You won't believe this!

Day 2 of the FM system at school, and.........it's broken!! Colleen took it out, some kid took it and broke it then turned it into the office. I freaked, it isn't even paid for by the county yet!! Colleen was grounded from TV. I took it in and it will be repaired or replaced under warranty-thank God!!
On a high note, Megan started a real job with benefits and everything in Minneapolis!! Wooohooo!! She is living in a flat with 3 of her old college roommates, they all settled in up there. Anyway, she is working in research in the vet. school up there and seems to like it.
Gotta go and drag Colleen away from the TV.

4 weeks until summer!!

Well I am due for a bit of an update! Megan, in Minneapolis, got a real job with pay and benefits and everything. I'm so proud of her!! Things for Colleen have been good and uneventful. She had a healthy winter. Now we are gearing up for high school next year, I still can't believe it. She has visited a few times and knows several kids. I'm friends with 2 moms who each have teenage girls with Down syndrome. We get together for outings on a regular basis. We have the girls sit off by themselves and they do quite well. They all will be in the same high school, different grades, but the same resource room. That makes me fell a little less nervous. And of course her brother will be there, but he hopes to never see her for 4 years. That's too bad since I'll be driving and picking up the 2 of then together!! Patrick is deep into his baseball season, which I love. Lots of games, lots of fun, lots of travel.
We have a new gadget for Colleen. I got money from the county to use for Colleen for a FM system. Basically it is a one-way walkie talkie. She has a tiny receiver (smaller than a hearing aide) in her ear, and the teacher, or me., has a transmitter hanging around the neck(size of a nano ipod). You talk, she listens. Teachers use it in class to help her pay attention in large classrooms. I haven't figured out how to use it at home, but will over the summer. It is hidden by her hair and is so much better than headphones. Very high tech. The teachers like it a lot.
Colleen will be in full time summer camp. It is for special needs kids and is wonderful. Full of field trips, activities, and fun. Patrick has a much less structured summer and will drive me nuts. I have my activities in the am, and he has his in the pm. Should be interesting!! I'm trying to cram as much adult time these last few weeks before summer break begins.

Gone again

I took Megan to Minneapolis the end of Jan. and she is settling in there. Seems to love it, no job yet. The twins are good. We've had a healthy winter so far, i swear it is because we all get flu shots. It's been a very snowy winter as well. Winters have been rather mild, so this takes some getting used to. But it will be spring soon.
Both of the twins have registered for high school. Same school, different classes. Colleen will be included for a few classes: science, gym, art. She will spend a lot of time in resource rooms with kids of all abilities. I hope she gets enough individual attention. We are trying some new meds. Now she had Down syndrome, ADHD , and OCD. She's a piece of work, not your average DS child. So much she has to struggle with. But she is happy at school with her friends, more unsettled at home. She needs lots of structure, but doesn't want it. I try to pick my battles, like with any teenager. I'm thinking of going back to work as an OT, but not in pediatrics as I did before. Some of my OT friends have gone back after long childrearing breaks. I may do volunteering instead. We'll see!!!

Homecoming

We picked up Megan from the airport on the 18th, so she has returned after 15 months in Asia. Looks good-skinny too. Colleen was so excited to see her. Megan hasn't been around much, running errands. Has to get used to driving on the right side of the road again. Didn't seem to have jet lag, but now she is crashed on the couch. It is a little overwhelming to be here with the fast pace, consumerism and prices. Sticker shock for sure. So we all have to adjust and not trip over each other. Her stuff is all over the house, a reminder she is here-don't mind the mess for now. Glad she is back and safe.
Colleen had a hearing test and she has some permanent nerve loss in her left ear. Hearing aid would not help. So we are getting an FM system, where Colleen wears an ear piece and the teacher has a microphone. It should help with her attention as well since it lessens all the background noise of a busy classroom.
Busy getting ready for Christmas. It will be hard that it is the first one without my mom. Megan also has the first one with her grampa gone as well. And that loss is more recent for her dad's family. I don't think that one has sunk in yet.
Hope all of you have a blessed Christmas with all of your families.

Whew!!

Colleen's 2 hour IEP was Wed., and it went pretty well (shock!). And she is progressing in her goals (also shocking!). I'm reviewing things now and need to comment on the paperwork. Now the big question looms-what high school she attend-what will be the least overwhelming for her (and me). And where will Patrick go too.
Megan will be home in 11 days, so I'm prepping for that and Christmas. But things are balanced, for now

IEP's and XYZ'S

It is that dreaded time of the year again-no, not family and holiday shopping. It is time for Colleen's IEP meeting, otherwise known as the HAHAHA!!! meeting. It is complicated by the fact that Colleen will be transitioning to high school (very hard to believe). She and her brother are having problems at school, so we want them at different schools. I have looked at the 3 public and 1 private school in our city. I also looked at 2 out of district. We have open enrollment so you can go out of district if there is room. I liked 2 schools for Colleen, one out of district and one in. They both say they are full, but might make an exception due to twins. I like 2 different schools for Patrick-one private, one near our house. Then today in the paper there will be a huge budget cut in our district, which also plays into this whole thing. In the middle of all this, my prodigal daughter will return from 1 1/2 years in Asia. Plus it is the first holidays since my mom died. So we are going to Texas to see my sister before "the storm". I hope the power of prayer will get us through this time!! He's really in control anyway. Blessings to all.

The holidays are coming!!!

It is almost Halloween, then Thanksgiving, and THEN...... CHRISTMAS! Who's family do we go to, yours or mine??....Who do we have to our house??...who do we buy gifts for??.....is there some way to decorate the house once for all 3 holidays??...Hallogivingmas??.. Oh, and Megan is coming home Dec 18, but who cares. Not really, I care, haven't seen her for 1 1/2 years!!(she's been in Asia/Thailand,Laos, Cambodia, India, etc.) I hope I recognize her at the airport. So there is much to do in the next 3 months.

I'm also school shopping for high school, which makes Colleen's teacher anxious. We have 3 high schools in Waukesha, plus I'm going to 2 out of district schools and a private school. Some of this is for Patrick's needs too. Colleen's IEP is in December and I want to be ready. It may be time to get her some sort of communication system, she has an expressive speech disorder and it is time to do something besides articulation.

We buried my mom's ashes-she died in June. Colleen didn't really get it like she did at the funeral in June. We also scattered some remains in a lake we lived on. Made me think of 9/11. The remains were ashes. bone fragments, etc. I washed my hands for a week!!

Hope fall is going well for everyone.....