I'm so glad to be back on the computer again! My darling children downloaded a game last week onto my laptop. I discovered Sun. night that we were up to 4.8G and we're only allotted 5G a month! Once we went over by just 600 MB and it cost us an extra $100. So, our use on the internet was extremely limited until today when our new billing cycle began.
I visited my friend Jenny today. I mentioned her a year or more ago. She's my friend that gave birth to little Rebekah, with some pretty serious needs. Rebekah has been home since she was six months old, but somehow in the 10 months since then I have just never made it over to visit with them. Of course, I know their lives are very busy with therapists in and out of the home and all the dr's visits and even surgery that's had to happen. Jenny started bringing Rebekah to church in April and my heart has just melted every time I've seen that little girl. She's so obviously handicapped - but so obviously God's creation. Today I got to hold her for the first time and it was wonderful! If it weren't for Ben, I don't think I'd feel quite this tenderness towards those with special needs. And it was good for both Jenny and I to talk. There's just something about talking with someone who's been through the same fires. Sometimes I feel bad, though, that I don't have it more "together" after almost 15 years on this journey. I feel like I'm in a stage of life now where I should be more of an encouragement to moms just starting out on this road. But sometimes I still feel just as needy and heartbroken as I did nearly 15 years ago. I think it's a journey without a destination.
But I found out today in talking with Jenny and the one therapist that happened to be at her house, that little Rebekah and Ben share the same occupational therapist, Brandi. I did not know that. And then someone said - and I can't remember if it was Jenny quoting Brandi, or if it was this lady that was there today from the AEA. Anyway, it was said that if you are going to have a handicapped child in this area, Pleasantville school is the best place for them. I couldn't believe it! Pville is the smallest school in this area. In fact, it's so little that there have been fears that it may close at some point. They graduate about 40 seniors a year. How thankful I am, though, that God lead us to that school - and that it is only 10 min away from our house! Ben starts his transitional schooling next week for 2 hours a day and he is so excited to be going back!
So, then I got home, got on the computer, and haven't been off since. I uploaded July's pictures to Facebook, which took forever since I had a lot from our vacation. I don't upload every picture we take. I know that I have no desire to look through all 16 shots of one kid blowing out birthday candles, like some people post. So I try to choose the best photos of every event and just post those. And this way I can be more choosy about which shots of ME go up! I'm not going to show everything. I had one picture Paul took of David and me at the water park. Actually, it's kind of a cute picture, with his expression and I don't look half-drowned, which is always a plus. But it's a full-body shot of me in my bathing suit! I'm not posting that for the entire world to see - not with my post-csectioned tummy (kangaroo pouch) and too-friendly dimpled thighs. They're neighbors now - my thighs. Used to be they wouldn't have anything to do with each other. Now they like to rub against each other all the time. I wish they would go back to being merely acquaintances.
And I'm blogging now. I was supposed to go to Ladies' Bible study but decided to stay home. I'm tired of running around all the time. I've got to drive over to Indianola several times in the next few days and I just needed a night off. Paul went to Knoxville to an auction. He says he's going to look at an advertised pie safe for me (I found one on vacation that I almost bought, but decided not to) but I think he just wanted an excuse to go. I really don't have room for a pie safe right now, anyway. Once the kitchen gets remodeled, then it would be a different story. Paul says that's going to happen this fall. I told him I want the outside cleaned up first. There's siding pieces and wood and other construction materials laying around as well as many, many metal items that need to be hauled to the salvage yard. I'm just tired of it and he's not starting another mess in here until he gets the first one cleaned up! I think I'm getting cranky. Living in a fixer-upper can do that to a person.
Paul has been a cripple this week. Last Sat. he thought he would be funny and tried to sit on Will. Will pushed back and sent his dad flying into the couch where he heard his ribs go "crunch." He has been in agony every since, although it's finally starting to get a little better. He even had me take him to Urgent Care for x-rays. Nothing was broken, though. He hasn't been able to roll over in bed and he's been living on the pain prescriptions they gave him. But he went to the chiropractor this week, which makes me cringe. I wouldn't want anyone popping on me if I was in that much pain! Paul is starting to seem a little more human now, so I guess the pain is lessening somewhat. I bet it will be a long time before he tries to mess with Will again, though!
I have to admit, I was a little put-out when he injured himself in such a foolish way last week. We finally had a Saturday where he was home all day and could get some work done on the house. And then he wrecked that by getting hurt. But, he did redeem himself by building my bathroom cabinet that day - in between moans, that is. He and Will got it hung up and now I've got a place for towels and blankets. I'm liking it!
David and Sam have come down with summer colds. They're sneezing and dripping snot everywhere - disgusting. Sam keeps asking for "more medicine." Think I'm raising a future drug addict? If they share with me, I am not going to be happy. I don't get sick because I don't have time. Seriously - I don't get sick. I went this whole past winter season without so much as a cold. I think that probably has more to do with all the Vit D I take than anything else. But I don't have time to be down with anything. The last time I was sick like that was the day that Paul, Will, and I had the flu at the same time. Sam was 13 months old and very mobile. He did something with my keys that day and we've never found them since. I don't want to lose anything else, so I can't get sick!
Will had his physical last week. He's healthy - almost 5'11" and weighs 161 lbs. But they called me back to the room and announced to me that Will has a hearing loss. We've known since '07 that he was missing some of the hearing in his left ear and have tried to make him see the importance of limiting his mp3 player use and using ear plugs when hunting, as a result. But they told me he only has 50% hearing in that ear and that he has some loss in his right ear, as well! I was not happy. But, I'm trying not to get too worked up about it - yet. On the 16th of Aug, I'm taking Will to see my ENT. I have a yearly check-up every summer to monitor my hearing situation and they have a professional sound booth there and can more accurately test hearing than a regular dr's office can. Obviously, a person can live with less-than-perfect hearing. I have, my entire life. But the hearing in my right ear has always been very good, which compensated for having none in the left. But as I am getting older, that "good" ear is diminishing and I find myself more and more frustrated with the inability to hear at times. A hearing aide is in my future, but hopefully not for awhile yet. I just have to think that being partially deaf in both ears would be a lot harder than being completely deaf in only one ear, as I am.
Well, the kids at church got a lesson on the birds and the - well, birds - last night, thanks to yours truly. My friend Deb and I ended up taking the school-aged kids down to pray since the regular person didn't show up. So, after we did that, we took the kids outside to play. I noticed a hawk nearby who appeared to be grappling with a bunny. There were tufts of what I thought was fur all over the ground and it looked like quite a struggle had ensued. I gathered all the kids around and instructed them to watch as this was quite educational. So they did. And then all of a sudden, the hawk lifted his prey into the air and I realized it wasn't a bunny, but another bird. Deb and I looked at each other and I exclaimed, "I didn't know they eat their own!" And then the second bird suddenly freed herself and flew off. And that's when it dawned on me - it wasn't a meal that we interrupted. It was something else, entirely! Oh my goodness - Deb and I laughed so hard. Fortunately, most of the kids couldn't figure out what we thought was so funny! I'm surprised I haven't had to field any phone calls after that one!
Well, I had better turn the computer over to the kids so they can spew their germs all over it. Ick! They've been bugging me all afternoon and evening for it. I need to do some picking up around here and then herd the kids to bed. We may get a thunderstorm tonight - I sure hope so. It's been a long, hot summer.
Only one more week and Will will be home for good! Am I normal? I go crazy stuck at home with them for so long that I have to get out and do things by myself from time to time. But when they're gone I miss them like crazy. Maybe I just miss all the stuff he does around here, like changing the garbage and killing the mice! Well, Will tends to have a very "calming" manner to him. I might not miss some of the more excitable ones so much! Give me a chance to find out!
Gotta run. Next week Ben starts school, part-time. Oh, guess I mentioned that already - maybe I'm excited or something! And two weeks from today I'll be in Michigan! I'm so nervous about the whole flying-alone thing that I'm not even looking forward to the trip yet. I need to get over that!
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