I thought I'd give an update on how each of the kids are doing lately. This may be boring for ya'll!
Mercedes: She continues to have Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis (the dr's aren't totally sure because the labs came back negative, but everything else points to it). She has to go down to Salt Lake again in 6 weeks for a checkup. She is hating jr high and the boys that go with it. She is a fun girl who likes to laugh and giggle. One thing we are working on with her is 'How to take a 3 minute shower' vs. her 30 minute shower. With her ADD she forgets what she is doing in a square cubicle with water spraying on her, apparently. :)
Hunter: He is in 4th grade, with casual friends. He has never had a close friend--and he's never had a friend over to play. I guess for him, he enjoys being by himself and not having that added pressure of being social. He was recently told by Dr Darold Treffert, an expert in Savant Syndrome, and a consultant for the movie Rainman, that he is an Artistic Autistic Savant. I hope that he will be able to provide for himself with this talent as he matures. There are too many starving artists out there. Hunter has recently taken up playing the ukulele. Don't ask me why. :)
Mason: He is doing great in 2nd grade. He was retained this year (an August birthday) and I'm glad we decided to do it. His self esteem is better being the oldest and biggest in his class. He is reading above grade level now--a super improvement from just a year ago! His IEP was the other day, and they are thinking he won't qualify for Speech and OT by May. He and Hunter take a special needs gymnastic class on Tuesdays, too. The instructors want the boys to learn a gym routine and participate in Special Olympics. Both boys are active in the Scouting program, too.
Ryder: He continues with gut issues. His school calls me often to come pick him up if he is having a bad day--usually it's because of severe gas pains. I wish we could get to the bottom of it...literally. He loves to give squeezes and pats on the back and is very loving, even though he has autism. That tells you that kids with autism aren't all the same. Some really are loving. He likes to be sneaky and at times will escape from the house and, of course, this creates a lot of drama in the family! I pray every day that angels will watch over him, because I can't be everywhere at once.
With the hubby, after several years of filing for disability, he was finally approved. It took an attorney to push it through. I feel validated now. This probably isn't something that people talk about in general, but I don't care. We have fought a long and hard battle which justifies a little celebration.
As for me, I recently started exercising in, yet again, another attempt to lose weight. With the new year approaching I will be taking a refresher course to get my LPN license current. And then we'll see where that leads. Bill and I might be doing a "role reversal". Me, the bread winner, and he the house-husband.
All in all, it's been a good year with some successes along the way. We still have a ways to go. My babies are getting older and bigger--if I had a super power I would squeeze them back down to when they were babies--oh, but for a moment!
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