Cruising right along

Let's see, I got the two month progress report on my little guy on Wednesday.  I'm so pleased with the little guy's progress.  He went up in some areas where he had stagnated last month and continued to improve in the other areas.  Our hard work is paying off.  It is times like these that make the sacrifices worth it and the distance from loved ones seem like an inconvenience rather than an insurmountable hurdle.
And, we are going to have a fantastic weekend with my parents in town!  Spencer is going to be so happy to see them.  (I just hope my father doesn't decide to serenade us again!)
Hopefully, I will feel like driving home next Friday evening, so Spencer and I can enjoy a good 5 days with friends and family before we have to come back for moving day on the 8th.  I can't find anyone to take him for the day, so he will be underfoot during the move.  Hoping it doesn't take too long to move from one apartment to another in the same complex!!
Gotta go clean the apartment and wash some clothes.  Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend and I'll be checking in next week.

Know your audience

Spencer participated in the Special Olympics yesterday.  I don't think he has ever been to an event that was that big.  All special ed students in Fayette county from elementary, middle and high school seemed to be participating.  There are no real events for the children under 8.  They play in the 'Olympic Village', which is just a bunch of games where they earn trinkets. (Bowling, hitting a beach ball with a bat, etc.) Sounds like fun. Not for Spencer.  They had music being piped in to large speakers on the football field.  The high school that sponsored it had their band in the stands playing music.  All of the high schools represented had their mascot there.  In addition, the Atlanta Braves mascot was there.  Can you say sensory overload for a child like Spencer.  The first thing they did as part of the opening ceremonies was to walk around the track, each school carrying a banner.  I wasn't sure I would see my little dude in the crowd.  Not to worry.  When his school came around, I saw a child falling to the ground every few steps and crying.  Yep, that was my guy.  It was made worse when he saw me.  He wanted to leave.  So, I was asked to come join them on the field.  That ticked the little guy off.  He wanted the hell out of dodge.  As difficult as it was, I couldn't leave.  It was new and he needed to work through it.  Unfortunately in life, I am not always able to escape that things that set him off, so he really needs to learn how to cope.  Thankfully, I had the help of his girlfriend, Kelly (a paraprofessional at his school), she was such a morale booster.  If I would've had to go through that by myself, I probably would have broken down crying and left when he started yanking me toward the exit.  He does have some stamina!  he was able to sustain a full blown meltdown tantrum for a full 70 minutes (which totally had momma missing the drive-through daiquiri shops of home!!)  We got him calmed down finally.  Once we did, he seemed to enjoy himself.  He really liked it when the drums from the high school band did a song by themselves.  (Drum music stimulates the right hemisphere, by the way.)  He even sat up in the stands and watched several school mates run in races.  So we did end up on a good note. Whew!

This is the poor little guy during the parade.  Not a happy camper.

 This was after he was calmed down, obviously.

Mommy ran to Kroger while Spence was at therapy and picked up a couple of bottles of wine.  Humor and alcohol- my coping mechanisms!!!

When it rains, it pours!

It just keeps getting better.  Monday, as my husband is awaiting the delivery of the refrigerator I had to buy for the new rental, the water gets turned on.  It begins to rain in the kitchen.  Seems there was a busted pipe between the first and second floors. When Sears arrived, the delivery men were kind enough to point out to my husband the 10 foot long stain on the ceiling (we didn't see it b/c we viewed the property on overcast days & it had no power).  Les calls me and tells me to cancel my move and get out of the lease.  I'll just snap my fingers and do that.  As I call the movers, the electric company, the cable company, etc., I let him handle the lease issue.  He gets me out of the lease, including fully refunding my rental payment and security deposit.  Then, he goes down to the leasing office at the apartment.  Somehow (miraculously) they will have a two bedroom first floor unit come available on April 8.  It is a more expensive unit, as it is closer to the pool, but they will let me move into it at the same rental I am paying now with no transfer fee.  Gee, why wasn't that offered to me when I went to talk to them just a week ago?

Peyton said that Monday was the weirdest day of his life, and I would have to agree.  Then we had to unpack all of the boxes around the apartment and let the school know that we would not be moving.  Crazy, but nothing out of the ordinary for our life!

We had some of the worst weather for the boys' visit.  It was rainy and overcast and cold.  We did partake in some Atlanta tourist attractions, sans Spencer.  And this morning as the boys were leaving, Spencer got extremely confused.  He wanted to get dressed b/c Daddy and Pey were getting dressed.  Then he saw their suitcases and wanted to bring all of his blankets in the car (like we do for vacations)  When the two of them left without him, he just broke down crying.  I could not console him.  In fact, I had to take him for a car ride to calm him down.  He went crazy every time he saw a large white SUV, almost like he thought it was his Daddy's.  I was actually happy for this reaction.  Spencer has NEVER cared if the two of them left, as long as I stayed with him.  To see him making that connection with his Daddy and brother was a good thing.  (And I keep repeating that to myself..)  It was a hard thing for me to witness, though.  He looked like his little heart was breaking, it was so upsetting. But, he is better now.

Wonder Woman! (and I've got the bracelets to prove it!!)

Signed the lease for the new place yesterday.  So happy.  We will be moving on Monday.  I know it is quick, but momma don't play around.  I cannot wait until we leave.  Until then, there is no shhhing going on in my apartment.  Run free, little man.  Had to bring Spencer to the doctor to fill out the Georgia paperwork for ear, eye and dental.  That's a laugh.  They looked at his teeth while he was screaming his lungs out.  Couldn't do a thorough eye or ear exam because he just wouldn't allow it.  There is a box for 'special exception'.  Well, we tried.  Got the movers lined up today, utilities transferred, water turned on and mail forwarded.  Tomorrow, I work on cable transfer, and moving my Sunday paper.

My reward?  My boys are coming in town Saturday and staying for a whole week!!  I miss my hubby and Peyton a lot. I haven't spent any time with them for over a month :(  Needless to say, I will probably not be blogging too much next week!

Busy day

Little Mr. man decided that he was going to get up at 3 this morning.  I was not in the least bit happy.  Of course, it was made worse by me tip toeing behind him whispering, "shhh". Like he was going to be quiet. Then, he makes me hold him while waiting for the bus.  Why? Because last week we saw a stray cat out there and now he is terrified to be put down.  I had to carry him to the bus.  So, it was not a pleasant morning.

Soon after, I toured one of the rental homes.  To say it was a dump was being kind.  The second place was better and I filled out the application.  That was approved and I will be signing my new lease tomorrow. I had to turn in my 30 day notice TODAY or be stuck here an additional month.  You should have seen me running uphill to the rental office before they closed.  I am in such bad shape, I was trying not to breathe too heavy as I was hand-delivering the notice.

Now I just need to make arrangements to get my rented furniture and w/d moved.  SO HAPPY!!!!

Am I getting Punk'd?

I met with the apartment manager yesterday.  Boy, was she ever so helpful. (NOT)  When she found out that we still had five more months of Brain Balance, she seemed out of sorts.  Then she mentions that she will check it out with her regional office and see if they can offer to transfer me to a first floor apartment without having me pay the 'transfer fee'.  So, what do I do when the new neighbors start complaining that he is loud?  That doesn't seem like a good option to me. I have contacted a real estate agent to inquire about renting a home in the area.  That way, Spencer could scream his little heart out int he early morning hours and not worry about anybody but me.

Hopefully, I will be able to get a house before the first of the month, then I could give the apartment their 30 day notice and get my focus back on my little guy.

Channeling Cee Lo Green

In a big F U to the neighbors, Spencer got up at 4:30 this morning.  He was ready to roll.  His first order of business was to go into the kitchen, with hardwood floors that amplify the sound, and jump up and down.  I'm forced to stifle a laugh and try to tell him, "shhh".  But the more I shh him, the wilder he becomes.  He runs several laps around the apartment, jumps through the kitchen, jumps in and out of the master bathtub several times, and then proceeds to lay down in my bed with a very loud case of the giggles.  Like he somehow knows he is ticking those people off.  (All of this BEFORE 5 am, mind you!!)

I'm still not sure what I am going to do.  I need to talk to the leasing agent.  Spencer is not going to get any quieter, in fact he will only get louder.  I need to be giving him additional supplements in the morning.  He does not tolerate these well and I will need to chase him and force him to take them.  Yeah, that's going to be real quiet!  I do understand my neighbor's position, but really.  It is an apartment complex and you need to expect that you will hear people and they will hear you.  I guess I will have to start documenting any noises I hear from their apartment. (And yes, I hear 'noises' from them. And the crowd collectively says, "Ewww".)

Will keep you posted on the saga...