Updates & Stuff

I finished Insanity on Tuesday. I wanted to make a really big deal about it and shout it from the rooftops, but since I'm not sharing pics, I figured I'd hold back some.

I don't know if I didn't think I'd make it through to the end or what, but for some reason I never took before pictures so that I could make a comparison. With my body, I think comparisons would be necessary since the changes are pretty subtle.

So, yeah, no flashing of the belly on the interweb for me.

BUT! It went well, overall. The plan is 63 days and I was pretty diligent. I followed the calendar as closely as possible, taking one week off for an unrelated back injury and another couple of days for a sinus infection. I started on May 16th and finished on July 26th.

I got my butt kicked, in case you were wondering. I feel stronger though and I'm a lot more confident in my bathing suit. I consider that a mission accomplished!

Oh, and at one point, I had lost like 7 lbs, but our whole Season of Celebration in June/July took care of that. I pretty much broke even in the weight department.

Now, I'm trying to decide what's next. I haven't done anything but eat Chik-fil-A and Blizzards since Tuesday and I'm starting to feel antsy. I signed up for two races this week, one in October and the other in December, so I know that running needs to come back into the picture very, very soon.

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I went to look at a private school for Playette yesterday. The wind was kinda taken out of my sails. After the one-hour tour, I informed the lady that the kidlet has 47 chromos and I saw her face change. The smile remained, but if you've been in that situation, you know what I mean. In her eyes, this was not awesome news. She proceeded to ask me questions about the closeness of Playette's development to her typical peers. She told me that they don't have the staff to support her if she requires one-on-one instruction.

What is up with this whole "one-on-one" thing?! That's the same thing her jackhole teacher said in out last "meeting." I'm starting to second-guess myself. Does my child need a shadow 100% of the time? Am I being unrealistic?

The lady did say that they'd "be willing to try anything." Which, yay? I mean, my kid is a kid, not a monster. "Anything" kinda alludes to her being the worst of the worst and they're doing us some sort of favor.

Grr.

Maybe I'm just being way sensitive. I also recognize that I went in with really high expectations after another parent told me that her kids (one with Ds) have gone there for years and they were excited for the opportunity to work with Playette.

Maybe something changed?

So, yeah, since I haven't heard anything back from the school district, I'm making moves to set something private up. I mean, what else can you do? What they're offering just isn't good enough and, as many people as I've spoken to, it just doesn't seem that the program I requested can ever be a reality. Deadlines have been missed. Which, don't get me wrong, IT PISSES ME OFF! They passive-aggressively allowed this to happen and that doesn't escape me.

But at the end of the day, I will not allow my child to suffer because of their ignorance.

Now I just need to find the right place to pay to teach our child.

And hopefully treat her humanely.

Time's Up

I've been a SAHM off and on since Playette was born.

I had always planned to stay home with any small children I might one day have. In fact, that was one of the things that I asked when BD and I were dating. "Would you be ok with me staying at home after any children are born?"

Well, actually, what I may have really said was, "...after we get married?" but he gave me the side-eye to that one and I figured that wasn't going to happen.

After Playette was born and we received her diagnosis, things got murky. I didn't want to go back to work, but not because I couldn't bear being away from my child. I absolutely did not have one of those bonds with her that you always hear about. I don't recall ever telling anyone that "I've never felt this type of love" or any similar sentiment. She was my new job. She needed things and it was my duty to get those things done. She wasn't really a burden to me, but more of an obligation. Certainly not the baby that "made my heart swell so much that it was going to burst." Or something along those lines.

I really wish I had felt that way though, y'know? The only tears I shed were ones of worry and guilt, not of happiness.

But, anyway, after about 8 months and a cross-country move, I went back into the workplace. That was early 2008. I stayed there until I went into part-time status last summer, right before BD deployed. By October, I was done. I started using my banked up vacation hours until December. Then it was time to move again and I figured that we'd get settled and I'd find something to do here. Certainly, there'd be a wealth of opportunities and I'd find the right position quickly!

Except no. It didn't happen like that at all. It was long and drawn-out and frustrating. BD would remind me that he wasn't pushing me to go back, but there was something in me that said it was time.

I mean, I get a lot done during the day at home, between appointments and phone calls and emails and meetings and sometimes laundry, but, overall, I'm not awesome at it. Dinner isn't always ready on time. Plenty still goes un-cleaned. Playette isn't excelling at all numbers of things because I'm spending time stimulating her brain with projects and books and flashcards.

It's just not what I expected from myself. I'm not meeting my own expectations.

I know, I know. I could lower them. Surely, I'm not being realistic with trying to put myself in the Supermom category.

But I still feel bad about it.

And I miss having grown-ups to talk to.

I miss being good at something.

And I'm tired of worrying about money. Even if it is just in my own head. I do though. I worry A LOT.

I had an interview a few weeks ago and the offer came in last Friday. I agreed to it and about a month from now, I'll be heading back into an office.

What have I just gotten myself into?

I guess we'll see.

I've got a lot to do between now and then.

Results

Remember the sleep study?

I (finally) just got a call with the results: Mild Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

The first available appointment was about a month from now. I snatched it up and put us on the waiting list for cancellations.

So, for those of you that have been there/done that, was "mild" enough to bring on the T&A surgery? Is really funky recovery breath possibly in our future? Or are there other approaches that you've witnessed?

Because I Promised

Here goes nothing.

I can't watch these or else I know that they'd never get posted because I'd pick them apart forever and end up writing myself a script instead and then that would take too long so I'd end up forgetting altogether and...yeah.

BTW, I did these on my phone. You may need to tweak the volume some. I was working my sexy sleepy voice.

Loose Ends

Ugh. So maybe this is why I don't have a bazillion followers...I am THE QUEEN of not wrapping up a friggin' story. That has to be annoying.

Yeah, so last year I dangled stuff about our very interesting Costa Rican vacation. Several times. Did I ever post about it? No.

And, more recently? The stuff about being visited by Beth and Hannah? Yup, dropped that ball, too.

Oh, and I know that at least a couple of people are wondering about our situation with the school district and placement for next year...the truth about that is that I can't even bring myself to type it out. It's painful and I swear I can feel my blood pressure increasing every time I think about it. I have a physical this weekend, so I really need to stay sorta calm before I get kicked out of the reserves.

But I promise you this: I'll talk about it. I just won't write it out. That should at least be quicker to do and thus have less of an impact on my body. Right? Let's hope so.

So, a vlog it will be.

Just give me a chance to brush my teeth, shower, comb my hair, and figure out the stupid camera, k?

This may take a while.

Someone slap me if I show up with lip gloss on and freshly threaded eyebrows. Because that is not real life. I'm just trying to hold myself accountable here.

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Oh! So if there's anything else you'd like me to wrap-up, please let me know. Any other questions are cool, too.

Teeth Update. Yes, Again.

Ok, so if you've followed along on this saga, you're well aware of my obsession with Playette's teeth.

Just like the scary book said, they have come in out of order, misshapen, and delayed.

I guess that book was right about something after all. Maybe I should go back and read it now that I'm not a complete basketcase like I was around this time four years ago.

You know, that book should come with a warning label:
Not to be read until you know your kid as a person first.

Or something.

So.

Anyway.

The teeth.

She's been missing two on the bottom for a long, long time now.

Things I've read said that children with Ds could have baby teeth come in up to age four.

But is that like 48 months or 59 months and some change?

They don't say.

Ugh.

Actually, I just went back and checked and that source says that the first tooth can come in that late. It didn't mention how long it would take to get them all.

So here I was, fretting that at 3 years and 366 days, my kid still didn't have some of her pretty obvious chompers.

Only recently did I discover that she's not alone in missing those two teeth.

That brought the total of children I knew with that particular smile to...two.

But! Not alone! That was key.

I've asked multiple dentists over the past couple of years, and they all thought they were in there and we shouldn't worry.

I even bugged a friend's husband while we were eating lunch last summer.

"Could you maybe, please, just take a teensy look?"

I also asked for x-rays.

Not at lunch. I mean, at an actual appointment with Playette's dentist.

But the overall consensus was to wait. If she had the teeth, they would come. If she didn't, they wouldn't.

Hm.

Well.

Sure.

I guess that makes sense.

So we sat back and waited and I tried my best to ignore it. I mean, honestly, at one point way back when, I wasn't even sure if I'd recognize my daughter with teeth since she had spent so long without any at all. I figured if we could make it past that ok that this too should pass and become a "remember when...?"

This past weekend, while we lounging and letting the summer soak in, I saw something poking through. I originally thought it was both teeth, but now I'm not so positive. It's at least one for sure.

Huzzah!

This whole teething for 3+ years thing? Tired.

But at least she has never seemed bothered by it at all.

Totally my issue.

5 Years

Summertime

I am The Exhausted.

But I'm also "A Blogger", so instead of plopping down on the couch and putting a dent in my already-one-day-overdue book, I'm sitting here typing.

So this post may actually cost me another twenty-five cents in fines.

Quelle horreur!

I'm that dedicated to my craft, to put myself that much more into library debt, just so ya know.

We've had some activity over here. Never a dull moment.

The job front is picking up. I've had interviews, have another tomorrow, and have a firm offer on the table. It's nice to be desired, but I'm also realizing what matters most to me. That complicates matters some, but I'm ok with that. We'll see how everything goes.

There's also some crap really thrilling stuff that's been brewing with the school district regarding Playette's placement for next year. My blood pressue is appropriately high. But I want this to be a happy post, so...

I already mentioned that we're in the midst of our holiday season over here. It all wraps up tomorrow with the big 0-5. It feels like we were just in Vegas, sweating to death while the Bellagio fountains decided that they'd take a break from being majestic that hour, just as we were planning to take our outdoor pics. Ah, memories.

We don't need any silverware, so go ahead and dazzle me with your traditional wooden gifts, k?

On top of that, we're having to say goodbye to new and dear friends. No fair on the moving while we have to stay behind, y'all. Booooo! That's what I say to your orders. Boo. And pa-tooey.

We've also been playing the role of hosts to multiple sets of out-of-town guests so I've been soaking up all the things about summer that I've missed over the last three years of living in HoodiesOnTheFourthofJuly-ville.

There's been plenty of pool and beach time, along with staying up way too late and lots of laughing and talking and reminiscing.

I could get used to that.

Regarding our most-recently-departed guests, this pic was taken the last time our families got together. Way too long, I say.


And check out these cuties now.


They get it from their mamas.

My Greatest Gift

I. Cannot. Stop. Watching. This!

Love her.