Yesterdays visit to the Child Development Clinic in Jackson resulted in the following diagnosis for the boy:
1. Borderline Microcephaly
2. Expressive Speech Disorder
3. Rule out hearing loss
4. Night Terrors
5. Temper Tantrums
(word for word from the official report)
The following plan was given to us:
1. Return to CDC for Psychological testing at age 3 yrs. Also to monitor cranium growth.
2. We will contact First Steps and ask them to enroll him in individual speech therapy.
3. Consider use of simultaneous sign language to stimulate speech and provide him a way to communicate. Begin with food signs, more and car.
4. Planned ignoring of tantrums
5. There's nothing that can be done about night terrors right now.
6. Obtain hearing evaluation.
Notice that there is no mention of AUTISM or ASD. The head of the department was part of his evaluation and assured me that there he does not have any form of ASD. We are VERY happy to hear this. Not that autism is as bad as some things. But I always doubt my ability to handle these types of problems.
With the diagnosis that he does have, we are hoping just 6 months with a speech therapist will get him back on track. As for the microcephaly (that means little head) they feel that it is not really a concern as his head has been growing at the same rate as his body. It hasn't STOPPED growing, he just has a smaller head than most kids his age. I always have called him a pinhead. No news to us. We get to start working with signs and also I have to redouble my efforts to label EVERYTHING. And talk to him constantly about whatever we see or do. To make sure that he is getting enough verbal stimulation or something like that.
So. I am happy with the way that the evaluation was handled. I am happy with the way the boy cooperated. I am happy with the diagnosis in that it has confirmed what I felt was the issue and denied what I feared was the issue. (??? You know what I mean!) All is good. I will go by First Steps today and give them a copy of this. Maybe we can get speech therapy started next week. That would so rock.
Today is the day my oldest gets her very first High School report card. And there are teacher conferences. So.... overall it should be an interesting day!
More at a later time....
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Atypical.....?
The boys behavioral teacher was here today. He does so well with her. She is always amazed at how compliant he is and well behaved. I just laugh. It is like a pod child. He is SO GOOD for her and SO BAD for me. Temper tantrums, constant no, refusal to participate in whatever I want him to do. Stubborn is what he is. That is probably all that is wrong with him! And his speech of course. But he did say "grapes" today without prompting. That was really cool. Of course, he came outside and I told him it was cold and he needed to go inside and he said "no I don't". LOL. I guess he can talk when he really wants to! Overall I am very happy with his progress so far. Just concerned that there might be more that I should be doing or more that I am not noticing that he has problems with. If that makes any sense.
I was reading another mom's blog last night. And one of the comments really hit home with me. One lady told this mom that "having atypical behaviors does not make your son any less extraordinary or fabulous". Wow. Atypical Behaviors. That's my boy! I like the way that is phrased. And it is true. He might be "atypical" in some ways but he is still the brightest and sweetest boy in the universe.
Another comment that got to me was that "just because your son has issues does not mean that you are a bad mom. You are the best mommy there is because you are getting your baby the help he needs." And that made me cry. I think that that is how I feel. Like I must have done something wrong. Or not done something. And it doesn't really matter how many times my mom or MIL or DH tell me I am a good mom, I still worry and stress out. There are so many ways to screw up your kids. And then when something IS "atypical" with your child, surely it must be your fault! I know, I know.... it's not. But.....
So, I hope that this evaluation goes well tomorrow. I am not hoping that nothing is wrong with him. What is, is. If nothing is wrong that that is just the icing on my cake. What I am hoping is that they are able to do a good, thorough evaluation so that if there IS something wrong, we can get him the help he needs. I think that that is a good thing to hope.
Meanwhile, the baby is trying to run away. He is now standing while holding on to things, crawling faster than the speed of mommy, and chewing on anything that gets in his way. He has the most gorgeous smile. It makes my whole day brighter when he grins at me. The sleep training is.... going. I won't say it is going well. But we are trying.
So, our days are filled with babble and balls and bubbles and boys galore. The girl is 13. Nuff said. Hahahahaha. I am sure I will hear about that one when she reads this post! Now I must go wash dishes. They don't wash themselves unfortunately.
Later.
I was reading another mom's blog last night. And one of the comments really hit home with me. One lady told this mom that "having atypical behaviors does not make your son any less extraordinary or fabulous". Wow. Atypical Behaviors. That's my boy! I like the way that is phrased. And it is true. He might be "atypical" in some ways but he is still the brightest and sweetest boy in the universe.
Another comment that got to me was that "just because your son has issues does not mean that you are a bad mom. You are the best mommy there is because you are getting your baby the help he needs." And that made me cry. I think that that is how I feel. Like I must have done something wrong. Or not done something. And it doesn't really matter how many times my mom or MIL or DH tell me I am a good mom, I still worry and stress out. There are so many ways to screw up your kids. And then when something IS "atypical" with your child, surely it must be your fault! I know, I know.... it's not. But.....
So, I hope that this evaluation goes well tomorrow. I am not hoping that nothing is wrong with him. What is, is. If nothing is wrong that that is just the icing on my cake. What I am hoping is that they are able to do a good, thorough evaluation so that if there IS something wrong, we can get him the help he needs. I think that that is a good thing to hope.
Meanwhile, the baby is trying to run away. He is now standing while holding on to things, crawling faster than the speed of mommy, and chewing on anything that gets in his way. He has the most gorgeous smile. It makes my whole day brighter when he grins at me. The sleep training is.... going. I won't say it is going well. But we are trying.
So, our days are filled with babble and balls and bubbles and boys galore. The girl is 13. Nuff said. Hahahahaha. I am sure I will hear about that one when she reads this post! Now I must go wash dishes. They don't wash themselves unfortunately.
Later.
Monday, October 22, 2007
This is Halloween....
So, no posts in a while. My daughter had a little pre-halloween sleep over with a friend and then my DH had some friends over for dinner. It was a weekend full of cleaning and eating. BUT..... Halloween is coming!
My big girl has put together a pretty cool costume. I think she is calling it a "vampire goddess" costume.
The boy is going to be "Indestructi-boy: Hero to Toddlers Everywhere". Which will be pretty much a cape and a t-shirt with a big I on the front. Maybe a mask if I can get him to leave it on. He thinks he is indestructible so it seemed appropriate. We thought about a cowboy costume but decided this would be easier in the long run.
The baby is going to be a monkey. It is too too cute.
Will hopefully have pics to post after the day. There will be trick or treating and a fall festival to attend. And then it is my anniversary! Yay! One whole married year down and many more to come.....
Will post more later.
My big girl has put together a pretty cool costume. I think she is calling it a "vampire goddess" costume.
The boy is going to be "Indestructi-boy: Hero to Toddlers Everywhere". Which will be pretty much a cape and a t-shirt with a big I on the front. Maybe a mask if I can get him to leave it on. He thinks he is indestructible so it seemed appropriate. We thought about a cowboy costume but decided this would be easier in the long run.
The baby is going to be a monkey. It is too too cute.
Will hopefully have pics to post after the day. There will be trick or treating and a fall festival to attend. And then it is my anniversary! Yay! One whole married year down and many more to come.....
Will post more later.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Pictures of the Fambly
One of my friends said, "Girl, why don't you have any pictures on your blog?" So these are for her.....
This one is last Halloween at our wedding.... you can see the littlest if you squint. (He is in my belly)(get in my belly...).jpg)
This one is the middlest child. In August, right before his 2nd bday. Don't you just luuurrrrvvvvv that attitude?.jpg)
This is the littlest. He was about 4 months old here.
This one is me with all three of my kiddos. Again, early August as I haven't gotten any recent pics onto the computer. Cause I just suck.
Feelin' kinda cruddy
So, I have had this incredibly low key day today. And now I feel cruddy. So I will sit here and write about feeling cruddy. You might not want to read it. It will probably make you feel cruddy too. And then we will be cruddy together. Yes. Crugetherness.
I digress.
Basically, it is pouring buckets here and my body is feeling it. My joints are screaming at me. And the "I am a fat slob" depression has kicked in once again. Along with the "why can't I man up and quit smoking?" ass kicking. And the "God, my house is a fucking mess, why doesn't my hubby just divorce me already?" mantra. And then of course there is the ever popular "My child is lazy/ delayed/ insert problem here and I am a horrible mother." wail that is ever present.
But I did make red beans and rice for dinner. So all is not lost.
**sigh**
I guess I just need to take a bath and get some sleep. Hey, I think there is some vodka in the freezer! woot woot!
Anyway, tomorrow I will post some of my wonderful plans for straightening out my problems. I make great plans. Carrying them out is where the issue lies. Mom if you are reading this don't worry, I am fine! I am just feeling sorry for meself..... arghhh... (that was pirate talk)
On a bright note, my littlest one is pulling up to stand now. At 6 1/2 months. Wait.... is that a bright note or the signal to wail and hide my eyes in terror of two toddlers at once????? LOL. Seriously, he is soooooo cute. And the boy is doing much better with his speech and behavior issues. So it is all good. We had a nice day of playing with daddy today and tomorrow is a clean the house and chase each other day. No appointments that NEED to be kept. Hubby is working a double so I will have plenty of time to actually try to get the house clean before he sees it again. Ackkk.... also before the sleep over on Friday night. My daughter is having a friend over. Can't have her mom seeing the way I keep house. She might decide her daughter shouldn't stay over!!! LOL.
More tomorrow... I feel like Scarlet.... "For tomorrah is anothah day.."
I digress.
Basically, it is pouring buckets here and my body is feeling it. My joints are screaming at me. And the "I am a fat slob" depression has kicked in once again. Along with the "why can't I man up and quit smoking?" ass kicking. And the "God, my house is a fucking mess, why doesn't my hubby just divorce me already?" mantra. And then of course there is the ever popular "My child is lazy/ delayed/ insert problem here and I am a horrible mother." wail that is ever present.
But I did make red beans and rice for dinner. So all is not lost.
**sigh**
I guess I just need to take a bath and get some sleep. Hey, I think there is some vodka in the freezer! woot woot!
Anyway, tomorrow I will post some of my wonderful plans for straightening out my problems. I make great plans. Carrying them out is where the issue lies. Mom if you are reading this don't worry, I am fine! I am just feeling sorry for meself..... arghhh... (that was pirate talk)
On a bright note, my littlest one is pulling up to stand now. At 6 1/2 months. Wait.... is that a bright note or the signal to wail and hide my eyes in terror of two toddlers at once????? LOL. Seriously, he is soooooo cute. And the boy is doing much better with his speech and behavior issues. So it is all good. We had a nice day of playing with daddy today and tomorrow is a clean the house and chase each other day. No appointments that NEED to be kept. Hubby is working a double so I will have plenty of time to actually try to get the house clean before he sees it again. Ackkk.... also before the sleep over on Friday night. My daughter is having a friend over. Can't have her mom seeing the way I keep house. She might decide her daughter shouldn't stay over!!! LOL.
More tomorrow... I feel like Scarlet.... "For tomorrah is anothah day.."
Momsense
Check out this very amusing song/ video. My mom sent this to me and I almost died. How perfect.....
http://www.weshow.com/us/p/18999/anita_renfroe_total_momsense_song
http://www.weshow.com/us/p/18999/anita_renfroe_total_momsense_song
Monday, October 15, 2007
Swannin' around town
**Sigh**
My feet hurt. And I am tie-red! But what a great day we had today! My friend Cindy and I organized this really cool little children's tour of downtown Hattiesburg. It was to view the painted swans that have been placed around town. There is a whole big long story behind these swans that basically boils down to revitalization of the city and bringing more revenue in... blah blah... boring to really chat about. The swans rock tho.
So months of planning and walking routes and figuring things out. Getting together goodie bags for kids and trying to get families to participate later.... we had a swan tour! About 12 families showed up and the kids ranged in age from my 6 month old up to my 13 yr old who got to skip school to volunteer as a kid wrangler. Mostly toddlers around 2 or 3 years old. We got to see 12 swans and meet artists. We discussed why swans were painted in certain ways. We played musical instruments while we marched from one swan to the next. We ate ice cream. We ran through sprinklers. We saw a fire truck! The firemen let the kids climb all over, around and in the truck and then gave them plastic fire helmets. And we talked and had fun. So, over all, I feel it was a success.
Oh. And Cindy-Bee tricked me into getting an award from the mayor. She told him I (ME) (I) was the spear head for the tour when really it was her. I just helped out and planned the route. But it was nice to meet the mayor and I have a pretty certificate now. Awww.....
Long day. All three of my little hellions behaved. J was a big help to some of the other moms and really enjoyed volunteering her time. Sometimes I think my kids really aren't as bad as they seem...... must be one of those pod-child days!
So, now, I am going to go and put my feet up. I actually have all 3 kids in bed and hubby is on the couch napping. I plan to eat chocolate and then do dishes. It is therapy day tomorrow. Must have clean house. I would hate to have the teacher see the way my house looks the rest of the week!!!!! LOL
My feet hurt. And I am tie-red! But what a great day we had today! My friend Cindy and I organized this really cool little children's tour of downtown Hattiesburg. It was to view the painted swans that have been placed around town. There is a whole big long story behind these swans that basically boils down to revitalization of the city and bringing more revenue in... blah blah... boring to really chat about. The swans rock tho.
So months of planning and walking routes and figuring things out. Getting together goodie bags for kids and trying to get families to participate later.... we had a swan tour! About 12 families showed up and the kids ranged in age from my 6 month old up to my 13 yr old who got to skip school to volunteer as a kid wrangler. Mostly toddlers around 2 or 3 years old. We got to see 12 swans and meet artists. We discussed why swans were painted in certain ways. We played musical instruments while we marched from one swan to the next. We ate ice cream. We ran through sprinklers. We saw a fire truck! The firemen let the kids climb all over, around and in the truck and then gave them plastic fire helmets. And we talked and had fun. So, over all, I feel it was a success.
Oh. And Cindy-Bee tricked me into getting an award from the mayor. She told him I (ME) (I) was the spear head for the tour when really it was her. I just helped out and planned the route. But it was nice to meet the mayor and I have a pretty certificate now. Awww.....
Long day. All three of my little hellions behaved. J was a big help to some of the other moms and really enjoyed volunteering her time. Sometimes I think my kids really aren't as bad as they seem...... must be one of those pod-child days!
So, now, I am going to go and put my feet up. I actually have all 3 kids in bed and hubby is on the couch napping. I plan to eat chocolate and then do dishes. It is therapy day tomorrow. Must have clean house. I would hate to have the teacher see the way my house looks the rest of the week!!!!! LOL
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Leftovers, Laundry and Lunacy
Ack..... it's time to try to eat up some of those leftovers languishing in the fridge. There's leftover chicken parmigiana, leftover linguine, leftover mashed sweet potatoes, leftover potatoes Au gratin, one leftover cube steak and I don't know what else. I was planning to cook beef stew for dinner until I looked in the refrigerator and realized there was so much food just sitting in there! So..... hmmmm..... I guess I will make some nice fresh honey glazed smoked pork chops and we can eat up the leftover sides with them. And make some veggies. There, that's dinner solved.
Now for the laundry sitch.... my dryer is not working. And so I have laundry built up. I hate to go to the laundromat just to dry clothes and have to drag the kids in and it is SUCH A HASSLE. So, I bought a new line to put up out back and have been hanging out clothes to dry. It works great. I might actually not bother to get the dryer fixed right away. I bet our electric bill will be lower this month. It just takes longer to dry so I need to make sure I do laundry every day.
And lunacy..... that's a given at my house! The baby has decided that he doesn't want to sleep in his bed. Every time I put him in there he wakes up and cries heart brokenly. So, I have not gotten much sleep over the past few nights. Even when I bring him in bed with us, I still can't sleep good. So, I am sleep deprived once more. Hence the boring and mundane post of the day. J is trying to clean her room. And the boy refused a nap today and just played in his bed for two hours. At which point you kinda have to just let them get up. So, I guess he gets to go to bed early tonight! I am also in the midst of trying to sort through baby clothes, put away boxes of clothes in my room, unpack some junk boxes and straighten out the boys' room. I guess I should probably get back to work and see if I can actually get anything done.....
Now for the laundry sitch.... my dryer is not working. And so I have laundry built up. I hate to go to the laundromat just to dry clothes and have to drag the kids in and it is SUCH A HASSLE. So, I bought a new line to put up out back and have been hanging out clothes to dry. It works great. I might actually not bother to get the dryer fixed right away. I bet our electric bill will be lower this month. It just takes longer to dry so I need to make sure I do laundry every day.
And lunacy..... that's a given at my house! The baby has decided that he doesn't want to sleep in his bed. Every time I put him in there he wakes up and cries heart brokenly. So, I have not gotten much sleep over the past few nights. Even when I bring him in bed with us, I still can't sleep good. So, I am sleep deprived once more. Hence the boring and mundane post of the day. J is trying to clean her room. And the boy refused a nap today and just played in his bed for two hours. At which point you kinda have to just let them get up. So, I guess he gets to go to bed early tonight! I am also in the midst of trying to sort through baby clothes, put away boxes of clothes in my room, unpack some junk boxes and straighten out the boys' room. I guess I should probably get back to work and see if I can actually get anything done.....
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Child Development Nightmare
My husband and I took our 2 year old to the doctor for a checkup today. At his 2 year apt. he was referred to Early Intervention for a speech delay and some behavior issues. We set up appointments and he was evaluated and a teacher/ therapist has been coming to work with him once a week. We see some progress.
Then I got a letter from the University of Mississippi Child Development Center in Jackson saying that we have an appointment to have the boy evaluated by a pediatric development specialist and a behavioral specialist person (can't remember the exact titles). So, I asked the doctor today if this is something we need to do since he is already being seen through early intervention. He says yes. That he really would rather that he have the more in depth evaluation. To rule out any developmental causes for his speech delay and behavior probs.
So now I am trying not to panic.
I had just gotten myself calmed down when EI told us they saw no signs of Autism or other major problems and no physical reasons for the speech delay. BUT.... this is a really big deal appointment. It usually takes months and months to get an appointment here. And they fit us in within two months of the referral. WTF? what is this supposed to say to me? IS there something the Dr sees that I don't? Or is this just his way of making some extra bucks off of MS Medicaid? No idea..... trying to just be calm.
The appointment is coming up in 2 weeks. It is a 2 hour drive to Jackson. We have to be there at 830 am. The evaluation will take 4 HOURS!!!!!!!! And then the drive home. So, we get to drag a 2 year old and a six month old out of the house for an 8 - 9 hour day. Blaagggghhhhh.....
On a lighter note, the boy participated in a nice little play date at the park today. The kids blew bubbles and played with balloons. Two of his favorite things to do. Major coolness factor for him. Littlest boy was pretty thrilled with the bubbles as well.
I guess I should give fake, cyber safe names to the little kiddos...... so, middlest child shall be Buddy or the boy. Littlest is the baby or well..... the baby for now. Biggest one is J. And DH is DH. And me? I am SUPER MOM!!!!!! Bwa-ha-ha-ha-hah..... I wish......
Then I got a letter from the University of Mississippi Child Development Center in Jackson saying that we have an appointment to have the boy evaluated by a pediatric development specialist and a behavioral specialist person (can't remember the exact titles). So, I asked the doctor today if this is something we need to do since he is already being seen through early intervention. He says yes. That he really would rather that he have the more in depth evaluation. To rule out any developmental causes for his speech delay and behavior probs.
So now I am trying not to panic.
I had just gotten myself calmed down when EI told us they saw no signs of Autism or other major problems and no physical reasons for the speech delay. BUT.... this is a really big deal appointment. It usually takes months and months to get an appointment here. And they fit us in within two months of the referral. WTF? what is this supposed to say to me? IS there something the Dr sees that I don't? Or is this just his way of making some extra bucks off of MS Medicaid? No idea..... trying to just be calm.
The appointment is coming up in 2 weeks. It is a 2 hour drive to Jackson. We have to be there at 830 am. The evaluation will take 4 HOURS!!!!!!!! And then the drive home. So, we get to drag a 2 year old and a six month old out of the house for an 8 - 9 hour day. Blaagggghhhhh.....
On a lighter note, the boy participated in a nice little play date at the park today. The kids blew bubbles and played with balloons. Two of his favorite things to do. Major coolness factor for him. Littlest boy was pretty thrilled with the bubbles as well.
I guess I should give fake, cyber safe names to the little kiddos...... so, middlest child shall be Buddy or the boy. Littlest is the baby or well..... the baby for now. Biggest one is J. And DH is DH. And me? I am SUPER MOM!!!!!! Bwa-ha-ha-ha-hah..... I wish......
Monday, October 8, 2007
Life of a momster part two
Now... where was I? Oh! Last year my hubby and I got married on Halloween in FL at my mother's home. The wedding was one great big costume party blow out. It was awesome. Then we got to come back to MS and try to move all of our stuff to this little house we found. It was way out in the boonies and was a 100 year old farm house. So, you can read that to mean: no insulation, no heat or A/C and no pest control. It was... interesting. We spent the next 9 months in this house. The winter was bad but we had electric heaters and blankets. The stove/ oven did not work as the gas lines were so old that the gas company would not hook up a tank. We used an electric skillet, burners and a microwave to cook with. And a toaster oven, crock pot and gas grill (outside). It made for challenging dinner preparations.
When things started to warm up we discovered another interesting quirk to the house from hell. Mice. And no AC in a house with no insulation. It was horrible. So, we started trying to find something that would work better for us.
Eventually, DH got a raise and we found a place that would work out financially for us. We now live in a brick house with heat and AC, a fireplace and enough room for all of the kids and all of our numerous boxes of STUFF. DH and the daughter are pack rats. It is something to behold. We moved in to the new place in early August and I am starting to get a handle on the unpacking finally. I think. Maybe.
I haven't yet touched on the trials and tribulations of birthing a new baby with a 19 month old running around, the boy ending up in the ER and then having dental surgery, the sleep deprivation, the struggles to find a schedule or the speech therapy/ behavior therapy for boy #1.
Much meat for the postings to come.
Right now I am trying to get my 6 month old to sleep. We are working on getting him to go to sleep on his own without rocking or nursing. It is tearing my heart out to hear him crying. Not sure if I am up to this one. The 2 year old is asleep and the teen is in her room supposedly getting ready to go to bed. DH is at work for another half hour. NOW I might have time to do some dishes. Or clean the living room. Or fold clothes. Or maybe even unpack a box of STUFF. Nah. There goes the littlest one again. I will probably end up going and getting him out of bed. Bad mommy.
More at a later date.....
When things started to warm up we discovered another interesting quirk to the house from hell. Mice. And no AC in a house with no insulation. It was horrible. So, we started trying to find something that would work better for us.
Eventually, DH got a raise and we found a place that would work out financially for us. We now live in a brick house with heat and AC, a fireplace and enough room for all of the kids and all of our numerous boxes of STUFF. DH and the daughter are pack rats. It is something to behold. We moved in to the new place in early August and I am starting to get a handle on the unpacking finally. I think. Maybe.
I haven't yet touched on the trials and tribulations of birthing a new baby with a 19 month old running around, the boy ending up in the ER and then having dental surgery, the sleep deprivation, the struggles to find a schedule or the speech therapy/ behavior therapy for boy #1.
Much meat for the postings to come.
Right now I am trying to get my 6 month old to sleep. We are working on getting him to go to sleep on his own without rocking or nursing. It is tearing my heart out to hear him crying. Not sure if I am up to this one. The 2 year old is asleep and the teen is in her room supposedly getting ready to go to bed. DH is at work for another half hour. NOW I might have time to do some dishes. Or clean the living room. Or fold clothes. Or maybe even unpack a box of STUFF. Nah. There goes the littlest one again. I will probably end up going and getting him out of bed. Bad mommy.
More at a later date.....
About the momster
So, a little about me. I am a 33 year old stay at home mom to 3 beautiful children. The stay at home part was not planned AT ALL. I enjoy it and am glad to have the chance to watch my children grow but I am definitely not used to being at home and not at work. It is the hardest job I could ever imagine having. The most rewarding in some ways and the one with the least amount of glory or appreciation.
I grew up in Gainesville, FL and lived in the area my whole life. I never expected to really live any where else. I got pregnant at 19 and had a wonderful girl. I raised her as a single mom with the help of my parents. Thanks mom! She is now 13 and is a great kid. When she was about 9 I met this guy. It was funny because I was SOOOOOO not looking to settle down with anyone.... but he just hung around until I realized I was in love. I introduced my daughter to him and we moved in to his apartment. About 6 months later I found out I was pregnant. Now, we had talked about having more children in the future but that was the FUTURE.... not exactly the way we planned it. But then, is it ever? So, our little boy was born in August of 2005. He is a wild and crazy 2 year old now and makes his mamas hair go gray more and more each day.
When the boy was about 6 months old we started exploring an opportunity to move to Mississippi. This was a weird time. My husband has been a professional chef for more than 20 years. He had a bad experience with a restaurant that he helped open and decided he didn't want to cook anymore. So, he started working construction with a friend of his. This friend decided to move to MS to take advantage of the many opportunities for work that Hurricane Katrina had left behind. So, we made a tough decision. Things were financially not doing well for us in FL, we were having lots of stress and tension in our relationship with each other and with our daughter and I was really wanting to get a fresh start. We moved to MS with high expectations of lots of well payed construction jobs, a great future and good times.
It didn't quite work out that way.
I left a well paid job as a fiscal supervisor for a hospital gift shop and ended up only able to find a job as an assistant manager in a dollar store that paid $7 an hour. I ask you. $7 an hour? That didn't even pay day care and gas. So, I ended up at home with the son. My daughter stayed in FL to finish the school year and then ended up moving up sooner as she was miserable. And then proceeded to be miserable here. And make us miserable as well. She was so NOT HAPPY. My DH ended up with work issues as his boss was not as well informed about the construction situation here as he thought he was. They struggled to find work and then ended up working for an unscrupulous contractor who screwed them out of quite a bit of money. We struggled to keep our bills paid and tried to make it work.
Then I found out I was pregnant again.
You might ask: Wow, hasn't this woman figured out where babies come from yet? Well, yes. And I enjoy the practice. But, birth control fell through. And we were pregnant once again before the boy was a year old. Wow. I was pretty overwhelmed. So was DH. The boy turned one and we kept trying to figure out ways to make more money to get things straightened out.
Then we got evicted.
No kidding.
It sucked.
What were we supposed to do? We were supposed to be getting married in a month (in FL) and I was pregnant again. And we had 2 kids to worry about already. Not a pretty scene. We basically decided to give it until the end of October when we were going to FL to get married and if we did not have a) a steady income and b) an affordable place to live then we were going back to FL to admit defeat and throw ourselves on the mercy of our families. We ended up living in a big 3000 sq foot warehouse for the next month. It was very odd. But, it had a bathroom with a shower, an area for the fridge and microwave, etc. And the kids were clean and safe. So, DH went looking for work that would be more financially stable than the construction business and ended up as a chef once again. HE found work right away and we ended up finding a house that we could afford to rent. We left our stuff in the warehouse and headed to FL at the end of October to get married.
And that brings us up to last year at this time.
duh duh duh
I will post the next installment in "This is my life" at a later time. The baby is crying. The toddler is looking at me like I am insane. The teen is asking if she can use the computer. And I think my dinner is about to burn.
Later.
I grew up in Gainesville, FL and lived in the area my whole life. I never expected to really live any where else. I got pregnant at 19 and had a wonderful girl. I raised her as a single mom with the help of my parents. Thanks mom! She is now 13 and is a great kid. When she was about 9 I met this guy. It was funny because I was SOOOOOO not looking to settle down with anyone.... but he just hung around until I realized I was in love. I introduced my daughter to him and we moved in to his apartment. About 6 months later I found out I was pregnant. Now, we had talked about having more children in the future but that was the FUTURE.... not exactly the way we planned it. But then, is it ever? So, our little boy was born in August of 2005. He is a wild and crazy 2 year old now and makes his mamas hair go gray more and more each day.
When the boy was about 6 months old we started exploring an opportunity to move to Mississippi. This was a weird time. My husband has been a professional chef for more than 20 years. He had a bad experience with a restaurant that he helped open and decided he didn't want to cook anymore. So, he started working construction with a friend of his. This friend decided to move to MS to take advantage of the many opportunities for work that Hurricane Katrina had left behind. So, we made a tough decision. Things were financially not doing well for us in FL, we were having lots of stress and tension in our relationship with each other and with our daughter and I was really wanting to get a fresh start. We moved to MS with high expectations of lots of well payed construction jobs, a great future and good times.
It didn't quite work out that way.
I left a well paid job as a fiscal supervisor for a hospital gift shop and ended up only able to find a job as an assistant manager in a dollar store that paid $7 an hour. I ask you. $7 an hour? That didn't even pay day care and gas. So, I ended up at home with the son. My daughter stayed in FL to finish the school year and then ended up moving up sooner as she was miserable. And then proceeded to be miserable here. And make us miserable as well. She was so NOT HAPPY. My DH ended up with work issues as his boss was not as well informed about the construction situation here as he thought he was. They struggled to find work and then ended up working for an unscrupulous contractor who screwed them out of quite a bit of money. We struggled to keep our bills paid and tried to make it work.
Then I found out I was pregnant again.
You might ask: Wow, hasn't this woman figured out where babies come from yet? Well, yes. And I enjoy the practice. But, birth control fell through. And we were pregnant once again before the boy was a year old. Wow. I was pretty overwhelmed. So was DH. The boy turned one and we kept trying to figure out ways to make more money to get things straightened out.
Then we got evicted.
No kidding.
It sucked.
What were we supposed to do? We were supposed to be getting married in a month (in FL) and I was pregnant again. And we had 2 kids to worry about already. Not a pretty scene. We basically decided to give it until the end of October when we were going to FL to get married and if we did not have a) a steady income and b) an affordable place to live then we were going back to FL to admit defeat and throw ourselves on the mercy of our families. We ended up living in a big 3000 sq foot warehouse for the next month. It was very odd. But, it had a bathroom with a shower, an area for the fridge and microwave, etc. And the kids were clean and safe. So, DH went looking for work that would be more financially stable than the construction business and ended up as a chef once again. HE found work right away and we ended up finding a house that we could afford to rent. We left our stuff in the warehouse and headed to FL at the end of October to get married.
And that brings us up to last year at this time.
duh duh duh
I will post the next installment in "This is my life" at a later time. The baby is crying. The toddler is looking at me like I am insane. The teen is asking if she can use the computer. And I think my dinner is about to burn.
Later.
Anniversary
So my husband and I will be celebrating our first wedding anniversary on Halloween this year. Yes, we got married on Halloween. It was a blast! But I wanted to take this opportunity (before I talk trash) to say how much I love my DH. He is a great man, a wonderful husband and a fabulous father. So now, let the bashing begin! LOL.
Bloggin' in the house...
OK. So, I have wanted to start a blog for some time now. So, I am going to give it a shot and see what happens. Keep in mind that I am the mom of three kids.... that means my mind is sucked out by their demands on a regular basis. I don't guarantee anything resembling clever, amusing, deep or philosophical posts. Basically, this will be my journal. To help me keep myself sane and my kids alive... just kidding! I am in need of somewhere to rant and somewhere to vent without driving my poor husband to distraction. So... here goes... hope it's not too boring!
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