A much needed update

I figured I'd take a moment to update you all about what's been going on. I'm doing this from my phone so please excuse any typos.

This past month or so has wreaked hell on me. I was sick almost non-stop save a few day's break here and there. Then, last Friday, the intense pain in my face started. It began just below my eye on my cheek bone. I thought it was a sinus infection since I had been so congested. It started getting worse though. It felt like Chuck Norris roundhouse kicked me on the left side of my face. I couldn't see straight, was seeing things, dizzy, nauseous, could barely open my mouth; bending over made my face hurt more, and coughing was a nightmare. Every time I coughed, I would start crying.

It was late by the time I wanted to go urgicare and dragging two tired kids and a toddler to the hospital for four hours was not something I wanted to put anyone through, so we waited until Sunday morning to go when we could get a babysitter. When I got to the hospital, they said it was TMJ.And they can't do much about it. They could do a CAT scan, but since I'm pregnant, the radiation poses too much a risk for the baby. Can't do surgery either...They sent me home with Tylenol 3's, which didn't do much. Still couldn't see, eat, or walk much.

I made a follow-up appointment with my midwife. She was concerned it was an abscessed tooth as well (she couldn't really tell though, because I couldn't open my mouth), and told me to make an appointment with a dentist at the biggest hospital in the area. By this point, I had developed a minor fever too, which didn't really surprise me considering my entire body ached. I tried, but they said for me to come in during their emergency hours. I was concerned it was an abscessed tooth since the other hospital barely did anything to check or rule anything out. I knew how things worked at the hospital, if there were too many people there when I went, I wouldn't be seen. I didn't want to risk anything (plus, my husband wouldn't be able to take me having worked 12 hours and then having to go back and work another 12), so we went to that hospital's emergency room.

Surprisingly, it only took about two hours in and out. I received the same diagnosis of TMJ, but at least they checked inside my mouth and checked the baby's heart rate. Went home with some penicillin and Vicodin. That's about all that can be done at this time.

I still don't feel much better. I can at least cough without screaming in pain, though, and I can do things around the house in small spurts. But, I still can't eat much. I've lost about three pounds already...not something you really wanna do when you're 26 weeks pregnant...I don't know what caused it, either. I know it wasn't from grinding my teeth, since I've been a mouth-breather as of late (It's not my fault!).

In other news, we got my eldest daughter's IEP back. They said she has PPD-NOS or Asperger's Syndrome and ADHD. She will never be able to be in a normal class if she went to a typical public school. I'm soooo thankful for Summit Academy...I've mentioned the school before, but in case you've missed it, it's a school that deals specifically with children with Asperger's, Autism, ADHD, and other such disorders. The teachers are specifically trained to deal with children with these challenges. They also lump two grades into one classroom in their elementary schools. Very nice for kids who are struggling or may be ahead of their grade. Back when she attended the public school in our old city, we frequently received calls about her emotional "instability". She's already made some wonderful improvements since attending Summit Academy. She still struggles greatly socially, but now with her IEP, we know what we need to focus on. Academically, she does amazing... Except in spelling; she's at about a kindergarten level there, but she can read at a third grade level.

I'm still struggling myself to fully understand her IEP report.  It's a lot to take in, and at times it makes me a little sad to know she will probably struggle in life. Especially knowing how much of an awesome kid she is.

In blog news, I have a giveaway coming up! I've been working on writing it up. It's taking longer than I'd like, but it's self-sponsored, so I can do that. ^_~ I just wish I'd feel better...

The Impending School Year

Summer break is almost over. In a few weeks, both my eldest and my son will be attending school. This year, however, Bucket will not be attending e-school. As nice as it was to not have to worry about waking up as ass o'clock, doing her hair, making sure her uniform (blech!) is kept clean, etc., it just wasn't working out for us. It became a fight to get her to do anything, and that's not how I want her early school experience to be. Plus, with the new baby coming, there's no way I could juggle it all. Hell, I'm still struggling to find some balance in my life. Every time I think I've got it down, something changes.

She'll instead be going to a school specifically for children with ADD, Asperger's, and such. She seems excited, mostly over karate, which I'm hoping will help calm her rebelliousness. Not that I want to squash it out completely, it just needs to be harnessed in some and channeled in a more positive direction. She is quite strong willed, challenges authority, and will speak out when she feels wronged. Not necessarily a bad thing, she's just become so angry. It will be nice to for her to play with kids again though. She's been so lonely the last year.

My son will be attending preschool. I admit I'm a bit worried...He's begun emulating his older sister in not listening and talking back. I'm hoping he'll be able to focus and sit still enough to where I'm not getting calls from the teacher. And if they think I'm just going to medicate him, they're sorely wrong. I'm pretty sure they provide buses for preschoolers, but I know that all the other schools here will only provide them if you're two miles away. And we're right on the two mile mark (according to the Googles).

I'm not going to lie...I'm really looking forward to getting some quieter times in the house. I love my kids more than anything, but a year of having three kids straight up my ass is grounds for a freaking break. Sure, it's taught me a lot as a parent - especially in terms of patience - but I'm not Supermom. No one is. No one should be expected to, either. I'm a human too, and I have needs dammit! Ooh, and!...and I should have more time for :gasp!: blogging! Yay! I know I've been talking about getting back into it for months, but maybe this time I will actually get the chance!

Not too keen on physicals being required. I understand why, don't get me wrong, but it's still a pain in the ass. And I still have to make appointments for my ultrasound and I need to see a hematologist to get my Protein S Deficiency checked into. Which, by the way, my pregnancy has been going great. Had some hardcore morning sickness, major food aversions and intolerances, all the typical early complaints. But no bleeding, no ER trips, and the heartbeat is going strong at 168 bpm. I'm 13 weeks now! Oh and my husband needs to be screened for HOCM since there's a family history of it (which is what the student athletes you read about die from).

I really am not looking forward to having four kids in school...If I think it's chaotic now, how's it going to be then?? So my question to veteran parents, how do you manage the August Crazies? The enrollment process, school supply lists, wardrobe, etc?

For Those Who Care

Guess who's back?!?


Me. Duh. Who else? ^_~ lol j/k.

Yeah, Little Miss Piggy Baby has begun crawling and entertaining herself more frequently. She's self-weaned and when she does want to nurse, it's from a bottle. Which makes me incredibly sad. i wanted to extend breatfeeding beyond a year, but I just don't make enough. I wish I could afford donor milk, but that's not possible right now. But she's still quite the momma's girl and still sleeps with us. Even if she is a bed hog.

However, more time for me, yayyy! Don't get me wrong, I don't regret it or anything. But nine straight months of pure devotion to someone can be mentally taxing.

We just got Bucket a new pet. Hammy the guinea pig. He's just a few weeks old but growing fast. the only reason why we took him was A.) Our friends have been trying to get "rid" of him for a while B.)He came with food, bedding, and a cage and C.) Bucket reeeeeeally wanted a guinea pig. Mostly C though. He was extremely skittish before but not anymore. She's been almost constantly holding him. I'm hoping this will make her more responsible (you know, as a therapy pet). She's responsible for feeding him, making sure he has water, and changing his bedding. She's actually been begging to change his bedding for the past few days (it doesn't need it, yet)!

Dilli fell and busted his head open a few weeks ago.  Got three stitches in his dome piece. He was climbing out of the playpen - after being told not to - and hit his head on the built-in shelving.

It healed quite nicely though...You can hardly see it now.


My husband and I now have to wear glasses. He has astigmatism, I just have a really weak prescription. I'm having a very hard time getting used to them. I can't see through them if there's a glare. And now, I can't stand it when my hair's in my face as opposed to not caring otherwise.

 Oh! And guess what?! Since I have more time for myself now, I have a new hobby!! Acrylic nails and nail design! They never last long on me because I'm too busy with my hands, but I still have fun doing it. So, expect to see some posts about that as well in the near future.

Feels good to be back though!

I'm not dead, just sleeping

Dammit, I had half a post written up and it got deleted. Rabble, rabble, rabble!

Um, anyway... Yeah, after I hooked up Dia's computer to see if I had it all set up just fine, my computer decided it wasn't going to connect to the internet anymore. I had planned on getting a new laptop soon anyway, I just wish it would have held out a little longer. The thing was 15 years old anyway...i think it knew it was going to be replaced...I had a few reviews I wanted to post too that are now stuck on the old hard drive. Pisses me off too.

So  back to phone blogging (phlogging?) for now. Needless to say, if you see any typos or misplaced words, it's unintentional.

Bucket's home schooling has been...coming along... It eats up a lot of my time. While we can get it down to six hours, it usually takes longer. She's "falling behind", especially since I noticed that she's not truly absorbing a lot if th stuff I've been trying to teach her. Just the other day it took around two hours for her to fully learn what an adjective is. Two hours if me constantly repeating and playing an adjective game online. Plus, the learning management system (LMS)  doesn't like to load from time to time. Aaand, it doesn't help anything that she started late, so I've had to go back and search through all of her lessons for her vocabulary words. I'm kicking myself for starting later in the year. In my defense, i didn't know there weren't any buses. At least i know she can continue schooling throughout summer. I can't turn anything in, but I can get all her assignments done and put them in a folder to be submitted once classes resume. Don't get me wrong, I'm not bitching, I love home schooling (even if it is stressful at times with two younger ones). But there are times when I wish she was attending a brick and mortar school. And I know she misses her friends... However, with no transportation and her being a night owl it's what has to be done. I don't think I've ever mentioned this before, but she doesn't fall asleep until about 2 am even though we lay her down every night no later than 9 PM. And should she fall asleep before then, she wakes up and is up until Dog knows when. I have tried speaking with her doctor about it to no avail. It's something she's ALWAYS done, even since birth. I've read that itsa symptom of Asperger's and if she truly does have it like i think she does, then that could be the cause...

Since Bucket wakes up at around noon or one (I wonder what her team years ate gonna be like), I utilize that time to bond with Boots as much as possible. I think the poor boy is sufferin from middle child syndrome as he's been acting up a bit lately. Being loud, not listening, and making a mess mostly. Jus today he spilled salt everywhere while i was baby sitting the washing machine... The other night grew seasoned i leftover hamburger patty with an entire jar of cinnamon. A wannabe chef we've got on or hands. .We mostly just cuddle and watch tv together, and occasionally do some puzzles or play games together if the baby "allows" it. Once it's time for her to start studying, I usually give him something to work on as well.

Her Majesty is growing up way too fast for me. She's now six and a half months and started eating solid food now. I tried delaying giving them to her as long as possible in an effort to avoid any more food allergies in the family and to let her stomach mature. But, she would have it otherwise, and if it were up to her, she would have been eating solids at four months. She's now eating two to three times a day (depending on there cues she gives me). She now has two teeth and i think is working on another set as she's been quite the Bratosaurus. She was learning how to blow raspberries until I showed her how to clap her hands. She's done it a few times on her own but needs help for the most part. She's way too smart, but she does what she wants. Even though she's six and a half months, she still can't sit up on her own. She'll either stiffen up to the point where she's standing or throw herself back and fall laughing and smiling. I'm a little concerned that she's not sitting up yet (my other two were sitting by three or four months), but I think she's going to just skip that milestone and go straight to crawling or walking.

My husband is loving his new job still. He just got certified as a lead specialist, which means that he can legally restore and repair old houses. He's also begun leasing out apartments and has even begun training for managing the apartments next door. I admit, I'm a little concerned about being fucked with should he ever have to evict someone... But it does mean a bigger paycheck and him getting off earlier.

While I want to get back into blogging as much as I was before, that probably won't happen just yet; not until I get my new computer anyway. In the meantime, you can check out my other blog, The Fischers in Pictures. It's just a photo blog which I am re-reopening, and is more family friendly. However, I also hope to have a few reviews and a couple musings as well in the near future, so please keep checking back!

One last thought; if anyone can tell me what my blog post's title is referencing, you not only get 10,000 points, but I will also personally come to your house and hump your leg for five seconds.

~Posted via Blogaway for Android

Real quick...

Since I have  a quick minute, I figured is update y'all on our goings on...

We're moving on October 9th. So I've been super busy packing and whatnot. Well, trying to pack. It isn't easy finding the time with two kids and a newborn. And when I do get the chance, Dilli follows along behind me pulling all the cool shit outta the boxes. Yesterday, we completely packed up Bucket's room. All her toys and stuffed "aminals" are now in boxes in the garage waiting to be loaded on a truck. All she has is her bed and a tv. And they somehow *still* managed to make a big mess in that room. I don't know how they do it, honestly.

We still have a bunch of work to do and only a few days to do it in...but we took out a big chunk yesterday. I'm honestly a little worried about how it's going to go once the husband returns to work on Monday. It's so much easier when he's here. Well, he's been the one doing most of the work. He's a pro at packing quickly. Me, not so much.. I want to organize everything and go through it all tp throw out all the shit we don't need.

Good news is, we found something to entertain the baby for a bit. She absolutely *LOVES* one of Boots' balloons. We tie it around her wrist with a slip knot and she giggles (almost, she's learning) and squeals and smiles at it. It's super fucking cute. She's 10 weeks old and it feels like she's so much older...

But, that's all for now. I need get my ass in gear...I'm hoping to get a guest Blogger for y'all but I still have to ask her...finding time to blog over the next week is gonna be hard, and then I'm probably going to be without the internets for a bit once we move...I miss blogging. 

~Posted via Blogaway for Android

Just in case you're wondering

Sorry I have yet to reply to the comments everyone left me. I haven't been much in the mood for the computer lately. In fact, I've spent most of my time (cat) napping.

I think we've pretty much moved past the wallowing in grief part to just accepting our fate. As crap-tacular as it may be...we're on the hunt for other endeavors & he already has another job interview lined up. Hopefully, this guy will be able to accommodate our needs as a family & hopefully the apartments/residents aren't ghetto. Dan can't handle cleaning up our own kids' poop let alone some other hoodlum's in the washing machine (yes, people do that apparently). This job is closer to home...if that doesn't work out there are other places but they're much further from our families.

Anyway, I'll be spending the next few days catching up. So check back at the comments you've made, I'll probably be replying. ^_^

Family & Blog News

Kyri swimming in her diaper.

Well Kyri is two weeks old today(yesterday)! Tomorrow (today)* would be my due date. She's got her first check-up later this evening  but she's already much bigger (7 & 1/2 lbs & 20"). Still technically too small for her cloth diapers though. I'm trying to convince my husband to buy some newborn prefolds & a couple newborn covers for $60 instead of paying nearly $80 for disposables. However, we don't really have that kind of money right now so he'd rather spend  $13 a week on a package of disposable diapers...Stupid doctors & stupid me for letting myself believe that she was going to be a big baby. Although today, it seems the prefolds are working out better than they were yesterday...So maybe we won't have to buy any. Either way, we only used what's been given to us. I'm hoping they'll work out for us at night...I sure do hope so... Piggy Baby has become quite the tiny handful in the last couple days. Especially today, omg...I've been holding her allll day. Within 5 minutes of laying her down, she'd wake up, usually wanting to eat. At one point I had to give her a bottle because I had to get the other kids ready for Kyri's doctor appointment. I was really trying to avoid that. It seems she has a bit of nipple confusion... And she fussed while I was giving her the bottle! Dan gave her the rest of the bottle once we got home...laid her down - she woke up again rooting & smacking her lips. Normally, I'm an on-demand feeder, but I can't really this time. Not to seem uncaring for my baby's needs & as much as I'd like to as I did with my son - but I've got two other children...No, I don't go all Babywise & require that she be on a set schedule or anything, but if she can be quieted either by soothing or pacifier, then I'll put off a feeding by a bit. I really need to get a baby carrier though...I really want a Moby wrap, but they're rather expensive, so I'm probably going to just make my own. Hopefully, this weekend once my husband gets paid. We're a bit extra low on money this paycheck due to Kyri's early arrival. My poor husband was so surprised by the induction that he rushed out of the house ill prepared & the hospital was a 40 minute drive. Bucket & Boots have adjusted rather well to having a new baby in the house. Dilli I am most surprised by...He wants to hold her frequently, showers her with kisses, gently touches her head...He has even been letting daddy put him to sleep! Something I was sure we were going to struggle with. Everyone thought he was going to have such a hard time adjusting and that he'd be very jealous. He even used to give me the stink eye when I'd hold another baby. The only change in him that I've .noticed so far is he's been asking for a lot of hugs. And he always wants to go to work with Daddy. Even if he stops in for just a second. But I think he started doing that right before I went in to the hospital...but or course, I always give him hugs when he asks & I try to give both the kids "Mommy Time" when I can... My husband cut both the kids' hair last week. My daughter has only ever had her hair cut one other time. Well, there has been two incidents where she took scissors to her own hair, but it was pretty easy to hide...Her hair is now the shortest it's ever been. I have never been particularly keen on getting their hair cut. But Bucket has super thick & wavy hair. She gets miserable in the summer & since her hair easily get tangled, doing her hair quickly becomes an issue. Images will come later. I've been posting all my personal posts from my phone lately. So excuse any errors I've made with grammar & spelling. I'm generally pretty picky about my posts. Oh yeah! Almost forgot. In blog news: As I mentioned before, its time for a change. I've changing my blog's name. Since I'm not blogging as much about knitting anymore & more about diaper giveaways & parenting, I don't think it makes sense to keep the name "Screeching Needles". As sad as I am to see that name go. :sniff sniff: I've decided on "Complacent in Chaos" as the new name. I figured I'd do it now while no one's looking. I've made a button for my blog as well.If you'd like to help a growing blog out by promoting my blog, I'm happy to return the favor. Just send me an email mea.fish@gmail.com