Status update

I guess that's a Facebook term...but here's "our" status update for all of you readers out there!

Nolan is in the final stretch of his last year in part time schooling. He will be off July and August and then it's on to his pre-K program, which is 5 days a week from 8:30 to 2:40...he's in for a rude awakening!! Desks, books, a schedule...here's hoping he settles into the routine quickly! In the mean time, he is doing very well, smart as ever with a memory that never fails to amaze me.

Paige has been at Nanna's for the past week!! Her 3rd birthday was last week and my mom took her home with her after her party. I'm sure she is missing her daddy (not me, of course), but I iwll be on my way to bring her home on Tuesday. I have pictures from her party that I will post later.

Caleb is also doing very well. Swimming like a pro! He refuses to wear his floaties anymore and at Paige's party he slipped off the step and into the center of the spa. I ran over to him, but he had swam his way over to the side. It scared him a bit, but he knew where to go and how to get there, which is a big relief. Caleb's IEP was Tuesday. Since he is about to turn 3, he will no longer be funded under the State of California for special school, the burden falls on the school district at the age of 3. So they came to the house and assessed him, he went there to be tested and then they brought me in to go over the results. Caleb was initially diagnosed with Sensory Integration Disorder when they evaluated him when he was 2. Since then, he was also seen by a nuerologist who stated "mild autism" based on a quick observation and my answers to his questions about Caleb. The school district, after theie assesment, sees no likelyhood of autism. On tests where they showed Caleb a picture of a person in an action, like a girl crying, Caleb would say "She's crying! Why is she crying? She has an owie? Oh no, she so sad. I give her a kisses. She wants her mommy, poor little girl." According to the evaluators, children with autism have no concept of causes for feelings, and are unable to make observations as to why someone is behaving a certain way. As a matter of fact, his responses put him in the cognitive age range of 4 1/2 years old. So he is very smart. He did however, show clinically significan and at risk in the following areas: adaptability, attention,hyperactivity,shift,life skills. Based on their findings, it is more likely that Caleb has sensory issues and some form of ADD/ADHD. Because Caleb still rocks himself when he is upset, bites himself, and other behavior, they reccomended that I take him to therapy in Colton that specializes in Sensory therapy. He was not qualified to go to the special ed preschool, due to his level of intellegence. They sadi that although the issues he does have will most certainly make it difficult for him in a general education setting, it would not benefit him to be in special ed where all of the kids have learning delays. So they told me my best bet is to get him therapy for the sensory issues and see if that helps with some of the behavior issues. I'm kind of in limbo right now, I am so glad that he is smart and that his issues are relatively minor, but according to the specialists, he will have a hard time functioning in school...so I'm just thinking about where to go from here.

Shawn is still working hard and loving his job. He has been scrimping and saving every dime to put into his Lincoln. The engine is almost done being rebuilt and he is super excited.

I am working graveyard shift now, and adjusting better than I thought I would, surprisingly! Friday and Saturday nights are out of control, and I have gotten some very interesting calls; a guy who was stabbed, a girl who was raped, lots of fights, drunk drivers, crazy people, and domestic violence. The county of Riverside is an interesting place...makes me want to lock up my children and live in the woods!! My computer was attacked by a crazy virus last week. I was on google looking up a ladybug image to put on the thank you gifts for Paige's birthday party and I was bombarded! Word to the wise: don't get ladybug cliparts! So while my computer is being fixed by my friends hubby, I am stealing Shawn's laptop which has a wireless card...most awesome thing ever!!