Life... still life getting in the way

Long time no blog, huh? An update from the last blog, all is well. Our school year recovered from the tough patch and ended well. A few hiccups along the road but oh well!

Kaelyn had ureter reimplantation surgery in January. Basically her ureters came into the bladder at the wrong spot and in the wrong angle. Our surgeon was amazing. Came and took out the catheters personally! Such excellent bedside manners. We couldn't have been happier. She went home on time, healed up fantastically. We really couldn't be happier. This summer we did a 4 week summer program through parks and rec and it was awesome. She still wants to go back!

Little sister Aria is doing great too! We put up bunk beds in december to give them more play room in their room and, knowing that Kaelyn had surgery coming up, Aria sleeps on the top bunk. She's SUCH a trooper!! She finished up her first year of 3k at our churches preschool and just thrived. It really is a different experience from when we had Kaelyn there. I didn't have the worries because Kaelyn was shy and didn't talk much, would she make friends? With Aria I worried if her bossy, STRONG personality would shine bright and make her friends or if it would come back and bite her. But she fell into the routine wonderfully, made friends (she still talks about this little boy, we'll call him B, and how he LOVES hot sauce. That friend moved away and she is kinda bummed. But she's got 4k to get ready for, and I am just crazy in love with her sassy bold attitude. Well, Mostly.

We finished our first year of girl scouts (daisy troop leader here.!) and loved MOSTLY ever minute. (who loves cookie season? not me. I froze trying to separate cookie orders for 5 girls. lol) But really, it was great. and I had the added bonus of being there to buffer and help Kaelyn.

Hubby and I also celebrated our 10th Anniversary!! Love it! We've made it a decade married! And in this day and age with so much loss and divorce, I consider it an accomplishment! Go us!

OH! and Big news. I joined Origami Owl as an independent Designer! larav.origamiowl.com Just in case you want some pretties. lol. It's awesome. I've been LOVING ever minute! I can't wait to see where this takes me!

Also, I met a momma (and her family too) and notice her beautiful son, who has down syndrome also. But he has mosaic down syndrome! It was so fun and warmed my heart to make a connection with a momma who knows what it's like to have a kid who has DS, but doesn't quite fit the mold! They are just a little extra special! We added each other on facebook so we'll see if it turns into a friendship or just a sounding board. I'm optimistic though!

Well, I guess that's a good update. Better hit the hay so we can take a load of brush to the dump tomorrow. On the upside, our trees look good and I wont eat the branches when we mow the lawn!


All our love, Momma and the girls

spring break trip to Sea Life at MOA

Transformer made completely of Lego's at MOA

Girls on a fake sea turtle at Sea Life

Life gets in the way

Holy smokes. I TRULY am not good at remembering to publish new posts! Not at all!
Last month we had a trip to Mn Childrens in St Paul to get an xray/ultrasound. All good there. NO scar tissue due to her bladder reflux. Wednesday we go in for a RNC procedure to see the ureters. Pretty big deal for Kaelyn as they use sedation and last time it was a MESS! She was a swinging pedulum of emotion. Happy, sad, mad, hysterically laughing, confused and back around in no particular order. And that was for our 30 minute drive home. This time we get to walk around Mn Childrens for an hour and wait for our urologist appointment. I'm hoping she sleeps this crud off. Cuz man, we have a hour and 15 minute drive home. AHHH. We'll need to eat on the way home, maybe in the cafeteria, as I'm not sure I trust Kaelyn with food in the car when she's all pumped full of goofy-juice. Thankfully we'll have Daddy there along with Aria. When she's sick/feeling unwell she just wants her sissy. So hopefully that will work in our favor.

School is going well. We really have found our groove. She is thriving in her class and loving her bracelet. She gets stickers for each part of her day (math workshop, word work, free time, etc) and if she gets 8 or 9 of the 11, she gets a roll of smarties for the drive home. It's awesome how much more she enjoys school, how much more she is participating and coming home with a good attitude! We enjoy after-school Kaelyn much more when she has a good day at school.

She's had her first party (Halloween/Juliette Low's Birthday) for Daisies and her first meeting! Thursday is another meeting and I love how her troop rallied around her last time and said "She almost got her smarties! She was so close! You had a good day Kaelyn!!". I was so apprehensive at first, but this is starting out to be a good thing for her, socially.

Little sister, Aria, is thriving at our little preschool at our church. She loves her friends, her teachers, and the crafts. ESPECIALLY the snack time with friends. "I like to eat with my friends mom!"  It is a completely different experience with Aria. Kaelyn was shy, didn't talk much, and I was never sure how much she actually got out of her time at preschool. Sometimes she seemed overwhelmed by the noise and busyness of it all. Aria can talk so much more (and is a social butterfly) so it feels like she's going to a completely different class. I know its the same (even the same age group/class) but with two different kids and abilities, its two TOTALLY different experiences. But one thing hasn't changed. I love the teachers there and I'm so glad that Aria gets to learn about her "friends" God and Jesus in such a loving and fun environment. (Big hugs if you guys are reading this! Probably not, but all the same, you all are amazing!)

Well, looks like my miniature garbage disposal (aka Aria) need some lunch! Thank you for reading and leave a comment if you'd like. And if you are a parent of a kiddo like Kaelyn... Send a message! I'd love to hear from you!

All our love (and hope for the future)
Lara, Kaelyn, Aria, & Daddy too!

Another positive postf

So last week we had a FULL week of positive school days! SHe's earned all of her smarties! (side story, she has a bracelet with her day broken into 10 parts and if she earns the designated amount of stickers ( i think 7 or 8) she gets a roll of smarties at the end of the day. She's been getting 9 or 10 and happily eating them on the 3 minute drive home! It's been great!

On another note, we are HAPPILY planning our halloween costumes. Kaelyn is going to be a bat. Aria is going to be a "ghost fairy". Yep. Pictures to follow. But I now HATE tulle with a passion! WITH A PASSION!!!

I saw the "stats" page before I saw that someone in Germany and France read my last post! Pretty Cool! Hey guys! I'm so glad for the people I've been connected with through this post! Several parents of kiddos similar to Kaelyn. We all are on the same road. The Unknown Road. So go forth! Have a great day! I know we are on the right path. The happy (for now) path.

Lots of love from my family to yours,

Lara

a turn around!!

I'm not sure what has changed. But Friday and today have been GREAT days.  Kaelyn's SPED teacher even helped her leave me a voicemail on Friday. The majority of the voicemail was "hip hip hooray! We had a good day!"  And today her teacher stopped and told me that whatever we were doing, to keep it up. It feels good to have turned our school time around in a positive direction. I think part of it might be the essential oils too. We haven't really modified any of our routines, or our diet, or anything else huge. The EO is really the only big change. I don't know if its all in her head or if it is truly and really helping, but if we can keep up the momentum until she builds up a solid routine and confidence, I think it will only help in the long run.  We'll see how the rest of the week goes, but I see a light at the end of the tunnel!

Rough Waters

We are having a rough go of things, as of late. So that is partially why there hasn't been an update in more than a few weeks.

Kaelyn is having a rough time transitioning at school.  I don't know if the pace is too much or if the class size is overwhelming. (she was in a class of 9 last year, its 18 this year.)

She is getting pulled to the special education room for extra help more than anticipated and she's started to pout/shut down a bit too. The shut downs lead to more time in the special education room too. It's frustrating because I've been told that they are at their "wits end" and "scratching our heads to find a way to help her". So the next plan of attack is an Educational Psychologist. Hopefully they can figure out a way to help her as it sounds to me, from a mothers stand point that they just don't know what to do any more and are baffled. And that bothers me as She's barely been in school a month (just a little over if I check the calendar, I'm sure.) and she's disrupting her peers and her own education and nobody is happy. Her teacher's seem frustrated and floundering and I think it may be rubbing off on Kaelyn. I dunno. We are at a standstill. I know mainstream is working for so many kids and I hate to see Kaelyn so defeated every day when I pick her up. SOMETHING has to change. And I dont even know what. Or where to begin.  I dont think this week helped with her having a test in another city on Tuesday, and when she gets stressed she doesn't go potty. So she had the worst time of having a tummy ache that we FINALLY got taken care of last night. But darn it. Is it too much for a mommy to hope that our kiddos have an easy time? Or if they have troubles, we just want them to be lesser than they are! For her to have an easy day once in a while so that the teachers don't cringe (I'm guessing) when they see my little red car roll up to drop her off in the morning.

Staring at their salt-water tank in the radiology lab at Mn Children's St Paul.

School so far

So, it's time for another update! Back to school season is just the ticket for a new blog post.  Kaelyn is now a full fledged, card carrying member of the kindergarten crowd!

She has a teacher she likes, she's made a friend, enjoys breakfast at school ( today it was cheerios, applesauce and chocolate milk. the other day it was fruit, milk and cheerios. I think they let her pick and she just happens to love cheerios) and she is doing okay with the hot lunch process. I will admit I was worried about how I would help her remember or wear her lunch p.i.n. but all kindergartners have a lanyard with their 5 digit number on it and she hasn't expressed any upset over the routing, so I call it a win. I've now gotten her to school and dropped off on time both days and picked up on time.

I will admit I was nervous as I am NOT a morning person. Never have been. I am a night owl. I love the quiet of the night and all of the little things that I can get done while everybody else is sleeping. But if I indulge my inner night owl, the mornings are hard and I am crabby.

On a brighter note, little Aria started preschool at our church today. She thoroughly enjoyed it and even cried a little at the thought of having to *gasp* go home!! But Mrs. B promised painting and the possibility of the playground So, along with a bribe of caribou, we are all good. She is anxiously waiting her next day and being able to see all of her "new friends". We were tremendously blessed to be able to send her to our churches preschool. Kaelyn went there at 3 years old and while her confidence and speech didn't set her up for great social activities, I was able to witness moments of sweetness from many of her classmates and she enjoyed herself immensely. She just happened to be a wallflower and people watcher. Aria is another story altogether. She is a social butterfly, a chatty, bubbly, curly haired ball of energy. My two little girls are so different but alike in so many ways. I can't wait to see how each of them benefits (in their own way) from 3k!

Anyhow, Thanks for reading my little ol' blog and following our crazy journey. We love you to pieces and thank you for any and all kind words. They mean the world to us! Have a great day!

Lara and the Fam.

(and shout out to Auntie L for the kind comment on the last blog! WE LOVE YOU!)

Almost back to school!

Hello! How are you? We are great!  We are anxiously awaiting back to school.  Kaelyn has her storm trooper backpack and we are waiting to get Aria hers. Things have fallen perfectly into place and we are able to send Aria to preschool! She is going to 3k at our church where Kaelyn also went for 3k. I can't wait for Mrs Tammy and the crew to welcome Aria to her first EVER day of school! And Kaelyn.... I am so TERRIFIED of sending her for the WHOLE DAY! We are currently looking into ways to get her to remember a lunch pin (number. Yes i know what PIN stands for. lol) and how to get pants without snaps and buttons so she can go to the bathroom on her own! This whole mainstreaming things has a way of raising my heart rate and stress levels! I hope there are kids there who "get" her. Who see her sweet smile and her silly attitude. Would it be so wrong to get another re-do of her friends J*?  She was so sweet and Kaelyn had a fast friend before she even made it to school!  Oh well, I am sure it will all come together, it's just the stress of the unknown. How will it go? Who will she get for a teacher? When will I get any information on Daisy Girl Scouts!? I am very excited for that. I think it will be a very good way to help her socially and make more friends in her peer groups. Plus, this momma was a girl scout. I can't wait for her to experience all of those things herself! Camp outs, earning badges, making friends, THE song about friends from girl scouts.... I'm just so exited.  There are so many changes, and hopefully it all goes off without a hitch, but I am SURE we will get through any and all bumps in the road!


Aria is now BEGGING to get taller and older and lose her teeth because she saw the special gift Kaelyn got. She is begging to get bigger. She is so SURE that she is growing. She wakes up each morning and after her impromptu naps saying "Mom, Did I grow Big enough?" and I just want to squeeze her and tell her that she will BEG for the years back later. She wont want to be an adult and she will want time to slow down. Just like momma does now. But she is 3 and is convinced that she is Tip Tucci (from the movie "Home" ) and that she is one day (soon) going to have a red car named "Slushious" that will run off of 3 flavors of slushy and fly through the air.


We are also working on overnight potty training with Kaelyn. She sleeping in underwear (on a pee mat.) and we take her potty before bed and I set one alarm overnight (usually 2am-ish) to take her again. We've had some good success. 2 dry nights in the last week and all others were just damp or dribbles. Only ONE soaking wet night, and that was after the migraine from HADES evening and I was not waking up for that. I wasn't able to handle it. She is loving going to bed in her big girl undies. It was a really big blow to her and her moods when Aria finally got to wear underwear to bed. Her little sister, once again, beating her to the punch. But we are catching up. Aria sure pushes her further and harder than we ever could. And it works in the best of ways.


Anyhow, thanks for suffering through my rambling post. The summer is coming to an end and I'm mostly sure we have everything down pat.  The only thing we are waiting for is preschool paperwork! And payday so we can finish our back to school shopping! Hopefully I can go to sleep now. I didn't realize it was 12:43 in the morning!!


Have a great day! I know we will!
All our love,
Momma and the girls.

*name changed. yep. didn't think to ask her momma! If you are reading this T, Whatcha say? lol