Settling In

The end of September means we've been back to school for a few weeks now. Jack (my masto-kid) started kindergarten, half days, and I had been nervous about how he'd do. I worked with the school to put a 504 in place to make things as comfortable as possible for him. They changed to environmentally friendly products for cleaning (which seem to be better for him) and made sure the areas where he will be are cool and fragrance/chemical free. It seems to be working. I have only had to give him "extra" meds (a dose of Atarax) twice.

I did attend the first day with him, which was a parent orientation. I had to get rid of many cleaning wipes that were sent in...mostly clorox bleach wipes. I am trying the green works products for school. Seems to be going ok:) I got to stand up and do a little presentation on masto and why he has spots. I handed out a letter that I wrote for the parents and informational brochures. I think it went well. I found out that another little girl in his class has a mastocytoma!!!! I was actually a little excited! (Is that wrong??)

He has mentioned that several kids have asked why he has spots and if he's sick. I hope the kids aren't scared of him. He seems to be making at least a few friends. He tells me he has three girlfriends! Ha!! I emphasized to the teacher my fears for him, and she seems to reinforce to the kids that they treat each other with respect.

Jack has a medication bag that travels with him in school. This seems to be a bit of a challenge for his teachers. It has been left at school 3 times so far. That means he's been without his epi-pen on the bus 3 times. Makes me a little nervous, but I realize it's a learning curve. They just need to make it a habit to check for his bag. I'm trying not to be a freak about it and make the teachers hate me. I feel like it'd be all over if that happened. They need to work with me, not against me!!! Hopefully they'll get in the swing of things and it will become automatic. I have had 5 years to get my "system" down, so I'm trying to be patient.

I don't want to leave out my other kids. Greyson is my youngest. He is speech delayed. His SLP told me Tuesday she thinks he has an oral motor speech delay or problem. I can't remember exactly, but his mouth doesn't move the way it's supposed to so it's tripping him up when he tries to talk. He's been in speech for over a year now (he's 35 mos old) and has just made huge gains in his language this past summer. He said momma for the first time in June which was huge for me (of course!!). He is putting together two word phrases well enough that his dad and I can understand what he's saying. It is a lot of work, but finally we are seeing the payoff. It is a huge relief that it doesn't look like autism anymore. That's such a scary diagnosis. I mean, we'd deal, right?? What else are you going to do??? He also has multiple food allergies that we deal with daily, and hopefully those are working themselves out too. We've pretty much figured out that he's lactose intolerant, and allergic to eggs and peanuts. Things we can deal with.

My oldest two kids are great. Maddie (the oldest) has some back issues going on. Basically she needs PT to strength her abs....we're hoping it's nothing worse than that.

Ethan is just entering middle school and is having problems getting organized. Four missing assignments that he was hiding from me!!! Ugggghhhh!!! Being grounded from xbox will hopefully turn him around. Otherwise, he's a great kid, and an amazing brother to Jack.

Well, the list of things to do is piling up. No rest for the weary. I hope everyone has a great day!

Kristy