I Got my Baby Back Baby Back Baby Back....

Hey Ya'll!! Ella is feeling better and Daddy is home...this all = a very happy mommy!!!
It took Ella almost a week to get over what she had. I think Friday night she started to perk up and be more like herself! I am glad....I have never had a baby sick that little with the pukes and it was muy difficult!!! She wanted to be held literally 24/7 and was irritated when the other kids cried...when the other kids made too much noise...or basically when I moved at all! I am feeling a lot more freedom and to Keith's joy....currently not wanting any more kids anymore! :) It was really wearing on me! It was one of those times that it's hard to see the end and you lose major hope that life will ever return to "normal" again! Well anyway...the weekend here was pretty uneventful. Friday night I had a food auction that ended at 930 rather than 11! I was thrilled! I got to come home and spend some time with my husband who I hadn't really seen for a week! Sat...it was cold, windy, rainy and gray....so Keith and I decided to put all the outside stuff away for the winter and clean out the garage! We got it done...with one watching kids and the other cleaning/organizing ..switching back and forth..the garage is now beautifully organized and clean as well as the back shed being packed full for the winter...YAYYY!!!! We went out to supper on Sat night with Keith's mom and dad....it's alway nice to have people to go out to eat with who love us despite our faults and our loud and sometimes difficult children! We love to hang out with our parents because of just this..we can relax and have adult conversation and are able to "enjoy" our kids at the same time! Thanks to our mom's and dad's I only hope I am as good of a grandparent as you guys all are! On Sunday we went to church...which we have not been to our church in about a month so it was good to be back....the rest of the day we just kinda relaxed and enjoyed eachother! So, that was the weekend.
Yesterday, Lucy had her "Help Me Grow" appointment which is a free screening done by the county to see if Lucy is delayed in Fine Motor, Gross Motor, Hearing, Vision and Speech. We have had some concerns about Lucy's speech and Gross Motor because of her eye issues. Dr Welter the opthamologist said that she may be slightly delayed in these other areas because she has to work so hard to see, and we had noticed especially the speech delay...although in the three weeks between filling out the mountain of paperwork that needs to be done for this testing and her actually having the test...her speech has greatly improved. Well...I have positives and negatives about the experience so here goes my vent.....
When we arrived...not knowing what to expect we were escorted to the hallway where Lucy was weighed and measured. Then we were sent to see the first therapist who did the Fine and Gross motor. When I walked into the room with Lucy I was trying to be positive and I said hello and brought Lucy over to the table and sat her next to the woman (who looked rather cross) anyway so then I pulled out a chair some distance away from them and I said to the woman...."do I just sit here then?"....the woman very rudely responded..." You can just sit out in hall!" I responded..."I'm sorry, I am new at this" with a smile and quickly exited as not to "upset" her. Anyway...once I got out in the hall the workers who were out there stated in shocked voices that they were surprised I was able to leave Lucy and she was ok....I said "Well the woman said I needed to just come and sit in the hall" they were very surprised but apologized for her and said..."All the therapists are different I guess".....therefore....Lucy did her entire Gross and Fine motor testing without me....and later I came to find out that the individual therapists did not read my notes on Lucy so they didn't know she couldn't see right....therefore...where as with me at home...given some time for her eyes to focus....Lucy could do the fine motor stuff....with the crotchedy old cranky woman (excuse the name....I'm frustrated) she couldn't do any of it and failed both fine and gross miserably. I was so frustrated! I knew she was behind with gross motor....because of her eyes...but given time...I knew she could do the fine motor...HOW FRUSTRATING!!!! But anyway...I was rudely excused from the therapy session so I couldn't explain any of this and the judgement was passed. Lucy amazingly did excellent in the speech session! She soared through many of the words and syllabels she is suppose to be saying. She is slightly delayed in speech because by the time a child is three they like to see the child using the "f" sound and she does not...but the speech therapist...who happens to be a friend of the family stated that it wouldn't take much for Lucy to get that worked out! So....her first therapist was a negative experience and her second...was very positive....then came the exit interview....now this woman was the only person who read my numerous notes and studied the tests that I had given Lucy at home...she knew the background....but unfortunetly read into a lot of it too much!!! She saw things like....rarely eats something that is not food....drools occasionally.....chokes occasionally...and occasionally is slightly delayed in response to a question...but eventually and a lot of times in discipline scenarios...will eventually fully respond....and oh....the biggest....she read that Lucy has a first cousin who's autistic...and the assumption was made that Lucy had "social" issues and needed to be put into a preschool...4 MORNINGS A WEEK.....because she had trouble socializing with others....WHAT!!!!! Lucy is soooooo incredibly social!! She'll talk to anyone.....Occupational therapy needed....yes definetly...Speech therapy needed....yes definetly but a preschool????WHAT!!! Anyway she stated that Lucy would get the therapy on 1 day of the week at the preschool but then the other days she would have a real chance to interact with other kids...I was like...UHMMMMMM she interacts with other kids fine in dance class, in Sunday school.....at home with her siblings...with cousins...etc.....!!! I by no means think she needs socialization! Does her occasional drooling and occasional choking upset me and is it a concern....yes will it be improved by simple therapy with the occupational/speech therapist....most likely YES! I inquired as to if she could just get the therapy and not go to the preschool (FYI-the speech therapist...who also had stood with me in the hall and seen Lucy on the Gross Motor testing said that she thought Lucy was great at communication and social issues and would only need some help with her "f" sound) anyway the woman said reluctantly that yes she could just get therapy and not have to go to the preschool....I was relieved but frustrated seeing as though this woman was taking what I had written to the extreme! How frustrating! Anyway we are scheduled for a follow up on Nov 17th for Lucy to see an actual occupational therapist and see Kathy again to re-evaluate her speech...then from there I can set up therapist appointments and in the mean time...work on my own with Lucy !! So anyway...I am not in complete denial...I know Lucy has some issues....and I know partly why....a lot of it has to do with her eyes....it takes her time to do things ....to focus and to trust because her eyes play tricks on her.....I know she needs therapy but these women made me kinda upset (as you can easily see) with there "assumptions" based on events that I seldom if ever see....events that any "normal" child ( a friend of mine has a 5 year old that occasionally still drools and is incredibly intellegent)without eye problems might have! Oh well.....I need to stop the rage....I guess that's my venting on the issue.....
Great news.....Lucy is pretty much going peepee on the potty all the time and occasionally goes number 2...for all you non mothers that's probably more than you want to know...but it is a huge relief to me and Keith.....we are only weeks away from cutting the diaper bill in half!!! YAY!!!