Welcome back!! (This was supposed to be my one blog entry today, but a neglectful wench pissed me off... check that post out, if you are so inclined to see me raging ever so slightly)

First off, let me start off by saying Chloe is finally over that last respiratory infection. It took 6 weeks to get over it. I'm not even joking. I'm just glad it's over now and we can begin to enjoy the holiday season.

We kicked it off with a trip to the holiday parade!! The kids loved the floats! Rayne had a star sabre fight with her daddy. Chloe hid after a while to get away from the crowds, but even she was looking at the floats from her perch off into the distance.

We headed to see the Christmas Lights in Caswell County NC this last weekend. The kids loved it, I've never seen them dance together like they did.

They got to see Santa, and Chloe didn't want to leave.

All in all, it was a really, really good time, and I'm glad my little wiggle butt is coming out of her shell more. It's nice to see her blossom into a toddler, even if she is a bit behind compared to others her age.

I actually have some exciting news, that I have shared already but, you know, not on here and all. I got hired to be a freelance writer for BabyGaga! I've wanted to do that for over a year, but, you know... previous administration was not the best. I missed that site and really wanted to come back a while ago, but I didn't leave on great terms and finally, just finally, I got the inclination to go back. I was offered the position, yes it is paid but it is not like, makin' it rain kind of paid.

(Not my current financial situation)

My first article was posted up, you can check it out here.

Oh, get this, so Rayne's school told me a week ago that I had 3 weeks or more to determine if I wanted to get pictures, right? What did they tell me Friday? Oh, sorry, you only have until Monday... yes, this is the only chance you have to get pics... no, you can't order online.

Of course not, why would I want these? Not like they're
cute or anything... *sarcasm*

What. The. Fiddlesticks?!

These are my kid's first school pics, of COURSE I want them! But sadly, it's also rent week and I can't afford them until Thursday... so, 3 days late. I called the picture company up... school was lying to me. Bright side, I can order her pics any damn time I want from now until freaking August. Which I will... in January.

Speaking of her, is it bad that we've told her that Santa will be mad at her if her behavior in school does not improve?? Because... we did.

Why?

Because she's four and damn it, that threat works for now. I'll take whatever I can to get this kid to stop acting like a fool in class. She's more than capable of good behavior, and I don't care what people say, no kid should be excused from punishment for throwing toys and hitting the teacher, albeit by accident.

Where we plan to be staying at Disney!! 

Anyhow, we're actually planning our Disney trip for March, early March actually. I cannot believe that, hopefully, in less than 3 months we will be headed down to Orlando to spend 5 days in Disney, maybe taking some time to go to a beach down where we used to live while we're there! SQUEE! We have a room picked out, we're getting the Little Mermaid suite, and a resort package. We'll get free wrist bands that act as our room keys, and there's accommodations for Chloe!! That is the biggest plus! It's a trip where we won't be constantly feeling bad worrying about what people think of Chloe, where the cast members will be willing to help us out and not treat us poorly like Carowinds did.

But, yeah... It's the holidays, and we're all happy, having a good time, and ready for good ol' St. Nick to come to our house on Christmas Eve... Now Mommy and Daddy just need someone to watch the kids so we can pick up the last of the presents from the pet store (Rayne wants aquarium supplies after all) and dollar tree (Because she's going to break half the toys I get anyhow).

Happy Holidays, everyone!!!  

Some People Should Not Have Kids...

Well, I finally saw it. I saw someone being so incredibly irresponsible that I actually called the cops on them. What was it? It's something we hear about all the time in the news in the summer, but never in the winter... 

Well, it was 3 children, all aged 4 and under, left alone in a car, the car running... one of them was an infant who looked to be between 5-7 months old. Both older kids were jumping around in the car like Thing 1 and Thing 2... difference is, the Cat in the Hat was nowhere to be found.

Concerned, since I am a mother myself, I stopped, got my kids out of the car, and stood with my kids waiting for a minute or two to see if someone came out of the grocery store. Keep in mind, this is a full grocery store, not like a mini mart... it's still not right when someone does this at a mini mart or gas station, but it's so much worse when it's a damn supermarket sized grocery store...

When no one came out, I did what a responsible person should and would do... I called the police. Gave the make and model of the car, the color, the number of kids in it, and the license plate. Stayed there and made sure these kids were ok, since no one was monitoring them or watching them at all.

"Hello, 911, I need to report a dumbass..."

The mom came out, and glared at me fit to kill.

Really, lady?

Really?

How DARE you be concerned for my kids' well being, you b*tch!!

You left 3 small children in a running car alone while you went to get groceries. Screw you and your hateful looks. And you could tell, she knew I was on the phone with the cops. She was quick to get her ass out of there when she saw me.

And you know when the cops showed up?? 15 minutes later. Well done, Danville City Police Dept.

Seriously did you need a goddamn donut break before you headed this way
or something?

Seriously, a few things about this just irritated me to the point of needing to write about it. (And putting my other post on hold until I finished) First off, the cops didn't even care. You hear all the time about these people who go to jail for leaving their kids unattended in the car... not these people Why? Because the cops here couldn't give a shit.

Second, what kind of parent leaves 3 children under the age of 5 in a car alone by themselves anyhow? And before you say anything, yeah no there is no way any of those kids were 5. I have a 4 year old, I know what that age looks like. These kids looked 3-4 as the older, the other one, who looked 2, was in a highback booster seat, and there was an infant halfway strapped in because, well, why not. If you're going to break all the car seat safety rules, why not mess up those infant straps as well. It's not like they need them, right? They don't save lives you know. That's all some stupid conspiracy.

Eh... good enough.

Ugh.

And yes, I watched her pull away... did not buckle a single child, or fix anyone in their seat. Just threw her stuff in the front seat where the eldest was sitting, and took off.

Well done mom.

People like that should not breed.

And I'm going to finish my little rant, by saying one thing... for her kids' safety's sake, I pray the woman learns to use a car seat and figures out how to get her kids out of the damn car to shop. One day, it's going to be summer, and leaving kids in the car in summer can kill them in minutes.

Take your kids into the store with you people. It's not complicated, hard, and while it's not convenient, it's sure as hell better than something bad happening while you're shopping.  

Let's Play Catch Up!

Man oh man, it’s been a while, and I’m sorry about that. I’ve been swamped!

Let’s play catch up! We’re going to do a Chloe AND Rayne update that goes all the way back to October.

So, yeah Halloween. We had a freaking blast! Mike and I decided to do Batman and Harley Quinn, and the kids were Anna and Elsa!

 

And did I mention the 23 lbs of candy? Because… 23 lbs of candy.

November, mostly uneventful. Happy late Turkey day, by the way. Unfortunately November and Early December are my busiest times, hence why no new updates. But we had a few things.

First off, Chloe got a diagnosis, finally. She is definitely IGA deficient. All of their tests showed unreadable levels of IGA in her blood, meaning she has none. Makes sense, when you think about it, and fits everything. I’m just glad that almost a year later, we finally have an answer.

However, the downside is that sometimes, kids with IGA deficiency and ending up on the Autism spectrum go hand in hand. She’s being tested for that this month. That, also, makes sense… she has begun a lot of behaviors typical of a child who has Autism, specifically what used to be known as Asperger’s. She lines up toys, flaps her hands when over excited or stressed, rocks obsessively in her father’s or my grandfather’s rocking chair, doesn’t sleep well, and has sensory issues, such as texture problems with soft, mushy foods (she chokes on them) and issues with things like water touching her head (Bathtimes are no Bueno once we get to the hair…). She is in therapy though, so we’re hoping to get better as time goes on.

Rayne on the other hand has been in school, and has been hell on wheels. I hate that school… she is picking up some poor habits from her classmates… And her behavior has suffered for it. Maybe part of it is the age, but my little girl has become a complete sass mouth these last few months, and I do not like it.

That said, the last five weeks have been hell in their own right.

Chloe has been sick again. What was a cold, is now close to pneumonia. And I’ve taken her to the Dr. for it about 4 times… only after the last visit to a new pediatrician (her old pedi is closing her doors) did we get some relief in the form of Bromfed and Clairithromycin. You see, her old Dr., love her to death, was not a believer in medicines for children… so Chloe was just suffering through these viruses… and while I see her point, I was also tired of my baby suffering… and this time, she needed the meds that her other Dr. was simply not prescribing. Clairithromycin is an antibiotic that is so strong, it’s commonly used for Cystic Fibrosis and AIDS/HIV patients to fight off infections and keep them from getting pneumonia. It’s stronger than Azythromycin, Amoxicillin, and Cefdinir, all of which she is becoming resistant to. And the Bromfed is actually to dry up the mucus, because apparently her IGA deficiency also causes abnormal mucus production in her nasal passages.

Luckily, she is now perking up, but she was very close to a hospital stay. And that would be the second time in a month that she almost ended up there, because 2 weeks ago, she had a stomach flu so bad she was puking and had diarrhea for 48 hours and refused to eat or drink, and was throwing up water. She ended up in the Danville ER, passing out in my arms, and they told me it would be ‘a while’ before they got to her… aka, a 10 hour wait. I grabbed her, and my other half and I rushed her to South Boston/Halifax. It’s bad when the best care is 30 minutes in ANY direction away from the hospital that is literally 2 minutes down the road from me…  Rayne had the same thing at the same time as Chloe, so she was puking up her guts at the same time, but nowhere near as severe.

Chloe needed fluids that day in the hospital, and meds.

I AM planning to get back into this while on my winter break from classes! So expect some updates for the next month! I need to do this and get back to writing my fanfiction!! (Don't judge, I like to write.)

I’ll update on how Chloe’s doing soon! In the meantime… stay awesome, people!