Much better

Christmas went very well as far as Sarah was concerned. She became a temporary full time resident of just 2 rooms. Her bedroom and her own special green living room. There was no mingling with guests and family unless they came to visit her. And even then it was one-at-a-time, thank-you-very-much. And please speak softly! I moved her rocking chair, stander, toys, books, dvd player and TV into her living room and she hung out there or rested in her bedroom. I kept the doors shut to the hallway since people were up and down it frequently.

I noticed that after a couple of days I could leave the doors open as Sarah was becoming accustomed to the sounds of the boys and visitors. I could see her listening for them and she seemed to enjoy it, as long as I narrated for her what they were doing.

This arrangement was great for all concerned. The boys could be 'boys', visitors could come and go, ESPN could be on 24-7 and it gave me the time to enjoy the holiday and the family.







This is my brother admiring the christmas cookies :)




John and Jimmy...the best Christmas present I could ever have. They refuel me. They keep me from drowning in the world of Sarah's needs. I am so proud of each of them. They are wonderful with their 'mama'. I've been a little needy lately and they rise to the occasion, bringing me right back into the light-hearted land of fun. Each year pulls them farther and farther from home, but when they do come home...The joy! The joy! The joy! And I once again become more myself.




Our Christmas Eve dinner!




Jimmy and I in masks from New Orleans





John was all about our traditional "Sand tarts"




Sarah relaxing away from the hubub.




Christmas morning!

A tree..and we are on our way

Well, it's been quite a week but we are getting there. I came down with Sarah's cold, but after a doctor's visit, a throat culture, antibiotics, and two inhalers, I venture to say I am making progress. Sarah seems to be coming along too, so far.
So the tree went up. We have lights and garland and beads. The ornaments are next.

Between picking up prescriptions I spotted Santa.

Can I just share this interesting fact? Santa had long hair. Yes, long white hair. Like, as long as Sarah's. Past his shoulders. Surprisingly, it looked OK. I just thought it was curious. I love watching the children visiting Santa. Some are eager and some are crying. I remember those days.

Oh, here is another interesting thing...while waiting in line to see Santa, the children were able to watch a video that was set up on a tv, right next to the line. Is this what our next generation is coming to? They can't even be expected to wait in line without some type of entertainment on a screen? Wow.

...In MY day we waited in line for HOURS with HEAVY coats on and NOTHING TO DO!!!!! How did we ever survive?

Ha!

I am picking John up Wednesday morning at the Amtrak Station and Jimmy is flying in 'sometime'. That's Jimmy. Last minute Sam. He is enjoying a few days in New Orleans before flying up here to Boston. I hope he takes lots of pictures!

And now for some exciting news...it is snowing! The first of the season, maybe we'll have a white Christmas afterall.

And also, John is turning 22 the day after Christmas! Christmas and John are always intertwined. His due date was Christmas Day, we left for the hospital Christmas eve after I had put Jimmy's presents under the tree. Jimmy was 3 and my mom and brother stayed with him. But because John was such a big baby, it took me an extra loooong 2 hours to bring him into this world, so he was born at roughly 2 am on the 26th. He was on time, but I sure wasn't! So Christmas is always about John too.

And from the song 'O Holy Night', there are the words .....♪Oh, hear the angel voices♪...These are my favorite from any song i've ever heard, because it reminds me to be still and listen. Because that is when you hear, the angel voices.

Christmas?

OK. I confess. I have not done one thing yet for christmas. No gift purchases and no tree aquisition. Nada. Which, apparently, is not good. Because my girl is now sick with congestion, coughing, paleness... i cannot drag her out shopping in the last minute chaos. Or roll her through a chilly tree lot.

What to do? Online shopping? Probably. The tree will require some thought. And so it goes. It doesn't help that after getting home from work late at night, I get caught up in the middle-of-the-night Christmas movies and don't get to bed till the wee hours of the morning. Which only lasts until 7 am or so because Sarah wakes up coughing. Once she starts, she cant stop until I get her up. So today I can hardly keep my eyes open.

Tomorrow is another day.

IEP

Sarah's IEP was this morning. There were a couple of people there that had not met her yet, and that was OK. It was an informational session for them. Fine with me, the more people that come to know her in our district, the better.

Anyway, it went really well. I have pulled Sarah out of OT, which they were fine with. And her theraputic riding will continue, which they were also fine with. She remains on a homebound program, with my teaching her, with guidance from a teacher.

Mainly, this year coming year will focus on the Mytobii-using it for communication, academics and fun-time. I want her to practice reading paragraphs and then I want to quiz her on her comprehension. I hope to teach her to work through levels on the tobii, that I program. I want her to be able to tell us to quiet down using the tobii.

Oh, there are so many things....that I want for her....but we shall see what Sarah wants and what she is willing to work for. Because that's what it's all about. Her motivation. Her drive.

The sky's the limit, but if she only wants to go as high as tulip tips then I must be content with that. And I will be, because I will know I have offered her the world, just as I have all my children.

What they do with it is entirely up to them. She is no different in this regard. Ultimately, their lives belong only to them. And I am very respectful of that.

So we shall see.

Taking a breath

Today was windy and rainy. A perfect day to stay in pjs, watch Christmas movies, do laundry and snack on all the goodies left over from the Thanksgiving week. I cancelled her riding lesson, the wind howled and the sheets of rain washed our windows and the car.




I tried out new YouTube videos with Sarah, we picked our favorites and saved them to revisit later.
I spoke to John, who is back at school, sporting a new knee brace. He has a followup appointment with the orthopedic surgeon right after Christmas. More will be decided then. For now, he is on to final exams and trying to secure an internship for next semester.





And we are refueling here at home. Sarah is back to her rosy self, snuggled up in thick winter pajamas in front of a lazy fire. She is happy. It was grilled cheese and tomato soup for supper, I replayed the Rockefeller Christmas Tree Lighting Special, that was on last night, for her. She loves the singing.



And this is an action shot of our happy, happy girl. I love her happiness. It's contagious.





And now she sleeps.