2010 TO 2011 HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Goodbye 2010 it was nice spending time with you. I will miss you but plan on spending a lot of time with 2011 and hoping I will enjoy the time with 2011 like I did with you.

Here is a quick recap of 2010

Jessica ended 7th grade and started 8th grade. She played her last season of softball and cheered for the Simi Valley Vikings Football. She studied extra hard this last year for her Bat Mitzvah, which was in October. She did an amazing job and we all had a fabulous time at her party. She officially became a teenager. She really grew into a young lady this year. We are super proud of her.

Jack, boy did JAck change. He went from a kid to a pre-teen. He is now in the 5th grade. He has been working very hard advancing through the Krav Maga curriculum. He ended this year as a blue belt. He also played hard in football. He got to play football in the snow in Utah this year and has become very good at Call of Duty video game.

As for Joey, well he has done tons this year. He graduated from pre-school and started kindergarten this year. In April he went to Costa Rica for a second round of Stem Cells. He also had his first ABM treatment. Joey has traveled to Arizona for ABM and has done 2 rounds of intensive Neuro Suit therapy. He had botox in June and was serial casted for 8 weeks to help get his feet and ankles back into a neutral position. He is slowly but steadily progressing. However, we are constantly fighting with his body. If it is not one thing, it is something else. Always stretching his abductors so his legs don't scissor, and continue to bend and flex his ankles so his tendons don't shorten and his feet will go into neutral. Making sure he bares enough weight on his legs so his hips don't dislocate and make sure he spends enough time on his stomach on the floor so he doesn't get scoliosis. Always making sure he gets enough food so we don't have to put the feeding tube back in. These are all the daily concerns. The concerns that will follow us and him his whole life.

With all this said, it now brings us into 2011. Wow I can't believe its 2011.

All my babies are growing up and it is scary. Jack will be 11 and in Jr. High and Jessica will be 14 in high school and Joey will turn 6 going into 1st grade. I will be turning 23 again and hopefully starting nursing school. As for Jeremy he has refused to age anymore and he will be starting his military training again.

I have many many hopes and wishes and dreams for 2011. Of course I have New Years resolutions, I always do and then I like to see how long I can make it through the year. Longest I ever made a New Years resolution last was about 6 months. I am pushing for at least 8 months this year. So I would like to lose weight and get into better shape. I want to get back into Krav Maga shape. I am also going to try not to cuss so much and try to not spend so much unnecessary monies on stuff I really don't need. I plan on cooking dinner more and making the kids sack lunches more for school. I plan on working on my patience when it comes to Jack and being a nicer person when it comes to my husband. Ok I know its a lot, but I have to try at least. It's never to late to start.

In 2011 we have a few trips planned. Jack and I are going to Virginia for a school project. I am taking a quick trip to Hawaii for my cousins wedding, and the whole family will go on a few camping trips. I am also planning to meet my ND moms again on another retreat in October. The kids will go to sleep away camp again. As for Joey well I haven't decided yet where he will travel for therapy.

Making decisions on Joey's therapy is very stressful. Going on our adventures are physically and emotionally exhausting. But once I get past all this it all is worth it in the end. I know I want to do tomatis again, and IMOT and ABM and eventually Stem Cells (but not this year). So I told myself that I will not make plans until the end of January. I need to slowly ease myself into 2011. But I do plan on doing all these except Stem Cells this year (very expensive and need time to save monies).

This for the most part sums up 2010 and 2011.

I wish everyone a Happy, Healthy and Wealthy 2011.

I pray for all those special kids who need healing. I pray you will all see change this year. I pray that everyone sees a little more money in their pockets and a little less stress in their minds.

Give extra HUGS and say extra "I LOVE YOUs" this year.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Standing on My Own Two Feet

I like to make my mom think that I am not progressing and then BAM! I pop this out and she cries and I laugh inside.
Just keeping you on your toes mom.


P.S. My therapist is just balancing my upper body. I'm doing the rest.

YOU ARE NOT SO SPECIAL

During this time of the year, my biggest pet peeve is that much more prevalent.

The abuse of Handicap parking spaces and handicap access, people that have NO consideration for the handicap.

On Thursday before the rain hit, we took the family to Disneyland. Joey just loves going on the rides, and yes he can go on all of them. Because Joey is in a wheelchair, most of the rides we have to go through the exit which is wheelchair accessible. I have seen tons of groups where the handicap person sat off of the ride, but the rest of the family used the pass. CONSIDERATION PEOPLE.

We also only have one option as far as taking the tram from the parking lot to the park. We have to stand in line with everyone else, but in the handicap line where they can only get 2 wheelchairs on the tram at a time. The rest of the family has to stand in the regular line. I have no real problem with this EXCEPT for the people who think because their baby is sleeping and they don't want to fold there strollers that they can use the ramp area also. They still have to take their kid out of their strollers. So now we wait longer. As my kid is now crying because he constantly needs to be moving to not get sensory overloaded. As I am talking to the tram attended about the people who feel they can abuse the system a man pushing a stroller with his 3 yr old son in it comes up the ramp. The man clearly does not look disabled and the kid does not look disabled, but I don't know their story so I don't judge them. Well the man hears me bitching about the situation and jumps into the conversation and says he totally understands and hates when people take advantage of it. Well of course the man continues to talk and during our 15 minute wait I find out that the man and his kid are not disabled, it is is wife that is and the wife is not even with them. So before we get off the tram, I open my big mouth and say again yeah I really HATE those people that use the wheelchair access because they have a stroller, as I look at his stroller. He did not get the point and said again how he understands. UGHHHHHH!

OK, then there is the handicap parking spots. If you are disabled and have a car, not a van and have the option at the time to park in either of the spots, DO NOT PARK IN THE VAN SPOT! Really people, REALLY! Where are the people with the handicap vans suppose to park. That space is there for a reason. Think people THINK. If you are disabled and are going to walk the mall then obviously you can walk for awhile, then park 2 spots over in a none handicap spot and let someone that really needs the spot use it. I do this all the time because my HANDICAP VAN opens in the back.

If you are driving a person around that is handicap and the person is going to sit in the car and wait for you, then be considerate and DON'T use the handicap spot.

Oh and what about the people that see you pushing a screaming child in a wheelchair with one hand and carrying a tray full of food with the other hand, BUT doesn't offer to open the door for you or move a chair out of the way or even just to help, but instead look at you like you are a horrible mom for letting your child scream. My hands are full, what am I suppose to do. So thank you to the one kind lady and her daughter, out of the hundreds, that offered to help me . I really appreciated it.

OR

As I am in the bathroom with Joey and he is screaming because the sound of the hand drier freaks him out, the lady that is drying her hands sees Joey screaming and looks over and says "whats wrong?" I said that the sound of the hand drier hurts his brain, she goes "AWEEEEEEEE" and continues to dry her hands. There are paper towels right NEXT TO YOU LADY!, but I didn't say it, wanted to, but didn't, she might not have realized that she wasn't as special as she thought.

It is not cool to think you are special and can use the handicap spots or access when you are not handicap, or when you don't really need to use it. I use to be one of these people. Obviously, I am not anymore. My SIL changed my ways a few years ago. She said to me "You are so lucky you can use the handicap spots anytime you want." I said, "You want to trade. I'd rather not be so LUCKY." I guess though that I should feel good because I am lucky that my kid is disabled, that my kid can't talk or play like other kids. WOW, I am LUCKY!

So to quickly reiterate. YOU ARE NOT SPECIAL ENOUGH TO USE THE HANDICAP SPOT OR HANDICAP ACCESS!. If you are handicap yourself, please take a second to think if you really need to use the spot or access.

Keeps Going and Going and Going!

December has started off with a bang. As soon as Thanksgiving was over and we cleaned up from our camping trip, we moved onto the next event.

On December 2nd, Jeremy, Jack and I where off to Utah so Jack could play football in the snow. We drove to Las Vegas, then Utah and then back to LAs Vegas, then home, all in 4 days. We had a great time and Jack's team won. However, these trips are not so easy to plan, because it is always hard to find someone that can watch Joey. This time though it worked out great, thanks to Ashley and my stepmom.

During my time away Joey called out to me twice, "MOM".

Joey then had a great week at school. We had to meet with the CCS medical doctors for our 6 month evaluation. This is to make sure he still gets his therapy during school. The doctors noted big changes such as his ability to stand unsupported (even if only for a few seconds), and his ability to sit independently for a few minutes. His range of motion in his legs and arms are also much better.

During our time waiting for this appt., I asked Joey for a kiss and ever so softly he said "No". I then said "come on one kiss", again he said "No". So I then just took my kiss. The cool and exciting thing about this is that the "No" sounded perfect and his response time was so quick each time.

As for the rest of the week , on Wednesday and Thursday when I dropped him off at school he called out for me again, "MOM". Of course I have never heard him say it, but once when he was mad.

As for me, well I was holiday shopping and getting ready to have a spa weekend with the ladies. That brings me to today, Friday. Jeremy took the kids to school. I was off to Moorpark College to take a 4 hour test for the nursing program. I was very nervous because I haven't been in school for a long long long time. Good news though, I passed the test and did it in only 2.5 hours. After packing my bags and picking up the kids, Jeremy tells me he is in a lot of pain and has to go to the hospital. Turns out he has several kidney stones. One is making it's way out while the others are laying in wait. So there goes the spa weekend with the ladies. I will have to wait till next year. Boo Hoo, but Jeremy is feeling better, he is on a lot of pain medication.

As for the rest of December, we have a Hanukkah party this weekend, then 2 parties next weekend and a lot of Krav Maga training. Xmas and New Years, and I'm not done shopping yet.

Oh Yeah and be careful when eating Hot Pockets. I had one yesterday and the cheese leaked out and burned the crap out of my chest. I have a quarter size burn with blister on my chest. It really hurts. OOOOOOOOOCH!