Missing a friend

My best friend and her son left yesterday. Drove them to the airport and we were both pretty silent on the drive there, knowing good byes were coming closer. I cried most of the way home. Having been here in Arizona for 7 years now I've yet to make a friend such as her. Someone who knows what I am thinking without words. Someone who understands what I go through day in and day out with my children. Someone who isn't into the drama as some friends can be. Someone who pretty much knows what to say and when to say it. I miss her so much. Being so far away from her is tough. So today it was back to the phone calls and text messages back and forth. It was also a day of Airen asking when his friends from Ohio would be back to visit. He wants them here to see the boat parade in Tempe and the snow that is shipped in for the kids to play in!! So if you are reading this dear friend of mine from Ohio know how much you are loved and missed here in Arizona!!! We love you!!!

Busy week

I think this week is one of the busiest I will have in a long time. Auntie and baby B leave today around 11am. At 3 pm this afternoon we have an IEP meeting at Airen's school. Naw is coming to sit with the kids for awhile. Airen has speech and Ms W today also. I also have a meeting I want to try to attend this evening. This is just today TUESDAY. Tomorrow is early release day for Airen and another meeting for me. Thursday Airen has school then he has an eye doctor appointment and Ms W. Friday is party day at school and I am going to help in the classroom. Also its Halloween and Airen is so excited to dress up and see his friends that evening. By the time the week is over I am going to need a vacation. So much to do and so many places to be this last week of October. Where has this month gone?!?!?! Cannot believe it will be Thanksgiving and Christmas before we know it.

Best friends come to visit

This last week my best friend and her son came to visit from Ohio. The weather the last week has also been in the mid 90's--HOT!! So thoughts of trips to the zoo and parks were out. We did spend a lot of time just enjoying each other's company and letting the kids play. Airen loves baby B and is going to be very upset when he gets home from school today and they are gone. Auntie was wonderful with Airen. He listened to her and worked on legos with her with no issues. Of course it helps that auntie works with special needs children. Boy do I wish she were closer. Some days just having an extra set of hands around to help with Airen and Mara is what I need. We took the babies to the playground one day. Baby B found his shadow and was crawling after it, cutest thing ever!!! We also went to the small farm to check out some pumpkins. Baby B is always so smily and so cute. Last night we decided to put all three kids into the tub!!! What fun they had together and surprisingly my bathroom wasn't flooded. I am going to be very sad to see my best friend leave today. We don't see each other that often but we sure talk on the phone many times a day. Just knowing that she understands the successes and challenges we face with Airen means the world to us.

Vavo & Vavo visit

making pizza
playing music
making a maze for the golf balls
riding the motocycle with daddy
Mara playing with dried beans & rice

This week we are fortunate to have Doug's parents visiting from MA. Airen is so excited they are here. Mara has surprisingly taken very well to them. She is giving lots of hugs. On Friday we kept Airen from school and Doug had the day off. We all took a trip to the Children's Museum of Phoenix (http://www.childrensmuseumofphoenix.org/). Airen & Mara had a blast. I am very pleased with this place. Its full of sensory activities perfect for any child, especially Airen. There was an arts and crafts room, a play kitchen room, a grocery store. There was also a place with tricycles and a obstacle course and car wash for the kids to ride around. There was also a room that had all these courses set up that you would put the balls in the shoot and off they went. Again both kids had so much fun. Airen has already asked when we can go back there. The $9.00 admission isn't too bad so we will probably go back there again. Next time I think we want to ask some of our therapy friends to join us and make a day of it with the kids.

School update

This is a bit late in coming but things have been crazy trying to figure out. Airen continues to have 3 different individuals working with him during the day. In the mornings it rotates between two aides and in the afternoon there is only one individual. At least in the afternoons when he seems to have the most difficulties he is with one person. On October 28th the IEP team will be sitting down for a meeting. All areas need to get on the same page with what actual paperwork says and what services need to be done. For the record our district's special ed program is NOT in compliance with the state board of education. I know speech is adding a few goals and will be doing two days a week speech. We are waiting to find out about OT. The actual reports indicate OT services but right now he's just on a weekly consultation. I am hopeful he'll be receiving full services after the meeting.

We had parent teacher conferences a few weeks ago. Airen's teacher said Airen is a ''sponge''. Pretty much everything she teaches him he remembers. Airen has been sounding words out everywhere and is anxious to start reading. He is also excited about math. He is asking all kinds of what does this and this equal. Very exciting!!! School also has requested we send Airen big boy undies and they are going to start putting him in them during the day. The first day he did well at school but came home and wet himself. The next day was early release and he refused the undies. The other days I am ''told'' he stayed dried and went on the potty. I get the potty log this week and started looking over it. Well the poor kid isn't going potty at school except first thing in the morning. He then rushes in the door and goes potty here. Then last week he had an accident at school and that was all it took for him to request his pull ups again. So much for school trying to help. I told the teacher and his case worker that we can try it but I am pretty positive he will wet himself once and get embarrassed and that is the end of potty. Sure enough. Since he had his accident at school he's pretty much refused going on the potty---urghhh!!! Starting to get really frustrated with this whole potty training thing.