He went home early

I packed Kyle's backpack with the 3 bags of candy and plastic eggs. He got ready and got on the bus without a problem. A little over an hour after school started, Kyle's teacher called and said he was crying, she wasn't sure if he had a temperature, so she took him to the office and he didn't. They weren't sure if he was coming down with something. Every time Kyle gets sick, it sneaks up on us and we don't realize it until we SEE it, since he can't TELL us he isn't feeling well. After I got off the phone with her, I decided to workout. About 15 minutes into my workout, the teacher called again and said he may have a toothache and he was still crying/whining. So we had to go pick him up!

When we got home, I gave him something to eat. Then we went outside for nice fresh air. I soaked up the sun and still trying to slowly get a tan. I put sunscreen on both Kyle and myself as well.

He seems fine now that we're home and he's eaten. We're just going to pay attention to see if he's coming down with something. His grandparents have been sick for the last week or so.

Shannon and I both talked about Kyle needing more one-on-one attention. We can't afford a special school, so I called his speech therapist from last July about setting him up with speech therapy again. We had to stop last year because our Medicaid was cut-off. Since we're back on Medicaid, we need to get him into speech therapy. He does have speech therapy at school, but it's only one day a week and it's in a group setting. Plus, we have no idea what they are working on!

Sunscreen, Easter Stuff, and Smoothies

We went to Walmart this [late] afternoon. I bought sunscreen for Kyle and myself. I also bought some to use on my face. Today I spent about 30 minutes outside soaking up the sun! It was nice and sunny, so I took advantage to hopefully get a little tan. During that time, Kyle had a chance to get some fresh air and play outside.

I also picked out a blue Easter basket for Kyle. We ended up getting 3 bags of candy and a bag of plastic eggs. Hopefully Kyle will have fun with all the other kids "finding" the eggs!

We saw all the Twilight merchandise such as books, clothing, CDs, and movies! It was tempting to look but I am saving my amazon gift cards to buy the books on amazon. I am looking at getting the 3 books in a "hardcover collection" package.

I've decided to start making "fruit and veggie smoothies" for Kyle. He's not really eating much these days. I bought bananas, strawberries, oranges, and spinach for the smoothies. I made a smoothie when we got home and Kyle took one sip and made the "eww" face! LOL I made it with fruit and spinach. I think I used too much fruit and it turned out too thick! But I'll keep trying.

Spring Break

This is Kyle's last week of school before he has Spring Break next week! I can't believe Spring Break is here so fast! The teacher sent a notice home with Kyle saying that they are having an Easter Egg hunt on Thursday and Friday (Kyle will be there on Friday) and to send him to school with an empty Easter basket! She also asked for extra candy and plastic eggs, not required, but requested. We're going to get Kyle an Easter basket and send him to school with extra plastic eggs filled with candy!

New Twilight Fan!

I had a chance to watch Twilight on cable yesterday! ShowTime is having a "free weekend" and they happened to be showing Twilight. When I watched it the first time, I started 41 minutes into the movie. It came on a few hours later, so I finally saw the entire movie. I watched it again today!

I never "jumped on" the bandwagon before, so I never understood what all the hoopla was about. But now I know. Now that I am a new fan, I can't wait to read the books and get the posters!

Walmart and Hearing Test

While Kyle was in school yesterday, Shannon and I went to Walmart. Every time we go somewhere without Kyle (which isn't very often), we always reminisce about our life before we had him. I bought two short sleeved shirts for Kyle to wear for school. He only has certain colors he can wear, so I bought navy blue and red! I could have bought a white shirt, but I don't trust my 4 year old in a white shirt. I don't even trust myself in white! LOL

I started taking my new vitamins yesterday. Today I am feeling good and don't feel like I am dragging myself. It's only been 2 days but I am definitely feeling better.

Kyle had his hearing test today. Thankfully the doctor was very nice to Kyle and spoke to him in a way that a fellow parent would. He did three different tests on Kyle's ears and two of them came back saying he's in the normal hearing range. The third test said he had fluid in his ears!

He set up another appointment with an "ear, nose, and throat" doctor and they are going to check again to see if he still has fluid in his ears.

New Vitamins, Ahoy!

I ended up ordering a different vitamin for myself. This time I bought a "vegetarian food-based" vitamin. The other vitamins that I bought a month ago were making me feel sick to my stomach soon after taking them and throughout the day and evening. Just to be sure, I even skipped my vitamin yesterday to see if I still felt sick and sure enough, I felt fine!

This past weekend, I gave in and bought a different vitamin. I was trying to wait until my current vitamins were all gone, but the pain was unpredictable, sporadic, and sometimes unbearable. I also started feeling dizzy at times.

I found a brand that I liked but after reading further, I realized that it wasn't vegetarian. I finally found the vitamin at a great price at vitacost. I plan on starting my new vitamins tomorrow!



We had quiet weekend. Saturday was bright and sunny, it got up around 76 degrees! Sunday was the opposite, it was overcast, windy, and gloomy. It even rained!

Kyle went to school on Monday! We went out to the bus stop and waited...and waited! It never came. The bus comes between 6:56 AM and 7:09 AM (the latest). Well, we waited there until 7:15 AM-- just to be sure. As we were walking back home, Kyle started crying because he was expecting to get on the bus and go to school! We ended up having to drive Kyle to preschool! Apparently one of the kids got sick on the bus (threw up), so they had to take him back home. I guess the bus did come by, but we had gone home already.

Kyle has school tomorrow and Shannon and I are planning on going grocery shopping while he's in school. Kyle has his hearing test on Thursday! I am not sure what to expect or how they plan on "testing" him on his hearing. I guess they will go by his reaction to sound?

School and Taxes

Shannon started college again earlier this month! He's already back in the groove of the school schedule. He is tentatively scheduled to graduate in July 2011. He's also looking at taking the LSAT test, which he needs to go on to Law School. I saw on the LSAT website that he can apply for a "fee waiver" in order to take the test, so we would have to go that route.

Kyle went to school for the first time in a week! As soon as he saw his school bus, I saw a little smile form on his face! He was so excited to get on that bus! The weather got up to 70 degrees today. Kyle doesn't have any short sleeved school shirts. It's definitely time to get him some Spring/Summer friendly clothes. The teacher sent him home with a copy of the incident report from last Friday. It explained how Kyle got hurt. It said that, "Kyle was on a tricycle, and another child came up behind him and PUSHED him on the bike. The bike went forward and Kyle fell face first onto the gym floor." The report also came with a note from the teacher saying she was glad to have him back at school!

Kyle was also sent home with a letter from the school. It explained that his school has teamed up with a local dentist to offer an "initial dental exam" free of charge to any students who sign up. The exam includes x-rays, cleaning, and fluoride. They also give us an option to have Sealants added to his teeth. I was all for this, considering Kyle has never been to a dentist and it is free of charge. But, Shannon and I were concerned that Kyle wouldn't sit still and he wouldn't understand what was happening. I tried calling the office to ask them how they would handle a situation like that and if they would put Kyle to sleep while they worked on him. I was unable to get a human on the phone so I looked up their website. Their website stated that they serve adults and children 0-13 and also offer "Sedation Dentistry." I filled out the permission slip to have Kyle go to the dentist but I attached a note asking for him to have the sedation dentistry!

I received my W-2 in the mail today! Our taxes are done and e-filed! We're getting a nice chunk back from Uncle Sam!

The weather is beautiful today. Shannon took Kyle outside to play this evening. It's supposed to reach 76 degrees tomorrow!

Even though he's home...

Even though Kyle has been home with us all week, I feel like I have gotten a lot done!

I still hadn't received my W-2 from Walmart in the mail, and that is the only thing we were waiting on! A few weeks ago, I asked a former co-worker if she had received hers and she said she picked it up! I assumed that Walmart would mail them out automatically! Finally, I called and asked if they could mail it to me! So I should receive it by the end of this week! I am excited that we can most likely have our taxes done by this weekend!

We took Kyle to the ER today to get his stitches removed! We waited an hour in the waiting room before we were taken into an exam room. We waiting another hour before they took the stitches out. He did cry a little because a scab had formed over his stitches, so the nurse had to remove his scabs to get to the stitches! He started bleeding a bit. She told us to keep it clean and keep doing what we've been doing. Kyle was very brave! We're glad to get that over with. He should be ready to go to school on Friday! It sounds like his teachers miss him!

While we were waiting in the exam room, Shannon and I had a chance to talk. The subject of our car registration was brought up. We never renewed changed our address with DMV when we moved last year. So I renewed our registration after we got home from the ER! We were a tad overdue! Whoops!

Kyle got mail!

When we got home from the ER, Shannon looked at our mail pile and said, "Kyle got mail!" Kyle's teacher sent him a "get well" card and signed it with all the kids' names!

Here's the front of the card:


Here's the inside of the card:



The card reads: when you're not well, my tail won't wag.

The message reads ~

Dear Kyle,
We hope you are feeling much better. Preschool just isn't the same without you.
Love,
Ms. Pam and Ms. Crystal

ER Visit and Out of School

We ended up going to the ER yesterday. Some of Kyle's stitches had come out! We waited an hour in the waiting room and then another hour in the exam room. While we were in there, we played with Kyle and entertained him. We even gave him plastic gloves to play with, which he loved!

After an hour, we were finally seen! The nurse practitioner did apologize for the wait, which we understood. He said they were getting backed up and there were two ambulances waiting outside. The Nurse Practitioner decided to put tape over his stitches and reminded us to keep applying neosporin. Our visit could have been a 10 minute visit had they sent a doctor or nurse in sooner! It sounds like they are making changes to how they do things in the ER.

We still have to go back on Wednesday to get Kyle's stitches removed! We are keeping Kyle out of school all this week until Friday!

I just won!

I just notified by email that I won a sweepstakes that I had entered! I am a second prize winner! Here's what I won:

SECOND PRIZES (3): $48.95

3 sets of Lunchbox Love, volumes 1-8
Give your kids Love, Encouragement and Fun with these delightful note cards that feature positive messages and fun trivia on every card! Connect with your kids and lift their spirits every day.
Retail value: $32

"My Lunch Box" recipe set
"My Lunch Box" offers families exciting new possibilities for packed lunches. These 50 simple recipes feature inventive sandwiches, tasty salads, healthy treats, and more.
Retail value: $16.95

6 Stitches and 2 1/2 hours later

At around 9:47 AM, we received a call from Kyle's teacher saying that his chin was "busted open" and that he may need stitches. She reassured me that he was "okay" and calm. He cried a little bit. The teacher brought him to the office and she was waiting there with him when we picked him up. He wasn't crying and he was sitting so calm and quiet. She told us how he got hurt. She said he was playing with a tricycle and a girl wanted to play on it so she decided to PUSH him off of it! So he must have ended up falling down on his chin. I was a little upset at the child and I HOPE they let her know that it wasn't right at all! We walked back with Kyle's teacher to the classroom to get his jacket and backpack.

We took him to the Emergency Room of the hospital. After we checked in at the ER desk, we were brought into the back and they checked his temperature and weighed him. Soon after, we were taken to an exam room. We were so surprised we were put in a room so fast. They gave him some medicine that helps relax and calm him. It made him a little tired and seem to relax his muscles. Then they had to numb his chin. The doctor gave him 6 stitches. By then he was happy as can be and wasn't feeling a thing! We spent about 2 1/2 hours there. Shannon had to carry him to the car because he couldn't walk, and he had to carry him into the car and set him in his booster seat.

We have to go back to the ER in 5 days to have the stitches taken out, which would be next Wednesday. Shannon and I decided to keep him out of school on Monday and Wednesday of next week. I called his teacher to let her know and I also gave her a little update on how the ER trip went. I also asked her to let the bus driver know that Kyle won't be going to school on Monday or Wednesday.

So that's our Friday! Let the weekend begin!

Doctor Visit and Groceries

Today was Kyle's doctor appointment. This time around it was less stressful for me because Shannon went in with us to see the doctor. The last time we were there, Shannon didn't go in with me. When Kyle saw that his dad didn't come in the back, he started getting nervous. Kyle didn't like when the nurses wanted to take his temperature and all the other things they do so that made him start to cry. So I was left there to talk to the doctor myself and have to calm Kyle down. It was just stressful, overwhelming, and unfair to me. This time around, I asked Shannon to help out. We wanted to see the doctor to discuss Kyle's developmental delays. I told the doctor that we're going to get him back into speech therapy at home. He does have speech therapy at school but it's only one day a week and it's in a group setting. He may be in speech therapy at school, but we have NO IDEA what they are working on or what he's learning. Since summer is coming up, it will be nice to have him in speech therapy while school is out as well. The doctor set us up for a hearing test in a few weeks with another doctor.

Another thing I brought up with Shannon was how he is in the waiting room. When we went to sign up for WIC last year, Shannon held Kyle on his lap while in the waiting room. He wouldn't let Kyle walk or play around. Also, the last time we were at the doctor's office, Shannon did the same thing in the waiting room. There was another family next to us and the mother let her two daughters play on the ground and another little girl came over to play with them. I think the other mom thought it was odd, because she asked us if Kyle wanted to read one of their books they had. So this time, Shannon had Kyle sit down at the table with the child-size chairs. Kyle got up a few times to look around the waiting area and to see where the other little voices were coming from. I was glad to see that Shannon was able to let go!

That's another annoying thing about Kyle being in preschool. They don't send home any type of progress reports or let us know what they are learning, etc. We feel like we're in the dark. Kyle doesn't talk so we can't ask him. Although he is sent home with his art projects, which is cute to see!

After Kyle's appointment, we went to Walmart for groceries! I brought my coupons and ended up using about half of them. Kyle had fun! Shannon was starving so he had to keep himself out of the aisles as much as he could.

I received my rug & carpet shampoo yesterday and was disappointed to see that they knowingly and purposely sent me a leaking product. How do I know this? The container was wrapped in two plastic bags, indicating to me that they KNEW it was leaking! I was disappointed because I have ordered from this site several times in the past. I contacted them with a sarcastic message. I pretty much "thanked" them for sending me a leaking product and that I just love not getting my moneys worth! LOL I was so upset! They have already responded with an apology and I am unsure of how to respond. I am not sure if I want a refund or a replacement product, I think I just wanted them to KNOW what happened. If I have time, I hope to clean the carpets tomorrow while Kyle is in school! I did have a chance to use it yesterday. I cleaned our bedroom and it had a nice fresh smell.

3 Seconds is a Long Time

Here are two pics I took just yesterday. I take my webcam pics through myspace and they give you 3 seconds before they snap the pic. Unfortunately, Kyle is so wiggly during those 3 seconds, it is very difficult to capture him! He could be smiling when I first snap the picture but then we have to wait 3 seconds for it to actually capture the moment! These are the only two that came out pretty good. Either way, it's fun to play with the webcam because Kyle is amazed at seeing himself on the computer screen or being able to see behind him.

Carpet Cleaning Friday

While Kyle was at school today, I shampoo'd the carpets -- the carpets we walk on everyday! They really needed to be cleaned, there were various stains and it started to smell. I haven't had any carpet cleaning solution since I bought my carpet cleaning vacuum (it came with a sample size), so instead, I use some Shaklee product that is super concentrated all purpose cleaner. The carpets look so much better and our rooms smell better!

I happened to find a "rug & carpet shampoo" product that is earth friendly and safe to use around pets and children. I am excited to try it, as the reviews are very positive. There are still some stains and hope to get them out with this product. I miss using my carpet cleaning vacuum, it was fun shampooing the carpets! I plan on shampooing the carpets on a regular basis now. I like having clean carpets to walk on.



I also needed more homeopathic medicine for my allergy to cats! I am running low and don't want to risk running out.

I am job searching daily for Shannon. I am only focusing on finding State, City, and County jobs. I have applied for several so far. I check several times a day and search at least 4 or 5 surrounding cities and counties in addition to the State website. Every once in awhile, I will apply for other positions that are not State, City, or County jobs. Hopefully we'll get a call back soon.

I am looking forward to Kyle's doctor appointment next Thursday! Hopefully the doctor can direct us on what we should do and give us a few referrals to other specialists.

Did I interrupt your nap?

I had to call our local Social Services Department and the "operator" transferred me over to someone without telling me why. I thought it was rude. She could have explained to me that she was not the one to help me but would connect me to someone who could. Either way, I thought that was rude of her. The next person she connected me sounded rushed and rude (just like the operator). I didn't like that both ladies never said their names! Anyway, that call is done and over with!

Then I had to call Kyle's pediatrician's office to make a "4 year old checkup" appointment. The lady said that he's not due for one until June 25th. Considering my son turned 4 in January, I asked why. She said that insurance only covers one visit a year. So then I told her about my concerns we have with Kyle. We want to see if we can get referrals for a hearing test, possibly see a psychologist, etc. She was more than happy to schedule an appointment for my concerns and thankfully medicaid covers that! We have an appointment for next week -- that was quick!

Kyle won't have summer school and we're hoping we can get him further help and see if there are more programs out there for him. While he LOVES going to school and we love it too, the school doesn't let us know what's going on or how we can work with him. He sees a speech therapist once a week and that person doesn't even inform us of what they are working on or how we can help him. Plus the speech therapist is there to work with all the kids in his class, not just him. In other words, we have no idea what is going on at the school. I am not complaining about his schooling, he loves it and he loves riding the bus, so that tells us something! If Kyle doesn't like something or he feels uncomfortable, he won't go near it or he'll start whining. Instead, when he sees the school bus, he will literally run towards it!