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Welcome to Holland

Holland Schmolland

 First, some Zora cuteness

Now, a neat Zane thing:  Tonight, for the first time, he said “I want you to play trains with me please”.  The first time I didn’t understand any of the words between “want” and “please”.  After he repeated it a time or two for me, I finally caught the word “play”.  Eventually, I got the word “trains”.  It is the first time he has verbally asked us to play something without holding a visual clue to what he was saying.  All verbal.

To mark the day, I took pictures.  Of course, first I helped him set up a cool train circuit, using about every bridge and tunnel he had, including some makeshift things from other toys.  I am so proud of my favorite boy!

The problem:  need to put up a pole for a satellite dish.  Do not own a pickup truck and all three of the people that can usually help aren’t available when I need them.  Requires getting an 8 foot fence post and another pipe home.  Must also have two kids in the car seats in the back seats, so inside the car is out.

The solution:  requires 2 shopping bags and a roll of duct tape.  Wrap the duct tape around the pipes to secure them together, then wrap it around the plastic bag repeatedly to make an anchor.  Shut the bags in the door and trunk.  Put on a ’safety line’ around the mirror and the bars that hold the trunk open.  No paint damage or dinging.  WooHoo!

 Day Camp

Got a neat comment today from the OT.  She qualified it by saying she absolutely is not somebody who can diagnose this, but that we should be sure to have him tested for giftedness too.  Although he is obviously behind on language, she is still unable to find something that can challenge his pattern-matching and perception skills.  She said today she “should be shocked, but really isn’t surprised any more” when he is able to do a mental task that should stretch him.  As long as the activity does not require communication, but relies on visual clues, he is really advanced.

Really cool to hear somebody finally recognizing what we have known all along.  It is pretty hard to convince somebody that you are dealing with an extremely intelligent child when they can’t converse with them.  They have to figure it out for themselves because saying that makes them think we are delusional.

It was a mistake.  Whew!   I don’t have the actual amount yet (will get it this afternoon if she can find the director), but it will be considerably less than that.  Thank heavens!

Evidently it is a new billing system.  We came in during the transition which is probably why we didn’t get one for a while.  Mine was not the only panicked call she got.

So, how much does it cost to hear your child talk. 

Apparently, $350 for the evaluation, and $85 per half hour for speech therapy and occupational therapy, 3 times a week.

This has to be a mistake.  I thought it was supposed to be on a sliding scale.  They aren’t open right now for me to call, but it is just as well because I can hardly put together a coherent thought without crying.  Please, please, please let this be a mistake.  According to the bill, we are past due too.  This is the first bill we have gotten.  I wasn’t expecting it to be free, but I definitely didn’t anticipate a bill that exceeds our income.

Can you tell I never have my hands free anymore?  lol

Ok, let’s see how much I can get in before somebody wants me.

Thank you to bionic squirrel.  She hosted an AP get-together.  My anxiety over going led me to call and cancel.  She wouldn’t let me.  I am really glad now that she persisted and made me feel so comfortable.  It was a great get together.  I even met another MDC mama that I have talked to a few times, but never met, along with the Jenny I met last week at Exploration Place.  Lots of cute kids there.

Also had several people there that had the Ergo and raved about them.  I think I might finally break down and buy one.  My back is just not liking the baby bjorn and regular sling right now.  Both are better than just carrying her because they distribute the weight a little better, but they have their limits (and the limit is too low to do what I need it to do right now).  Also, I am not comfortable doing a back carry with Zora yet in the Maya, and I think I wouldn’t have that problem with the Ergo.  That way I can do things like dishes with both hands.  lol.

Mom came up last week and helped me get a handle on the house.  Did some of my laundry and helped pick up the place.  It was great to have her here all day.  The kids loved it too.  I am going to head out to the farm in another hours or so here for afternoon/evening bbq.  I think my brother and SIL will be there too.  Looking forward to it.  Might even have some more pictures.

Finally broke down and got some summer pants that actually fit me.  A pair of capris, a pair of cropped pants, and a pair of shorts.  Much less oppressive than my former pants.  (3 year old $3 mens lounge/pj pants on clearance at Old Navy)  Plus, the other pants were too long and if Zane caught me standing on the bottom of the pants he would have to come over and get them out from under my shoes.  Cute, but inconvenient.  They were shredding at the bottom anyway.  It was time.

I also got in touch with an old high school friend (very small school, so you know everybody from about 4 years older to 4 years younger. lol)  We weren’t close in school, but we went to the same church, college together, both played flute, both cheerleaders, both in drama and forensics, and both drove our family station wagons to school at unmentionable speeds.  (the kind that make you never want to allow your own kids to drive).  She has a son with Cerebral Palsy and has therapy at the same place Zane does.  We are going to get together after her therapy session next week.  The age difference and competition that separated us in high school has disappeared and it will be nice to talk to somebody that I have so much in common with.  Funny how things change.  I was so jealous of her in school because she was so pretty, talented, and popular.  Now I realize in some ways, people younger than me might have seen me the same way.  (although I can hardly fathom it since I felt so alone and inadequate in hs)

I also had fabulous mail this week.  Dh’s dad sent the kids a Thomas & Baby Einstein DVD.  Plus, my BIL & SIL moved and either they or Dh’s dad sent their hand-me-downs for Zora (they have two girls).  It was a 30 pound box.  Woah!  Beautiful, beautiful stuff!  It took my breath away how nice some of the stuff was.  Lots of Old Navy, Childrens Place and Gap.  There was even a Hannah dress and some Hatten House stuff.  Some of the bigger things I am sending off to a friend who usually gives me bags of hand-me-downs.  She is very low income too and I know that she doesn’t usually get to dress her girl this cute most of the time, so she is going to be thrilled.  I know I will get them back, but I pulled a handful of things that I didn’t want to get stained so I wouldn’t get upset by it.  It was so much fun to know I could give back a bit.  Eventually, they will get Zane’s hand-me-downs for their middle child (he is tiny for his age, Zane is big…right now they are in the same size), but I am glad I get share the joy with somebody else.

Ok…the last paragraph Zane wants stuff and Zora is starting to fuss.  Gotta go.  Got more in than I thought I would.

Grandpa and Grandma Z sent some dvds to the kids.  Zane was really excited to see mail with his name on it!  Here are a few shots of the kids enjoying the videos with my mom.