SIGH!!!

Well, it's been a while huh? Life has been just a tad busy. We've seen the end of tax season, Easter holiday with family down "south", said goodbye to Rexie, produced and put together a 5th grade science project, went to the Little League opener (lost), attended Jr High open house - and lastly - but surely the BIGGEST - got through Sal's transition meeting!!!

Meeting was this morning. I was DREADING it! Thank GOD for my team from Salk. Dang, are they good. Mrs Legner asked questions and suggested things before I could even think. It's SO great to have her there. In these meetings I feel very overwhelmed and am usually just reeling with all the information put out and hardly have the sense to ask all the questions I have. Mrs Legner comes in and asks the very same questions I have and puts into my language what's going on. As a team we have decided that Sally will go into a cross cat class next year. She will still be with her "reg" classmates in PE and lunch but will be with children at her curriculum level for Lang Arts and Math. These classes are just like "reg" classes - in that they (the kids) switch every hour and such. So instead of going to biology or algebra class - Sal will go to Lang Arts in what they call a "cross cat" classroom. I really think things are going to go well. It's almost scary. In fact, on the way out of school Bill and I wondered if we had missed something because things went so smoothly.

I can't help but be in tears today. I think it's the combination of being so "up tight" about the meeting today and the fact that my tiny little 5.8 pound baby is now going into Jr High!!

At the open house last night they had a raffle and of course our little wishing wizard, Sally, won a back pack with Humphrey Jr High on it. She was SO proud (and Jack was So jealous).

Rexie the cat has been taken to Animal Control. She was really having a hard time lately with Mabel and took to putting "messes" all over the bathroom downstairs. Bill ran into an Animal Control lady last week and was talking to her about it and she said it would prob be best if Rexie found a new home AND she had just the home in mind. So on Sunday we said "see ya later, Rex." I was never a REAL big fan of Rexie, so I didn't have quite the goodbye of Sadie. :-)

Mabel has really turned a corner. She's getting much better. I think she's realized that she's next on the "pet evacuation" list. :-) I did happen to mention to her that I put down the very best dog in the whole wide world - I wouldn't bat an eye putting her down if she doesn't shape up. :-) (just kidding - don't go all PETA on me) :-)

Baseball began. Jack did well. He was angry that he never got on base. We tried to tell him that it's harder when someone your age is pitching to you. He did his usual Jack grumpus and walked away. Lord, give me strength.


Easter, where to begin. Bill, Jack and I (oh, and Mabel) started out Friday morning to Grandma's where we picked up Sally and proceeded to Aunt Jill's. "The Gang" then joined us that evening - Kennedy, Lincoln, Lex and Mad Dog along with parents - we all ate dinner and then colored eggs.


My Sister, the Egg Nazi, who usually only gets about 3 eggs per child - had 51/2 dozen eggs for us to color. Of course the children allowed them to sit in the dye for about 3 seconds and then proceeded to the next egg. So when they all went outside to play - *I* got to "re-dye" the one's that I wanted. :-)


It was a nice time. The "cousins" all play nicely - well, as nicely as maniac's. :-) They were upstairs, in the basement, outside - just all over being their crazy selves. The volume was such that when they went outside I thought I had gone deaf.


Mabel was in HEAVEN! She ran and ran and ran. Played with Tiny (the St Bernard) and Chunk (the Husky) and just smelled her brains out. She also got to meet her first cow. She stood on one side and the cows on the other and she barked and howled till they ran at her and then she took off and ran straight over and hid behind Tiny. My sister's house provides loads of entertainment without tv. :-)


So on Sunday the whole gang assembled again along with Aunt T and Mike's family and then Grandma and Grandpa. My Sister cooked up a storm as usual. She always side-steps the compliments on her food, saying it's no big deal. Well, it is to ME and granted we're not a picky family - but she really does a nice spread.

When we drove home on Monday, Sally AND Mabel slept!!!! Mabel slept the whole day and the whole night through. I couldn't figure out if she was so tired or depressed to have to be back on a chain again.

Through all this craziness I have managed to "kind of" keep up on the house. We had some major overhauling on Monday. Got a lot accomplished. So now we turn our eyes to Spring. I plan to get out summer clothes next Monday AND take a trip to Humphrey to sit in on a cross cat class. I'm really hoping next year goes as well as this year did. I can't imagine saying goodbye to my team (all of them). Jonas Salk has been a FANTASTIC place for Sal. It's so VERY hard to say good-bye.

There are some CRAZY things to report. The first being that Uncle Mike (my sister's husband) is in the hospital and very well may be paralyzed from the arms down. He fell off a ladder on Wednesday night and was air lifted to the hospital. They operated and removed some discs in his spine and replaced them with a plate. But there is a LOT of bruising on the spine and this is the issue of whether he will walk or not.

My sister is something. I think I would have collapsed by now. When it all was first happening she said she thought about me and all the decisions I had to make about Sally and understood. The only thing is - I don't decide about a "do not resuscitate" issue, or life changing things!!!!

I've asked a dozen times if I should go down and she's said "there's nothing for you to do". Well, I hadn't planned on DOING anything - but just "being there". :-) We decided it best for me to wait till he comes home - when she'll need to be a nurse - and then go down and stay with them just to make sure she doesn't kill him. :-) Like me, she is NOT a nurse. :-)

I wonder if that says more about us than we realize that maybe we see our spouses as so much a part of us and that we don't really nurse or nurture ourselves that we don't for them - almost a self-loathing thing? I don't know - too early for Freud today.

I guess I've never really got bad news on the phone before - I mean out of the blue bad news. All the time she was telling me what happened and what was going on I kept thinking "well, when is she going to say "April Fool" - enough already - this CAN'T be right - she's pulling my leg, right" But she wasn't - it really happened. It's just CRAZY how your life can turn upside down in one instant. People say that about death - but this is almost worse.

In the meantime we had a "mapping meeting" about Sally - in which she got to attend. We (the team from JES and Humphrey) discussed what she needed from us, as parents and them as teachers to have a good year next year, be prepared for HS and to eventually participate in the real world.

Sally was funny. I don't' think she really got it and I wouldn't advise that we include her again - but she did get to see what we do monthly and what "meetings" were like. Every time someone said her name she'd quietly point to herself and say "that's me". :-)

The little sooth sayer told me (after I got off the phone with my sister the first time) that Uncle Mike would be in the hospital for 3 weeks. After all that's happened - it looks like that is just about right. How does she DO that????

Jack has been playing ball and not doing too well at the plate. Mostly it's because of lack of practice. He needs to be pitched to by a kid - not a coach, not a machine - a kid - just like in the game and he needs to do it over and over and over. The pitching at this age is horrible and I don't want him to get into bad habits of taking anything that's thrown at him - but tell the coach that. :-/ Coach also tells them to "smack the ball" - I could just kick him for that. ANY contact with the ball would probably produce a base hit. WHY do we make bad habits just to WIN?? Ugghhh - don't get me started.

Last night Jacob (Sal's friend) and wanted to know if we had seen Tory (another of Sal's friends) - that he was "lost". No, we hadn't seen him. At 3 a.m. the Bbk Police called and asked if we had seen him - he had gotten into a fight with his Mom and was still missing - they were calling all the kids in his class. It was WAY hard to sleep after that!!! Jacob just came by and they had found Tory over at the library - he was waiting for it to open! Thank God he's ok!

Jack plays ball again today - and then I promised him and I could play pitch and catch and practice batting. I love to play pitch and catch.

Some other things that have been happening is that Sal won 2nd place in the Softball Throw in Special Olympics last weekend! She was SO excited! She also placed 4th in the 100 meter run.

My Sister, THE Star

My sister starred in the play "The Kitchen Witches" for the Windmill Follies this year. I got to see the final performance (it runs for 3 weekends). It was REALLY good! It is SO funny and SO my sister. She plays the part of Dolly Biddle and has to do a Ukrainian and a Southern accent. She was very good.

I took Sal down to my Mom and Dad's so she can spend Spring Break with them and then her and I went to the play that night. It is done with dinner. So you eat your salad - watch act 1 eat your roast beef, potatoes and gravy, green beans and roll - see act 2 and then eat your desert and see act 3. It was about 3 1/2 long - Sal sat through the whole thing and really got into it. She laughed when they through flour and salt around the stage and when Debbie called Aunt Jill a turkey she looked back and me and said giggling "Aunt Jill's a turkey." But when Aunt Jill's character has to go to the hospital Sal was a little tense and I had to remind her that it was only a story - that Aunt Jill and Debbie were pretending.

On the way to the car she said "that was fun. Ask me if I had a good time."

"Did you have a good time, Sal?"

"yes. Ask me what my favorite part was."

"What was your favorite part, Sal?"

"The second one."

I think she was talking about when Aunt Jill came out in a Scarlet O'Hara dress and hat complete with fan.

Sally was not too pleased with the gravy. She kind of wrinkled her nose and said "it's not Aunt Jill's." :-)

So I drove home by myself today. Almost 4 hours of radio that *I* wanted and at a volume that suited *me* and NO talking and NO listening. I thought about making a run for the Indiana border. :-)

So we go back to work tomorrow. The house is very different. No Sadie, no Sally. It's like pieces of me are missing. I am glad I listened to Taloola this weekend and did something for me. That play was really good and it felt good to laugh.

It Is Finished

"Godspeed, dear friend - you will be sorely missed." I can't believe my little Sader tader, rotten tomater is gone. Bill and I held her and cried. It was peaceful - she just slept away.

My eyes are huge and swollen. I feel a little like I'm lost in a fog. Sade seemed to know - her eyes were wide when I started to cry. All the way to the end she seemed to care about what my feelings were. That was Sade - she was always so caring. Even as a puppy she was never one to be so "me, me, me" That sounds stupid - but really, Sadie was an old soul from the beginning.

On a lighter note - I was stopped in the school hallway this morning by Mrs B - one of the second grade teachers - "are you Jack's Mom?" I'm never really sure how to answer this question. :-) "I'm teaching Science to his class this semester and I just wanted you to know he's the nicest little boy, he's a real joy to teach."

I said "Um, I'm Jack DAVIDEK'S Mom - there must be two Jacks." :-)

"no, no, there's only one Jack" and she laughed. (boy, ain't that the truth.)

"Well, the boy you describe is a lot different from the boy who gets out of my car every morning" I said "but I'm glad to hear he's behaving himself in school."

She smiled and said "oh, yes, they're all different at school - but Jack is really a helpful child and so good natured."

That was nice to hear. Jack's report card was good too. He brought up his subtraction . His teacher had some nice comments too, about him being such a nice kid with a good heart. But yet the kids here around the house - they pick on him all the time and he comes home in tears. Go figure.

Whine Alert

Ok - I'm whiny. Sal and I attended the meeting for the "Outdoor Learning" field trip that school offers last night. About 5 minutes into it I realized there was really no way for Sal to participate in this. I had planned to go and help her - but there was a LOT of things that would be upsetting to her. 1. Sleeping with others - unless, of course the others don't care to sleep -then she's ok. 2. Being outside in ANY weather - she would NOT be ok about this. I swear she's part cat - any rain and she's inside. 3. No familial items from home. 'Nough said. 4. We still have bathroom issues and she would basically be in a "dorm style" shower situation. So I really think it's best that she not go. The whiny part comes in when I start to look around the room and become jealous.

This kind of thing happened a lot when we were first aware of Sal's limitations - I would sit and look at parents and almost become resentful. That has subsided a LOT - but last night it came raging in. I was angry that I couldn't just sit there - take notes - pack and bag and send my kid on her way. I resigned myself to wait for Jack's turn.

So yesterday was April Fool's day - I served Jack his cereal with a fork in the bowl. When he pulled it out and realized I presented him with a spoon and cried April Fool! :-) He seemed to be pleased. I also packed their snack for daycare with little bags of goodies - BUT I carefully opened them first, took out the stuff that the bag SAID was in there and replaced it with something else and a note that said "April Fool".

When I picked them up I asked how their snack was. Sally said "you trick me". :-) Jack had NO idea what we were talking about - he had thrown his away without even opening it!!!! What a goob! I think we taught him not to do that again - he was a little upset that he wasn't "in" on the joke.

We had Sadie's birthday party last night. She turned 17 yesterday! :-) She got a Happy Meal (she shared her fries) and Taloola had picked up a dog ice-cream baked good from the "Dog Bakery". The kids loved singing happy birthday and having the candle and all. :-) I am NOT looking forward to tomorrow. :-/

Sal and I will be trucking south on Saturday. I'm going to drop Sally off at Grandma and Grandpa's so she can spend Spring Break there and while I'm there I will be able to see my sister in her play. She's the "star" - the director said so on the radio. :-) I think it's called "The Kitchen Witches" or something like that. I'm pretty excited to see her. We saw her in her thing last year - she's really quite good at the acting.

I'm an author!!! That's right - I'm going to be published! :-) Project Choices asked Valley View for a parent to write a letter on their child's "inclusion" experience and guess who they chose. :-) So anyway - after I wrote it I got an email saying how Project Choices wanted to publish it in their brochure and would I sign a form saying they could and also send a picture of Sally. So there you go. I can now put on my tombstone "she was a published author." :-) hee hee

And the last thing I'm going to whine about - Obama - I'm ticked that he's using MY name that *I* gave MY truck for his. "Beast". I KNEW I should have copyrighted it when I started calling my big red truck "Beast". :-)

Baseball and bowling tonight and then try and get enough clean clothes done to fill Sal's suit case to go to Grandma's. I'm looking forward to a break for a week. Of course we'll still have Jack...... sometimes it's a toss up as to who is the hardest.
:-)