Sparks and Butterflies...

But aside from that, she's still completely normal

Double Digits

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Dear Joseph,

A couple days ago you turned ten. 10. A decade. Double digits. Your teenage years are just on the horizon.

This year you have gone through more than any child should. Bullying that wasn’t stopped. Adults that wouldn’t listen. Police. Hospitals. A school change. All on top of the challenges you already face.

You’ve come through it all intact, with integrity, doing the work, and I am so very proud of you.

May the next decade bring you more growth and lessons you learn from, ease in yourself, knowledge of love, and a kernel of wisdom.

I love you.

Mom

P.S.  Clean your room.

Can’t Decide Between Proud and Mortified

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Poe was handling the morning carline this fine Friday (thank God) morning.  His conversation with a mother (in the actual carline):

Mother:  Hey!  Aren’t you Mr. X*?

Poe:  Um, no?

Mother:  Really?  At Club Midnight*?

Poe:  Um. No.  Nononono.

Mother:  Well…  You’re a really great dancer.

Poe:  Thank you?

What he wanted to say was “And were you a good tipper?”  But he didn’t.  Although he should have.

Of course this comes on the heels of Girl Scout Cookies, hugs, lots of “Thank you Mr. Wilcox,” “Mmmmm those are great tattoos!” And my favorite, “It’s so nice to have a big strong man on the carline.”  (And really?  WTF?)

I’m going to have to start going to carline myself to protect him from the wimmins.

 

*Dancer and Club name completely made up because Poe couldn’t remember the names.  DOESN’T HE KNOW HE NEEDS TO REMEMBER THIS STUFF SO CAN BLOG ABOUT IT?

I smell something funny

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I have been editing the school newspaper for years.  This is my 5th year, actually.  It’s hours of my time, involving PTA Presidents, Communications VP’s, printers, and deadlines.  I get thanks from the President, usually, which is really great – it’s sincere.

Poe has been doing the Carline for two weeks.  Poe gets hugs and free Girl Scout Cookies.

Something’s not right here.

And yes, I want a cookie.

New Role, School Bouncer

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At our local elementary school, where Logan attends, we’ve been having serious carline issues.  Since being out of work, Poe has taken over the dropoff and pickup for me.  He was coming home increasingly angry at the other parents doing stupid stuff, against the “rules” stuff, illegal stuff, and flat out dangerous stuff.  Examples:  Parking across the street, and then having their kids come to them, between the cars in the carline AND jaywalking alone (6 years old) to boot.  Pulling u-turns straight out of the line.  Parking in local residents’ driveways.  Parking in the red.  Blocking fire hydrants.  Double parking in the middle of the street.  It got to the point that he starting documenting on his cel phone.

Because of our frequent meetings with the principal for Joseph’s IEP’s (this was prior to his switching schools,) Poe was able to bring up his issues with the whole thing.  The school is a little at a loss as to how to really fix it.  They are already participants of the Calico program – a Sheriff’s program that trains parent volunteers to help the line move faster and safer.  Finally they decided to publish a rather harsh letter in the school newsletter (I’m the editor,) and bring in the Sheriffs.  And up the parental volunteer muscle.  So they brought in Poe, a former marine, who’s mad at what the other parents are doing.  So each day, at least while he’s out of work (still?!) Poe will hang out at the school, help kids get out and in the cars, holler at stupid parents, and if they don’t listen take their license numbers and pictures for the Sheriff.  He got trained by the Sheriffs this morning (yes, it’s that serious.)

These parents are impatient, and think that they have more important things to do than the rest of the parents do.  As a result they put all our kids in danger.  If it were just a matter of being rude, that’d be different.  But a little girl was killed near here not all that long ago for the same reasons.  Time to put a stop to it – Poe stepped up to the plate.  This should get interesting.

Do you want the Good news or Bad news first?

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Let’s go with good first.  Joseph and his diagnosis.  I’ve been pretty forthright here about his issues.  I haven’t said what meds he’s on, or our specific therapeutic choices.  Suffice it to say – we’re on it.  However, after our foray into the psychiatric hospital system, the discharge diagnosis was bipolar disorder.  Well – one therapist agreed, and one psychiatrist disagreed.  On the one hand, something that’s treatable!  On the other hand, lifelong medications, and an increased risk list the size of my arm.  We had the opportunity, however, to participate in a children’s bipolar study at UCLA.  After 5 hours of testing and talking, talking and testing (there was a break in there so the doctor could do an awake brain surgery oh my jesus ::shiver::) Here’s something fascinating.  He couldn’t have participated in the study (regardless of diagnosis.)  He’s left handed.  Lefty’s have a different brain mapping than righty’s and so they wouldn’t have been able to compare brain maps of apples to apples.  I find that fascinating.  Anyway – They came to the conclusion that he is NOT bipolar.  However, they were able to diagnose social phobia, mood disorder NOS (actually clinical depression, but can’t call it that as the time involved doesn’t meet the clinical requirements) and ADHD Inattentive Type (in otherwords, no hyperactivity.)  All of this?  Feels MUCH more like him than other diagnoses we’ve had.  And so we move on from here with that.

Now the bad.  My mom’s in the hospital again.  Vomiting blood, transfusions, heart rate going down to 33.  They got her heart rate up  again, however, she’s vomiting blood again.  Things were looking up, but now not so much.  Prayers appreciated.  I’m sticking close to home in case I get “called” to the hospital.  Those are not good calls.

And the yuck, but not life and death yuck – we have no toilets.  We have to be roto-rootered, but that has to be done from the roof, as their equipment won’t fit under the house.  But they won’t come to our roof.  Something about not wanting to be struck by lightening we’re having right now.  Sheesh!  And, on top of everything else, I’m planning a bachelorette party, and am a Matron of Honor in a wedding in three weeks.

I’ve always had broad shoulders.  I guess I’m just having to use them.

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