Sick

It started as a runny nose, then on to my chest and has really set up camp there.  It's been two weeks and I'm still hacking.  That icky part where you can't get "it" up or down.  Ewwww.  AND with it is this stiff neck.  Not a meningitis pain when bending neck forward or backward but a  pinched nerve kind of pain all the time.  :-/   It just stinks. 

Bill got it and so did Sal.  Sal was very minimal and Jack seems to be totally unaffected.  Like I always say - there's no germ ever going to invade Jack's body - too dirty.  :-)   Kind of the same reason that Mabel never gets sick. 

Big garage sale here this weekend.  Got rid of a lot of stuff in the garage.  Of course Bill's already made plans to fill it next weekend.  :-)  He has so much fun out there.  

I'm seriously thinking about doing daycare out of the house again - but not too soon.  I'm really enjoying my free time and kind of "finding myself" (and my house)  :-)

Aunt Jill comes next weekend.  Sally has been talking about it all month.  I'm hoping that she will be able to help me understand my new sewing machine and help me pick out some fabric and patterns. 

I've also been asked to help with guided reading at school.  I can't wait.  We start next week.  I can't believe what some people consider acceptable books for their kids.  There's just such crap out there.  It's just all junk - no rhyme or reason or plot.   Not to mention how people read.   Just sad.  I know in the grand scheme of things it's not the hugest problem, but like the teachers in middle school and high school - I feel MY obsession should be the most important to everyone.  :-) 

LOTS of problems with the school board lately.  I could go on and on and on about the horrible behavior they have shown lately.   I just shake my head at people who get SO upset about how things are and how our children behave but set examples of the WORST behavior.  When are we going to hold ourselves to a higher standard?  Kind of like signs I see (or people for that matter) that call the President stupid and stupid is misspelled.  This is the price of freedom.  Of everyone having a say.  Even the stupid ones.  :-)

And while I'm on the subject ---- could we ALL please, both sides, STOP with the Hitler references.  NO ONE is like Hitler.  It not only waters down the evil that he was but also shows a genuine lack of knowledge of history.  I just squirm every time I hear someone compare anyone to Hitler.  We will NEVER know the depth of atrocities that were committed by that man (thank God).   I'll step off my soapbox now.  :-)

13 years ago

13 years ago - I was in Hinsdale Hospital having slight contractions and the Drs were trying to figure out how to stop them and keep me pregnant.  It was a little touch and go that week.  When we left the house on Thurs the 11th we were SO excited.  We were high fiving and calling everyone to tell them we were headed to the hospital because my water had broke. 

Later that morning Wilk came in with a very serious look on his face.  Things weren't as far as we thought.  Sal was early and they were scared she wouldn't be able to eat or breathe.  I'll never forget how very quickly the mood changed. 

So, they managed to keep me pregnant 3 more days and on Sunday when contractions started they decided maybe we should bring her out - c-section.  Well, there was something I didn't think would happen.  The only chapter of the book I hadn't read was the c-section part.  :-) 

As I look back I think I may have been in shock.  It seemed very out of body for me.   Things seemed to steamroll along that Sunday.  Surgery prep, epidural, extra IVs, being rolled here and there.  I remember a LOT of tugging on my tummy - I felt I was being moved down there and then all of a sudden the Wilk was holding up this bloody baby and Lannie was saying "2:10 and it's a girl and she's so pretty and she's POOPING!"   :-)   Being strapped down and not being able to hold her right away was a nightmare. 

They left with her.  Bill left.  The doctors all talked about the Bears game and about Disney - I think someone was going to go there soon.  They left.  A nurse came in and wheeled me to some room and put all kinds of warm blankets on me.  That felt so good but then the shaking started.  I shook like one of those bumble balls.  I'd try and talk myself down "relax, it's ok, stop, you're fine."  The shaking would stop and then the blood pressure bag on me would start up and the shaking would start all over again.  It was horrible. 

After a while someone came and got me and took me to my room.  They asked me to crawl from gurney to my bed.  Being all numb, it felt like I was crawling on a cloud.  At one point I even asked the nurse if I was moving at all.  It felt SO weird.  I made it through the night and kept looking at a Polaroid picture of the little girl.  The next day was awful - I felt like a truck hit me, but seeing Sal was GREAT.  Bill came and held her while I watched.  They laid her on my bed and I was able to feed her and to play with her.  She slept - A LOT.   We had to wake her every 3 hours to feed her.   3 days later we were both able to come home. 

13 years later and she's more than made up for that 5 pound start she had.  And she still wants to eat every 3 hours.  :-)

Sal woke this morning and announced to the house in her big outdoor voice, that it was her birthday and that we should all be wishing her a happy birthday!  We had cinnamon rolls for breakfast - with candle and sang to her.  She packed her goodies up in her back pack along with a note for everyone to join her at Culvers tonight.  Granpa and Granma called.  Aunt Lonnie called.  She was so happy to hear from them.  She has gotten mail all week and every piece is met with an expression as if it was the best one.  She's something.

Happy Birthday, my dear Sally.  May you always be as happy as you are now.

Fall Returns!

I love this picture.  I don't know who any of these kids are - I'm guessing at least one belongs to someone I went to school with.  This is the front line of Central Panther football.  I wish we would have done this in our year.  :-)  I remember our guys looking MUCH bigger.  :-)

God, I LOVE this time of year!  The windows open, the crisp mornings and wonderful afternoons. 

School's IN!!!

Oh, thank God, school has started.  I kissed Sally's bus driver on the lips when he pulled up to take her away.  :-)  jk   She is SO excited every morning when we get ready.  Jack is doing well too.  They both love school.  I like that.

Behavior program is back for Sal and she's doing well.  I love to listen to her stories when she gets home.  I'm really enjoying being home for them.  (her mostly)

Jack had curriculum night at JES last week.  It was interesting.  In our packet of things (ie: sample report card, what they expect him to master in 4th grade etc.) was a sample copy of a referral and an expulsion.  I'm lost as to why these are included.  I mean - *I* know that if I do horrible things I will go to jail - I don't need to *see* jail.  I never once got a referral in school - so I never saw one.  Hmmm.  As I told Jack - "this will be the ONLY time I'll see this".  Maybe we don't expect enough?  I EXPECT Jack to do his best - yes, I expect that he will get in trouble at times but I also EXPECT that being called down will suffice and he will NOT have the problem again. 

Jack literally clothes lined himself last weekend.  He was playing in the Hot tub and as he jumped out he did his Jeff Hardy stuff and hit his mouth almost exactly where his stitches had been.  We took a little trip to BMC.  As we were waiting for the Dr he was telling me that he was going to invent a TV/Computer that would be only for rich people.  "Just so I know, are we rich?"  I asked.

"Oh, yeah..." he answered like I was an idiot.  :-)  That made me smile.  Things are good in Jack's world.  He's found a whole gaggle of brothers at J&J's.  Sally is getting better at not being *too* odd for him.  The bossing still sends him up a wall - but he's learning to deal.