Friday, July 20, 2012

"Still crazy, after all these years..."

I need a vacation from this vacation.  I'll try to keep this minimally wordy because I know everyone is busy, but I wanted to let you know how we've been and what we're up to.

1. That Grandma of ours has been full of surprises!

She's had a rough go of things, but against all odds, seems to be pulling through!  You go girl!

2. Adam brought me to see "Once" in the city, and I have a new Broadway crush.

Sorry Lin-Manuel, James Kazee is my new man.  The play was AMAZING!  And now I got  my mom hooked on the soundtrack.  Even Sarai loves it, and it's totally not her kind of music.  I cried, I laughed, seriously a great show!

3. Sarai has aged out of early intervention, and we had to say goodbye to all of her therapists.  They were the most dedicated and loving team, EVER!  Sarai made each one of them a special gift...

I know we'll be seeing them all though!  It was really more of a, "See you later."  Vanessa has promised to come over for Taco Tuesdays while Adam is gone.  I'm going to hold her to that!

4. We brought Sarai to Pittsburgh.

She saw Dr. Escolar for the first time in 2 years.

She got an MRI and a visual evoked potentials (test to see how her eyes are communicating with her brain) done.  I haven't heard a word about the test results.  It wasn't an easy trip.  Glad it's over with.

5. The kids had a GREAT birthday party!


Adam ended up getting a swing set for the kids (but thank you Uncle Tom and Aunt Theresa, and everyone who offered to move their swing set for us!).  It's been a blast!  Both kids love swinging and sliding, and it's nice to finally be able to actually use our backyard.
(My sister decorated those cakes, how amazing is she??)

(Macaroni the clown had some jokes for Mr. Tirado!  He was a RIOT!)


I should post the poem that my mom read to Adam... anyone want to hear it??  Next time...

6. Sarai started school.

Bittersweet for me.  I'm not sure about the program and that it's the best thing for her.  But we're giving it a try for the summer.  Honestly, the people there couldn't be nicer and they are basically doing back flips they're so excited to work with her, but I really think it's all just too much.  We'll be having a meeting soon.

7. Just took Sarai for an EEG.

I HATE this test.  Hate it.  HATE IT.  Hooking up the electrodes is an absolute nightmare.  But this time, for the first time, she wore it home.  So we didn't have to stay in the hospital, and she didn't have to be sedated, and they didn't expect her to sleep through part of it, just her normal sleep at home.  And she was fine when we got her here.  Glad that's past us too.  This was really just a follow-up to see if the Keppra has improved her EEG.  No word yet on that either. 

8. Gearing up for Adam's deployment.  I've made about half a million calls to see what's out there.  We DID find someone to take care of the lawn while he's gone (Thank you Project Evergreen!), and it turns out the guy who will be doing it (or his company anyway) is the dad of a kid I taught last year!  Small world!  That will be a giant help.  We're also hoping to get some extra help around the house, we've applied for various programs that would help with respite, bringing Sarai to appointments, and hopefully help with her neurological reorganization program. 

9. Caleb is practically walking.  He can climb out of his crib.  He empties the lazy susan.  He likes to remove every magnet he can get his hands on from the fridge.  He's the fastest crawler this side of the Mississippi.  He keeps us on our toes...
My mom will be here tomorrow to help out for a few days and back again next week!  Adam will be gone for pre-deployment fun for the next couple weeks because hey, why not ruin his last few weeks at home??.... (sorry for the pause, I think I just threw up in my mouth a little).  

This deployment has me pretty out of sorts.  Mostly... I'm pissed.  There has been a lot of lip service about the resources available to us, and the support network available from the army, and so far almost nothing has played out.  I've found things out on my own (or with the help of my mom via Gladys... thanks Glad-ness!  We found Project Evergreen because of you and we now have family memberships at the Y!).  And if you were at the Yellow Ribbon Event I was at a couple weeks ago, you'd also be wondering how they'll manage to keep your husband safe when they can't even properly hold a conference.  (THAT could be another blog for another day... or an SNL skit...)

If you live in my area, plan on stopping by as much as possible!  I'm going to be one lonely mama!

And that's why I need a vacation from this vacation... Can I go back to work yet?  I could use the break.
(Clearly, Caleb has already taken his break.)