Christmas, Christmas, Everywhere!

My house looks as though it's been hit by a tornado...no, perhaps an atomic bomb.  There's Christmas shrapnel everywhere I look, and as I try to find a peaceful spot to rock in the fetal position I am reminded of the fact that it will get bigger and bigger every year as The Princess starts to want things and family members oblige.  So I begin to chant...enjoy it while it's here, this may be the last Christmas without the added wonders of Santa Claus and gift lists.

All in all, it was a wonderful holiday.  On Christmas Eve, The Princess got all gussied up (in the same dress she wore for Christmas day last year - hooray for outfit-repeating...especially at this age!!) and decided she loved ornaments.  Not having had any on the pre-lit tree this year for fear of Destructo doing them in, she was elated when I handed her one. 

After snapping these (most excellent) photos, we took off for Uncle Hambone's house for the festivities.  In keeping with tradition, there was grumbling and bickering, starving and nervous giggling, eating and calming down, and waaaay too many presents!  Dinner was served at about 10:00, after which we dug into the pile of loot.

The Princess, of course, found her big present the moment we got there...considering it would have been hard to wrap.

After checking out the tricycle and getting a tutorial about putting her feet on the pedals and pushing, The Princess decided she really needed to get down and dirty, and figure out how the heck this thing worked.

Happy with the mechanical aspects, The Princess moved on to more presents and lots of paper.  The bubble wrap was an especially big hit.

After presents we decided it was probably time to hit the road, so The Hubbs started bringing our loot to the car.  A couple of minutes after he went out there was a knock on the door...he came in with a look of absolute horror on his face.  The tricycle had self-destructed. 

Turns out it wasn't a big deal - just a grumpy bolt that was easily fixed - and the tricycle is now residing smack dab in the middle of our living room.  The Princess's favorite part is the pedals...they spin so well!

When we got home from Uncle Hambone's house The Princess was sleeping peacefully in her car seat.  I couldn't bring myself to upset her so I took her in her Christmas dress and laid her in her bed for the night.  She didn't budge.

Next morning, we awoke early to make the trek to The Hubbs' folks' place.  His grandpa's birthday is on Christmas day and there's always a big breakfast with that side of the family, chowing home-made crepes and excellent bacon.  Can't miss that!

After breakfast we plopped in the living room to open presents with The Hubbs' folks and JAK.  Unfortunately, I left my BlackBerry at home...so I didn't get to take any pictures.  :(

BUT...Nana kindly sent me three of the best The Princess photos from her camera.  Thanks, Nana!

Here's The Princess with Daddy, yukkin' it up:

And here she is checking out the decorations on the coffee table:

And this one we like to call Princess Babboon Butt...displaying her shiny red bloomers for the world.  K wasn't sure what the heck was going on, and is looking over her shoulder at the crazy people.  :)

After the present extravaganza with Nana and Company, the Reardon Clan started showing up for dinner.  The Princess really enjoyed the turkey and homemade cranberry sauce...not to mention the pumpkin cheesecake.

All in all it was a great Christmas, though we're still trying to find homes for all the new stuff.  This poor little house seems to be shrinking by the minute...time to go through and throw out some old crap to make room!

Here's her big present from Nana and Grampy - the Handy Manny Repair Shop.  Coolest.  Thing.  Ever.  We just couldn't wait to get this thing put together, regardless of the lack of space.  It now lives in the middle of the living room, between the treadmill and the tricycle.

Here's hoping your holiday was as filled with food, family and fun as ours was.

Merry Christmas!

This is always a crazy time, and it seems the month between Thanksgiving and Christmas has a way of speeding up more and more every year.  I find myself surprised, once again, at how quickly Christmas has arrived.

I know there's always lots to do, but let's all do ourselves a favor and take this time to slow down.  Turn off the TV, put away the Nintendo DS, and - God forbid - put the BlackBerry or iPhone in a drawer.  Now look around...what do you see?

I see my two American bulldogs, Dee and Sookie, without whom our lives would be dangerously close to boring.  Never in my life have I known such a protector as Dee.  But fear not...once she gets to know you she's got nothin' but love for ya.  Sookie, on the other hand, falls in love with every human she meets within seconds.  If it wasn't for Dee, any intruders would be greeted by a cutesy little gal rolling onto her back in hopes of a good ol' fashioned belly rub.

I see my husband, the love of my life.  Without him, who knows...I may still be living at home with my mom and dad, singing karaoke at every opportunity.  Not that that would be bad, but I wouldn't be a wife with a house and two loving bulldogs.  This man has made such a difference in my life.

And he's given me the greatest gift of all - a daughter.  This little girl is gorgeous, and so affectionate.  Sure, she poops her pants and cries instead of talking...but I wouldn't trade her for anything in the world.  Add to that the fact that I'm finally getting some time with her at home, and I couldn't be happier.

These people, furry or not, are what it's all about.  Now add in my folks, his folks, our siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews, and tell me this:

How could life get any better?

From the bottom of my heart, I wish you and your families the merriest of Christmases this year.  Don't forget to slow down and enjoy it.

One Productive Monday

Another busy day here in the Tucky!

This afternoon I took The Princess over to Milestones for her OT with Sakina.  What a difference from last week, when she was all oh-my-gosh-look-at-all-the-stuff-I-must-play-with-everything-right-NOW!  We made our way into the gym and The Princess spent a good amount of time in the swings.  Sakina explained to me how some movements can be stimulating and others can be calming.  I'm excited to put this into practice at home.

After blowing off some steam in the gym we all headed across the hall to the therapy room, where The Princess and Sakina strung beads, put pegs into a pegboard and colored with markers.  The Princess was unbelievably attentive - it's really amazing to see the difference OT can make in her concentration and overall demeanor.

When we were done in the therapy room, Sakina took The Princess into the hall to roll on a little scooter for a bit.  She wasn't sure about it at first, but quickly caught on to the workings of the thing and scooted herself from Sakina to me...earning a great big hug when she got there. 

Before leaving, we stopped off at the ol' potty where The Princess showed off her still-dry Pull-Up and tinkled like a champ.  She was extremely entertained by the sink that turns on when you put your hands under it, and splashed a little more than was completely necessary...but it was cute as a button.  As I was wiping down the counter, The Princess grabbed the diaper bag and dragged it to the door.  When I caught up with her and opened the door, she proceeded to drag the diaper bag down the hall to the door into the waiting room.  So cute!

Home again, home again, jiggity-jig.

On the way, I called school to find out what the testing center hours are for this week.  They gave me the info and I came home to do a little more reviewing.  I had decided to put math off as long as possible, and took off at about 4:30 to take my English/reading tests.

They said to allow two hours for this test.  Forty minutes after starting, I was very surprised to find I had finished.  I stepped out of the testing center to the desk, and was told I had scored 100%.  Yippee!  Since I had planned to be there longer anyway, I figured what the heck...so I went back in and took the math test.  Not perfect, by any means, but not bad either.

After taking my placement exams I headed down the hall to leave.  I noticed that the admissions office was still open, so I stepped inside to see if there was an advisor around who could help with my course placement.  It just so happened that there was an advisor there with no one else waiting, so I sat down with her and I now have my schedule for the spring semester.  I'll be taking English, Computer Literacy, Biology and MCC101 (college intro) on campus; and psych as a telecourse.

I'm officially a full-time student, starting in January.

Sis-In-Law Is Fine And I'm An Idiot, But I Make Cute Things

Six days and counting until the Christmas madness begins at the in-laws' house!

If you're here because you know me, you are already aware of the fact that my brother's wife went in for surgery yesterday.  The doctors were throwing the big scary C-word around with wild abandon leading up to this procedure, and I am ecstatic to report that THEY WERE WRONG.  There was no cancer - it was endometriosis.  They removed the masses, performed a hystorectomy and removed her appendix.  She's resting on Cloud 9 with her push-button pain relief as you are reading this.

Last week I enrolled at the local county college so I can go back and get my certificate to be a COTA (Certified Occupational Therapist Assistant).  I also picked up a study guide from the school bookstore to refresh my memory on math a bit before I take the placement tests.  Yesterday, between other things, I pulled out the study guide and proceeded to feel dumber by the moment.  We're talking basic math, people!  I used to be good at this stuff - I was in calculus in high school.  And here I was, reduced to a blubbering pile of goo by this blue booklet that was taunting me with things I've long forgotten.  Slowly but surely, it's coming back. 

Since the Christmas Countdown is where it is, well, I figured it was as good a time as any to embark upon a last-minute craft project for the whole family.  I can't tell you what it is here, since most of you are getting one, but I'll post pics after Christmas.  It's a fun project, and it's great to be able to sit down and work on it for a while when my math incompetence gets to be too much to handle.

Now, if I could only find a place to hide all these projects when The Hubbs' fam comes over tomorrow...

The Times, They Are A-Changin'

Hey y'all!

What with all of the recent changes in my life, I figured it was about time to revamp the old blogosphere.  Welcome to my new world, now entitled "One Mom's Journey".

Stay tuned for updates about our adventures, and let me know what ya think about the new layout!

Lunch With The Gals, Play Group, and A Nice Little Surprise

Big day today!

The Princess and I headed down to the old office to meet up with some friends from work and get my last check (more on the check later).  The ride down was uneventful, mostly due to the fact that we left home at about 10:30 so we were blessed with the absence of the usual rush hour idiots.

When we arrived at the office the receptionist called the HR chick, who came up to meet me.  Her face lit up when she saw The Princess and she immediately said she had hoped I'd be bringing her along.  The Princess hasn't been to the office in quite a while, and we all know how fast little ones can change.  In HR Chick's office, we talked for a couple of minutes and played with the greatest thing known to toddlerhood - bubbles!  HR Chick is a grandma and just happened to have little wedding-favour-sized bottles in her file cabinet for such occasions.  Good thinkin'!  HR Chick quickly made her way onto The Princess's list of Grown Ups Who Don't Suck.

After collecting my last check (which should have been dated 12/4) we got permission to go upstairs to surprise our pals.

Up the millions of stairs - hey, to a toddler who has no stairs in her house 20 stairs is a lot! - into the good ole cube farm.  We stopped by my buddy Rick's desk, but he wasn't there.  Bummer.  The Princess made a grand entrance into Rolinda's cube, running in uninvited and undetected for a moment before he turned around to find a 2-year-old staring him in the face.  :)  Rolilnda told us that Ricky Rick Rick was in E's office...E was going to lunch with us so I didn't feel bad interrupting.

We trekked across the cube farm to the wall-o-offices, and I aimed The Princess at E's door...giving her a little push.  Ricky Rick Rick looked down, his eyes got as big as saucers, and then he looked up with this big ol' goofy grin to say hi.  I think the last time he saw The Princess she was just learning to walk.  Time flies!  E had a little Scooby Doo lunch box with a handle that made fantastic sounds, and she even gave The Princess a smiley-face sticker. 

From there we hit the potty and ran into Betts at the sinks - she was the last member of our lunch group that we had yet to see.  Her face lit up and we hugged right there in the bathroom.  Glad no one walked in...might have looked funny to an outsider!

The Princess, Rolinda, E, Betts and I headed out for an upscale lunch at this jazzy place called McDonald's...and had an absolutely fabulous time.  I may not miss the job, but I sure do miss the people.

I am so excited for Betts, who is retiring in January.  Way to go, lady!

Through this whole visit, The Princess was an absolute angel.  All smiles and not a grumpy sound coming out of her.  I'm a lucky momma.

After Happy Meals, we headed back to the car and said goodbye to our pals.  The Princess got comfortably strapped into her car seat with a toy and we took off for home.

About half-way home it occurred to me that I had never looked at my check.  Imagine my surprise as I opened it and found out, while driving, that it was fully three times what I had expected it to be.  Merry Christmas!  I guess it was worth the wait after all, eh?

After stopping at the bank and the post office to deposit that check and send out our Christmas cards, we stopped home to hang out with Daddy for a couple of hours.

Off to play group! 

Those of you who follow this blog are already aware that the last play group did not end well.  I am happy to report that today's play group was a success.  The Princess had fun during free play, helped to clean up when it was over - which was HUGE, actually sat for circle time, and was in on all of the activities...including craft time. 

We didn't make it this far last time, but it was big fun today.  We made a Christmas tree using construction paper, glue, yarn and foam stickers.  Ooh, and we drew stars in the night sky with chalk.  And as an extra added bonus: there's even snow under the tree.

After craft time we had a snack and did a little more circle time before taking off to chill out for the evening. 

I'm very proud of my little girl...this was a lot for anyone to do in a day, and she was a champ through it all.  I love being a mommy. *happy sigh*

I've Found What I Was Meant To Do

Whew...what a day!

This morning started out with a trip to MCC to meet with a recruiter in the admissions office.  I talked to a nice woman named Helen who helped me with what I need to do to get started.  She gave me the FAFSA application, as well as the new student application form for the college.  She also set me up with a printout that outlines the courses included in the Certified Occupational Therapist Assistant (COTA) program, as well as examples of the places where COTAs can work.

Back home to fill out paperwork.  Not too bad, all considered - it took less than an hour for everything I needed to do.  Called the guidance office at my high school to get the application to have my transcript sent over to the college, filled that out, and will be dropping it off within the next day or two.

All of a sudden it was lunch time.  I scarfed a quick peanut butter and honey sandwich, got The Princess out of her jammies and into jeans and a cute little shirt from Nana, and loaded her in the car.  We headed back out to Crystal Lake for The Princess's first occupational therapy appointment at Milestones with Sakina.

Sakina is a wonderfully cheerful, outgoing woman, who was tailor-made to work with kids.  Milestones is a combination playground/classroom setting where she and her COTAs work with differently-abled kids from 0-21 years of age.

Sakina met us in the waiting room (we were half an hour early thanks to my obsessive-compulsive fear of being late!), and was all smiles as we introduced ourselves.  From there, The Princess and I shucked our shoes and headed into the gym to see what kind of thing we were getting ourselves into.

The gym.  When Sakina said we were going to the gym I wasn't sure what to expect.  I mean, this clinic is in a small storefront office in a business park, and it sure didn't seem like there was going to be enough room in this little place for a gym.  Once she led us into the back, I changed my tune.  The gym is a large room with a whole wall of mirrors facing a sea of crash pads, swings, a slide that shoots kids out into a ball pit, a trampoline, a wedge to run up and down (with super-cushy crash pads at the bottom for jumping into), and I'm sure there was more I'm not remembering now.

The Princess had a blast, especially with the ball pit.  She went down the slide a few times, running up the stairs in between to get another turn.  The trampoline was also a hit.  Cutest.  Thing.  Ever.

I told Sakina that I am currently in the process of registering at MCC for the COTA program, and her face lit up.  It turns out that she was on the committee that initiated this program at the college, and she's super-excited that it's coming.  And once she knew I was interested in getting into the profession, she kindly gave me an overview of things from her perspective. 

I'm especially excited to report that COTAs get to do all of the fun stuff OTs do, the main difference being that a COTA can't administer evaluations.  This is done by the OT who leads the staff.  Sakina assured me that my choice to become a COTA is a good one - most people who go into this field take this route, and continue their education while gaining valuable experience working with kiddos who need their help.  Otherwise, it would be six years of full-time school to get the OT qualifications start to finish.

Sakina explained that each session typically starts out with 20-30 minutes in the gym, letting the kids blow off some steam doing their favorite activities.  This helps them to rid themselves of excess energy, preparing them for more one-on-one learning time.

When we finished in the gym, Sakina led The Princess and me across the hall to a small room with kiddo-sized tables and chairs.  The Princess sat with Sakina and strung beads, put pegs into a board (and actually cleaned up when she was done - bonus!), drew on the chalkboard, and made Mommy and Daddy a most excellent picture of a crazy-colored penguin using these gigantic markers.  FYI - the markers didn't taste very good, apparently...and The Princess still has a bright green bottom lip!

All in all, it was a very good first impression.

After having talked with Heather, our service coordinator, and other people who work in industries that help differently-abled people, I've come to know that there's a huge shortage of OTs...specifically those who work with EI (Early Intervention - Illinois' state-funded program for kiddos from 0-3...this is the program The Princess is currently in).  Based on that and the fact that I want to help other kids like The Princess, I came to the conclusion that I wanted to be a COTA. 

But I'd never even seen a facility before.  How did I know I was going to like it?  I couldn't possibly know that...I just had a feeling.  A feeling that has now been reinforced with a great experience at a wonderful place with a fantastic OT.

Not only was Sakina great with The Princess, but she helped me to understand what I'll be getting into when I enter the field.  I couldn't be more thankful.

Or excited.  Or hopeful.

I think it's official: I've found what I was meant to do.

After leaving Milestones, we drove across town to turn in my enrollment application at MCC and I picked up the study guide for the placement tests I'll need to take before choosing my courses.

It's all coming together.  Must be a sign.  :)

Everything Happens For A Reason

I've always been a firm believer in signs and that old adage: "Everything happens for a reason".

Losing my job in November was a blow, to say the least.  I'd been with the company for eight and a half years...started there before I was even old enough to drink.  Funny how you can get attached to a job to such an extent that you can start to feel helpless without it. 

For a long time now I've been thinking about what I'd be good at, what I'd like to do professionally.  I always find myself coming back to one thing - I want to be able to do something to help kids like The Princess.

But how can I do that?  I'm a 28-year-old mother of a 2-year-old autistic girl, and we need to support our family.

The Hubbs and I were discussing this very subject earlier this week after a particularly difficult day in the never-ending job search.  Our case worker had called to confirm a few things about upcoming changes in The Princess's services through the state, and I half-jokingly asked her if there were any job openings in her organization.  She said only if I get certified to become an OT (occupational therapist).

Hmm.

So we started musing about the possibility of my going to school to get my degree.  I've never taken any college courses, so I've got to be eligible for grants, etc., right?  How can we work it so we can keep the house?

All the beginnings of a pipe-dream, really.

Yesterday we found out that it is going to happen - and sooner rather than later.  I will be able to go to school to get my certification as an OT assistant, with the possibility of continuing on for the full OT credentials along the way.  I have a meeting on Monday with the admissions office at our community college to get the ball rolling for (hopefully) the spring semester.

I don't know how we've been so lucky, but I am thankful each and every day for everything we've been blessed with since we met five years ago.  When things are right, they're right.

For Jello

It's been a while since I've posted.  I blame this on life...so much going on, so little time for the extras.  The thought of posting a blog has crossed my mind, fleetingly, many times since I last wrote.  It's like when you realize you haven't talked to your mom in two weeks, the thought only ever occuring to you at the most inopportune time, like when you get up to pee at three o'clock in the morning.

Since I've been so lax in my writing lately, I guess it's time for another catch-all session including everything that's happened to me in the last month or so.  Here goes nothin'...

On November twentieth I lost my job.  Yeah.  Happy stinkin' holidays, right?  Since then I've been blasting my resume out to anyone who'll take a look, without success.  I've had a couple of random calls from companies to which I didn't apply (odd, right?) soliciting me for sales positions.  I have all the respect in the world for people who excel at sales...I just don't think I'd be good at this.  Plus, there's the fact that I need to support a family here, and there's no guaranteed salary in these positions.  Just commission.

So on I look.

In the meantime I've applied for unemployment, and will find out in the near future if they've deemed me worthy.  I can't imagine any good reason why they wouldn't, but am kind of freaking out about the unknown.  What if they say no?

There's always the 401k.  I know it's a last resort, but at least it's there if things get bad.

Two days after losing my job I threw out my back.  This is starting to sound like a pity party, I know, but it's not meant that way.  It's just what happened, I kid you not.  I'm still not completely recovered, but at least now I can seem to make it through the day without tears of pain or feeling like I'm gonna pass out.  I see this as a bonus.

The real upside to all of this is that I get to spend time with The Princess.  I've always wanted to be a stay-at-home mommy and I'm getting to play at that a little bit while I'm on the job search.  Though the circumstances are not ideal, I wouldn't trade this time with my daughter for anything in the world.

And the stress of that job is gone, which is another plus.  Things had been going downhill at my previous employer for a couple of years and morale was low, to say the least.  Being home for these few weeks has made me realize I may have been in the wrong position there.  Now that I'm home, I find that I am a better listener and am more relaxed.  My mind isn't constantly racing, trying to figure out how I'm going to put out the next fire at the office.

I think it would be great if I could get a job working with people again...real people, rather than high-powered corporate clients whose sole ambition is to get ahead regardless of who they step on along the way.  I'd love to do something working with people on a personal level.  Child care, patient services at a hospital, that kind of thing.

We'll see how it goes.

For now I'm pounding the pavement and getting my name and credentials out there.  Not much more I can do on this front until I get that magical phone call.

My Christmas lights are up on the outside of the house, and they are adorable.  We got a new set of ceramic multi-color C-9's this year, so the place resembles a gingerbread house in the evening.  We even splurged on a timer so I didn't have to climb to the back of the garage to plug them in and turn them off each day.  Bonus!

Christmas tree is up.  Autistic 2-year-old is enthralled, to say the least.  I'm happy to report we had the foresight to stick with only the pre-lit tree, sans garland and ornaments, this year.  My red and gold angel is perched on top, thankfully out of The Princess's reach.  The night we put it up was trying to say the least...I don't think we went 25 seconds without her grabbing a branch and yanking, resulting in the inevitable "no" and temper tantrum that follow.  She's pretty much used to it now, which is nice...lots less yelling around here.  :)

I've cleared off the back of the piano as well as the entertainment center, and redecorated those areas.  The piano area will stay this way for a while, with the exception of the glittery magic wand in the rubber tree...which is the only themed decoration for Christmas. 

The entertainment center is now the home of our Christmas Stitch, dressed as Santa Claus.  On either side we've put a bowl of ornaments and garland, and the stockings are hung on the wall behind.  It's very cute, but will inevitably need to be replaced with something else after New Year's.

Here's a different view of the entertainment center so you can see the stockings, etc., in all their glory:

Other than that, there are a few small decorations on top of the china cabinet in the kitchen:

Oh, the kitchen!  It's almost done.  Not sure when the counter and backsplash will be completed, but the paint and wainscoting are done (as long as you don't look behind the fridge!).  Pics to come later on that.

I just realized I forgot to mention Thanksgiving in there...we had my family over for dinner here, and handled everything ourselves - even with my aching back.  I baked a 15-lb turkey to perfection (not to toot my own horn or anything, but toot toot!!), and made stuffing, mashed potatoes, scalloped corn and pumpkin cheesecake to go with it.  Mom, Dad and Hambone joined us for dinner, and D and Robert showed up after.  All in all, a nice quiet evening with the fam.

Since I'm going all ADD in this post, let's jump ahead to last week. 

On Wednesday I took The Princess to her first-ever play group.  It was in Crystal Lake, and was run by the non-profit place we work with for The Princess's autism services.  The first half-hour was free play, which she loved (surprise, surprise).  She found a little play hut with balls inside - you know, the kind they put in ball pits for little kids? - and didn't budge.  She played peek-a-boo with me and a lady from NISRA, and was really enjoying herself. 

Then a little boy came into her tent, stood up and took off.  With the tent.  The Princess was all, "No way, dude!", and grabbed a side of the tent to drag back to its original location - prime real estate, you know, with its ball-pittiness and such.  She then proceeded to place the tent on the floor and sit on the side so it couldn't go anywhere.

That's right.  My little girl is just slightly possessive.  But there was no meltdown and no hitting, so I see this as a good thing!

She saved the meltdown for circle time.

Just as free play was getting good, some silly grown-up decided it would be fun (yeah, right!) to put the toys away and go sit quietly in a circle while she read a book.  The Princess?  So not into it.  Squirming, yelling, and getting ready for a full-blown tantrum in the middle of the floor, I scooped her up and took her over to the table for a big ol' glass of Shut Up.  That's what we call anything yummy in a sippy cup - no better way to avert certain jerkitude...believe me, we know from experience.

We watched from the sidelines for a while, but The Princess didn't want anything to do with the group activities.  After about an hour at the play group we snuck out and came home.  Honestly, I hadn't thought she'd last that long, so this was a pretty successful first time.

Two days later we had The Princess's annual evaluation with Early Intervention, and the short synopsis is this: we're keeping speech therapy twice a week at home with Julie, adding occupational once a week at a clinic and twice a month at home, and adding developmental twice a month at home.  It's about to get busier around here!

In some roundabout way, I think I've pretty much covered the last few weeks.  Here's hopin' I remember to post more often from now on so I don't have to do these War-and-Peace-length rants anymore.

But just in case I don't...Merry Christmas, y'all!